The next morning Azrael and Elat woke to the sound of a strange rhythmic hum in the air. Having camped together for the evening they both followed the source until they found the campfire already set for breakfast and Teyva pacing almost frantically on the opposite side. She’d dressed down for the morning, wearing some simple white linens that the settlers had been kind enough to gift to her and was munching thoughtfully on a trail bar while following what looked like a glittering book with wings. Azrael was the first to realize exactly what they were looking at.

At some point that morning Teyva had dreamed up yet another unusual use for her Mockeries. The little creatures had been instructed to hold the skill book she’d been gifted by Elder Yol aloft, taking turns in a steady rotation as groups of ten pumped their tiny wings while the others took breaks and turned the pages when Teyva asked. Their tiny little legs hooking beneath the delicate pages and flipping them over when Teyva gestured with her free hand. Her yellow eyes were so focused on the book infront of her that she hadn’t even noticed her friends approach.

“She’s been like that since just after the sun came through the trees,” Nephral said from his spot curled up next to the small tree that made up the center of their walled-off campsite. “Reading every page and bemoaning something called the cliff of notes,” The cat murmured, rolling onto his side and eyeing the pair. “Also, you two were noisy.”

Azrael shot the feline a sharp look and cleared her throat. Elat scratched his nose and looked away. The two of them turning their attention back to Teyva who had stopped and rubbed her face, running her fingers through her hair. She threw her hands up into the air and gestured for the Mockeries to set the book down on the ground next to a spot she’d set aside for herself near the fire. Her expression was frustrated to say the least. She sighed and sat down without even looking at her friends; crossing her legs and taking a deep breath.

“What’s she doing?” Elat asked.

“Mana manipulation, it can be good for centering oneself,” Azrael said and nodded to the fire, “Come on, lets sit down, I don’t want to sit here and spy on her all morning.”

“I appreciate that,” Teyva said, her eyes still closed.

The two of them looked at one another and Teyva pointed to the tree above them. They spotted a pair of tiny gold coins clinging to branches, their twisted mouths and odd-numbered eyes staring down at them from above. Azrael scratched her chin and smiled ruefully up at the creatures; “Did you actually sleep?” She asked, stepping fully into the space and setting herself down next to Teyva. She reached into her [Old Satchel] and produced a few pieces of sausage and a tiny slab of cooking grease. Soon the smell of meat permeated the air as Elat performed his own morning routine, checking over his bow and quietly muttering to himself with his head dipped low.

“When I could, been having dreams about Rani,” Teyva said, not bothering to hide it, “Kept getting up and down and somebody was so busy last night that I couldn’t walk full circuits around the campsite.”

Azrael chuckled and nudged her friend and lady in the shoulder, “Want to know a secret?”

Teyva cracked an eye open and glanced at Azrael; “I’ll bite.”

“[Ever Vigilant], one of my Warden Aspect abilities, prevents me from actually needing sleep. I sleep purely for the pleasure of it and to restore stamina if necessary. A quick meditation is all I really need to keep going,” Azrael said, cocking an eyebrow and returning her attention to the food. Elat, across from them, continued mumbling to himself while they spoke.

“Poor guy,” Teyva replied.

“Oh get your head out of the pit,” Azrael shot, “Are you okay to travel?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Teyva said; “I couldn’t drag myself away from the book though.”

“Are you learning anything?”

“Hardly,” Teyva said and uncrossed her legs, reaching forward with a long claw-like fingernail and skewering one of the sausages. She plucked it out of the pan and bit down with her razor-pointed teeth. It was still a little unwieldy trying to chew with them. Most times she ended up looking like a dog trying to chew on something particularly tough, gnashing her teeth up and down to tear her meal to bits. She swallowed after her latest attempt, ignoring Azraels frown. “It’s heavy stuff and I barely get half of what I’m reading. I have a feeling there’s a point to it all but I’m not seeing it yet. Elder Yol said to read every single page though, so I am.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Azrael looked at Teyva’s finger with a raised eyebrow before glancing over at Elat, “What do you think he’s doing?”

“Praying, probably,” Teyva said, “Looks like praying anyway.”

Elat’s stern expression twisted into just the hint of a smile as he finished his quiet mumbling. It was only after that he looked up and made eye contact with the two women; “Do you two always gossip so loudly?”

“Yes,” They both said in unison before looking at one another and breaking into a fit of laughter. The orc’s face flushed a little and he reached forward with a utensil to pluck his own sausage out before Azrael went in for the last piece. They ate in comfortable silence after that, taking time to pack up and leave no trace behind. It took Teyva a little while to figure out that she could use [Create Wall] to undo the creation of walls; something she hadn’t considered when she’d made them in the first place. After that, though, and waking a very sleepy marble mimic, they were off.

The second day of walking was a bit easier than the first. Though the trees were still thick in this part of the forest the undergrowth had started to recede and there was less chance of tripping and falling over an exposed root. More importantly, now that they knew that the Wightlings were still lingering even after the destruction of the Bound One, Azrael was on high alert with her double-buffed senses.

“So the Aspect of the Wolf Lord gave you a boost to your natural senses on top of what [Ever Vigilant] gives you?” Nephral asked from Teyva’s shoulder; “I daresay your senses are as acute as mine now.”

Azrael gave the feline a bemused look; “Almost I bet,” She said, exchanging a look with Elat who shook his head. “Speaking of senses, Nephral, Teyva says you have the ability to provide insights based on her erm… level.”

“Still not used to that?” Teyva asked.

“Character sheets, abilities, traits, attributes, it’s a lot to take in Teyva. I’ve been curious about this ‘experience’ thing though. Could you explain it Nephral? In terms I’d understand,” She said and immediately regretted it as the Sphinx huffed and raised his regal head.

“Why of course, I’d be happy to bring it to your level.”

“Thanks,” Azrael grunted, eyeing Teyva’s suddenly very still face.

Nephral, on the other hand, paid no mind to the reactions around him. He cleared his throat and flapped his wings, launching off of Teyva’s shoulders and alighting on Azrael’s instead. He licked his paw and turned his eerie eyes on her; “Individuals who possess the abilities of an Outsider are able to gather strength in the form of ‘experience’ from their defeated foes or as a reward for their accomplishments. I cannot say where this ‘experience’ comes from, I am afraid, that is beyond me. What I can say though is that at certain thresholds that experience culminates into growth. One must rest for a time to consolidate this growth into something usable but it can be felt immediately. In short, individuals with this power can grow in strength and power far more rapidly than any other person.”

“How fast?” Azrael asked, glancing at Teyva.

“Mother tells me that when she met you she had just gained enough experience to be considered Level one,” Nephral explained; “Now she is Level Five.”

Azrael blinked; “I’m level five.”

“Precisely.”

Azrael looked Teyva over with new eyes; “You’re saying she went from a fifth of my strength to roughly my equal in just a few days time?”

“That is exactly what I am saying, as it stands if you do not take practical experience into account, Mother is your equal.”

Elat cut in, rubbing his chin; “Do I have one of these levels?”

“Teyva mentioned when we first encountered you that we were equals in strength,” Azrael pointed out, “I haven’t used my journal to check on you since it felt… awkward.”

The trio came to a stop and Elat turned to her; “By all means. I don’t mind.”

Azrael held out her hand and a [Tattered Journal] much like the one Teyva often conjured appeared in her hand. With it at the ready she turned her attention to Elat and her eyes went unfocused as if she was reading something that wasn’t there. Teyva found the whole thing fascinating, she realized just how strange it looked when she was examining her own prompts. She had also practically had a stroke the first time she’d seen one while Azrael had taken to it like a fish to water. Her lip twitched, it just went to show how inexperienced she was in this world that the people here could adapt to strange things so quickly. Or perhaps things she found strange just weren’t strange to them.

“Level five,” Azrael said, “You possess the Aspect of the Tower. Your health and mana are doing well though your stamina has dropped to about three quarters. Are you feeling winded?”

Elat’s face went still, “That is a lot of information. You can just draw on that at any time?”

“There are limitations,” Nephral pointed out, “We have not encountered anything both hostile and of vastly greater power enough to be resistant to the journal. But it can happen.”

Teyva blinked at that; “Wait, you mean that can happen?”

Azrael put away her journal and shrugged; “There’s always a bigger rilk,” she pointed out. Elat nodded and the two began to walk.

Teyva stood there for a few more moments, looking down at her hands and then back up at the group; “I get the meaning, but what’s a Rilk?”

Azrael made a vague gesture; “Big insect, really big, common in the Wildlands. We’ll probably have to deal with more than a few of them on the way to Osan,” she rested her hand on her sword and glanced back at Teyva; “You coming?”

Teyva sighed and shook her head, “Yeah yeah I’m coming!”