《Arcane Apocalypse [LitRPG]》 01 - Threshold ¡°Hey, hey, Miss, could you help a friend out?¡± Here they go again. These guys are getting more aggressive by the day. Mia didn¡¯t glance at the rugged-looking teen falling in step beside her. The trick with these sorts was to keep walking and act somewhat polite in case they have something pointy in their pockets. ¡°I have a brother in Vienna, but I seem to have misplaced my wallet. You seem like a nice sort. Would you help me out? Just a few Euros?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any money,¡± Mia murmured, putting some speed into her steps. ¡°Aww, come on Miss,¡± the boy whined. ¡°I can see how nicely you¡¯re dressed. I just need five Euros. Already got the rest from a friend, so pretty please?¡± This one is worse than most. Mia thought. ¡°I don¡¯t carry money on me.¡± Her eyes brightened as the next block came into view. She was almost home, maybe a hundred metres, and she¡¯d be inside the apartment block. The little cunt would have to sod off once she got there. Everyone¡¯s been going crazy this week. I guess the ¡®apocalypse¡¯ got them all panicking. Mia rolled her eyes at the thought. She was only 24, and she lived through at least three so called ¡®apocalypses¡¯. This one would be just the same. The fellow next to her had other thoughts though, and in her ruminations, Mia almost missed the sound of a knife snapping open. Without thinking, she bolted, her sneakers kicking off of the asphalt. Only spite kept her from dropping her groceries and the still-warm burger she had bought just minutes ago. ¡°GET HER!¡± Mia barely heard the responding shouts. Her eyes fixed on the door to the apartment complex. Hundred meters. That was nothing. She ran every morning and while those were endurance runs; she doubted the twig-like teenagers would outrun her in a sprint. Her legs weren¡¯t just for show. Hundred meters turned into seventy, fifty and then twenty in just about ten seconds. Those ten seconds felt like eternity, but the shouts going the slightest bit distant calmed her racing heart just a bit. Three more seconds and she almost ran headfirst into the door. She frantically entered the code into the entry system. Her hands shook, and she messed up once, and then again, much to her mounting frustration and horror. ¡°Come on, come on, come on,¡± she gritted her teeth, hearing her would-be muggers closing it. Never in her life would she have thought her hands¡¯ tendency to tremble like a newborn fawn when she was stressed would get her killed one day. ¡°Stop fucking shaking!¡± She grabbed one wrist with the other hand and held it to stop its trembles, then entered the code. Slowly. She expected a knife to pierce her back every millisecond she spent hitting those stupid buttons. The door buzzed, signaling the lock opening. She lunged at it, tearing it open and slamming the door shut the moment she passed through. Her heart thundered in her chest. She felt it beating in her neck, each pulse sending a renewed surge of adrenaline through her veins. Mia stumbled back, twirling around to stare at the blurry outline appearing through the semi-translucent glass of the door. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with each ragged breath she took, but as the group of boys ¡ª no, thugs, ¡ª didn¡¯t come barreling through the door, she slowly calmed down. ¡°This is crazy,¡± Mia wheezed. She¡¯d been approached by similar people, begging for money with a thousand and more made-up reasons. This was just a fact of life when one lived in a city as big as Graz. When their stories were especially creative or when they were polite, she tended to even give them some money. The other sort, the lazy ones with barely believable stories and the personality of a garbage bin, usually went away once she told them she had no money. Maybe a bit of grumbling, that was expected. But to pull a knife on her? What the hell? A fist landing on the reinforced glass door made her jump. She heard muffled yells, then saw the blurry outlines of the group of younger men disappear. God bless automatically locking doors and that paranoid landlord who decided he needed reinforced doors to discourage burglars. When she didn¡¯t feel her heart beating in her neck anymore, she grabbed her dropped bag of groceries and the larger sack of fast food she¡¯d dropped and got to climbing the hellish stairs. The elevator was offline for the foreseeable future to ¡®preserve energy¡¯ or something. A moronic idea if you asked Mia. She remembered the group of assholes who tried to relieve her of her wallet just minutes ago and reconsidered. Maybe the landlord¡¯s paranoia had some merit to it after all. By the time she reached the floor her apartment was on, she was wheezing. Daily runs did wonders for her physique, but the tenth floor was the tenth floor. When she reached her apartment, she just kicked the door twice. When Mark, her lazy roommate, failed to open the door in the next ten seconds she rolled her eyes and leaned onto the doorbell. It was an atrocious thing, sounding like a hundred pigs getting slaughtered. It also worked as intended and the door opened up a short few seconds later with a glaring Mark pushing his head through the gap. ¡°Knock that off,¡± he squinted at her, looking her up and down. ¡°Why do you look so harried?¡± ¡°Almost got mugged,¡± Mia said distantly, still not quite believing it actually happened. She shook her head, pushed him aside, and walked in. She had a bath and a bed with her name on it. ¡°What?¡± the man stared at her, eyes wide. ¡°Did you call the police? Are you alright?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia grumbled, putting the bought stuff on the kitchen table. ¡°And ¡­ yes?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mark frowned. ¡°Was it close to the apartment? Maybe that dumb camera Jeff had us pay for would be useful for once.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia chewed on her lip in thought. ¡°Maybe? I don¡¯t know. I doubt anything would come out of it since all it would show is me running and then a group of assholes running after me. Now leave me alone. I have to fit all this stuff into a fridge, then get a bath.¡± ¡°If you say so?¡± Mark squinted at her for a few more seconds, then shrugged. ¡° ¡­ Since the beginning of this week, the bizarre weather events we''ve been monitoring are intensifying with each passing hour. Regions along tectonic plate boundaries are experiencing earthquakes reaching magnitudes of up to 7.0. Concurrently, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis are striking with increasing frequency. The exact number of fatalities remains unclear, but estimates indicate that thousands are perishing every hour as this crisis continues to unfold." ¡°Didn¡¯t we cancel cable TV last year?¡± Mia asked as she listened in. ¡°We did,¡± Mark said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°This is just a video.¡± Mia shrugged. It was his money; she wasn¡¯t going to waste hers on pricey cable TV. ¡°You should probably go shopping tomorrow. You have a car; you could buy much more stuff than me. People are going crazy. I¡¯ve seen a bunch of teenagers run out of a shop with as much toilet paper as they could carry.¡± ¡°Breaking news from the world of astronomy: just minutes ago, experts detected a colossal solar flare heading directly towards Earth. More details on this topic will follow in just a moment.¡± When Mark ignored her in favour of staring at the TV, she chucked the sack of buns he asked her to buy at him. Her throw struck true and smacked into the side of his face. ¡°Hey!¡± He scrambled to catch the plastic bag. ¡°I said I¡¯m not going shopping again, especially not on foot. It¡¯s just asking to get mugged at this point.¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± he mumbled, getting up to throw his buns in the cupboard. ¡°Not like they would think twice about mugging me if you couldn¡¯t glare them away.¡± Mia glared at him, and her lazy roommate had the gall to grin back. He was partly right; he was built like a beanstalk and looked punchable, even to her sub-six-feet self. ¡°Mhmm, that¡¯s the one,¡± Mark nodded sagely. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you, I¡¯d think you want to murder me.¡± Mia grumbled. So what if her neutral expression was what others would call a ¡®resting bitch face¡¯? It wasn¡¯t that bad. Surely. Mark turned and winked at her, which only made her glare double in intensity. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Mia. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a cute girl who¡¯ll melt from that glare.¡± She sighed and shook her head. If only it worked like that. ¡°Ah shit,¡± Mark said, gaping at the TV. Then he jumped up and rushed off to his room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mia shouted after him, just finishing up with storing the frozen groceries in the freezer. An exercise which put her Tetris skills to the test with their tiny shared freezer compartment under the comparatively large fridge. ¡°WATCH THE DAMNED TV.¡± More confused than anything, Mia did so. "Urgent update: The solar flare detected earlier is approaching much faster than initially predicted, according to the scientists ¡­ it is breaking several well-established laws of physics with its speed of approach and is expected to reach Earth in just half an hour. Scientists warn that it possesses enough force to penetrate the planet''s magnetic field. As a precaution, it is strongly recommended to turn off all electrical devices and disconnect from the main power grid. This measure could help protect against potential damage from electromagnetic disruptions when the flare makes impact." Mia stared at the screen, then at the countdown next to it. Five minutes. ¡°Ah shit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Mark quipped as he rushed back into the living room cum kitchen. ¡°Do you remember where the hell our electrical panel is?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it out in the hallways somewhere?¡± ¡°Right, be right back.¡± Mia just stood still, cursing up a storm inwardly. Today was her day off. She was planning to grind that new roguelike game to death ¡­ alas; it seemed the apocalypse wouldn¡¯t wait for her. Stolen novel; please report. She slumped down onto the couch and fished out her phone from her pocket. She quickly shot off a barrage of messages, to her mom, to her boss, and even to Sarah, her obnoxious sister. Her phone buzzed a second later, with her mom¡¯s smiling face popping up along with her caller ID. Mia scrambled to quickly accept and smacked the phone to her face. ¡°Mom? Did you see the news?¡± Mia asked, her voice outwardly calm with just a smidge of hysteria creeping up on it from underneath. ¡°I did,¡± her mother, Helene, answered after a moment. ¡°They say mobile service and power will go away. Be safe sweetie, alright? There will be chaos after this.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Mia murmured. ¡°Will you be alright? Do you still have that-¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be just fine, don¡¯t you worry. Just make sure you¡¯re safe, okay? Promise me that?¡± ¡°Okay, promise,¡± Mia said, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll come over to you as soon as things calm down.¡± ¡°Don-¡± Helene started, but stopped with a sigh as she heard the certainty in Mia¡¯s voice. ¡°Be careful, and don¡¯t you dare step onto the streets alone, alright? At least have Mark come with you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, closing her eyes for a moment. If the newscaster wasn¡¯t pulling some prank on them, the internet and just about everything else was just about to go to shit in less than an hour. Her phone buzzed, flashing red, as a nationwide alert notification popped up and closed all the other apps. She gulped. It reiterated what the newscaster had been talking about, just with the weight of the government behind it. It was real. Mark rushed back in, with the lights still suspiciously working and the newscaster babbling on about some giant dark storm spreading over Europe. ¡°Help me if you would?!¡± Mark shouted, causing Mia to jump. ¡°Water. If we turn off the electricity, there is no way in hell we are getting water. Fill up the tub.¡± ¡°Sorry mom, gotta go,¡± Mia blurted out. ¡°Love you. Bye.¡± ¡°I love you too sweetie,¡± Helene said over the phone. ¡°Be safe.¡± ¡°Okay, yes, bye. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Mia hurriedly hung up and replayed what Mark had said in her mind. Water. Tub. Quick. Mia did just that, Mark¡¯s frenzied rush turning out to be infectious. Plus, she might as well do something useful instead of lamenting her carefully planned out evening crumbling to ash. With the tub on its way to filling up with freezing cold water, she made her way back to the kitchen. If the power was going out for the foreseeable future, what else should she do to make that time less hellish? First things first. She powered her phone down and made sure neither her charger nor her PC were plugged in. She could charge her phone with a tiny solar powered charger once it wasn¡¯t in danger of being fried to shit by the solar flare. ¡°What else?¡± She whispered. The freezer would probably melt out ¡­ most of the food would also be a goner in a few days with the April heat quickly spoiling them. ¡°I should have bought more canned food.¡± Mia gave a brief glance to the retreating sun she could see through the window. Just a month ago she wouldn¡¯t have had the slightest worry about strolling the streets at night, but the impending ¡®apocalypse¡¯ made people go bonkers. Now with this on top of it? She doubted she would reach the corner before getting shanked by a looter. She didn¡¯t know what use paying tax had when the police was so useless when they were needed. ¡°Alright!¡± Mark exclaimed, stumbling back into the room while looking slightly dishevelled. Nothing new there, that was his regular look. ¡°Should be good! Well, not good, but we might survive the first week of a zombie apocalypse as we are now!¡± Mia couldn¡¯t help but quirk her lips at that. "We have just received a critical update: The Trans-Atlantic and Red Sea Cables have been severed due to increased seismic activity along the seafloor. As a result, communication is expected to be completely severed once the solar flare dismantles the orbital satellites currently in use." ¡°Shit,¡± Mark whispered. ¡°Is this really happening?¡± Mia shuddered. Just minutes ago, she thought all this talk about the approaching apocalypse was just people being stupid. Sure, the earthquakes were bad and so were the tornadoes and whatnot. But she lived in Austria. Europe had escaped most of the natural disasters until now. "Dark storm clouds are rapidly spreading across Europe, causing disruptions to radio signals. Authorities indicate that these severe weather conditions are expected to reach Austria within minutes. Residents are advised to prepare for communication challenges and wide-scale power outages." The reporter took a deep, shuddering breath on screen as the satellite image of a murky mass flowing over continental Europe winked out. Static took its place. ¡°May God save u-¡° The screen glitched, then went dark. The light of the sun seeping through the window followed just seconds later. Almost mechanically, Mia stood and shuffled over to the window while Mark stared at the black screen. It was dark outside. The street lamps were off, as they should be when it was only noon. The only source of light came from other apartment windows throughout the city. Mia glanced up. There were no stars to be seen, nor did the moon peek through the clouds anywhere. The entire sky was covered in a depthless darkness her eyes had no hope of piercing. People were already stumbling out onto the streets below to stare up at the sky. Others leaned out through their windows or rushed to balconies to make sure their eyes weren¡¯t just playing tricks on them. Most of them had phones in their hands, cameras pointed either at the dark city or up at the sky. ¡°No signal,¡± Mark mumbled behind her. ¡°Mobile data is fucked. Cable net still seems to work.¡± ¡°When does that flare thing arrive?¡± Mia asked. A part of her was terrified, a large part. Electricity would be gone in just minutes. Darkness covered the continent, everyone would be cut off from the rest of the world. Another part of her, though, just stared and took everything in with a morbid curiosity. It was going to be pandemonium. The days before, with looters and overeager teenagers acting like common thugs, merely a prelude to what was to come. That is, if the solar flare would really just fry the tech and not everything on the surface. A nihilistic part of her even hoped it would. She didn¡¯t like her chances in a lawless post-apocalyptic world as a petite girl. ¡°Should have taken more jiujitsu lessons,¡± she mumbled, even though she knew it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. What was she going to do against a man twice her size? Tickle him to death? Even those teenagers could have beaten her to death if they caught her. ¡° ¡­ should be fifteen minutes or so.¡± Mia hummed, tearing her gaze away from the outside world. She made her way over to the fridge and took out one of the last two Czech craft beers and cracked it open. Then she slumped down on the couch and decided to ignore everything from then on. If she died in fifteen minutes, so be it. It beat slaving away as a blue collar drone of some multi-billion dollar company. ¡°I was really looking forward to playing that game.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mark asked. ¡°That game, you know, the new roguelike with the Greek underworld?¡± ¡°Fuck that,¡± he hissed. ¡°We are going to die.¡± He was fidgeting, glancing at the window as if the dark above could reach down any moment to crush him to death. In between glances, he glared at her. Mia shrugged, taking a large gulp from her precious beer. 12% alcohol and strawberry flavouring was truly a match made in heaven. If only it didn¡¯t cost a kidney and a half to buy and deliver just a box of the stuff. Mark released a sound halfway between a groan and a growl next to her. She might have found it threatening if she hadn¡¯t seen the man practise his HEMA forms with a lightsaber at last week¡¯s party. In boxers. ¡°It is what it is,¡± she mumbled, only sipping on her beer now. She only had two. They had to last until either the flare hit or she kicked the bucket. She found herself oddly calm. Detached even. Like she was watching everything happening as an outside observer, unconcerned with the outcome. It was slightly worrying, but it beat the rabid pacing and hair tearing Mark was doing. She took another sip, then released a content sigh. God bless the Czech and their beers. ¡°The electricity,¡± Mark said, his panicked expression melting away with his newfound purpose. ¡°Be right back.¡± Then he was off, leaving Mia behind with the door ajar. She sighed. Then she drained the rest of her beer and got up. She would have to be more careful with the other for it to last. She kicked the door closed and slumped back into the couch with her last ice cold drink. Some shouting echoed through the door, one voice she could easily make out as Mark¡¯s and another she suspected was their landlord Jeff. Other voices soon joined the shouting match, probably those of the other tenants on the floor. Mia ignored them. She was not going to spend what were likely her last minutes alive yelling at strangers. Her PC and phone were safe either way from the planet wide EMP that was the approaching solar flare. She hummed to herself, slowly making her way through her drink. Soon, the shouting grew distant. Then the lights went out. Mia sighed, glancing out through the window. She could see other buildings turning their grid off, but the majority of them did not. It seemed Mark somehow won the shouting match. ¡°He probably got backed up by the others,¡± she hummed. Jeff never really liked Mark. Probably a side effect of how annoying he was about the net being worse than advertised. The guy was willing to go to war over that twenty ping difference. Her hair stood on end, fuzzing up like she had rubbed it with a balloon. A shiver ran down her spine. All the lights in the city went out. It was dark, a primaeval darkness where not a single ray of light could be found. Mia quickly drained the rest of her beer, even as goosebumps covered her entire body. Wasting good beer was a cardinal sin. The door crashed open, and she almost spilled the last of it all over her shirt. ¡°Mark?¡± she asked, both annoyed and more than a little scared. She couldn¡¯t see anything in the dark. ¡°Yeah?¡± Mia slumped in relief. She half expected some monster of the apocalypse or a zombie to have crashed into the apartment. ¡°Close the door?¡± She asked. ¡°Please?¡± Before her roommate could answer, light bloomed in the darkness. Ribbons of multi coloured light streaked through the dark sky, much like polar lights. Mia stumbled over to the window again, mouth agape and eyes wide. Unlike polar lights, these weird ribbons weren¡¯t parallel to each other, but weaved all around the sky in an intricate web of colour. ¡°What the fuck.¡± Mark said, giving voice to her thoughts. The web of alien light rippled, and Mia felt her hands shake. There was something wrong with these lights, something very, very wrong. Some primal part of her screamed in alarm, but her body refused to obey. She stood frozen as the lights seeped into the dark clouds. Lightning flashed, hidden partly behind the clouds. Red, yellow, blue, white, sliver, gold and a dozen more colours flashed as the storm began. There was no rain, only thunder and lightning. The first bolt struck without further warning, a single flash of white light blasting off in the distance. Mia faintly remembered there being a village just about where it struck. Only a split second later it struck again, and again and again. Red, yellow and blue flashes. All of these in the city. Unlike regular lightning, these bolts didn¡¯t dissipate. The streaks of light stayed in place, like pillars of light holding up the heavens. The fourth bolt struck close, right in the middle of the road in front of their block. Where the group of gawkers stood. Horrified, Mia finally tore her gaze away from the clouds and glanced down. Now, dozens of people were scampering away while most of them stared at the stuck lightning. Then another bolt struck, this time in a light green colour and Mia caught the fraction of a second it affected its target: a younger woman on the sidewalk. Mia tried to force herself to move. It wasn¡¯t that hard dammnit! She¡¯s been moving her entire life. Just a few steps back to get away from the window. That¡¯s all she wanted. Was it too much to ask? It seemed it was. She barely managed to twitch her pinky finger by the time the next bolt arrived. It was a beautiful light pink, vibrant and brimming with power. It bent mid air, arcing away from the ground. Its speed was probably incomprehensible, yet Mia watched it as if it moved in slow motion towards its target: her. It could have been Mark, maybe. But something told her it was not. That lightning was hers. She had a faint moment to be amused by the fact that she would die to a pink lightning. Why did it have to be pink of all things? She wondered. Then light devoured her vision and she felt herself floating. What she thought was lightning flooded into her body like a raging river. It flowed and flowed, rampaging through her body, seeping into every inch of her skin, into every muscle and into every bone. Mia felt ¡­ full. Like she over ate, but with her whole body. Even her hair felt this strange fullness, her nails too, and every single cell in her body. She felt it grow worse and worse with every passing moment; she felt like she was about to burst. No, she was going to burst- It stopped. She couldn¡¯t breathe, couldn¡¯t move, and couldn¡¯t see. The fullness remained, just on the precipice of it, overwhelming her fragile body. Mia lost track of time as she remained like that, trying to hold herself together. It was instinctual, like someone trying to keep themselves from vomiting. She didn¡¯t know how she was doing it, but she clamped down on this strange energy with a vice-like grip and didn¡¯t let go. Minutes, hours, or maybe even days passed before something changed. [Mana saturation reached marginal levels required for establishing System contact.] 02 - Integrated [Mana saturation reached minimum levels required for establishing System contact.] Hearing the words without hearing a voice and seeing them without being able to actually see quickly dethroned being struck by pink lightning as the weirdest thing Mia had experienced. After a moment she realised the words weren¡¯t even English, or German, or any language she could understand, but a strange script that reminded her of old Norse runes. Runes, she would otherwise have no hope of understanding. [Do you wish to become a Use- error.] [Query cancelled. Authority override.] [Proceeding with Integration.] [Initiating Integration: 3 ¡­ 2 ¡­ 1 ¡­] [Scanning ¡­] Mia didn¡¯t know what to think, so she didn¡¯t think. She just watched ¡­ er, experienced everything. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, so she didn¡¯t even try to. This was so damned weird, she knew it would just give her a headache. It wasn¡¯t like she could do a single thing about anything while still struggling to keep that rampaging energy from ¡­ well, rampaging. Is that Mana? She wondered. Probably to distract herself. Maybe if she survived this, she would become a mage. Or an arcane explosive if her control slipped. Earth¡¯s first magical explosive, what a title. [Body and Mind attributes within acceptable parameters. Spirit attribute is NULL] [Subroutine #1 activated] [Requesting assistance ¡­] Mia hummed in her mind. Nope. She saw nothing weird, nothing at all. No notifications barged into her mind like they owned the damned place. Nope. She especially didn¡¯t hear that her Spirit attribute was NULL. Nope. That was probably normal, totally. Even if it was, she didn¡¯t hear it. So it was fine. [Assistance Granted] [Solution Found] [Title: ¡®Newcomer¡¯ has been granted to User] [Scanning ¡­ Spirit attribute is within acceptable parameters.] Mia deflated, slumping in relief as she shuddered. The fullness wasn¡¯t gone, not entirely, but she didn¡¯t feel like an overblown balloon anymore. It was great. [Proceeding] [Dormant Bloodline detected ¡­ Initiating Partial Awaken- ] [Override: ¡®Newcomer¡¯ Title detected] [Full Awakening Initiated] Mia readied herself for pain, as the damned thing was doing something weird to her again. She could faintly feel a much more ephemeral and controlled version of ¡®mana¡¯ moving through her body and poking and prodding at stuff. What she did not prepare for was the itchiness. Deep in her bones, her muscles, and especially in her ears. She felt the insides of her skull crawl as if her brain turned into an anthill. Next came the rest of her body, her whole body lit up with immense discomfort. Her skin crawled, her muscles went sore, and her bones itched. The closest thing she could compare it to was the sensation of a limb waking up after the blood-flow had been cut off somehow, usually by the downright contortionist level positions she could fall asleep in while drunk. It was like that, but throughout her whole body and down to the marrow of her bones. The insides of her femur itched. She didn¡¯t even know she had nerves there. If it wasn¡¯t so agonisingly uncomfortable that she wanted to claw her skin off, maybe she¡¯d have noted how weird this whole thing was. Again. It stopped suddenly. One moment she wanted to claw her ears off and the next the itchiness was gone, leaving Mia strangely comfortable and light. [Awakening Completed] [Proceeding with Integration] [Integrating ¡­ ] If the thing was integrating ¡ª whatever that entailed ¡ª that probably meant she didn¡¯t have any other glaring issues. Ones that would need this thing to fix, anyway. Her thoughts stumbled over themselves. Why did it help her? Wasn¡¯t it the one to put her in danger in the first place? With that pink lightning? Hopefully, she would get some answers once this damned progress bar finished loading. Damned loading screens. She squinted at it. She swore the tiny line was moving backwards. Nope. She didn¡¯t care. It would load faster that way, right? That¡¯s how it worked. Right? Right! When she next peeked at it, the bar moved. Just about what felt like five percent, but it did. Yessss. She pumped her fists, though she couldn¡¯t see if she actually did so. Maybe she was in some sort of stasis, or trapped inside her own mind? Now that nothing too shocking happened for a while, Mia had enough time to be horrified at how unnerving not being able to use any of her senses was. She saw neither light nor dark. Her sight was just straight-up nonexistent, like how she heard totally blind people describe blindness. Did that ¡®mana¡¯ pop my eyes and ears? But I don¡¯t feel anything. Maybe it paralysed me? Mia wondered. If so, I¡¯d be the lamest mage, even if I learned to control it. A vegetable mage. Great. She was back to edgy humour. That¡¯s how she knew she was really out of it. Sticking her head into the sand and making inappropriate jokes had been her go-to answer to stress ever since she could remember. The progress bar slowly crawled forward. It was the only thing she could ¡®see¡¯ so ignoring it became harder and harder as time languidly crawled onwards. Ten percent, twenty percent, fifty percent ¡­ eighty percent. She stared at it. Something was happening to her, she could feel it. Something weird and strange and unnerving. Parts of her she didn¡¯t even know existed were poked, prodded, and somehow changed ¡­ or maybe just turned on? Mia chuckled to herself. What was she? Some cyborg to have parts of her offline and in need of turning back on? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Still, that was the closest analogy she could find. She felt ¡­ stuff. Stuff she couldn¡¯t place. If she had to put a name on it, the nerd in her would have said it was her soul. A deep part of her that felt somewhat detached and unreal. Ninety percent, ninety-nine percent ¡­ ninety-nine point nine percent. Mia¡¯s face was twitching uncontrollably by that point. The damned progress bar spent about as long in the last ten percent as it had for the previous ninety. Come on, you slow piece of shi- [Integration Completed] [Initializing System Interfacing] [System Port installation: In Progress] Mia was sure she was screeching like a banshee, even though she couldn¡¯t hear it. Something pierced into her very being, that ephemeral part of her she came to think about as her soul. The pain stopped, only having lasted for a split second but Mia twitched from the phantom pain still ravaging through her body in waves. She thought breaking her arm was bad. This ¡­ this was indescribable. Pure agony the like of which no amount of physical torture could achieve. [System Port Installed] [Final Scanning ¡­ Exit Code: 0] [Welcome to the System, Maria Vexley] All at once, her absent senses burst to life, bombarding her with all sorts of stupid information. Her knees buckled, and she fell face-first onto the floor, her wrists scraping against the rough carpet. ¡°Urgghhhh,¡± said Mia, eloquently. Mia heard another thud next to her and a series of gruff swearing in an alien voice. She jumped, propped herself up, and scuttled back to the corner in fright. She didn¡¯t know that voice. The hairy midget ¡ª because that¡¯s all she could call it ¡ª apparently heard her and stopped cursing. It turned towards her. ¡°What the fuck,¡± said Mia. The man was five feet tall at most with a bulbous nose and long scruffy hair and a beard the colour of the muddy earth. It was a fucking dwarf. Not a human with dwarfism, but an honest-to-god Tolkienian dwarf. It even spoke in a slight Scottish accent. ¡°Why do ya have pink hair?¡± The dwarf asked. Mia blinked. Was he talking to her? She supposed he was, but she had dark black hair. She grabbed a lock of it and checked just to be sure before asking the dwarf whether he had problems with his eyes. Then she saw the bright, vibrant pink lock held in her fingers. The same colour as the bolt of lightning that struck her. ¡°What?¡± Somehow this felt just as weird as that strange hallucination she had after getting her brain fried by the lightning. Also, why was she even alive after getting her brain fried? ¡°That¡¯s what I''m askin¡¯.¡± The dwarf stumbled to his feet and stared at her as she hugged her legs in the corner. He was stocky, about a quarter as wide as he was tall. The proportions were all fucked up. In her shock, she loosened her grip on her ¡®mana¡¯. Mia yelped, feeling as if someone punched her in the gut, but from the inside. She quickly tightened her mental hold on the energy with a pained grimace. Okay. That might not have been some delirious hallucination ¡­ and neither is this. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mia?¡± the dwarf asked worriedly, and she stiffened. ¡°Why do you know my name?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Also,¡± she slowly rose to her feet. She wasn¡¯t good at any martial arts, but she should be able to beat up someone a head shorter than her. ¡°What are you doing in my apartment?¡± ¡°What are you talking abou-,¡± the dwarf started. ¡°Why are you so damned tall?!¡± ¡°Answer the question,¡± she said, hand already raised to wrap around Mark¡¯s stupid baseball bat that he insisted had to be held in the living room. ¡°Hey, hey, leave my damned bat alone,¡± the dwarf growled and glared at her. ¡°The fuck¡¯s wrong with you Mia? Did that bolt fry your tiny brain?¡± Mia had the urge to smash his face in with the bat for an entirely different reason than before. This feeling was familiar though, and she slowly relaxed. ¡°Mark?¡± She stared dubiously at the dwarf. She had pink hair now ¡­ and Mark turned into a dwarf. Yeah, that totally made sense. ¡°Who else would I be?¡± He half grumbled, though his confusion was clear on his hairy face. ¡°Grumpy?¡± Mia asked with a twitch of her lips, her nerves slowly easing. It was just Mark, but tiny and hairy. She could deal with that. ¡°Does that make me snow white?¡± ¡°The hell are you talking about?¡± He huffed, his silly moustache flaring. Is he messing with me? There is no way he didn¡¯t notice anything. She stared at him. ¡°Check a mirror.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Go see for yourself?¡± She said, ¡°In a mirror.¡± He scampered off, though his steps slowed as he came up to the table. The table which reached up to his chest. Then he dashed off to the bathroom like a miniature rocket. Mia stumbled over to the couch and slumped down, then gingerly ran her fingers through her hair. It was long, longer than she remembered and had a divine silkiness to it she never achieved before with any hair care routine she tried. It was also gloriously pink. A vibrant Barbie pink. Mia groaned and buried her face in her hands. It was so damned lame. She always thought even blue or green dyed hair looked lame and overly artificial, but pink? It had the added benefit of making her look extremely childish. Though, this pink somehow managed to look natural. Maybe because it was natural now. Still, she would have to see whether she could dye it back to black. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK?!¡± She chuckled. ¡°Why am I a DWARF?!¡± Mia giggled, then broke down into hysterical laughter as Mark swore like a sailor in that new Scottish accent of his. Her sides hurt, her eyes teared up, and she just laughed. ¡°Shut UP!¡± He glowered, now standing in the doorframe and glaring at her. Mia just laughed harder and rolled off the couch. He came to stand next to her, glowering at her as she continued to laugh like a lunatic. Then she caught his eye and saw that amused glint in it that usually preceded her getting hit with a vicious comeback. Her laughter died down, though she continued to giggle as she laid on the carpet. ¡°Could have been worse,¡± Mark mused. ¡°At least I¡¯m not the one who looks like a ten-year-old trying to cosplay an elf.¡± Her breath caught in her chest, her giggles instantly transforming into choked coughs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Go see for yourself?¡± He said, audibly relishing every single syllable that left his hairy mouth. ¡°In a mirror.¡± Mia threw herself onto her feet, almost planting her face back on the floor as she miscalculated her momentum, then rushed off to the bathroom. When she arrived at the mirror above the sink, she was greeted by a sight that blessedly held some familiarity. Her face was the same ¡­ mostly. A birthmark she had above her eyebrow was gone and, along with it, went all the tiny acne scars and other blemishes. Her skin was smooth, so much so that she could barely even see the pores on her hand when she checked. What wasn¡¯t familiar was the flowing curly pink hair that held some bluish highlights here and there. They only showed when she swung her hair about, peeking out from under the cascade of pink curls. Also. Ears. She held her hair up and just stared at the two triangular ears standing perpendicular to her skull. Thank god ¡ª or maybe that magical system ¡ª they weren¡¯t as obnoxiously large as she¡¯d seen in anime, though they were still larger than the tiny ears elves had in the Lord of the Rings. In size, they were about twice as large as her regular human ears were, and much more pointy. Mia heaved a sigh of relief. Then shuddered as she realised she could have ended up as a hairy dwarf. Or a catgirl from some furry wet dream. Or a goblin. Or a gno- Okay, stop. Mia closed her eyes and habitually twisted the facet to wash her face in cold water, but nothing came. She opened her eyes and sighed again. No running water. That thought made something snap in her. The reality of her situation crashed into her like a freight train and rolled over her, then put itself in reverse and rolled over her again for good measure. All the water they had was what was in the tub. All the food they had was slowly spoiling in the fridge, now that there was no electricity. No internet, no mobile service. Grocery shops were going to be raided quickly. She just knew some people who were quicker on the uptake were already rushing to loot the nearest supermarket, ready to fight tooth and nail for every can of beans and roll of toilet paper. Mia walked out of the bathroom with a lost look on her face. Would the government have a way to keep order? To feed the population? Would they stop a couple of assholes from hoarding all the food? Was she going to starve to death? Probably. The rational part of Mia told her. She wasn¡¯t much of a fighter, and turning into whatever she was now certainly didn¡¯t give her bulging muscles. Hell, she was still only a bit over a head taller than a dwarf. A regular human could easily beat her black and blue with little trouble, but what if some people lucked out on this awakening lottery and got turned into giants, orcs, or minotaurs. Not that she would ever willingly turn herself into one of those things. She would have loved to stay as she was, but she knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She was overall quite happy with what she got. Who needs bulging muscles if they came with a fur suit? Yep. Starving to death in a few days beat living for the rest of her life suffering from horrible body dysmorphia. Speaking of. She glanced at the now tiny, hairy Mark. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Weird? Great?¡± He ran his finger through his beard with a hand while he continued hopping up and down in the centre of the room. ¡°Weirdly great?¡± Mia thought for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Same.¡± Out of curiosity, she too began hopping in place. She quickly concluded that she was either much lighter than before or her muscles had been switched up with some futuristic super muscle when she easily hopped high enough to hit her head into the ceiling. The room was only about two and a half metres high, but damn, she was barely trying. Also, now her head hurt, and she was probably going to have a bump. What a great start to the apocalypse. 03 - Classes ... ? ¡°Sooooo,¡± Mark started once he stopped snickering at Mia caressing her forming bump. ¡°Did you check your stats yet? What are they? I have 4 in Body, 3 in Mind and 1 for my Spirit.¡± Mia stared at him for a few long seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no,¡± he gave her a sage nod, and Mia eyed the baseball bat longingly. Noticing her gaze, Mark quickly continued. ¡°Just think ¡®status¡¯, though almost anything works from what I tested if your intention is to pull up your User interface.¡± Biting back the dozen stupid questions already forming on her tongue, Mia focused. Just checking out her Status would probably answer most of her questions. ¡®Status¡¯ she thought, focusing hard at the word. It surprisingly worked. *** [User Interface] [User Data] [Attributes] [Skills] [Traits] *** After a moment of thought, she mentally clicked on ¡®attributes¡¯. She wanted to compare her own with Mark¡¯s. *** [Body: 4] [Mind: 3] [Spirit: 1] *** ¡°4, 3, 1,¡± she read. ¡°That¡¯s body, mind and spirit. Weird stats.¡± ¡°Ah damn,¡± Mark grumbled. ¡°How do you have 4 in body when my biceps are thicker than your waist?¡± Mia raised a dubious eyebrow, but her eyes widened as Mark flexed his new muscles. He could barely lift the sofa when they had to move it to the other side of the room just a month ago. It seemed this awakening wasn¡¯t as ruthless to him as she¡¯d thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mia shrugged, then went back to checking out this system thingy. *** [User Data] [Name: Maria Vexley] [Age: 24] [Ancestry: Halvyr (Arcane)] [Integration Location: Cosmic Realm / Planet: ¡¯Earth¡¯ / Europe Sector / Central Region] [Rank: 0] [Level: 1] [Titles: {Newcomer}] [Affinities: Arcane (Superior)] *** ¡°What the hell is a Halvyr?¡± Mia asked aloud, then stopped as she noticed someone standing at the door of their apartment, the door Mark didn¡¯t close when she asked him to. Also, that someone was about two metres tall, with muscles straining against his skin. Speaking of, his skin was dark grey, and he also had a pair of goat horns curling back towards his ears. His face felt vaguely familiar to Mia though. ¡°Jeff?¡± The towering man blinked at her slowly, then squinted. ¡°Maria?¡± He stared silently for a second, then quirked his lips. She didn¡¯t even get the chance to tell him off for using her stupid full name again. Maria was the name of her grandmother. She was Mia, or Marie. Being called ¡®Maria¡¯ made her feel like a side character from a historical documentary. ¡°You did something to your hair? It suits you.¡± Mia groaned. If even the cranky old Jeff was making fun of her, the world was really ending. ¡°I assume that thing that looks like a hairy ass in human shape is Mark, then?¡± He kept his eyebrow raised. Mia just nodded, not trusting herself not to snicker. ¡°I see. The building will be closed until we know what¡¯s going on better. I think people are already at each other''s throats out on the street. Also, no looting, fighting, or robbing in my building, or you are getting booted out of a balcony, understood?¡± It was rather clear he didn¡¯t expect either of them to go around breaking into other apartments and beating up old people for their food, so he was probably just resolved to say that to everyone. Mia nodded and Mark followed along, though the giant man¡¯s gaze lingered on the dwarf for a bit. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t panic, everything will go to shit if people panic. We will get food and water. Just don¡¯t make trouble.¡± With that, he was off and Mia quickly closed the door behind him. ¡°Well, that was something.¡± ¡°Of course the old man would luck out,¡± Mark grumbled. ¡°Anyway, what were you asking before he barged in?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Mia squinted, trying to remember. ¡°Halvyr? Yeah. Apparently, that¡¯s what I am. Do you know what that is?¡± ¡°Could be just a fancy name for elf,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Though it just says ¡®Dwarf¡¯ for me. Hmmm, let me see ¡­ oh, you can expand it. Just focus on that specific line. Damn, now I gotta go over it all again.¡± Mia sat down next to the grumpy dwarf. She pulled up her status again and glared at her ¡®Race¡¯. *** [Race: Halvyr (Arcane)] *** ¡°Huh,¡± Mia blinked. Then reread the entire thing to make sure she understood as much of it as possible ¡ª which wasn¡¯t much. Affinity? Constitution? Superior grade? Fae? Elves? She could assume the meaning of most of those from the context in which the words were used, but that was hardly enough to fully grasp the meaning of the description. ¡°Oh wow,¡± Mark said next to her, staring into space with his eyes crossed. ¡°Classes. That¡¯s cool.¡± Mia was just about to ask what he was talking about, but a new window of glowing letters popped up in front of her eyes. [Do you wish to select a class?] [Yes / No] {Newcomer}¡¯s tip: At Rank 0 you have a single Primary Skill Slot which will be taken up by your Class once you select it. Classes usually grant knowledge where regular Core Skills would not. The number and rarity of the choosable classes might increase if you get more Feats under your belt. ¡°Did you choose a Class already?¡± She asked Mark. She was partly wanting to use him as a guinea pig, but she also felt he might have a better idea of how to work this system with the number of RPGs he played and novels he read with a very similar setting to their situation. ¡°Nah,¡± he snorted. ¡°Gotta pick the best. I¡¯ll draw up a table with all the pros and cons and stuff ¡­ be right back.¡± He dashed off to his room and Mia was left alone, once again left to wonder what the hell was going to happen to her. So many things were uncertain, and she was sure her overactive imagination was coming up with far worse possible futures than what was going to happen. ¡°Yeah,¡± she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. In and out. In, out. ¡°The clouds are already gone. The police guys are probably already getting ready to hold back the looters and the rioters. Food might be rationed, but we won¡¯t starve. Water and electricity will be back in a few weeks when they fix the power plants and the cables. Everything is going to be alright.¡± In, out. In, out. Classes. Wasn¡¯t it better to play with this magical system that somehow turned her into a half-fae than to worry about the future? Yes, it was. She hit ¡®yes¡¯. [Composing Class Selection: ¡­ ] [Arcane Mage (Rare)] Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Mia almost chose the class on the spot. Magic. Magic. It appealed to both the rational part of her that wanted a tool to keep herself safe should the metaphorical excrement hit the fan and the childish part of her squealing in joy at the idea of throwing fireballs. Maybe she would have been more dubious about this system if it just turned up one day and offered her magic, but she saw some strange stuff these last few hours. I should at least read through the rest. She reasoned, then quickly checked the name of each class along with their rarity. [Mageling (Common)] [Student (Common)] [Chef Apprentice (Uncommon)] Well, that made the choice rather easy, didn¡¯t it? Still, with some reluctance, she skimmed through the three classes. Only Mageling left her somewhat curious. Based on the description, it was the kindergarten phase of being a mage. Just from these little tidbits, she guessed one usually became a Mageling, then went on to become an Apprentice before turning into a fully fledged Mage. In the end, it might have been interesting, but it was an obviously inferior choice compared to Arcane Mage. The system even graded it to make that apparent. Superior affinity must have been awesome for the system to jump over apprenticeship and studying wholesale and just offer her up what seemed to be an advanced class. The other two classes were about what she expected. Student seemed like a somewhat useful Class. Though, not to her. It would help her learn and get a specialised Class based on teachings. It was interesting and the Class¡¯ existence gave her another glimpse into how classes worked, but that was it. She doubted Earth had any secret mage academies hidden away, so it was just about useless. Same for Chef Apprentice. She might enjoy cooking, but she would not give up magic for a cooking class of all things. Still, her gaze lingered on the Prerequisites. For a moment, the gleeful voice of her little brother praising her simple mac and cheese drifted through her mind. Her eyes teared up a little as the all too familiar feeling of her stomach twisting into a knot made an appearance. Why would I choose a chef class when there isn¡¯t even anyone to enjoy my cooking anymore? Mia sniffed, blinking away the tears while she mentally hit the only viable Class for her. [Class Selected: Arcane Mage] Gained Primary Skill: [Novice Arcane Mage¡¯s Compendium (Tier 1)] Gained Trait: [Novice Arcane Mage (Tier 1)] When no further explanation came, she focused on the Skill. Glaring away problems seemed to work for once. *** [Novice Arcane Mage¡¯s Compendium (Tier 1)] [Type: Runic / Elemental] Subskills: Runic Model: Arcane ¡ª Simple, streamlined, elegant. The crystallisation of modern rune theory come to fruition. Arcane Spell Tome ¡ª Because what is a mage without a Spell Tome? Nothing, that¡¯s what. Empty Subskill Slots: 3 *** ¡°Damn,¡± Mia mumbled. ¡°Wait, but I don¡¯t know any runic theor-¡° Mia blinked, the darkness slowly receding from her sight. She blinked again and shook her head a little. She blacked out while in the meantime Mark came back and sat at the kitchen table, wildly scribbling away while mumbling under his beard. When she tried to think back to what might have knocked her out, new and alien knowledge slammed into her mind. She let out a groan and massaged her temples, but couldn¡¯t suppress the forming grin on her face. And why would she? None of the stuff made sense. Yet, she took it in a stride. The three foundational laws of magic? Yep, that was basic knowledge. The core elements of magic and their interactions? Middle school stuff. Runic theory and spell construction? That was hardcore stuff, but she knew the basics of it too. It was all magical mumbo jumbo and what would be called techno babble if this was a science fiction novel? Still. If it worked ¡­ Did it work, though? Or did that lightning just turn her into a raving lunatic? It was time to test it. The academic knowledge came easily to her, almost like she knew all of it for years. The practical did not. She knew, intellectually, what steps she had to take to make that Arcane Bolt described in the Skill appear, but it was like trying to teach herself to ride a horse just from reading a book about it and seeing some illustrations. First was to grab a hold of some mana from her mana pool ¡ª where her new runic model should be ¡ª and pull it to the tips of her fingers. It proved harder than she thought, especially when she realised that she was already using most of her focus to keep her rebellious mana from going wild in her body. There was no mention of anything like that. She should barely have enough mana to feel it as a baby mage. Probably that damned lightning. Now that she thought back to it, didn¡¯t the system say she reached some minimum saturation point just before it started doing its thing? I should probably expel some of it. Mia did just that. She carefully loosened her hold on her mana and guided it to her palm. Controlling it was instinctual, like a third hand she never realised she had. She didn¡¯t have to know how each muscle or tendon worked in her fingers to grab something. She just did it. It was the same for her mana. Though the mana itself was like a feral cat, she had to grip tightly and carefully, while at times it was more like an oiled up snake, trying to slip out of her control and sink its venomous fangs into her flesh. Slowly, she nudged the glob of vicious energy into her palm ¡­ then pushed it out. That¡¯s where her inexperience ¡ª or rather, non existent experience ¡ª showed. She knew mana was much harder to control outside of her own body, but she didn¡¯t account for it right then. As such, the mana slipped from her hold and lashed out. Mia yelped and jumped back as she felt like a firecracker went off in her palm. The glob of roiling pink energy pulsed mid air, arcs of mana pushing out of it like tiny solar flares before it dimmed and disappeared with a hiss. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Mark asked, wide eyed. ¡°Magic?¡± Mia asked, her voice uncertain. Nonetheless, on the inside she was grinning like a loon, another glob of mana already on its way to her palm. ¡°You already chose a Class?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Mia grinned then. ¡°Arcane Mage.¡± ¡°What were its prerequisites? Do you remember?¡± He asked, eyes glinting hungrily. ¡°It was hidden? I think?¡± She went to look it up again, and found a new row just under her User Data tab which just said ¡®Class: Arcane Mage (Tier 1)¡¯ and when she opened it, she saw the now revealed prerequisites. ¡°Superior Arcane Affinity, it says.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± he tapped his pen. ¡°So a Superior affinity would be where it grants specialised elemental mage classes? Or is this just a special case? Arcane tends to be an advanced element in most settings. Interesting ¡­¡± Mia decided to ignore him. By the time he decided what class would be the best choice and how to min-max it, she might as well be an archmage. That was why she never played any MMORPGs with him. She quickly repeated the previous mana-dumping two more times, each feeling like an enormous weight off of her metaphorical shoulders. Probably my Spirit. Didn¡¯t the class say something about having to suppress my wild mana with my Spirit? That thing I have a measly 1 point of? Once she was done, that uncomfortable fullness she had to contend with ever since the lightning bolt struck her was entirely gone, leaving her with a pleasant feeling. Her newly gained knowledge told her it was the feeling of her mana pool being full. It made her feel energetic and comfy, like a soft blanket wrapped around her soul and a mug of hot coffee in her hands. Also, her mana went from being a feral tiger to a purring tabby cat snuggling up to her. It was about a fifth of what she originally had in her body, but at least she didn¡¯t have to fear becoming a modern art piece when the mana exploded from inside her chest. Anyway, back to doing magic. She carefully pulled another little globule of mana from her pool. This time, it came eagerly and obediently followed her every little mental nudge. It wasn¡¯t as easy to control as the mental hand that she used to guide it, but it did its best to accommodate her. When it reached the tip of her index finger, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The next part was where the real magic happened. She reached for her runic model, housed in the centre of her mana pool. It was an intricate construct of geometric shapes and about a dozen lesser arcane runes. All I should have to do is to imagine the shape of the magic circle and it should realign itself? That¡¯s what her implanted knowledge told her at least. So she tried it. Thankfully, the spell circle for all of her available spells was included in the knowledge dump she got from her Spell Tome Subskill. Mia held the image in her hand, feeling a little foolish. It reminded her of when she attempted to use the force to telekinetically grab the TV remote as a kid. She failed back then, of course. She didn¡¯t now. Mia watched in mild awe as the runic model languidly shifted, lines, circles, hexagons and angles shifting and morphing to replicate the image she was envisioning. Not the entirety of the structure was needed to do so, which left seven runes and some other shapes unused. In what felt like a few seconds, the circle was ready. For the next step, she had to ¡­ manifest it? Resonate her inner mana to mould the little ball of it in her fingertip? She poked and prodded at the runic matrix with her mental fingers, trying to get it to resonate or something. Her knowledge dump described it as moving a muscle you didn''t know you had. Like moving your ears. It was supposedly effortless once you manage to find that muscle. Well, Mia couldn¡¯t do so. No matter how she pushed and pulled. How she meditated, tried to shake the runic model up and down, or how she tried to mould the mana in her fingertip to resemble the circle. The last one ¡­ would have theoretically worked. Maybe. If her mana control was up to par. Just like you couldn¡¯t teach a newborn pup how to do the hardest tricks, her mana was entirely incapable of following her instructions. Or more likely, her instructions were shit. Her control also bottomed out at guiding chunks of mana around and moulding them into vague shapes. She could make something that resembled an orb ¡­ if you squinted. She even managed a rectangle. Sort of. A magic circle needed thread-thin lines of straight mana, perfectly angled channels, artistically inscribed runes and so on. For the foreseeable future, her runic model would be her only hope to cast any spells that were more complicated than throwing mana at people. While she was still busy testing, an unnerving feeling ran through her body. It was what the sound of glass shattering or metal being torn apart would feel if it was a feeling. Then came a notification from the system. [Ambient mana levels beyond acceptable parameters ¡­ ] [No nearby Dungeon detected to siphon ambient mana] [Activating the Riftmaker Protocol] [WARNING! New Level 10 Rift ¡®Greentide Fortress¡¯ formed within your immediate vicinity!] 04 - When Reality Comes Knocking Mia rushed over to the window, somewhat expecting to find a gaping hole in reality just down the road. Instead, all she saw was a regular road as it always had been. If she ignored all the weird people that seemingly just stumbled out of some cosplay convention. Lizard-like people, many others with furry ears and much more that looked human for the most part. Truthfully, most of them looked entirely human. Only, most of them seemingly dumped some silly hair dye all over their head. She saw mops of green, blue, yellow, silver and a dozen other colours among them. What she didn¡¯t know was why people were just wandering around down on the street. ¡°This is unreal,¡± she murmured. Everything was so damned weird it was increasingly hard to see everything as ¡®real¡¯. Damned magical storms, mana, system, magic, classes, attributes, and a whole lineup of fantastical beings squabbling on the road. Mia¡¯s vision swam as a sudden nausea gripped her by the throat. Nothing made sense ever since that darkness covered the skies. Nothing felt real, even. How could all of this be real? ¡°What?¡± Mark half-shouted from the other side of the room. Mark, who was now a fucking dwarf. That was the thing that tipped over the barrel, the last nail in the coffin that was her barely held together mind. Mia¡¯s vision dimmed as she stumbled towards the couch. She felt detached. Detached from the world around her, from everything and from what seemed to be her new reality. Her breathing sped up, chest heaving in ragged gasps. She couldn¡¯t breathe. She couldn¡¯t breathe. The realisation only made her panic climb to ever greater heights as she frantically tried to take in air faster and faster until her vision dimmed to a dot. Her mind swam from dizziness as she collapsed. She felt something leathery press up against her cheek. Mia faintly noted that probably meant she managed to collapse onto the couch instead of face planting onto the floor. I¡¯m hyperventilating. Mia grasped onto that fleeting thought. Hyperventilation results from anxiety and panic attacks. Mia felt herself calm momentarily, having found something that made sense and she could understand. She knew panic attacks, she also knew what to do when one had one. Intellectually. This was the first time she experienced it for herself. Focus. Slow the breathing. What was it? ¡­ breathe through pursed lips as if you¡¯re whistling? Even though she wasn¡¯t sure she remembered correctly, focusing on a single thing and not thinking about ¡®stuff¡¯ was obviously working. She forced herself to breathe only through her mouth, then forced her lips close, only leaving a tiny gap between them despite how much her body was telling her that she was going to die if she didn¡¯t breathe this very moment. No! Mia calmed herself. Slow breaths. In and out. In, out. She counted her breaths. One, two, three ¡­ ten ¡­ twenty and twenty-one. Mia blinked, surprised to actually see the ceiling as the darkness that consumed her vision was all but gone. She grimaced, palm slapping against her forehead. She had a killer headache and her lunch was one wrong move away from introducing itself to her carpet. ¡°I got a bag!¡± Mark shouted, stumbling back into the room with a paper bag in hand before rushing up to her and shoving the thing in her face. ¡°Breathe into this!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Mia insisted, a grimace still etched onto her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Ya sure?¡± He asked dubiously, looking between her face and the paper bag. ¡°Some water would be good,¡± Mia mumbled, mostly to get the dwarf out of her hair. She closed her eyes. Just looking at him and what having a dwarf in her living room represented sent her heart into a frenzied rush that threatened to drive her back into another panic attack. Mia slumped back and just tried to appreciate the silence. Trying to forget for a moment that she was probably going to die in some unfathomably strange way quite soon. What would it be though? She mused. Yesterday, she would have guessed getting mugged and shanked as the most likely cause of her death, or perhaps due to some natural disaster that came with a vengeance for Europe after having left it mostly alone. The rest of the world had earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes erupting ¡­ and Europe had a magical storm, now that she thought about it. Today though, as she laid on the couch and listened to the scuffles happening just under her window and the distant shouts coming from the hallway, she didn¡¯t know what to expect anymore. Maybe she would get eaten by a dragon. Mia chuckled, then froze. What if ¡­ ? ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Mark announced in that strangely jubilant tone he had ever since he woke up as a dwarf. He ambled over to her and handed her a glass of blessedly cold water then scuttled back to the table. Mia sipped on it, taking care to do it slowly. What if that full bathtub was all they were going to get for weeks, months, or maybe forever? Electricity was gone and she couldn¡¯t be sure water pipes survived whatever happened. That reminded her of her phone. Maybe the satellites survived? They should have, right? She jumped to her feet, almost face planting again ¡ª stupid magical body ¡ª before snatching up her phone from the coffee table. It was off, of course. She pushed the power button. Nothing happened, but Mia kept pushing it. Disappointment slowly overtook her excitement, and she barely stopped herself from throwing the piece of junk out the window. ¡°My phone is dead,¡± she mumbled just loud enough for Mark to hear. He didn¡¯t, being absorbed in his theory-crafting. She cleared her throat to get his attention. ¡°Is your phone working? Mine is dead.¡± Mark checked his and sure enough, it was dead too. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s to be expected. What did they say ¡­ that the solar flare was like a planet-wide EMP? That wouldn¡¯t really care if a piece of tech was powered or not at the moment. It would fry the circuits either way.¡± Mia just sighed. Things weren¡¯t looking too bright. Well ¡­ aside from the dubious chance she had at doing magic. ¡°Did you find anything interesting on that interface?¡± She asked, not expecting much. ¡°Sort of,¡± he caressed his beard sagely. ¡°It¡¯s overly complicated to be honest. The more deeply I dive into it, the more questions I have. Ah, do you also have a ¡®Title¡¯ called Newcomer?¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Yeah, there was something about my ¡­ Spirit being NULL and then it just gave it to me? I think? I was sort of getting deep fried when it happened so I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°There should be a Log for notifications somewhere,¡± Mark grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is. I just haven¡¯t found it yet. Anyway, it was the same for me, I think it should have been the same for everyone since Spirit is supposedly the stat that allows us to store and control mana and I don¡¯t think we could do that before today.¡± Mia just shook her head. How Mark could just ignore everything in favour of exploring this weird system was astonishing. They had bigger problems ¡­ like starving to death and whatever that Rift was. Speaking of the Rift. ¡°Do you know what that notification about the Rift was?¡± She asked. ¡°Nope,¡± he said absently, clearly a bit annoyed she wasn¡¯t leaving him to his system exploration. ¡°But if it¡¯s like in the stories ¡ª like most things until now about this system ¡ª it should be like a dungeon and will probably start vomiting monsters before long if it isn¡¯t cleared ¡­ or destroyed or something.¡± Mia gulped. She guessed something similar, but she still hoped it would be disproven. What if Rifts were just like air filtration but for mana? No need for monsters or anything, right? That would make sense. Yep. No way monsters were real. Mark was letting his assumptions get to his head. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She got up and huffed, psyching herself up. Their most pressing issue should be food right now, so she would see what she could do about that. Jeff said something about wanting to ration it, so she would head out and search for him to get a better handle on their situation. A part of her was annoyed that the man so readily assumed leadership of everyone in his building block, but then again, it was his building block and he was now a two metre tall ball of muscles so she thought it unlikely anyone would want to wrestle with him for it. ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡± Mark mumbled something of an acknowledgement, and she left the flat with a shrug. Maybe he would find something useful by the time she came back. Out in the hallways, she dodged a few people who were in frantic discussions. A few gave her curious looks, but most quickly dismissed her as she made her way towards the stairs. Jeff would probably be down in the community hall on the ground floor. ¡° ¡­ -hat do you mean? This is horrible!¡± Mia grimaced as one woman screamed at a man standing in the hallway. ¡°Look at these. LOOK! Why do I have paws?!¡± Mia quickened her steps before she could be a witness to a homicide. She gave a quick glance back at the thirty-something woman, then scrunched her eyes shut. She wasn¡¯t into older women, but the short brunette with floppy rabbit ears atop her head was just adorable. She could understand why her boyfriend / husband was elated until he got verbally beaten into the dirt. ¡°Lara, honey, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the man in question said weakly. ¡°But they really do look amazing on yo-¡° Mia grimaced. While she agreed, that was clearly the last thing the woman wanted to hear. Even Mia could tell that much. Rest in peace, random person. ¡°OWW, those claws HURT!¡± She caught the man shouting just before the stairwell door closed behind her and cut off the ensuing argument. About two hundred people lived in the block, at least by Mia¡¯s estimation. Of that number, she barely saw two dozen as she made her way to the ground floor. She had to stop midway through and lean against the wall to take a few deep breaths. There were people she recognised, people she remembered entering the elevator with and others she saw with their children playing in the tiny park behind the apartment block. Most of them even looked the same. Well, six out of ten did, the rest ¡­ Well, the lucky ones only had new vivid hair colours or strange eyes, ¡ª like her ¡ª but some weren¡¯t so lucky. Finally, she reached the ground floor and made her way over to the little community room. It had a long table at the side that could fit a dozen people. The walls were covered in shelves filled with various books, tabletop games, and some boxes filled with toys for the younger children. Not that many made use of the room. Now was the first time Mia had seen anyone other than Jeff or the occasional teens smoking something their parents wouldn¡¯t approve of in the room. Mia stepped into the room after a moment of hesitation, though no one noticed her yet. ¡°Why would we do that?¡± One man said, his voice raised into an angry growl. ¡°And who gave you any right to demand such a thing from us? You are just a landlord, not our damned king.¡± Jeff took the words stoically, hands crossed as he seemed to weigh the man¡¯s words. ¡°Would you rather let others starve while the government gets their head out of their asses, Thomas?¡± Jeff asked. ¡°It could be weeks before any aid arrives, if it does at all. Who knows whatever else that ¡®system¡¯ and its magical storm has done to the world? For all we know, we aren¡¯t getting any aid and the rest of the country is a pile of rubble.¡± ¡°There is no way,¡± a third man, scrawny and hunched, cut in as he paced up and down the room. ¡°Could it be some experimental weapon? Some aerosolized drug that makes us hallucinate?¡± ¡°Shut up, Bert,¡± an older woman smacked the scrawny man on the head. ¡°Sit still for a damned minute.¡± Looking halfway between embarrassed and annoyed, the man slumped down into one of the creaky chairs while continuing to mumble to himself. The older woman¡¯s eyes drifted over to Mia. ¡°Come sit girl, no need to stand around like that.¡± Mia did so in a hurry as a dozen pairs of eyes turned on her. She quickly found a most interesting spot on the wooden table and began observing it in detail. Yep. Sure looks like wood. She fidgeted for a moment as the people around her got back to arguing. Apparently, Jeff had some sort of emergency lockdown installed and now the only way to get out of the building was either getting him to open it up or to jump out of a first-floor window ¡ª since the windows on the ground floor were barred. People didn¡¯t like that. They didn¡¯t like that at all. ¡°We need to buy up as much non-perishable food as we can, Jeff,¡± Thomas said. ¡°So open up the damned door before every supermarket gets looted down to the foundation.¡± Jeff just shook his head. ¡°I can let you out. Once. But I¡¯m not opening the doors again until things calm down on the streets.¡± ¡°We will starve, Jeff,¡± the older woman said tersely. ¡°We can last a week, maybe two. Then the food in the freezer melts out and spoils. Locking us in is needlessly cruel.¡± ¡°It ¡­ we can revisit the issue after those two weeks passed,¡± Jeff said, taking a metaphorical step back for the first time since Mia had known him. The man was what they called a ¡®hardass.¡¯ ¡°But keeping the doors open in the first week unless there is police or the military outside is out of the question. Damned thugs are already breaking through windows just down the street.¡± ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Thomas growled, causing half the people in the room to shiver. His eyes glowed and his pupils lengthened into a slit. ¡°Why do you think we should obey you?¡± Mia shrunk into her chair, trying to appear as small as possible. She felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck while her stomach twisted into a knot. He was dangerous. She knew that deep in her bones, and not in the way she understood. The group of shady thugs that tried to mug her just hours ago certainly didn¡¯t make her feel like this. Jeff stepped up, towering almost a head above Thomas, and gazed down at him, utterly unimpressed. His own eyes didn¡¯t glow, his voice didn¡¯t make her skin crawl either. ¡°Try it,¡± Jeff said softly. ¡°See what happens.¡± The tension in the room was suffocating and, besides the two men, no one dared to speak. Thomas snarled, and Mia almost didn¡¯t catch the moment he moved. He took a half step back with one leg, just a split second before his fist snapped out towards the larger man¡¯s stomach. The hand bulged out, muscles straining against skin and tearing at the man¡¯s sleeves. For a moment Mia thought she saw the hairs on his arm thicken into a furry hide. So fast. Mia paled. She thought herself quick, but all she could do was to follow the soaring fist with her gaze as it sunk into Jeff¡¯s flesh. Jeff grunted. He reached down and wrapped his fingers around Thomas¡¯ wrist before the other man realised the big man wasn¡¯t down for the count just yet. Far from it. Thomas tried to move away. He pulled and struggled against Jeff¡¯s hold, but the man didn¡¯t even budge. Then he squeezed and Mia heard a wet crack and Thomas shifted back to his original appearance, a shriek of agony tearing its way out of his throat. Thomas screamed, his eyes flew wide and tears streamed down his cheeks as Jeff let go of his mangled hand. The shorter man stumbled back and collapsed to the floor, staring at his broken hand with a stupefied expression. ¡°Martha, would you get a medkit and help him out?¡± Jeff asked, his gaze lingering on the hand he used to crush Thomas¡¯ wrist. The older woman who previously invited Mia to sit rose, she gave both men a contemptuous look. ¡°Just this once. Anyone else who gets themselves beaten up for something moronic like that can help themselves.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Jeff said, then tore his gaze away from his hand and turned around. He clenched his fist as he made eye contact with everyone at the table. Well, everyone who didn¡¯t avert their eyes like Mia. I should have stayed in the flat. Mia lamented, taking slow, measured breaths. Her heart was still trying to jump out of her chest, but she had to keep cool. Who knows what would set Jeff off? Did the lightning fry his brain too? Did he get turned into a bloodthirsty demon? Mia glanced at his curving goat horns and his rippling muscles. Only the blood red skin was missing. She gulped and averted her eyes again. ¡°If no one else has any objection,¡± he said. ¡°We will go along with my plan. The gates stay shut. We will have to take stock of what food and water we have then make sure no one starves or thirsts. Anyone I find making trouble, stealing, breaking into others¡¯ homes will get thrown out onto the streets.¡± People shuffled uncomfortably. Mia noticed more than a few were less than happy with that arrangement, probably because Jeff just collectivised all of their food and water so casually, but they all just took a glance at Thomas and bit their tongues. ¡°Let¡¯s start with those of us here,¡± Jeff said. ¡°I have twenty litres of water, enough dried jerky to last one person half a year and a crate full of various canned foods. I will be putting all of that into our communal food and water reserves.¡± Many calmed considerably when Jeff so easily included himself and one after the other they too spoke up. Then it was Mia¡¯s turn. ¡°Ehm,¡± she cleared her throat and continued gazing at the table. ¡°We filled a bathtub full of water just before the clouds arrived. Other than that, I think the only non-perishables we have are a handful of instant noodles.¡± ¡°Smart,¡± Jeff gave a slight grin. ¡°Quick thinking. Well done, next?¡± Mia breathed a sigh of relief and sank into her chair. Regretting taking that first step out of her flat for what felt like the thousandth time. Did I just get conscripted to join a commune? She mused. Then she thought about the outside world, where magical superpowered people were probably looting every building they could get into. Beats being out there, I suppose. Especially if Mark was right and monsters prowl the streets. She shook her head. That was stupid. Of course, there wouldn¡¯t be monsters ¡­ wait. We have levels. If there aren¡¯t monsters to kill to get XP like in the games, how are we supposed to level up? The answer was obvious, but it was also terrifying. A pit formed in her stomach and Mia felt sick as her thoughts spiralled. Power was gone, water was gone, and satellites were also probably gone now that she thought about it. They must have been the first things the solar flare fried. There was no oversight. The city¡¯s police department comprised at most one or two hundred people. Mia would have liked to think that morality would win out, and just because murder awarded a bit of extra power, people wouldn¡¯t sink so low. This was the middle of Europe after all. It would take more than that for people to devolve into anarchistic savages. She glanced at Thomas, who was just now getting his wrist set by Martha. Fuck. 05 - Knee deep in Manure ¡°Shit, shit, shit, SHIT.¡± The entity wasn¡¯t having a good day, it could even be called terrible by most accounts. Well, not that much of the day was that bad. It started quite great actually. The impregnable barrier shutting off the Cosmic Realm from the wider Cosmos was faltering. The entity knew this for centuries now and counted the days till the time finally came. It wouldn¡¯t be the first Realm integration he oversaw, even though it turned out to be the most stressful one. Who would have guessed a Realm with no mana in it would be so infuriatingly fragile? It wasn¡¯t like there was a precedent for it. The Cosmic Realm¡¯s barrier not only held mana out, but suppressed anything supernatural. And now it was gone, laws of reality weakened, and everything was rapidly going to shit. Well, not if the entity had anything to say about it. Still, that fragility was the entity¡¯s primary source of irritation. [Rankor System; Planet Gawril: Planetary core is absorbing mana at an accelerated rate. Surface will reach terminal temperature in 12 seconds] [Hergal System; Planet Horl: Planetary core is absorbing mana at an accelerated rate. Planetary crust is fracturing.] [ ¡­ ] The entity swore again. Why couldn¡¯t this Realm be as nice and easy to integrate into the System as the Beast Realm was? If the entity made a single mistake, if its attention and focus stuttered for but a nanosecond, entire star systems could be wiped clean of life. The pure arcane mana surged into the realm, trying to fill the vacuum that the Realm Barrier¡¯s collapse created. It was a ruthless primal force that tore and destroyed if not controlled properly. [Solar System; Planet Earth: Planetary core has absorbed extreme levels of mana. Planetary evol- ] ¡°FUCK,¡± the entity shouted, even as a thousand partitioned strands of his thought stream analysed each and every notification and sent back customised Subroutines with an acceptable solution. ¡°How the hell?¡± the entity set aside a single thought strand to look into that particular planet. It had collected far too much mana. The answer came back a split nanosecond later, and the entity scowled. So that¡¯s where they all went. Over the years, hundreds, if not thousands, of Users somehow got lost outside of the System¡¯s reach. Some wandered out by themselves, some fell into unstable spatial tears and some just straight up disappeared like a fart in the wind. As no subroutines existed to find such lost souls, it was left to the entity to look for them and find the gap, or gaps they managed to slip through. Over the millennia, with years devoted to the effort, the entity never caught a trace of a single one of them. Yet, here was this one random planet with 987 recorded bloodlines, all of which matched with one of the lost souls¡¯. Of course, the System immediately Awakened all of them. It was an automatic function to ensure Users with potential for greatness didn¡¯t die off for some arbitrary reason. Like a silly Cosmic Realm suppressing their very nature. That function was probably why the damned planet was moments away from turning into an arcane singularity from all the mana those beings drew in. While the majority of its mind still worked on stomping out problems as soon as they popped up in the rest of the Realm, the entity set a sizable part of its mind to handle Earth. ¡°Rifts,¡± it mumbled. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s too soon for dungeons and they would take too much power to form manually anyway. Set the parameters for Riftmaker at 500%.¡± Dumping mana into creating monsters with rifts is just a stopgap. The mana must be calmed before it can wreak havoc across the planet. Dungeons would do that, but to create so many artificially ¡­ so much power wasted. The entity ran a simulation, then another thousand. The planetary core was too receptive to mana. Perhaps it would even reach S grade in time. That would be a great thing, if it wasn¡¯t rushing too much. If it evolved so quickly, all that would remain of it by the time it got there would be a steaming fiery ball of mana charged magma. The entity couldn¡¯t let that happen. ¡®Preserve Life¡¯ was the first foundational rule of the System and, as its incarnation, the entity was incapable of even thinking about going against that rule. ¡°Alright, how should I handle this?¡± The entity hummed. It only had a short few seconds before the Rifts would be overwhelmed, but stretching those seconds to a few hours was child¡¯s play to the entity. If it wanted, time would stop in the entire cosmos, even. Then it got an idea. It would be risky and would require control of mana on the level only the entity itself could manage, but the end results would be ¡­ interesting. The entity quickly got to work. ***** [Warning, residents of Planet Earth! The planetary core of earth has reached terminal mana density. The destruction of the surface is imminent.] [Emergency actions will be taken to preserve life. Ready yourselves.] Mia jumped up and looked around worriedly, like most of the others. The earth shook beneath their feet; the table creaked as the vibrations slid it across the floor and soon they heard the telltale sound of metal shrieking and concrete breaking. [Worldforger Subroutine Activated] [Proceeding with terraforming ¡­ error. Planetary surface is rapidly expanding. Quelling natural disasters ¡­ Surface stabilised!] [Proceeding with merging ¡­ ] The vibrations were gone without a trace. The moment Mia¡¯s eyes landed on the ¡®quelling natural disasters¡¯ part of the notifications, the whole world went eerily silent. No one dared to speak, no one even dared to breathe. [Merge complete! Planet Earth has been successfully merged with the Greater Plane: ¡®Starhaven Continent Shard¡¯ of the Mystic Realm] [85 percent of the expanded planar surface is covered ¡­ requesting further power to terraform the remaining 15 percent ¡­ ] [Request Denied ¡­ searching for alternatives ¡­ no compatible Plane found for merging ¡­ ] That can¡¯t be good. Mia thought, her brain barely keeping up with the rapidly arriving notifications. The planet was ¡­ swelling? Or something? With mana? And it had to be patched up with some terraforming and a plane from the mystic realm? Whatever that meant. Yep. Made sense. The planet was hurt, so it got a band aid stuck onto its hurty bits. That totally made sense. [Access granted to directly manifest Dungeons. Proceeding ¡­ ] [Dungeons Created ¡­ surface coverage is at 100% ¡­ quelling mana surge ¡­ rerouting leylines ¡­ ] [All issues have been resolved. Worldforger Subroutine is terminating.] Mia finally breathed as some unknowable pressure that settled around the room, and perhaps the entire goddamned planet, disappeared without a trace. ¡°Good God,¡± one man whispered as he drew a cross with trembling fingers. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Someone said and was quickly echoed by most of the rest. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Jeff cleared his throat, still looking as stoic and menacing as always. ¡°This changes nothing. We-¡° ¡°How could this not change anything?¡± A younger man shouted. Mia noticed his eyes were wide and his hands shook still. ¡°Some alien system just fucking terraformed the planet! After it informed us that it would have fucking exploded otherwise!¡± ¡°This. Changes. Nothing.¡± Jeff said with a glare. ¡°We still need food. We are still in the same building. Our biggest worry is still superpowered burglars. This changes nothing. Calm. Down.¡± Mia felt strangely calm, perhaps she just went right back into a shock just after she stumbled out of the previous one. Above everything else, she felt tired. She almost died twice in the last hour, if the system notifications could be believed ¡ª not that she thought something that could terraform a planet on a whim had any need to manipulate her. Hell, it could probably brainwash her without a problem. She even got knowledge implanted right into her mind so it wasn¡¯t much of a stretch. Mia felt a bone-deep weariness spread through her body. She wasn¡¯t built for dealing with stuff like this. I want my boring office job back. I swear I won¡¯t complain about my moronic team again. Let this all just be a dream. ¡°I¡¯m going to catch some sleep,¡± she whispered as she passed by Jeff, then weaved her way out of the room and practically sprinted up to the apartment. By the time she slammed the door shut behind her, she was heaving. Mark gave her a concerned look, but she didn¡¯t care. Mia stomped over to her room, shut the door and threw herself into bed. Only then did she remember to kick her shoes off and free her legs and chest from their prison, those being her jeans and bra, respectively. She threw both to the side. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping. Don¡¯t wake me up,¡± she shouted, then closed her eyes. The day¡¯s stress caught up with her, and Mia was snoring not a minute later. ***** Mia groaned, still half asleep. Light shone right at her face. She rolled around, but the damage was done and her dream slipped through her fingers. She cracked open her eyes, still unwilling to get out of bed. Looking around, she couldn¡¯t find her phone. She squinted, trying to get used to the darkness in the room ¡­ wasn¡¯t she just getting some light shone in her face? Whatever. Need a coffee. She reached over to the nightstand to turn on the tiny lamp. Finding the switch took a few seconds of fumbling as always, but when she managed to finally turn the switch, the lamp refused to light up. Mia groaned, and with an annoyed grumble rolled out of bed. Then the room¡¯s ceiling lamp similarly refused to turn on. Mia had a sinking feeling. The power was out ¡­ only when she opened the door and came face to face with a dwarf wearing only XXS boxers slumped on the kitchen-table; did yesterday¡¯s events come crashing back into her mind. Then what the hell was that light that woke me up? She frowned, then shrugged helplessly. This was the least weird thing on the list of weird things she started compiling just yesterday. Magical night flies? Maybe a wisp? Ah, I can¡¯t bring myself to care. The dwar- Mark was snoring loudly. Mia shook her head, the world might have turned upside down, but the more things change the more some things stay the same. If anything, becoming a dwarf only made his snoring worse. Probably because he had a deeper voice now. Oh well, whatever. Mia snuck over to the fridge, careful not to wake her roomie. He was annoying, but he was technically family. Cousin once removed something something. Not that there was ever any familiarity between them. They just both needed roommates, and Mark¡¯s father worked it out with Mia¡¯s mom right after she got out of college. That was three years ago, and despite both of them making more than enough money to rent a place of their own, they stayed in the shared apartment to save money. It wasn¡¯t like either of them had any significant other to move in with. The fridge was big and as such, far from full, but it was like day and night compared to what her fridge looked like while she was in uni. There was at least food in there, with some variety, and prepared warm food for a week. She snatched up a lukewarm cola and gently closed the door. Standing before the window, she cracked open the Cola, sipping on it as she watched figures move in the darkness below. It was probably somewhere around midnight, and with the dark clouds having fucked right off after they turned her into a budget store elf, the moon and stars once again hung in the sky and illuminated the night. The sky was beautiful, revealed in its natural beauty for the first time above the town. No power meant no light pollution, after all. It was a tiny silver lining, second only to magic now being somewhat real, but one had to find joy wherever they could. Mia¡¯s gaze drifted away from the sky and down to the dark street, where dark figures moved about under the cover of the twisting and turning shadows. Why are there so many people out and about this late? Mia wondered with a frown. As she focused on them, her hearing cleared up and the inaudible murmurs coming from the distance cleared up. The problem was, she couldn¡¯t understand a single thing and not because the locals spoke German with an atrocious accent for once. No, that was not German, nor any language she knew of but low growls and barks mixed with chittering cackles here and there. The dim light caught one of the forms as it scuttled up onto a parked car and Mia took in a sharp breath. It was wrong. Mia had seen humanoid cats, dwarves and even a pint-sized man she assumed was a gnome of sorts so the sight of the tiny humanoid by itself was hardly what sent a shiver down her spine. It was the eyes it had, those sunken yellow eyes nestled within a green face so ugly not even a mother could love it. As if sensing her gaze, the thing looked up, right into Mia¡¯s eyes. Its gaze held a malicious intelligence, primal as it was, and the sense of wrongness Mia felt became overwhelming. It grinned, lipless green mouth peeling back to reveal rows upon rows of sharp needle-like teeth drenched in fresh blood. It let out a shrill screech she heard even hundreds of metres away. Mia caught herself and threw herself to the floor, breaking the line of sight with the monster. What the fuck was that? Mia took a shuddering breath, a breath that caught in her throat when her mystically enhanced hearing heard the mad cackle of the little green beast cut off with a pained scream, then fall silent. More and more sounds cleared up as she opened herself up to them. Flesh tearing, pained whimpers, growls, cackles, metal on metal, glass shattering ¡­ crying and very human begging. Even some gunshots that echoed from the distance. Mia swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She took another peek, just a quick glimpse, then shrunk back behind the wall with her heart racing. The shadows still made it hard to make out the forms, but combined with the sounds, she could form a rudimentary picture: chaos. She didn¡¯t know what kind of beings were down there, but they were fighting, and mostly each other and not humans. The human crying was barely a little blip on her radar when the streets were a battleground for as far as she could hear and see. Mia felt a mental nudge and found her attention drifting. It was a little thing, non-intrusive and gentle, like a polite knock on the door of her mind. Following it was intuitive, and when she opened the mental door to see what was up, a list of new system notifications popped up in her vision. [WARNING! New Level 5 Rift ¡®Skypeaks¡¯ formed within your vicinity] [WARNING! New Level 5 Rift ''Earthen Burrows¡¯ formed within your vicinity] [WARNING! New Level 5 Rift ¡®Swarming Sewers¡¯ formed within your vicinity] [WARNING! New Level 10 Rift ¡®Forest of the Wolf King¡¯ formed within your vicinity] [WARNING! Due to rapidly rising ambient mana levels, all nearby Rifts are overflowing. Ready for combat!] [Due to your continued training, you have increased an attribute!] Shit. Mia closed her eyes, but the dreadful notifications remained until she sent them away with a mental nudge. Soooooo, the rifts were spitting out monsters now. Why did she have to be right when she least wanted to? Even so, weren¡¯t stupid dungeon monsters supposed to stay in the dungeon? Well, maybe they did, but the system distinguished between dungeons and rifts. It talked about the prior more like stable, permanent things while the latter ¡­ she wasn¡¯t sure. What were rifts? Why did they exist? Somehow, they were supposed to calm the mana or something, is what she got from the notifications. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she huffed under her breath. ¡°They are real. As are the monsters they are spawning. Doesn¡¯t matter why they are doing it.¡± The military will kill them. That''s why we have them, why we pay our damned taxes. The thought felt weak even to her. Every line of communication was fucked beyond maybe some of the top of the line military stuff they kept buried beneath tonnes of reinforced concrete and behind EMP proof faraday cages. She would bet the military wasn¡¯t even aware that monsters were eating their citizens alive in her little town. Even if they did, she wagered larger cities were in even deeper shit. Hell, she didn¡¯t want to know what monsters would spawn up in the Alps. Didn¡¯t old legends always say dragons lived up there? No? Or was that in Scandinavia? Either way, we seem to be utterly fu- The window shattered just centimetres above her head, sending a rain of sharp shards of glass down on her as she instinctively wrapped her arms around her head. Mia cried out in pain as she felt several shards piercing her skin and others drawing bloody lines over them. A few even struck her thighs. Mia heard a caw, then the flap of wings and the glass shards being sent flying by an unnatural wind. It was all quickly followed by a high-pitched scream coming from the table as her idiotic roommate woke up and promptly fell out of his chair. Opening her eyes, with her arms still up around her head and her legs hugged close to her chest, Mia saw it. A Bird, standing in the middle of the room like an imperious feathery tyrant. It radiated the same wrongness as the little green monster. More importantly, it had feathers made of what looked like steel, and its beady black eyes stared right back at her. Those eyes spoke of a malicious intelligence hidden in that small body and promised a painful death. Mia¡¯s heart raced, sending adrenaline surging through her veins. The pain from the glass shards piercing her skin dimmed into an echo while her mind went into overdrive. Anxiety and panic that plagued her all day disappeared as if it was nothing but an illusion. She¡¯d always been that way. Be it exams, job interviews or other anxiety inducing events, she stressed about it like an idiot until the moment of the event itself. The moment she stepped foot into the exam hall or shook the hand of the interviewer, only an eerie calm remained. Staring at the bird ¡ª no, the monster ¡ª she felt that familiar calm settle over her mind, the only reminder of her prior feelings were her trembling hands. It didn¡¯t matter, her body never was her greatest asset, it was her mind. Not that she knew whether it would be enough to save her today. She dove for the couch, wanting to put some cover between herself and those glinting feathers. The monster clicked its talons on the floorboards, watching on as she gracelessly flopped behind the couch. Then it let out a shrill screech that made Mia dizzy, after which it wasted no time and pounced. Thus began Mia¡¯s first fight for her life. First of many more to come. 06 - Bird is the Word Two things happened all at once. First, Mia heard the leather of the couch ¡ª the only thing standing between her and a murderous bird ¡ª tearing. With a start she yanked her foot behind the cover too, almost having left an ankle out for the bird to cut up. Second, she heard a sound that somehow sounded like the primal roar of a wounded beast one moment and the shriek of a prepubescent girl the second. Discounting the possibility that a banshee, or some other mythical creature snuck into the apartment while she was scrambling for her life, she assumed the origin of that sound was Mark. Well, he was at least awake now. Good to know. She took a peek out, not towards the monster, but the kitchen table to the right of the couch. Mark stood there in all of his four foot five beardy glory, eyes wide and mouth open. Frozen. Shit. Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. The monster stopped vandalising the poor couch, and Mark¡¯s screech was hard to miss. He was probably in a stare-down with the thing. Shit. Mia glanced at the door, standing just halfway between her and the kitchen table. Could she run? The door was closed, but if she was fast enough and the bird ¡­ occupied itself with fighting Mark, she might make it. It was tempting, oh so tempting to just bolt for the door as fast as her legs could take her. It would give her by far the best chances of not being turned into bird feed. Then she glanced back at Mark. He might be the closest thing she had to a friend. No matter how much the heartless little devil on her shoulder whispered into her ears to take that first step towards the door, she didn¡¯t move. Fuck me, I¡¯m so going to die. She took a moment to lament before giving herself a mental slap on the cheek and popping her head up above the couch. The bird stood in the middle of the room, about one or two metres away from the couch and seemed to tilt its head curiously at Mark like he was some fascinating critter. Mia pulled back just as the monster¡¯s head snapped to the side to face her. It let out a chitter while Mia wracked her brain. Should she shout to get Mark out of his daze? Throw something at him? Rush over and tackle him? Maybe she coul- ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Mark shouted. Is there something in its eyes that breaking eye-contact was enough to snap him out of it? Mia wondered belatedly, then dismissed it. It didn¡¯t matter. She poked her head out to stare at her roommate, who now hid behind the kitchen table. Somehow, Mia doubted some flimsy pieces of wood used for chair-legs would hold up well against the bird. ¡°Mark,¡± she hissed at him and he jerkily turned to her. But before she could do much else, the bird seemed to have had enough. With an eagle-like screech, it flapped its wings and pounced like a cat at the hiding Mark, easily going over the table and landing on the cabinet on the other side. Now it stood, towering over the cowering Mark. That the thing seemed to revel in their fear was probably the one thing that kept their blood and organs on the right side of their skin. It clicked its talons, like those damned raptors from Jurassic Park and struck out with a wing at Mark. Mia forgot herself and shrieked, bolting out from behind the couch and reaching for ¡­ something. Her hand landed on a chair. It would do. But she was slow, far too slow. With all the time it took for her to even reach the table, the bird had already struck twice. Mark, God bless his quick thinking, flopped down to his stomach the moment the bird struck and scuttled under the table. Instead of him, the chair he''d slept on just a moment prior and one leg of the table bore the monster¡¯s wrath. Mia stumbled back as wooden shrapnel flew through the air. The bird¡¯s strike had an unnatural weight behind it. It was less like a slash with a kitchen knife ¡ª that she had expected based on its size and feathers ¡ª and more like a ripped lumberjack went wild on their furniture. If that thing hits me, I¡¯m dead. Mia¡¯s hands shook uncontrollably, but she was already reaching down and grabbing onto Mark¡¯s hands to drag him out as the bird lazily struck out twice more, turning chunks of the table to rubble with each one. ¡°You¡¯re fucking heavy,¡± she breathed, leaning back to pull with her entire body. Mia made eye-contact with the bird, still perched on the cabinet. Her eyes widened and she let go of Mark, falling on her back just as the monster flew by. Those vicious claws passed so close to her face, to her eye, that she expected to lose them both. Her back hit the floor with a soft thud and all her nerves burst alight with pain, but adrenaline did its job perfectly and she rolled to her side after only a moment. She rolled into a crouch, hands on the floor to stabilise her and for a moment she felt like a feral cat staring down a bear. Just that the bear was a knee-height eagle-monster with an entire kitchenette¡¯s worth of knives spread along its wings. But the power disparity fit. All she could do was hiss and look tall, but in the end, she¡¯d be lunch. A chair crashed into the bird. Mia stared, uncomprehending. ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Mark swore, then, just as the bird crawled out of the rabble, another burst to shreds right atop its gleaming metal head. Mark wheezed, eyes bloodshot as he stared at the shifting rubble and the very alive bird underneath it. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°Run!¡± Mia said, but she took her own advice even before she finished speaking and bolted for the door. Saving Mark was one thing, fighting to the death with a fucking monster that crawled out of some deranged author¡¯s nightmare was another thing entirely. Mia reached the door in a second, fast enough that it would have surprised her had she been paying any attention to it. She fumbled to turn the key still in the lock, but her hands shook like a newborn fawn. Mark flicked her hands aside and turned the keys, then tore the door open without a second wasted and rushed through. Mia heard an enraged shriek behind her and rubble being thrown off just as she stepped out. Mark gave her a rough shove, sending her sprawling onto the hallway floor, then slammed the door shut behind her. Not a moment later, a gleaming wing burst through the wooden door. Mia, having just heard wood shattering behind her, threw herself further down the hallway. Luckily, she only saw a half-stuck wing only a quarter of the way through the door when she turned back and a very frozen Mark standing with his nose only an inch away from its tip. ¡°Move,¡± she hissed at him. ¡°Get away from the damned door.¡± Mia stood with her knees bent, back hunched and eyes trained on the shuddering wing that the bird was trying, and failing, to free. She felt like a spring, coiled to the limit and a moment away from snapping. ¡°What do we do?¡± Mark whispered, carefully inching away from the door. ¡°Run?¡± Mia asked, glancing to both sides, finding only dark hallways. It was a stupid idea, she berated herself. She saw the literal horde of the damned things down on the street. Where could they run? ¡­ Also, why was everything so silent- Sounds smashed into Mia¡¯s mind with the power of a freight train. Shouts, screams, thuds and crashes barged into her head without care and announced themselves with no rhyme or reason. It was a chaos of noises, each new one sending a prickle of pain right into her brain. Mia felt a slight ache growing in her skull, much smaller than she would have expected with such a mind-fuck, but she didn¡¯t have time to care about that at the moment. She shut it out, shoved the obnoxious intruders out, and slammed the doors shut. There was silence again, blessed silence. What the hell was that?! Mia¡¯s eyes were wide and her breathing ragged, chest rising and falling rapidly as her gaze darted around. Were those sounds real? Did she finally go crazy? Why did sounds hurt? They weren¡¯t supposed to hurt. ¡°That was one nasty bird,¡± Mark said, continuing in a whisper, as if that would save them from the furious monster. ¡°I doubt it''s alone. Maybe we should look for a room without windows? Or find a hammer. A bigass hammer and turn it into scrap metal.¡± There was a grin on his face as he said the last part, one nasty enough that combined with his bearded, rugged face that Mia had a hard time remembering that this was Mark. The dwarf with a bloodthirsty grin who was already stalking off towards the stairwell. ¡°There is supposed to be a storage room around here,¡± he mumbled, then he was gone around the corner. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Mia stared at the corner, finding it harder to come to grasp with the new, non-wimpy Mark than the iron-bird that tried to murder her just a minute ago. The stuck wing moved from side to side and the door gave an agonised groan, signalling that it wasn¡¯t long for the world. Well, shit. Mia thought, taking two further steps back and weighing her options. Murderbird was fast and probably had some silly monster sense to track her down even if she tried to hide. The ground floor was a big no-no. What if Jeff¡¯s ¡®mighty¡¯ defences already gave way to a monster horde that was now waiting down there just for silly girls like her to run down there, fleeing from their bird pals? Yeah, she was not going to be a two in one food-delivery-cum-fast-food for those fuckers. Upwards, then? There was probably a swarm of those murderbirds on the roof, so that was out too. ¡°I¡¯m fucked either way, aren¡¯t I?¡± Mia mumbled. If only her stupid magic worked. How was it fair that monsters were real and very enthusiastic about eating her, but her magic was buggy? What sort of dumb idiot of a system developer decided there was a specific way in which one had to tickle mana for it to do magic? What was next, nibble on dragon dung to get fire magic? Finger a power outlet to get lightning? Maybe because she was halfway sure she was going to die, she decided to give magic another go. Maybe the last one she had. Who knew? Maybe she would get to brag in the afterlife that she got off a single spell before she got turned into sashimi? She mentally browsed through her tiny list of available spells and quickly narrowed it down to two top contenders. Arcane Bolt and Arcane Blast. The rest were defensive, utility, or did silly things like blowing her up ¡ª what the hell? ¡ª so these two were the only possible choices. Her implanted knowledge told her Bolt chucked a vaguely bullet shaped arcane blob at the enemy, while Blast did the same, except it exploded on contact. Since she preferred going out with a bang, and not with a plop, she chose the second spell. While her runic model lazily rearranged itself into the shape of the Arcane Blast magic circle, Mia wondered for probably the hundredth time whether the lightning fried her brain. I should just run and hide in a room, barricade the door and windows. I¡¯m not a fighter. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. Fuck. Why do I pay taxes if the damned military doesn¡¯t protect me from man-eating birds? What was I thinking?! I should have run the moment that thing crashed through the window. Jeff looked strong. Maybe he just finished killing his own monstrous home intruders and is on his way to clear out the rest. She knew she was being stupid, trying magic of all things in a life and death fight. Her feet ached to be running down the hallway already. Yet, she stayed and waited for the runic model to settle. It took all but three seconds, three seconds, during which Mia decided she was an idiot. Still, she might as well try it again while she was at it. She carefully nudged what felt like the appropriate amount of mana to her fingertip and went back to banging her head against the wall that was actually getting the magic to work. She flexed every muscle she had in her chest and stomach, somehow imagining she might stumble upon the ethereal, magical muscle that would allow her to finally resonate that damned runic model with her mana. Alas, all that gave her was a fair bit of embarrassment as she groaned like a loon in the middle of the dark hallway. She tried poking at it mentally again, nudging, pushing, shoving and even tickling. Nothing worked. Nothing. Mia growled under her breath, eying the wing and the widening hole in her poor door. She doubted it would last another ten seconds. Work dammit! Mia ground her teeth and coiled the hand, holding the mana like a claw. It didn¡¯t help, but she imagined strangling her rebellious pool of mana with it. Or the bird. That thing had crashed through her window, gave her the scare of her life, almost made her piss herself, ruined half her furniture and was now trying to kill her. There was a reason she chose Arcane Blast for this. She wanted to blow the pompous bird to kingdom come, blast it into so many pieces, not even its feathery mother would recognise the remains. Mia wanted that. She imagined it playing out. A bolt of purple energy blasting forth, burrowing through the door and into the bird before exploding with a mighty boom. ¡°Work already,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Stupid spell. WORK.¡± Pink light flashed around Mia¡¯s outstretched fingers. It was less than a second, but she vaguely recognised it as the magic circle. Then it was gone, a bolt of pink energy already slamming into the door. Unlike in her prior daydreams, it didn¡¯t go through the door. Arcane Blast exploded on first contact. Mia yelped, covering her face as her poor, abused door exploded into a thousand tiny fragments. The pained shriek from the other side was a balm for her tired, aching soul. A grin tugged at her lips. ¡°Stupid metal chicken.¡± She stretched her arm, a new glob of mana rushing to it. Mia grimaced. She had to choose between speed and control, so she went with the first. That meant the glob of mana rolled through her mana channels like a drunk crackhead, kicking and scratching at everything as it went. The runic model stayed as it was. All she had to do was repeat what she¡¯d done before and another blast of arcane energy would snap out of her fingers. What did I do? Was it the mental image? Mia frowned. Her gaze locked on the injured bird. Its left wing melted in places, several feathers missing, and the rest all ruffed up and out of place. She imagined it again, a blast of energy snapping out and exploding against the bird¡¯s head. The bird shook its limp, half-melted wing, then stumbled forward. Its head turned, and the bird¡¯s beady eyed gaze landed on Mia. Where there was malice before, the purest hatred took its place. Nothing happened, and with no new magic forthcoming, the bird struck out with its working wing. Mia was well out of the strike range, but as it moved, three feathers flew off the avian¡¯s limb and streaked towards Mia. In a panic, the entirety of Mia¡¯s will flexed and descended upon her runic model. At the same time, she kicked off to the left. Mia couldn¡¯t follow the sequence of events that followed. She saw a flash of pink, but then all she knew was a horrible pain as something tore into her shoulder and twisted her around, sending her crashing into a wall before flopping down with a meaty thud. Her face now in intimate contact with the floor, she felt the moment her stupid, lazy spell exploded against her enemy as the shockwave reverberated through the entire floor. The murderbird didn¡¯t cry out this time, it hopefully couldn¡¯t and was busy being dead. The thought was the only thing that put a smile on her face, though it morphed into a grimace as she made the mistake of twitching on the ground. ¡°Hsssss,¡± she gritted her teeth and forced her eyes to open. She didn¡¯t look at her foe, but at her shoulder, which was busy blasting her mind with agonising pain. She almost fainted when she saw the half-buried feather slick with her own blood sticking out of it. Mia couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from it, be it shock or some morbid fascination. There is a major artery somewhere around there, I think. But I¡¯m not a geyser of blood, so I might be good ¡­ though maybe the feather is just blocking most of it right now. I might die if I pull it out ¡­ I¡¯ll probably bleed out even without that. There is no way I can get to a hospital with a monster horde on the streets. A painful shrill sound, like metal tearing, reached her ears and snapped her out of it. For a moment, she thought the building¡¯s metal foundation was tearing, but it was far too weak of a sound for that. Then her eyes found the ravaged bird trying to pick itself up from the heap of steaming scrap her spell turned it into. This spell seemed to have caught it across the chest ¡ª not the head as she wanted ¡ª and blasted the few iron feathers protecting its meaty body off of it. Smells like grilled chicken. Mia noted as she stared at its meaty and charred body. She would have pitied it. It looked like one of those silly birds that was a second too late to jump out of the way of a speeding car on the highway. Then her shoulder sent another wave of agony to ravage her nervous system. Not good. She had to move. The bird was far from dead, even if it stumbled around and one of its wings hung limply while the other only had one or two metal feathers remaining on it. Mia feared she would be much closer to death by the time the bird¡¯s current injuries did it in. Another spell, a last one ¡­ then it was done. She roused her flimsy willpower to push back the pain and tried to get her stuck left arm out from under her body. A single twitch was all she could manage before she blacked out. Mia blinked, coming back to herself a few seconds later with her cheek back to kissing the dirty floor. Her entire right side pulsed with pain along with the rhythm of her heart. ¡°MIA, I got it!¡± came a gruff, but jubilant voice from the distance. ¡°Had to kick the damned door in. Damn Jeff for being so caut-¡° Mia couldn¡¯t see him, but a twitch of her now pointy ears told her he just rounded the corner and froze in place. Still, Mia didn¡¯t dare attempt to move again. She shivered, unable to force the instinctual reaction back as a bone deep coldness spread through her body. She felt faint. Blood loss. I must have bled a whole puddle of it by now. Fuck. I¡¯m so dead. Laying there, trying to keep herself from blacking out again as pain and that dreadful coldness tried to beat her into a slobbering mess. Despite her earlier thoughts, the last thing she wanted was to die. Mia was technically a baptised christian, but the last time she stepped foot in a church was when her little brother was baptised the same way. The thought of him sent a soul deep icy pain through her that no metal feather burrowed into her flesh could compare to. Gabe, her little brother, who disappeared without a trace just a year ago. He was heading to get painkillers for Mia¡¯s headache when it happened. The police could never figure out how it exactly happened, all they could tell Mia and her mother was that his car was found wrapped around a tree, totalled, and that there was no sign of a body anywhere. Her brother, the one person who¡¯d always been with her, who she could rely on unconditionally, was gone. Just like that. Maybe there is an afterlife and we¡¯ll meet again? She wasn¡¯t the spiritual kind. Never was and always believed the only thing waiting for her after death was oblivion. Still, with death basically standing above her and raising its vicious scythe, she couldn¡¯t help but hope for something. Mia¡¯s eyes grew blurry. Were those tears? Or was the blood loss making her dizzy? Probably a bit of both. The blurry form of the murderbird stumbling closer to her was still obvious and much too clear for her liking. She¡¯d have preferred not seeing. The monster slowly creeping up on her, without her being able to do a single thing to save her life, was terrifying. Her body shook with a full body whimper, the best she could manage in her state. ¡°AAAARGH!¡± Mia¡¯s eyes cleared as she blinked, just in time to see a giant sledgehammer smash the bird into the ground. Mark screamed, and the sledgehammer rose back up, then came down again. And again. And again. The dwarf grew hoarse and coughed, stopping only after the bird was nothing more than bloody chunks of metal and gore. Mia saw him fall to his knees before her and mumble something she couldn¡¯t make out. She tried to fight it, tried to stay conscious. She knew that was what people had to do when being as grievously wounded as she was. But the tension of having a man-eating monster that held her coiled up like a spring was gone. Treacherous relief flooded her mind, and her will waned and shattered. Then she only knew darkness. 07 - Not Dead Yet! Hurray! A faint whispered conversation pulled Mia out of her slumber. She¡¯d always been a light sleeper ¡ª if she didn¡¯t drink, that is. A shot of vodka had been enough to make sure she would sleep like a corpse on more than one occasion. Speaking of corpses, it seemed like she wasn¡¯t one yet. Her eyes snapped open as the fight and the following pain wracked moments flashed in her mind. Mia took a sharp breath and glanced at her right shoulder. She stared. The feather was gone. Slowly, gingerly, she twitched her fingers on her right hand. No pain. She moved her wrist around, then her lower arm. A sharp pain made her stop when she tried to lift her entire arm. Mia hissed as her hand flopped back. The pain was horrible, but not the pure agony it was before, not even close. But she still hated it. She wasn¡¯t a masochist, and pain was pain. At least she could keep awake through this one. ¡°Ah,¡± came a high-pitched feminine voice before Mia heard rapid footsteps rushing close. A mop of brown hair topped off with two floppy rabbit ears swam into her vision. ¡°Don¡¯t move dear, not yet. Your joint is still injured and I fear you have some torn ligaments.¡± Mia blinked slowly. Wasn¡¯t this the same bunny lady she saw cursing up a storm in the hallway yesterday? Wait! ¡°Where ¡­? What?¡± ¡°Your friend will explain,¡± the woman nodded to the side. ¡°You just stay put. If this stupid thing works as advertised, you should be up and about in a day or two. In a week, you¡¯ll be as good as new! Make sure to drink as much water as you can and eat a lot of food. I can¡¯t do anything about your blood deficiency, so stay put or you¡¯ll probably faint. Alright, dear?¡± Mia gave a slow nod, trying to make her sluggish mind decipher the quick barrage of sounds as words. With a final squint at her face and a satisfied nod when Mia didn¡¯t try to flop out of the bed or something, the bunny lady hopped off. Mia stared up at the ceiling. It was unfamiliar. Not her bedroom, for sure. Before she could panic, a hand gently grabbed her uninjured shoulder and made Mia glance up at the owner. ¡°Hi,¡± Mark said, looking ¡­ strange. Mia had trouble picking out any distinctly identifiable emotion on his scrunched-up face. ¡°So, uh, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alive,¡± Mia said, stopping the shrug she was about to give before it could send another spike of pain through her. ¡°Better than before. I thought I was ¡­ ¡° Mia closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. During the fight, she didn¡¯t have much time to feel frightened. Now that she did, she was feeling the rapid approach of another panic attack. The touch of death, and the certainty that she would never wake up again once she let her eyelids fall was the most terrifying thing she¡¯d ever experienced. ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s alright!¡± Mark said hastily, hand grasping her shaking shoulder as shivers rushed up and down Mia¡¯s spine. ¡°You are good. That cunt of a bird is bloody scrap, and Ms Lara healed you up nicely. She has healing magic now. Crazy, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Lara?¡± Mia asked, though the words ¡®healing¡¯ and ¡®magic¡¯ were the ones that caught her attention. ¡°The bunny lady?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Mark said, then looked around. ¡°Don¡¯t let her hear you call her that though, she ¡­ didn¡¯t take well to the changes.¡± Mia stared at him, her mouth hanging open in horror. ¡°Right,¡± Mark nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the same face I made when I heard from Rick ¡ª her probably ex-boyfriend by now ¡ª and why I didn¡¯t want to leave you alone with her.¡± He whispered the last part, and Mia shuddered. She imagined her cute pointy ears cut off, or mangled to look rounded like they were before, and her horror turned into glacial dread and revulsion. The shudder that rushed through her body then was one of disgust. Mia froze and blinked, then thought it all over again. She imagined her fingers being cut off, and when no similar revulsion was forthcoming, tried thinking of looking at herself in a mirror with mangled ears again and the primal feeling surged back in with a vengeance. ¡°Ah, fuck,¡± Mark cursed. ¡°Uh, sorry, I wasn¡¯t- I mean, hey, you did magic against the bird, right? Isn¡¯t that awesome? What spell was it? And what class did you choose again? I think I forgot.¡± Mia let out a snort at his horrendous attempt at changing the topic. She took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then let it out in a huff. That was weird as hell ¡­ did I get implanted instincts too? I suppose those came with the new race. Elves are supposed to hate having their ears messed with and especially cut off. Mia raised her left hand up to her ear and gently ran a fingertip over the earlobe up to the tip. Her whole body twitched and curled up, goosebumps ran down her back and raised the hairs on her neck. ¡°Hrghh.¡± She let out an extremely unladylike sound, somewhere between a groan and a moan. Then the pain from her poor right shoulder slapped her in the face and she quickly relaxed her body with a grimace. ¡°Owwww. Damn.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Mark stared at her, thankfully more weirded out than ¡­ whatever else most men would have felt if they heard the sound she made. ¡°What? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia wheezed. ¡°I¡¯m just an idiot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing new,¡± Mark started, then stopped himself. Three years of throwing insults at each other for fun made his mouth flap before his brain caught up at times. ¡°I mean. That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t know how good Lara¡¯s magical bullshit healing is. For all I know, she just pumped you full of some magical morphine and fucked off.¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said. ¡°I don¡¯t think- I- Ah, fuck. I would be dead if she didn¡¯t help. Pretty sure.¡± She was still struggling with coming to terms with that. Probably would for quite a while. ¡°How did you find her, anyway?¡± Mia asked. ¡°And where are we? Are there still monsters- ¡° ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Mark cut in. ¡°And she just sort of stumbled out of her apartment a bit after you ¡­ fell asleep and almost fell over you. Apparently, her boyfriend got roughed up pretty bad by another little fucker and she sort of panic-picked some sort of magical healer class.¡± He shrugged then, as if that explained it. ¡°So she is healing up every injured person now?¡± ¡°Pretty much,¡± Mark shrugged again. ¡°And we are on the first floor. Jeff opened up a bunch of unoccupied apartments and said it would be our mini-hospital from now on.¡± ¡°And the-¡± Mia thought back to the bird and held back another shudder. Something that strong shouldn¡¯t be that small, that quick and that malicious. Mia never thought pure evil existed before, but one look into the monster¡¯s eyes was enough to shatter that belief beyond all hope. She swallowed the lump in her throat. ¡°The monsters?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Mark scratched his neck, not looking at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but Jeff and some others ¡­ they are bloody monsters- not in the way the bird-thing was. They went from floor to floor and curb stomped every little shitstain that got into the apartments. I saw Jeff just tank one of those birds slashing at him before he just tore its head off like nothing.¡± Mark looked back at her, his gaze vacant with an echo of fear. Mia supposed seeing a man kill the monster that almost killed both of them would be somewhat traumatic. Hell, she was sure she¡¯d be seeing that bird again when she fell asleep. Free subscription to a month of NightmarePlus, great. My favourite streaming site. ¡°So,¡± Mia said, shaking off the lingering terror. ¡°Are we ¡­ safe?¡± ¡°As much as we can be, I suppose,¡± he snorted. ¡°Jeff is a paranoid bastard. He had a two inch thick metal wall lowered over the front gates and every window is currently being barricaded. Plus, those who went through the floors, butchering the monsters are freakishly strong ¡­ I think they levelled up a bunch.¡± ¡°Level- ¡° [You have contributed to the death of a monster! Congratulations!] [Level Up!] [Level: 1 -> 2] [Free Attribute Points: 0 -> 3] [{Newcomer} Quest-chain Unlocked! Check the ¡®Quests¡¯ tab] [REALM NOTIFICATION! The first Realm Event of the cosmic Realm has begun! Kill monsters, close Rifts, earn rewards!] ¡°Eh?¡± Mia gasped. ¡°Realm Event? Quests?¡± ¡°Oh! Right!¡± Mark snapped out of his brooding and brightened up. ¡°I was worried you didn¡¯t get that Quest-thingy ¡ª you got it right? The newcomer¡¯s quest-chain? ¡ª I didn¡¯t know whether I¡¯d messed that up for you by stealing your kill- Did you get XP for it?¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Mia closed her eyes. In and out. In through the nose, hold ¡­ and out through the mouth. ¡°I levelled up once, got three attribute points, got the questline and a ¡­ Realm Notification?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great!¡± Mark grinned. ¡°I levelled up too, already put my points into strength. Anyway, that quest thing is ¡­ well, I don¡¯t know how long we can go without, you know, fighting monsters, but the first few quests are easy. You can blast through them once you get better. They were worth it. The Realm thingy is some sort of reward system for fighting monsters that escaped rifts and for closing those rifts.¡± ¡°You figured that all out while I was out?¡± Mia asked, baffled. ¡°I mean, you were out for almost twelve hours,¡± He shrugged. ¡°I was bored. Plus, some guys who were cleaning out the monsters were happy to share some info too about the quest-chain.¡± Mia opened up the Interface, and found the Quests tab without much fuss, then opened it up. [Quests] [{Newcomer} Introductory (1)] Objective: [Reward: A System generated book of your choice.] [Realm Event: Rift Mayhem] Objectives: [Rewards will be given at the end of each week based on each User¡¯s contribution! The Event will end once the Realm stabilises!] Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. [Failing this event might mean not only the end of your town, but that of your planet and the Realm as a whole] ¡°Huh,¡± Mia said, staring at the new window with eyes wide open. ¡°A book? ¡­ Oh wow, that¡¯s a lot of objectives.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t diss the book,¡± Mark cut it. ¡°The list it lets you choose from has all sorts of crazy stuff from it. A bestiary of common monsters, basic mana theory books, runic lexicons and a bunch of other things.¡± ¡°What did you get?¡± Mia asked curiously. ¡°A book on ¡®widely known¡¯ Rank 0 Classes and their prerequisites,¡± He grinned, though he rolled his eyes at the widely known part. ¡°Anyway. It was awesome, and it offers up that same thing again for some of the following quests so you could get yourself a bunch of magic books or whatever else you need to shoot out those things that you did.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia blinked, then smiled slightly. ¡°So I just have to put a point into something ¡­ ¡° [Attributes] [Body: 4] (+) [Mind: 4] (+) [Spirit: 5] (+) [Free Attribute Points: 3] ¡°What?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°Why are they? ¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t have these stats before?¡± She turned to Mark, who sported a thoughtful frown. ¡°Your stats went up?¡± Mia nodded. ¡°And not just a bit. My Spirit went from one to five.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mark scratched his beard. ¡°Well, shit, Sam was probably right then. Your race is supposed to be all magical, right? With you being some discount elf?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mia rolled her eyes, a strange sense of pride flaring in her chest. It insisted elves were discount versions of her. Not the other way around. ¡°Well, Sam got turned into a cat-boy,¡± Mark snickered. ¡°And his Body attribute jumped up three points. Not instantly, but over a few hours and with no system notifications. He assumed it was because his stats were playing catch-up with his new body.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Sam?¡± Mia asked while shelving the new information away. So being a Halvyr gave her free stat points? Great. She would dearly need every drop of spirit point if she wanted to do magic. ¡°The guy living next-door,¡± Mark rolled his eyes. ¡°You know, the guy who¡¯s had the hots for you for the last two years and comes over to fix up all of our stuff?¡± ¡°I thought you hired him to do that,¡± Mia frowned, then glared at him. ¡°Did you rope the poor guy into doing housework for free?¡± ¡°Maybeeee,¡± Mark averted his eyes. ¡°I only told him it was a good opportunity to start up a conversation with a girl. And that most girls like handy guys.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia doubled the intensity of her glare. ¡°Most girls. Will he think I¡¯m just being a bitch and lying when I tell him I much prefer girls?¡± ¡°Like good old Arnie? Probably not,¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s a bit slow, but a nice guy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such an asshole,¡± Mia ran her hand down her face and groaned. ¡°I hope he beats you up for it.¡± ¡°He can try,¡± Mark grinned. ¡°I¡¯m so close to getting my Spellblade Class. He can try all he wants.¡± ¡°Spellblade?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Yep.¡± He straightened up and puffed out his chest. ¡°Got a claymore and all, and it should work well with my Major Earth affinity if that book isn¡¯t a scam. I just need to get another book that teaches me some basic mana theory and I have to get an Earth Mana Manipulation secondary skill.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Mia opened her mouth, then shut it. ¡°Did I fuck up by choosing a class already? What if-¡± ¡°You¡¯d be birdfeed if you didn¡¯t choose a class already,¡± Mark reminded her. At her flinch, he grimaced. ¡°Sorry, too soon? Yeah, too soon. Sorry again. Anyway, you¡¯ll just have to get a better class at Rank 1 and merge the two. Apparently that¡¯s the way to raise class rarity and to fill up your empty Subskill slots.¡± ¡°Riiiiight,¡± Mia nodded. The words were familiar, and she had an inkling of what each meant, but she was woefully lacking in any deeper knowledge. A thought hit her. ¡°You got any books like ¡®basic system knowledge¡¯ or something?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± He looked at her weirdly. ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°How the hell do you know what all those things are then?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°I mean, I just ¡­ read the description?¡± He gave her a strange look. ¡°That ¡®Newcomer¡¯ Title lets you view a basic description of almost any system handle. You should probably go over your entire Interface with a comb. Might help with the boredom in here ¡­ no phones to play on and all that.¡± ¡°I guess?¡± Mia said. ¡°Can you give me the books you don¡¯t need anymore? And tell me what you have? I don¡¯t want to waste these ¡­ quest rewards on duplicates.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Mark nodded. ¡°Anyway, after that, I¡¯m going to go ¡­ I don¡¯t like not having a class, even if the building is mostly safe now. What if a damned Rift opens up under my bed?¡± After that, he gave her a list of his books, then trudged off to do his thing and Mia was left alone in the tiny bedroom with her thoughts. She just stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds in silence, replaying the last moments of the fight that ended up with her needing magical healing to survive. Should have gone for a healing class ¡­ maybe a tank? Why am I such an idiot? Mia grumbled at her previous self some more, throwing curses at her for jumping at the chance of being a mage. This is real life, not a game. I should have gone for a class that helps me stay alive, not one that¡¯s just as likely to kill me as the monsters. Her rudimentary knowledge granted to her by the Arcane Mage class told her that much. Out of the seven essential elements, arcane was the most likely to blow up not just the target, but the caster and their immediate surroundings too. The arcane was wild and ferocious, and the further down the path an arcane mage is, the more dangerous it gets. Both for them and their surroundings. Well, if I am going for offence, I might as well go all in and be the best at it? Mia thought uncertainly. But that was it. Her class was chosen and locked in. She might be able to shape it some by merging it with some other class, but she¡¯d be an arcane mage for life. I really hope I didn¡¯t fuck up my whole life with that choice. Mia took a deep breath and resolved herself to be more cautious going forward. She was going to glare the hell out of every line of the Interface and dig up all of its secrets before she made another serious decision. Like picking where to put her fancy new stat points. The magic gremlin in her wanted to chuck it all into Spirit, but she didn¡¯t even know what Spirit was. She just assumed it had to do with mana and magic. So she glared at it like it kicked her puppy. *** [Spirit Attribute: 5] ( - ) Sub-attributes: *** Oh, so that plus there wasn¡¯t for adding the free point, but to view this page? Mia thought, her eyes going over the whole page with a severe glare. The system awarded her for it with a short description of each sub-attribute. *** Control: The ease with which your spirit can mould mana (or other supernatural energies), though its effects seem more like the User¡¯s mana becoming easier to mould. It is a sort of metaphysical dexterity of one¡¯s spirit. Sensitivity: The spirit¡¯s sensitivity to mana and other forms of supernatural energies, including the spiritual energy and power of other beings. Manifestation: The ease with which one can manifest phenomena using mana, Ki, or other supernatural energies. One¡¯s ¡®affinity¡¯ with magic. Together with Willpower from the Mind Attribute, these determine the speed and ease of spell-casting. *** Mia¡¯s eyes glinted with glee. Finally, some useful information. Her implanted knowledge severely lacked any sort of practical know-how and information about how to use the system itself. It was like someone took all the ¡®must read¡¯ books for a mage apprentice and shoved it all into her head, word for word. It was hard to navigate at the best of times, and useless for the most part. Especially since she had to constantly do mental gymnastics to search for what every third silly magical word meant. Magic jargon was much worse than techno, in her unbiased opinion. Why is my Sensitivity so high? Are Halvyr really that great at it? Mia eyed the stat, then shrugged. Free stat points couldn¡¯t be bad. Though, seeing how far apart the other two stats were annoyed her for some reason. Didn¡¯t I get a Spirit point a while back for ¡®training¡¯ it? Can I just ¡­ train all my stats up to infinity? That would have been silly, so probably not. It had to have some limit on it. She would have to see whether that popped up any? of the descriptions, if not, she might have to get some ¡®system guide book¡¯ as her first reward since Mark focused on class lexicons and then the stuff he needed for his spellblade class. Mia opened up Mind¡¯s page next. *** [Mind Attribute: 4] ( - ) Sub-attributes: *** Mia grimaced. That Will score was pathetic, and she had a suspicion as to why. Before shame could get much of a foothold on her, she thought of something. What if she dumped all her points into Will? Would it make me braver? Help me actually do ¡­ stuff? Mia¡¯s heart pounded in her ears. Didn¡¯t it also say before that willpower is one component of casting magic? What if that¡¯s why my spell refused to come out? Growing more excited, she opened up the description of each sub-stat. *** Cognity: The speed at which thoughts flow. The speed of the mind. Increases the amount of sensory data the User can handle and process. Memory: The mind¡¯s capability for recording and recalling information. Will: The willpower of the User, the weight and power of their thoughts, the strength and firmness of their character. Influences spellcasting, aura, and many more aspects of everyday life. *** It didn¡¯t state it outright, but Mia supposed that was all she would get. She glared at it, but no further information popped up. That was it. Well, if bravery was to overcome fear, one needed to have the willpower to do that, right? And this thing did just that. It even said it influenced spell-casting, twice. For now, Will sat on the top of her list. One point into Manifestation and two into Will? That sounded good. I just swore I¡¯d think things through and see all options before making decisions. Let¡¯s see what Body has to offer. *** [Body Attribute: 4] ( - ) Sub-attributes: *** Yikes. What¡¯s with that Strength stat, what the hell? Mia grimaced. Sure, she wasn¡¯t the tallest girl around, and neither did she really train her upper body, but she had legs for days and the beginning of abs ¡­ if you squinted. Visible abs had always been just out of her reach. The best she got were two vertical curves on her stomach in the vague shape of muscles. Anyway! That Strength stat was still weird and deserved further investigation! *** Agility: Builds lean muscles fit for speed and fast reflexes. Strength: Builds muscle mass focusing on pure power. Flexibility: Dexterity, flexibility. Muscles loosen up, tendons, ligaments, and joints stretch and bend farther. *** ¡°Huh, I guess that¡¯s cool, then?¡± She squinted at it. ¡°But if the main attribute is the average, won¡¯t I have to raise that abysmal Strength stat even if I couldn¡¯t care less about muscle mass?¡± Mia eyed the main Body attribute¡¯s description again. It was a stat worth raising, more than most. It was the stat that kept her alive. She didn¡¯t see any HP bars anywhere yet, but if there were some, she would bet both of her kidneys that they were linked to the body stat. Plus, just not getting whatever super virus those stinky goblins must have been carrying made it worth it. Hell, an entire new slew of magical monsters with magical diseases were running up and down the streets and that Body stat was likely the only thing keeping her safe from those. Mia closed all the system windows and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of sinking into the fluffy mattress for a moment. It was time to make a decision. Then she would have to explore the rest of the system interface. If nothing else, it would be a nice distraction while she had to stay in bed. 08 - Recovery and Books (+ Illustrations ) [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 2] [Will: 2 -> 3] [{Newcomer} Introductory (1)] is Complete! Claim reward now? Yes / No Even though Mia wasn¡¯t really one for RPGs most of the time, she did play some of the better ones that seemed fun. She usually just went with the magic build, if there was one, but min-maxing wasn¡¯t something she tended to do. They were called Role-Playing Games, not Advanced Mathematics Class. Still, she knew that putting a finite stat point into a stat she could have gotten by training for free would have given a true min-maxer like Mark an aneurysm. Well, considering he did this quest already, he also spent one point. Mia hummed in thought. Doing so must have caused him considerable psychic damage, but if he did it, Mia didn¡¯t feel bad about doing it too. That one point in Will, felt like ¡­ nothing. She didn¡¯t feel anything different. Though there was nothing testing her willpower at the moment, being encased in the soft embrace of her pillows and blanket. At that thought, she decided to see whether it helped her magic. The winning spell this time was Arcane Shield, since she didn¡¯t want to explode her bed or hit any holes into the walls with a Bolt ¡ª though she doubted that silly spell could do that. Mia¡¯s runic model moved, reconfiguring itself with the speed of an anorexic turtle, like always. Mia didn¡¯t care. She didn¡¯t know what was supposed to speed that up, but it wasn¡¯t Will. When the model was done and the spell circle was fully formed in her mana pool, she commanded a bit of mana to her fingertips. The important part there was ¡®commanded¡¯. She¡¯d replayed her frantic fight with the murderbird a thousand times in her head, and she came to the conclusion that her mana refused to act when she coddled it or was in any way gentle in her control of it. She wasn¡¯t sure whether it resembled a cat or a bat more, but as the mana rushed to her fingers with little fuss, she decided she was on the right path. Alright. This thing worked two times. One time I was really damned angry, the other I was terrified. Mia squinted at her fingers, now softly glowing with a vivid pink light. I need to either have some extremely strong emotions to trigger it, or just pure focus and willpower will do. Either way, I have to order it with my entire mind behind the command ¡­ I think. Hopefully, her increased Will would do the trick. Mia focused. Shield. It was supposed to make a semi-translucent barrier the size of her torso half a metre before her outstretched palm. Come on. Work. WORK. Mia felt it twitching, the mana in her fingers vibrating, but it wasn¡¯t enough. No, she was still asking it to work, hoping it would. That wasn¡¯t good. You WILL WORK. GET TO IT! And it did. The circle shimmered into being around her wrist for a change and slowly rotated around it as mana streamed forth from her fingers to form a faint pink barrier in front of her palm. It worked. ¡°YESSSS!¡± Mia exclaimed, and promptly ran out of mana, causing the barrier to fizzle along with the magic circle around her wrist. She didn¡¯t care. It worked. Oh, my god. That was awesome! She wouldn¡¯t admit it aloud, not even under the threat of torture, but she thought the softly glowing and spinning magic circle around her wrist was cool. Oh, she would just have to see how it looked in a mirror. Did her hair float as if an invisible wind was blowing into it while she channelled the spell? Were her eyes glowing? For the moment, she didn¡¯t even care about its distinct pinkness. It was magic. If anyone dared to call the colour of her magic lame ¡ª aside from herself ¡ª she¡¯d feed them a bolt of lame pink mana. Fuck them! Mia spent a solid minute giggling ¡ª definitely not cackling like an evil witch ¡ª and revelling in her newfound awesomeness. Then, decided it was time to get onto the problem: Why did the spell fizzle out? The answer was simple, because it ran out of mana. The problem? She just about had all the mana in her fingers that her tiny hair-thin mana circuits could hold. Mana circuits were sort of like veins, but a bit more ¡­ sleek? Well, the point was that she didn¡¯t have half a billion mana circuits, only about a hundred or two. It reminded her of those oriental energy flow diagrams, Meridians. Maybe the ancient monks who came up with them really knew something? Were they mages? I¡¯ll probably never know. Anyway. The point was that her fingers had a single channel each, and shoving more mana into that finite space than it could fit, was how a mage lost their fingers. By the way, a good tenth of her implanted knowledge was about how to not mutilate yourself while doing magic. Backlash, chaotic mana, overtaxed mana channels, ruptured mana circuits and many, many more nasty things she was now aware of, and would have to be careful about. Back in that fight, she probably overtaxed her circuit a bit, but that was more like sore muscles than anything else. Rupturing was where problems started. So, she¡¯d have to somehow keep refilling the mana at the same pace the spell ate it up if she wanted to keep it going for more than a few seconds. Mia could already tell that¡¯d take more finesse with mana than she currently had, but she wasn¡¯t one to give up without even trying! ¡­ Anymore. From today onwards, she was a new Mia, one that didn¡¯t look at a problem, find it bothersome, and give up without even trying. A Mia that didn¡¯t convince herself every single girl she found herself crushing on was straighter than an arrow and would find her advances annoying ¡­ not that she ever attempted anything that could even vaguely be called flirting outside the bounds of her overactive imagination. With renewed vigour, she jumped right back into playing with magic. She tried filling her circuit up with mana up to her wrist first. That ate up almost a tenth of her mana pool by itself, but that wasn¡¯t the worst part. That happened just when she managed to cast the spell again and it tore away a finger¡¯s worth of mana and let the rest loose. Mia almost lost control of the remaining mana right then and there. Sweat poured down her brows as she wrestled it back under control, even ignoring the shield spell dying off. Okay, let¡¯s not do that again. Mia stared listlessly at the ceiling. That was about 5% of her mana, about ten times what would be needed to rupture her channels if she let it go wild. Mana was only dormant in her pool, where her spirit suppressed it. When she took it out, she had to keep it suppressed. It was easy, almost effortless, when it was the only thing she had to do, but actually casting a spell took every bit of her focus and will, leaving not even scraps to keep the mana controlled. Arcane mana¡¯s chaotic nature didn¡¯t help either. Mia came to the decision that she would try again once she had her Mind stat above 10, since that would supposedly boost her multitasking. Getting crippled wouldn¡¯t be fun. Especially with monsters around to weed out the weak. She had to be strong. But slow and steady was the name of the game, not quick and dead. Those people jumping headfirst into groups of monsters without knowing anything might have saved many people¡¯s lives, but Mia wouldn¡¯t have survived if half of them got munched on by the week¡¯s end. Knowledge would be just as important to her survival as magical might. On that note, she had a book to pick. She went to the Quests tab and hit ¡®yes¡¯ under her first and only completed quest. [Reward: A system generated book of the User¡¯s choice] [Compiling ¡­ [Available books: [Choose one book] ¡°Oh damn you, System,¡± Mia mumbled, but inwardly she was drooling. She wiped her mouth. Okay, maybe she was drooling outwardly too, just a bit. But the list of offered books was definitely drool worthy. Mia wanted all of them. Every single one of those books seemed either interesting or useful. She¡¯d have to toe the line in the middle. The bestiary would be a must have¡­ but she was sure one of the knuckleheads fighting monsters already had one she could borrow. If not, she could get one later. For now, there was zero magic promised in that book, which was a giant glaring con for the bestiary. Mia read through each of the other books¡¯ titles carefully, glaring at them for more information, but for once, it didn¡¯t work. All she had to go off of were the titles. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Runic Lexicons would have the new runes she needed to expand her runic-model, and maybe unlock some new spells. So those were all top contenders, but she had all the essential spells she needed for now ¡ª since she doubted there was an arcane healing spell out there ¡ª which made her want to expand her knowledge on magic or her element in general. Why? Especially with her implanted knowledge? Because Classes. Mark left his class lexicon behind for her perusal, and almost every mage class seemingly had some form of knowledge not granted by the class itself as a prerequisite, along with some sort of mana manipulation secondary skill. She only got Arcane Mage because she had a stupid high affinity for the element, according to the book. ¡®(Major Arcane Affinity, Mana Manipulation secondary skill and knowledge of advanced mana theory) or (Superior Grade Arcane Affinity)¡¯. That was the prerequisite for her class. Superior, it seemed, was the highest affinity one could have for any element that wasn¡¯t light or dark. Though she didn¡¯t get why those two were so special yet, which was also why she was leaning towards the book with Affinities or the Elemental one. ¡°Decision paralysis, my old foe,¡± Mia grumbled, remembering how she spent embarrassing hours deciding on the name of her characters in one MMO or another. This was much worse. No, it isn¡¯t. Mark said it¡¯ll offer this up as a reward again. He had half a dozen books! I just need to choose what I want to read first. She wanted to slap herself for being stupid, or smash her head into a wall. [¡®Elements, Affinities and Attunement¡¯ chosen] Without any fanfare, a regular paperback book flopped onto her lap. Mia didn¡¯t see where it came from, nor did she care by this point. She snatched it up and looked it over. It was a book, a simple paper book. On its front was the title in a nice calligraphic script, but nothing else. It was a bit bland for a book on magical elements in her humble opinion, but who was she to tell the system how to style its books? Not wasting another second, she got to reading. ****** ¡°Heya, whatcha reading?¡± The peppy voice made Mia yelp, almost dropping her new book. Mia looked up just in time to see the invader ¡ª the bunny woman who healed her up ¡ª hide her giggles behind her hand. ¡°Uhm, Hi?¡± Nice. Real smooth. ¡°Hello,¡± the woman said, coming in and plopping down into a chair next to her bed. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind me coming in? I came to check up on you.¡± Mia blinked, stared at the woman already sitting next to her very much in the room and shook her head. ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the woman nodded, her ears flopping forward and catching Mia¡¯s eyes before she caught herself. The woman just huffed, flicking the fluffy ear back like a rebellious lock of hair. ¡°So, did you eat? At least I hope you drank some water.¡± ¡°Ehm,¡± Mia scratched her cheek. ¡°I might have forgotten to do so.¡± ¡°Do you not have something to eat?¡± She asked, then her eyes found her book. ¡°Or were you just ¡­ preoccupied?¡± Mia shifted on the bed under the woman¡¯s stern gaze. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have anything to eat, but I have this.¡± What she had was a bottle of water Mark chucked her way before he wandered off. It was lukewarm and tasted a bit like her shampoo, but it was what she had. The woman grumbled under her breath as she snatched the bottle out of her hand and sniffed it. ¡°Could be worse, I suppose ¡­ Anyway! How are you holding up?¡± ¡°I feel fine,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°My shoulder hurts when I try to use it, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°No dizziness, nausea or fainting spells?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said. ¡°I feel like I could run around without a problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± the woman ¡ª Lara, wasn¡¯t it? ¡ª glared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this ¡­ magic stuff works, so we have to be careful.¡± ¡°Maybe I could help?¡± Mia asked, then elaborated as the woman gave her a strange look. ¡°My class gave me basic magical knowledge, plus I¡¯ve been reading this book for the last few hours.¡± ¡°Elements, affinities, and attunement?¡± Lara read the title with a raised brow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what those words mean, or how they would help, but I suppose I¡¯ve got nothing to lose. Alright! I have about an hour of free time ¡ª if nobody gets themselves messed up in the meantime.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said. ¡°So, first of all, can you tell me what the element of your class is?¡± ¡°The element?¡± Lara frowned, then went cross-eyed as she likely browsed her interface for an answer. ¡°Uhhh, Life? I think.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mia said. ¡°Then you should have earth and water affinity, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°Can you tell me the grade?¡± Mia asked, grimacing a bit inwardly. The book said affinity grade and Traits were very personal information and asking about it counts as a slight in most societies. I wonder what societies it was talking about though ¡­ It stands to reason that Earth isn¡¯t the first and only world controlled by this system. ¡°Major? That¡¯s what you¡¯re asking?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Mia said.¡±I guess that fits. Life is supposed to be an advanced fused element. Getting a class with it in Rank 0 should be rare.¡± As the woman stared at her, Mia coughed and explained. ¡°The book went into great detail about this stuff. Everyone has some level of affinity for some of the essential elements, that is: light, fire, air, arcane, water, earth and darkness. It¡¯s like a scale with those seven pins on it and you are randomly placed on that scale at birth ¡­ or when a magical lightning bolt pumps you full of mana.¡± ¡°Okaaaay,¡± Lara said. ¡°And how does that help me with my skills?¡± Mia stopped. ¡°Skills? Don¡¯t you use spells?¡± ¡°Honey, I have no idea.¡± Lara shrugged. ¡°I touch people¡¯s skin, get an idea of what¡¯s wrong with them, then do my best to fix it. I also have a skill that lets me just ¡­ mend skin and flesh like it''s Playdough.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia frowned. ¡°Well, okay. Guess that makes it easier, spells are much more annoying to use. Anyway, Life affinity should be more about control and manipulation, so that fits too. If you were a Light based healer or something, you could probably just heal people up with a touch.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that a little unfair?¡± Lara scrunched her nose up. ¡°Well, Light magic is supposed to be all about energy projection and buffs,¡± Mia said thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think they could deal with some stuff that a Life mage could. The book mentions, for example, that Light healing can¡¯t deal with the more finicky stuff like cancer and stuff stuck in your body.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Lara said. ¡°Wait! You said I could heal cancer?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Mia said. ¡°In the future? The book didn¡¯t give much beyond a general mention of the element¡¯s pros and cons. I do know, though, that Light Mages wouldn¡¯t be able to.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s big.¡± Lara leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°If that¡¯s true ¡­ maybe this system isn¡¯t so bad. Though I really could do without the monsters.¡± Mia forced a smile at that, matching the woman¡¯s wry grin with her own. As the silence stretched, she quickly thought of something to ask. ¡°Sooo, how did you get that class, anyway? Were you a doctor before this or something?¡± ¡°Or something,¡± Lara snorted. ¡°I was just a nurse, nothing as fancy as a doctor. What about you? I told you all about my unfathomable magical powers, but I know nothing of yours.¡± ¡°I got Arcane Mage,¡± Mia said after a moment. ¡°What does it do?¡± She asked. ¡°¡®Arcane¡¯, isn¡¯t that just a word for magic?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Mia said. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be good for playing with non-magical energies like kinetic and thermal ¡­ and for blowing things up. Mostly blowing things up.¡± ¡°No lifting stuff with your mind?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Always wanted to do that. I¡¯d never have to stand up to get the remote ever again.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Mia said. ¡°I have a spell called Mage Hand. It¡¯s supposed to conjure up a spectral hand that can lift stuff for me ¡­ but-¡° ¡°Let¡¯s see it.¡± Lara sat up with a smile. ¡°Or does it tax your body? If so, please don¡¯t. Even if you feel fine, your body must have been strained from healing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°It only strains my mind and my mana channels.¡± Her runic model formed the spell circle with the same laziness as before, her multiplied Spirit and increased Mind attributes doing nothing to hurry it along. Mage Hand was, surprisingly, her most complex spell. Where the rest of them only had simple spell circles with nothing more than a handful of runes dotting them and one or two geometric shapes surrounding them, Mage Hand used all of her available runes aside for the three she knew had to do with exploding her projectiles and other shapes like bolt and the shield. It also had four shapes to go along with them. Two squares tilted to make an eight-pointed star and two circles, one hugging it from the inside and one from the outside. The resulting triangles were filled with runes. Mia took a deep breath and let her mind empty out. Then she focused, letting the entire weight of her psyche collapse upon the small blob of mana already in her fingers, like an avalanche. The spell circle flared to life and a translucent pink hand shimmered into view. It floated a metre away from Mia and mirrored her own hand, which was also covered in a soft pink glow like a glove. She waved her hand around and the Mage Hand swam through the air in response. When Mia made a fist, so did the spectral hand, and when she waved, it mirrored her. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ kinda creepy,¡± Lara said as she stared at the floating hand. ¡°But also kinda cool. Can you lift stuff with it?¡± ¡°I should be able to,¡± Mia said, then searched for a target to check. An old plushie up on the shelf just two metres away from her was the unfortunate winner. Mia shuffled around to face the little stuffed bunny and aimed the hand at it. With there still being a metre between the Mage Hand and her target, she frowned. I should be able to make it go further or come back closer mid-cast, but how? With a mental shrug, she decided to go with the simplest option first. Her mind flexed again, and she glared at the soft pink spell circle around her wrist. Extend! It did not, in fact, extend. And she didn¡¯t think it was because she didn¡¯t push hard enough. What else? Mia was just about to examine the runes to maybe figure out whether one of them was the one she could use like a joystick to extend and retract her Hand, but the spell ran out of mana just then. ¡°Ran out of mana?¡± Lara asked with a worried frown. ¡°Sorry for pushing you-¡° ¡°Just the spell,¡± Mia cut in, a new blob of mana already flowing through her channels to reactivate the spell. ¡°I still have a couple more spells in me.¡± After a short mental wrestling, the spell reactivated, and Mia went back to where she was. Which rune could be the one? Mia squinted at them, digging up her implanted knowledge of runic theory. In the end, she narrowed it down to two strange runes that she didn¡¯t know the meaning of. She poked at them, both with her other hand and with her mind. She prodded her runic model too, with zero results. I know I can extend it. But how? Mia delved deep into her alien knowledge, and when she finally found the most likely answer, she wanted to strangle whoever made the spell circle. ¡®Rotary variable input¡¯ was supposedly the most common way to change a variable in an active spell. It only worked when there was only a single fluid variable in the entire spell, but that was most of them. As for where the ¡®rotary¡¯ part of the term came from? With her face twitching, Mia gave a mental nudge to the spell circle. The circle turned, slowly rotating around her wrist, and the spectral hand flew forward. Okay, that¡¯s kinda cool, actually. Mia squinted, slowing down the rotational speed as the hand closed in on the plush bunny. There, a little more. She stopped the rotation and gingerly closed her palm into a claw. Mia squinted at the bunny, slowly lifted her hand and watched the spectral hand lift the bunny. Victory. She sent the spell circle spinning in the opposite direction and the plushie flew back into her hand, the Mage Hand wrapping around her fleshy hand like a second glove as the circle froze. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous,¡± Lara said. ¡°I¡¯d give it up for healing powers,¡± Mia grumbled under her breath. Being able to mend her flesh like Lara could would make her chances of surviving another bird ambush skyrocket while a fancy floating hand that had trouble lifting anything heavier than a plushie would be basically worthless. Thankfully, Lara didn¡¯t seem to hear it. ¡°Do you think I could learn that?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I have a Minor affinity for Arcane.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°My class did most of the work for me, but I think if you could shape your mana into the exact shape of the spell circle, it should work.¡± ¡°And how do I do that?¡± Lara asked. Mia just shrugged. ¡°Lots of practice and a bunch of points into Spirit, I guess. I¡¯ve tried to shape my mana into shapes, but I¡¯m struggling with just making triangles and cubes. Anything as complicated as a spell circle is out of the question for quite a while.¡± ¡°Well, it can¡¯t hurt to practise,¡± Lara shrugged. ¡°It might also help with my healing. God knows how many times I almost melded someone¡¯s organs with their muscles.¡± Mia just stared at her, horrified. ¡°It was a ¡­ joke?¡± Lara scratched her cheek awkwardly. The two spent a few more minutes chatting, then Lara left to get Mia some food. Minutes later, she left Mia with a few slices of bread and some cheese to nibble on. Then back to reading it was. She still had half a day to kill at least. She planned to finish up the book by the end of it. 09 - Elements and System Exploration The book snapped shut, leaving Mia to massage her strained, and probably bloodshot, eyes. She had just binged the whole thing. Although it wasn¡¯t that long, only a hundred or so pages. Mia had to read slowly though and go over some parts multiple times to ensure she understood them. At least it was worth it. Why this wasn¡¯t included in ¡®what an initiate mage would know¡¯ she didn¡¯t know. She would have called her class knowledge a scam, but it did let her explode things with magic, so it sort of worked as advertised. Anyway, Mia understood a bit more about elements in general, and her element specifically. Surprisingly, the section about the arcane element was the longest. Turns out, every enchanter, alchemist and artificer had to have at least a Minor affinity for the element. Almost every crafting profession needed the crafter to manipulate arcane mana, mostly just tiny amounts, but still. Arcane was the element that handled non-magical energies and materials the best. Earth could manipulate solids, Water could manage liquids, and Air could control gases, but Arcane could handle all three simultaneously. Only to purely physical, non-magical stuff and with much more effort, but that usually wasn¡¯t much of a problem in those crafting professions since most of the work was done through specialised implements, which negated the mental strain. There were two other things she learned that were huge. One was how one¡¯s affinities were determined, and another, that having Superior grade arcane affinity was considered a death sentence in the ¡®mystic realm¡¯. Let¡¯s start with the first! As it turned out, her scale metaphor was more fitting than she thought. Every single person has a sort of inner energy in their spirit, which is made of a mixture of positive and negative energy. The ratio of those two was what decided the person¡¯s affinities. And affinity was the most important thing for determining the potential of someone. It restricted classes, magic, skills and sometimes much more. If the book was accurate, the entire System determined what to give to whom based on their affinities for the seven essential elements. If she put 100% positive energy at one end of the scale and 100% negative on the other, she could just put the seven pins for the seven elements at equal intervals and have a somewhat accurate model. Light affinity was born of an overwhelmingly dominant positive energy, Darkness affinity the same for negative and arcane sat happily in the middle at the equilibrium. The rest were spread out evenly. Fire and air were both on the positive side of the scale, with fire coming after light and air just before arcane, while water and earth mirrored it on the negative side of the spectrum. As for the second thing. Superior arcane affinity came about when one had equal amounts of positive and negative energy. Even a deviation of a hundredth of a percent would downgrade it to Major, and if there was more than two entire percents of difference, Minor it was. While having a balanced amount of both energies might seem fine, the book explained that it usually resulted in the two energies constantly clashing and warring. Which in turn made the mage¡¯s mana uncontrollable and often even tore them to shreds from the inside out. Sometimes, even before birth. The mental image of the implications of that little tidbit wasn¡¯t pretty. The only thing that stopped Mia from freaking out was the line that followed. ¡®With all that said, a select few are lucky enough to be born with a Constitution naturally suited for the chaotic and wild nature of uncontrolled arcane mana. The most prominent of which is the {Archon Body Constitution} usually found among the descendants of the Great Spirit King Anachreon. Such a physique would instantly turn the curse that is this affinity into a tremendous blessing.¡¯ Mia remembered that constitution, and sure enough, it was right there when she opened up her Race tab. This made her suspect that her Arcane Halvyr Bloodline might originate from that Anachreon fellow. Well, she might find out more about that once she got her hands on the history book about her new race. Honestly, she still felt human and as they say, if it looks like a human, eats like a human and barks like a human ¡­ If the system had asked her back when it did its thing, listing out the pros and cons of the ¡®awakening¡¯, she would have probably still gone through with it. A silly barbie paint-over for not blowing up from her own affinity and a bunch of free stat points. Plus a skin that was so effortlessly silky and smooth that using her previous skincare products would probably make it look worse. You would have to be an idiot to not accept that trade, and Mia liked to think she wasn¡¯t an idiot. With the book properly devoured and her eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets if she used them for a minute longer, Mia decided to get some sleep in. Hopefully, she¡¯d be well enough to walk by the time she woke up. Sleep came the moment her head hit the pillow, spiriting her away to the land of dreams and nightmares. ****** Dressed in her still bloody shirt and her now very sweaty jeans, Mia grabbed her book, stacked Mark¡¯s loaned ones on top and left her room. She was somewhat worried about what she¡¯d find in the apartment, seeing as the bird made quite a mess and even had the audacity to die on their new carpet. Then someone boarded up their windows, if Mark was to be believed and she didn¡¯t think for a second that person took any measure of care while doing so. More than fifty apartments and hundreds of windows were to be boarded up and barricaded as fast as possible and under the constant threat of being murdered by an overgrown metal chicken. Mia wouldn¡¯t fault the person who did that, but she still feared for the apartment. She was still a bit out of it as she went to open the door leading to the stairs. Maybe that¡¯s why she almost slammed the door into the face of the man coming down the stairs. ¡°Motherfucker,¡± the man cursed and Mia stiffened up. ¡°Look where you¡¯re going. Fucking moron. Shit.¡± Mia watched him go as he continued to curse, not even glancing her way as he ambled down the stairs. He looked human. More human than she did, at least. What had Mia so frightened was his blood-drenched clothes. He wore what might have been a pair of jeans and a shirt once, now torn and ragged and caked in still drying blood. The problem was he had no injuries beneath, which meant he took a bath in monster blood. Only after his footsteps faded into the distance did Mia timidly start moving. The air still tasted of copper and gore, the bloody footprints of the man visible on every step. I really hope that was monster blood. Mia found herself thinking. Though if the man was one of those psychos that would start to murder people as soon as he got some power, she probably wouldn¡¯t have survived slamming a door in his face. Mia took the steps of the first floor up timidly, ears trained on any footfalls echoing in the enclosed space, but when she didn¡¯t catch anything, she sped up. Two steps with one hop, then three and then four. She raced over the stairs, almost gliding as her feet easily found the best way to land and launch herself a bit further up. A minute later she was standing in front of her apartment, barely winded from the mad dash. Weird, but less weird than conjuring up magical hands. It probably had something to do with her feeling as light as a feather ever since the change, plus those six points in Agility. The apartment opened up before her and the bird¡¯s corpse was gone, but not without a trace. The entire room still stunk and she could see a spot on the carpet she would have to burn. That much dried blood was impossible to get out of their fluffy carpet. So it would have to go if she didn¡¯t want to smell it for the rest of her time here. When she turned to the boarded-up window, she felt the urge to scream. They had to get the boards from somewhere, but why did the coffee table have to be the poor sacrifice when there was an entire wrecked kitchen table lying on the floor? That thing wouldn¡¯t be much good for anything besides firewood with how mangled it was from the murderbird¡¯s strikes. ¡°This will be a pain to clear up,¡± Mia deflated, debating with herself about ignoring the whole thing and just going about her day. She groaned. The whole room was a mess. If not her, Mark would have to clean up and he was more likely to dump everything into a garbage bin than doing it right. With a tortured sigh, Mia got to it. She gathered the pieces of wood and dumped them in a corner. Who knew? Maybe they¡¯d need firewood when winter came. Then went about cutting the bloody bits of carpet away from the rest. A ruined scissor later, she dumped the stinky bit of carpet in a larger bin at the end of the floor before rushing back to the room to take a well-deserved bath ¡­ Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Well, bath in the vaguest sense as it consisted of her dumping a towel into the tub of water, scrubbing herself off and then putting on some shampoo before giving herself another scrub-down. She made sure to use as little of both water and shampoo as possible, but she knew both were finite resources. She dreaded the day when she would have to do without bathing. Even just this much was probably a waste, but she hoped someone selected a water mage class and would quickly learn how to conjure up some water. After she survived a magical storm and a monster attack, dying from thirst would have been extremely embarrassing. With now as clean as could be in the circumstances, she went to get clean clothes. She chose a simple comfy hotpants and a loose shirt for now. Clothes too would be a problem. She had enough to keep dressing in clean clothes for about two or three weeks if she changed into a new set every day, but that too would be unsustainable in the long run. Especially as it was the height of summer. Before things started going tits up a week ago, the average temperature for the last month had been 26 degrees ¡ª in celsius. So if the weather settled down again, she¡¯d be sweating like an animal. Without daily showers, it could be hell. Back in the living room, Mia threw a blanket over the poor couch then collapsed onto it. She could still feel the torn leather under the soft blanket, but it was much better than staring at the claw-marks. Mostly clean and comfortable, she went over what she wanted to find out before doing anything else. The next quest in her quest chain would be first. She¡¯d have to go through as many of those as possible to give herself more books to read through. Before that, though, she wanted to see whether she could find anything else in the Ancestry tab and she¡¯d also have to finally check out the Traits tab. *** [Quests] [{Newcomer} Introductory (2)] Objective: Reward: A free Attribute point into the Sub-Attribute you manage to raise. *** Didn¡¯t I do that already? Mia thought, but shrugged a moment later. If all raising an attribute took was to repeat some exercise associated with it, wouldn¡¯t playing with magic count as training for both her Will stat and the Manifestation stat? Practising to make more elaborate shapes out of mana was also likely to count as training for the Control part of the Spirit attribute. Then there were the Body attributes, but she¡¯d rather play with magic than start doing squats in a corner. That¡¯s for later though, let¡¯s check that Ancestry tab. I feel like I got an abridged version of it last time. The window opened, and after only a few moments of glaring at everything in sight, a few more things became apparent. *** [Ancestry: Halvyr (Arcane)] [Racial Characteristics]: [Maximum Base Attributes] [Body] [Mind] [Spirit] [Life Expectancy: 0.5 SC] [Inherent Racial Traits] *** Well, that¡¯s convenient. Mia hummed. She¡¯d have to remember that. Does that maximum go up by one if I put in a stat point into one of those, or does that point go down the drain? Well, it wasn¡¯t like putting in a point now would be useless. It was an instant power-up. In a second, she could almost double her Will or quadruple her Strength. Still, now that she knew this, she was even less willing to scrounge on those points until she maxed out her base attributes. Was it her low-key OCD talking? Maybe. Did Mark¡¯s idiocy rub off on her? Probably. Mia dreaded the kind of training she would have to do to raise all these stats. Spirit would be similar to playing with magic so she didn¡¯t mind that, but raising Body attributes would take months of gruelling training while Mind¡¯s sub-attributes would probably need some migraine-inducing puzzles and memorization games to increase. Her gaze travelled further, landing on the Life Expectancy header and the undecipherable ¡®0.5 SC¡¯ next to it. She squinted at it, and the system answered her silent prompt. *** System Cycle (SC): An interval of one thousand years. (Equivalent to about 998.9 Earth years) *** ¡°Nice,¡± Mia said. She waited a few seconds, wanting to check whether she¡¯d freak out, but it seemed that one point in Will was worth it. Or she was just getting numb to the weirdness. ¡°So about 500 years. Neat.¡± She eyed the Trait list, but she¡¯d already decided to check out the full Tab just after the Ancestry one, so she ignored them for now and headed over to do just that. After a few moments of mental gymnastics, the new window opened up. *** [Traits] {Novice Arcane Mage (Tier 1)} - Class {Archon Body Constitution} - Bloodline {Spirit Sense} - Racial {Lesser Featherweight Physique} - Elemental {Fae Blooded} - Racial {Energy Channels (Rank 0)} - General *** ¡°Eeeee,¡± Mia squealed and jumped behind the couch mid reading as the barricaded window shuddered. She heard something smash into the boards. The wood groaned and cracked, but whatever monster tried its luck seemed to have bounced right off. Mia coughed and slowly rose from behind the couch, the embarrassing sound she made still ringing in her ears. ¡°Glad no one heard that,¡± she murmured. She looked around, just to make sure and found no one. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m fine. Calm down.¡± As she sat back down on the couch she stared at her shaking hands. That was one thing her increased Will didn¡¯t help one bit. I guess I¡¯d make for an atrocious fighter if I didn¡¯t have magic. She thought. Magic used her mind and focus to aim after all, not her treacherous muscles. Still, it couldn¡¯t hurt to have something to hit monsters with. Her gaze snapped over to Mark¡¯s bat, hanging on the wall like an ornament. It probably wouldn¡¯t last for long against stuff as hardy as the bird monster, but anything she could put between herself and a monster might be what keeps her a firm distance between her and death. She hopped over to the wall, somewhat conscious about her minus 30% weight as she did so. Mia didn¡¯t feel particularly light. Maybe her steps had a bit more of a spring to them and she felt a bit faster, but that was it. Maybe the awakening took away some of my muscles. I doubt I had a 1 equivalent strength as a human. Mia grabbed the bat, her fingers wrapping around its wooden handle, already making her feel a bit safer. With that done and everything else on her mental to-do list crossed out, Mia decided to get that quest done sooner rather than later. With Manifestation being the lowest of her Spirit stats, she went with that. She sat down on the carpet with her legs crossed and with the bat resting on her lap, then started the exercise. A Mage Hand shimmered into being a few seconds later. The mental effort of activating the spell didn¡¯t lessen, but getting her mind to do the mental gymnastics needed to exert the needed focus got easier the more times she did it. The Hand flew out, targeting a cushion, and Mia grabbed with her fleshy hand as its spectral replica closed in on its target. The Hand closed into a fist, then slammed into the poor cushion before dissipating. Mia ran over and checked the cushion, flipping it over and prodding it. It was undamaged. I learned two things. Mia thought as she plopped back down onto the carpet. One, I need to train with the Mage Hand much more if I want the spell to be even a bit useful and two, Mage Hand dissipates from a slap¡¯s worth of damage. Mia took a deep breath, then got back to casting. If she wanted to survive her next fight with a monster ¡ª and she held out no hopes for not coming across another monster ¡ª without almost dying, she would have to get stronger, improve her runic model, learn new spells and train up her attributes. She had a long road ahead, probably a dreadfully tiring and endlessly dangerous one too, but at its end waited unfathomable magical power. And it was hers for the taking. 10 - Questing Troubles Mana. What was mana? Well, even in Mia¡¯s rather shoddy implanted knowledge, that question had at least five different answers to it. What Mia understood from them though, was that silly little novice mages like her weren¡¯t supposed to wrack their pea sized brains over complicated stuff like that. The important parts were that she had a specific amount of it determined by her main Spirit stat, and that she regenerated a specific amount of it passively just by existing. As for how much she regenerated per minute for example? What was the rate of the regeneration? What affected it and how could one speed it up? ¡®Depends¡¯ it apparently depended on a thousand and more variables she wasn¡¯t supposed to think about just yet. Little magelings who couldn¡¯t cast more than a handful of novice level spells shouldn¡¯t bother with the greater arcane mysteries. It was handwaved away in her knowledge dump as such: the stronger your Spirit is, the more mana you attract. With that being the limit of her current knowledge, Mia found herself extremely tempted to dump her remaining two stat points into Manifestation to give her snaillike mana regeneration a boost. Every moment she spent writhing on the carpet, groaning from the pounding headache and the pervasive ache at the centre of her being made that little drop of mana she would get for just giving in all the more alluring. Another moment passed and a new miniscule droplet of ambient mana sank into her skin and slowly rolled through her energy channels towards her mana pool. She felt the aching emptiness abate by a minuscule amount. Mia could at least think now, concentrate on observing how her body collected mana passively. ¡°I am baaaacckk!¡± Mark sang as he came in, the door slamming into the wall alerting the whole floor to his entrance. He stopped, probably noticing her writhing on the ground like a salted slug. ¡° ¡­ Mia? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Manadeprivation,¡± she said quickly, wheezing as another icy stake of pain shot into her skull right as she finished. ¡° ¡­ can I help?¡± Mark asked uncertainty. ¡°Should I get Lara?¡± Mia jerkily shook her head. ¡°Just ¡­ silence.¡± ¡°Ooookay,¡± Mark shrugged, taking her word, or rather head shake, for it. She caught him motioning zipping his mouth as he ambled over to his room and disappeared inside. I thought getting a spirit only had upsides, like having magic and stuff. Mia groaned as she felt another droplet of mana roll down her channels. Turns out, if you don¡¯t have a spirit, it can¡¯t be tortured by mana deprivation. Mia felt like a lone woman stuck out in the desert with no food or water. Her lips might not be parched and her throat might not be dry, but the spiritual equivalent of both was shuddering at every drop of the life-giving liquid that touched them. Mana, it seemed, was just as important for her continued survival as water, if not more so. It¡¯d finally driven home that she herself was very different from the woman who ran away from her would-be muggers. Am I even human anymore- Mia stumbled over the thought, then snorted as she realised the answer stared right back at her if she just opened up the Ancestry tab of the system. Guess not. But does it really matter? It felt like it should have. The loss of one¡¯s humanity was the topic of many a science fiction novel and movie, but she just shrugged it off. It probably helps that it just prettified me and gave me pink hair. And gave me magic, which certainly helped. Everything goes better with a side of magic. Mia distracted herself with errant thoughts as much as she could. She imagined all the awesome spells she would be able to do in the future if she just clawed her way through this suffering and the training she would have to continue once it abated. The arcane was a versatile element, it could do most things other elements could do ¡ª if a bit worse ¡ª but where it shone were Abjuration, the art of protecting stuff, and Conjuration, the art of throwing highly explosive or otherwise murderous stuff at enemies. Of course, as with all things, it had downsides. The most important of those being its tendency to backfire on the caster explosively if they messed up the casting. Another was its complete inability to be used for physical enhancements. Her body would only ever be as strong, fast or hardened as her Body Attributes made it. That stung a bit. Okay, more than a bit, not that Mia would admit it. The book put all the elements before arcane and listed all the awesome things they could do, then slapped her in the face with a: ¡®Did you read all that? Yeah? That¡¯s what you can¡¯t do!¡¯ Light had buffs galore, a single competent light mage could turn an army of Mortals into something that could fight a lesser dragon. Fire had explosive power, which could be channelled through their muscles. Punching through rocks was the baseline. Air gave swiftness and negated weight at a high enough Attunement, while Water could turn a mage into a flowing current. You have to dodge an attack? Become a puddle. Earth. Earth hurt more than the rest. Maybe because she knew Mark would be able to do it in the future. The book had illustrations, a Rank 5 mage transformed into an earthen colossus towering over a city like a god. Darkness was a bit yucky, but she could admit perfect control over one¡¯s body would be helpful, if only for healing. However in the illustration, the mage turned himself into a bony hedgehog. She dreaded the day she met a dedicated darkness mage. All in all, Mia was jealous. Though she suspected what the book covered was just the basics. Maybe arcane had much more to offer than crafting professions, shields and explosions? Something a bit more nuanced. Alchemy, Enchanting and Artificing might have been interesting, but Mia¡¯d rather become the magical machine gun than craft one that could be stolen. I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. And far too greedy. Mia observed, berating herself for letting the horse run away with her. Arcane was her sole affinity, the only reason she was even a mage. She shouldn¡¯t be eyeing other affinities'' seemingly greener grass. First of all, I should learn how to properly blow stuff up and throw shields. The bread and butter stuff. Then I can see where this arcane rabbit hole leads. The book was good, but it hardly even mentioned what was possible for Arcane Mages specialising in the element and not just dabbling in it for crafting purposes. Major or higher Arcane affinity seemed to be just as rare as Full Light or Full Dark affinity, so understandably a generalised book wouldn¡¯t go into detail about it. Why would they, when it would only be useful for one in every hundred thousand people. Still, it sucked. I should get that Arcanism book next. Maybe it¡¯d have more practical knowledge, not just what is apparently ¡®common knowledge¡¯ in this ¡®Mystic Realm¡¯. As the minutes slothfully trudged by, the soul-deep ache of the mana deprivation faded into the background. If she had to guess, it took about twenty minutes for her to recover enough mana to function like a proper human being. Mia stood up, hand clutching a shelf for support as her wobbly legs refused to do their damned job properly. Her focus remained on her spirit, and on her mana pool with which she became intimately familiar with throughout this ordeal. She felt the warning there, a slight sense that she shouldn¡¯t spend more mana. It was probably there even when she decided to cast that last fateful spell that sent her trembling to the floor. She¡¯d just failed to notice it or willfully ignored it. Mia wasn¡¯t sure which it was. Not noticing a slight mental nudge while doing awesome magic was a perfectly understandable mistake. Not like I will ever ignore that sensation again. That was horrible. The worst thing was, that she didn¡¯t even get a stat upgrade, her Manifestation remained the same. Oh well, she barely got out a dozen Mage Hands before she collapsed, so it was understandable. I can¡¯t train my Spirit stats until my mana recovers. Mia grimaced, gingerly letting go of her support to wobble over to the couch. But I don¡¯t want to wait with this quest. I want my next book. Plus that extra Attribute would be helpful in any of my stats. But an extra point in manifestation would be huge ¡­ but I want the book. Decision paralysis, her old foe, struck once more. Maybe it was the added Willpower, or just her thirst for knowledge, but Mia decided to power through training her Strength and Flexibility. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Some stretching and squats should do the trick, especially since her increased Body stat flooded her body with energy. Not the magical kind, probably, but good old stamina. She felt like she could run down to the ground floor then back up to the tenth and barely feel winded. The only thing that kept her from trying just that was the memory of the bloodied man cursing out nine generations of her family for introducing his face to a door. Annoying the monster slayers would be unhealthy, I think. Enthusiasm surging, Mia launched into the most straining set of stretches and exercises she could do in the living room. Even when she was just running around the block, a half an hour of it tired her out. Well, it did before the awakening that is. Now she stood, legs spread and knees bent at just about ninety degrees. That position was a dreadfully tiring one for her thighs, but she¡¯d been holding it for the last ten minutes. Losing almost twenty kilos of weight due to her Featherweight trait probably helped too. Who would have thought, if you were lighter, bodyweight exercises took less strength to do. She felt the soreness, oh the stats didn¡¯t help with at all. What they helped with was fighting through it and not collapsing. Her whole body burned, every muscle she knew how to abuse, she abused extensively. Mia usually wasn¡¯t a fan of gyms and weight training like this. If she exercised, she preferred to do it out in the wider world. Running through the city, hiking up a mountain, cycling the countryside and things like that, but the possibility of numbers going up got all the neurons firing in her monkey brain. It didn¡¯t even take an hour before her efforts were rewarded. *** [Strength: 1 -> 2] [{Newcomer} Introductory (2)] is Complete! Reward has been automatically claimed: [Strength: 2 - > 3] *** Her soreness all but disappeared as a wave of revitalising energy flowed through her body, suffusing every fibre of muscle she had. Where Mia felt like collapsing and never getting back up, now she easily rose back up and stood, the burning in her thighs still present, but fading by the second and much less debilitating. She zeroed in on a chair, her selected test subject and comparison tool. Before anything else, she tried lifting it up and holding it above her hands. Back then, it resulted in her arms shaking and giving up on the task before she could come anywhere close to lifting it above her head. Now, though ¡­ She grabbed it and heaved. It was time to see whether the stats actually did something, or if the surge of power she felt was just her brain being wonky. The chair moved, not easily. Her brows tightened into a frown as she sucked in a breath through gritted teeth and heaved once more. Her arms shook, the soreness in her biceps coming back with a vengeance from the fifty pushups she forced on them. Still, the chair slowly rose, and a few moments later she held it up above her head. As gently as she could, she let it back down. They were already down two chairs from the stupid bird¡¯s rampage. She didn¡¯t want to smash one of their remaining two chairs into the floor. Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took, but a grin spread across her lips. It really worked. She got stronger from just training for a single hour, and not just a little. What got her excited wasn¡¯t even the strength increase, but the implication. Strength, while somewhat useful, was not all that appealing to Mia. The other stats on the other hand, like Cognity, Memory, Agility and all the Spirit stats? She was salivating at the thought of what increasing any of those would be like. Experiencing life with a mind that worked twice as fast, backed up by an eidetic memory and with a body made up of corded muscles working beyond human capability, was a possibility. It was exactly what the system offered to those who were willing to work for those things. Those were superpowers the likes of which wouldn¡¯t be out of place as the powers of a comic-book superhero. Then there was the titanic icing on the cake: Magic. If the system gave all this to her without also dumping monsters all across the city, she¡¯d have thought she died and gotten into heaven. Mia rolled her shoulders, focus turning inward as she inspected her mana pool. Her mana had recovered some, but it was still maybe another twenty minutes away from full. Well, as full as it could be with her current Spirit stat. If she really filled up her pool, she¡¯d be back to constantly having to focus on holding her mana down with a mental grip. Her Spirit was far too flimsy to suppress a full mana pool just yet. She¡¯d have to make sure she didn¡¯t accidentally overcharge herself. Is there even such a thing as a full mana pool? Or could I hold an infinite amount of mana if my Spirit was infinitely powerful? Mia thought that through, going over what she knew of the mystical energy, and came to the conclusion that ¡®probably not¡¯. Her knowledge told her that while mana usually acted like a gas that ignored other matter, when one compressed it, increasing its density, it started acting like liquid and refusing to condense after a point. In essence, even if she filled every cell of her body to the brim with mana, there would come a point when she couldn¡¯t fit a single drop more into herself. That would be quite a while away though. As for her mana becoming too much for her spirit to passively handle? Well, she didn¡¯t plan on ever even getting close to having too much mana. In her opinion, there was no such thing as too much mana. She¡¯d spend every drop she had on training and playing with magic. Just to be safe. Yep. Let¡¯s see what the next Quest is. *** [Quests] [{Newcomer} Introductory (3)] Objectives: Reward: 10 minutes of remote access to the nearest System Obelisk. *** Mia frowned at the reward, then at the quest as a whole. She wanted another book damnit, not some free trial for a System streaming service. Slightly put off by the quest, she still opened up the Secondary Skills tab under the Skills tab. *** [Secondary Skills: (0 / 5)] {Newcomer} Desc: Also called general skills, or Subskills. The second name stems from the fact that any Secondary Skill fitting for the User¡¯s Main Skill can be made into a Subskill of that Skill. (If there is an empty subskill slot, that is) Visit an Obelisk to view your list of available Secondary Skills. *** Mia groaned, then perked up as she got an idea. ¡°MAARK!¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Mia hopped over to his room so she wouldn¡¯t have to shout. ¡°How did you do the Secondary Skill quest?¡± ¡°Ah come in, stop shouting through my door,¡± Mark said, and when Mia did so he spun over on his gaming chair to face her. ¡°What quest was it?¡± ¡°The one where I have to get a secondary skill,¡± Mia said, crossing her arms as she surveyed the room. Despite his haphazard and lazy nature, Mark''s room was somewhat tidy. What caught her attention though, were the empty sword holsters on his walls. Over the years, her roommate wasted exorbitant sums of money on buying swords, from longswords and claymores to katanas, he had everything. Of that, only the katana remained up on the wall. Mia decided to ask about that later, maybe a dagger or shortsword would be better than a bat for her panic melee weapon of choice. ¡°Ah, that?¡± Mark hummed, his legs swinging in the air. ¡°I got Lesser Earth Mana Manipulation. Barely had to do anything before the system slapped me in the face with the skill.¡± ¡°How?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°I¡¯d been throwing spells around for an hour and got nothing.¡± ¡°I meditated on the mysteries of the earth,¡± Mark nodded, fingers running through his beard as he upturned his nose. ¡°Once I caught a glimpse into its secrets, earth mana gathered around me in droves. From there, all I had to do to get the Skill was to make use of it. Which I did promptly thereafter by manipulating the elemental properties of a creation of the earth.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia nodded. ¡°And what did you actually do?¡± ¡°Thought of rocks,¡± he shrugged. ¡°The mana came, and then I shoved it into the sledgehammer, which melted into a puddle. It wasn¡¯t hot, just melted at room temperature and solidified a moment later when the mana ran out.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia stared at the ceiling in thought. ¡°So when you thought of your element ¡­ it attracted mana? Which you somehow used without a spell circle.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± he shrugged again. ¡°Didn¡¯t need much thinking to do. I even managed to upgrade it to regular Earth Mana Manipulation. Just had to turn a pebble into a spike and shoot it at a wall.¡± ¡°Shoot it?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°With magic.¡± He had the gall to shrug again. ¡°Mana went into the pebble, pebble turned into a spike, I wanted it to shoot at a wall and it did.¡± Mia debated asking him about ideas for herself, but refrained. Some strange flare of pride telling her she had to do this herself if she wanted to be a real mage. ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said. ¡°Thanks for the help ¡­ also, do you have some small dagger or something I could use? Just in case? I don¡¯t want to walk around with this bat.¡± ¡°Leave my poor bat alone,¡± Mark grumbled. ¡°The only thing it¡¯s good for is looking nice and cracking nuts. Not skulls. I¡¯ll lend you a ¡­ dagger.¡± He hopped out of his chair and pulled a large wooden box out from under his bed. In it was a stash of sheathed daggers, folding knives and some stilettos. Mia even caught some knuckles and stuff she was pretty sure was illegal to own in Austria. ¡°This should do,¡± he stood up, a dagger as long as his forearm held in his hand. ¡°This should hold up against stuff. Though probably not against metal feathers. Now, where did I put the holster ¡­ ¡° He pulled another rack out, and browsed through it before shoving both back in and starting to go through his drawers. ¡°Aha,¡± he exclaimed, holding up a leather thingy that looked a bit too complicated to be a belt. ¡°I knew I had one of these lying around somewhere.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Mia eyed it curiously. ¡°This is a holster,¡± he threw the thing at her and Mia easily caught it. Surprisingly easily. Flexibility? Or maybe that reflex enhancement from the Body stat? ¡°A thigh holster to be exact.¡± Mia stared at him, then down at her bare thighs. Tightening leather belts around it would be uncomfortable at best. ¡°Really?¡± Mia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh come on!¡± Mark rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna be like those spy girls with hidden daggers under their skirts?¡± ¡°Not in this scorching weather I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fiiineeee,¡± he said and took out another holster, this one sporting a simple belt and a sideways sheath. ¡°You can be boring for all I care.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mia grabbed all three and quickly slipped out of the room. Who knew, maybe that thigh holster would come in handy once. Plus it would look awesome together with a black pair of jeans. Even if her pink hair wouldn¡¯t quite fit it, Mia still wanted to go for the cool look instead of the cutesy one. They wouldn¡¯t catch her dead wearing a frilly pink dress that fit her hair and eyes. Not in a million years. 11 - Meeting What is arcane magic? Mia hadn¡¯t the faintest clue. She knew what it could do, and what it was generally used for, but what it was as a whole? Not a clue. It just seemed to include a range of random things bundled together without much rhyme or reason. Light projected energy, fire governed plasma, air gases, water liquids, earth solids and darkness absorbed and stole energy. All of those were simple, concise and mostly all encompassing descriptors of the elements. They were simple. Easy. What was arcane, the element that stood in the middle, separating the elements into two groups? The one that stood at the crossroads of Light and Dark, Chaos and Order? Was it a mix of both? Neither? Something else entirely? Mia didn¡¯t know. She hadn¡¯t the faintest clue, and it made her want to tear her hair out. Even though she tried focusing on these vague ideas, she didn¡¯t feel any mana gathering around her as Mark described. She was doing something wrong. But what- Three loud knocks rumbled through the door. Mia was already up, mana halfway to her fingertips as the Arcane Blast spell circle started forming in her mana pool. Wait. Monsters don¡¯t knock. Not letting go of either her mana or the spell circle, Mia called out. ¡°Yes? Who is it?¡± ¡°Jeff¡¯s calling a meeting,¡± a gruff voice came from the other side, sounding like the personification of boredom. ¡°Be there in the entrance hall in thirty minutes if you want to be given water and food.¡± Mia¡¯s ears focused on the man beyond the door, but all she heard were his departing footsteps and his knuckles rapping at the next door down the hallway. He repeated the same thing he told her, then went down to the next apartment, and the one after that, No wonder he sounded bored out of his mind. A few minutes later, and with a grumbling Mark trotting behind her, she set out again with her new knife holstered at the back of her waist. Just in case. Mia wanted to get going before most people to avoid the awkwardness of walking into a full room, but it seemed people were more nervous about food than she thought. Mia saw at least a dozen people just on the tenth floor nervously heading down, just like her. She tried not to stare, she really did, but what could she do when a woman with butterfly wings or a man with the head of an otter walked by? It was rude, though. She got a fair few looks herself and they made her uncomfortable in a way the regular stares never did. She felt like some exotic animal in a zoo. After that realisation, she kept her eyes on the floor or facing forwards. The staircase was blessedly more or less empty, so they could make their way down with little fuss. The reason for that turned out to be that everyone from floors one to nine were already down in the entrance hall. Mia, having been in a bit of a hurry to get there first, was the first one to reach the floor and also the first to enter the room. Which made her the centre of attention when more than a hundred pair of eyes turned towards the new people streaming in. She quickly made herself scarce, slipping into a quiet corner with her eyes studiously staring at the floor. Mia wasn¡¯t that bad with attention, but there was some mental switch in her head that got flipped on whenever over ten people stared at her and it made her unnaturally nervous. Which was why she loathed doing presentations. It was fine when only the professor and a couple of other students were there, but when she had to do it before a filled up lecture hall? One time she couldn¡¯t hit space to get to the next slide in her presentation because her hands were shaking so much. Years had passed, but Mia still found herself thinking about that moment. Memories like that were what kept her up at night. Mark followed after her, his gaze flickering through the crowd with a curious glint and Mia couldn¡¯t help but join in once her heart calmed a bit. People ignored her, of course they did, there were many others more interesting than a girl with pink hair. She tried not to stare too much at any one person, but she still noted with awe every interesting ¡®awakened¡¯. There was a man made entirely out of rocks, a woman who stood at three metres tall, and another with large tusks poking out of her lips and bulging muscles. Mia even found one or two people like her, people with vibrant hair and pointed ears of varying lengths. I should probably talk to them. They might have figured something out about the change that I missed. Well, it might be a miss since she now knew Halvyr were just one of the races with Fae ancestry and most of them should have pointed ears ¡ª if fantasy books were to be believed. ¡°Great. That should be just about everyone.¡± Jeff¡¯s voice echoed through the hall and Mia arched her neck to search for the man with no success. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Those who aren¡¯t here yet will be filled in by someone else. Now, pay attention please, because we have important news and will be discussing how we are to survive in the near future.¡± There were murmurs and some not too hushed talking already, but it was mostly silenced when Jeff spoke again. It made Mia wonder whether he was enhancing his voice with some spell, maybe a Skill for leadership that worked like a megaphone and some slight intimidation? That would mean magic can fuck with the mind. Mia didn¡¯t like the implications of that, or well, she didn¡¯t want to think about it at all. Didn¡¯t I see mental stuff mentioned in the Darkness part of that book? ¡°First of all, let us start with the dire news,¡± Jeff continued. ¡°Most of you might not have heard, but a solar flare destroyed the vast majority of electronic devices world-wide. This means satellites, the electric grid, mobile networks, internet cables and everything of that sort needs to be almost entirely replaced.¡± Mia was getting annoyed about hearing, but not seeing, Jeff. She looked around and found a half-open door leading into a side room just a few metres from her. Inside, she caught a glimpse of cleaning tools, shovels and, more importantly, a stool. She sneakily slid inside and grabbed the stool for herself. Then set it down and hopped on a moment later under Mark¡¯s deepening glare. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t see anything even on this,¡± she said, shrugging off his glare. Finally, she could look over the many heads before her and see Jeff. He stood on a large wooden box and around him stood about fifteen rather ragged people. Mia squinted at them. They must have been a few dozen metres away but she saw them clearly. Torn clothes, spots of blood, grim faces and some still-healing wounds covered most of them. One or two even limped, leaning on metal bars for stability. ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Jeff said with a calming wave of his hand. ¡°Not only does this mean that the entire world is probably in just as deep of a pile of shit as us, but that even if they could send help, they would likely not know we needed it for sure. And that is not even considering that most forms of transportation are gone as well. Cars, trains and planes wouldn¡¯t work aside from a select few.¡± People started getting more and more panicked with each word he said, but they stayed mostly silent. He is using some calming aura for sure, or just forcing people to keep silent? I don¡¯t think I feel unnaturally calm. Mia thought that over. Sure, she was calmer than most, but so far she was aware of everything Jeff talked about. ¡°With that in mind,¡± Jeff said. ¡°I would like to propose working together to survive in this ¡­ apocalypse. The worst isn¡¯t the lack of any electrical equipment, unfortunately. It is the horde of monsters now flooding the streets, ravaging through every single building they can get into.¡± Jeff gave a meaningful look behind him, where the inch-thick metal stood. ¡°We cannot go out. We cannot get ourselves food. We cannot plant seeds to grow our own food. Water might be doable with large tubs set up on the roof, but even then, people collecting water would have to fend off the vicious metal eagles that broke into almost a fourth of your homes in the last day.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°We are all going to die.¡± The whisper rang through the ensuing silence, and then all hell broke loose. People started shouting, screaming over each other as they broke out of whatever stupor they were put into by Jeff¡¯s bullshit. Mia shrunk back, huddling in the corner, and had her runic model construct her Arcane Shield spell circle. Mana flooded her hands. If anyone got stupid and tried to trample her, she was ready. She even shoved Mark behind her to protect him, though the dwarf just grabbed a hammer from the shed and glared at the crowd. A part of her wanted to tell him to put the thing away that instant. Threatening people with weapons, even makeshift ones, was illegal and otherwise barbaric. But if it kept her from getting trampled by a group of panicking people ¡­ ¡°Stop,¡± Jeff¡¯s voice rang out, echoing in Mia¡¯s head like she stood in an empty cavern. Her ears rang and her arms dropped by themselves. Only with a monumental flex of her flickering Will could she keep the mana in her arm from going out of control. ¡°Silence.¡± Anger surged in Mia¡¯s veins, her heart pounding. This asshole almost blew her hand off. Then he had the gall to ¡®silence¡¯ her. She tried to talk, just to spite him and his stupid and honestly disturbing magic. She felt like a hand clamped down around her throat, constricting her windpipe. The ¡®stop¡¯ command faded away though, maybe because it was timed or because only one command could affect a person at a time. Mia didn¡¯t care. Her mana surged up from her hand and from her pool and rushed at the foreign cluster of energy constricting her throat. The mana pushed back against the invisible force, but what pried its hold open and finally tore it apart was her now roiling fury. Her Spirit resonated with that righteous anger, or rather, with the strength of the emotion and crashed into the constricting force like a tidal wave. Mia gasped, sucking in a deep breath with a wheeze. Her lungs drank in the fresh air like a pair of starving dogs. Her Spirit settled back into its place, somewhere around her mana pool and swiftly calmed the thunderous arcane energy inside wanting to be let loose at her enemies. At the one who struck at her mind. Mia glared, her eyes finding Jeff on the other side of the room. Her fight with his magic only took a second at most. She seemed to be the quickest to recover, and she saw many others still choking with their hands around their neck. Jeff was visibly wobbling for his part and now leaning on one of the men who stood behind him. Whatever he did took a lot out of him. He was weakened. A Bolt to the head and he would be dead. Mia stiffened. Did she really just think that? That she would murder an acquaintance in cold blood for choking her a bit? Okay, it sounded all kinds of wrong when she said it like that, but wasn¡¯t she overreacting to this a little too much? Maybe a slap or two was in order, maybe even a kick to the nuts, but murder? A shiver ran down the young Halvyr¡¯s back. She closed her eyes and slumped down on the stool, her head propped up in her hands. ¡°I apologise for that,¡± Jeff said a few seconds later, sounding strained. ¡°But we cannot panic now. If we fell into chaos the monsters would pick us apart, kill us one by one. None of us can survive alone, not even those standing behind me who stepped forward to hunt down every monster that entered our building with me.¡± The echoes of anger still lingered in Mia¡¯s heart, even if she intellectually understood why Jeff did as he did. It was a logically sound decision from his position. Mia would have probably done the same. At the same time. He used mind magic on me. Fucked with my head. It was revolting. A part of Mia she thought entirely her own, her sanctuary, had been casually intruded on and bent over a table like a common who- Okay, let¡¯s not go there. Mia rubbed her face, gritting her teeth as she tried to get rid of the lingering fury she felt. Jeff was strong, and if all apocalypse stories ever made were to be believed, the world would become a lawless shithole before long. Jeff already had the strongest fighters behind him. Fuck. He already set himself up to be the leader of our little group. Plus he has the most food out of any of us. He holds all the cards. Mia was not enjoying the paths her thoughts took. Every future that played out in her head was worse than the last. They were at his mercy. If by some miracle the military rolls in tomorrow, then we might be fine, but otherwise ¡­ ¡°Now, my friends. I would like to discuss how we are going to survive either until help comes or for as long as we have to.¡± Jeff re-started his speech, his voice quickly regaining the rough power it held before. ¡°We will need everyone to step up and do their part. We will need people working to make food, we have to preserve as much of what we have as possible, we will have to have people make the tubs for gathering rainwater and several other tasks.¡± ¡°I will be expecting everyone to help out,¡± Jeff said, leaving a few moments of silence afterwards while Mia just brought up her legs and hugged them while the crowd shuffled nervously. ¡°After all, our food and water will serve as payment for completing these tasks. Food and water, which we will be rationing to last as long as possible.¡± That set off another bout of angry mutterings and harsh glares, but Jeff didn¡¯t use his magic this time. Was he out of power, or just didn¡¯t want to bother? Mia filed those tiny nuggets of information away. ¡°I will be taking questions now,¡± he said. ¡°Raise your hands if you have a question. There is no need to not be civilised.¡± Says the man who mind controlled a hundred people. Mia frowned in thought. Jeff was an acquaintance at best. The landlord had been a grumpy older man almost in his fifties before the awakening. Now, he didn¡¯t look a day above thirty and radiated power. But Mia doubted his personality changed all that much. It took a special kind of paranoia for someone to prepare a doomsday shelter in their basement and set up as many defences as Jeff had. Do I just stick my head into the sand and do the bare minimum to survive? Mia was leaning that way. Magic was fun and interesting, if people just left her alone and she had enough food and water to survive, she would be ¡­ not quite happy, but not unhappy either. I¡¯m going to miss bathing. Mia stared at the ceiling. And mom. Is she alright? She lives out on the outskirts of town, so maybe monsters didn¡¯t get there. Mia took a trembling breath, a pit forming in her stomach. She has to be. I¡¯m sure she is. She has that old shotgun. The monsters will learn to fear her. Mia would have to repeat that mantra until she actually believed it. So far, it was far from working. ¡°Yes, you there!¡± ¡°There are at least two hundred mouths to feed in this building,¡± a measured male voice said. ¡°How do you plan to do that without exiting the building? Even if we use every single spot of dirt in the walled-off park, that¡¯s far from enough space to grow enough food.¡± ¡°I plan on venturing out into the city with those who can survive against the monsters,¡± Jeff answered. ¡°We will try to raid supermarkets, grocery shops and gather any food we can. For now, that¡¯s the best we can do. Next question?¡± ¡°Can those people behind you really kill the monsters?¡± This time an aged female voice spoke up. ¡°Yes,¡± Jeff said easily. ¡°Each of us killed at least five of the avian monsters. And even if they can¡¯t, there is no one else who can.¡± On and on they went. Mia listened and tried to remember everything, but her thoughts kept wandering. Could I get to mom if I trained up my stats? Or would I have to get levels to even stand a chance against the stuff out there? Is there another way to level up that doesn¡¯t include swimming in monster guts and almost dying? She wanted to ask the last question. Maybe, just maybe, someone in the crowd stumbled upon a secret way to level up without life and death fights. Just do it damn it! Mia wanted to knock some sense into her own head, maybe by smashing it into a wall, but she just couldn¡¯t raise her hand. Her breathing sped up and her arm trembled uncontrollably whenever she thought she finally convinced herself to do it. There were just too many people. It also didn¡¯t help that the lingering embers of anger flared just from the notion of asking for the help of the one that trampled over the sanctity of her mind. ¡°What if I want to fight the monsters myself?¡± The voice brought Mia out of her darkening thoughts. It was feminine. She¡¯d put the woman at around the same age as her, just from the sound of her slightly trembling voice. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to have more people who are willing to fight back,¡± Jeff said after a moment. ¡°I¡¯d pair you up with someone at the start, but considering fighting would be the most dangerous task there is, you would be rewarded a considerable amount of food and water for doing it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± the woman¡¯s voice still had a tremble in it, but her resolve shone through. ¡°I want to be strong enough to fight back.¡± ¡°Then please stay behind once we are done here, we will discuss getting someone to watch over you for the first few fights at least,¡± Jeff said, his opinion on the matter impossible to decipher from his tone. If he wanted to have an iron grip on power, he¡¯d have to keep the fighters on his side and keep the rest from gaining power. At least that was what Mia thought an up and coming tyrannical would-be warlord would do in Jeff¡¯s place. Whether the man was one was yet to be determined. I should join too. Mia found herself thinking. She needed power if she wanted to get to her mother before the monsters did. But could she? Could she face monsters like that bird again and again, day after day? She would have to either way. There were no questions about it. If she didn¡¯t go to the monsters, they would come to her. Even if she lived on the tenth floor. That stupid bird proved that even that wasn¡¯t safe. Yet she found herself walking up the stairs once the Q&A came to an end, walking away from the small group of people who walked up to Jeff to join his warriors. Her heart thundered in her chest, her teeth grinding against each other in self loathing, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn back. Every time she almost managed to, she remembered the bone-deep chill she felt as she bled out in the hallway. She remembered the feather burrowing into her shoulder. She remembered those eyes filled with endless malice and a hunger for the suffering of others. So she left, running back to her apartment and burrowed herself under a pile of blankets as she sobbed in frustration. Why am I like this? Why can¡¯t I just be brave? Why do I have to be so pathetic? Mom ¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. 12 - An Incentive ¡°You alright?¡± Mark asked, concern creasing his bushy brows. ¡°No,¡± Mia said with a mirthless chuckle. Her eyes were still bloodshot, and she still felt awful. ¡°I¡¯m not anywhere close to alright.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mark stared awkwardly as she ambled over to the fridge. ¡°And all my fucking beer is gone too,¡± Mia grumbled. ¡°Fuck this day.¡± ¡°I¡¯d drink to that,¡± Mark said. ¡°We only have that pisswater you call a beer, so I¡¯d rather not.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Mia flopped over the couch and hugged her legs to her chest with a sigh. The banter lightened her mood some, but she still felt vile. ¡°Sooooo,¡± Mark started after a few seconds of Mia quietly lying face-down on the couch. ¡°I think I might join Jeff''s monster killing brigade.¡± ¡°Why are you up here then and not down there licking his toes?¡± Mia mumbled without moving, a second bout of self loathing threatening to punch her in the gut just when she was starting to feel a bit better. ¡°Ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m fighting monsters without a Class,¡± he said. ¡°And I¡¯m sure as hell going to get the best possible Spellblade Class I can.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Mia shrugged, turning her head to face Mark. ¡°Are you going to max out your base stats? That¡¯s going to take forever.¡± ¡°Base stats?¡± Mark frowned. ¡°Like from level ups?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia blinked, then sat up quickly. ¡°You can get stats just by training them. It has an upper cap beyond which only Free Attribute Points can increase them, but before that it''s basically a bunch of free stats if you work for them.¡± ¡°Where did you see this?¡± Mark asked in a hurry, an excited glimmer flashing in his eyes. ¡°In the Ancestry tab, under ¡®Racial Characteristics¡¯,¡± Mia said. ¡°I think. Should show up if you focus hard enough on your race.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Mark said, going cross-eyed. ¡°That Title sure is helpful.¡± ¡°What Title? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t check your Titles,¡± Mark stated, his eyes focusing just to give her a disappointed teacher look. ¡°You must have seen the title work a dozen times but never bothered to check what it actually does?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, okay? This damned system has so many windows and different tabs.¡± ¡°Well, you should check it out,¡± he said. ¡°That thing is a godsend. It''s the closest thing we have to a dumb isekai cheat.¡± *** [Titles] {Newcomer} ¡ª The System¡¯s reach is vast, and yet the world beyond it is even more vast. You come from a world from this great beyond. Let this Title be your guiding light when you feel most lost. This Title will disappear when the first Realm Event you participate in ends. *** ¡°I have even more questions now,¡± Mia grumbled. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°It is what it is,¡± Mark shrugged, his gaze fixed on the air before him. ¡°Say, what are your max base stats?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mia asked, mostly because she didn¡¯t want to bother dictating it all down. ¡°To compare?¡± He asked. ¡°Mine look ¡­ suspiciously good.¡± ¡°How about you tell me what you have and I tell you how it compares to mine?¡± Mia asked, then threw her legs over the side of the sofa and flopped on her back. ¡°Fine,¡± Mark said. ¡°In Body I have eights for agility and flexibility while strength is at fifteen. In Mind all three are at twelve and every Spirit sub-stat is at ten.¡± ¡°Well, suppose that¡¯s good,¡± Mia said evenly. He trounced her in strength and all three mental stats, but Mia thought having stats that strengthened her magic would be much more beneficial than thinking just a bit faster or something. With a shrug, she listed out her own stats. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± Mark said eloquently. ¡°That is total cow shit. Stupid magical genetic lottery, I should have become an elf too. Or maybe a Vampire ¡­ damn, that would have been cool. Flying around as a flock of bats and stalking the night for prey.¡± ¡°You¡¯d make a lousy Vampire,¡± Mia chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to take virgin maidens off their feet with their ethereal charm? Couldn¡¯t be you.¡± ¡°Sod off,¡± Mark huffed, fists on his hips as he glared at her. He was tiny though, even when Mia was sitting down. Was this how people saw me all my life? ¡°Still sucks. All I got was being a midget and being a rock empath.¡± ¡°Tough luck,¡± Mia murmured. ¡°Did you get strange instincts, by the way? Like, do you get a sudden urge to dig up a hole and start mining or something?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Are you having trouble not humping trees or something?¡± ¡°One, gross,¡± Mia said, not even having to fake being scandalised. ¡°Two, no. But I am getting an impulse to smack dwarves in the head with a bat.¡± ¡°Crazy treefucker genetics,¡± Mark nodded sagely. ¡°Must be. Do try to control yourself. I like our potted plants unmolested as they are.¡± Mia threw a pillow at him. ¡°On a more serious note,¡± Mark said after chucking the pillow back at her face. ¡°I sometimes get strange feelings when touching metal and stone. Like I almost felt my sledgehammer''s sadness as it melted and there was this one pebble I was sure was mocking me behind my back.¡± ¡°Uh-uh,¡± Mia gave him a strange look. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s much weirder than anything I felt. I just sometimes got strange flares of anger or pride, but nothing quite like you described.¡± ¡°Have you tried touching plants?¡± Mark asked with a thoughtful frown. ¡°Elves are supposed to be in tune with nature and stuff. Talk with trees, befriend mushrooms and play with deer, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really an elf, though,¡± Mia retorted without thinking. ¡°I¡¯m a Halv- Oh, there it is again.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like being called an elf?¡± Mark raised a brow. Mia shook her head helplessly. ¡°It somehow feels almost ¡­ derogatory? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°But elves are an actual thing, right?¡± ¡°They are,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°My racial description mentions them. Where I am a half-fae, elves are the lesser cousins of the Fae. Or lesser descendants? Something like that.¡± Mark caressed his beard with a hum. ¡°Well, I guess you have a genetically inherited stick up your ass. Could be worse. Imagine if you couldn¡¯t eat meat anymore, that¡¯d suck a thousand times more.¡± Mia froze, her eyes flying wide open. She jumped to her feet and basically launched herself at the fridge. Grabbing the first piece of meat, a dry chicken nugget, she squinted at it suspiciously. Mia loved meat. Okay, again, that came out wrong. Mia had a taste for meat-based food. There. Anyway, she didn¡¯t feel anything strange even as she sniffed the nugget. It seemed it had been a false alert. There was one little thing, though. Mia didn¡¯t feel like eating it, and when she thought of eating, her eyes gravitated towards the vegetables. Nope. Must be something else. Just to make sure, she threw the nugget in her mouth. It was dry, barely tasted like anything, and the spongy texture felt wrong in all sorts of ways. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. In short, it tasted like shit. Like sundried cardboard spiced up by some boiled garbage. But she also remembered eating this very same type of nugget with relish just days before. I knew it was too good to be true. A pink hairdo wouldn¡¯t have been a fair compensation for magic. They had to take meat away from me and force me to eat grass to make it a fair trade. I just knew it. ¡°I hate you,¡± Mia said listlessly as she slumped over the sofa like a dead fish, mourning the loss of her normal taste buds that could enjoy meat. ¡°Magic for meat.¡± I¡¯ll live for five centuries. Five centuries that I¡¯m going to spend nibbling on carrots and grass. Fuck. Mark snorted. She turned and glared at him, which made him break out in laughter. Meanwhile, Mia made a silent prayer. Please, almighty system, make this stupid dwarf have a diet of rocks and stone. Maybe it was the messenger blindsiding her with his knocking just an hour ago, but Mia perked up seconds before a set of heavy footsteps reached their door. When they stopped, she tensed up and turned to stare at the door. ¡°Visitors? Again?¡± Mark grumbled, as he probably saw her focus on the door like a bloodhound. Then came a loud set of knocks. Mia tiptoed up to the door and glanced through the tiny peek-hole. She almost jumped away like a cat drenched in water when she saw Jeff standing on the other side. Mia sent an imploring look to Mark, who got up with a confused look and went to open the door. Mia took the opportunity to scuttle away and sit back on the sofa, out of sight of anyone standing in the door. ¡°Who is it- Oh,¡± Mark started as he opened the door, glaring up at whoever stood there. He continued in a much more nervous tone. ¡°Hi, Jeff.¡± ¡°Can I come in?¡± The demonic man asked. Mark glanced at her and she just returned a nervous shrug. Slamming the door in the face of their up-and-coming warlord while he was being nice didn¡¯t feel like a decision conducive to staying healthy. ¡°I guess.¡± Mark made an effort to appear relaxed, but Mia¡¯s ears caught his thundering heartbeat. ¡°Come in.¡± The man did, his heavy footsteps rumbling in Mia¡¯s ears. Somehow, she could tell that while she¡¯d gotten lighter with the awakening, Jeff became much heavier than he was before. ¡°Maria,¡± Jeff greeted and Mia made eye contact with him for a moment and gave a quick wave before returning to staring out through a tiny gap between the boards nailed against the window frame. She¡¯d refrained from looking outside too much since the bird incident. For all she knew, the monsters knew when someone watched them and would come knocking. Or I¡¯m just a coward. ¡°Well, I have things to do so let¡¯s get this over with quickly,¡± Jeff said, carefully lowering himself onto one of the intact chairs. It creaked dangerously. ¡°Maria, you mentioned having filled up a bathtub with water. Do I remember that right?¡± ¡°That was Mark,¡± Mia said, glancing over at the dwarf. ¡°But yes. We barely used up any of it.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mark nodded, arms crossed as he stared up at the giant form of Jeff. ¡°Well, that is probably the second largest store of water in the entire building after mine,¡± Jeff said. ¡°I think we can set up something to collect the rainwater in a week, but you understand that if we don¡¯t want anyone to die of thirst, we¡¯ll have to share, right?¡± ¡°So you came to take our water?¡± Mark asked, visibly tensing. Mia said nothing. Jeff unnerved her, especially in his new form. He was a gigantic mass of muscles, but that wasn¡¯t it. There were others who got magical steroids from the awakening, but they didn¡¯t give her the creeps. Was it the mind magic? Did she feel it in him even before he used it? Or was it something else? Mia closed her eyes for a moment as the two men no doubt had an intense stare-down. The world dimmed around her, sight going first, then smell and taste as she focused on her hearing, her most reliable sense of late. Mark¡¯s heartbeat was erratic, like the beat of a novice drummer. It was loud and thunderous compared to Mia¡¯s own, but it was nothing compared to Jeff¡¯s. The larger man¡¯s heart beat like a pendulum, a single beat every second that Mia could feel resonate in the back of her skull. It was slow, calm, and not a single beat was out of rhythm. Mia gasped as her eyes flew open. She quickly snapped her mouth shut before they noticed her shock. The sounds faded, dimming into distant echoes, but she could still feel the rhythm of Jeff¡¯s heart in her bones. Whatever that man had become, Mia was right to be terrified of it. ¡°Yes,¡± Jeff said. ¡°People know you have water. What do you think will happen when their children start showing signs of dehydration?¡± ¡°Why do f-¡° Mark stopped halfway through as she glared at him. Even though she agreed with him entirely. The only reason others knew of their water storage was because Jeff let them know. ¡°Fine. But leave us a fifth of it at least, if others didn¡¯t run around like headless chickens and did as I had, we wouldn¡¯t have this problem.¡± ¡°I can agree to that,¡± Jeff said. ¡°With that out of the way, I wanted to ask why neither of you stayed behind. Especially you Maria, I heard you almost killed one of the birds by yourself.¡± The giant¡¯s gaze settled on Mia like a physical weight. Her heart sped up as breathing grew harder. ¡°I almost died,¡± Mia said, her eyes darting up to glance at Jeff. He was stoic and cold, most statues had more expressive facial expressions than him. Mia hugged her knees and clutched her hands to stop them from shaking. ¡°I see,¡± he said, not unkindly. ¡°And you Mark? I heard you finished off the monster.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going out to fight with a subpar class,¡± the dwarf shrugged, though Mia could tell his heart was racing still despite the calmness he projected. ¡°And I¡¯m certainly not going to wrestle with those things without a Class.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Jeff repeated. ¡°But you will? Once you have a Class?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mark said, sounding guarded. ¡°I plan to.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the man said, seemingly not noticing how tense the dwarf was. ¡°I would not force anyone to fight with their lives on the line, but we need everyone who is willing and able. Those things are multiplying by the day.¡± ¡°That said,¡± he continued, and Mia felt his gaze settle on her. ¡°We are in dire need of ranged fighters, especially ones that can down the birds. From the damage that bird¡¯s corpse showed, I am assuming you are one, correct?¡± Mia shrugged half-heartedly. ¡°First of all, I won¡¯t force you,¡± he said. ¡°But it would probably save more than one life if you helped. For example the people out in the garden or on the rooftop would need people to protect them from the birds.¡± Well, countless people were already monster chow. Even if Mia didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it, some screams made it to her ears, even if she didn¡¯t want them to. The distant echoes of gunshots were also unmistakable to someone who¡¯d been to the firing range. Mia remembered, even if the last time she¡¯d been to one was with her ¡­ male biological progenitor ¡ª she refused to call him a parent ¡ª back when she was just twelve. He is trying to guilt-trip me into fighting. Mia found it deplorable, especially since it was partially working. Made worse by her knowledge that her mother might very well be among the people who would die because of her inaction. ¡°Mhmm, sure looks like you are not trying to force her,¡± Mark noted. ¡°Maybe beat her up a bit too, just to make sure she understood how free her choice is?¡± Idiot. Mia stared at him, eyes wide in shock. The dwarf''s heart was beating a thousand miles every second, but he still glared up at Jeff. ¡°That was not my intention,¡± Jeff said with a deep frown on his face. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t want to push ¡­ I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. If you are afraid of getting hurt as a result of fighting, and you truly have ranged attacks, you could operate out of the barred ground and first floor windows.¡± Mia bit her lips, forcing herself to hold Jeff¡¯s gaze for a few moments. It was in vain. The man had the eyes of a dead fish. That was new, too. Those tiny bars wouldn¡¯t hold against anything too big. Mia considered it deeply. The urge to just nod and go along with the recommendation was strong, to just get out of this stressful situation as quickly as possible. Luckily, a handful of job interviews made Mia more than aware that she had a tendency to make bad choices when those bad choices promised to get her out of stressful situations, just like this one. Calm down and think. Was it a safe option? Not really. Was it better than her own idea of training stats until she dropped dead? Maybe. It¡¯s safer than any other form of fighting. Maybe I could even farm a bunch of levels just by sniping monsters on the street from first-floor windows. An Arcane Blast should take out anything that doesn¡¯t have damned metal feathers. ¡°I guess that sounds good?¡± Mia said, tilting her head at the end. Did it really? No. But knowing that bars of metal as thick as her wrist would stand between her and the monsters did wonders to her terror at facing down another monster. ¡°So you do have ranged attacks?¡± Jeff pressed, and Mia saw Mark puffing himself up to tell the man to sod off. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, standing up and placing a calming palm on the dwarf¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I have projectiles that explode on contact. Nothing crazy, and I can shoot ten of them at most before needing to wait to recharge.¡± Well, she guessed she could do a little over twice that, but she was understandably distrustful. ¡°Perfect,¡± Jeff nodded and stood up. He was at eye level to Mia when he was sitting down, but standing up, he towered over her like a true giant. ¡°I¡¯ll be down on the ground floor. Come down as soon as you can and I¡¯ll find you a nice spot. I want to get a simple garden started as soon as possible, you will be protecting the workers from adventurous birds.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll see you later.¡± With a last nod, he turned and strode out of the apartment, closing the door behind him with a gentle snap. ¡°What an asshole,¡± Mark grumbled while Mia paid attention to Jeff¡¯s footsteps fading into the distance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of a goat-fuck he turned into, but he is worse than he was as a human.¡± ¡°He is weird,¡± Mia murmured before slumping back onto the couch. That interaction drained two weeks¡¯ worth of her social energies. ¡°I think the system fucked with his emotions, his heartbeat didn¡¯t as much as stutter once. He was eerily calm throughout the entire meeting.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Mark huffed. ¡°We have a real psychopath for our ¡®leader¡¯. Fucking fantastic.¡± Mia made a noncommittal sound as her thoughts drifted back to the conversation. She already regretted agreeing. I swear my brain cells take a vacation whenever my blood pressure jumps too high. Well, there was nothing to it. She agreed. The only thing worse than going and doing it would be to renege on the agreement. Fuck me. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Mark asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t look like you wanted to agree with that bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Mia shrugged, looking out through the window crack. ¡°But I have to get stronger. This is a good thing. I can farm monsters from relative safety.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be less worried if you sounded like you actually believed that.¡± Mia glared at him. Stupid dwarf. Her gaze softened after a moment, and she let out a sigh. The silly dwarf stood up to Jeff for her. If she was into men, she was sure she¡¯d be swooning right about now. Still, she could appreciate the gesture, and she wouldn¡¯t forget it. Especially since she wasn¡¯t sure she would have had the courage to do the same for him. ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± she said with a fragile smile, trying to smother her sudden flare of guilt. ¡°Hopefully nothing worse crawls out of a Rift than what we saw already.¡± 13 - First Blood After stuffing her face with some food, Mia headed down to meet up with Jeff before she could talk herself out of going. From there, she was quickly directed up to a first-floor window facing out onto the street-front. ¡°You were quick,¡± the man who guided her there said conversationally. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be another few hours before we are anywhere close to turning the garden into a crop field. Until then, you might as well get a few levels.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Mia said as she slid up next to the window and took a quick peek out. It might have been barred up, but the birds could throw their knife-like feathers and she didn¡¯t want to be turned into a pincushion. ¡°Won¡¯t it be a problem if I run out of mana?¡± ¡°Eh,¡± the man shrugged. ¡°Keep enough back to down one or two birds. You won¡¯t be the only one on anti-air duty and even if you were, there aren''t that many of the damned things.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mia asked incredulously. But he must have been right since as her eyes roamed the streets below, she found them much more empty than the last time. There was no horde, though she could spot several groups of the little green monsters and some of the birds soaring through the air. ¡°Yeah,¡± the man said. ¡°The fuckers kill each other just as happily as they do us, if not more so. The only reason the streets aren¡¯t chuck full with corpses is that the goblins eat every single one down to the bone.¡± ¡°Goblins?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°Guess it fits.¡± ¡°That it does,¡± a clear tinge of disgust entered his tone. ¡°Those little shits are much worse than how they are depicted in any anime I''ve seen.¡± ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll get to it then,¡± Mia said, rolling her shoulders and psyching herself up. ¡°Will you keep looming over me?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, sorry,¡± the man said sheepishly. ¡°I was supposed to stay here and help if anything gets close ¡­ if you want. I doubt I can put up much more resistance than those bars.¡± Mia doubted the man dressed in ragged clothes and wielding a crowbar of all things would be much help against something that blasted through a set of bars as thick as her wrist. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have something better to do.¡± ¡°Well, I do have a bed with my name on it so if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be on my way?¡± Mia gave him a lazy wave and watched him shuffle out of the room, letting out a sigh of relief once she was finally alone. Having one of Jeff¡¯s goons breathing down her neck for hours would have been torture on her poor nerves. As a warmup, Mia ran a bit of mana down to the tip of her fingers, worked it through every energy channel in her right arm, then pulled it back into her core and repeated the exercise for her left arm. The energy channels running from her core towards the tips of her fingers felt just a touch more alive from the exercise. Mia wasn¡¯t sure whether that was just her imagination, but it couldn¡¯t hurt. She took another peek out the window and searched for a target. Arcane Blast had maximum range she would have to feel out, since the spell¡¯s explosive charge would blow either when it struck an object or when the part of the spell responsible for its containment ran out of mana. I think that should be at around a hundred metres ¡­ maybe a bit less. Most of the street should be in range. The street itself was a mess, reminding Mia of videos she¡¯d seen of war torn cities. The buildings stood, but everything else was wrecked. The asphalt was cracked, parked cars bent and their windows smashed. Every door or window down the street met the same fate. On this landscape, small groups of goblins moved about, poking their ugly heads into cars and fiddling with stuff clearly taken from one house or another. Mia readied her runic model, summoned up her mana and selected her target: one particularly nasty green monster busily nibbling on an ivory piece of something. Her index finger just barely poked out between the bars when the pink circle blinked. With a sharp whistle like a flying arrow her bolt dashed off. Mia was focused on the goblin the entire time, watching as it swung its tiny legs about as it sat atop a ruined SUV. As such, when the pink point slammed into its shoulder and tore into its body, she saw everything in elaborate detail. Still, not even her quickly running consciousness, enhanced by her Cognity stat could see anything that happened between the goblin¡¯s shoulder getting crushed and its gory remains splattering against anything within a few metres of its previous perch. Mia regretted eating anything before, as that small meal was doing its best to reintroduce itself to the world. While not thinking herself too squeamish ¡ª hell, she even took part in one or two of the traditional pig slaughters her grandparents held ¡ª but seeing that goblin fucking explode was a bit much. By some miracle, she managed to swallow the vomit. It was disgusting, but food was now scarce. That¡¯s what she told herself. She took a deep breath, then let it out in a huff and took a peek at her workmanship once more. Looking at the three other mates of the little fucker she killed look around in what she assumed was fright filled her with a sick satisfaction. Yesterday, the monsters hunted her. Today it would be the other way. It was right for them to be afraid like she was, to tremble in fear. Another Blast shot off, this one catching a goblin in the head and leaving behind a stump from the waist down. That was when the other two realised they should be panicking. They looked around frantically as they clutched ivory spears and shoddy bows. Mia didn¡¯t wait this time. One Blast shot off, and the second followed after as she practically tore the mana from her pool and rushed it to her hand to charge the second spell. Her aim was not perfect, she hit shoulders when she aimed for the head and blasted off legs when she aimed for the torso, but her spells were strong enough to compensate for her mistakes. It helped that goblins were ¡­ squishy. Even when she only hit the one in the knee, it lost everything up to its ribcage. Which was still more than lethal. [Level Up!] [Level: 2 -> 3] [Free Attribute Points: 2 -> 5] Mia slid down, slumping against the wall under the window sill. Her heart raced madly, scorching blood surging through her veins. A part of her insisted what she was doing was wrong, the goblins were clearly intelligent, and she¡¯d just blasted four of them to kingdom come. That was murder in every conceivable way to the Mia of two days ago. I should be feeling awful about this. She leaned her head back, knocking her skull against the cold wall. There was not a flick of regret in her, if anything, she felt awesome. The only reason she even had to contend with her stomach was for the gruesome way she killed the goblins. That last one screamed quite loudly before it died. Mia remembered, feeling no pity for the malicious creature. They were wrong, she wasn¡¯t sure how or why, but every monster was deeply wrong in a way that only killing them could fix. They are worse than animals. Those goblins and even the bird were smart, intelligent, and they still chose to be cruel. A tiger kills to eat, but these things, they enjoy it. Mia could see it in their eyes. She remembered how the bird acted, how it played with them like a cat with its food. Chitters, barks and shuffling caught her ears and Mia took in a calming breath as she ran a gentle stream of mana through her strained energy channel. A grimace flickered across her face at how tender it felt. I suppose I¡¯ll have to use my left hand for now. It was stupid to force the second spell to cast that quickly. I almost missed it too. Another group of five goblins greeted her when she took a glimpse, having wandered over from where she saw them before at the edge of the next block over to the gory scene she¡¯d made. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Did they survey their surroundings? Search for whoever killed their brethren? Did they mourn, even? Fuck no, they were chomping down on the remains of the slightly exploded goblins like it was an open buffet. They are either blind, much dumber than I thought, or just don¡¯t give a shit. Mia was somewhat fascinated. Did they have no survival instincts? Well, it suited her just fine. With a curious hmm, she revolved her runic model into another shape. The resulting circle was half the size of the previous one and used only a third of the runes. There were some similarities, she noticed, her imprinted runic theory knowledge just about enough to understand the simple design. A blob of arcane mana manifested to have physical weight and form and then given momentum on a simple forward vector. Arcane Bolt wasn¡¯t a masterful spell circle, far from it, a child could have copied it perfectly and redrawn it a dozen times, but it didn¡¯t need to be. If the simple solution does the job, there is no need to overcomplicate things. That was mostly Mia¡¯s job. Find overcomplicated bits of code, idiotic design choices and fix them up. Or tell one of the junior devs under her to do so. Mia aimed and focused, her will crashing into a little blob of mana as she commanded it to- The pink Bolt whizzed off with a quick spark of pink around her fingers and smashed into a goblin¡¯s head like a brick a moment later, braining the green creature. That spell activated much easier than any of the others. Mia moved her fingers, still feeling a slight buzz in them. The damage was also beyond what she expected. At most she hoped for it to be as strong as a punch a trained boxer could throw, but if goblin skulls weren¡¯t just unnaturally soft, the Bolt did much more than that. And for a fifth of the price too, the explosive parts of the Blast spell must be the energy-intensive ones. Mia glanced at the fallen goblin, just catching sight of it before the other goblins descended on it like a group of ravenous hyenas. The thing looked like someone smacked it in the face with a brick. Not enough to shine some light into the eternal darkness that must be the inside of a goblin skull, but more than enough to kill. With none of the greenskin being all that bothered about one of them dying, Mia shrugged and took aim again. Her next bolt smashed into the centre of another goblin¡¯s back. The thing collapsed with a shriek that set Mia¡¯s teeth on edge. It wasn¡¯t dead, but it would be soon. If not from the bits of spine poking out from the wound she made, then from its bloodthirsty brethren. These are dumb as bricks. Mia frowned. The previous group was a bit smarter, and that one goblin she made eye contact with the night before was downright terrifying. There must be different sorts. Maybe they evolve like in games? Mia almost facepalmed when another possibility came to her. Stats. The Mind stat in particular. It probably made the dumb as rock goblins just a bit smarter with every point, at least up to a basic human level of intelligence. That means any one of them could be cunning enough to be dangerous. I need to be careful. She eyed the bits of the sky and rooftops she could see through the bars, looking for any birds readying to rush her, but found none. With a mental shrug, she sent off another Bolt, then another and then the third. Mia made sure to be gentle with her unabused energy channels, she let her mana take its time in travelling to its destination before she activated the spell in a casual sequence. Aiming was strange, an exercise that was about one part mental and two parts spiritual. Her mind was the eye with which she aimed and her spirit was the hand that guided the attack itself. The first goblin got caught in the neck, the bolt almost separating the head from the body, but not quite managing to snap the spine. The final two, though, hit perfectly at the back of each goblin¡¯s skull. [Level Up!] [Level: 3 -> 4] [Free Attribute Points: 5 -> 8] [Manifestation: 3 -> 4] Mia couldn¡¯t help but grin. The numbers going up rubbed her silly monkey brain all the right ways. It also helped that she¡¯d just removed eight monsters from the world, making sure they couldn¡¯t hurt anyone ever again. The part of her that felt their wrongness most deeply now felt a hint of satisfaction bordering on relief. It was the feeling you get when you finally manage to swat that one fly that had been haunting you the whole night with its incessant buzzing. Unfortunately, there were many more mosquitos still buzzing in the distance, just waiting to make a nuisance of themselves. That was why the relief was nothing more than a temporary reprieve. Mia took a moment to close her eyes and prod her mana pool. It was hard to feel how much mana she really had left even when she focused, but if she had to guess, she still had at least fifty Bolts in her. That would leave me with enough mana to cast about a dozen Blasts before I got mana deprivation. Mia was eyeballing the stuff hard, but she hoped she hadn¡¯t miscalculated too much. Mana deprivation crept up on you only when you were a spell away from entering it, and even then it was all too easy to miss the mental nudge when one didn¡¯t have the experience of half an hour of agonised writhing on the floor to tie to that faint sensation. Mia shuddered at the memory. At least it helped me get a more intimate feel of my mana and energy channels. With a shrug, Mia went back to looking for monsters to kill. That last group even gave her a Manifestation stat-up. Or maybe casting the spells tipped over some mystical scale. Who knew? The blood was a wonderful lure, it only took a few minutes before another group of four goblins warily walked out of a nearby alley. Their long noses sniffed the air and they carefully stalked through the street, making their way over to the goblin corpses. They tried to move unnoticed, but Mia¡¯s ears combined with her top-down view of the street made that a challenge. A challenge the green monsters utterly failed. Mia waited until she had a clear line of sight on one of them, then sent a Bolt flying. Unfortunately, even the Bolt took quite some time to close the distance of around 150 metres and was coming at the goblin from the front. The green monster managed to dodge, dropping onto the asphalt as the Bolt streaked past just above its head. The arcane projectile smacked into the pavement a few metres away with a loud crack, but left no visible damage on the asphalt. Mia cursed, pulling on her mana again and readying for the next shot. She got too excited, hasty. Shooting from that far and in a way that the monster could easily see the glowing Bolt coming was idiotic. This group was the most cautious she¡¯d seen so far and she¡¯d just spooked them. If they ran off to find an easier meal, depriving her of target dummies, Mia would only have herself to blame. Thankfully, that didn¡¯t happen. The goblins sat around for a good five minutes, their ugly mugs poking out from behind wrecked cars and that one upturned hot-dog stand that had to shut down a week back when the damned looters kept stealing whatever the old man operating it made that day. Mia hoped he was alright. She was sure the old man gave her a discount back when she was living off of her college scholarship and the pittance they paid her as a part-time intern. Slowly and cautiously, the goblins started moving again. The one she almost brained looked especially jumpy. Mia snorted as the stupid thing jumped half its height into the air with a shriek when a rabbit, of all things, hopped out from under a car. The rest of the goblins turned to look at once, readying ivory spears and hatchets. Mia¡¯s amusement gave way to confusion as all the goblins tensed up like a punch of tightly coiled springs. Then one of them was sent flying and splattered against a wall like a water balloon. Mia stared, mouth hanging open as her gaze frantically searched for some hidden monster, a strong human maybe that could have attacked from stealth or anything really. Then her eyes once again landed on the rabbit. Its brown fur was drenched in fresh blood as it stood where the dead goblin once stood, thumping its legs on the pavement. Mia realised the animal felt just as much, if not more wrong as the goblins. The goblins threw themselves at it all at once, reacting to some signal. Mia stared, gobsmacked as one after the other mangled corpses of goblins flew through the air. She caught it moving, the little rabbit darting around almost half as fast as Mia¡¯s Bolts as it ran circles around the clumsy goblins and their primitive weaponry. Once Mia even caught the moment it struck. It started with the rabbit launching itself at a nearby wall, then kicking off like a rocket and flipping around to slam feet first into a goblin. Somehow, when the rabbit that wasn¡¯t even tall enough to reach Mia¡¯s knees crashed into the goblin that must have weighed at least ten times as much, it was the goblin that went flying. Very dead. Metal birds, goblins and now murder bunnies. Fuck my life. With every new thing like this, Mia felt more and more certain that magic really was the bare minimum to be had if she was forced to live in this new world. The list of Cons for the System were rapidly growing while the Pros seemed smaller by comparison with each new Con added. She thought back fondly to the time when she thought the worst thing about the coming of the system was her pink hair. Yesterday feels like ages ago and the day before that another world entirely. Meanwhile, the little monster that ruined bunnies for Mia forever was done, thumping its leg happily on the pavement in the middle of a circle of mangled corpses. The question of ¡®do I try to shoot that thing?¡¯ almost asked itself. Did she want to try? Did she have any hope of hitting that little ball of fluffy death, moving faster than Mia could comfortably track? Mia took a step back for a moment and squinted at the metal bars on the window, then at the distant rabbit. She compared the approximate sizes of the gap between the bars and the rabbit. It was hard to tell from afar, but the rabbit was tiny. Mia didn¡¯t want to tempt fate, so she came to the decision to not commit suicide by rabbit. A smart choice on her part really was in order already in Mia¡¯s opinion. Just to shake things up for a change before she eventually went back to making stupid decisions like agreeing to act like an anti-air turret for Jeff. While busy patting herself on the back, Mia didn¡¯t pay too much attention to the rabbit. By the time she took a peek out, the monster was gone, only leaving behind the gory reminder of its rampage and a chill that ran down Mia¡¯s spine. I¡¯ll have to make sure Jeff knows about this. That rabbit could slip through the building¡¯s defences effortlessly. With that ominous thought, Mia sat back to wait for another target to show up. She occasionally surveyed the street for any sign of the rabbit, but there was none. Nor did any new monster wander within range of her hideout for the next two hours, which was when Jeff finally came to find her. 14 - Team Up! ¡°You know about it?¡± Mia asked in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Jeff nodded. ¡°A few of them got in through the windows on the ground floor. They were a pain to hunt down, but there shouldn¡¯t be any more of them in the building. I don¡¯t think they can jump high enough to get in through the first floor windows either, or if they can, none managed it yet.¡± ¡°Rabbit monsters,¡± Mia mumbled, still bewildered. ¡°And squirrels, foxes, rats, mice and just about every damned forest critter,¡± Jeff shrugged. ¡°We suspect one of the Rifts spits them out, like we are rather sure one is the origin of the goblins and another the bird¡¯s.¡± ¡°There were four rifts? Five?¡± Mia whispered, wracking her brain to remember their names as she followed a step behind Jeff. ¡°Five. Skypeaks, Earthen Burrows and Swarming Sewers are the level five ones and then there are the two level ten ones: Greentide Fortress and Forest of the Wolf King.¡± Jeff listed the names like they were common knowledge. Either he had a stupidly powerful Memory, or he wrote them down somewhere. ¡°I believe we only have to worry about three. The goblin rift, the bird rift and the burrows with all the critters. The other two should be somewhere on the other side of the city.¡± ¡°I ¡­ see,¡± Mia grimaced. Rifts. The Realm Event wanted them to close as many as possible at the threat of ¡­ what? Blowing up the planet? That seemed a bit harsh for not destroying a magical rabbit factory or two. But they could be closed. Destroyed. Someone just had to murder their way through the city and into the rift where they would probably have to fight a boss monster or something. Maybe, if all the rifts in the city got destroyed, it would be safe to go out again. Mia could only hope there would be someone stupid and brave enough to go out there and do it. She sure as hell won¡¯t go jumping into a fortress full of goblins, even at the threat of blowing up along with the planet. There were worse ways to die than instant incineration. Like being torn apart and eaten alive by a bunch of goblins, for example. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, with Mia stewing over what she¡¯d learned while Jeff¡¯s natural state seemed to be stoic silence. Mia took the opportunity to glance at one notification she¡¯d been ignoring so far. It appeared a minute or so after she¡¯d lost track of the rabbit, but she didn¡¯t pay it much mind till now. [Congratulations on prevailing over a superior and overwhelming number of foes. [Do you wish to view Combat Logs?] [Yes / No] With a mental shrug, she clicked yes. *** [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 4] [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 3] [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 5] [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 4] [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 2] [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 2] [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 1] [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 1] [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 2] *** Juvenile. Mia grimaced as she thought back to the second group of surprisingly brainless goblins. Even if they were monsters, there was an innate repulsed shock to Mia as she realised she¡¯d killed their young. Possibly children. She shook her head with a slight frown. That group of goblins wouldn¡¯t have cared if their meal was a still living human child and not their own dead kin. Don¡¯t be stupid. She chastised herself. Don¡¯t feel bad for the baby man-eating monsters. Who knows how many people they killed before I killed them? Good riddance. Mia couldn''t quite shake the last vestiges of discomfort, even if she knew what she¡¯d done was both entirely justified and a good thing for every human with a heartbeat. I¡¯ll get used to it. If we want to feel safe walking down the streets of the city, every single monster will need to be eradicated. She distracted herself with something else instead. Experience. Or, XP points, rather. There were none. Bringing up her Interface and glaring at it didn¡¯t reveal any hidden counters either, not even a progress bar or any other indication of how close she was to Levelling Up at any one time. Annoying. Is the System just going all gung-ho and slaps me with a ¡®level up¡¯ whenever it feels like I deserve it or does it have an XP counter hidden away from me, somewhere beneath its surface layers? The same went for her Attribute points too, by the way. No percentile progress or any other identifier of how much more training the next point would take. It was honestly just a straight up shit game design. Overtly annoying and needlessly mysterious. If there were other physics bending Systems around on the market and this one didn¡¯t have an absolute monopoly, she¡¯d have considered switching over to another one. Unfortunately, she¡¯d have to deal with it. Whatever. At least she had rather sick gains for the insignificant quantity of mana she¡¯d spent sniping. Two levels, 6 stat points and an extra point in Manifestation. A grin tugged at the edge of her lips. Manifestation was an awesome stat, it already did wonders to how easily she could cast spells. Though probably Arcane Bolt¡¯s simplicity and cheapness also played a part in its ease of use. She¡¯d have to check whether Blast had gotten any less demanding to cast. She hoped it did. That spell was a veritable migraine factory. ¡°In here,¡± Jeff said as he pushed the door of an apartment open. Mia followed after him just in time to see a young woman hop off the kitchen table where she sat a moment before. ¡°Lina, this is Maria,¡± Jeff said as he came to a stop at the centre of the room and spun around to face the two girls. ¡°Maria, this is Lina. I believe it would be for the best if the two of you worked together as a pair for this task.¡± Mia turned to the young woman. She looked human for the most part, the only giveaway that she was a bit more were those wispy white eyes that looked like a mass of swirling clouds on a sunny day. ¡°Understood,¡± said Lina, turning to Mia with a determined expression. ¡°Nice to meet you, I hope you don¡¯t mind working together?¡± Mia got distracted for a moment as the woman tilted her head and her sunny blonde locks danced through the air. Wait. Mia shook off her silliness. She was here to fight monstrous birds and protect the people who were going to make sure she didn¡¯t starve to death. Not to make pretty girls awkward by staring at them like a loon. Her voice sounds a bit familiar. Where did I hear her before? Did we speak before? ¡°Uh, hi,¡± Mia said lamely. ¡°Sure, I guess. But why do you think we¡¯d be better off working together, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± The question wasn¡¯t directed at the pretty blonde, but at the perpetually stone faced landlord. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°From what I know of both of your abilities,¡± Jeff started to explain with his arms crossed. ¡°Lina has the skills, or ¡®Skill¡¯ to stop the birds and throw them around, but not to finish them off. While you, Maria, have just the opposite. If I''ve assumed wrong, now is the time to speak up.¡± Mia frowned, her gaze snapping back at those swirly white-grey eyes with a frown. The fact that barely anyone knew the extent of her magical abilities gave a non-insignificant measure of confidence to the young mage. Surprising someone with a Blast to the face was much more viable if they didn¡¯t know you could shoot exploding arcane bolts. Still, she knew this reluctance to share or even show her magic was stupid and would be more detrimental than anything in both the short- and long run. ¡°I suppose,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°I was honestly a bit worried about actually hitting the birds with my spells, so if you can help me with that, I think we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°That I can do,¡± the girl grinned. ¡°I stop them and you blast them to hell?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Mia allowed herself a smile. Her smiles had been often described as ¡®scheming¡¯ or ¡®venomous¡¯, even when she was genuinely happy about something. She wiped it off of her face before the girl thought Mia was planning to blast her head off instead of a monster¡¯s. ¡°If there is a problem just shout or scream,¡± Jeff said as he strode past them towards the door. ¡°I, or someone else will always be on standby on this floor in case anything gets closer than you are comfortable with.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said distractedly, much more interested in paying attention to her new partner¡¯s expressions. ¡°Understood, sir,¡± the girl gave a sloppy salute. She didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Mia¡¯s strange smile, or just didn¡¯t care. Once the door snapped shut behind Jeff, the blonde returned her attention to Mia. ¡°Soooo, what sort of an attack do you have that can kill those birds? I can barely scratch their feathers even with my strongest Wind Blades.¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± Mia stared awkwardly as Lina pushed into her personal space. She took a step back and held up a hand, which was thankfully enough to stop the blonde from closing the distance again. ¡°First off, space. Second, you¡¯ll see either way.¡± ¡°But we should know what the other can do to work better together ¡­ I think?¡± Lina tapped her cheek as a pensive look overtook her features, then shook away the uncertainty. ¡°Yeah. Even if you don¡¯t want to share, I¡¯ll tell you what I can do at least. That should help a bit. I can manipulate the air, one of my Skills lets me crush the air into a single point, which can stop even those metal birds for a few seconds.¡± ¡°Crush the air?¡± Mia asked, then coloured a bit as she realised she was being a hypocritical bitch by asking about the girl¡¯s powers after refusing to do so herself. She let out a sigh and decided to share just a bit about her own Skills, just to reciprocate Lina¡¯s gesture, nothing more. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll share the basics. The spell I¡¯m going to use shoots off a projectile that explodes on impact. I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯ll kill the bird outright, but it¡¯ll melt and scrap its feathers around where it¡¯s hit.¡± With that said Mia strode past the taller girl before she could be pushed into a corner ¡ª either metaphorically or quite literally with how the blonde moved to step closer again just before Mia slid past her. The flat itself was rather basic, similar to her and Mark¡¯s but much less lived-in. Two small bedrooms, a bathroom and the rest shoved into a single space that served as the kitchen / living room / pantry. Mia walked over to one of the two barred windows overlooking the garden and peered out. Honestly, she never liked the place. There was nothing wrong with the garden itself, fashioned into a tiny park and a playground as it was, but holy hell were the walls surrounding it atrocious. Three or maybe even four metres tall thick brick walls with only a single door on them which wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place as the main gate of some mediaeval castle. What were they called? Portcullis? Mia stared at the abomination a moment longer before her gaze snapped over to an even worse offender: the barbed wire running along the top of the walls. All in all, the place was unnerving and always managed to make Mia feel like she was an inmate in a maximum security prison. Now, those high walls, the thick iron door and the barbed wire were their first line of defence against the scavenging goblins and murderous critters on the other side of it. ¡°So, how did you get roped into bird-watching duty?¡± Lina asked, having joined Mia in surveying the walled garden. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you among Jeff¡¯s original fighters and neither do I remember seeing you after the meeting today.¡± Mia glanced at the overly curious woman, ready to tell her to mind her own business. Not only was Mia stressed up to all hell, she also just had to sit around for hours watching distant goblins fuck around without being able to hit them with her spells. But then she played out the words once more and finally remembered why Lina sounded so familiar. She was that girl who stepped up to ask Jeff to become a fighter. Mia felt a strange mix of envy for the other woman¡¯s boldness and a fair bit of admiration. It banished most of her original annoyance, though it gave birth to a new wave of it right after. ¡°Beats me,¡± Mia murmured. ¡°I suppose Jeff bullied me into coming.¡± Meanwhile, she forced herself to do her actual job and squinted up at the sky for the glinting of metal under the sunlight. ¡°So you didn¡¯t want to fight?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Who wants to fight?¡± Mia grumbled. ¡°I would have enlisted if I enjoyed fighting for my life.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Lina said somberly. Mia ignored her. Her eyesight was far from as formidable as her hearing, but her days of wearing glasses were officially over. She had been short-sighted, not too badly, but she¡¯d have had to wear glasses to drive since she couldn¡¯t read even colossal letters on traffic signs if they were more than ten metres away from her. Now, though, she spotted metallic monster after metallic monster. They were little more than blurry spots in the sky, hundreds of metres above ground, but she could see them even with the sun doing its best to blind her again. Every now and then the birds dove like silver bullets, wings tucked in as they plummeted faster than Mia could track. One moment she saw a spit hundreds of metres away, then a few seconds later she¡¯d see a bird rising from between lines of houses with a goblin held in its talons. ¡°Can you really track them?¡± Mia asked dubiously, worry starting to worm its way into her heart. ¡°I can barely see them when they fly straight, and I¡¯d have no hope of hitting them mid-dive.¡± ¡°Want to do a test run?¡± Lina asked. ¡°What?¡± Mia gave the girl a side-glance, then leaned on the window sill to get a better view of the sky above. ¡°There are no birds close by ¡­ I hope you aren¡¯t planning on using someone as bait?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lina gave her an angry glare, then huffed and pointed out the window. ¡°Watch. Shoot the bird down if you can once I have them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Mia said, eyes fixed on the girl¡¯s chest and then slowly, following a strange urge, roamed over her shoulder and then finally stopped on her fingers, which let out a soft whitish blue light. Mia blinked, then gasped as a wispy white mist flowed out of the girl''s fingers and streaked out the window like an ethereal serpent. Enthralled by the sight, Mia gasped and then let out a soft shudder. The wispy mist flowed out of her sight, heading straight up right after leaving the window behind, but Mia felt it still for a good few metres as it raced for the sky. The feeling was familiar, reminiscent of how she could feel the wrongness in the creatures she came to refer to as monsters. But this was the exact opposite. If she had to liken it to something else, she¡¯d say both sensation was a ¡®taste¡¯ but one was horrendously sour while the other had a silky smoothness that caressed her skin. Well, not her skin. The mist didn¡¯t touch her, but Mia could feel it still. It was weird. Very much so. ¡°Ready?¡± Lina asked, brows creased in concentration as a bead of sweat trailed down her cheek. ¡°I found one ¡­ I¡¯ll have it in sight from the window in a moment ¡­ ¡° ¡°What?¡± Mia snapped out of her daze. Replayed the words in her head then pressed her face up against the bars. ¡°Uhh, I am, but my range is a bit limited. A hundred metres at most. Maybe a bit more now.¡± Mana flowed from her core and Mia almost lost control of it when with a start she realised what she¡¯d felt from the blonde girl. Mana. Monster mana, her own mana and the ¡­ air mage(?)¡¯s mana? Unfortunately, Mia¡¯s own was a far cry from the comfortable breeze that was Lina¡¯s. If she continued with the taste analogy, Lina¡¯s mana was a soft cream, monster mana was a pile of decomposing fruit while her own was the sort of spicy taste that brought tears to one¡¯s eyes and promised a painful retribution at the toilet the day after. ¡°Okay,¡± Lina murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll draw it closer. It should appear in your view in about ¡­ now!¡± Mia didn¡¯t hesitate. Arcane Blast had been held at her fingertips already, waiting to be let loose. Mia released her hold the moment she saw the glint of steel appear above the garden. It struck the bird right in what went for its shoulder and, with a burst of pink light, melted it to slag and sent the bird blasting towards the ground. It gave a frantic, one-winged attempt at breaking its fall. All in vain. Mia didn¡¯t know how a bird covered in what looked like hundreds of kilos of metal could fly. As it slammed into the dirt, kicking up grass and upending metres of earth, she decided she could cross out some manner of weight reduction. ¡°Wow,¡± Lina whispered, then sent Mia a sunny smile. ¡°That was awesome. How many of those can you shoot off? I¡¯m already feeling exhausted.¡± ¡°A dozen?¡± Mia shrugged, squinting at the newly made miniature crater for any sign of the bird crawling out. ¡°Should be more than enough if they don¡¯t swarm us.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Lina hummed, eyes glinting in the sunlight as she joined Mia in eyeing the fallen monster. ¡°Let¡¯s kill as many of those as possible. I think we both need the levels. Plus Jeff offered extra food and water for any half-way intact bird corpse.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mia blinked, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Their feathers apparently make for superb daggers and spear-tips,¡± Lina shrugged. ¡°Better than any kitchen knife or even combat knife we have. And those monsters grow them by the dozens. They also have cores or something, which is also supposedly good for something.¡± ¡°I probably melted a good third of those feathers.¡± ¡°Anything above zero feathers is better than I could have gotten by myself,¡± Lina smiled and gave a quick side-hug to Mia before spinning away and draping herself over the sofa like an exhausted cat. ¡°You¡¯re awesome. Let¡¯s stick together, alright? We make a great monster stomping team.¡± Mia forcefully relaxed her stiffened body and let out a sigh. When was the last time someone other than her mother hugged her? It was just a brief physical contact, but Mia was left staring out the window to hide her flushed cheeks. It¡¯s because she¡¯s pretty, isn¡¯t it? Stupid heart of mine? Mia mused as said idiotic organ continued to race. A deep breath later, when she felt confident her voice wouldn¡¯t betray her, Mia answered. ¡°Sure,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like that. I think.¡± 15 - That thing about Feces and Fans Mia sat at the kitchen table, sending a wide variety of curses at herself. Her feelings in particular. She¡¯ll be either straighter than an arrow, have a nasty personality beneath the facade, or both at once if my luck didn¡¯t get any better by some miracle. She was 24 dammit, well past her years of crushing on every pretty girl that smiled at her in highschool. She touched you for all of a second and then went to take a nap. Monsters probably want to eat you up more than that girl. Mia ran her fingers over her face, stifling an irritated groan. All this stress and almost-dying was fucking with her head. She was sure of it. I¡¯m sure I read somewhere that almost-dying makes you horny. It was probably some pseudo-psychology blog, but it might have a tinge of truth to it. Mia considered, glanced at the blissfully napping blonde, and narrowed her eyes. Well, she was her type, all things considered. Mia banished the thought of it. Her life was a fucking mess already, and she had more than enough problems already without factoring in her ¡­ crush? No, her hormones must be out of whack and messing her head. She knew the woman for all of five minutes. With a decisive huff, she let go of those thoughts and returned herself to the present and the real world. The world where she was going to be responsible for protecting people from bloodthirsty metal birds. Joy. She hated being responsible for people. Be it being a team leader at work, or being responsible for protecting these gardeners ¡ª who could really get a damned move on and start working already ¡ª which was a billion times worse. Mia groaned and tore at her hair in annoyance. She should have just kept to sniping goblins. ¡°What got your panties in a twist?¡± Mia glanced over at Lina, who now had one eye cracked open and aimed at her way. ¡°I hate this,¡± Mia said, hanging her head limply, only holding it up by the two fistfuls of hair grasped in her hands. ¡°What do you hate exactly?¡± Lina asked, propping herself up with a groan. ¡°The monsters? The magic? The alien super AI that shoved something into our souls and gave us both?¡± Mia flushed at the question. Sure, she was stressed out about those too, but not nearly as much about the possibility of having another human¡¯s blood on her hands should she fail to do what was asked of her. I should have told Jeff to swallow a bag of dicks instead of going along with his stupid idea. Fuck. ¡°Hmmm?¡± Lina drawled and Mia was sure she raised one of her dainty golden eyebrows even as she didn¡¯t look up from the table. The blonde let out a huff before slumping back on the sofa again. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you brood in peace. Wake me when they finally get started down there.¡± Mia made a noise of acknowledgement. A deep breath in through the nose. Count to three. Hold the breath. Count to four. And a quick breath out through the mouth. Mia repeated her tried and true calming exercise twice before she felt the bubbling anger and mortification fade. ¡®Brooding¡¯. Her eyes twitched. At least her idiotic infatuation with the abrasive girl went away with it. Mia rubbed her face. She hadn¡¯t been this moody and angsty in well over half a decade. Her time in highschool was an¡­ interesting part of her life, filled with many memories that still haunted her, the sheer embarrassment she felt at the time sticking the events into her memory like superglue. Mana slowly trickled through her channels and Mia focused inwardly, letting her mind be occupied by the simple task of following the ephemeral sensation. Mana was immaterial, as were her energy channels. She was sure of it, even Lara said she couldn¡¯t feel anything like them in her body with her Skill. Yet Mia felt it. It was foggy and a bit distant, but unmistakable. It was supernatural. Just like one of her Traits {Spirit Sense} described. That prompted another question though: was she the only one who could feel mana? Or see it even? Could others even see the glimmering spell circles when they cast spells? I can¡¯t imagine managing to cast a single spell without actually feeling my mana. It¡¯d be hell and I¡¯d have blown myself up a dozen times already. They probably have a weaker version of my Spirit Sense. Or just a mana sense? Mine covers every supernatural energy type supposedly ¡­ Stimulating her dry channels was relaxing in a way she was growing to love. It was like a thorough full-body massage, but on her Spirit and Mind too, not just on her physical ¡®vessel¡¯ as the System called her Body. She couldn¡¯t wait till she could do it through all of her channels at once instead of controlling a tiny trickle of mana to course through her. Something to look forward to. Mia¡¯s ears twitched. A door creaked open a floor below and a gaggle of noise, voices, sounded out. The young Halvyr tilted her head to the side and drank in the sounds. ¡° ¡­sure it¡¯s really safe?¡± An elderly male voice sounded out, hesitant and afraid. ¡°I¡¯d rather get eaten by a monster now than wither away from starvation. Move your bony ass Herman.¡± A stern elderly female voice barked back and Mia stopped herself from chuckling as the man gave a resigned sigh. ¡°If you say so dear.¡± ¡°Wake up!¡± Mia said, standing up. ¡°Lina.¡± ¡°Urggghh,¡± the blonde groaned, blinked confusedly, then rolled off the sofa. Mia didn¡¯t know what she expected, but the woman flipping to her feet with a sort-of-cart-wheel was not it. ¡°Finally. Took them long enough.¡± Mia shrugged, her eyes following the small group of ten people walking through the garden. They stopped at the newly made crater, one of the armed men carefully sneaking up to it and poking something inside with his spear before visibly deflating. ¡°It¡¯s dead,¡± He said, Mia¡¯s ears easily catching the shout even at this distance. The group itself was made up of the elderly couple, two men with makeshift melee weapons ¡ª guards assigned to them by Jeff, probably as a last line of defence ¡ª and three men in what looked to be denim overalls. The last three were also the ones lugging around copious amounts of gardening tools. ¡°How likely are you to miss a diving bird?¡± Mia asked, sending a worried glance at the sky. ¡°I should feel the air moving from far away in an open space like this,¡± Lina murmured. ¡°But I should make sure. Just to be safe. Uh, this will probably tire me out quickly though, what do you think?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Mia raised an eyebrow. Lina didn¡¯t strike her as the type to take input from other people very well. ¡°No, I was asking that antique vase over there in the corner.¡± Lina rolled her eyes as Mia once again reaffirmed that her taste in women was maybe not the best. ¡°Yes you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start out on maximum awareness then,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see how eager the birds are to get a bite out of them. If they leave them mostly alone, you can go back to passive sensing afterwards?¡± She tried to frame it as a question, though she wasn¡¯t sure she succeeded. ¡°Alright,¡± Lina said, rolling her shoulders before her silky smooth mana once again brushed up against Mia¡¯s awareness. ¡°I¡¯ll make a film of mana spread out like a spiderweb and freeze any birds that try to pass through. The stopping itself is what drains me the most so if you could take them out quickly, that would be greatly appreciated.¡± Mia nodded, watching as the white mist burst forth from the girl¡¯s fingers and rushed outside to form said spiderweb just a metre above where they stood on the first floor. Mia had a clear view of the entire thing. Her own mana raced to her fingertips and Mia gave her runic model a once over to make sure it made the spell circle correctly. Her ¡®Novice¡¯ level knowledge was spotty at best, but inside it was a rather severe warning about backlashes of failed spells. The more mana a spell used, the more severe the backlash of a failed or broken casting. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Arcane Blast uses a fuckton. Mia steeled her resolve. Not only could her mana blow her organs out if she grew lax with her control, but since Arcane spells were all rather mana intensive, even the mildest backlash would send her into a dreadful migraine and the worse ones would have her brain trickling out through her ears. Mia checked the spell circle for the third time and still found it to be perfect. Well, not perfect, but castable. She didn¡¯t know why, but her nascent runic theory knowledge nudged at her about the spell circle being far from optimised. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready,¡± Mia said, gaze roaming over the misty white veil that draped over the garden like a blanket. No birdies yet. ¡°Good,¡± Lina murmured absently. ¡°How are they doing? How long do you think I¡¯ll have to hold this?¡± Mia glanced at the group below. The three overall guys were flitting about with buckets full of various seeds, but the real wonders were being done by the elderly couple. The man, a wiry older man hunching over a bent wooden cane, was a one person earth working company. He walked with a lazy gait, cane tapping against the dirt and with each tap the earth shifted and reformed. A path formed under and before his feet, made of compacted dirt as around him the grassy field was upturned to give way to fresh soil. The few trees dotting the garden shifted, the earth around them swelling and carrying them out to the sides and deposited them next to the walls. Meanwhile the elderly woman followed behind the three seed wranglers. They laid the seeds meticulously into the rows of ditches made by the elderly man¡¯s earth shaping. She crouched down every two metres, waving her hand over the uncovered seeds and Mia caught flashes of gentle green light dripping from her fingers. Once she was done, she covered the seeds with dirt and moved over to the next patch. The old man is using Earth magic for sure. And on a stupidly high level for someone who only had it for a day or two. What the hell. Mia couldn¡¯t help but be awed at the lazy ease with which he shaped the world around him. And that woman. I don¡¯t know for sure, but that might be Nature magic. Mia¡¯s breath hitched at the thought. Her mind recalled the few short entries in her Elements book about the reclusive druids and the wondrous things they could do with their Nature magic. One example the book mentioned was that even Rank 1 Druids could make an entire field of wheat grow from newly seeded to harvestable in just a week. If even a fraction of those things are true, she might just single-handedly feed the entire apartment complex. Plus, Nature magic supposedly included weather manipulation at higher levels. If the woman could call rain whenever she wanted, water wouldn¡¯t be an issue either. We¡¯ll just have to survive until she can get there. Unfortunately, that book also talked about Water magic at length. A simple fact of that element was that it belonged to the Negative half of the spectrum. That meant it could only control the element, not create it like the Positive elements of air and fire. Drawing water out of ambient humidity was the best they were going to get, even if by some miracle, a genius Water mage just spawned into their building. Of course, food wouldn¡¯t be a problem if they could eat the meat of monsters. Mia¡¯s entire being was revolted by the mere idea when Mark mentioned the possibility before, and she¡¯d been resolved to starve rather than to eat even a single bite of monster meat. Her instincts had been proven correct when Mark looked into it and realised that the broken mana suffusing the monsters¡¯ bodies made it inedible to anything that didn¡¯t want to have magical indigestion or something much worse. After all, broken mana supposedly corroded Bloodlines. It wasn''t dangerous when it was just in the air since everyone''s personal mana protected their bodies from contamination, but ingesting condensed clumps of it in the form of monster meat was another thing entirely. ¡°They are much faster than I thought,¡± Mia murmured, finally remembering Lina asked a question before she got lost in watching the show below. ¡°I think twenty minutes at most. Maybe a bit less or more depending on whether they run out of mana.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll be able to hold it that long,¡± Lina said, brows creased in uncertainty. ¡°If we don¡¯t have more than a handful of birds trying their luck and you take each out in a second at most.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Mia said, tearing her gaze away from the magical spectacle and refocusing on her task. ¡°Shout if you feel one coming. A bit of forewarning will do wonders.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± As it turned out, staying perfectly alert for minutes on end for someone who never had to do such a thing before was ¡­ challenging. That cloud looks like an elephant. Mia stared up at the sky, bored out of her mind already. She gave a glance at the garden and eyeballed that they were about a fifth of the way done with the renovation. ¡°Incoming,¡± Lina said in a strained whisper, and Mia jumped. Her gaze snapped back to the translucent veil of mana just as a part of it broke from a bird pushing through. The veil around gave way, bending like a trampoline before encasing the monster in a spherical cage and constricting it. The moment it slowed enough that Mia could make out the individual feathers on its body, she sent the spell flying. This time, there was no struggling, as her spell hit it right in the head. The bird dropped like a rock and smacked into a newly made line of dirt. ¡°Got it,¡± Mia said, making sure they hadn¡¯t accidentally dropped the bird on someone. ¡°This,¡± Lina wheezed, fingers trembling. ¡°Is a pain. I might not be able to hold out for all that long.¡± Mia squinted up at the veil and grimaced as it jerkily shifted back into how it was. Threads of mana working to repair the gaping hole the bird¡¯s passing left behind in its fabric. ¡°Should we try baiting them out?¡± Mia wondered. ¡°Take out all the ones around here while you¡¯re still standing?¡± ¡°The only bait we have are the people down there,¡± Lina said with a grimace. ¡°And they only attracted a single bird over how many minutes? Ten? Fifteen?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, eyebrows creased in worry. ¡°How dependable is that passive detection thingy you mentioned?¡± ¡°Better than leaving them undefended when I eventually drop,¡± the blonde said. ¡°We could just tell Jeff to bring them back inside to let you rest up before they continued.¡± Mia liked that idea. Less danger, slow and steady. They still had food. There was no need to rush and put people into undue danger. ¡°But-¡° Lina started, then grimaced as the veil outside trembled. ¡°Shit. Another one.¡± Mia thankfully had mana at the ready at her fingertips and her runic model wouldn¡¯t unmake the spell circle inside it if she didn¡¯t command it to, so the only thing unready was her mind. Mia went to search for the bird with a start, finding it already held by Lina¡¯s magic. Her Arcane Blast shot off and caught it in the flank. ¡°Shit,¡± Mia cursed, hurrying the next glob of mana along as she watched the monster thrash around as Lina¡¯s magic weakened. The veil of air magic wrapped around the bird trembled, a moment away from shattering, and Mia rushed her mana to its destination, leaving her entire lower arm feeling as if lava was flowing through her veins instead of blood. Still, the spell circle burst to life not a moment later. This Blast struck a wing, just like with the first bird they¡¯d killed today. It also shattered Lina¡¯s magic the moment the two powers touched. The bird fell with a shriek, right towards the older man. Mia didn¡¯t have time to worry about him though as Lina¡¯s knees gave out on her and only Mia¡¯s reflexes saved the girl from smashing into the ground, unconscious. Mia wrapped her arms around the blonde¡¯s waist to steady her, but the girl¡¯s weight almost took Mia along for the fall. ¡°Oof,¡± Mia took a strained breath, then with her legs trembling like a pair of leaves in the wind, she laid the blonde down as gently as she could, then collapsed next to her. Mia spent an embarrassing five seconds just staring at the ceiling, trying to catch her breath. Damn, she knew she didn¡¯t have much muscle fit for lifting heavy stuff on her, but she¡¯d almost knocked herself out by letting Lina¡¯s momentum smack her into the ground. And that would have left the gardening guys undefended, without them even knowing it because both of their defenders were out cold. ¡°Shit, the old man,¡± Mia startled, then struggled for a bit with extracting her now bruised left hand from under Lina. ¡°Please be safe.¡± She rushed over to the window, cradling her aching arm and found ¡­ the bird crumbled next to the wall with a guard experimentally poking it with a spear and the old man patting a pillar of stone next to him, the top of which was covered in blood. Mia glanced up at the sky, bereft of Lina¡¯s detection net. She took a deep breath. ¡°JEFF!¡± Her cheeks coloured a bit as she shouted into the ether, seeing some of the people in the garden twitching. When the man didn¡¯t miraculously materialise out of thin air in the next three seconds, Mia got angst and went the other route. ¡°Get inside the building!¡± She shouted out the window, and saw one guard stare up towards her, then nod. The man then quickly nudged everyone into the building. Mia kept alert, her heartbeat pulsing in her ear. If she had even the slightest nick of a chance to hit a bird before it struck at one of them, she had to be ready. Thankfully, they made it inside safely and Mia slumped in relief. Almost collapsing atop the now snoring blonde. Which was when Jeff came bursting through the door. Mia opened her mouth to speak, but the man took one look at her gasping for breath and at her snoring partner before leaving with a nod her way. Mia didn¡¯t know what to think of that interaction, so she just slumped atop the sofa and got to gently caressing her abused energy channels with tiny trickles of mana. She twitched and grimaced every other second as spikes of pain shot through her, but fought on. The pain lessened with time, but she now had two nearly ruptured channels in her two arms. I won¡¯t be casting any more spells today. Mia realised, biting her lip in frustration. Well, not if she wanted to cast any magic with either of her arms again in the future. Healing ruptured channels was possible, according to her spotty knowledge, but extremely time- and/or money consuming. I need to be more careful. If I hurt myself, I¡¯ll be back to being powerless. And if she was powerless, who could say what would happen to her? Jeff certainly only wanted her for her magic, which was also the only reason she and Mark still had their bathtub of water, she assumed. If she was powerless, not only the monsters, but everyone else too could just walk all over her. Magic was her way to power, to regain some control over her fate. She couldn¡¯t cripple it even if- Mia took in a shuddering breath. Staring listlessly at the ceiling. If I want to be strong enough to get through the monster infested city and save mom, I have to put myself first. 16 - Silver Lining? Mia spent the next hour nursing her channels back to some measure of ¡®healthy¡¯. Her right hand was usable now, but her left one was still a painful clump of internal bruises that didn¡¯t go away even when Lara took a look at it. The bunny woman came and went quickly, checking in on the two girls to make sure neither of them got hurt too badly before rushing back to take care of her more pressing patients. Lina had been moved over to the couch since, which left Mia sitting on an ungainly wooden chair. I should have just left. Mia thought, staring at the snoring blonde. Jeff said she could, there was now another pair on anti-air duty and someone else would have come to make sure Lina was alright. Alas, Mia felt the least she could do was watch over her partner. It wasn¡¯t like she had anything planned for the day, especially now that her channels were due for at least half a day of rest. Don¡¯t I have channels in the rest of my body though? The thought struck her and Mia focused inward. She ran a trickle of mana through her body, mapping out the bends and twists of the mystical pathways before letting out a sigh. Sure, she had dozens of channels, but aside from the ones in her fingertips, none of the rest had an ending. Even the ones in her feet just twisted around without even touching her skin, making it impossible to cast magic from there. Why do I have them then? Mia frowned, rubbing her face in annoyance. It could be for body enhancement spells ¡ª which she couldn¡¯t use as an Arcane Mage ¡ª or maybe she was just too much of a beginner at this whole mage thing. It was entirely possible that later on she would be able to cast from anywhere in her body. Or not and it''s down to luck and genetics how many open channel endings you have. That would suck. Channel ¡®endings¡¯ as Mia was calling them were alike to nozzles at the end of watering hoses while the channels were the hoses themselves. Without an open nozzle to spray mana from, she couldn¡¯t actually cast magic. If I don¡¯t want to activate it under my skin and blow my foot off. That would suck even more ¡­ but I guess losing a foot could beat becoming a chewtoy to a village of goblins. Mia didn¡¯t like it, but she filed that thought away for when it was needed. With magic being a thing, losing a limb was far less permanent than it used to be just days ago. It would cost a fortune according to the elements book, but it was possible to regrow limbs. Furthermore, it was Life Magic ¡ª Lara¡¯s element ¡ª which was capable of it. A soft groan caught her attention, snapping Mia out of her ruminations. Lina¡¯s greyish eyes fluttered open, looking around in a haze as the blonde propped herself up. They landed on Mia and flew wide. ¡°Shit, the-¡± she jumped to her feet and scampered over to the window. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mia said, not getting up from her chair. ¡°Jeff got another team to watch over them.¡± ¡°The old man is fine?¡± Lina asked in wonder, probably staring a hole into the elderly earth shaper. ¡°How- I saw the bird falling- What?¡± ¡°The old man is far less helpless than both of us thought I guess,¡± Mia said. ¡°He swatted the falling bird aside like a mosquito. The resulting smear of blood is still visible on the wall to the right.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Lina said smartly, staring out the window. ¡°And they got another group to protect them now?¡± ¡°That is what I said, yes.¡± Mia shrugged, getting up from her chair and stretching out her cranky joints. ¡°Now that you¡¯re up and about, I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Lina said, sounding a bit lost. ¡°Uhm, can we do this tomorrow? If you don''t mind pairing up with me again?¡± Mia turned around and caught the blonde fidgeting a bit. Nervous? Why? I guess we almost fucked up back there because she passed out ¡­ and because I can¡¯t aim for shit. ¡°Sure I guess. Come find me tomorrow. I live in 105.¡± Mia shrugged. That was the 10th floor¡¯s fifth apartment. ¡°But I¡¯d much rather just snipe some goblins running around on the street.¡± ¡°Goblins?¡± Lina asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They die quicker,¡± Mia answered, reaching for the door. She gave a glance back at the troubled blonde as she continued. ¡°And nobody dies when I miss a shot.¡± With that, Mia turned and left, but she only got a few steps in before Lina caught up with her. ¡°What?¡± Lina asked, seeing Mia¡¯s dubious look. Mia just shrugged, though inwardly she was more confused than anything. If she had to simplify her general experiences interacting with the German-speaking people since she moved here, she¡¯d say most of them took bluntness and acting introverted to be a social virtue. Lina seemed to be the exact opposite. Or she was just incapable of reading social cues. Like the fact that Mia was effectively saying goodbye and was not asking the blonde to tail her. She doesn¡¯t sound like she isn¡¯t a native speaker. Mia mused, making sure to pay attention to her surroundings as she stepped into the stairwell. Maybe she¡¯s just weird. It was midday, and despite whatever magical fuckery was going on with the weather since the Awakening, it was still mid July. That is to say, no one in their right mind wanted to be all that far away from an AC. Now that those were non-operational, Mia suspected most of the people in the building found themselves a nice shady corner and were busying themselves by fanning each other. Or the monsters ate more people than I thought. That was a worrying thought, but she¡¯d rather assume the heat was why the two of them didn¡¯t come across another soul on their lengthy trek up to the tenth floor instead of the alternative. ¡°Damn, you climb all these stairs every day?¡± Lina huffed, clutching onto the railing for dear life. ¡°Come on, there''s only one set of stairs left,¡± Mia said, though she also felt a bit winded. ¡°Also, there is a lift.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The blonde asked, taking a single step up to the first stair like she¡¯d just ran a marathon. ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said, the edge of her lips curling in amusement. ¡°Did you live on the ground floor or something?¡± ¡°First,¡± Lina said. ¡°But I got banished up to an empty second floor apartment, with my flat getting turned into a hospital room.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia paused, frowning. ¡°That sucks.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Lina nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I hate stairs.¡± ¡°They do wonders to your legs though,¡± Mia mused. ¡°Urgh.¡± Soon enough, and accompanied by Lina¡¯s tortured groans, the duo made their way up to the tenth floor and to Mia¡¯s flat. Mia knocked loudly, as she always did, then went in after a moment. Motioning for Lina to follow when the blonde stayed put in the door. ¡°Nice ¡­ place you got here,¡± Lina said, looking between the mangled table and carpet. ¡°Make yourself comfortable I guess?¡± Mia said. ¡°Uhhhhh. Want some water? I think we have a bit of soda left too.¡± ¡°Oh, no I¡¯m fine,¡± Lina said, carefully settling in on the couch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink up your allotment of water.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, shrugging as she fished out some cereal bars from the depths of the cupboard. She threw one to her guest, then got to nibbling her own as she settled down next to her on the sofa. ¡°Thanks,¡± Lina said, her eyes still wandering around the room even as she chewed on the bar. ¡°You live here alone?¡± ¡°No, I have a roommate,¡± Mia said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d have expected your handwriting to be ¡­ nicer.¡± Mia followed Lina¡¯s gaze, which landed on the small makeshift coffee table at the centre of the room. The fact that Mia instinctively thought of the thing as a ¡®coffee table¡¯ and not as an upturned cardboard box worried her a bit. Though, she supposed living together with Mark for a few years would do that to most people, not just her. ¡°That¡¯s Mark¡¯s,¡± she said, recognising his scribbles at a glance which covered a dozen haphazardly spread slips of paper. ¡°Your roommate?¡± Lina asked, reaching for a paper before pausing. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have left them laying around if he didn¡¯t want people to read them.¡± While Lina visibly struggled to decipher the chaotic script of Mark¡¯s notes, Mia focused on her hearing for a bit. She heard Lina¡¯s breathing and subdued heartbeat clearly enough, but with some effort she even caught the snores coming from Mark¡¯s room. Okay, that wasn¡¯t much of a challenge with how loud he was, but Mia still felt like she had just done some superhuman level stuff. She could track heartbeats for goodness¡¯ sake, that was crazy. Could I tell whether someone is lying based on their heartbeat? I think there was a comic book superhero who had super hearing and could do just that. ¡°Hey,¡± Lina said. ¡°Uhhh, could you help me decipher these? I think this might be ¡­ interesting.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, her brain taking a moment to process the question. ¡°Oh, yeah. Sure. What is it?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Mia took the piece of paper, a torn out page from some old notebook and ran her gaze over it. Reading Mark¡¯s handwriting was only a little less difficult than comprehending the arcane script of her spell circles, but Mia had years upon years of experience deciphering the prior ¡ª having had to do so for four years in college ¡ª, so she managed. ¡°I think he¡¯s separating Attributes into groups?¡± Lina said with some uncertainty. ¡°Though it didn¡¯t seem like he was talking about arbitrary groups he came up with, but some inherent System thing.¡± Stats? Mia read through the thing with a frown. He looked into what I told him? But where the hell did he get that information? After a moment of thought, feeling slightly annoyed that he found something she hadn¡¯t, again, Mia shrugged and got to reading. The first, and arguably most important part was, where Mark separated stats into three types: base stats, gained stats and bonus stats. *** Base Stats Gained Stats Bonus Attributes *** Mia quickly pulled up her Interface, went to the Attributes tab and focused. She knew already that this dumb interface was almost entirely intention driven and was absolutely miserly about giving out any information she didn¡¯t directly ask for. Sure enough, her simple table of attributes fizzled for a moment before separating into three separate columns. *** [Attributes] [Free Attribute Points: 8] [Body: 5] [Mind: 4 + 1 (Bonus)] [Spirit: 5 + 1 (Bonus)] *** So, right now my Agility is ... what? (6 x 0.6) and my Strength is (3 x 0.2)? Why doesn''t the System just write out the real value instead of gaslighting me with these higher fake numbers? Mia thought, groaning as she stared at the System Window with far too many numbers. Then, before she could do anything the window shifted before her eyes, numbers rewriting themselves. *** [Attributes] [Free Attribute Points: 8] [Body: 5] [Mind: 4 + 1 (Bonus)] [Spirit: 5 + 1 (Bonus)] *** I take it back! Damn, that''s ... just please give me back my original window? Pretty please? Those numbers are making me depressed. Mia sighed in relief, slumping back as the System obliged her rather frantic mental request and went back to being as it initially was. Still, it gave her good info. For example that the stats that should have had a value below one, instead defaulted out at one. Is that the unenhanced, nonmagical baseline? Just ones everywhere? ¡°What is it?¡± Lina asked, leaning over Mia¡¯s shoulder to give another go at reading Mark¡¯s note. Mia jumped a little, the fact that she wasn¡¯t alone escaping her in her excitement. Hell, if Lina wasn¡¯t there, she might have already started trying to figure out which of her stat points to put where since apparently, her initial assumption had been wrong. ¡°You were right,¡± Mia said, taking a moment to calm her racing heart. ¡°Apparently, there are three types of Attributes we can get, with each having their own methods for increasing them, along with their own distinct restrictions.¡± ¡°Uhuh, I see.¡± Lina nodded. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t. Explain to me like I¡¯m an idiot, pretty please?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Mia shrugged, putting away her interface with a wave of her hand. ¡°Soo, you know we have three main stats with each having three sub-stats of their own, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Lina nodded. ¡°Stats? That¡¯s what you call them?¡± ¡°Attributes, stats, whatever.¡± Mia waved her off. ¡°Same thing. Anyways, apparently you can get stat points from three separate sources. From training the sub-stats, you get Base Attributes which cap out at one point. From levelling up you get Gained Attributes, which you have a maximum limit of depending on your level and finally there are Bonus Attributes that you get from Class-given Traits.¡± ¡°Oooookay,¡± Lina said, squinting at Mia in thought. ¡°Soooo, that means I can just ignore them. I mean, I¡¯m going to get those Base Attributes anyway just by existing and it¡¯s not like I can choose which type I want my free stat points to be. Right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said, glancing back down at the note to make sure she didn¡¯t miss anything like that being mentioned. ¡°Nope. Those are always going to be Gained Stats.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Lina huffed, leaning back into the soft pillows as she relaxed. ¡°So I can ignore them.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, shrugging. She wasn¡¯t entirely agreeing with the girl though, since she was putting off assigning her free stat points. Now though, knowing that she wasn¡¯t giving up those freely gained Base Stats by doing so, she could now go ahead and do so. ¡°Still. Base Stats apparently determine how much each point in your sub-attributes is worth.¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± Lina groaned. ¡°Sooo, if I get those up, every point I put into Strength for example be ¡­ what? Count as two points? Ten? One and a half?¡± ¡°Well, if Mark is right you¡¯ll be at 1:1 when you have all of your base stats at 10. Every point above that gives you an extra 10% ¡­ and every point under that a minus 10%¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have 10 points in anything even though I dumped like five of them into Control.¡± Lina massaged her temples in apparent frustration. ¡°This is going to be a pain. How do you even train for something like Control?¡± ¡°By shaping your mana into shapes?¡± Mia asked, raising an eyebrow at Lina. Did blacking out put half of her brain cells into hibernation or what? That¡¯s obvious, even to me. ¡°And Sensitivity? Or Manifestation?¡± Lina continued, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°Is my magic going to suck forever?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t suck at all,¡± Mia said, attempting to sound gentle and sincere. It probably helped somewhat that she really did think what she was saying was the truth. ¡°You¡¯re just more focused on CC than pure damage, which is sort of a given with Air Magic I think ¡­ it¡¯s air magic you use, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lina said, blinking slowly. It was easy to tell she wasn¡¯t that hung up about her magic or didn¡¯t even worry about it sucking all that much. Still, Mia felt for the girl. ¡°You have a ¡­ runic-model Subskill or an Elemental Manipulation one?¡± Mia asked, wincing at the question that was doubtlessly a huge breach of propriety in any world that had the System for any length of time. ¡°What¡¯s a runic-model?¡± Lina asked confusedly, then shook her head slightly. ¡°I have Major Air Manipulation.¡± ¡°That makes you an Elementalist, then,¡± Mia said, pulling up what she learned from the book on Classes. ¡°While Mages like me use spells and have to fiddle with spell circles and runes and stuff, and Sorcerers have to keep their bonded Spirits happy to use their magic, you can ignore all that as an Elementalist and directly manipulate your element. It¡¯s ¡­ much more self-taught, and supposedly easier to get into than the other two types.¡± ¡°I¡¯d take powerful over easy any day of the week,¡± Lina mumbled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make you any less powerful than an Air Mage would be, not if you practise and train,¡± Mia said in what she¡¯d hoped was a consoling tone. She gently squeezed the blonde¡¯s shoulder before pulling back. ¡°Plus, you¡¯ll be able to fly. That¡¯s kinda awesome.¡± There were some other, more esoteric advantages to being an Elementalist, like being much more in tune with your element and such, but since Mia didn¡¯t really understand what that meant or how that was helpful, she didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lina said, releasing a long breath. ¡°Sorry. We barely even know each other and I followed you into your home to whine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mia said, fighting the urge to cringe. Damn, she was so bad at this. This was what growing up with a clingy brother and without any close female friends did to a girl. Near complete lack of in-depth social skills and the know-how to console someone when they felt down. What would mom say? She¡¯s good at this stuff. Mia fell into thought, trying to come up with something fitting to say. Lina wasn¡¯t the type of person she usually liked hanging out with, the girl was far too outgoing and lacking in the terms of personal space for her to ever feel comfortable being around her for too long, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t want her to feel happy. Honestly, with how surprised the blonde had been about Mia having a roomie, she probably lived alone, cut off from her family and friends in this building and having to make do relying only on herself. Mia would have been terrified, scared out of her mind and probably trembling under a bed maybe sipping on lukewarm beer if she had only herself to depend on with all the shit that had been going down lately. Hell, she¡¯d be dead. The bird would have killed her. ¡°So anyways,¡± Lina started, tilting her head curiously at the zoned-out Mia and apparently over whatever emotional hole she¡¯d fallen into just seconds ago. ¡°Your accent sounds a bit weird. You¡¯re not a native speaker right? Or maybe Belgian? I have no idea what Belgian accents sound like so ¡­ maybe? Hmmm?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Mia blinked dumbly at Lina, searching her face for a moment. She didn¡¯t know what she was looking for, but the girl seemed nothing but curious. She flip-flopped between emotional extremes faster than I can switch the lights on and off. Okay, I guess. Strange. ¡°I¡¯m from Pennsylvania, USA. Why? Do I sound weird?¡± ¡°Oh, no,¡± Lina shook her head hurriedly at Mia¡¯s frown. ¡°You sound ¡­ I don¡¯t know, just different, I guess? But not in a bad way. It¡¯s mostly in the way you roll your ¡®r¡¯-s I think. It sounds slightly like a slurred Russian accent.¡± Mia groaned. She should have kept going to that Speech Therapist for a few more years. Did everyone think she sounded like a drunk Russian for the last decade? No. That couldn¡¯t be. The ¡­ people she went to high school with certainly wouldn¡¯t have held back on shoving her face in the fact she couldn¡¯t speak German perfectly. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s sort of exotic, so it¡¯s all good, right?¡± Lina said. ¡°Right. It goes well with that elfin look you have going on now. It all fits together pretty well, I think. You just need a pretty pink dress and you¡¯d be perfec-¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia cut in, having heard something going a few steps over the line. ¡°I¡¯d rather go out and dance around with the goblins in a fursuit than wear a stupid princess dress.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have to be a princess dress though,¡± Lina mused, squinting her eyes at Mia speculatively as she hummed. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work with the hair. It¡¯s far too vibrant to match the subdued pink they use for those. You¡¯d need something form fitting and a bit more sexy, I think. A slit dress maybe? Ohhh, you could make it silky to shimmer like your hair does.¡± Mia found herself wondering, imagining herself in the dress. It¡¯d probably look pretty nice. Though I still hate dresses, they are just such a pain to wear. Maybe for some special occasions, perhaps, though. Hmmm. ¡°Then you can get some fake sapphire or azurite jewellery to fit your eyes and the highlights of your hair,¡± Lina continued, starting to practically bounce on the sofa as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯d be awesome.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Mia allowed, feeling some of Lina¡¯s excitement rub off on her. ¡°It would be pretty nice.¡± 17 - Choices, Choices ... too many choices The two girls continued chatting for another twenty minutes before Lina decided to take her leave, promising to be back the day after before the sun rose so they could head down to hunt some goblins together. Which left Mia alone and trying to get back on rails with her initial plans for the afternoon: Relaxing. Mia decided to get washed up. Just slightly wetting her towel and scrubbing herself off left her far from the level of clean-ness she liked, but water had other, more important functions. Like keeping her from dying of thirst. She cast a regretful glance at the little puddle at the bottom of the tub, one-fifth of what it had been before their water got communised by Jeff¡¯s goons, then decided to try to relax some. Her options were, sadly, diminished. No streaming sites, no TV, no videos, no gaming, and not even her e-reader worked. I should have bought actual physical books, with actual paper pages and all that. The only physical book she had was a Bible they¡¯d inherited from whoever owned the apartment before them. Back in the living room, her gaze landed on the bunch of papers spread over the new makeshift coffee table and Mark¡¯s telltale scribbles spread across the pages. She¡¯d only read a single page, and there were dozens. Well. Better than watching mould grow. Mia flipped through the disparate notes, finding that most of the pages were just page numbers, reminders and Class information for Mark¡¯s apparent dream Class: the Earthen Spellblade. Mia didn¡¯t care all that much about that. She already had a class of her own and besides, she had no affinity for any type of magic aside from Arcane, and Arcane Spellblades were near-non-existent. Everyone with an Arcane affinity wanting to fight in close quarters went balls-deep on Force Magic or Kinetomancy, but that was a stunted school of magic, as far as Mia knew. Only magic could fight magic at higher levels, and Force Magic affected things through kinetic energy. The source of the effects might have been magic, but the effects themselves were about as magical as a thrown brick or a punch to the gut. The same went for Thermomancy, and whatever other derivative schools of magic the Arcane element had that worked with pure physical forces like electromagnetism and such. Mia shook her head, snapping out of her brooding. She might not have known what use those schools of magic were when they couldn¡¯t harm any mage above a certain level, but she certainly knew pure Arcane Magic like the advanced counterparts of Arcane Blast and her other spells would be more than satisfactory for mage-to-mage combat. The book even praised Arcane Mages for being one of the natural fit for duelists since their more chaotic spells naturally disrupted spell-forms ¡ª whatever those were. That was a nice little fact that Mia liked to think about whenever she remembered the fact that Arcane was the only element without a natural Body Enhancement effect of its own. Back to the notes. On one of the last pages, she found another interesting little tidbit. *** Every damned thing is colour coded based on rarity / quality / strength. (Kinda silly but very useful. Must remember.) Grey < White < Green < Blue < Purple < ? Poor < Common < Uncommon < Rare < Epic < ? (I¡¯m guessing Legendary, but who knows?) I¡¯m guessing it all goes together with the Rank system. Rank 0 would be Grey / Poor and Rank 5 would be the Legendary(?) quality. Maybe everything else is separated into six grades too? Like Mage ranks and stuff? *** That¡¯s interesting. Mia scratched her cheek in thought, pulling her Interface back up. The first thing she noticed was her Rank with the big round zero next to it, now coloured the blandest grey she¡¯d seen. That fits. Below it was a new entry merely saying [Class: Arcane Mage (Tier 1)] and it was written in a vibrant turquoise script, standing out against the boring colourless letters of the rest of the interface. How was it colourless? Mia had not the faintest clue, but no matter how hard she squinted at the ¡®Name¡¯ section, for example, she couldn¡¯t tell what colour it was even if someone held a gun against her head. It was just the tiniest bit maddening, but Mia shrugged it off with a practised use of her ¡®I don¡¯t give a shit¡¯ aura. Mia went through the various sections of her Interface, noting every newly coloured line or text as she went. Her race was a light purple, bordering on pink, along with the majority of her Traits with the ¡®racial¡¯ tag next to them. The rest ranged between blue and green, while all of her stats were the same boring grey as her Rank along with her Energy Channels Trait. She went through the rest of the notes, but the majority of them were Mark calculating his own stats and listing out ideas for training them. Mia noted those, making sure she remembered the more novel ideas for later. Mia forced herself to relax, sinking into the soft cushions of the sofa as she just ¡­ breathed. How long had it been since she used breathing exercises and the meditation she learned as a teenager? Well, it sure came in handy now. She focused on the air, the swelling of her lungs and the soft exhales, on the slight breeze brushing against her cheeks and the feeling of her locks against her skin. Almost without thought, Mia began circulating her mana, just feeling how the tiny clump of energy flowed through her ethereal not-veins. She felt calm for the first time in a long while, peaceful and just happy to exist with the sunlight kissing her cheeks and the mana caressing her body and spirit. [Congratulations! You have gained a Secondary Skill: Meditation!] [Do you wish to slot this Skill?] [ Yes / No ] Mia tried to retain her calm and keep her mind clear, but the little gremlin in her head was jumping up and down in joy. With a sigh, and an eager grin slipping on her face, Mia opened her eyes and read the notification thoughtfully once more. She squinted at it, and a new window popped up as she wished. *** [Meditation] [Type: General / Magic] While in deep meditation, gain the following effects: *** Not wasting another moment, and fearing the prompt would disappear on her, Mia mentally smashed the Yes button. [Meditation has been slotted] [User has 4 Empty Secondary Skill slots remaining] Mia felt the change, something changed. She wasn¡¯t sure what or where, but she knew with absolute certainty that something got added to her being. It was weird, and she also logically assumed it was the Skill. How did skills work anyway? Mia shrugged, deciding to ignore that question for now. There would be a time to play System scholar, somewhere in the far future, when her biggest foes weren¡¯t dehydration and knee-high goblins. [Obtain a Secondary Skill (1/1)] [Objective fulfilled, Quest Complete] [Do you wish to claim your reward (10 minutes of remote Obelisk access) now?] [ Yes / No ] This damned thing is changing its formatting every time I open it. Mia grumbled, the chaotic design annoying the amateur graphic designer in her to no end. Whatever. Hopefully it¡¯ll settle down with time. Yes, let¡¯s see what those Obelisks can do. [Reward Claimed] [Searching for the nearest Obelisk ¡­ Target located: Starhaven Continent / Grimharbor City ¡­ Establishing connection ¡­ ] [Connection Established] [Countdown Begins! Time Remaining: 9:59] [Obelisk Interface] Why the hell is three out of the four options locked? Mia scowled at the window, but the only thing she got was a vague sense of disconnect from it. This window felt distant and detached from her in a way she didn¡¯t even recognise until then all the others were not. Must be because it''s a remote connection? Mia theorised, but the rapidly speeding by countdown pushed her to get herself over it. She opened the only option available. [Available Primary Skills] [Available Secondary Skills] ¡°Nine options and four open slots.¡± Mia murmured with a grimace at the idea. Then glanced up at the countdown. [8:31] As much as she would have loved to dissect every single skill, she would have to be quick about this. Who knew when she would have the opportunity to get Secondary Skills again. When Mia remembered her original plans about getting her Secondary Skill for the Quest ¡ª the arcane elemental manipulation skill that was supposedly a must for everyone ¡ª the number of Skills she could pick went down by one. She decided to at least read the descriptions of each Skill before deciding. Being a quick reader, Mia didn¡¯t fear running out of time because of that. *** Multitasking: Increases the User¡¯s multitasking ability. Scales with Cognity. Fatigue Resistance: reduces the effect of physical and mental fatigue on the User¡¯s capabilities. Minor Parallel Processing: the User gains a lesser parallel mind. The mind functions with a tenth of the User¡¯s Mind Sub-Attributes. Minor Enhanced Cognition: the effect of Cognity is slightly enhanced. Lesser Poker Face: Hiding emotions, intentions and thoughts becomes easier. Lesser Kinetic Energy Assimilation: The User can absorb a set amount of kinetic energy affecting their body and transmute it into arcane mana. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lesser Thermal Energy Assimilation: The User can absorb a set amount of thermal energy affecting their body and transmute it into arcane mana. Spectral Sight: By focusing their Spirit Senses into their eyes, the User can glimpse into the Spirit Realm. Spirit Bond: Form a Bond with a willing spirit associated with the User¡¯s affinity. *** Strangely, Mia could vaguely tell why each Skill was made available to her. The first four, for example, were due to abusing her mind and body a bit too much to get through college. It seemed overwhelming her poor brain and working off of four hours of sleep was something to be rewarded in the System. Mia held back a snort. The two energy absorption thingies came from her affinity. Or, well, attunement. She remembered mentions of that giving abilities as it progressed. The last two came from her Fae nature. Mia crossed out Spirit Bond, Poker Face, Fatigue Resistance and the Parallel Mind skills. She had no spirits on hand, didn¡¯t need help to act even more like a statue, didn¡¯t want there to be a need for fatigue resistance and she certainly didn¡¯t want a second voice speaking in her head. Especially if what she suspected about the attributes was true and the sub-mind would be dumb as a rock. Nope. That was a huge nopers from her. That left Multitasking, Spirit Sight, Enhanced Cognition and the two absorption skills. [3:19] Time flew by far too quickly for her liking. If only it could do that when she was on the clock, watching mould grow in the office. Mia ruminated over the choice, racking her brain this way and that until the countdown hit one minute. Panic was a strong word. Mia certainly didn¡¯t panic, nope. Making a ¡­ hasty, and perhaps rash choice though? That might have happened. Perhaps. Maybe. [Secondary Skill: Multitasking slotted] [Secondary Skill: Lesser Kinetic Energy Assimilation slotted] [Secondary Skill: Lesser Thermal Energy Assimilation slotted] [Empty Secondary Skill slots remaining: 1] Mia let out a sigh of relief and slumped back against the sofa. Choices were hard. She just hoped she didn¡¯t mess up too badly. With only a few seconds remaining, Mia checked whether the remaining skills on the list disappeared with her choices made. Thankfully, that was not the case. Every single spell was still listed, including the ones she chose. [0:00] [Disconnecting ¡­ connection terminated] Mia gave herself a minute to just go over her decision and found she was quite satisfied with it overall. These Skills were both interesting and useful enough that neither the magic gremlin part of her, nor her logical part were unhappy. Well, the usefulness of the two assimilation skills would heavily depend on exactly how much energy they could absorb, but skills were upgradeable. According to Mark at least. They would get better with time, and hopefully protect her from heat and physical force. The little mana they would give her would just be an extra. Multitasking, on the other hand, was a scaling skill. Which appealed to her gamer side. It would be useful even when she outgrew her other Skills or had them upgraded. Plus, multitasking was an extremely useful skill even in day-to-day life. Mia once again felt the changes, though she still couldn¡¯t put into words how or what had been changed about her. She suspected the only reason she felt anything at all had to do with her rather high Sensitivity and her Spirit Senses. Anyway, with one choice out of the way, she had yet another one to make. Now that she knew spending stat points wouldn¡¯t somehow deprive her of freely gained stats she could have gotten through training, she had to decide where to spend them. She had eight points. Spending those points smartly could be what tipped the scales in her favour in a battle of life and death. As much as I¡¯d love to dump them on Will and Strength, it would be a waste. Quite literally, since every point spent on those stats would only be worth a tenth of its actual value. If she was going to spend these points, she wanted returns on her investment now. That meant turning the things she was now above average at into strength ¡­ the problem was just that none of her stats associated with her class or a quick power-up were all that high. Strength, Manifestation and Will were arguably the most useful stats for turning live monsters into dead ones. Ah, damn it all. Let''s do half-half. Mia decided, and before she could regret it, she dumped 4 points into Manifestation. Why Manifestation? Because out of her base stats, it was the highest. [Free Attribute Points: 8 -> 4] [Manifestation: 4 -> 8] [Spirit: 6 -> 7] Mia let out a sigh of pleasure as she felt something. Her Spirit became firmer, for a lack of a better word. She felt more ¡­ stable, grounded. Like her entire being had been a house built on sand and only now did it gain some proper foundation. It seemed those four points in Manifestation sent the main Spirit stat over the edge and pushed it up by a point. It was a sensation unlike any other, and one that almost made her dump the rest of her points into the stat right then and there. But no. She made her decision, so she reluctantly got back to thinking over the fate of her remaining points. What else would be useful? Mia eyed her stats. With Manifestation increased, she would hopefully have a bit more stopping ¡ª and killing ¡ª power. So other than that, what did she need? Surviving this madness is what I want. Along with getting strong enough to go help Mom and protect her if needed. What stats would help me in that? After a minute of humming and chin rubbing, Mia made her choice. [Free Attribute Points: 4 -> 0] [Agility: 6 -> 8] [Sensitivity: 9 -> 11] Mia groaned as a slew of sensations and sounds bombarded her the moment her points went into Sensitivity. The sense of wrongness she only got from having her gaze locked onto a monster before became an unpleasant stable. She felt it cover her like a blanket, everything was just so very wrong. Goosebumps ran down her spine, wave after wave as a chill crept into her bones. They were everywhere. The monsters. She felt them everywhere. On the streets, in the hallway, in the air ¡­ the air was a monster? Mia startled, looking around nervously at the room. Why did the regular air feel vaguely wrong, just like monsters? Wait, I should be feeling Mana and other sorts of energies with my Spirit Sense, not monster presences. Mia thought. So ¡­ is this the energy Monsters use, or they are made of? Or is it just tainted air and mana that the Rifts spew out along with the monsters? Slowly, as Mia focused her mind on the questions and sank into her thoughts, the previously tyrannical sensations dimmed and got pushed into the background. She still felt them, if even less clearly than before, but they were bearable this way. The stupid Sensitivity stat was supposed to give her better monster detection. That was the assumption under which she chose to spend two points on it at least. Knowing where monsters were without even seeing them would have been a godsend if she ever managed to work up the courage to stalk through the monster-infested city and get to her Mom. Agility, on the other hand, would help her run away if ¡ª or more likely ¡®when¡¯ ¡ª the shit hit the fan. Mistakes make for a great learning experience. Mia could almost hear her mother¡¯s gentle voice and the warm hug she gave her along with it. It was her go-to answer to teenage Mia getting all depressed about messing up a test or fumbling yet another social interaction. Okay, sleeping like this is going to be damned near impossible. How do I solve this? The answer was obvious, but Mia still couldn¡¯t help but groan as she rose from the sofa. *** [Cognity: 5] Cognity: The speed at which thoughts flow. The speed of the mind. Increases the amount of sensory data the User can handle. *** That stat needed to go up, and fast. Preferably catching up with Sensitivity, if not overtaking it. Sleep and any measure of relaxation would be nothing more than a dream until she could better handle her Sensitivity. I have no time to grind puzzles or calculus to train up the base Cognity stat, so my only other option is levelling up and getting stat points that way. After half a day spent sniping at or watching monsters, the last thing she wanted to see was another goblin¡¯s ugly face. Alas, she had no choice. Mia made her way down to the first floor and seeing no one around in the hallway Jeff led her in hours prior, she headed into the very same flat with a shrug. The sun was still high up in the sky, though already on its way down. Three to five PM was the best estimation Mia could come up with. Meaning she had more than enough time till sundown. Mia slowly crept closer to the window and its bars, fighting the urge to hurl as the vague sense of wrongness, a mostly ethereal sensation, decided to be nasty and turned into a foul taste that settled on her tongue and crawled into her nostrils. Peeking out, Mia barely managed to stifle a shriek as she made eye contact with a goblin. A goblin sitting on the windowsill and leaning over to peek in through the bars. Okay, maybe that foul odour wasn¡¯t some new feature of her increased sensitivity, but an original feature of the unwashed nature of the goblins themselves. One she was only just experiencing, due to never having been within breathing distance of one before now. The thing grinned, showing rows of needle-like teeth coated in dry blood. It let out a giggle, though it sounded more like the whine of a kicked dog than anything else. Mia staggered back, managing to trip over her own feet. Then, she did scream before landing on her butt with a thud, much to the apparent amusement of the window-goblin. ¡°Motherf-¡° Mia cursed under her breath as pain pulsed up her spine from her tailbone. Her runic model, finally prodded to life, started moving. Likewise, she sent a stream of mana into her fingertips which lit up in a soft pink glow just before the Bolt shot forward with all of her fear and anger loaded into it. The goblin, being as close as it was, barely had time to widen its eyes in fright before the bolt mulched half of its head and carried off a chunk of its skull and brain into the distance. With it being a mere metre away from Mia, there was only about half a second between the first indication of a spell being cast and the Bolt hitting its mark. Mia let out an imperious snort as the little monster¡¯s body hit the pavement below with a wet thud. Her face morphed into a grimace though as she picked herself back up. Her butt hurt. Hopefully, she hadn¡¯t fractured her tailbone. That would suck. The disgusting smell lingered, but Mia already felt it start to dissipate. Just to speed it up a bit, she threw open the door of the flat to get some airflow going. This Sensitivity thing might be a bust. I couldn¡¯t tell it was this close at all. Mia chewed on her lips in consternation. If she had to translate how her senses worked now to data science terms, she¡¯d say the datasets went from being binary to grayscale. Hopefully by upping Cognity, she¡¯ll be able to parse all this new information. After taking a few calming breaths, making sure to only breathe through the mouth lest she chokes on the lingering goblin stink, Mia strode up to the window and finally took a real peek of the outside. Just on the street below she could see at least twenty goblins ambling about and tearing off pieces of metal from cars and signposts while another ten of them surrounded a duo of larger goblins, brawling it out. Mia let her gaze wander further, running it over the apartment buildings on the other side of the road. Windows broken, doors hanging ajar and yet another group of jolly goblins dragging scavenged stuff out onto the streets was what greeted her. Her face went pale as one of the ¡®scavenged stuff¡¯ dragged out by a duo of goblins was a mangled humanoid corpse. Bile rose up in her throat and her hands shook intensely. Her hands shot out for the bars, latching onto them as her knees went weak. Swallowing, Mia took a trembling breath. The wrongness was pervasive and ever-present, and she was having trouble keeping her mind focused. If she wanted to get anything done, she needed to get a grip and get on with it. The runic-model twirled around itself, the spell circle expanding as rune after rune and shape after shape got added to it. In just a second, she had the Arcane Blast circle ready for use. Mana danced on her fingertips as her gaze zeroed in on the goblins dragging the corpse across the sidewalk while giving off tittering laughs. Logically, aiming at a larger cluster of the green monsters would have been the optimal choice for her opening shot. To take as many of them out with the surprise attack as possible. Mia didn¡¯t care. She wanted those two dead now. The crackling bolt shot off, and the distracted duo of goblins never saw it coming. By luck, or by some heavenly will, they gave each other a side-hug just as Mia¡¯s bolt lept off her fingers. A fragile grin stretched across her face as both of their torsos disappeared in a flash of thunderous pink light. Startled shouts in their bark-like language reached Mia¡¯s ears before a twin set of furious roars joined the chaos. Her eyes shot to the two larger goblins and saw them looking around warily. Readying her mana, Mia waited for the right moment. She had learned from the previous sniping session, not much, but she did. ¡®Shoot stuff when they can¡¯t see the bolt coming¡¯ was, for example, a rather simple lesson, but one she only thought of after she missed that one shot in the morning. One of the taller goblins turned, eying its two mangled kin and turning its back to Mia. With a grin tugging at her lips, Mia aimed at the back of its head and let the spell loose. That increase in Manifestation is doing wonders. Activating Blast is decently less taxing. She thought as the Blast struck true. It didn¡¯t take the whole head with it as she¡¯d expected, but the goblin still fell over dead as can be. Her gaze snapped over to the second tall goblin, whose head likewise snapped in her direction. Its eyes found hers in a second, then fell down to her glowing fingers. Another Blast shot off, and the goblin twisted out of the way with a startled sound, accidentally pushing one of its smaller kin right into the spell¡¯s trajectory. The blast caught the unfortunate greenskin in the back and exploded, obliterating its upper body and scorching the flesh off of the taller goblin still within touching distance of it. Mia gritted her teeth. Those things were quicker than they had any right to be. Another blast shot off a second later and this time a smaller goblin found itself snatched up and flying towards the approaching projectile. They collided a few metres away from the tall, hissing goblin. It barked out what sounded like orders, and all the smaller ones rushed about to snatch up discarded bows and arrows. Unfortunately, more than twenty goblins and only about ten bows meant the re-arming rush quickly devolved into an all-out brawl for the shoddy weapons. Mia aimed at the angry crowd of goblins, keeping her eye on the livid larger goblin, tearing into the crowd with a snarl on its face. She got off three Blasts into the mass of furious limbs and snapping jaws before the large goblin tore its way out of the crowd with a bow and a set of arrows clutched in its grip. Hide behind a wall, flank him through another window ¡­ or try out Arcane Shield? Mia wondered for a moment before curiosity won out. She reasoned knowing how well her Shield held up against blows in what was mostly a controlled environment ¡ª since the goblins couldn¡¯t just get to her through the bars ¡ª would be a good thing. As the goblin clumsily snatched up an arrow, dropping the rest and struggled with nocking the arrow, Mia¡¯s runic-model already finished re-aligning and the appropriate amount of mana was waiting at her fingertips. He pulled back the bow and Mia saw a glint of whitish light coat the arrow. She activated the Shield just in time as suddenly the arrow was before her eyes and trying to pierce through her arcane defences. A blast of air shot right through the Shield, but did nothing more than make her pink hair flutter wildly. Air magic? The damned goblin has air magic? The arrow cracked and turned to scrap a moment later, just as the sudden wind died down, and Mia let her Shield drop with a sigh. Then she dropped to the floor herself with a yelp as she caught another glint of air mana and not a moment too soon as another arrow lodged itself into the ceiling of the flat as its accompanying wind rattled everything not bolted down in the room. Mia gulped and scuttled away from the window on all fours, making sure to keep well below the goblin¡¯s line of sight. Shield works great. Now though, I think it¡¯s time to see how well flanking them works. Keeping low until she crossed the door, Mia snuck out of the flat and reviewed her mental map of the building to find which flat would work best for hitting the goblin from a direction it did not expect. That hallway would work best. Mia thought as she walked, then grimaced. That was the place Jeff set aside for the impromptu hospital, wasn¡¯t it? Would they even let me snipe goblins from there? To keep herself from worrying needlessly, she distracted herself by checking over the notifications she¡¯d been ignoring up until now. [Level Up!] [Level: 4 -> 5] [Free Attribute Points: 0 -> 3] [Will: 3 -> 4] [Cognity: 5 -> 6] [Mind: 5 -> 6] Mia crossed the rest of the way with a spring in her steps and a giddy smile tugging at the edge of her lips. 18 - Skill Talk Fighting under the mental pressure of my increased Sensitivity seems to be a good way of training Cognity quickly. Mia mused, deciding to forgo spending her new points just yet. Who knew, maybe she could get another Base Cognity point before nightfall if she kept hunting monsters as she was? It¡¯s decided. I¡¯ll keep hunting without spending any points and dump them all into Cognity before going to sleep. Rounding a corner, Mia stepped into the ER hallway and she could already tell this part of the floor was far from deserted. No one was shouting, but her ears still picked up conversations and movement through the closed doors as she passed. Mia put some speed into her steps. The goblin could run off or something if she didn¡¯t hurry up. It had only been a minute at most since she blocked his first arrow, but still. Speed and time were of the essence. Reaching the last door facing the street, Mia rapped her knuckles on it and waited anxiously. When no answer came in a few seconds, she went to knock again, but a door opening behind her made her freeze. ¡°Oh, Mia, right?¡± Lara asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning out from the door just next to the one she¡¯d knocked on. ¡°You injured? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I- uhm,¡± Mia took a moment to collect her thoughts. ¡°I was shooting at goblins from the hallway over that way.¡± She waved her hand in its direction. ¡°But they started shooting back so I thought flanking them from here could be a good idea ¡­ ?¡± Lara stared at her for a moment, a deep frown on her face before a shout from deeper down the hallway pulled her attention away. ¡°Just don¡¯t put my patients in danger. That last flat is empty, use that one. Gotta go, see you later.¡± Mia watched as Lara disappeared into another flat, then turned back to the door with a shrug. Slipping inside, she crept up to the window, trying to keep silent and stealthy. Goblins had huge floppy ears. Those had to be worth something. Maybe they were just too dumb to use them. Whatever. Being silent couldn¡¯t hurt. She readied a Blast before peeking out, then took just a brief glance outside before slipping behind the wall again. The goblins were still there, feasting on their mangled kin. I don¡¯t know why I expected anything else. Even the bigger goblin is still just a goblin. Maybe they have the short-term memory of a goldfish. Mia psyched herself up, let out a huff of breath, and stepped before the window. Hand raised, gaze locked on the taller goblin hunched over a corpse, fingers alight with mana. The Blast shot off and struck the goblin in the back of the neck. The monster went down with a gurgle, a head-sized bloody hole gaping where its spine once was. Goblins shrieked again, though a third of them continued eating without paying mind to their fallen boss. Mia shot off two more Blasts at the twitching big-goblin. Just to make sure it was dead. Then it was cleanup time. The next two hours flew by as Mia went between the two flats, switching back to Bolt to clear up the much more fragile small goblins. Only when she felt the telltale sign of mana deprivation just a spell away did she stop her killing spree. Mia took a last glance at the street below. More of it was covered in blood and gore than what was not, and the number of goblins actually increased over the time she spent there instead of going down. It seemed a free feast was an inescapable lure for the wretched greenskins. I got what I came here for. Mia thought, though her feelings were conflicted. Sure, she wanted to level up fast by hunting goblins, but she also hoped to clear out the streets of monsters so the people in the building would be safer. Maybe I saved other people in other parts of the city who would have been killed by the goblins I attracted here. It was possible, but still a long shot. Mia decided to keep the goblin-hunting more restrained going forward. She still needed levels, but she didn¡¯t want to put people in undue danger because of her greed. During those hours, she noticed other people joining her in thinning the crowd of gathered goblins, but thankfully no one came to bite her head off for luring in a horde of the vicious little monsters. Though it might just be that they¡¯d do so later. Mia reviewed her Notifications while hurrying up the stairs. [Manifestation: 8 -> 9] [Cognity: 6 -> 7] [Level Up!] [Level: 5 -> 6] [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 6] Would be great if it distinguished between base stats and regular ones. Mia thought and much to her surprise, the system complied. [Base Manifestation: 4 -> 5] [Manifestation: 8 -> 9] [Base Cognity: 6 -> 7] [Level Up!] [Level: 5 -> 6] [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 6] Much better. Mia hummed. This hunting spree was both much more rewarding and much less successful than she expected. On one hand, she gained three base stats. On the other hand, she only got two level-ups despite committing goblin genocide. Hell, her kill count was well into the triple digits after this afternoon. A glance at her Combat Logs gave an idea of why that was though. *** [You have killed: Hobgoblin - lvl 7] [You have killed: Hobgoblin - lvl 8] [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 3] x 87 [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 4] x 34 [You have killed: Goblin Raider - lvl 5] x 12 [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 2] x 32 [You have killed: Juvenile Goblin Raider - lvl 1] x 12 *** Almost every goblin she killed today was below her in level, especially after her first level-up. If the System had some hidden XP mechanic, killing lower levelled monsters from relative safety must have been a huge XP debuff associated with it. It was a bummer, but oh well. What was she going to do? Write an angry email to the developers? Mia let out a snort, then hastily looked around the hall. She only breathed a sigh of relief when no-one seemed to be looking at her like a crazy person, chuckling under her breath for nothing. The halls were empty and silent. Shrugging off her embarrassment, Mia knocked on her flat¡¯s front door ¡ª she grew up with a little brother and after some ¡­ events, learned to never assume they were not doing stuff she¡¯d rather not see. Hearing something along the lines of ¡®come in¡¯ from the inside, she did so after a moment. Mark was in the process of duct-taping the pieces of the table back together. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mia asked amusedly, slipping by him and heading to her room to change. Goblin hunting and running from one end of the floor to the other were tiring, sweat-inducing exercises and she stank. ¡°Trying to get this garbage into a halfway usable state,¡± Mark grumbled. ¡°Also, I got your daily food ration package along with whatever water I could annoy Jeff¡¯s miserly goons into giving us. They didn¡¯t want to give us any, since we still had some. Can you believe them? The only reason they even have something to drink is me, and they are being smart with me. Should have spit in their water.¡± Mia gave understanding and affirmative sounds as she listened to Mark¡¯s continued whinings. Another set of clothing gone. I really hope they figure out this water problem before I¡¯m forced to re-wear stinky clothes. Laziness could be a virtue in some niche situations, and Mia was feeling mighty thankful for her lazy past self. Having more money than she needed in a month, and a severe dislike for chores, Mia bought herself twelve entire sets of comfortable home clothes so she could go for as much time without getting within touching distance of a washing machine as possible. Some of those sets were much too warm for the warm summer weather, but that still left about eight sets and the rest of her wardrobe. The day she was forced to wear jeans at home would be a sad day, but she much preferred it to stinky clothes. When she got back to the living room in an identical set of the stuff she wore before, Mark was still rambling on and on about how annoyingly stuck-up everyone under Jeff was. ¡°You said something about food?¡± Mia interrupted his tirade, looking around and finding a paper bag on the counter. ¡°Never mind. That¡¯s mine?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mark said, staring at the bag with a scowl. ¡°I already ate mine. School cafeteria was a three Michelin star restaurant compared to that junk.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mia hummed, peeking inside and catching sight of the contents. There was something she could vaguely recognise as jerky, some fruits, buns and some tomatoes. ¡°They don¡¯t look too bad ¡­ aside from that thing that I¡¯m not convinced is not dog food.¡± ¡°The jerky?¡± Mark snorted. ¡°They¡¯ve been making those in a rush out of the rapidly defrosting meat they collected. Since there is still no power, they smoked them all over a Soviet-era industrial smoker Jeff pulled out of the basement.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia snatched bit-sized jerky out of the bag and eyed it suspiciously. It looked like someone beat the ever-living hell out of it with a meat mallet and then left it over a campfire for far too long. It was also 80% black and had only the vaguest hint of a salty scent to it. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mark chuckled. ¡°Thanks for the help,¡± Mia rolled her eyes and took a tiny nibble out of it, a grimace already flashing across her face. When it finally touched her tongue, it was both worse and better than she expected. It was salty. That was it. She chewed, then kept on chewing and chewing. Her taste buds went sore before long from the intense salty scent invading every single inch of her mouth. In the end, she swallowed it still only half-chewed up. ¡°Well, that was an experience,¡± Mia said, grabbing the bunch of jerkies and dropping them into a bowl on the counter. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be fine with just the rest of the stuff.¡± With Mark fiddling with the table, Mia went over to the sofa and slumped down. Thankfully, the rest of the food was good, or even better. The apples and bananas tasted divine and the tomatoes were like the priciest sweet cherry tomatoes she¡¯d never have bought in a grocery store because of their price. All too soon, her bag of delightful treats ran out before Mia had enough to feel anywhere close to full. ¡°Ah, I forgot to mention it before,¡± Mark said, glancing over his shoulder. ¡°Stuff works again. We still don¡¯t have power, but my phone and the other gadgets with batteries in them can be turned on again.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± Mia jumped up. ¡°Ugh, where did I leave my phone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°But don¡¯t get too excited. There is still no service or mobile data, so at best you can play offline games on it or something.¡± ¡°That- ¡° Mia deflated, but still continued searching. Maybe service would come back, or some backup generator would start up the nearest mobile mast and get mobile data back into working order. ¡°Well, at least magic didn¡¯t fuck with our tech too much.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Mark said, turning back to his woodworking. ¡°That damned solar flare was the problem, not magic I think. In time, we could build everything back up. Though I think I heard somewhere that the last solar flare like this cost billions of dollars in property damage to the infrastructure sooooooo I don¡¯t really know.¡± ¡°So, anyway, how¡¯s your Class selection going?¡± Mia asked distractedly, as she looked for her phone in every crevice or little nook she could find. Not between the sofa cushions, not on the counter, not on the shelves ¡­ maybe the bathroom? Or in my room? ¡°Oh, that,¡± Mark said. ¡°I got it just this morning. Selected it, got the Skill, the Trait and all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± Mia said automatically, before her brain actually processed his answer. ¡°OH! That¡¯s awesome! You got that Spellblade Class?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Mark said smugly. ¡°Got one better. ¡®Earthshadow Sentinel¡¯ it¡¯s called and it apparently incorporates my Minor Darkness affinity into it somehow. But it¡¯s Rare instead of being just an Uncommon one like the Earth Spellblade would have been.¡± ¡°Congrats!¡± Mia exclaimed and hopped over to give a quick hug to the dwarf. ¡°Yes, yes, thank you.¡± Mark puffed himself up proudly. ¡°What can you do?¡± Mia asked, forgetting her phone search in favour of grilling Mark for information. ¡°Did you get knowledge implanted into your head? Can you cast spells?¡± ¡°I can do a lot of stuff,¡± he said. ¡°Like manipulating earth and making weapons out of rock ¡­ not spells though. Nor much knowledge beyond how to use my Skill.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Mia frowned. ¡°I got two subskills, both with like, three random stuff they did. If both of our Classes are Rare, what¡¯s up with yours?¡± ¡°I did get passive stuff,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Bonus to stats, enhanced earth senses and the like. The two main ones were Earth Manipulation and Dark Earth Armaments.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia squinted at him. ¡°Sounds interesting, what do those do? Just playing with earth mana like you said and shaping dirt into weapons?¡± ¡°Not ¡­ quite,¡± Mark shrugged again, looking the slightest bit annoyed. ¡°The Class ate my Greater Earth Mana Manipulation Skill and gave me the basic Earth Manipulation. I mean, sure it¡¯s much easier to use, intuitive even since it hands off all the mana manipulation parts to the Skill itself, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be casting any spells with it. Not even manual ones.¡± So his Earth Manipulation skill sort of acts like a static spell circle? One that¡¯s always activated and he can manipulate intuitively? I can see the appeal, but I think I prefer the versatility of a runic model. Even if it takes ages for it to collect itself into a spell circle. ¡°Interesting,¡± Mia hummed, stepping back to give Mark some personal space. ¡°Can¡¯t you just get the Skill back?¡± ¡°The damned System never offered it up again,¡± Mark clicked his tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with that or if it''s still sitting in the Obelisk, but I won¡¯t know until I get the opportunity to check.¡± ¡°Last time I checked all the secondary skills I slotted were still there in the skill library.¡± ¡°Oh, you just got to that quest?¡± Mark asked, raising a bushy eyebrow. ¡°That was my last quest reward,¡± Mia shrugged, unbothered by his down-talking. She was going as fast as she could, plus solving her little Sensitivity problem took precedence. ¡°I should probably check what the next quest is actually.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still on the easier quests,¡± he said. ¡°I have to somehow convince one of the knuckleheads to let me harvest a monster core for my current quest.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°Maybe if you helped out with some of the fighting they¡¯d let you play with a corpse?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± he shrugged, looking uncertain. ¡°Could you ¡­ ?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Introduce you to one of the fighters? I don¡¯t know any of them, and you know how I am with strangers. You¡¯d have better luck by yourself.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask you to get me a monster core,¡± he blurted out quickly. ¡°Just a tiny one, could be from the smallest goblin for all I care.¡± ¡°I mean ¡­ okay?¡± Mia hesitated. ¡°But why? You have a Class now, you¡¯ll need to fight monsters eventually if you want to level it.¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± he grimaced, averting his gaze. Mia recognised it, that shifty body language, the non-existent eye contact and the embarrassment that wrapped around Mark like a coat. It was how she acted before every job interview, every meeting, and every social confrontation she really wanted to avoid. But it¡¯s not social confrontation he wants to avoid, but fighting? Mia tried guessing, but found herself feeling guilty for trying to poke her nose into Mark¡¯s personal stuff. ¡°Sure,¡± Mia said. ¡°Not sure when I can get one though, we can¡¯t collect goblin corpses since they are out on the streets. The birds are all we got and they are a pain to shoot down.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Mark deflated, sighing in relief. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you. I know you hate fighting too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ alright.¡± Mia grimaced. Did she hate fighting? Did she, really? She was afraid and reluctant in the beginning, but seeing those monsters just explode from her magic was ¡­ empowering. It made her feel in control. Powerful. ¡°You could thank me by telling me all about your dirt weapons.¡± ¡°First of all, they are not ¡®dirt weapons¡¯,¡± he said with mock indignation. ¡°I can turn any material with Earth Mana in it into a weapon that will always be as strong as I am. Fancy stuff. Plus I can manipulate the created weapons with Earth Manipulation and have them float around me.¡± ¡°That sounds cool.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Mark smirked. ¡°Though there are problems with the weight, so I can only lift three tiny knives right now and even those hurt my brain to manage individually.¡± ¡°Maybe you need some Multitasking,¡± Mia hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Or maybe a Parallel Mind.¡± ¡°I have Multitasking and it still gives me a migraine after five minutes.¡± ¡°That might just be a stat issue I guess,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°Get to training your Mind stats up. I saw your notes, there is no way we cannot get our Base Stats to max as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Mark rubbed his hands together. ¡°Plus twenty percent in every Mind stat and plus fifty in Strength. I¡¯m going to be damned overpowered.¡± ¡°Sure you will,¡± Mia laughed, settling down for some more chatting. The world as they knew it might have ended, but that didn¡¯t mean every day had to be goblin hunting or stat training 24/7. 19 - Starhaven (Interlude) Arwen wasn¡¯t made for ruling. He''d suspected it before, but now he knew it for certain. Advisors, the heads of a dozen noble houses and the Archmages of the few Mage Towers that bothered to set up in Starhaven all talking, shouting over each other like a pack of maddened hyenas, was not a problem he ever wanted to have to solve. He took a deep breath, letting the power of his temporary Title flood his throat. ¡°SILENCE!¡± It was like flipping a switch. Sure, he only had the authority to silence those who¡¯d sworn fealty to his father, but even the Archmages respected his authority enough to shut up. Arwen let out a minute sigh, feeling every single one of the expectant / dismissive gazes levelled on him like a swarm of needles piercing his skin. He really wasn¡¯t made for this. He much preferred doing just about anything else. Even playing model prince on some noble ball or whatnot. ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you are confused, so am I after all and so is every single one of us in this room,¡± Arwen started, making sure to leave just a hint of power in the Title. It was his lifeline, the thing that turned him from an absentee rogue prince into the {Regent Lord of Starhaven}. ¡°But we cannot lose our heads at this moment. The world is not ending. Not today, not tomorrow and not the week after. Have some dignity and talk like people of your standing should.¡± He knew that sentence would come to bite him in the ass one day, probably the very moment his father dragged his bony ass back from the Aeternum Plane and Arwen lost his Regent title. Some of the people he just told to stop acting like children were ten times his age and could make a poor prince¡¯s life a living hell. What I don¡¯t do for the good of the realm. Arwen lamented. He never thought he¡¯d be forced into a position like this, but it was either him or his dearest little sister. Who, by the way, ran off to who knows where the moment the System Notification about the merging arrived. She knew one of us would have to stay here to act as a unifying figurehead. Damn you sister. You threw me to this pack of wolves without a second thought, didn¡¯t you? Why did Erwin have to go with father, anyway? I¡¯m not the damned Crown Prince, he should be the one to deal with this bunch of pretentious old fossils. I should be out there hunting down any Rifts that pop up, not stuck here playing prince. The System has spoken though. He was {Regent}, whether he liked it or not. He knew the settings his father decided on, so he knew the System must have felt the Kingdom was in a tenuous position and was in need of a leader. His father wasn¡¯t dead, he knew that much at least. He would be {King} or {Crown Prince} if he was. I¡¯d prefer spending the rest of my life in the Death Realm to being stuck as King here. Thank the stars I only have to hold the fort down till father gets back. ¡°It has been two days since the Starhaven Continent was merged with this ¡­ Planet. By all intents and purposes, we are fine aside from all System Obelisks being offline for the moment.¡± Arwen let his calm gaze wash over the gathered crowd. He sat at the head of a gigantic circular table. It was supposed to represent that the King would be equal to his retainers and hear them out when he sat at this table. Though Arwen still sat a good half a metre above all of them on an ostentatious throne, since, even if they were supposed to be equal, the King was much more equal than the rest of them. ¡°We will first listen to all the reports concerning the merging,¡± Arwen said, seeing a couple of understanding nods. Most of them still looked at him dismissively, but couldn¡¯t do squat. ¡°Let¡¯s start with summarising what we know of the basics of the situation, then we¡¯ll go into the details. Kevan, if you would summarise everything to make sure everyone is up to date with the latest news?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord,¡± Kevan, the old chamberlain and occasional spymaster of the Kingdom answered with a nod. ¡°Exactly 52 hours and 21 minutes ago we all received a System Notification mentioning our Plane being merged with a Planet named ¡®Earth¡¯ from the newly integrated Cosmic Realm. I believe this, everyone here knows already. The Notification was hard to miss.¡± The old wolf earned a few chuckles, though Arwen suspected that might have had more to do with the man¡¯s ageless reputation than his humour. Arwen leaned back and relaxed minutely, making sure to show no sign of it on the outside. It¡¯d be much better if he didn¡¯t have to use his authority to hold the nobles back from doing something stupid and they went along with his orders willingly. ¡°Following which, slight earthquakes and seismic phenomena rushed through our Plane, but before long the merging was done and while on first sight, little has changed, the more observant among us noticed how wrong that first impression was.¡± Kevan said, his gaze snapping to Archmage Meldred, the head of the Purple Tower of astrologists and Space Mages. ¡°The fabric of space is distinctly different from the Mystic Realm¡¯s, the only thing familiar in the night sky are the seven Great Constellations and the Mana is wild, raw and almost primal in this place. I¡¯m sure Magus Meldred could give a more detailed account of every minute change he noticed, but I believe leaving that for later is for the best.¡± After another round of nods, most important of which being Archmage Meldred, Kevan continued in a slow, measured tone that effortlessly relaxed the coiled nerves of everyone. ¡°Most of you must also know that all System Obelisks are Offline as of right now. Only the Skill Library works, and that too just sporadically. Which is why we had to push this meeting back to today to wait for everyone¡¯s arrival. The loss of the Transportation function of the Obelisks unfortunately crippled our quick response to this event.¡± There were some grumbles to that, and Arwen almost glared at them to silence them, but Kevan gave him a look. The prince raised an eyebrow but held himself back. ¡°Indeed, my friends,¡± Kevan nodded. ¡°It is unfortunate, but it is merely an inconvenience. A much greater problem though, is the barrier surrounding what was once the Starhaven Plane. It is a fully spherical barrier surrounding us entirely, and based on initial examinations, it is a System Generated one.¡± Arwen sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, eyeing the crowd for anyone acting out. He knew how this looked. The System locked them in and cut off all forms of escape with the disabling of the Obelisks¡¯ Transportation function. The fools would think it¡¯s the System singling us out. Trying to kill us, especially with that Realm Event hanging over our heads. He¡¯d been taught about the long-lost and rather secretive history of times when the System acted in a rather heavy-handed manner or even directly intervened in ongoing conflicts. System Scholars had been studying every such instance to find some logic in it, but the one thing they all agreed on was that knowing or predicting the system¡¯s intentions and actions was near impossible. The contradictions were aplenty, giving headaches to even the most esteemed philosophers. Unfortunately, some of the newer noble lords were lacking in the intelligence or education department. A few opened their mouths or stood to shout questions, looking all puffed up in indignation. Arwen cleared his throat, the sound reverberating through the hall like the deep rumble of a dragon¡¯s growl. It was much worse on the few he focused it on and they slowly lowered themselves back into their seats on trembling legs. A few Archmages gave Arwen appreciative nods. If there was one thing those old coots all hated, it was obnoxious young nobles with overly large egos. Though Archmage Dermak, the master of the Black Tower, threw him a nasty look as some insidious spell dissolved around his fingers. Arwen suppressed a shudder. Dermak was known for his openhanded punishment of anyone stepping on his toes. The man loved Order and was all too quick to send a Curse at anyone offending his sensibilities. Being the Rogue Prince of Starhaven, Arwen had ended up stepping on his toes one too many times and ended up being cursed to stink like a newly fertilised crop field for a month. ¡°The barrier,¡± Kevan said, his voice slightly raised to silence some murmured conversations. ¡°Is, as you would expect from a System Construct, unbending, unbreakable and faultless. But it lets air through, isn¡¯t constricting us and, curiously, doesn¡¯t restrict Rank 0 people from passing through or coming back in.¡± Arwen glanced behind him, where his honour guards stood at alert. He frowned as he saw Gabriel¡¯s grip go so tight around his spear the poor wood almost shattered. What got him so worked up? He was always so easygoing. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Arwen thought back to how he found the man buck naked in the middle of the deepest floor of a dungeon just a year back. He had a surprising talent for Arcane magic and so Arwen decided sponsoring him a bit could be beneficial, but he never thought the man would catch up to him in both level and power in just five months. The prince was Rank 3 for heaven¡¯s sake, and a strong one at that. I¡¯ll have to see what that¡¯s about later. ¡°With the help of Magus Leonard, our resident master of Abjuration,¡± Kevan said. ¡°We determined the Barrier to be weakening ever so slowly. In a month, Rank 1 individuals will be able to pass through and in four more, Rank 2 and so on and so forth until in ten years, the barrier will fall.¡± I¡¯ll be able to pass through in a year. Arwen narrowed his eyes. If only father could come back and take over ruling already. A whole new Realm to explore, one still in flux, filled with unclaimed dungeons and thousands of Rifts if the reports are to be believed. ¡°Now, are there any questions?¡± Kevan asked, then held up a hand. ¡°Please, gentlemen and ladies, all in good order. There is no need to rush.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t spatial magic pierce the barrier? Or perhaps a Cosmic Gateway?¡± The question came from an elderly nobleman, head covered in a mane of silvery hair. ¡°I am afraid spatial magic cannot materialise when used to connect the two sides of the barrier, it acts like a regular Realm Barrier,¡± Kevan said. ¡°We didn¡¯t have the opportunity, nor the time to attempt to set up a Cosmic Gateway, but I personally don¡¯t hold out much hope for them.¡± ¡°If I may,¡± Archmage Meldred spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d like to enquire about the mana readings I¡¯m sure my fellow Magi from other towers have done. I myself detected a 56% increase in mana density and an almost entire grade of increase in quality.¡± ¡°Your Tower must have gotten extremely unlucky with the Leylines reroute, Meldred.¡± Archmage Dermak chuckled. ¡°The mana sphere around my Tower is both denser and of higher quality than it was on top of the Greater Leyline before.¡± Arwen¡¯s eyes widened minutely. There was only one Greater Leyline back in Starhaven. Running under the Royal Academy and the Royal Tower. The Dragonvein, the Leyline connecting the erstwhile Plane¡¯s Core with the rest of the Lesser and branching Minor Leylines. He turned to Kevan, then glanced at Magus Leonard standing off to the side. ¡°Magus Leonard, if you¡¯d please share your own results?¡± Kevan asked. ¡°It is as Magus Dermak says,¡± Leonard said, the bookish man sounding like he¡¯d rather be anywhere else than in a room full of nobles and Archmages. ¡°Though I have measured low Rank 4 mana at one location, a full grade above the highest ever measured value in Starhaven up until the merging. Meaning, for those less knowledgeable, that we have a Major Leyline under our continent.¡± That means the new Dragon Vein of this ¡®planet¡¯ could be a Superior Leyline. Rank 5. Arwen¡¯s eyes narrowed at the implications. If his conjecture was true, this planet would be immensely valuable in the future. A Rank 5 Leyline meant there was a possibility for cultivating Rank 5 Rifts and Dungeons after all, which were as rare as they were sought after in the Mystic Realm. ¡°Thank you, Magus Leonard,¡± Kevan said. ¡°I believe that sums it up. But beware, the manasphere of this planet is in flux and is extremely chaotic. I¡¯d discourage doing any Rituals or casting any spells above the Master level while the Realm Event is ongoing.¡± ¡°Attempting, or doing either within a populated area will be viewed as an act of terrorism and treason for the duration of the Realm Event.¡± Arwen could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed his proclamation. He¡¯d been waiting for Kevan to mention that, knew he had to do it, but he almost shrunk back under the glares he received for it. ¡°The Regent has spoken,¡± said Archmage Dermak calmly. ¡°I concur. I¡¯ll personally hunt down anyone breaking that decree.¡± The glares disappeared and half the gathered people shuddered while most of the rest averted their gazes. Only the Archmages gave understanding nods. Good. Only they could have caused a catastrophe by going against my orders. Even if a noble got it into their head to make use of the intense mana in the air to empower themselves, it¡¯d at best take out a city block when it inevitably went wrong. Archmage Dermak messing up could have deleted the capital. Leaving only the fortified Royal district standing. I¡¯ll have to dispatch mageseekers to every city and have them patrol. Can¡¯t have a damned mana storm popping up within a city with this chaos already sending the people into a frenzy. Arwen sent a grateful look to Dermak before rising from his not-throne. ¡°I believe that last discussion clued everyone in on the fact that this ¡®merging¡¯ was not so much of a misfortune as some of us might have initially thought. We are in the Cosmic Realm, the place that every powerful faction of the Mystic Realm had been waiting to pounce on for the last year. And we are here before anyone else, with our competitors locked out by the System itself. Competitors, against whom we would otherwise stand little chance. We are, in fact, extremely fortunate to have this opportunity handed to us on a silver platter.¡± Gabriel once again twitched behind Arwen, but the prince ignored him for now. ¡°Now, since everyone is no doubt interested in what I have in mind for our future,¡± Arwen said. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a proposition and I¡¯d like constructive ideas for perfecting it. I plan on sending out scouting teams of Rank 0s as soon as tomorrow to get a close view of our new ¡®Planet¡¯ and its circumstances. Furthermore, I want to have anyone capable of high-level scrying or divination to attempt to create a complete map of the planet.¡± ¡°I will now take questions and propositions for turning this plan into the best it can be,¡± Arwen said, lowering himself back onto his chair. ¡°Begin.¡± ***** ¡°I thought that meeting would never end,¡± Arwen sighed as he threw himself over an armchair in his father¡¯s study. ¡°Damn all those brainless fools. Why did they have to ask every single question under the stars?¡± ¡°They are worried, My Prince,¡± Laurel, a brunette half-elf and the other member of his delving party whom he annoyed into being his honour guard said with mock reverence. ¡°Your regal visage and calming voice were the balm needed to calm their terrified souls.¡± ¡°Damn them all,¡± Arwen whined. ¡°That last idiot asked me about the weather. The regular one, not even the probability of mana storms or whatnot. Just. Weather.¡± ¡°Stop whining.¡± Laurel audibly rolled her eyes, throwing open the windowed door of a cupboard and snatching up a bottle of spirits. ¡°Hope your kingly father won¡¯t be too mad about missing this?¡± ¡°What?¡± Arwen glanced up. ¡°Oh, no. Have at it. That¡¯s his go-to low-class drink for fae blooded. It¡¯ll be just perfect for your crass taste in alcohol.¡± Laurel stared at the bottle for a moment, then shrugged and flopped into another chair with a single glass already at the ready in her other hand. ¡°Want a glass, Gabriel?¡± She asked, glancing at the thus far silent man. ¡°This might be low-class stuff for Arwen, but it''s still spirit wine. It¡¯s like having an orgasm in your mouth, and in your whole body afterwards instead of getting hungover.¡± ¡°I could use a glass,¡± said Gabriel, releasing a sigh as he pried himself out of his helmet and gauntlets. ¡°Perfect,¡± Laurel purred, another glass appearing in her hand before she filled both up with the grace of a seasoned barista. ¡°Drink slowly. Tiny sips, as if you were drinking a fancy cocktail.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Gabriel, settling down on a sofa as he eyed the sloshing azure liquid with little glittering lights dancing around in it. ¡°Cheers?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare down that thing in one go,¡± Laurel warned, but raised her own glass. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Arwen spoke up, regretfully prying himself out of his seat. ¡°Don¡¯t drink without me. I need some alcohol in me after today.¡± Knowing exactly where his father kept the best stuff, Arwen barely took half a minute to have a glass of his own raised. ¡°Cheers.¡± ¡°¡±Cheers.¡±¡± While the two fae blooded just sipped on their drink, Arwen ¡ª being the only human in the group ¡ª downed the entire glass of golden whiskey in one gulp. Stars, that thing is worth every single coin it costs. He had tasted the spirit wine before, and, like every other non-fae blooded that tried it, was left wondering how someone could enjoy that syrupy sweet slop. There must be something in there that only their fancy elven taste buds can taste. ¡°Hey, Gabe,¡± Arwen mused aloud, drawing the ashen-haired man¡¯s attention. ¡°You seemed kind of ¡­ off in the meeting. Everything alright? I know it must have been boring you to death, so if you want to opt-out I can annoy someone else into being my guard.¡± ¡°I ¡­ have a favour to ask,¡± Gabriel said, turning his azure gaze at Arwen. ¡°When you send the groups to survey the barrier, and the Rank 0 ones to scout out what¡¯s beyond, I want to be there.¡± ¡°I mean, sure?¡± Arwen looked at his friend strangely. Gabriel rarely, if ever, asked for favours or help. The prince assumed he felt indebted to him and didn¡¯t want to ask for even more, so this request came out of left field. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°I want to see it up close,¡± Gabriel said, fingers clutching his glass strong enough to make it crack. ¡°I have to see it. I need to.¡± ¡°Alright, Gabe,¡± Arwen shrugged, eying the man strangely. ¡°You can go with the first group tomorrow morning. They¡¯ll leave at the crack of dawn from the main teleportation chamber.¡± If Gabe wanted to poke at a barrier and watch as the lower Ranked scouts went through that much, Arwen didn¡¯t have it in himself to stop him. ¡°Thank you, Arwen,¡± Gabriel said, taking a deep gulp of his drink. ¡°I won¡¯t forget this.¡± ¡°Okaay?¡± Arwen was officially weirded out. Is he in danger? Did someone threaten him? What in the stars is going on? In the end, Arwen decided to send one of the Royal Shadows to tail behind the group and keep an eye on Gabriel. Just to make sure nothing went wrong. It¡¯s not like some Rank 5 supervision from people oath-bound to follow my orders would be a bad thing for the survey group. 20 - Runes, my Beloved [Base Strength: 2 -> 3] [Body: 5 -> 6] [{Newcomer} Introductory (5)] is Complete!] Reward: 1 Lesser Elixir of Healing - Rank 0 Claim reward now? Yes / No *** ¡°Finally.¡± Mia huffed and puffed, flopping over to her back and breathing heavily. She¡¯d been doing pushups and situps for the better part of two hours, and she was sick of both. That didn¡¯t go away even as the newly enhanced Body stat flooded her aching muscles with renewed energy. Nor did she feel like getting up from the carpet. She was feeling just fine down there. She hit ¡®Yes¡¯, and out of nowhere, a pinky-sized vial topped off with a cork fell on her stomach. Mia raised it to eye level with a shaky hand, then stared at it suspiciously. ¡®Elixir of Healing¡¯ was a pretentious name. Mia expected some crazy colours, maybe some glitters and perhaps even physics-defying self-moving liquid. ¡°Why does it look like regular water?¡± Mia grumbled, squinting harder and she just maybe saw a glint of something more in the liquid for but a single moment. Then it was gone and Mia wondered whether her exhausted mind was just playing tricks on her. *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (4)] is Complete!] Reward: a System Generated Book of your choosing. Bonus Reward: Rewards are doubled! User can choose one regular book and one Runic Lexicon from the list. Claim reward now? Yes / No *** Mia grinned through the exhaustion. Mark had mentioned Quests flip-flopped between being annoying and arbitrary at the start. Though based on his previous request for a monster core, Mia suspected actually completing the Quest-chain would require her to do some serious monster hunting. The obvious conclusion would be that the last quest would be to clear out all Rifts nearby or something similar. Mia wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to accomplish that. Or if she even wanted to, if that really became a quest objective at one point. Don¡¯t dwell on it. One thing at a time. Mia chastised herself, then hit the mental ¡®Yes¡¯ button. *** [Compiling ¡­ [Available books: [Choose one regular book and one Runic Lexicon] *** ¡°That¡¯s a long list,¡± Mia murmured, going glassy-eyed halfway through the list. A bunch of strangely named books got added in, things she assumed were some manner of history book perhaps? Two new books on Elements, a delving handbook, a lexicon for Fae bloodlines, a bunch of useless history books ¡ª that she was nonetheless aching to read since they were tied to her new species ¡ª and even two new runic lexicons: disruption and warding. Sadly, no matter how tempting most of the books looked, Mia already had her choice of a regular book made. She needed practical knowledge, like, yesterday. Or the day before that. Selected: [First Steps of Arcanism] Now for the extra, a runic lexicon. She had no idea how useful one of those would be. Would it be as easy as somehow slurping up a rune from a page and having it appear in her runic model, or would she have to carefully shape the rune out of her own mana? The latter of which would effectively make it useless to get, since the last time she checked, cubes were proving to be too much of a challenge for her Control. Well, it was sort of free anyway, and she could just have it sitting on the side while she trained up her Control to make use of it later. But which discipline to choose? If those were even disciplines, and not just some arbitrary groups the System made to separate a single runic alphabet into a dozen lexicons. What do I need? Mia wondered. Arcane Blast was a stupidly powerful spell, and Mia was quite happy with its destructive power so that wouldn¡¯t need improvement just yet. Her Barrier also held up admirably against a Hobgoblin¡¯s magically enhanced arrow shot, so defence was also ¡­ good enough. I could use some passive defences though. Maybe Warding would let me have a permanent reactive shield around me? I can¡¯t always expect my enemy to wait for me to get my lazy runic model ready to cast a Shield before they attack. Summoning also tickled her fancy for the same reason. While warding didn¡¯t ensure the type of warding she wanted being made available, summoning should at the very least give her the ability to summon something to put between herself and the bad guys. Preferably said thing would also act as her meat shield in most situations. Illusion was the third curious one. Even if invisibility was a tall ask for a novice-ranked rudimentary lexicon, it should at least help her hide. Which could be a godsend when she had to sneak through the city and make her way over to the suburbs where her mom¡¯s house was. Mia considered the other options too, but they all had an offensive vibe to them that she wasn¡¯t interested in. Well, aside from Abjuration and Alchemy, but she had a feeling neither would have what she wanted. Abjuration gave her the sense it was for making active barriers, it¡¯d probably give her other spells like Shield. Alchemy, on the other hand, was just for making stuff like potions, poisons and whatnot. But Mia just knew knowing the runes would just be a part of doing alchemy, she¡¯d need much more knowledge to make use of that lexicon. Along with ingredients and specialised tools. No, Mark had like, six books just by rushing through things like an idiot. I only need to choose what would be the most useful right now, not in the future. That was the Summoning Lexicon, it was the one most certain to give her an arcane meatshield that would be on standby even as she cast other sorts of magic. Plus, if she was being honest with herself, handing over the getting up close and personal part of fighting to some arcane golem appealed to her. Of course it did, who wanted to get up close and personal with a goblin? Freaks, and idiots, that¡¯s who. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Selected: [Novice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary Summoning] {Newcomer}¡¯s Bonus: [Runic Lexicon Appendum / User Manual] has been generated. Mia felt another book, this one much smaller than the previous flop onto her stomach, followed by a hard-paper brochure that lazily swam through the air before landing on her face. Raising the thing off her face, she read it. *** ¡®How to make use of a Runic Lexicon! A step-by-step guide! And that, folks, is how you use a Runic Lexicon and why you must make sure you never use one bought from uncertified vendors. A single wrong rune, a single mistake, and your entire future as a mage could become compromised. Take care!¡¯ *** Before doing any of that though, Mia decided to get her stat assignment over with. She planned to dump at the very least three of those into Cognity, to get a better handle on her Sensitivity and see afterwards whether it needed further points in it. The ratio of Cognity:Sensitivity hadn¡¯t been a perfect 1:1 before, and she could manage it just fine, so she hoped she wouldn¡¯t need to waste so many points on it. The constant wrongness pressing down from all around was getting old, and fucking tiring. So, without hesitation, Mia threw two points at Cognity as a first test. [Cognity: 7 -> 9] [Free Attribute Points: 6 -> 4] [Mind: 6 - > 7] The wrongness remained, clear as day and still wrapping around her like a possessive sentient cloak, but Mia still sighed in relief. Her headache was already starting to lessen and the constant bombardment of sensations from her Sensitivity went from nails poking at her brain for attention to faint nudges. That Mind tipping over the boundary might have had a lot to do with it too. It¡¯s still annoying, but far from impossible to manage. Though ¡­ I think I¡¯ll have to put another stat into Cognity for me to be able to entirely disregard it and go on with my day as I had before. With a sad sigh, Mia placed another point into Cognity. [Cognity: 9 -> 10] [Free Attribute Points: 4 -> 3] The nudges disappeared, leaving behind only faint echoes and a whisper in the back of her mind that something was wrong with things around her. Mia decided that was good enough for her. It was like with her hearing before, she could still focus on it and pull that sensory overload into the foreground, but she could just as easily send it into the background with merely a thought. She was in control again. It was relieving. I still have three stat points. Mia narrowed her eyes as she worked over what she wanted. She just got a runic lexicon, and using it would probably be made easier with some extra Control based on the brochure¡¯s description. But I¡¯ll be getting new spells once I¡¯m done assimilating all the new runes into my runic model. Probably complex, head-ache-inducing spells that I¡¯m going to need every bit of Manifestation and Will to cast. Her Manifestation was at nine (5 Base and 4 Gained) while her Will stood at a measly four (3 Base and 1 Gained). It¡¯s time I upped that sorry-looking Will stat a bit. I already have three Base points in it, so it won¡¯t be as much of a waste. Plus, it¡¯s an investment for the future. Plus, plus, more willpower can¡¯t ever hurt with the world going to shit. Feeling satisfied with her decision, Mia threw all three of her remaining points into Will. [Will: 4 -> 7] [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 0] [Mind: 7 -> 8] Mia shuddered as a tingly sensation rushed over the inside of her skull. Her entire head felt all tingly, as if her brain was having goosebumps and they spread over its surroundings. How had she missed this when the stat went from six to seven just a minute earlier? Was she so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t notice? Probably. I can get lost in thought and walk into walls and trees, why not miss some tingling in my brain? Mia reasoned, though it was dubious at best. Maybe it was just the aftereffect of a Main Attribute jumping two entire points in quick succession. I¡¯ll have to be more careful with dumping so many points into a single Main Stat. What if a third point into Mind would have melted my brain? The shudder that followed that thought had nothing to do with the creepy sensation still buzzing about in her skull. Mia got far too close to killing herself far too many times in just two days for her liking, and she didn¡¯t even know how many times random chance might have saved her. Like the time when the barricaded wall held out against an iron-feathered bird, or something of the like. Mia took a deep breath, held it in and counted to four before she let it out in a huff. Well, what was done, was done. She was alive, and she had to work to keep it that way for as long as possible. Especially if she was going to head outside the building at one point. I have to stop lazing about. Time to learn some new runes and get myself a nice little meat shield ¡­ is it still called a meat shield if it¡¯s made out of mana? Mana shield ¡­ nope, that sounds like a spell. Meat shield it is. Hugging her new books to her chest, Mia swung her legs back over her head, then back down. The momentum carried her torso off the ground and a moment later, she was up on her feet, having done a kick-up so perfect even her grumpy PE teacher from high school couldn¡¯t have found a single mistake in it. I¡¯ll have to get back into athletics. My body is so much lighter and agile, I could be doing flips and stuff so damned easily and get hurt much less with my reduced weight. If I somehow managed to get some kinetic ward in the future that bailed me out whenever I landed badly, I wouldn¡¯t even have to care about getting hurt. Filing away that idea, Mia hopped over to her bed with a grin. She settled in the middle, pulling her legs into a lotus pose and feeling even more giddy as she felt how easy it was to settle into the straining position. Mia could do it before, as a human, stretching every day was part of her routine and she was quite flexible, but her knees just didn¡¯t like bending that way. Now though, with her Flexibility almost doubled, it wouldn¡¯t have been a stretch to say she felt comfortable sitting like that. It was great, and once again drove home just how much potential there was in going balls-to-the-walls with advancing in this System that seemingly took over their world and turned human civilization on its head. She was just Rank 0 after all, a measly Level 6 User. Ranks went up to 5, as far as she knew, but maybe they went much further. All her knowledge came from little nuggets of ¡®common sense¡¯ information referenced in the books she¡¯s read and in System notifications. Runes. Lexicon. Stop daydreaming, stupid. Mia slapped herself on the cheeks, maybe a bit harder than she was supposed to as they now stung like a bitch. Nonetheless, the smile never left her lips as she flipped open the small Runic Lexicon. The Lexicon itself looked like a palm-sized notebook with a hardcover, its front only had some runic script on it that Mia was not familiar with on a purplish pink background. The pages though, oh those were just beautiful. The parchment looked as if it was made of liquid silver and the runes written on them glowed with an unmistakably magical light, glittering with the pink energy Mia came to know as arcane mana. It flowed, at parts of the rune quickly and chaotically, while other segments of it were crystalline and seemed entirely solid. The runes had a depth to them, if that was even possible, since they fit on a two-dimensional parchment. Still, Mia almost reached out to touch the pretty rune taking up the first page of the Lexicon before she caught herself. Her fingers had open-ended energy channels in them, what if she accidentally sucked up the rune before she was ready? Tearing her eyes away from the rune itself, Mia finally noticed a flowing script at the bottom of the page, written in English explaining the properties of the rune above. *** ¡®Name: Phomnel Grade: Novice / Grade 0 Runic Language: Imperial Standard Element: Arcane Function: Most commonly used as a part of simple mana batteries for corporeal arcane constructs.¡¯ *** ¡°Yesss.¡± Mia clutched the notebook strongly, holding onto it as if her life depended on it even as the excitement sent shivers down her hands and sent her fingers into a trembling craze. This is exactly what I needed. If the first rune is used in making mana batteries for corporeal arcane constructs, that means I¡¯m just about sure to get a magical meat shield by the time I have all those glittery runes in me. 21 - Back to back Mia heard the knock and turned her bleary gaze away from her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrible. Well, compared to how she usually looked these days she did at least. The deepening dark circles under her eyes and the lethargic look in the eyes themselves entirely didn¡¯t fit the barbie-like look the rest of her face had going for it. Not that the rest of her face made her all that happy now that she was looking at it. She pinched her cheeks, pulling at them this way and that. They were irritatingly smooth. She couldn¡¯t even see the pores of her skin. It looked fake as hell, like she had more makeup on than the walls had plaster. Well, maybe she shouldn¡¯t have stayed up late. Maybe she should have stopped after the first rune settled down in her runic-model, or the second, or the third. Mia calculated the number of hours she would get to sleep and reasoned four hours would be enough for her just this once, but damn, did she not account for someone starting a shootout with some monsters in the next city block at the ass crack of dawn. You¡¯d think moving away from the US would have made firearms rarer, but Austrians were damned wild. Thirty out of a hundred people owned a gun. Well, Mia hoped the goblins liked the taste of lead as much as they liked her Arcane Blasts. Mia wet her hands in the lukewarm water and slapped her cheeks. It stung, but at least the pain woke her up a bit. Oh, how she missed coffee. She felt like a corpse for the first third of the day without her morning cup. Another knock reached her ears, and Mia let out a sigh, tearing her gaze away from her reflection. Her hair was a tangled mess she pulled into a loose ponytail and she didn¡¯t bother to put on any makeup. She looked like death warmed over, and a little makeup wouldn¡¯t hide that enough to be worth the effort. ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± she said as she reached for the door, paused and stood on her tiptoes to glance through the peephole. The knocks didn¡¯t sound like Jeff¡¯s. The man always beat on the wood like it owed him money, as did most of the men Mia knew. These knocks sounded gentle, almost feminine. Sure enough, she saw her blonde bird-murdering partner from the day before standing on the other side. ¡°Hi there,¡± Mia said, trying not to sound like she was about to fall asleep. ¡°Come in? I¡¯m going to get dressed then we can go.¡± ¡°Ah, sure. Good morning?¡± Lina said, stepping in and looking around the room awkwardly. Her gaze stopped on the many signs of the bird¡¯s rampage, though it lingered on the abomination of duct tape and wood that was their table after Mark ¡®fixed it up¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s neither morning, nor is it good,¡± Mia mumbled under her breath as she nevertheless gave a lazy nod of acknowledgement at Lina¡¯s words. The sun was barely above the horizon, only psychos woke up this early, especially in the summer. ¡°Get comfortable, I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± For the third day of the apocalypse, just to change things up a bit, Mia decided to wear jeans shorts. Though she was already regretting foregoing the comfy cotton shorts by the time she got back to the living room. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± She said, startling Lina, who was peeking out through a tiny gap left in the barricade covering the windows. ¡°Oh, right!¡± the girl spun around and nodded, quickly striding up to Mia. ¡°Sooo, goblin hunting, right? You said you¡¯d show me today?¡± I don¡¯t think I explicitly promised anything. Mia mused, then shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°So,¡± Lina spoke up once they were outside the flat. ¡°Ehm. How are you? You look pretty ¡­ tired.¡± ¡°I feel worse than I look,¡± Mia grumbled, throwing a weak glare at the blonde. ¡°How could you sleep with that?¡± She could still hear it. Distant cracks of air, the thundering echoes of gunshots and not the cute low calibre ones either, but the sort that goes through concrete. Someone pulled out some heavy-duty stuff from God knows where and was probably going wild on the monsters. ¡°With what?¡± Lina sounded confused. ¡°The gunshots?¡± Mia frowned, looking up at Lina to check whether she was messing with her. She seemed genuinely befuddled. ¡°You don¡¯t hear it?¡± ¡°No?¡± Lina blinked, then squinted as she tilted her head this way and that, prying her ears. ¡°No. I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± Mia groaned. Stupid pointy ears were making her life harder again, it seemed. ¡°Well. Damn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lina asked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°These ears,¡± Mia said, barely stopping herself from flicking the triangular organs in irritation. It was one thing to embarrass herself before Mark and another entirely to do so before someone who was practically a stranger. And cute. ¡°Aren¡¯t just for show I suppose. I thought I could sort of turn down the volume, but it seems I was only partially right.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Lina asked. ¡°What¡¯s it like? All I got from that awakening were these freaky eyes. Honestly, I¡¯m pretty jealous.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Mia said, still feeling grouchy without her morning coffee. ¡°I got off lightly with these silly things. I could have ended up with bark for skin or whatnot.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Lina shrugged, then squinted at Mia. ¡°What changed for you though? The ears are one, I am guessing and the hair? I don¡¯t suppose you had pink hair before? I¡¯d assume I¡¯d have remembered someone with a hair colour like that living in the same building as me.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, shrugging. ¡°That¡¯s about it. I had black hair before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Like, full raven black?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so weird.¡± Lina mused. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you with black hair. It¡¯d ruin the entire vibe you got going on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a vibe going on.¡± ¡°But you do,¡± Lina insisted. ¡°You look like a faerie out of some steamy romantasy book. The sort that has werewolves and vampires tearing each other¡¯s throats out to ¡®have¡¯.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Urgh,¡± Mia scowled at the thought. If that was right, she¡¯d have to be careful. She just managed to shake that annoying stalking leech off of her not so long ago. She most certainly didn¡¯t want to attract any new psychos. Fuck you Arnold. I hope the goblins ate your guts. ¡°Just what I need atop of monsters trying to eat my guts.¡± ¡°At least you got super hearing.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°And magic. That¡¯s a pretty nice extra.¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Lina grinned, and Mia¡¯s eyes were once again drawn to the girl¡¯s chest. Okay. I should stop following this stupid Spirit Sense urge to stare at every clump of moving mana I feel around me. Mia mused as her gaze followed the mana as it rushed through the blonde¡¯s energy channels down to her fingertips. Since all of those things were invisible to the naked eye, Mia probably just looked like she was ogling Lina like some pervert. Well, she¡¯ll have you know. She had more self-control than to allow herself to do that ¡­ most of the time. The whitish mist came streaming out of the girl¡¯s fingers a moment later, twisting around themselves and curling into a thick braid. Then Lina let it go and the braid of white mana floated off, slowly starting to dissipate and fade from Mia¡¯s sight. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Lina said and Mia glanced at her, finding the blonde staring at her with wide eyes. ¡°You saw that? The thing I made?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Mia asked, frowning. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? It looked like a tiny braid made out of clouds.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Lina blinked, then thinned her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything. You have some magic super sight too or something?¡± ¡°How did you do that if you didn¡¯t see any of it?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I mean, I just felt, sort of, where my mana was?¡± Lina shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s like an extra limb you can¡¯t see and can only half feel. Weird. But it works.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Mia said, scratching her cheeks as she thought it over. ¡°Soooo, how did a girl from all the way over from America end up here?¡± Lina said, enunciating the last word like it was supposed to be a curse. ¡°My grandmother was born here,¡± Mia said, slowly getting used to the whiplash of getting the topic switched every half a minute without any warning. ¡°Went out to the USA in the fifties, but moved back here a few years before she died and left an old house to my mom. Which we moved into when ¡­ my parents got divorced.¡± Mia grimaced. Divorced was far too light of a word for that man going out for a pack of cigarettes and never coming back. Her mom thought he died, she even reported him as missing and waited for him for almost a year. But she was a teacher, a part-time one at that with three kids. Mortgage caught up with her and before Mia or her siblings knew it, they were on a plane heading to Austria to move into a crumbling old house. ¡°Sorry,¡± Lina said, looking awkward all of a sudden. Mia almost snorted. The girl was far too blunt and willing to dissect her personal life to never have walked into social landmines like these before. She should have learned how to handle them long ago, and she apparently did, as she gave a quick side hug to Mia while saying another whispered apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Mia lied. She spent nights staying up with her little brother when they were little, listening to their mother cry locked in the bathroom. She¡¯d never be ¡®fine¡¯ with having lived through that. Still, that was hardly something she wanted to talk about with a girl she barely knew. ¡°As for why Graz? The house was here and I decided to move back here after uni to stay close to mom.¡± ¡°Must have been so different,¡± Lina mused. ¡°You moved half the world away from one day to the next.¡± ¡°It was not,¡± Mia snorted. ¡°Small towns, rolling hills and the forests look just the same over here as they do over there. Honestly, if you dropped me down on a hiking trail in either place, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell the difference.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Lina nodded slowly. ¡°I guess ¡­ You like hiking?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s nice and calming. And I love forests and hiking up to the top of hills.¡± ¡°Think we could still go?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Hiking I mean? With all these monsters in the city ¡­ and who knows what else out in the woods. I don¡¯t know whether we¡¯ll ever again be safe hiking like we would have been before.¡± ¡°You just have to be more dangerous than a monster,¡± Mia said, a smile tugging at her lips. ¡®You just have to be more dangerous than a bear.¡¯ Gabe used to tell her that when she worried about getting mauled or eaten by one, the idiot. ¡°With magic, we don¡¯t even need guns to be dangerous. Lead bullets have nothing on the sort of stuff we can now throw around.¡± ***** Lina watched what used to be a goblin. It took some effort, especially because of the considerable distance between herself and the monster, but she¡¯d managed and the results spoke for themselves. It was very, very dead and spread out over the pavement. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have pushed myself so much. She thought, grimacing at the gory sight. Her magic literally ripped the thing to shreds. ¡°See?¡± Mia asked next to her, glancing at her with a half-smirk that disappeared like a mirage a moment later. ¡°Your magic works perfectly. The birds were just a bad matchup.¡± Lina grinned. The little elfin girl was adorably awkward, especially when she tried to be consoling. She was like the little sister Lina never got to have. ¡°Seems so,¡± she said, then glanced to the side where the pink-haired girl effortlessly butchered a group of twelve goblins. Someone is going to be very damned sorry when they try to mess with this girl. ¡°How long do we have here?¡± ¡°A few hours,¡± Mia said, shrugging as she pushed her face up to the bars to look for more prey. ¡°Not sure. Jeff just dumped me in that room with you yesterday. I¡¯m not even sure if they are going to ask us for anything today.¡± Lina grimaced at that. If only she didn¡¯t pass out after only two damned birds. What if someone died because she took an impromptu nap? Worse yet, what if they never let her fight again afterwards? Lina knew how this worked. Laws only worked when there was someone to enforce them and she sure as hell didn¡¯t see any policemen around. It¡¯d take one lucky bastard who got too powerful with his magical bullshit and they¡¯d all be helpless. Power made people show their true selves, and Lina knew from experience that usually wasn¡¯t pretty. How much worse it¡¯d be when that power was permanent and supernatural, she could only guess, but it¡¯d be only a matter of time before everyone learned the lesson that¡¯d been beaten into her. ¡®The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.¡¯ Lina bit her lips. People were already ahead of her in the power-curve in this new magical reality. Not only was she lagging behind, but all she had was this flimsy air magic that she thought was barely able to do more than slow a powerful enemy down. Was she jealous? Of course. Every time she saw one of those ¡®hunters¡¯ the landlord had basically on retainer, she burned with envy. They tore out rocks from the dirt, healed from grievous wounds, and conjured up infernos while she was a human-shaped fan. Everyone would have been jealous in her position. If she was being honest, she almost felt the same way about the petite elf girl next to her at the start. Elves were super magical and whatnot in pop-culture, right? So the girl could probably run circles around her in the magic department, even with Lina¡¯s supposedly ¡®noble¡¯ and awesome Bloodline. That¡¯s what she thought, at least and Mia¡¯s abrasive way of, well, existing, didn¡¯t help Lina¡¯s opinion of her. But then she stayed behind while Lina slept like a log, invited her into her home and attempted to console her. She¡¯s even more lost than me. The blonde thought, watching as the elven girl perked up. ¡°We have a new group coming in,¡± Mia said, giving a quick glance over her shoulder to Lina. ¡°Want to try taking the whole group down? I¡¯m sure you could use some levels and practice.¡± Lina took a quick breath, gulped, then stepped up to the window. If she didn¡¯t want to be a victim ever again, she had to grab this opportunity by the balls. Magic and levels were a type of power no one would be able to take away from her. 22 - Another Miss for Mia ¡°Good, you two are finally here,¡± Jeff said evenly, looking at the two girls entering the hall on the ground floor with a stony gaze. ¡°Come.¡± A small crowd was gathering before the man, with a duo of ¡­ fully armoured up people standing behind him. Mia did a double take, almost stumbling as she saw the two knights that wouldn¡¯t have been out of place in a medieval movie or at a Renaissance fair. Their armour doesn''t look like props. Her gaze snapped to a dented part, then a long scrape where a trio of claw marks were still visible when the light shone on them. Mia only knew one thing with claws of that size, and that thing tore through their wooden door with those claws like it was butter, but that armour only got a scrape. How the hell did they get armour like that? Did someone get a metal-working Class or something? Mia kept her thoughts to herself, giving a greeting nod as she joined the back of the small group with Lina sliding up next to her. The blonde was taking in everyone with a wary glance, but her eyes stayed on Jeff more often than not. ¡°Now that everyone vital for today¡¯s plans is here,¡± Jeff said, his weighty gaze landing on Mia for a moment, which drew the attention of the two dozen people around her onto Mia as well. ¡°I will explain what we¡¯ll be doing and what everyone needs to do. Firstly, Erik, how is your project going?¡± ¡°Ehm,¡± a young man with dishevelled blonde hair and deep bags under his eyes straightened up and cleared his throat. ¡°I ¡­ think I have finished a prototype. We just have to test them now to make sure they work, but I think even just having them near my window might have produced some effects.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Jeff nodded. He squinted, then his gaze hopped over to the two girls. ¡°Lina, you and Maria have been hunting Goblins this morning, have you not? Have you noticed any changes from yesterday? Fewer numbers perhaps? Lower average levels?¡± ¡°Uh,¡± Lina frowned, looking at Mia uncertainly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, only Mia was out yesterday too.¡± Which, of course, put the two dozen gazes back on Mia. Sticking her hands into her pockets to hide their shaking, Mia answered quickly. ¡°I think so. Compared to yesterday, we barely saw a couple dozen of them over the span of a few hours. And there weren¡¯t any Hobgoblins around either today.¡± All that meant today¡¯s hunting was basically worthless, since Mia got zero stat ups or level ups. At least Lina levelled up once, so it was sort of fine? ¡°Perfect,¡± Jeff said, the hint of a smile appearing on his face. ¡°Erik, we are going to need as many of those deterrents as you can make. Give whatever plant seeds you need grown to Martha.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Erik said, eyes droopy from the lack of sleep. The poor man looked like he didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep ever since the Awakening. ¡°This thing will only work for the goblins though, the birds have an atrocious sense of smell so to deter them, I¡¯d need something much more ¡­ erm, magical?¡± ¡°If you have any ideas, just say what you need,¡± Jeff said. ¡°If your concoctions can keep the monsters away from the building, we¡¯ll do whatever we can to supply you with whatever you need.¡± Erik just nodded, almost stumbling as he did so. ¡°Good. With that done, our biggest worry is water, which we will partially solve today,¡± Jeff continued. ¡°We have dozens of finished lightweight tubs for collecting rainwater. All we have to do now is to place them around the garden and on the rooftop, and for that, we¡¯ll need some muscle and anti-air support.¡± Jeff took a moment to look around, as if asking anyone who had questions to raise their hands. Surprisingly, someone did. ¡°Yes, Vincent?¡± Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow at the thirty-something man who wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place behind the counter of a grocery shop. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading through every book I could get my hands on concerning Enchanting,¡± the balding man, Vincent said. ¡°I believe making something that could collect purified water out of the humid air could be possible if I had the right materials.¡± ¡°What do you need to make a prototype?¡± Jeff asked without wasting a second as everyone turned to stare hopefully at Vincent. ¡°Silver,¡± said Vincent. ¡°Apparently, it keeps mana well and would work well as a base. Aside from that ¡­ a Rank 1 monster Core ¡­ per device, which I¡¯d have to purify, meaning I¡¯d need to be Rank 1 too.¡± That dampened the mood considerably. Some looked at the man suspiciously, and Mia was among them. Is he trying to get carried all the way to Rank 1? ¡°We¡¯ll see what can be done,¡± Jeff said, his tone not betraying any emotions. ¡°Silver will be doable. You are a crafter, if our current understanding of Classes is correct, you just need to craft to level up. The Rank 1 core though, will be problematic in more ways than one.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any Rank 1 monsters around,¡± one of the knight wannabes said in a gruff voice. ¡°Yet.¡± The other added, and Mia recognised his voice as the bloodied hunter whose face she introduced to a door a few days back. Hope he doesn¡¯t hold a grudge. ¡°For now, we will focus on gathering rainwater,¡± Jeff said. ¡°With the electronics working again, we can boil whatever water we get on a gas stove to make sure it¡¯s drinkable. Now, I want anyone with abilities capable of depositing Erik¡¯s new concoctions around the outside of the building to raise their hands.¡± People looked around, shifting nervously until a hesitant hand went up next to Mia. The young halvyr blinked at the blonde next to her, then at the crowd as one or two more hands went up. Wait. Safely deposit his new stuff around the building? ¡­ I could do that with Mage Hand. Hesitantly, she pulled a hand out of her pocket and slowly raised it. ¡°Anyone else?¡± Jeff asked after a few seconds of silence, then gave a nod. ¡°Alright. Four people. Since Maria and Lina will be half-vital to keeping the birds off of the rooftop, this task will be pushed to the evening. Erik, get some sleep until then.¡± The man gave a tired smile and ambled off to the side, collapsing onto an old stinky couch. It was a leftover from when Jeff gave an attempt at turning the large entry hall into a lounge. Erik was asleep before his head even touched the armrest. ¡°Alright people.¡± Jeff clapped. ¡°Get moving. I want people watching the skies in ten minutes and the ten of you I¡¯ve tasked with carrying the tubs to get yourselves warmed up. We¡¯ll be getting a workout.¡± From there, it was almost a repeat of yesterday, but with triple the anti-air support. Probably to be safe. Mia was ready, perched next to a window again along with Lina and another guy Jeff dropped into their lap. Said guy was apparently quite talented at using some manner of Earth Manipulation to lob sound barrier breaking pebbles at stuff. He was also looking distinctly uncomfortable being in a room alone with two girls half a decade older than him. Not that Mia cared all that much, the boy could be made of marshmallows for all she cared if he could put some of the shooting duty off her shoulders. ¡°So, Karl, right?¡± Lina asked conversationally. ¡°I¡¯m Lina and the broody one over there is Mia. I think I remember hearing you are going to be on heavy-hitting duty?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± the boy said, giving a jerky nod as he squirmed under the combined attention of the two girls. It didn¡¯t help that Mia was scowling at just about everything. ¡°Great,¡± Lina said with an easy smile. ¡°I stop the birds that come and the two of you shoot them down. That¡¯s the plan, I think?¡± ¡°With the two teams around, I don¡¯t think anything you manage to stop mid-dive is going to live for long.¡± Mia turned back to the window with her part said, eying the sky and keeping her hearing focused for any sign of the door opening below. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope I¡¯m not the only one they are relying on to stop the diving birds,¡± Lina said with fake cheer, the tightly coiled nerves lacing her voice quite clear even to Mia. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mia said, perking up as she caught keys turning in a lock. ¡°They¡¯ll also have those knight cosplayers to protect them if we mess up. We just have to keep them from getting swarmed.¡± Responsibility was always a pain, and Mia usually did her best to weasel her way out of as much of it as possible. Being a tiny cog in a great machine was much less taxing on her nerves than being a pillar holding up a building. A cog could make mistakes and others would pick up the slack, and even if not, it¡¯d barely cause some tiny problems. But if a pillar holding up something great collapsed, everything else depending on it also came crashing down. Mia dearly wanted to go back to being a tiny cog as soon as possible. That was the one thing she liked about being the team leader at her job. Manageable pressure. The following hour proved to be just what she was hoping for it to be. She was tense at first, keeping a Blast just at the tip of her fingers as her eyes roved the cloudy blue sky. Then a bird dove, turning from an imperceptible silvery dot to a metallic missile that Mia¡¯s eyes barely caught. All she saw was a glittery streak, and even that was probably just the afterimage of the real monster. A gust of wind shot out to intercept it, its whispy white magic visible to Mia¡¯s eyes. The two collided, dozens of metres above Lina¡¯s detection net and the bird¡¯s descent crawled to a halt as it was thrown around in a spherical tornado. Mia shot off her Blast, having been waiting for just that moment for the last ten minutes, but she was just a touch too slow. An arrow of golden light was faster, smashing into the bird and tearing a fist sized hole right through its body. Mia watched, bewildered as the arrow disappeared into the distance even as her own spell finally lept off of her fingers. Her spell struck second, blasting apart and scorching one side of the bird before another couple of spells belatedly impacted the now very much dead bird. Mia noted a flashing pebble coming from ¡­ Karl, that was his name. Followed by a bolt of fire and a spear made of concrete. ¡°I think it¡¯s dead,¡± Mia noted evenly, watching what remained of the bird plummet to the ground. Then get slapped to the side by one of the armoured men, sending it crashing into the wall and leaving the lines of saplings unharmed. ¡°Can¡¯t make sure enough,¡± Lina said, flexing her fingers as the threads of air mana flowing out of them tensed back up after she let the bird fall through. ¡°Guess that answers my question.¡± Mia let herself relax after that, being satisfied with just holding a Blast at the ready and shooting it off whenever Lina was forced to catch a bird instead of the other Air Mage. As she did so, her focus shifted from reacting in the split second a bird entered her sight, to taking in all the different magics being fired off like fireworks. Those arrows of light in particular, had her attention. That was Light magic, she was sure of it. The most destructive and chaotic element that still excelled at enhancing and bolstering others. It was the closest element of magic to wielding pure Positive energy and Mia was endlessly interested in it. She had something of a grasp on the Negative side of things. It was all about control, order and manipulating what was already there, but Positive was projecting energy and making something new with magic. With her Arcane magic seemingly flip-flopping between being all chaotic and destructive like her Blast and extremely orderly and static like her Shield, Mia felt the need to understand that Positive half better. Unfortunately, she only had a few opportunities to catch mere glimpses of the magic before the task was done. The ¡®muscle¡¯ as Jeff called them, worked fast. They carried out a dozen long baths and placed them up next to the walls of the garden, one after the other, in quick order. Mia let out a disappointed sigh as the door below clicked shut. ¡°What got you extra broody?¡± Lina asked, poking Mia in the side, which made the smaller girl jump with a startled yelp. ¡°Even your ears are drooping.¡± ¡°No they aren¡¯t!¡± Mia bit back, reaching up to feel out her ears carefully and then glared up at the blonde when she found them standing perfectly upright like they should be. ¡°So?¡± Lina asked, reiterating her previous question. ¡°What got you all droopy?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Mia huffed, scowling at the blonde. ¡°Fine,¡± she rolled her eyes. ¡°Keep your secrets then. Anyways, it¡¯s time we got to climbing those stairs if we want to reach the rooftop before the muscly boys with the tubs we are supposed to be protecting do.¡± Right, this was just the first half of our task. Mia perked up, happy about getting a few more possible opportunities to see the different magics at work. Especially that Light magic. I could even check who that Light mage is. It was so powerful already, what sort of creature could they have gotten turned into? ***** ¡°H- how?¡± Lina wheezed, leaning against a wall up on the tenth floor like she was about to fall over any second now. ¡°How are you fine?¡± ¡°I¡¯m built different.¡± Mia shrugged, a smirk playing across her lips. She was breathing heavily too and was feeling the telltale burning of soreness slowly spreading across her legs already, but she was perfectly fine aside from that. ¡°Quite literally. I think I barely weigh anything.¡± ¡°So unfair,¡± Lina grumbled, slowly getting her breathing under control. The two of them were some of the first up here, having rushed a bit, but Jeff and his two knightlings and another unassuming man were already there and waiting. ¡°Think Karl died on the way?¡± Mia asked conversationally. ¡°He tapped out three floors down,¡± Lina said, pushing herself away from the wall and taking a step on wobbly legs. ¡°The only thing that¡¯s dead here are my legs, a little help?¡± Mia rolled her eyes, but slipped under Lina¡¯s arm and let the girl lean on her for support for what it was worth. ¡°So, what do you think about Karl?¡± Lina asked. ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t have much of an opinion of him,¡± Mia said, somewhat embarrassed. She had been entirely ignoring his existence. Not that the boy did anything bad, but she just didn¡¯t care about him and he¡¯d done nothing to change that. ¡°He¡¯s kinda cute,¡± Lina said wistfully. ¡°In that awkward, nerdy sort of way.¡± ¡°Of course he is,¡± Mia murmured under her breath. She learned to expect everyone to be straighter than an arrow by default, and hope that someone would prove to be a pleasant surprise sooner or later instead of keeping herself in a hope-disappointment loop with every new girl she met. Still, she could feel another tiny part of her heart fracture at Lina¡¯s words. ¡°What was that?¡± Lina asked curiously, but Mia just sighed and shook her head with some sadness. ¡°Oh look, he¡¯s here.¡± Mia turned, glancing at the door as the teen stepped through it. She took a moment to actually take him in. He had unkept dirty blonde hair bordering on brown and a pair of hazel eyes that just seemed endlessly innocent and confused about everything. His face was otherwise unassuming, maybe angular enough to be ¡­ handsome? Mia wasn¡¯t sure. She never was. She just didn¡¯t see it. God knew she tried, but she just didn¡¯t see what made most girls drool over boys, or even male athletes. But she was well past the stage of forcing the issue. She left that behind in high school. One or two kisses with ¡®handsome¡¯ boys in clubs and house parties were more than enough for her to know she didn¡¯t have a straight bone in her body. Hell, she kept imagining random girls in the boy¡¯s place while she was kissing them. I guess I can see that he is sorta cute? In the way puppies are with their big confused eyes? I guess? She tried to rationalise it, like always. ¡°H-hi?¡± the boy greeted, smiling awkwardly as he gave a wave which he aborted halfway through, as if he realised how cringe it was. ¡°Hi!¡± Lina replied cheerily, and Mia closed her eyes for a moment. She held back a groan, huffing instead, before she gave a halfhearted nod at the boy. ¡°Help her stand, will you?¡± Mia asked and pushed the blonde off of her and over at the boy, who scrambled to catch the blonde. Mia rolled her eyes, clearly seeing Lina had no trouble standing by herself in the way she gracefully flopped into the boy¡¯s arms. I should get these stupid tasks over with quickly and get back to going through that Lexicon. If Erik¡¯s stuff really works, my favourite XP bags are going to disappear. With hunting birds being as much of a pain as it is, getting more spells and completing quests might be the only way I can get stronger quickly before heading out to find mom. 23 - Nothing Lasts Forever Mia fell into a routine. Wake up, snipe goblins with Lina, do some protection chores for whatever group Jeff decided to work to the bone that day, then head back to the flat and train. She found herself settling into the new ¡®normal¡¯, even though it was getting less and less productive. Increasing her Base Attributes was becoming increasingly harder with each new point, and over the span of five days, she only got a single point in Manifestation. Levels were the same. She only got a single level up, which sort of proved that Erik¡¯s goblin deterrent worked. Maybe it worked too well, even. So her rewards for tirelessly working for days on end were four stat points. Well, that and a single new spell: Mana Familiar. She got it when she was three runes away from finishing up the Lexicon, and unfortunately, that was all she was going to get from this one. Why? Because the other two spell-circles in the Lexicon used a single rune multiple times and the Lexicon only had one of each. She was also four books, two mana potions and a magical apple richer. The last of which, she was currently nibbling on. Unfortunately, that put her on the same quest Mark had been stuck on days ago: the one needing her to get a monster core. She¡¯d traded away a whole day¡¯s worth of payment in food and water for the core of a single bird back then, but that would be hard to repeat with how strongly Jeff leaned on that Enchanter¡¯s work. The man was eating up cores faster than the hunters could get them, and nowadays someone was always on the lookout for a low-flying bird. ¡°I can¡¯t go on like this,¡± Mia said, chewing on her lips as she stared out the barred up window. That sentence had been bouncing around in her head for the last couple of days like an incessant buzzing bug, growing louder and louder with every passing minute until it overwhelmed her natural aversion to jumping headfirst into something dangerous. Her mom was out there, somewhere, possibly inside a goblin¡¯s gullet, and she was just sitting inside her safe little room and doing fuckall. Maybe it was her much improved Will acting up, but she felt her resolve hardening. She had to leave, go out and look for her mother ¡­ she was the last family she had. Well, aside from Sophie, but her estranged sister was half a world over in America. Perhaps it really was her improved Will stat speaking, but she was just about ready to dive right into the monster infested city. With a sigh, she thought back on the most important notifications she got. [Base Manifestation: 4 -> 5] [Level Up!] [Free Attribute Points: 0 -> 3] [Will: 7 -> 9] [Mind: 8 -> 9] [Control: 4 -> 5] [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 0] Two of the three points went into Will and one into Control. Overall, she felt a bit regretful about never putting a point into Control before, since as it turned out, it was her gateway into swiftly multiplying her runes. If she could mould mana well enough, she could just start slowly duplicating the runes she already had, but that needed Control well above what she had at the moment. Her runic-model was also ever so slowly crawling towards the next level. It was already at 10% completion, so Mia guessed she¡¯d need to fully incorporate nine more Lexicons before it could upgrade to Junior Mage grade. Which was a problem, because the only other Lexicon she got from the System was a Conjuration Lexicon. Every other time it awarded a book as a reward, the selection either didn¡¯t have any Lexicons, or was straight up random and she just got unlucky. As for why she chose Conjuration? Well, she did skim through the introductory sections of all disciplines of Arcane magic in her new Arcanism book and decided upon it after some consideration. Conjuration would give her some more versatility with her offensive spells. No, that wasn¡¯t right. It would give her a lot of versatility. Like, it promised to let her shape some of her most basic spells more to her will by switching some runes out here and there. Unfortunately, that had to wait until she got her runic theorem knowledge to a level where she didn¡¯t have to worry about blowing her hand off from a wrongly constructed spell circle. The books she got aside from that one were: ¡®Adventurer¡¯s Handbook: Surviving a Rift Break¡¯, ¡®On Mana and Magic¡¯ and ¡®The History of the Halvyr¡¯. All interesting stuff, but she was already aching to devour the Conjuration Lexicon for another new spell or two. She didn¡¯t even touch her ¡®First Steps of Arcanism¡¯ book so far, only focusing on her runes ever since she got her first Lexicon. As she thought about her future, and how to accomplish her plan without dying horribly, she kept absentmindedly whacking her right thigh with a stick. Each whack, somehow resulted in a bit of mana appearing in the energy channels flowing in the struck leg, which slowly wandered up into her pool. That Kinetic Energy Assimilation skill was quickly becoming her go-to way to regenerate mana. It wasn¡¯t quite as fast as Meditation, but it let her think about random stuff while she recovered from magic practice. Learning the limits of the Skill took some time though, but by now she was managing to put just enough power behind her whacks for the Skill to cancel it out. ¡°Hisss,¡± Mia bit her cheeks as a sharp pain struck her thigh. That last whack was just a bit over the edge it seemed. ¡°You look like a lunatic, you know that, right?¡± Mark asked, staring at her with a pair of big dumb glasses angled on his bulbous nose. ¡°Talking to yourself doesn¡¯t help your case either.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± Mia rubbed her eyes with a frown. ¡°But this can¡¯t go on. It¡¯s too calm, and we are getting comfortable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been five days since the thing, Mia.¡± Mark raised a bushy eyebrow. ¡°At least wait a few months before you start acting like a paranoid loon. Plus, calm is good. If we had two apocalypses in the same week, I might just consider jumping out the window.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just it,¡± Mia said. ¡°There is no way it ended just yet. Still, I want to make use of this ¡­ lull.¡± ¡°How?¡± Mark asked, putting down his notebook and turning to face Mia filly with a wary look. ¡°I promised mom I¡¯d come to her.¡± ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake.¡± The dwarf ran a hand over his face. ¡°Now? You want to go out now? Just when we are starting to get a steady supply of food and water? You want to head out to the monster infested city?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said testily. It was now or never, her gut was screaming at her that there wouldn¡¯t be a better opportunity. ¡°Oh fuck me sideways,¡± Mark grumbled, throwing his notebook down and jumping to his feet. ¡°Fine. Give me half a day.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia stared at him in wide-eyed confusion. ¡°I¡¯m coming with. Stay put for twelve hours. You can do that, right?¡± ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Mia said. ¡°You don¡¯t hav-¡° ¡°Shut up. I do.¡± Mia gulped at the heavy glare she got, and tried to not show the relief on her face. Going alone would have been horrible. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a crack in her voice. Then she remembered how averse Mark had been to fighting up until now and her relief evaporated, worry taking its place. ¡°Will you be fine? You never fought before?¡± ¡°The best way to learn to swim is to get thrown into the deep waters,¡± he said and Mia almost missed the slight tremble in his voice. ¡°Anyone else you could convince to come with? The more the better.¡± ¡°Maybe one?¡± Mia frowned, thinking of her blonde goblin hunting partner. If Mia was getting itchy to do something, Lina was downright miserable staying cooped up in the building. I think she¡¯d run off in a few days even if I don¡¯t ask her to come with me ¡­ convincing her should be easy. ¡°I¡¯ll pack up compact food and water,¡± Mark said. ¡°You need to get one or two of those goblin deterrents from that Alchemist you told me about. Worst case scenario, we coat ourselves in the thing.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see whether I can rope Sam into coming along too, you go and do the same with that partner of yours?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said, taking a calming breath before raising to her feet. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ***** ¡°I¡¯m in, when do we leave?¡± ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Mia blinked dumbly, her carefully constructed plans coming apart at Lina¡¯s quick agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t know? Tomorrow morning? Tonight?¡± ¡°Okay, good.¡± Lina grinned, bouncing on her feet. ¡°Good. Anything we need?¡± ¡°Food, maybe a blanket to sleep on if we have to and some of those goblin deterring potions Erik¡¯s making.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Should be easy enough,¡± Lina said, squinting in thought. ¡°I¡¯ll get the stuff from Erik. In return, you deal with Jeff? I think he likes you more than the rest of us for some reason.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®deal with him¡¯?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°Well, we sort of are in a lockdown, you know?¡± Lina said, suddenly looking worried. ¡°I heard he booted that Thomas guy and his friends out onto the streets and shut the gates behind them a few days ago. I do want to go out to get stronger, but if that means we can¡¯t come back in ¡­ well, that would be a pain. This place is a fucking fortress. Having it as a safe base would be for the best.¡± ¡°I can try?¡± Mia said, her heart already racing at the thought of having to confront Jeff and somehow convince him to let them back in once they came back. Preferably along with Mia¡¯s mother. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him.¡± ¡°You do that,¡± Lina smiled cheerily, patting Mia on the shoulder. ¡°Then we can go hunting. Damn, I hope we didn¡¯t fall behind too bad.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, the hint of a smile showing on her face. ¡°Anyone else we might convince to come along?¡± ¡°I could probably rope Karl into it,¡± Lina said with a shrug. ¡°But I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be much help. The poor thing¡¯s trembling in fright even with inch thick bars between him and his targets.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go then. See you later.¡± ***** ¡°Ah, door-girl, what brings you down here?¡± Brent, the usually armoured man whose nose Mia accidentally broke by the way of a door, called out to her the moment she stepped into the entry hall. ¡°Did you come to have an audience with our glorious leader?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Mia asked, looking at Brent¡¯s still crooked nose warily. She wouldn¡¯t forgive anyone so readily for doing that to her face as Brent had. The overly nice attitude he displayed since then stunk like a week-old corpse. ¡°I¡¯d like to talk with Jeff, if he¡¯s available.¡± ¡°And if not?¡± The man asked, lounging on one of those old sofas with his ankles crossed above the armrest. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait.¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°Or come back later.¡± ¡°Well, lucky, you won¡¯t have to,¡± said Brent, lazily getting to her feet. ¡°Follow me, I shall lead you into the den of the beast.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Brent just chuckled at her apprehensive tone, waving her to follow as he strode for the doors of the basement. ¡°So, what got you to come all the way down here?¡± Brent asked with a glance over his shoulder. ¡°You usually bolt the moment you can. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see you asking to meet him of your own volition.¡± Mia just scowled at him, she didn¡¯t even need to speak the ¡®none of your damned business¡¯ that was sitting at the tip of her tongue before he raised his hands in mock surrender. ¡°I give,¡± he chortled. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my nose out of it. Don¡¯t want my freshly healed nose to get broken again.¡± Mia gave a nervous laugh that sounded forced even to herself. ¡°Mind the door,¡± Brent said with a smirk, keeping the thick metal door of the basement open for Mia as she slipped inside under his arm. Sometimes, being tiny has its advantages. Case in point, she didn¡¯t have to touch Brent as she stepped by him in the small doorway. ¡°Well, that works.¡± Brent said and kicked a brick out in front of the door to keep it open. There was some light coming from the bottom of the stairs, but the natural illumination not being cut off did wonders to Mia¡¯s nerves. ¡°After you, then.¡± Mia put some speed into her steps, hurrying down the dark staircase and feeling somewhat like it was a horribly idiotic idea. The flickering light at the end of the dark tunnel leading underground was so ominous the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. And at the end of it awaits the demon lord, ready to devour my soul and feed my corpse to his hounds. Mia mused inwardly, trying to distract herself with the silliness of it all. Her grumpy landlord now doubled for a demon lord ¡­ well, or something similar. Goat beastkin chief didn¡¯t quite have the same ring to it, even though it might have been leagues closer to the truth. The room she stepped into when she finally hopped off of the last step of the staircase was a mess. Tools of all kinds lay sprawled around on top of cardboard boxes with shelves covering every wall above eye level and each stacked to the top with various stuff Mia couldn¡¯t identify. The light came from a slew of simple lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. Mia followed the wire linking them together, and found it leading right into a wall, a wall which outwardly had no door to it. A shrill ring sounded from just behind her and Mia whirled around with her heart jumping into her throat, but found only Brent flicking an old-school service bell. Calm down. You are going to get a heart attack before even meeting Jeff like this. Her ears twitched, and dozens of sounds previously imperceptible became crystal clear. Some machine was working deeper down, she could hear its rumbling through the layers of earth separating them, then there were the clangs, metal on metal, wood being cut with saws, murmurs somewhere further in and footsteps. Mia almost missed the footsteps with so many other things to focus on, but they were the only sound getting louder as the seconds went by. It was freaky, if she closed her eyes Mia would have thought she stood at the entrance of some vast underground complex, but with her eyes open all she could see was a simple basement set up like some man-cave. Her gaze landed on a large wooden panel hanging off of the opposite wall, the footsteps, still getting louder and louder, were coming from behind it. The panel creaked, the dozens of tools from hand-saws and hammers to hatchets and shovels hanging on it clattered as the panel moved and opened like a large door swinging open on old hinges in need of some quick oiling. Jeff stepped out from the now visible doorway, his cold-dead eyes landing on her for a moment before moving on to Brent as he fully stepped into the room. Does he have an aversion to wearing clothes? Mia mused sourly, thinking she was probably the only girl not gleeful to get another look at his sculpted torso loaded with corded muscles. At least he still has pants on. ¡°The little miss wanted to speak with you, boss.¡± Brent spoke up from behind me, which earned her Jeff¡¯s undivided attention. ¡°Speak then,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°I want to leave,¡± Mia blurted out, paling and taking a step back the moment her brain caught up with her tongue. ¡°I mean- ¡° ¡°Why?¡± Jeff asked, his lifeless gaze staring into Mia¡¯s glimmering azure eyes with all the boredom in the world. ¡°My mother-¡± Mia started, gulping halfway through, as she didn¡¯t quite think about how to explain it yet. When combined with the memory of Thomas getting his ass thrown out and not being let back into the building for wanting to do the same thing she was asking, her complexion took on a deathly look and only her increased Will kept her from wobbling unsteadily from a sudden onset of dizziness. ¡°This again,¡± Jeff said, a rare trace of annoyance entering his tone. ¡°Why must everyone be so willing to throw their lives away? Am I the only being with a shred of logic and common sense in this building?¡± He murmured the last part under his breath, but Mia¡¯s ears picked up on it. She swallowed, not liking the way this conversation was going at all. ¡°A- and we are stagnating anyway here. It¡¯s unsustainable.¡± ¡°Elaborate,¡± Jeff said, squinting at her, then he walked over to a workbench in a corner and started fiddling with some contraption placed atop it. ¡°Erik¡¯s deterrent chased away anything worth hunting,¡± Mia said, taking a breath mid-sentence to calm herself. Jeff always preferred facts and cold, hard logic. Whenever something broke in her flat, the landlord only did what was required of him. He didn¡¯t care about the emotions and such of his tenants, which was why Mia assumed he somewhat liked her. She never had enough skin on her face to demand anything of him that wasn¡¯t extremely important, only bothering him with stuff like ?the pipes getting broken in the bathroom or the door¡¯s lock getting stuck. She needed to appeal to his logic if she wanted something from him. ¡°The birds still give some levels, here and there, but without the goblins to hunt en masse, we are stagnating, and we are stagnating hard. I got five levels the first two days, then a single one since we spread Erik¡¯s stuff around the building.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Jeff said evenly. ¡°An argument can be made for not replacing Erik¡¯s deterrent for a few days to allow our hunters to gain levels, but striking out into the monster-infested city is asking for death. An atrocious waste of both life and resources.¡± Mia bit her lips in consternation. Worst-case scenario, she was getting booted out of this relatively safe community and losing her haven in this new chaotic world. It would have been a sacrifice she would have been willing to make for striking out to find her mother ¡ª doing so was just non-negotiable ¡ª but both Mark and Lina made their willingness to come along clear. If she couldn¡¯t convince Jeff to be less of an ass, she was dooming all three of them to living as vagrants out in a post-apocalyptic city. Worse yet, what if Jeff deemed her abilities as a semi-powerful ranged fighter too important to give up on and refused to let her leave? A deep cold pit formed in her stomach. Mia couldn¡¯t allow that, not when doing so meant leaving her mother to struggle alone outside. That old house she lived in out in the suburbs wouldn¡¯t hold up against goblins and birds for too long, even if she managed to barricade herself up. Plus, she was probably running out of water right about now. Mia had to go. It was not a question of ¡®if¡¯, but of ¡®when¡¯ anymore and the answer was ¡®as soon as possible¡¯. ¡°Don¡¯t you think leaving ourselves blind is even worse?¡± Mia asked, a plan forming in her mind. ¡°We are cooped up in this building, hoping that those deterrents keep us safe, but we don¡¯t even know what the situation out there is. We only met monsters of three Rifts after all, and Erik¡¯s potions only work against the Goblins so far. Don¡¯t you think sending out squads of scouts to survey the area around is prudent?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Jeff allowed, looking back at her for a moment before returning his focus on the thing he was fiddling with. ¡°But what of it? Even if I see merit in your idea and go along with it, the scouts would circle around in a few building-block radius at most ¡­ where does your Mother live, Maria?¡± ¡°Out in the suburbs,¡± Mia said, her gaze lowered to the floor. ¡°On the northern bank of the Mur.¡± ¡°You were trying to reason for striking two birds with one stone,¡± said Jeff. ¡°Smart, but I still don¡¯t think the risk is worth it. Not even close. If that was all, please leave. Your new power could be used for much more worthwhile tasks, don¡¯t throw your life away for ¡­ hope.¡± Mia scowled, her anger spiking. That was her mother¡¯s life he was talking about. ¡®Not worth the risk¡¯, it was worth every risk there was in the world. That was the woman who worked two jobs even while grieving the loss of her marriage to raise her three children. Sofia might be an ungrateful bitch, but Mia was not. She will cut through hordes of goblins if she had to. ¡°Will you stop me?¡± Mia asked testily, face twisting into a vicious snarl. ¡°What? Will you break my legs, lock me up? I am leaving, Jeff. I asked because you¡¯ve been nice to me before, but me leaving is non-negotiable. Only the ¡®how¡¯ is still up for debate and whether I am ever coming back.¡± Jeff fully turned to face her then, something dangerous twinkling in the depths of his emotionless eyes. He took a single step towards her, and while her hands were trembling, Mia stood her ground while clasping the treacherous limbs behind her back. She stared back at the tyrannical landlord defiantly as mana rushed down to her palm and the Arcane Blast¡¯s spell-circle finished forming in her mana pool. ¡°A pity,¡± he said. ¡°I thought you were different, that you had common sense, unlike the rest.¡± Before he could take another step forward, a hand landed on Mia¡¯s shoulder and threw her back, making her fall onto her bum and slide back against the wall behind her. When she glanced up again, Brent stood between her and Jeff, his broad back like a wall splitting the room in two. Mia grimaced, a hand massaging her aching tailbone as she placed her other hand, the one filled with mana, on her lap as inconspicuously as possible. Whatever Brent¡¯s plans were, she was not trusting them. Not with her life. Not against Jeff. If the horned-fuck moved another step, or looked like he¡¯d attack, Mia¡¯d Blast him. Might not be enough to incapacitate him, but it should slow him enough for me to escape. I¡¯d have to get to a second-floor window, tear down the boardings on them and jump out. My reduced weight should make not dying from the fall easier. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you were planning, boss, but I¡¯m not liking it one bit,¡± said Brent, standing with his legs bent and his back straight like some UFC fighter readying to pounce. ¡°I agreed to join you to protect people, to hunt monsters and to make sure as many of us survived this hell as possible. The girl is leaving alive and unharmed. That, or in a body bag, but then you¡¯ve got to get one for me too.¡± That was such a cringe line ¡­ but oddly nice of him. Mia didn¡¯t trust people. It wasn¡¯t for any childhood trauma or such; it was just in her nature. Which was why the spell was still ready on her fingertips, as she ever so slowly rose to her feet and hid behind Brent. Sorry Brent, you offered yourself up to be my meat shield. ¡°I was not-¡± Jeff started, sounding annoyed, but then just let out a resigned sigh. ¡°Leave then. Keeping you against your will would be even more trouble than losing you. Take as much food and water as you want. You deserve that much for your help this week. Now leave, I want you gone before tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Uhm,¡± Mia frowned. ¡°I- uh, Mark and Lina wanted to come with me too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Take them, make sure they know they aren¡¯t welcome back if they step out of the building,¡± Jeff said, sounding oddly resigned. ¡°And Brent.¡± Mia saw the man stiffen as Jeff¡¯s undivided attention landed on him. ¡°You are going with them,¡± said Jeff. ¡°I thought I could trust you, that you understood what I wanted to build here ¡­ but it seems I¡¯d been wrong. Get out. Get out of my sight, and my building before I throw you out myself with your legs broken.¡± 24 - Swim or Drown Mia felt conflicted as she stepped out of the building. That first step outside felt like a thousand miles crossed in a single moment, it made her dizzy. It was not the act of stepping over some imaginary boundary that troubled her though, but people following her as she did so. Brent was already out, dressed again in his knightly armour with a gleaming longsword brandished in his grip as he glanced left and right out on the sidewalk. The man had been ¡­ difficult. He was clearly unhappy about how things went down in the basement, and had been rather testy and irritable since then so Mia mostly left him alone to process, while she herself was running around gathering supplies and telling Mark and Lina about Jeff¡¯s ultimatum. Next to him stood Mark, wearing what looked like dwarf-sized armour made of stone along with a silly-looking helmet. All in all, his armaments looked to have been shaped like clay by some horrendously bad craftsman, but he swore they were just as good, if not better than Brent¡¯s metal wear. Next to Mia stood Lina, a large backpack on her back and an excited but nervous smile on her face. Behind her though, stood Sam ¡ª Mark and Mia¡¯s ex-neighbour and fix-it man ¡ª, now as a catboy of all things. Or rather ¡®feline beastkin¡¯ to be proper. Mia wasn¡¯t sure why exactly the last two joined her little group, even with the banishment that came along with it. Still, she was grateful. Even if that feeling was slightly warped whenever she caught Sam checking out her behind. Slowly, bit by bit, her gratefulness was evaporating and when the time came that it finally ran dry, she was going to kick him in the nuts. She¡¯d make the kick hard enough to send the stupid notion of crushing on her flying right out of his mushy brain. ¡°All clear,¡± said Brent, not relaxing even a bit as he stepped further out and onto the road caked in dried goblin blood and guts. ¡°Nothing, as far as I can see at least.¡± ¡°Good enough,¡± said Mark, patting an open flask hanging on his side. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Mia asked, eying the thing as she scrunched up her nose. Even with the small cloth stuck into its mouth, it had a pervasive foul smell. ¡°Goblin deterrent,¡± said Mark. ¡°I got us enough to last a week, plus the recipe, but that needs an Alchemist to make so this is probably all we have for now.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do,¡± said Brent. ¡°From what I know, all the Rifts are towards the city centre and we are heading to the suburbs.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Mark, tapping his foot on the pavement. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡± ¡°Wait a moment,¡± said Brent as he turned back to the group and a grimace flickered across his face. ¡°You, brat, with the cat-ears, what can you do?¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± Sam stiffened as the entire group turned to watch him. ¡°I¡¯m quick? And I have claws.¡± Mai watched in morbid fascination as his human fingers morphed and lengthened into claws. They were long and curved like Karambit knives and gleamed in a dark grey colour under the sunlight. Great, he has knife-hands. The resident catboy is a horror movie villain. ¡°How quick?¡± asked Brent, squinting at the younger man. ¡°Pretty quick, I¡¯d say,¡± said Sam, and Mia¡¯s eyes were drawn to him in that all too familiar manner. He was channelling mana. Then he moved, and while Mia could follow him with her eyes, she doubted she could do more than bring her arm up to parry if he was to pounce on her with his current speed. Sam dashed over to Brent and, in an idiotic bid to establish his masculine superiority, reached to place a claw near Brent¡¯s neck. Arrogance was a hard drug, one of the most dangerous ones, and it was the one Sam seemed to be sky-high on. Which was why he failed to notice the elbow lazily moving to slam into his solar plexus. ¡°Oof,¡± Sam wheezed as the air was knocked out of his lungs. His limbs gave up on him and he collapsed into a whimpering ball. ¡°Fast enough,¡± said Brent as he gazed down impassively at Sam. ¡°You¡¯ll be rearguard, boy. The dwarf is the main ¡®tank¡¯ as you¡¯d call it and I¡¯ll be the forward scout. The two girls are our heavy hitters, and disablers while also being the most squishy of our group so I expect both of you to jump between any attack and them, understood?¡± Mark gave a serious nod, which looked comical as his silly helmet tipped forwards and fell over his eyes. Cursing, the dwarf took it off and Mia saw some light brown mana flow into the piece of equipment before it started to shift under Mark¡¯s heavy stare. ¡°Am I understood, brat?¡± reiterated Brent, poking the whimpering catkin with his armoured foot. ¡°Y-yes,¡± said Sam. ¡°I¡¯ll protect them.¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Brent, then turned to the last members of their little party: the two girls feeling a bit out of place. ¡°You two have any protection? Something that would help you jump out of the way of arrows or monsters? Barriers, movement skills, whatever?¡± ¡°I can make a small shield,¡± said Mia, unconsciously raising her hand like she was answering a teacher. ¡°And I can make a Familiar ¡­ it¡¯s weak, but it could distract enemies and jump between me and attacks.¡± ¡°I could drag myself around with some wind?¡± Lina answered, frowning in thought. ¡°... That¡¯s it I think. Maybe I could shove projectiles aside if I¡¯m fast enough or have a veil up.¡± ¡°You were the air-net-girl, right?¡± asked Brent, then nodded as Lina gave a hesitant nod. ¡°Good. Try to keep up something like that around the two of you if we get into a fight. Door-girl, can you put up the shield while simultaneously firing off those nasty pink bullets of yours?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said with a grimace. Not yet anyway. ¡°Then focus on taking out stuff before it can become a problem. Leave defence to the rest of us. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia nodded. ¡°What of the Familiar?¡± ¡°Have it out if you can,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this magic stuff, so do as you think best. But focus on always being able to blast nasty fuckers if you have to. If you don¡¯t compromise that, do as you wish.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia nodded, rolling her shoulders to pull her own backpack further up. All of them had some sort of a backpack or other bag hanging off of them, which was a must if they wanted to survive. Mark packed a few weeks'' worth of compact dried meat and a few litres of water along with god knows what else, while everyone else also stored some personal effects. Mia¡¯s own bag was filled with her system-given books and a few sets of clothes, with a focus on those that were more compact like shorts and crop tops. Though, her current wear was the exact opposite with a long white pair of jeans and a tank top with a jacket over her shoulders. She might not have any armour or the like, but she wanted to have at least some fabric covering her body if she was going to get into scuffles with monsters. She even dug up her meanest boots, the one with iron inlaid heels. Who knew, maybe she¡¯d have to stomp a monster to death? ¡°Oh, I almost forgot!¡± Mia almost facepalmed as another important detail came to her mind. ¡°I can sort of feel monsters, or at the very least tell when they are close to me even if I can¡¯t see them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Brent asked, his full attention swinging back on Mia with much more weight than before. ¡°What¡¯s the range? How dependable is it? Can you tell the exact direction and the distance? ¡­ Also, how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of my Traits, I think,¡± Mia said, squirming under the group¡¯s attention. ¡°Fae Blooded, it gives me some sixth sense for supernatural energies. As for the rest ¡­ I think the range is quite large, maybe fifty metres? Though I can¡¯t pinpoint anything with much accuracy beyond twenty to thirty metres. It also never failed before.¡± ¡°Fae Blooded,¡± Brent murmured, rubbing at his stubbled chin. ¡°I assume that¡¯s a Racial Trait that you got to go along with those ears?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, fuck.¡± Brent ran a hand over his face. ¡°No matter, this doesn¡¯t change anything. We can¡¯t have you scout ahead with how squishy you are, so just scream if I somehow miss any monster sneaking up on us, alright?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Mia, nodding as Brent strode out onto the open street while the rest of the group¡¯s gazes lingered some more. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Mark, shaking his head as he crouched on the ground. ¡°Stuff¡¯s just weird. Still getting used to everyone having so many weird-ass magics.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still jealous,¡± Lina huffed, poking Mia in the side playfully. ¡°Do you think I can change race later? Being human is so last month.¡± Mia just shrugged, her eyes focusing on Mark as soft earthly brown mana poured out of his fingers and into the pavement below. His palm sunk into it as if it was liquid and the pavement around his palm slowly liquified before it all flowed towards his hand and crawled up on it till his elbow. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Mark stood, a baseball sized globule of liquid pavement twisting around his right hand. The orb continued to shift, growing vicious spikes as long as Mia¡¯s fingers as it slowly grew smaller. Finally, a handle grew out of its side, which Mark was still holding onto as the head of the now-mace came to a stop at the end of a metre long rod. ¡°Nice,¡± Mia murmured, watching the oversized mace with interest. It was almost larger than the dwarf wielding it and its head was certainly larger than its wielder, even covered in a helmet as he was. ¡°That¡¯s one of your ¡®armaments¡¯?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Mark, giving it a few test swings before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°This¡¯ll do. Turns out, using longswords with tiny legs like these is a damned pain so I think I¡¯ll settle for something simple and reliable. Plus, I can remake this if its spikes break off or chip.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Mia hummed. ¡°But how the hell are you lifting that? The thing probably weighs more than me.¡± ¡°Dwarven power,¡± said Mark, flexing as he lifted the mace onto his shoulder. ¡°Also, my Earth Manipulation is doing like 70% of the heavy lifting, leaving only about a third of the weight for me to lift with my muscles.¡± ¡°Alright, everyone on your feet, chop-chop.¡± Brent clapped, his attentive gaze still surveying the surroundings. ¡°We are out, but not away. Let¡¯s get a move on before they decide to make us hurry our asses up by lighting them on fire with some fireballs. Take up formation, get ready and let¡¯s head out.¡± After some well-deserved corrections to their initial formation, the group set out and left behind the building that had been their safe haven since the start of the ¡®apocalypse¡¯ as the others called it. Mia thought it was blowing things out of proportion. Things were nowhere near bad enough to call this an apocalypse, even if it was a colossal shit fest. ¡°You¡¯re a vet or something?¡± Sam asked, clearly aiming the question at the impromptu leader of their party. ¡°I was in the reserves,¡± said Brent, not glancing back as he walked a good dozen metres ahead of the group, prowling through the street with predatory grace. ¡°But that was a while ago, been a forester and huntsman since. I do know what I am doing, if that¡¯s what bothers your furry little head.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± said Sam, sounding insincere even to Mia¡¯s ears. They walked in silence for a while, everyone staring at the ruined storefronts and busted open doors in the nearby buildings as they went. Nerves ran high, and everyone was a bit jumpy. Mia¡¯s head snapped to the side, her ears twitching as the ever-present wrongness in the back of her mind became pronounced. Her eyes stared into a dark alley, lined by rows of garbage bins, then her hearing cleared up and she caught the all too familiar barks and whispered chittering cackles she came to associate with goblins. ¡°Goblins, in that alley.¡± She pointed, and the group turned on it as one. ¡°How many?¡± Brent asked, crouching low and taking up position behind a semi-truck parked before the alley¡¯s mouth. Mia frowned, focusing on her hearing, and tried to count the heartbeats. Unfortunately, that was too tall of an ask, even for her supernatural hearing when the little monsters were more than fifty metres away. ¡°Around 5? Maybe six or seven?¡± ¡°Kill or leave?¡± Brent asked. ¡°We don¡¯t need to kill them, but many of you probably need a monster core, right?¡± Mia nodded, and so did Lina and Sam. ¡°I say we kill them,¡± Mia said in a whisper, her eyes locked on the vague forms moving around in the alley and ¡­ dumpster diving? Well, they were goblins, she should have guessed they¡¯d be nasty like that. ¡°Seconded,¡± said Lina, mana already curling around her fingers and snaking towards the alley like a pack of flying serpents. ¡°Y-yes,¡± Sam said, answering as the last while Mark was already on the front with one of his gauntlets shifting into a buckler large enough to cover his entire torso. ¡°Good,¡± said Brent. ¡°Can anyone lure them out? If not, I¡¯ll go, but then I can¡¯t ambush them.¡± ¡°I can,¡± Mia raised her voice, runes and shapes already falling away from her Arcane Blast spell circle, leaving only the simplistic design of the Arcane Bolt circle. Still, she knew from experience that using anything more powerful than that on goblins was a waste of her precious mana. ¡°Should I go ahead and ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Every one ready?¡± asked Brent, his hawkish gaze washing over every member of the group. He continued when everyone nodded. ¡°Stay behind Mark girls. Sam, flank them if you can. If Mark gets tied down, take cover behind a car. Door-girl, do it!¡± The Bolt shot off a moment later, crashing into a goblin just poking its head out of a bin with a rotting burger held above his head like a trophy. Unfortunately for him, Mia¡¯s Bolt crashed through his shoulder and snapped his neck before he could even give a victorious shout to his kin. The barks and angry chitters grew louder, and Mia heard the rush of small feet. ¡°They are coming.¡± Mia took a swift glance at the members of her group. Sam was trembling, but with a resolute expression on his face, he stalked over to crouch behind a car opposite to the alley¡¯s entrance to Brent. Lina had her serious look on, that emotionless stare with a slight frown as her air magic tendrils danced through the air. Mia couldn¡¯t see Mark¡¯s face, covered by his helmet as it was, but the dwarf had his buckler before him and his oversized mace readied behind him with his right hand grasping its hilt. Brent was calm, eerily so, but that was probably just because Mia was comparing him to a group of jittery young adults. He had his sword readied, his whole body pulled taut like a bow pulled to the limit with an arrow nocked, a moment away from firing. The first goblin rushed out of the alley, not caring one bit about anything as its evil little eyes landed on the closest foe: Mark. It rushed at him without a care in the world, getting totally blindsided by a blast of Air magic that sent him rolling across the pavement in a ball of broken bones and pained screeches. Then came the rest. Two, four, six, seven goblins came running, as Mia counted them in her head, each heading for whoever they spotted first with suicidal glee and brandishing rusted daggers and short swords. A Bolt came flying and took one out, snapping its head back with a vicious crack. The goblin fell back, but its kin cared not, reaching the semi-truck and ran past it. Brent¡¯s sword flashed out and took off one¡¯s head with ease, then the man followed up by a second swipe that took out the knees of another goblin. A downward piercing strike later, the downed goblin joined its kin in death. Four left. Sam pounced then, easily overtaking the goblins once his brain caught up with him, and he descended on the backmost goblin in a storm of claws and primal fury, ripping it apart in a matter of seconds. Not that he let up, continuing to tear into it with a scream, even when it was little more than a splatter of gore. Two pounced on Mark, bouncing off of his buckler as they poked at his armour with their daggers. The dwarf swung his mace, but the green critters fell to the ground, then pounced again like a pair of angry cats. Their daggers didn¡¯t find purchase on his armour, but Mia could tell he was starting to panic as they kept on poking him. Mia had to worry about herself first though, as the last goblin circled around Mark with its beady little eyes focused on the two ¡®squishy females¡¯ left ¡®unprotected¡¯. The next bundle of mana reached Mia¡¯s fingers and her newest Bolt smacked into the gut of the evil little thing. It fell over as Mia danced a few steps back to make sure she was out of range of its frenzied flailing as the goblin writhed around, clutching its stomach. Having all of its internal organs mixed into a single cohesive mush probably hurt quite a bit. It didn¡¯t have much time to suffer though, as one of Lina¡¯s so called ¡®air blasts¡¯ splattered it across the pavement a moment later. Fuck. Mia cursed, hurrying her mana along as she watched Mark flail about, trying to get the pair of vicious little monsters off of himself. He swung his mace and buckler around wildly, probably not even aware of where his foes were in his panic. I need to help him. Mia grasped the handle of her dagger, now holstered on the side of her right thigh, and stepped forward. She wasn¡¯t the only one wanting to help, though, but she was the slowest. She watched as a questing serpent of air mana blew into one goblin, sending it rolling away with a powerful gust of wind while Brent''s sword burst through the other¡¯s chest not a moment later. Mia didn¡¯t let herself relax, though. She still felt the wrongness coming from two goblins. They were alive, and they were the two that Lina sent rolling away, though one of them was in no condition to fight with just about all of its limbs broken. Her fingers glowed, the circle formed, and the Bolt slammed into the mostly unharmed goblin Lina just sent sprawling. The wrongness disappeared from it a moment later, along with half its face as her spell crushed it into a gory soup. One left. Mia briefly glanced at Brent and saw he had the same aim in mind as he tore his sword out of the last goblin he killed. They made eye contact, and Mia just shrugged while Brent nodded. A few seconds later, Mia felt the life of the last monster getting snuffed out, and she let out a deep sigh. One which she instantly regretted as the repulsive smell of goblin guts and gore mixed with their natural scent invaded her nostrils. The fact that they were just now bathing in sun-baked garbage certainly didn¡¯t help their natural odour, though the two were strikingly similar. ¡°Done,¡± said Brent as he came back around the cars. ¡°Snap out of it, brat. That thing is more dead than my grandfather, and he caught an air missile to the face in Iraq.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Sam stuttered, though only after Brent kicked him in the side hard enough to make Mia flinch. ¡°Calm down brat,¡± said the older man not-ungently, though Mia noticed he still held his bloodied sword in an iron grip. ¡°Fight¡¯s over, we won. Sit down and relax.¡± Mia felt a pang of sympathy for the boy as she watched him break down, watching his blood-soaked hands as they morphed back to being flesh and blood instead of steel claws. Still, she moved towards Mark instead, who sat on his behind, heaving with his helmet discarded and a faraway look in his eyes. Mia glanced at Lina, and saw the resigned understanding in her swirly grey eyes before the blonde moved towards the beastkin boy, only letting out a soft sigh. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Mia asked, crouching down next to Mark. ¡°I almost died,¡± he said, voice sounding distant. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± Mia said, grimacing at her own words. How do you console someone who just survived a life and death fight? ¡°Thank you for protecting us. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯d have been fine fending off three of those at once.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he said, blinking as he stared at the sky. ¡°How are you fine? I saw one got by me. I fucked up. I was suppos-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mia said, gingerly patting his armoured shoulder. ¡°We¡¯d been doing this with Lina for a few days now. A single goblin won¡¯t kill us. You did just fine, actually, I think it was an outstanding performance for your first fight.¡± After some more words of comfort, Mia got back to her feet and Lina joined her hastily, seemingly all too eager to leave Sam to his brooding. ¡°Cores?¡± Mia asked in a whisper, her eyes jumping between the corpses spread around them. ¡°Cores,¡± Lina said, a grin tugging at the edge of her lips. Mia did her best to maintain her impassive expression, though she wasn¡¯t sure she succeeded. After all, the rewards for this quest were quite enticing. [Quests] [{Newcomer} Introductory (10)] Objective: Reward: A system generated enchanted accessory (Ring of Lesser Healing). 25 - Seen I hate him so much. Mia swore in her mind, throwing every single curse word she knew at Brent¡¯s dumb head as the goblin she was elbow deep in let out another disgusting squelch. Why was Mia elbow deep in monster guts you ask? Well, that was a splendid question and one Mia had been asking herself every few seconds. The answer was, though, that Brent refused to dismantle the corpses for their cores himself other than showing how it¡¯s done once. Healing ring. You¡¯ll get a healing ring after this. Mia repeated the mantra that kept her from just Blasting the ugly green fucker to bits, or turning that Blast on Brent for that matter. She needed that ring, and she needed it dearly since she and her group had no other way of healing besides the single Elixir of Regeneration each one of them had. Ring. It¡¯ll be a nice ring. Magical ring. Totally worth smelling like monster guts and dumpster fire for the rest of your life. Her fingers brushed against something solid and she froze, gingerly feeling out its shape with her fingertips. She knew the feeling of bone by now intimately, so she was certain it wasn¡¯t that. Keeping her fingers around it, she gently cut into the green flesh with her dagger and opened up the section even as another bout of vomit-inducing fumes assaulted her nostrils. Mia blinked away tears. The smell was bad enough that even her eyes felt offended by it, and that spoke of the willpower she needed to not vomit all over the corpse like poor Sam had. A few cuts later, the thing between her fingers entered her blurry sight and she let out the slightest smirks as she saw the blood coated, uneven little crystal the size of her nails. Got it. Ever so carefully, she cut off the flesh and ligaments still holding onto the core and then rose to her feet with a tired, but satisfied smile on her face. She stepped away from the pile of repulsive gore, then stepped away some more until it was out of her sight. Unfortunately, the stench would stay with her for a while. She had the presence of mind to get her jacket off and roll her sleeves up, but the smell stuck to her clothes like a lamprey and was not letting go. Could that trick work? Mia wondered, staring down at her bloody hands. Well, she¡¯ll try it right after she turned the quest in. [{Newcomer} Introductory (10)] is Complete! Turn in ¡®Rank 0 monster core¡¯ and Claim reward now? Yes / No Selecting yes, Mia let out a gasp as instead of the core disappearing and a ring falling on her head, the core sizzled and morphed. Blood evaporated off of it as its shape and colour shifted, and over the span of a few seconds it turned into a simple silvery ring just the perfect size to fit onto her dainty ring-finger. Mia gulped, squinting as she saw miniature runic script flash and flow on its surface. She caught pink, white, yellow and goldish runes before it all disappeared and left behind a ring she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell had anything special about it. Instead of putting it on though, she dropped it on her discarded jacket and took a deep breath. She didn¡¯t want to soil that pretty ring with goblin blood, so she really hoped the trick she had in mind would work as she expected it to. Mana flowed to her right hand first, and unlike when she was casting a spell, she didn¡¯t try to impress a spell-circle upon it. Instead, she just pushed it through those open-ended mana channels in her fingers and clamped down on the mana with a vice-like grip as it passed her skin. The mana that had been almost effortless to control before writhed in her grasp, somehow both kicking back against her control like a bull and gaining the slipperiness of an oiled up snake. Mia gritted her teeth, and guided it back over her hand to wash over her skin. She hissed, feeling like a thousand ants were biting at her skin as the crackling arcane mana flowed over her hand. It worked though, since while her body enjoyed the protection of her Archon Body Constitution, the blood covering it did not. It evaporated, or rather, got obliterated by the vicious energy. Once she was done with her right hand, she repeated the exercise for her left hand. Only sighing in relief once both were clean. The skin might have been left a bit tender and sensitive, but it beat spending another moment looking like an amateur butcher. Smiling still, Mia was entirely unprepared for the feeling of her Spirit expanding and deepening with a thunderous crash. [Base Control: 4 -> 5] [Main Spirit: 9 -> 10] For a single moment, she saw it. She saw everything, she saw the tiniest cell in her body, the flash of neurons in her brain, she saw the air flowing by her skin, she saw the earth crunching under her boots and she saw the veil. It was but a glimpse, lasting for the briefest instant, but she saw underneath the veil for just that infinitesimal flash and she stumbled. She saw storms of mana the size of stars, with powers enough to wipe away Earth in a blink, she saw worlds distant and close by, made of nothing but flames or light, and a city glimmering with every colour of the rainbow, built of nothing but crystals and marble. At the centre of it all was a brilliant star, made up of all the colours she could name and a thousand more she could not. ¡°Mia?!¡± Lina was next to her, her bloody hands hovering inches away from the pink-haired girl¡¯s shoulder as she wobbled on her feet. The moment of insight was gone, and her reality dimmed back down to what it was before. Mia blinked, shaking her head like a wet dog as the echoes of dizziness slowly faded. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she mumbled. ¡°That was ¡­ an experience.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lina asked, visibly relieved and Mia saw the rest of her group, aside from Sam, also sending worried looks at her, even Brent. ¡°My Spirit reached ten,¡± Mia whispered, trying to recall what she¡¯d seen. All that lingered in her mind were flashes of colour and the sheer awe she felt seeing them. There was a ¡­ city? I think? ¡°Oh,¡± said Lina, blinking. ¡°Okay? I guess attributes going up can be ¡­ trippy.¡± ¡°It sure was,¡± Mia shrugged, then practically pounced on her ring and slid it over her finger as she caressed it gently. ¡°Is that the ring?¡± Lina asked, squinting at it and Mia was more than happy to show it off. ¡°Does it work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to cut myself to check.¡± Mia rolled her eyes, though she too was curious. Still, she hasn¡¯t quite lost her mind enough to start cutting herself just to check whether a magical ring she got worked. ¡°Looks pretty,¡± Lina murmured. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re fine I¡¯m going back to monster diving.¡± ¡°Have fun,¡± Mia said with a slight quirk of her lips, earning an eye roll from the blonde as she descended on her own corpse. [{Newcomer} Introductory (11)] Objective: Reward: A System generated casting focus (Wand of Arcane Focus). Should be pretty doable. Mia thought, tilting her head at the next quest. The most challenging part of completing the quest would be finding a monster of the appropriate level and then convincing her group to let her face it alone. She had little doubt her Arcane Blast could finish off a Level 7 Goblin. Checking through her Combat Logs, she found that all of the goblins in the last group were Level 4 at most, with three of them even being of the juvenile variant. This might take a while to do, shame. It would be pretty cool to have a wand to throw spells with ¡­ plus it¡¯s probably useful for casting in some way. Maybe it empowers the spells, or perhaps it even helps casting more powerful spells? Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Both would be extremely useful, especially since some of her spells were a pain to cast. Mia realised each spell circle had a weight that was directly proportional to its complexity, and this complexity roughly equaled the number of runes the circle used. Now, to cast a spell, she had to lift that weight and in that metaphor, her Will was the strength of her muscles and Manifestation the grip she had on the spell. If the focus somehow enhanced either stat, or assisted her in lifting the weight of the spell, it would be a godsend. Especially since her latest spell, Mana Familiar, was the most complex spell in her Spell Tome to date with almost 50 runes used in its construction, with even Mage Hand only using 40. Comparatively, Arcane Bolt had a measly 8 runes spread around a simple circular spell boundary while Blast had three times that at 24. This was also the reason why she could shoot off Bolts effortlessly while casting Mage Hand one time exhausted her brain like doing calculus for an hour. Sniffing her fingers, Mia determined them to be clean enough for now and quickly wrapped the jacket around her shoulders again after rolling her shirt down to her wrist. She still smelled foul, her clothes having absorbed the odour of the corpse even if they hadn¡¯t directly touched it, but she couldn¡¯t do much about that other than burning the whole set. Which would be moronic. This is the only set of full-cover clothing I have on hand. She sighed, regretting not having packed any body-spray. Suck it up, Mia. You¡¯ll stink much worse by the end of this outing. Somehow, that didn¡¯t make her feel any better. Instead, she reached into her bag and decided to get some reading done while the others extracted their own cores. ¡°Door-girl, since you¡¯re done you can take over watch,¡± said Brent, making Mia¡¯s fingers freeze on the zipper of her bag with a groan. ¡°Make use of that super sense of yours.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said grumpily, getting up and walking over to the window Brent perched himself on. They took temporary refuge in an old pastry shop, having dragged the four mostly intact goblin corpses into the front of it. ¡°You take my spot,¡± said Brent, hopping down from the windowsill with far too much ease for someone wearing that much armour. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the back exit is clear.¡± The back exit, the reason why they chose this shop as their refuge. It was just a simple hallway leading to an alley cutting through the building block and connecting a set of parallel roads, but it would be just what they needed if a horde of goblins swarmed them and they had to skedaddle. Mia gave Brent a nod, watching the man disappear in the back before hopping up on the sill and taking up watch. She had to get used to this, considering the whole city enemy territory and expecting a monster ambush at every moment. Mark¡¯s deterrent would work somewhat, but the fact those goblins attacked despite it ¡ª even if only after Mia killed one of them ¡ª meant it was hardly a perfect defence against the greenskin. Plus there were much more dangerous monsters gunning for them than the green critters. Birds and rabbits. Mia would have laughed if the sight of those monsters slaughtering goblins wasn¡¯t still crystal clear in her mind. And whatever else. We still have two more Rifts unaccounted for. She glanced down at her new ring, squinting at it as an idea popped into her mind. Maybe that identification thing worked on the ring, since the system generated it? She¡¯d tried the same with system-made books before, and even with the magical apple ¡ª ¡®Natural Treasure¡¯ ¡ª with little success, but surprisingly enough the effect triggered now. *** [{Newcomer} Title¡¯s effect triggered] [Generating Description ¡­ ] [Ring of Lesser Healing (Common/White): Making use of Positive Magic enchantments, this ring vastly amplifies the natural healing effect of the Positive energy in the wearer¡¯s body by resonating with it for a short duration.] *** That gave her more questions than it answered. At least, it provided her with the bare minimum information she¡¯d need to know to use the thing. So Positive energy naturally gives us some passive healing? I wonder what Negative energy gives us, if anything. I should have my ¡®inner energy¡¯ be split down in the middle between the two, so I should have some benefits from both. With a start Mia returned her attention to the street, and her job: keeping watch. Her ears twitched, having caught ... something. She squinted out the window, her gaze roaming over the dilapidated street. Soon, the whole thing would be smelling of death and decay with the harsh midday sun shining down on the rotting corpses. Mia had to thank her Thermal Assimilation secondary skill for keeping her at a livable temperature. Without it, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to function under so many layers of clothing. She listened and watched, forgetting to even breathe. Nothing. Did she mishear? She shouldn¡¯t have, she never had since becoming a Halvyr. Maybe something was hiding behind one of the cars? Then she heard it again and her eyes snapped to the source: a manhole. The cover twitched, letting out that tortured metallic sound that caught her attention in the first place. ¡°Monsters,¡± Mia hissed under her breath, her voice easily travelling to every member of her group in the silent room. ¡°I¡¯ll get Brent,¡± said Sam, dashing off towards the back entrance while the other two got to their feet and approached the window. Just as they did, and Mia heard the hurried pair of footsteps from the hallway, the cover of the sewer entrance flew off. It spun through the air, apexing at almost three metres up before it came crashing back down with a loud thud. Mia didn¡¯t care though, her gaze transfixed by the dark form crawling out of the manhole. It had a mangy coat of fur, a pair of beady black eyes and a long fuzzy nose that twitched and pointed right at the pastry shop they hid in. That¡¯s one big rat. Mia found herself thinking, freezing for a second as she realised just how big it was. Those teeth are as long as my fingers. Mia gulped, belatedly starting to form a spell circle and rousing her mana as the rat fully exited the manhole and rose to its back feet. It stood at around one and a half metres tall that way, though Mia dearly wished for her estimation to be wrong. It fell back on four legs, sniffed, then screeched as its eyes found a mangled goblin corpse the group left behind. As the first rat descended upon the corpse, tearing into it with its teeth as its clawed feet held it down, another rat crawled out of the manhole, quickly followed by another, and another, and another. ¡°We need to leave,¡± said Brent, startling the trio as his urgent voice sounded from right behind them. ¡°Now. Get your things and move, we are running away through the back entrance.¡± Mia gulped, then shot off towards her bag and quickly shouldered it. She glanced back at the window, a shiver running down her spine as she counted more than a dozen rats with more still exiting the manhole every second. ¡°Move, move, move,¡± Brent hissed under his breath. ¡°They¡¯ll smell the corpses in here. Move your fucking feet.¡± Mia thought she was the first out in the alley as she burst through the back door, gasping for breath and her heartbeat thundering in her ears but Sam was already there. Lina was only a step behind Mia, looking only slightly put off by everything as she came out and gave way to Mark behind her. Last came Brent, who kicked the door shut and grabbed a garbage bin next to it without a second thought. He heaved, and the bin screeched across the pavement until it was up against the door. ¡°Move you brats, they heard that,¡± he said, sword in hand as he gazed towards the opening of the alley. Mia didn¡¯t need to be told twice, bolting for the opposite end of the alley with Lina and Mark hot on her heels and Sam easily overtaking her as he bounced over closed bins and kicked off the wall to fly over her head. Squeaks and the sound of chattering teeth tearing into flesh grew distant, and while the run felt like an hour, the group exited onto the next street only half a minute later. ¡°Everyone¡¯s good?¡± Brent asked, not looking the slightest bit winded as he kept his gaze locked on the alley as the rest of the group caught their breath. After he received an affirmative answer from everyone, he continued. ¡°Take up formation, keep your eyes peeled and let¡¯s move. I want to get as much distance put between us and those ugly fuckers as possible. Rocky, shield up and forward. Scratch, you¡¯re on scout duty this time and I take rearguard. Move.¡± ***** Somewhere far, far away, beneath the veil of reality and in the deepest depths of the Astral Sea, a titanic being of pure Arcane might stirred, rising from its prismatic throne. His attention swept over his realm, pressing down on all of his subjects like a physical weight. Men, women and children, elves and dwarves, spirits and elementals all fell on their knees in deference to their ancient ruler. The being¡¯s form slowly manifested, changing from a chaotic storm of pink energy into a crystalline humanoid form before it too disappeared beneath a veneer of mortal skin and fake flesh. There he stood, the Great Spirit King of the Astral Sea, waves of brilliant pinkish hair flowing around an ethereal face and a set of crystalline azure eyes that stared into the distance and pierced through both space and the veil of reality effortlessly. ¡°Lost daughter of mine,¡± the being spoke, his voice sounding like a thousand chimes echoing together. ¡°At last, the time has come.¡± She saw me. A Halvyr. One of mine, fully manifested bloodline. Rank 0, still fragile. Only three generations removed from my dear Serielle. For the first time in millennia, the sole Avatar of the Archon, one of the three known Greater Spirit Sovereigns, was awake and active. The news spread like wildfire through the six Realms of the System. Many trembled in fear, thinking this to be the beginning of another age of chaos and anarchy. They were right to do so. The last time Anachreon walked the Realms was the final day of the last Demon Emperor. Only the stars and the Spirit King himself knew what horror prompted the mighty being to stir from his long slumber. Only them, the masses whispered in fear. 26 - Magical Goodies ¡°Why am I ¡®Scratch¡¯?¡± Sam whined when the group finally stopped to rest an hour of hard marching later. ¡°I had a cat called Scratch growing up,¡± said Brent. ¡°He was a whiny orange stray, as dumb as a box of bricks. The only part that doesn¡¯t fit is your white-blonde hair. It¡¯s a good nickname, you should be honoured, brat.¡± ¡°You got some thought put into your nickname at least,¡± Mark grumbled, grimacing as he bit into a piece of jerky and struggled to bite off a chunk. Mia listened to their byplay only half heartedly as she flipped through the First Steps of Arcanism book. Her gaze raced over the lines of text, the words themselves and their meaning snapping around her mind and getting deconstructed into information faster than ever before. From the outside, it seemed like she was just skimming through the pages without reading more than a few sentences. In reality, her increased Cognity, Memory and Mind stats going together with her Multitasking skill were all working in tandem to help her comprehend the lessons hidden beneath the text at record speed. A large part of the book covered introductory segments on some professions needing Arcane mana to work. Enchanting, Imbuement, Inscription, Alchemy, Artifice and some more. There was a lengthy section dedicated to describing practices to isolate the Arcane mana in one¡¯s mana pool from other types of mana. Seeing as almost anyone with Minor affinity for the element also had it as their secondary affinity, knowing how to get their hands on pure arcane mana was a must for them all. Not for Mia though, with her entire mana pool being purely Arcane attributed with her sole affinity being Arcane. Still, she skimmed the part lest she misses some context later on. She also realised what she messed up earlier on when she tried to get her Arcane Mana Manipulation skill. The book described the Arcane and its characteristics in great detail and if Mia had to sum it all up and encompass what the element represented in a single word, she¡¯d choose ¡®Duality¡¯. It was both Light and Dark, Positive and Negative, stable and chaotic. It was a boundary splitting the affinity chart in two, and yet it was the gate that connected the two split halves together. Arcane was duality, with a slew of contradictions as the icing on that mind-numbing cake. As Mia thought that through. She collected more and more pairs of seemingly contradictory concepts that nonetheless described her element. She noticed pinkish motes of light gathering around her body. More and more gathered around her, dancing in the air and swimming through it in circles. That¡¯s my shot. With a thought, she urged them to gather in her outstretched right hand and the little motes came streaming in as Mia rolled the concept-pairs around in her mind over and over again. I need to command them to do something. That¡¯s what Mark said. Deciding that simple was best for her first try, she imagined the gathered ambient arcane mana in her hand shooting out from her fingers as a beam of energy. There was no magic circle this time, nor was her runic-mode used, just pure mana flashing out of her fingers and burrowing into the dark waters of the Mur with a hiss. [You have unlocked the Secondary Skill: Lesser Arcane Mana Manipulation] *** [Lesser Arcane Mana Manipulation] Effects: Scales with: Spirit; Manifestation; Sensitivity; Control. *** [Do you wish to slot this Skill? You have (1) empty Secondary Skill slot remaining.] [ Yes / No ] Yes. [Skill slotted] Mia let out a sigh as a rare smile graced her lips. Then she noticed the four pairs of eyes watching her and her expression turned impassive. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What did that poor river do to you?¡± Mark asked, shaking his head. ¡°You probably killed a fish in there. What if it had a family, a wife at home, children to feed? And you just killed their husband and father. Shame on you.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Mia hissed, mock-glaring at the dumb dwarf. ¡°I did not. If there were ever fish in here, the iron birds would have killed them all days ago.¡± ¡°Fish murderer,¡± Mark huffed, going back to playing with dirt without gracing her with another look. Mia rolled her eyes, going back to reading as the other three¡¯s attention faded during their brief conversation. When Mia sent her mana flowing out of her fingers and washing back over her hand like a glove, it was substantially easier than before. The Skill was doing good work. Also, she felt an ease in the way she could keep her mana under control even while it was flowing through her energy channels. Perhaps this skill would be the edge she needed to finally ¡®double barrel¡¯ her Bolts. Maybe once my Control crosses over to 10, I can even do them akimbo, shooting off a Bolt from my left and right hands at the same time. Arcane Bolt, being her least ¡®weighty¡¯ spell, would be the only spell she might have any chance at casting this way. For now that is, as her stats increased and her Skills evolved, perhaps there would come a time when she could really channel a Shield with one hand while shooting off Blasts in a rapid-fire barrage with the other. Small steps. Alright, let¡¯s try that double barrel Bolt. Her runic-model revolved around itself, swiftly constructing the simple and familiar spell-circle. That done, Mia eyeballed about twice the mana the spell would need and sent it flowing into her palm and fingers. Mana was strange, having aspects of gas, liquid and solids depending on the circumstance. Right now though, as Mia packed the mana under her grasp into her hand she felt its properties going from gas to liquid in short order as the mystical energy resisted getting even more of it bundled into such a small space. In the end, her energy channels were filled up to her wrist. Good enough. She took a deep breath, once again aiming her outstretched hand at the nearby river whose bank they were taking a rest on and activated the spell with a flick of thought. The mana in her hand tore in half, the bundles in her fingers dashing out of her channels to form the spell-circle, while what was left behind writhed angrily like a snake with its head cut off. The Bolt shot off, but Mia¡¯s focus was on pushing the next bundle of energy into her fingers before once more pushing that mental switch. Her runic-model vibrated once more and the remaining mana came alive, forming a second spell-circle before her palm in a blink before sending a bundle of arcane destruction into the waters once more. ¡°It worked!¡± Mia exclaimed, hands shooting up in a fist pump as she watched the disturbed waters with starry eyes. Her whole lower right hand was buzzing and her energy channels felt slightly sore, sure, but it worked. That was her fastest sequentially cast set of spells to date without question. More importantly though, it opened up a whole new can of possibilities and confirmed that her other ideas could also work with some certainty. Soon enough, she¡¯d be dual casting. I won¡¯t need to hide behind Mark and cover like a glass cannon forever. Hell yeah. ¡°What did you do?¡± It was Lina that asked, coming over to settle down next to Mia, briefly glancing at her discarded book laying in the grass. ¡°I double barrelled a spell,¡± Mia said, sounding annoyingly smug even to herself. Not that she cared, she had every right to be smug. ¡°Meaning?¡± Lina asked curiously, gazing at the river along with Mia. Mia glanced at the blonde, and seeing nothing wrong with sharing her discovery, shrugged. ¡°I can shoot off a spell twice in quick succession by storing enough mana in my hand to cast it twice. I need to have firm control of the mana though as I do so if I don¡¯t want the leftover mana to go haywire before I can cast the spell the second time.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Lina made a surprised sound. ¡°You use spells and stuff? Like real fantasy wizards? Not just manipulating that element of yours?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Mia asked with some surprise of her own. ¡°No,¡± Lina said. ¡°Though I guess I could ¡­ ? I have Greater Air Manipulation as one of my Class subskills, and the other is Minor Air Mana Manipulation.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a runic-model?¡± Mia asked, squinting in thought. ¡°No?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Should I?¡± ¡°Well, using spell-circles without it is going to be a monumental pain,¡± Mia hummed. ¡°You¡¯d need to memorise all the runes and shapes and be able to draw them with your Air mana. I think? My runic-model does most of that for me.¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Lina deflated. ¡°Bummer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have Arcane¡¯s equivalent of a simple elemental manipulation spell though ¡­ I¡¯m not sure there even is one.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to make do with flying and air blasts,¡± Lina lamented with mock resignation, a hand held over her eyes in grief. ¡°What a sad fate to have,¡± Mia rolled her eyes. ¡°I truly pity you.¡± ¡°You should,¡± Lina gave another exaggerated sigh before wearily standing up. ¡°Alright, our knightling overlord said we should get ready to continue our walk in another ten minutes. He wants to be out in the suburbs before nightfall and away from the Rifts, and I¡¯m guessing so do all of us.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, snapping up her book to get in some last minute reading. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡± Doing so, she found an answer to the one question she had since she learned people with Elemental Manipulation skills and Elemental Mana Manipulation skills could do magic without all the unwieldy spell-circle stuff. *** ¡®Why would people use spells when they can directly manipulate the mana type to achieve similar effects? Is a question many young, and aspiring mages ask at the very beginning of their careers. The answer is simple: efficiency.¡¯ ¡®You might believe your mind to be perfect, the perfect conduit for magic, but you¡¯d be dead wrong. The mortal mind is not fit to directly channel and control the forces of magic with any measure of finesse and efficiency, as such, we leave that to pre-made constructs of mana ¡ª and other energies much beyond the paygrade of newbie mages such as yourself ¡ª itself: Spell Circles. A spell-circle is static, unchanging, its focus doesn¡¯t flicker, its attention doesn¡¯t get distracted, it is always perfect and predictable.¡¯ ¡®If that didn¡¯t convince you, my dear reader, let me give you the cold, hard, numbers. If a simple Firebolt spell costs one unit of mana, its equivalent cast through the direct manipulation of Fire mana would cost at the very least ten times that. Possibly as much as twenty or thirty times that if the mage attempting the casting is outstandingly incompetent. Elementalists are another thing entirely, their efficiency boosted, but in turn, they often lose their capability to use mana directly, even through direct casting. (A horrendous tradeoff for early, easy power in my humble opinion.)¡¯ ¡®Furthermore, the mortal mind simply cannot, even with all the system assistance and Attributes in the world, do all the mental gymnastics and calculations needed to cast a spell directly that is above Senior Mage Tier. Direct casting is a crutch, a toy for the amateurs and the children so they may call themselves mages. They are not.¡¯ *** ¡°Wow,¡± Mia murmured. That¡¯s harsh. What Mark and Lina are doing looks magical enough to me for them to be called mages. But I guess old fogies fussing over the correct terminology is a staple in whichever universe, or rather, Realm you are in. Plus, even if the author of the book called this ¡®direct casting¡¯ nothing more than a toy, Mia thought otherwise. In a bind, letting out a burst of destructive mana from her palms without having to put her focus into casting a spell could very well save her life. Especially with her mana type being nasty enough to tear off the skin of anyone on touch who doesn¡¯t have the resistance her Archon Body Constitution allowed her. Just that made practising with it worth the time and effort put in. Well, Mia thought so at least, even if whoever wrote that book would probably have quite a few curses to throw her way for that decision. It could also be good training to get my Base Control up some more. ¡°Alright, time¡¯s up!¡± Brent clapped. ¡°Let¡¯s go. This should be a three hour walk at most, we have about six or seven till night falls. Should be enough even with occasionally stopping to fight or circling around monsters.¡± The group sets off again, now all of their eyes peeled for anything moving. They left a wide breadth of space between themselves and any manholes they passed by. The city was dead. It was silent and lifeless, not a single car¡¯s engine roaring in the distance, no cyclists shouting, no children bawling. Nothing. It was eerie and made Mia jumpy, expecting something much worse than goblins and giant rats to jump at their group at any moment. ¡°Do you guys think the rats ate everyone?¡± Sam asked, his voice quivering slightly as his head snapped from side to side. Mia swallowed, realising Sam might have been onto something. The city was empty, true, but there were no corpses. Those rats were quite ¡­ fat. Bile rose up in her throat. How many people lived in the city? Somewhere around two hundred thousand, or was it three? There had to be other pockets of survivors like them. There had to be, right? ¡°Bird,¡± Lina said, just a moment before Mia caught a glint of steel just above her. When she looked up, Arcane Blast readied at her fingertips. She made eye contact with a thrashing murderbird in one of Lina¡¯s air bubbles only a metre away from her. Mia stumbled with a shriek, falling on her butt and failing to activate the spell even as she pointed her palm at the bird. ¡°Hurry,¡± Lina said urgently, sounding strained. Before Mia could collect herself enough to cast the spell, Mark¡¯s oversized mace smashed into the monster''s side with a powerful overhand swing. Brent was by Mia¡¯s side, sword raised to protect her should she need it, but Mark was handling the bird pretty well by himself. Metal screeched and bent as the monster got sent flying away. It crashed into the cracked asphalt metres away, rolling in a bloody ball of metal and torn flesh. Mark was upon it in a second and followed up on his initial strike with another overhead swing. The mace landed with twice the power this time, flattening the monster and cracking the pavement below. Mia took in a sharp breath, forcibly dismissing her mana by just shoving it out of her body and letting it hiss and crackle as she stared at her trembling hand. Fuck. Closing her eyes and taking another deep breath, she focused on the fact that she was alive and the monster was not. She survived. She was fine. ¡°Fuuuuuuck,¡± she breathed out, then slapped herself on the cheeks before getting up. ¡°I¡¯m good. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± Lina said, squishing Mia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I should have caught it quicker, further away. Sorry.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have freaked out,¡± Mia retorted, feeling angry at herself. She shook her head, frowning as she thought the fight over. She¡¯d be dead now if she came alone, again. Time to pull out that Familiar, I think. Better to have it than not, even if it costs two-thirds of my mana stores. ¡°We live, we learn,¡± said Brent, giving Mia a surprisingly warm look. ¡°I doubt that chicken¡¯s core is not powdered after Rocky oh so gently tenderised it, so I think we can continue on. Anyone against?¡± ¡°A moment,¡± Mia said. ¡°I¡¯m going to make that Familiar. Maybe it¡¯ll be useful.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± Brent asked, looking around. ¡°A minute?¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°If I can¡¯t do it in five, we can go on.¡± ¡°Okay, five minutes.¡± Mia got to casting, slowly and carefully assembling the spell-circle shape after shape and rune by rune. Unlike the previous circles, this one didn¡¯t come to her so naturally, probably because this was the first one she herself added to her Spell Tome. Which meant she had to be careful if she didn¡¯t want the backlash from messing up to hit her with an aneurysm or a burst eyeball, both of which were listed among the ¡®moderate¡¯ severity backlashes. I don¡¯t even want to know what counts as a severe backlash. When it was done, she opened up her Spell Tome ¡ª the one given to her by the second Subskill of her Class Skill ¡ª and checked it all over, twice, down to the last line. Good thing that she did, as she found a pair of runes she had to switch up and that the angle of the central triangle was not quite right. The Spell Tome itself was a semi-translucent book she could pull out of thin air whenever she wanted and which had all of her spell-circles listed in it. She could also draw new ones in it to add them to her list of known spells. Though the Tome threw back any spell containing runes not already in her runic-matrix. So there was that, plus the fact that it had a limited number of pages, so she would have an upper limit on known spells. Still, it was an awesome piece of magic ¡­ uhh, Skill? Whatever. After checking it all over three more times, with only the final check-over not resulting in any minor corrections to uneven lines or such, Mia decided to go ahead and give it a go. Supposedly, the spell-circle would become more ¡®engraved¡¯ in the Spell Tome with every casting of it, which would help her runic model replicate it with the same ease as the others if only she practised enough. Another endless time sink. I think I¡¯m starting to understand why every powerful mage in the stories is depicted as a withered old man or a hunched-over old witch. Mana gathered in her arm, more than ever before, filling her channels up to the brim as far up as her shoulders. With a deep breath, Mia gathered her focus in a way she didn¡¯t really have to since her first day of practising magic and let it crash down onto the gathered mana with all of her willpower behind it. The spell-circle formed without problem and Mia let herself release a sigh, then went back to work. Unlike most of her spells, Mana Familiar wasn¡¯t a one-and-done sort of spell, but more similar to Mage Hand in that manifesting the spell-circle was not the final step. *** ¡®This spell forms a corporeal vessel from arcane mana and invites a Lesser Arcane Elemental to inhabit it for the duration of the spell. The vessel itself must be a form the caster knows intimately, recommended forms include: wolves, rats, birds, cats, anything the caster wouldn¡¯t have trouble visualising.¡¯ ¡®One must make sure though, not to overshoot their capabilities. The spell¡¯s mana consumption is dynamic, always taking exactly the amount it was provided and using it to form the vessel. Choosing to form a bear-like form for the vessel when the provided mana is only enough to properly form a shape tenth its size will result in the Familiar either being more fragile than glass, or only lasting for moments before dissipating.¡¯ ¡®For Rank 0 mages, the recommended volume when using 50% of their total mana stores is something the size of an average human head to maximise the strength and lifetime of the Familiar.¡¯ *** Mia had always been more of a cat person, so her choice of a form was easy. She pictured the pretty tabby cat her mom had, a lazy feline with a fluffy coat of coal-grey fur and pushed the mental image into the slowly spinning spell-circle above her palm. She felt it all click into place. The moment the spell activated, she felt some ephemeral connection form between her and the ball of shifting pink energy the spell-circle devolved into. Unlike her expelled balls of angry mana, this morphing globule of mana was calm as can be, its surface clear as crystal as if an invisible hand moulded it. It lengthened, grew four digits, a head, a tail, and then the rest in a blink. A semi-translucent cat just like her mom¡¯s, but in a soft pink hue stood still mid-air, frozen as if it really was made of rose quartz, like it appeared to be. Then came the most important part, the one that would turn this cat-shaped statue of mana into a moving, living thing that would follow her orders. She felt the moment it happened, feeling the spell breathing life into the mana construct as the veil of reality cracked the slightest bit. Something tiny slipped through the crack just before it disappeared, and inhabited the vessel she prepared for it. The cat blinked, large glowing pink eyes focusing on Mia before tilting its head. It floated there, paddling at the air languidly for a few seconds, just staring into Mia¡¯s transfixed eyes before giving a slow blink. A moment later it was on her, draping itself over her shoulder and looking around in mild curiosity. Mia slowly reached up and gently scratched it under the chin, earning a purr that she felt more through her temporary bond with it than anything. ¡°It¡¯s cute,¡± Lina said, snapping Mia out of her daze. ¡°Yep,¡± Mia replied with a smile, though she was curious how long Lina would be able to hold on to that notion. By the book¡¯s description, her temporary Familiar should have the structural integrity of her Arcane Bolts, with the ability to move just as quickly as those spells. Furthermore, it had claws, fangs and should be able to shift its form somewhat if it wanted to. Enlarging its head to twice the size for a quick moment, lengthening its claws into knives as long as Mia¡¯s own and the like should be well within its capabilities. She scratched her Familiar behind the ears, even though she knew it wasn¡¯t a real cat, just some lesser elemental inhabiting a vessel with the shape of one, but still. If it bothered the Familiar, she wouldn¡¯t be hearing the constant purring and contentment flowing through her bond with it. Plus, I think I read that elementals are dumb as rocks, barely scratching low-human levels of intelligence by reaching the highest state of being they can. Which is Elemental Lord, so this little guy should be about just as smart as an actual cat, but with our bond making it instinctively understand my orders. ¡°Your job is to stay near me and keep any projectiles heading my way away from me, and to attack monsters I tell you to, okay?¡± Mia whispered to the cat, which sent an affirmative feeling back through their bond. ¡°I¡¯d give you a snack, but you¡¯ve already devoured a good chunk of the mana I spent summoning you, haven¡¯t you?¡± The cat sent back a greedy feeling, probably saying something along the lines of there always being more space in its stomach for more mana. ¡°Be good and keep me alive, and you¡¯ll get some extra before you dissipate, alright?¡± Mia said, earning a gleeful purr in response. Elementals were simple creatures, it seemed, though she liked it that way. It was cute. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done, we can go.¡± 27 - Blood They followed the river upstream, making use of the larger open spaces near it to avoid any monster ambushes. They caught another two groups of goblins mostly off guard, and by now every member of the group sported an enchanted ring on their fingers. Those two combat encounters also quickly changed everyone¡¯s opinion of Mia¡¯s familiar as the translucent cat dashed about, ripping out throats and maiming faces as it zipped around the fight. Mia had it conserve its energy, making it only use the bare minimum of mana it needed for amplifying its speed by using what were seemingly Force spells. The elemental apparently had an instinctive control over kinetic energy, and could effortlessly convert some of its mana into force vectors. Still, even if it was absolutely badass how it ripped apart four goblins in a span of a few seconds, it was not worth the cost. Mia felt the time the Familiar had left with the mana she supplied it with, and she knew that little stunt cost it an entire half an hour of uptime. It still had another approximately 10 hours to go, but if it repeated that with every group of goblins, Mia would quickly find herself without a Familiar again. ¡°Blood,¡± said Sam, sniffing at the air loudly as his ears twitched around. ¡°Fresh. Human blood ¡­ ?¡± The group froze, looking towards the destroyed grocery store-front Sam was staring at. People, they haven¡¯t met a single living soul since they left Jeff¡¯s building a few hours ago and Mia could tell the disturbing lack of even a sign of corpses anywhere was messing with everyone¡¯s nerves. ¡°Alive?¡± Brent asked, sounding hopeful. ¡°Monsters?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything,¡± Mia answered the second question quickly, her ears twitching to pick up any sounds from inside the building. It was silent, not a single breath sounding from behind the fallen aisles and upturned boxes of fruits. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sam said, sniffing at the air again. ¡°Smells fresh. If they¡¯re dead, they died recently, though ¡­ No, yes, it¡¯s probably a fresh corpse.¡± ¡°We were late?¡± Brent asked, sounding heartbroken for a moment before he steeled himself. ¡°Let¡¯s check, the least we can do is to burn the body if we can so the monsters don¡¯t eat it.¡± Unlike most other times, Brent didn¡¯t ask for their agreement and just set off, stepping into the store and crushing the shattered remains of the window underfoot. Mia looked at the rest of her group, finding Mark to be frowning deeply while Lina had a worried expression on. Sam sniffed the air again, blinking with a strange look on his face, then shook his head and turned to look back at Mia. The young halvyr averted her gaze, shrugging inwardly and hastily following after Brent as she whispered an order to her Familiar. ¡°Protect me, sacrifice your body if you need to.¡± The Familiar gave a lazy acknowledgement, then hopped off of her shoulder and started to circle around her as she moved further into the store. She found Brent in the back, kneeling over a fallen ¡­ girl? Mia¡¯s breath caught in her throat as she took in the scene, a young girl lying unmoving on the floor, surrounded by at the very least a dozen decomposing goblins. Two of them were even hobgoblins dressed in rusted chain-mail. Oh my fucking god. Mia took in a sharp breath, the odour of death flooding her nostrils as she took in the state of both the goblins and the girl. They were very nearly ripped to shreds, like they got thrown into a pit to fight a grizzly, limbs missing, huge scratch marks as deep as five centimetres, torn out throats and the like. The girl herself didn¡¯t have it any better, having only her face unmarred by large gashes or puncture wounds. Mia counted no less than three rusted daggers still sticking out of her torso at various angles. But that wasn¡¯t the worst part. That price easily went to how young she looked, barely looking a day over seventeen and malnourished at that. ¡°Mia,¡± Brent whispered, using her real name for the first time. ¡°Do you have your Elixir- Maybe- I- maybe it could heal her. I used mine up as soon as I got it.¡± Mia blinked in surprise, taking another look over the dead girl caked in blood. Hell, even her hair was the colour of blood and stuck to her skull like a second skin. Mia hadn¡¯t seen any dead people before, but she was pretty sure the girl was dead as can be. Still ¡­ maybe? She found herself thinking, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the small vial. It was magic, and the system said it had a powerful healing effect. Perhaps it would work. It was magic after all, right? Mia crouched down, uncorking her bottle and only freezing as she was reaching to pour it into her mouth. Was she really willing to part with her most powerful healing item for a chance at saving a stranger she¡¯s never met? The selfish, greedy part of her disappeared into thin air as she took a look at the girl''s pale face. Innocent, as if she was just sleeping without a worry, and so young. Mia had her ring, and her Familiar now, she could spare the Elixir to save a life. Just as she tilted the girl¡¯s chin up a little to pour the liquid down her throat, a dainty little hand shot out and clamped down on her wrist with a vice-like grip as a pair of liquid crimson eyes shot open and jumped around hazily before landing on Mia. Mia froze, an unnatural icy dread freezing her in place as she stared into those deep crimson eyes. There was no recognition there, just a hysterical panic and terror ¡­ and hope, along with hunger. The girl opened her mouth, revealing a pair of canines quickly lengthening into long, vicious fangs. An unyielding force tugged on her wrist, sending Mia sprawling across the crimson-eyed girl as her jaws opened wider and shot for the halvyr¡¯s neck. Brent, being frozen in shock next to her, wasn¡¯t the one to intervene. It was her Familiar jumping between her and those vicious fangs and practically shoving itself into the girl¡¯s mouth. Mia pulled back, feeling her skin scraping as the girl¡¯s iron grip still held onto her, but it was just one hand. Twisting to the side, Mia reached for the knife on her thigh with trembling fingers, her heartbeat thundering in her ears as she still held the gaze of the ¡­ monster? Tried to kill me. Has to be a monster. Fuck. Being unable to unsheathe her knife with her fingers flailing about like a newborn fawn. Mia gritted her teeth and punched at the girl¡¯s stomach, putting all of her anger, both at the crimson-eyed girl for trying to kill her and at herself for having been stupid enough to get lured into her trap. The fist landed with a meaty thud, but the girl didn¡¯t as much as twitch as her eyes followed Mia even as the Familiar flailed in her mouth. ¡°BRENT!¡± Mia screamed, hoping to snap the idiot out of whatever daze he was in. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to fucking die here!¡± A surge of panic and sadness flowed into Mia¡¯s mind, coming from the Familiar just before she felt the bond fade away. A moment later, the pink cat faded out of existence in between the crimson-eyed girl¡¯s maw, leaving her jaws to snap together with a painful screech. Finally, finally, Brent did something, his sword lopping off the arm, grasping Mia¡¯s with a quick swing before its tip poked slightly into the girl¡¯s neck. The girl that should be more than dead blinked, her eyes not leaving Mia¡¯s for another moment. The panic in them dimmed somewhat, morphing into primal fear as they jumped down to the silvery blade poking into her skin. Monsters don¡¯t feel fear. Mia frowned even as she scuttled away from the girl with the detached arm still firmly grasping her wrist. What are you? ¡­ It tried to kill me. It doesn¡¯t matter! But she¡¯s just a girl, hurt, alone and scared ¡­ and she tried to tear out my throat. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Mia felt her emotions were at war, forming a chaotic storm inside her heart just as the other members of her group finally burst into the back of the store. They looked around in a panic for threats, probably prompted by Mia¡¯s hysteric shout from a moment ago. All of them stiffened as they saw the mangled teenager Brent had his sword pointing at, then went pale as they saw the hand still clutching Mia¡¯s wrist. ¡°I¡¯m sorryyyy!¡± The crimson eyed girl ¡ª monster? ¡ª screamed, her eyes going teary as she pushed her broken body back against the wall and gave a pitiful whimper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Monsters don¡¯t talk ¡­ wait. Mia wanted to slam her head into a wall, having forgotten the fact she could feel monsters in her panic. Focusing on the girl, she felt not a smidge of wrongness coming from her, quite the opposite. The girl felt vibrant and alive to her senses. Well, her supernatural ones at least. Her eyes told another story entirely, and so did her ears. She doesn¡¯t have a heartbeat. ¡°Why did you attack her?¡± Brent asked, his sword piercing into the girl¡¯s chest a bit more and surprisingly not eliciting even a flinch from the victim of his abuse. Still, the fact that the girl was still alive and with her head attached was the height of kindness from Brent after she attacked Mia. ¡°Sorry, I was hungry,¡± the girl said, trying, and failing to scuttle further away from Brent. It seemed her one still working limb was the one Brent cut off, the rest barely reacting to her will. ¡°I needed her blood, I was dying. I¡¯m still dying, please, I didn¡¯t mean to- I-¡± ¡°How are you alive with those wounds?¡± Brent asked, sounding more than a bit miffed. His voice also grew less harsh with every whimpering word out of the girl¡¯s mouth. Mia understood it. The girl was so pitiful Mia had the urge to go over there right now, pat her head and tell her it¡¯ll be fine. Then she remembered that only her Familiar¡¯s sacrifice saved her from death, and most of those feelings faded away. ¡°I¡¯m a Vampire,¡± the girl said, her gaze jumping between the people towering over her before landing on Mia, who was still down on the floor trying to regain her wits. ¡°I can heal from anything if I have enough lifeforce stored up.¡± ¡°Why are you dying then?¡± Brent asked, and Mia slowly got to her feet, trying, and failing to pry the detached arm¡¯s fingers off of her wrist. There was a titanic strength behind those dainty digits. ¡°Running on fumes,¡± the girl said, continuing to stare at Mia with what was akin to hope and yearning. ¡°Please ¡­ even just a drop of your blood would be enough.¡± ¡°I was just about to give you a healing Elixir when you tried to rip my throat out,¡± Mia said with a scowl, her gaze landing on the half-spilled vial on the ground. What an atrocious waste. That could have saved my life in a bind. ¡°Oh,¡± the girl¡¯s mouth opened and closed a few times, lost for words. She continued in a small voice. ¡°Sorry. I panicked. I thought I was dead ¡­ again.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Brent asked, his sword pulling back a bit. He was no doubt taking pity on the girl. ¡°There is still some left.¡± Mia said, still staring at the vial and her selfish part was already kicking herself over it. Brent, and the rest, turned to look at her. ¡°You might as well drink it, even though half of it¡¯s spilled over the floor.¡± ¡°C-can I?¡± the girl sent a frightened glance up at Brent, who in turn glanced at Mia with a question in his eyes. ¡°Yes, go ahead, it¡¯s whatever,¡± Mia said, grimacing inwardly. ¡°I- uh,¡± the girl said. ¡°Thank you ¡­ ¡° She squirmed a little, everyone watching her as she did before she let out a breath. ¡°I can¡¯t move.¡± Mia took a breath, crouched down to carefully snatch up the vial before she stepped over to the downed girl whose features were quickly approaching the nearby plaster white walls in paleness. Her lips grew blue and trembled. From close up, Mia even noticed her eyelids drooping. Whatever temporary adrenaline boost was keeping her alive was rapidly fading. I¡¯m such an idiot. If I die from this, falling for her trap a second time, I deserve it. It¡¯s just natural selection at this point. I¡¯m going to get this year¡¯s Darwin award. ¡®Idiotic girl escapes vampire ambush, only to walk back up to her attacker and offer herself up as a free meal.¡¯ Those would be the headlines, Mia could see them already before her mind¡¯s eye. There would also be an illustration, one depicting an airheaded pinkhead hopping up to a sparkling vampire with a clueless smile on her face. Much more carefully than before, and with wariness playing across her features, Mia went to crouch next to the fallen vampire. ¡°I¡¯ll cut off your head if you as much as twitch towards her,¡± said Brent sternly, but not unkindly. ¡°I see even a flash of your teeth and we¡¯ll see whether you can heal back up from getting beheaded.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± the girl whimpered, staring up at Mia with liquid crimson eyes. ¡°I know I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said. ¡°Open your mouth a bit, I¡¯m going to pour it in, alright?¡± The girl jerked her head in a slight nod, parting her lips ever so slightly as to not show any of her teeth with a frightened glance at Brent. Without further ado, Mia poured what little remained of the liquid into the girl¡¯s mouth then took a swift two steps back once the last drop fell out. Then another two for good measure as she took a half-step behind Mark. My second favourite meat shield, though I guess he¡¯s now back to first place with my poor Familiar¡¯s departure. She could get the Familiar back of course. It would just take another casting and a lot of mana again, but getting the very same elemental she had before would be impossible. By the book¡¯s descriptions, lesser arcane elementals were everywhere. They populated the Astral Seal by the quadrillions. There were more of them there than microbes were on Earth. It was more likely she would win the lottery ten times in a row, and since she never won it even a single time, she didn¡¯t believe her luck was anywhere near good enough to even hope for it. The vampire¡¯s shuddering sigh drew her attention, and she watched in fascination as the girl¡¯s wounds slowly re-knit themselves and as her cheeks went rosy, regaining some lively colouring. The three rusty daggers no one thought of to remove clattered onto the ground as they were pushed out of her body, the girl only letting out a soft groan through it all. Every wound the girl had was healing, though slower and slower with every second, aside from her arm, which was now bleeding profusely. Mia heard a deep thrum reverberate through her skull, her ears twitching instinctively at the sound, but not quite able to place it yet. ¡°Uhm, do you need your arm back?¡± Mia asked, feeling stupid right as the last word left her mouth as the whole group turned to her with varying levels of frowns on their faces. ¡°Yes please!¡± The girl said quickly, raising her bleeding stump. ¡°If you could line it up for me, I¡¯d be thankful.¡± Mia once again wanted to strangle her past self, but with the detached arm showing no signs of letting go of her wrist, she couldn¡¯t even hand off the responsibility to Brent or Mark. Heh. ¡®Hand off¡¯. ¡­ that was horrible Mia. You should be ashamed of yourself. With a grimace flickering across her face, Mia crouched back down next to the vampiress and clumsily pointed the cut-off part of the arm towards the girl. Another thrum, now a set of them drummed into the base of her skull one after the other. Mia ignored them, frowning as she tried to associate the sound with anything. A few seconds later Mia felt the hand grasping her wrist going warm, then gently unlatching itself from her and pulling back. Mia took a step away again, now a bit less wary of the girl. Maybe it really was just the initial panic that drove her to attack the first person she saw? I might have done the same. Mia thought, placing herself in the girl¡¯s shoes. I just killed a group of goblins who mortally wounded me. I think I¡¯m dead, but then by some miracle I wake up again and only an arm¡¯s length away is someone whose blood I could drink to survive. Yes, Mia could certainly see her need for survival winning out over everything else. Hell, she wouldn¡¯t even need the healing-blood part. If she fell unconscious fighting for her life and the next time she startled awake, she found a complete stranger staring into her face from a few centimetres away, she very well could see herself kicking them in the balls and head-butting them before returning to her senses. ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl whispered, staring at Mia as she gingerly moved her fingers and wiggled her toes. The vampire smiled, then the tears burst forth, and she broke down sobbing, her mumbles descending into incoherence before long. Brent stepped back at that point, his sword still grasped in an iron grip as he stared at the vampiress, but not pointed at her anymore. Mia got it. The girl moved like a flash and had strength enough to throw the halvyr around like a rag-doll. Still, she found herself hesitantly patting the girl on the shoulder, which only made her sob harder. The thrums came again, reverberating through the little girl¡¯s frail-looking body and crashing into Mia¡¯s ears. They came in a sequence, falling into a rhythm that was rapidly taking up pace until Mia finally managed to place the sound. It was a heartbeat. ¡°Errrr?¡± Mia didn¡¯t know what to do, glanced back at Lina for help. The blonde shrugged with a helpless expression, her grey eyes still holding some worry as she stared at the vampiress. Though whether it was worry ¡®for¡¯ the girl, or ¡®of¡¯ the girl, Mia couldn¡¯t tell. 28 - New Addition ¡°Thank you again,¡± the vampiress said, bowing her head to the group. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but she was back to her feet, with the only reminders of her ever having been injured being the large tears in her clothes and her overall blood-coated state. ¡°I- uhm, I think I¡¯ll go now. I¡¯m sorry for attacking you, and for wasting your Elixir and, uhm, yes. Sorry. I¡¯ll ¡­ get going.¡± Mia closed her eyes. Not that it helped. The pitiful expression the girl had on as she turned to leave was engraved into her mind. That hope, the guilt, the sadness, the longing, it all pulled at Mia¡¯s heartstrings. Maybe this was because she looked younger than her, and so innocent and her dormant motherly instincts were flaring up like a wildfire for the first time? Or was it just her being stupid? ¡°Wait,¡± Mia said, then grimaced as she glanced at her group. They no doubt knew what she wanted to do just from the look in her eyes, and most of them gave her nods. Not Sam though, and even Lina¡¯s looked somewhat forced and conflicted, but Mia decided that was good enough. Sam would have to suck it up, and Lina would probably come around if the girl proved to be as much of a sweetheart as she¡¯d been so far, minus the trying to rip Mia¡¯s throat out thing. As previously said, that didn¡¯t count, though. ¡°Wait. Do you have anywhere to go?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± the girl turned back, her hopeful expression magnifying a thousandfold before crumbling like a castle of cards at Mia¡¯s follow-up question. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Want to ¡­ come with us?¡± Mia asked. ¡°We are heading to the subur-¡± ¡°YES!¡± the girl exclaimed with a beatific smile, and Mia guessed whatever walls Lina had built up around her heart initially had crumbled at the sight of it. ¡°Please! I¡¯ll be good, I¡¯m ¡­ I¡¯m strong. I think. Stronger than most of these goblins at least, I¡¯m just ¡­ I just need blood to keep going.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re plenty powerful,¡± said Mia with a slight smile, then glanced down at the butchered goblins around her on the floor. Yep, plenty fucking powerful indeed. One of those hobgoblins needed two of her Blasts to keel over and both of the ones on the floor had limbs clearly ripped off, and one was even missing a head ¡­ which Mia found in a faraway corner. ¡°And if you don¡¯t need to drink blood ¡­ directly from the source, I think we¡¯ll manage. Though, doesn¡¯t monster blood work too?¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± the girl chirped, visibly debating whether to hop over to Mia and risk getting poked by Brent¡¯s unsheathed sword or to just stay where she was. ¡°And uhm, I don¡¯t need it from the source, but lifeforce fades fast so I need it fresh and while monster blood works, it tastes horrid, and I¡¯d rather drink sewage water.¡± ¡°Alright, o-kay,¡± Mia said, eyes going distant as she thought. ¡°We- uh, I can work with that. And uhm, I hope you guys don¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°She seems like a nice enough girl,¡± said Brent, clearly having been waiting to give his two-cents. ¡°One in a horrible situation I¡¯m guessing, I wouldn¡¯t mind having her around if she doesn¡¯t have any more ¡­ outbursts. I¡¯ll be watching you for now girl, so step carefully. The last thing we need is one of us getting killed in our sleep by a ravenous vampire.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with her joining,¡± Mark said, giving a shrug. ¡°But she¡¯s only sucking your blood Mia.¡± Instead of deflating like Mia expected her to at the rather harsh words, the vampiress perked up at Mark¡¯s words and glanced at Mia. More specifically, at her exposed neck. Hey! Don¡¯t look at me like that! ¡°If they think it¡¯s fine,¡± Lina said, still sounding somewhat conflicted as she looked around the mangled goblin remains. ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Well I do,¡± said Sam, which robbed him of the last fragments of goodwill he had from Mia. Still, he was a part of the group, so she didn¡¯t turn to glare at him just yet, though her fists clenched until her nails dug into her palm. ¡°She¡¯s dangerous, she attacked Mia. Just because she looks young and innocent, it doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not dangerous. Did any of you see the rabbit monsters? Those things are cute and fluffy and slaughter goblins by the dozens, just like her. I ¡­ am not saying she¡¯s a monster or something, but letting her come with us is asking for trouble.¡± The girl wilted under the harsh glare of the cat-eared boy, and Mia found herself somewhat resonating with his logic. Somewhat. She could even agree with it, letting the girl join wasn¡¯t the smart choice, it wasn¡¯t the logical choice. But Mia wasn¡¯t thinking logically, she was seeing a lonely teenager alone and hurt out in an empty city haunted by monsters. She felt like she could trust the girl. She felt no malice from her, not even when she tried to attack Mia. There was just fear and dread in her eyes back then. Just a lonely soul trying to survive in a world that got turned on its head, like Mia. Though, with the loneliness bit turned up to eleven. The final nail in the coffin though, that made her blood boil as she listened to Sam¡¯s words, was how easily she could imagine those exact words coming out of Jeff¡¯s mouth. That cold, heartless bastard. Fuck him, fuck Sam and fuck everyone who¡¯d leave the poor girl to her fate. ¡°You got outvoted,¡± Mia said coldly. Lina¡¯s hand landed on Mia¡¯s shoulder as the blonde pulled her in for a side hug while glancing at Sam. ¡°What she wants to say is that we¡¯ll keep your warnings in mind. I¡¯m sure all of us agree with you on some level, but I for one don¡¯t want my paranoia to stop me from helping an unfortunate girl. Even if I think I¡¯ll be sleeping with one eye open for the next month.¡± ¡°I- I wouldn¡¯t attack you,¡± stuttered the vampiress, looking slightly offended. Still, she realised a moment later how bad that sounded with her having done just than mere minutes ago. ¡°I won¡¯t. I promise.¡± Mark just shrugged, as if saying he stands by his previous statement while Brent just gazed at the redhead before giving a slight nod. Mia guessed the older man was most conflicted, he¡¯d been the first inside trying to help the vampire, he¡¯d been the one asking Mia to use her precious Elixir to heal the girl and he¡¯d also been the one whose lack of a quick reaction almost cost Mia her life. Guilt was undoubtedly wracking him from the inside, even as he kept his outwardly calm and collected look. Would she have killed me? Mia wondered, not quite capable of seeing the teary-eyed vampiress going for the kill. A nibble, a bite maybe? Even sucking her till blood loss made her pass out? Sure, but her instincts were telling her the girl would have been horrified by her actions and would have stopped after she got that first gulp of lifesaving blood on her tongue. I think. I hope. Please let me be right. ¡°Fine,¡± Sam barked, his ears flattening against his head and for a moment he looked like was about to march right out the store and leave the group then and there. Then he huffed and turned around, starting to snatch up some of the few remaining bags of snacks and such from the shelves before retreating to a corner with his back to everyone. ¡°He¡¯ll come around. I¡¯m sure.¡± Lina squeezed Mia¡¯s shoulders, then let go and headed over to the shelves with her backpack already sliding off of her shoulder and getting zipped open. ¡°Good idea,¡± said Mark, hurrying after the blonde. ¡°Let¡¯s loot. Might as well, they¡¯re just going to fatten up the monsters if we leave ¡®em here.¡± Brent also nodded, though he just retreated towards the front of the shop, probably taking up watch like he always did. Still, Mia noticed he never let the vampiress out of his line of sight and neither did he sheathe his blade. He won¡¯t be underestimating anyone ever again, that¡¯s for sure ¡­ and neither will I. A dead girl almost killed me, rabbits slaughter groups of goblins. Next thing I know, everything cute and harmless is trying to kill me. ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, forcing some cheer into her voice as she turned back to the vampiress. Of course, she¡¯s taller than me. I stopped growing at 14 and she¡¯s at least 16. Still, damn. ¡°Let¡¯s ¡­ get you some fresh clothes and maybe a bit cleaned up? I have some spare clothes you could use and maybe you could use a shirt as a towel to get some of that gunk off of you?¡± ¡°Uh,¡± the girl blinked, looking down at herself with a grimace. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea, I alway get dirty when I fight. I¡¯d just be ruining your clothes.¡± ¡°I insist,¡± Mia said, giving the girl a once over. ¡°Those aren¡¯t clothes, just rags that are only sticking to your skin because of all the blood and dirt on you. You¡¯re getting a fresh set.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the girl said meekly. ¡°Thanks.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ***** ¡°Carmilla?¡± Mia asked, raising an eyebrow at the vampiress. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°A cosmic irony I guess,¡± the girl, or rather Carmilla, shrugged. ¡°I always had blood-red hair, this is just a bit darker than my natural colour. My parents probably thought it¡¯d be funny or something.¡± ¡°Well, they could have named you Scarlet too I guess, so there is that. It¡¯s a pretty name though, and it fits.¡± Mia said, giving the girl a once over and nodding in satisfaction. She was far from anywhere close to ¡®clean¡¯, her hair was still a large clump of dry blood and her skin was still more brown than anything from the mud, but she didn¡¯t look like a zombie anymore. Having Mia¡¯s pair of jeans shorts and tank top on helped, even though she still looked like she just threw them on after rolling around in a mud pit. ¡°Okay. You look halfway presentable. We could get some water from the river and give you a quick scrub down when we stop for the evening?¡± Sadly, Mia couldn''t do anything with the overall emaciated frame of the girl. Rather than a zombie, she resembled a skeleton now, with barely any flesh on her limbs and her ribs showing through even the tank-top covering her torso. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± said Carmilla, frowning at Mia. ¡°I¡¯ll just get dirty again. This is already too much.¡± Mia just shrugged, her resolve to give the girl a proper bath solidifying into a vow. The bath was happening, even if she had to drag the redhead down to the river herself. The two came back out from the emptied storage area, seeing the rest of the group were already packed up and aching to head out. Mia quickly introduced Carmilla to the rest, and after the girl got all their names in return, Mark spoke up. ¡°Packed some snacks into your bag too,¡± the dwarf said, patting the backpack Mia left behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. ¡° There were still hours until sundown and the buildings around were already growing smaller and smaller with more green space. Soon, they¡¯d be in the suburbs. Another change that came a half an hour after setting off with their new party member, were the sounds. Mia¡¯s ears twitched, catching distant voices, movements and shouts. Better yet, she felt herself relax, muscles she didn¡¯t even know she was tensing going laxer for the first time in weeks as the wrongness that suffused the very air dimmed the further they travelled from the city centre. ¡°People,¡± Mia whispered, focusing on the voices with little success. They were still far away after all. ¡°Actual, living people ¡­ Uh, no offence Carmilla.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± the girl chirped, her gaze focusing in the same direction Mia was staring. ¡°I think I can hear them too. They are fighting over something? Shouting?¡± ¡°Any monsters around?¡± Brent asked. ¡°I can¡¯t feel or hear any,¡± Mia said. ¡°Though that doesn¡¯t mean anything, we are still far away.¡± ¡°We should check it out,¡± said Brent. ¡°This is the first group of survivors we¡¯ve met since leaving. Maybe they can get us some directions, maybe even a heads up about what¡¯s happening out here.¡± ***** Life had never been kind to Carmilla. It had really been a slew of bad news and catastrophes one after the other. Starting the day her mother died back when she was only five. Still, she fought on, growing up even as her sickly constitution barely allowed her to attend school and kept her from ever making more than some superficial social connections. She thought maybe with time, her immune system would get stronger. It really should have. She was the last of a long line of pureblood vampires after all. She had their knowledge, memories from ancestors that died back when the Roman empire still ruled the Mediterranean and from every consecutive one ever since were at her perusal. They all told stories of power, of domination, of unbreaking resilience. Whispering of immortality. How they all must have been laughing, rolling in their graves as the last member of their once mighty bloodline withered away from cancer of all things. Blood cancer. Oh, the irony. Five years she fought it, even as the disease kept kicking her back down time and again and robbed her of all her strength. She did her best. Alas, it wasn¡¯t enough. The power her treacherous inherited memories promised never manifested and one day, her eyes closed for the last time. But then she woke up again. In a simple wooden casket. Buried under six feet of dirt and starving. All the power she was promised flooded her body with interest. The System, something only the earliest of her inherited memories even touched upon greeted her when she opened her eyes. She tore her way back to the surface, finding herself in a dark cemetery with shambling living dead moving around in the twilight. Unlike how she imagined it, her life didn¡¯t get miraculously fixed the moment her powers awakened. No, quite the opposite. She was starving, her stomach practically devouring itself as she went on a rampage. The dead didn¡¯t have blood she could drink, nor did the critters, nor the wolves, the rats or the little green men. Not nearly enough anyway, they barely had any lifeforce in them. All the humans were gone, and Carmilla spiralled into an abyss of panic and terror as her second chance at life slowly slipped further and further out of her grasp. Her powers waned with every minute she spent without feeding until finally a group of the little green men managed to overwhelm her after only god knows how many days spent fighting. Carmilla greeted death for the second time with even greater regret than the first, believing it to be the final one. She fumbled her second chance, messed it all up and was going to die alone as punishment. Again. ¡°What do you think?¡± Mia asked, staring into the distance and Carmilla let herself indulge by taking a glance at the girl. Her blood was boiling just standing next to her, all of her vampiric instincts screaming at her to rip into her slender neck and to drain the delicious pink haired morsel dry. Just tasting her mana in that strange pink cat had satisfied her thirst like nothing else. Carmilla got shivers just thinking about tasting even a single drop of her blood. She¡¯d have to ask again, maybe later when night came. She was still weakened from never having fed on lifeforce. ¡°Uhh, what was the question again?¡± Milla asked, scratching her cheek in embarrassment as those azure eyes stared at her with an alarming lack of wariness. She doesn¡¯t know how close I got to accidentally killing her. The vampiress thought, a torrent of guilt flooding her being and almost making her grimace. She really should have left the group to put the tempting girl and her blood as far away from her as possible. Her ancestors might have been heartless savages, but she was not. If she came to herself only after having drained Mia dry, she might have just staked herself through the heart on the spot. Thank the gods for that cat. The girl saved my life, was going to save my life even before I attacked her like some lunatic. She still did so afterwards. Now that she was coming down from her near-death and rather stress-inducing rescue at the hands of a group of wary and stabby people, her thoughts started to slip into an eerie calm her new ¡­ existence, bloodline, race, whatever was supernaturally predisposed to. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying, her legs still shook from even just standing. But she was calm, so she thought, she reflected, she considered her options and the consequences of the silent plea for companionship her emotional and hopelessly lonely past-self had made. Her instincts recoiled in disgust at her actions, but Carmilla pushed them down with an inward snarl. They didn¡¯t save her, they almost cost Carmilla her second shot at life. Those dumb, primal, feral instincts. They almost made her kill an innocent girl just trying to help her out of the goodness of her heart. They had no right to be disgusted when Carmilla latched onto the first good person she met in what felt like decades. The pink-haired girl was an angel, and would have Carmilla¡¯s eternal gratitude for what she¡¯d done. People just didn¡¯t do that. They didn¡¯t give up their precious Elixirs and risked their life for someone that tried to kill them. She¡¯s ¡­ special. In more ways than one. Though her blood was by far the most special thing about her, no blood that had ever graced her nostril came even close. The rest of her group might as well have been bland gravy, with only the blond girl rising above mediocrity. Just a tiny bit. ¡°What do you think?¡± Mia reiterated, waving her hands in the direction of the distant shouts. ¡°Fewer monsters here,¡± said Milla, sniffing the air. It took some getting used to her enhanced senses, but her bloodline memories certainly helped. ¡°The sewers are clean here too, no rats. Nor do I smell the goblin¡¯s musk spread around the area.¡± ¡°I mean about why they are arguing?¡± Mia asked, her lips curling in amusement. ¡°I can¡¯t make out what they are saying.¡± ¡°I think it''s ¡­ about food?¡± Milla said, sending some of her precious essence into her ears to enhance her hearing. ¡°Yeah. They are running out of preserved food and no one wants to go into the city to raid grocery stores.¡± ¡°Damn, and I thought I had good hearing,¡± the girl said, pulling a lock of pink hair behind a triangular ear. ¡°I guess we might be able to help them. There were quite a bit of leftovers in that store we found you in. It was kinda close by, so raiding it should be pretty safe. They should be able to get by on that for a few more days, right?¡± Carmilla just stared at the girl, not really understanding how such a person could exist. Total strangers she hasn¡¯t even met yet, and she is trying to help them already. How didn¡¯t someone rob this girl blind with a mentality like that? Kindness was something Milla stopped expecting from others long ago, somewhere along the time when her adoptive ¡®family¡¯ stopped visiting her in the hospital in her second year spent there. To her, Mia looked like a glowing gem in a field of grey pebbles. Might as well use my strength for something good if she lets me stay with her. She must be protected. I¡¯ll protect her. This world needs more people like Mia. 29 - Other Survivors? Mia peeked out from behind a corner, taking in the distant sight of a disorderly group of people shouting at each other while only a bare few kept watch. There were roughly fifty of them, which was quite a lot but also dreadfully few considering how many people lived in the city. Reasoning that most people kept to the high panel buildings rising into the sky spread around the residential section they were in, Mia kept her thoughts from spiralling. She did hear voices and such from above, quite a lot even coming from the building they were hiding behind. Must have been those fucking goblins. Mia thought, remembering how she saw the vicious little things force open doors and drag out loot from the many apartments across the street when she was sniping at them. The regular goblins were dumb as rocks, but the higher level ones seemed to have almost human levels of intelligence, though twisted into something malicious and evil by whatever made monsters, well, monsters. If that theory was true, it was reasonable to expect much more people to have survived in regions of the city not under the control of the goblins but of monsters from some other Rift. Right? Right! Mia decided she¡¯ll go with that theory until proven otherwise. For the good of her mental health, if for nothing else. ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Mark whispered, trying to get a look himself, but getting dragged back by Brent. ¡°Uhhh,¡± Mia squinted, ears twitching. ¡°There is this one girl cursing out a bunch of older people for being spineless cowards. Which the older people don¡¯t seem to like too much.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know half of those curse words,¡± Carmilla whispered. ¡°Uhhhh, I think she is going to get lynched?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Mia said, focusing in on the group and what little of its center she could see. The girl in question was maybe a few years older than Mia in her mid-to-late twenties, who had the delinquent look down to a T with a burgundy leather jacket and ripped black jeans. More importantly, Mia heard and saw most of the crowd who were under thirty stood firmly behind the girl and were throwing their support behind her. ¡°Maybe a fight, but most of the crowd is with the girl.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Carmilla blinked, then leaned over Mia¡¯s shoulder to take a look. ¡°I guess? Uhhh ¡­ but is barging in and putting us between two groups ready to tear into each other really a good idea?¡± ¡°What are they fighting about?¡± asked Brent after a moment, frowning deeply as he no doubt tried to listen in himself with little success. ¡°Food, and whether they should send groups out to scavenge and raid,¡± said Carmilla. ¡°The girl wants to head in either deeper into the city, or out into the forest to hunt, but the others want to stay here and ration food ¡­ and hope that the military rolls in before they starve to death.¡± Mia gave a nod when Brent glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, confirming the vampire¡¯s words. ¡°Mia, we might not have all come just to help you, but we are still trying to find your mother as one of our primary objectives,¡± said Brent. ¡°If we get bogged down here by involving ourselves in this ¡­ ¡° ¡°Mom lives only a bit further out, in the residential part of the city starting only a half-an-hour walk away from here,¡± Mia said. ¡°If she fled from the house, these people might know where she might be sheltering along with the rest of the people from the suburbs? I think we should at the very least tell them about that grocery shop and to avoid going into goblin territory ¡­ or uhm, maybe they have an alchemist who could replicate Erik¡¯s potions? You still have the recipe Mark, right?¡± ¡°I do,¡± he nodded. ¡°Erik said it¡¯s extremely basic, and even someone without a class should be able to replicate it if they have experience in chemistry and the dexterity needed to make it.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± said Brent. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s in agreement on trying to help out this group? Perhaps we could even settle down somewhere around here later if it''s safe enough. Making a good first impression and connections could help that along nicely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± said Lina. ¡°Though I¡¯m with that girl a hundred percent. The main reason I left home was because I hated the idea of sitting on my butt and hoping for the best.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± said Mark, the sentiment quickly echoed by everyone else, even Sam, who just shrugged sulkily when Brent glanced at him. Manchild. Mia scoffed inwardly. Instead opting to take another look at her surroundings. Honestly, she always liked this little part of the city with its sizable greenspace and overgrown look. The ground was about 2 parts panel buildings, 3 parts spacious parking lots and 2 parts greenery with towering oak and other trees that were probably standing right where they were since the second world war. It had a cozy feel to it, but Mia also realised how easily a group of even half-witted goblins could be skulking about in the shrubbery without anyone noticing them. And the last type of monsters we haven¡¯t come across yet are supposed to be wolves, coming from the only other level 10 Rift besides the Goblin one. She could only hope the wolf Rift spawned on the opposite side of the city, getting the two highest level ones near each other would have been peak bad luck. ¡°Ready?¡± Brent asked in a whisper, and received a round of nods. ¡°Alright, follow behind me and try to look friendly. Tensions are already running high, if they see one of you mage types glowing like a Christmas tree that might just push them over the edge, alright?¡± ¡°Wait you can see us glow?¡± Mia asked, frowning. She thought only people with some version of her Spirit Sense could see mana. ¡°Channelling Ki into the meridians in my eyes gives me rudimentary mana sight,¡± Brent said quickly. ¡°Now, ready or not?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah sorry.¡± Mia scratched her cheek in embarrassment as her thoughts ran around in a circle. Channelling the what now into the what? What¡¯s a ¡®Ki¡¯? And what do meridians have to do with anything? Why would that ¡­ Brent squared his shoulders, sheathed his sword and straightened his back before taking his helmet off and hanging it on the hilt of his sword. He forewent every notion of stealth, probably even making his footsteps louder on purpose as he rounded the corner and set off at a brisk pace towards the arguing group. Mia, and the rest of them hurried after him, and did their best to mimic his straightforward approach. They weren¡¯t noticed until they were only fifty or so metres away, so involved in the shouting match the crowd was by that point. A little kid, barely twelve was the first to notice them coming out from between a line of bushes on a beaten down dirt path. He shouted, screamed and a few people turned. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Brent held up his arms in the universal sign of meaning no harm as pointy ¡­ sticks and objects that could be called weapons if one squinted hard enough were levelled at him. Most of the people still didn¡¯t notice them, having only eyes for the people they¡¯d been cursing out for the last ten minutes. Taking Brent¡¯s words to heart, Mia didn¡¯t ready mana into her fingertips, but nor was she willing to leave her fate up to the goodwill of these strangers so the spell circle of Arcane Shield was primed and ready should she need it. It would probably take a second or two for her to guide the mana into her fingers, but that would be it. ¡°Greetings, friends,¡± said Brent, his voice raised and echoing in the open space in a way that made Mia suspect some magic being at play. ¡°We couldn¡¯t help but hear you- ¡° ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± an older man asked, glaring at the group like they killed his favourite dog. ¡°If you are with that were-cunt you can fuck right off, we want no part in his madness. Leave us alone.¡± ¡°Are you going blind too, you senile old man?¡± the delinquent girl Mia noted as being the leader of the younger faction shouted, stomping her way through the crowd of people and coming to a stop only a few meters away from Brent. ¡°They are not his. Even the kid could see that.¡± As she said that she patted the brown haired little kid on the head taking refuge behind her, the same kid who was the first to spot the group¡¯s approach. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Avery,¡± the girl said, her hawkish gaze sweeping through the group. Her eyes didn¡¯t have whites, the flaming orange irises she had reached all the way to the edges of her eyes with a large pitch black pupil at the centre. Just like a hawk¡¯s. ¡°Did you guys come from the inner city? ¡­ you certainly look roughed up enough.¡± Mia took a glance over their get up, noting how her once white jeans were more grey and brown now, how Lina¡¯s blond hair was sticking to her skull from the sweat, the many tears in just about every inch of Sam¡¯s clothing. Though Carmilla still looked to be the worst off, still looking like a malnourished street kid who rolled around in the mud. ¡°We did,¡± said Brent, not lowering his hands and probably rightly so. Most people kept their eyes on him, on his silvery armour spotted with scratches and dents and the longsword hanging from his hips. ¡°We overheard you had some food troubles and thought we¡¯d at the very least mention that we came across a grocery shop just five minutes away that still had quite a bit of foodstuff in it. We couldn¡¯t fit much of it into our packs.¡± That might not have been the smartest thing to say. Mia held back a grimace, feeling the half a hundred hungry gazes locking in on their backpacks. This must be how a rabbit feels tossed before a pack of hungry hyenas. ¡°They are trying to lure us in for a trap!¡± the older man shouted, glaring hatefully at Brent. ¡°Get the fuck outta here before we throw you out ourselves!¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Avery shouted back, turning to glare at the balding older man. ¡°Do you really want us to starve to death? We have to take risks.¡± ¡°The military is coming!¡± the man shouted, stomping his feet on the ground like an angry teenager with spittle flying from his mouth. Unfortunately, unlike with an angry kid throwing a tantrum, the man¡¯s stomp had magic in it and sent the ground rumbling. ¡°They promised, you heard the broadcast, you insolent girl! Why must you put the children in danger with your idiocy?¡± ¡°They are all adults,¡± Avery glared back at him, her hair rising and her locks swinging back and forth like the plumes of a bonfire. ¡°They can decide for themselves whether to put their faith in a military we all know isn¡¯t good for shit, or to risk their lives to feed their families. Which they wouldn¡¯t have to do if senile bastards like you had even a bit of spine in them.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t have you drive our youth into making worthless sacrifices with your ignorance!¡± We should have just snuck by them. Mia thought, her eyes tracking the flickers of mana moving about in the crowd. The old man whose name was still a mystery was brimming with earth mana. Waves upon waves of it were flowing into the ground from his feet while Avery was practically burning up like a second sun in Mia¡¯s sight. There were others reading whatever magic they had in the crowd, though the two in the front were by far the most prominent. Not that Mia thought that meant much. Her own spells were barely blips on her radar compared to the two grandstanding people before her and she was pretty sure an Arcane Blast to the face could blow either¡¯s head off with little trouble. Though maybe the old man has some defensive stuff, he has to have a ridiculously high Earth affinity to be channelling that much mana without batting an eye. His body might be as tough as rock ¡­ the girl is the same with Fire, if not even more so. But that grants explosive power if used for body enhancement, not toughness and such. She could probably punch my head off my shoulders with little effort, though. Mia was just speculating, wandering heavily into uncharted territory with her predictions since all she had to go off of was her Elemental book which didn¡¯t go into much detail in exactly how strong people of each affinity would be at Rank 0. ¡°No need for that,¡± Brent shouted, his hands still up in the air but Mia could tell his muscles were tensed and coiled to burst into action should he need to. ¡°We¡¯ll leave, I see that we are just bringing trouble to this group. We¡¯ll just be passing through into the suburbs.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Avery shouted, her mana dimming as she whipped her head around to stare at Brent. ¡°No need for that! You said there was a shop around somewhere here that hasn¡¯t been raided to shit yet? Which one?¡± ¡°Uhhh,¡± Brent spoke, and Mia could tell he was not enjoying the crowd¡¯s attention. He lowered his hand to point. ¡°A little noname one a street down that way next to a jewellery shop.¡± ¡°Marvin¡¯s place?¡± the older man asked, his face scrunched up into a deep scowl. ¡°He dead?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t see anyone alive in the city until we met you,¡± said Brent gingerly. ¡°Fuck,¡± the old man said, releasing a breath. ¡°Nothing? No one? Hey, where is that Klein brat? He has some lie-detecting bullshit, doesn¡¯t he? Why don¡¯t we use him?¡± ¡°Because anyone who he used his ability on tried to strangle him from how uncomfortable and violating the feeling of his magic poking around in your head is,¡± Avery said, her glare gaining the intense heat her mana was quickly losing. Thankfully, the mass of Earth mana was also slowly crawling its way back into the old man¡¯s body. ¡°Do you really want to have him use it on a bunch of people who survived cutting through hordes of goblins to escape the inner city? Hmmm? Sounds like a stellar idea Viktor.¡± ¡°Oh shut up girl,¡± the older man, Viktor, waved her off. ¡°I relented, didn¡¯t I? This is my compromise. What say you?¡± The crowd echoed in agreement, and much to Avery¡¯s visible displeasure most of the people supporting her were nodding along and looking at Mia¡¯s group suspiciously. They were paranoid, and not just of the monsters. It was a strange thing, and one that made Mia distinctly uncomfortable. Was this what the future¡¯s going to be like? Was humanity going to descend into tribalism? How long would it take from there for the masses to start lynching everyone who didn¡¯t fit in? Everyone different? A shiver rushed down Mia¡¯s spine as she realised how ugly things could get real quick. People could murder each other for the other having different interpretations of the same religion, for having different tones of skin colour. History was proof of that. Now, how much worse could it get when the Awakening had turned the whole world into a melting pot of extremely different races? Elves, dwarves, humans, halvyr, beastkin and probably a thousand other races, with many of those having very real strengths which the others did not. The world could be set ablaze not by monsters, rifts, and dungeons, but by the corrosive power of jealousy, tribalism, paranoia, fear, and other dark human emotions. ¡°I will do it,¡± said Brent, surprising Mia just as much as he did the crowd. That cunt wanted him to refuse and sod off. Mia squinted at old man Viktor and his dumb open mouthed expression. Seeing as things could get ugly quickly, summoning another Familiar was in order. I¡¯m not fast enough to react if anyone attacks us out of the blue, but that Familiar proved to be faster than a bloodthirsty vampire, so I guess it¡¯s my best defence against ambushes for now. 30 - July the 5th ¡°Are you sure?¡± Avery asked, raising a dubious eyebrow at Brent. ¡°I¡¯ve been told having his Skill used on you feels like a dozen worms burrowing through your brain. Each of which goes into a frenzy if you lie.¡± ¡°It is the quickest way to resolve this ¡­ misunderstanding,¡± said Brent, giving a forced shrug. Right. They think we are henchmen of some evil dude? What did Viktor call him? ¡®Were-cunt¡¯, was it? So a werewolf maybe? ¡°If you say so,¡± said Avery, looking like she was rolling a piece of rotten lemon around in her mouth. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to ask you to take off your sword beforehand. Everyone until now tried to attack the kid, even if he tries to be as gentle with his Skill as possible. We could hold back regular people, but I don¡¯t want to test whether we are faster than your sword arm.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± said Brent tersely, then with slow movements unfastened his belt and threw the sword at Mark. ¡°Hold onto that for me. Mia, could you and the runt come with me?¡± ¡°Uh, sure?¡± Mia blinked, glancing at the rather displeased ¡®runt¡¯ next to her. ¡°Give me a moment, let me summon another Familiar.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, will it?¡± Brent glared challengingly at the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s a Familiar?¡± Asked Viktor with his arms crossed. The wheels were sluggishly turning in his head, and Mia could tell the exact moment when the idea to shut down Brent''s request solidified in his head from the gleeful twinkle in his eyes. He had no idea what a Familiar was, but if refusing Brent meant he got them out of here, he would be happy. At least that was the conclusion Mia came to from watching him. ¡°It¡¯s like a pet, a magical pet that protects me,¡± Mia said. ¡°It¡¯s pretty harmless, looks like a cute pink cat.¡± ¡°Should be fine,¡± said Avery with a grin. ¡°How long do you need?¡± ¡°A minute will do,¡± Mia said after checking on her reserves. She¡¯d be running on fumes after casting it, but she¡¯d been diligently pushing both of her Assimilation Skills to the limit to replenish them. She had just enough to cast the spell, then some more for another four or five Blasts should the need arise. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Avery, turning to stare at Viktor with a challenging smirk. ¡°Face the other direction at least,¡± the old man grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want you pulling a fast one on us and blowing my head off.¡± Mia shrugged and turned around, making eye contact with Carmilla for a moment. Whatever fear of getting attacked when she had her back turned evaporated as she saw the predatory glint in the girl¡¯s crimson eyes. It reminded her of the look cats had before pouncing on their prey. No one was going to get through that girl to attack her, Mia was sure of it. Clearing her mind with a quick breathing exercise, Mia sent herself into a focus. Reviewing the spell circle again, now knowing what to look out for and being pleasantly surprised that the Tome almost naturally corrected half of the mistakes she¡¯d made previously. In just ten seconds, she had a circle assembled in her runic-model that she was satisfied enough with to cast it. A sudden shout coming just the moment when she was about to launch all her focus into casting the spell almost threw her right out of the loop and let loose the giant clump of mana filling up her entire right hand. I¡¯m going to kick someone in the nuts for that. Mia took in a swift breath which came out as a hiss, the mana taking her split-second lapse in focus to tear at her channels like a thousand magma-coated needles. It fucking hurt, but letting go even more could cost her much more than sore energy channels so she fought through it and once again launched her mental muscles into overdrive and pushed at the damned mana. The mystical energy halted, then flooded out of her arm in a fraction of a second. The spell circle flashed above her palm and then she sent the same mental image of a cat at it as she did before. It¡¯s done. Mia staggered for a moment, feeling like her entire right hand was on fire. Okay, the more mana I have clumped together, the more it fights back against my control. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure that out so I could have done without the practical lesson. Noted. Fuck, that hurts like a bitch. The bond with her new familiar snapping in place and its soft paws landing on her shoulder caught her attention. The cat was hissing, protectiveness and wariness flooding through the bond as it swivelled its little head around with the hairs standing along its spine. ¡°Calm down,¡± Mia whispered. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be in danger.¡± She turned around, eyes narrowed in barely contained fury as her arm continued to throb and send spikes of pain throughout the rest of her body. ¡°Who the fuck shouted at me while I was casting?¡± It took her just a moment to find Carmilla not next to her but with her fingers transformed into solid crimson talons which wrapped around Viktor¡¯s throat and holding him half a meter off the ground. Mark and Lina were also standing with spells and weapons readied while Brent was doing damage control, speaking placatingly to Carmilla. ¡°It was him?¡± Mia asked, narrowing her eyes at the man. ¡°Please tell your friend to calm her tits,¡± Avery asked in a mild panic. ¡°Viktor is a cunt, but-¡± ¡°I almost lost my arm just now, he should be happy I kept the Familiar from tearing his throat out the moment it materialised.¡± Mia glared at the girl, her mana flaring up unconsciously as it seeped into her channels. It wasn¡¯t under her control, but for a change its raging currents and vicious arcs were in tune with Mia and flowed through her harmlessly. Her fingers twitched, alight with pinkish energy that was wrapping around her entire body like a cloak. She knew, instinctively that should she wish for it, beams of energy would borrow right through Viktor¡¯s head in a moment. Then she felt it, the impending and unmistakable sensation of mana deprivation. Shit. Shit. Shit. Mia pulled her mana back into her pool in a hurry, doing her best to maintain her furious glare at Avery even as she was panicking on the inside. ¡°Oh fucking hell!¡± Avery ran a hand over her face. ¡°You get the girl off of him and I have him taken away from here, deal? You won¡¯t have to see his face ever again if you leave afterwards.¡± Mia maintained eye contact for a few seconds, then let out a huff. ¡°Fine. Carmilla, please let go of the cunt. I¡¯m mostly fine.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± the girl asked nonchalantly, entirely unbothered by the group of older people glaring at her. Though the chair-legs and pipes they were holding like weapons probably didn¡¯t help their image. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he wanted you to get crippled. He stinks of malice.¡± ¡°If he does it again I¡¯ll kill him myself,¡± Mia said, momentarily surprising herself. She stiffened, realising she had entirely meant every word of that sentence and felt a shiver run down her spine. Even now, she felt angry enough to Blast the man into oblivion. B-but- that¡¯s murder. A part of her resisted, screaming and thrashing inside, only getting louder and louder as the adrenaline in her veins dimmed and her anger started to fade. She gulped, feeling disconnected from the world around her even as she watched Carmilla nonchalantly drop the older man and strut back over to her side with a harumph. Mia gave a glance to Avery, and thankfully the girl caught her meaning in a blink. ¡°Take him away, you saw how easily the girl manhandled him. You old fucks are alone against a group of people as strong as her if you want to fight them. Fuck off, chop chop.¡± ¡°Protect me. Try not to kill anyone if you don¡¯t have to. Focus on intercepting attacks and projectiles should anyone try to ambush me,¡± Mia whispered under her breath and felt the Familiar¡¯s acknowledgement through their bond. It settled in, not draping itself over her shoulder like the previous one but settling down with its paws hidden underneath its body as it lay in wait. It looked a moment away from darting off and ripping a throat out, which was even more accentuated by the way its narrowed eyes roamed the surroundings. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Different elementals, different habits I guess. Mia mused as she watched a group of the older people hold Viktor up by throwing his arms around their shoulders and help him away. Most of the older people that supported him followed behind them, none seeming all too pleased about what happened and many throwing glares at Mia¡¯s group. ¡°Well, that went swimmingly, didn¡¯t it?¡± Avery said, scrunching up her nose with her fists on her hips. ¡°Fuck me. I¡¯d spent the last five days trying to make that senile old cunt see reason, but this is just going to make him even more paranoid. Fuck my life.¡± ¡°Why do you even need to bother?¡± Mark asked, sounding just as bored and annoying as ever. He had that tone, the one that made anyone he talked to feel like he was taking them for a witless moron. Which, in fact, was exactly what he was doing most of the time. ¡°Your group is obviously much stronger than his. He couldn¡¯t do anything even just now when you sent him to his room.¡± ¡°The older people listen to him,¡± Avery said testily. ¡°Most of them don¡¯t even come out of their damned apartments, staying inside those boxes with their heads stuck so far up their asses they couldn¡¯t see reason even if I whacked them over the head with it. Still, they are the ones who have almost all of the classes useful for crafting, making food and the rest. We need them, if we want to stay alive for any sizable length of time.¡± ¡°Well, that sucks balls, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Mark asked, sounding entirely insincere. ¡°Mark, shut up please,¡± Mia said. I still want to ask them whether they have any idea where my mom could be. ¡°Sorry about him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s whatever,¡± Avery said, a deep scowl still on her face. ¡°Put your weapons and spells away maybe?¡± ¡°After you,¡± Mia said, narrowing her eyes at the girl. She had no spells readied, nor any mana wrapping around her like before, but Mia clearly felt a torrent of mana churning just deep enough in her channels to not be visible through rudimentary mana sight. ¡°And the Familiar is staying.¡± ¡°No need to antagonise them further,¡± said Brent, pushing the mace Mark was swinging in circles like a fidget toy down to the ground. ¡°I believe we are mostly done here, Mia you had a question to ask them. Do that, then let¡¯s be on our way.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said sourly as a dozen gazes landed on her. She took a deep breath and shoved her hands into her pockets. ¡°Do you know anything about the suburbs? How are the monsters out there? Was there anyone seeking refuge around here from out there?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Avery asked, crossing her arms under her chest. ¡°My mother lives out there,¡± Mia said. ¡°Oh,¡± the girl faltered in her standoffish demeanour. ¡°No, we haven¡¯t heard much. But I don¡¯t think we heard or saw any monsters ever coming this way from that direction. DID WE?¡± ¡°No,¡± people answered the girl¡¯s question, shaking their heads collectively. ¡°There¡¯s that.¡± Avery shrugged. ¡°There is that hilly, foresty region around that way though. Stay clear of it, a cunt calling himself the ¡®werewolf king¡¯ set up camp around there in the woods and he has at least a hundred or two lunatics following his orders. Raiders and looters the lot of them.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Brent. ¡°While we are at it, I do have a question of my own. You spoke about some broadcast from the military ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± Avery scowled even harder, if that was possible. ¡°It¡¯s all over the radios, you know tech stuff works again, right? So a bunch of people started up their antique radios and the military is blasting this bullshit on loop on almost every frequency.¡± ¡°What are they saying?¡± Brent asked, sounding hopeful. ¡°¡®Stay inside, keep calm, don¡¯t panic, we are coming to save you.¡¯¡± Avery rolled her eyes so hard they threatened to pop out of their sockets. ¡°For the record, the broadcast is still saying they¡¯ll reach Graz on Tuesday the ninth.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Brent let out a dumb sound. ¡°Yeah, ¡®Oh¡¯.¡± Avery chuckled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it great? They must have figured out some crazy sci-fi cloaking tech because I sure as shit can¡¯t see any of the promised tanks and troops around here and Tuesday has been five blasted days ago.¡± ¡°Uhh, Mia?¡± Carmilla whispered, poking Mia in the side as she leaned over. ¡°I, uhhh, forgot to ask but what month is it?¡± ¡°July,¡± Mia replied, looking at the girl weirdly. ¡°It should be the ¡­ 14th of July.¡± A cold pit formed in Mia¡¯s stomach. The fourteenth of July, time flew by so fast and so absorbed she was in the world going to shit that she totally forgot about the first anniversary of Gabe¡¯s death. It¡¯s been one year already without him. ¡°What year?¡± Carmilla asked, sounding a bit panicked. ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, blinking away tears. ¡°What year is it? 2023? 24?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 2025,¡± Mia said, looking at the redhead strangely. Not that it revealed anything, as Carmilla stiffened, freezing up like a movie on pause. Her eyes dimmed and looked ¡­ lost. ¡°Two years,¡± Carmilla whispered so silently Mia couldn¡¯t even hear it, nor was she meant to. Not that she was in the right headspace to care at the moment, her thoughts swinging right back to her little brother. July the 5th was the day he died, at around 5 pm. ¡­ July the 5th, five in the afternoon. That was nine days ago ¡­ and this was the ninth day of the ¡®apocalypse¡¯. Weird. Mia shook it off, deciding to ignore the System deciding to come barging in just at the right moment to make her forget about the anniversary of her brother¡¯s death. ***** The sound of glass shattering echoed through the office, making the man kneeling with his forehead kissing the ground flinch and the languishing bodyguard draped over a sofa jump up in surprise. ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s gone?¡± Prince Arwen asked, his fingers bleeding still from the glass he broke just a moment ago in his fist. ¡°How? Where has he gone?¡± ¡°Through the barrier, Lord Regent.¡± The man would have kneeled even deeper, but the floor stopped his face from sinking any further. ¡°Sir Gabriel seemed to be inspecting it one moment, then he stepped through without it stopping him. No one could stop him.¡± ¡°How?¡± Arwen asked, fist clenching as he barely restrained himself from lashing out and sending his desk crashing into the wall. ¡°He wasn¡¯t kidnapped? Threatened? Lured away? Did your eyes fail you? He is Rank 3 and you yourself confirmed numerous times that the barrier only lets through Rank 0 Users.¡± ¡°We ¡­ have launched investigations already My Lord Regent,¡± the kneeling man said. ¡°We have a theory, if you would wish to hear it?¡± ¡°Meaning you withheld this information from me until you could find an explanation for it?¡± Arwen asked, his glare heating up even further. He might have been only at the very top of Rank 3 and the man kneeling before him might have been a peak Rank 5 Shadow, but he now had all the Authority of the King of Starhaven backing him up. With Shadows all having sworn blood oaths and tying themselves deeply to the Faction, he could kill every single one of them with but a thought. They had every right to tremble in fear of his wrath, especially when one of them let his friend disappear on him despite his explicit orders not to let such a thing happen. Not that he would ever give in to that anger, especially with this one. Rank 5 operatives, especially ones with their loyalty ensured by a blood oath, were an outrageously valuable asset to a Kingdom like Starhaven whose highest Ranked Rifts and Dungeons had been mere Rank 3s just weeks ago. Rank 5 fighters were rare, and valuable, not to be discarded over something this small ... but the Shadow didn''t know that. He thought the infamous Rogue Prince was both rash and petty enough to maybe just go through with the implied threat. ¡°N-no my Prince,¡± the Shadow said. ¡°The investigation was quick, it only took four days.¡± ¡°FOUR DAYS?¡± Arwen kicked the man in the head, fuming in rage. It had little effect, the man¡¯s Rank 5 constitution protecting him from the prince¡¯s strike even if he had his Ki coursing through his channels, not that he did. ¡°Give me your report without missing a single detail. You¡¯ll be cleaning the fucking sewers for a month afterwards, but if I found out you lied or withheld anything from me even the stars won¡¯t be able to save you from getting quartered and spiked up over the four gates of the capital. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Regent!¡± ¡°Now give me that damned report,¡± Arwen said, still fuming as he leaned back over his desk and looked over his bleeding palm with a scowl. He sent a surge of Ki into the limb, manually pushing out all the glass shards before he made it heal his wounds. ¡°Yes,¡± the man said. ¡°Upon further investigation, we found that Sir Gabriel was neither the first, nor the last person who passed through the barrier while they really shouldn¡¯t have been able to. By our estimations, upwards of eight hundred people, ranging from Rank 2 to Rank 3 at the highest, passed through.¡± ¡°We managed to capture three of them just as they were halfway through the barrier and pulled them back. Interrogation revealed that every one of them shared the same Title.¡± [Shar¡¯An Kal, Shadow of the Kingdom wishes to share a System Window with you. Do you Accept?] [ Yes / No ] Yes. Arwen thought, his scowl deepening. His eyes quickly raced through the description and grew wider and wider with each line, but they threatened to pop out at the last of the effects the peculiar Title had. *** [Forerunner (Earth)] Effects: *** 31 - The Call ¡°Thank you for everything,¡± said Brent, nodding in thanks towards Avery and the bunch of rowdy people following behind her like a pack of dogs. ¡°And sorry for the trouble we caused.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the girl said. ¡°Any last minute tips or things to look out for further in the city? I think we¡¯ll send a little expedition today.¡± ¡°Avoid the manholes and always leave the monster corpses behind,¡± said Brent. ¡°The goblins travel in smaller groups, the critters are solitary but the rats will swarm you. You can only throw them a bone and hope it distracts them long enough for you to run away.¡± ¡°Thanks, will do.¡± Avery rubbed her chin, then turned to her people with a shrug. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready, we have some food to loot before Viktor comes back down to annoy us into not going. I want ten of you ready in half an hour at the end of ¡­ ¡° The authoritative girl¡¯s voice slowly faded into the distance as the group made their way towards the suburbs. Another half an hour and they¡¯d be at the house Mia grew up in. Just thirty minutes. That sent Mia¡¯s anxiety spiralling. Her ever so helpful overactive imagination came up with a dozen horrific answers to the question: ¡®what are we going to find there?¡¯ Would the door be ripped off the hinges, a werewolf from the nearby woods having made her mother¡¯s house its den? Would the goblins have managed to sneak by Avery¡¯s group of haphazard fighters and raided the place down to the dirt? Her higher Cognity proved to be a curse this time, doubling the speed at which her thoughts slid off the rails and crashed into a train wreck of rising panic. What if they killed her? Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision as dread grabbed her by the throat. Mia herself barely avoided death at least five times by now and she had a powerful Class and Jeff¡¯s paranoid defences to protect her. Her mother had a shotgun with a dozen shells and walls that were built five generations ago to protect her. The odds weren¡¯t good. ¡°Shit, hey, Mia!¡± Lina¡¯s voice sounded distant, barely a whisper beneath layers upon layers of worst case scenarios playing out before Mia¡¯s eyes. She could smell the blood already, mixing with the old woody smell her mom¡¯s house had. She heard the screams, those cackles goblins made, a growl. All of that went away in an instant as a slap almost sent Mia sprawling but a vice-like grip on her shoulders kept her upright. Her vision swam as her eyes went blurry with tears at the pain. ¡°W-what? Why?¡± ¡°Oh, thank god!¡± Lina breathed out. ¡°Good, listen to my voice, Mia! No thinking, just my voice alright? It¡¯s alright. Everything¡¯s fine.¡± As Lina continued to whisper calming words into her ear, Mia looked around in a daze. Her face stung like a bitch and while she would have usually snapped at whoever was responsible, she was more confused than anything at the moment. Carmilla hovered over her, the iron grip holding her upright proving to be the skeletal teen¡¯s while Brent looked on with a mildly worried frown from a distance. Mark was off to the side, looking like he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing. Mia was with him on that one. Her gaze landed on the redhead at the end, finding her crimson eyes to be jumping between just about everything that wasn¡¯t Mia¡¯s face. She looked sheepish. For some reason Mia couldn¡¯t deduce. Considering that Lina wasn¡¯t that strong, and neither man looked to have been involved in whatever this was, Mia had a suspicion though, that it might have had something to do with the slap that was thrice as strong as it needed to be. I worried them this much? Or what was I doing before? Did I have a panic attack? Mia wondered, slowly relaxing into Lina¡¯s soft hug and just did as she was told. She let the words of comfort flow into her mind without thinking. The Familiar¡¯s innocent worry for her safety flowing through their bond also helped. It was like a pet, showing its unconditional love in a way much more spiritual and intimate than any physical action could. It was a balm to Mia¡¯s soul, along with the two girls¡¯s clear worry for her. It felt nice. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she whispered, squirming a little in the three-way hug. Funnily enough, Carmilla looked twice as uncomfortable to be taking part in the hug but she did so anyway. She¡¯s a kind girl, I¡¯m glad we found her in time to save her. ¡°You aren¡¯t,¡± Lina said, pulling back with her hands still on Mia¡¯s shoulders to stare into her eyes. ¡°And that¡¯s fine, it¡¯s normal. No one should be ¡®fine¡¯ in this situation. Just remember that you¡¯re not alone and that we are here for you. Okay? Will you do that for us?¡± ¡°Okay ¡­ ?¡± Mia said, finding herself unable to do much else but smile. That was probably the nicest thing anyone who wasn¡¯t her family told her. It made her choke up a bit. ¡°Good! Okay,¡± Lina said, nodding rapidly to herself. ¡°Try to focus on the now, okay? Stay in the now. Don¡¯t let your thoughts drown you, I know that if you let them, they¡¯ll drag you as far down into the abyss as they can.¡± Mia might have felt the need to bite back at that, the need to tell the girl she wasn¡¯t the one whose mother might be lying in a pool of her blood just a bit away while goblins snacked on her. The levity with which Lina spoke stopped that urge in its tracks though, as did the fragile smile the blonde gave her. She knew. No, she understood. Mia let out a choked breath that might have sounded like something between a sob and a sniffle. ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Lina said, her smile turning gentle as she pulled Mia back in for a quick squeeze. ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for.¡± Right. Mia gave a brittle smile, vowing that she¡¯d crush any mental barriers she needed to when the time came for her to be there for Lina. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, then turned to Carmilla and pulled the teen in for a hug too. The vampiress yelped in surprise and, after a moment, patted Mia awkwardly on the back. ¡°Thank you too, but maybe use half the strength you did in that slap?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± Carmilla stuttered, gulping audibly as Mia pulled back. ¡°Sorry I- uhm, didn¡¯t really have the chance to practise holding back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Mia said with a smirk that made it apparent she was just teasing. Hopefully. Facial expressions and body language didn¡¯t always work out as Mia expected. ¡°You¡¯ll learn.¡± ¡°Not that I want to ruin the heartfelt moment,¡± Mark said once the three girls seemed back to their usual calm. ¡°But has anyone seen Sam?¡± Brent¡¯s eyes shot wide as he looked around in a hurry, quickly mirrored by the three girls with marginally less hurry. The boy was gone, no trace of him remaining anywhere. People were still about, walking through the parks and parking lots in the distance. None of them had Sam¡¯s look, and nor did Mia hear his voice anywhere. Carmilla seemed to be a moment away from saying something, but snapped her lips shut instead with a frown. ¡°What is it?¡± Mia asked in a whisper, tilting her head in askance. ¡°His scent is gone,¡± the vampiress said. ¡°I should be able to track anyone whose scent I smelled before and if there is a trail.¡± ¡°Did someone nab him?¡± Mark mused, his voice a low growl as he glared back in the direction Avery disappeared behind the bushes. ¡°Was that byplay just to distract us?¡± ¡°Natural means wouldn¡¯t have been able to erase his scent this well,¡± Carmilla said, continuing to take cute little sniffs of air with her eyes narrowed. ¡°And I would have felt a spell going off near me,¡± Mia said, then said the most obvious conclusion the rest of the group was probably thinking but was unwilling to voice. ¡°He probably ditched us.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mark turned on her, his bushy eyebrows pulled into a glare. He was closest to the brat, Mia remembered belatedly. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have felt a thing if he snuck away while we were distracted,¡± Mia said, keeping her tone calm and measured lest she angers Mark even further. ¡°He had Air elemental Skills, right? One of them could have been one to erase his own scent.¡± ¡°He wo-¡° Marks started then froze midway through. ¡°Fuck. That was exactly what one of his Subskills does.¡± The dwarf looked a bit lost, as expected of someone whose ¡®friend¡¯ just disappeared on them. Though, with how Mark was playing with the brat¡¯s crush on Mia, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she should really be thinking of the two as friends. ¡°That is ¡­ ¡° Brent started, his face lined with a deep frown. ¡°His choice, in the end. I suppose he felt he¡¯d fit in better with Avery¡¯s group.¡± The man seemed to take that as a personal failure by the look on his face, but he was quick to shake the expression off his face. While they did that, it was the girl¡¯s turn to look awkward, exchanging glances as if to say. ¡®What do we do?¡¯ Mia asked with a glance. ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ Lina gave a helpless expression. ¡®I¡¯m glad he¡¯s gone¡¯ Carmilla held back a smile. ¡®So am I¡¯ Mia held back a breath of relief. ¡®That¡¯s mean ¡­ but true¡¯ Lina frowned. Mia was mostly relieved to be rid of him in a peaceful manner while Carmilla looked damned near gleeful. Lina was the only one feeling conflicted, well, conflicted enough for it to show. It evoked a guilty feeling, but Mia thought their chances of survival as a group just went up with the brat¡¯s departure. Carmilla could do everything he could and more, there would be no loss in utility abilities and variety. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to moving,¡± said Brent with what might have been a sigh. ¡°He made his choice it seems. If he wants to leave, I say we let him. No need to track him down and hound him. Agreed?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. With even Mark giving a reluctant nod, the group set off once more. ***** ¡°And you have a runic-model too? Not just an Elemental Skill?¡± Mia asked, curiosity practically dripping from her words. ¡°I do,¡± Carmilla said with a shy smile, seemingly both enthusiastic to talk about the topic and unsure of how to actually do it. ¡°Vampires all inherit the basic runic-model of their Progenitors, if the Progenitor has one to inherit that is.¡± ¡°Uhhh, is it rude to ask what your affinities are and what spells you know?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Maybe?¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to share then so am I.¡± ¡°I have Superior Arcane affinity,¡± Mia said without a moment¡¯s hesitation, far too eager to finally talk to a ¡®real mage¡¯. As her book would say. ¡°I know Arcane Bolt, Blast, Explosion, Shield, Mage Hand and Mana Familiar. Most of those spell names are self explanatory.¡± ¡°Well, uhh, okay?¡± Carmilla seemed bemused at Mia¡¯s enthusiasm while Lina just looked on with a smile. ¡°I have Superior Water affinity and Major Blood. I ¡­ don¡¯t know that many spells, only Gather Water, Water Blade, Blood Healing and Blood Bolt.¡± ¡°Ohhh, you can cast spells from two different elements?¡± Mia asked. ¡°How does that work? I read that if I add a rune of a different element to my Arcane runic-model, it¡¯d implode.¡± ¡°Blood is an advanced element of Water,¡± Carmilla shrugged, looking unsure whether that explanation was enough. ¡°I guess I inherited a, uhm, non-basic runic-model. I think, my Progenitor was certainly damned proud of it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, her face stiffening. ¡°What?¡± Carmilla asked, looking confused. ¡°You spoke to your progenitor?¡± Mia asked, remembering that she herself probably had an angry ancient ancestor somewhere out in the cosmos. Well, she did if the System just didn¡¯t pull its flavour text ¡ª aka, the history in its descriptions ¡ª out of its ass. ¡°Vampires can leave memories in their blood,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I can view them while sleeping, as dreams with varying stages of lucidity to them.¡± ¡°Wait a second!¡± Lina shouted, whirling around on the two whispering amongst themselves in the back. ¡°You mean to say our ¡®Bloodlines¡¯ that the System ¡®Awakened¡¯ really originate from someone out there in a different Realm?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°If you have a bloodline the System bothered to awaken, then your ancestors probably got stranded on Earth just like mine.¡± ¡°Huh, yep! Pretty sure that¡¯s right. I even have a book that dedicates a chapter to my bloodline and important members of it in the ¡®Mystic Realm¡¯.¡± Mia made an interested sound. ¡°Anyway, how is that dream-memory-diving thingy? What¡¯s your Progenitor like? Are they the Dracula type of vampire or the sparkly kind that sits around in highschool for centuries stalking teenage girls?¡± ¡°Dracula,¡± Carmilla said with a strange smirk on her lips. She stared into the distance, her smirk growing. ¡°Yes, certainly Dracula.¡± ¡°Uhh, seeing as you aren¡¯t too weirded out by it, I take it they won¡¯t be a monumental asshole the moment you meet them?¡± ¡°Meet him?¡± Carmilla asked, stiffening. ¡°I mean,¡± Mia said. ¡°Vampire progenitors probably live for a while, right? And he is from one of the System¡¯s Realms right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll probably meet him, no?¡± Mia said. ¡°I mean ¡­ wouldn¡¯t you be interested in some distant descendant of yours popping up in a Realm that is just getting integrated into your ¡®world¡¯?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Carmilla said, humming. ¡°Should be ¡­ fine? Yes, it probably will. I hope.¡± Glad mine probably won¡¯t care. Why the hell would a ¡®Great Spirit King¡¯ care about a random descendant when he has hundreds if not thousands of those after all. Mia had earlier skimmed the summary about her own progenitor in her book about Halvyr history. Anachreon ruled over millions, if not billions, of souls. Thousands of those were elves, most of them being his own distant descendants, and hundreds of Fae, who were more closely related to him. He has no reason to care ¡­ though I guess neither does Carmilla¡¯s progenitor. ¡°He might not care,¡± Mia said, doing an about face with her opinion. ¡°I mean, he probably has thousands of descendants. You¡¯ll be perfectly fine. Anyway, what do your spells do? Can you pull water out of the air?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Carmilla startled out of her thoughts. ¡°Oh, that? No, not yet. Magic has this weird thing where it takes exponentially more mana to affect things as they get smaller and smaller. It¡¯s about at the same rate as the cost increases for affecting things as their size and mass grows larger and larger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ interesting,¡± Mia played with an unruly lock of hair as she thought it through. ¡°Damn, the knowledge download you got with your Class must have been even more extensive than mine. I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡° ¡­ right,¡± Carmilla looked awkward as she nodded. ¡°As for the spell, all it does at the moment is collect water from an already existing source into an orb that floats over my shoulder. It acts as a sort of ammo box for the Water Blades.¡± ¡°Does it take just the water, or does it take dirt and stuff along with it if you use it on a muddy puddle?¡± ¡°It takes everything,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Bummer,¡± Mia said. ¡°You could have used it to make clean drinking water out of almost any body of water.¡± ¡°Oh, hmmm.¡± Carmilla tilted her head. ¡°Maybe I will be able to at one point. Seems complicated, it¡¯d need a filter and a part that defines water as more than just ¡®something that is fluid¡¯.¡± ¡°Can you use any fluid for it?¡± ¡°Anything with about the same consistency of water as far as I know.¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°Like Blood.¡± ¡°If you can use blood for Water spells, what would be the difference between doing that and using a dedicated Blood Blade spell for example?¡± ¡°Blood spells cost some lifeforce along with mana and they eat into the target¡¯s too.¡± ¡°Oh, you mentioned that before,¡± Mia said. ¡°¡®Lifeforce¡¯ what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I guess ¡­ It''s like the superglue that keeps your metaphysical body, mind and spirit stuck together. It¡¯s also the ¡®inner energy¡¯ that is part positive and part negative energy. Your knowledge download covered that, right?¡± ¡°Uhh, a bit?¡± Mia said. ¡°But I read a book on elements, so I know some stuff. Huh. And, uhm, won¡¯t it be a problem if you suck that out of me? For me, that is?¡± ¡°It regenerates,¡± Carmilla said all too quickly. ¡°And I¡¯d just need a drop of blood or two every ¡­ day? The lifeforce in that should be so little you won¡¯t even notice it not being there, it¡¯ll regenerate before you even notice it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°I can verify that,¡± Brent said without turning, striding at the head of the group down the streets of the narrow suburban area between the Mur river and the woods the werewolf claimed for himself. ¡°The Ki I use for my Skills is practically lifeforce, and the paltry amount in a shed drop of blood would be unnoticeable.¡± ¡°Ki is tainted,¡± Carmilla scrunched up her nose. ¡°Uh, not in a bad way, but it feels weird. It¡¯s like your mind corrupted your lifeforce. Or a part of it at least.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s exactly what Ki is,¡± said Brent. ¡°Overflowing lifeforce that is under my mind¡¯s control to do with as I wish. It can¡¯t be projected outside the body, not at our level ¡­ or rather, rank, but it is much more potent than mana for body enhancements.¡± ¡°Thanks Brent,¡± Mia said with a smile, feeling a bit warm on the inside that everyone was so generous with knowledge in the group. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll ¡­ drip a few drops into a glass I guess? Sorry, I don¡¯t want to get bitten.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carmilla said with a spring now in her steps and a smile on her lips. ¡°It¡¯ll do just fine. More than fine. Thank you Mia.¡± ¡°Sure?¡± Mia shrugged with an awkward smile, unused to receiving the straightforward pure appreciation Carmilla was radiating like a star. ¡°Oh, what would happen if I lost too much of it though?¡± Mia asked, her thoughts jumping right back into theorycrafting. ¡°Or rather, what would happen to someone struck by your Blood spells?¡± ¡°Well, lifeforce is mostly what makes up your energy channels,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°It is also how you connect with your spirit. Without it, most Skills and magic don¡¯t work. Though, most people would be far too dead by that point to care about such stuff. The imbalance would kill you long before that.¡± ¡°Imbalance?¡± ¡°The Body, the Mind and the Spirit.¡± Carmilla said, looking like she was digging up some dusty piece of knowledge and quoting someone. ¡°The mortal Trinity. When one of them gets into too much of an imbalance, or gets destroyed, you die.¡± ¡°But the System said I didn¡¯t have a Spirit before I got integrated?¡± ¡°What?¡± Carmilla froze. ¡°How? That- that shouldn¡¯t be- hmmmm.¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla said, looking embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, by my knowledge, that should be impossible.¡± ¡°It was the same with me though,¡± Lina said from the side. ¡°Same here,¡± Mark said. ¡°ERROR! Null value for Spirit Attribute detected.¡± ¡°I believe it was the same for us all,¡± said Brent, sending a pointed glance at the vampiress as if to ask why that wasn¡¯t the case for her. ¡°I- uh, it could have been the same for me,¡± the redhead said, scratching her cheek in thought. ¡°I was ¡­ unconscious when I got integrated. I don¡¯t remember it at all, to be honest. Just waking up with the System already in place.¡± ¡°That must have been horrible,¡± Mia said with feeling, reaching up to pat Carmilla on the shoulder and earning a smile in response. I¡¯m getting the hang of this consoling stuff. Yey for progress. ¡°It was livable,¡± Carmilla replied with a shrug that seemed a bit forced even to Mia. Mia staggered, her bones rattling as a sound crashed into her like a landslide. It was more than a voice, a mere sound, it was a feeling. More than that, it was a CALL. It lasted for almost five whole seconds, keeping up in intensity for the first three while it petered out at the end. That was when Mia actually heard what the sound was and as she did a shiver ran down her spine. It was a howl, a long, deep howl that spoke of a body far too large to have been made by a regular wolf. Her eyes snapped up and to the side, towards the forested hill rising up above the line of houses only a few hundred metres away. If she squinted, she could see the treetops trembling, as if quivering in fear near the hilltop. The moment she snapped back to herself, the whiplash sent Mia on her knees and she barely managed to get a hand out before her face got introduced to the asphalt. She let out a groan, her ears still ringing and echoes of that bone rattling sound still haunting her. ¡°The fuck was that?¡± Mark shouted, his panicked voice slowly coming into focus as Mia¡¯s ears stopped ringing. ¡°I suppose that would have been that ¡®werewolf king¡¯,¡± said Brent, gazing up at the hilltop with narrowed eyes as his hand fiddled with the pommel of his sword. Carmilla hissed in distaste, looking livid at something Mia couldn¡¯t parse as she glared at the hill. ¡°Mia, you alright?¡± Lina asked. ¡°That seemed to hit you harder than the rest of us.¡± ¡°I felt it just the same,¡± Carmilla said through gritted teeth. ¡°It¡¯s trying to call everyone with certain bloodlines to itself. Probably to form a pack, or something.¡± ¡°¡®Trying¡¯?¡± Mark said. ¡°I think it more than fucking succeeded. Look.¡± People were bursting out of the houses all the way down the street. From teens to balding old men, dozens came out just on the street they were on and gazed towards the hill. Some didn¡¯t even bother. A woman wearing nothing but a set of underclothes and a fluffy feline tail bounced onto the rooftop and shot off towards the forest. A few more followed, but most of the people fought back down whatever urge they had. Mia couldn¡¯t help but notice that most of the people who didn¡¯t seem to hesitate were the ones with more prominent animal characteristics. Closing her eyes, Mia felt around for any strange need in her heart to run off into the forest like a lunatic. Thankfully, she found none. ¡°Is it mind control?¡± Mia frowned, the thought sending a shudder of revulsion down her spine. The one time she experienced Jeff¡¯s mind fuckery was already horrid enough. ¡°No,¡± Carmilla said quickly. ¡°Nothing as crass as that. It¡¯s more like ¡­ the call is appealing to a primal urge most people don¡¯t know how to control yet.¡± ¡°You know these things from those inherited memories of yours?¡± Lina asked suddenly. ¡°Bloodline memories,¡± the girl shrugged. ¡°Some are random memories of battles, but most are intentional lessons my Progenitor passed down to his descendants. Like how the pack mentality of Beastkin and Shifters work. They need a pack, a clan, a family as we need air to breathe or they can go mad from the loneliness. Well, there are some solitary species of them, but canine beastkin are one of the most social of their kind.¡± ¡°And that cunt up on the hill just invited them into his raider cult,¡± Mark said. ¡°Stellar. A bunch of furries coming together to make a nuisance of themselves ¡­ wait! Do you think Sam left because he got caught up in that thing too?¡± Mark looked sickened by the idea, a total 180 from the disdainful look he sent towards the hill just moments before. ¡°He left long before that call came,¡± Brent said, patting the dwarf on the shoulder. ¡°He left on his own. Nothing we can do about that.¡± Mark looked like he was chewing on a lemon, but he nodded reluctantly, his gaze still occasionally landing on the towering trees covering the hill. ¡°Anything crazy like that I should know about my race?¡± Mia whispered to Carmilla, not wanting to interrupt Mark¡¯s brooding. ¡°I won¡¯t turn into a ghost when the full moon comes, will I?¡± ¡°Uhhh, I don¡¯t actually know what exactly you are, soooo.¡± Carmilla whispered back, scratching her cheek. ¡°Halvyr,¡± Mia said. ¡° ¡­ nothing I remember, I barely even have anything about that race at all.¡± Carmilla hummed. ¡°Must be pretty rare.¡± ¡°Alright ladies, enough chatting,¡± said Brent, his voice tense. ¡°We are running. I want to put more distance between us and that hill. I¡¯m not liking how boxed in by the river we are here.¡± 32 - Home? ¡°This-¡° Mia wheezed. ¡°- is it.¡± ¡°Your endurance could use some work,¡± Brent mused as he carefully stalked up to the door of the house. ¡°If we had rats chasing us down, you three would be monster snacks by now.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± Mark let out a strangled gasp. ¡°You.¡± Lina rolled over and flopped into the overgrown grass, not even gracing anyone with an answer as she focused on breathing. Mia herself was better off than those two, but she still felt like her lungs were on fire and as if someone bolted a stake into her side. Carmilla looked irritatingly nonplussed, having taken to the dead sprint the group did like it was a leisurely jog. ¡°Should I knock?¡± Brent asked. ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Mia said, getting her breath under control. ¡°Okay, let me go first. I don¡¯t want any of you eating a buckshot by accident.¡± ¡°As for you, no attacking. You are on pure defence, alright?¡± Mia looked at the pink cat sitting alertly on her shoulder. It nodded. Taking a quick breath, Mia knocked loudly on the front door. ¡°MOOOM? Are you home?¡± Hearing no reply from the inside or even footsteps, Mia frowned. She could be asleep, she told herself. Instead of panicking, she reached over to the old potted plant to the right of the door. It was like one of those bonsai trees, with its roots being aboveground and burrowing into it like a dozen questing tendrils. Which left a little place at the centre between them, mostly hidden. There she found the spare key. Smiling, she snatched it up and quickly opened up the door. A moment later, she cast the spell she had prepared and a semi-translucent pink shield a metre in diameter appeared in front of her palm. Just in case. I wouldn¡¯t fault her for shooting anything that comes into the house before even thinking about asking it questions. Her ears twitched. No heartbeats, no shotgun¡¯s getting loaded, no clicks either. The house was dead silent. The closest sounds aside from Mia¡¯s group came from the two neighbouring houses, some people having muffled conversations in each. Mia walked ahead, knowing the place better than the back of her hand. Even as the evening sun¡¯s light dimmed and cast long shadows, she easily navigated down the hallway and into the living room. There was no sign of a fight, nothing was torn, looted or scraped. They continued on. Kitchen, toilets, storage room, basement, and even Mia¡¯s old bedroom were empty. That only left her mother¡¯s bedroom and Gabe¡¯s old room. Mia took a slow, calming breath. She didn¡¯t smell blood, nor had she seen anything that would point to a monster having broken in. She counted those facts as good news for now. Mia pushed open the door that had once been her shared bedroom with her brother, back before Sophie moved out the moment she could get into her college dorms. Taking the room in always made her stomach lurch uncomfortably. They never touched it, never cleaned it up either and the blankets were still on the bed just how Gabe left them after waking up one morning. ¡°Empty,¡± Mia murmured, closing the door again. She moved to the last door. No sounds still. Quick breath in, slow breath out, she turned the handle and stepped through with the Shield in front of her. She expected, hoped even, that she¡¯d hear a shotgun¡¯s discharge the moment she did so. Alas, nothing. Empty. Mia felt her knees going weak, the whiplash from being so tense for so long just for nothing to happen strained her nerves to the limit. ¡°Can you smell anything?¡± Lina whispered a few steps behind, making Mia¡¯s ears twitch. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla answered after a moment. ¡°The trail is there, still hot. Someone slept in that bed just yesterday.¡± ¡°Can you follow it?¡± Mia whirled around, her voice quivering. ¡°Sorry,¡± Carmilla said weakly, averting her gaze. ¡°The trail leads to the back garden and there it disappears.¡± ¡°How does that happen?¡± asked Brent. ¡°Either a Skill I suppose?¡± said the vampiress. ¡°Or ¡­ her mother flew away.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, confused. ¡°The trail didn¡¯t get erased like with the cat, it ¡­ dissipated naturally in the wind.¡± ¡°Can you tell whether there are older trails?¡± Brent asked thoughtfully. ¡°Ones coming back here regularly over the last week to go together with earlier tracks leading away into the air?¡± ¡°I ¡­ can check,¡± Carmilla said with uncertainty. ¡°It¡¯s harder for me to find anything older than a few hours.¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Mia said, her eyes tearing up as she stared into those glowing sets of crimson eyes like a sad puppy. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Carmilla gulped, then quickly made her way to the back garden. She started walking in circles, sniffing at the air regularly like a bloodhound as Mia watched from the window. ¡°I¡¯m glad you talked us into taking her along with us,¡± Lina whispered, leaning onto the windowsill next to Mia. ¡°She¡¯s a nice girl, even if the first impression we had of her was horrible.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said awkwardly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we let her work?¡± Lina asked. ¡°I¡¯m certain you watching her like a hawk isn¡¯t helping her jump through the hoops calmly.¡± ¡°But-¡° ¡°Why don¡¯t you read a book?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Distract yourself a bit with something. I¡¯ve seen you have a bunch in that pack of yours. Which ones did you choose?¡± ¡°Uhh, I have a few on magic, one on Halvyr history and one on Rift breaks.¡± ¡°Rift breaks?¡± ¡°It was a randomly generated book,¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°I see,¡± Lina murmured. ¡°Could I borrow it for a bit?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Mia shrugged, tearing her eyes away from Carmilla¡¯s focused form. Fishing out the book Lina requested, Mia let out a resigned sigh and grabbed the Arcanism book for herself. Lina was right, glaring a hole into the side of Carmilla¡¯s head as she worked wasn¡¯t helping the girl any. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Lina said with a quick smile before snatching up the book and looking for a place to settle down to read. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the living room, the boys are probably there already,¡± Mia said, grabbing her bag. ***** Okay, how the hell does this work ¡­ Mia glared down at the book like it owed her money. She attempted the exercise again, trying to make her mana ¡­ flip, for a lack of a better word. The book described it like taking a shirt and turning it inside out but with her mana. Which doesn¡¯t make a lick of sense. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Why was she even bothering? Well, apparently, she was doing arcane magic on hard mode till now since with the element¡¯s main concept being ¡®duality¡¯, it obviously had two states. Three, if you wanted to be a smartass about it. Like whoever wrote the book. These were quite understandably: chaotic, stable and flux. Mia¡¯s mana was, and had been since the beginning, in the chaotic state. Which apparently overcharged destructive spells like Arcane Blast but was a bitch to manipulate otherwise. Stable, or ¡®crystalline¡¯ if you wanted to be fancy was the exact opposite. It would be calm, near static and hard to mould like clay, but it wouldn¡¯t be trying to blow her arm off at every opportunity. It would also overcharge spells that were more static in nature like Shield and Bolt. Since apparently weaving arcane mana into a crystalline structure boosts its integrity. Lastly, flux was when mana would stay in a constant state of change. Flip-flopping between chaotic and stable. The book recommended not even attempting that until she was at the very least Rank 2. Apparently, it was even harder to control than the chaotic mana and would overcharge disruption spells. Despite her continued grumblings, Mia was wholeheartedly invested in getting this thing to work. It was useful, interesting and ¡­ fun. ¡®For most arcane mages the mental state they are in heavily influences which state their mana gravitates towards.¡¯ The book read, but Mia could read between the lines. ¡®Calm the fuck down if you want to change to stable mana¡¯ was what she read between the lines, and while she understood that, it was harder to do it in practice than expected. Even meditation seemed like a distant, unreachable goal to Mia as she sat on the old sofa in the living room. The sun was setting. It made her antsy. This would be her first night outside of Jeff¡¯s fortress and she wasn¡¯t in a place she felt all that safe. This part of the city had been a little village once long ago, built a bit upstream from Graz. As the years flowed by though and as both the city and the village expanded their edges touched. Now that thin strip of suburban houses between the Mur and the werewolf''s forest connected the two. Mia overheard Brent saying he didn¡¯t want to stay here overlong. The man was not liking the possibility of getting boxed in and cut off from the city. That set her nerves alight once more, she was not leaving until she found her mother. It was just not happening. But she didn¡¯t have anywhere near thick enough skin to ask the others to stay here along with her if they wanted to leave for their own safety. Raiding, powerdrunk beastkin operating on group mentality was a danger of an entirely different kind than what the monsters in the city presented. If she had to choose, Mia would much rather fight the goblins or even the rats in the sewers. Killing monsters was easy, making her only relieved, but fighting humans ¡­ that would make things ugly. Just thinking of really killing someone, of commiting murder sent her stomach lurching. Ears twitching, Mia jolted as she heard the sound of something cutting through the air. It reminded her of a murderbird diving. Shit. Carmilla is outside by herself. She jumped to her feet, but it seemed to have been too late. A loud crash sounded out from the garden, signalling that something smashed into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dirt and dust. Carmilla¡¯s shriek sent a shiver down her spine as she readied a Blast at her fingertips, the book she¡¯d been reading falling to the ground as she rushed to the door. The moment she reached for the handle though, her blood went cold as a shout cut through the kicked up dust cloud. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing in my garden?¡± The wind picked up, blowing the dust cloud right into the group¡¯s faces. Mia, protected by the glass door, saw the form behind the cloud first. Not that she needed to, just the sound of the familiar voice sent tears to her eyes. Her mother stood there, not quite the same as Mia remembered her, but that was to be expected. Mia wasn¡¯t the same either. ¡°MOM!¡± Mia shouted, throwing the door open and rushed up to the woman. She had a pair of snow white wings extending from her back and her hair turned ashen white, but Mia couldn¡¯t have mistaken her for anyone else. ¡°Mia?¡± Helene startled, but then was wrapped up in a crushing hug. Mia buried her face in the nook of her mother¡¯s neck. Mia broke down as she was hugged back and a gentle hand started ruffling her hair. She sobbed, clutching onto her mother like her life depended on it. ¡°Shhhhh,¡± Helene soothed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything is alright honeybun, I¡¯m here.¡± ***** Carmilla extracted her face out of the dirt, staring back at the face shaped hole with a soft sigh. Jumping to her feet, she took a quick few steps away from the mother, daughter duo as she rolled a nick out of her shoulder. The joint popped, snapping back into place as some of her lifeforce drained away to heal a few hair-thin cracks. Only vampires had such a backwards, self-destructive way of healing themselves. Consuming your own lifeforce to heal a small wound, that would make anyone else burst out laughing at the stupidity. Still, they couldn¡¯t replenish it by taking it from others and nor were they one of the very few exceptions to the rule she¡¯d told Mia not so long ago. Carmilla could survive without a lick of lifeforce, but then she¡¯d be a walking corpse for all intents and purposes. Not quite dead yet, but most certainly not alive either. As far as first impressions went, Mia¡¯s mother crashing heel first into Carmilla¡¯s back was up there with the worst ones she had. Still, the jaded vampiress couldn¡¯t help but smile softly as she took in Mia crying her heart out on her mother¡¯s shoulder as the woman wrapped both of them up in a cocoon of white feathers. An angel maybe? Carmilla wondered, her gaze jumping up to the top of the woman¡¯s head. No halo. Plus, angels are spirits of Light. They shouldn¡¯t have been able to survive on Earth, not once the Null Field reached its apex around the early 1900s. Even vampires went nearly extinct around that time and we lost most of our powers. What could she be then? Her next guess would have been some avian beastkin, but she ruled that one out too as she caught no sign of feathers or clawed feet on the woman. Maybe a Shifter? There were three kinds of magical beings with animal characteristics. Beastkin, Shifters and Magical Beasts. The first were humans with animal bits, the last were magical animals that sometimes took on human form and Shifters were somewhere between the two. The most common example of their kind were werewolves. Beastkin could rarely take on full bestial forms, even hybrid forms being an extreme rarity among their kind. Those wings could be a partial transformation into her hybrid form. Carmilla thought, then shrugged. She¡¯d find out in due time anyway. The vampiress had no intention of leaving the young halvyr¡¯s side for the foreseeable future, or ever for that matter. It¡¯s nice to see her finally smile. Carmilla thought. She has a beautiful smile, I wish she wore it more often. ***** ¡°What are you doing here, you silly girl?¡± Mia averted her gaze, having calmed down after a few minutes and was now wiping her tears. Which was probably why Helene felt it was time to question her. Not that Mia had an answer to that question, not any that wouldn¡¯t have sounded stupid now that she was looking at her mother standing before her looking more spry than ever. The Awakening she went through had been kind to her, wiping away most lines that marked the older woman¡¯s age. If Mia didn¡¯t know her mother was pushing fifty, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess. She looks more like my sister than my mother now. Mia thought, scratching her cheek awkwardly as she tried to come up with a way to say ¡®to save you¡¯ without getting hit with a slipper for it. I promised I¡¯d be careful. Going out to the monster infested city is the opposite of that. Mia took a glance up at her mother¡¯s face, and saw her release a sigh as the trademark stern motherly look she had on melted away. ¡°Still, I¡¯m glad you are here,¡± Helene said, cupping Mia¡¯s cheeks and softly caressing her cheeks with her thumbs. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of what was happening further in the city. I can¡¯t imagine it could have been easy getting out here, but maybe I have your new friends to thank for getting you here in one piece?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Mia whispered, jumping at the opportunity to avert the topic. ¡°Uh, guys this is my mother, Helene Vexley and mom these are my ¡­ friends?¡± ¡°Friends works just fine,¡± said Brent, stepping forth as the oldest member of the group and their de facto leader. ¡°I am Brent Steiner, pleasure meeting you ma¡¯am, your daughter saved our lives in the last couple of days a fair few times.¡± I really didn¡¯t. Mia frowned a bit at Brent. I¡¯d be monster chow without them. I barely did anything. ¡°Did she now?¡± Helene asked, a motherly smile spreading on her face. Mia blushed and looked away, never having been one good with compliments. Especially ones she didn¡¯t feel were deserved. ¡°She certainly saved mine,¡± Carmilla said with an awkward smile. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Helene exclaimed, looking at the ragged girl like she was just noticing her. At the same time her pair of white wings shrunk from their respectable four metres wingspan and seemingly melted into the woman¡¯s back. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside and let me get you some snacks. I¡¯d offer up a bath, but all the water I have here is in those barrels and you¡¯d probably get more dirty from taking a dip in those than you already are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯d be possible for me,¡± Carmilla murmured. ¡°I¡¯m Carmilla by the way.¡± ¡°Well, hello there dear,¡± Helene said. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a towel alright? The rest of you, come in.¡± 33 - Finally, some rest The group was fed and even given some drinks, after which they settled down in the living room. It was a little cramped, what with six of them getting squeezed onto two smaller sofas, but they somehow made it work. Probably because poor Lina opted to settle into sitting cross-legged on the rug instead of squeezing herself onto the sofa next to Brent and Mark. Neither man had a compact physique, especially not Mark in his new dwarven square shaped build. The round of introductions finished up, with Helene only being a bit stumped at Mark¡¯s reintroduction. The other sofa was taken up by Helene having dragged Mia over and Carmilla who shamelessly slipped onto the small place left next to Mia once she came one step closer to being ¡®clean¡¯. The shampoo and the water certainly helped, but Mia¡¯s scrutinising gaze still found the girl¡¯s state to be wanting. Her hair was a matted mess, resembling a bird¡¯s nest more than anything any woman should have atop their head. At least that vibrant crimson colouring the girl had spoken of was now visible. ¡°Mark, be a dear and get some snacks for the girl,¡± Helene said, having taken a look at Carmilla herself. ¡°You don¡¯t have allergies or some eating disorder, do you? You look emaciated.¡± ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Carmilla looked uncomfortable under the woman¡¯s piercing stare. ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t think snacks will help much. I can still eat but, uhm, only blood would help me to actually gain some weight.¡± ¡°Blood?¡± Helene raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m a vampire,¡± Carmilla said, pulling her upper lips up and showing off her fangs. ¡°I agreed to give her some already,¡± Mia said, seeing the look on her mother¡¯s face. Helene was a regular plasma donor, so Mia wouldn¡¯t have been too surprised if she offered up her own blood the next second, seeing the concerned look she had when looking at Carmilla. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a syringe,¡± Helene said, nodding at Mia then narrowing her eyes at Carmilla. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I can believe in folklore and such about vampires, but I don¡¯t want to risk it. No biting my daughter, understood?¡± ¡°I already promised that,¡± Carmilla squirmed in her seat, glancing sideways at Mia, then down at her neck before averting her gaze with a gulp. ¡°Smart girl,¡± Helene whispered, patting Mia on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you to not drain me dry,¡± Mia cut in, wanting to clarify. ¡°But that I know a vampire¡¯s bite is either addictive or something of the sort in almost every story. I don¡¯t want it messing with my mind, just as I don¡¯t want drugs to-¡° ¡°I get it,¡± Carmilla said, shaking her head. ¡°As far as I know my bite only numbs the area around my fangs and makes anyone I bite a bit out of it. Short-term memory loss if I push it. But I wouldn¡¯t want that done to me either.¡± ¡°That could be useful in a fight, no?¡± Lina asked, looking a bit bored as she propped a cheek up with a fist and leaned on the coffee table. ¡°If I¡¯m close enough to bite someone, I could have clawed them long ago,¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°But I guess it could work well with an ambush?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not endanger a fighter for some minor results, alright?¡± Brent said, having peeled off most of his armour and was now draping himself over the sofa with a beer in hand and a happy grin on his face. ¡°Also, while I do love the atmosphere, I think we need to talk about what we want to be doing going forward. I myself only had my future vaguely planned out up until this point.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Lina said, palming a handful of chips. ¡°Though I¡¯d be okay with anything that results in us fighting more monsters. I know it¡¯s only been a day, but I¡¯ve gained no levels yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with just chilling,¡± Mark said. ¡°Though ¡­ I could be convinced for some more fighting. That next quest reward is really calling to me.¡± Most eyes turned to Mia, or to Carmilla, but the redhead was herself staring at Mia so that was that. She sighed softly, subconsciously leaning against her mother as she answered. ¡°You all helped me get here, risking your lives, I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± She took another breath. ¡°I¡¯d love to get more time to study magic, but I know getting stronger quickly is also important so I¡¯m all in if what you want to do is hunting monsters non-stop.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Mia,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging away everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Now the question just is whether we want to stay out here, boxed in between the wilderness, the Mur and a notorious werewolf with a growing army,¡± Brent said, taking a gulp of his beer and letting out a satisfied breath. ¡°Or, do we head back towards the city centre with the eventual goal of clearing one of those blasted Rifts. I¡¯m doing the latter, by the way. Hopefully with some of you tagging along.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Helene asked, glancing at her daughter with some worry that only grew when she noticed the resolute look in Mia¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s much safer out here. There are monsters out on the fields and in the nearby forests and they are mostly solitary. Much easier to hunt.¡± ¡°Lina, you read that book you nabbed from Mia?¡± Brent asked, not averting his gaze from Helene¡¯s. ¡°Uhhh, only the first few chapters,¡± Lina answered, scratching at her cheek embarrassedly. ¡°What does it say about what Rift breaks are and how long does it usually take for Rifts to burst?¡± ¡°Oh! Rift breaks are when the thing discharges every monster inside of it,¡± Lina said, her voice going grimmer and grimmer as she went on. ¡°The book said that in the final phase, the rift kicks out the ¡®Rift Guardian¡¯ and creates a new one with a higher level, and / or even Rank. That consequently raises the level of the monsters inside.¡± ¡°And the only way to stop that infinite cycle is to go in, kill the guardian and break the core of the Rift.¡± Brent supplied that crucial bit of information. ¡°As for our timer?¡± ¡°I ¡­ think it said most Rank 0 Rifts took a week or two till the first breakout.¡± ¡°You do know that there must be others out there, right?¡± Helene said, her hand grabbing Mia¡¯s. ¡°I heard even the military is going to be coming around soon.¡± ¡°I am not willing to trust others with this when every single remaining survivor in Graz could die if they fail to live up to my expectations,¡± Brent said. ¡°And the military, I¡¯m willing to bet my right kidney they¡¯ll somehow make it worse. That is, if there is anything left of the town by the time they get here. We heard they promised to arrive five days ago.¡± Mia squeezed her mother¡¯s hand, making the woman tear her eyes away from Brent. She had that stern look in her eyes, the one she usually had on when she told Mia she couldn¡¯t have the new toy she asked for or something similar. Unlike before though, Mia didn¡¯t glance away in resignation, nor did she have a petulant childish look that only spoke of how little she thought a decision through. Brent was right, Mia knew it and she owed the man much. He wanted her to help him, so she would. It was dangerous, true, but Mia agreed with Brent¡¯s words. The only way they could ensure those Rifts disappeared was if they went in and destroyed them. Now that objective number one was complete, making sure her mom was safe and healthy ¡ª both of which Helene seemed to have plenty of ¡ª she could make plans for the future. The fact that doing so would elevate her levels, help her complete more quests and make that Realm Event¡¯s completion rate rise was just a bonus. A bonus that was not an insignificant factor in considering Brent''s plea, because that was what this was. Brent was reasonably strong, but if he went into a rift alone, Mia had no doubt he¡¯d die in there. He was just one man, he couldn¡¯t face an army of monsters alone and win. Helene held Mia¡¯s gaze for a few lengthy seconds, she narrowed her eyes and chewed on her lips as the seconds crawled by. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± ¡°Can you fight?¡± Brent asked bluntly, and Helene only averted her gaze from Mia long enough to give the man a withering glare. ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been doing this week?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m level 8 and I¡¯ve been hunting everything out in the fields and in the suburbs from dawn till dusk. I think I can fight plenty well.¡± Level eight, that was one level above Mia. She resisted the urge to gape at her mother, sure she¡¯d always been striving to be ¡­ self-sufficient. Ever since her husband disappeared on her, she¡¯d been sort of trying to be both a mother and a father. Which was why she was proficient in shooting anything from small handguns to double barrel shotguns and had practice swinging anything from baseball bats to axes. Mia saw how much she struggled and fought to be everything her children could need growing up. It probably wasn¡¯t healthy, but Mia could never for a moment doubt her mother¡¯s love for her or her dedication. What was I getting at again? Mia blinked, realising that she¡¯d somehow found herself sliding down memory-lane at mach 5. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Brent said, shrugging with what Mia now recognised as fake nonchalance. He glanced at Mia for the briefest moment, a frown on his face as he seemed to be pondering something before shaking his head and going back to sipping his beer. What? Mia frowned. Did he think having a mother and daughter pair in a combat group would somehow complicate things? Or was he just having problems with Helene standing up to him? The latter would explain the glance, which would have meant he was considering whether keeping Mia on the team was worth someone possibly butting heads with him. Though it could have easily been him worrying about the group falling apart mid-combat should either women get severely wounded or, god forbid, killed. Mia wasn¡¯t a mind reader, but she hoped it wasn¡¯t the second option. She, and probably the others too, were only fine with Brent taking the lead because he seemed to know what he was doing and because he seemed to genuinely care about getting them through every fight alive. If he started acting like some mini-Jeff, playing a tyrant, Mia would bolt without hesitation after grabbing her mom and the rest. Leaving the Rifts as they were while she was possibly strong enough to do something about them would probably make her feel some guilt, but in the end she knew no-one from Graz other than the people in the room. I¡¯d say a prayer for Lara, she was nice. Mia thought, shaking her head a bit. Running for the hills was always an option. The Rifts seemingly targeted population centres primarily so they¡¯d be mostly safe in rural areas. But not without monsters to hunt if mom could climb to level 8 just by hunting wandering monsters out in the wilds. ¡°So, uhm, Miss Vexley, I think I¡¯ll head up to get some sleep?¡± Mark asked, taking on his regular respectful tone addressing his distant aunt. ¡°Good night, Mark.¡± Helene nodded. ¡°I left the guest room as it was.¡± ¡°I suppose that means we¡¯ll have to leave planning out the details for tomorrow?¡± Lina asked, looking a bit annoyed by that fact. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± Mark said, heading up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t want to be part of that mind-numbing conversation anyway. Go ahead.¡± ¡°What details do you think need working out?¡± Brent asked with an eyebrow raised at the blonde fiddling with building a little pyramid out of stick-crackers. ¡°How long do we stay here, where are we going, how exactly will we go about hunting monsters as efficiently and safely as possible and so on and so forth.¡± ¡°Well, we need some more information for that,¡± said Brent. ¡°Miss Vexley, what would you say about the monsters around here? Are there any clumps of them within a reasonable distance for us lowly ground-walkers?¡± ¡°No,¡± Helene said, squinting at the man like she wasn¡¯t sure he was mocking her somehow. Which Mia knew he probably was, which consequently made her glare at him. Still, she knew he was just like that. ¡°The suburbs are clear, barely anything got out here from the city and the few things that wander close from the outside get slaughtered by the few all too eager people. The only place unlike that is the forest up on the hill.¡± Probably deals with stress by annoying people or making fun of them. Mia thought, thinking back to the severe uptic in Brent poking fun at the group after every dangerous encounter. It was never malicious, but it was noticeable and sometimes annoying. ¡°The one with the werewolf?¡± Brent asked, sitting upright. ¡°The one to the east of here?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Helene said, nodding slowly. ¡°The whole hill is overgrown like no human stepped foot in there in a century. I know the roads and houses built on it were lived in before all this came here.¡± ¡°What of the monsters?¡± Lina asked curiously. ¡°Wolves,¡± Helene said with a rueless snort. ¡°Weird ones too, with green fur and vines wrapping around them. Those things are probably the reason the whole place is overgrown.¡± ¡°That is ¡­ worrying,¡± Brent rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°I¡¯d say we target it, since the last Rift, the one which monsters we haven¡¯t met yet might be hidden up there somewhere. But there is that werewolf with apparently hundreds of humans under him too.¡± ¡°Do you think the werewolf somehow took over the wolf pack?¡± Lina asked, looking like she was probably joking. ¡°We don¡¯t know whether taking over from a monster as the Rift Guardian is possible,¡± Brent said. ¡°Or perhaps that werewolf was the Rift Guardian, the previous one. We passed the one week mark a day or so ago so it¡¯s possible that Rift already exhaled its first round of monsters.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s not the case,¡± Mia said uncomfortably, frowning deeply. She didn¡¯t want to fight humans, even though she knew it would be inevitable at some point in the future. Some would probably say she should just ¡®get it over with¡¯ to desensitise herself to it as soon as possible. After all, since it was inevitable, why should she keep pushing it back into the future. Well, nothing is as inevitable as death and yet Mia had no intention of Blasting herself in the face or jumping off a bridge to get it over and done with. ¡°Indeed,¡± Brent said. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m suggesting we sod off from here as soon as possible. I don¡¯t want to be near that cunt and his army of raiding beastkin. We should tackle something simpler first ¡­ like the critter Rift or the bird one if we can find either.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± Mia asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a rabbit rip apart a squad of goblins effortlessly and we struggled against a smaller squad a few times. The birds are a pain too, if Lina misses even just a single one, someone is getting mangled at best and killed at worst.¡± ¡°The alternative is goblins, or the sewers,¡± Brent said. ¡°With you being mainly heavy on single target attacks, I¡¯d say we rule out the Rift with ¡®swarming¡¯ in its name. That leaves a ¡®fortress¡¯ filled with the ¡®green-tide¡¯.¡± ¡°I¡¯d wager we¡¯d die if we go into either of those four as we are,¡± Carmilla piped in helpfully. ¡°We¡¯ll probably die even if all of us get to level 10.¡± ¡°If we sit around and do nothing the monsters will only keep getting stronger and stronger,¡± Brent said. ¡°I doubt we can outpace the Rift¡¯s speed in advancement.¡± Carmilla scowled at the man, clearly wanting to say something but holding herself back. ¡°I doubt any number of goblins or overgrown rats would be too much of a trouble for me,¡± the vampiress said easily, glancing at Mia. ¡°If I was topped off on lifeforce, that is.¡± ¡°I ¡­ think I too could handle a crowd of weaker monsters,¡± Helene said after some consideration. ¡°I haven¡¯t had much reason to experiment with it yet, what with my targets being stronger solitary monsters till now, but I apparently have some affinity for Storm magic.¡± ¡°Right! I didn¡¯t ask yet but what did you get turned into mom?¡± Mia asked leaning over to stare up into Helene¡¯s eyes. Aside from her facial features and expressions, only her sky blue eyes similar to Mia¡¯s were the same as she remembered. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± Helene whispered back with a smile in her voice. ¡°What the rest of you need to know is that my Class is called Stormborne Sorceress and that I can fly. I think the name¡¯s quite descriptive.¡± ¡°It sounds cool,¡± Lina hummed, staring up at Helene with a twinkle in her eyes. ¡°Uhm, I have Air Elementalist right now, do you think I could get that to turn into some Storm magic Class?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Helene said with a light shrug. ¡°I have very little understanding of how these things actually work. My ¡­ race is predisposed to Storm magic though, so that¡¯s likely why I got it.¡± ¡°Can you at least tell me what the component elements of Storm are?¡± Lina asked, leaning forward a bit. Mia could guess why the blonde was so interested. She¡¯d been saying she was aiming for becoming powerful and quickly, and Storm magic was the element most fitting for combat among almost all of Air¡¯s Fused or Advanced elements. ¡°I think it can be either with Fire or with Water,¡± Mia said, her Memory stat doing some heavy lifting as it recalled the exact paragraph she read of the element. ¡°Or for the most effect, Lightning, Air and Water. Though I don¡¯t actually know how that is even possible since having both Air and Water affinity should be impossible.¡± Mia frowned as she finished, that little contradiction having been left unresolved annoying her to no end. ¡°Rituals, I¡¯d wager,¡± Lina said thoughtfully. ¡°I read somewhere that you can increase your affinity with elements with rituals. It works best for the four base elements and is almost impossible to do with the three fancy ones.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t that somehow need to change the positive-negative energy ratio in your lifeforce?¡± Mia wondered. ¡°It¡¯s more like infusing yourself with elemental essence or something of the like.¡± Lina shrugged, seemingly having been more results-driven in her research instead of focusing on the theory behind it. ¡°Instead of naturally attracting it? I think that was how it was said?¡± Must be some severe downsides to that. Mia thought, tapping at her chin. Perhaps she¡¯d have a much harder time controlling a mana type for which she has an artificially enhanced affinity? ¡°If you are really that confident, I suppose we can go ahead with clearing the sewers as our first goal,¡± said Brent, a grimace flickering across his face. Though it had nowhere near the severity all the women had around the room. ¡°I¡¯d say we go for the goblins, but there has to be a reason that rift started out at level 10 instead of 5.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really like to get my next quest done before we even think about going in,¡± Mia said. ¡°The one where I have to kill a monster at my own level alone, it¡¯d give me a wand. Also, I have another Runic Lexicon I¡¯d like to fully go through too.¡± ¡°How long would that take?¡± Brent asked. ¡°The previous one took me five days, but I was spending half my day doing other stuff,¡± Mia said. ¡°Plus this one is a bit shorter so maybe four days if we keep hunting monsters and travelling in the meantime?¡± ¡°Good enough,¡± Brent said. ¡°Go ahead with that then, I was already planning to have as many of you do that next quest too as possible. The sword I got out of it certainly served me well enough, as did the armour from the quest after that.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s where you got those from,¡± Lina exclaimed, squinting at the metallic armaments in a corner. ¡°Are they magical or something?¡± ¡°The sword won¡¯t break on me and will stay sharp,¡± Brent said. ¡°The armour has some enchantments that apparently eat up kinetic energy from physical attacks and store it to enhance my next attack.¡± A Force magic enchantment? Mia leaned forward, her eyes practically sticking onto the haphazardly piled up set of armour like they were glued onto it. Could I copy a rune from it without needing to get the kinetomancy Lexicon? ¡­ I really shouldn¡¯t. The brochure thingy warned against trying just this ¡­ but hmmmmm. ¡°What does the quest after the armour give?¡± Lina asked. ¡°For me? A technique-manual.¡± Brent shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d assume that¡¯d be one of those Runic thingies for Mia and something of the like for you too as you have no need for manuals telling you how to circulate Ki.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we use it too?¡± Lina asked. ¡°Ki can¡¯t be cultivated in a body suffused with mana.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lina deflated a little, but shook herself out of it in a moment with a glance at Brent¡¯s armour. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready whenever. We just have to decide where we want to go now. Do we head back and camp down somewhere around the panels and go hunting for the next few days further into the city?¡± ¡°That was almost exactly my plan,¡± Brent said. ¡°But with one small modification, we need to camp close to the inner city. I want all those panel-dwellers between us and the werewolf¡¯s army. Anyone against that plan?¡± Mia shook her head and Carmilla mirrored her a moment later. Helene, for herself, looked at Brent for a long few seconds before shaking her head too. ¡°Great!¡± Lina gave a little cheerful clap. ¡°So we are setting out early tomorrow? We shouldn¡¯t waste too much time.¡± After another round of acknowledgements, everyone turned themselves in for the night. Helene, Mia and Carmilla opted for sleeping on the pulled out sofas while Lina got Mia¡¯s bed and Brent Helene¡¯s. Mia was a bit put off by getting weaseled out of her own childhood bed, but with how distinctly uncomfortable Lina looked with the idea of sleeping next to the vampiress, Mia easily gave in to the girl¡¯s silent plea. 34 - Revitalization ¡°Well,¡± Mia said, biting her lips. She stared at the sanitised empty syringe mom got her for what would come next. ¡°Time for dinner I guess?¡± Carmilla gulped, looking every bit like an emaciated street kid with a bag of fast food dangled before her eyes. ¡°Want me to do it?¡± Helene asked, patting Mia on the back soothingly. ¡°Uh, yes please,¡± Mia said, quickly handing over the pointy implement and turning her head away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear, I¡¯ve nurse training,¡± Helene said calmly, taking Mia¡¯s arm into her own as she sat down next to her on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯ve done this hundreds of times. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± She was not, in fact, quick. Not in Mia¡¯s mind at least, she felt every split second the syringe spent piercing her skin and sucking out her blood like it was an eternity. She¡¯d always hated the feeling of having her blood taken like this, but maybe that was mostly because she had a few too many experiences with horribly incompetent nurses that took five tries to find her veins. Sure, her veins were maybe a bit harder to see than most peoples, but that didn¡¯t mean you had to fuck it up so bad you scraped her bones with the syringe. ¡°Done,¡± Helene said, pulling the metallic torture device out of Mia¡¯s arm before holding a little fluff of cotton up against the puncture wound. ¡°Wait, let me test out this ring!¡± Mia exclaimed, almost instinctively pushing the mental ¡®manual activation¡¯ button for the enchantment. Taking off the cotton swab, she watched in fascination as the little bead of blood forming atop her wound rapidly scabbed over before falling off. Underneath it, her skin was pristine and without as much as a scar. ¡°Huh,¡± Mia started, caressing the newly healed bit of skin with a thumb. ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°Carmilla, do you want me to get you a glass or ¡­ ?¡± Helene asked, getting back to business while her daughter poked curiously at her skin. ¡°No!¡± Carmila startled, snapping out of a momentary daze. Her eyes were locked onto the quarter-filled syringe though, and at the ¡­ glimmering blood in it. ¡°Mia, why does your blood have glitter in it?¡± Helene asked in wonder as she took the metal tip off the syringe and handed the rest over to the drooling vampiress. Carmilla latched onto it like it was a precious gem, she fumbled a bit even still as she raised it to her lips and took the tip into her mouth. ¡°What glitter?¡± Mia blinked, finally looking up at her mother, then over to Carmilla. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s weird ¡­ I have no idea.¡± Carmilla pushed the blood into her mouth, letting out a guttural groan of pleasure as the last bit got squeezed out of the syringe. The girl had her eyes closed and wobbled a bit even sitting down as she was. Her body quivered, then shifted. Skin stretched, atrophied muscles grew at visible speed and the girl filled out before their eyes. Her sunken cheeks filled up, her dying hair turned vibrant, and her skeletal form lost its edges in return for supple curves. Carmilla¡¯s clothes that hung loosely on her emaciated frame just moments ago now stretched tightly against her curves. Mia could only stare as the vampiress went through years'' worth of bulking up and regular work-outs in just a few seconds. A soft crimson glow shone through from underneath her skin, and for a split second Mia could see every single vein in Carmilla¡¯s body. Then it was over, and the vampiress slumped back like a puppet with its strings cut. Her head smacked against the back of the sofa as her body practically melted into it with a contented dopey smile on her now full lips. Mia couldn¡¯t help herself, she stared, her mother having to push her open jaw close with a finger so she wouldn¡¯t embarrass herself too much. Holy shit. Mia thought, her eyes gaining a life of their own as they roamed over the redheaded girl¡¯s body. Suddenly, she felt really stupid for thinking of Carmilla as a teen or even as just a child. There was nothing childish about her now, and Mia quickly pushed the girl¡¯s suspected age up by five years in her head. Damn, she really must have been close to starving to death. Carmilla¡¯s eyes fluttered open, her crimson orbs glowing with delight in the low light of the living room. Her lips stretched into a beatific smile. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± Then her eyes drooped, closing once more with her head lulling to the side. Not five seconds later, she was snoring softly as she slowly slipped further and further towards the headrest. ¡°Well, that was ¡­ interesting,¡± Helene noted in a whisper, her eyes just as wide as Mia as she looked at the sleeping vampiress. ¡°Uhuh,¡± Mia made a dumb sound, her brain still trying to reconcile the image of the emaciated ¡®kid¡¯ she saved with the gorgeous vampire snoring before her. ¡°What did you even do to get that girl so enthralled with you?¡± Helene asked, nudging Mia with an elbow as her lips quirked up in amusement. ¡°I- uh,¡± Mia swallowed, trying to get at least a few wheels turning in her head again. It was probably only due to her much increased Will stat that she succeeded. ¡°We found her in a ¡­ really bad shape. I thought she was already dead. Still, I- uhm, I gave her my healing Elixir.¡± Mia conveniently left out the part where Carmilla almost killed her in a panic. She knew her mother, and she knew how she¡¯d react to learning that. I don¡¯t want her to hate Carmilla. Of course Mia understood why her mother would react like that, losing Gabe just a year ago was still fresh on her mind. Knowing that she¡¯d almost lost another child might make her ¡­ rash, or more likely absolutely livid with the one who almost killed her daughter. Carmilla doesn¡¯t deserve to face that. The poor girl was just trying to survive. ¡°So you saved her life,¡± Helene said with a warm look, pulling Mia in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you Mia. You did good.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mia said, a bit uncomfortable as she hugged her mother back. Okay, time to change the topic. ¡°You said you¡¯d tell me what you got turned into once we were alone?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Helene said, rolling her eyes a bit as she glanced over at the vampire now draped over the sofa like a cat. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more about the girl later, you are not allowed to fumble this one. Understood?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia blinked, uncomprehending. Did she really mean what I think she did? But ¡­ ughhh. I thought she was just a teen minutes ago, and she totally acted like it too. What the hell. ¡­ she looks twenty-five now though. ¡°Hopeless,¡± Helene whispered under her breath as she shook her head softly. What? ¡°Anyway, you were curious about what I got turned into, weren¡¯t you? Jealous of my wings?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said with a pout, though she was still mostly just curious rather than jealous. Not that she didn¡¯t already dream of flying around once she got Force magic powerful enough to accomplish it. ¡°Also ¡­ you got younger?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Helene preened, flicking a lock of wavy white hair behind her shoulder. ¡°I suppose that came with the race. The interface says it¡¯s called ¡®Stormborn Pegasus¡¯.¡± ¡°Pegasus?¡± Mia frowned, looking her mother up and down again. ¡°Like? The winged horses?¡± ¡°Mhmm,¡± Helene agreed. ¡°Though the only thing I have right now are the wings and a few Traits. What about you? I don''t remember you liking pink this much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Halvyr,¡± Mia said, giving the abridged version of what she knew of her new race. ¡°I think it suits you,¡± Helene said with a motherly smile. ¡°You look adorable, and those ears are just the icing on the cake. I think it might have done something to your facial structure too ¡­ you look much more huggable now.¡± ¡°Thanks ¡­ ?¡± Mia set her lips into a thin line, trying to decide whether she was happy with that assessment or not. In the end, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, so she just shrugged. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yep. It¡¯s a good thing. Let¡¯s take being ¡®adorable¡¯ and ¡®huggable¡¯ to mean I look more approachable and friendly now. Yep, that¡¯s good. ¡°You¡¯re welcome honeybun,¡± Helene said, giving Mia a quick peck on the forehead before slumping back onto the bed. ¡°We should get some sleep now, it seems to me your new friends are aching to get back into the action.¡± ¡°You say that like you haven¡¯t somehow managed to outlevel all of us,¡± Mia grumbled. ¡°I bet you were knee deep in monster guts every single day.¡± ¡°Do you trust them by the way?¡± Helene asked, whispering to Mia as she laid down next to her mother. ¡°Well, I do fully trust Mark,¡± Mia said slowly, thinking the question over seriously. ¡°Lina saved my life a fair few times I think, but she really just wants to get strong almost obsessively so I don¡¯t know. Brent is ¡­ I thought he was a bit of an ass at first, but he stood up for me when I was in danger and has been making sure all of us survived ever since.¡± Helene hummed, rolling onto her back as she stared up at the ceiling. ¡°And your little vampiress?¡± ¡°I trust Carmilla as a person,¡± Mia said, taking in a quick breath. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure whether I trust her to control her urges if they ever get stronger. Though I guess the fact that she didn¡¯t just jump me when she was pretty much starving to death is noteworthy too.¡± ¡°I sincerely doubt that girl would ever willingly hurt you with the way she looks at you,¡± Helene murmured. ¡°Do you think eating a lot of garlic would help?¡± ¡°She strolled through the scorching midday sunlight,¡± Mia chortled. ¡°I doubt she¡¯d even blink at me smelling of garlic.¡± ¡°Oh well,¡± Helene said. ¡°Just be careful, alright honey?¡± ¡°Sure mom,¡± Mia said, yawning as all the fatigue from the day¡¯s activities was rapidly catching up with her. ¡°Night?¡± ¡°Good night sweetie.¡± ***** Mia woke up with a start. She was on her feet with her heart beating out of her chest before her brain even fully woke up. She stood in the middle of the living room in nothing but a pair of shorts and a tank top as adrenaline surged in her veins, banishing every smidge of tiredness from her body. Her ears twitched, then flattened against her head. She didn¡¯t even need them and their supernatural hearing. She could feel the deep rumblings in the floor underneath her bare feet. The Familiar, which Mia had honestly forgotten about with how low-key it had been, was up on her shoulder in a blink and busied itself by glaring at the world around it. ¡°Mia?¡± Helene woke up only a few seconds later, staring at her daughter in worry. ¡°What are yo-¡° ¡°Shhh,¡± Mia said, dropping to her knees and pressing her ears up against the floor. The distant reverberations turned into monotonous thundering rumblings. Thousands of tonnes of steel, rolling forth on the streets. There were hundreds. Mia jumped up, her ear ringing. A few seconds later she could push her focus through the noise, and search for what else hid underneath it. Thunderous cracks, explosions, shouts, screams, but mostly the first three. Mia knew those cracks. Gunshots. Fully automatic rifles. ¡°I think the military is here,¡± she said with a gulp. ¡°Or the goblins figured out how to make rifles and tanks overnight.¡± ¡°I can hear it too,¡± Carmilla said, appearing next to Mia in her own set of dishevelled nightclothes. Mia found herself distracted by how different the whole ¡®feel¡¯ of the girl was. Even her voice sounded more lively and laced with power now. Or maybe Mia was just much more conscious of the vampiress. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Mia asked once she was sure the sounds of fighting were coming from far away. She glanced at Carmilla, forcing herself to only look at her face. ¡°Awesome,¡± the vampiress practically purred, the wide smile on her face curving her eyes into crescents. ¡°I¡¯d never felt so strong, so alive. Neither did I ever have a body quite like ¡­ this.¡± As the redhead looked herself over, she seemed just as wonderstruck as Mia had been when first seeing it the night before. ¡°Girls, focus!¡± Helene said, now on her feet as she walked over to the front windows and pulled the blinders apart. ¡°What-¡° A large, armoured humvee in forest green paint rolled down the street. Its windows were shaded so the insides couldn¡¯t be seen, but Mia heard the weight of the vehicle as it crushed the asphalt under its tires. It was gone in less than a second, then a large truck in the same colouring rolled by. ¡°Well, it seems our plans just went down the drain,¡± Helene said dryly as she stared after the vehicles. Then continued under her breath. ¡°Perhaps for the best.¡± ¡°True that,¡± said Brent, rushing down the stairs as he stared out the window too for a moment before he quickly got to arming and armouring himself. Obviously not having heard the second part of Helene¡¯s remark. ¡°Shit.¡± Lina and Mark followed after the man, both looking halfway between drowsy and alert in a way only getting woken up by a surge of adrenaline could accomplish. ¡°Wow,¡± Mark said as he noticed Carmilla, his thought seemingly going down the drain instantly. Lina kicked him in the shin, though Mia noticed the blonde too checked out the vampiress with a level of envy in her gaze. Yep. She¡¯s straighter than an arrow. ***** Carmilla could barely keep up with her body, now that it was finally working as it should. She thought it was when she woke up in that coffin, but now that she felt fully satiated for the first time in her life, she understood how clueless that assumption had been. She¡¯d been literally running on fumes, working off of scraps, with barely enough lifeforce in her body to keep it from starting to rot. [Blood Bank (lifeforce stores): 110%] [Attributes are once again fully in effect.] Slowly, gently. Carmilla told herself, using every shred of will she had to control her body. Thankfully, she assigned quite a few points into every mental Sub Attribute so she managed. Barely. Now that all of her Body Sub Attributes were actually working, she was one wrong move away from hurting someone really badly. Why? Well, all three of her Base Body stats were at 10. On top of that, Strength and Agility had another 10 in Gained Attributes, making the total 20 in both. And I can still get five more Base Attributes in those two. Only Flexibility maxed out at 10. Unlike Brent¡¯s strength and Sam¡¯s speed, Carmilla¡¯s didn¡¯t stem from her Class or any body enhancement, it was all pure stats. Well, that and her vampiric nature, but the two were practically the same with Bloodline Trait granting her all those Attributes. For the first time, Carmilla felt her mana pool and the slowly revolving runic-model at the center of it. It was a beautiful thing, yet so simple. Just half a dozen shapes and at most fifty runes held in long twisting arms that orbited the construct and yet it would finally, finally allow her to use magic. Only while I have my Blood Bank above 100% though. Even just a single percent under it would leave my Spirit too destabilised to actually wield mana. That was the downside of being a vampire, always having to push an expiration date back bit by bit. Even now, Carmilla instinctively knew that if she didn¡¯t feed again, her body would start to rot in two weeks. Then fully fall apart a few days after that. She wasn¡¯t going to vaporise under the sunlight now, but as with most folklore, that story had an element of truth to it. It was lifeforce that kept her safe from the rays of the sun, and once it ran out ¡­ well, she was going to go poof if she didn¡¯t keep to the shadows. I have 10% above the minimum. That¡¯s ¡­ three days of being in top condition, or about ten Blood Bolts. Carmilla took a quick glance at the pink-haired girl frowning into the aether with her ears giving an occasional twitch. Her blood had been just as good as she¡¯d hoped, if not better. Not even in her faintest dreams did she think drinking just a mouthful of it would revitalise her so much. Neither did she expect how delicious she would taste. A part of her, probably the bloodthirsty vampiric part that she inherited from her ancestors, was urging her to lock the girl in a basement and use her as a blood slave. Hell, she had memories of more than one of her ancestors doing just that with someone whose taste they took a fancy to. There were a dozen and one ways to do it too, from making the girl addicted to her bite to a bloodcurse that would kill her if the vampire who inflicted it on her hadn¡¯t bitten her in a while. Nasty things, one and all. Carmilla crushed that urge like always. She hated nothing more than turncoats, and the last thing she was going to do was to bite the hand that was feeding her. Quite literally, in this instance. Only if she lets me. She thought, thinking back on her conversation with the girl yesterday. Carmilla could have lied, told her that her bite would do nothing to her, but she didn¡¯t. Instead, she shared what her bite would do if she held back on the nasty properties of it as much as possible. She didn¡¯t lie, but she hadn¡¯t been entirely honest either. It made her feel horrible, but the thought of the girl telling her to go away was just too horrible of an alternative. Not that she ever intended to do anything to Mia. But telling someone all the things her bite could actually do would horrify even a psychopath, not to mention an innocent little soul like Mia. Carmilla didn¡¯t want to be hated, Mia was the first person to lend her a helping hand when she was down on the lowest ditch of her life. Carmilla wanted to stay with her, maybe even make a friend for the first time in her life. Noticing Mia staring at her, Carmilla tilted her head as she returned the gaze. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°N-nothing, sorry,¡± Mia replied quickly before she bounced away, deciding that an unassuming potted plant in the corner was in a sudden need of a thorough examination. What? Carmilla wondered, staring after the girl with a frown. That shy attitude was new, as were the looks and glances the girl sent her way. Maybe Mia thought she was being stealthy, but Camilla was a vampire, she could feel gazes on her like a physical touch. What¡¯s that about? ¡­ it started once I woke up this morning. Is something wrong with my renewed body? There shouldn¡¯t be. Hmmm. It¡¯s kinda cute though. Carmilla blinked in surprise as the thought rolled through her mind unbidden. She shook it off, deciding to just ignore it for now. They had to remake their plans and somehow factor in the dozens, if not hundreds, of tanks rolling through the streets of Graz and the thousands of armed soldiers who were doubtlessly already engaging the monsters. 35 - Offtime Tensions were running high in the old house even as the sun reached its apex at noon and started its slow descent towards the horizon. There was nothing to be done for most of the group, the one time Brent stepped out onto the street he got screamed at and had to stare down half a dozen rifle barrels as he slowly backed away and stepped back into the house. The soldiers were patrolling the streets in squads of five, armed to the teeth, and looked as if they were expecting the residents to attack them at any moment. Answers as for why it was so were non-forthcoming, and all they got in response was to ¡®get back inside¡¯ and that the city was now ¡®under martial law¡¯ on the command of one Brigadier General Friedrich Eisenfaust. The scowl Brent wore since he heard that name had been a thing to behold. Looking at it, Mia got the idea that the man probably didn¡¯t have the best opinions of the good general. Not that she disagreed, especially after she got a rifle pointed at her just for peeking out a window. Alas, while Brent stewed over the new stuff they learned, and Lina brainstormed about some harebrained idea of escaping the city and living as wandering monster hunters in the wilderness, the rest of them just sat back and made the most of their time. Helene somehow managed to turn those atrocious meat jerkies Mark packed up for them into a meal Mia could actually eat without having the urge to vomit. Meat. She could eat actual meat. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a steak or chicken nuggies, but she could eat it. Which made her suspect her newfound dislike for the latter more likely stemmed from an inability to eat overly processed food. Mark had been fiddling with his Elemental Manipulation skill, making little toy soldiers and making them fight with each other. It was fun to watch how the dwarf, with an overly serious scowl, glared down at two toy soldiers beating the shit out of each other with beads of sweat streaming down his temples. Alas, Mia had training of her own to do. She decided to abandon her attempts at learning how to stabilize her mana for now once she read that the recommended Spirit Attribute for it was 20. Instead, she was now busying herself by nosing through the first part of her Rudimentary Conjuration Runic Lexicon. The book was a bit different from the Summoning one, mostly in that it would actually teach her something instead of just dumping a bunch of runes on her head along with three spell circles. True, the two spell circles she couldn¡¯t use yet looked awesome, but the fact that she couldn¡¯t use them yet always dampened her enthusiasm for them. Apparently, one of them would even be capable of instantly turning into a Subskill for arcane mages. ¡®Summoning: Twin Spirits of Duality¡¯ was the name of the spell, and it went together with the Ritual Magic circle that she similarly couldn¡¯t use yet: ¡®Ritual: Spirit Genesis¡¯. If everything went well, and she could fulfill all the requirements for the Ritual once she could actually cast it, she could bind two spectral knights to her spirit and have them pop out to fight for her at a moment¡¯s notice. It¡¯d be awesome ¡­ yet the requirements were even more brutal than the need for her to manually multiply her already incorporated runes. I have no damned idea how I¡¯m going to find a ¡®place where a great hero died a virtuous death¡¯ and a ¡®location of absolute carnage¡¯ for the Ritual. Anyway, for now I should focus on the Conjuration book ¡­ it at least gives me new spells now. Though, Mia didn¡¯t go for the two new spells first, which would have been Arcane Shackles and Spectral Blade. No, instead she focused on the other half of the book that detailed how to create variations of her simplest spell: Arcane Bolt. Piercing, homing, blunted, swarming, turned into a beam. There were almost a dozen more or less useful variations, along with their spell circles and descriptions about how and why modifying the original circle ¡®just so¡¯ would result in the spell turning into one of the variations. It was exactly what she needed. The theoretical knowledge was already implanted in her head by her Class, but it all had been nothing more than a jumbled mess before she had something to focus on. She knew dozens of rules, laws of magic, guides for making spell circles, but without having examples and practise. It was like trying to build a car with only knowledge of the physical laws that would underline the process. ¡®Aha! So that¡¯s how that stupid thing works!¡¯ Was a sentence playing almost on loop in Mia¡¯s head as she examined the spell circles and the descriptions provided for them. *** ¡®In this spell circle, the Blahrl rune had been switched out for a Svign&Hohl combination to change the shape from a vague blob into a spike.¡¯ ¡®This throws off the runic weight balance-, as well as the overall symmetry of the circle, which destabilises the construct. We must change the octagonal spell boundary for a regular circle.¡¯ ¡®Next, we add the central triangle and put in the trio of reinforcement runes to hold the construct tightly together.¡¯ *** To anyone without her implanted knowledge, all that would read like a whole bunch of nonsense, but to her, it made sense. It reminded her of her time in college. She had that one professor that loved to give students a headache by overcomplicating the theoretical explanations in his math course. Luckily, the instructor for the practical part of the course was a man that was the exact opposite, and had a knack for dumbing down those overly complex rules so everyone would understand them. This book she was reading was reminding her of that instructor. Even though she hated the course with a passion, she liked the instructor. There were some variations she wouldn¡¯t be able to use until she got her hands on other Lexicons, like the freezing variation that used thermal runes or the Force Bolt which delivered direct kinetic energy to the target. Still, Mia was more than happy with the seven or eight variations she had all the runes for. Just as the final rune needed for the second variation¡¯s spell circle finished assimilating and Mia experimentally constructed the modified spell circle, something curious happened. [Level Up!] [Level: 7 -> 8] [Free Attribute Points: 0 -> 3] I levelled up from that? She thought with a grin spreading on her face. Maybe constantly putting herself in life and death situations with twisted monsters wasn¡¯t a must after all for her to get stronger. It made sense too. The Alchemist back in Jeff¡¯s building had been levelling up like nothing else and he hadn¡¯t fought a single time. He levelled up from doing Alchemist stuff, so it made sense an Arcane Mage ¡ª which was a primarily combat focused mage class ¡ª would level up from both combat and doing ¡®mage stuff¡¯. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Carmilla asked, her voice sounding out from right next to Mia. ¡°Eeep,¡± Mia startled, her heart jumping as she scrambled to catch the little bit of mana she¡¯d been playing with while she waited for the latest absorbed rune to settle into her runic-model. She looked up, finding curious crimson eyes looking down on her. Mia stared for an embarrassing second before coughing, clearing her throat and pushing herself up into a sitting position. The wind picked up for a moment, ruffling the leaves of the old willow tree above the two of them and blowing a tuft of pink hair right into her mouth. Mia spat out the lock of hair, coughing again under the amused gaze of the vampiress. ¡°Training,¡± Mia finally said, patting the little unassuming book in her lap. She glanced over at the house in the end of the garden where she could still see Lina pace up and down at the terrace. ¡°Thought I¡¯d busy myself by doing something useful.¡± ¡°And away from all that,¡± the redhead motioned towards the house. ¡°I suppose?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Mia said, smirking. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Carmilla asked, tilting her head. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mia raised an eyebrow, laying back down into the soft grass. She¡¯d always loved that spot under the willow. It was perfect for just lying down in the shade and enjoying the free suburban air. ¡°I know Mark¡¯s training, Brent¡¯s brooding, Lina is fuming and Mom¡¯s busy trying to keep the latter two from catching a sudden case of death by stupid. But what about you? Do you have something to do while we wait for those asshats to tell us what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging as she slowly lay down next to Mia. ¡°But it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just fine with sitting around.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to train your attributes or something?¡± Mia asked. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have these books, I¡¯d be doing that right about now I think.¡± ¡°Which attributes?¡± Carmilla asked. ¡°Whichever I feel like.¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t train Body Attributes,¡± the girl said. ¡°Those will only rise as I grow older or when I rank up. Which is technically the same thing from a vampiric evolutionary standpoint.¡± ¡°You have magic now though, I¡¯m sure your Spirit could use the training.¡± ¡°Right, magic,¡± Carmilla said, sounding almost disinterested. ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, feeling a little offended. ¡°Sorry.¡± Carmilla said softly, then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡­ I can¡¯t really rely on magic.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°It never failed me before.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re not a vampire,¡± the redhead said. ¡°I¡¯m fine ¡­ for now, but as my lifeforce gets used up my magic will weaken and become entirely unusable before long, leaving me with only my body to fight with.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just ¡­ drink more blood?¡± Mia asked, raising a dubious eyebrow at the vampire. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how reluctant you¡¯d been and how uncomfortable having your blood taken made you yesterday,¡± Carmilla said matter-of-factly. ¡°Keeping me topped off would need you to repeat that every three or four days, but I can stay alive for a week or two without feeding. I just have to forgo magic. I can live off of only having a gulp of your blood every ten days.¡± ¡°Why does it have to be my blood?¡± Mia asked. ¡°A gulp of yours is worth two or three liters of blood from anyone else,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I don¡¯t think others would survive having that much of it taken so regularly.¡± Mia rolled to her side and squinted at the side of Carmilla¡¯s face. She was getting two very different messages from the girl''s words. Mia was sure a part of the vampire was aching to ask Mia to just serve as her blood bank every day, while another didn¡¯t want to be too pushy. She is not doing either all that well. Or she is doing the first very well because Mia was pretty close to just offering to have her blood taken every day. If that was true, then Carmilla was a masterful manipulator and was playing Mia for a fool. Why? Because magic was awesome, and the fact that the vampiress couldn¡¯t enjoy it as much as Mia was quite pitiful. The solution was simple too, costing only some discomfort and a little bit of pain to Mia. Also, why the hell was her blood so special? ¡°What¡¯s so special about my blood?¡± Mia decided to just ask. ¡°No idea.¡± Carmilla shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°I haven¡¯t been doing this vampire-ing for all that long, nor did I drink any ¡­ one¡¯s blood before yours.¡± ¡°How do you know other¡¯s blood would be worse then?¡± ¡°I can smell the lifeforce in it, and the quality of it,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure maybe only your mothers blood or Lina¡¯s would work. Though both of them are a fair bit inferior to yours.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Mia rolled onto her back and stared up at the clouds drifting through the sky between the branches. If she didn¡¯t have me to give her my blood, she¡¯d have to drain someone dry every few days. ¡­. Shit. Mia gulped, realising that keeping the vampire fed was probably just by itself saving lives. Or ¡®a¡¯ life, at the very least. Carmilla seemed like a nice girl. For all Mia knew, she¡¯d refuse murdering someone in cold blood just to keep herself alive for a few more days. What a fucked up situation. Mia thought, exhaling. ¡°I can agree to having my blood taken, let¡¯s say ¡­ every other day. On one condition.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Cermilla asked, maybe a little too quickly. ¡°Okay, two,¡± Mia amended as she stared into the eyes of the vampire. Her pupils were dilated slightly and her face was a bit too eager for someone who didn¡¯t seem to care about magic all that much. ¡°How does drinking my blood make you feel? Answer me honestly, that¡¯s condition one.¡± ¡°Okay, uhm,¡± Carmilla chewed on her lower lip, blushing slightly before she spoke. ¡°Like I¡¯m having a full body orgasm.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, face blank as she just stared at the blushing vampire for a few seconds. Then her own face flushed red up to the tips of her ears. ¡°WHY?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Carmilla said with a bit of indignation. ¡°That¡¯s how it feels! You asked me, what are you getting mad at me for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad!¡± Mia held back the urge to just run into the house and scream into a pillow. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. ¡°Okay ¡­ okay, I¡¯m good. Follow up question! If it¡¯s like that ¡­ won¡¯t you get addicted to it? I mean, I know some drugs do something similar and I really don¡¯t want to make you addic-¡° ¡°I should be immune to mental influences like that,¡± Carmilla cut in, now hogging her knees as she rolled back and forth on the ground. ¡°And my Will is at 12. 10 of that being Base. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°This is so fucking weird,¡± Mia said, her voice taking on a higher pitch from the embarrassment. ¡°And are you alright with ¡­ that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My blood making you feel like that?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Carmilla blinked her big innocent eyes at Mia. ¡°And what could I do? It¡¯s not even like it hurts.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia massaged the bridge of her nose, grumbling inwardly. ¡°Second condition. This is very important!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Carmilla nodded seriously as Mia sat up with her legs crossed. ¡°You¡¯ve got to tell me more about yourself,¡± Mia said, leaning closer with her eyes narrowed. ¡°If I¡¯m to become your semi-permanent blood donor, I want to at least get to know you. So far, all I know about you is your name and that you are a vampire.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Carmilla looked surprised, a frown crested her brows, then her face went placid before she gave a serious nod. ¡°I ¡­ can do that. I¡¯ll answer whatever question you might have.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Mia said, leaning back with a smirk as she hid her trembling hands behind her body. ¡°You tell me about yourself. The QnA comes after.¡± ¡°Uhhhhhh,¡± Carmilla frowned, starting to chew on her cheeks. ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tell, really. I grew up an orphan, having lost my mother when I was five and then jumped between foster families for a while. The family I ended up with raised me till I was ¡­ 13 I think? Then I got interred into a hospital for chemo. That lasted for the next five years or so ¡­ when I died.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia stared at the girl blankly, looking her up and down with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I got better.¡± Carmilla said with a shrug and a slight smile. ¡°Well, as much better as waking up, buried six feet under in a coffin is ¡®getting better¡¯. That was last week, by the way. I crawled my way out, escaped the undead in the cemetery and pretty much got harassed by monsters until I ran out of whatever lifeforce I had left. Then you found me.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia said, just staring at Carmilla for a few seconds like she would say ¡®sike, you fell for it¡¯ any moment now. She didn¡¯t. ¡°Also,¡± Carmilla added, as if an afterthought. ¡°Apparently, I¡¯ve been dead for two years. The last date I remember being in the hospital was somewhere in June of 2023.¡± ¡°You look pretty good for a corpse,¡± Mia said, her mouth once again flapping away before her brain caught up with it. She quickly blushed, realising how incredibly insensitive that had been. ¡°Oh my god, sorry that was stupid-¡° ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carmilla said with an easygoing smile. ¡°Like I said, I got better. Being a vampire has its perks.¡± ¡°Like getting off on drinking blood,¡± Mia muttered under her breath, her eyes taking in the vampire in her entirety. And being stupidly good looking, like damn. She could be a supermodel, she looks gorgeous even in my lame shorts and shirt. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla affirmed with a light blush. ¡°I mean no! It¡¯s ¡­ that¡¯s only with blood that¡¯s really special.¡± My bloodline must be even more awesome than I thought if it makes my blood taste this good to vampires. Mia thought, considering that maybe a deeper dive into that Halvyr history book would be in order in the near future. Maybe while I¡¯m waiting for a rune to get assimilated and get burned out from studying the runic theory behind the spell circles. ¡°O-kay,¡± Mia intoned with a playful lilt in her voice. Inwardly though, she was feeling a bit dreary. My blood¡¯s the only thing special about me then, is that what she thinks? Is that why she stuck to me like a lamprey since she joined our party? Just because she was wanting to get high off of my blood? Still, her tale didn¡¯t feel fake to Mia. At least the girl telling it didn¡¯t anyway, if anyone else said the same thing with a straight face Mia suspected she¡¯d have laughed at them. The story sounded fake, but not when told by Carmilla. Getting buried and waking up as a vampire. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Carmilla asked, sniffing a little as she leaned closer to Mia. ¡°You smell ¡­ miserable.¡± ¡°How does ¡®miserable¡¯ smell?¡± Mia asked dryly. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla said, her nose scrunching up. ¡°But that¡¯s what you smell like.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could smell emotions.¡± ¡°Only extreme ones,¡± the vampire said. ¡°Like terror, misery and ¡­ I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s the only two I caught a scent of till now.¡± The silence between the two stretched further as Mia gazed up at the sky again, watching as a large cone shaped cloud swam before the sun. Mia felt an arm snaking around her waist and pulling her in for an extremely awkward side-hug. Stiffening, she glanced up at the vampiress who was doing her best to appear nonchalant. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mia found herself asking, even as she leaned into the hug subconsciously. ¡°I thought-¡° Carmilla started, twitching away from Mia as if slapped. Mia stopped her with an arm around the girl¡¯s waist. She didn¡¯t have the strength to do so if the redhead really wanted to move away, but instead of doing so, Carmilla just stiffened. Opting to stay silent, afraid that whatever she¡¯d say would cause her to die of cringe later on. Instead, she just leaned her head on Carmilla¡¯s shoulder. If it was possible, the vampire stiffened even further, so much so that she might as well have been a statue. A pretty soft statue. Mia mused, resisting the sudden urge to let her hand wander. She found herself highly enjoying how awkward and stiff Carmilla was, it somehow made her feel like the girl actually cared. Slowly, Carmilla relaxed and the arm she still had around Mia¡¯s waist started gently rubbing up and down her side as if to comfort her. Maybe she really does care. Mia thought, a smile slipping onto her lips. 36 - Army ¡°Dear god, those two are awkward,¡± Helene murmured as she stared out the window at her daughter and her maybe girlfriend-to-be. Helene frowned as she chewed on her lips, an all too familiar guilt taking hold of her before she shook it off with a sigh. It was stupid, undeserved and useless, but the guilt hadn¡¯t gone anywhere for the last decade and that surely wasn¡¯t going to change now. If only I made enough money to stay in the US. Helene lamented, thinking back on how badly her children took the move. From one day to the next, it was like she¡¯d pulled the carpet out from under them all. It didn¡¯t help that it came so soon after their father did his grand disappearing act. The kids¡¯ whole life got turned on its head. Sophie still resented her for it, and Mia never quite managed to fit in with anyone for the rest of her childhood. Having her brother there, and occasionally Mark certainly helped, but being the ¡®new girl¡¯ with the ¡®weird accent¡¯ who could barely speak a word of German shot the poor girl¡¯s social life in the foot before it could even learn to walk. The fact that Mia had even a smidgen of social skills or was even willing to try socialising after the horrid experiences she had growing up was a miracle in Helene¡¯s eyes. Nothing quite like the world ending to break people out of their shells. As the little vampire glanced up, somehow feeling her gaze, Helene smiled at the girl before turning away. She liked Carmilla, it was clear to her that the vampire really liked her daughter, but in what way, she couldn¡¯t yet tell. She could only hope. And hope that only a small part of it is for her blood. Helene thought with a slight grimace flickering across her face, then shook her head. There was nothing she could do about that. She could only keep an eye out and make sure the vampiress didn¡¯t form some twisted obsession with her daughter because of her blood. That would be just the sort of thing to make sure Mia doesn¡¯t talk to a single soul for another three years. Helene sighed. And she¡¯s just coming out of her shell, ever so slowly. Fate could really take pity on her for once. Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing as she felt one of her Wind Wards breaking. They were invisible and didn¡¯t do anything to those who broke them, only sending a signal back to the caster. Helene glanced out the window, and saw a military vehicle roll to a stop before the house as a squad of soldiers leisurely got out from it. She counted six, all carrying rifles and wearing bored, but serious looks on their faces as they walked up to the door in combat formation. ¡°Mark, get the girls,¡± Helene said. ¡°We have a squad of soldiers incoming through the front door.¡± ***** A quick, orderly knock came from the front door just as Mia and Carmilla stumbled through the back door. Brent was in full armour with his sword unsheathed and aimed at the floor. He stood before the door, a hand on the handle as he gazed back at the gathered group. ¡°They knocked,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°That probably means they won''t attack us, but be alert. They are all no doubt high strung and quick to jump on anything looking even vaguely threatening.¡± ¡°I can put up a wind barrier,¡± Lina said, threads of air mana twisting around her fingers like tiny tornadoes. ¡°Would it stop a bullet?¡± Brent asked. ¡°Perhaps?¡± Lina said, looking uncertain for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it would at least slow them down enough to make them non-lethal.¡± ¡°Throw that up if any of them raise their rifles to fire.¡± Brent nodded, then turned to the door just as another, more forceful knock sounded. ¡°OPEN UP. WE ARE HERE TO CONDUCT A GENERAL SURVEY.¡± General survey my ass. Mia thought, her ears twitching as she caught a conversation whispered into some comm-microphone. ¡° ¡­ know the drill. Be ready to shoot at a moment''s notice. Expect all of them to attack you, treat everyone with extensive mutations as a possible monster.¡± ¡°Roger. Roger. We got this.¡± ¡°I am going to knock one more time, if they don¡¯t open the door you blast it open Vark.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Assholes. Mia thought, her runic-model already readied and the spell circle of one of the first variant Bolt spells she learned hummed. She went with the blunted variant since she was going up against humans. It would feel like they received a human sized bean bag to the face at terminal velocity and it would hurt like a bitch, but it wouldn¡¯t kill them. Which was the only part that mattered to Mia. Luck was on her side for once, and the assimilation of the last rune she absorbed finished up just minutes ago. It would have sucked to be forced to watch the others fight while I was locked away from my magic. ¡°They are going to blast through if you don¡¯t open the door after the next knock.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Brent said, huffing out a quick breath. ¡°I¡¯m opening it. HOLD YOUR FIRE, I¡¯M OPENING THE DOOR.¡± Throwing the door open, Brent stepped back and had a hand up close to his face. Mia assumed he was ready to shield his face with his gauntlet should the soldiers open fire. Why his armour came without a helmet, she didn¡¯t know, but it really made his head out to be a target. Or maybe it had a helmet once? Mia faintly recalled that being so, but wasn¡¯t sure. Could be he just lost it somewhere along the way or it broke. Can his armour defend against bullets? Mia wondered, her eyes quickly jumping between the soldiers warily. My flimsy kinetic energy eating skill certainly won¡¯t be able to. Hopefully the enchantment on his armour is stronger. One stood on either side of the door with the other three surrounding their apparent unarmed superior. Their rifles were aimed at the ground and their fingers weren¡¯t on the trigger. Mia held back a sigh of relief as she noted those facts in less than a second. ¡°How can we help you?¡± Brent asked, somehow managing to sound like he was being genuine. If Mia hadn¡¯t seen him fuming just minutes ago, she¡¯d have thought he was a model citizen willing to help the soldiers in whichever way he could. ¡°I¡¯m Sergeant Herman and we are doing a sweep of the houses to make sure no monsters are hiding in this section of the city.¡± The unarmed man with a majestic moustache in an officer¡¯s getup said. He tilted his head at Brent as his gaze swept over the gathered group beyond the door. ¡°At ease people. We mean you no harm. We¡¯ll be gone before you know it ¡­ now if you would step aside?¡± Brent gazed at the soldiers impassively for a second, then stepped to the side and gave a nod to the group behind him. Mia hopped to the side, her spell and mana still readied just as she knew everyone else¡¯s were. Mark had a smaller, less unwieldy mace in his hand and Lina was spinning up a whole web of air magic around the room. Helene looked to be doing nothing at all, just standing back in her homey sundress. Mia could feel the wild, powerful mana crackling at the ready just beneath her skin though. Carmilla was the only one outwardly doing something, which was glaring at the soldiers as she hovered over Mia. Mia thought that was why half of the soldiers seemed to be keeping their eyes on her at first, but that seemed not to be the case as another two stared at Mark the same way. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Two grade two mutants, three grade ones and a regular. You know the protocol,¡± the Sergeant said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Brent asked as two barrels came up to point at Mia and Mark. His voice was cold and his fist tightened around his sword, which earned himself getting a rifle of his own pointed at him. Mia watched on as Lina¡¯s magic formed a triple layered invisible barrier in front of her and Mark. The girl also gathered a clump of mana above the soldiers and Mia could almost picture the lot of them getting splattered across the floor. The Familiar on Mia¡¯s shoulder hissed, but kept put for now, waiting for an order to pounce. ¡°Protocol,¡± said the Sergeant. ¡°People with grade two mutations like those two are to be treated as if they are carrying unlicensed military grade firearms.¡± ¡°You are going to jail them then for something they can do nothing about?¡± Helene asked, putting on a soft pout that wouldn¡¯t have appeared threatening to anyone as she put her fists on her hips. Mia knew better though, that was the face she wore to throw people off before she tore into them. Usually with her words, but by the way her mana was dancing eagerly around her, Mia guessed that ¡®tearing into someone¡¯ might turn out to be much more literal this time. ¡°No,¡± said the Sergeant, his gaze jumping between Brent and Helene who now boxed in his squad between themselves. ¡°But they represent a possible danger beyond regular people. Please understand, this protocol was made to protect my men from possible dangers. We will not hurt them unless they make any threatening moves.¡± Mark took that moment to make his armour shift and cover every bit of his skin, which made him look like a dwarf shaped clay sculpture. Carmilla stood before Mia, putting her body between her and the bullet¡¯s possible path. She glared at the three soldiers aiming their weapons at her. The three tried to spread out so two of them could keep Mia in their line of sight. Their movements were slow, almost unassisted by any stats to Mia¡¯s eyes. They didn¡¯t even seem to be using any mana. ¡°Sir,¡± said Brent slowly. ¡°If you want to leave this house alive tell your men to point those fucking guns at the floor.¡± ¡°Are you threathe-¡° ¡°I am,¡± Brent said, stepping closer until the barrel of the soldier aiming at him pushed up against his chest plate. ¡°We have just spent a week fighting for our lives, cutting through hordes of monsters. I believe we are all a bit tense and don¡¯t really like the people who were supposed to protect us from those monsters threatening our lives, hmmm?¡± ¡°If you kill even just a single one of us, the whole regiment will come down on your heads,¡± said the Sergeant, glaring back. ¡°Even this will have consequences.¡± Maybe we should have played along. Mia thought, not too worried about getting shot. She trusted Lina and her barriers, and the same went for Carmilla and the Familiar. She wasn¡¯t in much actual danger. But now the soldiers had cause to actually become a pain in their ass. The city was under martial law, didn¡¯t that mean obstructing the soldiers now would warrant some severe consequences? Maybe we¡¯ll have to go with Lina¡¯s idiotic plan after all. The Sergeant¡¯s eyes glowed with a light pink light for a brief moment before he stiffened, his pupils widening somewhat. He forced himself to relax a moment later. The whole thing played out so quickly Mia almost thought she was imagining things. ¡°Weapons down,¡± the Sergeant said, still glaring at Brent with his bushy moustache trembling in rage. ¡°Hank, Faust, Bermann, sweep the place but keep your weapons away from the people here. The rest of us will stay here. That¡¯s good enough for you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Brent, his gaze narrowing at the Sergeant. The soldiers reluctantly obeyed, all of them lowering their weapons while three of them broke away to do a quick sweep of the house and the garden. They were back in less than ten minutes, ten minutes which the two groups spent glaring at each other. ¡°All clear, Sir!¡± the soldiers came back and reported. The Sergeant nodded, his gaze sweeping over the group one last time. ¡°Your obstruction of a military command and threatening of an officer will be reported. Be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. Men, move out!¡± They were gone in a few seconds after that, streaming out of the house. Brent slammed the door shut behind them, a deep scowl worn on his face. ¡°Was that really smart?¡± Helene asked, glaring at Brent. ¡°To threaten them like that. They seemed vindictive enough to really get us in trouble with the army.¡± ¡°Perhaps not,¡± Brent said after a moment, his scowl melting away and giving way to a sigh. ¡°Perhaps not. But I know Eisenfaust, if it is up to him to decide, we¡¯ll at best get a slap on the wrist and some increased surveillance. He might be an incompetent cunt, but he knows severely punishing surviving citizens is just about the dumbest thing he could do right now.¡± ¡°You know him?¡± Mark asked, his helmet melting away to reveal his face. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just reserves?¡± ¡°I was,¡± Brent said, face twitching into a grimace. ¡°But my father was a general himself and I got to know some of his colleagues. Even if just through hearsay or through his stories.¡± ¡°You based it all on hearsay and stories?¡± Helene glared, arms crossed under her chest. She was angry, still livid by the looks of it. Mia guessed her mother wasn¡¯t really angry at Brent as much as she was angry at the situation that put Mia in danger. Hell, she knew her mother was probably aching to rip the soldiers levelling weapons at her apart just as much as Brent. ¡°I did what I thought I had to in order to keep us safe,¡± Brent said, his brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯d like to think Lina would have stopped every bullet and no one would have gotten severely injured from a fight. I¡¯d also have loved to believe they wouldn¡¯t hurt us if we left ourselves at their mercy, but I don¡¯t see ¡®hoping for the best¡¯ as a viable plan for surviving in this world.¡± ¡°Now we have possible repercussions coming our way, but we are safe for now,¡± said Brent. ¡°I highly doubt we¡¯ll be the only ones displeased by getting rifles pointed in our faces. They can¡¯t just kill that many people and hope to keep order.¡± ¡°I doubt they could have killed us,¡± Mia said, glancing up at Carmilla. The vampiress looked entirely unafraid of them throughout the whole debacle. ¡°They didn¡¯t use magic, nor anything else and their stats were rather pitiful by the looks of it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lina asked, her face shifting into a thoughtful look as she reabsorbed all the threads of mana she¡¯d spread around the room. ¡°They also looked entirely human, all of them,¡± Mark said. ¡°They called us mutants, with Mia and me being ¡®grade two mutants¡¯. Whatever the bloody hell dat¡¯s supposed to mean.¡± ¡°Only the two of you look like you got your species changed,¡± Helene mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Carmilla and I just look to have gotten a makeover with some vibrant hair dye. Similar to Lina. That¡¯s supposed to be grade one in their silly system?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m a regular because I look like a regular human,¡± Brent said, a snort escaping him as he shook his head ruefully. ¡°I don¡¯t know under what rock they spent the last week, but that system sounds mighty useless to me.¡± ¡°True,¡± Mark said, frowning. ¡°Well, a dumb foe is a good foe, isn¡¯t it? Better they underestimate as many of us as possible.¡± ¡°We are not technically enemies just yet,¡± Helene said, glaring at the group. ¡°I¡¯m in no mood to be hounded by an entire regiment of soldiers. We will see what they want and hope their superiors are less idiotic while preparing for the worst.¡± ¡°How do we prepare for tanks rolling through that wall?¡± Mark huffed, waving a hand towards the front door. ¡°If they really want us dead, we¡¯ll be dead if we don¡¯t escape. Fancy new powers or no, I don¡¯t like our chances against a tank.¡± ¡°Or a dozen,¡± Mia helpfully added, her ears twitching as another distant discharge of artillery reached them. ¡°Sooo, do we run? The edge of the city isn¡¯t too far away, I doubt they¡¯d bother to track us down if we get lost in a forest.¡± ¡°Seconded!¡± Lina perked up, raising a hand cheerily at the idea. ¡°I¡¯d really rather not though,¡± Mia said, crossing her arms as she flopped over a sofa. Living in the wilderness meant her only way to shower would be to jump into a muddy river or if nature felt it prudent to bless her with some rain. ¡°That''s a last resort. We could just hide somewhere in the city instead of setting out and stumbling across god knows what in the wilderness.¡± ¡°That is true too.¡± Helene was quick to agree with her daughter. ¡°I¡¯ve seen monsters ¡­ or just regular creatures that I¡¯d really rather not come across. Those rifts most certainly didn¡¯t just appear in the cities, the whole world¡¯s filled with them and not only humans received levels and classes either.¡± Lina looked crestfallen for a moment, looking around the room for anyone to say something in favour of her idea but even Brent just patted her on the shoulder. ¡°My idea was to stay close to the city but to be outside of it,¡± Brent said. ¡°Let¡¯s stick to what we know for now, alright? We¡¯ll have plenty of monsters to fight here too.¡± ¡°But will we be allowed to?¡± Lina grumbled. ¡°We will,¡± Mia said, her thoughts spinning quickly as she thought everything they knew of the situation through. ¡°Those soldiers looked entirely non-magical with the sole exception of the officer, but even he only used some sight skill. When all five rifts break, they¡¯ll need all the help they can get.¡± ¡°You think something tough enough that even tanks won¡¯t be enough will come crawling out of them?¡± Lina asked dubiously. ¡°I¡¯m saying their ammunition is limited, monsters are not,¡± Mia said. ¡°Not if they cannot fully close the rifts. Monsters will keep pouring out, and keep getting stronger as they do.¡± ¡°And they won¡¯t be able to do that,¡± Lina frowned. ¡°Not if they really don¡¯t have anyone with some level of personal power. Rifts only accept people under their own level into themselves, and usually only up to three-to-five of those at a time too. Twice that if it''s bursting with mana as it is now. So we ¡­ wait?¡± Lina scowled at her own question. ¡°We use the free time we got to actually train,¡± Mia said. ¡°I could probably spend months just training my Attributes and studying my books. I¡¯m sure the same goes for most of us, if to a lesser extent.¡± ¡°I do think we should be able to fight them off if they send a smaller contingent,¡± Brent said. ¡°I highly doubt they would send over a tank, or even more than just three or four squads for a single unruly group of five people. I say we stay and see what those ¡®consequences¡¯ the good Sergeant spoke of are going to be.¡± ¡°So we stay?¡± Mark asked. ¡°If you all agree?¡± Brent asked, shrugging. ¡°We could run, maybe hide somewhere in the panel buildings.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all for staying,¡± Mia said. ¡°My Familiar can patrol around the house and alert me if anyone is coming. Plus, I think those soldiers are severely underestimating us, and everyone who actually bothered to learn to use the System.¡± In the end, everyone agreed to stay put and see what would happen. Even if they were forced to stay inside for a week or two, they could spend the time training and getting stronger. Even Lina reluctantly conceded that it was a good idea to get a better foundation for themselves to build on. Now, they just had to wait and see how long the army lasted against the monsters. Or if they actually had some trick up their sleeves. 37 - Training some ¡°I see,¡± Colonel Zeigler said, his face impassive and not betraying any emotion as he stared at Sergeant Herman. ¡°And pray tell me Sergeant, why did you feel the need to report this to me? Do you think I am in need of even more work?¡± Zeigler kept staring into the eyes of the Sergeant, watching with some measure of amusement as the man¡¯s eyes took in the thick stack of paperwork on his desk and the overall disheveled state of the room he had claimed as his office. ¡°Sir, these people threatened the life of not only the rank and file soldiers under me, but my own, an officer''s.¡± The small man said, straightening his spine as if he was speaking some universal truth. ¡°By martial law, that deserves detention at the very least. If we take into account their attempt to obstruct us in our duty ¡­ the deserved punishment is even more severe.¡± ¡°As the officer on site, it would have been your right to take them in for the tribunal to judge them for their crimes,¡± Zeigler said stoically, his cold eyes not even twitching. Inwardly though, he wanted to stand up, grab his chair and use it to smash the moron taking up the precious air in his office over the head. ¡°Perhaps even to mete out punishment on the spot. Pray tell me, why didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t risk my men¡¯s life for such a thing,¡± Herman said, raising his mustached nose into the air proudly. ¡°So you want to risk mine?¡± Zeigler asked. ¡°Were those ¡®civilians¡¯ truly so dangerous that you, leading a fully armed and combat ready squad, couldn''t take them into custody?¡± ¡°I ¡­ believe so, Sir.¡± Said Herman, looking uncomfortable for the first damned time. Zeigler hid the glee he felt at the sight. The pathetic worm before him had been assigned to him by the general, probably so he wouldn¡¯t jeopardize his push toward the city center to secure one of those ¡®rifts¡¯ there. Zeigler would have loved to demote the moron and be done with it, but he lacked trained officers and would need the general¡¯s approval either way. It would just be a pain. ¡°Then why did you antagonize them?¡± Zeigler asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I explicitly tell every one of you to be respectful of the civilians, especially the ones who could likely blow your head off?¡± ¡°But the general¡¯s orders-¡° ¡°Were for active combat situations, you numbskull,¡± Zeigler said, his face finally twitching into a glare. ¡°And they were guidelines. To assign an approximate danger level to enemy combatants.¡± That was a lie, and a blatant one at that. Not that Herman had any way to call Zeigler out on it. The fact of the matter was that the command of the forces keeping the rear stable and the citizens away from the frontline safe fell to him and him alone. Zeigler could command however he wished, as long as order remained. So he decided to not piss off about a third of the populace by implementing the general¡¯s personal views into his orders. He knew what was at the heart of it all, of course he did. Zeigler himself also couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous when he saw people flying around in the sky on angelic wings or someone who had magically regained their youth. The general felt it a thousand times worse, the man was an open wound, a roiling pit of insecurities and envy. That was Brigadier General Friedrich Eisenfaust summed up in a single sentence. Sergeant Herman opened and closed his mouth a few times, reminding Zeigler of a stranded fish even more than his dumb wide open eyes already did. ¡°You are on perimeter patrol from now on,¡± Zeigler said. ¡°Also, before you leave, tell me the address of every house with these supposed dissidents of yours.¡± Zeigler pushed a paper and a pen before the Sergeant and watched as under his glare the man wrote out four addresses. ¡°Did any of the civilians come to any harm?¡± Zeigler asked. ¡°N-no Sir,¡± Herman gulped. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anything beyond maybe some strained wrists or at most a bruise or two. I only felt the need to even consider lethal force in the last residence where the six of them were all clearly intending to fight us.¡± ¡°The one where a ¡®knight¡¯ of all things threatened you?¡± Zeigler asked, a bushy white eyebrow raised in condescension. ¡°Where you got spooked by a dwarf and an elf girl barely reaching your shoulders in height? Get out of here, Herman. You are dismissed.¡± Zeigler watched with some amusement as the pathetic worm scampered out of his office. Then his smirk disappeared and a frown took its place. ¡°More work,¡± he murmured, pulling the paper before him and quickly marking down the houses connected to those addresses on a map he had hung up on the wall. ¡°As moronic as Herman is, it might be useful to know which citizens might be powerful enough to bother enlisting the help of. If it really comes down to it.¡± Colonel Zeigler ran a hand through his short trimmed beard. He stared at the map for a few more seconds, his gaze thoughtful. ¡°What do you think, Kelvin?¡± Zeigler asked his dutiful aid. Kelvin looked up from the paperwork he¡¯d been doing on his own desk. The man looked dishevelled, deep bags hanging under his tired grey eyes. ¡°About what Sir?¡± ¡°This all,¡± Zeigler asked, though it wasn¡¯t really a question and Kelvin knew it too. The Colonel loved using his aide as a sounding board and to not feel crazy when he thought aloud. ¡°This city, the Rifts, the general, the world going to shit. Hell, about Herman even.¡± ¡°It sucks, Sir.¡± ¡°That it does,¡± Zeigler nodded to himself. ¡°Now, you might be wondering why I haven''t put a bullet in our favourite general¡¯s skull yet, right?¡± ¡°I am not Sir,¡± Kelvin answered dryly. ¡°That would be insubordination. Please don¡¯t shoot the general.¡± ¡°Well, to answer your question,¡± Zeigler continued, unbothered by Kelvin¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s because as dimwitted as he is, he is all that¡¯s keeping this brigade from fracturing into separate regiments all doing their own thing.¡° ¡°Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Sir.¡± ¡°You are welcome, Kelvin.¡± Zeigler nodded, his eyes narrowing on the map before him. The map had many pins, new marks and titles that it didn¡¯t have before. Five large coloured sections marked the regions overrun by monsters of the five rifts for one, then there were smaller marks for all the little warlords they¡¯d found holed up here or there. Some had only a dozen or two fighters under them, while the most dangerous now had upwards of a thousand. ¡°The werewolf king, huh?¡± Zeigler murmured, his mouth twitching into a smirk at the weirdness of it all. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing,¡± Zeigler huffed, waving his aide off. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± The suburbs and some outer sections of the city were mostly free of monsters, though that sadly only went for the northern part of the city. The entire southern quarter of it was overrun with wolves of all kinds. Worse yet were the vicious goblins, those evil little cretins. Zeigler felt his blood boil at the thought of them. A single group of survivors in their territory. Two hundred at most, out of the thirty thousand that once lived there. He shook his head, slowly lowering himself back into his chair. Statistics. That¡¯s what all those people were by this point, because not a single one of their bodies were ever found. Because of the rats. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. At least they¡¯ll get what¡¯s coming for them. Zeigler thought. It wouldn¡¯t bring back the dead, nor would it avenge them, not really, but the rats would die screaming. Of that, he was sure. The general had a plan, after all and it was an uncharacteristically good one too. Perhaps because the foe he had to outmanoeuvre was a bunch of overgrown rats, and not other humans. Nepotism bought Brigadier General Eisenfaust¡¯s rank after all, not his outstanding accomplishments or his strategic genius. I suppose I¡¯ll send someone over to these houses. He mused. Some extra rations and drinking water should go a long way to stifle their discontent. Hopefully. The last thing I need is magically enhanced superhumans attacking our men from the behind while they fight and bleed to free this city from the monsters. Order must be kept. ***** ¡°Did you claim your rewards yet?¡± ¡°What rewards?¡± Mia frowned, looking up at Mark. She¡¯d just started grasping how the homing variation of the Bolt spell worked. ¡°The Realm Event,¡± Mark snorted. ¡°A week¡¯s passed. I thought you¡¯d forget. The rewards are ¡­ okay I guess, for me at least. Maybe you¡¯ll get something nicer since you¡¯d probably have more contribution.¡± With that, he left and plopped down into his corner of the garden where he went back to playing with dirt. *** [Realm Event: Rift Mayhem] Objectives: [Rewards will be given at the end of each week based on each User¡¯s contribution! The Event will end once the Realm is stabilised!] [Failing this event might mean not only the end of your town, but that of your planet and the Realm as a whole] [Rewards for Week #1 are available! Claim Now!] *** ¡°Low?¡± Mia frowned, she¡¯d been killing monsters for hours almost every day since the System came. Sure, she was taking the time to train, eat, sleep and also didn¡¯t risk her life overly much to kill just a bit more monsters ¡­ but ¡®low¡¯? ¡°Really?¡± After a bit of glaring, she shrugged and just clicked on the glowing ¡®claim now¡¯ line with her mind. *** [Calculating rewards based on contribution ¡­ ] [Congratulations! You are in the top 20% of Users in your region based on contributions to this Realm Event!] Rewards: *** Mia carefully held the goodies that fell into her lap, careful not to break the glass vials holding the potions in them. That looks ¡­ good. Mia thought, her gaze landing on the Elixir. The one she fed to Carmilla didn¡¯t have the ¡®greater¡¯ modifier to it and it already brought the girl back from the brink of death. And that was with two thirds of it going into the dirt instead of her mouth. That Elixir could save the life of someone, so Mia was already happy enough with getting it. The mana potions were a nice addition, though she supposed the only way she could make use of them would be to summon two Familiars at the same time. I shouldn¡¯t. The book said my Spirit isn¡¯t high enough yet to maintain two such bonds at once. The pear, she assumed, was another natural treasure. So free stats, which was always welcome. The only thing she couldn¡¯t infer just off of the name, were the last potions. What did ¡®Unleashed Potential¡¯ mean? *** Elixir of Greater Healing: One of the most powerful healing elixirs that is widely available. It is capable of healing all mortal wounds, dispelling Minor curses and even replenishing and stabilising lifeforce. Greater Mana Potions: Replenishes a significant amount of mana once drunk. Separation to portions for weaker mages is recommended. Silverlight Pear: The mystical fruit of the Silverlight Willow that is rumoured to be capable of quelling the minds of even the most wrathful beings while they take refuge under its shade. The fruit itself is said to expand the mind and grant enhanced acuity. Potion of Unleashed Potential: For the next five hours after drinking this potion, increasing your Base Body Attributes through training becomes 200% more efficient. *** ¡°Oh?¡± Mia grinned, maybe getting her base body stats to an acceptable level wouldn''t be such a chore after all. Furthermore, unlike the apple, this pear seemed to be one that gave Mind stats instead of Body ones. Her eyes went back to the Realm Event¡¯s window and she noted how the contribution percentile stayed the same even after she claimed the rewards. Perhaps she¡¯d been mistaken, and the percentile would keep going up and up until the end of the Event. Which would mean she¡¯d be getting a steady stream of goodies just as great as the ones she got now even if she didn¡¯t contribute ever again to the Event. Not that she intended to do such a thing. The System certainly knew how to motivate her. If these were the things she got for low contributions and without stepping foot into a rift, what would she get for clearing all five in Graz? For killing thousands of monsters? That question was just enough for her to steel herself and decide to do her best ¡­ though that was for later, since they¡¯d just decided to stay put and train for now. Mostly at Mia¡¯s urging too. Stupid past Mia didn¡¯t know how badly her future self would be aching to slaughter some monsters. Alas, training time. I¡¯ll get this homing Bolt down, then try that potion out. I should try to up my Agility and Flexibility more than my Strength. ***** ¡°My kingdom ¡­ for a glass of water.¡± Mia was dying, she was certain of it. Her legs hurt, she couldn¡¯t feel her feet and even her butt was somehow sore. ¡°Come on, one more lap!¡± Carmilla shouted, her voice annoyingly cheery and without a single sign of fatigue in it. ¡°Your potion thingy still has a few minutes left to go. Up, up!¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ evil,¡± Mia grumbled, not even managing to sit up despite wanting to. A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto her feet. Mia wobbled, her stomach lurching for a moment. ¡°Run! If you rest now, your body will realise you stopped moving and you¡¯ll crash,¡± Carmilla said, poking Mia in the side until she started running again. Why was Carmilla doing this? Well, Mia had the bright idea to ask the vampiress to push her to use every minute of the potion. Mia knew herself well enough by now that she knew she had to have someone around to push her. Otherwise, she would have stopped exercising when it started hurting to go on ¡­ which had been around two hours in. The final lap felt like death, like she was stumbling through the pearly gates. Or maybe the gates of hell, those fire pits. The second felt more apt, considering how much every step hurt. ¡°Done!¡± Carmilla exclaimed, her watch letting out a little chirp as the five hour stopper she¡¯d started finally came to an end. ¡°Good job!¡± Mia collapsed, barely managing to twist herself around to land on her back. Her breathing was beyond ragged and sweat coated her like a second, third and even a fourth layer of skin. Her whole body felt sticky, and her clothes were practically fused with her body by now. ¡°Soooo?¡± Carmilla asked, standing over Mia¡¯s fallen form with her hands on her hips. ¡°What are the gains?¡± Mia just stared up at the sky, eyes unfocused. Her head utterly bereft of thoughts as she just blissfully gulped down mouthfuls of fresh air one after the other. ¡°Hello?¡± Carmilla waved a hand in front of her face and Mia slowly focused her eyes on the vampiress. ¡°So? Gains?¡± It took Mia¡¯s brain a few seconds to boot up, and when it did it was still sluggish and a step away from crashing. Right. Gains. Interface? *** [Base Agility: 6 -> 8] [Base Strength: 3 -> 4] [Base Flexibility: 6 -> 7] [Main Body: 7 -> 8] *** Oh, how nice it would have been if that notification came now. Alas, that last Main Body up had actually happened hours ago and so Mia didn¡¯t have the fortune of getting a magical pick-me-up from the System. Which left her feeling dead tired, thirsty and hungry. ¡°Why,¡± Mia wheezed. ¡°Are you so damned happy?¡± Here she was, a step away from death and delirious from all that running. Carmilla though? She was up, grinning unlike Mia had ever seen her do so before and bouncing on her feet. She was so cheery, bright and all that. It was annoying tired-Mia to no end. ¡°This is awesome,¡± the vampiress said, launching into a slew of stretches without waiting. ¡°I feel so free. Powerful. It¡¯s great!¡± Mia blinked, the sincerity in those words chasing away the broody clouds gathering above her for a bit. Carmilla had spent the last seven years of her life either locked inside a hospital or dead. The second part was still weirding Mia out, but that was neither here nor there. Meaning, it had probably been more than half a decade since the girl could run around so freely, without her body betraying her. Mia sighed, suddenly feeling horrible for having been annoyed at the bundle of happiness now doing cartwheels around the old willow tree. ¡°Want to go another lap?¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± 38 - Greenies ¡°Well, hi honey. Take a seat next to the other two?¡± Mia just nodded, accepting her mother¡¯s request and flopping down next to Lina and Mark on the sofa while Carmilla fluttered over to the counter to get some fresh lemonade. Both of the others looked similarly tired, sitting bonelessly on the soft pillows like a pair of corpses. Only their eyes moved around. Mia felt them, though she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little proud that she lasted the five whole hours while these two bowed out after the first one. Mark had actually fainted mid running, while Lina just stumbled away on wobbly legs not long after. Carmilla came back soon after with four glasses of nice, cold lemonade that she handed out to the three while sipping on the last one. She was humming as she hopped onto the other sofa, her gaze distant. Mia forced herself to move and grabbed her own glass, the first sip by itself made it all worth it. Even if she could keep herself at a liveable temperature with her Skill, feeling the minty ice cold water slide down her throat and cool her from the inside out was heavenly. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± the dwarf said, taking a deep gulp of his own lemonade. ¡°What if ¡­ that was it? What if the soldiers leave us alone, what if they actually win and destroy the rifts, kill all monsters and protect us from the ones outside. What if ¡­ we won? We survived the apocalypse. What if that was it?¡± ¡°What if that was it?¡± Mia repeated, forcing her brain into some semblance of activity. ¡°Happiness?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just wishful thinking,¡± Lina said. ¡°And even if it¡¯s true, the world will never be the same. We can¡¯t just go back to living our lives as we were ¡­ Well, you can try but I won¡¯t let myself be powerless. If the army destroys the rifts I¡¯ll have to find monsters to hunt elsewhere.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia provided helpfully, staring up at the ceiling. ¡®What if¡¯ indeed. It was a treacherous line of thought, she realised even before starting down the path, knowing it would end with her spiralling once more. She¡¯d just resolved herself to help Brent in his quest to close the Rifts and protect the survivors of the city. She didn¡¯t want to do it, she was afraid, scared of dying and would much rather go about ¡®getting stronger¡¯ in a much more leisurely manner. Which was why thinking of a possible future where the army took that weight off her shoulder and let her just exist in peace without rifts bursting atop her head was so seductive. Mia didn¡¯t like pressure, never did. She truly, wholeheartedly loathed it even. The weight of responsibilities was something she¡¯d been weaselling out of for the better part of two decades now. But it was different now ¡­ wasn¡¯t it? She really was going to go along and willingly shoulder the greatest responsibility there was: protecting human lives. No. I¡¯m still going to! Stop thinking about this! Mia groaned, massaging her temples. Stupid Mark, we already established that the army will fail. There is no use in thinking about ¡®what if¡¯s. It would have been so easy to step back and let others take up her slack. So, so very easy. But no. Lina was right, stepping back and letting others protect you was effectively giving them power over yourself. They could only be truly free in this new world if they could protect themselves from whatever came their way. [Base Will: 3 -> 4] The fact that saving lives and getting strong enough to protect themselves went hand in hand in this particular situation was just a happy coincidence. In essence, what they were intending on doing was mainly saving themselves and the other survivors were only the beneficiaries of that. ¡°I believe Lina is right,¡± Helene said as the trio fell into silence. ¡°They do say that power corrupts, and the System is offering power unlike any other to every single person. Whether they deserve it or not. Being strong enough to protect ourselves is important, especially since we aren¡¯t part of any larger faction.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Lina said, nodding. ¡°But I would be relieved if we could do so at our own pace,¡± Helene said. ¡°Rushing it could easily prove fatal. If we have the leeway to do so carefully, we should.¡± ¡° ¡­ right,¡± Lina said, sighing as even she couldn¡¯t refute those words. ¡°I forgot to ask this before, but do any of you have any family in the city we should check up on? Mark, Lina, Ca-¡° ¡°None,¡± the vampiress cut in, her cheerful smile faltering for a moment. ¡°Same with me.¡± Lina shrugged. ¡°I have a brother in Vienna, but ¡­ yeah. We aren¡¯t really on speaking terms.¡± ¡°Not in the city,¡± Mark said, shaking his head. His gaze looked lost for a moment. ¡°Mom and dad went camping a day before the System came ¡­ they were probably out somewhere in the Alps when it happened. I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start searching for them.¡± ¡°I could fly their way if you know where they camped?¡± Helene offered up as Mia pulled in the dwarf for a comforting hug. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he said weakly, taking in a trembling breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t even ask. They could be anywhere from here to Salzburg.¡± ¡°They are hardy people, I¡¯m sure they are out there spit-roasting unicorns and riding dragons by now.¡± Mia rubbed his shoulder. If there was anyone she could imagine surviving in a monster infested mountain range wilderness, it was those two. ¡°Right.¡± Mark gave a choked snort, then shook his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± Mia just gave him a smile and a last pat on the shoulder before she pulled away. She still stank like a kicked skunk, she was sure Mark would have been kicking her away from himself if he wasn¡¯t busy being emotional. ¡°Where¡¯s Brent?¡± Mia asked, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Her legs wobbled, and she would have been forced to sit back down if Carmilla wasn¡¯t there to steady her a moment later. ¡°He went out,¡± Helene said, settling down at the kitchen table with a lemonade of her own. ¡°A soldier came around not long ago, Brent went out to talk with him.¡± ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t we help him then? Back him up or something?¡± Mia asked, her voice rising in pitch as panic started creeping up on her. ¡°Relax, honeybun,¡± Helene said soothingly. ¡°The soldier came alone and unarmed, offering apologies for his comrade¡¯s behaviour. Brent¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said, her ears twitching as she focused on trying to listen in on any conversations happening on the front porch of the house. When she did, she had to resist the urge to facepalm. Brent was listening to the older officer regale him with his amorous troubles with crossdressers in Thailand when he was stationed there. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s fine,¡± Mia said, rolling her eyes as Brent provided his two bits about a similar experience he had. Mia rolled her eyes. ¡°Bath?¡± ¡°You can wet a towel, get some shampoo and wipe yourself down,¡± Helene said, pointing a straw at Mia. ¡°But don¡¯t waste our water. We only have that one barrel.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Mia gave a lazy salute, then shambled away to collect the stuff she needed to clean up with Carmilla¡¯s help. ***** ¡°What does it feel like?¡± ¡°Like the worst brain freeze of my life,¡± Mia said, frenziedly massaging her temples with a deep grimace on her face. ¡°But somehow it''s freezing parts of my brain I didn¡¯t even know I had.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± Mark asked again. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know,¡± Mia grumbled, hissing as another icy spike of agony hammered into her skull. Mark mimed zipping his mouth and Mia wondered once again how eating a damned pear could hurt so much. Wasn¡¯t the tree this thing grew on supposed to grant clarity of mind and tranquillity? Still, seeing the gains Mia would eat another dozen of the things if she could get her hands on them. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [Cognity: 10 -> 12] [Memory: 6 -> 8] [Main Mind: 9 -> 11] Mia experienced every nanosecond of the torturous experience in slow motion. Similar to the Main Spirit stat, reaching ten in her Main Mind stat also came with a ¡­ unique experience. Though instead of getting visions of different worlds, she got to experience slow-mo torture. Her mind nonetheless felt freer than ever, her thoughts forming quicker than ever and with a weight to them that wasn¡¯t there before. Her mind was also more robust, with icy edges forming to deter any would-be mind mage. After what felt like hours to Mia, the brainfreeze receded and her cognitive speed slowed back down to what it should be with 12 points in the subattribute. Mia took a slow breath, still holding her face in her hands as she sat on the sofa. She was going to have to be much more careful with eating weird stuff the System throws her way. Sure it was worth it, but maybe she should have a nice warm bath next time before she does it, or curl up in a soft bed and then eat the damned fruit. ¡°Oooookay,¡± Mia said slowly, waiting a few seconds to see whether the fruit¡¯s attacks on her brain would continue now. ¡°Think it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°If you had to do that again, what would you do differently to minimise the discomfort?¡± Mark asked again, notebook in hand with a pen held at the ready to write down Mia¡¯s answer. Why? Because he too received the very same pear from the Realm Event¡¯s rewards. ¡°I¡¯d get myself a regular brain freeze before eating,¡± Mia answered, keeping as much of the sarcasm out of her tone as possible. ¡°Surely the two brain freezes would negate each other. I think you should try it.¡± He put his notebook down, huffed, then turned away to sip sulkily on his lemonade. Mia just rolled her eyes at him, hearing him mutter about how ¡®that brain freeze probably killed her last pair of brain cells¡¯. The door swung open, and Brent stepped through a moment later with a relieved smile on his face. Mia heard the military officer he¡¯d been talking to slowly walking away and heard a squad of regular soldiers join him up a few houses over and form up around him like a protective detail. ¡°It seems we won¡¯t have to worry about those army guys kicking down the door,¡± he announced, and everyone in the room besides Mia let out a relieved sigh. They suspected it already from how long he¡¯d been talking with the officer and how cordial the man looked, but it was still good to hear, it seemed. ¡°For now at least. This part of the city is apparently under the jurisdiction of one Colonel Zeigler while the General is commanding the spearhead aiming for the Rifts at the city centre.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll manage to destroy the Rifts?¡± Mark asked, sounding hopeful, but that was quickly crushed when Brent snorted. ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Not if they don¡¯t change their game up. I managed to make the officer tell me that almost all of them have some extremely basic ¡®Soldier¡¯ class that barely gives any Attribute Points and has subpar Skills too. Apparently, the few of them who got something stronger had been transferred to the main army under the newly named Marshal.¡± ¡°We have a Marshal?¡± Lina asked, face scrunched up in a frown. ¡°Apparently,¡± Brent said, shrugging as he pulled out a kitchen chair and plopped down into it. ¡°He is leading a five thousand strong army and is in the process of freeing Vienna from the monster¡¯s grasp. He also holds proverbial command over the entire country at the moment, at least until a new President is elected.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Almost everyone shouted, staring at Brent in shock. After all, they had a perfectly alive and well president just a few weeks ago. Why would they need a new one? ¡°Well ¡­ apparently a good tenth of Vienna got swallowed up by a gigantic sinkhole,¡± Brent said, a frown lining his face. ¡°It also just so happened to take with it the parliament building and most of the inner city. So the vast majority of the government is now somewhere down in that endless chasm.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± Mia whispered, slumping back against the sofa as she stared up listlessly at the ceiling. They were so fucked. The entire country was in the hands of a newly appointed Marshal. ¡°Do we know anything about this ¡®Marshal¡¯?¡± It was strange even just saying the rank, the last time anyone held the rank of Fieldmarshal was in the First World War. Hell, the country was called the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then and the man who was named Fieldmarshal was some Archduke or another. I thought they reworked the military since then too. Mia frowned, trying to work her memory to dig up some deeply buried historical knowledge. Yes. I think the rank should have been abolished when the whole military got reworked after the ¡­ Second World War? Maybe? I¡¯m not sure about when exactly, but I¡¯m pretty sure the commander of the army should be the Chief of General Staff and not a ¡®Marshal¡¯. ¡°Nothing beyond his name, that he is collecting everyone in the military with a powerful Class into his personal army and that he is also quite strong himself,¡± said Brent. ¡°Sebastian Reinhardt, he¡¯s called and if that officer wasn¡¯t talking out of his ass, the Marshal personally dove into one of the Rifts in the capital and came out unharmed and with the crushed Rift Core in his hand.¡± That earned a few seconds of shocked silence, with everyone looking at each other to make sure they all heard right. By now, Lina had hammered most of the rules of Rifts into everyone¡¯s heads and they knew diving a Rift was another word for ¡®assisted suicide¡¯ under most circumstances. After all, usually only up to three or five people could enter the Rift and all of them had to be below the Rift Guardian in level. Otherwise, they would just pass through the Rift¡¯s entrance without actually getting teleported into the Rift. This meant even if a full group with everyone being at the highest possible level entered the Rift, it would still be an uphill fight. Especially since the Rift guardian wasn¡¯t the only monster inside, far from it. ¡°Did you get any other news out of him?¡± Mia asked, the fact that Brent spoke of things happening in the capital just now sinking in. ¡°Of the wider world I mean? Or even just the country? How¡¯s the rest of the world handling ¡­ this?¡± ¡°I only heard a little,¡± Brent said, rubbing his stubbled chin thoughtfully. ¡°A random officer probably didn¡¯t know anything important, and he¡¯d share even less with a civilian like me, but he told me the higher ups in the military have re-established communications between some of the European governments. I know we have communications established with Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Rome. Of the close-by nations, only Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland failed to answer to any hails.¡± ¡°Four out of seven is ¡­ good?¡± Mia said, sounding uncertain. She shrugged, deciding that anything above zero was, in fact, good. ¡°At least we know the rest of the world isn¡¯t overrun with monsters quite yet.¡± ¡°We have it pretty bad by what I''ve been told,¡± Brent said, tapping on the table restlessly. ¡°Most capital cities only had two or three Rifts opening up at most. Vienna has- had, ten.That¡¯s supposedly down to eight by the latest news. Still, even just us here in Graz have five of the damned things.¡± ¡°Guess we got pretty unlucky,¡± Mia said, grimacing. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s just it,¡± Mark said thoughtfully, opening up his notebook and stopping on a page. He tapped it with a finger. ¡°Lina, you said Rifts exist to suck up chaotic ambient mana, and that they should be more numerous above newly created Leylines?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the blonde-haired girl bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°Monsters are the same, if the book I got from Mia is right, they are just ¡­ waste mana. They are how the world itself disposes of mana. They are practically sweat on the skin of the planet.¡± ¡°Waste mana?¡± Mia frowned. ¡°Yep,¡± Lina said, tilting her head in thought. ¡°I think it said that ¡­ they have decaying souls? So technically they all have a shelf life and will die given enough time. Though that¡¯s not for certain, since they can stabilise themselves by consuming the mana of other living things.¡± ¡°Decaying souls?¡± Mia hummed. ¡°Is that why they feel so ¡­ icky?¡± ¡°Could be.¡± Lina shrugged. ¡°The book only gave a short mention of this, saying that leaving a Rift alone is a really bad idea since monsters can actually become regular magical creatures if given enough time and other living things to feed on.¡± ¡°If their souls are practically rotting away, that would somewhat explain why they are all such vile creatures,¡± Helene said, a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°That must hurt.¡± ¡±That¡¯d mean if we don¡¯t keep the monsters in check, they¡¯ll overrun us before long.¡± Mark grimaced. ¡°The Rifts would keep spitting them out and the little shits would keep trying to hunt everything down to survive.¡± Mia went to say something, but then stopped as she heard a discharge of artillery far too close for comfort. Screams, shouts and gunfire soon followed suit and with her increased Cognity, Mia could much more accurately pinpoint their distance. The closest came from just a few hundred metres away, at most one or two streets down. Mia gulped, standing up and rushing out into the garden to make it easier for her ears to pick up on the distant sounds. ¡±What is it now?¡± Mark asked, rushing after Mia, with Carmilla already standing next to her. ¡°What are they fighting?¡± The vampiress asked in a whisper, her own slightly pointed ears peeled to listen to it. ¡±I don¡¯t know,¡± Mia said. ¡°But they don¡¯t sound like they are winning.¡± Sure enough, the sounds of shouts and gunfire were getting closer and closer, as if the soldiers were being pushed back by their silent foes. Humvees and military trucks rolled down the streets and Mia could hear the sound of Tanks following behind them at a much slower pace. ¡±Mia, what is going on?¡± Brent asked, a frown of frustration worn on his face as he watched over the two girls. ¡°Talk to me.¡± ¡±The soldiers are fighting something close by,¡± Mia said, slightly sheepishly as she realised she just ran out and started rambling like a lunatic out of nowhere. ¡°They ¡­ sound like they¡¯d been losing until the reinforcements arrived just now. Still, the fight¡¯s sounding to be just down the corner that way.¡± Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, frowns, scowls or worried grimaces worn on their faces. ¡±Are we going to help them?¡± Lina asked, clearly aching for some action. ¡±Give me a moment,¡± Helene said as she stepped out into the open. Her pair of angelic wings unfurled from her back and then she kicked off of the ground, shooting up into the sky like a missile. ¡±I say we fight,¡± Brent said. ¡°If whatever it is they are fighting got this close, then it''s best to help them at least push it back. We just have to be careful about not getting shot by jumpy soldiers.¡± Everyone nodded at that, even Mark seemed resolved to fight despite how he¡¯d been trying to talk himself out of the rift-diving quest just minutes prior. It wasn¡¯t even a question to Mia, the monsters were coming to kill them and they had the greatest chance at driving them back if they helped the soldiers. It was obvious to her that the only choice was to fight. Or to run, if the foe proved to be too strong for them, but she doubted that¡¯d be the case. Helene came diving back down soon after, only spreading her wings to break her fall metres away from the ground. She landed softly, her momentum gone almost entirely by the time her feet touched the dirt. ¡±It seems that the werewolf up in the hill got tired of sharing his place,¡± Helene said. ¡°Those green wolves with vines twisting around them I told you about, they are streaming out of the forest and tearing through the soldiers.¡± 39 - Killing the Greenies ¡°GET BACK INTO THE HOUSE!¡± A soldier shouted at them from a tank rolling down the street just as they stepped out onto the front porch. ¡°It¡¯s not safe out here for civvies. Get back inside!¡± ¡°We can help,¡± Brent shouted back. ¡±Like hell you can!¡± The soldier said, pointing a finger at them, then at the house. ¡°Back. Inside. Don¡¯t get in our way!¡± Mia had to suppress the sudden urge to prove him wrong by blowing a hole into the side of his tank. A Blast should have done it too, if not one, then two of them would anyway. Whatever answer they had for him, the man with only his upper body out of the tank¡¯s machine gun pit didn¡¯t care. He pulled back inside to the belly of the metal beast without another word, which left Mia¡¯s group standing awkwardly on the sidewalk. Brent shrugged, then stepped forward. Motioning for the rest of them to follow. Mark went behind him as usual, with Lina next to Mia and both Carmilla and Helene taking up the rear. ¡°Mom, if you¡¯re a mage shouldn¡¯t you be protected and not the one doing the protecting?¡± Mia asked, whispering over her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry honey,¡± Helene said. ¡°I¡¯m plenty fast, I¡¯m in no danger.¡± ¡°Right, what¡¯s that about?¡± Mia asked, thinking back on the way her mom just shot off into the sky like gravity was nothing more than a suggestion. ¡°Your way of flying doesn¡¯t seem too ¡­ physics compliant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Helene snorted, smiling at her daughter. ¡°One of my racial traits lets me reduce my weight to the tenth of what it is. I weigh as much as an eagle.¡± ¡°You have something like ¡®Featherweight Constitution¡¯?¡± Mia asked, eyes widening. ¡°Yes,¡± Helene said, a smidge of surprise entering her voice. ¡°Superior Featherweight Constitution it¡¯s called. It¡¯s ¡­ pretty good, but I¡¯m glad it¡¯s toggleable.¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s not,¡± Mia huffed. ¡°Though it only reduces my weight by 30%, not 90%.¡± ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?¡± Mia turned to glare at the soldier leaning out from the window of a humvee that just rolled to a stop next to them. The man was an older soldier type with a short scruffy beard that couldn¡¯t decide whether to be grey or white. ¡°It¡¯s danger- Wait a second! You¡¯re the lot that cunt Herman told me about, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Herman?¡± Brent asked, stepping forward to take the soldier¡¯s attention. Mia just watched on and noticed the man had a whole lot of fancy stripes and golden stars on his uniform¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Sergeant Herman, the one with the moustache,¡± the man said. ¡°Yes. No one else would wear a damned knight getup of all things. I¡¯m Colonel Zeigler, if the lot of you want to fight, you¡¯ll be rewarded handsomely should we all survive this. What about it?¡± ¡°We were going to do just that,¡± Brent said evenly, his face twitching a little at the Colonel''s words about his armour. ¡°Good! Ground rules: you shoot one of my men, you get shot in the head,¡± the man said with a glare that let up a second after. ¡°You shoot the monsters, you get rewarded. Easy enough to remember, right? Now get in the back!¡± With his words, the door to the back of the large humvee popped open and after a collective shrug, the group streamed inside. It was a bit packed with the five of them, but the vehicle was large enough to fit them all on the back seat. ¡°Step on it Kelvin!¡± The Colonel ordered, and his driver stepped on the gas, driving everyone into their seats as the car sped up. Not even a minute later, the drowsy-looking driver rounded a corner and pulled onto the sidewalk. Outside, Mia could hear the sound of shouts and the repetitive thrumming of gunshots firing in full auto. The soldiers were already fighting, putting their lives on the line to halt the advance of the approaching monsters. Down the street, she could feel the revolting wrongness of dozens of monsters rushing towards them before their lives got snuffed out, only for new ones to enter the range of her perception. Strangely enough, the air didn¡¯t have that ambient wrongness she felt whenever she was closer to a Rift. These monsters must have come pretty far from home. Mia felt her palms clam up, fingers trembling as she heard an agonised shriek from close by. People were dying out there, and so could she if she stepped out of the vehicle. The Colonel kicked the door open and jumped out, orders flying out of his mouth even before his feet hit the ground and Mia¡¯s group hurried to follow after him. Mia did so too, there was no going back now. There were monsters to kill. At least she should be safe, with Mark, Brent and Carmilla to stand between her and the monsters That¡¯s right. All she had to do was keep the monsters off of them in return and everything would be fine. The tank they saw rolling by previously sat in the middle of the road behind some haphazardly built barricade. Its barrel aimed down the street at an advancing horde of green monsters. Mia squinted, taking in the creatures her mother spoke about for the first time. They looked like wolves on steroids, but only from afar. They didn¡¯t have eyes for one, only a gigantic gaping maw filled with rows of serrated teeth. Vines curled around their necks, sinking into their bodies around the shoulders and with little crimson flowers growing across them. Mia gulped, her eyes widening as she noticed something. Nothing was flesh or skin coloured on those things, everything was either green or brown as bark, even the teeth and the claws were brown like the thorns of a rose instead of looking like real claws. Then there was the fur, slick green fur swaying in the wind as the monsters raced down the street. It looked like long grass, the kind of grass with sharp edges that could even cut your fingers like paper if you weren¡¯t careful. The tank¡¯s cannon spoke with a deafening explosion and the monsters burst to shreds in a line. The rest continued forward, a few falling over every second as the continuous rain of bullets from the regular soldiers kneeling behind the barricades overwhelmed them. ¡°Mia, Lina,¡± Brent said. ¡°I think only the two of you can help while the monsters are still further away. The rest of us will settle down and make sure none of these monsters can break through to eat the soldiers. That good?¡± ¡°I can handle ranged combat too,¡± Helene said, a hand squeezing Mia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And you should prioritise keeping the girls safe, not the strangers.¡± ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll be in much danger with little miss Dracula hovering over them,¡± Brent said, mouth curling into a smirk as he glanced at Carmilla. The redhead being practically connected to Mia by the hip. Although Mia only knew the man for a few days by this point, his teasing had become normal to her. It calmed her nerves a bit, to hear him be so carefree as to be making jokes. ¡°But we¡¯ll be close by. We¡¯ll come to help if shit hits the fan and we¡¯ll get out of here together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Helene said, then patted Mia on the shoulder. ¡°Let us go then. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡± ¡°As will I,¡± Carmilla whispered, her crimson gaze warily taking in the surroundings and not just the monsters either. The girl clearly didn¡¯t trust the soldiers all that much. ¡°Come on, we have monsters to kill!¡± Lina shouted over the loud gunfire, grabbing Mia by the wrist and dragging her over to an empty barricade pressed up to a concrete wall. Mia chewed on her cheek, doing her best not to look at where a group of soldiers were dragging away the gory remains of one of their comrades. A slightly larger monster¡¯s corpse laid on its side not far away, its teeth still spotting chunks of flesh and dripping fresh blood. Mia returned her gaze to the incoming monsters. It was a veritable horde, a tide of green that didn¡¯t seem to end as far as the eye could see. At least they were dumb enough to rush down the street in a straight line without flanking or jumping over the top of the suburban houses. Lina didn¡¯t wait a moment, mana already streaming out of her fingers and shooting down the street in a straight line. Soon enough, she had a clump of mana collected about fifty metres down the street right above where the monsters were dropping dead. The blonde¡¯s face was set in a serious frown, probably having to focus hard to keep her mana stable that far away from her body. Still, a pulse of mana rushed down the thread and a few seconds later a pair of the plant-monsters were splattered across the pavement, coating it in greenish yellow ichor. Just like the goblins. Mia knew goblins, she could kill goblins. Latching onto that vague sense of familiarity in this chaotic and alien situation, Mia forced herself to keep calm. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°They aren¡¯t too tough,¡± Lina said, her voice tight and focused. ¡°Level 5''s. Could be better, but it¡¯ll do for now. Yes.¡± Mia just shrugged, deciding that this was the perfect opportunity to try out her new Bolt variants. After all, even with just Lina joining in the swarm of monsters started thinning out. It¡¯d tell her which variation was most mana efficient. This fight was going to be a marathon, not a sprint, so efficiency would mean everything. ¡°Carmilla, you don¡¯t want to join in?¡± Mia asked, glancing back at the redhead over her shoulder. ¡°You have some ranged spells too, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t waste your lifeforce on this,¡± the girl said, smiling at Mia with a sincere look. ¡°And I don¡¯t need it anyway. I¡¯m level 10.¡± ¡°You are?¡± Mia asked, eyes widening even as she finished assembling the spell circle for the first variant: the piercing one. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging. ¡°I ¡­ did say I went on a rampage after waking up. I was 10 by the time you found me, which is the level cap for Rank 0.¡± ¡°Huh, so that¡¯s it?¡± Mia mused, a part of her mind going over the spell circle a second time to make sure she remembered and recreated it perfectly. Multitasking and her increased Mind stats were doing some good work, even though Mia barely noticed how effortlessly she did two things at once. ¡°What comes after that? How do you rank up?¡± ¡°For now? Nothing,¡± Carmilla said sourly, her eyes flickering between the closest monsters and the nearby soldiers looking at their group. ¡°We¡¯ll need a System Obelisk to rank up. I have a quest for it, a regional quest, but it needs us to destroy every Rift in the city and its immediate surroundings, then hope that we still have fifty thousand survivors living here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mia asked, nodding to herself in satisfaction as she concluded that the spell circle was perfect. ¡°Why do we need the survivors?¡± The feeling of mana surging through her channels made her hum, shoulders relaxing. She got this. Cast spells, kill monsters, get stronger. Easy. Simple. Just how she liked it. ¡°That¡¯s apparently the minimum number of residents a settlement needs to have for the System to create an Obelisk for it.¡± ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t work with those remote Obelisk tokens?¡± Mia asked, mana dancing at her fingertips as she selected a target and then cast her spell. The spell circle flashed, and with her increased Cognity Mia could actually take it in for a moment before her created arcane construct sped off. Unlike the regular Bolt, this one was shaped like a spike, had a more powerful momentum component giving it increased speed and even a component which made the construct spin as it flew. Overall, that increased the number of runes needed from eight to twenty, and almost tripled the runic weight of the circle. That meant the circle needed some remodelling afterwards, but it was still a rather simple spell compared to, for example, Mage Hand. The arcane projectile was faster than the eye could track, and Mia only saw a hole as wide as two fingers appearing in the middle of one monster¡¯s forehead. It stumbled, green ichor flowing freely from the wound, it got in three more wobbly steps before it finally fell limp. ¡°¡®Not too tough¡¯ my ass,¡± Mia huffed. ¡°That thing took three steps after I sent a spike right through its head.¡± ¡°Try blunter stuff,¡± Lina said, not taking her eyes off of her foes. Blades of wind and crushing hammers made of air were falling down on the green monsters one after the other. The girl was slaughtering them at a pace that had nearby soldiers gawking like idiots before Zeigler berated them and slapped a few over the head. ¡°Sure,¡± Mia said, taking the circle in her runic-model apart and rebuilding the blunt variant next. It was ¡­ fun. She had all the pieces ready, floating around in her runic-model like building blocks. All she had to do now was select what she needed then assemble the spell circle by following either her memory or her Spell Tome as a blueprint. It reminded her of those building toys Gabe liked so much. She went with using her memory for a preliminary check, then checked it over with the Tome to make sure. She fixed a rune she accidentally switched out with another one, checked again, then sent the spell flying. It was a large blob, as big as a beach ball and as it smacked into the targeted plant-wolf, it was sent rolling heels up like a ragdoll, crashing into the monsters behind it. After some snarling and growling, it got back to its feet and came running again, looking largely unharmed aside from stumbling every now and then. A bolt of blue lightning curling around another bright yellow one shot at it, blowing its head apart and scorching the remaining parts of its body as the two coloured arcs of lightning flowed over its body. Mia looked back, mouth hanging open as she saw her mother smirking with a finger pointed at the monster. A finger that was still slightly smoking. The spellcasting had been so quick she barely even felt it, her mind only catching up by the time the twin bolts of lightning were passing her by. ¡°How was that so fast?¡± Mia asked, her voice trembling a little. She was confident in her mana sensing ability and in that she could feel anyone trying to cast magic at her well before they could actually cast it. That was how she survived her early fight with the hobgoblin, she felt it gathering mana for a spell and she ducked behind cover. If there were people like her mother who could cast magic that fast ¡­ Mia gulped nervously. ¡°It¡¯s one of my Subskills,¡± the woman said, smiling as little arcs of lightning played between her fingers. ¡°Pretty neat, isn¡¯t it? Storm Lightning.¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± Mia bobbed her head, eyes locked on her mother¡¯s fingers. ¡°Do it again please?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Helene gave her daughter an indulgent smile, her index finger once again pointed at a monster. Mia stiffened up, her eyes dilating as she felt the mana dart to the tip of that outstretched finger. It didn¡¯t wait a moment, the mana instantly transforming into the two-coloured bolts of lightning that shot off without halting for such frivolities as spell circles or something of the like. Mia frowned, thoughtfully scratching at her cheek as she ignored everything around her for a moment. How did she do it? Well, by using the Skill, was the obvious answer, but even Skills had activation times usually. Was this just one of the unique properties of the Storm element? It¡¯d certainly explain why it was one of the predominant elements for War Magic alongside Arcane, Fire and Silver Magic. It feels like it was ¡­ just her mana, in its natural state. Mia mused, feeling like she might have hit the nail in the head with that one. Perhaps Storm elemental mana discharged through the fingers was exactly those bolts of lightning. Just like with her Arcane attributed mana for which its an angry ball of crackling pink energy. Or maybe it¡¯s that skill, it transforms her mana into that state and natural Storm mana is something else entirely. Practically pre-loading those lightning bolts so she always has a new set of them ¡®chambered¡¯. ¡°How would simple Storm mana look if you just shot it out from your fingers without any Skills?¡± Mia asked, but sadly received only a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know honey,¡± Helene said. ¡°I let my Skills do most of the work for me, but I can try doing that once we aren¡¯t fighting off a horde of angry monsters, hmmmm?¡± Mia flushed a little at the reproachful look her mother sent her way. She turned around and stared at the growing pile of dead monsters Lina was busy making. Mia rolled her shoulders once, then went back to ¡®monster killing¡¯ mode without another word. The third variant Bolt spell circle she knew built up in her runic-model. This one needed three revisions before she was satisfied with it, maybe because she felt the need to up her monster killing speed with Lina having killed more than a dozen already. Still, when it was done she huffed and sent the spell flying. It looked like a regular Arcane Bolt, if one ignored that the spell circle was twice as large and held three times the runes on it. Or how the Bolt self-corrected its trajectory mid-flight to burst apart a monster¡¯s head instead of the pavement next to it Mia had been aiming it at. She grinned, feeling satisfied by the success, even though the damned spell ate up three times the mana a regular Bolt did. At least it was better than the piercing variant, which took five times the regular mana to cast. Mia had the urge to test the limits of the spell¡¯s homing capability, to check what would happen if she aimed the spell up into the sky, away from anything else. Thankfully, she remembered in time the book describing how the spell¡¯s homing component worked. Which was, by targeting the largest clump of active mana near the target. Meaning, if she shot the thing up into the sky, there was a very real chance that it would turn right around and land on her head. Seeing what a Bolt to the head did to a two metre tall ravenous plant monster, she didn¡¯t feel particularly thrilled about getting the same treatment. She quite liked her head, well, head shaped and not like a burst watermelon. She switched back to regular Bolts after that, satisfied with her testing for now. Arcane Bolt was so deeply ingrained in her Spell Tome that she could cast it almost without thinking. She just had to point and want for the spell to be cast, and it would happen. Then monsters would fall over with bits of their bodies crushed. It was simple, repetitive, easy. Point. Pop. Point. Pop. Point. Pop. Repeat. ¡°FIRE!¡± The Colonel¡¯s shout broke Mia out of her daze, and after popping one more monster she turned to the man standing a few dozen metres away. Around him were tens of soldiers, surrounding a handful of metallic pipes facing the sky. They dropped something in all the pipes and then with a low thrum, the charges shot up into the sky. ¡°Correct course,¡± Zeigler ordered, his hand grasping a walkie-talkie in his hand to relay his orders to other groups. ¡°FIRE! I want the first hundred metres of that forest burning yesterday!¡± Mia heard the thrums of what she then recognised as mortars from the next street over and the street after that one too. A few seconds later, she heard them land at the foot of the hill, just a short distance away from the last of the suburban homes before the forest began. She gulped, realising what the Colonel was doing. True, he was cutting off the path of more monsters coming down from the hill, but he was also locking the ones already in the city inside of it by setting the forest behind them aflame. This is going to be a pretty long fight still, I can feel hundreds of them. Lina took that moment to unceremoniously collapse with her eyes rolling back. The girl twitched, a long pained groan escaping her lips. Carmilla caught her mid-fall before she could hurt herself, but Mia knew the girl was hurting plenty enough already. Mana deprivation. Guess she failed to notice it. Well, that certainly won¡¯t happen again. With how openhanded she¡¯d been with her mana, letting a whole boulder-sized clump of it just float there as she shot Air bursts at monsters without pause, Mia had expected the blonde to run out much sooner. She probably levelled up a bunch since the first time we went goblin hunting. I guess she allocated almost all of her stat points to boost her Spirit stats, that''d certainly increase her mana reserves tremendously. Mia returned her gaze onto the horde of monsters closing in. She shared a quick glance with Carmilla and Helene, each giving her a nod. Soon enough, Mia was firing off Bolts one after the other and her mother turned into a human shaped tesla tower with how her fingers practically never stopped spewing forth those deadly arcs of lightning. A bit later, Brent and Mark came over and took up position before the women with their weapons at the ready, though Brent quickly carried Lina off to the medical tent so the girl could rest more easily. Mia checked her mana pool, then shrugged. She still had around 75% remaining. Should be plenty enough for the remaining monsters. Thankfully, the basic Arcane Bolt was ridiculously cheap mana wise. 40 - Juggernaut [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 4] x 30 [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 5] x 23 [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 6] x 14 [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 7] x 5 [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 8] x 2 [Level Up!] [Level: 8 -> 9] [Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 6] Mia glanced at the interface, a smirk tugging at the edge of her lips as she continued sending more of these ¡®Evergreen Marauders¡¯ to their death with Arcane Bolts to what passed for a head on these monsters. Unfortunately, her Quest didn¡¯t trigger. She¡¯d have had to kill one of the very few level eight ¡ª now level nine, with her recent level up ¡ª monsters by herself, without any outside interference or help. Which was pretty much impossible with the soldiers continuing to rain down death on the monsters. Every single one of them had at least half a dozen bullet holes poking through their bark-like skin by the time Mia got around to finishing them off. Still, she got a level, so she was pretty happy about the way things were going. It came just a moment ago, which was apparently because she¡¯d just killed her second level eight Marauder. By now, Mia was pretty sure the exp penalty for killing lower levelled monsters was severe, just based on her experience with the goblins and these monsters. Luckily, her spells were pretty good for punching up. Hell, she didn¡¯t even have to make use of her Arcane Blast spell yet, which was also why her mana had only now dipped below the ten percent mark. ¡°I¡¯m low on mana,¡± Mia said reluctantly. She still had her Familiar, as well as another thirty regular Bolts in her at least, but she didn¡¯t like the idea of not leaving at least this last ten percent untouched in case of an emergency. ¡°I¡¯ll be hanging back in a bit ¡­ will you be able to handle them?¡± Mia had been speaking generally, but it was Helene who answered. Seeing as she¡¯d been the only other person keeping up and even overtaking Mia in kill count, it was obvious why. ¡°I¡¯ll handle them just fine, hang back and recover your mana. You still have those mana potions too, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but those are for emergencies only,¡± Mia said, reluctantly lowering her arm and letting her runic-model return to its resting state. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be ¡­ meditating. If I can manage that with all this noise- ¡° Mia stiffened, a spike of dread prickling the back of her neck. Something was wrong, but she couldn¡¯t tell what. She looked around in a panic, looking left and right, forwards and behind her but found nothing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Mia?¡± Carmilla asked, being the first to notice with Helene¡¯s eyes fixated on the approaching horde of monsters. The Marauder¡¯s advance had been halted pretty reliably at this point, and their horde had been thinned out since the first few minutes too so only a dozen came running down the street at a time instead of the thirty that once had. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Mia murmured, looking around with her eyes wide in panic. What was it? What was she feeling? Why? Where? Who- Her instincts screamed at her, an overwhelming sense of wrongness washing over her like a tsunami that threatened to drown her under its crushing waves. Mia felt an iron grip around her waist and then a harsh tug that knocked the breath out of her lungs and took her off her feet. Her vision swam as she came to a stop, she shook her head to shake off the daze that came over her. She heard a crashing thud; the ground shaking under her feet and felt the unforgiving hold of a hand around her waist. Mia gulped, staring towards the crash as her eyes finally decided to work again and her throat went dry from horror. Where she stood before, in the exact place right behind the shoddy sandbag barricade stood a towering monster twice as tall as the Marauders and thrice as ugly, which was quite the accomplishment. ¡°Mia? You¡¯re alright, right?¡± Carmilla¡¯s soft, but worried voice touched her ears. The feeling of the vampiress¡¯ hot breath on her overly sensitive ear made Mia¡¯s mind blank out for a second before she came back to herself. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine we need to-¡± She froze, mouth hanging open as she paled. Helene had somehow gotten away, probably tackled to the side by Brent if Mia had to guess ¡­ but Mark hadn¡¯t been so lucky. The dwarf shaped clay golem that he looked like when he fully covered himself in his ¡®Earthen Armaments¡¯ Skill¡¯s armour was pinned to the ground by the gigantic clawed feet of the plant monster. Mia felt her knees going weak, her vision dimming until she only saw Mark under those claws that were slowly piercing into his armour. Still, it was holding for now. He was smashed into the ground; the pavement cracked under him, but there was no blood ¡­ and Mia noticed his arm clenching into a fist. An earthen spike grew at the end of his fist and he drove it into the leg of the beast. He was alive. That snapped Mia back to her senses and without wasting another precious moment she started assembling her Arcane Blast spell circle. ¡°Familiar, distract the monster,¡± she ordered in a whisper, then glanced back up at Carmilla. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks to you. Now please help, or he¡¯ll-¡° Mia swallowed, shaking her head. She needed to focus, had to focus. She had to, if she wanted to sav- help Mark. He¡¯d be alright, he¡¯ll be safe. They will save him. I will save him. The Familiar shot off from her shoulder like a pink little bullet and was up on the shoulder of the beast in an instant, its jaws growing larger with fangs the size of knives growing out of them before it chomped down on a vine. The beast, for some reason, reeled back as if in anguish. It didn¡¯t make a sound, and Mia suspected it couldn¡¯t, based on how silent the Marauders had been even when they were getting slaughtered. A yellow and blue bolt of lightning smashed into the face of the monster, which now that Mia looked at it really did look as if it had been carved out of some ancient tree¡¯s trunk. A small chunk got blown off, scorch marks getting drawn across the monster¡¯s body and its grassy fur getting singed. That was it, the bolts of lightning that blew apart the lesser monsters only made a superficial wound. Carmilla gave Mia¡¯s shoulder a reluctant squeeze. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll be back to protect you if it turns to attack you.¡± With that the girl was off, racing up to the monster. Vines disentangled from the creature¡¯s body, swaying wildly around it like the dozen tentacles of a squid. Thorns and spikes grew along the vines'' length and then they flashed out, slamming into the ground around the beast and one almost taking Carmilla¡¯s head off with a wild swing. The vampiress fell into a slide, then kicked off the ground when another vine came at her from the side. Claws made of vibrant crimson energy formed on her arms and when the third vine came to pierce her right through the girl stepped to the side and cut the thing right off. Mia stopped paying attention then, as the spell circle was done. Mana danced at her fingertips and she aimed it at the joint of the leg still keeping the struggling Mark pinned under it. Her spell shot off, blowing about a third of the leg into little green chunks just when another bolt of lightning raced over a set of vines and made the monster stiffen. The two vines went slack, falling to the ground limply as the monster finally stumbled. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Its weight came off of Mark and then Carmilla was there, grabbing Mark¡¯s arm and dragging him away. Mia pushed her mana, forcing it to be ready a tiny bit faster and blasted the side of the monster¡¯s head when it seemed like it would snap its jaws after Carmilla. The little Familiar was working hard too, clawing at another vine and brutalising it until it too fell limp, only half attached to the beast¡¯s shoulder. The beast was thrown on its side, its shoulder on the side Mia had injured bursting apart. The explosion of a tank¡¯s shell that¡¯d buried itself into the monster reached Mia¡¯s ears belatedly a moment later. ¡°GET AWAY FROM THE BLASTED THING!¡± Zeigler bellowed, his barking shout somehow easily making itself heard through the explosions and the noise. Mia glanced at Mark, now limping away from the beast with Carmilla helping him stand upright. One of his legs looked ¡­ twisted. Mia grimaced, stomach churning at the sight. His knee was bending in a very wrong way. She shot off another Blast, aiming at the wound the tank made. The monster twisted away, a vine snapping out and making the spell explode prematurely. It cost the monster the tip of a vine, but Mia suspected that was a worthy trade. It trembled, maw open in a snarl as it jumped around freely with its vines slapping and snapping at everything and anything around it now that it didn¡¯t have anything keeping it in place. That had been Mark before, or rather the monster¡¯s sick need to have him slowly dying under its claws while it slaughtered his friends. That was the malice, the type of hatred monsters had for every living thing. ¡°FIRE!¡± Zeigler shouted and Mia caught the sound of a loud hiss, then a dark projectile sped past the monster, burrowing into the ground just a metre behind it. It exploded with a deafening sound, the shockwave of it upending pavement and dirt that crashed into the monster¡¯s flank like shrapnel. The explosion sent it reeling, stumbling. Helene didn¡¯t miss out on the opportunity, two sets of twin-bolts slammed into the monster. Mia followed her mother¡¯s lead, her own Blast exploding against the monster¡¯s side, deepening a preexisting wound and exposing an ivory white piece of bone inside the green flesh. The front left limb of the monster went limp, and the beast stumbled, its skull slamming into the ground as it fell. Mia went to fire another Blast, but froze, feeling the dreadful sensation of oncoming mana deprivation. How? I just cast three Blasts, I should have had enough for five or ten at least ¡­ whatever. Mia scrambled to open the zip of her waist bag, the thing she kept her potions and elixirs in. Her hands trembled, as they always did, and made the task difficult. She heard the thuds of the colossal beast¡¯s footsteps, looked up and froze as she saw it bounding towards her mother without a care for the bolts of lightning and bullets raining down at it. The Familiar was on its face, clawing, biting and tearing into it with abandon. Helene looked resolute, Brent standing before her with his sword brandished, snapping out to cut off a pair of vines striking forth at Helene. Her mother¡¯s wings unfurled behind her just moments before the beast was upon the two of them. Helene grabbed Brent around the waist and then with a heave that had her veins bulging out on her forehead and down to her neck, she sluggishly lifted the both of them into the air. Just in time as the monster barreled past less than a metre beneath Helene¡¯s feet, either uncaring that its targets dodged its charge or unable to see them with the little pink cat having torn up the flesh on its head. Though, it also could have just decided to make do with chomping down on the soldiers kneeling and firing at it just behind where Helene had been standing. Zeigner stood before his men, the Colonel''s ageing face set in a frown as he faced down the colossal monster fearlessly. Mia saw though, how his hands shook a little as he stood straight, his men continuing to fire ceaselessly into the beast without apparent results. There had to be kilograms of lead in the damned thing by that point. Then a steel missile crashed onto the monster, making it slam onto its belly and slide the last five metres on the pavement. Brent, with his sword pierced into the monster up to the hilt, stood up with a wobble. Mia started, jaw dropping as she looked up to where her mother was hovering a hundred metres above. Did she just drop Brent atop the damned monster? It was obvious that Helene had done just that, but somehow Mia¡¯s mind was having some trouble reconciling the image she had of her mother with the flying Sorceress dropping knights on monsters. Zeigler raised his hand, and the gunfire died. Well, the gunfire aimed at the large monster did as a large number of soldiers were now struggling with keeping the still oncoming waves of Marauders at bay. Brent caught his footing, then pulled his sword out from the monster¡¯s back with a heave. The creature twitched, its head snapping back and to the side but Brent just stepped over to its nape and drove his sword right into its skull. It went still, its colossal body twitching one last time before it fell limp. Helene landed next to the monster a moment later, her breathing laboured and her wings drooping before she pulled them back into her body. Mia felt her knees going weak at the sight, she glanced over at Carmilla and Mark. When she saw the dwarf, hissing with his teeth gritted as Carmilla poured a glimmering Elixir down his throat, Mia¡¯s body finally realised that the fight was over. Everyone survived. Mark screamed, an ungodly howl of agony as his leg twisted itself back into place seemingly by itself. He passed out right after, and Mia collapsed onto her butt, her breathing ragged as she stared at the aftermath of the battle. Carmilla came over to her, a worried look on her face as she crouched down next to the listless Mia. A moment later, a much diminished Familiar landed on her shoulder, the pink cat having used up almost all of its remaining uptime to accomplish its orders. It looked almost translucent and the weight of its body was less than a feather¡¯s now. Mia unconsciously reached up to her shoulder and scratched the cat behind the ears. She stared at the dead monster, then up at the vampiress. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°Alive,¡± Carmilla said, glancing back at the dwarf she¡¯d left laid out on the sidewalk. ¡°He¡¯s going to stay that way too?¡± Mia found herself asking, still in a daze as her sweaty palms shook while she petted the Familiar. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging as she slumped down next to Mia, pulling her knees up to her chest as she too looked at the dead monster. ¡°I fed him one of my Greater Healing Elixirs. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mia let out a relieved sigh that came from the depths of her soul. Mark had almost died, if his earthen armour had been any weaker, he would have. The realisation hit her like a truck. She¡¯d almost lost a friend to the monsters. Again. It was so damn close too. Too damned close. She was still too weak, too helpless, powerless to protect her friends. She took a shuddering breath, turning her gaze over to the unconscious dwarf lying spread eagle on the sidewalk. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat and the throaty snores that came out of his mouth assured her that he really was alive. Mia watched Brent go about chopping the monster¡¯s head off, apparently because Zeigler wanted to ¡®make sure¡¯. Not that Mia thought it was needed, the System gave her all the assurance she needed. *** [Congratulations! You have taken part in taking down an escaped Rift Guardian: Evergreen Juggernaut - level 11!] [Level Up!] [Level: 9 -> 10] [Free Attribute Points: 6 -> 9] [Congratulations! You have reached the maximum level for your Rank: 0!] [Due to fulfilling all the requirements, the Regional Quest: An Obelisk of our Own! has been shared with you!] [An Obelisk of our Own! (Graz)] Objective: Reward: A System made Obelisk at the centre of the Region. Additional Rewards will be given out based on contribution to the Objective. *** What caught Mia¡¯s eyes in that slew of notifications was one little number: 11. That monster, the Juggernaut, had apparently been level eleven. Its name was also written in the white of the ¡®Common¡¯ rarity, probably meaning it really was a Rank 1 monster. Probably why it was so fucking hard to kill. Fuck. Mia felt tired, the worrying, the shock, the panic and all that. Especially with superhuman stamina given to her by the adrenaline rampaging through her bloodstream rapidly departing her. She just wanted a hot bubbly bath, a bed, and ¡­ She had the last one right there, didn¡¯t she? Drowsy and exhausted as she was, her personal boundaries grew laxer. She was just plain too exhausted to care. She wanted- No! She needed some comfort and so she leaned to the side, pressing herself up against Carmilla and rested her head on the vampire¡¯s now stiff shoulder. Mia smiled subconsciously, feeling another soft, warm body so close to her. She reached over and pulled the girl in for a side hug by the waist. After a moment, the redhead relaxed and ever so gently reciprocated the hug. Carmilla¡¯s movements were awkward, like she didn¡¯t know how hugs worked or how to handle being in close physical contact with someone. Mia didn¡¯t care, just blissfully smiling as she closed her eyes and enjoyed being alive, the warm rays of the sun on her face, the soft breeze blowing in her hair and the awkward vampiress just being next to her. The vampiress who had saved her life without a second thought, the vampiress who rushed back in to fight a vicious monster without fear, without hesitation. Mia felt safe next to her, safe in a way she only felt ¡­ very long ago. Back when she still trusted her father to keep her safe, back when there wasn¡¯t a safer place in the world to Mia than inside his arms. Finally, Mia could relax, letting out a long breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding in, muscles she didn¡¯t notice were coiled up going lax. Everyone was alive, mostly safe and she had a pretty girl to cuddle with. Life was good. 41 - Cleanup the Greenies ¡°Another bust,¡± Mia murmured, lowering her hand and letting her runic-model spin back into its resting mode. The Evergreen Marauder before her, one that had just been busy nibbling on an old oak on the outskirts of the city before she blew its head off, was almost a half a metre taller than the regular ones. Mia had hoped this would be the one, that finally she could complete that annoying quest, but getting to level ten had one clear downside, as it turned out. [You have killed: Evergreen Marauder - lvl 9] There were no damned monsters on the same level as her. The Familiar, a new one she¡¯d summoned after she drank a mana potion, came flying back towards her and sat down in front of her feet like a soldier ready to report. ¡°You didn¡¯t find anything?¡± Mia asked, shoulders slumping a little as she watched the cat shake its head. Carmilla patted her on the shoulder consolingly, quickly chasing away Mia¡¯s sombre mood. ¡°Well, I guess that was the last of the stragglers. Let¡¯s go back and report in to that Colonel?¡± Carmilla nodded. It was just the two of them now, with a squad of soldiers following them around to provide fire support should they need it. Brent and Helene were off to the other direction, combing through the streets and gardens for leftover Marauders in that direction. Carmilla didn¡¯t get to complete the quest either. Stop moping already! Mia thought self-deprecatingly. Odds were only Lina managed to complete it, especially since she didn¡¯t get the level up that everyone else not at level ten got from assisting in killing the Juggernaut. Not that Lina had been particularly enthused about having missed out on that opportunity. The blonde had been downright fuming. Though Mia could see that this event would probably do some good to the girl in the long run. At least, she won¡¯t ever do something as stupid as knocking herself out with mana deprivation in the middle of a damned fight. If Lina pulled that stunt a short while later, when they were fighting the Juggernaut, it likely would have killed her. It was a blessing in disguise that she burned through her reserves that fast in retrospect. ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± Carmilla said, nodding. The vampiress still looked wary, but she almost always did. Sniffing the air, ears peeled for any sounds and her crimson gaze flickering around, seemingly without rhyme or reason. ¡°The Colonel still owes us those ¡®handsome rewards¡¯ he promised for helping.¡± ¡°I¡¯m plenty happy with just the levels,¡± Mia said, setting off at a leisurely pace with the squad of soldiers taking up formation around her and Carmilla, their rifles held at the ready. They seemed fluid in their movements and didn¡¯t talk, only communicating with glances and short hand gestures. That Colonel probably sent his elite unit to protect us. ¡°Though I wouldn¡¯t say no to more potions and books.¡± ¡°Or food,¡± Carmilla said, her mouth curving into a smile. ¡°You still need food, I doubt your mother had enough of it stashed away to feed the four of you.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, nodding. Still, she¡¯d much rather live off of rationed food than lose out on getting her hands on new books. Though I haven¡¯t even gotten through a fourth of what I already have. Hopefully, those upped Mind stats will speed up my reading a bit. It wouldn¡¯t help her with speeding up the assimilation of new runes into her runic-model, but with regular books it would be another thing entirely. Her reading speed and the swiftness with which she could comprehend the material had already been almost superhuman before her Mind crested over that ten point threshold. Now it should be even better. As they stepped back out onto the street, walking over the ruined fence the Marauder had crashed through to enter the garden, Mia glanced down the street. From this close, she could see it. Just a few dozen metres away started a winding road that would lead up to the top of the forested hill, curving up its slopes like a serpent. Now it was scorched and half of it had been blown up, a mortar shell having impacted the side of it. To both sides the shrubbery and the old trees were still burning, though by now they¡¯d been reduced to embers. Further up, another fifty metres away on the slopes the greenery started once more and Mia could see the thick vines and roots having overgrown the asphalt road. The forest looked ancient, ominous and had a deep darkness to it that could have easily hidden hundreds of Evergreen Marauders just out of sight. Just two weeks ago, this place had been a rather popular location, couples hiked up to the hilltop and had picnics, children played in the well-maintained woods. Now, Mia wouldn¡¯t have the guts to step foot inside even if her full party surrounded her and tanks cleared the way. She felt no monsters with her Spirit Sense from here, but the forest was dangerous, her instincts told her so and she¡¯d learned to trust them by now. Mia turned away and put some haste into her steps, setting off towards the command tent the colonel set up a few streets away. Only when she rounded a corner and put the treeline out of sight did she let out a sigh of relief. Soon enough they reached the large tent the soldiers set up just an hour ago, right after the Juggernaut had been killed in the very same intersection. The corpse of the colossal monster had been left to rot at the side of the road, the soldiers not bothering with it beyond putting it out of the way. Mia glanced at the monster, feeling a sense of wonder that they¡¯d managed to kill it. The thing was larger than the elephants she¡¯d seen in a zoo. Soldiers rushed about, patrols still aiming down every street and combing through this part of the city for other stragglers. Humvees rolled down the streets, rushing by with horns blaring in directions where Mia suspected another leftover monster had been found. Sure, Mia with her Spirit Sense ¡ª which became much more reliable and accurate now that her Cognity had caught up with her Sensitivity ¡ª and her Familiar, and Helene with her flight were the two best fits for looking for the monsters, but the soldiers were no slouches either. They worked without rest and without complaint, having done so even when their comrades had been torn to shreds right next to them. ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE DEAD!?¡± The Colonel¡¯s enraged shout made Mia freeze up just as she pulled open the flap of the tent to head inside. ¡°We¡¯ve found the soldiers left to guard it, Sir. All of them are dead, looking like they¡¯d been attacked by a pack of wild dogs with claw and bite marks covering them and chunks of flesh torn out.¡± A soldier stood before the Colonel¡¯s desk, he was pale as snow, but he stood straight and spoke without a tremble in his voice. Behind him was what Mia suspected was his squad, looking similarly pale. ¡°A third of the crates are gone, Sir. For some reason, only that much had been taken while the rest had been left behind.¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Colonel Zeigler growled, a fierce look on his face as he stood. ¡°Kelvin, pull up the list. I want to know whether we have anyone with a Class fit for investigation or tracking.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The driver from before said, grabbing a large folder from the side and putting on reading glasses as he huddled down to search through it. ¡°I wan-¡± Zeigler¡¯s eyes landed on Mia and Carmilla. ¡°Good, you¡¯re back. Report!¡± ¡°We took care of every monster we found,¡± Mia said, swallowing nervously as a dozen pairs of eyes landed on her. The soldiers stared, their eyes roaming over her body, her civilian clothes, her petite stature and seemed like they found her wanting. Only the Colonel looked to be different, then again, out of everyone in the tent only he saw her fight. ¡°As far as I can tell, there aren¡¯t any remaining in the section we combed through.¡± ¡°Good, perfect!¡± The Colonel said, giving her a satisfied nod. ¡°Seeing as we likely won¡¯t be needing this many of our men standing guard and patrolling with that being the case, I want at least a hundred armed men standing guard around the storage. Tell Major Bergman that¡¯s going to be his men, it¡¯s an order, soldier, from me personally, see that you deliver it, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The pale soldier saluted, mirrored by his squad. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed,¡± the Colonel said. ¡°Now, as for you two girls.¡± The soldiers spun on their heels and set off in a brisk walk, breaking into a jog once they left the tent and ran towards a humvee. Mia watched them go, then glanced back at the Colonel watching the two of them carefully. The old man had a calculating glint in his eyes, probably wracking his brain on how to best make use of their apparent strength. Mia would have minded such a gaze, and him trying to use her if she hadn¡¯t already wanted that to happen a bit. The Colonel was the one officially responsible for keeping the suburbs clean of monsters, and if Mia and her group wanted to freely take part in that, they needed his help. Plus he promised to reward them for a job well done. ¡°You two have done admirably well,¡± the man said, giving a respectful nod at the two girls. ¡°As did the other members of your ¡­ family? Your friends?¡± ¡°A little bit of both,¡± Mia said, shrugging, feeling more at ease now that there were only the four of them in the tent. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t believe paying you with money for your services is going to do you much good,¡± Zeigler said, lowering himself back into his chair as he intertwined his fingers. ¡°I was thinking of providing you with additional food and water from our own rations, but I am open for requests if you have something else in mind. Within reason, of course.¡± Mia shared a quick glance with Carmilla, and the vampiress shrugged, as if saying she didn¡¯t care for the rewards either way. ¡°Books,¡± Mia said, staring back at the Colonel. ¡°And food of course. Both would be good.¡± ¡°Books?¡± Zeigler raised a bushy white eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you are asking to read my collection of military fiction novels?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said, smiling slightly at the joke. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know the System gives out books for completing its Quests ¡­ with how many men you have under your command, I¡¯m sure you have a mountain of seemingly useless books by now. I¡¯d take anything that has to do with magic and such happily.¡± ¡°We do indeed have several crates filled with books the soldiers turned in,¡± Zeigler said, running a hand through his beard thoughtfully. ¡°Marshal¡¯s orders and all that, so we¡¯d been collecting them all. I am supposed to keep them safe until we can ship them off to the capital ¡­ but I¡¯m sure we have duplicates of a number of books, furthermore I¡¯d see no harm in lending you some even if we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be perfect,¡± Mia said, barely managing to suppress a grin. Zeigler had a thousand men under him, and as far as Mia knew everyone who was trying could get the System to give them at least five books. If everyone turned in every single book they got, that was five thousand books. ¡°The food though,¡° Zeigler grimaced, a snarl overcoming his face. ¡°It seems we just had our food stores raided while we¡¯ve been distracted with the monster horde. We are down by quite a bit, so the best I can promise is that we won¡¯t let the five of you starve or die of thirst. We¡¯ll be needing every remaining bite of food.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said, stunned. How could someone be so stupid as to steal food from the people dying to protect them from a horde of horrific plant monsters? ¡°Kelvin¡¯ll give you the list of books we have,¡± Zeigler said, ignoring Mia¡¯s reaction. ¡°You can take ¡­ let¡¯s say five duplicates for every one of you, and you can loan out one book per person at a time. If you don¡¯t bring back a loaned book within a week, the food ration promised to you will stop. That fair?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± Mia said, nodding quickly and then glanced at Carmilla who also gave a lazy nod. ¡°Uhm, the other¡¯s aren¡¯t back yet ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Good, and not as far as I heard.¡± Zeigler shrugged. ¡°You can ask one of the soldiers guarding you to radio them, if they didn¡¯t lose their own protection detail yet, they¡¯ll be able to give you a heads up. Now, if that was all I have a job to do?¡± ¡°Y-yes, uhm, sir?¡± Mia said uncertainly. ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way then.¡± ¡°And girls?¡± Zeigler said just as the two turned to leave. ¡°Good job. You have saved a lot of lives today, not just those of civilians, but also my own. I appreciate that. If you want to help out again, we¡¯ll be happy to have you. Now off you go.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Mia gave a surprised nod, then slid out of the tent and walked over to the sidewalk with Carmilla to get out of the way of the soldiers still hurrying up and down the street. They were pushing monster corpses to the sidewalk, freeing up the place for their tanks and humvees at the moment, with many others setting up further, more permanent barricades down the road, facing the hill. Now that there was a dozen metre wide scorched no man¡¯s land between the treeline and the first houses, the soldiers could set up better to hold off another monster horde. A number of them were also up on the roofs with binoculars, surveying the woods and keeping watch with radio phones hanging at their waists. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that,¡± Carmilla mused, sitting down on the porch of a random house next to Mia. ¡°You sure like your books, hmm?¡± Hmmm, she smells like pine and roses? Mia noted, the soft breeze blowing the vampiress¡¯ perfume right into Mia¡¯s face. She even smells pretty ¡­ Bad Mia! Get your head out of the gutter. ¡°They are our only means of learning about magic and how the System works,¡± Mia said, then trailed off, glancing at Carmilla. ¡°Aside from your bloodline memories I guess.¡± ¡°Well, those will only help me do magic,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Glad you found something of your own to learn from.¡± ¡°I still have so many things to learn from the books I already have,¡± Mia lamented. Her ¡®First Steps of Arcanism¡¯ book was still hiding secrets and had other exercises she hadn¡¯t had the time or opportunity to try and make use of. ¡°Better get to it then,¡± Carmilla said with a smirk. ¡°With these monsters pushed back, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have some time to rest. Even Lina should be satisfied for a bit after this much monster slaughtering.¡± ¡°I doubt she¡¯s ever going to be satisfied,¡± Mia mused, thinking back to the pretty blonde girl¡¯s seemingly insatiable thirst for levels and power. Really, with how bloodthirsty she seemed, instead of Carmilla it looked like Lina was the vampire of the group. ¡°Just hope it doesn¡¯t kill her in the end.¡± The two let that hang in the air between them, just leaning back to rest their legs. With Mia deciding that this spot of rest was just what she¡¯d been waiting for to decide on how to make best use of her nine new stat points. She¡¯d been eying Control for a while, with it being the stat that kept her from manually duplicating Runes in her runic-model. It was the stat that kept her from fulfilling one of the requirements of the Summoning Ritual. ¡°A quick question?¡± Mia asked, glancing over at the vampire who seemed to be delighted to just be sunbathing on the porch. ¡°What Control do you think I¡¯d need to duplicate Runes manually like you do?¡± From what Mia knew, Carmilla had personally copied every rune out of her Bloodline memories manually. There was no better person to ask. ¡°Well, above ten at the very least for the simplest ones,¡± Carmilla said, her eyes staying closed as she smiled up at the sun. ¡°If your Base for the stat is above five, then having an overall ten should be enough for most of the runes you¡¯ll be getting in the near future.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Mia smiled. That meant she only had to put four, or at most five points into the stat to get what she wanted with her having exactly five Base Control and one more in Gained Attributes, making an overall six. Once I get started with practising, my Base will naturally go up. Four should be enough. [Control: 6 -> 10] [Main Spirit: 10 -> 11] [Free Attribute Points: 9 -> 5] Mia shuddered, feeling that inexplicable sense of strength and firmness spread through the deep part of her being she came to understand was her Spirit. Five more to go. Unfortunately for most of her Subattributes, the two winners of the second round of her stat assignment were predetermined: Will and Manifestation. The only question that remained was the spread of the points, which Mia quickly decided on. Will had 4 base plus 6 gained stats while it was the exact opposite for Manifestation with 6 base and 4 gained. For most gain in terms of magic, she should have probably gone all in on Manifestation. I can¡¯t. She knew that, even though it was somewhat tempting. Her Will stat was quite probably her most overworked Subattribute and whenever Mia reflected on her behaviour and choices in the past week, comparing them to The Before ¡­ She¡¯d done things she¡¯d never thought herself capable of, she¡¯d been decisive at times, determined at others and even had moments that she might be able to call brave too. The ¡®her¡¯ from before the System would have screamed, bawled and fainted promptly when faced with some of the stuff the ¡®new her¡¯ had been forced to face. Will was a trooper of a stat, the miracle that turned her life around and likely saved it more times than she even noticed. So even if she wasn¡¯t going to give it the majority of her points, she still didn¡¯t want it to flag too far behind Manifestation. Especially since both stats had to be used in tandem to cast spells, if one was far lower than the other, she probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to make optimal use of the higher stat. [Will: 10 -> 12] [Manifestation: 10 -> 13] [Spirit: 11 -> 13] [Free Attribute Points: 5 -> 0] Mia let out a sigh of relief. That was it. Until the Rifts were cleared out, that was the last free stat point she was going to get. It was somehow relieving, to know she wouldn¡¯t have to wrack her brain over it for a while. Sure, there were Natural Treasures to be gained from Quests and whatnot that could give her more Gained stats, but those would be random. No choice input needed on her part. The rest of their group ambled back a while later. Helene came first, landing gently next to the girls and settling down too with Brent striding out from behind a corner a few minutes later, seemingly having been left behind by Helene. ¡°Where¡¯s Lina and Mark?¡± Mia asked, looking between her mother and Brent. She thought the four of them were together. ¡°They should have come back earlier,¡± Brent said, his face pulled into a frown as he glanced over at the medical tent. ¡°I¡¯ll check. Both of them were rather exhausted, maybe they lied down to rest.¡± ¡°Or they went back to the house,¡± Helene said, shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s only a five minute walk away from here.¡± ¡°You can track them down if they somehow got lost, right?¡± Mia asked, whispering to Carmilla who gave a nod after softly sniffing the air. ¡°I have their trail, and scent,¡± the redhead said. ¡°Though I don¡¯t think that¡¯s needed, look.¡± The two came out of the medical tent after Brent, both wobbling on their feet and looking like they¡¯d been forced to run a marathon with how their eyes were moments away from closing. ¡°Huh, what did they do to get that tired?¡± Mia mused, glancing at her mother questioningly. ¡°The girl wanted to catch up on the level she¡¯d lost out on,¡± Helene said, sounding like she didn¡¯t think Lina had all her screws screwed in particularly well. ¡°And Mark ¡­ well, he really enjoyed beating a few Marauders into a pulp after what their Rift Guardian did to him. He tired himself out after the tenth or so.¡± Mia bit her lips, staring at her downsized friend as he slumped down on the pavement. Was he alright? He didn¡¯t look alright. ¡°Hey, Mark,¡± Mia said, catching the exhausted dwarf¡¯s eyes. ¡°How are you? With the ¡­ ¡° ¡°Shit as can be,¡± he mumbled, snorting at his own little word-play. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I¡¯m managing,¡± Mia said, frowning. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t the one getting stepped on by a Rift Guardian.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mark said. ¡°I think I¡¯m not into getting stepped on. The damned walking piece of lettuce didn¡¯t even ask for my consent. I¡¯m going to sue the shit out of the Rift that spawned it.¡± Mia smiled, he seemed to be doing well enough to joke around. That wasn¡¯t saying much, since he and Gabe both had a tendency to downplay their emotions with jokes. But it was also a coping mechanism for them, so Mia was more than happy to indulge him if it helped. ¡°Thought you liked tentacle stuff,¡± Mia mused. ¡°That thing had like, twelve vines that worked like that, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only hot if the tentacles are attached to a cute girl,¡± Mark grumbled. Lina looked on with a half confounded, half amused look on her face as she looked between Mark and Mia like they grew a new pair of heads. The girl frowned, then bit her lip as she turned away, a guilty look on her face. Mia frowned. ¡°Lina?¡± Mia asked, tilting her head as the girl whirled back around. ¡°Are you alright too? Sorry, I forgot to ask. I know how horrible mana deprivation is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the blonde said like that was going to be the end of it, then sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m just ¡­ you almost died out there while I¡¯d been taking a beauty nap inside that tent. There are no words to describe how miserable that makes me feel.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said, blinking at the blonde for a moment before she propped herself up and hopped over to pull the surly girl in for a quick hug. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all alive and ¡­ mostly well. Mark lost a few of his fetishes, but that¡¯s about all of our casualties. Plus, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll never do something like exhausting your mana mid-battle again.¡± Lina looked taken aback by the certainty in Mia¡¯s voice, but then nodded slowly and Mia beamed up at her. The smile came naturally, and with a rush of horror that was ingrained into her by years upon years of getting told how creepy her smile was, it fell off like it had never been there. Mia sauntered off, lying down in the grass a bit further away now that she felt she¡¯d done her friendly duties. ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, I¡¯d say we go back to the house and just rest. Any objections?¡± Brent asked, and when everybody just shook their heads the group set off to get some well deserved rest. If only we had enough water for a bubble bath. Mia thought on the way back. She felt dirty and overall miserable with her clothes covered in grime and her body slick with sweat. In the end, she had to make do with a wet towel again. I¡¯m getting really tired of this. It¡¯s one thing to be forced to fight for my life against monsters, and another entirely when I can¡¯t even properly clean up afterwards. ***** Colonel Lars Zeigler rubbed his beard thoughtfully, staring out at the street through the thin space between the flaps of his command tent. The soldier who¡¯d been tasked with protecting the two girls had just left through that flap, heading over to set up guards around that group¡¯s house. With how things were, he had to take every precaution to protect those people. ¡°Sir ¡­ if I may?¡± Kelvin asked, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain. Zeigler motioned for him to continue. ¡°Is this really wise? Entrusting what should be our duty to civilians?¡± ¡°Wise,¡± Zeigler barked a laugh. ¡°Kelvin, did you see that big, ugly fucker? The one that came running at me like I was its favourite chewtoy? Let me tell you, having something the size of an elephant rushing you isn¡¯t good for the cleanliness of your underwear.¡± ¡°Sir ¡­ ¡° ¡°Only the tank¡¯s shells and the RPG did anything to that monster,¡± Zeigler continued. ¡°And it was fast, too fast to hit from that close up with anything we have, and then again, tell me Kelvin, how many cannon shells do we have left for the tanks? How many RPG rounds?¡± ¡° ¡­ If I had to guess, I¡¯d say at most a hundred shells and maybe half that in RPG rounds, Sir.¡± Kelvin said, his unnaturally good memory once again shining through. Somehow, that man could always guess such things with an unnatural degree of accuracy. ¡°That pink haired slip of a girl that was stuttering there, asking me to reward her books for saving my life, shot off magic almost as strong as the cannons we have on tanks,¡± Zeigler said, his voice turning serious. ¡°Do you know how many charges she has for that magic of hers? Infinite! She takes a nap, and she¡¯ll be back to full, or so I heard from the magicians here. When we eventually run out of ammunition ¡­ and we will run out of it, if those monsters keep coming at us at the same rate as they¡¯ve been ¡­ we¡¯ll have no choice but to ask that girl and people like her to take the place of tanks, mortars and heavy artillery.¡± ¡°I see, Sir.¡± Kelvin nodded, his own thin face pulled into a frown. ¡°I ¡­ just hope we can keep them in line. That power in the hands of a civilian ¡­ ¡° ¡°They seem like good people,¡± Zeigler mused, scratching his neck as he threw his legs up on the table. ¡°I like them, they are good kids. Respectful, brave and not too rash. We¡¯ll treat them as elite military contractors for now, with respect and with sizable reimbursements for their efforts.¡± ¡°They could come to hate you, and the army as a whole, if one of them comes to harm,¡± Kelvin said, looking anxious. Zeigler understood him. It was a strange situation, and the younger man was understandably nervous about the future. It was a trait only decades of experience beat out of Zeigler himself. Furthermore, he saw his adaptivity to changing circumstances to be one of his best qualities as a commander. Plus, his gut hadn¡¯t failed him yet and his gut was telling him that treating those kids well was the right move. ¡°What if one dies, and they blame you? We¡¯ll have a group of insurgents in our midst, armed with heavy artillery that they can hide in their back pockets. We don¡¯t have the means to handle that.¡± ¡°I appreciate your warnings, Kelvin,¡± Zeigler said, his voice serious, but not unkind. He knew his aide was only sharing his thoughts because Zeigler had asked him to always provide a second opinion to give contrast to the Colonel¡¯s own. ¡°And I know they are civilians. They wouldn¡¯t be prepared to handle casualties. That¡¯s why I am having my best men guarding them and why we¡¯ll be right there to help them through it, should the worst happen.¡± ¡°Understood Sir,¡± Kelvin said, nodding. ¡° ¡­ When do you want me to deliver the list of available books to them, and the food rations you promised them?¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Zeigler said, reluctantly sitting back down and grabbing the next piece of paperwork he¡¯d have to go over. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll send a squad of trustworthy men over with the list and the provisions. If they decide on the books they want, I want those books to be delivered by tomorrow evening.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir.¡± ¡°Next up, have you found someone who might help us figure out who had enough balls to steal food from the blasted army?¡± Zeigler asked, his moustache flaring in fury. He¡¯d been as gentle as he could be with the residents, his men died to protect them and this was how they thanked those sacrifices? Once I got my hands on the spineless curs who dared to do such a thing ¡­ ¡°I have some potential candidates,¡± Kelvin said, fixing his glasses as he handed a list over to the Colonel. ¡°Good, I want them all on a single team with a protection detail and soldiers helping them,¡± Zeigler said. ¡°Select the most experienced of them to be the lead investigator and you¡¯ll personally oversee their task. Those men will be under your command. Don''t let me down Kelvin.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir!¡± Kelvin said, rising to his feet. ¡°Good hunting,¡± Zeigler said, a ferocious grin forming on his face. Kelvin gave a smile with the same hint of ferocity in it. They¡¯d make sure whoever dared to kill their men and steal their supplies rued the day they were born. 42 - Starhaven II. (Interlude) ¡°How accurate is this map?¡± Arwen asked, his gaze studying the large sketched map of the ¡®planet¡¯ his Plane found itself merged with. ¡°I¡¯d say the accuracy is around eighty percent, my Lord Regent,¡± the bespectacled man standing next to Arwen said easily. He was the chief cartographer of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Starhaven, Sebastian Raum, and being a vampire the man had probably been doing his job for longer than Arwen¡¯s family existed. ¡°Of course, it is ¡­ challenging to accurately depict an ellipsoid in two dimensions so that is the best we could do. There is an alternative though, if I may?¡± ¡°Please go ahead,¡± Arwen said, motioning for the elderly man to do as he wished. Raum held out his hand above the haphazardly spread out pieces of paper covering the majority of the room¡¯s floor. The sketches on it glowed a dim yellow for a moment, then as Raum moved his hand up the glowing map of the world floated up and above the papers. The man made a fist and the glowing lines, depicting continents and oceans, swam through the air and condensed into the rough shape of a sphere. Raum stepped back, examining his creation with a critical eye before giving a huff, as if to say ¡®it¡¯s good enough I suppose¡¯. ¡°This should be the most accurate representation of the celestial object we now find ourselves upon,¡± Raum said, another flick of his wrist making the mountain ranges poke outwards and deep craters and indents form in other places which were quickly flooded with illusory water. ¡°This here, is the Starhaven continent as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of.¡± Arwen of course was familiar with it, but he still saw some changes. For one, there was a gigantic fucking rip piercing towards the core of the continent that had not been there before. A side effect of having a flat plane transposed upon a sphere, apparently. At least none of our cities got swallowed up by the ocean that came rushing in. ¡°As you can see, we are in the middle of the watery expanse the locals call the ¡®Atlantic Ocean¡¯.¡± Raum made the body of water light up. ¡°We are bordering almost all other continents of the planet here, all of which are at most half the size of Starhaven. Our continent, just by itself, makes up for 46% of the planet¡¯s landmass. It is a ¡­ favourable location, I might say. Though there is one downside.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Arwen asked, watching the slowly rotating orb spanning at least five metres from end to end. He read the labels, the Americas, Africa and a tiny peninsula called Europe were closest. He momentarily wondered which of those might Gabriel be heading towards. ¡°The Primary Leyline of the planet, the Dragon Vein practically runs around us,¡± Raum said, his face twitching into a grimace for a short moment. A glowing arcane pink line lit up across the globe, running in a circle around the world. ¡°Starting at this continent in the south pole, Antarctica, it runs all the way up to the north pole on the western coast of the Americas then down to Europe and across the set of mountain ranges the locals named the Alpine Belt until it reaches the island of Australia, from which it connects up with the starting point at the south pole.¡± ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± Arwen said, though he wasn¡¯t all that worried. They just had to swiftly conquer a small piece of land where the Dragon Vein ran to gain access to it. ¡°But not a huge loss, especially with ¡­ how many was it? Five new mana wells forming around the continent?¡± Having the possibly Rank 5 Dragon Vein running right under their continent would have sent the mana sphere into even more of a frenzy than it already was in, and the initial mass of Rifts that would have spawned would have likely crippled their society for a short while, a week maybe. Not starting with it underneath them had distinct advantages. ¡°Seven now my Lord Regent,¡± Raum amended, making seven points of the same pinkish light glow up on Starhaven. ¡°The latest opened up right underneath the city of Bramwell, swallowing up half of it in the subsequently created sinkhole.¡± ¡°That¡¯s plenty,¡± Arwen said, tapping his fingers on the hilt of his blade, a nervous tick he never bothered to get rid of. ¡°With the locals being new to all forms of magic, we can easily leverage our knowledge to gain the upper hand. Even with the Ranks of our fighters being restricted.¡± ¡°As you say, my Lord,¡± Raum said, not all that bothered by military matters. The man was an explorer at heart if the report he got were to be trusted, and had been aching to learn more about this ¡®Earth¡¯ even before Arwen granted him control over the Scryers and Divination mages under his employ. ¡°Thank You, Lord Raum,¡± Arwen said, looking over at the ancient vampire lord. ¡°That will be all for now. Would it be possible for you to leave this illusion as it is?¡± ¡°It would,¡± Raum said, his mouth curving into the hint of a sneer. Even amicable and worldly as the old vampire was, having what could be interpreted as his skills in magic being questioned stung his pride. Arwen reprimanded himself inwardly for the blunder. ¡°I¡¯ll require a Rank 4 Arcanite of at least the size of my fist, preferably attuned to Light or Illusion mana.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Arwen held back a grimace, waving at the Shadow standing guard in the corner. He was pretty sure old Raum could have done what he requested without using up an item as valuable as a piece of Arcanite that large, alas he was being petty. ¡°Get what Lord Raum asked for from the treasury.¡± The Shadow bowed and disappeared, flickering back into place a few seconds later with a fist sized gem held in his hands. Arwen took it, taking a moment to appreciate its beauty. Arcanite was crystallised mana straight from a Dragon Vein and a Rank 4 one would need to have been harvested from a Major Plane. Furthermore, the yellow tint it had, presumably from being attuned to the colour¡¯s associated Light element, meant it was even more valuable. Still, if this is what the old man wants for appeasement, then so be it. We should have a dozen more. Arwen handed over the gem, hiding his grimace as best as he could. Raum took it without a hint of shame, appreciation or even respect for the precious item. Arwen had the sudden urge to punch him in the face as a slight smirk twitched at the edge of the vampire¡¯s lips. Alas, that would be a fatal mistake. Lord Raum was a council member of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s Starhaven branch. Him being displeased with the Lord Regent could be enough for the Guild Master to stop coordinating his efforts to explore the outside world with Arwen. Furthermore, losing the cartographer¡¯s assistance could push all of his plans back. Raum¡¯s mana seeped into the gem, condensing into a nail-sized chunk of it at the side which broke off a moment later. The tiny piece of glowing Arcanite floated up to the centre of the illusory planet, then sucked it all inside of it before floating back down to Raum¡¯s outstretched hand. The vampire gave the newly made artefact a cursory glance before he flicked it over to Arwen, then he pocketed the remaining chunk of Arcanite without even a twitch of his lips. ¡°You do know how to use a basic light artefact, correct? My Lord Regent?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Arwen said, letting a little flick of Ki brush against the small gem. A moment later, the globe sprang back into existence before him, though at a much reduced size. ¡°I made it so any new discovery will automatically appear on the artefact,¡± Raum said, and one wouldn¡¯t be faulted to believe it was a simple matter to accomplish with how offhandedly the man spoke about it. They would be dead wrong, of course, but perhaps to a millennia old vampire it really was the truth. ¡°It should also get progressively more accurate and detailed as time goes by. Now, I believe that was all for today, My Lord Regent?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Arwen said as politely as possible, even though doing so felt distinctly uncomfortable to someone like him who spent more time among Adventurers than Nobility. Strangely enough, technically Raum was an Adventurer, even though he acted like the most stuck-up nobles of the Aethernum Plane. ¡°Thank you for your assistance today, and in our explorative efforts, Lord Raum. If you wish for any other compensation beyond what we¡¯ve discussed already, I¡¯d be willing to accommodate you.¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said before,¡± Raum said. ¡°Getting to be part of the push to explore and map out this strange new world is immeasurably valuable to me. Nothing else you have interests me. Have a good day, Lord Regent.¡± ¡°Likewise, Lord Raum.¡± Arwen gave a respectful nod, which the vampire returned with the unnatural elegance of one who¡¯d been practising that exact nod for centuries. When the vampire was far away, and the door behind him snapped close with the sound dampening enchantments back in place, Arwen waved the Shadow over again. ¡°Get Commander Markal.¡± The Shadow bowed, then another one appeared next to him and the first went back to guard the entrance of the room. ¡°You called, My Prince?¡± Markal asked, standing upright and levelling an impassive gaze at Arwen. His eyes, like depthless pools of amethyst, stared at him in a way that unnerved the prince. Those were the marks of at least a Major affinity for the Illusion element, an advanced element of just about any element capable of creating illusions, such as Water, Light or even Arcane. It was a complicated element to get ahold of, more so than most advanced elements were, but the benefits it provided were consequently just as outstanding. Along with Darkness, Illusion was the best at concealment spells and remaining unseen, unheard and undetected. In the hands of one as proficient in its use as Markal, it could also be used to cast every spell in existence by using Illusion mana to act in place of other elemental mana types. The resulting spells would only be at most half as potent, but the variety of attacks and spells it gave an Illusion mage were terrifying to anyone having to face such a mage as their foe. ¡°Markal, with almost a week having gone by since we sent out the first scouts to survey the outside world, I¡¯m sure you have at least a preliminary idea of what the world is like, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, My Prince,¡± the man nodded, glancing over at the globe spinning before Arwen. ¡°Do you want to hear the report now? We only know the extreme basics at this moment.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Arwen said, nodding. With another flick of Ki, he sent the globe flying back to the middle of the room and expanding back to its previous size. He then handed the artefact over to Markal. ¡°Alright,¡± the man said. If one looked at him, they would think he didn¡¯t have a subservient bone in his body. Arwen heard the story of his coming to swear fealty to his father numerous times, but he still couldn¡¯t quite believe it. Apparently, it had been a bet between the King and Markal, who was the leader of a prominent guild of assassins, thieves, and information brokers at the time. A bet that whichever of the two lost a duel would swear a blood oath to the other. The King had been a mere prince back then, and not even the crown prince, so Arwen could perhaps believe why his father risked it all to gain such a powerful ally ¡ª and Markal was powerful, even if he had been only a Peak Rank 3 at the time. It had paid off too, seeing as Arwen didn¡¯t have any uncles. With that said, Arwen didn¡¯t have much actual power over Markal, even with being a Regent. His father made sure that while Markal would have to entertain the orders of a Regent, he wouldn¡¯t have to obey them if he thought those orders went against the King¡¯s own orders or best interest. Of course, Arwen also couldn¡¯t kill the man through the System¡¯s Faction Controls like he could the other Shadows. Still, that was more than enough for him. Markal was competent beyond reason and honourable too, in a way, since he went through with the bet back then and had been serving the King ever since. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with generalities then,¡± Markal said, his casual tone and lax posture a stark contrast to Arwen¡¯s previous conversation partner. ¡°This continent down south is a frozen piece of rock, swarming with all sorts of messed up monsters. I suspect one of the Dungeons was created right at the south pole and that it predominantly has eldritch type monsters. That¡¯s going to be fun.¡± Fuck. Arwen thought, grimacing at how close the southern shores of Starhaven were to the icy continent. With all of them being locked inside too, they couldn¡¯t even keep the damned dungeon from overflowing and vomiting out hordes of those horrors. ¡°These continents here, the Americas,¡± Markal continued, running a hand over the twin continents locked by a thin land-bridge. ¡°The southern continent is in anarchy, largely intact too, but with this forest here overrun with monsters. The northern continent ¡­ well, all of our scouts have been killed except two. That goes for the southern continent as well. Every single local they came across had these curious little artefacts similar to the Coalition¡¯s hand cannons. Most of them got shot the moment they were spotted.¡± Unorganised, but dangerously well-armed. Arwen squinted, his eyes roaming over the vast northern continent. ¡°How intact is the northern one?¡± Arwen asked. ¡°Numerous cities on the southern coast had been ravaged by some cataclysmic natural disaster,¡± Markal said with a shrug. ¡°The ocean swallowed them up, is what I think. Giant waves would do what the scouts described, or a Lord of Air rampaging through the coast. Further in though, it is mostly intact and with the same number of hand cannons among the locals as in the southern continent. Furthermore, even the armies in the region are starting to form back up and push back the monsters while establishing some semblance of order among their rowdy populace.¡± Weather with comparable destructive power as an Elemental Lord? Well, that¡¯s quite something. And those damned hand cannons again, and more compact than the Coalition¡¯s, even if the firepower is not even comparable. This world had gone all in on technological advancement, which is understandable with magic not being a thing for most of their history. ¡°This continent, Africa ¡­ I wouldn¡¯t recommend it as our foothold,¡± Markal said, making three regions glow up. A beige, a light green and a dark green in that order from top down. ¡°All three regions shown here have various powerful magical beasts roaming them. I¡¯m guessing even if we get a foothold there, a Beast Clan would knock us out the moment they gain access to the region¡¯s Obelisks. Several of the magical creatures are already forming smaller clans, and are extremely hostile to any humanoid creature.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Arwen said, nodding to himself. True indeed, why waste resources and manpower on conquering parts of that continent if one of the Royal Beast Clans from the Beast Realm would just stomp on whatever foothold they get the moment they arrive? ¡°Which Clans do you see wanting to fight for control of it?¡± ¡°Behemoths, Titans, Leonids, and a hundred more, none of which will be particularly happy that this manaless new realm had reduced their kin to mere animals to be hunted by powerless human,¡± Markal said, making an illusion of his own appear in the air showing what were probably recordings taken by the scouts. A massive beast the size of a house with a thick grey body and a horn atop its head charged through a line of trees towards the screen, next a colossal humanoid form covered in silver fur used a tree to beat an unfortunate scout to a pulp. A few more such recordings flickered about, and Arwen found a resemblance in the magical creatures with all four mentioned Clans. ¡°In my opinion, this last region would be the best target. Europe. It¡¯s smaller, but has the Dragon Vein running right through it and its climate is moderate, perfect for humans to settle.¡± The image grew in size, zooming in on the peninsula. A dozen dots appeared on it. ¡°The one downside is that this one seemingly escaped the devastation of the natural disasters that destabilised most other regions.¡± Markal threw up another illusory screen. ¡°Their cities are intact, their roads are in good condition, their billions of citizens alive and kicking and their armies are already clearing out the Rifts. I¡¯d recommend the western coast of the Americas too, but we don¡¯t have easy access to that part of the world just yet. That leaves Europe.¡± ¡°We could just go through those vast plains and reach the west coast,¡± Arwen mused. ¡°If we managed to conquer the Northern continent while it was in disarray, it would give us a much more defendable foothold than this Europe.¡± ¡°True indeed, my Prince,¡± said Markal, shrugging as he stepped back. He threw the artefact back to Arwen. ¡°The decision is in your hands. I¡¯ve given my opinion. I believe both plans have merit.¡± After another minute of thinking, Arwen came to a conclusion. He didn¡¯t have to decide. Starhaven was massive. He had enough manpower to poke at both targets and see which gave easier. Furthermore, he could hand off sending an expedition into one of the continents to the Adventurer¡¯s guild. Raum would no doubt be ecstatic to gain a chance to more deeply study either region. He knew his time was limited, that soon enough the Obelisks would come back up and Users from outside the Realm, and from the Supreme Powers of the Six Realms, would come flooding in. Still, rushing could mean fumbling this opportunity. He couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. Even if it took precious days, weeks or even months to gain a better understanding of this new world. He resolved to not be hasty. After all, as everyone who had ¡®system studies and philosophy¡¯ classes growing up had been forced to learn: Knowledge is Power. And Arwen was resolved to grab as much power for his kingdom as possible. With his father and brother gone, his sister having fled to only stars knew where, that responsibility fell to him. 43 - Bloodline Talk *** [Name: Helene Vexley] [Ancestry: Human (Storm)] *** Mia stared at the screen her mother shared with her, and noted that strangely enough, Helene was still a human despite having what was clearly a high grade Magical Beast bloodline. ¡°The System didn¡¯t want to fully awaken your bloodline?¡± Mia asked, more confused than anything. Still, a part of her was glad too. It would have been weird as hell if her mother had turned into a winged horse. ¡°Seems that way,¡± Helene shrugged. ¡°But I think I can push for a full manifestation on a higher Rank. I¡¯d also have to purify my bloodline before that.¡± ¡°You also have some bloodline memories like Carmilla?¡± ¡°No,¡± Helene said, raising an eyebrow at the new information about the vampiress. ¡°Vague feelings at best, that I might fully manifest the bloodline if I was stronger and had purified it. Dim instincts at best, no memories.¡± Mia hummed, then pulled up her own Interface to compare her mother¡¯s with it. *** [Name: Maria Vexley] [Ancestry: Halvyr (Arcane)] *** ¡°You were right,¡± Mia whispered, frowning at the system window before looking up at her mother. ¡°My Bloodline comes from ¡­ the other side of the family.¡± ¡°So it seems,¡± Helene said, her mouth curving into that fragile smile it always did when her ex-husband came up in a conversation. ¡°Did you at least get something from my side?¡± ¡°The [Lesser Featherweight Constitution],¡± Mia said. ¡°Apparently the System decided to subsume the Stormborne Pegasus Bloodline to create it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Helene wondered, gently sitting down next to Mia with a book on Bloodlines ¡ª a new acquisition from the Colonel ¡ª open in her lap. ¡°I think it thought having my other Bloodline at 100% purity would be better than a hybrid Bloodline,¡± Mia said, sighing. On one hand, the Bloodline came from her ¡®father¡¯, but on the other hand, it was awesome. A conflicting pair of emotions brewed up a storm in Mia¡¯s heart. ¡°I ¡­ still don¡¯t quite understand it,¡± Helene said, brows pulled into a frown. ¡°We read that book you have on your new race, and we did this book too. Still, I don¡¯t know how or why you are what you are.¡± ¡°System shenanigans seem to be a valid explanation based off of this book,¡± Mia said, patting the Halvyr history book. Finally, now that she got around to reading into it, Mia understood the difference between Fae, Elves, Half-Elves, Halvyr and how they were all connected to the Spirits. Well, it was quite simple in retrospect. It all started with Spirits. Born as mere Sprites, they would climb their own evolutionary ladder over centuries or even millennia until they became Spirit Kings. Spirit Kings were the first stage at which these spiritual creatures could have children the natural way. They could slice off little parts of themselves even before to create offspring, but those would just be sprites instead of true children of their own. A Spirit King¡¯s children would all be Fae, no matter what the race the partner of the Spirit King was. Or, they could be regular Elves, if the Spirit King didn¡¯t feel like blessing the child at birth or wasn¡¯t capable of doing so. Each blessing cost the King, and in time they¡¯d be unable to bless their progeny. Maybe that would be after the third child, the tenth grandchild or the hundredth great grandchild. It all depended on the power of the Spirit King. These Fae descendants of the Spirit King would form his Court and the size of that court would be directly proportional to the prestige of the King in the Spirit Realm. Mia still didn¡¯t quite understand it, but the book implied that the size of the Court somehow magically strengthened the King too, as well as all members of the Court themselves. Elves couldn''t join the court, nor could half-elves. Nor could Halvyr for that matter, who were basically just half-elves the Spirit King decided to still bless for some inexplicable reason. Only the strongest Spirit Kings or the most eccentric ones were known to have had Halvyr descendants, since it was practically a waste of power spent for the King. After all, when they had a hundred new descendants being born every year and they only had enough power to bless one or two, choosing a child who was half-human would have been ¡­ suboptimal. Mia was pretty sure, what with her having been born on Earth when the System wasn¡¯t really a thing yet, that her own Spirit King did not bless her. Not personally, anyway. *** ¡®In some specific instances, the Spirit King can be supplanted as the source of the blessing by another being of equal power. This can be an Archdemon, an Archfey, a Primarch, a more powerful Paragon or, as is the case for 90% of such circumstances, the System itself.¡¯ ¡®Many scholars point to occurrences like this as evidence to claim the System is merely playing gardener with us all, planting seeds and seeing which would sprout into beautiful flowers.¡¯ *** ¡°Maybe it was just the Awakening or something,¡± Mia said, shrugging as if to put the matter out of her mind. It wasn¡¯t like she could dial up the System¡¯s customer support and ask them for an explanation. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Even the book states that a blessing given in such a way cannot be taken back. It¡¯s a part of me now, so no take backsies ¡­ or something. Anyway! I have to run or I¡¯ll be late for the hunt. See you later mom! Love you!¡± ¡°I love you too sweetheart,¡± Helene said softly, pulling Mia into a quick hug before she could flutter away. ¡°Be careful. I know Carmilla¡¯s going with you, but you never know in this world. If you see something you aren¡¯t ready to face, feel like something¡¯s wrong or even just feel too tired just run, okay?¡± ¡°Of course mom,¡± Mia said, squeezing her mother back with her voice dipping into a soft tone. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to come? Even if you have the quest already, some action couldn¡¯t hurt?¡± ¡°Not today,¡± Helene said, pulling back and holding Mia at arm¡¯s length as she looked her daughter up and down. ¡°I promised the Colonel I¡¯d patrol a few circles around the district for him. Also ¡­ I¡¯ve been told babying you would cripple you in the long run. Just, be careful, okay?¡± Helene said the last part like it physically hurt her to speak the words. Mia¡¯s eyes teared up, and she pulled her mother back for a crushing hug. It had almost been a week since they killed the Juggernaut, and over the week Mia never once had even the opportunity to fight anything alone to fulfil the requirements of her Quest. The group had been doing smaller tasks for Zeigler, like hunting down smaller groups of Marauders that broke through the perimeter the soldiers set up at the edges of the district. Today would be different, though. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Mia reassured her mother. ¡°We are only going into the woods and fields a bit outside the city. Carmilla can sprint back with me over her shoulders in half a minute from there.¡± ¡°You have your ring, the Elixirs and potions safely tucked away, right?¡± Helene asked, reaching down to tighten the fanny pack hanging on the side of Mia¡¯s waist. ¡°Do you have enough of them? I still have some left over-¡° Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I have four Elixirs mom,¡± Mia said, smiling serenely at her mother. She knew Helene had to get the worrying out of her system. ¡°I claimed the second week¡¯s rewards yesterday.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Helene said, nodding, patting Mia anxiously on the shoulder. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop holding you up. Just make sure you keep those soldiers between yourself and the monsters even if you don¡¯t want them helping until the last minute and promise me you won¡¯t fight anything above level ten!¡± ¡°I promise,¡± Mia said, meaning it too. She had no intention of facing off against something of the Evergreen Juggernaut¡¯s calibre alone just for a wand. She still had some sense that hadn¡¯t been knocked out of her. ¡°I¡¯ll be back by eight! Could you prepare a bath for me? Pretty please?¡± ¡°Sure honeybun,¡± Helene said, a smile finally slipping back onto her face. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out how that magic rock of yours works and then get your bath going. Just get back before algae starts growing in the tub.¡± That ¡®arcane rock¡¯ was what Mia begged the System for when she claimed the Ream Event¡¯s weekly rewards. Either by pure dumb luck, or by some magnificent System God¡¯s pitying grace, her prayers had been answered. She got a rock. A rock that could condense water vapour into clean drinking water, and with time, even do so with ambient humidity. One just had to feed it some mana to work, then leave the rock covered in glowing runic script in a tub. It could even work by absorbing monster cores as fuel. Which meant baths were back on the menu. Speaking of, the group decided to exchange the Rank 1 core of the Juggernaut they¡¯d forgotten about for more food. With none of them being artificers or whatever else crafting profession could make use of those gems, it was almost useless to them beyond powering their water rock. Food, on the other hand, they were running low on and none of them were thrilled about the idea of starving to death, so they unanimously agreed to let Zeigler have the damned thing. ¡°Sure thing!¡± Mia said, gave a quick peck on the cheek to her mother, then ran out of the house. Carmilla already waited for her with a humvee parked just down the street, the soldiers who¡¯d be accompanying them on this excursion sitting inside. ¡°Sorry, we can depart whenever?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready too,¡± Carmilla said, her voice having become much more ¡­ silky ¡ª if that was the right word ¡ª over the week. Either way, she seemed more relaxed and at ease, which probably had something to do with the fact that Mia had given her half a syringe of her blood every day for the last seven days. ¡°I think they are too, so after you?¡± Mia smiled, then climbed up into the humvee with Carmilla plopping down next to her a moment later. The door slammed close. The back of the vehicle had been clearly modified a bit to provide more space for transporting troops. Instead of just two seats being in the back, there were three pairs of them facing each other like two parallel benches in the back. In the back sat three soldiers, a woman and two men, who largely ignored them for now as the girls plopped down onto the empty side. ¡°The seatbelts if you would, ladies?¡± The driver asked, looking over his shoulder with an easy smile. When they did as he asked, and so did the other soldiers, amidst a round of grumbling, the man grinned and stepped on the gas. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a minute. Sit tight!¡± Mia closed her eyes as the vehicle raced down the street, trying her best to ignore the dozen bumps and jumps throwing her around. Whoever gave a driver¡¯s licence to the guy behind the wheels had dubious judgement in Mia¡¯s opinion, but perhaps getting to somewhere fast instead of safely is more important to an army driver. Opening up the Spell Tome in her mind, Mia went through everything new in there she wanted to use today¡¯s ¡®hunt¡¯ to test. The main reason was of course that if by some miracle they stumbled upon a level ten monster she could finally complete her Quest, but her secondary objective was to test those spells. She had four new Bolt variants to test and two entirely new spells from the Conjuration Lexicon. That was six in all, and while some of them were of ¡­ questionable usefulness, Mia thought most would serve her well. The Rapid-Fire variant, for example, was her personal favourite Bolt variant to date. It broke down a single brick sized Bolt into a dozen pebble sized ones she could shoot out one after the other. The speed was slower than her double barrel trick, but she still loved the idea of having a magical, semi-automatic rifle in the form of that spell. Other variants were a ¡®barrage¡¯ one, which likewise broke a single Bolt down into a dozen smaller ones. Unlike rapid-fire though, this one blasted them all forward in a vaguely conical shape like a disastrously inaccurate shotgun. The last two were a touch better than that, being a shockwave variant and a homing barrage variant. The prior broke the Bolt down into a very short ranged blast of energy with about as much power as a fart behind it while the homing barrage did as the name implied. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Carmilla whispered, and Mia only now noticed how uncomfortable the redhead looked. She was practically squirming in place for some reason. Mia took a quick look around, noting how one pair of the soldiers were staring at the two of them with dangerous looks in their eyes. Their focus had been on Carmilla primarily, but with Mia looking at them the two stared at her. For a moment their faces overlapped with another face, one Mia loathed with all her soul. That lecherous look, those humiliatingly objectifying gazes ¡­ they were all just far too similar to Arnie¡¯s. That cunt of a stalking sack of scum was why she¡¯d moved back so quickly to her hometown after college. Why she practically didn¡¯t exist on social media and why she¡¯d cut contact with most of her acquaintances from highschool. Some people just didn¡¯t know what ¡®no¡¯ meant. Mia¡¯s gaze narrowed in repressed anger bubbling back onto the surface. She took a moment, just a short moment to think, to consider. These were soldiers, Zeigler¡¯s men, the ones he thought would be fit to accompany the two of them. The old man¡¯s more overworked than a preschool teacher. Doubt he put much thought in it. Still, he¡¯d be livid if ¡­ something happened to them. Calm, Mia. Calm down. Be civil. Be calm. Yes, slowly guide that clump of mana back into your pool, let the spell circle dissipate. Mia let out a soft sight as her fury simmered back down, turning cold but not dying entirely. Meatshields, that¡¯s what they were. Meatshields needed their heads to be proper meatshields. They are not worth bloodying my hands just yet. Mia thought, huffing as she sent a frigid glare their way which seemed to amuse the pair. The woman next to them though, a late twenties brunette with a severe frown on her face took the glare like a personal attack but then turned to the pair and froze. ¡°If you two numbskulls don¡¯t want my boot so far up your asses that you can lick it clean then stop looking at our damned charges that way!¡± The woman barked, sending an apologetic glance towards Mia. ¡°Sod off Gwen,¡± one of the men said, sounding like he heard those very same threats every day from the woman. ¡°We didn¡¯t even say a word. No need to get your panties in a twist.¡± ¡°Hmmm, hmmm,¡± the other nodded, unashamedly looking Mia up and down with a sneer. How did the fact that I can blow monsters to bits not discourage morons from acting like this? Mia wondered, studying those two dumb creatures sitting opposite to her. They had that dumb and dumber vibe to them, but with the added scumbag package. She hated them from the moment she laid her eyes on them. ¡°Sergeant, these two moro-¡° ¡°What?¡± The man sitting next to the driver turned, looking over his shoulder like he wanted everyone to just shut the hell up and let him nap for the remaining stretch of the journey. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell is the problem back there, but knock it off.¡± ¡°Yes, Sergeant,¡± Dumb said, still grinning at Mia. Mia heard a growl next to her, and when she looked back she saw Carmilla with her teeth barred like a hissing cat, her face twisted into a malignant scowl. There must have been something in her eyes, because unlike when Mia glared at them, Dumb and Dumber stiffened and averted their gazes. Even Gwen looked like she¡¯d seen a ghost. Mia suppressed a snort, then after she felt the duo looked sufficiently terrified she gently patted Carmilla¡¯s thigh. The leather leggings the vampiress wore made the pat¡¯s sound clearly audible to the rest of the vehicle, so they knew it was what prompted the vampire to back off a moment later. Mia glanced up at Carmilla, a coy smile unconsciously spreading on her lips as she watched the malicious glare melt off of her face. It gave way to a startled look, like the girl was surprised at what she¡¯d done and finally a forced nonchalance took its place. So she was squirming under their gazes when they were aimed at her but she was ready to tear into them when they aimed them at me? Mia felt a fluttering warm feeling in her stomach and leaned into the vampiress, resting her head on the redhead''s shoulder as she¡¯d gotten comfortable with doing over the week. Much to Mia¡¯s colossal disappointment, Carmilla seemed denser than the core of a neutron star and her experience with romance of any kind started and ended at watching some romance movies. Still, Mia was hopeful. She was really starting to like the girl and by now it was going well beyond just being attracted to her body. Though the way she looked in her leather leggings and cropped jacket certainly did ¡­ things, to Mia. She¡¯d have to thank Lina for that later. The girl took it as a personal offence when Carmilla dressed up in some loose set of sweatpants and a hoodie. Lina had dragged the bewildered vampiress back to Mia¡¯s wardrobe for some much needed lessons on style and fashion. ¡°I was thinking of my new spells by the way,¡± Mia whispered, just low enough so the others wouldn¡¯t be able to make out her words over the roar of the car¡¯s engine. ¡°I¡¯m excited to try them out. Didn¡¯t you also have some new stuff to test?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carmilla whispered, a hint of bashful embarrassment seeping into her voice. Mia guessed she was still a bit flustered about her earlier outburst. ¡°I managed to finally replicate enough runes for another spell.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Mia asked, her curiosity properly roused. ¡°Am I allowed to know what the spell¡¯s like? Is it a Water spell?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Carmilla said, a teasing smirk tugging at the edge of her lips. ¡°I plan on trying it out. What about yours?¡± ¡°Those shackles I told you of are one of them,¡± Mia said. Arcane Shackles had been the first of the two she had learned, and it was her first and only crowd control spell, one that would shoot out half a dozen arcane chains that¡¯d tie up whatever she targeted with more or less success. ¡°The other ¡­ well, I¡¯d have told you, but now that you¡¯re holding out on me you¡¯ll have to wait and see too.¡± Mia gave an imperious huff, putting a hint of arrogance into it that came all too easily since she¡¯d gained her Bloodline. ¡°Mysterious, are we?¡± Carmilla mused, then shrugged with a smile. ¡°Something to look forward to then. Think we¡¯ll find a monster today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re meaning a level ten one, right?¡± Mia asked, though it was more of a statement than anything. She leaned in to whisper an answer. ¡°Supposedly someone in this squad of idiots has a Skill that lets them know the level of stuff. Should be much easier with them around than just killing everything and hoping for the best like we¡¯ve been doing so far.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the first positive to having them around,¡± Carmilla said, her voice not quite low enough for the others to miss, nor was it intended to be by the unimpressed look Carmilla levelled at the three on the other side. ¡°They might actually be of some use then, aside from being emergency rations for me.¡± Mia rolled her eyes, but couldn¡¯t suppress the smirk that came to her as the three troopers jumped in their seats. ¡°Fangs off of my men, little miss!¡± The humourless Sergeant shouted. ¡°We are helping out of the goodness of our hearts-¡° ¡°You are not, you¡¯ve been ordered to protect and escort us.¡± Mia cut in. ¡°We on the other hand, don¡¯t need to be here, aren¡¯t part of the army and are barely getting paid for doing it. So if you don¡¯t want to explain to Colonel Zeigler why two auxiliaries he managed to rope in to help you do your job want to have nothing to do with him anymore, then shut up and keep dumb and dumber here on a tighter leash!¡± ¡°You-¡° the Sergeant turned in his seat again, but Mia just gave him an unimpressed gaze. ¡°We have arrived!¡± The driver said with far too much cheer for even half of it to be sincere. ¡°Out! We have monsters to hunt people! Chop, chop!¡± Mia held the Sergeant¡¯s glare with an even look of her own for a moment, then nudged Carmilla with her elbow. The vampiress got the message and opened the door, then jumped out. ¡°One Sergeant has been on latrine duty for the last month for being an ass to us,¡± Mia said, revealing the fate of that moustached Hermann Zeigler shared with her with a smirk. ¡°I think that shows who the Colonel values more out of the two of us. Now, as your driver said, we have monsters to kill so better get moving.¡± 44 - Tracking Mia had never really considered herself the outdoorsy type. She liked hiking once in a while and enjoyed beautiful natural scenery, but she didn¡¯t usually go out of her way to get out there just by herself to relax and unwind like some people did. Sure, she preferred to do her exercises out in the open air and under the sun, but she didn¡¯t like camping, fishing or one of those very ¡®out there¡¯ sports like kayaking or such. The moment she stepped into the forest north of Graz, she knew that would change. There was an indescribable sense of serenity and satisfaction that overcame her with the greenery surrounding her from all sides. If only she had the time to enjoy it, and the solitude to do so to the fullest. Alas, she had company, and while she didn¡¯t particularly mind Carmilla being there, that courtesy didn¡¯t extend to the five stomping, thrumming buffoons making up the rest of her impromptu group. The Sergeant was still fuming. Gwen seemed conflicted about who she should be shouting at, so she settled for silently glaring at everyone while Dumb and Dumber were slowly regaining their previous confidence from only God knew where. Meaning Mia caught them stealing glances at her and Carmilla from their place at the rear of the group. Meatshields, Mia. Let the meatshields live to serve their purpose. You promised to be careful. Last but not least the driver, who also turned out to be the reason Mia was still bothering with having the bunch tag along. His name was apparently Friedrich, or Fred, for anyone who didn¡¯t want to twist their tongue into a knot every time they said his name. He was the one with the ¡®Assessment¡¯ skill that let him know the level of anything he set his eyes on. He was also the only one out of their lot Mia thought was at least tolerable. The surrounding forest had a normalcy to it. It lacked that ominous darkness that seemed to encapsulate the woods in which the werewolf and its beastkin lackeys now lived. Birds chirped, singing happily through the canopy, insects buzzed about and the soft humming of the leaves swaying in the wind all came together to make up the song of the forest. Mia smiled, the sound relaxing her nerves. In here, if she ignored the soldiers, she felt like nothing had changed, that she was back to being just Mia the coder and not Mia the Arcane Mage. The deeper in they went though, the more numerous some strange little details got that were not at all in line with what a normal forest should be like. A moss that crawled up the side of an ancient oak was the first such thing Mia noted, and though it was weird she dismissed it since it didn¡¯t feel wrong. After it came oversized mushrooms, some being chanterelle or the red-capped ones. Some were the size of a fist, some the size of Mia¡¯s head and some had trunks thicker than most trees around. Mia stared at one of the latter, a titanic mushroom whose flat brown top brushed against the lowest branches of an ancient oak. Mia could have stood on Carmilla¡¯s shoulders and even then wouldn¡¯t have reached the underside of the mushroom¡¯s cap. Amazing. She thought. It was like hiking through a forest but with surprises around every corner. With no monsters in sight, or in Spirit Sense range, Mia looked around without fear. Her footfalls were dimmer than the soldiers, her soles naturally finding solid ground that didn¡¯t make overly loud noises when stepped on. Carmilla, though, was dead silent, passing through the forest like a wraith. No sound, no hesitation in her steps and no apparent focus being put towards doing so. I guess while I¡¯m technically a half-fae who should have some affinity for the forest; she is the apex predator of the woods. Mia was so distracted, so absorbed in just watching how Carmilla walked and trying to mimic her movements that she didn¡¯t even notice the danger approaching. She heard the sounds, the dim thud of a pair of padded feet launching off of the branches up above, but she ignored them as non-threatening. After all, her Spirit Sense was silent, blissful even, as it took a soak in the forest¡¯s natural energies. It didn¡¯t feel even a smidge of the bowel clenching wrongness of the strange energy monsters radiated. Carmilla moved in a flash, her hand clad in her cropped leather jacket, snapping out and grabbing the assailant. Mia stumbled, freezing up at the sudden movement. The ball of orange fur in Carmilla¡¯s iron grip that Mia only seconds later recognised as a fox hissed, twisting its head this way and that to chomp down on the vampiress¡¯ wrist with little success. ¡°What level is this thing?¡± Carmilla asked, nonchalant even as the fox writhed in her grasp. It wasn¡¯t large either, only as long as Mia¡¯s arm from snout to the tip of its fluffy tail. ¡°Ah, that seems to be ¡­ three,¡± Fred said, his eyes glowing with a strange light for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d heard normal animals got levels and Classes too, but this is the first actual one I¡¯m seeing ¡­ unless it¡¯s a monster I guess?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Mia said, swallowing a lump in her throat before throwing a grateful glance at Carmilla. ¡°Though it acts like it, I¡¯m pretty sure not even rabid foxes act like ¡­ that.¡± ¡°You can tell?¡± Fred asked, suddenly looking curious. ¡°That it¡¯s not a monster? Yes,¡± Mia said. ¡°As would every single person who got pointy ears like me. Monsters feel nasty, like someone is vomiting down my throat, just with my ¡­ spirit? Sort of.¡± ¡°I think this thing was a monster,¡± Carmilla said, shaking the fox a bit like a plush toy which made the animal writhe even more and let out angry yipping barks. ¡°You said monsters can turn into regular magical creatures if they eat enough mana-dense flesh, right?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Mia said, stepping closer to the animal, only to jump back when it tried to claw at her with far too large claws for a fox. ¡°I suppose that wouldn¡¯t change their behaviour overly much, even if they don¡¯t have a short expiration date anymore. So, what do you want to do with it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging, and after Mia mirrored the action grabbed the fox and twisted its neck. The animal went limp with a sickening crunch, after which Carmilla threw the thing away like a piece of garbage. ¡°You said these don¡¯t have cores, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, that crunch still echoing in her ears. She shook her head, forcing herself back into focus. ¡°Neither do we, for that matter. Magical creatures too only have energy pools like us. For that thing you killed, its core supposedly turned into that pool of energy.¡± ¡°Could have made some good gloves out of that thing,¡± Fred said, then shrugged. ¡°Anyway! Let us continue! We still have hours until sundown.¡± The two girls agreed, though after this encounter, the two placed even less trust into the soldier¡¯s ability to keep them safe. None of them could even react to a mere level three animal¡¯s ambush after all. That might have made Mia a bit of a hypocrite, since she was the one who almost got nibbled on and likewise failed to notice the animal, but she quickly remedied that. Now that she listened, and didn¡¯t let her preconceptions and her blissful Spirit Sense fool her, she caught the larger animals laying in wait around the forest. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A stray cat under a fern, eying a nearby rat, another fox ready to pounce out of its burrow and bite down on the neck of a deer and so on and so forth. Arcane Bolts tore through thin branches and pierced a hole into the canopy, sending the broken remains of their latest would-be ambusher falling to the ground. It landed with a soft thud and Mia studied it for a moment, taking in the clump of feathers, the large curved beak and a beady eye. An owl. Well, what remained of it after it caught the equivalent of a supersonic magical brick to the face. ¡°Poor thing,¡± Gwen murmured, and while Mia could understand the feeling, she clearly heard how its claws tightened on the branch, readying for a dive at her face. Things that wanted to kill her would be killed in turn. That was the way of this new Earth they now lived on. Sucks to be a level four owl in it, I guess, but you maybe shouldn¡¯t have attacked a level ten Halvyr. That was just natural selection in action. Mia missed the next ambush, much to her embarrassment. Some burrowing thing had made a pitfall trap of all things right under a game trail. If Carmilla had been even a second late to pull Mia back, she¡¯d have needed to pry carved wooden spikes out of her foot. Spikes that stank, and by the looks of it were covered in manure. ¡°Do you know what made that?¡± Mia asked, her voice halfway between livid and fearful. ¡°Smells like a mole,¡± Carmilla said after sniffing the air. ¡°I think it¡¯d be best if you weren¡¯t at the head of the group, Mia.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Mia said, grimacing as she looked down. She¡¯d insisted, saying the swaying heads of the soldiers before her were getting in the way of her aim. Who the fuck showed Vietkong trap-making tutorials to the damned moles? ¡°After you.¡± Dumb and Dumber stepped forward, looking sour as they passed by the pitfall. They probably guessed Carmilla wouldn¡¯t be bothering with pulling them out of the way at the last moment if they stepped in one and rightly so. ¡°We should be getting close,¡± the Sergeant said in a serious voice that made everyone straighten up. ¡°I¡¯m going to repeat for the civvies since you might not have bothered to read the mission briefing. Our task here is to track down what eyewitnesses said is a brown bear and kill it. It should make its home somewhere around here if the trackers are to be believed ¡­ ¡° The Sergeant trailed off, his eyes locked onto a tree right next to the trail they¡¯d been following for the last hour. Mia paid him little mind, already having been staring at the old pine with its bark torn off for a while, trying to guess how large of a paw an animal had to have to make marks that large and deep. ¡°Carmilla?¡± Mia asked, sending a glance with a hint of worry to the vampiress. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°About?¡± Carmilla asked, head tilted slightly as she squinted at the tree. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s really a bear? Can you track it?¡± Mia asked, whispering as the soldiers went about looking at the tree from close up and looking around the undergrowth. Probably for paw prints or droppings, if Mia¡¯s late night binge watching of wilderness survival videos had taught her anything. ¡°Could be,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I never smelled a bear before, so I couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but it feels a little ¡­ off.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, keeping her ears alert. She almost expected to hear the roar of a bear any moment, or perhaps the heavy thuds of its approaching charge, or trees getting knocked over in the distance. Instead, only the forest¡¯s serene song caressed her ears. ¡°I know brown bears are supposed to be huge, but not that huge, no?¡± ¡°They are alway larger in person,¡± the Sergeant said. ¡°Larger than you expect. Just because most things went to shit and the world turned on its head, a bear is still a bear. I was expecting a large dog to be honest, but the claw marks, the footprints ¡­ it fits. We have a brown bear in these woods and we are now on its turf.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big fucking bear Sarge,¡± Dumb said, kneeling on the ground and pushing away some fallen leaves. ¡°You sure our guns will be enough to down it?¡± ¡°I am,¡± the Sergeant said. ¡°But apparently Colonel Zeigler was not, which is why we have these two tagging along.¡± Right. Totally not because we asked to tag along on a mission he thought we might stumble across a level ten monster. Wait ¡­ did the Quest specify that my target had to be a monster? Mia hurriedly pulled up the window and had to suppress the urge to curse. It really did specify that her dueled foe had to be a monster. Now she really hoped this wasn¡¯t just some random bear on magical steroids. If it wasn¡¯t a monster, this entire day had been a waste of time. I¡¯ll get to test my new spells at least. She consoled herself, thinking of the two new spells she had yet to try on a live target. Like she probably should have done hours ago, Mia quickly summoned up a Familiar, feeding it 60% of her mana in one dizzying go. It left her a bit lightheaded for a minute after, but she already felt relief flooding her the moment the new bond snapped into place. The cat looked around in apparent curiosity, large watery blue eyes blinking at the forest like they had never seen one before. ¡°Your task is to protect me, primarily from ambushes and projectiles too fast for me to react to myself. No killing non-monsters unless I explicitly order you to. Understood?¡± The cat looked up at her, eyes flying wide open as it finally put her in its sight. Belatedly, an acknowledgement came through the bond. The elemental now inhabiting her Familiar looked to be a bit airheaded, but there was enough firmness behind that acknowledgement that Mia trusted it to carry out her orders with some measure of competence. Next, she slowly assembled her newest spell circle. It was a complicated one, mind-numbingly so with more than sixty runes and a complex mix of geometric forms housing them all. Unlike with Bolt and its variants¡¯ Mia couldn''t even begin to guess which part did what. Still, despite the complexity the spell was surprisingly low cost in terms of mana. That likely had something to do with the overall low weight of the runes used and how the spell would have to be supplied with more mana to keep it active for longer than ten minutes. After making sure the circle was perfect, she pushed a clump of mana, around twice the amount an Arcane Blast would take and cast the spell. The spell circle blinked into existence before her palm, its separate rings spinning and revolving as it grew in size before collapsing back down. It flowed over her right arm, collecting into a much smaller circle that clung to her wrist like a bracelet. Mia grinned, the dim pink light flowing over her hand and covering her fingers like a glove before turning translucent. A moment later, a long thin blade made of the same pink energy phased into existence and Mia¡¯s finger¡¯s instinctively grabbed the hilt of it. Spectral Blade. The name was fitting, if it wasn¡¯t for it being pink, Mia would have thought the longsword in her hand would have been fit to be the weapon of some ghost or spectral warrior. She swung it, feeling the weight of it in her hand despite it being nothing more than mana given form. Mode one seems to be working perfectly. Mia mused, swinging the sword around and slashing down at a trunk. The deep, sizzling gash left on the tree made her grin. Now for mode two. Mia thought, eyes narrowing as she ignored the gawking soldiers and the curiously observing Carmilla. Selecting her next target, a bush a good five metres away, Mia pointed the sword in and with a flex of her will sent the small spell circle around her wrist spinning. The sword flew out of her hand, shooting forth and when it reached two metres away from her, starting to spin through the air so fast only a dim pink disk could be seen. The top half of the bush fell to the ground a second later and Mia felt the spell reach the limits of its range a moment later. The sword continued to spin wildly, but not going an inch further. Around six metres? Seven? Mia noted that for later, then sent the bracelet-circle spinning the opposite direction and the sword came soaring back into her grasp. It¡¯s a bit slower than shooting Bolts, but Bolts can miss ¡­ this can too, but it¡¯s gonna be much harder to dodge. Mia thought back to the Juggernaut, how that damned monster just kept on going even as she kept Blasting chunks of it off. If she had this spell back then, she could have shredded the beast like swiss cheese. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready,¡± Mia said, grin still in place as she turned back to the staring soldiers. ¡°We had a bear to hunt, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Carmilla whispered with a grin as the group set off. ¡°That¡¯s your new spell, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Mia said preening under the compliment. She gave her sword a playful spin which cut loose a wrist-thick branch above her head. ¡°Eeeep!¡± She jumped out of its way, not wanting to have that land atop her head. She glanced over at Carmilla, who was smiling at her, eyes twinkling in amusement. ¡°Pretty cool indeed.¡± Mia flushed, but the smile stayed on her face. Still, she made sure to be more careful with where she swung her sword for the rest of the way. 45 - Bloodline Brawl The forest grew silent the closer they got, and with Carmilla¡¯s bloodhound-like nose guiding them, Mia knew they were in the right place too. It was ominous, in a way not all too different from the werewolf¡¯s forest though to a much lesser extent. Mia eyed the mauled corpse of some larger variant of deer left rotting next to a tree. It wasn¡¯t the first mangled carcass they¡¯d found on the way, nor did Mia think it would be the last. The bear, or whatever it was, killed for the thrill of it by the looks of things and not for survival or for food. The silence in the forest wasn¡¯t the eerie kind, insects still buzzed about and the occasional bird still chirped in the trees, but everything else was gone. The last animal that tried ambushing them had come half an hour ago, while before one would pounce on them every five minutes. ¡°We¡¯re close,¡± Carmilla said, perhaps unnecessarily. Every tree had its bark torn off around here, instead sporting large claw wounds on their naked trunks. The dirt was upturned, some broken trees dotting it here and there along with further carcasses in varying stages of decay. Every bush or sign of undergrowth was gone, trampled into the ground by the large footprints covering almost every square metre of the forest floor. Up ahead was the likely den of their target, a cliff face overgrown with moss and roots. It split at about four metres up, widening into a four metre wide triangular entrance by the time it reached the ground. Mia didn¡¯t need to have a vampire¡¯s supernatural sense of smell to make out the overpowering bestial musk of the beast covering this part of the forest. ¡°How smart are bears supposed to be?¡± Fred asked from the back, sounding skittish as he did. ¡°Keep out or die,¡± Mia read the warning drawn up on the cliff wall in fresh blood. Next to it was a paw print, the same one on the dirt below and under the writing was the remains of a ¡­ beastkin. Mia¡¯s gut twisted into a knot as she stared at the corpse. It had been opened up from neck to crotch and had every organ spilling out of the brutal wound. By the looks of it, the ¡®bear¡¯ used that corpse as its ¡®ink pot¡¯ to write up the message. The silver lining was that the head was crushed into a pulp, Mia didn¡¯t even dare imagine what kind of a horror stricken, agonised expression the corpse would have worn on its face, but she was sure it would have haunted her dreams until the day she died. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get back up, Sir?¡± Gwen asked in a whisper. ¡°Or report this back to the Colonel, we¡¯d been sent to hunt down an animal, not ¡­ whatever this is.¡± ¡°And we will do just that,¡± the Sergeant¡¯s voice was grim, resolute. ¡°We will hunt down and kill an animal, a beast. Weapons up, take up shooting positions around here. Spread out and aim at the cavern ¡­ the thing¡¯s inside, isn¡¯t it?¡± He turned to Carmilla, but it was Mia who answered first. ¡°Yes, I can hear it snoring.¡± Mia tore her gaze away from the corpse, her lips trembling at the ghastly sight. Her fingers clenched into a fist, tightening around the spectral longsword¡¯s hilt until her knuckles went white. Why would anyone do that? Wasn¡¯t humanity suffering enough as it was under the Rifts and the monsters swarming out of them? Why would anyone turn on their fellow men now? Why? ¡°Mia,¡± Carmilla whispered, her hand gently squeezing her shoulder. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? We came to find a monster, that¡¯s not-¡° ¡°It is,¡± Mia said, biting her lips. It might not be a monster in the sense of the word the System used, but anyone who could do that to a human was a monster to her. ¡°We will kill it. You saw what it did, how it hunts for the joy of killing. What if it thinks hunting and killing people in the city is the next step?¡± Carmilla held Mia¡¯s teary eyed gaze for a long moment, searching, then gave a nod. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Familiar,¡± Mia said, making the cat jump in front of her and still in alertness, ready for her orders. ¡°I want you to go into that cave, and if you can claw out the eyes of the thing in there. If not, just draw it out here. Understood?¡± The cat gave an acknowledging surge of emotion through the bond, then turned to bolt off. Mia held up a hand, making it halt in place. ¡°You¡¯re ready Sergeant?¡± She asked, looking at the five soldiers fanning out and hiding behind thick trees with their rifles aimed at the cavern. ¡°A moment,¡± the man said, he took out a grenade from his back pocket and handed it over to Mia. ¡°Can that creature of yours pull the pin out of that after delivering it inside?¡± ¡°It should be able to,¡± Mia said, glancing down at the cat which nodded after a few seconds of gazing curiously at the grenade. ¡°Good, then we¡¯re ready,¡± the man said, settling down into a firing position of his own after hefting his rifle up to his shoulder. ¡°Ready when you are. We¡¯ll fire the moment it comes out.¡± ¡°Go,¡± Mia said, and the Familiar shot off, a tendril of arcane mana holding the grenade to its back like a backpack. ¡°Stay behind me,¡± Carmilla said, stepping forward a few metres and putting herself firmly between Mia and the cave opening. Mia nodded, then readied the Arcane Blast spell circle too. Just in case the other stuff didn¡¯t work well enough. Thankfully, Spectral Blade didn¡¯t require any focus to maintain now that it was in place so she could use magic while having it summoned. Her ears peeled for any sound and adrenaline already coursing through her veins, only the tiny sounds coming from the cave existed to Mia. The deep rumbling snores of the beast, the little pitter patter of her Familiar¡¯s footsteps, the pin coming undone, the grenade rolling on the floor and finally the tearing of flesh followed by a roar that sent Mia reeling. ¡°GRAAAAAAAARH!¡± The beast bellowed, pain, anger and fury mixing all together as it was snapped awake. The familiar came shooting out of the cave and a moment later the grenade went off, its thunderous crack deafening out the beast¡¯s roar for a short moment. The roar that came back once Mia¡¯s hearing recovered from the grenade¡¯s sound was one twice as furious. Soon, the rumbling footsteps of a colossal monster resounded through the woods. Mia stiffened up, only the calming closeness of both her familiar and Carmilla keeping her knees from going weak. When something large enough to make the ground shake beneath her came charging right at her, a deep primal fear threatened to consume Mia¡¯s mind. It would have been natural to run, to scream, to cry and beg for help. Mia forced those urges down, instead glaring hatefully at the gigantic beast as it burst out into the open. That thing killed a man, used his blood as ink and was now going to do the same to Mia or worse if she didn¡¯t kill it first. The rifles spoke, five bursts of bullets impacting the beast and making its roar reach a higher pitch as blood spurted from its thick neck. Mia faintly noted that it did actually look like a bear, just twice the size of one and with vaguely humanoid proportions. It even had opposable thumbs on its front limbs. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. An Arcane Blast shot forth, taking the beast in the shoulder and taking a chunk out of it in an explosion of pink energy. The right forelimb under it went limp, making the charging monster crash face first into the ground mid-charge and roll forwards a few metres. It stumbled back to its feet not a second later, the ravaged eyes on its head already back to how they were before, bullets falling on the ground in waves as bullet holes fountaining blood closed up. The missing chunk of its shoulder was the only one taking some time to heal, either because of the severity of the wound or Arcane mana¡¯s natural disruptive qualities. Mia gulped, her hands trembling at the sight. The beast¡¯s eyes locked onto her familiar standing next to Mia, then jumped up at her face and a furious grimace overtook the creature¡¯s bestial head. It growled and continued its stride, now dragging an arm behind it like dead weight, but not stopping. Carmilla raised a hand at the creature and a rosy crimson spell circle glowed in her grasp. The redhead hissed, either in pain or anger and then the spell shot activated, sending a lacing crimson light racing forth and piercing through the beast and the cliff wall behind it. The beast nearly instantly froze up, its roar dying in a blink and giving way to a long agonised whine as its whole body convulsed. Mia didn¡¯t know what the hell Carmilla¡¯s spell did, but she could see the opportunity this presented. Another Blast shot off, aimed at the beast¡¯s head to preferably end its life once and for all. Unfortunately, with its writhing and rolling about in agony, Mia missed and struck it in its meaty side. Bullets, as with the Juggernaut, did little. Even the ones impacting its head barely made a wound and Mia suspected all of them failed to pierce its skull. Another spell circle glowed before Carmilla, this time only maybe a fifth as large and shot out a crimson bullet, or rather, Bolt. It struck the beast right in the chest and it seized, all its muscles locking up like it¡¯d been struck by a taser. Mia took a few steps to the side, making sure to not put herself in the line of fire for the soldiers and she pointed her Spectral Blade at the momentarily paralysed beast. If Blasts didn¡¯t do the job, she would throw the bastard into the shredder and see how it regenerated from that. Self-righteous fury blazed in her eyes as she remembered the mutilated, defiled corpse of the beastkin man. ¡°Wait,¡± Carmilla whispered, holding out a hand before Mia. Mia did as she was asked, lowering her sword in confusion as she looked askance at the redhead. ¡°Could you ¡­ use that binding spell? Please?¡± ¡°You want me to just tie that thing up instead of killing it?¡± Mia asked incredulously, though she didn¡¯t raise her sword to attack, only staring warily at the bear-like creature as its muscles went slack and it collapsed. It squirmed again, weakly twitching and trying to stand with little success. It looked as if all that tremendous strength it had that kept its large body moving had left it, leaving it unable to even flip over to its stomach. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said. When she glanced at Mia her brows were held together in a frown, her lips bit so hard they bled. ¡°Please. Just ¡­ just do it.¡± Mia¡¯s mouth opened silently, no words coming out at seeing that worried look on Carmilla. She wordlessly assembled the spell circle for Arcane Shackles in her runic-model then after carefully reviewing it, she cast the spell. Six sleek pink chains shot forward from a spell circle the size of a basketball, snaking through the air like a pack of serpents. They were on their target in a second, snaking up around the beast¡¯s body and growing in both size and length as they did. Ankles pulled together, knees then arms wrapped around the body and finally one chain tightening around the snout of the beast to keep its jaws locked. By the end of it, the creature looked like one of those duck tape wrapped corpses in cop shows, just thrice as large and far more furry. ¡°Done,¡± Mia said, eying the beast as it tried to tear through its bindings. She fed more mana to the spell, a single chain still connected to her spell circle to allow her just that. The chains tightened again, growing even tougher. ¡°I ¡­ think I should be able to hold it if it doesn¡¯t get its strength back.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Carmilla asked, staring at the beast with the same frown on her face. ¡°Until my mana runs dry,¡± Mia said. ¡°At this rate, at most fifteen minutes. Ten if it struggles more.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Carmilla said, almost in a whisper. She raised her voice into a shout a moment later. ¡°STOP SHOOTING!¡± ¡°WHY?¡± The Sergeant bellowed, nonetheless holding up a hand to halt his troopers. Mia hazarded a guess that the rifles¡¯ overall impotence against the bear-thing was the only thing that made him willing to listen to Carmilla. And the two girl¡¯s rather contrastingly effective magic of course. ¡°I want to talk to him,¡± Carmilla said, turning back to the bound beast. Him? ¡°Mia, could you remove the ¡­ gag? Please.¡± Mia tugged a finger, mentally pulling on the spell and the chain around the beast¡¯s snout instead wrapped around its neck. If it tried anything funny, Mia was going to choke it till some semblance of sense returned to it. Or to him? Carmilla thinks this thing¡¯s a man? ¡­ it¡¯s intelligent enough to write, sure but that might just be System shenanigans. ¡°I have another five Blood Lances in me, so you¡¯d do well to answer any questions I have,¡± Carmilla said, walking up to the bound beast that stopped struggling at her approach and went to crouch next to its head. ¡°First of all, why did you murder that-¡° ¡°I won¡¯t tell you shit!¡± The beast growled, his voice deep and primal, the words coming out in grunts through his snout. ¡°That shitstain sent you! I know it! Fuck you, bitch! I won¡¯t tell you anything, go back to sucking the furry cock of that bastard and get this shit over with! Kill me, finish what your spineless curr of an Alpha didn¡¯t dare! Do it! KILL ME!¡± The last few words were closer to roars, the beastly man¡¯s form tightening again and straining against Mia¡¯s chains. Still, the ¡­ eloquence ¡ª if it can be called that ¡ª of the beast surprised her. She¡¯d expected something along the lines of ¡®Kill, hate, blood tasty, murder good.¡¯ Though she didn¡¯t hold out much hope for it to even be capable of speech. How do you even form words with a bear¡¯s snout? Must be magic. ¡°Why did you kill that man?¡± Carmilla asked again, crimson claws appearing on her hand like a gauntlet. She grabbed his wounded shoulder and sank her fingers in deeply. ¡°And I don¡¯t know who you think we are, but we came from the city to hunt down a man-eating ¡®brown bear¡¯ living around here. We are not sent by whoever this ¡®Alpha¡¯ is.¡± ¡°LIES! LIES! They always lie, he alway does, that¡¯s what he does!¡± The beast squirmed and Mia grimaced at the deranged ramblings he kept shouting. ¡°I gave him shelter, saved him and this is how he thanks me! Murderers, assassins, poison and banishment! ROT IN HELL YOU BASTARD AND ALL YOU WRETCHED WHORES TOO! I¡¯LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!¡± Mia tightened the shackles, but she needn¡¯t have done that as Carmilla did something faster. Mia couldn¡¯t tell what, but the beast¡¯s body locked up again, furious, raging eyes flying wide again in agony. ¡°What are you doing to him?¡± Mia asked in a whisper, gulping at the sheer pain she saw in those eyes. ¡°I said my Blood spells burn the lifeforce of my targets,¡± Carmilla said, giving a guilty glance back at Mia. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ not a feeling most people enjoy. It should hurt him more than being burnt alive.¡± ¡°You are torturing him,¡± Mia stated, her tone almost accusatory. Almost. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Something isn¡¯t right,¡± the girl said, frowning at the wheezing beastly man. ¡°I think ¡­ that he is a werebear. One that probably got banished from whatever pack he was part of-¡° ¡°I made that pack!¡± The man groaned, his voice still feral, but now weaker. ¡°He stole it from me! He poisoned me, that cheating cur! When I get my hands on him ¡­ ¡° Mia glanced at the soldiers curiously, wondering why they were keeping so silent. They were pale, trembling and frozen in place like they¡¯d just witnessed something so terrifying that it chased their souls right out of their bodies. ¡°Carmilla?¡± Mia whispered, a hint of alarm entering her voice as she grabbed the redhead¡¯s arm. Whether it was to catch her attention or to clutch onto the girl in fear, she did so naturally. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with them.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the vampire blinked, her glistening ruby eyes showing recognition as she took in the five soldiers frozen in primal terror. ¡°So he was telling the truth ¡­ ? Hey, shift back into your human form!¡± The bear-like beast glowered up at the vampire, the two locking gazes for a few lengthy seconds. The beast let out a rumbling growl, lips peeling back to reveal bloodied teeth. Carmilla did her hissing cat impression again, her crimson hair fuzzing up like an invisible breeze blown into it, her face morphing into a visage of primal ferocity and her eyes glowed with a malicious light. The beast¡¯s eyes quivered, then he averted his gaze and let out what might have been a whimper. The beast that had jaws wide and large enough to chew on Mia¡¯s skull like it was a bubblegum, the beast that was so large it could have won wrestling matches against Gorillas, submitted to the pretty and gentle vampiress. Its body shifted, thinning and growing smaller. The snout pulled back inside its skull, fur thinned and disappeared and finally the colossal size of its body was reduced to at most half its size. What- Mia stared at the naked, dirty, homeless looking man sitting on his bum, staring at Carmilla¡¯s feet without daring to look her in the eye. -the fuck just happened? He was still a sizable specimen, with a thick barrel chest and arms thicker than Mia¡¯s thighs. But he was human, believably so at least, even if he¡¯d be at least one-ninety centimetres if he stood upright. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll ask again,¡± Carmilla said, her voice cold and ruthless in a way Mia hadn¡¯t heard before. ¡°Why did you murder that man?¡± 46 - Development The large man glanced at where Carmilla¡¯s dainty finger pointed, his rugged face twisting into a scowl. ¡°The cunt tried to shank me in me neck while I slept. That cur wanted me dead, so he sent that pathetic sack of shit to finish the job he didn¡¯t have the guts to do.¡± ¡°Did he really?¡± Carmilla mused, giving the man an unkind smile that for some reason made him simper and bow his head. ¡°Like we were here to hunt you down on his orders?¡± ¡°No!¡± The man shouted. ¡°I mean YES! He did shank me too, just a bit too late as I was already mid-shift. Me neck was more than tough and thick enough to survive a single shoddy pocket knife ¡­ I still have the damned thing somewhere in the cave ¡­ ¡° Feeling increasingly weirded out by whatever the fuck was going on, Mia squeezed Carmilla¡¯s arm. The simpering, naked, filthy man before her and his deranged ramblings were really raising alarm bells in her head by the dozens. This was the sort of person she made sure not to look in the eye when she met one on the street, and pray they ignored her. The man reminded her of those unstable lunatics that looked fine one moment, only to lunge at you with a used syringe that had more STDs on it than Mia had fingers to count them on. Her human, and probably just general survival instincts were screaming at her to stop being stupid and move her dumb butt away from the lunatic. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it from now if you want to stay out of this,¡± Carmilla murmured, glancing at Mia over the shoulder and at the single pink chain still grasped in her hand. ¡°I know ¡­ this probably looks very strange, but I- uhm, I wouldn¡¯t want to kill him if he really only killed that man in self defence.¡± Her eyes were understanding, those ruby gems shining with a gentle light which gave Mia a bit of a whiplash after seeing how the girl acted for the last few minutes. ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, gulping as she glanced at the man. He looked back, the submissive demeanour he had on with Carmilla evaporating as he snarled her way, making Mia stumble back in fright as his jaws enlarged to snap at the air. In return, Carmilla¡¯s claws sunk into his chest up to the knuckles and then yanked out a rib with a torturous crack of flesh and bone. The man only grunted, showing how used to the pain he got with a regenerative Skill, or more likely, Trait that powerful. If getting a rib torn out barely made him flinch, how atrociously agonising did those Blood spells have to be to have him seizing and writhing in pain? I think I really don¡¯t want to know. Mia though, taking a respectful dozen steps back after letting go of Carmilla¡¯s calming arm. She still kept Arcane Shackles going though, an ember of spite blossoming in her heart. The damned mutt played stupid games, so it would win stupid prizes. Which in this case were a group of chains tightening around his body and cracking every joint he had in all four of his limbs. He¡¯s much weaker in his human form. Mia realised, having never been able to do more than to hold him back while he was in his bear form. Now though, she felt with a flick of her wrist she could snap his neck, break his spine or crush his arm into pulp. These Shackles might be cooler than I thought. Still, consciously controlling them was taxing and strained her mental muscles considerably more than anything she¡¯d done before. Probably it was her now ten points of Control that made it possible at all, along with her fully utilised Sensitivity. She felt like the spells she cast weren¡¯t just weapons, simple tools to be used and discarded. There was a connection there, like the spells cast with her own mana were still part of her, though that feeling was extremely faint. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Carmilla asked, her voice back to being merciless with a new hint of malice creeping into it. ¡°Lars,¡± the man said, his face twitching in pain as Mia¡¯s chains grinded against his crushed joints. ¡°Well, Lars,¡± Carmilla said, leaning closer to the man as she grabbed him by the jaw with a clawed hand. ¡°I want you to tell me everything, from the very beginning. Why are you out here? Who was that Alpha who you spoke of?¡± ***** Mia¡¯s Shackles dissipated a mere five minutes later ¡ª even with her having dismissed the sadly unused Spectral Blade a while ago ¡ª, just as she¡¯d felt the approach of mana deprivation. So after ordering her Familiar to keep watch, she sat down on a torn out trunk and Meditated. A tiny flicker of her awareness paid attention to the rambling story Carmilla was slowly teasing out of the lunatic piece by piece. The gist of it was that the bear shifter had a mansion up near the top of the hill. After the System came he started picking up all of the rowdy Shifters near him and ¡ª with some weird Shifter magic ¡ª formed a Pack with himself as its leader, its Alpha. Unfortunately for him, one of the werewolves he picked up a week into the apocalypse was strong, almost as strong as Lars and twice as ambitious. The werewolf poisoned Lars and then challenged him to a duel, which Lars had to accept due to that weird Pack magic of his even though he was half-dead from shitting his guts out due to the poison. The werewolf won, obviously, and in a show of mercy only banished Lars from the Pack instead of killing him like it would have been proper for a new Alpha. As for which part of that process broke Lars¡¯ mind into the crazed state it was in at the moment, Mia didn''t know. Still, she hazarded a guess that the man had not always been a lunatic, what with him being able to assemble a Pack in the first place. That must have taken more than just strength, a leader was supposed to have some charisma too, right? A proper one anyway, not the tyrannical asshole kind that the werewolf ¡®king¡¯ and Jeff are. Perhaps Lars was like that too. ¡°Wha-¡° a startled voice shouted, quickly followed by scrambling and then a thud. Mia cracked an eye open, breaking out of her Meditation and feeling the incoming stream of mana slow to a crawl. I¡¯m at about 40%. Should be enough for now. Dumb, or perhaps Dumber (it was hard to tell the difference), was first to wake from the fugue state Lars¡¯ shouts put the soldiers in. As for the thud, apparently the moron¡¯s first action was smashing his face into a tree. The rest, who¡¯d all fallen into some strange half-asleep, half-paralysed state all woke up at his shout right next to them. Even Carmilla and Lars stopped their conversation to look over. The Sergeant stood up, a hand on his temples as he gazed at the surroundings with a cautious grimace. His eyes landed on Mia, swept over her then stopped on Carmilla and Lars kneeling before her feet. The man stared, incomprehension clear on his face then he scrambled for the handgun holstered at his waist a moment later. Better be safe than sorry. Mia thought as she watched the wide bloodshot eyes of the older man. He might really just shoot her. ¡°Break the gun,¡± Mia whispered, tugging at her bond with her Familiar to make sure it knew the order was meant for it. The cat shot off, and before the Sergeant could even fully pull the pistol out in his frenzied haste, a cat clawed at his hand and then chomped down on the gun. Metal shrieked and bent, and the Familiar hopped away not a second later. The gun was thoroughly ruined, barrel bent and grip pierced by a fang. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± The man shouted, startling his drowsy looking soldiers into full awareness. ¡°You-¡° ¡°Calm down Sergeant,¡± Carmilla said coldly, gazing at the five of them like they were less than the dirt on her boots. ¡°I¡¯ve just gotten what Colonel Zeigler had been searching for for the last week.¡± ¡°I am the commanding officer of this squad!¡± The Sergeant reddened, jaw clenching. Did whatever Lars did to him scramble his brain? ¡°You¡¯ll face the tribunal for striking me!¡± The second part had been said with a heated glare at Mia, the man stomping up to her pompously without any fear as his troopers assembled behind him. None of them had their rifles though, and it seemed only the Sergeant carried a sidearm well hidden enough that Mia missed it. The rest was all hidden under a bush nearby, since she¡¯d disarmed the bunch right before going to Meditate. Mia didn¡¯t back down, stumble back and scamper off at top speed like she would have two weeks ago. No, she stood her ground and gazed at the approaching heavyset man two heads taller than her with only curiosity and a hint of something else in her gaze. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Her orders to the Familiar from before still stood. It would protect her if he did anything. Well, apparently not from ¡®anything¡¯. The elemental controlling the Familiar was probably only slightly less shocked by the sucker punch that knocked the breath out of Mia than she was. ¡°That¡¯s right, you arrogant bitch!¡± The man spat, gleeful as Mia collapsed with a whimper. ¡°That¡¯s what you get- ARGHHHHH!!¡± Mia gritted her teeth, then pushed herself up. Halfway through the motion an arm snaked under her armpits and helped her stand. Carmilla¡¯s calming scent that reminded Mia of pine and roses gently caressed her nostril and calmed her nerves. ¡°Make it stop!¡± Gwen screamed at the two girls, barely having the peace of mind not to follow in her commanding officer¡¯s footsteps and stomp up to Mia and make her. ¡°Tell your monster to stop!¡± Mia snorted out a laugh, dismissively glancing away from Gwen and looking at the Sergeant. His uniform was torn, bloody tears and rips covering more of his skin than not. He screamed, rolling on the ground as the Familiar darted around, dodging the frantic fists and grapples of Dumb and Dumber. It wasn¡¯t going for the kill, just like she¡¯d ordered, but neither was it satisfied with merely doing the bare minimum and disabling Mia¡¯s attacker. HOW DARE HE? Mia was livid, her whole body trembling from barely suppressed rage. He hit her. He did that, didn¡¯t he? He really did! A flare of wrath almost made her give the killing order, but perhaps due to Carmilla¡¯s calming presence already putting her nerves to rest pulled her back enough to reason to stop in time. ¡°Back,¡± Mia ordered, and the Familiar danced through the two oaf¡¯s grasps one last time before racing back over to Mia and settling in atop her head. ¡°That was very, very rude, but I suppose you are hurting a hundred times more than I ever did from your punch so I¡¯ll let the matter rest for now.¡± Carmilla¡¯s grasp tightened on her, the hand the girl still had around Mia¡¯s waist to help her stand dug into Mia¡¯s flesh almost painfully. With a start, the pain was gone and Carmilla slumped with a whispered, ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°W-what was that about?¡± Mia said, her face still a grimace. ¡°Nothing, sorry,¡± the vampiress said, barely in a whisper as she stared at her feet meekly. ¡°You think you can get away with that?¡± Gwen asked, her anger close to boiling over by the looks of it as she pointed at her groaning Sergeant. Mia glanced at him, winced in sympathy that came unbidden despite her loathing for the man. Her Familiar was quite vicious, taking both of his eyes and ravaging the fist he used to punch her into an unidentifiable gory mess. While it wasn¡¯t her who did it directly, she still felt like a colossal hypocrite the moment she thought of what names she called Lars in her mind before. Arguably, what she¡¯d done to the Sergeant was even worse than what he¡¯d done to his would-be murderer. The sight made her stomach lurch, there was so much blood. Maybe she¡¯d gone too far, that was ¡­ going to cause lasting damage. Possibly blinding the man for life. I¡¯d have gotten decades in jail for that. That is, if this was still the earth from a month ago. ¡°But it isn¡¯t,¡± Mia murmured under her breath, gently untangling herself from Carmilla and stepping up to Gwen. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? This isn¡¯t the same Earth we knew. This isn¡¯t the world where the same laws still apply, is it?¡± ¡°You-¡° Gwen started, starting to sound annoyingly similar to her superior. ¡°Gweny, let¡¯s not,¡± Fred made an appearance, his wiry hand grabbing Gwen by the wrist. ¡°Okay? Let¡¯s not sacrifice ourselves to getting mutilated, hmmm?¡± The woman glowered for a moment, then tore her arm out of the man¡¯s grasp and stomped off to the Sergeant. Mia¡¯s ears twitched, catching the pained moans of the man and a spike of immense guilt shot into her gut. The man had been abrasive, an asshole and had the gall to hit her. But, did he deserve that for those ¡®crimes¡¯ of his? This might be a new world, but that doesn¡¯t mean I need to be as much of an asshole as he is. Mia grimaced, thinking about what she was planning to do then let it out in a huff. She fished out her one remaining basic Elixir of Healing and held it out for Fred. ¡°This is ¡­ ?¡± The man asked, looking at the diminutive vial. ¡°Healing Elixir,¡± Mia said briskly before her calculating part could convince her to reverse course. ¡°It¡¯ll fix him up.¡± ¡°Oh ¡­ ¡° Fred gingerly took the vial, holding it between two fingers. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll ¡­ feed it to him then? Or do I just pour it over him?¡± ¡°Feed,¡± Mia said, turning away without another word and walking back over to Carmilla. The vampiress waited back where Mia had left her like an abandoned puppy, which earned the girl an amused chuckle from Mia. ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Carmilla startled. ¡°What? Nothing¡¯s wrong with me.¡± ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Mia hummed, giving a slow nod. Whatever it was, the girl clearly didn¡¯t want to say it so Mia relented despite her curiosity. ¡°Can you tell me what that man did to them? And what you did to him to make him ¡­ like that?¡± ¡°Primal Roar is a general ability most supernatural creatures with bestial characteristics have,¡± Carmilla said, latching onto the chance to change the subject. ¡°They use it to establish dominance over the less powerful of their kind. Lars¡¯ use of it ¡­ well, it sort of put the lot of them in a paralysing fear.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything like that though?¡± Mia mused. ¡°You have both Mind and Spirit over ten, don¡¯t you?¡± Carmilla asked, though it was more of a statement. ¡°He isn¡¯t strong enough to affect you with it. As for what I did? Well, I just ¡­ established my dominance over him in a way he could understand.¡± ¡°You vampires have something similar to that Primal Roar of his?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Carmilla shrugged, glancing over at the still kneeling shifter. ¡°It¡¯s neither a Skill nor a Trait ¡­ but I can use the primal ferocity of my bloodline to dominate his.¡± ¡°Can I do that too?¡± Mia asked, curious. Her bloodline was supposedly kind of a big deal, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Carmilla said, her lips curling in amusement for a moment before being forcefully wiped off as the girl put on a nervous expression. ¡°How do I say this? Your bloodline is ¡­ not the predatory kind needed for this sort of thing.¡± ¡°What kind is it then?¡± Mia asked, raising an eyebrow and Carmilla averted her gaze. Carmilla murmured something as a response, but not even Mia¡¯s supernatural hearing could make out the words. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Different,¡± Carmilla said a bit too quickly, and Mia was pretty sure that was not among the words she murmured. ¡°The ¡­ opposite kind to predatory.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, sounding between dubious and affronted. Was this girl telling her Mia was the prey animal to her predator? ¡°Prey?¡± The thought sent a slight flush up her cheeks when she considered it that way, her heart stuttering as her overactive imagination spun out of her control. I wouldn¡¯t mind her hunting me. Mia mused, imagining the crimson haired beauty pushing her up against a tree with a ferocious grin on her pretty red lips. ¡°Sorry,¡± Carmilla said again, looking aghast at Mia¡¯s reddened state. Probably thinking the halvyr was livid at the insinuation that she was anything less than dignified royalty. The moment, if there was one in the first place, was broken by the Sergeant coughing and cursing. He was healthy, though his eyes remained shut as he stood wobbly, helped up by Dumb and Dumber. Perhaps a regular healing Elixir wasn¡¯t quite enough to heal a pair of organs as finicky as the eyes. Or the process was still in progress and behind his shut eyelids, chunks of flesh were still shifting around to repair the damage. ¡°The Colonel will hear of this!¡± He said, voice belaying his barely contained rage. Mia felt momentarily stunned that he still had the guts to spout that after he got mangled. It was almost respectable, no, it was respectable. I¡¯d be sobbing in a corner, trying to forget the pain. Mia though, looking at the old soldier with what she hoped was an even expression. Still, she dignified his remark with a response. ¡°As will he of the fact that you struck me first, the person you had been tasked to protect.¡± ¡°Arrogant bitch,¡± he cursed under his breath. ¡°You think he¡¯ll favour you? For what? You are obstructing a mission he gave himself, or is that bastard there not the beast we were supposed to put down?¡± He pointed at Lars, who glowered at him in turn. The shifter seemed to be happy enough to sit around until stuff got handled by the two groups, but he clearly didn¡¯t appreciate the Sergeant¡¯s tone. ¡°He is also a witness, and a source of intelligence the Colonel had been desperately searching for,¡± Carmilla cut in, glaring at the soldiers. ¡°Go, run and report back to your superiors. Your ¡®protection¡¯ was worthless anyway, you¡¯d all be mangled corpses without the two of us.¡± The soldiers glowered, only Fred having the decency of looking ashamed at the accusation. Still, it seemed the rest also managed to get it through their thick skulls that the two girls before them did the majority of the work today. ¡°So be it,¡± the Sergeant muttered, glaring at the two girls in turn. He turned. ¡°They obstructed the mission, attacked us and then threatened us to leave. We can¡¯t be held responsible for leaving them here and reporting the mission a failure. Let¡¯s go.¡± They ambled away, Gwen sending occasional glares back at them until their forms got lost behind a wall of trees. ¡°This¡¯ll be trouble,¡± Mia said, glancing at Carmilla with some nervousness gracing her features. ¡°I¡¯d bet they¡¯ll try to get a fireteam, or preferably a tank to take us into custody or just straight up gun us down the moment we get back to the city.¡± ¡°They can try,¡± Carmilla said, a cold glint dancing in her crimson eyes. Those two ruby gems seemed to glow in the twilight of the forest. ¡°Well, I doubt they¡¯d be able to convince the Colonel,¡± Mia said, unconvinced by her own words. They were his soldiers after all, why wouldn¡¯t he listen to their opinions over two civilian girls¡¯? ¡°I doubt he¡¯d let them outright attack us anyways. And you said that man has something he needs, right? Is there something to that beyond just some basic info on that werewolf king?¡± ¡°There is,¡± Carmilla said, a gleeful trill entering her voice as she smirked at Mia. ¡°Lars here told me the werewolf in question had recommended a specific tactic of getting by numerous times before he became the Alpha. Any guesses about it?¡± ¡°Nooo?¡± Mia said, a hint of curiosity apparent as she stared at Carmilla¡¯s enthralling smile. ¡°Chase the monsters on the hill into the city to cause a distraction,¡± Carmilla said, her grin widening. ¡°And while the defenders are occupied, raid their stockpiles of food and water. Sounds familiar?¡± A cold pit formed in Mia¡¯s stomach, her eyes widening. The dozens of soldiers she¡¯d seen get torn apart by the thorny vines of the Evergreen Marauders flashing before her eyes. She had been wondering how the opportunistic assholes who raided the army¡¯s food stores acted so fast, but it seemed they weren¡¯t just quick to make use of a weakness in the army but knew of it in advance. No, they made it happen. They, the werewolf and his lackeys, consigned dozens of men and women to their death and who knows how many more with depriving them of food. ¡°You think the Colonel will want to know about that?¡± Carmilla mused, sounding oddly thrilled about this new development. ¡°Yes,¡± Mia breathed, her voice shaking slightly. ¡°Yes I think he would.¡± 47 - Lars ¡°How-,¡± Mia started, considering her following words carefully. They were trudging back towards the city, not in too much of a hurry. Mia would have forgotten that she wasn¡¯t just out on a leisurely hike had it not been for the sound of heavy footsteps following after the two girls from a dozen metres back. ¡°How certain are you that he¡¯ll behave?¡± ¡±Moderately certain,¡± Carmilla said with a tense shrug. ¡°He¡¯ll probably play nice while within my view. When he¡¯s not though? I can¡¯t be sure.¡± ¡°Stellar,¡± Mia said sourly, then took a breath and looked apologetically at Carmilla. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just ¡­ I haven¡¯t seen a corpse before, not one like that anyway. It rankled me, a bit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carmilla said, sounding sincere. ¡°While we have the time, I wanted to thank you. For listening to me. You didn¡¯t even question it, just trusted me and that- uhm, I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Mia said, giving the vampiress a shy smile. Inwardly, she was immensely thankful to Carmilla for stopping her from doing something she would surely come to regret. Back then, she was entirely ready to shred Lars to little bit sized chunks, but that was before she knew that he was a human. Or, well, sort of? Person, mortal? What was the comprehensive term for everyone who¡¯d been a human a month ago but was not anymore? Mortals sounds ¡­ bad. Paranormal doesn¡¯t quite fit with humans also being magical and shit, sooo what else is there? Mia shook hear head, pushing that distracting line of thought to the back of her mind. She was thinking of how happy she was that she hadn¡¯t accidentally committed murder. Sure, Lars was a bit iffy in the sanity department, but that wasn¡¯t grounds for throwing him into a magical meat-grinder. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll ¡­ get better?¡± Mia whispered, glancing back at the heavyset man. ¡°You said the breaking of that Pack magic broke something in him, right? Does that heal?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Carmilla said, not sounding too worried. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about healing, but I think healing the sort of mental trauma he has would be complicated. Even with magic. That shouldn¡¯t matter to us though, we just need him to tell Zeigler what he wants to know then he can go back to doing whatever ¡­ just further away from civilisation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you want to do with him?¡± Mia asked, trying not to sound accusatory. She didn¡¯t feel Carmilla had to do anything for Lars, but she had enough social graces to know her question could come off like she was shaming the girl for not doing more for the loony werebear. ¡°Wring him dry for information then let him back out into nature like some wild animal?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging in a way that told Mia she wasn¡¯t offended by her words. Mia let out an inaudible sight of relief. ¡°I can¡¯t be arsed to babysit him. He attacked us, even if he is a bit loony, we would have been in our rights to kill him for it. Just like he¡¯d killed that beastkin for attacking him.¡± ¡°But you stopped me from doing so,¡± Mia said, scrunching her face up a bit. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that was because you didn¡¯t want to kill him if he only killed the beastkin in self-defence?¡± ¡°I mean,¡± Carmilla said, drawing the word out more than it needed to be, looking skittish. ¡°I did say that, didn¡¯t I?¡± Mia raised an eyebrow and the taller redhead squirmed under her gaze uncomfortably. ¡°I¡¯d have preferred to know whether he¡¯d really deserve getting killed, but I wouldn¡¯t have lost much sleep even if I didn¡¯t and we ended up killing him.¡± Carmilla looked peevish, her gaze jumping between the ground before her feet and Mia¡¯s strange stare like a grasshopper on LSD. ¡°Does that make sense? I mean, he did attack us and I wouldn¡¯t let him harm either of us. If it¡¯s between him and us-¡° ¡°We attacked him, Carmilla,¡± Mia stated, sounding a touch bewildered. Not judging, neither angry, just bewildered at the thought process of the girl. ¡°We tracked him to his home and threw a grenade into his bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Carmilla allowed, a bit too quick to agree. There was a colossal ¡®but¡¯ coming though, Mia could practically hear it already. ¡°But, I refuse to let either of us die because of that. I don¡¯t care if we attacked him first. If he is a threat to our lives, I don¡¯t care whether what I¡¯m doing is right.¡± Mia stayed silent for a few lengthy seconds that seemed to make the vampiress more and more distressed. Seeing her shifting, mentally agonising over Mia¡¯s eventual answer, a sense of guilt flooded Mia for not rushing to reassure the girl already. But could she? Carmilla had just admitted that she would have killed an innocent man ¡ªnot that Lars specifically was deemed innocent just yet ¡ª if he proved to endanger their lives. Mia chewed on the insides of her cheeks, a flare of irritation bubbling up inside her. It was not aimed at Carmilla, no, it was solely aimed at herself. I¡¯d do the same ¡­ should do the same. Mia thought, jaw set tightly as she snapped her gaze down at the ground. In the end, Mia knew her flimsy morals would not hold up for even a moment if her life was in danger. She knew she would kill to stay alive, but the revulsion of the act of murder didn¡¯t go away just from that. What if I can¡¯t do it? If my aversion to the mere concept of murder would make me freeze up? What if I died because despite my increasing Will, I am still a fucking cowardly wimp? Another question floated inside her mind and silenced all others. What if her reluctance to kill would be what caused not her own death, but Carmilla¡¯s? That initial irritation bubbled over, morphing into an all too familiar self-hate that she thought she¡¯d left behind. It seemed magic, stats, monsters and the System still couldn¡¯t change the fact that she was a coward. If she felt this bad just thinking about it, how bad would it get if her wimpiness really killed the girl she was starting to develop a pretty sizable crush on? ¡°Mia, I¡¯m sorry if I said something stupid,¡± Carmilla said, having worked up the courage to speak up after Mia seemingly gave her the silent treatment. ¡°I- I was- I don¡¯t know. I just want to keep us safe. I can promise not to kill anyone if it bothers yo-¡° ¡°Stop!¡± Mia held up a hand, whirling around and stopping before Carmilla. The vampiress froze up, staring at Mia¡¯s raised index finger at her lips like a deer at headlights. ¡°You did ¡­ nothing wrong. I¡¯m not blaming you, or angry at you or anything of the like. I¡¯m just ¡­ angry at myself that I can¡¯t promise to do the same for you.¡± Carmilla¡¯s eyes flew wide, her mouth opened silently as Mia embarrassedly removed her finger from her lips. ¡°Really?¡± Carmilla asked, sounding afraid and for a moment Mia didn¡¯t see the leather-clad gorgeous vampiress before her, but the scrawny half-dead girl begging her to spare her life. ¡°That¡¯s fine! Entirely fine! I can kill them for you, you don¡¯t need to bloody your hands if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s perfectly fine by me.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Carmilly quickly flipped from being afraid of Mia¡¯s rejection of her promise to being eager and almost gleeful. ¡°It¡¯s not fine,¡± Mia said, frowning as she kicked herself for being a coward. ¡°I ¡­ can¡¯t promise I won¡¯t freeze up, or something like that, but I¡¯ll try to do my best. I¡¯ll try to keep that promise too.¡± Carmilla smiled, her lips gaining a gentle curve as she stared at Mia for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡± Mia¡¯s face twitched, a complex set of changing emotions all tugging and pulling her features in different ways with none of them quite winning out. A part of her was just glad that she¡¯d gotten through that social quagmire of a conversation passably well, another part just swooned at Carmilla¡¯s beautiful smile and another yet was sobbing in a corner of her mind, thinking about how horrible of a person she had to be to want to get used to murdering people. Another part, a pretty large one, was cringing so hard it hurt. ¡®I¡¯ll do my best.¡¯ Mia wanted to strangle her past self from five seconds ago. What would her best be good for if she let Carmilla die because her best simply just wasn¡¯t enough? She wanted to roll into a grave right there and then, or go back in time to make a true promise with the same certainty in each word as Carmilla had. That¡¯d be a lie. I can¡¯t make a promise I¡¯m not sure I can keep. That was something she¡¯d kept herself to all her life. No promising stuff she couldn¡¯t be certain to deliver on. The best she could do is to hope her spine would grow somewhat firmer in the near future. Once she¡¯d gotten over her aversion for killing, she could make that promise. ¡°We should get going,¡± Mia said, launching into a brisk walk to escape that lethal smile Carmilla was sending her way. Only thanks to her unnatural halvyr instincts did she not instantly run into a tree right behind her and instead managed to whirl around it. She resisted the urge to kick the damned tree that jumped into her way. Instead acting like it didn¡¯t even happen as she set her pace to be as fast as she could manage without breaking into a jog. She heard Carmilla join her up, easily catching up with her in just seconds despite having remained behind for a few heartbeats. ¡°Wanna race back to the treeline?¡± Carmilla asked, a playful lilt in her voice. Mia glanced at her, then at the forest before her. It was a thick lower alpine forest with thin, but hardy undergrowth. The main obstacles would be the mass of trunks and the larger rocks on the ground, or the slippery wet dirt on the harsher slopes. Her heart sped up, her gaze almost instantly recognising the optimal path to race through the forest before her. She was aching to get some distraction anyways, a race might as well be it. ¡°Sure,¡± Mia said, a smirk playing on her lips. ¡°On three?¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± Carmilla said amusedly, and Mia suppressed the urge to give a mischievous smirk in turn. ¡°Three!¡± Mia burst into a sprint, her feet sinking into the dirt as she leaned into the launch. A giggle escaped her as Carmilla gave a sound of playful outrage behind her, Gabe had played her exactly like that a few times before she learned that she had to be the one counting down for there to be any sense of fairness to it. Trees darted by Mia, her pink hair flying in the wind as she jumped over a fallen trunk. Her body wasn¡¯t muscular but under her supple form hid corded muscles moulded by her 11 points of Agility. She was almost floating, her boots barely touching the ground as she flowed over it like the wind. In contrast, Carmilla raced beside her like a predatory animal, her body moving with a serpentine grace that couldn¡¯t be taught. Where Mia seemed like an ethereal wisp just gliding over the forest floor, Carmilla was a part of the scenery, looking like she¡¯d been born to prowl these woods. A thin gully came up, a tiny stream babbling down towards the bottom of the slope. Mia tensed, pushing more power into her stride and then jumped. She whizzed by, flying over the gully like a ghost. Behind her, Carmilla kicked off the ground harshly, the thrum of her boots on the ground resounding in the surrounding forest as she launched off like a missile. Then they were back to the race. Mia grinned, the wind in her face giving her a pleasant escape from the scorching heat of the midsummer sun. Mia knew the vampiress was faster than her, she¡¯d seen Carmilla move in a fight, really move. If she put the same effort into leaving Mia in the dirt, she¡¯d have no hope of even keeping pace with the girl. Quite unlike how most would have predicted the race going, Carmilla always remained a few metres behind. The silly vampire wasn¡¯t even trying to win, then again Mia loved the thought of just running through the forest in a pair even more than a race. So the redhead was certainly winning something. All too soon, Mia saw the edge of the forest quickly approaching. Soon, the trees would thin out and their surroundings would transform to gentle slopes covered in fields of golden wheat and towering corn. Mia slowed her pace reluctantly, not that her smile was diminished as she did. Her breathing was quick and heavy, but not even close to ragged as she slowed down to a leisurely stroll. Carmilla joined her a few moments later, falling into step beside Mia with an easy grace befitting her heritage. She wasn¡¯t even panting, her cheeks not even the slightest bit flushed from exertion. Then again, maybe she didn¡¯t have enough of a circulation to allow for that. Mia might have felt peeved at the girl¡¯s apparent superiority over her, but she was too happy at the moment to care. ¡°That was fun,¡± Mia said cheerfully. ¡°We should do that again sometime.¡± ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Carmilla said noncommittally, making Mia round on her with a hurt expression. Maybe the girl thought Mia would flip out if she didn¡¯t let her ¡®win¡¯? What was that tenseness for? ¡°I mean, sure, right! Let¡¯s do it!¡± Mia stared at the girl for a moment, not really sure what to make of her. Carmilla was certainly a strange girl, and unlike what the first impression Mia had of her portrayed her to be. ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to, you know,¡± Mia said gently. ¡°I can take a no for an answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to,¡± Carmilla said, looking ashamed of herself. ¡°It¡¯s quite the opposite, in fact. Which is the problem. I just figured out vampires have a ¡­ really strong- uhm, sorry for saying it like this, but prey drive. I was ¡­ having trouble controlling it.¡± ¡°Ohhh,¡± Mia said, blinking slowly as the many cogs in her head turned. Prey drive was that primal instinct in predators to find, pursue and capture prey. It usually triggered in most predators when they saw something running away from them. That something being me in this case? ¡­ I still wouldn¡¯t mind her hunting me down and- ¡°If you think that¡¯s for the best. I understand.¡± Mia nodded, biting her tongue before it could once again betray her thoughts. Carmilla was clearly vexed by her apparent lack of control, which Mia felt would have been a nasty thing to make light of by saying something along the lines of ¡®I wouldn¡¯t mind you chasing me down and capturing me.¡¯ Furthermore, flirting was ¡­ not something she¡¯d much experience with so she¡¯d likely take psychic damage from an attempt at it. She¡¯d just make a fool of hersel- Mia¡¯s ears twitched and her head snapped to the side. Footsteps, dozens of them and barely audible conversations, the static of radios. ¡°Soldiers,¡± Mia said suddenly, recognising some of the voices and picking up on the distinct sound of rifles flapping against the uniform the troopers wore. ¡°Fifteen of them, all on foot. They are-¡° ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said, stepping before Mia with her easygoing smile sliding right off of her face. ¡°We could fight them and win. If we¡¯re smart about it-¡° ¡°We could also run, or hide to figure out whether they even want to harm us,¡± Mia said, squinting as she deepened her focus on the distant chatter. They were hundreds of metres away still, both of Mia¡¯s suggestions would be easy to go through with. ¡°I don¡¯t hear any of the five soldiers who were with us. That¡¯s probably a good sign.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Carmilla said, her entire demeanour having shifted from anxious girl to predatory vampire in a moment. Mia couldn¡¯t help but shudder as she watched the transformation happen in a near instant. ¡°The trail of those five is older, almost three hours old, but they exited the forest somewhere around here. Perhaps a bit upwind.¡± ¡°So?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Hide and observe, or run and hide?¡± ¡°I want to know what they want at least,¡± Carmilla said with a frown, glancing at Mia. ¡°I could go alone. Their bullets won¡¯t be much more effective against me than they were against Lars. I¡¯m up to 250% on lifeforce.¡± ¡°Speaking of Lars,¡± Mia said, the colossal bear shifter¡¯s presence having slipped her mind in her joyful sprint through the woods. ¡°Where is he? Did he ¡­ ?¡± Did he ditch us while we were distracted? Mia thought, looking behind and into the depths of the thick forest. There was no sight of him. Well. Shit. 48 - Altrecation ¡°No,¡± Carmilla said confidently. ¡°Lars knows I have his scent. He won¡¯t have the guts to run, he¡¯s just a slow lumbering oaf. Being a werebear doesn¡¯t mean he can run as fast as the real deal.¡± Right. Brown bears should be able to comfortably run at 50 kmph. I doubt I¡¯d been going fast enough to lose a real one if it really wanted to eat me. Then again, Mia wouldn¡¯t have even had to run from a regular brown bear. Her Familiar could have probably taken one down. Speaking of, the Familiar was there too, sitting next to Mia¡¯s feet with its wispy tail swinging back and forth. Unfortunate that it can¡¯t understand normal human speech. Or that it couldn¡¯t even report back to me what it heard if I did send it out to eavesdrop on them. ¡°Also, let¡¯s leave you going out to fight them in the clear as a last, last resort,¡± Mia said, imagining the consequences of beating up or killing more than a dozen soldiers just because they were here when the jumpy pair of them left the forest. That would be a surefire way to burn down all bridges with Zeigler, who¡¯d been nothing but helpful and friendly up until this point. ¡°Plan Z, okay? Also, if you are going out to fight them, I am sending the Familiar out first to disarm them.¡± Literally. This sadistic cat would probably bite all of their arms off if I gave that order. Mia¡¯s reluctance to confront them herself stemmed from a healthy paranoia coupled with a clear understanding of her own weaknesses. Mainly, that she couldn¡¯t do anything against a cloud of bullets raining down on her. Her best bet would be Arcane Shield, but that only made a one metre diameter buckler, which would hardly protect her body from that many bullets. If I could even activate it before I died from a case of terminal velocity lead injection. Mia¡¯s main weakness, in her opinion, was ambushes. Her magic took precious moments to materialise, and needed her to have a clear enough mind to focus, which wasn¡¯t a given when people were shooting at her. Familiar shored that weakness up by a bit, letting her have something at the ready, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t be able to do jackshit against a dozen rifles opening up on her in full auto. It might block one or two, if it was even fast enough to intercept a bullet. But dozens? Hundreds of bullets coming from ten angles? She¡¯d have more holes in her than an emmentaler cheese before she could even assemble a spell circle. Which was why she had to go about not getting shot in a preventative way. Like hiding, running away or ¡®disarming¡¯ anyone liable to be shooting at her from afar. This was also why she let the cat loose on the Sergeant when he reached for his pistol. She didn¡¯t have the reflexes, abilities and skill to stop a bullet or to defend against one. Not yet anyway. She was hoping she could get either the Warding, Abjuration or the Illusion Runic Lexicons next. Either would go a long way about making that weakness less glaring, but it was likely only all three combined would fully eliminate it. Wards for passive defence, Abjuration for active defence and Illusion for a better preventative defence. If she could get that Summoning Ritual done perfectly and the resulting spell merged with her Class Skill though, that would be the optimal dream outcome. Supposedly, that would allow her to store two spectral knights in her Spirit that she could pull out at a moment¡¯s notice. No spells, spell circles, channelling mana, just a thought and a spiritual manifestation of carnage in the form of the Dark Knight would be ready to slaughter her enemies with extreme prejudice. Alternatively, the manifestation of heroic sacrifice, the White Guardian would be just as ready to fight till its last breath to protect her from harm. Even her Arcanism book mentioned the Ritual, pointing at it as one of the obvious ways of shoring up this glaring weakness that all Arcane mages inherently have. It applied for other mages too, but they generally had at least some body enhancements just from channelling their mana, lessening the severity of it. ¡°Hide and observe it is,¡± Carmilla said, slouching into a crouch. ¡°Come, I know you¡¯re pretty stealthy in the forest but try to follow me. I have a pretty good understanding of forest stealth.¡± Bet half of her bloodline memories are one of her ancestors hunting down some poor sod in a forest just like this. Mia nodded, crouching too and paying careful attention to where Carmilla stepped. She did her best to follow in the vampiress¡¯ wake, managing to be marginally stealthier than she would have been just by walking. Progress. Nobody starts out as a master huntress. Well, nobody who didn¡¯t have bloodline memories to help them anyway. Piercing Bolt, as she¡¯d come to think of the variant, was readied though she kept her mana firmly inside her pool. She couldn¡¯t discount the idea that there was at least one elf in the group of soldiers ahead even if most of them she¡¯d seen up until now appeared distinctly unchanged by the Awakening. Then again, an elf would have heard Mia¡¯s fumbling attempts at stealthiness from a mile away. ¡°Weird,¡± Carmilla whispered under her breath, making sure to keep her voice even dimmer than her footsteps. ¡°I guess you were right. Only two of them have weapons in hand, and neither are aiming it towards the forest.¡± Meaning they weren¡¯t ordered to gun us down the moment we appeared. That¡¯s the worst possible scenario torpedoed, still ¡­ ¡°They could be here to peacefully take us into custody,¡± Mia said, keeping her voice similarly level with startling ease. It seemed whatever changes were done to her vocal cords during her transformation, it had made her voice more fit to softer tones and whispers. They crept closer and from mere whispers getting lost in the song of the forest, the voices of the soldiers came into the foreground, clearly audible to Mia¡¯s triangular ears. ¡° ¡­ think this is great, I mean, the world is going to shit and all but we got magic and elves. Man, have you seen that blonde one in the third squad? Oh my god, I¡¯m getting jittery just thinking about her-¡° ¡°Ass?¡± Another soldier snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t pull the wool over my eyes, ya daft cunt, you¡¯d been staring at Emily¡¯s ass even before she got those pointy ears.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s different now! That was just ¡­ lust, but now!¡± The first soldier said, sounding enamoured. ¡°This is love, just her fluttering glances with those emerald green eyes of hers are making my heart stutter!¡± ¡°I get ya,¡± a third one said, sounding understanding. ¡°I met a girl just yesterday at a bbq party. She had the most adorable labrador-like ears on her head and wagged her tail whenever she talked to me. I think I¡¯m in love.¡± ¡°You two nerds,¡± the second soldier, the one who tried to shut down the elf-lover, snorted again. ¡°Why are you fethishising those mutants?¡± Mutants? That word again. ¡°Shut the fuck up Garl,¡± elf-lover said dryly, clearly not the first time he¡¯d heard the obnoxious man being a killjoy. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous no woman as hot as Emily would ever glance twice at your ugly mug.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Oh, you wanna fucking go- ?¡± ¡°Silence,¡± said a familiar voice, sounding both tired and commanding at the same time. ¡°We have incoming. Keep your weapons holstered but get in combat readiness.¡± Mia stiffened, her breath hitching. How did they detect us? Shit! We are still more than a hundred metres away from the- Her ears twitched, her head swinging about to gaze at the thick shrubbery behind them. Lars, that unit of a man just crashed through a large bush with the grace of a drunk elephant. The man was still dozens of metres away, but his gaze only swam for a bit before it locked onto the two girl¡¯s location. He sniffed the air like a bloodhound, then lumbered towards them until Carmilla let out an almost inaudible hiss. The man froze, clearly not understanding the girl¡¯s meaning beyond ¡®don¡¯t get closer¡¯. ¡°Shit,¡± Mia mumbled, hearing the soldiers line up just outside the treeline. That vaguely familiar voice ordered them about, had them fan out and take up position behind him. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Now,¡± Carmilla said, her predatory look softening slightly as she glanced back at Mia. ¡°I¡¯ll go out there and salvage the situation. You stay here and provide covering fire if they decide to be nasty and we run, okay?¡± ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Mia asked worriedly, biting her lips as the anxiety gnawed at her. ¡°I know you can heal but what if they catch you in the head? You can¡¯t heal from you brain getting blown out, can you? ¡°I would ¡­ probably survive it,¡± the vampiress said. ¡°But it¡¯d be ugly, and ¡­ without my mind working properly my instincts would control my body.¡± What does she- Oh. Instincts, the very same instincts that made the girl stare at Mia¡¯s neck hungrily, the ones that gave her that prey drive she¡¯d been suppressing. Vampiric instincts. That could get ugly indeed. ¡°You run if they as much as point a gun at you, okay?¡± Mia said, squeezing Carmilla¡¯s arm. She stared into those ruby orbs, worried frown on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll have the Familiar distract them if they do and we can run. We are faster than them and in a forest, we¡¯ll easily lose them.¡± ¡°Only send the cat in at my signal,¡± Carmilla responded, patting Mia on the shoulder in a way that was probably supposed to be reassuring. Alas, the redhead was stiff and awkward with it. ¡°¡®Apple juice¡¯, that¡¯ll be the codeword. If I say apple juice, we bolt.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, swallowing as she let go of Carmilla and crouched down behind a bush. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°You too,¡± Carmilla said with a smile and turned, straightening up as she forewent all stealth. She walked through the woods, nudged Lars to follow her then strode towards the edge of the forest. ¡°A welcoming committee? For us? You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Is she taking her lines from books and movies? Mia thought, an amused smile coming over her face. I¡¯m pretty sure ¡®apple juice¡¯ was the safeword in some movies too. With how little social interaction the girl supposedly had growing up, Mia felt that made sense. Still, even with her confident demeanour now firmly hiding it, Mia saw that same awkwardness underneath. Cute. Mia thought. ¡°Miss Carmilla?¡± The same vaguely familiar voice said, and despite Mia straining her ears she heard no rifles moving or safety handles getting unlocked on them. Though the heart rates of everyone picked up the moment they caught sight of the vampire, then jumped even higher when the very naked Lars stumbled out of the forest behind her. ¡°I am-¡° ¡°Zeigler¡¯s aide,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Kelvin, was it? I know. Now, would you be so kind as to explain why the lot of you felt the need to ¡­ what is this supposed to be? An ambush, or an arrest?¡± ¡°It is not,¡± the man, Kelvin, continued unperturbed by Carmilla cutting him off. Out of the group, he kept most calm up until now. ¡°We are here merely to make sure the ¡­ man behind you is handled properly. We have heard he has admitted to the gruesome murder of one man, which we cannot allow to go unpunished.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Carmilla said calmly. ¡°But I think you¡¯ll want to hear what he has to say before you decide on anything ¡­ permanent. This man behind me was the previous leader of the beastkin group living up on that hill.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± Kelvin asked, a note of surprise entering his voice but not without a hint of doubt also joining in. ¡°And he would be willing to share what he knows about his previous group?¡± ¡°Would you?¡± Carmilla asked and Mia peeked out between the leaf covered branches of the bush to catch sight of what was happening. ¡°Yes,¡± Lars said, his voice showing a lucidity it didn¡¯t have before. His posture though, was another thing entirely. He kept looking around at the soldiers jerkily, twitching this way and that at every little movement of one of the soldiers. The soldiers in turn were wary, clearly knowing the danger of an unstable man of Lars¡¯ size. Especially if the five soldiers from before said anything about his Shifter abilities. You¡¯d think they¡¯d have brought heavier weaponry if they knew about him. But Kelvin knew he killed someone? What¡¯s going on? Mia frowned then ever so carefully started circling around the group. If her guess was right this small of a force wouldn¡¯t be sent here to handle Lars by themselves. Zeigler knows about him, so he should also know that Lars shrugged off concentrated rifle fire. So, if he still sent his men here- There! I knew it! Further out, hiding behind a smaller mound were a pair of tanks and on it sat a platoon of tense soldiers clutching weaponry much more dangerous than mere rifles. Mia swallowed, her throat going dry in an instant. Only the fact that the troopers lying in wait weren¡¯t moving to flank or ambush Carmilla kept her from panicking. ¡°There ¡­ also happens to be a complaint about your friend, Miss Vexley. But I don¡¯t see her anywhere? Did she ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Complaint?¡± Carmilla¡¯s tone could have frozen over the sun, and sent a shiver down Mia¡¯s spine. The vampiress sounded a moment away from ripping someone¡¯s spine out and beating them to death with it. ¡°By the Fireteam sent to ¡®protect¡¯ us I assume? With the Sergeant who struck my friend and then had the gall to call her a bitch?¡± The silence that followed was deafening. The backup soldiers checked their weapons, their stances transforming into the human equivalent of a coiled up spring. The ones behind Kelvin audibly tightened their grips on their weapons, safeties coming undone and fingers landing on triggers, not yet firing but ready to at a moment¡¯s notice. A few seconds went by and Mia almost got a heart attack from the spiking anxiety. Her hands shook, but she was ready. In that moment she knew that the moment those tanks fired up their engines, she was going to let them have it. She could practically hear the screams already, the metal shrieking as it tore under the force of her Arcane Blast and that repulsive scent of blood she¡¯d never grown used to. She was ready. If they moved, she was going to kill them as they came. She wouldn¡¯t even let them lay their eyes on Carmilla, that unnamed ditch they huddled into would be their grave. Her heart stuttered, the rhythm of its beat drumming in her ears. She only saw them, their fingers on their rifles, their hands on grenades, their grasps on the heavy machine guns attached to the tanks. A single twitch. That was all that stood between the lot of them and an explosive glittery pink death. ¡°The Sergeant left out that part.¡± Kelvin broke the silence, his voice dry and thick with forced stoicism. ¡°I assume Miss Vexley is in good health?¡± ¡°She is,¡± Carmilla said, her tone softening almost imperceptibly. Mia felt a slight blush creeping up her cheeks at the gentleness behind those words, heavily contrasting the vampire¡¯s previous tone of voice. Even if Carmilla wasn¡¯t interested in her in a romantic way, the girl cared. Not that Mia had given up on the first just yet, by her own account the girl had zero romantic experience so Mia held onto the hope that she was just dense and didn¡¯t even know what being sexually attracted to someone felt like. She never stared at men, though I don¡¯t remember her checking out women either ¡­ is she asexual? That would be Fate¡¯s nastiest joke played on me to date. While Mia¡¯s thoughts wandered over a sink and jumped down the drain, the tension slowly drained out of the air. The backup force behind the mound also heaved a collective sigh of relief, likely having been briefed before coming here about the two girl¡¯s combat capabilities. Nobody liked to fight against a petite elf-shaped automatic rocket launcher and a rampaging vampire, especially not so with a damned werebear possibly joining in on the fun. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Colonel will take into consideration her actions when deciding on whether to keep the two of you under military employ, but I¡¯d like to let you know that you will not be held accountable for your actions today beyond that.¡± Take my actions into consideration? Mia felt a flare of righteous anger, hadn¡¯t she been the one to be struck first? Hadn¡¯t she been the one to protect the five morons who couldn¡¯t even stay coherent throughout the fight and passed out like a group of toddlers when the time for their afternoon nap arrived? The Sergeant should be happy she didn¡¯t let her anger get the better of her and allowed him to live. She even gave him her Elixir damnit! A choice which she was quickly growing to regret. Then the calm took hold, and like always she tried to put herself in the Colonel¡¯s shoes. A random girl with magical rocket launchers in her hand just mutilated one of his men horribly. He¡¯d be foolish not to consider that the new powers might have unscrewed one too many screws in her head. If she was unstable, like Lars for example, she could understand him not wanting her anywhere near his men and endangering their lives by being a loose cannon. ¡°Smart,¡± Carmilla said with a mocking lilt to her voice and Mia wanted to facepalm for a moment. Did that silly girl want to fight? ¡°Lead me to somewhere where I can leave Lars to you.¡± 49 - Witnessed ¡°They are still following us,¡± Mia whispered, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as she resisted the urge to glare towards an unassuming bush half a street down. Three heartbeats, suppressed but clearly audibly breathing and amateurish shuffling were just three of the most obvious sounds coming from behind it. Clearly, Zeigler¡¯s men hadn¡¯t been trained for stealth. ¡°Let them be,¡± Carmilla shrugged, the redhead having gone through the entire ordeal with the same phlegmatic attitude she wore now. ¡°They can¡¯t harm us and they won¡¯t do anything else beyond shadowing us.¡± Mia worried that the girl¡¯s vampiric arrogance was getting the better of her, if such a thing was a possibility. Alternatively, it could be that it was Mia who was overly paranoid. Stifling a sigh, Mia shrugged as well. She heard no metal clattering, no cloth shifting on the holster of handguns. The three sounded to be unarmed, but then again, so was Mia. Minus the dagger, but that¡¯s my least lethal weapon. Mia thought, idly running her fingers over the firm plastic sheath of the combat dagger on her right thigh. When, how or why it happened, she didn¡¯t know, but feeling its belts constricting her right leg had become a calming feeling over the days. It let her know that even if by some godforsaken misfortune she lost her magic and everything else the System gave her, she wouldn¡¯t go back to being the same defenceless girl she¡¯d been in The Before. ¡°Why are you so certain?¡± Mia decided to ask, not bothering to mask the anxiety she felt. It gave the vampiress pause, making the redhead finally take Mia¡¯s words seriously. ¡°What if they aren¡¯t ¡®just shadowing us¡¯. What if they are scouts, looking for where we are weakest, for the best way to ambush us, how to storm the house when we are sleeping? What if we don¡¯t wake up tomorrow because Zeigler felt we were more trouble than we were worth and blew the WHOLE FUCKING HOUSE UP TO ORBIT WITH US IN IT?!¡± Mia was breathing heavily by the end, her voice continually rising in strength with each word she spoke, belaying her slowly blooming anger. Her fear. Carmilla just stood there for a moment, mouth falling open in apparent shock as Mia glared at her, daring her to say something. The vampire looked around in a slight panic, her ruby gaze jumping between the surrounding houses cloaked in the evening twilight. Mia¡¯s ears twitched, her hearing picking up on hurried movements in those houses as people came to the windows to check why some deranged pink haired pixie was shouting like this out in the middle of the street. Mia felt a tingle run down her arms, making her fingers quiver as she knew dozens of gazes would soon land on her. She refused to care at the moment, tilting her head up at Carmilla as if to say ¡®what do you have to say for yourself¡¯. Mia had followed along with the girl, saying nothing throughout the previous hours and let the vampire take the lead. She came out of the woods when asked, only frightening the soldiers lying in ambush a little as she strolled out from the woods right next to them. She let Carmilla handle Lars, Kelvin and even the following conversation with Zeigler. She felt the girl had things under control, that she was being prudent. The moment that came into doubt just now, her fuse blew, setting off a raging wildfire of anger and fear mixing into one and fanning the flames of the other. Would she be able to sleep in peace ever again without having to fear an assassin from the military slitting her throat or a firing squad shooting up her home while she wasn¡¯t there? ¡®Trust me¡¯ wasn¡¯t cutting it when so much was at risk. Mia wanted, needed something tangible she could convince herself with that Carmilla wasn¡¯t just sky high on power. ¡°Don¡¯t do this here, please.¡± Carmilla was still looking around, looking pleadingly at the furious Mia. ¡°We-¡° ¡°Why?¡± Mia repeated petulantly. ¡°It¡¯s a simple question, Carmilla. I want to know why!¡± Mia bit her lips so hard they bled, the coppery taste of her own blood stinging her tongue a moment later. Carmilla¡¯s eyes dilated for a moment, her pupils expanding. ¡°Because I listened,¡± Carmilla said, twirling away to massage the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed. ¡°I could hear them, talking, chatting and all that and while you slept at home I went out at night. I stalked them, listened in on every conversation I could and studied them. While Zeigler is in charge, we will not be ambushed, attacked, executed or kidnapped as leverage. For whatever inexplicable reason, the man both has surprisingly good morals and likes us. So. We. Are. Safe. For. Now.¡± Carmilla turned back around, her ruby eyes hiding a flicker of hurt that made a torrent of guilt surge through Mia and snuff out the fires of her rage. With the fuel gone, even her fear abated. Her doubt had hurt Carmilla. Her anger lit anew, but now aimed right at herself for being a cowardly idiot again and fed on the guilt she now felt, festering like a cancer in the forefront of her mind. She looked down, eyes tearing up as she stared at her feet. ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia murmured lamely. ¡°Sorry for doubting you, I just-¡° She cut herself off. Making excuses would only make it worse. The fact was, she doubted the girl who worked night after night to keep her safe, apparently. ¡°Look,¡± Carmilla said, her voice tinged with hurry and that by-now familiar awkwardness when the girl couldn¡¯t find the right words or actions to convey her meaning. ¡°I- I mean I forgive you, but I- ugh, how do I even-, I¡¯m sorry. I should have been more open with you and why I did ¡­ stuff.¡± Mia looked up, meeting the similarly guilty expression of the vampiress, though those ruby eyes weren¡¯t glistening with tears like hers were. Neither was Carmilla sniffing, trying not to break down into an ugly bawl with snot running down her face like Mia was. It was a losing battle too. ¡°Look,¡± Carmilla continued, looking like she¡¯d just been handed a bawling toddler and hadn¡¯t the faintest idea how to handle it. Though by the look on her face, her plan was quickly swinging toward putting it down and running away. ¡°I- we really should go back. This is-¡° ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, her voice cracking a little. Damn it! All this post apocalyptic stress was making her more emotional than a hormone-addled teen. Mia felt pathetic, still she grabbed the vampire by the hand like a little kid and dragged her in a direction. She grew up on these streets, she knew them like the back of her hand and she knew that just beyond a bend, down through a line of trees next to a little stream was an old playground. Mia led Carmilla there, slowly gaining ground and fighting her urge to cry back down. The vampire remained silent, her soft hand in Mia¡¯s grasp the only thing reminding the girl of her presence. They reached the edge of it, a large pit as long as two football fields and as wide as one, with a rather modern playground inside it. Perhaps it had been a gulley once, with the nearby stream having run through here instead of a few hundred metres east. Now though, under the cover of dusk¡¯s fading light it looked a bit eerie. Mia didn¡¯t care, she¡¯d long grown used to the sight. The edges of the pit were gentle slopes, covered in well-kept grass fit for children deciding to roll down to the bottom. Mia sat, tugging Carmilla along to sit next to her in the grass and then flopped back. The slope was around 50% steep perhaps, maybe a bit more, just perfect for laying down and staring up at the stars. Which is exactly what Mia proceeded to do, never letting go of Carmilla¡¯s surprisingly delicate hand. ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± Carmilla asked, sounding uncertain. She was probably working up the courage to ask that question for the last ten minutes Mia spent staring at the beautiful night sky. The total lack of light pollution really did wonders to the sight. ¡°A playground,¡± Mia said absently, her gaze searching for familiar constellations she once knew by heart. ¡°We used to play here with my brother, then sneaking out once night fell, lying right where we are right now. Stare at the stars, tell spooky stories.¡± ¡°You have a brother?¡± Carmilla asked, sending a spike of icy pain right into Mia¡¯s heart. ¡°Had,¡± Mia corrected, grimacing as she tried not to sound too hurt as she¡¯d heard no malice in the vampire¡¯s question, only curiosity. Instead of having to deal with the inevitable apology, Mia forged on instead and cut off Carmilla¡¯s response. ¡°He was really good at those horror stories. We had the cops called on us once for ¡®disturbing the peace¡¯.¡± Mia said, a wistful smile playing on her lips as she fished the term for the name of that crime out of the depths of her memory. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°An unoiled swing started creaking, that damned one right there.¡± Mia pointed at an innocent swing hiding behind a line of waist-height bushes. ¡°I freaked out, started shrieking like a banshee and some nosy old grandma somewhere was offended by that.¡± The smile slipped on her face, remembering the panicked look Gabriel had on his face as he tried to calm her to no avail. ¡°What did the cops do?¡± Carmilla asked, maybe having watched one too many movies with evil cops. ¡°They searched for us.¡± Mia smirked. ¡°We ran into the woods, hid in there for hours inside an old bush we knew of. It was a thick elderberry bush with a child-sized entrance and an empty fox burrow under it. We crawled inside and waited until the sun rose.¡± The silence that followed lingered for a bit, but it didn¡¯t sound as oppressive as before. It was almost comfortable. Well, on average that is. Mia felt plenty comfortable, old memories playing out in her head as she held onto Carmilla¡¯s hand. The vampiress probably wasn¡¯t that relaxed just yet, but even her stiff posture relaxed marginally. ¡°I ¡­ think there is something wrong with the stars,¡± Mia murmured, a confused frown overcoming her features as she stared up at the sky. ¡°Are those new stars? ¡­ why are a bunch of them pink?¡± How she hadn¡¯t noticed before, she couldn¡¯t fathom, but the longer Mia started the brighter they seemingly became. They were overshadowing even the North Star, and were close enough to form a constellation. ¡°The Archon,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°One of the seven Constellations. If it¡¯s a group of pink stars you¡¯re seeing, that¡¯s probably it- or he is- or ¡­ something.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, bewildered as she tore her gaze away from the glimmering pink stars to turn and face Carmilla. ¡°Details please.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a System thing, or rather, magic,¡± Carmilla said, looking to be deep in focus to dig up some long buried memory. If that memory was one of her bloodline memories, it might really have been buried under centuries of junk, too. ¡°Each of the seven essential elements has a Constellation. The Archon is Arcane¡¯s. Then there is the Seraph for Light, the Phoenix for Fire, the Zephyr for Air, the Leviathan for Water, the Titan for Earth and finally the Umbra for Darkness.¡± Mia looked back up at the strange clump of stars, squinting. A gasp escaped her as almost imperceptibly thin lines of pink light drew themselves across the night sky, connecting the disparate pink stars. A moment later, an image of a humanoid figure with its arms spread to the sides and a great ring around it was glowing in the darkness of the night. It was just line art, a contour and it didn¡¯t even have a face, but Mia almost felt its attention on her like a physical weight. Then it was gone, the lines and the strange presence. Even the stars dimmed back down to only being marginally brighter than the North Star. ¡°Mia?¡± Carmilla¡¯s worried voice brought her down to earth. Blinking, she found a pair of anxious ruby orbs peering down at her from ohmygodthat¡¯sclose. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Mia answered, suddenly very aware of Carmilla¡¯s warm body pressing up against hers as the girl leaned over Mia with a palm on either side of Mia¡¯s head. Kiss me. Do it. Please. ¡°You spaced out for a moment?¡± Carmilla asked, and Mia spent that moment staring at her pretty crimson lips. ¡°Yeah?¡± Mia answered absently. ¡°Saw a ¡­ thing, in the thing. Lines, between the ¡­ things.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Carmilla exclaimed, rolling away and onto her back again ¡ª much to Mia¡¯s immense disappointment ¡ª with a soft sigh of relief. ¡°You told me you had Superior Affinity too, I¡¯m just-¡° The girl shook her head instead of finishing. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Mia asked, not quite managing to keep a pout out of her voice. ¡°Constellations usually ¡®witness¡¯ people who have great natural affinity for their elements,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the exact repercussions of it are since Blood doesn¡¯t have a Constellation so my ancestors didn¡¯t care about it too much. What I do know though, is that it should have helped with your Attunement quite a bit.¡± ¡°Attunement?¡± Mia murmured. That was a System tab she hadn¡¯t bothered with yet, thinking it¡¯d take ages to even push her progress up by a single percent. Perhaps she was wrong. *** [Attunement] [Element: Arcane (Superior)] Progress: 21% Perks: *** ¡°Damn,¡± Mia said, eyes wide as she read through the window and then looked back up at her progress bar. Just as a little extra atop everything else, because of her Class Trait the potency of all of her Arcane spells had gone up by 11% with that progress jumping from 10% all the way up to 21%. ¡°What¡¯s an ability?¡± Mia wondered, never having caught that term before in any books. ¡°It¡¯s something that the System can¡¯t quantify, or just won¡¯t,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Stuff like my bite are abilities, those are stuff that become inherent parts of us. A capability of your body, mind or spirit as natural to you as walking, breathing and eating is. ¡­ Can I ask what you got?¡± ¡°Arcane Influence,¡± Mia read, then focused on the name of it to get the description. *** [Arcane Influence]: You gain influence over creatures and objects connected to your element. You may influence these creatures and objects, gaining a measure of control over them. *** ¡°That¡¯s vague as hell,¡± Mia grumbled, then proceeded to read the thing out loud so maybe Carmilla could help her make some sense of it. ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°Well, the only creatures connected to the Arcane I know of are Arcane Spirits and Elementals,¡± Carmilla mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully as her gaze roamed the starry sky. ¡°Objects though? Aren¡¯t practically all enchanted items using arcane mana connected to the element? Maybe you could disable enchantments and artefacts with a wave of your hand.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Mia thought, imagining herself disabling hairdryers and then turning them back on with a snap. She could become a magician with a trick like that. ¡°Cool. I guess. We¡¯ll see how useful it is later on ¡­ but what about other elements? You said Blood doesn¡¯t have a Constellation?¡± Mi turned the conversation back around to what she felt was most important, the lingering gaze of that unfathomable being still at the forefront of her mind. This Arcane Influence ability felt like a curious gimmick at best for the moment, and her Attunement was far from unlocking the next ¡®Perk¡¯. So she decided to leave that for future-Mia to think about. ¡°Yes, only the seven essential elements have Constellations,¡± Carmilla confirmed, squinting up at the sky too, and raised a hand as if to grasp the stars flickering up there. ¡°As far as I know, they are the strongest beings in existence, though most say they are merely the subconscious will of their elements and not really sentient, and most certainly not sapient beings. To many, they are The Gods. To others, those are the Primarchs.¡± ¡°Primarchs?¡± Mia held back a snort, the image of a specific mini-figure atop Mark¡¯s shelf clad in blue armour and wielding a flaming sword springing into her mind. ¡°Primarchs,¡± Carmilla confirmed, sounding confused at Mia¡¯s clear mirth, but continued. ¡°Unlike Constellations, Primarchs are fuelled by the faith of billions and don''t just exist as all-powerful beings in some higher dimension. Primarchs that have sizable Churches control some of the more powerful Elements. Like Fate, Brilliance or Destruction.¡± ¡°So those are the generic fantasy-book gods that would fade away if everyone forgot about them?¡± Mia asked, her gut tightening in worry at the implications. She¡¯d read history books. If, say, the God people believed during the dark ages came to life and was formed by what people believed he¡¯d be like, the world would have quickly gone to shit. And Christianity was one of the tamer religions when compared to some of the batshit insane deities people believed in throughout time. Imagine Zeus being real, turning into a platypus to seduce women and turning them to frogs when they didn¡¯t want to fuck a platypus. Mia shuddered, really, really hoping that these Primarchs were all far too busy in some inter-pantheon war to bother with little mortals like her. ¡°Wait, who the fuck worships a god of Destruction?¡± Mia asked, the specific elements Carmilla mentioned only now getting around to being digested by her mind. ¡°The Dragons,¡± Carmilla said with a slight smirk. ¡°Nidhogg, the World Ender, is what they call that specific Primarch and it quite lives up to its name if my inherited memories are to be believed. My progenitor almost perished once while fleeing a Minor Plane Nidhogg decided had spent enough time existing.¡± ¡°Dragons,¡± Mia repeated, waiting for Carmilla to laugh and tell her it¡¯s a joke. She didn¡¯t. Meaning, dragons were real, and they apparently worshipped a dragon by the same name as the one in Norse mythology. The one that represented all the world¡¯s repressed chaos and evil. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°The rest of the elements have Paragons,¡± Carmilla continued her little lecture when Mia didn¡¯t ask any more questions. ¡°They are generally the weakest of the three, though Primarchs with little following can be even weaker. Anyways, Paragons are all ascended mortals who either made a new, unique element for themselves to rule over or deposed the already existing Paragon of their Primary Element.¡± ¡°You can make new elements?¡± Mia asked, latching onto the most interesting piece of information again. ¡°You can,¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°Though it¡¯s really complicated and even more challenging. Plus, the System and the Mystic Realm has existed for almost a thousand System Cycles by now so it¡¯s pretty hard to come up with an element that doesn¡¯t exist already.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Mia thought, then shrugged. That made sense, and it wasn¡¯t like she thought she could succeed where hundreds of generations failed. Still, it was curious ¡­ ¡°Do you know any of the new elements someone made? What does it do? How did they make it?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Lifeflame, it is a simple fire infused with the pure concept of healing and life. The man who first found it, Sylvaneth the Everflaming, has been the Paragon of the element ever since and is supposedly one of the most powerful healers in the Mystic Realm. If my information is accurate, I¡¯m about ¡­ three thousand years out of date.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so strange to think that a vampire really lived back on earth,¡± Mia mused. ¡°Do you know what the first ancestor of yours who got stranded here did? Did he become someone famous?¡± Carmilla stayed silent for a few moments, as if Mia¡¯s question surprised her for some reason. ¡°Nothing particularly interesting ¡­ for that time. He arrived in Rome, back when it was still a small Kingdom. He lived as a king for a bit, then got staked and left to burn in the sun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ I hope you didn¡¯t have to live through that memory.¡± ¡°The memories are detached enough for me not to care,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse cramps than the lingering pain in those memories. No need to worry about me. Instead, why don¡¯t- uhm, you tell me about- uhhhhhhh.¡± Seeing as Carmilla sort of broke down mid-sentence, Mia propped herself up on an elbow and turned to face the girl with an amused look. ¡°About?¡± Mia asked, taking pity on the squirming vampiress who couldn¡¯t restart her line of thought. ¡°You?¡± Carmilla said lamely, waving an annoyed hand at the playground and up at the sky in way of conveying her question. Mia vaguely go the idea, but only nodded in understanding after she caught a slight embarrassed flush colouring Carmilla¡¯s cheeks in the dim moonlight. ¡°Sure,¡± Mia said, smiling as she pulled up another tale from her childhood and got to storytelling. She had hundreds of stories of her escapades with Gabe, the two of them having had to entertain themselves more often than not with Helene having been forced to work two jobs. She had enough stories to last till dawn. 50 - Questing Troubles ¡°Kelvin, if you say what I think you¡¯re going to say,¡± Zeigler said, massaging his eyes the moment he caught the long look at his aide¡¯s face the moment the radio comm ended. ¡°Sir, the prisoner broke containment,¡± Kelvin reported with a straight face, only the slightest hint of a smirk playing at the edge of his lips to convey his amusement. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Did they catch him yet?¡± Zeigler asked, running a hand down his face. The damnable bear shifter had been amicable enough while it had that pretty little redhead breathing down his neck, answering questions he was asked and sitting still. Now though, that the girl left and left the slightly deranged man behind in Zeigler¡¯s care, the shifter lost his marbles. If the girl hadn¡¯t warned him that this was likely going to happen, they would have lost him at the first attempt, likely along with a few squads who haplessly tried to stop his escape. ¡°Yes,¡± Kelvin said. ¡°Two soldiers are severely injured, but no casualties yet again. They had to use up the last two darts of Etorphine we had. He is out cold, but we can¡¯t be sure for how long. The cell is also ruined, again.¡± ¡°Calling dumping him in cement and letting it solidify a ¡®cell¡¯ is a bit of a stretch,¡± Zeigler mused, then shook his head. He would have loved to help the man, as he knew from the reports and interrogation that he¡¯d been one of the few people putting their necks out at the start to help other people, even inviting hundreds of them into his home. Alas, something broke in him at that betrayal he spoke of, and the man was a danger not only to himself, but to everyone around him. Zeigler couldn¡¯t very well let him just live in the outskirts of town, terrorising the residents and butchering the occasional forester wandering into his hideout. Though the alternatives were ¡­ questionable. He refused to let the man be executed, not only was he clearly insane, he was also a victim. Until he was forced to do it, he would push it back as much as possible. Plus, the man must have had some good in him still, a measure of sanity under all that rage and hurt. How else could Zeigler explain that over six escape attempts and while severely injuring dozens of soldiers, not once did the man actually go for the kill. ¡°How long did it take for him to break out this time after he woke?¡± Zeigler asked wearily, thinking of any possible solution. Could they just ¡­ tell him to escape into the deep wilderness and live there? Treating him like some dangerous animal wasn¡¯t the best option, but Zeigler could see no other option with how easily the bear-like man could snap and go on a rampage. ¡°Give him one of the Carfentanil shots when he looks like he¡¯s waking up. Then dump his ass on a truck, make the soldiers drive him out into the deep forest and leave him there. We can¡¯t keep this up.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir!¡± Kelvin saluted, nodding and then turned to leave. Carfentanil was the sort of thing zookeepers shot rhinos and elephants with to make them pass out, it was ten thousand times stronger than morphine and a single drop of it touching the skin of a human was as lethal as some of the deadliest venoms. This Lars though, Zeigler had no doubt, would survive it. He was eating through their paltry storage of bear-grade tranquilisers like they were skittles, which should similarly be lethal to humans. The thing that kept bears asleep for a day, barely kept this ¡­ thing unconscious for a few hours. We know everything we wanted to know. He has no more use as an informat, so there is no use investing our tranquilisers on keeping him contained. Furthermore, Zeigler felt keeping the man would be tempting fate. They¡¯d escaped any fatalities up until now, treating the prisoner with care and only having some of the veteran soldiers all armed with tranq-guns around him. But Fate was a bitch, their luck wouldn¡¯t last if they tempted that bitch too much. And those two girls managed to make that Lars so subservient, almost meek. Zeigler scratched at his beard thoughtfully, thinking back on the easy arrogance with which the redheaded girl ordered the towering madman around like he was some housepet. No, not arrogance. Confidence. She knew he wouldn¡¯t dare to hurt her, and yet he is more than willing to test us, an entire damned brigade of career soldiers with tanks and shit. Zeigler wasn¡¯t an idiot, and he knew that his gut instinct had likely saved his hide once more. He had an inkling that those two were dangerous, and had seen it with his own eyes when they fought that ¡®Juggernaut¡¯, but it still didn¡¯t quite sink in. Maybe it was the fact that they were younger than his own granddaughters, and a head shorter too. It was hard to match the sight of a grinning pink haired girl with the pile of corpses her ¡®magic¡¯ made. It was likewise challenging for his aging mind to really come to terms with the fact that a girl the third of his age was that much stronger than him. At least, what he couldn¡¯t yet internalise, his conscious mind could understand. He would adapt to this changing world, like he always had. He had to get used to computers, mobile telephones and whatnot throughout his life, magic wasn¡¯t all that much of a stretch from there. I need to keep their lot hidden from Eisenfaust. Zeigler decided. If that moron decides he wants to force one of them to the front line, or worse, if that cunt takes a liking to one of the prettier girls ¡­ that might just torpedo the whole damned war effort in Graz when the rest of their group take revenge. Zeigler¡¯s face hardened, jaws set as he thought of the Brigadier once more. His curses ran out, and his anger ran cold long ago, simmering beneath the surface. He¡¯d raged, cursed and swore all he could years ago while he served under Eisenfaust. I just hope he didn¡¯t somehow colossally fuck up the war on these monsters. ***** Mia¡¯s body reacted faster than her mind did, jumping into action the moment the disturbing sound slid by hear ears. Veteran soldiers might have been up on their feet with a gun in hand in a second, alert as hawks as they looked for the danger. Alas, the instincts and muscle memory weren¡¯t there just yet for Mia, and besides, another mighty foe ¡ª her blanket ¡ª took it upon itself to foil her attempts. That was how she ended up gracelessly flopping onto the floor, tangled up in a blanket. Her ears twitched, a shriek of metal and animalistic fury that made her skin crawl coming from outside, accompanied by the revolting feeling of wrongness she came to associate with monsters. Mia scrambled to her feet, heart racing and eyes still blurry as they tried to wake from dreamland. By the time she managed to push herself up to the window of her room, one facing the front street from the first floor, she still had a tangled blanket somehow wrapped around her right ankle as if it was trying to keep her from leaving it behind. Blinking the last vestiges of drowsiness away, Mia sent a chunk of mana rolling down her channels and had them readied at her fingertips as she peeked outside. There was nothing there, not yet, but her gaze locked onto a rather diminutive and easy to overlook part of the urban scenery: a sewer cover. The sounds she couldn¡¯t quite identify before snapped into place, the memory of her watching a swarm of pony sized rats crawling out of a manhole jumping to the forefront of her mind. A few seconds later, which Mia spent assembling her Arcane Blast spell circle and listening to the noises from the sewers growing louder, Carmilla crashed through a window in the back. Mia almost lost focus, letting out a startled shriek as the glass shattered. Glancing over though and catching a sight of those flowing crimson locks of hair as the vampiress rolled to her feet quickly calmed her down. She said she¡¯d go out to keep an eye on Lars before I went to sleep. Mia remembered, the memory of last night coming back to her. ¡°You-¡± Carmilla started, but Mia cut her off with an ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± A wave of disgust surged through Mia, goosebumps running down her skin as she shuddered. Like always, the monsters getting closer felt like someone was forcing her to drink a bucketful of piss and getting her Cognity up didn¡¯t change that at all, it only made her Sensitivity more accurate and detailed. Well, more like I can now translate the data my sensitivity gets back into comprehensible stuff, instead of just ending up with a migraine and feeling like I¡¯d eaten dog poop. ¡°It¡¯s strong,¡± Mia said, her Spirit Sense focusing in on a clump of intense monstrous energy that was easily distinguishable from the rest of the swarm, which almost melded together into a cohesive torrent of revolting energy. ¡°Stronger than anything we¡¯ve fought aside from the Juggernaut, I¡¯d say ¡­ level 10.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Mia had fought monsters up to level nine several times throughout the last week, and had become familiar with the intensity of their wrongness at each level. This thing rapidly closing in felt stronger than all of those, though nowhere near as powerful as the Juggernaut had been. Makes sense, that thing was Rank 1. Level 11. ¡°Do you want it?¡± Carmilla asked, coming around to the window. The vampire peered out, her own slightly pointed ears barely poking through her luscious waves of crimson hair as a serious look plastered itself across her face. ¡°Do I want it?¡± Mia repeated the question incredulously, raising an eyebrow in confusion. ¡°The kill,¡± Carmilla said, glancing over at Mia. ¡°If it¡¯s a really a level 10, then if you could kill it alone, your Quest would finally be completed.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Mia blinked, tilting her head in thought for just a moment before she gave a resolute nod. She was getting damned tired of that silly quest already, so any chance at getting it completed was a welcome one. ¡°But you kill it if it¡¯s about to break into someone¡¯s house ¡­ if it even comes out from the sew-¡± The sewer¡¯s cover flew off, and the knee-height monstrous rats came crawling out. Mia shot off a Blast without hesitation, then called Familiar over with a nudge over their bond. It still had a handful of hours of uptime even after all the hours it¡¯d spent guarding her while she slept. ¡°Go down there, kill anything that gets close to any of the houses,¡± Mia ordered. ¡°When the big one comes up, refocus on it and keep it in one place if you can. I can¡¯t hit it if it¡¯s running around.¡± The cat nodded, then jumped through the open window without hesitation. Not a moment later the oversized vermin shrieked as the arcane claws of the familiar raked through their flesh, opened up arteries and at times pierced skulls. The recipients of the last one¡¯s didn¡¯t scream, merely slumping over, dead. The corpses worked to distract the swarm, almost half of the rodent¡¯s breaking off from their initial aim of just rushing down the street to consume their fallen kin. Some didn¡¯t even differentiate between the dead rats and the live ones, tearing into their fellow monsters with abandon. Mia shot off Blast after Blast, considering whether to switch over to a variant for efficiency, but shook the idea off quickly. She felt the big one approaching, she didn¡¯t want to spend precious seconds switching her spell circle back to Blast from the peashooter variants. ¡°I¡¯m going down,¡± Carmilla said, giving a last long look to Mia before throwing her legs over the window sill and then hopping out. She landed with feline grace, then bolted off without a moment¡¯s hesitation, crimson claws already forming around her hands. The vampire ran up and down the sidewalk, ripping off heads and tearing into monsters that got just a little bit too curious about the human scents in the houses. Mia spent about half a minute, just focusing on shooting the larger clumps of rats with well-placed Blasts before someone else finally arrived at the scene. Brent was the first out, somehow already dressed in full knightly regalia as he stepped off of the front porch, driving his sword through the skull of a wandering rat. Behind him came Lina, remaining in the doorframe as threads of Air magic flowed out of her hands. Helene shot up into the sky, gliding down the street with two-coloured lightning dancing over her arms. Bolts jumped off of her, onto rats and then to other rats, only stopping after at least ten of them had been fried down to the bone. Mark came last, ambling out the door below and settling down a few meters before Lina. He dropped his mace onto the ground, then sank his arms into the Earth. Spikes raised out of the ground in a half-circle around the porch, facing away from the house and upwards at around 45 degrees to pierce any monsters dumb enough to rush the mage. Mia caught flashes of colour down the street, some of the other residents no doubt also joining in on the fun with spells, or magicks of their own. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to any of that, only so much as necessary so she didn¡¯t accidentally blow one of her friend¡¯s limbs off with a Blast. Which only Brent and Carmilla were in danger of at the moment, though with how fast the vampire was, Mia held little doubt that she could easily dodge one of her Blasts. The spell wasn¡¯t particularly fast, after all. Even Mia could side-step one if she focused hard enough and stood at least a hundred metres away from the source, her increased Agility and Cognity allowing her that much. Brent, well, Brent might have been in trouble if Mia¡¯s aim was any worse than it was, but as it was at the moment, she didn¡¯t feel any particular need to help out the man. Not out of any malice of course, or worry for missing and killing him, but because he really didn¡¯t need it by the looks of it. He moved swiftly, not faster than Carmilla or even Sam, but faster than everyone else. He also moved with purpose, taking swift, measured steps to get in position before a precise strike with his sword cut down a monster. He looked like a blademaster from one of those silly action movies to Mia¡¯s eyes, twirling around with his blade swinging left and right, front and back. He shredded through the monsters, not one of them even getting close to him as he methodically dispatched each coming his way. He kept advancing at a measured pace, his confident stride almost a promise that he wouldn¡¯t stop until the last of his foes fell under his blade. Carmilla in contrast, had little technique, but she didn¡¯t need it. The few little movements when the girl moved slowly enough for Mia to catch were primal, deadly, coming from instinct rather than thought. Mia would have been worried for her, had it not been for the path of carnage the girl left in her wake, gorey chunks of meaty, butchered monsters marked her passing wherever she went. Mia returned her focus to the monsters, shaking off her wandering thoughts. Just below, she knew Lina and Mark were doing well, the two of them working as a well-oiled team to kill anything suicidal enough to head their way. When there weren¡¯t any of those, Lina threw her Air ¡®Bursts¡¯ and ¡®Hammers¡¯ at the closest clumps of monsters. Flinching, Mia almost instinctively reached up to cover her ears as a screech like claws on a blackboard touched them. She could feel the sound in her bones, in her spine as it tingled in disgust. The rats crawling out of the manhole shrieked in turn, growing frenzied and hurrying to scramble away from the opening. Some made it, most didn¡¯t. A large, mangy brown form rising out of the darkness bellow. Waves of repulsive greenish mist rolled off of it in waves, and whatever it touched sizzled and melted. Rats died around it by the dozens as the taller form fully exited the dark tunnel and rose to its full height. It stood on its hind feet, rising to stand at almost two meters. Its lanky, furry body was covered in ragged, dirty cloth and greasy leather. Rodent-like claws held a contraption that reminded Mia of a metallic crossbow while its rat-like head snapped around, sniffing the air with a twitching nose. A Rat-man? Mia was stunned for a moment, a flicker of doubt rising in her heart. The rats ran from that thing, it also killed rats, perhaps it was an ¡­ ally? Idiot. Fucking idiot. It¡¯s a monster! Mia released her Blast, shaking off the doubt that took hold of her in less than a heartbeat. She felt its presence, that same repulsive wrongness. It had to die. It was a monster. There was no place for doubt. The thing reacted surprisingly quickly for such a skeletal build, its long sinuous tail snapping out to tie up on of its kin before chucking it to intercept the in-flight Blast. It threw itself to the side, having been a touch slow for a full escape and the smaller rat burst into a million gory bits only a metre or two away from the Ratman. Its crossbow came up, and only now did Mia catch the bolts it was loaded with. They were made of the same sickly green mist flowing off of the Ratman, but condensed and firm. Mia dropped with a yelp, not even waiting for the crossbow to fully face her before she was kissing the floor. She heard it fire, the twang of the bowstring releasing, then the hiss of air as the supernatural bolt pierced through it and then ¡­ the wall breaking, the thick brick wall of her room sundering as the bolt crashed through it like a wrecking ball. Though thankfully, only a tennis ball sized one, as it only caved in the top third of the wall under the windowsill. Covering her head instinctively, Mia slid up against the bottom part of the wall that still remained, suppressing screams of pain as chunks of the wall fell on her. Those were going to leave bruises, nasty ones too. Blessedly, the chunks with any amount of more lethal momentum behind them landed further in the room, carried away over Mia by the force of the magical crossbow bolt. I don¡¯t have the ring. Nor the fanny pack. Mia panicked a bit, her eyes jumping over to the nightstand. The ring was in the first drawer, with her combat knife atop it and the fanny pack hiding under her bed. Mia startled, feeling a similarly startled nudge from her Familiar. The cat was asking whether she was alright, at the moment hesitating between attacking the Ratman and rushing over to Mia to protect her. Attack it. I¡¯m fine. Mia thought, trying to somehow push that thought through the bond. She succeeded ¡­ probably. The Familiar sent back an acknowledgement a few moments later and a heartbeat later she heard the ungodly shriek of the Ratman. Mia pushed off of the floor, leaving chunks of bricks and pastel falling off of her as she did. Arcane Blast ready, she kneeled before the ruined window and aimed her palm at the thrashing beast with a very angry pink cat stuck to its face and ripping out chunks of flesh and fur from it. She let it loose, her gaze locked onto the monster¡¯s chest. The spell circle flashed, then collapse into an uneven projectile that raced off a blink later. Hit it. I need this. HIT! Mia felt something, an infinitesimal, hair-thin thread of something. On one end of it was her Spirit, but on the other was the speeding projectile she¡¯d just launched. She latched onto it and pulled. She commanded it to curve, to HIT, with all her mind. The spell obliged her, the Blast, already mid-flight, shifted ever so slightly. Its linear path curved by the tiniest margin, but that was enough. Instead of blasting off a shoulder as the monster moved away in its bid to escape the Familiar¡¯s wrath, the Blast impacted the monster right in the center of its back as it rolled over to its side. [Base Control: 5 -> 6] Mia heard the sound she¡¯d grown familiar with. The thrum of the explosion, the crash of the shockwave making itself known and the bloody squelch of the corpse realizing it was missing a head-sized part of its torso. Right in the middle too, with only some chunks of the spine having survived Mia¡¯s spell. Inside her Spirit, she felt her Arcane Mana Manipulation Skill wounding down, returning to a resting position as exhaustion smashed into her Spirit. That last stunt, whatever it was, had taken every bit of her Manifestation, Control and Sensitivity to pull off. Only Control went up, but she¡¯d have bet half her kidney that the other two were a stone throw away from doing so too. It was worth it though, so very worth it. Mia grinned wearily as she flopped onto her back, a chunk of wall poking at her hip and open breeze slipping in through the new hole in the wall caressing her face. *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (11)] is COMPLETE! Objective: Reward: A System generated casting focus (Wand of Arcane Focus). *** Claim reward now? Yes / No *** 51 - Refugee Crisis [{Newcomer} Introductory (12)] Objective: Reward: A System generated defensive artifact (Amulet of Lesser Warding). *** Mia glanced away from the System window, dismissing it with a flicker of thought as she instead focused on the present. She could think about how to fulfill that quest once she was done here. Her grip tightened on her wand, her thumb playing with the ivory grip a bit as she flicked it to the side. She had aimed upwards, and as the spell circle for the homing barrage variant of her Arcane Bolt flashed into being, she grinned. Mana flowed out of the pretty pink gem at the base of the wand ¡ª a rose quartz by the looks of it, but it might have been some other magical gem that just looked similar ¡ª and then the spell activated fully. A dozen pebble sized globules of arcane power burst out as if from the barrel of a shotgun, then they all arced, homing in on a rat nearby. With targets aplenty, each little bolt found a monster of its own to mutilate. Most didn¡¯t kill outright, but as most hit the torso of the monsters ¡ª since that was where their mana was the thickest, inside their cores ¡ª they gained broken ribs, spines, crushed lungs and when Mia got lucky, mangled hearts. Wands were, as it turned out, pretty useful. Mia¡¯s didn¡¯t enhance her spells, nor did it make casting them any easier, quite the opposite. The ivory body of the wand and whatever its core was made out of was much harder to move and control mana through than her own channels, though nowhere near as hard as through air. What it did instead was that it let her store about two Blasts¡¯ worth of mana in the gem embedded into its grip and allowed her to cast a few cheaper spells with that ¡®pre-loaded¡¯ mana. That meant if Mia had a spell circle ready in her runic-model, all she had to do was to activate the spell. No need to channel mana and such. The wand would also take the fall for any mess up. If she lost control of mana, it would rampage through the wand and not her channels and if she utterly fucked up a spell, the backlash would strike the wand and not her. It wouldn¡¯t last long if she continuously messed up spells, but it could save her life one or two times. Mia wasn¡¯t too keen on testing that though, as it would leave her with a broken, useless wand at best and half of it lodged into her palm after it exploded in her grasp at worst. Carmilla looked at her gory display with a hint of fascination, her eyes flickering back to the simple white wand. ¡°Get one of your own, this is mine,¡± Mia said teasingly, rolling the focus between her fingers like she¡¯d learned to do with pens back in highschool. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have let me take the kill for that Ratling if you wanted to complete your own quest this much.¡± ¡°I have it completed,¡± Carmilla said, sounding unbothered by Mia¡¯s jest. The girl was only curious. ¡°But I got this instead of the wand so I was kinda curious.¡± Mia glanced at the hand Carmilla held out, at the glove worn on it to be exact. It was a simple thin black leather glove with a nail-sized ruby woven into it on the back of the hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that on you before?¡± Mia tilted her head, unashamedly grabbing Carmilla¡¯s wrist. She turned the vampire¡¯s hand this way and that to observe the glove from all sides. It was tasteful, elegant, with an edge of promised death in its colouring. ¡°It fits you perfectly by the way, it¡¯s pretty ¡­ fits you like a glove.¡± Carmilla blessedly snorted at the godawful joke, her mouth curving in amusement as Mia let her hand go with a curious glint still lingering in her eyes. Were gloves another type of focus? She¡¯d only heard about wands, rods, staves and staffs before and she¡¯d been busy devouring as many of her System-given books as she could. ¡°I never really asked, but-¡± Mia started, halting for a moment to think what she was going to ask through. For some inexplicable reason, Mia felt asking other people what their System stuff were ¡ª like stats, quests and such, ¡ª was rude. She did it with Mark of course, as with her mother too, but they were family. She didn¡¯t ask any of the others yet about anything relating to their Classes, Affinities or Attributes. Stop being silly. ¡°What Quest are you on?¡± ¡°The same as you,¡± Carmilla said nonchalantly, tilting her head curiously at Mia¡¯s startled look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I just-¡± Mia stuttered, biting her tongue midway through. ¡°I thought that sort of thing was private. Or something, so-¡± ¡°Mia, I shared much more private pieces of information with you than quests.¡± Carmilla said, looking at Mia like she had one too many screws loose. ¡°Like?¡± Mia couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Bloodline memories for one,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°And just about everything else about my life. You know, I don¡¯t just go up to random people and start telling them my life story.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Mia averted her gaze, scratching her slightly flushed cheeks. ¡°Okay! So! Rifts, how are we getting into one?¡± ¡° ¡­ we have to find one first,¡± Carmilla said after a few moments of staring, conveying her opinion of the grace with which Mia changed the topic. ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, then flicked out with her wand again as a thicker group of rats rushed at them, some of which managed to get past her dutiful Familiar. She had had to re-summon it, since the previous one sadly expired moments after the Ratling ¡ª which is apparently what the System calls the humanoid rat monster ¡ª did. The new one was doing an admirable job of slaughtering any rats dumb enough to approach the two girls strolling down the street. They were patrolling, by the way, with the group having split up to clear out as many of the remaining monsters as they could in the neighborhood. Thankfully, Mia hadn¡¯t felt another Ratling so far, so their job was easy. Mainly, shooting the few rats that got by the Familiar. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention it before that you can feel the monster¡¯s ¡­ energies in the air near Rifts?¡± Carmilla asked, having gained an uncertain look around the middle part. Mia understood it, she still wasn¡¯t quite sure what to call the wrongness monsters exuded. Was it the broken mana they had? Their decaying souls? Or some kind of miasma unique to monsters? ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, gaining a thoughtful look. ¡°Yeah. That could work, I sort of forgot about that. Though it¡¯ll take a while to actually track down where a Rift is ¡­ and then even longer to get there, with the main part of the army battling monsters around there. Would they even let us in?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really need to ask,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°We could just sneak in, or walk in. The soldiers standing guard would hardly be a challenge to disp-, disable.¡± ¡°We should talk this through with the others,¡± Mia said, squinting at the vampire who suddenly found a rat corpse extremely fascinating. There would be no soldier murdering done anywhere Mia could see, that¡¯s for sure. And if a certain vampire acted out, she would have to live off of rat blood for a while after. Not that Mia thought Carmilla would actually kill anyone without there being a really, really good reason for it. The redhead could be callous at times, but not cruel. Maybe a bit too apathetic to anyone not, well, Mia, but that was understandable too with the childhood she had. Mia just hoped the girl would grow to care for more people. Mia halted in her steps, tilting her head like a hound trying to get a better grasp of where a sound was coming from. It was barely a whisper on the wind, almost overshadowed just by the line of trees¡¯ leaves rustling under the soft caress of a breeze.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Mentally locating herself in the district, Mia realised the two of them were close to the edge leading back towards Graz proper. There was ¡­ a heated argument in the distance, if her ears weren¡¯t playing tricks on her and those barely audible shouts were real. ¡°You hear that?¡± Mia asked, glancing at Carmilla who¡¯d turned to stare at her curiously, the vampire having grown used to Mia zoning out whenever she heard an interesting sound or felt something peculiar through her Spirit Sense. ¡°Hear wha-¡± Carmilla blinked, facing the same direction Mia was and gave a slow nod. ¡°Yeah. Arguing. What of it?¡± So she just ignored it, or subconsciously put it into the ¡®I don¡¯t care¡¯ folder of her mind. ¡°Let¡¯s check out what¡¯s going on.¡± Mia decided, setting off at a brisk pace. Carmilla followed without hesitation, though she wore a somewhat uncertain look on her face and kept glancing at Mia. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I mean, so, you remember how there was this Eisen-something guy, right? The one Brent talked about?¡± Carmilla asked, and at Mia¡¯s nod continued. ¡°Well, I know Zeigler has been trying pretty hard to keep him from knowing about any ¡®mutant¡¯ civilians with above average power.¡± So that¡¯s what she learned snooping around at night? Mia mused inside, though she still wasn¡¯t getting what Carmilla was getting at. ¡°Yes, and? We aren¡¯t going anywhere close to him just yet.¡± ¡°But we are,¡± Carmilla said, glancing forward where beyond a bend a high barricade with soldiers standing guard on either sides of it rose from the ground. It was made out of just about anything from wrecked cars to furniture, but what caught Mia¡¯s eyes was the soldiers on the other side of it pointing rifles at a sizable group of haggard looking people. ¡°Those are his men, not Zeigler¡¯s. If we kick up a fuss here, the General will hear of it and I don¡¯t know whether Zeigler will be able to, or even willing to try deflecting the man¡¯s wrath.¡± Mia bit her lips, stopping at the corner and slipping back behind it only to poke her head out. She took in the two groups, the few soldiers on this side of the barricade armed with aged-looking rifles and the rest of the soldiers with much more modern stuff standing atop the barricade and on the other side of it. The ragtag group though, were the very embodiment of the word ¡®refugee¡¯. Mothers holding children, smaller kids dressed in dirty clothes and a whole lot of young women of around Mia¡¯s age and younger. Mia spied animal bits, pointed ears and other oddities on most of them, strangely enough. A lot of them just stared up at the barricade with forlorn looks with only a few glaring hatefully at the guards. Which was also what likely got that many guns pointed at them. This little strip of land where the barricade ran was where a road ran from the river Mur up to the foot of the now overgrown hill with the plant-monsters in them. There were only at most four intersections on the road, one each at the foot of the hill and the bank of the river with the other two at around equal distances. All along, down the middle of that road was the barricade, and now that Mia paid more attention, she caught even a tank or two parked just at the one intersection she could see from her spot. ¡°Why would they build a wall here?¡± Mia wondered aloud, her look of confusion quickly morphing into a scowl as one soldier used the butt of his rifle to knock away one of the hysterical refugees. ¡°There are people still on the other side, aren¡¯t they here to protect them? Why would they lock them out?¡± ¡°Andritz is their backwards base,¡± Carmilla said, and it took an embarrassing few seconds for Mia to realise ¡®Andritz¡¯ was the name of the district her mother¡¯s house was located in. ¡°This is where they store most of their provisions, and this is the way they¡¯d go through if they had to retreat and abandon the city. They need to keep it clean and safe, empty of monsters.¡± ¡°And the citizens just got locked in together with the monsters and the army?¡± Mia asked, raising a dubious eyebrow. That made little sense, what would pain those damned soldiers so about just letting some refugees through then? All they wanted to keep back with the barricade were monsters after all, right? ¡°What¡¯s the use in not letting them through? I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Carmilla said, her voice inching closer and closer to her ¡®vampire¡¯ voice the longer she listened in on the argument Mia still couldn¡¯t make out. ¡°Sometimes, people are just cruel for the sake of being cruel. Or they just don¡¯t care, or even find it funny to be mean to someone in need.¡± ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Mia asked, she was still hundreds of metres away from the barricade itself. It was hardly surprising she had a hard time hearing them, even with her magically pointy ears. ¡°The panel building the refugees lived in has been overran with goblins,¡± Carmilla said, apparently easily able to listen in. ¡°The army had every survivor moved out of the building, then they demolished the whole thing with hundreds of goblins still inside. These people now have nowhere to go as a result.¡± ¡°And why aren¡¯t they let through?¡± Mia reiterated her question for what felt like the thousandth time, irritation bubbling over into the beginnings of anger in her heart. ¡°General¡¯s orders,¡± Carmilla said, her voice quickly turning glacial. Maybe she wasn¡¯t quite as apathetic towards the fate of strangers as Mia¡¯d thought after all. ¡°¡®Not a soul is to be let through the barricade who isn¡¯t military personnel.¡¯ he says.¡± Mia took a few moments to understand what Carmilla had said, for it to really sink in. They weren¡¯t being let through because some nepotistic half-wit moron who bought his General title ¡ª if Brent¡¯s tipsy murmurings are to be believed ¡ª said so? With a great measure of difficulty, Mia calmed herself and attempted to put herself into the General¡¯s shoes. She asked herself the question ¡®Why?¡¯, why would she, if she was the general, order such a thing? What was the point? No overconfident civvies high on their new magical power trip wandering in and ending up gutted by goblins for one. Mia thought, but that wasn¡¯t quite right. If that was the reason, a one-way ban would have been enough and the soldiers should have been more than happy to let refugees out of the combat zone. So he¡¯s probably not just worried about their safety. What else is there? Infiltration? Are there shapeshifting monsters? Mia thought, likely because one of the last novels she¡¯d read had a plot based on evil aliens masquerading as humans. The werewolf? No. The barricade should be around the hill if the general is worried about his ¡®pack¡¯. Ever so briefly, Mia even considered the possibility of a zombie virus. A total quarantine of parts of the city would make sense then. It was honestly the most likely answer in her mind, though she knew how stupid it sounded. When she shared it with Carmilla though, the girl had a pretty convincing counterargument. ¡°Or he¡¯s just an asshole,¡± Carmilla said, looking at Mia¡¯s rapidly reddening cheeks incredulously. ¡°A dumb or sadistic asshole. Possibly both at once. Why is he locking people in? Because he doesn¡¯t care and he has the power to do so.¡± ¡°I like my idea better,¡± Mia mumbled, pouting slightly as she twirled a lock of pink hair around a finger. She really did too, it would mean the leader of the armed forces in Graz wasn¡¯t an evil cunt, and was just doing his best to save as many citizens as possible from a virus. ¡°Isn¡¯t that ¡­ ¡° Carmilla mumbled, a confused frown coming over her features. She sniffed the air, once softly and then loudly. They were upwind from the barricade though, so it was of little use. ¡°Isn¡¯t that girl familiar?¡± ¡°Which girl?¡± Mia asked, turning to follow where Carmilla¡¯s finger was pointing. With them being hundreds of metres away, it was of little use, but as Mia squinted at the haggard group, she caught sight of a familiar burgundy jacket and a mane of dirty blonde hair. ¡°Avery?¡± Mia squinted harder, but they were too far away so she remained uncertain about her conclusion. Three hundred thousand people once lived in Graz, surely there were at least a few girls with the same hair-colour and jacket, right? ¡°Let¡¯s get closer,¡± Mia said, but didn¡¯t actually get moving until she received a small nod from the vampiress. The small apartment block they¡¯d been sheltering behind came to an end only a dozen metres down the street and to the right, rows upon rows of suburban allotment gardens stretched from the road they stood on down to the banks of the Mur two hundred meters away. Cute little apple trees and what not stood here and there, with larger fig trees, and towering walnut trees lending shadow to small plots of land separated only by coloured ropes stretching between trees. Mia slipped under one such rope, shamelessly entering one little allotment that only had five small rows of tomatoes in it. The foliage wasn¡¯t what anyone would call thick, but it was more than enough to hide the movement of the two girls as they stealthily crept closer to the barricade. Thankfully, there was barely anyone out gardening, so they stayed unnoticed. If there was one thing that would catch even a prowling vampire, it was some granny bored out of her mind, looking around from her perch atop a gardening chair. Mia and Gabe had been busted more than once by a granny from somewhere thinking ¡®these brats shouldn¡¯t be out at this hour¡¯ before dialing up their mother. The closer they came to the barricade, the clearer the voices became. So far, all Mia¡¯d heard was the growing panic and borderline hysteria in the shouting refugees and the apathetic, almost disdainful voices of the soldiers in response. Now though, she could make out the words they spoke too and what she heard made her blood boil. ¡°Please, we don¡¯t have anywhere else to go and the monsters are closing in!¡± ¡°That is not our concern,¡± the apathetic soldier answered, sounding more bored than anything. ¡°We have our orders. I¡¯ll say this one last time: Disperse, or we will be forced to make you. This is a military installation. Your presence here is not permitted. Leave.¡± Mia hid behind a shed standing in the last allotment before the intersection. From this close, her Spirit Sense could reach the people on the other side of the barricade. She hadn¡¯t managed to identify anyone only based on how they felt in her perception, the best she could tell was a vague subconscious familiarity she felt in the mana of people she knew. In that group, she felt a presence like that, one she was vaguely familiar with. A moment later, when she felt that smouldering fire mana spike and overflow from the mage, she was certain. It was Avery, and she didn¡¯t seem like she was planning on taking ¡®No¡¯ for an answer. 52 - Crisis ... averted? Mia instinctively lurched forward, hand outstretched as she felt Avery¡¯s mana flare up like an impending storm, crackling with raw, explosive power. Even the air blurred, shimmering from the mystical heat. Carmilla wasn¡¯t about to let her run out before a score of armed soldiers with a tendency to whack refugees over the head with the butt of their guns though. The vampire¡¯s unforgiving grip grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her back behind cover. Mia barely managed to stifle the yelp as the ground left her foot and she was slammed into the dirt. The air in her lung escaped through her mouth in a wheezing gasp, then the pain of her landing sent a grimace flashing over her face. She tried to get up, but Carmilla¡¯s hand on her shoulder pushed her back down. Looking up in askance at those incredulous ruby orbs, Mia managed to utter the question on her mind. ¡°W-why?¡± ¡°You were going to run out there and what?¡± Carmilla asked, frowning. ¡°Demand the group be let through? Protect them from the gunfire, or did you want to help the soldiers, since they are all going to end up deep-fried in a few minutes? Or did you just want to get shot in the face? You¡¯re usually not this rash, what happened?¡± Mia closed her mouth, blinked, then stopped trying to squirm out of Carmilla¡¯s grasp. Carmilla was right, of course she was. ¡®What happened?¡¯, indeed. Mia felt ashamed for a moment, then thankful that the vampire stopped her in time. Did the power she now wielded addle her brain like she saw it did to others? When she stepped forward just now, it was with the certainty in the belief that she could change the outcome. Just by being there, and while she still thought that was so, it might not be a change for the better. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Mia murmured, glancing at the delicate hand that so easily kept her pinned to the ground with a smidge of wonder. Her higher body stats hadn¡¯t turned Carmilla into some bulky mass of muscles, she was toned and lean sure, but she still looked entirely feminine. What was the word? Lithe? The hand loosened and stopped above her, offering to help her up. Mia took the vampire up on the offer, grabbing her hand and let herself be hoisted up. ¡°We have to do something,¡± Mia said, which surprisingly earned a nod from the vampire who got back to peeking out at the showdown. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°That Avery girl looks ready for murder, which is likely isn¡¯t going to go down well with the army.¡± ¡°What if we just help them break through the barricade?¡± Mia asked, poking her head out under Carmilla¡¯s arm to catch a glimpse. ¡°We don¡¯t show ourselves, just blow a hole into the barricade?¡± ¡°I doubt many people on this side of the barricade have explosive pink missiles, Mia.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, biting her lips in thought. Her magic was quite rare, bordering on unique in this small community so if any soldier saw her magic, everyone would know she was involved. ¡°What about you? Could you grab some water from somewhere and use your Water Blades? Those have to be more common than my magic and you haven¡¯t even shown them off yet so nobody will know you can do water magic aside from me.¡± ¡°Best would be if that dumb blonde just blew the hole herself,¡± Carmilla said, her voice sounding sour as she watched Avery stomp up to the lead guards like a pot ready to boil over. ¡°But I think the only thing she wants to blow up right now is that guy¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Mia murmured, watching the fiery mana flow out of the girl¡¯s hand and then back over her hands. Both of her arms were aflame up to the elbows which had half a dozen rifles come up and aim her way with shouts of ¡®Stop the magic right now!¡¯. ¡°Double shit.¡± ¡°Can your cat change form?¡± Carmilla asked, glancing at the lazy pink feline draped across Mia¡¯s shoulder like it had no bones ¡ª which it didn¡¯t, actually. ¡°Something that can be mistaken for a real animal? Preferably something that isn¡¯t so ¡­ pink?¡± ¡°Can you?¡± Mia asked, nudging the Familiar awake. It yawned slowly, its azure eyes blinking open slowly before it gave a hesitant nod. It sent back a question, no, it was more like a request and it was for more mana. Mia¡¯s eyebrows twitched, the damned thing already ate 70% of her entire pool when she summoned it, what more did it want? ¡°You¡¯ll get another 10% if you do this well.¡± Her face twitched when it sent back something along the lines of ¡®I need it now!!¡¯ ¡°Fine,¡± Mia grumbled, grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and then channeled another 10% of her mana pool into the arcane construct. It drank it all up, or rather, the elemental inside of the cat did. It squirmed, and Mia let go of it. By the time it landed, it was twice the size of the pink cat it had been, its form was entirely opaque and white. It also looked just like that old teddy bear Mia had in her room, just in pure white. ¡°Well, that works,¡± Carmilla said, staring at the thing as it blinked up at the two girls dumbly. ¡°Can you make it rush over there and distract the soldiers for a bit? Preferably, it should also blast through a weaker part of the barricade to give those knuckleheads an idea of what we want to do.¡± The teddy bear shaped Familiar gave a nod once Mia repeated the request, then ran off. It looked goofy as it did, bounding forward on its stubby little legs and swinging its arms back and forth. The only thing that made its dash look somewhat scary was that it ran at least 40 KMPH. What the hell. Mia thought, pulling up everything she¡¯s ever read about elementals and their capabilities. She was sure the stunt the elemental controlling her Familiar pulled of this time ¡ª namely, using Illusion magic to change how it looked ¡ª was something only higher Rank Arcane Elementals could accomplish. Or Lesser Arcane Spirits. Neither of which should have been inside her Familiar with the paltry amount of mana she offered in payment for their services. Also, the arcane construct housing them shouldn¡¯t have been able to hold elementals that powerful, and neither should her Spirit have been capable of maintaining even a temporary Bond with a being like that. Weird. Fucking weird. I¡¯ll have to see whether the next Familiar I summon is similar or not. After all, maybe this one was just a fluke, and she¡¯d summoned a Lesser Arcane Elemental with some unique aptitude for Illusions. That sounded more likely than all the other options, since it was supposed to be possible according to her books. It was usually just highly unlikely that a summoner could pry out the specialities of a specific Elemental, since it was like trying to make a raven tell you whether it was better at cawing or dancing. Maybe it¡¯s that Arcane Influence ability that gives me more influence over Arcane creatures? Mia mused, watching as the goofy teddy bear pounced on a soldier and knocked its rifle out of his hand before delivering a spin kick to his temple. Carmilla snorted next to her, the vampire¡¯s mirth clear on her face as she watched the little teddy bear bounce between the trigger-happy guards first. The elemental seemed to be enjoying itself, spinning around and kicking legs out from under a man only to spin around and kick another right between the legs.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Alright,¡± Carmilla murmured, an amused grin still tugging at the edge of her lips. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± The vampire closed her eyes and held out her glove-covered arm before her. Then she started mumbling in a language Mia couldn¡¯t understand, speaking each syllable with a strange trill that sent tingles down Mia¡¯s spine. The young halvyr¡¯s eyes focused in on the slender neck of the vampire and watched as it vibrated with each word. No, it wasn¡¯t just the words. It was mana. Mia¡¯s eyes widened as she remembered a section of her ¡®On Mana and Magic¡¯ book. *** ¡®Chanting is the act of speaking the runic script aloud while simultaneously channeling just the right amounts of mana into the vocal cords. This greatly assists with free-casting spell circles, as the arcane languages of whichever runic language the mage uses work in tandem with the mage¡¯s Control to shape the mana into the desired structure.¡¯ ¡®It is highly discouraged that any fledgeling mage attempts Chanting, as even being slightly off tone, rhythm or pitch can result in a rune or construct forming in the wrong way. Which in turn, has disastrous consequences for the mage themselves when the inevitable backlash strikes.¡¯ ¡®Some species have an innate understanding of the spoken aspect of one of the runic languages. Members of these species are the only ones usually capable of Chanting at lower Ranks and in general.¡¯ *** Mia tilted her head curiously, the chaos taking place only a few dozen metres away from her hiding place slipping from her mind for a few moments as she just stared at the softly murmuring ¡ª Chanting ¡ª Carmilla in wonder. Her ears tingled as she listened to what she now knew was some arcane language, probably unique to the girl¡¯s vampiric lineage. Her progenitor is really spoiling her. Mia thought, trying to memorise the words spoken, but failing. Each word seemed to be slippery, like eels coated in lube. She couldn¡¯t recall even a single word Carmilla spoke no matter how much she focused or tried. One moment she heard the words, then they were gone and all that remained was a vague sense of her having almost grasped something, like waking from a dream and having all memory of it slip through her mental fingers. The air stilled, an invisible power filling it around the vampire who opened her eyes and spoke a final two words. The ruby on the back of her hand glowed, a bluish light escaping its crimson depths and then a blue spell circle flashed in front of Carmilla¡¯s palm. Mia stared at it, noting that it only had around sixteen runes and only five geometric shapes to it. It was a rather simple spell, about the same complexity as her Arcane Blast. The spell activated a beat later and Carmilla heaved a sigh of relief, then with a huff stepped up to the blue spell circle still floating in the air just like it had before. It spun languidly, rotating around its center as its blue glow already started dimming. ¡°Blow a way through the barricade, the plush toy will distract the soldiers and please, for the love of god, don¡¯t kill anyone.¡± Carmilla barely managed to say the last word before the spell circle fully faded out of existence. ¡°Well, now we just hope that the spell actually worked and that girl actually follows my suggestion.¡± ¡°What was that spell?¡± Mia asked, still finding herself more interested in Carmilla¡¯s ¡®Chanting¡¯ and apparent use of a spell that she wasn¡¯t supposed to have access to than whatever was happening out there. The Familiar would handle that, plus Mia couldn¡¯t do anything anyway without exposing her involvement in this ¡­ whatever it was they were doing. Terrorism maybe, if only by definition? Obstruction of military operations? ¡°Water Whisper,¡± Carmilla said, squinting at the action happening beyond. ¡°With as little mana as I was willing to spend on this, it has a maximum range of fifty metres and lasts only as long as you¡¯ve seen. But I suppose you¡¯d be more interested in how I used a spell I supposedly don¡¯t know, right?¡± Mia nodded unashamedly, blue eyes glimmering with curiosity that the vampire seemingly couldn¡¯t resist saying no to. ¡°I know the spell circles of a bunch of spells I should eventually be able to cast,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°If I had enough Control to manually shape the spell circle, I could cast all of those spells without even adding any of their runes into my runic model. But even with Chanting, I only barely managed to not blow my throat out with one of the simplest spell circles in existence. Which I only risked because I can recover from that pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Can you teach me that runic language?¡± Mia asked, her mouth once again flapping away before her brain caught up with it. She blushed, realising she¡¯d asked the girl to practically give away the inheritance she¡¯d gotten from some ancient vampire progenitor. Furthermore, that second part sounded like a pretty good reason not to try too, but Mia¡¯s magic-addled brain went ¡®Mia see fancy magic trick, Mia want fancy magic trick¡¯. ¡°Sorry. Never mind I asked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carmilla said, her voice softening as she glanced at Mia. ¡°I can¡¯t teach you though. You¡¯d need to be a pureblood vampire to speak it.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said, shoulders slumping in disappointment despite her earlier words. ¡°Okay.¡± Mia heard a crash that overpowered even the panicked shouts and gunfire. Glancing over, she saw a thinner part of the barricade now up in flames. A burning chair tumbled down from the top, then a couch and then a table too. Behind the inferno, she caught Avery smashing her flaming fist down once more like it was a hammer and the power of it sent another piece of by-now unidentifiable furniture tumbling down. ¡°They are getting through!¡± A soldier shouted, barely finishing his sentence before a plush foot broke his jaw and sent him spinning through the air. The Familiar was still doing good work, bouncing between soldiers like a fuzzy white ball of pain and terror. It didn¡¯t let any of them fire at the refugees, either by keeping the confused soldier¡¯s aim at itself or by breaking a wrist or a few fingers here and there. Mia felt the spike of fire mana. It reached an all-time high as it pulsed and quivered over Avery, now coating her entire body in a coat of angry orange flames. The girl screamed, a high-pitched shriek that reminded Mia of an eagle¡¯s cry. That sent the flaming girl¡¯s mana into one final explosion as a pair of fiery wings sprung to life on her back for just a fraction of a second. Her fists came crashing down and pulverised the remaining two meters of haphazardly built barricade in an instant. Not a second after that, the flames fizzled out and the girl¡¯s presence in Mia¡¯s Spirit Sense went from an inferno to a barely flickering ember. Avery wobbled, her form revealed with the departure of the flames and Mia saw just how beaten up she looked. Her body was singed all over, parts of her pants were gone, her shirt barely held together by thin strips of burning fabric and her burgundy jacket lacked one of its sleeves from the elbow down. Before the girl could plant her face right into the burning debris, a pair of refugees that looked vaguely familiar to Mia hoisted her up by the armpits and ran with her right towards Mia and Carmilla¡¯s hiding place. ¡°COME! FOLLOW US!¡± One of the young men shouted over his shoulder and after some reluctance, the rest of the refugees climbed over the remains of the barricade. They cast wary glances at the soldiers and especially at the sadistic teddy bear that had five men writhing on the ground and foaming at the mouth while they held their family jewels. ¡°RUN!!¡± ¡°We should go,¡± Carmilla whispered, tugging at Mia¡¯s arms when the group was halfway over to the edge of the gardens. ¡°We did what we could. If we stay here, there will be hundreds of eyewitnesses to us attacking the soldiers.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said reluctantly. She wanted to check up on Avery, to make sure the girl was alright after no doubt wringing her mana pool dry with that stunt. Grimacing at the thought of how bad severe mana depravation could be, Mia turned to Carmilla and with a nod the two of them dashed off. They retraced their steps, jumping over the wires serving as fences, zig-zagging between the trees and tiptoeing around the rows of vegetables. The two aimed leftwards by the end, exiting the gardens on the street running along the riverbank instead of where they entered it. It proved to be the correct choice as Mia found the squad of soldiers that had been lately tailing them looking up and down the street further up. The two girls went around them and ran all the way back to the house. Once there, Mia dismissed her Familiar with some reluctance. The most complicated order she could have sent over the bond would have been ¡®get back here¡¯ and Mia feared someone would be able to track down a living teddy bear running back to the house. She couldn¡¯t risk it. She¡¯d risked more than she should have already, but she refused to ever be that cold and purely logical person that Jeff was. Avery was ¡­ not quite a friend, but she¡¯d helped them and was nice. She was just trying to keep her community together, feed her neighborhood and protect people. Mia didn¡¯t for a second think saving a person like that was stupid, or the wrong thing to do. I just have to make sure that saving her doesn¡¯t negatively impact me and my friends. Mia thought, then decided that was likely what she¡¯d done. No one would know that she had a part to play in this and, with some luck, the refugees would disperse and Zeigler would only make a show of looking for them. Right. Like anything is going to go so well. Mia mused. Still, a girl can hope. 53 - The Pack ¡°Try not to kill anyone, it will draw undue attention and we need those stuck-up soldier types to be focused on the rifts and not us. For every kill I hear of from one of you, whoever did it won¡¯t be eating for a week and whoever stood by and watched while they could have stopped it is getting half that. Am I understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Samuel shouted along with the rest of his new Pack, their voices mixing and melding through the Alpha¡¯s magic into a cohesive whole that shook the forest around them. ¡°Good,¡± the Werewolf King said, his snout pulled into what Sam thought might have been an attempt at a feral grin. ¡°You know the squads. Follow the orders of the leaders. I want every squad to come back with at least a week¡¯s worth of food and water. Anything less and you¡¯ll be left charging those enchantments until you run dry. Now go! GO MY PACK AND HUNT!¡± The towering werewolf rose to his full height, which stood a head above the lowest branches. By Sam¡¯s eyeballing of it, he looked to be at least three metres tall. He heard he¡¯d been only two metres in his wolf form before he deposed the previous Alpha in a blood duel, but now he stood head and shoulders above even the largest of them. The Werewolf King howled, and the sound knocked the breath out of Sam¡¯s lungs, then he felt energy filling him and his vision went red. He felt his squad mates around him, and he felt the Pack like a giant warm hug. While he had them at his back, he was unstoppable, unkillable. Nothing could stand in their way. The Pack wouldn¡¯t let him down, not like ¡­ not like his friends. He¡¯d thought Brent was strong, that Mia¡¯s magic was powerful, but now he knew how little of the world he understood back then. It was understandable; he was missing a part of himself; he wasn¡¯t whole. He was broken, but now with the Pack he was whole. Sam grinned, but held back his own voice as the Beta ¡ª a Lion Shifter only a head shorter than the Alpha ¡ª roared, quickly followed by some of the stronger squad leaders. Still, Sam stayed silent. He wasn¡¯t a magical beast, and he wasn¡¯t a shifter either. He was just a little Panther Beastkin with an above average bloodline that made him stronger than most other beastkin. Still, he wasn¡¯t anywhere close enough to be able to let out a roar mighty enough to not get laughed at. The howls, roars and the screeches lasted for what felt like eternity and Sam spent it all in an adrenaline high. His heart thrummed in synch with the Pack, he felt his blood surging through his veins. He was ready. ¡°MOVE OUT!¡± The Werewolf King roared, raising a pair of trunk-like arms that ended in wicked claws to the air. ¡°MAKE US PROUD!¡± This time, Sam couldn¡¯t hold back a roar of his own, but thankfully what felt like the mewling of a kitten in comparison to the previous roar got drowned out as the whole Pack echoed him. He felt the Pack-magic tighten and looked over at Darius, the leader of his squad. The man was a giant by human standards and wore only a tank top and some shorts. He had no outward signs of any bestial heritage, which meant he was a Shifter. What kind though, Sam hadn¡¯t been able to figure out yet. What he did know though, was that Darius didn¡¯t need his other form to beat all four other members of his squad into the dirt. He hit like a truck and hitting him felt like hitting a wall. Inwardly, Sam was guessing a Rhino or a Hippo, but that might have had more to do with the potbelly the man sported, which could have fit Sam inside of it, than his abilities. ¡°Get moving,¡± Darius said, his feral brown eyes glimmering with an inner light. He was grinning, Sam noticed, all of them were. ¡°We are hitting the Geidorf panels this time. Keep behind me and don¡¯t run ahead, ye?¡± The squad nodded. In all they had Sam, a swiftness-based Air brawler, Darius, who was half tank, half punching things to death and then there were Joel, Aaron and Matt. Joel and Aaron were brothers and some kind of canine beastkins who were superb trackers and could grapple somewhat well, but had little else going for them while Matt was some strange knock-off spider-man. He even had built-in webslingers in his fingers. ¡°Can¡¯t we go to Arditz again?¡± Joel whined, getting a glare from Darius. ¡°Yeah, we had to leave a bunch of crates behind the last time,¡± Aaron backed up his brother. ¡°Plus the whole Geidorf part is full with those disgusting goblins. You know how bad those fuckers smell?¡± The two scrunched up their noses and Sam decided to back off so as not to be caught up in whatever this was. Sure, he would have liked to head to Arditz for ¡­ reasons ¡ª like getting back on that bitch who so heartlessly trampled all over him ¡ª but he knew better than to question Darius. The man was a bit trigger-happy, or rather, fist-happy. That girl, Mia ¡­ it still hurt just thinking about her. Was this what heartbreak felt like? He saw those cold, disdainful azure eyes every night he closed his own. He felt like someone bolted a spike of ice into his heart whenever he thought of her, but then it would morph into anger, wrath and hate. He¡¯d just had to get away from them, from her and those disdainful eyes. He couldn¡¯t bear it, not from her. He didn¡¯t know where he would go, but he¡¯d hoped he¡¯d be fine with that ragtag group in the panels ¡­ but then he heard the call. Still, how dare she treat him like that? After all that he''s done for her? Hadn¡¯t he slaved away for years, fixing, helping and doing just about anything to spend even just a minute of her time. All he needed was a smile, a thank you or a few words as payment and he¡¯d have been the happiest man on Earth, but- Sam shook his head, frowning. He slapped himself, forcing those annoying thoughts out of his head. He had the Pack now; he didn¡¯t need that bitch. She could go around frolicking with whoever she wanted for all he cared. Yeah. Success is the best revenge. He thought and steeled his heart. When she saw him again, the power he now wielded and how much higher still he¡¯d climb, she¡¯d know her mistake and she¡¯d despair. I¡¯ll show her. I¡¯ll show them all. Sam smirked as the large man¡¯s fists smacked the two brothers upside the head hard enough that both stumbled. ¡°The Boss decided who goes where,¡± Darius said with a severe glare. ¡°So shut up and do as I say, ye?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the two said, wincing as they cradled the forming bumps on their heads. ¡°Now move your asses, we have only this night to raid and loot enough food not to be left on mana-battery duty.¡± Sam grimaced, remembering the one time he¡¯d been punished by having to feed every last drop of his mana to a damnable crystal. It was the most horrible experience of his life, the emptiness he felt was even worse than not having a Pack, much worse. Never again. He promised himself. All I have to do is not to disappoint the Boss. Should be easy enough, just take the food from those assholes who think they are better than us because they aren¡¯t ¡®mutants¡¯. The five bounded off, racing into the ancient forest with crawling shadows and monsters beyond Sam¡¯s imagination. They circled around the parts where they knew the Alpha kept the things, making sure to keep at least a hundred meters or so between their squad and the things and went towards their target for the night. ***** [Attributes] [Free Attribute Points: 0] [Gained Attributes: 35 / 100] [Body: 8] [Mind: 11] [Spirit: 12] *** Mia nodded in satisfaction at the slightly reworked System window. It might have been confusing to some, but she quite liked how it came out. Everything of import she¡¯d need was there, and it wasn¡¯t too cluttered up either. The Gained Attribute counter showed her that she could still get 65 stat points at her level by whatever means she could, like eating Natural Treasures or something of the like. Mia doubted she could max it out entirely, but she hoped she could at least get some more. She¡¯d learned from one of the books Zeigler lent them that the main difference between Classes of different rarities ¡ª aside from the strength of their given Skills ¡ª was how many stat points they gave per level. It went something like ¡­ ***This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Grey - Poor -> 0 point per level White - Common -> 1 points per level Green - Uncommon -> 2 points per level Blue - Rare -> 3 points per level Purple - Epic -> 4 points per level Orange - Legendary -> 5 points per level *** This same scale went for the number of Subskill slots the Class Skill of the Classes of the various rarities got. Mia had two Subskills by default, plus three free slots. An Epic Class would have gotten four free slots, while a legendary would have gotten five. Likewise, a Poor quality grey class would have to make do with the two Subskills it got by default and that was it. Another thing she¡¯d learned was that Class Skills and Primary Skills were not the same, not by a long shot despite both taking up one Primary Skill slot ¡ª slots she¡¯d only be getting one per Rank Up, putting her at 6 slots if she ever got to Rank 5. While Class Skills had two Subskills plus a number of empty Subskill slots based on their source Class¡¯ Rarity, regular Primary Skills would have a number pre-existing Subskills proportional to the Skill¡¯s Rarity without any Empty Subskill slots. Meaning, while an Epic Class Skill would have 2 base Subskills plus 4 Empty slots, an Epic Primary Skill would only have 4 predetermined Subskills and no empty slots. That meant upgrading Primary Skills without the ability to incorporate new Subskills was much harder than to upgrade Classes. Also, the ten Gained stats per level thingy didn¡¯t change even as the rarities went up. It just meant someone with a Legendary Class only had to get five points from some other source per level instead of seven like Mia had to. The real suckers were the people who only had grey, poor quality classes and wouldn¡¯t be able to get their hands on any stat points without some outside help. Seeing as grey classes were also ¡­ rather bad, Mia knew it was unlikely anyone with one of those classes would have much of a chance at thriving in this new world. Anyway, back to the topic at hand! The percentile numbers within the brackets were how she decided to show her Base Attributes for now. They represented the percentile value of each point of stat. For example, since agility was at 11 and had an 80% ¡ª since she had 8 Base Agility ¡ª next to it, to get her real Agility she had to multiply 11 by 0.8, then round it down. That got her an 8. Mia had tried other looks, like just showing the real value instead of overcomplicating it and such or showing it as ¡®-20%¡¯ instead of the ¡®80%¡¯, but looking at minuses made her monkey brain sad and depressed. Numbers were to be going up, not down. Which was why she decided on this format. With time, those percentiles would grow and grow until almost all of them were above 100%. Maybe she¡¯d change it again then, so it only showed ¡®+10%¡¯ or something, but for now, she liked the way it looked. Thankfully, likely because of her Newcomer Title, the System was willing to change up its Interface based on her mental commands. Mia sank into the warm, bubbly tub of water and let out a pleasurable sigh. Life was good. Numbers were going up, and she had a bath ¡­ and friends out in the house, safe and sound. But mainly, she was happy about the bath at the moment. She¡¯d never quite felt ¡®clean¡¯ enough after a rub-down with a wet towel. More importantly though, nothing ever quite managed to relax her nerves more than taking a long, warm bath and her nerves sure were in need of some relaxing. Ever since Mia had arrived back into the house, she couldn¡¯t quite banish the worry that nagged at her. What if Avery was sick? What if the refugees got run down by soldiers and were getting gunned down right that moment? What if, what if, what if ¡­ she just couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the possibilities. Which, along with her anxious pacing and squirming ended up with Carmilla declaring that she¡¯s had enough and was heading out to check up on the refugees so Mia could finally stop worrying. It was a nice gesture; it made Mia feel warm inside in a way even the scalding water couldn¡¯t. Still, now that she was taking a dip, her head was blissfully empty. No thoughts, no worries. Just ¡­ bubbles. She spent maybe half an hour like that, just enjoying the warmth as she sank into the water up till her chin was touching the surface. Having an idea, Mia mentally dialled up her heat eater Skill. She should be doing something with that, she thought. Both the thermal and the kinetic energy eating skills were Lesser Skills, which was just about the lowest grade of Skill there was. Mia wasn¡¯t quite certain how they all came together, but if she was right, they were something like this: Minor < Lesser < Greater < Major < Superior. But it was confusing, since sometimes lists like these left out either Lesser and Greater or Minor and Major. Maybe Minor equalled Lesser and Major was the same as Greater? Well, fuck her if she knew. The damned books didn¡¯t go into detail about these extremely basic sorts of things. Whatever. It still stands that my Skills are extremely shit, so I should try to upgrade them. Mia thought, making the skill suck out the heat from the near-boiling water she was lying in. Mark managed to upgrade his Earth Manipulation Skill, and even the Earth Mana Manipulation Skill before the System ate the latter to make his Class. How did he say he did it? With Earth Manipulation, apparently all he did was to exhibit higher capabilities than before. He got the Lesser version of the Skill by making a glob of mud splatter against the wall, but to take away that Lesser modifier, he had to make an actual bolt of stone and shoot it at the wall with enough speed for it to hurt. So I have to push beyond the Skill¡¯s natural upper limit, and do what the Skill can¡¯t do manually. Mia concluded. But how the fuck do I do that? I can¡¯t even copy what it¡¯s doing now manually ¡­ I guess that would be a good place to start. Mia turned her focus inward, her Mind curling in around her Spirit and peering inside deeply as she once more activated her skill. It was fizzy, but she could tell the Skill was doing something. It was vague, cloudy and hardly useful, but something was better than nothing. It had been the latter before, after all with her just noting the consequences of her activating the Skill. The Skill, the mere Lesser Secondary Skill was barely a little blip in her Spirit, a tiny construct that was nonetheless much more complex than any spell Mia had ever cast before. Not that it followed any conventional structures either, nor was it a magical circle. Sighing, Mia pulled her focus away from the jumbled mess of stuff that was her Secondary Skill. Her Sensitivity and Cognity weren¡¯t enough to truly see the construct, not nearly enough. If she had fifty of both, things might be different, but for now, it was hopeless. More likely though, a 100 of each is the minimum. Mia thought, frowning inwardly at the miniature, ever-shifting construct that was giving her a headache just by existing. I don¡¯t need to understand the source. Mia decided, changing the direction of her focus and pushed it towards the infinitesimal flickers of arcane mana the Skill sent to cover her skin. There were flickers of the same kind all over her body, but she barely caught glimpses of those with her current Sensitivity. It was easier to feel them up over her skin, where the mana in her body didn¡¯t cloud her senses. The little flickers went out, slowly absorbing heat and swelled in size. How they did it, she still couldn¡¯t tell even as she watched one of those enlarged smudges of mana join the stream of ambient mana flowing into her pool. Mia sank deeper into her mind, letting her focus on this arcane process become the only thing that existed to her. Her world dimmed, then the details cleared up. Unfortunately, what she found was disappointing. Inside every little flicker of heat-absorbing arcane mana was an even tinier, microscopic structure similar to the Secondary Skill that made them. But even smaller. Even in the depths of her Meditation, with the Skill increasing her Sensitivity, she couldn¡¯t tell more about the microscopic structure than that it existed. She couldn¡¯t even see these ones clearly enough for them to give her a headache. Okay. This isn¡¯t it either. Mia scowled, her mood dampening at the repeated failures. She was still doing something wrong, clearly. Mark could use his Earth Mana Manipulation to make spikes of rock and have them shoot at targets and Mia was pretty sure he didn¡¯t somehow manage to replicate the construct of his eventual Earth Manipulation Skill. He just ¡­ did it, by willing it. Was that all it took? Could she do it too? Mia gave it a try, sending a little trickle of mana down to her fingers that she had flow out of her energy channels and flow over her lower hand like a glove. She smiled, her increasing control ¡ª and not just her capital C, Control ¡ª was showing its effects. A week ago, her skin would have been ruptured underneath this exercise from the wild and chaotic arcane mana she used. Next step. Eat the heat. Eat the thermal energy. She sent her Will crashing down on the mana-glove like when she cast an especially challenging spell. Something happened, which Mia would have celebrated had she not had to stifle a scream as right hand went numb from hypothermia. The dumb glove drained her hand of heat too, not just the water around it. Worse, it didn¡¯t convert it into arcane mana, but spent itself to practically annihilate the heat. Mia activated her ring, seeing the tips of her finger already turning purple. A comforting warmth flowed into her hand with a buzz that sent tingles all over her limb. Mia felt feelings returning to her palm first and then to her digits. She let out a relieved sigh, fiddling her fingers gingerly. Once she made sure the digits weren¡¯t about to fall off, she allowed herself a grin. It wasn¡¯t a total success, but it was a success nonetheless. She¡¯d used her Lesser Arcane Mana Manipulation for something other than just expelling mana from her fingers for the first time. Her grin only widened when she saw the System rewarding her for her stumbling effort. [Congratulations! You have managed to upgrade a Secondary Skill!] [Lesser Arcane Mana Manipulation] -> [Arcane Mana Manipulation] Mia didn¡¯t waste a second as she aimed her focus back on the construct in her Spirit she associated with the Skill. It was ¡­ even more headache inducing now, and just a mental glimpse at it sent a spike of pain into the back of her eyes. Once she managed to massage the pain out of her temples while groaning and wincing, she modified her mental list for Skill grades. Minor < Lesser < No Modifier < Greater < Major < Superior That looked about right. A knock on the door of the bathroom snapped her out of her musings. Her ears twitched, the heartbeat and the breathing rhythm of the person on the other side gave Mia a hint as to who it was, but her Spirit Sense made sure. Wild, ferocious, blood, roses, pines, elegant, graceful, primal, powerful. The impressions were still vague, but Mia was starting to get better at making them out from the people she kept around and was familiar enough with. Mia smiled, then called out through the closed door. ¡°Carmilla? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I got news,¡± the girl said, sounding a touch anxious as she did. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we call everyone and speak. It¡¯s ¡­ it could be serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute!¡± Mia shouted, an icy hand twisting her guts into a knot. Just what could get that vampire worried? Did something happen to the refugees? To Avery? Mia wanted answers asap, so she jumped out of the tub, almost slipped on the wet floor, then quickly got herself dry and dressed. By the time she was out in the living room, Brent, Helene and Mark were already there with Carmilla perched on the armrest of an armchair which Mia plopped down into without further ado. A few minutes later, Lina came in from the garden, huffing and puffing as she wiped a trail of sweat from her temples. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this serious?¡± The blonde startled, looking over the group. With a shrug, she pulled a chair from the kitchen table, spun it around then sat down with her chin resting on the backrest¡¯s top. ¡°So? What¡¯s going on?¡± 54 - Trolls? Mia glanced askance at the redhead swinging her long, leather-clad legs back and forth. Focus. ¡°There are a few pieces of news I have which I think all of you should know,¡± Carmilla started, looking up and sharing a glance with everyone in the room. ¡°The beastkin Pack have launched a slew of raids over the last few hours. They struck mainly at family homes like this and took every piece of food and water they could carry. Casualties have been ¡­ low, but not zero.¡± Mia¡¯s hand tightened into a fist as a scowl spread over her delicate features. Here it was again, people killing people when monsters were here to bring about the end of the world. Worse yet, they were stealing from the weak, the ones down on their luck and unable to fight back. Stealing their water, food along with their hopes of a better future. Lowlives. Pathetic lowlives. Mia¡¯s opinion of the beastkin Pack hit rock-bottom. What they¡¯d done was like robbing a homeless person, or mugging a kid running a lemonade stand for a few coins in her mind. There were few things one could do to be even more of a waste of oxygen. There were worse crimes of course ¡ª like rape, murder and such ¡ª but few were more pathetic. ¡°Then there is another set of news,¡± Carmilla continued while everyone was still stewing over her previous words. The redhead looked over her shoulder at Mia. ¡°The general¡¯s men pursued the refugees for a while from what I could see, but the group lost them when they entered the forests up north. They would have likely been tracked even there from what I¡¯d heard ¡­ but every available soldier had been called back to the inner city just half an hour ago.¡± ¡°Could you figure out why?¡± Brent asked, his expression darker than the rest of the group¡¯s. Everyone had stormy expressions since they¡¯d been told of the refugees Mia and Carmilla sort of helped, so they knew how messed up the general¡¯s soldiers were. ¡°Rift Break,¡± Carmilla answered, her voice serious. ¡°The Goblin Rift spat out its first Guardian, and by what little I overheard, it was bulldozing through whatever defences the army had set up around the Rift.¡± ¡°They found the Rift itself? Do you know what level it is?¡± Mia asked, the mental image of a gigantic goblin the size of a gorilla ripping apart tanks and stomping soldiers playing out before her eyes. ¡°Yes, to both,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°The Goblin Rift is apparently the only one they know the location of for certain since it¡¯s out in the open. In the middle of a playground. The rift¡¯s level 10.¡± ¡°I meant the guardian?¡± Mia asked, but she just got a shake of her head from the vampiress. ¡°We shoul-¡° Lina started, then frowned a bit. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t those army guys have tanks? How did that Guardian thing go through them then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging easily and back to her nonchalant demeanour. It seemed just relaying the new information she knew had taken off all the weight from the girl¡¯s shoulders. Why? Mia wondered, then thought it through. There was ¡­ no practical use in them fighting another Rift Guardian, not with all of them having gotten to level ten over the last week. And she doesn¡¯t care for the chaos it could cause if it got to one of the few surviving communities? From what Mia¡¯d managed to tease out of the Colonel, Andritz was hardly the last surviving part of the city. The south was utterly fucked, overran by a horde of wolves ¡ª real ones this time, not some potted plants masquerading as such ¡ª and of course, the inner city was the territory of the rats and the goblins so it was also pretty fucked. Graz was a pretty big city though, and a good third of it lay on the west side of the Mur, away from most monsters. They only had to fear the birds there, but many have managed that by the looks of it. The same went for the far east, where the critter rift with the murderous rabbits and chipmunks was suspected to be. The little furry horrors seemed to be much more interested in beating each other to mush than hunting down survivors, very much unlike the goblins. ¡°Before any of you get any suicidally stupid ideas,¡± Helene said, sending a piercing glare towards Brent and Lina before continuing. ¡°We, at the moment, gain nothing out of risking our lives fighting something the army is having trouble with. It is also very unlikely that any survivors are close enough to the Rift itself to be endangered, not with how you said that the goblins have taken a panel building far out of the inner city already.¡± ¡°And going over to fight it would reveal our strength to that general,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t think we want that. Not if we want to have any peace in our lives going forward.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Brent said surprisingly. ¡°The soldiers knew what they signed up for. They fight to protect us, as they should. I ¡­ wouldn¡¯t want any of us to risk death just for Eisenfaust to make our lives hell in return for helping him.¡± ¡°I guess training is better for progress at the moment anyway,¡± Lina mused. ¡°But if we don¡¯t destroy that rift now, it¡¯s going to keep spitting out stronger and stronger monsters. And if the first one is strong enough to overpower the army ¡­ ¡° ¡°Fair point,¡± Brent said, looking thoughtful. ¡°We might be dooming ourselves in the long run if we do nothing. Maybe we could sneak into the rift and destroy it while the army is distracted.¡± Helene looked like she¡¯d bitten into a lemon, her face twitching between a scowl and a worried frown. ¡°And that¡¯s just one rift,¡± Mia said, looking up from her clenched fist to stare at her mother, the main opponent of risking their lives. ¡°The rift called ¡®The Forest of the Wolf King¡¯ was also level ten, which is supposedly responsible for the south fifth of the city being overrun by wolves. We could be overrun here in a matter of weeks. If we do nothing.¡± ¡°And it seems we can¡¯t trust the army to do it, can we?¡± Mark chimed in sourly, he looked a hint afraid, but he quickly buried it under a mountain of anger. ¡°Waste of tax money.¡± ¡°We could leave,¡± Carmilla said, quickly elaborating as a fair few gazes landed on her, none of which looking all too kind. ¡°Vienna has that Marshal who can clear Rifts by himself, with an actually powerful army division protecting it. With mine and Mia¡¯s abilities, we could get there while dodging the more dangerous monsters and beasts. Five days tops. On foot.¡± That put thoughtful looks on everyone¡¯s faces, and Mia even caught a relieved sigh escaping Mark¡¯s mouth. His bushy moustache covered it well, but it couldn¡¯t escape Mia¡¯s ears. Helene looked conflicted, likely torn about leaving the house that¡¯d been her home for the last decade. Or, about leaving the entire city to its fate. By what Mia knew of her mother, both likely played equal parts in Helene¡¯s reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t ¡­ particularly care,¡± Lina said slowly. ¡°I think we could take on a rift, as it is now. But I wouldn¡¯t mind ditching the city and going to Vienna either. They probably have an active Obelisk there already.¡± Mia herself was conflicted. She wanted to help people, of course she did, but not at the cost of her own, or her friends¡¯ lives. It too wasn¡¯t heroic, but she never wanted to be a hero. Being a hero was just a synonym for self-sacrificial and suicidal in Mia¡¯s books. Mia enjoyed living and planned to do so until her five centuries long lifespan ran its course. She helped where she could, when it didn¡¯t hurt her or had a high risk of death. This? This could very well be over the line for her. I can go around saving however many people I like once I¡¯m strong enough to not worry about a super goblin bashing my head in. Still, she¡¯d never be strong enough without taking calculated risks. The question was whether going into the level ten goblin rift would be a calculated risk or a ¡®heroic¡¯ sacrifice. Or just assisted suicide. ¡°We know too little,¡± Mia mumbled, blinking as she noticed Carmilla and Helene staring at her, with the rest joining in a moment later. ¡°What? I mean, I have no damned intention of throwing myself into that rift to die if we know we wouldn¡¯t even have a chance against the Guardian that¡¯s out there. I¡¯m not suicidal.¡± ¡°But if we did manage to clear it,¡± Brent said, like he¡¯d bitten into a rotten apple. ¡°That could save thousands of lives down the line. Even if we¡¯d be helping Eisenfaust by doing so.¡± After another half an hour of arguing and compromising, the group decided that Helene, Mia and Carmilla would be going out to stealthily scout out the inner city and ascertain their chances of killing the escaped Rift Guardian. If they could kill the weaker Guardian the Rift had thrown out like a used sock, it was likely they had a good shot at the new one inside the Rift. If not ¡­ then a long hike to Vienna was likely how they were going to have to spend the next week. ***The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Down here,¡± Mia said, tugging at her mother¡¯s sleeve as she wasn¡¯t sure her voice would travel over the wind blasting in her face. It was night, the moon barely a crescent up in the sky and only its dim light there to guide anyone brave enough to be out at this hour. Helene started into a gentle dive, circling in a spiral as she descended. Mia was thankful, she always liked roller coasters, but that and free falling with her mother¡¯s arms around her waist was something else entirely. Mia felt her revulsion spike, like her Spirit was trying to vomit but couldn¡¯t for its lack of a stomach. As they got closer to the ground, the shadowy contours of the buildings down below and the small playground in the middle of a little park between them cleared up. Mia heard it then, that disturbing cackle-like laugh of the goblins. Only by their voices, there must have been at least a hundred down there. Helene landed atop a two story building and let Mia gently touch down. Nonetheless, Mia¡¯s knees buckled instantly and were it not for Helene grabbing her, she would have fallen to her knees. All doubts that she¡¯d have any difficulties locating rifts faded from Mia¡¯s mind. The source of that near tangible wrongness that pervaded everything was like a sun to her Spirit Sense. A dark, twisted sun, but a sun nonetheless. It was a tear, she could feel that rip in reality from this close. It was unmistakable with how it exhaled that wrongness like an arterial wound fountained blood. Mia got a grip on her body in a few moments, when she stumbled over to the roof¡¯s edge and took a look down at the rift itself. It was a simple arc, maybe four metres high and two wide, made of some marble-like rock. Inside that arc, the air shimmered, ripples bouncing around it from corner to corner like it was a disturbed water surface. Only, the water was also glowing with an otherworldly glow, casting an ethereal light over its surroundings and revealing dozens of shadowy figures buzzing about around it. Mia thought they were goblins at first, but then she did a double take. Her sense of distance and scale shouldn¡¯t be so skewed just yet that she couldn¡¯t guess the height of the arc correctly. So if that marble structure was three metres and the greenish forms rose to almost two-thirds of it ¡­ Those are some tall goblins. Mia thought, squinting to make more of them out. Muscular too, great. Bodybuilder goblins on steroids. Worse yet, the faint glow made weapons and armour made of silvery grey metal glimmer in the dark like little stars. Those weren¡¯t the misshapen, rusted tools the goblin raiders Mia¡¯d fought were equipped with, but real weapons. Good weapons. Mia plopped down onto her butt and forced herself into a deep Meditation with an exercise she¡¯d practised over the week. Being able to deep meditate to recover mana even when her surroundings were the furthest thing from ¡®zen¡¯ was a useful skill to have, after all. Her Sensitivity jumped up a bit, and Mia got to slowly, carefully feeling out every vomit-inducing presence she could feel. With every monster she¡¯d encountered so far, she could guesstimate the levels of the goblins with a fair degree of accuracy. Around half of the horde down below was made up of goblins under level five, around twenty were six or seven, ten were level eight and only five were level nine with a mere two at level ten. The Guardian is not here. She concluded, frowning. That was suboptimal, but perhaps Carmilla would have better luck running around and checking up on the nearest army installations and how they fared against the monsters. The vampire didn¡¯t have any Skills for skulking about, but she was unnaturally talented at stealth, even if most people with magical means would be able to locate her with little trouble. Thankfully, the army at Graz was painfully inept when it came to utilising magic or even soldiers with more powerful Classes. They had little to fear from them in that regard. Mia caught a screech, then another and another as a swarm of rats rushed into view from a street outside of Mia¡¯s Spirit Sense¡¯s range. She squinted, tilting her head in confusion as she saw the dim moonlight illuminate the swarm. They were an ugly bunch to start off with, but that was made worse by almost every rat having parts of their fur burnt right off and left with horrid burn marks all over their bodies. Five of the larger rats were ridden by Ratlings, all carrying those repeater crossbows the one Mia had killed had. The rats looked starving, skeletal almost and even the Ratlings'' lanky forms looked even thinner than before. The goblins cackled, some letting out what sounded like the high-pitched laughter of hyenas. A horn blew, shaking the trees in the park and Mia felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, the back of her neck tingling. Unlike the first time she felt it, she caught on much quicker this time around, even if the feeling was much more subdued since the Guardian wasn¡¯t coming right at her, just closer. She looked down and saw the creature bound down a side alley before bursting out onto the main street. It looked left and right, then focused on the swarm of rats. It was a towering creature, at least three metres in height and with limbs thicker than trunks and a club larger than Mia¡¯s whole body held in one hand. It looked vaguely like a stereotypical Troll, but with the rumoured dull gaze of the creatures swapped out for a piercing dark gaze filled with malicious intelligence. It roared, then let out a cackle as it jumped in the way of the charging rats with the five Ratlings in the lead. It smashed its club into the ground, cracking the asphalt and making a thunderous sound. That thing is at least level 12. Mia thought sourly, watching on as the Troll lookalike got bored with waiting for the swarm to arrive and charged at them. The rats screeched, splitting to run around the Troll and get a bite out of the less challenging prey hiding behind it. Most succeeded, but a good dozen ended up getting splattered either by a wild club swing or a stomp. The Ratlings fired their crossbows, circling the Troll on their steeds faster than it could turn around and chase them. Chunks of its body got torn out as the corrosive projectiles pierced through the Troll¡¯s body, but it was to no avail. It moved as if uninjured even when only a bare joint kept its right arm attached to its torso. Flesh sizzled audibly, but it re-knit itself even with the strong magical acid trying to eat through the Troll¡¯s flesh. Why does everything have a regeneration skill? Mia complained inwardly as the spell circle of Arcane Blast formed up in her runic-model. She pointed, eyeballing that the Troll was just about within the hundred metre range of her Blast spell. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Her mother hissed under her breath, a vice-like grip on Mia¡¯s shoulder almost making her wince. ¡°Seeing how much my strongest spell does to it,¡± Mia said. ¡°Should be a good checkmark. You can grab me and fly away if it turns on us, no?¡± ¡° ¡­ fine,¡± Helene allowed, little arcs of lightning dancing across her fingertips as she stared worriedly down the street and then up at the sky. She¡¯d had to fight off a few iron birds, but surprisingly the avians weren¡¯t all that good at aerial battles. They were slow, heavy and very conductive to electricity. Their deadly high speed dives and armoured feathers were their top qualities. None of which worked in their advantage against a flying opponent who could bypass their defences with a lightning bolt. Mia sent the spell off, then grinned. It hit the towering greenskin right in the back of the head and blew a good half of it into smithereens, exposing a brain that¡¯d been turned to mush. The monster went limp, collapsing bonelessly and falling victim to the second volley of four corrosive crossbow bolts. Mia frowned, watching the supposedly dead Troll. If it was any other species, she¡¯d have patted herself on the back for a job well done, but a Troll? She¡¯d read the Monster Encyclopedia¡¯s segment about them and apparently play fights between their young including crushing each other''s head with rocks and seeing who woke up from it the fastest. What did it say? Crush the heart or burn the body to kill it. Dousing in acid should also work ¡­ not that those arrows are doing much good for the Ratlings. Behind the Troll¡¯s fallen, twitching form, the swarm of rats crashed into the horde of goblins. Some goblins died, some of the low level ones, but the level seven and above goblins made short work of any rat getting within reach of them. The rats are exhausted, starving. Mia realised. Even their wrongness feels ¡­ diminished. The Ratlings jumped down from their mounts and tore into the Troll, which was by now twitching intensely as if convulsing from a stroke. Glowing green claws ¡ª likely coated in acid ¡ª long and sharp tore into leathery flesh with abandon. Some chunks of meat even ended up in the gullet of one Ratling or another. Alas, the bipedal rats were dumb as rocks and failed to go for either the brain, which would have clearly kept the Troll incapacitated for longer, or the heart. Mia shot off another Blast, but it was caught en route by a chucked rat which heroically sacrificed itself for its larger kin. Though said heroic sacrifice was prompted by a tail grabbing it and throwing it at the Blast. Mia scowled, only for her fears to prove to be well-founded as the Troll stilled before jumping to its feet with a gurgling roar. Half of its throat was gone, torn out just like one of its eyes and a good third of its flesh. It caught two of the Ratlings before they could back away and smashed them into the ground so hard both splattered across it like balloons of blood and meat. The other three weren¡¯t fast enough either, not without their mounts. The Troll bounded after them in a quick stomping stride with its arms spread as if for a hug. Another Blast caught it across the chest, blowing away skin, flesh and bone but not quite enough to reach the heart, The Troll stilled, its face twisting in horror before primal fury took it as its beady black eyes followed the Blast¡¯s trajectory back to the source. Mia stared into its eyes, stunned for the briefest moment at the sheer hatred and rage inside of them. A pair of arms grabbed Mia under her armpits, and she barely heard the roar of fury from the Troll before the rush of wind an intense upward momentum smashed into her. A moment later, she was up hundreds of metres into the air and rapidly flying away from the scene with her mother flapping her angelic wings in a hurry. Mia glanced back down, a hint of disappointment flickering across her face. A Piercing Bolt would have finished the job. She thought. She could have finished the monster then and there if only she¡¯d kept in mind all of her spells and made use of the one that fit her situation best. Sure, Blast was good since it disrupted magic for a bit, but it was hardly enough to fully disable the Troll¡¯s healing. I should have switched over for the last shot. There was also a flicker of annoyance aimed her mother way down in her heart, thinking that if Helene let her get off another few spells they could have been done with this dangerous monster then and there, but Mia ruthlessly crushed that feeling. Mia sighed softly, feeling the tight embrace her mother kept her in, much tighter than on the way here. Her fingers were trembling too as they held Mia. I can¡¯t be angry at her for worrying about me. 55 - Rifting ¡°Doable,¡± Mia said, earning an incredulous look from her mother. Mia stared back strangely. ¡°What mom? I almost killed it. One more spell to the heart and the big bad Rift Guardian would have dropped dead. If we attack it together, it would have been an easy kill.¡± ¡°Or it would have snatched someone up and ate them alive,¡± Carmilla said mildly, continuing with an awkward look as Mia glared at her. ¡°Which is apparently what happened to half of the fifty soldiers who stood guard on the little battlement the army had built up around the Rift. By the way, I don¡¯t think even I could recover from getting digested.¡± ¡°We¡¯d just need someone who has powerful fire based powers to shut its healing down,¡± Mia said, glancing at Helene. ¡°Your bolts would probably work Mom.¡± ¡°From what you told us,¡± Brent said, cutting in. ¡°It was strong enough that both me and Mark would be practically useless against it. As would Lina.¡± ¡°We could ambush it and shoot it down from afar,¡± Mia suggested, still strangely miffed by not having been able to finish off the Troll. It nagged at her like a nasty itch that couldn¡¯t be scratched until she saw to it that the monster had died. ¡°A Blood Bolt from Carmilla and a Blast from me, followed up by a piercing Bolt should do it. Especially if Mom weaves in a few bolts in the meantime. The rest of you could keep the smaller goblins off of us and help us escape once we are done.¡± ¡°The main problem still stands,¡± Mark said, arms crossed. ¡°We can¡¯t get to the damned rift without getting air-lifted one by one. Those army guys have half the city on lockdown. Plus, we also know that we can¡¯t just sneak past the escaped Guardian and enter the rift since it got back there in moments. I bet it¡¯s patrolling the area nonstop.¡± Mia slumped back, feeling defeated as everyone gave her looks ranging from pity to understanding. ¡°Then we just.¡± Mia waved her hands about. ¡°Do nothing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy with nothing,¡± Mark said. ¡°My Armaments are coming along nicely.¡± ¡°Do you think there are rifts out in the wilds?¡± Lina asked suddenly, glancing between Helene and Mia. ¡°Do you think the two of you could find one close by? I refuse to believe those things only spawned in the cities. That¡¯d be dumb.¡± Mia looked at her mother, who gave back a slightly reluctant nod. Mia held back a grin. She had a bunch of things to train and upgrade too, but she felt getting the snowball rolling toward doing that rifts quest, and eventually, the Realm Event was important. ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask that Avery girl whether they¡¯d encountered any out in the forests or something,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I¡¯ll also keep an ear out for any news on how badly the soldiers are holding up against the monsters. The way things are going, the general¡¯s going to have to call in reinforcements.¡± ¡°Think there are any?¡± Mark asked. ¡°There should be,¡± Brent said, chewing over his words. ¡°There should be twenty five thousand active soldiers, with at least a hundred thousand more reserves.¡± ¡°The division sent here had five thousand,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°That¡¯s a whole fifth. I doubt they can send another army of that size just for Graz. Especially with how ¡­ few people survived.¡± *** ¡°Found one,¡± Mia murmured, tugging Helene¡¯s sleeves again and her mother quickly descended towards the hill half covered by forest and half in a grassy field. The bottom of the hill had a road running through it, and a few dozen goats still grazed on the grassy opening. They landed near the top, where the forest started behind an electric fence. Mia strained her ears as she hopped out of her mother¡¯s arms, jumping over the fence almost as tall as she was with ease. The thick, musky scent of the pine forest smacked her in the face, but Mia just smiled and took a lungful of it. It was refreshing, and it reminded her of Carmilla. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ probably a few hundred metres that way,¡± Mia said, pointing into the forest. ¡°If it¡¯s exactly the same level as the Goblin rift, or if the rift¡¯s spread of broken mana is the same-¡° ¡°The direction is good enough dear,¡± Helene said, patting Mia on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and get your little vampire girlfriend to help scout the place out.¡± ¡°Sh- she¡¯s not-¡° Mia sputtered, face reddening. ¡°I know,¡± Helene clicked her tongue, then turned around to look Mia in the eyes. There was that motherly sternness to her gaze that had Mia stiffen up and shut up instantly. ¡°Listen here, honeybun. That girl likely never had anything romantic happen to her, from what little I¡¯d gleaned. Is that right?¡± Mia gave a slow nod, listening intently. ¡°I thought so,¡± Helene sighed. ¡°The poor thing looks like she¡¯s trying to get used to living again, having trouble with just about anything and everything. She likely wouldn¡¯t notice your adorable crush on her even if you had the spine to actually flirt with her. Be straight forward if you want anything out of her, hmm?¡± ¡°But she¡¯s,¡± Mia started, trying to find the words. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ready for ¡­ that sort of thing.¡± She just got out of spending half a decade in a hospital bed, then two years rotting in a coffin. Mia held her tongue, not wanting to share Carmilla¡¯s secrets even with her mother without the girl¡¯s approval. The girl had troubles enough just trying to acclimatise to life again, Mia didn¡¯t want to trouble the girl with her feelings. Hell, Mia wasn¡¯t even sure what exactly she was feeling either. Was it just lust? A crush? Something else? What would I say anyway? Mia thought sourly. Experiences spoke, and they loudly proclaimed that Mia sucked at both flirting and getting her feelings across. She remembered Claire, a pretty bubbly blonde. Mia¡¯d asked the girl out on a date, saying she¡¯d gotten a nice little spot just for the two of them in a nice bar she knew. Claire asked who else Mia had invited. Then, when Mia admitted it was just the two of them, Claire went about inviting half a dozen boys with the same cheery smile that once had Mia¡¯s heart fluttering. That was one of those moments, the ones she remembered late at night and couldn¡¯t help but cringe at. The worst thing was that Mia wasn¡¯t even sure whether Claire was just a dense airhead or if the girl knew exactly what she¡¯d been doing and that was her way of letting Mia down gently. ¡°Well,¡± Helene said, sighing. ¡°You¡¯re the only one she talks to with any level of animation, so you¡¯d know better. But keep what I said in mind, that girl won¡¯t know flirting if it hit her upside the head with the force of a racing car. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, swallowing. Still, she knew she wouldn¡¯t do a single thing until Carmilla showed at least some passing interest in Mia as a woman. She was just ¡­ not brave enough to shoot her shot without any encouragement like that. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back and get the rest,¡± Helene huffed. ¡°This is only an hour¡¯s walk away from the city. Fifth that, if we can scrounge up enough bicycles.¡± *** They could not, in fact, scrounge up enough bicycles. For one, Mark wasn¡¯t really a good fit for one anymore and Brent couldn¡¯t really manage the motion of riding a bike in full armour. So walking it was, which took a little over an hour for them as they had to huddle down halfway through as a military convoy rolled down the street towards the inner city.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It seemed the general was pulling away soldiers from Zeigler to shore up his own losses. Mia didn¡¯t like the implications. It meant the district had much fewer people to defend it and that the beastkin raiders would have an easier time robbing the poor residents. The group had hidden whatever preservable food they had. Meaning, Mark buried the whole fridge in the garden ten feet under. It wasn¡¯t foolproof, but Mia doubted the raiders would bother to dig it back up even if they suspected what it was. They stood at the edge of the forest, behind the electric fence. Lina was busy cooing over a baby goat that wandered over, while the rest planned. ¡°How strong do you think this rift is?¡± Brent asked, staring at Mia. ¡°Honestly?¡± Mia shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. I don¡¯t know how the spread of their presence works. Is it a set range and only the density changes? Or does the range increase with each level? If it¡¯s the first, the rift is at best level 5, if it¡¯s the latter, all I can tell is that we are on the edge of its influence.¡± ¡°We have to get closer then,¡± Brent said, shrugging. ¡°Red, you¡¯re our main scout. Me and Mark will make sure everyone¡¯s protected here. I take the rear, Mark the front. Any objections?¡± Everyone shook their heads, though Mia did have a new Familiar summoned to protect them too. Mia attempted to tease out whether the elemental had any specialities this time, but all she got back was a vague sense of confusion from the creature. She guessed that meant no. They set off a minute later, with Helene at the centre, a bolt of lightning dancing between her hands as her head snapped from left to right for a target to fry. Mark was in front, stomping through the forest in full armour. It was quite something, Mia wouldn¡¯t want to come across him at night while he wore that thing. The dwarf had been hard at work, and managed to turn his clay-mannequin looking armour into what looked to be an earth golem as tall as Mia. Even his mace was back to its original size, but outfitted with larger spikes. Lina walked to Helene¡¯s left, rings of Air mana flowing out of her fingers and circling the group like a web only Mia could see. No animals attacked them this time, but that might have had something to do with the vampire doing forward scouting. That, or whatever monsters were coming out of the rift had taken care of every aggressive piece of wildlife around here. Mia took a moment to think about what they were doing and planning. This rift, it wasn¡¯t inside the city so it wouldn¡¯t count towards the five they needed to kill to finish the Obelisk Quest. On the other hand, while they couldn¡¯t safely get to any of those five rifts, they could get to this one pretty easily. It was practice, in essence. Practice, training and loot, because rifts supposedly gave handsome rewards to anyone who managed to clear them and then the System would triple that ¡ª at the very least ¡ª if they destroyed it. Mia was hoping for more Natural Treasures to eat or another Runic Lexicon, but she¡¯d be happy with any potion or equipment, too. Her wand had been quite useful after all, even if she mostly kept it as an emergency backup weapon. The question was whether they could actually enter the rift. Mia remembered there being a restriction about both the maximum level and number of Users entering one. ¡°Hey Lina,¡± she whispered, catching the blonde¡¯s attention, who raised an eyebrow. ¡°Could we enter this rift if it¡¯s below level 10? I remember you mentioning that everyone going in had to be a lower level than the current Rift Guardian.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lina said. ¡°That¡¯s the general rule. There are exceptions, but those usually only go for Rifts that are older. Ones that Rank Up.¡± ¡°Like the Goblin Rift that was supposed to be level ten, but spat out a level thirteen Guardian?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lina nodded absently, most of her focus clearly on her magic. Mia knew the girl had Multitasking just like her though, and Cognity was even more important of a stat for her than it was for Mia, so she should be fine with talking some. ¡°I suppose then every Rank 1 User can now enter that rift, even if they are higher levelled than the Guardian inside.¡± We don¡¯t have any Rank 1 Users though. Mia thought drolly, there was nothing they could do and the way things were going, that Rift would reach Rank 2 in a few more weeks and be entirely out of their league. Mana density and quality was the only thing that limited the growth of Rifts and Dungeons, Mia knew that much and with how chaotic and mana rich Earth has become, she doubted the things would stop growing anytime soon. The positive of that high density was, of course, that Mia¡¯s entire pool of mana only took hours to recover from near-depletion and not days. That would have sucked hard. Mana quality wasn¡¯t something Mia had to worry about as a baby mage at Rank 0. There wasn¡¯t a quality grade below Rank 0 mana, aka Grey Mana. There was some correlation between mana density and quality, from what she could remember from skimming her ¡®On Mana and Magic¡¯ book, but it really didn¡¯t matter for now. ¡°Found it,¡± Carmilla¡¯s voice came first, then the girl herself stepped out from behind a bush. ¡°It¡¯s fifty metres down that way in a gully.¡± Mia frowned. The sensation she got from the rift was still weak when compared to the Goblin Rift. We might have wasted all this time coming here, only to find the damned Rift won¡¯t let us in because it¡¯s only level 8 or something. Following Carmilla¡¯s lead, the group navigated the forest swiftly and carefully slid down the sloping side of the gully. There were no monsters in sight, which worried Mia. A rift should be spitting them out near constantly, right? So if there were no monsters, then the only logical conclusion was that something was killing them. ¡°Why aren¡¯t there any monsters here?¡± Helene voice Mia¡¯s question before she could. ¡°The refugees came through here a day or so ago,¡± Carmilla answered. ¡°They are only a few hours east of here, camping out on the hilltop. They killed every monster they came across.¡± ¡°I forgot to ask, but are they alright?¡± Mia asked, glancing worriedly at Carmilla who just shrugged. ¡°Seemed so,¡± the redhead said offhandedly. ¡°They can hunt for meat out here to eat quite easily. Avery is back on her feet, and she apparently took a score of the more adventurous fighters she had with her when she was escorting the refugees.¡± ¡°They missed the rift?¡± Mia asked, glancing over at the archway carved out of cracked grey stone. It had that same otherworldly glow and rippling air inside it too. It was damn hard to miss. ¡°Seems like it,¡± Carmilla said, curiously looking at the rift¡¯s gateway. Or was it a portal? It was, wasn¡¯t it? So cool. Mia stepped up next to the redhead, her Spirit Sense pushing through the natural revulsion she had of the thing to examine the magic behind the contraption. She couldn¡¯t glean much, but she could sort of push her awareness through the wobbly air and she felt a different place overlapping with the one before her that way. It¡¯s really a portal. ¡°Do we know what types of monsters are supposed to be inside?¡± Brent asked as he too came over to cast an examining glance over the rift¡¯s entrance. ¡°Boars,¡± Carmilla said, tilting her head up at the archway''s top. She pointed at a small line of cracks that looked vaguely familiar to Mia. ¡°That supposedly says ¡®Boarling Settlement¡¯ in some language.¡± That¡¯s a language? Mia squinted at it, tilting her head as she looked over the lines. She shrugged, instead looking back over the group. ¡°Who wants to test whether we can enter? This thing is level 10 at best.¡± ¡°You can tell it''s a Rank 0 Rift from the grey rock the archway is made of,¡± Lina said, gingerly poking at the cracked stone. ¡°Rank 1 rifts would have their arches made of some white material.¡± So even rifts are colour coded? Mia thought, nodding in thanks at the new info. ¡°Boarkin are ferocious little shits,¡± Mark said, his face scrunched up as he stared at the rift. ¡°They are like goblins, just with fur and tusks. They also prefer arid, dry environments over the humid caverns and forests goblins do ¡­ what? I read that in the Monster Manual. Don¡¯t tell me none of you read it?¡± Mia averted her gaze, scratching at her cheek awkwardly. She had books on magic to read, so studying up on monsters was something that she didn¡¯t bother with. Sure, she¡¯d skimmed it and remembered the bits that caught her attention like the Trolls braining each other for fun, but she didn¡¯t actively try to memorise any part of it. Which, apparently, went for the rest too. ¡°We knew we could count on you to read it!¡± Brent said with a grin, slapping Mark on the back strong enough that it made the earth-covered form stumble. ¡°So, anything else we should know?¡± ¡°Their shamans are their leaders,¡± Mark said, grumbling under his breath. ¡°They use strange dark magics, rituals that sacrifice souls and blood and stuff to empower their fighters.¡± ¡°Well, shit,¡± Brent mumbled, then squared his shoulders. ¡°Everyone still in? I know this isn¡¯t the rift we were planning to destroy first, but this close to the city, it could easily endanger the district we live in all the same. Even if we don¡¯t get rewards, destroying it will save hundreds, if not thousands of lives.¡± As far as speeches went, that was quite bad in Mia¡¯s opinion. She didn¡¯t come here to save people, by her estimation the city would long be wiped off the map by the time this rift became a real danger if the goblins had their way so it wouldn¡¯t matter either way. No, she came for practice, training and the rewards. This would count towards the Realm Event¡¯s completion rate, and she was hoping for something good for the third week¡¯s reward. ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± Brent asked, turning to the shimmering portal as he gingerly reached out with a hand. ¡°If your hand passes through the rift, it¡¯ll let us in,¡± Lina said. ¡°If not, we are too high levelled for it.¡± Brent nodded, then pressed his hand up against the air and as if it really was water, it sunk right in. ¡°Rank 0, level 10 Rift: ¡®Boarling Settlement¡¯,¡± Brent said slowly, his eyes moving through the air as if he was reading something floating there. ¡°Maximum number of participants: 10. Perfect.¡± Mia stared with her eyes wide open at Brent¡¯s hand cutting off at the wrist. The man stepped forward, elbow, then shoulder going in. ¡°See you on the other side,¡± he said, then stepped right through. His entire body was gone. Mia peeked around the side of the archway and found nothing other than the mirror image of its front. Brent was gone. Cool. ¡°So,¡± Mia said, turning back to the rest of the group. ¡°Who¡¯s going in next?¡± 56 - Pork Chops The arid wind sending a mouthful of hot sand into her mouth and eyes was not how Mia imagined her first second spent inside the rift going. She sputtered, pulling her turtleneck shirt up to cover her face as she tried to spit and blink the sand out of her mouth and eyes. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here,¡± Brent said, coming over to Mia and helping her stay on her feet. ¡°The rest?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be coming in a moment,¡± Mia said, spitting out a final bit of sand. Her eyes hurt, every single grain of sand feeling like a nail trying to poke them out. Helene came through next, and managed to snap her eyes shut just in time to escape the sandstorm¡¯s assault. Then came the rest, which left all of them sputtering and groaning in pain. They huddled down in a small circle, and Lina put up a dome of Air magic around them. That lent them some protection from the sand and gave each of them enough time to get themselves mostly sand-free. As Mia looked around, she saw bloodshot, teary eyes staring back from each of her companions. ¡°This could have gone better,¡± Brent said, looking around with annoyingly clear eyes. Whatever he was doing with his Ki had protected him from what the rest had to suffer through. ¡°But it seems the sand storm is finally abating.¡± It had been only a quarter hour since they entered, but that was fifteen minutes too much spent inside a sandstorm. ¡°I don''t like sand. It''s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.¡± Mark said, face neutral as Mia squinted at him. She had the urge to throw a handful of sand in his face. ¡°Shut up,¡± she said, squirming in place as she was reminded of the fact that her sneakers were full of sand, as were her socks, jeans and just about everything else. Instead, as the group started getting up and futilely coming up with plans even while they knew practically nothing of how the rift¡¯s insides worked, Mia grabbed her wand. She had the twenty centimetre long ivory stick secured to her belt with a retractable keychain holder. Channelling mana into the focus instead of using the pre-stored amount in the quartz, she went about casting Spectral Blade. With the wand in hand, she didn¡¯t have to worry about blowing her hand off if she made a mistake, which did wonders to her nerves seeing as the spell circle was still quite new to her. I could use the wand to experiment with modifying spell circles. Mia realised, thoughtfully gazing at the white stick in her hand. She had no hopes of modifying one of the stronger spells, but a Bolt? She¡¯d learned much from the Conjuration Lexicon and she had ideas. That¡¯s for later. When we¡¯re done with these pig monsters. The sandstorm beyond Lina¡¯s protective dome of air was dying down, revealing a clear blue sky beyond and a scorching sun glaring down at the world below. Mia stood, almost falling back down as the sand beneath her shifted and swallowed her legs up to the ankle. Looking around, she saw dunes as tall as five metres; the group having settled down in a little valley between two of them. As Lina¡¯s dome faded away, Carmilla darted up to the spine of the nearest dune and cast her gaze around. Mia, with her Spectral sword in hand, stumbled up to her. ¡°Well, at least we won¡¯t have trouble finding them,¡± the vampiress mused with a hint of amusement and Mia couldn¡¯t help, but nod. Just a few hundred metres away, beyond three dunes a line of deep orange sandstone mesas rose up dozens of metres into the sky. They made for an imposing sight, stretching into the distance both to the left and the right. They weren¡¯t a unified wall though, cracks and deep ravines ran through them and right in front of Mia and Carmilla was a split almost a dozen metres wide. A palisade made of sharpened ivory stood at the entrance, with curving bones poking out of the walls of the mesas on both sides like lines of teeth. Up top, gigantic brownish vines arched between the ravines, dotted with man-sized thorns on them. Further inside, they could see carved walkways on the cliff face, with smaller furry forms scuttling about on them. Squinting, Mia saw them for what they were: humanoid boars wielding primitive weapons made of bone. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia murmured, gripping her sword tightly as she watched on. There had to be hundreds of the monsters in that settlement. The group crested over the dune behind them, coming to gaze at the impressive sight. They were heading in there, into that dark maw filled with monsters that apparently sacrificed souls in their dark rituals. ¡°Do we go in full blast from the front?¡± Mark asked, his grip tightening around his mace as he struggled to keep himself afloat on the soft sand. ¡°Or try to be sneaky?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any entrances other than that one,¡± Carmilla said, pointing at the ravine entrance looking like the maw of some long dead beast. ¡°If we don¡¯t want to drop down from above, that is.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t carry Mark,¡± Helene said. ¡°And you¡¯d have to find your way down from there too. I don¡¯t think I could fly silently into that thin tear in the ground.¡± Mia nodded slowly in understanding, noticing that instead of widening the further up the ravine went, the top metre of both sides was barely a metre apart. ¡°Frontal assault it is,¡± Brent said, hefting his sword and setting off. He almost fell on his face as his armoured form sunk into the sand up to the knees, but he managed to continue moving. Mark looked like he was swimming instead of walking as he turned his armour more sleek and with two large paddles on its arms. The group circled the palisade and approached it from the right, pushing themselves up against the cliff face. ¡°Ten monsters up on top of the palisades,¡± Mia said, the place now in range of her Spirit Sense. ¡°Another five up on small outcroppings on the walls of the ravine.¡± ¡°I can hear at least fifty of the monsters,¡± Carmilla added. ¡°For a level 10 rift, I think that¡¯s about half of them.¡± ¡°We need fifty kills for the Quest,¡± Brent reminded everyone. ¡°We¡¯ll see how easily we can clean this rift out, and if it¡¯s not too dangerous, we can run it as many times as needed to get the quest completed for everyone. If not, we destroy the core and look for another one.¡± Wait a second, how the hell did Brent complete this quest and get his armour? Mia thought for a moment, casting an incredulous look over him as he inched towards the shoddy palisades. Questions for later. ¡°Okay, Lina is on anti-air duty, I think a bunch of the bastards are going to drop on us,¡± Brent said, his voice a whisper that still made it to their ears with ease. ¡°Carmilla, Mark, can you open up the gate?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Mark said, while Carmilla just nodded. The two slipped forwards and up under the palisades. Everyone quieted down as the sound of snorts and grunts that were apparently the main way of Boarling communication was all that remained in the air. Mark struck first, his two metre long mace swung in a wide arc before its head blasted right through the waist-thick bone spikes jutting out of the ground.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. That opened up a wide enough path for them, so Carmilla didn¡¯t even bother doing anything other than drop-kicking another spike down to the ground to widen the entrance. The girl landed in a crouch, and as a cacophony of loud snorting and screeches spoke of the alarm of the monsters, the vampiress shot off. Mark went in after her, a loud sigh of relief let out as his feet touched the hardened sandstone of the ravine¡¯s floor. One of his gauntlets shifted into a tower shield as he swung his mace about with one hand, splattering a Boarling across the walls. Brent went in next, sword snapping out left and right to cut down two of the guards who¡¯d been standing around the palisades. Lina¡¯s tendrils of Air snapped out, slapping a trio of Boarlings out of the air and sending them out into the desert. Mia startled, a yelp escaping her mouth as one of them landed only a handful of metres away from her. Her hand tightened on her sword, then her Familiar pushed its fuzzy head up against her cheek. She calmed down instantly, taking a soft breath as the Boarling scrambled to its feet. If it had a weapon once, it was gone now. Alas, it was one and a half metre mass of muscles and tugged tusks and sharp-looking nails on its furry hand. Helene raised a hand, lightning dancing between her fingers, but Mia was faster. She swung her Blade and somehow managed to catch the monster right across the neck. Just as its head separated and a fountain of crimson blood burst out of the open wound, Helene¡¯s attack landed and seared the wound clean, along with the insides of the monster. Mia pointed at the other two Boarlings as she saw Lina step through the entrance, hands waving in the air. The blonde was doing slapping and waving motions, which made wispy white hands form out of her dispersed Air mana and slapped around the Boarlings trying to get a drop on the front liners. ¡°Kill them,¡± Mia commanded, her index finger going to the next dazed Boarling. The Familiar bolted off her shoulder, the wind of its passing making Mia¡¯s hair flutter. Mia turned, noting the screams of pain cutting off behind her as she stepped over the broken bone spikes. Helene came in a moment later with twin sets of lightning arcing over everyone¡¯s heads and blasting into a line of Boarlings up on a ledge carved right into the cliff face. The monsters seized up and dropped down, smashing into the ground around the group with one smacking into the wall as Lina slapped it away. Which probably saved Mia from embarrassingly dying from a corpse falling on her head. She gave a thankful nod to the blonde, who returned a small smile before going back to work. Brent fell behind, coming around to take up his spot as the rearguard behind Mia and Helene. As for Carmilla, well, Mia couldn¡¯t see the girl, but she heard the screams from up ahead so she guessed that was where she¡¯d went. Now inside, Mia could see how the Boarlings lived. Ledges crisscrossed the walls, ladders and stairways were placed all around and the large thorny vines breaking out of one wall and burrowing into the other served as bridges between the two sides. Smaller tunnels had been dug into the walls, nearer to the bottom, even entire visible halls had been opened up that had Boarlings rushing out of them. The monsters shook their ivory spears above their heads, roaring in their guttural tongue. Mark was out in front, his mace now smaller to not be unwieldy in the tighter space as he bashed in head after head with ease. None of the attacks coming his way made more than a scratch on his now spike-covered armour. Mia glanced at the Combat Log, and it was as she¡¯d suspected. *** [You have killed: Boarling Warrior - lvl 6] [You have killed: Boarling Warrior - lvl 6] [You have killed: Boarling Warrior - lvl 7] *** These monsters were the chaff. The fodder, the trash mobs before the boss of this rift. The thought made her pause. Thinking of this in game terms could be unhealthy. Mia huffed, letting out a breath as she grabbed her wand and cast the rapid-fire Bolt variant. Game or not, the terminology fit eerily well, so there was no use in tiptoeing around the fact. The only thing she had to make sure of was to refrain from dissociating. This was reality, her new reality and not a game. She only had one life and she would not waste it. ¡°Protect me,¡± Mia murmured to the cat atop her head. ¡°Original orders are still active, but you can kill anything in retaliation to an attack that isn¡¯t the six of us. Every monster is free game.¡± With that done, Mia held her sword at the ready, but pointed her wand at a number of Boarlings rushing out of a tunnel to her right. The spell circle glowed at the end of her wand, then broke and sank into it with only the core of it still glowing at its tip. She flicked her wrist, more for show and because it felt cool than because she had to and with a mental nudge, a finger sized pink pebble shot off and burst right through the first Boarling¡¯s eye, going right into its brain. It only went in the front, but didn¡¯t have enough power to blast the back of its head out too. These things had tough bones. She¡¯d have to aim at the heart or neck instead of the head to kill if she didn¡¯t have a clear shot at the eyes. The monster fell and Mia flicked her wand again, another collapsed with half of its face mushed then another and another. Mia felt the cat leave its perch in her hair twice while she dispatched the group of ten Boarlings of that tunnel. Once she was done, she turned her head and saw another five collapsed on the other side, having crawled out of a smaller tunnel she¡¯d taken for a ¡­ sewage dump. With a shrug, she stepped on ahead and followed after the rest. Helene was up next to Lina, shooting off miniature bolts at every Boarling the Air mage had disabled, but not yet killed while also throwing more powerful chaining attacks into a tunnel up on the walls every so often. Brent followed a step behind Mia, shaking his head slightly. ¡°I suppose I won¡¯t get much to do in this rift, that cat of yours is ¡­ scary.¡± Mia scratched the small pink cat lying on her head, paying some special attention to the back of its ears. It purred, the sound resonating into her skull pleasantly. She¡¯d always loved cats, and there were few things that could make stress drain right out of her than a ball of fur purring in her lap. ¡°It¡¯s cute though,¡± Mia said, flicking her wand left and right and expending the last two charges of her spell into two Boarlings that were only now standing up after having been blasted into the walls by Lina. ¡°That it is,¡± Brent agreed easily, scratching his chin as his gaze took in the battlefield. ¡°Nothing above level 7 yet. Worrying.¡± Mia nodded, upping her alertness at his serious tone. She reactivated the same rapid-fire Bolt and followed after the two other mages, flicking off mini Bolts left and right. She fell into a rhythm, her Spirit Sense kept track of every monster around and she barely even had to hesitate between shots. Monsters dropped in droves, not all dying from the first mini Bolt, but all stumbled at least, which made them easy pickings for a follow-up headshot. Alternatively, Mia revelled in the chance to use her Spectral Blade whenever an injured Boarling got closer to her. The sword was unnaturally sharp, its magical edge shearing through muscle and ligaments with ease, only slowing when faced with the tough bones of these boar monsters. Still, as she lunged forward with easy grace and her blade pierced right through the heart of a Boarling, she grinned. It had been on the wrong side of its body, in the right of its upper chest, but she¡¯d heard its frantic heartbeat clearly enough to locate it. Her movements had been guided by nothing, but instincts and the vague understanding that the pointy end of the blade goes into enemies. Still, with her higher thinking speed and borderline superhuman speed, that was enough for these brutish monsters. Resolving herself to annoy Brent into teaching her the basics later, she hopped back, flicking her sword to the side as the monster collapsed. She jumped back again as the next Boarling threw a primitive bone javelin her way. Her Familiar snapped it out of the air, crashing into it almost as soon as the projectile left the monster¡¯s grip. Mia threw her sword, sending the spell circle wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet into a spin that the blade mimicked a moment later. It soared forward like a spinning disk of arcane death. It sheared right through the Boarling, then continued into the tunnel behind it and bisected another two of the monsters before Mia recalled it. Stupid monsters. They should have made the tunnels wider. Her grin widened a touch, her breathing heavy and heart thundering in her chest. She¡¯d never thought herself an adrenaline junkie, but there was something in fighting with skills and magic she¡¯d earned that had her enjoying it far too much. The feeling of relief that washed over her whenever one of the monster¡¯s revolting presences faded into nothingness as they died couldn¡¯t be discounted either. It pleased the Fae part of her immensely to end their blight on the world with her own two hands. ¡°Incoming,¡± Brent¡¯s voice snapped Mia out of it and her expression turned serious. The man wouldn¡¯t be calling out just more level 7s. ¡°Form up.¡± Carmilla came jumping over a line of Boarlings up ahead that were swarming at Mark despite Helene¡¯s constant bursts of chaining lightning bolts. ¡°Big ones are coming,¡± the vampiress said as she landed with a slide next to Mia. ¡°They got shamans protecting them, I couldn¡¯t get through their barriers without risking myself too much.¡± The ravine had been thinning for a while now, and up above and to the front Mia could see the two sides meeting and melding together. Right under where the ravine ended was a tunnel opening that was more like the opening to the burrow of some gigantic animal. It was dark, with only flickering torchlight illuminating its cavernous insides. Out of its mouth stepped five Boarlings half again as tall as the rest and wearing ivory armour from top to bottom. Behind them, three lanky monsters wearing leathery robes stood, hunched over gnarly staffs made of the miniature version of the thorny brown vines. The three shamans had twisted wrong mana curling around them, writhing as if in pain from their mere presence. Mia felt at the monsters and narrowed her eyes as she spoke. ¡°The five in front are level 9 and the shamans are all level 10.¡± 57 - Fecal matter hits the rotary impeller Unfortunately, having the group of high leveled Boarkin enter the scene didn¡¯t diminish the number of them already throwing themselves at Mia¡¯s group. Quite the opposite. A red haze seemed to descend on the monsters as the shamans worked some wicked ritual in the back that made Mia¡¯s skin crawl. The Boarkin weren¡¯t smart before, but they had a primitive cunning. They attacked together, came at the group from all directions and tried to poke at their weak spots. Now, they discarded weapons and rushed at them with abandon well into the suicidal. Their beady black eyes lost all intelligence, only rage and hate remaining. ¡°BACK!¡± Brent shouted, slashing swathes of the monsters rushing out from tunnels behind them. ¡°Pull back. We need more space! Back!¡± The team complied with his command, and Mia sent her spinning sword behind them to clean a bloody path. Only the cowardly sub-level fives remained in the tunnels so her Blade easily slaughtered them by the dozens. Helene took care of the new rear of their group, she glowed, only her form vaguely visible with the many lightning bolts racing over her skin. Arcs of the volatile Storm element were zapping out every second. Mark smashed his mace into the ground, cracking the sandstone. Shards of it flew up and as Mark reached down, he grabbed a large chunk he threw into the rushing crowd. Once no one was in the way, Mia sent her Spectral Blade behind them and right towards the distant shamans. The spinning sword didn¡¯t reach them, not even close with the tiny range it had. It did do what it¡¯d been intended for though and tore apart monster after monster that came blindly rushing after Mia and into the spinning Blade. As Mia ran, the Blade followed her at a set distance. She swung her arm left and right a bit, making sure the spinning sword swung from wall to wall and kept the Boarlings off of their backs for a bit. ¡°Here¡¯s good,¡± Brent said, coming to a stop in the middle of what might have once been the central plaza of the settlement. ¡°Form up. Mages in the middle. Red, you do whatever you want.¡± Carmilla gave a smile at that, her fingers still covered in sleek crimson claws flexing. She sent a glance at Mia, as if to make sure she was alright and then jumped back into the fray. Mia had the Spectral Blade continue to serve as a roaming monster blender while she herself switched over to using her wand. The rapid-fire variant of her Bolt was once again the winner. Her double barrel trick with two true Bolts was faster, shooting off the two spells over the quarter of the time the rapid-fire shot off the smaller versions. But, the rapid-fire could shoot off twelve projectiles in one sequence instead of two and barely strained her mind, quite unlike the other trick. She kept refilling the gem¡¯s mana charge so she could re-cast the spell the moment she ran out of ¡®bullets¡¯. Blast would also have been an option, but not a good one. Its explosion radius was a metre in diameter at most and the Boarlings were big fuckers, she couldn¡¯t kill more than one per Blast. Which made the spell a waste of mana when the mini Bolts could do the same thing for a hundredth the mana. The only other spells she had were Arcane Shackles and Explosion, neither of which was a good fit for the situation. Shackles was a slow CC spell while Explosion was a ¡®get the hell off of me¡¯ panic spell that blasted everything away. It was a pretty niche spell and one she¡¯d never had the opportunity or need to use. That left her flicking off pebble sized Bolt after pebble sized Bolt. Soon, she had to change over to piercing Bolts though when the berserk monsters ignored the miniature ones pulverizing half a dozen bones across their bodies. A piercing Bolt whizzed away faster than her eyes could track, but she saw the finger wide hole it left in a Boarling¡¯s skull and smiled. She¡¯d have been quickly overrun with her much reduced rate of fire, even with the spinning Blade and the Familiar had she been alone, but she was not. Helene had slowed her rate of fire a bunch, her face looking pinched as she sent off calculated chains of lightning. Preserving mana for the boss. Mark and Brent were doing their best in mimicking Mia¡¯s spinning mana blade and becoming humanoid blenders themselves. Though, Mark was more of a ¡­ musher. Strikes landed on them, tusks smashing into the two melee fighters, trying to disembowel them. Thankfully, the two stood their ground easily against the lower leveled monsters. Their armour deflecting whatever blow got through their defences. Lina on the other hand, switched over to full offence now that the Boarlings didn¡¯t have the mental capacity for jumping down from the ledges in ambush. The blonde didn¡¯t have spells, just her elemental manipulation skill that was further boosted by both her bloodline and Class if Mia¡¯s guesses were right. Still, that didn¡¯t mean she hadn¡¯t developed a whole bunch of ¡®spells¡¯ for every occasion. Though maybe calling them ¡®special moves¡¯ would be more apt. Air Burst and Hammer were two of her favourites, and she made good use of both, sending forth spinning piercing bursts of wind that tore apart the monsters in a line or smashing them into paste with a heavy smack from above. Carmilla was just ¡­ tearing them apart, too swift to be caught and too strong to even be slowed down. She really was a monster in a fight, and the only spell she¡¯d used so far was the one gathering water for her. Mia glanced at the floating globule of fresh blood languidly following the vampire around. Even now, new streams of blood from fallen monsters flowed through the air and joined the sphere. Not that it was visibly growing, having remained at the size of a basketball for a while now. ¡°Two of the big ones are coming,¡± Mia said, her ears twitching as she caught the sound of the two larger monsters stomp over the gory remains of their fallen kin. Mia looked the two over, they were still clearly boarlings by the boar-like head and the large tusks, but they stood straight while all the rest was hunched over. They also walked with purpose, with obvious power in each step they took. Mia scoffed at the thought, reminding herself that they were only level 9. They might have been twice her height and four times her width, and had monstrous strength, but she was a fucking mage. With a thought, she disassembled her piercing Bolt circle and changed it to an Arcane Blast one. Then she did a nifty little trick she hoped her improved stats were high enough to do without injuring herself. A flick of her wrist and a mental push ate up half the mana in her wand¡¯s storage and sent a Blast at the left armoured boarling, then a second flick ate up the rest of the mana and sent a second Blast flying before the first even hit. A spike of pain shot into Mia¡¯s skull, the price she had to pay for pushing her Will to the limit there. Still, she grinned as the first Blast hit home and blasted the monster¡¯s face clean off, leaving behind a cracked skull. It survived though, but the second Blast solved that as it tore right into the crack and burst its head like an overripe tomato. The second armoured boarding seized up, falling down as Helene electrocuted it and not a moment later a crimson Bolt finished the fallen monster off. They heard roars of fury from the distance, and even through her headache, Mia could feel another two of the armoured monsters break away, but with a shaman following behind them this time. Mia massaged her head, cursing inwardly for being stupid. She¡¯d pushed herself further than she should have. Now, her willpower felt ¡­ tired. The mental fatigue was bad enough that she doubted she would be able to cast any spells more powerful than a Blast. Perhaps, not even that more than once. She quickly flipped her palm with the Spectral Blade¡¯s bracelet around her wrist, flipped its spinning axis so the blade went from horizontal rotations to vertical. Then she called it back in a quick moment when neither Brent nor Mark or Carmilla were in the way. When the conjured sword was resting back in her hand, she channelled enough mana into it to refresh its duration. If the blade ran out, she wouldn¡¯t be able to re-summon it for a while. Possibly, not until she slept and rested her mind. ¡°Mia?¡± Brent asked, sounding worried and Mia turned a bloodshot glare his way. He winced. ¡°Do you feel up for the fight? If you ¡­ ¡° ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she said. ¡°I just can¡¯t cast my Blast more than once, that stunt gave me a migraine.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the man said, nodding. ¡°Should be fine. Keep focused and conserve your energy.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Mia stopped fighting for a bit, letting the others pick up the slack as she refilled her wand and massaged the headache out of her temples as much as she could before the trio of uglies arrived. This is gonna suck. Mia said, the back of her skull still pulsating with a fading ache. I was planning on relying on Arcane Blast¡¯s disruptive qualities to break through whatever barrier those shamans use. Mia resolved herself to break that barrier, even if the Blast she cast would be the last one she did in the rift. As far as she knew, no one else had spells or magic with any magic disruptive qualities. Maybe Mom¡¯s Storm does, if to a much lesser extent than my Arcane. Light, Arcane and Darkness were the best elements for breaking through magical protections. One had brute strength, the second could disrupt it and the third could syphon out the fuel and pull the foundation of the magic out from under it. Aside from those, supposedly an extremely niche advanced element of Arcane called Silver Magic was supposed to be the best at breaking enchantments and barriers by far. Since it was an element focusing on countering any and all magical defence. Mia shook her head, forcing herself to snap back to the present. The two new armoured boarlings were here and kicking at their dead comrades while the shaman behind them grumbled in some strange guttural tongue. The still living berserk boarlings glowed to Mia¡¯s eyes in a demonic red and even injured ones with missing chunks here and there rose back up and threw themselves at the group. Brent and Mark backed up, tightening the group¡¯s formation to make sure the maddened beasts couldn¡¯t get at the squishy mages behind them while Carmilla redoubled her efforts of tearing them apart. The vampiress was taking heads and tearing out spines, rending chests and piercing hearts so easily Mia had the impression the monsters were made of paper mache. Weaker boarlings continued emerging from tunnels and one of the armoured ones also moved forwards with murder and hate in its gaze. Mia switched her spell circle over from the rapid-fire variant to the piercing one the moment the last spell ran out of charges. Using her own mana and not the wand¡¯s stored one, she flicked a piercing Bolt at the approaching monster¡¯s head. Thankfully, these dumb pigs don¡¯t wear helmets. Mia thought as the monster¡¯s head snapped back, a burst of blood blossoming from its face. It stumbled, almost falling, but before it could it stabbed its ivory great sword into the ground and steadied itself. Carmilla sent a Blood Bolt its way, as did Helene with a snapping lightning bolt of her own. Eerie runes glowed across the monster¡¯s armour, dark and twisted and Mia watched as those shadowy mana vines reached out and pierced the centres of both spells. The two spells sputtered, only splattering barely cohesive clumps of mana against the now dim armour. ¡°Aim at their heads!¡± Mia shouted over the chaos. That was the only possibility as for why her own spell got through while the others didn¡¯t. The boarling rose back up, a once proud tusk carving out of its mouth broken and a bloody ravine gouged out of the side of its face. Its hateful gaze landed on Mia and it roared just as the red haze descended on it. Turning her eyes on the shaman in the back, Mia saw it murmuring and waving in the air with its skeletal fingers as its eyes locked onto the now berserk armoured boarling. The beast bounded at the group, but before it could do much a lance of crimson energy went right through its head and smashed into the shaman¡¯s barrier a dozen metres behind it. The monster seized up and fell, its life snuffed out in an instant from Carmilla¡¯s Blood Lance. But the thing that caught Mia¡¯s eyes was the so-far translucent barrier that turned opaque as the Blood spell smashed into it. Cracks spread from the impact site, the whole of the magic starting to fracture before the shaman gave off a scream of rage and shouted something in a voice that made Mia¡¯s skin crawl. It was like pigs getting slaughtered and nails on a chalkboard mixed into one resonating in her skull. A dozen of the berserk boarlings dropped dead and the cracks on the barrier rapidly healed. Mia sent off a piercing Bolt at the magical barrier, but it was too late as it was already back to full power by the time she thought of doing so. Her spell made a cracking sound and made a small crack, but that was it. A single, fingernail sized crack. Holy shit. Carmilla¡¯s Blood spells are broken. The shaman wobbled, going down to one knee before it threw up globs of blood and something disgustingly dark Mia didn¡¯t want to ever smell. Its presence weakened to her Spirit Sense, turning from the level 10 powerhouse to what felt at best a level 6. ¡°Red, can you do that again?¡± Brent shouted, taking Mia¡¯s words out of her mouth. ¡°The bastard can¡¯t pull that stunt again by the looks of things.¡± ¡°I can only do that five more times today,¡± the vampiress said, stopping near the group for a moment to answer. ¡°Do we want to waste those here when we still have the Guardian to kill later on?¡± ¡°I might be able to break the barrier if you can get me close,¡± Mia shouted, her voice barely managing to make it through the sounds of thundering winds, shockwaves and the crashes of lightning bolts. Blast has disruptive qualities because it is a ¡®chaotic¡¯ arcane spell. My mana is in the chaotic state by default, so if I just force it into the barrier without using any spell ¡­ ¡°Okay,¡± Brent said, not doubting her words for a second before he shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of this chaff quickly before the shaman recovers or one of the others comes over!¡± That made everyone dial up their efforts and the few scores of remaining berserk boarling, the majority of them not even level 7 were slaughtered in short order. Making sure she didn¡¯t feel any of the other shamans or the last armoured boarling moving, Mia stepped up to the near-translucent barrier. It used some dark, broken magic unique to monsters, she was sure. It was wrong, a blight on the world she was going to purge with all due prejudice. Her mana vibrated at the thought and eagerly jumped at her command, faster, stronger than usual as she placed her hand on the wispy barrier and channelled her mana into it. She felt the magical energy surge out of her fingertips and burrow into the disgusting weave of the shield. Her hand felt like touching an anthill, but she endured it with barely a grimace and watched, no, felt the magic maintaining the barrier faltering. Mia suspected it would have taken minutes, if not hours to dispel a regular barrier of the same size. She would have had to feel out the weak spots in its weave and then channel her mana in through there to do any damage. The shamans were atrociously bad at magic by the looks of things though, and the whole barrier was filled with weak points. With her chaotic arcane mana rampaging through it, undoing the haphazard weave of it, the spell turned opaque and wobbled as the shaman behind it fell on its face. The disgusting monster writhed, letting out soundless screams as blood flowed from all of its orifices. Then the barrier broke, its structure becoming too unstable and disentangling from the inside out. The shaman only outlived its magic by a single heartbeat that it spent in absolute agony by the look in its eyes. Mia stumbled, her legs going weak as the mental rebound of using her magic in a way she¡¯d never done before smashed into her like a truck. Carmilla caught her, and the girl¡¯s comforting scent made Mia relax instantly. She took a deep breath, then felt around her reserves. I still have 30% of my mana. Shouldn¡¯t go below 5%, but that 25 should still be enough. [Base Will: 4 -> 5] [Main Mind: 11 -> 12] [Base Manifestation: 6 -> 7] [Main Spirit: 12 -> 13] Mia went boneless in Carmilla¡¯s arms, leaning her head back over the girl¡¯s shoulder as a wave of freezing coldness washed over her mind. Meanwhile, the second Main stat upgrade hit her spirit, making it grow denser while at the same time it expanded in size. Groaning as the strangely comforting brain freeze passed, Mia let out a sigh of relief. All of her mental and spiritual fatigue had been washed right away by the Main Mind and Spirit stats going up. Finally! I¡¯ve been wondering how much more I gotta abuse those two stats to have them go up again. Both had been so damned close to going up for a while now. She suspected her stunt with the double-barrel Blasts along with the barrier dispelling was what tipped both over the edge. Neither would have likely been enough by themselves. ¡°Thanks for catching me,¡± Mia murmured, looking up into a pair of worried ruby eyes. Helene came into view a moment later, looking over Mia with a stern expression. ¡°I¡¯m fine Mom, it¡¯s fine.¡± Saying so, Mia got back to her own feet with a slight smile. Her mind was clear again, clearer than ever, firmer and more robust too. Her spirit felt like it could handle more magical abuse too. ¡°What did you do?¡± Helene asked, turning Mia to face her as she looked her daughter up and down. ¡°Just got a bit of mental fatigue from pushing myself,¡± Mia said, shrugging. ¡°But my Mind stat just went up and wiped all that away. So I¡¯m feeling great.¡± That seemed to assuage their worries, and the group quickly went over to Brent who was crouched behind a rock outcropping and peeked at what the last three monsters were doing. As Carmilla snuck away with a last glance towards Mia, Lina leaned over to the young halvyr and whispered into her ears. ¡°Found yourself a princess charming, hmm?¡± Mia froze for a moment, then she flushed up to the tips of her ears as she sent a glare the giggling blonde¡¯s way. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re adorable,¡± Lina murmured, smiling softly at the petite girl glaring up at her. ¡°That surly vampire lucked out didn¡¯t she? Lucky me you don¡¯t like boys or you¡¯d leave only scraps to the rest of us.¡± Mia huffed, rolling her eyes as she turned away and made sure her back was facing the nosy Air mage. Out of the corner of her eyes, she thought she caught a smirk on her mother¡¯s face so she sent a glare that way too. ¡°COME QUICKLY!¡± Carmilla¡¯s shout snapped Mia out of it, and as Brent burst out from behind a rock the group quickly followed him. Out in the titanic cavern the two shamans chanted down on their knees, a viscous dark circle writhing on the ground between them and in its centre stood the last armoured Boarling. It floated in the air, hovering spreadeagle with those shadowy vines holding it up as their many thorns drank in its blood. Its mouth was open in a silent scream, eyes wide open and bleeding as the shamans¡¯ chant reached a crescendo with that same intonation as before that made Mia¡¯s skin crawl. With their final tortured shouts, the shamans dropped dead as the shadowy vines pulsed with power and sank into the suspended Boarling¡¯s flesh. Then its body started to change, flesh twisting, bones cracking as it grew like a blooming cancer. It screamed, its voice speaking of unimaginable pain that slowly turned into a mad laugh echoing through the ravine. Spells and magic smashed uselessly into the rapidly fading barrier around the twisted Ritual circle and even the two Blasts Mia sent at it couldn¡¯t break through in time. Neither could the two Blood Lances Carmilla sent at it. When the Boarling dropped from the air, it landed with a deep thud that kicked up the sand and cracked the sandstone beneath its feet. It stood at four metres tall, muscles still writhing and twitching across its body while its head was nothing more than a boar-like skull still clattering out a laugh. Well. Shit. 58 - Rift: Over Well. Shit. Mia thought, instinctively tightening her grip on her Spectral Blade as she aimed her wand at the monster. She suppressed the urge to vomit as her Spirit Sense felt the empowered presence of the creature, then she shouted. ¡°It¡¯s level 12. Be careful.¡± ¡°Get ready,¡± Brent said. ¡°The barrier is failing. Mark and me in front, give it your all. This fucker looks like trouble. Red, I¡¯m relying on you to kill it with your Lances if you see an opening.¡± The moment the barrier protecting it fully fell away, a slew of spells smashed into the monster and made it stagger. Mia¡¯s piercing Bolt was among them, but all it managed to accomplish was a small crevice running across its bare skull. Maybe if I hit the same spot four or five times ¡­ The combined power of Helene¡¯s Storm magic and Lina¡¯s condensed Air bursts kept the monster on the back foot, and even as it pushed forward with a growl, it was slowed. Carmilla took the opportunity to tear into its thighs and rip out a fistful of flesh with her claws. Brent and Mark just readied themselves. The swordsman¡¯s presence seemed to vibrate with power as he no doubt channeled his Ki at maximum power, while Mark seemed to swell in size as his armour sucked up the sandstone from the ground to strengthen itself with extra layers. The monster roared, its voice not really a sound and more like a wave of hate transmitting right into Mia¡¯s mind. She shuddered, then glared back at the twisted abomination, matching its loathing stare with one of her own. With a quick step to the right, she threw her Spectral Blade at the towering creature¡¯s right leg as Carmilla jumped away from the left. Her magical sword spun forward like a wheat and tore into the beast as Mia swung her arm up. As if its axis was connected to a long pole extending out from Mia¡¯s arm, the spinning Blade followed the movement and tore a bloody path through the monsters as it flew up. Clumps of writhing meat fell off its side, its blackened ribs revealed underneath as its right arm fell limp, half-detached at the shoulder. Mia swung her hand around, twisting the spinning blade to horizontal and sent it for a second run at the monster¡¯s neck. It¡¯s twisted, half-attached arm swung up and swatted the Blade to the side at the cost of anything below the wrist. Grimacing as she felt the spell coming close to breaking, she pulled the Spectral Blade back into her hand and went about repairing it and recharging its mana while the three mages leaned into their attacks around her. Carmilla switched over to sending arcs of blood at the monster, one after the other right at the wounded shoulder. The Water Blades fuelled by her collected monster blood were much less effective than her dedicated Blood spells, but the vampire didn¡¯t have to be so frugal with these so quantity made up for the lost quality. Lina and Helene on the other hand, kept the monster from approaching. Bursts of Air and thick flashes of lightning kept the monster constantly stumbling and fighting to keep its footing. Mia noticed that Mark wasn¡¯t just standing at the ready either as tendrils of Earth mana pushed and pulled at the sandstone under the monster¡¯s feet, making its efforts of keeping steady worthless. With the tenth Water Blade smashing into the same joint, the blackened bone gave way and the limp, battered arm fell on the ground. At the same time, a powerful burst of wind finally managed to spin the monster around and have it fall on its back with a thunderous thud that kicked up a cloud of dust. The two melee fighters rushed forwards and as if they¡¯d already discussed it, sent devastating overhead strikes at the monster¡¯s left knee. Brent¡¯s swings were quick and powerful, while Mark¡¯s were mostly empowered by his by-now ridiculously large mace. He must have advanced his Earth Manipulation again to move that damned boulder on a stick he calls a mace. What could he be at? Greater, or Major? Once Mia¡¯s Blade was properly recharged, she circled around the downed monster struggling to get up. It waved its one good hand about and tried to kick at the two melee fighters blindly, but the only kick that landed barely managed to make Mark stumble as he rooted the boots of his armour into the ground. Not wanting to accidentally hit one of her teammates, Mia instead changed her active spell ¡ª the spell circle she had active in her runic-model ¡ª into Blast and started sending them at the monster¡¯s exposed skull. They didn¡¯t break through, not the first three anyway, but she hoped it gave the monster enough of a concussion to keep it from landing any hits on her friends. Helene mimicked her, likewise having refrained from sending her Storm lightning at the monster with two very conductive people beating on it from that close. With her mother¡¯s spells joining in and Lina dropping Air hammer after hammer down on the creature, it was likely blinded and had its brain turned to mush by now. ¡°Stop for a bit, please,¡± Carmilla said, stopping behind Mia and Helene and as the two did so, the vampire pointed a finger at the monster. The intricate spell circle of Blood Lance sprung to life and the beam of crimson energy bore into the dazed monster¡¯s head. Its skull, cracked and battered after Mia and Helene¡¯s assault, split and shattered. The monster¡¯s gigantic body twitched, a wild kick blindsiding Brent and sending the man flying five meters before he smashed into the ravine¡¯s wall. ¡°Not fucking dead yet,¡± Mia said as everyone just watched the monster twitch without attacking, then sent a Blast right into its open skull. Why can¡¯t these damned things just die when their brains get aired out? She sent a worried glance Brent¡¯s way, his collapsed form laying still against the wall. Helene broke away from the assault and with a quick flap of her wings, rushed over to the downed man and quickly fed him a Greater Healing Elixir. Mia, distracted by the splatters of blood on the wall behind Brent, right where his head smashed into the sandstone, had to be tackled to the ground by Carmilla when something shot by where her head had been a moment ago. Mark grunted, stumbling as a force smashed into him and as Mia looked over, she saw a blackened rib piercing into his chest. For a moment, she stared in horror, but then the earthen giant grabbed the rib and tore it right out. Only the very tip of it was bloody, but the dwarf didn¡¯t seem to care as he stepped back to the monster and started beating on it with renewed vigor. Blackened bones, femurs, ribs, finger bones and whatever else there was flew through the air like they¡¯d been shot out of a cannon. Mia used the stored mana in her wand to throw up an Arcane Shield as quickly as she could and huddle down behind it while Carmilla just stood there and dodged them as best as she could. A few bones hit the vampiress, one even piercing her right through the eye. The redhead seemed unbothered even as she tore the ¡­ blackened finger out of her eye-socket. She healed, and she healed quickly. Thank fuck I gave her my blood every day. What if her lifeforce ran out right before that thing hit her? Mia herself only caught a single piece of what she thought was a shinbone across her hip, but her ring¡¯s emergency healing function activated the moment after and stitched her flesh back together. Still, tears streamed down her cheeks as she grit her teeth from the abominable pain. After what felt like an eternity, Mia felt the monster¡¯s presence dim and finally sputter out. She took a deep breath, tasting bile in her throat and getting a lungful of stink from the rotting blood and intestines now revealed to the world in the gory pile that had once been the monster. ¡°It¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lina asked, and Mia only then noticed that the blonde had her back pressed up against Mia¡¯s as she used the smaller pink-haired girl as a meat shield. Mia would have been angry had she not known that was likely the best course of action. Mia had a magical Shield protecting her after all. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s not going to explode in our faces?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said. ¡°Very sure. Its presence is gone.¡± With that said, her wand¡¯s mana stores ran out and her Shield dissipated. Then she ran over to her mother, who still had arcs of lightning covering her and Brent¡¯s still form in a dome. ¡°Mom!¡± Mia shouted, trying to make herself heard over the zaps and buzzes of the electric dome. ¡°It¡¯s dead! You can turn the magic off, how is Brent?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Carmilla came over too, staring at the dome while Mia could still hear the crashes and thuds of Mark¡¯s mace cracking bone and splattering bloody gore all across the place. It seemed he took getting hit badly and was going to pulverise the monster in return. Mia briefly thought about stopping him to make sure the monster¡¯s core remained intact, but dismissed the idea a moment later. She really didn¡¯t care about cores at the moment. She took a deep breath again, inflating her lungs before she shouted on the top of her lungs. ¡°MOM!¡± That finally got a result, and the dome faded away. Helene looked up at her, huddled down in a ball. Behind her, Brent slowly blinked up at them. His eyes were lost, distant, as if he was wasted from a week of straight drinking. ¡°How is he?¡± Mia repeated her question, glancing worriedly between her mother and Brent for any injuries or signs of pointy bones that should be inside of them poking out of their bodies. She found nothing, much to her immense relief. ¡°Alive,¡± Helene said, shaking her head as if to get out of a fugue. She glanced over at the brown-haired man. ¡°I don¡¯t know how well he is. I fed him one of the Greater Elixirs ¡­ but I think he¡¯d cracked his skull and scrambled his brain pretty badly when he smashed against the wall.¡± ¡°A Greater Healing Elixir should be able to heal that,¡± Mia said, trying to recall the exact wording of the description. ¡°Maybe it just takes a bit of time?¡± Mia jumped up suddenly, whirling around to stare into the depths of the torch-lit cavern. Her Spirit Sense was going haywire as she saw another grey archway rise from the ground in the darkness. The air filled with wrongness became ever so slightly dimmer and the world went still around them. ¡°I guess that means the big fucker was the boss?¡± Mia said, uncertainty clear in her voice as she looked between Lina and Carmilla for answers. ¡°Guardian, whatnot? Right? Tell me we won¡¯t have to fight something even nastier after that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Lina said, squinting at the distant archway before recognition bloomed across her features. ¡°That¡¯s the entrance to the Core Room, it has to be! We finished the Rift!¡± ¡°So no more monsters?¡± Mia asked, looking around as she scrubbed everything within range with her Spirit Sense. She found nothing, every monster close enough for her to sense them was dead. ¡°No more monsters,¡± Lina nodded, grin flashing across her face as she bounced on her feet excitedly. Then her gaze landed on Brent and a very disapproving Helene. After that she grimaced, shame blossoming on her face. ¡°I think we should haul him out of here,¡± Mia broke the sombre silence, staring into Brent¡¯s empty eyes. There was nothing there, no thoughts, no emotions, just ¡­ nothing. It made Mia shudder a little. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Rift¡¯ll do now that we supposedly finished it if we don¡¯t leave. I say we go into that Core room, smash the Core and claim the rewards before going back home.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to carry him,¡± Helene said, glancing over at Brent. ¡°Carmilla and Mark can handle that,¡± Mia said, glancing over at the redhead and the very satisfied looking dwarf strutting over. He shed his magical armour, leaving it behind like a crab¡¯s shell. ¡°Right?¡± Carmilla nodded, with Mark also nodding. His satisfied look melted away, giving way to worry as he noticed Brent¡¯s state. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Mark asked. ¡°He¡¯s possibly comatose from getting smashed against the wall,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Or something of the sorts. I think the Elixir and a long sleep will take care of it. Let¡¯s hope his Mind was above 10 and is strong enough to survive him loosing his brain for a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a thing?¡± Helene asked in surprise. ¡°Surviving loosing your brain?¡± Carmilla asked, then shrugged. ¡°Sure. Our Minds aren¡¯t just neurons firing in our brains anymore. If we get to Rank 5, we¡¯ll be able to survive having our bodies entirely obliterated for a short while before our Minds and Souls loose their connection and we die for real.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia said, shaking her head a little to get back to the present. She knew if she started daydreaming now, nothing would get done. ¡°Carmilla, can you and Mark grab him? I don¡¯t think we want to be buried in monster guts for the next two days to get every single monster core here, so let¡¯s just claim our rewards and smash the Rift Core. I think this was enough Rift diving for the day.¡± After a round of nods and acknowledgements, the group carefully made their way over to the new archway. Feeling nothing amiss, and nothing immediately dangerous with her Spirit Sense, Mia and Mark stepped through first. The dwarf, back in his golem-like armour, was first through the portal and as Mia came through, she saw him standing in front of her with his large shield held at the ready. ¡°Seems safe,¡± Mark said, his voice muffled through his armour. ¡°Fucking weird though.¡± Mia nodded, looking around at the pure white cube they found themselves inside. She peeked out from behind Mark¡¯s shield and saw a pulsating sphere on the far wall, crackling with the same repulsive energy monsters had. It was intense, the most powerful and concentrated presence Mia¡¯d felt in her life, but it also felt ¡­ detached. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. Its presence was writhing, compressed down inside the sphere. It was trapped, locked inside that spherical prison and wasn¡¯t left to do as it wished. Once the rest of the group stepped through, Mia slowly walked up to the sphere, twitching at every little sound like a startled rabbit. Once she was there, with the sphere ¡ª the Rift Core ¡ª within arm¡¯s reach, she reached out with trembling fingers and touched it. A new System window popped up in her face. *** [Congratulations! You have Cleared this Rift: ¡®Boarling Settlement¡¯] [Rewards will be generated shortly for any delvers who¡¯ve contributed!] [Hidden Quest: First Rift Clear!] has been Completed! Objective: Rewards: Doubled rewards for Clearing the Rift. *** Mia stood frozen for a moment, just reading through the notifications. Maybe that was why the next window popped up, a few seconds after the Hidden Quest¡¯s completion notification swam by her vision. *** [Do you wish to Destroy this Rift: ¡®Boarling Settlement¡¯ - level 12] [WARNING! This decision is final and will have permanent consequences: The Destruction of this Rift!] [{Newcomer}¡¯s Tip: Destroying a Rift generally increases the rewards by 400% at the very least, but in turn, it makes it impossible to gain those rewards again, since the Rift will be gone.] [ Yes / No ] *** ¡°Okay, if anyone¡¯s not okay with me destroying this Rift, speak up now?¡± Mia said, looking over her shoulder back at the others. ¡°We could leave it here and delve it again once Brent gets better. It¡¯ll be much safer now that we know what to expect.¡± ¡°Destroy,¡± Lina said, raising a hand into the air. ¡°We have a fuck ton of other Rifts to delve, plus, this one gave me the creeps.¡± ¡°Right you are, sister,¡± Mark gave an approving nod and raised his large clay hand. Carmilla just silently raised her hand, only shrugging as Mia raised an eyebrow at her. With Helene being the last, she too just raised her hand. ¡°Not for those reasons, but I agree too. This place is far too dangerous to let fester and grow. There has to be easier Rifts out there.¡± With that decided, Mia mentally tapped ¡®Yes¡¯. *** [Rift¡¯s Destruction has been initiated! Process will commence once all delvers have left the rift or after 2 standard ¡®Earth¡¯ hours.] [Generating Rift Rewards ¡­ ] [Reward quality increased for being the first ever delvers to Clear this Rift] [Reward quantity increased by 500% for initiating the Destruction of this Rift!] [Rewards doubled by ¡®Hidden Quest: First Rift Clear¡¯] [Rewards Generated for User Maria Vexley: *** Mia stared, slack jawed, at the list of rewards that was only getting better and better the further she read. On the walls in the white cube they were in, shelves appeared with nameplates above them and the promised rewards appeared with the usual lack of flare Mia¡¯d came to expect from the System. Well, she might have jumped back a bit at first, expecting for it to drop the books on her head. Again. That wasn¡¯t even the end of it, though. There was one other notification popping up once she waved away the ones associated with the Rift. *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (12)] is Complete! Objective: Reward: A System generated defensive artifact (Amulet of Lesser Warding). Claim reward now? Yes / No *** Mia couldn¡¯t stop grinning as she scooped up her haul of books and locked the new amulet¡¯s necklace around her neck. Not as the new archway rose up and they stepped through, not as it shattered the moment the last of them was back out of the rift and not when the ambient energies went back to a tranquil state. She kept smiling until they arrived back home, even as Mark and Lina kept poking fun at her. Then she threw herself into her books, she had so much to read and study. 59 - Out of the Frying Pan ... Zeigler took in a deep breath, then grabbed his mug filled with hot white chocolate. It was a rare indulgence for him, ever since he¡¯d found out he had a high chance of diabetes down the line, but he needed it to stay calm at the moment. He sat with his fingers steepled on his desk as he stared at the bulky radio unit and the prehistoric phone on its side. It rang, and with a soulful sigh, he grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. ¡°Colonel Lars Zeigler,¡± he said into it, his voice toneless and neutral in a way that spoke of decades of practice. ¡°What can I help you with, Sir?¡± ¡°Zeigler,¡± Brigadier General Eisenfaust¡¯s voice crackled over the radio. It was the voice of a man that clearly loved to hear himself talk, but forced himself to maintain some faux professionalism when speaking with other officers. ¡°I need two other platoons. Our line is getting pushed back. I want it by tomorrow at the latest.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir,¡± Zeigler said, only his iron will keeping him from gritting his teeth. That will be the fifth platoon of his that the moron threw into the meat grinder. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid any more than that will spread us much too thin, the beastkin have begun their raids anew with renewed vigour. I fear we¡¯ll lose our provisions if we leave them with any less protection than it has at the moment.¡± ¡°Just bomb the damned insurgent animals,¡± Eisenfaust said coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve left you enough heavy artillery for that, have I not? I need men for urban warfare with these wretches, but you can handle your own problem from afar. I won¡¯t hear of this again. Handle them, Colonel, or I¡¯ll have someone else do it in your stead.¡± Zeigler closed his eyes, took a quick breath and considered for a moment how it¡¯d feel to strangle the man on the other side of the radio. ¡°Understood, Sir,¡± Zeigler said, his voice cold and stoic. I¡¯ll give him the problematic platoons he hoisted on me. Maybe the green monsters will finally gut him with those morons protecting him. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Zeigler would have dearly loved to take Eisenfaust up on his offer and blow those blasted beastkin that kept gutting his soldiers to kingdom come. Alas, that hill was damned huge, and the mansion that werebear spoke of was emptier than Eisenfaust¡¯s head. He couldn¡¯t burn down an entire hill. Not if he didn¡¯t want the fires to spread through the city. ¡°Good,¡± Eisenfaust said with evident self satisfaction. Probably thinking that all of this debacle would have been over and done with if all of his subordinates were as competent as he was. Right. It would. We¡¯d all be fucking dead if that were the case. ¡°You have it easy, only having to blast those animals hiding in the trees. I have monsters to deal with ¡­ and that wretched thing holed up in his fortress.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Zeigler asked, eyebrow rising at the hatred seeping into the general¡¯s voice. ¡°Whatever,¡± Eisenfaust said, likely to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that insurgent once the goblins are dealt with. You have your orders Zeigler. Eisenfaust, out.¡± Zeigler slowly put the phone back down and massaged his head. Things were going sideways real quick, and he was starting to suspect he was going to have to send for reinforcements soon. Eisenfaust is going to either lose horribly soon, or when the next round of Rift Breaks comes around in a few weeks. We¡¯re so fucked. Then there was that other group of insurgents the general mentioned. Though, with how that man was, that might have referred to an angry citizen telling him to sit on a cactus. ¡°Kelvin,¡± Zeigler called out. ¡°Do we know of any group of survivors holed up in a fortress around where the General is fighting?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± his aide answered, pulling out a small report from the middle of a pile. ¡°Here.¡± Zeigler grabbed it and leaned back to read it, his mug of hot chocolate back to his lips. ¡°¡®The Devil¡¯ aka Sgt. Jefferson Addler,¡± Zeigler read, snorting at the moniker. Then he saw the picture and his mirth died down. Those cold, dead eyes were something he¡¯d seen on many soldiers who¡¯d been forced to go through something no human could come out of entirely whole and sane. Dishonourably discharged, showed symptoms of clinical sociopathy and severe PTSD. Gross insubordination, volatile, refused any kinds of treatment. Dishonourably discharged after being court-martialed for breaking the jaw of his commanding officer. ¡°What the fuck,¡± Zeigler said, then his gaze landed on the final bit of attached report. ¡°Fortified an entire apartment block by magical means and turned it self sufficient. The entire building is entirely impervious to even heavy artillery. Suspected of holding hostage upwards of 200 people.¡± ¡°If I might add, Sir.¡± Kelvin said while Zeigler stared at the attached picture of the apartment building in question. ¡°The report had been written by the General¡¯s men. It is highly likely that those ¡®suspected hostages¡¯ are remaining inside entirely out of their own volition.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Zeigler said, then shook his head. He put down the report. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. They are turtling up and staying safe. If all goes to shit, they might be the last survivors of Graz in that fortress. They didn¡¯t even attack anyone according to this, what got Eisenfaust¡¯s panties in a twist about them?¡± ¡°The ¡®Devil¡¯ supposedly told the General that if he wanted to requisition their food, he had to come in and take it.¡± Zeigler suppressed a smirk. ¡°Which the General attempted, and failed at five times to date.¡± Zeigler snorted. ¡°Well, fuck him. Also, send Herman¡¯s platoon over to the General along with the other problematic lot. If I have to lose more soldiers, at least let them be the useless ones.¡± ¡°Sir,¡± Kelvin said after a moment, touching the earbuds in his ears. ¡°Our scouts found the group that broke through the barricade. Your orders?¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± Zeigler asked, a thoughtful look coming over his face. ¡°Out in the woods, half an hour to the northeast,¡± Kelvin answered. ¡°They are building what looks to be a permanent camp.¡± ¡°Leave them,¡± Zeigler said. ¡°They didn¡¯t kill any of our soldiers, I don¡¯t even want a report of them being found. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Kelvin said. ¡°Should I have the scouts keep an eye on them?¡± ¡°Leave only one,¡± Zeigler said, rubbing his beard. ¡°Still no sign of little Maria¡¯s group?¡± ¡°No Sir, not since our trackers lost them in the forest.¡± ¡°A monster attacked them again?¡± Zeigler asked. ¡°Any casualties?¡± ¡°It was a ¡­ hamster,¡± Kelvin said, having grabbed the report associated with the mission. ¡°A hamster attacked and mauled Private Fergus. He is in the ER, but he¡¯ll live. Lost an eye though.¡± ¡°To a fucking hamster?¡± Zeigler asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°From a ¡®fucking hamster¡¯, yes, Sir.¡± Zeigler downed his hot chocolate. Hell, he was trying really damned hard to adapt, but ¡­ a hamster? Really? I should have added whiskey to that chocolate. *** Mia sat under the old willow tree, the early rays of the waking sun warming her face as she went over the spell circle in her runic-model for the twenty-fifth time. Yes, she was counting them. No, she wasn¡¯t exaggerating. On her lap, ¡®Archmage Leondrus¡¯ Guide to Runic Theory¡¯ was wide open. She reached up for one of the markers, flipped over to the page and read the section again. *** ¡®Symmetry is what differentiates adequate spell circles from great ones. Though, even adequate circles have to have some middling symmetry to them if the mage doesn¡¯t want them to blow up in their faces.¡¯ ¡®Be it central point symmetry or mirror symmetry, one must always think about which runes will have metaphysical links to other runes in the circle through symmetry.¡¯ ¡®One of the big Don¡¯t-s of symmetry is to never place the mana battery and an explosive function across from each other.¡¯ *** Everything had to be symmetric, the runic weights had to be good, the flow of mana had to be fluid and the different functions and compartments of the circle had to activate in the right order.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Mia was still having a headache just trying to think about all the rules and laws of spell craft. It didn''t help that the book she had was for Junior Mages, since one of the prerequisites to be named as such was to be Rank 1 with a Tier 2 ¡®Mage¡¯ Class. Still, if Mark was right the book in her lap was invaluable. ¡°One of the fundamental tenets of the System is that ¡®Knowledge is Power¡¯,¡± the dwarf had said. ¡°If I''m right, then the System treats Knowledge and Power as having equal value. Meaning, if your Tier 2 Class doesn¡¯t have to teach you the knowledge in that book, it¡¯ll give you more Power instead!¡± Mia returned to the now and squinted at the spell circle. It was tiny, only using 8 runes just like Arcane Bolt. She¡¯d been learning, reading, revising, scrubbing and remaking the damned thing over and over for the last five hours. This was her prototype, the first test, the first ever spell circle that she didn¡¯t learn from a book or was given by the System, but made herself. Grabbing her wand, she glanced at Carmilla splayed out on her back a few metres over and Lina beyond her playing with a pair of small cyclones. ¡°I¡¯m going to do it,¡± Mia said, catching both of their attention as she pulled out a Greater Healing Elixir from her fanny pack slung over her shoulder. ¡°If I start bleeding out of my eyes, please feed me that.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lina said, sitting up to face Mia. Carmilla likewise nodded and scuttled over to grab the healing concoction. Mia took a deep sigh, then flicked her wand and cast the spell. The circle formed, and not even her scrutinising gaze found anything wrong with it. The wand didn¡¯t shatter, her fingers didn¡¯t burst apart, and she didn¡¯t feel like she was having a stroke. She carefully tilted her wand over to see its tip. There was a finger-length nail made out of pink arcane energy extending out from it. Grinning, Mia turned and experimentally poked the poor willow tree with her spiked wand. It sank in a few centimetres, going through the bark, but it stalled there and with Mia not wanting to force it and break her wand, she relented and dismissed the spell. Which was when the nail, half lodged into the trunk burst apart and sent arcs of destructive arcane energy jumping all over Mia¡¯s lower arm. Shrieking, Mia let go of her focus and scampered away on all fours. She glanced down at her arm, seeing lines of scorched skin up to her elbows, pink and raw, but that was it. She activated her healing ring, and the injuries went away quickly. Gingerly picking up her wand, she examined it for any cracks, but thankfully it was made of sterner stuff than her arm and survived the debacle with just getting dunked in mud. ¡°You alright?¡± Lina asked, peeking over her shoulder to look down at Mia¡¯s arm. ¡°That wasn¡¯t supposed to explode, was it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said, pouting a bit. ¡°It was not.¡± Carmilla just gave her an examining look, making sure she was alright before nodding and throwing the Elixir back to Mia who scrambled to catch it. Why did it explode? Mia wondered, diving right back into the book with a severe frown. The circle didn''t even have a single explosive rune, nothing at all. Just a mana battery and a shaping function that maintained the nail form. Must be something with symmetry. Mia went over every rune, checking neighbouring runes for conflicting types and such and compared every rune to the one they had mirroring them diagonally on the opposite end of the circle. Only after wasting the next hour by doing so, did she stumble across the answer in not even the initial book, but in her Conjuration Runic Lexicon. In the description of the Spectral Blade spell to be specific. *** ¡®This small set of runes forcefully stabilises Grey grade chaotic arcane mana. This is a must for any spells intended for use by Arcane Mages not yet capable of manually pacifying their mana.¡¯ *** ¡°Shit,¡± Mia mumbled, then slammed her head against the tree behind her. ¡°Owwww.¡± ¡°Mia?¡± Carmilla looked over, a butterfly of all things resting on her index finger as she laid in the grass. ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia grimaced, rubbing the back of her head. ¡°I just realised what the problem was and am feeling mighty stupid. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± So this wasn¡¯t mentioned in Leondrus¡¯ book because these functions and problems are unique to Arcane spell craft? Mia wanted to bash the Archmage over the head with his stupid book for not covering that bit. Wish we still had the internet. There would have been forums about spell craft in the first week, wikis with runes and books by the second and Indian guys making step-by-step tutorials about assembling spell circles by ¡­ the first hour? Mia shook her head a little, then jumped to her feet. She¡¯d spent the last six hours out here learning and brainstorming, her bones were creaking and she was starving. ¡°I¡¯m getting something to bite.¡± With nods from the two girls, Mia headed in to raid the freshly dug-up fridge for something edible. Mia glared at the ajar door of the house as she stepped inside, a flare of anger washing over her before vindictive amusement overpowered it. Dumb cunts. Broke in but didn¡¯t expect the fridge to be buried, did you? She thumbed the amulet hanging around her neck, a bout of anxiety surging through her, but she calmed herself. The Amulet would protect her from an ambush even if the beastkin raiders came back later. *** [{Newcomer} Title¡¯s effect triggered] [Generating Description ¡­ ] [Amulet of Lesser Warding (Common/White): Making use of an intricate enchantment woven into the crystalline structure of this amulet, it reacts to attacks with lethal force heading towards the wearer by deploying a Lesser Ward.] *** Opening up the still dirty fridge, Mia grabbed some flatbreads Helene had made over a fire not long ago and a bit of butter and garlic. Humming, she made herself the apocalypse version of a garlic bread by rubbing the clove of garlic across the slice and then spreading butter over it. Mia thought for a moment about the next Quest they had to complete ¡­ once Brent was back on his feet. *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (13)] Objective: Reward: A Natural Treasure that grants +1 Attribute to all 9 Sub-Attributes. *** Annoying. I¡¯ll have to work out a bunch or something. Perhaps I¡¯ll get another one of those Unleashed Potential Potions this week from the Realm Event. As she munched on that snack, her thoughts curved back around to the spell circle and ideas about fixing its explosive defect. Should she add the entire function from Spectral Blade? Copy-paste it all in? But that was likely a huge overkill for such a tiny nail. Plus, it¡¯d be an absolute pain since adding in five new runes would throw off every balance, symmetry and mana flow she¡¯d worked out so far. Her head was aching just thinking about it and she felt absolutely dumb for not knowing the answer to a question seemingly this simple. This is just like programming, just in a graphic language. What a pain. Still, she couldn¡¯t stop the cogs in her head from turning. She knew, she just knew that she could solve this problem and that when she did, she was going to feel even dumber for having taken so long. But the payoff, that catharsis when everything snapped together at the end ¡­ that was addicting and the only reason Mia¡¯d suffered through years upon years of learning how to code properly. The stairs creaking under her mother¡¯s feet caught her attention. ¡°Hi, Mom,¡± Mia said, glancing over at the older woman. ¡°Is he getting better?¡± Helene had taken upon herself to care for Brent while the man recovered, which included feeding him and keeping him from falling off his bed among other things Mia was very happy she didn¡¯t have to do. ¡°Better,¡± Helene smiled wearily. ¡°He¡¯s starting to speak again, not too coherently yet, but I can see the progress.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Mia nodded in relief, then pointed at one of the remaining slices of makeshift garlic bread she¡¯d made. ¡°Want one?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Helene said, practically gliding through the air to perch atop the chair across from Mia. Brent ¡­ Mia didn¡¯t like to think too much about his situation. He¡¯d saved her life more times than she¡¯d bothered to count, and he was one of the strongest members of their group. Yet, he¡¯d almost died. Hell, he probably would have if he didn¡¯t have his Ki and his high Body stats. Mia wanted to help him, but she could do nothing. He¡¯d drunk an Elixir and Zeigler¡¯s best healer ¡ª a man who¡¯d been a doctor and got some minor Light healing ¡ª had looked him over. The man said Brent was hopeless and practically braindead by the looks of things, then the supposedly braindead man told him to ¡°fuck off¡± before falling back into a coma. That scared the shit out of the healer and if Mia¡¯s nose had been right, he¡¯d pissed himself right then and there. All they could do was to wait and pray for his recovery. ¡°Do you think we should feed him another Elixir?¡± Mia asked, thumbing the vial she¡¯d taken out in case the backlash from her experiment somehow blew right through her wand and into her hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind giving mine-¡° ¡°He¡¯s recovering, dear,¡± Helene interrupted, gently patting Mia¡¯s hand over the counter. ¡°You save that Elixir in case you need it, alright? Brent still has three Greater ones in his own pack.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mia mumbled, putting the vial back into her pack. Carmilla ambled in not long after, looking around before she awkwardly walked over to the mother-daughter duo and sat down in the chair next to Mia. ¡°Food?¡± Mia asked, gesturing at the flatbreads again as she tilted her head. ¡°Yes please.¡± The redhead nodded eagerly, but with her face neutral as a statue. Mia went to raise and make another slice of something edible, but Helen gestured for her to stay down as she herself stood up. ¡°You just eat, dear,¡± Helene said over her shoulder as she opened the fridge, letting out a thoughtful sound. ¡°We have some smoked ham and cheese, will that do for you Carmilla?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the vampire said, staring at Helene like she was some mythical beast that jumped right out of a fairy tale. Well, she¡¯s a Pegasus so I guess that fits. Mia thought, looking on in amusement as Carmilla in turn watched Helene assemble a simple ham and cheese sandwich from another flatbread. ¡°Here,¡± Helene handed over a plate to the vampire with a smile. When she took it, Helene nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go ask Lina whether she wants something.¡± As the woman glided out of the room and the door closed behind her, Carmilla stared after her and then down at the sandwich on her plate. She looked up at Mia, an indescribable, but mostly confused look in her eyes as she murmured. ¡°Is that what mothers are supposed to be like, or is she just special?¡± 60 - Talking, very serious. Mia opened her mouth to answer, but found her voice failing her for a moment at those hopeful ruby eyes. Looking into them, Mia knew the girl was hoping for a negative answer. She wanted Mia to tell her that no, a mother making a sandwich to her daughter and her friend was not normal and Helene was just weird. A one-in-a-million miracle. ¡°She is ¡­,¡± Mia started, chewing on her words. ¡°Doing her best. That¡¯s what all mothers do, and in turn I try my best for her.¡± Mia could practically see hope wilting in the vampire¡¯s eyes, a small part of her dying at that very moment. Carmilla cast her eyes down, staring at the sandwich with a listless look. She looked pitiful, and from what Mia knew of the girl, she could guess what was going through her head. Unable to stay still, Mia stood up and wrapped the vampire up in a hug. It maybe wasn¡¯t the best move, but it was the one that came to Mia at the moment. She just wanted to hug that sad vampire until she stopped being sad. It was childish and not entirely how things like that worked, despite that she felt Carmilla relaxing a bit. When the vampiress placed a warm hand on Mia¡¯s wrapped around her waist, the smaller girl sniffled. How could anyone be so horrible of a mother that she¡¯d ask a question like that? Mia knew, intellectually, that there were neglectful and even abusive parents out there. Hell, she had a father out there buying cigarettes for the last decade, but she somehow couldn¡¯t conceptualise a mother doing the same. After all, Helene had been there for her always and forever. To Mia, mothers were who never betrayed you and you could always count on. What did Carmilla¡¯s parents do though? They left her to die alone in a hospital, suffering through late stage cancer without anyone to rely on. Mia could hardly imagine in how many ways and how deeply that would break a young girl. So she squeezed that girl, trying to convey that she wasn¡¯t going anywhere. It probably didn¡¯t work, thinking stuff at people usually wasn¡¯t the best way to communicate. People usually used words for that, but Mia didn¡¯t feel like her voice would allow for ¡®words¡¯ at the moment, so she just hugged Carmilla tighter. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really,¡± Carmilla murmured, her thumb rubbing the back of Mia¡¯s interlocked hands. Her voice was barely a whisper, like she wasn¡¯t even talking to Mia, but trying to convince herself. ¡°I¡¯m not some fragile vase to break from a little ¡­ disappointment. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Mia just closed her eyes, her cheek placed on the vampiress¡¯ back as she tried to get her rampaging pity and anger under control. A part of her wanted to track down this pitiful girl¡¯s ¡®parents¡¯ and beat them until they couldn¡¯t even think straight while another just wanted to wrap the vampire up in bubble wrap and pamper her until she forgot all about everything bad that''s ever happened to her. Taking a soft, trembling breath, Mia shifted the hug into a half hug as she slid back up into the chair next to Carmilla and laid her head over the taller girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ sorry you had to grow up like that,¡± Mia managed to force out, wincing as the words left her mouth. Was that insensitive? It probably was, wasn¡¯t it? Come on, Mia. Words. ¡°Shit, I barely even had the mental capacity to process all the messed up shit in your story back when you told it to me. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carmilla said softly, now much more sincerely as she laid her hand across Mia¡¯s which came around her waist. ¡°It¡¯s behind me now. They all are. New world, new me ¡­ and all that.¡± ¡°I hope a goblin ate them,¡± Mia said sourly before stiffening, realising what exactly her rebellious mouth had said. Well, it spoke her thoughts, but the large majority of those was not supposed to be spoken aloud. Carmilla¡¯s snort, which transformed into a melodious giggle, relaxed her nerves instantly though. Have I ever heard her laugh before? Mia wondered, a smile subconsciously spreading on her lips at the sound. It made her feel all warm and fluttery inside. ¡°You are a riot,¡± Carmilla said, mirth still clear in her voice. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s hope for that.¡± ¡°I, uhm,¡± Mia opened her mouth again, drawing a still amused, but questioning glance from the vampiress. ¡°I just, uhhhhh, I want you to know that I won¡¯t leave you, not if you don¡¯t want me to. I promise.¡± Carmilla stared at her, a complicated look spreading on her features. ¡°You can eat me if I break that promise,¡± Mia said, raising her chin in a way that showed off her neck. She flushed crimson to the tips of her ears as she finished, the unintentional innuendo somehow managing to sideline even herself. Carmilla¡¯s mouth closed and opened, her fangs extending for a moment as her pupils dilated. She snapped her mouth shut and closed her eyes, then let out a soft breath. At least the innuendo flew right over her dense head. Mia thought, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart. ¡°Alright,¡± Carmilla murmured, a hand over her eyes. ¡°Sure. A promise. Alright.¡± Mia beamed at her. Progress. Hurray for the power of Words! Even if Carmilla might not be entirely believing Mia¡¯s promise, it was a good start. The redhead had shown that she had Mia¡¯s back time and again so far and Mia hoped she¡¯d shown something similar in turn. Mia had tried to be dependable, was still trying and was hoping she was succeeding at it. These people, Mark, Lina, Carmilla, Brent and her mother were depending on her. They¡¯d placed their lives in her hand in fights, and trusted her to have their backs. The responsibility was both stifling and invigorating. A part of her wanted to throw it all off and hide in a hole somewhere, but another was thrilled to be so ¡­ useful. No, not the right word. Dependable, yes, that. That was better. All her efforts and struggles to get out there and fight to get stronger felt rewarded just by the fact that no one questioned her abilities and that even people like Brent and Carmilla trusted her to have their backs. She knew Mark and Helene would stay with her in the future, while the other three were likely a wrong day away from leaving, but it seemed Carmilla was well on her way to becoming a permanent addition to Mia¡¯s life. Part of that was likely because of her blood, probably, but by the soft touch on her hand and the relaxed breathing she heard, Mia was sure that other part was growing too. Hopefully. The door creaked open and Mia jumped, almost falling right off of her chair in a panic. ¡°Calm down honey,¡± Helene said with a smirk in her voice as she stepped inside. ¡°It¡¯s just me, but don¡¯t you two worry, I¡¯m going to check up on Brent and stop bothering you. See you later.¡± With that, the woman disappeared up the stairs after grabbing another slice of bread. ¡°So,¡± Carmilla spoke up, breaking the extremely awkward silence that followed. ¡°How is your spell-crafting going?¡± ¡°Pretty well,¡± Mia said, perking up and latching onto the question like a woman drowning at sea would to a raft. ¡°All things considered. I mean, I technically made a working spell circle in only six hours so that¡¯s good, but then it sort of blew up in my face so maybe it¡¯s not going that well, but, uhm, it¡¯s still good.¡± ¡°Any idea why it blew up?¡± Carmilla asked, interest seeping into her voice. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia nodded. ¡°I was using my unfiltered chaos aspected arcane mana to fuel it. I just need to incorporate a converter function that turns it into order aspected static mana.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what half of those words mean,¡± the vampire said with a smirk, leaning back in her chair as she took a small nibble out of her sandwich. Mia watched her savour it for a moment. Cute. ¡°Which ones?¡± Mia asked, tilting her head curiously. ¡°Aspected, function, filtered, converter¡± Carmilla listed. ¡°I mean, I have some spell crafting knowledge and runic theory in my head from my bloodline memories, but ¡­ well, those are from my Progenitor and he recorded everything solely in Akkadian. I¡¯m unfamiliar with the more specialised terms.¡± ¡°Well, half of them are just programming terms that sort of fit,¡± Mia said, shrugging. ¡°I mean, most spell circles I¡¯ve seen are compartmentalised, separated into different parts that each do their own thing. Like, the mana battery is one part, the shaping compartment is another and then the kinetic compartment that applies the force vector to the projectile is the third part. I call those different parts ¡®functions¡¯, like in programming.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Carmilla nodded, tapping her chin thoughtfully as Mia felt a flare of mana from the girl¡¯s chest. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right, and the other three?¡± ¡°Well, those are mostly unique to Arcane magic,¡± Mia said, sending a drop of mana to burst out of her index finger. It sparkled, sending tiny pink arcs of angry energy around itself before it fizzled out. ¡°Arcane mana has two states, chaotic and stable. Mine is locked in on chaotic until I get a high enough Spirit to suppress it and flip it around to stable, or static, or whatever else you want to call it. Chaos and Order aspected isn¡¯t ¡­ really an apt description, since it really isn¡¯t but it sort of fits so I used the word.¡± Mia stopped for a moment, waiting for any questions, but when Carmilla just stared at her questioningly, she continued with a slight blush. ¡°Anyway, what the converter function does is that it changes my chaotic mana into this stable state. I was missing that converter in my spell, so it blew up at the end when the leftover mana was let loose the moment the spell construct dissipated. At least that¡¯s what I think happened, I didn¡¯t have enough time to make a new prototype spell circle to test it yet ¡­ wait, I just noticed, but why the hell would your progenitor who is off gallivanting in another Realm speak Akkadian of all things?¡± Akkadian was an ancient language spoken in Mesopotamia as far as Mia knew, and she was pretty sure her memory was correct. It was born in the Akkadian Empire, the first ever empire in known history at around 3000 BC and only died out in the 8th century BC when Old Aramaic took over as the common language of the Assyrians and Babylonians. Mia knew this. She was a history nut after all and loved old middle-eastern stuff. ¡°Well,¡± Carmilla said, scratching her cheek uncomfortably as she drew out each syllable. ¡°I can only make guesses, since my own earliest ancestor only arrived on earth in the fifth century BC and in Rome, so don¡¯t take my word for it, but ¡­ well, Akkadian is the common tongue of all vampires in the Mystic Realm. So ¡­ ¡° ¡°Can¡¯t it be just two languages with the same name?¡± Mia asked. ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°I checked.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said, blinking as the two girls stared at each other. She gave a shrug. ¡°Well, cool. Vampires founded the Akkadian Empire and not the aliens, that¡¯s one conspiracy theory debunked I guess.¡± ¡°Well, depends on whether you count unliving immortals from another universe as aliens or not.¡± Carmilla snickered. ¡°Technically, we are both descended from aliens, aren¡¯t we? You even more so than me.¡± ¡°Hmmm, how so?¡± Mia asked, her lips quirking up in amusement. ¡°You mentioned that the origin of your bloodline is the Great Spirit King Anachreon, right?¡± Carmilla asked, leaning onto the table with an elbow as she gazed at Mia. ¡°You know he comes from the deepest parts of the Astral Sea, a place where everything exists at once and even time and place loose meaning. There is no creature more alien than him and his kind in the Six Realms. Well, aside from the Constellations maybe.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is,¡± Mia mumbled, narrowing her eyes at the smiling redhead. ¡°That I¡¯m an eldritch horror? What¡¯s the Astral Sea anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure one of your books has a better description,¡± Carmilla said, almost bursting into giggles midway through her sentence. ¡°But from what I know, it¡¯s one of the fundamental layers of reality representing ¡®Everything¡¯ and stands in contrast with the Void which represents ¡®Nothingness¡¯. It is said to be the origins of all life and magic, and the place where the first germinating seeds of new Realms are born. It is beyond infinite and also extremely dangerous to traverse even for Rank 5 people.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not part of the Spirit Realm?¡± Mia asked, confused out of her mind. Why was a Spirit King ruling over it, and by the by, how could anyone rule over a realm that¡¯s the manifestation of ¡®Everything¡¯? ¡°No,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°The Astral Sea and the Void are entirely real and physical places while the Spirit Realm and the Demon Realm are just spiritual places made up of energy, thoughts, emotions and whatnot. You can¡¯t even enter either with your real body, you have to project your Spirit inside. Now, I have a question of my own if you don¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°Ask away!¡± Mia sat up straight in her chair, doing her best to look earnest. ¡°What¡¯s the grade and purity of your Bloodline?¡± Carmilla asked, wincing a little. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer, but I¡¯d like to at least get a vague idea of how-¡± ¡°Peak Grade, High Purity and Fully Manifested at 100%.¡± Mia answered easily, not really caring about the propriety. Well, she did care, but she¡¯d just promised Carmilla to stay with her until the vampire got tired of her presence. This much was nothing when compared to that. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡± Carmilla had a strange look on her face. ¡°Could be bad. Damn, that must be at most ten generations removed from the Origin ¡­ that technically makes you a Princess, if I remember correctly.¡± ¡°The System probably fiddled with it,¡± Mia said, shrugging as she pushed the flare of worry that threatened to burst out at Carmilla¡¯s words right back down into the depths of her mind. Nope, not gonna worry about stuff that was only going to bite her in the ass many years down the line. Not while she still had goblins trying to make shish kebabs out of her intestines. ¡°Maybe,¡± Carmilla said, her tone making it clear that she wasn¡¯t convinced. Still, she seemed to take the clue and shrugged. ¡°Princess Mia has a nice ring to it though.¡± Mia stiffened for a moment, staring at the vampire, who was looking increasingly awkward at Mia¡¯s strange reaction. ¡°What?¡± Carmilla asked, leaning away from Mia¡¯s intense gaze like it was the sun itself trying to turn her to dust. Did she just try to tease me? Is that a sign? Does she like me? Was that just a friendly teasing, or romantic? Wha- Stop. Mia shook her head, pulling her thoughts out of the gutter with a fair bit of effort. ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia mumbled. ¡°What were you saying? I got ¡­ lost in thought.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say something weird?¡± Carmilla asked, looking worried. ¡°Nothing weird, no,¡± Mia said, smirking a little. ¡°Princess Mia does roll well off the tongue, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re the princess,¡± Carmilla said, seemingly deciding to double down, seeing as Mia wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. ¡°What does that make me?¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Mia said, narrowing her eyes at Carmilla as she looked the gorgeous redhead up and down. Even with just some comfy shorts and a loose t-shirt to wear, the vampire had that lethal dark femme vibe to her that was to die for. ¡°I¡¯d say my personal knight, but you¡¯re more of the ¡­ hmmmm, a mysterious shadowy figure I¡¯ve sold my soul to buy the loyalty of. You come around every night to claim a little bit of your price, and in turn protect me for the day after. Hmmm?¡± ¡°And why don¡¯t I just eat your soul whole?¡± Carmilla asked playfully, tapping at her lips with a smirk. She¡¯s in her element. This silly girl read way too many dark fantasy and romance books. ¡°Because you¡¯d choke on it?¡± Mia wagered with a shrug. ¡°Or, because you¡¯re secretly in love with me?¡± Mia wasn¡¯t sure which goddess of love or bravery saw fit to bless her with the burst of courage that made her say that second part. Her voice didn¡¯t even tremble, not even a little. Inside, a part of her was fist pumping and patting herself over the back for that movie-grade flirt while the other was tearing more and more clumps of her hair out with every nanosecond spent waiting for Carmilla¡¯s response. ¡°R-right,¡± Carmilla said, the ever so slight stutter in her voice sending a thrill down Mia¡¯s spine, and was that a slight blush on her face? A cascade of bells rang in Mia¡¯s head like she¡¯d hit the jackpot on a slot, a grin almost broke out on her face, but she suppressed it. She wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed if she didn¡¯t at the very least find the idea of loving me palatable, right? She¡¯d be disgusted or dismissive or play it off as a joke. Honestly, a sizable part of Mia expected one of the latter to happen. Those were what her pitiful experiences and attempts at romance pointed towards as the most likely outcome. She was thrilled with even just the slightest sign that maybe, just maybe, Carmilla would finally be the one to break the pattern. Mia smiled slightly, staring into those increasingly confused ruby eyes and watched something bordering on panic rise in them. It seemed like Carmilla didn¡¯t have the faintest idea of how to deal with this situation and was moments away from taking the easiest route: running away. Mia couldn¡¯t let that happen. Nope, the girl clearly needed time to think, but Mia wouldn¡¯t let her just run off with an awkward air left between them. If she wanted to go, Mia would let her leave gently. ¡°I think I¡¯m full,¡± she said, hopping down from the chair and placing her dirty plate into the sink. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back out and practise my spell-crafting some more ¡­ ?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go on a quick patrol,¡± Carmilla said with forced calm, even Mia could see the chaos storm brewing inside of her. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get a feel for the district since we came back so ¡­ see you later?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out under the willow,¡± Mia said, smiling at the vampire. ¡°Have fun.¡± Yesss. I¡¯m getting pretty good at Words. Today¡¯s interactions with Carmilla couldn¡¯t be counted as a home run, but Mia¡¯d give herself a good eight out of ten. With a plus one point for effort, which would make it a nine. ¡°Right,¡± Carmilla said, nodding quickly as she spun around and darted for the door. ¡°You too!¡± 61 - Ups and Downs Despite what some may think, Carmilla wasn¡¯t entirely blind to social cues. She may lack personal experience with social interactions, but she was a vampire and vampires were supposed to be perfect social chameleons. The fact that Carmilla only recognised what Mia was doing ¡ª or rather, her feelings ¡ª when the girl masterfully drove the topic of the conversation toward fantasy books and a bit of roleplay, would make her ancestors cry tears of blood. ¡°Or you are secretly in love with me?¡± Mia had said, and that was when Carmilla felt the last piece of the puzzle snap into place. Or rather, when she looked into those glistening sapphire eyes full of hope and longing. I¡¯d been wondering why my instincts told me she liked me more than the rest. Carmilla mused, kicking off of another rooftop as she enjoyed the wind rushing in her face. I guess I know now ¡­ The big question was, of course, what to do about it. It had Carmilla stumped like nothing before. She had read a bunch of romance novels and ¡­ some steamier stuff too, but she wasn¡¯t dumb enough to believe those were accurate depictions of how those things worked in reality. Hell, she wasn¡¯t even sure whether she liked men or women with how messed up her hormones had been throughout her teenage years from chemo. She¡¯d thought herself asexual before her death, since she never had those urges described in the books. Now though, looking back on her feelings and thoughts with the power of retrospective introspection, things were different. Stopping near the city¡¯s edge, Carmilla perched herself up on a high branch and glanced down at a group of Zeigler¡¯s scouts playing poker below. She looked them over experimentally, letting her gaze wash over the three men and two women. They were all sorts, so Carmilla guessed if she had preferences, they¡¯d show now. A big, muscular man, a lean athletic one and a stocky dwarf were the three males while the women were a tall blonde elf and a petite freckled brunette. Carmilla felt her gaze drawn towards three of them, the two women and the large muscular man. She recognised the pull towards the man and the elf to be her vampiric hunger though, and not ¡­ Well, arousal? Or was this just ¡®attraction¡¯? Not used to feeling either, Carmilla couldn¡¯t quite tell. Hell, for all she knew it might as well have been love at first sight and she still wouldn¡¯t know even if it was. The elf had some sort of a weak Light bloodline that brimmed with power and called to Carmilla¡¯s hunger, while the large man was just filled to the brim with lifeforce for some reason. The small brunette though, with her large doe eyes and freckled face ¡­ Carmilla wanted to lock her up and keep the cute thing all for herself. Or push her down into the dirt and drain her dry ¡­ or did she? The push her down part was certain, but ¡­ She had no intention of doing either of course. She wasn¡¯t a barbarian. But she wanted to. Was that it? Was she just some primal beast that liked to do things to cute girls? I refuse. I¡¯m not a monster. The worst thing was that the petite girl reminded her of Mia. Of course, the halvyr was a world-class gem compared to the pretty pebble that this brunette was, but there was some similarity. Well, at least now she was pretty sure she liked women. That was one thing she didn¡¯t know for certain just yesterday. Carmilla silently jumped away, prowling through the canopy as she jumped from branch to branch until she reached a nice calm spot where she settled down to think. In the end, she couldn¡¯t really come to a conclusion. Still, she now knew for certain that Mia wanted something from her she wasn¡¯t sure she could provide. Vampires weren¡¯t really fit for the human sort of love after all. The few instances where she remembered any of her ancestors being involved in anything romantic it ¡­ didn''t end well for their partners. Alternatively, when both parties were vampires, it didn¡¯t end well for either of them. The one memory she had of one having a thryst with another vampire was something only fit for the ¡®vore¡¯ category of some dark web porn site. I¡¯m not going to be like that. Never. Especially not with Mia. Carmilla resolved herself. She would never forgive herself if she did even a tenth of the things some of her ancestors did to their ¡®brides¡¯. She could only thank the stars and fate that her vampire mother kicked the bucket back when she was too young to properly remember her. She hadn''t been able to ingrain that messed up mentality into her and was far too weak of a vampire otherwise to leave bloodline memories of her own behind. Hurray for a messed up childhood making me a better person than 99% of my kin. Carmilla thought sourly, staring at the swaying branches around her. Friends, I can do, even if I¡¯m a pretty bad friend ¡­ I think. But I can''t risk anything more, not with Mia. She is too precious. She doesn¡¯t deserve having to put up with ¡­ me. Vampiric instincts were strange things. The hunger was constant, but the intensity varied based on more than just how delicious someone¡¯s blood smelled. It was easiest to resist the beast¡¯s urging to drink someone dry for example if she thought of them as merely cattle, it was harder if she considered them her equal as the urge to dominate them would rise greatly if she did. How much worse could it be if she liked someone? If she loved someone? How much worse would even that be made if that someone had a bloodline as temptingly delicious as Mia¡¯s? Carmilla didn¡¯t trust herself to be able to fight off those urges, those vile instincts that cursedly came along with the power she¡¯d been longing for all her life. Not as she was now. She was still too weak, if not in body then in mind and spirit. Carmilla heaved a sigh, the image of those hopeful azure eyes staring up at her appearing in her mind. Maybe once I have enough Will to keep these damned vampiric instincts reliably at bay and a strong enough Mind and Spirit to make sure no accidents happen. Maybe then, we can give it a try ¡­ if she hasn''t forgotten about me by then. After another few minutes of just thinking everything over, Carmilla gave herself a nod. She stood up from her perch and set off on her way back to the house. She needed to talk with Mia. If she didn''t want whatever they had now, she would have to do this perfectly. Arriving back only five minutes later, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw only the little pink haired girl out in the garden. It wasn¡¯t going to get any more private than that. *** ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Mia said with a smile, looking up from her book as Carmilla landed a few metres away with feline grace. Mia had heard her sooner, of course, but didn¡¯t want to make things weird so she only glanced up now. ¡°I am,¡± Carmilla said, squirming uncomfortably under Mia¡¯s gaze. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°Talk?¡± Mia asked, swallowing a lump in her throat. No one liked to hear ¡®we need to talk¡¯ from their crush, especially when they were looking so squeamish. ¡°Okay, sure, what about?¡± ¡°You know,¡± Carmilla started, settling down in front of Mia with her legs crossed. The girl looked into Mia¡¯s eyes, her gaze conflicted. ¡°I¡¯m not blind ¡­ not entirely anyway. I¡¯m uhhh, I think- I don¡¯t think what¡¯s going on is going to work out. Not with- not with me being as I am.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia set her book down and moved closer to the vampire. ¡°What won¡¯t work out? And with you being what?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I ¡­ uhm, you want something more than just being friends, don¡¯t you?¡± Carmilla asked, looking down to the side. ¡°I- yes,¡± Mia said, surprising even herself. Her heart was thundering in her chest and her stress and anxiety were mounting, twisting her insides up into a gigantic knot. ¡°I would. But why wouldn¡¯t it work? Do you ¡­ do you just not like women? Or me?¡± She sniffled a little at the end as her eyes watered. ¡°No, no NO!¡± Carmilla said, quickly reaching out to hold Mia by the shoulder. The petite girl just looked up hopefully, biting her trembling lips. ¡°I do like women, I think, and I certainly like you ¡­ but I¡¯m a vampire. Which is the problem, a vampire¡¯s love is ¡­ dangerous. I¡¯m too young and weak to fully control my instincts. I really don¡¯t need you to tease them any more than your mere presence already does.¡± Carmilla was ranting, sounding desperate to have Mia understand her conundrum, but the halvyr¡¯s hearing had turned selective from the stress and the pink filter that descended on her mind. ¡°Dangerous how?¡± Mia asked, her heart fluttering at Carmilla just saying the word ¡®love¡¯. She really was starving. ¡°You could die, Mia,¡± Carmilla sighed. ¡°Or worse. If I slip for just a moment, you could die. I can¡¯t do that to you, can¡¯t put you up for that risk. No, I won¡¯t.¡± Mia¡¯s fantasies shattered like a castle of glass at the certainty in Carmilla¡¯s voice. There was finality in her words, an unchangeability. Still, all wasn¡¯t lost just yet. Mia latched onto the one possibility she could find, her mind spinning with the power of her higher Cognity and her Will working overtime to keep her from shattering and scurrying away to cry herself to sleep. ¡°But that¡¯ll change, right?¡± Mia asked, trying to troubleshoot the issue while it was still maybe, perhaps, possible. She wasn¡¯t going to let this go until all possibilities were exhausted. She refused to just ¡­ lie down and take it. Again. Not again. Never again. ¡°You¡¯ll grow stronger, learn to control yourself better. You had never done anything to me so far, even when I bled in fights. I¡¯ve seen how you struggle, but you¡¯ve always kept control. I can wait for you to grow and learn to control yourself. I don¡¯t mind. Just don¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯. Please.¡± ¡°It could be years before I trust myself to do anything more than we have already,¡± Carmilla said, and the faint trace of hope in her voice almost made Mia squeal in delight. She latched onto that. ¡°I¡¯ll live for five damned centuries Carmilla,¡± Mia buzzed, grabbing the vampire¡¯s hands and squeezing them with a smile. ¡°I have time, I have all the time in the world so I really don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you could find someone else,¡± Carmilla said, averting her gaze as she said the words like they were doused in holy water. ¡°Someone better, someone without my ¡­ problems. You¡¯re kind, gentle and caring Mia, I¡¯m sure you can do better than ¡­ me. You don¡¯t have to wait. Find someone better, and don¡¯t worry, we would still be friends.¡± Find someone else? Nuh, uh. I¡¯ve been trying to find someone for ages and you¡¯re by far the best. You aren¡¯t going anywhere if I have anything to say about it. ¡°What if I want you?¡± Mia asked, tugging at her arm, leaning forward to stare into Carmilla¡¯s eyes with all the sincerity she could put into her gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t want some woman from who knows where, I want the gorgeous vampire that saved my life time and again. You might not be perfect, but you are perfect for me and I want you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Carmilla swallowed, looking like a skittish animal. Likely, only Mia¡¯s hold on her arms kept her in place. ¡°If you really want to ¡­ we can try, I guess. But I¡¯ve never- uhm, never done anything like this.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Mia beamed up at her, practically bouncing in place. ¡°Going to be fun. You just have to be you, alright? So, by the way, are we now ¡­ courting?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± Carmilla said, watching Mia¡¯s visible delight with a slowly growing smile. The poor girl looked overwhelmed.¡°I ¡­ really can¡¯t do anything more than we already have. Not until my Spirit is much higher.¡± ¡°Define ¡®much¡¯,¡± Mia said. I¡¯m being courted, proper princess treatment right there. Eeeeeee. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°You can¡¯t put numbers on instincts and urges. But ¡­ I really don''t want to risk even just biting you until my Spirit and Will are up in the thirties, preferably fifties.¡± ¡°What about a kiss?¡± Mia asked, her gaze fluttering down to the full crimson lips of the vampire that curved up into a smile at her question. She didn¡¯t know what was coming over her, but the words were just flowing right out of her mouth. The filter in her mind was momentarily gone, and thoughts flowed right onto her tongue to be spoken. Something which she was probably going to regret later, but was immensely thankful for in the moment. ¡° ¡­ twenties,¡± Carmilla said after a moment. ¡°Minimum.¡± ¡°Something to look forward to then,¡± Mia smiled, then jumped up. She was buzzing, so full of energy and happiness she just couldn¡¯t stay in one place. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a run!¡± If she didn¡¯t work off this adrenaline and surge of hormones with some running, Mia feared she¡¯d attempt some alternative cardio practices. Which was a big no-no. Carmilla trusted her to behave and not tease her predatory vampire instincts. So Mia would behave. Courting. We are courting. She pulled the pretty redhead up by the arms, smiling all the way out the street where they set off in a run. Mia smiled through it all, suppressing the urge to giggle and laugh whenever she thought of what''d happened or glanced at Carmilla. She knew she was acting like a hormonal teenage girl getting her first crush to ask her out on a date, but ¡­ well, technically she was still both. She was 24 and would live for 500 years. That¡¯s like, 4 years old in human years. She was practically a baby in Halvyr terms. And, well, Carmilla was the first crush she had whom she managed to get herself into some semblance of a relationship with. It was a thrill unlike any other. And she¡¯s so much better than all of them. Of course, whenever Mia was having a happy moment life liked to throw a curveball at her, and this time it came in the form of a commotion down the street the two girls were running along. Mia hopped to a stop, with Carmilla sliding to a halt next to her. The vampire was still doing that thing where she was struggling not to overtake Mia, so they could run together. ¡°You bastards!¡± One man shouted, a group of people gathering around him in a crowd. ¡°I take pity on you and give you some of my food and you send your wretched beastly kin on me to rob me blind?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± a weaker voice said, the source of it lost in between the mass of bodies. ¡°I have nothing to do with-¡° ¡°Lies!¡± The first man shouted, trembling with rage as the crowd around him murmured in agreement. ¡°They knew exactly where I kept the food. We have nothing left. NOTHING! How am I supposed to keep my daughter fed like this?¡± Mia shared a glance with Carmilla, she saw the hint of apathy in those ruby eyes but also approval. ¡°Go,¡± the vampire said softly. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you if you want to help them.¡± Mia gulped, looking back over at the crowd. That was a lot of people, almost fifty and they were all the heavyset suburban dad sorts. Any one of them looked like they could snap Mia in half like a twig. ¡°Please,¡± the second voice said, sounding desperate with a hint of fatalistic acceptance. ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything to do with the raids. We¡¯ve known each other for more than ten years, Greg, don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°The man I knew died with the Storm,¡± Greg said with disdain. ¡°You ¡­ you are the twisted thing that the System spat back out. No different from the monsters, just more dangerous. You act like you are one of us! But you just want to drag us down, you all do!¡± The next thing Mia heard was a meaty thud as fist smashed into flesh, but as if to defy her expectations, it was Greg who gave a shout of pain. ¡°Damn you!¡± The second man shouted, his voice a low growl. ¡°I won¡¯t go down without a fight! If you want to fight so much, come at me bastards. I¡¯ll take at least a few of you to pain island with me!¡± ¡°Fucking animal!¡± Greg roared as he rose back up and Mia could see his head rise over the crowd. He was red in the face like a boiling pot. ¡°You¡¯ll get-¡° Mia took that moment to shoot an Arcane Blast into the pavement next to her. It exploded with a thunderous crack, jolting the whole crowd as one. As they turned to the sound, they saw Mia standing there with a hand on her hip and a wand pointing at the basketball sized crater in the asphalt. Having the capacity to act as a mobile rocket launcher somewhat alleviated the severe lack of there being anything intimidating about Mia. Sure, she had a nasty glare, but to a bunch of forty-something men who had to look down on her to even see her glare and not just the top of her fluffy pink head, it was at best cute and at worst funny. ¡°Sod off girl, we have something going on here,¡± one of them shouted, a man with a shovel in his hand and only cargo shorts for clothes. ¡°Or what? You want to save the-¡° Mia flicked her hand again, having channelled enough mana into her wand again and Blasted another hole into the ground. Now everyone saw what she¡¯d done, and they all took a collective step back. ¡°Go home,¡± Mia said, her soft voice managing to make grown men pale. ¡°We¡¯ll get through this, but not by lynching someone just because ¡­ they have fox ears?¡± Mia said the last part, staring at the skittish man standing in the middle of the parted crowd. He had a pair of large vulpine ears atop his head, both flattened against his skull as he looked jumpily between everyone. He even had his arms up in fists, waving them around and ready to throw fists should anyone test him. ¡°Listen here girly,¡± Greg barked, but Mia noticed he made sure he had someone between him and Mia. ¡°There are fifty of us and only two of you. You go home before you get hurt.¡± Some of the men looked at Greg in disgust at that, taking steps away from the man and detaching themselves from the crowd. It seemed beating on a poor lone beastkin was fine, but not on two young girls. Mia wanted to scoff at that. She really doubted the foxkin man sold out anyone¡¯s food supply. He remained in the city after the Werewolf¡¯s Call. From what she understood, that was like spitting in the big beastkin boss¡¯ face. The likelihood of him acting like some undercover agent was close to nil. ¡°It seems there are only twenty of you now,¡± Mia mused as she watched the group backing Greg dwindle. The ones who stayed though looked ready for murder. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can handle that.¡± They didn¡¯t feel strong, not to her Spirit Sense. Mia was still struggling to get anything more than these vague feelings about any non-monster, but if she had to guess, she¡¯d say there wasn¡¯t anyone in the crowd above level 2. ¡°Well, fuck you then!¡± With that shout, they pounced on the poor foxkin man who froze up, ears fuzzin up and stiffening. Mia cursed and switched her active spell over to the blunt variant of Arcane Bolt. They might have been assholes, but she didn¡¯t want to kill them. My first fight with actual humans. Mia thought, feeling strangely detached. And it¡¯s over stopping them from lynching a man with fox ears. What has my life turned into? 62 - Against Humans Mia somewhat regretted not having her Familiar summoned, but she could only lament her lack of foresight. She¡¯d have to do things on her own ¡­ and with Carmilla. ¡°Want me to handle them?¡± The vampiress whispered into her ear, and the eagerness in her voice spoke of how many bones would be broken before she was done ¡®handling¡¯ them. A lot. ¡°Let¡¯s be gentle,¡± Mia whispered back, flicking off a blunted Bolt towards the man closest to the foxkin. ¡°They are just low levelled humans.¡± The man she targeted got hit by the human-sized projectile right as he was on one foot. Which meant he had no hope of resisting the sudden force sending him rolling and crashing into the asphalt. Mia winced, that must have hurt. Still, he was groaning and cursing, which meant he was fine. ¡°You be careful,¡± Carmilla said, then shot off. A moment later she was throwing a man twice her size over her shoulder and slamming him into the ground. Mia took in a quick breath, watching as the foxkin fought off two men at once like a wild animal pushed into a corner. He kicked, scratched and bit. Sending one of his attackers flying with another blunted Bolt, Mia eyed the few men eyeing her in turn with murderous glares. She also paid attention to the dozens of them who stood to the side, seemingly having extracted themselves from the fight when Mia showed up. Five of the murderous ones ran at Mia and she had a moment of panic as collectively half a ton of muscle and hate rushed at her. Then reality reasserted itself, and she felt stupid for feeling even a smidge of fear. She¡¯d stared down monsters twice the size of these men and walked over their corpses. Compared to that, these five are ¡­ nothing. Compared to the hateful, malicious gaze of a monster, the anger and fear she¡¯d seen in these people¡¯s eyes was cute at best. Thinking of weaker people as ¡®lesser¡¯ or as ¡®nothing¡¯ was a dangerous thought, she knew, but it was what she felt all the same and it helped her keep calm and weave out of their way with a few fluttering steps back. With a bit of mana from her wand, she fired off three blunted Bolts in quick succession, managing to take down four of them when one of the guys she hit crashed into the guy behind him. Mia winced as the back of one man¡¯s skull broke the nose of another, but she didn¡¯t feel too bad about it. They¡¯d tried to do ¡­ she didn¡¯t even want to know what to her. Beat her up? Mug her? Kill her? Or something even worse? Well, they were now collapsed on the ground with a handful of broken bones, so she¡¯d never know. Good riddance. The last man stumbled, shocked at how quickly his comrades had been beaten down by what looked to be a harmless little girl. Well, Mia was technically fully into womanhood, but being tiny, having fluffy hot pink hair and a soft face made her look younger by at least five years. Not that she¡¯d realised that herself just yet, still thinking that her smiles could make children cry and her glares terrorise them. ¡°What will it be?¡± Mia asked, glee clear in her voice. ¡°Want to end up like them, or will you go scuttling back home?¡± ¡°Bitch,¡± the man bit out, a vengeful glare on his face. He hesitated, but seeing that she just rolled her eyes at him, he crouched down next to one of his groaning friends. Mia glance over him, already having put him out of her mind. Carmilla was walking back over, dusting off her palms with a satisfied grin on her face while a pile of humans behind her groaned and moaned in pain. She also had the jumpy foxkin man trailing behind her, eying the lot who stood to the side warily. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that I guess,¡± Mia said, casting her gaze over the group to the side. There had to be at least thirty of them there, men and women, mostly in their thirties. Some looked at her like she was an unsolvable puzzle, some glared hatefully, while others yet just looked on in mild wonder. The last of which, likely due to her ostentatious magic. Blunted Bolt variants looked like fluffy pink clouds after all, so seeing them send grown men flying was weird as hell even for Mia. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we say something?¡± Carmilla asked, whispering into Mia¡¯s ears. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we just look like bullies right now. I don¡¯t really mind, but I don¡¯t think that was your intention.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Mia said under her breath, a tingle running down her spine as she felt the vampire¡¯s breath on her sensitive ear. Focus. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I think we have enough problems as it is. Monsters are streaming out of Rifts, trying to eat us and yes, there is a gang of beastkin who¡¯ve thought it was a good idea to go raid us to sustain themselves, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to lynch one of the few of them who resisted the Call and stayed behind.¡± As far as speeches went, that was still pretty damned bad. Mia wasn¡¯t made for this sort of thing. She wasn¡¯t a leader, or a natural orator. It was a miracle her hands weren¡¯t trembling from just having that many people staring at her. ¡°Don¡¯t we have enough problems already without turning on each other?¡± Mia asked, it was a rhetoric question, but someone answered anyway. ¡°Those animals started it,¡± one younger man said, petulantly glaring at Mia. ¡°One, they are called beastkin, not animals, would you like to be called a furless gorilla?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Second, I¡¯m sure this beastkin behind me was not part of the raid on your food supplies. Look at him. He is barely anything more than skin and bones. Does he look like he looted all of your fridges?¡± The foxkin squirmed under the score of examining gazes, but Mia¡¯s words, while exaggerated, rang true. The man was lanky, ribs clearly showing and his cheeks sunken like a skeleton. He was still in a state miles better than how Mia¡¯d found Carmilla, but that wasn¡¯t saying much. Carmilla was only one step out of the grave, perilously close to stumbling right back into it. The crowd grumbled a bit, but most looked ashamed. Mia let out a sigh of relief at that. She didn¡¯t know what else to say, beyond that they were all fucking stupid. Beastkin were obviously not monsters. They were just hungry and alone, broken in a way no one else could understand. And that bastard ¡®Werewolf King¡¯ made use of that. He exploited their weakness to rope them into his ¡®Pack¡¯. Mia¡¯s jaws tightened a bit at the thought. It was like a cult, preying on weak, vulnerable people and then making those people prey on the ever weaker and even more vulnerable. It was all a horrible pyramid scheme. All these idiots are doing is pushing the few beastkin who resisted the Call into joining the Werewolf for protection and food. ¡°I know you are all afraid,¡± Mia said, deciding to finish up quickly now that the crowd didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d be looking for the closest beastkin to murder the moment Mia left them alone. ¡°But ¡­ we¡¯d all been humans just weeks ago. Even if we all look different now. Don¡¯t let the chaos turn you into monsters, please?¡± Mia winced a little as some of the glares heated up at that, but her little monologue worked on a few too at least who looked even more ashamed. Likely, Mia wasn¡¯t tilting anyone¡¯s opinions the other direction, but she was tilting them all further down the way they were already tilting.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. For some, that was guilt while for others it was ¡­ ¡°Easy for you to say, elven bitch!¡± One man shouted, earning a round of agreeing cheers as he stomped out of the crowd. ¡°You got fancy magic to protect yourself with, and what did we get? I¡¯m an Accountant. That¡¯s my Class. The fuck¡¯s that going to do when the monsters overrun those incompetent morons calling themselves an army? Will that protect my five year old daughter from the goblins, huh, will it?¡± Mia wilted under the collective glares for the first time. They were right. She was lucky, astronomically super lucky that she had the Affinity for Arcane magic she had. I¡¯d be a helpless Chef Apprentice without it. Mia winced. Pure luck was all that separated her from the group of angry, and downright terrified people before her. The end of the world is here and they can''t do squat. I¡¯d be lashing out too at the first thing I could. ¡°You stand there,¡± the man continued, his voice rising in power as he did. ¡°Speaking of equality. You? To us? With your elven ears and magic? Just how thick can your skin be to spout that bullshit with a straight face?¡± ¡°I-¡° Mia started, trying to come up with something to say that didn¡¯t sound like a lie and failing when Carmilla stepped in front of her. The vampiress strode up to the taller man without fear and stared up into his eyes. The larger man shut his mouth instantly, taking a step back as he saw something in the depths of those ruby eyes. ¡°Carmilla?¡± Mia asked, sounding uncertain. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. Please.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do anything ¡®rash¡¯,¡± the vampire said with a glacial smile on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m calm, aren¡¯t I? Perfectly calm.¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± Mia mumbled, unconvinced. ¡°Now listen here you little shit,¡± Carmilla said to the man half a head taller than her with a straight face. ¡°Mia back there had used her magic to hunt monsters from practically day one of the integration. Her monster kill count is closing in on the four digits. Can you honestly say you would have been even half as helpful to the community around you than she was if you had her power?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The man said, face twitching from anger. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± Carmilla said, and it was like the words smashed the air out of the man¡¯s lung, making him stumble and gasp. ¡°What rarity is your class?¡± ¡°C-common,¡± the man wheezed. ¡°Then you could have earned Attribute Points and gotten stronger by levelling up,¡± Carmilla stated. ¡°What have you done instead? Looked for someone weaker than you to take out your anger on. Have you gotten even a single Base Attribute point? Do you even know what that is?¡± ¡°I- ¡° the man groaned, glaring up at Carmilla as he tried to straighten up from his hunched pose. ¡°Go home,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°The pathetic lot of you. Scram. If you had even the tiniest fragment of the spine Mia has, you would be out there fighting monsters with sticks and stones if you had to. Get out of my sight and take that broken clump of disappointments along with you.¡± Mia squirmed under the praise the vampire sent her way seemingly without even thinking of it. It made her feel warm inside, but also scared that she wasn¡¯t really what Carmilla thought her to be. Spine? In Mia? Courage avoided her like a plague and bravery was a new concept to her, one she only started grasping at with her slowly improving Will. She called me kind, gentle and caring too, didn¡¯t she? Mia gulped, worry gripping her heart and sending her spiralling as she watched the group pick up their beaten-up neighbours and acquaintances before ambling off. Was she any of those things? She was trying to be, but more often than not, she was just straight up selfish. Generosity was something for the rich, like saving people from monsters was something only for the powerful. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t let those idiots put you down!¡± The foxkin man said, staring at Mia intensely from a few steps away. ¡°They aren¡¯t worth the shit on your boots.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t one of them give you food?¡± Mia asked dryly, feeling like this foxkin might be more slimy than she¡¯d originally thought. ¡°Yeah,¡° the man snorted. ¡°He gave me a bunch of mouldy, rotten food after I begged him with my forehead in the dirt. Prick.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Carmilla said, gently squeezing Mia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I think so anyway. They don¡¯t know it, but you likely did more for them just by hunting monsters than almost anyone else in the city. They are just angry, fearful little men who can¡¯t see that. Ignore them.¡± ¡°I just killed monsters for the levels though,¡± Mia mumbled, though most of her worries were quickly fading. Carmilla thought she was doing something good, and while the vampire didn¡¯t have the greatest of moral compasses, it still meant a lot to Mia. ¡°Dead monsters don¡¯t kill people.¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter why you killed them in the long run, does it? Plus, we even destroyed a Rift. That¡¯s pretty huge.¡± ¡°Guess so,¡± Mia said, now smiling. Her gaze stayed on Carmilla¡¯s face for a moment, just enjoying that warm look coming her way before she glanced over at the foxkin man. ¡°What are we supposed to do with him, won¡¯t he just get beaten up again if we leave him be?¡± ¡°Not really our problem,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging. ¡°But it¡¯s your choice. I just don¡¯t think we have nearly enough food to feed another mouth.¡± If only we had more Nature mages like that old lady in Jeff¡¯s building. Mia thought ruefully, but returned to the present quickly. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll get lynched if we leave you alone?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The foxkin shrugged, looking nonchalant. ¡°Thanks for the save by the way, I forgot to say. You were pretty cool.¡± Mia nodded at him, then shrugged. ¡°Well, good luck out there.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The man shouted as Mia turned to leave and continue her run with Carmilla. ¡°Can I do something to thank you? Maybe invite you over for a drink? I still have some old wines hidden in my basement.¡± Mia almost fell on her face as she whirled around, jaw slightly ajar as she looked at the grinning foxkin. She looked him over again, finding that he looked to be at most 26 and had an athletic form to him along with a grin that was likely supposed to make most girls¡¯ hearts melt. That¡¯s flirting, isn¡¯t it? Staring at the man, ugly memories tried to burrow to the surface as she watched him saunter after her with far too much confidence. He just invited me out on a date. Nope. Nope. Nope. ¡°Not interested,¡± Mia said, then turned and fled. ¡°I¡¯m Noah by the way!¡± The man shouted after her. ¡°I live down the street if you change your mind!¡± Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Leave me alone. ¡°Want me to kill him?¡± Carmilla asked, running backwards next to Mia as she stared back at the distant form of the foxkin. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill people,¡± Mia sighed, slowing to a jog once that foxkin was out of her ears¡¯ range. ¡°I just ¡­ nope. Let¡¯s forget he even exists, or that ever happened. Nope. Today was ¡­ urgh. He ruined my mood.¡± ¡°Can I kill him?¡± Carmilla asked, now sounding like her question wasn¡¯t just a jest anymore. Or maybe it never was. Mia couldn¡¯t be sure what was going through Carmilla¡¯s head when she went into vampire-mode. ¡°A kiss would work better for getting my spirits up,¡± Mia said, sending a coy glance over at the vampire. It surprised her a bit that the flirt came to her so naturally, but knowing that Carmilla wasn¡¯t averse to dating her lit the fire under her butt and emboldened her like nothing else. ¡°You promised not to tease,¡± Carmilla said whiny, making Mia laugh. The contrast between ice cold ¡®can I kill him?¡¯ and the whine was just too much. ¡°A peck then, on the cheeks?¡± Mia said, tilting her head at the vampiress who has a faint rosiness on her cheeks. ¡°Stop it,¡± Carmilla said, shaking her head and Mia decided to leave it for now. Teasing someone was only fun while the recipient was also enjoying it, and she felt Carmilla was close to that limit. ¡°Alright then,¡± Mia sang, looking around as they ran. People were walking around, running up and down and bartering with each other. In a way, this suburban part of Graz was the liveliest it had been in a long time. Mia even saw a family of cat beastkin walking down the street and talking with a family that was a mix of dwarves and something even smaller. Not everyone was like those idiots, some people could actually work together to get through this hardship. It was good to see. Mia really didn¡¯t want to lose this, lose how things used to be. The world wouldn¡¯t be the same again, but it didn¡¯t have to be broken down to bits and remade either. It was just ¡­ another one of those big events that rewrote world history. Like the Bronze Age Collapse, the fall of the Western Roman Empire or World War 2. The ¡®Awakening¡¯ could join the end of that list. ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll call the Awakening in the history books?¡± Mia mused, not straining her throat to shout over the wind since Carmilla would hear her either way. ¡°System Integration?¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Or something with a bit more gravitas ¡­ the Apocalypse maybe?¡± The two continued chatting, just enjoying a bit of small talk as the world sped by them and their muscles started to grow pleasantly sore ¡­ Well, Mia¡¯s muscles were going sore, anyway. Carmilla apparently healed her muscles back up the moment their cells tore. So no soreness for her. A haggard-looking soldier, with his uniform jacket half hanging off of him, jumped out on the street before them. Mia was going to go around the man, but as she and Carmilla came closer, he shouted at them. ¡°The Colonel wants to speak with you two. It¡¯s urgent! An emergency! Please come with me.¡± 63 - Magic being ... magick-y ¡°Is this about the idiots we beat up who were trying to lynch a random beastkin?¡± Mia asked the moment she laid eyes on the haggard-looking Colonel Zeigler. The man looked to be the manifestation of the word ¡®exhausted¡¯ with deep dark circles around his eyes and a deep hunch to his back. ¡°What?¡± The man asked, his tone lacking the usual sophistication and politeness. He stared at them, bloodshot eyes showing through greying locks of hair hanging off his skull. ¡°No. That doesn¡¯t matter one bit. The General is dead.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Mia froze, staring at the older man. ¡°How? What?¡± ¡°The main force of the army broke under the monster assault.¡± Zeigler massaged his temples, the dead-eyed stare held throughout it though. ¡°I¡¯ll need your group or anyone else with even just a bit of power to help out or we are all going to die.¡± ¡°No reinforcements are coming?¡± Carmilla asked, rubbing her shoulder into Mia¡¯s comfortingly. ¡°Not for a while,¡± Zeigler said, almost laughing as he did. ¡°Apparently, a horde of lizards called ¡®Earth Drakes¡¯ are assaulting Salzburg and the Marshal has personally departed with the majority of his troops to deal with them. There are only enough troops left behind to protect the capital.¡± Mia glanced over at Carmilla, worry clear in her eyes. If they wanted to run for the capital, now was the time. That¡¯d mean consigning thousands of people having survived till now in this monster infested city to death though, and that made Mia hesitate. Running was the smart choice, the obvious choice if she wanted to stay safe and alive. There was even an Obelisk in Vienna that they could use to Rank Up so it¡¯d even speed up their progress that¡¯d halted for a while. But the people ¡­ I have all this power, it¡¯d be a shame to not at least give saving this city a try. Fuck, this is my home, I grew up here. The least I can do is give an honest shot at fighting back the monsters before running for the hills. ¡°We¡¯ll have to discuss that with the others,¡± Carmilla said diplomatically. ¡°One of our teammates is still injured. We can¡¯t fight safely without hi-¡° ¡°Kelvin,¡± Zeigler barked and his half-asleep aide jumped to his feet. ¡°The minor healing Elixir. Now.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Kelvin nodded after a moment, visibly debating whether to say something. But he seemed to come to a decision and ran out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m giving you something from the stash that¡¯s supposed to be going back to the Marshal,¡± Zeigler explained. ¡°But he isn¡¯t getting shit if we all die here anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter. Any other excuses? Thousands, tens of thousands of lives are at stake. I know you are not soldiers, and probably didn¡¯t want this thrust upon you, but we need you to fight for us.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be willing to do my best,¡± Mia said after a moment, glancing over at Carmilla who gave an easy shrug. ¡°I¡¯m with you,¡± the vampire said. ¡°Whatever you choose.¡± ¡°That makes two of us,¡± Mia said, turning her gaze back at the desperate commander. ¡°We¡¯ll go back and ask the rest. I¡¯m ¡­ fairly confident most of them will choose the same. Especially if that Elixir of yours heals Brent.¡± ¡°It will,¡± Zeigler nodded, leaning back into his chair with a sigh. ¡°Once you are done, head straight for the barricade. I¡¯m having whoever I have strengthen it up and have everyone in reach evacuated into this district. You¡¯ll be needed there to protect it once the goblins are done playing around with the remnants of Eisenfaust¡¯s army.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said, then when Kelvin came running back in with a nondescript vial, she took it and turned to leave. ¡°We are counting on you,¡± Zeigler said as she and Carmilla reached the door. Mia gulped, but pushed the hint of apprehension down. She strode out of the office, then made her way out of the building with Carmilla hot on her heels. ¡°That was nasty,¡± Carmilla said once they were out of earshot. The redhead had an irritated look on her face as she glanced back towards the building. ¡°He was trying to guilt-trip you into risking your life pretty hard back there.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Mia said, her voice thick with annoyance. If Zeigler wove even just another drop of emotional manipulation into his words, they¡¯d have been drowning in it. ¡°But I¡¯ve decided to try fighting already ¡­ if everyone else agrees too. Still, that was ¡­ ¡° Mia shook her head, sighing. Her respect for the old soldier took a nosedive with this meeting, even if she knew he was just doing whatever he could to protect as many people as possible. At least he didn¡¯t stoop so low as to threaten her, though that would have been a quick way to have her do anything but help him. Her thoughts quickly went towards the fight that was to come. Mia was fairly certain most of her team would agree to at least attempt to fight like she had, she knew them well enough to tell that. Mark was ¡­ he was a weird one, looking cowardly at first but somehow always being the first when it came to fighting. He saved her with the bird, chose to become a tank to protect them and then ate up lethal attacks coming their way one after the other. That was courage, and Mia was proud of her distant cousin and ex-roomie. Even if she suspected his new dwarven nature¡¯s aversion to showing fear and quickness to throwing fists she¡¯d read about had something to do with it. Pot calling the kettle black. I only went fighting at first because of my Fae flares of pride. Lina, Carmilla and Brent were obvious. The blonde was only all too happy to fight, Carmilla already agreed and Brent was that stupid heroic sort from what she¡¯d seen of the older man. Mom might be a problem, but if I ask nicely ¡­ Mia grimaced at the thought, wouldn¡¯t that just make her the same as Zeigler who tried to emotionally manipulate her? Just the fact that I¡¯m going to risk my life would count as manipulation, she won¡¯t be able to let me go without coming with. Mia felt guilty about that, knowing she was giving her mother little choice, but she wanted to fight at least. Make use of her power for something purely altruistic for once. It shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous, so it would be fine. Saving some lives, feeling good about myself and then leaving if things get too dangerous. Sounds like a plan! Maybe we¡¯ll even get to dive those Rifts that the army had under lock and key now, that¡¯d give us some possible rewards too. But that could get super dangerous. Hmmm. Mia kept to her thoughts on the whole sprint back to the house, not even bothering to watch the still bustling district filled with people who didn¡¯t even know they might not live to see next week. Or even just tomorrow. ***** ¡°It¡¯s not worth it!¡± Lina shouted, pulling at her hair as she looked between the others. ¡°Even if we somehow survive this, it¡¯ll have been barely worth it in the end. Especially if one of us ends up as monster chow.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°We¡¯d be saving lives,¡± Mia said, though it sounded hollow to her with how many times she¡¯d said it. ¡°And we don¡¯t have to risk ourselves too much. If it gets too dangerous, we can run. I¡¯m just asking you to come with and at least try.¡± Mia had never expected Lina of all people to be the biggest opponent of going out to help fight back the goblin horde. Carmilla had run off to ask whether Avery and some of her friends wanted to join in on the fight at Mia¡¯s request. The idea was that her Fire magic could come in clutch against the powerful Troll and its healing, but now Mia was missing the reassuring presence of the girl. Mark was willing to fight, but he also looked willing to run for the hills if he got outvoted. Hell, he looked to be hoping to get outvoted, but some strange sense of dwarven pride or whatnot wasn¡¯t letting him to actually vote for running. Helene was neutral, looking like she¡¯d be wanting to convince Mia to decide on running, but not willing to pour cold water over Mia¡¯s newfound enthusiasm for playing hero. The shouting match came to a stop as the stairs creaked dangerously, everyone looked over and saw a fully armoured Brent standing there with his arm on the wall for support. ¡°I¡¯m fighting,¡± the man said gruffly, his bed hair still in place and a hint of dizziness still lingering in his eyes. ¡°If you want to run, you probably should. We might not survive this if we aren¡¯t fighting with our all.¡± ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be up and about,¡± Helene said, hurrying over to Brent to look him over like he was one of her children trying to go out and play ball with a fever. ¡°You still look wobbly. What if you fall on your sword or stumble in a fight?¡± ¡°Whatever you fed me is still in my blood,¡± Brent said, shaking his head to chase away the dizziness. ¡°It¡¯ll heal me fully by the time we get there. I heard the barricade is still standing?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said. ¡°Zeigler is making people reinforce it while the goblins are hunting down the remnants of the General¡¯s army.¡± Brent didn¡¯t question any of her information, merely taking it all in with a nod. ¡°You are all so stupid!¡± Lina shouted, a hand clenched up in a fist that she looked ready to send into someone¡¯s face. By the look in her eyes, her lead candidates for targets were Mia and Brent at the moment. ¡°You don¡¯t owe anything to these people. Why do you have to play hero? We only have one life.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to come, Lina,¡± Brent said. ¡°I¡¯d never force you to-¡° ¡°Shut. Up.¡± The blonde girl glared up at the older man so severely that even the ex-soldier looked stunned for a moment. ¡°If you all are staying, so am I. Which is why it irritates me so much that you are being so- so ¡­ dumb. Urghh.¡± Despite the numerous derisive comments questioning their intelligence and the continued murmured swearings Mia caught from the blonde, her words put a smile on Mia¡¯s face. The girl was willing to stay just because they did, despite knowing the risks and not wanting to touch the fight to come with a ten metre pole. ¡°It¡¯s your decision,¡± Brent said after a moment, his voice softer than before, which earned another glare from the grey-eyed Air mage. ¡°Where is Carmilla?¡± ¡°She¡¯s seeing whether Avery and her friends want to join the fight,¡± Mia said helpfully. She tried to not look at her mother¡¯s increasingly grim face. Helene looked like she was seeing her only child off to war, already expecting to have to bury her. It broke Mia¡¯s heart a little, this was exactly the kind of experience she¡¯d promised herself never to put her mother through. Not after Gabe. Having to bury one child was already one too many for any mother. That¡¯s a promise I¡¯m not sure I can still keep in this new world. Risk and rewards go hand in hand and if I don¡¯t want to be at the mercy of stronger people to protect me from monsters, I¡¯ll have to take those damned risks. Risk and rewards would have to be calculated of course. A fancy new artifact or spell wasn¡¯t worth shit if overconfidence had turned her into a corpse already. Taking a deep breath, Mia slipped past the now stoic Mark practically radiating fatalistic acceptance and Lina who was still murmuring about everyone other than her sharing a single drunk brain cell. Mia wrapped her mother up in a hug, which Helene returned with a tight embrace. Mia knew her mother wanted nothing more than to fly off with her right now and never look back and the tightness of her hug reflected that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mom,¡± Mia whispered into her mother¡¯s hair. ¡°I ¡­ I want to do this. I just don¡¯t think I could live with myself knowing I could have saved thousands of lives if I just tried. I have to do this.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Helene said softly, letting out a morose sigh. ¡°And I¡¯m proud of you, God knows I am, but I¡¯m worried to death. I know you think you almost killed that Troll, but what if you weren¡¯t so high up? What if it bursts through the barricade when you¡¯re standing on it? One swing of its club and you¡¯re dead.¡° Mia held her mother tightly as a tremble ran through Helene¡¯s body. After a deep breath, the older woman steadied herself and pulled back, holding Mia at an arm¡¯s length. Mia stared into her eyes and was mesmerised for a moment at the cascading blues and flashing yellows in the grey of her eyes. It was like a ruinous storm was brewing in her irises. It was so different from the hazel eyes her mother had before, her now ashen hair ending in azure tips also contrasted heavily with the grey-streaked raven hair she had. If the dimpled smile and the gentle look weren¡¯t all so familiar, Mia feared she wouldn¡¯t have recognised her mother anymore. ¡°Be careful, keep behind Mark and Brent and run at the first sign of something you can¡¯t handle,¡± Helene said, her fingers tightening on her shoulders. ¡°With your Amulet and Familiar you should survive even that Troll long enough for me to come and fly you out of there. Just make sure you stay alive, okay?¡± ¡°I will,¡± Mia said, giving a serious nod to Helene. Helene stared into Mia¡¯s eyes deeply for a few seconds, then returned her nod. ¡°Good. Get ready, Brent looks to be aching to get going.¡± The group set off a few minutes later, walking with grim faces as they passed by the still clueless people on the street. Mia, to stop herself from thinking about just how many people must be dying at the hands and claws of monsters at that very moment mere kilometres away from her, turned her mind towards preparing instead. She had a fresh Familiar sitting on her shoulder, one without a speciality again, and she had both her Ring and Amulet on her, along with her wand hanging by her hip. The fanny pack was tight against her waist, the remaining Elixirs she had secured inside. She thumbed the knife¡¯s pommel attached to her thigh. Still there. Everything¡¯s there. Sighing, Mia lamented how if the General could have lasted another week or two, she would have been able to make use of the two new kinds of Runic Lexicons she had. Warding and Abjuration. She had two of each, along with one of both Conjuration and Summoning. The latter would only be helpful when she got to Rank 1 and had to upgrade her runes from Rank 0 by merging twos of a kind. According to Leondrus¡¯ Guide for Junior Mages anyway. The Warding and Abjuration though, hurt much more. That was six spells just lying there, unable to be made use of. Though absorbing all of them hastily could have brought on another problem of its own, she now realised. Her Spell Tome wasn¡¯t endless. With all the spells and variants she had inscribed into it, there was only a single empty page remaining. It was growing full. As was her runic-model. If she absorbed every single rune from all six Lexicons, she¡¯d reach the 100% mark for a Rank 0 runic-model by her estimations. Maybe even before she could absorb every rune included in those Lexicons. Those are worries for later, for now, I¡¯ll make do with what I have. Mia reaffirmed her resolve. She had a number of spells already, almost all useful and powerful and a friend to help out with anything she had no spell for. Mark would serve as her barrier while she couldn¡¯t cast the spell herself for example. Mia glanced at the dwarf and felt a surge of guilt at his stoic, distant look. He walked with purpose, but his face spoke of how little he thought of his chances of coming back. He always drew the shorter end of the sticks. I barely got injured since the awakening, but almost every monster chewed him up and spat him back out. ¡°Hey,¡± Mia whispered, slowing to walk next to the fatalistic dwarf. Come on Mia, say something good. ¡°Never thought you¡¯d die fighting side-by-side with an elf, did you?¡± Mark looked at her, his mouth curving into a grin as a little life returned to his eyes. He held the silence for a bit, likely enjoying how Mia squirmed from the uncomfortable silence even more than her lame attempt at cheering him up with a reference. ¡°No,¡± he said finally. ¡°But I could make do with a friend.¡± Mia smiled, feeling better about herself at the cackle Mark let out. ¡°How¡¯s your earth mecha project going anyway?¡± Mia asked, glancing at the now silly-looking chest armour he had on and the small mace hanging from his hip. ¡°Pretty great, all things considered,¡± Mark said, patting the mace lovingly. ¡°I put four charges of my Armaments into the armour, that¡¯s half of my Manifestation times four in defence. I¡¯m as hard to injure inside it as an Earth Golem with 22 points in Body.¡± Mia whistled at that. ¡°That sounds powerful, but can¡¯t you make the armour out of something stronger than ¡­ clay? Wouldn¡¯t that make it tougher?¡± ¡°This is not clay,¡± Mark huffed, knocking the chest plate he had on with a knuckle and, as he said, it sounded like knocking on a brick. ¡°My mana makes it malleable like this. It may look like clay, but it''s as hard as compressed earth and then onto that comes the magical reinforcement of my Armaments Subskill. I¡¯d wager it''s tougher than a medieval steel plate, even in the form it is right now!¡± Mia continued chatting with Mark all the way to the barricade, with even Lina chiming in now and then. It was partly to take his mind off of the upcoming fight by letting him geek out about his magic and System stuff, but in the end Mia needed the distraction just as much as Mark did. By the time they reached the barricade, she was as calm as she could be under the circumstances. 64 - A moment of respite Mia didn¡¯t know what to expect. Chaos maybe, wild panic with refugees streaming through looking pale and grim. Maybe even the goblins already being right outside the gates, slaughtering the refugees that¡¯d been a bit too slow to evacuate. Instead, what she found once laying her eyes on the street housing the barricade was quite the opposite. The soldiers hurried about, sure, but they wore grim faces filled with resolve as officers shouted orders left and right. The refugees, in turn, looked more annoyed than anything as they were nudged through a large opening in the barricade. No goblins in sight, only a few metallic birds cawing up above, sending shivers down the spine of anyone familiar with the sound. They didn¡¯t dare to dive down though. ¡°It¡¯s for your safety ma¡¯am,¡± one soldier calmly explained to a red-faced woman looking ready to rip his head off. ¡°The nearby districts on this side of the city are overrun with monsters and Andritz is the most defensible location. Please, move along, there are refugees behind you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the damned point?¡± The woman shouted and Mia could hear at least a dozen other people shouting or murmuring similar things throughout the thousands strong crowd. ¡°The monsters will get through anyway. We are all dead. At least you could have let us spend our last days in our damned homes!¡± The soldier talking to her took in all her hate with admirable stoicism as Mia¡¯s group passed him by. The woman¡¯s opinion wasn¡¯t shared by everyone, though. Some were similarly grim, listless, while others even shouted about this all being a conspiracy and that monsters weren¡¯t even real. Supposedly, the soldiers just wanted their homes and valuables that they left behind and were no better than bandits. But there were some that just silently thanked the soldiers for their service and for putting themselves between them and monsters. Those were likely the people who¡¯d seen a monster with their own two eyes. ¡°Zeigler¡¯s beaten his soldiers into shape it seems,¡± Brent said under his breath, eying the happenings around them with a hand on the pommel of his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find where we can make ourselves useful.¡± Mark heaved a deep sigh, eying the handful of Earth mages working around the barricade. Pillars of earth were rising out of the ground across the length of it, or dirt flowing up and over the haphazard pile of furniture before hardening. Soldiers followed after the dead-tired looking mages and handed them potions every so often. Mana potions, and they had backpacks filled with the stuff. Mia even caught some druid or Nature mage near the woods guiding roots up from the earth and making them wrap around the barricade, strengthening its structure. ¡°That¡¯s quite something,¡± Mia mumbled in awe. The last she¡¯d seen this place, the barricade was barely holding together and a single angry Fire mage could blow a hole into it. Now it was five metres tall at the lowest and as thick as a castle¡¯s walls. Maybe just as tough too, though that was still in doubt. With magic being in the equation, it was hard to make accurate guesses. ¡°It seems those guys busted their balls to make it, so it better be,¡± Mark said, looking towards his fellow Earth mages wobbling down the length of the barricade. Out of the five Mia could see from where they were, four had been dwarves and the fifth what looked to be a man made out of living stone. No humans. Did Earth Affinity like dwarves more, or was it a coincidence? There was that old man back at Jeff¡¯s too. He was a pretty good Earth mage ¡­ or Elementalist, or whatever. Hmmm. Guess there would be exceptions. ¡°Will Carmilla be able to find us?¡± Brent asked, his hawkish gaze keeping track of every moving form surrounding them like one might pounce on him. ¡°Of course,¡± Mia said, not too worried about that. ¡°She has a good nose and has our scent. She¡¯s like a bloodhound, she¡¯ll find us.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the older man said, and for a moment Mia compared him to the easygoing man poking fun at everyone who¡¯d been booted out of Jeff¡¯s building along with her. When was the last time he made a joke? Before Sam left, or am I forgetting something? Did that hurt him that deeply? ¡°Mark, can you help them tighten up this ¡­ thing? I¡¯m sure you can do a better job than these lots, especially if you can have them give you some of those mana potions.¡± ¡°Sure can do,¡± the dwarf said, grinning as he rubbed his hands together. Mia caught him murmuring about finally getting to go all out without having to worry about mana. ¡°The rest of us should probably head up to the top of this thing to make sure no monster takes potshots at the refugees,¡± Brent said, then glanced around the place. ¡°But I suppose we should ask whoever¡¯s in charge here so we don¡¯t waste our time doing something someone else¡¯s already doing.¡± ¡°Seconded,¡± Helene said, eyes up in the sky, her gaze flickering between the silvery dots flying by. ¡°And get that Colonel to give us potions if we¡¯re to risk our lives here. Healing primarily, but I¡¯m sure there are others too we could use.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia piped in. ¡°I get the feeling he is pulling out all stops, distributing all the stuff they¡¯d kept in reserve for that Marshal of theirs.¡± ¡°I could use a few bucketfuls of mana potions,¡± Lina mused, playing with a small sphere of air that she made to zigzag between her fingers. ¡°Think we could ask him to give us some Natural Treasures too? I¡¯m sure he confiscated those too from his soldiers.¡± ¡°Maybe as a reward,¡± Brent said, grunting as his eyes landed on a half-blown apart building at the corner of the intersection. It looked like it might have been a pastry shop once, but now it was teeming with important looking soldiers running in and out of it with resolute looks on their faces. ¡°Let¡¯s head over there and let¡¯s hope they put someone competent in charge.¡± They didn¡¯t even get close before an exhausted-looking woman in a soldier¡¯s uniform ran up to them. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was all over the place, but she still pushed on. She looked down at a notebook in her hand, then up at their group twice before she cleared her throat and finally addressed them. ¡°You are Miss Maria Vexley, Mister Brent Steiner and their group?¡± The woman asked, then looked around a bit like she was searching for someone. ¡°I see two people opted out, alright, if you are here to help head over that way and look for Major Waters. Old man with one eye, got grey skin. Any questions?¡± ¡°Carmilla is coming too,¡± Mia said, drawing the woman¡¯s attention. I don¡¯t want them to cheap out on rewards just because she¡¯s a bit late. ¡°And Mark¡¯s already helping out with the walls.¡± The woman glanced over at where Mia pointed and saw the dwarf having requisitioned a squad of soldiers and two packs full of mana potions. He had also built up about twenty metres of the barricade to look like a castle¡¯s palisades. ¡°Oh,¡± the woman stared for a few seconds, then shook her head and scribbled something down. ¡°Alright. Noted both of them as present. Questions?¡± ¡°Will we get rewarded once this is all done?¡± Lina asked before anyone else could say a thing. The blonde had her arms crossed for added effect too. ¡°Yes,¡± the woman said, her voice going colder at what she no doubt saw as opportunistic mercantile behaviour. ¡°If we survive this, yes, you will be rewarded from what remains in our ¡®vault¡¯. Questions? No? Great. Goodbye.¡± Lina huffed at the woman¡¯s quick departure, looking at her retreating form with a hint of derision. She shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lina said, and the rest just shrugged and followed her prompting. Mia watched Mark build a tower out of earth in the distance, with a stairwell and all. Then she giggled at the horrified look on the soldiers¡¯ faces as he drank down two mana potions at once before continuing his work. There were spikes on the walls'' outer sides, she could see that now from a sideways angle. He really was going all out and it was quite something to see. ¡°Hey,¡± an unfamiliar voice said, and something about it drew Mia¡¯s attention. It was soft, melodious and gentle like a warm breeze on the skin. The others hadn¡¯t noticed, so they only stopped and looked back when Mia stopped to look around for the source. Then the voice spoke again, right into her ears. ¡°Are they forcing you to fight for them? Tell me, I can get you out I promise.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t though?¡± Mia asked, a confused frown on her face as she gave up on looking around. There was no point, whatever they were doing was projecting the voice right into her ears. ¡°Who are-¡° ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Helene asked, looking at Mia in worry while Lina had a curious look on her face as she stared at nothing in particular. ¡°Someone is talking right into my ears,¡± Mia said under her breath, frowning. Was anyone using some far-speak magic on her? Violent arcane mana surged up her energy channels, flowing into her ears, ready to boot out any foreign influence but found nothing.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ohhhh,¡± Lina sounded intrigued, she leaned closer to Mia¡¯s ears and held her fingers just a hint above them. ¡°That¡¯s some sort of Air magic. Maybe vibrating the air in your ears?¡± ¡°Why do you fight for them?¡± The voice asked again, sounding smaller and confused, betrayed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what they did? What they did to our kind?¡± ¡°No?¡± Mia said, now confused as hell and starting to get weirded out by the strange conversation. ¡°What did they do? Who are they? And what do you mean ¡®our kind¡¯?¡± ¡°Oh, thank God,¡± the voice whispered. ¡°At least you don¡¯t know. Ignorance is good, better than ¡­ yes. Good luck in your fight, however misguided it may be. But be careful of the unchanged humans, their jealousy and depravity knows no bounds. Especially now, with laws and rules no longer being enforced. Be careful and stay safe.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gone,¡± Lina said, stepping away from Mia with a hint of disappointment. ¡°That was some intricate piece of magic. You had some weird clump of air mana in your ear.¡± ¡°That was likely a Skill,¡± Mia said, her frown deepening. She shook her head after a moment though. ¡°Whatever. Whoever it was thought I was getting forced into fighting, then questioned me about why I¡¯d ever fight with ¡®them¡¯.¡± ¡°¡®Them¡¯?¡± Lina raised an eyebrow, then pointed at herself. ¡°Meaning us?¡± ¡°I think she was speaking of the soldiers,¡± Mia said. ¡°Specifically the human ones. She ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Doesn¡¯t matter anyway, we have something to do, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°We do,¡± Brent said, frowning as he looked towards the nearest rooftops. ¡°But keep the exact words she¡¯d spoken in mind. We¡¯ll look into this later ¡­ for now, finding this Major Waters should be our priority.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mia said, nodding in agreement. She shook off the lingering confusion about the stranger¡¯s words and the ugly feelings they carried. Guess it was inevitable that not only would normal humans hate the changed ones, but that it would go both ways. Whoever that woman was clearly loathed normal humans. Mia frowned, thinking of just what could make someone who¡¯d been a human themselves weeks ago grow to hate their previous species so very much? ***** Mia stared out into the distance, swinging her legs back and forth as they hung down the side of the towering wall Mark had made. Her ears twitched again, distant sounds of goblinoid cackles and screams reaching them over the hustle and bustle down behind her. The evacuation was finishing up, apparently it was only possible to have the survivors of the two bordering districts down south come this way while the rest were hopefully herded out of the city by the soldiers remaining there. Major Waters didn¡¯t seem to hold out much hope for that when she asked, but then again the man looked to have the emotional capacity of a washboard. Mia would hope for the best until proven otherwise. The western part of the city over the river was still in good order, only having to fight off the birds and keep the goblins back at the bridges. Andritz wasn¡¯t the last part of the city with survivors, not yet. ¡°I drank more mana potions in the last hour than water in my entire life,¡± Mark said as he ambled over and collapsed onto the walkway just behind Mia. ¡°Fuck me in the ass, that was fucking tiring.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really rather not,¡± Mia said without looking back. ¡°I don¡¯t swing that way for one and two, I doubt your ass has any less hair on it than your face. So no thanks ¡­ by the way good job, you made a pretty cool wall.¡± ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Mark said, hefting himself up, so he was leaning his back against the wall. ¡°You could say it¡¯s in my blood. The hair I mean, building the wall was a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Why would there be hair in your blood?¡± Mia hummed, a mirthful smile tugging at her lip. ¡°That can¡¯t be healthy.¡± ¡°You talk a lot of shit for someone who can¡¯t eat meat.¡± ¡°I can eat meat!¡± Mia defended herself. ¡°Just ¡­ it had to be done in a more natural way. Something a rock-nibbler like you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Mark exclaimed in mock offence, not that he bothered to raise anything other than his voice off of the floor. That would have been too much effort. ¡°You take that back, I only did that once!¡± ¡°What?¡± Mia spun around and looked down at the dwarf. ¡°Why? Why would you nibble a rock? It was a joke, you know. You aren¡¯t a cow, you don¡¯t need pebbles in your stomach to digest food ¡­ do you?¡± ¡°Noooo,¡± Mark said, drawing the word out. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t as much a nibble as it was just a tiny little ¡­ lick.¡± ¡°Ew,¡± Mia stated with a straight face, then reiterated for added effect in the same toneless voice. ¡°Ewww.¡± ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t tell me you never tried out what grass tastes like?¡± Mark said, flopping a hand up to punch her ankle away. ¡°That and licking rocks are two entirely different things!¡± Mia said indignantly. ¡°And I was five when I did that ¡­ okay maybe twelve? It¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Mark chortled. ¡°Knew you were a tree hugger from birth, the ears just stayed inside your skull till now.¡± ¡°It is not!¡± Mia huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. Who didn¡¯t try eating grass growing up? No one. That¡¯s who. At least she didn¡¯t eat sand or lick rocks or something. Hell, Gabe once ate a damned ant back when he was five. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Mark made a thoughtful sound as he supposedly stared up at her. ¡°Damn, that Awakening really remade you from the ground up. You almost look cute pouting like that. Keep it up! Maybe you¡¯ll actually find a girlfriend this way!¡± ¡°Oh shut up, I already have one!¡± Mia kicked his head, which hurt her leg more than his big thick skull. ¡°You should worry about who¡¯d want to date you all hairy and midget-sized like that!¡± ¡°Wait! What? Who?¡± Mark jumped up, entirely ignoring the kick that made Mia¡¯s ankles ache. He stared at her, shock all over his face in a way that made Mia¡¯s ears heat up. Why is it so surprising that I have a girlfriend? I do! ¡­ ¡®Courting¡¯ counts as being girlfriends! Why? Because I said so! ¡°You¡¯re serious,¡± he said, fingers running through his luscious brown beard. ¡°Lina? No, that girl¡¯s straighter than an arrow with how she¡¯s drooling over Brent whenever he takes off his shirt ¡­ it¡¯s the vampire isn¡¯t it? You managed to seduce Miss sourpuss?¡± ¡°That-¡° Mia¡¯s voice went up a pitch and cracked, halting, she cleared her throat before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with you!¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± Mark whined. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you brooding over not getting laid for the last five years, I deserve to know. Spit. Do you have a secondary Succubus bloodline or something? Did you feed her love potions?¡± ¡°No, of course not!¡± Mia said with a deep blush, only realising Mark had been pulling her leg when she saw his grin. She kicked him between the legs, gently. He kept standing and grinning. ¡°How ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Magic,¡± Mark said, his grin not dimming as he reached down and knocked on his crotch with a knuckle. It sounded just like when he knocked on his chest plate ¡­ which wasn¡¯t on his chest at the moment. ¡°Take it off so I can kick you properly,¡± Mia demanded petulantly. ¡°Nope.¡± Mark grinned. ¡°So? Gonna tell me or not?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Mia said, rolling her eyes a bit. ¡°I just ¡­ managed to give her enough hints that she got it that I like her. Then we talked it out and we now kinda, sorta ¡­ courting.¡± ¡°Courting?¡± Mark chortled, sitting back down with a smirk still tugging at his mouth. ¡°What are you, some Victorian princess?¡± ¡°That was the word she used,¡± Mia said defensively, a slight blush crawling back up her neck just as she calmed her heart down. ¡°Since ¡­ well, she is worried about stuff. So we are just in a super initial phase for a bit.¡± ¡°Stuff,¡± Mark stated, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you the secret worries she shared with me in confidence,¡± Mia huffed, glaring at her hairy friend. ¡°But the gist of it is that we ¡­ have to be pretty chaste until we get stronger.¡± ¡°The big bad vampire is worried she¡¯ll eat you, isn¡¯t she?¡± Mark asked easily. Mia stiffened, mouth opening then closing with finality. She glared, not saying a word. ¡°Bingo,¡± Mark said, his voice calming down. ¡°Be careful, okay? Carmilla really might not want to hurt you, but we all have new ¡­ urges. You think I wanted to lick a damned rock? It was asking me to and I couldn¡¯t resist!¡± ¡°That¡¯s really not the same thing,¡± Mia grumbled. But then she realised maybe it was. Everyone had new instincts, urges that either helped them or made their lives harder. Her hearing, flares of unnatural pride that got her into trouble at times, her utter revulsion at just breathing in the same air as monsters and even just her disgust at how the soldiers trampled over little saplings in the forest. Hers were pretty mild when compared to the ones Carmilla likely had to contend with. Fighting her own body, her nature to not do things she didn¡¯t want to do. Mia bit her lower lips, staring down into her lap. That poor girl was still struggling so much. I promised to stay with her, so I will. I¡¯ll help her through it ¡­ I trust her enough that I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll ever hurt me too badly. And the rest is just the price I have to pay for having a crush on a vampire, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s like a rose, beautiful but has thorns that stab you when you get close. Mia snorted at that atrociously cliche metaphor, sure that it was something lingering in the back of her mind from a dark romance book with vampires in it. ¡°I¡¯ll be,¡± Mia said, letting out a soft sigh as she steeled her heart. She wasn¡¯t getting down from the Carmilla train until booted off by the girl herself. ¡°I¡¯d hate to be the one to discourage you after finally getting into a relationship, but ¡­ ¡° Mark started uncertainly, wincing as Mia turned a mild glare his way. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not too dangerous? I mean, I know this is fucking weird, but she might really just lose control and kill you, no? That¡¯s a possibility, isn¡¯t it? Be honest.¡± ¡°It might be,¡± Mia said slowly. ¡°But a slim one, and I trust her to stop herself before going too far. I promised to stay with her.¡± ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re going to ¡®fix her¡¯?¡± Mark retorted snarkily, then winced again. ¡°Sorry, that was uncalled for. Just ¡­ please make sure you put yourself first and that you are thinking with an organ above your waistline? I get that she¡¯s pretty, well, fuck a blind man could tell you that just from hearing her voice, but-¡° ¡°I know,¡± Mia said, feeling a little guilty that she really might have just jumped right into that fledgeling relationship without entirely thinking it through. Still, two facts remained. She trusted Carmilla, and she wanted her, neither was a lie. There were dangers she really didn¡¯t take as seriously as she should have, but even now she wasn¡¯t willing to back out. ¡°Thanks, Mark. You¡¯re a good friend.¡± Saying so, Mia hopped to her feet and kneeled down to give the dwarf a chaste hug. ¡°If you really wanted to thank me you would have stayed on your feet,¡± the dwarf said with a grin once they separated and it took a moment for Mia to register his meaning. Her breasts were exactly face-height for him when they were both standing. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw you off this wall,¡± Mia said in a dead serious tone. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Mark backed away, holding his hands up in surrender with a sheepish look on his face. ¡°I surrender. Forgive me Lady for I have sinned against your person! What might this lowly dwarf do to earn your magnanimous forgiveness?¡± Mia narrowed her eyes, an evil grin tugging at her lips. 65 - Hold the Wall Not long after Mia¡¯d seen Mark off, now wearing a helmet with a peculiarly shaped attachment atop it ¡ª one looking like a set of male genitalia flopping across his helmet ¡ª Carmilla arrived, jumping up the wall with the same silent grace Mia''s learned to expect from her. ¡°Hi,¡± Mia chirped, looking over her shoulder for a moment before she returned to watching the city for any sign of the goblin horde. ¡°How was it? Could you convince them?¡± ¡°Only Avery,¡± Carmilla said with a sigh as she sat down next to Mia, letting her own legs hang down the wall¡¯s side too. ¡°The rest were less than thrilled about fighting with the army after their experiences. Even Avery looked at me like I was suggesting something repulsive, but she decided to come anyway once I explained that the main army died and exactly how deep in the shit everybody is.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Mia said, swinging her legs back and forth. ¡°You ran ahead of her? I don¡¯t hear her anywhere.¡± ¡°She went off with Brent to have herself officially assigned to our ¡®party¡¯.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Mia hummed, glancing over at the side of Carmilla¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks for doing this for me. I¡¯m sure her help will come in handy against that regenerating Troll if it dares show its face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Carmilla said, shaking her head softly as she briefly glanced at Mia and held her gaze. There was an uncertain, searching look in those eyes before the vampiress broke eye contact. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Mia asked, shuffling closer to her ¡­ girlfriend? ¡°You look bothered.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Carmilla apologised in a soft voice. ¡°I¡¯m just ¡­ I don¡¯t know how to act around you anymore.¡± ¡°The same as before,¡± Mia said easily, leaning her head on the girl''s shoulder. ¡°Maybe ¡­ a bit more relaxed though? You look like a coiled spring. That can¡¯t be healthy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Carmilla said, letting out a little sigh. ¡°Good enough,¡± Mia murmured, snuggling in a little closer to the strangely warm vampire. They sat there for a while, ignoring the soldiers still bustling about behind them and setting up ladders and makeshift staircases leading up to the top of the wall. Even the large openings where the evacuated refugees had been herded through were being closed up in short order with newer walls. A few dozen metres away atop the wall, Mia heard her mother and Brent settling down too to take up watch. Apparently, some of the scouts sent out had caught sight of the goblins getting closer. They¡¯d be assaulting the wall within minutes. Lina was out in a smaller clearing near the wall, just below where Mia was sitting atop it with Carmilla, playing with her magic. By the looks of it, she was trying to make herself jump higher by sending bursts of air out of her palms which ended up with her face full of dirt more often than not. Mark was off playing mason again in his dick-helmet, making sure the wall wasn¡¯t spotty anywhere. The tension was palpable, so thick was it in the air that Mia could practically feel it crawling on her skin. The first goblins came not much later, just a group of forty of them wandering down a street like they were sightseeing. They pointed at the wall, cackling like hyenas before the taller Hobgoblin in their midst smacked them into order. It was likely about to order something when Mia aired its brains out with a piercing Bolt. It died on the spot, mid-sentence with its grey matter splattering across the rest of its kin. It fell, and that seemingly robbed the lesser goblins of all reason as they launched into a suicidal charge against the wall. They didn¡¯t even come within fifty metres of it, a mix of gunfire and some magic here and there killing them long before that. Mia noted the more interesting ones. There was a woman kneeling up on the wall, further towards the forested hill who was shouldering what looked to be an ethereal rifle. It was as long as Mia was tall and she¡¯d seen it shoot out a beam of energy that went right through five goblins. While that was by far the most interesting bit of magic currently being used on the walls, there were also some others. Namely, a man lobbing globs of molten pavement at the goblins, another man who threw honest to god fireballs at them and finally a woman who was shooting ethereal arrows out of an inscribed wooden bow. The last woman would have gotten lost in the dozens of other mages throwing more or less effective projectiles at the monsters, but she was shooting those spectral arrows of hers by the dozens and they were the same vibrant hot pink as Mia¡¯s own magic. That was the first Arcane mage Mia had seen aside from herself, though the woman was more of an archer than a mage, but it was still cool to see. The second group of goblins wasn¡¯t far behind the first, but this lot ambled down the street running across the riverbank hundreds of metres away from Mia. She¡¯d only caught the flashes of magic and the sound of gunfire before a little cheer travelled up the wall among the defenders. The third group had fifty goblins, and didn¡¯t take as long to catch up to the second group as they did to the first. This group had three hobgoblins, two of which Mia sniped out from so far away they didn¡¯t even see it coming. The third ate one of the energy beams of the ethereal rifle which atomised half of its head. The rest of them were once again easy pickings after that, madly rushing at the walls or just going back to eat the corpses of their kin. So far, Mia had been the only one to do much of anything. Carmilla merely cast her fluid gathering sphere thingy and watched over Mia, while Mark and Lina seemed to be conserving their mana for now. Helene was flying around above, occasionally sending a cooked metallic bird crashing down, still twitching from the lightning coursing through its body. Brent was once again held back by his range, which started at his fists and ended at the tip of his blade. Mia didn¡¯t doubt that soon there would be more than enough targets to hit for him, even if he didn¡¯t move a single step from his spot. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Mia thought, narrowing her eyes as she heard the collective cackles of another group of greenskin in the distance. For the next five groups coming into view, Mia only shot off one or two piercing Bolts to kill a hobgoblin or two. She had some mana potions, and could likely get some more from the soldiers who were still handing them out like candy if need be so she wasn¡¯t too worried. I don¡¯t want to tire myself out before anything actually dangerous comes around to fight. Plus, I¡¯m guessing the others could really use the easy level-ups. Going by the few grins and cheers she saw on the mages after they killed a monster, she was pretty certain she¡¯d been right. Most of these people were likely at most level 2 or 3. With these level 4 to 7 goblins, they¡¯d be shooting up in levels like they had a rocket stuffed up in their asses. Before the seventh group of goblins could arrive, a distinct sound caught Mia¡¯s ears. Screams, very human screams for help.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Carmilla twitched next to her, likely hearing the same thing. ¡°How is anyone even still alive out there?¡± Mia wondered, her face going grim. The last group of goblins was almost a hundred strong and had ten hobgoblins with even a magic wielding shaman. The ugly withered thing had little bird skulls hanging off of its gnarled staff and a necklace of bloody human and elven ears strung across its neck. Mia gave it at least six new orifices with her piercing Bolts with all the prejudice the monster was due, it couldn¡¯t even get a single spell off before it died. With monsters like that this close to the barricade-cum-wall, Mia honestly didn¡¯t even think of anyone managing to escape notice. Goblins supposedly had unnaturally good noses after all once they got into the upper Rank 0 levels. ¡°What do we do?¡± Mia asked, glancing over at the vampire who had her crimson claws digging into the rock. Her face was cold though, and Mia didn¡¯t know what to expect. She didn¡¯t manage to figure out on what basis the girl flip-flopped between apathy and care. ¡°Think you could go and get them?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Carmilla said under her breath, then her gaze jumped up to the sky and Mia¡¯s heart jumped into her throat as she followed. Helene was shooting down from the distant sky like a white comet, going right towards the screams of help and the echoing cackles closing in on them. Mia leaned forwards, her hands clutching the walls¡¯ stone railings as her mother disappeared behind a line of houses. ¡°I¡¯ll go-¡° Carmilla started, a foot already over the wall when Helene shot back up and with a heavy flap of her wings flew over to the wall. She only stopped when she was hovering before Mia. ¡°Hold her,¡± the angelic woman said and Mia dumbly held out her arm. Helene deposited a sobbing little girl with snot running down her face into Mia¡¯s arms, then she was gone again just as Mia¡¯s ears twitched at the sound of angry screams and shouts of defiance. Carmilla took that as her own cue to move and shot after Helene, landing on the ground in a dead sprint before she moved away in a blur. A part of Mia wanted to follow, but she knew how stupid that part was. For one, she¡¯d likely break her legs just jumping down from the walls and two, she¡¯d hardly be able to handle a group of a hundred goblins from up close as well as Carmilla could. And three, she had a tiny little package calling to her mommy and daddy between sniffles to protect. Mia turned the opposite direction, holding the little girl close and ruffling her hair gently. She was at most four, maybe three years old and Mia hadn¡¯t the faintest clue how to handle her. She never was the type to be good with children, if any aunts or uncles wanted a babysitter for their kids Sophie was their first call, then Gabe once the older girl wasn¡¯t available and Mia usually just came as a package deal with her brother. So she tried to emulate what she¡¯d seen Gabe do when that fiendish brat ¡ª her cousin, Noe ¡ª wouldn¡¯t stop bawling his eyes out after his mom went to work. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Mia whispered soothingly, navigating her way down a makeshift staircase made out of stacked crates. ¡°They¡¯ll be back in just a bit, you have to be brave. What¡¯s your name? My name¡¯s Mia.¡± ¡°Mommy ¡­ I want mommy,¡± the little girl sobbed, burying her face in Mia¡¯s shoulder and spreading soot all over her favourite turtleneck. ¡°Shhhh,¡± Mia just whispered, glancing up as she heard the whoosh of her mother shooting off again into the distance. A gaunt woman looked around wildly, bloodshot eyes snapping around like a cornered animal looking for which predator¡¯s neck to bite first. Her rabid eyes landed on Mia, then at the little bundle in her arms and she froze up. ¡°Hey, is that mommy?¡± Mia nudged the little girl and that got her attention, a cherubic face surrounded by dishevelled blonde hair snapped up and towards the woman. ¡°Mommy!¡± The little girl cried out, instantly trying to squirm out of Mia¡¯s arms. Mia didn¡¯t let her just yet, instead placing her down gently as the woman practically flew right down the stairs before lunging for the small girl and encasing her in a hug. Helene came back a short while later, holding a bloody and battered-looking man in a princess carry. She landed with him next to the medical tent the army had set up and deposited him inside before walking over to Mia. She looked a bit tired, but had a satisfied smile on her face. Mia held back the quips and snarks playing on her tongue. After all, it was pretty hypocritical for her mother to be lecturing her about taking undue risks before taking even bigger risks herself and almost giving Mia a heart attack. Instead, she looked at the little girl clutching onto her mother like a baby koala. The woman was up, watery eyes landing on Helene. ¡°Thank you, thank you so much. I thought we were- Oh my god, is Jared ¡­ ?¡± ¡°I left him with the healers,¡± Helene said, answering the question the woman was too afraid to ask. ¡°He was alive when I last saw him, if barely. I think one of the goblins managed to stab him in the chest and pierce a lung.¡± Helene spoke the second part silently, glancing at the little girl staring at her with starry eyes. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll-,¡± the woman said, starting towards the tent before glancing back at Mia too. ¡°Thank you too, for looking after Ava. Now, sorry I have to go.¡± ¡°GOBLINS!¡± A shout from atop the walls stopped any hope of some small talk with her mother in its infancy. ¡°Two hundred strong! Get ready!¡± Bells rang across the street, alerting everyone and Mia shared a short, but meaningful look with her mother before they both shot off. Mia ran towards the wall while Helene shot up into the sky with a languid flap of her wings. Carmilla flipped over the wall just as Mia managed to scramble back on the wobbly stacked crates. Looking the vampire over, Mia noted a few scrapes and torn bits in her clothes but there was no blood and whatever skin was showing was pristine as silk. Glancing up at the sphere of blood following her along, Mia guessed it took not only the splatters of blood that would have landed on her, but her own blood too. ¡°You good?¡± She asked anyway, even if she was already heaving a sigh of relief. Carmilla was the person she had to worry about the least in their ¡®party¡¯. The girl was practically unkillable and her strength and speed was bordering on monstrous. ¡°Perfectly fine,¡± Carmilla said, poking a finger through a hole in her leggings. ¡°I feel fighting isn¡¯t too good for the health of my wardrobe.¡± ¡°You mean my wardrobe?¡± Mia huffed, and the vampire had the decency to look sheepish. She was wearing Mia¡¯s clothes after all, not that Mia was blaming her of course. The girl had nothing else to wear, and she looked damned good in Mia¡¯s old leatherwear. Even if they were a touch too short more often than not. ¡°Any new types of greenies in this lot?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Carmilla said, turning to glance out over the group, or rather, the horde. Two hundred goblins rushing madly at a fortified wall had the right to be called a horde. ¡°I saw a bunch of hobgoblins though, and two shamans.¡± ¡°That¡¯s trouble,¡± Mia mused, searching for either of the mentioned to eliminate quickly. ¡°Both have magic. A hobgoblin almost shot a wind-enhanced arrow through my head back when I was starting out.¡± An inferno was raging across the horde, dozens of goblins screeching as they burned alive or were seared all over by the flames. Fireball-guy was going wild, likely having levelled up a bunch. Mia suspected he wasn¡¯t a Mage mage, but had instead some specialised Fireball Lobber Class. If his Fireball was a Skill, that¡¯d explain why the size, speed and power of his orbs of flaming death were all shooting through the roof. Mia¡¯s spells were static after all, as all spells were. The only way to make them stronger would be to rip them apart and replace some parts of them with stronger ones built out of stronger runes. Stats and levels had nothing to do with that. The woman with the fuckoff-huge gun was no slouch either, sending off beams of energy that had three or four goblins falling into a screaming pile. Barely visible, near translucent pink arrows were also falling from the sky and there weren¡¯t just a few of them either, but dozens. They were hard to see, though their effectiveness was obvious, as they had the exact same results as a rifle round meeting a goblin skull. ¡°I read up a bit on goblins and I think none of these should be a problem,¡± Carmilla mused, her ruby eyes roaming the battlefield, searching for any prey worthy enough of her attention. ¡°Goblin shamans can only use two spells at our Rank: Aegis and Dark Bolt, plus a Skill called Blessing of the Berserker.¡± ¡°Pretty self-explanatory, that name,¡± Mia hummed, spinning her wand between her fingers like a pencil. ¡°Wait, Aegis? The same spell I¡¯m trying to learn?¡± Aegis was one of the spells in the Abjuration Runic Lexicon, a spell that made a dome-shaped barrier with the caster as its centre. ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Though monsters like these will have the Minor versions at best, and a bad one at that too. They are too dumb for anything stronger.¡± Mia, not seeing any of the more dangerous types even then, resorted to leaning into her Spirit Sense to find them. She almost doubled over from the overwhelming inflow of repulsive information, but she¡¯d had to contend with it while fighting the Boarlings too, so she managed. Grimacing, she looked for harder, denser clumps of wrongness in the sea of vileness spreading out before her. Finding the nearest, her eyes flew wide and flew towards the rooftop of the apartment building on the other side of the intersection, just a few dozen metres away from the walls. She caught a withered green form with a bovine skull atop its head like a helmet, leaning over the railing and pointing a hand down at the defenders. The hand was glowing black. 66 - Master Strategist Grimbol ***** A few minutes earlier. *** ¡°The white fly-thing left skull-boss!¡± One of Grimbol¡¯s lesser kin said, blinking big dumb black eyes at him. ¡°We chase fly-thing? We could bow-shoot it and it would down-fall.¡± ¡°Leave the fly-thing!¡± Grimbol barked out, swinging his gnarl-root staff at the dumb-kin like a club. ¡°It has zappy wonder-glow, didn¡¯t you look-see?¡± ¡°I did peek-look!¡± The dumb-kin said proudly and Grimbol whack-hit him again. ¡°Run-skitter to chief-boss,¡± Grimbol said, thin fingers tightening around his staff as he watched the fly-thing take-steal the man-thing they wanted to hunt-eat. Thief. Thief. Cunning fly-thing, taking man-thing once clan-kin beat it. Thief. ¡°I have a plan-idea! Skitter-run fast!¡± ¡°Yes-yes!¡± The lesser kin ran as ordered, and after a few more clubbings, Grimbol had another bunch of them skittering along to the other bosses. Man-things think their tall-wall will protect-save them. Grimbol thought as his eyes looked left and right, finding the tallest house-building near the man-thing wall. Dumb man-things. Tall-wall not tall enough, Grimbol found a tall-higher spot! Soon enough, other hob-kin and wonder-kin came around. Of course they did, Grimbol was an old-elder wonder-kin, he¡¯d lived for ten sun-cycles outside the home-rift already! He was owed lots of bow-respect. ¡°Why did you ask-call us here?¡± The chief-boss, a big-tall hob-kin asked as he towered over Grimbol¡¯s small, skeletal frame. ¡°I have a plan-idea!¡± Grimbol shouted, knocking his staff on the ground because he notice-learned it caught the attention-eyes of the kin. ¡°Man-things are up on tall-wall, if we go skitter-climb a taller house-building, we could down-shoot at them like they are down-shooting the dumb-kin!¡± As he finished his talk-speech, he excitedly pointed towards the tall-wall where the man-things were slaughter-killing the lesser gob-kin. The bosses looked together and the two other wonder-kin chitter-laughed in happy-delight. ¡°Yes-yes,¡± one said, a wonder-fellow with a man-thing skull-mask. ¡°Great-smart plan-idea.¡± ¡°True-true!¡± the other chittered, clutching at his root-staff as he hopped up and down in happy-delight. ¡°Down-shoot man-things! Grimbol smart-wise.¡± The hob-kin looked conflicted, clearly not wanting to anger-upset the wonder-kin, but they also weren¡¯t smart-wise enough to see how awesome Grimbol¡¯s plan-idea was. ¡°Why do you need hob-kin help for that plan-idea?¡± Chief-boss asked, a dark frown-scowl on his mug as he stare-looked down on Grimbol. ¡°Protect-save if fly-thing comes,¡± Grimbol said, knocking his staff on the ground twice because what he was saying was much-very important. ¡°Wonder-kin slow to react-kill, we need hob-kin to protect-save!¡± ¡°You get three hob-kin,¡± the chief-boss nodded. ¡°Kill-slaughter many man-things, make Gob-King happy-proud! We must kill-destroy the man-thing wall before other tribe-groups come!¡± The gob-kin chitter-laughed in joy, then quickly set off to enact the plan-idea. Chief-boss would go kill-break the man-thing wall while Grimbol and his fellow-kin would down-kill from up-above. Climbing the tall house-building was exhausting, and Grimbol had to command-ask one hob-kin to lift-carry him. Then they were there, up-above the dumb-stupid man-things. Grimbol skitter-walked over to the ledge, and aimed at a colourful man-thing. Grimbol hated the vibrant-bright head-fur the man-thing had. ¡°Skull-boss is using wonder-glow to kill man-things!¡± One of Grimbol¡¯s lesser kin shouted, pointing at his glorious visage as he gathered the wonder-glow to his hand-digits. ¡°Look-look!¡± The dark wonder-glow spread, snapping into place, and then Grimbol let it fly-shoot at the man-thing. He grinned, drinking in the fear-terror on the man-thing¡¯s face. Then he caught a small detail-fact. The man-thing wasn¡¯t a man-thing, but an elf-thing! What a glorious luck-find! His hand-digits reached up and lovingly caressed the single elf-thing ear he had on his neck-string. It had been great luck-fortune that he had found it when the elf-thing it belonged to was still warm and not quite a dead-corpse yet. This colourful elf-thing¡¯s ears were small-tiny for an elf-thing, but Grimbol knew elf-thing ears were the best for wonder-glow neck-strings. Even if they were small-tiny. He couldn¡¯t wait to cut-tear it off of its dead-corpse. Though ¡­ it would be even more joy-fun if the elf-thing was alive when he cut-tore its precious-treasured ear off. Elf-things always shout-screamed the best when one took-tore their ears off after all. Just imagining it sent a surge of joy-thrill down Grimbol¡¯s spine. ¡°Yes-yes,¡± he said, grinning as he watched his wonder-bolt shoot at the elf-thing. ¡°Scream-shout, elf-thing. Suffer-cry for Grimbol!¡± ***** Mia watched the glob of dark mana race towards her with a hint of horror, then ¡­ splatter against a Lesser Ward as her Amulet flared to life. It seared into her skin, making her stumble with a grimace and reach up to pull it out of her shirt. She quickly sat down, hiding behind the waist-high palisade atop the walls to ward off any follow-up attacks by the goblin shaman. The Lesser Ward, a bubble of near-translucent pink energy around her, flickered and died a moment later with its purpose served. The Dark Bolt ¡ª supposedly ¡ª was gone and Mia was left blowing air on her now scalding hot amulet, before remembering that she could just absorb the heat for some extra mana. Touching the spot of skin it had been lying on, just between her collarbones, Mia flinched at the pain radiating out of the piece of well-done flesh. She kept her Ring from activating though; it was at worst a second-degree burn and the damned thing took two entire hours to recharge even with her increasing mana capacity. It is such a damned pain that I can''t track exactly how much mana I have. Sure, it''s roughly proportional with my Spirit, I know that, but would it have killed the System¡¯s developer to include a mana counter? Mia groused, flickering a glance up as Carmilla sent Water Blade after Water Blade flying with a dark scowl on her face. A smirk played on Mia¡¯s lips, despite the discomfort of her shirt touching the burnt piece of skin. The presences atop that building were quickly sputtering out one after the other, and with a crash of thunder joining the whizzing crescents of blood, the last two clumps of wrongness died. There came a roar from below and another three clumps she came to associate with level 9 Hobgoblins rushed towards the wall at the head of a somewhat reorganised mass of Goblins. Huffing, Mia stood back up, paying careful attention not to shift her clothes too much as she did and cast her gaze out over the battlefield. It was ¡­ strange. The sun was happily shining away up above, fluffy clouds were rolling by in the blue sky, and a soft breeze was blowing into Mia¡¯s face with a gentle caress. Then, there was absolute carnage down on the ground, gunfire cracking constantly, explosions, screams, roars and the smell, the smell of gore, blood and shit all mixing together with the sweat and fear of so many people clumped together. To Mia, who¡¯d grown used to battles of this magnitude usually happening on a dreary day with dramatic music accompanying it from movies. It was a strange sight. Despite the dumb goblins that crawled out of some fantasy author¡¯s asshole, and magic and all this other bullshit, this was real. This was reality. Not a book, a game or a movie. She took a deep breath, and the smells invading her nostril almost made her lurch, but she forced it back down with practised ease. Aiming at the biggest, baddest hob-goblin leading the charge, a fellow a head taller than the rest and with one ear missing, Mia sent a piercing Bolt its way. It missed, surprisingly. The monster cloaked itself in a whirl of wind and moved with a speed that belied its lumbering stature. Furthermore, it moved to dodge the moment Mia¡¯s fingertips first gave off the characteristic glow of magic. ¡°You should stay down while your Amulet recharges,¡± Carmilla said, following Mia¡¯s lead and sending a crescent of blood racing towards the hob with Water Blade, which it also dodged easily. If it could sidestep Mia¡¯s piercing Bolt which traversed faster than her eyes could track, it was reasonable that it also effortlessly dodge a crescent of comparatively snail-paced blood.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Probably,¡± Mia said, grimacing. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s just 15 minutes and it should be back up.¡± ¡°Fast-charge it,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°15 minutes is the passive recharge I assume? Just channel mana into it. Should be back up in a minute. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said, plopping back down with a sigh as she palmed the Amulet. After absorbing its excess thermal energy, it was already back to ambient temperature. Pushing mana in though caused it to start warming up again, too quickly for her to absorb it all, to the point where she¡¯d melt it before she filled it up by her estimation. Even with her absorbing as much of the heat as she could all the while. ¡°Well, this thing is ¡­ overloading, I think. I¡¯ll have to wait the fifteen minutes out.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Carmilla said, and Mia felt a hob¡¯s presence fade. ¡°That¡¯s one down. Two more to go- Eeeeep.¡± Mia startled at the uncharacteristic squeal from Carmilla, then froze as the girl practically threw herself over Mia in a hurry. Not a moment later Mia felt a powerful wind blast by just above them, ruffling her hair and sending Carmilla¡¯s own crimson locks into her mouth and eyes. Sputtering a little, Mia held onto the vampiress as she tried not to think about the titanic amount of Air mana blasting by right above her head. What burned bright though, burned down fast and the same went for the magical Air blast that had far more mana in it than any sane Rank 0 mage would have put into it. Carmilla jumped up the exact moment the magic was gone, and Mia heard the girl growl menacingly. Her arm went up, and a crimson beam of energy lanced off of her fingers with a flash of blood-red light. Risking to poke her head out, Mia saw the biggest hobgoblin crumbling into a bloody heap with a fist-sized hole through where its heart would have once been. That might have been a bit overkill. Blood Lance is her strongest spell. I doubt she can use it more than a dozen times a day, even with her drinking my blood daily. Glancing up at the pleased smirk on the vampiress¡¯ face and the low purr she let out as her foe finally fell with a wet squelch, Mia didn¡¯t have it in her to speak up about the girl¡¯s wastage of her lifeforce. The rest of the group fell into disarray with the big fucker¡¯s death and the two remaining hobgoblins even ignored the defenders to instantly pounce on the other. Which earned them a beam of death from the woman with the huge magical rifle. Who, by the way, turned out to be called Amelia and was happy enough to share with Mia the name of her Skill when she asked: ¡®Ethereal Mana-Cannon¡¯. She only asked for the info about where Mia got her Amulet, which she happily shared too. There was no need in being secretive with stuff Amelia would have figured out herself. Even less so considering they were both currently fighting off a horde of monsters, the stronger each of them was, the better. At least in Mia¡¯s opinion. The next group of monsters to come was smaller in number, but much more dangerous overall. The fifty-strong group was cautious, and at least a quarter of them were hobs with five shamans and one ¡­ ¡°what the fuck is that?¡± Mia snorted at the question the fireball-guy asked, who came to stand only a dozen metres away from Mia and Carmilla. Not for any personal reason though, it was just the best spot to shoot down the street stretching from the intersection towards the inner city. The ¡®that¡¯ in question was a two metre tall female goblin-like thing with the physique of an amazon and the head that looked like the lovechild of a donkey and a boar that then ran face first into a wall until its face turned largely two dimensional. The result wasn¡¯t pretty, but for whatever godforsaken reason the thing had two jiggly breasts the size of watermelons displayed to the world at large with absolutely no shame. Which was likely what earned the fire mage¡¯s disbelieving question. ¡°That¡¯s what you might call a Jade Beauty, I guess,¡± Mia snickered under her breath. It had jade coloured skin and was sort of a beauty if you put a bag over its head. The joke surprisingly earned a small giggle from Carmilla. Seemed like the girl really did read every book under the sun while hospitalised. Which blessedly saved Mia from the embarrassment of having to explain an inside joke about Jade Beauties and cultivation stories. ¡°What?¡± Fireball guy looked over, cresting an eyebrow with a strange look on his face. ¡°Looks like an Orc to me.¡± ¡°That fits too,¡± Mia mumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s kill it.¡± ¡°Too far away for me,¡± the man said in irritation, leaning over the ledge to stare at the distant green form at the centre of a greenskin formation. Yes, the ¡®orc¡¯ somehow beat the goblins into an honest to god formation. It was a bad one, sure, a simple square formation without even shields held by the frontline, but it was leagues above the tactic used by every group till now. Which boiled down to rush the wall and hope for the best, and of course, don¡¯t forget to scream as you did so. Apparently though, the downside of being smart enough to strategise was the lack of the nimble speed the previous group¡¯s hob leader had. Which meant the Orc couldn¡¯t dodge Mia''s piercing Bolt in time and lost an eye along with a chunk of its brain as a result. Not that it would have lived much longer even if it had managed to dodge, as a beam of mana took out half of its face and an arrow of mana went through where its heart had been just mere fractions of a second after Mia¡¯s spell hit true. Then, as if to make sure it was dead, a sniper up on some roof blasted what remained of its head clean off. Mia doubted it could get any deader than it already was, but oh well. Cleaning up the rest of them was a damned slog, every second hob having some Air magic or another. One moved fast, another threw pebbles that nearly broke the sound barrier and a third just ran up to the wall and boosted itself up to its top with a burst of wind coming out of its feet. What caused that particular hob¡¯s downfall was the dubious decision it took to land right in front of Carmilla. The vampire took the challenge, or the mere presence of the repulsive monster as a great offence and ripped its head right off with a disgusted scowl before kicking its corpse back over the palisades. Then she threw the detached head and had it splatter against the Aegis of a shaman. Mia and Carmilla took a small break about three hours after the start of the fight, the stress of waiting and being under near constant threat of death having strained Mia¡¯s nerves more than she could handle. She was jumpy by the second hour and far too slow to react to quick attacks by the end of the third, so here they were, sitting a few dozen metres behind in an open-air cafe and drinking hot chocolate while the sounds of battle echoed all around them. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Carmilla asked, slowly sipping on her own mug with a blissful smile on her face. White chocolate with a bit of orange and cinnamon. Gotta remember that. ¡°Yes?¡± Mia said, twitching as an explosion rumbled through the earth below her feet. She¡¯d been sitting there, sipping on drinks and nibbling on some pastry for the last half an hour, so she really was getting better. ¡°I could use a bath and a nap, but I¡¯ll be fine in a bit ¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the vampire said quickly, reaching over to awkwardly pat Mia¡¯s hand over the table. ¡°Even the soldiers are getting rotated in and out of the fighting. No one can expect you to be hardier than career soldiers.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t look even a bit tired or fatigued,¡± Mia grumbled, looking down into her own mug of swishing brown deliciousness. She was whining, she knew, but ¡­ ¡°I am a vampire Mia,¡± Carmilla nearly rolled her eyes out of their sockets before she switched over to a softer tone. ¡°I am less a living being and more a machine of flesh and bone fuelled by lifeforce. I practically don¡¯t have nerves to strain.¡± ¡°A machine?¡± Mia looked up, looking dubiously at the girl. ¡°You have a bit too much emotion to be a machine, no?¡± ¡°A turn of phrase.¡± Carmilla rolled her shoulders. ¡°But it''s true that my body almost runs itself just off of instincts if I don¡¯t pay attention. Also, I can just burn a little lifeforce away to banish any muscle or nerve fatigue.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just bragging,¡± Mia smirked. ¡°Endless stamina. Hmmm. The things I could do if I had that.¡± No more need for sleep, or rest. I could read all the books, train at night, get my Base stats up much quicker. Maybe I should take that Fatigue Resistance Skill once I get one of my current secondary skills incorporated into my Class Skill ¡­ Looking back up at her maybe-girlfriend, Mia saw a slight blush on her face as she stared at Mia. Blinking in confusion, Mia tilted her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Carmilla said, twitching a little under Mia¡¯s inquisitive stare. Then Mia played her words over in her head again. Once, then twice and blushed a little at the unintentional insinuations in it. Looking up though, seeing the vampire practically squirming and blushing slightly made her more thrilled than the most adrenaline-inducing rollercoaster ride. ¡°I was thinking about getting to spend each night studying magic and training,¡± Mia said, a smirk playing on her lips. ¡°I wonder what you were thinking about?¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± Carmilla asked, uncertainly scratching at her cheek before realising that she could escape Mia¡¯s mirthful look by hiding behind her mug of hot chocolate. So cute. Mia thought, smiling. It was just so ¡­ gratifying to see the gorgeous vampire being embarrassed about the idea of sleeping with her. It caressed that Fae pride and her own pre-existing wounds of insecurity just right. Plus, it was adorable. Her smirk died off as she caught a deep, resounding roar from the distance. Then a crash, heavy footsteps accompanied by hundreds upon hundreds of smaller feet stomping. Mia stood, her face grim as she glanced over at Carmilla. ¡°I think our main guests have arrived.¡± Just as she said so, a massive clump of repulsive wrongness stepped withing range of her Spirit Sense. More powerful than before, the Troll ran towards the wall with slow, lumbering steps that send echoes through the earth. Shit. That thing is at least Level 14, if not 15. ¡°This might be really bad,¡± Mia said, setting off at a dead sprint towards the distant form of Major Waters who commanded this quarter of the walls. ¡°That thing will need a whole lot of firepower to take down. Could you fetch Avery and the others? I¡¯ll notify the Major that we are up to our chins in shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Carmilla said, but hesitated for a moment. ¡°What got you so worked up, didn¡¯t you say you almost killed the thing the last time?¡± ¡°It was at most level 12 back then,¡± Mia shouted over her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s at 14 now, maybe more. Feels more dangerous.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Carmilla said, Mia¡¯s ears catching her words even with the distance increasing between them. ¡°Meet up back here after?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Mia shouted, her heart beating a thundering rhythm in her chest. This was it, this was going to be what it all depended on. Either they killed that Troll here, or the district would fall and they¡¯d be forced to run with their tails between their legs, leaving the city to its inevitable fate. It was going to be dangerous, but it was likely the last chance they had at saving Graz from becoming a den of monsters where humans ¡ª and the other, awakened species ¡ª were nothing more than game to be hunted. That knowledge sent a surge of purpose through Mia, making her straighten up and set her face into a resolute glare. She would be ready to run the moment the situation turned untenable ¡ª she didn¡¯t want to die, and wasn¡¯t willing to change that for strangers, even if there were thousands of them ¡ª, but she¡¯ll be damned if she didn¡¯t give her all before that point. That was the least she could do with this power provided to her, what she felt she owed to other doubtlessly terrified people sheltering in the district behind her and the least her Fae pride demanded of her. If she had the power to purge a monster from existence, it was her duty to see it step through the gates of oblivion. 67 - Drive Mia felt slightly startled at the surety with which that last thought came. Duty. She never really liked having it, but right at this moment it was what kept her running straight towards the Major and not out into the wilderness. It was ¡­ calming, in a way. There was no doubt, no uncertainty, just a simple purpose. A clear plan, and guideline for the future. ¡®Do your best to kill the monsters, but don¡¯t die trying.¡¯ Summed up what her instincts, her blood was whispering in her ears nicely. It resonated with her, that she was still putting herself firmly in first place, but wasn¡¯t to be callous with the lives of others either. It was good; it was right. Maybe not to others, to some it would still be too little if she merely just ¡®gave her best¡¯. But it was right for her, and that was all that mattered. Asking for more of her would have been greedy, preposterous. Did the beggars ask for your entire monthly paycheck or just a few bucks? That¡¯s right, they asked only for what could be freely given without inconveniencing their benefactors. The weak who either couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t protect themselves had no right to demand anything more of her, even if she only had her power because she had been extraordinarily lucky. Luck was a skill too, though Mia guessed the only luck involved in getting her own power was when one of her ancestors managed to get laid with a Fae. Does that make me a magical nepobaby? Was the idiotic thought running through her head as she slid to a stop before the hunkish, oily grey-skinned man that was Major Waters. The man was looking at her, dark amber eyes staring without much emotion as the two fins he had for ears flapped against his neck. Pretty sure ¡®Waters¡¯ is a new nickname. Was that woman trying to get me beaten up by giving me some mocking nickname soldiers had for the Major? ¡°Hi, Major. The Rift Guardian is coming,¡± Mia said, wasting no time with the no-nonsense Merman that looked like he snacked on pufferfish and wrestled with sharks for fun. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s at around level 15. It¡¯ll take a whole lot of firepower to kill, it has freakishly fast regeneration. I¡¯ve seen it heal back from getting its brain aired out and pulped once.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the man said, his amber eyes that had only the deep abyss surrounding them instead of the white sclera Mia was used to, bore into her own unnervingly. He gave a nod, satisfied with something he must have seen in her own eyes. ¡°Go back to your post then. I¡¯ll organize a coordinated fireteam. Try to time your attacks with our own, the signal will be an air horn. Now go!¡± Mia did so, turning already as she gave a brief nod to the man as he started shouting orders for various people to come to him and form a squad. Mia had to zigzag between onrushing soldiers and barely avoided crashing into someone three times with the dead sprint she was going at. ¡°Sorry!¡± Mia shouted, spinning around the woman, carrying a crate of something in a hurry. She only stopped for a moment to stop the cursing woman from falling on her ass and getting crushed under the weight of her crate and then she was off again, eyes roving the increasingly harried masses for her friends. She spotted a mane of crimson hair and put a bit more power into her legs. Carmilla turned, giving her a slight smile and around her stood the rest of her party along with Avery. The roguish blonde looked a touch beaten up, her clothes worn out and dotted with spots of dirt and blood as she stood there with her arms crossed. ¡°Hi! Hello, Avery, thanks for coming!¡± Mia greeted, looking around and counting to make sure everyone was there. Even Brent walked over and Helene too came down from the sky, though Mia had no idea how Carmilla had managed to signal the latter. ¡°Let''s go? The Major is organizing some fireteam or another to attack together when they blow an air horn, so we should be up on the walls if we want to hit the damned thing at the same time. Oh! And Avery you have something with more range than your punches ¡­ right?¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Avery laughed a little, then grinned. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Well, shit- I mean we¡¯ll make it work!¡± Mia nodded, glancing over at Brent for help. How had she ended up in her impromptu leadership position, anyway? He should be the one doing the planning part of things. ¡°If the Troll doesn¡¯t die from the concentrated volley, we might have to go out and finish it off in a melee,¡± Brent said, rubbing his chin. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the man throwing those balls of fire on the wall, right? Do you think you can do more damage in a melee than him?¡± He was looking at Avery, and the girl just huffed at the questioning look, blowing a lock of dirty blonde hair out of her face. ¡°Sure I can,¡± she said. ¡°My fire is much denser and I can make it go into the fuckers I hit, not just wash over them like a lukewarm shower as the guy up there is doing with his little candlelights.¡± ¡°Okay, so we go up and shoot what we have at the monster at the signal,¡± Mia summarized. ¡°Then ¡®ride out¡¯ to finish it off if it survives and looks beatable. Objections?¡± ¡°Who goes out?¡± Lina asked, arms crossed as she looked towards the wall with a frown. ¡°I am just about as dangerous to that Troll as a hairdryer. No point in me going, is there?¡± ¡°You could keep the rest of the horde off of us,¡± Mia said. ¡°You are awesome at crowd control. I say we all go.¡± ¡°Objection,¡± Helene said. ¡°Surely just shooting the monster from the walls would be enough. There are dozens of mages here working together, maybe upwards of a hundred. No need to put ourselves out there. That¡¯s suicidal.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Mark said. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Brent and Carmilla just shrugged, while Avery looked a hint miffed. Likely because she was going to be fiddling her thumbs along with Brent if they didn¡¯t go anywhere. ¡°Oookay? Let¡¯s vote then,¡± Mia said, looking over the group. She didn¡¯t think going out would be overly risky once the Troll was down for the count and only in need of finishing off. With her Familiar, Lina, Carmilla and her Amulet, she herself felt pretty safe, and she felt the others would be too, but alas, their team wasn¡¯t an autocracy. ¡°Who¡¯s for going out to finish off the Troll if it doesn¡¯t die from the barrage?¡± Mia raised her hand, and Avery mimicked her with an amused look. ¡°I¡¯ll refrain from voting,¡± Brent said, crossing his arms. Carmilla looked uncomfortable, but she too raised a hand after some consideration. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s three for and the rest of you aside from Brent against?¡± Mia asked. Helene, Lina and Mark nodded. ¡°That¡¯s three to three. Uhhh, what now? We should decide quickly.¡± Mia glanced to the side and saw people running up and nudging regular soldiers away from the spot on the wall right where the Troll was heading. ¡°I suppose then I¡¯ll decide,¡± Brent said, sighing. ¡°I say we stay. Just shoot at the thing so it can¡¯t get up while we wipe the rest of them out. We only go down to confront it if it somehow gets over or through the wall.¡± ¡°If it gets through the wall, we should run,¡± Lina said, earning a nod from Helene. ¡°No time,¡± Mia said, hearing the first group of goblins crash against the wall, trying to crawl up the side of it by clawing into little crevices and cracks. ¡°The Troll is going to enter firing range in a bit. We¡¯ll see how fucked we are once the salvo lands and then we can decide whether to run, alright?¡± With a round of nods, they rushed up the wall and managed to weasel their way into somewhat good spots. They made sure to remain as a single group though. Lina had her magic spread out to shield them from ranged attacks, Mark moulded the palisades to rise up and thicken while Avery and Brent just sat down and readied should they be needed. Mia, Carmilla and Helene were the ranged heavy hitters of the party and so they were the ones near the front. Looking for their target, Mia easily found it. The Troll rose out of the green sea of goblins like a titan among ants. Even the hobgoblins only reached up to its thighs as it lumbered on. The reason they all had the time to organize a fireteam and argue was made clear as Mia watched the towering monster lazily walk towards the wall. While the rest of its kin ran around his ankles to rush the walls like headless chicken, the Troll just strolled with big, slow steps as it dragged its gigantic ivory club behind it. At the speed it was going, Mia could have out jogged it. The fire still burned, more widespread than ever before. Fireball-guy had been hard at work, spreading a veritable inferno that ran parallel the walls and stretched out for at least fifty metres. The goblins rushed through it without a care, some getting barely a burn while others fell and screamed as their flesh melted off their bones. They had hobgoblins by the dozens, and for every five of them there was a shaman too. Mia also caught what she suspected were the male counterparts of the ¡®Jade Beauty¡¯ they¡¯d seen lead a group of goblins not so long ago. The Orcs weren¡¯t many, just a dozen in a vague circle around the Troll, but they were outfitted in gleaming steel armour from head to toe that was only dented and bloodied in a few places. ¡°Do we know anything about those Orcs?¡± Mia asked, squinting at them. The one she killed too fast to show any particular talent for anything beyond some middling skill in organising its troops. ¡°They can each use a Skill like Berserk,¡± Mark said, and Carmilla just nodded off to the side. ¡°And they are less dumb than the gobs, also, they are big fuckers and strong too. All that muscle isn¡¯t just for show, but they aren¡¯t all that tougher to kill than a human bodybuilder would be in a steroid-rage.¡± ¡°Stellar,¡± Mia said, eyeballing the distance. She guessed the Troll still had about a half a minute before it entered firing range for the other mages. ¡°Should I pop a few of them while they are just strutting down the street like peacocks?¡± ¡°No,¡± Brent said before anyone else could. ¡°Don¡¯t alert the thing of the danger it¡¯s strutting right into. The Troll might be dumb as shit, but even it would notice that if a bunch of its friends die right next to it then it¡¯s in danger.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Right,¡± Mia said, sounding sheepish. She turned to the officer-looking soldier not far from her. ¡°When are we firing?¡± ¡°When it crosses the 500 metre mark,¡± the man said, glancing at Mia dismissively before returning to staring into a telescope. ¡°It¡¯s at about 800 metres at the moment, at the speed it¡¯s moving at ¡­ half a minute.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mia said, turning away from the man and back to the rest. ¡°You heard that, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mark said, sounding sour. ¡°Thought I might help out, but I can¡¯t send even just a pebble that far with enough power.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Lina mumbled. ¡°But I''m out either way. Even the hobs sometimes shrug off my attacks now.¡± ¡°Well, we can fiddle our thumbs together then,¡± Avery snickered, her head laid back against the parapets as she stared up at the sky. ¡°Mom, Carmilla?¡± Mia asked, glancing at the two. ¡°You can hit at that range, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Carmilla said simply. ¡°I should be able to,¡± Helene said, frowning. ¡°I can get off at most three bolts that far away. Then I¡¯ll need a potion or rest.¡± ¡°We have potions,¡± Mia said, glancing over to the side where Mark¡¯s pilfered backpack of mana potions was. It was filled with empty vials, but she could see at least a handful still filled. ¡°Alright. Get ready and be careful.¡± They nodded, faces grim as they looked out over the parapets that slowly shifted under Mark¡¯s careful application of mana. The dwarf was scrunching up his face, beads of sweat pouring down his temples as he did something to the wall that was clearly beyond what he¡¯d initially done to build them up. Mia guessed he was reinforcing it, or something of the sort. She watched the Troll, that three metre tall mountain of muscle. It had leathery green skin caked in mud and grime, but what was most eye-catching about it was its disproportionately small head with large, floppy ears. It was like someone cut the head off of a goblin, and grafted it onto that gigantic monster. It looked silly, comical even and the only reason no one was laughing at it was the clear lines of fresh blood running down its chin and the older, drier blood caked onto its ivory club. Mia really hoped that was monster blood, especially the one trickling down from its chin and onto its wide, barrel chest. She almost sighed in relief when it idly swung its club about, as if bored and sent at least six of its lesser kin crumbling in various states of paste-ness. It reached down with overly long arms and grabbed one¡¯s detached arm before starting to nibble on it like it was a grilled chicken leg. She knew it didn¡¯t mean a human arm or leg hadn¡¯t once been in the place of that green skinned limb, but it calmed her somewhat that the blood coating the monster now was of monster origin. ¡°600 metres,¡± the officer called out, his voice raised in a way that had everyone shutting up and readying. He still stood a few metres away from Mia, staring down his telescope when he spoke again. ¡°550 metres. Be ready to fire on the signal!¡± Mia felt mana fill the air, the nearly a hundred mages now all likely closing in on level 10 all readying their strongest spells. The air vibrated with power and every colour in the world seemed to be just a touch more vibrant, just a little more alive, just a bit more ¡­ real. Mia herself couldn¡¯t use her strongest spell, that being Arcane Blast, since it had a maximum of a 100 metre range. So instead, she went with the piercing Bolt and decided to go for sending it right through the monster¡¯s brain. That should at least disable it. The smaller goblins crashed against the walls below, screeching and still burning but couldn¡¯t reach the top even as they tried to claw up. There was always someone up on the walls poking them with a pointy stick, and goblins weren¡¯t exactly the tough sort, not even at these higher levels so they obediently died and fell down in bloody heaps when they got poked hard enough. Mia ignored them entirely, her heart beating out of her chest as her gaze locked in on the bored, dumb mug of the Troll chewing messily on the fresh meat of its kin. Her ears strained for the moment, she reacted the nanosecond the air horn blew. Her spell was ready, mana up in her fingertips for the last half a minute. She didn¡¯t bother to use the wand; she felt it weakened her spells, if only by a tiny smidge, but she wanted this spell to be the strongest it could be. GO! HIT! Like she¡¯d done once before with the Ratling, she tried to push the spell forward with her will, not satisfied with merely casting it and letting it do its job. She wanted more; she wanted it to fly right through the monster¡¯s head and kill it on the spot. Her spell shot off in a pink blur, tearing through the air with barely a sound and travelling the half a kilometre distance in half a second. The Troll¡¯s head snapped back, and Mia saw a burst of blood. She dared to hope for a moment, then almost smiled when it stumbled back a step. Its head snapped back into place, an eye missing and hatred burning in the other. Then the other spells reached it, and the monster was buried under a cavalcade of magical death. It was like a firework to Mia¡¯s eyes and a storm to her senses. Fire, Earth, Air, Arcane, Darkness, Light and even more esoteric elements Mia couldn¡¯t name blasted into the monster with skills and spells of their own. It got buried underneath, its form entirely shrouded. Mia watched, mentally beating herself up for aiming at the thick skull of the monster and not for the much more squishy heart inside its fleshy chest. If the monster thought its glare would faze her, it thought wrong. Lars, the werebear, had a much more terrifying glare, with madness mixing with primal fervor in his eyes, as did the Boarling Rift¡¯s damned Guardian. The eyeless, yet somehow hateful, gaze dripping malice had woken Mia up at night more than once. This troll was just big, dumb, and strong. With nothing better to send into the fray, Mia shot off another five piercing Bolts vaguely towards where she felt the monster¡¯s presence with her hyper focused Spirit Sense. Helene next to her sent her third bolt of lightning off, a veritable beam of it as thick as Mia¡¯s wrist. It thundered and crashed, overpowering the sound of even the military¡¯s heavy artillery exploding as it broke the sound barrier. Carmilla, though, stopped firing after sending off an initial Blood Lance and a Blood Bolt and instead waited with the next Lance at her fingertips and her eyes narrowed in predatory alertness. Mia remembered seeing the beam of crimson light going right through the monster¡¯s chest, so if it wasn¡¯t dead yet from that, it was likely writhing in pain just like Lars had been after getting hit with the spell. ¡°That¡¯s barely enough for one more,¡± Helene whispered and Mia glanced over to find three entire vials of mana potions empty between her fingers. ¡°Oh, well.¡± A nearby mage caught what she¡¯d said too and looked aghast at the ashen haired woman. If Mia remembered correctly, the female mage was one who used little shards of rock that she shot off at ¡­ middling speeds. ¡°One of those damned potions recovers half my mana!¡± She sounded offended on behalf of the potions. ¡°Are you drinking it wrong or something?¡± ¡°Hold fire!¡± ¡°HOLD FIRE!¡± The order rushed down the wall, each officer shouting over the deafening sounds. The mages slowly, reluctantly dialled their attacks down until only a few of them were throwing attacks like all of them wanted to be the ones who shot off the last spell. Fireball-guy won that petty competition, proving to be more thick-skinned than the Water mage who¡¯d kept throwing lances of muddy water at what Mia guessed was the Troll along with him. ¡°Check for life!¡± An order came from somewhere and while it wasn¡¯t directed at Mia, she startled and got to work. She barely had to tap into the data her Spirit Sense was giving her to know the answer. ¡°It¡¯s alive!¡± She shouted, a second voice repeating her own words a few seconds later. Looking over, Mia saw a tall blonde woman in military uniform with a pair of graceful elven ears poking out from under her braids. ¡°Resume fire! KILL IT! KILL THE DAMNED MONSTER!¡± That was all that had to be said, all the magic wielders went back to throwing magic after magic at the bloody heap, helplessly twitching in the distance among the charred remains of its kin. Mia, though, felt her spells wouldn¡¯t be doing much good when all those others didn¡¯t manage to kill it. They¡¯d need to get its heart and burn it to ash for the monster to die for certain ¡­ and to be able to get close enough to do that, they would have to clear out the chaff. ***** Greg watched them, binoculars held up to his eyes as he laid flat across a three-storey building¡¯s rooftop. He saw her, that pink haired little whore and that fanged monster next to her who left him and his friends battered and broken in a pile, discarded like garbage. His hand inched towards the back of his hip, towards the handgun tucked in there. He halted the movement. They were too far away anyway, plus ¡­ was this really what he was doing? Considering killing girls half his age? He shook his head, a scowl slipping onto his face. They weren¡¯t human, they weren¡¯t ¡®girls¡¯, just monsters with a thin veneer of humanity. Just monsters that were better at masking it than the small, ugly green ones rushing at the walls. But they were once human. A part of him whispered, a dumb part. Whatever they might have been once, the System¡¯s magic turned them into monsters. Killing them was no different from gunning down a ¡®Goblin¡¯. And what if the System just brought out the monsters they¡¯d always been? What if it just pushed it onto the surface, made it apparent? Faeries, Vampires, Werewolves and the lot were always evil in the folktales, and that had to mean something. Maybe there was more truth to those stories than anyone could have ever thought. Still, it would be stupid to kill them now. Don¡¯t get him wrong, he will kill them. He will protect his fellow humans from them, but not when they were fighting other monsters. Better the monsters kill each other than us. He thought inwardly, keeping his binoculars locked on the line of ¡®mages¡¯. His heart trembled in fear at the power they wielded. Unearned power, unnatural. I had to go through months of weapons training and psychological tests to be allowed a simple pistol and these people just got artillery level ¡®magic¡¯ without any trouble, without any checks or restrictions. They were dangerous, wild, and unstable. Greg couldn¡¯t trust them, nor the ¡®beastkin¡¯ with their weird instincts and needs. Who knew? They could get a taste for human flesh and then what would happen? He scoffed. He knew unstable lunatics when he saw them, and those two girls wielded far too much power, and were far too dangerous to be allowed within communities of normal people. ¡°Greg,¡± one of his friends whispered. ¡°We should go, the army guys started patrolling around and going up buildings with those bigass rocket launchers.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Greg said, throwing a last, distasteful glance towards the wall and the cavalcade of colours rippling about before it. That¡¯s the sort of power no mortal should wield. There were normal Classes too, Greg knew, he had one after all: Accountant. Those people just chose their own damnation, reaching for too much power. Those monsters. Greg felt a shiver go down his spine, remembering that pair of crimson eyes staring at him like he was a spot of shit stuck on a boot. No recognition, no respect, no fear. I¡¯ll show them they are not invincible just because they got magic. I¡¯ll show them they should still have fear. Actions have consequences, and if the damned army can¡¯t bother to punish a pair of magical girls for aggravated assault, then I fucking WILL. He had enough like-minded friends to make that a reality, and he was sure he could find more people with some sense in them. Perhaps even among the ranks of the army. No, those two ¡®girls¡¯ would just be the first step. Have to do it smart. Let the damned freaks do the dirty work of killing the monsters for us. But we can¡¯t let them grow too strong. We have to kill them before that. We have to. For the sake of humanity. Nearly growling, Greg and a few of his friends quickly slipped out of the building. He watched them run, limping and grimacing from unhealed wounds or still fractured bones. The healers couldn¡¯t be bothered to heal them all up to full, not when they had to save their damned mana for mages and the other combatants protecting the wall. It made Greg¡¯s blood boil as he watched them. Yes, he was going to show them that they weren¡¯t as powerless to oppose them as they might have thought. As that resolve crystallised into a vow to himself, Greg felt the feeling of helplessness, that revolting dread skulking in the back of his mind, that feeling of not being able to do anything about anything starting to fade. He might not have the power to handle the hordes of goblins, but he had a trusty handgun and like-minded friends. Greg could handle this. He could bring about some change, he could take back some of that elusive control fate so ruthlessly ripped out of his grasp. It calmed him, helped him focus. For the first time since the apocalypse started, Greg had a clear purpose and the power to accomplish it, and he wasn¡¯t going to let anything him stop until he saw his purpose realised. 68 - Lightweight ¡°Well, that was fucking anticlimactic,¡± Avery said, kicking a hardened slag of something dark that was once the arm of the Troll ¡­ or its leg? Head maybe? ¡°It¡¯s still alive,¡± Mia said, wand pointed at the monster with her Familiar hissing on her shoulder. ¡°Hit it.¡± It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, but the clump of slag and soot before them still exuded a presence. ¡°I told you Trolls don¡¯t die until you burn their hearts,¡± Mark said, big tower shield in hand as he eyed the monster warily. ¡°Though how this dumb cunt¡¯s heart survived that assault, I don¡¯t know.¡± Behind them, a few dozen metres out were some of the more adventurous mages looking on with varying levels of curiosity and wariness. The horde had been wiped clean, the mages¡¯ combined barrage having obliterated the Orcs and disabled the Troll. The resilient creature managed to crawl around a bit, but that was the extent of its contribution to the fight. Beyond drawing 99% of the fire of course. They even had casualties because of that, a small squad of hobs having managed to grapple up to the wall and shank a mage or two and a few soldiers before they were gunned down. Mia didn¡¯t notice. It happened a good hundred metres away from her position, where she unleashed the full might of her arsenal on the goblin horde. Meaning, homing barrage. Twelve goblins for the price of two Bolts was a steal, after all. Now, only corpses and the embers of an inferno remained as people went about cleaning up and putting out the fires now leaping over the nearby buildings. Earth mages just collapsing whatever was burning and burying it all in a ditch seemed to be the go-to solution, but Mia caught a few Water mages closer to the Mur river lifting large globs of the water and dumping it over fires too. There was even a man that walked around and inhaled fires thrice as large as he was before patting his stomach like he¡¯d just eaten something tasty. Some Classes made people weird. ¡°So which part of this ¡­ ,¡± Avery waved an exasperated hand over the ¡®Troll¡¯. ¡°Has the heart in it.¡± Mia pointed it out, then with a nod, Avery flared up like a sun. Flames flowed out of her fists and licked across her arm, up to the shoulders. With a shout, the girl punched with her entire body put into the motion. The fireballs exploded on contact, washing over the clumps of hardening black sludge. Or so it seemed, Mia could see though, no, she could feel how the fire mana pushed into the sludge and rampaged through it, pushing deeper and deeper until- ¡°Step back a bit,¡± Avery said calmly, and sensing what was about to happen, Mia didn¡¯t hesitate to use Mark¡¯s armoured form as a shield and even dragged the nearby Lina along with her. The sludge caved in, running red hot, then white before it exploded outwards. Mia yelped, a small splatter of melted ewwwww landing on her bare ankle. She kicked it off with a grimace. ¡°Dead yet?¡± Avery asked, and Mia reached out with her senses. ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said after a moment. The presence had been faint, barely an ember of what it¡¯d once been and she suspected the Troll would have died either way. ¡°Finally. That damned thing really didn¡¯t know when to give up.¡± Still, she really didn¡¯t want to leave it up to chance, which was why she dragged out her party to finish it off for sure. Just to be certain. It didn¡¯t cost them anything beyond a little anxiety to walk through the aftermath of the battle. ¡°Well,¡± Avery dusted off her arms, flames slipping back inside her arms. Her veins glowed orange under her skin, then went back to normal. ¡°That was ¡­ an experience. I guess. Yes, that certainly was an experience.¡± Mia looked down at the now lifeless lump. She¡¯d expected a fight, a struggle for survival, some epic boss fight with this monstrous creature. Alas, she¡¯d failed to consider a simple thing: numbers. Sure, the monster was an escaped Rift Guardian and a level 14 monster, maybe 15 which gave it a whole bunch of leverage over any one of the defenders. But it was a lone monster. With none of its lesser kin proving to be much trouble, it had to bear the weight of the combined attention of almost a hundred mages averaging at around level 8 with dozens at level 10. It simply couldn¡¯t bear that pressure and crumbled. It struggled, sure, but it still crumbled and fell. And now it was dead, despite having regeneration that made even a vampire like Carmilla stare in amazement. ¡°Could you have recovered from that?¡± Mia asked in a whisper, nudging the vampire. ¡°No,¡± she said, then snorted softly as she shook her head. ¡°At Rank 4? Maybe. At Rank 5? Certainly, but now? ¡­ No way in hell.¡± ¡°Well!¡± Avery slapped her thighs and turned towards the party, and the group of slightly disappointed, but mostly relieved mages. ¡°We killed the monster! Saved the day! I think we deserve a celebration for that, who¡¯s in for finding the nearest stash of alcohol and throwing a monster-killing afterparty?¡± Mia watched in disbelief as the grinning Fire mage sauntered over to the group of strangers and had them cheering and laughing in seconds with just a few short jests and questions. ¡°Coming?¡± Avery asked, looking over her shoulder with a grin. ¡°Come on, the soldiers can be useful for a change and handle the stragglers while we have some fun!¡± Mia looked at her group, at Helene, Carmilla and Mark. Then at Lina and Brent. Seeing as no one had any objections, Mia shrugged. It¡¯s been a while since she¡¯d let loose like that, and felt it¡¯d do good for the rest of the party too. Especially now after a stressful battle like that, they could use some winding down just as much as she could. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Fuck it,¡± Lina said, huffing out an angry breath. ¡°I could use a drink. Let¡¯s fucking go.¡± With Mia and Lina in the lead, the rest mostly going along with the two, they melded together with the other group and wandered back behind the wall and found a bar in short order. During their walk, a few others joined in who¡¯d stayed behind on the wall and the size of their group swelled to above fifty by the time they filed into the cozy little bar. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word,¡± Mark said, nursing a large mug of foamy bear. Mia quirked her lips in a grin, maintaining it even as the waitress ¡ª a tiny slip of a girl who was coincidentally also a dwarf ¡ª fluttered over to the table to place a sweet cocktail before Mia and Carmilla before hurrying back over to the bar to deliver another order. Mark watched her go, his gaze super glued onto her back. ¡°You¡¯re being a creeper, at least act like you aren¡¯t staring.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡± The dwarven girl shouted over her shoulder, grinning back at Mark as she somehow heard Mia¡¯s quip. ¡°He can stare all he wants!¡± ¡°He can stare at my crowbar once I beat him black and blue with it!¡± The older dwarf at the bar, the owner of the place and the father of the waitress said, glaring Mark¡¯s way. ¡°This is why you don¡¯t have any grandkids yet, old man!¡± The girl snickered, delivering a grand total of ten mugs of beer at once to another table. ¡°You¡¯ll have to challenge him to a drinking competition,¡± Mia said, nodding sagely before taking a small sip of her drink. It sent a pleasant buzz down her throat as the sweet, fruity taste spread over her tongue. That¡¯s good. Damn. ¡°That¡¯s how this goes, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Mark grumbled, taking a large gulp of his drink. ¡°I hate it so much that it might just go that way. What the fuck.¡± ¡°The dwarven curse.¡± Mia nodded, taking a quick second sip of her drink. It was somehow more delicious than any drink she¡¯s ever had before. She wanted to down it in one go, but just the thought of doing so felt like a waste. ¡°Next thing you know, you¡¯re opening a smithy and talking shit about elves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already doing the second in my head whenever you open your mouth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an elf.¡± Mia rolled her eyes, resting her right cheek in her palm. ¡°You look elf enough,¡± he said, shrugging before standing up as he downed the last gulp of his mug. ¡°Hey old man, this beer ain¡¯t shit! Don¡¯t you have something stronger?¡± Idiot. Mia snorted, watching him get into a stare-down with the old dwarf. The severe barkeep gazed at him cooly. ¡°I might just have something.¡± ¡°Get two glasses,¡± Mark said with all the bluster of a man with two mugs of beer in him and a pretty girl in sight to show off to. ¡°I¡¯ll invite you to whatever is the strongest thing you got.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Like a pansy like you¡¯d be able to handle my strongest drink!¡± The old man snorted in derision, then grabbed a clear glass half filled with some caramel coloured liquid. ¡°You won¡¯t even last the first glass!¡± ¡°Bet I can last at least two!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°This is so weird,¡± Carmilla murmured, watching the two dwarves going about proving every single cliche and trope to be true. Mia could honestly say she¡¯d never seen that much rampant masculinity forced into forms so small. The dick measuring contest between the two dwarves was ¡­ something else. ¡°Yep,¡± Mia said cheerily, nudging the vampiress next to her with a shoulder before taking another sip of her drink. ¡°How¡¯s the drink? Mine came out surprisingly well.¡± ¡°Did it?¡± Carmilla asked, looking between Mia¡¯s and her own glass. It was the same, since the girl just asked for whatever Mia asked for. ¡°I ¡­ can hardly taste it. Everything aside from blood tastes like ash ever since ¡­ ¡° ¡°Hmmm,¡± Mia thought, frowning down at Carmilla¡¯s still full glass. ¡°I¡¯d ¡­ offer you an alternative drink, but we¡¯ve made an agreement so I won¡¯t! Instead, I can relieve you of your ash-tasting drink! You¡¯re welcome!¡± With that said, Mia pulled Carmilla¡¯s drink over to her as the vampire looked on with an amused smile. Now sipping on two drinks at once, with two straws held between her lips, Mia let her eyes wash over the bar. It was down in a basement, with wooden plating all up on the walls and was surprisingly spacious. The fifty or so mages were spread out around the many underground rooms, talking, laughing, drinking. Mia watched Fireball-guy ¡ª Aiden was his name, as she¡¯d learned ¡ª boasting about something to a pair of pretty women with two of his friends snickering at him from behind. Mia smirked, recognising the unimpressed look on the face of a half-elven woman before her as one who knew she was being lied to. I think she just stood a few metres away from him on the wall. Mia thought, snickering to herself as Aiden puffed himself up like a balloon as he started telling how ¡®he finished off the Troll¡¯. Rolling her eyes, Mia glanced over other groups. Amelia, the subdued woman with the Mana-Cannon Skill sat at a table filled with soldier-types. The archer woman with the arcane arrows sat a few tables down, busy sucking the soul out of some poor sod as she straddled his lap. Avery was down in another room, the game room where the billiard tables, foosball tables and darts tables were and was working the crowd like a conductor. The girl was a shining star, and everyone around her fell into her orbit. Lina was gone, having slipped away somewhere a while ago. The girl had downed a shot of something that looked radioactive and smelled like toothpaste, then stalked off to hunt. Mia remembered seeing her dragging a younger man up the stairs half an hour later by his tie. With everyone¡¯s blood running hot after the battle, I guess it¡¯s no wonder people are like that. Mia mused, a hint of jealousy entering her heart that she quickly squashed. The urge to try and drag Carmilla away to a bedroom was there, higher than ever before for her too, but she promised. She promised she¡¯d be good and behave and not make the vampire¡¯s life harder. There will be a time for that in the future. If we last that long. Out of her party, that left Brent and Helene, who were off in a corner at a table filled with the ¡­ people of advanced ages. Helene stood out like a sore thumb among them, looking like a twenty-year-old girl, but the woman seemed happy enough by the looks of it. In reality, she was probably the oldest person at the table. Looking over to the bar, a red-faced Mark and the equally flushed older barkeep were leaning on each other''s shoulders while bawling their eyes out. The small dwarven girl acting as a waitress just rolled her eyes at them, huffing a little before going back to work. Leaning back, Mia flopped her head over to the side and watched Carmilla. One of her drinks gone, she was starting to feel the onset of the buzz settling over her mind. ¡°So,¡± Mia started, squinting. ¡°I¡¯m feeling bad that everyone but you is enjoying themselves. Anything I can do to change that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the vampiress said, still sitting straight like she had a broom up her ass. She was so wound up. ¡°I¡¯m happy enough as I am ¡­ I wouldn''t want to risk getting drunk even if I could get drunk.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you?¡± Mia asked, shuffling up against the girl and leaning her head across her shoulder. ¡°I thought you still had a mostly human body that you could just heal and control and stuff? That should let you get drunk.¡± ¡°I digest food differently now,¡± Carmilla said, poking at her stomach. ¡°This here is practically a black hole that converts anything organic getting in into a little bit of energy.¡± ¡°Lifeforce?¡± Mia asked, looking down at the vampire¡¯s bare midriff. Abs. Nice. I wonder how they feel? ¡°Sort of,¡± Carmilla said, taking Mia¡¯s hand into her own as it reached to tap at her abs. ¡°Are you ¡­ drunk?¡± ¡°I can still talk, and am awake,¡± Mia said, blinking up at Carmilla innocently. ¡°So nope. I am not, in fact, drunk!¡± Carmilla glanced over at the one and a half cocktails Mia had inhaled, frowning. ¡°Should I get you water or something?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Mia said, pushing herself off of the vampire to slurp on the remaining drink. ¡°Just carry me home if- ¡­ when I pass out. Also, studies show that overnight cuddling with vampires prevents getting hungover, sooooo- ¡° ¡°What studies?¡± Carmilla asked, huffing out a little laugh as Mia sputtered at getting interrupted mid-sentence. ¡°New ones?¡± Mia said, poking her chin with a finger. ¡°Secret studies, super secret. I only got access to them because I¡¯m a princess.¡± Raising her chin proudly, Mia rested her case. Carmilla just smiled, graciously letting her have this win. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t want anything to drink?¡± Mia asked again, sipping on Carmilla¡¯s cocktail until it ran dry. ¡°Or do you want me to just drip a bit of my blood into a glass for you?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carmilla said, gently, but firmly pushing Mia¡¯s arm back onto the table as the halvyr went to hold her wrist above an empty glass. ¡°I¡¯m good, really. I¡¯ve gotten to drink your blood every day for the last ten or so days. You can just enjoy today without worrying about me.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not fun to be alone,¡± Mia whined, flopping over the bench they sat on to fall into the vampire¡¯s lap. Alcohol really was quite something, giving infinite courage even to Mia as she never would have dared to do something so shameless without its help. ¡°The fun part of getting drunk is the company you get drunk in.¡± Carmilla just stared down at Mia, at her head laid on across her thighs and at the pair of azure eyes blinking up at her innocently. She gave a soft sigh, closing her eyes for a bit. ¡°What am I supposed to do with you?¡± The vampire murmured under her breath, but Mia heard her clear as day. ¡°Whatever you want to,¡± Mia said, grinning up at the vampire. ¡°But some head pats would be a good start, if you were asking for ideas. Since we are being chaste and all that.¡± Carmilla obliged her, caressing her silky pink hair awkwardly at first, then with growing confidence, her movements turned more fluid. It wasn¡¯t anywhere close to as good as the scalp massages Gabe could give, as those were the sort that had her melting into a groaning puddle of bliss in minutes. Her brother had magic fingers. Carmilla¡¯s long, graceful fingers caressing her hair gave an altogether different kind of bliss though, so Mia was happy enough with it. Maybe it was the two entire glasses of drinks ¡ª a huge amount, considering both mainly had vodka in them, which Mia had always been particularly weak to ¡ª or her head being up in the rose clouds, but Mia only noticed someone sitting down the table across from her when they set down their glass with a clank. Peeking over under the table, Mia identified the newcomer from her dirty ripped black jeans and the scalding warmth that shrouded her presence like a cloak. ¡°Hi Avery!¡± Mia called out, raising an arm up to give a little wave, but not willing to go as far as to remove her head from Carmilla¡¯s lap. ¡°Hi Mia,¡± the blonde giggled, audibly relaxing into the chair. ¡°You seem comfortable.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Mia confirmed, humming happily as Carmilla¡¯s fingers resumed playing with her hair. ¡°You got that cutie-pie all wrapped around your fingers, don¡¯t you?¡± Avery asked, and it took Mia a few seconds to realise the question was not directed at her, but at Carmilla. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ quite the opposite,¡± the vampire said after a few moments, glancing down at the blissfully smiling Mia before sighing. She was doing that a lot, Mia noted. I¡¯ll give her a massage or something. She really needs to relax. She¡¯s been stiffer than a board ever since we agreed to give a shot to this courting-thing. Mia thought, her buzzed mind trying to troubleshoot the problem, but a few cogs were trying to turn the wrong way so she couldn¡¯t get anywhere with that. Massage and cuddles. Can¡¯t go wrong with those. And hugs. Lots of hugs. ¡°How did that happen, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Avery asked. ¡°You two are just about polar opposites.¡± ¡°Untrue,¡± Mia said, raising a hand to remind the two of her presence. ¡°I can brood and glare just as well as she can.¡± ¡°She talked me into trying this out;¡± Carmilla said slowly, shrugging. ¡°I agreed. She is ¡­ hard to say no to.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re together?¡± Avery asked, audibly sipping something. ¡°For how long?¡± Mia stayed silent, quite curious herself about the vampire¡¯s answer to that question. Carmilla herself looked down questioningly at Mia, as if to urge her to answer in her stead. Mia mimed zipping her lips. ¡°I can¡¯t tell her?¡± Carmilla murmured in confusion, tilting her head and Mia facepalmed. ¡°No, you can,¡± Mia said. ¡°But I won¡¯t. So? Are we together? Hmmmmm?¡± ¡°We are?¡± Carmilla said, like the question was obvious, but Mia¡¯s behaviour was making her uncertain. ¡°I think?¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Mia said, a smile practically bolted onto her face. ¡°That was the correct answer by the way!¡± Avery laughed across the table from them, likely at the nonplussed look on Carmilla¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks?¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Mia chirped, eyes closing as the vampire''s fingers scratched a particularly delish spot. ¡°Ah damn,¡± Avery said in mock disappointment. ¡°She¡¯s such a gem, I¡¯m jealous. Hey Mia, if you ever break up, do hit me up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude!¡± Mia called out. ¡°Like, super rude. My girlfriend is right here. I¡¯m practically lying on her.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s best she knows what a great catch she got laying across her lap,¡± Avery said, not a hint of shame in her voice as she stood. Carmilla¡¯s fingers tightened ever so slightly in Mia¡¯s hair. ¡°Alright, since this has been a bust I¡¯m going to have to look for someone else to enjoy the night with. Have fun girls. See you around!¡± Mia just gave a weak wave, opening an eye to peek up at Carmilla¡¯s face. It was a strange mix of emotions Mia couldn¡¯t quite decipher, but she wasn¡¯t liking most of them. Anger, shame, guilt and resignation were just some of them. Stupid vampire. No need to worry, I like you. Even with all of your (blood)-red flags. Heh. I¡¯m hilarious. ¡°Ignore her,¡± Mia said, reaching up to poke the pretty vampire¡¯s cheek. That caught her attention. ¡°She is stoooooooopid. She doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re the real catch between the two of us.¡± Carmilla¡¯s set shoulders slumped a little, and Mia gave a little whoop. Her fingers went back to playing with her hair too a moment later. Silly vampire. You¡¯re the bestest girl there is. 69 - Nice ¡°Uuuuurghh,¡± Mia groaned, eyes fluttering open, then shutting closed as the bright light of the morning sun seeping through the window saw fit to poke her eyeballs. Her head was pounding like a bitch, and her memories were a touch fuzzy in a familiar way. She¡¯d gotten pretty drunk, though even with that she remembered quite a lot. Her thoughts came to a halt as she was about to shuffle to her side to face away from the torturous sun, and she felt a warm body pressing up against hers. Taking in a short gasp of air, she smelled roses and pines. It brought back old memories, calming memories of playing out in the garden of her childhood home, which sat just outside a pine forest and smelling the roses her mother cultivated around the fences. It instantly calmed her down, and she stopped shuffling around, instead pressing up against the other occupant of the bed like a needy cat seeking warmth. ¡°Awake?¡± Carmilla whispered. ¡°Mhmmmm,¡± Mia answered, throwing a hand across the girl¡¯s waist as she placed her cheek on her chest. ¡°How do you feel?¡± The vampire asked, still in a blessed whisper that saved Mia from her headache worsening. ¡°Like an entire horde of goblins trampled over my head,¡± Mia said, drinking in the comforting feeling of having another person¡¯s body so close to her own. ¡°I suppose that ¡®new study¡¯ of yours was a fake then?¡± ¡°Wha- Oh,¡± Mia said, the memory coming back to her along with a hint of embarrassment. She¡¯d been ¡­ pretty shameless yesterday, but it ended well as far as she could remember. More than well, seeing as she woke up cuddling Carmilla. ¡°Maybe we need to cuddle more for it to work. Could be that you¡¯re just not cuddling hard enough.¡± ¡°As you say, princess,¡± Carmilla whispered teasingly, a hand reaching up to caress Mia¡¯s unruly mane of pink hair. A blush crept up to Mia¡¯s ears as she buried her face into Carmilla¡¯s shoulder. Yes. Absolutely shameless. How did such a cringeworthy line leave my lips? ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan for the day?¡± Carmilla asked in a whisper, continuing to play with her hair as she did. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Mia said, jumping at the invitation to change subjects that the vampire so graciously extended to her. ¡°I ¡­ I¡¯ll need to get my Main Body stat up by two points for the Quest. Then we¡¯ll probably need to help out with cleaning up the stragglers that remained behind just looting the abandoned houses in the other districts. Then, we ¡­ should probably discuss looking for one of the Rifts to dive and destroy them now that we don¡¯t have to worry about that General anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure others can handle the cleanup,¡± Carmilla said, humming thoughtfully. ¡°But you¡¯re probably right about the rifts. If we want to stay in the city, those will need to be taken care of. As for the Body stats ¡­ you just need some exercise.¡± ¡°I want to wait for the next Realm Event reward for that,¡± Mia said, not wanting to suffer a repeat of the training she¡¯d underwent under Carmilla¡¯s hand again. Especially not when the rewards would be much less than before without the potion. ¡°I¡¯m hoping for new Potions of Unleashed Potential this week, and maybe some Natural Treasures. Maybe I won¡¯t even need to train at all if I get a bunch of the latter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your choice,¡± Carmilla said, shrugging a little. ¡°So, will you use your Ring already or will you continue suffering with that headache?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mia said. ¡°I forgot about that ¡­ why didn¡¯t I use that yesterday?¡± ¡°I remember trying to tell you to,¡± Carmilla said, the eye-roll audible in her tone. ¡°But you were convinced you had to have a hangover to convince me to ¡­ cuddle.¡± ¡°Well, it worked.¡± ¡°It did, I guess.¡± Carmilla huffed in amusement, patting Mia¡¯s head gently. ¡°But we should get up. If we want to stay, we should start looking for those Rifts as soon as possible. I don¡¯t want to see what sort of a monstrosity that goblin Rift spits out next.¡± ¡°We will see it anyway if we go inside, no?¡± Mia said, activating her Ring with a thought and feeling a warm, comforting buzz spread throughout her body and coalesce around her head. It was gone a second later, and along with it went all of her muscle strain and even the pounding headache. ¡°Ohhhh, I feel alive again.¡± The two stayed in bed for a while longer, much to Mia¡¯s silent delight and only got up when they heard Mark stumble into the house on the floor below. They quickly freshened up, got dressed ¡­ during which Mia most certainly did not peek at anything she shouldn¡¯t have. We are dating, sort of. I can look, right? One thing she was glad to find though, even if a bit disappointed too, was that she was cohesive enough the day before not to try anything with Carmilla beyond just cuddling. She¡¯d promised to behave after all, and it would have been a breach of trust with the vampire if she broke that. Before they went down, Mia placed a hand on Carmilla¡¯s shoulder to halt her for a moment. Looking up into those questioning ruby eyes, Mia smiled. ¡°Thanks for taking care of me yesterday, I know I¡¯m ¡­ a troublesome drunk. So, thanks.¡± ¡°Oh, it was,¡± Carmilla said, blinking in surprise. ¡°Nothing really- I mean, I was glad to. Yeah. Of course, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Mia heard a crash from the living room and the smile that was plastered on her face since she woke up flickered for a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this idiot is up to,¡± she said, eyes narrowing menacingly as she went down the stairs with the vampire hot on her heels. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Mia ran her fingers down her face. ¡°Oh for the love of- Urghh.¡± Atop the remains of the small coffee table between the two sofas lay Mark, passed out dead-drunk and snoring up a storm. He also had a damned road sign atop him that he clutched like a blanket in his sleep. ¡°Want me to toss him into a bed?¡± Carmilla asked, staring down at Mark¡¯s sleeping form like he was some exotic animal she had the fortune of seeing in a zoo. ¡°Ah, no, he is ¡­ well, he couldn¡¯t keep the contents of his stomach before when drunk.¡± Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her go-to solution to Mark being drunk back when they lived together had always been asking Sam to dump him in the bathtub. ¡°Let¡¯s drag him out into the garden. He can vomit all he wants out there, just make sure he isn¡¯t lying on his back please.¡± With a small snort, Carmilla did as she was asked and gently dragged the dwarf out to the garden. Through it all, and even as he was deposited atop the grass, he kept hugging the roadsign and Mia even caught some murmured phrases she really didn¡¯t want to hear. The dumb dwarf was having a wet dream for sure. ¡°Coffee?¡± Mia asked once they were back inside, grabbing the box of instant coffee Helene had in the cupboard. ¡°I can¡¯t make it hot like Mom can with her magic ¡­ actually, maybe ¡­ ¡° Mia got herself a mug, filled it with water then poked her finger inside. Arcane was supposedly the element in control of natural, physical energies and the two most prominent ones of those were kinetic and thermal energy. She¡¯d managed to flash-freeze her hand once by accident so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to say she could also just spend a little mana to warm up her water. With her Arcane Mana Manipulation up a grade, it should have been pretty easy ¡­ and it was. It was too easy even, or she¡¯d just used too much mana because instead of getting hypothermia, she burned her finger this time as the whole mug of water went boiling in just a second. ¡°Note to self,¡± Mia said, the burnt index finger stuck in her mouth for comfort. She still had about one and a half hours till her Ring came off cooldown. ¡°Use half a Bolt¡¯s worth of mana next.¡± ¡°I could heal it for you?¡± Carmilla said, looking on with a hint of worry. ¡°I ¡­ have a healing spell.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the one that uses up three syringes of my blood worth in lifeforce?¡± Mia asked, raising an eyebrow. Blood Heal, if she remembered correctly, was a pretty powerful healing spell that would give the target¡¯s blood some regenerative effects. It wasn¡¯t Troll levels of regeneration, not by a longshot, but it was something. As for why Carmilla had it when she could already heal herself? Well, Blood Heal was exponentially more powerful when it had a preexisting natural regeneration to boost and didn¡¯t have to do the work itself according to Carmilla. ¡°Yeah,¡± Carmilla said, nodding simply. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. My Blood Bank is at ¡­ 460%. A single Blood Heal will at most eat twenty percent of that.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Mia said, drawing out the word as she thought it over. A glance into those hopeful ruby eyes eager to help her made her decision for her though. ¡°Alright, if it¡¯s not too much trouble I won¡¯t say no.¡± Saying so, she grabbed the scalding hot mug, holding it with extreme care and plopped down to the kitchen table across from Carmilla. As she shoveled a few teaspoons of the instant coffee into the water, she extended her other hand with the burnt finger to the vampire who gently took it in her palms. Feeling the surge of mana, she looked up and saw that crimson energy seep into her extended arm. Mia winced as goosebumps and tingles ran up her arm, then grimaced as her aching finger turned itchy. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it left Mia shuddering a little even as she inspected her remade digit. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, giving a small smile to Carmilla even as she decided that an ice bath and waiting for her fingers would have been the better choice. ¡°You feel that whenever you heal yourself?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carmilla shrugged. ¡°The spell makes it much worse, plus I have pretty good control of it if it''s happening inside my body and not someone else¡¯s.¡± After that, with much more care, Mia made another mug and pushed it over to Carmilla. They relaxed for a bit, just chatting about mundane stuff like movies and books. Mia was just starting to tell the patiently listening vampire about that one game she never got to try out because the world went to shit just when it was done downloading when Helene came walking down from the upper floor. The woman smiled seeing the two of them up and awake, dressed in only a silky black night robe and a towel wrapped around her head. She sat down next to them and Mia noted how her mother was pretty much glowing with a pleased smile on her face. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Mia raised an eyebrow, but only got an amused look in turn from her mother. ¡°Did you two enjoy yourselves?¡± Helene asked instead, curtailing Mia¡¯s question. ¡°We did,¡± Mia said suspiciously, glancing over at Carmilla.The vampiress just smiled and gave a small nod that almost looked shy. ¡°It seems like you did too?¡± ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Helen hummed. ¡°Can I get a mug too?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Mia said, rolling her eyes, but then stiffened as she heard Brent walking around on the floor above. If her ears weren¡¯t playing tricks on her, he was going towards the bathroom ¡­ from Helene¡¯s bedroom. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Interesting. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°You warmed your own up somehow?¡± The ashen haired woman asked, gingerly tapping her own mug and then looking askance at Mia when she found it only lukewarm. ¡°Yep,¡± Mia said. ¡°You can pay in gossip for getting your own heated too.¡± ¡°Can I?¡± Helene smirked. ¡°Well, I heard Mark confessed his undying love for that waitress girl, Kelly I think. Did he come by, by the way? I also heard the girl told him to sod off because he smelled like alcohol and sweat.¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Mia mused, giggling. ¡°Fine, you can get a heating. As for Mark, he is sleeping out in the garden.¡± Saying so, Mia unceremoniously poked her index finger into the water and then applied a hint of arcane mana. Warm. Heat. Give it some heat. It took focus, quite a bit of it, more than any of her spells, but it was working. The water heated up and just as she removed her finger with a hiss; it was just warm enough to be called scalding. Just how coffee water should be. I just wonder whatever else I could do with this? Electricity? Light? Gravity? Those are physical forces too, right? Soooo~. The day started slowly; it was normal and so relaxed Mia just let it happen. She didn¡¯t want to think too much about monsters, fighting to the death and the possible end of the world for just a short while. She just ¡­ relaxed. Though that relaxation included playing with some magic and launching into assimilating new runes from her new Lexicons. Her possible spells were Aegis and Phalanx for the Abjuration one while the Warding Lexicon offered Lesser Ward, Mage Armour and Alert Ward. Her choice fell firmly onto Lesser Ward after some consideration. Aegis and Phalanx were both active barrier spells, one in the shape of a dome while the other in the shape of a thick wall, while Lesser Ward basically allowed her to hang Amulets like her own onto every member of her party¡¯s necks. Sure, it broke after one use and only lasted for half an hour before it dissipated. But it could save the lives of both Helene or Lina who had little actual magical protection of their own. Helene¡¯s quest-given protective item had been a bracelet that helped her with aerial stuff like protecting her from the wind blowing in her face blinding her and warding off some of the air resistance. Lina, in turn, got a pair of ankle bracelets that gave her some swiftness associated with her element. The girl was apparently pretty bad at the manual body enhancement part of her element, which she should have been able to do with her Air Mana Manipulation Subskill, but that pair of anklets handled that for her. So yeah, they needed every bit of extra they could get. Had Mia been more selfish, she would have chosen Mage Armour, no questions asked. The spell was a more powerful version of Lesser Ward that stayed active constantly after cast and could be recharged like the Spectral Blade if needed. The one problem was, she couldn¡¯t just slap that onto someone else. It was only usable on herself. So, Lesser Ward. I¡¯ll have to remove some Bolt variants from the Spell Tome. Mia thought with a wince. She had 15 pages in it at the moment, and with all the Bolt variants and her other spells, she was at 14/15 pages used. And that¡¯s with me putting that prototype nail spell into the trash bucket. I¡¯ll need to experiment with that too. I remember it enough that I can probably just jigsaw it together from my runic-model¡¯s floating parts. Currently, she had the shockwave, the barrage and the homing variants of Bolt on the chopping block and was considering adding the so-far useless Arcane Explosion to that list. I¡¯ll see in time. She decided not to delete anything for now and only resorting to it when she had a new, better spell to add in already. Which would only be once all the new associated runes were assimilated into her runic-model. First, Lesser Ward. I should hopefully get it usable before we dive into another Rift. Then if I have time for another ¡­ Phalanx, maybe? I could use a big, strong, impregnable wall I can throw down that I can carry in my back pocket. Mia was busy working the knots out of an annoyingly stiff vampire¡¯s shoulders with her fingers, the redhead having agreed to be given a shoulder and neck massage after some nagging, when she heard a knock on the door. ¡°Soldiers,¡± Carmilla hummed, her voice husky as she spoke. Mia smirked, having enjoyed the little groans of pleasure she let out throughout the massage. ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± Helene said, hopping up from her seat and throwing down a book she¡¯d been reading. ¡®Aerial combat doctrines for Storm Sorcerers¡¯ hummm, is that her equivalent of my ¡®First Steps of Arcanism¡¯ book? ¡°Hi, how can I help you?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are Miss Vexley?¡± The soldier asked matter-of-factly. ¡°Yes,¡± Helene said. ¡°Though I suppose you were told to look for my daughter, Maria, were you not?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the soldier sounded startled, likely trying to figure out how a ¡®twenty years old girl¡¯ like Helene had a daughter that looked not a day younger than her. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve been told to deliver this package to Miss Maria Vexley and her team for services rendered to the army as auxiliaries. I¡¯ve been told I can trust her to fairly distribute the items among the team members, so if she would come out and receive them?¡± Mia sighed, letting go of Carmilla¡¯s still all to coiled up shoulder muscles and quickly went over to the door. She did her best not to smile at the disgruntled growl from the vampire behind her. ¡°Hi, what do I have to receive and where do I sign?¡± ¡°No signing required,¡± the man said with a twitch of his lips, handing over a sizable duffle bag. Mia took it, and the man just nodded and turned to leave. ¡°Have a good day.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Mia shared the glance with her mother, then shrugged. They went back inside and set the bag down on the kitchen table. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Lina and Brent before we check what goodies we got. Do we know anything about where Lina went? ¡­ or if Brent will bother coming down today?¡± Mia glanced at her mother at the last bit, an eyebrow raised and the woman just smiled back at her. ¡°Brent is getting his beauty nap, the poor man was tired after all that ¡­ fighting. As for Lina, I haven¡¯t seen her since she dragged that poor boy off to only god knows where.¡± Yeah sure, Brent is tired from ¡®fighting¡¯. Mia rolled her eyes. The man only sat around and watched the mages fight the day before, plus he had quite the endurance with his Ki enhancing his body. Okay. There are things I don¡¯t want to know. With these ears on me, I¡¯m just glad I was too deeply asleep to hear whatever they were doing during the night. ¡°I could track her down if need be,¡± Carmilla said, still sitting on the sofa in the same pose Mia had her settle in for the massage. There was a clear request in her ruby eyes that her mouth was too embarrassed to speak. ¡°No need, we¡¯ll do that if she doesn¡¯t come home for another few hours.¡± Mia smiled indulgently, then obliged the girl¡¯s unsaid request and went back to finishing up the massage she¡¯d started. ***** ¡°Tear of the Zephyr,¡± Mia read out the description attached to a small sky-blue gem. Weirdly, the teardrop shaped crystal felt like a gummy bear to the touch. ¡°Increases Attunement to the element of Air depending on the User¡¯s Affinity for the element. I guess that¡¯s yours, Lina.¡± The blonde girl took the weird gem, inspecting it with a curious glance. She had come back a few hours after the soldiers stopped by, hair and clothes ruffled all over and a satisfied little smirk on her lips. ¡°Do I just ¡­ eat it?¡± Lina asked, turning the strange gem over in her palm and squishing it a bit. ¡°I suppose?¡± Mia said, looking around for anyone that might have read something about it in a book. ¡°Let me check!¡± Saying so, Mark ran off and went to dig out a book from his bag titled ¡®Gems, Rocks and all the Fruits of the Earth¡¯. He¡¯d woken up only a few minutes before Lina came back, sitting up out in the garden without even a hint of tiredness or hangover. ¡°Here it is! Tears of the Zephyr ¡­ holy shit. That thing could buy you a smaller Barony on a Minor Plane. Anyways, yes. You just have to swallow it whole, chewing makes it a bit worse as it bleeds out its ¡­ elemental essence?¡± Shrugging, the girl did just that. Then wobbled on her feet, eyes dilating and glowing white as her arms went out to the sides as if to stabilise herself. She flailed a little and even avoided anyone trying to grab her to keep her from falling. In the end, she managed to stay standing until her eyes went back to normal. Blinking, the girl looked around with wide eyes. ¡°That was freaky,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°43% Attunement, that thing gave me a whole 20% ¡­ I got a Trait called Misty Step. Let me try this thing out ¡­ ¡° ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Mark whispered excitedly. Lina ignored him, just raising a foot and lowering it down slowly. Before it touched the floor, a small misty disk formed under her feet. Gingerly, Lina leaned onto it, and when it kept stable, she stepped onto it fully. Mia watched it, not quite able to tell even with her Spirit Sense how that thing was working. By all accounts, it looked like the ambient Air mana just decided to assist Lina by forming into a misty little platform. Ignoring a disappointed looking Mark, the group went back to distributing the other items. Sadly, Tears of the Zephyr was the only one increasing Attunement to such an extent. Mia herself got a small prismatic berry that increased her own by 3%, but that was it. In contrast to that, she¡¯d been much more lucky with the Natural Treasures giving Gained Attributes. Three Golden Solar Apples and two Silverlight Pears were her haul, and she was ecstatic with it, even if it couldn¡¯t entirely banish the jealousy she felt watching Lina hop around in the air like a butterfly. Getting out of having to train up her stats to complete her quest was one thing, getting to fly ¡ª running on air counted as flying ¡ª were two completely different things. She glanced down at the descriptions. *** ¡®Solar Golden Apple: +(1 or 2) Strength; +1 Agility; +1 Flexibility¡¯ ¡®Silverlight Pear: +(1 or 2) Cognity; +(1 or 2) Memory +(0 or 1) Will¡¯ *** There were also potions, healing, mana and otherwise, but Mia zeroed in on these beauties. Potions were temporary, stats were eternal. Okay, she did eye the Healing Elixirs for a bit, but she still had three of the Greater ones while Helene had given hers away like some good samaritan. One ended up in the belly of that little girl she saved on the wall, one in that girl¡¯s father and the rest spread out among other people. Mia had made her mother choose those potions, then made her promise she¡¯d keep at least two in reserve for her own use. There was also one new nugget of information they¡¯d learned thanks to Mark¡¯s number of books and encyclopaedias on Natural Treasures. They were fucking expensive. The gem Lina got was by far the most expensive, but even just the fruits Mia chose were worth a hundred times their weight in gold. At first they thought gold was just abundant in whatever Plane the books originated from, but it was actually quite the opposite. Silver, copper, bronze, gold and other similar metals were all used in the creation of various enchanted items and artifacts. We¡¯ll be having a much harder time getting our hands on these sorts of things once the Realm Event and this Newbie Quest-Line stops dumping them in our laps. Mia looked down at the bowl next to her, then picked up a slice of apple with juicy metallic gold flesh and popped it in her mouth. I just ate a slice of apple that¡¯s worth 3 kilos of gold. That¡¯s ¡­ about 240,000 dollars? Wild. Apparently, it was fine not to shove them down her throat whole. She just had to make sure she ate the whole fruits in the one hour following breaking their skin or their power might start leaking out and away into nothingness. So, while her runic-model was busy digesting her latest rune, she herself nibbled on the sliced fruit while Carmilla attempted to reciprocate the massage Mia had given her. I appreciate the effort, but you are gonna break my neck. Mia gave a pained sound, and Carmilla froze. ¡°Be gentle,¡± Mia whispered. ¡°You are my masseur now, not my chiropractor. When my bones are creaking, it¡¯s a bad sign.¡± ¡°Is this better?¡± Carmilla asked in a small voice as if afraid of Mia¡¯s rebuke. She went back to continuing her attempt. This time, Mia barely felt what she was doing with how overly careful the girl was being. ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said gently, smiling up at the vampire who was trying so very hard to make this work. That eagerness is new. She¡¯d been just going along with me before, but ¡­ whatever I said and did yesterday got her to be a bit more proactive. ¡°Try a bit stronger, maybe with a force between what had my bones creaking and this? ¡­ oh, yess. Much better. Continue that.¡± Enjoying the feeling of those graceful fingers filled with supernatural, vampiric strength working through her muscles, Mia smiled and pushed another slice of golden apple into her mouth. We can make this work. I¡¯m sure of it. 70 - Progress is Pain The numbers going up was supposed to be a happy occasion, a cause to be thrilled and for little clumps of dopamine to swim around in her brain. Instead, now Mia twitched, a grimace flickering across her sweaty, agonized features whenever a new line of text blipped into her vision. The cause for this could be easily deduced from the logs of her System notifications. *** [Agility: 11 -> 14] [Strength: 6 -> 9] [Flexibility: 8 -> 11] [Main Body: 8 -> 11] [Cognity: 12 -> 14] [Memory: 8 -> 11] [Will: 13 -> 14] [Main Mind: 12 -> 14] *** Not only was she suffering from a brain freeze worse than she¡¯d ever felt before, one perhaps even eclipsing the instance of it she had to suffer through when her Mind reached 10, but her body felt like it was melting in a feverish haze. Who would have thought getting that 10 stat point metamorphosis for something as integral to her being as Body would be fucking excruciating? It was like her whole body was a single muscle cramped up into a single ball of agony, every muscle locked up from the tips of her ears to her little toes. Just a tiny movement, even just a twitch from her could bring about waves of searing agony. It didn¡¯t help at all that Mia¡¯s muscles were twitching from the pain. Carmilla was there, hovering around her and trying to be helpful by placing wet towels on her head while Helenetried to distract Mia from the pain with some inane story. It took Mia back to when her mother read bedtime stories, her small hand gripping her mother¡¯s like a body pillow. It was working; she was distracted enough not to want to claw her skin off. Stupid. I¡¯m so damned stupid. What did I think would happen if I ate that many Natural Treasures? Mia berated herself. She had no excuses either as she¡¯d gone through something like this before. It wasn¡¯t the first time, so she should have known better than to increase her Attributes so quickly and by so much at once. After what felt like hours, maybe days even, but was only about fifteen minutes in reality, the pain in her body and mind started fading. Mia was left there, her muscles going lax as she heaved out one ragged breath after the other with beads of sweat rolling down her face. *** [Attributes] [Free Attribute Points: 0] [Gained Attributes: 50 / 100] [Body: 11] [Mind: 14] [Spirit: 13] *** The moment she felt a weak grin spread on her lips at the sight of her increased Attributes, she scowled. This was the problem. Increasing those numbers was addicting, and that addiction was turning her into a moron. ¡°Mia?¡± Helene asked, echoed by Carmilla a moment later. ¡°Are you alright, sweetie? Talk to me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said, wincing as she turned this way and that to feel out whether the cramps were gone entirely or not. They were, and she was feeling great. No, she was feeling phenomenal. Sitting up, she rolled her shoulders a little before turning a contrite look up at the two women. Bowing her head a little, Mia apologised. ¡°Sorry for worrying you. I¡¯ve been stupid.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Helene asked, sounding reproachful now that she made sure Mia was truly alright. Carmilla looked similarly put off, looking at Mia with a hint of reproach, but seemingly not wanting to be too stern. ¡°I went ahead and ate all of my Natural Treasure fruits,¡± Mia said sheepishly. ¡°My Main Body stat went up by three whole points over the course of the last few hours and crossed over to ten when I ¡­ cramped up, then to eleven just now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ pretty up there on the dumb scale,¡± Carmilla murmured, looking down at Mia through narrowed eyes. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mia said, grimacing. She really didn¡¯t, there wasn¡¯t any particular reason behind her lack of care. She was just ¡­ stupid. That was the beginning and end of it. ¡°I sort of ¡­ forgot it hurt that much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember raising an airhead!¡± Helene said, huffing as she glared down at Mia with the same look she usually had on before grounding her growing up. ¡°You are supposed to get smarter with your Mind Attribute going up, not dumber.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia said, averting her gaze as she scratched her cheek. There really wasn¡¯t much else she could do here but apologise and make sure she didn¡¯t do it again. Actions spoke louder than words ¡­ though her track record wasn¡¯t looking too good so far. ¡°Are you sure you are good now?¡± Helene asked, casting an examining look over Mia to which she just nodded. ¡°Good. You¡¯re not a child anymore, Maria. Don¡¯t act like one. Have some forethought put into your actions, for goodness¡¯ sake!¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Mia repeated, hanging her head and flinching as her mother called her by her full name. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Helene said, huffing a little in motherly anger before letting all of it drain out of her with a sigh. She patted the top of Mia¡¯s hung head gently. ¡°Be careful. I know you probably let yourself go lax since you were at home, but you- no, we all need to be careful. We are fighting monsters with magic and eating magical fruits from another universe, I know one clearly looks more dangerous, but they come from the same source ¡­ so do take some care with everything concerning this new reality of ours, please?¡± Mia nodded meekly. ¡°Okay,¡± Helene said. ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare lunch, you two have fun or talk. I¡¯ll call when food¡¯s ready.¡± That left the two girls alone in the room, and Mia gingerly took a peek up at the vampire¡¯s face when the redhead made no move to speak or even to just move from where she stood next to the bed with her arms crossed. Carmilla wore a conflicted expression and chewed on her lips. ¡°Want to chew me out too?¡± Mia asked. ¡°Might be good to get whatever¡¯s troubling you off your chest.¡± ¡°I just realised that you¡¯re ¡­ pretty dumb,¡± Carmilla said matter-of-factly, frowning. ¡°Is that what pushed you into our ¡­ relationship? Lack of thinking things through? This stunt with those fruits was by far less dangerous than even entertaining the idea of getting into a relationship with a vampire.¡± ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Mia said, scowling as she stood up to face Carmilla. ¡°Yes, I might not have entirely known the dangers coming with courting you. But no, I put thought into it even before bringing it up, and even after spending days introspecting over that decision, I still haven¡¯t changed my mind. I want to be with you, even with you being a vampire. End of story.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Carmilla asked, looking entirely too confused as she asked that and her crossed arms tightened. She looked more like she was hugging herself than just crossing her arms. ¡°Is it just my body? I noticed you staring after I first fed on your bloo-¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia said sternly enough that it stopped Carmilla¡¯s words in their tracks. A part of Mia was screaming inside, terrified of the direction this conversation was going towards, but a much larger part couldn¡¯t stand seeing that kind and gentle vampire looking so ¡­ fragile. ¡°Carmilla, you are gorgeous. Anyone with a pair of working eyes could tell you that. But that would only be reason enough for me to want to sleep with you, not date you. Do you know when it was that I felt like I really wanted to just get to know you and when I started hoping for more? For this?¡± Carmilla just stared, a vulnerable, but curious glint in the depths of her crimson eyes. ¡°When you saved me from that Juggernaut,¡± Mia said. ¡°And then went right back to save Mark just because I asked. Then you just came back to me, comforted me and made me feel safe. You are kind, caring, gentle and a whole lot of other things, neither of which has anything to do with either your body or your being a vampire.¡± That seemed to only confuse Carmilla, who looked more disbelieving than anything. Mia paused, practically seeing the cogs turning behind those enthralling ruby orbs of hers. Carmilla had problems, a lot of them, and Mia was uncovering more the deeper she dug. How was it that a girl couldn¡¯t comprehend that someone thought of her as kind and gentle? Or was she confused about something else?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Anyone with a bit of strength could make you feel safe,¡± the girl said, uncertainty tugging at her tone, but Mia felt like her heart wasn¡¯t in it anymore. She was just saying words, almost as if to beg Mia to convince her. ¡°Strength was part of it yes,¡± Mia admitted, then stepped up to the girl and with more bluster than she¡¯d ever shown before while sober, she wrapped her arms around the girl¡¯s waist and stared up into her eyes with the most sincere look she could manage. ¡°But strength alone didn¡¯t make me feel safe, cared for ¡­ you did. You.¡± ¡°Why would you feel safe with me?¡± Carmilla asked rhetorically, letting out a resigned sigh as she returned Mia¡¯s hug. ¡°Your judgement is ¡­ horrible. Do you know how close I came to draining you dry, to tearing your throat out dozens of times? You shouldn¡¯t feel safe with me.¡± Mia couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of dread at those words, despite her conviction that Carmilla wouldn¡¯t do anything to her. It was just primal survival instincts flaring up when an apex predator had her all wrapped up in its arms. She pressed it right back down. Her instincts were helpful most of the time, but not now. ¡°But did you?¡± Mia asked, her resolve hardening. She wanted to be with Carmilla, like she¡¯d realised so many times already, and Carmilla really needed someone. Mark would call her a ¡®fix-it girl¡¯ if he heard her thoughts, poke fun at her for trying to ¡®fix¡¯ Carmilla. ¡°You never did, never once even as much touched me wrong. I saw how my blood affected you ¡­ would any other vampire in your position have been able to resist the temptation to pounce on me and drain me dry? Hmmm?¡± ¡°Higher Ranking ones probably would have been able to,¡± Carmilla said in a small voice, glancing down to the side. ¡°Or maybe other purebloods like me, I¡¯m not unique. I¡¯m just ¡­ I just don¡¯t want to be a monster. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only vampire who wants to be normal.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s being dumb?¡± Mia huffed, growing a touch annoyed with the stubbornly self-derogatory vampire. Mia wasn¡¯t going to let that go on, not if she could do anything about it. ¡°Out of a thousand, how many purebloods at your Rank would have refrained from doing as much as forcing me to give them more of my blood? How many would have been happy with just asking for it and making sure I knew I could refuse?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla admitted. ¡°Ten? A hundred? Half?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really give a shit anyway,¡± Mia said. ¡°I only care that you didn¡¯t do all that, that you cared enough and that you were good to me. Can¡¯t you at least accept that? That I like you because you are nice, soft, warm and caring? Do that much for me, pretty please?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Carmilla said, but Mia knew it was just to get her to leave her alone. She didn¡¯t believe it. Likely, the vampire was still thinking that Mia¡¯s judgement was severely impaired by something for her to have done something as stupid as getting into a relationship with a vampire. ¡°Now try saying that like you mean it?¡± Mia tried, but knew it was a longshot. ¡°What do I have to do to make you believe what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t know,¡± Carmilla said, smiling down at Mia awkwardly. ¡°Fine,¡± Mia said, slipping out of a hug to glare at the stupid vampire. ¡°I¡¯ll make you believe it. So what if I¡¯m dumb to want to date you? I still do and you¡¯ll not be getting rid of me. I¡¯ll stick to you like a leech until you realise how dumb you are being.¡± Carmilla had no response to that, just watching Mia glare at her like it was a natural disaster she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off, but knew she really should. ¡°Girls!¡± Helene¡¯s voice echoed up to the upper floor. ¡°Food¡¯s ready!¡± ***** ¡°This will likely hurt like a bitch again.¡± Mia stared down at the bead, its surface holding a swirling rainbow-coloured storm. It was called the ¡®Pill of Harmonic Power¡¯ and it was the reward for her latest completed Quest. ¡°Did anyone else take this thing already? Or am I the first? How bad was it?¡± *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (13)] Objective: Reward: A Natural Treasure that grants +1 Attribute to all 9 Sub-Attributes. CLAIMED! *** ¡°It was manageable,¡± Brent said evenly, still slurping down some noodles as he glanced over at the bead in Mia¡¯s palm. ¡°But you only get one point per Main Attribute, so it¡¯s far less ¡­ taxing than getting three points into a single one. I believe so, at least. I¡¯ve never had the latter happen to me.¡± ¡°Well, I did and I can tell you that Brent¡¯s right. It¡¯s barely painful, so no need to worry about it,¡± Mark supplied sagely. ¡°But the bead-thing is a bitch on the stomach, so I recommend taking it while sitting on the toilet and with a bucket in hand in case the contents of your stomach don¡¯t want to bother taking the long way out.¡± ¡°Thank you Mark,¡± Mia said, about 85% sure he was just talking straight out of his ass. ¡°Very helpful as always.¡± ¡°I live to please.¡± The dwarf ran his fingers through his beard, nodding like some sage wizard of old. ¡°Take it with some water,¡± Lina said, looking over curiously and then wincing as her arm instinctively went up to caress her throat. ¡°It busted my throat like nothing else, it started melting the moment it touched my tongue and rampaged around all the way until it reached my stomach.¡± ¡°How the hell did all of you get all three Main stats up to 10 before me?¡± Mia asked in exasperation, mainly looking at Brent and Lina who were supposedly baseline humans without that initial stat boost every Awakened species got. ¡°I have a balanced spread among my Sub-Attributes,¡± Brent said, shrugging. ¡°And I almost always got Natural Treasures from the weekly Realm Events ¡­ while you got a bathing rock.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not too balanced,¡± Lina admitted flippantly. ¡°But I trained my Base Stats up like my life depended on it ¡­ thanks for those training ideas, by the way, they worked quite well for all three Spirit Sub-stats. Also, that rock was probably worth more Natural Treasures in the System¡¯s eye than you got from the army as a reward ¡­ you really shot yourself in the leg there.¡± ¡°I regret nothing,¡± Mia said indignantly under her breath, she¡¯d have gone crazy sooner rather than later without being able to take a proper bath now and then. Even now that the rock was mostly used to sell barrelfuls of water to Zeigler, she still had it producing baths for herself every other day. ¡°Alright. I guess that means the next week¡¯s rewards got to be amazing.¡± ¡°We even destroyed a Rift,¡± Lina said, a greedy grin spreading on her face that was only slightly marred by the spots of sauce on her chin. ¡°That¡¯s got to be worth a whole lot of ¡­ oh, YES. I¡¯m up to ¡®Mid¡¯ on both contribution markers. This is going to be juicy.¡± Putting Lina and her loud musings about what rewards she was going to get out of her mind, Mia stared down at the many-coloured bead. Grabbing her glass of water, she looked up at her mother across the table from her ¡­ then over at Carmilla. The vampire was acting like a kicked puppy that didn¡¯t know whether you¡¯d kick it again if it dared coming close again. It was half endearingly adorable and half again borderline hilarious. But it was mostly annoying Mia, who just sighed. Sharing a quick, but meaningful glance with Helene, Mia stood up, grabbed Carmilla by the arm and dragged her over to the sofa where she sat down, then pulled the vampire to sit down next to her. ¡°If what I said at the end is troubling you so much you can ignore it and act like I never said anything,¡± Mia said, staring up into her eyes. The vampire looked back like Mia was a strange puzzle box she couldn¡¯t solve and was even more afraid of what she could find inside if she did solve it. ¡°Not the first part, though. That was important. Anyway, this changes mostly nothing between us, does it? I¡¯m still sticking to you just the same as before. There is no need for you to act like I¡¯m lava.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°You are,¡± Mia said, squishing the girl¡¯s hand a bit with her own. Seeing as the girl was not going to change from just a few short words, Mia sighed and decided to just get onto what she wanted to do. Actions spoke louder than words, and she¡¯d make sure her actions showed the silly vampire just how deeply she meant the words she spoke before. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to eat this thing. Can I trust you to haul me back into my bed again if I start cramping up again?¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Carmilla nodded, putting on a serious look. Without further ado, Mia threw it into her mouth and quickly sent it down her throat with a few gulps of water. It seared, zapped and stretched as it travelled down and Mia had to resist the urge to clutch at her throat. Then it was down. She felt it pulsing, sending out waves of some strange energy she wasn¡¯t familiar with. Though, perhaps it was just such a muddled mix of many energies she did know that she just couldn¡¯t make out any particular one. It expanded, flowing into every cell of her body, into the deepest crevices of her mind and surged into her spirit like a tidal-wave. Everything it touched grew stronger, more flexible, denser, deeper and just overall better. [Agility: 14 -> 15] [Strength: 9 -> 10] [Flexibility: 11 -> 12] [Main Body: 11 -> 12] [Cognity: 14 -> 15] [Memory: 11 -> 12] [Will: 14 -> 15] [Main Mind: 14 -> 15] [Control: 11 -> 12] [Sensitivity: 11 -> 12] [Manifestation: 14 -> 15] [Main Spirit: 13 -> 14] Mia shuddered, feeling a much milder repeat of the previous full body cramp. It blessedly let up after just a few seconds though, even before Carmilla could pick her up to shove her into bed again. Letting out a relieved sigh, Mia smiled. With that done, she had every Natural Treasure available to her absorbed. Next on her list was continuing with assimilating the runes for her chosen new spells and, likely some training. It was looking like they would be staying in the city as nobody even brought up the topic of leaving and that meant Mia was likely going to be heading into a Rift in the not so distant future. Which was also what her next Quest wanted her to do, so it was hitting two birds with one stone. *** [{Newcomer} Introductory (14)] ¡®Notification: This Questline is coming to an end with Introductory #15.¡¯ Objective: Bonus Objective: Reward: A spatially expanded satchel. (Two cubic metres of volume.) Bonus Reward: The satchel may be further enchanted with: Expanded volume, reduced weight, slowed time inside. ***** The next couple of days went by quickly. The army moved out, slowly cutting through the city and killing some groups of wandering monsters without facing too much resistance. Largely, that was probably because each platoon moved out with at least two or three mages attached to them for covering fire. Mia¡¯s party took part in this too, helping out with hunting the monsters down as they slowly cleared out street after street and let the refugees go back to their homes. The army slowly regained some cohesion, the now three living Colonels having come together and established a council of sorts. Zeigler somehow managed to weasel his way into being named the commanding officer of the remaining troops, likely due to his popularity with the survivors because of his defence of Andritz and his seniority over the other two Colonels. The push towards the city centre was in full swing, and they were getting closer and closer to the place where Mia and Helene had spotted the Goblin Rift a week or so ago. Mia had also been made aware that the location of another two rifts was also known to the army. The Rat Rift was buried under a collapsed sewer system, the handiwork of the late General to buy himself time to deal with the Goblins. The final known rift¡¯s location was the Bird Rift up atop the Science Tower, the tallest building in the city. The Goblin Rift remained the primary goal of both Mia¡¯s party and the army and with the help of the mages, now bolstered in both numbers and morale after the victory over the Troll, they reached it just four days after the battle on the wall. By this point, all they were waiting for before sending in a group to destroy the Rift was the third week¡¯s Realm Event Rewards, as per many of the strongest fighters¡¯ requests. Once everyone had the opportunity to claim that, a delving party would be assembled, loaded full of whatever potions remained with the army, and sent inside. 71 - Line in the Sand Carmilla didn¡¯t think any force more complicated than the System and the vampiric ascension it brought out of her could enter her life. Now she was starting to doubt that. No, she had been doubting that for a while now. ¡®Love¡¯ was weird, and Carmilla still didn¡¯t even know what it was supposed to be beyond the overly flowery descriptions of it shown in movies and romance books. She was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t ¡®in love¡¯ or anything of the sort, what she felt was just a ¡­ care? Glancing over at the pink-haired, overly energetic force of nature that was Mia, Carmilla sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. It should have been simple. Protect the Halvyr, get some of her blood in return. Easy win for both sides ¡­ so why did Mia have to pour a whole bucket of wrenches into that plan? Carmilla chastised herself, it wasn¡¯t entirely on Mia. Hell, it wasn¡¯t at all. All Carmilla had to do was say ¡®No¡¯ like she¡¯d planned, tell the hopeful little faeling that no, she was not going to date her. It was easy, wasn¡¯t it? It sounded easy. All she had to do was to crush the hope in that precious gem of a girl¡¯s eyes and she could have her transactional relationship back to how it was before, and as it should have stayed. Carmilla¡¯s will that had held up against the years of neglect, the loneliness and even the beast now dwelling in her blood was not prepared to face the type of pressure Mia¡¯s hope put on her. After all those horrid things that happened to Carmilla, she let herself wonder; she let herself share that hope for just a brief instant. She let herself hope that with Mia being so different from everyone Carmilla had known before, maybe she¡¯d be different enough to care. That iron-hard will inside Carmilla was not so much bent as snapped like a twig under the force of that wishful hope. So. Why was it that she was having so much trouble believing that the girl really did care now? Mia said it herself for god¡¯s sake. She said it, and Carmilla¡¯s instincts felt the sincerity in the girl¡¯s voice and body language. It was infuriating. That she couldn¡¯t bring herself to fully believe it. It felt like it would mean losing, somehow. It made her feel weak to believe, to care. Caring was a shackle, a weakness for her enemies to exploit, her vampiric instincts loathed it with a passion and it resonated with the Carmilla that died alone and afraid in a hospital bed. Caring opened you up for hurting, it was like inviting an emotional stab right into the heart. It was dumb. The last time she cared, the people she called ¡®mother¡¯ and ¡®father¡¯ abandoned her, not even bothering to tell her why or what for. They just ¡­ stopped coming to visit her one day and changed their phone numbers so she couldn¡¯t even call them. A week later they stopped paying her hospital bill, and she was transferred over from the private clinic she¡¯d been at to the public, government funded hospital. A few weeks after that, while Carmilla was still hoping they would come back, she got a letter saying her official name had been changed back to her birth name: Carmilla Nacht. Something broke inside Carmilla as she held that letter and that was the day she stopped caring, stopped letting anyone in. She¡¯d gone so without having to rely on anyone for emotional support ever since, so why should that change now? ¡°Whatcha thinking about?¡± Mia asked, glancing up at Carmilla with those honest, curious eyes that glimmered like the most beautiful sapphires under the summer sun. No fear, no hate, no scheming, no specific want. There was nothing in those eyes Carmilla had grown up seeing in the eyes of everyone around her. Well, there was a few specific types of desires ¡ª hungry, lustful wants or adoring and gentle wants, all so syrupy and sweet that it was smothering Carmilla to death ¡ª in those eyes, but they were all oh so very different from what Carmilla had come to expect from others. Though, now with the System¡¯s coming that was changing too. Being a vampire wasn¡¯t as much of a ¡®thing¡¯ as it was before, not with all sorts of weird creatures running around. It only took seeing a few elves serving as clerks in shops and dwarves in bakeries for one to become desensitised with the fantastical nature of a good third of the population. Still, most had instincts that told them to run and hide when they looked at Carmilla, instincts that were now boosted by the onset of magic. It was a mixed bag, honestly. Having to drink was a mere dietary need now, but it was also entirely normal that a skittish rabbit beastkin would run screaming at the mere sight of a vampire as their survival instincts kicked the ¡®flight¡¯ part of their fight-or-flight instinct into overdrive. ¡°Stuff,¡± Carmilla answered, realising she¡¯d been silent for all of ¡­ one second. Time was becoming really weird now that her own relative time was shifting around so much with her growing Cognity. ¡°You mentioned there being that apartment block you lived in before, right? The one you got kicked out of?¡± Her vampiric rage flared up at the mere thought. Some self-important, jumped-up demonspawn dared to treat her Mia like that, she wanted to rip them to shreds, turn them into a vampire spawn and have them serve as the girl¡¯s slave for eternity ¡­ Carmilla shook her head softly. She had many wants like that that she was never going to act upon. Then she stiffened a little and reflected on her thoughts. ¡®My¡¯ Mia? Oh, fuck me, this is getting bad. Ever since that night in the bar, Carmilla felt like she was falling further and further into a sinkhole, unable to crawl out no matter how much she tried. Forces she didn¡¯t know, nor understand pulled her down into the depths and she was helpless to do anything against them. She could just leave, run away. It would fade with time, she was sure. Away from Mia, away from her caring smiles, little jokes, her hugs and laughs. Away from the cuddles and away from her seductive blood. Fuck. Carmilla thought again, wanting to bash her head into a wall. Just a few weeks ago, the quality of her blood would have been firmly in first place among Mia¡¯s qualities but now it was now at the bottom of the list. The feeling of helplessness was nagging at Carmilla, reminding her of so many terrible memories she couldn¡¯t quite deal with them. She knew Mia was trying to help, but the way her smiles made Carmilla feel only made everything all the worse. It wasn¡¯t Mia¡¯s fault; the girl was just too pure ¡­ maybe a bit airheaded and with questionable decision-making abilities, but she was pure, kind and Carmilla could hardly imagine how much it¡¯d hurt to never see the little halvyr again. Just the thought twisted a knot in her stomach and sent her vampiric instincts into a frenzy. They demanded her to grow a damned spine already, turn the girl into her Bride and accept that Mia was to be hers, body, mind and soul. Leaving, running away would be such a cowardly move that her vampiric part shuddered in self-disgust. It was so intense that it was causing Carmilla to doubt she could even make herself run and leave Mia behind. ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl in question said, spinning around to walk backwards to face Carmilla. ¡°I wonder how they¡¯re doing. Everything else in this part of the city is pretty fucked. What survived the rats and the goblins, the military demolished with prejudice. It¡¯s going to take years to rebuild this city ¡­ if it¡¯s ever even going to get a chance at that.¡± ¡°It will,¡± Carmilla said easily, looking around the beaten-up houses around them and then glanced back at the military van trudging by behind them and the platoon of soldiers spread out on the street before them. They were fanning out, scouting out any lingering monsters in the houses then drawing them out into the open for the two of them to finish off if they couldn¡¯t handle it themselves. ¡°Five Rifts. That Boarling Rift was a weird one, but the others shouldn¡¯t be so ¡­ strange. I think we can handle them all pretty easily. Especially if we take a few others from those who fought on the wall to fill out our numbers.¡± The Goblin Rift had been secured and its surroundings cleared of monsters. It proved to be little trouble with almost three hundred mages ¡ª around 70 of those being at level 10 ¡ª lining up and taking up position around the playground housing the Rift. The highest levelled Goblins were level tens and there were only a handful of them. They stood absolutely no chance when that many eager mages, many of them wanting revenge for having their houses destroyed or loved ones killed by the little green monsters, opened up on them. There wasn¡¯t a single casualty, and now an extensive military fortification was being built around the Rift by all the Earth mages working together. Really, Carmilla had to applaud the crafty Colonel that managed to endear himself to all the powerful mages here enough to have them all listen to him and his orders. Alone, none of them would have stood a chance against a horde the size of the one which crashed into the wall, but together ¡­ It won¡¯t last. The vampiress knew, she smelled the ambition and overconfidence in so many of them. Already, factions and cliques were forming around one charismatic mage or another. Soon enough, one of them was going to either break away from the Colonel¡¯s command or try to replace him. Idiots. I just hope they wait until all the Rifts are gone. It¡¯d be a shame if we had to run for Vienna after all this ¡­ it¡¯d probably also break Mia¡¯s heart to leave so many helpless people behind to the monsters. ***** Mia played with her runic-model as they walked, disassembling and reassembling the spell circle of Bolt¡¯s shockwave variant. If her memory was serving her correctly, she was doing an atrocious job at it. She was getting better at it though, even though she no longer had the Spell Tome holding her hand while she did the assembly since this specific variant was one of the spell circles she ended up removing from the book. Lesser Ward and even Phalanx were now inscribed in the book, with Mia already having started assimilating the runes she¡¯d need for the next spell she¡¯d chosen: Mage Armour. I can still cast spells like this, if every rune needed and geometric shape is in my runic-model. Mia thought. Though the likelihood of this quite literally blowing up in my face is pretty high.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Still, her Control and Cognity would only grow, so there would come a time when she didn¡¯t have to have spells as simple as Arcane Bolt taking up space in her Spell Tome. With how much she struggled with it though, Mia guessed the spells she would be able to cast this way would always be leagues below her strongest ones, maybe by an entire tier or even two. That thought made her worry that she¡¯d soon have to remove even more spell circles from her Tome. Surely, she¡¯d be getting even more awesome, stronger spells she could learn once she managed to Rank Up and upgrade her Arcane Mage Class to Tier 2. From there, only runic theory and combat prowess would stand between her and being named a Junior Mage. A handy little tool that might help her out some would have been Chanting, if she could actually speak whichever arcane language form synergized well with the ¡®Imperial Standard¡¯ runic language all of her runes were in. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and Mia snapped out of her musings. After spending nearly three weeks without any electricity or technology at all beyond watching diesel trucks and tanks roll by, it still startled her when her phone reminded her of its presence. Powerlines were still dead as can be, but Mark had found a bunch of ancient solar-powered USB ports, so now they could at least charge their phones. There still wasn¡¯t any service or mobile network available though. Pulling it out, she quickly stopped the alarm and looked over at Lieutenant Maher, who led the platoon Mia and Carmilla had been assigned to for the duration of the reclamation. ¡°Call them back,¡± Mia said to the man, who just nodded, used to asking the same thing every thirty minutes. ¡°I need to reapply my spell.¡± The man just nodded, the picture of professional stoicism and if Mia didn¡¯t catch the minute twitches on his face, his hand hovering near his holstered firearm or didn¡¯t take note of the fact he always had at least three of his men with him whenever he was near either her or Carmilla, she might have even believed it to be the reality. Okay, that was a lie. Mia would have spent the rest of her time with the Lieutenant in blissful ignorance had Carmilla not pointed out those little tidbits she¡¯d noticed. It was obvious in retrospect, but Mia still felt strange about it. I thought he was cool. Mia thought, a little forlorn. He never did anything out of line and treated them respectfully ¡­ but coldly. Soon, the man had the squads out doing scouting and survey work circling around to head over to Mia. ¡°You know the drill,¡± Maher said in a droll tone. ¡°Head over to the mage, tell her of any trouble you¡¯ve had with the spell and let her reapply it. If you don¡¯t want it reapplied, stand to the side.¡± Thankfully, out of the eight members of the first squad coming over, only two opted out of getting the magic applied to them. ¡°Hi, Missy,¡± the first man said, stepping forwards. A Sergeant, by the looks of his stripes. ¡°I¡¯ve had no great trouble and it saved me from a brick falling on my head so I¡¯m happy enough. Though, the fact that it''s pushing back against the kick of my rifle is throwing my aim off.¡± The spell in question was, of course, Lesser Ward. She had one placed on every soldier that went out to scout or look through the houses, just to be safe. It was straining on her mana to keep it up on almost twenty of them, even with her using the absolute minimum mana needed for the spell. The spell had a ¡­ dynamic, but limited intake of mana. At the minimum, it lasted for 30 minutes and, on the maximum, using five times as much mana, it lasted for an hour. The discrepancy came from the fact that the spell not only lasted longer, but also took many more blows to break. For now though, she had to keep to using the minimum. Her mana pool wasn¡¯t endless. Still, this was saving lives and giving her much needed practice with the spell circle, so it was more than worth her time and mana. One of the first things she¡¯d learned was that unlike her Amulet of Lesser Warding, the spells of the same name were not reactive. They were either there, or they weren¡¯t and used up mana to exist for every second. Also, they tried to defend against everything. Including bumps, a stronger breeze, the kick of a rifle and so on and so forth. ¡°Glad to hear that,¡± Mia said, holding out her arm, and the soldier placed his large, calloused hand into her own. She cast the spell, letting it activate and watched as the spell circle collapsed into a string of mana and leapt onto the soldier¡¯s arm. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re good to go. Next!¡± The man nodded and walked away, a faintly pinkish sheen already spreading over his body with the string-like bracelet snaking around his lower arm. ¡°Hello,¡± the next man stepped up and nodded easily. ¡°No problems. Nothing new to report either, it is working as advertised.¡± Nodding in thanks, Mia applied the spell to him too and sent him off. Then the next, and the next until only one man was remaining. ¡°Hello,¡± he said, nodding. ¡°It was ¡­ mostly working fine, but it broke after just a dozen minutes and I don¡¯t really know why.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mia said, nodding as she thoughtfully looked the man up and down. ¡°Want a reapplication?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°Could save my life in those next ten minutes.¡± Mia just took his hand and cast the spell, then watched as he walked off ¡­ though it was more accurate to say he stomped off with the big, lumberings steps he walked with. Could that be it? Could the Ward be eaten up to absorb the shock of him smacking his feet into the ground with every step? Another three squads came and went, getting their Lesser Wards refreshed and while most just noted tiny oddities with the spell, some thanked Mia profusely. ¡°Thank you!¡± One soldier said, looking like he was barely keeping himself from hugging her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have died from a shitty little goblin stabbing a rust-caked knife in my calf, but I really didn¡¯t want to get tetanus. So thank you.¡± Apparently, the Lesser Ward not only survived a lunge from a level 7 goblin, but it also stayed active for another ten minutes afterwards. With the ambush happening at about the five-minute mark, Mia estimated that a newly applied Lesser Ward could handle two ambushes from goblins. It wasn¡¯t much, honestly it was quite pathetic, but it could mean the difference between life and death. And if the life in question is Helene¡¯s or Lina¡¯s, Mia would never consider the spell a bad one. Plus, with all the practice she¡¯d gotten in, it was already much more deeply imbued into her Spell Tome than either Arcane Shackles or Spectral Blade. It also allowed her to learn all the kinks and tricks of the spell while not putting her own hide at risk, which was certainly a plus. Apparently, the reactive function would have made the spell too complicated and mana intensive to be considered a Novice grade one according to the Runic Lexicon it was included in. Which was a damned shame. Alternatively, these dumb Lesser Wards her spell made also didn¡¯t have glaring weaknesses like her Amulet¡¯s reactive function did. What weaknesses? Well, the reactive function decided whether an attack was lethal or not based on whether it had mana in it or if it was coming at terminal velocity. Which covered most things lethal to Mia, but not a knife slowly slitting her throat, for example. Well, she was pretty much fucked if she let a melee fighter close enough to stab her anyway, so she wasn¡¯t all that bothered. More importantly, they were arriving back at the fortifications around the Goblin Rift. That meant she¡¯d be getting her promised reward of contribution points. She couldn¡¯t spend them on anything beyond information packets yet, so it was a bit of a scam, but Mia enjoyed getting paid for doing stuff she already would have done. Also, she could trade contribution points for favours with the Colonel. Opening up the new System Tab that appeared on her Interface when Zeigler formally invited them after the defence of Andritz. *** [Factions] [Faction: Reborn Armies of Austria] Contribution Points: 900 Your Current Rank in the Faction: Mage Auxiliary - Graz *** She watched her contribution points jump up by a hundred, reaching a nice and round thousand. Then she opened up the Faction Information tab to see whether anything had changed. *** [Faction Information: Reborn Armies of Austria] *** Nothing. Mia mused, shrugging. Factions were strange beasts, and she¡¯d made sure to actually research them before clicking the ¡®Accept¡¯ button on the dubious invitation window. There wasn¡¯t any danger that time, not with the Colonel only offering her the rank of an Auxiliary Mage in the Faction and not a proper Member rank. Since Mia was just an Associate, none of the Faction¡¯s hierarchy and restrictions would hold sway over her. The Faction Leader might have been able to fuck around with a proper Member¡¯s stuff by fiddling with the Faction¡¯s setting, but she was safe from that while she refrained from fully joining. It was like part-timing at a job, getting paid by the day. ¡°Trouble,¡± Carmilla murmured, dragging Mia¡¯s thoughts back into the present. True to her words, the fortification was in a bit of a bluster she didn¡¯t expect at this time. ¡°What kind?¡± Mia asked, prying her ears for any sign of an answer as she came to a stop to watch the not so distant mass of soldiers creating a wall of human bodies between the fortifications and ¡­ another group? Her question was answered a moment later¡ªnot by Carmilla, but by the very source of the trouble itself. A cold, detached voice spoke, reverberating with unnatural power and the emotional fluidity of a statue. ¡°We have come to offer our assistance for the purpose of Closing this Rift.¡± The icy fingers of dread drew a line along her spine and Mia shuddered, then her mana flared up for but a single moment and most of the feeling was gone. The unnatural part of it at least, not the one she felt just as a result of hearing his voice again. ¡°You have to be kidding me,¡± Mia groused, eyes narrowing into a glare as she watched the muscular man standing in the distance, head and shoulders above the rest of his haphazard group. ¡°Of all the people to not get eaten by monsters ¡­ ¡° Jeff glanced over in her direction, as if he felt her glare. Mia saw recognition flash in those dark abyssal pits he called eyes. Then he had the gall to nod in greeting before returning his gaze to one of the junior Colonels in command of the Rift fortification walking out to meet him. Mia gritted her teeth, the helplessness and fear she¡¯d felt when those same eyes stared her down back in the basement making a resentment that wasn¡¯t entirely deserved flare up. Taking a deep breath, she let it all out. Her gaze cooled to a simmering anger instead. She still hated him for throwing her out, for throwing god only knows how many helpless people out to the goblins just because they weren¡¯t obediently following every order he spoke. For every life his actions supposedly saved, how many more did he personally consign to death? And now he was out here, attempting to help and his first action is lacing his words with mind-bending dread? Fuck him. Fuck him and everything he stands for. 72 - Fruits of our Labour Mia¡¯s eyebrows twitched as she listened in on the rest of her party¡¯s conversation. Trying to distract herself by falling into a studying daze was officially a bust. ¡°What do we do?¡± Mark asked, a scowl on his face as he sat on a throne of hardened mud. ¡°What is there to do?¡± Lina asked, shrugging. ¡°Sure he might be an asshole, but he¡¯s a strong one. I sure as hell won¡¯t say no if he wants to put himself between me and whatever¡¯s hiding inside that Rift.¡± ¡°Could we trust him though?¡± Helene asked, looking worriedly out through the flap of the tent they¡¯d been given next to the fortifications. ¡°I don¡¯t know him well enough to tell, but the rest of you should. What do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know him,¡± Lina said, spinning up a little air twister atop her palm. A new nervous tick. Or was it just her version of fidgeting? Mia wished she had good enough control of her own mana to just play with it that casually. ¡°I paid him monthly for rent and that was it. Then when I asked to be allowed to fight, he just shrugged and gave me a way to do it safely.¡± ¡°Mia and Brent know him best,¡± Mark said, fingers steepled and brows furrowed. ¡°You two have been silent so far. Any input?¡± Mia closed her book, one of the few she got from Kelvin¡¯s stash of duplicates. It wasn¡¯t a magical one unfortunately, but she hoped it would be a gateway for her to get into learning an arcane language capable of Chanting. Imperial Common was apparently a catchall term for three different things. One was the standard language of The Empire ¡ª which was apparently something of a big deal in the Mystic Realm ¡ª another was a standardised runic language of this very same Empire and the third was supposedly an arcane language that was some weird mix of the two. Imperial Standard referred to the runic language to be specific, while the arcane language, the spoken version of the runic script, was so rarely used that it only had some arbitrary designation like ¡®Imperial Standard Verbal¡¯, shortened to ISV in the few segments that mentioned it. The book in Mia¡¯s lap was an introduction for the standard spoken language, Imperial Common, that apparently everyone from peasants and beggars to high lords and ladies spoke in the Mystic Realm¡¯s higher Planes. The language was ¡­ strange. Learning to speak the entirely non-magical version on a basic level and write it with letters was simple enough, the grammatical rules and such were even simpler than English¡¯s. So Mia was making quite a headway just by having spent her off time studying it over the last few days. ¡°I¡¯m not letting him watch my back,¡± Mia said resolutely. ¡°I trust him as far as I can throw him not to kick me into the mouth of a monster.¡± ¡°I ¡­ think that¡¯s a bit harsh,¡± Brent said, an uncharacteristic wince flashing across his newly bearded face. He sat on a stool, elbows on his knees and looked around at the rest of them with what Mia could only describe as regret. ¡°I¡¯m not saying he is not a cunt, he bloody sure is, but he is not a bad person. Just think about it, how many people from the district outside of his building survived the tide of monsters?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the answer is ¡®not many¡¯?¡± Lina raised an eyebrow. ¡°The answer is ¡®nearly none¡¯,¡± Brent said darkly. ¡°Tens of thousands of people, and the only survivors either ran away and got lucky like us or survived due to his actions. Hell, I doubt most of us would have survived the first night if we were anywhere but inside his building.¡± All factual truths, Mia knew, but it didn¡¯t change her feelings on the matter. It dampened her vindictive anger¡ªhe had, after all, saved her life by being the paranoid cunt that he was. Mia thought back to that first night, when she peeked out the windows like a scared little girl and saw the streets teeming with monsters. She hadn¡¯t even been able to cast a single spell back then, but Brent and Jeff were down on the ground floor, keeping the tide of death at bay. ¡°And how do you justify his mind-fucking magic?¡± Mark asked, conceding to Brent¡¯s point but still not happy with the state of things. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Brent said, almost chuckling as he did so. ¡°I never liked it that he did that, but I know that while his logic may have been horrendously flawed, it came from the right place ¡­ I do know now at least. He knew there had to be order and unity if a small group as diverse as he was trying to protect was to survive in this apocalypse without outside help.¡± ¡°Unity under his boot,¡± Mark said, scowling. He never liked Jeff, and that wasn¡¯t going to change anytime soon by the looks of it. Plus, the feeling had always been mutual. ¡°Order at the threat of getting thrown to the monsters.¡± Brent gave a resigned shrug, looking around at either thoughtful or scowling faces. He opened his mouth and added a closing bit. ¡°Regardless of his methods, the fact remains: he saved hundreds of lives.¡± ¡°Sacrificing the few for the good of the many,¡± Helene murmured, sounding like she was trying to see how well that proverb fit for the situation. Mia saw Brent glancing at her, a complicated, questioning look on his face. ¡°What?¡± Mia asked, breaking out of her own thoughts. ¡°None of that changes anything about what I said. Fact is, I don¡¯t trust him nearly enough to watch my back if I were to go into a monster infested Rift with him. If he is going in, I am not. End of story.¡± Brent nodded, understanding clear in his eyes and Mia let out a little sigh. ¡°I doubt he¡¯d do anything,¡± Carmilla spoke up in the thoughtful silence that followed, drawing curious eyes at herself. The vampire just shrugged. ¡°He is an Abyssal Demonspawn. His kind is wiped of most emotion, they are beings of logic. One of the species most in line with the Darkness and its main aspects of Order and Control.¡± ¡°You got that from the horns?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Could be his dad was just a goatfucker.¡± ¡°He has an Abyssal Demonic Bloodline,¡± Carmilla said, ignoring Mark¡¯s quip. ¡°I can practically taste the sulfuric scent of the Demon Realm on him.¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Mia asked. ¡°If he really just wants to return order to the world and gain control over as many people as he can, then he¡¯d just be a tyrant. A warlord. We¡¯d be dangers to that, with most of us both powerful and not liking him. Why wouldn¡¯t he throw us to the monsters again if he gets the chance?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ ¡° Carmilla trailed off, glancing towards the patiently listening Brent. ¡°If what Brent thinks about him is true, and his primary goal is to save as many lives as he can ¡­ well, then killing us, who can help him accomplish that by destroying rifts, would be ¡­ illogical.¡± ¡°He sure has a bunch of level 10s just as strong as us,¡± Lina said, poking a hole into Carmilla¡¯s idea. ¡°With only ten people being allowed into a Rift, that¡¯s all the number of them he needs to clean up the city. He doesn¡¯t need us.¡± ¡°But having as many strong Classers¡¯ help as possible would speed up the reclamation of the city,¡± Carmilla said. ¡°Which would save lives as a side-effect. Killing us doesn¡¯t make sense for him. Not if we don¡¯t somehow try to fuck with those reclamation and monster killing efforts.¡± Saying her bit, Carmilla shrugged and leaned back. She had that ¡®I did my part of enlightening you, now you decide whatever you want to do with that new information, I don¡¯t care¡¯ look of hers on. ¡°Well, Brent?¡± Lina asked, sending her little twister to blow into the man¡¯s hair like a soft breeze. ¡°How confident are you in it that he wants to save lives and not just carve out a little kingdom for himself?¡± ¡°The two aren¡¯t exclusive,¡± Brent said. ¡°But I think his goal is the first and he thinks that the second is the means for achieving it. Much easier to save and protect more people if you have absolute power over their actions after all.¡± ¡°Well, this is a bloody quagmire of a debate,¡± Mark said, jumping to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m with Mia. I don¡¯t trust the cunt enough to fight back to back with him. If he wants to dive the Rift, he can do it with his lackeys ¡­ either he destroys it and we win or he dies in there and we don¡¯t have to worry about him anymore. Wins all around.¡± Brent looked conflicted, but gave a resigned sigh. Shaking his head, he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll take a walk, get some fresh air.¡± ¡°We could start digging out the rat rift,¡± Mia said, glancing at Mark. ¡°How about it? You dig up the sewers, then we try to convince Jeff that he should dive that one while we take care of the goblin rift?¡± ¡° ¡­ I can see the appeal,¡± Mark said rubbing his chin with a grin. ¡°Yes. Him cleaning the sewers from a bunch of mangy rats stinking like a week old, sun-baked garbage heap. Very appealing. I¡¯ll see whether I can get the good Colonel to agree to that proposition!¡± With that, the dwarf practically ran out of the tent, cackling like a madman ¡­ or like a child preparing to play a prank on that one kid in school they always hated. ¡°Was that wise?¡± Helene asked, brows creased in worry. ¡°The rat rift is buried under tonnes of rubble. That could hold off the monsters breaking out of it for weeks.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Doubt it would take more than a day or two for the next escaping Guardian with about equal strength to the Troll to dig itself out,¡± Mia said, shrugging. ¡°I really think it¡¯s dumb that the army is just taking the ¡®hope for the best¡¯ approach without preparing for the worst.¡± ¡°Maybe they are preparing,¡± Helene countered gently. ¡°And just aren¡¯t telling us. We are still just outsiders and civilians in their eyes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how long it takes for that stance to bite them in the ass,¡± Lina said with a malicious grin. Then she shot out a little burst of air from both of her arms, propelling herself onto her feet. ¡°Alright! Call me if anything happens, I¡¯m so damned close to getting this Air Jump right, I¡¯ll be going back to practising. Toodles!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a bit too,¡± Carmilla whispered, looking thoughtfully out the tent before giving a meaningful glance to Mia. Oh, she¡¯s going to snoop around for a bit. ¡°Be careful,¡± Mia said, a hint of worry in her voice. Jeff was strong, dangerous. Not the kind of rabble the vampiress usually stalked. ¡°Very careful. I don¡¯t want to learn what other messed up mind magics he unlocked since I last met him by them brain-fucking you, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± The vampire gave a small, indulgent smile. ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Mia said, frowning at her girlfriend so she got the message. ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Alright, I promise.¡± Carmilla nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Mia gave her a little finger wave, and the vampire slipped out of the tent. Mia watched her go with an appreciative hum she was sure the vampire heard. The way Carmilla¡¯s every movement shifted when she was on a prowl into that sinuous predatory grace was a sight to behold. As was her posterior in skintight leather leggings. With everyone else, but Mia and Helene gone, the two women just shrugged and settled back down to read in companionable silence. ***** There are just so many damned things I need to do. Mia thought, feeling a little overwhelmed by it all as she now sat out in a nearby park ¡ª not the one with the goblin rift in it of course ¡ª and watched as her last attempt at forming a cube out of her mana atop her head fizzled away into nothingness. ¡°Your mana looks ¡­ uncooperative.¡± Lina patted her on the shoulder consolingly. ¡°But you couldn¡¯t even mould them into shapes just a week ago, no? That¡¯s still awesome progress.¡± Mia had basically tracked the girl down to her training place, having grown mind-numbingly bored by learning new words and phrases in Imperial Common. Mana Control training was her choice of poison, and what brought about her sense of hopelessness at just how many aspects of herself she has to improve upon. Agility, Flexibility and mental exercises, for example, of the latter she had to do different kinds for all three sub-stats. Then there were the Spirit sub-stats, namely: Control, Manifestation and Sensitivity. Then there would be trying to upgrade her Secondary Skills in Grade, practising her spells, practising with her Arcane Mana Manipulation to make it usable in a fight ¡­ and just straight up training how to fight better. I also promised myself I¡¯d get some sword lessons from Brent. When all of that came atop the fact that she also had to worry about fighting monsters and soon-ish diving a Rift that could very well kill her, monsters that would only be getting stronger as time went on. She had to stay ahead of the curve, ahead of everyone else too, if she wanted to feel any sense of security and safety in her life. It was all just so ¡­ much. She was getting buried under the items of her mental to-do list and she was drowning. Then here was Lina, practising with her new anklets and Misty Steps Trait. The girl could already launch herself up into the air with a burst of wind, then take three flighty steps in the air before falling back down. That had been a single step just yesterday, and a few days before that the girl launched herself into walls with her wind bursts more often than not. Mia had thought Lina rash back when they first met. Rash, suicidal and battle hungry, but now while most of those still stood she also saw the reality for what it was. Lina was driven. And driven in a way no number of points into Will could replicate. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± Lina asked, seeing the look in Mia¡¯s eyes. ¡°I could ¡­ hear you out if you want me to?¡± ¡°Do you think we can actually come out of this?¡± Mia asked, staring into the distance as the blonde Air mage plopped down into the grass next to her. ¡°It just feels ¡­ hopeless. Can we really keep staying ahead of the monsters? How long can civilisation last like this? A year? Two? Ten? Is our generation going to be the last?¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Lina puckered her lips, staring up into the swaying canopy. ¡°Hopeless ¡­ I can see why you¡¯d think that, but let me give you a counter perspective. We¡¯ve been given a chance, a hope of actually controlling our fates. Even with all the monsters, all the other bullshit out there, we have a chance. We have been offered a power to make sure we wouldn¡¯t be helpless victims.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Mia said sourly. What I don¡¯t know is whether I¡¯m strong enough to take that power ¡­ no, I know I could. But can I do it fast enough? Can I keep up? With level 13 and 14 monsters already wandering around, can I ever hope to keep up with them in strength? Can I, when I can¡¯t even make a damned cube of mana!? The best she could do was to try and do her best. There was nothing else to do, she knew. Maybe she could run for an Obelisk and hope its Transportation function can take her out of the Realm and let her live out the rest of her life as a peasant on some Lower Plane? That thought was strangely comforting. An alternative, an out, should she really not be up to par. It wasn¡¯t do or die anymore, but do or ¡­ live out a mediocre life in another universe where power ruled everything. The alternative was still looking horrible, but better than dying. Most things were better than dying, in Mia¡¯s humble opinion. She heaved a slow sigh, flopping on her back and just staring up at the swaying branches and the small bits of blue she saw in the cracks of the sea of green. ¡°Sorry,¡± Lina said, looking over at her with an embarrassed look. ¡°I- uh, might not be as good at this consoling thing as I thought ¡­ but you look better even without my help?¡± Mia felt herself smiling minutely as she watched the blonde. Lina clearly wanted to help, she clearly cared. Even if the crush Mia once had on the girl had gone nowhere ¡ª what with the girl liking men ¡ª Lina was still a good friend. Mia had so few of those. I should treasure her more. With that thought lingering in the back of her mind, she answered the girl¡¯s unasked question. ¡°I just realised that I can probably run to the nearest Obelisk, run away to another Realm and live out the rest of my five centuries of life as a potato farmer on some Lower Plane in the Mystic Realm if all ¡­ this doesn¡¯t work out.¡± I will try my best, that¡¯s all I can do. That¡¯s all anyone can expect of me. ¡°I guess you could ¡­ ?¡± Lina looked at her strangely. ¡°I think I couldn¡¯t, not with the chance to be powerful enough to be invincible dangled in front of me. I¡¯m not ¡­ hating or anything, but I¡¯d take the chance to be a damned god than mediocrity and helplessness. Even with the high likelihood of me ending up as the toothpick of the next Troll I come across.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try, don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Mia said, glancing over at the blonde with a resolute look. Now that she found a smidge of courage to marshal her willpower around, it was quickly snowballing into something stronger, something firmer. ¡°It¡¯s just good to know there are alternatives in case I ¡­ crumble.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be a damned shame if you became a potato farmer though,¡± Lina said, a playful smile tugging at her lips as she saw the forlorn expression had left Mia¡¯s face. ¡°With magic like that? Will you blow the potatoes out of the ground? ¡­ and I don¡¯t think one of those patch worked housewife dresses would fit you all that well. You don¡¯t really give me ¡®peasant girl¡¯ vibes.¡± ¡°I was thinking more jeans-overalls and less medieval dresses,¡± Mia said, quirking a smile as Line too laid down in the grass with a giggle. ¡°That¡¯s even worse,¡± the blonde said, forcing an aghast tone into her voice. ¡°Putting you into anything but extravagant dresses is a crime against fashion. Though I guess your current getup is ¡­ salvageable. Have you considered wearing black stuff? I think it would contrast nicely with your hot pink hair.¡± You and your fashion ideas. Mia chuckled, remembering with a suppressed grimace how she¡¯d once taken the girl¡¯s willingness to put her into all sorts of dresses as something bordering on flirting. By now, she knew Lina was just obsessed with fashion and making people look pretty. ¡°Black?¡± Mia asked, raising an eyebrow. A good four-fifths of her wardrobe was black as the night ¡­ but she¡¯d thought it wouldn¡¯t fit her new colour theme. ¡°With pink?¡± ¡°Mhmmm,¡± Lina nodded excitedly, sitting up with a burst of energy. ¡°I mean, the current theme you have is also nice. The cute elfin look goes well with your cheerful smile, but if you want more of a dark femme look ¡­ I have some good makeup techniques that could really make a full black dress on you pop.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to show me,¡± Mia said, a curiosity blooming in her heart just imagining how Carmilla would react. The girl had been more aware of Mia these last few days, and Mia had been drinking in every single lingering look the vampire sent her way. ¡°I¡¯m game.¡± She was more than just ¡®game¡¯, she felt a thrill of excitement that she wasn¡¯t entirely sure was there before just at the idea of being pretty and dressing up to show that to everyone else. Might have been her Fae blood showing, or just a repressed side of her own psyche. Well, I doubt I have to worry about weirdos now that I can blow their heads off. I can dress as pretty as I want. Her ears twitched, hearing a set of footsteps approaching. Stout, heavy, stomping ¡­ presence tastes like earth and metal. ¡°Mark? What are you doing here?¡± Mia called out, recognising his presence. ¡°Oh, there you are! ¡­ oh, jackpot, I don¡¯t have to look for Lina. Nice,¡± the dwarf rambled as he jogged over. ¡°So, you won¡¯t believe this, but Zeigler actually thought the idea was good! He¡¯s going to ask Jeff and his goons to head into the Rat Rift which¡¯ll be cleaned out if he accepts.¡± Mia felt a grin forming, though the many ¡®if¡¯-s about the plan dampened her excitement somewhat. ¡°Also,¡± Mark continued. ¡°Have you checked your Rewards yet? The Realm Event¡¯s countdown has just ended a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°We were a touch distracted,¡± Lina said with a chuckle, glancing over at Mia who just smiled. ¡°Should we do it here? I really don¡¯t want to wait?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Mia shrugged, sitting cross-legged on the grass as she pulled up her Quests Interface. Time to get some more goodies for all my trouble. Give me something good. [Realm Event: Rift Mayhem] Objectives: [Rewards will be given at the end of each week based on each User¡¯s contribution! The Event will end once the Realm is stabilised!] [Failing this event might mean not only the end of your town, but that of your planet and the Realm as a whole] [Rewards for Week#3 can be claimed now!] [Claim Rewards now?] [ Yes / No ]