Ingrid realized she had punched the ground, sending a spray of sand everywhere. Just then, the incoming waves crashing on her and the shore around her rinsing off the sand from her body, flooding her nose with the scent of the ocean. High above she heard the squawking of birds. She could see but it took her mind a while to process that she was on some beach. She definitely was not anywhere close to home.
Ingrid took stock, she was definitely alive, her heart was pounding with adrenaline, her aura’s Automata Precept must have activated to carry on her killing intent against a Melrondia that wasn’t around. The reflection in the water showed she was "back to normal" yet the strangest part was that her aura was flowing wild and free, she felt rejuvenated and strong…
As if she was still in her Star Lily form. That couldn’t be right, she was back to being Ingrid Blair, no Starchaser Raiment around to empowering her body unless… whatever it was that brought her back fused her with the Raiment.
It felt like Starchaser Raiment had become her own Aura. She didn't feel any drain in her mana at all, a far cry from her life back on Earth where despite feeling invigorated while transformed, she could feel her mana steadily draining away, little by little. Now, it was the best of both worlds, all the power and no cost.
She tried it out, there was nobody on the beach at the very least. She spun around as she stepped forward and launched a vicious uppercut, her fist made a loud "WHOOSH" sound as it sliced through the air. She tried again, this time with roundhouse and spin kicks, haymakers, and hooks and it made the same sound, it even caused the sand and water to blow away as if someone had turned on a strong industrial fan. She performed a backfist strike, her fast making a loud whipcrack in the air.
"Whoa..." she said to herself. "I definitely could only do that as Star Lily." Despite performing such powerful attacks she didn't feel any strain on her body at all. Her aura's Automata Precept effortlessly moving her body the way it needed to.
Aegis, the defensive ability of her Raiment, by default generated a forcefield that repelled things away from her. She could use this to negate friction to travel faster, and she could also reverse this effect to generate friction, very useful for causing weapons and limbs to get caught and allow her to grab or disarm enemies. In addition, Aegis could also remote create forcefields way from her body, the same way she generated a large shield thirty feet away from her to protect the Starchasers during her final battle with Melrondia.
In this case, Aegis aided her Automata precept in moving her body faster by opening up small barriers to give her traction and leverage where needed, removing friction where unnecessary, and small booster like blasts (repelling force) to push and move her around, all while her Automata precept generated small magic circles on her limbs and muscles as it manipulated them.
Exactly as Star Lily would have. Ingrid thought to herself. But at no cost, if I'm Isekai'd then I guess this'll be my cheat power.
Argus, her radar-like detection turned out to be working as well. It picked out something making its way to her right side, behind her, about a hundred feet away. She turned and saw a pair of fluffy dog-people were approaching her, tails wagging and tongues lolling and having an upright posture. They sure looked happy to see her, though she probably wasn't sure if they were actually smiling or that's just a regular, neutral expression for dog-people. The pair were about four feet tall and wore clothes that reminded her of traditional costumes from the Baltic States or Eastern Europe.
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
* INGRID has gained [Starchaser Raiment Aura]
* INGRID has regained [Aegis Shielding]
* INGRID has regained [Automata Precept]
* INGRID has regained [Argus Field]
----------------------------------------
"Nice moves back there! Were you a gladiator from Elion-Nosco or something?" The first dog spoke. He wasn't using a language she was familiar with yet her brain was immediately picking up the words and translating them into English, and she could feel a trace of mana flowing through the air as he spoke.
"Ummm... no I'm not from Elion-Nosco, nor a gladiator." Ingrid said. She was sure she was speaking English yet the dogs nodded. "I'm from Earth and I'm sure where I am is not Earth. No way."
"Earth?" Said the other dog. Both dogs looked like pomeranians, one was white with black ears and the other was also white but had big brown markings all over his body, with one big spot covering his right eye and ear. “I’m Roofe by the way, he’s Mink, we’re from Ontala just nearby…and you are?”
“Ingrid” she replied. “Ingrid Blai…” she shook her head. “I’m Ingrid Lily.”
“See?” Mink said “Told you she’s a gladiator! Prolly left her stupid master or something.” Turning to Ingrid he said “It’s alright, those people from Elion-Nosco are real snot-noses, nobody likes that kingdom.”
“Elion-Nosco?” Ingrid asked. Well she was sure she was in an Isekai world now, first talking fluffies and now implications of some slavery in her first hour. “Sorry, I can’t really explain it, but I just…showed up here. Last thing I remember I was fighting some…really strong demon lord and…”
“Shhh, shhh” Roofe said, holding her hand “It’s alright… you can forget what those booger breathers made you do. They’re never a nice bunch there, why don’t you come to town with us?”
Mink shook his head “Making her kill a demon lord… what a way to mess things up for everyone.” Ingrid frowned, why was he reacting as if she did something bad? Isn’t that supposed to be heroic?
“Ummm… Mink? Why’d you react like that when I mentioned killing a demon lord?” The two dogs looked at each other and then at Ingrid with concern.
“I guess those people really didn’t teach you everything… demon lords rule demon cities, if they’re not around, who protects us from the monsters from the Rift Worlds below?” Mink answered. Ingrid just dumbly nodded, she’ll need to look this up later, somehow.
“Well, I’m not from Elion-Nosco, so I’m not exactly sure what you mean…do I look like someone’s personal assassin or something?” Ingrid said as she walked behind the dogs.
“Elion-Nosco keeps a lot of humans as either pets or kill-hounds.” Mink said.
"I'm not one either of those though..." Ingrid replied. She guessed that a kill-hound meant being something like being a talking pittie.
“You have a very strong battle aura. Ingrid.” Roofe said. “I mean, you exude that feeling of someone who’s been through the fighting pits for years.”
“You’re not wrong.” Ingrid replied. “But I'm not that old, I'm not all wrinkly and jaded after all.” the thought made her chuckle.
“Wrinkly?” Mink asked, “I don’t understand.”
“You know, when humans get past like twenty they end up getting loose wrinkly skin…” As Ingrid said that she absentmindedly pulled at the skin of her arm. It was as taut as her previous life as she remembered, probably even more.
The two dogs looked at each other. “What happens to humans in your country?”
“Yeah. What do you do when humans get old? Send them to the glue factory or something?” Ingrid asked blankly.
“I’m not sure what you mean but normally when humans get old and die, they just die… it’s hard to tell the difference because they stop growing once they reach maturity.” Roofe said.
“That of course depends on the individual, it’s really strange.” Mink added.
“Well about me?” Ingrid asked, pointing to herself, maybe to these dogs’ eyes all humans look alike. “Do I look like any other human to you? And how old do you think I am?”
Mink frowned “Well I’m sure I’ve never seen anyone with your face before. And it’s hard to tell how old you are, for all I know you’ve blossomed thirty years ago or yesterday.”
“Definitely not yesterday, she’s obviously an experienced warrior, she can’t hide it with her aura, that’s some really well-trained mana.” Roofe said.
“I would say sixty years.” Mink guessed. “You carry yourself like someone who isn’t afraid of anything.”
“I was going to say fifty-ish.” Roofe said “You look like if someone jumped you from behind you’ve learned a hundred techniques to snap their neck.”
Ingrid buried her face in her hands “I’m not even half that amount!”
“Mhmmm…sure. Spoken like a real veteran, never letting anyone know how many years they’ve served in battle.” Mink said.
“Let’s just be clear… Can you tell my face apart from the others?” Ingrid asked, trying to see if maybe it’s just their sense of perception. “Let’s say I stood right next to another human…could you tell us apart?”
“Of course!” Both dogs chorused.
“What if I stand next to a man?”
The dogs laughed “You don’t look like one, lady!”
“What if I stand next to another lady like me?”
“Depends on what you mean about another lady like you.” Roofe replied. “If you mean someone who looks exactly like you, then yes we’d have trouble telling. But no, everyone looks different, even if you have the same height and build your faces and scents are a giveaway.”
Ingrid thought about it. These dogs were implying that they could tell human faces apart. She asked another question. “Are there races like elves and dwarves, you know…people that look like me?”
The dogs laughed again “Of course!”
“Elves as in they look like me but with pointy ears-” Ingrid began and Roofe cut in.
“Pointy ears, pretty as you are, and big sparkling eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re half-elf yourself.” Roofe replied. “And yes, we can tell their faces apart. Those are some really strange questions you’re asking.”
“Sorry, it’s just that where I’m from there were only humans, no elves or…umm, I don’t know what you gentlemen are supposed to be.”
“Kobolds,” Mink replied. “You’ve never seen people like us?”
Ingrid shook her head apologetically. “No, I may be far from home but I feel happier walking with two adorable kobolds” Mink chuckled but Roofe shook his head.
Ingrid was about to say something when she froze and the kobolds as well. They started sniffing the air then pulled on Ingrid’s arm.
“We have to go! Tusk Boar!” Mink said. fifty feet away, the trees bent and splintered to make way for the largest boar that Ingrid had ever seen burst out. It was twenty feet tall, jet-black and resembled a javelina pig she used to shoot back in the family farm but its back fur were like porcupine spikes.
Acting on instinct, she immediately leapt towards the pig. As it cleared ten feet in a single bound it would have opened its massive hungry jaws impossibly wide, baring massive tusks for fighting against rival pigs and behind it rows and rows of incisors and grinding molars built for its omnivorous diet.
But the pig never had the chance. Ingrid moved so fast that it was struck in the head at mid-stride with enough force to not only fracture its skull but cause the nearby trees to shake as its carcass smashed against the ground and create a cloud of dust. Meanwhile the kobolds felt a hard thump on the ground as the pig was felled. A loud sickening crack was heard as its pinned head bore all of the body’s forward momentum, breaking its own neck in the process.
From Ingrid’s perspective, time slowed around her as she leapt into the air, turning and raising her leg to deliver a devastating axe-kick aimed at the top of its head. When the dust cleared, she was standing atop the giant pig, one foot on its snout and another on the open fracture she made with her bare foot. The aura on her feet used a series of barriers to give her a firm grip. Despite her show of speed and strength the only thing the Kobolds seemed to be making a fuss over was how she killed a massive creature in the blink of an eye.
“Is this edible?” she asked. The two dumbly nodded.
___
Village of Ontala:
The Village of Ontala looked like a comfortable, sleepy town with stout cottages of solid lumber and stacked stones with thatched roofs. Every house had some kind of personal totem pole and for some reason, a pair of intertwined red and white poles dangling from it… they looked like dog houses scaled to human size, but the stake and chain had been replaced with some charm for protection.
When they first arrived, the village was first in an uproar of terror, then joy as they received Ingrid. They gave her a hero's welcome as she had not only saved two of their own but also brought back a large amount of meat. Everyone was crowding Ingrid giving their congratulations and welcome, though some were more reserved. Ingrid thought it may have something to do with Roofe and Mink’s mention earlier about her looking like an escaped kill-hound from the hated kingdom of Elion-Nosco. Some had mentioned in their greetings about her being welcome to stay in the town, which Ingrid had decided she better not. Perhaps if she were to visit a bigger town she may be able to do something about her possible status as a fugitive of sorts.
As the villagers got to work butchering the carcass, she saw a few elves and even some humans, but before she could ask some questions, a kindly blond elf girl took her by the hand and invited her over to her house for a wash. She introduced herself as Farryn, a friend of the mayor (who was currently away in another town). Ingrid gratefully took the invitation. The inside of the elf’s “dog-house” was comfy and rustic. As it was nearing dusk she saw that the house was lit with a combination of a fireplace, a few candelabras here and there but most prominently from a few brightly glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling.
“What are those crystal lights called?” Ingrid asked, her bare feet sinking into the plushy carpet of the elf’s home.
“Fairy lights” Answered Farryn, her host. “You don’t have fairy lights where you’re from, Ingrid?”
“Well no… we used electricity, which sounds silly trapping lightning in a cage but yes that’s sort of how we do our lights.”
“Oh no, we don’t keep fairies in those lights. They’re called fairy lights because the Fae were the first to invent them. Some call them fire-lights or sun-lights but the name gets confusing.” Farryn pointed at her fireplace, on which several fairy lights were resting. “They regain their lights with heat or sunlight, just put a little mana through them and they light up.”
“Mana!” Ingrid said excitedly “So everyone here knows how to use magic?”
“Why yes of course.” the elf replied, leading her to the house’s bath. “All living things have Mana, it does take some teaching to use of course…weren’t you taugh that in Elion-Nosco?”
Ingrid shook her head. “I’m not from there, if you’d believe me, I’m from Earth… it’s hard to explain but it’s more than just a country, so there’s a lot of things I don’t know here in this world.” As she said that Farryn led her to the bath which looked surprisingly just like a modern bath in most respects. There was a privy (behind a closed door) some big barrels of water and an honest to goodness tub. Apparently no running water so people just stockpile it in big containers. Or maybe magic.
Ingrid really didn’t need a bath as her defensive Aura kept her body free of dirt and contaminants but switching it off was a simple matter for her so she could enjoy the nice cold water and soak in the fragrant bath of unknown fantasy world flowers.
“Farryn, I know this is going to sound strange but…” Ingrid began as her elf hostess washed her. “What do you call this world, you know, this entire place we all live in? Like if someone wants to draw a map of the world what would you then call it?”
Farryn giggled. “Terragalia, of course.”
Ingrid sighed a bit, letting Farryn wash her hair. She thought for a moment. “...are there any legends here in Terragalia about people summoning otherworlders or anything of the sort?”
Farryn shook her head “No, but that’s such a fantastical concept… are you sure you’re alright? Did you hit your head or something? Mink and Roofe mentioned that you had nothing with you.”
“I wasn’t robbed of anything, except my life maybe. I was in the middle of fighting someone back on Earth and next thing I’m on the beach. It’s like I teleported here or someone summoned me but there was no one else.”
Farryn stroked her head “Shhh… Ingrid, it’s over now, you’re nobody’s kill-hound or pet human. We understand. I don’t know what your circumstances are but in this kingdom you’re people like everyone else.”
“What happens to humans in Elion-Nosco? Just humor me a bit, Farryn, just pretend I’m someone who knows nothing about humans.”
The pretty elf girl sighed. She looked younger than Ingrid yet she talked and acted very mature, she remembered what the kobolds said about humans in Terragalia no longer aging past a certain level, that certainly was a description that applied to elves but definitely not humans. Oh well, she could ask her once she finished talking.
“It’s hard to say what started their outlook on humans over there, I mean… one of their princesses is human herself and she’s still in office-”
“A joke role probably.” Ingrid cut in. Farryn nodded.
“Very likely so. Some humans are no different from wild animals, others get domesticated as pets. Because they look like elves, dwarves, or dryads, it’s not uncommon for some people to see them as breeding stock, that’s because there’s only two results, you either get a human or you get the other, no half-breeds, it has something to do with the human blood.”
“Wait wait wait..” Ingrid said “you mean, there’s no cute boys with dog ears, I mean kobold ears?”
“Garm-folk. I’m assuming you mean something that looks like you but with those ears.”
Ingrid nodded “What about ummm… cat ears? Felines? The ones that go meow?”
“Ciltran” Farryn replied. “So, if not for breeding, they use humans for fighting. The people in Elion-Nosco frequently break into human colonies, take off with their younglings and those that look big and strong enough and then domesticate them to either become sows, studs, or working animals.”
“That seems to imply humans gestate faster here than in my world.”
“Only with other races they do.” Farryn frowned. “I’m sorry if you’ve lost any younglings…” Ingrid waved her hands in a big “No”
“No, no, no, no!” She said, lightly shaking her head so as not to shake the shampoo suds everywhere. “I’ve yet to produce any Ingrid mark-twos or threes, I just got old enough to drive a car and smoke… I mean do adult things…grown up things.”
Farryn tilted her head “you don’t look like the type to have blossomed recently. I reckoned with your aura you’re probably… sixty?”
“Sixty!?” Ingrid’s face fell. “But I’m young and beautiful! I’m not even half that amount!”
Farryn laughed, her voice like a tinkling of chimes. “There is no way you’ve seen less than twenty years with your trained body and mana.”
“Look at me!” Ingrid said, “What part of this is old? How long do humans live anyway? Can’t be more than a hundred!”
“A hundred and fifty at most.” Farryn said matter-of-factly.
“I’m sure by the time they’ve reached forty they’d look wrinkly and ugly.” Ingrid said, pouting. Farryn looked at her confusedly.
“You can’t tell that. Humans like everyone else stop growing once they’ve reached their own level of maturity. They don’t wither like plants.”
Ingrid’s jaw dropped but quickly became a big smile.
“Really?” she said, standing out of the bath, her aura automatically providing friction to prevent her from slipping. “I’m stuck like this forever!?”
“Until your life force runs out of course.” Farryn said, “I can’t imagine what an old and wrinkly human looks like…sounds like those Elion-Nosco people are doing some disgusting experiments. “
“Yes! Yes! Forever Young!” Ingrid said.
___
Ingrid stood in front of the mirror in her new Drow Solenrala, she never considered herself a narcissist but she was both in love with the image and annoyed as well.
Seriously, the hell you were thinking, Ingrid? She silently chastised herself. Trying to rodeo ride a SEED with a sawblade garrote and expecting it to lose its head so easily. There were more stupid and life-threatening things she did in that era of hers.
“I’d like to give these to you as thanks, Mink and Roofe are good friends of mine so I’m grateful that you saved them. Now these came from my aunt’s.” She brought out a pair of white fur-lined gloves and arm coverings. The latters was like gloves didn’t cover the hands. It reached up to her elbow while the socks reached nearly halfway up her thighs. “The fur lining is from a Wemic, it helps channel mana evenly throughout your armor and it also draws away sweat as well as providing great insulation whether it be from heat or cold.”
“Armor!” Ingrid felt giddy at the idea of wearing something cool.
Next, Farryn brought out a matching pair of leather boots and arm covers. Or at first it looked like leather but it had a layer of miniscule scales over it.
“Deep Dragon hide and scales” Farryn said, helping her slip them on. She produced a separate pair of gloves that matched the aesthetics of the arm covers and boots. They reminded her of CQB knuckle guard gloves, with gold plaited guards for the knuckles, or for punching. The arm covers and thigh-high boots were tightened with straps of braided red and white rope at the biceps and thighs and reminded her of the Pra Jiad arm and head bands that Thai Boxers wore.
“Try flexing your limbs,” Farryn said. Ingrid did and found that despite the tight and thick-looking leather, her limbs bent and flexed easily as if she was wearing chiffon.
“It’s very flexible! Thanks Farryn!” Ingrid said, then she saw Farryn clamp her hand over her wrist and yet despite her not resisting with her aura, she felt nothing, or rather it was like Farryn was gripping a glove made of hard unyielding steel. “Is it… resisting your hand?”
“Exactly” Farryn said “the armor softens when you’re moving yet when any other force is applied to it, it hardens and resists."
Next came decorative clips, except they weren't.
“You can slot these clips with chanelling stones if you find any in your travels” the elf said.
“Wait, so these are functional?” Ingrid asked, curiosity filling her tone. She was thinking of what sorts of upgrades she could get with those.
“Yes, channeling stones are specially made gems you have done at an Atelier. Just make sure you find one that works well with your mana type, and don’t go putting any on until it’s properly studied. There’s also slots here on your gloves and boots.” she pointed at what she thought here merely decorative gold plaited decorations on her glove’s hands, arm covering’s bicep area, and the thighs of the boots.
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“Looks like gathering magic stones to get stronger is going to be on my priority list” Ingrid said.
Tying her hair into a ponytail, she looked at herself in the mirror one more time, Ingrid looked back at her host.
“Farryn, I don’t know how to repay you for giving me all of this.” Ingrid said
“Mink and Roofe, have you already forgotten?.” Farryn said, giving her a hug and patting her back.
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
INGRID has gained [Solenrala Ensemble]
Attire: Solenrala Ensemble
* Wemic Sleeves
* Wemic Thighhighs
* Drow Solenrala
* Deep Dragon Vambraces
* Deep Dragon Gloves
* Deep Dragon Thigh Boots
* Deep Dragon Harness
* Channeling Stone Clips x 7
----------------------------------------
Ingrid stepped out of Farryn’s house to the applause of the villagers who congratulated her. It was like a barbecue free-for-all as everyone had their grills, each making their own rendition of Tusk Boar barbecue. Despite her misgivings with the medieval era she was in, the meat was well spiced and salted and the boar’s meat was oily and fatty in a good way, packed with flavor. She wondered how many pushups and pullups she needed to do to burn off all these calories.
As she mingled about she tried to get more information. There was a bigger town several miles to the north known as New Gorpisal which contained various libraries and even an Adventurer Guild known as Fenrir. She was recommended to visit the town as soon as possible and register there so that even if she was an escaped slave of Elion-Nosco (which she wasn’t) her official status as an Adventurer would make her immune to any sort of “legal” trouble.
Another thing she got to confirm was talking to the humans. Despite looking like they’d be the type she would be seen gossiping around the water cooler, or in her previous job, smoking at the back of the themepark, they all claim to be ten, twenty and some even forty years older than they looked. One man named Vaar Helvik looked like he belonged in a boy band yet his age was someone who was three times divorced and spends his off-days in a country bar wearing a hat to hide a balding head. One young lady Ulla Almorti gave the age of someone who would be hanging out with Cher in the 2020’s while Ulla herself looked like Cher a year or two before she met Sonny.
As she mingled with villagers, one preppy-looking Garm boy caught her attention as he kept glancing at her way. There was something about the way he was looking, as if he had somehow recognized her. Like Vaar, he too looked like he should be part of the Ontala Boys’ boy band. She sauntered over to him, a big tankard of fine Kobold ale in one hand.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” The Garm eyes' widened with surprised, as if he had seen a long-lost friend.
“Hi! I’m ummm…” He was definitely was NOT speaking the local language.
“English.” Ingrid said. “Well that’s pretty quick, finding another reincarnator here.”
“Hey, I was here first!” The Garm said.
“As you say, dog boy.” Ingrid smiled.
“It’s Zefir! And I’m a Ciltran!” He replied.
“My bad, cat boy, now that’s even better! Greetings fellow earthling!” Ingrid said, pulling him for a hug. She said the last part in a humorous imitation of an alien from those retro cartoons with the mechanical monotone.
“H-hey! I used to be a human! Don't hug me just because I look like a kitty-cat!” Zefir protested.
“Yup, Reincarnator. How’d you get here and you packing any secret powers?” Ingrid said, looking at him. Zefir’s orange-ish hair terminating into darker hues at the tips reminded her of an orange tabby cat, as did his ears and tail. His eyes were feline and blue with the vertical slit pupils and his canines reminded her of a lion’s.
“Sorry no, Ingrid right? I just got here a year ago when a truck ran me over. I was just an overworked intern and I didn’t even get to spend my holiday bonus.”
Ingrid frowned “What? No super powers? That can’t be right.” she said, putting her hands on his shoulders as if to shake his memory. “Can’t you remember doing anything awesome while you’re here?”
“Okay, okay, okay, I’m an enchanter. My day job’s working at the smithy. What about you? You got any super powers?”
“I am, or was…Star Lily.”
The words hit Zefir like a truck. His face fell, first in shock realizing he was looking at a hero, HIS Hero. Then joy that he was in front OF a Starchaser, then deep sadness as he realized the implications of her being here. This time the Ciltran was the one that did the hugging.
“Th-thank you Star Lily.” She knew what he meant by that and she ruffled his hair
“Don’t worry, Zefir. I took down Melrondia before I got here.”
He looked up in surprise “Y-you did!?”
Ingrid winked but a thought darkened her face “Yeah…but now I’m starting to think she might be here too… well I’ll figure it out. Wanna come with me?”
"Ummm… Let me sort it out…." Zefir said, before turning and running off, probably overwhelmed after meeting his hero and needing to come to terms that she had just died.
Ingrid sighed to herself. “Yup…never meet your heroes.”
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
ZEFIR has joined the Party
* Sex: Male
* Species: Ciltran (catboy)
* Hair/Fur: Orange, gradually turning dark
----------------------------------------
The next morning:
“So, will it be alright if I take Zefir with me?” Ingrid asked his boss, a big kobold that looked like a Saint Bernard, he even had a charm around his neck that looked like a barrel.
“It’s fine I guess. Zefir’s always looked a little homesick and we could never figure where he was from. Now boy…” the Saint Bernard said, leaning over and regarding the Ciltran sternly “...don’t be a nuisance to our hero, you got that?”
“Yes sir!” Zefir said. The Saint Bernard then waved his hand dismissively then walked back to his shop.
Ingrid adjusted the padloi around her neck, which to her looked like a dog collar. Among the Kobolds it was given to heroes, which she had earned for saving two Roofe and Mink, getting rid of a highly territorial Tusk Boar that terrorized the village, and feeding everyone with enough meat for probably a month.
She was wearing the same Solenrala Ensemble, with the addition of a small backpack carrying some essential supplies.
Meanwhile Zefir’s outfit despite its Ontala Village trappings looked earthly enough. He had a light black shirt-like tunic with Balkan-like embroideries. Over it was an open loose gambeson-like jacket. The torso area was relatively simple with muted patterns while the sleeves had a bold fancy design of a roaring tiger in mid-pounce. He also wore rugged boots and knee socks and a pair of shorts with straps dropping down at the sides that oddly reminded her of lederhosen.
“Let’s go then, Zefir…what was your old name back on Earth?” Ingrid asked.
“Please don’t ask me…” Zefir sighed. “I prefer to be Zefir Aargrove”
“I’m Ingrid Blair… though today I’ll just amalgamate my name with my alter ego… that means Ingrid Lily.”
Zefir sighed again, he didn’t look upset in revealing his identity, it looked like he too was having trouble saying it with a straight face.
“Dick Wood.”
Ingrid understandably laughed hard. She fell on her knees as she was lost in a giggling fit, her face red with mirth, clutching her stomach. Zefir was chuckling too, finally he found someone who found it funny.
“You’re serious?” Ingrid said between gasps. Zefir tried to speak but he got infected with the giggling fit as well.
“I-it used to annoy the hell out of me, but now… I was just so annoyed nobody would take my word for it!” he wheezed.
The two took a while to compose themselves.
“Please…just use Zefir from now, please!” Ingrid said, before another giggle climbed out of her lips.
“I will, I will!” Zefir chortled.
The two walked in silence, daring not to speak unless they get the chuckles again, but the name was strong and the will was weak.
“The adventures of Ingrid and Dick.” Ingrid said, her face scrunched up as she lost it again.
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
INGRID obtained the following
* Padloi Collar
* Small Backpack with supplies
Achievement Gained: Hero of Ontala Village
----------------------------------------
“So… explain to me why we aren’t carrying any luggage?” Ingrid said.
“Watch this.” came Zefir’s answer. He gathered his mana around him and a table appeared. On it were three big backpacks and various supplies and rations.
“Oh! An Item Box!” Ingrid said “That’s another checked off item from my Isekai Bucket List.”
“Now hold on a second Ingrid” Zefir said, holding up a hand. “This ain’t all Cheat Powers n’ Isekai Magic here, so far it’s only MY Item Box that works like this. Everyone else takes about anywhere from one minute to like fifteen depending on how much they’re trying to bring in, and even then it takes a while. Furthermore, Item Boxes have an expiry date after which it drops off the items to God-Knows-Where. Technically speaking I’m not really using an Item Box. What I got is… well I just call it a Table Box. Or Magic Table.”
Ingrid looked at the ordinary looking table, it looked simple in design but it was smooth with rounded colors and varnished, too fancy out here in the wilderness to look like it was fashioned from nearby trees.
“You mean you can only store things that fit on this table?” Ingrid asked.
“To be more precise the table is seven feet long, four feet wide, and it’s got a maximum height of four feet, I’ve tried. Weight seems to have no bearing, opening and closing does take some effort, not much, just lifting a bowling ball is the best I can describe it. Still, it’s instant.”
“What about keeping it open?” Ingrid said, Zefir shook his head.
“Keeping it open costs me nothing. That said, other people’s Item Box are better in other ways, for one thing, they can store things as big as that tusk boar you brought in, also time seems to stop while things are stored in there, mine doesn’t so I have to periodically check mine to see if I got anything that might go bad. Bigger storage in stopped time might seem like overkill, but I imagine with you as a Starchaser, you’d be hauling in a pretty large batch of dead monsters, mine would be no good for such things.” He explained. Ingrid thought for a while, motioning him to dismiss the Table Box, which vanished immediately.
“Do you have any other limits on your Table Box?” Ingrid said
Zefir paused for a moment to remember the other nuances “Well, like other Item Boxes, I can’t store living things, those get ejected once the box is dismissed, so technically food does last a little longer because it kicked out all the bacteria and fungi, I have a cooldown about ten seconds or so before I can summon or unsummon the box, so I can’t use it to shield myself or trip someone over. If the table gets damaged, I’ll need to spend time making another table and placing enchantments on it, so if the table gets wrecked, no Table Box till I build a new one.”
“What else can you do? Got any other abilities? Did you get any new ones now that you’re a catboy?”
Zefir frowned “I’m not a boy, Ingrid! I’m at the Ciltran equivalent of buying smokes without anyone asking for an ID!” He huffed, his voice having a trill of an angry cat “Well I'm quite faster than a human and jump higher but I'm no athlete for sure.”
Zefir then created a projection in front of him that looked like a copy of a map she was shown last night. “I also got this, it’ll help with navigation”
He drew a short sword from his belt, indicating it was his only way of protecting himself. “Been practicing with this for quite some time, that said I’m no fencing expert.”
Ingrid patted his shoulder “Well, that’s no problem. The ass-kicking is my job anyway. That said, I’d want to get to New Gorpisal really quickly.” With that she picked up Zefir, holding her arm out like she was offering a perch for an eagle or parrot.
“Whoaaaa!!!” Zefir cried out but his lower body felt firmly magnetted to Ingrid’s arm. “What’s going on?”
“Starchasers have a set of defensive Auras, I’ve rednecked mine to do many many things, for example, using it to walk up walls.” She jiggled her arm and Zefir found himself firmly attached.
“Ingrid! Th-this is kinda embarassing!” Zefir protested, but Ingrid chuckled. Despite being only a head taller than him, she had no problems lifting him up in such an inefficient manner.
“No it’s not! If anyone asks, just say I’m your pet human.” the catboy blushed. Ingrid looked up at him and waggled her eyebrows knowingly.
Keeping Zefir steady, Ingrid then wound up for sprint, electricity cracking around her as she flared her aura around.
“Ingriiiiiid” Zefir said “H-how fast are you planning to run?”
“Yes.” And then she sprinted.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!”
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
ZEFIR reveals Abilty [TABLE BOX]
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Ingrid felt like she was on a leisure jog, although the rest of the world around her was a blur. Her feet felt cushioned like she was wearing super-comfortable sneakers, she wasn’t sure yet if that was her work or the boots. The best part was that despite her super fast running it didn't feel like she was spending any energy.
And that was the thing. Normally one's mana always leaked out and joined the ether. Ingrid's mana did not... at least not within a certain point. Enhancing her body to jump in and axe kick a giant pig's head with enough force to fracture it did cost her mana, but simply having a forcefield around herself 24/7 did nothing, The various branches and thorny vines they crashed through didn’t feel like it drained any of her mana despite the fact that her shielding had extended to Zefir perched on her arm.
She occassionally flicked her eyes on the map that Zefir had projected in front of her, off to the side to keep her bearings. She reached the halfway mark which was atop a hill. She had veered off the main road for a shortcut, which in turn snaked around to her left before gently curving towards the town in the horizon. Behind her was the forest they had crashed through with a steadily thinning phalanx of trees as the forest slowly became a grassland dotted with flower patches. The grassland and brooks soon faded to irrigation canals and farmlands, forming the breadbasket that fed New Gorpisal.
“You alright, master?” Ingrid said, tapping Zefir’s back. He felt dizzy but not bad enough to empty his lunch.
“Last time I went that fast was when I paid the cabbie extra to get me to work faster. I tipped him extra.” Zefir said, collapsing to his haunches. Ingrid knelt down and pull him so he was leaning onto her “Also, why ‘master?’ you don’t have to…” Ingrid poked a finger firmly at the back of his head.
“Leverage” She said with a smirk “Trust me, it’ll get us places. Also it’s part of my Isekai bucket list.”
“That’s not how it works, you’re supposed to be the one getting people to call you master, not the other way around.” Zefir remarked.
As Zefir recovered from his first hypersonic ride, Ingrid was busy experimenting with her powers.
Oh right, I’m Isekai’d, I should try something out… Ingrid thought. Time to try out another trope: the Status Window. There had to be one, or maybe a map like Zefir’s…
She was definitely feeling her aura doing something, like a spell was forming in her head. It felt like an instinctual act that her body was slowly remembering, her mana flowing on its own accord as it coalesced into a sphere in front of her. It flattened out to an elaborate magic circle the size of a basketball, the designs having heavy Celtic influence.
Small multicolored cubelike motes began appearing out of the edges of the circle drifting slowly away in haphazard directions. The symbol then expanded, the intricate patterns began filling up and just becoming a large bright portal of light. It kept growing and growing until it had morphed into a big rectangle the size of… it looked like it was as big as the 55-inch TV she had back on Earth. She knew the size because she had been planning to get a new one until Melrondia vaporized her and Cecil.
Where was Cecil? Was he also brought back too? Ingrid hoped that maybe this Status Window could help her locate him. Instead of information however, it was a portal. An actual portal.
Through it Ingrid could see some kind of fantasy-esque bedroom around the Late Medieval or Renaissance-era. Its walls were made of giant bricks giving it a rustic feel, but the hanging banners, rich woodwork with gold inlays, the luxurious carpets and beautiful furniture told the viewer this was the dwelling of someone who had in abundance; land, influence, and power.
All of this was second thought however to what, or rather, who was on the carpet.
"Cecil!" she cried happily, seeing her adorable slime familiar wriggling up and down in joy. His round, blue-colored body was translucent as usual and he looked at her with his cute beady eyes.
"Ingri- I mean, Star Lily!" the blue slime squeaked in joy. He had looked like he just got up from a nap the moment she summoned the window.
"I'm not Star Lily anymore Cecil." she sighed. "I don't know what happened to me... and how are you contacting me? Can you get me back?"
"Hee hee hee!" he giggled mischievously "Did you think your little sacrifice trick was enough to get rid of me? I left behind a small part of me before I jumped onto your back at the last minute!"
"Well, I’m back but I can’t bring up my Raiment anymore…” Ingrid began slowly “I think it’s fused to me now because I can use its abilities… and since you jumped onto me does that mean I have a slime body now?"
"I don’t know Ingrid, but I am certainly whole… which means either the graft of me died or I’ve completely lost contact, and I certainly can’t feel a connection to you." Cecil said.
Ingrid smiled sadly. The implications on Cecil dying along with her hurt.
"You're welcome, Ingrid!"
Ingrid shook her head "I didn't want to involve you in this Cecil... but thanks."
Cecil grew a muscled arm and flexed a bulging bicep "I'm your familiar to the end, Ingrid, and I will NEVER go back on my promise!"
Ingrid pretended to wipe a random speck of dust in her eye.
"Now when you're done pretending that your Shields malfunctioned, no! I don't know how to get us back. My consciousness only activated the moment you brought up this overlay thing."
Ingrid sighed “I hope that the other you didn’t die.”
Cecil shook his head “Too many if’s, Ingrid. I could always communicate with my grafts over long distances, but across dimensions which I’m assuming we’re in, I don’t know if it’s possible. Maybe Other Me is alive and well but I just can’t reach him… for now, at least.”
There was a pause as the two pondered on what to do next. Ingrid walked around and found that Cecil’s Dialogue Window was following her around, she tried moving it with her mind and the window obeyed her command without the slightest strain.
“Whoa!” Cecil yelled in surprise.
“Sorry! Did it move your room around?” Ingrid said in concern.
“No, just the view! It’s like I got this big plasma screen hovering in my room, but it’s like a portal with fairy dust coming out of the edges!”
“Huh, same view I got here.” Ingrid said. “See if you can move it around with your mind.” Ingrid saw her view of the room shift around. “Nice room by the way, looks straight out of a menu for a gacha game.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Cecil said. He was trying one of the doors but it wouldn’t budge. “What the hell? These are real fake doors!” He tried squeezing underneath them but despite the visible gap there seemed to be some kind of forcefield blocking his way.
“Try the windows!” Ingrid urged him, all the same he was repelled. “What about that big balcony?”
Both of them sighed in relief as it looked like Cecil was able to step out onto the balcony. The sky was blue, the sun was shining brightly and there was a cool breeze in the wind. Cecil climbed the railing and said “uh-oh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a forcefield halfway through these railings!” That said, it helped him climb up faster. Now perched on the banister, he tentatively extended a tendril, sighing in disappointment as he felt something solid. “No way out here either, Ingrid…”
Ingrid felt deflated, then smacked her head for not realizing the obvious. She put her arm through the portal, causing Cecil to jump down the balcony and hurry towards her saying “Hey! Hey! Hey! Get back!”
“Why?” Ingrid said “I’m getting you out of here!”
“No! What if you get stuck like me? Stay out!”
“Alright. How about you try to come out?” Ingrid said, jiggling the Dialogue Window around just to assure herself she still exerted some control over it.
“I don’t know, Ingrid, I have a bad feeling about this as he moved the Dialogue Window from his side and lowered it so it was resting on the floor.
“I knew it…” Cecil sighed. He managed to bring out most of his body but a tiny part of him remained. He strained trying to split himself but it was futile, as if he had lost the ability.
“Dammit!” Ingrid kicked a nearby rock in frustration, subconsciously wrapping her mana around it and causing the first few trees it punched through to collapse. Mortified by what she did, and the fact that she could have hurt someone, she simply sat down in defeat.
“Look, Ingrid… I’m still here” Cecil said as he approached her.
“I guess so…” Ingrid replied wearily, giving him a big hug. “I just don’t want to lose you again, Cecil. Not this time, not ever!”
After a while, Cecil gasped in surprise. “Ingrid… you feeling tired yet?”
“No, why?”
“Well for one thing that’s good, that means it costs you no energy."
"Let's see if having you as an overlay will get me wheezing in five minutes." with a light gesture, she moved the window so that it hovered above her shoulder, that way Cecil could see the town where she and Zefir where planning to go.
"We should go there next." Ingrid pointed at the town. “That’s New Gorpisal, the kobolds told me to go there..”
“Kobolds?” Cecil said, turning the Dialogue Window so it faced her.
“Fluffy dog people, they were all adorable.” Ingrid explained, pulling at her padloi collar “and I’m their hero now.”
“Alright, Isekai checklist: do something heroic on spawn… what was it, some random giant monster?”
“A tusk boar, double the oink and triple the bacon… that means it was big.”
“Yum!” Cecil tried to imagine a strip of bacon the size of a workbench, and him consuming one. “And we’re going to this town because they got better facilities, right? Especially when it comes to getting our bearings straight.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, Ingrid lead the way, actually I’m anchored to you now…so that was pretty pointless for me to say that but ummm…” Cecil seemed to be considering his words, he looked at Ingrid up and down a couple of times then turned left and right at the picturesque fantasy forest around them.
“I guess it’s pretty ironic we meet again in a glade in the middle of a beautiful forest.” Ingrid observed, soaking in the fresh air around them.
“Well there’s no forest fire this time and…” Cecil paused, he was trying to formulate words. “...Ingrid, why did you kidnap that poor cat boy?”
“It's not a kidnapping! That's Zefir, let’s say he’s my Master for ease of paperwork.”
“Ummm… hi! Nice to meet you Cecil, I’m a big fan of you two.” Zefir was nervous, he was expecting Cecil to get angry or act possessive towards Ingrid but instead he quickly flew his Dialogue Window over to him and shook his hands.
“Welcome to the club, Zefir! You and I are gonna suffer together from her stupidity from now on. Wait, did you say you WERE a fan, past tense?”
“He was an intern who got run over by a truck on the way back, sadly no cheat powers or anything, but he’s got the best Item Box.” Ingrid answered for him.
“Table Box actually, mine doesn’t work like the others, I just summon a table as well as anything I’ve put on it. It also comes out really quick while everyone else needs some time to get it opened and closed.” Zefir told him.
“That’s good enough, we Earthlings gotta stick together then.” Cecil said “Except for Melrondia.”
“I get dibs on smashing her face in!” Ingrid said happily, pumping her fist.
“Knock yourself out. So what’s the plan, Ingrid?” Cecil asked, hovering higher and turning to her.
“Head to that town of New Gorpisal over there, get our bearings, get registered as an Adventurer to spare us from the legal bullshit. From there we see if there’s a way to get back to Earth, but before all of that…considering there’s now THREE of us reincarnation here, we cannot discount the fact that Melrondia could have come back as well, before any and all attempts of return we must ensure she is a.) not here or b.) if she is here, we kill her again. Sound good?”
The two nodded. Ingrid did some light stretching, then she crouched on one knee and fully extended her other leg "Ready..."
"Get on her, now!." Cecil said urgently, whipping out a tendril to push Zefir. He scrambled over to her and found he had no choice but to sit on the small of her back. As he did so he felt magnetted to her.
"Seeet!" Electricity crackled to life around her, causing her hair and his to undulate from the ambient static around them. Cecil anchored himself to hover above Ingrid as the electricity around them intensified.
"Gooooo!" Ingrid said as she became a blur and sprinted towards New Gorpisal
“YEEEEHAAAAAW!!!” Cecil hollered.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!” Zefir screamed, holding on to dear life but he firmly attached to Ingrid like a paperclip to the world's strongest magnet.
----------------------------------------
PARTY INFO
CECIL has joined the Party
Cecil’s Room, Dialogue Window Unlocked
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"And what are you guys supposed to be?" the green-skinned guard said, absentmindedly scratching one of the protruding tusks from his lower lip as he looked at strange party before him. Some Ciltran village boy from Ontala (his clothes were a giveaway), A human Nemesis-Stalker dressed like a Drow Assassin that was no way his and strangest of all, a talking slime living in a flying portal leading to some rich man’s room.
The Ciltran got off the Nemesis-Stalker’s back on wobbly legs, causing the orc to chuckle. His orcish sensibilities found all poor riders as figures of fun. He gave himself a moment to catch his senses before he spoke.
“I’m Zefir Aargrove from Ontala, this is Ingrid Lily, she’s a friend of mine, along with Cecil the slime.”
Ingrid ruffled Zefir’s hair “He’s my master.”
“Uh-huh” The guard rolled his eyes. She looked like a giant tiger that was holding up a rabbit to pass off as harmless. “Sure. Look, I don't want to be responsible if you start trouble in this town."
“No we won’t cause any trouble, really, I’m just helping Ingrid become an adventurer.” Zefir said.
The guard thought for a bit. Well if she was going to cause trouble, she’d seal her fate the moment she got into a hall full of strong adventurers, so why not?
"Very well, the entry fee is two silvers." The guard said, yawning again and showing his big tusks. Other than the apprehension of seeing what looked like to him a dangerous creature, he was bored, like an office worker who had just finished today’s work and was impatiently waiting for the clock to hit five.
Zefir handed the orc six silver coins. The bored man barely glanced at the coins and tossed them into the toll chest.
"Welcome to New Gorsipal '' he said in a monotone, before noticing some latecomers rushing in from the forest. Completely ignoring Ingrid and Co., he yelled at the small group of adventurers hurrying to the gate. "Hey! You guys come late again; I'm gonna charge you extra, hustle up now!" his voice was full of vigor once more.
___
“You’ve been here before, Zefir?” Ingrid said as she walked around the town.
“A couple of times yes.” Zefir replied. Barely anyone else was paying much attention to Ingrid and strangely enough more were looking at Cecil. There was the perfunctory glance at Ingrid’s way and thinking she looked too powerful to be some Ontalan farm boy's familiar but hardly anyone stopped to gawk.
“I usually come here to assist my boss in trading at the market as well as buying the occasional supplies, but most of the time I’m hammering away at my craft or helping at the farm. It’s not as boring as you’d think plus I get to work on my enchanting magic.”
“We should check out the market after we register as adventurers, I think our reward money from that boar should give us some good starting equipment.” Ingrid said.
“Y-yes we should…but I’m no expert fighter, just remember. I’m just your errand boy.”
“That’s fine. Now let’s go to that Adventurer’s that orc mentioned.” Ingrid said
"That's Sargent George to you." The orc said as he walked by. "drinks are on me if you're done gawking at the market."
"Sure! we’ll come along!" Ingrid hurried alongside George.
“I’m hungryyyyy Ingrid!” Cecil complained. George pointed at a longhouse a short distance away, a big sign said “Heucuva Inn” and continued on his way. Nodding, Ingrid hurried over to a stand selling what looked like shish kebabs on wooden skewers.”
"I hope that food can come in here Ingrid, it’s not like I don’t like living off of your aura but -Ugh! Wow, this is some good stuff!" Cecil said as he pulled the kebab-like skewers in. Apparently, non-living things can enter and exit the portal without issue. With that mystery solved, they met up with George.
"Ugh." George grunted when he saw the line at the tavern. "Might take us a while. You mentioned you want to work as an adventurer? The Guild's over there, he pointed towards a large half-timbered hall. This might take a while and it shouldn't take you long to get registered."
"Roger!" Ingrid said, sprinting towards the Guild Hall.
"It's George!" the orc yelled back as Zefir hurried after her.
___
"Name?" Asked the elf receptionist. She didn't know it, but in Ingrid's eyes she hit all the checkmarks of the typical desk elf; blond, green eyes like emeralds, green outerwear with tribal-like embroidery at the edges and the rest of the attire a not-too starched white and deep earthy browns, and of course, the veritable thick-rimmed secretary's glasses.
"Ingrid Lily"
"I’m guessing you were previously a Nemesis-Stalker, or something?." The elf asked.
Ingrid nodded, she didn’t know what the term meant but she liked it. “I prefer the term Private Contractor.”
"She gets hired to do violent work if violence is called for." The slime explained.
Figures, the elf thought. You're dressed as a drow assassin. The drow that gave you that only did it because you proved your worth.
“And she’s not really my pet or anything, she’s a friend.” Zefir added. “I’m basically just going to be her assistant and porter.”
"What was the name of your last client?" The elf asked.
"We simply called it the 141st Order. You wouldn't know it."
Privately the elf receptionist was bewildered with this human. She looked too strong to be the Ciltran’s pet or familiar. It was like looking at a dragon holding a man hostage and registering so it could do as it pleased without repercussions. Nonetheless she wasn’t the first human to register as an adventurer much less show sapience but she was well mannered and confident, her aura was powerful, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as several humans have been snatched out of their colonies to become beasts of war. But what was strange and in a way intimidating about Ingrid was how well-trained her aura was. It was probably “the best” she had ever seen in all of her life. Where everyone else’ aura was like a flame, hers was just an outline around her body.
Powerful adventurers have been able to suppress their aura but all the same it still looked like everyone else’s, a ghostly flame around one’s body, albeit burning slow as if time had lurched to a crawl. Ingrid’s however was tightly compressed to impossible levels. It reminded her of looking at those deceptively deep lakes with powerful undercurrents like the ones back in her homeland.
"Very well, please come an hour after dawn. We will conduct a series of tests to determine your level of proficiency. Now the fee for joining will be twenty silvers..."
As Zefir and Ingrid settled up, Cecil was scanning the crowd of adventurers. He was expecting the token band of toughs who seemed to exist only to be sent flying the minute some talented newbie came in to register.
If he was them, Cecil thought, he'd just let said newbie take the Quest-To-Dangerous-For-Rank-F's, grab some popcorn, tail the newbie and have a laugh from a safe distance.
Oh, and make bets too, like how far will the newbie fly once the love child of a unicorn and rabbit ram them in the gut.
“Cecil, your turn! You’re registering too!” Ingrid said.
“Me?” Cecil squeaked. “Making your cute familiar do paperwork? Monster!”
"What a polite bunch." She thought to herself, not knowing that all three of them had gone through job interviews before. She imagined that once they got too familiar with the Guild they’ll also end up being lax on post-quest formalities, and then complain why the reward was less due to said paperwork not being filed properly.
Just like the pack of kobolds, tongues lolling as they quickly took up their place... Well, here comes the daily haggling.
She was definitely feeling the itch to be on the other side of the desk again.
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