《Accidentally a Shrine Priestess》 Chapter 1: No Mere Ghost Sophie''s eyes blinked open only to find the wide and somehow disturbingly translucent eyes of an unfamiliar woman staring down at her. ¡°Oh!¡± The other woman pulled back suddenly as if startled by Sophie. ¡°You''re awake!¡± Sophie sat up, her head spinning. She glanced around at her surroundings. She was sitting on the wooden floor in a dusty room with cushions scattered all over. It looked like animals had been chewing on them. She didn¡¯t recognize a thing, and her head was pounding. ¡°Where am I?¡± she asked. The last thing she remembered¡­ She had been at a company event. They had closed out a large account and had been celebrating at a bar downtown. She pressed her fingers against her forehead in an attempt to soothe the pain there. ¡°You''re in my shrine!¡± the woman said. ¡°Don''t you remember?¡± Sophie started to shake her head, but immediately regretted it. She decided sitting very, very still was a much better option. ¡°No¡­ not exactly¡­¡± she trailed off. The other woman clapped her hands excitedly, but the sound had an oddly muted quality, and the more Sophie looked at the woman, the more she realized that something wasn''t quite right here. The woman appeared to be about Sophie''s age with long blonde hair and cute features. But she didn''t look quite¡­ solid for lack of a better word. Looking at her gave Sophie the urge to rub her eyes. As if maybe her vision was affected by the hangover. ¡°I''m Elowen,¡± the woman said. ¡°You promised to be my priestess last night.¡± ¡°I ¨C Excuse me. A priestess?¡± Was this some sort of kinky thing? Sophie had absolutely no recollection of meeting this woman, let alone promising her anything like that. ¡°Look,¡± Sophie began, as the other woman blinked at her expectantly. ¡°I don''t exactly know where I am right now or what I promised you but ¨C¡± Elowen cut in, already starting to pout. ¡°You¡¯re at my shrine! I already told you.¡± Sophie shook her head then, forgetting her goal of sitting still, and her brain rattled around in her skull. ¡°That doesn''t help me at all. Can you tell me what happened last night?¡± ¡°You really don''t remember?¡± Elowen looked so sad that Sophie began to feel bad for the other woman. Of course. All signs pointed towards Sophie getting herself into trouble again after drinking too much. This was starting to become a bad habit¡­ ¡°Nope.¡± Sophie sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, I was in the courtyard alone,¡± Elowen started. ¡°And suddenly the portal started glowing! The portal hasn''t worked for years. So naturally, I was excited ¨C¡± Sophie held up her hand. ¡°Hold up. The¡­ portal?¡± Elowen nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah! Do you remember? You walked through it! Although now that I think about it, you seemed a little disoriented¡­¡± Sophie risked another look around the room, and it looked ¨C well, it looked abandoned for lack of a better word. She wondered briefly if she had been kidnapped by some sort of weird cult, but she wasn''t tied up in any way and the girl in front of her seemed so sincere about the whole thing. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Let¡¯s go through this one more time. I walked through some sort of portal and ended up here.¡± She gestured to the room around her. ¡°And then I promised to be your priestess. Does that sound about right?¡± Elowen frowned and shook her head. ¡°Well, not actually here. The portal is in the courtyard.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Sophie sighed. ¡°Of course it is. Why don''t you show it to me, then?¡± Part of her wanted to test out whether or not any potential captors would actually let her leave, but she also wanted to survey her surroundings and determine if she was anywhere familiar. Perhaps if she was lucky, she was only a few blocks away from her usual bus stop. At this point, that seemed overly optimistic. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a wonderful idea!¡± Elowen replied. And then she floated off the ground. Sophie scrambled back, her stomach lurching terribly with the motion. ¡°What ¨C¡± she started. ¡°Are you ¨C No, wait ¨C Am I dead?¡± Elowen looked horrified at the very thought. ¡°Oh, no, of course not. You''re perfectly alive as far as I can tell. I could read your mana level if that would help reassure you.¡± ¡°My mana level?¡± Sophie had a sinking feeling that she was quite a bit further than she thought she was from home. ¡°Okay, forgetting that for a second. What are you some sort of ghost then?¡± Elowen looked positively hurt at the accusation. ¡°A ghost! No, I am the spirit of the shrine.¡± She sniffed, crossing her arms. ¡°I am a being created out of pure mana. I have always been like this. I¡¯m no ordinary ghost.¡± And that''s when Sophie realized she had seriously fucked something up. *** Sophie numbly allowed Elowen to lead her to the portal in the courtyard. They were in fact, at some sort of shrine ¨C long abandoned judging by the weeds that choked the path into the dense forest. Elowen showed Sophie to a place at the very edge of the courtyard where some sort of long, flat stone pieces that curved up at the ends formed a strange border. There was no portal to be seen. ¡°So you''re saying I walked through this?¡± Sophie gestured to the space in between the boring-looking stone slabs, and then carefully tried stepping through them. Nothing happened. ¡°It¡¯s not active now,¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°I don''t know how you activated it, but last night it appeared for the first time in a very long time. Many, many seasons. And then you walked through it.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Sophie kicked at one of the stones, and Elowen winced. ¡°Well, and then it died again. You seemed very confused. Judging by the way you''re dressed, I''m guessing you''re not from the village.¡± Sophie had a feeling she wasn''t even from the same reality. ¡°Nope,¡± Sophie agreed. This was starting to sound like something out of a video game or maybe a fantasy novel. ¡°Not from the village alright.¡± ¡°That''s not important.¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°You don''t necessarily have to be from the village to be my priestess. Although I am curious why you went so long without choosing a class. Had you planned to remain classless?¡± The combination of Elowen¡¯s clueless and downright confusing insistence on the whole priestess thing and the aftereffects of all of the alcohol Sophie drank last night were really starting to catch up with her in a bad way. ¡°Look,¡± she said, trying not to completely lose her patience. ¡°I don''t know what I promised you exactly, but I don''t even think I''m from the same reality as you, let alone whatever the nearby village is. Classes? Mana? What is this some sort of video game?¡± ¡°Video game?¡± Elowen sounded out the words, as if she had never heard the phrase before. ¡°I''m not playing a game. I don''t mean to trick you.¡± She seemed honestly confused. ¡°But that''s not right¡­ What do you mean you''re not from this reality? That can¡¯t be true.¡± ¡°I don''t know!¡± Sophie was starting to feel frustrated. ¡°Can''t you scan me or something?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°I scanned you last night, but maybe I missed something. Here ¨C¡± She held out her hands, translucent palms facing upward. ¡°Let me scan you again.¡± Sophie carefully held out her hands above Elowen¡¯s own. She could see Elowen¡¯s hands there, but she couldn¡¯t sense them at all at first. Elowen closed her eyes, and Sophie might have felt a little more awkward about the whole situation had they not been in the middle of nowhere in possibly in some sort of wacko fantasy world. And then Sophie felt something ¨C a warm pressure, perhaps ¨C but nothing like what she expected touching a ghost might feel like. It gave her the creeps, nonetheless. After a long moment, Elowen opened her eyes again and shook her head. ¡°I don''t know. I suppose I can tell there''s something different about you. But your mana seems fine, albeit extremely underdeveloped. You¡¯re only Level 1.¡± ¡°A level one?¡± Sophie repeated. ¡°Yes! You¡¯re a Level 1 Shrine Priestess!¡± Elowen declared, as if that helped the situation at all. ¡°I gave you the class last night.¡± She beamed proudly. ¡°The first class I¡¯ve given out in so many seasons! I¡¯ve lost count!¡± ¡°But¡­ What if I don''t want to be a ¨C a Shrine Priestess?¡± The pout was back. ¡°But you have to! You promised! If you don''t do it, I''m going to fade away soon. I can¡¯t find anyone else!¡± Sophie wondered how true any of that was, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood for arguing. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Sophie said, holding up her hands. ¡°Just calm down. Can I at least get some coffee or something? My head''s killing me.¡± ¡°Coffee?¡± Elowen asked, making the same confused face that Sophie was already starting to dread. ¡°Surely you have coffee in this world!¡± What kind of terrible fantasyland had she ended up in? Chapter 2: Mana Stones Elowen led Sophie back into the shrine, and Sophie paid a little more attention to her surroundings this time. There was a large wooden cabinet with an ornately carved door placed prominently against the back wall of the entrance room. A small scribe¡¯s desk to the side of the cabinet, with torn up scrolls littering the space next to it and what appeared to be a half-chewed quill. Some dusty, ripped cushions that Sophie had noticed earlier. And not much else. Well, one of the windows along the side wall also appeared to be broken, and the interior of the shrine building was much dimmer than the outside where it was full daylight. ¡°There¡¯s no lights?¡± Elowen shook her head and gestured to small stone fixtures along the wall that Sophie hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡°The shrine can¡¯t support them.¡± Sophie glanced at the fixtures suspiciously. They didn¡¯t really look like lights. She wasn¡¯t sure what Elowen meant, but she half-wondered if she would have to worry about paying her electric bill in this bizarre fantasy world. The thought quickly left her mind. She had more pressing concerns at the moment. Like coffee. ¡°How about a kitchen?¡± Elowen nodded and showed her to a door along the back wall that led to the shrine¡¯s modest living quarters. Sophie had to open it ¨C she couldn¡¯t exactly pass through solid objects like Elowen apparently could. The area beyond was in much better shape. It looked like a rustic little studio apartment with some more scrolls ¨C intact this time ¨C and some dusty books. ¡°There¡¯s a trunk over there where the former priestess kept a folding mattress,¡± Elowen began to explain. But all Sophie could see was the little wooden table and some chairs in what appeared to be a small kitchen space through the adjoining room. She ignored the rest of Elowen¡¯s tour and made a beeline for the kitchen. It was¡­ very different from what she was used to. No refrigerator. No oven. No microwave. In fact, she started to wonder if electricity was even a thing in this world. But at the very least, there was a place to start a fire, and a kettle sitting on top of a hearth. It reminded her of her grandpa¡¯s old log cabin in Wisconsin, but she didn¡¯t want to think too hard about that either. Instead, she opened several cabinets as Elowen watched on with curiosity. Dried goods ¨C probably all spoiled, but she¡¯d test that later. How long did rice keep for anyways? A bunch of sad-looking spices, nearly disintegrated to dust. She eventually found a carefully carved wooden box of what appeared to be tea upon closer inspection. It at least smelled like tea. And since it was in the kitchen, surely it was intended for consumption. It would have to do. ¡°How old do you think this is?¡± she asked. Elowen floated over to examine the contents of the box, but shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest idea.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been since anyone lived here?¡± Elowen shrugged. ¡°The seasons come and go. I don''t really count them. I''ve never thought about it before.¡± The idea gave Sophie chills. She wondered how long Elowen had been living here by herself and felt a little sorry for her. She glanced around the small kitchen area and noticed another key component missing. Running water. Horrified, she nearly dropped the box of tea, currently her one savior to this terrible morning. She nearly wanted to lay down on the floor and give up right then. She didn¡¯t. ¡°Um, is there water somewhere?¡± ¡°In the well of course,¡± Elowen said, blinking at her. When Sophie stared at Elowen blankly, the spirit finally got the hint and floated towards a side door. ¡°It¡¯s just outside,¡± she explained. Sophie dutifully followed behind Elowen to the small rear courtyard to find that there was, indeed, a well. It was even covered. Sophie had never used a well in her life. She tugged on the rope. It felt sturdy enough still. She was surprised it hadn¡¯t rotted over the years. She carefully lifted the lid, peering down into the darkness, but she couldn¡¯t see anything down there. After some experimentation, she finally managed to fill the bucket, pulling some water to the surface. It looked okay, but she knew better than to trust it, and she¡¯d need to boil it anyways to make the tea. Her first adventure in the new world. Tea making. If this were a video game or a fantasy novel, surely she would have some monsters to slay or something. With that in mind, Sophie thought there were definitely worse ways to spend the morning and firmly decided that she would focus on the tea and not trigger any flags just in case. *** The tea was horrible. But at the very least, her caffeine headache seemed to be subsiding. ¡°So let''s pretend I did come from another world,¡± Sophie started once she felt ready to talk about things again. Elowen looked like she was about to protest, so Sophie held up her hand to stave off any more of her nonsense. Apparently getting information from a shrine spirit wasn''t the most useful way to find out about the world. They were sitting at the small kitchen table ¨C well, only if what Elowen was doing could be considered sitting. The fact that she wasn''t exactly corporeal was still giving Sophie the creeps but it was pretty low on the list of Sophie''s questions at the moment. Especially since Elowen was currently her only source of information about the alternate reality she had somehow found herself in. ¡°If we get that portal up and running again, I can go back right?¡± she asked. Elowen frowned and shook her head. ¡°It''s not that easy,¡± she said. ¡°The portal isn''t supposed to connect to anywhere but the village. Even if we got enough mana to get it working again, I don''t think it will take you back to where you came from.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Sophie didn''t quite understand that part, and the tea was really not doing anything to help the thick layer of fog clear out of her brain from the hangover, but she waved her hand at Elowen. ¡°Okay, so ¨C the portal got me here. The portal hasn''t worked in many years. We''re doubtful that the portal will take me back. I think I got all that. But why hasn''t the portal worked for many years? And how do we get it fixed again? Do we need to call some sort of ¨C I don''t know ¨C portalsmith?¡± Sophie thought she was just making a joke, but Elowen looked very serious at the suggestion. ¡°Oh no,¡± she said. ¡°I don''t think we''ll need to call a portalsmith. I don''t think the portal is broken. I think it just doesn''t have enough mana.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Sophie said, still not getting the full picture. ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s the issue? Let¡¯s get some more mana. Where do we find it?¡± Elowen blinked at Sophie as if she didn''t understand the question, and Sophie sighed, pointing at herself. ¡°From a different world, remember?¡± Elowen tilted her head. ¡°I am starting to wonder if maybe you are from a different world.¡± Sophie had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. ¡°I keep telling you that. But whatever. Okay, so where do we find the mana? You said I have mana, right? Are there like, mana potions? Do we need to go to some sort of mana vendor? I don¡¯t really game much, so I only have a vague idea of how all of this works.¡± Elowen looked for a moment like she thought Sophie was playing some sort of prank on her, but then she began to explain. ¡°Mana is energy. It''s found in all things. Hmm, how do I explain it ¨C¡± She frowned. ¡°Here maybe it would help if I showed you.¡± Elowen gestured for Sophie to follow her and led her back into the front room of the shrine. She showed Sophie to that large wooden cabinet from earlier. Sophie had only barely noticed it earlier, given the general state of the room and her obvious distress at her situation. ¡°This is where my mana stone is kept,¡± Elowen said. ¡°Mana stone?¡± Sophie asked. She noticed a very faint blue light emanating from the cabinet through the ornate lattice work. Although the cabinet was dusty and uncared for recently, Sophie could tell that it had been carefully made. ¡°Here ¨C You can open it,¡± Elowen offered. ¡°Usually the shrine priest or priestess would be the only one who was allowed to open this. But since you''re the new shrine priestess¡­¡± She practically beamed as she said the words. Sophie still wasn''t sure on that point, exactly, but she reached out to touch the handle of the cabinet door feeling a little spooked. She opened it carefully. It wasn''t locked or anything. And inside, there was indeed a stone. Maybe the size of a beach ball, but not quite so round. It would have looked just like any old rock except for the fact that it emitted that strange blue glow. Sophie found herself reaching out to touch it, and then held her hand back at the last second. ¡°Is it okay?¡± she asked. ¡°If I touch it, I mean?¡± ¡°Oh yes, of course,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°In fact, it might help you understand. You should be able to sense the mana. It should resonate within you since you''re the priestess of this shrine now.¡± Sophie reached out and placed her palm flat on the stone. It felt warm. Similar to the way Elowen¡¯s hands had felt when Elowen read her mana level before. ¡°After you level up a bit, you''ll be able to channel your own mana into the stone,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°What does it do?¡± Sophie asked. Elowen looked conflicted at the question. ¡°Well, it¡¯s my stone. I guess you could say I''m bound to it.¡± ¡°Bound?¡± Sophie shivered at the wording. Elowen nodded. ¡°As the spirit of this shrine, I need a source of mana to exist. A strong, steady source. This stone is supposed to pull enough mana from the environment to sustain me. And it hasn¡¯t been. Not for a long time. If it runs out completely¡­¡± She trailed off and then shook her head, biting her lip. Dread pooled in Sophie¡¯s stomach. So this stone was Elowen¡¯s life support and¡­ What? It was dying? Is that what Elowen meant about fading away earlier? The glow from the stone did seem awfully faint. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I don''t quite get it, but... what does this have to do with the portal?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Elowen said. ¡°The portal! Well, the portal is made of mana stone, as well, and it was engineered by a portalsmith to generate a portal. It''s tied to its twin in the village. The portal stones need a lot of mana, actually, and that ran out a long, long time ago.¡± Well that sounded ominous. ¡°So if all of these mana stones are supposed to pull in mana, why aren¡¯t they?¡± Elowen shrugged. ¡°It''s hard to say. The previous priestess passed on many seasons ago, and the mana has been drying up since then. I think it started before that, but she was able to keep it full enough that we didn''t have any problems. But after she passed, things slowly got worse¡­ And now I can¡¯t even manifest fully anymore!¡± ¡°And what?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You want me to fix it?¡± Elowen nodded, her eyes pleading. Sophie frowned at the glowing rock in front of her. All of this sounded so far-fetched. But if she really was stuck in some sort of fantasy world, getting the portal working again sounded like the only route for her to get home. Not including going up to random strangers and asking them if they knew how to get to an alternate universe, of course. ¡°Wait ¨C do you have wizards in this world? You know, maybe people who can use the mana? Like magic?¡± Elowen looked a little bit lost. ¡°Well, priestesses can use mana, and there are also mages and crafters and warriors. There are many different classes that are able to use mana in different ways.¡± ¡°So one of them might be able to send me back?¡± Sophie asked. Elowen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone traveling between different worlds before.¡± Sophie deflated. Of course not. It¡¯s not like she had heard of random people showing up in her world, and even if one of them could send her back, she had to find them first. And then somehow convince them she wasn¡¯t crazy. If the shrine spirit thought she was crazy for even suggesting it, it seemed like she had an uphill battle to fight on that account¡­ ¡°Okay,¡± she said finally. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m really stuck here, I will do my best to try to help you.¡± Elowen clapped happily at the news and seemed a little more solid for a brief moment, before she faded back into her usual translucent state. ¡°How wonderful!¡± she said. Sophie tried to summon up any sort of corresponding happiness in reply, but her stomach gurgled unpleasantly ¨C something in between hunger and nausea ¨C reminding her that she hadn¡¯t had any solid food for who knows how long. ¡°Um, but first I really need to find something to eat or I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to survive the night.¡± Elowen blinked blankly at her, and then gestured towards the kitchen. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in there for you?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Probably nothing that¡¯s safe to eat at least.¡± Elowen looked torn at the reply. ¡°I suppose you could go into the village¡­¡± she trailed off, seeming unhappy about the idea. ¡°So¡­ can you show me to this village?¡± Sophie prodded. The spirit nodded slowly at this. ¡°I suppose,¡± she hedged. ¡°Although there¡¯s one small detail¡­¡° The spirit looked guilty. ¡°Just tell me.¡± Sophie sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have much choice but to help you now, and I really need to find some food.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t exactly leave the shrine. I am bound here after all. At least until your mana levels increase enough to let me go with you.¡± Of course it would be something like that. Why else would the spirit hang around this creepy place if she wasn¡¯t stuck here. Sophie sighed again, resisting the urge to bang her head on the table. Guess it was time to go exploring. Chapter 3: Language Barrier? What Language Barrier? Sophie gulped down the rest of her nasty tea in the hope that it would clear her head up a bit more. ¡°Can''t you like, heal me or something?¡± she grumbled. ¡°At least get rid of this hangover?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a healer,¡± she began, and she looked like she was about to go into another one of her long winded explanations, so Sophie held up her hand again. ¡°Just ¨C just hold off on the more talking thing, okay? We''ll talk more later.¡± Sophie realized that she was fully at fault for her head hurting so much this morning, and that Elowen was just trying to be helpful, but she was not feeling so happy about the prospect of wandering out into unknown territory alone and hungover. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what good it was to be a Shrine Priestess anyways if the shrine spirit couldn¡¯t even fix a hangover. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°I need ¨C well, I need a lot of things.¡± She glanced around at the kitchen, and began opening some of the cabinets. ¡°I definitely need food. Hopefully something that tastes less terrible than that tea. And maybe a hot bath.¡± ¡°Oh! There are baths in the village! At least from what I can remember,¡± Elowen replied, as if that made the situation any better. Instead, Sophie¡¯s heart sank further. Right this rustic little place didn¡¯t appear to have running water. Great. Just great. Sophie shook her head, muttering obscenities to herself as she opened yet another empty cabinet. What, was the previous priestess some sort of ascetic? So far Sophie had found surprisingly little other than the spices and some dried rice. She definitely didn¡¯t have it in herself for that sort of lifestyle. Sophie pulled out the heavy bag of rice from a bottom cabinet and wondered how long rice was supposed to stay good for. She honestly wasn¡¯t even sure she knew how to make rice without a rice cooker. She basically lived off of takeout anyways. She opened the bag anyways, half-contemplating trying to make some just to avoid making a trip to the village today, but the rancid smell rising up from the bag stopped her in her tracks. Nope. No rice today. She had been brave enough to try to boil the water, but she was not about to eat that. Okay, so she was definitely going to have to make that trip to the village. She sighed, mostly to herself. She would just have to see what the village shops had when she got there. She had no idea what to expect as far as food went, and she doubted Elowen would either, judging by the fact that she had lived here for potentially years while subsisting on¡­ mana. Sophie hoped there were shops in the village. She hoped there was even a village. She frowned, kicking the bag of rice in frustration. How long had Elowen been here alone? What if the village didn¡¯t even exist anymore? Nope. Not thinking about that. It wouldn¡¯t help. Maybe if she thought hard enough, she could manifest the village. There was still the off chance she was dreaming, right? Right?? Well, either way, what did villages usually look like in video games? There would probably be some sort of shop right? Or maybe a market where she could buy some food. ¡°Money,¡± Sophie said, almost gasping the word out loud in realization. If she went to the village, she would most likely need to buy food. She felt around in her pockets, but her wallet was missing. Along with her keys and her cell phone. Damn. Not that American currency would do any good wherever she was now. But it still annoyed her on some base level. Her memory of the end of her night was hazy, but she did remember having a bag when she joined her coworkers at the bar after work. She must have stuck everything in there at some point. She wondered if she left it there or if one of her coworkers took it back for her. How did she even get on the train without her phone though? Did she get on the train? If not, where did she even find the portal? Her memories were completely and utterly gone. A total blackout. ¡°Money?¡± Elowen¡¯s soft voice interrupted Sophie''s pity party, probably for the better. Sophie looked up to see the wide, curious eyes of the shrine spirit. ¡°I think there''s probably some in here¡­¡± Elowen trailed off as she floated back towards the small living space next to the kitchen. She hovered near the desk, her feet just inches from the floor, and gestured at the drawers. It was going to take Sophie a while to get used to the whole hovering thing, but she wasn''t so callous to ask Elowen to pretend to be human just for her. ¡°Maybe in here?¡± Elowen suggested, pointing to the top drawer, and Sophie made her way over. She slid open the drawer to find a small brown pouch along with a stack of what appeared to be letters written in an unfamiliar script. She slid the pages out from under the pouch, shocked to find that she could read them. It appeared to be some sort of correspondence, but it wasn¡¯t in English. She glanced up at the shrine spirit in shock, suddenly unsure how she had been communicating with her at all. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elowen asked in a language that was definitely not English, and yet sounded completely natural to Sophie¡¯s ears. She opened her own mouth to reply, suddenly unsure of what would come out. ¡°I can read this,¡± she said in some language that she was sure she had never heard in her life. ¡°I can speak! I can understand you. But how? It¡¯s not ¨C¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Elowen waved a hand at Sophie. ¡°Last night when you came through the portal I couldn''t understand a word of what you were saying, so I gave you a Universal Language blessing.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°A blessing?¡± Sophie asked, and she was surprised to find Elowen¡¯s face looked a little pinker than it had previously. ¡°Please don¡¯t make a big deal of it,¡± Elowen said. ¡°You would have gotten one anyways. Just at a much higher level¡­¡± Sophie shook her head though. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does that mean? A blessing? How can you just make me understand a new language?¡± Elowen looked nearly relieved at Sophie¡¯s question this time. ¡°Oh! Of course you wouldn¡¯t know. Well, blessings ¨C they''re like special favors or abilities that we can grant to those we deem worthy. Most people get them when their mana levels reach certain tiers based on their class but we can also grant abilities if we see fit.¡± The spirit seemed to color a bit further at the explanation. ¡°I might have cheated a bit by giving you yours. You hadn''t yet agreed to become a priestess, and your mana levels are very low.¡± ¡°I didn''t agree at all!¡± Sophie complained, not liking the weird judgemental tone Elowen took when talking about her mana levels. ¡°But whatever ¨C I mean, how does it work? I can read this now.¡± She shook the pages at Elowen, but Elowen just looked at her blankly. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing,¡± the spirit repeated, as if that should explain everything. Sophie stared down at the words on the page that she could somehow read perfectly, even though they were not in any language she had ever seen in her life previous to ending up in this fantasy world. Her mind spun with the impossibility of it all. And then she looked back up to the confused, mostly transparent spirit floating in front of her. Levels? Blessings? This was definitely some sort of video game. She shook her head, giving it up already as a lost cause. ¡°Nevermind,¡± she said. ¡°It''s not important.¡± At least she could speak and even read the local language. It didn¡¯t matter how. It would have been terrible to be stranded here and not even be able to communicate. She placed the letters back down in the drawer ¨C she would have to go over them later. She was hopeful there was some information in them that might explain a little bit more about what her duties would be if she really was going to do this shrine priestess thing. She picked up the pouch instead, opening it to see several silver and copper pieces and three large gold coins with the silhouette of a woman holding some sort of plant on the front. She had no reference as to whether this was a lot of money or very little and somehow she doubted Elowen would know either. She didn''t even bother asking. She shoved the pouch in the back pocket of her work trousers, wishing she had her bag with her. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, feeling a little more determined now that she had money to spend. ¡°So which way to the village?¡± ¡°What! You''re leaving to go now?¡± Elowen fluttered nervously around Sophie. ¡°You¡¯ll find me much more agreeable once I get something to eat,¡± Sophie promised. ¡°You can tell me all about this shrine stuff when I get back.¡± Elowen shook her head, though. ¡°You can''t go out looking like that.¡± She gestured to Sophie''s perfectly serviceable slacks and blouse as if they were somehow horrifying. Granted, Sophie had slept in them on a rather dusty floor. She brushed some of the cobwebs off of her arm. ¡°What''s wrong with what I''m wearing? It¡¯s a little dirty, but I don¡¯t have anything else.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Elowen said firmly. ¡°You can''t represent the shrine looking like that. Here.¡± She floated over to another corner of the room to a large, heavy-looking trunk that bore a striking resemblance to the ¡®hope¡¯ chest that Sophie remembered from her grandmother¡¯s room as a child. Sophie followed skeptically, lifting the heavy lid. Dust slid off in a puff, and she immediately regretted the decision. Especially since the trunk was full of musty garments. She pulled one out carefully ¨C it was a formless grey thing shaped mostly like a dress with long sleeves. Exactly what she expected some sort of ascetic nun to wear. ¡°I am not wearing this,¡± she declared and immediately placed the garment back in the trunk where it belonged. ¡°I am willing to accept a lot of things. But I am not wearing anything that looks like that.¡± Elowen frowned. ¡°But it¡¯s tradition! You don''t look like a priestess at all!¡± she complained. ¡°Just look at me!¡± Sophie took a long look at Elowen¡¯s attire. The spirit wore a sleeveless white shift dress with a simple rope belt at the waist and plain brown sandals. Sophie had honestly just assumed Elowen¡¯s outfit was some sort of spirit thing. But of course the clothes would be different here, too. Everything was different. Sophie shook her head, holding firm to this one thing. One small shred of her sanity in this weird new world. ¡°Nope,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not wearing it. I¡¯ll ask around and see what shrine priestesses are wearing these days.¡± Making the promise nearly physically pained her, but she would probably do it. She didn¡¯t want to stick out too much, and judging by what Elowen was wearing, Sophie had a feeling that she might do just that wearing her black slacks and blouse. But regardless, she wasn¡¯t going to wear the awful grey thing. The clothes probably all belonged to the previous shrine priestess, and Sophie still didn''t exactly know what happened to her. She had a sneaking suspicion that the other woman must have died or something, and wasn¡¯t that just creepy to think about? She closed the trunk, deciding she would probably have to go through it later, as well, and stood up. She wobbled a bit, but her head felt a little clearer than it did earlier this morning. Maybe the half-disintegrated tea had some caffeine in it after all. ¡°Right,¡± she said, brushing more dust off of her clothes. ¡°Time to go.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll follow you as far as I can,¡± Elowen said, floating behind her, and it was little encouragement. What kind of fantasy world was this? Did Sophie need weapons? She really regretted not paying more attention to video games instead of reading all of that romance manga. She made a note of the broken window on her way out of the shrine. If she was going to live here, she should probably get someone to fix that, too, and maybe just take a look around the place. Did they have home inspectors in fantasy worlds? Probably not. There was only one path leading away from the shrine, and when Sophie stepped out into the courtyard, she forced her feet to walk towards it. It was broad daylight, and the forest ahead of her looked like any other forest Sophie had ever seen. She would be careful, but she didn¡¯t see any way around it. She would have to find food eventually. She made her way to the path with Elowen following close behind. Elowen hit some sort of invisible barrier when they were barely off of the courtyard, though. Sophie could tell by the slightly undignified squeak the spirit made. Sophie looked over at Elowen, and the spirit glanced back towards the shrine, as if it were physically pulling her. ¡°I can¡¯t go any further,¡± she said. She sounded slightly panicked. ¡°I could before,¡± she said. ¡°I just know I could. But I hadn¡¯t tried since you got here. The stone must be getting really low now.¡± The spirit looked more upset than Sophie had seen her, and somehow it pushed Sophie forward. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± she promised. She hoped she was right. Chapter 4: Caulis There was a short stone staircase ¨C just a few shallow steps ¨C and then Sophie was on the path. The trouble was, the path was so overgrown that it was hard to imagine there ever was a path. It was more like an animal trail now, with the occasional stone marker that was her only sense of direction. She¡¯d hate to get lost in here, but she desperately needed to find something other than spoiled rice and dried up tea leaves if she wanted to last more than a day in this new world. Elowen hadn¡¯t given her much in the way of directions other than to say she would eventually reach a main road and that she would find a village called Caulis further down to the left. The spirit had no idea how far away Caulis actually was, though, and couldn¡¯t even give Sophie an approximation. Apparently shrine spirits didn''t have a good sense of physical distance. Sophie wondered again just how long it had been since anyone had visited the shrine and how long Elowen had been existing there, alone. At the very least, it seemed like many years since anyone had maintained this path. The trees around her were dense, as well. She definitely wouldn¡¯t want to walk through here in the dark, so she would have to make the trip as quickly as possible if she was going to return to the shrine tonight. At least it was currently full daylight and the weather was cool but not so cold that she wished she had a jacket. The trees were full of foliage, and Sophie could even hear birds chirping. She didn''t pay much attention to trees or birds in general, but it helped make her feel a little less concerned about her surroundings. She almost felt like she could be taking a hike in any old, overgrown forest and not trapped in some sort of fantasy world. Until she saw the dragon. Okay, so it wasn¡¯t really a dragon. It was more like a lizard. But it had wings, and it was perched on the branch of a tree, watching her with more intelligence than lizards usually had. It reminded her of a crow. She stopped fully in her tracks, staring at the thing until it finally took off, zipping away much faster than she imagined birds usually did. She suddenly wasn¡¯t sure how much dallying she should be doing in the forest. If there were dragons ¨C or even small winged lizards ¨C what else could be lurking in the trees? Larger dragons? Goblins? Trolls? She hurried along the path as fast as she was able, avoiding the brambles and tall weeds as much as she could, wishing fervently to make it to the main road before she found out. *** The path eventually opened up onto the main road, just like Elowen said it would. Sophie, thankfully, could see gates in the distance. As she approached, she noticed that Caulis was surrounded by modest walls, but the gates were open. A bored guard took one look at Sophie, shrugged, and waved her on in. Sophie wandered on into the village, feeling like she was walking onto some sort of film set or maybe into a cosplay convention. The gate opened up into a large plaza area with a fountain. There were a few children splashing in the water, and some adults sitting on benches talking nearby. But the people ¨C the people didn''t look like what Sophie would expect¡­ Everyone looked mostly humanoid, but Sophie noticed a few people with wings or scales or horns here and there mixed in with people that looked like they could have come directly from Earth. Sophie was pretty sure she even saw someone with cat ears. She was relieved to see a wide variety of clothing as well ¨C mostly simpler fare, but some finer dresses here and there that reminded her of all of those regency novels she read in college. She glanced around at the buildings. Her brain did something wobbly when she tried to read the signs, but she could still understand them. It was as if she had grown up with the unfamiliar script as her native language, even though she definitely had not. Despite Elowen¡¯s description, Caulis appeared to be less of a village and more a lively town with restaurants and shops and ¨C even a bakery! Sophie made a beeline to it. She hoped it also sold something hot and caffeinated to drink. Coffee, ideally, but she felt like she would take anything caffeinated at this point that wasn¡¯t that nasty old tea. She opened the door. A bell chimed above her head, and a woman around her own age with short black hair greeted her from behind a long wooden counter. ¡°Let me guess¡­ A traveler?¡± The woman smiled in a friendly, offhand way. She had striking features, and if Sophie were back on good ole planet Earth, she would think the woman looked of Asian descent, but as it stood she wasn''t even sure if Asia even existed. Sophie panicked momentarily at the question. Crap. She hadn''t figured out what to tell people! Elowen didn¡¯t even believe her when she said she came from a different world, and Elowen apparently saw her walk through the portal. What was she supposed to tell the people in town now that she was finally here? ¡°I¡¯m a shrine priestess, actually,¡± she managed, deciding to stick with the basics. ¡°Just started yesterday.¡± She tried to make her tone light, hoping to end the conversation and move on to the food part of the transaction, but the woman¡¯s eyes widened with clear interest. ¡°A shrine priestess?¡± she asked. ¡°Which shrine are you part of?¡± Double crap. Sophie didn¡¯t know the answer to this either. ¡°Oh, just the one nearby,¡± she said. ¡°It''s just ¨C uh, well it''s within walking distance of here.¡± The woman looked at her as if she had no idea what Sophie was talking about, and Sophie should have just left it at that, but she tried to explain further. ¡°You know, just off the main gate? There''s a little path. I mean, I guess it looks like no one''s been down it for a while. But ¨C¡± ¡°You mean the haunted shrine?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Surely not. You must be jesting.¡± ¡°Haunted?¡± Sophie asked, suddenly wary. The woman nodded eagerly. ¡°I''m Acacia, by the way. You really don''t mean the shrine near the gates, do you? That shrine has been abandoned for decades. Maybe longer.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Decades? Sophia imagined it had to have been a few years at least ¨C at least judging by the musty-smelling rice and the sad state of the tea. But¡­ decades? Sophie¡¯s stomach growled suddenly, interrupting the conversation. ¡°Oh, I''m sorry,¡± Acacia said. ¡°Here, what would you like to get? We can gossip about the shrine once we get some food in you.¡± She winked, and Sophie had to laugh in reply. It was a relief to meet someone so friendly who seemed more sure of her surroundings than Elowen did. Sophie glanced at the display case of baked goods beneath the counter. To her relief, she saw a variety of familiar looking items ¨C small loaves of bread, muffins, scones, cookies, and even an entire cake with a single slice taken out of it. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of these.¡± She pointed to a scone that looked like it had some sort of fruit in it. ¡°Make it two actually.¡± She debated for a moment longer as Acacia grabbed some sheets of brown paper from a long roll. She was really hungry, and she had no idea what she would find at the market. ¡°Could I also get a loaf of that bread?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Acacia pulled a loaf of the bread out first, wrapping it securely in the brown paper, before reaching in to grab two of the scones. Sophie looked around the store curiously as Acacia worked, but she didn¡¯t see any of the usual signs of coffee service. ¡°Ah, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have some coffee here as well, would you?¡± Acacia glanced up, a confused look on her face. ¡°Coffee? I haven''t heard of that. What is it? Some type of sweet?¡± Sophie shook her head, hoping it was just lost in translation. ¡°It''s a hot drink,¡± she tried to explain. ¡°Brown. A little bitter.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean tea?¡± Acacia replied. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t serve drinks here, but we do have some tea in the break room. If you¡¯d like, I could make you a cup, and you could tell me more about this shrine of yours.¡± Tea would be better than nothing¡­ Sophie was sorely tempted. On top of the much-needed caffeine, she¡¯d love to ask Acacia a million and one questions about the world. Perhaps most importantly ¨C were there trolls in the forest? Sure, Sophie could always ask Elowen when she got back, but the spirit didn¡¯t really seem like the most reliable source of information at the moment. Acacia finished wrapping the scones in the paper as Sophie tried to imagine what she would even tell Acacia, though. That Sophie somehow ended up here from another reality and that the shrine spirit or possibly a ghost haunting the abandoned shrine claimed that she promised to help restore the shrine? Her head hurt just thinking about it. By the time Sophie finally decided she should probably just agree to Acacia¡¯s offer and play it by ear, the bell rang above the shop¡¯s door. ¡°Oh drat,¡± Acacia said, as her eyes darted up to glance at the next customer. She lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do the tea another day, actually.¡± Sophie nodded, suddenly disappointed. ¡°Oh ¨C oh of course. I''ll just ¨C do they sell it at the market?¡± ¡°The market? Oh, you mean the tea? Yes, of course,¡± Acacia replied distractedly. She slid the scones and the loaf of bread into a paper bag. ¡°That¡¯ll be five coppers.¡± She smiled with false sweetness at the other customer over Sophie¡¯s shoulder, and Sophie had the strongest urge to turn around to see who could be making Acacia so obviously uncomfortable. Instead, she pulled out the small coin purse, counting out the copper-colored coins. She wondered how many coppers went into a silver and so on. It seemed like she had more money than she thought. ¡°Is there a clothes shop nearby as well?¡± she asked as she handed the coppers to Acacia. ¡°I need to get something to wear.¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything for you at the shrine?¡± Acacia asked, her curiosity renewed. Sophie¡¯s face heated. ¡°Uh, no ¨C not exactly.¡± Acacia frowned at the response, but shrugged. ¡°I suppose you¡¯d probably want to get something Tailored anyway,¡± she said. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll point you in the right direction.¡± ¡°Oh! And somewhere I can hire someone to fix a window.¡± Acacia looked especially suspicious at this last request. ¡°You are staying at that abandoned shrine, aren¡¯t you?¡± She whispered to Sophie over the counter. ¡°Are you really even a priestess? There are places in town that can help if you need somewhere to stay, you know.¡± Sophie shook her head frantically. ¡°No, no ¨C it¡¯s fine. I just need someone to come out and take a look at things. I really am the priestess there.¡± She felt weird insisting on it when she still didn¡¯t know what priestess duties entailed, but if she was going to be living there for any period of time, she really needed to get that window fixed. The other customer cleared their throat behind Sophie, making Acacia jump. Acacia shook her head, sighing. ¡°I really wish you could stay for a bit and chat,¡± she said. ¡°But I have to deal with this.¡± She made a universal signal with her eyes indicating whoever was standing behind Sophie. Sophie nodded. ¡°The window?¡± she tried again. ¡°Ask for Briony over at the Crafter¡¯s Guild,¡± Acacia said, leaning over the counter again. ¡°She¡¯ll help you out. She¡¯s real handy, and I doubt she¡¯ll be spooked by the rumors of ghosts.¡± Sophie nodded, picking up her bag of baked goods. ¡°Thanks,¡± she whispered back. She turned around to see another woman around their age who looked an awfully lot like Acacia standing behind them, arms crossed. She did not look impressed, whether at their conversation or something else, Sophie had no idea. ¡°And you better stop by again,¡± Acacia called out as Sophie made her way to the door. ¡°I have to find out what¡¯s going on with you and that shrine.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± she heard Acacia say over her shoulder, presumably to the other woman in the stop, but Sophie was already out the door. In fact, by the time Sophie closed the door behind her, she realized she had forgotten to actually get any directions to a clothing store or the Crafter¡¯s Guild, whatever that was. Drat, indeed. Sophie glanced back, wondering if she could risk going back inside, but it looked like Acacia was in some sort of heated discussion now with the woman who had been waiting for her. Oh well. Surely Sophie could wander around until she found the right place. She¡¯d ask about getting that window fixed if she could find this Crafter¡¯s Guild, and then she¡¯d find the market. And maybe then a tailor. Acacia had mentioned Tailoring, so perhaps they didn¡¯t have off-the-rack clothing here? Sophie had never actually been to a tailor before. Well, maybe once for a bridesmaid¡¯s fitting, but not for regular clothes. Regardless, it sounded expensive. Her little pouch of coins seemed like it would go a bit further than she expected, but she had no idea how she would get any more, so she still had to be a bit careful with them. She would just have to see when she got there. And anyway, right now she had other pressing concerns. Like ¨C was the shrine haunted? Was Elowen even the spirit there or was she actually a ghost? Sophie shook her head to herself as she pulled one of the scones out of the bag, fully prepared to eat it as she walked to her next destination. Maybe she could get some answers to that as well. Chapter 5: The Crafters Guild Sophie eventually found the building with the ¡®Crafter¡¯s Guild¡¯ sign hanging over the door next to a blacksmith¡¯s and a lumber yard. She brushed her hands off on her pants, stuffed the already empty brown paper from her scone into the bag with the bread, and pulled open the heavy door. A pale man with severely brushed back hair and a pinched face greeted her at the counter. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Uh, sure ¨C I¡¯m looking for Briony,¡± she tried, hoping she got the name right. ¡°What¡¯s the request?¡± ¡°I have a broken window that needs to be repaired,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Good, good,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± He pulled out a thick, heavy-looking book and flipped through some of the pages and ran his finger down one of them. ¡°She¡¯s free tomorrow afternoon,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Your name? And what¡¯s the location?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sophie Birch. And I¡¯m at the shrine nearby. Just outside of the main gate.¡± The man glanced up at her again, his face taking on an icy look. ¡°Is this some sort of prank?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No! I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m the new priestess there.¡± He glanced at her clothes and frowned further. Sophie apparently really needed to find out what shrine priestesses were wearing these days. ¡°You do realize that I have the ability to confirm your class? As a Clerk?¡± ¡°You do?¡± Sophie asked, suddenly curious. Apparently Acacia did not have that ability, then. Sophie wondered if Acacia had a class at all. ¡°Of course,¡± the clerk scoffed. ¡°What do you take me for?¡± ¡°Please check my class then,¡± Sophie said with more confidence than she felt. So far Elowen had been Sophie¡¯s only source of information about the classes and abilities system in this world. If someone else could confirm Sophie¡¯s new apparent status as a Shrine Priestess¡­ Well, it would go a long way in proving that Elowen was a shrine spirit, first of all. The clerk narrowed his eyes at her, obviously still skeptical, but gave a quick nod. ¡°Right, well come here then. I can''t do it from way over there just yet.¡± He seemed a little embarrassed at the admission, but Sophie wasn¡¯t surprised at all. She made her way to the counter, automatically holding out her palm, expecting it to be similar to what Elowen did to her, and she was surprised when the man laughed. ¡°You don''t have to do that,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I can already see you¡¯re a priestess.¡± Sophie blinked at him in confusion. Were there different types of scanning abilities? Whatever his ability was must be somehow different than Elowen¡¯s. This was all very complicated. ¡°How curious¡­¡± the man continued, and now he looked more intrigued than anything. ¡°You do mean the abandoned shrine right?¡± ¡°It''s not abandoned,¡± Sophie insisted, feeling a little annoyed for Elowen¡¯s sake. ¡°The shrine spirit is still there.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°As far as I know, it''s been abandoned. Ever since I can remember, but probably for much longer than that. There¡¯s really a shrine spirit still there?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°That''s how I got my class.¡± He jotted something down on the leger in front of him and glanced up at her again. ¡°I suppose a spirit is the only way you could have gotten this class,¡± he confirmed. After making another note on the page in front of him, he finally shrugged. ¡°All right. Well, everything appears to be in order. I can send Briony over there tomorrow afternoon. It¡¯s just off the little side path, right?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°It is¡­ although the path is ¨C well, it¡¯s a little overgrown.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d expect that. The town would probably send a Forester over for you to help clear it out, if you¡¯d like. It¡¯s no small thing to have an active shrine again.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Although I don¡¯t exactly know how to go about finding one ¨C¡± The clerk waved a hand at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll see about getting someone to go out for you.¡± Sophie appreciated it more than she could say. She wanted to ask more questions ¨C especially about the shrine and perhaps about the whole trolls in the forest situation ¨C but she felt it wouldn''t be appropriate. ¡°Anything else I can do for you?¡± the clerk asked. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nope. That''s it.¡± She turned to go¡­ and nearly ran straight into a solid wall of a man who easily stepped aside, holding the door open for her. ¡°In a hurry are we?¡± he asked, chuckling. ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized, ducking her head in embarrassment and making her escape out the open door. At least people seemed to be fairly polite in this fantasy world. *** Next up: clothes. After the reaction at the bakery and the Crafter¡¯s Guild, she couldn''t afford not to go there next, even though she desperately wanted to find some coffee. Luckily, the tea from earlier must have had enough caffeine in it to prevent a major caffeine headache, but she regretted not being able to have tea with Acacia, all the same. Apparently a shrine priestess in business casual office attire turned a few heads here, though. It was probably a good idea to avoid any more attention than she really needed, just in case someone else decided to scan her and determine her class. She wandered back in the direction of the main plaza, wishing she had a map. If this were really a video game, surely she¡¯d be able to pull one up. Alas. At least the town wasn¡¯t that big, and it seemed to be fairly centrally organized around the plaza, with a few residential units sprinkled in here and there. So after a bit more wandering, she finally found a street dedicated to more commercial shops, including a tailor. Sophie felt hesitant about walking into the tailor, but as soon as she stepped foot in the place, a well-appointed woman with small, brown horns greeted her with a friendly smile. Sophie nearly did a double-take at the horns, but she¡¯d definitely seen weirder things living in Seattle, so she suppressed the reaction. ¡°A priestess!¡± the woman said as soon as she got within arm¡¯s length of Sophie. ¡°We haven¡¯t had a priestess in the shop in such a long time. Please, do have a seat.¡± Sophie was surprised both at the lack of reaction to her clothes and to the fact that the woman so easily determined her class. What a handy ability. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The woman led Sophie over to a small seating area, and Sophie could have nearly cried at the steaming pot of tea already set on a table in front of another client who glanced at Sophie with open curiosity. ¡°Oh! Is that ¨C do you mind if I ¨C?¡± Sophie was so excited about the promise of more caffeine that she could barely get the words out. The woman laughed pleasantly and rearranged the tea so that it was at the center of the table. ¡°Of course not. Please help yourself. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re looking for priestess attire, hmmm?¡± Sophie nodded, feeling relieved that someone else was taking the lead for once. The woman smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll see about some appropriate fabric. It will be just a moment.¡± Sophie cautiously picked up the pot of tea, pouring herself a cup. She inhaled the fragrant scent that smelled far too floral for her own tastes, but whatever it was, she was sure it would be better than the stuff back at the shrine. As she sipped her tea, Sophie wondered again about the woman and how quickly she could tell Sophie¡¯s class. Was she a Clerk like the last man Sophie had met? Surely she would have to be something like a Tailor, instead, judging by her occupation. Just how many classes were there? What could they all do? ¡°A shrine priestess?¡± the other client asked, interrupting her train of thought. He was an older man with light brown skin and greying hair. ¡°Are you in from out of town?¡± Sophie shook her head, before she realized that she was actually in from out of town. ¡°Well, sort of,¡± she said instead. ¡°I¡±m¡­¡± What was she going to tell people? She had thrown herself into this situation without thinking up a plausible backstory. She decided to stick with the facts again, until she could work out an explanation with Elowen later. ¡°I¡¯m a new priestess. At the shrine nearby.¡± ¡°The one connected to the town portal?¡± the man asked, his eyebrows raising. Sophie nodded and took another sip of her tea. She remembered that much from her conversation with Elowen. That the portal at the shrine was supposed to be connected to the one in the town, although she hadn¡¯t seen the town portal yet, even after all of her wandering earlier. ¡°Well, how fantastic!¡± he replied. Sophie was surprised at his positive reaction, but he continued. ¡°When my daughter wanted to get her class, we had to go all the way over to a shrine near Sentus.¡± The man smiled encouragingly. ¡°It will be nice to have a local shrine again.¡± Sophie nodded politely, but the strange normality of the encounter started to get to her. This really was her reality now. Somehow she had been following through the motions of the morning, pulled from place to place by sheer necessity without thinking too hard about the future. But¡­ some of these people seemed legitimately happy she was here. Was she going to do this? Would she really reestablish the shrine? Would she never go home? Her hand shook on the teacup, and she set it down. ¡°The woman at the bakery told me the shrine was haunted,¡± she said, if only to distract herself. The man laughed. ¡°Some of the younger ones might think so. There are all sorts of tales about what happened at that shrine. Supposedly there¡¯s no mana left there. The spirit hasn¡¯t gone mad, then?¡± he asked. Sophie shook her head. Elowen didn¡¯t seem mad, although it¡¯s not like Sophie spent that much time talking with her. Sophie wasn¡¯t exactly in the mood for conversation this morning. The man nodded thoughtfully, and looked like he was eager to continue the discussion, but the tailor returned, saving Sophie from having to respond any further. ¡°Ready for you, dear,¡± she said, gesturing for Sophie to follow. ¡°Feel free to bring the tea along.¡± She winked conspiratorially. Sophie turned back to the man, and he waved her on. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my youngest over in the fall,¡± he promised. ¡°He¡¯ll be coming of age then.¡± Sophie nodded, although she wasn¡¯t really sure what the man meant. ¡°See you then,¡± she said, wondering if she really would, and followed the woman further into the shop. ¡°We¡¯re just going to need a few measurements,¡± the woman explained, showing Sophie to a curtained off space with a small stepping stool. ¡°What¡¯s your name, dear?¡± ¡°Sophie,¡± Sophie replied, as she set her cup of tea down on a small table nearby, along with her little parcel from the bakery. She stepped up on the stool. ¡°Sophie Birch.¡± The woman measured Sophie quickly and efficiently, jotting the numbers down as she went, and then she gestured for Sophie to step down again and showed her to another table with some bolts of fabric. To Sophie¡¯s delight, there were muted browns and blues and greens in addition to the same grey color that Elowen had shown her earlier. The woman also showed her some sketches of a few different styles of shrine priestess attire, and Sophie decided on a loose flowing top with linen pants. ¡°Can I choose several colors?¡± she asked, and the woman nodded. ¡°Oh yes of course,¡± she said. ¡°Pick any you¡¯d like.¡± Sophie decided on three sets for now plus some ready-made undergarments, after discussing the cost. She sweated a bit as she parted with one of her precious gold coins and a handful of silvers for the total. Clothes, it seemed, were quite expensive here, even if the tailor did insist she was giving her a deal on the set. ¡°The other items will be ready in just a few days,¡± the woman continued as she wrapped the undergarments in brown paper for Sophie and handed them to her over the counter. Sophie nodded, but felt a bit glum at the time estimate. She didn¡¯t have anything else to wear until then. But it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything else she could do about that unless she wanted to wear the stuff back at the shrine. She thanked the tailor again and asked for directions to the market, before heading back out into the town. *** On her way to the market, just a few more streets over, she was delighted to notice a clocktower in the distance. Somehow, it was already well past noon. No wonder she was starting to get hungry again. She was almost tempted to eat the other scone. It was never a good idea to go grocery shopping while hungry, not even in a strange fantasy world, but Sophie figured she should probably save that for later and see what else she could find here. She could smell the market before she found it ¨C there were hot food stalls, produce vendors, and other stands. She stopped at a linen stand near the entrance of the market. So this was where she could have found pre-made items. She wondered if she got ripped off at the tailor, but the woman was so nice and seemed to know exactly what she needed. Sophie supposed for her official priestess outfit, it was better to leave it to the professionals after all. She was tempted to buy something here as well, but she honestly wasn¡¯t sure she could afford to spend much more of her money, judging by the cost of the clothes at the tailor. She also would have the window repair bill tomorrow, and she had no real idea of knowing how much that would cost either. Who knew that she¡¯d be spending her time worrying about her bills in the fantasy world, just like she did in her old world? She sighed, forcing herself to step away from the linen stand with its brightly-colored fabrics. She¡¯d just have to make due with what she was currently wearing and the new undergarments. Hopefully it really would only be a few days until the clothes were ready. The hot food stands were next. She appreciated the shrewdness in how the market was organized. She definitely couldn¡¯t pass up the food after all of the delicious smells. She found a stand selling some sort of kebab-looking food on sticks and handed over a few coppers for three of them, munching happily as she made her way further into the market. Next, she noticed vendors with fresh vegetables, cheeses on display, and dried goods, among other things. She wandered around the stalls, looking at every item, wondering what to select as she finished her kebabs. She¡¯d have to carry everything back, so she would have to be careful about the weight. Plus she didn¡¯t really know how to cook anything, but she¡¯d just have to do her best. Maybe the old shrine priestess had a cookbook somewhere in the pile of dusty old books and scrolls. Sophie selected as many items as she thought she¡¯d be able to carry ¨C some more rice, some root vegetables, and a few tins of tea. She paid for everything at their various stalls, internally wincing as her coin pouch grew thinner and thinner. She did ask about coffee at a few of the vendors, but only received blank looks in return. It had been less than a day ¨C not counting however long she had been passed out in the front of the shrine, of course, because Sophie didn¡¯t remember any of that anyways ¨C and Sophie had already resigned herself to just never having coffee again. With her purchases in tow, she finally made her way back to the main gates. It was time for the trek back. *** Little did Sophie know, as she walked back to the shrine weighed down by objectively probably far too many bags of food, the town was already abuzz with gossip over the new shrine priestess. Many people had already heard the news as it spread first from Acacia¡¯s Bakery, then the Crafter¡¯s Guild, and finally even the little tailor shop. ¡°How¡¯d she come to get chosen by that shrine? There¡¯s no mana there. Didn¡¯t it all dry up?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it cursed? I heard the old priestess died years ago in strange circumstances.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t had a shrine here since I was a boy. I¡¯ll be glad for it, if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But where¡¯d she come from, anyway? How would she even find that shrine?¡± No one knew the answers to any of these questions, let alone Sophie herself, and thus some in the town looked forward to making the journey to the old shrine, formerly rumored to be haunted, if only to see if they could figure out the mystery of the new shrine priestess. Chapter 6: Mana Lamps The walk back to the shrine felt a lot shorter than the trip there, even considering all of the bags Sophie had to carry back with her. When the trees around the path grew sparse and opened back up into the land near the shrine, Sophie was surprised to find Elowen waiting anxiously at the very edge of the courtyard as if she hadn¡¯t left her spot from earlier. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± the spirit cried out. She looked like she would have flung herself at Sophie if not for the invisible barrier or whatever it was preventing her from leaving. ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie replied. She didn¡¯t stop to chat ¨C instead, she made her way directly to the shrine¡¯s entrance as Elowen hovered around her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d return,¡± Elowen sniffled. ¡°Where else would I go?¡± Sophie grumbled. At least she had some sort of shelter here. She opened the door to the shrine and sighed. It was just as dusty and decrepit as she remembered it. In fact, with the haze of her hangover gone, it somehow looked even worse than before. She hefted the bags back into the living quarters in the back, which only looked a smidge better, and set everything down on the floor. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming over tomorrow to fix the window,¡± she told Elowen, deciding to ignore the spirit¡¯s lack of faith in her. ¡°We have to get this place cleaned up a bit.¡± Elowen nodded eagerly, and then her face fell. ¡°Oh, I do wish I could help. I lost the ability to manifest ages ago.¡± Sophie sighed again. Of course the spirit wouldn¡¯t be able to help. She hadn¡¯t really expected it. But ¨C ¡°So you could have helped in the past? Like you could pick stuff up and touch things?¡± Elowen nodded again. ¡°Why, of course! When I have a stronger mana source, I am just as solid as you are.¡± ¡°Well, that would certainly be helpful.¡± Sophie started pulling items out of the bags and setting them on the table. There were several things at the market that she didn¡¯t get because she had no refrigerator, but they made her think that maybe some people do have some way to keep things cold. Until then, she stuck with basic items that she knew were shelf stable. Like root vegetables and a small bag of fresh rice. She didn¡¯t even bother with something like flour. It¡¯s not like she¡¯d know what to do with it anyway. ¡°Hey, what should I tell people?¡± she asked, as she opened up the cabinets, frowning at the contents. And what was she going to do with all of this stuff? She tapped her foot, staring at the dusty, half disintegrated remains of the previous shrine priestess¡¯s pantry. She glanced over at Elowen when she realized the spirit hadn¡¯t responded yet. The spirit appeared to be cautiously touching the items Sophie put on the table, but her hand kept going right through them. The sight made Sophie wince. How frustrating would it be to lose the ability to touch anything? After you had had it for so long? It¡¯s not like she owed Elowen anything, exactly, but she wanted to help the spirit. ¡°Hey,¡± she said again, a little softer this time, and Elowen finally glanced up at her, eyes wide. She immediately put her hand behind her back, as if she got caught doing something she shouldn¡¯t have been. Sophie shook her head. ¡°What should I tell people?¡± she repeated. ¡°Like, if they ask where I¡¯m from. People in the town kept asking¡­¡± Well, mostly one person kept asking ¨C Acacia, the friendly baker ¨C but Sophie was sure it would come up again. Elowen blinked in confusion. ¡°Can you not tell them what you told me?¡± ¡°That I came from a different reality? That I walked through a portal in front of the shrine and the ¨C¡± Sophie waved her hand at Elowen. ¡°The friendly neighborhood shrine spirit asked me to be her priestess?¡± Elowen nodded sincerely, obviously not getting how ridiculous it at all sounded. ¡°Sure,¡± the spirit said. ¡°Although they probably won¡¯t believe you.¡± Sophie snorted. ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound like a total weirdo.¡± She shook her head again, starting to pull items out of the cabinet, glancing at them. There were a few dishes that appeared finely crafted, some pots and pans that were definitely salvageable, but all of the food products would have to go. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Elowen agreed, but she seemed totally stumped. Possibly because she didn¡¯t even really believe Sophie. No¡­ Telling the truth about where she came from didn¡¯t seem like it would help anyway. Not unless she found someone skilled in trans-dimensional magic. But from what Elowen had already told her, that wasn¡¯t really a thing here. Although the portal had somehow transported her from her original world. Getting the portal working again seemed like the best first step. And for that, Sophie probably needed to actually try to do this whole shrine priestess thing. Which probably meant she needed to come up with a more plausible backstory. She¡¯d have to work on that. She started pulling more things out of the cabinets and making a pile of dishes and cutlery that she¡¯d have to figure out how to wash somehow. This whole no running water thing was going to get old really quickly. After clearing out all of the items in a few of the cabinets, she looked over the pile of stuff that was accumulating on the floor and decided to move it all to the entrance of the shrine. She¡¯d ask the person from the Crafter¡¯s Guild what to do about it when she came tomorrow. Then, she dusted out the cabinets as best as she could with some old rags as Elowen watched on with rapt fascination. Finally, she placed all of the items she bought haphazardly in a few of the cabinets. It felt weird just sticking potatoes and onions and the other stuff she bought directly on the bare shelves, but what else was she going to do with all of it? She stepped back, surveying her handiwork. It would do for now. She paused, and in the moment that she did, panic crept up her throat. But she pushed it back down. No, she really needed to make this space livable. If she was going to figure out how to get the shrine running again ¨C how to get that damn portal working ¨C she was going to have to live here for who knows how long. Panicking was not helpful. Instead, she found a broom and spent several hours sweeping and wiping things down as Elowen floated around her. She continued making a pile of stuff that needed to be disposed of somehow, although she had no idea how. It was getting to be dusk when she stopped. She was hungry, and she really needed to figure out a light source. Right. She forgot about the lamps. ¡°How do I get these things to turn on?¡± she finally asked Elowen, pointing to the strange lamps. ¡°Do I need to go, like, pay our electric bill or something?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Elowen blinked at her curiously, seeming to turn her words over and over, but eventually she just shook her head. ¡°They use mana,¡± she said simply. ¡°Mana¡­¡± Sophie replied. She hadn¡¯t gotten around to asking Elowen more about how all of this mana stuff actually worked. She supposed that might have been useful in between all of the cleaning. ¡°Okay, so¡­ mana. But how?¡± ¡°You can channel mana into anything made of mana stone,¡± Elowen explained. She waved a hand at one of the lamps. ¡°Just ¨C hmmm, well I suppose just try placing your hand on one.¡± ¡°I have to touch them?¡± There were a lot of lamps in the room. It would be such a pain if she had to touch each one to light them up any time she wanted a light source. Elowen giggled at her reaction. ¡°Well, right now you probably need to. Your levels are so low, and you desperately need to train.¡± She waved a hand at Sophie as if to indicate her general condition was bad, and Sophie scowled, annoyed again at the spirit¡¯s teasing. ¡°Fine,¡± she grumbled. She walked over to the wall, carefully placing her hand on one of the strange stone lamps avoiding the cobwebs. The lamp felt gritty with dust under her palm. Okay, so maybe she didn¡¯t clean everything in the shrine. She could probably spend an entire week cleaning. But even with a few cobwebs, the space was more livable than it had been. ¡°Now, focus your mana and direct it into the lamp,¡± Elowen explained, as if that meant absolutely anything to Sophie. Sophie didn¡¯t want to admit that she didn¡¯t understand though. Especially not after Elowen¡¯s teasing about how bad her skills were. Mana was just energy right? She remembered going to a tai chi class once in college and trying to feel the ball of energy in her hands. What had that been like? She closed her eyes, trying to sense anything. It reminded her of meditation. The more she stood there, focusing on her breathing and the sensations in her body, she realized could feel something, maybe. A low thrumming just beneath her skin, running through her, circulating through her body like she imagined her blood did. Was it something new or something she had never noticed before? She tried drawing on it, pushing it out through her fingertips into the cold stone under her hand. An Understanding washed over her, and to her shock, she felt warmth and opened her eyes. The lamp was glowing ¨C only a faint blue light ¨C but it was glowing. ¡°Oh!¡± she said, taking a step back and losing contact with the lamp. It didn¡¯t flicker out like she expected, instead it continued to glow. Elowen clapped her hands happily from behind her. ¡°It won¡¯t go out?¡± Sophie asked, glancing back at the spirit. The spirit shook her head happily. ¡°Not for a while.¡± Sophie turned back towards the stone lamp. She had really done that? Could she do it again? She felt like she somehow knew how to do it now, although the skill felt strange with its newness. She walked over to the next lamp, touching it and trying the same process. It was much quicker this time now that Sophie knew what to expect. Giddy with her success, she visited each lamp that she could find along the wall of the room. The lamps lit up one at a time as she touched each of them and added mana to them. To her surprise, she couldn¡¯t quite make it to the end of the wall before she started feeling drained. She wobbled a bit, unsteady on her feet all of a sudden. ¡°Woah, this really takes it out of you, huh?¡± Elowen made a small displeased noise and frowned. ¡°Only because your mana levels are so low,¡± she said, and she made it sound just as accusatory as it had earlier in the morning. ¡°But I guess it can¡¯t be helped,¡± she covered quickly. ¡°You are from another world after all.¡± Sophie sat down on the floor, feeling her head spin at all of the energy she managed to use up. She nodded, the entire world tilting with it. It felt an awful lot like her hangover had earlier today, and she didn¡¯t like that at all. But on the other hand ¨C ¡°You finally admitted it,¡± she said, oddly pleased that Elowen was starting to believe her. Elowen crossed her arms with a huff. ¡°Well, there¡¯s really no other explanation,¡± she said. ¡°Your mana levels are like a child¡¯s.¡± Sophie waved a hand at her. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that,¡± she said and then she groaned. ¡°I think ¨C I think I¡¯m just going to lay down for a bit.¡± And that was how Sophie ended up sleeping on the still-dusty floor of the shrine for the second night in a row. *** Sophie groaned as she sat up, glancing around the unfortunately familiar room. It was morning, now, and she was still in the front of the shrine with the broken window and the unpleasant sound of birds trilling loudly right outside. The mana stone lamps she had lit last night were still glowing faintly, but it was much less noticeable in the daylight streaming in through the shrine¡¯s windows. Elowen hovered next to her, just as she had the previous morning, but at least Sophie felt a lot more refreshed than she had yesterday. In fact, she felt positively energetic today. Albeit extremely hungry. And she really needed a shower. ¡°You leveled up!¡± Elowen said, excited. Sophie blinked at the spirit, her brain still coming online. ¡°I ¨C what? Leveled up?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°Your levels increased overnight!¡± she explained happily. ¡°You¡¯re a Level 2 now.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°A Level 2? What does that mean? How can you tell? I didn¡¯t get a pop-up screen or a stat boost or anything.¡± Elowen tilted her head at Sophie in confusion. ¡°I can sense your mana, silly,¡± she said. ¡°All shrine spirits can, and a lot of higher level classes can, too. As a shrine priestess, you should also be able to sense mana levels soon, although maybe not until you¡¯re a Level 5. But anyways, you can test your mana levels yourself at the Level Stone in the courtyard, if you¡¯d like.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t remember hearing about the Level Stone before, but she shook her head. ¡°Tea first, then talking,¡± she said. She could not deal with a chatty shrine spirit first thing in the morning. ¡°Do you even sleep?¡± she grumbled as she started to make her way into the back part of the shrine. Elowen floated behind her. ¡°Why would I need to do that?¡± she asked, and that was answer enough for Sophie. Why, indeed. Sophie went through the arduous process of drawing water for herself for the day from the well. One of those strange dragon-looking creatures blinked curiously at her from the trees, and she studiously ignored it. Nope, not dealing with that right now either. It didn¡¯t seem aggressive, at least, and she¡¯d have plenty of time to ask Elowen about the flora and fauna of this place. If the shrine spirit would even know, of course. When Sophie got back inside, she heated the water on top of the stone oven in a large, heavy pot, and before it got too hot, she used some of it to fill a metal basin to wash her face and her hair. At least she had thought ahead enough to buy a bar of soap yesterday at the market. She hadn¡¯t thought to check out the public baths though, but she¡¯d have to do that soon. Maybe when she got a change of clothes¡­ After washing up as best as she could and making a cup of hot tea, she felt a lot better. She ate the remaining scone, and then she cut off two slices of the bread and slathered them with room temperature butter. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to figure out how to toast the bread, but it was delicious regardless. She tried not to think about her favorite bakery on the first floor of the office building she usually worked in. She was pretty sure it was Sunday now back in her old life, and therefore she would not have walked all the way to that particular bakery during the weekend anyways. She might have had some leftovers or a bowl of cereal, and really Acacia¡¯s fresh-baked bread was probably better than either of those. She also tried not to think about all of the questions that would arise when she invariably did not show up at work on Monday. She frowned into her tea. It was only the second day ¨C she doubted she¡¯d be able to make any useful progress on getting the portal working any time soon if she passed out after turning on a few lamps. How would she keep track of time here, anyways? Did it matter? She finished off her bread and stood up, Elowen watching her curiously. ¡°Let¡¯s see what else there is to clean around here.¡± It was, after all, better than moping. Chapter 7: Repairs Sophie spent the rest of the morning tidying the shrine, stopping for a bit to grab another slice of bread when she felt hungry. She sorely missed the convenience of takeout and instant ramen and microwaves. At some point she was going to have to do something different about her food situation. She had only bought the one loaf of bread after all, and at this rate, it would be gone within the day. And then she would need to learn how to cook. She shuddered at the thought. In the early afternoon, by the time Sophie was nearly down to the last slice of the market bread, she heard the sound of a bell from the front of the shrine. Elowen perked up from where she had been floating quietly in some sort of meditative state and floated after Sophie as she made her way to the front of the shrine. A tall, rather fit woman with her curly red hair pulled back in a ponytail stood at the shrine¡¯s entrance, looking at the building with a professional eye. She waved a hand at Sophie when Sophie peered out. ¡°Briony?¡± Sophie asked, and the woman nodded, offering her hand. ¡°And you¡¯ll be Sophie Birch, then? Our new shrine priestess?¡± Sophie nodded, although she still felt uncomfortable with the title. It wasn¡¯t like she really knew what she was doing yet, after all. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s me,¡± she said. She noticed the rope swaying next to Briony and followed it up to find a bell that she hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡°Oh, is that what that¡¯s for?¡± She pointed up at the rafter. The woman followed her line of sight and then grinned at her. ¡°Probably not,¡± she admitted. ¡°But it does make a good door chime.¡± Elowen huffed from her spot beside Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to attract the attention of the spirit,¡± she explained, her arms crossed. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but laugh, and she gestured towards the bell again. ¡°Well, it definitely got your attention, didn¡¯t it?¡± Elowen didn¡¯t seem impressed at the teasing, and when Sophie looked back to Briony, her face was creased with confusion. ¡°Are you¡­¡± she waved a hand in Elowen¡¯s general direction. ¡°I mean ¨C are you talking with the spirit right now?¡± Sophie felt cold suddenly, glancing between the two women. Sure, Elowen was a little translucent, even on a good day, but ¨C ¡°You can¡¯t see her?¡± she asked. ¡°You can¡¯t see her at all?¡± Briony shook her head. ¡°Nope, not if she¡¯s right there, I can¡¯t.¡± Sophie had thought she was starting to get over the whole spirit thing, but this took the situation to a new level. ¡°Wait, is that like ¨C not common?¡± Briony gave her an odd look, but eventually shrugged. ¡°I have heard that it happens sometimes with shrine spirits. It¡¯s probably why everyone thinks this place is haunted.¡± ¡°Haunted?¡± Elowen asked, sounding more annoyed than anything at the thought. ¡°I¡¯m not a mere ghost!¡± Sophie felt a laugh bubbling up, breaking the tension a bit. It reminded her all-too-much of their first meeting. ¡°People in town warned me that the shrine was haunted,¡± she couldn¡¯t help but tease back. Briony glanced at the spot where Elowen was and then back at Sophie, and then she shook her head. ¡°This is definitely weird,¡± she admitted. ¡°You can¡¯t hear her either?¡± Sophie asked, and Elowen pouted. ¡°No one can hear me!¡± she complained. ¡°Well, you could, when you walked through the portal. That¡¯s why I made you my priestess.¡± Sophie felt suddenly stunned at the revelation. ¡°No one else can even hear you?¡± she asked. Elowen pouted sadly and shook her head. Briony frowned as well. ¡°It sounds like she¡¯s in a bad state.¡± Sophie nodded, completely dumbstruck. It was worse than Sophie could have realized. She wondered how long Elowen would have been able to survive here if Sophie hadn¡¯t walked through the portal. The thought gave Sophie chills. What happened to a shrine spirit when they ran out of mana? Did they die? ¡°Well, we¡¯ll get this place all fixed up,¡± she said softly. ¡°And you¡¯ll be good as new.¡± Elowen sniffled a bit and nodded, although Sophie didn¡¯t really think it would be that easy. Just cleaning the place up wouldn¡¯t fix the mana issue. Sophie still wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to fix the mana issue or even what was wrong. ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Briony cut in with a disarming grin. ¡°I heard you have a broken window here for me to patch up. I¡¯m happy to take a look at it, as well as anything else you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°That would be great,¡± Sophie said, relieved at the change of topic. She led Briony into the shrine. ¡°Honestly I think the whole place probably needs work, but if you could recommend anything major¡­¡± Briony nodded absentmindedly as she glanced around the shrine. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in here,¡± she said with an oddly reverent tone. ¡°It¡¯s like stepping back in time.¡± Sophie definitely agreed with that, although she had no idea what a modern shrine would look like in this world, so she kept her mouth shut. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Briony asked, indicating the pile of random objects and old food sitting in the middle of the shrine¡¯s main room, including all of the ripped cushions that used to be scattered over the floor. ¡°Ah ¨C¡± Sophie started, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to say about that. She shook her head, feeling a little embarrassed all of a sudden. ¡°I guess I just don¡¯t know what to do with any of this stuff. It was all here when I moved in. I was hoping you might have some ideas.¡± Briony nodded, looking thoughtful. ¡°It is a bit far out here, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said. ¡°Well, the Forester already started on clearing out the path, so you can get sanitation services set up. It might be hard to get a cart up here, but I¡¯m sure you could find someone in town to help.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Sanitation¡­ services? Did they have that in fantasy worlds, too? Briony took a look around the rest of the shrine, pointing out small issues here and there, but nothing too major. When they got to the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks. ¡°Now this is surprising,¡± she said. Sophie glanced around, unsure which part could be as surprising to Briony as all of it had been to Sophie when she first arrived. ¡°It¡¯s downright amazing in here,¡± Briony breathed. ¡°Everything in this kitchen was Crafted, even down to the cabinets. In fact, I would bet that the food you found only began spoiling in the last decade.¡± Briony rubbed a hand over one of the cabinets with the same reverence from before. ¡°You really don¡¯t see craftsmanship like this very often. But if there¡¯s really no mana left, then all of these wooden pieces would lose their Crafting as well eventually. Things made of stone last for much longer, even if it¡¯s not made of mana stone.¡± Sophie nodded politely, although she didn¡¯t really see what the big deal was with the cabinets. ¡°But beyond that ¨C¡± Briony continued. ¡°There¡¯s no chill box, no mana oven, or even a quick start for the fire. You¡¯re really roughing it here.¡± Sophie could have started sobbing and hugging Briony at this last part, but she tried to keep her composure. ¡°A chill box? Is that like a refrigerator?¡± she asked, before she could catch herself. She immediately pressed her lips together, realizing her mistake. Drat. So much for composure. Briony eyed her curiously. ¡°Is that what they call it where you¡¯re from?¡± Sophie shrugged, unsure exactly how much she should explain just now. She didn¡¯t want Briony to cart her off to whatever local officials might deal with crazy shrine priestesses. ¡°Well, they¡¯re all about the same ¨C about the size of one of these cabinets here, and they keep stuff cold. If you wanted to look at one before you commit to it, you can stop by the guild later this evening. I¡¯d be happy to show you the ones we have,¡± Briony offered. Sophie began nodding eagerly, but then remembered the creepy path. Even if the Forester had cleared it out, it probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to go wandering around in the dark. With her luck, she¡¯d probably get lost and stumble upon some trolls with a huge soup pot, looking for a fresh human to eat, or something else out of a fantasy novel. ¡°Maybe tomorrow?¡± she suggested instead. ¡°Sure! Stop by any time,¡± Briony replied. ¡°If I¡¯m not around, Euan can show you.¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯d be interested to hear about the other stuff you mentioned, as well. How much would things like that cost?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be cheap,¡± Briony admitted. ¡°I can draw up an estimate for you, and you can decide what you¡¯d like to do first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Sophie said, excitement already brimming in her. ¡°The chill box ¨C¡± she started, unable to help herself. ¡°That first, probably.¡± Briony laughed. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s easy enough, anyways.¡± ¡°Oh, also ¨C there¡¯s a well outside,¡± Sophie remembered. ¡°Would you mind looking at that, too?¡± Briony nodded, sliding the paper back into a pocket. ¡°Sure,¡± she said, following Sophie out to the rear courtyard. Briony hadn¡¯t actually mentioned anything about the water or plumbing situation, so Sophie didn¡¯t want to get her hopes up in that regard, but at the very least, she could hopefully find out if she actually needed to boil all of the water before drinking it. She felt that would get old really quickly. Briony ran her hands along the rope and the beams that held it up. Sophie couldn¡¯t tell if she was doing anything particular ¨C anything with mana, that is ¨C but Briony eventually nodded, looking satisfied at whatever she had discovered. ¡°This has held up great over the years,¡± she explained. ¡°Wells usually do, of course. And, again, this one seems to have been made by a master crafter.¡± Sophie wanted to ask how it all worked ¨C how could Briony tell? How do crafters work in general? But she wasn¡¯t sure if she should. Wouldn¡¯t it be common knowledge here? ¡°What about the water?¡± she prompted instead. ¡°Is it safe to drink?¡± Briony nodded. ¡°Yep, safe as anything, at least. Why, in a few levels, you¡¯ll be able to test it for yourself.¡± Sophie blinked at her blankly, while Elowen nodded encouragingly. Yet another thing for Sophie to ask Elowen about once Briony left. Briony checked over the outside of the shrine as well, peering at the foundation and even glancing up at the roof, although she didn¡¯t go so far as to hop up there or anything. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a Builder, but I think most things have held up pretty well over the years.¡± She pulled the piece of paper off of the tablet, handing it to Sophie. ¡°These would be my recommendations, along with cost estimates.¡± Sophie glanced down at the paper, the strange writing twisting in her head into something readable, and she felt her stomach drop at the costs. She still had no idea how she¡¯d make any money in this world. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll look it all over and let you know what else I¡¯d like done.¡± Briony nodded amicably at that. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get that window fixed up for you and be on my way.¡± Sophie showed Briony back into the shrine¡¯s entryway with Elowen trailing along behind. Briony stepped outside to pick up the pane of glass she had brought along with her toolbox. When she returned, she set to work on removing the old glass, cutting the new glass down to size with some sort of tool, and then installing it. Sophie had already swept up the broken glass earlier this morning, so she mostly just watched Briony with curiosity. As far as Sophie could tell, it looked like any other maintenance person installing a new window at first. But then, there was a moment when Briony paused and Sophie could tell Briony was doing something with mana. She could almost sense it. Like a prickle along the hairs on the back of her arms or a shiver. She didn¡¯t want to interrupt whatever Briony was doing but ¨C what was she doing? Was this what it meant to be a Crafter? ¡°All done,¡± Briony said after a moment. She stood up, brushing off her work pants. ¡°How much will it be?¡± Sophie asked, but Briony waved a hand at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now. Just come by the guild sometime this week to check out a chill box, and you can settle up then. We haven¡¯t had a priestess in this area for a while, but Euan might have some work that you could do in trade.¡± Sophie blinked in surprise, not sure what she could possibly have to offer in exchange, but still not sure if she should actually admit that to Briony. ¡°Okay,¡± she said hesitantly, and then she nodded more firmly. ¡°That sounds good. Tomorrow then.¡± Briony gave her a wink and a grin. ¡°Tomorrow it is.¡± Once Briony left, Elowen floated around the repaired window happily, practically glowing. ¡°Oh, it''s been ages since this broke.¡± She was obviously delighted at the repairs, and Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile softly. ¡°Did it get cold in here?¡± she asked. Elowen shook her head. ¡°No¡­ but, I don''t really know. I don''t exactly feel cold.¡± Well, that sort of made sense, all things considered. ¡°Okay, well¡­ I think I need to figure out how to make some food before it gets too late, and then I have a lot of questions.¡± Elowen nodded and floated behind Sophie as she made her way into the living quarters in the back of the shrine. Sophie glanced around the room, scanning the various books and scrolls perched on shelves and on the desk. Of course it wasn¡¯t so easy that they would have a title on the spine like books in her world. She hadn¡¯t done much with this part of the shrine during her cleaning spree earlier, and she¡¯d like to take some time to look through each one and do some organizing in here. Maybe see if she could find a handy Guide to being a Shrine Priestess tucked away in here. But she only had a few bites of bread left, and it would be getting dark again soon. She wasn¡¯t sure how long the mana lights would hold out. Right. Time to see if she could find a cookbook. Chapter 8: Adventures in Cooking By the time night started to fall, Sophie found herself surrounded by a pile of scrolls and musty old tomes, but no cookbook in sight. ¡°I¡¯m really not sure if she had anything like that,¡± Elowen unhelpfully reiterated, referring to the former priestess again. It seemed like Elowen didn¡¯t recall much of their life together, but it had likely been decades after all. Sophie wasn¡¯t sure she would remember anything after decades of being alone and slowly fading into the ether, either. She sighed, finally giving up on this tactic. She really didn¡¯t know how to cook. She could boil water, but¡­ She pushed all of the books into a pile for further sorting another day. She still wanted to look through those letters some time as well. That would just have to wait. Her stomach couldn¡¯t tolerate any further delay. It would already take such a long time for the water to heat up in this terrible world without microwaves. She made her way back into the kitchen area and opened one of the cabinets where she had stored yesterday¡¯s purchases. The bread was long gone by now ¨C already finished off at the beginning of her quest to find a cookbook ¨C but she pulled out some vegetables that had different names in the fantasyland language, but appeared to be regular old potatoes, carrots, and onions. Although the carrots were a little more on the purple side than she strictly thought was typical. Surely if she boiled these together, though, it would make some sort of soup. Right? She wished she had spices to go with it, but none of the spice names in the market had been familiar to her. Most of the spices looked the same to her when it came down to it ¨C smelly, dried leaves and strange pungent powders. Potentially she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell them apart even if the names were in English, but that was neither here nor there. She didn¡¯t want to spend her precious coin on an uncertainty like that. At least these looked like vegetables from her previous life. She set them on the counter and grabbed the bucket, heading out to pull some more well water. She felt way more confident about the water after Briony checked out the well. She would boil most of it again tonight for the soup, but save some for drinking as well. At least she hoped she wouldn¡¯t poison herself with it. But she also didn¡¯t want to have to only drink boiled water for the rest of her time here¡­ However long that might be. She felt the odd sensation of eyes watching her as she pulled the water up, but it was a little too dim outside to see anything in the trees. Probably that creepy little dragon thing again, she thought. Hopefully it was harmless. She scampered back inside with the bucket as quickly as she could go without sloshing it, just in case something less harmless lurked in the darkness. Once she got inside, she set the water up to boil over the fire and then frowned at the vegetables on the counter. At the very least, she probably needed to chop them into smaller pieces. She found a knife among the dishes and cutlery she had washed earlier and got to work. She realized halfway through that she probably should have pulled the papery bits off of the onion before cutting it, and she tried to pick out as much of that as possible. When the water started boiling, she dumped the various pieces of onion and carrot and potato into it and stared at the results. She had no idea how long she should wait¡­ Elowen peered curiously into the pot as well. ¡°How fascinating,¡± she said, and she sounded completely serious. ¡°Do you think it will work?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Sophie muttered and sat down at the table, watching as Elowen watched the water boil. ¡°So¡­¡± she said, after Elowen eventually got bored and made her way back towards Sophie. ¡°Can you tell me more about the magic system here?¡± It felt like as good of a time as any to learn more about the world. It wasn¡¯t like she had anything better to do other than more cleaning, and she was way too hungry for that, now. ¡°Magic system?¡± Elowen replied, frowning. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Like mages, crafters, all of that stuff,¡± Sophie tried to elaborate. ¡°How do all of the classes work? How did Briony do ¨C well, whatever it is that she did to the well to make sure it was holding up okay? And then whatever she did to the window?¡± Elowen looked thoughtful at the question. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ you started to learn how to channel mana into mana stone yesterday, right? Mana can be channeled into other things, too. Crafters like Briony can channel mana into the things they are crafting or things that have been crafted previously.¡± ¡°What does that do?¡± ¡°Oh, lots of things. It depends on the crafter¡¯s abilities. They can analyze the composition of things, and sometimes even determine who made the item in the first place. But as far as the window goes, she probably made it a little stronger than it would be using the materials that she used. She might have added things like weather resistance and soundproofing.¡± ¡°Soundproofing? Weather resistance?¡± Sophie interrupted, a little surprised that they had those kinds of concepts. ¡°Sure,¡± Elowen nodded. She seemed pleased at Sophie¡¯s interest. ¡°Mana can be used in many different ways!¡± So maybe it wasn¡¯t exactly like the kind of magic Sophie had hoped it would be, but it did sound like there were some useful applications other than turning on some dim rock lamps. ¡°Can you teach me how to do any of that stuff?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Elowen shook her head. ¡°The priestess class is a little different. We''ll work on more channeling together and eventually purification.¡± ¡°Wait ¨C purification?¡± Sophie asked, visions of horror movies suddenly popping in her head. ¡°What, am I going to learn how to exorcize demons?¡± Elowen frowned slightly at the phrasing. ¡°Demons are just a silly human myth,¡± she said, and she suddenly looked skeptical. ¡°How could you possibly know about demons, anyway?¡± Sophie laughed, though. ¡°I guess our worlds aren¡¯t so different in some ways,¡± she said. ¡°We have the same kinds of myths.¡± Elowen still looked a bit skeptical, and Sophie stood to check on the soup. She poked at some of the potatoes with a long wooden spoon, but they looked about the same as they had a few minutes ago, so she sat back down again. ¡°Okay, so no demons. Got it. But then what am I purifying?¡± ¡°Mana, of course,¡± Elowen replied, as if it should be obvious. Sophie shook her head, not getting it at all. ¡°Does it go bad or something?¡± she half-joked, but she was surprised when Elowen nodded. ¡°Sometimes mana can become corrupted, and even things that are imbued with mana can carry that corruption. Sometimes it causes problems¡­¡± Elowen trailed off frowning. She had a strange faraway look in her eyes. ¡°So I¡¯ll learn how to purify those? Corrupted things?¡± ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°It¡¯s one of the core duties of the shrine priestess. Other than watching over the shrine, of course. But for now, we¡¯ve got to start with the basics like being able to move mana back and forth between things, like the lights. The more you do it, the more your skills will improve. And you''ll gain new abilities over time.¡± Sophie nodded, thinking it over. That all seemed fairly logical. She wasn¡¯t sure how into the whole idea of purifying corrupted mana she was, but she liked the idea of being helpful in some way. She stood up again to check on her potato-carrot-onion concoction. It looked the same as before. She carefully lifted a potato out of the water with the spoon and blew on it before biting into it. It was a little crunchy and tasteless but probably edible. She really didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. She scooped some of the soup into a bowl and sat back down at the table. She tried a sip of the broth, but it tasted like old, onion-scented water. Even the bottom-shelf canned soups tasted better than this. She belatedly realized that at the very least, she should have found some salt at the market. A little salt and maybe some pepper would have gone a long way. Oh well, at least she wouldn¡¯t starve. ¡°And the other classes? What do they do?¡± she asked, trying to distract herself from the lackluster meal. ¡°Hmmm, there are lots of classes, and they each have different abilities,¡± Elowen started. ¡°But for the basics, there are casting classes, also called Mages, that are able to manifest mana into certain elements. Some are able to manipulate earth, fire, water ¨C things like that. There are Healers who can use mana to heal. There are also Warrior classes that use mana to enhance their physical capabilities. And then there are the everyday sort of classes.¡± ¡°Like a Clerk?¡± Sophie prompted. Elowen nodded. ¡°Exactly like a Clerk.¡± It all seemed like a lot, and Sophie¡¯s head was already spinning. ¡°And I have to remember all of this?¡± Elowen laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± she promised. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Sophie glanced back down at her bowl thinking she had a lot of things she was going to have to learn if she was going to make it in this world. Classes, mana, the lack of the modern conveniences she was used to¡­ it was all a lot. She felt adrift, with only Elowen to fall back on, and the spirit really didn¡¯t know much about the world outside of the shrine. Maybe she should at least leave cooking to the professionals like she did in the old world. The food she had from the market was wonderful. And the bread from the bakery¡­ She could potentially live off of a steady stream of baked goods. If she could figure out a way to make enough money to pay for them, of course. Her little coin purse would only hold out for so much longer, and she still needed to figure out the whole bathing situation. Surely the town¡¯s bathhouse would cost money as well. Sophie took another bite of her bland, weirdly crunchy soup, and sighed. She was, perhaps, not cut out to make it in a world without microwaves and boring office jobs. *** Sophie woke up the next morning to the sound of a bell ringing from the front of the shrine. She sat up from her place on the old folding mattress she had braved the night before and waited to see if the sound repeated itself. ¡°Elowen?¡± she called out after she didn¡¯t hear it again, and the spirit appeared suddenly, floating in through the wall between the living quarters and the front of the shrine. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± Elowen said. She seemed more corporeal than ever today in her excitement. ¡°Is Briony back?¡± Sophie asked, confused and already rising from her spot on the bed. She was still a little groggy with sleep, but ultimately hopeful that the chill box, whatever it might be, might be here already. Elowen shook her head, though. ¡°No ¨C it¡¯s someone who¡¯s come to get a class.¡± Sophie¡¯s stomach immediately filled with dread, completely counter to Elowen¡¯s obvious excitement. ¡°What? What do we do? I don¡¯t know how to do that!¡± Elowen giggled. ¡°It¡¯s easy, silly. I do all of the work, anyways. I¡¯ll tell you exactly what to do.¡± Somehow this was not reassuring. Elowen frowned suddenly, though, her eyes scanning up and down Sophie¡¯s body like they had the very first day. ¡°You really can¡¯t wear that,¡± she demanded. ¡°You just can¡¯t. I¡¯d rather turn them away than have them see you like that!¡± Sophie glanced down at her clothes. Elowen had a point. She had been living in these clothes for going on three full days now, and although she had been doing her best to bathe using heated well-water, these were the only clothes she had. They were¡­ a little worse for the wear and probably needed to be laundered. She thought longingly of the fabrics she picked out at the tailor and realized she should probably stop by there later today to see when her outfits might be done, especially if they were going to start getting official shrine business. The bell rang again, jolting Sophie into action. ¡°Fine,¡± she sighed at Elowen¡¯s panicked look. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll put on the damn dress. Just this once!¡± Chapter 9: Classes Even after Sophie had quickly cleaned up and put on one of the stupid grey dresses, she realized they had a larger problem. The entranceway of the shrine was still full of all of the random stuff she had pulled out of the cabinets during her cleaning spree. There was no way she wanted another one of the people from the town to see it in such a state. It seemed¡­ unprofessional, to say the least. Sophie would need to further investigate those sanitation services that Briony had mentioned. ¡°Hurry! What if he leaves!¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°We can just do it in the courtyard.¡± ¡°And just have him stand there?¡± Sophie asked, still staring down at the pile of random items as if they might disappear at any moment. ¡°It won¡¯t take that long,¡± Elowen reassured her. Sophie had the sense that, if Elowen had a corporeal body, she would be dragging Sophie out the door. Instead, Sophie sighed and crept to the entrance quietly. She cracked open the door to peer out. A young man with light brown skin and messy black hair stood in the courtyard glancing around. He seemed to be around Sophie¡¯s age, and he was dressed in the rather simple clothes she had seen others wear in the town. Sophie followed his gaze and felt a little bad about the state the outdoor area was in. Darn, she would need to clean up out there as well. Suddenly, the man turned as if to head back down the path, so Sophie pushed the door fully open and took a hesitant step out of the shrine. ¡°Um, excuse me? Are you here to receive a class?¡± The man turned back around, face lighting up with relief, and started walking towards her. ¡°I am! Are you the new shrine priestess?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me,¡± Sophie confirmed, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Elowen floated up alongside her, and that helped a bit. Sophie didn¡¯t know how long Elowen had been a shrine spirit, but surely she had done this numerous times. ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ve been putting off getting a class for a while now. It¡¯s such a pain to go all the way over to Sentus.¡± Sophie nodded along, although she still had no idea where Sentus was. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard¡­¡± she replied, and then she glanced over at Elowen for guidance. To her surprise, the spirit stood completely still, with her eyes closed and one of her hands hovering right above the man¡¯s shoulder. Sophie had a brief moment of panic, wondering if Elowen was malfunctioning or something, when the spirit¡¯s eyes suddenly snapped open. Her hand returned to her side, and she turned to Sophie. ¡°He has the makings of a Bard,¡± she said thoughtfully, and her eyes seemed oddly unfocused like they had the other day, when they were talking about mana corruption. ¡°But he could also choose a Healer class as well.¡± Sophie stared at Elowen in disbelief. ¡°Wait, so you determine the class?¡± she asked. Elowen¡¯s eyes lost a bit of their hazy look, and she nodded. ¡°I can see the possibilities,¡± she explained. She gestured at the man, who was starting to look incredibly confused. ¡°He has the potential for either, so it¡¯s ultimately his decision. When he decides, I will grant him a class. You, too, will gain the ability to grant classes, but not for a very, very long time.¡± Sophie realized suddenly that the man probably hadn¡¯t heard a single word of that. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± she said to him. ¡°I forgot that you can¡¯t hear her.¡± ¡°The spirit?¡± the man asked, glancing curiously at the spot where Elowen stood. ¡°She¡¯s here now?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°She is.¡± Sophie wondered what he saw. When Sophie looked at Elowen, she looked translucent, but she looked like a person. Although, a floating person. Could this man and Briony from yesterday really not see anything at all? ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s¡­ a little under the weather, so she is not currently able to manifest, but we can still give you a class today. She said you would make a good Bard or a Healer.¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up at the news. ¡°I¡¯d love to be a Bard,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing guitar for ages.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Sophie said, belatedly noticing that he even appeared to have an instrument strapped on his back judging by the carrying case. How peculiar. What could a Bard possibly do anyway? Elowen closed her eyes again and folded her hands together this time. At first she looked like a statue but after a moment, she appeared to glow brighter than she had before. She lifted her hand again, holding it above the man¡¯s shoulder. And then after another beat of silence, the strange glow left her. She dropped her hand to her side and opened her eyes again. ¡°It is done.¡± ¡°It is?¡± Sophie asked, sort of expecting a little bit more fanfare. Would it be so hard to at least have some sort of pop-up screen in this fantasy world? Elowen nodded, though, and clapped her hands together happily. ¡°Yes! He is now a Bard.¡± Sophie eyed the man carefully, but she couldn¡¯t tell if anything had changed. ¡°Well, there you go. She granted you your class. Do you feel any different?¡± He frowned thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m unsure. Am I supposed to?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°No, not necessarily. A class is a blessing, just like the Universal Language blessing I gave you. It isn¡¯t always noticeable until you attempt to use an ability related to the class. In his case, it¡¯s likely he won¡¯t notice until he tries to play an instrument.¡± ¡°I see, I see¡­¡± Sophie replied, and turned back to the man. ¡°She says you probably won¡¯t right now, but that you might notice a difference when you play your guitar.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The man nodded. ¡°That sounds about right from what I¡¯ve heard,¡± he said. ¡°He also will be able to progress past Level 10 now,¡± Elowen continued. ¡°He couldn¡¯t before?¡± Sophie asked, suddenly lost again just when she started to think she might understand things¡­ The man looked at her strangely, and she waved a hand at him apologetically. ¡°Sorry, talking with the spirit. It¡¯s so annoying that you can¡¯t see her.¡± The man laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I understand. I hope she feels better soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°He is currently Level 10, which is the max level one can reach without receiving a class blessing. Most people are able to reach that level through daily life by the time they come of age.¡± ¡°Ahhh, so my case is a little unusual, huh?¡± Elowen sniffed. ¡°In many ways. This is why you found it so challenging to light even a few mana lamps. As a Level 2, your mana levels are much lower than usual for a shrine priestess. At Level 10, you would have no issue lighting all of the lamps in the shrine, even at a distance.¡± Sophie felt oddly embarrassed at that. No wonder Elowen kept teasing her about her mana. But it¡¯s not like they had mana back on Earth. She wanted to ask more questions, but she felt rude for keeping the man here any longer. She turned back to him. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said again. She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re all set.¡± He copied the gesture, seeming to be unsure what it meant. ¡°Right. Different cultures,¡± Sophie muttered to herself. ¡°I mean ¨C the spirit gave you your class so you are all good here. You will now be able to continue leveling as a Bard.¡± ¡°Great, thank you.¡± He bowed slightly, first towards Sophie and then again in the general direction of Elowen, which made Sophie wonder if he could somehow sense her presence, even though she wasn¡¯t visible to him. When he straightened, he pulled a small bag out of his pocket and dug out a silver. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯d like to leave an offering,¡± he explained when he caught Sophie staring at it. ¡°Um, sure?¡± Sophie replied. She stepped back to clear the path to the shrine¡¯s entrance. She wasn¡¯t sure what that entailed but ¨C ¡°Oh, but you can¡¯t go inside just yet. Um, we¡¯re under construction.¡± The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said. He walked up to the shrine¡¯s entrance, bowed his head for a long moment, and then placed the silver in a small wooden box right under the bell rope. He bowed deeply again as he passed, his guitar shifting on his back slightly before he caught it with a hand. ¡°Thank you again,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to let others know.¡± Sophie nodded blankly, watching as he walked back into the forest. When he was no longer within earshot, she turned back to Elowen who was practically spinning with happiness. ¡°So that was really it? What do we do with that?¡± Sophie asked, gesturing towards the box where the man had placed the silver earlier. Elowen blinked at her in confusion and then floated over to the box in question. ¡°It¡¯s yours, of course,¡± she said. ¡°There are quite a few others in there.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie nearly tripped over the inconvenient wooden sandals Elowen had made her put on earlier as she quickly made her way to the box to peer inside. Sure enough, she could see the glint of several other silver coins and even a gold piece or two. ¡°How long has this been here?¡± Elowen shrugged. ¡°People come and go over the years. Some left offerings when they visited.¡± ¡°Even though the shrine wasn¡¯t active? I thought people were afraid of this place!¡± Sophie felt along the edges of the box to find the lid¡¯s catch. It wasn¡¯t even locked. It looked like an awful lot of offerings, but maybe it was just because it had been such a long time. ¡°And, oh, I don¡¯t know ¨C no one stole it? This looks like a lot of money!¡± Elowen looked positively affronted at the suggestion. ¡°As if they would dare! Who would steal from a shrine?¡± Well, lots of people, Sophie was sure, but maybe not in this world? Maybe especially not if they thought the shrine was haunted? She touched the coins carefully. Somehow she would have expected them to be more weather-worn. Was this another side effect of mana? Perhaps the box had been Crafted? She pulled out the topmost piece of silver, and it felt almost warm to the touch. She wondered if this came from the newly christened Bard. ¡°A whole silver? Just for that?¡± she asked, and Elowen nodded. ¡°Why, of course. People appreciate my services.¡± She was practically glowing with confidence, now. ¡°I suppose we do need the money to restore the shrine¡­¡± Sophie agreed, but it didn¡¯t sit quite right with her all the same. She wanted to do something to help. Something a bit more active than acting as a de facto translator. She picked up a few more of the silver coins along with a gold one, holding them all in her palm. There were so many in here. She would set most of it aside to go towards Briony¡¯s recommendations on modernizing the shrine, and then she would figure out if there was some other way she could earn money while she was in this strange fantasy land. She supposed being a translator was, in fact, a real job, even in her own world, but she felt uncomfortable about it all the same. She couldn¡¯t pinpoint why, yet. She carefully closed the lid of the offering box, leaving the rest of the coins for later. She¡¯d need to count them up and determine just which of Briony¡¯s updates were within their budget now that they had all of that to work with. ¡°Right, well I think it¡¯s time for me to head back into town,¡± she said. She didn¡¯t miss the flash of panic in Elowen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be back,¡± she reassured the spirit. ¡°I¡¯ll even wear this, if it makes you feel better.¡± She tugged at the hem of the grey dress for emphasis. ¡°I just need to take care of a few things. Like a bath. And potentially better food.¡± Elowen nodded, but she didn¡¯t look happy about it. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, crossing her arms and pouting. Her earlier mood seemed to have vanished. ¡°But when you get back, we¡¯re working on your mana channeling.¡± Sophie laughed at Elowen¡¯s tone. ¡°Sure,¡± she said, as she made her way back into the shrine. Elowen floated behind her as if she still really didn¡¯t believe her. But Sophie wanted to work on her mana channeling. Especially if it meant helping to fix the portal and restoring the shrine. Even with Elowen¡¯s teasing, Sophie hadn¡¯t really realized she was so far behind in levels. She wondered how long it would take her to get to the point where she could even do anything useful. There was just so much else to do ¨C the shrine was in such a bad state, and she was really having a hard time adjusting to the new world. She grabbed the coin pouch off of it¡¯s place on the little desk in the living quarters, sliding the handful of coins she took from the offering box into it, and began to prepare for her trip into town. Chapter 10: Bathhouse Sophie made her way along the path back into town. The Forester had indeed cleared the path to the point where it felt a little safer walking along it. She kept an eye out in the trees for the little dragon creature that she had seen a few times now, but she didn¡¯t see him. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not. She kind of liked the little guy, and she wondered if it would be friendly. She noticed all sorts of other wildlife ¨C mostly a bunch of unfamiliar birds and something that looked an awful lot like a squirrel but was redder than she was used to. But by the time she got to the end of the path, she hadn¡¯t seen the little dragonling. She almost wondered if she had imagined it. Or maybe it had just been passing through. Once she got to the main road, she headed for the town''s gates. The same bored guard was sitting at the gate house and paid her little notice. The plaza was just as busy as before with people going about their day. She felt nearly overwhelmed for a brief moment, trying to get her bearings. She had a lot of things she wanted to take care of today. The tailor¡¯s, the Crafter¡¯s Guild, the bakery. And of course, the bathhouse. Tailor first, she decided. That way, once she found the bathhouse, she could change into her new clothes if they were ready. After popping in the little shop to check, however, she learned that it would be a few more days. Apparently a special request came through that took priority. She left the shop feeling bummed. She really didn¡¯t want to rely on that chest of dresses that Elowen insisted on her wearing¡­ Maybe she should try the clothing stalls at the market. Especially now that she had more money than she expected. The market was just as busy as before, with tantalizing smells of fresh food, but Sophie planned on visiting the bakery next, so she withstood the temptation in favor of waiting for some fresh baked goods. Instead, she stopped at a clothing stall. The proprietor had several racks of loose linen clothing on display, and the items looked awfully similar to the style of clothing she had requested at the tailor. The woman behind the counter looked mostly human, but her skin glimmered with the hint of scales. ¡°What are you looking for today?¡± Sophie eyed the racks of clothing again. ¡°Do you think you¡¯d have something in my size? I¡¯m looking for something similar to what I¡¯m currently wearing, but preferably with pants.¡± The woman gestured for her to come closer and reached out, her hand hovering above Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you mind if I ¨C ?¡± ¡°Not at all! Feel free.¡± The woman¡¯s fingers were cooler than Sophie expected as she lifted the strap of the shift dress, presumably investigating the fabric. ¡°Oh¡­ Wow. No, we don¡¯t sell anything like this here.¡± ¡°What do you mean? The stuff on the rack looks just like this¨C¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°This is a specialty item. This looked like it was Tailored for a specific class.¡± Sophie was surprised at the revelation ¨C she hadn¡¯t noticed anything special about the dresses, but now she wondered if Tailors used mana as well. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay,¡± she insisted. ¡°I meant... Well, I just need something to wear casually.¡± The woman nodded, looking thoughtful. She went over to the rack and pulled off a few items to show Sophie. Sophie really couldn¡¯t tell what the difference in quality was between what she was currently wearing and the items the woman showed her, but it didn¡¯t really matter anyway. She selected two of them ¨C the first was a pale green top with long, flowing sleeves and a scoop neck, and the second was something similar in light blue, but much shorter sleeves. Both had matching linen pants. With pockets. Glorious pockets. The dress she was currently wearing did not have those, and so therefore, even if it was somehow a finer quality, it was severely lacking in that regard. The items she selected were quite similar to what she had picked out at the tailor, in fact, so she was surprised when the woman only asked for a couple of silvers in payment. The ones from the tailor were much more expensive, after all. Could there be that much of a difference in quality? The woman handed her the items wrapped in a thick brown paper, and Sophie pondered fantasy world clothing as she made her way to the bakery. *** When she finally arrived at the bakery, another customer was already at the counter. Acacia glanced up from chatting at the ring of the bell over the door and smiled in recognition. ¡°Just a moment, Sophie.¡± Sophie was oddly pleased that Acacia even remembered her name. She must see tons of people every day, but perhaps her last visit was a little¡­ memorable. Acacia basically accused her of camping out in a haunted shrine. Sophie stifled a laugh at the memory. The other customer was already handing over some coins, and Acacia handed them a small bag of baked goods, just like Sophie had received the other day. Sophie¡¯s stomach was already rumbling in anticipation. She made her way up to the counter as the other customer passed. It was an older woman with curly grey hair, and she glanced at Sophie curiously, but made no comment as she left. Acacia grinned as soon as the door closed. ¡°It looks like you figured out the clothes situation.¡± Sophie looked down at the dress and shrugged. ¡°Sort of¡­ I¡¯m using some hand-me-downs until mine are ready.¡± ¡°They fit you well,¡± Acacia noted, and then she leaned forward on the counter. ¡°So you¡¯re really a priestess at the shrine, huh? Garrick stopped by and said that you gave him a class.¡± ¡°Garrick? The new bard?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Acacia nodded eagerly. ¡°The one and the same.¡± Sophie laughed in surprise. ¡°Wow, word really travels fast around here.¡± ¡°It does,¡± Acacia agreed. ¡°Garrick said he couldn¡¯t see anything, but my sister scanned him and he totally has the Bard class now. You can really see the spirit? Interact with her and stuff?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Yes, although she¡¯s a bit translucent at the moment. Apparently that will get better as we get more mana into the shrine¡­ or something. I¡¯m not actually sure when she¡¯ll become visible again, but we¡¯re working on it.¡± Acacia leaned back again, looking impressed. ¡°Wow, well, what does she look like then?¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know? Blonde, pale, about your height ¨C¡± she gestured to Acacia. ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen a shrine spirit before? When you got your class?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Acacia nodded. ¡°Of course I have, but they¡¯re all different, aren¡¯t they? Plus, it¡¯s a little creepy thinking she¡¯s just been there the whole time by herself. What would she have done if you hadn¡¯t come along?¡± Sophie shook her head. She didn¡¯t want to think about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Shrine spirits have it tough, I guess,¡± she said. ¡°Tough indeed¡­¡± Acacia said, trailing off. After a moment, she knocked her knuckles against the counter. ¡°Hey, by the way, did you ever find any ¨C what was it ¨C kohfy?¡± ¡°Coffee,¡± Sophie corrected. ¡°And no, it doesn¡¯t seem like the market has any either.¡± ¡°Aww, that¡¯s a shame,¡± Acacia said, and she actually looked disappointed for Sophie. ¡°I can ask around for you, you know? Maybe some of my contacts will have a better idea. But until then, my offer¡¯s still open if you¡¯d like a cup of tea and a side of gossip.¡± Sophie found herself smiling at Acacia¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°Probably not today though. I¡¯m just popping in to get some of your delicious baked goods to sustain me, since I can¡¯t seem to cook for myself.¡± Acacia laughed out loud at the admission. ¡°Well, pick as many as you¡¯d like. On the house this time.¡± ¡°Oh no, I couldn¡¯t possibly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said. ¡°In celebration of your new position. Everyone¡¯s talking about it. A shrine priestess! How interesting! And Garrick finally got a class. He¡¯s been Level 10 for a few years now.¡± She shook her head, as if it was unthinkable that he hadn¡¯t gotten around to it sooner. Sophie¡¯s face heated at the compliments. Was it really that interesting? It didn¡¯t seem like that impressive of a job so far. She hesitantly selected a few pastries from the display. ¡°I¡¯ll take these, but you have to let me pay for the bread, at least,¡± she said. ¡°I want two loaves of that this time. I¡¯m going to attempt to live off of them, like I said.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Acacia said, as she began wrapping everything in the brown paper. ¡°You probably need to eat more than bread, though, or you¡¯ll be fading away like that shrine spirit of yours.¡± ¡°Hah, well, I wasn¡¯t joking when I said I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡± Acacia blinked at her in shock as finished sliding all of the baked goods into a brown paper bag. ¡°What? Like ¨C at all?¡± Sophie shook her head, already embarrassed, but soldered ahead anyway. ¡°Nope. Not at all. I can barely boil water. Last night I tried to make a soup, and let¡¯s just say I wouldn¡¯t have fed it to my worst enemy.¡± Acacia laughed, smacking her hand down on the counter. ¡°You poor thing. So you¡¯re all alone out there in that creepy old shrine, and you can¡¯t even cook for yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m really not alone. There¡¯s Elowen ¨C she¡¯s the shrine spirit, like I mentioned ¨C but of course she can¡¯t cook either. It¡¯s not like shrine spirits need food or anything. And she¡¯s not even¡­ well, corporeal.¡± ¡°Right, right¡­¡± Acacia frowned again at the mention of Elowen. ¡°You¡¯ll have to introduce me to her,¡± she said softly after a moment. She slid the brown paper bag over the counter to Sophie. ¡°I feel bad ¨C I mean, it¡¯s not like any of us could have known really, but¡­¡± Sophie nodded. She thought maybe she understood a bit. ¡°You¡¯re welcome any time,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be coming to get a class to visit us.¡± And then she pulled out the coin purse, fishing out a silver. She set it on the counter, hoping to relieve a bit of the somber mood. ¡°Here. Since you conveniently forgot to tell me how much all of this cost.¡± Acacia laughed, pushing the silver back to her. ¡°Oh, this is too much! Sophie, no ¨C¡± Sophie picked up the bag of baked goods and stepped away from the counter before Acacia could hand the coin back to her. ¡°I suppose if it¡¯s really too much, you can bring something along when you come to visit the shrine. Elowen can¡¯t eat, of course, but she¡¯d probably appreciate the gesture. Maybe we could like, burn it as an offering or something.¡± Acacia gave her an odd look at that, but she eventually smiled. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll come visit your shrine. And I¡¯ll bring something for the spirit. But be sure to get some real food in you before then.¡± ¡°I will, I will,¡± Sophie said, laughing as she turned to leave. She doubted that would happen any time soon, unless she stopped by the market for more of those kebabs. Or maybe she¡¯d check out a local restaurant. ¡°Hey!¡± Acacia called out, before Sophie could walk through the door. Sophie turned back. ¡°Yeah?¡± Acacia grinned widely. ¡°Why don¡¯t I give you cooking lessons, then? When I stop by the shrine? I¡¯m pretty handy in the kitchen.¡± Sophie laughed again. Of course Acacia would be. She ran a bakery after all. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯d work very well. Everything¡¯s really outdated. I don¡¯t even have a chill box.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do at all.¡± Acacia shook her head. She thought for a moment. ¡°Well, let¡¯s do this. Why don¡¯t you stop by tomorrow afternoon? Hollis will be working with me tomorrow, so we could do a cooking lesson in the back if it¡¯s not too busy.¡± Sophie considered the offer for a moment. Elowen wouldn¡¯t like it, of course, but Sophie couldn¡¯t really just stay at the shrine all day working on her mana channeling. Plus, she was sure she would need to stop by for more bread at the rate she was going to go through it if she didn¡¯t find some real food today. ¡°Sure,¡± she said finally. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± Acacia beamed. ¡°Great! See you tomorrow then.¡± Sophie found herself smiling in return. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± *** Her next stop was the bathhouse. It was a few blocks away from the bakery, next to an apothecary, a few small restaurants, and what appeared to be a tavern. It reminded her of something she saw in an anime ¨C not an onsen exactly, but something similar with bathing areas separated by gender, private showers, and even an attached lounge area, where it looked like she could stay the night if needed. Soaps, towels, and other small items were all available for sale for a few coppers, and there was even a counter that appeared to be some sort of concession area where she could buy drinks and sandwiches among other things. She rented a small cubby to put all of her parcels in from the market and the bakery, and made her way into the women¡¯s showers. At this time of day, the showers were relatively empty, which Sophie was honestly grateful for. She hadn¡¯t used a public shower since her time in college, and it would take a little bit of getting used to again. Although Briony had recommended a lot of options for modernizing the shrine, adding indoor plumbing wasn¡¯t one of them. Sophie had initially thought that it was just because it wasn¡¯t available, but seeing how modern the bathhouse felt, she wondered if it was more of a logistics thing since she was so far outside of the town. She might be coming into the town daily or at least every other day if she wanted to take real showers. After her first glorious shower in days ¨C which honestly felt like months at this point ¨C Sophie relaxed in the women¡¯s baths. She didn¡¯t want to spend too much time here, but it was nice to have a moment to herself, since it was practically empty at this time of day. A shrine priestess, huh? It was pretty far from what she had been doing at her old job, but maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Plus she was quite literally chosen to do it. She frowned, thinking about her old job, her old routine. It¡¯s not like she was living her dream life before, but it wasn¡¯t so bad. She mainly went to work, came back home too late on most nights, ordered some takeout if she hadn''t already ordered it at the office. Maybe had a beer or two or a glass of wine and then fell asleep for the night. Then she would wake up the next morning ready to do it all over again. She had considered maybe getting a cat when she first moved into her apartment, but she quickly realized she didn¡¯t have enough time to take care of one. And now she was really glad she hadn''t. It was Monday there, right? She wasn¡¯t even sure what day it was here. So far, she hadn¡¯t seen a calendar anywhere. If it was Monday back there, people would definitely notice that she hadn¡¯t showed up for work. It wasn¡¯t like she had tons of friends who would miss her, but her coworkers would probably be concerned. Her father lived in Iowa still, and her sister was in nursing school, so she didn''t see them very often, and she doubted they¡¯d expect her to call any time soon. But her office would probably try to get in touch with them when ¨C Well, she definitely felt bad at the idea that they would think that she was dead or something. She sank deeper into the water, trying to melt away her worries. There was nothing she could do about any of that. For now, all she could do was try to survive in this strange situation she had ended up in. And see if she could figure out how to get home¡­ Chapter 11: Local Cuisine Sophie finished up her bath, toweled off, and then changed into one of the new outfits she had purchased at the market. She decided on the pale green set. The fit was a little off, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. She preferred the style of the linen pants to the grey dress, at least. And now she had pockets. Her hair was a little damp, but there was no helping that. She usually let it air dry anyway, and so far she hadn¡¯t exactly found a hair dryer in this strange fantasy world. After the bathhouse, Sophie made her way over to the Crafter¡¯s Guild, pushing open the heavy door again. The same man was working at the counter as before, but this time he looked a little bit happier to see her. ¡°Briony said you¡¯d be by,¡± he greeted her. ¡°She¡¯s out on a job right now, though. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Euan, right? I¡¯d still like to take a look at your chill boxes,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°And Briony mentioned you might have some work for a priestess?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I suppose we were never formally introduced. Euan it is. And you are Sophie Birch, if I recall correctly? Our new shrine priestess?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± she confirmed. She felt like she was starting to get used to the idea of this whole shrine priestess thing. At least, it didn¡¯t feel so weird to introduce herself as such. ¡°Well, as far as work goes, we usually contract out purification requests to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, since we haven¡¯t had a local priestess until you came along,¡± Euan explained. ¡°We get a few items in every now and then that need to be purified ¨C or someone from town might stop by with a request. It¡¯s terribly inefficient, though, since the nearest shrine is all the way over near Sentus, and traveling priests or priestesses are extremely rare, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t really imagine, but maybe it had something to do with the shrine spirit being bound to the shrine? She nodded politely, regardless, and let Euan continue. ¡°We¡¯d love it if you could take these requests instead, of course. And beyond that, you could ask at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They often have quests for entire locations that have been tainted by corrupted mana.¡± Sophie shivered at the idea. It sounded dangerous, although she still didn¡¯t understand what purification entailed. She also hadn¡¯t heard of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, yet. How many guilds were there in this town? Either way it didn¡¯t matter, since there was one small problem¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t actually have the ability to purify mana, yet,¡± she confessed. Euan didn¡¯t seem as surprised to hear that as Sophie expected him to. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± he reassured her. ¡°You only just got your class, right?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I do want to help as soon as I can, though.¡± The words rang true, even as she spoke them. She wondered when she¡¯d even start learning about purification. Elowen hadn¡¯t mentioned a specific level or anything like that, yet. ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯ll show you one of our chill boxes, and you can decide on that today,¡± Euan replied. ¡°I hear Briony also made a list of other jobs we could do for you. We¡¯d be happy to do any of them in trade in the future, once you are ready to take on purification work.¡± ¡°That sounds great,¡± Sophie agreed. Euan gestured for her to follow and began to lead her down a long hallway. It opened up to a large workroom, several times the size of the reception area. Sophie glanced around in awe at the amount of stuff back here ¨C it was filled with tables, chairs, cabinets, and other wooden furniture. There was barely any room to walk. It didn¡¯t fit Sophie¡¯s image of a highly organized Clerk at all, and Sophie wondered who else might work with Euan and Briony here at the Crafter¡¯s Guild. ¡°Just back here,¡± Euan explained, as he led her to a group of freestanding wooden boxes. He waved a hand at the set of them. ¡°They are honestly all about the same, but Briony mentioned you wanted to look at one.¡± He sounded a bit uncertain about the request, as if it was perhaps unusual. Sophie imagined it must be, because it probably wasn¡¯t everyday that someone hadn¡¯t already heard of a chill box before. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, not bothering to explain. ¡°Do you mind if I ¨C ?¡± ¡°Not at all, go ahead. Feel free to open them and look inside.¡± Sophie opened the one closest to her. A small puff of cold air greeted her, chilling her still-damp hair. She shivered and peered inside, but there was nothing in there. Nothing that she could see making it work, at least. ¡°Is it using mana?¡± ¡°Of course. It tries to pull ambient mana from the environment, but as a priestess, you will be able to channel mana into it if it seems to be getting low. They last quite a while before they run out of mana, though. Most people will have a Crafter stop by once a season or so to recharge them, but I doubt you¡¯ll need to worry about that.¡± ¡°How fascinating. And it keeps things cold? What about frozen items?¡± ¡°This one will only keep items chilled, but we do have frost boxes as well. Those would keep things frozen, although most families around here don¡¯t have much use for one.¡± Sophie considered this for a moment and thought about what she kept in her freezer back in Seattle. Mostly microwaved dinners, frozen pizzas, and ice cream. Since she unfortunately hadn¡¯t found any of those here, she couldn¡¯t imagine what use she would have for a frost box either. ¡°Alright, well¡­ I think a chill box will be enough for me, as well. I¡¯d love to buy one.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Perfect! I assume you¡¯d want it delivered? We could bring one by tomorrow afternoon. I heard the Forester cleared the path already, so we¡¯ll test it out and see if we can get a delivery cart up that way.¡± Tomorrow afternoon¡­ At this rate, she was going to need some sort of calendar to keep track of all of her appointments. This was getting a bit ridiculous. How did people survive without the convenience of cell phone calendars? ¡°Ah, I already have an appointment then,¡± she said, hesitantly. ¡°Would the next day work?¡± Euan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re booked through the next few days, if I¡¯m not mistaken. Let¡¯s go back up to the front to check.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The next available day will work.¡± It¡¯s not like she immediately needed the chill box, after all. It was more of a slice of home than anything. Although it would help her in her quest to live off of market food if she could save leftovers somewhere. ¡°Great,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯ll just follow me, we can finish up, and I¡¯ll get you in the books.¡± *** After spending another two gold coins on the chill box, Sophie was really glad that she had found the offering box this morning. She would have to go through it and count stuff up to see how much was left over. She had a feeling that even with the existing offerings, she¡¯d really need to figure out the whole purification thing before she would be able to afford much of the upgrades. Bills, bills, bills¡­ Regardless, by the time she was done at the Crafter¡¯s Guild, her stomach was already rumbling again. She had her bag of baked goods, but she remembered Acacia¡¯s warning about eating real food. The friendly baker was right, after all. Maybe she should pick something else up at the market before heading back to the shrine. Or maybe¡­ Maybe she could try one of those little restaurants she saw earlier near the bathhouse, instead. It wasn¡¯t too far of a walk, and she was pretty sure she still had some daylight left. She made her way back into that part of town, glancing at the unfamiliar signs. What kind of cuisine would they serve? She had no idea what to expect. She also wasn¡¯t sure yet what to expect with regards to the prices of prepared food. Even with the offering box money, she should probably be a little conservative until she could take real jobs. Once she learned mana purification, though, she could try every restaurant in the city! She glanced around again at the inviting-looking places and felt excited about the idea. It reminded her of when she first moved to Seattle and everything had been so new and interesting. For the first time since being here, she felt like she had something to look forward to that wasn¡¯t just fixing the portal and trying to get back. Her eyes landed on a sign she had seen earlier today ¨C the one that appeared to belong to a tavern. Bar food seemed like a safe bet. Although some of the bars in Seattle sold overpriced appetizers, hopefully here she would be able to find simpler fare. And regardless, it would be less uncomfortable to sit at a bar than to sit at a table in an unfamiliar restaurant alone. There¡¯s a reason why she relied heavily on delivery and takeout prior to coming here. She opened the door, and a bell chimed above her head. A young woman at the bar glanced up, greeting her with a smile. There were a handful of other people ¨C three at a table together and two sitting along the bar, but otherwise it was pretty quiet. It was quite early after all, especially for this type of establishment. ¡°A new face! I haven¡¯t seen you around,¡± the woman greeted her. Sophie set her packages down on the bar¡¯s counter and nodded. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m new in town.¡± The woman slid her a menu. ¡°Do you want any food today? Or just drinks?¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°Oh, no drinks for me today. I just wanted some warm food before heading back to the shrine.¡± ¡°The shrine?¡± The woman immediately perked up at the mention. ¡°Which one?¡± Sophie immediately realized her mistake. ¡°The one nearby,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m the new shrine priestess there.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the new priestess. I¡¯ve been hearing all sorts of things about you. Is the shrine really haunted? Did you have to do something to get rid of the ghosts?¡± Sophie laughed again. ¡°No, there were no ghosts. Just one lonely, unhappy shrine spirit and a run-down old shrine. I¡¯m trying to clean the place up a bit, though.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That seems like quite a job,¡± she said. ¡°Well, everyone¡¯s really excited to have a shrine priestess around here again.¡± Sophie nodded vaguely and turned her face down towards the menu to hide a sudden fit of shyness. Why was her class such an item of gossip? Was it really that important for a town to have a shrine priestess nearby? She supposed Euan made it sound like a hassle to get purification work done without a local priestess, but how important was that, really? She scanned down the items on the menu, trying to distract herself. Thankfully, whatever language thing Elowen had done to her seemed to translate the strange dishes into things that sounded vaguely familiar in her head. Things like potato wedges and a lot of dishes that included fish. She had a sudden burst of curiosity about her location in the wider world. Were they near a large body of water? And where was this other town ¨C Sentus ¨C that everyone kept mentioning? She¡¯d save those questions for another day. The bartender must have taken her silence as indecision, because she reached her hand out and tapped on a spot on the menu. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for something filling, I¡¯d recommend this,¡± she said. Fish and chips. Sophie nearly laughed at the suggestion. ¡°Sure, that sounds perfect,¡± she said, instead, and slid the menu back towards the other woman. The bartender picked up the menu. ¡°Coming right up,¡± she said with a grin and then made her way back to a window to call the order out to the kitchen in the back. She came back a few times to make friendly, idle chatter, until she finally brought Sophie¡¯s food. Sophie had been a little skeptical about what she might be getting right up until she received the steaming plate of potato wedges and fried fish. It was, indeed, fish and chips. Seeing something so familiar made her feel strangely relieved, like maybe she could handle all of the unfamiliar things, as long as she could have this one piece of familiarity to cling onto. She ate it with relish. In fact, after she finished, she ordered more of the potato wedges to go. So by the time she made it back out to the street, it was a whole lot darker than she expected, and it had started to rain. Drat. At least it was just a drizzle ¨C par for the course in Seattle, at least ¨C so it barely even fazed her as she walked towards the town¡¯s gates. She was more worried about walking along the path in the dark. She really needed to get a lamp or whatever passed for a lamp in this world. She didn¡¯t want to risk going back to find a shop that might carry one. So, instead she hurried along in the fading sunlight, trying to make her way as carefully as possible and trying not to think about what might be lurking in the dark forest around her. Chapter 12: Channeling By the time Sophie got back to the shrine, it was almost full dark, and it was raining quite a bit more than it had been when she first started her journey back. She could barely make out the shrine through the trees, and she was incredibly thankful for the helpful Forester who cleared the path for her. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to meet them yet, but she would have definitely struggled to get back if the path hadn¡¯t been cleared. Nonetheless, she still had to carefully watch her steps in the falling rain, as water started gathering in puddles in places where the path was still worn down. She was so focused on making it back, in fact, that after she made her way up the short stone staircase, she nearly ran right into Elowen. The spirit was standing in the rain at the very edge of whatever invisible barrier held her to the courtyard, just like she had been the previous time. This time, however, Sophie stopped short at the stricken look on Elowen¡¯s face. ¡°You scared me!¡± Sophie chided. ¡°What are you doing waiting out here in the rain? Are you sure you don¡¯t get cold?¡± Elowen shook her head and, in the dim light, it almost looked like she was crying. ¡°I can¡¯t even feel it,¡± she sniffed. ¡°I was worried about you.¡± Sophie felt a little guilty. Maybe she stayed in town a bit later than she had intended. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had a lot to take care of today.¡± Elowen reached out, as if she was going to touch Sophie¡¯s hair, and then dropped her hand. The motion, somehow, made Sophie feel even worse. ¡°Your hair¡¯s all wet now.¡± ¡°It never really dried from my bath earlier,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Come on,¡± Elowen said. She lifted her hand up again, as if she was going to take Sophie¡¯s own before she thought better of it. ¡°Get inside.¡± The shrine wasn¡¯t all that much warmer on the inside, but at least it was dry. Sophie made her way to the back, setting down all of her parcels and finding a towel to dry her hair with. When she turned around, Elowen was glaring at her, with her hands on her hips. ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked, as she rubbed the towel against her head. ¡°You¡¯re not even wearing the dress anymore! You promised!¡± Sophie glanced down at her clothes from the market, which she sorely needed to change out of. ¡°Oh, right. I just put these on after I took a bath at the bathhouse. The dress is in one of those bags.¡± She pointed to the pile of parcels, which included all of the baked goods from the bakery, her leftover potato wedges, and the clothes from the market. ¡°But you aren¡¯t wearing it,¡± Elowen repeated, as if that made a difference. ¡°Why does it matter?¡± Sophie asked, curious. ¡°What¡¯s so important about this dress?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Tailored! It¡¯s made to protect you. It¡¯s imbued with mana ¨C¡± The spirit sniffed a bit again. ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t have gotten so wet.¡± She gestured at Sophie¡¯s current state. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie asked curiously. ¡°Weatherproofing?¡± She repeated the word that Elowen had mentioned before, when Briony came to fix the window. Elowen nodded, crossing her arms and pouting. ¡°That,¡± she gestured again at Sophie¡¯s current clothes. ¡°Is totally pointless. Why are you even wearing that?¡± Sophie laughed out loud. ¡°It¡¯s not pointless.¡± It did, after all, cover her to the standards of her own personal modesty levels. She wasn¡¯t sure if this society had taboos on nudity, but she wasn¡¯t about to push her own personal limits in that regard. ¡°But I can see that maybe the other dresses are a bit better¡­¡± Elowen sniffed again. ¡°Much better,¡± she insisted. ¡°Well, I think I ordered some more outfits made for shrine priestesses specifically. But they won¡¯t be ready for a few more days. I¡¯m not sure if they will have the same protections on them, but you can test them for me, okay? Make sure they are up to your standards.¡± Elowen looked somewhat placated, but Sophie could tell she wasn¡¯t quite off the hook yet. ¡°I will,¡± the spirit said with a huff. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they are fit for a priestess.¡± Sophie repressed a laugh at Elowen¡¯s insistence. It seemed like the Tailored clothing must have special attributes, like stat boosts in a video game. ¡°How does Tailoring work, then?¡± she asked, as she finished drying her hair and began going through the brown paper bags. She pulled out the two loaves of bread from the bakery and brought them over to the little kitchen area. ¡°A Tailor makes clothing that suits a class,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Mostly cloth items, although some do work with leather as well. The fabric becomes more durable and also offers certain resistances or benefits depending on the tailor¡¯s intention.¡± ¡°So the previous shrine priestess¡¯s dresses were Tailored?¡± Sophie asked. Elowen nodded eagerly. ¡°Oh, yes, of course. Other than being resistant to the weather and other elements, like fire, they were also specially made to help with mana channeling and resist corrupting forces.¡± Sophie shivered at the idea of ¡°corrupting forces¡± but it sounded like it would be a while before she learned mana purification and had to worry about that anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± she hesitated, as she pulled the rest of the pastries out of the bag. She was unsure if she really wanted to make the offer she was thinking about making. She swallowed her pride, thinking of Elowen waiting alone in the rain, thinking she might have been abandoned again for untold decades. Or until she faded away. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I¡¯ll wear the dresses,¡± she forced out. ¡°Although I won¡¯t like it!¡± she added at the end. Elowen stared at her in surprise. ¡°Really? You would?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°At least until I get the new ones.¡± Elowen shook her head softly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± she said, looking at the ground. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But maybe if you at least wear them if we have another visitor.¡± ¡°That seems reasonable,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°But, hey, I¡¯m probably going to have to go into town a lot, and I don¡¯t want you waiting outside in the rain for me every time¡­ This shrine doesn¡¯t even have a way for me to take a shower. Didn¡¯t the previous shrine priestess go into town everyday?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°I used to go with her¡­¡± she trailed off sadly. ¡°Well, until I level up enough to bring you along, you¡¯re just going to have to trust me when I say I¡¯ll return, okay? I don¡¯t exactly have anywhere else to go, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take ages to get you up to speed,¡± Elowen complained. ¡°You¡¯re not even Level 5.¡± Sophie could tell Elowen must be feeling a little better if she was already teasing her about her mana levels. ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie agreed cheerfully. ¡°So I guess we better get to work, right?¡± Elowen grumbled a bit, but she eventually nodded. ¡°You can practice more with the mana lamps in the front of the shrine. If you manage to get all of those lit, we could try practicing with my stone.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed. She brushed her hands off on her damp clothes. She was already finished putting all of the stuff from town away. ¡°Just let me get changed, and then we can start where we left off.¡± Elowen nodded, floating out into the main room to wait for her. It was still weird that she could float through walls. Sophie wondered if Elowen would still be able to do that once she was able to manifest. She shook her head and changed back into the grey dress, hanging up her outfit from the market to dry. When she made it into the shrine¡¯s main room, Elowen was standing in the middle of it, her arms crossed, staring at Sophie as if challenging her. Sophie looked around the empty vestibule. There were a lot of mana lamps in here. It must have looked gorgeous, before, when it was lit up from ambient mana alone. Instead, Sophie had to manually light each one. She set to it ¨C and she did manage to get the rest of the lamps lit in the entryway, but she was feeling a little dizzy by the end of it. Not quite as exhausted as she had the previous time, but noticeable all the same. ¡°Should we try the stone now?¡± she asked, although she wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to hold out much longer. Elowen shook her head, looking a little worried. ¡°No! You¡¯re nearing mana exhaustion again. It would be dangerous to use too much more.¡± ¡°Is that why I passed out the last time?¡± Sophie found herself swaying on her feet. Elowen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s less noticeable at lower levels, because you have less mana to begin with. But as your level increases, the more dangerous it will be to near mana exhaustion. It¡¯s better to get used to the sensation and to learn when to stop using your mana. This is something most children would learn. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be ready for my stone for a few more levels, at this rate.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t miss the dig at her mana levels. It seemed like Elowen was still annoyed from earlier. ¡°Well, let¡¯s stop for tonight then.¡± If this was ¡°less noticeable¡± then Sophie would hate to experience ¡°noticeable¡± mana exhaustion. She looked around the room, pleased with her efforts for now at least, and then followed Elowen back into the personal quarters to get some sleep. *** When Sophie woke up the next day, the sun was streaming in through the window over the little desk in the living quarters, and she felt totally refreshed, all traces of borderline mana exhaustion gone from the night before. She stretched her arms over her head, her back cracking with the effort. The folding mattress wasn¡¯t the best thing she¡¯d ever slept on, but it was better than the floor by far. She pushed the heavy quilt off of herself, ready to make the customary and quite unfortunate trip to the privy when Elowen suddenly floated through the door that led to the shrine¡¯s entryway. Sophie dropped the quilt abruptly in surprise. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me we have another visitor this morning.¡± ¡°You leveled up again!¡± Elowen exclaimed, instead. ¡°I did?¡± Sophie asked. She tried focusing on her mana, but¡­ she honestly couldn¡¯t tell. She wished she got some sort of notification like they did in video games. Elowen nodded eagerly, though. ¡°You must be leveling faster since your levels are so low.¡± For once she sounded pleased about Sophie¡¯s low mana levels. ¡°And,¡± she added with relish. ¡°I thought of a great idea while you were sleeping. Channeling mana into my mana stone might be a little too much for you right now, but we still have the lamps in the courtyard! You can keep training using those today!¡± ¡°There are lamps in the courtyard?¡± Sophie asked. She didn¡¯t remember any, but it would go a long way in helping her find her way back at night. Although the next time she went to town, she was definitely going to bring a lantern. The previous shrine priestess had a good, old fashioned one that used fire and everything, just like all of the other light fixtures in the living quarters. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll show you,¡± Elowen offered. ¡°Since there used to be an abundance of mana, it was never a problem and they always stayed lit.¡± That made sense. What didn¡¯t make sense was what had happened to all the mana that made the lamps stop working and that left Elowen to fade away... Eventually, they would have to investigate that, but it seemed so far away from Sophie¡¯s current capabilities. She was still getting the hang of even using mana in the first place. ¡°Right.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Let me make some tea, and then we¡¯ll get started. Although, I did promise Acacia I would meet her this afternoon.¡± ¡°Acacia?¡± Elowen asked, already frowning at the mention of the friendly baker. ¡°Oh, just someone I met in town. She is going to give me cooking lessons.¡± Elowen didn¡¯t look pleased at the idea, but Sophie would have to make it up to her somehow. She really needed to learn how to cook, otherwise she¡¯d be spending all of her coin on market food, and, well, that didn¡¯t sound so bad actually. But maybe when she found a way to actually make more of it. Sophie grabbed the bucket out of the kitchen and headed out to the well to begin getting ready for the day. It was only the fourth day in this strange world, but she didn¡¯t think she would get used to having to get water out of a well every morning. She hoped she¡¯d eventually be able to figure out running water, but that was probably a long way off, given her current living situation. As she slowly lowered the bucket into the well, she felt the increasingly familiar sensation of eyes watching her. She turned around to look over her shoulder, but Elowen hadn¡¯t followed her out. She glanced around at the trees and was pleased to see the little dragon creature from before. She wondered if it was the same one, or if there were many of them. Somehow, it felt like the same one she had seen previously, and she gave it a little wave. ¡°Well hello there. Aren¡¯t you the cutest little thing? Are you friendly?¡± The creature looked at her with wide, curious eyes and tilted its head to the side like a bird. Sophie finished pulling up the bucket of water while the little creature watched from the trees. She carefully set the bucket on the ground next to the well. She found herself wanting to approach the creature, almost like a stray kitten. ¡°Are you hungry? What do you eat anyway?¡± She took a cautious step forward. The little dragon ¨C or maybe it was just a winged lizard, it wasn¡¯t very big after all ¨C didn¡¯t shy away, nor did it make any aggressive or defensive motions towards her. Surely something so cute couldn¡¯t be that harmful, could it? ¡°What on earth is taking you so long?¡± Elowen¡¯s voice suddenly rang out from behind Sophie. Sophie glanced back again and made a shushing motion. ¡°Shh! You¡¯ll scare it,¡± she said. ¡°Scare what? It¡¯s not like anyone but you can hear me anyway.¡± ¡°The little dragon¡­¡± Sophie trailed off, but when she turned back, the creature was already gone. ¡°Oh, nevermind.¡± She supposed Elowen did have a point about other people or even cute little dragon creatures not hearing her. She hefted the water bucket and headed back inside. After washing her face with some of the warmed up well water, making tea, and eating the rest of her leftover potato wedges from the night before, Sophie finally followed Elowen out into the courtyard. In the harsh light of day, it looked pretty bad out here. If they were going to be having people from the town visiting to receive classes, Sophie probably needed to make it look more inviting. She¡¯s surprised the guy from yesterday ¨C Garrick, was it? ¨C didn¡¯t run off in fear. ¡°These are the lamps,¡± Elowen said, pointing to some stone blocks that bordered the courtyard. They were set at even intervals around the perimeter and only stood about as high as Sophie¡¯s shins. Sophie had assumed them to be random decorations previously. Or at the very least, a tripping hazard. ¡°You can also test your mana levels here,¡± Elowen added, pointing out the much taller stone that stood off to one side, on the opposite side of the courtyard as the portal stone that she had shown Sophie on the first day. Sophie made her way over to the Level Stone and placed her palm against the side of it. The surface was surprisingly smooth and cool and it had thick grooves notched all the way up to the top. ¡°Like this?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°Just focus your mana into it, and the lines will glow based on your level.¡± Sophie closed her eyes and tried to center herself, focusing on her mana again. All of this focusing was honestly quite challenging. She had never been into meditation, but now she felt like she might need to start practicing. She opened her eyes and saw that three notches were lit up, but it almost felt like the stone was pulling at her mana, like it would drain more if she let it. She pulled her hand away, taking a step back. Even this small effort, already made her feel a little less energetic than she had. ¡°Woah, it really takes a lot out of you.¡± Elowen giggled. ¡°At lower levels, maybe¡­¡± Sophie rolled her eyes. She couldn¡¯t wait to level up again, although she supposed Elowen probably wouldn¡¯t stop teasing her until she was at least a Level 10. ¡°Maybe I should hold off on more mana practice until later tonight,¡± Sophie said. She glanced around at the sad state of the courtyard. ¡°I could clean up a bit out here instead.¡± Elowen pursed her lips thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± she agreed. ¡°We don¡¯t want you to be totally exhausted if you¡¯re going into town later.¡± ¡°Do you know if the previous shrine priestess had any gardening tools around here?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t really pay attention to things like that.¡± Sophie was tempted to roll her eyes again, but she managed to refrain herself. She was pretty sure she had seen a shed, overgrown with vines and other weeds near the privy. Besides, it would be good to explore more of the surrounding area in the light of day. She hadn¡¯t really gotten a good look at things other than her few trips to the well and the privy. Time to go exploring again. Chapter 13: Gardening Sophie made her way along the side of the shrine, carefully walking through the tall grass and weeds that had grown up over the years. She had seen a structure back here previously on one of her many trips to the privy, but hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it before. Now, she could see that it was almost entirely covered in vines, with bushes and little saplings blocking the entrance. She put her hands on her hips. She needed gardening tools to even get into this building. At the very least, she needed something like gloves. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a case of fantasyland poison ivy. She made her way back into the shrine, and opened the small chest that the old shrine priestess had kept clothing in. She dug around in it for a bit, and finally found a pair of cloth gloves. Leather or some similar material would¡¯ve been better, but she imagined something like that would probably be kept in the gardening shed along with all the tools. At least she would hopefully avoid the worst of it if she was careful. She slid on the gloves, and stomped back out to the little structure that she was almost nearly positive was a gardening shed. First, she started pulling vines off the windows along each side. She tried to peer inside the building, but it was too dark to really see anything. It was set back in a denser part of the trees, where the sunlight didn¡¯t reach so easily. Next, she tackled the vines on the door. She yanked them down, needing to use quite a bit of strength to do so. She had to carefully step around the shrubs that had grown in the path. She would hate to cut them down, but she would have to eventually, she couldn¡¯t just leave this all overgrown. The gloves were surprisingly durable, and Sophie wondered if they had also been imbued with mana. She wondered when she¡¯d be able to sense it. It sounded like maybe in another few levels. She stepped back to survey her handiwork. ¡°Well here goes nothing.¡± Elowen appeared beside her, startling her slightly. ¡°Are you going to open the door?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what¡¯s in here?¡± Elowen looked thoughtful at the question, but she eventually shrugged. ¡°Plants, maybe?¡± ¡°Plants? But it doesn¡¯t get much sunlight over here.¡± Elowen didn¡¯t seem to have any sort of follow-up to that, so Sophie opened the door. She flung it open, stepping back hastily just in case some sort of small creature had made its home in the building. After a moment of waiting, nothing scurried out, so she peered inside. It was, indeed, full of plants, albeit most of them seemed dead. The floor of the building was littered with brown crunchy leaves of all varieties, and there were even some mushrooms growing in spots where the leaves had started to decompose. The floor was oddly damp in places, and Sophie imagined the roof must be leaking in here. ¡°What are all these plants? They didn¡¯t need more sunlight than this?¡± It was more of a rhetorical question than anything. She doubted that Elowen had anything useful to add. But she had to wonder¡­ What was the previous shrine priestess doing in here anyway? She carefully stepped around the piles of dried leaves, and made her way over to a collection of gardening tools. They looked about as she would¡¯ve expected gardening tools to look like ¨C wooden handles, metal on the ends. Although she also noticed a scythe among the bunch. She picked that up first out of curiosity. The blade looked awfully sharp. This would definitely be useful for cleaning up some of the grass and tall weeds around the courtyard. ¡°Look at this!¡± Elowen called from a different corner of the shed. Sophie carefully shouldered the scythe and went over to investigate Elowen¡¯s discovery. A single living plant stood among the rest. In fact, if anything, it looked to be a little overwatered. Sophie glanced up at the ceiling, but it was too dark in the shed to tell. She imagined the roof must be leaking in this exact spot and dripping down onto the plant to keep it alive for so long. ¡°What a little trooper!¡± It felt sad to just leave it in here surrounded by all of the other dead plants. ¡°Can we bring it into the shrine? The front area could use a little livening up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡° Elowen replied. ¡°Besides, it seems to have an awful lot of mana for a plant.¡± Sophie paused where she was currently trying to lift the heavy container off of the table. ¡°Plants have mana?¡± ¡°Of course! All living things have mana.¡± Elowen had definitely explained that before, but for some reason Sophie didn¡¯t imagine it to include plants. She supposed if stone could contain mana, then surely plants could as well. After some finagling, Sophie managed to get the heavy pot into the shrine¡¯s entryway. She regretted not spending more time working on her upper body strength in her past life, as she had recently started to think of it. If the plant had grown any larger, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to move it alone. It definitely improved the look of the entryway. But really nothing could help the pile of stuff that was still sitting in the middle of the room. Right. She really needed to take care of that today. ¡°What time is it anyway?¡° She had no real way to tell. There were no clocks in the shrine. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was part of the whole ascetic shrine priestess thing or what. But after her garden shed adventure, she was not in any sort of state to get cooking lessons from Acacia. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± she glanced over at Elowen who was floating around the plant with curiosity. ¡°I really could use a shower after all that. I¡¯m going to head back into town a little early, and also deal with all of this ¨C¡± She gestured to the pile of stuff on the floor. Elowen glanced up at her, blinking curiously. ¡°Oh? How?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ll figure it out when I get there.¡± Briony had mentioned something about sanitation services, so surely Sophie would be able to figure it out. She cleaned up a bit, making herself at least somewhat presentable with the cold water from earlier in the morning, and then started making her way into town. *** For another five coppers, Sophie took her second real shower in this strange fantasyland and had the startling realization that she was pretty sure it was already Tuesday back in Seattle. She had somehow started to get caught up in her new life here. It wasn¡¯t like she had much going on in her old life other than work. Surprisingly, her new job ¨C if it could be called the job ¨C seemed to fit her well, all things considered. If not for the fact that it wasn¡¯t very lucrative at the moment¡­ She supposed that was the benefit of having a sentient shrine spirit scan you and determine what class you were most suited for in life. Why she had been deemed fit to be a priestess was another story entirely. But Sophie doubted she would ever learn the answer to that. After her shower, she asked the friendly clerk at the front desk if they knew how to set up sanitation services to a location outside of town. This, of course, involved explaining her new status as a shrine priestess, and having yet another person excitedly tell her how glad they were that Caulis would have a dedicated priestess of their own now. After Sophie reassured the chatty clerk that she was definitely intending to hold a shrine class festival at Midsummer ¨C even though she had no idea what any of that meant ¨C the clerk directed her to an administrative building a few blocks away, where she apparently would be able to take care of her task. The administrative building stood among several other boring looking stone buildings in a part of town that Sophie hadn¡¯t been to yet. It was quite far from the market and the other places she was used to going, and she tried to make note of her surroundings, a little worried that she might finally get lost. She missed her cellphone the most in moments like this. When she finally found the building, she opened the door to a small, cramped space that was not unlike her unfortunate experiences at government buildings in her previous life. There was a long desk towards the back of the room, and several chairs lined up along one side. The woman at the desk appeared to be reading a book of some sort, but the plain brown cover didn¡¯t reveal what kind of book it might be. Sophie wondered idly if it could be a novel. She¡¯d been so focused on training and cleaning the shrine recently that she didn¡¯t have a chance to miss her romance manga, but she was sure she had missed a few updates by now. Did they have romance manga in this strange fantasyland? Somehow, Sophie doubted it. The woman glanced up, setting the book down, as Sophie entered. ¡°How can I help you? Oh! A Priestess? Well, then! Are you the new priestess everyone¡¯s been talking about?¡± Sophie felt her face heat at the idea that everyone really did seem to be talking about her. What was the obsession with priestesses around here? ¡°I am,¡± she replied. ¡°In fact, I stopped by to see about getting sanitation services set up for the shrine. I know it¡¯s a little bit out of town ¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s no trouble at all. Let me just check the books here.¡± She pulled out a much larger heavy looking book that reminded Sophie of the one at the Crafter¡¯s Guild. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± She ran her finger down one of the pages. ¡°It looks like I can have someone come out tomorrow afternoon, and then every fortnight after that, if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡± ¡°That would be perfect,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Although, I do have a pile of old items from the former priestess that need to be taken care of initially. Will that be a problem?¡± The woman shook her head and made a note in the ledger. ¡°Not at all, dear. In fact, since this is for the shrine, if you would like to officially register as the town¡¯s priestess, I can get that set up for you, as well. And then these services would be at no cost to you.¡± Sophie¡¯s ears perked up at no cost. ¡°Registered?¡± she repeated. This was the first she had heard of something like this. ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s good to have the priestess on record. It¡¯s just like you might register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild or the Crafter¡¯s Guild, but this is with the town. Mostly for bookkeeping, you know?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know. In fact, she honestly had no idea what the woman was talking about, since she hadn¡¯t registered anywhere previously. But, if she could get free garbage service out of it, registering sounded fine to her. And she was sure Elowen, or at the very least Acacia, might know more about it. ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°What¡¯s involved?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just have to send a Mage out to check that everything¡¯s in order. I can send someone out as soon as tomorrow morning before we send out the cart if that works?¡± Tomorrow morning¡­ Everything wasn¡¯t exactly in order in the shrine, but there didn¡¯t seem to be much use in putting it off. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie agreed, although she privately worried what might happen if the mage didn¡¯t like what they found. Would they kick her out of the shrine? Was that even possible? It¡¯s not like Elowen had anyone else who could even see her. ¡°Perfect,¡± the woman replied, interrupting Sophie¡¯s thoughts. ¡°And what was your last name, dear?¡± ¡°Birch,¡± Sophie replied automatically. ¡°It¡¯s Sophie Birch.¡± The woman made another mark in the ledger and then nodded to herself. ¡°Alright then. I have everything I need. Someone will be by tomorrow.¡± Sophie did her best to smile at the clerk in goodbye, but as she turned to make her way back out to the main street, she had a sinking feeling that maybe agreeing to be ¡°registered¡± wasn¡¯t such a good idea after all. She didn¡¯t exactly even belong to this world. Could they do a background check on her? Was that even a thing in fantasy worlds? She shook her head as she glanced up at the unfamiliar street signs. There wasn¡¯t much she could do about it now. Instead, she needed to find her way back to the town that she was more familiar with. Maybe Acacia would know more about what registering involved. Sophie re-traced her steps back to the more familiar part of town and hoped she didn¡¯t just make a terrible mistake. Chapter 14: Mana Loaves Sophie eventually found her way to the bakery from the administration building. She was really going to have to start paying attention to street signs, she supposed. She hesitated at the entrance. It wasn¡¯t like she was dreading the cooking lessons, exactly ¨C especially not under Acacia¡¯s friendly, confident guidance ¨C but Sophie and the entire concept of cooking weren¡¯t exactly on the best of terms. She bolstered up her courage and pulled open the door to the now-familiar ring of the little bell. Acacia had someone else working with her today. He was tall and blond, and looked more like a rugby player than a baker. He was currently helping another customer, but he looked up curiously at Sophie. ¡°Sophie!¡± Acacia called out with excitement from her spot behind the counter and waved her over. She gestured to all of the baked goods on display. ¡°Do you want to grab a snack before we get started?¡± Sophie made her way up to the counter, sorely tempted, but shook her head before she considered the pastries seriously. If she looked too closely, she would probably give in. ¡°I thought this was about making sure I eat some real food,¡± she teased. Acacia laughed. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Sophie winced as she heard the bell ring again behind her. ¡°Are you sure now¡¯s a good time? You seem awfully busy.¡± Acacia leaned over the counter and whispered conspiratorially. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just make Hollis do all the work.¡± Hollis snorted from his place helping the other customer. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all. Acacia told me about your plans for this afternoon already.¡± The customer handed over a few coins, and Hollis slid a bag of pastries over the counter. ¡°Go on ahead,¡± Hollis reassured Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ve got a handle on things here.¡± Acacia practically skipped around the counter, gesturing for Sophie to follow. ¡°This way! I¡¯m really excited to show you our kitchen.¡± Sophie dutifully followed behind Acacia, honestly curious what a bakery¡¯s kitchen would look like, especially in this fantasy world. When they made it to the end of the hallway, Acacia led her through some swinging double doors to a surprisingly spacious area. There were huge stone ovens, metal racks with long flat pans on them, and a large wooden workspace area that was still dusted with flour. One pan appeared to have little loaves of dough rising on it. Acacia stepped over to a sink area and pulled an apron off of a rack next to it, handing it over to Sophie. It was identical to the ones Acacia and Hollis both were wearing. ¡°Here, you need one of these,¡± she said, as she handed it to Sophie. She turned back towards the sink, beginning to wash her hands. ¡°What would you like to learn how to make?¡± she called over her shoulder. Sophie slid the apron on, trying to rack her brain for any sort of answer. She honestly had no idea. What did people eat when they cooked for themselves? It had been a few years since she lived with her family ¨C she hadn¡¯t seriously stayed in her family home since high school, really ¨C but even then, her father mostly ordered takeout for them. Her sister was more into cooking, but Sophie never really bothered to try. Over the summers Sophie had always found excuses to stay in her college town, working to help offset her loans, usually at a convenience store right across from the local Italian restaurant where she often got food before or after her shift, depending on the time of day. Pasta never got old, but she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to manage making that. Not unless they had boxed pasta and jarred sauces in this strange fantasy world. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she confessed. ¡°Soup, maybe? I just want something simple and easy to make for myself ¨C¡± Acacia turned around again, grabbing a towel to dry her hands, but then her eyes widened suddenly. ¡°What do you want this time?¡± she asked, but the question was obviously directed at someone behind Sophie. Sophie glanced back to see the woman from before ¨C the one that Acacia had seemed to be arguing with that first day Sophie came to the bakery. The woman¡¯s long black hair was pulled up into a bun, and there was no mistaking her resemblance to Acacia. ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± she said ¨C this directed to Sophie ¨C and then her eyes met Acacia¡¯s. ¡°We need mana loaves.¡± Acacia shook her head. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy right now? I can¡¯t afford to drain myself ¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s critical, Caci,¡± the woman interrupted. ¡°A special request came in. We need it as soon as you can get it done.¡± Acacia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s always critical with you. Why can¡¯t someone else do it?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, maybe because you¡¯re better at it?¡± Sophie could hear the annoyance dripping from the other woman¡¯s voice. ¡°And anyways Linden¡¯s going to be in the party. Do you really want him going out there with someone else¡¯s inferior product?¡± Acacia frowned, biting at her lip. She glanced away for a long moment and then finally back at Sophie. ¡°Sorry, Sophie. I guess I need to do this instead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Sophie insisted, although the entire exchange was confusing to her on so many levels. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what exactly Acacia needed to do, but she figured they could always do cooking lessons another time if it was as important as it sounded. ¡°Do you mind telling Hollis for me, when you head back up front?¡± Acacia added. ¡°I need to discuss some things with my sister.¡± Her tone was polite to Sophie, but it sounded like there was some history there. ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie said and quickly pulled off the apron, hanging it carefully back on its place on the hook, before leaving the two sisters to their argument ¨C whatever it was about. When Sophie made it back to the front of the bakery, the other customers had already cleared out for the most part, with the exception of one woman who had just finished paying. Sophie waited her turn, wanting to buy some baked goods after all since she obviously wasn¡¯t getting cooking lessons today. When she got up to the counter, Hollis frowned. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I saw Calli go back there. Are they arguing again?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie replied, frowning as well. ¡°Acacia said she¡¯ll be busy for a while. Does this happen a lot?¡± Hollis nodded. ¡°More often than not. I¡¯m guessing Calli is here on another special order?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°She mentioned something about mana loaves... Is that something Acacia makes?¡± Hollis nodded again. ¡°It¡¯s not something we sell here, but Acacia contracts with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to make them. Calli is a clerk there,¡± he explained. ¡°Acacia is really good at making mana bread, so she gets roped into doing it a lot, even above and beyond what she really should¡­¡± Sophie frowned at the explanation. She wasn¡¯t sure what was involved in making mana bread, but if it was anything like her experience channeling mana, she imagined it must be exhausting. ¡°That sounds¡­¡± she trailed off, unsure what to say. Hollis shrugged. ¡°Exactly,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry your cooking lessons got cut short. I¡¯d offer to help, but it sounds like I¡¯ll be running the shop for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright,¡± Sophie reassured him. ¡°I just want to get a few pastries for the road.¡± Hollis nodded amicably, as Sophie scanned the display case. There were a few different items in there today. She pointed to something that looked awfully similar to a croissant. She was excited ¨C she hadn¡¯t seen those the previous two times she had been in the shop. ¡°Are those plain?¡± Hollis glanced down to where she was pointing and shook his head. ¡°No, they¡¯re filled, actually. Chocolate ¨C¡± ¡°Chocolate!¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll take three then.¡± Hollis laughed. ¡°Of course,¡± he replied, pulling the tray out. He looked oddly pleased at her selection, and he began wrapping them in paper for her as Sophie pulled out her coin pouch. She hadn¡¯t yet gotten any leads on coffee in this strange fantasy world, but at least there were chocolate-filled croissants. There was some hope, yet. After she paid and said her thanks to Hollis, she made her way back out into the town. She was a little tempted to stop by a restaurant again to get some more of that real food that Acacia kept harping on her about, but¡­ Well, she thought back to the previous night ¨C especially the part about Elowen waiting sadly for her in the rain ¨C and she decided against another restaurant adventure. No, instead, she¡¯d just pick something up at the market. She should probably be a little more careful with her coin anyway. She made her way to the market and found the same little stand that sold the kebabs she ate on her first day in Caulis. There were many other stands here, but she figured she¡¯d try them all out eventually. Instead, today she bought three more kebabs, along with a pita filled with meat and vegetables. The vendor wrapped everything in a small box, with the kebab sticks poking out of the side. The food might be a little cold by the time she got back, but Sophie thought it would probably be worth it, if only to surprise Elowen by coming back earlier than she intended. *** By the time Sophie got back to the shrine, she sorely regretted not eating one of the kebabs on her way back. She also fully expected Elowen to be waiting for her in the courtyard again, but she was surprised when the spirit was nowhere in sight. She made her way into the shrine only to find Elowen sitting cross-legged in the entryway, staring at the plant they had found earlier in the day. Well, more like hovering than sitting, but ¨C ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophie asked, still juggling all of the parcels from the bakery and the market. Elowen looked up at her, frowning slightly. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. Why does this plant have so much mana?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Sophie shrugged. It wasn¡¯t like she could offer any real input to this problem, and she could smell the kebabs. She left Elowen to the plant investigation for now and made her way back to the kitchen. She placed the bag of pastries on the counter next to the one from the day before. She was starting to accumulate a collection ¨C she could almost open a satellite bakery of her own at this rate. Although, she was sure none of it would last for very long, since she really didn¡¯t intend to try and cook anything else until she got those cooking lessons from Acacia. She sat down at the table with her other box of food from the market and finally got a bite of one of the kebabs. Some small part of her was almost a little annoyed at Elowen¡¯s lack of response to her early return, but then the spirit came floating through the wall that separated the kitchen from the main area. Sophie nearly choked on a piece of well-seasoned poultry meat in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re already done with cooking lessons?¡± Elowen asked. It seemed she had given up on the mystery of the plant for the time being. Sophie spluttered a bit as she finished chewing her food and stood up to get some water from the bucket she had brought in earlier this morning. She took a long sip and dreamed of the day when she¡¯d have the chill box. The water was lukewarm and already kind of stale-tasting. ¡°Acacia was busy,¡± she explained, finally, when she could speak properly again. ¡°So we didn¡¯t get a chance to do cooking lessons after all.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame!¡± Elowen replied. She floated around the bags of pastries curiously and then hovered near the table, peering down at Sophie¡¯s box of food. Sophie sat back down in her chair and started in on the pita wrap as Elowen watched her with open curiosity. Sophie supposed Acacia had a point about real food. Too bad Sophie didn¡¯t know how to make any of it for herself. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get around to them another time,¡± Sophie said, choosing to ignore Elowen¡¯s staring. ¡°But, hey ¨C actually, someone¡¯s coming over tomorrow to check on the shrine. Do you know anything about registering?¡± ¡°Registering?¡± Elowen repeated. She frowned at the word. ¡°What do you mean? Why is someone coming over? Is this about the stuff in the entryway?¡± ¡°Oh, sort of. When I went to take care of that, the clerk I met asked me if I wanted to register as the town¡¯s shrine priestess. Didn¡¯t the previous priestess do that?¡± Elowen looked thoughtful for a moment but eventually shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we had anything like that. Or maybe I just don¡¯t remember¡­¡± Not for the first time, Sophie wondered how long exactly it had been since Elowen lost the previous priestess and how much things had changed since then. ¡°Well, it sounds like people from the town want to make sure everything¡¯s above board here. And if it all checks out, we¡¯ll get free trash service.¡± Elowen frowned further at that. ¡°People from the town¡­¡± she trailed off, and then gave Sophie a very strange look indeed. ¡°Well, I chose you, and I¡¯m the spirit of this shrine. There¡¯s nothing anyone can do to change that. So I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about.¡± The way Elowen said the words made Sophie wonder if Elowen could really do anything about it if someone decided otherwise. She nodded along, but she found herself staring down at her half-eaten pita. She hoped Elowen was right. Chapter 15: Making it Official Sophie finished eating the rest of the pita bread and her other two kebabs, following it all up with a chocolate scone and a cup of tea. She sat back in her chair, extremely pleased with the food, all of the worries about registering pushed to the corners of her mind. The person from town would be here tomorrow morning, and there really wasn¡¯t much she could do about it now. Instead¡­ She stood up, putting the rest of her tea aside for later. ¡°I¡¯m ready to try those lamps,¡± she decided. Elowen glanced up in surprise. ¡°The ones in the courtyard?¡± she asked. Sophie nodded. ¡°Yep, let¡¯s do it.¡± Elowen practically spun with excitement as she floated out towards the courtyard, not bothering to wait for Sophie. Sophie laughed, following behind but having to go through two sets of doors to do so. When she finally made it out to the courtyard, she noticed the sunlight was already starting to fade, but that wouldn''t matter once she got the lamps lit. They were set at even intervals all around the perimeter of the courtyard. They were spaced out a bit further than the ones in the shrine, but they were also quite a bit larger, reaching up to her shins. The lamps didn¡¯t look like much in their current empty state, but she imagined the courtyard would look beautiful when it was finally lit up. In fact, now that Sophie knew what to look for, she was starting to see mana stone everywhere. It seemed like it was primarily used for lighting and decoration around the shrine, but she wondered if the little marker stones along the path were made of mana stone as well. It would make sense if whatever mana used to support the shrine could stretch out that far. The scale seemed impossibly large to her, at her current level though. She couldn¡¯t imagine walking along that path and lighting each marker individually. ¡°Just do as many as you can,¡± Elowen said, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you can''t get them all tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie nodded, glancing around the courtyard. There were, after all, quite a few lamps out here as well. Maybe not as many as there were in the shrine, but probably nearly so. She made her way over to one and crouched down in front of it. She hesitantly placed her hand on the top of the stone. It was cold and slightly grimy to the touch. She shivered involuntarily at the feeling, but she tried to repress the sensation and focus on her mana, instead. She was getting much more used to this feeling after a few days of this ¨C the feeling of finding mana inside her, pulling it out of her core, and letting it flow into the cool stone. Somehow she also knew exactly when to stop. It was as if the stone spoke to her and said, enough. A small part of her wondered what would happen if she pushed past that, but another part of her shied away at the idea. She pulled her hand away from the stone as it lit up with that strange blue glow ¨C but much brighter than lamps in the shrine. Elowen clapped from somewhere behind her, obviously delighted. ¡°You¡¯re getting to be so quick at this. Oh, I do hope you''ll level up again. You''re leveling so quickly.¡± Sophie wasn''t exactly sure how long it usually took for people to level in this world. But if people were usually only Level 10 by the time they came of age, it did seem like she was leveling awfully quickly to already be Level 3 in a matter of days. Granted, she suppose she was a rare case, given the fact that she had never used mana before now and now she had found herself in a position of being the priestess in this shrine completely devoid of mana. She wasn¡¯t sure what a shrine priestess¡¯s usual duties were exactly, quite yet. But she couldn''t imagine that manually lighting every lamp in the shrine by hand was among them. She moved on to the next lamp, and then the next after that, making her way around the courtyard until she felt shaky and exhausted. She wanted to keep going. But she also remembered Elowen¡¯s warning. Besides, the spirit seemed to be able to tell when Sophie''s mana was low, and Sophie didn''t want to worry her unduly. She stood back. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°I think I¡¯m done for now.¡± She''d made it about three quarters of the way around. She was pretty proud of herself, despite being unable to complete the whole set of them. It was definitely better than the previous two times with the lamps in the shrine. Especially considering that these lamps were a lot larger. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful, Sophie,¡± Elowen said, floating around the courtyard and looking at the lights. Sophie felt warm with the praise. It was nice to have something to keep her mind off of tomorrow. She thought, perhaps, that she could use another chocolate croissant or two as a reward. *** When Sophie woke up the next morning, she immediately sat up buzzing with excitement. Had she leveled up again? She could feel the energy bursting within her just like she had the previous morning. But she still hadn''t figured out how to actually tell her own level yet. Elowen floated in after Sophie started getting ready for the day. But the spirit didn''t look as excited as she had yesterday. ¡°Did I level?¡± Sophie asked. Elowen shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She sighed. ¡°But that''s not unexpected.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Sophie frowned at the reply ¨C the past two times she had been able to work herself to exhaustion and then wake up at a new level. Why would this be any different? ¡°Leveling gets slightly harder as you go along,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°The earliest levels are much easier to obtain. It¡¯s hard to say exactly how long it will take, but you won''t reach the next levels as easily, and it will only get harder as we go.¡± For some reason, the explanation jarred Sophie out of the pleasant haze that had been surrounding her recently. She had started to think somehow that maybe all of this wasn''t so bad. But hearing this¡­ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So it could take a while?¡± she asked. ¡°And we don¡¯t know how long?¡± Elowen nodded somberly. Sophie was definitely disappointed to hear that. But it''s not like it changed things. If anything, it meant she needed to work harder. She needed to make sure she was training to the point of exhaustion every day ¨C to level as quickly as she could. She felt something stirring within her at the idea. A purpose. Training was, in and of itself, and purpose. And each step would bring her closer to her goal. But first she had to get past this whole registering business. ¡°Well,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to work more on channeling, but we do have a visitor coming this morning¡­¡± She glanced over at the chest containing the dreaded grey priestess gear. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll wear one of the Tailored dresses.¡± Elowen nodded, obviously pleased at the suggestion. ¡°That would be lovely.¡± Sophie dug in the chest to see what her options were. Most of the dresses were that same drab shade of grey. They were, at least, fairly clean and in good shape, even given the years they must have been sitting here. Probably the work of Tailoring. After a bit of digging, she found one towards the very bottom that was a light blue color. Very similar, in fact, to one of the outfits she picked out at the market. She pulled it out, holding it up for inspection. This one wasn¡¯t so bad, actually. From behind her, Elowen made a small sound ¨C just a light intake of breath. Sophie turned around to look at the spirit, but Elowen was staring at the dress, her eyes hazy. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Sophie asked, immediately worried at the strange reaction. Elowen¡¯s eyes snapped back to her, and she seemed to come back to the present. After a moment, she shook her head. ¡°I thought I remembered something¡­¡± she frowned, trailing off. But then they heard the bell. ¡°Crap.¡± Sophie waved the spirit away. ¡°Can you go check for me? I¡¯m going to put this on. It¡¯s probably the Mage from town.¡± And she hadn''t even had her morning tea yet. *** After quickly changing into the dress and shepherding her hair into something that was less of a rat''s nest, Sophie made her way out to the front. It seemed like people in this town expected shrine priestesses to wake up at the crack of dawn or something. Sophie still had no idea what time it actually was, of course, or even a reliable method of telling time. But she probably should figure that out soon if she was going to keep having morning visitors. She peered out of one of the front windows of the shrine, Elowen floating alongside her. The man in the courtyard was glancing around with a critical eye. He seemed to be a bit older than she was, and he had long blond hair pulled back at his nape. He was even wearing robes. He looked awfully official. Sophie¡¯s stomach sank with anxiety. ¡°He¡¯s an Unspecialized,¡± Elowen whispered to her. ¡°Unspecialized?¡± Sophie asked. Elowen nodded. ¡°Unspecialized mages work with mana directly, rather than one of the elements,¡± she explained. ¡°They have abilities similar to a priest or priestess, although they are still unable to see my true form as I am now.¡± Huh. Sophie would have to ask more questions about that later. As it was, she stepped out into the courtyard, preparing for the worst. The man''s eyes locked on to her immediately. She almost expected some sort of accusation or some harsh comments about the terrible state of the shrine, but she was relieved to see a friendly smile quirk at the corner of his mouth, instead. ¡°Our new priestess,¡± he said drolly. ¡°It¡¯s been a very long time indeed.¡± Sophie nearly couldn''t resist the urge to ask, How long? but she managed to restrain herself somehow. ¡°The spirit!¡± he gasped, nearly losing his composure as Elowen came up alongside Sophie. ¡°So there has been a spirit here!¡± ¡°You can see her?¡± Sophie asked. The man shook his head sadly. ¡°Not exactly¡­ She''s pretty far into the Fade, isn''t she?¡± Sophie nodded, although she wasn''t exactly sure what he meant, Elowen¡¯s form was fairly translucent, so Fading seemed an accurate description of what was happening to her. ¡°You''ll be working on getting her back to her true form, I suppose,¡± the man said. He pulled out a scroll and began making some notes on it. ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Didn''t anyone think to check before?¡± The man glanced up from his notes. He looked¡­ embarrassed. ¡°To be honest¡­ No. We hadn¡¯t. Not when the shrine had been abandoned for so long.¡± He made a sweeping gesture. ¡°In the past¡­ Well, it must have been assumed that this spirit had Faded out completely with the loss of mana. And when the mana is completely gone like it is now, another spirit can''t form to take its place.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You''d have to check the archives in the town library to find out why exactly. It was well before my time, but they likely have some records that might be of assistance to you.¡± Sophie frowned at the answer, but she supposed it seemed reasonable enough. Although it didn''t help the fact that Elowen had been left alone for such a long time. ¡°Okay,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± She hadn¡¯t heard of the archives, but any hints as to what happened in the past would probably help her solve this problem, so she would need to go investigate that when she could. The man made a few more notes on the scroll and nodded. ¡°Well, that''s all I really needed to do. All looks to be in order here, although I do not envy you this task. A shrine without a mana source¡­¡± he frowned. ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s completely unheard of. The spirit should have Faded completely by now. No offense intended ¨C¡± he said, inclining his head towards Elowen. Elowen crossed her arms and huffed, obviously displeased with the remark, but Sophie didn¡¯t think the man could actually see that. ¡°Let me know if I can be of any assistance, although an earth mage would likely be better suited to help.¡± ¡°An earth mage?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°How could they help?¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s quite dangerous, they have the power to move the earth itself,¡± the man explained. ¡°If there is a strong enough mana source nearby, they might very well be able to redirect it to the shrine.¡± For the first time, Sophie felt a true glimmer of hope about her predicament. An earth mage, huh? ¡°It¡¯s not a common class¡­¡± the man continued. ¡°But sure enough, Caulis is proud to have an earth mage of our own. Unfortunately, he¡¯s currently away on a quest. But he¡¯ll likely return in a fortnight or so. Just let the Adventurer¡¯s Guild know the situation, and they will get a message to him when he returns. They might very well have other solutions for you to try until then.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, truly meaning it. ¡°My pleasure. It¡¯s the least I can do¡­¡± The mage bowed deeply to Elowen. ¡°And I am truly sorry. I hope we can see the shrine restored to its former splendor.¡± Sophie glanced over to Elowen, when the spirit didn¡¯t immediately reply. Her head was bowed slightly, and when she lifted it, she seemed to have tears running down her face. Sophie reached out, uncertain all of a sudden what could possibly be wrong, but realized her mistake immediately. Of course, she still couldn¡¯t touch the spirit. After a long moment, Elowen sniffled a bit. ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied softly, although Sophie doubted the mage could hear her. ¡°Me, too.¡± Chapter 16: An Unexpected Guest After the unspecialized mage left and Sophie finally had a chance to make her morning tea, she began to look over the pile of items that the person from town would be picking up today and wondered if there was anything else she could add to it. She had gone over the shrine pretty thoroughly, but there was always the garden shed¡­ She thought back to all of the dead plants in there, but felt like she could probably find a better use for them. She wasn¡¯t much of a gardener, but at the very least, she thought they could be used as fertilizer or something. The cart came some time after lunch. Sophie helped the man load things up, even after he kept insisting that it was no work for a shrine priestess. She laughed, amused at the idea, given that most of her duties since she arrived here had been related to cleaning up the shrine. Despite his protests, she helped him carry the items down the short stone staircase as Elowen floated around the courtyard, watching the process and apologizing for not being able to help. It was late in the afternoon by the time they were done, and the shrine''s entryway was starting to feel particularly refreshing with the pile of stuff removed. She remembered thinking the shrine had looked downright decrepit on that very first day, but with the brand new window, the lamps in the entryway lit up, and the space cleared of debris, it was practically sparkling. Even the strange mana-filled plant seemed a little perkier in its corner in the front of the room. She remembered thinking the mana lamps were a little dusty the other day when she had been lighting them by hand, and she suddenly felt compelled to clean them. Wait, did she like¡­ enjoy cleaning? She shuddered. Surely, not. But there was little else to do in the shrine today, and she had no real reason to go into town, especially with her pastry stockpile. Besides, the cabinet in the back of the shrine that held Elowen¡¯s mana stone and the small scribe¡¯s desk next to it could both probably use cleaning, too. And it wouldn¡¯t hurt to sweep up again in here, now that the entryway was cleared. That settled it. She went to find a broom and a rag and began cleaning the entryway until it actually sparkled under Elowen¡¯s watchful gaze. ¡°We¡¯ll need to get more cushions,¡± Sophie mused aloud, as she finished sweeping. There had been some in here before, but those had been nearly destroyed and had ended up on the cart along with the rest of the discarded items. Although she still wasn¡¯t quite sure what they had been used for. ¡°Did people, uh, meditate in here?¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± Elowen confirmed. ¡°Some who wished to train their mana would do so here.¡± Sophie glanced around the empty space. She could imagine rows of cushions, set up almost like yoga mats at an exercise studio, but she wondered what benefit it would serve. ¡°But why?¡± she asked. It wasn¡¯t as if others would have empty mana stones to fill all the time. ¡°Mostly to practice control or sensing,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Mana sensing can be very fine-tuned depending on one¡¯s Understanding of it, and the shrine used to be a wonderful place to practice.¡± Sophie frowned at the thought. That must have been before, of course. But Sophie still couldn¡¯t even sense mana or the lack thereof. ¡°Well, do I need to meditate?¡± Elowen shrugged. ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t hurt, but I doubt it would help much either. Your abilities are still in their infancy. Since your mana stores are limited, it¡¯s best to focus on becoming skilled at one thing at a time.¡± Ah, now that Sophie could understand. Of course, channeling would be the most useful thing to practice. Sure, it would be great if she could sense mana, but it would be way better if she could actually channel mana into Elowen¡¯s mana stone and help her become corporeal again. ¡°That makes sense,¡± Sophie agreed, and after a final glance around the room, she knew exactly what they should do next. ¡°Well on that note, let¡¯s finish lighting the lamps in the courtyard,¡± she suggested. Elowen looked absolutely thrilled at the idea, but Sophie¡¯s stomach immediately protested, growling its displeasure. Right, food first. After a hearty meal of more bread and pastries, it was nearly dark by the time she finally made it out to the courtyard with Elowen in tow. The already-lit lamps helped the ambiance a lot, and it felt much less creepy than she somehow expected it to be. She still shivered a bit at the chill in the air as she crouched down to light more of the little lamps, though. She even experimented with lighting them at a short distance in hopes of speeding up the process, but she found it impossible to even grasp what she would even do to get the mana from her hand over to the stone. When the final lamp was lit, she stood up, feeling considerably better than she had the previous night. Granted, she had already lit most of the lamps then, so it made sense that she wouldn¡¯t feel very tired today. She wondered if it would be enough, though. To get her to Level 4. She didn¡¯t like the idea of going to bed without doing as much as she could. She walked to the edge of the courtyard, glancing down the stone steps that led to the forest path and the little markers that faded quickly into the darkness. Those markers were probably made of mana stone, right? She could continue training with them¡­ Her stomach dropped with the thought of stepping into that darkness alone, though, without even Elowen at her side. The spirit would be unable to accompany her past the courtyard. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go out there,¡± Elowen said suddenly from right next to her, making Sophie jump. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really planning on it,¡± Sophie admitted. She didn¡¯t know what dangers lurked in the darkness, and she definitely didn¡¯t want to find out from firsthand experience, but she should probably ask about it, at least. ¡°Is it really that dangerous?¡± Elowen frowned at the question as they made their way back into the light of the courtyard. ¡°At a higher level, with the proper gear, no. But in the darkness at your current level¡­¡± Sophie shivered at the implication. ¡°I haven¡¯t been out there in a very long time, so it¡¯s hard for me to truly say,¡± Elowen continued. ¡°The forest used to be quite safe with the shrine here and the priestess to protect it, but corruption spreads if left untended for too long¡­¡± Corruption. Just the thought of it made Sophie feel uneasy. ¡°Mana corruption can happen to anything that contains mana,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Crafted items, plants, animals, even humans. Perhaps especially humans. Humans, after all, are likely to engage in activities that attract corruption.¡± ¡°They are?¡± Sophie asked, surprised at that revelation. ¡°But what happens to them? What does it do?¡± Elowen shook her head sadly. ¡°It depends on the extent of the corruption. Humans are eventually driven mad by it ¨C animals as well. Places that are steeped in corruption can create twisted, malevolent mana spirits. Crafted objects that are cursed by corruption can cause problems for their users.¡± Sophie almost couldn¡¯t believe it ¨C It sounded like something out of a horror movie. Like zombies or demon possession. Situations that seemed totally outside of the realm of possibility, even in this strange fantasyland. Surely nothing like that was actually lurking in the forest? ¡°But as a priestess, you will help prevent all of these things from happening.¡± Elowen¡¯s hand hovered over Sophie¡¯s arm, almost as if she wanted to pat Sophie reassuringly. ¡°Not for quite a few more levels, but you¡¯ll learn eventually. And your Tailored priestess gear will help protect you from mana corruption, as well. Besides, it¡¯s safe enough in the daytime, at least. Animals that have gone completely mad from corruption tend to avoid the light.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Sophie gulped, not sure how reassured she was by that. Either way, it seemed like there was not much else she could do today to train further in her current state. She made her way back into the shrine with Elowen trailing behind and decided to call it a night, hopeful that the training she did manage would be enough. *** Sophie woke up the next morning to a curious, blonde shrine spirit staring down at her intently. ¡°Um, can I help you?¡± she asked, carefully sitting up. Elowen blinked a few times in reply and finally sat back. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand,¡± she complained. ¡°Your mana has definitely grown a lot, but it¡¯s not quite there yet¡­¡± ¡°So I didn¡¯t level?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re still Level 3.¡± Sophie frowned and tried centering herself, focusing on her mana. Just like the previous morning, she could feel the energy within her, completely renewed, but she still had no idea how to tell what level she was. ¡°How will I know, anyway?¡± ¡°You will gain an Understanding that allows you to sense levels,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Likely not until Level 5 or higher. It¡¯s something a priestess usually gains when they receive their class blessing, but ¨C¡± ¡°But, of course, my level was too low. Right. Gotcha.¡± That was definitely getting old. Level 5 felt so far away, let alone Level 10. And that sounded like it was still just barely scraping the surface of an acceptable level for a shrine priestess. Blah. ¡°Well, I guess that means more training today,¡± Sophie said, although they were definitely out of lamps to work with. ¡°Can I try working with the shrine stone finally?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°It would be too dangerous at your current level. Channeling mana into something that large is difficult. It¡¯s much harder to control the flow of your mana, so it drains you much more quickly. And besides I¡¯m bound to it.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°Why does that make a difference?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m also pulling on the mana from the stone,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°No, it would be better to find something smaller to work with. At least for another level or two¡­¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure she understood exactly, but she thought back to the markers along the path. Those were quite small ¨C smaller than the lamps in the courtyard at least ¨C and there were a ton of them, leading all the way back to the main road. If they were really made of mana stone, they would be perfect to practice with. And surely she¡¯d level up after lighting them all. Although the thought of going back into the forest felt strange after Elowen¡¯s spooky explanations last night. Elowen had said it was safe enough in the light, however, and Sophie hadn¡¯t exactly felt unsafe on her previous trips to town. ¡°Well, I want to try the markers, then,¡± she announced. ¡°The ones on the forest path.¡± Elowen frowned at that idea, as well. ¡°I still can¡¯t go beyond the courtyard. You do have to be careful if you¡¯re training alone, you know. You still ¨C¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t use all of my mana. Don¡¯t pass out in the potentially creepy forest. Trust me, I totally got this.¡± Elowen didn¡¯t look very convinced, but Sophie began to get ready for the day anyway. She had her customary tea and pastries ¨C although she was starting to get low on those ¨C and then she set off to the edge of the courtyard and made her way down the stone steps, trying not to think about Elowen¡¯s remarks from the night before. The little markers started a pace or two away from the stairs, and Sophie glanced back to Elowen, giving her what she hoped was a reassuring wave. ¡°I¡¯ll start here,¡± she said. Elowen put her hands on her hips, looking unimpressed. ¡°Just do a few,¡± she called out in reply. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°But, let¡¯s see if it even works, first.¡± She crouched down next to the nearest stone marker. It was much smaller than the lamps in the courtyard, maybe only going up to her ankle. She held her hand slightly above it this time, wondering if she might be able to make the distance channeling work today. After a few moments of focus, however, she gave up on that idea. What if it wasn¡¯t even made of mana stone? She should at least try it the usual way first. She put her hand directly on the small stone ¨C it was cool and almost mossy to the touch. She found her mana again, and she could feel the moment it finally connected with the stone, flowing out easily. The little stone almost immediately glowed blue, just like the lamps in the courtyard. ¡°It worked!¡± she called back to Elowen. This would be so much better ¨C she wouldn¡¯t have to worry as much about stumbling around in the near dark if she stayed in town too late. Although, a lantern might still be a safe bet just in case. Sophie moved on to the marker on the opposite side of the path, crouching down and lighting that easily as well. She stood up, pleased at her progress. She didn¡¯t feel tired in the slightest after the two small markers. ¡°I¡¯m going to continue onwards,¡± she announced. Elowen made a displeased face at the idea, but Sophie really wanted to level up again. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sophie insisted. ¡°Just be careful,¡± Elowen said. ¡°If you get tired, be sure to come back.¡± Sophie nodded. She was starting to understand what mana exhaustion felt like, and she really didn¡¯t want to pass out in the middle of the forest. ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. She walked a few paces down to the next set of markers, crouching down again and lighting each one easily in turn. She quickly fell into a pattern as she made her way down the path, pausing a few times to stretch out her legs when they began to get cramped from all the crouching. She really needed to figure out the whole channeling at a distance issue. She tried a few more times ¨C hovering her hand above the stone ¨C but the best she could do was channeling with a very light touch with only the pads of her fingers. She stood up after trying a few more like that to take another break and she suddenly felt a shiver of¡­ something. Like someone watching her. Her arms prickled with goosebumps, thinking of the corruption discussion from the night before. She glanced back down the path, but no one was there, and she was too far from the shrine to see Elowen at this point. She turned her gaze to the trees and nearly gasped out loud when she saw two, intelligent eyes blinking back at her. But it was just the little dragon creature from before. ¡°There you are!¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you since the other day!¡± The creature tilted its head as if it was trying to understand her. It was sitting on a branch quite high up in a tree, right above one of the markers she hadn¡¯t lit up yet. She wondered briefly about mana corruption again, but brushed the thought aside. Elowen had said that it instilled madness in humans and animals alike. This little thing seemed too friendly for something like that to be the case. ¡°I need to come over there,¡± she explained carefully, as if the little thing could actually understand her. It seemed to settle on to the branch further, folding its wings against its thin little body, as if saying that it didn¡¯t mind in the slightest. Sophie cautiously took a step forward towards the unlit marker, keeping a watchful eye on the creature in the tree branches above. When it made no movement, she tried a second hesitant step. And then another. She glanced down at the marker again ¨C she was almost at her goal. She wished she had some sort of food to offer the little creature, to tempt it to stay. It would be fun if it kept her company while she lit more of the markers along the path. Suddenly, its whole body froze, eyes wide with surprise. Sophie froze as well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, but it was already zipping away into the forest again. ¡°Drat.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± a suspiciously familiar voice asked from behind her. Sophie spun around, only to find Acacia staring at her with a concerned look on her face. ¡°Acacia!¡± ¡°Who are you talking to? Is it Elowen? Is she out here?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, it was just a little creature I keep seeing in the forest. What are you doing out here?¡± Acacia lifted the paper bag in her hand and wiggled it tantalizingly. ¡°I come bearing gifts. Sweets, for Elowen. Oh, and maybe for you, too, I guess.¡± Sophie glanced longingly between the bag of sweets and the path ahead, full of more of the unlit markers. She had promised Elowen she would only do a few, and she wasn¡¯t exactly sure how long she had been out here for, by now. Elowen would probably be happy if she returned soon, and she supposed she could finish lighting the markers another time. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll love them,¡± she conceded. She gestured towards the path, back towards the shrine. ¡°It¡¯s just up this way a bit.¡± Chapter 17: A Sweet Offering As Sophie led Acacia back to the shrine, she realized she had gone quite a bit further down the path than she expected while lighting the markers. She felt a little bad for leaving Elowen for longer than she intended, but they were heading back now anyway. A light breeze rustled through the trees, and Sophie could hear the sounds of small animals scuttling around in the foliage along the path, but she didn¡¯t see any sign of the little dragon creature from earlier. She had seen it several times now, and she was sure it would be friendly if she could just get it used to her. She had always wanted a cat, after all, and even though she had never had the time to dedicate to getting one back in Seattle, having a cute, little, stray dragon creature seemed way cooler ¨C ¡°It¡¯s quite a walk, isn¡¯t it?¡± Acacia noted, interrupting Sophie¡¯s musings, as they strolled along the path. Sophie shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad when you get used to it.¡± She felt like she could enjoy it, especially on a nice day, like today. It was a huge improvement on walking through the crowded streets in downtown Seattle when everyone all got off work at the same time. It hadn¡¯t been that long since her last commute, but the memory already felt sort of distant and hazy¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the dark that¡¯s the real problem,¡± she continued, frowning to herself at the combination of worrying thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s why I was out here today, actually. I¡¯ve been working on lighting up all of these markers.¡± She gestured to the border where all of the little stones she had lit up earlier still glowed blue. It was nice seeing all of them along the path now ¨C even if she hadn¡¯t been able to figure out the distance channeling problem, yet. ¡°Ah,¡± Acacia replied. ¡°I was wondering what you were doing. And here I thought, you were heading into town to pick up some more baked goods,¡± she said teasingly. Sophie laughed. ¡°I probably need to soon, actually. Hey, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know if there¡¯s anything actually dangerous in this forest, would you?¡± Acacia looked thoughtful at the question. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t really think so. Even though we haven¡¯t had a working shrine for awhile, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild does send out groups fairly regularly to check on the surrounding area. There¡¯s also a small Town Watch, but they mostly keep an eye on things going on inside the gates. Of course, you can never really be sure, but I doubt the forest is teeming with corrupted beasts or something.¡± Sophie felt relieved, especially after the conversation with Elowen from the night before. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I¡¯ve been a bit worried walking along the path by myself, especially as it gets dark.¡± Acacia nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t blame you. I¡¯ve never come up here myself, but it seems like it would be especially creepy at night.¡± They finally made it to the end of the path with the stone steps in view. Elowen was waiting at the top with a small frown on her face and her hands on her hips. To Sophie¡¯s relief, Elowen¡¯s displeased expression faded a bit when she noticed Acacia, and she made a motion as if to step forward, pausing when she hit the edge of whatever held her to the shrine. ¡°Oh! A guest?¡± she asked, blinking at them curiously. Sophie paused at the bottom of the stairs and nodded. ¡°This is Acacia,¡± she explained and then turned to Acacia, who was looking at her with a confused expression. ¡°Acacia, meet Elowen. I know you can¡¯t exactly see her at the moment, but she¡¯s standing right at the top of these stairs.¡± Acacia glanced to the spot indicated and then back at Sophie. ¡°Oh! Should I ¨C?¡± Sophie nodded encouragingly, leading her up the steps. ¡°Here, let¡¯s all go up to the courtyard, and then you can show Elowen what you brought.¡± Elowen floated around them curiously as they made their way into the courtyard. Acacia glanced around with interest. ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never been up here before. It¡¯s really lovely.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t think lovely was quite the right word for it, yet, but it was definitely looking nicer than it had been when she first arrived. Acacia pulled a small box out of the bag she was holding. ¡°I brought something for you,¡± she said, but she seemed unsure what to do with it. She held it up in the air. ¡°For you, Elowen, I mean.¡± Elowen was currently a few paces behind Acacia, although the other woman obviously could not see her, and Sophie had to stifle a laugh. She made a gesture for Elowen to come forward, and the spirit made her way over. ¡°For me?¡± Elowen asked, floating closer to Acacia and peering at the box. ¡°Is it a present?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Sophie confirmed. ¡°Acacia brought you a gift.¡± Elowen spun delightedly, and Sophie accepted the box for her. She opened it up to show Elowen what was inside. There were little cubes of cake covered in a glossy frosting, topped with tiny leaf decorations, nestled carefully in thin blue tissue paper. They looked fancy even by Sophie¡¯s definition. ¡°These look amazing,¡± Sophie breathed. ¡°You¡¯re like some sort of professional or something,¡± she teased. Acacia rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Ah, well. I didn¡¯t actually make these. Hollis does all of the little sweets, like this.¡± Sophie glanced up in surprise at that. She wondered if he was the one to thank for her chocolate croissants, then. Elowen clapped with sheer joy. ¡°I just love them! They¡¯re so pretty!¡± She spun around and then held her hand over the box as if she wanted to pick one up for herself. ¡°It¡¯s nice that she brought them for me, even if¡­¡± she trailed off, her excitement dimming slightly. Sophie understood. Elowen couldn¡¯t try the cakes in her current state. Sophie wasn¡¯t actually sure if Elowen would be able to eat them if she was corporeal either but ¨C ¡°Why don¡¯t we try burning one?¡± Sophie interjected. ¡°As an offering. Elowen is really excited about the gift, but she can¡¯t exactly try one.¡± Acacia looked intrigued at the idea. ¡°Burn one? I had honestly thought you were joking when you mentioned it the other day, but I decided to bring them just in case. Can we really?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I was totally serious! I think we should try it. It would be more fun if Elowen could actually taste one.¡± Elowen looked thoughtful at the idea. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would work if you just burn it, though. You would need to be able to channel mana into the fire. But we haven¡¯t tried that yet¡­¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Sophie considered that for a moment. Channeling into fire shouldn¡¯t be that different from channeling into stone, right? But ¨C right ¨C she couldn¡¯t actually touch the fire. There was that whole distance channeling problem again. Drat. She suddenly felt annoyed at herself for not being able to figure it out yet. To compensate, she tried to exude confidence instead. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine! I can totally do it!¡± she reassured Elowen. She turned to Acacia holding up the box. ¡°Elowen says it will work if I channel mana into the fire.¡± Elowen crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s not what I said! Honestly, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to manage it at all, given your current capabilities.¡± Sophie waved a hand at her. ¡°Sure, I can. Here, let¡¯s just try one. It can¡¯t hurt to try, right?¡± ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯m not sure,¡± Acacia said, looking skeptical. ¡°Is this something people actually do? We haven¡¯t had a shrine here, and I only visited the one in Sentus to get my class¡­¡± ¡°It is, actually. I used to receive burnt offerings often in the past,¡± Elowen explained, although Acacia couldn¡¯t hear her. ¡°There¡¯s even a dedicated place to leave them over there.¡± She gestured to the area in front of the shrine where the Bard left the silver the other day. Sophie motioned for Acacia to follow her and made her way over to the spot that Elowen indicated. Indeed, there was a short, metal structure with a lid on it. Sophie lifted the lid to find something that looked an awful lot like a very shallow barbecue grill ¨C a simple metal grate covering a long, nearly flat base filled with old ashes and bits of burnt wood. ¡°Elowen says we should be able to try here,¡± she said. ¡°And that people totally did it in the past. This is apparently the dedicated place to do it.¡± Acacia glanced at the box of cakes and then at the grill-like thing and shook her head hopelessly. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. We might as well try if she¡¯d actually be able to taste one.¡± Neither of the women had very much confidence in Sophie, and she was suddenly very determined to prove them both wrong. Her first real challenge in this new fantasy world! Disregarding all of the other challenges, like even figuring out how to channel mana in the first place, of course. But this ¨C this felt like a boss fight or something. ¡°Hmm, we¡¯ll need some sticks, maybe,¡± she said. ¡°And a way to manually light the fire since neither of us can manifest it, right?¡± Acacia nodded. ¡°Right, I can¡¯t manifest fire, either.¡± Sophie handed Acacia the little box of cakes again. ¡°Okay ¨C do you mind holding these for a moment?¡± Acacia dutifully accepted the box, and Sophie gathered all of the things they needed to start the fire from the kitchen while Elowen floated around excitedly. ¡°We should probably clean this at some point,¡± Sophie half-apologized when she returned. She brushed the grate off as best as she could with one of the sticks. ¡°It is rather disgusting,¡± Acacia agreed, peering down into the little grill. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°Oh, I do hope it works!¡± She looked so pleased at the mere idea of the whole thing that Sophie thought it would be worth the effort to clean this out and do it more regularly if it did work. She set to making the fire, with some helpful instructions from Acacia who was much more of an expert at that sort of thing than she was. Once she finally got it lit, she brushed her hands off and turned to Elowen. ¡°Okay, so, how do we do this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to focus your mana into the flame,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Obviously, you can¡¯t touch it, but you can try putting your hand closer if it helps. Once you feel the connection and the flame is high enough, you can place the offering in. It must be burnt using mana for it to work, though, so you¡¯ll have to keep the connection steady¡­¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, trying not to think too hard about how all of that sounded a lot more difficult than what she had tried previously with the mana stone. At the very least, she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to manage placing the offering in the fire and trying to hold the connection to it with mana. She still hadn¡¯t managed distance channeling with the mana stone, so it was going to take all of her focus to even have a chance at this. She turned to Acacia, instead. ¡°I think I¡¯ll need your help. Can you add one of those little cakes to the fire when I give you the signal?¡± Acacia grinned. ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed. She opened the box again and pulled out a cake. ¡°Ready when you are.¡± Sophie turned back to the small flame at the bottom of the shallow metal basin, feeling the weight of both Acacia and Elowen watching her expectantly. She carefully held her hand out as close as she dared. This wasn¡¯t like channeling into one of the stones at all. She couldn¡¯t let herself falter, though ¨C Elowen was relying on her. She seemed so excited about the idea of trying the offering. Even if it was just a small thing, Sophie almost felt like this was some sort of test. First, she stared into the flame, trying to get a sense of ¨C well, of anything. She couldn¡¯t get a read off of it at all though. Instead, she closed her eyes, finding the mana within herself again, just like she had earlier when working with the markers. She tried to imagine the feeling of putting her hand on each marker and letting mana run through it. She felt herself breaking out into a sweat, but it was almost there ¨C just at the tips of her fingers. Just a little bit more. She tried to reach out to it further, her hand getting a little too close to the flame and she pulled back quickly, her eyes snapping open. Darn. Acacia made a small sound next to her, almost a gasp, but Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Let me try again.¡± What else had she done with mana? The Level Stone in the courtyard. It felt like it wanted more mana, like it could accept all of the mana in her core and still not be satisfied. Did the fire feel that way, as well? Even without touching it, could she establish some sort of connection to it? She went through the process again, her eyes open this time, her palm as close to the heat of the flame as she dared. She imagined pushing her mana into that heat and the near-burning sensation when she had gotten too close previously. And then she felt it. A small connection at first, but it was there, like the beginning of a thought in the back of her mind. The fire did want more mana. In fact, it felt like the fire was much more ravenous than the stone. She felt an Understanding begin to wash over her as she solidified the connection. The fire jumped higher, ever so slightly, but noticeably enough. Elowen clapped excitedly next to her. ¡°You¡¯ve got it!¡± she said. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie replied, feeling oddly breathless with the effort. ¡°Okay, I think it¡¯s ready for you, Acacia.¡± Elowen nodded her agreement. ¡°It is!¡± Acacia reached out to carefully place the cake in the fire, as Sophie tried to hold onto the connection. She wasn¡¯t even really channeling her mana into the fire at this point. Instead, it felt like the fire was consuming her mana. She felt herself draining much more quickly than previously, but she just had to hold on until the cake burnt completely. It would be pointless otherwise. She couldn¡¯t give up now. Elowen made a sudden, startled sound of happiness, her eyes widening with delight. ¡°Oh! I think it¡¯s working!¡± she said. Good, Sophie thought, but somehow she couldn¡¯t manage to say the words aloud. She wobbled a bit, her knees growing too weak to hold her up anymore, and she finally dropped the connection with the fire. She felt Acacia¡¯s hand land on her arm, and she heard the baker say something, but it came out warbled and incomprehensible. Her ears were ringing, she realized, and everything was suddenly far, far too bright. And then she slid into darkness. Chapter 18: Totally Not a Harem Story Sophie woke up to not one, but two sets of eyes staring down at her ¨C a pair of familiar blue ones and another of hazel. She wondered, wildly, if she had somehow ended up in some sort of harem story ¨C not that she had experience reading those or anything. Ahem. But then she remembered¡­The little cakes. The offering. The fire. ¡°Are you okay?¡± This, from Acacia. ¡°You leveled up!¡± This, of course, from Elowen. ¡°But you scared us! You really must stop doing that.¡± Sophie sat up carefully. Her head was killing her. ¡°What happened?¡± Although she could sort of picture it. They were back in the shrine now, and she was actually on her folding mattress in the back. ¡°Wait, did you carry me?¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.¡± ¡°Some people are able to use their mana to increase their physical strength,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sophie said, although she still felt embarrassed about the idea of passing out in the courtyard. ¡°But it worked at least? Right?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°Oh! Yes, it did. It was wonderful!¡± Her mouth quirked up in a small, pleased smile, but it was gone in a moment, replaced by an annoyed frown. ¡°But, you really need to be more careful! I can¡¯t believe you did that!¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Sophie said, only to realize Acacia looked incredibly confused. ¡°Ah, right. You guys can¡¯t actually communicate, can you?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Acacia agreed. ¡°Not a word. So, did it work? I didn¡¯t even get to find out that much before you went tumbling over on us.¡± Sophie felt her face heat again at the image. She must have really scared both of them. ¡°It did,¡± she explained. ¡°Although I suppose I used a little too much mana. I haven¡¯t worked with fire before.¡± Acacia looked surprised at this. ¡°Not at all?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nope. That was the first time. But, on the bright side, it sounds like I leveled up at least.¡± Elowen nodded eagerly at this. ¡°You did! Level 4!¡± ¡°Really!¡± Acacia said, sounding impressed. ¡°Were you on the brink of one, then?¡± ¡°I think I must have been,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing mana channeling for a few days now ¨C¡± ¡°Wait ¨C a few days?¡± Acacia interrupted. ¡°Practicing what? You don¡¯t mean it¡¯s only been a few days since you last leveled up, right?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Sophie trailed off, suddenly unsure. She glanced over to Elowen for help, but the spirit shrugged. ¡°You are leveling rather quickly,¡± Elowen unhelpfully supplied. ¡°Is it that fast?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°Quite impressive, actually.¡± Sophie nearly snorted at that. Elowen was rarely ever all that impressed with her mana abilities, but she seemed especially pleased today. Perhaps because of the offering? ¡°It is completely unheard of,¡± Acacia cut in. ¡°Leveling usually takes a much longer time than that. In fact, it takes even more time as your levels increase. Although you did just become a priestess, but still¡­ You must be working yourself to exhaustion nearly every day.¡± ¡°Guilty as charged,¡± Sophie admitted, wryly. ¡°But even if you were¡­¡± Acacia trailed off, still looking dumbfounded. ¡°Days?¡± She shook her head. Sophie wondered if now was the time to admit that she was only actually a Level 4, and that she also wasn¡¯t even from this reality. The other woman looked so dumbfounded already that Sophie imagined it was probably best to save both of those for another day. Although Sophie did have the realization that Acacia must not be able to tell her level. She had wondered about that before¡­ She still didn¡¯t quite understand how mana levels were determined, but it seemed like it was different from determining one¡¯s class. Euan from the Crafter¡¯s Guild, the tailor, and the clerk from the administration office all seemed to be able to tell Sophie¡¯s class, for example, but she was pretty sure they couldn¡¯t see her level, otherwise she would imagine people would have had a lot more questions about her¡­ ¡°Regardless,¡± Acacia continued, interrupting Sophie¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Training to exhaustion is too dangerous, Sophie. You really need to be more careful.¡± Elowen gave her a pointed look, as well, and Sophie shrank under the critical gaze of two angry women. Great. Maybe this was a harem story. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, hanging her head. She wished she could promise not to do it again, but she thought it best to skip that all together. This kind of thing was really a theme in her life, and she doubted she¡¯d be able to keep that type of promise, even if she thought she might mean it at the time. Acacia shook her head again. ¡°Priestesses,¡± she muttered, as if she had any experience in the matter and Elowen nodded sagely in agreement. ¡°Well, anyway. You¡¯re probably feeling awful right about now.¡± Sophie took a moment to think about the condition of her body, then. Her head hurt, she felt quite dizzy, her mouth was dry, and her heart was beating a little too rapidly in her chest. She could almost hear it reverberating in her skull, in fact. She did, indeed, feel awful. Rather like she had a hangover, but maybe without the nausea. ¡°Ugh,¡± she replied. ¡°I do. I definitely do.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Acacia said. ¡°Well, we can fix that. Let¡¯s get some food in you.¡± ¡°Food?¡± Sophie asked, skeptically. She was pretty sure she didn¡¯t have much in the way of real food, unless Acacia meant her own heaven-sent baked goods or the little cakes she had brought for Elowen. ¡°Yes, food,¡± Acacia replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Have you really been living off of pastries? There was absolutely nothing to work with here.¡± Sophie chuckled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I really can¡¯t cook. I had some ingredients, but they were all sacrificed to the terrible soup a few days ago.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Well luckily I can,¡± Acacia teased. ¡°There¡¯s a whole pot of non-terrible soup in the kitchen. At least, it tastes fine to me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked, surprised. ¡°But I thought you said you had nothing to work with!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been out for hours,¡± Acacia complained. ¡°After I got you back here, I couldn¡¯t exactly talk with Elowen. So, I made some tea and hung out for a bit, but when it seemed like you weren¡¯t waking up for a while I decided to go into town and grab one of these ¨C¡± She pulled out what appeared to be a small bread roll. ¡°And I figured I¡¯d pick some other things up along the way.¡± ¡°More bread?¡± Sophie asked, as Acacia handed the roll over. ¡°No, silly. It¡¯s a mana loaf.¡± Acacia replied. ¡°You know, like¡­¡± she trailed off, looking embarrassed. ¡°Well, actually, sorry about our cooking lessons. I meant to apologize earlier, but we got a little distracted with the whole ¨C¡± she waved a hand at the surroundings. Sophie nodded. Right. The whole burnt offering and then passing out in the courtyard thing. ¡°Anyway,¡± Acacia said. ¡°This is what my sister wanted me to make. If you take a little bite of this mana bread, it¡¯ll go a long way in making you feel better.¡± Sophie tried a small bite, as instructed. It pretty much tasted exactly like the loaves of bread she had been living off of recently, but she could almost immediately feel energy returning to her ¨C a soothing warmth that boosted her spirits. ¡°This is great!¡± she said, preparing to pop the whole thing into her mouth. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t overdo it!¡± Acacia warned, reaching out as if to physically stop her. ¡°Save some for later. You can make yourself sick if you eat it too quickly.¡± Sophie paused, mid-bite. ¡°Why is everything so dangerous?¡± She frowned down at the offending mana bread. Acacia laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it is. And anyway, I tried to keep the soup warm for you.¡± Sophie perked up at the mention of more food. She really was starving, the more she thought about it. ¡°I''m sure it''s delicious,¡± she said, practically scrambling off of the folding mattress. She swayed a bit on her feet as she stood and Acacia caught her by the arm. ¡°Careful,¡± Acacia warned. ¡°I''m fine, I''m fine,¡± Sophie reassured her, but she was glad for the help. Elowen hovered excitedly around the kitchen as Acacia served Sophie a bowl of soup. It definitely looked far superior to Sophie¡¯s own attempt. It had chunks of some sort of poultry meat and perfectly diced vegetables in it ¨C including the offending potatoes from Sophie¡¯s own disaster of a soup. ¡°I couldn''t help but notice you don''t even have a chill box in here,¡± Acacia said, as she sat down with her own bowl. Sophie nodded as she took a careful bite of the soup. ¡°That¡¯ll be fixed by tomorrow, actually,¡± she replied. ¡°Briony hooked me up with one. Also, this soup is amazing.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I did send you over to the Crafter¡¯s Guild,¡± Acacia replied. ¡°So I suppose you got that window fixed, then?¡± ¡°Yep, and she gave me a whole list of other things to do. But the chill box was my number one priority.¡± ¡°You should do the oven next,¡± Acacia said with a laugh. ¡°No wonder you can''t cook anything. It''s definitely a lot easier when you have modern appliances to work with.¡± Sophie was sure that was probably right. But, after all, she had lived in many places with many modern appliances for a very long time before coming to this strange fantasyland, and she had never managed to get the hang of cooking there either. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said, taking another bite of soup. Acacia shook her head, laughing again. ¡°Well, at the very least, I can teach you how to make this.¡± She held up her own spoonful of soup. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯s more palatable than the one you mentioned before.¡± Sophie nodded eagerly. ¡°A million times more,¡± she said in agreement. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if I could replicate it, even with your expert assistance.¡± Acacia all but glared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t think you get it. You will be taking cooking lessons from me. There¡¯s no choice in the matter now. Especially after I saw the state of your pantry.¡± Elowen didn¡¯t even bother to stifle her laugh at the comment. It wasn¡¯t fair. It wasn¡¯t like Elowen even needed to eat food, so what did she know? ¡°I¡¯d be honored,¡± Sophie managed. ¡°Although I don¡¯t envy you the task¡­¡± Acacia rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, with that ¨C now that I know that you''ll live to see the morning, I probably better head back to town before it falls dark,¡± she said with a sigh. She started picking up her bowl to place in the basin where Sophie washed dishes up. ¡°Ah, darn. I never finished getting the markers lit,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Will you have trouble getting back?¡± Acacia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s not full dark, yet, but I¡¯d take a lantern if you had one, just in case.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I have a spare,¡± she said, and made her way back into the little living space next to the kitchen to grab one of the lanterns she had found. Acacia lit it with the striker that she must have brought in from the courtyard. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, setting the striker down on the counter next to the little box of cakes. ¡°So, you really have to light all of those markers by hand?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie confirmed with a sigh. ¡°And they go all the way into town. I suppose I¡¯ll try to finish them up tomorrow. Since there¡¯s no mana left here, I guess they don¡¯t work any more, unless I channel mana directly into them.¡± Acacia frowned. ¡°You better take it easy,¡± she warned. ¡°But anyway, I had hoped that was just a rumor about the mana here. So there really isn''t any? Not at all?¡± Sophie shook her head. She couldn¡¯t sense it herself yet, but¡­ ¡°Apparently not. Someone stopped by yesterday to register me as the town''s priestess, and they confirmed it as well. It sounds like it¡¯s going to be quite difficult to get it fixed. It¡¯s partially why Elowen¡¯s in the state she''s in.¡± Sophie gestured to where Elowen was sitting on the counter, pouting now at the mention of her Faded state. She couldn¡¯t exactly participate in the conversation without Sophie acting as a translator for her, and Sophie imagined she must have had a terrible time while Sophie was passed out earlier. The thought made her wince. Maybe she should be a little more careful. If only for Elowen¡¯s sake. Acacia glanced over the direction that Sophie indicated, towards Elowen but obviously not seeing her. ¡°Right,¡± she said, softly. ¡°I wish there was something I could do to help¡­¡± ¡°Well, I think I have a lead at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Sophie said. ¡°So I¡¯ll probably check that out tomorrow, as well.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Acacia replied. ¡°And do let me know if there¡¯s any way I can lend assistance.¡± Sophie nodded and showed Acacia back out to the front of the shrine. *** After Acacia left, Sophie cleaned up the kitchen a bit and took a few more bites of the mana bread. In fact, compared to when she first woke up, she was starting to feel positively energetic again. ¡°Should we train more tonight?¡± she asked Elowen, who was still hovering above the counter in a sitting pose, right next to the little box of cakes. ¡°I think I¡¯m up for testing out channeling into your stone ¨C¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Elowen said, floating to her feet and crossing her arms. ¡°Don''t you understand the meaning of rest?¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°But ¨C I mean¡­ I rested. Apparently for several hours according to Acacia. I feel great now.¡± ¡°You can''t possibly feel great,¡± Elowen countered. ¡°And even if you do, I forbid it. No more training tonight. None until tomorrow at the very least.¡± Sophie supposed that she did level up but she still couldn''t help feeling like it wasn''t enough, especially not after the conversation with Acacia and thinking more about the shrine. There was so much to do here, and she was so far behind. What else was there to do around the shrine anyway, other than cleaning or training? Gardening, she supposed ¨C the courtyard was still not in the best shape, since she got distracted by the garden shed the day before. But it was a little too dark to go out there, even with the mana lights in the courtyard. And she probably wasn''t brave enough to go out to the little shed in the dark. Not even with a lantern to light her way. There were books, she supposed. And the letters that she had seen that very first day. All of the things that the former shrine priestess left behind. If she couldn¡¯t train, she might as well go through some of them. Maybe she could find a hint as to what happened here, or what she could do to fix it. Chapter 19: Letters In her previous adventures looking through the former shrine priestess¡¯s book collection, Sophie hadn¡¯t found a cookbook or a handy Guide to Being a Shrine Priestess anywhere, but she had found a whole lot of books about gardening. Judging by the shed full of mostly dead plants and the little overgrown plot behind the shrine, the former shrine priestess seemed to be quite the green thumb. Sophie, on the other hand, had trouble even keeping a cactus alive, so she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the books when she first sorted through them all. But after finding the strange plant that Elowen insisted was full of mana, she found herself more curious about the idea now that she was looking through the pile of books again. She thumbed through the pages of one of them, full of ink sketches and descriptions of unfamiliar plants. It would be nice if she could find a sketch that looked like the plant she and Elowen had found, or even better ¨C a bookmarked page with a big note on it that said, This one! This is the weird plant you¡¯re looking for. The plant in question was a spindly thing with a few sad little leaves ¨C it almost looked like a baby tree, in fact. A sapling, she was pretty sure they were called. But why would the former priestess have a shed full of saplings? And it didn¡¯t seem to need much sunlight¡­ Although to be fair, the rest of the plants in the shed were dead, so maybe they did need more sunlight and something had blocked it. Times like these, she really wished she could just do a quick internet search. She probably should have at least asked Acacia about it before the other woman had left earlier. Or maybe even that mage who stopped by the other day. Drat. ¡°We should probably water it, right?¡± she asked Elowen absently as she continued to flip the pages. ¡°The plant? I would imagine so,¡± Elowen replied. Sophie closed the book she was currently holding and picked up another one. She opened the cover, frowning down at the title page which the Universal Language blessing translated to something like Delicious Herbs and Other Edible Plants. This one looked particularly unhelpful. She immediately closed it and set it aside. She doubted the plant they had found was either edible or delicious. She pushed the books back into a pile, already frustrated with the task. It would be easier to just ask someone to look at the plant and identify it for her. She was annoyed she hadn¡¯t thought of that earlier and missed several chances to do so. But there was nothing to do about that now. And anyway, there was still the stack of letters she had found on the first day. Perhaps there was something more interesting in there. She made her way over to the desk, opening the drawer and pulling out the small collection of letters as Elowen watched her curiously. Sophie hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the contents of the letters on that very first day, when she was so surprised at even being able to read the things. But today, she immediately noticed something odd. Right on the top of the first page, there was something that looked awfully like a date, but she couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it, even with the Universal Language blessing. Caspian 28, Third day of the Month of Falling Petals ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know the date, would you?¡± she asked Elowen, already sensing the hopelessness of the question. Unsurprisingly, Elowen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never kept track of such things,¡± she declared, perhaps a little too eagerly. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what this means?¡± Sophie wheedled, holding up the letter for Elowen to look at. ¡°Caspian 28? Month of Falling Petals?¡± Elowen barely glanced at the letter before shaking her head, and Sophie sighed. She honestly expected as much. Elowen did seem to lack a lot of basic common sense. Sophie began scanning through the text of the top letter. It seemed to be some sort of reply to an inquiry. It even had an official looking seal on the bottom of the page from something called the Sentus College of Mages. The letter was short and to the point, although one line in particular stuck out to her. We do not have the materials you requested. If further assistance is needed, one of our Librarians would gladly aid you in your research. Materials? Perhaps more books? The former priestess seemed to have a thing for books, as well as plants. And a college for mages? That sounded awfully important. Perhaps Sentus was a bigger city than she imagined. She had sort of been thinking it would be similar to Caulis ¨C a smallish town with some shops and restaurants. She supposed college towns could also be small, though. Her own college town had been fairly small, after all. Sophie set that letter aside and glanced down at the next one on the pile. This one was dated similarly, but it had a much less formal tone. Caspian 27, Twenty-fourth day of the Month of Spirits Hi Rosalie, I do hope you and Elowen are doing well. It¡¯s been such a long time since you came to visit. Are you having any luck with the plants? With Early Frost soon upon us, I do wonder if they will survive¡­ Plants? Perhaps the ones in the shed? Sophie skimmed the rest of the letter in hopes of finding more information about the plant Elowen found, but it quickly moved on to friendly chatter about the weather and local gossip that she had no way of following. It was simply signed Anson. Sophie set it aside to pick up the next letter in the stack and then quickly glanced through a few of the others. They all seemed to be from the same person ¨C Anson ¨C probably a friend of the former priestess. She wished she could figure out the dates on them. She had no way to parse whatever weird month system they used that sounded more like bits of poetry than anything, but Caspian 27 seemed likely to be earlier than Caspian 28 if that was an indication of the year. The letters went back a few years if her assumption was correct, and from the little she read, the overall tone seemed suspiciously pleasant and mostly conversational. Not¡­ for example¡­ like the shrine was in any sort of imminent danger of mana depletion. Or that Anson, whoever that was, expected anything bad to happen to either Elowen or the former priestess. ¡°Her name was Rosalie?¡± Sophie asked after skimming through a few more of the pages. ¡°The previous priestess, I mean.¡± Elowen¡¯s head snapped up at the question. ¡°Rosalie¡­¡± Her eyes hazed over for a moment and she frowned. ¡°Yes, that was her name.¡± Even if it had been decades or whatever, Sophie didn¡¯t want to push Elowen if it was going to be a sad memory. Instead, she simply nodded and set the letters back in the top drawer for now and pulled open the drawer below it, curious to see if she could find anything else that might be useful. She wasn¡¯t sure what she expected to find here, exactly, but she was starting to think that what she really needed to find was a calendar. Or maybe a map. The letters were dated which meant she had an idea of when the former priestess had last been alive and receiving correspondence at least. If she had some way of telling how long ago the dates were¡­ Well, it would be some sort of information, although she wasn¡¯t sure how useful exactly. And as for the map ¨C Sophie kept hearing townspeople mention Sentus and the shrines near there, but she still had no idea where Sentus was or if there were other shrines nearby. If Sentus had a College of Mages, it seemed like it was probably an important city, right? She could probably ask Acacia the answers to both of these predicaments, but she was a little wary of doing so, still. It might bring up more questions that she still had no good answer for ¨C like where was Sophie from? Why didn¡¯t she know anything about the surrounding area? Maybe she should just tell Acacia the truth. But so far she¡¯d been muddling along okay¡­ Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She dug through the rest of the drawers, but came up empty handed. No calendar. Which¡­ wasn¡¯t all that surprising. But no map? Did people just not have maps here? Or maybe the former shrine priestess ¨C er, maybe Rosalie had been so familiar with the area that she hadn¡¯t needed one? Either way, Sophie¡¯s mind and her stomach were starting to wander back to the leftover soup in the kitchen. She had no way of keeping it good until the morning without the chill box, so she should probably finish it off tonight, right? Her stomach growled in agreement at the thought, so she grabbed one of the remaining books about plants off of the pile and took it back with her into the kitchen to flip through while she ate. Elowen followed her in, floating back up to her spot, hovering above the counter next to the little box of cakes from earlier. ¡°We should try that again,¡± Sophie said, gesturing to the box. ¡°The offering, I mean.¡± Elowen glanced down at the box beside her and looked skeptical at the idea. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you¡¯re ready to work with fire, yet,¡± she countered. Her hand hovered over the box, though, as if she wished she could reach inside and grab a piece. ¡°But I did it, right?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Won¡¯t it get easier the more I try, just like the other stuff we¡¯ve been working with?¡± ¡°Yes and no,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°Working with elements like fire and earth is a little different than working with mana stone. Some people have a natural affinity for a particular element, so it can be easier for them to work with. But elements in general are a little more dangerous. You might never be able to get the hang of it, fully.¡± Sophie thought back to how it felt when she finally connected to the fire. It did feel like she could have kept feeding it mana, and it would have never been satisfied. Almost as if it had a mind of its own. Altogether, not exactly a pleasant feeling. ¡°So I guess I don¡¯t have a fire affinity, then?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°Probably not. Although, as a priestess, it doesn¡¯t really matter since you¡¯ll usually just work with mana directly.¡± Sophie nodded and glanced back down at her plant book. She continued to flip through the pages, growing more frustrated with it as she went. The problem with this particular plant book was that a lot of the plants looked exactly like the one they had found, and she had no way to tell the difference between any of them. Once she finished her soup, she closed the book and pushed it aside, sighing. ¡°I¡¯d still like to try again sometime,¡± she said, going back to the discussion about the burnt offering. ¡°At least before those cakes go bad.¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Elowen said slowly, and then she smiled down at the box fondly. ¡°It was wonderful. It would be a shame for them to go to waste. Although, you¡¯re welcome to have a few.¡± ¡°Maybe tomorrow,¡± Sophie said, without any real intention of trying the cakes. She felt oddly guilty about the idea of eating something that Acacia had brought specifically for Elowen when the spirit couldn¡¯t even eat it herself. No, instead she wanted to try the offering again. Just maybe a little more carefully the next time. Now that she knew what to expect, hopefully she would at least be able to manage doing it without passing out. But, for now, she was ready to call it a night. *** The next morning, Sophie added a new task to her growing routine as a novice shrine priestess. After getting ready for the day, drinking her tea, and eating the last remaining pastries from her stash, she began the brand new, extremely important ritual of staring at the plant in the entryway and wondering if it needed water or not. Elowen did her best to participate in this new ritual as well, although she seemed to be more concerned about the plant¡¯s mana levels and seemed less interested in the whole water dilemma. Sophie just wished she could even sense mana levels. ¡°Maybe we should just put it back in the shed,¡± Sophie said after a long moment of indecision. ¡°It seemed to be living a happy life out there ¨C¡± The shrine¡¯s bell rang, interrupting Sophie¡®s train of thought, and a familiar voice rang out, ¡°Hello?¡± Sophie stood up, as Elowen peeked through the wall. ¡°It¡¯s Briony!¡± she announced. Sophie practically scrambled to the door and threw it open in her excitement. ¡°Briony!¡± she echoed. The other woman grinned at her. ¡°Well, hello there. I¡¯ve brought your chill box,¡± she said, gesturing back towards the edge of the courtyard. ¡°It¡¯s still in the cart. Let me go grab it, and I¡¯ll help you get it set up.¡± Sophie nodded and held the door open for Briony as she hefted the quite heavy-looking cabinet into the shrine. She wondered if Briony was also using mana to enhance her strength, like Acacia must have the day before, or if she was just that strong. ¡°We¡¯ll have to remove one of your existing cabinets,¡± Briony explained, once she got it back into the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but we¡¯ll take good care of it and make sure it doesn¡¯t go to waste.¡± ¡°That sounds fine,¡± Sophie replied. She didn¡¯t really get what the big deal was about replacing a cabinet, but since Briony was a Crafter, she must¡¯ve held some sort of affection for the quality of the work or something. Briony carefully removed one of the cabinets on the end, and Sophie helped hold the doors open for her as she took it back to the cart. When they returned, Sophie helped carry the new chill box into the kitchen area. She did not have mana-assisted strength, and it was quite heavy indeed. She added that to the list of things for her and Elowen to try. If she didn¡¯t have a fire affinity, maybe she would have a¡­ Well, a muscle affinity? No, that couldn¡¯t be right. She¡¯d have to ask Elowen to explain that more later. Elowen watched with rapt curiosity as Briony set to work installing the new chill box. ¡°But what does it do?¡± she asked. ¡°It keeps things cold,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°Food mostly. Like leftovers.¡± When Briony looked over to her questioningly, she waved a hand. ¡°Ah, sorry. Just talking with Elowen. She¡¯s interested in the chill box.¡± Elowen nodded eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s so full of mana! How could I not be?¡± Sophie laughed, and Briony nodded, seeming to understand. It was seriously difficult with Elowen not being able to manifest or interact with anyone yet. ¡°Elowen says it¡¯s full of mana,¡± Sophie added in further explanation. Briony laid a hand on the chill box in an almost fond manner. ¡°That it is,¡± she said. ¡°The mana will dissipate with time, but as a priestess, you should have no problem recharging it on your own.¡± Sophie nodded at the explanation, but wondered how long the mana would last exactly. Channeling mana into her chill box sounded like a good training exercise. Much more pleasant than lighting the markers on the path, at least. Speaking of mana though¡­ ¡°Hey, do you know anything about plants?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Plants?¡± Briony looked confused for a moment, and then shook her head, chuckling. ¡°Um, no. Not my specialty in the least. I can appreciate a nice wood grain when I see one, but I doubt that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking about.¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°Nope, definitely not,¡± she agreed. ¡°Is there, um¡­ a plant specialist? In town I mean?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s the Forester who cleaned up the path, and there are quite a few Gardeners, as well. Some professional and some that are more hobbyists. Do you need a recommendation?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°That would be great.¡± Surely a Gardener would be able to identify her weird plant. ¡°Just a sec,¡± Briony said and pulled out a small pad of paper. She scribbled something on it and handed it over. Sophie glanced down to read Mabel¡¯s Flowers. ¡°A florist?¡± she asked, and Briony grinned. ¡°The best florist. And the top Gardener in town. Talk to Mabel. She¡¯ll be able to help with anything you need.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Thanks for the recommendation. And thanks again for installing the chill box.¡± ¡°No problem at all,¡± Briony replied. She glanced around the kitchen, looking pleased. ¡°It¡¯s truly looking a little better in here.¡± She patted one of the cabinets fondly. ¡°I can really tell you¡¯ve been working on the shrine.¡± ¡°Um, we have,¡± Sophie agreed, although she didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°Do you mean like getting rid of the stuff that was in the entryway?¡± Briony shook her head. ¡°Well that, of course. But the woodwork in here also seems a little healthier. You can¡¯t tell?¡± ¡°Healthier?¡± Sophie looked at the cabinets, but they looked as they had before. Like boring wooden cabinets. Nothing all too thrilling by her standards. With the exception of the new chill box, of course. Briony nodded. ¡°Sure ¨C it seems like they¡¯re already getting a little of their shine back. The last time I was here, they seemed completely dry ¨C drained of all of their mana, but now¡­ Well, it¡¯s still not much, but it¡¯s there.¡± Sophie stared at the cabinets in surprise. Mana? Here, too? It¡¯s not like she had been channeling mana into the cabinets, after all, and they weren¡¯t made of mana stone. Even Elowen was looking around the kitchen in surprise. ¡°I think she¡¯s right,¡± she said softly. ¡°I can sense it, too, if I know to look for it. It¡¯s very faint. Just¡­¡± She spun around in a circle suddenly, smiling with happiness. ¡°What? But how?¡± Sophie asked. Briony shrugged. ¡°Sometimes things just need a little care. It¡¯s not a quick fix, but a little attention can go a long way with these things over time.¡± Sophie still wasn¡¯t sure if she understood, but she nodded. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± she trailed off. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what exactly she had done. Was it all of the channeling practice? Was cleaning the shrine up somehow healing it? She walked Briony back out to the courtyard and watched as the other woman made her way to the horse and cart at the bottom of the little stone staircase. ¡°A little attention, huh?¡± she wondered out loud as Elowen floated around her happily. Chapter 20: A Forest Path Even after Briony left, Sophie kept thinking about the Crafter¡¯s comments with regards to the shrine. Could the shrine heal itself? From the way the unspecialized mage talked the other day, it didn¡¯t seem like it, but it did seem like something was happening within the shrine. If only Sophie could sense mana. She made her way back into the kitchen with Elowen trailing behind and stared down at the new chill box. This apparently had a lot of mana. Maybe she would be able to sense something. She knelt down to place her hand directly on the wooden door of the chill box. She tried concentrating on the wood ¨C what did it feel like? Mana stone had a particular feel to it, and the fire from the night before had felt totally different. The wood felt¡­ curious. Interested. Interested in her mana. She nearly gave into its curiosity before she pulled her hand back. ¡°No! Bad chill box,¡± she scolded it. She was not about to feed this thing more mana. Although she did want to train more today, she had better things to use her mana on. Like lighting more markers on the path or trying to work with Elowen¡¯s stone finally, even though the spirit would probably tell her not to. She placed her hand back on the surface again, seeing if she could sense anything else about the chill box, but she couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what she was looking for. After several more long moments, she eventually gave up, rocking back on her heels with a sigh. ¡°Well, I guess I could go into town and get something to put into the chill box,¡± she said. ¡°I am running out of pastries, after all, and I should probably get some real food. At the very least, I could put leftovers in here.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll stop by the florist, too?¡± Elowen asked. For once she actively seemed interested in Sophie going into town. Sophie nodded. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°I have quite a few things I¡¯d like to do today, but the florist is definitely on the list. I also want to check on my new priestess gear to see if it¡¯s ready at the tailor¡¯s shop.¡± Elowen looked intrigued at the last part. ¡°Oh really? I¡¯d be interested in seeing what the Tailor made for you.¡± Sophie smiled. She was glad Elowen seemed open to the idea of the new outfits. She was honestly excited to get them. She had started relying on the former priestess¡¯s clothes more than she''d really prefer. Especially after her hasty declaration that she¡¯d never wear the darn things. But to be honest, the more she wore them, the more she felt somehow at home in them and the less she wanted to wear her old clothes. Besides, her old clothes were extremely dirty after a few consecutive days of use when she first arrived. And she hadn''t mustered up the courage to try to do laundry yet. It had only been a week, after all, and there were still dresses in Rosalie¡¯s chest. Hand-washing clothes was just not a thing she was into. Luckily, it seemed like the Tailored clothes were a little more dirt resistant, and she could wear them multiple times without feeling unclean. So even if the dresses were grey and had no pockets, she was starting to understand why they might be considered superior to her business casual office attire or the two outfits she bought from the market. ¡°And I¡¯d like to ask about that earth mage,¡± Sophie added after a moment¡¯s consideration. ¡°Perhaps the Adventurer¡¯s Guild will have more suggestions for the mana problem here.¡± Elowen pursed her lips in thought, but finally nodded. ¡°I suppose they might,¡± she said, but she didn''t sound too convinced about the idea. Sophie couldn¡¯t blame her. She figured that someone had to have investigated previously, but they had no way of knowing what came of that. ¡°You don¡¯t remember what Rosalie tried in the past? To fix the mana issue?¡± Elowen glanced away at the question. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Not really¡­¡± Sophie frowned at the reply. Shouldn¡¯t Elowen remember something? It wasn¡¯t that Sophie thought that Elowen was hiding anything from her, exactly. It was more that the shrine spirit didn¡¯t seem all there at times. Was it possible that her fading form affected more than just her physical manifestation? Elowen didn¡¯t seem to have many memories of her time as a shrine spirit. She claimed to not pay attention to dates or to the passage of time, but Sophie had to wonder if there was something else at work here. ¡°Well, even if that doesn¡¯t work out, it¡¯s worth asking,¡± Sophie replied. It did no use pressing Elowen on topics that she didn¡¯t seem to remember. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll go through the offering box before I leave,¡± she added. Elowen nodded noncommittally, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts now. Sophie left her in the shrine while she went to investigate the little offering box. She opened the offering box again, surprised once more by the number of coins she found in there. She tried wiggling the box to see if it would come off the stand but it was pretty solidly attached. So instead, she went back into the shrine as Elowen followed along curiously, and grabbed her coin pouch. She filled the pouch with some of the coins. Even after just a few days of working on channeling, she was starting to have less reservations about using this money on herself. It seemed like it was going to take a lot of effort on her part to get the shrine back to a good state, although perhaps not as much if an earth mage truly would be able to help. There were still many coins leftover after she had filled her coin pouch. She carried the rest back in handfuls and set them on the desk. After her trip later, she would have to count them all up and figure out exactly how much she had. She was honestly never that good with money, but at some point she¡¯d have to make herself figure it out if she was going to live here for any amount of time. She patted her coin pouch thoughtfully. This should be enough for a while at least. Next, she went over to the chest to pull out another item ¨C a bag. The bag was also made of cloth, finely woven, and Sophie could almost feel something. She touched the fabric ¨C a frisson of¡­ well, she didn¡¯t quite know yet. She was starting to think that the feeling meant that it was also Tailored. Like, perhaps she was just on the border of Understanding something¡­ This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She rubbed her fingers across the fabric fondly. Somehow, she really liked this bag. She placed the coin pouch in it and threw the strap over her shoulder. With only the small coin pouch in it, it felt almost like she was carrying an empty bag, but she was sure she¡¯d have other items to place in it after her busy trip to town. ¡°Alrighty,¡± she said. ¡°Well, I''m off to town.¡± Elowen nodded, looking a little forlorn at the news. Sophie¡¯s heart twisted a bit at her expression. She imagined it would be so boring to not be able to interact with anything. All Elowen could do, essentially, was wait. ¡°When I get back tonight ¨C¡± Sophie began, prompted by her conflicting thoughts. ¡°When I get back tonight, we should try channeling mana into the shrine¡¯s stone.¡± Elowen looked up at her, eyes wide with pleased surprise, but she eventually shook her head. ¡°I don''t know¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°It seems like it would be too soon, still. Most priestesses are at least a Level 10 before they get the class, and even then I think the stone is difficult for them.¡± Sophie shrugged. ¡°Well, we won''t know until we try!¡± She just wanted to do something to help Elowen. She knew her training was helpful in the long term. But it didn''t seem like enough. ¡°Anyway, I''ll be back,¡± she said, and she made her way out of the shrine back onto the path as Elowen watched her leave. *** Sophie made her way down the little stone steps outside of the courtyard and began her walk along the path into town. She was delighted to find that the markers were still lit from the day before. In fact, the lamps in the shrine had stayed lit as well, even though it had been a few days since she last lit them. She wondered how long it would take for the mana to disperse entirely. Was that similar to how the chill box worked? It seems like there was some sort of push and pull between the mana stone and the mana. Mana stone can store mana but not indefinitely, it seemed. Somehow the mana dissipated¡­ or evaporated, maybe? She finally made it to the place along the path where she had stopped the previous day ¨C where she had seen the little dragonling again, and where Acacia had met her on the path. She paused there, looking around at the trees, but she only saw the usual birds and some small fluffy rodent creatures. She was pretty sure they weren''t actually squirrels but they reminded her of them all the same. She glanced down at the next marker along the path that wasn''t glowing. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to finish them. It had been almost a day since her last terrible experience with mana exhaustion. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try a little, right? Even if she was going to try working with Elowen¡¯s stone later, there was plenty of time until then. Especially if she only did a few of these. Besides¡­ she was curious if she could do the distance channeling thing again. She remembered an Understanding the day before. Could she do it again? That decided it. She wanted to at least try while it was semi-fresh in her mind. She stood where she was, a few strides away from the stone and tried concentrating, thinking about sending mana towards the stone. But¡­ she couldn¡¯t find the connection. It felt way too abstract. She thought she felt something, but no ¨C she was simply too far away. Even if she now had the Understanding of distancing channeling, it seemed like she couldn¡¯t just automatically channel mana at whatever distance she wanted to yet. She walked closer to the stone again, crouching down, but wary of her dress. She was thankful that she was probably the only one around in the forest. She placed her hand on the stone again. The connection came immediately. She could feel the mana within herself, ready to push it into the little marker. The stone wasn¡¯t as ravenous as the fire had been, but it still wanted mana all the same. Perhaps not as greedily, though. She lifted her hand a few inches off of the stone and then a few inches more and the connection stretched ¨C she felt herself breaking out into a sweat ¨C this must be her current limit. She released her mana into the stone, threading it along the thin connection until the stone said enough. The stone lit up immediately. She sat back on her heels, staring at it. She glanced over to the next marker a few strides away. It was so far ¨C she definitely couldn¡¯t channel from that distance, yet. She stood up again, shuffling over to the next marker, and crouching down beside it. She raised her hand over the marker. She really didn¡¯t want to have to do this for every last marker all the way into town¡­ She would be exhausted before she reached the main road. She stared down at the marker, frowning. Was there something about distance channeling that made it more difficult? Was she perhaps losing mana in the transaction? She held her hand above the stone, a little further than she had previously. She tried feeling for the stone again, without touching it first this time. It was almost easier with the fire, she realized. The fire was more dangerous in that it would take and take and take, but in that sense, it was easier to form the connection over a distance. These small stones were quieter, more reluctant. She started lowering her hand slowly until she could finally sense the stone properly, and then she made the connection. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was a start. She lifted her hand again, stretching the connection out as far as it would go until she felt like it was nearly ready to snap, and then she fed her mana along that small thread until it glowed blue like the one before. She fell back slightly, sitting down on the path. She was already far too tired, even after that small amount. She glanced over at the row of markers that led into town, and they seemed even more endless to her than before. She definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to do many of them like that if she wanted to save some of her strength for later. As she was staring at the long row of markers ahead of her, suddenly the little dragon creature from before landed on one of them. ¡°Oh!¡± she said in surprise, sitting forward a bit. But before she could even say hello, the stone began to glow blue. She scrambled to her feet. ¡°Hey!¡± she shouted. ¡°How did you do that?¡± The little creature tilted its head at her as if to say, ¡°What, this?¡± and then it flitted over to the next marker a few paces down, landing on it and lighting it as well. Sophie stared in sheer amazement. This little thing, no bigger than a crow and scrawnier besides, was showing her up. It was barely more than an overgrown lizard with wings. She put her hands on her hips. ¡°So it¡¯s like that, is it?¡± She stomped over to the marker across the path that was still unlit and held her hand just above it trying to concentrate on the distance channeling again. Her mind was too scattered now though, and she was growing tired. She eventually gave up, placing her hand directly on the marker to light it, which came far more easily and barely drained her in comparison. But when she glanced back, the little creature had already lit two more. She sat back on her heels, groaning in frustration. Even small forest animals could channel mana better than she could. The little thing must think this is some sort of game. What was left of her scraps of pride wouldn¡¯t let her back down now. She stood up again, determined to light the rest of the markers, all the way into town. But then¡­ But then she thought of Elowen and the fact that the spirit would be worried about Sophie again. Especially if Sophie did pass out in the middle of the forest after an ill-advised competition with said forest creature. Fine. Maybe she¡¯d do the responsible thing for once. She would save the markers for later. At least the ones the overgrown lizard hadn¡¯t lit already. So, instead, Sophie brushed the dirt from the path off of her dress, and calmly started back down the path into town as the little dragonling followed alongside her, lighting some of the markers as it landed. Chapter 21: The Adventurers Guild When Sophie finally got to the main road, she paused and glanced back down at the little dragonling who was still following along beside her. It blinked up at her as if to ask why she had stopped. ¡°I have to go into town now,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°You should stay in the forest. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe for you out here.¡± The creature tilted its head at her, and she had no idea if it could possibly understand her, so she made a shoo-ing gesture. ¡°Go on now. You can¡¯t follow.¡± She took a cautious step onto the road and glanced back, but the little dragon stayed put, neither going back into the forest nor following her any further. She walked along the road a bit and glanced back once more, but she couldn¡¯t see it through the trees. She wondered if it would be waiting for her when she got finished with her errands in town, but she couldn¡¯t imagine so. She turned back towards the gates, nodding politely to the guard, who waved her in without so much as a second glance. First stop was the tailor shop where she was finally able to pick up her new robes. Next, she made her way straight to the bath house. She was eager to change into her new Tailored clothes, so she showered quickly, forgoing the bath entirely. After she dried off, she carefully pulled out one of the new outfits and slipped it on. It fit like a dream. The fabric felt like the bag she had found ¨C that frisson of something that felt nice in some way. She felt almost energized just wearing the new clothes. She glanced at herself in a mirror, surprised at how pleased she felt about it. She really felt like a shrine priestess now. Before, wearing Rosalie¡¯s dresses¡­ it still felt unreal to some degree, like playing dress-up, even though she had been growing more fond of wearing the clothes recently. But having hand-tailored clothing that also suited her own personal tastes made it feel truly official. And the pockets. She was so glad for the pockets. She wasn¡¯t sure what she would put in them, if she was honest, but she just liked having the option. At the very least, her coin purse would go in there nicely. Although she¡¯d probably keep using the bag for other things, just the same. After she changed, she asked the friendly clerk at the front desk for directions to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was in the same part of town as the tavern that she had gone to before, but a few blocks further down, right past the town¡¯s inn. As she made her way down the bustling street, she passed the inn and glanced up at it with curiosity. She had no real reason to go inside, but she wondered if it would look like the typical fantasy stereotype if she did. She decided to save that adventure for another day. Instead, she walked on past to the building with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild sign hanging proudly above the entrance. She pulled open the heavy door, surprised to find a few people milling about at long tables with drinks. Was this a tavern as well, then? She was even more surprised when she noticed a familiar face behind the long wooden counter along the far wall. And then she remembered ¨C of course, Acacia¡¯s sister was a clerk here. ¡°The priestess!¡± Calli exclaimed when she caught sight of Sophie. ¡°I met you at the bakery. Sophie, right?¡± Sophie nodded as she approached the counter. ¡°That¡¯s me. Sophie Birch, officially registered as the town¡¯s shrine priestess as of¡­ uh, well, yesterday actually. I don¡¯t think we were formally introduced, but you¡¯re Acacia¡¯s sister?¡± Calli nodded, holding out her hand over the counter. ¡°Calliandra, but Calli for short. How can I help you today?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware of the situation at the shrine¡­¡± Although Sophie would be surprised if there was anyone in the town who wasn¡¯t aware. ¡°But, a mage came by the other day and he mentioned that there is a local earth mage who might be able to help with the situation.¡± ¡°An earth mage? Well, of course, there¡¯s Linden. But, he¡¯s out on a quest right now. Didn¡¯t Acacia mention it?¡± ¡°Acacia? No, why would she have?¡± Calli¡¯s smile turned sly at the question. ¡°Oh, I wonder¡­ But, regardless, he won¡¯t be back for a bit, and we don¡¯t have any other earth mages in town. The shrine is really out of mana, then?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°It is,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I¡¯d like to leave a message for him when he returns to see if he could help in any way. The mage mentioned an earth mage might be able to reroute some mana to the shrine.¡± Calli looked thoughtful. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± she said. ¡°Although I can¡¯t imagine why we wouldn¡¯t have done that already. That is, if there was any other mana source nearby in the past.¡± Sophie totally agreed with that assessment. But it was currently the best lead she had other than the endless amounts of training she¡¯d likely have to do. ¡°Do you have any other ideas?¡± she asked. ¡°Or know of anyone else who might be able to help?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Calli replied. ¡°Honestly, no. I¡¯m no expert, but relocating an existing source of mana sounds like your best bet for something like a shrine. Shrines are built on naturally occurring mana sources for a reason, you know? You could check at the library, though. We do have some archives, and someone there might be able to help figure out what happened in the past and whether they already tried something like that.¡± ¡°Ah, okay. Thanks. I¡¯ll try that,¡± Sophie replied. The unspecialized mage had mentioned the library as well. ¡°Can you point me in the right direction?¡± ¡°Sure, it¡¯s just a few streets over, actually. You mentioned you registered as the town priestess, right? The library is near the administration building.¡± Calli gave Sophie some more specific directions, and Sophie thanked her and turned to go. She hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the interior when she first walked in due to the surprise of seeing Calli there, but as she was walking out, two things caught her eye. One was a huge bulletin board full of some sort of postings, and the other was a map. ¡°A map! You have a map here!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Well, yes,¡± Calli said, sounding obviously confused. ¡°Of course we do. It helps people decide which quests to take.¡± Sophie walked over closer to the bulletin board and peered at the map. It was a zoomed-in version of the surrounding area. She couldn¡¯t see the entire landmass, but she could see an ocean to the east ¨C not far from the little dot marked Caulis. Her eyes traveled up the coastline and eventually landed on a little star with the word Sentus next to it. An ocean! And Sentus was right next to it. She wondered if it was a port city, then. Were there other cities and landmasses across the ocean? How big was this new world she had found herself on? ¡°Sentus¡­¡± she muttered to herself, trailing off. Apparently that¡¯s where everyone had been going to get their classes before she arrived at the shrine. It was hard to tell how far away it was, judging by the distances on the map. People seemed to mostly travel by horse here, although there might be other magical ways of travel. The shrine and the town did have portals after all. Either way, Sophie had no reference for how long it might take to go any sort of distance. Calli came around the side of the desk and pointed to one of the slips of paper on the bulletin board. ¡°Are you looking for a quest?¡± she asked. Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, just seeing what¡¯s nearby.¡± Calli looked at her strangely, but shrugged. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re ever in the market for some quests, we get a lot of good ones that need a priestess in the group. We end up having to send them to other guilds nearby ¨C usually all the way to Sentus.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sophie replied noncommittally. She still wasn¡¯t sure how into the idea of quests she was, especially if it meant she would be dealing with all of the corrupted creatures Elowen had been talking about the night before. Euan at the Crafter¡¯s Guild had mentioned purifying objects, and that sounded a lot safer if she needed work in the future. But, either way, she wasn¡¯t able to purify mana yet, so she could wait to look into it more when she learned the skill. Calli tapped on one of the slips of paper, continuing her explanation. ¡°This one¡¯s nearby. Each quest has a rank requirement on it along with the classes that would be best suited for the job.¡± ¡°Rank?¡± Sophie asked. She had heard of classes and levels, but not rank, yet. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Calli nodded. ¡°Oh ¨C rank is just based on your previous performance through the guild. You start out at the lowest rank, taking smaller quests, and work your way all the way up to S class.¡± She grinned. ¡°If you¡¯d like, we could get you registered today.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not quite ready to take quests, yet,¡± Sophie hedged. Calli was definitely a great saleswoman. Sophie could see why Acacia regularly got roped into doing the mana loaves, even if it was her sister, but ¨C ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of work to do at the shrine, and ¨C¡± Calli leaned against the front of the counter, waving a hand at Sophie. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± she conceded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to explain. I understand. It¡¯s just been so long since we¡¯ve had our own priestess. I¡¯m really looking forward to working with you in the future.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be sure to stop by again and register at some point. Maybe once things are a little more¡­ settled.¡± Calli smiled in reply. ¡°Alrighty, well, let me know if you ever need anything. But, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see you around either way.¡± A group of three people were heading towards the counter, so Calli made her way back around to the other side. She tapped on a slip of paper. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to get your message to Linden, too.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophie replied and stepped away from the counter. She waved goodbye as Calli turned to help the newcomers. On her way out of the guild, though, she paused in front of the map again, just staring at it. Sentus. She stared at the little city on the coast, something like nostalgia welling up inside her. Sophie waved goodbye, although Calli was no longer paying attention, and headed back out into the street, ready for her next adventure. The library. *** The library was in the same part of town with all of the bland, stone buildings. Sophie passed the administration building she had gone to a few days ago and found a larger two-story building with the library sign on it. She made her way through the heavy wooden doors into a large open space with long wooden tables and a large librarian''s desk over to one side. There were two people sitting behind the desk and they looked up curiously as she entered. A few other people were sitting at the long tables and appeared to be reading or studying. On the other side of the floor, there were rows and rows of books as far as the eye could see. Okay, maybe not as far as the eye could see, but it was pretty big for a little town library, and it seemed like there was even a second floor. She wondered where all the books came from. It¡¯s not like the library was as big as the huge library in downtown Seattle, but it was definitely more comparable to the one in her college town than she expected it to be. How did printing work in this world without technology like computers? And why would a town this size have a library like this? ¡°Can I help you?¡± A man at the librarian¡¯s desk asked, interrupting her train of thoughts. He had curly red hair and large, round glasses. He reminded her a little bit of an owl. Sophie nodded as she approached the desk. ¡°I heard you might have some archive records here?¡± ¡°That we do!¡± the man declared, proudly. ¡°They go back for nearly a century, in fact.¡± A century! Sophie wasn¡¯t surprised given the amount of books in the library. She thought back to the dates on the letters. ¡°Perhaps something from Caspian 28? Regarding the shrine or even just the surrounding area?¡± The man gave her a strange look at the request. ¡°Caspian 28?¡± He shook his head and glanced over to the woman sitting next to him. She shrugged. ¡°We lost almost everything during the Mage Wars,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯d be hard pressed to find any records about those years.¡± Sophie felt a chill slide down her spine. A war? And hadn¡¯t the man said almost a century? She almost began to ask about it, before she realized her mistake. ¡°Ah¡­. Well, if there¡¯s anything at all related to the shrine¡­ I guess the oldest records you might have would be fine.¡± The man nodded and came around the side of the desk. ¡°Here, let me show you what we have.¡± He began to lead Sophie into the book stacks towards a stairwell in the back. ¡°The archives are on the second floor,¡± he explained. Sophie followed behind, eyeing the rows of books thoughtfully. She wondered how they kept track of where everything was without computers. She also wondered, yet again, if they had romance manga in this fantasy land and, if not, surely they at least had romance novels. She thought, perhaps, she might investigate once she took a look at what was in the archive. The second floor was even more packed with books than the first. There were small desks along the edge of the building, and even a few people with what appeared to be small mana lamps reading at them. Sophie supposed it made sense to use mana lamps here, as well to prevent potential issues with fire. She wondered if people had to light them individually, or if there was some source of mana that kept them lit. ¡°The shrine¡­¡± the man said, almost as if to himself as he led her through several more rows of books. He finally stopped at a small section full of heavily worn books. ¡°As far as I know, we don¡¯t have any books specifically about the shrine itself, but these are the oldest volumes we have about the town¡¯s history. There are also newspaper archives, but those only go back for a few decades¡­¡± Newspaper archives! Sophie didn¡¯t even consider that the town might have a newspaper. But that sounded like it would be even more difficult to wade through than a couple of history books. ¡°If there¡¯s information on the shrine, it should be available in these volumes,¡± the librarian continued. ¡°But you might have more luck talking with a Historian if you are looking for specific information.¡± ¡°A historian?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Yep,¡± the man replied. ¡°You just missed him, actually. The town¡¯s historian is here most mornings.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sophie replied. She glanced back at the two thick volumes of history that the librarian had pointed to earlier. She really didn¡¯t want to read through all of that, but she supposed she had to for the good of the shrine. ¡°Can I borrow these?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, no,¡± the librarian shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, we can''t lend these volumes out, given their age, you understand. But you''re welcome to stop by at any time and do the research you need.¡± Right. Of course they wouldn¡¯t hand over precious volumes of history to just anyone. ¡°Oh that¡¯s alright,¡± she replied. She was tempted to sit and look through the volumes, but thinking back to her previous adventures looking for her mysterious plant in Rosalie¡¯s little library of botany books, it seemed like it would be better to just try the historian first. ¡°I''ll come back another morning.¡± The librarian nodded, seeming to understand, and led her back through the stacks to the staircase. Sophie was a little bummed about not finding anything helpful here. She would just have to come back to talk with the historian. She followed the librarian down the stairs and through the rows of books on the first floor. Before they made it back to the entrance, the librarian stopped and turned around. ¡°Is there anything else you need help with¡­?¡± Sophie glanced back at the rows of books, longing for her romance comics. ¡°Um, do you have comics here? Like, books that are mostly pictures, with potentially a romance story or ¨C¡± ¡°Kahmiks?¡± he asked, in that way that immediately tuned Sophie into the fact that he had never heard the word before. Her heart sank. ¡°Well, we do have a few picture books, but they are mostly for children. There are definitely no romance stories in them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± she said. ¡°Well thanks, anyways.¡± She turned to go, but the librarian stopped her. ¡°We do have many popular novels that feature romance stories,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯d like, I could show you to the section.¡± Sophie¡¯s ears perked up at that. Novels! She fell out of the habit of reading romance novels recently after she discovered online comics, but she used to adore reading them when she was still in school. ¡°That sounds perfect.¡± He led her over to a set of shelves close to the entrance of the library. ¡°This is our popular novel selection,¡± he explained. ¡°Just come up to the desk to check them out when you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she replied, and he left her to explore the shelves on her own. Sophie was delighted to find that there were actually titles on the spines. She wondered why none of the ones in Rosalie¡¯s possession had them. Maybe because they were boring old textbooks about plants? She pulled one of the books off the shelf at random, automatically turning it to look on the back out of habit, but alas, there was no description. She really didn¡¯t want to spend too much time here, so she decided to pick three based on their titles alone and take them up to the library desk to check out. The man who had led her up to the archives earlier was busy helping another person, but there was still another librarian sitting at the desk ¨C an older woman with her curly grey-black hair pulled back in a long braid. She gestured for Sophie to step forward. ¡°Are you new here, dear?¡± Sophie nodded as she placed the books on the counter. ¡°Yep, I am. Do I need to sign up for a library card or something?¡± The librarian chuckled as if it was some sort of joke. ¡°We just need a bit of information to get you in our ledger,¡± she explained. After Sophie recited her name and current address, which elicited a few, further excited questions about Sophie¡¯s priestess status, the librarian began opening each of the books and pulling out a small card, doing something to it with mana that Sophie could almost sense. ¡°Taming the Ice Mage?¡± the librarian read out loud with a smile as she picked up the last book. ¡°Oh, I love this series. I hope you enjoy it!¡± Sophie felt her face heat at the ridiculousness of the title. She did miss the benefits of ebooks and comics on her phone where no one else could see the ridiculous things she was reading. ¡°Thanks,¡± she choked out, as the librarian handed the pile back to her. ¡°The card will let you know when to bring the books back, dear. Please come again soon!¡± Sophie scurried towards the exit in her embarrassment, shoving the books into the little bag she had found in Rosalie¡¯s chest of clothes. She paused in surprise when suddenly the books seemed quite a bit lighter than they had before. Not weightless exactly, but perhaps reduced by half. She stared at the bag in amazement for a moment ¨C it hadn¡¯t even expanded as much as she would have expected. She shook her head in disbelief and headed out of the library at a much more sedate pace, ready to make her way to the market. Apparently Tailoring could do a lot more than she imagined. Chapter 22: Confessions of an Accidental Shrine Priestess Sophie was about halfway to the market when she realized she simply had no idea what she would even buy when she got there. She never had her cooking lesson with Acacia, so it wasn¡¯t like buying more ingredients would get her very far. She could theoretically just buy a bunch of market stall takeout and stuff it in the chill box to subsist on for a few more days, but that sounded oddly unappealing all of a sudden. That sort of thing made sense on her first few trips to the market, but now, with her new shrine priestess gear on, walking through the streets of Caulis, she was starting to think more about her future here. She had¡­ responsibilities now. She had people who were counting on her in ways she never really had before. She also had people, like Calli, who she didn¡¯t know very well at all, but who seemed actively interested in getting to know her better and working with her in the future. Maybe she should actually figure out her food situation beyond living on pastries and takeout. She frowned, thinking about the predicament. She did have someone who seemed actively interested in helping her. Perhaps if she stopped by the bakery, Acacia would at least have some suggestions to tide her over until their cooking lesson. That settled it. At the very least, surely Acacia would give Sophie an idea of what kinds of ingredients she could buy to prepare for said cooking lesson. After a bit more walking, she eventually found herself standing at the bakery door, but when she opened it, she was surprised to find that only Hollis and an unfamiliar young man were working at the counter together. No Acacia in sight. ¡°Sophie!¡± Hollis grinned, welcoming her in. ¡°Back for more croissants?¡± Sophie laughed as she approached the counter. ¡°Did you make those? I heard from Acacia that you''re the one who makes the sweets.¡± Hollis¡¯s face colored slightly, but he nodded. ¡°Yep, I am. I¡¯ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, I suppose.¡± ¡°Me, too,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°And those little cakes you made for Elowen were lovely. I do want some more croissants if you have any today, but first I was hoping to talk with Acacia. Is she not in?¡± ¡°Oh, she is,¡± Hollis replied. ¡°She''s upstairs actually.¡± ¡°Upstairs?¡± Hollis nodded. ¡°Yeah, I''m sure she won''t mind if you head on up.¡± He pointed down the hallway leading to the kitchen. ¡°Right across from the kitchen, there¡¯s a staircase. Just knock on the door at the top.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sophie replied, not sure what she was getting herself into this time. ¡°Are you sure she''s not busy?¡± Hollis shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I doubt it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed, and she cautiously made her way down the hallway and up the wooden stairs. At the top of the stairs, there was a little platform ¨C almost like a hallway and a simple wooden door. She knocked on the door. ¡°It''s open!¡± Acacia called from inside. ¡°Do you need my help down there?¡± Sophie pushed open the door, surprised to find herself walking into the living room of an apartment. A surprisingly spacious and well-furnished apartment, at that. There was a large sofa and matching chair in front of a fireplace, and the walls were filled with what almost looked to be abstract artwork. The living area opened up into a large kitchen with a dining table pushed up against one wall, almost like an afterthought. After a moment of disorientation, Sophie finally realized that Acacia was laying on said sofa, holding a heavy looking book above her head with suspicious ease, flipping through the pages. ¡°Um,¡± Sophie said carefully. ¡°Acacia?¡± Acacia glanced over, obviously startled. ¡°Oh!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s you, Sophie!¡± She sat up quickly, closing the book and setting it on a side table with a thud. ¡°Hollis sent me up here,¡± Sophie apologized. ¡°No, no, it''s okay,¡± Acacia insisted. ¡°It''s just my day off. I mean, I guess I don''t really take days off. It''s more like Hollis forces me to stop working sometimes when he and Sam are both in the shop, and then I sit up here bored¡­ I suppose you don''t really need three people running a bakery as small as ours, though.¡± ¡°You live up here?¡± Sophie asked, glancing around curiously. ¡°Yep.¡± Acacia grinned. ¡°The whole floor is mine. Well, the whole building is actually but technically it belongs to my family.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sophie replied. ¡°So what''s up?¡± Acacia asked. ¡°Oh! Right. Well, I got my chill box today,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°And I was hoping to buy some stuff to put in it. But I honestly had no idea what to get. And so since I was in the area, I thought I''d stop by and ask for your help.¡± ¡°I''d love to!¡± Acacia hopped off of the couch. ¡°I need to get groceries as well, actually.¡± ¡°Oh ¨C¡± Sophie said, as Acacia made her way over to the connected kitchen. Sophie could see her grabbing some cloth bags out of a drawer. ¡°Oh, I just meant, like, advice or something. You don¡¯t have to come with me!¡± ¡°No!¡± Acacia insisted. ¡°I''d love to. It¡¯ll be fun!¡± Sophie wandered over to where Acacia was now opening a huge wooden cabinet door filled with food. Acacia¡¯s cabinets even had lighting in them somehow. Mana lights? ¡°Wow,¡± Sophie breathed. ¡°Are you sure you need groceries?¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°Okay, maybe I have a lot of food. But I still need some produce. I like to experiment with cooking. I primarily do baked goods, of course. I¡¯m no Chef, but I enjoy it all the same.¡± Acacia made her way over to another set of cabinets. ¡°I even have a frost box,¡± she said proudly, opening the door of one of the cabinets to show Sophie the contents. ¡°Although I usually just end up putting bread or cake in there.¡± Sophie laughed, imagining that she would probably end up doing the same if she worked in and lived above a bakery. Acacia closed the cabinet door. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she said and led Sophie down the stairs, back into the bakery. ¡°We¡¯re going shopping!¡± she shouted to Hollis on the way out. ¡°Good luck,¡± he called out in return, laughing. Sophie waved goodbye helplessly as Acacia practically dragged her out the door. *** Going to the market with Acacia was way more fun than going to the market by herself, Sophie decided fairly quickly. Acacia seemed to know absolutely everyone, and she even seemed to know all of the names of all of the mysterious herbs and spices at the stand that Sophie avoided mostly out of fear. But of course Acacia would come here often ¨C it wasn¡¯t that far from where she lived, and she actually liked cooking. Acacia pointed out some vegetables that were easy to work with ¨C surprisingly they were mostly the root vegetables Sophie had tried on her own before ¨C as well as some spices that would go with them. ¡°You know, I have been asking around about coffee for you, but no one I¡¯ve talked to has even heard of it.¡± Acacia mentioned as they made their way to yet another spice stall. Sophie wondered how many of them a market this size could really have. Acacia began poking at a bag of dried leaves, but glanced up at Sophie after a moment. ¡°Where did you say you had it before?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Sophie hedged, her stomach churning at the question. It probably wasn''t the best idea to tell the other woman the truth about Sophie¡¯s origins in the middle of the busy market, right? Acacia picked up the bag of leaves she had been poking at. ¡°Do you recall? It might help me find it for you,¡± she explained. Sophie shook her head, already feeling guilty. ¡°Ah, no ¨C not really. It was at a restaurant in another city,¡± she lied. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The lie bothered her more than it probably should have. Maybe coffee didn¡¯t even exist in this world, and she was sending Acacia on a foolhardy errand. If Sophie wasn¡¯t going to tell the other woman the truth, yet, it would be better if Acacia gave up on the quest. ¡°Well, I''ll keep looking for you, anyway,¡± Acacia added decisively. ¡°I''m curious to try it. It sounded like you enjoyed it quite a bit.¡± Sophie made a noncommittal noise, her face heating with embarrassment at the hole she had dug herself into. Great. Now, if she insisted Acacia stopped looking for it, it would be even weirder, right? She was starting to think maybe she should just tell Acacia the truth, but as the other woman paid for her spices and she followed her to another stall in the market, Sophie wondered when she would have a good chance to bring it up. And how would Acacia react to the news? After several more market purchases, they finally headed back to the bakery. Sophie still planned on buying some pastries, so she went inside with Acacia, but quickly found herself being dragged back up the stairs to Acacia¡¯s apartment on the second floor. ¡°You just have to stay!¡± Acacia insisted. ¡°We could get started on the cooking lesson that I promised you. At least let me show you how to make a proper soup. It''s really not that hard.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sophie asked, still feeling guilty about taking up so much of Acacia¡¯s time, but Acacia pulled some of Sophie¡¯s bags out of her hand, pointedly setting them on the floor. ¡°Yep,¡± Acacia said. ¡°Your cooking lessons officially start today!¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Sophie agreed, laughing. She really did need to learn how to feed herself after all, and Acacia had made her purchase several strange spices at the market that she wasn¡¯t sure what she was going to do with otherwise. Acacia started pulling out a bunch of cooking tools ¨C two cutting boards, a large pot, two knives. ¡°First, we need to get the vegetables ready. Are you familiar with how to do that?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Only vaguely. We need to peel them and stuff, right?¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°Yep,¡± she confirmed. She pulled some root vegetables out of one of the bags from the market and set them on the counter. Onions, potatoes, carrots ¨C all the basics that Sophie had tried to use to make her own soup. ¡°You can start by pulling the skin off of these onions,¡± Acacia instructed. ¡°I¡¯m going to put some of this stuff away, and then I¡¯ll get this pot ready with some oil that we¡¯ll cook them in.¡± Sophie got to work, peeling off the thin, brown papery outside layer, while Acacia busied herself putting away other things from her market bags. ¡°I saw your sister at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild earlier today,¡± Sophie mentioned. ¡°Oh! Right ¨C you said you were working on a lead over there? About the shrine¡¯s mana?¡± Acacia set some spices down next to the cutting board and pulled out a glass container full of some sort of oil similar to the one she had told Sophie to buy at the market. The pot from earlier went on a freestanding metal appliance in the back of the room that Sophie could only imagine to be some sort of mana-powered stove/oven combination. It even had an exhaust hood like some of the fancier ones Sophie had seen on television, but didn¡¯t appear to use wood or fire. Acacia poured some of the oil into the pot and turned back to Sophie, obviously curious. ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie nodded as she swept all of the onion papers into a little pile. ¡°The mage who came to register me as the town¡¯s priestess mentioned an earth mage might be able to help.¡± Acacia¡¯s head snapped up at the mention of an earth mage. ¡°Linden?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡± Sophie teased. ¡°Although, I suppose he is the only earth mage in Caulis if I recall correctly.¡± Acacia¡¯s face took on an interesting shade of red. ¡°That he is,¡± she half-spluttered. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but grin. It seemed like she stumbled on some sort of town romance drama. ¡°Anyway, your sister said ¨C¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go listening to Calli! Linden is just a friend! It¡¯s not like ¨C¡± Acacia immediately clamped her mouth shut, perhaps realizing she had spoken a bit too much on the topic already. Sophie laughed. ¡°Your sister said,¡± she repeated. ¡°That Linden is away on a quest. She took a note for him but sent me over to look at the archives instead. Although I didn¡¯t get anywhere with those, either. I had found some old letters with dates on them back at the shrine, but apparently it was before some sort of war? And the library doesn¡¯t have records before then.¡± ¡°The war? You mean the Mage Wars? Of course they wouldn¡¯t have records. Everything was destroyed.¡± Acacia glanced over at Sophie in disbelief. ¡°You act as if you¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± ¡°I ¨C um¡­¡± Sophie hesitated. Great, she had made another mistake. It was so hard to talk about anything and find out any useful answers without making it obvious that she really had no idea about this world and its history. The oil in the pot on the stove started smoking suddenly, and Acacia yelped, running back to pull it off the heat. ¡°Oh, crap. I forgot I¡¯m supposed to be giving you a cooking lesson, not gossiping. Here ¨C let me show you how to do the other vegetables, and then I¡¯ll show you how to make the soup base.¡± Sophie never felt so relieved to be clueless about cooking. ¡°That sounds good,¡± she said, glad to be off the topic of the letters. Acacia instructed her on how to chop the vegetables and showed her how to cook the onions and carrots in the heated oil, before adding spices. Then they filled the pot with water and had little to do but wait for it to boil until they could add the potatoes. ¡°It¡¯s a simple recipe, but that¡¯s what you wanted, right?¡± Acacia asked as she showed Sophie how to occasionally stir the contents of the pot. ¡°I can show you how to do variations on it. And this is the sort of thing that you can keep in the chill box for a few days if you really do hate cooking.¡± Sophie nodded, pleased at the idea. Soup wasn¡¯t so complicated after all. She felt oddly excited to try it. ¡°That would be wonderful,¡± she said, and she set the wooden spoon down on a little holder on the counter. ¡°So where are you from, anyway?¡± Acacia asked. ¡°You mentioned the Mage Wars earlier. It¡¯s impossible to think anyone grew up without hearing about them.¡± Sophie froze. And here it was. The question that she had no good answer to. Even after seeing the map at the Crafter¡¯s Guild, she had a very limited understanding of this world¡¯s geography. It wasn¡¯t like she could make something up and have it be convincing. And Elowen wasn¡¯t exactly much help with crafting a backstory. They hadn¡¯t talked about it at all, in fact, other than that first day when Elowen told her that Sophie should just tell the truth. Should she really? Acacia picked up the wooden spoon again, absently stirring the soup. ¡°I know we only just met recently, but it feels like you know so much about me, and I hardly know anything about you. How did you end up in Caulis? How did you find our little shrine?¡± She glanced up at Sophie again and grinned. ¡°Curious minds need to know.¡± Sophie¡¯s stomach dropped even further. Of course people had questions about where she came from. She was the new shrine priestess after all¡­ She knew in a sort of offhand way that she¡¯d have to face this eventually, but she had been putting off worrying about it with everything else going on. But now, with Acacia blinking at her with rapt interest, Sophie felt like she couldn¡¯t just lie. Not on this scale. Even the small lie about coffee earlier was still bothering her. ¡°Ah, well¡­ I came through the portal, actually,¡± she admitted. ¡°The portal?¡± Acacia frowned. ¡°The town portal? But it hasn¡¯t been active in ages. Not since I¡¯ve been alive, at least.¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, the one at the shrine.¡± Acacia pointed her spoon at Sophie. ¡°Now that¡¯s even weirder. That shouldn¡¯t be connected to anything but the town.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Elowen said, too.¡± Sophie sighed. ¡°And that portal isn¡¯t even active, either. Elowen said it hasn¡¯t been for who knows how long. She doesn¡¯t exactly have a good sense of time.¡± ¡°Well, leaving that aside, what portal did you walk into? And where were you expecting to end up?¡± Sophie glanced away, her stomach tying itself into a knot. ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly remember. I ¨C¡± Should she say it? Should she really tell Acacia? And if so, how much? Acacia blinked at her expectantly as Sophie waged her internal debate. If she told Acacia, she could at least get some answers and stop stumbling around in the darkness. She didn¡¯t even need to tell Acacia the whole, unbelievable story. Just enough. ¡°I don¡¯t actually remember walking into a portal,¡± she began. ¡°I¡¯m from¡­ somewhere different. We don¡¯t have classes or mana or any of that stuff. At least not that I know of. And we definitely don¡¯t have portals. But I guess I drank a bit too much, and when I woke up¡­¡± She shrugged as Acacia stared at her, eyes wide. ¡°When you woke up¡­?¡± Acacia prompted. ¡°Well, when I woke up, I was on the floor in the middle of the shrine. I found out that I had promised Elowen I¡¯d be her shrine priestess and help restore the shrine. I definitely don¡¯t remember any of that.¡± Acacia continued to stare at Sophie as the soup started bubbling in the pot. She was quiet for a long moment before she snapped out of it, glancing back at the pot in surprise. ¡°Oh! We need to add the potatoes. Here ¨C¡± Sophie numbly handed over the thick cutting board where the potatoes were ready to go into the pot. Her hands were shaking slightly. Acacia used her spoon to slide all of the potatoes into the waiting soup pot and then handed back the cutting board. ¡°You¡¯re from¡­ somewhere else?¡± Acacia asked after they had finished. ¡°Somewhere where there¡¯s no mana or classes?¡± She shook her head, setting her spoon down again. ¡°But that¡¯s impossible. There isn¡¯t such a place¡­ I mean, I guess there could be. But not in the known world there isn¡¯t.¡± Sophie nodded, understanding completely. She felt the same way when she found out that there was such a thing as mana and classes here. ¡°I¡¯ve been so lost,¡± she admitted. ¡°With being a shrine priestess. With figuring out how to use mana. With cooking. Just ¨C honestly, with everything.¡± Acacia laughed, but it was more of a startled sound than anything. ¡°Especially with cooking, it seems,¡± she teased. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you use mana. It seems like you¡¯re starting to get the hang of that. Well, maybe not the fainting bit, but ¨C¡± She cut off her words and looked at Sophie for a long time again, shaking her head again, but this time she had a small, exasperated smile on her face. ¡°So is that why I can¡¯t find this coffee you were asking about?¡± ¡°Um, probably?¡± Sophie admitted, ducking her head. ¡°I do feel bad about that. But I still can¡¯t believe it doesn¡¯t exist here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s that good?¡± Acacia asked, obviously skeptical. Sophie nodded adamantly. ¡°It really is! So much better than tea!¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll still keep an eye out for it then. Partly out of professional curiosity. But in the meantime, if you need any help or have any questions about other stuff, I¡¯m your girl.¡± Sophie grinned. ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. ¡°In that case, I have a million things I want to ask you.¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°Well, go ahead then,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re waiting on the soup anyway.¡± Chapter 23: A Spoonful of Knowledge Sophie truly did have a million questions for Acacia, and since the cooking lesson was at the ¡®wait until the food is done¡¯ stage it was a perfect time to ask them. ¡°Okay, so ¨C I don''t even know where to begin,¡± she said as they sat down at the small dining table just off the kitchen. ¡°I guess let''s start with the dates. I found some letters in the shrine¡­ The last one seemed to be dated Caspian 28, and something about flower petals. What does that even mean? Is that the year? What¡¯s up with the petals?¡± Acacia laughed out loud at the question. ¡°Caspian 28 would be the year, yes. Are you talking about the Month of Falling Petals? That was last month, actually. It¡¯s the fourth month in the calendar year. You don¡¯t have the same terminology?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, I suppose we just have different names for the months that don¡¯t make much sense either. The fourth month would be April where I come from.¡± Acacia frowned slightly at the reply. ¡°But ¨C wait ¨C if you are from somewhere else, how do you even know our language to begin with? There are several different languages in the known world, and ours is merely one of them.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Sophie said. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m supposed to tell anyone, but it has to do with a blessing that Elowen gave me.¡± Acacia looked thoughtful. ¡°Hmmm, okay,¡± she said. ¡°A blessing makes sense. But¡­ Caspian 28? Are you sure that¡¯s what the letter said?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Some of them had earlier dates ¨C Caspian 27 and so on.¡± Acacia¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Earlier even? That was so long ago¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°How long?¡± Sophie asked, her stomach sinking. Just how long had Elowen been alone for? ¡°Well, I suppose that would be around 80 years ago,¡± Acacia replied. ¡°Right at the beginning of the Mage Wars. In fact, if I¡¯m not mistaken, Caspian 28 would have been the year they started. Or maybe 29? I learned about it in school¡­¡± She chewed on her lip thoughtfully as if trying to recall what she had learned. Sophie stared at Acacia as the other woman trailed off. Eighty years? Nearly a century, the librarian had said. Elowen¡­ What had Elowen been doing during that time? Did Rosalie die at the beginning of the Mage Wars, or perhaps later? Either way, it seemed that Elowen had been alone for a much longer time than Sophie had expected. ¡°The Mage Wars¡­¡± Sophie repeated. ¡°If the letters ended before they began, does that mean Rosalie was involved?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Rosalie?¡± Acacia asked as she got up to check on the soup. She poked at a few of the vegetables and then came to sit back down at the dining table with Sophie. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s the former shrine priestess. I finally learned her name ¨C through the letters, of course.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Acacia replied. ¡°I doubt she would have been involved directly. The wars had something to do with Caspian¡¯s sister, Adriane. She tried to take over the territory to the south, and ¨C well, I honestly don¡¯t remember who all would have been involved from Caulis. I just know it was a terrible time for the town back then. My grandparents helped with rebuilding after all of the earthquakes.¡± ¡°Earthquakes?!¡± Sophie asked. Could the earthquakes have been the cause of the shrine¡¯s mana problem? Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if the timeline matched up exactly. Acacia nodded. ¡°Yeah, I guess you really don¡¯t know anything about the history here, do you? Caulis was nearly entirely destroyed. When mages fight¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°Well, the results are unpredictable to say the least. Especially Earth Mages. It¡¯s a dangerous class.¡± She frowned. ¡°Linden¡¯s family really didn¡¯t like his choice when the shrine spirit gave him the option to become an Earth Mage, but they¡¯ve grown to live with it.¡± ¡°So Earth Mages caused the earthquakes that nearly destroyed the town?¡± Sophie asked, trying to follow the thread of the conversation. Acacia looked a little uncertain at the question, though. ¡°I guess you could say that. It¡¯s complicated. It might be better to talk with a Historian. I honestly didn¡¯t pay much attention in history class.¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she reassured Acacia. ¡°I was planning on talking with a historian about the shrine, anyway, so I¡¯ll save those questions for him. I still don¡¯t even know what year it is now.¡± ¡°Well now we¡¯re in Blythe 3,¡± Acacia replied easily. ¡°The Month of Blooming Flowers.¡± ¡°Wait, why does the Month of Blooming Flowers come after the Month of Falling Petals? How does that make any sense?¡± Acacia laughed. ¡°I suppose I never thought of it that way. But the petals refer to flowering trees, I believe.¡± She shook her head, still chuckling. ¡°There are some inconsistencies in the calendar, for certain. For example, we have the months of Midwinter, Midsummer, and Midautumn, but then the third month is simply called Spring.¡± ¡°Wait, the month of Spring? Isn¡¯t it a whole season?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but the month is named as such because it¡¯s the beginning of the season. I suppose it is a little odd. It¡¯s just been that way for centuries.¡± ¡°Are there more months?¡± Sophie asked, her head already spinning. ¡°Do you at least have twelve?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Acacia said, cheerfully. ¡°Twelve months to the year, starting with the Month of New Beginnings.¡± Sophie held up her hand. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put aside months for now maybe. The names are just too much for me to remember, and I still have a lot of other things to ask.¡± Acacia laughed again, obviously delighted at Sophie¡¯s ignorance of such simple things. ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed. ¡°Lay it on me. What other questions do you have?¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sophie tried to think of everything she could possibly ask while the soup continued to cook. She learned that the names of the years ¨C like Blythe 3 and Caspian 28 ¨C were based on the current ruler, and the country itself was called Duille. The continent they lived on was split into three main territories ¨C two countries and one mostly ungoverned wilderness. In the wilderness, there was an area called the Corrupted Lands that developed during the Mage Wars and still caused problems to this day. There were two other continents ¨C one to the west and one to the south ¨C and a bunch of islands. Mana was present everywhere, although in varying amounts it seemed. Seeing the map at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild hadn¡¯t given Sophie the full picture of the sheer scale of the world that she had found herself in. Namely that it was an entire world. Somehow, Sophie¡¯s entire universe up until this point had been Caulis, with the occasional mention of somewhere called Sentus that was ¡°outside of Caulis¡± and that had been it. But this was, indeed, an entirely different world than her own, and she simply felt overwhelmed at her own lack of knowledge. Acacia occasionally tested the potatoes for doneness in between answering Sophie¡¯s questions, and on the fourth or fifth test, she finally nodded, seeming pleased with the results. She held the wooden spoon out to Sophie. ¡°Here ¨C try it.¡± Sophie took the spoon and cautiously got her own sampling of the soup. She was surprised. It was a huge improvement on her own soup efforts. And somehow she had been directly involved in this one! And it hadn¡¯t been that difficult. She might even be able to do it herself. ¡°We''ll add some cream to finish it,¡± Acacia explained as she went over to a chill box and pulled out a little glass container. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this part, but it gives it a little bit more body. You can also add cheese or other things, if you have them.¡± She let the soup cook a few more minutes, and then served them both bowls. It was well into the afternoon by the time they finished eating and chatting, and Sophie was reluctant to leave, if not for her promise to try Elowen¡¯s shrine stone. ¡°Will you make it there okay with all of those bags?¡± Acacia asked, as Sophie began to get ready to go. Sophie nodded. ¡°I should be fine.¡± She hefted the bags from the market and the tailor, along with the Tailored bag full of books that still felt lighter than it really should have. ¡°Thanks for all of your help today.¡± ¡°No problem at all,¡± Acacia insisted. ¡°Oh, actually, let me give you something ¨C¡± Acacia skipped back over to her frost box and opened it, digging through it for a moment before pulling out a small, paper-wrapped bundle no larger than her hand. ¡°Here.¡± She held it out to Sophie. ¡°Some more mana bread. Knowing you, you¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°Acacia, you really shouldn¡¯t ¨C¡± Sophie tried, but Acacia slipped the mana bread into one of Sophie¡¯s many bags before Sophie could stop her. ¡°Just let it thaw on the counter or wherever and eat it over a few days when your mana gets low. Don¡¯t eat it all at once!¡± ¡°I know ¨C you warned me well enough. But thank you. I¡¯ll really need to repay you for all of your help, soon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s basically community service since you¡¯re our new shrine priestess, right?¡± Acacia winked and Sophie couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll find some actually useful thing to do for you in return,¡± Sophie replied. She supposed Acacia was sort of right in a weird sense, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that just being the shrine priestess wasn¡¯t really enough. Acacia finally ushered her out of the apartment with stern reminders to practice making the soup. Sophie promised she would, and then made her way back down to the first floor of the bakery. She stopped at the counter on her way out to say goodbye to Hollis and grab some more of those delicious chocolate croissants along with a few other pastries, and then she started the long walk back to the shrine. *** Sophie was pretty sure more of the little markers were lit up than when she had left the path, but there were still plenty of unlit markers for her to work on another day. She thought back to the little dragon creature that had been following her and was glad he seemed to be off doing his own thing elsewhere. After her long detour at Acacia¡¯s, it would have been really sad had the poor thing still been waiting for her. She only realized she had forgotten to stop by the florist by the time she was already walking up the stone steps to the shrine. Drat. That would have to wait for another day. Elowen must have sensed her arrival, since she immediately floated out of the shrine to greet her. ¡°You¡¯re back! And you¡¯re wearing something different!¡± ¡°I am,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took a little longer than expected. I didn¡¯t actually get to ask about our plant, but I finally got my cooking lessons from Acacia.¡± Elowen nodded politely at the explanation, but she seemed intrigued by Sophie¡¯s clothing more than anything. Her hand hovered over the fabric, and Sophie felt the warm almost tingle that she was pretty sure meant Elowen was doing something with mana. ¡°These are very fine quality,¡± Elowen mused. ¡°I am impressed. I had thought ¨C well, regardless, it seems you found a good Tailor after all.¡± Sophie grinned, glad Elowen approved. ¡°I have two other outfits as well, but these are getting really heavy,¡± she lifted one of the bags up to demonstrate. ¡°Do you mind if we head into the shrine?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Elowen reached out again as if to touch one of the many bags. ¡°I do so wish I could help you with those,¡± she complained. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sophie insisted. She led Elowen back into the shrine. ¡°In fact, after we get some of the stuff put away, I think we should get started on working on some of that. I know you¡¯re worried that it¡¯s too soon, but I¡¯d really like to try the shrine stone.¡± Elowen still looked slightly reluctant, but she eventually nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she relented. ¡°But you have to promise me you¡¯re not going to faint again like you did last time with the fire.¡± Sophie felt her face heat. There was one of those pesky promises that she wasn¡¯t sure if she could keep. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± she said. At least now she had a better idea of what to expect. Before, when she had only been working with the mana lamps, she had no idea that channeling could even feel like that. But now, she¡¯d be even more on guard in the future. She filled the new chill box with some of the items from the market and placed others in the cabinet. Some of the cabinets were still quite bare, but it was starting to feel a little more like home in here. She also put away her new tailored clothes, and she finally pulled the three books she had gotten from the library out of her little tailored bag and set them on the desk for later. ¡°What are those?¡± Elowen asked, hovering curiously. ¡°Just some light reading,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°All of the books here are about plants, and I wanted to get something a little more fun to read when I have time.¡± Elowen blinked at the books, as if she wanted to investigate them further, but now that Sophie had finished putting everything away, she wanted to make good on her promise earlier. ¡°Okay,¡± she announced. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to try the shrine stone.¡± Elowen glanced up at her, nodding cautiously. ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. Sophie hoped she knew what she was getting herself into. Chapter 24: The Shrine Stone Sophie made her way back into the shrine¡¯s entryway with Elowen floating alongside. She approached the shrine stone¡¯s cabinet with slight hesitation. After all of Elowen¡¯s warnings and her experience with the fire the day before, she wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. She opened the cabinet carefully. The shrine stone still glowed the same faint blue. Was it perhaps fainter than before? She had no real way of telling, but something in her gut told her it might be. Right. She was here to fix that. She would fix that. She would do whatever it took to get that stone glowing just as blue as the lamps, and hopefully that would allow Elowen to manifest fully again. ¡°Is it okay if I ¨C?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to ask exactly, but it felt like she needed Elowen¡¯s permission for this. ¡°If I try channeling mana into it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°Just be careful.¡± Sophie nodded and reached her hand out. She placed her palm directly on the slightly rough surface of the stone. After her experiments with distance channeling earlier, she figured it wasn¡¯t worth wasting the extra mana to do that. It sounded like this was going to be difficult enough without adding the extra challenge. She centered herself, focusing on the point where her hand met the slightly cool stone. She could feel the mana within the stone resonate with her to some degree. She still couldn¡¯t truly sense mana, but the stone was different in that regard. Somehow she had a special connection to it ¨C likely through her relationship to Elowen and the shrine itself. Next, she found her own mana, growing more familiar every day, and she began to let it flow outward until it formed a connection with the stone. The connection itself happened easily, as if she had done it a hundred time before, but what came next ¨C Her stomach sank with something almost like fear, as if she was looking over a deep precipice. The stone seemed nearly hollow with emptiness. She could feel the capacity for mana and it felt almost endless at her current level. The stone didn¡¯t feel like the fire ¨C like it would pull all the mana from her ¨C but it seemed impossible that she¡¯d ever be able to fill it on her own. She tried channeling some mana into it anyway, but it was like adding mere drops to a pond that was once an ocean. This time, it wasn¡¯t the stone that wanted more mana, but Sophie herself who felt like she could put all of her mana into it and still not be satisfied with the results. In fact, after what seemed like only a moment or two, she suddenly realized that couldn¡¯t tell how much mana she had even put into it. She broke the connection, immediately letting her hand drop, and weariness slammed into her. She swayed slightly, but at least she didn¡¯t pass out this time. ¡°Wow,¡± she breathed. That was a close one. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Elowen asked, worry creasing her expression. ¡°I am,¡± Sophie reassured her. ¡°Although, I guess I can see why you wanted me to wait. I don¡¯t think I made any difference at all, and I already feel more drained than I expected.¡± Elowen frowned. ¡°We should stop then.¡± Sophie glanced back at the stone, chewing on her lip in thought. She really wanted to try again. ¡°Acacia actually gave me some more mana bread,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I¡¯d like to eat some first, and then decide.¡± Elowen shook her head, obviously skeptical of the idea. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how wise that is¡­¡± The mana bread yesterday had immediately improved Sophie¡¯s mana exhaustion, even after she had completely passed out. Today, Sophie felt the bone-weary feeling of being low on mana, but she was still standing, at least. She wondered what the mana bread could do when she was only just on the borderline of mana exhaustion, instead of already completely drained. Sophie went back to the kitchen area and pulled out the little loaf that Acacia had given her. She unwrapped it, but it was still frozen solid. ¡°Ah, drat. I guess I¡¯ll have to wait for it to thaw.¡± But, actually¡­ There was still a little bit of mana bread left over from the previous day. It might be a little stale, but Sophie found the remaining piece in one of the cabinets and sniffed it. ¡°Seems fresh enough.¡± There were only a few bites left so she popped the rest of it into her mouth. The effect was almost instantaneous. Mana rushed back to her, even quicker than it had the previous day. She felt as fresh as she had when she woke up in the morning, before she had done all of the markers on the path. Elowen watched her with no small amount of anxiety as she approached the shrine stone again. ¡°I really don¡¯t know if you should try it again¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really okay,¡± Sophie insisted. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to do much. Even just a moment or two was nearly too much earlier.¡± She placed her hand back on the stone, reopening that strange, vast connection. This time, with her mana at its fullest, she tried paying more attention to the flow of the mana between her and the stone, but she still couldn¡¯t quite get a good read on it. She pulled her hand back suddenly, unsure if she had gone too far. As soon as the connection dropped, the exhaustion crashed back over her again ¨C this time seeping deep into her bones. She sat straight down on the floor of the shrine and laughed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all I can really do for today.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Acacia had warned her against eating too much of the mana bread and besides, the new loaf was frozen anyway. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to do anything more. She carefully closed and re-latched the cabinet that held the shrine stone under Elowen¡¯s watchful gaze. She felt weak and shaky, but not so bad that she thought she¡¯d pass out or something. She remembered Acacia¡¯s suggestion that regular food might help, too, so she figured now was a good time for a celebratory pastry. But before then¡­ ¡°Can you tell¡­?¡± she asked, unable to keep the thread of hope out of her voice. ¡°I mean, did it make any difference at all?¡± Elowen pursed her lips for a moment. ¡°Maybe a little,¡± she replied, but she didn¡¯t seem any different. Sophie wondered if the spirit was just being nice. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. She supposed if it had taken such a long time for the mana to deplete, it wasn¡¯t going to be fixed in an evening. Especially not at her current level. But still she had hoped¡­ Well, she had hoped it would make some sort of noticeable difference. She made her way back into the kitchen area for some tea and that not-so-celebratory pastry and tried not to feel too bummed about her progress. At least she had finally even tried the shrine stone. Now she knew what to expect. And on top of that, she had learned so much about the world she lived in now after talking with Acacia earlier in the day. Perhaps almost too much about the world. She wondered if she should tell Elowen about it ¨C but she found herself hesitating at the idea. If it had really been nearly 80 years, and if the spirit was indeed missing or losing her memories, it seemed somehow insensitive. Sophie ate her pastry thoughtfully in silence while Elowen stared at the chill box, occasionally waving her hand over it in curiosity. She did feel a little better after the food and the tea, but she doubted she would be able to do anything truly productive for the rest of the night. Luckily, she had the books from the library. She brought her tea over to the little writing desk and set it down next to the pile of books she had got from the library. Elowen followed curiously, watching as Sophie picked up the top book off of the stack ¨C Taming the Ice Mage. Sophie immediately felt a little guilty about the idea of reading it ¨C she should probably try to read more of the boring books about plants, instead. But she felt drained after her experience with the shrine stone, and it had been an incredibly long day, what with the market and the cooking lesson and learning fantasy land geography on top of all of that. Maybe she needed a reprieve. ¡°What is this one about?¡± Elowen asked, peering over Sophie¡¯s shoulder as she flipped open to the title page. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, yet,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s fiction. A romance story probably, judging by the title.¡± ¡°Fiction? Like made up tales?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Have you ever read anything like that before?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°Not that I recall¡­¡± Sophie almost felt a little bad for asking the question ¨C it fell into the territory of things that Elowen probably wouldn¡¯t remember if she tried. She quickly covered up her embarrassment by offering, ¡°Well, we could read this one together if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Oh, that would be wonderful!¡± Elowen twirled. ¡°I¡¯m so curious¡­¡± Sophie repressed a sigh. She had honestly been hoping that the spirit would say no, but Elowen looked so delighted at the idea that she couldn¡¯t back down now. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then.¡± The things Sophie had to do as a shrine priestess. Sophie flipped open to the first full page of text and then glanced back at Elowen, trying to determine the logistics of reading with a shrine spirit. ¡°Do you want to read over my shoulder?¡± she asked. ¡°Hmmm, perhaps you could read it out loud?¡± ¡°Out loud?¡± Sophie stared down at the words on the page. She had never read aloud to anyone before. She wasn¡¯t even sure she¡¯d be able to enjoy the story herself. But it was worth a try, she supposed. ¡°Um, sure, I guess.¡± She settled into the chair, propping her arms up on the desk and began to read the first paragraph. She found herself quickly swept up into the story, barely noticing the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. She became completely engrossed in the tale ¨C the lead heroine¡¯s tragic backstory, her plucky best friend who dragged her off on an adventure, their unfortunate first meeting with the arrogant Ice Mage. In fact, Sophie was just getting to the first steamy ¡°will they or won¡¯t they¡± scene after the Healer heroine saves the Ice Mage from a mortal wound when Sophie suddenly remembered her surroundings. She immediately closed the book with a squeak. ¡°Maybe we should take a break.¡± Her voice was dry anyway, and she needed to get some water. But her face also burned with embarrassment ¨C she had no idea how audiobook narrators back in her old world read steamy scenes aloud. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Elowen said, floating alongside Sophie as she went to grab a cup of water. ¡°Get what?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It¡¯s just not very interesting, is it? Can¡¯t humans just do these things already? Why would you want to read tales about them?¡± Sophie spluttered a laugh. ¡°Um, I suppose that¡¯s fair,¡± she agreed, but then she shrugged. ¡°I enjoy them, though.¡± Elowen looked awfully skeptical. ¡°Aren¡¯t there books about something more exciting?¡± Sophie somehow felt vaguely offended at the insinuation the romance books were boring, but she nodded. ¡°Sure. There are a lot of different kinds of stories. I¡¯m sure we could find something else you might enjoy.¡± She supposed it made sense that a shrine spirit might not be interested in tales of human romances though, and she was privately relieved that it sounded like she would not have to read the steamy scenes out loud to Elowen after all. Instead, she would have to pick up a few other books at the library to see if there was something else that might interest Elowen. It was never too late to make a reader out of someone, even if they were an ageless shrine spirit, after all. Chapter 25: Garden Pests The next morning, Sophie woke up to another bright and sunny day. The weather was edging closer to heat, and the shrine itself was already getting a bit stuffy in the mornings. It was the fifth month here, apparently ¨C the month of Blooming Flowers, if Sophie remembered correctly ¨C and the seasons seemed relatively similar to the ones she was used to, based on Acacia¡¯s explanations from the day before. If that was indeed the case, Sophie imagined it would only get hotter and couldn¡¯t bring herself to look forward to that. She was pretty sure her little shrine didn¡¯t have air conditioning. After her morning tea and some pastries for breakfast, she almost considered going back into town to stop by the library to talk with the Historian and pick up some other books for Elowen to read, but decided against it. It wasn¡¯t all that pressing to talk to the historian, especially since it seemed like she would need to wait for Linden¡¯s return to follow up on her main lead. And besides, they did have two other books to try, even if they were both probably also romances going off the titles. Instead, Sophie decided that it might be best to tackle some of the gardening work today, while the weather was still cool enough to be bearable. The grounds around the courtyard were quite overgrown with grass, and there was still the mess of dead plants in the shed. There was even a little garden plot behind the shrine, and Sophie was pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t actually be able to grow anything in it, but it felt like a shame not to try to clean it up. With this in mind, Sophie found the gloves from her previous gardening adventures and made her way out to the shed, Elowen floating closely behind. ¡°Let¡¯s clean this out today!¡± Elowen seemed intrigued by the idea. ¡°What are you going to do with the plants?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± She pulled open the shed¡¯s door, and the interior was just as bad as she had remembered. ¡°At the very least, we can clean out all of the dead leaves and things that have fallen on the floor.¡± That would be a good start ¨C and then she could figure out what to do with the plants that remained. Sophie found a rake amongst the other tools in a corner of the shed, careful of cobwebs and worse things in the dim space, and set to work. It was difficult to see what she was doing with the floor lit only by the open door at the entrance, but she scraped the metal prongs against the debris and began dragging it out of the shed¡¯s door into a small pile on the side. As usual, Elowen couldn¡¯t do much to help in her current state, but she floated nearby watching as Sophie worked with a peculiar look on her face. Sophie was on her third or fourth pass with the rake, when Elowen finally spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s awfully dark in there,¡± she said uncertainly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be sunlight coming in from the roof?¡± Sophie paused what she was doing and turned back to stare at the spirit. ¡°From the roof?¡± Elowen¡¯s comment made little sense to her, and the spirit herself seemed quite unsure of where it had come from. Sophie set aside her rake and went back inside the dark space, peering up at the roof. In fact, with the sun so bright today, she noticed that there were indeed spots where she could almost see a faint glimmer of light. There were windows on the roof! There had to be. Now that she knew what to look for, she could see the reflection of glass, almost like a greenhouse. But over the course of the decades, it had been completely covered up by fallen leaves and vines. ¡°Drat,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°How am I going to clean that?¡± She went back over to the corner of the shed where she had found the rake. Among the other tools there was a surprisingly sturdy-looking wooden ladder. She peered at it skeptically, and then reached out a hand to rattle it a bit. It felt solid. But¡­ if it had truly been 80 years since Rosalie was alive, should she really trust it? ¡­probably not. If she fell off of it, there would be no one to help but Elowen, and she wasn¡¯t even corporeal. Maybe Sophie could have Briony stop by to check the ladder for her to see if it was still stable. Sophie left the ladder in its place in the corner and went back outside to grab her rake. ¡°There should be sunlight,¡± Sophie explained to Elowen. ¡°But it looks like the roof¡¯s been covered up over the years.¡± Elowen looked oddly pleased at the explanation. ¡°Are you going to fix it?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Sophie promised. ¡°But I think I¡¯m going to need some help.¡± Sophie took a few steps back to get a better view of the roof. From the outside, she really couldn¡¯t tell what it was made of ¨C it was simply covered in debris, just like the floor of the shed, but worse. In fact, if it was a greenhouse, it was a pretty terrible location for one. Tall trees surrounded it, blocking out most of the light anyway. Was it possible that the trees had grown in the 80 year interval? Sophie simply had no idea. Either way, she was going to try to clean it off. She hefted her rake above her head, standing on her tiptoes, and tried sweeping the roof ¨C or rather dragging some of the debris towards the edge until it fell to the ground with a plop in front of her, splattering her with decaying leaves. Gross. Elowen let out a surprised giggle from somewhere behind her, and Sophie shot the spirit a dark look. Okay so maybe that hadn¡¯t been the brightest idea, but she didn¡¯t really know what else to do. And she hated to admit it to herself, but ever since becoming a shrine priestess, she seemed to have developed this burning desire to clean things. Specifically shrine-related things. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Whatever. She wasn¡¯t going to question it. Instead, she shuffled about a foot over and hefted the rake above her head again, prepared to do the same thing. This time, however, she was met with more resistance. Vines. She could feel them tangling in the prongs of the rake. She gave them a good tug, which turned out to be a bad idea as well when the tinkle of shattering glass followed soon afterwards. Double drat. She shielded her face quickly, before realizing that the glass had fallen through to the inside of the shed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elowen asked, obviously concerned. Sophie nodded. ¡°I am ¨C I think I broke a window, though.¡± She set her rake aside again and made her way back to the front of the shed. A clear beam of light lit up the place from a hole in the ceiling where a large glass panel had completely shattered. Below it lay a pile of glass, some shards had found their way into the plant pots and some larger pieces remained cushioned on the remaining piles of debris. Well, somehow she had managed to make the situation worse. She sighed. At least she had light to work with now. She decided to give up on cleaning the roof off for now and, instead, spent the rest of the morning cleaning the broken glass out of the shed and putting it into a separate pile from the plant debris. At least she had scheduled trash pick up. When she was finally done, there were eleven large pots left that all held the quite dead-looking potential relatives of the plant that sat in the shrine¡¯s entryway. She decided she¡¯d wait to do anything with those until she had a chance to talk to the florist. Even if they did look dead, she still felt a little bad at the idea of dumping them all out. Besides, as soon as Sophie had finished, Elowen darted in between the plants with glee, reaching her hand out to hover over each one. ¡°I¡¯m not sure they¡¯re dead,¡± she explained. ¡°I feel some remnants of mana.¡± So there was that. It was probably around lunchtime, but Sophie felt far too gross to just go inside and get some food. Instead, she left Elowen to her exploration of the plants and made her way along the back of the shrine to the well to get a buck of water. It would be quite cold, but it would be better than tracking dirt and potentially bits of broken glass into the shrine. When she got to the well, however, she was surprised to find the little dragon creature sitting on the roof like a sentinel. It peered down at her with interest as she carefully approached. ¡°What are you doing up there?¡± Sophie asked. It blinked down at her, not replying, of course. Sophie laughed a little to herself, as she pulled the wooden lid off of the well and lowered the bucket down into the water. As she began pulling the bucket back up, she heard the slide of the little dragon¡¯s leathery wings and then suddenly it was sitting on the edge of the well, close enough to touch. ¡°Be careful!¡± she warned, slightly startled at its boldness. ¡°You don¡¯t want to fall in.¡± As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how silly they were. Of course ¨C the little thing had wings. It probably didn¡¯t need to worry as much about things like falling into wells. Although she doubted it would be good for it either way. She hefted the bucket over the side of the well, getting ready to begin her unfortunately cold outdoor bath when ¨C ¡°Is that a wyvern?¡± Sophie jumped at the sound of Elowen¡¯s voice, and the bucket of water sloshed over the side as Sophie dropped it with a thud. The little creature froze in response, but it didn¡¯t fly off this time. Sophie was afraid to take her eyes off of the thing just in case it did fly off. ¡°A wyvern?¡± she asked, only vaguely familiar with the term. She had never bothered to ask Elowen or anyone else about the little guy, she realized. Elowen floated up alongside Sophie, and Sophie was even more surprised to see that little dragon creature ¨C err, wyvern¡¯s gaze followed her. In fact, it appeared to be staring directly at Elowen. ¡°It is!¡± Elowen said, and she sounded quite fond. ¡°What¡¯s a wyvern?¡± Sophie asked, pronouncing the unfamiliar word carefully. She was pretty sure she had only ever read it in books, and even then, rarely. ¡°Many see them as pests,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°They are said to be spreaders of corruption, but it¡¯s not quite true. They consume mana, and they can also channel it much like a mage or a priest might. So they can spread corrupted mana that way, but only if the mana they¡¯ve consumed has been corrupted in the first place.¡± Sophie remembered the little creature landing on the little markers and lighting them up. ¡°Ah, are they very common then?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°Not so common, no. Although far more common than dragons, which haven¡¯t been seen for centuries.¡± Sophie felt slightly embarrassed by the fact she¡¯d been thinking that the wyvern was a dragon this whole time, but how was she supposed to know the difference? The wyvern tilted its head at Elowen as if it could, in fact, see and hear her. Sophie pointed at it. ¡°Look at that! Can it see you?¡± Elowen stared at the little thing for a moment and then floated side to side. The creature''s gaze followed her. ¡°It does appear to be that way,¡± she replied. She seemed quite nonchalant about the idea, but it completely flipped Sophie¡¯s world view on its head. She thought she was the only one who was able to see Elowen. ¡°Um¡­¡± she said, not sure where to begin. ¡°Are they¡­ dangerous?¡± she settled on. It seemed like the more important question, given the circumstances. Elowen shook her head. ¡°Not in the slightest. Especially not to a priestess. Although, you haven¡¯t quite learned how to purify mana, yet, this little one poses no harm. The potential for wyverns to spread corrupted mana is the largest of their dangers. This one doesn¡¯t have a whiff of corruption about it, though.¡± Sophie was quite glad to hear that. She didn¡¯t want to be consorting with corrupted wildlife after all. The little wyvern seemed to be bored of this conversation, however, and with a flap of its leathery wings, it took flight and circled around them once before zipping back into the forest. Sophie was sad to see it go. ¡°Is there any way I can convince it to stay longer?¡± Elowen giggled at the question. ¡°Well they do like mana. Perhaps when the shrine¡¯s mana levels improve it will want to stay on its own?¡± Sophie nodded and stared off into the depths of the forest that the wyvern had gone. They like mana, huh? Perhaps the next time she saw it she could entice it with some of Acacia¡¯s mana bread or something. Although she somehow doubted the baker would appreciate her mana bread being put to use in that manner. Well, what Acacia didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt her. Chapter 26: Burnt Offerings Sophie rinsed her arms and hands off with the cold well water just enough to where she felt like she could go back in the shrine and grab a few more pastries to tide her over until later. She had promised Acacia that she¡¯d try to make the soup, but surely that could wait until the evening. Instead, she wanted to get some more work done outdoors this afternoon while she had the chance. It would be just her luck that someone else would come to receive a class now that she had registered as the town¡¯s priestess. She felt fairly ashamed at the state of the courtyard, even if it wasn¡¯t exactly her fault that the shrine had been left untended for upwards of eighty years. Besides that, part of her hoped the little wyvern would come back while she was working outside. Alas, the little guy did not reappear for the rest of the afternoon. Sophie did make some progress on the weeds around the courtyard, however. She used the scythe she had found among the gardening tools to hack around the perimeter, while Elowen spent her time floating in between the courtyard and the shed, occasionally peering at the rows of possibly-not-dead saplings in there. The scythe wasn¡¯t very efficient, but it did help a bit. During one of Sophie¡¯s many breaks from taming the weeds, she also poked at some of the overgrown plants in the little garden plot behind the shrine, wondering if she should try to clean that up as well. She was afraid to do too much to it for fear that she might pull something important. Perhaps she could have the gardener look at those as well and give her some advice when she finally got a chance to visit the flower shop. By late afternoon, Sophie was utterly physically exhausted and sincerely regretted only eating pastries all day. She washed up a bit more thoroughly this time as her stomach growled, keeping an eye out for the little wyvern all the while. After a final glance at the dense forest, she gave up on seeing it again today and decided it was finally time for her to attempt Acacia¡¯s soup recipe. She pulled up a fresh bucket of water and hefted it to the kitchen, pouring some of it into the largest metal pot she could find. If she was going to make soup, she might as well make a lot of it. Elowen watched with curiosity as Sophie gathered all of the necessary ingredients she remembered Acacia using the day before. Potatoes, onions, and carrots. Some herbs and oil. She didn¡¯t have any cream, but she did have some cheese now, although no cheese grater. Sophie stared at the ingredients on the counter with no small amount of trepidation. She realized, suddenly, that she had no idea how many of each vegetable to use if she changed the quantity. How big was the pot that Acacia had used? Her own seemed around twice the size, so maybe if she doubled it? She wished fervently that she had written the steps down. Well, there was no time like that present. In this fantasy land without search engines and recipe blogs, she was going to have to do things the old-fashioned way. She scurried over to the writing desk and dug through it to find some empty sheets of paper, but stopped short when she realized she had no idea how to use the strange pens. She held one up to show Elowen. ¡°Do you ¨C¡± she started, but Elowen blinked at the pen with such a confused look on her face that Sophie dropped the line of questioning immediately. Of course the shrine spirit wouldn¡¯t know how to use a quill. Sophie turned it over in her hand, frowning at it. She vaguely recalled from watching historical dramas that she might need to dip it in ink, and she even found a promising-looking bottle, closed tightly with a cork stopper, but her stomach growled angrily and she decided to stop there. Nope. Abort mission. She was not writing the recipe down, after all. She would deal with the whole quill and ink thing another time when she wasn¡¯t so hungry. Instead, she did her best to follow the steps by memory. It took a lot longer for her to get a fire started and the hearth hot enough, but after some trial and error, she managed to make something that sort of resembled the soup Acacia had made the night before. She even cut off a few chunks of a mild, soft cheese to add at the end, like Acacia had suggested. Sophie was pretty sure she bungled up a few of the steps, but it wasn¡¯t half bad. At least it was a vast improvement over her very first attempt, and she made enough that it would probably last her a few days in the chill box. Although she might have to pick up some more pastries and kebabs to fill in the cracks. A shrine priestess could not live on soup alone. Pastries, maybe. But soup? Nah. As she was cleaning up after dinner, she spied the little box of cakes on the counter from Acacia¡¯s visit a few days ago. How long would they stay fresh anyway? She didn¡¯t have a frost box to put them in, and she felt bad eating them if Elowen couldn¡¯t join in. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try burning some of these tonight?¡± she suggested. Elowen perked up at the idea. ¡°Really? Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright without Acacia here to help?¡± Sophie considered this for a moment. Sure, she wasn¡¯t able to manage on her own that first time, but she had leveled up after that, and she kind of knew what to expect. Even if she didn¡¯t have a fire affinity, she could be careful¡­ ¡°Sure,¡± she said finally. ¡°It will be tricky, but I think I can do it.¡± She grabbed the box and the fire striker and made her way out to the burnt offering stand, Elowen floating closely behind. She set the cakes to the side and lifted the lid of the metal grill. It was cleaner than it had been previously. Acacia must have done it while Sophie was otherwise indisposed the other day. Sophie¡¯s face warmed as she remembered her previous unfortunate experience with burning an offering for Elowen. Whoops. She definitely would not be fainting today. Er¡­ Hopefully. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She gathered some sticks ¨C there was no shortage of sticks around the courtyard, even after her attempts to clean the weeds up ¨C and began to light the fire in the grill just as Acacia had shown her before. This time she would be much more careful with the connection. Especially since she only had Elowen here to help her, and the shrine spirit probably couldn¡¯t do much. Sophie picked up the box of little cakes again, opening it carefully and glancing down at the five remaining sweets. ¡°You should try one first,¡± Elowen suggested. ¡°You didn¡¯t get a chance to try one the other day.¡± Sophie glanced up at her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Elowen nodded and waved at the box. ¡°Of course! There are still so many and ¨C¡± ¡°Wait a second,¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°This isn¡¯t because you think I¡¯m just going to pass out again, is it?¡± Elowen laughed and shook her head. ¡°Just try one.¡± Sophie eyed Elowen skeptically, but shrugged. ¡°Okay, if you insist.¡± She carefully lifted one of the delicate sweets out of the box and took a bite, eyes widening with surprise at the taste. It was light and delicious with a hint of citrus. She could almost imagine that she got it from a fancy cake shop in downtown Seattle. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she had something like this, and she finished it in a second bite. Elowen smiled happily at her. ¡°See?¡± Sophie nodded and picked another piece of cake out of the box, setting the rest to the side again. ¡°They¡¯re really good,¡± she conceded. ¡°Here, we¡¯ll do one for you now.¡± Sophie began to focus on her mana, under Elowen¡¯s watchful eye. Once she found it, she reached out to the fire with distance channeling. She felt its restless hunger pulling at her as the connection snapped into place. Perhaps it was slightly easier to resist this time, or maybe just slightly less distracting, because once she made the connection, she was able to set the little piece of cake into the flame and hold on until it burnt completely without the terrible shaky feeling she had the previous time. She dropped the connection as soon as Elowen smiled in that same, pleased expression that let Sophie know that it had worked. Without the steady draw from the fire, Sophie could feel how low on mana she was getting ¨C although it wasn¡¯t as dramatic as the experience with the shrine stone from the night before. Elowen clapped happily from beside her. ¡°Oh thank you! It¡¯s just wonderful!¡± ¡°Do you want another?¡± Sophie asked, although she wasn¡¯t actually sure if she could manage a second one. Elowen shook her head, eyes wide with concern. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise if you try it again.¡± Sophie agreed to some extent, but she frowned down at the three remaining cakes. She really wanted to try again. It felt so disappointing that she could still only do one cake, even after leveling up. Although she had done a lot of physical work earlier, she hadn¡¯t even used any of her mana today. Unless physical labor also used mana to some extent¡­ ¡°Let me try eating some of the mana bread again,¡± she suggested. At the very least, it would be a good experiment. Elowen frowned, but shrugged. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°If you must¡­¡± Sophie left Elowen in the courtyard as she went back into the shrine, finding the little loaf of mana bread still sitting on the counter, wrapped in paper. She unwrapped it, pleased to see that it was fully defrosted by now. She pulled off a chunk, popping it into her mouth. Of course, she wanted to save a little for the wyvern to see if she could convince it to stick around, but it¡¯s not like she needed to eat more than a bite of the mana bread. The feeling of mana returning to her washed over her nearly immediately, and she hurried back outside to try again. She picked up the little box of cakes. There were three left. She doubted she¡¯d be able to do all three, but ¨C ¡°I want to try two this time,¡± she decided. She wondered if it would be twice as difficult. It didn¡¯t seem likely, since the fire itself felt like the problem. Burning two cakes would only take about as much time as burning one. ¡°Should I not?¡± Elowen looked thoughtful. ¡°I think it might be okay¡­ But you must be careful, Sophie. You obviously don¡¯t have a fire affinity, and working with elements is always dangerous.¡± Sophie felt weirdly slighted at Elowen pointing out her lack of affinity to fire. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she insisted, doubling down on her decision to try two now. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± The logistics of burning two was a bit more complicated, however. Sophie pulled one little cake out of the box and made the connection with the fire again, just as she had previously. As soon as she felt the pull on her mana begin, she hurriedly placed the first cake into the flames and pulled a second out of the box to place it alongside. Her mana drained much more quickly than it had just moments earlier, when she had only attempted one, though, and she could barely hold the connection. She started feeling shaky, which sent a spike of worry through her. She forced herself to drop the connection. The two cakes had been mostly consumed by the flames, but a few small, charred, pieces remained on the grate and tumbled into the ashes below. Her stomach sank with disappointment. Elowen let out a delighted laugh from beside her, suddenly, though, and Sophie glanced over at the spirit, surprised. ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to ¨C¡± Elowen waved a hand at her, interrupting her. ¡°It was delightful, Sophie. Simply delightful. Thank you. You should have the last one.¡± Sophie¡¯s hands shook slightly on the box of cakes as she glanced down at the last remaining piece. Her face felt hot with a combination of mana drain and embarrassment at not being able to fully complete the task. ¡°A reward for your efforts.¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°You simply must have it.¡± Sophie nodded, still feeling slightly glum, but she pulled the last cake out of the box and took a bite of it. It was just as sweet and lovely as the other had been, and it lifted her spirits just a bit. Not so much that she thought Hollis had infused it with mana or something, but just enough. She found it in herself to laugh, and Elowen smiled at her in surprise. It was pretty silly after all. Here Sophie was, burning offerings of cakes in a fantasyland. She had literally been playing with fire only moments before. Sophie didn¡¯t even know what day of the week it was, anymore. Not really at least. But she would have never been doing anything of the sort on any day of the week back in Seattle. It was¡­ kind of fun. In a strange, fantasyland kind of way. She shook her head at herself. Besides, even if fire wasn¡¯t her strong suit, there were other things she could do. For one, she could keep training until she could get a better hold on the tricky element. And she could also keep working on improving the shrine. She put out the fire and decided she could at least clean out the little grill. She would definitely be trying more burnt offerings in the future. But for tonight¡­ Well, at least they had more books to read. Chapter 27: Mana Sense When Sophie awoke the next morning, a pair of Understandings washed over her as soon as her eyes blinked open. She sat up, stunned to realize that she was now Level 5, and more importantly ¨C she could tell she was Level 5. She didn¡¯t get a pop-up or an overlay or anything like she¡¯d expect in a video game. Instead, it was as if she had been trying to read a foreign language and one of the words finally became familiar to her after all of this time. It was as if she had always known she was Level 5. How peculiar. But even stranger was Mana Sense. She had a name for it, even, and she somehow knew that this is what it was called. She could feel mana in bits and pieces around the shrine, like a whisper in her ear. Her mind stuttered suddenly as Elowen approached. ¡°You¡¯re Level 5 now!¡± Elowen exclaimed, and Sophie glanced up at the spirit in wonder. For the first time, Sophie could tell that Elowen was a being of pure mana, just as she had insisted on that very first day. Sophie¡¯s understanding of mana felt rough around the edges still, but she could tell that Elowen had the most mana out of anything else in the room, and she could even feel a thread that seemed to trail off towards the direction of the shrine stone. ¡°It seems I finally gained the ability to sense mana and my own level, along with the level up,¡± Sophie replied. Her head spun a bit with all of the new input. Surely there was a way to turn it off. Elowen looked delighted at the news. ¡°I¡¯m simply amazed at the progress you¡¯re making.¡± Sophie had to admit that she was pleased as well. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days¡­¡± ¡°But you have been using mana in a variety of different ways,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°With Acacia¡¯s mana bread, you¡¯re able to train much more than you had been able to previously and you¡¯re starting to learn to work with fire along with the shrine stone. All of these unusual and different experiences will contribute to your level more quickly than merely channeling mana into the same type of element constantly. Besides, even children are able to gain ten levels before they come of age. So perhaps it¡¯s not too surprising that an adult would level so quickly, especially starting from nothing.¡± Sophie hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Huh, I suppose I am still only Level 5, after all of that. Level 10 seems so far away¡­¡± Elowen laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not so far away, perhaps. Not at the rate you¡¯re going now.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I hope so¡­ But, hey, is there any way to control Mana Sense?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Elowen replied. ¡°It¡¯s just like anything else. The more you use it, the more you¡¯ll be able to fine tune it and you¡¯ll develop deeper understandings of mana over time as well. Like the ability to distinguish pure and corrupted mana.¡± ¡°No, I mean ¨C like how do I turn it off?¡± Elowen tilted her head. ¡°But why would you want to do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a lot.¡± Elowen laughed again, obviously amused at Sophie¡¯s plight. ¡°I think you¡¯ll become acclimated to it eventually. It should fade into the background and allow you to focus in on it when you like.¡± Sophie frowned at the explanation and decided that the best direction to focus first was inward ¨C towards her own mana. It seemed that Mana Sense gave her a clearer picture of exactly how much mana she had to work with. She could tell, for example, that her mana reserves were completely full. Prior to her level up, she had only been able to sense a feeling of energy or a general feeling of well-being, but now she knew. After a few moments of poking at her own mana reserves, she finally pushed herself out of bed and began to get ready for the day, noticing here and there the little things that called out to her through her newfound Mana Sense. As she made her morning tea, she noted the hum of the chill box, which had nearly as much mana as Elowen. Next, she went to peer at the lamps in the front of the shrine, which she could tell were no longer completely full of mana as they must have been when she first lit them. And after that ¨C the shrine stone, which still felt like a pool of water that she couldn¡¯t quite see the bottom of. The shrine stone was different from Elowen, somehow. Rather, it was more like a container that held a lot of mana than something composed entirely of it. There was also something funny about it that she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on. Like perhaps it had the ability to hold more mana than it ought to. Either way, her new ability could not accurately estimate how much mana the stone held. It seemed to work better on things that might contain a lesser amount of mana, if she had to make a guess. She could, however, clearly see the thread that bound Elowen to the stone now, although it melted into the general sense of Elowen¡¯s mana, when she tried to look closer. Elowen watched Sophie explore the shrine with great interest, until finally Sophie stopped in front of their mysterious plant friend. She frowned at it. She had nothing to compare it to, yet, since she hadn¡¯t been outside to look at other plants, but even without that, the little sapling did feel suspiciously full of mana, just as Elowen had insisted. ¡°I should really go to the florist today,¡± she announced. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Elowen nodded eagerly at the suggestion. ¡°Oh, please. I do wish you would. I would love to learn more about the plants. You mustn¡¯t forget this time!¡± Sophie had a strong suspicion that Elowen should already know more about the plant, but she was well aware that the spirit¡¯s memories seemed patchy at best. ¡°That settles it then. I need to stop by the library, too, and I¡¯ll pick up some more books for you to try,¡± Sophie offered. Elowen looked positively skeptical at that suggestion, but Sophie wasn¡¯t ready to give up on the whole reading thing. Sure, Elowen couldn¡¯t turn the pages on her own, but she eventually would be able to. Well, if Sophie could ever get enough mana back into the shrine for Elowen to manifest. Sophie laughed. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll try the florist first, though.¡± And with that, she finished her tea, pushing the distracting pings of Mana Sense aside for now, and got ready to go into Caulis. *** The florist shop stood among a few other retail stores close to Acacia¡¯s bakery. Sophie glanced up to see an unobtrusive Mabel¡¯s Flower¡¯s sign hanging above the large, glass windows that displayed a multitude of plants and flowers inside. This was the place. She pulled open the door to a cacophony of green and a wall of humidity, followed by the jingle of a bell at the top of the door. All told, it felt more like she was walking into a greenhouse than the type of flower shops she had been in in Seattle. Rows and rows of plants nearly blocked Sophie¡¯s view of the back counter, but a quick glance back there proved it to be empty anyway other than some flower arrangements. Surely the shop was open. Sophie turned to explore further when her newfound Mana Sense lit up in response to a collection of plants nearby. She found herself drawn to them ¨C they looked nothing like her plant, but they had a similar feeling of having a bit too much mana compared to their surrounding plant companions. ¡°Hello?¡± A woman¡¯s voice called from somewhere inside the shop, startling Sophie out of her reverie. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m curious about these plants you have here.¡± She glanced through the rows of greenery again, but couldn¡¯t find the source of the voice. ¡°Just a moment,¡± the woman called back in return, and then Sophie heard a thump and a strange dragging sound. Sophie was just about to head towards the source of the odd noises when a startlingly reptilian head peeked around a corner. Sophie froze in shock, her brain skipping a step as it tried to process this new situation. ¡°There you are!¡± The woman sounded quite pleased, although it was difficult for Sophie to read her facial expression, all things considered. As she approached, Sophie had a moment to take in her unusual features. She had light orange-brown skin textured in a way that definitely reminded Sophie of a lizard. Her face was entirely reptilian with eye ridges that extended out past her forehead and vertically slitted pupils above a snout and a long, smiling mouth. Her body was mostly humanoid and as such, she wore clothes similar to the other townsfolk Sophie had met so far. But perhaps most surprising of all ¨C the woman had a long, patterned tail that trailed out of her skirts and slid across the ground as she walked. Without so much as a hello, she gestured at the plants next to Sophie. Her hands seemed to only have four oddly-shaped fingers on them, and Sophie could only blink at them in surprise. ¡°Are these the ones you¡¯re looking at, dear?¡± Sophie glanced back up at the woman. ¡°Um,¡± she said. And then she gathered all of her experience as a former small-town Midwestern American who once moved to the strange coastal city of Seattle and swallowed her discomfort. ¡°Um, yes,¡± she replied, in what she hoped was a relatively normal voice. The woman nodded sagely. ¡°Hmm, a mage are you then? Do you have questions about them, or ¨C¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Sophie replied, glancing back at the plants. ¡°Um, I¡¯m not a mage. I¡¯m a priestess actually ¨C¡± ¡°A priestess! Why, you must be the priestess that Briony mentioned,¡± the woman replied. She held out her strange, four-fingered hand. ¡°I¡¯m Mabel. Briony said you¡¯d be visiting.¡± Sophie felt relieved, suddenly, that there was less to explain, and she took the woman¡¯s hand. Her skin felt surprisingly warm, but Sophie supposed it was quite warm in the building. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me! Sophie Birch. What are these plants? I found one sort of like these in a shed behind the shrine¡­ It has a lot of mana in it, but it looks nothing like these.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± the woman replied, and her tongue seemed to flick out of her mouth in thought. ¡°Well, these here are mage plants.¡± She stroked one of the leaves fondly. ¡°Magewort and Mageweed, to be precise. They are often used in remedies or as stimulants for mages to increase mana regeneration. You say you have some out at the shrine?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ The plant I have doesn¡¯t really look like either of these, but I¡¯m not really good with plants.¡± The woman laughed good-naturedly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s alright dear. You know, I¡¯d be happy to come out and take a look for you. I haven¡¯t ever ventured out that way, and I do love a good mystery, especially when it comes to plants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Now, about that mana regeneration¡­¡± After a bit more discussion with the friendly Gardener, Sophie didn¡¯t end up buying one of the mage plants, even though she was sorely tempted. She still had her own mystery plant to attend to, after all, and there was the matter of transporting it back to the shrine and taking care of it¡­ Besides, it sounded like it could potentially be related, so maybe she already had a bunch of mage plants and didn¡¯t even know it. Sophie felt guilty not buying anything at the plant shop, however, so she ended up buying some cut flowers ¨C she knew she had seen a vase somewhere in one of the kitchen cabinets, and the back room could use a little sprucing up. ¡°When would you like me to come out and check on your plants, dear?¡± Mabel asked as she handed Sophie her change. ¡°Um, whenever is most convenient,¡± Sophie replied, sliding the copper coins into her pouch. Mabel¡¯s tongue flicked out again in thought, and after a moment she nodded. ¡°I suppose I could drop by tomorrow if I head out there a bit early. The town portal isn¡¯t working yet, is it?¡± Sophie repressed a wince at the idea of getting up early and shook her head. ¡°Not yet, unfortunately.¡± Mabel nodded again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just put a sign on the shop in case it takes a while to get back.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie said, and she really meant it. Even if it meant getting up early, she was eager to find out more about the plant. Especially now that she learned about Magewort and Mageweed. She wondered if her plant could be related. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.¡± She gathered her flowers and made her way back to the front of the store. Next stop ¨C the library. Chapter 28: Taming the Historian As soon as Sophie got to the library building, she realized her mistake. What would she do with the flowers while she talked with the historian? Her face heated at her own stupidity. Oh well. It wasn¡¯t like she could do anything about it now. She pulled open the library doors to see that it was much emptier this early in the day. The woman from before was working at the counter, but Sophie didn¡¯t see the younger man anywhere. The woman glanced up at her, eyebrows raising in surprise over her thin-framed glasses. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back! Did you want the next in the series? Romancing the Crafter, I think it¡¯s called.¡± Sophie nodded, pleased that the librarian remembered her. ¡°I do! I really liked it. Although my ¨C um, my roommate wasn¡¯t as excited about the series. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a romance reader. She thought it was boring.¡± The woman laughed and stood up, shuffling around the desk. ¡°Oh? What kinds of things is she interested in?¡± Sophie thought about that for a moment and couldn¡¯t come up with a single thing. ¡°Well¡­ I''m honestly not sure. Lately she¡¯s been very interested in this plant we found, but I don¡¯t think botany is necessarily one of her interests¡­¡± The librarian nodded thoughtfully. ¡°She¡¯s a shrine spirit, right?¡± Sophie jolted with surprise at the question. ¡°Oh! Yes, I mean ¨C¡± The librarian waved a hand at her. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to explain. We get all types here.¡± Sophie nodded, and the librarian seemed to muse to herself for a bit. ¡°Hmmm, and she¡¯s been there for a while. Quite a long while, if rumors are to be trusted. Perhaps she¡¯d like to hear tales of other lands? But something exciting ¨C¡± The librarian nodded to herself. ¡°Here,¡± she said finally. ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow me, dear? You can leave your flowers on the desk if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Sophie set the flowers down carefully on the circulation desk and followed the librarian into the stacks. First, the librarian stopped in the location where Sophie had found Taming the Ice Mage previously, and pulled out two books from the shelf. She held them out to Sophie. ¡°Here are the next two in the series. You read the first one so quickly, you might as well check out both.¡± She winked. Sophie had to laugh in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡± Then the librarian wandered over to a different section, not too far from the first and began running her finger along the spines of the books. Sophie could see it now ¨C the librarian was doing something with mana. She could see a little trail of it following along at her fingertip. ¡°Aha!¡± The librarian finally said and pulled a book out from the stack. Sophie glanced down at the cover. ¡°The Wicked Ruins?¡± she read aloud. ¡°What is this one? An adventure story?¡± The librarian chuckled. ¡°Something like that,¡± she said mysteriously. ¡°If your roommate finds romance boring and has been stuck in the shrine for most of her existence, maybe she¡¯ll like something like this instead.¡± She tapped on the cover. Sophie was willing to give it a shot. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all!¡± The librarian led Sophie back to the circulation desk, and Sophie set the books down on the counter. She pulled the copy of Taming the Ice Mage out of her bag and handed it over to the woman. ¡°Is that all for you today?¡± the librarian asked as she accepted the book and did something with mana to it. She then began to do something similar to the three new books Sophie was going to borrow. Sophie nearly nodded, entranced by the ability to see that the librarian was using mana before she realized ¨C right! The historian! Her whole reason for coming to the library in the first place. ¡°Oh!¡± she said. ¡°Um, actually, I¡¯d like to meet with the historian. If he¡¯s in today¡­¡± The woman slid the stack of books over to Sophie. ¡°Oh, Ryland? Sure, he¡¯s just upstairs with Oliver. Would you like me to show you there?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t recognize either of the names, but she slid the three library books into her bag and shook her head. ¡°Thanks! But that¡¯s okay ¨C I can find my way up there. Thanks again for the recommendations. I¡¯ll let you know what my roommate thinks.¡± The librarian smiled fondly at her and waved her towards the stairs. ¡°Of course, dear. Head on up, then. You¡¯re welcome to leave the flowers here as long as you¡¯d like.¡± Sophie worked her way through the stacks on the first floor and up the stairs to the second. She found the owlish librarian from her previous library visit hovering over one of the work tables, frowning down at the table¡¯s occupant. ¡°This isn¡¯t your personal library,¡± he complained. There were books scattered everywhere across the top of the table, some with bits of paper stuck into them at odds and ends, and the other man at the table just grinned up at the librarian. ¡°No one else is even up here today. Besides, you¡¯ll clean them up for me, right?¡± The librarian scowled, and the other man just laughed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Um,¡± Sophie piped up, and two similar pairs of light blue eyes turned towards her. ¡°Sorry to interrupt. Is the historian here today?¡± ¡°Whoops, I guess there was someone up here,¡± the man at the table replied, and then righted his chair with a sheepish grin. ¡°That¡¯ll be me. Ryland at your service.¡± Sophie stared at him for a moment ¨C he did not fit her picture of a town historian at all. He was quite fit with messy red-brown hair, and he was probably only a handful of years or so older than her. Besides that, he was unfairly attractive. In fact, he looked more like he belonged on the cover of one of the romance novels she had rented. Taming the Ice Mage, indeed. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Oh,¡± she replied. She had been expecting someone quite a bit older and perhaps a bit more serious¡­ She glanced at the librarian for confirmation, not sure if it might be some sort of prank. The librarian sighed. ¡°Yes, he really is the town historian. Unfortunately. I¡¯m Oliver by the way. And sorry about the mess.¡± He began piling a few of the books into a neat corner, and the historian scrambled to grab one back. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m still using those.¡± ¡°You¡¯re obsessing,¡± Oliver replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help the nice shrine priestess, instead?¡± Ryland perked up at the mention of Sophie¡¯s class. ¡°A shrine priestess?¡± Sophie nodded cautiously. ¡°Ah, yes ¨C I was actually hoping to learn more about the history behind the town¡¯s shrine.¡± ¡°Dude, I¡¯ve been meaning to go up there ever since Garrick finally got his Bard class, but I totally forgot.¡± Oliver rolled his eyes at the excuse. ¡°He¡¯s been obsessing again,¡± he explained, repeating his earlier complaint. ¡°Over some ice cave on the Northern Islands, of all things.¡± Sophie nodded along as if she understood what Oliver had said, but she really, really didn¡¯t. Ryland laughed and reached up to ruffle his hand through Oliver¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s interesting! That¡¯s what history¡¯s all about, man.¡± Oliver ducked, grimacing. ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m at my job.¡± ¡°You and me both,¡± Ryland grinned. Sophie had to stifle a laugh. They surely must be brothers, she decided. They looked so similar, and they reminded her a bit of her cousins. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush to visit the shrine,¡± Sophie reassured him. ¡°You already have your class, right?¡± Ryland shrugged. ¡°I do, but I think it¡¯s probably my duty or something. You know, as the town historian? A momentous event like a new shrine priestess is something I need to make note of. In fact, I¡¯ll probably need to write something about it for future volumes of the town''s history.¡± Sophie supposed that might be fair. ¡°Do you have other volumes of history that mention the shrine then?¡± Ryland frowned at the question, looking a bit more serious than he had previously. ¡°Honestly, no. We really don¡¯t have much in the way of history on that shrine. It¡¯s been a bit of a mystery over the years. Here ¨C just a second.¡± He hopped up and disappeared into the library stacks leaving Sophie and Oliver behind. Sophie gave Oliver a questioning glance, but the other man just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting, am I?¡± Sophie asked while Ryland was gone. Oliver shook his head. ¡°Not at all. In fact, I¡¯m going to head back down to the circulation desk while you keep him entertained.¡± Sophie choked on a laugh. ¡°Oh, alright,¡± she said, and she pulled out one of the chairs at the table to sit down as she waited. Ryland appeared a few moments later, after Oliver had already gone. ¡°Here it is!¡± Ryland held up a heavy book that looked like one of the volumes Oliver had shown Sophie previously. ¡°We do have a few records starting right after the Mage Wars ended.¡± He set the volume down on the table with a thud and flipped through the pages. ¡°The shrine priestess at the time had been sent out on many quests to deal with corrupted mana pools that were popping up around the area, but at some point ¨C and this is where it gets fuzzy ¨C she went missing. Several adventurer groups were sent out to find her in the following years, but nothing ever came of it.¡± ¡°What about Elowen? I mean ¨C the shrine spirit?¡± Ryland shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s perhaps the biggest mystery of all. People from town went to the shrine many times looking for any signs of her, but she must have already faded by then. It¡¯s quite unheard of that she would have survived this long in such a state. So she¡¯s really still out there?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°She is. Although, she doesn¡¯t seem to retain many of her memories.¡± Sophie felt a little odd admitting this to a practical stranger ¨C almost as if she was giving away one of Elowen¡¯s secrets. Ryland frowned sympathetically. ¡°I¡¯m no expert on that sort of thing, but it¡¯s not surprising.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any sketches of the shrine? Or perhaps of Elowen and the former shrine priestess?¡± Ryland shook his head. ¡°Not in this library, at least. I¡¯m sure there was something like that in the past. Perhaps an entire volume dedicated to the shrine itself. But if so, it was lost.¡± He flipped through a few more pages of the history book and settled back on the original page. ¡°That¡¯s about all there is in this volume at least. We do have a Caulis newspaper collection, but the paper only started in the last few decades, so I doubt there¡¯s anything of note about the shrine in it. I¡¯d be happy to look through some other texts for you, though. It¡¯s possible there¡¯s a mention of it elsewhere ¨C volumes of history from other shrines or general overviews of the shrines on this continent.¡± Sophie stared down at the text. It was only a paragraph or two ¨C all that remained of Rosalie¡¯s life with Elowen, and even Elowen herself didn¡¯t seem to remember much of it. ¡°Ah, okay,¡± she said. ¡°That would be great, if you really don¡¯t mind.¡± Ryland pushed the volume aside, crowding a few other books that were precariously piled near the corner of the table. ¡°Any time,¡± he replied. ¡°Just stop by again in a week or so, or maybe I¡¯ll head up to the shrine myself if I find anything interesting.¡± Sophie thanked him and headed back down to the circulation desk to pick up her flowers. She didn¡¯t even have it in her to stop by the bakery today. Instead, she took her time walking back to the shrine, thinking about the past. She tried not to feel too discouraged about the lack of information at the library. It had seemed unlikely that she¡¯d find anything useful anyway, but she had still hoped¡­ At least she had the florist¡¯s visit to look forward to tomorrow and there was still Mana Sense. It lit up all of the stones along the path as she walked. A few were suspiciously low. Had the little wyvern been siphoning mana from them? She stopped at the ones that were less bright than the others and lit them up again with her own mana, practicing her distance channeling. It seemed that the level up had helped with that as well. When she got back to the shrine, Elowen was waiting in the entryway eagerly. ¡°Flowers?¡± she asked, when she saw the bouquet. ¡°Did you see the florist, then? What about the plant? Did you find out what it is?¡± Sophie laughed at the barrage of questions and pulled her bag off her shoulder as she made her way back to the kitchen area. ¡°I did stop by the florist, but she needs to take a look at it in person, apparently.¡± Sophie set the bouquet of flowers on the counter as she rummaged around in the cabinets to find the vase she had seen. She even had a little water left from her trip to the well this morning, so she filled the vase with it and stuck the flowers in as Elowen watched impatiently. ¡°But when?¡± Elowen asked. She seemed more invested in the plant situation now than Sophie was. Sophie supposed it made sense, given that strange moment in the greenhouse, when Elowen seemed to have remembered something ¨C even if it was something small. She had remembered about the windows on the ceiling. Perhaps learning more about the plants would jog more of her memories. ¡°She¡¯ll be by tomorrow,¡± Sophie promised. ¡°Early, apparently, so you¡¯re going to have to wake me up at sunrise.¡± Elowen spun around in happiness. ¡°Of course!¡¯ She clapped her hands together. ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Sophie smiled at Elowen¡¯s obvious excitement as she set the vase on the table. The flowers definitely brightened the place up a bit. With her new Mana Sense, she could even see what Briony had mentioned the last time she was here ¨C that there were traces of mana in everything around them. Small traces, but there all the same. ¡°I¡¯ll make some lunch, and then let¡¯s work on cleaning up the courtyard a bit more. We need to prepare for Mabel¡¯s visit tomorrow.¡± ¡°Humans need so much food,¡± Elowen complained, but she sounded so happy that Sophie could only laugh. Chapter 29: Ghost Stories After another long day of seemingly never ending yard work in which the little wyvern didn¡¯t show up at all, Sophie was feeling quite grumpy by the time she set to work making more potato soup. She was really going to have to ask for a second cooking lesson with Acacia. Or at the very least, she needed to get more pastries. She was getting low on everything ¨C all of the ingredients to make the soup and her backup pastry stash. She was also down to her last bite of mana bread. Acacia had generously given her two loaves already, and Sophie wasn¡¯t sure she should even ask for more, given how difficult it seemed to make. Sophie had enough left if she wanted to use some today, but then she wouldn¡¯t have any left for the little wyvern. Drat. She poked at her soup, forcing herself to eat it. It¡¯s not that it tasted bad, but after several meals in a row of eating only soup, she was getting bored with it. She sorely missed takeout and cellphones and ¨C Well, that wouldn¡¯t do at all. She did think of her old world still, especially as the night grew nearer and she had to deal with all of the inconveniences of living in this extremely old-fashioned fantasyworld shrine. But tonight, she still had her mana reserves ¨C in fact, she could more accurately feel her mana reserves than ever before due to Mana Sense ¨C and she was ready to try the Shrine Stone again. Elowen was still so beside herself with happiness at the idea of finding out more about their mystery plant that she didn¡¯t even complain tonight. ¡°Just be careful!¡± she warned cheerfully, following close behind as Sophie made her way into the entryway. Sophie cautiously opened the shrine stone¡¯s cabinet. This time, she came prepared with the small chunk of mana loaf that was left, still wrapped in brown paper, and she set that to the side. The shrine stone was somehow more intimidating now that she had Mana Sense, and she thought that maybe she might not have been so eager to try it had she gotten the ability sooner. She held out her hand and rested it gently on the surface of the stone. There was still no point in trying distance channeling here ¨C the stone itself would be difficult enough to work with without the added challenge. Sophie almost immediately broke out into a cold sweat as soon as she made the connection. This was not the same, shaky feeling that she got with the fire, but something almost like fear, pinging along her new Mana Sense. The vast emptiness was even more overwhelming at this close distance, although she could not even begin to see the bottom. She felt her mana trickling out of her reserves ¨C something she had never noticed before. Even just making the connection without pushing her own mana into the stone seemed to use some small amount of the precious resource. This was new territory. She explored what she could ¨C she felt something strange pulling at the stone, and she realized with a start that it must be Elowen. She couldn¡¯t see the bond, but she could feel it somehow, like a hint right in the back of her mind that she could not yet access. She poked at the strange feeling a bit more before she grew bored of it and began to channel. This time, she could feel her own mana leaving her swiftly, almost too fast for her to process. She broke the connection out of fear, embarrassed to realize that she had done it even sooner than she had the previous times and she still had quite a bit of mana left. Okay, so perhaps knowing how much mana she was using was a little freaky. It at least made her feel more cautious, rather than waiting for the telltale signs from her body that she was overdoing it. She hesitated, hand over the last piece of mana bread. She still had half of her mana left ¨C it seemed like a waste to use the mana bread now, but she didn¡¯t dare try the shrine stone again without it. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Elowen asked. Sophie nodded. ¡°Yep,¡± she said. ¡°But I think I¡¯m done with the shrine stone for now, though. Is there anything else I could practice with tonight?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Elowen pondered for a moment. ¡°Well, there¡¯s always water.¡± ¡°Water?¡± Sophie repeated, surprised. She hadn¡¯t thought of that. ¡°Sure!¡± Elowen nodded and gestured for Sophie to follow. Sophie picked up the still-wrapped piece of mana bread and followed Elowen back to the kitchen. Elowen floated around the bucket of leftover water from earlier in the evening. ¡°Just try a cup at first.¡± Sophie found a teacup and used it to scoop some of the water out of the bucket. She set it on the table. ¡°Okay, what now?¡± Elowen laughed. ¡°It¡¯s like anything else ¨C try channeling your mana into it.¡± Sophie stared at the water. What would it do? She sat down at the table, frowning into the cup. She could feel her mana reserves deep inside her, but she couldn¡¯t get a read on the water, yet, other than some trace mana glimmering here and there. She tried grasping onto one of those glimmers, especially now that she could actually see them, but it felt like grasping at a slippery fish or quite like water slipping right through her fingers. Well, this wasn¡¯t fire after all. She stuck her finger into the cup, and Elowen giggled some more. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to do that.¡± Sophie¡¯s cheeks felt warm at the teasing, but she persisted anyway. It was much easier to make the connection while touching the water. She felt it snap into place, although it felt much more tenuous than the other connections had been. Almost as if the water was repelling her. In fact, she tried pushing some mana towards it, and it felt like wading through thick mud. The water felt actively disinterested in her mana. This is the first she had encountered that response. Beyond that, with Mana Sense, she could tell that she was only managing to send a trickle of mana into the water, but the amount of mana she was using to do that was two, three, four times as much. Where was all the other mana going? It was like steam dissipating into the surrounding air, perhaps. After a few moments of Sophie struggling to push mana into the water, the water finally began to ripple and then to bubble. Sophie was forced to pull her finger out of the teacup suddenly as the water began to grow hot. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Wow, it really doesn¡¯t seem to like you,¡± Elowen mused, peering down into the cup. ¡°It doesn¡¯t?¡± Sophie asked as she dropped the connection to the water. She felt drained. She had some mana left, but it had somehow nearly taken as much out of her as the stone had. Elowen shook her head. ¡°No ¨C it seems like you don¡¯t have a water affinity either.¡± Sophie felt oddly disappointed at that. What was her affinity then? Not fire¡­ not water... She would have to try other things. She didn¡¯t bother eating the rest of the mana bread tonight. She had nothing she wanted to train with after that attempt. She would save the bread for the little wyvern after all. At least, if the little guy showed up tomorrow. If not, she¡¯d have to eat the bread to prevent it from going completely stale. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s all for tonight. We have a new book to try, though.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Elowen seemed interested in the idea. Sophie pushed herself out of her seat at the table and found the library books still in her bag from earlier in the day. She pulled them out and spread them across the table. ¡°This one ¨C The Wicked Ruins.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± Elowen asked, looking skeptical. ¡°It¡¯s not another romance, is it?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The librarian said it was an adventure story ¨C¡± Or did she? Sophie couldn¡¯t quite remember what the librarian had said, exactly. Sophie dumped the cup of water back into the bucket to save for washing up later and got settled onto her little folding mattress. ¡°Let¡¯s read it.¡± A chapter or two later, Sophie realized she had made a terrible mistake, her hands freezing on the pages of the book, her eyes refusing to scan further. Elowen was cackling with glee, and Sophie felt real fear for the first time since she had stumbled into this strange fantasyland. ¡°Why are you stopping?¡± Elowen complained. ¡°I want to see what the ghost does next!¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Sophie gulped, cold sweat trickling down her spine. The Wicked Ruins was not an adventure story, as she had been led to believe. Instead, it was a quite violent horror story about two adventurers who get lost in a jungle on the Southern Continent and find themselves staying in haunted ruins. Somehow she imagined that odd historian might enjoy it as well. Elowen seemed to love the descriptions of the unfamiliar environment, but she was also quite amused at the ¡®antics¡¯ of the spirits as she put it. Sophie wasn¡¯t sure she would call the piles of bones from former adventurers and walls splattered with blood to form creepy messages ¡®antics¡¯. Nevertheless, Sophie cleared her throat and dutifully soldiered on, continuing to read the horrifying tale aloud for Elowen. She supposed it was the least she could do, since Elowen had suffered through the romance tales for her. It was a very long night, indeed. *** Sophie awoke the next morning at the crack of dawn, groggy and disoriented, to a soft whisper in her ear. She sat straight up, shrieking in fear, before she realized it was only Elowen. Elowen blinked at her in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said. ¡°You said you wanted me to wake you up when the sun rose, did you not?¡± Sophie¡¯s heart was pounding in her chest ¨C she had slept uneasily with visions from The Wicked Ruins traipsing through her head all night, turning into twisty nightmares. ¡°Sorry,¡± she gasped. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± Elowen shook her head, muttering about the strangeness of humans, and left Sophie to get ready for her day, as usual. Mabel showed up around the time Sophie was considering a second cup of tea. Sophie had nearly chugged the first one, attempting to stabilize her nerves, but it had only seemed to make her more jittery. Oddly enough, she could also tell her mana reserves were not up to full capacity this morning either. It seemed the disturbed sleep had an effect on her mana regeneration along with her overall wellbeing. She heard the chime of the bell in front of the shrine before she could put another pot of water on to boil. Elowen¡¯s eyes were wide, as she floated back to the living area from the entryway. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C well, I¡¯m not sure who it is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably Mabel ¨C the gardener.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s ¨C well, so reptilian.¡± ¡°Have you never seen someone who looks like her before?¡± Sophie asked, unsure how to approach this. Elowen shook her head. ¡°Not that I can recall¡­¡± Sophie would have to deal with that later. Mabel greeted Sophie warmly, when Sophie finally made it out to the courtyard. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just lovely up here, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Sophie nodded. Acacia had said the same ¨C and as Sophie slowly improved the space, she grew more and more to appreciate it as well. After several days of working on the courtyard, the grass was no longer overgrown and in fact looked quite neat around the perimeter. There was still the problem of the broken windows in the greenhouse, but she¡¯d have to make a visit to the Crafter¡¯s Guild to deal with that one. ¡°I admit I hurried up here, even though it was quite the walk,¡± Mabel said, her tongue flicking out as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m eager to see this plant of yours.¡± She glanced around, as if it might be right there in the courtyard. ¡°Before that ¨C¡± Sophie said. ¡°Um, actually, I¡¯d like to introduce you to Elowen.¡± She gestured to the place where Elowen floated a little too close to Mabel, peering at her curiously. ¡°Oh! The spirit! My apologies.¡± Mabel bowed deeply in the direction that Sophie indicated, and Elowen looked awfully pleased at the gesture. ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s still recovering¡­¡± Sophie trailed off, but Mabel nodded in understanding. ¡°Of course, of course. I do hope you feel better soon,¡± she said towards the space that Elowen occupied. ¡°Thank you,¡± Elowen said, inclining her head as well. ¡°And thank you so much for visiting!¡± Elowen spun around in happiness. ¡°I¡¯m so excited to hear more about our plant.¡± ¡°Elowen¡¯s very happy that you¡¯re here to help us,¡± Sophie translated. ¡°Well, show me the way then,¡± Mabel instructed, and Sophie led her into the shrine. They had barely stepped into the space when Mabel¡¯s eyes landed on their mystery plant. ¡°Is that ¨C¡± She shuffled over to the plant, her tail occasionally dragging along the floor of the shrine. ¡°Why, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Elowen asked, eyes huge. Sophie echoed the question for Mabel¡¯s hearing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Mabel shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m not mistaken, this is Magewood.¡± ¡°Magewood?¡± Sophie repeated. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°An impossibility, that¡¯s what. This only looks to be a few years old, at best.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°Surely it¡¯s much older than that¡­ it would have been here since the former priestess ¨C¡± She cut herself off and glanced at Elowen anxiously, but the spirit was only staring at Mabel in wonder. ¡°Magewood?¡± Elowen whispered the words, as if it were somehow familiar to her. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± ¡°Where did you find it?¡± Mabel asked, touching one of the leaves reverently. ¡°It sure looks like Magewood alright.¡± ¡°In the shed,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Along with others like it. Although the others all seem dead.¡± ¡°Not dead!¡± Elowen insisted. ¡°Dormant, I think.¡± But Mabel couldn¡¯t hear her and spoke over the spirit. ¡°Others?¡± she echoed, and even her unfamiliar reptilian features conveyed the emotion of surprise. ¡°Can you show me?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Of course. Right this way¡­¡± As Sophie led Mabel to the greenhouse, with Elowen trailing along behind, she had to wonder¡­ What was so special about Magewood? Chapter 30: Magewood Sophie led Mabel across the courtyard to the greenhouse. She was glad she had spent so much time cleaning up in advance of the gardener¡¯s visit. The grass was still high in a few places further back, but the path was at least clear enough. Elowen floated along beside them both, still muttering to herself about Magewood, as Sophie opened the door. Light filtered into the greenhouse in patches from where Sophie had managed to pull some of the vines off of the roof during her first attempts at cleaning up. There was also still that pesky broken window that she¡¯d need to get fixed ¨C hopefully before it rained again ¨C but she had at least swept up all of the glass and all of the dried leaves and other things that had been on the floor previously. As soon as Mabel stepped foot inside, she gasped in surprise, eyes scanning over the rows of saplings in amazement. ¡°Surely not!¡± She shuffled over to the first one, faster than Sophie had seen her move previously. She did something with mana, then ¨C Sophie could see the blue light glowing at her fingertips. ¡°Ahh,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I see.¡± She moved on to the next and the next after that. She worked in silence, making her way through all eleven plants as Sophie watched. Elowen floated beside Mabel, here and there, getting a little too close for Sophie¡¯s comfort at times, but Sophie supposed that the social mores of an ageless shrine spirit were a little different than the average person¡¯s. Finally, Mabel shuffled back up to the front of the greenhouse, shaking her head again. ¡°This is quite surprising, indeed,¡± she said. ¡°Eleven Dawnwood saplings. And then the Magewood in the shrine. Who planted these?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. She glanced over to Elowen, but the spirit had an odd blank look on her face, so she didn¡¯t bother pressing her. ¡°Dawnwood? Magewood? What¡¯s so special about them?¡± ¡°Hmmm ¨C well. It¡¯s a bit tricky to explain ¨C¡± She sounded quite excited to do just that, however, so Sophie nodded, letting her continue. ¡°Some plants like Magewort and Mageweed must be harvested and consumed to have any benefit. But you wouldn¡¯t harvest Magewood ¨C¡± She sounded horrified by the mere idea of it. ¡°Instead, the trees act as huge, natural sources of mana. In fact, there¡¯s a shrine just south of here in Crann that runs entirely on mana generated by a Magewood.¡± That¡­ sounded like a lot of mana. Sophie couldn¡¯t even fathom how much would be needed to power the shrine fully. Even with her newfound mana sense to help, she had not been able to fully understand the depths of the shrine¡¯s depleted mana pool. ¡°But the problem is,¡± the gardener continued. ¡°That it is an extremely tricky tree to grow. It takes a special ability to plant. In fact, I know of no living Gardeners with the skill to do such a thing. It takes a master of the craft, and even then ¨C¡± She gestured to the plants in the greenhouse. ¡°Well, this is the result. Planting perhaps twenty seeds will often give you nineteen Dawnwood and only one Magewood, and that¡¯s if you¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the two?¡± Sophie asked. They all looked about the same to her. Well, except that the one in the shrine seemed a bit more¡­ alive than the others. ¡°From the little I do know about these trees, Dawnwood by itself is not so special,¡± Mabel explained. ¡°It doesn¡¯t generate mana like Magewood does. But they would be worth keeping for the seeds. The seeds have the potential to become Magewood, but again, only planted by a true master. It¡¯s such a fascinating topic. So you truly have no idea who planted these? I¡¯d love to meet them.¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I believe they belonged to the former shrine priestess, but she¡¯s ¨C¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mabel said. Her tail swished back and forth along the greenhouse floor. ¡°I see. What a shame. There aren¡¯t many of these trees left, you know? Only a few Magewood on this continent, at least. Perhaps more Dawnwood, but without the ability to replant them¡­¡± Sophie got the picture. So the trees were dying out. It seemed pretty stupid for this fantasyland to have trees that couldn¡¯t even continue their own species, but maybe it had been different in the past. ¡°These trees¡­¡± Sophie began, unsure how to phrase what she wanted to say next. ¡°I mean, they¡¯ve been here for such a long time. Are they even alive? I mean, the one in the shrine seemed to be alive, but ¨C¡± Elowen began to argue that they still contained mana and therefore couldn¡¯t be dead, but Mabel simply laughed. ¡°Of course ¨C it¡¯s harder to tell if you don¡¯t have the ability,¡± Mabel explained. ¡°These saplings are just dormant ¨C the ambient mana levels are too low for them to thrive, so they¡¯ve gone into a sort of hibernation. The one in the shrine is a bit of a special case. It¡¯s surprising that it wasn¡¯t dormant, as well ¨C or perhaps it only recently came out of hibernation?¡± She looked at Sophie expectantly, but Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It was like that when I found it.¡± Mabel nodded. ¡°Well, regardless, these saplings are not very old at all. Sure ¨C they might be decades old as we perceive time if they belonged to the former priestess, but I¡¯d say they¡¯ve only had a few years of actual growth before going dormant.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Wait ¨C what does that mean?¡± ¡°When Magewood and Dawnwood trees are still so young as these are, they need mana to grow and establish their root system. Not only are they difficult to plant, you see, but they are difficult to grow to adulthood in that regard since they need a strong, steady source of mana. These would have never had the chance. Not with whatever happened here. Likely the earthquakes during the Mage Wars.¡± ¡°The earthquakes?¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°And then what? They just stopped growing?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Mabel agreed. ¡°They would die eventually when they used up the last of their mana reserves, of course, but until then, they remained in this state ¨C somewhere in between.¡± Sophie stared at the two rows of plants. It sounded an awful lot like what had happened to Elowen¡­ The trees were stuck in the same sort of half-existence, just clinging on by a bit of mana until they used the last of it. She was incredibly glad she hadn¡¯t sent them all off with the trash cart or something. She thought it was best not to mention that part of the story to Mabel. ¡°Why would she have kept so many of them, though?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the one Magewood be enough?¡± Mabel laughed. ¡°Well, she likely wouldn¡¯t have known which one, if any, would result in a Magewood.¡± All of Mabel¡¯s explanations painted a strange picture. So Rosalie got all of these trees ¨C for what? In the hopes that one of them would be able to fix the mana problem with the shrine? But then something happened during the Mage Wars to make the mana issue worse? And then Rosalie disappeared¡­ And left both these trees and Elowen in some sort of weird stasis. ¡°Ah, well thank you so much for coming out here,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a garden plot in the back of the shrine I¡¯d like to learn more about if you have some time. And if you wouldn¡¯t mind giving me some instructions on how to take care of all of these plants¡­¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Mabel said. She began shuffling her way out of the greenhouse, but she glanced back at the rows of saplings before stopping suddenly. ¡°Priestess Sophie,¡± she said, suddenly addressing Sophie in a formal manner that no one in the town had before. ¡°I would caution you against letting this become public knowledge. It¡¯s ¨C¡± She rested her hand on Sophie¡¯s arm, and she looked worried. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not dangerous exactly. But you have something special here, for sure. I doubt there are many of these saplings left in the known world. And if there are, they are a closely guarded secret. It¡¯s not every day you can grow something capable of generating enough mana to sustain a shrine, you see¡­¡± Sophie frowned at the warning, but she nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°I think I understand. Here ¨C let me show you to the garden.¡± *** Sophie showed Mabel to the garden plot behind the shrine, which had become a cacophony of competing mana to her newfound Mana Sense. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what was causing it, until Mabel showed her some Mageweed and Magewort plants mixed in with more familiar things like lavender and spearmint. The lavender had spread so far into the yard on one side that it had formed something like its own field, and the spearmint had nearly conquered the mage plants growing the little garden plot, which had also been neatly framed by mana stone hidden under all of the plants. But even among all of that, there were no true weeds. Apparently mint grew so aggressively that it needed constant vigilance to prevent it from spreading like it had, with the benefit being that it choked out most of the other weeds. Before Mabel left, she instructed Sophie on the care of all of the plants, including the Magewood and Dawnwood saplings to the best of her knowledge, as limited as it was. She also told Sophie how to harvest the Mageweed and Magewort, along with tips on how to use them for mana regeneration. Apparently they were both used in teas. It seemed quite likely that all of the tea Sophie had thrown away had been mana regenerating tea. Well, even if it had been, it was old, nasty mana regenerating tea, so it would be better to experiment with making it fresh. After they were finished, Sophie had offered one of the Dawnwood saplings to Mabel in exchange for her help, but the other woman had refused flat out, saying it was far too high a price to pay for some gardening tips, and she couldn¡¯t do much with it anyway, since she didn¡¯t have the skill to plant the seeds. She did accept a cutting of one of Sophie¡¯s Magewort plants, however. The ones in the garden seemed to be a slightly different variety than the one that Mabel was familiar with. And she promised to come back out and check on Sophie¡¯s gardening progress. ¡°We¡¯ll make a gardener out of you, yet,¡± she had said, almost threateningly, before heading back toward the path. Sophie had never had a green thumb, but somehow she had found herself in the possession of not one, but twelve rare, half-dead plants that she needed to revive. She would not be responsible for killing them off completely. Especially if one of them had the potential to fix the mana issue in the shrine. If only she could get it to thrive. So maybe Mabel had a point¡­ Sophie returned to the garden plot behind the shrine with Elowen floating alongside once the Gardener had gone. She glanced over at the spirit, the question right on the tip of her tongue ¨C didn¡¯t Elowen remember anything? But she resisted. It felt¡­ well, it still felt cruel in a way. And it didn¡¯t matter. Perhaps Elowen would remember more when the mana situation was better. And perhaps now Sophie had a real possibility on how to fix things here without waiting for that Earth Mage to come back from his quest. If only she could figure out how to get the tree to actually grow. Luckily, Rosalie had left an entire library of plant books. As much as Sophie didn¡¯t want to dig through all of the boring-looking volumes again, at least now she would know what she was looking for. But first¡­ There was the garden. It seemed a shame to let the mage plants get crowded out by the other herbs. So, Sophie knelt down and began to get to work ¨C she had a lot of spearmint and lavender to harvest. Chapter 31: Magewort Sophie had quite a pile of lavender and spearmint going on the side of the garden plot when the wyvern decided to grace her and Elowen with its presence again. Elowen made a small squeak of surprise as it landed right next to her, and Sophie looked over with amusement. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± she called out to it cheerfully. It tilted its head at her in that strange way, and Elowen took an ever so small step to the side. ¡°Hey,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Wait right there.¡± She held up a hand at it as if telling a dog to ¡®stay¡¯. Elowen rolled her eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t possibly understand you.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. Just, uh, watch it for me?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I want to get something ¨C¡± She took a few steps back, keeping an eye on it to make sure it didn¡¯t leave, and then jogged around to the well, where she usually found the little guy, and went in through the side door to the kitchen. She quickly grabbed the last remaining bit of mana bread off of the counter and then made her way back out to Elowen and the wyvern. To her pleased surprise, the wyvern hadn¡¯t left after all. Instead, Elowen was staring at it with a watchful eye. Sophie unwrapped the last little handful of mana bread and approached the odd pair slowly. ¡°Here,¡± she held out her hand to the wyvern. ¡°This is for you.¡± She was preparing to kneel down, to set the bread on the ground in front of the creature when suddenly its leathery little wings lifted and in a movement far too fast for Sophie to react to, it landed on her outstretched arm. Its talons pressed against her skin with the imminent threat of pain, but didn¡¯t sink in. ¡°Ow,¡± she said, inanely. The little creature made a happy, keening noise and chomped into the mana bread. She could feel some sort of odd buzzing sensation running along its little body, and then it lifted off of her again, landing back on the ground to devour its newfound feast. ¡°Huh,¡± Elowen said slowly. ¡°I think it can understand you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked, still watching the little creature as it tore into the mana bread. It blinked up at her happily. ¡°It¡¯s obviously following your directions,¡± Elowen replied. ¡°And it seems to show no fear around you. Wyverns usually don¡¯t take so well to humans.¡± Sophie turned to look at Elowen as if the spirit were mad. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She waved a hand at the wyvern. ¡°I don¡¯t think it really understands me. It just wants to eat the mana bread.¡± The wyvern stared at her with hopeful eyes, as if she might produce more of the delicious treat. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s all there was of that,¡± she told it, and it had the audacity to look sad at the news. Did it understand her? She didn¡¯t have much of a chance to test the theory because it turned in a circle once, before taking alight again, swooping over their heads in a large circle before heading back off into the forest. She could still sort of feel the spot where it had landed on her arm. It was awfully friendly to her. ¡°The Universal Language blessing?¡± she asked, with a sudden thought. ¡°Can it ¨C I mean, does it ¨C¡± Elowen immediately cut her off, though. ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t work on beasts.¡± But Sophie wondered¡­ And then she shrugged, deciding that she had more than enough to think about for one day without worrying about whether or not the little wyvern could understand her. It wasn¡¯t like it did much, anyway. Sophie went back to cleaning up the garden plot until the mage plants had some room to breathe among the other plants. Sophie could also finally see the border of mana stones around the edge of the garden. She picked one up, holding it in her palm, wondering if it was just decoration or if it helped the garden in some way. She could feel the stone¡¯s curiosity towards her mana, but she withstood the lure of charging it. Maybe another day. Today, she wanted to try working with the shrine stone again. She hoped she would be able to uncover a bit more about it than she had been able to last time. Mana Sense added an unexpected layer of complexity to it, however, since Sophie could feel how much mana the stone took from her. It was a little more frightening in some regards. At least that last time ¨C she had barely been able to do anything. But now, she had her own handy supply of Magewort and Mageweed, and Mabel had told her how to use both of them to regenerate her mana. The Mageweed was apparently eaten more like a salad vegetable. The flowers could be dried and used for teas, but the plants wouldn¡¯t flower for several more months, according to Mabel. Magewort, on the other hand, could be prepared much like other herbs ¨C the leaves could be used for tea in their fresh form or dried. Sophie placed the stone she had been holding back in its spot along the border of the garden and picked a handful of the Magewort to add to her pile of lavender and spearmint. She didn¡¯t want to over-do it since the mage plants had been quite small in comparison to the others. She glanced down at the scruffy-looking leaves and wondered what it would taste like. It smelled much like any other herb ¨C Sophie wasn¡¯t exactly a connoisseur of them ¨C and Mabel had warned her that the taste wasn¡¯t pleasant, but the effects would be worth it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Sophie wasn¡¯t that big of a fan of tea in general, although it had grown on her since she had no other coffee replacement, so she figured it couldn¡¯t be much worse. She took her small handful of Magewort back into the shrine¡¯s kitchen to set it aside for later, and then she went back out to the garden to gather up all of the lavender and spearmint. Now ¨C to find somewhere to hang them up to dry. *** Sophie scoured the shrine for some twine and places to hang the herbs. She found some convenient hooks inside the back rooms of the shrine, and even some along the back wall of the entryway that the former priestess might have used herself. She supposed no one would be visiting the interior of the shrine for a while ¨C at least she hoped not ¨C so she carefully hung all of the lavender and spearmint. Her stomach was growling by the time she was done with everything, but she didn¡¯t have much left in the pantry, so she decided to make the trip into Caulis to run her usual set of errands. She grabbed some food at the market before heading to the public baths, glad to get properly cleaned up after all of the gardening earlier in the day. Then she stopped by the bakery to say hello to Acacia and pick up a few more pastries. Acacia was too busy to stop and chat, though, so Sophie headed over to the Crafter¡¯s Guild to schedule for Briony to visit again and take a look at the greenhouse. The other improvements to the shrine would have to wait. Fixing up the roof above the Dawnwood trees took top priority, even if Sophie had no idea what she would do with the saplings. And finally, before Sophie made her way out of town, she made one last trip to the market to pick up more ingredients for soup. And perhaps a few more kebabs, some stir-fried vegetables, and a few other very important things that definitely wouldn¡¯t help her procrastinate learning how to cook¡­ When she finally got back to the shrine much later in the afternoon, Sophie found Elowen in the entryway next to the Magewood tree. It reminded Sophie that she also needed to dig through all of Rosalie¡¯s plant books again¡­ They would have to plant the Magewood tree at some point, if it would have any chance to grow. But without much mana, it sounded like it wouldn¡¯t thrive. It was a tricky problem. Elowen followed Sophie back to the kitchen area, and Sophie began putting away all of the items from the market. ¡°Should I try channeling mana into it?¡± Sophie asked, wondering about the Magewood sapling still. Elowen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°It might damage it¡­¡± Sophie had been worried about the same thing since talking with Mabel this morning. If this tree was their only real hope to restore the mana, they had to tread carefully. Surely Rosalie had a book about Magewood among her collection, though, especially if she was so interested in them. ¡°We¡¯ll look for more information tonight,¡± Sophie promised. ¡°But first I want to try working with the shrine stone again.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Elowen looked confused. ¡°The last time ¨C it seemed like you had a lot of trouble with it.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I did, but I¡¯d like to try again. Besides, I need to get used to it. And, anyway, it will give me a good excuse to try out making Magewort tea.¡± After all, even if the shrine¡¯s mana was still low ¨C perhaps Sophie could put just enough mana into the stone to allow Elowen to manifest again. She simply had no idea how much that would entail, though, and there wasn¡¯t a good way to find out without testing the stone again. Elowen didn¡¯t argue with her, but Sophie sensed that the spirit thought the exercise was little more than hopeless still. She wasn¡¯t wrong. Sophie could barely stomach connecting with the shrine stone now that she had Mana Sense. It felt like looking over a deep pit, staring into the murky waters of an unknown ocean ¨C she broke the connection almost as soon as she tried pushing mana into it again, resisting the urge to gasp for breath as if she was coming up for air. What was the deal with it? Why hadn¡¯t it been so bad before? Perhaps because she hadn¡¯t known. She hadn¡¯t been able to sense the lack, where there should be mana. She didn¡¯t feel drained exactly ¨C she still had about half her mana left, but she felt frustrated with herself. It didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to try again without being at full capacity. ¡°Tea,¡± she told Elowen. ¡°I¡¯m going to try the tea.¡± The spirit followed her back to the kitchen area curiously, watching as Sophie got water ready, heating it up and then pouring some into a cup and adding a few of the Magewort leaves. Mabel had said she¡¯d need to wait until the water turned amber before taking the leaves out when the Magewort was dried, but for fresh it would be a lighter color. It seemed to take much longer to brew than the tea Sophie had found at the market. She took a hesitant sniff. It smelled¡­. Herbal? Much like the fresh leaves had smelled before. She wasn¡¯t sure what she had been expecting. She glanced down at the cup skeptically. She didn¡¯t want to actually consume the leaves, so before trying a sip, she decided to strain them out and pour the whole concoction into a separate cup like she did with her regular tea. It looked slightly more appealing, even with the off-putting smell. She cautiously brought the cup to her lips, Elowen looking on with no small amount of amusement. She took a sip. The strong, bitter flavor hit her immediately, nearly deterring her altogether from the experiment, but then she felt it ¨C a corresponding zing of mana returning. She took several large gulps, trying not to focus on the taste, and then set the cup back down on the counter. ¡°Well, that was disgusting.¡± Elowen laughed, absolutely delighted. ¡°Your mana seems to have returned, though,¡± she pointed out, and she was right. The effect was oddly instantaneous. Sophie wondered if there were any long term effects of the tea, as well. Now she knew why Acacia¡¯s mana bread was in such high demand. Especially if Magewort was the usual method of mana regeneration. It would be difficult to make that taste good. Either way, her mana was back, and she was determined. She was going to try the shrine stone again. Perhaps this time a bit more cautiously. But she needed to learn more about it. She saw no other way to figure out how to get Elowen back to whatever her normal state was. This time, it was not going to get the best of her. Chapter 32: Bonds Sophie returned to the shrine¡¯s entryway with Elowen floating close behind. She had left the cabinet open that held the stone, and she stared at with no small amount of trepidation. The mana buzzing through her from the tea helped boost her confidence, allowing her to take a step forward and confront it again. The Magewort definitely had some sort of different effect than Acacia¡¯s mana bread ¨C that was a sort of warm, mellow feeling whereas this had sharper edges. She wasn¡¯t sure the taste was worth it though. Maybe if she could find some sugar? Regardless, she placed her hand back on the shrine stone, feeling for a connection again. It would not scare her off this time. She was determined. She had to figure this out for Elowen¡¯s sake. Even if she was only Level 5, surely there was something she could do. This time, instead of channeling her mana into the stone again, she held back a bit. She poked at the connection, remembering something from the day before. Something from when she first gained Mana Sense and tried working with the stone. She wasn¡¯t sure what she was looking for exactly, until she felt it again. That tugging that she had noticed before. Something pulling at the stone ¨C a bond. The Understanding washed over her suddenly, so startling that she broke the connection to the stone, her mana reserves still mostly intact other than a trickle that had left during her exploration. ¡°I think I can sense your bond,¡± she half-whispered and turned to Elowen. Elowen looked startled at the revelation. ¡°Oh,¡± she said, and then she looked away. Sophie glanced back at the stone again. ¡°If I can sense it¡­¡± She put together the pieces of information that came with the Understanding. ¡°If I can sense it like that, is it possible that I could unbind you?¡± ¡°Oh, no ¨C¡± Elowen said suddenly. She floated in front of Sophie, her eyes wide, causing Sophie to take a step back from the stone¡¯s cabinet. ¡°Oh, you mustn¡¯t. It¡¯s not safe.¡± She seemed honestly fearful that Sophie would do it, although Sophie had some doubts that she¡¯d be able to remove the bond of an ageless shrine spirit anyway. But she was still curious about the idea. ¡°Why not?¡± Elowen frowned at the question and shook her head again. ¡°The bond is my source of mana at the moment. I am ¨C well, I am far too weak to sustain myself without it.¡± Sophie mulled this over. ¡°Can¡¯t I just move your bond to something else?¡± Elowen hesitated for a long moment, but eventually answered. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she admitted. ¡°You could. In theory. But ¨C it¡¯s dangerous. If the mana runs out, I¡¯d become unbound.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯d just rebind you again, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy¡­¡± Elowen said. ¡°I might ¨C well I might lose control and bind to something randomly if my mana gets too low. Being unbound¡­ it¡¯s too risky.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s your decision,¡± Sophie reassured her. ¡°I¡¯m not just going to unbind you if you don¡¯t want me to try. I¡¯m honestly not sure I¡¯d even be able to do it anyway¡­¡± Elowen frowned again and eventually floated away from Sophie, seemingly conflicted. Sophie felt a little confused by the whole interaction. But she supposed the shrine stone was the safest place for Elowen to be bound to ¨C it¡¯s not like there was another source of mana that would be large enough to sustain the spirit. And whatever was left in the stone must be enough to do just that. Sophie stepped forward again and placed her hand back on the stone, intending to just push more mana into it, like she had before, but now that she had the Understanding of the bond, something was bothering her. She made the connection again, easily finding Elowen¡¯s bond this time. It was a strange, slippery thing ¨C almost right outside her grasp ¨C but she was able to pin it down enough to get a good look at it. Sophie was not currently able to measure the amount of mana in the shrine stone, or even have any sort of sense how much mana the stone could possibly hold, but Elowen¡¯s bond was different. In fact, it was almost negligible. Even compared to Sophie. Barely any mana trickled through the link. Sophie frowned. That couldn¡¯t possibly be right, could it? Sophie felt like she could easily support such a weak link. But why was it so weak? Was this why Elowen was Faded or was it a result of the Fading? Sophie had no way to tell without Elowen¡¯s permission to work with the bond. She let it go for now, pushing her mana into the stone instead, holding on for as long as she could manage. The distraction of the problem with Elowen¡¯s bond helped somewhat. What did Sophie really know about the bond between a shrine spirit and a shrine stone? Was it normal for shrine spirits to be bound to shrine stones? Had Elowen told her that? But if Elowen¡¯s memories were less than accurate¡­ well¡­ For the first time since coming to the fantasy world, Sophie felt like something seemed fishy here. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. *** The next morning, Sophie woke to sun streaming in through the windows and a curious shrine spirit peering down at her. ¡°Um,¡± she said, trying to sit up. Elowen was still not corporeal, so it wasn¡¯t like Sophie had to worry about running into the other woman, but it still felt sort of rude. ¡°I want to try it,¡± Elowen said. She looked a little more lively this morning than she had the previous night. She had been fairly subdued after the discussion about her bond to the shrine stone, so Sophie ended up reading the next romance novel the librarian had recommended to her, leaving the spirit to her own devices for the night. Sophie felt a little more lively this morning, given that they hadn¡¯t read any more of that weird thriller novel, so she had a very refreshing sleep. In fact, she felt like maybe she even woke up with a little more mana than she had yesterday. She hadn¡¯t leveled ¨C but she felt brimming with energy, unlike yesterday when she felt a little drained, even on waking. ¡°I want you to try moving the bond to something else,¡± Elowen repeated, and she seemed oddly insistent about the idea, compared to her reticence the night before. ¡°Um, you do?¡± Sophie was not caffeinated enough to deal with this this morning. She honestly sort of doubted she¡¯d be able to do it, even if she tried. ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Elowen began. She bit her lip, growing hesitant again. ¡°I don¡¯t ¨C well, I don¡¯t remember everything,¡± she admitted. She looked as if she were confessing a terrible secret. ¡°I didn¡¯t really even notice at first. But ever since you came, I started realizing it¡­ There are only bits and pieces of things that I remember. And I want to remember! I ¨C¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Sophie said, reaching out as if she could comfort Elowen in that manner. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. I already know. I figured it was some sort of side effect of ¨C¡± She waved a hand to indicate Elowen¡¯s general Faded state. Elowen sniffed a bit, but she looked relieved. ¡°I guess it must be. It¡¯s so frustrating. I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°But you do, though,¡± Sophie reassured her. ¡°You remember some things. Like you remembered the light in the greenhouse. Maybe you would remember more if you tried new things.¡± Elowen nodded and rubbed at her face ¨C a curious gesture since it wasn¡¯t clear if shrine spirits could actually cry or not. ¡°I thought about it last night, and I want to try. I think I remember¡­ Well, I know I used to go into town. In the past. I wasn¡¯t always just here. I know I used to be able to travel further.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But you¡¯d need a strong source of mana to bind to, right?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that must have been true.¡± ¡°Then, it had to have been Rosalie, right?¡± Sophie said softly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she have been a strong enough source of mana?¡± Elowen looked away at that. ¡°Maybe,¡± she agreed. But Rosalie seemed to be a sore topic for the spirit. And Sophie wondered if it was really even true. Would Elowen need that strong of a source of mana? The bond between her and the shrine stone seemed so weak. ¡°We could try moving your bond to me,¡± Sophie suggested, but Elowen¡¯s eyes grew wide at the suggestion, and she immediately shook her head. ¡°No! It¡¯s too dangerous. I might completely drain your mana, and then ¨C¡± Well, she had a point. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°Well, maybe something else then. Like ¨C¡± She thought back to the mana stones in the garden, the weight of it in her palm. ¡°Hey, wait. I have an idea!¡± She ran out to the garden, pulling up one of the stones again. The border looked a little sad with the missing spot, so she nudged some of the stones closer together to close it up, and then she brought the stone to Elowen. ¡°Here,¡± she said. ¡°Would something like this work?¡± Elowen stared down at the stone curiously. ¡°It might¡­ But I don¡¯t know if it could hold enough mana¡­¡± The stone felt cool with morning dew in Sophie¡¯s palm. It was slightly dirty on the bottom from sitting in the garden for untold years. But nothing a little scrubbing wouldn¡¯t fix. ¡°Let¡¯s try it. I¡¯ll fill it with mana,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°And then we¡¯ll transfer you to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy¡­¡± Elowen tried, but Sophie already had it in her mind that she was going to do it that way. In fact, she had already begun to fill the stone with mana, just like the lights on the path. ¡°How long do you think this will last you?¡± Sophie asked. It was a smallish amount of mana ¨C more than the lights on the path, but not enough to drain Sophie completely. But Elowen didn¡¯t seem to need much in her Faded state, judging by the bond to the shrine stone. In fact, it seemed like she was barely surviving on a trickle of mana from the stone. ¡°I simply have no idea,¡± Elowen replied. She glanced at the stone skeptically. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure if¨C¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just test it out. We won¡¯t have any idea of what we¡¯re working with unless we try something,¡± Sophie insisted, interrupting Elowen¡¯s worries. ¡°We¡¯ll work on moving your bond to this ¨C¡± she held up the stone in her palm. ¡°And if you drain it immediately, surely we can just put you back on the shrine stone.¡± She hoped it was as simple as that. Unfortunately, it was not. The problem was the bond itself. Through the connection to the shrine stone, Sophie could feel the bond now, but it was still somehow right out of her grasp. Perhaps like it was tangled and she couldn¡¯t quite find the end piece to tug on and unravel the whole thing. She poked at it for a bit, feeling her mana slowly seeping out of herself through the connection, even though she wasn¡¯t actively channeling. ¡°Here ¨C¡± she heard Elowen say somewhat distantly. ¡°Here, let me try something.¡± And then Sophie felt something new. Almost as if Elowen had shown her the end of the thread. Sophie tugged at it and felt it come loose. She had it now, and she had the stone from the garden in the hand that wasn¡¯t touching the shrine stone, but ¨C Something wasn¡¯t right. The bond wrapped itself around her, suddenly stronger than it had been previously, pulling and pulling on Sophie¡¯s mana until Sophie saw Elowen flicker in front of her. Elowen looked almost solid for a split second, glowing as she filled with more mana than Sophie had ever seen in her. Mana that had come from Sophie. ¡°Uh oh,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± Chapter 33: Greenhouse Sophie felt the bond pulling, pulling, pulling at her mana as it tangled around her. She didn¡¯t even know where to begin with unraveling it, and her thoughts felt slow and muddy in her head. Her knees grew weak and she felt herself falter. ¡°Oh!¡± Elowen gasped. She reached out her hand, just as Sophie began to slide to the ground, and for a split second, Sophie could have sworn she felt Elowen¡¯s hand, cool and solid, brush up against her own. But then she was sitting on the floor, and that terrible draining sensation had finally left her. Her head was absolutely spinning with mana loss to the point where the room itself seemed to sway back and forth. She was really low. She could tell now, with Mana Sense, that she was lower than she had been since she got the new ability. Well, at least she hadn¡¯t passed out. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Elowen cried. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sophie glanced up at her, but it seemed that Elowen was back to her normal Faded state, almost as if nothing had happened. She looked awfully upset, but Sophie¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t firing on all cylinders and she couldn¡¯t quite figure out why ¨C ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help myself,¡± Elowen continued. ¡°It was simply wonderful, Sophie. I could feel all of this mana ¨C just right within my reach. I haven¡¯t felt that way in ages. In fact, I ¨C¡± So Elowen had been the reason the bond drained so much mana from Sophie? Sophie was about to ask¡­ something ¨C some sort of question if she could just get her mind to wrap around it the right way. But then Elowen¡¯s face shuttered suddenly, and she shook her head as if trying to clear it. ¡°I ¨C well, that¡¯s odd. I thought I could remember ¨C but no. I suppose I don¡¯t after all.¡± ¡°Remember what?¡± Sophie asked, finally, the words thick in her mouth. She tried to push herself up to her feet, and she nearly stumbled. Crap, her mana was really, really low. Had it felt this bad previously when she had drained so much of it? Or was it because she had recently leveled up? But she was still only Level 5. What would it be like if this happened at Level 10? Or higher? She didn¡¯t want to think about that. Perhaps worse ¨C it was still morning. And Sophie was pretty sure Briony was supposed to stop by today. ¡°I guess I better go make some more Magewort tea.¡± She sighed, practically dragging herself out to the well to get water for tea. If only Elowen had regained her corporeal form, maybe Sophie could make her do this for once. Oh well. Just another morning in the life of a shrine priestess. *** Sophie didn¡¯t feel as good as she had hoped she would after the Magewort tea. Her mana reserves felt just as full, or perhaps nearly so, as they had this morning, but she felt oddly foggy, almost like the aftereffects of a hangover. She definitely hadn¡¯t felt like this yesterday, but yesterday she hadn¡¯t been completely drained of her mana when she drank the tea. There was also the matter of the leaves themselves ¨C the Magewort she had picked yesterday was already wilted today by the time she made tea with it. But she wasn¡¯t sure that was the problem. No, it felt almost like a side effect of sorts. Mabel hadn¡¯t mentioned anything like that, but she probably also didn¡¯t imagine Sophie would be draining her mana so soon after discovering the plants. She had, however, instructed Sophie on how to dry the Magewort out for proper storage. So just in case, Sophie decided she¡¯d try that out today. She chased the bitter flavor of the Magewort down with a cup of regular tea and some breakfast pastries first, and she went back out to the garden plot to pick as much Magewort as she dared to tie in bundles for drying. She also thought more about the problem of Elowen¡¯s bond. Her head was still a little foggy, but it was at least clearer than it had been earlier, and she had come to a realization. Elowen had been solid, even if just for a moment. Sophie was sure of it. So whatever Elowen¡¯s Faded state was, it seemed like it could be reversed with enough mana. Although perhaps her solid form was not easily sustained? The bond itself seemed like it could grow and change, as well. Somehow Elowen had done something to pull more mana through the bond when she had been connected to Sophie, but she was not able to do that to the shrine stone. Was it because Sophie was her priestess? There was too much to consider and too much Sophie didn¡¯t know. All she knew was that she had to try again. Perhaps if she could transfer Elowen¡¯s bond to the stone from the garden, she would still only pull the limited amount of mana that she seemed to pull out of the shrine stone. Sophie patted one of the stones in the garden fondly and then collected her Magewort to take inside and dry. Later that morning, Briony did, in fact, stop by to take a look at the greenhouse. She brought a cart full of glass panes with her, along with a ladder and several mysterious tools. Sophie showed her to the greenhouse and asked about her own ladder while she was at it. ¡°It looks usable,¡± Briony said, after rattling it a bit and then reinforcing it with some mana. In fact, to prove the point, she set it up against the side of the greenhouse to use instead of the one she had brought. Sophie held it for her as Briony climbed up to survey the damage, pulling off more vines as she went. ¡°I wish I could help somehow,¡± Sophie called up to her. Briony peered over the edge of the roof with a grin. ¡°Nah, you¡¯d just get in the way,¡± she teased. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Sophie thought she was probably right. She at least made a pile with all of the vines and other debris from the roof and moved it back further into the surrounding forest and helped Briony carry a few panes of glass back and forth. But otherwise, she left Briony to her own devices until the other woman eventually climbed back down the ladder, wiping at her face with her sleeve. ¡°Did you ever find out anything more about all of these plants?¡± Briony asked cheerfully, waving towards the inside of the greenhouse. Sophie glanced back at the rows of Dawnwood saplings. Right. She had originally asked Briony about them. ¡°Um, yep. I did. Thanks for the recommendation, by the way. Mabel¡¯s great.¡± ¡°She is,¡± Briony agreed amicably. ¡°So, what are they then?¡± Sophie blinked at Briony in a blank panic. ¡°Um,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Just some trees, I guess.¡± Briony gave her an odd look, but shrugged. ¡°I suppose that is what they look like, huh?¡± She carried the ladder back into the greenhouse, setting it against the wall next to some of the other tools. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but notice her glancing curiously at the saplings again on her way out. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m all done here. You can settle up at the Guild.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°Thanks!¡± She felt relieved that Briony hadn¡¯t asked any further questions about the trees. It wasn¡¯t like she thought Briony would do anything unreasonable with the information ¨C but now Sophie felt like she had this strange secret that she needed to protect. She stared at the trees for a while after Briony left. She really needed to figure out how to take care of them, other than Mabel¡¯s basic instructions ¨C water and the like. Surely magical trees needed more than that. It sounded like what they could really use was mana, and Sophie was the only source of it in the area, currently. Right. Today would be a good day to reinvestigate that bookshelf. But first¡­ lunch. After eating some of the leftover market food from yesterday, Sophie pulled down nearly all of the books off of the shelves and began leafing through them. Now that she knew what she was looking for, it felt like a far less hopeless task, and indeed, after a bit of digging, she found not one, but two promising looking volumes, including one about mana plants in general and another entirely on the topic of Magewood. She put the rest of the books back on the shelf and glanced over at the writing desk, but it was a bit too stodgy for her ¨C it made her feel like she was back in school, getting ready to study for exams or something. So instead, she gathered her discoveries, taking them back into the kitchen to sit at the table. She flipped through both of the volumes as she sipped on some now cool tea from earlier in the morning. She was delighted to find that the book on Magewood even had handwritten notes scribbled along the edges. Rosalie¡¯s, perhaps? ¡°Look at this!¡± She pointed to a page describing the mana needs of Magewood trees. Elowen eagerly peered over her shoulder. ¡°So, you can channel mana into it?¡± she asked, curiously. ¡°I think so,¡± Sophie said, skimming over the page again. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not the recommended method for raising them, but it will do in a pinch. Maybe I should try it on one of the Dawnwood first though, just in case.¡± ¡°That seems like a good idea,¡± Elowen agreed. Sophie drained the rest of her tea, eager to try it out, and then led Elowen back out to the greenhouse. When she opened the door, the rows of Dawnwood were now lit up by the clean, new windows, and she could even see the sky above them through the overhanging trees. There was nothing to be done about the fact that trees had seemed to grow in around the greenhouse over the years. It wasn¡¯t like Sophie would cut them down or something. She hoped the saplings would get enough light, regardless, and she¡¯d do her part to try to provide them with the mana they needed as well. Sophie approached the first sapling, pressing her fingertips against its thin trunk. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± she whispered to the tree, feeling oddly like she was imposing on it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I said you were probably dead.¡± She had never channeled mana into something living before, and the idea felt awfully strange to her. The tree, of course, did not reply, and she felt a little silly for talking to it in the first place. She closed her eyes then, trying to feel for a connection. It came to her slowly, like cold sap, but it was not unfriendly. The mana within the tree seemed to warm up a bit, even, as she tried pushing her own mana into the mix. She wasn¡¯t sure how much mana to give the sapling, so after a few moments, she stopped and opened her eyes. She nearly gasped aloud at the change in the sapling. No longer grey and dull, the bark was now a vibrant brown, and she thought maybe some of the branches seemed a bit longer, with the hint of the smallest leaf buds appearing here and there. ¡°It¡¯s so much happier now!¡± Elowen exclaimed, clapping and spinning around the tree. Sophie glanced over at the other saplings. They looked almost like entirely different types of trees ¨C the change was that drastic. All with just a bit of mana, although perhaps the tree had been nearly dried up. But she also wondered¡­ ¡°Do you think ¨C¡± she glanced at the tree and then back at Elowen, who was blinking at her curiously. ¡°I mean, is it possible that I could have a¡­ uh, a tree affinity?¡± Elowen laughed, a light airy sound, at the question. ¡°Oh!¡± she said. ¡°Oh, um, no. I don¡¯t believe so. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sophie tried not to scowl at Elowen poking fun at her. ¡°Well, why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when you find your affinity,¡± Elowen replied mysteriously. ¡°But, what¡¯s left? Air? Maybe earth?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s more than just the basic elements ¨C people can have affinities to all sorts of things, although of course the basic elements are more common.¡± Sophie frowned at the answer. All sorts of things? ¡°It¡¯s also possible that you don¡¯t have an affinity at all,¡± Elowen continued. ¡°Even mages don¡¯t always have one.¡± ¡°Like the Unspecialized?¡± Elowen nodded. ¡°Exactly like that.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t like that at all. She somehow wanted an affinity. She liked the idea that maybe something would finally come naturally to her. She supposed if she thought about it that way, she knew she didn¡¯t have a tree affinity or a plant affinity or whatever. Although the sapling had responded well enough to her mana, she hadn¡¯t felt any particular ease towards it, if she really thought about it. In fact, although the little tree seemed happy to receive her mana, it had started off feeling more cold and sluggish. ¡°What if I never figure it out?¡± she asked, feeling a little bummed at the idea. ¡°Oh, you will!¡± Elowen reassured her. ¡°If you do have an affinity, it will only grow stronger as you level, until you¡¯ll feel drawn to it.¡± Sophie considered that for a moment, but she supposed it didn¡¯t matter very much at the moment. She didn¡¯t have a tree affinity, but she had a lot of trees in front of her that all needed mana. She might as well focus on the here and now, and she could figure out her affinity another time. She scanned her mana, checking her reserves. She had enough mana to do at least another tree, or perhaps two, but she thought back to the tree in the shrine, instead. ¡°Should we try the Magewood?¡± she asked. Elowen nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes!¡± she said. Sophie felt a little nervous at the prospect. The Dawnwood trees responded okay to her mana, but what if the Magewood didn¡¯t? Now, she was to face the real test. Chapter 34: Coin The Magewood sapling in the shrine¡¯s entryway already looked a bit perkier than its brethren in the greenhouse ¨C whether it was just its nature or some other factor, Sophie had no clue. It had always seemed a little happier than the rest of them. Perhaps the Magewood was just a hardier variant. Sophie hesitantly held her hand out and pressed her fingertips against the thin trunk. Would it respond the same as the Dawnwood? Would it accept her mana at all? She had heard somewhere in her old life that you were supposed to talk to plants, so she figured some encouragement couldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°You can do it,¡± she whispered. It was mostly to the tree, but also maybe a bit to herself as well. She focused on her mana and brought it to her fingertips ¨C she¡¯d have to be a little careful. She had a good amount left, but she felt like it wouldn¡¯t be the brightest idea to use too much of it considering Elowen had accidentally drained her earlier today. When she made the connection with the Magewood sapling, she could already tell that it was somehow different from the others, just as Mabel had said. For one, the mana within it responded in a much livelier fashion to her. Again, perhaps not enough that Sophie would call it an affinity, but more like the tree itself was happy to finally receive the mana it desperately needed to grow and flourish. It also had some other quality to it ¨C something bright and green and full of promise. Sophie carefully monitored her own reserves as she threaded mana into the sapling, this time watching the tree carefully as she did so. The outward changes were not quite so drastic as the saplings in the greenhouse, but Sophie did see more leaf buds appear and one of the Magewood¡¯s few existing leaves perked up a bit. Finally, after a few long moments, something within her said enough and she released the connection, letting her hand fall to her side. Elowen floated around the tree curiously, her hand reaching out occasionally as if she¡¯d like to touch one of the leaves for herself. ¡°It seemed to respond well,¡± Elowen said, and Sophie nodded. ¡°It did,¡± she agreed, and when she reached out to touch the tree again, she could feel the connection waiting to happen. She¡¯d have to check on it every morning and see how it was doing now. She had no idea how much mana it would need, but if it needed a consistent source to grow properly, she imagined it would need mana every day. Sophie still had some mana left after working with the Magewood tree ¨C perhaps even enough to do another one of the Dawnwoods in the greenhouse ¨C but she felt oddly exhausted already, and it was barely noon. The earlier experience with Elowen¡¯s bond really took it out of her, and while the Magewort tea seemed to replenish her mana, she suspected that it wasn¡¯t quite as refreshing as a good night¡¯s sleep would be, perhaps especially when she had been so low. It would not be a good idea to use her mana much more today. She couldn¡¯t let herself feel disappointed about that though. Overall, the experiment with the Magewood tree was a success. She wasn¡¯t actually sure what she did to it, but if it needed mana to grow, giving it mana seemed like the right thing to do. Besides that, she¡¯d probably need to plant it somewhere. It couldn¡¯t live in this pot forever. But she¡¯d figure that out after she spent a few days giving it mana, seeing how it responded to that. She¡¯d also have to read more of Rosalie¡¯s books to see if she could find out any more information on where and how to plant it. Without the ability to use any more of her mana, Sophie decided to sit down to an early lunch of leftover Market kebabs. Maybe she¡¯d go to Caulis again today. She could settle her tab at the Crafter¡¯s Guild and perhaps see if Acacia was less busy. Part of her wasn¡¯t sure if she should tell Acacia everything, but she wanted to confide in someone besides Elowen. She collected the library books she had finished, figuring she¡¯d turn those in as well, and started making her way into Caulis. *** Sophie was about halfway to Caulis when the little wyvern showed up again. It wooshed right past her as she was walking before it turned back and flew straight towards her again. She stopped mid-step, startled by its sudden appearance. ¡°You can¡¯t just do that!¡± she complained, but she couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It fluttered its leathery wings a few times, but then it took advantage of her static state to land on her shoulder. Its talons dug into her slightly, but again, not sharply enough to be painful. She laughed again and raised her arm to let it hop along until it reached her forearm. ¡°Listen here,¡± she said, continuing to scold it. ¡°You startled me.¡± It made an interested, half-preening noise, and then Sophie felt ¨C She felt mana, warm and curious, sparkling along her arm for a brief moment before it sunk into her. Sophie yelped in surprise at the sudden boost in her mana reserves, and the wyvern took flight again at the noise, zipping into a nearby tree branch as if unsure of itself. ¡°Um,¡± Sophie said. The wyvern blinked at her a few times, tilted its head, and then flew off. ¡°Thanks?¡± Sophie said, watching as it flew away, completely bewildered. She poked at her mana reserves. It wasn¡¯t like it had added much, to be fair, but it was noticeable. She felt odd about the whole experience, and Elowen¡¯s warnings of wyverns spreading corruption echoed in her ears. She wasn¡¯t like¡­ corrupted now, was she? Wouldn¡¯t she know if she had accidentally accepted corrupted mana? Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She continued her trip to town, feeling a little freaked out about the whole idea, but unsure what she should do about it now. Should she turn back? It felt a little silly to worry so much, though. The wyvern had never shown any sort of hostility towards her or any sign of corruption that she could tell. Turning back now seemed a little excessive. She pushed herself to keep walking down the path, even as she continued to poke at her mana reserves, wondering if her mana seemed different at all. By the time she had reached Caulis, she gave up on figuring out whether or not she had been corrupted. How would she even tell? She had never been in contact with corrupted mana, as far as she knew. No, instead, she decided she would at least do her planned errands for the day. If she noticed anything out of the ordinary, she could always head back immediately to ask Elowen about the whole corruption thing. But so far, she felt perfectly normal, if still a bit low on mana from her strange experience with Elowen¡¯s bond earlier this morning. So she made her way to the bathhouse to clean up a bit, and then on to the Crafter¡¯s Guild to settle up her tab. The window repair for the greenhouse ended up being a lot more coin than she had been expecting, and her stomach dropped a bit as she handed over another gold piece and a bunch of silver. By the time she left the Guild, her coin purse was starting to feel awfully light¡­ She had never been that good with money, and her new gig as a shrine priestess didn¡¯t exactly pay a steady salary. In fact, no one else had come to receive a class since that Bard ¨C Garrick, was it? And that was over a week ago. Sophie frowned, finding herself wandering the streets of Caulis as she thought through the predicament. Why weren¡¯t people showing up to receive classes? Were there just not enough people who needed them? But if that were the case, then she would need to figure out some other source of income. And probably pretty soon. There were so many other things that had to be done at the shrine, and she also had to buy food. Ugh, that settled it. She had probably better stop by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild again and see if there was anything at all she could do in her low-leveled state. So far, she was quite good at filling mana lamps, but that was about it. Hopefully Calli would have some ideas. *** Sophie hadn¡¯t considered the possibility that anyone but Calli would be working at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild when she stopped by, but as she walked through the door, she was suddenly thankful to see the familiar face, even if Calli was a bit pushy last time. ¡°It¡¯s the priestess!¡± Calli greeted her. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be back,¡± she teased. Sophie felt her face heat. She hadn¡¯t planned on coming back, if she was honest. Not if she could help it. Adventuring and quests did not seem to align with any of her interests, but she had to find some way to make money in this strange fantasyland. ¡°I seem to be lacking work,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°I mean ¨C there¡¯s plenty of things to do around the shrine, so I¡¯ve been keeping myself busy, but no one¡¯s come to get a new class recently, and I¡¯m not sure I really have the skills needed for quest work... Is there some way I could get the word out that the shrine is, uh, open for business?¡± Calli nodded thoughtfully at that. ¡°Well, I¡¯d be surprised if there was anyone left in Caulis who didn¡¯t know about the shrine re-opening, so that¡¯s not your problem.¡± She leaned forward over the counter a bit. ¡°I bet there are still people in town who are looking to get a class, but they¡¯re probably waiting for the festival.¡± ¡°The¡­ festival?¡± Sophie asked. Calli nodded again. ¡°The Midsummer festival? Ah, do you not have the same traditions, then?¡± Sophie vaguely recalled someone telling her something about a Midsummer festival¡­ ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, I suppose we don¡¯t¡­¡± And then she remembered Acacia telling her about the months, and ¨C ¡°Oh,¡± she repeated, suddenly realizing. ¡°That would be soon, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Calli rapped her knuckles against the wooden counter. ¡°Yep. In less than a fortnight, in fact. People are probably expecting you to hold a class selection festival at the start of Midsummer, so they¡¯re waiting for that.¡± Drat. Sophie wasn¡¯t sure the shrine was ready for a festival. ¡°Ah, okay,¡± she replied. ¡°Two weeks?¡± Calli nodded, and Sophie¡¯s stomach twisted. Two weeks was not very much time to plan a festival, especially considering Sophie had no idea what it should entail. But somehow, it also felt like a strangely long amount of time. Sophie hadn¡¯t even been in the fantasy world for two weeks, yet, if she hadn¡¯t completely lost track of her days by now, and so much had happened already. ¡°It¡¯s more fun to get your class at the festival, anyway,¡± Calli continued. ¡°Or so I¡¯ve heard. Caci and I had to go all the way over to a shrine near Sentus to get our classes.¡± Calli frowned at the memory, as if it wasn¡¯t all that pleasant of an experience, and Sophie figured she¡¯d have to ask Acacia about it some day. ¡°But in the meantime, if you need coin¡­¡± Calli grinned and leaned further over the counter, pointing at the quest board. ¡°I can still get you registered. In fact, all I have to do is put your name in our Guild book.¡± Sophie stifled a laugh. Here was the sales pitch again. ¡°I mean, thanks, but uh ¨C¡± She really did not like the idea of quests, but surely she should at least ask. That was kind of the whole point of coming here, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°I guess I¡¯m not exactly sure what kind of quests I could do at my current level. What do you have available for a priestess?¡± Calli¡¯s grin widened, and Sophie felt like she was falling into some sort of trap. ¡°Well, the Watcher group recently found a mana pool nearby, but it needs purification, and it¡¯ll be weeks before we can get anyone. Unless our friendly neighborhood shrine priestess were to help¡­¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately this friendly neighborhood ¨C err, well, what I mean to say is that I don¡¯t actually have the ability to purify anything yet, let alone an entire mana pool.¡± Or even herself, she realized, if that little wyvern had somehow given her corrupted mana. She had almost forgotten about that after the sticker shock at the Crafter¡¯s Guild. Calli frowned. ¡°Ah, right. I suppose you are pretty new, huh? Well, unfortunately, even the smaller stuff we have for priestesses involves purification.¡± Drat. Of course it did. The one skill Sophie hadn¡¯t even considered learning yet. She didn¡¯t even know where to begin. ¡°You better come back as soon as you learn purification,¡± Calli teased. ¡°Because I have a whole lot of work to send your way.¡± Sophie spluttered a laugh, and thanked Calli for her time, managing to make her excuses to go. Now, not only did she have a festival to prepare for, but she had to learn purification on top of it. And if she wasn¡¯t more careful with her coin, she¡¯d have bills piling up soon. She shook her head as she stepped back out into the streets of Caulis. She probably shouldn¡¯t go to the bakery, given all of the above, but she still really wanted to talk to Acacia. Acacia could help her figure out what to do about the class festival, and maybe even have more ideas what Sophie could do for work in the meantime until she learned purification. She would just have to resist the pastries this time, perhaps. Chapter 35: Shimmer Sophie was still standing in front of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, deciding whether or not she would really be able to resist the pastries at the bakery when she noticed an odd, blue shimmer of mana pass in front of her. She took a sudden step back, nearly tripping over her own feet. A man passing by across the street glanced at her oddly before shaking his head and continuing on his way. Did he not see it then? She glanced around, but there were only a handful of people about, and four of those were a woman with three young children all trailing in a line towards some unknown destination. Sophie frowned, glancing back towards the shimmer as it continued down the path. Should she follow it? Her feet felt frozen to the spot in uncertainty for a brief moment before she pushed herself forward, making the decision to follow after the strange mana impression. She watched as it passed by a few other people ¨C a man in a grey suit coming out of a shop, two older women chatting on a bench ¨C it even passed in between a young child holding the hand of a guardian. No one seemed to notice it. After a few days of using Mana Sense, it had begun to fade into the background more as Elowen thought it might, but it still pinged along Sophie¡¯s senses sometimes when something noticeable like this occurred. She tried calling on it more clearly now, focusing in on the wisp, as she followed it, but Mana Sense didn¡¯t seem to make much of a difference. It looked the same at this distance ¨C like a faint, nearly translucent shimmer, barely noticeable. She probably would not have even given it a second glance had it not been right in front of her eyes at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. She followed it for another block, intensely curious as to what it was and where it could be going, until it slipped into an alley up ahead. Sophie hurried her steps again as much as she could without outright running. She didn¡¯t want to draw any undue attention to herself, after all, especially if no one else noticed it or thought it unusual if they did. The alley was far cleaner than those she used to walk past in Seattle, but it was still an alley, after all. There were a few crates and a large bin she imagined was used for refuse from the surrounding shops. There was also a gate at the back that seemed to separate the commercial entrances from the street. She took a cautious step off of the path onto the rougher cobblestones of the alley, scanning the area for any sign of the mana she had seen previously. Mana Sense pinged again, then, right behind one of the empty wooden crates, and she saw something moving. She felt hopeful for a brief moment that maybe she¡¯d discovered something when a thin black cat scrambled out from behind the crate. The creature arched its back and hissed at her once before frantically leaping over the gate. Sophie frowned as she watched it retreat. So much for a creature affinity, she supposed. Not that she had really imagined she would have such a thing anyway, but that poor stray cat didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of her presence in its alley. And there was no sign of that wisp of mana anymore, either. Whatever it was, it had probably followed the same path as the frightened cat, if it had even existed in the first place. The thought gave her pause¡­ She felt silly, suddenly, for even following it to begin with. What was she doing? What could she have possibly learned from the experience? It was just so strange, but she had seen many strange things since coming to this fantasy world. She wandered out of the alley, back to the main road, and then she remembered ¨C The wyvern landing on her, and that warm burst of mana. Could it have done something to her after all? She glanced down at her arm, at the spot where the wyvern had landed. The mana hadn¡¯t felt all that weird, but Sophie felt awfully peculiar about the whole experience now. She had really wanted to go to the bakery to talk to Acacia ¨C pastries or not ¨C but now she felt like she should return to the shrine, instead. If the wyvern had done something to her, surely Elowen would be able to tell. She hurried out of town, back onto the path, worrying the whole way. By the time she got back to the shrine however, Elowen released her from her fears. When Sophie explained what had happened, Elowen burst out laughing. ¡°It channeled mana into you?¡± She giggled again. ¡°What are you, a mana lamp?¡± Sophie agreed to a point, but she felt exasperated. ¡°Isn¡¯t it serious?¡± she asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t it ¨C I don¡¯t know ¨C corrupt me?¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely,¡± she explained. ¡°First off, that little wyvern hasn¡¯t felt corrupted at all since we¡¯ve seen it. Although there¡¯s the small chance that it could have picked up some corrupted mana along the way ¨C but you don¡¯t feel corrupted either. And as a priestess, you do have some defenses against such a thing. Your own mana would try to reject the corruption. It would not have been a pleasant experience.¡± Sophie shivered at the implication. Luckily, the wyvern¡¯s mana hadn¡¯t been unpleasant at all. In fact, her own mana responded quite well to it. ¡°But why did it do it?¡± Elowen raised a semi-translucent shoulder. ¡°Who knows. Why do wyverns do anything? It¡¯s a wild creature. That¡¯s partially why people aren¡¯t fond of them.¡± ¡°Then what was ¨C¡± Sophie started, and then shook her head. ¡°I saw something weird, though. In town. I saw ¨C well, some kind of mana¡­ thing.¡± She waved her hands trying as if trying to show Elowen what it looked like. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Elowen just stared at her blankly. ¡°A mana thing? Like another creature?¡± Sophie shook her head again. ¡°No ¨C it was just¡­ Um, free-floating? Like free-floating mana?¡± Elowen frowned at this. ¡°Free-floating mana?¡± she repeated. ¡°In Caulis? Well, there¡¯s ambient mana. It¡¯s the mana that¡¯s given off by all life-forms and anything that uses mana.¡± Sophie considered that for a moment, but it seemed too specific, too full of intent to be something like that. It had seemed to be going somewhere. Almost like it had a purpose. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what it was,¡± she said, but Elowen had an odd, faraway look on her face. ¡°I wonder what Caulis is like now¡­¡± she said in a sort of dreamy voice. ¡°Do you remember something?¡± Sophie asked, suddenly excited at the possibility now that her own fears were mostly allayed, but Elowen¡¯s gaze snapped back to her own and the spirit frowned again. ¡°I don¡¯t ¨C well, I¡¯m not sure. I suppose I might though. If I were to visit. And then you could show me this free-floating mana.¡± Elowen had a point, Sophie supposed. A lot of things would be a lot easier if Elowen could just come with her. ¡°We¡¯ll work on your bond more,¡± Sophie said decisively. ¡°Maybe not tonight ¨C¡± Although the little wyvern had replenished some of her mana, it still didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to push herself too hard after this morning. The memory of the morning still lurked in the back of her mind. ¡°But you have to promise not to do that again ¨C whatever bond thing that happened this morning! You nearly made me pass out!¡± Elowen had the presence to look guilty. ¡°I am sorry about that,¡± she said. ¡°It was just ¨C It was so¡­¡± Sophie lifted a hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to explain.¡± She snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m finally the one telling you to be careful.¡± Elowen smiled a little at that, but she still had a wistful look on her face. Sophie wondered if they would really be able to get the mana stone to work. Well, there was nothing left to do about it but try in the morning. *** With her newfound focus on working on moving Elowen¡¯s bond to the smaller mana stone, Sophie had all but forgotten about the class festival. In fact, two full days passed in a sort of haze of working with the bond, reading more about the Magewood tree, and experimenting more with the nasty Magewort tea. Sophie found that if she didn¡¯t drain her mana completely, she could have some of the tea and regenerate it again, but she¡¯d end up dealing with some sort of fog for most of the day. Part of her wondered if the odd mana shimmer she had seen in Caulis had been some sort of side effect of the tea, in fact. Sophie hadn¡¯t been to Caulis for two full days, and they also hadn¡¯t been able to transfer the bond over to the mana stone, yet. She felt like she was almost there, but she couldn¡¯t quite get her head around moving the bond. As soon as she would get a hold on it, it would slip right out of her grasp, solidly attaching itself back to the shrine stone again. Elowen seemed to be much more careful when Sophie did have the bond, however, and they did not have a repeat experience of their first try, where Elowen had nearly drained Sophie. Sophie woke up on the third day with sunlight streaming in through the shrine¡¯s windows and an immediate Understanding that she was now Level 6. She sat up quickly, her excitement bubbling over as she thought about working with the bond again today. Surely the boost in level would help! She was about to call out to Elowen to tell her the good news ¨C even though the spirit likely already knew ¨C when she paused. Why did it feel like she was forgetting something? She sat on her fold-up mattress for a long moment pondering her new level and poking at her improved mana reserves when she suddenly remembered. ¡°The class festival!¡± she half-shrieked, stumbling to her feet. ¡°I needed to ask Acacia about the class festival!¡± Drat! She had completely forgotten after the weird mana thing in Caulis, and the worries about the little wyvern, and then working with Elowen¡¯s bond. There was ¨C how many days left until Midsummer? Twelve now? Eleven? She had already lost track, and there was still so much to plan. Or she could only assume there was. She didn¡¯t even know what she was supposed to do. She started frantically dressing. She had to go to town today to ask Acacia about it. Elowen floated over, obviously confused. ¡°A class festival? Is it that time of year already?¡± ¡°Do you remember them?¡± Sophie asked, slowing her preparation slightly. She had assumed Elowen would not, but Elowen nodded hesitantly. ¡°I do,¡± she said. ¡°Only somewhat¡­ I know there were days where I would give out dozens of classes.¡± Her expression brightened a bit at the memory for a brief moment before it darkened again. ¡°But. I don¡¯t remember when the last time that was. Or even what classes I gave out. Your class is the only class I remember giving.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Sophie asked, surprised. Elowen nodded. ¡°Well, until we had that Bard stop by, of course.¡± That seemed¡­ oddly sad. Sophie had no idea how old Elowen was or how long she had been handing out classes, but to not remember any of it? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sophie said softly. ¡°We¡¯ll get your memories back.¡± Elowen nodded, but she looked away. ¡°I do regret not being more helpful. It seems that I do remember some things, but not enough to help you plan for such an event. I know we held them in the courtyard, and I remember many people attending. I¡¯m not sure what else would be expected, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Sophie insisted. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Acacia. Although, if Caulis hasn¡¯t had a festival in so long, perhaps we can make our own traditions.¡± Elowen smiled fondly at the idea. ¡°We could,¡± she agreed. Sophie continued her morning preparations at a bit more of a sedate pace ¨C at least stopping to have some tea and collect all of the library books she hadn¡¯t had a chance to return yet before she headed into Caulis. A festival! She felt oddly excited about the idea. She hoped Acacia would be willing to help. Chapter 36: Gossip Sophie made her way to Caulis, watching out for the wyvern the whole way, but the strange little creature never seemed to show up when she was outright looking for it. She had thought about it a few times over the past few days of working with Elowen¡¯s bond, and she half-wondered if it thought it was helping her that day. She had been awfully low on mana. She wondered if it could sense such a thing. Surely it must be able to, if it was able to channel mana back and forth as it did. She hadn¡¯t seen it since the strange incident, however, and she hoped she hadn¡¯t finally scared it off. Since she hadn¡¯t been to Caulis for a few days, she stopped by the bathhouse first, spending perhaps a little too much time there, before heading onward to Acacia¡¯s bakery. One day she¡¯d really like to figure out the indoor plumbing situation at the shrine, but until she figured out some sort of stable income, that would definitely have to wait. The little bell above the bakery door rang cheerfully as she pushed it open, and Acacia looked up from where she was helping another customer. ¡°Be right with you, Sophie!¡± she said, grinning as she handed over the customer¡¯s change. Sophie held the door open as the customer juggled a large bag of baked goods on her way out. As she made her way to the front, Hollis chose that moment to return with a large tray. ¡°Sophie!¡± he said, happily. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It has!¡± Sophie agreed. The last time she had been in Caulis, she had immediately returned after talking with Calli and then seeing that strange mana impression. She had almost completely forgotten about that, writing it off as some sort of odd side effect of the Magewort tea. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Acacia teased. ¡°We were about to send the Watch out after you.¡± Hollis snorted as he moved some of the croissants from the tray in his hand to the display case. ¡°She says that like she¡¯s joking, but she literally argued with Calli about it this morning.¡± Acacia shot him a dirty look, and Sophie laughed. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve been talking with Calli about looking for me?¡± Sophie glanced between them. ¡°I¡¯ve just been at the shrine. Elowen and I are working on something new ¨C¡± She considered mentioning the bond, but decided against it for now. She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re always welcome to visit,¡± she teased back. ¡°No need to send out a search party.¡± Acacia rolled her eyes at the comment. ¡°I know, I know. Calli was just complaining about some mana pool they found nearby. Apparently they need someone to purify it, but it¡¯s going to be a while before they can get anyone in from out of town.¡± Sophie chewed on her lip at the news. Calli had mentioned the mana pool last time, but it¡¯s not like Sophie could do anything about it. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t purify anything yet,¡± she admitted, feeling oddly guilty about that. It¡¯s not like she hadn¡¯t been trying to work on her skills. Mana purification just hadn¡¯t come up yet. Acacia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what Calli said.¡± She glanced over at Hollis for a moment as if she wanted to say something more, but he was still busy lining up the fresh pastries in the display, and then she shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I know you have a croissant addiction, so I was getting a little worried when you hadn¡¯t stopped by to get your fix.¡± Sophie laughed again. ¡°How can I resist them? Especially the chocolate-filled ones.¡± Hollis¡¯s cheeks looked a little pink at the compliment, but he didn¡¯t even glance up at her. Sophie had been planning on resisting the baked goods, but now that she was in the bakery surrounded by all the buttery, mouthwatering smells, she couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°I would like to pick up a few today, but actually, I stopped by to see if you could help with something.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Acacia asked as she pulled out a bag to get ready for the pastries. ¡°Apparently I have to plan some sort of festival,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The Midsummer festival? I don¡¯t even know where to begin. Have you ever been to one?¡± Acacia made a thoughtful noise as she handed Hollis the bag for the pastries. ¡°Stick a few in there,¡± she instructed him, not answering Sophie¡¯s question. When Sophie tried to complain Acacia waved a hand at her. ¡°On the house, today, Sophie. Think of it as a reward for giving my sister someone else to complain about other than me. In fact, feel free to stop by the Adventuring Guild and tell her no on a regular basis.¡± Sophie choked out a laugh. ¡°Um,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you??¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t been to a Midsummer festival, either,¡± Acacia admitted, when Hollis handed the full pastry bag back to her. She pushed it over the counter towards Sophie. ¡°We just don¡¯t hold them here in Caulis ¨C most people go out of town to get their classes, so we¡¯ve just never had one¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know why exactly. I suppose since there wasn¡¯t an active shrine, they never held the festival. Maybe they didn¡¯t see a point since no one could assign classes.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I guess that makes sense. If it¡¯s typically a class festival¡­¡± ¡°You could ask Ryland, though,¡± Acacia cut in. ¡°You¡¯ve met him, I hear.¡± Sophie blinked at Acacia. ¡°Wait, you know Ryland, too? Do you know everyone in Caulis?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Acacia replied easily, and Sophie couldn¡¯t tell if she was teasing or not. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s Briony¡¯s brother. Didn¡¯t you know? He and Oliver both, actually.¡± Sophie thought back to the owl-like librarian, Oliver, and the romance-cover-worthy Ryland. They had seemed awfully familiar with each other¡­ But they also seemed to be cut from totally different cloths. ¡°Those two?¡± she asked. ¡°Briony¡¯s brothers?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Acacia laughed. ¡°Yep. Looks like you¡¯re putting it together now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more complicated than that,¡± Hollis cut in with a mischievous look. ¡°Acacia forgot to mention that Ryland is Linden¡¯s best friend, and Linden ¨C¡± Acacia reached up to clap her hand over Hollis¡¯s mouth. ¡°Okay, okay, I think that¡¯s enough gossiping for one day,¡± she said, sounding vaguely panicked at the mention of Linden. Sophie glanced between the two of them, wondering what Hollis was going to say next. What ¨C did Sophie wander into some sort of fantasyland soap opera? She shook her head. Whatever that was about could wait for another time. ¡°Okay, well, regardless of whatever complicated romantic entanglements you have going on, I need to figure out this festival business.¡± ¡°Fine, fine,¡± she said. She pointed to Hollis. ¡°You, go make yourself useful.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he replied and took the tray back to the kitchen, chuckling to himself the entire way. ¡°And you ¨C¡± Acacia pointed to Sophie. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy to help plan if you can figure out what we need to plan.¡± Sophie nodded, feeling slightly forlorn at the prospect. She didn¡¯t really want to go ask Ryland, but it looked like she had little choice. ¡°He¡¯s probably not at the library now, is he?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± Acacia replied, but then she held up a hand again. ¡°Wait, scratch that. You¡¯re totally right. He¡¯s usually back at the apartment by now.¡± The apartment? ¡°I¡¯ll take you there, actually,¡± Acacia offered suddenly, and her face turned a mysterious shade of red. Before Sophie could ask further questions, Acacia had left her place behind the counter. ¡°Hollis! Get back in here!¡± she hollered down the hallway to the kitchen. ¡°Sophie and I are going to run errands.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to be nosy,¡± Hollis retorted on his way back down the hallway. Acacia didn¡¯t even bother to deny it as she dragged Sophie out of the bakery, leaving the bag of croissants behind on the counter. *** Acacia took Sophie to a residential part of town that Sophie hadn''t been to before, ushering her down a side street that ran along a row of what appeared to be townhouses. A large, orange and white striped cat ¨C totally different than the one Sophie had seen previously ¨C peered at her from its place on a bin, unconcerned by their presence in its alley. Acacia stomped up the set of rickety wooden stairs connected to the townhouse to a cramped landing, and Sophie reluctantly followed her to the top. ¡°Um, are you sure this is okay?¡± Sophie whispered at her back. ¡°Yep,¡± Acacia said over her shoulder and then proceeded to bang loudly on the door. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me!¡± Sophie could hear the reply from inside. ¡°It¡¯s open.¡± Acacia pulled the door open, revealing an extraordinarily cluttered apartment filled with all sorts of knick-knacks and trinkets, old books and other things. Ryland walked out of a doorway along the far wall, book in hand. ¡°Briony¡¯s not here,¡± he said, barely glancing up. ¡°She¡¯s working today.¡± ¡°Not looking for her,¡± Acacia replied, and then pushed Sophie in Ryland¡¯s direction. ¡°We have questions, a lot of questions.¡± Ryland seemed to notice Sophie for the first time. ¡°Oh! The priestess. I haven''t found out much more about your shrine unfortunately,¡± he began, but Acacia cut in. ¡°Not that. Festivals, Ryland. What do you know about class festivals?¡± Ryland threw the book in his hand down on a side table stacked with other books next to a well-worn, overstuffed couch. ¡°I know I''ve got a book about Midsummer somewhere in there,¡± he said, gesturing back to the room he just walked out of. ¡°But I''ve never been to one personally. You know that, already. We haven''t held them here in Caulis since the former priestess disappeared.¡± ¡°That''s what I told her,¡± Acacia replied sagely. So far, Sophie had come to Ryland for information twice, and so far he had been almost completely unhelpful. She was starting to wonder what the point of a historian was at all. ¡°Here ¨C Let me take a look around, and I¡¯ll see if I can dig some stuff up,¡± Ryland said, and he disappeared back into the other room. Acacia sprawled down on the couch, picking up the book Ryland had dropped earlier. She glanced at the first page and then set it aside nearly immediately on a small table next to the couch, shaking her head. ¡°So it¡¯s ice caves now, is it?¡± she muttered. Sophie began to ask what on earth Acacia meant by ice caves, but Ryland was already walking back out of the doorway he had disappeared through, far more quickly than Sophie had expected. Ryland set three large books on top of the one he had been looking at earlier. ¡°Here,¡± he said, tapping the top book. ¡°One of them on the history of Midsummer across the continent, a more broad history on classes, and another one on shrines in general.¡± He pushed the pile towards Sophie. ¡°Hopefully you''ll find something to help you out in one of these.¡± Sophie picked the first heavy volume off of the top of the stack and opened it to the first page. Great, more dry reading. At least she¡¯d have something to read to Elowen other than thrillers. ¡°You¡¯re planning on holding a festival, then?¡± Ryland asked, drawing her attention away from the book. Sophie glanced up, nodding. ¡°It seems like my duty,¡± she replied. She didn''t add the bit about how she was hoping to get some coin out of the matter as well. ¡°Well, you can take these with you if you want,¡± he said. ¡°Just don''t tell Oliver that I lent them to you.¡± ¡°Oliver?¡± she asked, but then she remembered. The librarian. Who was apparently Ryland¡¯s brother? Ryland waved a hand at the stack of books. ¡°He¡¯s a little picky about these things.¡± Sophie glanced back down at the pile of books suspiciously and suddenly wondered if Ryland was even supposed to have these books. Had he pilfered them from the library? Ryland picked the whole stack up again, though, and pushed them into her hands. ¡°Here,¡± he said. ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Um, thanks,¡± Sophie replied. She managed to stuff them all into her Tailored bag, which thankfully lightened the burden a bit. Acacia hopped back off of the couch, pulling Sophie towards the door again. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°Well thanks anyways.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Ryland said, but he was already distracted again ¨C scanning the room with no small amount of confusion, before he finally shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Briony you were looking for her,¡± said in parting, as he wandered back off into the back room. ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± Acacia shouted over her shoulder, but there was no reply, so she dragged Sophie right back down the stairs and into the alley. The cat watched as they left to head back to the bakery. Chapter 37: Sandwiches While Sophie followed Acacia back to the bakery, she also kept an eye out for strange mana wisps like she had seen the last time she was in Caulis. Other than a few more stray cats here and there, however, she didn¡¯t notice anything out of the ordinary. She was starting to think that it had been some sort of fluke after all. Maybe she had too much Magewort tea, or it could have had something to do with Elowen nearly draining her earlier that day. Then, there was also the issue with little wyvern giving her mana. Unfortunately, there were too many variables to know what could have caused it. She hadn¡¯t seen anything like it since then, at least. She almost brought it up to Acacia, but before she knew it they were back at the bakery, and Acacia was pushing open the front door. ¡°We¡¯re back!¡± Acacia announced, but Hollis was nowhere in sight. Hollis poked his head in from the hallway that led to the kitchen. ¡°Any luck?¡± He made his way back up into the front, brushing his hands off onto his apron, leaving traces of flour on the material. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Not really ¨C¡± she began, but before she could continue, Acacia cut in. ¡°Ryland gave us a bunch of books to look at,¡± she explained. ¡°We¡¯re going to look through them now for ideas.¡± ¡°We are?¡± Sophie asked, not realizing that was Acacia¡¯s plan all along. ¡°Yep.¡± Acacia grinned at her, heading towards the stairs that led to her apartment, not waiting for Sophie to follow. Sophie hesitated, feeling a bit like she was keeping Acacia from her duties, but Hollis waved her on. ¡°Go on ahead,¡± he reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s been a slow day today anyway, and she really doesn¡¯t usually take breaks. It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie agreed and made her way up the sturdy wooden stairs as Hollis disappeared back into the kitchen. Acacia already had the door open at the top of the landing, and by the time Sophie made it into the apartment, Acacia was making a beeline towards her own huge chill box. ¡°I¡¯m just starving,¡± Acacia announced as she flung open the door to the faintly glowing interior. ¡°Do you want lunch?¡° She was already pulling out some ingredients as Sophie glanced around the well-furnished space. ¡°Isn¡¯t it early?¡± Sophie asked. Her eyes landed on the clock, and it wasn¡¯t yet noon, but Acacia shrugged. ¡°I might as well eat now, if you don¡¯t mind. Then after we finish up here, I can let Hollis go for the day if it¡¯s really as slow as it seems.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°I¡¯d like that, then.¡± She wasn¡¯t about to turn down more of Acacia¡¯s cooking. Especially if she didn¡¯t even have to participate in said cooking. Acacia closed the door of the chill box, setting a brown-paper wrapped block of something, a small jar of some brown condiment, and a few large frilly leaves ¨C probably a variety of lettuce ¨C down on the counter. She pulled out a loaf of what could only be her own homemade bread from a cabinet, grabbing a long knife to cut it into slices. Sophie sat down on the couch in Acacia¡¯s open living space and pulled the books from Ryland out of her Tailored bag. She set them down on the low living room table in front of the couch, but didn¡¯t open them yet. Instead, she wistfully glanced around the room. It had been over a week since Sophie had been at Acacia¡¯s apartment last, and she was once again starkly aware of the contrast between Acacia¡¯s place and her own meager accommodations at the shrine. This felt more like a real living space. It even had running water, Sophie remembered, almost forlornly. She so missed running water. But there was no way she¡¯d be able to afford indoor plumbing at the shrine anytime soon. That settled it. She was more determined than ever to figure out the festival thing and start getting some coin coming in. After one last wistful glance around Acacia¡¯s apartment, she grabbed the top volume off of the stack of books on the table and got to work. It was the one on Midsummer. Sophie began to flip through it, mostly glancing at the sketches at first. Judging by the numerous depictions of people circling around large bonfires, Sophie imagined that must be part of the tradition, but Sophie didn¡¯t really have the space for that sort of thing at the shrine. There were also tons of flowers ¨C wooden archways laced with them and people wearing flower crowns. It looked like a joyous occasion, but nothing like anything Sophie had ever attended before. She set that book aside and picked up the next one, opening it to the first page ¨C A History of Shrines in Duille. She frowned down at the title. Surely this held some info on her own shrine. She thought back to Ryland¡¯s comments and remembered how distracted the historian had seemed during their visit. ¡°Was Ryland feeling okay today?¡± she asked. Acacia looked up from where she was currently slicing pieces of cheese off of the large white block. ¡°Seemed like it. What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wasn¡¯t he a little quiet? Or, distracted maybe? I don¡¯t know him at all, but compared to the last time I saw him at least.¡± Acacia shrugged, setting her knife to the side. ¡°He¡¯s probably just obsessing over something. Ice caves, by the look of that book he was reading. He gets a little weird when Linden is gone for too long.¡± She opened the small jar and dug around in a drawer for a spreading knife. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for someone like him to live by himself, but Linden will snap him out of it once he gets back.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°When will Linden be back?¡± Sophie asked. It felt like ages since she had gone to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to ask about the Earth Mage. Even though the Magewood seemed to be her best course of action towards fixing the issue with the shrine now, she still wanted to follow up with Linden about the possibility of rerouting mana. Acacia frowned down at the food she was preparing and then glanced up again at Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe in a week or so?¡± Sophie thought about that answer for a moment and tried to make sense of all of the information given, but she still felt like she was missing a vital piece. ¡°Wait, is Linden dating Ryland?¡± Acacia spluttered, her face turning redder than Sophie had ever seen it. ¡°What? No! They¡¯re just roommates. Well, sort of roommates.¡± ¡°Roommates?¡± Sophie asked, confused even further. ¡°It didn¡¯t look like there was any room for Ryland to have a roommate.¡± Acacia laughed at that assessment. ¡°That¡¯s what I said sort of roommates. Linden is just gone all the time,¡± she explained. ¡°He has a room there, but he doesn¡¯t use it much. Anyway, his room is downstairs actually. He lives with Garrick on the first floor.¡± Garrick? That bard again. Sophie shook her head, not even bothering to follow the strange arrangement. She really had stumbled into some sort of fantasyland soap opera, apparently. She¡¯d probably figure it out eventually, but there was something she just had to ask, now that she finally had Acacia alone again. ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with Linden, then? Are you dating him?¡± Acacia had just finished putting together what looked like two sandwiches and immediately froze with the plates in her hand, her eyes wide. ¡°Um, no,¡± she replied. ¡°But you want to be dating him?¡± Sophie pressed. Acacia brought the two plates over, placing them on the table in front of the couch next to the pile of books. She sat down next to Sophie with a huge sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°We just grew up together. It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°It seems like it,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°Does Linden know you like him?¡± Acacia glared at her for a short moment, not answering, before pushing one of the plates towards Sophie. ¡°Just eat your sandwich.¡± And then Acacia picked up the other plate and took a large bite of her own sandwich, chewing on it with purpose, obviously not planning on answering any further questions. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°I can take a hint. But, hey, if you ever want to talk about it...¡± Acacia looked away, her face still awfully red. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said after a long moment. Sophie picked up her own plate, taking a careful bite of the sandwich. She found that she really enjoyed gossiping with Acacia, even if she didn¡¯t follow half of it. Even back in Seattle, Sophie hadn¡¯t quite yet found a friend like Acacia. She had a few coworkers she would chat with more casually, but nothing like some of the friends she¡¯d had in high school¡­ She pushed the memories aside and focused on her sandwich instead, taking another bite. Acacia had made it with thick slices of bread, a sharp tasting cheese, some veggies, and maybe a hint of some sort of spicy mustard. There wasn¡¯t even any meat or cold cuts on it, so it was almost like eating a cold grilled cheese, but somehow still delicious. ¡°Hey, I can make something like this!¡± Sophie realized suddenly. Acacia blinked at her, uncomprehending as she took another bite of her own sandwich. ¡°Sandwiches!¡± Sophie replied, holding her own up victoriously. ¡°I forgot about sandwiches.¡± Acacia laughed, then, relaxing a bit from their earlier conversation. ¡°You haven¡¯t even tried making sandwiches yet?¡± she teased. Sophie thought it was a little unfair, but she nodded, her face heating. ¡°Not since I got here,¡± she admitted. She took a few more bites of her sandwich, pleased with herself at the realization. She would have to stop by the market on her way back to the shrine ¨C to pick up all of the things she needed to make sandwiches. And then maybe she would be a little more careful with her coin ¨C perhaps, for example, she wouldn¡¯t spend so much on kebabs and other things. The sandwiches were much easier to make than the soup, after all, and she would have less of an excuse to get takeout. ¡°I have to admit I¡¯m excited about the idea of a festival,¡± Acacia said after a moment, stuffing the last few bites of her own sandwich in her mouth. She chewed for a bit before adding, ¡°Although we probably can¡¯t do a big one on such a short notice.¡± Sophie nodded, setting her plate to the side for a second to pick up the book on Midsummer she had been looking at earlier. She flipped open to one of the sketches to show Acacia. ¡°From what little I¡¯ve seen in the books so far, it looks like there used to be bonfires,¡± she explained as Acacia peered down at the pages. ¡°But I don¡¯t even have space for a bonfire at the shrine.¡± Acacia made a thoughtful noise and sat back. ¡°Hmm, maybe they held it elsewhere in town?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I imagine the forest grew in around the shrine. Perhaps there used to be space for it decades ago¡­¡± ¡°Well there¡¯s always next year,¡± Acacia said cheerfully as she hopped up and carried her empty plate back to the kitchen area. Sophie¡¯s head snapped up as Acacia¡¯s words sunk into her. ¡°Next year?¡± Acacia nodded absentmindedly as she began cleaning up the kitchen. ¡°Sure, we can always do something bigger next year,¡± she said as she wiped down the smooth wooden countertop. ¡°I think people will be glad to have anything for this year. It will be such a novelty! And I¡¯m sure there are plenty of people who have been waiting to get a class.¡± Sophie stared back down at the last bite of her sandwich, still sitting on the plate next to the books, and her stomach turned over on itself. She would probably still be here next year, wouldn¡¯t she? And probably the year after that. In fact, for the foreseeable future. Unless somehow the portal did take her back to her previous world when it was up and running again. She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about any of it ¨C the idea of being here indefinitely, the idea of the portal taking her back. ¡°You done with that?¡± Sophie glanced back up to see Acacia was standing in front of her, gesturing at her plate. Sophie shook her head, but she grabbed the last bite of the sandwich off of it and handed the plate over to Acacia. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said softly. ¡°I suppose we could do a bigger festival next year, couldn¡¯t we?¡± Acacia nodded and headed back to the kitchen with Sophie¡¯s plate to finish cleaning up. Sophie finally ate the last bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully as Acacia began describing some ideas on what they could do on short notice. Next year, huh? Sophie had an awful lot to think about. Chapter 38: Bonds, Revisited Sophie spent a good part of the early afternoon making some cursory festival plans with Acacia. Afterwards, Acacia helped her make a list of ingredients to spice up her new sandwich-making venture. She picked up some different kinds of cheese and greens and a jar of spicy brown mustard from the market on her way back to the shrine. Of course, she had also purchased two loaves of bread from Acacia¡¯s bakery to go along with the croissants Acacia had gifted her earlier. Hollis had thankfully saved her nearly-forgotten bag of pastries. Sophie was going to be the veritable queen of sandwich-making! On the way back to the shrine, she almost immediately spotted the little wyvern hanging out on a thin branch, high above her and just ahead a little ways, peering down at her from the treetops. It watched her curiously as she walked closer, and she paused right underneath its resting spot. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to come down?¡± she called up to it, but it blinked at her a few times and then seemed to settle in on the branch. ¡°I¡¯m not mad,¡± she reassured it, wondering if it had enough sense to think such a thing. She readjusted some of her bags from the market and held out one of her arms in what she hoped was a tempting manner. ¡°I don¡¯t have any mana bread for you today, but you¡¯re welcome to hop down and say hello.¡± The creature tilted its head at her, but it seemed perfectly content just to watch her from afar today. Drat. She felt bad for scaring the little thing the last time she saw it, but to be fair, it had scared her as well. After a moment or two longer of waiting with her arm held up like a perch, she eventually shrugged and gave up, starting her journey back to the shrine. As she walked, she spotted it a few times following her in the treetops. But by the time she got back to the shrine, she had finally lost sight of the little creature. And she also realized, quite belatedly, as she was walking up the short, stone staircase to the courtyard that she had forgotten to return her library books. Oops. At least she didn¡¯t think they were actually due yet, but she had wanted to pick up a few more. She supposed she should probably be reading the books that Ryland had lent her anyway, though. Sophie found Elowen in the greenhouse, wandering in between the rows of Dawnwood saplings. Sophie had taken to adding some mana to all of the saplings each morning before working on their bond, but she hadn¡¯t yet done that today. As she watched Elowen happily float between the saplings, she decided to hold off on adding mana to them. Since she had leveled up this morning, she wanted to try working with the bond again while she was still fairly fresh. She hadn¡¯t used any of her mana today, in fact, so she didn¡¯t have to drink any of the awful Magewort tea. It would be a perfect time to test the bond again, and the saplings could probably wait a day for more mana, if needed. They had, after all, waited nearly a century. Elowen followed her back into the shrine as Sophie began putting away all of the things she purchased at the market. ¡°I talked with Acacia about the festival today,¡± Sophie commented as she finished sliding the loaves of bread into a cabinet. She explained the general festival plans to Elowen. ¡°The historian also gave me some books to look at. On classes and shrines and stuff.¡± She pulled all of the books out of her Tailored bag, as well, piling them on the table in a haphazard stack. Elowen glanced down at the pile in disappointment pointing at the thriller that she had enjoyed so much. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the library?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I forgot,¡± she admitted. She was just the tiniest bit relieved not to have to read yet another thriller to Elowen again, so she didn¡¯t feel too torn up about it. ¡°If I were with you, I would make sure you didn¡¯t forget all the time,¡± Elowen complained, pouting. Sophie laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would.¡± She hadn¡¯t really considered that as soon as Elowen became more mobile, Sophie would have to deal with a very opinionated shrine spirit wherever she went. There were definitely pros and cons to that scenario. She finished putting the rest of the market goods away, and then picked up the smooth garden stone they had been working with every day from its place on the counter. She glanced down at it thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose we should try again today,¡± she commented. Elowen nodded eagerly, seeming to forget all about the library books as she slipped through the wall towards the shrine¡¯s entryway. Sophie followed behind her at a more sedate pace with the garden stone in tow. So far, she had not quite been able to get the bond to stick to the stone. They hadn¡¯t had any mana-draining incidents since that first day, but still no success, either. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Sophie approached the familiar cabinet at the back of the shrine¡¯s entryway. Elowen floated around the cabinet curiously as Sophie opened it, revealing the large, faintly-glowing shrine stone inside. Each day that Sophie had worked with it, she grew less and less fearful of the strange emptiness detected by her Mana Sense. Today, she began by focusing her mana on the garden stone she currently held in her palm. It still felt completely full from yesterday, but Sophie tried adding just the tiniest bit more, sure it must¡¯ve lost some. Sure enough, the little stone accepted her mana, but only a drop or two before something within her said, enough. Sophie had never pushed past that ¡°enough,¡± and some part of her wondered what would happen if she did, but she felt that was best left for another day. She held the garden stone in one hand and placed the other on the shrine stone, just as she had for the past few days. She reached out with her mana to connect with the stone. Each time she did this, it got a little bit easier to find the bond that connected Elowen to stone. Perhaps it was her new level, or perhaps something else, but today when she found the bond she felt her Understanding of it deepen. It was a new, strange sensation. Perhaps it was similar to when she first figured out how to do distance channeling. She felt she could understand the nature of the bond a little bit better now. Sophie found the end of the bond more easily than she had any other time before and untangled it from the shrine stone, wrapping it around herself in preparation of moving it to the garden stone. Elowen was on her best behavior today. Sophie couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest pull on her own mana from the bond, even though she was sure it must be tempting. This was the tricky part ¨C the part she had already failed many times before. Often losing her grip on the bond or having the bond slide off the garden stone to no effect when she tried to move it over. But today, Sophie felt confidence surge within her, and she began carefully transferring the bond to the garden stone. As soon as she felt the bond touch the garden stone, a brand new Understanding washed over her and the connection snapped into place. Elowen¡¯s eyes widened, and she flickered a bit, almost like static on an old television screen, before she settled back into her usual translucent state. Sophie removed her hand from the shrine stone and focused all of her attention on the garden stone in her palm. She could feel Elowen pulling mana from the stone, but again it was only a trickle. The same trickle had barely been noticeable pulling from the shrine stone, but it was much more so from the small garden stone. Sophie could tell that Elowen would not be able to remain on the garden stone for very long, although she had no way of estimating the time. Perhaps a day or two, she guessed, although they would have to monitor the stone¡¯s mana carefully to get a better estimate. ¡°I ¨C¡± Elowen began, but she paused, blinking rapidly. She seemed to be at a loss for words. ¡°How does it feel?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Strange,¡± Elowen settled on. ¡°Very, very strange.¡± She lifted up her arms, glancing at them as if she expected them to look different somehow, but as far as Sophie could tell, she was just as translucent as she had been previously. ¡°I feel as if ¨C¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°As if perhaps I could pull more mana from this stone than the shrine stone¡­ But it would be far too risky.¡± Sophie nodded, understanding completely. ¡°It would,¡± she agreed. ¡°We should test it out a bit,¡± she suggested. ¡°It¡¯s not quite dark yet. We could try a short walk onto the path.¡± Elowen nodded excitedly at this idea. ¡°We could!¡± Sophie still held the stone in her palm, and she carefully stuck it in her pocket. She had been slightly concerned that the clothing might cause an issue, but she needn¡¯t have worried ¨C after all, Elowen¡¯s bond could pass through wood and stone. There was no reason why Sophie¡¯s Tailored clothes should pose a problem. Sophie walked out to the courtyard, Elowen trailing alongside her. She stopped once she got to the middle of the large space and turned to Elowen. ¡°Can you tell?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean, ¨C¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Elowen cut in. ¡°It¡¯s as if the center of my existence has completely shifted to you. It feels¡­ Well, I¡¯m not sure exactly.¡± The center of her existence¡­ Sophie suddenly felt the weight of the responsibility settle over her. All of Elowen¡¯s existence relied on a stone that sat in her pocket. It felt heavier than it had before. She patted her pocket as if to check that it was still there. ¡°Um, well, do you want to test the range?¡± she asked, trying not to think about the other thing so much. ¡°It seemed your distance was very limited on the shrine stone. You could try walking out on the path¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a wonderful idea!¡± Elowen replied. She floated on ahead, seeming to pause when she reached the edge of the courtyard. But then she continued forward, down the stone staircase and onto the path. Sophie found herself stepping forward, almost without realizing it. She willed herself to stand still. It wasn¡¯t as if Elowen was pulling on the stone or anything like that. It wasn¡¯t a physical sensation at all ¨C it was more just strange seeing Elowen disappear onto the path without her. After a moment or two, though, she came back. ¡°The forest!¡± Elowen exclaimed. ¡°I haven¡¯t been in the forest in ¨C oh, I don¡¯t know how many seasons!¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°And your range?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s about the same,¡± Elowen declared, but she was still grinning ear to ear, effervescent with happiness. Sophie made a thoughtful noise at the news. She would¡¯ve imagined Elowen¡®s range might be slightly shorter on the smaller stone, but the bond itself seemed to be pulling the same amount of mana ¨C barely a trickle. So perhaps the bond was limiting Elowen¡¯s movement range. They had time to explore those questions later, however. For now¡­ Sophie stepped forward to meet Elowen at the edge of the courtyard and looked out onto the path. ¡°Do you want to explore further?¡± Elowen nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡± Chapter 39: A Whole New World Sophie allowed Elowen to explore the path until the light faded behind the thick tree growth and it began to grow dark all around them, only interrupted by the faint blue glow of the mana lamps. They weren¡¯t even halfway to Caulis by Sophie¡¯s estimate, but Elowen¡¯s previous warnings echoed in her mind, all the same. ¡°We should head back,¡± she gently suggested, even as Elowen hesitated, seeming to want to continue on further down the path. ¡°We¡¯ll do it again tomorrow, won¡¯t we?¡± Elowen asked as she reluctantly turned back, floating on towards the shrine. ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°We could even go to town if you¡¯d like.¡± Elowen seemed pleased by the compromise and danced around Sophie happily the entire way back to the shrine. Sophie had no trouble transferring Elowen¡¯s bond back to the shrine stone once they made it safely back. Elowen made a small surprised sound once the connection solidified, but she confirmed that it all seemed as it had been previously, for better or for worse. With the bond back in place, Sophie then recharged the garden stone with her own mana. It didn¡¯t take much¡­ Sophie wasn¡¯t sure how long they had been out on the path exploring, but she imagined it was probably at least an hour or two. If Elowen¡¯s bond only used such a small bit of mana in that amount of time, Sophie was confident they would be able to make the trip into Caulis tomorrow. As long as they got back by nightfall, there should be plenty of mana. In fact, Sophie wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the garden stone¡¯s mana would last Elowen two or three days. But with the little mana that the garden stone needed, it left Sophie with a lot of mana leftover for the day. It seemed a waste not to use it. After placing the stone back in its usual location on the kitchen counter, she decided to give the rest of her mana to the trees ¨C first the Magewood sapling in the entryway and then on the Dawnwood saplings in the greenhouse. Elowen floated around her curiously, inspecting the trees as she worked. Over the course of the past several days, the Magewood¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed as drastically as the saplings in the greenhouse, but Sophie liked to think that it looked a little happier. By the time she was finished, it was full dark, and she was feeling rather low on mana and ready for dinner. Luckily, she had her sandwich fixings from the market and Acacia¡¯s freshly baked bread to look forward to. Elowen hovered around the pile of books on the table while Sophie made not one, but two sandwiches. ¡°Will you read these tonight?¡± ¡°We might as well,¡± Sophie replied, glancing at the pile as she sat down at the table with her plate. She took a bite out of one of the sandwiches and began to sort through the books, separating the library books from the books that Ryland had let her borrow. ¡°Do any look interesting? We could read one together.¡± She paused, frowning around another bite of sandwich, when she noticed an extra book in the pile ¨C Ice Caves of the Northern Islands. ¡°How about that one?¡± Elowen asked, peering over her shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± ¡°Hmmmm, I¡¯m not sure exactly. I think this got thrown in the pile by accident.¡± Sophie flipped open the book, and after the title page, there was a sketch of the interior of one of the caves. She almost turned the page, but Elowen made a wounded sound. ¡°There are things like this in the world?¡± Elowen asked, her voice sounding strange. Sophie stared down at the sketch. ¡°I suppose there must be.¡± ¡°I wish¡­¡± Elowen began, but she trailed off as she held her hand above the page, her translucent fingers not quite able to touch the markings there. ¡°Maybe we could go sometime,¡± Sophie suggested, thinking perhaps she understood what Elowen had been wanting to say. Elowen looked up at her, eyes filled with hope. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Although it might be quite a long time before we¡¯re ready¡­¡± To be honest, Sophie hadn¡¯t thought much about traveling around this strange fantasy world. Even though she had moved halfway across the country back in her old world, she wasn¡¯t much of a traveler as a rule. But something about the sadness of Elowen¡¯s situation made her think that one day, she would like to take Elowen to the ice caves. Elowen clapped happily, and Sophie finished eating her sandwiches, occasionally flipping the page to skim her eyes over the text and pausing so Elowen could look at all of the illustrations. *** The next morning, Sophie woke up to an unfortunately chipper and demanding shrine spirit peering over her. ¡°We must go to town!¡± Elowen declared, her eyes wide with excitement. ¡°Ummmm¡­ Can I wake up first?¡± Sophie was not quite so perky this morning, although all of her mana had re-generated from the previous evening. She still needed her morning coffee ¨C er, tea, rather. She occasionally still woke up yearning for coffee, and this was one of those mornings. Surely if there were ice caves and mana-channeling wyvern in this fantasy world, she would find coffee eventually too. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. She made her tea and ate one of the pastries from yesterday for breakfast before she started to feel up to trying to move Elowen¡¯s bond over to the garden stone again. Elowen floated around her with an almost frenetic excitement the entire time. Sophie couldn¡¯t blame her. It had been nearly a century, perhaps, since Elowen had ventured into town, and they hadn¡¯t made it very far along the path the night before. ¡°Must you have so much tea?¡± Elowen complained. Sophie laughed. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯ll try the bond again.¡± She rinsed out her tea cup and made her way to the shrine''s entryway again, picking up the garden stone from its place on the counter along the way. Sophie¡¯s grogginess had evaporated completely by now, and moving the bond over this morning was much easier than it had been the night before. As it snapped into place and Sophie slid the garden stone in her pocket, Elowen twirled excitedly, holding her hands up to look at them. ¡°Oh, if only I could manifest as well! It would be just perfect.¡± Sophie felt a small twinge of something like guilt at the statement, but pushed it aside. She had no idea how long it would take for them to get Elowen back to her old self, but at least this was a step in the right direction. Elowen floated on ahead right through the front walls of the shrine, testing the limits of the bond. Sophie laughed but took it at a more sedate pace, heading back to the kitchen to stuff all of the library books from the table along with Ryland¡¯s book on ice caves back in her Tailored bag. Then she finally made her way out to the courtyard, with Elowen already waving at her from the path, a huge grin on her face. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile in return. This was the happiest she had seen the spirit ¨C perhaps since the last time she tried burning an offering for her. Today in the daylight, Sophie felt far more confident about their experiment, and they made it all the way to the main road with Elowen always floating a few feet ahead, pointing out every new flower and marveling at various forest creatures she met along the way. She paused when the path finally opened up to the huge dirt road that led into Caulis and glanced down the way towards the city gates. ¡°Oh,¡± she said softly. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Sophie asked when she finally caught up to her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure ¨C¡± Elowen replied, but then she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let''s just keep going.¡± Sophie noticed that Elowen didn¡¯t answer the question, exactly, but she didn¡¯t want to press her too much about it. She couldn¡¯t imagine how all of this must feel. Even if Elowen had walked the same path many times before, that would have been nearly a hundred years ago. Who knew how much had changed. It would be quite overwhelming. Elowen hung back a bit at the gate, seeming slightly confused, but she quickly followed when Sophie passed through the gate easily, like she always did. One of the usual guards nodded to her, completely unconcerned about Elowen. Of course, the guard couldn¡¯t see Elowen, so there was that. When they stepped into the town square, Elowen paused again, staring around in astonishment. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C¡± Elowen gasped and raised her hand to her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s completely changed.¡± Sophie glanced over at her sharply. ¡°You remember something?¡± Elowen nodded, seeming somehow upset at the memory, but before she could say anything further, a small, fluffy white creature bounded towards them, dragging its leash along the ground. Elowen floated back in surprise, but Sophie immediately knelt down to grab the creature, who seemed awfully excited to see her. By the floppy ears and lolling tongue, Sophie decided it must be some variety of dog, although this particular dog was so covered in fluff that it was a little hard to tell. She carefully wrapped its leash around her fist. Just as she was standing up with the dog firmly leashed at her side, a very young girl with her light brown hair pulled back in a braid, scampered up as well. Her face was streaked with tears, and she sniffled a bit. ¡°Sam!¡± she shouted down angrily at the dog without even giving Sophie a second glance. The dog immediately jumped up, pawing at her clothes and wagging its tail happily, completely oblivious to the trouble it was in. A few moments later, a frazzled-looking woman with her own long, brown hair pulled up into a bun joined the group, placing her hands on the little girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she apologized to Sophie. ¡°Sam got away from us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± Sophie insisted, and she handed over the leash. The lady began to apologize again as she ushered both the girl and the dog away, but before she could manage, the girl finally looked up at them and stood absolutely still, tilting her head with confusion. She glanced between Sophie and Elowen and then back to Elowen again and finally pointed directly at Elowen. ¡°How come you¡¯re see-through?¡± Sophie nearly choked on a laugh in surprise, and the woman glanced to where the little girl was pointing, obviously confused as well. She frowned down at the little girl and seemed like she was about ready to chastise her when Elowen asked, ¡°You can see me?¡± The little girl nodded, stepping forward out of the woman¡¯s grasp. ¡°Of course!¡± She reached out as if she was going to grab the hem of Elowen¡¯s dress, but her hand went right through the spot, and Elowen giggled. The girl glanced at her hand, obviously surprised at the result. ¡°Are you real?¡± Elowen laughed again and bent down slightly, placing her hand on the little girl¡¯s head. She glowed a bit, and Sophie¡¯s Mana Sense pinged as Elowen did something. ¡°I sure am,¡± she replied. ¡°You know, you¡¯ll make a fine priestess someday.¡± The woman continued to glance between the girl and Sophie and confusion. ¡°Is there something ¨C¡± she shook her head. ¡°I mean ¨C¡± ¡°She''s talking to the shrine spirit,¡± Sophie reassured the woman. ¡°I¡¯m Caulis¡¯s shrine priestess,¡± she explained, but it didn¡¯t seem to help much. ¡°The shrine spirit?¡± the woman repeated, still glancing over to the spot where Elowen was chatting with the young girl, but obviously unable to see her. Sophie nodded. ¡°I suppose this one must have the makings of a shrine priestess within her.¡± The little girl glanced up at her curiously at the statement, and Elowen nodded in agreement as well. ¡°She does! She will have that path open to her when she¡¯s ready.¡± The woman still sounded quite uncertain about the whole situation, but she thanked them again for catching Sam, and finally left to continue on about her day. After she left, Elowen glanced around them in wonder again, her earlier mood seeming to have vanished after all of the excitement. ¡°Can we go to the library?¡± she asked, twirling eagerly at the mere idea. Sophie wanted to ask her more questions about how Caulis had changed, but she decided that they would have time for that later, so instead she nodded. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s right this way.¡± Chapter 40: A Sweet Surprise Even after all of the excitement in the town square plus Elowen stopping every few steps to stare up at some building or another, Sophie and Elowen thankfully managed to make it to the library in time. Sophie wanted to catch Ryland this morning to return the book on ice caves, and when she stopped by the information desk, she found out that she was in luck ¨C the historian was still holed up on the second floor. According to Oliver, Ryland was busy poring over whatever tomes he was currently obsessed with. The other librarian ¨C who Sophie finally learned was named Claire ¨C chuckled and shook her head at the commentary. Sophie returned all of the books she had borrowed previously, including that awful thriller that Elowen had enjoyed so much. Elowen wandered around to investigate the rows of books on the first floor before Sophie could introduce her to the two librarians. It was probably for the best ¨C it would take a lot of explanation, and she really wanted to catch Ryland before he left for the day. When they finally made it to the second floor, Ryland was sitting at the same table he had been the last time Sophie had seen him here, but this time Oliver had remained at the information desk downstairs, and the pile of books surrounding Ryland was even larger than before. ¡°The priestess again!¡± Ryland declared, perhaps a little too loudly considering they were in the library. No one else appeared to be on this floor, however, so she supposed it didn¡¯t matter how chatty Ryland was today. ¡°I have something of yours,¡± she explained, pulling the book on ice caves out of her bag. Elowen had been exploring a nearby shelf, but the book seemed to summon her back. ¡°You¡¯re giving it back already?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to borrow this one,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°It ended up in the pile by accident.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where that went!¡± Ryland accepted the book eagerly, even as Elowen pouted. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we borrow it for a bit longer?¡± she whined. Sophie sighed. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll ask him.¡± ¡°Ask who?¡± Ryland asked, looking puzzled. He glanced behind himself, as if he expected Oliver to pop up and yell at him about the state of the table again. ¡°Oh!¡± Sophie felt her face heat at the realization. ¡°Actually ¨C Elowen is here today with me. The shrine spirit, I mean.¡± ¡°The spirit!¡± Ryland stood up dramatically, almost knocking his chair over. ¡°Where is she?¡± Elowen giggled at the display, and Sophie had to stifle a laugh of her own. ¡°Right here.¡± She pointed to where Elowen stood, just a few steps away from Ryland¡¯s table of books. She was currently staring at the book on ice caves with obvious interest. ¡°She¡¯s ah ¨C well, she¡¯s currently unable to manifest,¡± Sophie explained at Ryland¡¯s obvious surprise. ¡°But we¡¯re working on that.¡± Ryland peered at the space that Sophie indicated, his eyebrows drawn together. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite the shame.¡± He made an elaborate sort of bow anyway. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Elowen. I do hope we¡¯ll be able to meet under better circumstances soon enough.¡± Elowen looked pleased at the gesture and Ryland¡¯s kind words. ¡°A historian,¡± she said. ¡°How wonderful.¡± ¡°She¡¯s very pleased to meet you as well,¡± Sophie relayed. ¡°She¡¯s interested in your class.¡± Ryland puffed up a bit at that. ¡°Well, it is a very interesting class indeed, although perhaps rivaled only by your own. It sounded as if she had something to ask me?¡± Sophie gestured towards the book on ice caves. ¡°She was actually wondering if she could keep reading that. We were looking at it last night, and she seemed quite interested ¨C¡± ¡°Does he have any more like that one?¡± Elowen interrupted. ¡°More about the Northern Islands, or anything really. Oh, I do love those caves, though!¡± Sophie continued to relay Elowen¡¯s questions to Ryland with perhaps less gusto than Elowen had conveyed them in the first place, and the historian nodded. ¡°Of course! We have plenty more where that came from. There¡¯s tons of books on geography ¨C plenty of interesting places to learn about.¡± He gestured at the row of shelves surrounding them. ¡°I can show you the best sections to look in. But you¡¯re also welcome to keep that one for a bit. Just be sure to stuff it back in your bag before Oliver sees it.¡± He winked at that last bit, and Sophie couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the book was a purloined library book after all. She shook her head to herself ¨C it really wasn¡¯t any of her business at least. Ryland showed them to the aforementioned sections and helped them pick out a few more books that Elowen might like. The entire time, he was incredibly animated and seemed far more cheerful today than he had the previous day. ¡°So you¡¯re no longer researching ice caves?¡± Sophie asked as she safely tucked the ice cave book back in her bag and made a pile of the other texts that Elowen had selected. Those she would be sure to properly check out downstairs. Elowen herself continued to wander the stacks with an intense curiosity towards all of the books. ¡°No, not really,¡± Ryland admitted. He pushed a few of the books aside that he had been looking at previously and pointed to one that was open to a page with a sketch of some elaborate looking weapons. ¡°Linden came back last night with some cool artifacts, so now I¡¯m looking into ¨C¡± ¡°Wait, Linden¡¯s back?¡± Sophie interrupted, not particularly interested in whatever Ryland was currently researching anyway. ¡°Yeah!¡± Ryland grinned. ¡°Just last night in fact. He went over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild this morning with some of the stuff he found.¡± Sophie suddenly felt really excited about going back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild again, even if Calli was probably just going to pressure her into registering for the millionth time. Although the Magewood seemed like a promising solution to the mana problem at the shrine, Sophie had absolutely no idea how long it would take for it to grow into something that could actually support a shrine. Perhaps Linden would have a better solution. But before that¡­ Sophie had another destination in mind. ¡°Does Acacia know yet?¡± Ryland¡¯s grin widened. ¡°So you¡¯ve noticed that too, huh?¡± Sophie mimed keeping her lips sealed. She was not about to spill one word about Acacia and Linden, especially if Ryland and Linden were as close as they seemed. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Ryland conceded, laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t think she does, though. I don¡¯t know how she could, unless he stopped by there first.¡± ¡°Sounds like I need to go to the bakery,¡± Sophie decided. She thanked Ryland again for the book recommendations and the tip-off and gathered up the pile of books. Corralling Elowen took a little bit more effort, but once she convinced Elowen that they would return to the library in just a few days, she managed to head downstairs to the information desk to check out Elowen¡¯s books and the next few in her romance series. She was so looking forward to seeing Acacia¡¯s reaction to the news. *** Elowen had chosen about a dozen books on the geography of random locations around whatever little world they currently lived on, and Sophie got to test the limits of her Tailored bag. She was surprised to find that it was starting to feel a little heavy on their way to the bakery, even though she had managed to stuff all of the books inside. Elowen, oblivious to Sophie¡¯s plight and unable to help regardless, glanced around the town in wonder as they made their way through the streets. ¡°Has it really been so long?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if she should answer that. She still didn¡¯t quite know whether Elowen realized exactly how long she had been stuck at the shrine for, and it seemed like now wouldn¡¯t be the best time to discuss it. Instead, she resolved to finally have the conversation with Elowen when they returned to the shrine later this evening. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± Sophie asked instead, repeating her earlier question that Elowen had never fully answered. Elowen nodded slowly. ¡°Not much, but some¡­¡± She gestured to all of the buildings, the sidewalk, the cobblestone road. ¡°This is all new. I can¡¯t picture it clearly ¨C what it used to look like, that is ¨C but I know it didn¡¯t look like this. If I didn¡¯t know¡­ Well, if I wasn¡¯t sure that this is Caulis, then I might think I¡¯ve been transported to an entirely new reality.¡± The words sent a shiver down Sophie¡¯s spine ¨C she could obviously relate. They continued walking in mostly silence as they made their way to the bakery, and Elowen became quite animated again when she noticed the sign. ¡°Acacia¡¯s bakery!¡± she read aloud. ¡°Does she run it all by herself?¡± Sophie shook her head, as she reached for the door. ¡°Not entirely. I think she owns the bakery, but she has some help,¡± she explained as the little bell above the bakery door rang, announcing their presence. Acacia and Hollis were both working at the front counter today, although Acacia had a cup of tea sitting in front of her, and neither of them had any customers. Acacia perked up when she saw Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re back! So soon! Not that I¡¯m complaining ¨C did you run out of pastries already?¡± Elowen giggled at the greeting. ¡°You have quite the reputation,¡± she teased. Sophie almost wished she could elbow Elowen in retaliation, but instead she just rolled her eyes. ¡°Elowen¡¯s here today,¡± she explained. Acacia¡¯s eyes widened and Hollis glanced around as if he could possibly see her. ¡°She is?¡± Acacia asked. ¡°But how?¡± Sophie patted her pocket. ¡°I have a few tricks up my sleeve,¡± she teased back. ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten her to manifest yet, but she can come with me now. At least for short periods of time.¡± Although that didn¡¯t mean Sophie had any control over what Elowen did. It was almost a blessing that she couldn¡¯t manifest at the moment. Currently, for example, she was practically pressed up against the pastry display. In fact, because she couldn¡¯t manifest, it might have been more accurate to say she was practically in the pastry display. ¡°The shrine spirit?¡± Hollis piped up, still looking around as if he could detect her somewhere. Sophie nodded and gestured to the spot where Elowen longingly stared into the pastry display. ¡°She¡¯s right here. She¡¯s awfully interested in those little cakes, in fact.¡± Sophie pointed out the exact tray Elowen had her eye on, and Hollis¡¯s cheek¡¯s brightened with color at the words. ¡°Is she now?¡± he asked, and he sounded incredibly pleased at the news. Elowen glanced up at Sophie with puppy-dog eyes that did not do the dignity of her status as the town¡¯s shrine spirit very much justice at all. ¡°Can we get some?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie replied, laughing. Sure, she had decided to resist the pastries, but this totally didn¡¯t count. It was practically a celebration, after all. Even after only hearing part of the conversation, Hollis began to pull out the tray of little cakes, carefully picking up a few one-by-one and setting them in a paper-lined gift box. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to do that ¨C¡± Sophie began, but Hollis shook his head. ¡°Of course I do! It is a gift after all,¡± Hollis insisted, determinedly adding more cakes to the box. Once it was full, he held it out in the direction that Sophie had indicated earlier, where Elowen was still standing, watching him with curiosity. Elowen glanced down at the open box in his hands, reaching her own hand out as well, as if she would like to pick one of the cakes up and pop it into her mouth. It reminded Sophie exactly of the moment when Acacia had offered her own gift to Elowen not that long ago. ¡°Sophie, will you burn them for me?¡± Elowen said after a moment, still staring down at the cakes. Sophie nodded. ¡°Of course! We can do it tonight when we get back, in fact.¡± It would be as good of a use of her mana as any, she figured, even if using fire was always a bit tricky for her. When Elowen turned around, her eyes were shining with happiness, and Sophie thought it was probably worth the trouble, regardless. ¡°Well what brought you here, if not for pastries?¡± Acacia cut in, after watching the interaction with amusement. ¡°Are you just showing Elowen around town?¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right!¡± Sophie replied, suddenly remembering her ulterior motive. ¡°I was just over at the library, and I heard some very interesting news.¡± ¡°News? What news?¡± Acacia asked, leaning forward over the counter. ¡°Linden is back! Ryland said he got back late last night, and apparently he¡¯s over at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild right now.¡± ¡°What!¡± Acacia nearly knocked over her cup of tea in her haste to get around the counter. ¡°You¡¯re serious? He¡¯s really back?¡± Sophie nodded, unable to prevent herself from grinning at Acacia¡¯s excitement. What she didn¡¯t expect, however, was for Acacia to start pushing her towards the door. ¡°Wait ¨C¡± Sophie began, but Acacia kept pushing. ¡°I, um, just remembered that I told Calli I¡¯d stop by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild this morning,¡± she said. ¡°Sophie here obviously needs to come with me. You know, for moral support.¡± ¡°But I ¨C¡± Sophie tried again, and Acacia gave her a very significant look. ¡°Sure you did,¡± Hollis replied, voice dripping with skepticism. ¡°You know, you totally left me here all day yesterday, too.¡± But there was no heat in the statement, and when Sophie glanced back at him, Hollis was smiling in obvious amusement. ¡°My cakes!¡± Elowen shrieked just before Acacia had pushed Sophie out the door. Sophie was thankful that no one else could hear the piercing noise. ¡°Ah, wait, Acacia ¨C Elowen doesn¡¯t want us to forget the cakes.¡± Acacia paused in the doorway, looking none too pleased, and Sophie turned back again to grab the box from Hollis, who had already rushed forward. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, as Acacia made Hurry up gestures at her from the doorway. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he said, laughing. ¡°And good luck.¡± Somehow, Sophie thought she¡¯d probably need it. Chapter 41: The Earth Mage When they got to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, it was far more crowded than Sophie would¡¯ve expected seeing as it was barely noon. People were already drinking and laughing, and it all centered around one particular table. Even Calli wasn¡¯t waiting at the front desk like usual ¨C instead, a thin, balding man greeted Acacia by name. His eyes twinkled as he added, ¡°Linden¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Acacia complained, and the man chuckled as Acacia dragged Sophie into the fray, towards the source of all of the excitement. A tall, muscular man who rivaled Ryland for his good looks stood at the head of one of the long tables, where people were drinking and chatting. He had curly black hair and light brown skin and both Calli and Garrick, the bard, stood at his side. His eyes lit up when he saw Acacia, and he immediately took a step forward. ¡°Acacia!¡± In that moment, Sophie was pretty sure Acacia¡¯s crush was mutual. Acacia practically threw herself at him, who caught her with ease, and gave her a huge hug. ¡°You¡¯re back early!¡± ¡°I suppose I am,¡± Linden conceded. ¡°But it still felt like ages.¡± Sophie met Calli¡¯s eyes, and the clerk winked at her with a knowing grin. So Acacia and Linden¡¯s thing ¨C whatever it was ¨C was something that was obvious to everyone around them. Sophie wondered why they didn¡¯t just make it official, then. She was contemplating how the story might work out if this had been one of her romance novels when she remembered Elowen, standing beside her. Elowen¡¯s eyes were wide, glancing around at all of the people with interest, and occasionally someone¡¯s elbow or foot went through her, but she seemed to pay no attention to any of that. The image hurt Sophie a bit ¨C but it¡¯s not like anyone would know to leave space for an unmanifested shrine spirit. ¡°Are you doing okay?¡± Sophie asked under her breath. Elowen looked over at her, and Sophie realized that she was smiling. She nodded happily. ¡°There¡¯s so many people!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s like ¨C¡± Before Sophie could catch what Elowen was about to say, Acacia turned back towards them again, grabbing Sophie¡¯s hand and pulling her towards their group. ¡°Meet our priestess!¡± she announced, quite loudly in fact. Several other people at the table glanced up at Sophie and a buzz of murmurs started working its way around the room. Sophie¡¯s face heated at all of the attention. ¡°A priestess! In Caulis?¡± Linden stuck out his hand for Sophie, and she accepted it, shaking it. ¡°She showed up right around the time you left on your quest,¡± Acacia explained to him. ¡°She¡¯s still learning the ropes, but we¡¯re going to have a class festival soon!¡± ¡°Sophie here¡¯s been dying to talk to you,¡° Calli interrupted. ¡°In fact ¨C¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°It can wait ¨C¡± she insisted, but Linden was looking at her thoughtfully. ¡°A priestess, huh?¡± he repeated. ¡°Well, then. I have something you should take a look at. Do you wanna see what I brought back?¡± Before Sophie could answer for herself, Acacia was already saying yes, and Linden laughed. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, gesturing for them to follow. They left Garrick in with the crowd, and Calli grabbed a huge set of keys off of the information desk next to her father. ¡°We¡¯re going to show off what Linden found,¡° Calli said. Her father looked skeptical, but eventually nodded. ¡°Just be careful¡­¡± he warned. Sophie frowned at the words, but Calli waved him off with a smile. ¡°We will!¡± Calli led them through a set of employee doors and down a long hallway lined with other doors. Elowen took this as some sort of invitation to go exploring and occasionally poked her head and sometimes her entire body through one of the walls before popping back out again. Sophie partially wanted to tell her to knock it off, but it also seemed kind of pointless to try to hold an ageless, unmanifested shrine spirit to human ethical standards. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Elowen asked after one of her adventures into a neighboring room. Acacia was busy chatting with Linden up ahead, so Sophie hung back a bit to wait for Elowen to catch up, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± she admitted. ¡°Do you want to go back? We can always talk to Linden another time.¡± Elowen shook her head. ¡°No! This is interesting.¡± Sophie snorted. Perhaps for Elowen it was. She definitely looked more excited than Sophie had seen her in a while. Even, perhaps, more excited than she had on their way to Caulis. Sophie supposed it was the most human interaction Elowen had seen in nearly a century ¨C other than her own arrival, of course ¨C so she nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Well just let me know if you get tired or want to head back.¡± She patted her pocket where the garden stone rested safely, and Elowen gave her a brilliant smile in return. ¡°Okay!¡± she said cheerily and popped into the neighboring room. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sophie rolled her eyes and continued following the rest of their little party, feeling a little like a third, or perhaps, fourth wheel in this situation. What could Linden possibly have to show her? After turning a corner, though, Calli finally stopped in front of two huge wooden doors. She flipped through the ring of keys in her hand until she found the right one, and then pushed the heavy-looking doors open. She quickly disappeared inside, Acacia and Linden following behind her. Sophie paused, however. Partially waiting for Elowen to return and partially because as soon as the doors had opened, Sophie felt¡­ Something. She took a few cautious steps forward towards the open doors, even though Elowen was still exploring a nearby room. When Sophie got to the doorway, she hesitated there, feeling a strange reluctance to go inside. The room was much larger than she had expected. In fact, it reminded her a lot of when she went to the Crafter¡¯s Guild to look at a chill box a while back. Tall stacks of shelves and drawers, all with shiny brass labels, lined the edge of the room, and long, wooden tables displayed a variety of strange objects in the center. The room was nearly entirely windowless except a row of thin notches along the top of the back wall ¨C almost like something Sophie would expect to see in a basement, but it was lit by the glow of mana lamps ¨C similar to the ones Sophie had seen at the library. Linden was striding forward towards one of the huge tables, while Calli stood to the side, whispering something to Acacia that made the other woman¡¯s face turn bright red. Obviously teasing her, Sophie decided. Everything appeared quite ordinary, in fact, and Sophie wondered what it was about this room that set her hackles rising. Elowen came up alongside her then and suddenly froze, staring straight ahead at one of the many tables in the large room. ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie half-whispered, something creeping along her spine as well. There was definitely something in this room that felt wrong. Or maybe a whole lot of somethings. ¡°Sophie it¡¯s ¨C¡± Elowen began, but before Sophie could hear what she had to say, Linden grabbed something off of the large wooden table that Elowen had been staring at, holding it up to display proudly. It was a huge silver axe with an elaborately carved handle ¨C something that Sophie had only seen in movies. ¡°Seriously Linden, be careful!¡± Acacia warned. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Caci,¡± Calli scolded her sister. ¡°The room¡¯s warded anyway.¡± Acacia looked skeptical at the statement, but Sophie could barely take her eyes off of the strange weapon. There was something very wrong with it, she realized suddenly. It ¨C and perhaps other things like it in this room ¨C was the source of that bizarre bad feeling she had. Even so, she found herself taking a step forward in curiosity, even as she was also repelled from it. Before she could take one more step, however, Elowen made a sound like a gasp, and the garden stone in Sophie¡¯s pocket grew very warm suddenly. She turned to Elowen to see what was wrong, but then it hit her ¨C That sick pulling sensation of Elowen¡¯s bond wrapping around her so tightly she could barely breathe with it. Sophie staggered at the intensity of the rapid mana loss, almost unable to get words out as she tried to fight against Elowen¡¯s bond, but luckily she didn¡¯t have to say a thing ¨C ¡°Elowen?¡± Acacia asked, and weirdly enough she was staring right at Elowen, who was pressed all the way back against the far corner of the room, tears streaming down her face looking positively terrified. ¡°It¡¯s corrupted!¡± Elowen gasped out, almost as if she were choking. Sophie had enough sense to find her reaction strange, considering Linden was handling the thing with no trouble. ¡°Woah! Who¡¯s that?¡± Calli asked, suddenly wary. Linden dropped the axe back down on the table, taking a defensive stance. ¡°It¡¯s fine! She¡¯s just the shrine spirit, but ¨C¡± Acacia began. ¡°Help,¡± Sophie managed to interrupt her, and all of the eyes in the room turned towards her instead. She felt her knees grow weak, and she willed herself not to fall to the ground. ¡°She¡¯s ¨C she¡¯s draining me.¡± Calli¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t sound good.¡± Acacia rushed over, pale and worried, wrapping her arm around Sophie¡¯s waist to support her. ¡°Draining you? Your mana? Why?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Elowen ¨C you¡¯ve got to get a hold of yourself.¡± Elowen was outright sobbing now though and seemed insensible to Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°Here ¨C¡± Linden hurried over to a large leather bag nearby, digging through it. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s going on?¡± Acacia asked again, but Sophie couldn¡¯t even get words out to explain it. She had a grip on the bond, holding it as tightly as she could, trying to limit it somehow as Elowen blinked in and out of focus. As much as she really didn¡¯t want to experience mana exhaustion again, she was much more afraid of what would happen to Elowen if Sophie passed out. Suddenly, Linden was standing in front of her, holding out a piece of familiar-looking bread. Mana bread. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie gasped, accepting the bread and taking a huge bite, mana already rushing back to her as she chewed it, although it was nearly drained again as soon as it arrived. ¡°I think we need to get out of this room. She might calm down.¡± Calli was already opening the doors again. ¡°We¡¯ll take you upstairs,¡± she said. ¡°We have rooms up there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you,¡± Acacia reassured her, arm still firm around Sophie¡¯s waist. ¡°You can explain things later. Just keep taking small bites if you need them and try to stay conscious.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it make me sick?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be much more sick if you pass out,¡± Calli quipped. Sophie felt that was solid logic, given the circumstance, and took another small bite of the mana bread. ¡°What do we do about the spirit?¡± Linden asked. Right. Elowen. Elowen still had her face buried in her hands, pressed up against the wall. She was solid, or so it seemed to Sophie, and Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to pass through walls this way if they tried to leave. ¡°Let me get her,¡± Sophie said, and she staggered over to Elowen with Acacia¡¯s help. She reached up, grabbing Elowen¡¯s hand, holding it in her own for the very first time. It felt oddly warm and pleasant, and her mana seemed to respond to Sophie¡¯s own with interest. ¡°Come on,¡± Sophie said, tugging at her. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here.¡± Chapter 42: Trapped As soon as they left the storage room, Sophie felt the terrible drain on her mana lessen somewhat, and she lost her grip on Elowen¡¯s hand. She glanced back and noticed Elowen was starting to blink in and out of focus as if she were trying to control herself or move the bond back on her own. Calli led them through the back hallway up a side staircase to her personal apartment above the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Instead of art, like Acacia¡¯s apartment, Calli¡¯s walls were covered in strange weapons and artifacts, just like the one Linden had wanted to show them downstairs. Sophie paused in the doorway, ready for a repeat experience of Elowen¡¯s panic, but it never came. Elowen floated into the apartment, closer to her usual unmanifested state than before, and Calli waved Sophie in saying, ¡°Sorry about all of this ¨C none of them are corrupted, so they should be fine.¡± Sophie felt nearly dizzy with relief to finally sit down and get her bearings, so she found her way to a couch. ¡°Can you use any of these?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± Calli frowned, but Acacia interrupted her. ¡°She totally can. She could have been a warrior!¡± Calli shot her a look and then shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Caci. I¡¯m happy as a clerk.¡± But her tone didn¡¯t quite match her words. Sophie wondered what that was about, but her mind felt too scattered to make heads or tails of the conversation. Instead she took a moment to ground herself again and really focus on Elowen¡¯s bond, and she was surprised to find that it easily slid off of her and back onto the garden stone. She felt absolutely exhausted, however, and even though she had taken a few more bites of the mana bread on the way upstairs, her mana was nearly completely drained. After the bond was moved back to the garden stone, Elowen had faded back into her completely translucent state, and Sophie was left with three pairs of eyes staring at her curiously and one very embarrassed shrine spirit. ¡°What happened?¡± several people asked at once, including Sophie, who asked the question to Elowen. Elowen shook her head, unwilling or unable to explain, and Sophie sighed, giving up on getting answers out of her at the moment. ¡°Elowen¡¯s still recovering,¡± Sophie explained to the others. ¡°But I¡¯m honestly not sure what happened. She somehow managed to move her bond over to me, instead of the stone that I brought with me.¡± ¡°Her bond?¡± Calli asked, as Acacia busied herself with Calli¡¯s fridge ¨C obviously intent on making food for everyone. Linden had sprawled on another couch nearby and had lifted some object off of Calli¡¯s wall, inspecting it as if he did this all the time. Sophie nodded and then glanced over to Elowen, who was hovering near her on the couch but refusing to meet her gaze. ¡°Yeah ¨C the bond that usually keeps her tied to the shrine stone. I¡¯ve been working on moving it to other things, so she can come with me, even though she can¡¯t manifest yet.¡± Three sets of eyes now stared at her in varying degrees of confusion, and Sophie suddenly felt like she was missing out on some important detail. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Am I¡­ not supposed to do that?¡± She glanced over at Acacia, who had paused in the middle of getting out a cutting board, and the other woman looked puzzled. Linden cleared his throat, setting the artifact he had been holding down on a table next to him. ¡°Shrine stone? Are you saying Caulis¡¯s spirit is bound to something in the shrine? And you¡­ unbound her, and ¨C¡± He shook his head as if not understanding. But Sophie was the one who didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Of course! Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s done everywhere?¡± Acacia and Calli looked at each other uncertainly, but Linden shook his head more firmly this time. ¡°Not that I have ever heard of, and I¡¯ve visited other shrines. I know it¡¯s possible to bind a shrine spirit, but¡­ You have that kind of ability? Aren¡¯t you a fairly new shrine priestess?¡± Sophie felt a cold chill run down her spine. ¡°I am. But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the one who bound her there in the first place. I just moved the bond¡­.¡± She glanced back to Elowen, as she trailed off, looking for any sort of explanation, but the spirit shook her head and started crying anew. ¡°I don¡¯t remember! I don¡¯t remember anything, okay? I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m bound. I don¡¯t remember if I was ever bound before. I thought it had always been like this¡­¡± Sophie continued to stare at Elowen, unsure what to make of this. ¡°You mean¡­¡± she started, but she closed her mouth suddenly, the sheer horror of the situation hitting her. Elowen glanced away and sniffed. ¡°The bond¡­ It could be what¡¯s preventing her from fading,¡± Acacia said thoughtfully. ¡°That might be why she¡¯s been able to survive for so long.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand,¡± Sophie said. Or perhaps she was unwilling to accept the reality of the situation. ¡°So shrine spirits really aren¡¯t usually bound to anything ¨C not at all?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Linden replied, staring at her as if she had completely lost her mind. ¡°Why would they be? That would be horrible, wouldn¡¯t it? Trapped in the same place, unable to leave, unable to move on ¨C¡± Just as Elowen had been. *** Sophie didn¡¯t get many more answers out of Linden or the others. It seemed like no one else had any answers for what could have happened to bind Elowen to the stone, and why there was even such a thing as the shrine stone in the first place. She found out that Mana Binding was not a common skill, and in fact, was not looked upon favorably by any of the others. Binding a mana spirit to anything after all, was as good as a prison. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Sophie wondered about her own abilities¡­ It¡¯s not like she had learned Mana Binding. When she had been working with the bond before, she seemed only to have learned how to move it around to different things, not necessarily how to bind or unbind it. Something bound must be able to be broken right? That would be useful, if she could learn un-binding. But if the bond was what was preventing Elowen from fading¡­ Well, the whole situation was quite tricky. At least Linden offered to stop by the shrine to see if he could figure out anything new about the mana problem there and take a look at the stone while he was at it. Before Sophie and Elowen left to go back, however, Calli just had to get the last word in. She pushed for Sophie to come back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as soon as she felt up to it to look at the corrupted artifacts Linden had found. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Sophie asked, not liking the idea especially after what had happened with Elowen. ¡°Because it can help you learn purification!¡± Calli insisted. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect chance. We can¡¯t purify them. We just have to keep them in storage until we can beg a priest or priestess from Sentus or one of the other shrines to stop by.¡± Sophie frowned, not sure how thrilled she was about working with corrupted artifacts. Could she really learn how to purify them just by studying them? Somehow she wasn¡¯t quite sure about that, and Elowen seemed too sad to offer any advice one way or the other. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she said, and Calli rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed at the reply. Sophie said her goodbyes to Calli and Linden, but Acacia followed her and Elowen out to head back to the bakery. She walked as far as the city gates with them, keeping a close eye on Sophie the entire time. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want help back?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°We can manage,¡± she insisted. ¡°Thank you, though.¡± Acacia seemed reluctant to leave, and Sophie couldn¡¯t blame her, but Elowen seemed much calmer now. And besides, they didn¡¯t walk the path alone after all. As Sophie left Acacia at the gates and turned toward the shrine path, she thought she caught a glimmer of something in the corner of her eye, but before she could turn toward it, she felt a familiar burst of air dart past her cheek and then the little wyvern swooped back around, forcing Sophie to stop in her tracks. Elowen gasped in surprise, taking a step back, as if the creature might run into her as well, but Sophie merely laughed and held out her arm for the little thing to land on. Elowen watched curiously as the wyvern preened for a moment, fluttering its leathery wings happily. It met Sophie¡¯s eyes directly, as if it wanted to ask her a question. ¡°I¡¯m truly not mad at you,¡± Sophie said, and the creature blinked at her a few more times. It hopped up her arm slightly, as if trying to get her attention, and then swooped its head down to pull at her dress. ¡°Hey!¡± she complained. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Elowen began to giggle, the sound almost startling in comparison to her earlier mood. ¡°I think it wants more mana bread,¡± she said, and then Sophie remembered the chunk she had stuffed into her pocket earlier, after they had made it upstairs to Calli¡¯s apartment. ¡°Oh!¡± Sophie reached into her pocket to pull out the piece that was left. ¡°This?¡± The wyvern immediately grabbed it from her hands, zipping off onto a tree branch happily with its treat. Sophie watched with no small amount of amusement, although she had been hoping to save some of that for herself. She couldn¡¯t quite justify asking Acacia for more of it now that she had the Magewort, but she also detested the taste of that awful tea. Oh well. Sophie began walking back as the wyvern continued to devour her precious mana bread in a tree far above them. Elowen floated alongside her at a fairly sedate pace, watching the creature with curious eyes. They lost sight of it eventually, but only a few moments later ¨C perhaps after it had finally finished ¨C it caught up to them, following them through the trees for a few paces before it landed on Sophie again. This time, instead of pestering her for more treats, though, Sophie felt the warm tingle of mana seeping into her arm, and Elowen laughed out loud in surprise. It was nice to hear her laugh, especially after the experience at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And Sophie realized, now, what corruption felt like. The little wyvern¡¯s mana definitely didn¡¯t feel like that at all, and she felt silly for even worrying about it in the first place. ¡°Thank you,¡± she told it, and it preened a bit more before zipping back into the tree tops to continue following them. What a strange creature. But helpful in its own way. It also made her think of that strange mana impression she had seen in Caulis. In fact, she had almost thought she had seen one again just earlier ¨C but either way, that hadn¡¯t felt like corruption either. It felt like something, but not corruption. When they finally made it back, Sophie felt a little more refreshed thanks to the wyvern, and she used its boost of mana to swap Elowen¡¯s bond back over to the shrine stone. Then she all but collapsed onto her little folding mattress. Elowen hovered around her contritely the entire time, wringing her hands together and apologizing. ¡°What happened?¡° Sophie asked Elowen again, now that they were alone. Elowen shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡° ¡°You seemed afraid,¡± Sophie gently prompted her. ¡°Was it the corruption? The axe?¡± Elowen shook her head again, but then she buried her face in her hands. ¡°Maybe ¨C the corruption.¡± Sophie chewed on her lip in thought. It didn¡¯t exactly make sense for a shrine spirit to be afraid of corruption, did it? Elowen had talked about it before fairly impartially, as if it was something to be wary of, but something that Sophie¡¯s class would give her some amount of protection from. But then again, a lot of things about Elowen weren¡¯t adding up suddenly. Sophie thought back to Calli¡¯s offer to work on learning purification. She didn¡¯t really want to, if she was totally honest with herself. And besides, she had no real idea how she would go about it. In the past, when she had to learn something new, she had always relied on Elowen¡¯s help, but now she wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. Not with the way Elowen had reacted to the corruption. But then again, Elowen¡¯s reaction was what made her feel like she really should put some effort into trying to learn it. If they ever encountered something corrupted, she would want to be able to do something about it. She didn¡¯t want to feel helpless like she had earlier. And maybe, just maybe, learning more about corruption would help her with one of the puzzle pieces surrounding Elowen. ¡°Would it be okay if I went back tomorrow? To work with the artifacts?¡± Elowen nodded slowly and sniffed. ¡°I guess. Just¡­ Be careful, Sophie.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Sophie reassured her. Even though she didn¡¯t have a great track record in that regard¡­ she would have to do her best. But until then¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s read some of those books you borrowed.¡± Chapter 43: Corruption Sophie woke up the next day feeling absolutely terrible. It reminded her of the days in the past when she had woken up with a hangover, her mind fuzzy, her head pounding, and even her mouth dry and unpleasant tasting. She hadn¡¯t felt that bad when she went to bed the night before, but she could only imagine that these must be side effects from having so much mana bread the previous day. Elowen, too, seemed awfully subdued this morning. After a brief hello, she wandered off elsewhere in the shrine, leaving Sophie to go about her usual morning routine in much-needed silence. Sophie stumbled around the living space, getting water from the well outside and making some tea, before she finally sat down at the kitchen table with a pastry and a pile of books in front of her. She still had the books that Ryland had leant her the day when she and Acacia went to ask him about the festival. It felt oddly long ago, even though it had only been two days since. Sophie hadn¡¯t actually gotten a chance to look through all of the books, yet, but today she opened the book on shrines. Even with her headache, she managed to flip through the pages, scanning them for any mention of something like a shrine stone or a bound spirit, but she found nothing. It was very possible that she would need to read the book in more depth to be sure, but after a second cup of tea and another pastry, she was pretty confident that there was nothing in this book that would indicate that a shrine spirit should be attached to a stone or anything else for that matter. She sat back in her chair, and when she looked up, she was surprised to find Elowen watching her. It wasn¡¯t all that unusual for Elowen to watch Sophie as she went about her morning routine, but when she first sat down for breakfast this morning, Elowen hadn¡¯t been in the room with her. Sophie had assumed she was investigating the Magewood or perhaps even the Dawnwood trees in the greenhouse. Elowen seemed to like to keep an eye on those. But now, here she was, watching Sophie. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Sophie asked, and Elowen shook her head. Sophie waited a moment, sure that the spirit had something to say. And sure enough, after another minute or two in which Sophie finished her tea, Elowen finally spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°About not remembering?¡± Sophie took a wild guess. Elowen nodded. ¡°It was just ¨C well, when you first arrived, you were so confused. I didn¡¯t want to scare you anymore than you seemed already. And I honestly wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d even believe me.¡± Sophie supposed that was a fair point. In fact, if Elowen had been more upfront with the fact that she couldn¡¯t remember anything, Sophie might have felt much more skeptical towards her from the beginning. Instead, Sophie mostly figured it out on her own. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Elowen,¡± Sophie reassured her. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about it now ¨C all we can do is try to figure out how to fix it.¡± Elowen bit her lip and looked away. ¡°Well I am sorry,¡± she repeated. Sophie tried to give her a reassuring smile. Her headache was still lingering, but her mana reserves felt fine. In fact, she felt like she could probably take Calli up on her offer and go back to Caulis today to look at those artifacts. There was so much to do ¨C her primary goal of course was still fixing the mana issue with the shrine, but if she could learn purification¡­ Well, as much as she really didn¡¯t like the idea of it, it would open a lot of new avenues for her. For example ¨C taking quests. Another thing she didn¡¯t like the idea of. But perhaps it was something she should consider. Even if Linden could do something to fix the shrine, surely he would want something in return. And Sophie was almost scared to actually count up her remaining coin to find out how much she had left. She had been going through it rather quickly after all, and although they still had the possibility of holding the festival, she had no way of knowing how much coin that would bring in. She closed the book she was reading, deciding to leave thoughts about Elowen¡¯s bond for another day. ¡°If you¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay with it, I¡¯d like to go back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild today.¡± Elowen nodded, but she looked less than sure. Sophie totally understood how she felt in that regard. *** Sophie hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to give any of the trees mana yesterday, but she decided to wait on that until after her trip to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, not sure what would be waiting for her there. Now that she was back in the storage room, with Linden and Calli both watching her curiously, she was very glad she had saved her mana. Even just standing next to the table containing a few corrupted items bothered her. Her mana reacted badly to the corruption to put it lightly. She felt a sick churning sensation, almost as if she were in the middle of choppy waters, but the waters were within her. ¡°How should we do this?¡± she asked, staring down at the axe that Linden had picked up yesterday. The one that had scared Elowen completely senseless. ¡°Beats me,¡± Calli shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the priestess.¡± That wasn¡¯t exactly helpful. Sophie cautiously reached her hand out, almost afraid to touch it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Are you sure you should be doing that?¡± Calli asked, peering down. Sophie led out an explosive breath. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I literally have no idea what I¡¯m doing, okay? I haven¡¯t been a priestess for that long, you know.¡± Calli held her hands up in a defensive gesture. ¡°Fine, fine, I get it. I¡¯m just trying to help.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a mentor?¡± Linden asked, and at least he looked honestly curious. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nope. I suppose you don¡¯t know the story, but I sort of stumbled into this job. I¡¯m, uh, not even from around here.¡± Linden nodded, as if that made sense. ¡°Well, it might help if you have some of these,¡± he held up his hands to show a pair of leather gloves. ¡°They guard against corruption.¡± ¡°I believe my own clothes are tailored to do that as well. But gloves would be useful,¡± she conceded. Sophie thought back to the gloves she¡¯d been using for gardening. They had felt like they were Tailored, too. Perhaps that¡¯s what they were supposed to be used for. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t thought to bring them with her. But Calli had her covered. The other woman stepped aside for a moment and came back holding up a pair. ¡°Here you go,¡± she offered. ¡°Try these.¡± Sophie slipped on the gloves, feeling the familiar warmth of Tailored material against her skin. Ever since she gained Mana Sense, she was starting to almost feel something extra about Tailored items when she put them on. If this were a video game, she imagined that she would be able to see each item stats, and she held up her gloved hands looking at them intently, wondering if something like that was possible in this world as well. ¡°Dumb question, but can you like ¨C I don¡¯t know ¨C tell the stats of these things? Like how do I know if gloves or pants or whatever have protection against corruption?¡± ¡°You mean you can¡¯t tell, when you look at an item? Or at the very least when you touch one?¡± Calli asked. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Not exactly¡­ I feel something though. As if maybe I¡¯m about to know¡­ It sounds silly trying to explain it.¡± ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re on the verge of an Understanding,¡± Linden explained. ¡°If you¡¯re new to your class, you¡¯ll probably have a lot of things to learn, still. If you keep exploring that feeling, you may find something coming to you.¡± Sophie glanced back down at the gloves on her hands and tried reaching out to them with her mana. She hadn¡¯t actually tried doing that before ¨C not with something that wasn¡¯t already designed to hold mana, like a mana lamp. Or something that contained inherent mana like the Magewood. ¡°What should I be looking for?¡± Linden shrugged. ¡°It differs depending on the items. You should gain a sense of what they¡¯re good for the more you try working with an item.¡± Sophie turned her hands over again, focusing intently but nothing specific came to her. She sighed. She felt like she was just wasting her mana. ¡°I still can¡¯t tell,¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Linden encouraged her. ¡°It would have been shocking to get it on the first try.¡± Sophie nodded in understanding, but still felt a bit annoyed at herself. She would have to practice when she got back. She had her own Tailored clothes and gloves that she could work with after all. But today she was here to learn purification. She turned her attention back to the corrupted weapon in front of her. With the gloves on, she reached her hand out and touched it. The mana in the axe felt somehow muted now, but it still felt oily and wrong, even through the gloves. She was afraid to even try reaching out to it with her own mana. What was she supposed to do with that? After a few moments of carefully prodding along the edges of the strange mana with her own, she gave up, cold sweat already gathering along her spine. ¡°Um, is this safe?¡± she asked. Linden shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. I don¡¯t usually work with mana directly like that. It¡¯s a shame you don¡¯t have a mentor.¡± He looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have any local priests or priestesses, but you could try talking to Sterling. He¡¯s an unspecialized and may have some recommendations. It¡¯s the closest thing you¡¯ll get to a priestess around here, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Sterling? Sophie thought back to the unspecialized mage who had visited her before. She wondered if it was the same person. ¡°I can run and see if he¡¯s free today,¡± Calli offered. ¡°He¡¯s not out on any quests that I know of. He usually sticks pretty close to town since he¡¯s the only mana specialist we have. Well, at least until you level up a bit.¡± She winked at Sophie when she said the last part, but Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit of pressure behind the words. ¡°Um, sure?¡± Sophie replied. She didn¡¯t really know how she felt about all of this mentor business, but she was a little afraid to make any sort of connection to the corrupted mana with her own. What if it was catching? ¡°Thank you,¡± she added. ¡°That would be helpful, I think.¡± Calli hurried off to go find the mana mage, and Sophie stayed behind with Linden, continuing to hesitantly investigate the axe along with a few other artifacts Linden had found. She could occasionally tell that some of them had less corruption than other pieces, but even with the gloves on, she had no idea what to do to purify any of them, and she remained too terrified of the risk to even try. She wished she had the forethought to at least ask Elowen what might work. But Elowen had been so upset¡­ Well, Sophie didn¡¯t want to push her about the issue, but now she realized that she needed at least a little bit of information to go on. She sighed as she moved down the table to another artifact ¨C this one what appeared to be a small locket ¨C something so fragile and harmless looking, but somehow even more corrupted than the axe. How could that be? Sophie simply had no idea how any of this was supposed to work, and Linden was unfortunately no help at all. Hopefully Sterling would be able to give her a better idea of what to do. Chapter 44: Mana Mage With little else to do while she waited, Sophie gently poked at each item on the table with her mana. She was especially careful not to form a connection to them in any way since she wasn¡¯t sure if that was safe yet. Instead, she merely determined how corrupted each one seemed. ¡°Can I move them?¡± she asked, after she had satisfied her curiosity and had a general idea of the levels of corruption in each ¨C at least compared to one another. ¡°Sure, knock yourself out. As long as you¡¯re wearing the gloves, they¡¯re relatively safe to handle,¡± Linden replied. Sophie didn¡¯t like the sound of the word relatively, so she gingerly moved each piece with the very tips of her fingers. She thought she probably shouldn¡¯t move them at all until Sterling showed up, but she sort of couldn¡¯t help herself. She began to organize them by their level of corruption, lining them all up in row. The locket felt like it had significantly more corruption than anything else on the table. Strangely enough, the item that felt the least corrupted was a small dagger. Glancing down at the assortment offered no real insights to Sophie. ¡°So where did you find all of these things anyway?¡± she asked. She had been dying to know, but she hated to ask in front of Calli. She was sure the other woman would just pressure her to go on quests, and Sophie really wasn¡¯t the questing sort of person. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve never been on a quest before,¡± Linden began. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nope, I haven¡¯t even been out of Caulis since I became a priestess.¡± That seemed safe enough to tell him. It was at least the truth. ¡°Well, there are many different types of quests, but a lot of them deal with corrupted areas in some way or another.¡± Linden gesture to the items on the table. ¡°These items specifically ¨C well, I got these out of a dungeon.¡± He said it with no small amount of pride, although most of the effect was lost on Sophie. ¡°A dungeon?¡± It sounded like something out of a video game, but what didn¡¯t in this strange fantasy world? Linden nodded. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s what we call places that have a higher level of corruption. Corruption can happen anywhere of course, but there are certain places in the world that have higher levels of it naturally. There are also the Corrupted Lands to the west ¨C but that¡¯s a bit of a different story. Besides, only the highest level teams go there.¡± Sophie¡¯s head spun with the new information. Up until this point, she hadn¡¯t considered the idea that corruption could be so¡­ widespread in the world. ¡°So what¡¯s the point of going into the dungeons then? Can¡¯t they just be sealed off or purified?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Linden replied. ¡°You¡¯ve got the right idea. Smaller ones typically can be purified and then sealed off, which is what my team went out to do. But some of the larger areas can only be contained. We¡¯re still not quite sure what causes corruption in the first place¡­ Of course plenty of people have been studying it for years and have a lot of different theories, but some places in the world seem to generate tons of it naturally. We can¡¯t purify those places entirely, but we can¡¯t just leave them alone, either, since corruption spreads. Not only that, but when corruption settles in deep enough, it can even spawn creatures and cause issues with nearby cities or settlements.¡± Sophie took in all of this information with no small amount of concern. The world outside of her shrine seemed somehow darker and more scary than she realized. Now she really had no interest in going on quests. ¡°So where do all these items come in then?¡± ¡°I found them in the dungeon we were clearing!¡± Linden explained. ¡°Time seems to work a bit differently in the dungeons, you see. So some of these items are ancient artifacts, like this looks to be Dwarven-made ¨C¡± He gestured at the axe. ¡°But the locket probably came off another adventure. It¡¯s hard to say. I¡¯m no expert in these things. We¡¯d have to get a Crafter or a specialist in Dwarven weapons to take a look at them to really know their worth. But you typically find things like this in the course of clearing out a dungeon.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s just okay for you to¡­ take these things?¡± Sophie asked, skeptical. And why would they just be lying about the place? Linden began to reply, but then the door swung open, drawing both of their attention away from the items on the table. Calli barreled through the door, practically pulling the unspecialized mage Sophie had met previously behind her. He was wearing similar robes as before, with his long blond hair pulled back, but this time he looked extremely annoyed. ¡°I simply do not have the time for this Calliandra,¡± he complained, but it was completely ineffective against Calli¡¯s determination. ¡°It will literally only take a minute. Just tell her what to do.¡± Calli shoved him in the general direction of the items on the table, and he barely gave Sophie a second glance once he saw the assortment laid out there. ¡°Quite a find,¡± he murmured, bending down to peer closer at the locket in particular. Sophie felt the oddest urge as if she should pull him away from the thing. It felt¡­ Well, it felt wrong. ¡°Sterling! How¡¯s it going?¡± Linden asked, clapping him on the shoulder and breaking his concentration on the items. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Fine, fine. You know how it is. Nothing too exciting happening in Caulis ¨C or, no, perhaps that¡¯s untrue.¡± Sterling¡¯s eyes turned to Sophie finally. ¡°I suppose we did have a priestess join us after all.¡± Sophie¡¯s face heated at the remark. She lifted a hand in hesitant greeting. ¡°Hello again.¡± Sterling nodded in recognition, but immediately turned back to Linden. ¡°So these are all from your latest run?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Linden said proudly, detailing his expedition. Sophie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So much for being too busy to help her learn purification. Calli made her way over to Sophie and nudged her. ¡°Any luck?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Not really, I can sort of tell that they each have different levels of corruption, but that¡¯s about it. I¡¯m not sure what to do with them.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s better than me,¡± Calli confided. ¡°You can¡¯t tell at all?¡± Calli shook her head. ¡°Not really. But mana sensing isn¡¯t my specialty. There¡¯s not much need for it as a clerk.¡± Sophie supposed that made sense. She was about to ask Calli more about her job as a clerk, when Sterling finally turned back to them both. He gestured at Sophie¡¯s gloved hands and made a disparaging noise. ¡°Well, those won¡¯t do you any good at all.¡± Sophie held up her hands in confusion. ¡°What? Why not?¡± Sterling chuckled and shook his head. ¡°I suppose the spirit hasn¡¯t been teaching you much. Priestesses need to interact directly with the corrupted mana to do any good. You¡¯ll have to push your own mana into the object and burn the corruption out of it. The gloves will only make it more difficult, especially at a low level.¡± Sophie pulled off gloves, handing them back to Calli. ¡°Push my mana into it?¡± It sounded like what she was doing with the mana lamps or the Magewood. ¡°But these items already feel full of mana.¡± And besides that, they seemed quite resistant to Sophie¡¯s mana. ¡°It¡¯s not the same as channeling.¡± He sighed. ¡°I do wish I could show you, but unfortunately I don¡¯t have the ability to purify mana. It¡¯s a priestess-only sort of thing. Or a priest I suppose. You would need to target the corrupted mana with intent to purify it, and it should burn away the corruption.¡± Sophie frowned down at the items on the table. She made her way back to the small dagger that seemed less corrupt than the others. ¡°And it¡¯s okay to touch it?¡± Sterling nodded. ¡°For you it is. Just don¡¯t pull on the mana, of course.¡± Right. That seemed obvious. ¡°What would happen if I did?¡± Sterling looked thoughtful at the question. ¡°Hmm, perhaps not much at first. Humans can tolerate quite a bit of corruption before they start to go mad. But it¡¯s best not to risk it. A higher level priestess could burn the corruption out of herself, of course, but you¡¯ll have a long way to go before you¡¯re able to do that sort of thing.¡± Well that was slightly more comforting. Sophie had been thinking of the corruption as an all-or-nothing sort of thing ¨C like if she became corrupted, even a little bit, then something awful would happen. But it sounded like it wasn¡¯t quite so simplistic as that. Still ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± she promised, echoing what she had told Elowen. She began by reaching her mana out to the dagger, but she immediately ran into resistance when she encountered the corrupted mana. Even though it was far less corrupted than some of the other items on the table, her own mana shied away from it ¨C or perhaps the corrupted mana repelled her own. She tried pushing a bit harder at it, feeling like her mana reserves were draining with effort, even as she felt like she was making no progress at all. ¡°Hold up there,¡± Sterling interrupted her. ¡°You¡¯re quite uncontrolled ¨C has the spirit really been teaching you nothing?¡± Sophie felt annoyed at the unspecialized¡¯s constant jabs at Elowen, but she tried to repress her irritation. ¡°Uncontrolled?¡± she asked instead. ¡°Mana control is of the utmost importance, especially when you have so little of it as a new class. Ideally as a priestess, you would be working on meditation and focus to improve your control. You¡¯re simply pushing most of your mana into the environment, as it is. Just completely wasting it.¡± She¡­ was? Sophie vaguely recalled Elowen mentioning something along those lines, but they never got around to anything like meditation. She frowned. She would have to ask further when she got back to the shrine. Sterling shook his head. ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t know much about the specifics of priestess training, but I could at least show you the basics of mana control.¡± Calli gave Sophie an encouraging nod, which somehow felt completely un-encouraging given the source. ¡°Um, sure,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°If you truly don¡¯t mind. I suppose I do need some practice¡­¡± ¡°Well not now. I really do have to go.¡± He shot Calli an annoyed look. ¡°I have a meeting across town, but someone intercepted me.¡± ¡°Whoops,¡± Calli said, sounding completely unapologetic. ¡°How about tomorrow then?¡± Sophie glanced at Calli. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± she asked. It wasn¡¯t as if she had plans, but ¨C ¡°Tomorrow is fine,¡± Sterling replied, as if he knew better than to argue with Calli. ¡°Meet me at The Cracked Coin. Let¡¯s say noon. We¡¯ll go over some of the basics.¡± ¡°The Cracked Coin¡­?¡± Sophie asked, the name sounding vaguely familiar to her for some reason, and then she remembered ¨C the little tavern she had gone to once before. In the beginning. ¡°Oh! I know where that is!¡± But meeting in a tavern to practice mana control? She wasn¡¯t so sure about that. ¡°Great,¡± he said, turning to go. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine practicing as you are today, although I doubt you¡¯ll get anywhere.¡± Sophie felt even more annoyed at the parting comment as Sterling said his goodbyes to Linden. Couldn¡¯t he have at least given her something to work with? She desperately wanted to keep trying just to prove him wrong. ¡°I¡¯m going to head out, too,¡± Linden said after Sterling left. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to meet up with Ryland ¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Calli cut in. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay back here for as long as you¡¯d like, Sophie. I¡¯ve got to get back to the front, too, but I¡¯ll be sure to peek in if I don¡¯t hear from you for a while. Just don¡¯t go nearly passing out on us again, okay?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed, and with that Calli and Linden left her to her own devices to try to figure out anything with the corrupted items. Chapter 45: The Cracked Coin Sophie worked through lunch trying to burn out the corruption from the dagger with no success, before she finally gave up, exhausted already even though it was only mid-day. She thanked Cali before heading to the bathhouse to soak for a while and then made her way back to the shrine. Elowen was waiting for her in the courtyard, concern etched across her features, but she immediately perked up as Sophie returned. ¡°How did it go?¡± she asked, as she followed Sophie into the shrine. ¡°It was okay.¡± Sophie made a beeline to the kitchen and immediately began making herself a sandwich. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do much. Apparently I have really poor mana control.¡± Sophie dug through the cabinets to find some dried Magewort, staring at it reluctantly for a long moment before pulling it out of the cabinet and setting the tin on the counter. Then she set some water from earlier in the day to boil and ate her sandwich while waiting. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Elowen said thoughtfully. ¡°But you have so little of it to begin with¡­¡± Sophie glared at her. And here Sophie had been sticking up for Elowen. ¡°Apparently that¡¯s all the more reason why I should focus on control.¡± Elowen shrugged. ¡°If you say so. It seems pointless to worry about mana control until you are a higher level. But I suppose it can¡¯t hurt. Perhaps it¡¯s just what you need!¡± ¡°So do you know how I would work on that?¡± Sophie asked when the water for her tea was finally ready. ¡°Why, of course!¡± Elowen replied. ¡°Working with fire is one of the best ways to work on mana control, even if it¡¯s not your primary element. Fire is so greedy that it¡¯s difficult not to dump all of your mana into it. We could practice¡­¡± Elowen trailed off, and Sophie noticed her gaze land on the box of cakes. They had yet to open them after all of the commotion with the corrupted items yesterday. ¡°Oh I see how it is¡­ You just want cake,¡± Sophie teased. Elowen¡¯s face turned pink, and while Sophie considered the mechanics of that with Elowen being a mostly translucent shrine spirit at all, Elowen spluttered several denials. ¡°It really is the best way to practice! You could also try meditation, but that¡¯s just so boring!¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. Of course we can bring more of the cakes for you.¡± Elowen pouted, but Sophie soldiered on. ¡°In fact, I was just making some tea to boost my mana a bit, and then we can work on control this afternoon.¡± Elowen looked somewhat placated at the explanation. She hovered around Sophie excitedly as Sophie finished her lunch and gulped down some nasty Magewort tea. *** Sophie set up the little grill to burn the cakes on, just said she had the previous times. When she got the fire going this time, however, Elowen stopped her before she placed the cake in. ¡°With mana control, it¡¯s all about using as little mana as possible. Ideally you¡¯d only use the exact amount that you need,¡± Elowen explained. ¡°When you push a bunch of mana all at once, most of it ends up burning off into the environment, or in the case of fire, the fire will grow larger and consume more of it. To work on control ¨C push just enough mana into the fire so that it burns without growing. The fire should not change at all.¡± It sounded reasonable enough, but Sophie looked at the fire with no small amount of skepticism. She remembered the awful pull of it. It seemed like the fire needed all of her mana. Or at least it thought so. ¡°Okay ¨C I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Sophie reached out to the fire with her mana, attempting to only send it a little, but the pull was too strong. She tried drawing back, but broke the connection accidentally instead of making it smaller. She tried a few more times, before finally giving up and pulling out a cake to burn. She didn¡¯t have much mana left to begin with today, and she did want to burn a cake for Elowen still. She placed the cake into the fire as she held the connection, pleased to find that it took her less mana to burn a cake than it had previously. She was even able to do one more before she felt too tired to go on. Elowen seemed delighted by the cakes, encouraging Sophie to eat one as well, even though they had been a gift to Elowen. As Sophie bit into one of the delicious cakes, she mused that she didn¡¯t learn all that much about mana control, but she was glad they had at least tried. Hopefully Sterling would have more to teach her tomorrow. Speaking of which¡­ ¡°Do you remember the mage who visited us a few weeks ago? The one from the town?¡± ¡°The unspecialized? Of course I do!¡± Elowen sounded far more confident than Sophie really thought she should considering her track record... ¡°Well, he¡¯s offered to work on mana control with me. I need to go back to Caulis tomorrow to meet with him.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Elowen frowned at the news, but to Sophie¡¯s surprise she nodded after a moment or two. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, perhaps a little too easily. ¡°You won¡¯t be working with the corrupted items anymore?¡± So that¡¯s what this was about. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Probably not for a little while. Not until my mana control is better, I suppose. It seems like I¡¯ll need all the help I can get before learning purification.¡± Elowen looked pleased at the news, and she waved her hand at the box of cakes beside them. ¡°You should eat another one,¡± she offered. ¡°I had two after all.¡± Sophie laughed and picked up another cake to eat. After, she cleaned out the grill, and then they spent the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening reading some of the books Elowen had borrowed from the library. *** Later the next morning after her usual rituals, Sophie found her way to The Cracked Coin. She had long since forgotten all about her original goal of trying all of the restaurants in Caulis, but coming back to this place reminded her. It made her recall the first time she learned about purification, thinking maybe it would be the way for her to earn some coin. Perhaps it still could be. Perhaps if she learned the skill well enough, she could get by ¨C purifying items that people like Linden brought back from quests. With that in mind, she pushed open the door to the tavern. It was not yet noon, but Sterling was already sitting at a table, leafing through a stack of papers. The same woman from before was working at the bar again, and she raised her hand in greeting. ¡°It¡¯s been a while! No ghosts at the shrine after all?¡± she asked. Sophie laughed and shook her head. ¡°Nope. No ghosts,¡± she confirmed. Sophie was surprised the woman remembered her, but she supposed being a priestess was fairly memorable, at least in Caulis. She went to join Sterling at the table, but before she could sit down the other man stood up, picking up the papers as he went. ¡°We can use one of the rooms in the back,¡± he explained, threading his way through the tables towards an employee door. Sophie frowned over at the woman at the bar, convinced that Sterling was just being rude, but the woman smiled and called over to them. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll make you some food.¡± Sterling nodded, a small smile creasing the corner of his mouth as well. ¡°Thanks, love.¡± The endearment sounded strange coming from this prickly-seeming man, and at Sophie¡¯s curious glance he shrugged. ¡°My wife,¡± he explained. ¡°Felicity. She owns The Cracked Coin. Well, I suppose we own it, but I am rather busy with other things.¡± He lifted up the stack of papers as if it was some sort of explanation in and of itself. Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if she was more surprised that Sterling was married or that the friendly bartender was his wife. Either way, it made a lot more sense why Sterling would want to meet at the tavern. ¡°Do you live upstairs then?¡± Sophie asked, curious about the ways of the townfolk of Caulis. Sterling nodded and opened a door to a small private room with a large table and chairs set up. ¡°We do,¡± he said. ¡°Here, we can use the staff meal room.¡± He set his stack of papers down on one end of the table and went over to a cabinet to pull out some candlesticks. Sophie sat down at the table, watching him curiously as he worked. After he set up the candlesticks, Sophie was delighted to see him light each one with mana. ¡°You can use fire!¡± she exclaimed, perhaps a little too excited about the demonstration. Sterling gave her a wry look. ¡°Of course I can use fire. Most mages can do such a simple trick. It¡¯s not that being unspecialized precludes me from using other elements.¡± Well, Sophie couldn¡¯t do it, but she supposed that wasn¡¯t saying much in her current state. ¡°Um, right.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll practice using this,¡± Sterling explained, gesturing to the candles. ¡°You¡¯ll feed mana into the flame, careful to only channel as much as the flame can burn without causing it to flare up and melt the candle.¡± Just as Elowen had explained. ¡°I¡¯ve done this before,¡± Sophie said, but she didn¡¯t mention it had only been the previous night. ¡°But it seems impossible. The flame keeps pulling at my mana, like it wants more.¡± ¡°Hmm, certain elements respond to will more than others do,¡± Sterling explained. ¡°I, too, feel a tug at my mana when connecting to fire, but you must learn to resist it. It¡¯s yet another aspect of mana control. You must be in charge of where your mana goes ¨C you can¡¯t let the element dictate it for you.¡± Sophie frowned. That sounded reasonable enough, but in practice, it felt impossible. ¡°We¡¯ll start with a different exercise then,¡± Sterling recommended. ¡°First, connect with the fire, and rather than feed your mana into it, merely observe it. Resist the pull.¡± He waved a hand at her. ¡°You may begin.¡± And then immediately glanced back down at his paperwork. She was obviously dismissed. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes at him. He was helping her, after all, even if it didn¡¯t seem like he had very much faith in her abilities. She didn¡¯t have very much faith in her abilities either, if she was honest with herself. She had mostly been stumbling along, learning things piecemeal as she needed them, trying to work with her mana as much as she could in order to level up more quickly, hopeful that leveling up would somehow unlock more options for her. She hadn¡¯t considered that maybe there was more to all of this mana stuff. She decided to ignore Sterling, as much as he was already ignoring her, and focused on one of the candles instead. This flame was much smaller than the fire she had worked with before. Perhaps that would help. She hesitantly reached out to it, trying to merely observe. She immediately felt the pull. Sure, this fire was smaller, but it was still hungry for her mana ¨C it wanted to devour her mana and grow bigger, brighter ¨C She dropped the connection, sweat breaking out all over her body. Somehow observing was more difficult than channeling. Sterling didn¡¯t even glance up, even though Sophie was sure he had to have noticed the mana fluctuations. She felt somewhat glad for his stony attitude ¨C if he had continued to comment on her inability, she might not be able to continue. But he merely worked on his paperwork in silence. So Sophie tried again. And again. And again¡­ Not a Chapter: Posting Schedule Update! Hiiii. I¡¯m here to announce some posting schedule changes! I didn¡¯t want to just stick it in the author notes tomorrow, so I figured I¡¯d do a separate post on an off-day. Tomorrow¡¯s chapter will be up as usual. BUT, for a TLDR: I¡¯m moving to weekly posting on Saturdays starting next week. So there will be no more Tuesday posts going forward. To balance that out, I¡¯m also adjusting my Patreon. So now $2.50/month will get you early chapters if you want them. That¡¯s the gist of it, but if you¡¯d like more explanation, read on¡­ ¡ý So, here¡¯s the thing - I¡¯m actually currently in the middle of a career change (!!!). I¡¯ve been working in one field that I wasn¡¯t that into for nearly a decade now, and I recently decided to study my way into another that I¡¯ll hopefully enjoy a bit more. I¡¯m hesitantly excited about all of this? So it¡¯s definitely not a bad thing at all. But I¡¯ll be applying for new jobs soon and hopefully interviewing (and ideally starting a new role!!!), and there¡¯s a whole lot of stress that comes with that. In fact, I¡¯ve already found myself struggling to keep up with two posts per week, and I haven¡¯t even started looking for new jobs. ^^;; The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I had originally hoped to end ¡°Arc 1¡± before going down to 1 post/week, but my outline got away from me a bit. I think we have around 10-15 chapters left in this first arc based on the current outline, but tbh, I don¡¯t even have Arc 2 planned out! That¡¯s been part of my stress lately ¨C I feel like I haven¡¯t had time to plan out the next arc fully, and it¡¯s going to be time to write it before I know it¡­ I¡¯m also hoping going down to 1 chapter/week will also allow me to spend more time on each chapter and develop them a bit more. At one point, I had started to write 3-4k word chapters, and I really liked those, but right now that isn¡¯t sustainable for me at 2 chapters/week. So, we¡¯re going to go down to 1 chapter/week and see how that feels. I¡¯m hoping it will mean better chapters for you, albeit a longer wait. :P And hopefully some weeks I¡¯ll still manage to post two chapters, but if I do, expect them both to arrive on Saturday from now on. Thank you so much for all of your support and feedback. I¡¯m obviously not the best at replying to comments, but I do read them (and really I¡¯m going to go back and fix all of the typos you¡¯ve pointed out, I swear!!). New chapter will be up tomorrow as usual. I hope you enjoy it! Chapter 46: Will Sophie attempted to observe the fire a few more times, only stopping when the friendly bartender, Felicity, brought in some food for them. Sterling murmured a thanks, never glancing up from his seemingly endless paperwork, and Felicity smiled at him fondly before pushing a large salad and a plate of potato wedges in front of Sophie. Sophie was sorely glad for it ¨C she was surprised at how hungry she was ¨C and she thanked the bartender sincerely before digging into the salad full of fresh, crunchy vegetables and some sort of creamy ranch-like dressing. After a few moments, she poked at her own mana reserves curiously, further surprised to find that they were slightly lower than they had been. ¡°Does observing something deplete mana?¡± she asked, and Sterling finally looked up from his paperwork. ¡°In the beginning it will,¡± he explained. ¡°As you become more skilled, then no. Not unless you are observing something much more powerful than yourself.¡± Sophie tried to work out how that made sense, but she supposed it didn¡¯t really matter. At least at the moment, the candle was still getting the better of her. She bit into a potato wedge grumpily. The corner of Sterling¡¯s mouth curled up into a small smile. ¡°You have to start somewhere,¡± he said, and it was almost consoling. After they finished their food, and Felicity took the plates away, Sterling began to pack up his papers. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay here as long as you¡¯d like. I expect to see you back again tomorrow, perhaps a bit earlier.¡± Before Sophie could raise a protest, he left, leaving her alone in the room with the still-lit candle. Sophie buried her head in her hands and sighed. This was not how she wanted to spend her mornings. At the sound of the door opening a few moments later, she sat up guiltily, embarrassed that Sterling might find her slacking, but it was only Felicity. ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°I see Sterling¡®s got his claws in you now. I suppose he misses it ¨C¡± Felicity pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sophie, smiling at her fondly like Sophie was doing Felicity some sort of favor. ¡°Misses what?¡± Sophie asked, not getting the full picture. ¡°Having someone to mentor,¡± Felicity explained. ¡°The college is on break, after all. I¡¯m glad he spends the summers here, but I think he gets bored. The city saves up tons of work for him to do, but it¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°The college?¡± Sophie repeated. ¡°Does he work as a professor then?¡± ¡°Oh yes of course! He didn¡¯t tell you?¡± At Sophie¡¯s shake of her head, Felicity continued. ¡°During the year, he¡¯s usually gone to Sentus. He comes back some weekends, but without the town portal working, it¡¯s a long journey.¡± Sophie had so many other questions ¨C namely how the town portal connected to Sentus ¨C but Felicity pushed her chair back and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get you that tea,¡± she offered. ¡°Would you like anything else?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, thank you.¡± After Felicity left, Sophie stared at the candle flame again while she thought. Sentus, huh? She wondered if she¡¯d ever be able to go there. Maybe if they got the portal working¡­ But if she got the portal working, wasn¡¯t there still the small possibility that it might take her back? Back to Seattle ¨C back to her old life? She buried her head in her hands again, not sure what to think about that at all. *** It took Sophie an embarrassing three days to feel like she had any sort of control over observing the candle¡¯s flame. Sterling never scolded her or even gave her any indication that her progress was lacking in any way, but when she finally got it, he also seemed to barely take notice. ¡°Now you¡¯ll try channeling again,¡± he said, and that was that. In fact, Sophie was on her second day of trying to channel mana into the flame without causing it to flare, when Sterling surprised her by immediately standing up from his spot at their usual table in the back room and gesturing for her to follow. ¡°We¡¯re going to try something different today.¡± He left all of his papers where they were and Felicity glanced at them curiously as they made their way through the front of the tavern. Sophie gave her a cautious wave and followed Sterling out the door into the streets of Caulis. In fact, he led her all the way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The place had seemed livelier when Linden got back from his quest, and today was no different. Sophie was surprised to see several tables full of adventurers of all types. Calli waved at them from behind the counter, grinning. ¡°Business is great, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, catching Sophie¡¯s gaze. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be annoyed, even though that witch is here again. Anyway, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Ingrid is here?¡± Sterling didn¡¯t sound pleased. Calli nodded, waving a hand airily. ¡°Well she¡¯s not here. She¡¯s staying at the inn. She¡¯s back to do purification work for a while ¨C at least until our resident shrine priestess gets it figured out.¡± The mention of purification made Sophie¡¯s ears perk up. ¡°A priestess?¡± she asked. ¡°There¡¯s another priestess in town?¡± Calli nodded and began to answer, but Sterling cut in. ¡°The artifacts ¨C she hasn¡¯t already purified them all, has she?¡± Calli grinned slyly. ¡°Aha, so that¡¯s what you¡¯re here for!¡± She looked pleased with herself. ¡°Well,¡± she began, drawing it out a bit. ¡°She wanted to, but I might have stowed a few away. Just a sec.¡± Calli stepped over to talk with her father for a second before she gestured for Sophie and Sterling to follow, leading them back to the storeroom. She made her way over to a set of shelves, pulling out a heavy-looking wooden box and setting it on the nearest table. Sophie watched as Calli unlocked the box, lifting the lid to show two familiar items. Both the dagger and the locket were carefully resting at the bottom of the box, and Sophie could feel the air of corruption still around them ¨C especially the locket. ¡°I saved these two,¡± Calli explained. ¡°Since you seemed particularly interested in them and all. Hopefully that will be enough for now. Linden¡¯s building a team to go purify a mana well nearby in a few days, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll find other stuff to bring back.¡± Sterling frowned further. ¡°I suppose this will do,¡± he said. ¡°At least you had the sense not to let Ingrid get to all of them.¡± Calli rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Anyway, I need to head back to the front.¡± She gestured to the box. ¡°Just put it back when you¡¯re done with it.¡± Sterling nodded curtly, but Sophie turned to catch Calli before she could go. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°Could I talk with her? Ingrid, I mean. The other priestess?¡± Calli made a sour face. ¡°Ugh, I guess. I mean, I can see why you¡¯d want to. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s awful. But she¡¯s staying at the inn. I¡¯m sure I could get a message to her that you¡¯d like to meet, or you could stop by there and leave a message yourself.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. I can stop by the inn on my way out.¡± Calli shrugged and made her way to the door to leave, and Sophie turned back to Sterling. Sterling had a strange expression on his face, but he shook his head and sighed before Sophie could ask further. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll meet her eventually,¡± he said, but that was all he seemed to have to say on the matter. ¡°Today, we will work with these.¡± He gestured to the locket and the dagger, not touching either of them. ¡°Can you tell which has the highest amount of corruption?¡± ¡°But ¨C¡± Sophie began, oddly resistant to working with the corrupted items again. Just the thought of touching their mana felt utterly unappealing. ¡°But I still can¡¯t even do the candle flame.¡± Sterling shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s no matter. We¡¯ll still work on your mana control, of course, but it¡¯s good to challenge your abilities. How else will you know whether or not you¡¯ve improved? Now, again ¨C which is the most corrupted of the two?¡± Sophie supposed he had a point, even if she didn¡¯t like the idea of working with the corruption so soon. ¡°Um, the locket. The locket has a much higher amount of corruption.¡± Sterling nodded. ¡°Good. You can tell that much at least. Okay, so let¡¯s start with that one.¡± ¡°Not the dagger?¡± Sophie asked, already confused again. ¡°Why would I start with the most difficult one?¡± Sterling sighed, as if already disappointed in her. ¡°Why do you assume it will be the most difficult? Have you considered that perhaps it¡¯s more difficult to target a small amount of corruption?¡± Sophie blinked at him blankly. The thought had never occurred to her. Sterling chuckled. ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°Well, consider this your lesson for today. Things that have the least amount of corruption are the hardest to work with. Once something has been corrupted, it¡¯s exceedingly difficult to purify it completely. It can be challenging to even find the last remaining bits of corruption, even for a high level priestess.¡± That seemed completely backwards, but Sophie supposed it made some sort of sense. Sterling waved a hand at the locket. ¡°Now, please get started. I don¡¯t have all the time in the world, you know. The council has me running around town all afternoon.¡± He sounded especially grumpy about that, and Sophie had to repress a laugh. ¡°Anything I can help with?¡± she asked. Sterling looked surprised at the offer. ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be in the shape to help after this.¡± That sounded ominous. He gave her another pointed glance as if telling her to hurry along, and Sophie reluctantly turned her attention to the locket, finally out of ways to procrastinate. She supposed there was nothing to be done but to try. She glanced down at the innocent-looking piece of jewelry that seemed completely seeped in corruption and felt cold sweat gather at her spine again. It was just a locket, after all. She could totally do this¡­ Right?? Chapter 47: Purification Sophie stared down at the locket. Outwardly it seemed so harmless, especially compared to the dagger next to it, but Sophie could feel the corruption nearly boiling off the thing. Sophie still wasn¡¯t sure exactly how things became corrupted, but it felt like something terrible must have happened. Or maybe several something terribles. She was tempted to ask Sterling about it, but she felt that his patience was probably wearing very thin and she should just get down to business. Right. Purification. She hesitantly reached out with her mana to examine the locket. Immediately, something felt different than the last time she tried working with the corrupted artifacts. It wasn¡¯t the locket¡­ It was her own mana! She could already tell the difference in her control. After working with the candle flame which was sensitive to even the smallest mana flare, the locket felt almost easy in comparison. The corruption was everywhere ¨C the locket was nearly completely consumed by it. In fact, Sophie had a difficult time even finding any slivers of pure mana left, although she was sure there had to be some there. Somehow she felt that something even worse would happen if the locket was left in this state and became completely corrupted. She frowned ¨C right. She needed to do something about it. She began by gently pushing her mana at the corruption, but it resisted. Something about the locket said ¨C enough. ¡°Focus on burning the corruption out rather than channeling,¡± Sterling murmured, nearly breaking her concentration entirely, but Sophie was able to keep her hold. Just barely. Hmmm. Sophie remembered that from the other day. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak with the tenuous grasp she had on the locket ¨C it resisted her with everything it could, but she focused on her mana again, imagining it as something hot that could burn out corruption ¨C perhaps like a thin stream of faint blue fire mixing in with the murky grey-black of the locket¡¯s mana. The Understanding washed over her. She felt the corruption in the locket finally relent to her mana. Slowly, carefully, she began to burn some of the corruption away. ¡°Well, well,¡± Sterling murmured, breaking Sophie¡¯s concentration entirely this time. Sophie glanced over at him, wondering if she had done something wrong, but he shook his head. ¡°Continue,¡± he said, gesturing at the locket. ¡°You¡¯ve got the hang of it now. I might as well leave you to it and get to my own tasks early today.¡± Sophie felt a sudden spike of panic at the idea of being left alone with the locket, even though she knew now how to diminish some of the corruption. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe? It¡¯s not dangerous to work alone?¡± Sterling snorted and shook his head. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t draw on the mana, you¡¯ll be fine. You''re not a complete idiot. I¡¯ll tell Calli to look in on you.¡± Sophie worked the strange half-compliment over in her mind for a moment before she glanced back down at the locket. She could feel there was less corruption, sure, but there was still quite a lot left. She doubted she would be able to finish the task today with her remaining mana reserves. ¡°I could help you,¡± she offered, eager for a distraction. ¡°I¡¯m happy to take on some of the tasks, whatever it is the council has you do¡­¡± But Sterling merely shook his head again, making his way to the door of the room. ¡°Maybe another time,¡± he said, and with that he left her alone in the storage room with the corrupted items laid out on the table before her. Sophie frowned down at them, unhappy to be left to her own devices. She sighed. It had been days of working on this stuff with Sterling. She was¡­ growing used to the man, but he still annoyed her severely. At least he hadn¡¯t said anything further against Elowen. He hadn¡¯t even mentioned the spirit at all since that first day. Sophie¡¯s frown deepened at the thought of Elowen. She was quite unhappy with the current arrangement ¨C with Sophie coming in to Caulis every morning to work on focus, when Sophie could easily do that at the shrine. But at least Sophie was working on purification today. She ought to get back to it, she supposed. The dagger caught her gaze, breaking her out of her reverie. Sterling had said it would be more difficult to work with, but maybe Sophie should find out for herself. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She reached out her mana to examine it, ignoring the locket for the time being. Immediately she could tell the dagger was not going to be as simple to work with. Not that purifying the locket was easy exactly, but at least she could find the corruption to target. In fact, she was practically tripping over corruption every way she turned when she worked with the locket. Here, in the dagger, she could feel that there was some amount of corruption, but it was rather small on the whole of things. When she tried to pinpoint it with her own mana to burn it out, it felt slippery and elusive. Even when she tried focusing her mana into that burning flame of purification, she felt like she was simply wasting it on the dagger. She broke the connection. So that¡¯s what Sterling meant. She obviously did not have enough skill to truly purify the dagger. At least not right now. She shook her head and turned her focus back to the locket. Her earlier attempts at purification seemed to help somewhat, but there was quite a long way to go. The locket seemed to hold a surprising amount of mana for something so small. Easily more than a mana lamp, and yet it didn¡¯t glow or otherwise show any outward sign of the mana that it held. In fact, if Sophie couldn¡¯t sense the corruption residing within it, she might¡¯ve believed that it was completely inert. Harmless, even. She wondered who it belonged to. Had they known how corrupted it was? Surely a mage would have been able to tell. Surely anyone who sensed mana could¡­ Before her thoughts could wander any further or she could attempt to purify it once again, however, the door to the room burst open, startling Sophie terribly. Acacia charged through it with a determined look on her face. ¡°You!¡± she pointed at Sophie. ¡°What has Calli been doing to you?¡± ¡°Um, what?¡± Sophie replied. She blinked at Acacia blankly as the other woman held up a familiar paper bag. ¡°You haven¡¯t been by the bakery in ages. Even Hollis was getting worried about you.¡± Oh. Sophie hadn¡¯t been to visit Acacia in a while, had she? Ever since she started working with Sterling at The Cracked Coin, she had been mainly living off of Felicity¡¯s generous salads and potato wedges and occasionally even taking some home for later. She had felt guilty about it at first, but Felicity insisted, saying Sterling¡¯s mood had improved greatly in just the few days he had been working with Sophie. Not that Sophie could tell, of course. The unspecialized mage seemed just as prickly as always, but she gladly accepted the food. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sophie replied finally. ¡°I really am. I just got caught up ¨C¡± ¡°You mean Calli¡¯s had you trapped here, hasn¡¯t she? Learning purification for her own devious purposes.¡± Acacia interrupted, but she was grinning and there was no heat in the words. Sophie felt relieved to see that Acacia didn¡¯t really hold it against her at all. ¡°I suppose you could say that,¡± Sophie agreed, laughing. ¡°Although I guess I really do need to learn it. Especially after what happened with Elowen¡­¡± Acacia¡¯s face took on a more serious expression at the reminder. ¡°Hollis sends his regards, by the way,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯d love it if she came to town again. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d give her more cakes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love that,¡± Sophie replied, although she wasn¡¯t actually sure if Elowen was really up for going back to Caulis again anytime soon. They hadn¡¯t discussed it at all, not since the day Elowen had the bad reaction to the corruption. Acacia looked pleased at the reply and pushed the paper bag towards Sophie. ¡°Well, I guess I won¡¯t bother you if you really are busy. But I thought you¡¯d need a restock.¡± Sophie accepted the bag, opening it up to find a veritable pile of chocolate croissants. She laughed again, delighted. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t, Acacia. I need to pay you for these somehow.¡± Acacia shook her head. ¡°No way. Not if you have to put up with my sister. I should be paying you. I mean, this is basically a bribe.¡± Sophie still didn¡¯t really understand the strange relationship between the two of them, but she wasn¡¯t going to turn down free croissants. ¡°Well, thank you,¡± she replied. She was starting to feel hungry, after all, and she didn¡¯t have Felicity here today. She supposed a croissant or two for lunch couldn¡¯t hurt. Or ¨C ¡°Wait, can I buy you lunch? I need to stop by the inn, and then we can go to The Cracked Coin. I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time there, and I feel like I should go back as a paying customer.¡± Acacia gave her a strange look at the request but shrugged. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say no to free food. Hollis probably doesn¡¯t expect me back for a while anyway. But why do you need to go to the inn?¡± ¡°I want to leave a message for that priestess who¡¯s in town. Ingrid? Have you met her?¡± ¡°Ingrid¡¯s back?!¡± Acacia practically squealed with joy. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Um, yes,¡± Sophie replied. Now it was her turn to be confused. ¡°At least, that¡¯s what Calli said, although she didn¡¯t have anything good to say about her¡­¡± Acacia laughed, shaking her head. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Calli. Ingrid¡¯s great. Come on, let¡¯s go see her!¡± And with that, Acacia dragged Sophie out of the door, yelling at Calli on her way out that she was ¡®rescuing¡¯ Sophie from Calli¡¯s ¡®terrible influence¡¯ and that they may or may not be back later. Chapter 48: The Other Priestess Sophie recalled seeing the town¡¯s inn the first time she had been to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but she hadn¡¯t paid it much attention since then. Now, as she and Acacia walked inside, she realized that it looked exactly like she had imagined an inn out of a fantasy novel might look like. There was a long wooden desk and a friendly-looking man with a bristly grey mustache sitting behind it. A wooden staircase that presumably led up to rooms for rent. And even a few tables and chairs in a large open space off to the side ¨C probably some sort of gathering space, if she had to guess. Acacia made a beeline for the desk, and the man behind it greeted her warmly. ¡°You''re looking for Ingrid?¡± he asked, before she even stated their purpose. ¡°Yep,¡± she replied. ¡°Is she in her usual room?¡± The man nodded, gesturing for them to head upstairs. ¡°Go on ahead. I think she''s still up there for the day.¡± ¡°She better be,¡± Acacia muttered and practically dragged Sophie up the stairs with her. Sophie was pretty sure you couldn''t do this sort of thing back in Seattle ¨C surely there were some sort of privacy laws that prevented it. She wasn¡¯t sure, exactly, but apparently such a thing didn''t matter in a small fantasy town like Caulis where Acacia seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know her. In fact, Acacia even knew what room Ingrid usually stayed in. She stopped in front of the door marked with a brassy number 8 and knocked on it with a bit more force than Sophie thought was necessary. ¡°Ingrid!¡± she practically shouted. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there!¡± ¡°Are you sure this is okay?¡± Sophie whispered. She glanced down the hallway worried that some other resident of the inn might poke their head out and yell right back at them. She already felt fairly uncertain about the whole situation¡­ Especially after what Calli had said about Ingrid to begin with. But then the doors swung open and a beautiful blonde woman stood before them. She was wearing coral-colored priestess robes similar to Sophie¡¯s own and looked as if she were maybe a few years older than them, but not by much. Maybe closer to Briony¡¯s age, but younger than Sterling. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun with soft waves framing her face, and her bright green eyes sparkled with delight at seeing them. Or perhaps just at seeing Acacia. ¡°It¡¯s been ages!¡± she sang out and immediately pulled Acacia in for a hug. ¡°Well, why didn''t you tell me you were in town?¡± Acacia pouted, obviously still annoyed that she had to find out from Sophie. The woman who could only be Ingrid shrugged one dainty shoulder. ¡°I would have eventually, you know.¡± Acacia frowned at the answer, shaking her head. ¡°You should have stopped by the bakery, at least.¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± Ingrid interrupted, her eyes landing on Sophie as she deftly dodged Acacia¡¯s questions. Sophie stepped in suddenly feeling a wave of anxiety about meeting another priestess for the first time. A real priestess. Not that Sophie wasn¡¯t a real priestess, but a lot of days ¨C and especially recently ¨C she didn¡¯t really feel like one. ¡°This is Sophie,¡± Acacia replied before Sophie could find her own voice amid her tumbling thoughts. ¡°She''s our new priestess.¡± ¡°Linden never mentioned you had a priestess¡­¡± Ingrid replied, obviously confused. ¡°Does Caulis no longer need my services then?¡± Acacia shook her head. ¡°Of course not! He wouldn''t have known. She arrived right around the time he left up to meet you for the quest. And besides, she¡¯s still learning purification. That¡¯s what we wanted to talk about.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ingrid replied, her eyes scanning over Sophie curiously. ¡°But Caulis has no shrine or shrine spirit ¨C¡± ¡°We do,¡± Sophie said firmly, finally finding it within herself to speak up. ¡°We do have a shrine, and the spirit is still there. Her name''s Elowen.¡± Part of Sophie felt unreasonably annoyed that this other priestess hadn''t even thought to check to see if there was a spirit. But given the rumors surrounding the shrine and what Sterling had said the day he came out to see the shrine for the first time she supposed it made some sort of sense. ¡°She''s faded,¡± Sophie continued, when it seemed like Ingrid was waiting for more information. ¡°Well, not entirely. Sterling said she was pretty far into it though.¡± ¡°Sterling!¡± Ingrid replied, catching on to the name with interest. ¡°I suppose you would be working with him, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Her brother,¡± Acacia whispered to Sophie, and Sophie¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise. Sterling was¡­ Ingrid¡¯s brother? ¡°Well, regardless if she¡¯s almost faded or not, surely I must meet her,¡± Ingrid continued. ¡°The spirit, I mean. But I doubt I have the time. Linden has us leaving on this quest tomorrow ¨C¡± ¡°Wait a second ¨C tomorrow? You¡¯re leaving again?!¡± Acacia complained, obviously distressed. ¡°Where are you going this time?¡± Ingrid waved a hand at her. ¡°It¡¯s nearby,¡± she promised. ¡°We¡¯ll only be gone for a day or two, if that. We¡¯ll likely go straight there and back. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t been to see you yet, silly. I figured you¡¯d just get upset.¡± Ingrid gave Acacia a pointed look, as Acacia pouted even further at the news. Sophie frowned as well, but for a different reason entirely. She remembered Calli mentioning something about a mana well nearby. Was it really so close that they could be back within a day? With all of her newfound focus on learning purification, she had completely forgotten to have Linden come out to look at the shrine and determine if he could do anything to fix it. Maybe if the well was close enough¡­ ¡°You¡¯re purifying a mana well?¡± she asked. Ingrid nodded, looking excited about the prospect. ¡°We are! It¡¯s a newly formed well, and we¡¯ve heard there¡¯s not much corruption. But there is enough to cause some trouble to the locals who live near it, so we¡¯re going to go nip it in the bud before it gets worse.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Do you think ¨C¡± Sophie began, glancing at Acacia and then back to Ingrid. ¡°Do you think it might be possible to reroute the mana to our shrine? After you purify it of course?¡± Ingrid pursed her lips in thought. ¡°What a fascinating idea. I simply don¡¯t know. It¡¯s difficult to completely purify something, of course. And it would depend on how far away it is exactly. So that¡¯s why the spirit here is fading, then? There¡¯s no mana at the shrine?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Sterling confirmed it, as well. There¡¯s barely any mana there and no source nearby that we know of. Unless that mana well would work¡­¡± ¡°We would have to see the extent of the problem at the shrine, probably. I suppose I might be able to go out there today, if Linden would accompany me. He¡¯d have a better idea of if the area nearby would hold up to something as drastic as rerouting a mana well. Between the two of us, I imagine we¡¯ll have a good idea if there could be a solution.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful ¨C Wait, today?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. We¡¯re leaving first thing tomorrow morning, dear. I suppose we could look when we get back, but it would be better to do so before we make the trip to the mana well.¡± Sophie thought back to the Magewood tree sitting in the entryway of the shrine with no small amount of dread. Sure, Ingrid seemed nice enough upon meeting her, but Sophie wasn¡¯t sure that she could be completely trusted with the knowledge about the tree¡­ ¡°Oh, right, um ¨C¡± Acacia glanced at her with no small amount of confusion. ¡°If you two are able to find Linden, today would be fine. I just need to get back to the shrine to, uh, tell Elowen that we¡¯ll have guests.¡± ¡°What about lunch?¡± Acacia asked, already looking disappointed. ¡°Rain check?¡± Sophie laughed nervously. Ingrid also gave Sophie a very strange look at this request, but she shrugged, seeming unconcerned about the details. ¡°We¡¯ll go find Linden, Acacia. I suppose we can get lunch together afterwards.¡± Acacia perked up a bit at that, and Sophie felt a little better for abandoning her. ¡°Right. Thanks then! I¡¯ve got to go!¡± she said and practically fled out of the inn. She just had to move that tree before Ingrid caught sight of it. *** Sophie barely had time to explain the situation to Elowen, drag the Magewood tree into the back area of the shrine with no small amount of effort, and finally make sure the greenhouse door was firmly shut before she heard familiar voices on the path heading towards the shrine. Elowen darted out ahead curiously, obviously excited about the visitors, even though she had also expressed hesitation about meeting another priestess. Acacia was chatting loudly about something as usual and led the charge up the steps to the courtyard. ¡°Sophie!¡± she shouted and waved. ¡°We found him!¡± Linden gave a wave as well as he looked around the courtyard with a large dose of curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve bothered coming up here,¡± he said. ¡°But it¡¯s looking real nice.¡± Sophie beamed at the acknowledgement of her effort. She had been trying to keep it nice. Partially because they still had to figure out the situation with the midsummer¡¯s festival, which was yet another thing on the long list of things she needed to deal with. ¡°So this is Caulis¡¯s shrine. How rustic!¡± Ingrid declared, interrupting Sophie¡¯s thoughts as she made her own way up the stone steps behind the other two. She had a little displeased frown on her face, and Elowen¡¯s expression darkened to match it. ¡°Rustic?¡± Elowen repeated with a sour tone, and Ingrid¡¯s gaze lifted to land on the spirit. ¡°Ah, so you must be the faded spirit. What a shame that your shrine has been neglected for so long.¡± Sophie felt the oddest urge to place herself between Elowen and the honestly sort of rude priestess, but Acacia interrupted. ¡°It really is!¡± she said, but it sounded a lot more sincere coming from her. ¡°It¡¯s so terrible. We had no idea Elowen had been here the entire time.¡± Ingrid looked at Elowen for a long moment before she finally shrugged and looked away, her eyes landing on the portal stones on the edge of the courtyard. She walked over to them, tilting over to inspect them more closely. Elowen continued to stare at the priestess unhappily, however, even as she stuck close to Sophie. ¡°Just ignore her,¡± Sophie said under her breath. ¡°She¡¯ll hopefully have some ideas to help us.¡± Elowen nodded, but she didn¡¯t look too happy about it. Sophie glanced around to find Acacia and was surprised to note that she and Linden had left the courtyard. Linden had a faint aura of mana use about him, and Acacia stood nearby, watching him with no small amount of awe. After a few moments, Linden nodded to himself and then came back over to where Sophie and Elowen stood. ¡°We might be able to redirect mana here,¡± Linden began. ¡°The area seems open to it. It¡¯s not completely cut off to mana, exactly. It seems like the original source has just been completely drained.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t exactly sure what any of that meant, but it sounded like good news to her. ¡°So the mana well?¡± she asked. ¡°It could potentially fix the shrine?¡± Linden looked thoughtful for a moment, but eventually shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. It would take an awfully large amount of mana to fix the shrine. I¡¯d have to see the size of the mana well we¡¯re working with.¡± Ingrid rejoined the group as well. ¡°The portal stone would be nice to get working. I imagine if we get it running again, the one in town would open back up as well. Does it connect to Sentus?¡± Linden shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That would be a question for Ryland or someone who remembered when it was still working.¡± Sophie turned to Elowen, but Elowen just shook her head softly. It seemed she didn¡¯t recall, at least. ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth a try,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°I do love a challenge! Once we get to the mana well, we¡¯ll have a better idea if it will work at all.¡± She turned to Sophie, eyes suddenly sparkling with something that reminded Sophie a bit too much of Calli when she was at her most push. ¡°Sophie, you should come with us!¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie replied, nearly in unison with Elowen, although Elowen sounded far more affronted. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Elowen continued. ¡°I forbid it.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Acacia cut in. ¡°Why would Sophie go?¡± The words weren¡¯t unkind, but they kind of stung. Sophie realized she didn¡¯t have much going for her yet, but she was a priestess. ¡°To learn, silly,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°She¡¯ll go questing eventually. It¡¯d be better to start off in a party like ours on a simple quest.¡± Sophie glanced over at Linden, hopeful that he would disagree, but he looked amenable to the idea. ¡°Ingrid¡¯s right,¡± he agreed. ¡°She should come with us.¡± He turned to Sophie. ¡°A relatively safe quest nearby with an experienced group? You really won¡¯t get a better chance for your first run.¡± ¡°She does not need to go questing,¡± Elowen said, even though only Ingrid and Sophie could hear her. Sophie truly did not want to go questing. Not one bit, in fact. But Elowen was wrong. She did need to go. ¡°I need to learn,¡± she said softly. She hated to disagree with Elowen, especially when the spirit seemed so upset at the mere idea. ¡°It would be a good opportunity.¡± Elowen looked utterly stricken, but Linden clapped his hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s do it then!¡± Sophie just hoped she hadn¡¯t agreed to something she would sorely regret. Chapter 49: A-Questing We Will Go After Sophie had hashed out the plan for going on the quest the next day with Linden and Ingrid, the others made their way back to the path to Caulis, and Sophie was left with one extremely displeased shrine spirit to deal with. ¡°Midsummer is less than a week away, and we haven¡¯t even announced that there will be a class festival. You said we¡¯d do one this year! How are you going to plan for one now?¡± Elowen complained, as soon as the others were no longer in sight. Acacia had actually been the one to bring the festival up earlier. Sophie had nearly entirely forgotten about it, and the baker had reminded her of the matter. She had mentioned that they only had a few days left until Midsummer officially started, and that she¡¯d do her best to make some initial preparations while Sophie and the others were gone. Sophie felt a little guilty about that. She hadn¡¯t meant to push all of the responsibilities of the festival onto Acacia, but the other woman seemed excited about the idea of planning it. Now, after the others had gone, Sophie thought that Elowen seemed awfully upset about the festival¡­ Especially considering that she hadn¡¯t seemed to care one way or the other earlier when Acacia had first mentioned it. ¡°We¡¯ll do it when I get back. I promise,¡± Sophie reassured her as she made her way back into the shrine to start getting some items together for the morning. ¡°Are you sure there will be time?¡± Elowen complained. Sophie nodded, but she wasn¡¯t really all that sure. She sighed. ¡°I am sorry, you know. I suppose I got so caught up in learning purification¡­¡± But she had good reason to¡­ A festival was nice and all, but something seemed seriously wrong with Elowen. Not only was she bound, which seemed like a very bad thing to everyone when Sophie mentioned it previously, but she also seemed absolutely terrified by corruption. Sophie thought it best not to mention any of this at this particular moment. ¡°Besides, Linden said the quest will likely bring in a bit of money if we¡¯re successful. I¡¯d like to actually pay for things for the festival, you know. Acacia can¡¯t keep giving us free baked goods forever.¡± Elowen did not look pleased at the explanation, but she also didn¡¯t argue that point. Instead, she continued pouting and hovered over Sophie¡¯s bag that she was packing. Sophie honestly wasn¡¯t even sure what to put in the bag. She made sure to grab her Tailored gloves, even though Sterling seemed to think they weren¡¯t of much use to her. She also added a change of clothes and a sachet of dried Magewort. She scanned through the cabinets trying to find anything food-related that might work, but quickly realized she was sorely lacking in that area. Luckily Linden had promised to bring fortifications for the group when they met up at the city gates tomorrow. All-in-all, it was a bit weird to be packing to go on a trip. When she lived in Seattle, she would make yearly holiday trips to visit her father and her sister back in Iowa and occasionally she had traveled for work, but that was an entirely different scenario. There were maps and cellphones and airplanes. Here, she had at least seen a map, but she had no idea how they¡¯d even know where they were going. Besides, she had been here for a few weeks now, and she hadn¡¯t explored the surrounding area at all. She really didn¡¯t know what the terrain would be like or if there were other dangers that she was unaware of. And she would be leaving Elowen behind for the first time since she had arrived¡­ She glanced up at the spirit, who was very carefully not meeting Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Sophie promised, trying to put as much confidence into her voice as possible. ¡°I truly will.¡± Elowen sniffed a bit at that, and Sophie thought maybe she had figured out the real issue. Elowen didn¡¯t want Sophie to leave ¨C not that she didn¡¯t want Sophie to go on a quest, specifically, but she didn¡¯t want Sophie to go anywhere. It had been worse those first few days, when Sophie had first come to this fantasy world and Elowen hadn¡¯t even been sure if Sophie would stay, but they had developed some sort of trust since then. Sophie could generally go to Caulis and be gone all day without Elowen worrying too much ¨C although Elowen had been particularly annoyed this week with all of the new training. But now Sophie was pushing the boundaries of their arrangement. She would be traveling much farther than she had ever gone from Elowen since coming here, and she honestly had no idea what to expect. Linden and Ingrid seemed to think it would be safe enough, otherwise she doubted they¡¯d let her join in, but she really couldn¡¯t blame Elowen for being worried, she supposed. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. In fact, if she thought about it too hard, she was worried. What would she encounter? They would be walking on foot after all with no protection. Sure, it sounded like it was only a few hours journey, but she wasn¡¯t even used to walking that far. Would she slow the group down? She had an awful lot to worry about, but she dared not to let it show in front of Elowen. Instead, she grabbed a tin of tea down from one of the cabinets and stuck it in the bag as well. ¡°Maybe one day soon, we¡¯ll get this all figured out, and you¡¯ll be able to come with me,¡± Sophie added, hoping she sounded encouraging. Elowen finally looked up at that and nodded but she didn¡¯t say anything further. Sophie sighed and turned back to her bag. She wondered how well chocolate croissants would travel. *** Sophie was supposed to meet Linden and Ingrid and the rest of the group at the gates first thing in the morning, so she was particularly surprised when Acacia and Linden both showed up on her doorstep, right as she was getting ready to leave. Elowen had been pouting all morning, and Sophie had just gotten finished giving the Magewood tree some mana to tide it over for the few days that she would be gone when she heard the bell at the front of the shrine ring. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Sophie asked, confused and slightly concerned at seeing the two after rushing to open the door. ¡°Is everything alright? Are you joining in the quest?¡± ¡°What! Of course not.¡± Acacia put her hands on her hips, looking downright affronted. ¡°I¡¯m here to see you off!¡± Sophie gave Acacia an incredibly skeptical look before Linden laughed and hooked a thumb to point at his satchel. ¡°She brought us mana bread. Met us at the gates this morning. I got there a bit early myself, so we thought we¡¯d come get you.¡± Sophie was still questioning Acacia¡¯s true motives when Acacia reached into her own bag and pulled out a familiar little box. ¡°Besides, I wanted to stop by here before you left. I brought cakes. For Elowen, of course. I know she can¡¯t eat them without your help, but Hollis wanted to send her something.¡± Elowen zipped forward, faster than Sophie had seen her move previously, nearly pouncing on the box. Since she was unmanifested, this meant she ended up going partially through Acacia and Sophie had to repress a laugh. Sophie accepted the box for Elowen, who was babbling her excitement about the treats. ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophie said. ¡°She¡¯s very pleased.¡± Elowen was, indeed, extremely happy about the prospect of more cake. ¡°Sorry you¡¯ll have to wait for Sophie to get back,¡± Acacia said, and Elowen looked completely mollified for the first time since Sophie agreed to go on the quest yesterday. ¡°You¡¯re too kind!¡± Elowen replied and twirled in her delight. ¡°It won¡¯t take us that long,¡± Linden added. ¡°We should be back the day after tomorrow, if not earlier as long as we start out for it soon.¡± Elowen¡¯s face fell at the mention of the trip, and Sophie took that as her cue to shoulder her bag which had been sitting next to the doorway, ready and waiting. It wouldn¡¯t do to drag it out any further. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I just need to put these somewhere safe.¡± She gestured with the cakes towards the shrine, but Acacia stepped forward. ¡°I can put them back in the kitchen for you,¡± Acacia offered, taking the cakes back from Sophie. ¡°And I¡¯ll stop by tomorrow morning, Elowen. Just to keep you company for a while.¡± Elowen perked up a bit at the offer, but she still looked uncertain at the idea that Sophie was actually going to leave. Sophie nearly wanted to make a joke about how Acacia seemed to like to leave the bakery to Hollis more and more lately, but she thought Acacia¡¯s gesture was too sweet to tease her for. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, honestly appreciative. ¡°We¡¯ll head out then,¡± Linden said. ¡°The others are probably already waiting for us.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie nodded, glancing back to Elowen one last time before she left. The spirit looked torn between excitement over the cakes and utter despair at Sophie¡¯s departure. ¡°See you in a couple of days,¡± Sophie said, trying to make her voice sound light. ¡°See you,¡± Elowen all but whispered. She looked like she was about to cry, and Sophie couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Good luck, you two!¡± Acacia replied. ¡°I¡¯ll save some croissants for you, Sophie.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile at Acacia¡¯s words, and she turned to go. She followed Linden to the edge of the courtyard, turning back once more to wave goodbye again before she walked down the stone steps and onto the path. ¡°Be careful, Sophie!¡± Sophie heard the spirit call out the words, and she turned around to see Elowen hovering at the top of the staircase, her bond preventing her from taking a step forward. She had a brave look on her face now though, and Sophie felt slightly relieved. It would only be a few days. Surely there was no need for Elowen to worry so much. ¡°I will!¡± Sophie promised, and with that she turned back to the path and followed Linden to the gates of Caulis. Chapter 50: The Questing Party The others were, indeed, already waiting for them at Caulis¡¯s gates by the time Linden and Sophie got there. Ingrid stood next to two newcomers ¨C a tall woman with light brown skin and long brown hair wearing teal robes, and a thin, pale man with messy blonde hair and navy blue robes of his own who was laughing loudly at something the unfamiliar woman was saying. All eyes turned to Sophie as she arrived, and she felt that odd sort of anxiety at the idea that she was meeting real mages ¨C at least, they both looked like mages. Somehow, Linden hadn¡¯t made her feel the same way. Potentially because of Acacia¡¯s incessant interest in the man. ¡°Margaret here is our water mage.¡± Linden began the introductions and gestured to the tall woman who waved and gave Sophie a friendly smile. ¡°And Theo primarily works with fire, although he¡¯s more of a generalist.¡± Theo grinned as well and stepped forward, holding out a hand for Sophie to shake. ¡°You¡¯re a priestess, then?¡± he asked, and Sophie nodded. ¡°Sophie¡¯s a brand new priestess,¡± Ingrid cut in. ¡°She still learning the ropes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never gone on a quest before,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Is this a typical number for a party? Don¡¯t we need a healer?¡± Both Margaret and Ingrid exchanged confused looks between the two of them. ¡°Healers are quite rare, even in Sentus,¡± Margaret explained. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t bring one on a small quest like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why were lucky Acacia can make mana bread,¡± Linden added, and Sophie didn¡¯t miss the healthy dose of appreciation in his voice. She was definitely going to have to figure out what was going on between the two of them when she got back. But she also hadn¡¯t realized that healing was some sort of rare ability. She supposed it made sense given how insistent Calli was about Acacia making that bread for the quests. ¡°But we better get a move on,¡± Linden continued. ¡°It¡¯ll take us a few hours to get there, and we don¡¯t want to be heading in when it gets dark. If we make it in time, will do the run today. Otherwise, we¡¯ll camp and do it first thing tomorrow morning.¡± Sophie frowned, glancing around at their party. ¡°There are no horses?¡±¡¯ Linden shook his head. ¡°No need. It¡¯s incredibly close. So close, in fact, that our own Watch is the group that found it. It¡¯s hard to say what could¡¯ve caused something like that to pop up so near Caulis, but it¡¯s good news for us. We¡¯ll see if we can salvage it and reroute it for the shrine.¡± Ingrid rubbed her hands together in delight. ¡°Perhaps a bonus might be in order?¡± Margaret laughed and shook her head. ¡°You and your coin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that,¡± Linden admitted. ¡°Let¡¯s just see what we¡¯re working with and go from there.¡± That sounded fine to Sophie. She was still somewhat worried about the idea of walking to some sort of corrupted mana well. On foot. She had nothing against the idea of walking ¨C although she couldn¡¯t say the same about camping ¨C but she wondered if she¡¯d be able to manage walking at a sustained pace for several hours. She supposed she had time to practice given her walking back and forth to Caulis from the shrine. Surely, she¡¯d be able to manage. Camping, on the other hand¡­ Well, she hadn¡¯t gone camping in ages, and she was honestly not looking forward to it, although it would probably be an improvement over her first night in the shrine with the broken window. She wondered if Linden or someone else held some sort of camping gear in one of their tailored bags, but she felt like she had asked enough questions for the morning. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she said, adjusting the tailored bag she carried. The others nodded as well, and Linden took that as the cue to head out ¨C leading the way down the main road in the opposite direction of Caulis. Away from everything Sophie had known since coming to this fantasy world. Well, then, she thought with no small amount of trepidation. She supposed she was about to go on an adventure. *** Adventuring, on a whole, was much less exciting than Sophie¡¯s limited experience with fantasy novels and movies had led her to believe. In fact, navigating the streets of Seattle on foot during rush hour was far more thrilling and perhaps even more dangerous than the slow, steady pace they made towards the mana well. Linden led them to a side path after walking down the main road a ways, and the path was already fairly cleared out for them. He explained that the Forester had done the work here, as well, just as he had for Sophie¡¯s path to the shrine. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It¡¯s not usually this nice,¡± Linden added, laughing. ¡°That¡¯s why we wanted you to come along on this one.¡± Sophie was thankful for that at least. Perhaps the camping part wouldn¡¯t be so bad either. Ingrid and the two mages kept a steady patter of conversation as they made their way towards the mana well, with Linden leading the charge. Sophie answered a few polite questions here and there when they took a short break, but once they got back on the path the others seemed more interested in gossiping about people they knew back in Sentus, and they had been on that topic for an untold amount of time. Apparently all three of them, including Ingrid, had gone to the College of Mages together in Sentus. Sophie wanted to ask more about that, but perhaps not at this exact moment. No, at this particular moment, she was desperately trying to ignore the too-familiar flap of leathery wings zipping through the air above them. The others either hadn¡¯t noticed due to their lively conversation or hadn¡¯t cared, but the little wyvern appeared to be following them. Sophie was quite sure it was her wyvern, specifically, and not a different one. She didn¡¯t know how she knew this to be true, exactly, but she could tell somehow. There was just something about this particular wyvern¡­ Sophie hung back a bit, slowing down to let the others gain a bit of distance in front of her as they continued their gossiping. The wyvern took that as its cue to swoop down next to her, flapping its wings briefly before finally landing on her shoulder. ¡°Oh, I see how it is,¡± Sophie teased it gently. ¡°You haven¡¯t visited me in ages. Can you tell I have more of the mana bread today?¡± The wyvern made a small noise that almost sounded like a chirp and craned down to nose at her bag. Sophie laughed. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t have any, you little thief. I need to save it.¡± Of course, in that very moment, Ingrid turned around ¨C whether to ask Sophie a question or just to make sure she was still following them, Sophie couldn¡¯t possibly guess because Ingrid suddenly let out a yelp like something had bit her. Naturally, the entire party reacted to Ingrid¡¯s sudden noise ¨C Margaret immediately turned around to see what was wrong, Theo pulled out something that for all intents and purposes looked like a wand, and Linden spun around as well, immediately taking a defensive stance. Sophie could see each one scan the area to ascertain what threat might have appeared on their so-far pretty uneventful adventure, before their eyes landed directly on her and her new traveling companion. ¡°Um,¡± she began. ¡°It¡¯s totally friendly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wyvern,¡± Ingrid pointed out, quite obviously Sophie thought ¨C although the Sophie of a few weeks prior might have disagreed. ¡°They¡¯re not actually dangerous, you know,¡± Sophie countered, remembering what Elowen had told her previous. ¡°At least not to a priestess,¡± she amended, since she had no idea if it was true for mages. Either way, Ingrid would have nothing to worry about, and her reaction seemed a little extreme. Ingrid rolled her eyes. ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t let one near me,¡± she said, shuddering dramatically. ¡°How disgusting.¡± Margaret gave Ingrid a playful push. ¡°We can barely get you to go on quests, if not for the coin,¡± she teased, and that was news to Sophie. ¡°At least the path is cleared for us today.¡± Ingrid made a face at Margaret¡¯s comments but didn¡¯t deny them. ¡°Don¡¯t let her get to you, Sophie,¡± Margaret continued. ¡°My aunt works with creatures like wyverns, and she¡¯s said as much as you have. They¡¯re harmless for the most part. Unless they¡¯re corrupted, of course, but that¡¯s an entirely different matter.¡± ¡°They¡¯re pests,¡± Ingrid stressed. ¡°And besides, just look at it ¨C¡± she waved a hand in the wyvern¡¯s ¨C and therefore Sophie¡¯s ¨C general direction. ¡°It¡¯s a nasty little thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophie had no idea how to respond to that. She was entirely offended on the wyvern¡¯s part and was starting to see why Calli didn¡¯t like Ingrid very much, but Linden laughed aloud, shaking his head. ¡°If it¡¯s not doing any harm, let¡¯s get going again. If my estimation is correct, we¡¯re nearly there.¡± Ingrid sniffed and turned away, while Theo gave Sophie an apologetic look and shrugged. The wyvern dug its talons into Sophie¡¯s shoulder gently, as if to say it didn¡¯t mind, and Sophie decided it was for the best to let the whole thing go. Who knew such a friendly little creature could cause so much drama? They set out at a steady pace again, but the mood of the group had changed somehow. Sophie felt a little weird about it, but she was mostly still annoyed at Ingrid¡¯s reaction to the wyvern. It hadn¡¯t done anything wrong after all. Sophie wished she could offer the little thing some mana bread in apology, even if she wasn¡¯t sure that it could actually understand anything that had happened. Before she could carry that thought much further, however, she felt an odd shiver run through the creature. It made a small displeased noise before its weight shifted on her shoulder suddenly and its talons dug into her skin again, and then it took off in flight. Sophie stopped, turning around to see where it had gone, but she could only see it zipping off into the distance, back the way they had came. She wondered what had startled it so much that it decided to leave, even after it had not budged an inch during the confrontation with Ingrid. She turned back to the path to see the others further ahead, still chatting, but all a little more subdued than earlier, and she hurried to catch up with them, figuring she¡¯d see the wyvern again another day. And that was when she felt it¡­ Corruption.