Back home, I never understood the allure of fishing, and even two weeks after leaving the ursine village, it still escaped me. Despite the beautiful scenery and the serene sounds of nature, fishing just wasn't for me.

Sitting by the water's edge of a fast mountain stream, I was cold and bored, so waiting for something to bite felt more like a tedious chore than a relaxing pastime. At least the fish were biting today, as I had caught three medium-sized ones that should be enough for dinner. The image of roasted fish was the only thought that brought any joy, and to think people did all that and released the fish at the end.

Did I mention the weather had been dreadful the past week with nothing but rain and sometimes sleet just for extra fun. With no Mana Shield I realized camping was really not for me, waking every morning half frozen and half wet was taking its toll into my normal optimistic nature. I tried not to become the grouchy partner always complaining about everything but every once in a while I couldn't help it.

Out of boredom mostly I tried casting a lighting bolt yet as always still nothing. The status hadn't changed so far, still stuck on Error.

But hope is the last to go, they say, and I couldn't really accept losing my powers yet. For all I knew, they might just need a small trigger, like a dangerous situation, that would force me to give it my all. I chuckled at the absurdity of the idea.

Still, it was surprising that trouble hadn't come up so far. Alira kept her word; we maintained a low profile, and for once, trouble didn't find us.With the maps we received from the ursine, we were making our way to the supposed top of the world, where the mountains touched the sky.

It really said that in the legends of the ursine, those exact words, so we were hopeful it couldn't have been just a coincidence with the quest text. It had been our one ray of light in those bleak first days.

And we might need another one soon, as the dense clouds that had hung over us for the past week didn't provide the best sightseeing experience. However, that was bound to change eventually; the sky couldn't stay overcast forever, could it?

"You're really getting better at this whole fishing thing," Alira said, startling me in the process.

As she sat near me said, "However, I fear scout is not written in the stars for you" she finished.

I sighted "I really tried to keep alert but fishing and being alert do not really go together" trying to defend myself.

"The good news is that there are still no sign of danger, some animals sure, but nothing we can't handle"

"I appreciate you still say 'we', it's almost cute"

"Hey we're a team, I see you got dinner" she said looking at my catch.

"I just hope they have fewer bones then the last ones, I really hate bony fish"

Smiling she responded, "Would you like me to pick the bones of the meat?"

"I can manage" I said while untangling the hemp like rope from the stick and securing it in the backpack. "Lets find some rocks to make a fire."

With the fish slowly cooking over the rock, I could finally relax and dry my feet near the fire. Having wet socks was not fun, I can tell you that much.

Alira looked at my feet near the fire and raised her eyebrow.

"Look" I said before she could say anything, "I know it's not exactly hygienic, but there aren't that many other options to dry my feet"

"No it's not that" she smirked, "I was about to say that I like how much attention you pay to the hygiene of your feet."

"If there's one thing I learned from war movies, it's always keep your feet dry" I responded.

"Movies?"

I looked at her suspiciously, "I must have mentioned movies before?"

"I don't think so. Are they like theater plays? She said.

"No, remember that machine that could take pictures?" she nodded, "Well if you take 24 pictures a second and after roll them fast enough it's creates the illusion of movement"

"Yes, like you draw an image on a page then the next page you draw it slightly different and if you complete many pages you can see the action unfold. I think I had a small notebook like that when I was little" she seemed lost in thought as though remembering it.

"Yes, it's basically the same idea, but now imagine instead of drawings it's real people dressed in realistic costumes. They also have sound and are displayed on house like canvases."

"Damn, you don't do things by the half, do you?"

"You either go big or go home" After a little pause I added "And yes that is also a famous saying on my Earth"

"Obviously, you're good but not that good, that's how I can always tell" she said while taking a fish on her plate.

You know what?" she said before she took a bite like remembering something, "Tell me something my world does better than yours. It's getting depressing hearing about all the wonderful inventions you have."

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"There is something I noticed that surprised me, but it's kind of a sensitive subject, and I don't want to spoil the culinary delight in front of you."

She gave me a derisive look "I'm a big girl and with what we've been eating I think my stomach is strong enough thank you"

"Well, I was surprised by the gender equality on both continents, so I'm assuming it's not just a local phenomenon but the standard way of life worldwide." it was a sensitive subject back home, so I tried to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Why would that surprise you?" she said between bites.

"Until the modern era on my world, that being the last 75 years or so, women were not exactly equal to men."

She stopped mid-bite and her demeanor got more serious, "What do you mean not equal?"

"How can I make it sound not super horrible... When my world was about this level of development, women were like second class citizens. Not really involved in any leadership positions hell most weren't allowed to go to school and even if they did, they couldn't really do anything after that." hearing it out loud sounded even more disturbing.

Clearly that had an effect on her, as she had forgotten about her food and was just stating at me.

After a long pause she finally said "You were right it's super horrible, but why did the women allow it?"

"Remember we have no magic so physical power is what makes the difference so..."

"By Elune that horrifying, those poor women."

"Yeah, it's not exactly a paradise at home, we have a lot of problems."

"Wait, so is it better now?" she almost demanded.

"Yes, in the last 100 years most countries have granted true equal rights to women"

She narrowed her eyes, "Most but not all?"

"We have religion back home as well, and it's somehow more illogical than here if possible, so there are regions where progress is slower." I responded.

She exhaled with a sigh "I guess I should thank you, from your stories it seemed we were a backwater world even with magic to help us."

"No...please don’t misunderstand. Of course, I’d talk about the great things we’ve done—nobody wants to dwell on the bad stuff. Like how half the world wastes food while half a billion people are starving elsewhere. It’s just too depressing to discuss."

"So you're not all paragons of justice?" she asked, half-serious.

"Definitely not, far from it, but I’d like to believe we’re moving in the right direction."

"So the positives are bigger yet the downsides match" she said back in her serious tone.

This was getting too serious, so I tried to change the subject.

"Let's talk about something more cheerful, tell me about your childhood, or your friends... I mean, it's ok if you don't have any" a light chuckle escaping clearly showing no harm meant, well maybe a little. Making each other just a little uncomfortable was our little game by now.

"Ha ha, you got me." she clearly meant it as a retort, but the lengthy pause indicated she didn't seem quite comfortable.

"During the long stretch of time I spent alone in that forest before we met, I had plenty of opportunity for introspection. I like to think that all that solitude helped me gain a bit more wisdom."

"Really" I added, "Do tell."

"I just don't like being reminded because, let’s be honest, every girl likes to think she was somehow special or wise beyond her years. The truth is, I wasn’t. In reality, I was incredibly stubborn and determined to push everyone’s buttons. I thought I was better than everyone around me, so I didn’t bother making real connections. Back then, I didn’t realize that my attitude was just a way of coping with loneliness. I kept people at a distance, convinced that I didn’t need anyone. It wasn’t wisdom or maturity; it was just isolation. I didn’t understand that what I really wanted was to belong, to be seen and accepted. Instead of making friends, I made lots of acquaintances, people who knew me on the surface but never really got close. I built up these walls you could say, thinking they made me stronger, when all they really did was make me more alone. Looking back, it’s clear how much I missed out on by trying to protect myself from being seen as vulnerable."

I was speechless for a while but eventually recovered "Waw, that was incredible, people pay good money and see a psychologist for years to get that kind of introspection"

She did seem extra proud of herself "As I said I had a LOT of time" emphasizing the word.

"They say you can't be happy in a relationship until you're happy with yourself alone. So it's a good thing we meet after your little alone time, otherwise you might not have been ready."

"Nah... I knew you were different from the start, like I said wasn't the greatest people person. However, you had me laughing out loud within the first five minutes of meeting you"

"You were starved for human connection. You give me too much credit" I responded trying to sound humble.

"You have many qualities, humble is not one of them. So just stop trying to." she said with a broad smile.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” I said, pushing myself up from the log I’d been sitting on. The need to relieve myself had become impossible to ignore, and I didn’t want her to notice my shifting around uncomfortably.

She nodded, still smiling, and poked at the fire with a stick, sending a flurry of sparks into the night sky. “Don’t wander too far. There are wolves in these woods, you know.”

“Wolves don’t scare me,” I said, puffing out my chest in mock bravado as I stepped away from the fire’s glow. She chuckled softly behind me, and I felt a small, warm thrill at the sound.

As I made my way toward the trees, the shadows deepened, the noise of the camp fading into the background. The forest was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. I found a suitable spot and sighed in relief as I got down to business. The night was peaceful, almost too peaceful.

Just as I was about to head back to the fire, something unexpected happened.

A faint, ethereal chime echoed in my ears, and a glowing notification appeared in the air before my eyes:

Quest Notification: Find the location of the Forge of the Gods.

Objective: Clue 1 - Go south until the mountains touch the sky. - Complete

Reward: Clue 2 - Use your lightning bolt skill on the black rock you will soon encounter.

I blinked, staring at the glowing text in disbelief. A quest notification? Now? After all this time? And in this exact moment?

I turned back toward the campfire, but the notification was persistent, hovering just at the edge of my vision.

“Hey,” I called out, making my way back to the fire. She looked up as I approached, her smile fading slightly as she noticed the look on my face.

“Everything okay?” she asked, concern edging into her voice.

“Uh, sort of.” I sat down beside her again, my mind racing. “I just got… a quest notification.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Now? What does it say?”

I told her, and for a moment, we both just sat there, staring at the fire as the implications sank in.

"At least it's less vague this time" she finally said, "So let's be grateful for that" looking at me with hope in her eyes.

"It may be less vague, but we have a bigger problem this time." I finally said after a lengthy pause because I really thought she was joking at first, but no she was being serious.

"Oh..." she responded, realization dawning upon her.

"That's going to be a problem."