Chapter 127: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Nobody returned for Emma in the aftermath, leaving her to watch her new pet make a mess of the operating theatre. She was almost tempted to go search for the medics, but after thinking it through, she concluded that they weren’t her problem anymore; the possessed man wasn’t that strong, and hadn’t demonstrated any abilities that a solid set of chains wouldn’t deal with. In any event, Emma wasn’t responsible for the entire town; she’d played her part by getting the patrol back alive, so the rest was up to them. That said, Emma wasn’t against adding a bit of insurance for her own home; just in case the Matriarch’s Scorn broke out and had a grudge.

[Gondor Calls for Aid locked in. Return upgraded!

Return (Cooldown: 24 Hours): Teleport Home. Cooldown resets when Home is in danger.]

Deciding to head home for the day, Emma reached for the Fox, intent on bringing it along for the ride

[-1 Anima].

“Still hungry huh,” Emma chuckled, flicking the fox on the nose with her free hand and making it whine; and more importantly stop biting her finger.

[Canned Cat Food (Open) withdrawn.]

With a reward now on offer, the fox proved much happier to be picked up, letting Emma pull it into a birthday carry. To her slight surprise, the rest of the soldiers were still outside when she left the hospital, a few eyebrows raised at her newfound pet.

“How is he?” One of the machine gunners asked on behalf of the group.

“He’s fine now, physically at least. Mentally? He was badly startled coming out of storage, and spent the whole time thrashing about. I had to help the doctor sedate him for treatment; he probably won’t be awake for a while now.”

“Ah. Not surprising, given the circumstances,” The machine gunner rubbed his chin in thought. “We’ll have to make an appointment to visit, probably tomorrow. I can take care of that; but in the meanwhile, can we have our rides back? We need them back at the motor pool for refuelling before the next trip.”

Ah right, I knew I forgot something.

[3x Ford Ranger Pickup Truck released.]

There wasn’t much to say after that; the drivers climbed in the front, everyone else clambered onto the back, and then they were off without so much as a goodbye. Emma preferred it like that though; she’d never been one to go socialising, and honestly couldn’t relate much to the soldiers, all of them being men more than a decade older than her.

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[Wren (Level 0) released.]

For a final bit of tidying up, Emma released her captive bird as well, watching as it flew off sky to rejoin its flock. The little wren had proven helpful, but the relative lack of stamina in the air had proved frustrating; as such, Emma was in the market for an upgrade.

[Grab a pigeon the next time you see one. They’re bigger, more durable, and can double as emergency rations.]

Pigeons are edible?

[Oh yes, squab was a wartime favourite in England, back when ration cards limited the availability of more typical meats.]

You know that’s not the best endorsement, right?

[Perhaps. It’s actually good though; properly roasted, it's like a healthier, gamier chicken. Give it a try sometime, you won’t regret it.]

I’ll think about it, Emma conceded, before feeling a slight pinch.

[-1 Anima]

The fox had finished his meal while her mind was occupied, and had reverted to prior behaviour by nibbling her hand.

“There’s something strange about you,” Emma murmured, raising the fox to eye level and staring it down. “I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure most animals don’t bite into solid metal.”

The fox didn’t reply, staring back placidly and showing neither fear nor any true intelligence.

“A very strange bonus reward, what am I supposed to do with you?”

[Fox (Level 0) stored.]

For the time being, Emma shoved it into Eden’s Echo, not wanting to deal with any more biting. Bereft of any pressing deadlines, she opted to take a leisurely walk, keeping close to the town walls as she traced a circuit back home; all the while, one eye stayed on the road and the other on her remaining reward for reaching Level 14. Home Alone was the first option to be crossed off, as there was little point taking a defence that only worked when nobody was home; not when she had a guaranteed teleport back at the first sign of danger. Strong and Stable meanwhile had potential, but until now all of Emma’s summons trended towards large and destructive; not the kind that she’d be comfortable assigning as sentries.

[An Ice/Fire elemental guarding your property conjures an amusing image.]

Of the house burning down a second time, Emma snorted. I’ll pass, thanks.

That really only left one option; the only one that provided a benefit extending beyond the home, and a good one as well. Increased experience gain had appeared in previous choices, but only for a small percentage. Outright doubling it was a major asset, even when it was time-limited and tied to food; it was a mechanic akin to the rested Experience feature of the MMOs she’d played, and those were always extremely beneficial.

[Trait selected: Home Is Where the Hearth Is - Experience gains are doubled for 1 hour after eating a home-cooked meal.]

We’ll need to do some testing to see exactly what qualifies as home-cooked, Emma decided as she locked in her choice. Maybe that Chef class isn’t such a bad idea after all; my homunculus isn’t exactly great for battle, but a crafting class could be an idea.

Her thoughts wandering, Emma retired for the day.

—

Astrid landed in a heap on the ground: her eyes seeing red, her ears ringing and immense nausea welling up from within. Forcing herself to her knees, she barely managed to raise her head before emptying her stomach, keeping breakfast away from her dress.

[I may have forgotten to mention, but long-distance teleportation isn’t pleasant the first time. You’ll get used to it though. Oh, and welcome to England.]