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It was peaceful day in inkalum. After the hectic spring expedition was over the time flowed almost lazily and because of the lack of traffic, everyone liked to spent the first part of spring with family, even the soldiers got a half day shifts every other day. A lot of babymaking was underway too.
Soil flew from a pit on the ground scoop after scoop. Deb was digging a grave.The young deputy was handling the wrapping the corpse and informing the relatives duty but in this case the deceased had no living relatives. The old man was someone kind who took care of Deb when she first joined the guard training teaching her the ropes so to speak, had been injured during the spring hunt had finally passed away, his age unable to keep up with the strain in his body. She was not particularly close with him to grieve but some respect would be appropriate given the occasion. So she asked them to leave it to her to dig saying she did a lot back her home. People were skeptical but the deputy who was the next in line for the head post gave her the go ahead, he had ben there when she hunted with old shikah. She pondered while keeping pace with digging.
Deb was as a whole satisfied. She had secured a connection with a individual who is familiar with the societal norms and was a cut above the rest with pure strength plus had low-key authority as well for insurance and completed the foundation training physical and mental build she refined to be flawless across her career. With her "flawless foundation " She was now torn between specializing and all rounding, but the matter at hand was her abnormal level growth.
Shikah was astonished when she told her that she grew to four mark while participating in the spring expedition. She took the time and kindly explained to Deb that, this kind of basic level growth was unheard of, the harder to raise the up you go and considering that Deb was without an advanced class system it was again astonishing with her age. Deb questioned shikah and learned that curiously this world called the advanced variants of the system modules classes. One never raised the basic system much nowadays because if they were someone who's going to, they had access to a class by birthright. These systems were named according to skill sets and was sought after and protected furiously for their chosen group or clan. One could complete rare achievements and earn a module according to their build but this was very very rare and often not as powerful as existing mainstream systems.
Shikah asked if she had any tribe only techniques practiced so sticking to her cover story she came up and demonstrated the dance of earth of her tribe. It was a ritual-looking dance that was light on her feet and heavy on her feet at the same time differentiating on the poses of extreme balnce manipulation, even handstands all the while earth bent toward the casters will. Old lady marveled at it and excitedly confessed she hadn't witnessed quite the thing and asked if the dance was necessary step to mould earth. Deb just pulled back her leg and roundhouse kicked the air and a earth chunk leaped up and followed the arc and then sunk back again to the ground.
Even though shikah was excited to find such a rare and practical battle art, believe her she's seen a lot of can't-be-used type, she reigned in her jubilation and first confirmed with Deb the threat level of her tribe. To her relief Deborah said that she was special and others needed at least ten to synchronise with each other to bring out such power and the tribe was very few people.And they lived in the uncharted territory so threat was nill. Her being so unique wasn't much of a suprise considering the title she saw, even the so called top wouldn't have such grade title, the most she's seen someone born with was a mint grade.
Honestly the little red haired girl was a suprise from the start. When she first arrived in fall she couldn't even pronounce the general laguage but within few weeks she coherently spoke the general alner and now she spoke many soldier's exotic mother tongue, and then once shikah thought it was odd that she spoke several grassland tribe-speaks. The girl picked up letters even faster because apparently having no contact with letters other than system made it easier to absorb. Checking if her crazy aptitude extended to combat shikah jokingly taught her the self-developed style of her own creation to her and in three days she picked up the whole thing even going as far as to personalize it with her own. Deborah was one of a kind and as she was so herself ,shikah did her darndest to polish the kid's talent.
As they got to know each other, Deb found shikah a very easy going person who didn't mind not speaking a lot and shikah found out the little pepper had a very mature temperament and tendency go wild sometimes, something they had in common.
So they nodded to each other and went crazy during the spring hunt, aimed to cull the monster population near inkalum while the soldiers to scrambled to keep up with them. Shikah observed amusedly how Deb watched everything, including her and picked up trickes and techniques that were par for the course in a rapid pace. A little genius she fondly concluded.
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Shikah knew what a terrifying thing a eleven and a half kid with four hundred and thirty seven basic levels represented for the softer parts of the world. Bright as the ignus in learning and disbelievingly fast in the system leveling, many unwanted attention would be drawn if she walked into the empire as of now, considering the spies placed here in the fort had already reported, shikah was sure, to their higher stations. Deb had no classes binded and nobody knew how many slots she had and what system choices would be available to her. If they could mould her into some thing or tool Deb would be a boon for many clans and organizations here in the empire, even outside. But shikah promised the young child she'd help. So that was what she was going to do.
She had spent a lifetime here at the frontier. But it didn't mean she had zero connections.
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Deb finished the final touches of the grave. Here in magnolia they digged the graves in a oval shape. The egg symbolising a new beginning. Using her earth arts she expertly carved the grave into a beautiful symmetrical perfection something unachievable by just a shovel.
The rest of the evening flew by and Deb placidly observed the funeral as the standard funeral rites were performed. Incredibly the deceased was so old even shikah called him gramps. The atmosphere felt nostalgic to Deb as she too has died many times.
After the old coots who came to send their comrade off dragged their feet to a tavern, Deb met Shikah at her office because she called. It was a bit strange because they slept together in Shikah's private quarters.
"What's up shikah?"
The paper pusher soldier scribblling at a document stopped and glared at Deb for a second before reminding himself of the place went back to work.
"It is sky. You have earned the mark of valour for your achievements in the hunt."
Oh, Deb realised. This was a official occasion and that explains why that clerk glared enviously at her. Mark of valor was the honory "MVP" of a hunt of sorts. But it wasn't only limited to single person, any number of men could gain it if their performance was satisfactory and the judge was the system. Well spring expedition was one such "event" to be exact.
"I graciously accept."
Link Deborah.
Mark of valor imprinted.
Title earthmancer gained.
Title prodigy gained.
Corrections applied accordingly.
Displaying overview:-
Name: Deborah.
Race:Human (?)
Age:11
Level: 437
Class: none
Titles: Blessed of earth
Prodigy
Earthmancer
Unmatched {hidden}
Maiden of carnage {hidden}
New titles added, set to display?
Titles blessed of earth, prodigy and earthmancer set to display.
Individual Shikah extends the kin name.
Do you accept?
Startled Deb looked back from where she was placing her hand on the carved wall.
The grey haired woman looked much younger when she smiled gently at her while scratching her head.
"Always wanted to be a mother..kinda.. you know.."
Deb just stared at her with wide eyes. Shikah braced herself for the rejection that was imminent. Deb turned back to the wall and clenched her fist.
Kinship accepted.
Individual Deborah Vandabona recorded.
Bond formed.
Instantly they could feel each others lives worth of feelings flash by. They felt everything that felt from the day they were born till this very moment. Shikah stepped forward and grabbed the girl who was trying to shrink in to her self and forcefully evicted the onlooker who was cluless to what happened as the system window was only visible to her as the authorized link holder and the user. She could feel how shaken Deb was at the moment so without a second thought she lifted up the girl and pressed her head to her own chest.
Deb could feel the exhilaration and the warm glow of happiness of acceptance from shikah. A jumper could never accept any kin bonds with a dweller. This was absolute. It was because this that "they" were always alone, no matter where even among her own kind. Isolated and choked up for life. Her first ever family. Even in his first life they were beings born from a concept so just parent concepts. No family.
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They didn't speak. Deborah reveled in the warmth while shikah slowly paced the room. If a few wet drops stained her back Deb didn't speak out loud. The creak of the floor accompanied while the dying sun shed light on them from the glass panes of the stone window.
Title effects(Persona Deborah)
☆Blessed of earth (niche)
Beloved of the element. Everything related to earth gains a natural aptitude.
☆Earthmancer (mint)
Shape earth according to your will.
☆Prodigy (niche)
Your potential is unique. Growth correction applied.
☆Maiden of carnage (mint)
A natural at administrating destruction.
☆Unmatched (fiera)
Untouched, untamed,unbeatable. You were so from the day one. Charisma correction applied.
☆Kin (mint)
Kin to shikah vandabona. Carrier of legacy.
☆Frustation Exposure (niche)
Seeing you train others weep. Demonic Growth correction applied.
☆Dismantler (Dud)
You've dismantled a thousand monsters .
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