“You never told me your name,” Reya said to me, after we had spent most of the day traveling. We’d actually crossed much more distance than I was used to, since Reya knew the area. Or just knew the forest, for that matter.

“It’s Luna,” I curtly replied.

Reya had actually been very helpful throughout the day. Having her to guide me was something of a miracle. The only problem was that none of it had been my choice, and I wasn’t exactly too fond of being made to do anything against my will. Even if it was something as simple as providing a bit of company for a while.

“Luna, hm? A good name!” Reya laughed again. She did that a lot. “Your parents chose well, Luna, Lineage of the Human.”

“Lineage of the Human?” I asked.

“Ah, I see you understand less of this place than I had first assumed. Lineages mean very much in this forest. Even more so, in the city we are going to, but…” Reya looked off into the distance for a moment, before shaking her head. “Well, it is best you learn about it once we get there!”

“That still doesn’t explain what a lineage is.”

Reya looked at me a bit confused. “How many beastmen do you know of?”

“Only you, honestly.”

“Yet you are here, in what you humans usually call the Forest of Beasts?” Reya questioned. I shrugged. “No matter, I will explain it to you. Lineages are the ancestral path of any beastman. There are many, but most live in small tribes, and do not communicate much with others of the forest.”

“What’s your lineage?”

Reya gave me another strange look, as if the answer was obvious. Which, on second thought, it probably was. “I am Reya, Lineage of the Tiger,” Reya said, puffing out her chest in pride.

Another strange part about not having all of my memories: I knew what some things were, even if I didn’t have any memories about them to call on. In this case, I knew what a tiger was, but had never seen one. Or at least, didn’t remember seeing one. Judging from what little I did know about tigers, I decided to be a bit more careful about Reya. I wouldn’t be able to stop her if she ever wanted to hurt me, but being a bit more wary couldn’t hurt.

“So, what do the people with the Lineage of the Tiger do? Are they one of the tribes?”

“Tigermen. And while we are not as numerous as many others, we are the mightiest!”

Reya was nothing if not prideful. Still, it wasn’t like she was trying to turn me into a weapon for her legion, so I didn’t mind putting up with her antics for the meantime. If I even had a choice in that.

“You said I’d get to meet others in the city, right? How long is it going to take to get there?”

Reya thought for a moment, before answering. “At this pace, half a phase. Twenty days, as you humans would say.”

Although I was curious as to what a phase was, I didn’t want to ask Reya many more questions. Even without them, she’d rambled on for most of the day until I worked up the courage to politely ask her to shut up. I was grateful and all for her saving my life, but Reya could likely talk my sanity away if she really tried.

We didn’t go for very much longer. It was getting dark, and even Reya would need to sleep eventually, regardless of her Lineage.

“If you came to the forest alone, I assume you can at least hunt, correct?” Reya asked me after taking a seat on a tree root.

I nodded my head, but didn’t say anything.

Reya smiled dangerously. “Good.”

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“I am not familiar with most weapons, although many in the forest use bows similar to your own. Still, I shall guide you through getting our dinner tonight.” Her voice was a whisper.

Reya and I were side by side on a tree branch, watching SnakeDeer drinking water from a stream. It didn’t have any MosquitoFish in it, so their evening was peaceful so far. Judging from the hungry look on Reya’s face, and my own need to eat, it wouldn’t stay that way for very long.

“What is your Class rarity?”

I looked at Reya, trying to gauge why she’d even want to know that. “Why’s it matter?”

“The information I will give you is important, so listen carefully,” Reya said. I didn’t really need to worry about forgetting anything, thankfully. Snakedeer are dangerous for those unprepared. Each of them will flee if one of their number is killed, but each of them will retaliate if one of their number is attacked but still lives. If your arrow simply bounces off of something’s tough hide, then you may find yourself in a terrible situation. This will hold the same for anything else you hunt. If you choose a target too strong, you will die.”

That was likely information which Reya had been given at some point in her life. Which made sense. If she was anything like the rest of her kind, then the Tigermen were a proud people. Even after knowing her for only a day, I could already easily imagine Reya jumping into a fight with something much stronger than her, but having full confidence that she would win.

At the very least, she wasn’t seemingly planning anything malicious. She didn’t have much of a reason to lie to me, after I’d seen her demonstration of power against the mosquitofish, so I had enough reason to trust her with some things.

“It’s rare,” I finally said. Reya raised an eyebrow at that.

“Interesting, at your level and age. Did you reset your Class to get it to such a high rarity?”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

Reya apparently didn’t care enough to ask more. “Well, considering your level and Class… that one.” She pointed at one of the snakedeer. “Aim for its neck or heart. One arrow only, or else the herd will likely find and attack us.”

Before picking up my bow, I decided to Identify the target Reya had pointed at.

(SnakeDeer - Level 95)

(SnakeDeer are a species unique to the Forest of Beasts. Their fangs can inject a highly lethal venom into anyone they bite, cementing their kind as one of the most dangerous beasts in the forest. SnakeDeer typically travel in small groups, but are also known to travel in medium to large herds, especially when claiming territory.)

System Notification: You have leveled up Animal Lore! (Level 1 →2)

I coughed, but miraculously didn’t alert any of the snakedeer. I was certain that many of them had far better perception than I did, but for some reason or another, none of them seemed to care.

“I can’t kill something with a level that high! Especially not with a single arrow. Choose something else.”

“If you do not shoot the snakedeer, I’ll alert all of them to our position, and run away while they attack you.” Reya crossed her arms.

With a sigh, I took up my bow, and activated Mana Arrow.

“You wouldn’t actually do that, would you?”

Reya looked like she wanted to laugh, but she held herself back. “I would never run from a fight! Now shoot. They will not drink forever.”

I lined up my shot, aiming right at the target that Reya pointed out to me.

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My first time seeing one had been when I was still climbing. That snakedeer had been a lower level than the one I now faced, but I hadn’t attacked it at the time, considering how hard it had been to see, along with the fact that it still had a level advantage over me.

Snakedeer looked similar to most deer, with a few key differences. Their tails were longer, and had fur-covered scales. Their eyes were reptilian, and they sported fangs that looked sharp even from a distance. And as I’d learned from my new Animal Lore Skill, they were also venomous. Normally, not something I would even consider trying to hunt. Thankfully, or perhaps not so much, Reya was here.

I lined up my shot, deciding to go for the heart. The snakedeer, unsuspecting of any attack, was wide open. It was also pretty calm, and didn’t move very much. So long as I didn’t mess anything up too much, I imagined a clean shot wouldn’t be very difficult.

Once I was happy with my aim, I loosed the arrow, and watched as it flew toward its target. The second stage of archery had made my arrows unaffected by the wind. A great side effect of that was that my arrows were silent. They didn’t whistle, they just went.

My arrow came closer and closer, but the snakedeer didn’t seem to budge. Not until the last moment, at least. Just before the arrow was ready to pierce its skin, the deersnake jerked to the side. The arrow connected with its leg, which crippled the beast, but was far from killing it. It let out a pained cry, alerting the others.

“How did it even know!?” I yelled out in frustration, before realizing the situation we were in. Every snakedeer in the herd turned toward me, each baring their fangs.

“Your equipment is lacking,” Reya said, evaluating my bow. “You may want to purchase a new one in Gisea.”

I assumed Gisea was the name of the city of glowing trees that we were currently heading toward, but I didn’t have enough time to confirm. The snakedeer had charged the tree in the blink of an eye, impacting it with enough force to knock it over.

I jumped away almost as soon as the trunk started to go down, but found myself on even footing with the snakedeer. Every one of them looked at me with the eyes of a predator. I froze in place as the closest took a slow step forward.

I then felt Reya’s hand land on my shoulder. “Stand here, and don’t move.”

“What if they attack me?” I asked. “Shouldn’t I run, or at least defend myself?”

Reya just smiled. “I’m going to kill everything that moves. Do not worry about them, worry about staying still.”

That was enough for me. I hadn’t seen exactly what happened to the mosquitofish, and they’d been right in front of me, until Reya arrived. If she said she was going to kill things, and that I had to not move, I was going to listen.

It hadn’t even taken seconds. Reya moved in a blur, leaving mangled bodies in her wake. Both I and the snakedeer were much too weak to even comprehend her movements. In a heartbeat, she was standing in the middle of over a dozen carcasses, with blood dripping down her claw-like nails. Or perhaps they were nail-like claws. Either way, her hands looked rather human whenever she wasn’t killing anything.

System Notification: You have assisted in killing a SnakeDeer (Level 95)

System Notification: You have leveled up Calamity Amnesiac! (Level 32 → 38) (+1 to all stats per level! +15 Free stats per level for having a rare Class!)

I wasn’t going to complain about mostly-free levels, though I’d already gotten the one deersnake’s leg. If Reya had just left it alone, I was pretty sure I could have killed it on my own. I could only wonder how many levels I was missing out on.

I quickly put all of my free stats into mana. That almost doubled the score, bringing it up to 203. I only needed to gain 10 more levels, and then I would have my hand back. Or at least whatever the Mana Prosthetic Skill would give me. I was hopeful it’d at least be better than the hook in a glove that I was currently using. My fight with the mongoosebear hadn’t been too nice to it, and I was really starting to worry that the cloth would tear. If that happened, I was as good as dead in a place like this. I wasn’t so sure that Reya would help me out if I couldn’t even pull my own weight either.

Those next 10 levels couldn’t come fast enough.

Reya took a seat next to a snakedeer carcass, and ripped out a chunk of meat. “Eat. Snakedeer isn’t very good when cold.”

My face sank. “You don’t… cook it?”

Reya’s face flashed with confusion, until she seemingly remembered something. “Ah, right! I forgot you humans always eat your food cooked. There is plenty of meat, so you may cook what you like.”

Reya was back to eating before I could even say my next question. “Do you know how to make a fire?”

“Do I? Ha!” She puffed her chest out again. “Of course not! I have no use for fire!”

“Of course…” I echoed, my voice not nearly as cheery. I took a seat on the ground, on the other side of Reya. My hands weren’t nearly as good as Reya’s for tearing apart meat. “Could you hand me a chunk?”

She ripped out and tossed me a bloody chunk of meat. I really needed to figure out how to start a fire.

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The rest of the night had been pretty uneventful. Reya and I slept on the ground, as she was sure nothing would possibly be stupid enough to disturb her, and by extension, me. She also didn’t carry any supplies, so the ground was the most comfortable spot.

Unlike other nights, I was having a hard time falling asleep, despite the fact that I was tired and at least relatively comfortable compared to my usual tree accommodations.

I could only lie silent for so long, though. After a longer amount of time than I expected had passed, I stood up, trying to be as quiet as possible.

“Do not stray too far. You will not have an easy time surviving against the creatures of the night.”

So much for staying quiet. “Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Reya sat up. Her hair looked even messier than usual. “You can’t sleep?” She asked. The tone of her voice briefly reminded me of some of the good, quiet times I’d shared with Cyril and Lise. They’d always worried about me.

I’d tried to keep away most thoughts of those two, but it was hard, when the time I’d spent with them had effectively been most of my life.

“Not really,” I said, sitting back down. “I’m not sure why.”

We sat in silence for a while. Reya’s presence was something of a comfort, in a different way than Cyril and Lise. I’d felt safe with the two of them, since they’d been nothing but caring for me since the moment we’d met. Reya was probably multiple times more dangerous than Victor, if how blurry either of them were when they moved was something to go off of. Knowing that I likely wasn’t at risk of getting jumped by some animal at all times was a comfort in its own right.

“What’s the real reason that you’re traveling with me?” I eventually asked. I’d never really bought her initial excuse of just wanting someone to keep her company. Not with how insistent she’d been.

Reya looked at me, but didn’t say anything, until she eventually sighed. “I’ll tell you once we get to Gisea.”

It was my turn to give Reya a look, but she didn’t say anything more. “You’re not gonna try to sell me as a slave or something like that, right? Didn’t go too well for the last person that tried.”

Reya didn’t seem amused, but then, for the first time since I’d met her, a look of surprise crossed her face. “You don’t lie.” Her surprise faded, and she smiled. “Maybe you are not as weak as I thought.” She laughed, but this time, it was much quieter, and seemed more genuine than usual. She wasn’t just boasting and being prideful.

“You never answered the question,” I crossed my arms.

“Ah, right.” Reya looked me in the eyes. “I do not intend to hurt you in any way. Nor will I try to kidnap you, or force you to do anything you do not wish to do. So long as you do not try to do the same to me, at least.”

Invisible mana filled the space around us. I couldn’t see it, but there was enough for me to easily sense it. I could even tell that it was coming from Reya. It gathered between us, until mana stopped trickling from her. Then, before I could even understand what was happening, the energy rushed to me, going through my skin and filling my body. It all happened quickly. So quick, that by the time I could even formulate a question, it was as if nothing had happened.

“What…” I patted myself over, eventually deciding that I felt fine. “What did you just do?”

Reya looked at me as if I’d asked a dumb question. “You do not know what a Vow is?”

I shook my head.

“A vow ensures that I will stick to my word. If I do not, the consequences are always harsh. You can look over it with the System.”

I pulled up my status sheet, but it looked the same. I looked over to Reya, ready to ask a question, but she spoke before I could.

“Mentally will the System to show you ‘Vows.’”

I did as told, and was met with a screen I’d never seen before.

VOWS

Vow from Reya, Lineage of Tiger to Luna - “I do not intend to hurt you in any way. Nor will I try to kidnap you, or force you to do anything you do not wish to do. So long as you do not try to do the same to me, at least.” - Minor offenses will at minimum result in loss of levels. Major offenses will at maximum result in death, and the destruction of the soul.

My eyes widened as I read the last few sentences. My safety was pretty much guaranteed. It just didn’t make sense for Reya to make a Vow like that if she was just going to break it later on. Not with our differences in strength. It was also a bit concerning that she was even willing to go so far, though. If she did break the Vow, she could end up facing some serious consequences.

If I was in her situation, I wouldn’t have done the same thing, when the potential backlash was potentially lethal. Part of me hoped she was just very trusting, but even then, it all seemed a bit too far. Either way, now wasn’t the time to ask. Reya had just clearly shown some trust in me. I wouldn’t immediately start interrogating her.

“Thank you,” I said.

Reya smiled. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure… Would you mind talking for a while longer?”

Reya nodded, lying down on her side, but facing me. I did the same. The two of us talked for a while, but I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. We mostly talked about our plans for the future, and the things we liked. Neither of us was too keen to divulge information about our pasts.

If not for Perfect Memory, I wouldn’t have even remembered falling asleep when I woke later on.