"What in the blasted thicket?!" Lila yelped, clutching her wrist where tiny pinpricks of blood formed. She glared at the rat, but her anger faltered, giving way to a weary sigh. "That was uncalled for, you little menace!"

  "Squeak!" Al's whiskers twitched defiantly, his glowing eyes fixed on hers.

  "Elder's breath..." Lila's jaw tightened, catching herself. "Ah... damned Elders. Even their phrases haunt me." She stared at the droplets of blood on her wrist—blood that should have been flowing differently now, undead blood—and shook her head. "Anyway, don't you think he just jumped a bit higher?" she asked, her voice softening as she redirected her thoughts from her own transformation.

  "Ha-ha, check his stats," said Aira.

  "Through the System?" asked Lila.

  "Yes, you can see the stats of any member of the party," said Aira. "Just find the right menu."

  ========== Character Status and Skill Overview ==========

  Name: Al

  Race: Undead Rat

  Class: Rat

  Level: 7

  --- Current Status ---

  Health: 77/77

  Mana: ???/???

  SP Used: 0

  SP Available: 34

  XP: 34,400 / 36,000 (Next Level: 8, Initiate)

  "What? Are you power-leveling both of us?" asked Lila in disbelief.

  "Hold up. Hold up!" Lila shot a look at Aira, then at Al, as if the rat might also have an opinion on the matter. The forest floor beneath her seemed to shift, another reminder of how rapidly everything in her world was changing. "First me, now a rat? By the twisted branches, we're both just soaking up your leftover glory, aren't we?"

  "Well, it wasn't my goal," said Aira. "But he's in our party. And it seems that he's getting his share of the quest XP. Not that I'm making an effort to do that. It's just how it works. And it's only a small share. But it's still quite considerable during the early levels. Still, all the things I mentioned about the problems with power-leveling are still valid for Al. I'm not sure, though, how we should communicate the training routine to him."

  Aira chuckled and picked Al to place him back to his favorite spot on her neck.

  "Never thought training a rat would be among my tasks," said Aira, her fingers gently stroking Al's silvery fur as dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy above them, casting shifting patterns across their makeshift camp. "It's like we can't stop getting fellow travelers who have issues with communication." A cool breeze rustled the leaves around them, carrying the earthy scent of the forest floor—a world away from the acrid stench of battle that had followed them from Mountain View.

  "At least he isn't preaching about 'order' and 'duty' or rambling about 'barbarians' every five minutes. That's a win," Lila muttered, rubbing her wrist. "Still, I hope this bite doesn't fester. That'd be just my luck—torn from my own people only to get taken down by an undead rat."

  "I think he just wanted a bit of our attention," said Aira. "He's got through level 5. Al has to have two skills now. If he knows how to choose them."

  "And what about his bite?" asked Lila.

  "I think you'll survive," said Aira with a smile. "With your new body and access to the System, everything should be fine."

  "Shouldn't we be able to see his skills?" asked Lila. "I thought Ainorrh mentioned checking yours."

  "You are right. It should be visible," said Aira with a smile. "You are learning fast. But I guess Al didn't choose anything yet. I can't see any skills on his stat sheet."

  "Ugh, whatever," groaned Lila. "I'll worry about his magical rodent potential later. Right now, we've got bigger roots to pull up. And we still need to figure out a few things between the two of us."

  ***

  The two women left the spot they used for their meditation and continued their march. They still had to figure out the new balance of their relationship, their current destination, their goals for the nearest future, and, generally, as explorers of this world and the arcane. Everything had changed once again, upturning Aira's and Lila's lives.

  Not to mention that killing spree.

  Aira sighed and looked at Lila. "Thank you for returning to the party," she said. "There's so much stuff we need to figure out. And I don't want to do it without you. When I thought that I lost you… It was like something had switched in my mind. My only goal was to gain enough XP to upgrade that damned skill."

  "Wait. Wait. You're not—tell me you're not actually saying what I think you're saying," Lila said, her voice dropping to a whisper that barely disturbed the forest air between them. Her fingers dug into the soft earth beside her.

  "What?"

  "So that's it? That's the game?" Lila exhaled sharply, a brittle laugh escaping her lips as she stood abruptly, sending a startled bird fluttering from a nearby branch. "You stack bodies for XP? That's why you tore through my town like some wrathful..."

  She stopped herself, jaw tightening until a muscle jumped beneath her skin. The unspoken words hung between them, heavier than the mountain fog. "Like a demon of vengeance?" she finally managed, her voice cracking on the last word.

  "Are you sure we have to talk about it right now?" said Aira. "I just got you back to the party."

  "I'm not about to storm off if that's what you're worried about," Lila muttered. "But you said you'd teach me. Show me how all this works. So go on—tell me how we actually get XP."

  "Sure, you are right," said Aira. "On average, you gain a thousand XP when killing an enemy during a fight or a battle. It depends on a few things, but still. But there are other ways to gain it. If only a bit slower ones, like using your skills."

  "Alliot said you…" Lila's breath hitched. "You killed a hundred people? That's a hundred thousand XP just like that?" She shook her head, muttering. "And here I thought I had to earn things."

  "Less than a hundred people," Aira corrected. "But yes, I needed ninety thousand XP to get enough skill points to save you."

  "So, this is it, huh?" Lila exhaled, kicking a loose stone off the path. "We're just walking numbers now, waiting to be tallied? A pile of XP to be reaped? No different than… than…"

  Lila stopped, biting her tongue. "Never mind."

  "That's… that's an interesting way to look at all that stuff…" Aira said, scratching her forehead. "You say that, but that's sort of what I thought just before I was transported to this world. I didn't put it this way exactly. I guess I didn't have the right perspective to do that. But you… it's brilliant. And spooky…"

  Lila's fingers clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. "But what if I don't want to be defined by this System?" she said, her voice wavering. "What if I don't want to lose who I am?"

  "You won't," Aira said firmly. "You're still Lila. The System can't take that away from you. It's just... another layer. You can use it to your advantage, but it doesn't change the core of who you are."

  Aira stopped and looked into the distance, continuing to rub her head.

  "I didn't mean to crack your branches," Lila said, reacting to Aira's sudden stillness. "But tell me it doesn't feel… wrong? Just stacking up bodies like notches on a bow, everything so some invisible number ticks up?"

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  Aira let out a bitter laugh, but it had no humor. "At least the System considered all of them my enemies," she said. "There's that."

  "There's that…" said Lila.

  Aira reached down, picking up a fallen leaf and turning it over in her fingers as the tension between them gradually began to ebb. The silence that had felt oppressive moments before softened into something more contemplative. Lila exhaled slowly, her shoulders dropping as she settled against the trunk of an ancient oak. She drew her knees to her chest, the anger in her eyes giving way to weariness, then curiosity.

  The forest around them seemed to respond to their shifting mood—birdsong gradually returning, a gentle breeze stirring the canopy overhead. Between them, Al curled tighter against Aira's neck, his tiny heartbeat a reminder of the fragile connections they'd all formed—connections that could snap as easily as a dry twig underfoot. When Lila finally spoke again, her voice had lost its edge.

  "So, what's next? We don't need to go back to the base, do we?" Lila's voice wavered for a second, but she forced herself to push forward. "I mean… I'm not about to start waxing poetic about the place, but it's still got some ghosts I'd rather not dig up."

  "Ah, damn, I didn't think about that!" said Aira. "But it sort of depends on where my quests lead me. Which I don't really know. Ainorrh mentioned that it could be useful for us to visit other enlightened cities. Other sources of power. But I'm not sure I have enough information about all of them."

  "Oh, that reminds me…" Lila waved a hand in front of her, scrolling through something only she could see. "I noticed something earlier, but I was too pissed off at you to care. Might as well check now."

  "Hey, don't drag it out!" exclaimed Aira. "What is it?"

  "Hold your horses! I'm still figuring out how to wrangle this thing," Lila huffed, tapping her temple. "Alright… Yeah, I see it now. Your quests."

  "No way!" said Aira. "But why? I can't see them, and you can? What's happening with the System? Is it because I'm an outworlder or what…? So, what is there? What are our next steps?"

  "Let me see..." said Lila, her eyes widening as she swiped at invisible panels only she could see. Her fingers traced patterns in the air, delicate as a mapmaker charting unexplored territory. "By the fox's tail, this is something else. You have two quests. 'Find the World's Rune' is marked as the main quest." She squinted, head tilting. "What's a 'main quest'? Looks fancy—all wrapped in shimmering light compared to the others."

  "I can only guess," said Aira. "But if I'm going to leave this world, finding a Rune similar to what I already have has to be my main goal. I never had any 'main quests' before. What else?"

  "The second one's about visiting the ancient cities," Lila continued, eyes flicking over the menu. "It's a multiple-stop deal—four places total. Right now, we're at a grand, whopping zero out of four."

  She let out a low whistle. "Oh, wow. That's a big number."

  Lila paused, actively gesturing, seemingly continuing to explore the System interface.

  "Are you going to keep me in suspense?" asked Aira, nervously walking around Lila. "What is it?"

  Lila let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "A million XP?!"

  She stared somewhere in front of her, but it was apparent she couldn't see anything besides the System messages." That's a lot! That's cheating! That's beyond cheating! It's like 20,000 between the levels for me now! What kind of ridiculous reward is that?"

  "Yeah, you'll be disappointed to know that the prerequisites for increasing your level increase pretty fast," said Aira. "You just wait a bit and you'll be measuring your XP by hundreds of thousands of points."

  "So, what's the plan?" Lila asked. "Are we heading to one of these enlightened cities next? Ainorrh mentioned them, sure, but did she actually help or was that more of her usual 'let them figure it out themselves' routine?"

  "She did tell me a few things," Aira said with a sigh. "But Alliot had to be our guide. And I'm not sure what to do after he stormed away so abruptly. We can probably just follow the guidelines and go east from Wentouk. At some moment I should probably sense their energy source."

  "Wouldn't it be smarter to head back to Wentouk?" Lila asked, then scoffed at herself. "Ha. Listen to me, actually suggesting we go back to the undead den. Like we'd get a warm welcome. But still, Alliot has to be there, running his mouth to Ainorrh about everything you did."

  "You know what?" said Aira, her voice hardening as the ethereal light in her eyes flared like twin embers. "I won't run after Alliot, Ainorrh, or whoever. Let's make them work for it if they want us so bad." She drove her fist against her palm, each word punctuated by a sharp sound. "In the end, Ainorrh was able to boost my skills when we searched for you. And she sensed me when I first appeared in this world." A humorless smile curved her lips. "I wouldn't be surprised if they will be able to track us on our way to Ziemrot. That's how the next city is called."

  "Hey! Whoa, you almost sound like it on me somehow!" Lila shot back. "Alliot's the one who lost it! He couldn't shut up about 'wasted human material' and 'irreparable losses'—I mean, does he even hear himself? It's all numbers to him, same as the System. If that's not messed up, I don't know what is."

  Lila paused in thought.

  "But then," she continued. "I can say the same about your attitude. By the twisted branches, is it what the System does to people?"

  "We sort of talked about that earlier," said Aira with a sad smile. "But I guess this topic will surface not once in the upcoming days. And I know what you mean."

  "Fine. We'll shelve it. For now," Lila said, crossing her arms. "But you? By the Eld… Arrrrgh…! You are not off the hook. Not even close."

  "Thanks," said Aira. "But we have one more thing we need to discuss before we move on. You should have gotten some new skills. It's only reasonable to add them and start using and training with them. To gradually get used to your new powers."

  "Bones and bark…" said Lila. "I tried to add one right after I woke up. Back in prison. It told me I didn't have enough skill points."

  "Yeah, that's understandable," said Aira. "You gain skill points as you gain XP. Experience isn't lost, the number just grows. However, skill points are spent on new skills and upgrades. How much do you have now?"

  "It's a bit more than 140 thousand XP and around 140 SP," said Lila.

  "You see?" asked Aira. "As you haven't spent any skill points yet, they are just a rate of 1000 to 1. But it will change as soon as you start collecting skills. So, which one was your first?"

  "It was 'Undead Resilience,'" said Lila, flexing her fingers as if expecting to see them change before her eyes. She rubbed her thumb across her palm, feeling the strange new strength lurking beneath her skin. "This thing, once again, I'm described as an enlightened. But the skill is for the undead." She looked up at Aira, confusion and frustration warring in her expression. "Caught between names like a leaf in crosswinds. How does that even work?"

  "That's one of the mysteries of this world, I guess," said Aira. "Maybe we'll find out. Maybe not. But the only way to learn anything is to explore and talk to different people. Not only to Ainorrh and Alliot. "

  "So, this one just makes me tougher?" asked Lila. "Sounds like a baby version of what you already pull off with me and Alliot."

  "Ah… You felt it?" asked Aira.

  "Root me sideways, of course I felt it!" exclaimed Lila. "I was angry, not senseless!"

  "What else have you got?"

  "The next one is 'Peacemaker,'" Lila continued. "Apparently, I can calm someone down, but only one person at a time. Nothing about whether it works on humans, enlightened, or… whatever category you are fitting into. And the last one—'Shadow Step.' Sounds sneaky. I like it."

  "It seems the System wants you to keep up with me and help you to become a spy, not a peacemaker," said Aira with a wide grin.

  Lila's fingers twitched as if the new skill was already trying to urge her forward. "Well, as long as it keeps me alive, I won't complain. Names don't matter."

  She hesitated, then scoffed. "Though 'Peacemaker' feels a bit rich, considering what I just lived through. What am I supposed to do—negotiate with people who'd rather see me dead?" Lila paused. "Still don't get this whole 'class' thing, though. Is this just a title or what?"

  "Ha-ha, you are right," said Aira. "That would be one of the things we'd have to discuss. You have so much to learn…"

  "So, what now?" Lila asked. "I just hit 'accept' and let the magic do its thing?"

  "Yes, do that and check your stats," said Aira. "Some numbers should change."

  Lila shifted on her feet, stretching her arms like she was testing a brand-new body.

  "Nope. Never getting used to that," she muttered, staring at her hands as veins pulsed with new vigor beneath her skin. Warmth spread from her core outward. "One second, I'm just me, and the next—bam! I can feel it, Aira. I'm stronger and..."

  She bent her knees and leaped. The ground blurred under her, the world suspended for a heartbeat as the wind whispered past her ears. Her boots landed solidly a few feet away, barely disturbing the carpet of fallen leaves. Birds startled from nearby branches at her sudden movement.

  "That is not fair," Lila huffed, stomping her foot hard enough to send a slight tremor through the forest floor. "Root me sideways! Why don't humans get these abilities?! What kind of nonsense is this?" Her voice echoed slightly in the clearing, a mixture of wonder and bitterness that hung in the air like morning mist.

  Al squeaked his agreement from Aira's shoulder as Aira watched Lila explore her newfound abilities with a mixture of pride and concern. The former ranger's movements were becoming more fluid with each passing moment, the stiffness of her transformation giving way to something more natural, more confident. Tonight, they would make camp here, but tomorrow, they would set their course east—toward Ziemrot, toward answers, toward whatever awaited them at the next elemental source.

  As Lila continued testing her limits, leaping between patches of sunlight that dappled the forest floor, Aira felt the weight of her wristband against her skin. Somewhere within that ancient city lay another piece of the puzzle that had brought her to this world, transformed her, and now seemed to be guiding her along an unseen path. The System had given them their next destination. What it hadn't revealed was what—or who—might be waiting for them there.

  Al shifted on Aira's shoulder, his whiskers twitching as if sensing her thoughts. Whatever came next, they would face it together—a strange trio bound by circumstance and choice, by magic and blood.

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