A soft blue halo emanated from the book and my hand, followed immediately by a soft hum. I was prepared for something to happen to me. A sudden inburst of knowledge, a terrible headache, falling unconscious again...
When nothing occurred, I blinked a bit, surprised.
“Nielle?” My sister immediately demanded.
“Fine, it’s just…I feel nothing different. What about you?”
“I don’t know…I didn’t receive a notification or anything.”
“Ame o fili tete?” The old man asked.
Someone is trying to communicate with you in Common Overworld. Do you want to use Daily Life Skill: [Speech: Common Overworld] to translate? Y/N.
At the slight jump of my sister, she had to have received the same message as me.
In unison, we answered: “Yes.”
“Ame o fili tete?” The old man asked again, but this time, over his voice came another, exactly like his own, but this time talking in English. “Have you learned the skill, strangers?”
Me and my sister looked at him.
“Did the skill just add a voice-over?” My sister exclaimed in shock.
“Seems like it.” I tried my best to hide my emotions.
“Grognar, o foll?/Grognar, did it work?” The old man addressed the wolf man.
Our guide nodded back.
“Fili ga moriotelle, Ascensus/The Skill book has been used, Ascensus.”
“They can’t understand us.” I noticed.
“That’s…Maybe we need to use the skill as we speak?” My sister theorized.
“And how do we do that?” I bounced back.
“Well…System, use [Speech: Common Overworld].”
Nothing seemed to happen.
“Test, test?/ Tye, Tye?” Someone that sounded just like my sister (and me) said over her. “It works!/Ga Tyer!”
That seemed to wake up both the wolf man and the pervert, as they both stared at my sister.
“Ok, great. Sis, follow my lead. System, use [Speech: Common Overworld].”
Daily Life Skill: [Speech: Common Overworld] enabled.
“Greetings sir, we thank you for your gift of a Skill Book, my name is Nielle and this is my sister Elle.” I was scared I was going to trip on my own words as I turned to face the old man. Fortunately, there was no delayed auditory feedback as the voice-over sounded nothing like what I had said and happened exactly at the same time as I talked. It was a bit disorienting, but nothing I couldn’t force through.
The old man immediately turned back to face me.
“Ah, perfect! Why did you swim over the ascension like this?”
I hiccupped slightly at that. “I’m sorry?”
He grinned a bit, and I realized I had missed something potentially important.
“Oh, you don’t know the expression? No worries, no worries. You took your sweet time to activate the book, didn’t you?”
“…we didn’t want to be more indebted to this village than we already were.”
“Of course…but where are my manners, I am Ascensus Henry of the Uperto village. Home of one hundred brave adventurers of the overworld. This is my assistant…” He pointed at the scribe, who had stopped writing and was observing everything in silence. He gave a little head curtsy as a way of introducing himself, and I tried to reproduce the same movement back to him. “…and this is Grognar, the head of our hunters. I am certain your life debt to him and his wife is high, but that is something you will need to discuss together in private. I just want to make sure you understand how much this System-filled book was worth, and that by law of Lord Vincton, you and your sister will need to repay me in one way or another.” He showed nothing but calmness and pragmatism, or at least it would have appeared to anyone who hadn’t studied body language and facial expression. I hadn’t missed the little micro-expression of lust and glee. Seems like that one was common to both our worlds.
My sister was ripping off his head mentally, and the only reason why it hadn’t happened in real life was my hand tightly squeezing hers.
“My lead.” I whispered to her.
She grit her teeth hard enough for me to hear it.
“Ascensus Henry, I am well aware of this law, and I wouldn’t have accepted the book if I hadn’t known of a way to repay you fully.” I bluffed like never before.
And it clearly took him aback, probably having heard how little we had to offer from our guide.
“Oh?”
“Yes, luckily enough, me and my sister have found a treasure…” I stopped, not knowing how to point at cardinal directions if there was no sky and I had no reference points. “…over to the cliff there.” I decided just to point at it. “We would be very happy to show you the way to you and your village hunters.”
The Ascensus, whatever that title meant, shook his head as he sighed. “Dear girl, this cliff is the home of a [Ground Drake], no hunter would willingly go there, and I very much doubt you could have found a treasure there. And even if you did, then it would mean that it has your smell, and will hunt you down incessantly. You would both need to stay here to be protected at all times, making your debt to me slightly higher.”
That brought a shiver down me and my sister’s spine.
It had been even closer than we thought. That thing would have hunted us forever.
“We have met the creature you speak of, Ascensus. The reason why we’re standing here to talk to you is because it has been slain.”
The look of disbelief on the old man grew even bigger.
“Please, even if you two young ladies were brilliant mages, there is no way…”
“I apologize sir, I didn’t say we were the one who slew the beast.” I cut him off with a smile.
That made him shut up, and even scrunch up his eyebrows.
“Oh.”
“We were saved by a giant shadow swooping down from the skies.”
“You saw the [Dark Crow]?” Grognar, the wolf man, spoke to us for the first time. Well, the first time that we could understand.
“I could barely see, and it was very fast, but I believe it could have been a crow.”
“No, not a craw, a [Dark Crow]. It is the most dangerous monster around here. It has killed many of our people.” Grognar looked extremely serious all of the sudden.
“It was big, had wings, and killed the drake in one moment.” I explained. Was the [Dark Crow] the thing that had broken down the house we had seen? I felt that even for such a big monster, it would have been pretty difficult.
“Do not say [Ground Drake] like that, you are not a child, are you?” He immediately reprimanded me.
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I winced; did I do something culturally inappropriate? Were you supposed to call monsters with their full title? How did they know their full title in the first place?
“I apologize, I am tired.” That was the easiest excuse in the book, and it seemed to satisfy the hulk of a wolf man.
“Please forgive my hunter, he has a personal vendetta against the flying monster. But to go back to the matters at hand, you pretend that the cliff has been abandoned by the [Ground Drake] after it was killed by the [Dark Crow]?” The Ascensus asked.
“Yes.” I saw his eyebrows flinch and added quickly. “Yes, Ascensus.” His expression told me I had been correct in adding his title. So many things to know, so many things that I was barely able to grasp with pure improvisation.
“And what about your sister? Did she see this as well?”
Gaëlle didn’t hesitate.
“I didn’t see the [Dark Crow], Ascensus, but I saw the lair of the [Ground Dragon] and the treasures it had hoarded there.”
“You found the [Ground Drake]’s lair?” Both the Ascensus and Grognar exclaimed at the same time.
“That is preposterous…” The old man began, but this time he had been cut off by Grognar. “That makes things easier. If you discovered the lair, then the Great Blue would have given you the name of the monster. If you can recall the name, it would prove you tell the truth.”
Shit. The Great Blue was obviously referencing to the System, and I did remember seeing a notification, but I had no memory of the drake’s…
“Gorover the Hoarder, Head Hunter Grognar.” My sister responded confidently.
There was a short pause. Then the wolf man nodded.
“…Yes. That is the [Ground Drake]’s name.”
The old man didn’t seem happy. “Grognar, they could have heard the name through some of the villagers it is…”
“There is only one family that knows of the [Ground Drake]’s name. And I know they have never met those two ladies. They are telling the truth.” He gave one, very toothy smile to the Ascensus. “It seems they have a legitimate way to repay their debt to you and my family. Won’t you say?”
“If…and only if this lair has treasure would it…”
“I am happy you agree. I shall organize a hunting party and will personally supervise the two ladies to make sure they don’t try to betray the law of the Lord.”
The Ascensus didn’t look happy at all. “Yes, that is perfectly acceptable…”
“…Suck it, pervert.” My sister whispered very weakly.
I saw the wolf man’s ears perk up.
“L! Perception stats!” I said through my teeth.
Fortunately, the old man was none the wiser, and the wolf man didn’t seem to act any differently.
“You may go organize all of this then, Grognar.” But the old man wasn’t completely defeated yet, as his expression perked up. “When they have filled their duty with you though, I would want to talk to them to ask where they come from and what their purpose is. I am responsible for the village safety, after all.” The determined pervert said.
“After the week of hospitality, of course.” The wolf man responded with a smile.
“…after the week of hospitality. Yes.” Now he seemed truly defeated, as he sighed, stared at me and my sister with regret, got on his feet, then left the room.
After a few seconds, he was followed by the scribe. When it was only the three of us in the room, the wolf man started talking.
“You should be careful not to offend the Ascensus, miss.” Grognar told my sister. “He is a decent mage and an important enchanter; it is better not to cross him. You didn’t lie about the treasure, did you?” He asked me this time.
“No.” I responded as honestly as I could.
“Good. I was afraid he would…well, your sister summarized what he wanted well enough. Come with me and let me present you to my wife, a real presentation this time.”
We went back to where we came in and exited in the street.
We received the same stares as before and crossed next to the destroyed house once again.
“Was this the work of the [Dark Crow]?”
The wolf man looked severe. “Yes. The lights of the Lighthouse and the enchantments of our Ascensus should protect us from the monster, but every few months or so, something goes awry, and people die.”
“Every few months?” Gaëlle asked, shocked. “But, since when does this happen?”
“Three years, give or take.” Responded Grognar.
There couldn’t be more than two, three hundred people in the village, a house destroyed every few months was completely unsustainable.
“This is terrible. Why isn’t it stopped?” I asked.
“Because we do not know where the [Dark Crow]’s nest is, and he is king when in the skies. Even the Ascensus, with all his [Combat Skills], cannot touch the monster.”
I had the feeling that he wasn’t literally saying combat skills, but that our translation skill was giving us our English system equivalent. It was interesting that he talked about the system and its contents.
My sister was even more curious than I was, and tried her luck in delving into the local knowledge of the system.
“Head hunter Grognar, I apologize but I am quite…”
“Call me Grognar, please, head hunter sounds like the title [Head Hunter], and I don’t like it.”
My sister took it in stride.
“Of course Grognar, as I was saying, I apologize if I may seem impolite, but I feel like we do not have the same rules of convention about how to talk about the system. Could you tell us more about what the social etiquette is in your village?”
“Rules of convention? That is the fancy word, were the both of you educated?”
We cringed at that. Of course, we couldn’t ask questions without getting some in return. Would we be considered nobles if we said yes? Would that change their plans? Would they decide to force us to stay in the village while they looked for the lair?
I met my sister’s gaze, and we both nodded. We couldn’t find out about this world if we didn’t take a few risks.
“Yes, me and my br…sister went to school.”
“I see, so as I thought… you are Banished aren’t you?”
Another new thing, and this one didn’t sound nice.
He misinterpreted our expressions, because he quickly added: “Do not fear, you will not be judged for your crimes here. We have all been rejected by the Cities, every man and woman of the overworld has.”
Cities? Overworld.
It seems there had been a misunderstanding about who we were, and apparently it was to our benefit.
“And I have a hard time believing the both of you committed some kind of heinous crime. No. Looking at how you handled our Ascensus, I can guess what kind of things happened to you.” He gave us an eyeful of pity, then stopped in the middle of the crossroad, where it was almost empty of people.
He turned around to face us.
“To answer your question, Nielle…”
“I’m Elle, she’s Nielle.” Gaëlle corrected him.
“Oh. Yes, of course, I apologize, I confused your hair colour. Well Elle, to answer your question… you obviously have to always give out the full name of every monster, it is basic courtesy as it levels up the monster knowledge skill. Not doing it is considered rude and childish.”
I nodded. So that’s what this [Ground Drake] business was.
“Adding something like the rarity or the level of the monster if you know it is also considered good manners. The overworld is not like the Cities, it is harsh and difficult to live here. This is why most adults have reached the level hundred mark. We consider someone independent when he reaches it. I don’t think I need to tell you to keep your skills and stats hidden, but if it is somehow different in the Cities, well, don’t. On that subject, I must apologize Nielle, as when you were poisoned I did use my [Identify] skill on you and did notice your low level. But that is all I looked at. I suppose your sister is close to your level, and so I would doubly advise you to keep it secret. The Ascensus could decide to claim that you need to be protected until you reach full maturity, and…”
That was a lot of information dumped on our arms, and there was some technical jargon I had a hard time following. [Identify]? Level hundred is the normal adult level, but only in the overworld?
“What…what prevents someone from using this [Identify] skill on us?” I interrupted him.
Grognar looked at me, slightly puzzled. “Well, obviously no one can use a skill directly on you if you are not poisoned with Blue water.”
“Obviously.” What?
“Are you afraid of being poisoned? Is that what happened to you?”
I had no idea what to answer to that, but Grognar didn’t wait for me to respond.
“I apologize, what happened on the Cities is of no concern here, I should not pry, it is my Lupus curiosity, you see.” He gave me a big grin, this time showing me the rows of pointy teeth.
I had a hard time to suppress my shiver.
“I think I went through what you need to know the most, if you have more questions, I am certain my wife Anna will answer them. She is very loving, as you would expect from our healer. She can also be scarier than the [Dark Crow].” He laughed at his own joke. “Let us continue, yes?”
“Yes, thank you for all your precisions, Grognar.” My sister bowed slightly.
“Do not bow to me, you are in the overworld, you cannot be indebted to anyone and can only trust your closest of friends and family.”
“…Thank you, Grognar, for your astute warnings.” I did the 90° nod.
“…astute…you couldn’t sound more from the Cities if you tried. It is a habit that will disappear fast.” He started walking back to his home.
We continued asking him some simple questions, and Grognar happily answered them all. He did sometimes look at us with leery eyes, but I was starting to think that he was doing it unconsciously, and whenever he noticed it he looked away quickly. I could understand him, having been a man myself, and even though we weren’t dressed in any way or form seductively, our bodies had been made to seduce. I just needed to look at my sister to see that fact. I didn’t move my ass as much as she was, fortunately. I would need to warn her about acting too sexually open in a medieval world.
Lost in my thoughts, I only realized we had arrived when Grognar stopped in front of me.
“I won’t be able to stay with you today, I need to organize the expedition to the cliff. We will depart tomorrow morning, if everything goes as planned and if Torgal feels well enough to leave.” The wolf man seemed pensive, before waking up as his front door opened.
“Nar? Are you back?” The woman that had healed me appeared in front of us.
He shook his head. Coming closer to his wife and rubbing her shoulder. He was almost two heads taller than her. “Anna! No dear, sorry. I have to go back already, the [Ground Drake] died, and we need to go hunt its lair, those two know where it is and I need to prepare the expedition for tomorrow. I will be away for a few days, but those two will keep you company tonight.”
She looked a bit sad, but immediately hid her expression. “The [Ground Drake]’s death is good news. So, the strangers talked to you and Henry? Was he able to understand them?”
Grognar grimaced. “No, Henry gave them a skill book, they will repay him with the lair’s location.”
“Did the Ascensus try to…?” She gave us a worried look.
The wolf man simply nodded.
“Let him drink a bath full of Blue water…” She swore softly before turning to face us. “Welcome, again. Can you understand me?”
“Yes. My name is Nielle, and this is my sister Elle.” I presented us, finally stepping forward.
Gaëlle, despite Grognar’s warnings, bowed deeply. “Miss Anna, I truly thank you for saving my b…sister.”
“You’re very welcome.” Anna looked at L with a bit of surprise but kept her smile high on her lips. “Now, come in, come in. Let me really meet both of you. My home will be your home for one week, as it is the Law, but it is also my wish.”
She gave us a gentle gaze, as we passer her to go inside. She turned around to face her wolf-husband, who put a hand over his muzzle then threw his hands to her. Did he just wolf-air kiss her? I smiled at the weird sign.
I didn’t see what she did back to him, but she looked a bit sad when she closed the front door behind us. Her expression quickly returned to jovial.
“Well, ladies. First things, first. What is that?” She pulled something from her pocket, showing it to us.
It was the bra.