"So, what about that new skill?" thought Aira.
--- New Skill(s) Available ---
1. Two is a Crowd - Allows to create a party. Party members can communicate through the System. Quests are shared. Every party member gets XP for the shared Quests.
Cost to add a new Skill: 961 SP + 3 SP
Acquire this Skill [Y/N]?
Aira agreed to the prompt.
--- New Skill ---
Two is a Crowd (Level 1 / 24 SP to upgrade to Level 2)
- Invite 1 member to a party
- Maximum distance of the party chat: [100 m x Level] = 10 km
- Party members can share quests
- Party members get XP for fulfilled quests (depending on their participation)
- Party members can see each other's stats
Upgrade further [Y/N]?
--- Current Status ---
Health: 555/555
Mana: ???/???
SP Used: 62,658
SP Available: 4,800
XP: 67,458,000 / 69,141,000 (Next Level: 101, Legendary)
However, leveling up the new skill wasn't something she wanted to dive into right away. She still had to test the limitations and mechanics of this world's System. The humans didn't know anything about it or magic in general, except for some stupid superstitions and myths of the olden times.
Still, it didn't mean they had to be excluded entirely from the System. Maybe it was only their ignorance that kept them away from obtaining the arcane knowledge. And testing that was worth spending some time and even skill points on, if need be.
Luckily, she had exactly the right opportunity and a test subject.
***
By the moment Aira finished her meditative exploration and read everything she could access on her System menu, the early morning sun was preparing to climb higher in the sky. It shed its light over the old shack, illuminating the ruined building through the cracks in the walls and holes in the roof. Somehow, its warmth and softness were comforting and prompted Aira to consider her previous quests and adventures. There was probably nothing as bizarre as what she was experiencing now. But the fact that a different world's star was bringing her the same simple pleasures made her hope for this new day to improve her life.
Aira stood up to stretch her legs. Finally, she wasn't feeling like a dead person, which was quite comical, considering her current race. Still, she couldn't say she had already grown accustomed either to the unpleasant, sluggish version of the past weeks she spent in Mountain View or this newly empowered body with all the bells and whistles provided by the System.
She moved around the dilapidated building, checking what remained after the owners left it, and suddenly knocked down a pile of wooden rubble.
Yes, she still hadn't had the best control of her body.
Lila woke up with a start. "Fox's whiskers! Who's attacking? What's happening?" she exclaimed, reaching for her dagger.
Being unable to answer and afraid that growling wouldn't help to make Lila more comfortable, Aira slowly moved to show herself in front of the other woman.
"Ah, that's you..." Lila said with a sigh. "Just a continuation of my nightmare..."
She stood up, stretching all her body. "Do you want some tea?" she asked.
Aira gestured to show she'd be happy to have a cup, and Lila began gathering some old wood for the fire. But before the ranger could use her firestarter, Aira stopped her. She promptly took out her journal and scribbled a message: "Let me try."
She already knew there were plenty of energy sources around them. Trees of the forest, smaller plants, and even some minor creatures, rodents, and alike. However, this time, Aira decided to test her own reserves.
Focusing on the device on her wrist, she directed her inner power toward the heap of kindling, willing it to receive all that energy, overheat, and start burning. It was a slow process that took a while, but Aira pushed a bit more. And then, even more, tapping into her deep reserves.
The fire burst out momentarily, bringing a happy glow to all dark corners of the forsaken house.
"By the Elders' breath, Aira! You could have warned me first," exclaimed Lila. "But I should have probably guessed you can do something like that."
However, for Aira, this effort was too much of an exertion. She either didn't consider how much power she needed to start a fire or poured too much of her internal energy into it. Her arms and legs shook, she made an uneven step and stumbled onto a stool. The ancient wooden piece of furniture cracked with a loud noise, its legs giving out under Aira's weight, and she landed heavily on the floor.
Lila rushed towards her. "Are you alright? What has happened?"
Aira put her hands in front of her and made uncertain gestures with her palms.
She grabbed her journal once again. "That's good. Don't worry. I need to find the limits of my powers. They are new to me."
"So, they are not the same as they were before?" asked Lila.
"No, their nature is different," wrote Aira. "And the variety of my capabilities is much lower."
With a deep sigh, Lila put up a pan on the fire. She turned to Aira and asked, smiling: "Do you remember that we found you only because you decided to make a fire in that other cabin? It feels like a whole life has passed since then. So much has changed, and so many things went awry...!"
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Aira growled softly and smiled at these memories. She was baffled then. Who would have expected other worlds even to exist? "It would be fun to bring this information to some of my scholarly friends. They'd think I gone mad," she thought.
But now, while she still didn't know enough about this world and had no clue how to become her old self again, she finally felt like she was on the right track. With the System available and even the quests sort of working. Aira was next to a person who willingly helped her. Even despite the tensions between them. But how far would she go? And how far would Aira want to take her?
She took the journal and wrote: "I want to try something with you. My abilities have grown since Mountain View. But it should be safe."
"Alrighty, let's give it a shot. If you say it's safe, I'll bite the bramble. No burning from inside, though, right?" Lila was still struggling to process everything that happened since the previous morning.
The undead just killed several of her fellow rangers and supposedly incapacitated a few more during their escape. That uneasy feeling battled in her with the desire to learn more about Aira and her strange powers. She touched a miracle and wouldn't back off because she was slightly scared. Well, maybe she was pretty appropriately frightened. But Elder's beard, that was exciting!
Aira wrote: "You don't have to do anything. Probably, you wouldn't even feel anything. But yes, it is related to you and may affect with you."
"Well, let's try it then. There's only one way to find out!" Lila replied.
Aira called out her System menu.
--- Party Interface ---
Maximum party members: 1
Current party size: 0
Invite a new party member [Y/N]?
Aira prompted the System to invite Lila.
...Lila invited to join the party. Awaiting confirmation...
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
System timed out.
"Did you get anything?" wrote Aira. "Any sensations? Any messages in your mind?"
Lila was excited and surprised: "Messages?!? No, nothing happened since you told me to get ready. But what do you even mean by the 'messages in my mind'? Is this some telepathy magic or what?"
"Let's call it telepathy and put it aside along with many other things I have to explain to you. This deserves a long talk and it is hard to do that in writing. We'll have to figure out an easier way of communication first."
"Oh, well," Lila said, "Let's just have our breakfast then. I guess I'll have to wait a bit more before I learn all of your strange secrets." She hugged her knees and focused on a dark smudge on the wall.
Aira reached out to her and gave Lila another note. "I understand that a lot has changed for you just in a few hours. I understand it more than you can even imagine. And I can try to put everything in fewer words. But I'm afraid you'll freak out."
"I'm freaking out plenty already. But now I'm at least even more intrigued. I know that you are different in so many ways. And I can probably guess that you are different from the other undead as well. Not that I had many opportunities to learn anything about them," Lila paused as if unsure if she should continue. "This knowledge is heavily restricted and limited to the Elders."
"By the way," Lila continued. "Does that mean that whoever they choose as the new Elders in Mountain View would probably know even less about them than I do…? That's not a comforting thought…"
Aira wrote: "Alright, I'll explain. But don't think that I'm crazy."
"I don't think there's anything crazier than teaming up with an undead while betraying your own kin," replied Lila a bit sharply. "But I'm all in for this adventure."
Aira wrote: "Your people's lore obviously attributes some strange powers to the undead. I don't know anything about that but I know quite a bit about special powers. I come from a different world. We have magic. We also have something called the System. It gives us valuable information. Including quests: things we need to fulfill to progress in our journeys. Currently, I have several quests I need to get through to get closer to my final goal. And in the end, I hope to return to my world and become myself again."
Lila's excitement increased with each sentence she read. A stream of revelations poured onto her. "You're really saying this 'System' talks to you in your head? That sounds torch-blind crazy, no offense. But after yesterday, maybe I'm not the best person to doubt it or question anyone's sanity. It isn't any more bizarre than killing people with energy blasts and without any weapon."
She made a thoughtful pause. "Let's say I'll just follow you for now and we'll see how it goes. If it's true, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. And it seems you don't want to kill me for some reason. That's fine."
"I was so frustrated with the hardliners in our village," she continued. "People like Garrick were trying to stir the pot for quite a long time. Good riddance!"
Moments later, her mood shifted again. "But would I ever be able to return there and see my friends? I don't suppose they think very highly of me right now. Helping an undead to escape. And attacking rangers in the process. That's all out in the open now. It's plainly the definition of high treason...!"
There was no stopping Lila now, as she pursued her train of thought. She poured out emotions bottled up inside her for a very long time. "I'm in. Chasing shadows or not, there's no sense looking back. Besides, no one will believe me if I return to Mountain View. It's either return and hope for a fair trial that would never happen, stay alone and build a new life from scratch here in the forest, or stick with you and see what other mysteries are hidden around us. I choose mysteries. At least for now. I don't even know how they are going to survive now, with all the Elders killed… And Garrick and his goons…"
Aira wrote: "I know the type. Killed a few like him."
"Killed?!? Who are you? Some kind of mercenary?" Lila was surprised.
"I'm a battlemage."
"Alrighty, there's obviously a lot to unpack here for both of us. Let's start with baby steps. We need to figure out where to move next to have some safety and time to think," Lila said, dishing out some of the porridge they made for breakfast. She handed one of the bowls to Aira. "But first, some breakfast might do us both good before we move on. I'll just pretend we're on ranger's time."
She made another pause and looked thoughtfully at Aira. "Do you even need to eat?"
Aira returned the bowl to Lila, shaking her head, and wrote: "It seems I need much less food than before. I need to drink, though. And I appreciate the effort. Please eat. And if anything remains, I'll finish it. I still like the taste. But don't worry about me."
"Well, root me sideways! So you're saying you don't need food?" Lila said. "Guess I didn't need to pack so much provisions then. I'll keep that in mind next time we're low on rations." Aira looked at Lila but smiled back as soon as she saw her companion's sarcastic grin.
As the ranger finished her meal, she leaned back, her expression turning serious. "We need to start moving soon," she said. "They are understaffed and disoriented now. But there still is a chance that patrols will be looking for us. They could have let it go after you disposed of Garrick. It sort of worked for everyone's good. But now it's a double attack. So, we can't stay in this cabin for too long. Not that I'd like to stay here even without the pursuit looming behind us. It's a bones and bark ruin!"
Aira nodded and looked questioningly in different directions.
Lila thought for a moment, then smiled. "I have a few ideas. I mentioned to you that I thought about visiting that old tech facility not too far from here. Even if we don't find any loot there, it should be safe... -er. Safer. I guess."
Aira's eyes lit up with interest. Something cataclysmic happened to the local civilization many years ago. But were the humans and the undead really related to each other? And if yes, in which way? She didn't have many opportunities to learn the history of this world. So, what could be better than this?
Also, after Aira had her share of interactions with this world's humans, she wanted to learn more about the undead. There was definitely more to their story, and she needed to explore it before she could figure out her next steps. Especially without any clear directions from the quest system.
Lila stood up, stretching. "Good, let's pack up and get moving. We have a long day of walking ahead of us."