The next few days went and passed in a blink. Zeke took the time to rest from the expedition, but as usual he didn’t stay put. Neither did Mikella as she went out to train and spar against those that were available.
She trained throughout all the morning hours, using the chance for herself while Clara and Ana were away. According to Clara, she was learning quite a bit under Vivian’s tutelage, and just a smidge of runecrafting from Zeke and Cloud whenever he got a chance to be around.
All the while, Zeke was stuck in Cloud’s study, practicing his runes. He thought about training his Barrier Craft or Recovery, bringing those skill levels up to improve themselves for the future raid.
But he knew his runes would be the key for his versatility. Besides, this way he can also gain XP to level up without really being in combat. But it truly was a slow and arduous leveling experience for the poor Runist.
Throughout it all, it was a productive, but boring few days. The soldiers were out by themselves, ensuring the safety of the town, but they returned early as they needed to be prepared for the potential dungeon run. Myra returned back home to spar with Mikella, using the chance to train themselves with their skills. Since finding out about the two’s origins, she had been adamant in getting stronger, practicing and experimenting with her newfound improved attunement.
On the other hand, Zeke figured it was time for a true practice session.
Four girls watched him as he went out to the training yard after taking out a single wooden log for target practice. Those being Mikella, Myra, and the girls Ana and Clara who just got out of their lessons. Somehow, having a crowd to watch him made his insides gurgle.
“Do you have to make an audience?” Zeke said, tugging on his Gloves of Sanctuary. They weren’t needed for his runes, but he made a habit of playing with them whenever he got nervous.
“We wanna see you using magic!” Mikella exclaimed, Clara jumping beside her.
“Magic!” Clara excitedly shouted.
“I was invited,” Myra simply said, with Ana by her side.
“Magic!” Ana simply said.
Zeke can’t quite blame them for the excitement. He was also pretty excited, considering this was the first time he advanced well enough to use his runes.
And this time, he was going to use his new Class Skill, Runic Spell. hence the target practice.
Clearing his mind with that, he created a palm-sized square-shaped barrier in front of himself. Its turquoise light was pretty to look at, and despite the day creeping towards nighttime, it didn’t give off any light at all around him. He pulled out a pen, his fingers itching to inscribe his first runes for battle.
He checked his notifications over the past few days, using whatever willpower he had to push through the pain from the leftover Mana Deprivation to at least practice his drawing speed.
Inscription Proficiency Level up! It is now Level 3.
Increased accuracy with drawing runes.
Decrease mana consumption when drawing runes.
Thanks to the level up, it didn’t just help accurately draw out the complicated rune patterns and the necessary lines, intersections, and circles necessary to create an array–he drew so fast that it looked like a speed printer scanning and then forming the characters at high speed. It was surreal, and certainly made the other girls gawk in awe.
The array in question was made up of several runes having several meanings. Honestly, just having a skill for a magic spell is way easier than trying to draw up everything from scratch. He had to use runes that meant an element of the one he wanted, the connections of that element to everything else, the layers differentiating the element from reality, the border that defines the layer to pass through, the synergy between the spell and reality, the nature which he has to connect to the spell–etcera, etcera, just to make a working spell.
Still, it was done in less than a few seconds, so perhaps it wasn’t all that bad. He had his Runic Library to thank for that.
When the rune was finished, It looked like one of the magic circles he often saw on television, a large circle on the barrier and within it were several smaller circles in order with large and small lines drawn like a maze. The runes were tiny letterings that made up the entirety of the insides of the circle.
He winced at the creation, however. Contrary to what he wanted, he took a lot more thought process and effort on the inscription than he wanted. He also spent more mana than he wanted. In his mind, he quantified the amount by around 20 to 30 points of mana when he really wanted to spend less than 10 points.
That proved that it was inefficient. But compared to when he first tried it, it was way cheaper. He couldn't even make a proper spell without it costing over 50 mana points by his estimation, and that was the type that only spurted out small puffs of Mana vapor.
But after spending days on end, he was finally able to produce a working spell.
He faced the target with his newly drawn spell and willed the magic within the array to activate.
The array glowed, the markings on the barrier shimmering slightly and getting the girls’ attention. A small burst of air launched forward, forming it into a small spike with the same color as his turquoise barrier.
The air spike struck the target, a sharp sound echoing across the training yard. The wooden log was launched across the field, falling onto the barren dirt. There was a small hole across the broken bark, almost like a small blade that pierced right into it rather than through it
Zeke breathed, joy filling his chest and lungs. After so many days experimenting and configuring his runes, he finally managed to make a working attack spell. He even got a notification from it.
> Runic Spell Level Up! It is now Level 2.
>
> Increased accuracy and potency of runic spells.
> Decreased mana consumption.
And clearly, the others got excited for it.
“You did it, Zeke!” Mikella practically jumped along with the already excited Clara, the two sisters shouting in unison. “You did it!”
“Wow,” Myra said, smiling but also staring intently at the wooden log. “So Runists can also attack like that? I didn’t know that they could be so damn resourceful.”
“Oooh…!” Ana said, her eyes glittering. “It’s way smaller than Daddy’s, but it’s still so cool!”
Zeke will politely ignore Ana’s comment. But before he could turn back with a smile, he already found himself getting embraced by both Mikella and Clara.
His family in this new world.
“Nice job, Zeke!”
“Bobo! That was so cool!”
“It’s… it still needs a lot more improvement,” Zeke said, his cheeks flushing from the affection. “But hopefully this will help me provide some assistance during combat.”
Mikella nodded, fully on board with that. He was also thinking about training with a weapon, but with the dungeon raid being so close, he wanted to fine tune his specialty rather than divulging himself into something entirely new.
“How’s your body doing?” Myra stepped over next, giving the family some room as she asked. “Is it okay for you to be spending Mana so much after your Deprivation?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Zeke said, feeling his body again. He still felt the shivers, but he shook them off. “It was painful at first, but it died down after the last few days. As long as I don’t end up overusing my magic again like last time, I should be fine to practice.”
“Right…” Myra nodded, and Zeke figured she still felt guilty for what happened. However, her face sharpened. “And you said this happened the last time?”
“Oh, yeah,,” Zeke said, reminding himself of the tower. “We faced a wyvern or… some weaker version of that and I ended up using not just all my mana, but my health and stamina too. That was a lot more painful, but that was before I got a class and all.”
Myra shook her head. “I still can’t believe that, even if I’m seeing the truth right in front of me. The fact that you were from another world is… well, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, and you’re helping us. That’s okay in my book.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Thanks,” Mikella smiled. “Oh, and thanks for the spar. I think I have a good grasp on how to get Spear Mastery now.”
“The fact that you can say stuff like that is so unfair,” Myra bemused, but a smirk was left on her face. “You better be able to kick ass fast from all that or I’ll do it myself!”
“You’re on,” Mikella chuckled.
The three enjoyed speaking at length about the things they could do on a battlefield. Though he put his effort into learning how to fight with his runes, he was still expected to provide support. Zeke knew that to be the case as his arrays were more of a ‘Plan B’ situation in case shit hits the fan. And so far, he has no reason to not worry about incoming problems ahead.
The next day, Zeke was well enough to join the expedition again, and this time Mikella returned along with Zeke to the team.
Nobody had an issue with her returning as long as Val, their Captain, suggested it. Not to mention the situation about having to raid a dungeon was more important than the sudden suspension relief for her.
Though the soldiers still murmured about how Mikella was being favored. But soon they ceased judging her as Mikella did her best to play a supportive role. She only provided a little help and left most of the fighting to the others. That quickly got on their good side as they worried whether Mikella would try and steal their kills like what happened to Myra.
Zeke still felt that they were being harsh on her, but Mikella didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, she only focused on fighting one monster at a time. Rather than using Hawk Eyes or even her Class skills, she focused intently on her axe and spear, which she gained a new skill after practicing for so long.
> General Skill learned: Spear Mastery.
…..
> Spear Mastery (Common), Level 1
> You become a part of the spear. When wielding any type of spear, your damage increases and your movements faster. Each of these will increase according to the level of the skill and the current Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance stat.
When she proved once and for all that she was a damn good fighter even without her class skills, nobody complained about her joining the future dungeon raid.
They were even ecstatic about it as Zeke’s barrier tactic was still popular. Using his barrier to keep the monsters out and killing them when they try to enter proved too good to be ignored. It slowly became a farming activity for XP, and this time Mikella had to be kept out.
Though, since the two were linked, and so far all the kills were done with his assist, they each still gained a good amount of XP, though no levels were gained.
During this time, Zeke and Mikella took the time to discuss things. First, he asked about her interest in learning different weapon skills. She admitted that learning how to use different weapons was important, but not so far as to gain a General Skill. However, Mikella grew interested, thinking that she can further enhance her fighting prowess if she can also use many different weapons at once thanks to the skills. Perhaps even make something out of all of them, like how Zeke consolidated with his Recovery skill.
Plus, the stat increases were a nice bonus to work towards, which Zeke agreed.
Then they talked about their future attunements for level 30. With only two levels ahead and no time to really buy any potions for any specific attunements they wanted, they had no other choice but to take the simple boost.
Zeke wondered whether they should each have the Nature aspected one, considering they were close to the forests and all, but Mikella decided against it. She heard that aspects play a heavy role in their development as users, and she worried that taking on a Nature-aspect would ruin her fighting style. Nature mana focused more on bearing life and restoring balance according to the texts, and that would affect heavily into her battle-driven fighting and especially her Class.
Zeke nodded in agreement. He forgot that just because aspects can empower people, it doesn’t mean it can enhance them in the way they wanted. And not to mention, Zeke felt that while Nature Mana is peaceful on paper, it doesn’t reflect what he wanted out of his own style.
He didn’t know exactly what he wanted, but he knew the Nature aspect wasn’t it. He had enough forests for a lifetime, even if they lived close to one.
Which brought the question up. Zeke turned to Mikella, surrounded by the other soldiers still railing on the poor monsters trying to come in through the openings of his barrier.
“Hey, Mikella… what are we gonna do for the future?”
It was the sort of question that the two knew intimately over the past quarter year. It regarded everything; from how to live, and how they plan on doing so. Only the two here knew exactly what he meant.
“Mmh…” Mikella hummed, taking in the question while looking at the ground. It was as though the sounds of combat were getting muted the further they stepped into her thought process.
Finally, she spoke.
“I… I like the town,” Mikella added slowly. “Clara likes this place a lot, so I like it too. The people are nice, and once the dungeon is cleared, we can rest in it for a while.”
She turned back to Zeke. “You said that this town is the only place where people like us can live freely, without any taxes or major roles to play. The other places have a lot of rules that are… well, they might be troublesome for the three of us.”
Zeke nodded. That wasn’t even considering the fact that once their secret of having special status gets out, not a single person of high authority would leave them alone. The only people that were taking advantage of them in a way they can accept were Cloud and Val, who had every right to use their abilities to help the town and their citizens after taking them in.
“I figured. In the end, I think this town is safe for us to stay in. But…”
“You’re talking about how long, right?” Mikella asked. She instantly knew what was on his mind, meaning she had that same question.
“I don’t mind the town. I like staying there, but I also don’t want to burden Cloud and Val any longer. That’s why I was considering… umm, buying a home for us to live in. Or maybe rent out a place we can stay for ourselves.”
“I agree,” Mikella nodded. “We don’t have a lot of money, but we can always work off any debts with our abilities. We can probably make a small home. Not anything fancy, like Val and Cloud’s, but… comfortable.”
“We can always renovate it the more we work. I can use runes to make it more comfortable for us without any extra costs” Zeke added with a grin, getting Mikella bobbing her head excitedly.
“Right? We can even build something for Clara too! Like her own room with a guest bed for Ana when she comes in, and when she grows up, we can add in a training room or a study for her to use and…”
It was as though Mikella got more animated the longer she talked, and that soon petered out as her shoulders slumped. Zeke, without really thinking, already knew what was on her mind.
So he asked another question. Something that was bothering at the back of his mind.
“Are we planning on going back home to our world?”
At this point, it was impossible to even think about how to return home, much less actually going back home. It was clear that this was an entirely new world for them, but even more than that, stuff like spatial teleportation or crossing dimensions didn’t seem like possible ways to learn at their current level.
Even Cloud, a Journeyman, figured it was impossible, as traveling long distances in a moment was already draining on resources. Traveling to different worlds? It was very unlikely.
So what choice do they have? Even if they wanted to return home as soon as possible, they had no way of figuring out how. To try and worry about returning home after all this time was pointless.
But he didn’t want to say that to Mikella. To Zeke, he didn’t mind staying here. He likes this place. He loves being useful for everyone, helping them out just like this. If he was able to stop people from getting hurt with his barriers, and even heal them, that’s all he could ask for. And that’s without mentioning his useful runes that could benefit anyone, combat-wise or not.
God knows how useless he was in his life before coming to this world. All he ever did was figuring out small loans payments for a company that didn’t care whether he lives or dies. Staying at his desk all day slamming on his keyboard. That was the only job he could do confidently, and it wasn’t even that well-paid.
Not once did he think about how much money he was making in this new world, even though he was already starting to talk about building a home, something that should’ve been absolutely impossible to do in their world.
But he can’t say that to Mikella, no matter how hard he thought about revealing that. He wouldn’t mind helping the sisters out to return back home, but whether he wanted to return along with them, he couldn't say.
So when she answered his question, he was dumbstruck.
“No,” Mikella shook her head. “I’m planning on staying here with Clara.”
“Y-You sure?” Zeke asked. “This world can still be dangerous, especially for Clara. No matter how strong we get, there’s always a risk…”
Zeke tried to, for the most part, convince her otherwise. Though he felt ashamed that he wasn’t truly into it. He was actually happy about her and Clara staying, but what did that mean for the girls? Mikella made a solemn expression, a bitter smile on her lips.
“Zeke, I told you, right? I ran from home. I was planning on making a living with my ten year old sister. No support, no friends to take care of me. I was going to do everything by myself. Thinking back on it now, that was impossible to even consider, let alone try.”
Mikella turned wistful, looking toward the distance as dozens of monsters died around them. Zeke paid close attention, ignoring everything else.
“I wasn’t going to make it. Sooner or later my mother would find me and take Clara back by force, probably even call the police on me. Even if she didn’t care, there was no way for me to get a decent job without leaving Clara behind to some stranger. For all I know, I would’ve done sketchy favors in exchange for money. I didn’t want to admit it… but me and Clara being kidnapped against our will was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to us.”
Mikella turned back to Zeke. Her smile transformed into something else. More radiant and full of life.
“You were also responsible for that. If it weren’t for you, I honestly didn’t know what to do. I was blessed, and I didn’t even realize it before now.”
She shook her head. “No, I did know. I knew for a while, but… it was hard to accept at first for obvious reasons. So… I guess I kinda wanted to ask you instead, Zeke.”
She turned back to him again. “Are you okay with staying with us?”
Zeke never hesitated.
“Of course,” Zeke smiled. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that you wanted to stay. I know things are rough and all but… I’m glad you’re okay with this.”
Mikella chuckled. “I should be saying the same to you. You’re always looking out for us, and more than anything, you love Clara as much as I do. That’s… I couldn’t ask for a better older brother for her.”
He smiled at her. “It’s hard not to love her. She’s got that… uhh, vibe, I guess. Everyone who’s decent loves her, and anyone who doesn’t deserves to die.”
He was afraid that last statement might have been a bit too much, but he forgot exactly who he was talking to.
“I know, right?! Seriously, that just makes thinking a lot easier.”
Mikella nodded in understanding, fully agreeing to his statement. Zeke just shook his head, amused and chuckling to himself.
The day went on with Zeke and Mikella standing side by side, the other soldiers making quite a lot of XP for themselves to reach their breakthroughs at level 30.