“You sure you are alright?”
“Fine, fine~ totally fine~”
Mia and her sister chatted while approaching the guild, walking side by side and set on another day of hunting and training, this time while testing out Mia’s time skill on Ria to see if she benefited from the reload training.
While on the way, Mia was still concerned if her sister was truly alright, as she knew taking in all that was a big shock, even she still had trouble processing it all. And she was the one that had control over it! She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Ria.
“You sure?”
“Mia!” Ria ran out in front of her, turning on her heel while groaning “I am fine enough to go along with you, but please stop asking.” She clapped her hands together, pleading with her “let’s just figure out what works, ok?”
Mia sighed “Fine, I ju- hm?” As they approached the guild, Mia noticed a large crowd gathered outside the guild “What is going on?”
“What?” Ria spun around “Oh, hm…” Ria moved closer to her sis “can’t tell, let’s get closer.”
Mia nodded, just in case she grabbed a hold of her sister’s arm, saving.
As the two got closer they saw the crowd was quite large, all gathered outside the front entrance, the shouts and complaints drowning everyone out. But even without being able to understand them, the cause of the unrest became obvious to Mia once she saw a familiar flag flowing above the crowd.
“…The church.” Mia spat, she grabbed ahold of Ria’s hand and saved to another slot.
“The church… oh Gaia “Ria remembered the conversation from last night “What are they doing here?”
“Hmn, they were on their way to the port…gonna check.” The last time Mia saw their larger force was outside the dungeon on her way to the port town, what were they doing here? Mia lifted herself into the air, rising on a pillar of ice, looking above the crowd.
She saw a group of church members, standing at the base of the stairs gathered around a large coffin, preaching some nonsense she didn’t care she couldn’t hear right now, and by the looks of it the crowd members closer to them didn’t like it either, shouting and trying to reach the speaker, while being held back by a barrier of light cast around the group by a few church mages.
“…bleh…” she shook her head, looking to see if the way inside was blocked or not, and was pleasantly surprised seeing people were able to still enter the guild on the far side. She loaded.
“No one I recognize.” She had tried to look for anyone from the port town and the camp, but didn’t see any of them.
[Confirmed, no shared faces.]
“Ami says there isn’t either.” Mia rubbed her chin “still church members though…people looked mad.”
Ria nodded, her face visibly twisted in disgust “Yeah, I got close going under…I think a fight might break out.”
“What they say?” Mia asked, tilting her head.
“Racism.” Ria spat, then said in a mocking manner “All beastmen are filth, non-humans must be cleansed through trail!~” she cringed “surprised there isn’t already a fight.”
“They have a barrier. Not the one they used to attack the town, no, but still strong.” Mia frowned “We can get in by the side, go before fight?”
Ria clapped her fists together “Sure you don’t want to fight?”
“No, not worth it.” She pushed Ria on her way “need to be stronger. Our goal.”
“…” Ria sighed, giving up. The two heading to the haunt.
* * *
A goblin’s head fell to the ground with a wet slap, freshly cut from Ria’s blade “Why do they even get to spout that nonsense here!” she yelled, charging another goblin.
“Hmn, no clue.” Mia shrugged, blasting a goblin with a small explosive flame.
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The two had spent the last few hours mindlessly killing goblins, testing out how Mia’s time skills worked with Ria, this was the tenth time they had fought this same group of goblins, each time trying something different while keeping a close eye on Ria’s skills, and Mia’s skills, just in case doing this stopped her growth.
So far nothing had happened, until.
“How’s this time?” Mia watched the last goblin fall to Ria’s blade, Ria went silent, reading her stats before she smiled, turning to Mia she held up two fingers.
“Acrobatics went up!~” She cheered “It works!” she ran over to Mia, lifting her up and spinning her in the air, laughing.
“G-g-g-ood!” Mia was shocked, until now she thought it wasn’t possible, was it because Ria was aware of the load? That was most likely it. “Now, see if it stays?”
Ria froze “Y-yeah…”
[Loaded slot 3]
The were back before the fight, a distance away from the goblins, hidden from their view “did it stay?” Mia asked, looking over to a nervous Ria who was scanning her status again.
“Y-yeah…” She let out a sigh of relief “It’s there…” She stood up straight, her excitement from before gone “Gotta say, it is very boring fighting the same things over and over.”
“Hm, agreed.” Mia said, then added “but find it relaxing, almost.”
“No no, like.” Ria held up her hand, trying to put it in a good way “fighting the same group of enemies, like going from goblins to goblins is somewhat fine.” She waved her hand “but the same exact group… it’s mind numbing after the third time, I’m not sure I like it.”
“Can try with something tougher.” Mia rolled her eyes “don’t mind the numbing but can get boring.”
“I’d rather just conquer dungeons, the bosses are fun.”
“Mhm mhm.” Mia nodded, agreeing 100%.
“Haaa…” Ria slumped “Let’s just do that, yeah? maybe if we get a lot today we can rank up and get out of here, tougher enemies, and you are close to evolving, yeah?”
“…will train fire to master, before evolution.” Mia narrowed her eyes, walking towards the group of goblins while tiny balls of fire formed at her sides, she looked back towards her sister “your sword skill at mastery yet?”
Ria avoided her sister’s gaze “N-no, it’s insane to think a 15-year-old should have a mastery skill… not even dad has one.”
“Mn, ice at mastery.” Mia smirked “Now you can get one, in only ten minutes.”
“…” Ria’s expression twisted “you cheated…” She grumbled, drawing her sword “Can we at least find a bigger group? More experience.”
“Fine.” She stepped out into the open, her barrage of fireballs flying forward and pelting the goblins until nothing, but ash remained ‘yeah, that int increase did wonders.’
“…what is your fire at now, Mia?” Ria sheepishly said, her dead eyes staring at the remains.
Mia turned around, mimicking her sister’s pose from earlier and raising two fingers “Fire novice, rank 1” she smirked “freshly evolved.”
Ria heaved a sigh “fine, but something different than goblins! Please!” Ria pleaded
Mia agreed, and the two headed off, deeper into the haunt for more prey they could kill.
* * *
“Oh, level 3.”
The two had made great progress as they jumped from dungeon to dungeon, staying inside and fighting the various monsters on repeat till Ria got bored and started complaining, switching location every time. They had just finished off a hoard of slimes for the 15th time on their way to another dungeon, Mia pleasantly surprised with her growth. She had even gained a level at some point, the stats going straight into Mind bringing her up to 7,200 mana.
Ria on the other hand…
“The sword is mine the sword is me I am my sword is mine the sword is me I am my sword the sword is mine the sword is me I am my sword is mine the sword is me I cut therefor I am the sword I kill them cut them down I WANT TO CUT they die over and over they die over and over I repeat they all die but they come back what do they want? I FEEL them, they cut like butter… the sword is mine the sword is me I am my sword….”
“…”
Ria’s eyes were lifeless as she mumbled to her sword, pressed against her forehead. During their training she had started to act twitchy, jumping at the slightest movement, which then progressed into her getting violent, charging headfirst into the slimes screaming obscenities…Mia thought she was getting into it or an attempt to shake things up but…
Now she was like this, mindlessly rambling while waiting for the next load.
‘Maybe this isn’t for her…’
[You pushed her too hard.]
Mia perked up, glancing to her side at nothing ‘too hard? But we made a lot of progress.’
[Yes, you pushed her too hard. You and her are different, you are… used to… this. Very few people have the mental fortitude, or oddity, to withstand time travel.]
‘W-why didn’t you stop me!’ Mia ran up to her sister, grabbing her, she jumped a bit and slowly turned to face her “Ria, you ok?”
Ria shakingly smiled “P-peachy” she said, her smile wavering for a moment before losing its façade “w-w-we ready for the n-ne-x-x-t o-n-e?”
[Hmm, she is still recoverable. It would be best to stop the time travel for today and continue as normal.]
“No, take a rest, ok?” Mia said, patting Ria who shakingly nodded, then unsteadily lowered herself down to the ground ‘are you sure we shouldn’t leave?’
[No, give her time to rest and get her mind settled, then let her work without flinging her back in time so she can feel normal again. It will put her mind at ease instead of letting her dwell on it.]
Mia watched over her sister, who was shaking back and forth and still mumbling gibberish ‘are you really sure? She looks horrible…what did I do…’
[Yes, I am sure, I am the assist mode of the skill, time, I have witnessed this countless times. This is what normally happens when someone is forced back in time more than 100 times in a single day, Mia, most people cannot handle it mentally. I hope with this you realize how much of an oddity you are, be thankful. It is up to her if she is willing and able to adapt to this going forward.]
‘Uh, thanks? I think?’ She was unsure if that was a complement, but she was glad she was saying Ria would be fine after a break, they’d have to go slower… or maybe just focus on getting evolved… this was never easy…
“Oh hey, people.” “All the way out here? No way.”
Speaking of…