Meera huffed with her hands on her knees. She kept her observation skills up, expecting more of the golems to come, but none did. In the meantime, she activated Vitalize and healed herself. Thankfully, she had no severe injuries, just cuts and bruises, so it didn't take much Mana to heal herself, which was already running low.
After a swig of water from her bottle, she climbed a tree the conventional way to the top. These trees were shorter than the ones in the Forest of Rothedon and also easier to climb. Once she reached the top, she found what she was looking for.
The women of Cliffmere had told her to look for smoke rising from the north, closer to the cliff wall. She didn't see the source of the smoke, but she knew it to be a hut. She had seen it before she entered the valley.
She jumped down from the tree and made her way toward the witch's hut. As she walked, she checked her notifications while keeping her Nimble Ears on.
*ding!*
[You have killed a Mirage Golem – Level 93. For killing an enemy twenty levels higher than your own, you have gained bonus experience.]
*ding!*
[Congratulation. Image Stealer has reached Level 70. You have been awarded 3 stat points]
[Congratulation. Image Stealer has reached Level 71. You have been awarded 3 stat points]
.
.
[Congratulation. Image Stealer has reached Level 74. You have been awarded 3 stat points]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 70 in your main class, you have earned an eighth Chakram.]
A new chakram appeared on her arm, making her total number of chakrams go to eight. She had four on each arm now, and still, there was a lot of room to add more. If this continued, she would soon have to remove them from her arms and hang them from her belt, but there was time enough for that.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity has reached Level 57. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 59% boost]
[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity has reached Level 58. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 60% boost]
.
[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity has reached Level 60. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 62% boost]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shadow Step has reached Level 16]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Primal Power has reached Level 21]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Disorienting Glare has reached Level 2]
[Congratulations. Disorienting Glare has reached Level 3]
[Congratulations. Disorienting Glare has reached Level 4]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shield has reached Level 26]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Blast has reached Level 2]
[Congratulations. Mirror Blast has reached Level 3]
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
.
.
[Congratulations. Mirror Blast has reached Level 7]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has reached Level 2]
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has reached Level 3]
.
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has reached Level 5]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Ambush Tactics has reached Level 28]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Tactician's Gaze has reached Level 16]
Meera paused when she thought she heard something. She pulled off a chakram and waited for a few minutes, but when nothing showed itself, she continued walking and checking her last notification, which she was waiting for.
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Mirror's Perceptivity. Mirror's Perceptivity – Type: Passive. You can see in every direction through the mirrors on your person, leaving no blind spots and enabling you to detect threats, opportunities, and movements with exceptional clarity. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
Meera was stumped. This was an excellent skill. It was like the system had expanded her vision to a 360 radius, but she guessed it did not have Eagle Eye's precision or clarity. If she accepted, she would have to forgo a skill, and she was not about to let go of Eagle Eye after what she said to Silas, that she would cherish Eagle Eye forever. So, it came down to Nimble Ears.
She would not be able to hear that well, but would she need to? If she could see in all directions simultaneously. After all, that was what Nimble Ears was for. If I don't like it, I can kill another bunny and get Nimble Ears back.
With much reluctance, she gave up Nimble Ears and accepted Mirror's Perceptivity.
*ding!*
[You have acquired the skill Mirror's Perceptivity – Level 1]
She activated it right away, and her field of vision ballooned to encompass everything in front of her. She could see from the top of the treetops to the ground all at once. There was no focus on one spot, but she could see everything. Then she started, but she could only see what was before her. She couldn't see anything behind her until she turned.
Meera took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. She had begun to think she had made a mistake giving up Nimble Ears when she remembered that she could see all around her through the power of mirrors. She looked at the chakrams on her wrist, pulled one off, took it behind her back, and voila, just like that, she had 360-degree vision.
She could see the trees behind her and the ones in front. There was no spot on the spectrum that was hidden from her. She moved the chakram back to the front, and she lost the vision from her back. She needed a way to keep the chakram behind her so that she could see in all directions.
After much thinking, there was only one way she could think of right now. She took off her hoard belt and tied it over her armor but not before sliding a chakram through it and making sure it rested on her back. She activated Mirror's Perceptivity again, and just like that, she could see in every direction. The only blind spot she had, was the top of her head.
She needed to find a way to get a small mirror sewn into her hood. Maybe even across her back because this way, she would always be short a chakram. Another good thing was that this skill worked off Stamina instead of Mana, so she could keep it active for longer while using her newly acquired mirror skills as her primary method of attack.
She smiled as her skills were coming along quite nicely, even if she weren't as stealthy as she would have liked, but it was still better than the random patchwork of skills she had a few weeks ago.
As she traveled, she did miss being able to hear things in the distance, but her perception had been heightened to new levels, and it would be hard to fall on her without detection.
The evening wore on and gave way to night. Mirithia brightened in the night sky and became her guiding light in the dark. It wasn't long before Meera saw the smoke above the tree line, which meant she was headed in the right direction.
She slowed down, surveying everything carefully before moving along. Mirror's Perceptivity made sure no golem got the jump on her. She saw a glow in the distance and watched it with Eagle Eye, and it was indeed a hut. There was also one of the oval Gateway mirrors right outside the hut. Her eyes widened a little when she saw men working outside.
Meera thought she saw something move behind her. If it was another golem, she didn't want to let it know that it had been spotted. So, she thought of trying something. Without turning around, she focused on using Eagle Eye behind her. To her surprise, it worked instantly. She had to stop herself from jumping up. She surveyed the area around thoroughly with Eagle Eye, focusing on the darker areas, and the greatest threat she found was a squirrel resting on a branch.
Once, she was sure nothing was coming after her. She began for the hut with Mirror's Perceptivity and a chakram in hand. The hut was much like any hut she had seen, with a thatched roof and a stone chimney. There were a couple of windows, with light coming from inside. Several torches had been lit along the property line to provide light for the men. The only odd thing about this hut was the number of shiny glass pieces hanging around the house. Back on earth, witches usually had gingerbread houses, but then again, this world was obsessed with mirrors, so they would have strange decorations.
She saw a bunch of men cutting trees. She slinked her way to them, came up on this man's back, and tapped lightly.
"Hey," she whispered, with one eye on the house.
The man did not stir. Meera tapped harder, but the man kept swinging his axe away. She frowned and moved around so she would be in his vision. The man had an unfocused gaze and a smile on his lips.
"Hey, I'm Meera." She waved a hand in front of his face, and nothing. "Anybody home?"
Still nothing. So, Meera moved to the next one, and he was the same—swinging his axe at the tree with a goofy smile. She checked a few more, and they were all like this.
They must be under the witch's spell, which explains why they never returned home. Meera sighed. So much for trying to get some information before meeting with the lady.
She passed more smiling men along the way. Some were stacking the wood. Some were cleaning the yard and doing other things that would have been better done in the daylight. No one stopped her as she made for the hut, but she did reach for the Gateway Mirror and gave it a tap before arriving at the door.
She carefully opened the door, expecting a mirror golem to punch her in the face but found no such thing. Instead, she heard a melodious tune. A small corridor had two doors on the left side and a door at the end of the hallway. Many flowers and small mirrors were hanging decoratively. Meera carefully stepped into the small hut and followed the sound. It was coming from the room at the end of the hallway.
She wanted to open the two doors to her left, but they were closed. Finally, the tune coming from the room sounded like it must've been from a string instrument. It was a sad yet enjoyable tune.
Meera blew out the candle outside the door, so she would have someplace to teleport to if this was a trap. She finally opened the door and was not prepared for what she saw.
"Ah, you're finally here," the witch said.