《Creative Thinking Is Everything I Have》


 -1 Ch.0: Training camp from hell

    AN: This is a teaser chapter that allows you, the reader, to take a look at the world I''m building before returning to the beginning of this story.


    ---


    "Keep moving you maggots! Two more laps and you are free ''till afternoon!"


    This hoarse voice was full of energy and joy. It seems that its owner was having a really good time. The voice belonged to the Junior Drill Captain Paulo Cardello, or Captain Pain. It was his favorite title, and he enjoyed every bit of everything it implied.


    At this very moment squad 71-17-14 was finishing a morning workout. For entire month their life did not belong to them. It was scheduled from dawn till dusk, with a few precious hours of free time.


    The workout went for four hours, followed by one hour of lunch, one hour of rest and then two sessions of combat training.


    It was a harsh training, Captain Pain made sure of that. The whole morning of running, jumping, crouching, and running again, with no regards to personal build and aptitude. Yes, even those with little to no basic Endurance and Strength, those with Spirit or Magic affinity were expected to do at least that much.


    Captain Pain had the following to say on this matter.


    "I don''t give a crap about you sissy-wussy casters! When you are out of Mana, the only thing you can do is run away! So shut up and keep running!"


    And so they ran.


    When the final lap came to an end, half the squad fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Even those physically fit were panting heavily, covered in sweat.


    "Alright, cupcakes, at least you can move those legs! See ya all at The Dungeon. If any one of you is even one minute late ¨C entire squad will do five more laps tomorrow! Am I clear?"


    "Crystal clear, Captain Pain!" The squad replied instantly, using their remaining strength.


    They walked in silence, fighting heavy fatigue. Doing five more laps would kill them ?¡ª that was their unanimous consensus. While so far there was no record of anyone being late, one can never be too careful with this kind of thing. So they made a rule to meet in front of the campus 10 minutes before the deadline to make a roll call every time.


    -


    Two hours later, somewhat refreshed and full-fed, the squad was standing in front of The Dungeon''s ground entrance.


    "I wonder how many floors are there in The Underground Combat Training Facility" The question belonged to a temporary squad leader, Iten Yada, who tried to adjust his non-existent glasses and instantly made up this question to cover up his frustration.


    "Iten, do you really have to use full names for everything? My ears are bleeding, please, call it The Dungeon." Snapped a deputy-leader, Mira Rahna. She squeezed her bow nervously, still frightened by yesterday''s test.


    "Me heard from yesterday''s Summoner dat he''ll be going to the ninth floor for the next shift." The squad''s main combatant, Rakasha, muttered. He stood there, leaning on the pole of a halberd and flexing his muscles.


    ''Must be nice to have Strength as your main affinity.'' This jealous thought belonged to a boy dressed in a caster uniform, Kanai. His envy stemmed from the fact that he was a Luck-Magic caster. Having zero Strength made it impossible for him to do a close combat, and he had almost no Dexterity and Agility to supplement spellcasting. Unlike Rakasha''s, his future looked rather grim.


    A few moments later Captain Cardello arrived, and they entered The Dungeon. Barrier after barrier, post after post the squad kept descending. It was their fourth day of training at The Dungeon.


    "I really hope we''ll be done with the first floor today." Mira''s irritation was noticeable. She was heavily injured during yesterday''s test and tried to loosen a bit with her usual sarcastic speech. "I kinda get it that it''s for casters to get Mana under control, but really? Three days, c''mon!"


    "Nine of us were successful yesterday. I believe everyone will succeed today. Your comments are unhelpful, Rahna. I don''t know who you were before, but your attitude is certainly detrimental to you future in this place."


    With a sour face Mira turned away from Iten, who were about to start another hour-long lecture about future, second chances and teamwork.


    "Yada¡­ -san? Can you maybe give us some tips? Please?" Despite how usually simple and plain was magically translated speech, when Kanai addressed Iten, honorifics were added.


    All twelve members were required to complete a floor''s test for the squad to descend deeper. That''s why it was so important for the remaining three cadets to succeed as soon as possible ¡ª nine other squad members were waiting for them.


    "I''m really sorry, but I don''t think of myself as more qualified in teaching then Captain Pain" On the captain''s nickname Iten''s face twitched a bit. "But if you are asking for an advice, I''d say that you should not hurry when pushing Mana for Burst. When you take a hold of it, just wait a bit more, let this feeling sink into your memory."


    In a complete silence the squad arrived at the first floor.


    -


    "Alright, squad, first of all show some gratitude to Lieutenant Reezpauzo who will be helping us today! Thanks to his summons you''ll be able to grow stronger and improve without putting your asses at risk!"


    "Thank you for your hard work, Lieutenant, sir!"


    "Don''t mention it. Do your best and good luck." While Lieutenant kept his voice calm and attitude neutral, it was quite evident that he enjoyed the situation. He shook off non-existent dust from a dark-blue military caster robe and went deeper into the floor. On his back was a giant skull emblem ¡ª a sign of special military unit, The Summoners.


    The squad was divided into two groups with nine successful members going deeper into the floor to its central part, and other three cadets remaining at its entrance to be supervised by Captain Cardello.


    "And so, my pathetic blockheads, we are doing it again!" He said in a mocking manner. But then he suddenly became serious and continued. "Feel the flow of Mana in your body. Imagine it going through your hands into your palms. And then push it out!"


    Basic Mana manipulation was the hardest thing for newcomers. The more Spirit or Mana they had, the harder it was to get it under control, that''s why casters or unlucky people with bizarre and inconvenient attunement usually struggled at the beginning.


    Of the three people left behind one was a common Magic caster ¡ª Crion Bauro, another one ¡ª Kanai, a Luck-Magic caster.


    And the last one was Orisa. Her main stats were Spirit and Dexterity. Spirit based classes were usually built around magic, but Orisa had very little in Magic department. Dexterity could have helped her with Bow or melee weapons, but severe lack of Strength and Agility completely cut off this path too.


    "On my mark push your Mana away." When his subordinates were facing real troubles, Paulo Cardello was serious. He never mocked those who were working hard to overcome obstacles. "Three, two, one and push!"


    They simultaneously threw their right hands forward. Both Crion and Kanai were unsuccessful, but Orisa managed to produce a noticeable Mana Burst, as usual. Her problem lay in a different field ¡ª while being able to control Mana, she was unable to make a strike.


    As Captain said before, this type of mental block was not that rare. Some people were just unable to harm others, even if they wanted to. At the last moment their hand simply becomes weak or stops at all.


    "Okay, you too, keep going" Said Captain to boys. He was distracted for a few seconds, watching the rest of the squad fighting against already summoned monsters, then got back to Orisa. "Girl, on my mark, hit me with bare hands. No Mana, just your fists."


    A complete failure was their result. Boys were unable to push their Mana, and Orisa''s punch was no stronger than that of a toddler.


    Two hours passed before they made some progress. Crion and Kanai have been constantly producing Mana Bursts, and Orisa finally managed to overcome at least some of her mental barriers and confidently punched Cardello''s forearm a number of times.


    "That should be enough for practice. Now you''ll go against real dummies, use either Mana Burst or any skills you''ve been told about." He called Lieutenant. "Alright, leave them a pack of idle Skeletons and we''ll go check on the remaining squad. Ten should be enough."


    A few moments later 10 Skeleton Warriors were conjured. They were left in a passive mode, so even after being attacked they won''t strike back.


    "I''ll be back in 20 minutes and I wanna see them all in pieces"


    The trio was left with a pack of Skeletons and after 15 minutes have passed, they got rid of 6 opponents.


    "Kanai, I don''t get it. For what purpose are you using a complicated spell like Decay? Showing off? You can''t even control your Mana properly, what''s wrong with your head? Are you trying to hold everyone back?"


    Crion, a tall and thin boy with a grey, slicked back hair approached Kanai when the trio decided to take a short break. His entire body was drenched in sweat that even dripped from his brows. After making his move against Kanai he wiped his forehead with his robe.


    "Well¡­" Kanai still struggled with his breath after spending 10 minutes casting non-stop "I can try Icy Knives that you use¡­" He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "But I was told to try durational spells. With my stats it might be better. And Decay is the easiest one of them".


    "Durational? What the hell is that?"


    "Well, it''s easier to show. Look at the Skeleton."


    After gathering his will, Kanai pointed his Trainee Rod at the Skeleton and spoke:


    "-Decay!-"


    Nothing happened. Crion turned his head with a furrowed brow but said nothing. Clear frustration was shown on Kanai''s face. He concentrated again, veins bulging on his forehead, and repeated the incantation:


    "-Decay!-"


    A tip of his rod glowed with purple, and a moment later the same glow appeared around the Skeleton. After another second the Skeleton glowed again, and again a second later. When it glowed for the fourth time, the Skeleton crumbled into ashes.


    A look of doubt and discontent was shown on Crion''s face. He was still displeased even after this demonstration.


    "Why are you lashing at me? I can at least do something!" Shivering under his gaze, Kanai objected in a sore tone.


    Both boys'' gazes turned to a sole girl in their group. Orisa made a pout, offended by their behavior.


    "I just¡­" She started sheepishly. Suddenly her mood shifted and she stomped in rage "Oh, for fuck''s sake, I just don''t know! I can feel this god damn Mana flow, right!?" She paused, steadying her breathing. Both boys looked quite shocked by her outrage and silently waited for her to continue.


    "It''s just that the moment I think about attacking, my Mana seeps away like a water. I don''t understand what''s going on, really. I''m sorry."


    ''As if I could explain it to you¡­'' A picture of a huge wolf spitting out a chewed hand flashed in Orisa''s mind.


    Kanai looked away, feeling guilty about his remark. Crion was still displeased, but more with the situation itself then with Orisa or Kanai.


    At that moment they heard laughter from the direction of the stairs leading to the second floor.


    "We are indeed astonished by your accomplishments! Oh, yes, we are delighted!" Haughty squeak belonged to little pink-haired girl in a frilly pink dress.


    "I''m not sure how it is possible to be so stupid. We''ve already done a sixth floor test, and here you are, still crawling at the first level. For five days already? Judging by your progress, we''ll see you there next month too." The owner of a slightly hoarse voice was a tall boy in black metal plate armor.


    Between them was quietly standing another person. It was a blonde girl of average height dressed in a really expensive caster''s robe, holding long and well-decorated battle staff. Her cold gaze went through the team and by the end her disgust and contempt were clearly seen on a beautiful face.


    Instead of answering, Orisa flipped them off and turned away. Crion turned away silently, while Kanai muttered to himself:


    "Damn Nobles. Get lost."


    "Bassa, Ramulie, we are leaving." Said the icy girl and headed for the exit with an unmoving expression. The plate-wearing boy followed her like a shadow, but the frilly girl stayed at the bottom of the stairs.


    When the trio was about to continue, they heard a shout coming from the stairs.


    "-Acceleration!-


    -Lucky Strike!-


    -Enrage!-"


    Three remaining Skeletons glowed for a moment from the powerups they received, and attacked.


    In a blink of an eye the first Skeleton closed a distance and Crion received a Shield Bash that sent him flying. He remained on the floor, motionless.


    Kanai reacted as fast as he could, throwing a Decay. The Skeleton was already damaged from their previous attempts and was reduced to dust by cadet''s successful spell.


    But this was his only achievement. Half a second later remaining two Skeletons reached him. The first one thrust his sword into Kanai''s stomach and the second one hit him in the forearm with a club. There was a sickening sound of bones crushing and his body rolled a few meters, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.


    The first Skeleton moved to finish off its prey, while the second one suddenly turned to Orisa and threw its club in her direction.


    ''I''m not losing my life again.'' Both Orisa and Kanai thought the same thing.


    Despite the fear, that paralyzed her body and mind, almost unconsciously Orisa pushed her right hand forward and cried out her last words:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Then everything just went blank.


    3 weeks before.


    In a dimly lit room a man sat in front of monitor, a thoughtful expression showing on his face. The screen showed a MMORPG''s character selection window with three different characters. Orihara Satoru was puzzled.

 1 Mom will be sad

    In a dimly lit room, a man sat in front of the monitor, a thoughtful expression showing on his face. The screen showed an MMORPG''s character selection window with three different characters.


    Satori. Level 100 Sacred Priestess. Elf female.


    Tirania. Level 100 Elemental Witch. Dark elf female.


    Meteoria. Level 89 Arcane Sage. Human female.


    It was long past midnight and Orihara Satoru has been sitting like that for 10 minutes.


    ''Should I start a new character or keep leveling Meteoria?''.


    This was the question of today''s night. A new character allowed him to experience a lot of new things, and that''s what he really wanted. But he already played all the magic classes. For him, non-magical classes were no good at all, especially close-range fighters. That''s why it is difficult for him to make a choice.


    After spending 10 more minutes at this game''s wiki he finally made another female character.


    ''I''ve never thought about it, but I can build a Monk into a ranged DPS caster. I hate melee fighters, but it''s just for the first 30-40 levels, then I''m gonna go wild!''


    And so, his journey began. Occasionally giggling and constantly smiling like a kid, 33 y.o. Orihara Satoru was fully engrossed in his adventure. It was already bright outside when an exhausted but absolutely happy body fell on the bed to grab at least 3 hours of sleep before going to work.


    -


    "''Sup, Satoru-swan! How is it going? You look great, full of energy, eyes sparkle with vigor!"


    "Yes-yes, you look like corpse too, Ryota. Go die."


    "Kyaaa, so harsh! Where did I let you down, my dear fellow?"


    Sitting at their company''s coffee break area on the next day, two colleagues were having a small talk.


    Matsuda Ryota, 36, employed, married, 1 kid. Together with Satoru they made two projects and then were assigned to different teams.


    "So, pray tell, Orihara-san, why do you look like you always do?"


    "Well, nothing new. Surprising, right? My deadline was last week, but thanks to other game designers there was almost a week''s worth of unfinished or unfixed work again. So I went to Nomura and got another week. And guess what? They didn''t make it on time again!"


    Like a true man of culture, Ryota started sipping coffee with his pinky extended. ''I''m sure that right now in this cup he imagines my tears instead of coffee.''


    "So we stayed up late together with Mirai-chan, fixing the shit out of this build. If it were not for her, I''m not sure I would have been able to fix everything."


    "Are you retarded or what? You''ve been working together for how long, 3 years? And I know you two are really close with each other! You should start dating her. I know she is 3D and all, but c''mon, what are you waiting for!?"


    "I''m not sure, man." Satoru thought for a moment. "I mean, she is hella cute and smart and funny and all that, but what if she doesn''t want anything now? What if I ruin everything making a move?"


    "Stop whining, you punk! I''m not asking you to get in the fucking robot! Just do it!" Ryota even made an appropriate move to supplement the last sentence.


    -


    After gossiping for a while, they both went to their respective teams'' offices. On the way to his place, Satoru caught a glimpse of a familiar girl returning to her desk.


    ''Kanbara Mirai, 29 years old, quite short, peach bob haircut, giant red glasses, godlike smile.'' Thinking about his colleague, Satoru recalled today''s topic with Ryota, and his heart started to beat a little faster. When he returned to the desk, an unread message awaited him.


    ''PM booked a few tables at S-Blend for the upper members of the team. Are you going?'' A message for Kanbara has been waiting for him for half an hour. Satoru replied:


    ''You know that I hate drinking. Guess I don''t have a choice anyway. Who''s invited? Are you going?''


    ''From our game design team, it''s Orihara-san, Tadano-san (who is sick #thankyouforleavingyourworkonus), and me. I''d like to grab a drink. What could be better than a drink on a Friday night? Freebie, yay! XD''


    ''By the way, thank you for your hard work! You were such a big help yesterday! If not for you, I would have been X_X''


    ''F.''


    Satoru heard a short laugh coming from Kanbara''s desk and imagined her smiling. After resolving to something and nodding to himself, he then replied.


    ''Okay, let''s have a blast tonight, gotta show them who''s doing all the hard work here!''


    -


    After finishing their work a few hours later, around twenty people from the upper echelons of the team went to a popular maid caf¨¦ S-Blend to celebrate another development milestone completion. They have been working on this game for two years now.


    "Being a Lead game designer, Satoru-san is expected to attend events like this one quite often. Must be niiice~" Kanbara Mirai was already a little drunk when she started whispering to Satoru''s ear.


    ''Her breath is so hot! But she reeks of beer!'' Satoru quickly noted to himself, before replying in a low voice. "I don''t like them though. I''m not a drinker and I generally dislike people who get drunk and then behave like asses."


    But there were exceptions to his alcohol rule, one of them sitting by his side at the moment.


    "Oi-oi, Satoru-san, so you don''t like me, then? No way, my heart is broooken!" Said Mirai theatrically, downing another beer. Her face was already all flushed and eyes glittered wetly.


    ''Ohmygod, she is so cute!'' Was Orihara''s only thought, but he steeled himself to form a cohesive reply.


    "Nah, Mirai-san is the best. She never dicks around even when drunk, and is super helpful and it''s always nice and easy to be around her¡­"


    His thought train departed and he no longer had any control over it. When it finally hit him what he actually said, he quickly glanced at Mirai. She looked at him for a moment and then quickly turned back to her beer, smiling thoughtfully.


    -


    "Wait a minute, Mirai-san, I''ll hail a cab for you."


    When Satoru made a step towards a road, he felt his sleeve being pulled from behind.


    "For meee? Won''t you make sure I get home safely?" Kanbara complained while holding his sleeve with both hands. Her face was sad and almost begged to yield.


    "If you don''t mind, I''ll take you home, don''t worry."


    "Yay, victory!"


    Mirai''s joyful jumping reminded him of the Sagiri dance, so he chuckled and thought to himself ''My little kohai can''t be this cute!''


    On Friday midnight it was not hard to get a taxi, so less than a minute passed and they were already inside a car. Fresh cool air helped Kanbara to sober up a little. She gave a driver her address and thought deeply about something.


    For a while, they rode in silence. Mirai was still deep in her thoughts and Satoru was feverishly skimming through possible conversational topics. After finally giving up and admitting his worthlessness he asked the driver to turn on a radio.


    ''..after that, he escaped on the same truck. Currently, the police are pursuing him. To this moment, more than ten vehicles were damaged, and several people injured. Police are asking people to stay away from the road while they are dealing with this person.''


    "What was that again?" Mirai asked after being dragged out of her brooding state.


    "Looks like a truck chase." Then an unexpected and interesting idea came into Satoru. "Maybe we should take a walk from here? Who do you think, Mirai-san?"


    "Hmm..? Oh, yes! We totally should! I mean, I''m already too old to be isekaed by a truck-kun."


    Satoru''s laughter filled the car. After brushing away a tear he asked the driver to stop the car. To help her out of the car Satoru extended a hand, which she accepted and, after closing the door, made a small curtsy, smiling brightly.


    "It''s actually quite close to my house, I''ll show the way."


    For some time, they walked quietly. Passing the entrance to the playground, they both suddenly stopped.


    "Mirai-san¡­"


    "Satoru-san..."


    They said in sync. Two seconds later a double "Please, continue!" occurred.


    A momentary surprise was replaced by cheerful laughter. Resolving himself, Satoru spoke:


    "I''ve been thinking about it for some time. And, you know, seeing how things are¡­ "


    He paused to gather his will for the final push. Mirai''s intent gaze pierced him. Her face was red and she even slightly bit her lip.


    "Would you like to dat¡­" Amidst the phrase, he was interrupted by an annoyed yelling.


    "Oi, ya shits, the hell were ya laughing just now? Were ya making fun of us?!"


    A man was moving towards them from the playground. He was rather tall and, while skinny, didn''t look weak at all. While casually approaching the pair, he nonchalantly played with a butterfly knife. The second man followed him, and he was even taller. His head was covered by a yellow bandanna and there was a cigarette in his mouth. The first man stopped in front of Satoru, still spinning the knife, and stared at him.


    The timing made this situation even more shocking and surreal, and Satoru was dumbfounded. After a moment he finally replied:


    "Erm, no, we were not." His voice trembled a little, but his head was already working hard. Suddenly he was distracted from the predicament by a growing noise. ''Is this a police siren?''


    "Cut that crap, I know you were, moron!" Satoru was quickly brought back to reality by another pointless insult.


    Mirai nervously squeezed her purse with both hands. The smoking guy finally arrived and stood close to the first one, with both of them in front of Satoru. She made a step to be slightly behind him. Her legs were shaking.


    "It''s a misunderstanding. We were not laughing at you or anything, really." While Satoru made an excuse, the second guy smirked with a disgustingly wide grin on his face. He was clearly enjoying this situation.


    "Huh?! The fuck are ya mumbling?" The first thug grabbed Satoru''s jacket with his empty hand. "Ya still making fun of me? Want me to cut ya ugly face?!"


    Suddenly Mirai pulled something out of her bag and aimed it at the guy. The next moment a pepper spray struck his face, spewing a terrible liquid into his eyes.


    Uttering a terrible scream, he fell back, releasing a grip on Satoru''s jacket. Covering his face with an empty hand, the first guy frantically swung his knife-holding hand, accidentally cutting his fellow''s leg. Another scream followed.


    Autopilot kicked in and without a second thought Satoru grabbed Mirai''s hand and dashed away.


    ''It''s a miracle that Mirai doesn''t wear heels despite her height.'' At the far corner of his mind, there was another Satoru, a calm critic with a distorted sense of humor.


    On the other hand, Mirai''s thoughts were a little bit different. ''OHMYGOD WHAT HAVE I DONE?! WHAT IF HE GOES BLIND?!'' What if they catch us..?''


    Quickly turning the corner of the building, they saw a police car parked in the middle of the narrow intersection. Both its lights and a siren were turned on, making a lot of noise.


    It felt like a blessing, so without releasing hold of Mirai''s hand, Satoru ran towards the car. Because of the siren, he no longer heard their own footsteps or shouts from thugs.


    Stopping at the driver''s door, he knocked on the window. There were two policemen inside the car and they both were shocked by a sudden Satoru appearance. At this distance the sirens wailing became unbearable.


    Coming to his sense, the driver brushed them off with an irritated grimace. ''Why the heck is he angry? What''s wrong?'' Satoru was overwhelmed by the policeman''s reaction. He knocked on the window again, at the same time trying to shout down the siren. The policeman waved again, even more angrily this time.


    At that moment the second policeman''s face changed, and he pointed in the direction behind Satoru, while screaming something. Turning around, he saw Mirai looking at him with a scared face.


    He also saw two bright lights approaching them at an unbearable speed.


    A moment later light filled everything. And then the world went dark.

 2 Hello, World.

    Confirming with her armlet the arrival of another ''fresh'' person, Rita Stronoff finished her drink in one go and stood up. Watcher''s room where she rested until a moment ago was rather small, but that is to be expected. The Tower in which Rita served was one of the smallest on the continent, having only 3 arrival chambers.


    After rinsing the mug in a sink, Rita opened a safe. Inside the sink were two books that looked rather old and heavy. ''I wonder if Natasha and Khrille haven''t returned yet or already left again.'' She was curious since only one set of books was in the safe.


    She pulled them out, laying a folded brown cloak on top. Before leaving the Watcher''s room, Rita checked her appearance in a large wall mirror. There was a not that young, but still quite attractive girl little under thirty. A red hair recently cut to a shoulder length, bothered her a little. ''Shouldn''t have cut it that much, I guess.'' She adjusted her shirt collar and left the room.


    On her way to the guards'' room, she wondered who will be her next ''freshman''. Rita Stronoff served in this tower for 9 years and there were only two emergency arrivals, but both were imprinted very strongly in her memory. Thoughtfully she touched her chest, where one of them left an ugly scar.


    ''I hope this freshman will be a good person.''


    -


    A brown-cloaked person lay on a thin mattress in a brightly lit room. The oval room was spacious but surprisingly empty. In addition to the said mattress, there was a brown table with a girl standing behind it, and a big metal-plated door with two guards by its sides. And walls, entirely covered by metal tablets.


    The cloaked person began to move. ''What happened? Where am I? Where is Kanbara-san?'' The flow of questions belonged to Orihara Satoru.


    His body was all numb, he felt literally nothing. So it took him some to finally stand up. ''Damn, why is it so hard to move? It''s like I''m drunk or something.''


    It took him another minute to ascertain his surroundings. Satoru noted strange tablets that covered the walls. ''There are hundreds of them. Am I dreaming? Though I was never able to have a lucid dream, maybe that''s it?'' His eyes focused on a girl at the far end of the room, behind the table.


    After making sure that his head was pointed in her direction, Rita smiled and begun gesturing. ''I wish we weren''t forced to cover their heads with hoods, it''s hard to get when they are looking at us. But rules are rules.'' Her smile was stiff and wary, but none the less she perfectly repeated the same gesture again and again. ''Come closer, come closer. It''s easy, c''mon, please, understand it!''


    Satoru began to move towards the girl. His every step was shaky due to the numbness, and he felt horrible as if his entire body was alien to him.


    ''It''s either some kind of nightmare, or I''m a unicorn princess''. His internal critic kicked in, helping him with growing uneasiness. ''It''s hard to move, I can''t even feel my body. And unbearable, crushing silence!''


    When he was a few meters away from the table, Rita motioned with a ''Stop'' gesture. Now Satoru has a chance to take a good look at her.


    A girl of the same height, a bit younger than him. Red, curly hair, green eyes. She was dressed in a kind of formal attire ¡ª a white shirt, a dark-blue vest with a large cleavage emphasizing the chest, and a dark-blue lengthy skirt. He also noted that the girl was nervous.


    ''I wonder if it''s a D-cup, or even E?'' Satoru''s attention was quickly grabbed by an obvious spot.


    Meanwhile, Rita changed her gesture once again. First, she pointed down to the table. There were two big books and a tablet, similar to those hanging on the walls.


    ''I''m no linguist, but I can''t even recognize letters on that tablet, huh.''


    After a few seconds, Rita gestured to the tablet, slowly raised her hand to her eyes, and then made a round gesture towards the walls. ''That''s the hardest part. Please, understand it!'' She thought nervously. It was a critical moment in her job, the hardest and the trickiest one.


    ''It looks exactly like a flight attendants'' safety instruction on the plane.'' Satoru was side-tracked by a flashback when the girl slowly repeated the same series of gestures ¡ª tablet, eyes, walls. ''Do I need to take a look around?'' He finally understood her instruction. "Geez, why can''t you talk? Stupid dream. And now what? When I''ll turn around, you''ll shapeshift into a giant monster and attack me?''


    When he turned around and went to the nearest wall, Rita quietly exhaled. ''Yay, another pantomime ¡ª success!''


    Satoru arrived at the wall and found out that it was indeed covered by the tablets. ''Well, they look the same. I can even see something like a serial number on each tablet.'' He scratched his head musingly, without taking off the hood. ''But what the hell is written on them?!''


    He glanced at several tablets, but could not identify any of them. Some tablets contained letters, of that he was sure, but others? ''Is this some kind of Rorschach test?'' Dumbfounded, he looked back at the table girl. She just smiled awkwardly, then nodded and pointed to the wall again.


    ''Guess I have to look for something? A clue of some sort? I hate those escape room games and I always sucked at Cluedo''.


    But he kept looking, tablet after tablet, one row after another. More than ten minutes passed. With each passing minute, he felt even more irritated by the whole situation. ''Body is still numb. Stupid tablets. What''s going on?! Please, wake me up!''


    And then it happened. The first tablet at the top of the column was kind of familiar, as well as the second one. ''This one is French, I''m sure. I remember those letters and even words from my auntie''s postcards when she was in Paris.'' English, German and Chinese followed and finally, he saw the text in Japanese.


    EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT


    KEEP CALM


    POINT AT THE TABLET AND COME TO ME


    I WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING


    A cold sweat struck Satoru. ''Something is really wrong here. Is this really a dream?'' He pinched himself painfully in the leg, but nothing happened. ''What the fuck? Is this for real?'' Panic crawled inside. He turned around on shaky legs and pointed at the tablet.


    ''Whew, he succeeded somehow. Hope it''s his native language and not something he barely knows.'' Rita gestured him to come back. She then skimmed through her notepad, finding the number of the tablet there, and opened the first book on the corresponding page. The book contained a basic level of information, but she already knew what was written there. ''Hooray, it''s Earth. Nothing dangerous! And even Japan, a land of calmness and shyness, as they say. Jackpot!'' Rita''s nervousness gave way to lightness and calm.


    When Satoru approached the table, Rita gestured him to stop there. Then she put her left hand on the open book and pointed at Satoru with her right. ''What is she doing, huh?''


    Then he finally heard something for the first time. The girl opened her mouth and quickly spoke:


    "-%$&@#~ $@??? ??#%$!-"


    Surprise from an unknown language immediately changed to another, bigger surprise. A small green circle appeared at the tip of her finger. The next moment a bigger green circle appeared under Satoru''s feet. After hovering around for a second, it suddenly flew upwards right through his body and disappeared.


    ''What. Was. That. Just. Now.'' It was like Satoru''s mind was hit by a truck. It was hard to focus and process the situation. As if to finish him, the girl spoke again:


    "Do you understand me? If you do, please, nod. Just nod is enough." After saying all this Rita had another, pleading thought. ''Please, just don''t faint! Keep it together!''


    As the truck was not enough, now Satoru''s mind was hit by a train. ''Oh, don''t be a pussy, it all looks kind of fun.'' His internal critic kicked in. ''Let''s just assume it''s a dream and play along for now.'' After calming him down a little he nodded.


    "Splendid! Now I will ask you a number of questions. You might find them strange, but, please, reply by nodding or shaking your head. I would not understand other replies yet."


    "And why is that?" Satoru asked, a bit irritated by this strange statement.


    "I''m sorry, but I do not understand your language. Right now, only you can understand me." This was another tricky part that she had to overcome quickly. "So I will ask questions, and you will either nod or shake your head, okay?" Satoru nodded, visibly confused.


    "Do you remember your name?" Nod.


    "Do you remember your age?" Nod.


    "Do you remember where you are from?" Another nod.


    "Are you familiar with the concept of being transported to another world?" He was about to nod, but then the meaning of the phrase reached him.


    Satoru''s mind went blank. Fragments of thought moved chaotically in his empty head. When he was about to dive into a full-panic mode, his mind resisted again. ''Now-now-now, if I had hands, I would rub them now. Sounds hella fun!''


    As instruction said, Rita handed him a glass of water. "It''s water. Simple, clear cold water. It will help you calm down a bit."


    After making a sip, he nodded.


    "Good, good." Rita braced herself, preparing for the hardest part. "It pains me to say this, but I have to. As you are standing here and now, it is clear that you died in your own world. It is sad, but don''t worry, you are alive and kicking right now, and a whole new life awaits you here, in Lazra!" She quickly rattled the whole phrase to prevent another panic attack.


    ''Well, that makes sense.'' Satoru calmly thought. As his job required, his mind was quite flexible and open to new things. ''I mean if this all is real¡­ Wasn''t I hit by a truck? Damn you Mirai with your foreshadowing!'' A concerning thought returned to his head. ''I wonder how is Mirai herself? Is she alive?''


    "Now I will explain some basic principles." Rita recited a perfectly memorized paragraph. "First. We do not possess a method to send you back." She paused, but Satoru just calmly waited for her to continue.


    "Second. You have only one life, if you die here, that''s it."


    ''Yes, people die if they are killed.'' Satoru remembered a famous quote and chuckled.


    "Third. Your appearance has changed, as well as your age. Later you''ll be able to take a closer look." Satoru nodded. "Now I will cast another spell and we will finally be able to communicate!" This was a happy moment for Rita, too.


    She opened the second book. After going to a specific page, she placed her left hand on this page and pointed her right at Satoru again.


    "-Tomecraft: EaJa Lazra speech!-"


    Another green circle appeared beneath Satoru. This time, however, it didn''t disappear immediately but continued to spin.


    ''I wonder what this skill system looks like.'' While waiting for the circle to disappear, Satoru dived deeper into his beloved theorycraft. ''Was this her skill? Or did it come from the book? If so, can I use it?'' Deep in his thought, he finally took off his hood scratch his head. ''Hmm, looks like I have a long hair. Oh, well, doesn''t matter. Back on topic, if this was a skill, how are they being taught? By book or scroll? Or by reciting a phrase? Or maybe there is a special trainer who will teach you after a suitable fee?''


    When it became clear that Satoru was very deep in thought, Rita decided to interject.


    "I''m sorry, are you alright?" After not getting an answer, she tried again. "I''m sorry, miss, is everything okay?" Still no answer.


    "Miss, should I call a Healer?" Anxiety appeared on Rita''s face. "Lady, how are you? What''s wrong?"


    ''Who is she talking to?'' Satoru wondered and looked around, but there was nobody else in the room.


    "Miss? Do you need a Healer? Miss?"


    Realizing that she was talking to him, Satoru was struck by a bizarre idea. He pulled his hands out from under the cloak. They were white, thin and tender hands. Checking for the second time his long brown hair, he finally made an obvious move. Pulling off the edge of his cloak, he stared at two neat breasts.


    ''A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.'' His calm critic supplied in an absent tone, and they both passed out.

 3 Orisa The Scammed

    After Satoru woke up, he did the most obvious thing ¡ª a quick body inspection. ''Yes, indeed, those are my tits.'' After a quick ''manual'' check of lower parts, all his doubts disappeared. He also decided to put all lewd-related things, as well as panic and screams, off for later.


    ''Now is not the time and not the place, we''ll get to it later.''


    He also spent some time looking around the room he woke up. The room was small, 3 meters wide and 4 meters long, with a locked wooden door on one side and a tall glass window on the other side. The window was locked, too.


    ''Going by the height of the stone walls, I''m probably inside a castle courtyard. I think..?''


    The walls were at least the height of the third floor, or even higher. Besides the walls, one could also see several one-storey buildings.


    ''Judging by all these horses and the amount of hay laying around, this is a stable. Hope I have some kind of hidden power. Don''t want to end up a stall cleaner. Or a farmer.'' He had nothing against farmers or stall cleaners, but manual labor was never his forte.


    Besides buildings, there was another point of interest in his view ¡ª a giant stone tower. It was at least twice the height of the walls and had no windows or doors on the side he could see.


    ''If it''s an evil wizard''s tower, I''m gonna complain to the developer. Too generic.''


    His nerding was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a luminous opening right at the foot of the tower. A moment later a girl came out of it and headed towards the building Satoru was in.


    ''Oh, I know you, pretty lady.'' This was a girl he met after waking up in this world. In excitement, Satoru leaned on the windowsill and waved to her. Noticing him, she froze in place. A few moments later, she rushed to the building with a panicked expression on her face.


    ''What a strange girl. But I need to leave my mind open to anything. Who knows what traditions and customs are common in this world.''


    Less than a minute had passed when a clicking sound came from the door. A flushed girl burst into the room and slammed the door behind her.


    "Why are you naked?!" She cried out loud, trying to catch her breath.


    "Huh? Oh, well, I thought that someone would bring me some clothes to wear¡­" Now he was not that sure about his previous assessments.


    "Here it is!" She pointed to a nightstand, on top of which lay an already familiar cloak. "What were you thinking?! Are you okay with guards staring at you?"


    Now, this was a new thing for Satoru to consider. ''I''m sure I''ll be screwed more than once by this¡­ predicament. And in more ways, than I can imagine¡­'' He silently sighed.


    "Anyway,'' she finally calmed down. "Dress up, we have a lot to do today."


    "Won''t you give me some kind of introduction? Like, where am I and what am I doing here and where is the Demon Lord?" Inquired Satoru, putting on the cloak.


    "The one, who faints a lot, knows a little¡­" She grumbled in a low voice. "I''ll have to give you a crash course. You''ll have to accompany me on my daily tasks. We''ll do it on the move. A pained expression appeared on her face.


    After making sure that no one was naked, she opened the door, letting Satoru out. The door led into a short and narrow, windowless corridor. Lamps hanging on the walls gave an even, warm light. Exactly the same doors were to the left and to the right.


    ''Are there bulbs in those lamps? Do they have electricity?'' Satoru mused, following the girl. ''Then what is this blue¡­ paint, that connects every lamp?''


    They came to a halt in front of a fragment of the wall, framed by the same blue, slightly pulsating paint. To the left of the frame was a crystal glowing with a red light.


    "What is this blue paint on the wall?"


    "Mana circuits." She blandly answered, touching the crystal with her armlet. The crystal changed its color from red to blue. Suddenly the framed part of the wall was replaced by a luminous opening. The girl calmly stepped inside and her blurred silhouette was visible on the other side of the opening.


    Satoru shrugged and followed her. ''Hm, almost zero sensation. At best ¡ª like when touched by silk. My first magical encounter is kinda disappointing.'' He then asked


    "It''s a portal, right?"


    "No. A matter displacement gate. Like a normal door, only made with Mana." She was already halfway down the stairs. "Please, keep up. We don''t have time for this."


    "I somehow offended you? If so, I am sorry. Forgive me." Satoru was a little puzzled by the girl''s displeased attitude and apologized just in case.


    She suddenly stopped and looked at him. After a moment she heavily sighted and explained with a bit of regret showing on her face:


    "No¡­ Well, look, I''m sorry. It''s not your fault. It''s just that because of your yesterday''s fainting now I have a lot more work to do. I''m sorry for being grumpy."


    She then wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with a free hand and continued down the stairs. At that moment Satoru finally noticed a giant book in her left hand but decided to not bother her with another question.


    After a few minutes of walking, they came to a room with an emblem of a white heart on a black background.


    ''Looks like an infirmary'' Satoru guessed because of the abundance of white color in the room. Several heavily injured people also suggested the same. ''Am I sick or something? That''d suck. Press F.''


    "Rita, we''ve been waiting for years! What the hell?" A heavily bandaged bearded man raised himself on the bed. By the look of it, besides his right hand, his entire body was in bruises and wounds. Two other people were in no better condition, with bloodied bandages all over them.


    "I''m sorry, Captain, something came up and my presence was required elsewhere. I''ll tend to you right now." She opened the book on a certain page before sitting down and putting it on her lap. "Please, line up."


    Groaning and moaning, all three people lined up in front of her. Satoru calmly observed the situation with nobody paying attention to him.


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Balm!-"


    She repeated the incantation two more times, pointing her finger at one person after another. They noticeably cheered in the process. Taking a breath she then asked:


    "Please, remove bandages and clothing from injured areas."


    Among them was a green-haired girl. She calmly removed her clothes, not at all embarrassed by the men next to her. Meanwhile, Rita turned the book to another page and repeated the phrase three times:


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Disinfect!-"


    While Rita turned the pages again, Satoru wondered to himself.


    ''Looks like the healing process is somewhat more complicated. I so want this book to myself.''


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Mend!-"


    All the wounds on their bodies began to slowly close, leaving bloody stains on the skin.


    "I''m so sorry, Captain, but that''s all I can do right now. Your bruises will have to wait." Rita''s voice was filled with regret.


    "Oh, don''t bother. Thanks a lot, missy! We''ll probably need your help tomorrow, too. Looks like we missed some pests today."


    Closing the infirmary door, she swayed noticeably. Satoru caught her by the elbow, feeling the weight of her body. ''Is she so heavy..? Or am I so weak?''


    "I''m alright, don''t worry. Just let me catch a breath."


    Since they had been walking for quite some time, doing Rita''s daily chores, Satoru decided to ask a few questions:


    "What happened to those people in the infirmary?"


    "While you were asleep, another Wave occurred." Seeing Satoru''s expression, she immediately continued. "For now, you don''t need to know what the Wave is."


    "What awaits me in the near future?"


    "You''ll be studying and training in a special newcomer''s camp." Looking at Satoru''s questioning face, Rita continued. "You''ll study general knowledge about the world, history, rules of a conduit. And, of course, written language and combat skills."


    After taking a lunch break, they arrived at another room, apparently a clothing warehouse. A man inside the room asked her to write something down in a book before they were allowed to continue.


    "You''ll need two pants, two shirts, and a jacket. Grab four panties and two bras in the left corner. Your size is forty-M". Rita turned on the managerial tone while picking up four new cloaks of different size.


    "So your name is Rita?" Satoru removed his cloak and went to the corner with underwear.


    "Yes, it is, but for now you don''t need to¡­" She paused, looking at Satoru, then facepalmed heavily. "I don''t know anymore. Girl, I''m at a loss¡­" Pausing for a moment to release a heavy sigh, she turned around. "Johan, could you please leave us for a moment. I promise we won''t steal any of your precious clothing."


    A slightly disappointed Johan left the room.


    ''Looks like I rolled a really low Int stat.'' Heavily blushing Satoru thought to himself, before bowing to Rita in an apology.


    Under Rita''s thoroughly puzzled look Satoru emerged victorious in an uneven fight with a bra clasp.


    Before leaving the room, Rita handed him a grey backpack to store his belongings.


    "As I was saying," she stared at him meaningfully, "you don''t need to concern yourself with names before getting your ID."


    ''That is one strange custom you have here, lady.'' He kept his thought to himself.


    "Your age and appearance have changed, so your name will change, too." They entered another crystal-sealed room. "It''s a rule, no exceptions."


    "I have two questions, then."


    Rita sighed heavily.


    "Okay, one question, for now, another one after the ritual. And before you ask, this device is used to analyze your character and generate a suitable name." She said in a tired voice, putting a small metal tag inside a strange looking device. "Ask your question and put your right hand on the crystals. No refunds."


    Satoru prepared this question beforehand, tackling it from different angles. It was important to phrase it as innocently as possible. So he put his hand on the device and asked the question:


    "You said that my appearance and age have changed. From your tone, I understood that I''m not the first one that appeared in this world?" Rita nodded. "So how common is it to have a change in your age and appearance? And what also is a subject of change?" Satoru gulped. A single drop of sweat glittered on his forehead. "I mean, can something more important change, like your gender or even your race into, let''s say, an elf or even a spider?"


    Pressing a small button on the device, Rita thought about the question. At the same time, the crystals started to glow with different colors. Satoru felt an unearthly sensation, best described as a wave that washed over his mind.


    "First of all, everyone receives a new appearance. This also applies to age ¡ª biologically speaking, every arrived person is of the same age. So, to make things easier, your age is considered the same as the age of maturity, which is sixteen." Rita started her explanation in a lecturing manner. "Secondly, it is impossible to have a change of race. Even non-humanoid races were reborn here as human beings."


    Satoru''s attention was heavily triggered by a mention of non-humanoids. He made another mental note for future researches. It was when the device finished its work and released the tag. It had a lot of empty space on it, but Satoru grabbed it and read the contents anyway.


    Date of birth: 28.04.17


    Place of birth: Arrival chamber #71


    Sex: female


    Name: Orisa


    ''Orisa? What?! Whaaat?!'' Orihara Satoru''s mind flipped. ''What was that? Analyze my persona? But that''s simply the first part of my family name and the first part of my name together! What a scam!''


    "Lastly," Rita was about to finish her lecture, "while being extremely rare, change of gender is, indeed, possible. I don''t have the numbers on me, but if I''m not entirely mistaken, one in ten thousand is changing sex."


    She finished her speech and grabbed Orisa''s tag to check it out. He was still shaken by an unprecedented fraud, but the numbers turned his attention.


    "What did you say just now? One in ten thousand?" Satoru was puzzled. "And, pray tell me, how many ''arrived'' people there are?"


    "This is your last question for today, okay?" Rita turned around to leave the room. While tackling with a crystal lock, she calmly spoke. "How many people in this world are ''arrived people'' like you? To put it simply ¨C everyone."

 4 Its all right because Ism here

    AN: The situation with Satoru''s/Orisa''s name may cause a bit of confusion. That''s okay, all of us are confused.


    ---


    He was woken by a knock on the door.


    "Orisa, wake up! You have fifteen minutes for a morning bathroom! Meet me at the infirmary after you are done!" A familiar voice assigned her a new task. "Do you hear me? Are you awake?"


    "Yes~! I am!" Orisa gave a big yawn before leaving the bed.


    ''Oh, right.'' The task he was assigned just now was finally acknowledged by his brain. ''I haven''t done THAT yet.'' He was half excited and half terrified by the deed he was supposed to perform.


    After double-checking that it was, indeed, a girl''s bathroom, he went in. Ten minutes later the washed and cheerful girl moved along the corridor toward the infirmary.


    ''It was easier than I expected, thank god. I guess, for a girl turning into a boy it would be much more difficult.'' He imagined an uncontrolled jet chaotically bathing the walls of the toilet.


    Opening the door of the infirmary, he saw Rita already about to leave.


    "Are you sure you''ll be ok alone?" Already familiar Captain asked Rita in a worried tone. "I know I said we rounded them up good, but¡­"


    "It''s alright, Captain." Rita interrupted him with a grateful expression. "We''ll be fine. And you need to rest and tend to your gear, too." With a worried look on his face Captain silently nodded.


    "Are you going somewhere today, Rita?" Orisa asked her after she closed the door.


    "Not only me, but you, too." Rita checked Orisa''s face, turning her head left and right. Nodding to herself, she continued. "Today we send you to the camp."


    A mix of sadness, panic, and anticipation assaulted his heart.


    "But before that, we have another important thing for you to do." She said, pulling out a scrunchy from her pocket. "You need to get your Seals before leaving."


    After making a ponytail on Orisa''s head, Rita smiled happily and they both left for breakfast.


    -


    It was well past midday when they left the fort. Orisa and Rita sat in a wooden cart, which was slowly pushed by a horse. An hour-long trip awaited them.


    ''I''m really happy that it''s Rita who is escorting me. What a nice girl.'' But out loud he said a completely different thing:


    "By the way, why are we alone? I expected to see more people heading to the camp."


    "They left yesterday, while we were catching up with your registration and other stuff. You did not see them, because they were in the tower most of the time."


    "Oh, right, the tower!" Orisa finally remembered another postponed question. "Is that some kind of training facility, too? And can you tell me a bit about the future"


    Over the next forty minutes, he learned a lot.


    The Tower was called the Arrival Chamber. There people like Satoru appeared. There were one hundred and four Chambers on this continent.


    People arrive at Chambers on a daily basis. They are taught a few basic things and then sent to the training camps.


    There are fifteen training camps. People are gathered there to take a crash course about this world and receive some basic combat training. Training and studying usually takes one month.


    At the end of the camp, everyone has a choice ¡ª to serve in the military on a contract basis or leave and become ''an adventurer''.


    After processing all the information he arrived at another question. "If so many people arrive here daily, why isn''t this world overpopulated?"


    "You''ll learn everything in the camp. Basically, people here are infertile and can''t reproduce." Rita paused, looking at Orisa with an awkward smile. "But I guess for a young girl it''s a good thing. No need to bother about getting pregnant."


    He flinched heavily. Just the thought of having sex with a man made him shiver. ''I mean, I''m open-minded and all that, but¡­'' He thought deeply about this situation and his future. ''Oh, future, right. Time for another question.''


    Suddenly the horse came to a halt and made a few stomps. It let out a long neigh, shaking its ears nervously.


    Something big and white dashed out of the nearby bushes, jumping so quickly that both passengers didn''t have time take a proper look. It flew in front of the cart, immediately disappearing in the bushes on the other side of the road.


    Orisa was about to ask Rita but then saw her extremely focused face. He looked in the same direction, wondering. Next moment a wave of terror vehemently shook his body. The horse was missing both its head and neck, with blood pouring rapidly out of an enormous wound. The metallic smell filled the air around them.


    A moment later the horse''s corpse finally fell, tilting the cart that was still tied to its body. Orisa immediately fell forward, rolling over the horse''s corpse to the ground. The fall was painful, but much more disturbing was the fact that now Orisa''s figure was covered in a mixture of dirt and blood.


    Rita skillfully jumped to the side of the cart. With the book open in her left hand, she went towards Orisa to help her stand up.


    Twenty meters away the bushes shuffled, and a huge white beast came out of them, holding the horse''s head in its maw.


    ''Whoah, a random encounter! I''m gonna earn my first EXP!'' Satoru was having a lot of fun, looking forward to his first levelup. ''I hope they share EXP here and it''s not everything to the one who made the last hit.'' Pain and disgust faded into the background, replaced by anticipation. ''I wonder what kind of beast it is. It looks kind of like a wolf, but¡­''


    The beast was at least twice the size of an adult bear. Its white mane gleamed like metal. The jaw had at least two rows of sharp teeth. But the most notable feature was its eyes ¡ª it had two pairs of very long, slit-like eyes that glowed with violet light.


    "Hide behind the cart." Rita said with a tense voice, taking three steps away from the cart.


    "Is it dangerous?"


    "It''s a hound wolf and it evolved once." Satoru shelved another term for research before Rita continued. "But it''s all right because I''m here." She pointed at the wolf with her right hand and chanted:


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Firebird!-"


    Blazing bird formed at the tip of her finger and dashed away.


    ''Wow, so fast and furious, so wow.'' Satoru mused to himself, watching the spell.


    But it took the wolf one lazy bounce to avoid danger. Rita repeated the spell again but to no avail. The wolf, feeling no danger, dropped his dinner to the ground and began to casually consume it. After such a display, Satoru''s excitement began to drain away.


    "Should we hide while it''s eating?" Orisa asked in a low voice.


    "It can easily track us down, no point." Rita said intently, turning her book to another page and taking aim at the wolf.


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Thunderstrike!-"


    A bright flash was followed by a loud bang. The road exploded, throwing around chunks of pavement and raising a cloud of dust. There was a smell of ozone in the air.


    When the dust settled a bit, Satoru saw a smoking pit. ''Mother of god¡­'' He was astonished by the power of the spell.


    But the wolf was not amused. With a slightly burned snout, he stood at the edge of the pit, growling.


    ''Considering the damage, he is probably angrier because of his dinner being blown away¡­'' Satoru wiped sweaty palms with his pants.


    Rita took aim again and then the wolf finally rushed forward.


    "Tomecraft: Greater Th¡­ A-A-A-A-Arrgghhh¡­!"


    A cold, heavy sweat broke all over Satoru''s body, followed by a wave of panic and terror. Looking out from behind the cart he saw Rita moaning in a pool of blood. She was firmly pressing the open book to her chest with her left hand. As for her right hand, there was none. Blood spurted from the shoulder, filling the already huge puddle.


    Orisa''s legs were shaking vehemently while she moved towards Rita''s body. Approaching her, Orisa noticed another ugly wound on the right side of the abdomen. Rita''s moans became quieter and quieter.


    "R-r-rita¡­ R-i-i-i-t-a-a-a¡­" Orisa wailed, falling to her knees in the bloody puddle.


    The wolf stood some thirty meters away from them. Having decided that the danger is over, it began to calmly chew the hand. At that moment Rita turned her head toward Orisa slightly:


    "¡­twenty¡­ three¡­" She murmured, coughing out some blood. She no longer moaned, just breathing shallowly. Tears were flowing from her eyes.


    A faint hope blossomed in Orisa''s heart and she immediately grabbed the book, skimming to the said page.


    ''Now this is my moment. I will save her!'' Satoru thought, putting one hand on the book and pointing another at Rita.


    "¡­idiot¡­" Coughing even more blood Rita groaned.


    ''What..? Why?'' Satoru was puzzled before it finally hit him. ''Oh fuck, I don''t even know what spell it is! I''m retarded!'' He immediately placed the book on Rita''s stomach. She put her left hand on the open page and took a few deep breaths.


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Balm!-"


    She inhaled sharply, coughing out more blood. But after that, her breathing became steadier. With one finger, she turned the book three pages forward.


    "-Tomecraft: Blood Blockade!-" The blood stopped flowing from her wounds.


    "Do exactly as I say." She spoke in a quiet but even voice. Satoru was overjoyed that she was getting better, but then he noticed her face, white as chalk, and remembered a pool of blood underneath.


    "Help me stand up." Rita continued.


    With both hands Orisa helped her up, carefully avoiding the wounded parts. ''Heavy¡­''


    "Page seventy-five." Orisa opened the page without taking the book out of Rita''s hand.


    "Now I need you to hug me from behind. Skin to skin. Extremely tight. And point at the hound with one hand." Rita''s legs trembled noticeably, the whole body was soaked with sweat.


    Orisa took off her shirt, positioning herself behind. With both hands, she pulled up Rita''s blouse and pressed herself against Rita''s back. Her skin was cold and sticky. Orisa felt how much Rita''s whole body was trembling.


    The wolf finally noticed their activities. He took a long look at them and slowly spat out a piece of unrecognizable flesh, which had once been a gentle hand. And then he began to move towards the pair. At first, slowly, increasing speed with each step.


    "Press tightly," Rita said.


    Twenty-five meters. Orisa pressed her right hand against Rita''s stomach.


    "Tighter."


    Eighteen meters.


    "Tighter!" Orisa put all her strength into her right hand, pointing at the wolf with the left.


    Nine meters. Opening the maw, it jumped.


    ''This... is my boomstick.'' Satoru was true to his nature, thinking of another quote when Rita screamed with all her lungs:


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Thunderbolt!-"


    A throbbing, bursting sensation swept over Orisa''s stomach to her left hand.


    The world became white and silent. Nothing can be seen or heard. Only cold skin is shaking, moving with each heavy breath. Then came the ringing, growing louder and louder. Orisa had an insufferable headache.


    ''Ugh, that''s what concussion is?'' Satoru thought, suffering heavily. Then his internal critic joined the conversation. ''You''re a wizard, Ha¡­ Sato¡­ damn, Orisa.'' He ruined the joke anyway.


    When the sight returned to him, Satoru saw two smoking pieces of mane a few steps ahead.


    ''What is her power level..?'' He was astonished.


    Another feeling he finally noticed ¡ª the weight of someone else''s body. It was extremely heavy. Orisa''s legs gave out and the pair fell to the ground.


    "Rita? Are you okay? Rita?" Orisa carefully put Rita on the ground.


    ''She is still breathing. But for how long..?'' Orisa slapped Rita a few times on the cheeks. "Rita! Rita, wake up!"


    Moaning softly, she spoke. "I¡­ will be fine¡­"


    "Rita¡­" Orisa''s voice trembled. "Your hand...?"


    "The book¡­ forty-six¡­" Her voice was barely audible and lips moved slowly, pushing every word out with a lot of effort.


    Orisa opened the book on that page and placed it on Rita''s belly.


    "I will¡­ probably be out¡­ for some time¡­"


    "It''s okay, I will protect you!" Instead of answering, Rita smiled slightly. Gathering her remaining strength, she chanted:


    "-Tomecraft: Restoration!-"


    A green circle appeared at her shoulder wound. After it hung there for a second, it spawned green bandages that formed an arm-like object. Before disappearing, another wave of bandages was summoned, tying the future hand to the body.


    "It''s¡­ okay now¡­ You did great¡­" The book fell down from Rita''s belly,soiled even more in an almost dry pool of her blood.


    ''Oh, c''mon you pussy, keep it together! Don''t you dare!'' Internal critic whined angrily, but it was too late. Orisa buried her face in Rita''s chest and wailed.


    "R-i-i-i-t-a-a-a..! You are ok-a-a-a-y..! I was so worried!" Orisa squeezed the scraps of Rita''s blouse and continued to sob.


    "Good girl¡­" Rita hugged Orisa with her left hand. "You did great¡­" She continued to stroke Orisa''s back for a few moments. Then her hand stopped and helplessly fell to the ground.


    Orisa sobbed for a few minutes before a wave of exhaustion hit her. She passed out with her head resting on Rita''s chest.


    Orisa woke up when it was already dark. Rita was still unconscious. She breathed heavily, and her body was burning with fever, covered with sweat again. Even with the moonlight, it was clear ¡ª the wound on her side was heavily inflamed.

 5 Until my body is dry

    AN: It''s both his title and his name - the Captain/ Captain. The World is laughing at him, I know.


    ---


    ''Why is this happening to me..?'' Full of sadness and regret Satoru looked at Rita. Her body trembled from fever, wriggling in pain. ''Rita¡­ Please, Rita, don''t give up¡­''


    Orisa violently shook her head while biting the lower lip. Blood trickled down, but the pain helped, clearing the mind a little.


    ''There must be something I can do!''


    Orisa reached for the book but then remembered that it would be of no use to her. Frustrated from her powerlessness, Orisa pressed her hands to her chest and was about to cry. Then she felt a slightly rough surface of the Seals on her skin and it hit her. Remembering her morning sealing ritual she jumped to her feet and rushed to the cart. Grabbing her backpack, she returned back to Rita and sat down on the ground.


    She laid out the contents on a shirt lying on the ground and began to study them while recalling Tomas''s instruction.


    -


    "Military band-aid," he said, giving her two small packs of cloth, "it will provide a small healing effect. You should cover the seals with it if they begin to itch or hurt. The band will attach itself to the skin, isolating the site from external stimuli."


    "Disinfecting gel." Tomas pressed the tip of the jar and a thick yellowish substance squeezed out of it. "An infection can penetrate the body through the inflamed or otherwise damaged seal. Disinfection and painkilling, in addition, minor healing."


    "Mana-infused water can do a bit of everything. Use it as a supplementary measure if things go wrong. Or drink it, for what I care."


    -


    ''I need to play it right. Not enough resources to make a mistake and redo everything.'' Satoru thought hard for a minute, before coming up with a satisfactory sequence.


    Orisa removed the scraps of Rita''s blouse, leaving her in a bloodied bra. With a bottle of drinking water, she washed her hands thoroughly and used some Disinfection gel after. With leftover water, she cleaned Rita''s belly wound and the skin around it.


    ''If I understand the mechanics of these items correctly, they will multiply each other''s effects if used together.'' Satoru thought again, fearing a mistake and its cost. ''I hope I am right.''


    Orisa opened the bottle with Mana water and splashed a bit over the wound. Leaving an opened band-aid in one hand, she wetted it with Mana water and then squeezed the gel all over it.


    Taking a deep breath Orisa pressed her medical abomination against the wound. After a moment there was a hiss and smoke poured out. Rita''s face twisted in pain, and her whole body trembled.


    ''Shit! Was I wrong?!'' Satoru panicked, seeing Rita''s reaction. After a few seconds, the band-aid suddenly flinched and zipped itself to Rita''s skin, covering her wound.


    Rita visibly relaxed and breathed more evenly. Orisa took a deep breath, calming her trembling body. ''That will do it for now. More importantly ¨C what should I do next?''


    They were at least an hour away from the fort. ''We''ll need around two hours to get there, maybe a little less.'' Satoru recalled Rita''s words.


    ''So we drove more than half the way. No point going back.'' He looked at the horse''s body. Flies began to gather around it. ''I need to get Rita out of here, at least because of them.''


    Orisa gently stroked Rita''s cheek, muttering "Don''t worry, I will get you out."


    It took her some time to free the cart from the horse''s body. Another ten minutes were spent loading Rita into the cart.


    ''My body is so weak¡­ I''ve never felt so powerless.'' Orisa sat on the ground leaning on the cart''s wheel and heavily panting. She made one sip from the bottle of water and closed it with a regretful face. ''I need to save the last bottle for Rita''s second bandaging.''


    Resigning to her fate, Orisa stood up and went to the frontal part of the cart. She picked up the arc which the horse had been pulling before and begun to push it.


    ''Heavy..! So damn heavy!'' The first step was the hardest one. It became easier after the cart finally began to move. ''But god save me if I need to push it up the hill.''


    After some time, Orisa got into the groove of movement. Moonlight was enough to see the road. Without a need to focus on each step she recalled today''s morning and the sealing ritual.


    -


    "Can you elaborate on those Seals, please?" Orisa finished a sandwich and asked a timely question.


    "We can communicate because of the translation spell. But it will expire in a day or two." Rita finished her breakfast and, after passing the dirty dishes to the cook, left the dining room. "Instead of a constant replacement, we use a Seal. To put it simply ¡ª it''s a magical drawing on your body that carries a permanent effect."


    Countless possibilities flashed through Satoru''s mind. ''Just in case, I need to make sure.''


    "Can I cover my entire body with them to get a lot of effects?" He asked innocently.


    "For now, your body will be able to withstand two Seals at best. By the end of the training camp maybe one more. Trying to add another Seal will either break existing ones or harm your health with no positive effect at all."


    She opened the gate to the sealing room with her armlet, letting Orisa inside.


    "I''ll be back in ten minutes or so. Tomas, be gentle with her."


    A thin, withered old man looked up from the table and nodded briefly, returning to his work. The gate closed behind Orisa and silence fell on the room. Few minutes passed before he looked up again.


    "Earth, Japan. Correct?" The hoarse voice perfectly complemented an already vivid image of a tired old man.


    "Yes."


    "Remove your shirt and bra, and lay down on your back." Without looking up from his papers, he pointed to a couch next to the table.


    Orisa was a little confused by his request.


    Mistaking her confusion as embarrassment, he grumbled irritably:


    "Oh, come on. I have seen thousands of naked girls like you. Long past the point of caring."


    "No, that''s not it". Orisa said while undressing. "I was just curious, why put the seal there, and not somewhere else?"


    While she was settling on the couch, Tomas pulled out of the table the sealing equipment.


    "Simple. If you lose a hand or a leg with a Seal on it, the Seal will lose its effect. If your chest is damaged to a point that it loses the Seal¡­ Then this is the least of your concerns." He blandly explained, while dipping a brush into a jar of blue liquid. Orisa was about to ask a question when he interrupted:


    "Don''t talk, you''ll ruin the lines." It took him five minutes to finish two sealing circles. Each was about five centimeters in diameter, with lots of small letters inside.


    ''I am a work of art. Behold, revere, prone.'' The critic finally woke up, reciting in a pompous tone.


    Putting away the brush, Tomas gathered some minerals and crystals in one hand and pressed his other hand to Orisa''s chest.


    ''Cool. I''m being groped by an old man. Not what I was expecting on my third day of being an Isekai hero.''


    "-Manacraft: Seal!-"


    Burning pain pierced Orisa''s chest suddenly, and left after a moment. Reagents from Tomas'' left hand disappeared, too. He then chanted another spell:


    "-Greater Dispel!-"


    "Do you understand me?" He asked


    "Yes..?"


    "Dress up. We are done." He took out a small bag and gave it to Orisa. "There are some meds in there. I''ll explain their purpose later. Right now remember one thing." He paused to stress the importance of his words. "No physical exertion today and tomorrow. The Seals won''t break, they might break you instead."


    -


    Orisa decided to rest a bit. Her arms and legs were very sore. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she went to check on Rita. The band-aid changed its color from crystal-white to a dark brown. ''Guess it''s time to replace it. Hope it will last, this is my last band-aid and the gel is running out.''


    Repeating the same procedure Orisa noticed another worrying thing. Rita''s body temperature was extremely low. ''Shit, it''s actually damn cold here at night.'' She pulled out all her spare clothes and covered Rita with them. Her pants were too thin, so just in case she took off her own pants and together with her spare pants pulled them on Rita.


    ''So cold!'' Orisa shivered, rubbing herself to warm up a little. ''Screw it! I''ll manage somehow. Rita, please, hang on!''


    She raised the arc again and began to pull the cart.


    -


    Under the blue light of the crystal, they looked at the scene of the fight.


    "If this piece of meat was someone''s hand, and this is what was left of the wolf, I can more or less imagine what happened here." Said the Captain. "Looks ugly."


    "Lots of blood. Bad. No corpse. Good." Commented a green-haired girl, San.


    "Buff the horses." Captain said, turning to the third man.


    "Cap, the horses might not make it, and you know it."


    "Buff. The. Horses."


    The third man, Tinn Varao, grumbled but began spellcasting.


    -


    Orisa kept pushing. She knew that she could not stop and take a break. She would not be able to get up again.


    The last hill nearly killed her. She no longer felt her hands or legs. With each step, her boots made gurgling sounds, wet with the blood from blisters. The wooden arc was wet for the same reason, and Orisa''s hand were full of splinters. It was cold, but heavy labor made her body warmer. It was the only good thing about the situation.


    The last sip of Mana water gave her some strength, but it was an hour ago. The world around her was getting a little brighter, but she didn''t notice.


    She stopped noticing the pain in her chest. Both Seals were bleeding heavily, smearing her bra and panties in red.


    Her mind was completely blank, cut off from the world.


    "Rita¡­"


    Step. And one more.


    "Rita¡­"


    And another two steps.


    "¡­hang on¡­"


    -


    When they were some twenty meters away from the cart, Captain''s horse fell, foam oozing from its mouth. He covered the remaining distance in a blink of an eye. Grasping the situation he called Orisa:


    "Oi, girl, you can stop. We got this."


    One more step. And another one.


    "Hey, stop the cart. Hey!" When he caught up with her, Captain was overwhelmed by the sight ¡ª a pale girl in the underwear was pushing the cart with bloody hands, and more blood was oozing from her Seals.


    Two more steps. And step. And step.


    She muttered something but he was unable to hear it, so weak was her voice. Moving backward in front of Orisa, he leaned closer to her face.


    "-ta¡­ Rita¡­"


    Step. And another step.


    "Rita¡­ hang on¡­"


    Captain grabbed Orisa shoulders and forcibly stopped her. "Tinn! Status on Rita!"


    "-Lesser Condition!-


    -Lesser Status!-"


    "Critical. I see traces of meds." With a grave expression, Tinn reported to the Captain. "If not for them, she would have died from an infection or blood loss. We can''t save her here."


    "Train station fort." Captain looked at San. "I can already see it from here. Take her there."


    "Third time today. Hard. I might break." Uttered San.


    "It''s Rita we are talking about."


    San took a long look at Captain and climbed into the cart. She lay down next to Rita and hugged her tightly. After taking a deep breath she muttered:


    "-Argo Metamorph!-"


    Captain slowly pulled his hand to the sword on his belt. Tinn gripped the rod tightly.


    A large purple circle appeared around San and Rita. Their bodies flickered purple, and the next moment, after a loud cracking sound, instead of the pair stood a giant purple wolf. She bared her teeth and growled lowly. Her body was trembling in rage, hungry for blood. Then the growling stopped. She shook her head twice before jump out of the cart. She took another long look at the Captain.


    A moment later San dashed away towards the station. Both man visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.


    "Rita¡­" Muttered Orisa absentmindedly. Captain easily pulled her away from the cart before putting a potion bottle to her mouth. She grabbed the bottle with both hands and greedily swallowed its contents. Her look became more conscious.


    "Rita¡­ where?" Asked Orisa slowly.


    "Sent her to a healer." Captain took off his cape and threw it over Orisa''s shoulders.


    "Good." That''s all she said, standing still.


    After taking another look over her body, Captain easily tore off her panties and bra and poured a whole bottle of water on her, washing blood with his hand. Then he took out a jar of gel and applied it on her chest. After smashing two band-aids on top of the Seals, he tightly wrapped her in his cape and put her on the horse that belonged to San.


    Captain climbed onto the horse and sat behind Orisa, hugging her with one hand and steering the horse with another. Together with Tinn, they slowly moved towards the station.


    "I must say, girl¡­" Captain chuckled. "You are a bloody hero!"


    Orisa''s internal critic giggled, putting a small ''plus'' sticker to the Captain''s profile. She herself had no strength to answer the joke.


    "It makes me wonder¡­ For how long were you planning to push that cart?"


    "Until my body is dry."


    Then she passed out.


    ---


    AN: The end of the bloody story arc. I was not expecting so much blood, but that''s where the story led me. I''m sorry if someone was disturbed by its amount.

 6 Nine and Three-Quarters of morons.

    A huge wolf stood close to her, looking at her with all his four eyes. For some reason, she was frozen in place, unable to move. The wolf bared its teeth and the saliva began to drip down. Looking down, she saw a long chunk of meat, chewed until it was indistinguishable. She wanted to scream, but¡­


    "Wake up. Orisa, dear, wake up." A gentle voice has shattered the nightmare.


    ''Warm¡­'' That was the first thing Orisa thought and felt when she woke up. The setting sun pleasantly illuminated the room with warm light, creating a sense of tranquility. A lot of warmth, however, was gathered in one spot. Following her senses, Orisa saw Rita sitting on her bed and holding her hand. Holding Orisa''s hand with her right hand.


    "Rita! Your hand!" Orisa quickly sat up on the bed, grabbed Rita''s right hand with both hands and rubbed it in disbelief. "It''s back!"


    "Yes, Orisa. I''m fine." She smiled warmly, placing her left palm on top of Orisa''s hands. "I''m fine, thanks to you."


    ''Shut up, it''s you who are crying, not me!'' Internal critic wiped his imaginary tears with a handkerchief.


    They spent some time in silence, enjoying the atmosphere. Burning curiosity finally overpowered Orisa and she asked:


    "Rita, can you explain to me what happened to you? I thought you healed yourself¡­"


    "First of all, I''m so sorry for all the trouble and pain I''ve caused you¡­" She paused, squeezing Orisa''s hands tighter. "As for your question, there are two reasons..."


    To summarize, Rita didn''t use the disinfection spell, because it greatly weakens the target while circling through the body and cleansing it. Healing all her injuries was not an option, because it would close her shoulder wound, making the restoration of her hand impossible. She was also unable to heal her wounded stomach, since it''s impossible to target a specific wound without a second hand, and Orisa would not be able to properly direct the flow of healing, even if she would be able to help with casting.


    "You saved my life, Orisa." Rita was deeply moved, her face emitting a strong wave of gentleness. "Captain told me about your state¡­ I can''t even-"


    "Rita, you saved my life, too." Orisa reminded her with a bright smile. "Ten out of ten I will do it again! You are the closest person in this world to me." She scratched her head with a slightly awkward smile. "Guess you are kinda like a family to me¡­"


    After staring at Orisa with a blank expression, Rita''s face twisted. She suddenly rushed into the arms of shocked Orisa and began to cry.


    ''Whoah¡­ I guess¡­ She is kinda happy? Overjoyed?'' Orisa mused, stroking Rita''s back gently. But suddenly, sobbing, Rita said:


    "I miss them¡­ I miss them so much¡­"


    ''Oh¡­ that''s what it is. Now, what a twist.'' Image of a strong, intelligent and gentle gatekeeper was replaced by a caring and reliable mother. Orisa kept stroking Rita''s back, soothing away her pain.


    "My third son was about your age when I¡­"


    They sat like that for quite some time. In the meantime, Orisa noticed that she was dressed in clean underwear. After taking a quick peek at her hands she also noted that they were intact. ''Healing magic is nice. A bit complicated and with its downsides, though.'' She thought. Her internal critic supplied another useful phrase: ''Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.''


    Finally, Rita pulled away, muttering an apology and wiping away her tears.


    "Rita¡­" Orisa started uneasily. "I also wanted to tell you something. I''m not sure how bad it is, and¡­" Rita smiled encouragingly and squeezed Orisa''s hands. She nodded for Orisa to continue speaking.


    "I¡­ well¡­ I was a man in my past life." Orisa braced for impact. ''Now you''ve done it. They''ll probably lock you down in some cell and dissect you like an animal now. For science, of course.'' Her critic grumbled.


    "Oh, poor soul!" Rita tightly hugged Orisa, tenderly whispering to her ear. "Must have been so hard for you, all alone and lost and then this¡­"


    "Well¡­" Orisa was knocked out by Rita''s support, expecting some disgust instead. "I kinda had some experience with women before¡­ So, not that hard, but¡­ Well, yeah, kinda." She kept blabbering, embraced by a warm, caring Rita. She advised Orisa not to disclose this information in order to not be ostracized and ridiculed. Suddenly Rita realized something and pulled away:


    "Oh, I forgot! We actually don''t have time for this! Your train is leaving soon, that''s why I woke you up in the first place."


    This time the sadness of the imminent parting was much bigger, the pain rose in Orisa''s chest.


    "The Captain brought you some new closes from the fort, so start dressing. I need to tell you something before you leave." She took out a small black box and opened it. Inside was a small crystal that glowed with purple. "This is a hound wolf magic stone from the wolf that we killed. You''ll learn the importance and value of this item later, but I implore you ¨C do not show it around." She closed the box and returned it to Orisa''s backpack.


    "You''ll find some more little presents from me and the Captain, a thank you gifts for saving me." She smiled warmly. "And there is one more thing I need to tell you. Two, actually, but they are related."


    Orisa sat down beside Rita, dressed up and ready to leave.


    "Please, take your training and everything that happens there seriously. Your whole new life and survival depend on it. Promise me." Orisa nodded with a serious expression, and Rita continued:


    "The second one is even more important. At the end of training, when you are given the choice between military and adventuring, choose military. I beg you." Rita squeezed Orisa''s hands even more tightly. "At the first glance adventuring sounds great, but it is not. Their life is insanely hard and most of them end up in the military anyway. Or they end up on the street, homeless and broken."


    "I promise."


    "Oh, and the last thing I forgot!" Rita stood up. "Please, don''t think of yourself as an exception. We almost died last night. You are no hero with hidden power. You are just a boy in a girl''s body, not stronger than thousands of people around you. And people are dying here every day. People like you. Don''t lose your head over one victory. And be safe."


    -


    A few minutes were left before the train boarding.


    "By the way, Rita, when I was bandaging you, I saw a scar on your chest right below the Seals. And, more importantly, there were five seals! Five!" Orisa said, agitated.


    "Uh, well¡­" Rita shuffled, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I''ll¡­ tell you the next time. By the way, when you learn a basic writing language, be sure to send me a letter! We''ll talk more via mail." She handed Orisa a paper card.


    "Um¡­ why can''t I read it?" Orisa asked, puzzled. "I can read my tag''s text."


    "Your tag is made from Magisteel. It''s enchanted to allow anybody to understand its contents. To read common books and papers you''ll need to learn a written language." Rita smiled, a bit embarrassed.


    -


    Their parting was a bit teary and accompanied by a lot of hugging and handholding. Finally, Orisa approached the train.


    ''I''m still amazed that there are trains in this world. So wanna learn about this world''s technology level!''


    In a great mood she headed towards the boarding platform, a bright new world was waiting for her.


    "Woah, what a cutie pie. Look at her ass!" Passing by two men in uniform, she heard their conversation.


    "Lark, behave yourself! We are officers now!" A tall, thin man with a blond hair hissed to his colleague.


    "C''mon, look at her! So thick!" A tightly build officer in round glasses almost drooled at Orisa''s bottoms, even though she was wearing formless training pants. "Imagine her being in my squad!"


    Orisa flinched from disgust and rushed into the train.


    -


    Having settled on the seat inside the car, Orisa stared out of the window for a long time. Fields and forests replaced each other, sometimes rare settlements could be seen in the distance. Once, a fortress passed on the horizon. Before it became completely dark outside, Orisa saw what seemed to be a devastated village, a cloud of smoke rising above it.


    When she could no longer see anything outside, she decided to take a nap. But every time she closed her eyes for more than ten seconds, the wolf appeared and chewed Rita''s hand.


    She gave up on the sleep and went to check Rita''s gifts.


    Unzipping her backpack the first thing she saw was a letter. ''Huh? Rita? But I can''t read, remember? What a klutz!''


    She unfolded the letter anyway and spent the next few minutes laughing like crazy. The letter consisted of uneven hiragana hieroglyphs and sloppy drawings.


    Having wiped the tears, she began to study the drawings and comments to them.


    -A bottle- SWALLOW ONE STUDY DRAWING.


    -A hand- FIX ITS. SOUL STREAM GOOD. <- CAPTAIN


    -A circle with a small picture- BUY NEED.


    -A book- TOO LATE. GO AND TOWN.


    -A rectangle with lines- GIVE YOU LEADER


    She checked backpack''s content. Indeed, there was a bottle with a cherry-colored liquid, a pair of gloves, a coin purse with some money inside, a book and a letter.


    Closing the backpack, she hugged it with both hands with a happy, warm smile.


    -


    At one of the stations, a trio of teenagers climbed into the car and sat a few seats away from Orisa. She peeked at them, curious about their appearance and occupation. She also hoped to learn something new from their conversation.


    ''Um, they look like some reach kids.'' Satoru mused while observing the trio. ''But where did they come from in an infertile world?''


    Indeed, they looked quite noble. Everyone wore an expensive, one might say even ceremonial attire. They even sat with straight backs. ''The only missing piece is a butler.''


    There was too much noise from the train''s movement and only fragments of their conversation can be heard, so Orisa gave up on this idea and returned to her thoughts.


    "Ravastan, a chick over there, she was staring at you." One of them said in a louder voice so that Orisa could hear it. She decided to ignore them.


    "Huh, really? Perhaps even these creatures can have a sense of beauty and style." A boy with straw-colored curly hair, apparently Ravastan, turned on his seat to face Orisa. "Hey, fiendfood, is that true?"


    Orisa kept ignoring him, but it was already clear to her that this would not end well. ''Fuck. God, or Lead Game Designer, or whoever you are, give me a break. Pretty please?''


    "Oi! Beastsnack! I''m talking to you!" He stood up and went towards Orisa.


    ''Is this some kind of local insult?'' Everything inside Orisa already boiled. She was ready to break someone''s nose. ''He wants to fight anyway. I should skip the courtesy.''


    "Hello? Do-you-understand-human-language?" He said, stretching words in a mocking manner. Orisa kept ignoring him, so he finally snapped:


    "Yo! Trash like you should respond when a noble gentleman addresses her!" He spat, kicking Orisa''s seat.


    "Buzz off, kid." Not even looking in his direction, Orisa replied.


    Two other teenagers burst out laughing.


    "Rav, she kind of ditched you!" Said one of them, laughing even harder.


    "Looks like I need to teach some manners to a fiendfood scum!" He screamed, pulling out his rapier.


    "So, what, you gonna kill me or what?" Her palms were sweating hard, but she kept her appearance as cool as possible. ''I don''t even know the laws of this world. What if it''s okay here to just kill somebody..?'' A scary thought ran through her mind.


    "Hmm, you are right! You know, for a monster ration you are kinda smart!" He giggled disgustingly. "Why let the flesh go to waste? We are going to have some fun with you! No harm in it, right? You''ll just become a monster food in a few days anyway, right!?" He pressed a tip of his rapier to her breast and poked it slightly.


    She carefully brushed away the tip of the rapier and stood up, grabbing the backpack in her left hand. Then Orisa slowly approached him with a wicked smile on her face.


    "So¡­" She said with a quiet, intimate voice. "Wanna have some fun?"


    With the same disgusting smile, he nodded, lowered his rapier and squeezed Orisa''s hand. The next moment one very fast and very hard knee made contact with two very soft and very vulnerable balls. Bending over from extreme pain, he released his grip and fell on the floor, moaning in pain. The pair of nobles laughed even louder, squeaking like pigs.


    "Rav! Some random chick has outdone you!" Commented the same kid.


    "I¡­ will fucking¡­ murder you, bitch!" He groaned, trying to stand up. Orisa slammed him with her backpack, pinning him to the floor yet again and swiftly moved away from the car.


    ''Okay, that was nice and cool, but what now?'' She thought while moving between the seats. ''There is nowhere to hide. C''mon, brain, do something. Be creative!''


    After passing through several cars, she saw two slightly familiar faces. ''You''ve got to be kidding me, right? Brain, don''t you dare suggest this embarrassment!'' She screamed internally. After looking back she shuddered ¡ª the Moron was catching up, only one car away from her.


    Sighing deeply in embarrassment, she moved forward. Having made the most distressed face she could produce, she stopped near the third seat and muttered:


    "I''m¡­ so sorry to bother you¡­" She almost sobbed while clutching the shirt around her chest. "But¡­ I don''t know on which station I need to get off¡­ And everything is so scary¡­ Can you help me? Please?"


    "Of course! Of course! That''s what the military was made for, right?" With a bright smile, a tightly build officer in round glasses slapped the seat next to him.

 7 Full Metal Witch

    Warning: a minor sexual content.


    If possible, I''d like to hear about your thoughts on this matter - was it too much, just about right, or you were expecting even more?


    ---


    She got off the train on a cold night platform and shivered, but not from the cold, nor from the night''s darkness. Orisa shivered, still feeling Lark''s hand on her shoulders. The last thirty minutes of the trip were especially unbearable when he became all ''friendly''. It''s a miracle that they headed to another camp.


    ''I guess it''s still better than being pierced by a noble''s rapier.'' She mused. Internal critic was about to make a joke about ''noble''s rapier'', but decided against it.


    She stood on an empty platform, alone in the dark. Inhale, exhale. A sense of vulnerability and weakness assaulted her. Orisa felt so week, so helpless, so lonely.


    Inhale, exhale. A wave of stubbornness rolled through her, burning like a wildfire.


    Inhale, exhale. She tightly clenched her fists.


    "I will beat you, World."


    -


    Orisa was quickly walking through an ill-illuminated street, looking for a door sign with a bed and one dot above it, as Rita instructed her. One dot meant the cheapest place, though, as Rita herself said, they were still rather comfy despite the price, so Orisa should be fine. She had neither the time nor any will to look around, so she left her first town and its appearance for tomorrow.


    She paid nine ''mins'' for one night plus breakfast. These ''mins'' were the lowest currency in this world, followed by ''mids'' and ''grets''. Luckily, the conversion ratio was simple ¡ª one gret equaled one hundred mids, and one mid equaled one hundred mins. She also paid two mins for a pair of sandwiches and went to her room.


    After a late dinner, she completely undressed and wiped herself with a wet towel. ''A shower tomorrow! I will find you and I will use you!''


    Refreshed a little she went to bed. The wolf with a bloody hand in his maw awaited her. After spending some time trying to sleep, she gave up and let her thoughts just wander freely.


    Rita''s chest, stamped with five Seals and violated by the scar, appeared in her mind. ''Why she was so unnerved by my question? I feel, there is much more to Rita than she looks like.''


    She also remembered Rita''s suffering about her family. ''To leave someone behind is so painful. Can''t imagine the pain from leaving someone you love.'' Somewhere on the other side of the wall, the bed began to creak monotonously.


    Satoru''s thought finally stumbled upon Mirai, the person he almost asked out. ''Mirai-san, I''m so sorry¡­ I really hope you are okay. I miss you.'' The creaks of the bed became more frequent, someone''s moans were added to them.


    ''Mirai-san¡­'' Kanbara Mirai, 29 years old, quite short, peach bob haircut, giant red glasses, godlike smile. Satoru''s mind went much further than ever before. He imagined Mirai''s body in the smallest detail. ''Mirai-san¡­ Mirai-san¡­''


    When Orisa came to her senses, her left hand was already squeezing her breasts, and her right hand was between her legs, wet and slippery. ''Oh¡­ fuck. What am I doing..?'' But it was too late to stop.


    Later, after analyzing the event, she came to the conclusion that it was way harder to reach the climax, but aslo much more rewarding.


    Orisa fell asleep when it began to dawn.


    -


    Following Rita''s advice, she wandered around the city in search of guards, but unfortunately she could not meet a single military-related soul. She tried to ask a few shopkeepers about the camp, but they all gave her really vague and even contradictory information. During the search she also did some sightseeing, which left her in a mixed feeling.


    On one hand, the city looked exactly like she imagined an ordinary European city would look like. Two- and three-storey mostly stone buildings with tiled roofs. The streets were filled with little shops selling a variety of goods, and horses pulled the goods between them. People were dressed like you''d expect a modern countryside person to dress ¡ª simple woolen pants or skirts, shirts and such.


    On the other hand, here and there one could see signs of different technologies. In the distance, she saw a ten-storey building. Some shops showcase items strikingly similar to machineguns, albeit bulky, as if hand-made. She could swear that she saw a passing motorcycle in one of the large streets. And so on.


    Around noon she decided to have a snack and, while buying some dumplings, finally saw people in uniform. Swallowing the dumplings on the move, she headed towards them. A few moments later, one of the military also noticed Orisa and alerted his two colleagues. Together they moved in her direction, gazing at her.


    ''Um, for some reason this doesn''t look very good.'' She began to suspect that something was wrong, really wrong. ''Hope they are mistaken or at the very least it is not related to those morons on the train¡­'' It was too late to turn around and run, anyway.


    "I''m sorry, can you¡­" She tried to ask, but was rudely interrupted.


    "Name your squad! What is your business here!?" A man in the middle shouted at her, grabbing her wrist painfully. The other two surrounded her, cutting off any escape route.


    "Ouch! It hurts! What are you doing!?" Screamed Orisa, trying to free her hand to no avail.


    "Shut the hell up and answer the question! What are you doing here!?" He squeezed her wrist so hard that it could break any moment. One of the remaining two military, woman, grabbed her other hand and put it behind her back, bending the whole body forward. Orisa screamed in agony. At first it was humiliating, but now it became extremely painful.


    "What is going on here?" There was a stern female voice.


    "We''ve got a deserter, Miss Satou." The man who held Orisa by the wrist happily reported. The woman stared at the three servicemen, then at Orisa, who was already crying from all the pain and humiliation.


    "Have you seen her tag? She clearly is not a deserter. I''m going to report this to the commander." The woman said in a cold tone.


    "Tag..? Yes, we need to¡­" He mumbled in confusion.


    "So you haven''t even checked her tag? I see." Everything around her froze. "Then I''m going to report this situation right now."


    "I''m¡­ sorry, Miss Satou¡­ It''s all a misunderstanding." He and his colleague released both Orisa''s hands, backing off with a panicked expression. She fell on the ground, sobbing quietly.


    "You can go now."


    The woman leaned to Orisa and put her hand on Orisa''s shoulder.


    "Do you need help?" She asked in a calm, even voice.


    "¡­ yes¡­" Orisa said sheepishly, still sobbing.


    ''Why is this happening to me?'' She thought, struggling with her pride and stubbornness that dictated her to rudely refuse the offer.


    The woman helped Orisa up and gave her a handkerchief.


    "You can have it."


    Wiping her face, she was finally able to see her savior. The woman looked somewhat older than Rita. Her long, smooth hair was gathered behind in a ponytail, leaving a small bang hanging over her glasses. She was taller than Orisa and her build was on a chubbier side. She stood straight, arms crossed, further emphasizing her already huge bosom.


    ''Thirty-five or something like that.'' Satoru remembered the wife of his ex-colleague, Ryota. She looked kind of the same, with barely noticeable wrinkles in the corners of her eyes.


    ''I want them to sandwich me.'' Internal critic drooled, with another quote.


    "Thank you for saving me, I¡­" Orisa calmed down a little and tried to thank the woman, but was interrupted.


    "No need. Youko Satou." The woman interjected, calmly saying her name. "What are you doing here?"


    "I was delayed at the Arrival Chamber for a few days, so now I''m trying to learn a way to the camp."


    On the one hand, Orisa was a bit annoyed by Youko''s attitude. On the other hand, she actually liked people who didn''t beat around the bush. Youko frowned after hearing Orisa''s reply.


    "My business is done for today. Follow me. I can give you a ride."


    -


    They left the city through a giant gate. The Guards stationed there nodded to Youko, ignoring Orisa entirely. She was quite content with this, wary of the people in uniform. Surprisingly, the city did not end with the gate. Behind them were many one- and two-storey wooden buildings. Inns, shops, canteens and such.


    Among them were the stables. Orisa was left outside while Youko went to get her horse.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t have any experience with horses and I can''t ride them."


    "Don''t be. You are not supposed to." Youko skillfully mounted the horse and extended her hand to Orisa. The scene that followed was among those that Orisa wanted to erase from her memory.


    ''Today is your day, horse. But this is not the end.'' Orisa sat behind Youko, red like a rose. Her internal critic was having a good time so he started singing: ''This is the end, you know. Lady, the¡­''


    Orisa ignored him, and he was bad at singing anyway.


    "Hold on to me." Youko raised her hands slightly, signaling to Orisa were she should put her hands. They moved forward, gradually accelerating.


    When the horse went to a gallop, Orisa began to feel the powerful rhythmical blows of something soft on her hands. She tried to not think about it.


    "Why were you delayed?" After a while, Youko asked.


    Orisa retold the events of her first few days, omitting small details. When she finished, Youko looked over her shoulder, a strange expression on her face.


    "You should come up with a more believable story." She paused for a moment. "Few people can believe such nonsense."


    "What..?" Orisa was perplexed. "Why..? I''m not lying!" She said in a distressful voice.


    "Listen. You are not supposed to know this, so I will tell you." Youko mused, trying to phrase her reply as easy as possible. "An evolved hound is a death threat to a squad of veterans."


    "No Tome Sage can kill it, especially in one hit. And without a lantern, on top of everything." She continued. "And another thing that do not add up. Even for a Tome Sage, calamity spells are something that will leave them bedridden for a week."


    Instead of being disappointed by the accusation, Orisa felt an incredible shock, replaced by endless admiration for Rita. ''There is really much more to Rita.''


    -


    They rode in silence. The scenery around was the same as during her trip to the train station.


    ''She is stern, but doesn''t look bad.'' Orisa wasn''t sure if she should ask questions or not. In the end, of course, she still asked:


    "If I may, there are two questions."


    "Go on."


    "What is a lantern?"


    "It''s a nickname for the spellcasters who infuse a special crystal ore with their Mana, creating an aura. Inside this aura, the Wavespawn become much weaker. Without the lantern even a non-evolved beast will tear down an elite warrior one on one."


    Orisa became quiet, pondering new information. Five minutes passed before she asked the second question:


    "Can you explain to me who the Tome Sages are?"


    "Spellcaster with innate talent. You can''t train to be a Tome Sage." For a moment, Orisa thought she heard envy in Youko''s voice. "Their tomes contain a huge variety of spells, the bigger the tome, the more spells. There are even tomes with all the spells we know, though they are few and distributed among heroes."


    She paused, giving Orisa some time to digest her explanation, and then continued:


    "Tome Sages can cast any spell written in the book without having learn it. However, there are two downsides. First, to cast a specific spell, you need to touch the page on which this spell is written. Second, it takes much more Mana to produce a Tomecraft spell. Depending on the spell, it needs five or even ten times more Mana than if cast by hand."


    ''As I suspected, Tomecraft is a cheat, but a costly one. And only for prodigies. Rita-Rita¡­ Who are you?''


    Their journey continued in silence. It didn''t seem that Youko was interested in Orisa, as she was silent all the way, aside from answering the questions.


    Finally Orisa remembered another important thing for which she could use Youko:


    "I''m sorry to bother you again, but I was entrusted with a letter. But I''m yet¡­"


    "Give it to me." Yet again she was interrupted. Orisa handed her a letter, which Rita left in her backpack. A letter in the local language that she could not yet read.


    Suddenly Youko slowed her horse down before stopping it completely. She jumped off the horse and took out her armlet. After some tackling, the armlet began to emit a green light. Youko x-rayed the letter with this light and then read it again.


    A lot of emotions changed on her face before she looked at Orisa again.


    "What''s wrong..?" Orisa braced for impact. "Something is not right with Rita''s letter?"


    Youko stared at Orisa again. Finally, she opened her mouth:


    "Do you know who this woman is?"


    "No. I''m sorry, I do not. She said she is a gatekeeper for new people like me, watcher of the Arrival Chamber."


    Youko let out a long sigh before finally saying:


    "You''ll learn her name. In a modern history class¡­" She shook her head in amazement. "They call her Full Metal Witch, The Angel of Merdun."

 8 Limitless possibilities. One choice to rule them all.

    As the camp drew closer, the scenery gradually changed. Forests became thinner and bushes disappeared altogether. When Orisa finally saw the camp in the distance, two things struck her.


    The first was that the camp stood on the plain. There were no trees, no bushes around, and even grass was practically absent. The plain was riddled with craters and covered with scorched earth. It looked like a battlefield, and a frequently used one.


    The second noticeable thing was the camp itself. It was neither a camp nor a city. It was a giant fortress with high stone walls stretching for hundreds of meters.


    ''How wide is it?'' Orisa mused, astonished. ''One kilometer? Two?'' The sheer size of the stone structure made her shiver.


    As they drew even closer, she saw another thing that made her awe. Every fifty meters or so, stone walls were guarded by giant turrets. She was unable to contain her excitement and curiosity, and asked Youko:


    "What are these things on the walls? How do they function?"


    "Managuns. I''m no engineer and will not be able to provide you with a detailed description." She paused, phrasing her reply. "In general, they are loaded with Mana Charges. An operator can infuse them with his own Mana to add an elemental effect. Then the Charge is released, propelling elementally charged projectile towards a target."


    Orisa''s eyes turned into shiny stars. ''Now, this is what I call firepower. Literally.''


    When they were a few hundred meters away from the gate, a strange phenomenon occurred. For a moment, the air around them became thicker, distorting the view. Orisa felt like something immaterial passed through her. The feeling was similar to a sensation that you can experience during a plane''s takeoff. Youko swore quietly, then took out a pocket watch and swore again.


    "What was that? What''s wrong?" Orisa questioned Youko.


    "A Wave. An hour earlier than predicted."


    Orisa was a little scared by an occurrence, but she calmed down after hearing Youko''s tone - more irritated than scared or troubled. She decided to postpone other questions as they were approaching the gate, which was still open.


    The gate''s entrance was blocked by at least a dozen soldiers. Some had swords in their hands, others had bows. Behind all stood two short girls, one held a huge halberd on her shoulder, the other one was leaning on a long, elaborate rifle.


    ''Twins?'' Orisa was surprised, considering the nature of this world. ''Either you, little girl, is insanely strong for some reason, or your halberd is made of cardboard.''


    When they passed through the gate, Youko nodded to one of the soldiers. He nodded back, then confirmed something in the book he was holding, and said:


    "She is the last one. Close the gate."


    Orisa heard a machinery noise, and then thick metal gates started protruding from the walls. Closing, they made a loud metallic clang, which repeated four times.


    Another surprise awaited Orisa inside - the second stone wall, a little lower than an external one, blocked their pass. The second gate was already closed, but the wall beside the gate contained a small, already familiar luminous opening.


    "Why are there two rows of walls and two gates?" Orisa asked in confusion.


    "One for the Wavespawn, another one for cadets." Youko replied. After a moment she turned back and, seeing Orisa''s still puzzled expression, continued. "Cadet''s movement is limited, they can''t leave the camp until their graduation. External walls require constant maintenance, a lot of movement and transportation is usually going on there. We don''t need cadets getting in the way of daily routine."


    -


    Orisa sat on a comfy sofa in a small room, waiting. The clock showed half past three in the evening. ''At least, the time system is the same.'' She let out a long sigh.


    The door finally opened and two people entered the room. The first to enter was Youko, and she sat down on the opposite sofa. The second person closed the door and remained there, looking thoughtfully at the folded letter.


    "Okay, kid. Before we start, I''ll give you a choice." He suddenly started speaking with a hoarse voice. The man looked like your typical gym trainer - a tall, bald and tanned jock. A small pointy brown beard was the only uncharacteristic element.


    "There is still an empty spot in the squad you should have entered. Pros ¨C think of one yourself. Cons - you''ll be a few days behind them all." He paused, looking at her intently. "Or you can send them to hell and wait for a new squad." He shook the letter. "I''m giving you the choice only because of this thingy."


    ''Why does it feel like the right answer is not an obvious one?'' Something inside Orisa itched, nudging her to think thrice. ''Brain, the heck are you doing? Spit it out!'' After fidgeting for a minute, Orisa finally decided.


    "The old one." She said in a heavy voice.


    "Why?"


    "Empty spot. I''m no big deal, but they still need it filled, right?" Orisa managed to phrase her hazy thoughts.


    Youko and the man looked at each other thoughtfully. The man finally introduced himself:


    "Name''s Paulo Cardelio. From now on I''m your captain, and you''re gonna call me Captain Pain, nothing more, nothing less. Clear?"


    "Sir! Yes, sir!" Orisa remembered some military manga she read once. ''I wonder, should I stand up?''


    "Correct answer - crystal clear, Captain Pain." He paused, waiting.


    "Crystal clear, Captain Pain!"


    "Good." He waved the letter again. "Don''t expect any special treatment. Though for today and today only, we''ll give you, our special guest, appropriate treatment."


    After hearing his words about her being a special guest, Orisa''s mind began to draw alluring pictures of her being someone special, treated well and with respect.


    ''~Please, don''t think of yourself as an exception. You are no hero with hidden power.~'' Suddenly Rita''s words appeared in her mind, and her cheeks reddened a little in shame. And then Orisa saw Youko''s wicked smile. ''Wait-wait-wait, let me think again!'' But it was too late.


    "The special treatment that the Captain told you about, it will start right now. And by ''being special'' he meant that you''ll be getting an intense course of study to catch up on everything you''ve missed." She checked the clock on the wall. "We have six hours to close a three-day gap. Let''s get started!"


    "I''ll send someone from the squad to take you to your room." The Captain left the room, quietly chuckling.


    "We are moving to the classroom, follow me." Youko stood up and left the room.


    -


    Orisa sat in a small and almost empty classroom. Inside, there were only fifteen seats and a chalkboard. When Youko arrived, she handed Orisa a stack of notebooks, two pens, and two pencils.


    "We''ll start with the language. Open your notebook and..." Orisa was distracted from Youko''s words by a sudden flashback and slapped her forehead in frustration. She grabbed her backpack and took out a bottle of cherry-colored liquid.


    "What is going on?" Youko demanded angrily.


    "I''m sorry to disrupt the class. Rita gave me this bottle and, if I understood everything correctly, I need to drink it before the language study."


    "What a rascal..." Youko mused, smiling slightly. "You do know how to use it?" Seeing how Orisa shook her head, Youko explained. "One sip before the class. Once a day, never more."


    Orisa opened the bottle and took a sip of a sweet liquid. At first, nothing happened. More than a minute passed before it hit her.


    ''Before, I was blind. And now I see.''


    The world around her became brighter, the sounds were clearer. In a single moment, she noticed a lot of new things:


    ''Youko''s glasses had left a mark on her nose, meaning she had a bad sight for a long time. Chalkboard is new, was used only once or twice, though the classroom itself and the seats are old and worn-out. The popping sounds... wait a minute!''


    "What are these clapping sounds I''m hearing in the distance?" She asked.


    "It''s a sound of Managuns shooting. The Wavespawn is here. This is of no concern to you. Let''s study."


    And so, they began.


    -


    The simplified written language was easy. It was created to be easy. The main rule here was ''I write as I hear it''. She memorized thirty letters in ten minutes. The rest was easy since she already could speak the language. Now, she only needed to think about the word to understand how it is written.


    -


    Next was a brief history. She''ll learn the rest from the books.


    The Origin of the Calamity, that took place one thousand and seventeen years ago, is still unknown. And the first two hundred years were poorly documented. It is known that the Calamity broke the giant continent into two parts, leaving the archipelago between them. One of the many consequences was a curse that left 99.99% of the population infertile. In the present, one woman in ten thousand is fertile, and this number is around ten times higher for men.


    -


    "I hear explosions. And people, screaming in pain. Who is Akai Shatsu? They say he is dead." Orisa mumbled in trance.


    Youko bit her lower lip, trying to hide her grief. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then pulled a small metal wand out of her pocket.


    "Hang on for a second, it will hurt". She said before chanting:


    "-Lesser Sense!-"


    Orisa screamed when her head suddenly burst in sensory overload. She could hear tens of people shouting, hundreds of beasts wailing and snarling. She could hear spell names, she could hear commands. She could hear everything.


    "-Lesser Reverse!-"


    The nightmare was over. ''So quiet¡­ So peaceful¡­''


    "What was that?" She asked Youko.


    "A spell to increase your hearing and sight, and another one to inverse the last positive spell effect. Now your hearing should be a little worse than normal. Let''s continue our study."


    -


    Another consequence of the Calamity was the appearance of the Chambers. Although at first, they were just spots on the ground where naked teenagers periodically appeared. It was hectic at first, but gradually a society was built around this phenomenon.


    Among other information, Orisa learned that not only the inhabitants of the Earth, but also a dozen other worlds were gathered here. Among them were even worlds inhabited by non-human beings. But in this world, they looked like humans, anyway.


    ''Must be especially tough for them.'' She thought.


    -


    "Miss Satou? Do I understand correctly that this potion is not used by the Cadets?" Orisa asked the question she was pondering at the back of her mind.


    "No. It is not."


    "But why? It''s extremely effective."


    "Every bottle is worth my weekly wage."


    And they returned to the lecture.


    -


    They also briefly touched many other topics such as the structure of society, the basic laws, a bit of the economy and much more. Orisa was studying the structure of the camps and the reasons why the beasts first attacked them and not the cities when somebody knocked on the door.


    "Cadet Onuki reporting, Miss Satou."


    Orisa turned and looked at the owner of the voice, still being under the influence of the potion. ''Same height as me. Thin but not too skinny. Dark-blue hair gathered in a knot.'' Orisa focused her vision on the girl''s face. ''Glasses with almost no distortion. Then her vision is okay. Means she is wearing them for another reason, probably to distract from freckles. Took a quick peek at me, didn''t want me to know she is interested.'' Orisa turned back to Youko:


    "I can still go on, Miss Satou."


    "No, that''s enough." She quickly cut Orisa off. "Thank you, Onuki. Take care of the girl. Good night." Youko nodded to Orisa and went to the exit. Standing in the doorframe she took out her wand and chanted two spells after looking at her pocket watch:


    "-Lesser Delay!-"


    "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    And so, she left.


    "Nice to meet you, Orisa." Onuki said in a calm voice, though Orisa was still able to discern a slight hope and excitement.


    "Thank you for your help, Onuki. And it''s nice to meet you, too."


    When they left the room, the potion ended. The world before Orisa''s eyes lost its sharpness and she suddenly found herself on the floor. Everything was grey, boring and unpleasant.


    "Oh god, are you alright?" She heard a disturbed voice and felt something cold but very soft on her forearm. "Let me help you." Onuki pulled her up as if Orisa was stuffed with cotton.


    The rest of the way they walked holding hands. Even though Orisa was feeling better, the world around her was still dull and disgusting, and a soft feeling of Onuki''s hand made her mood slightly better.


    ''Is it a norm in this world to be this close after meeting a person? What a strange girl.'' Orisa was a bit confused by their handholding trip. The internal critic was singing something about cherry chapstick, but she promptly ignored him, uninterested in anything related to handholding.


    -


    Behind the door that Onuki opened was a room with four beds. Two beds were already occupied by their owners.


    I''m not sure how I should feel about an all-girl room'' Orisa mused. ''Is it even okay for me to live in one room with other girls?'' But it was too late.


    "Orisa, this is Mira Rahna." Onuki waved towards a girl with gorgeous black hair.


    "''sup, girl." She replied, uninterested.


    "I am Toatre. Greetings." The second girl nodded. Her gaze made Orisa shiver. She radiated strange, otherworldly aura.


    "My name is Orisa. I''m glad to finally be able to meet you all. Please, take care of me." She bowed and continued a bit awkwardly. "And¡­ I''m sorry in advance, but I might scream at night¡­" She bowed again, deeper than before.


    "It''s okay." She felt a familiar cold sensation on her back, gently stroking her in a soothing manner. "We are here for you. Everything will be okay." Onuki smiled for the first time. "Welcome home."


    Orisa felt that clutches of misfortune, which had gripped her heart until this moment, became weaker. ''I''m home.''


    ---


    AN: My vacation is over, so I''m going to release a chapter per 2-3 days. Do not be alarmed, I''m still here and enjoy writing.


    That aside, if it''s not bothersome to you, please, rate this story and/or write a review.

 9 Shower thoughts

    In the morning, Orisa experienced two things in abundance. The first was a headache from excessive studying. As for the second thing, Orisa felt really awkward doing morning exercises with girls. Onuki and Mira were in the underwear, while Toatre was completely naked.


    Her movements were fluid, flowing one into another like currents in the ocean. Seeing her body like this, Orisa couldn''t help but stare.


    "Warm-up is important for your well-being. Do not avoid it, or else you will know regret." Said an otherworldly Toatre.


    Orisa imitated some of the exercises, while closely observing Toatre. In the meantime, Onuki noticed Orisa''s gaze, thought for a moment and then for some reason smiled contently.


    "Don''t forget to get your hygiene items and everyday wear." Onuki said with a smile. "I''ll show you the way later."


    -


    Before everything else, the first thing in the morning was the workout, held outdoors.


    "Collect your effort and steer it into your training." Even the way Toatre phrased her thoughts was unusual, unnatural, but not in a bad way. "As Captain Pain proclaimed, this is only the beginning. When our studies are complete, the real training shell sprout."


    "What the gal means is that we are doing an easy mode now." Mira talked for the first time, and her voice contained a hint of discontent. "Like, we''ll have to do ten times more soon, or something. The hell?"


    ''Yes, she was clearly pissed.'' Orisa became wary of the girl. ''Looks like the type that will whine about anything and everything, blaming others for her own mistakes. God, hope I''m wrong.''


    The girls brought her to the training ground where the male part of the squad was already standing. ''Woah, eight more people. I wasn''t expecting this much.'' Orisa suddenly remembered one of her many weaknesses. ''I suck hard at names, can''t remember them at all.''


    "Boys, yesterday we met the last member of the squad." Onuki said, her voice for some reason was emotionless. "Let''s treat her well."


    "Nice to meet you all, I''m Orisa. Please, take care of me." She bowed down.


    "Oh, that we will." A short, yellow-haired kid whistled in an obnoxious manner. "Damn, Mira, where did you find this treasure?"


    "Shut your trap, filth." Mira literally spat on the ground. "Nobody asked you."


    "Everyone, please calm down." A tall boy with a neat blue haircut asked in a slightly raised voice. "We are all glad to have you with us, Orisa. I''m Iten Yada, you can ask me anything."


    ''Is he a squad deputy or something?'' Orisa bowed silently, contemplating new information and hammering down an important name. Somewhere behind the wall there were clapping sounds.


    "The Wave again?" She asked in a slightly concerned voice.


    "Funeral." Another guy said quietly. He was clearly depressed. "There was one when I arrived four days ago." The mood darkened after his comment.


    A few minutes later Captain Pain showed up.


    "Line up!" He shouted. "Attention!" After a small pause, he said something that Orisa was unable to process. "We got fresh meat from today and onward. You can do whatever you want until it''s in the way of her training and study."


    ''Like¡­ what the actual fuck?'' She was perplexed, but everyone around her had a poker face.


    "And now! Turn to the right! Ten laps! Go!"


    When they started running, each in their own temp, Onuki caught up to Orisa and said:


    "Don''t worry. Nothing special, that''s just another idiotic rule of his ¨C no rules unless it halts the training and study." She said with small pauses to steady her breathing.


    "Cadet Onuki!" Captain Pain yelled mercilessly. "No talking! One more lap for entire squad!"


    "Shit¡­" She bit her lower lip in frustration.


    "Two more laps and watch your damn mouth!"


    -


    Push-ups and sit-ups followed the running. Orisa wanted to die half the way and really didn''t want anything anymore at the end. The only consolation was that more than half of her squad felt the same way.


    That was all for today. ''I can''t believe I survived. And they say this is an easy mode..?'' Orisa dreaded over her future.


    On their way to the shower, led by Onuki, they made a detour, to pick up Orisa''s necessities. She got some new and comfy clothes for daily usage, toiletries and towels. Because of this detour, the shower was already full of people by the time they arrived. Accompanied by Onuki, Orisa entered the steamy room.


    The shower was bright and enormous. Wet tiled floor was like a soccer field, more than fifty meters wide. More than a hundred lockers occupied one wall entirely. Numerous shower stalls took over three other walls.


    Tens of naked guys and girls from different squads were moving inside the room.


    ''Wait¡­ what?'' Orisa''s mind rejected this reality. She blinked in confusion, but nothing has changed. ''I''ve resigned myself to the fate of the peeping Tom, but this... This is just too much.'' Someone behind her chuckled. Turning around she saw grinning Onuki.


    "I''m sorry for not telling you beforehand, but I so wanted to see your reaction!"


    "You are not sorry at all." Orisa pouted. "Why!? What the hell is going on? I don''t want to look at naked dudes!" Satoru was not a fan of other men''s genitals.


    "I also don''t want to, but that''s how it is." Onuki smiled even brighter after hearing Orisa''s reply. "As to ''why'', Miss Satou promised to tell us on today''s history lesson."


    They found a pair of empty lockers and undressed, covering themselves in towels afterward, and moved to find an empty shower stall.


    "Want me to help you with your back?" Onuki asked. Orisa looked thoughtfully at the little sponge in her hand and nodded. Shower stalls were big enough to fit two people.


    As they were cleaning themselves, Onuki asked jokingly:


    "So you don''t like naked dudes?"


    "Why would I?" Satoru remembered his only visit to a public bathhouse, with a lot of old people happily swinging their wrinkled sausages left and right. "Eww, gross!"


    "I wholeheartedly agree." Replied laughing Onuki.


    After some time, Orisa noticed something strange in the corner of her eyes. Looking down, she found a familiar face sticking out from under the privacy screen. It was the same yellow-haired moron who whistled at her. Orisa was thoroughly puzzled.


    ''Are you, like, for real?'' She calmly thought. ''Haven''t you seen a naked girl before? What were you even expecting here?''


    She considered the course of action for a moment before coming up with a typical tsundere action scene. She slowly raised her right leg, revealing an unforgettable view, and then slammed her foot into his nose.


    There was a spray of blood followed by a cry of pain. The head abruptly disappeared behind the curtain. There was cheerful laughter of several male voices and one of them even said:


    "Taron, you dickhead, you never learn?"


    Satisfied by her performance, Orisa turned to Onuki. What she saw was a face filled with disgust and terror. Abruptly covering herself in a towel, Onuki dashed away. ''What..? Wait¡­'' Orisa was too confused to react on time. When she came out of the stall, Onuki already left the bathroom.


    After finishing with a shower, Orisa returned to the dorm and found Onuki there.She lay on the bed, clasping her knees.


    ''Looks like some random personal landmine just exploded. I''m not sure I want to know.'' Orisa sat down next to her and slowly stroked her back.


    "Sorry." She heard a sobbing voice. "Please, leave me be."


    "What about breakfast?" Orisa asked but got no reply. She slowly rose from the bed and went to look for a cafeteria, alone. When she finally found it, she came up with an idea she decided to try.


    "I''m sorry, can you help me?" She asked the cook.


    -


    Onuki lay on the bed, her body still trembling with the horrors of her memories. ''His face... I want to forget it. I want to forget it all, please.'' She was shivering heavily.


    The door opened quietly, and someone entered. The steps approached her bed, and she heard the sound of something placed on her nightstand. It smelled nice. Next was a warm, gentle touch on her forearm.


    "Onuki, I honestly don''t know what''s going on with you and how hard it was or how hard it is now for you." The soft and caring voice belonged to Orisa. "But you need to eat something. We have lessons in twenty minutes."


    "I''m¡­ sorry¡­ thank¡­" Onuki began, but it was hard to talk.


    "Please, don''t. You are here for me, and I''m here for you, too." Orisa said, slowly patting her back. "It''s okay now, you are safe."


    -


    Classes began. It was harder to focus on study with other people around, but at the same time, it was much more fun. Orisa gradually got to know the other guys, although she still didn''t remember any names.


    They studied the structure of the army, geographical and political map of the country. One of the lessons was an introduction to mana mechanic ¡ª the theory of enchanted items. They also had another history lesson.


    "So, let me sum things up." Orisa was fuming when they walked back to dorms in the evening. "Some hundred years ago those retards forced cadets to have sex with each other regularly to find fertile ones?"


    "And it was replaced by mixed bathrooms as part of the ''discreet motivation of curiosity'' initiative." Finished Onuki, pale from horror. "Can''t imagine being forced¡­ daily¡­" She mumbled.


    "Oh, like, c''mon. What''s the big deal? It''s all in the past now." Mira did not share the disturbance of her roommates. "Like, I''d love to ride some hot guy right now!"


    "Yeah, and call him ''Daaahling!'', too." Orisa burst out laughing.


    "Like, what the heck are you blabbing?" Mira was not amused.


    "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask."


    "The art of creation looks captivating," Toatre interjected, "I would love to learn more about Seals and enchantments."


    "Oh, yes, I was kind of surprised that they use the same Seals to enchant both items and humans." Orisa agreed. She was already planning a library siege in her free time. ''Much to learn, many systems to abuse.''


    Passing by an open window, Orisa saw Iten talking to one of the twins, whom she saw guarding the gate. Curiosity instantly overtook her.


    "I''m sorry, girls, I have something to do. I will catch up to you later."


    -


    She waited until they finished their conversation and the twin girl left and then assaulted the surprised Iten with questions.


    "Iten, Iten! May I bother you with a few questions?"


    "Oh, Orisa? What are you doing here?"


    "Well, I saw you talking to that girl, and was really curious." She scratched her head awkwardly. "I''ve seen her before as she guarded the gates..."


    "I see. Well, how may I help you?"


    "Actually, I was curious about her and her twin sister. How is that possible for them to be twins? They arrived here together or something?"


    "No, that''s not the case. They are both noble. They were born to this world. Actually, you can ask her, she is a really nice person." His face darkened a bit. "Though, sadly, they are an exception. Most of the noble here are obnoxious and hateful, so I advise you to stay away from them."


    "By the way, can you tell me more about all this noble business?"


    "Hmm, in this case, can we have a seat to have a talk?"


    After the found an empty bench and sat down there, Iten adjusted his non-existent glasses and began his lecture.


    People who were born in this world and belonged to any ancient lineage were called noble. While noble houses were hit by the curse as well, they struggled to continue their lineage by any means necessary.


    Among many traits and benefits that noble houses possessed one was especially prominent - each bloodline had one or more unique talents. Some were able to summon powerful servants while others harnessed powerful spells and abilities themselves.


    "I''ve met some noble kids on the train. They were calling me something like monster food or something. What does that mean anyway?" Orisa always had one more question to ask.


    "When the Wavespawn kills enough people, it grows and evolves into a more powerful version of itself. Nobles treat us as nothing more than the food for monsters, their source of power and growth." Iten said in a sickened voice.


    "How do you know this much already?" Orisa was positively shocked by Iten''s vast knowledge.


    "That''s quite simple. From the library, it contains a lot of useful information about this world and its structure."


    "Oh, I see! I was planning to siege it myself when I''ll have some free time"


    "But can you read?" Iten asked in surprise.


    "Well, yes, I already learned the basics, but had no time to actually test it." After she replied, Orisa saw a look of admiration on Iten''s face.


    They talked for some time and then said goodbye and each went to their room.


    -


    On her way back, Orisa was lost in thought, pondering new knowledge, when she suddenly bumped into somebody.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry, it''s my fault!" She tried to help the person up.


    "Don''t touch me!" The blonde girl slapped Orisa''s hand, then stood up and hastily went away.


    ''What''s wrong with her?'' Orisa shrugged and moved on. A few moments later she heard footsteps approaching her. ''Huh, decided to talk?''


    "How dare you touch lady Kavenfenn!?" She heard an angry shout behind her back. When Orisa turned around, all she had time to see was a giant fist, rapidly approaching her face.

 10 Am I a wizard now?

    "I know that I didn''t fall from the stairs," Orisa insisted angrily "someone kicked me right in the face and probably threw me there later!"


    "I''m telling you, drop it off, kid." Captain Pain started to get angry.


    Next morning, Orisa woke up in the infirmary and found herself in an absurd situation - nobody believed her. The only good thing was that there were no scars or otherwise damaged body parts. ''God bless Healers.'' She thought.


    "But, Captain Pain, I''m sure..."


    "I''m leaving. You have classes in thirty minutes. Be glad that I did not wake you up for the morning workout."


    Orisa hit her bed in frustration as Captain Pain left the room. The only other person in the room was Onuki, she was sitting on the edge of Orisa''s bad.


    "Forget it, Orisa," She said in an apologetic tone "that''s how it is."


    "At least, you believe in me, right?"


    "Of course I do! This place is full of degenerates. It could have been Taron or any other mentally unstable moron." Onuki said angrily.


    Orisa''s memory was still hazy, the only thing she remembered after parting with Iten was a giant fist flying into her face. ''I''m sure there was somebody else! Argh, this is so frustrating!''


    -


    A few days passed in a blink of an eye, Orisa was gradually getting to know her roommates and some other people from her squad. Quite often her attention was captured by Toatre, who was clearly an apple from another tree. ''She is smart and reasonable, but at the same time behaves like a clueless child.'' The more she knew Toatre, the more she wanted to know.


    After today''s classes, four girls grabbed their dinner and went outside to get some fresh air and a night sky view.


    "I still can''t believe that some people here were not humans before." Orisa was still under the influence of today''s lesson. " Around 20% of the population is earthlings, the rest of the population is equally distributed among other worlds, and around 1% is non-humanoids."


    "I can comprehend," Toatre said in her usual calm voice, "the knowledge about the other worlds, other cultures, it''s enticing to me."


    "By the way, Toatre, where are you from?" Orisa was finally able to ask a question that was so interesting to her.


    "Vaaa."


    "Va..?"


    "No, not Va. Vaaa."


    "Vaaaa..? Whaaaat do you mean?"


    "It''s the name of my homeworld - Vaaa." Toatre said in a teacherly manner. She became quiet, and it looked like the conversation had died. They kept eating when suddenly Toatre continued:


    "From this world''s point of few, my race could be described as formless fairies."


    "Woah! So, did you fly before?" Orisa''s mind was buzzing with questions.


    "Indeed. The first few weeks in this world were quite complicated." She continued thoughtfully. "Many new challenging things, like breathing, walking, sleeping."


    "It was probably very hard for you." Orisa was amazed. ''Though, this pretty much explains, why she seemed so clueless about everything.'' She thought to herself.


    "Indeed. The first few days I clearly resembled that wonderful and tasty jelly you can eat in the dining hall." Toatre looked like she could start drooling at her thoughts any moment.


    "Oh, you eat too many sweets." Mira joined the conversation.


    "Is that a bad thing to do?"


    "If you eat too many sweets, you will get fat in no time."


    "Is that a bad thing, too?" Toatre looked like a kid who learned that Santa Claus was not real.


    "Well, for starters, guys won''t call you on dates." Mira giggled.


    "What is the ''dates''?" After Toatre''s question, Mira looked like she was already regretting her participation in this talk.


    "That''s when two people close to each other spend time alone." Orisa thought deeply about the phrasing. "They usually walk around, talking to each other and holding hands. On dates, you do different kinds of things and have fun together." She tried hard, but this was the best she could manage without mentioning movies, amusement parks and such.


    "I understand." Toatre nodded thoughtfully. "Then I have nothing to be alarmed of, I already had a date with Rakasha." She calmly finished, then continued eating.


    A shocked silence fell around the bench. The girls looked at each other and at Toatre, who was calmly consuming her salad.


    "Ahem! Toatre, dear, can you elaborate?" Orisa managed to squeak out a few words.


    "It was just as you said. We walked around, looking at the sky and holding hands. We talked a lot about lessons, training, and the camp. He also asked if I wanted to have some fun." She took some time to phrase her reply, not noticing one concerned, one shocked and one intrigued look.


    "He pressed his lips to mine several times, and then asked me to help him feel great."


    "Urgh, I''m going to puke." Onuki said in disgust.


    "At first I could not help him, but then I started to understand the rules..."


    "Okay-okay, we got it!" She wanted to continue but was interrupted by Orisa. Though, Mira looked like she wanted to hear more.


    "This¡­ has turned into a difficult situation." Orisa began. "I''m not defending Rakasha, but I can kinda understand where all this is coming from." Noticing a puzzled look from other girls, she explained. "Imagine seeing lots of naked girls every day, building up all this tension without any place to release it. Must have been hard for them..."


    The rest of the evening the girls spent explaining the basics of the relationship to Toatre.


    -


    On the next day, another Wave occurred. That day the squad had also received their updated tags and became ''squad 71-17-14''.


    After lunch, their first Mana training sessions began.


    "Tonight, something special will happen," Captain Pain began "though, before that I want you to try something." He started to pace around a small gymnasium, while the squad was sitting down on the mats.


    "The first thing you need to do before learning how to hold a spoon is Mana control. This," he grabbed a sword from the stand and enflamed it, "is Mana control."


    He threw the sword into the wall. When it was about to hit the wall, he pulled it back into his hand. Then he pressed a switch on his armlet, and a crossbow bolt shot out of the wall. The squad gasped in horror, but when the Captain turned around, they saw the bolt struck in a barely visible blue layer a few millimeters away from his shirt.


    "This is Mana control, too."


    He finished, giving the squad some time to contemplate.


    "But before you could do anything at all, you need to feel your Mana. That''s what today''s training is about." He handed everyone in the squad a little white crystal.


    "Mana is like your second blood. You can feel your blood pumping, moving through your veins." Suddenly his expression became vile. "You kids can also feel a food moving in your stomach, turning into shit and bursting out." The squad groaned in disgust, which the Captain met with a wide grin. "That''s about the same thing, believe me."


    "To sum things up, try to feel something foreign moving through your body. Grasp this feeling, memorize it."


    Orisa sat on the mat in the lotus pose and felt something. A fluffy, tingling sensation moved through her body. ''Is that Mana? I''d like to know.''


    Ten minutes passed, and people started to get distracted. It was not easy to focus on training without a clear goal or an apprehensive method.


    "Kids nowadays can''t sit straight for ten damn minutes." Captain Pain grumbled. "Okay, now pick up your crystal, squeeze it in your hands and guide your Mana towards it." He saw a dumbfounded expression on cadet''s faces and let out a sigh. "Right. So, you need to imagine a hand grabbing this strange feeling inside. Grab it and pull into your hands."


    Another ten minutes passed. Iten''s crystal emitted a faint glow, and Toatre''s crystal was shining brightly, illuminating the whole room. And that was it. Either Orisa''s tingling sensation was a hoax, or she was unable to guide it into the crystal.


    To her left sat a depressed boy, Kanai, who told her about funeral on her first day. ''He looks even more depressed now. Maybe they are bullying him? Gotta ask Iten later.'' She couldn''t just sit and do nothing after noticing things like that.


    A sudden realization hit her like a wrecking ball. ''But I already felt Mana once!'' She recalled the toughest and the saddest day of her life. Orisa tried to remember the feeling that ran through her body when she guided the calamity spell. ''Alright, I can do this! Perhaps..?''


    A throbbing, bursting sensation swept over Orisa''s stomach and went into her hands. The crystal exploded, bombarding people around her with shards. A lightning arc lashed out from her hands and struck poor Kanai, sending him into the wall.


    ''A shocking turn of events.'' Internal critic commented.


    Orisa''s vision became blurry, and she almost vomited, then fell on the mat powerless. ''Ugh, what... is going on?''


    "Are you fucking crazy?!" Captain Pain yelled, pressing something in his armlet. A few moments later a Healer entered the room and immediately went towards Kanai who was lying on the floor motionless.


    "-Lesser Status!-"


    "-Lesser Condition!-"


    He paused, analyzing Kanai''s situation. He looked at the Captain in a slight confusion, then shrugged and chanted:


    "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    "-Major Recovery!-"


    "-Major Mend!-"


    When the Healer finished with Kanai, the Captain asked him:


    "What''s with him?"


    "Major electrocution, some burned skin and tissue. Your training methods are always nice, Paulo."


    "That was not me, moron." He snapped. The Healer looked mildly surprised.


    "Go check that dumbass over there." Captain Pain pointed at Orisa.


    The Healer repeated the status magic, then took out a small potion and poured its contents into Orisa''s mouth.


    "Severe Mana exhaustion," he commented and stood up, "she is dry like... I don''t know. Anyway, I''m done. Stop killing kids, man." And so he left.


    Orisa was still feeling sick, but a fresh, cold sensation started to well up in her stomach, radiating pleasant waves all over her body.


    ''Now, if that''s not Mana, I don''t know what the Mana is.'' While still lying on the ground, she tried to grab this new feeling, and move it inside her body.


    She still held a piece of the crystal in her hand. It began to glow with bright light.


    "You either stop, like, right fucking now, or I knock you out, gal. Fucking Archmages." Captain Pain was fuming.


    ''Please, don''t bully me, Captain Pain-san!'' Orisa was happy.


    -


    Later this evening, Orisa moved to the boy''s room. She was still feeling weak and was left behind while the squad went to experience ''something special'' that Captain Pain promised.


    ''Poor Kanai, because of me, he was left behind, too.'' She wanted to apologize.


    Orisa knocked on the door and after a few seconds heard a weak ''Yes?''


    Boys'' room looked exactly the same - four beds, four nightstands, and that''s it. Kanai lay on his bed, staring into the ceiling.


    ''He looks like he... cried recently? Oh, man, really?''


    She sat on the edge of his bed and wanted to say something, but he started talking first:


    "What are you here for, to mock me? Yes, I know, how pathetic I am, thank you." His voice was barely audible and completely lacked any emotions. ''Looks like a person that gave up on everything. Damn, I so don''t want to deal with it. I already have Onuki on my hands¡­'' Alas, Orisa was physically unable to leave a person in need.


    "Kanai, I''m so sorry. It''s my fault that you were harmed, and now you are sitting here instead of being with the squad¡­"


    "I don''t care anymore. You''ve done what you were supposed to do. Now you can leave."


    She sighed. ''Why is everything so hard and complicated? Please, can I change a difficulty setting?'' She sighed again and steeled her resolve.


    "Look, Kanai..." she slowly said, taking his hand in both her hands, "I really don''t know what''s going on with you. But I''m sure everything is in the past and..."


    "In the past?!" He exploded. "How am I supposed to live like this?! You know nothing!" He pulled his hand away angrily and, after a moment, lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. Emotions quickly drained from his face.


    "Ok, well, you know what?" Orisa became angry, too. "I actually know a thing or two about troubles! I almost died on the third freaking day in this world!" She angrily hit the bed with her fist. "A person dear to me almost died, too! She had her entire hand bitten off!" Another angry hit. "I''m not even talking about the fact that I died the day I confessed my love!" Orisa slammed the bed with both hands. She paused, steadying her breath. When she looked up from the bed, she saw Kanai looking at her with interest.


    "I suppose..." He said slowly.


    "Well... What''s going on with you?"


    "I... I don''t want to... I just can''t, okay?" He bit his lower lip. "It just that I feel like a lame side character that will be eaten by his first ever monster." Hearing his reply, Orisa almost chocked.


    "Wow, nice foreshadowing, dude! Though, if I were you, I would not wear a red shirt from now on."


    Kanai chuckled weakly and made ''Live long and prosper'' sign.


    "You are from Earth, too?" He asked sheepishly. Orisa nodded with a bright smile and grabbed his hand again.


    "C''mon, I''ve got an idea."


    -


    She pulled him by the hand all the way. When they arrived, Captain Pain looked at her angrily, but before he was able to lash out, she quickly said:


    "Captain Pain, Sir, I deeply apologize for my previous failure!" She bowed down deeply. After waiting in this position for a few seconds, she straightened her back and continued. "I don''t deserve this, but, please, let Kanai participate!" She bowed down again.


    "Tch. Get into the queue. Both of you."


    Orisa rejoiced inside. ''Just as planned.''


    "By the way," she asked Iten who was still waiting in a queue, "what are we doing here, though?"


    "Presumably, they are going to measure our innate Strength, Magic, Spirit, and other characteristics."

 11 Twin Lightning Strike

    "I don''t want to repeat everything, so I''ll cut it short." Captain Pain started grumpily. "On the floor you''ll find a scheme with six scales, stand on it. The ritual will activate and, depending on your power each scale will fill to a certain number."


    Orisa and Kanai looked at each other and nodded. They even thought the same thing: ''Looks like a typical RPG.''


    "People usually have one or two dominant characteristics. These characteristics will help you to choose the type of training you''ll be focusing on. Characteristics will be written on your tag."


    Iten was the last in the queue, and he went inside a moment ago.


    "So, about the scale. New cadets usually get their values between one and nine. Getting four is okay. Getting five or six is really nice." He paused, looking intently at Orisa. "To get eight or nine at, say, Magic, means you are a prodigy, natural born archmage."


    Orisa shivered a little under his gaze. ''This foreshadowing is kind of too heavy, Cap. I know you expect a lot after today''s, ahem, shocking revelation, but...'' She was not sure what her stats would be. ''Things are looking to good to be true.''


    It was time for Kanai to go. People who went inside left from the other side of the room, to not stress those waiting in the queue.


    "What are the chances to get a bad combination?" Orisa asked, her hands sweaty and shaking.


    "It''s rare to get something not usable at all." He looked at Orisa questionably. "Why are you fretting so much?"


    ''Too many red flags, man!'' She just silently nodded.


    It was her turn.


    Inside the room, she found a big Seal engraved into the floor. Six scale lines around the Seal made it look like Sun. Numbers on the scale started at one and ended at fifty.


    There were six robed people inside the room.


    "Please, stand at the center of the Seal. Take your tag in both hands and wait."


    She followed the instructions and waited. ''Please, Lead Game Designer, let me have a good build, I beg you!''


    The ritual began. Six people chanted a spell:


    "-Lesser Destiny!-"


    The first scale with the word ''Strength'' at its base started to fill up. ''One... Two... Two? That''s it?'' Orisa was mildly annoyed.


    The second scale started to fill up. It measured Agility.


    Three marks were filled. ''Ugh. Well, mages don''t need it, right? Right..?''


    The third one, the Luck scale, began to glow.


    Four marks filled up. ''Well, at least something. I need to read more about the meaning of each characteristic.''


    It was time for the most important part - the Magic scale. Orisa held her breath. ''Please, God, please!''


    One mark. Two marks. Three marks. It stopped.


    ''Well, that''s it. Too many red flags. Guess, I''ll die.'' Orisa''s mood sank. ''Oh, what was I even expecting? C''mon, be realistic.''


    She was distracted from her depressed thoughts by loud gasps. Nine marks were filled on the Dexterity scale. Orisa was baffled. ''What is the meaning of this?''


    But she had no time to contemplate, the last scale started to glow. ''Oh, it''s time for Spirit.'' Orisa was curious. She had nothing to lose. One mark. Two marks. Four marks. Six, seven, eight marks.Nine marks.


    Ten marks.


    Twelve marks.


    Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen marks.


    There was a silence in the room.


    "Let me see your tag!" Finally, one of the people almost yelled, grabbing the tag from Orisa''s hands. "Sixteen¡­ There is no mistake¡­ Bring Cardello here!"


    Orisa was dumbfounded. The whole room was dumbfounded. A moment later Captain Pain entered the room. The man handed him Orisa''s tag. The Captain looked at it, then at Orisa, then back at the tag.


    ''Am I some kind of chosen one in the end?'' She thought in awe.


    "While the number is big by itself, there is nothing so special about it." Captain Pain said calmly, explaining the situation to casters. "She took part in a fight on her way to the camp. I think this is just the result of her participation."


    The casters looked at her, their faces calming down a little. "Yes, this must be the case. Anyway, the base level must be high, too." He looked at Orisa and handed her the tag. "You can go now."


    When Orisa went out, she saw her entire squad lively discussing their characteristics. Some were sad, others rejoiced. They all turned to look at Orisa, expecting to hear from her.


    ''And what should I say..?'' While she pondered her course of action, Captain Pain came out.


    "I''ll handle it." He said in a low voice and then went ahead.


    "So, now you have it. Congrats, and all that." He slowly clapped twice. "Now your real training begins. We''ll be holding private guidance meetings for everyone to discuss your future, your choices, and everything else." He made a long pause, looking across all squad members.


    "So, regarding cadet Orisa''s characteristics. As you all know, she was late to the party. Together with her guide, she was attacked by the beasts. As a result of that fight, some of her characteristics grew, and now they might look abnormal, for a fresh cadet, of course." He made a long pause.


    "We''ll be discussing the methods of growth later this week. Don''t expect her to be some kind of hero, her stat build is trash anyway."


    The Captain went away, leaving the squad disappointed by his revelation. Some people left, a few stayed to hear from Orisa about the attack.


    -


    In the end, only Iten stayed with Orisa, and they chatted a bit, before agreeing to go to the library together to read about characteristics sometime in the future.


    As they were heading to the campus, they saw a pair of peculiar characters. The first was a tall teenager in black metal plate armor. By his side walked an extremely short pink-haired girl in a frilly pink dress.


    ''Urgh, so pink and sweet. You can get diabetes just from one look at her.''


    When they were passing by, Orisa heard a quiet "Fiendfood scum." She abruptly stopped and turned around:


    "The fuck? What was that?"


    "Just calling things by their names, nothing more." The girl turned around and glared at Orisa mockingly.


    "Oh, that''s how it is?" Orisa''s blood boiled hard. She didn''t notice Iten''s hand on her shoulder and his attempt to stop her. "Not sure I should pay any attention to the victim of incest between a bag of sugar and a bucket of honey."


    The girl''s face became crimson. She stood there, quietly opening and closing her mouth. The boy by her side moved quickly and grabbed Orisa''s throat.


    "Last time was not enough for you, trash?" He whispered spitefully, squeezing her neck.


    "I suggest that you leave her right now." Iten said calmly, placing his hand on top of the boy''s forearm.


    "Or what?" The armored kid turned to Iten, releasing his grip. Orisa limply fell to the ground, coughing heavily. A sudden realization hit her.


    "Iten... It''s him... He threw me off the stairs." She said, still coughing. Her neck was red and bruised from the boy''s grip.


    "Or you will regret your poor life choices." Iten''s calmness turned into ice.


    The boy''s right fist flew toward Iten''s face, but he just leaned back slightly, and the fist missed its mark by an inch. Attacker''s left hand aimed at Iten''s face again, and he avoided the strike by slightly adjusting the hand''s path with a slap on the boy''s forearm.


    Despite his armor, the boy moved quickly and tried to kick Iten''s side in a swift motion with his right leg. Iten''s fist glowed with blue when it met the kick, and it was safely deflected.


    ''Woah, Iten is so cool.'' Orisa observed their exchange of blows in awe. A strange warm feeling spread over her chest.


    "I tried to go easy on you." The boy said, irritated. Suddenly his whole left hand glowed with red:


    "-Keysi Blow!-"


    In a swift Aikido motion, Iten made a small sidestep and grabbed the glowing hand, pushing the boy forward even more. The next moment he made another small step behind his opponent and kicked him under the knee. The boy fell on the knee, and Iten put the glowing hand behind the boy''s back, pressing him down even more.


    "How dare you touch my brother, you mongrel!" The sugar blob yelled. She immediately took a small pink rode out of her dress:


    "-Lesser Smite!-"


    A massive golden fist appeared above Iten''s head and smashed him into the ground. While the boy stood up, the shorty approached them.


    "-Lesser Smite!-"


    Another golden fist fell on Iten''s back. He groaned weakly.


    "What are you doing?! Are you insane?!" Orisa screamed, not knowing what to do. When she saw the girl raising her rod again, Orisa leaped over Iten, covering him with her body.


    "-Lesser Smite!-"


    And the pain arrived. It hurt so much that Orisa blacked out for a second. She was out of breath and couldn''t even move, so much it hurt.


    The girl stood by her brother''s side, towering above the pair.


    "Pathetic worms, how dare you even speak back to us, the noble and glorious vi Durek family!" She almost spat out the words.


    Orisa didn''t have time or strength to react when the girl kicked her in the face. Blood flowed from the broken nose, and Orisa screamed in pain.


    "That''s exactly how you should behave in front of a Noble, beastmeat!" She placed her feet on Orisa''s head and crushed it into the ground. Tears flowed from Orisa''s eyes.


    ''It hurts so much... What should I do..? What can I do..?''


    The girl stepped back a little and grabbed her brother''s hand.


    "I''m bored now. Please, brother, do something with this trash." Orisa heard the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. ''No... What..? Really..?'' She was too shocked to accept this reality.


    "As you wish."


    Orisa rolled on the ground in their direction, recalling the sensation she felt earlier today. When she hit their feet, she grabbed their legs and pushed that sensation into her hands.


    A lightning explosion followed. Orisa''s body rolled back and crashed into Iten. She vomited with blood. The pink girl fell on her back, her dress blackened and tattered. Her brother fell on one knee and groaned.


    "Now you''ve done it, bitch." He swung his sword and stepped in her direction.


    There was a clapping sound followed by a metallic bang and armored boy''s body flew away, rolling for at least ten meters. Orisa managed to turn her head and saw the guardian twins walking in their direction. The gun that one of the twins held glowed white. When they arrived, the second twin that carried a giant halberd leaned towards the girl and slapped her on the cheeks twice.


    "I say, you wake up, sugary ass, and piss off."


    "Ugh... What have you done to my dear brother, you monster?!" She screamed and ran towards him.


    "He will be okay, or so they say." Answered the first twin.


    "So, I say, shut your trap and get lost, kiddy." The second twin added.


    The twins stopped paying attention to them and turned to Orisa and Iten.


    "I say, we''ve made it on time." The second twin said.


    "A moment later and poof, or so they say." The first twin echoed.


    The second twin raised her halberd high above the head and plunged the pole into the ground.


    "-Warlord''s Order: Reinstatement!-"


    A green wave came out of the halberd and rolled around, covering both Orisa and Iten. Orisa felt her pain melt away and wounds close. Iten groaned and stood up.


    "Oh. Nana, Nene, thank you for your help."


    "I say, for you, honey, anything, anywhere, anytime."


    "No big deal, or so they say."


    Orisa felt better but still was unable to stand up. Iten noticed her struggle and leaned down:


    "Can you stand up? Does it still hurt somewhere?"


    "No... Mana... Probably?" That was all she managed to say.


    The first twin, Nana, pointed her rifle at Orisa:


    "-Shillien!-"


    Nana began to blow into the gun as if it was a pipe. A blue cloud came out of the gunpoint and moved into Orisa''s body. She immediately felt a familiar pleasant sensation filling her insides. Now she was able to stand up.


    "Thank you so much for your help." She said nasally and bowed down.


    "I say, don''t mention it. We are always glad to kick these pricks'' asses." The second twin replied, and the first just nodded silently.


    Iten furrowed his brow after Orisa''s reply and leaned much closer to her face.


    ''Whoah! So close! I can see my own reflection in his calm, blue eyes..! Wait... What am I even thinking, huh..?'' Her own mind confused her.


    In the meantime, Iten quickly grabbed Orisa''s nose and reset it.


    "Ouch!" She yelped, but then realized what he just did and thanked him.


    "Orisa, these are Twin Lightning Sisters, Nana vas Flamie, and Nene vas Flamie. Before you ask," Iten already knew Orisa quite well, "they are called Lightning Twins because of their silver hair, there is no story behind the name."


    "It''s a pleasure. I really wanted to meet you!" She said with a bright, though a little bloodied smile.


    -


    A little later, the four of them went to the campus. Nana discussed something with Iten, and Nene slowed Orisa down a bit and whispered into her ear:


    "Iten is mine, sweetie. I say, only look, no touch, or else hush-hush." She then skipped ahead, leaving the dumbfounded Orisa behind.


    -


    They didn''t notice Youko Satou watching them from a distance. She was squeezing her metal wand with a tense face.


    -


    Nobody noticed a figure hiding among the shadows. It watched them all leave and then disappeared into the night.

 12 Engineering life in another world, right?

    The next morning was their first full-fledged workout. Instead of the usual thirty minutes, it took more than three hours. They did a lot of exercises on uneven bars. Then there was a crawl under barbed wire, rope climbing, jumping and a lot more. When it was time for a break, most of the squad just fell on the ground, completely exhausted.


    "I told you before," Captain Pain shouted, "that was just the beginning. Now your real workouts have begun! So pull yourself together, wussies!" For some reason, he was thoroughly enjoying his job.


    "Get your asses up to the shower! You have two hours until the counseling session! Get up and move!"


    Weakly groaning, the squad stood up and went to the shower.


    -


    "I forgot to ask, what are your stats?" Orisa asked, washing Onuki''s back. As usual, they were together in the shower, helping each other.


    "Six in Magic, five in Agility and Dexterity, four in Luck."


    "Oh? Looks quite nice, I think." Orisa was a little jealous. Maybe not a little.


    "I don''t want to fight, anyway. Don''t think I can pull it off." Onuki''s voice was trembling.


    "Hopefully, they''ll send you to a crafting station or something, then."


    Orisa covered herself in a long towel and got out of the stall. She saw Iten heading to the lockers and quickly moved to catch up with him.


    "Iten! Iten, wait!"


    "Oh, Orisa? How are you? Is everything okay?" His voice was calm and smooth as usual.


    "Yes! Um... I''m really sorry about yesterday''s evening! I dragged you into that mess! It''s all my fault! I''m so sorry, and thank you for saving me!" She bowed down deeply. As she was about to straighten herself, the towel became untied by sudden movements and dropped on the floor.


    "Is this a part of your speech?" He asked with the same calm expression.


    "What?! No! No-no-no! Oh, god, why..." Orisa was crimson. She convulsively grabbed the towel and covered herself again. ''Is he a level one hundred harem protagonist or something?''


    Looking up from the floor, she saw Iten smiling slightly. ''He was joking! For the first time! Today, the world achieved something significant!''


    "Good," he continued, "I don''t want any more girls chasing after me, that''s not why we are here. Anyway, I''m glad I was able to help. And I hope our agreement on the library is still in place?"


    "Yes-yes, it sure is!"


    "Great. Okay, see you at the counseling session."


    -


    After lunch, the squad arrived into an already familiar gym where they did their first Mana training. Both Captain Pain and Youko Satou greeted them.


    "As you''ve been told, today we''ll be doing a counseling session. The topic is your characteristics and possible future." Youko started the session.


    "But that''s not the only reason you are gathered here, pups.You''ll continue your Mana training in the meantime. And no bullshit." The Captain looked at Orisa angrily.


    "Yes. We will start the training, and then you''ll be called one by one into the office for your guidance. The first to go will be people who don''t need my help with their path." Youko continued.


    "And when you are done," Captain Pain raised his voice, "you''ll come back here and quietly, and I repeat, quietly continue your training. Is this clear?"


    "Crystal clear, Captain Pain!"


    "Good. Miss Satou, send me the first one whenever you are ready." The Captain left the gym.


    Youko took out a box filled with crystals and started handing them out, two crystals for every cadet.


    "Mana control is not only about guiding your Mana to your hands." She began the lecture. "Mana control is about many different things. Shape your Mana."


    She formed a shield-like object around her right hand.


    "Change its element." On the palm of her outstretched hand appeared a globe of Mana. Next moment it burned, creating a small fireball. She clutched her fist, and the fireball changed into an electrical knife.


    While keeping the knife in her right hand, she stretched out the left hand. After a moment, another lightning knife appeared. She showed it to the class and then changed its element to fire.


    "Guide it into different places. Change it simultaneously and into different forms." She finished with a satisfied look on her face. The squad sat in awe.


    "Miss Satou, a question." Iten raised his hand and continued after the nod from Youko. "How can a close-range fighter benefit from this technic?"


    "Good question." She grabbed a shield and a sword from the stand. The sword immediately inflamed. "Fire attacks are effective against most Wavespawn." She then lowered the sword and moved the shield to the front. "Though, they are not as good for defense. But that thing is effective." Her shield started to sparkle, releasing occasional lightning arcs in every direction. "You can shock or even stun a weak Wavespawn with a lightning shield when guarding. There are other methods, of course, but I''m not a close-range fighter."


    "By the way, Miss Satou, what is your specialty?" Orisa asked, curious.


    "Counter-magic, weakening magic." She said calmly. "But on a low level, I can do almost anything." Seeing as there were no more questions, she continued. "Your today''s lesson is to guide Mana into different crystals."


    "The first step is," She continued after a small pause, "to light both crystals at the same time. Next, you will need to light only right and only left crystal. And the last step - constantly switch between them, lighting the right, the left and then both of them."


    -


    ''I will conquer this power of mine! This time I will control it and properly guide it.''


    The first thing Orisa did with her crystals was a recall of her lightning sensation. It rose up in her stomach and moved into her hands. Both crystals sparkled and immediately exploded.


    Youko raised one eyebrow and gave her two other crystals.


    ''Or maybe not...''


    Orisa calmed down and tried to recreate the sensation she felt during Mana transfer. A fresh, cold sensation that radiated pleasantly all over her body. She was extremely focused. People began to leave the room to get the consultation, but Orisa saw nothing, noticed nothing.


    Slowly, bit by bit she recalled that feeling. She felt it running through her stomach, through her legs and hands, across the lungs. And in the heart. It was everywhere.


    ''How was I able to never notice it before? It''s right here, it''s everywhere!'' She mused.


    When Orisa opened her eyes, she saw Toatre happily blinking some strange rhythm with her crystals. Iten carefully lighted one crystal and, after a few seconds of concentration, the second one. Few other people managed to ignite at least one.


    Some more time passed, and Youko left the room. Orisa managed to light both crystals, but it was too hard to choose one of them. ''Huh, I can do both now, why is it so hard to do just one?'' She felt a constant flow of Mana like it was a river. ''To block the flow in one hand? How can I do it?'' Block the flow... Deny it... Turn it off... Yes, turn it off!''


    Orisa made both crystals glow, then imagined a switch in her left wrist, felt Mana pass through it. Saw how the switch connected her forearm to her palm. And then she flipped the switch off. Left crystal stopped glowing. She also felt that her hand lost this cold and pleasant sensation.


    ''Holy crap, I made it!''


    "Okay, class, we are done for today." Said Youko from the doorframe. "You can leave now. Remember, the squad leader testing and interview will be held tomorrow."


    Orisa lost her sense of time; it was already past 8 PM. The squad members began to leave.


    "Orisa, come with me." Youko went away, and Orisa quickly followed her.


    They entered a small room with a table and four seats. One of them was occupied by the Captain. The atmosphere was heavy.


    ''I''m totally screwed, right?'' She thought to herself.


    "So, regarding your stats." Captain Pain began. "As you may have guessed, you have two prominent characteristics. Them being Spirit and Dexterity." Orisa quietly nodded. "We haven''t talked about their meaning yet to prevent cadets from jumping to wrong conclusions."


    "Dexterity is useful for fighters. It boosts precision and concentration. It also helps you manage your Mana better." Seeing Orisa''s confused look, Youko explained further. "People with low Dexterity can only do basic things with their Mana. They can''t make complex flows, and their Mana usage is slow and clunky at best."


    "The main aspect of Spirit characteristic is the amount of Mana you have, and its recovery speed. Another thing high Spirit allows is Mana manipulation and Mana transformation. Like my electric knife, for example."


    "So, to put it simply, you''ll have a lot of Mana, and you''ll probably be able to control it well." Interjected the Captain. "But you have no Magic and Agility, so your spells will be weak and slow. You have no Strength to be a fighter or archer."


    "And for support magic, you''ll need much more Luck. So that mostly leaves us with crafting and engineering professions." Finished Youko.


    "I understand." Orisa said in a calm, even voice. Her world was slowly crumbling apart. ''What is the point of me being reborn here if my build is trash?''


    "So... We recommend you to focus on reading about Mana engineering in your free time. We''ll introduce you to local masters, too." Youko finished reluctantly, a painful look on her face.


    "I won''t be able to fight at all? What is the point of all this training, then?" Orisa asked.


    "There is a point. And you''ll be able to do something, we''ll think of a way for you to pass all the tests. They are mandatory, anyway." Captain Pain said with a guilty expression.


    "I understand. Thank you for your help, I will be in your care." Orisa replied blandly, stood up, bowed and left the room.


    "Poor girl, she already had a lot happen to her, and now this." Said Captain Pain suddenly.


    -


    Orisa sat on a bench, brooding over her re-life when she heard footsteps.


    "Orisa. Want to have a walk?" Rakasha said expectantly.


    She gave him a long look, questioning his motives. Then she remembered Toatre and her story.


    ''Oh my, this will be FUN.'' Thanks to her, Orisa already knew what to expect from Rakasha. ''But, well, thanks for the nice distraction, O Merciful God of this world.'' She then cleared her throat and began:


    "Ok, listen," She said sternly, "I''m not going to have sex with you, okay?"


    "Why?" This question made Orisa think for a moment.


    "Because I don''t like men." She chose a save option in the end.


    "Oh. Understood." Rakasha turned and was about to leave when Orisa called him.


    "But if you want to talk, I''m okay." She really needed a distraction.


    He pondered her invitation and then sat by her side.


    "And, Rakasha, I don''t think you should wander around, asking girls for service." She said in the same stern voice.


    "Why?" This question made Orisa think even more.


    "Because it''s for people who are close to each other. It''s a personal matter in most cases. At first, people talk. They get to know each other better. Then they might start to like each other. And later, much later, they might do the deed." She paused, thinking about the last part. "But in rare cases, yes, some girls would like to have sex and nothing more."


    "How complicated."


    They sat in silence for some time. Then Rakasha finally said with a frustrated voice:


    "I don''t understand you, humans. You have an enormous desire that can''t be quenched, and yet you complicate things this much." He paused, looking at his feet and clenching his fists. "In me world, everything was simple. We had a mating season, where everyone knew what they needed to do. And outside of that, we lived our lives in peace."


    Orisa felt the anger radiating from him.


    "But here... Me now have this!" He pointed to his crotch. "Every morning it is shouting to me. Every time me see a female it is shouting to me. No matter what me do! Me hate it, this body, this world, everything!"


    "I understand how you feel." She said in a pitying voice.


    "Really? Females feel the same?" Rakasha was surprised.


    ''Oh fuck, what am I saying!?'' She panicked, looking for a way to smooth things and lead the conversation away.


    "Well, I can imagine how hard it is..."


    "Me see. Okay, me go to sleep. Good night." Rakasha stood up.


    "Wait. I''m not sure this will work out, but try talking to Mira. She might help you."


    "Me thank you, friend." He nodded and went away.


    -


    ''Well, that didn''t help at all. What should I do now? Time to give up?''


    She pondered the question. Her plan was to dive into the library, but did she have enough time? ''Reading every book in search of something? I don''t even know what to look for. So how am I supposed to find an answer, if I don''t even know the question?''


    She sat on the bench, lost and empty. ''I wish Rita was here... Wait, Rita!'' Orisa dashed to her dorm to get a pen and papers.


    -


    "Dear Rita, how are you? I hope your hand is well and you are all right yourself. I''m sorry for delaying the letter for that long, but I think you know how hectic it is here.


    Many things happened, mostly bad, but some of them good, too.


    I''ll write about them down below. But before that, I need to talk to you about a pressing matter. Today we had a meeting about characteristics.


    So, dear Rita, I''m in deep shit..."


    -


    Close to midnight, someone knocked on the Captain''s door. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then a hoarse ''Come in'' followed. When the door closed behind the visitor, Captain Pain raised his eyes from the papers he was reading and asked in an irritated tone:


    "What do you need, kid?"

 13 This has turned into a difficult situation

    When the door closed behind the visitor, Captain Pain raised his eyes from the papers he was reading and asked in an irritated tone:


    "The hell do you need, kid?"


    He sat in a big chair, reading some papers. Mira Rahna was shocked to see him wear small round glasses. She stood there in surprise, and the Captain decided to ask again:


    "What is it, girl?"


    "I want to be the squad leader." She said bluntly, collecting herself.


    "I want to be a unicorn princess, so what?"


    "Make me the leader. You can do it, I know!" She flushed with tension and embarrassment.


    "And why should I do that?" His irritation was palpable.


    Mira made a few steps in his direction and removed her shirt. Underneath were her bare breasts, jiggling up and down with her every move. She paused, and then began to slowly lower her pants.


    "I see." The Captain''s irritation quickly disappeared. "Ok, I heard you. Now, take your clothes and get the fuck out of here."


    Mira was perplexed, her face now scarlet. She tried to cover her chest with both hands but forgot about the pants, so they fell on the floor, revealing her bushy triangle.


    "What?! Why?!" Her voice trembled with anger and embarrassment.


    "Are you dumb or something? If I slept with every kid who offered me her body for some special treatment, I would have died from exhaustion thirty years ago or something." He laughed hard, shaking his head. "Now, as I said, get your clothes and piss off."


    He adjusted the glasses and turned back to his papers, no longer paying any attention to Mira and her struggle.


    Mira was fuming. She angrily grabbed her shirt from the floor, pulled up her already downed pants and stormed away.


    -


    Next morning, before their workout, Orisa stood at the post office room.


    "I''m sorry, I need to send a letter. It is urgent if there are any options available."


    "We can send it via train. It will take somewhere between one and three days." A middle-aged man in round glasses replied indifferently. "We can send it via Managraph, if the recipient is a military member. It will take somewhere between one and three hours. If the recipient is not a military member, it will take somewhere between four and twelve hours and incur additional costs."


    "Managraph, then." Orisa handed him the letter. It turned out long, four pages. The clerk took it, unfolded the pages and skimmed through them quickly before saying:


    "This will be 24 mids."


    Orisa was baffled. ''24 mids is more than half of the money Rita gave me!''


    "Why... is it so expensive?"


    "Full page costs 6 mids via Managraph. You can send it via train. It will cost you 48 mins."


    She bit her lip. ''Can I afford the wait? It''s either three days or half of my money.''


    "I''ll take the Managraph."


    -


    After lunch, they had a squad leader selection test.


    "The squad leader will manage internal affairs of the squad," Began Captain Pain, "he will be in charge of getting orders, tasks and deliver will them to the squad. Discipline, scheduling, assignments, there are other responsibilities. Being the squad leader comes not only with more work but with benefits, too. Like a small salary, access to additional features in the library, infirmary, canteen. Being the squad leader is a respected, but difficult job that not many people can do."


    Everyone in the room looked thoughtful.


    "We''ll consider not only your written tests but your personality and abilities, too. Now, turn up your papers and begin."


    The first block of questions was about the structure of the military. Then there were questions about laws, geography and many other things. Four pages later Orisa found free-form questions.


    ''1. Describe each of your squad members with less than 10 words.''


    She was vaguely familiar with all of them, but this was not enough to give a description. ''Okay, then I''ll write about people I know, and that''s it. Iten, Onuki, Kanai, Toatre, Rakasha, Mira.''


    ''2. In less than 25 words describe why do you want to be the squad leader.''


    Deep in thought, Orisa chewed on her pen. ''Why do I want to be the squad leader..? Why do I want to... Do I want to?'' She came to a more important question. A memory of her previous life surfaced. She recalled every time she volunteered and got screwed because of that. ''How many times I regretted being in charge? How many time I dreamed about being a subordinate of a more competent leader?''


    ''3. Would you like to recommend someone for this position?''


    ''That''s an easy one.'' Orisa filled the answer and handed the papers to Captain Pain.


    "Good. Now, go to Miss Satou for Mana training class." As Orisa went away, the Captain reviewed her papers.


    1. I don''t want to be the squad leader.


    2. Iten Yada.


    The Captain chuckled, folding the papers back.


    -


    Orisa finished her dinner after the Mana training session was over and went for a short stroll.


    An infuriated Mira grabbed her forearm and turned her around.


    "What do you think you are doing?!" She almost screamed.


    "Huh..? What... are you talking about?"


    "Don''t play dumb, you bitch!" Now she started to yell. "Do you think I''m some slut or something?!"


    It took Orisa few seconds to understand the situation. ''It seems, mistakes were made.'' Again and again, Orisa was screwed by her noble ideas.


    "Are you talking about Rakasha?" Mira just glared at her without a reply, so Orisa continued. "Listen, I, of course, don''t think anything bad of you. But a few days ago you said yourself something like ''I want to ride a hot guy'' or something..."


    "It was a fucking joke!"


    "Was it..?" Orisa was puzzled.


    "Oh, fuck off, bitch, go to hell." Mira turned around and stormed away.


    Orisa helplessly sank on the closest bench.


    ''Why is this happening to me?'' But she already knew the answer.


    -


    She sat on the bench for quite some time, brooding over the past few days. Her future looked grim. No guarantee that Rita would be able to help. And now this thing happened.


    "What are you so gloomy about?" Asked Onuki in a cheery tone. Orisa let out a long sigh.


    "I messed up."


    "C''mon, let''s have a walk, and you''ll tell me everything."


    Together with Onuki, they were walking in the park, holding hands like they usually do. Orisa stopped questioning Onuki habit since it was not bothering her anyway.


    She told Onuki about her ordeal with Mira, but she just waved it away with no concern at all.


    "Mira is always looking to blame someone over something. The day is ruined for her without any conflict or argument. Don''t worry; she''ll forget everything in a day or two."


    ''I''d like to know more about that episode in the shower, but how to ask and not harm her?'' This question she was pondering for quite some time, but didn''t know how to approach.


    The park was big and complex. Aside from the central valley, all other roads were narrow and winding, separated from each other with a tall and dense hedge. They created a complex maze with a lot of secluded spots where people could hide and do all sorts of things.


    It was dark, and illumination in the park was scarce. As they walked, they occasionally heard fragments of talks, giggling, and even moans.


    "How was your consultation?" Orisa asked


    "As expected. Battle mage, Healer or Support." Onuki replied in a dead voice.


    "I''m sorry. Have you asked about being a craftsman or an engineer?"


    "They said that I can do whatever I want in my free time, and additional skills are always welcome. But if I''m able to fight, I need to fight."


    "In the worst case scenario, you can leave the military. But I was advised against it by the person I really trust."


    "That''s what I''m thinking about right now. But I think I''ll be fine, as long as I''m with you." Onuki squeezed Orisa''s hand.


    They walked, looking into the sky, diving deeper into the park''s maze.


    "You seem very close to Iten," Onuki said casually, "I can see you two together quite often. Are you dating?"


    "Huh? No, of course not. He is a friend, maybe even less than a friend. He helped me a few times and saved my ass, but I don''t feel any interest coming from him. Plus, I heard, he is already taken."


    "What a pity." Onuki giggled.


    "No, not really." As Orisa thought about, the idea made her shiver. ''I don''t think any relationships will work with this body of mine. Me dating girls is weird, and dating boys is gross.''


    For some time they strolled in silence, making one turn after another. As they were passing by a small hedge booth with a bench inside, Onuki pulled Orisa there and removed her own glasses.


    ''She must be tired.'' Orisa thought, glad to rest a little, too.


    Suddenly, Onuki hugged Orisa''s waist and pulled her closer. Their lips met. Onuki''s lips felt a bit rough and dry. Kisses went one after another, not giving Orisa any time to think.


    Something wet and hot slipped inside Orisa''s mouth, searching for her tongue. At the same time, Onuki lowered her hands from Orisa''s waist to her butt and squeezed it, pulling her even closer.


    Orisa''s legs became weak, and she felt incredibly hot between them. Her mind started to slip away.


    ''What are you doing? Out of your mind?'' For some reason, the internal critic''s voice sounded angry.


    ''What... what... am I doing? Yes. This is wrong!'' She was able to return to her senses at the same time as Onuki'' hand squeezed her nipple.


    "Wait... Onuki, please, wait." Orisa slowly pushed her away. Onuki''s face was red, her eyes glittered.


    "What..? Why?" Onuki was perplexed.


    "I... I don''t... Look, I''m..." Her mind was still hazy, and Orisa was at loss of words.


    "I like you! I thought you liked me, too!"


    "I like you, but I''m not sure how... I mean, I... It''s all so complicated, I''m sorry, I..."


    "You are so messed up." Tears rained down Onuki''s cheeks. She bit her lip and stormed away.


    "Wait! No¡­ Let me explain¡­" But it was too late.


    Orisa slowly slipped to the ground. Tears started to well in her eyes. ''Please, give me a break... I can''t go on like this. Please, I beg you, whoever you are. Give me a break.''


    -


    When Orisa got back to the dorm, Onuki was already in her bed.


    "Onuki, can we talk?" Orisa said sheepishly but got no answer.


    She bit her lip, feeling a large specter of emotions - shame, regret, guilt, disappointment in herself.


    At that moment the door opened, and Mira entered. Orisa turned to her:


    "Mira, I''m really sorry about all that, please-"


    "Fuck off, bitch." She snapped and went to her bed, pushing Orisa away.


    Orisa sat on her bed, hugging her knees. She felt lonely, vulnerable, cornered. As if the entire world was against her.


    ''Why is this happening to me?''


    Toatre curiously observed the situation. After thinking of something she said in a deep voice:


    "Things come, and then they go away. Yesterday''s quarrel will be today''s laughter and tomorrow''s memory." She stood up to turn off the light when someone knocked on the door.


    Toatre returned in a minute and handed Orisa an envelope.


    "A letter for you, Orisa. Urgent."


    "Thank... you, Toatre."


    Orisa took the envelope carefully and looked at the sender.


    ''From:


    Stronoff Rita


    Arrival Chamber 71


    To:


    Orisa


    ATC 13


    Squad 71-17-14''


    Not wasting a single second Orisa tore its side and pulled out a stack of nine pages.


    ''Dear Orisa. Thank you, I''m all well, though I really miss you. Things are looking grim on your end. It seems that your journey in this world will be a rocky one, to say the least. You had a hard time, and now it''s difficult for you too, and in the future, it will probably be even harder.


    But do not despair. I''m here, I''m with you and for you, and I will do whatever I can to support you.


    I won''t promise you an easy way. I won''t even say that it will work out. It might not, so don''t put your hopes up too much. But I have an idea, and, you will be surprised, it has something to do with me and my past.


    So here is what you should start with..."


    As Orisa read the letter, tears fell from her eyes. Tears that were meant to be of sadness now were tears of relief. There was someone who cared about her. She was not alone.


    "I will beat you, world."

 14 If I need, I will cheat!

    In the morning it became evident that neither Onuki nor Mira would talk to Orisa any time soon. While it pained her a lot, Orisa decided to focus on her immediate problems - the research in the library, and training in various disciplines. There was a lot to search for, and much more to do.


    The task that had no guarantee of bringing success looked enormous. Orisa was intimidated by its size and complexity and demotivated by the probability of no result at all.


    ''Gotta start with something, or I''ll go crazy.'' She said and went away.


    -


    At the beginning of a short Mana control session with Miss Satou, she told the squad about their schedule:


    "The next three days, counting today, you''ll have no classes aside from daily Mana control training with me. We are giving you some time to let you learn more about your path, your choices and your future." She paused, giving the squad a stern look. "Use this time wisely. If you choose poorly or didn''t understand some important parts of your career, you''ll hinder and endanger your future, and ruin your life."


    In the middle of the training session, Orisa felt a familiar sensation of an immaterial object passing through her. ''Another Wave. How often does this happen? Every four days?''


    "Miss Satou," She asked in the end, "we haven''t exactly learned what the Waves are, can you tell us more?"


    "There is not much to tell. Waves occurred from time immemorial. When the Wave occurs, the Wavespawn appear all over the continent. The closer the place is to the center of the Cataclysm, the more beasts appear. They are aggressive, strong and cunning."


    "They have two important features that distinguish them from ordinary animals. First, when they kill enough people or other beasts, they evolve into more powerful creatures. Evolved beast is at least ten times stronger than the normal one."


    Orisa raised her hand with a question:


    "Miss Satou, can they evolve more than once?"


    "Yes. Fortunately, this happens rarely. Twice evolved beast is a threat even under a lantern, and usually requires tens or even hundreds of people to kill." She paused to grab a cup of water. "There was one documented case of a thrice evolved beast. This happened more than two hundred years ago. On that day humanity lost its most advanced and well-defended bastion."


    "The second feature of the Wavespawn is their crystallized Mana core, which they usually leave upon death. This item contains an enormous amount of Mana and can be used as a Mana source. It can also be used in crafting or engineering and will provide a variety of special effects based on the beast it came from."


    "How valuable is this crystal core?" Asked Kanai suddenly.


    "It depends on a lot of factors. Usually, you can leave a week or two leisurely with a common core. With an evolved core, well, it''s hard to say, the market for them is quite special. But I suppose it''s enough for a year."


    Orisa was deep in thought for the rest of the training.


    -


    Maria Osterreich enforced a strict regime in her library. She would resort to a silencing spell if needed. People were allowed to talk only in hushed voice. The silence was golden.


    "To sum your detailed explanation up, you are asking me to give you the list of all the books in my library so you can memorize them?" She said in a deep voice.


    "Yes, Miss Osterreich," Orisa said sheepishly, "if it is possible, I would love to have the list. It will help me immensely."


    "I''ll see what I can do."


    Orisa was not sure she would be able to memorize them all even with the help of Concentration potion. ''Well, if not all, I''ll remember at least some of them, anyway.'' She had ambitious plans for her library time.


    She occupied one of the tables and unpacked her stuff - Rita''s letter, pen and paper, potion. The paper already contained a draft list of what she needed to research:


    ''Step one: look into specializations that can utilize huge Mana pool and precise Mana control and flow.


    Step two: find exercises that will help to develop Mana control and Mana flow outside of classes.


    Step three: learn more about crafting and Mana engineering (helps with Mana control and concentration).''


    This list was the result of repeated reading of Rita''s letter. Basically, her idea was to cover Orisa''s weaknesses with excessive Mana usage. Some skills and methods, being rare and unorthodox, allowed to pour an unlimited amount of Mana to empower their effects. Those methods were unpopular, to say the least, as there was no point in using five times more Mana to get two times more power out of your skill.


    ''Rita promised to tell me more when I will be ready, so I need to cover the basics as soon as I can.'' she though, stroking the Concentration potion.


    -


    "Orisa, I am sorry, have you been waiting?" Iten pulled Orisa out of her thoughts with a slightly apologetic tone.


    "Don''t worry, Iten, I''m totally fine."


    "I brought Kanai with me. He looked like he needed assistance, too."


    "Good day, Orisa. I will be intruding on you, please, take care of me." Kanai bowed slightly and smiled shyly.


    "Oh, were you screwed by the counseling session, too?"


    Kanai nodded, and his usual depressed look returned to his face.


    "Don''t worry," Orisa said cheerily, "we''ll think of something together. So, what''s your story?"


    Kanai let out a long sigh.


    "I have 7 in Magic and Luck, but no Agility and Dexterity. Miss Satou said that I wouldn''t be able to do any proper combat magic. It''s highly unlikely that I would master anything beyond basic magic because of low Dexterity. And even if I could, their casting time would be too long to use in combat without Agility."


    "I see¡­" While his situation was not as bad as Orisa''s, she still felt sorry for him. "I''ll ask my friend next time I''ll talk to her. She might advise something."


    Kanai nodded and smiled weakly, settling down on a chair.


    "By the way, Orisa," Iten asked, "what is this potion?"


    "Oh, this? It''s a Concentration potion that my friend gave me. It helps to memorize things easier and learn faster. It also increases your concentration and sharpens senses."


    "Sounds quite useful, why don''t we use them every day?"


    "Miss Satou said they are insanely expensive." Orisa shrugged apologetically. Iten looked thoughtful for a moment and said in a slightly displeased tone:


    "Then, isn''t it cheating?"


    Orisa was baffled by his question. ''What do you mean? I almost died on my third day here and was late for the classes and my build is crap! And we are not on exams! Are you out of your freaking mind?!'' But it was Iten, she didn''t want to ruin her relationship with him, too, so she limited her reply:


    "In my current situation, if I need, I will cheat."


    "Guys, maybe we should start?" Kanai interjected, reading the mood.


    "Right, thank you. I planned to start with in-depth stat descriptions and then look for specializations or skills I might use. What about you?" Orisa quickly switched back to a productive mood.


    "I thought about looking into Waves." Said Iten.


    "I''m not even sure where to begin..." Kanai muttered uneasily.


    "Okay, then Iten will follow his plan." Orisa looked at Kanai thoughtfully. "As for you, I''ll keep in mind your problem while looking for mine. If you are okay with that, please find some books on exercises for Mana control and Mana flow. And about basic crafting and Mana engineering, too."


    Both Kanai and Iten went to look for the books, and Orisa made a sip from the potion bottle. The world around her became brighter and sharper. She dived into her notes and a moment later heard approaching footsteps.


    "I need you to return this by the evening." Maria Osterreich handed her a sturdy notebook. Inside it were the names and positions of every book in the library.


    "Thank you very much, Miss Osterreich!" Instead of a reply, Maria put a finger to her own mouth, gesturing ''Quiet!'', and walked away.


    ''Now we are talking!'' Orisa was excited.


    -


    A few hours had passed. The trio dug out a lot of new information and ideas, and exchanged plenty of observations. It was Kanai''s turn to lecture them:


    "If I understood all this correctly then crafting and Mana engineering are almost the same and at the same time entirely different."


    Kanai cheered quite a lot while studying in the library. His constant depression retreated for the time being.


    "They both use the Seals to empower items. Crafting is the process of enchanting an item with permanent effects via Ensealing." He pulled out a paper and started drawing.


    "Ensealing is when you use the Seals to add properties of the reagents to the item. For example, you have a shield and a fire beast core. If you use this core with the ''Resist'' seal, your shield will get a heat resistance. Use the ''Aura'' seal instead, and it will start burning. Probably, more or less, I think, maybe?"


    They then learned that Mana engineering used the Seals for a different purpose. One needs to paint the Seals on an item using Mana ink. When the user infuses these Seals with his own Mana, they begin to provide their effects. Illumination on the streets or inside buildings was a simple example - lamps used the ''Light'' seal and got Mana from the Mana crystals inside them. Another example was Managuns.


    "Basically," Orisa decided to sum up the explanation, "crafting is when you use resources to create an item, and engineering when you add effects which are supported by user''s Mana?"


    "Yes!" Kanai cheered up even more, seeing that his explanation helped. "Also, two important things. First, you can do both on the same item. Second, great Mana control is required for crafting. So it works the other way around - by crafting you can improve your Mana control."


    "Great work, Kanai!" Orisa nodded while taking notes. She already used five pages, filling them with ideas, exercises, skills and such. Kanai was beaming with happiness.


    "I think it''s time to for dinner." Iten said and stood up.


    "Sorry, I''ll have to skip it. I won''t be able to withstand the noise." Orisa said apologetically. Iten and Kanai nodded and left, taking their belongings with them.


    -


    In the end, she found two ''professions'' and one general direction to follow. The first profession was the Beast Tamer. The innate ability of the Beast Tamers allowed them to take the Wavespawn under direct control by overpowering their Magic core with Mana.


    The second profession, Orisa could have guessed it, was the Tome Sage. Innate ability permits them the usage of the Tomes, rare books written with Mana ink.


    ''Both professions are based on the innate talent. Lucky me, I have none.''


    Orisa was pondering her last option when with her sharpened senses she noticed a dialogue that was going on for quite some time.


    "You are distracted again, Ramulie. Stop glaring at that creature." The voice was rather cold and belonged to a girl.


    "I can''t! This mongrel attacked us and got away with it." Another girl''s voice was quite familiar to Orisa. ''Sugar blob, is that you?''


    "It matters not. They all will probably be a beast''s meal by the end of the month. Now, focus on your study."


    "Yes~!"


    -


    The library closed at 9 PM, so Orisa had around an hour before sleep. She didn''t want to go back to the dorm because of the atmosphere there and also wanted to try the exercises she dug out.


    She entered a familiar gym room, four bottles of water in her hands. The original exercise was ''Six bottles'', but she decided to start with four.


    Orisa settled down on the floor. Two bottles were in her hands and two other bottles she touched with her bare feet. The goal of the training was to start with one Mana infused bottle and then move this Mana from one bottle to another through own body.


    The Concentration potion was still in effect, so Orisa was able to grasp the basics rather quickly. She already managed to move the Mana the bottles in her hands. Feet were trickier, but she was still in high spirits. ''I''m moving forward. I''ll be able to fight! Probably..?''


    -


    The door to the gym opened, and a girl came inside. It was a blonde girl of average height dressed in an expensive caster''s robe. She held a well-decorated battle mage staff. For a split second her beautiful and refined face displayed a surprise that quickly changed into repulsion.


    "What are you doing here, fiendfood?" Chill radiated from her.


    The girl''s appearance was vaguely familiar to Orisa, but the voice she immediately recognized - she heard it in the library today. Orisa''s mood was too good to ruin it by argument, so she decided to play along.


    "I''m training, as you can probably see," she said in an innocent tone, "and what are you doing here?"


    "This is my spot." She said in a slightly offended tone.


    In Orisa''s memory a certain TV show flashed, in which one of the characters was unhealthily attached to his spot on the sofa. She imagined the girl on the said sofa and giggled.


    "Anyway, a creature like you don''t need training. No point, you''ll be-" She continued but was interrupted by Orisa halfway through:


    "- a beast''s meal by the end of the month. Yeah, yeah, I heard that already."


    Orisa returned to her training, leaving the girl perplexed. Some time passed before the girl collected herself and finally said:


    "Why are you not leaving?"


    "Because I''m training, dummy. By the way, what does that ''fiendfood'' mean?" Orisa knew the answer but wanted to hear it from the girl.


    "Stop talking to me at once, creature." The girl closed the door, went into the far corner of the room and began her training.


    ''I don''t know why, but her attitude just looks funny and cute.'' Orisa chuckled and returned to her own training, feeling even better now. ''Maybe I don''t care about her behavior because I''m actually thirty-three and she is just a stupid, spoiled kid?''


    For some time they trained in silence. By the end of the Concentration potion, Orisa managed to move Mana between all four bottles. ''Just barely, but I can do it!'' She was about to stand up and leave when she glanced at the corner.


    And she was mesmerized by the view.


    The girl held the staff horizontally with both hands. At one end of the staff, a fireball burned, and at the other end was an electric sphere. She spun the staff several times, leaving the spells frozen in the air. Next, she somehow reconnected the staff to the spells and spun them all together. Amid the spin, she swapped the fireball and the sphere with each other. After that, she stopped the staff and spun only the spells.


    "Woah... Amazing!"


    The girl was all sweaty, wet hair stuck to her face, and she looked tired.


    "How are you doing all this?" Orisa asked, unable to restrain her curiosity.


    "Don''t talk to me, creature." She stopped and breathed heavily.


    "I''m Orisa, nice to meet you, too." Orisa was clearly having a lot of fun despite being under the backlash of the Concentration potion.


    The girl just ignored her and stared into the distance thoughtfully.


    "By the way, your little sugary friend lied to you. We haven''t attacked them or anything. It was them who insulted us and then attacked." Orisa said while getting up.


    "Speak properly to a Noble, then." The girl said in a cold tone.


    "Speak properly to a human, then." Replied Orisa and went away.


    "You are no human, fiendfood." The girl muttered when the door closed. She bit her lip and slumped to the floor, trying to hold down her tears.

 15 A New Hope

    Before the training session, she went to send another letter to Rita. This one was way shorter, less than one page, she cut it as much as possible.


    At the Mana training class, both Youko Sato and Captain Pain were present.


    "We will start with an announcement." Youko began. "After carefully reading all your answers and taking into consideration your personal traits we decided on the squad leader position."


    "From now on your squad leader is Iten Yada." Finished Captain Pain.


    ''Nice! Iten is reliable that''s for sure.'' Orisa was glad, so she started clapping her hands. The squad followed her. Iten adjusted his non-existent glasses, stood up and bowed to the teachers, and then to the squad.


    "I will do my best. Thank you for your trust."


    "After taking into consideration a lot of things we decided to appoint a deputy squad leader, in case Iten is unavailable." Youko continued suddenly. "We decided to choose a deputy from the female''s part of the squad."


    "So, the deputy squad leader will be-" the Captain started


    ''Oh crap, please, no, not me!'' Orisa felt a setup. ''No-no-no, not like this, don''t want!''


    "-will be Mira Rahna."


    ''Huh... what? Mira? Really? Well, it''s not me, so it''s okay.''


    The squad started clapping again, but less enthusiastically. Mira stood up and bowed slightly, eyeing the Captain for some reason. He showed a wide grin and clapped twice.


    "I hope you are using your free time wisely." Youko reminded in a stern voice. "If you screw up, there won''t be a second chance. Now, let''s start our practice."


    -


    When Orisa arrived at the library, the boys were already there, reading.


    "Hey, guys, sorry for the wait. First of all, Iten, I''m so glad for you, congratulations! I think you''ll be a great squad leader!"


    "Thank you. I hope to meet your expectations." His voice was calm and even, as always. "I planned to go to the closed part of the library since I now have access. Would you like me to look for something there?"


    "Awesome idea! Let me think..." Orisa thought for a moment. "Some in-depth information about training and development of abilities?"


    "Understood. Well, see you later."


    When Iten left, Orisa looked at Kanai, who was less depressed than usual but still a bit sulky.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll find something. In fact, I have news for you." She saw Kanai brighten up a bit. "I''ve already sent a letter to my friend, so we''ll probably hear from her tomorrow." He nodded, cheered by her words, so she continued. "Also, I''ve compiled information about stats. Write it down for future references."


    Strength.


    The muscular power; damage with melee weapons and bows; provides toughness. Toughness is an overall resistance to all kinds of damage but is better against physical attacks.


    Agility.


    The speed of various actions, including attacks and spellcasting; reaction time and reflexes.


    Luck.


    The power of durational effects, their length, effectiveness. Luck also helps overcome the enemy defense.


    Magic.


    Spell damage and effectiveness of supporting spells like healing.


    Dexterity.


    Helps to concentrate on current action without interruption. Mana flow control which speeds up Mana infusion when working with the Seals or complex spells, and allows more actions to be performed at the same time, like Youko''s fire and lightning knives.


    Spirit.


    The amount of Mana and its recovery speed. Mana control - ability to transform Mana into different elements and shapes. Observance. Resistance to elemental damage.


    "Got it." Kanai finished writing it down. "So, looks like I have an affinity towards durational magic..?" He said uncertainly.


    "More or less so. But I have yet to find any suitable school or path to choose with your lack of Agility and Dexterity. But don''t worry I''m sure we''ll find something."


    "This game sucks, I want a refund..." Kanai muttered under his breath.


    "I know, right! It''s so stupid and lame!" Orisa instantly became agitated. "Like, if this was a game, I''m sure there would have been a huge cash shop!"


    Kanai vigorously nodded:


    "Absolutely! Though, I would pay my month'' salary to grab a stat reset..."


    Orisa made a move to throw imaginary packs of money into an imaginary display, and they both laughed cheerfully.


    "Silence!" Maria hissed at them, making them feel like mischievous kids, so they giggled again.


    -


    "Hey, sweetie, can I have a moment with you?" Orisa was startled by a voice coming over her shoulder. Kanai looked surprised, too. When she turned around, she saw Nene.


    "Oh, Nene, it''s you... You scared me, gosh. Don''t sneak like that next time, please."


    "Don''t worry. I won''t sneak on you next time." She said in a voice that made Orisa shiver.


    They went behind the library door, and Nene turned around, looking at Orisa intently.


    "I thought we understood each other last time?" She said, getting closer to Orisa.


    "What do you mean..?" Despite being lower than Orisa, Nene''s presence was intimidating. She emanated a bloodthirsty aura that made Orisa''s knees tremble.


    "You are spending too much time with Iten. I don''t like it."


    "Ah... that''s what it is." Orisa calmed down a bit, though Nene''s aura was still pushing her heavily. "Look, Nene. There are lots of reasons I can state, and they are all true and should be enough. But I''ll say just one thing, okay?"


    Nene looked like she didn''t believe a single word Orisa said. She was like a lion about to jump on his prey who won''t be swayed by words. Orisa shivered but finally said it:


    "I''m not interested in men."


    Nene was shocked by this revelation. At the same time, oppressive aura disappeared.


    "Huh..? Like, really, totally not interested?"


    "Yep." Orisa simply nodded.


    "Okay... I say, wanna get closer with my sister, then?" Nene suddenly asked. Now was Orisa''s turn to be shocked.


    "Amm... Ahem... Well, not right now. All this other world reincarnation business is too much for me. I don''t think I need any relationships right now."


    "Okay... So, I say, you are a good girl, Orisa, I like you," Nene slapped her shoulder, "call me if you need help."


    And so she strolled away. Orisa spent a few minutes to calm down, then wiped sweat from her forehead and went back to Kanai and books.


    "What was that?" Kanai asked when she sat back to her chair.


    "Phantom menace." She said and started reading.


    -


    Iten returned a few hours later. Orisa smiled and greeted him:


    "Iten! Was your journey a fruitful one?"


    "Not in a way I wanted it to be." Orisa found a subtle irritation in his tone. "The book I wanted to read, Fantastic Waves and Where to Fight Them, was missing. I asked the keeper of the closed section, but he refused to tell me where or when I can get it."


    "Huh, that''s strange." Orisa and Kanai said at the same time. After looking at each other, they giggled. Iten was not amused.


    "Anyway, I also looked into matters you asked me." As he said that, Orisa and Kanai moved in sync. They put aside their books and took out blank papers to make notes. They looked like fresh students ready to write down their first lecture. Iten furrowed his brow and began:


    "I will divide the information into two parts and will start with the characteristics..."


    Iten found that there was one more characteristic, Stamina. Its existence has never been mentioned because it was special. Stamina progressed independently from other stats and only during exercises. In a way, it wasn''t even a characteristic, like other six stats. Strength affected Stamina a bit, and that''s it.


    There was another special characteristic, Spirit, that was similar to both Stamina and all other stats at the same time. Spirit developed like other characteristics - by fighting. The more Spirit one has, the more Mana one can use. But at the same time, it was possible to increase Mana pool by exercising. The more a person practice in Mana infusions and uses their Mana, the bigger their Mana pool will be.


    Orisa looked astonished:


    "Iten, I can''t express in words how grateful I am to you. What you found out is priceless to me."


    "I knew, you would appreciate it, so I researched it more extensively." He nodded and continued the lecture.


    The only way to progress and become stronger was to fight and defeat real opponents. It was possible to practice basic things like cadets were doing now, but practice alone won''t bring anyone beyond the basics. By constant training, one can hone their skills and perfect them, but not empower. The characteristics, being the source of power, also grew only in combat. It was not enough to fight. It is mandatory to kill an opponent, that was the only way to progress.


    "For this purpose, every training camp has special facilities where cadets can fight foes summoned by a special military unit, the Summoners. With their help, recruits gain real combat experience and a basic level of power that they can later utilize fighting Waves." He concluded the lecture.


    "Iten, you are awesome, yay!" Kanai was beaming.


    "Indeed, the fact that you found it and the way you presented all the information is spectacular." Orisa nodded in approval.


    "This is nothing, but thank you for your kind words. How is your progress?"


    "Not that great, sadly. We''ve discussed the characteristics, here," Orisa passed Iten her notes, "and found that Kanai should focus on durational magic."


    "But that''s it. We didn''t find any suitable style, yet." Kanai said bitterly.


    "Understood. Well, do not give up, Kanai. We will think of something. I suggest asking for help from our superiors."


    Orisa told him about her letter to Rita, and Iten nodded in approval.


    "What about you, Orisa?"


    "Well..." She scratched her head. "Setting aside two specializations that rely on the innate talent, I found only one thing. Moreover, it is not a class or school, per se, it is called a General Direction of Personal Development."


    She paused, thinking about everything she found out. Kanai and Iten exchanged looks and quietly waited for her to continue.


    "The one I found out, though there are a lot of them for different types of losers, is called Spirit Trapper."


    "Geez, it has such a cool name! Sounds super special." Kanai interjected in a cheerful tone.


    "Well yes, but actually no." Orisa''s reply made Kanai chuckle. "There are no specifics, only vague descriptions, and general ways of development."


    Orisa took out her notes and began to quote the books she read, supplying them with her comments:


    "Skilled Spirit Trappers utilize different methods of Mana manipulation to assist them in combat." - "Very helpful, right?"


    "Among various styles a Spirit Trapper can choose from, is a style of Mana overload." - "By the way, there is no description about that Mana overload thing."


    "A suitable addition to Spirit Trapper''s arsenal is a set of Seal-crafted gear that can utilize the owner''s excessive Mana." - "Sounds nice, but what gear? How to craft it? Where to find it?"


    "I feel like the book was written to insult the reader, not help him." Kanai interjected, shaking his silver hair.


    "I know, right? But there is one at least somewhat helpful thing there." Orisa quoted another passage:


    "There are many ways to start a Spirit Trapper path. One of them is to find any suitable for personal tastes weaponless specialization and rethink it in terms of Spirit Trapper ways."


    "I have an idea regarding the last quote." Kanai said thoughtfully. "If those Spirit Trapper ways are all about pouring Mana instead of Strength or Magic, then you should pick up a melee class and sort of invent skills that do the same but use Mana."


    "That''s what I thought about, yes. Like, instead of punching people''s faces with fists, hit them with Hadouken." Orisa shared her thoughts, and Kanai vigorously nodded with a huge grin on his face.


    "I don''t understand you, but I''m glad you found out something." Iten said blandly.


    -


    They sat in the library until it was closed, reading more books about crafting and stats. Orisa said goodbye to the guys and went for another training. Today she took six bottles.


    When Orisa arrived at the gym, she found there yesterday''s noble girl already practicing.


    "Leave at once." She said after looking at Orisa.


    "This is my spot." Orisa said mockingly.


    "How dare you speak such nonsense!?" She was outraged, but Orisa giggled and tried to go inside.


    "Okay, do it, then." Orisa calmly stood in the doorframe, waiting for the girl to come closer to her. A big fireball formed at the tip of her staff. The girl pointed it at Orisa, and she felt a strong heat radiating from there. They stood like that for sometime before the girl turned around and went back to her training.


    ''Empire strikes back.'' Orisa shivered and went into the corner of the gym to unpack her bottles.


    The trickiest part of six bottles was how to place them so they won''t fall off. Moving Mana between six bottles was not harder than between four, so she decided to move on to the next part.


    The second step of this training was to move Mana from two different bottles simultaneously. This part was way harder because Orisa needed to make two separate flows of Mana inside her and accurately control them.


    Without the potion her progress was slow. ''I can''t waste it on every little thing I do. There is enough for two, maybe three more sips.''


    -


    After spending an hour, she felt like she was close to something, but it was time to wrap things up. She stood up, gathered her belongings and went to the exit. In the doorframe, Orisa turned around to the girl who was still training:


    "Bye-bye, the girl with a staff. See you next time."


    "Don''t speak to me, fiendfood." She said plainly.


    When Orisa got back to the dorm, she found a letter on her bed. Onuki and Mira were already sleeping, but Toatre waited for her return.


    "Toatre, thank you so much!" Orisa hugged her tenderly.


    "Don''t worry, my friend. Now, you have some more important deeds to perform."


    Orisa went and opened the letter. She read it twice and went to the door.


    "Toatre, I''m sorry, I need to go for a moment. Don''t wait for me, please, get some rest." Toatre nodded and went to bed, while Orisa slowly closed the door.


    -


    Paulo Cardelio was reading when somebody knocked on the door. He grumbled taking off the glasses. "Yes?"


    The door opened, and Orisa went inside. Before she had a chance to speak, he said angrily:


    "If you are here to offer me yourself to get something out of me, then fuck off right away, I''m not interested."


    "That''s not why I''m here," Orisa said after gathering her blown mind, "but now I''m really curious."


    "State your business and get out, cadet. Quickly. Am I clear?"


    "Crystal clear, Captain Pain!" She said but then made a long pause. The Captain furrowed his brow and was about the throw her out.


    "I know how it would sound after your interesting statement," she finally said, "but for my training, I need a way to earn money."


    The Captain put away his papers and looked at Orisa curiously.

 16 A Work of Ice and Fire

    AN: The last "educational" day in the library.


    ---


    Orisa had a lot of plans for today, so her library time was limited to a few hours at best. She broke into the library, waving the letter like a flag.


    "Kanai, VERBA MAGISTRI !" She said with a posed look. Kanai and Iten were already discussing something, and looked at her in surprise.


    "Was it... Latin?" Said Iten with a confused look. "How were you even able to say something in Latin with translation Seal?"


    Kanai glanced both ways and almost cried out to Orisa:


    "I''m begging you, speak without memes so I can understand you!"


    "But I refuse." She said menacingly.


    "Silence!" Maria hissed when Kanai almost fell on the floor, laughing hard.


    "Anyway," Orisa sat down and began, "I got a letter from my friend, and she told me what classes and spells you should look into."


    Kanai squirmed in joy.


    "In fact, she insisted that you take two specializations simultaneously. I''m sure I saw one of them in the book we read yesterday."


    "This is great news, Orisa, Kanai." Iten nodded in approval.


    "Yeah, so, the specializations. You wanted one with a cool name?" Orisa giggled seeing Kanai perking up. "The first one is called The Way of Decline."


    Kanai clapped his hands in excitement.


    "It''s a combination of few different schools that uses self-empowering effects to temporarily increase the effectiveness of negative durational effects." She handed him a list of spells and schools he needed to research. "Though, I was told it''s difficult to begin with because the starting spells are hard and complex."


    "Well, it sounds great, anyway. What is the second one?"


    "The second one is a bit funny, I''d say. It is called A Gentle Breeze." She chuckled, imagining Kanai in a pink yukata, waving small white fans with both hands. "It focuses on durational magic, too. But its spells are about empowerment and restoration."


    "So, buffs and heals?" Kanai nodded thoughtfully.


    "Yes, so to put it simply - my friend suggested you learn both offensive and supportive durational magic. They will probably boost each other in some way later."


    "Sounds awesome, yay!" Kanai cheered up even more.


    "Good job, Orisa." Iten looked quite content. "By the way, we were actually talking about you a moment ago. I thought about your problem with classes and discussed it with Kanai."


    "And we both agreed that you should probably try it. Perhaps?" Kanai added a little shy.


    "So? What is it? Spill it!"


    "Quite simple, really." Iten adjusted his non-existent glasses. "The specialization we talked about called Monk."


    "Monk? Like, bald dude that wears a yellow robe and trains under the waterfall in the mountains?"


    "I''m not sure that this world''s version of Monk is the same as ours, but..."


    "By the way, Iten, it seems you are from Earth, too. Where are you from, exactly?"


    "Sweden."


    "I was also curious," Orisa pushed forward, "you were so cool in the fight with those imbeciles, where did you learn all that?"


    "Also in my past life. One of my hobbies was martial arts. They helped with my main line of work." He said plainly. "Before you ask, I was a surgeon. It helped me to steady my hands and my mind, and later became a big part of my life."


    Orisa and Kanai sat for some time in awe. Iten cleared his throat and handed Orisa a book:


    "So, this is a book on Monk''s ways. I was planning to go to the closed section again. See you all later."


    "I think I''ll go look for the books on the specializations you told me about." Kanai stood up.


    "You can find The Way of Decline in the fifth row on the second shelf, the fourth row from the bottom," Orisa said nonchalantly. Seeing Kanai''s astonished face, she added: "Concentration potion''s effect."


    When he returned with the book, his face showed severe case of shyness and awkwardness.


    "What is it, Kanai?"


    "I... It''s ok if you don''t want to..." he mumbled like a little girl, "I remember what you told earlier about price and everything... But if it''s okay, can I have a sip of your potion?" He finally said and averted his gaze.


    Orisa thought for a moment. She planned to use it today, and this would have left her with one use. ''But this is a great chance to help someone in need and earn his loyalty, too.'' Her thoughts were not always pure.


    In the end, she took a sip herself and handed the rest to Kanai.


    He downed its content and gasped loudly.


    "It''s like..." He was at loss of words.


    "Like NZT, right?" Orisa supplied. She always probed people for knowledge of movies, anime and games.


    "Yes! Absolutely!" Kanai was overwhelmed and overly agitated.


    "Silence, this is your last warning!" Maria was annoyed by their behavior.


    "Beware of loud noises and heavy smells. Also, the effect will expire around 10 PM, and there will be a backlash."


    "Orisa, thank you so much. You are a miracle, yay!" Kanai was beyond words.


    "Yes-yes, let''s get back to work."


    -


    A few hours later Orisa decided to leave. When she was on the way to the gym, she saw a familiar blonde girl with a staff.


    "Hello, the girl with a staff," she said and waved her hand, "I''m sorry, we won''t be able to meet today."


    "Don''t speak to me, fiendfood." The girl''s icy gaze was repelled by Orisa''s cheerful smile, so she walked away. ''Gosh, this is so much fun, I understand Nagatoro now.''


    Orisa entered the gym and unpacked. She also put on the gloves that were gifted to her by the people from the Arrival Chamber.


    As she zipped their wrist wraps, the feeling of her Mana flow became clearer. It was like she heard a noise in the distance, but after taking a few steps in that direction, she now was able to distinguish some the words.


    Orisa recalled today''s talk with Youko.


    -


    "Miss Satou, can I ask you a small personal favor?" She approached Youko sheepishly when they were done with the Mana training session.


    "How can I help you?"


    "I have an item that Rita gave me, but I don''t know its purpose. Is there any way to, I don''t know, appraise it?"


    "Show it."


    Orisa took the gloves out from the backpack and handed them to Youko. She looked at them, then at Orisa and furrowed her brow.


    "These are gloves. You wear them on hands as protection from harm and weather." She said with a blank expression.


    "Yes... Um... Thank you... But I was told that they have some special effects, probably." Orisa was mortified.


    Youko took the gloves and turned them inside-out. On the inside of the palm, Orisa saw a small seal.


    "This is a lesser Concentration Seal. It''s like your potion, but much weaker. This Seal also helps a little with Mana compression to create smaller but more potent forms. Give me a second."


    She placed the gloves on the table, took out her small metal wand and pointed it at the gloves:


    "-Major Status!-"


    They glowed with blue for a second, and then Youko handed them back to Orisa.


    "They will also slightly increase your Mana control and are enchanted to self-repair when damaged." She said with a slightly confused voice.


    "Are they rare? Expensive?" Orisa had some hopes about the gloves.


    "No, quite the opposite. They are garbage, and I don''t know who would put this combination of enchantments on the item, they are useless together."


    "If I may, one last question. This blue Seal inside is from Mana engineering and the gloves were also Mana crafted to get self-repair and Mana control?"


    "Yes, that''s quite perceptive of you, good job."


    -


    Orisa returned to the six bottles training. The second step was the same - create two simultaneous flows of Mana and transfer Mana between bottles. She recalled the solution she used at her Mana training session with Youko - imaginary switch. This time, however, she needed not the switch, but two different pipes.


    It took her twenty minutes to get the Mana going. It worked as she imagined - Mana movement felt like it was on different layers, different floors. Mana moved between a pair of bottles without mixing with Mana from the other two bottles.


    ''Orisa, the last Manabender!'' Her internal critic was quite pleased.


    ''The Concentration potion and the gloves together do miracles.'' She mused, inspired by her progress.


    However, when she tried to add the third layer to move between the last two bottles, the first layer broke. Mana flow from this collapse felt disgusting, like something long and spiky moved inside, brushing against her organs and shaking them. She almost vomited.


    ''Shit, I thought I''d die. Guess that''s my limit for now. Gotta ask Rita about this, too.''


    Orisa needed a break but didn''t want to waste her time with the potion. She decided to write a letter while her body was recovering from the stress.


    -


    "Dear Rita, both me and Kanai are so grateful for your help! I''m under the last sip of the potion, and I managed to create two Mana flows. But when I added the third one something broke inside me, it was horrible. What happened?


    We also decided that I should try and re-think the Monk class in Spirit Trapper ways. But I don''t understand, how should I do that? Can you advise me something?


    The last thing - today I will be introduced to someone who will help me earn money. I know that you are eager to help me financially, but I''ll do this part myself. Wish me luck.


    The thoughts about you and your letters - they keep me going. I miss you so much. Orisa."


    -


    She had some time left before her evening appointment, so she decided to grab dinner. It was crowded in the canteen, which meant more noise. Orisa took a paper bag and stuffed some food there before running away.


    ''My ears are bleeding. Reminds me of all the times I heard feedback from my superiors.'' She chuckled while eating at the park.


    A memory of her time with Onuki here made her mood sink. ''What could I have done to make things better?'' Orisa always dwelled on the past, thinking time and time again about what could have been said better and done better. She couldn''t let it go.


    She immediately lost her appetite. There was still plenty of food left in the bag, so she pondered what to do with that. A bright idea came to her, and she took the bag and dashed away.


    As Orisa expected, Kanai was still in the library, reading and taking notes. She put the bag on the table, but he was so focused on reading that he didn''t notice the bag or Orisa.


    ''How cute.'' She stood there looking at Kanai. ''I wonder why he was so depressed before? Because of his stats or something else?''


    It was nice being around him, especially after he cheered up a little. ''He even understands my jokes and references! True bliss.''


    When she came to her senses, her hand was a few centimeters away from giving him a head pat. ''The hell am I doing?'' She quickly put away her hand and got out of the library.


    -


    Captain Pain told her to be at the warehouse entrance at 8 PM. When she arrived there, she saw three soldiers smoking at the door. Orisa was struck by a flashback - a town square, three soldiers grabbing her and pressing her to the ground. She shivered heavily. It took her especially strong willpower push to make her legs move again.


    The soldiers were looking at her curiously.


    ''It''s too late to turn back.''


    "Um, hello? I was sent here by Captain Pain," the guys smirked when she used the Captain''s nickname, "he told me there is some job I can do... kind of?"


    The soldiers stood there, gazing at Orisa and silently smoking. They exchanged looks, smiled mischievously and began smoking again.


    For some reason, Orisa''s blood boiled. She remembered all the moments when she was screwed by her co-workers. She recalled all the missed deadlines, all the broken features and builds, all the failed tasks. She retrieved all the methods she used to fix their attitudes.


    "Ok, listen here, you fellows. I''m here to do the job. I was sent by the Captain. Don''t make things harder." She paused, adding pressure to her voice. "We don''t want to get on the bad side of each other. We are doing the same thing. I don''t want to disappoint the Captain. I''m sure you don''t want to, as well. Are we clear? Are we done?"


    They looked at each other again. It was like they communicated telepathically because the next moment they started laughing so hard that Orisa thought they would explode. A minute passed before they finally calmed down. One of them wiped tears from his eyes and said to others:


    "Fire and ice. I want to see what will happen." Two other guys nodded vigorously.


    "Get in, gal," he opened the door, "you need to turn right at the second intersection. Your room is called Chargery."


    -


    Following the directions, she got to the Chargery. It was a long, narrow room with lots of open crates. They lay on each other, creating a long maze that was ready to crumble any moment. A lone soldier sat on a small chair, writing something down. She came closer, and he finally noticed her.


    "Do you need something?" He asked in a tired but polite voice.


    "I''m sorry to bother you. The Captain sent me. He said that there is a job I can do here."


    "I see. Pick up an empty box and the box with the crystals. Do you know what to do?" With each new word coming from his mouth, his voice became more and more tired.


    "I''m very sorry," Orisa kind of felt his pain already, so she decided to be as polite as possible," but I don''t know what and how I should be doing here."


    She bowed down in an apology.


    "Ok, give me a moment," he let out a long sigh before finishing his paper and putting it away.


    He then picked up a crystal from the box.


    "You probably learned how to light the crystals at your Mana training?" Orisa nodded. "Good, this is the same thing, more or less. You pick a crystal and start pouring your Mana inside. Stop when you feel resistance."


    He saw Orisa''s puzzled expression and told her, "You''ll understand when you feel it. It takes from one to five minutes to fill the crystal."


    Orisa nodded and went to look for an empty crate. After a few turns in the box maze what she found was not an empty crate, but the Noble girl with a staff instead. She sat on the same small chair, holding crystals in both her hands. She glared at Orisa, a panicked expression on her face she forcibly replaced with cold disgust.


    "What are you doing here, fiendfood?"


    "What are you doing here, the girl with a staff?" Orisa replied innocently.


    "I... don''t speak to me." She grumbled irritably.


    Orisa smiled brightly instead of a reply, took the closest empty box and a chair and sat across the girl.


    ''If I got it right, I''m going to earn money by practicing my Mana control and boosting Mana pool.'' In fact, Orisa was overjoyed. ''I don''t want to foreshadow, but this kind of luck must have a price.''


    She picked a crystal from the box and focused on it. Both the potion and the gloves were still boosting her, so she managed to grasp the basics very quickly. It took her three minutes to fill the first one, and two more to finish the second. She picked up two crystals and created two flows of Mana. ''Who would have thought that the thing I learned today would be helpful so soon?'' Her mood skyrocketed.


    -


    When the soldier came to check on her, she already had more than twenty crystals done. He furrowed his brows.


    "Kid, stop joking next time. It is not funny."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You told me that you were a first-timer."


    "I am. What''s wrong?"


    "You know what''s wrong." After seeing her blank face, he continued. "You can''t do this much in ten minutes and be a first-timer."


    "Ah, I understand, I''m sorry. I''m using a potion to learn things quicker."


    He looked at her with a strange expression and went away. The girl with staff also looked at her in slight disbelief.


    "I''m Orisa. Tell me your name, please. It''s hard to refer to you in my head as the girl with a staff."


    "What nonsense are you blabbering?" The girl was perplexed.


    "I''m Orisa, now, tell me your name."


    "Stop talking to me, creature."


    "I''m Orisa. C''mon, tell me your name already, or I won''t leave you."


    "I told you that I can kill you right here and right now. Stop speaking to me at once."


    "Tell. Me. Your. Name."


    "Tiana! It''s Tiana! Now, stop pestering me!" The girl was crimson, but it was hard to tell the exact reason.


    "I''m Orisa. It''s a pleasure, Tiana." She said and turned back to her crystals.


    They worked in silence. Orisa witnessed Tiana''s mastery first-hand. She was charging two crystals at the same time, but it took her less than thirty seconds to finish them both, while Orisa was still sitting at a little over one minute.


    "So why are you here, Tiana?" Orisa asked again, picking up another pair of crystals.


    "Don''t talk to me, fiendfood." She said in a usual cold voice.


    "Sure. Anyway, whatever your reasons are, it''s nice that you are helping out with the defenses."


    At 10 PM the soldier came back to check on their work.


    "And you are still saying that you are a first-timer?" He shook his head, dead tired. "Go wait outside the door. I''ll come in a few minutes with the payment."


    Orisa went to the exit while the man turned to Tiana and bowed. Orisa was closing the door when she heard his voice:


    "Thank you for your help, lady Tiana. It''s reassuring to have you here."


    A minute later the door opened, and Tiana came out. She stood there, looking at Orisa with a strange expression.


    "More crystals means better defense. With better defense, there is less food for the Beasts. The smaller is the chance for them to evolve and bring more pain." Tiana said and quickly left, leaving Orisa confused.


    She stood at the door, pondering Tiana''s words.


    Finally, the door opened, and the soldier came out. He handed Orisa a small stamped note.


    "It''s your payment. You can get money with it from the Treasury."


    -


    The next afternoon, when Orisa came out of the shower after their morning workout, a mailman was waiting for her. She quickly opened the letter:


    -


    "Dear Orisa, I''m really excited by your progress and proud of you! First things first, I will tell you what I''ve learned through the years about the spells and how they really work..."

 17 Into the Breach

    Classes began again, but now they were fewer than before, and she was free by 7 PM. On her way to the canteen, Orisa felt the beginning of a Wave. It was not her first Wave, and will not be the last one, so she paid it no heed, grabbed dinner to eat outside and left.


    She was able to read Rita''s letter once, but it was so complicated that she needed a few more times to grasp the basics of her explanation. She planned to read it a few more times while working in Chargery.


    When she came out of the canteen, she saw Toatre sitting on a bench.


    "Hey, Toatre! How are you? What are you doing here?" She settled on the same bench and began eating.


    "Good evening, Orisa. I finished my evening meal. Regrettably, there were no sweets today. It''s strange and concerning." She mused, looking at the twillight sky. "As for your second question, the goal of today''s evening is to learn and practice more Mana engineering." She took out her bag and showed its contents to Orisa.


    Inside she saw a lot of ink bottles, brushes, papers, and books. For a moment Orisa was distracted by the sounds of distant fighting but quickly returned to a more interesting topic.


    "I totally didn''t know!" She was excited. "You are learning Mana engineering? That''s so cool!"


    "Miss Satou advised me to learn or to at least try everything there is. She said it would serve a great role in utilizing my potential."


    "Oh, sorry, now I''m a bit lost. What are you talking about?"


    "After the measurement of characteristics, they said that I had an equal potential in every field."


    "I''m intrigued, to say the least. What are your stats, actually?"


    "All are seven." Toatre replied as if talking about the color of the grass. Orisa loudly chocked, spitting out the food.


    "What?! This is beyond science!" She felt betrayed. ''Freaking admins, are you mocking me?! What a blatant favoritism! I''ll give you one star in my review!''


    "It is indeed a rare cause. With Miss Satou''s help, I also learned that I might possess an unknown amount of innate abilities and talents. But this is to be discovered in the future."


    "Toatre..." Orisa pouted so hard that her jaw almost broke. Toatre stood up, ready to leave.


    "By the way, where are you practicing?" Orisa asked just in case it was in the same direction as the Warehouse.


    "I''m studying under the engineers. Their shop is in the warehouse building."


    "Oh, wait! I''m going over there, too!" Orisa quickly stuffed the remaining food and stood up.


    "What a pleasant coincidence. I like conversing with you, Orisa."


    "Me too, honey, me too." Orisa hugged Toatre by the shoulder.


    -


    As they were approaching, Orisa saw Nene talking to a soldier at the entrance to the warehouse.


    ''Oh, I hope she won''t pester me about Iten again.''


    Suddenly she saw a red flair shooting up from a nearby wall. And two more flares a moment later. A deafening sound of the siren rolled all over the camp.


    In the direction of flares, Orisa saw a lot of explosions. There were shadows moving all over the wall.


    "Let''s hurry to the warehouse." She said, and they almost run to the entrance.


    When they were ten meters from the entrance, there was a loud bang behind them, and a wave of dust rose all over the place.


    "-Major Firebird!-"


    The soldier at the entrance threw the spell. It flew above their heads through the dust, clearing it away, and smashed into something.


    After taking a closer look, Orisa was able to distinguish its form. It was a giant toad, at least two meters tall. Its eyes glowed yellow while it looked around.


    When another spell hit it, the Toad turned to the soldier, croaked loudly and shot out its tongue. It was so fast that Orisa barely saw it moving. The tongue wrapped around the soldier and yanked away, quickly transporting him right into the Toad''s mouth.


    "RUN!" Nene shouted with all her strength. Orisa grabbed Toatre''s hand and dashed to the entrance.


    Nene rose her halberd up in the air and began chanting:


    "-Acceleration!-"


    "-Warcry!-"


    "-Warlord''s Order: Field Commander!-"


    "-Decoy!-"


    When she was done, she smashed the door open. Orisa let Toatre go first and turned around just in time to see a pink tongue flying in their direction. Nene made a small step forward and deflected the tongue with her halberd.


    The Toad leaped forward, landing a few meters away from them.


    "-Leap Slam!-"


    She jumped in the air, smashing her weapon down on the Toad.


    With heavy recoil, her weapon bounced off of the thick slimy, almost jelly-like skin of the Toad, and Nene was thrown back.


    The moment Orisa went inside, the doorframe and surrounding wall were devastated by the Toad bull rushing Nene inside the warehouse. Nene''s body flew a few meters, but she spun in midair and landed on both legs.


    "I will stun it for a few seconds, run!" She screamed to Orisa and Toatre.


    "-Brandishing Strike!-"


    She smashed her halberd down, sending a huge shockwave. The Toad fell on its back, croaking in confusion.


    Orisa and Toatre were both running deeper into the warehouse when they saw a familiar face. It was a soldier from Chargery.


    "Beasts are here!" Orisa yelled. The soldier was confused, but then he saw Nene running away from the giant Toad and his face distorted in horror. He turned around and ran.


    A few turns later they ended up in Chargery.


    "Why are we here, though?" Orisa took a look around, panting.


    "It kind of happens when you walk the same route for years." The soldier said awkwardly.


    The door slammed open, and Nene went inside. A second later there was a loud crashing noise, and the Toad landed right in front of the door.


    Nene spun the halberd twice above her head and smashed its pole into the floor:


    "-Warlord''s Order: Asylum!-"


    Its tip emitted a pale blue pulse that traveled for six meters and stopped, creating a barely visible sphere. Nene was panting heavily. The Toad smashed twice into the sphere and then stopped.


    "I need Mana, now. Or we are dead." Nene muttered. Her voice was tense, no traces of her usual playful attitude. She was gripping the halberd''s pole tightly, her hands white from the pressure.


    The soldier picked up a box that was full of slightly glowing crystals and handed one of them to Nene. She relaxed a bit, but then the frog started to smash against the sphere again.


    "My skill will protect the walls and the door for some time. But even with Mana, I won''t last more than a few minutes."


    "Can''t you kill it?" Orisa asked in a shaky voice.


    "Without a lantern? No. And its skin is too slimy. Hate water beasts, my weapon just bounces off of their protective layers."


    The toad was relentlessly striking the walls and the doorframe. They held because of Nene''s skill, but small cracks appeared here and there.


    Toatre took out her tools and started painting something at Nene''s feet.


    "What are you doing there?" She asked. Toatre finished the first painting and started the second.


    "The Seal of Vitality and the Seal of Fortitude. Their effects might help you to hold on longer, I presume." She finished both the Seals and the Mana source and placed another crystal there. Both Seals began to glow.


    "Stand on them, please." She said and took away her tools. When Nene made a small backstep, she began to glow with green and orange.


    "Feels good, girl. I say this changes nothing in the end, though. Few more minutes and we are dead."


    "What if we break the opposite wall and run away?" Orisa suggested.


    "I can''t move with the Asylum. The moment it breaks, that shit over there will eat me. But you can go. I say it''s bad for all of us to die here."


    "No point," the soldier said grimly, "it will catch up in no time."


    "Is it possible for the aid to arrive here on time?" Toatre sat on the box, calmly checking her bag with engineering tools and supplies.


    "Highly unlikely. We don''t know how many beasts broke through. Everyone is probably as troubled as we are."


    "Bavan, what''s your spec, again?" Nene asked the soldier.


    "Empowerment, weakening, but mostly for magic users."


    "Tch. Can you throw some lightning at it, then?"


    "No. I''ve never tried anything combative beyond basic fire spells."


    "Nene, why do you want lightning?" Orisa''s ears perked at the word.


    "I say, are you dumb or something? It''s a water beast. You ought to electrocute it."


    As if to prove Nene''s words the Toad backed away a few meters, took a deep breath. Next moment a big blue circle appeared in front of its maw and tight water jet shot out from it, hitting the Asylum.


    Nene grumbled, she was clearly in pain now.


    "We are out of time. Gotta say goodbyes and stuff." She said, panting heavily.


    "Toatre, I have an idea, and I need you to tell me that I''m right!"


    Orisa explained to her the plan. Toatre just nodded and took out her tools. After a moment she added:


    "We should do it away from Nene. It might endanger her Asylum".


    "Got it. Bavan, sir, I need your help, too."


    Together they took all the boxes with charged crystals and dumped their contents into one big pile. Toatre began to paint a number of Seals on the floor.


    "Sir, I need you to cast everything you can to boost me. Also, everything you can do to weaken the Toad."


    "Got it. I can weaken the Toad to take increased damage from the next hit. But the effect will trigger from anything damaging, so it''s unreliable at best. Will it help?"


    "Oh, yes, it absolutely will! Do it when Nene let the Toad pass."


    "I should let the Toad pass?" Nene was confused.


    "When we are done, you should run away from the Toad and the entrance." Orisa explained the grand plan.


    "Gotcha. Sounds hella lame, but it''s way better than to just give up and die."


    "I''m ready," Toatre called Orisa, "you need to stay on the frontal Seal. Are you familiar with Pulling?"


    "No, but we don''t have a choice, anyway."


    Toatre took out all the Mana ink she had and poured it over the pile of crystals. They began to glow.


    Orisa stood on the Seal and felt like a third hand grew out of her. That hand was holding an enormous weight, bulging and shaking under its pressure.


    "I''m ready." She said to Bavan. He nodded and began chanting:


    "-Major Overflow!-"


    "-Lesser Owl''s Eye!-"


    "-Lesser Sage!-"


    "-Major Discharge!-"


    Orisa felt a strong wave of power rolling over her. She felt incredible. She felt like Archons.


    ''POWER OVERWHELMING.''


    Bavan turned to the Toad and threw a weakening spell:


    "-Major Conduit!-"


    "Nene, stop the Toad in front of me so that I can touch it. We are ready, waiting for you!" Orisa''s voice trembled with excitement. She was scared to death, but all the power set her insides ablaze.


    Nene timed her leap perfectly. Right after the Toad slammed against her barrier, she jumped back and landed right in front of Orisa.


    The Toad hammered the doorframe with its body, obliterating it completely. It jumped at Nene and when it was about to land Nene swung her halberd:


    "-Brandishing Strike!-"


    The Toad stopped in its track, stunned for a moment. Bavan acted immediately, pointing his wand at it:


    "-Lex Aterna!-"


    Red beam flew from the wand''s tip and struck the Toad.


    Orisa pulled inside all the Mana she felt from the pile of crystals and recalled the sensation from that day with Rita:


    "Fatality."


    She thought that she already felt the real pain when sugar blob struck her with the Smite spell. That pain was nothing.


    It felt like she accidentally took a seat on a small volcano. The moment she pulled Mana and recalled that lightning sensation, everything inside her exploded. Her vision instantly went blank from the pain, and she coughed out a fountain of blood.


    Only because of Nene''s skillful measurement the Toad was stopped right in front of Orisa. Her''s legs gave away, and she collapsed forward. By a miraculous push of willpower, she stretched her arms forward and transferred the charge into the Toad.


    Unlike the time with Noble imbeciles, there was no explosion. When Orisa''s hands made contact with the Toad''s body, it visibly shook. For a few moments, the Toad was electrified, and then a giant lightning arc came out of the Toad''s back and struck the ceiling, creating a big hole. The arc left a huge scorched mark on Toad''s back. That spot was smoking and hissing.


    Orisa fell on the floor, bleeding heavily from mouth, ears, and eyes. The only thought that she could produce was ''It hurts...'' With every breath, she coughed more blood, and her breathing became weaker and weaker.


    Suddenly the Toad started moving. It shook a bit but then steadied itself, stood up and looked at Orisa''s body that was laying on the floor right in front of it.


    Nene clenched her halberd with both hands and shouted with all her strength:


    "-Berserker''s Rage!-"


    Her body began to glow red. All her muscles visibly bulged up, all the sweat on her body instantly evaporated.


    She growled inhumanely and struck the Toad, but her weapon bounced back from the slimy skin. Nene howled like a beast and repeatedly attacked the Toad. With every strike, the Toad was pushed back slightly, but otherwise unharmed. It shot forward with its tongue, but Nene slapped it away with her bare hand and leaped forward.


    Her halberd came down on the Toad''s back, and with a sick splashing sound its blade went inside through the charred spot from Orisa''s lightning.


    The beast roared in pain, and Nene howled in mad excitement. She pulled out the weapon and struck again, diving into the same spot. Green blood spilled all over the walls, more being added with each following strike. Nene was covered in a thick green liquid from head to toe. She kept striking again and again. The Toad no longer moved, it made no sounds except squashing noises of a blade going deeper into bones and flesh.


    "Ne...Ne..." The barely audible moan was the last thing Orisa did before she stopped breathing.


    Nene kept hitting the Toad''s corpse, saliva oozing from her wide open mouth, mixing with green blood all over her face.


    Toatre quickly moved to Nene, turned her around with a strong pull and slapped her cheek soundly.


    "Wake up. Orisa needs you. Now." Her voice sounded angry for the first time in this world.


    Consciousness returned to Nene''s eyes. She shook her head and looked around. When her eyes caught the scene of Orisa lying on the ground in a pool of blood, motionless and breathless, she gasped.


    "Shit. I''m sorry-"


    "Do something. Not too late." Toatre''s voice was tense.


    Nene came to Orisa and slammed the halberd into the floor.


    "-Warlord''s Order: Reinstatement!-"


    A green pulse came out of the pole. Orisa''s body began to glow.


    "-Warlord''s Order: Sanctuary!-"


    A wide white circle appeared on the floor. Orisa''s body began to glow even brighter. Bavan pointed his wand at her and chanted:


    "-Major Plea!-"


    "Not enough." Said distressed Toatre.


    Bavan leaned down to Orisa, turned her on the back and began CPR. He placed his hand on her chest and pushed hard, then released the pressure. He made the same move twice a second, counting to thirty, then clamped her nose and gave her two breaths.


    After the second round of the CPR Orisa''s body shook and she gasped loudly.


    "Orisa, how do you feel?" Toatre settled down on the floor by Orisa''s side and took her hand.


    "Been better..." After lying for a bit, she sat up. Looking at the Toad''s corpse and Nene''s look, Orisa furrowed her brow.


    "The heck? Couldn''t you have done it earlier?" Orisa glared at Nene so intently that she shivered.


    "I told you! The skin was too slimy! I say we are lucky that you burned away some of that mucus."


    Orisa looked at the pile of now empty crystals and muttered:


    "Why wasn''t that enough? I used so much Mana..."


    "Because you are doing it in the most inefficient way possible," Bavan replied in a slightly sympathetic tone, "instead of creating magic, creating forms, casting spells you are just burning pure Mana."


    Orisa was still visibly confused, so he continued:


    "It''s like you have some money in a bag, and you just throw the bag into your enemies face in hopes to deal some damage. But you could have bought weapons or hired a guard, using the same money much more efficiently."


    Orisa nodded depressingly. ''Whatever I do, it''s not enough. It''s always not enough.''


    "I say, we are lucky that you were here. You charred that fatso for good." Nene got closer and patted Orisa on the back. "You saved our lives."


    Orisa looked at Nene, startled. Both Toatre and Bavan nodded.


    "We all did great..."


    ---


    AN:


    To get a slightly better idea of what''s going on, I''ll add some spell''s descriptions here. If you think they are unnecessary, tell me in the comment section, please.


    Overflow - increase Magic potential (doesn''t work on pure Mana burn, was useless for Orisa)


    Owl''s Eye - increase concentration (better Mana manipulation, easier to focus)


    Sage - empowers Mana control (easier to cast spells, allows more complex spells, was useless to Orisa)


    Discharge - increase lightning potential (easier to convert Mana into lightning, produces more lightning from less mana)


    Conduit - weakens resistance to shock, electrocute and lightning.


    Lex Aterna - increases damage from the next strike, whatever it is (even if you bite your lip)


    Plea - empowers healing received by the target.


    Fighter''s abilities:


    Brandishing Strike - usually used with hammers, axes, spears and other pole-based weapons. Sends a shockwave to stun or shuffle opponents.


    Berserker''s Rage - switches the user''s body into a "primal aggressor" mode - empowered attack, faster/better reflexes, no defense. Also, leaves the user with only one goal - to attack, focusing every brain cell on this task. Eats stamina way faster.


    Warcry - boosts attack power and toughness (protective layer over the skin that absorbs damage)


    Acceleration - empowered reflexes.


    Decoy - attracts enemies to the user (in later chapters I''ll explain its mechanic and the reason why it works that way)


    Warlord''s Orders (unique skills of the vas Flamie bloodline):


    Reinstatement - complex spell that both cleans, cures, mends and heals.


    Asylum - in an open space creates a protective sphere that blocks anything that the user considers ''harmful'' or ''enemy''. If there are any objects/constructions nearby - bolsters their durability. Must be supported by the user, or will cancel out.


    Sanctuary - creates a field that increases the effectiveness of any positive effects and actions.


    Field Commander - greatly boosts the user''s characteristics. Slightly boosts characteristics of allies around.

 18 Thats how Spellcasting works 1/3

    Next morning Orisa woke up in the infirmary. Last time she was there, Onuki waited to cheer her up. Now she was alone. It was much more depressing than Orisa was willing to admit.


    She was always an attention seeker, but now it was something else entirely. She felt unneeded, unwanted again.


    There was also this uncomfortable feeling in her lower parts, too subtle to call it pain, too persistent to ignore and forget.


    ''I hope there is no lasting trauma from yesterday''s ordeal.''


    She woke up many times in the middle of the night, screaming. The wolf returned. He was chewing the same chunk of meat, calmly looking at Orisa, as if saying ''I know that you won''t get away, and you know it, too.'' When she was about to run away, something warm and slimy wrapped itself around her waist and yanked her away into the darkness.


    The same scene repeated many times. By the dawn, her bed was wet with sweat, she barely slept, and now she was alone and with unsettling feeling below her stomach.


    To distract herself she picked her bag and opened up Rita''s letter again.


    -


    "Dear Orisa, I''m really excited by your progress and proud of you! First things first, I will tell you what I''ve learned through the years about the spells and how they really work.


    I understand how confusing it might sound, and even contradictory to what you have seen already.


    On the basic level, spellcasting is a simple Mana manipulation. Do you want to throw a firebird spell? Just tell your Mana to change its element to Fire, and reshape it into a bird form to fly better. In need of healing? Ask your Mana to find what was broken and return it to a previous state.


    You will be surprised, but it is not hidden knowledge. Nor it is a secret that will make anyone stronger. Why is that, you ask?


    The reason is simple - it is inconvenient. Even after training for years you''ll still need a lot of effort to directly control Mana by your will alone.


    What is more convenient is to teach your mind and body to follow orders. Like training a dog to sit down when you order it to do so. You repeat the same action, supplementing the process with a command. If you practice enough, your body will follow your orders. That''s how spellcasting works.


    You can use any phrase you like. For example, instead of saying Firebird you could say Fried Chicken, but that is if you''ve trained your mind to take this command.


    People use the same spell names for convenience. They are taught that way, too.


    You need to know and understand all that because it''s what you are going to do with your Monk and Spirit Trapper things.


    Here are a few tips or things to start with.


    First, find a good exercise to increase your Mana control and concentration. You will need it to create complex forms and spells.


    Second, start with anything, just literally anything from the Monk''s path. Simple attack or block, find any useful skill and recreate it using Mana alone.


    Third, I suggest you begin Mana manipulation training. Start by creating simple forms at the palm of your hand, like spheres. It is the first step at conquering the thing that helped me survive - the Sealcasting.


    You also mentioned your Mana flow training, and how something broke inside you. That is simple, really. I already told you about the Seals and your body not being able to withstand more than two of them right now. The same thing applies to any complex art, including Mana control and Mana flow. You need to train your body and increase your might by fighting. Then you''ll be able to do more.


    As for the other things you mentioned..."


    -


    She had so much to do, but no strength or will to get herself up from bed. It all was so frustrating, although she wasn''t able to figure out what exactly was frustrating. She almost regretted feeding her last sip of the potion to Kanai. It''s waking power could have served her well right now.


    ''Oh, C''mon, you pussy. You are not that pathetic and whiny!'' The internal critic woke up to her whining.


    ''Am I not..?'' She was not so sure about that.


    In the end, she pulled herself out of bed. The uncomfortable feeling in her abdomen turned into a pain. She went to the dorm to change into fresh clothes. Inside the room, Onuki and Toatre were talking to each other.


    "Hello, girls," Orisa said blandly.


    "Oh, good morning, Orisa. I hope you are well." Toatre said with a smile. "Yesterday''s evening was quite distressing, I think."


    "Yes, it was. I''m glad that you are okay." She began to change.


    Onuki stood up and left without a single word.


    "Do you know what the reason for yesterday''s trouble was?"


    "Indeed, Miss Satou explained, although without any details. From what I learned, there was an evolved frost boar that attacked the wall. It made something akin to a ladder with its ice magic, and some other beasts breached the perimeter with its help."


    "How many casualties?"


    "Of that, I do not know, but it seemed that the most harm was done to the structures, not people. Reconstruction is still underway."


    "Thank you for the explanation, Toatre." Orisa took her dirty clothes and was about to leave.


    "You are always welcome, Orisa. Do you want to eat together?"


    "No, I''m sorry, I... need some time alone." And so, she left, shouldering her poor mood by herself.


    -


    Today was their first semi-combat training with Captain Pain, so Orisa arrived at the bigger version of the gym they practiced before. There were mats, weapon stalls, and training dummies.


    The squad was already there when Orisa entered the building. Iten and Kanai approached her immediately.


    "I''m glad you look well, Orisa. Toatre told us what happened yesterday. You were reckless, but it worked out in the end, so I think you performed well." Iten sounded slightly concerned, which meant that he was worried beyond measure.


    "Yeah..." Orisa replied uncomfortably, awkwardly hugging herself with one hand.


    "It''s good that you feel better now." Kanai said cheerfully. "We visited you in the morning-"


    "You did!?" Orisa immediately perked up.


    "Uh... Yes, why do you even need to ask?" Iten supported Kanai''s reply by a firm nod. Orisa visibly relaxed, smiling slightly for the first time.


    "So, as I said, we''ve visited you in the morning, but you were having, um, a bad dream, perhaps. Miss Satou asked us to leave. She stayed there with Toatre, probably to wipe you or something."


    "I don''t remember any of that..."


    "That is normal, I think, don''t worry." Iten added. "I heard that Nene and Nana also visited you in the night, but that''s what Miss Satou said, haven''t seen it myself."


    "Thank you, guys... It means a lot to me, thank you so much..." She looked down, sniffing.


    "Hey-hey, what are these tears here for!? Stop it right now, young lady!" Kanai hugged her around the shoulders and patted on the back.


    -


    A few minutes later Captain Pain arrived together with Youko Satou.


    "Line up!" He yelled on the squad. "Your chilling days are over! Tomorrow we are going to the Dungeon!"


    "Before that, we''ll have an afternoon class about The Underground Combat Training Facility, which is called the Dungeon, and why do we need it in the first place." Quickly interjected Youko.


    "Right. So today I need you to show me the results of your Mana training. We are going to do Mana Bursts and then weapon infusion."


    "Mana Burst is the basic combat move. Everyone, regardless of their characteristics, can perform it. What you need to do is guide Mana into your palm, and then push it out while thinking about explosion. Don''t overdo it!" Both Youko and the Captain glanced at Orisa. She shivered under their gaze.


    "Now, spread out and try it. When you learn the Burst, we''ll move to the next part with each of you individually. So no need to check on others, just do your own thing." The Captain made a few steps back and sat on a mat.


    ''Okay. I need to push Mana out and think about a small bang.'' Orisa tried to concentrate when the internal critic chuckled:


    ''Just no Big Bang today, please.''


    ''Oh, shut up, you are not helping!'' But she smirked anyway.


    Orisa was confident in her ability to produce Mana Bursts. She practiced on Mana flow a lot, so the problem was to limit her Mana, blowing up this place was not her number one priority.


    She decided to start with a small step. Extending her hand, she tried to gather Mana there, slowly pushing it to the palm. She felt the flow, felt Mana move under her command, and her hand began to glow blue. It was barely visible, but Orisa felt Mana on her skin, she felt it seeping away, leaking from her body.


    She sucked it back, feeling the pressure moving from the palm back to her stomach. Then pushed it into the palm again, making her hand glow. After a tenth repetition, she was confident in this part of the exercise.


    To let herself rest she decided to take a look around and check other people''s progress. She saw Toatre holding a dagger that glowed bright blue. The Captain and Miss Satou both nodded, very pleased.


    ''Toatre being Toatre. I''m happy for her, but dang it, I want everything to go that easy, too.''


    Other squad members were at the first step, and even Iten was not done yet. After making a few deep breaths, Orisa returned to her own business.


    ''What should be the next step? How to block my Mana from going all out again?''


    She tried the switch trick, but it didn''t work. The moment she flipped it, all the Mana from her palm just seeped away as if it lost the string that kept it bound.


    ''So I can''t cut the Mana flow, it must always connect to me.''


    She sat down on the mat, looking at her palm and wrist, pondering the problem. The solution sounded easy when she finally stumbled upon it.


    Orisa stretched her hand, felt her Mana move into her hand, making it glow. She imagined a hand gripping her wrist, squeezing the flow of Mana. Immediately her hand stopped glowing, but the feeling of Mana was still there, albeit weak, barely noticeable.


    She slowly relaxed an imaginary hand, letting more Mana into her palm. It started to glow again, ever so slightly. She spent another five minutes practicing.


    ''Whew, time for the last part. Scary stuff.''

 19 Ism a Living Legend 2/3

    ''Whew, time for the last part. Scary stuff.''


    Orisa let some Mana into her palm, then sharply extended it and pushed Mana out of the palm, thinking about fire.


    Nothing happened. The Mana from her hand just flew away and dissolved in the air. She looked at her hand, confused. She repeated the same process twice and got the same result.


    ''The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.'' The internal critic was helpful once in a while.


    ''So what should I do then?''


    ''Like, I don''t know, maybe remember what EXACTLY you were told to do?''


    Orisa almost slapped herself on the forehead. She repeated the same process, this time however thinking about the explosion instead of fire.


    There was a loud bang that threw her on the back.


    "I said don''t overdo it!" The Captain was yelling with a red face.


    When she limited her Mana flow to a fraction of what she used last time, the Mana Burst went out well.


    It took her another half an hour to properly learn it and perform in front of the teachers. They looked at each other not sure what to do with Orisa next. She more or less understood their hesitation and spoke first:


    "Can I go practice by myself? I don''t need any weapons, too."


    "Have you found something to learn with your characteristics?" Youko was mildly surprised.


    "More or less. It''s a combination of what Rita suggested to me, and what we found out in the library."


    Youko and the Captain looked at each thoughtfully before she finally said:


    "I''ll go with you, just in case."


    -


    As they walked to the smaller gym, Orisa told Youko everything she found out and wanted to try.


    "I see. Sadly, I won''t be able to help you as much as lady Stronoff. I''m familiar with the basics and know slightly above the average, but that''s it. However, it should suffice as a starting material."


    "By the way, Miss Satou, on our way to the camp you said that I''d learn about Rita in our history class..." Orisa said shyly.


    "Yes, and this lecture is still planned. Do you want to hear it now?"


    "If you don''t mind..."


    "I certainly do not." Youko pondered about the story. "I already told you about the first bastion lost to the Beasts two centuries ago." Orisa nodded, recalling the lecture about evolved beasts.


    "Nine years ago our Military Council decided to reclaim that bastion. Blinded by a chain of successful operations, they thought that Beasts became weaker, and decided on a large-scale offense. It was called the R-day."


    -


    This place was called Merdun, the most advanced and well-defended bastion of humanity. It was a vital point that the Military Council wanted back at any cost.


    The bastion itself stood on the riverbank. It was much easier to storm it from the water because aquatic beasts were rare and easily countered by a skilled team.


    The landing and an initial phase of the assault were astonishingly successful. An army of more the four thousand people entered the city of Merdun, an inner part of the bastion. It was hard to call the city intact, but it was not as devastated as the Commanders predicted. More than half of the buildings, while being worn out after two hundred years, still stood.


    What happened next was not battle. It was a massacre. The Wavespawn were hiding inside buildings and ruins and poured out all at once.


    When the order was given to retreat, less than a thousand people were still alive. And they needed to get back to the harbor and board the ships. The ships that would sink from the first attack of evolved Beast. Someone had to cover their retreat.


    "I''ll manage somehow," said Rita Stronoff, twenty years old Tome Sage, one of the so-called Pillars of the Military. She was a prodigy, one of the strongest spellcasters in the entire army. Considering the situation, probably the strongest now.


    "Denied. You and TanYan are the only Pillars alive. We can''t lose you, too!" Field Commander Cardelio yelled at her. His armor was torn to shreds, and instead of the left half of his face was a pulsating cocoon of the Restoration spell. He barely stood on his feet.


    "Who can do it then? Paulo, we both know it has to be me." Rita said in a calm voice as they approached the gate to the harbor. "I will buy you a few minutes, please, use them well."


    "I''m staying, too." Said TanYan vas Kavenfenn, a dark-skinned man a few years older than Rita. "Together, the chance of survival will be higher, Paulo. She needs me."


    Field Commander bit what remained of his lower lip in frustration.


    "I will send someone to you when we are done. You better be alive by then."


    Rita and TanYan remained at the gate''s exit while the leftovers of the army retreated. The Wavespawn were right behind them.


    The gate was a long narrow stone tunnel, and they stood at the far end. It was the best place to create a defensive line and cover the retreat.


    "Fifteen seconds." Said Rita. Her tome rose into the air and hung in front of her as Rita used one of her four Mana layers to manage the book.


    "Sure thing, Ri." TanYan adjusted his shield and smashed it with his sword:


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Living Legend!-"


    His body glowed with golden.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Dueling Ground!-"


    A large area under his feet began to pulsate with red.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-The Last Stand!-"


    A few meters in front of him a barely visible wall appeared. He used one of his two Mana layers to power the lantern, creating a weakening effect around them. Now the Beasts were much weaker.


    The first Wavespawn entered the red area and immediately stopped, looking at TanYan and growling. It jumped forward and met the wall, evaporating instantly.


    Rita''s tome opened on the desired page, swiftly turning sheet after sheet as Rita began to cast:


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Sage!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Owl''s Eye!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Overflow!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Blessing!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Infinite Regeneration!-"


    As Rita almost entirely depleted her enormous Mana pool, her book fell on the ground with a loud thud. It was time for her invention, a spell that allowed her to use calamity magic all day long, the Sealcasting spell. She stretched her arms forward, palms facing each other:


    "-Fountain of Eternal Youth!-"


    Between her hands appeared three shining blue Seals. A Mana flow from her right hand passed through all Seals and entered her left hand.


    The first was the Seal of Mana Transfer that allowed to move Mana from one person to another.


    The second was the Seal of Empowerment. This seal boosted any effects that passed through it.


    As for the last Seal, it was called the Succubi Seal, and it was used to absorb Mana from any sources.


    Together, they allowed her to generate Mana as long as she channeled this spell. While the spell could have been used by many people, none were interested. Battlemages rarely ran out of Mana as they used Major or Greater tier spells.


    And Tome Sages, who rarely fought at all, couldn''t use the spell as it required at least three Mana layers, an immense concentration to channel the spell, and a great amount of Dexterity to create three Seals at the same time. But Rita had it all, and she kept channeling.


    "I''m ready." She said ten seconds later.


    "That was seventeen seconds, Ri. Losing your touch?" TanYan loved to poke Rita.


    As the effects of his spells began to wear off, some of the beasts resisted the Dueling Ground or his deathly Last Stand and rushed towards Rita.


    "Over my dead body!", he turned around to face them:


    "-Judgement!-"


    His sword glowed with golden, and its blade became five times longer than it originally was, elongated by a dense golden light. With the now enormous sword, he impaled the Wavespawn that got past him.


    Rita''s tome rose into the air again as she began to cast:


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Wave of Force!-"


    The Beasts were thrown more than fifty meters back.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Fire Rain!-"


    Thanks to Rita, TanYan now had a breathing room to renew his spells. After placing new Dueling Ground and another Last Stand, he turned to Rita:


    "Mana, my lady?"


    Rita just smiled and pointed her finger:


    "-Shillen Elder!-"


    A massive jet of Mana shot out of her finger, passing through two Seals right into TanYan''s chest. It was another Sealcasting spell that Rita re-invented, upgrading a classic Mana transfer magic.


    "It always feels great to be touched by Rita," he snickered lightly. The Wavespawn was almost there again, so he turned to face them.


    "-Fountain of Eternal Youth!-"


    Every spare moment Rita used to replenish her Mana pool, for it was her adamant rule.


    Some of the Beasts were killed by still pouring Fire Rain, but many lived and rushed towards the pair.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Thunderwalk!-"


    His legs sparkled, and when he stomped the ground, they emitted a lightning wave that electrocuted the Beasts.


    One of the strongest aspects of his Spell Knight specialization was the availability of many long-ranged attacks. As long as he had Mana, he stood his ground.


    With the help of the lantern that weakened the Beasts, they repeatedly pushed the Wavespawn back. But one of the lantern''s weaknesses was the inability to protect from long-ranged attacks.


    Atop the roof of the building closest to the gate TanYan saw a red-eyed Echidna aiming at him. He rose up his shield, however, five long brown spikes were already inside his chest.


    He grumbled and fell on one knee when the second barrage of deadly spikes descended on his figure.


    "No!" Rita''s cry echoed inside the gate.


    ---


    AN: As was already said, I will post the last part in 2 days, like a normal new chapter.


    When it''s done, I''ll have to go back and re-write the first two chapters, as they are really so-so (I''m constantly being told that ch0 and ch1 are bad, while the rest are much better).


    I will post new chapters every 3 days or so.


    It would immensely help me if you could tell what you think about ch0-1.

 20 No Time For Caution 3/3

    "No!" Rita''s cry echoed inside the gate.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Thunderbolt!-"


    Echidna rolled down from the roof, struck by thunder. It was not enough to kill a twice evolved Beast, but it would buy her some time. Rita moved closer to TanYan, who was on his knees and breathed heavily.


    "-Flames of Gehenna!-"


    Rita blocked the path with a giant firewall, although it won''t stand for long, it would buy her a few seconds.


    "Dummy..." TanYan spat out some blood, "why are you screaming?"


    Around a dozen spikes stuck out of his body, making him a wannabe hedgehog. He grunted and began to pull them out one by one, while Rita chanted spells:


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Balm!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Disinfect!-"


    "Hon, you are worrying too much," he coughed out some more blood, "I''m fine. Your regeneration is helping already."


    "Stupid iron can. It''s not like I''m worried about you. It''s just that the Commander asked me to bring you back!" She turned around, electrocuting few Beasts that got past the wall.


    "Yes-yes. Thank you so much for your hospitality." He slowly rose to his feet and picked up his weapons. The wounds on TanYan''s body were almost healed by that moment, although his armor was full of holes.


    A little over a minute passed, they needed to hold on longer.


    The effect of the wall almost ended, and more Beasts rushed into the gate''s tunnel.


    "-Flames of Gehenna!-"


    Rita saw that TanYan was not completely ready and decided to buy some more time. She also needed more Mana.


    "-Fountain of Eternal Youth!-"


    TanYan began to refresh his spells when a pack of fire-resistant beasts broke through.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Chain Lightning!-"


    Rita was forced to stop her channeling to wipe out the beasts. It was thanks to his years of training and fighting that the first thing TanYan did was to restart his lantern.


    Meter sized spiders crawled the walls of the tunnel.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Firebird!-" -- "-Tomecraft: Calamity Firebird!-" -- "-Tomecraft: Calamity Firebird!-"


    There were a lot of them and, although they were weak, they spat a strong web that could immobilize even a Knight.


    "Out of Mana!" Rita backed away and began her channeling.


    TanYan gripped his sword and began to throw attacking spells:


    "-Reality Slash!-" -- "-Reality Slash!-"


    The hits left huge holes in the tunnel, and they also cleared out all the spiders.


    "Maybe we can collapse the tunnel?" He asked Rita after seeing the damage his spells made to the walls.


    "And what''s next? They''ll crawl around or break through anyway, but we''d lose our only choke point." Rita was not amused by his bright idea, as usual.


    Instinctively TanYan covered himself with the shield, and a moment later it violently shook from a heavy impact. Few spikes dropped to the ground smashed from the contact with his shield.


    "Rita, we need to take it down, cover me!" He quickly moved the shield to his back and took the sword with both hands. Rita stood in front of him and chanted her spells:


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Wave of Force!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Fire Rain!-"


    When the closest Beasts were pushed back, and the rest distracted and halted by the Fire Rain, she dropped her book on the floor again and used another unique spell:


    "-Tower of Flesh!-"


    The bodies of the Beasts glowed blue and were pulled to Rita''s position. They quickly assembled into a giant pile of meat and bones, covering Rita and TanYan from the attacks. As the bodies belonged to the Wavespawn, they were sturdy and durable. They were quickly chomped by the Echidna''s attack, as twice evolved beast out of lantern''s reach was an enormous threat, but there were more corpses around to replace the damaged ones.


    "Low on Mana!" Rita shouted as the Tower ate away her Mana pool.


    "Almost done!"


    TanYan''s sword glowed with red, and the color rose in intensity with each passing second. After a few more seconds he was finally ready to add the last part of the spell:


    "-Shooting Star: Alpha!-"


    The first red circle appeared at the tip of the sword. The moment Rite heard that she dropped the Tower and went behind TanYan to replenish her Mana.


    "-Shooting Star: Omega!-"


    The second circle appeared in front of the first one, even bigger and brighter.


    "-Shooting Star!-"


    A red beam shot out of the sword and pierced the Echidna. It fell down to the ground with a huge round hole in its body. The power of this spell was unrivaled, but it took a lot of time and Mana to prepare it.


    As TanYan tried to retrieve his shield, a Beast jumped on him and bit his leg. He discarded the idea about his shield and gripped the sword with both hands, cutting the Beast. His Mana was low, so he couldn''t use any spells and resorted to cutting and slashing.


    As the first Beast was done for, another Wavespawn sunk its teeth into his shoulder to spill more Noble blood.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Chain Lightning!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Wave of Force!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Balm!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Disinfect!-"


    "-Shillen Elder!-"


    Rita''s barrage of spells cleared the closest pack of Beasts and quickly tended to TanYan''s needs before she went to replenish his Mana.


    "That''s my girl!" He cheered up and took out his shield, then refreshed few of his spells.


    The shield was important not only as his own cover but as another defensive wall to protect the lantern he gripped in the same hand. His lantern was small but potent, tailored and adjusted to his style of combat.


    "Rita, you can take a breath now, I''ll hold for-"


    As he was finishing his phrase, a huge beam of lava shot out of the Hellhound''s maw. Hellhound was a twice evolved Wavespawn, and it stood outside of the lantern''s range, so its full-powered attack instantly melted TanYan''s shield, lantern, and his left arm. He fell to the ground and tried to cover his wound as his scream echoed inside the tunnel.


    "-Ice Maiden!-"


    An icy cage appeared around the Hellhound, and numerous frozen spikes impaled the Beast. It was not yet dead but was damaged enough to leave the battle for some time. Other Beasts rushed into the gate.


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Wave of Force!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Calamity Fire Rain!-"


    "-Flames of Gehenna!-"


    "-Lord of Vermillion!-"


    The beasts were pushed back, and the entrance to the tunnel was now covered with the Fire Wall. On top of that lightning struck the same spot twice a second.


    While Rita ran to TanYan, she also downed two Mana potions as her own Mana pool was now depleted.


    "Stay still! I''ll patch you up!" She blurted out with a trembling voice.


    "I knew... you were worried... about me, Ri." TanYan muttered in a low voice. His breathing was frequent and very short. "I''m sorry... I..."


    "Don''t talk!" Rita opened her tome and pointed at TanYan:


    "-Tomecraft: Restoration!-"


    A green circle appeared around his left side and spawned dozens of bandages.


    "I''ll take it from here. You sleep." She said and wanted to stand up, but TanYan grabbed her hand and said:


    "I love you, Ri..."


    "I love you too, brave idiot." As his hand fell to the ground, Rita stood up.


    The first Beast managed to overcome her deathtrap of fire and lightning and rushed towards her. She pushed it and everyone behind it with another Wave of Force before channeling her Mana restoration spell.


    She already had her Mana pool back by the time they returned. Rita pondered for a moment an idea of simply pushing them away again and again, but decided against it. The Wave of Force doesn''t kill. Instead, it simply pushes away. The Beasts would pile up if she stopped killing them, and the moment she makes any mistake would be her last. So she chose an aggressive approach.


    Every four or five spells she pushed them back with another Wave of Force to recover some Mana back. She also downed her last two Mana potions.


    Another batch of Wavespawn was pushed back when a spider fell on her from the ceiling. It sunk its fangs into her left shoulder and Rita collapsed to the ground under its weight.


    "-Avatar of Fire!-"


    Her body was instantly set on fire, burning the spider. It was one of her last-resort defense tricks, for it burned both enemies and friends alike, including herself. She bit her charred lip to not to scream, the remnants of her burnt clothes fell down.


    Next thing that happened was both lucky and unlucky for her. She saw a Hellhound took aim at her, prepared to spit out another beam of lava.


    "-Avatar of Water!-"


    The spell covered her body with a thick layer of water that would partially protect her from fire attacks. The good part about this situation was that aside from protection, Avatar of Water also provided restorative effects, the more Mana used, the better these effects were.


    "-Simon''s Ice Fortress!-"


    She surrounded herself with Ice Walls and began to channel Mana. A moment later she heard a roar, and the frontal wall began to melt. When the Hellhound was out of breath, the wall gave out. Some of the lava made it inside the Fortress and burned Rita''s hands, although her Avatar lessened the impact greatly. She also was lucky that her book was still on the ground.


    As the wall melted away, few Beasts jumped at her. One of them bit her leg, another tried to push her down with its weight, but her back hit the wall of the Fortress, and she managed to stay on her feet.


    "-Avatar of Fire!-"


    Her mostly healed skin and barely regrown hair burned out again as she screamed in pain.


    "-Lesser Balm!-"


    She had no time to pick up her tome, for the Beasts were there again, so she used what she could from her non-Tomecraft arsenal.


    "-Gore Festival!-"


    It was the spell she hated the most. It was a variation of her Tower of Flesh, but more gruesome and taxing. Dead bodies of the Beasts around her glowed blue and flew towards her. They piled around her, creating a cocoon of flesh. With a sickening sound the bones of their bodies turned into spikes and protruded outwards, creating a spiked mound around Rita. As a finishing touch of the spell, this dreadful mound began to spin around Rita, creating a well-defended slaughterhouse.


    She hated her own invention, it sickened her, but it was so effective that she couldn''t forgo its usage. Howling and wailing filled the tunnel as the Wavespawn kept rushing her to be slaughtered by the spikes.


    While the spell was tremendously effective, it had two flaws. The first was its Mana cost, as its support ate away her Mana pool at a concerning rate. She also couldn''t replenish her Mana as the spell required all her four Mana layers to channel it.


    The second flaw was even scarier. The bodies of the Beast, while sturdy and durable, were not eternal and unbreakable. Unlike her Tower of Flesh spell, she could not replenish broken parts with new bodies because all her four Mana layers were occupied with the channeling of the spell itself.


    It was her last line of defense that could only buy her some time. But it was the dead end. She couldn''t cast. She also covered TanYan with this spell, which made her immobile.


    Cracks and gaps began to appear here and there in her Gore Festival. Someone''s fang broke through and slashed her naked belly before disappearing in a whirlwind of spikes and bones. A spider''s leg grazed her cheek from above before meeting the same fate.


    Another part of her defense melted away under an acid splash. More gaps appeared all over the place, and more fangs, teeth, paws, claws, and horns struck her.


    It was like Rita was in a small cage, surrounded by a horde of hungry lions. They reached in with their paws, they slashed and grabbed, pulled everything they could touch.


    She was all bruised, bleeding heavily, and on top of that, her body hadn''t been healed after the Avatar of Fire, so she was also scorched and burnt. Her Mana pool was almost empty, too.


    Her already feeble defense began to crumble apart. She was horrified.


    She was not scared of death, for she already died once.


    It was unfair, she studied so hard, she practiced so much, and it was still not enough. Inability to find the right answer to the problem scared her.


    She was afraid of her powerlessness.


    She was scared of her own shortcomings.


    "-Ultrasonic Arrow!-"


    "-Intimidating Roar!-"


    "-Greater Chain Lightning!-"


    Rita was woken up from her stupor by the sudden rush of magic. She saw people rushing to her side.


    "Rita! They are almost ready! C''mon, run!" The warrior with a two-handed axe stood in front of her, protecting from the Wavespawn.


    She looked at him, confused. The last three minutes were so intense that she forgot why she was here in the first place.


    Somebody''s hands pulled her up, and now she was standing on her feet again.


    "We need to leave, now!" A girl said to her in a tense voice.


    "Wait! Take TanYan, too!" Rita almost yelled, remembering what was most important to her.


    The warrior turned around after smashing another Beast:


    "Where is he?"


    "Right here, I was healing his-" As Rita looked down, she saw an empty, bare stone, only splashes of blood and the sword. "No! He was here just a moment ago! I''m sure he is somewhere here under the Beasts!"


    The warrior held her shoulders while both magician and archer were pushing back the Wavespawn:


    "Rita, he is not here. I can feel the life force, and it''s only the four of us."


    "No! I''m sure he is somewhere here! He is hurt!" She tried to run, but the warrior held her tight. "Let me go! Let me!"


    "Rita, we are leaving. We are out of time." He said in a distressed tone.


    She tried to kick him in the knee to run away.


    "I''m not leaving him! I can''t lose him, too!" She screamed with all her strength.


    "Sorry, Rita, I am so sorry..." The warrior said before punching her in the gut. She bent forward from immense pain, and he grabbed her naked, bloodied and charred body and ran to the harbor.


    ---


    AN:


    This concludes Rita''s story. I hope it was a worthwhile departure from the main storyline, and you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for reading.


    I will try to briefly mention a few things I decided to cut down from this part (or they just begged to be explained):


    1. Rita is strong. She has lots of unique spells crafted by her. But she uses her tome anyway because it gives her a variety of spells, and also access to a calamity tier magic. It also takes a lot of time and effort to progress them from a lesser- to a greater- and calamity- tier.


    2. A strength of different tiers of spells:


    Lesser tier - a gunshot.


    Major tier - a grenade.


    Greater tier - RPG/tank shot


    Calamity tier - heavy rocket missile


    Although, effects vary from spell to spell, and they also usually well concentrated for better effectiveness. I.e., firebird spell that Rita used to kill spiders, it is more about the heat and potency to burn through resistance, than it is about the rough scale of the explosion.


    3. Why wasn''t Rita so cool when she fought the wolf with Orisa? Because she left the Military nine years ago and never fought again.


    Now, to a spell section (not all spells will be listed here, of course):


    Infinite Regeneration - constantly heals wounds (without disinfecting them). Lasts around two minutes, for a healing spell, it is an insanely long time, thus the name.


    Empower - unique to the vas Kavenfenn bloodline spell that empowers any following spell. At its peak (depending on the user''s power) it doubles the effects.


    Living Legend - self-buff that increases all owner''s stats, the more powerful the owner, the bigger is the increase. Main focus of the spell, however, is Vitality/Toughness/Stamina. It greatly helped TanYan survives the spikes.


    Dueling Ground - area spell that automatically taunts the Wavespawn to attack the user.


    Balm - painkiller spell.


    Shillen Elder - an improved, Sealcasting variant of the common Mana transfer spell. Normal Mana transfer is tremendously ineffective, it loses around 80% of the Mana transferred. Rita managed to lower this number to a measly 10-20%.

 21 Whos your daddy?

    By the end of the story, they stopped walking. Orisa stood there dumbfounded, crying quietly.


    "Rita... I''m so sorry," she sobbed while wiping her reddened cheeks, but more and more tears rained down her face, "I never knew... She never told..."


    Youko tried to hug Orisa awkwardly. She patted the girl on the back and said quietly:


    "I imagine that being the case. You rarely mention such details to anyone."


    They stood like that for quite some time. It almost made Youko regret her decision. ''How people deal with the situations like this one, I wonder?''


    Finally, Orisa distanced herself, wiping the remnants of her tears with a shirt''s collar.


    "I''m sorry, Miss Satou. I shouldn''t have-"


    "It''s all right. By the look of things, you are really close to each other, so it must be uncomfortable to hear all that."


    Orisa looked at Youko with a confused expression on her face. When she completely recovered, at least regarding her appearance and ability to move, they began to walk again.


    "How do you know all that, Miss Satou?"


    "Well, I was there, to begin with." Orisa looked at her with a mix of horror and admiration. Clearing her throat, Youko continued. "I also read her report and even briefly talked to lady Stronoff once. Plus, a lot of history books and records mention parts of her story here and there."


    "I see..." It was hard for Orisa to stomach the fact that she walked side by side with someone from the Story. The fact that she was close to Rita, the Hero of the Story, eluded her. "So you were there, too..."


    "Yes," and mistaking Orisa''s intentions, Youko added, "I owe my life to Miss Stronoff, too."


    -


    "Let''s review what you can do now, and then you''ll tell me your plan." When they entered the gym, Youko switched her gears back to a teacher mode.


    Orisa told her about the six-bottles training, Mana charging and Mana flow exercises, Youko was impressed:


    "That is a praiseworthy accomplishment, good work. And now you were planning to develop some basic technique to utilize your Mana flow and Mana pool?" Orisa simply nodded. "Then let me view your papers once more, I might advise something."


    While Youko skimmed through Orisa''s notes, she decided to try the Mana manipulation training that Rita advised her.


    ''So, I need to create a sphere of Mana on my palm? Sounds easy.''


    It was not. Orisa tried to imagine a sphere when pushing her Mana out of the palm, but nothing happened no matter how long she tried. Her Mana just slowly drained away, sipping through her fingers like sand.


    ''Useless-Useless-Useless!'' Her internal critic chimed in.


    ''Can you, I don''t know, maybe shut up? You are not helping me concentrate, and I''m not interested in your bizarre adventure.''


    "What are you doing?" Youko pulled Orisa out of her internal debate.


    "Oh, this? I''m trying to do the Mana manipulation exercise to create a sphere." Orisa hung her head a little dejectedly, "but it seems I''m doing something wrong."


    "I understand. There is a common mistake in the first step of-" Youko was interrupted by an opening door.


    Tiana stood in the doorframe with a puzzled and slightly dissatisfied expression, eyeing both Orisa and Youko suspiciously.


    "Good evening, young lady Kavenfenn." Youko said in an even voice, turning around to greet her.


    "Good evening, Miss Satou." Tiana bowed slightly and was about to leave when Youko called her:


    "Actually, can I borrow you for some time?"


    "Yes, how can I help you?" A momentary dissatisfaction flashed on her face when she turned around and entered the room.


    "Thank you, Tiana. Although, it is not for me, I need you to help this girl over here." Youko waved to Orisa who subtly grinned and winked to Tiana. "She just started her Mana manipulation training. I think it is an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to teach people, and for both of you to get to know each other."


    "Oh, don''t worry, we know each oth-" Orisa began but was hastily interrupted by a blushing Tiana:


    "We most certainly not! For me being an acquaintance with such... person is outrageous!"


    Youko looked at them with an amused and predatory expression on her face. As Orisa noticed her expression, she thought to herself: ''if you now say Ara-Ara, I''m going to explode.''


    "Anyhow, I need to check on the squad and will be back soon. Please, take care of Orisa for me. I will inspect your progress soon."


    "Right..." Watching Youko leave, she turned to Orisa with frustration all over her beautiful noble face.


    "So, young lady Kavenfenn, where do we start?" Orisa was faster, she spoke, trying her hardest to keep a straight face.


    "Don''t talk to me, fiendfood, unless I ask you something. Tell me what you can do and why do you need it."


    Orisa had to repeat the same info dump for Tiana whose face got more and more disgusted with every word.


    "Pathetic." She muttered through her gritted teeth.


    "Hey! The fuck!?" Orisa was outraged by her reaction. It struck too close to home. "It''s not my fault that my stats are trash!"


    "Then kill yourself already. Less food for the Wavespawn."


    "You know what? Go to hell fucking princess!" Orisa quickly grabbed her things and stormed away.


    -


    She sat on a bench outside the building, still fuming:


    ''The hell is wrong with her?''


    ''Oh, poor girl, somebody is bullying her, how unfair! Let''s all stand in a circle, hold hands and be friends!'' The internal critic was already there, poking her.


    She was just silently raging, thinking about injustice and inequality.


    ''All men are not created to be equal.'' The critic poked her again after some time.


    ''Stop quoting anime. What do you want from me?''


    ''Get back. Who''s gonna teach you?''


    ''Not her, apparently, she can go to hell for all I care.''


    ''What would Youko say? What would Rita do?''


    ''That''s cheap! How could you..?'' Orisa was appalled by his behavior.


    She grumbled for a few more minutes then stood up and returned to the gym. Tiana was already practicing. She ignored Orisa completely.


    "Teach me."


    "Go die already, fiendfood."


    "Teach me!"


    "Don''t talk to me, trash."


    "So you can''t? Just as I thought, it was a poor choice that Miss Youko entrusted something to you."


    "How dare you!? I am perfectly capable of completing such a task!"


    Orisa tried to keep her face straight while she was laughing internally. ''Pff, stupid kid. And I was offended by this? Something is really wrong with my mood.'' She silently shook her head before speaking again:


    "Miss Satou will be back soon, and you made zero progress." It was a risky taunt, but she had to push harder for Tiana to break.


    She looked at Orisa for a moment, sensing that something was fishy, but in the end, let out a long sigh.


    "Show me what you are doing. Quickly."


    Orisa tried again to push a sphere out of her hand with the same result.


    "Tch. Of course, you are doing it all wrong." She extended her hand with the palm facing upwards. In a blink of an eye, a blue sphere appeared there and began to spin. "You need to repeat all the stages to do it."


    Orisa looked puzzled. ''What stages?'' She thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion - the act of creation of this sphere is not something you just do. Instead, you perform a step-by-step transformation.


    "Do it again, but this time much slower."


    Again, a blue sphere appeared on her palm.


    "I said do it slower. I know you are doing it on purpose. Just stop wasting time already."


    "Tch, you are just too slow, but that is to be expected from a useless creature." She did it again, this time slower, so Orisa was able to momentarily see another form appear before the sphere, but it still was too quick.


    "If you are so smart, young lady, then why can''t you properly show me a step by step instruction?"


    "Tch." She showed Orisa her palm that glowed blue. "See? Mana!" Next moment a long blue jet came out of her hand. It was similar to a flame from a lighter, slowly dancing on her palm. It changed its form into a sphere. "Now got it?"


    "Stop tch-ing me already. How do you make this flame thing?" Orisa was thoroughly confused.


    "What? I..." Now it was Tiana''s turn to be puzzled. She blinked in confusion a few times before heavily blushing and yelling. "I don''t know. I just do it, that''s all! It is your fault for being inept!"


    "Oh, calm down, would you?" Orisa pondered for a moment, ignoring Tiana''s outrage. ''Maybe she is a natural, a prodigy who just unconsciously makes simple manipulations?'' She decided to probe the waters:


    "So, it is not the same as pushing Mana?"


    "Of course not! It''s obvious! It just flows outside normally."


    "Right-right. I see. Now, be quiet for a moment while I''m thinking."


    And again Orisa focused on the problem and ignored Tiana''s relentless verbal assault.


    She pushed her Mana to the hand, letting it flow on the palm''s surface. ''So, how do I send it out without forcibly pushing?'' She turned her palm to face the floor, but Mana remained there, slowly flowing on the surface. She imagined a floodgate open in her palm.


    A huge jet of blue flame shot out of her hand, burning the floor. She panicked and shook her hand, thwarting the process.


    "Are you out of your mind!?" Tiana screamed, jumping away.


    "-Lesser Frostbite!-"


    She threw a cold spell to extinguish a smoldering floor, which made a hissing sound and raised cloud of smoke.


    "Oh, sorry... And thank you for taking care of the floor." Orisa was shocked by her own hand. She also became dizzy. ''Looks like I overused Mana pool again.''


    After taking a break, Orisa tried again with her palm facing upwards. She imagined a tiny hole being closed by a valve, and slowly turned it. A small blue flame appeared at her palm.


    Without any more directions, Orisa thought about the flame becoming more round. It took her twenty seconds of intense concentration to make into a sphere. ''Although, it is more of an ellipsoid than a sphere.''


    "Show me some basic exercises for concentration, too." Orisa turned to a still baffled Tiana.


    "Tch. For your garbage, useless, pathetic level of-"


    It was when Youko returned and involuntarily interrupted another verbal abuse. She looked at the charred floor and raised her eyebrow:


    "Now I am very interested in your progress," She said after a long theatrical pause, "was Tiana helpful?"


    Tiana''s face became red. She opened her mouth and closed it back a few times, trying to think of something to say.


    "Oh, yes, she absolutely was!" Orisa started excitedly. "She is a natural at this!"


    "I see..." Youko was unconvinced, to say the least.


    "She already taught me how to create a Mana sphere and was about to explain more on the topic of concentration training." Orisa beamed with excitement.


    "Really?" Amused, Youko turned to already purple Tiana, "sorry for the interruption, please, go on."


    Tiana cleared her dry throat, took a deep breath and began with a slightly shaky voice:


    "As I was saying, there are two well-suited beginner exercises you should try out. The first would favorably compliment your Mana flow accomplishments." She paused to take another breath, the color slowly leaving her face, returning it back to its pale beauty. "As for the second one, it is more complex and might demand much more practice. Although, I''m quite positive that you''ll perform well above expectations in this case."


    Youko nodded, quite pleased with this statement.


    They proceeded with the development of the new, Orisa-styled skill.


    Powered by Youko''s knowledge and Orisa''s curiosity and unyielding drive, the progress was made. Tiana was mostly quiet, occasionally adding small comments here and there, although she contributed some ideas, too.


    From time to time Orisa made remarks like these:


    "Great idea, lady Kavenfenn. I''m glad that you are here."


    "How wise of you to point it out."


    "With your help, I feel like I can accomplish something."


    Orisa practiced her new skill. She felt like her body learned it, as Rita told her in the letter.


    By the end of the evening, she was exhausted but felt amazing. When Youko decided to leave, Tiana followed her. When they were in the door frame, Orisa decided to add a finishing touch to her mocking:


    "Miss Satou, thank you very much for your help and your time. Also, lady Kavenfenn," Orisa grinned, "your participation was immensely appreciated. I feel like I''ve already learned a lot from you. It was a pleasure. You are a great teacher, and I''d certainly like to follow in your footsteps." Orisa bowed down.


    "Indeed, I''m quite pleased with this outcome." Murmured Youko. She took a long look at Tiana and continued. "It would be beneficial for you, lady Kavenfenn, to continue tutoring Orisa from now on."


    Orisa almost felt Tiana''s immense pain and displeasure. Only years of hard training helped Tiana keep her face straight, and she simply nodded. Youko thought for a moment and then added:


    "Also, I must reconsider my weekly report to your father." At this very moment, something inside Orisa ringed, and she focused on Youko''s words. "He was rather concerned with your progress in regards to the leadership skills. Now it became obvious that you made some significant progress. You should find my report quite favorable, and your father satisfied."


    And now the puzzle in Orisa''s head has finally come together. She almost drooled over her discovery.


    Youko turned around and left the room, leaving Tiana red-faced with her head down. When she decided to leave, she quickly peeked at Orisa, who whispered, moving only her lips:


    "You. Are. Mine."

 22 Greetings, my Lord.

    Orisa''s morning was in no way a pleasant experience. She woke up with the same dull pain below the stomach. Two out of three girls kept ignoring her, while the third, Toatre, told Orisa how ''fun and overwhelmingly simple'' every exercise was to her.


    The usual workout didn''t grant any pleasant feelings and instead added more pain to her lower parts. The shower was no better as she forgot the hygiene items in the dorm. The only thing that kept her going was a memory of yesterday''s evening. ''It''s as if I won in the lottery. Let''s see where this catch will lead me.''


    On her way to the canteen, Orisa met Kanai and Iten, and together they took a table in the corner of the dining room.


    "How is it going, my brave comrades?" She asked, trying to sound cheerful.


    "I''m absolutely fine, and thank you for asking." While Iten sounded calm, she noticed some concern in his voice.


    "Iten? What are you hiding from your best friend?" Orisa poked Iten in the forearm, but he just shook his head and nodded towards Kanai.


    ''Oh, we are back at square one again?'' Orisa thought as she looked at Kanai''s depressed face. He probably was even more stressed than before.


    "What''s going on, sweetheart?" She pulled Kanai on the cheeks, trying to make him smile. For her, it was always easy to focus on other people''s problems and forget about her own, at least temporarily.


    "I don''t know what to do. Wasn''t even able to do a simple Mana Burst." He let out a long sigh before resting his chin on the crossed forearms. "I don''t know if I''ll manage, because I''m completely useless and inept in everything... Can''t imagine what will happen at today''s practice."


    "Oh, you are telling me? Come on, stop joking around maybe? You are an overlord compared to my stat build." She slapped his head with a pack of canteen''s tissues in slight frustration. "Do you even know how hard it was to do all this training? And all this suffering and humiliation gave me one, and I mean it, one semi-useless spell that I can''t even use properly."


    Kanai kept submerging into his depression, but her story perked Iten''s attention:


    "I was actually interested in your training, and also curious about yesterday''s departure."


    And this very moment Orisa finally remembered her yesterday''s catch. She smashed Kanai''s head with the tissues again, this time in excitement, and declared: "You won''t believe what happened yesterday!"


    She then retold them the events of her evening in bright colors and with tons of sarcastic comments. By the end of the story, even Kanai perked up and lost some of his moss.


    "I''m not sure I share your enthusiasm." Iten was slightly disappointed by Orisa''s excitement. In his book, it was unfair to take revenge on people.


    "Oi, don''t spoil the fun, man. It''s not like I''m planning to blackmail her into slavery or something."


    "You aren''t?"


    "Iten, how could you? My heart is broken now, you merciless monster..." And she theatrically slumped on a chair. Iten just rolled his eyes and returned back to food.


    "What are you going to blackmail her into, then?" Kanai lazily poked his food, still not quite in the mood.


    "We''ll just have some fun together if you know what I mean." She winked at Kanai, making him chuckle. Iten''s face actually reddened a bit after her revelation.


    "Setting aside adult entertainment," in the end, Orisa made Kanai laugh, "regardless of today''s practice, we are going to the gym afterward. Objections?"


    "I''m not an ace attorney, but I have-" Kanai was about to complain, but was quickly interrupted by a giggling Orisa:


    "You are deprived of your right to vote on this matter." Then she turned to Iten.


    "Sorry, not today. Nene asked me to help her with something again." He sighed with a mix of confusion and tiredness. "Although I must say, I find her requests rather pointless and dull.She can do everything herself, so why she needs my help?"


    Orisa looked at him in awe. ''The only reason I can think of is that he was really old and forgot everything by that time...''


    Even Kanai, being unfamiliar with Orisa''s and Nene''s interactions, looked like he understood the situation.


    "You know what? Why don''t you ask her that question today?" When Iten firmly nodded, she thought to herself: ''This will be fun.''


    -


    "Before I entrust you to the Captain, we''ll briefly talk about the purpose of the establishment you are going to visit today." The squad sat in front of Youko, who began her lecture.


    "In general, there are two ways to improve your abilities and characteristics. The first won''t interest most of you, because it excludes anything related to combat performance. I''m talking about Mana crafting and Mana engineering." She proceeded to write it down on a chalkboard.


    "Both methods implore a variety of materials, such as metal ores, crystalized Mana cores, other types of battle byproducts, and Mana ink. A crafter uses his Mana to mix, consume and create. In the process, he can grow stronger, depending on the difficulty of the task and quality of materials. But this method is both expensive and unhelpful to combatants for obvious reasons."


    Youko added some notes to the chalkboard before continuing.


    "As for the second method, that is what you are going to do." She paused, looking at the squad with an intent gaze. "When you defeat a real opponent, you grow stronger. Not only your characteristics will grow but the abilities you used, too."


    She wrote a long name across the entire board:


    "The Underground Combat Training Facility is a place to receive such growth. A special military unit called the Summoners supports this establishment by providing the so-called real opponents. In a controlled environment, they conjure a variety of enemies for you to fight."


    More notes were added before moving to a final part.


    "For convenience purpose, this facility is shortened to the Dungeon, for it is an underground construction divided into floors. The deeper the floor, the more complex and hard is its environment and tasks. It is not possible to grow indefinitely using this method, but it is well tailored for the beginners."


    They discussed various things related to the Dungeon before Youko sent them to the Captain. Orisa waited behind to ask a few questions:


    "I''m sorry, Miss Satou, but I have two questions unrelated to the lecture." Already used to Orisa''s curiosity, Youko simply nodded.


    "The first is about the library. We wanted to read a specific book, but for some reason, we weren''t able to find it."


    "And the book is..?"


    "Fantastic Waves and Where to Fight Them." Orisa noticed that Youko''s face flinched for a moment before she collected herself.


    "I''m not sure it will be of any interest to you. I haven''t seen it for a long time, anyway."


    "I see..." Youko''s reaction worried Orisa for some reason. ''I hope it is not an obvious foreshadowing of a deadly hidden quest.''


    "Is that all?"


    "The last one is related to the camp. I was really curious about our nearest future. How long are we going to stay in the camp and what else is waiting for us here?"


    Youko slightly relaxed after hearing Orisa''s question.


    "Actually, this is your last week as a trainee. You''ll have six days of the Dungeon, including a test, and the last day is for career selection."


    Deep in thought, Orisa left the class.


    -


    They arrived at a small stone building that stood amidst an empty, barren field. It took the squad ten minutes to get there, which meant that it was the furthest part of the training camp.


    Captain Pain lined the squad in front of the door and began his part:


    "Today you are going to show me your homework. If that self-study time we gave you was wasted, then you are so dead."


    Some of the squad members nervously gulped.


    "Behind this door is the Dungeon. Follow my instructions, and most of you will survive."


    He turned around, unlocked the door with his armlet and went inside.


    "Let''s move, people." Iten held the door to let the squad members pass.


    Inside, Orisa saw a narrow staircase carved from stone. Its steps were uneven, and the path was dimly lit, together they created an atmosphere of an ancient castle.


    Taking the first step into the darkness, she hummed quietly:


    "And way down we go..."


    They walked for a few minutes before arriving at a dead end. Two guards stood there - a full-plated knight and a magician.


    "Capitan," nodded the knight before pressing something on his armlet. The wall behind him turned into a matter displacement gate, and the Captain walked in, saluting to the knight. Behind the gates was a rather spacious room more than fifty meters wide and a hundred meters long.


    "Welcome to the Dungeon." Said Captain Pain, waving an area in front of him. "Before we start, let''s greet a man who will support us every other day, starting from today."


    A man in dark-blue military caster robe slowly walked to them, waving back to the Captain. He had short black hair and a look of a grumpy old detective in his dark eyes.


    "Line up! Attention!" Yelled the Captain before turning to the soldier and shaking his hand. "This is Lieutenant Reezpauzo, special military unit, the Summoners. Greetings!"


    "Greetings, Lieutenant, Sir!" The squad said in sync.


    "At ease, squad." While his voice and appearance were both quite young, he gave off an aura of an old seasoned veteran. "Name''s Reezpauzo. If you have questions or need something - ask during breaks. No distractions while training." He turned around and walked back to the central part of the room. On the back of his robe was a giant skull emblem, the sign of The Summoners division.


    When he left, the Captain continued:


    "This is what''s going to happen..."


    To begin a real exercise, they are required to show a basic skill level. First, a simple Mana flow on their palm. Then, a few Mana bursts into the air before doing the same to a real opponent.


    If all the stages were completed, they allowed cadets to use their full potential in semi-realistic combat with the summoned enemies.


    The end goal of this part was for every squad member to pass the first floor by completing a combat test. Unless every member of the squad was able to do so, the entire squad would be stuck on this floor.


    "Palms forward and show me the Mana flow."


    As the Captain walked along the line of cadets, he furrowed his brow from time to time. After going back and forth for a few times, he said:


    "That''s acceptable, all of you. Now, ten steps forward."


    After the slightly confused squad moved to a new position, he continued.


    "Every time I clap, you perform the Mana Burst."


    With every clap, the Captain moved from one cadet to another, observing their performance.


    "Everyone except Crion Bauro, Kanai and Taron Maus, ten steps forward."


    Orisa flinched at a mention of Kanai but moved with the rest of the squad.


    "You three," the Captain said to the remnants of the squad, "keep practicing the Mana Burst. I''ll check on you later." He then moved forward to the rest of them.


    "You will repeat the same Mana Burst, although, I will be your target." He observed the shocked expressions of the squad members with a huge grin on his face. "Don''t fret, kids, as you won''t be able to hurt me even if you wanted. And I''m sure you do."


    He laughed mockingly before moving in front of the first squad member.


    "-Mana Burst!-"


    As Iten threw his hand forward, a small burst rolled over the Captain''s chest, not leaving a single mark on his clothes.


    "Pass." Captain Pain nodded and moved to the second person, Rakasha.


    "-Mana Burst!-"


    Muscles on Rakasha''s hands bulged as he hit the Captain, forcing him to take a step back, which made Captain Pain chuckle and nod in approval.


    "Pass."


    He moved from person to person until it was the girls'' turn. First was Mira, with Onuki being second, and they both passed. Next was Toatre:


    "-Mana Burst!-"


    Captain Pain bent down from the impact, his uniform'' front scorched. While his body was unharmed, he still looked at Toatre with a little scorn before mumbling:


    "I should have guessed..."


    Before moving to Orisa who was last in queue, the Captain paused.Furrowing his brows, he crossed his arms and chanted:


    "-Body of Effulgent Beryl!-"


    He glowed purple for a moment, before finally moving to Orisa. She grinned before moving the Mana to her palm, ready to push.


    As the Mana rushed through her hand, she imagined an explosion, almost feeling her Mana transform. Her hand flew forward, pushing the spell:


    "Mana Burst!"


    And nothing happened. A moment before the impact, something clicked inside her head, and the Mana dissolved harmlessly, nothing came out of her palm.


    "Again." Said the Captain, looking at her intently.


    Orisa shook her head in confusion, as she was already quite proficient in this spell. Just in case, she turned to the side and tried the spell in the air:


    "-Mana Burst!-"


    It worked like a clock, so she got back to the Captain and made the same move. Again, something clicked in her head the last second, and she weakly slapped the Captain''s scorched uniform.


    "I don''t get it..." She was dismayed.


    "Everyone, except Orisa, ten steps forward." As the squad moved forward, she looked back at Kanai, who was looking at her, too. They both were quite depressed, to say the least.


    But the training went on.


    By the end of the evening, everyone was able to move to real training, except for Orisa, Kanai, and Crion. They still struggled at the same steps, no matter how hard they tried.


    Frustration welled inside Orisa''s heart. ''Why is this happening? What''s wrong with me AGAIN!?'' She bit her lip in frustration.


    Suddenly a big and heavy hand squeezed her shoulder.


    "Don''t worry, little friend. Me believe in you, so you believe in you, too." Rakasha patted her on the back before going to the stairs.


    She went up, pondering the problem, but nothing came to mind. She did exactly the same, but the result was completely different depending on a target.


    A few minutes later Orisa stood at the entrance of the Dungeon, thoughtfully looking at the stars. A cool night breeze slowly flapped her hair, making her look like a heroine from a romantic story.


    ''Makes me wonder, if I was a protagonist of some novel, how would this book be tagged? Useless MC? Endless suffering? Pathetic whelp?''


    The pain in her lower parts added some more suffering on top of her failure. Orisa hung her head dejectedly.


    "I''m sure that both of you would be able to figure things out on your private training." Iten shrugged, looking at Orisa and Kanai, who actually stood by her side with the same depressed look, and went away.


    Orisa already forgot about her promise to Kanai, but after Iten reminded her, she turned to him.


    "I... don''t want to..." He began to mumble something.


    "Vetoed. We are going."


    Orisa grabbed his hand and almost dragged him towards the gym.


    Lieutenant Reezpauzo finished the evening shift and moved away from the dungeon. Unlike the rest of the crew, he walked in the opposite direction, saying that he wanted to take a leak and would catch with them later.


    As the Lieutenant went deeper into nearby bushes, he made sure that no one followed him. After walking for a minute, he finally saw a rendezvous point, a big old tree, partially charred from a lightning strike.


    In its shadow, hiding even from the moonlight, was a silhouette of a tall, bulky person. After approaching the tree, the Lieutenant got down on one knee.


    "Greetings, my Lord. I am here to report my discoveries."


    He waited a few seconds for any reaction, and then continued his report:


    "The performance is below average. I was unable to perceive any unusual skills or abilities. Should I continue the observation?"


    The Lieutenant became silent, waiting for the reply. A long time passed before he finally heard a strong, deep voice:


    "Umu."


    When Reezpauzo raised his head, the silhouette was already gone. As he walked back, he resolved to dig some more information on the target, for the case of his Lord was of utmost importance.


    ---


    AN:


    Body of Effulgent Beryl - warrior''s spell that boost''s one''s defense greatly for a short amount of time and only against the first hit.

 23 Jikan desu, shujin*

    She had to drag Kanai to the gym, threatening him on the way with various things, ranging from ''No sweets for you today,'' to ''I''m gonna eat your pancreas.''


    When they got into there, Orisa dropped all her stuff in the corner and turned to Kanai:


    "This is a sparring program, and it has the same basic rules as the Matrix."


    "Oh, please, you are no Morpheus..." Kanai chuckled, dropping his backpack to the floor.


    "Come on, show me what you''ve got." She tried to imitate a Laurence Fishburne''s voice, standing with her arms crossed.


    Kanai pushed his hand forward a few times, but nothing happened, and he dejectedly hung his head before slumping down on the mat.


    "See? I''m useless, completely unfit to this world, to this body and everything around."


    "Woah, can I use you to mop the floor now?" She came closer and symbolically kicked him in the butt.


    "Just leave me be, I don''t want to do another pointless chore..."


    Orisa bent down, took his hand and pulled it, nudging Kanai start moving.


    "Hey, stand up and let''s try again, now with my help." She pulled him again before singing lamely. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down..."


    Kanai giggled again and finally got back on his feet with Orisa''s help. She switched her gears back to a lecturing mode.


    "Okay, kouhai, let us review your homework and assess your progress!" Orisa took Kanai"s hand with both her hands and stretched his palm. "Show me your flow and push Mana to the palm."


    But Kanai suddenly became distracted by an absolutely unrelated topic as he thought to himself: ''Woah, her hands are so soft and tender. I wonder how her skin feels to touch..?''


    "Hoi, I''m waiting here, you know?" Orisa lightly kicked him in the foot, for she was never patient enough when in the tutoring mode.


    "Oh, sorry-sorry just got distracted a bit."


    While her Mana flow looked like a surface of an ocean, with small tidal waves of Mana moving on her palm, Kanai''s flow was quite different. It reminded her of a cup full of Cola, with its surface constantly bubbling and splashing, creating a noisy and chaotic feeling.


    She also recalled how Tiana''s palm looked when she pushed Mana there. It was mostly the same as her own, but much calmer and evener, so she guessed:


    "Looks like you are doing something wrong, but it is hard to say exactly what and why..." She became quiet, pondering the problem without letting his hand go.


    Kanai''s cheeks turned red from all this skin contact. When his mind began to drift in all the wrong directions, Orisa pulled him out of his thougts with a long sigh:


    "Guess we''ll have to check it step by step, maybe I''ll be able to find something."


    "Oh, yes... I will be in your care."


    Orisa stood right in front of him and pressed her right hand against his chest, and with the left hand, she grabbed Kanai wrist to feel the pulse.


    "Do it again, and I''ll try to feel your Mana flow."


    "Ah... Of course, sure." He said with a red face.


    When he tried to push again, Orisa really felt a weak Mana flow in his chest.


    "I can feel it, so don''t stop now."


    As Kanai kept pushing, she was able to discern the flow. The sense that she got from his Mana was quite different from her own. While her Mana flow felt as water moving inside the pipe in an even and constant manner, his stream was more like a pump that pushed Mana down infrequently and aggressively.


    Orisa pulled Kanai towards the sink in the corner of the gym and opened the valve to let the water stream.


    "I think I got your problem. This is how normal Mana flow looks like," She waved to the sink. "When I need to use Mana, I redirect the flow or its part like this."


    She placed her palm under the stream to make the water flow to the side.


    "And that''s how you do it," instead of diverting the stream with her palm, she began to smack the water, splashing it all over the place.


    "See? You''re trying to grab some Mana out of the flow and throw it into your palm. Splash it instead of redirecting."


    Kanai was thoroughly confused by her explanation. Orisa let out a long sight while shaking her head.


    "Okay, I hope you''ll be able to feel it like I was."


    She took his hand and tightly pressed it to her chest. Kanai felt something soft under his fingers and immediately turned purple.


    When a blue flame appeared on her palm, she transformed it into a sphere.


    "Do you feel it? My Mana flow?"


    When she looked back at Kanai, she saw his face, and he clearly wasn''t looking at her palm. Puzzled, Orisa followed his gaze to her chest.


    "Dude... Really?" She backed away a few steps. "I thought we were friends?"


    "We are! It''s just that... I... It''s..." Kanai was flustered.


    "Come on, really? What are you, a fifteen years old virgin-kun!?"


    "I''m not! It''s not my fault that the body reacts this way." He turned around and dashed away.


    "Ara-ara, shota-kun, you forgot your backpack," Orisa said mockingly, waving his bag.


    Annoyed Kanai returned and tried to grab his backpack only to get a splash of cold water in the face.


    "Where do you think you are going? We are not done here, kouhai-kun." She was unstoppable in her desire to help people. She went and pulled out a jacket out of her bag, then put it on.


    "I know it might be hard to keep your hormones under control." She said gently, but then her voice turned into a mocking machine again, "but don''t expect me to help you with your little bulging problem."


    "I was not-"


    "Chill, I''m kidding." Orisa returned to Kanai and put his hand around her wrist again. "You think that''s air you are breathing now?"


    Kanai rolled his eyes at another Morpheus'' quote and smiled slightly.


    -


    The first thing in the morning Orisa went and wrote a letter to Rita, explaining her problems just in case she would fail again. She also mentioned her growing pain and other small things.


    During their morning workout, she saw Kanai talking to Iten. When she came closer, she noticed that Iten looked quite sloppy contrary to his usually neat appearance.


    "Iten, dear, what happened to you? You look kind of... different?"


    "It''s nothing important, so you don''t need to worry."


    She saw his cheeks turning slightly red during a stiff reply, so her curiosity skyrocketed. ''What could have happened to our perfect gentlemen Iten?'' It took her five seconds to remember what he talked about the previous day. A huge grin appeared on Orisa''s face as she elbowed him:


    "Awww, Iten! It''s so good to be young again, right? Say hi to Nene from me next time."


    His face turned red as Kanai understood the implication and giggled, too.


    -


    When they arrived at the Dungeon in the afternoon, Iten approached both her and Kanai:


    "Are any of you good at math?"


    "Yes," they answered in sync, then looked at each other in surprise.


    "Good. After the Dungeon let''s meet somewhere and talk."


    Thanks to Orisa''s tutoring Kanai was able to do the Mana Burst, and now he has stuck one step ahead of her, with the spellcasting. As Rita warned, the spells he needed were complex and hard for beginners. Together with Crion Bauro they now struggled with the last step before actual combat.


    Orisa, on the other hand, made zero progress at all. When she was alone, she even tried her own spell. Together with Mana Burst, they worked perfectly, so she resigned herself and went to watch the squad.


    They all were now doing a floor advancement test which required each member to win against three summoned opponents at the same time.


    Aside from the show itself, Orisa was interested in the weapons that squad members were now allowed to borrow, carry and practice with.


    The first was Iten, and Orisa correctly guessed his weapons set - a shield and a sword. ''Oh, such a good, diligent boy.'' She was having a lot of fun with this despite being the sole failure of the squad.


    Three Skeletons were summoned, including one mage. They were quite slow and non-threatening, but that was the point of the first test.


    ''I could have wiped them out with a single lightning explosion. That is if I could hit them.''


    The two melee Skeletons slowly moved towards Iten, while the third began to cast something. It took the mage more than five seconds to finish the spell, and he threw a tiny fire arrow in Iten''s direction. To try out his power, Iten covered behind the shield and caught the spell with it. It made a hissing sound after the contact with his defense and dissolved. Despite the spell being harmless, Iten decided to take care of the mage first.


    ''A wise move, my friend. That''s what you should do in both PvP and PvE - take care of the weakest enemies, casters and healers.'' Orisa felt like she was streaming a new game on her channel.


    Being way faster than the Skeletons, Iten simply ran around them and moved closer to the mage. When he was a few meters away, the mage suddenly pushed his hand forward and instantly threw another fire spell, a small wave. Iten covered himself with the shield, getting small scorched marks on his pants, and hit the Skeleton with his sword. The strike was weak and only threw the mage off balance, but it gave Iten a safe window to make another swing that crashed the Skeleton''s head.


    The two other skeletons were already close, and they also moved slightly faster than before. To add more, they even attacked simultaneously, swinging the swords above their heads. Iten made a wise choice and simply stepped back instead of trying to block or parry. When the weapons struck the ground, he moved forward.


    "-Shield Bash!-"


    His shield gloved blue and smacked the Skeleton, sending him into the air. The next moment Iten was forced to parry another Skeleton''s swing, which made the attacker wide open to Iten''s strike. After a few successful hits, the Skeleton fell, and he finished the second, still stunned enemy.


    ''Yay! That''s my boy!'' Orisa was so happy that she almost yelled, but stopped herself in the last moment.


    Without any delay, Rakasha went to take the test. His opponents were an axe-wielding Zombie, a Skeleton-archer and a Skeleton with a shield. He just shrugged and swung his halberd, in a blink of an eye obliterating the Zombie. When the Skeleton tried to ram him with the shield, Rakasha simply grabbed his shield, pulled it out of Skeleton''s hand and slammed the enemy into the ground with an improvised weapon.


    This spectacular action he performed with the right hand because his left was occupied by the halberd. The squad gasped when an arrow struck him in the shoulder, but Rakasha didn''t even flinch. He blocked the next arrow with the borrowed shield and nonchalantly threw his halberd as if it was a simple spear. The last skeleton was annihilated, and Rakasha nonchalantly moved to grab his now-projectile, while the Summoner, Lieutenant Costaros, tended to his wound on the move.


    Orisa joined Kanai and Crion, and together they watched the test. Half an hour later it was the girl''s time, and Onuki went first. While she clearly was scared, she still managed to beat the test with her spells.


    Next went Toatre who simply smashed all three skeletons with one lightning spell.


    "While I''m really, honestly, totally happy for her, my insides are itching from this view. It''s all so easy for her that I almost want to-" She was interrupted by Kanai:


    "Now it''s a good moment to stop your speech, I think."


    The last was Mira, with her weapon being a longbow. Not the best weapon for a close combat test, so the Captain allowed her to start from a distance. Her opponents were a sword-wielding Skeleton, a Zombie with a shield and a Skeleton-archer.


    "What is she doing?" Orisa was both surprised and concerned by Mira''s strategy.


    For some reason, she focused her fire on the Zombie, the most unsuitable and well-defended target. She was so concentrated on the Zombie that she even missed the Skeleton with the sword. Luckily its sword was dull and rusty, and when it struck Mira, she fell down from the impact but wasn''t lethally wounded. It took her a few seconds to catch a breath, and she rolled away from the falling sword in the last moment.


    "-Blast Arrow!-"


    The Skeleton exploded, but Mira was too close, and her own spell hit her, burning her hands. She dropped the bow on the floor and grumbled in pain when the Zombie finally reached her position. It slammed the shield at Mira''s side, and she rolled away, leaving a thin trail of blood behind.


    Her enemies stood motionless, giving her time to get up. Right now, they were directly controlled by the Summoner, and if not for his intervention, Mira would have been dead already.


    More than ten seconds passed before Mira finally stood up. The cheeks were wet from tears, and her pose showed that she was clearly in pain. From her belt, she pulled a small dagger and slowly moved to the Zombie. Her enemies began to move, too.


    When she was a step away from the Zombie, it tried to bash her with the shield. It missed by an inch, as Mira sidestepped and dug her dagger into its neck. The Zombie fell to the ground, and she also dropped to her knees, tired and scared.


    It was when the already-forgotten Skeleton-archer pierced her stomach with an arrow. Mira slowly looked down to her belly as a red spot began to spread over her white shirt.She tried to scream, but another arrow grazed a left side of her face, cutting the cheek to the bone, and she slumped to the floor.


    The Captain raised his hand, and the Skeleton was instantly unsummoned. The Lieutenant was already casting healing spells on her when Captain Pain came and muttered:


    "As an exception, you pass. But next time nobody will save you, so stop being a dumb shit, please."


    -


    The squad''s mood was darkened by the last scene, so they moved up the stairs quietly. Iten pulled both Orisa and Kanai to the side and reminded them of the appointment.


    Together they went into the park, and Iten pulled them deeper and deeper into its most secluded part. Since it was Iten, Orisa was not concerned, but surprised and curious instead.


    He found a neat gazebo and pulled a paper out of the bag. A small crystal lamp lit in his hand when he spoke:


    "I will give you a set of values and explain their purpose. Then you''ll have to calculate a few things, and when you are done, I will tell the rest."


    He began to point things on the paper:


    "Before you is a numerical series in which each subsequent value is less than the previous one. We have a special number, let''s call it an X. Each new value in the row was acquired by subtracting X from the previous value. That''s not all. Every time the subtraction happens, the X''s value is also reduced by an unknown factor."


    He peeked at Orisa and Kanai, but they both looked like they understood everything he said. He quietly sighed with relief before continuing:


    "What I need you to find is when the value in a row would be equal to zero, or when X became less than twenty-four. It''s okay if your answer is not precise, as I''ll be content with some degree of error."


    Orisa and Kanai looked at each other before moving to the backpacks. They pulled out their writing supplies and began.


    Orisa was done in four minutes, but she decided to wait for Kanai, as he was close, too. When they were done, they compared the results, argued for a bit, then marked and scratched each other''s calculations before redoing it together.


    "So, we came to a conclusion," Orisa said, "your magic number X will be less than twenty-four around the same time as the value drops to zero. Here are the numbers, and you can see the steps and values here."


    Iten looked at the paper for some time, before trashing it with the rest of his papers and burning them in a small cup he took out of the backpack.


    Orisa and Kanai were dumbfounded as they looked at their creation being destroyed.


    "When the only book I was unable to acquire was the history of Waves, I became curious. It took me two days to skim through the other literature before I found this."


    Iten pulled a small book in a soft cover out of his pocket. The title said ''The Church of The Tide. A history.''


    "There is a religion in this world, called The Tide, which worships the Waves as a punishment for our sins. They keep a surprisingly accurate log of the Waves, including their timing and contents. In this silly book, I found what I was looking for ¨C the dates of all the Waves for past two years. That was what I had you calculating."


    He paused, looking at the puzzled faces of his friends.


    "The time between the Waves is getting shorter. When we first came to this world, the time between waves was four days. Now it is already three. In six month this time will drop down to one day, and a few weeks later - to one hour."

 24 The right hand of justice.

    AN:


    I expect the beginning of this chapter to be, let''s say, controversial. But, please, bear with me. I had to do it.


    There was no other way. (Yes, it''s Doctor Strange''s quote from the Avengers)


    ===


    They sat in silence, stunned by Iten''s words. After a few minutes, Kanai said with a trembling voice:


    "Are you sure we should trust this book? You said it''s silly, so they probably made things up!"


    "Do you have a rational explanation to your theory?" Orisa''s tone was grim. "Why would they fake entire book? What''s the point of creating these numbers?"


    "Usually," Iten said thoughtfully, "you need a lie to cover a bigger lie. Do you think there is something bigger than the end of the world in six months?"


    Kanai just shook his head dejectedly, and they all became silent again.


    "What are we going to do?" Orisa finally asked.


    "What can we do?" Kanai instantly added. "I mean, the Waves were there for hundreds of years, and the Military did nothing..."


    "They tried to retake the Merdun once, but got raped..."


    Minute went after a minute, and they sat there, quietly pondering their fate.Kanai stood and kicked the railing in frustration.


    "What the hell!? What was the point of me, of us dying and being reborn here then!?" He bit his fist to hold down a scream.


    "Calm down. We''ll think of something." Orisa tried to steady her voice.


    Her brain was unable to process the truth, and it rejected the facts.


    "Calm down!? Are you out of your mind?" Kanai returned to the bench and looked at Orisa intently. "So, tell me, oh wise hero, how do you plan to save the world?"


    "I said calm down. Your hysteria isn''t helpful." Orisa''s reply was filled with anger.


    "Guys, we should not fight, because it is unproductive." Iten finally decided to speak up.


    "I''m leaving." Kanai stood up and turned to leave.


    "Kanai, wait," Orisa called him and, when he looked back, added, "we will beat this world."


    He took a long look at her before finally nodding and leaving the gazebo. When they were left alone, Iten said in a heavy voice:


    "Do you think he''ll be okay?"


    "I''m sure of that.He looks like a mess, but I fell he is stronger than this."


    "What is your basis for this conclusion?" Iten was mildly surprised


    "Well, we''ve spent some time together in training and styding, and every time he is interested in something or feels safe, he is just brilliant."


    Iten nodded thoughtfully and became quiet, while Orisa gathered her stuff.


    "Oh, I forgot to ask the last time we talked," she said before leaving, "you said that you were a surgeon, but what type exactly?"


    "Neurosurgeon. Why?"


    "Well, today I used my professional knowledge. Who knows when we might need yours?" She shrugged and moved into the night.


    -


    Hundreds of questions plagued her mind.


    ''What is the government thinking? Is there a plan in the works?''


    ''Should I contact Rita or it is too dangerous to write about it?''


    ''What Youko knows about this? What''s her role?''


    And many other questions, so she had a hard time sleeping that night.


    Morning met Orisa with a nightmare of its own. When she woke up in her bed, she saw a huge blood spot on the blanket. Quickly pulling it away she found that her nightdress'' lower part was all bloodied, too, with a bigger mark on a bed sheet.


    She was horrified by the picture and felt sick.


    When Orisa looked up, she saw Mira standing at her bed. She shook her head with a disgusted face and muttered:


    "Are you fucking dumb or what? Stupid bitch," and left the room.


    Seeing Orisa''s expression, Toatre sat at the edge of her bed and patted her on the shoulder.


    "Worry not, for everything is alright. My first time was a shocking event, too."


    Orisa screamed internally: ''The first time!? What first time!? I had no first time, are you kidding!?''


    A moment later Toatre returned and offered her a pack of pads. For a moment Orisa''s mind went blank. ''Ah... This first time...''


    And then it flipped. ''No... No-no-no-no-no-no! God, please, no! I never asked for this!''


    But the reality was often disappointing. ''I should have guessed myself. It was kind of obvious.''


    "Thanks..." She muttered, before falling back on the bed.


    ''Holy shit, now the end of the world doesn''t look like such a bad thing.''


    She was still high in the skies of frustration when someone knocked on the door. Luckily, Toatre was still there, and she brought Orisa her letter.


    "Thank you so much, honey, if not for you..."


    "It is okay, Orisa, for we are all new here, and we need to help each other. This is common sense, I think."


    "I don''t deserve you, sweetie..."


    Since she now had to take a shower and hand her belongings to the laundry, Orisa had no time to read the letter, so she put it into her backpack together with the pads. ''It''s a miracle that I actually know how to use them... Shitfuckwhatthehell...''


    But now was not the time to panic, so again, like with her first days in this world, she just sucked up and moved on, putting these depressing thoughts in the darkest corner of her mind.


    -


    During the morning workout, all her thoughts revolved around Iten''s words. If this all was true, and from her line of work she made a habit of believing in numbers, statistics, and analytics, then things would go downhill from this point onward.


    ''With each passing month, with every day the Waves would be coming more frequently, until... Until exactly what?'' The ending point of this story, aside from an obvious death, was still unclear to her. It made Orisa curious about the true nature of the Waves, their so-called game mechanic.


    ''Why do they exist? How the Beasts are born?''


    Such a complex event was not possible as a natural occurrence. She recalled a history lesson about the Cataclysm. ''I think we need to dig more about this event.'' Recently, she began to think of their party of Kanai, Iten and herself as ''we.''


    It was hard to say if she wanted to find the solution to this disaster because of her survival instincts, or it was Orisa curiosity that pushed her forward.


    ''I can''t let the truck-kun down. He took his time to isekai me, so I must repay his kindness with everything I have.''


    The train of thoughts led her back to Kanbara Mirai, and grief filled her heart. She missed Mirai, her smile, their usual banter, everything.


    ''I wonder what Mirai would say if she saw me like this, in this world and in this body. Probably would have quoted some yare-yare line from JoJo.''


    -


    During the lunch, Orisa shared her thoughts on the Wave matter, but Iten disapproved:


    "I know how it sounds, but for now, both of you should focus on your training and combat tests. We won''t be able to proceed if you stay as you are now."


    It was a humiliating but fair point that reminded Orisa about Rita''s letter. She excused herself and took the envelope out.


    While she read that her pain was a symptom of women''s period, she wished that Rita''s letter would have come a bit earlier, so that she could avoid today''s disaster. Finally, it was a paragraph about her combat problem:


    "While this is my first time hearing about it in his world, I actually heard about your problem back in my world. Its name was The Pacifism Syndrome. It described a person that was unable to harm any living being. The treatment of this case was never developed because it was harmless, but it was possible to bypass this deadlock during stressful moments or extreme situations."


    Orisa was thoroughly puzzled. She let Iten and Kanai read this part while she pondered the situation.


    On the one hand, she had absolutely no problem with kicking Kanai''s butt in the gym or abusing people with words.


    On the other hand, the only time Satoru seriously harmed a person happened when he was in a middle school and underwent a severe case of bullying that almost drove him mad. When his mind broke, and he was literally blinded by rage, he broke his classmate''s arm.


    In this world, it was the same. The wolf episode happened mostly by Rita''s hand, and when she electrocuted both nobles and the Toad, she was either enraged or terrified. So it seemed plausible if just a bit too bizarre.


    When she emerged out of her deep thoughts, Kanai was waiting for her with a small play of two roles:


    "Now is a good time to get angry, Doctor Banner." He tried to make a different voice. "That''s my secret, Cap, I''m always angry."


    -


    On their way to the dungeon, Orisa noticed how nervously Mira was gripping her bow. ''I know it''s bad to think this way, but I hope this will calm you down, girl.''


    When they arrived at the first floor of the Dungeon, the Captain led the incompetent trio away and told them:


    "We are going to do it differently today. I''m leaving you a pack of passive skeletons, and when I''m back, they all should be dead. You have thirty minutes." And he left together with Lieutenant Reezpauzo, who summoned the enemies.


    Orisa came to the first Skeleton in hopes that her broken mind wouldn''t count it as a living being.


    "Mana Burst!"


    As expected, the result was the same. She also tried to use her lightning attack, but mere inches away from her palms, the Mana flow dissolved again. It only made her dizzy for nothing.


    As she sat on the floor, resting and watching Kanai and Crion, she thought deeply about the problem.


    ''I need to be either angry or terrified. As Kanai wisely pointed out, the path of rage looked more convenient and usable.''


    After resting a few more minutes, she stood up and went to the Skeleton again. ''I need to get angry. Really-really angry.'' She tried various things that made her go mad, like nobles, superiors from the office, and stupid gamers from the official forum of her game. Every time she tried to do the Mana Burst, but to no avail.


    Then Orisa tried to recall everything at once, and her blood boiled.


    "Mana Burst!"


    She failed again, but it felt like she was much closer to the truth now. However, all these memories made her dizzy again. ''Even if this method works, I won''t be able to use it. Too much preparation time and I can''t think straight.''


    She backed off from the Skeleton and thought about the situation, observing Kanai and Crion. They both made some progress.


    Crion was a common magic caster, and he simply had trouble controlling his Mana. He was using a frost spell called Icy Knives, one of the beginner''s lineups of the ice specialization.


    He was a tall and thin boy with a grey slicked back hair. His arrogant nature surfaced from time to time, but, unlike Mira, he at least tried to keep it down. He approached Kanai:


    "I don''t get it, Kanai. Why the hell are you trying to use complex spells for advanced casters? Do you think you are so smart and cool and can skip a few steps?" He looked a bit irritated, to say the least. "So let me open your eyes, you are not cool and not smart."


    Kanai was less successful than Crion, but he killed a few Skeletons, too. After Crion''s assault, he shuffled a bit, unsure what to say.


    "Well, you see... It''s not like I want to, okay? Because of my stats, I was advised to train precisely this spell, so that''s what I''m going to do."


    By their combined effort, only three Skeletons were still standing. Orisa listened to their bickering when her internal critic made his move:


    ''Do you remember the HPMOR book? The talk about killing curse and how to use it freely? Try thinking in the same manner.''


    It felt like a worthy idea, so Orisa recalled the lines from the book. ''The point of the killing curse mystery was that you needed not the hate to freely cast it, but indifference instead.''


    It felt odd, but she tried to do the Mana Burst this way. It failed, as was expected.


    ''I think that there is more to it, that I''m missing something...''


    Orisa felt like she was really close, she almost got the idea, but she was interrupted by arrogant laughter coming from the stairs.


    "Oh, dear brother of mine, just look at them!" This sweet voice she could have guessed anytime. Orisa''s beloved pink sugar princess in person.


    "It amazes me how incompetent some people may be. It''s only our third day, but we already cleared the six'' floor test." Her brother''s voice was as arrogant as usual.


    "Oh, my dear brother, but they are not people. They are pathetic creatures, a fiendfood at best."


    Orisa saw a trio of nobles standing at the stairs. Among them was Tiana, who silently observed the situation with a cold, emotionless face. Orisa smiled and waved at her:


    "Hey, Tiana, how are you doing?"


    "Bassa, Ramulie, we are leaving." She turned around and went away.


    Orisa went back to her thoughts when a few seconds later she heard yell:


    "-Acceleration!-"


    "-Lucky Strike!-"


    "-Enrage!-"


    She sharply turned around and saw the three remaining Skeletons glow with red, before raising their weapons and charging to the boys.


    In a blink of an eye, the first Skeleton closed the distance and sent Crion flying with the Shield Bash.


    "-Decay!-"


    Kanai threw his spell and, after a few seconds, the Skeleton became dust. Kanai even turned to the second Skeleton and threw another Decay, but the Skeleton still got him. His sword rammed into Kanai''s stomach, and its tip came out of his back. Without any delay, the Skeleton kicked Kanai and made him roll on the floor a few meters, leaving a thick trail of blood. Kanai went limp, and a pool of blood began to spread around his body.


    ''No... No-no-no, this cannot be... This is not real...'' Orisa was terrified by the image of Kanai''s body amidst a lake of blood. ''Please, no... Not him, not now... It can''t be true...''


    The second Skeleton went to finish his prey, while the third suddenly turned around to Orisa and threw his axe.


    Her thought process stopped completely, and the body moved on its own:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The world went blank.


    -


    She opened her eyes and saw her now second home - the Infirmary. Unexpectedly, by her side sat the Captain. He looked at her curiously but was otherwise silent.


    "How is Kanai?" She asked the most pressing question with a dry voice. Captain Pain gave her a cup of water before answering.


    "He is fine, more or less. Sleeping in the next bed. But there may be a scar."


    Orisa let out a long sigh, relieved.


    "What happened there?" was her next question, but the Captain mistook its meaning.


    "You used all your Mana in a single strike and passed out from exhaustion. I must say, girl, it was spectacular. I even asked the crew to leave it like that, so you will be able to see it tomorrow." His wide grin made her shiver.


    "What day is it today?"


    "What day? Girl, it''s only five hours since the incident, and barely eight in the evening now." He chuckled and smiled.


    "By the way, what would you do with these fuckers?"


    "Nothing," he shrugged, "we already questioned them. Their testimony is that they tried to help you but accidentally missed and buffed the Skels, got scared because of that and ran away."


    "Bullshit! How is this possible!?" Orisa was baffled.


    "They are nobles, what would you expect? Unless there are many trustworthy and notable witnesses or clear evidence, the noble''s testimony overrides everything."


    Orisa began to get out of the bed with a bloodthirsty expression on her face. The Captain grabbed her wrist and gripped it tightly.


    "Girl, don''t be stupid. Killing a noble or even hurting him badly is treason, you''ll be executed before the morning roll."


    "Oh, don''t worry," her smile turned into a scary grimace, "I won''t harm any noble... badly."


    -


    Thanks to Youko, Orisa already knew the schedule of her target. She slammed the gym''s door with a kick and made her appearance, startling Tiana.


    "Have you gone completely senile, fiendfood?"


    Without a single word, Orisa rushed to Tiana and grabbed her by the collar of her robe with the left hand.


    "What do you think you are doing!?" Tiana was outraged. "How dar-"


    Orisa soundly slapped her cheek with the right hand and screamed:


    "Do you have any idea what your fucking cronies have done!?"


    "What... are you talking... wait, that is beside the-"


    Another slap on the cheek shut her up while Orisa retold the events.


    "And what of that? It''s your problem for being so wea-"


    Her cheek was already purple from the slaps, and tears began to well in her eyes. ''One wrong move or word and I''m dead.''


    "Stop it! How dare you-"


    Orisa slapped her again. ''Damn, even my hand began to hurt. Gotta wrap things up, too risky.''


    "A true leader is responsible for his subordinates!" Orisa yelled again, and her words struck Tiana harder than any slap. Orisa kept pushing:


    "You owed me once, and now you owe me twice for this shit."


    "I owe you nothing, you-" Tiana started to retort, but Orisa simply raised her hand in the air, which made Tiana flinch.


    "You know that I''m right. You know that it is the right thing to do. You know that, so stop it already." Orisa''s face was inches away from Tiana, and she even heard Tiana''s racing heartbeat.


    After a few seconds, Tiana went limp, resigning herself.


    "What do you want..?" She muttered weakly, looking away from Orisa.


    "Teach me how to get stronger."


    ===


    AN:


    I hope you were not too repulsed by the beginning, and not offended by the inaccurate or too graphic portrayal.


    And I also hope that the ending made up for what you may have felt before.


    A bit of the reference corner, again.


    I played Ragnarok Online for years. Many heartwarming or tearful memories were made in that time. I always played as a Wizard or a Priest but dreamed of playing a Monk. One day I saw a Monk leveling up in a field, using a Palm Push Strike skill. For some reason, I was so amazed by the process and remember this scene vividly even today, fifteen years later.


    On another note, Thanos is a great person to quote. If only he hadn''t killed half the universe. Are you planning to go and see the movie?

 25 About Time

    Orisa released her grip on Tiana''s robe, and she slumped on the mat, hugging her staff with an empty gaze.


    "What do you mean? What is that you need, exactly?" Her voice was weak and dejected, too.


    Orisa sat down in front of Tiana and looked in her red and teary eyes.


    "I need training, exercises, methods to grow faster, and ideas about new spells, too. Everything you can give me to get stronger."


    "Why do you need to get stronger?"


    "I want to survive, of course. I need to be strong enough to stand my ground in front of what''s coming."


    "What are you talking about?" Tiana finally looked up, a traces of curiosity in her beautiful blue eyes.


    "Tiana, I just thought about that, but aren''t you a cutie?" Suddenly said Orisa and tried to take a much closer look at Tiana''s features, but she freaked out and crawled back a little.


    "W-w-what are you aiming at!?" Now both her cheeks were equally red. Orisa chuckled, content with how easy it was for her to manipulate Tiana and bring her back from the land of gloomy self-loathing.


    ''I hope she won''t revert back to her usual self.'' She thought to herself, and then said:


    "Do you think you can help me grow stronger, Tiana?"


    Orisa was in love with how conflicted Tiana''s expression was, she almost felt an intense internal debate raging inside the girl. In the end, she let out a long sigh before pulling out of her robe a small notepad and a pen.


    Tiana began to write something there, pausing from time to time and thinking deeply about something. During these moments she unconsciously chewed the tip of her pen, making a cute chipmunk-like face. After a few minutes of chipmunking the pen, she took out a small pocket seal, stamped the paper and handed it to Orisa.


    "Go to the Treasury tomorrow and bring everything in the evening. We''ll meet here at eight."


    "What about your crystal charging session?" Orisa asked with a concerned voice. "I don''t want you to break the schedule."


    "How do you..." Tiana was shocked for a second. "Wait, never mind. I don''t want to know. Gross."


    "Thank you, Tiana, I absolutely will be here tomorrow." Orisa tucked the paper in her bag. "I know it''s sudden, but I have a pressing problem right now that I need to solve."


    She retold Tiana everything related to the Pacifism Syndrome.


    "Sounds like a fairytale. Show me." Tiana''s voice was full of doubt, and Orisa could not blame her.


    She stood up and held out her hand towards Tiana, but the girl ignored it and quickly got on her feet. She gripped her staff in both hands before chanting:


    "-Empower!" -- "-Energy Coat!-"


    A blue, almost translucent silhouette appeared around Tiana. Orisa curiously raised her brow but decided to leave the question until the next time. She aimed a little away of Tiana and threw her hand forward.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The air around her palm quickly compressed into a small dot, creating an immense pressure point, and then it was infused with more Mana and released as a narrow jet of light-blue energy. It hit the wall five meters away from them and bent its armor plating.


    Orisa aimed slightly closer to Tiana''s position.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Tiana''s hair was swayed by the wind from the attack, making a mess on her head.


    This time Orisa aimed at Tiana, which made the girl bit her lip. She looked quite uncomfortable in a range of Orisa''s hand.


    "Palm Push Strike!"


    Of course, nothing happened.


    "Huh!?" Such a flabbergasted expression on Tiana''s face made Orisa bent down, laughing like crazy. To add insult to injury, Tiana angrily stomped the floor with her feet, "stop this charade and do it seriously!"


    ''Ah, I can''t! She is just too cute.'' Orisa rolled on the floor, both literally and figuratively. When she finally came to her senses and stood up, wiping tears, she saw Tiana almost trembling in rage.


    "If your plan was to fool around and mock me, then I''m leaving at once!"


    "How can I prove it to you, then?"


    Orisa threw her hand forward again:


    "Palm Push Strike!"


    Nothing happened, and Tiana''s already furrowed brow shot up even more.


    "We need to experiment on this phenomenon." She proclaimed, and Orisa saw a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Do you have any spare clothes with you?"


    Orisa pulled the jacked out of her backpack and gave it to Tiana, who quickly used it to cover Orisa''s eyes.


    Following Tiana''s instructions, they performed a number of tests and got the following result. If Orisa thought that there was even a slight chance of harming somebody, her attack failed. When she was absolutely sure of the safety, she was able to cast.


    "This is both infuriating and exciting at the same time." Tiana made even more notes, while Orisa was joyfully observing a huge smile on her gorgeous face.


    "Tiana, I am really sorry to wrap things up, but it is getting late," Orisa said worriedly after looking at a wall clock that showed almost ten in the evening. "Do you think you can come up with any advice right now?"


    Tiana was again chipmunking her pen, and without moving her eyes from the notes she said:


    "I have a dangerous workaround."


    -


    -


    The following afternoon, Orisa joined Kanai and Iten in the canteen. The atmosphere around the table was gloomy.


    "Kanai, how are you? I was so worried..."


    "Yeah, so worried that you forgot to visit. I understand." He looked at her with scorn. "Oh, sorry, I actually don''t understand, because I visited you every time!" He stood up and left, leaving his food behind.


    Orisa was stunned.


    "It''s okay, so don''t worry," Iten tried to calm her.


    "But it is not okay! How could I..." But it was quite obvious. She was too engrossed in her training and her plans that she forgot about Kanai and his near-death experience. "I''m a garbage person."


    Orisa hid her face in the palms, deeply ashamed and frustrated.


    "No, you are not. Things like this one happen."


    "Sorry, I need to find him. Let''s talk after the Dungeon."


    And she rushed away.


    Kanai sat on a bench just outside the canteen, looking at the sky absentmindedly. Orisa landed by his side and turned to face him.


    "I''m trash, I know it, and I''m really, tremendously, extremely sorry."


    "No, you are not."


    "But I am! I know how important it is that someone is by your side when you wake up from a nightmare." She paused, looking for more words. "I was so depressed after waking up alone in the Infirmary. And it made my day when you told me about your visit."


    "If you know all that, then why?" Kanai sounded hurt, and Orisa bit her lip to keep herself together.


    "I was simply too engrossed in my own stuff. I''m so sorry, Kanai."


    "Yeah, how nostalgic." Kanai looked at puzzled Orisa before turning his head to the skies. "I already met a person who was always in the center of the story. The world revolved around them, and I was just a sidekick in his epic. In the end, I wasn''t even able to find out if this person wanted to be with me or not."


    Orisa was overwhelmed by his confession. She sat there with her mouth open, not knowing what to say or even think. In the end, it was all meaningless and useless, so she simply muttered again:


    "I''m sorry..."


    "Yeah-yeah, I''ve heard that many times." He stood up and went towards the Dungeon.


    Orisa felt miserable. In her book, the most painful and shameful thing was to do to another person what you hate being done to you. ''Treat others as you would like to be treated. Huh, I''m such trash.''


    Regardless of her feelings and mood, she had other pressing things to do.


    -


    -


    Twenty minutes later she arrived at the Treasury. She had no time to check what Tiana wrote on the paper, so when a clerk began to hand her the items, she was both confused and amazed. There were three different types of potions, a pair of plain silver earrings, and a ring.


    "I''m sorry, but can you name the items for me?"


    The clerk eyed her with a slight suspicion before answering:


    "Concentration potion, one bottle. Endless night potion, four bottles. Stamina potion, four bottles. Earring of Sage, a set of two items. Ring of Sage, one item. Postponer, one item."


    "If I might impose on you more, can you explain their functions, except the Concentration and Stamina potions?"


    "Endless night potion," he pointed at a dark-blue liquid, "allows getting twice the resting time from the same amount of sleep."


    "Earrings of Sage. Enchanted set to increase the user''s concentration, Mana flow, Mana control. Effects are minor. The same applies to the Ring of the Sage."


    The last item that the clerk pulled out of the counter looked like a wristwatch, but its face had only one hand, and the digits were different from the norm.


    He looked at the stamped list again before taking the wristwatch back.


    "Do you know how to use and configure it?" He asked Orisa with an indifferent tone.


    "Please, explain, if it is okay, sir." Orisa could guess that it was her promised workaround, but she still wanted to get a thorough explanation.


    The clerk went away and returned a minute later with a magnifier, a tiny brush, and a bottle of Mana ink.


    "This," he pointed at the wristwatch, "is called the Postponer. You open it like this." The clerk pressed a hidden switch, and an upper part of the item slid to the side, revealing a clean metal surface.


    "Using a Mana ink, you paint a Seal with required effect. When it is time to use the Postponer, you infuse it with Mana. Every step of the hand on its face equals one second, to a maximum of thirty seconds. The moment you stop the infusion, the countdown begins."


    Orisa nodded thoughtfully. So far it was just as Tiana herself explained yesterday.


    "Do you know what type of Seal you want there?" He asked Orisa with the same blank expression.


    "Oh, that I do."


    -


    -


    On her way to the Dungeon Orisa saw Tiana passing by.


    "Hey, Tiana, how are you?" She happily called the girl. "I wanted to-"


    "Don''t talk to me, fiendfood." Tiana spat out the words and hastened away.


    ''Well, this was to be expected. Seems like when she is not in the right mood, she degrades back. I just hope she won''t throw me away tonight.''


    Things were never easy.


    When the Dungeon part began, Captain Pain announced that they''d be doing the floor advancement test. He also added that Lieutenant Costaros got sick, and Lt.Reezpauzo would support them instead.


    The first to take the test was Kanai, and he stood up and quietly muttered:


    "Time to lose my leveling virginity."


    His enemies were a Zombie with a huge club, a Skeleton mage, and Skeleton archer.


    "-Decay!-"


    His target was a Skeleton archer. At first, Orisa was concerned by his choice, but she soon understood the idea. ''Awesome, Kanai, you are brilliant.''


    While slowly backing away from the Zombie, Kanai positioned himself so that the Zombie would cover him from the Skeletons. A few moments later both Skeletons began to move in the opposite directions to allow at least one of them to attack. But it was too late, as the archer turned to dust from continuous damage of the Decay. Kanai was distracted for a moment by this, and the Skeleton mage threw a fire arrow that Kanai partially dodged the last second. He still got a small scorched mark on his left arm.


    The rest was easy, as he avoided the mage in a similar manner, and finished the Zombie afterward.


    "Pass." The Captain nodded and called for Crion.


    "Nice strat, Kanai, I like it." Orisa tried to convey her impressions, but Kanai simply nodded and went to the rest of the squad, who were practicing in the central part of the level.


    Crion copied Kanai''s tactic and passed easily.


    "You sure that you want to do it?" Captain Pain asked Orisa with a concerned voice.


    "Yes, bring it on." She touched the Postponer on her left hand.


    Tiana''s entire plan was risky, and it also had many flaws and no guarantee of success. Even if it worked, the issue was that she would not be able to use it constantly, especially later on. So it was literally a workaround to pass a few tests.


    Lt.Reezpauzo came to the Captain and whispered something, which made him yell:


    "Stop this bullshit, imbecile. We have procedures." Captain Pain was clearly not amused by whatever the Lieutenant suggested.


    "Remember what happened yesterday? I''m sure it would work out well." Reezpauzo retorted.


    While they were arguing, Orisa looked back at the scenery she caused the other day. When she first saw it, she couldn''t believe her eyes. There was a narrow but a ten meters long pothole on the floor that went into the wall. Her strike made a meter deep bump in the solid rock of that wall, too.


    Orisa would have been proud of this achievement if it hadn''t been her entire Mana pool as a price.


    "Hey, girl, we are going to start." Captain Pain paused, still not sure of his decision. "If you''d want to bail out in the process, just let me know. I''ll let you redo the test then, no worries."


    For some reason, the Captain was unusually polite. ''My spider sense is tingling!''


    Seven enemies appeared not far from her position. A huge adrenalin rush slowed time for Orisa.


    ''Shit. What the hell?''


    She backed away a few more meters before the foes began to move.


    ''Time. I need to guess the time for Postponer.'' She began to infuse Mana into the device while still backing down from the enemies.


    ''Zombie shielder, tough. Two Skeletons with swords. Another Zombie with an axe. And three ranged enemies.''


    The Postponer''s hand was at eight seconds mark already.


    ''I need to add some time for running. Not sure how well I''ll be able to control the whole situation.''


    Yesterday, they tried this method once under Tiana''s guidance. It was scary.


    ''I also need a reserved time just in case I miss or take a hit. Guess, I''ll stop at ten seconds plus two more for casting. If the Postponer is even a second earlier than needed, I''m dead. But if I leave too much time in reserve, things might turn ugly, too.''


    It took her the rest of yesterday''s evening to learn the spell, her scary and risky workaround.


    The first Zombie was already three meters away from her.


    When the Postponer''s hand reached twelve, Orisa stopped the Mana flow and yelled:


    "-Enrage!-"


    ===


    ===


    What do you think about Tiana''s workaround? Honestly, when I re-read the chapter, I was like "Are you trying to kill Orisa?" Scary stuff.


    Spell corner:


    Energy Coat - covers the user in a layer of Mana that blocks a fixed amount of damage per second before breaking. In other words, it can block a lot of damage over a period of time but is rather weak against powerful one-hit attacks.


    Enrage - unlike Nene''s Berserker Rage, this simple Enrage doesn''t provide any bonuses to power, only removes physical/psychological limiters on the target, making them much more aggressive and uncontrollable.


    Reference corner:


    When I thought about the chapter name, I immediately remembered this movie, ''About time.'' While the name itself is paramount to the chapter''s ending, the tone of the movie perfectly fits the chapter''s motive, as the movie is about the right timing and moments with your family, SO. It''s about doing what''s important, or forgetting about it and regretting later. I loved the movie (and I also love Rachel McAdams).

 26 It’s where my demons hide

    The first Zombie was three meters away already.


    When the Postponer''s hand reached twelve, Orisa stopped the Mana flow and yelled:


    "-Enrage!-"


    Her body glowed and the vision turned red, while the familiar voice in her head screamed.


    ''Kill them all! Kill! Kill! Kill!''


    Twelve.


    Orisa growled like a dog and jumped forward.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The Zombie''s middle part got pulverized by the strike together with its shield, and the head rolled on the floor, quickly turning to dust.


    Ten.


    Two simultaneous fire spells rushed towards her. She wanted to backstep to dodge them, but the bloodlust pulled her forward.


    ''Kill! Kill! Devastate them! Destroy them all now!''


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Another jet of compressed Mana and air propelled forward, crushing both spells and the axe-wielding Zombie''s right arm. It fell to the ground, not dead yet, but almost harmless now.


    Eight.


    ''You must end them all! All of them, tear them to pieces!''


    Her vision became even redder as she looked for more things to break.


    Two Skeletons advanced on her from different sides, swinging their swords. Mana gladly spread in two layers, eager to serve the master''s desire to destroy.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Both palms moved each to its target, and two streams of compressed energy shot out of them, destroying the Skeleton''s heads.


    The moment her hands struck them, two fire birds smashed into her chest, throwing Orisa on her back.


    Six.


    Two scorched marks appeared on her skin, and it smelled like a barbeque. Her shirt was on fire, too.


    ''Make them pay! KILL THEM ALL!''


    Orisa jumped on her feet and howled, tearing away the remnants of her shirt. She rolled forward to avoid an arrow of the Skeleton archer and ended right in front of the fallen Zombie. It immediately grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. Orisa ducked even lower to avoid two more fire spells, crashing the Zombies head with her forehead in the same motion.


    Her vision went blank for a moment because of the pain, and when she regained the sight, it was even redder the before.


    ''MARVELOUS! NOW KILL THE REST! DESTROY THEM ALL!''


    Four.


    She rolled forward again and stretched both her arms.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Two spells hit both mages, throwing them back. Orisa''s attack was designed for close combat, and it gradually lost its power with the distance. Luckily, the mages were weaker than regular enemies, and it was enough to knock them down.


    She saw the last foe, the Skeleton archer, release the bowstring. She even saw an arrow flying towards her head. If it was Orisa in charge of her entire body, she probably could have dodged the arrow by rolling to the side. But her desire to destroy pulled her forward and the arrow''s trajectory was too low to avoid it by rolling towards the enemy. She also had no time and skill to aim at the arrow in hopes of shooting it down.


    Two.


    The only thing she was able to do was to outstretch her left hand and throw the spell with her right.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The time slowed down even more as she watched the arrow pierce the edge her left palm. Her pinky got cut off entirely and slowly flew in the air, while the ring finger''s first joint was smashed into a mess. The arrow''s speed and trajectory were compromised, and it harmlessly poked Orisa into the shoulder.


    As the jet of Mana destroyed the Skeleton, Orisa fell to the ground and rolled a few meters before stopping.


    Zero.


    The hand on the Postponer connected two Mana circuits inside and activated the Seal of Major Dispel. Orisa''s body glowed blue, cleansing her from the effects of the Enrage.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaargh!"


    Her shriek pierced the floor, waking up everyone from the trance they were put into by her performance. She rolled on the floor, clenching her left hand and screaming. A lot of blood spilled on the ground and over her naked and scorched upper half.


    "-Major Balm!-"


    "-Lesser Disinfect!-"


    "Blood Blockade!"


    Lieutenant Reezpauzo finished the first aid set and chanted more:


    "-Familiar!-" -- "-Mind Split!-"


    In front of him appeared a tiny black creature. It could be described as a little shadow mummy, as its entire body was made of dark bandages with nothing inside.


    It threw the hand forward, and a single bandage from its surface moved to grab Orisa''s finger. It flew so fast that the squad members were not able to comprehend the situation.


    Less than a second passed, and the familiar already grabbed Orisa''s hand and pressed the pinky to it. Its grip was so strong that Orisa wasn''t able to move at all.


    "-Lesser Disinfect!-"


    "-Partial Restoration!-"


    Green bandage appeared around her pinky and tightly pressed it against the palm, rolling all over her hand to fixate it. When the bandage stopped, the familiar released its grip and turned into a cloud of black smoke before evaporating in the air.


    Next second Captain Pain pushed her back to the ground and smacked a handful of band-aids on her scorched chest.


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    As a number of healing spells began fixing her body, Orisa finally came to her sense. Even under the painkiller spell it still hurt a lot, and the wave of terror finally caught her defenseless mind. Again and again, an image of her finger flying away returned to her mind.


    Her body trembled in silent hysteria, and tears flooded from the eyes.


    The squad members gathered around Orisa, not knowing what to do. Even Iten and Kanai wordlessly gazed at her shaking figure, startled.


    A minute later Orisa slowly raised her head and focused the sight on the Captain.


    "Why..?"


    "To help you fight your problem," answered the Lieutenant instead with a sharp, unyielding voice. "If you want to hate someone or file a report, then it was my idea."


    Orisa dropped her head back on the floor. Her mind was empty, and body hurt beyond words, she was also scared to death. It was one of her greatest fears, to lose something like an arm, leg or sight, and stay crippled for the rest of her life. She bit her lower lip to hold down more tears.


    "Girl..." The Captain struggled to find the words. "You are fucking crazy, aren''t you? Why push yourself so hard, if you could have asked me to stop this?"


    "I won''t be a fiendfood."


    Captain Pain silently shook his head.


    "Since everybody passed the test, we are moving to the second floor." Then he looked at Orisa and added. "I''ll have someone escort you back. You are done for today. No objections."


    Iten went away and quickly returned with her bag.


    "Thank you, Iten." She said when he helped her stand up. Orisa took out her jacket and finally covered herself.


    "Let me help you back," Kanai suggested with a hint of guilt in his voice.


    "No, of course not, you both should go to the second floor." She answered quietly, then smiled weakly and added. "Who would describe the second floor for me tomorrow, if not you?"


    "Orisa, listen, I''m..." Kanai began uncomfortably.


    "You know it wasn''t me who threw my name in the goblet of fire, right?" Orisa replied with a weak smile, as Kanai shook his head in amazement. "And, Kanai, I''m really sorry, too."


    And she slowly hobbled to the stairs, escorted by Lt.Reezpauzo.


    -


    -


    "You did great back there, Orisa." The Lieutenant said when they left the Dungeon. "I saw many kids doing this test, but such passion..."


    "It is not about passion." She commented weakly.


    "This can''t be true. Why else would you risk your life during a simple test?"


    "I just did what I had to do. There was no other way."


    Reezpauzo made an effort to remember her words, for it was an important piece of data for his Lord.


    "By the way, why do you know my name, lieutenant, sir?" Orisa''s curiosity was immortal.


    "After what you did to the floor the other day? Yeah, why would I know that, right?"


    "I see..." She thoughtfully nodded before asking another question. "What is the real reason for your actions, sir?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? To test you, of course, after yesterday''s events, it was mandatory. The Military is always looking for talented individuals."


    Orisa looked at him, quite puzzled by his words.


    "I''m the opposite of the talented, to say the least. The only reason I made it this far is because of many kind people around me helping out at teaching things. And I was extremely lucky, too."


    "Humility is both a virtue and a sin, young girl," the lieutenant muttered.


    "Negative, sir, I don''t want people expecting miracles from me when I''m barely scraping by."


    They walked in silence for some time before the Lieutenant said:


    "How old were you back then? And what about your occupation?"


    "Why do you need that?" For some reason, her alertness raised up. This whole conversation made her shiver.


    "Aren''t you smarter than that? Of course to judge your mindset and personality."


    "I was thirty-three, worked as a game designer," Orisa replied, still in doubt.


    "What the hell is game designer?"


    Even back in her world, Orisa always struggled to answer this question.


    "Um, my job was to come up with new ways of entertainment for people, then to tell the team what exactly we were doing, and also come up with a method to earn money doing all that."


    "I see..."


    ''Hell, why is this so awkward to describe my job?''


    This whole conversation left an unpleasant aftertaste, as she was unsure what was truly going on.


    -


    -


    The Lieutenant left her around the dorm, and Orisa went to change her clothes and take a shower. The moment she entered the shower stall and turned the water on, the band-aids on her chest and the bandage around the palm both fell off, which meant that their effects have ended.


    As the water flowed down her tired body, she looked at her pinky finger. There was a small white spot where it connected to the palm as if she wore a ring in this place and everything around it got tanned to highlight the difference. The skin there was snow-white, newly-grown, and spotless. ''I almost lost half the palm. I almost died.''


    The wave of dread finally caught up with her. She slowly slid down the wall, hugged her knees and began to wail in horror. Waves of terror rolled over her one after another, and she screamed. Orisa''s mind wanted to stop, but her body was overcome with fright, and she kept screaming.


    When her throat became dry and the voice hoarse, she began to howl again, swaying back and forth.


    Her body kept trembling under the hot shower. Water streamed down, trying to silence her wailing and wash away the pain.


    -


    -


    Orisa still had a whole four hours before her theoretical appointment with Tiana, although she wasn''t sure Tiana would show up. Her mind was still shaky, but she had to pull herself out of the shower and start moving.


    Orisa had two projects in mind, and they both required money, so she had to choose one, the cheapest among them. ''Damn, I need to get back to crystal charging if I want to practice.''


    Ten minutes later she arrived at the warehouse building. What she was looking for was called a workshop area, and she found it on the third floor.


    "Can I help you?" A young soldier behind the counter asked Orisa when she entered the room. Inside she saw tens of stalls filled with myriads boxes, bags, and chests. This was more like another warehouse than a workshop, so she was unsure if this was the right room.


    "Is this an engineering workshop?


    "Mana engineering workshop, yes. What do you need?"


    "Um, I would like to start learning from the basics, so..."


    "I see. Give me your permit and fill the form, while I''m preparing the set."


    "I... You see, I don''t have a permit..."


    The soldier looked at Orisa as if she said she was a giant unicorn.


    "Then what are you doing here, if I may ask?"


    "I thought that I could just buy the set..." Orisa began to fret, as the whole idea was based on a simple guess.


    "But do you have money?" The soldier now was even more puzzled.


    "Yes-yes, of course. Also, I''m not sure it would be enough."


    "Basic set of brushes costs one mid. Bottle of Mana ink is thirty mins, and you can refill it for twenty mins."


    "Awesome, that works perfectly! Do you have some kind of list or catalog of the Seals? And a manual, too?"


    -


    -


    In the end, she spent almost four mids and now was sitting on a chair outside of the workshop, studying the ''Minor Seal List'' booklet. During her first evening in Chargery, she earned around fifty mins, so the price was quite affordable even for her budget. She could earn it back in one week.


    Skimming through pages she quickly stumbled upon two Seals that instantly perked her curiosity, so she ran down to the first floor and into Chargery.


    "Greetings, Bavan, sir," as she entered the room, some not so pleasant memories flooded her mind.


    "Oh, Orisa? Hello, how are you? Planning to do some work?"


    "Thank you, I''m fine," while she was absolutely not fine, there was no point in telling Bavan any of that, "and I''m here to ask a question."


    "How unusual, go on then." He set aside his usual notebook and a pen and turned to Orisa.


    "I wanted to ask about a combination of these two seals," she gave him the booklet, in which two Seals were marked, "and if it is possible to use them in Chargery to optimize the process."


    He made a quick glance at the paper before smiling knowingly:


    "Ah, I see. The answer is yes and no. Yes, you can use them, and no, it won''t optimize the process."


    "Why is that?" Orisa was thoroughly puzzled, as her masterpiece of a plan was perfect. Or so she thought herself.


    "If your plan was to use the Seal of Mana Transfer and the Seal of Ramification to charge multiple crystals at the same time, technically you could do that, but you''d waste a lot of Mana during the transfer, so it''s hard to call it optimization, honestly."


    "I see..." She thought for a moment, "but what if I don''t care about Mana being wasted?"


    "Then it probably is okay, I guess. And why it is of no problem for you?"


    "Oh, I have some Mana to spare."


    She spent the first hour in Chargery wasting ink, as her writing and calligraphy were horrible, and in Mana engineering, the clearer your forms and writings were, the better were the results. She wasted a lot of paper, too, creating a small stockpile of crumpled pages.


    In the end, she had to settle down with an imperfect but still working scheme based on information Bavan gave her about the Mana loss during different types of transfers. She also resolved to check the workshop again, as they would probably have tools to assist such untalented people.


    Another hour passed by as she charged eight crystals at the same time, pressing her palms against two sheets of papers with Mana engineering Seals painted on them. It tired her both physically and mentally, so she had to stop, but the idea itself was great since her Mana pool was already big, and she made it even bigger with this exercise.


    Taking into account seventy mins she earned in just one hour on top of this training and her first experience with Mana engineering, her mood finally began to rise.


    -


    -


    When Orisa came to the gym, she still had more than one hour before their appointment, so she boldly marched towards the closest mat and slumped down, immediately falling asleep.


    Her dream was not a pleasant one, as she watched the wolf slowly chew something small and indistinguishable. Every time she tried to move closer to see what it was, a hot and sticky rope yanked her away into the darkness.


    Pretty nasty kick woke her up, and she saw Tiana towering over her.


    "Wake up, fiendfood. I don''t have much time to waste on you."


    Orisa was both drowsy and dismayed by the dream, and her day was not exactly merry, too, so Tiana''s actions hurt her more than they should have. She looked up at Tiana''s indifferent face and muttered:


    "Why..?"


    "I don''t understand your blabberings. Stop wasting my time and stand up already." She turned her back to Orisa and crossed her arms in anticipation.


    Orisa weekly pulled the tip of Tiana''s robe:


    "Why are you like that," a lone tear rolled down her cheek, "with me?"


    Tiana abruptly turned around to snatch the robe from Orisa''s weak grip:


    "Don''t touch me, fiendfood!" She yelled and backed away. "I''m already wasting myself on the likes of you, so stop getting on my nerves even more."


    She turned around again, hiding her face. Orisa slowly got up on her feet, mustering the remnants of her strength and pulling together fragments of the broken mind. She didn''t want to let go of this situation, even if she herself was hurt beyond words. ''I feel there is much more to it...''


    "Tiana, what''s wrong? Why do you hate people like me so much?"


    She slowly moved closer to Tiana, who still had her back to Orisa.


    "It''s none of your business, fiendfood. We either start training, or I''m leaving." Her voice sounded especially hurt.


    "Tiana, what happened..." and Orisa slowly touched Tiana''s shoulder, "to you?"


    She immediately turned around and slapped Orisa''s hand, her face distorted in anger, with tears raining down her red cheeks.


    "I said, don''t touch me, scum!" And she dashed away, slamming the door.


    Orisa slumped to the floor, weekly hugging herself. It was too hard to live her life this very moment.

 27 Falling out of darkness

    Morning pulled Orisa out of her nightmares with a pleasant surprise. Today they had a day off because of the country-wide celebration called The Foundation, and there was a barbeque planned for the second half of the day, so she decided to stay in bed for some more.


    Orisa couldn''t sleep, so she just lay there with her eyes closed, thinking about yesterday''s events. She had to push away an image of her finger, again and again, forcibly switching the thoughts to other topics.


    ''I''m no Holmes, but the fact that Tiana was crying meant something.''


    Orisa also felt incredibly lucky because of the holiday, as she clearly understood how vulnerable and unbalanced her fighting method was. She absolutely needed some defense in her repertoire and more ideas about the fighting style. Her Enrage workaround was by no means a good, clever or safe solution, and she wanted to move away from it as fast as possible.


    Her mental health was also shaky, to say the least, so for Orisa it was indeed a miracle, a long-needed breather. ''I just hope that nobody would kill the mood. Lead game designer, please, let me rest for one day, or I''ll leave negative feedback on your page!''


    When she opened her eyes, Onuki was staring at her intently. Orisa sighed heavily before saying:


    "If you want to take your revenge, now is a perfect time."


    "How do you feel?" She finally said after chewing her lower lip and averting the gaze for some time. Orisa was clearly baffled by this turn.


    "I, um, well... I don''t know, probably not okay? But I''ll manage, perhaps? Onuki, listen, I..."


    "I see." She nodded and left the room hastily.


    "Curiouser and curiouser..." Orisa muttered after some time.


    -


    -


    They were expected to help with cooking, so Orisa came to a kitchen block after a late breakfast. She was glad to see that both Kanai and Iten were already there, chomping meat and veggies.


    "I always said that men look better in the kitchen than women," she said instead of greeting. "I so love to see other people working."


    "Good morning, Orisa, I''m glad that you are well." Iten did not even flinch, and continued to cut veggies.


    Kanai just nodded and smiled awkwardly, so to break the ice Orisa grabbed a nearby chopping board and spanked his butt, before saying:


    "Stop with this look of yours already, please. You''re staring at me like as if we''ve slept with each other and the next morning found out that your father married my mother or something!"


    Both Kanai and Iten looked at her quite intently, and some people around actually stopped their work and turned around. Finally, Kanai shook his head and added:


    "Then there should be another girl if I''m guessing your reference correctly."


    "Now, you see, we have Iten here. A bit of BL won''t hurt, right?"


    "What''s BL?" Iten asked rather suspiciously.


    "It''s better if you don''t know," hastily interjected Kanai before glaring at chuckling Orisa.


    She squeezed herself between the boys, elbowing her way in, while still chatting:


    "So how was that, threading an unknown, never before seen the second floor of the Dungeon? Epic loot or puns?" She started the chomping.


    "It was a disaster," Kanai shivered, "the monsters were the same, but the Captain made us fight as a team..."


    "And your teamplay was on the same level as in a typical DOTA game?"


    "As one of my friends once said, when you play five against five, it''s actually you against nine enemies, but the four of them are marked as friends for some reason."


    They quietly chuckled under the gaze of confused Iten.


    "As a team leader, I tried to organize them, but nobody listened to me and just kept getting in each other''s way." He added depressingly.


    "Don''t worry, Iten, that''s absolutely normal if you have no experience in forcing random people to behave." Orisa cheered him empathetically, "we''ll think of something today."


    Little by little, Orisa pulled more information on the second floor from stressed Iten, and it all looked quite manageable if she could set aside her berserk problems and lack of defense.


    -


    -


    They ended their shift right before lunch and went to the park after picking up some food. Orisa had an unpleasant flashback about Iten''s revelation on Waves right when they settled on a bench. ''No, brain, stop it. We are not going to think about the end of the world today, I''m telling you! We are chilling, restoring our mental capacities, and absolutely not pondering the problems.''


    She noticed Iten still quietly sulking about his lack of leadership capabilities and let out a long sigh.


    "Hoi, Iten, I was curious, you see," she elbowed him with a smug. "Are you adamant about solving the squad problem yourself, or is it ok for me to intervene?"


    Iten eyed her suspiciously, expecting some mischief, and after she tried her hardest to make an innocent, angelic face, his brow signaled a good old doubt.


    "What is it that you are scheming?" He finally asked in a restless voice.


    "If your plan is to go Hulk amidst the squad, uniting us in a relentless effort to finally put you down..." Kanai mused for a moment, before making another innocent expression, rivaling that of Orisa, "it actually sounds great, I think. A noble way to go and fits you perfectly."


    "For once, I was serious." Orisa pouted jokingly. "So, Iten, your last words?"


    "I''m not sure about the last words, but if you mean the last question..." He silently chewed the lunch, deep in thoughts. "I think as long as the squad is okay, and everything works fine, it doesn''t matter who did that."


    "That''s what I wanted to hear from you, oh my leader."


    Iten rolled his eyes up, already regretting his words. They worked their jaws quietly for some time before he finally asked:


    "So, what is your plan, Orisa?"


    "No plan at all, I just thought about organizing people in smaller groups based on their abilities to ease the communication between them. But to do that I need at least some of them acknowledge my authority tomorrow."


    Orisa sighed, tired because it already felt like she was digging her own grave again by taking the lead.


    ''You never learn, right?'' The internal critic was depressed. ''How many times were you hurt because of your stupid initiative?''


    "And to do that," she continued after some internal debate, "I''ll need to talk to people tete-a-tete, at least with girls, as I expect your help with the male part of the squad."


    -


    -


    Orisa had some free time before the barbeque, so she went to Chargery for some more Mana pool stretching and quick cash. Her drawing skills were still way below an acceptable level, but she felt slightly better after wasting almost half of the ink bottle. This time she also ended up less tired than before, meaning she made some more progress in the Mana-related field.


    On her way back she saw their training field being turned into one giant camping site with lots of tables, stalls, bonfires, and other party-related things.


    The place became crowded really fast, and Orisa was glad that each squad was assigned a specific spot beforehand. By her rough estimations, there were more than five hundred people on the field, including both regular soldiers and cadets from the other squads. It was her first time seeing so many people in one place after coming to this world.


    Orisa saw her squad''s boys managing small campfire, while the girls were setting the table. There was also the Captain, but unlike the rest of the squad, he was tasked with an important job of laying on a chaise lounge with an enormous mug in his hand. Toatre waved for here to come and help them with the table.


    While they made small talk, a pleasant smell began to fill the air. The canteen''s food was perfectly healthy and balanced, but it was in no way a flavor paradise, so the smell of meat and vegetables being grilled made her drool.


    ''God, I would run a marathon for a bottle of Cola.'' However, some dreams were not destined to come true.


    Half an hour later, when the food was ready, and everyone sat by the table, the ringing sound came from the central part of the field.


    "Squad, stand up," Captain Pain muttered and lazily rose from his lair.


    There was a small wooden platform in the middle of the crows, and Orisa saw a tall man in the uniform standing there. ''Probably the camp''s leader, Colonel Something Sorry Can''t Remember,'' she mused. Some time passed before they finally heard his voice:


    "On this very day, more than eight hundred years ago our country was founded. Glory to Lazra!"


    "Glory to Lazra!" Everyone echoed him.


    "While this is no longer the birth date of both the Supreme Commander and the council''s chairman, we still celebrate a well-being of our current leaders. Glory to the Supreme Commander Kavenfenn!"


    "Glory to the Supreme Commander Kavenfenn!"


    Something clicked in Orisa''s head, but she had no time to ponder it, as the Colonel yelled again."


    "Glory to the council!"


    "Glory to the council!" Everyone repeated.


    "Let us work harder to protect the peace of Lazra and prosper eight hundred years more!" At these words Orisa, Kanai and Iten looked at each other bitterly.


    The Colonel waved his hands like some bearded old wizard and finally said:


    "Let the feast begin."


    "By the way, squad," the Captain quickly added before they began, "I have something special for you at the evening."


    The next twenty minutes were filled with chewing, drinking and ecstatic gourmet moaning, as the squad enjoyed the food. Orisa learned that Crion was a cook in his past life, and the dishes were made under his strict supervision.


    "Delicious. Finally, some good fucking food," Orisa saluted to Crion with her cup.


    As the plates began to empty, the squad made small talks here and there, but the conversations died out quickly.


    Kanai cadged from the Captain a bit of his drink and became slightly tipsy:


    "Guys, let''s play a King game, yay!" He saluted with the mug, spilling some of its contents.


    ''Dude? Really?'' While Orisa rolled her eyes, the idea itself was not that bad.


    "What the hell is that?" asked one of the squad members. It became clear that Kanai was not in the right condition to make an explanation, so Orisa took the job:


    "It''s a party game. We have a stack of papers, and each person draws one blindly. One paper is marked as King, and other sheets are just numbers. The one who gets the King paper can order something funny or stupid as he names a number. The person with that number must fulfill the order."


    Half of the squad was confused, and the second half expressed doubt.


    "Oh, C''mon, it will be fun! Yay!" Kanai cheered, while Orisa pulled a stack of papers out of her bag.


    "When you draw your paper, quickly look at it, memorize the number and don''t show it to anyone. After each round, we''ll draw again." She thought for a moment about making the game better. "And, actually, while there are twelve of us, the King should order four people at the same time. Also, let''s not order something harmful or related to sex, okay?"


    Little hesitantly everyone drew the papers, while the Captain watched them in amusement.


    "Who-is-the-King?" Orisa and Kanai yelled simultaneously. Slightly confused Iten raised his hand.


    "I''m not sure what to do now..."


    "Oh, just name four numbers between one and eleven, and order them something. Like, say something stupid, uncover an embarrassing secret, or kiss each other in the ear. Think of something!"


    Severe mental suffering showed on Iten''s stressed face.''Oh, poor good old Iten, I''m so sorry... As if, I''m absolutely not sorry!'' Orisa celebrated internally. For some reason, she enjoyed throwing people into awkward situations, as long as they were not harmful.


    "Then..." He began slowly, "numbers two, six, nine and ten, show us your hidden talents. Please?"


    "Oh, shit..."


    "Damn, and what am I supposed to do?"


    Depressing cries began to roll among the squad. Orisa looked at her paper, on which her own betraying hand wrote number nine. ''Hand, how could you? I thought we were friends!''


    "Okay, since it''s my fault, I''ll be the first." She said. "I actually don''t know how exactly this works, just learned it when I was a kid..."


    She opened her mouth wide and pressed the tongue against her palate. A tight jet of saliva shot out from under her tongue, generously irrigating people in front of Orisa.


    "Eeew, gross!"


    "What the fuck!?"


    "Oh my god, what was that?"


    "Sorry-sorry-sorry! Forgot how long it was..." But some people actually laughed, including Kanai, Iten, and the Captain, too.


    "Ok, I hope I won''t be as disgusting. I''m number two." Said Crion and stood up. He juggled a little with forks and spoons, and it was rather cute. Everyone applauded, and some of them looked at Orisa begrudgingly.


    At this moment she noticed that Youko was sitting by the Captain''s side, slowly drinking something from the cup. Orisa nodded to her, and Youko smiled back a bit awkwardly.


    Another squad member perfectly imitated the Captain''s voice:


    "No talking! Two more laps! Who said you could talk!? Four more laps!" As the squad began to laugh, Captain Pain stood and patted him on the shoulder. His smile was just slightly bloodthirsty.


    "Ok, who is the last?" Orisa asked after ten seconds of silence passed.


    "It''s me..." Onuki''s voice was shaking. Her face showed a mix of embarrassment, fear, and anger.


    "Onuki, don''t fret it. You certainly won''t fail as much as I did." Orisa smiled cheerfully. "What are you going to do?"


    "I..." She bit her lip and looked down. "I can sing..."


    "Woah! That''s awesome! Please, go on."


    Onuki became silent after closing her eyes, and as more time passed, the squad members began to exchange awkward looks.


    Suddenly Onuki raised her hands over the table and began tapping rhythm to support her voice:


    ~~~


    In truth there is no better place to be


    Than falling out of darkness still to see


    Without a premonition


    Could you tell me where we stand?


    I''d hate to lose this light


    Before we land


    And when I feel like I can feel once again


    Let me stay awhile


    Soak it in awhile


    If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong


    Buy a little time


    For this head of mine


    Haven for us


    Before we let euphoria


    Convince us we are free


    Remind us how we used to feel


    Before when life was real


    And when I feel like I can feel once again


    Let me stay awhile


    Soak it in awhile


    If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong


    Buy a little time


    For this head of mine


    Haven for us


    ~~~


    When she finished, everyone sat in silence, completely astonished by her voice. Even the lyrics were not ruined by the translation magic. Onuki herself woke up from the singing trance and looked around with a panicked expression.


    "You are brilliant, Onuki..." Orisa looked in awe and began to clap. The others immediately joined, and there even were some claps from other tables.


    Onuki''s face was bright red, and she hid it in her palms.


    "Thank you... everyone."


    They decided to end the game on a high note and continue some other day. As the evening drew closer, people from other tables started to leave, and Youko began to gather the dishes.


    "Miss Satou, let me help you." Orisa volunteered.


    Together they loaded two baskets and carried them back to the kitchen. On their way, Orisa asked about the history behind this celebration, and Youko gladly dived into another lecture.


    They sat on a bench near the kitchen, and Youko uncovered more and more facts about the foundations, the council system that governed Lazra, and many other historical elements. It was all really interesting and well presented, so an entire hour passed before they finally decided to leave the bench and go back to the squad.


    -


    -


    When they returned to the party, more than half of the field was already empty, and Orisa was quickly assaulted by Kanai:


    "Gosh, where have you been?"


    "We were talking with Miss Satou. What happened, Kanai, what''s wrong?"


    "Well, the Captain brought some famous adventurer to give a small talk about the Beasts, Waves, and the life outside the camp. I thought you''d be interested..."


    Orisa looked at Youko with betrayed expression, her face showing one big ''How could you'' emotion. She looked like a puppy, whose owners left her home for the whole day.


    "Oh..." Youko was clearly ashamed. "I''m sorry, I absolutely forgot about it¡­"


    She looked at Orisa''s depressed face and thought deeply about the situation while studying the surrounding area.


    "Follow me." She finally found what she was looking for and called Orisa.


    Together, they quickly moved to the furthest part of the field where a lone figure was standing idly.The first thing that caught her eyes was a pair of two large swords on the person''s back. ''I wonder how exactly they are attached there...''


    When they came closer, Youko asked politely:


    "Hunter Nowanzi, may I have a bit of your time?"


    As the person turned around to face them, Orisa saw a tall knight in a full jet-black armor with the same closed black helmet on his head. He radiated a strong aura of might and confidence, and while Orisa couldn''t see his eyes under the helm, she felt his gaze piercing her like a spear, which made her shiver.


    He simply nodded to Youko, but Orisa felt as if she was finally allowed to breathe again.


    "Because of my miscalculation, this girl here missed your lecture. If you have a moment to spare, could you speak to her and answer some of her questions, too? I would be most grateful to you."


    The hunter turned his head to Youko while she was talking, and when her plea was over, he looked back at Orisa. She never felt being scanned, but that was her impression after receiving his direct gaze.


    After a few moments of consideration he nodded, and Orisa heard a strong and deep voice making a short reply:


    "Umu."

 28 Two there should be. No more, no less.

    The hunter turned his head to Youko while she was talking, and when her plea was over, he looked back at Orisa. She never felt being scanned, but that was her impression after receiving his direct gaze.


    After a few moments of consideration he nodded, and Orisa heard a strong and deep voice making a short reply:


    "Umu."


    "Thank you so much, hunter Nowanzi." She politely bowed down.


    "You should call me Nowa, that is enough." His tone was not arrogant nor a threatening one, but the way he talked left no room for objections as if he was a god simply giving polite orders to his subjects, so Orisa hastily nodded.


    "I will leave you now, so have a productive time." Youko nodded and left, smiling lightly, as she was honestly glad by this turn of events.


    "Let us properly introduce ourselves. My name is Nowanzi Goalo, and I''m a Spell Knight of the hunter association, and I''m working for the Military from time to time. Nice to meet you."


    "Orisa the cadet here," she bowed again, "and it''s my fourth week in this world. As for my specialization, it is really complicated. Nice to meet you, hunter Nowa."


    "Umu. Your explanation, while being praiseworthy for its intriguing content, lacks information. I advise you to explain yourself clearly in the future."


    "I am sorry for not providing appropriate information, hunter Nowa." Orisa was never overly polite, and she never sulked in front of superiors even of the highest rank, but Nowa radiated an aura of a supreme ruler whom you absolutely should respect and please. It was her first time encountering such a clear display of will and power.


    "Umu. As long as you understand your mistake and learn from it." He nodded.


    "My current build is more of predicament, and it stems from two different problems, the first is..."


    While Orisa was describing her Spirit-Dexterity problem and a severe lack in other departments, Nowa kept nodding, occasionally inserting thoughtful ''Umu,'' here and there.


    "As for the second root of my misfortune, it would be much easier to show you, sir. That is if you don''t mind visiting the gym and wasting even more time on me."


    "I am yet to feel that my time is being wasted yet. Lead the way, young one, and you may also ask questions as we go."


    "Thank you, sir," Orisa nodded and went to the gym, trying to come up with questions. "If you don''t mind, can you give me a quick summary if your earlier lecture?"


    "Umu." He became silent, before finally replying after a few minutes. "As you already know, free adventures not contracted by the Military are called hunters..."


    Hunter''s work was to address different tasks and issues, presented by the association. There were many types of jobs, but most of them involved combat in one way or another, either to procure various monster parts and Mana cores or to merely slay the Beasts.


    Because of various taxes and rules, the hunter''s life was not an easy one, especially of those without exceptional might or talents. Lots of cadets chose this path as it promised them freedom and adventure only to regret in the nearest future.


    While strong hunters were well respected and could earn significant sums, it was still much more appealing to serve in the Military for various reasons, such as contract salaries, different bonuses, relative safety from being a part of a giant organization, and overall quality of life.


    "If I may, why did you chose to be a hunter?" Orisa asked an obvious question.


    "This was a decision I came to after serving in the Military for four years. It suits my goals better." Nowa answered Orisa''s question in such a way that even she decided to shovel away her curiosity and drop the subject.


    "Let us ascertain your problem, young one," the hunter said as they entered the gym. Without further ado, Orisa aimed at the metal plate on the wall and pushed slightly more Mana than usual to her palm in hopes to impress Nowa:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    A jet of blue energy shot out her palm and rammed into the wall''s plating, making a loud crashing sound. The plate fell off the wall, heavily bent and smoking. ''Oops, mistakes were made.''


    "Not bad for a beginner," commented Nowa. "Although I fail to see a problem. Enlighten me already, Orisa."


    She aimed at him, and Nowa quickly pointed his palm towards Orisa, as they chanted at the same time:


    "-Mirror of Kalandra!-"


    "Palm Push Strike!"


    Indeed, a mirror appeared around Nowa''s hand, perfectly reflecting Orisa in her futile struggle to produce results. She tried twice to no avail before Nowa ended his spell.


    "Umu." Indeed, he was puzzled, to say the least. After a short period of silence, he asked Orisa, "do you have an explanation?"


    "After a series of experiments," her heart ached a bit after remembering Tiana, "we came to a conclusion that I cannot harm others as long as I''m more or less sane."


    "How curious, I must say. Do you have any way to bypass it?"


    "Well, I have a lame workaround, but..." She was too ashamed to mention it.


    "Show it." Pressure returned to his voice, and Orisa shivered again. "Although, I can already guess it, I still would like to see everything with my own eyes."


    As Orisa began to charge the Postponer which now was always on her wrist, the hunter went to the gym''s door and pressed his palm against it:


    "-Entomb!-"


    Room''s interior began to glow with dark-green, and Nowa explained to surprised Orisa:


    "Now you won''t break the walls, and nobody would interfere with our session."


    When Postponer''s hand reached six, Orisa stopped the infusion, and again they both chanted at the same time:


    "-Triplet Wall!-"


    "-Enrage!-"


    Six.


    Three almost translucent walls appeared in front of Nowa when Orisa began her assault, rushed by constant screaming in her head:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-" -- "-Palm Push Strike!-" -- "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Four.


    With every attack, she made a step forward, itching to get closer to her victim.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    A crack appeared in the first wall. Orisa growled lowly before attacking with both hands:


    "-Palm Push strike!-" -- "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The crack kept growing under her attacks.


    Two.


    As her enraged mind felt that she was out of time, Orisa pushed almost half of her Mana into palms:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The first wall shattered into small pieces that quickly dissolved in the air.


    Zero.


    Orisa fell on her knees, gasping for air.


    "If not for your little problem, I might''ve considered it a worthy performance," Nowa said calmly, removing his remaining walls. "Now, when I saw your potential and grasped the situation, I may offer some aid to your cause."


    Orisa instantly perked up, surprised.


    "Really? That would be absolutely awesome!"


    "Not for free, of course," he added.


    "But I don''t have anything you might want..." She became dejected, as the situation was hopeless now.


    "Of course, you do not possess anything of value to me right now. But in the future, you might."


    She felt like a mouse sitting in front of a giant slice of cheese. It was a trap, and an obvious one, but no less tempting in the end. Orisa remembered all the stories about various pacts and contracts promising some kind of postponed price. ''I understand all that, but...''


    "Sounds like a deal with the Devil," she slowly said, looking at Nowa calmly.


    "Umu. It certainly is, if I''d say so myself," he replied in the same calm voice.


    "I would never do something that I judge shady or evil. And everything related to my body is excluded, too. If you''d want something like that, you''d have to kill me."


    Nowa came closer and held out his hand to Orisa who was still sitting on the floor:


    "That I will."


    She gave him another long look full of doubt and then took the hand. When he pulled Orisa up, she quickly asked:


    "What would you teach me?" Despite the fact that she just sold her soul, Orisa was agitated and excited.


    "The only thing I would teach you is how to learn everything yourself."


    For the second time after coming to this world, Orisa felt scammed. ''What the hell, man? I thought you''d teach me some awesome techniques or something.''


    "Umu. I feel that you doubt my words, how vexing." He shook his head and began walking back and forth in front of Orisa. "While everybody knows the basics, they never move past the first step, and that I deem foolish. I see no point in feeding a man once when I can teach him to procure the food himself."


    "So what you are saying is that," Orisa got used to Nowa''s mighty presence, and talked to him almost normally, "while people have all the instruments, they don''t understand how to use them, and it''s all too complicated to teach in a reasonable time? So, instead of giving the answer you prefer to teach a method of getting the answer by myself?"


    "Correct. I applaud you for conveying it that way, and I might use it myself next time." He pulled out a small pocket notebook and began to write something down, constantly nodding to himself. Orisa was quite surprised by the fact that he used a pen without removing his metal gauntlets, but she accidentally blurted something quite different:


    "Why are you wearing a helmet all the time?"


    He looked up from the notebook as if remembering that he was not alone in the room.


    "Ahem, yes," Nowa hid the notebook and the pen in his armor, before pulling his helmet up, "it''s an old habit of mine, nothing of importance."


    Orisa saw a dark-haired man in his mid-twenties, and his face was generic to a fault. Every part and every feature of it was so generic that she couldn''t even describe it well.


    After witnessing her reaction, he calmly put the helmet back and said:


    "How much time do you have today?"


    "It all depends on you, sir. As long-"


    "I already took into consideration everything you might say," he abruptly interrupted Orisa, steel returning to his voice, "so I''m asking how much time are you willing to spend today."


    "I''m sorry, hunter Nowa," she quickly apologized and thought deeply about her options after looking at the wall clock, "I have around seven hours."


    "Umu. I think it should be enough, so let us begin."


    "One moment, please," Orisa took out Stamina and Concentration potions, downing the first and taking a sip from the second. In less than a minute, she felt refreshed and rested, and her mind was clear and sharp again.


    "I''m ready, apologies for the delay."


    "Umu." He paused, thinking about something.


    It was quite hard to read his emotions and intentions through the helmet, to say the least. ''Is this the real purpose of always wearing a helm?'' Orisa mused.


    "What is Mana and what is it for?" He suddenly asked.


    "It''s a special resource produced by our bodies that can be used to cast spells."


    "More."


    "Hmm, well, you can manipulate Mana with your own will, moving it through your body."


    "More."


    It was getting harder to come up with something, and Orisa had to recall everything she saw:


    "You can change Mana into different elements, like fire or lightning. It is possible to create various functional shapes, so you can manipulate Mana outside your own body as long as it is connected to your flow." She remembered Rita''s Sealcasting, too. "Shapes can not only be functional but add more properties and effects. All in all, Mana is a multi-functional tool used to manipulate objects, nature or create different effects and forms."


    "Umu. There is more, but it should suffice for now."


    Somebody knocked on the door, and Nowa had to remove his protection spell. Orisa looked outside and saw Youko with a slightly concerned look on her face. She inspected Orisa''s appearance and asked:


    "Is everything alright with you two there?"


    "Oh, yes, we are perfectly fine. Miss Satou, thank you so much for taking me to the hunter!" She was excited beyond words.


    "I see. Glad that I was able to help, Orisa. Also, keep track of time, as it is getting late already."


    "Don''t worry, I will, and I also have an Endless night potion, so I should be okay anyway."


    Youko shook her head in amazement and quietly went away, so Orisa returned back to Nowa. Without further ado, he moved to the next part:


    "What is your number one priority now in terms of learning?"


    "To overcome my fighting barrier," she replied instantly.


    "You do not possess required skills for now."


    "Uh..." Orisa bit her lower lip in frustration. "Then I need some defense, I think."


    "What is defense, then?"


    "Damage avoidance via shields or barriers..?"


    "More."


    "Mana expenditure to prevent damage..?"


    "Stop replying with questions. There is more, but it would suffice for now. How can you do that considering your Mana pool?"


    "Continuously pour Mana into shields or spend more Mana on barriers." Orisa felt there was more to it, so she thought deeply. "I''m not sure, but maybe I can use Mana to increase Toughness, too."


    "Yes, you can. And there is more, but for you, it is enough for now. Can you describe a method I''m trying to teach you?"


    "Ask yourself questions and don''t stop after the first answer. Keep going until you can''t come up with any more ideas."


    Nowa looked at Orisa for a few seconds and nodded.


    "Umu. That is correct, indeed. Give me a moment." He took out an already familiar notebook and wrote something down. "Now you need a defensive spell, or maybe even two or three for different situations."


    "Please, show me your barriers again."


    "-Triplet Wall!-"


    Orisa came closer and touched the wall. It was neither cold nor hot, and she felt Mana move inside it. But thanks to Concentration potion she was able to see more, as for the first time she felt intentions that were used in the spell. ''Barrier. Detach. Stay.''


    She sat on the floor and concentrated on her forearm, moving Mana there and to the surface of the hand. After a few minutes of moving back and force with the Mana flow, she finally conjured a guard-like object attached to her hand.


    "Good, so let us test it." Nowa suggested right away, taking a combat stance.


    "Wait, what!?" Orisa jumped to her feet and backed away. "Stop-stop-stop!"


    But Nowa made a small step forward and lazily slapped her shield with his hand. With a sound of breaking glass, the shield fell apart, and Orisa felt something crack inside her arm, followed by intense pain. She fell on the floor and yelled, holding the broken arm with her left hand.


    "-Major Balm!-"


    "-Greater Mend!-"


    "Why do you think this happened?" He asked calmly.


    "You are..." Her hand was already restored and the pain almost subsided, but Orisa was still panting heavily. "You are too strong!"


    "Oh, I thank you for the compliment, but you are absolutely wrong. You have one minute, and then I''ll strike again."


    But Orisa already knew what he was hinting at, so she got back on her feet and remade the barrier. This time she pushed much more Mana there and also connected one Mana layer to supply even more resources.


    Nowa made the same slapping gesture, and Orisa''s guard held the strike. This, however, was of low importance to her right now, as the recoil from blocking was so strong that she smacked herself in the face with the shield, breaking her nose.


    "-Major Balm!-"


    "-Greater Mend!-"


    "Good, but you can do better. Of that, I''m sure, young one. One minute is yours, again."


    As she wiped the blood with her shirt, Orisa thought about the solution. As always, the solution was simple, so she made the shield again.


    When Nowa was about to land a hit, she made another, smaller barrier in front of her shield, and ordered it to detach from her and stay in the air. While it was too weak to block the strike completely, the barrier absorbed most of the damage, and her main shield easily took the rest.


    "Good. I''m pleased with your progress so far. One spell ready, two more to go."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the same in the capital of Lazra a private discussion took place.


    "I hope, now you have enough proof," said a hooded man, pulling a beautiful sword out of his chest. His cloak was soaked in blood and full of holes, but he was otherwise unaffected. "The power I''m talking about is immense, and it would bring the family to an otherwise unachievable height. We both know that it is the only way."


    "I understand." The leader of vas Kavenfenn family said after calming himself down. "We shall proceed with your suggestion."


    A hooded man went back to a balcony that he used half an hour ago to enter a familiar and nostalgic vas Kavenfenn mansion. He calmly looked at the sky, a moonlight revealing his beautiful tanned face. The only thing that could set a casual observer off was a pair of narrow black slits in place of his eyes.

 29 ...and three shining knights.

    ''So hard to get rid of old habits, and so easy to relapse back.''


    Orisa lay on her bed, musing about her potion addiction. Not only it was extremely efficient to study and practice under the Concentration potion, but she also slept perfectly and was fully rested after the Endless night potion. She recalled her vicious circle of energy drinks in the morning to wake her up and sleeping pills in the evening to calm the mind down.


    ''On the other hand, considering the world would last only six more months, I can''t care less about long-term side effects of these potions.''


    Mira''s bed was already empty, while Onuki still lay on hers, and these facts together played a major role in Orisa''s plan, as she still wanted to talk at least some people into following her suggestions during today''s Dungeon practice. She gave up on Mira from the get-go and was sure that Toatre would follow her so that only left Onuki to persuade. She slowly sat and turned to her roommate.


    "Onuki, I''m sorry, can I talk to you for a moment?" Seeing her reaction, Orisa quickly added, "it''s about today''s practice."


    Onuki slowly rose from the bed and sat across Orisa, slowly nodding with a conflicted expression on her face.


    "Iten told me about the yesterday''s... situation," she began, carefully choosing her words, "and I happen to have some experience with guiding a small team in an emergency situation."


    It was mostly a lie, but she still had a raid leader experience from many MMO games on top of a team lead position that she held in the past. Together, these two skills made her at least somewhat confident in managing a compact group during exercises. ''But if I''d see anyone at least on my level, I''d gladly transfer the reins.''


    "So I thought that maybe I could try and organize the squad, help to form small groups and even coordinate us all. That is if you and other members are okay with that." Orisa paused before throwing small bait, "also, you are the first person I''m asking. What do you think?"


    Onuki had a strange expression on her face that Orisa couldn''t parse.


    "If that is all you wanted to say..." She stood up, took her hygiene items and slowly went to the door. In the doorframe, she turned around and finished, "I''m okay with following your orders."


    As she left the room, Orisa felt that she either chose the wrong dialogue option or missed some quick time event, which she could have used to steer their conversation into a more friendly direction, earning back some Onuki-points. But it was too late, as she already left, and Orisa sat on her bed, pondering why Onuki put so much stress on the word ''orders.''


    ---


    ---


    Together with Iten and Kanai, they talked to Rakasha, Crion and a few more squad members. While their negotiation slash persuasion went well, Orisa constantly felt that she was digging her own grave.


    On their way to the Dungeon, the trio met Nana and Nene, and they greeted each other. Before leaving, Nene quickly planted a kiss on Iten''s cheek and ran away, giggling from his grumbling about manners and inappropriate behavior of certain youngsters.


    "By the way, Iten, I was curious about something and wanted to consult our most renowned expert in the field of nobility."


    Kanai chuckled while Iten rolled his eyes and grumbled something again.


    "So, I more or less figured that Nobles are much stronger because they were taught from the younger age," she saw Iten nodding to her assumption, "but it still leaves me with another question. Why the hell are they here in the camp?"


    "Well, this part is quite complicated, and I''m not as knowledgeable as you''d think. If I had to put it simply, Noble offspring are required to attain a training camp for one month and then serve one year in the Military when they are of age." Orisa and Kanai exchanged looks of confusion and doubt, and Iten added some more information, "this tradition stems from the past, and as far as I know, which was written in a history of the Military book, it was a topic of many disputes even among Nobles."


    "Still kinda strange, I''d say. If it were me, I would never risk sending my kid here." Kanai said, and a few moments later added with a sarcastic voice, "especially if I knew that he was a spoiled piece of pink shit."


    "Yeah, that''s true. Also, I think the parents themselves are no better." Orisa added with a voice full of spite.


    The squad entered the second floor, and Orisa was finally able to see everything with her own eyes. The room was much bigger to a point when it was better to call it a closed stadium. The floor''s interior represented an ancient city devastated a long time ago. Remnants of building''s walls were no higher than a person''s waist, creating many small obstacles all over the ground. They were too small to use as a shelter but too big to ignore, so Orisa had to consider not only the squad''s abilities but their positioning as well.


    ''I''m sure the Skels would easily rush over these trashed walls, while we won''t be able to trespass them that easy. That leaves us with a little tower defense game, I think.''


    From Iten''s explanation, she recalled that the goal was to survive the waves until the Captain says it''s over. Another important aspect was that they were not allowed to cast spells before the start, denying the squad any chance to prepare beforehand.


    "Line up!" The Captain yelled at them. "We are going to do the same thing until you pass or all of you are dead."


    He paused, walking in front of the squad back and forth, looking each member in the eyes as he passed them.


    "If you lot are too dumb to figure it yourselves, we''ll have to hold a small strategic meeting about tactics and whatnot. But I hope you are better than that and would be able to think at least of some plan. Am I clear?"


    "Crystal clear, Captain Pain!"


    "Good. Spread out or do whatever you decided to do. We are going to start now."


    "Captain Pain, sir, can we have five minutes?" Orisa made her move.


    "Be my guests," he replied and went to the Summoner.


    "Guys, I''m sorry, can I have a moment of your time?" Orisa turned to the squad to grab their attention. "I know how it sounds as I wasn''t here yesterday, but I talked a lot to Iten and Toatre, and I think I can be of some help to you all today."


    "What do you mean?" Clemen Tinn played along well. He was one of the members they talked to beforehand, and Orisa asked him to ignite the discussion. For some reason, he was extremely enthusiastic about all this, which made Orisa worry slightly. But they had no time to check on him more, and they had no other choice, too.


    "Well, I have some related experience, and I thought about the approach we could take in our situation."


    "Please, go on," encouraged Iten.


    "Why the hell should we listen to a crazy bitch like her?" Mira interrupted their play with an aggressive retort.


    "Mira, your opinion as a deputy is quite valuable," Iten said in a cold voice, "but I think we should at least her Orisa out. Please, go on."


    "My suggestion is to split the squad into few smaller teams based on the skills and roles every member could fill. That way it would be easier to communicate inside the group, and they''ll be able to act independently while also staying in touch to cover each other''s backs." She waved across the room, "plus, we need to take the topology of the floor into consideration, too."


    "Sounds good, but can you do that all by yourself?" Clemen added a concerned off-script comment.


    "First of all, I won''t be doing it by myself, as we are all together here. But I do have some skills in this field, so at least I''ll be able to suggest something."


    "We are running out of time," Iten rounded up the discussion. "Who is against letting Orisa''s experience help us today?"


    Mira rushed to raise her hand but saw that nobody supported her and gave up.


    "Awesome, guys! I''m counting on your help today." She bowed down before turning to Rakasha, "could you lift me up so I could see the room around us?"


    He calmly took her on his hands and threw in the air. After a split second of free fall, she landed on his arms, placing her feet on Rakasha''s palms like a skilled cheerleader. It was hard to keep balance, but Rakasha assisted her well, and Orisa was able to get a good look at their surroundings. She quickly spotted the place she was looking for and signaled to drop her down.


    "Okay, follow me, please," she began to walk and continued her briefing. "As far as I know, Toatre and Onuki can use healing spells. Anybody else?"


    Nobody answered so she moved on:


    "Okay, then they''ll be our center of operation. We''ll have to protect them at all cost. Also, girls, don''t waste Mana on anything besides healing, unless it''s something lifesaving."


    As they arrived at the spot Orisa chose, she turned around and said:


    "Okay, so here is what I suggest..."


    Her idea was simple. First, find a spot you could defend well, with as many obstacles and covers as possible. Second, place three to four small groups around the place to protect from melee attackers. Third, set a central team of healers and ranged attackers, who would be able to deal with enemy archers and mages in every direction and help all the close combatants at the same time.


    "I would try to cover the central hub with my shields, but you need to hide behind walls as much as possible." She turned to the central group, "don''t waste your Mana on small injuries. Also, attack only mages and archers, leave the rest to our defending teams."


    Orisa looked around, seeing a mixture of concern, acknowledgment, and understanding.


    "Aside from our casters, I will stay in the central hub to give shields." She looked at Clemen wielding two daggers, "you''ll stay with me, and I hope you are good in tight spaces..."


    "Why?" He was puzzled.


    "Let''s just pray that we won''t need you." She waved to the Captain who was standing on a small balcony together with the Summoner and shouted, "we''ll be ready in twenty seconds."


    The Captain simply nodded and turned to the Summoner, while Orisa addressed the squad again:


    "Alright, guys, we can do it. No shouting, signal when you need heals or help. Listen to my voice, and we''ll probably be good. Good luck, everyone."


    "Tch." Mira was slightly irritated, to say the least.


    Three melee teams went to their respective posts while other members gathered in the center of a small elevation with remnants of what seemed to be a watchtower. There were three major routes to get there, and they were covered by the melee groups, but Orisa was sure that at least some Skels would be able to climb from other directions, too.


    She placed Kanai, Crion, and Mira to support each their respective melee group and cover them from mages and archers, which left her with Onuki, Toatre, and Clemen in the center, and he immediately asked again:


    "So, what should I do?"


    "First of all, we''d use you as mobile support to cover the holes in our defense. Your main task is to keep an eye on foes bypassing melee groups and protect everyone inside the hub. As for the second one, I''ll tell you later."


    When she finished, the first wave of enemies appeared, and Orisa immediately rushed to create as much cover as possible. What remained of the walls was slightly above the knee level, and was of little use as a good cover, so Orisa ran around the tower, placing few of her barriers at each defending direction.


    "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-"


    "Use them as cover, and I''ll try to replace them later on!"


    "Orisa, are you sure I shouldn''t join the combat?" Toatre asked her calmly.


    "No, dear, at least for now you should save your Mana for healing only, and we''ll see how everything is going and decide on the move."


    She was done with the barriers for the moment, leaving three translucent walls near every ranged attacker, and a few more for Toatre and Onuki in the middle. When Orisa looked around, she saw Mira relentlessly attacking all the enemies in her sight.


    "Mira, what are you doing!? You are wasting resources, that''s not how-"


    "Shut the fuck up, bitch. Who do you think you are, our boss or something?" When Iten was away and unable to talk some sense into her, Mira reverted back. "I''m deputy here and know what to do, so close your trap and go do something useful for a change."


    "This is no time for your crap, Mira," Orisa said calmly, although her insides were boiling and lava flowed through the veins. "The Captain is watching, you know? Are you sure you want to repeat the first'' floor scene again?"


    For a split second, Orisa saw fear in Mira''s eyes. She knew exactly where to punch the girl.


    "Let''s stick with the plan for now, please?"


    Mira grumbled back something inaudible but stopped her arrow rain and hid behind the shield, as first arrows and spells began to fly their direction.


    Orisa''s shields were not big, less than two meters wide and tall, but they had no other options.


    "-Lesser Mend!-" -- "-Lesser Mend!-"


    She saw Onuki assist Iten who was struck by the arrow.


    "Good work, Onuki. Keep it up." Orisa came closer and smiled at her, but there was no reply.


    "By the way, just in case," she continued, "can you cast Dispel?" Seeing Onuki nod, Orisa finished before going away, "then I''ll be in your care if things go south."


    As she moved to check on melee groups, few arrows flew inches away from her position, which caused a terrible flashback. ''Come on, keep it together. You have more problems now, so no need to add an arrowphobia to the list!" She gritted her teeth and carried on.


    Rakasha was alone, covering the first route with Crion as his ranged support, and things looked quite good on this front. Orisa renewed the barriers around Crion, as one of them was already destroyed and two others full of cracks, and went to the second sector.


    This path was protected by Iten and another squad member, with Kanai covering them from behind. Orisa came closer to him and renewed the shields.


    "How are you, bro? Everything''s okay" She asked, inspecting few small arrow cuts on his hands.


    "More or less, but I''ve almost halved my Mana pool," he said with a concerned look, and then peeped out of cover:


    "-Decay!-" -- "-Decay!-"


    "Well, it can''t be helped. You are doing great!" She moved away, hiding her grim expression. It was little over a minute from the start, and she didn''t know how long they had to fight, so this was quite bad already.


    When Orisa was heading to the last party, she felt a burning sensation in her back and was thrown on the ground after being hit by the Firebird spell. She rolled on the ground twice before hitting a wall, grunting. Thanks to her high Spirit stat these low tier spells were more about pain than any real damage, but the impact was still strong enough to send her to the ground.


    When she tried to get up, a Skeleton jumped over the wall on which she was leaning. It quickly turned to Orisa and swung its sword.


    "-Force Wall!-"


    She conjured the barrier just in time for it to take a hit. The Skeleton rammed his sword again and again, and cracks began to spread across the wall''s surface. Orisa quickly rolled away and made two more walls, trapping the Skeleton inside.


    "Clemen, I need help!" She yelled


    "Busy!" He shouted back, smacking the Skeleton on the opposite side of their improvised base. Another Skeleton moved over the edge and rushed to him.


    "-Lesser Spike!-"


    Stone spear emerged under the Skeleton that Orisa trapped, immediately shattering him. As she turned around, she saw Toatre waving to her with a cheerful smile. ''That girl..." Orisa shook her head in amazement and rushed to her previous destination.


    "Guys!? What''s going on!?" She saw two squad members who were in charge of the last path pushed way back, and now they were mere five meters away from Onuki and Toatre. She also saw Mira fighting with them using her dagger.


    "Mira is out of arrows, and we are out of Mana!" Yelled one of the defenders. They both had bruises all over their bodies and were out of breath. Mira to her credit was in no better shape, too.


    "Toatre, help with defense here!" Orisa yelled before turning to Mira, "how many arrows did you have?"


    "Fifty. Why?"


    Orisa immediately jumped over the wall and rushed in the direction of Mira''s attacks, looking for arrows.


    "Are you fucking crazy!?" Mira shouted, but Orisa ignored her pointless rant. ''It has to be done, or we''ll be out of Mana in no time.'' She saw a few Skeletons taking aim at her with both bows and spells.


    "-Thickness!-"


    "-Force Guard!-"


    Blue layer of concentrated Mana covered Orisa''s entire body, greatly increasing its Toughness. Another, already familiar shield appeared around her right forearm, and she used it to cover her head.


    While Thickness barrier was many times weaker than Force Walls or Force Guard, it was so effective against weak enemies that when an arrow struck her in the stomach, the only thing she felt was a weak punch. The cost of this, however, was astronomical even for her, as aside from Mana constantly being drained in an alarming rate she also had to use one of her two Mana layers. Considering that the second Mana layer was attached to her forearm guard, she could not perform any other actions. ''Not that it matters, I can''t attack anyway.''


    She saw two Skeletons in front of her being burned down by a Firebird spell and moved forward to collect more arrows, smiling happily from the fact that somebody was covering her back.


    Orisa found almost two dozens of arrows so far and turned around to run back when suddenly three figures appeared in front of her. These were Skeleton Knights, heavily armed and armored warriors much stronger than normal Skeletons.


    ''Are these the last bosses of the session?'' This was her only thought as a moment later one of the Knight closed the distance and swung its Morgenstern, smashing Orisa in her left side. The Force Guard she wore on her right arm was of no use, and her Thickness barrier only softened such a heavy blow slightly, so something cracked inside, and she was sent flying, crashing loudly into the nearest wall.


    As she weakly slumped to the floor, spitting out a lot of blood, Orisa tried to shout but couldn''t even take a breath. Aside from immense blinding pain, her left lung was also punctured in several places and collapsed.


    She slowly rolled on her back, silently opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. As she was gasping for air, tears rolled from her eyes. The pain was insufferable, and her mind began to slowly fade away from the lack of air, while she looked at the Skeleton Knights rushing towards her.

 30 You got what you deserved.

    "Orisa needs help!" Toatre shouted before focusing back on Orisa. She threw two healing spells and attacked the Knights:


    "-Lesser Spike!-"


    "-Lesser Firebird!-"


    "-Lesser Frostbite!-" -- "-Lesser Frostbite!-"


    After hearing her call, Kanai rushed there to take a look, and the situation was horrible. While Toatre managed to halt the Skeletons a bit and even redirect one of the Knight''s attention to their position, Orisa was still laying on the ground, and more enemies closed on her location. She was a mere twenty meters away, but the path was not safe at all.


    "Everyone, gather at the top! We are leaving this spot now!" He shouted before running back to Iten and telling him. "Slowly back away, we are moving to help Orisa."


    Kanai saw Onuki cast a few more healing spells on Orisa, and when a few seconds later most members gathered around them, he told the plan:


    "If we won''t help her now, she is dead. I need someone to distract armored Skels while we slowly move to Orisa''s position. No point in splitting the squad now, and it''s much easier and safer to move as one group."


    "Agreed," nodded Iten. "Rakasha and I will attack the Knights."


    "Great. Everybody else should focus on mages and archers while we move so that they wouldn''t be able to pick us one by one." No one ever saw Kanai being so serious. "Run from cover to cover and shoot. When we are at Orisa''s location, hide wherever you can and keep the Skels away. Go!"


    They almost crawled between the rubble, moving from wall to wall and throwing spells at the Knights. Two of them already moved towards the squad, and the last was impaled by Toatre''s spike, unable to take a single step.


    They downed a dozen Skeletons and Zombies on their way to Orisa, but three squad members were heavily injured in the process, and even after some healing they had a hard time moving on their own, so Kanai, Crion and Clemen had to drag them.


    When they finally reached the destination, Kanai crawled to check Orisa''s condition. There was a lot of blood, but her wounds were already closed, so she at least wouldn''t bleed out. Her breathing was shallow, frequent, and hoarse, and she was sweating heavily.


    "Orisa, what''s wrong with you? I see no damage..." Kanai began with a shaky voice, squeezing her palm with his trembling hands. Orisa slowly opened her eyes and focused on Kanai.


    "Call Iten..." She mumbled in a barely audible voice.


    "Iten, Orisa needs you now!" As Kanai turned around to check the situation, his expression turned grim.


    Onuki and Crion were out of Mana and simply ducked behind the cover. Three injured members were in no fighting shape, too. Toatre kept impaling and freezing one of the Knights while Rakasha and Iten fought two remaining Skels. That left Clemen who was constantly repelling incoming Zombies, and panicked Mira, trembling behind the wall.


    He quickly crawled to her position and grabbed her shirt''s collar:


    "The hell you are doing!?" Kanai almost screamed, and then slapped her on the cheek, "pick up your fucking arrows and start shooting!"


    While he crawled back to Orisa, Kanai finally heard a piece of good news from Clemen:


    "Guys, I think they stopped summoning!"


    While Clemen miraculously managed to kill all the incoming foes, there were still quite a few archers and mages attacking them from a distance, so Kanai turned around again:


    "Mira, do something already!" Kanai himself was almost out of Mana, too, and planned to save its remnants for the Knights.


    At last, Mira grabbed a few arrows that Orisa dropped after being hit, and started shooting:


    "-Blast Arrow!-" -- "-Blast Arrow!-" -- "-Blast Arrow!-"


    As ranged enemies began to fall, Kanai returned to a more pressing matter:


    "Clemen, I really need you to swap with Iten! Try to hold on at least a bit, ''cause we need him now."


    The Knights'' situation was quite dire, as Iten''s attacks were completely ineffective against their armor, and most of Rakasha''s strikes were either blocked or parried. Toatre managed to break the Skeleton she impaled, but she reported her Mana pool being almost empty now, so Kanai asked her:


    "Toatre, save your Mana focus on healing, please."


    Clemen ran to the Knights and without slowing down jumped onto one of them, sticking both his daggers under the Skeleton''s helm:


    "-Twin Blast!-"


    The helmet exploded from the inside, and the Skeleton fell on the ground, letting Clemen safely jump away.


    "Iten, go check on the general," he said, giggling nervously. The Skeleton began to move, slowly getting back on his feet.


    Iten went to Orisa, covering himself with the shield. When he passed by Mira, she peeked out of cover to take another shot and immediately took an arrow straight under her right collarbone. She fell on the ground, spilling blood and yelling in pain, and Iten jumped to cover her, quickly pulling the girl closer to the wall.


    "Toatre, Onuki, heal her!" Iten shouted, slowly dragging her closer to Orisa.


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Onuki recovered some of her Mana and helped Iten:


    "Pull out the arrow, and I''ll heal her again," she said. "One-two-three!"


    Iten plucked out the arrow, and more blood spilled out as Mira began to scream again.


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Onuki closed the wound, and now she was again out of Mana. Iten let Mira rest on the ground and finally moved to Orisa.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked with a serious face, observing Orisa''s abnormal condition.


    "My lung..." She breathed heavily, and it was hard to talk, "it hurts. Can''t breathe..."


    He quickly turned Orisa to her right side and leaned his ear to the left, listening to her shallow breathing. After a few moments, he distanced himself and said:


    "I can fix you, but it will hurt." Iten''s voice was full of concern. Orisa only nodded, unable to voice her reply. He turned Orisa on her back and said to Kanai, "hold her down so she won''t move. Toatre, be ready to heal on my command."


    After Kanai pressed her down, Iten concentrated on his finger, creating a thin and long needle of Mana. In a swift and precise motion, he struck an improvised instrument between her ribs, and Orisa yelled again, trembling in pain. When Iten pulled his finger away, bloody foam began to ooze out of the small wound, bubbling like soap. He pushed her chest down twice, and more foam came out, but a few seconds later it stopped, and Iten signaled Toatre to heal Orisa.


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Orisa loudly gasped, finally being able to breathe normally.


    "We are lucky that your lung straightened back by itself," Iten muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.


    "Thanks..." Orisa muttered weakly.


    With no more targets, three remaining ranged attackers turned back to Rakasha and Clemen, who already had a hard time containing the Knights. A few seconds later Rakasha''s left arm went limp after getting two arrows in the shoulder. His forearm was scorched from the Firebird spell, too. It was impossible to use the halberd with only one hand, so he began to pull back, growling from pain and frustration. Clemen moved into the opposite direction, dodging the arrows and leading the second Skeleton away.


    "-Decay!" -- "Decay!-"


    "-Lesser Firebird!-"


    Kanai and Toatre used what remained of their Mana pools to clear all the ranged attackers away, which left them empty against the Skeleton Knights.


    "Iten, pull me up so I can by us some time." Orisa felt better but still was too weak to walk and cast at the same time.


    Iten pulled her up and acted as a support while she moved closer to the Knights. Rakasha made three more steps and fell to the ground, exhausted and bleeding from many cuts and wounds. Clemen was too far away, so it was hard to see his condition, but his shirt was red in a few spots, too.


    "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-"


    Orisa began to block the Knight, making as many barriers as possible. Every time the Skeleton moved, Orisa made another wall, so in the end, it was forced to attack the wall in hopes to break through. Every barrier lasted from five to seven hits, and Orisa had slightly less than half of her Mana left, so she could buy the squad some time to regroup.


    "Toatre, Onuki, heal Rakasha and everybody you can, while we keep him busy," said Kanai and got up.


    "-Decay!-"


    While his spell was relatively weak, in terms of Mana to damage conversion it was brilliant, hurting a lot over a long period of time for a small price.


    "-Shield Bash!-"


    Iten dropped his sword to support Orisa but kept his shield, and now he was able to throw the Knight back a little after it suddenly broke through Orisa''s barrier with a lucky strike.


    "-Force Wall!-"


    She imprisoned the Skeleton again and said to Iten:


    "I''m better now, so you can let me go. Thank you, Iten."


    He nodded and carefully let her go, moving back to grab his sword and check on the squad. Onuki and Toatre managed two more healing spells, and it was barely enough to wake Rakasha back. Mira was awake, too, but most of her arrows were broken during the previous skirmish, she had only two left. Kanai renewed his Decay on the Skeleton, and it was his last Mana, but the Skeleton was all tattered, too.


    "Mira, finish him with your explosive arrows. Try hitting the head," he slowly muttered. Mira nodded and aimed, waiting for the barrier to break.


    "-Blast Arrow!" -- "-Blast Arrow!-"


    The Skeleton''s head finally exploded, and its remains fell to the ground. For a few seconds, they were quiet, and then everyone let out a long sigh of relief. Those who were still standing slumped on the ground, dead tired.


    "We fought. We won. We good," Rakasha said slowly, but Kanai added in a slightly confused voice:


    "Was it just me, or we forgot about something?"


    The squad members looked at each other, unsure what to think when suddenly they heard a scream:


    "Guys! Heeeelp!" It was Clemen, and he ran in their direction, yelling, "that thing used some skill! And now it''s kinda too fast and too furious!"


    They saw the last Skeleton Knight running after Clemen like a skilled sprinter, with his body glowing yellow and red.


    "I''m out of Mana,'' Kanai said dejectedly, ready to give up.


    "I can manage maybe two spells..." Crion lay on the ground, not ready to stand up yet.


    "Onuki, I don''t know how long it would take, so I''ll need your Dispel." Orisa moved in the direction of Clemen and the Skeleton.


    "You are not going anywhere! We''ll manage somehow," Kanai grabbed Orisa''s hand.


    "We both know that I have to do it, Kanai." She pulled her hand out and went away.


    Suddenly the Skeleton glowed blue and disappeared.


    "Okay, that''s enough for now." They heard the Captain clap twice from the balcony. "You all pass. Good job. Well, more or less."


    The squad members were flabbergasted, exchanging awed looks. They could not believe their luck, as the situation was impossible, unthinkable.


    Clemen slumped on the floor a few meters away from Orisa, panting and sweating. Other members helped each other to move there, too, and they all gathered around Orisa and Clemen.


    The Captain came half a minute later, together with the Summoner, who immediately started treating the wounded with healing and disinfecting spells.


    "You all were quite good, so I''m pleased." Captain Pain began, "also there were a few imbecilic moves, too. At one point, I even though about halting the session. But you made it somehow."


    After looking at each squad member, he continued:


    "You passed the second floor''s test. Now, I''m giving you an hour to rest, and we''ll practice on these Knights," he chuckled after seeing the squad''s horrified expression, "don''t fret, it''s a simple training to feed you more power, not real combat."


    He turned around and went to the balcony, opening a hidden door, and then shouted back to the squad:


    "Come here to grab food and meds if you need them," and entered the room.


    "Can''t believe we are alive," Mira said with a disgusted voice. "I''m never working with this crazy bitch again. It''s her fault that-"


    Kanai grabbed her gorgeous black hair with his left hand and pulled it, turning her around. She yelped, but next moment Kanai''s fist rammed into her nose, sending Mira to the floor.


    "Shut up, garbage," Kanai muttered, barely containing his rage. "It''s Orisa''s mistake for rushing there alone, of course. But you are the only reason she had to take a risk. We all know that you fucked everything up on purpose."


    "The hell do you think you are doing!?" Mira covered her nose, trying to stop the bleeding. "I''m a deputy squad leader, and-"


    "One more word and I will fucking choke you."


    She looked around but saw that nobody thought of supporting her, and promptly stopped.


    The squad quietly moved to the resting room. Orisa sat near the Captain and asked in a slightly begrudged voice:


    "Was it really necessary to summon Knights in front of me?"


    "You won''t believe me," he laughed happily, shaking his head in amazement, "but their spawn point was decided even before you came to the floor. When I saw you running in that direction, I almost spilled my drink. Life is strange."


    "Indeed." Orisa nodded and thought deeply about the fight. "So, are we going to train again today?" She asked after some time.


    "Of course. Tomorrow is your last day here, and I expect your squad to clear at least two floors."


    "Two?!" Orisa was perplexed. "We barely managed even one, and almost died on top of that!"


    "Oh, don''t cry, girl." The Captain chuckled, sipping water from his cup, "the further you go the easier it is. Well, in the Dungeon, at least."


    "But why? Aren''t the lower floors harder?"


    "Of course they are. But you get stronger, too. Your stats grow up, and you learn more skills," he paused, looking at the squad, "at least you should learn them. But I think you are safe on this front with all your flashy inventions, at least."


    "In my situation..." She let out a long sigh, "well, creative thinking is everything I have."


    "Anyway, after today''s training you''ll grow even stronger, so don''t fret."


    Orisa mused about new skills that she wanted to learn or invent. One of the directions she wanted to check out was hindering, or, in game''s terminology, crowd control. She wanted to try it for two reasons. The first, an obvious one, was that it was simply useful to have some ways to block enemies like she already did with the Force Wall. The second was just a guess, but Orisa thought that she might use these spells despite her Pacifism problem, as they were not directly harmful even by her standards. She was already eager to get back to the gym and try something out, although, for the crowd control spells she''d need an assistant.


    A few minutes later Iten woke her from the brainstorm she was doing in her head:


    "Orisa, can we have a moment?" When she looked up, she saw Iten and other squad members gather around her.


    "Thank you!" They all said cheerfully and bowed down.

 31 Almost warm and fluffy chapter 1/2

    Orisa was quite high from all the positive emotions she got from the squad, so the following training flew by in a blink of an eye.


    At first, she practiced with the squad, helping to hold down Knights or block their attack, but later on, the Captain pulled her away and let Orisa train alone using her Enrage.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    The Knight was hiding behind the shield, and the first attack made a huge round hole in its defense. When The Skeleton tried to swing its sword, Orisa blew its entire hand away and finished the fight with her dual palm attack.


    "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    The Summoner stopped her rampage and went back to the squad while Orisa rested a bit. It was her twentieth foe slain, and while she was quite tired, she also felt much stronger, so Captain Pain''s words proved to be true. Against the first Skeleton, she had to use seven attacks and even got hit a few times, although she blocked most attacks with her Force Guard. Now she only needed four strikes and thought about finishing the Knight in three hits next time.


    Another positive thing stemmed not only from her today''s training but from previous efforts, too. While all other casters were out of Mana and had to rest, she was near the half of her Mana pool only. Considering her severe overuse of Mana, it meant that Orisa''s reserves were already formidable. The fact that her training and crystal charging paid off made her even happier.


    "Alright, squad. We are going to wrap things up for today," the Captain gathered them sometime later to announce their plans. "Tomorrow is your last day in the Dungeon, followed by the exam the next day. I expect you to clear at least two more floors, got it?"


    Unlike Orisa, the squad members heard this for the first time and were quite shocked, but the Captain continued in the same tone:


    "I gave you the half of what you need to beat them, that being more power from training and slaying Skels. The other half depends on you alone, as you need to learn more skills by tomorrow. Even one more attack or trick would do you good, believe me." He gave them all a stern look, "that''s why we are ending it earlier, so you could practice something new."


    He waved to the Summoner who assisted them today and continued:


    "Together with this man, we''ll be waiting for those who need advice or more training in the big gym. Dismissed."


    As people began to disperse, she met with Kanai and Iten, who were all sweaty and exhausted again. Orisa, on the other hand, felt great despite her injury a few hours ago. New strength that she sensed inside and all the positive feedback from the squad members inspired her greatly. Even Onuki thanked her, although less eager, but already without scorn or spite.


    "My fellow Skeleton slayers, care to join your friend on her trip to the canteen?" She made mischievous smug, elbowing boys. "Also, my schedule today includes a private session with two dead-tired cadets in a smaller gym. What do you think?"


    Both Kanai and Iten rolled their eyes tiredly and walked to the stairs, grunting in anticipation, because the path to the freedom from the second floor of the Dungeon was twice longer now.


    ---


    ---


    After dinner, a wave of exhaustion reached even Orisa, so when they made it to the gym, they decided to take a short nap.


    "Whoever is up first should wake the rest, okay?" Orisa yawned and fell on the mat like a sack of potatoes, with Kanai following her a second later. Even Iten sat and leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes, and they all quickly fell asleep.


    She dreamed of a Skeleton in an elaborate, jet-black academic gown adorned with golden and violet edges. He towered over her, laughing and calling her weak and foolish human, red dots glowed inside his two empty eye sockets, emitting an ominous light. Suddenly Mirai appeared, telling him to flip off and do something useful instead of posing in front of the readers, and turned to Orisa. She smiled brightly and chided her lightly for being reckless, and for turning into a girl, too. ''I''m not into yuri, how could you forget about that?'' She shook her beautiful pink-haired head and let out a sigh, ''It turned into a difficult situation...''


    Orisa could not disagree with this statement, and then she woke up, hearing a muffled speech.


    "-think I understand your position, but wouldn''t it be wiser to properly educate and empower them instead of ignoring and discarding away?"


    "Is such a feat even achievable in an adequate time span? How many resources do you think we would waste on this project?"


    "Lady, it is not my place to draw conclusions, of course, but I think it is a worthy application of accumulated resources and knowledge."


    Orisa finally opened her eyes and was flabbergasted by the scene in front of her. In the opposite corner of the gym, Iten and Tiana sat on the mats, having an intricate discussion. Orisa stood up, surprised beyond words:


    "Wow, Tiana, it''s nice to see you here. How are you?"


    Tiana abruptly got back on her feet and turned to Iten:


    "I think I should go now," and headed to the door.


    "Tiana, please, wait!" Orisa rushed to block the exit, "I''m sorry if I said something to upset you the last time..."


    "I can''t care less about your words." She said in an indifferent voice.


    "Okay, right..." It saddened Orisa to see that she had to battle Tiana''s demons again. "Well, at least I really wanted to thank you for your generosity with potions and jewelry."


    "Is that all? Can you get out of the way now?" Both her voice and eyes became cold.


    Orisa bit her lip, agonizing over a gamble she should take and weighing her options and possible outcomes. In the end, this is what she decided to do, so it was too late to back away now:


    "Would it be too brazen of me to ask you to stay with us and help?"


    Tiana''s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly turned back to her cold self:


    "And why should I do that?"


    "To accumulate people who''d genuinely appreciate and respect you?" Orisa replied, sweating internally because of all the nonsense she was spitting.


    Tiana quickly glanced at Iten, who nodded back, smiling encouragingly. She let out a sigh, turning around and going back:


    "Wake up your boyfriend, as I have no plans of repeating myself or wasting time on him alone." She said and sat back on the mat.


    Orisa decided to ignore the boyfriend remark and kicked Kanai''s butt lightly. When he blinked sleepily and sat on the mat, Orisa whispered:


    "Hey, you, you''re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right that Imperial ambush¡­"


    Kanai looked at her with round eyes before finally coming to his sense:


    "You are beyond salvation on so many levels..."


    "Tiana, this sack here is Kanai. And, Kanai, over there is lady Tiana vas Kavenfenn, our super awesome coach."


    Tiana nodded slightly with a plain expression, but Kanai''s eyes grew even wider. He quickly stood up and bowed:


    "I''m very happy to meet you, lady Kavenfenn."


    "Gosh, why are you so serious?" Orisa eyed him suspiciously, surprised by his attitude. Kanai never seemed like a person who would wag his tail in front of big names.


    "You need to show respect and gratitude to people who''ll be teaching you," Kanai rolled eyes and shook his head. "Not that you''d know about that, of course."


    "No! My heart is broken! How could you!?" Orisa replied with a posed look.


    Tiana looked at Iten with a raised brow, but he simply shrugged, suggesting her to ignore their banter.


    "Are you done? I had no plans on watching a play today." She gave Orisa and Kanai dissatisfied look.


    "While we haven''t started yet, I''d like to ask a question, lady," Iten grabbed all the attention with his sudden interjection, "while I read a lot on this topic, I''d like to hear from a reliable source. How would a normal Beast fare against the enemies we fought in the Dungeon?"


    All eyes turned to Tiana expectantly as she pondered the question.


    "I fought them only thrice," the trio''s respect towards Tiana suddenly grew after her casual revelation. "If I had to compare them to the summons, then under a lantern they would be similar to the sevenths or eighths floor."


    "And without a lantern?" Kanai asked after a few seconds of shocked silence.


    "Depending on the Beast, they are generally five to ten times stronger, and no Summoner can conjure something that powerful, as far as I know."


    "You sure know how to kill the mood," Orisa muttered, looking at concerned and depressed members of her improvised team. "Oh, by the way, can you summon Skeletons, too?"


    "Skeletons? No, of course not, why would I do something so vulgar?" Tiana furrowed her brow slightly, "but I can conjure creatures, of course, since my education was quite diverse."


    "Really!?" Orisa''s eyes shone in excitement, "show me, please."


    Seeing the same eager expression on Iten''s face, too, Tiana let out a sigh and chanted:


    "-Guardian!-"


    A brown deer appeared by Tiana''s side and stamped his right hoof twice, looking around for possible threats. He was slightly taller than Orisa, that''s not counting massive and pointy antlers, so it was neither big nor small, judging by her knowledge.


    "In general, appearance doesn''t matter. It may add some functionality, but what''s important is its overall strength which comes from the caster''s Magic level." Tiana explained with a hint of pride in her voice.


    "So cool..." muttered Kanai, moving a bit closer.


    "Indeed, a magnificent sight, to say the least." Iten was impressed, too.


    "Tiana, it really looks great, and actually suits you well," enthusiastically exclaimed Orisa, almost clinging to the girl "and this actually brings me to the thing I wanted to learn with the help from Summoners."


    "Hold on just a second," Tiana put a hand to distance Orisa, "first, we need to establish our plan and goals for today. You asked me to stay and help, but with what exactly should I help, and whom?"


    "Right now I am quite content with my pace, so you should focus your attention on other people," Iten shrugged and waved his hands apologetically. For a moment, Orisa saw a slight discontent showing on Tiana''s face.


    "I could use some advice on continuous healing," Kanai added in a modest tone, "other than that, I have my notes, and they should be enough for me, at least for now."


    "Then I would prefer to start with you, although I''m not a healer."


    "Tiana, wait a minute, please," Orisa began uncomfortably, "I know that it''s not my place to be asking, but..." she shuffled uneasily again, "is it okay for me to share your potions with guys here?"


    "You can throw them away, for all I care," she said, showing a lot of revulsion.


    "I know it''s nothing for you, Tiana. But you can''t even begin to imagine how valuable they are to me and how much I appreciate your generosity." Tiana simply shrugged and turned to Kanai indifferently.


    Orisa was already fed with Tiana''s behavior to her limits, but she decided to be nice and thankful until the very end in hopes to break through Tiana''s wall of hate. It was hard to continue eating the dirt she threw at Orisa, keeping a cheerful smile and thankful attitude. But it was too easy and too tempting to give up and succumb to her boiling rage, and she already threaded this path in her past life, always yelling and lashing at people who somehow wronged her. So, in this case, she decided to give it her all and push for Paragon Shepard ending, at least with Tiana. While Orisa''s thoughts were not entirely pure, as she considered Tiana''s wealth, connections and knowledge as invaluable resources, she genuinely thought that somewhere deep inside Tiana was a decent, even an honorable person.


    When she looked at Iten, she saw him nod subtly in approval of her behavior. Orisa smiled weakly and went to pick up her backpack. She then got back to Iten and handed him two potion bottles.


    ===


    ===


    (end of the first part of the chapter, expect the second part tomorrow)

 32 Young Maid 2/2

    (this is the second part of the chapter. If you somehow missed the first one, please, go back and check it)


    ===


    ===


    When she looked at Iten, she saw him nod subtly in approval of her behavior. Orisa smiled weakly and went to pick up her backpack. She then got back to Iten and handed him two potion bottles.


    "Orisa, I already told-" he began but was quickly cut short by her intent reply:


    "What if we die tomorrow because YOU were not fully prepared?" She pushed the potions into his hands, "stop being honorable to a fault, start being reasonable, please. We are not on exams, we are not competing in a tournament ark with other upstanding people. We are fighting for our own lives."


    During all this speech, Tiana curiously peeked in their direction, making Kanai furrow offended because of her distraction. When Iten let out a sigh and took the potions, returning the Concentration bottle after a small sip, Tiana suddenly said:


    "If you are talking about the Dungeon, you can''t possibly die there." She observed their puzzled expressions and continued, "all Summoners are also skilled healers. I have neither heard nor read about the casualties in the Dungeon at all."


    Iten sharply gazed at Orisa, but she stuck her tongue out mischievously and skipped to Kanai happily, feeling Iten''s murderous intent on her back. She already suspected all that about the Dungeon, for it was extremely wasteful to let cadets die there, and discouraging to other squad members, too.


    "I must say, the effects are peculiar." A few minutes later he said in an amazed tone.


    Orisa grinned at him and turned back to Tiana and Kanai, listening to their healing lesson. It would really help to learn at least a basic level, but the problem with it was that healing was one of the fields she could not imitate with her Mana overuse. Restoration spells relied solely on user''s Magic, simply pouring more Mana won''t do any good. But she still was interested in mechanics behind the recovery spells.


    Half an hour later the door slammed open with a loud bang, and Twin Lightning Sisters entered the gym, making a lot of noise, although, the source of the ruckus was mostly Nene.


    "I say, you found a pretty nice hiding spot, Iten. Leaving me all alone, hanging out with cute girls, I see." She marched cheerfully and hugged him, kissing his cheek with a loud smooch. "Heya, lady Ti, Orisa and some fam I still don''t know the name of!"


    "I''m Kanai, thank you very much for asking," he said begrudgingly.


    "Stop calling me that, you Musclebrain!" Tiana almost growled back at Nene, who laughed cheerfully and smacked Iten''s back in a joyful outburst.


    "Nice party, or so they say," Nana added in a quiet and almost indifferent voice, her face blank and void of expression.


    "So what are you all doing here, hon?" While Nene asked everyone, her gaze was pinned to Iten.


    ''Yandere alert. Iten, I repeat. Yandere alert!'' Orisa was sweating internally.


    "We were training and learning new skills for tomorrow''s Dungeon session," Iten answered slightly awkwardly.


    "Huh? I say, why didn''t you ask me for help then?"


    "You know, the thought actually never crossed my mind," Iten scratched his neck thoughtfully, "but now, as I think about it, that''s a good idea."


    The room was big enough to fit three to four small groups that would not get in each other''s way during training, so they moved to the furthest corner of the gym and Nene began her tutoring with an agitated expression. As Orisa noticed in the course of their practice, Tiana peeked at Iten''s direction from time to time. In the end, despite her previous declaration, she was left alone with Kanai. Orisa herself decided to hang out with Nana and poke her for lessons and ideas.


    "So, is Nene dragging you wherever she goes?"


    "Not everywhere, I think. I have not been to sister''s bedroom while Iten visited her, despite sis being quite loud and actually disturbing my sleep. And she now goes to a toilet alone, although we spent quite some time there together in the past. Oh, what a merry time it was."


    Nana uttered the whole phrase in an absolutely even voice, and Orisa was flabbergasted to the point of a complete halt of any brain activity. Nana added finally:


    "It''s a joke," although her face was still blank, Orisa could swear that Nana''s eyes shone naughtily, "Or is it?"


    "I see what you did there..." Orisa muttered slowly, taking a fresh look at calm and reserved Nana.


    In the end, she was of great help to Orisa, and together they even begged a grumbling Tiana to let them practice on her deer. Orisa absolutely enjoyed Nana''s company, as the girl turned out to be of ''still water runs deep'' type. She was genuinely quiet and reserved, but when she felt an opportunity and atmosphere, Nana quickly shifted into a little piece of nasty art.


    While Nana''s primary weapon was a rifle, she was quite versatile in other fields as it was important to cover her weak points as a ranged fighter. She knew a lot about distractions, escapes, and, of course, some knowledge about crowd control. Sadly, as it was usually the case now, there was no use in simply copying her methods.


    "Generally, there are two types of disabling, or so they say. The first is physical, and my dear insatiable sister uses it, as the method relies on a direct shock of the enemy," out of her pocket she took out a little stuffed rabbit and smacked it on the floor a few times. "Hit it hard on the head, and it might pass out. Or maybe not, but that just means you have to hit it harder, or so they say."


    Nana''s explanation boiled down to various methods of physically shocking the target, be that through direct contact or via magically enchanted shockwaves.


    "The second way is purely magical, and it works differently, too, or so they say," as Nana proceeded with the explanation, she took out a small needle and struck it into rabbit''s heart. "Send a strong enough impulse of Mana to overcome the target''s resistance, while commanding your Mana to go berserk, and you may overpower the Magic core of your foe, stunning it or disrupting it''s Mana flow. The stronger your own Magic is, the better are the results, or so they say."


    Orisa had to think carefully about the second part. It sounded plausible to try and rethink this method, but she could not come up with any ideas in one fell swoop. While she pondered the problem Nana played with the rabbit, also it was mostly her poking the toy with the needle. In the corner of her mind, Orisa guessed that the rabbit was actually Nana''s handmade toy by the way she adjusted its loose threads with the same needle.


    After some time, Orisa finally decided to try out a few things before consulting both Tiana and Nana. She also noted that Kanai made some good progress on his part, too.


    Half an hour later, both Iten''s and Kanai''s pairs were ready to wrap things up, but Orisa had a better idea for their late night gathering:


    "Guys! Before we all leave, let''s play some cards!" She suggested excitedly.


    "Cards? Where did you get them?" Kanai was positively surprised.


    "Oh, well, after the King game fiasco I thought that we severely lack in an amusement department," she pulled a stack of papers out of her bag, "so I just made one set myself."


    Both Kanai and Iten shook their heads in amazement. While Nana and Nene were ready to dive into something new, Tiana turned to leave:


    "I do not partake in such vulgar and tasteless activities."


    "It''s a pity, really, because I thought that it would be of much use to you, Tiana," Orisa casually threw a truck-sized bait.


    "Another pointless jest of yours?" She looked at Orisa contemptuously, "how could a mere card game be of any value to me?"


    "It would be quicker to show you," Orisa said and took out three random cards. "Here are seven of heart, ten of hearts and king of spades. Now, shuffle them however you want to and present back to me, with their faces turned to you, and their backs to me."


    She waited while thoroughly skeptical Tiana shuffled the cards and presented them back, grumbling something about the cards being different from the ones used in Lazra.


    "Now I will try to pull out a king of spades," Orisa declared and, after a few seconds of moving her hand back and forth between the cards, easily pulled out the king.


    "It''s either a trick or you were lucky!" Tiana was outraged.


    "We can do it as much as you want," accompanied by quiet giggling of others, Orisa said cockily.


    They repeated the procedure several times with different cards, and each time Orisa succeeded, Tiana''s face turned a tint redder. When she was fuming like a volcano, Orisa finally decided to explain:


    "It is quite simple, Tiana, and I honestly think it would be of use to you as the future leader," she said gently and slightly apologetically, "what I did was a mere face reading. Every time my finger hovered over the card I announced, your lower lip twitched slightly."


    Tiana quickly covered her mouth with both hands, and her face was a host of various emotions and expressions, from shame and realization to anger and betrayal.


    "Let''s play," Orisa said encouragingly, smiling to the girl with a staff.


    When everyone sat around a still reluctant but no longer resisting Tiana, Orisa explained the rules of Old Maid game while dealing the cards, and quickly added at the end:


    "It''s better to have at least some stakes, so whoever is the Old Maid has to tell others something embarrassingly funny about them!"


    Panicking Tiana tried to flee, but it was too late, and Nene forcefully pulled her back, threatening to dye her hair pink during Tiana''s next sleep.


    The following fifteen minutes were filled with laughter, cursing, and even more laughter. The first to free the hand was, of course, Orisa, quickly accompanied by Kanai. Iten and Tiana were the last two, and, like a true gentleman, Iten tried to lose as much as he could, but Tiana was beyond salvation. When, after another twenty rounds of pulling the cards back and forth and insulting entire probability theory and Orisa''s mathematical education, Iten finally gave up and won, Tiana almost cried out:


    "I never asked for this!"


    Five pairs of expectant eyes stared at her with a varying degree of intensity and expectancy, and her face turned purple. When Tiana tried to flee again, she was brought back by Nene like a guilty kitten. After a few minutes of struggling Tiana finally opened her mouth:


    "I am still bathing with Mr. Quackers. It''s a yellow toy duck that my-"


    But she was unable to finish the phrase as cheerful laughter erupted all over the place and people fell on the mats, convulsively twitching and covering their mouths.


    Tears began to well in Tiana''s eyes as she felt extremely humiliated and betrayed. When she tried to stand up, Orisa jumped on her and hugged tightly:


    "Tiana, you are truly amazing! It''s awesome to hang out with you, really, and great to have you around, too."


    Overwhelmed Tiana looked around, but all she saw were cheerful and smiling faces, nodding to her happily.


    "I... Ugh... Thank you..." She said while blushing and trying to awkwardly distance herself from clingy Orisa.


    Despite being genuinely happy to hang out with non-bitching Tiana, Orisa still felt quite disgusted on the inside. She hated herself because of all her scheming and planning, because of her filthy calculative and pragmatic mind. She knew Tiana''s schedule very well, and while their gym sleep was a gamble, Orisa felt that Tiana wouldn''t leave after witnessing them, and they''d be able to convince her to help with their study, too. She even told Nene that they might go to the gym in the evening in case Nene would like to join them.


    She hated it all because it made her real and genuine feelings towards Tiana, her honest surprise and all the other things she sensed today look fake and calculated, too. Orisa felt a chunk of dirt in place of her heart, sullying her soul. She sighed internally in disappointment, but it was not her first time being in a situation like this one, nor would it be her last.


    ''Operation young maid, success.''

 33 Childfree.

    Next afternoon they were standing on the third floor of the Dungeon and observing its bizarre interior. The setting itself was in no way strange, but the fact that it was here underground made it all abnormal. With eyes wide open in astonishment Orisa observed a forest.


    From the stairs connecting different floors began a small path leading to an observation balcony, but aside from that, the whole floor was a deep temperate coniferous forest. Tall trees like pine, cedar, fir, and redwood created a warm and fresh atmosphere, accompanied by an illuminated ceiling to replace light blues sky together they made you feel at ease, one with nature.


    As Captain Pain told, this floor was almost thrice bigger than the previous one, around three hundred meters long and two hundred wide, which made it one of the biggest floors in entire Dungeon.


    One of the things that tickled Orisa''s spider-sense and raised her alert level was the fact that he did not present them the Summoner.


    The Captain finished an introduction to the floor and went away, leaving them a flare gun to ask for help in case of emergency. Orisa heavily doubted its usefulness since it was much more realistic to shoot a tree than actually launch it straight in the air, but she suspected that Captain Pain had other means of observing them. One of the squad members suddenly muttered:


    "I don''t understand it, guys. Why forest?"


    "I think," Orisa quickly answered, "to give us a diverse experience. Combat inside a forest should differ greatly from an open space battle or a city clash. New strategies, situations, enemies, decisions..."


    She discreetly enjoyed their looks of respect and admiration. For someone like her, a hardcore gamer and shounen manga reader everything she just said was obvious. But for normal people without unhealthy addictions to various media, it was all confusing and unclear.


    "I propose we follow Orisa today, too," said Iten to ride the tide of Orisa''s collective approval, "anyone objects?"


    This time even Mira stayed out of the discussion, being unusually quiet and reserved. ''Either the Captain kicked her ass, or she is plotting something.''


    "Thank you for your trust, everyone," Orisa bowed slightly. "I know that my words won''t please you, but I think we should expect even more trouble that yesterday."


    She became quiet to let the information sink into the squad''s mind, calmly observing their reaction.


    "Lord General Lady Orisa Sir Ma''am," Clemen said with a poker face, putting his right fist to the heart, "why do you think that the forest would bang us?"


    "Well," Orisa began, removing the palm from her face, "I see three major reasons. First, we don''t know our enemies and their abilities. Second, visibility is low, and this leads to a danger of ambush or long ranged assault. The third is an aggregation of many small reasons like getting lost, setting the whole thing on fire and so on."


    "So what is your plan, then? If you have any, of course," asked Crion with a mix of doubt and concern.


    "Not a plan, but the general strategy, I think. Our goal is to make it to the center in ten minutes after the signal. So we''ll use two formations, and please remember them and your position there."


    She picked up a stick from the ground and began to draw on the dirt.


    "Formation one is identical to what we used on the previous floor, which is three wings and central part. The left wing is Rakasha and Crion, and we''ll call you Lefties. As for the right wing, which is Righties, Iten and Kanai would do. The central part would be Onuki, Toatre, and Clemen. I''m leaving rear to you guys," Orisa nodded to the remaining squad members, "and Mira, if you are okay with that."


    As Mira nodded, looking away, Orisa simply shrugged and turned back to the squad, but then Kanai suddenly asked:


    "And what about your position?"


    "I think I''ll be scouting," Orisa grinned, "as I have the best protection against traps and arrows. Anyway, the second one is easier, and we''ll use it if we need to push forward quickly. Rakasha and I are the first to go, with Kanai and Crion covering us. Iten moves to the center to protect casters, and both the central and rear parts are intact. Questions?"


    They talked some more before the loud ring signaled the start of the test.


    "Formation number one," Orisa commanded and moved forward, while chanting:


    "-Thickness!-"


    "-Force Guard!-"


    The moment she made the first step under the trees, a rain of darts and rocks generously welcomed her, followed by a loud squeaky noise.


    "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-"


    After taking a few quite painful but otherwise harmless hits, Orisa walled their front, and the squad hid behind the barriers.


    "Monkeys in a coniferous forest? Really?" She grumbled, replacing an almost broken wall. "We probably should start picking them, I think."


    "No time, so let me," Rakasha simply walked behind the walls, taking a few hits in the chest, and smashed his halberd into the ground:


    "-Seismic Slam!-"


    The ground trembled from his strike, and few people even fell on the grass, but a much stronger wave rolled forward, shaking the trees violently. Like a hail, small monkey-like creatures rained down with obnoxious squealing.


    "Finish them!" Orisa yelled, waking the squad from their shocked state. In less than ten seconds the monkeys were obliterated, and she slapped Rakasha on the shoulder:


    "Great work, man!" Rakasha grinned back, pleased by her words. It was when the loud ringing sound rolled again, repeating nine times.


    "Nine minutes left. Formation number one! Move out!" Orisa quickly commanded, and they began their forest march.


    Aside from occasional small groups of monkeys, they met little danger in the next three minutes. Fresh and calming forest atmosphere had a relaxing effect on the squad, and people began to talk, distracting each other even more.


    "Guys! Don''t lower your guard do-"


    "Whadafuck!?"


    Orisa''s warning was interrupted by Clemen''s panicked yell going through the forest. A picture of a giant clawed paw that protruded from the ground and gripped the boy''s leg met the squad when they turned around. More shouts and yelps followed as the earth under their feet started to bugle and wiggle. When the first bump finally erupted, it revealed a fat brown mole that immediately poked Onuki in the hip with its sharp claw, Orisa yelled:


    "Everyone, eyes on the ground! Wings, keep watching your surroundings, ''cause it might be a distraction!"


    "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-"


    Like a skilled Fortnite player, she quickly placed a few walls horizontally right at the ground level, both blocking the moles and creating some foundation for the squad to stand on. Constant knocking underneath the barriers quite obviously signaled that the clawed bastards were not happy with this development.


    "Get on the walls and kill them when they emerge!" She proceeded to place more walls around the squad, covering the ground and leaving only a small opening in the middle of the newly made floor.


    That opening was the only spot for the moles to crawl from as the alternative was to dig more than ten meters in any direction to get outside of her Force Floor.


    ''You should patent that name,'' her long-forgotten internal critic emerged with an appealing but untimely idea.


    Ten seconds later, the foes finally stopped their death march and left the opening that turned into a deadly trapdoor. Ramming and poking resumed in several spots as they began to claw the Force Floor again, but some moles turned and crawled to the sides.


    Toatre jumped from the platform and ducked under the floor:


    "-Lesser Firebreath!-"


    There are three things one can watch forever, fire, water, and other people working. Even with the absence of the flowing liquid, Orisa was mesmerized by the view. The bright golden flame passed under the semi-translucent bluish Force Floor, mixing together to create a fascinating radiance. Toatre kept blowing more and more flames, and a slightly disturbing smell of a burned fur filled the air.


    "Something is coming from our side," Mira''s concerned voice yanked Orisa back to reality.


    "Central part, deal with the moles. Righties, guard them and watch for the front. Lefties move to the rear and help them."


    Real-time strategy games and RPGs were never among Orisa''s favorites. To her, a turn-based control scheme was the best, letting her strategize and plan each and every step, afterward enjoying a marvelous execution with a glass of Cola in her hand. So it was hard to call the situation she was in right now a pleasant experience, but she had to make do with whatever was on her hand, that being a squad amidst the two-front mess.


    While Toatre was still busy with the mole roasting, Onuki kept healing herself, since for some reason the foes kept targeting her and her alone. Orisa noticed signs of tears on her now dirty face, but the girl remained silent, biting her lower lip in pain.


    "Clemen! One more scratch on Onuki''s body and I''ll spank you afterward," her tone was bright, but the eyes conveyed their message to a shivering squad member.


    "Crystal clear, Captain Sir Madam Commander!" He gripped the knives in his hands tighter, moving directly in front of Onuki.


    When Orisa passed by the girl, Onuki grabbed her shirt''s sleeve and quickly pulled to the side. Ignoring the raging mole battle she muttered:


    "I do not need your help, or your pity," she angrily spat the words, looking at Orisa with scorn. "I can handle myself without your guilt-induced special treatment."


    "The squad needs its healers in top shape. There is no point in wasting Mana on unnecessary healing when the damage can be avoided in the first place," her reply was calm, even indifferent to highlight the impersonal judgment, but then Orisa''s face darkened with regret. "As for your second statement, there is no pity towards you, although I fail to understand why I should not feel ashamed of the situation I caused between us."


    Orisa went ahead, while no longer angry but thoughtful Onuki returned to her healing duties.


    A background noise Orisa kept hearing rose in volume over time, and now she finally grasped its source being something large bashing through the forest. A number of falling trees heralded the arrival of two huge boars, crashing everything in their way, with the first dark-brown beast being way ahead of the second, yellowish hog.


    "Spread out!" Kanai shouted.


    The problem with his plan was that they still had not finished the moles, but the dice roll favored the squad this time. The first boar''s glorious entrance was tragically ruined be Orisa''s Force Floor when it tripped over the first few platforms. They were not strong enough to block its movement or withstand the weight, and the panels kept breaking as the Boar ran over them, stumbling every step until it finally came crashing down, rolling a few more meters. Both its weight and inertia from the rush played a crucial role in squashing most of the remaining moles into a bloody mush, and the last few beasts were quickly disposed of by Clemen''s hands.


    Orisa was able to assess its size when the brown boar finally came to a halt on the ground. Its height was around three meters, with the body almost five meters long, so by Orisa''s knowledgeable zoologist standards, the Boar was enormous.


    "Alright chums, let''s do this!" And with that, Clemen jumped on the brown boar, ramming his knives in its body and screaming his own name: "Clemeeeen Tiiiiinn!"


    The boar let out a screech unbecoming of such a majestic creature, quickly bounced back to its feet and darted away, with Clemen still hanging off of its back, gripping the knives and yelling:


    "Guuuuys~."


    Orisa had no time to help that wannabe Leroy, for the second boar was almost upon them. That yellowish hog was smaller than the brown one, but this only made things worse since it had more maneuverability, making it much harder to dodge, thus more dangerous.


    "-Force Wall!-" -"-Force Wall!-" -"-Force Wall!-"


    One wall appeared after another as she slowly moved backward, placing more and more barriers to create a multi-layered defense. There might have been a better solution to this situation, but she had no time to think of any. Instead, she mused over another, long-thought question, ''Concentration potion, my precious, should I waste you on the combat next time?''


    "Get behind me!" She shouted to the squad, conjuring a few more shields.


    The second boar rammed into her walls full speed, breaking one after another as if they were made of glass and not highly condensed Mana, and panic began to crawl into Orisa''s mind. But it was too late to change anything.


    The beast fell a mere two shields away from the squad, crashing nine barriers on its way. One collective sigh of relief left out the squad members'' mouths.


    "Guuuuys~."


    The brown boar ran past the startled cadets, still squealing and waving Clemen like a meat-made flag. The boy''s voice became distant again, accompanied by a loud clattering and oinking.


    Another movement caught Orisa''s attention. The second boar, which had been lying still until that moment, recovered his breath and tried to stand up. Orisa could not let the chance get away and swiftly ran to the hog''s side:


    "-Shock Poke!-" -- "-Shock Poke!-" -- "-Shock Poke!-"


    Her glowing index finger moved at the same time, tapping the boar''s hide. Orisa kept poking the boar while it tried to get back on its feet, and after the tenth strike, her target fell on the ground again, squealing in outrage. It slowly fiddled on the grass as if lazy or too tired to move, and Orisa turned to an astonished squad:


    "Do something already, guys!"


    As the squad brought down their might upon the poor helpless piggy, Orisa offered her prayers to a lead game designer or whatever god there was for making this possible.


    She kept pondering her Pacifism problem time and time again, looking at it from as many different angles as she could. Orisa took into consideration the fact that she could easily slap Tiana''s face or kick Kanai''s butt, and also recalled all the experiments they performed earlier. It led her to a few theories that she tested with Nana''s and Mr. Deer the Guardian''s help yesterday.


    The results were not as great as she hoped, but somewhat promising none the less. They were based on the fact that she could not deliberately injure a person or cast a skill that would cause direct and obvious harm to them.


    She decided to probe what would count for her as direct and deliberate damage. As the tests turned out, she could meddle with her target unless it would cause some sort of normally irreparable damage. For example, she could pull out hair that would grow back, or make a small cut on the person''s skin.


    That was the reason why the field of crowd control spells appealed to her greatly, and she thought to learn at least something and try it out. But the plan was further complicated by Nana''s words about control skills being powered by user''s Magic level. So Orisa had to look for another workaround based on her Mana pool and not her stats.


    What she got, in the end, was a crude, even barbaric spell that simply injected tons of her own Mana into target''s Mana flow with an intent of wreaking havoc and making a mess from the victim''s layers. Her Mana would dissolve rather quickly inside the other body, and she made no direct harm or injury to the target. On top of that, the spell ate her Mana pool like a starved lion, so it was extremely ineffective by any standards and criteria, but she could manage only that much right now.


    "Onuki, Mira, help me please with the other one," she said after hearing an already familiar clattering coming to their direction again.


    She moved further away from the squad that was still in the middle of beating the giant pig and said to the girls again:


    "Mira, shoot the boar in the face. We need to get its attention. Onuki, watch over me and be ready to Dispel."


    From that moment, Orisa proceeded to place as many Force Walls as possible, both the horizontal ones to make it trip and vertical that would block the inertia from the boar''s charge.


    Mira and Onuki stood behind Orisa as she placed the last panel and raised her shields:


    "-Thickness!-"


    "-Force Guard!-"


    The noise grew louder as the hog drew closer, and they were able to her Clemen''s already hoarse yells:


    "Heeeeelp~."


    "Clemen! Stop fucking around and jump from that thing when we stop it!" She shouted angrily, and then turned to Mira for a final instruction:


    "Shoot it a few times and back away when you are done, okay?"


    Mira nodded and took aim at the furry target:


    "-Blast Arrow!-" -- "-Blast Arrow!-" -- "-Blast Arrow!-"


    Three explosions bloomed over the Boar''s snot, enraging it more than doing any real harm, and it squealed angrily and turned to them.


    As was expected, the boar crashed into her shabby labyrinth and quickly tripped over an uneven surface, ramming vertical walls as it fell down. She saw Clemen jump off of the boar''s back to safety and jumped forward herself. The Postponer was charged up to a maximum of thirty seconds in case something went wrong with Onuki.


    "-Enrage!-"


    The world turned red, and the voice inside her head screamed, rushing Orisa to mess with the Boar''s body;


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Her right hand made a small dent in its side, penetrating brown boar''s hide and making it squeal in pain. She immediately struck her left hand inside, feeling thick and warm blood flow from the wound:


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    An explosion was born within the gap, showering Orisa with blood and meat, and the boar squealed louder, instantly bounced back to his feet to run away, but she still was faster.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    If her palm attack was a shotgun that dealt massive but concentrated damage at short range, then a newly added to her arsenal Raging Fist acted like a grenade, exploding in a cone in front of her. The idea was to use it against small crowds, nonetheless, Orisa''s rage-occupied mind decided to test what would happen if you shovel a grenade inside someone''s body, and the results were pleasing.


    "I''ll help you," declared Mira happily and sent a few more blasting arrows towards the boar.


    It stumbled, slowing down from the wounds inflicted by Orisa, and she used this moment to strike its leg:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-" -- "-Raging Fist!-"


    ''More! More! More holes, more blood!'' Yelled her critic inwardly.


    After its leg was destroyed, the boar fell on the ground and attempted to crawl away from the cadet going berserk.


    Orisa reached its position in a blink of an eye and proceeded with her assault relentless when a few more arrows struck the boar''s back.


    ''Stupid creature, I told you to stop shooting,'' her already enraged mind was further fueled by Mira''s stubborn meddling.


    ''Meat! More meat! Beat the meat!'' Shouts kept pushing her forward.


    "-Blast Arrow!-" - "-Blast Arrow!-"


    Orisa felt two jolts of stinging pain in her back, and a double explosion that followed a second later threw her on the boar. For a moment she blacked out from all the pain these Blast Arrows brought upon her spine. It hurt a lot. If not for her Thickness shield, she would probably have died already.


    She quickly turned around only to see Mira making disappointed "Tch" before putting another arrow on her bow, and then a voice in her head screamed:


    ''LET''S KILL DA HOE!''


    Not wasting a single moment, Orisa rushed towards Mira, covering her head with the Force Guard, as another arrow immediately struck the shield, exploding. Her right arm went limp, swinging back and forth helplessly.


    "Mira, what the-" Onuki was about to yell at Mira, but Orisa no longer heard or saw anything. Her world turned completely red, as she pushed her left fist against Mira''s stomach and shouted:


    "-Raging Fist!-"

 34 That one life that came to an end?

    Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Orisa watched Mira''s charred body fall leisurely. Both her clothes and gorgeous black hair were burning, scattering smoldering pieces of tissue and fabric. Her body was one huge mess almost as if someone cut out half of her stomach, and then unprofessionally grilled the rest, letting the meat burn to a black crispy crust.


    "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    Onuki'' spell rushed to cleanse Orisa''s madness, returning her to reality. As the rage that was fueling her drained away, she lost all the strength and limply fell to the knees in front of Mira''s smoldering figure.


    The girl in front of Orisa blinked once, her bloodshot eyes filled with endless disbelief, and a moment later Mira''s body convulsed once and relaxed. A pair of hollow, glassy eyes stared aimlessly upwards.


    "No..." Onuki covered her mouth in horror, looking at the lifeless body in front of her.


    Orisa''s mind went completely blank, but when her conscious tried to fade, a familiar voice proclaimed rudely, ''Do not even dare,'' and autopilot kicked in, overtaking her body. It was the same as when Satoru grabbed Mirai to run from the thugs without even thinking of what he was actually doing.


    "Start healing her. Now," an even, cold voice gave Onuki an order,


    "What..? Why..? I don''t u-."


    "Don''t think. Just do."


    Orisa''s gaze was sat on Mira''s body that now was glowing green, and she ignored everything that went around her.


    She missed the moment when both boars blinked blue and disappeared. The fact that the squad slowly and cautiously gathered around them also eluded her. Iten took out a flare gun and, after carefully aiming between the trees, launched a red signal rocket.


    The only thing Orisa saw was Mira''s charred body glowing green. Toatre joined Onuki''s effort, and even Kanai added another healing spell, but it made little difference. Even if the glaring gap that was now Mira''s stomach began to close, it was barely noticeable.


    The ground around Mira''s body bulged, and green vines started to pop out. They quickly covered her belly wound, not leaving a single spot, pressing themselves tightly along the edges of the gap. When they were done moving, weaving and growing through each other, remaining vines cut themselves off from the ground, and entire construction began to glow with green, too.


    Orisa moved in trance and placed her left palm to where Mira''s heart should have been. She froze in place, recalling a half-forgotten feeling. When the lightning sensation rose inside her and swiftly rushed towards her palm, Orisa cut out most of it, releasing only a small burst.


    Mira''s body shook violently, almost jumping from the electrical jolt. Five more seconds passed before Orisa performed another attempt of resuscitation.


    When she was ready to strike for the fourth time, the trees around them turned to dust all at the same time and left them on a giant clearing with a corridor void of vegetation leading in the direction of their objective. They saw a boar rush amidst the improvised highway with incredible speed.


    It blinked blue and disappeared five meters away from them, and a pair that sat atop the beast landed on the ground. The first was, of course, Captain Pain, and he bent over to Mira, pouring down her throat some black liquid from a metal flask.


    The second was a small woman in an all-green outfit. Flowers and vines were entwined in her red mane, but they looked natural and fitting, not out of place. She moved closer, taking a wand out of her back pocket:


    "-Greater Status!-"


    "-Greater Condition!-"


    She too leaned closer to Mira, quickly whispering to Orisa:


    "That''s it, sweetheart."


    "Squad, back away," the Captain warned them, taking a few steps himself and the woman began to chant:


    "-Greater Mend!-"


    "-Symbiote Merge-"


    "-Greater Mend!-" -- "-Greater Mend!-"


    "-Greater Disinfect!-"


    "-Greater Mend!-"


    An emergency aid set she performed sunk well and the vine symbiote started to throb, emulating a heartbeat. The last spell was aimed at Orisa, healing her broken arm. The woman then checked Mira''s pulse and nodded in satisfaction before hugging the body in front of her and performing the last spell:


    "-Argo Metamorph!-"


    A purple circle appeared beneath them and made their bodies glow purple, too. After a few seconds, everyone around heard a loud crack, and a purple cheetah rose in place of the pair.


    The squad members gasped, backing away more when the beast dashed to the stairs.


    "Since you more or less killed the boars, you all passed the third floor''s test," the Captain said in his usual tone.


    Cadets looked at him with disbelief, failing to grasp how this man could calmly talk about their usual business when one of them died a minute ago.


    "Stop this crap already, kids. She''ll probably be more or less fine." He retorted angrily, giving them a strict gaze, but after a few seconds, Captain Pain''s expression softened a bit, "nothing new here, the simple daily grind. Who do you think we are?"


    Some of the squad members relaxed a bit and looked reassured, but Onuki voiced another question with a still shaky voice:


    "What would happen..." she looked away, biting her palm with a gamma of mixed feelings on her face, "what would happen to Orisa?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?" The Captain looked at her as if she asked how to get to the moon, "nothing, of course. But it would turn into a problem if the chick were to die for real. Aside from that, who cares? Degenerates are fighting each other on a daily basis."


    Ten shocked pairs of eyes stared at him with mouths wide open. Even those who saw nothing could guess what happened here, and they all were expecting heavy repercussions, if not a straight-up execution. Captain Pain came closer to Orisa who was still on her knees, looking at the ground absent-mindedly and pinched her painfully on the shoulder.


    "Ouch!" She fell on the ground with a loud yelp and looked back at the Captain with a hurt expression, "what the hell?!"


    "Stand up already, drama queen. We are moving down."


    ---


    ---


    The squad was in no condition to conquer another floor, and Captain Pain forced them to practice on fourth floor''s enemies instead of the test.


    Four hours later they all were dead tired from a constant stream of new foes that their current Summoner conjured. His repertoire was surprisingly diverse and included various beasts, humanoid foes, undead, knights, even flying threats like birds and harpies.


    At the end of the day, it felt like the Captain decided to exhaust them deliberately to rob the squad from any thoughts and concerns, leaving only sore and tired bodies.


    Orisa was barely able to move her legs, focusing everything she had on the stairs when someone patted her on the back:


    "How is it, pal?" Concerned voice of Kanai made her feel a little better, especially when he added more seriously, "be honest, okay?"


    "I don''t know, really," she let out a long sigh, and her face darkened, "I killed her. With my own hand, I killed that dumb bitch. Do you understand? I killed someone! I-"


    With every phrase, a tone of her voice rose in volumes and was bordering a hysterical level before Kanai pinched her on the side, following the Captain''s example.


    "She is alive, that''s what the Captain said that himself," Iten was walking directly behind Orisa, and added in the usual calm tone, "so you haven''t killed anyone, stop thinking that way."


    "We don''t know that yet. And it doesn''t matter at all, why don''t you understand? If not for this world''s ridiculous healing power, she would have died for sure!"


    Her voice began to rise again, but this time Orisa stopped herself from shouting by biting a lower lip. A thin stream of blood paved its way over her dirty skin, slowly dripping on the shirt. Despite all the healing magic, her lips were all bitten up and their skin in tatters, too. She continued a few seconds later after calming another anxiety attack:


    "It''s all wrong. I almost killed a person, and five minutes later we are training as if nothing happened. It''s just so wrong..."


    "You feel that way because you did something wrong, but nobody reprimanded you," calmly said Iten, adjusting his non-existent glasses.


    Orisa turned abruptly and gave him a sharp look, for his phrase hit a bull''s-eye.


    Monotonous footsteps were the only sounds in the staircase for the next few minutes, and the gloomy atmosphere became even thicker.


    "What exactly happened there?" Iten broke the silence with the question everyone was wondering.


    "I... I don''t know," her voice was filled with shame and pain as she continued with a hurt expression. "When I''m in this mode, everything is blurry, and I barely remember anything..."


    "Mira shot her twice in the back, probably trying to masquerade it as an accidental miss," Onuki''s disgusted voice came from behind their backs, "And all this could have looked believable if it were not for the fact that Mira shot another arrow straight to her head a few seconds later."


    "That bitch..." Kanai muttered, gritting his teeth. Even Iten nodded in agreement.


    Orisa slowed down her pace to align with Onuki''s position and talked to her in a hushed voice:


    "Onuki, I wanted to thank you for stopping me and helping afterward, too. I know that it''s unfair to force you to-"


    "If you know that, then stop forcing me," she said with an absolutely blank expression. "No need for your thanks, now we are even. So stop bothering with me."


    "But..." She pursed her lips, trying to hold down the sadness that filled her heart, and muttered in a pained voice, "Onuki, I don''t want to be even, I want us to be friends again..."


    "Friends?" Onuki''s voice was overflowing with scorn and burning regret, and she looked betrayed, "you forgot to ask my opinion on that matter. I never wanted to be your FRIEND."


    She picked up the pace, elbowing other members, and almost ran towards the exit.


    ---


    ---


    The squad marched to the shower, but Orisa turned in another direction and went to the Infirmary. Iten and Kanai both volunteered to go with her, but Orisa wanted to do it alone.


    Inside the Infirmary she saw the farthest corner of the room being draped with white curtains, and two healers talking to each other in front of it, looking at some papers.


    "Can we help you?" One of them, a middle-aged woman with short white hair asked Orisa, looking up from the tablet.


    "I''m a squad member of Mira Rahna..." She stopped, not knowing what else to say.


    "Wait outside," the same woman replied in a tired voice.


    Orisa obediently left the place, settling on a bench closest to the door. Time went by, and her mind slowly drifted through today''s events.


    ''I''m dangerous. It must end.''


    Deep down, if one dug long enough, submerging into the darkest corners of her consciousness, Orisa''s soul was quite black. She knew that well. She knew that all her regrets and worries about the situation were superficial. Yes, she regretted the outcome and how worried everyone was, but deep down her dark self was gloating, thoroughly celebrating that one strike. The look on Mira''s face, her eyes filled with disbelief all made Orisa''s dwelling darkness purr from pleasure and excitement.


    Despite all that, she still thought about her Enrage being unacceptable for many reasons. She could not strategize, was almost defenseless, and everything was built around a feeble mechanism that survived only by some godly grace. ''And, of course, I could hurt someone dear to me. So it must end.''


    For now, she could be of use to the squad with her barriers and crowd controls. There was a huge space for further development in both fields, so she was also looking forward to that, too.


    After half an hour, the door finally opened, and both healers came out, although, only one stopped by Orisa''s spot.


    "No visits until morning, sorry," she said with even more tired, almost exhausted voice and sat on the same bench.


    "I only wanted to know how she was, so that''s okay."


    "Well, she''ll live, of course. There probably won''t be any lasting effects, too," the woman let out a long tired sigh. "All this paperwork is giving me a headache."


    "Why is there so much paperwork? The Captain said that it was a common occurrence."


    "Did he, now?" The woman sounded irritated, "I would like to give him a piece of my mind on this matter, then."


    They sat for some time quietly, tired from the day each in their own way. Orisa was thinking about the shower when the healer finally said:


    "Immense paperwork, to be honest. Sometimes, I feel like I''m spending more time writing than actually healing people," she shook her head dejectedly, contemplating her life choices, and resumed her confession. "First, we ran some tests and had to fill papers for reagents. Then we found it out and had to run even more tests. For these, we needed much more expensive tests, thus even more paperwork."


    The more she said, the more confused Orisa became. But it was impossible to speak up as the flood gates were now open.


    "After making sure of the fact, we had to fill more papers and send her info to the roster and the archive. From that point on, inform the Commander. On paper, of course. Then contact all the greater noble houses, too."


    A giant question mark rose above Orisa''s head, but she dreaded to interrupt the woman.


    "Honestly, I don''t even know when to work with all this bureaucracy. Anyway, it''s sad that we were able to save only one of them, but maybe it''s for the best. They would have made her do it anyway." She stood up and turned to leave, "considering she was barely two weeks in, of course, she was shocked. The poor girl didn''t even know she was pregnant."

 35 Lessons learned? Zero.

    Orisa felt sick.


    The sound of the footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, gradually growing more distant as the healer walked away.


    Orisa was suffocating. An insufferable lump rose from her stomach to her throat. She was burning on the inside, covered in sweat, and nauseous.


    She slowly stood up and leaned against the wall, shivering feverishly. Her legs were trembling while she crawled out of the Infirmary building. Orisa shut her vomit-filled mouth tight with both hands, trying to hold it all back.


    Luckily, the last door before the exit was a toilet. She locked herself inside, feeling extremely dizzy as her stomach emptied itself, convulsing violently.


    A pale face covered with large beads of sweat looked at Orisa from a mirror. Tears rained down from its bloodshot eyes. She leaned closer to a sink and tried to wash her face, but her hands were still trembling, spilling water all over the place. She had to put her head directly under the flowing water. An ice-cold stream calmed her slightly.


    The last bits of her strength left her, and Orisa limply fell on her knees crying. Her body trembled as she hugged her sides, monotonously swinging back and forth.


    ''Ah, shit, here we go again,'' an irritated voice complained inwardly. It was filled with utter disappointment and disgust. ''Stop this crap right now, would you?''


    There was no response.Water from the overflowing sink poured down her head, wetting her shivering body further.


    ''Five minutes ago you were perfectly okay with that abomination ending up dead or crippled, and now what? Just look at yourself. PATHETIC!'' The voice was filled with anger and scorn as it spat out each word like dirt, ''all this drama solely because of somebody successfully coming inside that creature!?''


    "You don''t understand..." She muttered weakly.


    ''Oh, I understand perfectly,'' it mocked Orisa, imitating her own voice: ''Oh my god, how could I do that to a pure, innocent lump of newly created cells!?''


    "I was a lump of cells once, too," her voice was bitter and filled with regret.


    ''So fucking what? Do you honestly believe that her offspring could have turned out a decent person? Stop this bullshit!''


    "You don''t understand..."


    ''I know you well, even better than you do yourself, so stop this charade already. Would you rather sacrifice yourself in that case?''


    Orisa bit her lip again, covering her face with both her hands. Deep down, she knew that she would do that, and the realization made her hate herself even more. Self-sacrifice for a greater good, to save the lives of millions of people, to end war or protect the world was acceptable for her. But for a pathetic, disgusting whore and her possible child? Never!


    ''I''m a monster. I deserve every bit of pain and suffering,'' she thought, biting her fist to hold down another wave of anxiety.


    ''Your performance is quite boring. It''s time to end this comedy. Cry a bit more for some dramatic effect and move your ass already.''


    Orisa sat in a puddle of water, swinging back and forth in self-loathing. Blood trickled down from her bitten fingers, but pain gave her no salvation this time.


    ---


    ---


    She was startled awake from her trance by a monotonous tapping sound. Its source drew closer, and she was able to hear the voices.


    "-pers read?"


    "Yes, Supreme Commander."


    "Prepare everything for her transfer," Orisa could make out that the voice belonged to a man.


    "But she has not accepted your-" that was probably the doctor Orisa met before.


    "She will." Said the man firmly, his tone cut down any objections. "Do you know her?"


    "No, father."


    Orisa gasped upon hearing Tiana''s voice and shut her mouth tight to prevent even a hint of a sound from leaving it again.


    The tapping sound grew distant, but she still heard another verbal exchange:


    "As expected, you are always useless. A shame that your brother perished and left me no choice but to rely on you."


    "Yes, father. I truly regret being of no use to you."


    The sound of a door closing became a signal, and Orisa darted away after closing the faucets. Her retreat was far from subtle as she left wet tracks whenever she went, but it was of little importance to her now.


    She slipped out of the building only to find that it was already pitch-dark outside. After quickly washing under a hot shower, she returned to the dorm.


    The door made noise when Orisa closed it, but it was drowned out by her growling stomach. Hitherto reading Toatre looked up from the book and chuckled softly, smiled to her and pointed at Orisa''s bed. She followed Toatre''s direction to find a small bag sitting on her nightstand. Four big sandwiches lay inside, smelling invitingly with all their freshness.


    "Iten and Kanai visited your nest, leaving a boon as proof of their attendance," she murmured and returned to her study.


    Orisa greedily stuffed the first piece, almost choking herself. The next sandwich she ate much slower, looking around the room absentmindedly. Onuki was fast asleep, as usual, and her face appeared calm, although with a hint of sadness. Even her dreams gave the girl no salvation.


    Orisa turned her gaze away and stumbled upon another, intact bed. The implication hit her like a wrecking ball. She almost choked on the food again, swiftly running out of the room to hide another wave of panic.


    The owner of said bed never slept there again.


    ---


    ---


    ''I can''t go back there,'' she thought half an hour later, sitting on the grass near the dorm. Instead of wasting time in an idle self-loathing and depression, she stood up and headed to the gym.


    Reasoning that she won''t be able to sleep for some time, Orisa took out the Concentration potion. The bottle was almost empty; she slurped carefully, exerting enormous caution to leave the half of what remained for tomorrow''s exam. A minute after a pleasant cool feeling cleared her mind and drove away day''s mental fatigue and moral exhaustion.


    On a bright side of her liquid reserves, a quick check of the backpack confirmed that she still had three bottles of the Endless night potion and one more Stamina flask, so at least a few hours of sound sleep were due.


    The cool and fresh night air slowly circled in and out of her lungs, further cleansing Orisa''s mind.


    ''What happened today was horrible, but not exactly my fault,'' her calm musing was slightly disturbed by a weak and quiet voice that asked her not to shift the blame on others, but she ignored the plea. Her mind now was focused and rational, and only tiny part in the furthest corner retained emotions and kept bugging her, ''That''s how it was back then. You were always in the right. Everyone around you was to blame. They were at fault, and you were just unlucky to get dragged into their mess. It''s a wrong path that leads to your demise.''


    Orisa knew all that even without her conscience''s nudging, of course. ''But this time everything will be different. I''m sure.''


    She saw them coming out of the gym, and there was nowhere to hide swiftly, nor a way to turn around and escape.


    "Oh, dear brother of mine, look at this," a disgustingly sweet voice made Orisa cringe, "isn''t that a filthy mongrel that made lady Tiana uncomfortable with its commoner entertainment?"


    "Indeed, my sister. I presume some lessons are due," said a knight in black armor.


    Orisa tried to get past them quietly, but the brother grabbed her by the shirt and threw a few meters back. Orisa fell on the ground painfully but tried to stand up the same moment.


    "Speak when a Noble is addressing you, creature!" The sugar blob shouted angrily and pointed her wand at Orisa:


    "-Lesser Smite!-"


    Orisa quickly fell back on one knee and covered her head with both arms when a golden fist fell on her from above. It hurt much, it really did, but she was surprised to find out that the damage was way far from a bone-crushing hammer she experienced last time. She grunted but slowly got back to her feet and muttered:


    "-Thickness!-"


    "What is it that you are trying, fiendfood? Showing off?" The pink girl spat angrily and aimed again:


    "-Lesser Smite!-"


    Orisa stood still, covering her head with her right forearm, and when the fist came down crashing again, she sensed a noticeable discomfort. Her hand hurt a little, but that was the end of the story. None the less, she muttered again:


    "-Force Guard!-"


    Now her right forearm was covered with a thick shield, and when the spell struck her for the third time, only her hand shook a little from the impact.


    Orisa smiled in satisfaction and started walking to the gym''s door again.


    "You smirk bugs me, creature," said the brother and kicked her in the stomach. The impact made Orisa take a few steps back and felt uncomfortable, but her Thickness barrier absorbed most of the damage.


    "-Major Smite!-"


    She had time to block the spell with the Force Guard, but the impact made her bend her knees, and her right hand went numb for a few seconds.


    ''I see no other acceptable solution,'' her calm and cool mind concluded, ignoring the pleas from her conscience to give up and let them win. When another spell forced her on both knees, Orisa finally covered under the horizontal Force Wall that blocked two more spells before the first crack appeared.


    The moment Orisa got back to her feet, the brother joined the fray:


    "-Pulsar strike!-"


    He made a punching motion with his right hand and a red pulsing projectile flew forward, ramming into Orisa''s chest. She was thrown backward and ended on the ground, coughing in pain. ''And what if I was without Thickness?'' She thought to herself, irritated.


    ''Don''t go all out, please,'' her conscience pleaded again.


    "We are not done talking, creature," muttered the boy angrily, gritting his teeth.


    Orisa slowly stood up, popping the joints in her shoulders, and said out loud:


    "I wonder, what time is it already?" in a theatrically slow gesture she looked at her left wrist where the Postponer''s hand reached its maximum of thirty seconds and shook her head melodramatically, "oh, look at this! Seems like it''s time FOR YOU TO FUCKING DIE!" - "Enrage!"


    The wave of rage began to engulf her entire being, filling her body with red hot lava. Suddenly, the freezing wind of an immense concentration blew over her molten veins, cooling them down. Effect of the Concentration potion clashed with the Enrage.


    A high-voltage jolt ran through her body, and something inside her head clicked. The sensation was akin to adding the last piece of the mechanism that connected everything and made it work, launching engines and turning the lights on. The feeling gave her goosebumps.


    Now she was COMPLETE.


    Time slowed down considerably. A new, calm and observant but bloodthirsty Orisa looked at the siblings and their slowly changing expressions.


    ''I can make a Force Wall with one Mana layer. What if I were to add another one and send it flying forward?''


    As her hand slowly went up, she noticed that it was not the time that slowed down, but her mind that became much quicker. ''It''s a complication. Their bodies are faster than mine, even though my mind is swift.''


    The knight took out his sword when Orisa finished building her first spell:


    "-Wall Rush!-"


    An already familiar Force Wall appeared before her hand, swiftly flew forth and rammed into the sugar blob, smashing her against the building. The girl went limp when the Force Wall dissolved.


    "-Piercing Wave!-"


    A slashing motion of the sword left a crescent-shaped trail that moved in Orisa''s direction, but she intercepted it half the way with the Palm Push Strike and completely obliterated the wave, creating a shining cloud of quickly dissolving Mana.


    The next thing Orisa saw was a figure of the knight a few meters away from her with his sword glowing red in a thrusting motion. ''He is really quick. Used a distraction to come closer. I need to change his trajectory or block the sword.''


    While her body was much slower, Orisa still had her Mana flow that was almost entirely thought-based. She pushed Mana outside, splitting it in two directions with both Mana layers. Two Force Walls were made in quick succession, and she aligned them at an acute angle to the boy''s trajectory. When his sword met the first wall, it cut through the barrier easily. The blade''s path, however, was already altered because of that, and it lost most of its impulse, too. It harmlessly brushed against the second wall''s surface without dealing a significant amount of damage, and the knight crashed into the wall with a loud thud.


    "Palm Push Strike!"


    Her target was two meters away, and part of the attack power decayed because of this distance, but the boy''s black armor still got bent from the strike, making him cough out some blood and groan in pain.


    "-Greater Smite!-"


    Orisa was hammered into the ground by a powerful strike, barely avoiding any critical injuries, although something cracked slightly in her left shoulder. On the bright side, the sister now was panting heavily after overexerting herself on a Greater spell.


    "-Wall Prison!-"


    On the day of their group training, she came up with another spell thanks to Nana''s help. The spell was based on her Force Wall and conjured three similar barriers around a target, trapping it inside a triangle-shaped prison.Sadly, she couldn''t use it from a long range, and each barrier in its structure was weaker than her normal Force Wall.


    The brother became trapped inside the spell, and Orisa dashed to the sister, covering her own head with the Force Guard. She saw fear and panic on sugar''s face as the girl tried to come up with something and failed miserably in the face of Orisa''s quickly approaching palm.


    "That''s enough," - "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    A loud and stern voice made Orisa stop in her tracks a mere three two meters away from the girl. The feeling of her engines turning went away when her Enrage and other spells were dispelled. Luckily, the Concentration potion''s effects were not magical and still coursed through her body.


    Lieutenant Reezpauzo stood at the corner of the gym''s wall with arms crossed, and he looked extremely annoyed, even mad.


    "This creature attacked us!" The victim of severe mental trauma cried out.


    "I saw everything, and can testify in the court if needed," he spat these words and came closer to the group. Seeing the girl was not content with his reply, he added in an even more commanding tone, "I''m acquaintance with both your father and Supreme Commander. One more word and I''m reporting your behavior to them. Now, get lost. It''s an order from the superior officer."


    Orisa observed the retreat of the grumbling siblings and turned to face Lieutenant when a fist flew to her face and threw her to the ground.


    "What the hell were you thinking!?" He shouted angrily and showered her with saliva, "one wrong move and next morning you are executed for an assault of nobles. What if I didn''t pass by!?"


    He fumed with rage. Orisa slowly gazed up to see his expression while pondering these words. Blood slowly dripped from her nose, but she paid it no heed, thinking calmly, ''Why is he so focused on me? I doubt that the officers here care that much about every cadet.''


    "Thank you for stopping me, Lieutenant," she said while trying to sound grateful.


    "As long as you understand," his rage subsided and he offered his hand to help her up.


    "-Major Mend!-"


    The bleeding stopped and she felt much better. Seems, there were injuries she failed to notice in the heat of the battle, for her Thickness was far from bulletproof.


    "What are you even doing here this late?" He asked half surprised, half upset.


    "Went for a training session. Can''t sleep."


    "Ah, yes, I heard about your incident," his voice softened a bit.


    "Perhaps you heard that she was pregnant?"


    "My ears still hurt after witnessing the scolding healer Angela gave your captain," he chuckled slightly after replaying new sweet memory inside his head. "Don''t worry too much. After signing up with any Noble house, she would have been forced to have an abortion anyway."


    Trying not to think about the situation again, Orisa nodded quietly and asked another question looking at the Lieutenant intently:


    "Are you really familiar with Supreme Commander?"


    "You would never know," he let out a dry laugh and opened the gym''s door, "go on and show me your arsenal."


    Orisa entered the building with a furrowed brow, doubting the whole situation. ''Why is he so focused on me? Is it curiosity for freaks or something else?''


    When they entered the room, she turned around to confront him:


    "I''m sorry, Lieutenant, but it all makes me wonder as to why you are so concerned with me?"


    "Something a little out of the ordinary, you know, in our boring daily grind," he shook his head tiredly, "don''t think too much about it. I''ll take a quick glance. Maybe throw a pair of ideas or comments and leave. Other things to attend to."


    She was thoroughly unconvinced but had no formal reason to decline his request. Deep inside Lieutenant''s eyes, she saw caution and wariness, and his body language displayed a degree of tension.


    ---


    ---


    Half an hour later Lieutenant Reezpauzo left the building and headed to the rendezvous point beneath a lightning-charred tree. After bending down on one knee in front of a dark armored figure, he spoke in a revering tone:


    "Greetings, my Lord. Here is my report and a formal invitation for tomorrow''s exam," he handed two white envelopes with both hands.


    "Umu."


    Both envelopes quickly disappeared inside hunter Nowanzi Goalo''s armor, and he addressed his follower:


    "Was there anything out of the ordinary?" his voice was deep and radiated with power and authority.


    "I think you will find my report quite amusing, My Lord."

 36 A teaser chapter

    AN:


    Super important poll, guys, please check!


    So I ordered Orisa''s appearance from two different artists with quite different styles.


    They are both being colored atm, and I hope to show you the results in 4-6 days.


    What do you think?


    0) https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rj8qBLBXVbQ7S0x_VT_qEZxZujLgkmpM


    1-2) https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aLwXY9lM-_oF_I8Oyq3tt1ikxzAkYSci


    ===


    ===


    Orisa saw no point in hiding both Mira''s real situation and the twin''s attack, so they spent quite some time talking during breakfast. While the boys were shocked by the news about Mira, the second part of her recollection garnered way more attention.


    "I can''t believe you," Iten was so flustered that he even spilled water from the cup over his plate, "what is inside this head of yours? Another Mana reserve?"


    Astonished by Iten''s joke, Orisa and Kanai looked at each other with round eyes. His phrase quickly broke the scolding tone of the discussion, allowing Orisa to mention another thing that has been bothering her ever since:


    "This Lieutenant is giving me chills. There is something deeper behind his attention, I''m telling you," she was chewing on veggies during her speech, and a few pieces of corn that fell out of her mouth in the process lowered the level of severity of their discussion even further.


    "Maybe they want to kidnap you and sell to the Nobles, you know, to make more Nobles?" Kanai giggled but quickly shut up under their shocked gazes, "sorry, this was a strange thing to say."


    Orisa smiled a few minutes after, remembering another topic:


    "Guys, actually, you are brilliant. Did you know that?" Judging by Kanai''s grinning face, he probably already knew what she was going to say, but Iten was looking at her warily, expecting some prank. "Thank you so much for the food you left. A miracle achieved by my awesome pals, indeed."


    "If not us, then who?" Kanai said with a warm smile.


    Orisa still felt bitter from yesterday''s ordeals, but her mood began to gradually turn for the better.


    "Let''s meet and talk after the briefing with the Captain?" She suggested to the boys while the trio moved to the pre-exam guidance session.


    "Isn''t that obvious?" Kanai chuckled before opening the classroom door.


    "The day you''ve been sweating hard for is finally here," the Captain gave eleven cadets an intimidating look after they all gathered in the class. "De facto this is your last day of training, kids. Show something good and you''ll probably end up in a nice and rich spot if you sign up for the Military. Or you can leave and go wandering for all I care."


    Youko Satou made a step forward and began her part:


    "The day of combat skill showcase finally upon us, and I will explain everything that you need to know about the event, including your possible actions from this point onward."


    Orisa noticed that she has been missing the strict and competent woman all this time. It was an unexpected feeling, considering their general lack of interactions. While the last time she talked to Youko was during the Foundation celebration three days ago, her life was so packed with events that it felt like three weeks passed already.


    "Exam will take place at the central training ground. Representatives of different divisions will be observing your skills. Their goal is to hunt talented fighters or people with specific skills, for example, archers or defenders and so on." She took out chalk and pressed it against the board. "There are four divisions in total. Engineering tech, Defenders, Police, and Army."


    Engineering tech''s tasks were the most diverse, from building cities, castles, and outposts to inventing and maintaining new weaponry. Representatives of the EnTech division visited the exams to view profile cards provided by the squad''s captains and teacher, as they were obviously less interested in combat skills.


    Profile cards included all the information on cadets, like their stats, achievements, preferred skills, and so on. Of equal importance was a recommendation letter that the captains may or may not have included.


    The second, Defender division was in charge of protecting cities, training camps, arrival chambers, and various other strategic places.


    Police division''s tasks were obvious from its name - to keep order, investigate crimes and such.


    The last division, Army, was almost as diverse as EnTech, and the largest among all four. It served as an all-purpose unit tasked with everything except defense and policing, such as scouting, escorting, patrolling, large-scale military operations, training. All teacher and captains were obviously signed up for Army division.


    "Inside every division, there are different groups with various specializations. Their prestige varies greatly, too, and you can tell them apart by their additional tag, being base, special and elite. For example, elite groups among all divisions respectively are called Elders, Guardians, Inquisitors, and Crusaders."


    Orisa cringed on her seat from such pretentious names. They stunk with Nobility and fake purpose. Another question came to her mind, and Orisa instantly raised her hand:


    "What are the chances of not getting anywhere at all?"


    "Less than having a shit build like yours," the Captain answered rudely. "Leave all the questions for when the session is over."


    "Almost everyone gets invited into a basic group, as the Captain said," Youko was slightly irritated by both Orisa''s question and Captain Pain''s reaction. "Since the country needs the soldiers, one must be extremely inept to be left without a single letter of invitation. Getting a letter from a special group is rare. And almost impossible to get one from elite."


    She paused to add that information on the chalkboard, and Clemen used this moment to add a ''witty'' question:


    "Speaking of inept, where is Mira?"


    "One of the greater Noble houses made Miss Rahna an offer that she graciously accepted," the Captain said with a huge grin on his face, "so she won''t be joining us on the exam."


    "You will be fighting alone. To speed up the exam, however, up to four cadets will be performing simultaneously. The exam itself is quite simple. The Summoners would conjure already familiar enemies one by one, or in rare cases in waves, and the further you get, the better it is. Even healers and engineers required to pass at least one wave. One important thing to note is that it is up to you to stop the exam. When you feel that you are nearing the limits of your skills, give a signal."


    In the next twenty minutes, Youko told them more about the invitation letters from various divisions and described their possible choices based on that.


    As was previously stated, the path forked tomorrow. Cadets were free to leave the camp, taking a month worth of money and basic gear. If their choice would be to stay, they''d need to sign up for any division in one week. During the sign-up week they were free to do whatever they wanted, even leave the camp.


    Two main benefits of joining the Military were, of course, salary and additional equipment. While most of these would depend on a specific contract, one thing was guaranteed for everyone - the third Seal. As the cadets grew stronger, their bodies became able to hold another Seal of their own choice. The price of the Seal, if they were to get it by themselves, would be astronomical.


    Contracts were signed on an annual basis, and the more was the time one had served, the better the conditions of the next contract would be.


    "You have until tomorrow''s noon to make the first decision," the Captain finally had something to say, "and by the evening you''d leave the camp if that is what you''d choose. Questions?"


    "Two questions, sir," Orisa immediately raised her hand and waited for the Captain to nod. "What are the survival rates during the first year among both Military and free hunters?"


    "All depends on your division, of course. Army and Defense, as the most dangerous, would give something around sixty to seventy percents." Cadets began to murmur in a somewhat scared tone. Even people unfamiliar with math could count with their fingers that out of eleven people, at least three might end up dead by the end of the year. "As for the hunters, nobody counts them, but my guess is somewhere around ten percent."


    A shocked silence dawned upon the room. While the Captain''s words were to be taken with a grain of salt, the difference was still glaring.


    "The second question is about rare cases and fighting waves," Orisa shattered the quiet and gloomy atmosphere with another phrase.


    "Usually noble kids fight waves to speed up the test. Also, because it''s too easy for them otherwise. There are exceptions among normal cadets, too, and usually, they are related to their unconventional fighting styles. More questions?"


    They wrapped the discussion up and ended the class, leaving everyone with two hours of free time. After the squad members left the room, Orisa asked the boys to wait for her and turned to Youko:


    "Miss Satou, can I use items and equipment during the exam?"


    "Since nobody ever stated otherwise, you can. Are you talking about your gloves?"


    "Not only them, Ma''am," she said, pulling earrings out of her backpack. Youko''s brows shot upward with the speed of a sound. She looked at the earrings, then back at Orisa, moving her gaze back and forth a few times.


    "Do I need to know the source of these items?" She asked carefully.


    "Lady Kavenfenn gifted me these along with other useful items."


    "I see..." she visibly relaxed and let out a long sigh. It made Orisa frown, pondering what reputation she now had that Youko was so concerned with her new items.


    "So..." Orisa looked down shyly, "I''ve never done piercing before... Could you help me put them on?"


    "Um... Well, I''m sorry, but I have never done so myself either," Youko said with a red face, deeply embarrassed.


    ''Well, this is awkward,'' Orisa turned to the Captain after bowing to Youko and cringing on the inside:


    "Sir, can I ask you to let me fight waves, too. Due to my, well, complication, you know."


    "Sure, kid," Captain Pain let out a dry laugh, "but it would cost you something."


    Seeing her perplexed expression, the Captain chuckled even more and explained:


    "I''ll have you be the last in the queue, even after the Nobles. Deal?"


    Considering her fighting style and how her shields drained Mana, the longer she fought, the worse it was for her. So Orisa had no choice but to nod to the Captain, instantly dashing away from the room.


    "I''m not done, please wait a bit more," she muttered, passing by the surprised boys. Her target already left the building, but Orisa quickly caught up on her:


    "Onuki, please, can you help me?" She guessed that Onuki was irritated by her constant guilt-induced tone and tried to sound natural.


    "What is it?" The girl in question turned around and looked at Orisa calmly. There was no hostility or discontent in her even voice.


    "I have earrings I need to wear now, but I have never done piercing before. No one else to ask for help, too."


    "I see. Sit down then," Onuki spoke with the same even voice, but Orisa saw anticipation flash momentarily on her face, which made Orisa shiver internally. The girl took out a handkerchief and a bottle of water. "It will hurt since I don''t have any tools, only earring''s own needle lock."


    She sat by Orisa''s side and took both earrings. Orisa felt a soft and cool touch of Onuki''s fingers on her ear. The girl''s breath tickled her skin slightly, and the fingers kept brushing over it, sending pleasant waves across Orisa''s body. Caressing the ear gently, Onuki''s hands occasionally touched that sensitive spot at its back. Orisa closed her eyes and relaxed.


    She felt Onuki''s breath on her neck as the girl shifted to get a better view and aim. Orisa imagined Onuki''s lips a few millimeters away from her skin and a chill ran down her spine. She started getting horny.


    Onuki started using both hands. She placed her left hand directly under the earlobe, and the back side of her fingers was touching Orisa''s neck lightly. Her touches grew more aggressive and intent as she began probing various spots of the ear. Onuki''s breath became hotter as the fingers of her right hand kept moving alongside Orisa''s ear, occasionally moving to its sensitive back.


    Orisa''s hands were clamped between her tightly pressed thighs as she began figetting on the bench. She was constantly licking her dry lips. Each and every of Onuki''s hands, every time her fingers ran along Orisa''s ear or neck, it all made Orisa even hotter and filled her with desire.


    And then she felt pain.


    "Fuuuuaaaaaahhhh~."


    Something between scream and moan left her mouth, startling the people around them. The earring''s needle was the worst instrument for the job, and Onuki was no professional. Both parts combined together made the pain ten times greater of what it was supposed to be.


    Onuki quickly sprayed the bleeding ear with water and wiped it with her handkerchief.


    "-Lesser Disinfect!-"


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    "I think I''m gonna die..." Orisa complained in a pitiful voice and wiped away tears. Onuki quickly moved to the other side and pierced Orisa''s second ear in one swift motion.


    "Wuaaah!" she yelped again and turned to Onuki with teary and pleading eyes, "that''s all..?"


    "Yes, what were you expecting?" The girl answered calmly and cleaned the ear before chanting:


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    After she was done, Onuki stood up from the bench, ready to leave.


    "Well... it was so quick..." Orisa''s face reddened under Onuki''s questioning gaze. The girl''s brow shot upward in a mocking manner, daring Orisa to say what exactly she wanted Onuki to do longer.


    "Anyhow, thank you for saving me again. I only wish that you had a painkiller spell in your arsenal." Orisa said with a slightly hurt expression.


    "I had," she said with the same blank expression. Orisa, however, clearly saw devils dancing in Onuki''s green eyes as the girl finished the phrase, "but then we would have missed all the fun parts."


    Onuki turned around and slowly walked away. It might have been Orisa''s imagination, but it looked like the girl was moving her hips more actively.


    ''How dare you tease me like that, you cocky chick.'' She was more amused than angry with the girl. ''If all this time you were not upset with me but were building yourself a ground for the second try, I''d applaud your persistence and stoic character.''


    Orisa decided to get back to the boys but finally saw them standing some ten meters away. They looked dumbfounded.


    "You should have seen your face," Kanai spoke first shaking his head, "it was priceless. No porn could ever compare to that."


    "I am not sure what to make of your voice, too. Was it painful or pleasant?" By the look on Iten''s face, it was hard to tell if he was serious or joking.


    "Betting my future salary on both."


    "Jerks!" The biggest pout this world has ever seen appeared on her purple face.


    "Speaking of salary, what is our plan?" Iten saved her by returning the conversation to the right track.


    They slowly embarked to the canteen while discussing their possible course of action.


    "Leaving aside the warning about a tough life of free hunters, I see problems in both directions." Orisa made a V-sign and looked at it thoughtfully as if seeing for the first time. "If we leave the Military, we''d lose access to a huge chunk of information, be it libraries or teachers. Also, there won''t be any access to technologies, resources, and plans, and probably to something else we don''t even know now. On the bright side, we would be free."


    "And if we were to stay," Kanai took the initiative and grabbed one of Orisa''s V-sign fingers, "it would probably be hard to get into the same group. We''d have to follow the rules, and all this service stuff would probably eat most of our time."


    "Both directions are filled with complications." Iten sighed and looked at a clear midday sky, "I''m not sure how we are supposed to research everything related to the end of the world. Not even talking about its prevention, this is another kettle of fish."


    The moment Iten finished his depressed thought, they heard an outraged cry right behind their backs:


    "Oi-oi, Supreme Demon General Overlord Orisa, what are you three talking about!?"

 37 It was the only way

    "Oi-oi, Supreme Demon General Overlord Orisa, what are you three talking about!?"


    The time has come to a halt. Only Orisa''s sweat kept pouring from her face, flooding the world. Old civilizations came to an end, giving birth to new cultures. Species went extinct, replaced by unknown life forms. The sun died out, and the universe collapsed into one giant black hole, creating another Big Bang. And Orisa kept sweating.


    ''Fuck. We screwed up.''


    She took her time slowly turning around, as her mind raced like a hound, searching for an exit strategy.


    ''Wait-wait-wait. Why is that a bad thing, actually? What''s so wrong with Clemen knowing about this?'' Orisa grabbed this thought, clutching it tightly as the last straw that could save them all.


    ''Are you stupid? He is a blabbermouth. In mere five minutes, everyone in this world would know that it was your moronic trio behind this discovery.'' The internal critic was merciless.


    "E-he-he, hi, Clemen," awkwardness of Orisa''s smile could rival the sweetness of her tone. "How are you? Nice weather here, right?"


    "Yeah, the weather is cool. I actually kind of wanted to walk around, you know. Chilling, listening to birds, looking at the sky when-. Wait a minute! That''s not the point."


    The boy slowly shifted his gaze between all three culprits and made a step back with a panicked expression:


    "You aren''t planning on brutally murdering me, slowly taking my small and miserable corpse apart with a giant kitchen cleaver, digging a giant pit under a big tree, dumping my remains there so that mister worm and his family could slowly eat my meat and poop it out to fertilize the ground and give more strength to the said beautiful green tree?"


    He spat out that nonsense under one breath in a blink of an eye.


    ''Fuck-fuck-fuck, what should we do!? If only we had some time to...'' The time was of the essence, but they could squeeze out a bit of the precious resource quite naturally. With this in mind, she stepped forward and hugged him around the shoulders with her right arm, pulling Clemen real close. Her conspiratorial whisper went directly into his ear:


    "Listen up, cadet Clemen, for this is damn important. We found out something big and now looking for competent crewmembers. You are a perfect candidate for the task. We''ll discuss it at length tomorrow after the final counseling session. Everything I said is top secret. Am I clear, cadet?"


    "Crystal clear, Great Conspirator Shadow Master Puppeteer Orisa!" She released her conspiratorial grip for Clemen to instantly salute her.


    "Good. Dismissed."


    The dumbfound trio observed the cadet jugging away. The scene lacked two elements to be complete, a cawing crow and a rolling tumbleweed.


    "My only hope is that he is a level eighty troll that is laughing at us inwardly right now. Or else we are doomed."


    They shook their heads synchronously and went to the canteen.


    ---


    ---


    The central field that housed the exam was divided into four smaller sectors. Each section was big enough for the cadets to not get in each other''s way, but they were still close enough for the viewers to see what was going on in each part of the field.


    Two hours later the trio sat on improvised stadium-like seats, watching the show from a participant''s area. The other side of the field had more comfortable visitor''s seats, and Orisa saw a number of charismatic division representatives and even hunter Nowa in the first row.


    Under an absolutely illogical impulse, she waved him despite a fifty meters wide field separating them. She was already cursing her own stupidity inwardly when suddenly the hunter slowly raised his hand and leisurely waved her back.


    Every participant got a number indicating their position in the queue and was looking at a huge Manainked placard at the side of the field. There were the current participants'' numbers, their results, and who was next in the queue.


    On the other side of the field, division representatives were constantly skimming through cadet''s cards and taking notes. The first row was reserved for teachers and special guests. Besides already mentioned Nowa, among dozens of unknown people Orisa noticed both Captain Pain and Youko.


    Suddenly, her gaze stumbled over Tiana who sat by the left side of a tall man with long platinum-blond hair.


    ''Is this her father? He looks like Malfoy. He even talked like Malfoy. Hence, you are Malfoy now.''


    A man by vas Kavenfenn leader''s right hand was a stark contrast to him. There sat a chunky middle-aged man without a single hair on his head. The lack of haircut was probably of no concern to him since the man owned an enormously long handlebar mustache. To his right side sat both pink sugar overdose and her black-armored brother.


    The exam was going quicker than Orisa expected. Most cadets finished either on the second or third wave, with occasional hard workers tackling the fourth or even fifth. Interesting feature of the exam was that every wave was simultaneous for all four participants, leaving earlier birds some time to rest while the slow cadets were still fighting.


    Since the numbers were given randomly, some of the squad members were already done, while others still waited for their turn. So far, the results were the following:


    Onuki: two plus healing skills'' showcase.


    Toatre: five plus healing skills'' showcase.


    Rakasha: five.


    Clemen: three.


    Iten: four.


    Crion: three.


    When Kanai''s number appeared on the placard, Orisa quickly squeezed his hand:


    "Good luck, bro. Plus Ultra."


    He smiled back nervously and moved to the field, trying to gulp with a suddenly dry throat.


    "Everything is going to be okay," Iten already got back and was sitting by Orisa''s side, comforting her with a pat on her back.


    So far only a handful of cadets got injured, and Orisa was quite confident in Kanai getting unharmed. Considering his build and stats, she was worried about his results, hoping for him to get at least three waves done.


    When the first wave began, Kanai went for a surprise that Orisa was not expecting from him:


    "-Lesser Overflow!-"


    "-Lesser Sage!-"


    "I didn''t know he had buffs!" Orisa squeezed Iten''s knee in excitement.


    "You are giving us too little credit, young lady," there was no need to be a skilled psychologist to notice how proud Iten was of his own and Kanai''s progress.


    "By the way, I don''t see Nana and Nene here."


    "What would they even do here?" Iten asked back in surprise. It seemed that a few seconds later he finally understood Orisa''s question, so he added, "ah, you thought, that they were going through the camp''s training, too? They are actually two years older than us, and simply serving in the Defense division."


    "Really? Who would have thought..." Orisa murmured in surprise. "Although considering their height, it''s really hard to guess their age."


    Kanai already finished the first wave while they were chatting, and now was going again the second. One after another, zombies and skeletons were conjured five to ten meters away from him, and they quickly moved in his direction.


    For a few seconds, Orisa was unable to perceive his strategy, as Kanai was simply back stepping, occasionally ducking to dodge firebirds. When it became apparent that all monsters of the second had been summoned and neatly lined up, Kanai took aim with his small wand:


    "-Pestilence!-"


    A cloud of gray smoke came out of his weapon and began to move slowly through the foes. Orisa saw them shake and bend inside the cloud, turning to dust as it passed over them. The last skeleton standing was familiar knight, and Kanai finished him with two more Decays before it got closer.


    The third wave began with one more Skeleton Knight and another archer that immediately shot Kanai, its arrow grazing his forearm.


    "-Lesser Regeneration!-"


    "-Pestilence!-"


    "-Decay!-"


    The Skeleton Knight moved quicker this time and swiftly made its way to Kanai''s location while the boy was taking care of the archer.


    "-Lesser Slow!-"


    The skeleton glowed dark-green and noticeably slowed down. As more and more knights appeared, Kanai slowed down them all, spreading more Decay. The wave was over, and Kanai decided to renew his buffs.


    Orisa was constantly jumping on her seat in excitement.


    "I raised that boy," she said, elbowing Iten cheerfully.


    "Is that another quote from somewhere?"


    She chuckled slightly, and they returned to the action. While Orisa was extremely happy, she couldn''t ignore that Kanai was already panting heavily.


    When a fourth wave came into action, Orisa yelped at the sight of a big white wolf that almost gave her PTSD. Iten''s hand that she was squeezing nervously now was all white. He shook his head in amusement, mistaking her expression for extreme care about Kanai, and muttered under his breath with a smile:


    "Get married already, naive youth."


    After the wolf howled, his body began to glow yellow, signaling about some kind of empowering. Kanai was quick in his judgment:


    "-Lesser Dispel!-"


    "-Lesser Slow!-"


    "-Decay!-"


    The wolf jumped without any warning, but his attack was slow, giving Kanai plenty of time to get away. Orisa began to cheer on him audibly. Suddenly, the ground under his feet bumped up, and a clawed paw cut his left leg.


    "-Regeneration!-"


    "-Pestilence!-"


    The cloud moved forward, cursing a few moles that already got on the surface. The wolf was already close and ready to bite when heavily panting Kanai raised his wand with shaking hands, pointing it at the wolf''s face:


    "-Corrosive Ray!-"


    The wolf''s jaw melted down, hindering his biting attempt. His head followed shortly after. The beast''s body fell on the ground with a loud thud, while two remaining moles were evaporated entirely by the Corrosive Ray.


    Kanai slumped on his knees, unable to catch his breath. His hand rose up to signal the end of his exam.


    "Whaaaa! Did you see that!?" Orisa began slapping Iten''s knee in a madly excited outburst.


    "Yes-yes, I did. Now, leave my almost broken leg. I still have ideas on how to use it, please."


    "Eww, gross! I won''t hug you!" She said after a fully drenched in sweat Kanai came back to his seat. "Bro, that was so cool! Your Ray is super lit!"


    "Maybe you''d start paying more attention to your party members now," he muttered, pretending to be hurt by her words.


    Outraged Orisa was gasping for air, moving her gaze between grinning faces of her crew members.


    "How dare you lot conspire against me. This grave offense is punishable by tickling!"


    They kept the light conversation going for quite some time. Despite that, Orisa''s hands began to tremble as she felt panic crawl into her heart.


    ''Don''t fret. It''s going to be a piece of cake.'' For once, the internal critic was in a good mood.


    ''You are raising red flags on purpose?'' Orisa grumbled inwardly, knowing all too well how this type of foreshadowing worked.


    ''If you are so scared of jinxing, then knock on wood and spit over your shoulder, you pussy.''


    Orisa felt someone elbowing her. After Kanai finally grabbed her attention, she saw her number on the placard next in the queue. ''Time to get ready,'' with that in mind she pulled out what remained of the Concentration potion and drunk it swiftly, passing the backpack to Kanai.


    She already had her gloves equipped, which left only the ring. As her experiments proved, the ring worked normally even when she wore it over the gloves.


    As she was readying herself to stand up, Kanai lightly pinched her on the thigh:


    "Relax. We believe in you, Supreme Demon General Overlord Orisa."


    The trio laughed brightly, and Orisa stood up, no longer nervous:


    "Thank you, guys. I really appreciate you, even if it''s not that evident."


    And so, she went down to the field.


    While waiting for the last group to finish their exam, Orisa was looking at the other side of the field, observing the Noble kids. Both families could not look any more different.


    Mustached fatty put his arms around both kids'' necks and pulled them all together in one happy cuddling blob, rubbing his cheeks against their faces vigorously. They tried to protest and pull away, however, either their father was actually stronger, or they were only pretending, but he kept his grip until his fatherly desires were satisfied.


    On the contrary, Orisa wasn''t able to see vas Kavenfenn family interactions at all. Tiana stood up, bowed to her father, and left the seating area. The man sat all this time as a statue, and Orisa wasn''t even sure he reacted to his daughter''s departure at all.


    As Orisa sat her foot on the field, the Concentration potion''s effect kicked in. They added more to her senses already sharpened by the gear, allowing her to hear more talks and whispers:


    "Who is that, a lesser Noble?"


    "Do you know the girl to the left?"


    "Are they adamant on letting her wet herself in front of all the representatives?"


    "Is this a joke?"


    "What''s going on here?


    "Oh my. Finally, something fun."


    They were forbidden from casting before the signal, so when the first wave appeared in front of her, Orisa chanted:


    "-Enrage!-"


    Both her concentration and all senses skyrocketed due to the clash between the potion and her spell, increasing her reaction time and calming Orisa''s nerves even further. She leisurely observed skeletons and zombies move towards her, listening to people''s gasps and yelps:


    "Dear me, a berserker?"


    "Imagine her going completely nuts and killing the Nobles? Hilarious!"


    "This chick is crazy!"


    "Well-well-well, I''m intrigued."


    "What''s her number? Quickly, give me her profile."


    Orisa turned her head towards Tiana''s section just in time to see her wipe out all the enemies with a single Firebreath spell. Without further ado, Orisa thrust her left hand forward:


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    All six enemies were shattered in a single swipe.


    She decided to conserve Mana from the get-go, leaving her shields down for as long as was possible.


    The second wave was no different. Luckily, the Summoners spawned monsters at the same spot, which gave Orisa a perfect opportunity to use the Raging Fist as was intended. After her strike, only the Skeleton Knight still stood, and she quickly finished it with another Palm Push Strike.


    When the third wave hit the field, Orisa saw a bunch of mages and archers, so just in case she activated her forearm shield:


    "-Force Guard!-"


    All weak skeletons perished from the first raging fist, and four remaining Knights each crumbled after just one more Palm strike. She now had the luxury to observe others.


    "-Bright Nova!-" -- "-Lesser Smite!-" -- "-Lesser Smite!-"


    Sugar sister scattered weak enemies with a wave of golden light and finished the Knights with two more spells. In the meantime, her brother simple slashed them all apart, cutting even armored skeletons with his sword.


    ''Must be a darn good sword to cut through their resistance. Well, the kid can swing it alright, too.''


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Lesser Firebreath!-"


    Orisa moved her gaze just in time to witness Tiana''s empowered fire wave melting down everyone in less than three seconds.


    "-Force Wall!-" -- "-Force Wall!-"


    As the next wave began and the wolf appeared, Orisa placed two horizontal platforms to use as a floor against moles. With a loud thud, the jumping wolf crashed into another Force wall that she made last moment. The already familiar sound of someone poking the wall came beneath her foot, but Orisa paid it no heed.


    "-Wall Press!-"


    Recycling the idea of a flying wall, she made another spell to fixate strong targets and crush weak ones. A semi-translucent horizontal wall appeared a few meters above the wolf and rushed down, pinning its victim to the force floor.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    A jet of condensed Mana pierced the wolf''s skull, prematurely ending his career. Orisa followed Toatre''s example and jumped down from the force floor to roast the moles. Two Raging Fists sealed the deal with the fourth wave.


    Conversely, Tiana dealt with the moles first, and now she was facing a lone wolf.


    "-Empower!-"


    Her staff glowed blue, waiting for the wolf''s attack. Instead of jumping like usual, the beast leaned closer to the ground and dashed forward in a mad rush.


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    Her staff acted like a shotgun, releasing buckshot of small purple projectiles. Although more than two-thirds of them missed their mark, the wolf''s front paws left their owner and flew away. The beast had no other choice but to perform a nose-dive into the ground, rolling forward like a furry ball.


    In a cool heroic gesture, Tiana stopped its movement with her foot and pointed the staff at his head:


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    Even without Empower, the wolf''s head and upper body were both removed from existence, leaving a meaty puddle on the ground.


    ''Whoa, girl, you are doing some real shit there.''


    The corpses of the beasts turned to dust, freeing space for the fifth wave that greeted Orisa with a barrage of various projectiles. Thanks to her sharpened senses and extremely quick reaction, she had time to examine her foes while placing the shields.


    There were two harpies shooting their feather with one more drawing closer to Orisa. From the backlines, two echidnas assisted them with a spike torrent. While both groups were already troublesome, much more concerning was a giant boar that began accelerating towards Orisa''s fortification.


    Any sane person would be scared, but Orisa was far from normal. A huge grin distorted her face as she sat down, placing both her hands on the ground. When the hog reached an appropriate momentum that Orisa later described as ''Near the light speed'' and was about to ram her shields she chanted:


    "-Skewer!-"


    It was a complex two-stage spell that she designed yesterday under the Lieutenant''s gaze. The first stage created a two-meter long spike that tilted heavily towards the boar. Orisa''s evil genius supplied this construction with two additional features. The first was quite evident to observers and consisted of an X-shaped thick hilt. The goal of this addition was to stop its victim from advancing further and possible smashing Orisa with its weight.


    The second feature was hidden literally under the ground. To make this construction more stable and secure, Orisa also added an underground part that acted as a foundation to anchor the whole construction and prevent it from moving under the target''s momentum.


    "-Tip Top!-"


    Orisa was familiar with how thick the skin of the beasts was, making it hard to penetrate. The second stage of the spell added an explosive tip to her skewer that was supposed to pop on contact, creating a dent in the target''s resistance.


    Both stages were performed in a little over than second, and Orisa jumped back, placing two Force Walls. Even with her accelerated reaction, it was not possible to see the details, but the result was evident. The pig now was successfully impaled, squealing and shaking violently.


    Orisa quickly made her way closer to the barbeque and finished it off with a combo of Palm Push Strike and Raging Fist in the neck.


    What happened next proved that harpy saved her life, or at least made her last longer on the exam. She saw a harpy coming down on her from above but had not time to dodge. That left her only one option that she was delaying as much as possible:


    "-Thickness!-"


    Her body shield, while being useful, also drained her Mana like an ice-cold Cola on a sunny summer day. The claws of the harpy were not very sharp, so Orisa safely took the beast literally head-on, bending her knees slightly under the weight.


    That very moment three razor-sharp spikes from echidnas clashed with Orisa''s body barrier, penetrated it and dug into her left arm. Due to her sharpened senses, the pain was immense.


    She screamed and dropped on the ground, exhausting all her luck for the day as another barrage of spikes missed her head thanks to the fall. The harpy kept kicking her and Orisa blasted her away with the Raging Fist before chanting:


    "-Wall Prison!-"


    Her figure was now enclosed in the triangle of barriers, giving her a breathing room. Gritting her teeth in pain, she pulled the spikes out of her limp left hand. Thanks to Tiana she learned one support spell that she could use despite her lack of Magic stat:


    "-Blood blockade!-"


    The most basic spell that even Orisa could use stopped the flow of blood around injured spots. It was dangerous and ineffective for many reasons, but she had to make do with just that.


    It left Orisa behind a barrier and against four long-ranged attackers. She learned from Youko that the summons used their owner''s Mana to constantly replenish their munitions, rendering any war of attrition pointless.


    It left Orisa with no choice but to use her last novel spell. The trick behind the conjuration of long-ranged attacks was in precise timing and aim. Orisa learned from Lieutenant Reezpauzo how sugar princess'' Smite was made and even felt a speck of respect towards the girl.


    While launching a cloud of Mana, one had to clearly command it where exactly and when to transform into its real form. For harpies hovering over Orisa, she had to measure the distance and height and take into consideration the speed of her spell. Ultimately, during the spell''s chant, it all boiled down to intent similar to ''Transform in one and a half seconds. Fly.'' She also chose the final form for an aesthetic reason:


    "-Hand of God!-"


    A barely visible cloud of Mana swiftly flew towards the harpies, transforming into a huge horizontal palm which rushed down to the ground, slapping both creatures like mosquitoes. The hand dissolved after turning the beasts into a bloody porridge. Echidnas met the same fate a few seconds later.


    Orisa sat on the ground, panting and sweating. She had no strength to look at other participants, her alarm being the boar''s body. As long as it was present, she still had time to rest.


    The body turned to dust twenty seconds later, and Orisa got back on her feet. Before the sixth wave arrived, she quickly peeked at the other parts of the field. Both brother and sister bailed out after the last wave, which left only her and Tiana still standing.


    One thing made Orisa happy, that was the fact that her Mana pool was only half empty. All her hard work and training paid off.


    The next wave was tough. Three heavily armed and armored knights encircled her while two robbed mages kept her busy. She had to overuse her Mana on Wall Rush spells to throw the Knights back, constantly covering behind Force Walls under the long-ranged assault. It was even harder to fight because of her limp left hand being useless in combat.


    The moment her Palm Push Strike pierced the last mage, their bodies vanished. It meant only one thing - the seventh wave was already here.


    At least seven-meter long gator stared at her curiously. At least that''s how Orisa''s accelerated mind perceived the beast''s gaze. More than two dozens of dagger-wielding monkeys rained on her from behind the croc''s back.


    "-Wall Rush!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-"


    She slowly walked backwards, supporting every step with a barrage of spells. Every second or two, a fresh cut appeared on her body, left by an endless horde of monkeys. They were strong enough to surpass her Thickness, and that frightened her.


    The gator was another piece of bad news. It was too slow to impale on the skewer, too thick-skinned and tough to harm with normal spells. The only thing Orisa managed was to slow it down while she backed away and tackled the monkeys.


    "-Wall Rush!-"


    "-Hand of God!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    After another step, her back bumped into something. When she turned around, Orisa saw a beautiful girl with long platinum-blond hair stare at her in shock.


    Everything happened in a split second. A look of surprise and panic on the girl''s face shifted into one full of determination. Orisa saw Tiana''s staff move upward and in her direction, and she understood. Her own hand rose up, pushing Mana forward.


    It was the only way.


    Two shouts shook the training field:


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"

 38 I understand. And Ism sorry.

    Tiana had to retreat, yielding to the endless flow of monkeys. She was cursing herself for the lack of defensive spells, but that was only natural as she rarely fought alone. The vi Durek siblings always stood by her side, taking care of her back and supporting her in every possible manner. Ultimately, her role was to destroy things while Bassa guarded her with his black armor, and Ramulie kept both of them alive and buffed.


    The seventh wave was designed to overrun cadets with a horde of small foes, while a slow but powerful gator was casually making its way to seal the deal. Fighters who focused on single target attacks or lacked any means to hamper their foes had no chance of winning. And while Tiana had a few ice spells, they all were tailored against single targets, too.


    So she had to slowly but steadily retreat, throwing the monkeys back with her shotgun magic. The spell''s might was beyond measure but of little use against tiny foes. Only a fraction of projectiles hit their mark, dealing very little damage. But she still had to use the spell for it was her only skill that could reliably push the foes away.


    After making another step, Tiana felt her back bump against something. ''Impossible! I have been tracing all the monkeys until now.'' Her mind dosed with a Concentration potion raced to find the answer, but there was none.


    She made an abrupt turn only to see Orisa perform the same motion. ''That girl! It had to be now?'' But Tiana could not place all the blame on Orisa, for she was at fault, too.


    Her staff began to rise after Tiana saw a monkey right behind Orisa, ready to strike her defenseless back. Her own back was probably in similar danger, but she had no time to turn around and fend it. ''So, it''s either me alone or both of us? I''m going to disappoint daddy again.'' But there was no other way.


    Tiana''s gaze shifted to focus on the foe, but she still caught a glimpse of Orisa''s eye quickly narrowing back from the shocked expression they were showing a moment ago.


    Two shouts shook the training field:


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    It took them a split second to grasp the meaning of each other''s actions. Like professional dancers who practiced together for years, both girls moved in sync, taking a small step forward and to the right. Now they stood shoulder to shoulder, each facing the other''s enemies.


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    Orisa turned to face Tiana and swiftly fell on one knee, spreading her hands in the opposite directions:


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    Two blasts of fire roared, one was directed at Orisa''s own sector while the other threw back Tiana''s opponents. The girl was quick on the uptake. She instantly turned to face Orisa, shifting her grip on the staff to aim its tip at Orisa''s field so that its base would face her own sector.


    "-Maul Shift!-"


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    Her enchanted staff launched buckshot from both ends, surprising both Orisa and viewers. The spell was great against multi-directional attacks, but it ate almost thrice the regular amount of Mana for each spell.


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    Chemically enchanted senses allowed both girls to track the targets with their peripheral vision, so they now were looking in each other''s eyes.


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Wall Rush!-"


    Tiana saw devils dancing in Orisa''s eyes. It was her first time observing a person that was having so much fun. By the look of it, Orisa had a hard time keeping her injured left hand straight. It was trembling noticeably. Despite that, a grin of endless joy occupied her face, and her eyes were gleaming with fun.


    "Sorry for intruding," she muttered after another dual blast.


    "Impudent brat," Tiana''s voice betrayed her, showing that she was not mad at all. After throwing another dual spell, she swiftly placed her right hand on Orisa''s head as if to pat her:


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Orisa swiftly rose to her feet, shot an air-smooch at Tiana and turned to the girl''s field, saying:


    "Your crock is close."


    At the same time, a thoroughly confused examination lead asked Supreme Commander in a nervous tone:


    "Sir, what would you like us to do? Should we stop the exam?"


    "It is of no importance to me," he answered with a stone face. "Whatever you do, the responsibility will not be placed on you."


    With two more rushing walls Orisa cleared an immediate threat, but the gator was only three meters away.


    ''I can''t throw it back far enough. It''s too big to imprison. Too dangerous to go melee. Creative thinking is everything I have.''


    Her accelerated and focused mind spent more than a second looking for a solution. By based on nothing rough estimations, the chance of successfully performing a feat she imagined was somewhere around seventy-two point two six percent. While the spell was still new and her body had not yet learned it, she still preferred to name it for future references and practice:


    "-Flip!-"


    Orisa fell on one knee and touched the floor, sending a Mana cloud towards the croc. It moved right above the ground with intent ''Transform in point five seconds. Move.'' Exactly half a second later, a horizontal Force Wall appeared under the crock''s left side. Its right edge shot upwards, and, acting as a spring trap, flipped the gator on its back.


    "-Wall Press!" - "Wall Press!-"


    Two horizontal walls pinned down both front paws, rendering the reptile immobile and unable to flip back. Its tender belly was now exposed to all sorts of interesting activities.


    "By the way," Orisa had to interrupt her speech after every other word to cast more spells, "did you try hitting the gator from beneath?"


    "No time," it took Tiana quite some time to reply for the same reason, "had to fend off little ones."


    Their combined effort halved the foes'' numbers, but it was still too much to fight head-on, leading to Mana overuse. Among other reasons for their poor situations was the fact that the monkeys had a rapid regeneration that healed up everything except fatal wounds.


    Orisa placed four walls in quick succession, creating a fence to cut off the sector with a flipped croc. The finishing touch was another horizontal wall above their heads, which made the whole construction looks like an unfinished house that was missing a door frame.


    Some of the monkeys stood in front of the walls, relentlessly slashing their knives against a semi-translucent surface. Other foes climbed the roof or ran around towards the only entrance. Orisa added another layer of walls inside their fortification and tapped Tiana on the shoulder:


    "Stand behind me. Don''t shoot my hands off, please."


    "-Shift Cancel!-"


    The girl took two steps back and pointed her staff at the opening while Orisa fell on one knee in front of the entrance, praying for her Thickness to hold on. The monkeys poured in, and Orisa met them with both hands:


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Firebird!-"


    Three bodies fell on the ground, but more took their place the same moment. Orisa cursed after one of the furry bastards stuck its blade in her leg. From such a close distance her strike cleanly disintegrated the beast''s head, but she didn''t have time to take the knife out as more apes rushed in.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Chain Lightning!-"


    Three more monkeys turned into a poorly cooked barbeque when they heard a sound of wall breaking behind their backs.


    ''Shit, only villains do that!'' Luckily, Orisa made a double layer of fortifications, so they still had some time.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Firebird!-"


    A moment later, three monkeys assaulted Orisa simultaneously, and, after toppling her on her back, they started working with their knives.


    "Fuaaaa!"


    The pain was many times stronger because of her sharpened senses. While each cut was not deep and too threatening because of her Thickness, the monkeys swung their weapons rapidly and relentlessly.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Chain Lightning!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Lesser Mend!-" -- "-Lesser Balm!-"


    "My gosh, are you-." Tiana fell on both knees in front of Orisa and gasped in shock from the amount of blood on Orisa''s chest and legs. Both her shirt and pants were full of holes and completely soaked in red.


    "Nothing.. unusual... Thank you."


    They both slowly rose to their feet glad beyond measure that these monkeys were the last to storm their front door.


    "Nothing unusual? Is this how you spend your free time?" Indignation and compassion were mixed together in Tiana''s shaky voice. She was not used to people getting injured that much.


    Another wall broke, and four monkeys jumped on Tiana''s back, stabbing her Energy Coat shield. She fell on her knees under their weight, and a moment later the Coat gave out, so their blades sunk deep into her body.


    "-Blast Nova!-"


    She cried out, releasing an impulse that threw away the beasts, killing them, and shattered half of the remaining walls.


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    "-Lesser Balm!-"


    She was ashamed of crying in front of her father and other people, but the pain was insufferable, as she was under the Concentration potion''s effects, too.


    It took her a few seconds to catch her breath, and when she raised her head to ascertain the situation, her face became white.


    "Orisa!"


    But it was too late. The blast threw Orisa as well, and she rolled well over ten meters before coming to a halt.


    She lay on her back, panting heavily with her arms out to the wide when the gator''s maw closed on her hand. The only saving grace was that it was her right hand covered with Force Guard, which at least saved it from being bitten off completely.


    "Fuuuuaaaack!"


    The gator''s tender bite immediately woke Orisa from her shock. One thing that had been saving her the whole exam was her new enraged state. Despite all the pain and suffering, there always was a part of her brain that kept working, kept thinking and operating. That part moved Orisa''s left hand and started slapping the croc:


    "-Shock Poke!-" -- "-Shock Poke!-" -- "-Shock Poke!-" -- "-Shock Poke!-"


    The overfed lizard released its fanged grip and started shaking its head from all the Mana going crazy inside its body. Orisa rolled to the side, spraying more blood from her broken hand. While two-thirds of her mind was screaming in pain, the remaining third thought, ''Dear Force Guard, I''m going to treat you a bottle of Cola tonight. You are my bro.''


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Lesser Balm!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Lesser Mend!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Tiana ran to Orisa, more tears in her eyes:


    "I''m so sorry! I''m so sorry!"


    "What are you talking about, dummy? You were hurt and did the only right thing," Orisa slowly patted Tiana on the head with her left hand. "It''s okay thanks to you."


    Then she turned around and came closer to a still delirious croc and kicked it:


    "Bad Dandy!"


    Another kick.


    "Bad crock!"


    And another one.


    "Stop putting unhealthy things in your mouth!"


    Tiana started wondering if the girl completely lost it from the pain. To stop that drama, she came closer to the gator and pressed her staff to its eye:


    "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    The beast became the one who completely lost it as its head turned into a mess. Orisa turned to Tiana with an unhappy expression on her face:


    "Aww, this crock is broken. I need a new one now," With that, she almost skipped to the other side, Tiana following closely behind and pondering if she should call a qualified healer to save the girl.


    When they came closer to the site, what they found was a gator wagging its tail helplessly.


    "See?" Orisa turned to Tiana with a bright grin. "Such a good boy! How do you like my new little friend?"


    "Rather.. exquisite?"


    "How is your Mana doing, by the way? I''m around one-third, I think."


    "Same here," answered Tiana after focusing on her reserves.


    "We will now go our separate ways, my friend," Orisa bent down to the crock and stroke its skin, "but don''t worry, for I will never forget our precious time together."


    "-Palm Push Strike!-" -- "-Raging Fist!-"


    The crock''s neck was almost torn away, and his body disappeared immediately. But instead of the eighth wave, the examination team lead came to them.


    "I must say, girls, you made a ruckus here today. After some consultations, we decided to include the seventh wave into your score." He enjoyed their smiles for a moment, and then continued. "If you''d like to, we can summon the next wave, but it won''t count, I''m afraid. What do you think?"


    "I''m game!" Orisa smiled brightly, looking into Tiana''s deep blue eyes.


    "I think we can-," her gaze stumbled upon an empty seat that her father had been occupying a few minutes ago. His assistants were gone, too. "I think we can stop now. I am grateful to both of you."


    She bowed down and swiftly went away.


    ''I can''t lose this chance!'' Orisa quickly bowed to the officer and followed Tiana, receiving a pack of healing spells on the move. When a minute later she finally found the girl, Tiana was standing behind one of the trees near the park, leaning her back on it. She was silently crying.


    "It is hard to be unable to reach to your parents. It hurts a lot, I know." Orisa said with a sad voice, carefully choosing her words.


    "How would you know that?" The girl spoke with her eyes still closed. Her expression was that of exhaustion, but not a physical one.


    "My father always thought of me as a loser inept of anything. He died long before I could achieve something in my life, still thinking that his only child was walking garbage," Orisa came closer to Tiana, their feet almost touching each other. "Every time I conquered another height, I thought about him and his words. I lived my life in dire need of approval, but the only person I wanted it from was no longer there. The one thought I carried through the ages was how useless I was, I am and will be."


    Orisa put her hands on Tiana''s waist and pulled the girl into her embrace. As her slender frame began to shudder in silent hysteria, Orisa started stroking her back slowly, saying with a soft and gentle voice:


    "I understand. And I''m sorry."

 39 Come to me, baby.

    A dam that she was carefully maintaining all this time finally blew up and emotions accumulated inside her slender figure poured out like a flood. Tiana''s body was shuddering as tears kept streaming from her eyes, soaking Orisa''s shoulder.


    At first, Orisa was only patting Tiana''s back. But as the girl''s hysteria raged on without any signs of slowing down, Orisa squeezed her tighter with her left hand. She felt Tiana''s arms lift up hesitantly, and a few moments later the girl finally gave up to her loneliness and hugged Orisa back.


    Despite the extensive sweating, Tiana''s hair felt wondrous to touch as Orisa started slowly stroking the back of the girl''s head and her nape. Her right hand swept over Tiana''s hair, caressing the pain away.


    They spent quite some time under the tree until Tiana calmed down substantially. When Orisa noticed that the girl had stopped crying, she loosened her grip around Tiana''s waist, and the girl pulled away. Both her eyes and nose were red, and it was even more noticeable because of her otherwise pale skin.


    In contrast to her overall hurt and helpless look, Tiana''s eyes narrowed as she stared at Orisa sharply:


    "Thank you for your care, but you don''t need to concern yourself with me any longer." She spoke in a wary tone as if talking with a known swindler. Seeing Orisa''s brows lift in confusion, the girl continued. "You think I don''t understand? It''s evident why you are so nice to me. I know I''m a valuable asset to have around, so you don''t need to prete-"


    "Karate Chop!" Orisa performed said motion, hitting Tiana''s forehead with the edge of her palm. As the startled expression took over the girl''s face, Orisa added irritably, as if talking to a stubborn kid. "What are you blabbering about, silly. To hell with your resources! I honestly want to be with you."


    Tiana''s face immediately turned red, and she tried to distance herself more, but her back met the tree. A panicked expression plastered over her face, and the perplexed Orisa facepalmed:


    "Not in that sense, idiot!" However, if Orisa were to be completely honest with herself, Tiana was indeed attractive. While she was pressing the girl''s slender frame to herself, it wasn''t just pity and compassion that were coursing through her mind.


    That very moment, Mirai''s bright smile surfaced in Orisa''s memory, and she felt a sting of guilt pierce her heart. She settled down on the grass right under the still standing Tiana and stared into the distance thoughtfully.


    Surprised by this turn of events, Tiana glared at Orisa warily for a few seconds, but nothing happened. Seeing no immediate danger to her chastity, Tiana sat down by Orisa''s side:


    "You look strange, you know?" There was no reply, so Tiana asked again, "far in the distance beyond the horizon, what is there? What are you looking at?"


    "The person I loved but left behind." She muttered, still lost in thought.


    "What was he like?"


    Orisa smirked from that pronoun and came back to her senses. She let out a long sigh, shoveling away her feelings, and turned to Tiana. Sitting cross-legged in front of the girl, Orisa tried to sound cheerful and carefree:


    "Enough with that gloomy shit already," Orisa was master of stowing her pain and troubles in the darkest corners of her mind, sucking up and moving on, "let''s talk about something girly-girly, like good girls we are. I must say your scattershot spell is amazing. And how effective it is, it literally blew the gator''s mind!"


    Tiana uncharacteristically rolled her eyes, although she was slowly getting used to Orisa''s company.


    "You are one to talk. How were you even able to perform so reasonably with your Enrage?"


    "Oh, shit!" Orisa quickly channeled a minimum amount of Mana into the Postponer, and it cleansed her of the Enrage that was still active. It felt like she came to a halt after running a marathon for hours. Fatigue covered her mind in a blanket, slowing every thought process. The only thing that kept her operational was a still lingering effect of the Concentration potion. Orisa had to re-evaluate Tiana''s capabilities. The girl looked slightly worn out, but she was in no way as exhausted as Orisa.


    They talked about the fight for some time when their peaceful get-together was interrupted:


    "There you are!" A slightly resentful voice belonged to Kanai who was pouting while giving her with an intent glare.


    "Oops, sorry! I-."


    "You accidentally forgot about us, yes." Iten stood by Kanai''s side. His voice was more amused than angry, so Orisa expected a quick pardon.


    Both boys turned to Tiana and bowed slightly. The girl attempted to stand up to greet them properly, but Orisa grabbed her hand:


    "We aren''t on the royal banquet, aren''t we?"


    The all sat under the same tree, looking like a bunch of unruly kids, all tattered and dirty. While the boys were mostly intact with occasional cuts on the gear, both Orisa and Tiana were practically in rags. ''I wonder how red would be Tiana''s face if she found out how much skin she is exposing now through these holes," Orisa cackled inwardly.


    "Kanai, I''m so glad for you and your progress," she started another round of exam''s discussion.


    "So, you aren''t glad for me?" Iten raised his brow in question.


    "Of course I am! But I was sure you''d pass the basic levels easil-."


    "Oh, I see. But you had to worry about your poor useless buddy, I see. He had no hopes of earning your trust. I see." Kanai spoke snobbishly and turned his head away in hmph motion.


    Orisa stared in disbelief, shifting her gaze between Kanai and Iten until the realization finally hit her:


    "You dicks! Stop trolling me!"


    "Tch-tch-tch. You shouldn''t speak such vulgar words in front of a lady." Kanai gestured towards Tiana then raised his index finger up and said in a lecturing manner. "It is much more appropriate to say wieners."


    Tiana went into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with one hand. ''Is that you, Lady Kaguya?'' Orisa smiled warmly while looking at her. It was the first time she saw the girl being so carefree and cheerful.


    "Setting aside the topic of this brute''s behavior," Kanai waved dismissingly at Orisa, "this was mostly to lady Tiana''s guidance. She advised me on various topics that night and helped better understand advanced casting techniques."


    "You don''t have to call me lady every time. Just Tiana is enough." The girl in question smiled, then added shyly, "and you are welcome."


    Tiana still felt slightly uncomfortable in their company. All her inner demons were there, they never left her side. But to her own surprise, Tiana noticed that she wanted to give it a try. She wanted to know the feeling of having friends and sharing memories together. It all was new to her and scared her greatly, but she wished to make an effort in befriending this bizarre trio.


    They chatted some more before a deep and strong voice startled them:


    "Quite a feat you performed on the field."


    Hunter Nowa stood a few meters away from them. For some reason, his helm was not on his head as usual but in his hands instead. Orisa could not help but awe again at how generic his face was. Realizing the hunter was addressing them, Orisa tried to stand up but felt someone''s grip on her wrist:


    "We aren''t on the royal banquet, aren''t we?" Tiana spoke, imitating Orisa''s tone.


    "You grew up so fast..." Orisa wiped an imaginary tear and turned to Nowa. "I''m glad to see you again, Hunter Nowa. Care to join our foodless picnic?"


    "As tempting as your kind offer is, there are other matters requiring my attention now. I was solely glad to see you four together, so stopped by to greet your amusing party."


    Saying all that, he strolled away with a satisfied smile on his face.


    ''Glad to see us together? Amusing party?'' After looking around, Orisa noticed that it was not only her who was confused.


    "While I''m not entirely surprised because it involves you, I still wanted to make sure," Tiana spoke in a rather awed tone, "do you happen to know hunter Goalo in person?"


    "Well, yes, but actually no. Nowa gave a lecture during the Foundation festival that I was unable to attend. So out teacher, Miss Satou introduced us, and he then helped me a bit in person. I know he is a famous hunter, but why do you sound so surprised?"


    "Famous hunter?" Tiana couldn''t help but chuckle. "He is one of the strongest people alive right now."


    They sat in thoughtful silence for some time before deciding to call it a day.


    "Shower, I''m on my way!" Orisa stood up, stretching her body. "By the way, Tiana, I haven''t seen you there even once."


    The girl in question quickly backed away, covering her womanly spots, an alarmed expression showing on her face:


    "We have our own shower. What is it that you want from me?"


    "Oh, I see. Well, nothing of course. I just wanted to wash your back." Releasing a burst of laughter, Orisa walked away.


    "I''m sorry for the patient''s behavior," Kanai bowed to Tiana with a regretful face, "we are experimenting with new meds, so there are side effects to the treatment."


    When Kanai moved to catch up with Orisa, Iten turned to a thoroughly shocked lady and shrugged apologetically. As the boy left to join his teammates, Tiana followed him with her eyes until Orisa''s back came into view.


    "Thank you." The girl muttered with a smile on her face.


    ---


    ---


    Later this evening, an exhausted but clean and fed Orisa came back to the dorm. An empty bed in the corner of the room looked like a rotting wound. She couldn''t help but bit her lip, and her only hope was that the weariness from the day would knock her out.


    Both Onuki and Toatre were sitting on their beds and reading.


    "Heya, girls. I''m glad that you made it out in one piece and with good results, too."


    "Not as good as yours, but yes," Onuki grumbled quietly.


    After hearing the girl''s voice, Orisa immediately recalled the piercing event that occurred today, and her cheeks reddened slightly. Onuki noticed her reaction and smirked dirty like a drug dealer.


    "It was quite entertaining to follow your actions today, Orisa," murmured Toatre in her usual otherworldly manner, turning the page in her book. She then looked up from her read and continued while giving Orisa a closer inspection. "My guess is that you will be a frequent customer among nearby clothiers, judging by the speed at which you obliterate your gear. I have no confidence in your budgeting skills, too."


    "Wait-wait-wait, Toatre, dear," Orisa dashed to the girl''s bed and grabbed her shoulders with a shocked expression. "Was that a joke?!"


    Onuki let out short laughter, while Toatre continued in her usual tone:


    "Why, yes. Apparently, you have a finely honed sense of humor, too."


    "Thank you, sweetie," Orisa proceeded to cuddle Toatre shamelessly.


    She managed to snuggle her way into Toatre''s bed somehow. Thankfully, their constitution allowed them to occupy it without significant discomfort to each other.


    "Speaking of budgeting, have you thought about your career choice tomorrow?" Orisa asked nobody in particular.


    "We had not received the letters of invitation to any divisions yet. Hence, it''s hard to say," Onuki said indifferently. "I, however, don''t really care and am okay with any division."


    "I plan to leave tomorrow," Toatre said nonchalantly, turning another page.


    "YOU WHAT, MATE?!" The startled Orisa almost fell from the bed. "Are you out of your mind!?"


    "I would know by this time, so I''m probably sane," she said in the same tone. "It occurred to me today that I do not enjoy combat. With that in mind, I spoke to Miss Satou. She was kind enough to recommend me to an artisan, so I am his apprentice as of today."


    "Wao, so quickly. Oh, then I''m so glad for you, dear!" More snuggling followed and squirming Toatre finally pushed the perpetrator out of her bed.


    When Orisa was about to occupy her own berth, they heard a knock on the door. Curious, Orisa went to check on it, and a moment later Youko Satou came inside.


    "Good evening, girls. You were probably expecting them tomorrow morning, but the letters came out earlier. Here they are," she handed each of them a stack of small envelopes.


    When her hand moved towards Orisa to deliver her letters, Youko paused and gave her a strange look. After a short silent suspension, Miss Satou left the room, saying from the doorframe:


    "Consider them carefully, for they would determine your future."


    Orisa crashed soundly on her bed and looked curiously at the thick stack of envelopes. They all were signed and stamped, so it was easy to get an idea without unsealing them. She started skimming through the envelopes:


    - Engineering tech. Basic squadron.


    - Defenders. Basic squadron.


    - Police. Basic squadron.


    - Army. Basic squadron.


    - Defenders. Special unit: Cover.


    - Defenders. Special unit: Nightwatch.


    - Defenders. Special unit: Ensealing line.


    - Police. Special unit: Chasers.


    - Police. Special unit: Control.


    - Army. Special unit: Assault.


    - Army. Special unit: Powerhouse.


    - Defenders. Elite group: Guardians.


    - Army. Elite group: Crusaders.


    Her hands were shaking. She could not wrap her head around the fact that her efforts were not only recognized but deserved such praise. Orisa probably would have started crying from the emotions that were overwhelming her if not for the last letter in the stack of papers.


    It was a letter without any marks and stamps, and there was no seal on it, too. Taking a deep breath, Orisa opened the letter and took out a small note with poor handwriting:


    "When you are through with all these geezers'' whining, let''s chitty-chat. I''ll be here until tomorrow''s evening. Come to me, baby.


    Drugan Doppio."


    ---


    ---


    The meeting room they were sitting in was sealed with his Entomb spell. Among other properties, it also blocked all outgoing noises, leaving incoming sounds intact.


    The two of them sat across a small table, wrapping up their discussion. Hunter Nowa was patiently studying his charming conversationalist with a frozen expression, although his blood was long past boiling stage.


    On the other side of the table, plastered over the sofa was a rather peculiar individual. Extremely thin and heavily tanned man little above thirty wore a small leather jacket that was unable to cover his otherwise bare chest, revealing a six-pack and four seals above it. Bright-green lipstick and deep-blue eye shadow were fighting for the observer''s attention on his face. The picture was crowned with a pink curly combover haircut. The man said in a sweet voice:


    "I don''t know, Nowa, sweetie. Your idea is well and everything and I''ll support you however I can. That glorious shit you had shown me earlier this morningwas super lit. But sweetie-."


    "One more sweetie and I will break your neck." Hunter Nowa said calmly.


    "Honey?"


    "Hand."


    "Dear?"


    "Finger."


    The men took a thoughtful look at his hand before continuing the phrase:


    "But Nowa, friend, you are asking too much."


    "I believe in your elaborate imagination. Both the funds and connections are guaranteed, too."


    "Well, I have a few ideas, but..." He let out a long sigh and continued with an amused tone. "But I must say, your tasks are quite demanding. I can understand the ones you mentioned first, but the Supreme Commander''s own daughter? I don''t know. But, shit, I''m so curious to try!"

 40 Childhoods End

    Kanai and Iten were having breakfast the next morning when an F-scale tornado dropped on the other side of their table.


    "What the hell happened again?" Kanai voiced the question after witnessing Orisa''s I-will-fucking-murder-everyone look.


    If pouts or furrowed brows had the power to kill, at least everyone in this world would have been dead already. Orisa threw them a stack of opened and thoroughly wrinkled envelopes instead of the answer and proceeded to bang her head against the table.


    "I see. You still can''t read? Let me and Iten help you, then." Immediately after finishing the joke Kanai regretted not having an ability to suck the words back as a thick murderous intent pierced his chest.


    Together with Iten, they split the stack and quickly skimmed through the envelopes. Their faces grew more shocked with each letter.


    "Well, isn''t it great? I mean, you were invited into top teams of the world," while he tried to sound cheerful, it was evident that Kanai felt sad about the perspective of being separated from his friend.


    "It does look appealing, indeed. Why are you so frustrated? Worried about us?" Iten''s comment followed right away.


    "Read the contents." She sounded more tired than angry, resting her head on her crossed arms.


    They went through the first two letters before Iten looked up and said in an understanding tone:


    "They are all like that?"


    "Yeah, except basic squadrons." She groaned loudly and scratched her head in irritation. "Of course they''d want me to fight without Enrage. What was I even expecting from this freaking lead game designer and his plans on my life?"


    "But you did well yesterday. Actually, how did you do it?" Kanai''s curiosity surfaced as he gave back the letters.


    "Concentration potion. I still don''t know the details, but when I use it together with Enrage, something clicks inside me, and I turn into a smart and calm war machine."


    "So what is the problem? You just..." With a perplexed expression, Kanai tried to argue but quickly understood the situation, "uh, I see. Shit."


    "Indeed. Where am I supposed to get all these potions?" She quickly raised her palm to stop Iten for interjecting. "And don''t you dare mention Tiana. She is my friend and not a free out-of-jail ticket. Moreover, even if I''d manage to get the potions somehow, am I supposed to carry them all the time? What would I do if they got damaged while we are in combat? And tons of other complications, too, including their condition for me to not use it in the first place. Unreal."


    "I think we could solve any problem that you mentioned, but solving them all at the same time may prove to be a difficult task." Iten adjusted his non-existent glasses before going back to his food.


    "And one last thing on that matter," she paused and waited until both boys looked at her. "I may not look like this and behave like an ass, but I really don''t want to part ways with you. It''s not just that it would complicate our world-saving quest, but because I like you both despite your trolling. Oh, fuck, I so hate you."


    "Yeah, that''s our girl." Kanai shook head in amusement.


    "So, here is the thing. There was another letter in the stack and quite a strange one, too" Orisa stretched the piece of paper on the table so that both boys could read it at the same time.


    "Sounds like a gay trap." Kanai slowly spoke with a furrowed brow.


    "Traps are not gay!" She quickly retaliated on his baseless assault.


    "Yeah-yeah, traps are just flat futas, we all know the drill."


    Their laughter filled the canteen, and Iten tried to look like he was not associated with them.


    "Let us ascertain our options and priorities," Iten suggested when they came out from the breakfast. "First priority is to stay together. The easiest option here is to leave the Military."


    "But it would leave us bare and helpless in many ways," Kanai voiced his worries.


    "Judging by your letters," Orisa outstretched her legs and hands, popping the joints soundly, "we won''t be able to select the same squad, except for the basic one. But as far as I understood, there are many different basic groups, hence no guarantee that we''d end together, too."


    "Seems like our safest bet is to leave the Military." Iten summarized their options grimly.


    Orisa noticed a walking disaster coming their way and braced for impact.


    "Oi-oi, Warlord Killer Queen Absolute Monarch Orisa, time to share your conspiracy! You promised!" Clemen started shouting when he was still ten meters away from them, making Orisa facepalm.


    "Clemen, you won''t be able to conspire with us if you will keep shouting like that, you know?"


    The boy''s palm instantly covered his mouth, and he even ducked a little. ''We are fucking doomed,'' Orisa dejectedly thought while observing his crouching figure. Their bench was too small to house three people, so she stood up, leaving a spot between Kanai and Iten for their would-be compatriot. ''I don''t know how wise it is to recruit him, but we still don''t understand the danger of knowing about the waves and their fate. What if he goes spilling it left and right and next day assassins show up to shut us?'' After sighing inwardly, Orisa began in a captain-like tone:


    "Cadet, I''ll be honest with you. The situation is grim, and the future is dark. Our small group discovered the phenomenon know to you the Waves is becoming more frequent." Orisa paused to let Clemen process this information, but by his unchanged look she understood that he still had zero clues. "The Waves will happen more often, meaning more Beasts every day, twice a day, and even every hour. We have around five months. The world is doomed."


    Now he grasped the situation, at least that''s how Orisa perceived his slightly raised brow.


    "What is our plan, Leader?"


    "You are not going to panic and scream while running around?" Kanai was shocked and looked at Clemen in disbelief.


    "Well, this is all bad and shit, but we are already dead, right?" He leaned forward with his hands clasped, fingers crossed, assuming Gendo pose. "Are we sure this is all real? What do we know about this place? Does the chicken really have that taste?"


    ''He is either cleverly trolling us or... Or I don''t know.'' She was speechless.


    "Anyhow," Orisa cleared her throat and forced the conversation forward, "our plan is to learn more about the Waves and try to figure out a way to save our asses and maybe the world, too."


    "Go to Miss Satou then. She is a smart and curvy woman. Why not ask her?" He suggested in a calm voice.


    Orisa slowly crossed her throat with her thumb while glaring at him with a scary face.


    "Why? She is a nice chick." He was still clueless.


    "Are you so sure? Do you know who you can trust here? What if you reveal this knowledge and the next morning there will be a fresh bump of dirt under the tree?" She tried her hardest to look frightening, but Clemen was unfazed. "Well, we plan to tackle the issue slowly and carefully. Maybe you are right, but we must be absolutely sure before contacting anyone. By the way, what was your career choice?"


    "How should I know? Where you go, there I go as well." He said as if stating something obvious.


    The trio exchanged surprised looks but said nothing.


    "Actually, how is our organization called?" Clemen was restless in shaking the ground under their feet. A dumbfounded silence spread across the bench until Iten suddenly declared:


    "Childhood''s End. That''s our name."


    "Wao!" - "Yey!" Orisa and Kanai yelled at the same time.


    "I think something like the Dark Order of Unfathomably Secretive Godly Heaven Sacred Revolution would fit better. But whatever." Clemen sighed in a slight disappointment.


    "What are you all doing here?" Onuki''s calm voice almost caused four simultaneous infarcts.


    "Absolutely nothing you need to know! It''s surely not related to doomsday or anything!" Clemen jumped up and began articulating vividly.


    "Talking about our career choices," Orisa said after slamming Clemen back on the bench. "Have you decided on something, Onuki?"


    "I... I''m still not sure," she shuffled her feet awkwardly.


    "Would be great to end up in one squad, right?" Orisa smiled brightly in an attempt to cheer her up, and Onuki smiled back, relaxing a little.


    "Would you be okay with joining our group if we were to leave the Military?" Orisa continued after a small pause. Onuki nodded reluctantly, hugging her sides. "Great. We have around two hours to make the final decision. I need to check on one thing quickly, please, wait for me here." And so, she left to find the last piece of the puzzle.


    ---


    ---


    Orisa arrived at the guest quarter in hopes to find her target but was disappointed by the guard:


    "Ahem, no. Luckily, you won''t find, ahem, the Captain here. He went into the park, or so I heard."


    "What does he look like?" She asked the last question and was ready to leave.


    "Oh, well, you know..." For some reason, the guard''s attitude was unnerving. Orisa so wanted to slap his face. "If you see someone who looks unusual and sticks out of the crowd, that''s him."


    She turned around and left while grumbling inwardly.


    Twenty minutes later, Orisa was ready to give up when she accidentally stumbled upon a peculiar man. He lay on the grass and was whispering to a chirping bird on his palm.


    Orisa was perplexed by his appearance.


    He was topless and wore only skin-tight black leggings with an emblem of a barking dog on both knees. If Orisa would have been a full-fledged woman, she would probably start drooling over his six-pack and overall fit built. Even his pink hair and overly excessive makeup would not be able to drive off hungry females.


    But Orisa was only perplexed.


    "Um, Captain Dippo?"


    "Oya? Is it you, my sweet kitten? Come, have a sit," he slapped the grass by his side, at the same time grabbing and throwing away the bird in one swift motion.


    "Um, I''m okay here, thank you."


    "Honey, come here, I said." Orisa immediately imagined herself in place of the bird and obediently pressed her bottoms down. "See? Good girl, I already like you."


    "So, um, I-."


    "Seems like those geezers didn''t like you the way you are and wanted some stupid stuff?" He murmured sweetly, and Orisa quietly nodded back.


    "You knew? How?"


    "Dear, I''ve been scouting people for almost seven years now. I know their way of thinking."


    They sat in silence, enjoying the weather. A few minutes later the man turned to Orisa and suddenly asked:


    "So, what do you think?"


    "About what?"


    "Dummy, about joining me, of course!"


    "Um, where? In what? How? Who are you?" Orisa''s irritation began to surface little by little despite the calming weather.


    "What do you mean?" Now, Dippo became agitated and sat on the grass, looking at Orisa intently. "What was the letter for?"


    Orisa calmly took out a scrap of paper and handed it to him.


    "Silly me, that''s the wrong one," he theatrically slapped his forehead. "But you are still here, how wonderful it is, right?"


    "I guess..?" She was so unsure of everything that was going on here.


    Orisa also kept in mind the time pressing on her and demanding her decision. She had to make a choice not only for herself but for other people, too. It was scary. She was used to this, she thought. But when the price was their lives and not just positions and salaries, it became that much harder to choose.


    "Ok, let''s get to the point," he turned to her in exactly the same motion as she turned to Tiana yesterday, and sat cross-legged, staring at her intently. "Here is the thing, sweetie. I''m the Captain of the Army''s special unit the Hounds."


    The Hounds was a relatively small unit as there were only seven groups operating at the moment. Each group member Dippo picked personally. They trained together for some time under his direct supervision before going into a free roaming mode.


    The goal of the Hounds was to exterminate roaming Beasts in the wilderness, preventing them from stacking into big and threatening packs. They usually had a general area assigned to them but were free to choose where and how to hunt. Once a month, they had to report back to the Captain with logs and proofs of their activity.


    "How do you hunt the Beasts? Do they have some, I don''t know, pattern or something?"


    "Of course they do. It is common knowledge that the Beasts move away from the epicenter of the Cataclysm. Unless they encounter a significant source of Mana, they move in a straight line, away and away."


    "Source of Mana? Are they hungry for Mana? Not for people?" Orisa was shocked by this revelation.


    "Dear me, what are they even teaching to you? So you are saying that you don''t know how they operate?" Orisa shook her head, so the Captain continued. "That''s easy. They eat Mana, evolving thanks to that. That''s why they attack big Mana gathering, like cities and camps. Camps actually are equipped with special devices to generate strong Mana impulses to attract more Beasts."


    "THEY WHAT!?" Orisa flipped.


    "My jam, don''t scream, you are hurting my sensitive ears. Think about it for a second. You need a place to gather the fledglings and train them, constantly using tons of Mana. Of course, you would need to protect them, right? You also need something to drive the Wavespawn away from cities, farms, roads and so on, right?"


    Orisa nodded. The logic was sound. Very pragmatic, even dirty, but still sound. Spreading firepower was unwise. If one could gather enemies in one spot with the best defense possible, who wouldn''t do that?


    "Why the Beasts move away from the epicenter?" She finally asked.


    "How the hell should I know, idiot? We study them, yes, but only so far as to keep in touch with their behavior."


    "And nobody had ever been to the epicenter?"


    "Well, I''m sure there were people that made it so far. They just were unable to tell the tale." A scary smirk covered his face.


    "Tell me more about the training, study, and methods, sir."


    "Oya? Well." He popped the joints on his hands before slumping back on the grass. "I''ll need you quickly finish all ten levels of the Dungeon. Then we''d move to our headquarters, of course. There is a huge library here for you lot to learn some basics or whatever. I''ll personally drill you, too, and then we''ll go out hunting."


    "How long until we would be able to hunt freely?"


    "How should I know? It all depends on you. The best result was three weeks. The dumbest of the fucks I had to tutor for two months." He spat on the ground angrily.


    "Do you have the squad filled up?"


    "Nah, only a few slots, and I''d need like five or maybe seven more people. I have very high standards, you know?" Orisa shivered after his words and quickly asked:


    "Aren''t you afraid of me and my fighting style?"


    "I can''t care less, stupid. You are not a moron to go all out amidst your team, right?" She nodded quickly. "See? Then that''s good. You look tasty with all your flashy skills and moves. Your card was quite interesting, too, so I''m sure you''ll be able to figure something and be useful in the meantime. Am I right, darling?"


    She nodded again before diving into her thoughts. Some time passed, and Dippo spoke again:


    "Are we done with the interrogation? Time is ticking, cutie. I want you now, but if you don''t like it, then stop wasting my time."


    She let out a long sigh. On the one hand, there was freedom and danger of poverty and other scary things. On the other hand, almost everything they wanted, but a strange and suspicious fellow. That other hand smelled fishy, but like every trap, it was tempting and well-thought.


    Finally, Orisa turned to him and spoke in a heavy voice:


    "I have three conditions."


    ===


    ===


    Book 1: Childhood''s End.


    -The end-


    ===


    ===


    AN:


    And with that, we wrap up the first part of the story. So-called school days. Careless youth. Heh.


    A little over 100k words, 38 chapters, 2 months, and we are done with the first part of the story. The story should wrap up in 3 books, so we are 1/3 of the plot now.


    Important thing first - I, of course, will continue the story. It will be written here, too, so you won''t have to follow/read another book. It is simply to structure my thoughts, story arcs etc-etc better.


    Plus, I really wanted an achievable milestone. It helps with motivation.


    I also needed this "book 1" business to take a short not-break. It''s not a normal break for 2 reasons:


    1. I''ll use it to plan and structure the second book.


    2. I really need to work more on the first chapters. While I know that the quality of my last chapters is still lacking, the difference between them and the older ones is like the Grand Canyon.


    Also, I __MIGHT__ post an information chapter with a compilation of some useful stuff (like spells, divisions, pieces of worldbuilding) but no promises.


    I plan to be back with new updates in 7-14 days. I really-really hope that not all of you''ll forget about me by that time >_>


    I can''t thank you enough for reading. Honestly. It''s so cool.


    While I''m working on the skeleton of the second book (that, I repeat, will be posted here, too), please, if you''d be so kind as to leave a review >_<


    Thank you for reading! <3

 41 Orisa: Homecoming

    Book 2: Path of Exile.


    ===


    ===


    The scenery flicked by on the other side of the blurred window. Raindrops ran down the thick glass, leaving behind whimsical trails that were to linger for a moment and then be washed away by a fresh batch of droplets.


    The first rain in twenty-eight days started half an hour ago and had shown no signs of stopping yet. ''A month passed already? Or should I say only a month passed?''


    The train car was rocking monotonously from side to side. Together with the rain, they further submerged Orisa into a melancholic mood. She was half sleepy from the day''s activities and half saddened by the parting with Toatre. The girl decided to leave the Military and join some workshop in the central region of the continent, and that fact shook Orisa more than she wanted to admit.


    They were not the besties, nor were Toatre a part of their small revolutionary circle. But she was always there, gracefully riding the waves of time. Somehow she ended in a parallel flow, too far away to take part in the trio''s daily life, but close enough to talk, cuddle or solely admire her otherworldly elegance.


    ''Let''s meet again, my beautiful little fairy,'' she let out the last bitter thought and turned back to the window.


    The night was governing over the world for a good few hours already, which meant it was around midnight now. The remaining time after her meeting flew by quickly, turning the day into a chaotic kaleidoscope of many small events.


    Her negotiation with Drugan Dippo, her new Captain, was a sight to behold. While the first two conditions she made were both accepted without a hitch to her endless surprise, the last one turned into a showdown...


    ~~~


    "Stop calling me sweetie, honey, pumpkin, and other shit," Orisa stated her final term with an even voice, not expecting any resistance.


    "No."


    "Excuse me?" She was baffled by Dippo''s swift and firm reply.


    "No, love, I''m calling my subordinates however I want. You, my sweet kitten, is in no position to make such demands," he dexterously jumped back on his feet and stared down at Orisa who was still sitting on the ground.


    "Okay, then I''ll pass," conversely, she settled on the grass and rested her head over her arms, looking at Dippo expectantly.


    "Stop fucking with me, birdy, that''s not going to work," he shook his pink hair theatrically. "You are failing not only yourself but your dear underlings, too. You lot won''t fit into any other group, I swear."


    "Everyone agreed to leave the Military with me," she smiled victoriously. "And they are my friends, thank you."


    They glared daggers at each other, not wanting to lose a single step. The outcome was important first and foremost to set a precedent. If any of them would back away, it will be harder to hold one''s ground in the future.


    "You don''t have balls to pull it off, sweet pea. Bringing ruin on yourself and your little army is what you truly want?"


    "I honestly want at least some level of respect," she said before extending her right hand. "Compromise? You can say whatever you want unless there is someone else nearby."


    Drugan Dippo gave the girl a curious look. He slowly began to see the reason behind the plan.


    ~~~


    Orisa chuckled over her small victory and took a crystal out of her backpack. She bought one from Bavan of the Chargery to practice whenever she got a free moment. The exam she took the other day proved how beneficial her training was, so Orisa decided to press the practice even more.


    She understood well the fact that the further she went with this training, the fewer results she would get, but one cannot be too prepared. Also, she had nothing better to do here without Internet, games, or even manga and novels to sink her time. To be honest, the lack of any amusements was the source of her progress. She merely had nothing better to do than train and study, what a pathetic reason, indeed.


    Orisa focused momentarily on the crystal and began injecting her Mana inside the thing. The poor little piece of ore was full some twenty seconds later, so she started sucking it dry. That was her new portable training routine - fill the crystal then drain it out, rinse and repeat. After a few reruns, she no longer had to focus on the exercise. Instead, her mind went over the events of the day, which felt long and exhausting.


    Her first condition for joining Dippo''s Hounds was that she would bring her friends, too. They had a small discussion over Onuki''s profile since Drugan had doubts about both her usefulness and willpower to work in the field. In the end, he waved it off as Orisa''s responsibility for the girl with something like "you are digging her grave, but why should I care? We''ll shape her useful, anyway."


    Orisa then had a long discussion with her peers after they had met Drugan Dippo. Their reaction was... diverse.


    "I should probably leave the Military," Onuki said, shivering. "Sweeping the streets at midnight is probably safer than being by this... person''s side."


    "Guys, please!" Orisa had to raise her voice. "I know I''m asking too much, but trust in me. That chap is freaking crazy, I know. But his conditions are otherwise perfect and there won''t be any offer like that."


    She felt a little guilty for not bringing Onuki onboard with their tiny secret society, but it was for the best for now. The more people they had shared their quest with, the more risk there would be.


    Next was a farewell with Toatre which Orisa didn''t want to relive again even inside her memory. A few more hours flew by unnoticed while she was preparing for her trip. And it was another point of guilt for her as she pondered again and again if she should bring at least Kanai and Iten with her. In the end, she decided against it, and both boys looked quite betrayed when she told them about her leave. But she wanted to have some quality time with Rita without a need to watch her words on various sensitive matters. Orisa also thought against imposing on her mentor and friend even more than she had to, so the boys were left behind. With that in mind, she left her partners, asking them to relay a short message to Tiana so that the girl would know about Orisa''s temporary absence, too.


    She managed to plead away not only the crystal she now was using for training but a book on modern engineering and crafting, too. It was Orisa''s long-thought aim to learn more about the technology level of this world as well as various fields in which she could sink her efforts.


    Orisa had already forgotten how freedom felt after spending almost one month in isolation of the training camp. But today, after signing the contract and getting her tag re-stamped, she was free to leave the walls. The one week period they had to choose and finalize their contracts now had turned into a short vacation because of the swift decision Orisa made with Dippo.


    So she quickly packed all the necessities and her newly obtained loot and jumped on the back of a cart that was heading towards the town. Unlike that time with Youko, the ride now was slower and even bumpier, but she had to make do with just that, spending these few hours on the crystal and the book.


    The sun was about to set when she made it to the train station, so Orisa ran to the ticket office but had to stop a few meters away from it, slapping her forehead. ''And where am I supposed to go? I know the arrival chamber''s number, but what city is its base? Sad to be so dumb.''


    "Yes?" a cashier greeted her bleakly, bored to death by his night shift.


    "Um, hello. I, um, really sorry, but can you help me?" Orisa tried to sound as sheepishly as she could. "It is so stupid, but I forgot the station''s name. I only know that the arrival chamber seventy-one is there."


    "Your tag, please," the man said with a more awake expression. He looked at the piece of metal for a few seconds, apparently making sure that Orisa was no deserter.


    Besides her bio, the tag now contained additional information about the training camp she came from and her occupation, the Hounds. One could assume that Orisa was now free to run away, but that was not true. When she left the camp, the guards at the exit warned her about one week limit for her absence, or else they''ll report her as a deserter anyway.


    "Give me a few minutes. On a side note, considering your specialization, it is recommended to own a map. Or so I''d assume."


    "Oh, thank you! Do you have a map for sale?" Orisa''s eyes shone brightly.


    "Missy, we are a train station."


    "Sorry..."


    But the idea was worth remembering. ''I need a notepad for bright ideas, actually.''


    She got the station''s name after a minute''s wait and purchased a ticket for one mid. Luckily, the train was due in half an hour, and that time Orisa had spent on more reading.


    For hours later, her eyelids started growing heavy, and she began to yawn. The long and eventful day finally caught up with Orisa, but she had to stay awake at least two more hours since her station was nearing. She stood up and began stretching exercises without releasing the crystal from her grip. It helped her wake up a little, so Orisa went back to reading.


    The book was, in fact, another exercise to her. She was using her second Mana layer to make a short barely visible hand that was holding the book and turning its pages. Together with the crystal, they made her new concentration plus control plus Mana pool exercise.


    The information she got from the book so far was quite disappointing. On the one hand, the world possessed rather advanced technologies like lifts, motorbikes, semi-automatic cannons, and such; they were all powered by the user''s Mana or charged crystals. On the other hand, they were so rare due to their high cost that it was pointless to count on them in her daily life and their quest. Both their production was costly due to materials that were supposed to withstand constant Mana flows, and the maintenance seemed pricy as well. Orisa, however, kept reading, picking small ideas here and there; for now, they were of little use, but she could return to them later, in due time.


    She walked through the vaguely familiar street two hours later and arrived at the INN where she woke up after their wolf endeavor at the start of her journey. The room she got was almost the same as the one she woke up on that day, and memories flooded her mind. She recalled how they sat in the room together with Rita, opening their souls to each other. A warm and fuzzy feeling spread inside.


    The first half of the next day passed with Orisa walking around the streets and learning about the world, or at least about this particular town. It was much smaller than the one near her training camp; more village than a town, honestly. The main street with most of the activities spread over it, plus some branching paths here and there filled with nothing but residential buildings.


    Most of the time until midday, Orisa spent inside shops or near stalls, learning prices and drooling from books. The bookstore made her willpower undergo an ultimate ordeal by presenting a variety of reasonably priced books on many compelling topics. None the less, both her finances and inventory space were limited, so Orisa had to restrict herself to the map of the continent and the book. Indeed, it was the Book, The one and only; she bought the promised and coveted Fantastic Waves and Where to Fight Them. Another purchase she made was a bunch of the simplest pocket watches for her and comrades to wear.


    Around the noon Orisa decided to wrap things up and move towards the Arrival Chamber. The question of transportation rose again, so she went to poke the guards, this time being a little wary of them due to her past experience:


    "Greetings, fellow guards, can you help me a little?"


    "Can we see your tag?" After giving his partner a look, the first guard asked politely. Orisa expected that much and handed them the tag without further ado. "How can we help you?"


    "I''m heading towards the Arrival Chamber to meet a friend but actually don''t know of any common means of transportation. Could you advise me something relatively fast and cheap?"


    "Before that, do you actually have a permit to enter?" The same man asked with a mildly surprised voice.


    "A permit? What? Why..." Her mood instantly plummeted as the implication of his words hit her.


    "The Tower is off-limits unless you are assigned there. You should have asked your friend to get you the permit," he added apologetically.


    "I wanted to make a surprise for Rita..." Orisa hanged her head dejectedly.


    "Rita? Do you mean Miss Stronoff?"


    "Well, yes... Why?"


    The guards exchanged long looks before the second man spoke:


    "Our shift is over twenty minutes. We can give you a ride if you are okay with waiting before we confirm everything with Miss Stronoff."


    "I am totally okay, thank you!" The sun shone brighter as a boulder fell off from her chest.


    They were closing upon the Tower an hour later when Orisa saw a familiar trio on the horizon. As they slowed down to exchange greetings, the Captain noticed her:


    "Isn''t that our Bloody Hero? Heya there, missy. What''s the deal?"


    "Captain, sir, do you know the girl?" Spoke the guard with whom she was sharing a horse.


    "''Course I know her, damn. She is one nice kid, Plim, I''m telling you!"


    "Do you think we can let her inside without the permit?"


    "Sure as hell, on my authority." He glanced at Orisa again. "Visiting Rita?"


    "Yes, sir. And thank you for the gloves, too. I''m using them daily." She thanked him humbly bowing her head.


    "Don''t even mention small things, girl. We''ll talk later," he said before sending his horse forward.


    She wanted to greet other members of his trio, but they quickly followed their Captain only nodding to her in recognition.


    Orisa had been waiting for two more hours before the door to the guest room she was now occupying opened, and a familiar red-headed figure appeared inside the doorframe.


    "Orisa?!" The woman exclaimed.


    Upon hearing her voice, Orisa''s heart clutched from all the feelings that immediately surfaced, and she lunged onto Rita to place her into a tight embrace.


    They froze in place and time, losing themselves in a heartwarming reunion. Both girls tried not to cry but lost that hopeless battle and gave up to emotions.


    In her past life, Orisa was not on the emotional side of things, and she even pondered the question a few times during her stay in this world. She could only guess, but it was probably related to both her new female body and a younger age that tended to be more emotional, too.


    But she didn''t mind. More warmth spread across her body with each passing moment. Rita''s embrace was soft and tender; she emitted a caring, motherly aura and even smelled nostalgically to Orisa''s surprise.


    "Oh, dear," Rita was at a loss of words and kept stroking Orisa''s back.


    "I know, I missed you too," she said, laughing softly.


    They had spent a few more seconds like that before moving to sit on the sofa. Rita''s smile was so caring and warm that Orisa almost lost it again. To fight another wave of tears of joy, she gripped Rita''s hand tighter.


    "I have so many things to tell you, but they could wait," she said after collecting her thoughts. Upon hearing that, Rita''s expression turned serious as she asked in a concerned tone:


    "Something bad happened to you?"


    "Is it safe to talk here?" Orisa asked again, ignoring Rita''s question.


    "As safe as anywhere here. What happened, dear?"


    "I have a question that I need you to answer honestly, without thinking a single moment. Promise me."


    "Of course I''m always honest with you! What''s going on, Orisa? How can I help you?" Rita''s voice was a mix of worry and encouragement.


    "Did you know that the time between the Waves is getting shorter?"


    ===


    ===


    AN:


    Greetings, everyone. Time flies by, and here I am, back at it again. The promised infodump chapter never came out, and for that, I''m sorry. Work is piling up with each passing day, and a barely had time to plan things out. Although I can''t even call it a plan, ugh. But it''s still better than the scribbles I had for the first book. But hey, we are still here, despite my lack of skill.


    Okay, enough with pleasantries and apologies, to the more important stuff.


    1. Thank you very much for reading! I''m glad to see you here, honestly.


    2. About the schedule. I''ll start with a chapter per 3 days, and if I''d have some reserves, I''ll release them more frequently. But no promises on that regard, as my work project is moving along and I need to pay much more attention with each passing day.


    Hope you''ll find this book at least not inferior to the first one.

 42 Waving through clues

    "I have a question that I need you to answer honestly, without thinking a single moment. Promise me." Orisa was stiff, her voice tense.


    "Of course, I''m always honest with you! What''s going on, Orisa? How can I help you?" Rita''s voice was a mix of worry and encouragement.


    "Did you know that the time between the Waves is constantly decreasing?"


    A kaleidoscope of emotions ran across Rita''s face. Surprise, shock, recognition, regret, pain, and compassion swapped one another.


    "Please, answer!" Orisa''s voice was shaking.


    "Yes. Everyone who has lived here for at least a couple of years knows." Rita looked away, trying to hide her pain. She turned back a few moments later, and Orisa saw that Rita''s eyes were wet again. "I''m so sorry that you arrived at the moment when everything went downhill, Orisa. It is so wrong and unfair, I-"


    "Rita, that''s not the point," she said, settled closer to Rita and hugged her again. The woman''s expression and behavior has shown that she was no part of some conspiracy, which made Orisa relax. At least Rita was still her mentor and friend. "I''m not blaming you or something. I only need to know the truth."


    "What do you mean? What truth?"


    "About the Waves. Everything you know about them, their origin. What the government is planning to do and your thoughts on the matter," Orisa paused and took out the book. "This was the only missing book from the library. I need to know why."


    "My guess is as good as yours, dear. Probably to stop people from panicking until the Military decides to announce something."


    "Isn''t it kinda late already? I mean, less than half a year is left."


    "How do you know that?" Rita''s face became pale as she looked at Orisa with round eyes.


    "Well, math? I can''t guarantee a hundred percent accurate result, but from the dates of the Waves we got from some religious book, we extrapolated them and came to this conclusion. To make sure I''d need to study this," she waved Fantastic Waves, "but that''s a general idea."


    "I never thought that it was so close..." Rita shook her head with a bitter expression.


    "Let''s not get depressed while we still have time left. Tell me everything you know about the Waves, please," she took out her main notepad that was already wrinkled and dirtied from constant usage.


    "There is not much to say," Rita let out a sigh and uncharacteristically slumped on the sofa. "There is a place called epicenter of the Cataclysm. The Waves presumably come from there, spreading across the land in all directions. The Beasts appear out of thin air the moment the Wave occurs. If there is no Mana source nearby, they tend to wander away from the epicenter."


    Orisa was diligently writing everything down despite already knowing all that. She was still harboring hopes to find something useful.


    "There is a chance to find a Mana core when you kill the Beast, like the one we gave you on that day. Unless processed, their corpses tend to dissipate rather quickly, which makes dismantling complicated. The Beasts can evolve after getting sufficient amount of Mana, generally from killing or eating. Some of them appear evolved already."


    "Nobody has ever made it to the epicenter? No expedition, no attempts at spying, nothing?" Orisa asked after finishing another page.


    "I''m sure there have been attempts to investigate, but I have never heard of any successful ones. As for other means, I saw it myself with a big spyglass when I was still serving. There is nothing worthy of note, only a tall white tower and the Beasts crawling all over the place. I have never heard of any books or other notes about its origin, too."


    "Have you heard anything over the Military channels, perhaps?" Orisa squeezed her info source dry. "Some plans or ideas on how to end this? I mean, you are a war hero, you should have some connections."


    "I... um..." Rita''s smile pressed into a thin line, and she shuffled uneasily. A sorrowful expression slowly covered her face. "I''m a mere worker of the Tower now, since..."


    "Rita, god, I''m so sorry!" Orisa swiftly embraced the now hurt and saddened woman. "I didn''t mean... Our teacher told me about your endeavor. I''m sorry about you and TanYan..."


    "It''s okay..." Rita sobbed quietly, hugging Orisa back. She continued some time later in a resigned tone. "It''s so strange, you know? I am no kid and understand life. I had family back in my world, too. When I came here and found myself almost forty years younger, I swore to spend my life studying and learning so that I''d never repeat the same mistakes I made back at home. But then I met him, and it all turned into a fairytale."


    "He was..." Rita paused, collecting herself after a long bitter sigh. "He was everything. Smart, courteous, funny, handsome, persistent. He broke through my cold wall and stole my heart. I felt conflicted at some point, you know, because of the children, and even because of my late husband. TanYan slowly and patiently talked me through everything. He even wasn''t repulsed by the fact that I was more than twice older before. Said it meant that I was wise enough to marry him..."


    It was an endearing story with a horrible end. They kept talking until Rita regained her composure.


    "Orisa, I still can''t comprehend the whole situation. What are you planning? And first of all, why are you even planning something?"


    "What do you mean? There is a tree that is about to fall on me; why would I stand still waiting for it to smack me?" She looked at Rita with a blank stare as she could not fathom what was there to ask. "I am no god and even not a superhero like you, but I... I can''t sit and wait for someone to save me. What if nobody comes? What if the Military won''t lift a finger until the last moment and then fail miserably in a pointless all-out charge?"


    "I understand my limits and know how worthless I am. But isn''t it stupid to stay still and wait? I absolutely can''t stand sitting still." Orisa looked Rita in the eyes, and a devilish grin appeared on her face. "Above all, I honestly have nothing better to do in this world."


    "You are amazing, dear. I''m so glad that we met." Rita ruffled her hair with a warm smile. "I don''t know how I can help you, but I''ll do everything. It''s a promise."


    Someone knocked on the door, and Captain peeked inside a moment later:


    "Fine ladies, how are you doing?"


    "Wonderful, Captain, thank you. Are you done with patrol?"


    "Yeah, everything''s quiet like in a tavern after a sunrise. No wonder, the Wave will hit soon."


    "The Wave?" Orisa perked up, launching from the sofa towards the Captain. "Can I see it? Please?"


    He exchanged confused looks with Rita before asking:


    "Are you sure? I mean, real fighting there, not that Dungeon field trip. Can you lend a hand in combat for real?"


    "Well..." Orisa shuffled uneasily. "I can cast barriers and shields, but if we are talking about killing the Beasts... There is a problem right now. I''ll need either a Concentration potion or Enrage..."


    "The heck is that?" His brows shot upwards. "I don''t get it. Come outside and show it quickly."


    They arrived at the furthest corner of the fort where nobody would get in the way, and Captain pointed at a hay training dummy:


    "Here, hit the thing."


    Orisa let out a sigh. She needed to find a solution to this combat problem, or it would kill her to show this defect every time for each new person.


    "-Hand of God!-"


    The dummy became a little heap of hay as a giant palm smashed it. Without further ado, Orisa pointed at the Captain:


    "Hand of God!"


    Before she was even halfway through the spell, something burst from the Captain''s hand. He swiftly propelled himself a few meters to the side, rolling on the ground before he came to a stop in a kneeling position. ''Wow, seasoned veterans are scary.''


    "Idiot, what do you think you are doing?! The Wave is soon!" He was thoroughly enraged.


    "Captain, please, trust me! I''m telling you that I can''t properly fight without additional effects. It''s easier to show than to explain, so please, let me do it quickly?"


    He grumbled something indistinguishable but stood up and relaxed a little. After a minute of futile struggle, the Captain was left speechless. It was his first time seeing something that ridiculous. Orisa compensated this embarrassment with a showcase of her barrier skills, which left him more or less pleased. They were about to go back when the Wave hit with the familiar immaterial sensation passing through their bodies.


    "Okay then, let''s head to the walls."


    "Are the Waves here tough?" Orisa asked as they were making their way towards the gate of the fort where she noticed a stone staircase leading up.


    "Quite the opposite, missy. The Beasts here in the eastern region are few, especially compared to the western part. Not that I''ve ever been to the west, just heard from pals."


    "And the epicenter of the Cataclysm is there in the west, too?" Orisa took her notepad to add a small clue.


    "Well, yeah, it sure as hell is. I''m glad that with each passing year there are fewer Beasts here. But it kind of feels bad for the folks on the other side of the continent."


    "With each passing year, you say?" She frowned and wrote it down. Orisa felt that these two facts were crucial towards the understanding of the Waves, but couldn''t piece it all together. She was probably missing other pieces of the puzzle. They stopped by the stairs when the Captain turned around:


    "Rita, what are you doing here?" His attention switched to a smiling redhead who was gradually approaching. "The Wave is here. It''s not safe, y''know?"


    "Since I already asked the girls in the Tower to let me out of the rotation for a few days, I thought it was nice to get back in shape." She slightly frowned, looking at Orisa. "The last time made it clear that I lost my touch."


    Rita then pulled out of her pocket a small and mostly empty bottle and handed it to Orisa with a green:


    "My spare bottle, so you can take it."


    "Are you sure? Rita, you already-" began Orisa but was quickly interrupted.


    "Don''t be like that, Orisa. I will do everything for you, haven''t I said that already?" She pouted a little and added in an excited tone a moment later, "and more than anything, I want to see you in actions!"


    Still skeptical, Orisa accepted the bottle and took a sip. The Captain already left to the walls, and the girls started climbing up, too. While they were moving, the first spells flew away, meaning the Beasts were slowly approaching. She swiftly dashed upward, and Rita followed her while panting heavily. The difference in their fitness was evident, but Orisa had already expected this much since she was training non-stop for the past month while Rita has lived a life of a traditional clerk.


    Over the walls, Orisa saw around twenty beasts slowly making their way towards the fort. Among them were few long-range enemies, but the majority consisted of melee foes. There was even one flyer, but it was quickly focused down. Ultimately, the situation was laughable at best, so Orisa relaxed.


    When the first barrage of ranged attacks flew towards the walls, she made a few barriers. To her shock, however, each Force Wall withstood no more than two hits before breaking. Concentration potion''s effect finally dawned upon her.


    "-Enrage!-"


    "-Thickness!-"


    "-Force Guard!-"


    As her mind gradually cooled down and turned all rational and brilliant, Orisa started pondering the issue. She clearly remembered Tiana saying that the Beasts were similar to the foes from the eighth floor of the Dungeon. ''Under the Lantern,'' she muttered inwardly, slapping her forehead. Long-ranged Beasts were too far away to be affected by the weakening effects.


    While hiding behind the wall''s frontal part, Orisa glanced around the whole fort. What she failed to notice before was that attacks followed in all four directions, so there were more Beasts than she thought just now. The situation was still under control as she had not heard any screams yet, but Orisa wanted to take an active part in the defense anyway.


    She prepared mentally, took a few breaths while repeating everything she just thought of, and then got back on her feet:


    "-Force Block!-"


    An upgraded version of her Force wall was twice thicker and contained eight times more Mana, making it that much harder to break. By the look of it, she could now block more attack with her... block. ''Pun intended.''


    Rita finally caught her breath and went behind the Block, opening her tome.


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Thunderstrike!-"


    "-Tomecraft: Greater Firebird!-"


    "Rita, if you are here, buff us first," the Captain switched gears into a governing mode, ordering both Rita and Orisa. "Girl, you run over the wall and place your shields."


    She conjured twenty blocks before taking a small break. A quick peek over the wall revealed a few crawling spiders. They deftly moved along the wall until Orisa decided to intervene:


    "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-"


    While far from lethal, the Walls were at least humiliating; they slowed the spiders'' advance down considerably until one of the archers picked them one by one. Orisa made a return trip to where Rita and Captain were, replacing broken blocks on the way.


    "Not half bad, little missy, I think-" his speech was interrupted by a loud crashing noise coming from the fort''s ward. Orisa saw something resembling a grasshopper eating a horse'' head in the ruins of the now crushed stable. That spot was more than fifty meters away, so no spell would be able to get the Beast, and archers were busy with other foes to take their chances with hitting such a faraway target.


    "Fuck, so hate them damn jumpers. It''s too far away, won''t make it on time," the Captain grumbled, moving to the stairs with a lantern in his left hand.


    An idea flashed in her mind, and Orisa urged him to wait for a moment while she finalized the plan in her head.


    "Captain, just stand straight and face your target. Might hurt a bit," she said, placing her palm on his back:


    "-Wall Rush!-"


    She adjusted its form before launching the spell so that it would enclose the Captain around the waist, preventing a premature departure from its surface. The spell''s command was altered to slow down after four seconds and dissolve a moment later.


    "Wha-a-a-a-a-a-"


    And so, the first successful Mana launch of human soldier has happened. It was probably not the first launch ever, but that fact was irrelevant to a rejoicing Orisa. Her celebration quickly died out when a giant toad landed not far away from the grasshopper. It took her three more seconds to rethink the spell and change its direction before she was able to launch herself.


    She was plastered over her flying Force Wall, unable to lift a finger from the sudden acceleration. When her ride began to slow down, Orisa tried to create another spell to let her hover in the air, but something failed horribly in the process, and she came crashing down. Thanks to her Thickness barrier, the incident left her only with bruises and blinding pain but saved from broken bones or something even worse.


    Orisa was slowly getting back on her feet when something hot and sticky grabbed her around the waist and yanked away.


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Her life was saved by the Concentration potion''s focus yet again. She was halfway towards the toad''s maw when her spell sliced the Beast''s tongue. Orisa lost momentum and rolled forward, stopping a few meters away from the roaring Wavespawn. It noticed its target and jumped forth in hopes to crush her with its weight.


    "-Body Slam!-"


    The Captain has finished his opponent by that moment and crushed in the Beast''s side, thwarting the jump''s trajectory slightly. The toad landed a mere meter away from Orisa and lost its balance, falling to the side. It gave Orisa enough time to jump on her feet.


    "-Body Slam!-"


    Seasoned veteran quickly read the situation and hit again, this time managing to push the toad on its back. The previously acquired reflex clicked inside Orisa''s head, and she quickly launched a cascade of spells:


    "-Hand of God!-" -- "-Hand of God!-"


    "-Wall Press!-" -- "-Wall Press!-" -- "-Wall Press!-" -- "-Wall Press!-"


    The first two spells nailed the toad deeper into the ground while the Wall Press helped to fixate it in this pose.


    Orisa was too afraid to lose the moment, so she swiftly moved to the Beast and slammed a pair of Palm Push Strikes in its side. A nasty surprise awaited her when she looked at the spot as there was almost no damage to the toad''s skin.


    "-Blazing Slash!-" -- "-Blazing Slash!-"


    "You need to hit it with fire first!" The Captain added while chomping the toad.


    "Yeah, I know. I just..." She was sure that her most damaging and penetrating spell would be enough to break through its protective layer. ''Was it because of its slippery surface? No, the first strike blasted this slimy coat. It leaves only one possibility - my most damaging spell is not sufficient to pierce the Beast''s skin in one strike.''


    While the Captain kept slashing into the toad''s side, Orisa tried a variety of spells and they all yielded the same result. Even under the lantern''s effect, the Beast''s resistance was way higher than that of the summoned foes she fought before. She had to strike four times before its skin gave up and let Orisa see its blood.


    The rest of the Wave was uneventful to thoughtful and slightly depressed Orisa''s delight. She listened halfheartedly to the Captain''s praise and was about to leave the battlefield when panting Rita finally arrived at the scene. She gave Orisa a thoughtful look before grabbing her arm:


    "How about we eat and rest a bit before our training?" She said with a cheery voice.


    "Training? What are you talking about?" Orisa replied sulkily.


    "Isn''t it obvious? The Sealcasting training, of course!"

 43 A true face of Science

    "It''s clear why you are sulking, Orisa," Rita said gently. "Don''t be like that, dear; the thing you are going through now is perfectly normal."


    They sat on the grass outside of the fort, looking at a sunset. An hour had passed since the end of the Wave, and soldiers had finished most of the work accompanying the Wave while the girls were eating. Most corpses had already dissolved, the Mana cores were carefully collected and stored, and damage to the fort was almost non-existent.


    "I went through the same experience after coming from the training camp," she continued in sympathetic tone. "It was so easy to crash the summons left and right. But the Beasts are different, and it''s simply not possible to recreate all their traits. And their resistance is one of these things; shocking, I know, but you''ll find a way to deal with it."


    "How?" Orisa sounded even more depressed than before. "I won''t be able to grow my Strength or Magic, so how am I supposed to empower the skills?"


    "Oh please, aren''t you smarter than that?" Rita slightly teased the sulking girl, elbowing her side. "Mana is both a resource and a substance. You can enhance it in a variety of ways. The simplest one is to use more Mana for spells. But there are other ways, too."


    Rita stood up and waved to guards who were standing by the fort''s gate:


    "Boys, we''ll train a bit, don''t worry," she then took Orisa''s hand and pulled her further away from the entrance. "Time for the first lesson, so get yourself together and focus."


    While Rita kept smiling, her voice became serious:


    "Can you come up with an idea to measure up your spell''s power?"


    The easiest way would have been to view the spell''s description, of course. But they were not inside some game, so this method was sadly unavailable. ''What is the power level, then? To simplify, that''s an amount of damage I can deal with the spell. There are other significant elements, too, but that''s the gist of it.''


    The answer came quicker than she expected, so Orisa proceeded to place five Force Walls one after another. Her Palm Push Strike broke the first one, but barely scratched the surface of the next Wall.


    "That''s my girl. I expected nothing less," Rita clasped her hands in joy. Her voice, however, remained serious and focused. "Now place a couple of your stronger ones, please."


    Orisa conjured five Force Blocks in the same fashion and backed away.


    "-Lesser Firebird!-"


    Her fire spell flew in a straight line, crashing the first block nonchalantly and almost shattering the next one. ''Wao. These Blocks are like eight times stronger than Walls. Moreover, she used a lesser tier, too. Just wow.''


    "-Attack Seal!-"


    "-Lesser Firebird!-"


    A rather small blue Seal appeared above Rita''s left palm, hovering vertically in the air. Another Firebird spell flew right through it, seemingly absorbing the Seal and growing bigger somehow. That little blazing bird destroyed all four remaining Blocks on its way and traveled another ten meters before dissipating. Rita turned to Orisa with a triumphant smile saying, "See? The same can be done with your Mana, too."


    "Holy crap, Rita''s power level is over four barriers," muttered a thoroughly impressed Orisa. "So this is the Sealcasting? That small supplementary spell made your attack four times stronger?"


    "Of course not, silly!" Rita laughed lightly and came closer to Orisa. "Here is some magic theory question for you. What is resistance?"


    "A layer that absorbs a percent of the spell''s damage? No, that''s wrong. Surely not percent, but fixed value, or else every attack would deal at least some amount of damage," out of habit Orisa was slowly chewing her lower lip while pondering the question. "If you say it didn''t make the spell four times stronger to deal four times more damage... Hmm, then I think that..."


    With each passing second, Orisa became even more puzzled. She was tossing ideas and variants back and forth, but none fit what she just saw. The effects of the Concentration potion were not enough to solve this puzzle, but Orisa hated to give up without doing everything she could, so she made the last possible step:


    "-Enrage!-"


    As her mind cooled down to a scientifically impossible level, she took a notepad out of her backpack and started scrabbling. Orisa failed to notice how brightly shining Rita''s eyes were as she was admiring the girl''s passion and determination. Rita even remembered her old self; she was just like that, but slightly colder to other people. Maybe not slightly but way colder, for she would have never done what Orisa did for her on that day.


    "I have two ideas that fit, but both sounds too complicated and absurd to be true," she snatched Rita back to reality with her slightly annoyed voice. "First is that resistance is a barrier that requires a certain level of power from the spell to break through it. We''ll call it X for this formula. The trick is that when your skill passes through, this resistance layer deduces some amount of power from the spell, but less than X. But it still doesn''t fully explain why the spell was that much stronger."


    Rita nodded silently, waiting for Orisa to finish.


    "Here is another one that is even more complicated," she pointed at the lower part of her note. "Each spell has two components, and we''ll call them damage and penetration. When magic clashes with the target''s resistance, it checks if there is enough penetration power in this spell. If there is, then magic passes through without a hitch and deals its damage in full. If there is not enough penetration power, the amount of damage is going to be reduced to compensate for that."


    She had barely finished the phrase when Rita grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook Orisa in excitement:


    "This! My girl, you are as brilliant as I suspected!" Because of the constant shaking, it was hard for Orisa to keep her puzzled expression, but she managed well.


    "I mean, we would never know for sure," Rita continued after calming down slightly and releasing her hold over perplexed Orisa, "but this is what we thought out with TanYan after experimenting for almost half a year. There is, in fact, not that much theory on the true nature of the magic or the processes around it, so we had to perform a thorough study."


    What they found out was that all magic and skills were made of two parts already mentioned above; together, they named them Breach and Might. These parts, however, were not the same across various techniques, skills, elements, and forms. For example, the Breach of slashing weapon skills was much higher than that of a blunt weapon; but Might of these weapon types was the opposite. It all led to the fact that it was easier to cut through foes with sword skills, but easier to finish them or fight weak opponents with hammers and maces.


    The same applied to elements of the spells. Fire element had the highest Might, making a great combo with slashing weapons. Lightning skills, on the other hand, gave the best Breach across all element types, possessing low Might. Orisa instantly recalled how her lightning outburst made its way through the toad they fought inside the Chargery, dealing almost no damage but penetrating the whole Beast twice.


    During Rita''s detailed explanation, Orisa also realized why it took them so much time to figure things out. They had to test both spells and weapons in various combinations and with different opponents. The sheer amount of work and theory crafting they did was astonishing. Rita was not only a prodigy, but she also worked hard.


    "Anyway, I''ll give you my notes to copy later, so let''s do some practice," Rita sat on the grass and gestured Orisa to join her. "The Sealcasting I use is almost the same as Mana engineering where you paint Seals with Manaink and then feed your Mana to receive positive effects. The difference is that I''m making Seals from my own Mana and letting the spell pass through, absorbing their effects."


    "So your Attack Seal raised the spell''s Breach and Might to a level where it had enough Breach to pass through resistance every time, and plenty Might for breaking the Block''s structure?" Orisa asked, looking back and forth between Rita and notes.


    "Exactly!" Rita was both excited to find a soul mate to share her findings and glad to see more of Orisa''s brilliance. "There are many types of Seals you can use for various effects. With them, you can boost power, speed, Mana concentration, elemental affinities or add even more complicated effects like self-repeating. You''ll have to learn them by yourself later on."


    Orisa nodded gladly as her mood finally turned for the better. There was a clear goal in front of her now, and the only thing she needed to achieve it was time plus effort.


    They began the training session from the basics. Rita made her conjure random forms like spheres, cubes, then spheres inside cubes and so on. The Sealcasting demanded from a caster an extreme concentration and precision in wielding Mana, so days and weeks of training were inbound.


    "There is a trick that will help you speed up your training," Rita announced with a sly smile. "The more layers you use to do the same thing, the faster is your training."


    "Sounds great, but I only have two layers so far, so..."


    "Are you sure?" Rita became puzzled after hearing that and looked at Orisa closer. "I mean, your arsenal clearly shows a lot of improvement on the concentration front. Honestly, have you even tried using the third layer?"


    No, after her first failure, Orisa had not tried it yet. Embarrassed of her inactivity, she hastily started the testing. Ten minutes later, three different figures were hovering over her palm to both girls'' endless joy.


    Orisa continued her training while Rita was pouring out more information on the Sealcasting and how to incorporate it better. They made significant progress in two hours thanks to Orisa''s focused state, but it was too soon to think about actual implementations.


    Now, after they sneaked some food and drinks out of the kitchen and Rita brought a pair of blankets, they sat atop one of the watchtowers of the fort. The girls talked non-stop jumping from one topic to another when Rita suddenly became melancholic.


    "This is one of the spots we Watchers use to relax a little," she said, slowly sipping light red wine. "It may not look like it, but the job is tough. I''m not talking about the cases where people suddenly go wild with their Mana. The hardest part is that on a daily basis you are forced to tell people that they are dead."


    "Even after nine years, I was unable to detach myself from their hurt expressions. They cry about their families, the jobs and opportunities they lost, all the hard work that went for nothing", she continued after a long pause, her voice filled with sadness. "I can''t bring myself not to care, ignore them, and treat their problems as a noise. Something is unquestionably wrong with me."


    "You are a kind and compassionate person, Rita. Nothing is wrong with that, and I genuinely like you as you are, so don''t change, please." Orisa reacted by squeezing Rita''s hand lightly.


    "Thank you, dear, I like you, too," she chuckled with a warm smile and continued after a moment. "Speaking of which, how is your private life going?"


    "What a sudden turn of events. Well, it''s complicated, I guess? I mean, setting aside some random urges of this body or unpredictable hormonal triggers, I''m a more or less a man on the inside." Orisa had thought about her gender recently, but it was certainly a complicated matter. "The thing is, I was never super manly in my past life, both due to my hobbies and probably because of my character, too. But I was always adamant about my, well, sexual preferences. So I can''t begin to think about boys, and don''t want to even imagine myself with them."


    "As for the girls, I don''t know. It won''t be an exaggeration to say that there dozens of reasons for me to skip on them, too." Now it was Orisa''s turn to be melancholic. "It feels like I''m cheating on them because I''m a man. Relationship is an additional complication, considering the situation the world is in right now. I hate to be half-assed with anything, love affairs including, so it would take a lot of time and effort which I''m not sure I''m ready to deduce from the training and investigation."


    "What about that last girl from your squad? You are going to share a room with her from now on," Rita added with a smile, "which certainly leaves a lot of space for further development."


    "Onuki? Oh, it''s even more complicated, I''m afraid. She is pushy, but I like this part of her. If I''m right about her character, she is cunning and stoic, which is awesome. And her body is nice, of course." Orisa let out a dirty laugh before pausing for a long time. "I have only little scrapes and clues so far, but I think she has some deep problems with men. I''m not going to betray her by playing a lovely girl when I''m not entirely sure of her mental state. Imagine if she is afraid of men, and then she''d learn about my true nature?"


    "I like how honest and open you are, dear," Rita said with a proud voice. "Such a kind heart-"


    "No, please, don''t say that, Rita. I know it''s rude to say that, but you honestly don''t know much about me." Her voice became stiffer, "you only saw my pleasant side, but that''s because there was no chance for me to show my true self."


    Orisa launched a thorough recollection of what she did to Mira and how she was celebrating inwardly, gloating over the girl''s fate; how manipulative she was with Tiana despite genuinely liking the girl; and other little details of her dark self.


    "I''m sorry, but do you think you are unique in this regard or something?" Suddenly, Rita''s voice turned much colder. "Don''t flatter yourself, Orisa. Every human being is like that to a various degree."


    Orisa shivered inadvertently under Rita''s piercing gaze. Her eyes were unusually cold and loathing beneath the moonlight.


    "Even now a part of me is laughing over this whole situation. To think that I''m playing family with a person I barely even know?" When she continued, warmth returned to her voice, "I like you and feel there is a bond between us. But that doesn''t stop a cold and rational part of my mind from judging the situation from a different angle. Everyone is like that, so don''t be hard on yourself too much."


    Orisa had to re-evolution Rita yet again. Today''s result was that now she saw not only a caring mother and mentor but a brilliant experimenter and a pragmatic scientist.


    They talked for a while before going to bed. Orisa had to settle on the guest sofa in a meeting room since there were no guest quarters in a small fort, but she didn''t mind at all.


    Next morning, she woke up a little stiff from the not so comfortable bed but otherwise Orisa felt great. She was making her way out of the morning shower when the Captain caught up with her in the corridor.


    "Greetings, Captain, sir. Can I help you?" Orisa was mildly surprised since it was evident that the Captain was looking for her specifically. With a grin on his freshly shaved face, he spoke cheerily:


    "Heya, missy. Care to join us on a little hunt?"

 45 Cannot be denied

    Morning came, but Orisa still felt conflicted. She woke up half an hour ago and was lazily laying on the sofa all this time, thinking back on Rita''s so-called revelation. It was not like what Rita told was not useful. Quite the opposite, in fact; but it still left an underwhelming feeling inside.


    Imagine someone got top marks for all their tests. They called home to notify parents who in turn said that there will be a big present waiting back at home. The person felt excitement and anticipation when they got home. But the big surprise ended up being their distant relatives visiting at the same time. It was not like that person disliked their relatives, but was merely expecting something more surprising and exciting, related to their achievement instead?


    That''s how Orisa felt after getting a useful but severely unexciting tool:


    ~~~


    "Um, can you repeat once again? It looks like I misheard something when you were talking about the source of POWER and KNOWLEDGE just now," Orisa''s voice was oozing with sarcasm.


    "It''s perfectly normal to be skeptical, especially if your own experience could only compare to a toddler at best."


    "Hey!? That''s mean."


    "Don''t treat me like some crazy old hag that was about to teach you how to wipe your nose," Rita scoffed back. "If I say it''s important, then it''s god damn important."


    "Rita..." Orisa sounded both mildly surprised and puzzled. "You know that the way you talk to me has changed in the last few days?"


    "I... Oh, dear, I''m sorry. I-"


    "That''s okay. You are better that way. Wanted to let you know just in case something was off."


    They fell silent for a moment, sitting atop the same watchtower. Rita let out a long sigh and spoke in a worn-out voice:


    "By now you probably already know that I''m not exactly of an idle mentality.These past years of serving here helped me to recover. But at the same time, I was sensing an evident degradation inside. I''m not talking about combat skills as it is apparent already; what I mean is my mind, my sharpness, and willpower." She took a close look at Orisa, gauging her reaction. "Being docile here was relaxing and comfortable. It felt as a quicksand slowly but steadily sucking me in without any clear way out."


    "Talking to you, teaching you, and going on a hunt made me feel like my old self. These past days felt the same as the time with TanYan, the time of sharpness, and the time of discovery. It reminded me of what I was and showed me what I became. You can''t even imagine how much it means to me, Orisa. I don''t want to return into that swamp again. Thank you for getting me out."


    "I''m really glad you feel that way because I need you, Rita. I need you now and probably would need you much more in the future." Orisa gently squeezed the woman''s hand while smiling brightly. "And you should step up with your training, too."


    "I will, so you don''t have to worry." She cleared her throat and forcefully made a stern expression on her smiling face. "Back to the topic, my cocky student. As I said already, the marvelous tool that helped me discover and understand many things was inspection magic. You probably already know about both Status and Condition spells."


    "At the basic level, they both provide information on the target''s well-being. What magical effects there are, what is broken or hurt, and so on. That''s why people rarely use anything above Lesser tier. However, the implications are far wider than that."


    ~~~


    To sum her lecture up, it was possible to gain in-depth information on the target, make assumptions on its skills and behavior based on that. One could even learn spells with a neatly timed Status spell. Another implication that became obvious when you thought about it was that you could use these spells on items. Again, people used Lesser Status to determine the item''s effects, but it was possible to learn much more with a high tier spell. For example, one could fathom how the item was made, or what hidden properties one could activate, and other useful things.


    As Rita stated, at least one-third of her Sealcasting repertoire came from inspecting various spells, materials, and even the Beasts. Orisa made a mental note to learn both skills, but there were more crucial things at the moment.


    She met Rita an hour later inside the fort''s dining room. After having a quick breakfast, they moved outside to practice. Orisa had diligently practiced depicting the Seal Rita gave her for the rest of yesterday''s evening, drawing and redrawing it for hours. Orisa''s drawing skills were persistently horrible, but at least she could now recall the Seal''s structure.


    "As far as I can imagine, there are two ways to conjure the Seals," Rita began her lecture. "The first I use myself, and it is similar to metalworking. Have you ever seen how a liquid metal is filling the mould?"


    "Not in person, but I get the idea," Orisa said, remembering Lord of the Rings. ''One Seal to Seal them all, hehe.''


    "I see. Well, it''s the same here; you need to imagine the form of the Seal first, and then slowly pour your Mana inside. Like this," She extended her hand with her palm facing upward. Orisa was barely able to notice a translucent form hovering over Rita''s palm, but the moment Mana started to fill it up was quite evident, and it looked exactly like what Rita described. When she finished pouring Mana inside the Seal, it blinked for a moment.


    "Saw that glow in the end? It means that the Seal is functional. Now, for the second method to make the Seals, that one was used by TanYan." She paused for a moment to get her feelings under control. "I can''t show you the process for an obvious reason. He only said that imagined a stamp-seal that his father has been using every evening to stamp his documents. Something about making a mental image and then splashing Mana all over it. Or something like that."


    "How curious. I''ll probably try both methods to see which one is easier for me," Orisa replied thoughtfully and sat down on the ground.


    "Before that, let''s decide on your train. There is that one you used last time at seven in the evening. But the trains are going every four hours, so if you''d like, there is one at three or at eleven."


    It was a tough question, indeed. On the one hand, Orisa wanted to spend as much time with Rita as possible. But on the other, she wanted to get back and use the time remaining of this vacation to tend to other matters as well. Judging by the time she got from the train, the trip was around six hours or so, and if she were to use the earlier one, she would be able to get to the camp before midnight.


    "I think it would be better to use the three o''clock train..." She said uncertainly.


    "That''s what I thought," Rita met her answer with a sad smile. "I''ll leave you here for the time being and go prepare for a trip to the station."


    "By the way, I want to ask while I still remember," Orisa almost smacked herself on the forehead. "How do I travel from the station to my camp?"


    "Find a stable or courier service; you''ll be able to rent a horse or ride a cart."


    Rita left her on that note, and Orisa returned to her practice. She moved back and forth between the two methods mentioned by Rita but made little progress. Together with Rita, they left the fort two hours later, making their way towards the station atop one horse.


    "Rita, I''m sorry, but the fuck is this?" Orisa said with a hint of resentment in her voice.


    They sat inside a small cafe an hour later, having late lunch after Rita came back from her business. She had left Orisa inside said cafe, disappeared for half an hour and returned with a massive suitcase that she handed to Orisa.


    Inside that sturdy-looking container, Orisa found a potion maker toolkit with a pack of various ingredients, a set of expensive-looking brushes and tools for Mana-engineering, and four Concentration Potions. There also was a pouch that made a metallic sound when she shook it, so Orisa guessed its contents even without opening the bag. By a rough estimation, the gift''s cost was at least a six-month salary.


    "Leave me out of this humility scene, please," Rita quickly retorted with an annoyed look. A few seconds later, her expression softened a bit. "Dear, nothing is too good for you. I promised to help you with everything I can. You''d never ask me for a material aid as you are too good-natured and humble for that. And we both know that you''d get a great boost from these items."


    They sat in tense silence for some time before Rita added with a mischievous grin:


    "As my acquaintance said before, I have nowhere to spend this money anyway."


    "You can''t use my own words against me!" It was a checkmate, so Orisa gave up. "Thank you, Rita. I can''t imagine my life without you."


    "I love you too, dear." She smiled warmly and went to order her food.


    The train was due in twenty minutes, so they sat on a bench at the station, talking.


    "Do you think it''s safe to use the Military mail to communicate?" Orisa asked a question that was bothering her for some time.


    "They are screening all parcels and letters, of course, but very briefly. If we will use some light code, everything should be okay. Considering alternatives we don''t have a choice anyway."


    "Okay, I''ll come up with something, then," she paused, looking at her mentor intently. "Rita, I don''t mean to be nagging but wanted to stress it once more. Please, step up with your training. In the worst case scenario, we might have to storm that tower or whatever, I guess."


    "You don''t need to worry, dear," Rita gently ruffled Orisa''s hair, "It feels so nice to be alive again, so I won''t stop even if you''d ask me to."


    "There is another thing, by the way. And sorry for bossing around, I-"


    "You are not bossing, Orisa, since we are together deep in this... mess. Don''t worry, stop apologizing, and act as you see fit."


    "Then here is a quick fact for you before we proceed," Orisa made a dramatic pause, then swiftly hugged Rita. "You are awesome, and I love you so much!"


    They laughed merrily together. Both girls tried their hardest not to think about an imminent parting; otherwise, they would ruin this wonderful moment.


    "Okay, so here is the last thing I wanted to ask of you," Orisa distanced herself, still holding Rita''s hands. "If possible, dig something both on the history of the Cataclysm and any plans the Military is cooking now."


    "That''s it?" She sounded disappointed. "You don''t need to say obvious things, Orisa, I''m not that stupid, alright?"


    "Sorry, just an old habit of keeping everything in check."


    They had been talking the rest of the time until the train finally arrived.


    "I hope that we will meet again soon, my dear."


    "Me too, Rita. I hope so!"


    Despite all their effort, the parting still turned a bit teary. Everything inside Orisa ached and pleaded to stay with Rita but she, of course, couldn''t do it. The same thing was happening with Rita as well. But they had to let go of each other.


    ---


    ---


    Her train trip was uneventful and unproductive. She practiced both Seal-conjuring methods, but it felt like they both were ill suited to her. She was either doing something wrong or had to find her own solution.


    Orisa finally arrived at the dorm by eleven in the evening. Despite the late time, she felt great and was full of energy after taking a short nap inside the train. She slowly opened the door to their room in case Onuki was already sleeping, but the nightlight at the corner alerted her that this was not the case.


    "Orisa? You are back, that''s nice," said the girl in question. She was reading something in her bed a moment ago but now stood up to greet her only roommate.


    "I''m glad to be back and also happy to see you are well. You are well, right?" Orisa dropped her bags near her bed and came closer to Onuki.


    "Yes, I''m alright, thank you," she answered and hugged Orisa briefly in a friend-like manner. Despite that, even a fleeting contact made Orisa remember the piercing episode and everything she felt that day, so her cheeks reddened slightly. To her shame, Onuki noticed that as well.


    "How was your vacation? Were you able to hang out with our boys?" Orisa sat down on her bed and tried to hide her embarrassment by switching the topic.


    Onuki landed on her bed right in front of Orisa. The space between the beds was narrow, so their legs came in contact with each other. While Orisa was still in her trousers, Onuki had nothing but panties below her waist, so she was sensing Onuki''s skin even through the fabric. Her thin shirt was also skin-tight, highlighting female parts of her upper body.


    "Why would I hang out with them?" she answered calmly, slowly and almost nonchalantly moving her legs and rubbing them against Orisa''s ankles. "My vacation was great, thanks to you. Now that I don''t have to worry about the future, I was able to relax. Study a bit, read various things, and have a good old lone time on my own."


    "Haven''t you felt lonely?"


    "Perhaps," she replied shortly, tilted her head and lightly bit her lower lip. "By the way, I mean it. Thank you for letting me to join your group. I owe you now, so ask me anything."


    She put too much emphasis on the word ''anything,'' but Orisa already understood the implications without additional pressure.


    "I''ll hold you to that without a doubt. And I''m honestly glad that you are with us, Onuki."


    "Are you now?" She chuckled softly and leaned forward. Her voice now sounded a little provocative. "It certainly wasn''t like that before. At least if we are talking about the way you behaved."


    "Look, we both know you are wrong," Orisa let out a long sigh. "It''s complicated, trust me. You are a great girl, and I like both your character and appearance. And it''s not that I disliked like the things you did to me, quite the opposite in fact. It''s just that we would regret it greatly, both of us would."


    Orisa could not understand how everything happened. One moment she blinked her eyes, and next moment Onuki was sitting on top of her, pressing Orisa''s shoulders down to the bed with both hands and leaning very close. She whispered directly into Orisa''s ear with a hot and sweet voice:


    "I don''t care..."


    "Please, stop, or I won''t be able to resist. Listen to me, Onuki. We will regret it, believe me! Please, I honestly can''t hold much longer-"


    "Isn''t that great?"


    And she greedily pressed her lips, now hot and red from burning passion, against Orisa''s lips.

 46 Happy now? No going back.

    Every kiss Onuki planted on Orisa''s neck burned like a wildfire, spreading flames all over her body. One hot second later, her nervous system exploded with a firework of pleasure when Onuki kissed her collarbone that appeared to be very sensitive. A fervid haze was slowly covering her mind.


    ''I need to stop her before she starts doing something with her hands...'' But it was surprisingly difficult to do so; a healthy teenage body filled with hormones was unbelievably sensitive and easy to please. Under Onuki''s ardent stream of kisses, Orisa inadvertently bent her back and began to moan.


    "Wait..." Her voice was hoarse and trembling from excitement. "Stop..."


    Remnants of her willpower were all used for one last push. She grabbed Onuki''s shoulders and pulled her to the right, topping the girl on the bed. In one seamless motion, Orisa ended on top of hot red Onuki and jumped on her feet in the next moment.


    "Please, stop! I''m not joking, Onuki. I''m not playing or provoking you. There is something I need you to know." Orisa spent a few seconds recovering her breath and calming down her mind. In the meantime, Onuki took a sitting position and stared at Orisa with a shock and disbelief in her eyes. "I''m sure you would end up hating me if I were to tell you afterward, that''s why I need you to know right now. I didn''t want you to stop what you were doing, that''s why I need you to know now."


    "Really? Of all moments?" Onuki started to get irritated at this whole situation. It was the second time when she made her move, and Orisa pushed her away. "Gosh, spill it already."


    "I promise that I will tell you everything, but before that, there is one thing I need to sort out with." The tone of Orisa''s voice turned apologetic, and her expression became sad and pleading. "I''m sorry, but I need to know something as well. I have a vague understanding, I guess, but I need to know for sure."


    "You sound strange. What do you want?"


    "I''m sorry to pry and dig, but I assume that you don''t like men for a good reason, right?"


    Onuki''s expression became stiff as she pressed her lips in a thin line and nodded.


    "Surely you wouldn''t want to re-live these memories. But I honestly need to know that part."


    "Why?" Onuki could not believe that this conversation was happening.


    "It is directly related to what I''m about to tell you. Aside from that, I feel that it is mandatory to understandyour situation while three out of five people in our squad are men."


    "Isn''t it enough to know that I''m having a hard time around them?"


    "No, I''m sorry, it is not," she gave Onuki a long look before resolving to say harsh things. "Would you be able to give everything you have to save Kanai? Can you carry Clemen on your back if he is injured? Undressing Iten and cleaning his wounds or bandaging him, is this within your capacity?"


    Onuki was silent, but her expression was that of shame and frustration. By the look of things, she was concerned with the same thing.


    "As I already said, it is also related to my issue, which I can''t disclose unless I can see the whole picture."


    "Cut to the chase. You want me to leave, right?" she spat angrily.


    "Of course not! I''m afraid that you''d leave after learning the truth..."


    "And what if I don''t want to tell you?"


    "Please, Onuki, I really need to know!" Orisa pleaded but met Onuki''s stubborn look. She let out a tired sigh and said with a saddened voice, "I don''t know what to do, then. You said it yourself that you owe me..."


    "I see, so that''s how it is," a short laugh left Onuki''s mouth. "Well, what do you want to know?"


    "Everything, if possible," she said sheepishly.


    Onuki went silent for a few minutes, collecting her thought and gathering her will. Orisa could observe a change in the girl''s expression, which turned a little hollow and dejected.


    "My mother remarried when I was seven. The first two years were great, but then it all started. At first, it was under the pretense of massaging after my dance lessons. Then a bold groping began," she paused to let Orisa insert a comment or a question, but her listener was quiet and collected, so she moved on with the story. "Everything went downhill from that point, and it all happened at the same time. Relationship with my mother deteriorated; my grades dropped as well. I tried talking to her, tried to explain the reason behind it, but she accused me of lies instead. She said that I was trying to cover my failures with this nonsensical excuse."


    "When I was eleven, he finally took the last step. I have been trying hard to keep up with everything until that moment, but after that, I stopped caring at all. Even now, I still remember the pain I felt, how he was tearing through my body, how much blood there was. How hard it was to walk afterward, too."


    Onuki looked at Orisa again and let out a dry, hollow laugh after witnessing her pained expression.


    "When I was around thirteen years or so, somehow I ended up dating a girl from an older group in my dancing class. Imagine, I was still attending the lessons," she shook her head, thinking how stupid and pointless everything was. "She was seventeen, by the way. It was so nice to find someone who cared about you; she tended to my body well, too. Thanks to her, I found out that sex was, in fact, a pleasant thing."


    "And you were only thirteen..." Orisa muttered in shock, but Onuki only shrugged with the same detached expression and continued:


    "One way or another, I started going out with her friends, too; threesome, foursome, and so on. Some girls were nice while others were aggressive; among them was one shy girl, I had so much fun with her that you can''t even imagine. The weirdest part began when I was somewhere between fourteen and fifteen. Thanks to one of the girls I dropped out of dancing class and started singing instead."


    "And that''s where I met my first client. I don''t know how old she was, maybe thirty-five? She attended many open classes and local concerts and one day invited me to her private party to sing for them. When the party was over, she made me an offer which was tempting even without a huge pile of cash."


    "Then I met her girlfriend and many more women besides them. And I learned a lot of tricks and techniques while pleasing these clients, too."


    "So that''s where you got these skills. I was thoroughly shocked by how y you handled me, especially during ear piercing. And all your acting skills and these hurt expressions as well?"


    "Perhaps?" Onuki was too engrossed in her painful memory to react. "The money flowed like a river. I was drowning myself in everything just to silence and forget the things that were still going on at home. A little of drugs and alcohol..." She was startled by Orisa''s expression and quickly retorted, "Oh, don''t give me that look! There was nothing serious, damn. I just wanted to forget, to distract myself by new feelings, new clothes, new jewelry."


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to judge you. It just scared me for a moment..." Orisa said apologetically, and Onuki nodded before moving on:


    "I tried to run away from the house, but every time the Police brought me back after checking my ID, so after the twentieth try I gave up. In retrospective, I should have told the Police back then why I was running away from home. I wonder why it never occurred to me."


    She paused for a minute, collecting herself. Orisa kept her silence, not wanting to disturb the girl.


    "It was a miracle that I lasted that long, honestly. Can''t even imagine how lucky I was. But that day has finally come. It was a week prior to the sixteenth birthday that I found out I was pregnant. I felt disgusted, true, but not much more for I was probably broken beyond repair by that time already. The only thing I felt for real was that I was old. I mean, I was fucking fifteen, but my soul already felt worn-out and tattered. I wanted to do an abortion, obviously, but he somehow found out before I could make an appointment."


    "I was taking a shower when the door slammed open, and he rushed inside. The shower curtain was torn down, and I saw his fuming face. He was mad beyond words and kept screaming something. Then he grabbed me; the last thing I remember was his distorted face and his hands on my throat. After that, I woke up in this world. The end."


    While the thing Onuki told her was horrible beyond words, it still could have been worse. Orisa thought about it for some time and then said carefully:


    "Thank you for telling me everything, Onuki. How do you feel now?"


    "Going to play therapist with me?"


    "Honestly, I''m just at a loss of words. What can I even say in a situation like that?"


    "You forced me to go through this, and now you are all weak and helpless?" Onuki''s voice sounded both disappointed and even more lost and dejected than before. She lay her soul bare, re-lived the most painful moments of her life because the girl almost forced her to do so, and for what?


    "I was not sure if I should pity or comfort you, or do something entirely different."


    "Yeah, whatever..."


    While talking a few minutes ago, Onuki began feeling better after sharing her pain. She was hoping that Orisa would say something that would help her break free from these negative memories she dug out of the darkest corner of her mind. But Orisa failed to find the right words, and the giant stinking pile of pain and suffering came crashing down on Onuki and buried her even deeper. She was disappointed, hurt, and lost.


    "Are you happy now? Can I go to sleep?" Onuki said with a deeply hurt expression. "Ah, there was something you so wanted to tell me. What is it?"


    Orisa let out a heavy sigh and returned to her bed, gesturing Onuki to go back to her own place.


    "First of all, please listen until the end. I implore you to give me a chance to explain myself." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I beg you to understand that it was not my intention to end up in the situation I am now. The thing I am going to tell you today, only one person in this world knows about it. And she advised me against disclosing it, so I kept my mouth shut."


    "It''s a complicated matter, and I saw no good solution at first and later simply went with the flow. When I ended up with you girls in this room, I honestly felt conflicted and even disgusted of myself. But again, I saw no way of resolving this issue. I started noticing things about you at the same time as your true aim towards me became clear. I felt something was wrong in the way you treated men, so I decided to pull away and block any of your attempts."


    "Also please note that I could probably arrange for you a transfer to a different squad. Because I''m sure that you would end up hating me for what I''m about to tell you. And I deserved it without a doubt. Also, I''ll leave this room for you, so don''t worry. Just please, I beg you to understand that everything was not my own choice, and I never asked for this."


    "Can you please wrap up this drama and get to the point?" Onuki muttered with a tired and depressed voice.


    "Alright," she stood up, grabbed both a pillow and a blanket from her bed, and went to the room''s exit. "The thing I told nobody about and wanted you to know is that I was a man in my past life. I''m sorry."


    "You what... No, that''s... How..." Onuki was thunderstruck. "But this all time... And we even..."


    "I''m so very sorry, Onuki. I can''t express with words how sorry I am. I deserve to be hated and despised. If you need a transfer from our squad, we''ll arrange it. And the room is yours, of course. I wish I could have thought of any better way to handle this situation. I won''t bother you anymore. I''m so sorry..."


    And with that, Orisa left the room and went to the gym, leaving aghast Onuki some space to think it all through.

 47 Pure impurities

    Orisa could not sleep, but that was to be expected after their conversation. Was her choice to push Onuki the right one? Did she overstep the bonds between the two of them? She felt that what she did was right, but only if looking at a bigger picture. On a small scale, she forced her friend to go through the nightmare yet again and perhaps destroyed their mutual trust.


    At a long shot, Orisa solved an ongoing issue that could lead to a disaster. It was a miracle that Onuki managed to perform fair in the Dungeon, and Orisa didn''t want to take chances. If something were to happen to Onuki in actual combat, what would they do then? What if she had to carry Kanai on her back to the Infirmary? And could she perform simple bandaging or a change of clothes if needed? It was a disgustingly rational way of looking at things, but what else was there to do?


    There was another reason for her intrusiveness, of course, more selfish and pathetic. Orisa could not resist what Onuki was doing to her, and her body longed for more. At fault was not only her hormonal level but a lingering emptiness left by Mirai''s absence. Not only Orisa''s body but her soul was looking for someone to bond with, for someone to care about and be cared back. Mirai was irreplaceable, that fact could not be changed; Onuki was not a replacement, not a substitution for the lost love. Orisa couldn''t articulate what exactly was Onuki''s role, but the only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted more. She wanted more of everything that had been going between them until that moment. Was that thanks to Onuki''s skills at seducing people? Perhaps it was, but it changed nothing.


    Because of these two reasons, Orisa had to know the truth about Onuki and also needed to share her own situation. Another point to consider was Onuki''s age; despite her grown-up behavior, she was still just a kid. Back in her old life, Orisa never felt like a grown person, never acted on her age since mentality-wise she was struck somewhere in mid-twentieth at best. Even after taking into account that fact was it alright to go out for real with a kid? Indeed, the hellish life turned Onuki into an adult person at least in some aspects, but was this enough, was this alright?


    She had cowardly left the room after saying her part; her excuse was that she wanted to give Onuki some space and time to think about everything. Of course, it was a pathetic excuse to comfort herself and avoid an immediate backlash.


    These and various other thoughts plagued her might, so Orisa could not sleep at all. When it began to dawn, she gave up and drunk an Endless night potion to fall asleep.


    Orisa''s morning was not comfy, but she had to make do with sleeping in the gym. She didn''t want to bother Onuki after leaving her in the most inexcusable way. To be honest, she was too afraid to go back yet.


    She had just gathered her belongings and was about to stand when the door opened. It was none other than Tiana who came for a morning exercise.


    "Orisa!? What are you doing here of all places? I thought you were away?" To say that she was surprised would be an understatement.


    "Oh, hi~," she smiled back a little awkwardly, trying to hide everything that was on her mind. "I''m glad to see you are well, Tiana. Sorry that I left without saying a word to you in person."


    "That''s fine, I understand. But what are you doing here with a pillow and a blanket?"


    "Would you be surprised if I were to say it''s complicated?" Orisa answered apologetically, looking down and even shuffling her feet.


    "Ugh, what was I even expecting from you?" Tiana rolled her eyes and grumbled quietly.


    "By the way, one of the reasons I wasn''t able to warn you in person about my leave was because I didn''t know where you were living. Can you show me, you know, just in case?"


    "I don''t mind. Please, follow me then."


    They arrived at a three-story building not far from the campus. When Tiana passed by, two guards posted by the entrance bowed down politely. Orisa stopped to read a tabled that was hanging by the door:


    Floor one left wing: vi Durek


    Floor two left wing: vas Kavenfenn


    Floor three right wing: vas Flamie


    By the look of it, there was an elevator in the building, but Tiana headed towards the stairs. ''What a diligent girl, exercising even while walking,'' Orisa mused while admiring the girl''s back and all her curves that were visible even through the robe. The effects of Onuki''s evening activities were still present despite everything that followed after, so Orisa was involuntarily behaving like a hormonal teenager, which was not that far from the truth anyway.


    There was a matter displacement gate instead of a traditional door, Tiana activated it with a small device and gestured Orisa inside. The moment the portal activated, Orisa heard a light ringing sound. They stepped inside the gate and saw an elderly maid already awaiting them in a respectful bow.


    "My Lady, it''s a pleasure to see you back so soon," she said in a slightly hoarse voice filled with tenderness and care.


    "Maria, please, how many times should I ask you to stop bowing!" Tiana grumbled in frustration. "You are not so young anymore, and there is no need for such formalities anyway."


    "How could I, especially while you are not alone? As for my age," Maria allowed herself a chuckle, "I expect to nurture at least one more generation of vas Kavenfenn family. But it all depends on the young lady, of course."


    "Would you stop it already!?" blushing Tiana was so cute. "This is Orisa. She is my...colleague."


    "I see," Maria chuckled merrily once again and bowed slightly towards Orisa. "Greetings, I''m Maria Pestoni, a housekeeper and a guardian of lady Kavenfenn."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Pestoni," Orisa activated all her communication skills, and the result came as a great surprise to Tiana who was used to Orisa''s usual barbaric demeanor.


    A loud growl of Orisa''s stomach broke the silence. Tiana giggled like a kid, but then her stomach did the same thing.


    "You don''t have to repeat," Maria let out a short laugh and left to the kitchen in the furthest corner of the apartment complex.


    "How was your journey?" Tiana gestured Orisa towards the table and settled herself.


    "Wonderful! The person I went to meet is both my mentor and something akin to family, I guess. We had a great time together, and she also began teaching me some things related to my, well, skill build," Orisa was shining brightly during her recollection as it helped her to distance from the harsh and sorrowful evening, and Tiana even felt a sting of envy towards this happiness. "What about you?"


    "Mhm, I can''t say there was anything noteworthy. Orisa, I''ve been thinking about this matter a lot and..." she paused and gave Orisa a long heavy look, gathering her thoughts and letting out a weak sigh. "I''m sorry for how I''ve been treating you before. You did not deserve any of that."


    Orisa gave her the same heavy look, although her gaze was that way for a different reason, ''It''s a great time to make her talk. But I totally won''t survive another painful discussion. Tiana, what''s with this timing?''


    "I understand, so don''t worry. You are a nice person, that was evident from the beginning, that''s why I tried to break your wall," she lightly caressed Tiana''s palm. "We all have our share of tragedy, and that''s why I understand. If or when you are ready, I''ll be glad to hear you out and get to know you better, Tiana. That''s what friends are for, right?"


    The girl smiled back weakly and nodded, hiding her embarrassment by quickly turning away. ''Oh, how cute,'' giggled Orisa inwardly, trying to distract her train of thought that was constantly getting back to Onuki.


    They talked about Tiana''s free time some more until Maria came back with a steaming tray and began serving the table. The food looked like your typical dish from a cooking TV show, gorgeous, mind-blowing, and captivating.


    "Maria, you didn''t have to go all-out like this."


    "My lady, you finally brought your, ahem, colleague here," a mischievous smile blinked on Maria''s slightly wrinkled face. "It''s a breakfast befitting the occasion, won''t you agree?"


    It seemed like it was Maria''s little sport to make Tiana blush as often as possible. ''A master teaser, indeed,'' Orisa chuckled inwardly.


    When they finally began the breakfast, Orisa had to restrain herself with all her willpower, that''s how good the food was. The fact that she was dead hungry added to the taste even more. By the look on Maria''s face, she was pleased over Orisa''s reaction. After taking empty plates back on the tray, she bowed down and left.


    "Iten told me about your division choice," continued no longer blushing Tiana. "While this group is a little odd, I''m still glad that you were able to get your skills recognized despite your fighting problem."


    "It all thanks to your help as well, Tiana. As I already said, you are a great person. Thank you for helping me with everything," Orisa thoroughly enjoyed a few more moments of blushing cuteness then asked with a serious expression. "What about you? I heard that you''d have to serve at least one year."


    "Yes, there is a law on that regard, but I don''t mind at all as I planned to do that either way. Although I don''t need to start right away, so I wanted to get back to the capital and consult with my father on the matter."


    "I see. Well, I know it''s unrealistic, but it would be great to fight by your side again. I had a lot of fun back then."


    "Indeed, it was a pleasure, Orisa. You are a capable and dependable person, and I value these traits greatly."


    "I like you, too!" Orisa chuckled after making Tiana''s cheeks red again. "We will stay here for a few more days, clearing the remaining floors of the Dungeon. What about you?"


    "I thought about leaving for the capital in a few days as well," Tiana answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. It was evident that she didn''t want to lose her first and only friend right after starting their friendship.


    "There is nothing we can do about it," Orisa repeated what Rita said to her before. "So, don''t be like me and leave without saying anything in person, alright? And how can I keep in touch with you?"


    Tiana took out a small leather notepad and tore a sheet of paper from it. Orisa saw familiar handwriting that she had a chance to witness when Tiana gave her a note for the Treasury.


    "Here is how you can mail the residence. And I''m not an irresponsible person like a certain somebody, so of course, I will come to say goodbye."


    Half an hour had passed before Orisa forced herself up. The tea Maria made was delicious, and the conversation with Tiana even better, so Orisa struggled to leave the warm and comfy household and go back to her dark thoughts.


    "If you are having troubles, you can always sleep here," Tiana eyed her pillow-and-blanket pack with a furrowed brow.


    "No-no-no, I can''t impose on you so much! But thank you for a kind offer..."


    "You won''t impose," Tiana stated firmly, subtly shooting a questioning look at Maria who nodded in approval. "There is a guest room designated for such cases."


    "Um..." It was a tough question. After talking to Onuki and revealing her secret, among other things, Orisa was having another identity crisis going on inside her head. She was no longer sure of her right to be so close to a normal, pure girl like Tiana. "I''ll think about it. Don''t get me wrong! It''s an awesome offer, and I would love to stay here, but I have some, well, complications, so I''m not sure if it''s a wise idea. Thank you so much for the offer! And, Miss Pestoni, your cooking is superb."


    They parted after a few more minutes of pleasantries and Orisa left a once more blushing Tiana with a merrily chuckling Maria. Now Orisa had to get back to the dorm for it was beyond brainless to go through the day without dropping her bed linen.


    She arrived at the dorm in a dark and heavy mood and knocked on the door to their room, but there was no reply. Quickly dropping her bed linen, Orisa grabbed some of the hygiene items and her newly acquired everything-for-crafting suitcase and went to take a shower. It might have been unwise to carry all her stuff to the room with high humidity, but she didn''t want to risk running into Onuki while mentally unprepared.


    Orisa felt better after getting to the park. The burning guilt was still there, eating her insides, and she was dreading the moment of imminent meeting. But the morning with pure and warm Tiana lightened her mood slightly, so she wanted to spend some more time in peace and quiet. Thus, the park. To her surprise, Orisa noticed a familiar silhouette on a bench, staring at a book absentmindedly. ''I feel like a game character walking from one scripted scene to another. Can''t I walk for ten minutes without triggering an event?''


    Even from afar, Kanai looked lost and depressed. He sat slouching over the book with a sad expression, staring at one page with an empty gaze. Orisa''s heart ached from this view; she recalled with ease how hurt was Kanai when she forgot to visit him in the Infirmary and what he told her about always being left on the sideway of the story.


    She was five meters away when Kanai noticed her. At first, he stared at her in disbelief; the book felt out of his hands as Kanai stood up abruptly and started moving to Orisa hesitantly. She put down her case and opened her arms, saying with a bright smile:


    "My poor lonely bro, come here."


    There was no need for another invitation; Kanai dashed forward and hugged Orisa tightly, almost strangling her. On the one hand, it felt nice to be hugged by someone radiating so much happiness; on the other hand, her male side started cringing over this activity. Gender identity crisis was still there and had no plans to withdraw.


    "Well-well, don''t be like that, dude," Orisa chuckled while patting him on the back. "Only three days have passed since I left. Were you left alone by these baddies Iten and Clemen?"


    "Oh fuck off, heartless fiend," he muttered weakly while still clinging on Orisa. "And it was almost four days by the way."


    "Okay, that''s enough body contact," she said almost ten seconds later and pushed Kanai away. "I missed you too. Come, let''s Netflix and chill on the bench."


    "What about hentai with senpai?" Kanai was getting better with each passing second; his depression now gone without a trace.


    "Over your dead body, bro," retorted Orisa after pressing her butt down. "So, how was it?"


    "Oh, you know, I haven''t seen much of Iten since the first day. He spends all his time at Nene''s place, that rascal. But well, it''s more like Nene imprisoned him at her room, letting him out for a bit of training," he sighed like an elderly parent over his troublesome kid. "It''s not like I can''t understand, but..."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Um, you see, with our new headquarter being far away from here it became evident that they''ll have to break up. Or at least that''s what I got from Iten''s explanation. So Nene is probably keeping him locked at their bedroom or something, I guess."


    "Really? Sounds sad, but perhaps this is for the best?"


    It was a complicated matter; they could have agreed to visit each other once every other week or so, but it would still be rather troublesome and without any guarantee of success. Considering Nene''s personality, she probably smacked a table and said something about all or nothing policy. ''It''s always better to part while everything is at peak than drag a doomed relationship until it falls apart painfully.''


    "Yeah, so Iten was busy trying to survive. Clemen is training most of the time, as for Onuki, I haven''t seen her even once. Every time I tried to check on her, she was away or busy."


    "What about you? I''m sure it was sad to be left like that, but..." Orisa quickly steered the conversation away from Onuki.


    "Oh, come on. I was not THAT lonely, you know? And, well, I was reading? And training?" He kept on grumbling and pouting like a little kid. "I also trained with Dippo inside the Dungeon, so that you know."


    "You what, mate!?" She almost choked on the air.


    "Yeah, he is a bit freaky but actually kind of capable. And now that we have our new tags, we can go to the Dungeon freely, yay," Kanai suddenly became agitated. "Dippo helped me quite a lot, you know, taught some nice things and new skills as well."


    "Wow, that''s cool! Then let''s exercise a bit, and you''ll show me your flashy Bankai."


    "Stop being such a dick or I''ll Senbonzakura your sore ass."


    "Wao, so scary, much danger, very sorry, so wao."


    They stood up while keeping their otaku banter, and Kanai even volunteered to carry Orisa''s case. As usual, it was so easy and comfy to hang out with Kanai for some reason. When they passed the park''s open gate, Orisa heard a familiar voice coming from behind:


    "Can we talk?" said Onuki uncomfortably.

 48 Not giving up

    Upon hearing Onuki''s request, Kanai left to the gym for morning practice, and Orisa took the girl back to the dorm, as their room seemed to be the most secure and secluded place available.


    They were sitting on their beds in complete silence. Onuki looked down at her feet, while Orisa was staring at the girl expectantly with a rather calm expression. On the inside, however, she was panicking and screaming in horror, not knowing what to do or what to make of this situation.


    A few more minutes had passed before Orisa decided to break the silence:


    "How are you?" she asked, but there was no reply. The only change was that now Onuki was looking at Orisa with a studying expression. "I understand that you hate me now, both for what I did yesterday and who I am. I can only say it again, I''m-."


    "Be quiet, would you?" she interrupted Orisa''s apologetic plea with a slightly irritated voice.


    Onuki kept staring at her for a few more minutes before she finally began to talk:


    "You were not kidding? You are a man?"


    "Why would I, especially after your confession? Well, I was a man before. Who or what I am now is yet to be discovered."


    "Tell me briefly about yourself, your life, who you were before," she continued with the same voice showing a hint of irritation.


    "Um? Well, okay, I guess. I was 33 years old when a vehicle hit me, and I ended up here. Before that, I had been working in the entertainment industry for eleven years. Started small, ended as a team leader, had a few somewhat successful projects. I was never married, had no kids, the last relationship ended a few years prior to my death."


    "So that''s why you are more into girls?"


    "Well, of course. I won''t deny that this body tends to react to men from time to time, but the idea is sending me chills, ugh," after Orisa''s answer, Onuki became quiet again. Orisa couldn''t bear that silence and decided to ask, "how do you feel right now? By the look of it, you are more or less-."


    "Don''t talk unless I ask something. You are getting on my nerves," Onuki kept glaring at Orisa, and then suddenly said, "So all this time in the shower, during our workouts, every time we were changing, you kept staring?"


    "I wasn''t staring! You won''t believe me anyway, but all this time I was agonizing over that fact, I even despised myself at first!" Orisa let out a long sigh while recalling her mental anguish. "Later I got used to it, of course. But I never stared at you or any of the girls. I mean, I''m not some teenager who has never seen a girl in his life."


    "Why did you want me to tell my story? Don''t lie!" she shivered after remembering the night talk.


    "Because I got addicted to the things you did to me, and wanted to get more. But my conscience would have killed me if I did something to you without telling," Orisa''s tone became serious, and she was absolutely honest with Onuki, maybe for the first time, "Also, because of the squad; it''s a grave mistake to have a healer who may falter when getting into contact with a male squad member. I wanted to know to understand if it was possible to overcome your issues and bring you into the squad permanently."


    "And what do you think now?"


    "About what?" replied a slightly confused Orisa.


    "About me overcoming these issues and staying with the squad?"


    It might have been Orisa''s imagination, but she sensed a faint trace of hope in Onuki''s voice.


    "I don''t know? I mean, you went through hell and was deeply wounded in the process, but somehow you were able to work with the squad in the Dungeon," Orisa paused, looking at Onuki with a puzzled expression. "Why are you asking me that now?"


    Onuki was silently staring at Orisa with a raised brow, which made her shuffle uncomfortably under the girl''s intent gaze.


    "Don''t you hate me now? I thought you were going to leave after everything."


    "Do you want me to leave?" Onuki asked angrily.


    "No, of course not!"


    After a few more minutes of silence, Orisa tried to ask again:


    "How do you feel right now?"


    Onuki let out a depressed sigh and dropped on the bed. Looking at the ceiling, she started talking:


    "I''m alive now, but the night was not as great..."


    "I''m sorry for leaving you alone. I just thought that-."


    "Are you going to listen or talk? Pick one," level of irritation in her voice grew further, so Orisa promptly shut up.


    "You forced me to dig up a lot of shit I never wanted to remember, and it messed my head a lot. Then your part came up, and you run away like a complete bitch, oh sorry, like a complete dick, leaving me to go through everything alone."


    Onuki was staring at the ceiling and chewing on her lips in frustration. For the first time in her life, she felt such a mixed set of feelings; hurt, depressed, frustrated, disappointed, and lost. Even after thinking about her situation most of the night, she still didn''t know what to do, how to feel about it, or what would come out of this whole ordeal.


    "At first, I thought I wouldn''t make it. After going through everything again instead of receiving the support, I got another shot from you of all people. It was hard to breathe, you know?"


    Onuki was not used to telling people how she really felt. She silently opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to say how lonely and hurt she was back then, but no word came out. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment when she imagined talking about this; for some reason, it was way harder to talk about the things she felt now than it was about her past.


    "I didn''t know what to do. At first, I wanted to pack and leave this goddamn place. And you know what?" Onuki let out a bitter laugh. "Where was I supposed to go in the first place? Leave the Military? And do what exactly? Go to a basic division where god knows what was waiting for me?"


    Onuki couldn''t say out loud the most important part, but among other things she still liked Orisa. She felt better in her presence as well. So the first thing she did after meeting Orisa today was to try and gauge her feelings towards a newly discovered person. That''s why she had been staring at the girl this whole time.


    "The awesome truth is that I don''t have anyone or anything besides you and your dumb happy-go-lucky friends. And the more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. I neither can, nor do I want to leave, alright?!"


    Onuki earlier inspection revealed that something was, without a doubt, broken in the image of the girl she had been looking at today. As if looking at a painting with a hole at its corner, Orisa now had a flaw to her that made Onuki feel alerted and wary. And this sensation was constantly clashing with her previous feelings towards Orisa. She felt that she could trust that person, but didn''t want to approach her; she was needed and welcomed here, but at the same time felt a hint of repulsion towards the girl. Hot and cold, sweet and sour, soft and hard, the mixture of these feelings was maddening.


    "If you hadn''t told me, nothing would have happened. But I''m sure I would have died right on the spot after learning the truth somehow, so at least for that, I''m thankful to you."


    "Honestly, I hate you," Onuki said after a long pause, and a pained expression appeared on Orisa''s face. "But I''m not dumb, so I understand your situation. Maybe there was a better choice? Maybe you could have done it properly? But I do understand that it was tough to be in your spot, so I can''t bring myself to hate you."


    She rubbed her eyes in frustration. This situation was a huge mess that she couldn''t find a way to fix. Despite its horrible drawbacks, her previous life taught her to be strong but reasonable; it made her be a good judge of people''s characters. And she, to an even bigger frustration, understood that Orisa was not a bad person. And she didn''t want to leave that girl''s side even after everything she learned.


    "Now you have a chance to throw me out because your awesome squad has no need of such broken and crazy people right?" Onuki sat on the bed to face Orisa. After a few seconds, she added with an irritated voice, "You can talk."


    "I don''t want you to leave, but I also don''t know how to help you get better with your condition."


    Orisa was able to relax and start breathing now. She dreaded the outcome, but it appeared to be way better than she hoped and deserved. Onuki was both strong-willed and smart, thanks to these traits she managed to fight a huge pile of crap Orisa unloaded onto her. And that made Orisa feel relief and joy.


    "As if I know that. But as far as I''m concerned, you are a perfect candidate to practice my social men skills, since you are somewhere in the middle."


    "Do you mean it?" Orisa still could not believe it.


    "Are you an idiot or something? Actually, let me test something."


    She stood up in front of Orisa and pulled her shirt up. The moment before her chest could be seen, her hands stopped. Orisa saw that both her fists turned white from how tense she was clutching them. The girl shivered and slumped back onto her bed, panting and sweating.


    "Are you alright!?" Orisa jumped from her bed and dashed to check on Onuki.


    "No touching!" she groaned in a hoarse voice. Ten seconds later, she finally caught her breath and said, "test failed."


    "You don''t need to push yourself too hard, gosh," Orisa said uneasily. "Look, I can leave the room for you. I can''t even imagine how hard it is for you now..."


    "And how am I supposed to get better then? Don''t be stupid, that''s the whole point of hosting a lecher by my side."


    "I''m not a lecher, damn."


    "Anyway, I''d like to rest a bit. Do you need something from me right now?" Onuki was pale and sounded tired.


    "I need you to be my friend, is that okay?" added Orisa smoothly.


    "Like hell. After what you did to me yesterday, you''ll need to earn it from scratch," she grumbled and turned away from Orisa, covering her whole body with a blanket.


    "Gladly! And thank you for staying with us."


    When Orisa was in the doorframe, she heard a barely audible whisper coming from Onuki''s bed:


    "Thanks for not giving up on me."

 49 The Goal of All Life is Death

    While Orisa and Onuki were going through their bumpy reunion, on the other side of the continent, two knights stood motionless in a standoff, facing each other.


    The first, clad in black full-plate armor, stood leaning on both his greatswords that were half-buried in the ground. His armor, bent in few places, had numerous holes in it, but the skin that could be seen through the gaps was intact.


    Twenty meters away from him was another knight, the exact opposite of the first. The knight was completely white from the tip of his helmet to the toes of the plate boots. His katana was stuck in the ground in the same manner as his opponent''s greatswords. There were no bents on his gear but three big tears instead. A healthy tanned skin could be seen through the cuts, intact all the same.


    The area around them was now completely devastated, with trees either burnt down or shattered, and the ground riddled with holes and craters. Every corner of the area, every crater, and hill were littered with corpses of the Beasts. There were hundreds of them; burnt, torn, slashed, pierced, and obliterated by other means.


    The white knight raised his hand, and Mana from all the corpses began to stream towards his palm. When the first speck of Mana came into a contact, the armor on his body started regenerating as if it was made of flesh and not of metal.


    His opponent took out of his armor few magic crystals and smashed them with his palm, absorbing their restorative effects.


    "This is going nowhere," said Nowa in even voice without a hint of exhaustion.


    "It''s you who are going nowhere after spending your last crystals," the white knight''s voice was young and full of vigor.


    "Do you even know what''s inside that cave?" Nowa nodded towards a hole in the ground not far away from their battlefield.


    "Do you?" the other knight was laughing.


    "I see," he straightened his back and pulled out both greatswords.


    "What is the point of your mad conquest? Is this world just another game for you? Don''t you value your life?" the white knight asked in a serious tone.


    "No game, no life. Or so they say."


    "I won''t let you prevail. The stakes are too high," the white knight took his katana and pointed it at Nowa. "Nobody would stand in our way. We...no, I will save everyone."


    "For mutt, you talk too much," Nowa spat out while renewing his defensive layers.


    The moment the white knight''s rapier began to move, Nowa did the same with his greatswords, and two knights shouted at the same time:


    "-Reality Slash!-"


    "-Twin Reality Slash!-"


    The wave of the white knight met two similar waves and caused an explosion, raising a lot of dust and dirt in the air. Nowa knew that he would lose in terms of speed and accuracy, so he played a defensive game against his opponent:


    "-Enrich Magic!-" -- "-Arcane Trap Field!-"


    "-Maximize Magic!-" -- "-Drifting Mine Field!-"


    These spells filled the area around him with invisible mines and traps floating in the air and planted into the ground. His enemy could still feel their presence, that''s why the enriched version of the spells created not only real but fake mines as well. The fakes felt the same as real ones, so any foe able to feel their presence would still be at a disadvantage, not knowing what to dodge and what was a mere illusion.


    The white knight was inhumanly fast, and Nowa could barely see him move, so he tracked the Knight''s movement by the explosive trail that his opponent was leaving while moving across the minefield and triggering the traps.


    "-Twin Chimera Wall!-"


    "-Arcane Slice!-"


    The white knight was already two meters away from Nowa and swung his katana empowered with magic, aiming at Nowa''s left side. His weapon met a wall with a Seal plastered across it and instantly shattered the obstacle. The second wall was able to stop the sword''s advance, and the Seal triggered, launching an explosive counter-attack. However, only the knight''s sword was still there, slowly falling to the ground. The knight himself moved behind Nowa and swung his right hand:


    "-Ookami Claw!-"


    His palm formed a claw-like Mana weapon midway and struck Nowa''s back, breaking the first layer of his defense.


    "-Negative Reflect!-"


    The Mana from the shattered layer gathered into a single black dot and shot at the white knight, forcing him to roll further. He ended up at Nowa''s right side and called back his weapon that only just now fell to the ground:


    "Forced Recall!"


    His katana glowed red and flew back into his hand in an attempt to cut Nowa''s leg. The black knight jumped in the last moment and used the same motion to smack his opponent''s head with a hilt of his greatsword. His target rolled several meters on the ground and threw three Beast cores in the air after coming to a halt:


    "-Kin Call!-"


    Mana condensed around the crystals mid-air, conjuring three twice evolved Beasts. Their owner jumped away from the fight and proceeded to restore his helmet and damaged head by draining Mana from surrounding corpses.


    "-Despair Aura!-"


    Nowa activated an effect similar to a lantern, weakening the wolves and the other knight considerably. This aura was much stronger than the Lantern, and also possessed another extreme property - it was impossible to dispel it from Nowa and remove its effects from his targets. Three Beasts rushed at Nowa and attacked at the same time.


    "-Drain Swords!-"


    He impaled the weakened wolves to his left and right with the greatswords that shone with purple light. While the third wolf was chewing the second layer of Nowa''s defense, his two companions withered away quickly as their Mana was drained and transferred to Nowa through the swords. His second barrier broke at the same time as Nowa swung now unoccupied swords and cut the last wolf into three pieces.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Living Legend!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Reality Slash!-"


    While Nowa was distracted, the other knight buffed himself and started attacking. Empowered spells flew one after another, smashing into walls and barriers Nowa was conjuring non-stop.


    "-Empower!" - "Dark Blast!-"


    A sphere of black flame rushed towards Nowa, shattering wall after wall. This dark flame was especially dangerous since it could inflict almost incurable wounds. Nowa was hit by this type of attack once and had to spend more than two month, slowly recovering his injuries. Aside from a horrible curse, the flame itself was unimaginably potent and strong, so Nowa was forced to use one of his trump cards:


    "-Mirror of Kalandra!-"


    The spell could absorb any magic and replicate it back at the caster. It was a combination of the Sealcasting with five Mana layers and Mana engineering to extract properties from the twice evolved magic core. The spell would consume the core, that''s why it was his last restort


    As the dark flame shot back at the caster, he threw in the air another magic core, conjuring the Beast to take a hit and get evaporated in a blink of an eye. The spell lost most of its power but still flew towards the target, forcing him to jump back even further. When he landed on the ground, one of the Magic Mines triggered, creating another explosion and sending him into the air.


    "-Niggurath Hoof!-"


    Similar to Orisa''s Hand of God, a giant black hoof appeared atop the white knight that was slowly falling down and smashed him into the ground with tremendous force. The knight got back on his feet, and the damage became evident. The armor was broken and torn; blood streamed from all over his broken body.


    "Is that all?" he asked with the same young and cheerful voice, absorbing Mana from the surrounding corpses and regenerating every spot on his body and armor.


    They both stood straight, facing each other in a standoff again. The white knight was stronger both physically and magically, but Nowa had way more experience and could predict his opponent''s actions and think two steps ahead. And while both were of the same specialization, the Spell Knight, Nowa''s arsenal was much broader and consisted of many powerful Sealcasting spells As well.


    "Your endless suffering made me wonder about one thing," pondered Nowa while straightening his sore shoulders. "You are not using your true form."


    "Neither are you," answered white knight, and for the first time, there was a hint of disdain and scorn in his voice.


    "Hoh? Interesting. How very interesting, I must say. Umu!" Nowa began to laugh, as he found this whole exchange quite amusing for some reason.


    "You''ll soon be out of Mana, and I-," the knight started to retort but was cut short by Nowa''s spell:


    "-Greater Reverse!-"


    Nowa used this time to reverse the effects of the Living Legend spell, weakening his opponent further, so the knight was now forced to dispel his own buff that turned into a debuff. While he did so, Nowa conjured a barrage of offensive magic, forcing his foe to retreat once more, triggering more Magic Mines and Traps on the way.


    "-Fallen Down!-"


    A pillar of light appeared ten meters away from the white knight and increased in size with each passing second. The knight looked at the pillar and back at Nowa:


    "Are you tired?" he laughed merrily and continued in a mocking manner. "Should I give you a break before-."


    "-Niggurath Hoof!-" -- "-Reality Slash!-"


    The knight leaped away to dodge the Hoof but was forced to roll again to avoid the Slash. The moment he tried to stand, Nowa launched another spell, a Sealcasting of four Mana layers:


    "-Black Hole!-"


    It appeared near the white knight and tried to pull him inside. The knight had to exert enormous effort to leap away from the powerful gravitational pull. He landed on another Mine and was thrown to the side by the explosion. The spot he ended up at was at the center of the pillar of light. Less than a second passed, and the pillar shone brightly after its six seconds charge time, spawning an explosion of an unbelievable might.


    The earth shook violently. Tens of corpses flew in all directions, away from the epicenter, and twenty meters wide crater appeared there. A lone figure lay at the bottom of the pit, coughing blood from a completely burned face. Most of his armor was destroyed, and he lost both hands and half of his right leg. As his body began to regenerate, he muttered slowly:


    "Now... you''ve done it..."


    Unlike his armor, magic cores that he kept inside his equipment were intact and lay on the ground around him. Nowa sensed a powerful Mana spike, and more than forty twice evolved Beasts appeared around the knight.


    "Tch. How bothersome," Nowa muttered while looking at a slowly regenerating knight and his servants.


    A few seconds later, the knight stood up, still shaking but gradually getting back in his usual shape and form; even his hands and leg were there again, and two pairs of black slits were visible on now recovered face. While the armor was still regenerating, he pointed his tanned right hand at Nowa and shouted with an enraged voice:


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Darkflame Barrage!-"


    Tens of small black projectiles shot from his palm, flying in various trajectories, making it so much harder to intercept them. The only good thing for Nowa was that his opponent couldn''t use this spell often judging by the frequency of his attacks. At the same time, all Beasts rushed towards him.


    "Umu. How very unpleasant, indeed."


    The black knight took the remnants of his resources out of his pocket. There were eight twice evolved magic cores. ''Good, that much should be enough,'' he thought and chanted:


    "-Absolute Domain!-"


    Two magic cores on his palm broke, creating a ten meters wide field around him. Both the Darkflame and the Beasts crushed into the field only to bounce helplessly. This barrier was made of two hundred unprecedentedly thin Mana shields, each of them strong enough to withstand a powerful spell before breaking. But for an ignorant observer, the spell looked like a solid unbreakable barrier.


    "Do you think we won''t break that thing?" said white knight after getting out of the crater. His voice was filled with joy as he was already celebrating a victory.


    "Do you think that the barrier is to protect me from you?" Nowa laughed again. Apparently, he was in a great mood despite his dire situation. "It''s to protect you from me, little puppy."


    As the white knight shouted and charged at the barrier in a blind rage, Nowa gripped remaining six cores and crossed his greatswords.


    The first Seal appeared right in front of him. Two seconds later, another one formed to his right. More Seals were conjured every two seconds. When the sixth Seal appeared atop his helm, Nowa chanted:


    "-Life is Death!-"


    All six Seals shone brightly and turned black. A second later, they began to slowly pour down a black smoke that went in all directions both on the ground and in the air. The smoke passed through the Domain barrier and came into contact with the Beasts. Their bodies shuddered before turning the same black color and limping to the ground.


    The white knight cursed loudly and leaped back, ordering his army to retreat. But the smoke kept going, slowly crawling in all directions.


    Thirty seconds had passed before the smoke finally stopped its advance, creating a hundred meters wide wasteland. When a minute later it dissolved into the air, Nowanzi Goalo was already gone without a trace.

 50 The Overlord

    The rest of the day passed without any incidents. After a few hours of walking, Orisa returned to their room to spend more time with Onuki. The girl resolved to overcome her mental problems and tried various things in front of Orisa but to no avail so far. Using this impulse, Orisa talked her into spending more time with other squad members, and they had lunch together with Kanai.


    The trio ended up in a small gym, where Kanai and Orisa performed a little showcase, presenting their new skills and techniques.


    "I should probably start doing something as well," Onuki said a little dejectedly. "The only things I can do right now are some basic healing spells and one support buff."


    "Don''t worry, Onuki. You''ll surely be fine, for unlike us, you have decent stats. A bit of practice, and you''d rock the stage," supported her Kanai, smiling in encouragement.


    "Yeah, I think so too. We need capable backline support, and you fit perfectly," a huge grin was plastered over Orisa''s face.


    "Oh, if YOU are so sure, then I''m all set," the girl in questions answered sarcastically.


    Late in the evening, they sat inside their room together with Onuki, and the girl gave another try in her dressing quest. She slumped on the bed half a minute later, panting and sweating.


    "I believe in you, so don''t push yourself too hard."


    "I''m not doing it for you, so you''d better stop this sweet murmuring," muttered Onuki slowly, turning away. Orisa heard another quiet phrase a few seconds later, "but, again, thank you for not giving up on me."


    "Oh, don''t be like that. I told you already that I like you, so how could I possibly give up?"


    Onuki turned on the bed to face Orisa and gave her an intent gaze before she decided something and said:


    "Thank you. If there is anything I can do for you, anything that is in my power, I will."


    "Be my friend? Be our friend and our support?"


    "Sorry, I was wrong. This suggestion is revoked. I won''t survive more of your sugar talk," the girl blurted with a sour face.


    "Urgh, you are such a pain, you know?" it was Orisa''s turn to grumble. "But don''t worry, dear, I''m not gonna give you up, not gonna let you down~."


    And like that came the last morning of their vacation. Orisa left a bit earlier to let Onuki dress up, and later, to her joy, Onuki joined them during breakfast. Another guest of honor arrived as well:


    "Oh, Iten, are you alive?" Orisa asked in a mocking concern.


    "I will be in a few days," he answered tiredly. "Also it''s great to be young again. If not for this body, I would have died already."


    "Wao! Such macho, very womanizer, too Don Juan, so wow!"


    "And here I thought that I missed you..." he said with an ostentatious sigh.


    "Kyah, so harsh!"


    "Glad to finally see you with us, Onuki," said Iten, ignoring squirming Orisa.


    "Thank you," she was on guard, but Orisa saw that the girl was genuinely trying to fit now.


    "By the way, Iten," Orisa dropped her joking attitude, "not that it was my business or anything, but at this rate, are you not afraid of becoming a father?"


    "I am most certainly not. Nene knew beforehand that she was infertile, so there is no danger at all."


    "What about Nana?" she asked again, this time half-jokingly.


    "On the contrary, Nana is not infertile," he answered to Orisa''s shock. "From what I heard, most noble houses prefer to perform various expensive tests on their offspring to be sure. That''s how they know even before their children are of age."


    "Isn''t that good?" Kanai was puzzled by Orisa''s reaction. "I mean, they are so concerned about continuing the bloodline and everything."


    "You see, from what I understood, Nana is more into girls, so..." Orisa shuffled uneasily.


    "Oh, that''s how it is? Well, it sucks to be her, then."


    "Nene said that her sister is okay to do whatever is best for her family," Iten added suddenly. "She said something similar to ''When the time comes, I will be ready,'' or so Nene told me."


    "Uh, such dedication. Nana is cool."


    "They sound like an interesting family," added Onuki musingly.


    After they finished breakfast, Orisa apologized to Onuki for leaving her for the time being and pulled Kanai and Iten away. They ended up in the boys'' room where Orisa opened her backpack with ''Tah-dah!'' and presented them the book they were looking for so long.


    "Damn, son, where''d you find this!?" Kanai exclaimed in shock.


    "Money is power! Modern society developed far and wide, inventing various contraptions," she continued with a posh expression. "One of them, my fellow countrymen, is called a book store OUCH!"


    Kanai''s patience ran out, so he pinched Orisa''s thigh, which made the girl in question almost jump on the bed:


    "Hey, that''s harassment! Workplace sexual assault! Iten, do something with this pervert, please," she yelled and wiped away a lone tear from her eye.


    "Well, if you insist on doing something with a pervert, you should prepare yourself," Iten calmly answered while straightening his shoulders.


    "So that''s how you wanted to play it? Uh-huh, I see. Then you leave me no choice, so I''m going to use my trump card," she grabbed her backpack and pulled out a pair of wristwatches. "Bribery!"


    The boys accepted illegal gifts and put them on. After a short dramatic pause, Kanai bowed his head and said with an obedient voice:


    "I''m at your orders, my lord."


    "Okay, enough with foreplay, let''s get to the action," she said while putting the backpack away and picking the book. "If you want you can have it because I already checked its content and calculated the dates again. The deadline is more or less the same, which is around five months."


    "Any other useful pieces?" Iten asked after taking the book.


    "First, the number of Beasts across all waves is more or less the same. And second, although Dippo had already mentioned this fact before, there are places where the Beasts gather for no apparent reasons, and places that they avoid as well. But there are also some details I was able to pick from my trip," a tattered and wrinkled notepad appeared from within the bag. "The thing is that with each passing year there are fewer Beasts away from the epicenter and much more near it. Epicenter probably is a tall white tower at the western end of the continent, meaning there are fewer of them at the eastern side. But their total number is still roughly the same if we were to count every wave across the continent."


    "Wait-wait-wait, I have a vague idea, but can''t articulate it yet," Kanai waved his hands in agitation, "so don''t talk for a minute!"


    Orisa and Iten exchanged confused but resigned looks and obediently shut up, waiting for Kanai.


    "So here is what I think," he finally decided to speak. "On the one hand, we have Waves that are becoming more and more frequent. On the other hand, there are the Beasts that appear more frequently near the epicenter and less often away from it. To add, there is the fact that their number is equal between different Waves."


    He looked back and forth between Orisa and Iten in hopes for them to catch up but then said it anyway:


    "Doesn''t it look like there is a limited capacity for their army, like in StarCraft or other strategic games? Something is creating the Beasts at a constant rate, and they move away from the epicenter in an unfinished state, but since there is less time between the Waves, the Beasts can''t move far away from the epicenter before appearing in the world. The Waves are a trigger for them to materialize wherever they are."


    "While I can''t argue with your first part," said Iten with a puzzled expression, "but your second point is too far-stretched. Isn''t it more logical to assume that since someone or something behind the Waves is nearing its goal, it pulls more and more forces to defend its base?"


    Kanai pouted at Iten''s words, but Orisa interjected with another point:


    "Whoever is right is irrelevant. If Kanai is correct, it means there is a crazy and overly complicated system in place. If Iten is right, then we''ll have to deal with some mastermind. But so what? How this knowledge helps our current situation?"


    "It doesn''t help us right now for sure. But it might do so in the near future," said a slightly disheartened Iten.


    "Yes, sorry for being negative," Orisa backed down and started writing both ideas into the notepad.


    There was a meeting with Dippo scheduled in the evening, so the trio went to train in the gym after picking up Onuki. Clemen was still nowhere to be seen, but the boys assumed that he went into the Dungeon to get more practice.


    After a quick dinner, they all gathered inside one of the classrooms, and even Clemen was there, discussing something with Drugan Dippo.


    "Oya, my sweet kittens, how nice of you to finally show up," he was as extravagant as usual and gave the squad a curious look that stopped on Orisa. "And your potential lady captain is here as well. Greeting-greetings have a sit."


    They all took the seats in the first row, and Dippo began the meeting.


    "From tomorrow and onward, you''ll all be a part of my wonderful group, the Hounds. As I said before, I want you to finish all ten floors of the Dungeon to get more combat practice before we move out to the lair."


    "The lair? Do you mean to the headquarters of the Hounds?" Kanai asked with a hint of discomfort in his voice.


    "But of course, what else could I mean by that? It''s just too boring to call it headquarters, won''t you agree?" Dippo waited a few seconds, but there was no reply, so he continued. "Anyhow, there are a few details I''ll need you to know beforehand. First, since you are through with the basic course, the Summoners in the Dungeon will be more active. Their pets are going to be more strategic, aggressive, and dangerous, so be prepared."


    "Another thing is that I will be tutoring you personally, so be sure to bring any notes, books or whatever you might have on your preferred style and skills to make both mine and your lives easier. We''ll also study everything you need to know on the go, too."


    "And the last thing, my pancakes, is that you''ll get your third Seal right after this meeting," he paused to let the shocked silence linger for a moment. "You should choose one carefully. Most people go with the Seal of Might because it''s average in everything. But in many cases it''s way better to get something more specific."


    Everyone became silent, thinking about their builds, stats, and things they wanted to improve.


    "In case of this fine young gentleman Iten, it would be cooler to get, let''s say, the Seal of Colossus. Or the Bulwark Seal even. They would enchant his poise or make his shield handling more efficient, and so on. You get the idea, right?"


    "Would you mind consulting us on a wiser choice then?" Orisa asked thoughtfully.


    "That''s exactly why you are here today, my, ahem, young leader of the squad," Dippo gulped under Orisa''s intent gaze. "I will give you a list of Seals, and we''ll discuss it once you are all done with reading."


    He gave Orisa the papers he was swinging all this time and took a sit. Orisa, on the other hand, gathered everyone around one table and said:


    "We are going to read it together page by page. If you see something that you think is fitting for the others, say so immediately," she observed puzzled expressions of everybody except Kanai and explained. "It''s often easier to spot problems or needs of other people because you are unbiased by their difficulties and their way of thinking. I often used this trick at my work to spot my shortcomings and errors."


    At the corner of her vision, Orisa spotted Kanai''s expression that darkened after her words; a depressed look on his face made Orisa worry over his wellbeing. But when she elbowed him and gestured a silent question, Kanai only shook his head and returned to the papers on the table.


    They skimmed through the pages quickly to get a grasp of the magnitude of possible effects and then started all over with a more thorough attitude.


    The sheer number of Seals was impressive, but their effects were even more so. From simple body empowerments to extravagant and exquisite ones, such as a decrease in sweating or enhancement of taste buds on one''s tongue, the Seals were diverse and peculiar.


    After the first reading, Orisa already knew what she would like to get unless Dippo would suggest something even more useful. She was torn between two Seals at first, but after giving it another thought, it became clear what to choose. The only thing she needed to do now was to help her friends.


    "Lady General," Clemen started shortening Orisa''s made up names for some reason, "what do you think about mine? Should I get something to add more speed?"


    "It''s a valid option, Clemen, but I think you should look into the piercing power of your attacks," she answered with a thoughtful expression. "I mean, you guys don''t know yet, but the Beasts defense is way higher than that of the Summons we fought in the Dungeon."


    Other squad members took her knowledge for granted, but Drugan Dippo gave her one long look full of curiosity and silent questions.


    Twenty minutes had passed before they became confident in their choices. Iten decided to get the Bulwark Seal; Kanai''s choice went towards Dexterity Seal; Onuki wanted to get more Mana regeneration, and Clemen choose the Seal of Breaking after listening to Orisa.


    "So, I heard everything, and you sweethearts are more or less on point," started Dippo his part. "However, there are better choices for at least two of you considering I haven''t heard your leader''s choice yet."


    "First, you," he pointed at Onuki. "It might seem smart to get more Mana for a healer, and it indeed is rather bright, so you have my approval. But there is a better Seal for you. The Seal of Spirit would give you slightly lower regeneration, but other benefits of getting more Spirit are too yummy to pass by. They are, of course, increased resistance, a larger Mana pool, and various other little things."


    "As for you and your durational build," Dippo looked at Kanai, "I see that you are trying to do. But my cupcake, you are doing it wrong, I''m afraid. Your goal is to cover your low Dexterity, but you don''t need it, right? You only need some of its effects, such as better Mana control and manipulation. So why not go with Mana Control Seal instead?"


    Everyone looked impressed by his words. That was the difference between being smart and having real experience. It all boiled down to finer details that were not visible from merely reading the books and descriptions.


    "So, what''s our captain''s choice?" Dippo turned to Orisa with a sarcastic grin on his makeover-heavy face.


    "I think I''ll go with the Seal of Layers," she said solemnly, hoping for approval and commendation. Instead, Dippo started laughing like crazy, which in turn made Orisa''s face purple from embarrassment.


    "Oh, girl, I love you," he finally said, wiping tears and splattering his makeup. "You are so brilliantly predictable that I almost died just now! I gave it a thought beforehand, pondering what you would choose. And I was absolutely sure that you''d go with this exact Seal."


    This whole time Orisa was pouting heavily like a kid that got no present on Christmas. Other members'' reaction varied from puzzlement to barely contained laughter.


    "Okay, that was fun, but let''s get back on track," his face turned serious as he gave Orisa a stern look. "The Seal you should use instead does a number of things related to your, let''s say, style. It''s called Mind over Matter Seal."


    Orisa struggled to remember the Seal''s effects, but nothing came to mind for some reason. Seeing her puzzled expression, Dippo let out a disappointed sigh and added:


    "This Seal slightly boosts your concentration, surrounding awareness, and feeling of other people''s Mana. It also enhances your Mana control, casting speed, and Mana manipulation power," he looked at now curious Orisa. "It''s a Seal that best suits a caster commander who is willing to keep everything around under his strict control. By the way, knowledgeable people call it the Overlord Seal."

 51 To Seal the Deal

    A woman around her forties was in charge of creating the Seals in their training camp. The procedure was as painful as ever, but the feeling quickly subsided, and Orisa stood up to leave. A question suddenly popped up in her mind.


    "May I ask a question regarding the Seals?"


    "Why not? Ask away."


    "It is possible to remove or replace the Seals, right?"


    "Indeed, I can remove them with an appropriate tool and reagents, although the procedure is even less pleasant than the sealing itself. Why do you need to know?"


    "Oh, I was just curious if there was a way to replace language Seals and learn the language myself."


    "Huh? Well, it is, but..." the woman was puzzled as such an idea has never occurred to her.


    "Thank you for your time," Orisa bowed and left through an open material displacement gate.


    She felt strange. It was as if another sense awakened and was pumping new information that Orisa''s brain could not handle yet. Light dizziness occupied her head while her skin was itching from an invisible tickling.


    "You look pale, what''s wrong?" Iten''s voice pulled her out of the thought train.


    "Oh, um, probably because of this new Seal, I guess. Sorry, I''ll go straight to the dorm."


    "Hey, are you sure you don''t need help?" Kanai''s hand touched Orisa''s shoulder, and she almost jumped from a sensation jolt that went through her body. An array of new feelings went through her mind, making her nauseous on top of dizzy.


    "No, ugh, just leave me alone for now, sorry."


    She was slowly walking to the dorm, feeling a bit better under the night''s sky. The tickling sensation was almost gone, and now she only felt uncomfortable around her back. What part of the Seal''s effects was responsible for her state? ''Gotta ask Dippo tomorrow. If I don''t RIP overnight, that is.''


    Step after step, she was gradually making her way towards the dorm, and an uneasy sensation all over her back grew as well. Feeling paranoid, Orisa turned around and jolted unwillingly after witnessing Onuki a few meters away from her, quietly following her all this time.


    "Are you okay now?" Onuki asked, missing Orisa''s unnatural reaction. "I wanted to make sure that you would make it in one piece."


    "Oh, yeah, thank you. I''m a better now. Mostly."


    Orisa was now facing an approaching Onuki, and the tickling sensation moved from her back onto her chest and stomach. As the girl passed by Orisa''s side and stopped by her right side, the feeling moved as well.


    "Wait, Onuki, I have a request," Orisa said thoughtfully, not willing to believe in the idea that popped just now. "It stupid, but please, can you slowly move around me? I need to check something."


    With a confused expression, Onuki walked around Orisa, and the sensation followed her position closely. ''Oh fuck, that''s both awesome and terrifying at the same time.''


    "Going to explain?" Onuki asked, furrowing her brow.


    "Yes, well, how do I put it in words? I can kind of feel where you are?" she cringed over that explanation, but couldn''t think of a better way to phrase it. "There is a tingling sensation over the side that is closer to you."


    "Is this normal? It''s because of that Seal?"


    Orisa nodded, and they started walking again, together this time.


    Half an hour later, Onuki turned the lights off, and they went to bed. The feeling was still there, and since Onuki was close, the sensation grew stronger. ''And how am I supposed to sleep like that?'' she thought, but as it was the case with most senses and sensations, her body became accustomed to this rather quickly.


    The next morning, they were sitting inside a classroom and listening to Dippo''s lecture:


    "Since you shouldn''t overexert physically because of the sealing, we are going to study today. My kittens, and their boss, of course, prepare your brains, pens, and papers."


    The morning lecture was all about the geography of the continent and the Beast''s distribution around the land. Among other things, Dippo confirmed that the number of monsters was indeed roughly the same across the waves.


    "Sir, I have a sudden question indirectly related to the topic," Orisa raised her hand after a revelation struck her. "I assume the Hounds have some kind of archive to keep track of the Waves? How far into the past this archive goes?"


    "Depends on what is it exactly you''d like to know. The earliest recollection is almost half-millenium old, but some data we only started recording around fifty years ago."


    "Perfect! Does it mean that the rough number of the Beasts spawning is known for at least fifty years? What number are we talking about?"


    "Around seventy thousand. What are you hinting at?"


    "That''s not all, here is the second part of the question," Orisa grinned, almost drooling over her theory. "I''m vaguely familiar with the history of the Merdun fortress and the reclamation operation. Do we have even a general understanding of how many Beasts were there inside the city?"


    "Hmm, I''m not sure there were any records," he muttered thoughtfully and became silent for a few moments, then continued. "But if I have to make a guess, judging by the reports I read, the city size, and the speed at which the army was wiped out, I''d say something around ten thousand. Come one, missy, don''t tease me, spill it already!"


    "Wait, the last part is here. Can we compare the number of Beasts appearing with the Waves before and after Merdun battle?"


    "We can, I guess, but what is your point, for god''s sake?"


    "If I''m right, the number of Beasts is not only the same across the Waves, it''s the same overall, including these who are alive. It would then mean that if we wouldn''t kill them, the new ones won''t appear."


    "Wow, general! That''s super cool! Do you mean it would help us solve you-know-what-problem?" Clemen yelled in excitement, almost jumping on his seat. The sound of three simultaneous facepalms made Onuki and Dippo furrow their brows. Clemen''s confused "What''s wrong?" added even more idiocy to the whole episode.


    The rest of the morning passed without any more incidents, and the whole group, minus Drugan Dippo, moved to get lunch.


    "I''m not that used to your insanity yet, so should I ask about that you-know-what-problem?" inquired Onuki quietly, switching her gaze between Orisa and Clemen.


    Orisa let out a long tired sigh and in turn exchanged looks with Kanai and Iten. The boys cowardly shrugged, shoveling the responsibility onto Orisa''s delicate shoulders.


    "I guess we''ll talk in the evening, okay?" she finally answered in a dead-tired voice.


    The second half of the day started with the lecture about the Beasts and their traits.


    "There are many kinds of Wavespawn, forest animals, amphibians, birds, insects, and much more, in total over five hundred different species know to date, including their evolved forms. It''s crucial to know them, my cubs, as their behavior differs from type to type, and even between the same Beasts but of different evolution stage."


    "For example, frogs and toads are much less aggressive than wolves. But between wolves, the most aggressive are unevolved ones as they blindly charge at you without any regards to their safety; the evolved wolves tend to be more cunning and patient, they could wait for a lone prey or even run away if they deem the situation dire."


    "I don''t expect you to remember them all, but before our first hike, you should learn at least their general classification, who are aggressive, who might lay traps, and who would run away."


    The lecture continued, and Dippo gave more examples and pointed out various detail of the Beast''s behavior. His lesson then switched to their job:


    "I hope by now it''s obvious that you will be spending most of your career in the field as a team. Who can guess what knowledge is crucial in this style of life?"


    "How to properly establish daily necessities, I guess?" Kanai began thoughtfully. "Like, where to get water and food, or how to get yourself clean and fix your clothes; also, perhaps how to hide from the Beasts while sleeping? Hmm, and geography and orientation are important since we don''t want to get lost or walk into another team''s territory."


    "Oya, aren''t you one smart choco pie? That''s right. Everything our cupcake said is crucial for field hunting. You need to make food, set up a camp, fix your gear, trace the Beasts, and so on so forth. It leads us to a very serious topic, my lovely little ducklings. We need to distribute the required skills among you lot and have you start learning them."


    "What skills are we talking about specifically?" Iten asked, adjusting his non-existent glasses out of an undying habit.


    "For starters, Mana engineering; it is quite simple, and there is not so much to talk about it. The second is Mana crafting, which is way more complex in both its applications and difficulty curve. Ultimately, three directions in crafting are mandatory for the field job, gear crafting, consumables, and repairs. Usually, when someone is talking about Mana crafting, they mean gear. Such dummies, indeed, do not know how important it is to have a potion on your hands as well as your gear fixed."


    "But that''s not the end of things, my brownies, the list goes further. For example, gear can be further broken down to weapons, armor, jewelry, ammunition, traps, and so on. It''s the same for consumables as well since there are enchanted cooking, potions, pills, and more."


    "Are we supposed to learn everything?" asked an overwhelmed Onuki.


    "Of course not, silly, at least not right now. But I still recommend learning as much as possible now and don''t stop in the future, as well. So what''s left is for you to split the most important jobs and start learning as soon as possible."


    "Anyone should learn whatever they want, or are there any requirements, or maybe it''s better to have certain stats?" Orisa asked the question that was bothering her. She already knew that high Dexterity was a good thing for crafting in general, but it probably was not that simple.


    "Ultimately, anyone can do anything, but of course there are cases where you should or even need to have some stats and talents. I''ll give you a chart that shows which stats are used in what type of crafting."


    "Excuse me, but I was curious this whole time about the thing Kanai mentioned," suddenly interjected Iten. "Since the Beasts are attracted by Mana and can spot it from a long distance, how do we find a safe spot to set up a camp?"


    "We''d have gotten to it later, darling, but since you asked I''ll tell you now. There is a Seal called Repression, and when you activate it with one of your Mana layers, it blocks all other layers and silences your Mana flow. It can''t hide you completely, but the Beasts wouldn''t be able to sense you from afar. Coincidentally, the same Seal is used by the Police."


    The chart that Drugan gave them contained a short, neatly compiled list of skills and corresponding characteristics. By the end of the evening, they decided on the following split of responsibilities that Dippo approved:


    Onuki and Clemen - repairs. Clemen was also in charge of camp and geography, while Onuki''s tasks were to keep supplies in check and plan the squad''s expenses.


    By his own will, Iten decided to learn gear crafting since this field required all stats to be as high as possible, and his build was the most balanced among them all.


    Kanai volunteered to study consumables except potions, as their preparation involved a lot of Magic and Luck, the stats that were his biggest.


    Finally, Orisa took Mana engineering, which was self-evident, and on top of that added a potion production. On that note, they ended an evening class and went to get some rest before tomorrow''s Dungeon raid.


    Both Orisa and Onuki were in their beds, reading the manuals about their respective professions when Onuki suddenly asked:


    "If you think I''ve forgotten about that something super important thing that for some reason sounds extremely stupid, I have bad news for you."


    "Huh? Ouch, that one; sorry, it''s me who forgot. I''d like it to be stupid and nonsensical, but it doesn''t look like that, I''m afraid."


    "Well, what is it?" Onuki closed her book, sat on the bed, and turned to face Orisa. "Are we going to die a most horrible death because a meteor is on its way to crash into this planet?"


    "Something like that, yes" she let out a sigh and turned to face Onuki as well. "The first fact is that the time between the Waves is getting shorter."


    "Umm, nice, I guess. And what will happen when the time drops down to zero?"


    "We don''t know that, but at the very least the Beasts would spawn non-stop, that in itself is outside of my comfort zone."


    "And how long until the apocalypse?" Onuki asked with a surprisingly calm attitude.


    "By our rough estimation, five to six month."


    "Okay, thanks for telling me, I guess," she shrugged and lay back in bed.


    "Um, Onuki?" Orisa was perplexed by the girl''s reaction. "You are surprisingly calm about it."


    The girl in question was silent for a few moments, staring into the book she had already opened, and then answered without turning her head:


    "Isn''t it simple? I don''t think I''m in any way different from you. Do you honestly believe that you''ll die in five months? Does your brain accept this information?"


    After pondering the question for some time, Orisa came to a surprising conclusion. There was no dread, neither had she felt like perishing; there was not a single thought about impending death.


    "See?" Onuki said after observing Orisa''s reaction. "What''s your plan?"


    "Nothing much as of yet, I''m afraid. We are collecting as much data as possible, although it''s not easy. The only obvious thing is that we should get stronger for whatever is ahead."


    "Who also is in your world-saving club?" Onuki chuckled while asking the question.


    "Kanai, Iten, goddamit Clemen, and my mentor whom I went to visit," Orisa''s voice sounded slightly apologetic as she continued. "I was also hoping to recruit you at a later date, but..."


    "If your mumbling just now was an invitation, I don''t mind," she said nonchalantly and grinned. "Do I need to sign somewhere with blood, or make a tattoo on the forearm?"


    "Not yet, but it''s a great idea. Now that you mentioned it, I think we need to add some welcoming ritual. How about we throw an orgy with an intensive fluid exchange?"


    A cheerful burst of laughter sealed the deal.


    Next morning arrived, and the squad met in front of the Dungeon after having a short breakfast. Dippo was already there, so they entered the stone staircase and began their descent. They had passed many gates and stomped countless steps before reaching their destination, an eighth floor.


    "I don''t want to think about going back on the same route. My legs won''t make it," moaned an already tired Onuki.


    The other members of the group ignored her remark, too afraid to imagine a return trip.


    "I''m glad to see your eagerness, my dear fellows," said Dippo gleefully. Another figure approached, and Drugan waved towards the Lieutenant Reezpauzo and continued with an even more joyful tone, "greet your assistant, and welcome to your local hell!"

 52 Sleep with me

    Looking at her friends, Orisa felt lucky. This new harsh training they were going through seemed quite tame to her since she has already met real Beasts before. While their opponents now were not proper Wavespawn but mere summons strengthened and controlled by their Summoners, her squad mates were shocked.


    "Kyah! Fuck this shit I''m out," yelled Kanai while running from a two-meters long spider.


    "Stop putting a damn show and kill it already!" Dippo chopped Kanai''s forehead and kicked his butt simultaneously.


    Their captain, Drugan Dippo, was walking among their lines and giving them orders and commentaries. The monsters ignored him altogether, and he was lazily dodging stray projectiles and attacks of the squad members. If not for screaming people and rampaging monsters, this situation might have looked quite comical.


    Their new captain made the squad''s priorities clear from the start and was now repeating them again and again:


    "We are training a teamwork today, my lovely morons. TEAM-WORK," he said slowly and smacked Orisa upside the head. "What are you doing here when your mate is screaming like a little girl?"


    "I''m kind of busy, too," she angrily retorted, while pushing away three monsters and keeping trapped two more at the same time.


    "Then retreat and regroup, idiot! Retreat. And. Regroup."


    While individually the squad members, minus Onuki, were mighty enough to manage most enemies, they were losing against an overwhelming flow of monsters every time. Not once Orisa grumbled inwardly about being more than capable of soloing this whole ordeal, but her comrades kept messing around and getting in trouble. Suddenly Dippo took Orisa by her ear and pulled her to the side, kicking away rampaging monsters that were still attacking her:


    "Listen here, oh hero of ages," he started whispering right into the now red ear with an angry voice, "I know what you are thinking, stop that shit right now. It''s a team sport here, so turn on your puny hero brain and start managing your squad already."


    "Yes, sir, so sorry, sir."


    "Next time I hear a half-assed reply, I''ll half-ass your ass," he said with a voice that made Orisa shiver and let go of her ear.


    It was hard to call him a completely different person, but Dippo became unexpectedly focused and stern during their training. Orisa even got a feeling that he was serious about teaching them and whipping into shape. He was making Reezpauzo freeze his summons from time to time, explaining to the squad what they could have done better, or how they should approach different situations. His training was a stark contrast to the basic course they got during mandatory month training.


    Before they knew it, the time has come for a lunch break. Each floor had a specific room for a resting purpose with all facilities they might need, including beds, showers, and even bathroom. Aside from the food, they also found a long table filled with various bottles, bags, container, and numerous tools.


    "Eat up, change the clothes if needed," he eyed Orisa, whose chest was on display due to a large tear on her shirt, "and after a short break, we are going to practice your second professions. No slacking, my honeybees."


    "Sir, I have a potion brewing kit, should I bring it next time?" Orisa was slightly depressed that Dippo didn''t warn her to bring her new fancy kit to their practice.


    "This one?" he asked while casually swinging her suitcase in his arm. After witnessing her baffled look, Dippo added with a huge grin plastered over his face, "of course I know. And of course, I went to your room and took it while you were eating breakfast. Do you mind?"


    ''While it is outrageous, I don''t give a single shit,'' she thought, glancing over Onuki who looked rather pale, ''but this girl here does. Gotta talk to him about Onuki.''


    "Captain Boss, do you know how to do all this stuff?" Clemen gestured towards the table.


    "Oya, without a doubt I do, my dear! That''s the whole point of being efficient. You learn one thing to a middle level, then learn the basics of other fields before mastering your main skill."


    Orisa had her doubts about this approach, but then she remembered her old days in MMO games. She was a pure hoarder and tried to amass every skill possible in her hands, including all gathering and crafting skills. Those games where it was impossible to do so on one character, she infested with so-called twinks, the characters on the same account played by the same person. Even outside her gaming life, Orisa always thought that it would be cool to be able to do everything alone, be it coding, drawing, or designing.


    Their lesson started from the basics. Each type of skill, aside from Mana engineering, revolved around Mana and Magic, and everything related to these two was intent-based. Gear repairs, creation of an item or potion, construction of enchanted buildings, everything was using the user''s intent channeled through their Mana. But intention alone was never enough, and without a disciplined mind, it could ruin the whole process since it was only the first part of the deed.


    The second part of each type of crafting was, of course, a proper material or reagent. These materials, of course, possess traits of their own and said attributes could and will collide with the crafter''s intent if combined poorly. Ultimately, there were three methods of combining properties of the ingredients with the intention of the crafter, direct, reverse, and intricate. The first two were simple and required the same or the opposite intent of the item''s traits. The last one was the hardest and used for the most complex crafts, like Concentration potion or Combat pills.


    "For each of you, my young pioneers of crafting, I compiled a list of ingredients, their traits, and intents you should be using. You''ll start from these and expand your field of expertise after thoroughly mastering the basics."


    And so their crafting session began. Each of the squad members was practicing their own with Dippo patrolling around the table to give comments or help. An hour passed in a blink of an eye.


    "Sir, since the time I got the Seal, I began sensing Mana around me," Orisa decided to ask the question that was bothering her. "I thought I got used to it, but after coming to the Dungeon, I can''t stop feeling sick. It''s like the floor suddenly became oppressive and daunting. It radiates a constant heat makes me ill. What''s going on?"


    "Oya, you didn''t know? The floor is riddled with Mana circuits. How else would Summoners conjure their buddies across such a wide area?"


    "Oh, um..." And she has never thought about that before, taking their ability to pop up monsters for granted. "Can I try it?"


    "You can TRY," Dippo stressed the last word, "but I suggest you not get used to it since there won''t be a Mana circuit outside the Dungeon, you know?"


    She stepped out of the room and went to the center of the floor. When Orisa stopped and tried to concentrate, she felt something massive move beneath her feet as if the ground was alive. She pushed one of her Mana layers down, connected to the circuits, and immediately felt a vast network of interconnected pipes. It was so much easier to move her Mana through the channels than in the air, so she pushed out more and more of her reserves, filling the pipes.


    "Palm Push Strike!"


    Floor thirty meters away from her exploded, releasing a burst of compressed Mana upwards.


    "Wall Prison!"


    Three Force walls covered a spot on the opposite side of the training ground.


    She experimented more before returning to the room in an excited mood. Her eyes were burning with ideas and passion towards a newly acquired technique.


    "I told you not get used to it, didn''t I? No point in learning it, you won''t use these skills outside the Dungeon," Dippo said in a tired voice.


    "I know, don''t worry. But it was sure fun, sir," while Orisa obediently lowered her head, the idea took root inside her head, and she filed it away for future consideration.


    The rest of the day passed with them altering between combat and skill training, and because of that, they all were exhausted not only physically but mentally as well. Both shower and dinner were so quick that Orisa couldn''t even recall what she ate or who was in the shower. Together with Onuki, they slumped onto their beds tiredly. A few more minutes had passed before Onuki decided to ask:


    "How does it feel to sense Mana?"


    "You know how you can sense something hot or cold nearby?" began Orisa after gathering her thoughts. "It''s kinda the same, but tickling and oppressing at the same time."


    "Hmm, tickling? Are you ticklish, by chance?" Orisa spotted a predatory expression on Onuki''s face and shivered.


    "Well, I certainly was, but now I don''t know. And you won''t be able to tickle me anyway, so stop drooling over your kiddy revenge," she snorted back.


    "Not today, and not even tomorrow, but one day..."


    The next day came and brought another training session. This time, however, it was slightly different. Occasionally, Dippo pulled squad members to the side one by one and gave them ideas or direct orders about learning certain spells or techniques. As a result, the day was split not into two but three types of sessions, alternating between combat training, crafting, and learning new skills.


    "Onuki, I can''t begin to imagine how hard it is to fight with glasses on," Kanai suddenly said while they were eating lunch.


    "Not great, indeed, but how do you know?"


    "Oh, I wore glasses in my past life."


    "Bad eyesight?" Orisa joined their chat.


    "Nay, I won''t say exactly bad," Kanai muttered thoughtfully, "they just made me cute, you know? And a certain person liked me with glasses more, so after wearing them a few times just for fun, I started using them all the time."


    "Hoooh, cute?" Orisa said slowly, stretching her words in a laughing manner. "Our cutie star Kanai, conquering the fashion world and everyone''s hearts. Were you, by chance, into boys?"


    "I what? Wait, what do..." he paused, and the moment her teasing finally hit him, his face turned red. "Oh, you know what? Fuck you and your brain and your eyes and your everything!"


    "Oi-oi, I''m not judging, bro," Orisa spoke apologetically. "It''s okay to like whoever you want."


    "That''s not the point, idiot," muttered Kanai, and Orisa noticed a hint of depression in his voice.


    He turned away and became silent, diving deeper into his sad memories. Orisa waited for a few seconds, then moved closer to her friend and hugged him around the shoulders with one hand:


    "I''m sorry, Kanai, for poking your wound. However, it''s all in the past now and no turning back. You have a new life, and you''ll meet new people as well, so let it go."


    "Would you be able to let go of someone you loved for the first time in years?" he asked back with a hurt expression and a trembling voice.


    "No, I couldn''t do that, too. But I also wouldn''t let it hold me down or even drag back, because there is no way to return, no way to reconnect," she stood up and patted Kanai on the back. A second later, she turned to him again and muttered in a voice full of hope, "I don''t think the person you cherished wanted you to slump forever. I''m sure this person would love you to move on with your life while remembering your time together."


    Their practice continued, and by the evening, they all made at least some progress with their secondary skills. Even Clemen managed to repair broken glass.


    "Lesser Condition!"


    Captain Dippo tested Orisa''s concoction and nodded. Suddenly he grabbed Orisa''s palm and cut it with his nail, leaving a three-centimeters long bloody trail:


    "Drink it, let''s see how effective it is," he said, eyeing a teary and angry Orisa.


    "That''s so mean," she grumbled and downed a cup of her freshly made Cure Potion. It was almost tasteless, with a hint of earthy bitterness. While the wound was still there, at least it stopped bleeding. "Okay, at least I won''t bleed out."


    ''I wonder how it may affect my next goddammit period. You can heal back a hand, but can''t do a single shit about girl''s bleeding, for fuck''s sake.'' Indeed, it was a sensitive topic for every man.


    Dippo let them go, saying that they''ll go to the ninth floor tomorrow. The squad moved tiredly towards the staircase in a dreadful mood as there were eight floors of climbing waiting for them. When they turned around the corner, Orisa saw Tiana standing there and idly skimming through some of her notes.


    "Oh, Tiana? What are you doing here?" Orisa exclaimed happily.


    "Hello everyone," she nodded to the group and turned to Orisa. "Today''s training is over, and I saw you on my way up. Can we talk?"


    "Sorry, guys, I''ll catch up with you later."


    She waved the squad apologetically and turned to Tiana:


    "Everything is okay?"


    "Yes, well, more or less, but I''m leaving tomorrow morning."


    "Oh..." Orisa''s mood instantly darkened, but she had to force a smile, "well, there is nothing we can do about it. It''s sad that we had so little time to hang out."


    "I agree, that''s why I''m here," Tiana mumbled while blushing. "Would it be acceptable for you to stay in my house tonight?"

 53 Cinnamon roll

    "Would you agree to stay at my place tonight?"


    Any man would rejoice beyond cosmic levels upon hearing such words, especially coming from a gorgeous platinum blond beauty. Many women would gladly join the same line. Being something of both worlds, Orisa was mesmerized by this blushing cuteness but also had some doubts.


    ''Onuki was an emergency. I have no plans for telling any more people about my secret. But what if Tiana were to learn it somehow?''


    "Um, Orisa? I''m sorry, it''s okay if you don''t want to," muttered Tiana and hung her head.


    "No-no-no, I was just thinking about something!" Orisa waved her hands frantically. "I need to take a shower first, so-."


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry, there is a shower there as well," Tiana''s foul mood disappeared without a trace, and she shone her smile, illuminating the entire world.


    ''Damn, how am I supposed to make this girl sad?'' she agonized on the inside.


    "That''s awesome. Still, I need to get a change of clothes, too," Orisa said awkwardly after some mental struggle.


    "No problem, let''s walk together," Tiana replied and smiled again.


    ''Woah, talk about being pushy. But I''m probably Tiana''s first and only friend, so it''s to be expected,'' Orisa mused while they were moving up.


    "Remind me your maid is Miss Pestoni?"


    "Yes, why do you ask?"


    "Well, I''ll need to greet her, and I''m not good with names. By the way, is she going to leave with you as well?"


    "Of course, Maria never left my side."


    They finally made it to the dorm half an hour later, and Orisa stumbled upon Onuki who was gathering her hygiene items for a shower. Orisa boldly left Tiana outside the room and went inside to have a quick chat with her roommate.


    "Um, Onuki, I''m sorry for suddenly dumping it that way, but I''m going to stay at my friend''s place tonight."


    "And who is this friend of yours? Hope this is not some elaborate way to have an orgy with Iten, Kanai, and Clemen?" said Onuki with an innocent expression.


    "No, it''s the girl you saw today in the Dungeon, thank you."


    "A girl, huh? I see. Well, can''t blame you. The moment you lost interest in my persona, you quickly moved on, seducing another poor soul," she added with the same casual tone.


    "For god''s sake, of course not. Tiana is a pure and innocent cinnamon roll."


    "I see. Sorry for not being pure and innocent. Was that the reason you rejected me so harshly? Or you had plans for this girl all along?"


    "You know what? I have a notepad for grudges, and when you are all over your phobia, I''m so going to slap your sore ass!"


    "And now she is threatening me. How quickly the tide turned," Onuki shook her head before both girls finally began laughing.


    Orisa and Tiana arrived at the noble''s lodging twenty minutes later, and Maria Pestoni greeted them by the entrance.


    "I''m glad to see you as well, Miss Pestoni," bowed Orisa with a smile. The first time they met, this elderly maid left a pleasant impression, and Orisa surely didn''t mind spending more time in the company of the master teaser.


    "The bath is ready. Please, take your time and then come have dinner," Maria Pestoni said with a warm smile.


    "Follow me, Orisa. This way," pulled here Tiana.


    They entered a small room with a few hangers and baskets for dirty clothes; on the opposite side was another door, presumably leading into the bath itself.


    "You should leave your clothes here, and Maria will clean them by the morning," she said and started unbuttoning her robe.


    "Should I wait outside?" a hastily retreating Orisa voiced her question, turning away from slowly undressing Tiana.


    "What do you mean? I thought you wanted to take a shower. It''s here," she sounded a little puzzled.


    "Tiana, were you planning to have a shower together? I don''t think it''s a good idea..."


    Tiana came closer to Orisa and looked directly into her eyes.


    "Don''t worry, Orisa, I know about you and I don''t think it''s a problem," she said with a barely noticeable blush on her face. After a short pause, she added in an apologetic tone, "and it is supposed to be more fun together, so I wanted to experience it at least once."


    "Wait, what!? W-w-what do you know?"


    "That you like women more than men, of course. There is nothing wrong with that, so you don''t need to hide it or worry about me thinking something ill."


    "Ah, yes, ha-ha..."


    "Since we are touching this sensitive topic," Tiana continued, and her cheeks turned a bit redder. "Do you, perhaps, um, like me? I mean, this is great, it''s just that I don''t, um¡­"


    "Huh? Oh, I see what you mean. I do, of course, but as a friend!" she frantically waved her hands.


    "Then I see no other reason for us to stop," her excited voice made Orisa''s heart shrink. How lonely Tiana''s childhood and her current life should have been for her to be so enthusiastic about a simple shower with a friend? ''I will never let you down, my cinnamon roll.''


    Despite taking almost two hours, both shower and dinner passed in a blink of an eye, and now they were sitting inside Tiana''s room. The girl dropped her guard in front of Orisa, showing her true self, and Orisa''s heart has melted ten times already and was melting for an eleventh time right now. Behind her cold wall, Tiana was pure and innocent, kind and caring, smart, diligent, charming. Orisa wanted to embrace and protect that girl, to shield her from every misfortune and bring more light into her life.


    While Orisa''s noble feelings were genuine, honestly speaking, she was desperately clinging to them at the moment to get rid of an image of naked Tiana that occupied her mind. To her taste, the girl was almost perfect; every part of her body was moderate, including chest, waist, thighs, and other essential regions. And together they combined into an ideal picture of innocent, healthy, petite youth. She was only missing freckles and glasses to become Orisa''s living dream of a girl, appearance-wise.


    Orisa''s will was tested many times during the shower, but now this torture was over, and she was finally able to calm her racing heart and aching bottom. It was a shame, but her male origin couldn''t handle it more maturely, which made Orisa feel even guiltier.


    After they had dinner and tea that both were beyond delicious, Tiana moved to her room and sat in front of a dressing table with a big mirror. Maria was standing behind her and carefully combing Tiana''s hair.


    "Why are you so interested in these two?" she was surprised by Orisa''s question about Tiana''s cronies, Bass and Ramulie vi Durek.


    "You are so different, and yet you train together, they follow you most of the time, I simply don''t know what to make of it," Orisa said in a slightly confused tone. "That is if they are like that all the time and not only with strangers."


    "I''m afraid not. These two are quite radical and harsh beyond any reason," Tiana let out a sigh and looked at Orisa with a guilty expression again. "I''m honestly sorry for what they did to you, and for how I treated you, as well."


    "Gosh, Tiana, we''ve been through this already, right? It''s in the past now, and I''m sure you had your reasons as well."


    Upon hearing that, both Tiana''s and Maria''s expressions darkened. A few seconds later, Maria forced an awkward smile and said to Orisa:


    "I''m almost done here, would lady Orisa like to get a quick haircut?"


    "Really? That would be perfect, thank you!"


    Her hair was long, to begin with, and in the past month, it has grown even longer, so Maria''s offer was more than welcomed. The maid returned with a haircutting kit a minute later and seated Orisa on the same chair that Tiana occupied a moment ago. While Maria was working on Orisa''s hair, Tiana moved on with her answer:


    "As you already know, there are five Greater houses and sixteen Lesser houses in this country. These siblings are members of a vi Durek family, which is a Lesser noble house and our vassal."


    "By a strange twist of fate, we were born the same year, so my father arranged for them to be my entourage and bodyguards. So it is outside my power to reject their company. And even if I could, I''m not sure if I wanted to do so anyway."


    "Don''t worry, I understand," Orisa squeezed Tiana''s palm and smiled encouragingly. "It''s tough to be alone, I know. But now you have me, and others from my squad would be glad to meet you, I''m sure."


    "Yes, and tomorrow I''ll leave..."


    Tiana hung her head dejectedly, and Orisa exchanged worried looks with Maria. The maid let go of Orisa''s hair, and she moved to sit by Tiana''s side and hug her.


    "Parting is a crucial element of any relationship. Without a parting, there couldn''t be any reunion, don''t you agree? I''m sure we will meet again, and spend long hours talking and eating delicious food of Miss Pestoni."


    "Glutton..." Tiana giggled while wiping away her tears. After lowering her guard, she became more emotional as well. She turned to face Orisa and looked her in the eyes, then hugged her so tight that Orisa felt her ribs being squeezed. "I''m sorry for this inappropriate behavior. It''s just that you are my first friend..."


    "Don''t worry, it is perfectly fine," Orisa answered while stroking the girl''s back. "You are no longer alone. We have each other now, and we''ll stay as friends forever."


    Tiana nodded and squeezed Orisa even tighter. At the corner of her vision, Orisa noticed how Maria subtly wiped away a tear from her cheek.


    ''But damn, so many red flags. How am I supposed to survive now?'' Orisa cursed on the inside while stroking Tiana''s back.


    "Ahem, we need to finish lady Orisa''s haircut. And it is getting late already."


    Maria not only cut Orisa''s bangs but also made two beautiful braids around her temples. It was almost midnight when Maria had left the room after asking Orisa to force Tiana into her bed.


    "Come on, get under the blanket, or Miss Pestoni would scold us," Orisa said in a fake stern voice.


    "Gosh, I''m not a little kid, you know!" Tiana pouted but obediently climbed under the duvet. Orisa tried to get up, but Tiana grabbed her hand and pleaded, "please, stay a bit longer."


    ''How could I say no to these puppy eyes?'' Orisa was melting on the inside for the twelfth time during this evening and climbed over Tiana''s blanket to lay by her side. They were separated by a thick duvet, but Orisa still felt Tiana''s presence.


    A few seconds of silence later, Tiana turned to face Orisa, hugged her around the waist like a big stuffed teddy bear and asked:


    "Tell me about your world and yourself, please."


    "Hmm, okay. I''m from Earth, and by the look of it the majority of people here are from there as well. It''s a big world where more than seven billion people leave."


    "Seven billion?! How is that possible?" Tiana exclaimed in awe. As a part of her education, she studied basic information about each world, but it was mostly about the traits of inhabitants and their behavior.


    "Yes, and it sadly grows by the day. Anyway, our world is divided into a few big continents, and each continent is populated by different countries. There are around two hundreds of them, all with different culture, languages, beliefs, and even skin color."


    "Unbelievable. Even the skin color is different?" said Tiana after letting out a yawn.


    "Well, not as different as you''ve probably imagined," Orisa chuckled after imagining gray and green aliens.


    "Since our world has no magic, our technology moved forward to compensate for that," she continued after a short pause. "We now have this thing called electricity, and it is used everywhere and for every purpose possible, like you use Mana. For example, illumination is powered by electricity, and elevators move because of it as well. Almost everything and everyone relies on it."


    "Aside from electricity, there is a cool thing called the Internet. It''s like your mail service, but instant and not limited to text. You can communicate with someone on the other side of the world using a device called a computer. It is even possible to see each other or talk in real time."


    Orisa stopped her tale to check on a suspiciously quiet Tiana, and as she expected, the girl fell asleep. She was breathing quietly while still hugging Orisa. ''God, my sleeping friend can''t be this cute.''


    A new problem appeared on the horizon. What was Orisa supposed to do now? She didn''t want to wake Tiana while crawling out of bed, but staying like that was beyond her conscience acceptance level.


    She was agonizing over what to do when the door opened and Maria looked inside. The only thing Orisa was able to squeeze out of her brain was to smile awkwardly and apologetically. Without a single word, Maria went inside the room, took out a spare blanket, and covered Orisa. When she was in the doorframe, she turned around and bowed deep down with a grateful expression.


    "Thank you," she whispered, turned the lights off, and closed the door.


    Tiana''s leave was scheduled earlier than Orisa''s morning practice, so she calmly closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.


    Their morning was quite rushed since Maria woke them up thirty minutes later than she was supposed to, saying she didn''t want to spoil their dream.


    Tiana''s luggage was ready, and Orisa had nothing to pack or gather, to begin with, so that left them with their morning hygiene routine and breakfast. They had to squeeze everything into forty-five minutes that were left before Tiana''s departure, but even so, they managed to have a small talk.


    "I''m so sorry for dozing off in the middle of your story," said blushing Tiana, spreading jam over another toast.


    "Actually, I fell asleep as well, so we are even," lied Orisa to make her friend feel less guilty.


    When the time was up, they left the building, and Orisa stopped in her tracks, staring in awe. In front of the building was parked a vehicle. It closely resembled a car but had three pairs of tires, was bigger than a typical Hammer and glowed from lots of active Seals stamped all over its body. Remembering the book she read on Mana crafting, Orisa couldn''t even begin to imagine the price of this monster.


    Maria finished loading Tiana''s luggage and stood by the car, holding an open door. Tiana glanced at her maid and turned to Orisa. It was evident how much effort it took her to remain composed since it was inappropriate for a true Noble to show their feelings when some bystanders could be watching.


    "Yesterday was great. I wish we could spend more time together," Tiana said with a trembling voice.


    "I''m sure we will. Tiana, my dear friend," Orisa started a little officially, but then smiled brightly and said, "you are a wonderful person, and I''m glad that I met you."


    It was the last hit that Tiana''s will could take, so she dropped all her Noble attitude and hugged Orisa while crying.


    "I don''t want to leave!" she muttered while sobbing.


    "And I would like you to stay," Orisa started stroking Tiana''s back, "but it has to be done. I will miss you greatly, but that much more I will be glad to see you next time. Take care, my dear, until we meet again."


    She let go of the girl that quickly dashed inside the monstrous car. Maria closed the door and approached Orisa:


    "I''m not sure if it is possible to properly display my gratitude or explain how happy I am for the young lady," she began, and Orisa noticed that Maria''s voice was trembling from emotions. "I won''t denigrate these feelings by a mere thank you."


    She took Orisa''s hand, put a small item on her palm, and covered it with her own hand:


    "I understand that you became lady Tiana''s friend without an ulterior motive or at least your feelings towards her are genuine now. That''s why I want you to take this item as a symbol of my gratitude."


    Maria removed her hand, and Orisa saw a golden ring with an emblem on its surface. She also sensed Mana circulating inside the item. Orisa looked up in confusion, and Maria added:


    "It is a vas Kavenfenn sigil that only the most trusted members of the family could get. Every capable institution will be able to validate its authenticity. It may help you out of a tight situation. Use it wisely. And thank you."

 54 Rubber duck debugging

    Tiana vas Kavenfenn left the training camp number fourteen, leaving a hole in Orisa''s soul. Luckily or not, she had absolutely no time to feel down since their training paced up even more.


    The day of parting with Tiana passed in a blink of an eye. They fought, trained in team tactics, practiced their crafts, and learned new spells. While the other four members of The Childhood''s End were learning new skills, Orisa kept hitting her head against the wall of the Sealcasting.


    "So, what''s the problem, girl?" Dippo asked when his patience finally ran out.


    "I don''t know, sir. I tried both methods my mentor taught me, but it feels like they don''t suit me at all. It''s as if I''m trying to wear another person''s clothes."


    "And you were, by chance, trying only these two styles this whole time?" his voice oozed with sarcasm.


    "Well, yes, what else am I supposed to do?"


    "I don''t know, alright? How should I know? It''s not like I have even the slightest understanding of this mysterious art of yours," he said before swiftly unsheathing his knives and crossing them in front of him:


    "-Crimson''s Arms!-"


    Orisa saw three Seals appear in front of Dippo. Her vision blurred for a second, and when she blinked again, there were three copies of her Captain standing in front of her.


    "I thought you were slightly on a smarter side of things," three voices rung in unison, mocking Orisa and pointing at her with three knives. "If it''s not yours, then come up with something that is yours, idiot!"


    Two copies disappeared, leaving original to stare at Orisa in disappointment.


    "I don''t know how to come up with some other way," she almost yelled in frustration.


    "Have you even tried?" Dippo asked in a provocative voice.


    "Yes! Of course, I tried..."


    "And how exactly?"


    "Huh, well, I mean..." It was unusually hard for her to explain how exactly she approached this problem. "I thought about it, I guess?"


    "Bullshit!" he smacked Orisa on the forehead. "I can give you the answer, but what''s the point? Turn on that allegedly creative brain of yours already, would you?"


    When Orisa looked around, she saw the other squad members staring at them quietly, and a burning shame assaulted her. She was supposed to be their leader, if not the smartest then at least the most cunning. But she dropped her hands and was mindlessly banging against the wall that wasn''t even made for her in the first place.


    Remembering how she tackled production problems in the past, Orisa went to the resting room and grabbed the first thing that came into her view, an apple-like fruit. The method was called rubber duck debugging.


    ''Okay, listen here, not-an-apple. I''ll tell you about the Sealcasting,'' she began an internal monologue while staring at the fruit. ''It is a unique technique to utilize the Seals. What the heck are these Seals? They are like coded pictures, containing various effects that depend on the Seal''s form and type. They originated from Mana engineering where...OH, FUCK!''


    She left the fruit on the table and took her Mana engineering supplies. There was a large sketchbook filled with her attempts at different Seals, and she opened an empty page and took the instruments. One of the engineering tools was a large stencil that helped in drawing various geometrical forms.


    ''So how I did it last time?''


    Orisa began by placing an outer circle, the base form of the Seal. Four prime figures followed as she added them one by one. The last step was to connect them with small symbols that she knew nothing about but memorized their usage and appearance.


    ''Great. And how do I transfer this into the Sealcasting?''


    Orisa closed her eyes and stretched her right hand out. She grabbed one of the Mana layers and led it outside her palm while imagining that it was her brush. First was a blue circle big enough to house other elements; then four figures to make a primal property. Orisa''s Mana danced over her palm, swinging left and right, up and down while drawing the forms. The finishing touch was these symbols that she mentally called runes, and she left that Mana layer connected to the last rune she drew.


    Fearing the worst, Orisa slowly opened her eyes and stared in awe at a blue Seal that was shining in the air in front of her. She was overjoyed and almost jumped, squealing happily.


    "Took you long enough," Dippo chuckled while standing behind. Without anything more to say he turned and left, clapping twice in the process.


    The next morning came with an excellent but at the same time horrible surprise from Dippo:


    "We''ll go straight to the last floor, my cupcakes. If you succeed, I''ll give you the rest of the day and also tomorrow to take a break."


    Seven people were descending to the deepest level of the Dungeon. While five squad members stayed silent, Drugan was leisurely chatting with Reezpauzo. The last floor surprisingly was the same as the first, an empty room with an even stone floor; no obstacles, no covers, nothing.


    "This is as close as you''d get to the real combat. Signal me when you are ready," Reezpauzo said with his usual husky voice, and they left towards an observation balcony together with Drugan Dippo.


    The atmosphere was tense; the squad members faces turned pale, their lips tightly pressed into thin lines; they all were eyeing Orisa.


    "It will be tough, but I''m sure we''ll manage. We did so at every other floor, and we trained hard. Together, we can do it," Orisa felt horrible while raising so many red flags, but she couldn''t come up with anything better to say. "Friendship is magic, and magic is power, and power makes you right and um..."


    Thanks to Orisa''s awkward and pathetic cheer speech, other squad members broke out of their uneasiness. Kanai made a vomiting sound, Iten and Onuki rolled their eyes, and Clemen wholeheartedly saluted.


    "That was a new definition of being lame," Kanai muttered while shaking his head. He then asked a troublesome question. "You are not using the potion?"


    "I can''t rely on them forever and for everything," she said in a slightly depressed tone, and they became silent for a moment.


    "Anyhow, guys let''s focus," Orisa called for everyone''s attention. "Just don''t panic. Even if something goes horribly wrong, don''t panic and keep doing your job."


    Orisa turned to Onuki and looked the girl straight into the eyes:


    "You are our life, so everything is on you. Even if someone is badly hurt, you simply throw more healing. If you get hurt, Kanai would balm and throw regeneration."


    "You should also buff Iten and Clemen while Kanai would buff me, himself, and you," Orisa continued giving last minute instructions. "Don''t overextend, stay close. When the fight starts, wait for buffs and my shields."


    "We''ll be alright," said Iten and gave an encouraging smile to Onuki who was now under even more pressure.


    A few seconds later, Orisa waved towards the balcony, and their final push began.


    Five foes appeared on the other side of the room, and Orisa reacted in a blink of an eye:


    "-Triple Block!-"


    Three Force Blocks appeared right in front of them. Since Orisa was more or less confident in using three Mana layers, she trained few upgraded versions of her spells. Learning on her mistakes from the lizard''s fight, she placed all blocks on the ground and back to back, so there were no gaps between them or the floor.


    A tiger, armadillo, snake, and two dogs were their enemies now. ''Looks like there is no ranged attacker among them, that''s neat,'' she thought and turned to the group.


    "Buffs, please," she said while covering herself with the usual set of shields.


    Kanai and Onuki started their chanting, and Orisa turned back to observe the foes, but what she saw instead was an enormous lump of something green slowly flying along an arc path towards their position.


    "-Force Block!-"


    She hastily made a roof over their improvised hideout. Because of the spell used in haste there were gaps between the horizontal block and vertical walls, and when the lump of acid landed on the blocks, green splashes went all over the place. Screams followed.


    Luckily, Orisa was unscathed, but upon turning around, she saw that Iten''s right hand was boiling around the forearm. He fell on both knees and yelled.


    "-Lesser Balm!-"


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    "-Lesser Regeneration!-"


    Both Kanai and Onuki, despite getting little splashes of acid here and there as well, immediately focused on Iten''s wound. A quick look at their roof revealed that acid already ate away most of the shielding.


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    Orisa threw more shields to reinforce their position and at the corner of her vision noticed movement. Two dogs were running around their bunker from both sides. On the bright side of things, they were not as big as Orisa imagined, only one and a half meter tall. Only.


    "Clemen, the right side is yours!" she shouted and ran outside the blocks to pull monster''s attention away from the healers and injured Iten.


    "-Fog of War!-"


    A thick cloud of Mana burst out of Clemen''s body in all directions. Since both the Beasts and the Summons used Mana sense as their main source of vision and situational awareness, the Mana cloud made it harder for them to navigate and target their opponents.


    "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-" -- "-Wall Rush!-"


    Without an enraged state, this was Orisa''s practically the only offensive spell against agile targets, and she used it to throw the dog away.


    The second dog jumped at Clemen but missed its mark because of the fog, and Clemen used its misstep to counterattack:


    "-Twin Blazing Strike!-" -- "-Twin Blazing Strike!-"


    Both his daggers went ablaze and cut deep into the dog''s side. The creature howled and jumped away from the attacker. By the strange twist of fate, it ended right in front of their bunker, almost touching the healers with its tail.


    "-Corrosive Ray!-"


    Kanai reacted brilliantly, shooting his most damaging spell. It ate away his Mana pool but was extremely potent, in a close range especially so. The dog jumped again, away from their hideout, but Orisa saw that it was barely moving already since almost half of its back was devastated by Kanai''s spell. Clemen stepped in and swiftly finished his prey.


    It was at that moment that they heard a loud crashing noise. The armadillo slammed into the Force Blocks, sending cracks all over their surface. ''They won''t take another hit like that," Orisa thought and turned around to place new walls. The dog that she sent flying just a few seconds ago was already there and jumped onto her, knocking Orisa down. They rolled on the ground a few meters; the only things Orisa could do was to block its maw with her forearm Force Guard.


    Despite having low Luck stat, Orisa lucked out of a bigger predicament thanks to the dog''s attack. A second had passed after that, and another lump of acid fell onto the spot where Orisa stood just now. It was exactly how during their exam one of the creatures knocked her down, saving her head from echidna''s barrage of spikes.


    "-Expel!-"


    A wave of Mana threw the dog away from Orisa, and when the girl looked around, she saw Onuki pointing her wand there, panting heavily. They finished getting Iten back into fighting shape and joined the fight.


    It would have been a pleasant moment if not for the armadillo that finally broke through the walls. Kanai survived the creature''s body assault only because Iten covered him with his shield.


    "Back off to regroup!" Orisa yelled.


    Clemen didn''t waste any time and clashed with the second dog, taking the most agile enemy away from the squad.


    "-Evasion!-"


    His body started periodically emitting Mana, blurring his image in the dog''s eyes. This spell was bread and butter for agile classes, one of their best and cheapest self-defense options. Orisa believed in Clemen believing in his own strength and turned to face a literally bigger threat, the armadillo.


    "-Expel!-"


    Onuki saved Iten from a jumping tiger of whose existence everyone successfully forgot. The unnaturally aggressive oversized cat waited for the squad to get distracted enough and slowly approached them to strike in a crucial moment. The tiger was too large and heavy for Onuki to throw it far away, but her spell altered its jump''s trajectory enough to cover Iten who was still bashing against the armadillo.


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    Orisa''s sixth sense told her to place more roofs over their heads, and another lump of acid splashed over its surface a few seconds later.


    "-Shock Shield!-"


    "-Shield Bash!-"


    Iten''s standoff against armadillo was a tough one since none of his attacks worked on the heavily armored target. His opponent bashed against Iten''s shield unsuccessfully and backtracked for more than ten meters. Suddenly it dashed towards Iten with surprising agility and turned into an armored ball halfway through. This Bludger of death was inches away from Iten when the boy dropped on one knee, covered behind his shield and shouted at the same time as Onuki pointed at him with her wand:


    "-Barricade!-"


    "-Lesser Protect!-"


    Onuki''s spell was the most basic defense buff that increased the target''s own Toughness by reinforcing it with Mana. The second spell, Barricade, was way trickier; it rooted the user and his shield to the ground, freezing them in this position for five seconds. This completely disabled state was a reasonable price for an extreme increase in the user''s defense, poise, and stability.


    The armadillo crashed into Iten and rolled over him, flying into the air as if it stepped onto a trampoline. The boy, on the other hand, remained in the same position and didn''t budge even a centimeter, but Orisa noticed a pained expression all over his face. And he won''t be able to move for four more seconds. Iten was lucky since he still had a roof over his head, so another acid projectile splashed above his head without any harm. Even the armadillo somehow missed these few precious Blocks.


    But that was the end of his luck. As if knowing the spell''s price, the tiger jumped on Iten and started slashing him with his clawed paws. Blood flew in all directions, and Iten began to scream for the second time during their test. It was only thanks to Onuki''s and his own defense buffs that he got bruises and deep cuts over his head and shoulders but nothing more serious. And he still couldn''t move yet.


    "Fucking Garfield, now you''ve done it!" Orisa yelled and rushed to the rescue while Onuki and Kanai focused on Iten''s healing once more.


    The problem was the armadillo that came back to its sense and was now looking around for a target.


    With a series of Block Rush and Hand of God spells, Orisa managed to ward off the tiger and turned to face the armadillo. A few more spells succeeded at grabbing its attention, and now the foe was rolling towards her like a defective Sonic. He almost broke her barriers with a single strike last time, and it wasn''t hard to imagine how much more powerful his rolling attack will be.


    ''It better works or I''m going to become FLAT.'' She focused on her Mana layer and imagined a brush. She managed to create the Lesser Mana Stream Seal from the second try.


    "-Block Wall!-"


    It might have been her imagination, but Orisa thought that the wall shone brighter upon appearing in front of her and absorbing the Seal''s effect. The armadillo slammed into the obstacle and shattered it anyway, but at the very least it stopped in place, shaking its head in confusion.


    "-Triple Block Press!-" -- "-Block Prison!-"


    Orisa pinned it down to the ground and trapped inside the prison, rendering the foe completely immobile.


    "Haha, you are captured, stupid beast!" she rejoiced, remembering a certain character from a certain game.


    Orisa saw upon turning to Onuki and Kanai that another lump of acid was flying towards their position. ''I won''t make it on time...'' she thought in horror. Steel bleeding and cursing from the pain, Iten abruptly stood up and raised his shield:


    "-Protector!-"


    A wide barrier appeared around his shield that covered Iten and both healers who ducked behind him. The acid splashed over the shield and dripped down to the ground. At the same time, the tiger approached them again, but Kanai stepped aside and threw his new spell"


    "-Corruption!-"


    A dark-purple sphere flew forward and hit the tiger''s front leg that immediately turned black and began to wither. The beast began to limp away, and Orisa saw the black mark spread further and further over its body. Kanai threw two more spells, so the tiger fell onto the ground and stopped moving a few seconds later. The price for this incredible feat was an almost fainting Kanai who was drenched in sweat now.


    They all stood in silence to catch their breath. It was a tough fight, especially for Iten. She couldn''t even imagine how painful it was for him and shivered after remembering the first acid splash.


    Orisa jolted in realization and abruptly turned towards the snake in horror, expecting another acid projectile. What she saw was Clemen lazily walking towards them, and a body of the sneak laying motionless on the ground behind him. She let out a relieved sigh.


    While Onuki was still healing Iten''s wounds, both Dippo and Reezpauzo approached them, and their Captain asked Orisa:


    "Okay, what you did wrong?"


    "Got distracted at the start of the fight and missed the projectile," she answered in a voice full of regret and shame.


    "What else?"


    "Failed to understand that the snake was a shooter."


    "Anything more?"


    "I don''t know! Everything!?" yelled Orisa in frustration. She didn''t need another person telling her about her mistakes since she was plenty able to berate herself without outside help. It was her weak spot from her previous life; she could clearly see her own shortcomings and would mercilessly bawl on herself inwardly, but if someone else would do the same, it will hit her ten times stronger.


    "Well," Dippo sighed after looking at Orisa''s pathetic state, "besides these little details, you more or less did okay. It could and should have been worse, and I even expected you to fail the first attempt. Good job, everyone."

 55 Mates, Duets, Pairs

    "Go eat and rest now, we''ll meet me in three hours," said Dippo, calmly eyeing the squad.


    "Eeh!?" was their collective reaction.


    "But you said you''d let us rest!" Orisa was outraged.


    "Quit screaming, would you?" he retorted with slight irritation. "We are leaving tomorrow evening, and all the time is yours. But before that, we need to buy you all the basic equipment."


    "What kind of equipment?" Iten voiced everyone''s question.


    "Gosh, dummy, what do you even mean? Equipment is equipment; weapons, armor, tools, this kind of crap."


    Their eyes started glittering, filled with hopes and expectations.


    "Don''t give me this puppy look, kids. Your starting gear will be shit, alright? It''s to get you rolling," continued Dippo with a higher level of irritation. "You''ll have to craft your things later or buy them with your salary, I guess. Everyone starts like that, what were you expecting, gosh?"


    ---


    ---


    They were slowly riding inside a carriage that Dippo commissioned for the group. It was rather spacious but still too narrow for six people to fit comfortably. One side of the cab occupied Kanai, Iten, and Clemen, while on the other side sat Orisa in the middle with Dippo and Onuki to her left and right. Orisa was eyeing Onuki with concern all the time; the girl looked pale but was still holding.


    "There are trains and Mana cars in this world, but we are still riding a carriage," Orisa decided to grumble since the awkward silence inside the cab made her sick.


    "Do you even know how freaking much these toys cost?" Dippo laughed after his initial reply and continued with an earnest tone a few seconds later. "Horses are way cheaper initially and in their upkeep. Speaking of which, I''ll have you learn horse riding when we get to the lair."


    "Oh, I like horses!" happily intervened Clemen.


    "Oya, can you ride them, perhaps?"


    "Don''t know, sir. I sure did last time I was alive, but things changed somewhat, right? But I''m sure I''ll do just fine, sir," Clemen''s usual enthusiasm was contagious as everyone inside the cab started smiling.


    "Guys, does anyone have plans for the evening?" Orisa asked a few minutes later.


    "Do you have another training session in mind?" asked Iten with a suspicious tone when he saw that others remained silent.


    "Huh? Am I some training maniac for you?" she asked in outrage, but everyone around her nodded without even a moment of hesitation, making Orisa groan and Dippo chuckle. "That''s how it is? Okay then, I won''t tell you anything, I guess."


    Orisa pouted and turned all silent, pretending to be hurt.


    "Say it already, you training not-completely-maniac-I-guess," elbowed her no longer pale Onuki.


    "Stop kicking a person when they are already down!" Orisa''s pouting came to an end when she said in a serious tone, "since we are leaving tomorrow, I thought about throwing a little party tonight. You know, grill something, and maybe invite Nene and Nana, that kind of stuff."


    "Meat! Ouch-," jumped Clemen on his seat, hitting a roof of the carriage with his head.


    "I thought about suggesting the same," began Iten hesitantly, "but stopped after thinking about the ingredients. Where and how are we going to get food?"


    "Don''t worry," Orisa waved away Iten''s doubts, "aren''t we going to the city now? I have some money left, so that problem should be solved. When we are back, please check on twins to see if they are okay."


    They finally arrived in the city. Unlike Orisa, who was there three times already, the others were escorted to the training camp without any chance to go sightseeing or even looking around, so they were staring with eyes open. Mostly because they almost forgot how anything besides the training camp looked at all. ''How cute,'' Orisa chuckled inwardly.


    Gear procurement went smoothly because the process was long since established, and the only tricky moment was Orisa''s weapon.


    "I''m not sure what to get either," shrugged merchant after hearing about her characteristics. "You have no Magic at all, so there is no point in using caster''s weapons, they won''t enchant your Mana-based skills. Physical weapons are even more useless to you."


    "What about rifles?" Orisa asked after remembering Nana''s weapon. "How do they even work?"


    "Regardless of how they work, my dear leader, their price is hundreds of times higher than what we are spending today," Dippo quickly interjected. "For now, there is nothing for us to do. Come, we are leaving. I''ll craft you some fancy crap myself later."


    While the other four members were quite content with their new gear, Orisa turned all grumpy. They slowly passed by an accessory shop, and she tugged Dippo:


    "Won''t we go here as well?"


    "Oya, little bossy likes to get cute and fashionable? Well, it won''t hurt to take a look, but I doubt we would find something cheap enough to stay within our wallet."


    While the squad was eyeing the vast selection of items, Orisa took out the purse Rita gave her. She was hesitant to check it before, so this was her first time looking inside. Orisa thought that even if it would eat a substantial part of her budget, it was still wise to invest in gear.


    Letting out a sigh and resigning herself to Rita''s mercy, Orisa opened the purse and counted its contents. She recounted it again, then once more, and abruptly put the purse inside her bag with a pale face.


    This evening a small letter was sent to a certain red-headed mentor. Its content was concise as only two short sentences were written there:


    ''I looked inside. Are you out of your fucking mind?''


    Thankfully, among the big shiny coins which Orisa didn''t even know how to use since their value was astronomical, were few stacks of smaller ones.


    While Dippo gave her a shocked look, and the other squad members were grateful, Onuki asked in a confused voice:


    "Why are you doing this? Why are you going to such length for people you''d met a month ago?"


    "Because this," Orisa swung few coins that she was going to use for their purchase, "is worth less than your lives."


    With this, their conversation was over. Everyone proceeded to equip new items immediately, and the overall reaction could be described as "Wow, I feel its effect already!"


    For a split second, Orisa pondered about wasting Rita''s money, but immediately smacked herself for using such an awful word towards something related to her friends and comrades. ''This is why Rita gave me money, so I don''t have to feel bad about using it for the right things.'' She also found a moment to give both Onuki and Clemen their wristwatches as well.


    They made a trip to a local food market to get groceries, packed their things, and left on the same carriage. It was already six in the evening when they finally arrived back to the training camp.


    "Okay, so Iten will go get the twins while we are heading to the canteen to prepare everything," Orisa said as they were unloading everything from the cart.


    "Before that, let''s drop our gear in the campus, okay?" Kanai intervened with a reasonable suggestion. Only the accessories were equipped, with other equipment neatly packed in boxes and bags.


    "Oops, sorry, why haven''t I thought about it in the first place?"


    "Because someone only thinks about food," chuckled Kanai, and other members followed his lead.


    Since they were no longer mere cadets but members of a special unit, they were allowed inside the kitchen. The head cook even let them borrow knives, forks, spoons, and other tableware. After they set up everything and Iten left to check on twins, Orisa was pulled away by a grumpy and irritated Onuki.


    "What happened already?" Orisa asked while rolling her eyes. Onuki kept staring at her silently, but her face was getting redder with each passing second. Letting out a sigh, Orisa asked again, this time with a gentle and sympathetic voice, "come on, what is it? What''s wrong, sis?"


    "Sis? That''s something new, alright. And sounds gross, please never say it again." At the very least, it made Onuki relax a bit and start talking; she shuffled uncomfortably for a few more seconds before finally blurting out, "I can''t cook; never held a knife in my entire life."


    "Gosh, it''s fine, okay? Or do you think I won''t be able to find you some work?" Orisa grinned like an evil overlord.


    "I wasn''t planning to slack in the first place, you slave driver!" exploded Onuki with a purple face.


    "First, find firewood. Ask Clemen if you need help to move it. Second, reserve a spot for our party. It''s best to ask someone about it, I guess. Third,-"


    "Oi-oi, wait a minute! Am I some robot or a servant of yours!?"


    "You are not paying attention, private Onuki," Orisa''s grin was even wider now. "Third, procure chairs or benches, plus something to work as a table. You should ask Clemen for help as well."


    "You...monster..." she grumbled but still went to do the tasks.


    Together with Kanai and Clemen, Orisa started chopping the food. A few minutes later, however, an extremely reluctant Onuki pulled Orisa on the sleeve of her shirt. This time Orisa decided to be quiet until the girl could spill it out without her help.


    "They want money for the wood," she blurted out and turned her head away.


    "I don''t get why you are so frustrated about it?"


    "How hard should it be to guess? I''m not used to asking for money, alright?"


    Orisa shook her head in amazement and handed the girl a few coins.


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    Iten finally showed up half an hour later. Both his hair and look were quite messy, and he rolled his eyes tiredly under Orisa''s questioning gaze.


    "Their shift should be over by eight, and they''ll come straight here."


    "Do you need to, umm, take a break?" Orisa''s sympathetic question made Iten roll his eyes again, and he went to chop a salad.


    It was already dark outside by the time Nene and Nana showed up. The squad settled down by that time and began preparations with only Iten being away, waiting to meet the twins and bring them to the campsite.


    "I say this is an awesome idea from my awesome friend!" Nene stormed in and hugged Orisa until the girl''s ribs began to crack.


    "Thank you for the invitation, or so they say," Nana appeared behind Nene and pulled her sister away from already half-chocked Orisa.


    "I''m also glad to see you both," she said after catching her breath. "Guys, here are Nene and Nana vas Flamie, they are nice girls, treat them well. And these are our squad members Kanai, Onuki, and Clemen."


    While people started to greet each other, Orisa moved to the campfire to begin the grilling. She was calmly installing skewers when Nana sat by her side and asked:


    "Was it your plan to create an intimate atmosphere, or there is another reason to sit in the dark?"


    "Yeah-yeah, I forgot to think about the light," pouted Orisa while skewering another chunk of meat.


    Nana patted Orisa on the back and declared some bizarre poetry:


    "Darkness is, I''d say, the best. You cannot see your partner''s chest."


    Remembering how flat Nana was, Orisa almost fell into the campfire with a burst of laughter. After coming to her sense, she turned to a mischievously grinning Nana and said with a bright smile:


    "Nana is the best, or so I''d say."


    Suddenly, they were startled by another example of marvelous kindergarten poetry:


    "If you are flat, it is okay. Some people like it more that way," declared Onuki from behind their backs.


    "Hmm, I see you are a lady of rhyme as well?" a very pleased Nana mused.


    The girls slowly drifted away in their conversation, so Orisa was left alone again. Thankfully, the other four members of their party came to check on her a few minutes later.


    "Sup, grill, how is grilling?" a grinning Kanai elbowed Orisa.


    "You are talking mad shit for someone in skewering distance."


    "I yield!" shouted Kanai while dodging a smoking skewer.


    "I say this is some great meat right over here," a drooling Nene eyed food while hugging Iten''s forearm without a chance for him to escape.


    "Completely agree with you on that,'' yelled Clemen.


    "The only question," Orisa looked at Clemen with a furrowed brow, "is why you are looking at me instead of food?"


    "Apologies, Supreme Overlord Dark Demon Army Commander Orisa!" he yelled while bowing down.


    "Do you need help?" Iten asked with a twitching eye.


    "You can set up a table if you want, I guess."


    Upon hearing that, Iten pulled both Clemen and Nana with him, and the only person left now was Kanai.


    "Let me finish this," he said while taking remaining skewers from Orisa''s hands.


    "You don''t need to help, man," Orisa protested unenthusiastically.


    "Yeah-yeah, you don''t say. It''s clear that you are tired, you know? But you are a damn stubborn girl and won''t ask for help. So shut up and take a seat."


    Since there were not enough seats, they also brought a few quilts, so Orisa spread one of them out not far away from the campfire and sat there to enjoy the fire.


    "Why are you so set on doing everything yourself?" grumbled Kanai while still working on the food.


    "I''d like to that myself. Maybe I''m afraid of people saying no? Or doing something awful and expecting me to praise them? It''s also possible that I''m expecting everything to fail, and quite easier to blame myself than others for a failure?"


    "Yep, just as I thought, you are a hopeless idiot. Reminds me of someone I knew from before; this person also wanted to shoulder everything. As if someone is going to fail in skewering meat," while grumbling, Kanai waved the skewer in his hand and accidentally hit two already placed skewers. They immediately fell into a campfire with a loud hissing sound.


    With an eyebrow furrowed to its limit, Orisa stood and went to get a bottle of water while Kanai was cursing, trying to get the skewers out. When Orisa got back, she saw a pouting Kanai healing his burned hand; there also were Onuki and Nana who settled on Orisa''s spot and gave Kanai supportive looks.


    At first, Orisa gave both girls a ''Are you kidding?'' look, but then her gaze stumbled upon Nana''s weapon that she was still carrying after their shift.


    "Nana, can I see your gun?" Orisa asked, remembering her talk with Dippo.


    "But I''m a girl," she answered in confusion.


    For a good five seconds, she had been enjoying the blank stares before finally letting out a chuckle.


    "I was not expecting a dad joke from you of all people," said a thoroughly shocked Orisa.


    "Nana is positively nuts," suddenly added a smiling Onuki. It was the first time for the past few days that Orisa saw her smiling so carefree. To say that she was glad because of this fact would be an understatement.


    "My-my, am I not popular today for some reason? Dear sister, I''m not ready for this," Nana mused in her usual calm voice which made the entire phrase even more hilarious.


    The food was finally ready, so everyone gathered to obliterate it. Nobody among them was as great as Crion who cooked the last time, but fresh air, good company, and severe lack of meat for most of them made this simple barbecue into a magnificent feast. They were munching silently for some time, but then conversations began popping up here and there.


    "I wonder what our new headquarter looks like and where it is," Kanai muttered thoughtfully.


    "I say it''s hella far away, man. In the central part of Lazra, in fact," saying that, Nene hugged Iten even tighter.


    "Oh, yeah, I heard that you two decided to stay as friends because of the distance?" Orisa raised a painful issue, but Nene kept her smile and answered nonchalantly:


    "That''s for the best I say. I mean, I like my brave knight here," she soundly smooched Iten on the cheek, "but we had our share of fun. As things are, it would be a pain to go on when there is almost no way for us to see each other. So no point in dragging it I say."


    The conversation moved on, drifting between topics, breaking into smaller ones. Onuki and Nana were sharing the first blanket, with Iten, Nene, and Clemen using their three chairs. So together with Kanai, Orisa occupied the second blanket as they were slowly sipping on juice and picking the remnants of their feast.


    Somewhere amidst the evening, Clemen stood up, grabbed another skewer and went to the campus, saying he was too sleepy to go on. Iten and Nene slowly drifted away sometime after that as well, leaving Onuki and Nana with their quiet conversation on the first blanket.


    Orisa was too tired to sit, so she dropped on their quilt and looked at the night sky. The stars were as bright as they were numerous as well. The view, completely impossible in one of the brightest cities in the world, made Orisa shiver from the realization of how insignificant she was compared to the world. The feeling was daunting and depressing, but the view that brought it up still left an indelible impression.


    Amidst the stargazing, Orisa failed to notice when both girls left. Another surprising find was that Kanai settled by Orisa''s side and was silently gazing in the sky as well. Orisa decided not to think about it too much and returned to the endless space.


    An unknown amount of time passed like that, and Orisa felt cold crawl under her shirt. The fire was almost gone, but Orisa still managed to check her wristwatch. Midnight. ''No wonder it''s so cold here.''


    "Can you help me clean everything up?" she asked Kanai without getting up.


    "I will, but let''s stay like that a bit longer."


    "I sense some romance brewing here," Orisa added teasingly.


    "Shut up, idiot. You are ruining the atmosphere," Kanai retorted calmly. "And I''m not interested in that, so thank you for your kind offer."


    "That''s reassuring," she let out a sigh of relief and grabbed now unoccupied blanket to cover them both.


    Another hour had passed in complete silence before they finally stood up and began cleaning the place. When tired and almost asleep Orisa barged into her room, Onuki''s bed was empty to her surprise. Even more surprising was that the girl showed up only during their lunch the next day. Her figure turned all defensive and ready for a fight when she noticed Orisa''s intent gaze. Onuki came closer and asked abruptly in an indignant voice as if expecting to be resented:


    "What? Have something to say?"


    "Oh, nothing," Orisa waved her hands vigorously to calm Onuki down. A moment later, Orisa smiled brightly and said with a kind voice, "I''m just really glad for you."

 56 A Welcoming New World

    The time to pack things has come since today was their last day of training camp. Looking at the training field where Captain Paulo Cardelio aka Captain Pain was scolding a fresh batch of cadets, Orisa even felt a sting of nostalgia. The captain noticed her and waved to come closer. They had a small talk, and when she was about to take her leave, he suddenly grabbed her forearm and whispered:


    "Remember, girl, that the Military is a rotten place. You are a smart lad but still keep your eyes sharp, would you? They won''t hesitate to push blame on you or even frame you for something if you''d get in their way."


    "Are you talking about Merdun and the Reclamation operation?" Orisa remembered from Youko''s story that Captain Pain was in charge of the entire operation.


    "Among other things. So if you feel that things are getting hot, cover your back or run."


    "Thank you, captain, sir," she nodded with a troubled expression and left to pack things.


    Onuki was still away, so Orisa guessed that she was with Nana. Letting out a sigh, Orisa started packing.


    She felt a bit lonely and left out but at the same time scolded herself for such thoughts. It was one of her many problematic traits, a feeling of ownership; from the moment someone treated her well and fell in the range of her friendship, her brain marked that person as Orisa''s possession. And when that person left her even for a moment, she always felt all sorts of negative emotions, including sadness, anger, and betrayal. Orisa wanted to be their everything, the center of their universe. It was awful, she knew it and tried to fight, but this pattern was etched deep into her mind.


    So Orisa had to force her thoughts into a positive direction, thinking how good it is for Onuki to find another friend or even someone more than a simple friend; she also pondered about the influence of this event over Onuki''s daily life and her character.


    She was going through mental warfare when a knock on the door startled her. Orisa looked outside and saw Youko Satou, her teacher standing there with her usual calm expression.


    "Hello, Orisa. I heard that you are leaving today, is that correct?"


    "Greetings, Miss Satou. In a few hours, yes. I planned to visit you before our departure, but it is really nice to see you now. Please, come in."


    "I have another class in ten minutes, so forgive me for not sending you off properly," said Youko with a guilty expression.


    "No-no, you don''t have to worry. I''m sure you are busy with the new cadets and your tasks."


    "That is true, but I also wanted to speak to you. Orisa, you are not the first student with an unfortunate starting condition, but you are the first one among my students who managed to overcome it this well and without much help either. It''s impossible to ignore your willpower and determination."


    She gave Orisa a small notepad that rested in her hands until now.


    "I gave it a thought about how to help you more. While you won''t be able to use right away what I''m about to show you, I believe it is within your abilities to adapt and adjust. Now, stand up and cast any spell you''d like."


    With a puzzled expression, Orisa stood up and went to the other side of the room. Youko stayed at the entrance, so there were a few meters between them.


    "Force Block!"


    "Major Break!"


    The moment Orisa''s barrier appeared, Youko shot a small white projectile that hit the wall and made it glow with the same white color. Half a second later, her wall dissolved in the air without a trace.


    "Cast something else, please," Youko asked.


    "Force Guard!"


    "Major Takeover!" - "Major Dispel!"


    The shield around her wrist began to burn, and only Youko''s Dispel helped Orisa avoid serious injuries. After quickly healing Orisa''s hand, Youko apologized and began her explanation:


    "This is my specialization, a counter-spell. There are quite a few technique and methods in this field; you can simply break another spell; you can reverse its effects to make a debuff on your enemy or even transform a fire into a healing spell on yourself. All of them rely heavily on Magic, but I''m confident in your ability to adapt them. In this notepad, you''ll find my compressed thoughts, instructions, and descriptions on how to train them or about their nature and implementations."


    She looked at her wristwatch and abruptly stood up.


    "I have to go now, apologies for the rushed explanation."


    "Thank you so much, Miss Satou. You are a great teacher and a very nice person!" Orisa quickly hugged a flustered woman and smiled brightly.


    Orisa''s backpack and crafting case were both packed, her bed linen and other small things returned, and she was ready to leave. On her way from the dorm, Orisa met Onuki; she couldn''t say that the girl was shining, but Onuki was clearly in a good mood. They agreed to meet by the gate, and Orisa headed that way since it was less than half an hour until their departure. Everyone except Onuki and Dippo was already there.


    They chatted merrily for some time, and then a panting Onuki appeared on the horizon. She stopped close to Nana and started whispering something that made them both chuckle wickedly. It became evident for everyone that something bloomed between two girls, and this time Orisa was happy for them from the bottom of her heart.


    Dippo arrived soon and urged them to get into the carriage. Orisa swiftly grabbed Twin Lightning Sisters to say her farewell:


    "Three things, girls. First, thank you for saving us at that time. I will never forget it. Second, I''m so glad that we met. And lastly, I hope we''ll meet again!" she hugged astonished sisters and jumped into the cart.


    Three hours later they boarded the train. Onuki and Clemen seated themselves alone on the nearby sits while the other members of their travel group occupied one spot with four seats and a table.


    "How long until our destination?" Kanai asked out of boredom and a spark of curiosity. Usually, it was Orisa''s role to ask trivia questions, but sometimes he substituted her in that regard.


    "Four hours on the train and a little bit later on," answered Dippo lazily. Unlike his usual self, he was unenthusiastic right now for some reason.


    The moment their train departed, a familiar immaterial sensation passed through their bodies.


    "By the way, why the Beasts don''t attack trains?" Orisa joined the conversation.


    "They do, of course. It''s uncommon since the train is too fast but not entirely impossible."


    "You don''t like trains? Are you perhaps getting sick from the shaking?" Orisa wondered about Dippo''s mood.


    "No, my dear missy smarty pants, I merely hate doing nothing. Wasted time, you know?"


    "Aha! Don''t worry, captain, we''ll definitely use your time wisely." Orisa grinned, looking at Dippo eagerly. He shuddered under the realization that nothing could save him from four hours of interrogation. Even Iten chuckled after looking at him.


    "So, how does a rifle work?"


    "Mana engineering. You channel Mana which then goes through a series of Seals to shoot out. Can be used both with and without additional projectiles," answered Dippo absently while staring outside.


    "Why are they so expensive?"


    "Many Seals are required to achieve a good result. Constant Mana usage also adds strain, so you need a sturdy and well-crafted base for the weapon which costs a lot." Dippo was silent for a moment, then turned to Orisa and asked with a suddenly appeared lively expression. "My turn, little captain. Why do you dig into the Waves?"


    While both Kanai and Iten turned pale, Orisa replied after a momentary thought:


    "Why wouldn''t I?"


    "What do you mean?" Dippo stared at her with a blank expression, blinking his eyes in confusion.


    "I came to a new world where some strange shit is going on. How little people here know about it is borderline insane. Isn''t it obvious to start learning about the phenomenon I''m going to encounter almost daily?"


    Drugan Dippo kept blinking. He certainly didn''t expect such reply.


    "There are places where Beasts gather for no apparent reason, right?" continued Orisa her barrage. "Do we know of all these places?"


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    "Nobody would swear on their mother''s pants that we know about all of them. However, as far as I can tell, we most probably do. There are five of them; one not far from our headquarters, that''s why it was founded there in the first place. Another is the capital city, Mitras. The remaining three you can find scattered across the continent."


    "What do we know about the Cataclysm?"


    "Read history books."


    "What world are you from?"


    "Irrelevant."


    "For how long have you been leading the Hounds?"


    "Irrelevant."


    "What do you know about hunter Nowanzi?"


    Dippo turned to Orisa and smacked her on the forehead while his left eye was twitching slightly:


    "Go play with your boys. I need to plan things for now," with that, he stood up and left the cab.


    "Gosh, you broke our captain," said Kanai jokingly.


    "I''m afraid of becoming the target of your questioning spree one day," added Iten.


    "Screw you all. I''m doing it for science, of course. If that''s how it is, I''m going to practice now."


    Orisa took out a notepad Rita gave her and started making various Seals. Her plan was first to memorize the creation process of at least a few of them then start making spells that could use the Seals.


    "Do you think I should learn them as well?" asked Kanai after some time.


    "Not for now, at least. The Seals use a lot of Mana, and that''s one of your weak spots. Also, I think you have other things you can learn first."


    "Speaking of which, show me your exercise for Mana pool, great teacher Orisazuka," Kanai was clearly in a good mood. Orisa groaned but put away the notepad and took the crystal. When she was about to start her explanation, Onuki landed on a now vacant seat:


    "I heard you are doing something useful for once. Show me as well."


    "Is this a country-wide insult Orisa contest that I missed somehow?" she grumbled and pouted.


    "I''m interested as well," Iten added.


    Orisa glanced over a sleeping Clemen and proceeded with a sigh. She ended up showing them all of her training methods, including Mana control, Mana layers, concentration, and so on. Since there were not enough materials, Kanai took the crystal, and Onuki grabbed two bottles of Mana-infused water. Like diligent pupils, they immediately jumped into training, which made Orisa a little proud of herself.


    When Dippo returned an hour later, he caught an entire group doing something useful. In the case of Clemen, it was sleeping, but other members were indeed practicing. He chuckled and sat by Clemen''s side.


    They left the train when it was already dark outside. Dippo marched straight out of the station, and the squad followed him like a row of ducklings.


    "How are we going to get to the headquarters?" Iten voiced everyone''s question.


    "Oh, my dear, you''ll see very soon," Dippo now was in a good mood for some reason.


    They turned twice to the right, and on a small square saw a parked monstrosity. Orisa couldn''t call it a car; it was a long, six-wheeled reinforced buggy with eight seats inside. It looked like the transport was made for an extreme safari since it had no roof or windows but many sturdy-looking metal pipes to shield the passengers.


    With his back leaning on the car, there stood a grumpy teenager. He was a little taller than Orisa, clothed in dark-brown leather jeans, grey jacket reinforced with metal plating, and a white shirt underneath. The most peculiar part was his hair; the right side was red with the left side being light-blue. His entire look radiated absolute unhappiness.


    "Shou, dear, I''m glad to see you!" waved him a brightly smiling Dippo.


    "Tch." The boy turned and got into the car with his face even sourer.


    "My-my, stingy as usual," the captain shook his head while still smiling.


    "Yahho, cappy!"


    Another person deftly jumped out of the car. The girl landed on the ground and everything around her shook slightly. If compared to the grumpy boy, she was a few centimeters taller, which in place made Orisa half a head smaller. The girl wore extremely small and revealing light-gray shorts, and the same revealing short-gray skintight top, which made her legs and stomach free to observe. And there was enough to feast an eye. Her legs were thick but not fat, and the same applied to the abdomen; she left the impression of a bodybuilder who hid her muscles with a thin layer of fat. The last part of her magnificent build was a huge chest; for a girl of her height, a D-sized bust looked great, especially when barely covered and perfectly seen through the skintight shirt.


    "You are finally back, cappy!" she skipped to their group, and her midnight-blue long hair swung behind. The girl hugged Dippo, easily lifting him from the ground.


    "Now-now, Marina," Dippo ruffled her short bangs and quickly pecked her forehead, "I''m glad to see my sunshine, too."


    As if she instantly lost interest, the girl dropped Dippo and rushed to Orisa.


    "Te-he-he, you must be the super cool sis of whom the cappy was talking! Yahho!" she grabbed Orisa''s both hands and started shaking them in a violent greeting. Not giving her time to reply, she swiftly moved to Onuki, then Iten, Kanai, and Clemen.


    After finishing her one-sided greeting, the girl dashed back to the car and took the driver''s seat. With a sigh, Dippo turned to the squad and said:


    "These are your two new members, Shou vas Todo and Marina Kanami. Now, get inside, it''s late already, gosh."


    As the squad members loaded their luggage and took the seats, without any additional sound, the car began to move. With her newly acquired Seal, Orisa felt Mana move inside the car''s engine and across its carcass. She was almost drooling over the thing, expecting to study its every nook and cranny.


    "But you said they were expensive," Orisa asked Dippo with a slightly offended tone.


    "Oh, they are. But it''s not like we can''t afford one for an entire platoon, you know? In case of emergency and whatnot."


    Upon saying that, Dippo tapped Shou on the shoulder and whispered something. The boy grumbled in response and handed the captain a small purple crystal which Dippo immediately gave Orisa.


    "Know how to use it?"


    "Yes, should I light it up?" asked Orisa. As Dippo nodded, she channeled her Mana into the Lantern. It started emitting a bright purple glow.


    "Why do we need a Lantern?" inquired Iten with a slightly worried voice.


    "Gosh, do you need to ask? The Wave was a few hours ago, dummy. We don''t want any fully powered Beasts to ram into the Deju."


    "The Deju?" asked Kanai with a furrowed brow? Instead of a reply, Dippo slapped the car''s metal carcass a few times. "Oh, I see, that Deju..."


    "By the way, sir, what are the effects of the Lantern? I mean, it makes the Beasts weaker alright, but what it does exactly? Makes them slower, easier to hit or reduces their strength?" Since her first fight with real Beasts, Orisa was curious about the Lantern, its effects, and internal mechanics.


    "Meh, it all depends on the pests. Generally, the first and foremost thing it does is it reduces their resistance to attacks. The other effects are weaker and correspond to the type of the Beast; agile cats go slower while stronger wolfs hit weaker, and so on."


    The car''s lights illuminated a path ahead as they rode through the night. The road was rather bumpy, but they soon got used to the constant shaking. Marina skillfully steered the wheel, so their speed was considerable, even by Orisa''s old world''s standards.


    Half an hour later, Orisa tapped on Dippo'' shoulder and asked:


    "How long are we supposed to ride?"


    "Impatient, are we? Don''t complain. We are half-way through now, I-"


    Dippo wasn''t able to finish his phrase since something smashed into the car''s side, sending Deju roll over the ground.

 57 Bugs Buggy

    As if surfacing from the ocean''s dark depth, Orisa was slowly coming back to her senses. At first, there were only sounds; muted, indistinct noises became clear and turned into spell shouts. A few seconds later, both her sight and other senses returned as well. Her entire body was sore after hitting metallic carcass numerous times during their roll, but thankfully there were no serious injuries.


    A seat to her right, previously occupied by Dippo, was now empty. She looked back her friends motionless, covered in bruises. She almost succumbed to panic but suddenly noticed a now familiar feeling of Mana. At least for now, all her squad members were alive and without significant injuries.


    Surprisingly, after rolling quite a few times, the Deju ended up back on its wheels again, truly a miracle. The car fell to the side and rolled tens of meters into the forest. The space around it was now illuminated by numerous floating lights, probably conjured by someone to brighten the forest. A series of violent coughs jolted Orisa out of her thoughts. It came from the first row of seats, right in front of her.


    Orisa leaned forward and saw the grumpy boy coughing up blood. One of the metal pipes broke and struck him, piercing his right side and nailing him onto the seat.


    "Shit!" yelped Orisa, remembering a similar scene from Final Destination movie. To her surprise, the boy turned his head and looked at her. Considering his condition, he looked rather well.


    "Behind the last row. Closed box. Green crystal with a black circle," each phrase was short and supplied by more coughing, but he didn''t look like a man who was about to die. It was when Orisa finally notices that both his hands were glowing green; he was healing himself repeatedly.


    Orisa climbed out of the car and rushed to its rear. She finally noticed all the noise again and saw both Dippo and the girl fighting a group of the Beasts. ''Oh, fuck. OOOH FUCK!'' Her thoughts were, indeed, rather dull.


    As she was about to open the box with supplies, she felt an intense tingling sensation on her back. Orisa abruptly turned around and witnessed a meter-tall ant march towards her position. At the same time, she heard Dippo''s furious roar from the other side of the car where the primary battle was going on:


    "Where is the fucking Lantern?!"


    A cold sweat struck Orisa since she was the one carrying their lifeline item; she lost it in the crash. ''We are so fucking dead," she thought, chanting her defensive spells and then taking aim at the ant.


    "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    "Where is it!?" roared Dippo again.


    "How the fuck should I know!? Lost it, dammit!" yelled a thoroughly scared and irritated Orisa.


    She threw the ant back, but it was clear that she stood no chance against him as she was now. Orisa turned back to the box and spotted her bag there as well.


    "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    Two more ants were now visible under the illumination, so Orisa threw another barrage of Walls to push them back and shouted:


    "They are coming from this side, too!"


    "Fucking kill them or, I don''t know, make friends!" yelled Dippo. Orisa couldn''t spare a single moment to look their way, but if her captain was having a hard time, things were not that good.


    There were numerous crystals, bottles, packs of pills, and various other things inside the box. It took Orisa another twenty seconds to find the crystal, and she also had to push the ants back. She abruptly opened her case and pulled the Concentration potion; another barrage of Walls followed after a little sip from the bottle. She now had to survive until the Potion would take effect.


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    Orisa surrounded the Deju with Walls, leaving the side facing Dippo and the girl open, and rushed to the skewered boy. ''Is it my imagination or he turned all pale?'' There wasn''t much blood probably due to the Blood Blockade spell, but his every breath was probably making internal wounds. Orisa got onto the driver''s seat and turned to the boy. She could hear the ants banging against her Walls already. The boy extended his bloodied hand and Orisa put the crystal on his palm.


    "I''ll cut the bar. You pull it out," he muttered.


    Orisa nodded while following his palm with an intent gaze. A blue flame appeared at the tip of his index finger; it rose in intensity with each passing second, until the flame turned into a blowtorch that the boy pressed against the pipe. The fire finally won against the enchanted metal, and Orisa pulled the pipe in one swift motion, which made the boy momentarily gasp from pain. He immediately crashed the crystal over his wound, and it glowed with green after a small circle appeared around the puncture.


    "Begone," he muttered before closing his eyes.


    The wall closest to her broke, letting the ant inside her improvised garage. While Orisa managed to push him away, another wall broke on the opposite end of the car. Finally, the Concentration potion took effect, so Orisa shouted without wasting a single moment:


    "-Enrage!-"


    A nearly forgotten calmness and clarity dawned upon her. She breathed in and out to fill her brain with oxygen and jumped out of the driver''s seat.


    "-Flip!-"


    Utilizing all three Mana layers, Orisa cast three spells at the same time and flipped the car on the side, making its armored bottom face the ants. She was mildly concerned about the safety of her friends and an injured Shou, but this was the easiest way to buy them more time. Upon losing access to its prey, the ant turned to Orisa.


    ''Eyes, joints between legs, and antennas should be his weakest part. Plus fire ought to prove effective at least to some degree.''


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    A wave of flame disoriented the Beast momentarily, and Orisa was already in front of him, throwing dual Palm Push Strike into the slits that the Beasts had instead of eyes. They exploded, making two holes with green fluid oozing outside. The Beast flinched from the pain, grazing Orisa''s defensive barrier with its mandibles, but the Thickness shield withstood a light scratch like this one.


    "-Hand of God!-"


    "-Triple Press!-"


    The first spell smashed through the roof she made earlier, pressing the Beast down, and three Force Blocks pinned the ant to the ground. The power of the Beast unaffected by the Lantern became evident as all three of her blocks were filled with cracks the moment the ant tried to get up. Without any second to waste, Orisa jumped closer and struck her hand inside the mess that was its left slit-eye before. A simultaneous triple Palm Push Strike decimated its head, and the Beast died. The only thing Orisa miscalculated was that the ant still clenched its mandibles the last moment, injuring her right ankle.


    "-Blood Blockade!-"


    It hurt like hell. All her senses were sharp, which made the pain feel five times stronger; despite that, with her new Seal, Orisa still managed to sense another foe coming from behind. In her empowered state, there was no need to cast with hands, so she focused momentarily on her back and shouted:


    "-Block Rush!-"


    Another ant was thrown away by the wall that shot out of her back, but more foes came out of the woods. Among them were spiders, ants, and one mantis. Orisa wouldn''t be able to run with her leg like that, so she had to fight them or at least survive until Dippo could save her.


    ''I shouldn''t get close or let them get near me, but all my attacks are of melee range.'' Orisa could now easily remember all the Seals she saw before, but she wasn''t confident in drawing them. So only focusing on these few she practiced sketching, Orisa made a few reinforced Blocks around her and the car. The Bulwark Seal reshaped Mana inside spells, making it more durable against attacks.


    Orisa could also use all Mana layers to do three simultaneous Block Rush spells, and a series of these bought her around six more seconds by pushing the group of monsters back. A surprising feeling struck her during this maneuver, and Orisa concentrated on Mana inside her body. Indeed, while temporarily, she could now use the fourth Mana layer due to the Concentration potion''s effect.


    ''Okay. I need something to break through the Beast''s resistance and their carapace. Everything should be focused on penetration power.'' The first was the Seal of Piercing; she paid attention to that Seal after offering it to Clemen. Another Seal she could use for the same purpose was the Seal of Sharpening, which they used to repair and polish test equipment during their practice.


    The hardest part was to make the second Seal while maintaining the first, but she managed to do it despite the growing pain in her right ankle. Her forehead was already dripping sweat, but these two Seals were, in fact, easier than what she was about to do now. Still maintaining them, Orisa conjured and strengthened a cone; it was supposed to be extremely durable to pressure from the inside, which made its creation even more complicated. Grabbing her newly acquired temporary layer, Orisa began to inject burning Mana inside the cone. The idea behind this attack was the same as of her Palm Push Strike, to compress Mana and make it explode, creating a strong but narrow jet of energy.


    Orisa now was maintaining two difficult constructions while injecting Mana inside a conjured and maintained shell. To say that this process was demanding would be an understatement; Orisa was so tense and focused that the blood vessels inside her nose popped up, creating two red streams that were now soiling her newly bought gear.


    When Orisa was done with Mana compression, no more than six seconds had passed in the world. The closest to her position enemy was a spider, and only ten meters separated them now. After compressing enough Mana into the shell, Orisa used the freed last layer to throw the shell forward, adding a spinning motion and pushing it towards the spider.


    If by some weird twist of fate it was possible to shoot cannon at the cow, this was how it would end up looking. The shell made of Mana hit the spider''s upper part and dug inside its body. The thin and sharp tip of the shell broke while piercing the spider''s skin, and all burning Mana compressed inside the shell charged out. The spider exploded from the inside, and his smoldering pieces flew in all directions.


    Orisa tried to conjure another spell, but her vision became blurry; the scene in front of her eyes swayed back and forth, and Orisa ended up on the ground. Despite extreme dizziness, she still tried to get up, but her attempt failed awfully. She lost track of her surroundings while focusing on the spell, and that let the ant she pushed away earlier to crawl upon her. The Beast sunk its mandibles into Orisa''s right side, pierced her Thickness barrier as if it was made of paper and dug deep into her breast and shoulder.


    Her scream echoed through the forest. The next moment some other source of Mana landed by her side with a loud thud.


    "-Almighty Punch!-"


    A fist struck the ant''s side, making it fly into the air and flip twice before falling a few meters away. Marina pressed both hands against Orisa''s chest and chanted:


    "-Source Heal!-"


    Orisa felt all Mana inside her body jolt in the direction of her wounds, and these spots started to heat and itch.


    "Te-he-he, nice boobs, by the way!" Marina laughed and made a V-sign before jumping onto the still shocked ant. Both her fists glowed with blue while she pummeled him into the ground, shouting, "Ola-Ola-Ola-Ola-Ola~!"


    The ant''s head was now buried deep in the ground, but it still moved its legs in hopes to hit Marina; the thing was still alive even after severe pummeling, proving to Orisa once more how scary the Beasts were without the Lantern. That, and how lucky she was to be able to outlive its attack.


    "-Raikili!-"


    Marina''s straightened palm glowed with light blue after she enveloped it in lightning. The first strike cracked the ant''s carapace, and two more attacks completely broke it. Marina jumped in the air and smashed her right fist into the tear on the ant''s body:


    "-Ultrasonic Punch!-"


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    Due to Orisa''s focused state, she was able to see how Mana gathered on the surface of Marina''s fist and exploded a moment later inside her victim''s body. The ant flinched once and stopped moving.


    While the girl slowly strolled back towards Orisa, she noticed other Beasts enclosing on their position. Pulling all her willpower together, Orisa slightly raised her body and pointed her hand in the direction of the Beasts:


    "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-"


    While the foes were pushed again once again, Marina looked over the scene and whistled before bending towards Orisa:


    "Feeeh, why aren''t you healing properly, sis?" she sighed unhappily before pulling out Orisa''s tag that she was now wearing on her neck like a proper soldier. "Bwahaha, holy macaroni what the heck is that!? No wonder you aren''t healed yet. Okay, leave the rest to us!"


    "How is Dippo?" Orisa muttered while still struggling from the pain. She used another Blood Blockade spell, but that was her limit as another wave of dizziness assaulted her head.


    "Oh, cappy? Two evolved deers, a few dozens of normal Beasts, you know, the usual business. Te-he-he," with that, Marina came to the flipped car and slammed her fist into its armor, "Shou, sweetie, come here and help, or I''ll have to punish you again!"


    Loud "Tch," could be heard from the other side of the car. The grumpy boy, Shou, walked around the Deju a few seconds later. Sparing only a quick glimpse, he threw at Orisa lesser healing and painkilling spells and slowly walked to stand by Marina''s side. She soundly slapped him on the butt and yelled while still laughing:


    "Yahho, that''s my Shou! Now I won''t punish you so hard, te-he-he."


    "Tch. Brainless gorilla, stay away."


    Orisa slowly stood up. Her wounds were far from being healed, but the painkiller spell helped a lot. She moved closer to the pair while leaning on the nearest Force Block.


    "Te-he-he, isn''t our sis cool?" Marina elbowed Shou after looking at a slowly crawling girl.


    "Don''t care. Don''t touch me, hag. God, this is so troublesome," after finishing his line, Shou took two short metal wands out of his wrist holster and crossed them in front of him:


    "-Dualcast: Barrage!-"


    A circle appeared in front of him. Its outer part was red, while inner figures appeared to be light-blue. Apple-sized projectiles started flying out of the circle towards the enemies. On the impact, they exploded with fire, simultaneously shocking enemies with lightning. While each attack was not especially strong, simultaneous hits on the same Beast made it stumble and crumble in the end.


    ''Whoah, so this is the power of the Noble bloodlines? I wonder what''s stronger, his dualcast or Tiana''s empower?'' Orisa looked at a clear display of strength in admiration. But it soon became evident that even this attack speed was not enough to stop the enemies as they drew closer.


    "If you hit me with this, I won''t be content with a simple whipping," Marina giggled after sending cold shiver all over Shou''s body and jumped forward. Her leap was empowered by Mana, so she flew at least four meters in the air before landing on the back of the spider:


    "-Meteor Strike!-"


    Her leg glowed with red in the last second before the impact, while her back pushed out Mana burst to further increase her speed. With this setup, Marina rammed into the spider''s back, and the ground beneath it crumbled, creating a small crater in which now barely moving spider was buried.


    Orisa finally made it to where Shou stood and raised both her hands to start casting. He noticed this movement and said in an even voice without breaking his channeling magic:


    "If you end up dead because of that, it''s not my fault."


    "I like your attitude," muttered Orisa back and launched a barrage of spells. By the look of things, their primary source of damage was Shou, so Orisa focused on stalling or pushing the Beasts back.


    "-Hand of God!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Prison!-"


    In the meantime, Marina was jumping back and forth, kicking, slamming, punching, and throwing the Beasts. Cuts and wounds frequently appeared all over her body, and each time she used this strange Source Heal technique to cure most of the damage.


    At first, Orisa was wondering how it was possible for the girl to fight against fully powered Beasts without any hesitation, standing on equal footing. But then she noticed Marina chew on a pill; another one followed half a minute later, with more pills being added even more often.


    "-Lesser Overflow!-" -- "-Lesser Sage!-"


    "-Lesser Protect!-" -- "-Lesser Might!-"


    Kanai and Onuki joined the fight. Orisa felt how a grip over her heart loosened; this whole time, she was subconsciously worried about the state of her friends and seeing them more or less intact set her mind at ease.


    "I''m glad that you are alright, guys. How are Iten and Clemen?"


    "With Dippo on the other side," Kanai grumbled while throwing more healing at Marina and wiping the blood from a deep cut over his forehead that hasn''t healed yet.


    "Why is it that you are the one to always got hurt and cut?" said Onuki with a sigh after observing Orisa''s state. She used three more healing spells, and Orisa felt the pressure and tension made by hiding the pain with the painkiller spell slowly go away.


    Suddenly, Shou swayed and fell on one knee. A quick inspection revealed that he was almost chalk-white and covered in sweat.


    "Should I bring something from the box?" asked Orisa in a worried tone.


    "No. Out of Mana. Too expensive," he spat out short phrases while panting hoarsely.


    "Onuki, cover us and watch over this dude. Kanai, focus on the Beasts that are slowed or stopped," she gave them instructions and rushed to help Marina.


    "Te-he, sis came to play?" the girl tried to sound cheerful, but even a single glance was enough to see how dire her situation was. Marina''s fists were a bloody mess despite constant healing; vessels in her eyes popped, and an unsightly brownish substance was dripping from her mouth. When the girl tried to swallow another pill, Orisa stopped her hand:


    "That''s enough for today. Go back and cover the casters."


    "Huh? Are you worried about me, sis? How cute!"


    But Orisa already focused on the foes in front. There were five of them, including the mantis. The first thing she did was to trample two half-buried ants deeper into the ground and stack a few Blocks over them. The moment she was done with this part, Kanai''s spells flew towards the incapacitated Beasts. ''That''s my boy, good job.''


    At the same time, a purple light illuminated surroundings and a cheerful "Found it!" could be heard.


    Orisa couldn''t risk casting her four-layered spell again, but taking into consideration buffs from Onuki and Kanai, as well as the Lantern''s effect, she could probably make do with a weaker version of that spell. After throwing away two Beasts, only one spider stood in front of her. It spat a web that instantly bound her to the ground, but it was of little concern to her since she wasn''t planning to move in the first place.


    She could now do the spell quicker since only three Mana layers were used, and she was quite proficient with them from all her previous fights. First was the Seal of Piercing, than the shell and its compressed contents. It took her less than two seconds to finish the spell. ''Buffs to Mana control and concentration are bliss.''


    The first spell blew some of the spider''s back and slowed its advance, but this was not enough to kill the Beast. She had to throw two more spells to finish it. But it still felt much weaker and slower due to the Lantern.


    ''I''m astonished of how much more powerful was the four-layered spell compared to the one I used right now.'' She felt the power of the Sealcasting and blessed Rita inwardly.


    Orisa first sensed a huge Mana burst flew by her side, and then felt a wind pressure from something going past her at an incredible speed. The next moment, both Beasts that were closing on her position fell apart. Dippo stood between them, cleaning his knives.


    "Consider yourself lucky that there were no shooters or jumpers today," he said slowly and gave Orisa a tense gaze. She gulped after understanding that they had to deal with the easiest setup possible. "Next time we lose the Lantern might be the end for some of you. But aside from that, good job."


    This very moment, Marina passed out and fell on the ground with a loud thud. With that, their first encounter with the Beasts came to an end.

 58 Back and forth to The Lair

    "My-my, we need to repair it yet again," Dippo sighed after inspecting the Deju. "Okay, my cuties, take your stuff, we are going on foot since it won''t launch in this state."


    One of Deju''s wheels broke completely with two others being bent and tattered. Some of the Mana pipes cracked, and, ultimately, the right side was a mess. Announcing the horrible truth, Drugan went to detach the core crystal of the car in case someone were to find it out before they could go back and fix it.


    Orisa looked at her squad. Setting aside minor cuts and initial bloodied state from the crash, all her friends were mostly intact. As for the other two members, Shou was in a better condition with a severe Mana depletion; he looked pale and still couldn''t catch his breath but was otherwise alright.


    Marina, however, was another story altogether. She was still unconscious, and brownish saliva was oozing from one corner of her mouth. Her hands and legs were all swollen, and veins all over her body turned brown, surfacing over the skin and creating a creepy and ominous pattern.


    "Captain, Marina doesn''t look good to me," Orisa said worriedly. She checked the girl''s pulse, which was extremely high for such a low body temperature she apparently had.


    "Oh, she''ll be fine in a few days," answered Dippo while calmly unloading the car''s emergency box.


    "Shouldn''t we heal her somehow?"


    "It''s an alchemical poisoning from overusing the pills, so you can''t cure it with magic. And I don''t carry any meds for such dummies, you know?"


    Just in case, Orisa thoroughly skimmed over Marina''s few pockets, but they all were empty except same brownish pills. Orisa sighed tiredly and turned to Shou:


    "Would you be able to move on your own?"


    "Tch. In five minutes," even while dead tired and exhausted, he kept his annoying attitude.


    "Guys, we''ll have to carry Marina, I''m afraid. Let''s organize a stretcher. Two people will carry it, swapping with the second pair from time to time."


    Since Clemen was the shortest among them, Orisa entrusted him with her suitcase and paired with Kanai to make a reserve group, while Iten and Onuki were the first to carry the stretcher. With such a setup, they moved out.


    "How far are we from the base?" Orisa asked to break the silence.


    "Somewhere around three hours with our current speed. That is if nobody attacks again," he answered while toying with the Lantern in his hand. Aside from its purple light, six floating balls of white Mana illuminated the space around them.


    While things were not that good, they also weren''t that bad either. The Beasts attacked them from time to time, but they were mostly loners with occasional pairs. Together with Dippo, Orisa created a peculiar tandem. When they sensed or heard the Beasts, Dippo dropped his luggage and dashed to kick the foe into the air or on the road; meanwhile Orisa prepared her three-layered Sealcasting and took aim. While the Beast was flying in the air or rolling over the ground, Orisa shot it with her new spell. From time to time, Kanai or Onuki joined their fun little exercise.


    The first time a considerable group of Wavespawn assaulted them, Dippo went all out while Orisa covered their convoy with her barriers. The second time was more unfortunate as there were long-ranged attackers among foes. Onuki and Kanai got hit before Orisa was could protect them, but the wounds were not life-threatening.


    "How are you guys holding?" she asked them both. Kanai and Onuki looked at each other and back at Orisa before Onuki muttered:


    "I''m fine, thanks."


    Kanai merely nodded quietly, and they continued their way.


    "Honestly, that''s not how I planned your first trip," Dippo broke a half hour long silence. "But it has its charm, I must say. Considering your leader''s extreme luck, I''m surprised that a twice evolved Beast hasn''t appeared yet."


    "Don''t foreshadow!" yelled Orisa and Kanai in sync.


    By the time they made it to the base, the squad was half-dead from exhaustion despite constantly switching Marina''s carriers. Orisa''s empowered state was still in place, but even she barely spared a glance towards the base''s exterior.


    It looked like an ancient mansion of some noble or politician, and ancient not in a good way. In a dim illumination from the night sky, Orisa was able to discern three-story yellowish building with giant columns supporting a balcony on the third floor. At least on the outside, the villa and its surrounding area were both run-down; ivy covered the mansion''s walls and the surrounding area, and the road was in shambles. Orisa was too tired to care and think about it.


    They barged inside the building and dropped on the floor. Only Dippo was full of vigor, and Shou decided to uphold his grumpy front and proudly strolled to his room.


    "You can drop the luggage here and go sleep," said Dippo nonchalantly.


    "What about Marina?"


    "Gosh, AS I SAID, you can drop the luggage here."


    The squad members exchanged disturbed looks. Orisa was unhappy with the way Dippo treated the girl, so she pulled him to the side and asked quietly:


    "What''s going on? Why are you treating her like garbage?"


    "Oh, you are such an idiot. Listen carefully, defender of poor and sick. She isn''t a victim here. She is a moron who wanted to show-off in front of her new friends. It''s a payback for having muscles instead of a brain and ignoring numerous warning I gave her." He then grabbed Orisa''s sleeve and pulled her even closer to whisper angrily in her ear, "girly, don''t you dare doubt me. I gave you no reason to do so and won''t allow any bullshit from a chick blinded by her righteous crusade."


    "Okay, I got it. My mistake, sir. Forgive me," she bowed her head apologetically. Orisa didn''t agree with everything Dippo said, but the point about needlessly showing off was disturbing, indeed. If it was true, that is.


    Dippo showed them two temporary rooms and said that they''d get their apartments later. The boys instantly dropped dead inside their bedroom, but Orisa begged Onuki help her carry Marina to the girls'' room. It didn''t sit well with her to leave the girl in the hall.


    One by one, they slowly woke up around the midday. On the table near the bed, Orisa found a note pinned by the Lantern:


    ''Food in the fridge. Go back to the car ASAP. PS: don''t you dare lose the Lantern, I''m going to murder you. Your lovely captain.''


    Orisa told the boys about the note, and they all spread across the empty mansion in search of the bathrooms, showers, and kitchen. On the inside, the house looked as bad as Orisa imagined; the paint on the walls peeled away, and the floor creaked and wobbled under their feet. Inside one of the rooms, Orisa finally found Shou vas Todo lay on a bed, lazily skimming through a book.


    "Hey, Shou, how are you feeling? Last night was pretty rough, right?" she began in a friendly manner, but even after ten seconds still heard no reply. "Okay, I understand. The captain is waiting for us by the car. We are leaving in thirty minutes, be ready."


    "And so? I''m not going to take part in this pointless Military fuss. Everyone following the orders can go and screw themselves."


    "Our squad is moving out. You are a member of our squad hence you are going, whether you like it or not."


    Orisa was still exhausted from yesterday''s march, especially mentally. She had zero desire to argue with a spoiled, rebellious kid or support his delusions. While Dippo was not crystal clear on this matter, he at least vaguely implied that she was the leader of the squad, so it was her responsibility and her pain now to deal with this. A few more seconds passed without a reply, so Orisa asked in a cold voice:


    "I didn''t hear you."


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    "Go away and close the door."


    "Do I need to force you up? Is that what you want?"


    "I dare you to try," the boy snorted and returned to the book.


    Without further ado, Orisa raised her right hand. It was way harder without the Concentration potion, but she still managed to conjure a Seal; a projectile formed behind the Seal, and Orisa filled it with Mana. Of course, she was bluffing; there was no way she could attack him without Enrage, but the boy didn''t know that yet. Shou only spared her a single glance and returned to the book.


    "We can still resolve it in a civilized manner," said Orisa calmly, but the boy snorted again.


    He left her no choice, so Orisa moved her hand towards a window and launched the spell. She planned to send the shell through the window to let it explode far away in the fields. By the look of it, however, the window was enchanted. Her spell didn''t safely break it but got stuck in its frame instead, half-piercing the thick wood. The tip of the shell broke as was intended by the spell''s design and released burning Mana outside, creating an enormous blast wave. The already cracked from the impact glass shattered from the explosion, throwing shards inside the room.


    "Are you sane!?" yelled Shou after jumping on the bed. He got a few minor cuts, but Orisa was even less lucky; her hands and cheeks were bleeding. Thankfully, no glass got into her eyes.


    "You have twenty-nine minutes," she said coldly and left the room. A few seconds later, her friends rushed to her side and yelled over her bloodied look. Orisa merely shrugged while wiping her face and said, "a short tutoring session. Nothing to worry about."


    "Why is that it''s you who are always covered in blood?" facepalmed Onuki before healing her yet again.


    She was worried over Marina''s state and didn''t want to leave the girl alone, but they had too little manpower to leave someone by her side. Orisa inspected the girl and noticed the veins over her body were no longer brown and bulged; her face also returned its healthy color. Orisa left her a note in case the girl would wake up while they were away.


    In the end, they had no time to shower or eat since Orisa pushed them to leave as soon as possible. After packing the food and washing their faces, six squad members left the mansion the same way they came yesterday. Orisa spared another glance over the base, but it looked as run-down as she imagined.


    To prevent a recent fiasco, Orisa tied the Lantern around her wrist with a piece of fabric she found in the hall and connected one of her Mana layers to supply it. Just in case, she sipped the Concentration potion as well.


    "-Enrage!-"


    "The hell are you doing!?" yelled Shou again after backing away a good ten meters.


    "I can''t properly fight without it," Orisa said coldly. She felt great in this empowered state, but for some reason, the boy''s words were getting on her nerves way more than in her non-combat mode.


    "Tch, another freak."


    "Guys," Orisa ignored his remark and talked to the other squad members, "unless the situation is bad, I''d like you four to face the Beasts. Yesterday we ate away most of the monsters, but it''s important to feel their power by yourselves while we are more or less safe."


    "What is it, a power leveling session of noobs by an experienced player?" Kanai chuckled.


    "You don''t like being a noob?"


    "Well, it''s kind of frustrating, indeed," he mused while looking at Orisa with a grin. "And your next line is - then go train and stop being a noob."


    "Quite close, young one, but you still have a way to go," snorted Orisa.


    "This is so dumb, are you for real?" Shou groaned with an unpleasant expression on his face.


    "Listen, boy," she said without slowing her pace. Orisa''s voice was now especially cold since the boy irritated her beyond words. "You''ll treat us all here politely from now on, or I''ll have to punish you."


    "If you think I''ll let your joke slide twice, you are a dumb hag," he muttered angrily.


    "Block Prison!" - "Hand of God!"


    Everything happened in less than one second. Because of Orisa''s new Seal, she could sense Shou''s position quite well. Without turning around, she closed him inside the Prison, and a moment later Hand of God slammed it from above. The Blocks withstood but received many cracks over their surface.


    "They won''t hold out next time," she calmly added and continued to walk.


    "The hell you are doing!? You could have killed me, you crazy shit!" he kept yelling at their backs, but nobody stopped to react. "Hey! How am I supposed to get out?"


    "Aren''t you a smart boy? I''m sure you''ll figure it out," Orisa waved her hand and kept marching. However, she still lowered their pace, not willing to create too much of a distance between them. They were, in the end, in the open; every bush and ditch could hide the Beast ready to strike. A minute later, the grumpy and red-faced boy caught up with them. The walk continued without any more pointless delays.

 59 The third step

    Ultimately, their march towards the Deju and Dippo didn''t amount to much. Indeed, they met some Beasts on their way, and her friends fought them as Orisa wanted. There were even significant injuries despite them using the Lantern. But in the end, they made it to the crash site.


    By the time they arrived to Deju and Dippo, he was almost done with the repairs. Near his feet lay a nice pile of glimmering Mana cores, and Orisa slapped her forehead in despair.


    "Captain, I''m tremendously sorry, but we forgot to look for the cores inside the Beasts we fought on our way here."


    "It''s not you who forgot," grumbled Dippo while wiping his hands stained in Mana-ink, "it''s this fine gentleman who forgot. I''ve never taught you how to look for the cores, right?"


    "Well, yes, but it still didn''t cross my mind," despite Dippo''s reassurance, Orisa still felt guilty.


    "Are you one of these people who can''t be happy until they are punished?"


    "I see, sir. No, sir. Thank you, sir!"


    "That aside, if we won''t waste more time here, we''ll still be able to find they corpses before they dissolve. So come help me, guilty leader."


    On the way back they managed to salvage twelve Mana cores, and Dippo gave them to Orisa for the crafting purpose. Because of all the distractions on their route, the group arrived at the mansion by the dusk. Orisa quickly went to check on Marina, but the girl was still sleeping. At the very least, she looked healthy.


    Orisa had so many questions, so after eating together with her squad, she apologized to her friends and left after Dippo. He sat on the third floor''s balcony and skimmed through some papers while lazily sipping a glass of wine.


    "Time for another interrogation?" he asked in a tired but positive voice.


    "Looks like you know me well, captain." Orisa took a chair from the nearest room and got back to Dippo. While on her way, she also took out a notepad and a pen. "Wouldn''t it be easier for you to make an introductory lecture about the, ahem, Lair and everything?"


    "Aren''t you one nosy little thing?" he said, thoughtfully looking at the night sky. A few minutes later, Dippo began with the tale.


    This mansion was something from the dark past. The Hounds occupied it centuries ago, even the founders of the group used it as their base. Origin of this building was unknown, but it was far from being unique as there were tens of similar mansions scattered across the continent. They were mostly intact due to the Seals placed inside their walls, repairing them by absorbing Mana from the air; these Seals helped keep at least the structure of the buildings intact through the years. Refurbishment, however, was beyond the Seal''s power.


    There were now seven groups operating under the Hounds'' emblem, and one of them was scheduled to return in a few days. The usual composition was around ten to fifteen people, so Orisa''s party was understaffed. Dippo was working on this issue but so far without any success. However, judging by his words, it was of little concern since they still could operate on a lower scale. For example, Shou was here for three weeks while Marina sat on the bench for two months, and they nevertheless went on patrols with Dippo or other squads while waiting for their group to form up.


    "Who''s cooking, by the way?" Orisa inquired one of the little questions.


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    "Huh? Well, honey, it could be me, it could be you. Usually, the ones who are here decide on their own."


    "Okay, the last three questions for now," Orisa softly chuckled from Dippo''s relieved sigh and continued. "What about my third condition?"


    "Any time, sweety, any time. But I suggest you first to get used to this place and your routine."


    "Right. Well, the hard one now. What''s wrong with Shou?"


    "Oh, don''t mind him. This dummy is a spoiled kid who thinks that acting like an asshole would change the world."


    "Well, I kind of made out that much already, but what is his agenda?"


    "How should I know? He blurted a few times something about the rotten world, political structure, unfair and idiotic system and such."


    "Oh, so he is mum''s revolutionist? How troublesome." Orisa sighed tiredly and stared in the sky for some time. "So, what about Marina?"


    "Oya, she is a brilliant girl, but I won''t spoil you the fun of discovering it yourself!"


    "Urgh, it makes me nervous for some reason. What about her pill addiction?"


    "Slap the girl a few times, and she would probably stop. She just wants to be praised and recognized, I guess?" Dippo shrugged and finished his glass of wine.


    "Another person who didn''t get enough head pats from her daddy? Okay, not as bad as I expected. And the last question about the squad leader."


    "Want me to make a public announcement or something, dear?"


    "That would help a lot, sir."


    The rest of the evening passed without any events. The next morning began with a loud voice:


    "Yahho, girls! It''s morning, wakey-wakey."


    Marina finally got back on her feet and was seemingly full of energy. Judging by her look, she had already taken a shower and changed the clothes. Her new look was as revealing as the last one but colored red instead of the previous light-gray.


    "Ugh, Marina, dear, do you want to end your life right now in a most horrible way?" grumbled Orisa while slowly getting up from the bed. She could use another hour of sleep.


    "Kyaah, demon! You are a demon, sis!"


    "Orisa, would you testify that twenty-nine stab wounds were in self-defense?" Onuki''s intent look made Marina shiver and jump to the other side of the room.


    "Is that how you select squad members? If they are demons like you, then they pass? I wonder how the boys are doing," with that, she turned around and skipped to the door. A few seconds later, a cheerful "Yahho!" could be heard over the other side of the wall. Orisa groaned and turned to her neighbor:


    "Good morning, Onuki. How are you?"


    "I''m fine, so you don''t need to play an older sister with me," she answered calmly and stood up.


    "I''m not playing, alright? I just feel off from this migration; everything''s new, unknown. It makes me uneasy, so I thought to check on you as well," Orisa said with a hint of grievance in her voice.


    "Um, right, sorry. I''m okay, but it is, indeed, a slightly daunting change," quickly apologized Onuki.


    They sat at the kitchen table twenty minutes later, waiting for Dippo to finish cooking breakfast. Orisa was in high spirits since it felt great to sit like that with everyone; she remembered lonely breakfasts and dinners back at her old world and shivered.


    "My dear puppies, let''s talk about important things first," Dippo began while still handling the pan. "There are seven of you which is not enough but more or less okay for the patrol of the surroundings. That''s why we''ll focus on a quick crash course, alright?"


    "Before that, let''s clarify one thing, my darlings," he continued while unloading cute octopus-cut sausages with fried vegetables on their plates. "Every squad needs a leader, and after skimming through your lists once again as well as observing your characters, I decided on this cute little girl here. These people are used to following her, but you two should start doing so as well."


    "Tch. Another crazy hag," muttered Shou and looked away.


    "Awesome! Sis is so cool, te-he-he!" Marina jumped from her seat and hugged Orisa, rubbing her cheek all over Orisa''s face.


    "Thank you, sir," she muttered while pushing away a hugging monster. "I hope to perform well. Let all of us be good squadmates, partners, and, if possible, friends."


    "Cheers!" yelled Marina with her cup of tea.


    Her old squad members clapped with warm smiles on their faces. Even Onuki was genuinely happy.


    "Glory to our Supreme Demon Leader Dark Overlord Commander Captain Orisa!" shouted Clemen and pressed his right fist to the heart. Poor Shou choked on his drink and looked at her with a shocked expression and fear in the eyes.


    Among other things, Dippo explained their schedule. Ultimately, they''ll have a five-day week of various tasks, with the sixth day solely for the practice of crafting skills or new techniques. The last day was their free time. Once per month, unless they were on a long patrol, they''d get a three-day weekend for whatever they wanted to do.


    And the first thing Dippo had them to learn was horse riding. Back in her old world, Orisa was scared of horses to a certain extent, and the reason for this was quite eccentric. Her imaginative mind drew vivid pictures of a horse, suddenly biting off Orisa''s fingers. The fear was still there, but at least there were people around her who could heal the fingers back. Probably.


    Both Marina and Shou were already more or less proficient in this field, so Dippo had them do other tasks and chores in the meantime. By the end of the first day, everyone''s bottoms were so sore that they ate while standing.


    Besides riding, they also kept their crafting sessions as well as learning new techniques or mastering those previously learned. The Lair''s territory was vast and housed various other facilities - stables, workshops, warehouses, and such.


    Dippo also showed them a Library in the basement of the mansion, and it was huge, indeed, at least four times larger than that of the training camp. Sadly, the friends were too tired to dig into the Waves, but Orisa still took the book on the Seals to her room and made it her night read.


    "Sis, aren''t you studying too much? Next thing you know, you are an old virgin maiden who saw nothing except books in her life. Let''s have some fun!"


    From their temporary rooms, Dippo moved the squad members into two bigger apartments on the second floor; one for the boys, which made Shou grumble endlessly, and another for girls. Marina, on the other hand, was ecstatic and tried to chat with them every spare moment.


    "I really need to learn some more Seals, Marina," Orisa let out a sigh and put away her book. "What do you want? I mean, what''s fun there is to do in the first place?"


    "I-don''t-know," she said slowly, then jumped up and in one swift motion ended up on Orisa''s bed. "Tell me about yourself, then!"


    Onuki gave Orisa a doubtful and a wary look, implying that she has no desire to talk her share again.


    "Shouldn''t you be the one to tell us first?" Orisa answered with a raised brow.


    "No~, don''t wanna~!" Marina jumped back and stopped in the middle of the room, hugging herself and swinging back and forth. "We don''t know each other that well yet, so you can''t ask me such personal questions."


    "But you did the same!"


    "I''m a special case, te-he-he."


    In such a manner, they passed their evenings. Orisa finally found some time and willpower a few days later to use the third condition she agreed upon with Dippo. That one was strange and tricky, but Orisa couldn''t think of anything better while not being blatant or arrogant at the same time.


    The third condition she came up with was an unlimited access to Military news and channels to exchange information. Surprisingly, Dippo didn''t mind in a slightest, saying that he couldn''t care less about this boring flow of useless garbage. However, he added that there were different levels of access to these channels, and he would give her the same level as his minus his private mail, of course.


    The device was in some ways similar to the one Orisa used to get her name and tag back at the Arrival Chamber, but this machine was a few times bigger. On one side of the device was a tablet that looked like a screen from the first generation of calculators; it could display words and numbers in ten small rows. Orisa also found a switch to tune on different channels and services. The whole machine looked quite complicated and not user-friendly in a slightest; luckily, there was a manual nearby.


    It took her three evenings to get a basic grip of its functions, and she finally managed to send small letters to Rita and Tiana. An enormous amount of information passed through the Military network on a daily basis, and most of it was useless, indeed. Reports on the Waves, basic orders like waste fewer crystals or stop tarnishing gear, and such. Orisa was still going through the controls and a clunky interface of the machine to properly filter this flow. Despite a burning desire to learn the mechanics behind this machine, she had zero time to do so and only grit her teeth helplessly.


    At least, Orisa got replies from Rita and Tiana. Her mentor was well, practicing and participating in the defense of their fort to keep her shape. Tiana, on the other hand, appeared to be depressed.


    ***


    "Greetings, Orisa. Thank you for contacting me. I''m grateful and happy to receive a message from you. My health is good; thank you for your consideration. As for the other matters, they are not as well as I wanted them to be. Even compared to the usual I''m less welcomed in our house. Father is always busy either with the work or his new mistress. I wanted to consult him about my career choice, but he waved me away with little interest. I am at a loss of what to do next or how to proceed. There is a parade scheduled for the next week, and I am hoping for his mood to become more favorable by then.


    In hopes of your situation being better, your friend Tiana."


    ***


    Orisa sighed. Her heart ached from all the unfairness of Tiana''s situation. In the course of their past interactions, Orisa''s feelings towards Tiana shifted to something family-like; now she viewed the girl as her younger cousin or a step-sister and wanted to protect and shelter her at all costs. Orisa''s hate towards the head of the vas Kavenfenn family grew like mushrooms under the rain.


    On their third day of training, Dippo gathered them all during lunch and gave out small pouches with coins while making them sign some verifying paper. Their first salary raised the mood of the group, letting them dream of a way to spend their hard-earned money.


    It was their fourth evening when the lights all over the mansion slowly blinked two times.


    "Oh, it''s an alert message. One of our parties returned," Marina said nonchalantly and raised from the bed. Orisa and Onuki followed her example. They met all other members plus Dippo at the mansion''s entrance and walked outside.


    One by one, figures appeared on the road. Nine riders in total slowly approached the welcoming party. Even under the scarce moonlight, Orisa could make out their appearance being quite a sight to behold. Unlike everyone she saw until that moment, these people looked like your typical fantasy adventurers; casters in white robes, fighters in leather armor, warriors clad in metal, all sorts of people.


    They slowly approached and stopped then unmounted in the same daunting silence. With each passing second, Dippo''s expression was turning darker. He looked back and forth between the group members and finally asked:


    "Where is your leader?" The silence was his answer. "I''m asking you where is Sean?"


    "A group of evolved snakes. Sean covered our retreat," said a tall black-haired man with a long rifle peeking over his shoulder.


    Without anything more to say, Dippo turned around and went inside, slamming the door. A few seconds later, they heard a sound of something breaking inside and an infuriated "Shit! Fuck!" from the other side of the door.


    People from the group tiredly slumped on the ground. Only the same black-haired man approached the squad and asked:


    "Are you folks of the newest squad? Do you have a leader yet?"


    "Yes, that would be me. Can we help somehow?" Orisa asked in a depressed voice.


    "The only thing you could do is to learn. Come, let''s talk. I''ll tell you what happened and what we did wrong."

 60 Sean of the Dead

    "Guys, could you assist them, please?" Orisa asked her squad while being pulled into the mansion by the presumably new leader of the group.


    Together with this man, Orisa went inside and straight to the kitchen. On their way they saw broken glass on the floor and a hole in the door frame. The man opened a fridge and dived into its contents, grabbing whatever food there was.


    "We should probably cook something for everyone, right?" Orisa asked while observing his greedy feast.


    "Oh? Huh? Yes, you should."


    Something inside Orisa twitched from the way he spoke so casually, assuming his captain died recently. She could try to convince herself that the man just got used to death and became detached, but the way he behaved now and talked was far from a thick-skinned veteran. Orisa hoped to be mistaken, but at least to her, it looked like the man didn''t care in the slightest. The question was, why bother to teach her something in the first place then?


    "I''m Orisa, by the way." Since the man was silent, Orisa began cooking and decided to revitalize their conversation as well.


    "Good for you, I guess? You can call me Ramsay. I''m the vice leader of the fourth team." He yawned of boredom and finally decided to talk business. "Alright, so about this whole deal. To put it simply, you should always have an escape plan."


    His story was rather simple. Their whole group went inside a cave to clean the Beasts but got trapped between two powerful packs instead. They had to go there anyway but were too arrogant and paid the price for their lack of planning and preparation.


    "Do you often have to go inside the caves?" Orisa asked, feeling rather claustrophobic.


    "There aren''t many holes in the first place, so nay. But it''s the most troublesome thing to do, that''s for sure."


    They talked a little bit while Orisa was cooking a stew. The more she listened to Ramsay, the more she disliked his worldview. He talked about everything as if it had nothing to do with him at all; he appeared to be an outsider, observer. Or, how it was in Orisa''s case in her past life, as a player surrounded by NPCs, whose lives were artificial, not real, thus of little concern.


    During her days in this world, Orisa thought a few times about this being a computer simulation. However, she had no way of confirming the truth, so it was safer to her moral compass to treat everything as real as it seemed. The man in front of her was either the opposite of her or a plain old psychopath. Whichever it was, Orisa felt sorry for his companions. Not that they had any choice, anyway.


    Next morning came like a wrecking ball. Dippo gathered everyone in the main hall and announced:


    "We are going there. Don''t give me these looks, idiots. We still need to clean the Beasts. You have three days to prepare."


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    People from the fourth team were less than happy but still nodded in understanding. They were used to such events, to their duty; Dippo was correct in saying they still had a job to do. Hectic preparation began.


    Sparing no resources of her own, Orisa made her friends learn, train, and craft under the Concentration potion''s effect. They used the entire bottle in three days, but Orisa deemed it an emergency and made peace with the price. She could earn back money and not her friends.


    While her squad mates were busy, Orisa wasted no time in pestering Dippo on his promise to craft her some weapon.


    "Damn, stop getting on my nerves, you obnoxious demon!"


    "You promised me! Now is the best time. If not now, then when?" she kept pushing Dippo until he finally surrendered.


    "I don''t know what to make, alright? Think of something yourself, and I''ll do it, gosh."


    Expecting something of the sort, Orisa immediately pulled a piece of paper and shoved it Dippo in the face with a bright grin. He glanced over the note, furrowed his brow and gave it back. Under Orisa''s questioning gaze, Dippo turned and shouted:


    "Jando, dear, come here please right this damn moment!"


    A minute later they heard footsteps, and a tall slim girl came from the third floor.


    "Yes?" Her voice was calm and almost indifferent as she was already used to such treatment from the captain. Orisa noticed that the girl''s eyes were slightly red. ''Was she crying just now? Or maybe it''s an allergy?'' Orisa mused quietly.


    "Help the monster over here, or she''ll eat me out alive!" Dippo said with a pleading voice.


    "Don''t see a problem," she turned and tried to leave.


    "Ja-a-ando! You wouldn''t leave your beloved captain in a pinch," he pulled a sleeve of the girl''s long loose white blouse.


    "I still can''t find a correlation between my beloved captain and you, sir. But it seems I have no choice."


    "You meanie, think about my feelings," sobbed Dippo before turning serious again. "They have some trash cores, so you can use them as you see fit."


    Dippo left them alone, and Orisa shivered under a piercing gaze of the girl.


    "Um, hi there, I''m Orisa. Nice to meet you, miss Jando."


    "Chill, I won''t bite," the girl said affably, but a hint of sadness was still present in her voice. "So, what is it you want?"


    After skimming through the paper, she gave Orisa a curious but doubting look.


    "You came up with that yourself? Do you even know how much Mana would it use? Also, it will slow you down, too." Observing Orisa''s constant nodding, Jando shrugged. "As you wish. Bring me the cores and come back tomorrow."


    The crafting, however, was not the end of Orisa''s assault on Dippo. She also nudged him to observe her training and advise on new spells and moves. Disregarding her doubts, Dippo made Orisa learn only two new skills. As a side quest, she practiced to produce both a Lesser and Major version of Status and Condition spells.


    And like that, the three days of the preparation flew by in a blink of an eye. In the last evening, Orisa came to visit Jando, and the tall girl presented her a pair of thick red gloves.


    "I replaced a few of the things you wanted with other Seals and added one more on top," Jando began with a hint of excitement in her voice. Orisa was glad to see the girl less depressed, but her eyes were red all the same. "On the inside of the right one, you''ll find the Seal of Empowerment as your main tool. On the outside, I put the Seal of Mana Flow. As for the left, inside is the Steel Skin as you wished."


    "Sounds awesome, but what about the outside? I don''t recognize this one," Orisa muttered, looking at an unknown form.


    "That''s because you skipped all the active Seals and only looked at empowering once, right?" Jando gave Orisa a knowing look. "I asked the captain about you and thought that you''d need it. So the last one is the Seal of Regeneration. Sure, it is quite ineffective in terms of Mana churn rate and provides less compared to full-blown healers, but its effect is based on the quality of cores and materials, so you won''t have to bother with your stats to cast the spell. Having something to patch you up in a dire situation is way better than having nothing, believe me."


    Orisa thanked the girl, and they talked some more. Jando was twenty-five and transferred to The Hounds four years ago. She specialized in an interception and impairing spells; speaking broadly, Jando was a battle caster with fewer offensive but more weakening and controlling spells. Her second profession was, as became evident, a magic gear crafting, one of the branches of the same path that Iten picked for himself.


    "Considering this perverted geezer handpicked you, I''m hoping to see great things from you, junior," Jando said at the end of their conversation and ruffled Orisa''s hair.


    Using the list Dippo gave her, Orisa gathered her squad and packed things for their first raid. Marina and Shou had some prior experience in this matter, so Orisa listened to their advice. Onuki paid close attention to everything since she was in charge of the squad''s preparations. Even Shou, seeing how inevitable his departure was, helped them a little. It was important to pack as much as they could even for a short raid but keep the luggage as small as possible to reduce the burden on the horses or in case they would travel on foot. Dippo gifted them traveling backpacks enchanted to be sturdier; there even was an option to spend Mana and lessen their weight for a short period.


    In total, they had seven days of riding lessons. While it was enough to teach them basics, Orisa still felt uncomfortable on the horse. Regardless, they stood there in a semicircle, the lair of The Hounds behind them and their captain Dippo in front. The morning was still chilly in the central region despite the end of spring.


    "We need to clean it up. That''s our job, my darlings. Let''s try not to get sidetracked on our way there, alright? Any questions?"


    "Is it okay to leave our base empty?" a question slipped through Orisa mouth despite her resolution to keep quiet.


    "Are you afraid that somebody would steal my silk panties?" Dippo laughed and turned his horse. "Move out."


    The moment these words left Dippo''s mouth, a familiar non-corporeal sensation passed through them all. The Wave.


    "A good sign," someone chuckled.


    They moved in pairs, forming a long chain. Orisa rode side by side with Iten; their pair was second from the end.


    The trip was not supposed to be a long one since the place they were planning to visit was only a few hours ride from the mansion. A small mountain range, more like a group of tall hills was their destination; coincidentally this place was one of these five spots where the Beasts gathered for no apparent reason. As Orisa managed to fathom from the conversation surrounding her, Dippo''s presence gave everyone a moderate reassurance, but the trip still posed a significant threat.


    Their first encounter happened an hour later. One by one, the Beasts started attacking them, and they were fighting a constant stream of enemies twenty minutes later. To Orisa''s shock, they fought without slowing down or dismounting.


    Only once they had to stop and clean the place when the road became blocked by a giant turtle. The group first had to fight the turtle itself, defending against its never-ending stream of water and ice attacks, and in the meantime, more Beasts followed the trend. In the end, they lost almost three hours dealing with the threat, dismantling them for cores, and tending injuries.


    Orisa felt sick when one of the attacks shaved off both frontal legs of the horse. Even more sickening was the fact that they healed it back and made the poor animal carry someone again. While the horse was still under the restoration spell, Dippo ordered them to take a break and eat lunch. No delay went unused.


    In this manner, they have been traveling for seven hours before the group finally arrived at their destination. As Orisa expected, this was no mountain range, a mere group of overgrown hills instead. The highest of them stood no taller than fifty meters by her rough estimation. The hills were partially covered with trees but riddled with cracks and caverns in other places.


    Something felt off. The longer Orisa was looking at the scenery, the more she felt something bug her. Back in the old world, she was never a complete shut-in but had little experience going outside as well, especially into the wilds. The only gateway to nature was Satoru''s grandparent''s house; this, however, was tens of years ago, so Orisa had a hard time remembering the scenery. Despite that, the hills in front of her looked oddly unnatural.


    "We''ll go on foot from this point. Be ready to guard the horses and yourself and expect more Beasts," Dippo announced to the group, but Orisa felt the phrase was mostly addressed to her squad. "Gather eight of the most loaded horses. This little chipmunk will cover them."


    Everyone turned their heads towards Orisa, making her shiver from the gazes filled with expectations and doubts. Her friends also gave Orisa puzzled looks, and only Kanai shrugged and proceeded to buff her. When two people tied the reins of the horses together and took their spots in front and behind Orisa, she spread her hands wide and used the first new spell:


    "-Jack Field!-"


    Two beams of blue Mana shot out of her palms; as if struck an invisible wall, they stopped a few meters away and spread around, forming two wide hemispheres of protective field. The shield wasn''t large enough to cover everything, so the space above their heads was unshielded, but it was still way better than nothing.


    Unlike Nene''s Asylum, which blocked everything the girl deemed harmful, Orisa''s field would stop only projectiles and spells. She pulled a lot of hair while learning the spell since it was her first time working not just with the Friend-or-Foe system that was extremely hard by itself but with object-oriented magic which turned to be even harder. Keeping in mind conditions and types of attacks while forming two Mana layers into streams of energy that also harbored intent to form a shield-like shape was way beyond Orisa''s expertise. But the result was a stronger barrier that could withstand more damage than normal, fully protective shield. Indeed, it could only help against ranged attacks, but these were the most dangerous anyway.


    On a bright side, Orisa didn''t need the Concentration potion to cast the barrier.


    Other members around her also used shields and buffs; casters hid behind shield-wielding combatants; the only shooter in their group, Ramsay, walked by Dippo''s side. They both were either good at dodging attacks or straight up suicidal. In this manner, their raid began.


    A mere ten minutes later, the Beasts attacked. As if reminding Orisa of the first episode of the famous space saga, she heard a banging sound and saw ripples on her right shield. One, two, five, ten; the barrage of ranged attacks grew in intensity, straining Orisa''s Mana layer in charge of the barrier''s Mana supply. A few moments later, a return fire followed as well as a brutal melee.


    Wounded members were brought inside the shield, treated with healing spells, and sent back. At one moment, Orisa''s heart sunk when she saw Kanai covered in blood being carried inside. To her greatest relief, the boy only took several cuts that made his condition look severe but was, in fact, more or less well.


    The stream of the Beasts grew stronger or weaker from time to time but never stopped. When the group finally made it to the designated cave, Orisa''s hands were shaking mad, and her Mana pool dropped to the third of its size. Experienced fighters blocked the entrance with their shields, making a chokepoint against the Beasts, so the moment she felt they were out of danger, Orisa fell on the ground like a tree trunk. Her hands had never hurt that much in both her lives. Walking for half an hour on uneven terrain with arms raised and strained from the Mana flow was a feat she never hoped nor wanted to achieve.


    Someone''s strong hands took Orisa and carried her to the side.


    "Say a-a-ah!" a familiar voice commanded. Orisa opened her mouth without a second thought, and the same hand immediately shoved there a pill. "Now chew and then drink some water."


    Satisfied with her work, Marina tapped Orisa on the shoulder and left. On the other hand, Orisa felt better almost immediately. Her fatigue, if not gone, now at least was dampened; she could move her hands again if only not as nimbly. Five minutes of their break flew by in an instant, and they stood up.


    The rear group was still fighting with the Beasts. The stream of attackers, however, grew thin and weak, at least for now. The group slowly walked into the cave.


    It was more of a giant crack than a cave. The only difference was a surprisingly even, almost artificial floor. While keeping occasional Beasts from the outside at bay, the group slowly moved deeper. The cave was rather spacious, more than twenty meters wide and at least three-story-tall. They illuminated the space with the same floating light that Dippo used during their forest fight and kept moving forward.


    The signs of past combat were evident; here and there Orisa saw piles of rubble, spots of the collapsed ceiling, crashed boulder, and so on. She was walking along the left wall and had to sidestep numerous obstacles left after the previous fight of the retreating group. Among the rubble, Orisa could also see occasional specks of dried blood.


    "We are getting closer to the spot," said Ramsay, and people around him gripped their weapons tighter and renewed their buffs.


    The longer they walked, the fewer Beasts followed them. At the same time, the stronger grew a strange pressure inside Orisa. Her left side was itching way more than it should, and the deeper they got into the cave, the more uncomfortable she felt.


    They passed by a large cave-in that blocked almost half of the cave. The spot was especially bloodied. The signs of intense combat were visible everywhere; burnt walls, cracked ground, shattered rocks, and signs of acid splashes as well. Before their departure, Dippo explained in great detail what kind of Beasts were evolved snakes, so Orisa was expecting this much.


    They walked a few more minutes before Orisa realized something. She no longer felt itchy on her left side. This strange and uncomfortable sensation left her almost completely, and she barely felt anything at all. Despite feeling better, it was strange and unnerving. Orisa stopped and tried to make sense of this face.


    "What''s wrong?" asked one of the rear guards after stumbling over the reluctant girl. She signaled him to wait and focused on her senses yet again. Seeing something was wrong, the guard said loud, "group, halt. Captain, sir, come here."


    Both Dippo and Ramsay approached them. They looked equally puzzled and unhappy by an unforeseen and unplanned stop.


    "What''s going on, girl?" their captain demanded.


    "I know it sounds strange, I do, but none the less I think we need to backtrack." Orisa looked around and saw all faces turned to her. Some looked doubtful, while others displayed irritation. Dippo furrowed his brows even deeper. "I know how it sounds. I honestly can''t explain, but I feel like we missed something. Something important."


    They stood there in complete silence. Twenty seconds later, Dippo psyched up by slapping his cheeks and turned to the group:


    "Alright, reverse the formation. We are going back to the entrance. If there is nothing there, we''ll take a break and continue inside."


    On their way back, Dippo walked by Orisa''s side, observing her expression. The girl in question kept furrowing since the uncomfortable feeling was gradually coming back, this time over her right side. They passed a familiar landmark of a giant cave-in and followed further towards the exit when Orisa suddenly said out loud:


    "Wait! I feel like we missed it again." She turned around and ran back, curses following her from behind.


    Orisa stopped by the giant pile of boulders that blocked half of the path and looked up. It was too dark to see the ceiling, so she asked them to light it up. Under the illumination, it became evident that the cave-in was artificial; the ceiling was riddled with blackened marks of explosions.


    "I think we need to clear these boulders," she said thoughtfully.


    "Can you imagine how much time would it take to move these giant boulders? And for what exactly?" asked one of the group members.


    "That''s easy, step aside," Marina spoke suddenly and moved closer to the rocks. After a few seconds of examination, she turned around and moved a few meters back. Without further explanation, the girl jumped in the air:


    "Ultrasonic Punch!"


    With a loud noise, the biggest and closest to the wall boulder cracked and fell apart, turning into a pile of rubble. Despite said pile still blocking a significant part of the space, a crack in the wall now became visible. Without additional light, it was hard to see far, but the path looked wide enough to pass.


    "-Seeker Eye!-"


    One of the casters conjured a semi-translucent glowing sphere that flew into the crack while the group was clearing the remaining rocks. A few moments later, the same man fell on his knees and said with a shaking voice:


    "It''s... I see Sean''s body there. The crack goes wider some ten meters further from here, and there is an opening. Kind of like a room."


    Everyone looked at the man with shocked expressions and then turned their eyes towards Orisa. She was the first to dive into the crack, crawling all the way towards the opening in a few seconds. The same blue sphere hovered there, giving enough light to see a body leaning over the wall. There was an open backpack by his side and various items scattered all over the place. Orisa came closer to inspect the scene when suddenly the body jolted and released a series of coughs.


    Screaming like a little girl, Orisa dashed away only to smack into another person crawling through the crack.


    "The hell are you doing, you idiot?!" grumbled Dippo while rubbing his injured forehead.


    "The corpse! It moved!"


    While Orisa shook from horror, Dippo pushed her to the side and leaned closer to the body:


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    Cursing out loud, Dippo pulled a few pills and stuffed them inside the man''s mouth before pouring water as well as casting a basic healing set. He then turned around and yelled back into the crack:


    "He is alive! Bring Tessa here right now!"


    A thoroughly shocked Orisa crawled to the other side of the room to free the path. She leaned on the rocks that were blocking the other side of the opening. An indescribable hurricane of emotions boiled inside, and she was too shaken to think straight.


    Five minutes later, the group slowly pulled their leader''s weakened body through the crack. As the last person left the opening, Orisa let out a tired sigh. With them gone, it was time to crawl back. But something felt wrong. She leaned back on a cold stone that was blocking the crack''s other side and tried to concentrate.


    Everyone except her already left the room where Sean was hiding, but the strange sensation that brought Orisa here in the first place was still present.


    And it was coming from behind the boulders she was leaning onto right now.


    ===


    ===


    AN:


    I finally decided to add the first three illustrations. They are for ch1, ch4, and ch9 respectively. WN won''t help me in doing so, I''ll just leave the links here (I know it''s a chore to open them here, sorry). Hope you''d like them


    https://imgur.com/HdR8cHB


    https://imgur.com/rY3JJ3G


    https://imgur.com/m2XKHbH

 61 Not to be forgotten

    Everyone except her already left the opening where Sean was hiding, but the strange sensation that brought Orisa here in the first place was still present.


    And it was coming from behind the boulders she was leaning onto right now.


    Thankfully, the illumination from the Seeker Eye was still there, and Orisa gave the boulders a closer inspection. Unlike the ones that blocked the crack''s entrance, these in front of her looked old. A thick layer of dust and dirt covered their surface. Without knowing where to look, Orisa wouldn''t even be able to notice that this was another cave-in and not a natural state of the cave.


    The opening itself was rather small, so Orisa decided against cracking her way through the rocks, fearing another cave-in from an explosion she might produce. She crawled back through the crack and stood up, brushing off the dirt from her gear. Before she could react, someone suddenly embraced her.


    "Orisa, thank you! Thank you so much!"


    It was none other than Jando. She was sobbing and muttering an endless stream of words of gratitude. Someone Orisa didn''t know also patted her on the head. A few seconds later, people began to clap and cheer. "I don''t know how to thank you enough. When I said that I was expecting great things from you, this isn''t what I meant. I''m in your endless debt."


    "I''m at a freaking loss here, girly. I was sure that the Seal would help you in battle, but damn I''m so glad I forced it upon you."


    While everyone was cheering on her, Orisa felt sick. She was sure this was a coincidence; the sensation that brought her into that crack was unrelated to Sean. Orisa hated to receive praises for something she didn''t do; she felt like an imposter, a thief, a con artist.


    Luckily, the celebration died out quickly since Dippo reminded them of the mission that they still had on their hands. While the group members were busy constructing a stretcher, Kanai approached Orisa with a worried expression:


    "Hey, you look like you were praised for starting a third world war. What''s with this face of yours?"


    "That thing that bought me here, it didn''t react to Sean. It was something else, I''m sure. And it''s still there in the cave," she whispered in a hushed voice.


    "Well, that''s interesting and everything, but I still don''t get your problem. It''s because of you idiot that we found the dude, fluke or not. Stop being so negative, alright? We''ll think about your ghost compass or whatever later."


    The break was over, and they marched into the depth of the cave once more. The path began to branch. After wandering for another hour, Dippo gave the order to turn back. There was no sign of the Beasts whatsoever.


    Orisa had been pestering Dippo all the time during their march, asking him to let her back into that room. She urged and nudged him since her mind was on fire because of the unresolved issue. In the end, they stopped by the crack again, and Dippo crawled inside together with Orisa.


    "Look, even if there is something there, we don''t have time or tools to dig it. The ceiling is too unstable, don''t you see? And these rocks completely blocked the path further, so without a specialist, we won''t be able to advance."


    "Sir, I know all that, but..." Orisa paused and bit her lip in frustration. "I just KNOW that it''s important. I''m positive there is something behind these rocks."


    "We are risking too much by staying here. You saved the man, don''t kill him now." Dippo gave her a long look and grimaced over Orisa''s distressed look. "How about that, we''ll get back here when you are ready to hold on your own? In a month or so? That''s the best deal you''ll get, little digger."


    Orisa nodded reluctantly. She looked at the cave-in for the last time and crawled back to the main cave.


    They arrived at the entrance, and everyone looked at Orisa expectantly. She feared the moment, but alas it was upon her again. While her Mana pool recovered more than half of its former glory, Orisa''s hands were still sore despite Marina''s pills. After shuffling uncomfortably, she voiced the problem:


    "I''m sorry, but I''ll need someone to hold my hands or else I''ll pass out somewhere along the way..."


    "Yahho, sis, don''t worry! Marina is plenty strong!" The girl flexed her muscles in front of Orisa, posing like a professional bodybuilder.


    They moved out, keeping horses under the shield, and that made Orisa wonder how they were able to operate without such protection. ''I hope they just covered the horses with smaller shields and barriers,'' a mere thought of them regularly healing poor animals instead of protecting them made Orisa shiver.


    When they were around a third of their way, Orisa felt a firm grip around both her arms; Marina judged it was her time to support her leader. The strength in these hands surprised Orisa even despite her already high expectations of Marina''s physique. She immediately relaxed and now was almost hanging in these arms; it felt surprisingly pleasant to be practically carried by someone mighty, especially when it was a girl.


    "Te-he-he, how is it, sis? Feeling better now?" Marina whispered directly into Orisa''s ear.


    "You are a lifesaver, Marina. I could get used to this, you know?"


    "I sure know," the girl giggled.


    Their return trip was a piece of cake compared to the initial raid. Either the group killed most of the Beasts or the Wavespawn spread all over the area, but they met no more than thirty foes on their way. In less than four hours, they arrived at the headquarters. It was when Orisa put the horse into the stables that she let out a sigh of relief. Their first raid was over.


    Sean was exhausted beyond measure, given their rations were running low even before he caved himself inside the crack, so Dippo forced the man into the bed. Entire team, however, went to celebrate. And Orisa, of course, was in the center of everyone''s attention.


    "So, the captain said its all thanks to some fancy Seal you are using?" asked one of the group members, a tall and bulky warrior with a long brown beard.


    "Yes, the Seal is called Mind over Matter. Thanks to its effects, I can feel Mana flow around me," she answered with a wry face.


    "To think you managed to pick his vitals through the rocks! I must say, that''s some damn miracle you were with us, little girl."


    "It was a fluke, nothing more. But I''m happy that we found Sean alive."


    "Skilled, young, and modest. A rare trio to find in one place at the same time," Jando said after stroking Orisa''s hair gently. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"


    Together, they went outside and occupied one of the shabby benches scattered around the mansions. Orisa waited for a few minutes, but Jando was silent despite being the one to invite her. The girl either didn''t know what to say or couldn''t pull her thoughts together, so Orisa decided to ignite the conversation:


    "Are you in a relationship with Sean?"


    "No beating around the bushes, huh?" a hint of respect could be heard in Jando''s voice. "Nothing serious, at least on his part. I respect Sean; he saved my life numerous time and always treated me well."


    "One-sided love is a cruel thing."


    "Not sure if it''s love or something else..." The girl looked at Orisa thoughtfully, and then let out a chuckle. "Okay, whom am I lying to? Of course, I''m head over heels into our leader."


    They laughed together for a few moments, and Jando turned serious again.


    "I can''t thank you enough. And I mean everything I said back then."


    "Please, don''t. It was a fluke."


    With that, Orisa proceeded to explain the situation. When she was done, Jando gave her a long look full of mixed emotions.


    "That''s how it was, huh? It explains your low-key reaction to all the praises. So, you are one of these honest to a fault, right?"


    "Pfft, no way, not in a slightest. This case is one of my weak spots, nothing more. I want my achievements and skills acknowledged and praised,but I''d hate to get recognized because of a fluke or something I wasn''t part of, you see."


    "Aren''t you an honest and open person, then?"


    "Nah, it merely helps me earn other people''s trust faster, so I''m doing it only when needed."


    "Hooh, I see. A little schemer, kingmaker, the one pulling strings?" Jando looked at Orisa appraisingly. "And why are you telling me all that? Aren''t you afraid of me exposing your true nature or at least going off the hook?"


    "I have nothing to hide, at least from my friends in the squad. As for you," Orisa showed the girl a wide grin, "aren''t you already hooked? Anyway, all this goddamn attention making me melancholic, sorry. And, by the way, stop calling me little. I might as well be older than you."


    "Pfft, I highly doubt it, young lady," now it was Jando''s turn to laugh. "Anyway, it''s your fault for being a cute little girl, you know?"


    With that, Jando stood up and went inside the mansion. Orisa followed her shortly after and was pulled into the celebration''s hassle once more. It didn''t help her mood in the slightest.


    The last phrase that Jando dropped unexpectedly occupied Orisa''s mind. She tiredly dropped on her bed an hour later, and a sudden question startled the girls that were already resting there:


    "Onuki, Marina, am I cute?"


    "Yes, why?" both girls answered in unison before looking at each other in surprise.


    "Hm, really? Never thought of myself in that way..."


    "Really? I thought you''ve been pawing and fondling yourself day and night for the first month at the very least," Onuki muttered in doubt.


    "Oh, you know what? Fuck off, that''s what."


    "See how great your new leader is?"


    "Te-he-he, nothing wrong here," Marina quickly got into Orisa''s bed and poked the girl''s side. "Why are you so grumpy, sis? Wanna eat something?"


    "Clearly not in the mood," Orisa muttered and turned away, covering her face with a blanket.


    Marina sat there for some time, looking at Orisa''s blanketed silhouette in dissatisfaction.


    "Being grumpy is bad for your health, sis. Get well soon, or I''ll have to punish you, te-he-he."


    Dippo allowed his underlings to rest announcing the next day to be a day-off. Orisa woke up in a better mood, but it soon got to where it was thanks to unending hype and stream of cheering. The only good thing was that Sean was still asleep, saving her from the pinnacle of celebration. She holed up in the room with the communication device and buried herself in the endless stream of information.


    Somewhere within the day, Onuki came and asked Orisa to send a private mail. To Nana, of course. Since Orisa had to manually enter the text, she obviously read its content under embarrassed Onuki''s gaze.It was so sweet that Orisa couldn''t help but smile despite Onuki''s pestering to stop paying attention to the letter''s contents.


    During the lunch break, people assaulted Orisa yet again. A little more and a dark rainy cloud would appear over her head, so she retreated to the mailing room yet again.


    "Yahho, sis! Whatcha doing here?"


    A hurricane exploded inside a small room in the evening, turning upside down Orisa''s tranquil, albeit gloomy mood. Marina took an empty chair and seated herself right by Orisa''s side, poking the girl''s side.


    "Hey-hey, let''s play! Or go for a walk or anything. It''s bad for your health to be holed up for this long, you know?"


    "Sorry, not in the mood. And I''m slightly busy here."


    "Come o-o-on, drop it already and let''s go have some fun outside. It''s a crime to spend your day-off inside a dark and dusty room."


    "Speaking from personal experience?"


    "Te-he-he, I just might. But you''ll never know since you are holed up here, sis!"


    "Sorry, not interested."


    Marina let out a long tired sigh. She stared at Orisa, and over time, the look in her eyes end expression changed from a playful and light to an exhausted and heavy.


    "Orisa, listen," even her voice sounded old and dusty, "you need a positive distraction. I know we aren''t buddy-buddy yet and don''t know each other well, but I can tell that you are brooding pointlessly. Please, indulge this stupid lady''s delusions and play along."


    Orisa was looking at Marina with a shocked expression. Pleased by the reaction, Marina chuckled and continued:


    "Don''t look at me as if I''m some kind of imposter, alright? Now since I have your attention, let''s have a nice walk and a pleasant talk." Orisa nodded silently, mesmerized and intrigued by the sudden change, so Marina added, "great, then let''s meet at the entrance in five minutes."


    Half an hour later, they sat atop a warehouse on the edge of the headquarters'' territory. The roof, being rather wide and flat, was neatly furnished with a table, chairs, two almost classic office couches, and other little things to help people settle up comfortably and feel at ease. Part of the roof where the couches were was covered by a tent to shelter from the rain.


    "Everything with my own hands," bragged Marina cheerfully. Her attitude now was something in the middle of her usual happy-go-lucky airhead and the recently discovered aged maiden. "Helps to have a quality time on your own or throw a little private party. Too far away from the house to let people hear and too high to see from the ground."


    "Indeed, a great place, Marina," Orisa said, stretching herself over the couch. When Marina opened a bottle of wine and handed Orisa a full glass of bright red liquid, she waved her hand in refusal, "sorry, I don''t like alcohol. Most of it tastes poorly."


    "It''s okay, I understand. But have at least one glass, okay? Consider it a bitter medicine to make your muscles loosen a bit. Tonight, I''m your doctor, therapist, and everything else, so take it as my prescription. I won''t force you to get drunk or anything, but this one you should finish."


    "I thought you were going to tell me about yourself," puzzled, Orisa took a sip. It tasted as bitter as she expected, but not awful like in her old world. She couldn''t imagine herself enjoying it, although as medicine it might work.


    "Oh, no, of course not. It''s a boring and gloomy story about a person too scared to live. Tonight, we are here for you."


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    "Doesn''t make any sense to me, sorry. I mean, sure, it''s really nice to be here, talking and taking it slow. But..."


    "But you can''t stop looking for a catch. Ugh, how bothersome. Is it too hard to enjoy an evening without delving too deep into everything? Merely go with the flow. Would it kill you?"


    "I can''t!" Orisa waved her hands, spilling some wine over her shirt. She got up from the couch and took off now wet cloth, grumbling.


    Marina got up from her seat and swiftly moved to Orisa, pulling the girl back to the couch:


    "Just sit straight and relax, dammit. I didn''t even know people could be so restless over nothing." She walked around the couch and stopped behind it, placing her hands over Orisa''s shoulders and pressing the girl to rest over the couch''s back. "Your shoulders are so stiff. It''s unhealthy, you know? And not only for your body but the mind as well."


    "Marina, this is just too strange and too sudden. If you really want me to relax, you need to sate my curiosity first." Orisa wriggled under Marina''s touch as her shoulders were indeed stiff and almost screamed in pain from the girl''s massage. "Why are you doing all this? And what''s about this sudden change in your personality?"


    Marina was silent for several minutes, pondering the questions while also rubbing Orisa''s shoulders and upper part of her back. Her hands moved by themselves, strong and skilled they knew what they were supposed to do even without Marina''s direct control. Finally, she sighed and said:


    "Honestly, I don''t want to dive into depressing stuff. Suffice to say when I woke up in this world, I made an oath to myself. I promised to become a person I always wanted to be, a person that wouldn''t regret the way she lived her life. That''s what I''ve been doing all the time and is doing now. As for your first question..."


    Marina left her spot and sat on the other side of the same couch with Orisa. Turning to the girl, she almost ordered:


    "Give me your feet now." As a puzzled Orisa turned on the couch and let Marina take hold of her feet, the girl continued. "As for your first question, I actually don''t know how to explain it properly. It costs me almost nothing to help you, a person in need. And you are in need, which is obvious for anyone not completely blind. You look like a really nice girl with some minor problems that are easily adjusted, so I thought to myself - why not?"


    "Oh, I know what you are talking about," Orisa grinned. "I was the same in my previous life. When the price was really low, when it didn''t bother me, I always helped people. Huh, so that''s who you are?"


    "Te-he, let''s just stop on this part for now," Marina slowly slipped into her usual attitude. She stood up from the couch and went to was her hands in a small washbasin. Upon the return, she occupied the same spot, placed Orisa''s legs on her lap again, and began to caress them slowly. It was a surprisingly soothing and relaxing feeling that Orisa almost fell asleep.


    "So, what''s bothering you, sis? You are stiff wherever I touch you, and even your look is hard and stressed. Shouldering something?"


    "It''s complicated..." Half the glass of wine and Marina''s handwork softened Orisa way further than she expected, lowering her guard down. "I honestly don''t know, just too much going on at the same time. The moment I woke up in this world, I fell into some kind of an endless loop of happenings, and most of them unpleasant, too. Big and little things just keep piling up, they are giving me a constant headache. I need to think about lots of things, learn even more of them, train harder and so on. And the further I go, the more problems and needs are piling up and pressuring me. With each passing day, I feel heavier and slower, but at the same time much more vulnerable and weak. I don''t know, sorry..."


    Marina quietly listened to the tale, slowly going up and down on Orisa''s legs with the back of her right palm. She only chuckled an looked at Orisa with a little mischief in her eyes:


    "Sis, fix me if I''m wrong, but I assume you don''t play with yourself, right?"


    "What do you..." A moment later, Orisa''s face flushed. "Um, ahem, erm! Marina?"


    "Te-he-he, you are so cute when you are blushing. Anyhow, by the look of it, you aren''t into boys despite having two of them so close to you. And that girl you brought with you, she clearly has some issues with you. So if we remove all the possible sources and add your answer to my last question, the problem is clear. Don''t get me wrong, sis, it won''t fix all your issues, but I assure you it will help you feel much better. Neglecting the needs of a young and healthy body is taxing."


    "Um... I see." Orisa was still flustered by the girl''s blunt attitude. She somehow forgot about that part of her life in the middle of everything that went around. It didn''t even occur to her that not only males were constantly pressured by their urges. Experience with Onuki, the way her body reacted to the girl''s touch, it all Orisa waved away as a part of her new body and safely ignored afterward. "It''s just that... I don''t know, there is not enough time, always something I need to be doing at the moment. And we were rarely alone during the camp time, right? So I kind of forgot about it altogether."


    "I know, I know," Marina laughed merrily and gave Orisa an encouraging smile. "The first month is tough, especially for a leader, and even more so with your stats. I''m kind of amazed by the things you did with the crappy power level of yours. Sis is so cool, te-he-he."


    "Um, thank you," Orisa wasn''t used for such open praise and blushed again.


    "So, want me to help you?"


    "With what?"


    "Oi, don''t play a shy princess! Help you feel better tonight, of course."


    "Um, Marina?"


    "Te-he-he, sis, you are so damn cute with these red cheeks of yours! Don''t worry, it''s not like I''m in love with you or something. As I said, it doesn''t cost me anything, and in this case, it might even turn into a nice experience."


    "Marina, it''s too sudden, I''m not sure that I''m ready..."


    "Don''t be like that, sis," the girl said and crawled closer to Orisa. "You''ll feel better. Besides, I''m not sure that I''m ready as well, you know? But I always wanted to try and regretted not doing so in my past life." Her face drew even closer. Now she was almost on top of Orisa, looked her in the eyes and whispered, "I don''t want to have more regrets."


    Orisa stared the girl in the eyes and gulped. Marina was attractive, that much was obvious. What she said also made Orisa think. After pondering for some time, she sensed that hunger in her nether regions. And the more she thought about it, the less resistant she felt to the idea.


    "No strings attached sis," the girl whispered again. Now her face was so close that Orisa could only see her glistering eyes and burning lips.


    For a moment, Mirai''s smile flashed inside Orisa''s memory. ''I love you, Mirai. I just hope you wouldn''t want me to live inside my memories.''


    And their lips met.


    ---


    ---


    On the next morning, Orisa woke up in heaven. She was in her bed, as usual, but her body was so light that she could fly. All the tension and stress that she accumulated throughout the past six weeks left her body without a trace. She was almost purring.


    A light chuckle came from the neighboring bed, and Marina winked to her with a sly smile.


    Orisa came down to the kitchen and stumbled upon a hurried Dippo. He looked rather pale and dismayed in his hasty preparations.


    "Morning, sir. What happened?"


    "I''m leaving. Will be back in a few days. Or I won''t, who knows," Dippo muttered and almost ran to the garage.


    "What''s going on?" Orisa yelled him in the back.


    "Read the last letter!"


    With that, Dippo slipped into the small building and drove out in Deju less than a minute later.


    Startled and anxious, Orisa dashed to the third floor and into the communication room and opened the news feed. It was overwhelming. New messages were arriving every few seconds. It took her some time to find the specified letter.


    Orisa first tried to skim through it since the letter was rather big. Upon a glance review, she stumbled over a few phrases and decided to read it again, thoroughly this time.


    She had to read it twice before understanding its content. Covering her mouth in horror, Orisa muttered"


    "My dear friend..."


    This urgent letter was about the capital city, Mitras. Last night, an entire district of the capital was destroyed, including the vas Kavenfenn mansion.


    The culprit was declared to be Nowanzi Goalo.

 62 Too Noble

    Orisa spent the first half of the day inside the communication room, going through the reports. One after another, she gave some only a glance view while carefully reading those where victims were mentioned. After going through the numerous text, she could picture the incident more or less clearly.


    According to them, somewhere during the night, hunter Nowa broke into one of the storage houses of the vas Kavenfenn mansion with an unknown goal in mind. He was, however, spotted by an untold white-armored guest of the Supreme Commander, and there happened a clash. Both sides fought on equal terms, and the fight dragged on, moving from the mansion onto the streets. With the help of the Supreme Commander and his guards, they managed to corner Nowa. Feeling desperate, he used an unrecognized spell of mass destruction and escaped during the following commotion. From that skill alone, more than ten people were killed, with at least a two dozens more perishing during the previous fight.


    Orisa calmed herself down with the thought that if something had happened to Tiana, her name would have already been mentioned somewhere across the feed.


    Still, she couldn''t wrap her head around this occurrence. ''Why would he do that?''


    To Orisa, hunter Nowa didn''t look like a terrorist or a thief. He could have been a hero, a force of nature, or a herald of an apocalypse but not a petty burglar or a mindless revolutionist. But perhaps that was the whole point? Create an image and exploit it later on? Amidst these thoughts, Orisa was startled by the arrival of a worried delegation. Her entire squad minus Clemen and Shou came looking for their leader.


    "And why have you holed up again, sis? And with this gloomy face to boot." Marina poked Orisa''s cheek.


    "Captain Dippo left in a hurry this morning," Orisa began her explanation, ignoring Marina''s provocation. "The capital was under attack, presumably by hunter Nowa. Tiana''s house was destroyed, among other places."


    "You don''t know if she was there or not," immediately blurted out Kanai, knowing where this was going.


    "I hope so, too, since she wasn''t mentioned among the casualties. Still, this is all too strange and smells like tuna."


    "Tuna or not, you can''t do anything from the headquarters, so no point in brooding over the situation. Do we know what to do now?" Onuki steered the conversation into a more productive direction.


    "The captain said nothing at all. I guess we are free? But knowing Dippo, I have a task in mind."


    Orisa planned to spend the rest of the day poking Jando but met an unexpected obstacle. Sean finally woke up and, after meeting and greeting his group members, caught Jando. Or it went the other way, but the result was still the same, they were both busy with each other. Orisa pondered the issue and concluded that there would be enough time for them to rekindle whatever was going between them. Her business was too important to postpone, so she mustered all her arrogance and went outside to find the pair.


    The culprits were spotted near a small pond not far away from the stables. They seated themselves on a small blanket and were having a lively conversation. Orisa tried her hardest to stomp her way as loud as possible so they would spot her beforehand.


    "Oh, isn''t it the angel we were talking about just now?" Jando said happily. Even from afar, it was easy to spot how wide the girl''s smile was.


    "Really now, isn''t it great?"


    Orisa had no time to inspect Sean when they were transporting him, so it was her first chance to meet him in person. Before her eyes stood a typical protagonist of some high fantasy movie; tall, but not enough to look like a skyscraper, burly without an excessive muscle mass to make him a crazy bodybuilder. His dark-brown hair was combed back and went almost to a shoulder level; a neatly trimmed beard added to the image of a thirty years old hero. Orisa could see why a girl like Jando fell head over heels. Despite her mindset towards men in general, something twitched inside Orisa in a bothersome manner while she was looking at the prince.


    "Greetings to you, my savior! I''m pleased to make your acquaintance, Orisa. I''m Sean Kean." The man stretched his hand and, upon taking hold over Orisa''s palm, quickly dropped on one knee and kissed her knuckle. Orisa''s face immediately flushed, turning almost crimson.


    "Ah, hah, oof, yes, nice to meet you too, sir," even her voice trembled from the shock. "I''m, oh, well, I''m glad you are alright now."


    "All thanks to you might valkyrie. My hope was all but gone by that time, and I fully expected to embark on another journey. But here I am despite all odds. My life is yours, my Lady."


    Swiftly peeking at Jando, Orisa noticed a flash of jealousy over the girl''s face that quickly disappeared. ''Oh no, oh no-no-no way. Don''t look at me like that!''


    "I''m afraid I already need to impose on your offer, sir," muttered Orisa and tried to gather her scattered thoughts.


    "Whatever it is I may help you with, I''ll gladly do so without any hesitation. Ask away!"


    "In fact, I need to borrow this wonderful lady over there. And it may take a while, too. Is it possible?"


    Puzzled, Sean looked back at Jando who shrugged in turn with the same confused expression.


    "I''m fine with that, but what is it that you need, Orisa?" she asked and came closer.


    It took Orisa some time to convey everything that happened overnight since, judging by their looks, they knew nothing about the events.


    "And so, I thought to retrieve the Deju and, since we''ll be in the city, do some shopping."


    "Shopping? I still can''t see why you need me."


    "Yes, I''m getting to this part, sorry. What I''ve been thinking about is an upgrade to my gear. I''m yet to test the gloves you made, but it feels like I could go for another tool or a weapon. That''s why I wanted to borrow your time to brainstorm any ideas, see what we''d need to craft the item and make a list of purchases."


    "Oh, that''s what it is? Well, I sure don''t mind. It sounds fun, especially because it involves you."


    "But I must say," Sean suddenly interrupted them, "this tragedy is all but too strange. I know hunter Nowa in person. He had never made me doubt his motives or allegiance."


    "My thoughts exactly, sir. I know Nowa in person, too, and it does look weird."


    "Oh, you do? The more I''m getting to know you, the more I''m amazed by your persona."


    "Please, don''t say that. It''s one coincidence after another, and I can''t take credit for that."


    "Whatever you say," Sean chuckled and stepped back. "Alright, I''m ready to let you both go. Please, excuse my talkativeness."


    After a few more pleasantries, Orisa and Jando moved in the direction of the mansion, leaving Sean behind to do some more pond gazing.


    "So-o-o?" Orisa said slowly and elbowed the girl to her right.


    "Aren''t you far too perceptive, oh little valkyrie schemer?" Jando giggled completely out of character. "Well, I just thought that there might be no third chance, seeing how things are. Despite you claiming it to be a fluke, it was a miracle all the same. So I confessed, and he accepted. Said he wanted the same but was too afraid to ruin our friendship."


    "Wow, that''s awesome! I''m so happy for you two."


    "Yes, who would have thought that to start moving forward, you need first to go through such an experience."


    They spent the rest of the day around a drawing board, going through various ideas again and again before finally deciding on one schematic that Orisa deemed ''freaking awesome.''


    Their journey to retrieve the Deju began the next morning. Before departure, Orisa checked the communication device once more and found nothing new or particularly noteworthy in the endless stream of orders and reports. Still a little bit on edge, she commenced their first operation. Seven horsemen moved out.


    "Guys, who else can drive the car? I mean, if someone were to snatch mighty MK, what would we do?" Clemen raised a question while lazily poking his nose.


    "Mighty MK? Who''s that?" puzzled Kanai looked around, searching for something closely resembling M and K with plenty of might.


    "Te-he-he, that''s me, I guess?"


    "Spot on, MK! I guess you are smarter than you look, that''s cool." Blessed in his ignorance, Clemen failed to notice a dangerous glint in Marina''s eyes.


    "I guess Shou can drive," Orisa pointed out a rather obvious thing.


    "Te-he, oh yes he can, but it''s better to avoid him on the driver''s seat. You''ll die of old age or vibration!" After basking in their puzzled gazes for a few seconds, Marina continued. "He turns all stiff and nervous while driving and starts shaking from the tension. And I don''t even want to talk about the speed; it''s faster to go on foot."


    "Shut up, you crazy gorilla! It''s not my fault that you have zero value for your own life."


    "I can drive, too. Well, at least I could," said Kanai reluctantly.


    "Same here," both Orisa and Iten raised their hands.


    "Doesn''t it bother you how casually we are talking about the scenario where one of us is dead? Is it just me, or you people kind of gone mad?" Onuki''s brow questioningly rose up.


    "Another sane person here, what a surprise," added Shou.


    In the end, they met little trouble on their way to the city. As Orisa expected, the Deju was parked at the same spot, keys inside. Either it was the emblem of their division that scared people away or the captain''s reputation but all the same, the car was intact. Orisa took out the keys and turned to her squad:


    "What do you say about a little tour over the city?"


    "Yahho! Let''s get the party started!"


    "Tch."


    They spent most of the day dashing between shops, cafes, and markets.


    ''Should I even be surprised?'' thought Orisa in amazement while looking at bags of new clothes that Onuki bought using most of her first week''s salary.


    Other squad members limited their purchases to a minimum. Orisa had a hard time finding some of the items from her shopping list, but the help came from an unexpected source:


    "Let me see," muttered Shou and took the list out of Orisa''s hand. "You won''t find it on sale. Too uncommon for a shop to sell; ought to look among the workshops."


    Without further explanations, Shou turned around and started walking. They wandered through numerous back alleys and narrow streets for at least fifteen minutes before arriving at a door indistinguishable from dozens of similar-looking entrances. Shou calmly opened it without a knock and went inside. The squad followed him with a mixture of anticipation and puzzlement. They followed the boy through several barely lit corridors and open doors before he started descending the narrow staircase.


    "Huh, isn''t it Master Shou? I almost forgot your face by now. What brings you here?"


    They ended up in an underground workshop. The room was wide and well illuminated; the left side of the room took shelves and boxes, while the other side housed various machine tools and instruments.


    The squad was greeted by a man in a thick leather apron, chainmail gloves, and a protective mask.


    "Greetings, Alfredo. I''m just passing by, excuse my uninvited trespassing."


    "I''m always glad to see young master Todo here, so pay it no mind. So how can I help you and your friends?"


    He removed the mask, revealing a person mid-fifties with patches of grey hair here and there. A warm smile over his face made all the wrinkles more visible, adding at least ten more years to his image.


    "Do you have items unchecked on this list?"


    "Let me see... Hmm-hmm, I see. Oh, that as well? Hmm-hmm. Well, I think we''ll find most materials you need, and if you don''t mind waiting a bit, I''ll craft the remaining right away."


    "Thank you for your time, Alfredo."


    "While I''m working on the list, why don''t you introduce your friends? It''s so rare to see master Shou in a company that I can''t pass on the opportunity, if you pardon my meddling."


    "They are not friends. We serve in the same division."


    "But you brought them here none the less. And, if I''m not entirely wrong, the list is not for you, young master?"


    "Tch."


    Light chuckles followed this exchange, making Shou grumble once more. An uncomfortable silence filled the room shortly after. Even Orisa felt too out of place to speak, so they stood for another fifteen minutes, quietly observing the work.


    ''Huh, another lonely noble kid? Is this some kind of custom or a curse?'' Orisa couldn''t help but wonder, seeing the same pattern for the second time already. In this regard, Shou appeared the same as Tiana, lonely and friendless.


    "And it''s done," finally said Alfredo, content with his work. Seeing a bag in his hands, Orisa took a few steps forward and bowed.


    "Thank you so much for your assistance, Sir Alfredo."


    "Oh, don''t worry, young lady. It''s my pleasure to assist master Shou''s friends."


    "I assume you might want to decline, but I must insist on paying at least for the materials," Orisa said after taking the bag.


    "Hoh? Well, if you insist. Can''t say no to the coin in this day and age."


    On their way back home, Orisa decided to risk her mood and step into the swamp:


    "Shou, it''s of course not my business, but what was that just now? Who was that gentleman, and how are you two related?"


    "My ex-mentor. Alfredo had been overseeing my education until a few years ago. Then my father decided the old man was influencing me in the wrong direction and threw him away."


    "And the wrong direction is something about people being equal despite their birthplace and lineage?"


    "Who told you that? Dippo?" scoffed Shou.


    "Nobody, of course. It was just my guess." Orisa was silent for several seconds, and then went to add some more anchors and connections towards Shou, "you navigated the streets quite well. Do you have some kind of hidden talent in spatial awareness?"


    "Huh?" Shou gave her a perplexed gaze. "I''ve lived in this city my whole life. My family owns it."


    ---


    ---


    A few more days passed without any news. Everything mostly calmed down over the Military network. No words, however, had mentioned Tiana, Dippo, or even hunter Nowa.


    Orisa whipped the squad to do daily workouts and skill practice, spending her own time in mastering the spells she learned with Dippo and constructing new skills as well. Her gear wasn''t ready yet since Jando had been preoccupied with the company of her lovely knight, but the girl promised to finish the crafting soon.


    Deciding there shouldn''t be much harm, Orisa exchanged several letters with Rita regarding hunter Nowa and the whole situation:


    ***


    "While I''ve never met him in person, there is no reason for me not to believe in your judgment, Orisa. If everything is as you''ve described, the situation does make little sense, indeed. What to make of it I can''t say as well since we lack information, facts with proofs. But the air feels tense now if you know what I mean. Proceed with caution.


    As for our project, I can give you a small piece of information. It might be useless, but we never know what could help. As you already know, the Beasts move away from the Epicenter and also gather around certain fixed spots if they end up nearby. What piqued my interest though was the fact to which I gave almost no consideration before. After a thorough investigation and compilation of a heat map, I came to an obvious conclusion. There are also places which are rarely attacked. They correspond to the cities that were founded on top or near the ruins of the pre-Cataclysm settlements. At least that is what I was able to dig from archived history books.


    On the one hand, it adds to some global picture of the Cataclysm. On the other hand, the picture itself is rather unclear. So I''m counting on you to connect the dots.


    Take care, Rita."


    ***


    Indeed, Orisa could see some connections between these facts, but a bigger picture eluded her. How could it help their cause? It''s not like these places were completely safe, the Beasts were merely avoiding them, but not ignoring completely.


    Deciding it was time to do some patrolling, Orisa launched a small expedition. She guessed that they were not yet ready for a night in the field, so they made a day-long round across the neighboring area.


    To Orisa''s great pleasure, the expedition had shown how much they all had grown in the past ten days. They were now confidently battling small groups of unevolved Beasts. Although it was under the Lantern, and they luckily avoided any encounters with evolved Wavespawn, it still inspired her squad mates to double their exercises and training. Even a new period, despite the cramps and all the hassle with pads, couldn''t ruin Orisa''s mood.


    It was exactly one week since Dippo''s departure when the mansion''s light signaled the arrival of someone from the division. Orisa dashed downstairs from the communication room right on time to see the door open. Dippo stood in the door frame, glaring daggers at her.


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    "Let me assume it was your bright idea to take the car back, right?" After Orisa''s reluctant nod, Dippo smacked his face. "Gosh, why am I not surprised like AT ALL?!"


    The staring contest went on for several seconds, and then Dippo let out a long tired sigh and stepped inside:


    "Anyhow, while I was doing my things, the opportunity presented itself, and I snatched us a few more members. So, dear leader, meet your last squad mates."


    Dippo began to clap slowly, probably praising himself. Accompanied by his performance, one after another through the door frame passed Bassa vi Durek, Ramulie vi Durek, and Tiana vas Kavenfenn.

 63 HNG and Friends

    If Orisa had been carrying something at that moment, she would have dropped it right away. A bizarre kaleidoscope of guilt, worry, fear, hope, and anticipation flashed on Tiana''s face. She looked at Orisa reluctantly, not knowing what to say. Several seconds of tense silence passed, and Orisa dashed to the girl, placing her in a tight embrace:


    "I''m so glad you are okay!"


    Tiana squeaked in surprise. She didn''t expect that kind of reaction at all. Slowly letting go of her luggage, she hugged Orisa too. Only after that, Tiana thought of looking around, and surprised, amazed, and pleased faces of people who came to check the source of the commotion overwhelmed her. She tried to distance herself from Orisa in panic, but the girl only gripped her tighter and muttered:


    "I don''t care. Bear with it and accept your punishment."


    "My-my, who would have thought, huh? Our dear leader is still full of surprises. To think she could freely cuddle with the daughter of the Supreme Commander, oh my."


    Coughs and gasps followed Dippo''s commentary, and people began to whisper something like "That''s Commander''s daughter?", "What''s going on here?", or "I''m gonna faint," and such.


    This time even Orisa felt the need to break out of the embrace. She stepped back, her eyes dashing between Tiana and Dippo.


    "But how? Is it even possible?"


    "Long story short, it just happened. Thanks to certain someone''s brilliant ideas I''m too damn tired to talk, think, or even eat. So I''m going to sleep, and you take care of these three since they are your precious friends."


    Two other precious friends who were silent until that moment groaned unhappily.


    "Dear brother of mine, how far we have fallen. Mongrels, mongrels everywhere."


    "Indeed, dear sister. Alas, we will follow our liege to the depth of hell. But as I see it, we passed it a long time ago and ended somewhere far worse."


    "What a lovely bunch, I already like them," Dippo chuckled and left the crowd.


    "Tiana, may I bother you with an official introduction? Your own and your, well, friends as well." Orisa shuffled uncomfortably but had to steel herself and move forward with the most unpleasant part.


    "Greetings, honorable members of an esteemed division, The Hounds. As of today, I, Tiana vas Kavenfenn, and my close peers, Bassa and Ramulie vi Durek, will be joining you all on the prowl. Please, take care of us."


    "Oh, such a pleasant girl!"


    "It''s our honor to work with you, Lady Kavenfenn."


    "Let''s be friends!"


    To put it shortly, people of Sean''s squad were quite pleased with this addition. As for Orisa''s group, they were mildly surprised and moderately positive but nothing more since it was Orisa who made close ties with Tiana and not them.


    "Tch. What are you two oafs doing here?"


    To everyone''s shock, Shou made his way towards vi Durek siblings and first chopped Ramulie''s forehead, insulting her usual way too frilly pink dress, then quickly shook Bassa''s hand before kicking him in the knee for the glove he wore during their handshake.


    "You know each other?" Orisa muttered in disbelief.


    "Regrettably."


    "Oh, dear brother, another trouble on our doomed heads. What have we done to deserve such fate?" Despite her tone, sugar princess looked pleased and perhaps even happy.


    "I assume you''d prefer to stay together?" Orisa asked the siblings, but they ignored her with a ''Hmph.'' Deciding to save her nerves, Orisa turned to Shou. "Could I bother you with finding them a room for two people?"


    "Tch. Guess I have no choice, then. You two, move your protrusions."


    With that, the crowd began to thin out, and Orisa turned to a quiet and reluctant Tiana:


    "If it''s okay with you, would you like to settle in our room?" Orisa gestured towards the other girls. Onuki unenthusiastically nodded while Marina performed her usual "Te-he-he, nice to meetcha, sis!"


    "I would love to!" Tiana reacted eagerly.


    The four of them went upstairs to their room, but Orisa quickly pulled Marina to the side and quickly whispered:


    "Marina, please help me with Tiana. I know how nervous she is to be here, and it is my first priority to make her at ease. Do you think you could lend me a hand? Although, I don''t know how, since Tiana is, well, a normal kid and certainly wouldn''t appreciate what you did with me."


    "Gosh, sis, when you are so serious, you are no fun at all."


    "Sorry, but Tiana is too important for me to let her just be. I want her to feel at home, needed and desired here. So that she could feel being among friends. She is that important to me."


    "Who are you, her mum, or what? If you are so worried about her now, how are you going to fight? Would you throw all our lives into the fray just to spare hers? Think about it, sis. As for your request, of course I will help out. I also want to make lots of friends, you know?"


    With that, Marina left Orisa brooding. She never thought about it because there was no need at all. But now because of Marina, the question struck her deep. Orisa always treated her friends equally, but Tiana was something else. Would Orisa really sacrifice her friends to save the girl?


    "Tiana, I know you only just got here, but I really need to speak to the captain," Orisa''s voice was full of guilt, but the fact that she needed to talk to Dippo remained.


    "It''s only normal, isn''t it? Moreover, while I''m grateful to you and your kindness, I don''t need nor want any special treatment. Please."


    "Te-he-he, how cute and noble, I already like her."


    "I wish that were me," Onuki stirred the pot.


    Orisa found Dippo at his usual spot on the third floor''s balcony:


    "I thought you went to sleep?"


    "Gosh, are you here to ruin the mood?" Dippo put an almost intact glass of wine on the table and turned to Orisa together with his seat. "What is it now?"


    "You should have known about my warm friendship with these two retarded siblings from the report card, right? So what the fuck is going on, sir?"


    "If you are so smart at guessing things, my choco muffin, then do a little bit of thinking, please."


    "The set of three is indivisible?"


    "Clap-clap," replied Dippo and halved the glass in one gulp before returning it to the table.


    "So you were in the capital? What is going on? How Tiana ended up here? It should have been beyond anyone''s capabilities to get a hold of her."


    "Pure accident. I had to report to the Big Daddy and happened to overhear his assistant''s complain about not knowing what to do with the girl. So I quickly offered my brilliant division. The only condition was that these two champs should always guard her."


    "Considering how he treats his own daughter, I can''t understand why he still insists on guarding her."


    "Oh my, you too noticed what a loving father Commander is? Public image, I guess. I can see no other reason, you are right, my pumpkin."


    "Please, sir, help me deal with them. I''m sure they won''t listen to me."


    "We''ll see what could be done. I can''t possibly make my lovely treasure cry." Dippo laughed. Despite his earlier grumbling, now he was clearly having a lot of fun.


    "Yes, Tiana would be sad, I agree."


    "Gosh, silly, by the lovely treasure I meant you!"


    Orisa groaned loudly.


    They discussed future plans of the group, Orisa also recounted what happened while Dippo was away before going back to her girls. Tiana had already unpacked her luggage and changed into a cute but simple set of trousers and a blouse by that time.


    "Let''s have a walk?" Orisa grabbed a surprised Tiana''s hand and pulled her out. When she was about to close the door to their room, she heard Marina speak to Onuki:


    "Aren''t these two cuties close? Te-he-he, it''s like they are dating or something."


    "I thought you were dating," Onuki sounded a bit surprised. "Hooo? Aren''t you observant one? How interesting, yahho!"


    "Nothing special, I just know the difference in look of sexually deprived and well-fucked people, and that''s it."


    "Even more interesting, tell me more!"


    Letting out a tired sigh, Orisa closed the door and pulled a puzzled Tiana outside.


    They walked around the mansion in silence, but when Orisa led Tiana to the pond where nobody could see them, the girl suddenly turned and almost jumped on Orisa, hugging her tightly.


    "I''m so happy to see you, Orisa! It''s a miracle that makes me feel like I''m yet to wake up."


    "I''m glad to see you too, my dear friend," mumbled Orisa, while patting the girl''s back. Her eyes were itchy for some reason. ''It''s you who are crying, not me!'' suddenly woke up a long-forgotten internal critic.


    "I thought I would never see you again," Tiana sobbed, clutching shirt on Orisa''s back. "Unbearable it was such as I had hard time breathing."


    "Now-now, you are here, and everything is perfectly fine, so let''s leave our tears behind." Orisa planted a light kiss on Tiana''s forehead and looked into these beautiful eyes. "Why won''t you tell me how you ended up here?"


    They settled near the pond, and Tiana began reluctantly:


    "Besides what I shared with you in the letter, there isn''t much to say. Father was even less receptive to my pleas, which made me stuck without a clear path. Then the attack came, but it went completely past me for I decided to stay overnight at Maria''s home in the neighboring district. When I made my way towards the mansion, everything was already over. A few days later, my father''s assistant summoned me and introduced to Drugan Dippo, saying that I''ll be joining The Hounds to serve the mandatory year."


    "And pleasant luggage was attached to you as well," Orisa muttered unhappily. She still couldn''t fathom the whole extent of her troubles.


    "Are you talking about Bassa and Ramulie?" Tiana was silent for a long ten seconds, before continuing. "I will try my best to keep them at bay, Orisa. But there was little for me to decide on this matter. And on almost every other matter, if I were to count."


    "Don''t despair, dear," Orisa squeezed the girl''s palm and smiled warmly. "You are with me now, and together, everything is possible."


    ---


    ---


    Now fully manned squad started practicing together, and the problem they were expecting rose.


    "Dear brother of mine, I won''t be participating in this nonsense."


    "Indeed, my sister, only these lacking in talent and skill should pointlessly bang against their limits. We are more than capable as we are."


    Tiana tried to reason with them but to no avail. They weren''t disobeying here openly, but the sense she tried to hammer into their heads left without a trace right after her scolding was over.


    Dippo gave them a harsh lecture as well, but his influence lasted for one day. Next morning, everything returned to square one.


    Orisa tried to enlist Shou to make them listen, but he talked his way out, saying that it was pointless and not his problem.


    It was on their third day that certain someone''s patience ran out.


    "Oh, dear brother, I can''t stand this madness that-."


    "Okay, that''s enough. Listen here, you imbeciles," Kanai stormed towards the siblings. "You are so fucking pathetic that I can''t help but puke. I saw dozens of losers like you, behaving like morons in hopes to garner at least a tiny bit of attention. Nobody here cares about you lame insecurities and rotten childhood where you failed to make at least some friends due to your garbage personalities and instead stuck to each other. Everyone clearly sees how scared and lonely both of you are. We might have talked to you and even invited to hang out if not for your outright laughable attempts to look cool and independent. You can''t be normal, you failed to learn how to interact with others, that''s why you are sticking to each other and making an arrogant front; you are trying to provoke people to start at least some sort of conversation with you brats, even if it''s an argument and not a normal talk. We all see through your pathetic excuse of a demeanor, and we all are sick of it. You either start listening to orders like decent recruits, and someday we might accept your sore asses as squad members, or the eight of us would pummel you to half-death. And you won''t be able to complain to your daddy or whatever since we''d all testify about it being a training accident. And I double-checked it from the Military law''s standpoint, just in case."


    A complete, deafening silence dawned upon the surrounding area. The wind died down, bugs stopped moving, and rivers froze.


    The sibling''s faces turned from pale to red, to purple, to green, and then red again. Bassa was glaring at Kanai and gripping the hilt of his sword, and Ramulie only could silently open and close her mouth like a fish.


    "Please," Tiana came closer and spoke to them. "You are my friends, and I want you two to get along with my other friends as well. It''s so much nicer to be together. Would you consider fulfilling this selfish request of mine?"


    "I guess if it is for Lady Tiana''s sake, we can endure a bit."


    "It is as you say, my sister. For Lady Tiana, we would suffer whatever fate may throw at us."


    Orisa looked at Kanai with awe, appraising him all anew. He was something else entirely.


    After that, the tension hasn''t completely left the group, but at the very least the siblings no longer opposed everything so openly and blatantly.


    Later this evening, Orisa was cooking dinner together with Tiana, Marina, and Kanai, when Sean came through a back door that led to the workshop. He wore a blue smock-frock that was all dirty and ragged, smocking and charred to boot.


    "Orisa, please, call the captain fast. We have a malfunction in the Deju''s drive, I need his help. Hurry, please."


    Dropping a knife she was using just now, Orisa dashed upward. She didn''t know the scale of the issue but guessed it wasn''t life-threatening, or else Sean would look more horrified.


    Orisa looked over the balcony and knocked on Dippo''s room, but the captain was nowhere to be found. Trying her luck, Orisa barged inside the communication room, making Dippo almost jump from the chair.


    "FUCKING GUMMY BEARS! What is it!?" he yelled, startled and sweating.


    "Oops, sorry, cap, but it probably is an emergency. Sean asked you to the workshop ASAP, saying something about the Deju''s malfunction."


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    "Damn those idiots, they are gonna break it again!"


    Dippo hastily made his way down, leaving Orisa alone. She looked at a blinking screen of the communication device and decided to turn it off just in case Dippo would forget to come back. When she was about to turn the machine off, her gaze stumbled over a short letter that Dippo left open just now. Being too curious for her own good, Orisa read its contents.


    ***


    "It seems I am out of commission for at least one month, if not more. Our Puppy was smarter this time around. In six days, when I''d recover enough to move, come to the house three and help me move to the house forty-five. When you are here, I''ll share what I was able to see inside the storage. Also, inform other officers down the line.


    HNG."


    ***

 64 Guesses

    Orisa was staring at the screen, chills running down her spine. She wasn''t able to fully comprehend the situation but was sure that right now she was looking at something extremely important. ''HNG, why does it ring so many bells in my mind?''


    Without a second thought, Orisa grabbed a piece of paper and copied the message word to word before swiftly retreating from the room. ''Okay, now I need to hide from Dippo, or I''ll give myself away.'' Orisa needed time to ponder this event; she was confused and lost since the HNG thing was bugging her, dangling in front of her gaze. It was something remarkably familiar, but the final step of understanding yet eluded her. She only needed one last push to uncover its meaning, one baby step that she couldn''t make. Everything inside her agonized, itched, and wriggled to find the truth. A truly maddening state of mind.


    Making a lot of noise, Orisa barged into the girl''s room and dropped on her bed.


    "What''s up? Saw a ghost? Got hit on by a man? Kissed Dippo?"


    A barrage of semi-insulating question met Orisa, supported by Onuki''s questioning gaze. The girl was already in her bed with a book on crafting in her hands.


    "Something like that, thank you for your care," muttered Orisa and turned face down, hiding her flustered expression with a pillow.


    "Don''t worry, it hurts only a few dozens of time, then you just get used to it."


    "I think this conversation turned into the wrong direction somehow," she mumbled into the pillow. "Onuki, could I bother you find Kanai without raising much noise? He is in the kitchen now, but I don''t want to return there just yet. Please?"


    "Well, you could, but what would I get out of it?" She enjoyed Orisa''s dumbstruck gaze for a few seconds before continuing, "God, I''m kidding. Did you...Oh, forget it, the joke is ruined already."


    Onuki stood up with a sigh and left the room, leaving now even more exhausted Orisa. ''I don''t get this girl at all.''


    When Onuki opened the door two minutes later, Orisa mostly came back to her senses. Thanking Onuki, she grabbed Kanai and whispered:


    "Take Iten and meet me at the Library. Don''t say anything to anyone, especially to Clemen and Dippo, in case you are to meet them."


    Ignoring his astonished expression, she swiftly made her way downstairs and into the basement. When the boys showed up, Orisa silently opened the door to a handy storage room and pushed reluctant Kanai and Iten inside. When Kanai opened his mouth to say something, Orisa immediately interrupted him:


    "One sex joke and I''m going to murder you most brutally." Kanai gulped and nodded in confirmation. Not wasting any more time, Orisa unfolded the paper she took from the communication room and handed it to the boys. "I accidentally stumbled upon this text. It was addressed to Dippo, and he was reading it when I came to him a few minutes ago."


    "Isn''t it some sort of military order? Why are you so bothered?" Iten asked in confusion.


    "Military orders don''t go via private direct messages but through open, limited by rank channels. And that''s not how orders look like, I know."


    "You do now?" Kanai voiced his doubt.


    "Yes, long story short, I have almost the same access to the Military messaging system as Dippo."


    "My-my, should I even ask how you managed to achieve such a feat?" Kanai instantly regretted his words under Orisa''s intent gaze.


    "You are positive it was a private mail?" Iten tried to return the conversation onto its tracks.


    "Hundred percent sure. So the question is what''s going on and who this HNG is."


    "Considering the timing and the message itself, isn''t it obvious?" Kanai recovered his cool and continued matter-of-factly, "I''m pretty sure that it''s Hunter Nowanzi Goalo, and Dippo has some ties with him."


    Orisa wanted to smack her forehead, so obvious it was. Dippo left to check on Nowa who got injured during his operation. And Nowa summoned him to get help yet again.


    "But how are they connected? What type of organization is it, and what are their goals? And, most importantly, what was Dippo doing in the Capital for the entire week?"


    "To find the meaning in the fragmented information or events that makes no sense, you need to look at the results and who would benefit from them." Iten looked at the piece of paper in his hand and thought for a moment. "What was the result of Dippo''s venture?"


    "I think we lack facts since the only result I can see is that Tiana is here." Orisa''s voice was full of doubt. Kanai and Iten, however, exchanged thoughtful looks.


    "What if it was their goal all along?"


    "Not possible," Orisa waved Iten''s guess from the get-go. "Why would Nowa attack their mansion, then? He could have accidentally hurt or even killed Tiana, right? Moreover, if his goal was to bring her here, I''m sure he could have found an easier way to do so, considering how little her father cares about her life. Besides, Nowa mentioned something about the storage and what he was able to find in there, which is completely unrelated to Tiana. And, lastly, what is the point of bringing Tiana here in the first place?"


    "When you put it like this, it''s hard to argue, Orisa. But if you think about it from the strategist''s point of view, it makes sense to hide their goal by making distractions, sub-goals, or irrelevant things." Kanai looked Orisa in the eyes and saw even more doubt. "You are, however, right about the storage; there was no point in mentioning it in a private letter unless they were planning for you to discover it. But that''s just stretching the whole theory too far, I guess."


    "We should wrap our discussion for the night. It''s getting late," Iten stood up after looking at his wristwatch. "You look like you have something else in mind, Orisa."


    "Uh? Um, well, yeah, but it''s nothing important, don''t worry."


    "Really? Certainly doesn''t look like that to me," Kanai laughed and pinched Orisa''s cheek lightly. "Come on, what is it? Are you still thinking about that cave or something?"


    "How did you know?" Orisa blinked in surprise. She hung her head and said while looking at the floor, "I''m sure it''s something important. Honestly, I can''t stop thinking about the cave and what was behind those rocks. It''s bugging me. Guys, I''m telling you this spot is something relevant to our goal. I don''t know why, but I''m sure of it."


    "Doesn''t look like you at all," muttered Kanai.


    "Please, remember to stay calm. We''ll do something with the cave in due time. Don''t let it turn into an obsession, okay?" Iten said all that and stood to leave.


    Orisa opened the storage''s door only to stumble over Jando who was carrying a box meant to be stored inside that room. The girl gave them a puzzled look, but then her cheeks turned red from embarrassment:


    "Uh, sorry, I didn''t mean to sneak on your, um, ahem, pastime."


    "Huh? What are you talking about, Jando?" Orisa couldn''t understand the girl''s point. Today wasn''t her sharpest day, and after this HNG letter incident, she felt even dumber.


    "Oh, don''t worry! Aha-ha, yes, um, I mean, I won''t tell anyone. And I''m not judging or anything!"


    "Listen, Miss Jay, or whatever it is," began Kanai in a tired voice. "You are getting it all wrong. But I''m honestly too damn tired to clear this stupid clich¨¦ misunderstanding, and these two are not in shape to get what you are saying. We were having a private chat, that''s it, alright? Gosh, it''s as if I''m a character from a reverse harem manga or something," saying that, Kanai tiredly walked away. His last phrase finally made Orisa understand the situation, and she turned to face Jando, all flushed:


    "Um, yeah, it''s just what Kanai said now. We aren''t in that kind of relationship, really."


    "Well, if you say so," still in doubt, Jando shrugged and went inside the storage room.


    Earlier next morning, Dippo called Orisa to make an announcement:


    "Okay, I think it''s time for some hiking, don''t you think so? We''ll leave tomorrow morning, so gather your darlings and start getting ready for several nights in the field."


    Without wasting any time, Orisa called for her squad members and began the briefing:


    "We are departing on the first long patrol tomorrow morning. Dippo will go with us, too. I don''t know the exact duration but assume it would take around four nights or so. We have the rest of the day to prepare. Questions?"


    "Where are we going?" Shou asked unhappily.


    "Our dear captain failed to inform me on this regard. And any other regard as well. He''s probably testing our skills at preparing for any occasion."


    "Do we have a checklist of necessities? I''m ashamed to say, but I lack in understanding what it is that we might need on such raid," flustered Tiana voiced her concern.


    "Yes. I''m in charge of common items and consumables. And I can also oversee your preparations if you''d like," a slightly hesitant answer came from Onuki. During the past day, she became a little friendlier towards Tiana after seeing how nice of a person the girl was.


    "Thank you, Onuki. I will be in your care."


    "Guess I''ll check on these oafs then," mumbled Shou and looked at vi Durek siblings. Orisa still couldn''t understand the relationship these three shared.


    "With that being sorted out, there is also one thing we need to clear," Orisa looked at the last three members of her squad. "To a certain extent, I know your fighting capabilities now, but there is another side to the raiding. Everyone in the group is taking care of something like cooking, setting up a camp, repairs, and so on. I''d like to know your skills in the non-combat field."


    "Hmph! It''s not like we need something besides fighting," Ramulie started whining, fondling with her curly hair. "But just for the record, I''m well-versed in sewing."


    "Just as my dear sister said. I have no plans to cater to your needs, but I can repair my own gear just fine," her brother added.


    Things were one percent better than Orisa expected but well in the range of her prediction. She turned to Tiana, and the girl uncomfortably shuffled:


    "I''m not exactly sure of the level of my skills, but to a certain extent, I can sew and smith, cook basic dishes, gather herbs and roots usable in crafting. Also, I practiced in repairs, Mana engineering, Mana crafting, and pulse navigation. I hope I won''t be a bother to you during the expedition. In the worst-case scenario, I would tend to horses."


    At this very moment, the strongest earthquake in the history of Lazra was registered, produced by a simultaneous hit on the floor by seven jaws. Orisa''s squad minus vi Durek siblings were staring at Tiana in disbelief.


    "Te...he-he...I guess we are fine now," muttered Marina.


    "Yes, we should be fine," added Orisa, still in shock. She knew how diligent Tiana was but didn''t expect her to be this capable. Even if all her skills would end up being at the most basic level, it was still admirable and praiseworthy. "By the way, could someone explain what this pulse navigation is?"


    "Oh, I know that!" Kanai almost jumped on his seat. "You wouldn''t believe, but I asked Dippo exactly this very question after it occurred to me that there is no GPS in this world."


    "What''s the geepee ass?" Shou furrowed his brow.


    "Nah, irrelevant. So, the pulse navigation is like sonar made of magic. There are pillars made of some kind of metal buried every five kilometers all over the continent. You use some kind of beacon or whatever it is called to release a pulse of Mana that interacts with these pillars and returns to you. Based on the amount of reaction, you can find your rough location between four closest pillars."


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    "Thank you very much, great teacher Kanai," Orisa bowed, very pleased by his speech for some reason.


    They chatted a bit, discussing the upcoming raid before Orisa wrapped things up:


    "Alright, guys, here is what we are going to do. First, we pack personal belongings and gear according to Onuki''s list. Before lunch, we gather in this room for Onuki to check everything. After lunch, we''d help her collect and pack common inventory. Questions?"


    "Why do I have to check everyone''s bags?" Onuki groaned, already tired from just imagining the process.


    They met three hours later, and despite Orisa''s expectations, the situation ended up not as bad she predicted:


    "No, you shouldn''t take three dresses or any amount of dresses at all. In the first place, you should wear something suited for a trip," Onuki was arguing with Ramulie now, and the girl was either clueless or completely stupid. In her case, probably both.


    "And why is that? What''s wrong with wearing something appropriate and not garbage that you people call clothes?"


    "Nothing wrong with wearing something appropriate," Onuki repeated the phrase word to word, her voice filled with acid. "You know what, I don''t care. If you are so set on making yourself suffer, be my guest."


    It was the only problem they encountered during the first stage, while Orisa was expecting things to end up worse, more troublesome.


    As for the second phase of their preparations, Onuki made them carry various goods to the stables and shelve them for tomorrow''s packing. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, and crafting tools. Provision was also packed and stored by the mansion''s exit. She triple-checked everything but was still nervous.


    "Onuki, chill," Orisa said gently, patting her back. The girl was past her initial stage of Orisa-phobia and could permit a short contact. After grabbing her attention, Orisa continued with a smile, "you are doing great; I can see how smoothly everything is going thanks to your diligence. Don''t worry. I''m sure we''ll end up forgetting something because that''s how it is and always will be that way with every type of preparation."


    "You aren''t helping in a slightest, you know?"


    "Just relax, you are fine. Nobody would blame you, I promise."


    "We''ll get back to this talk when you find yourself in the wilderness without a toilet paper or salt."


    "You can always use leaves, so that won''t be a problem. As for the salt, just remind me about the lack of coca-cola in this world, and I''ll make enough salt to feed the squad."


    They finished gathering and packing and even recounted everything on Onuki''s insistence. Dismissing the squad for the rest of the evening, Orisa settled in the hall to read a book about the Beasts from The Hound''s archive. The read was getting progressively more boring, and Orisa began to yawn. She sensed someone approaching her from behind thanks to her Seal and tensed. Hot breath tickled Orisa''s ear, and she heard a familiar voice:


    "Hey, sis, how about we relax a little before going to bed?"


    ---


    ---


    They were loading the supplies onto the horses the next morning when Orisa noticed an intense gaze on her back. She looked around and found Dippo staring at her, deep in thought.


    "What''s up, sir?" Orisa came closer and asked while bending down to tie her loose shoelaces.


    "I was just wondering, my honeybee if you saw the letter or not?"


    Orisa forced her body to keep moving despite the shock that went through her body. Her only saving grace was that she was looking down when he asked the question, or he would have read her expression easily. Orisa''s control over herself was not among her best traits. Done with tying, she stood back and tried to sound as clueless as possible.


    "What letter, sir? Something urgent?"


    "Hmm? Well, I guess it doesn''t matter either way," he muttered and slowly walked away.


    Sweat was dripping from Orisa''s forehead as if she was under a rain right now. ''He knows. He absolutely knows. He totally knows. I''m fucked.''


    Half an hour later, eleven riders departed from the mansion. Jando and Sean came to see them off and were waving cheerfully, wishing luck and safe trip. Dippo was riding in the first pair, together with Clemen. The Captain looked back and said cheerfully:


    "So, my melons, are you pumped up? Are you ecstatic to embark on your first real mission? My-my, I am sure excited!"


    A chill ran down Orisa''s back.

 65 Onsen episode

    They rode for five hours without an incident and then stopped to take a short break. Under the guise of a search for a creek to grab freshwater, Orisa took Kanai and Iten with her.


    "Dippo knows!" she started feverishly in a hushed voice. "He asked me if a saw a letter on the screen! Of course, I played dumb, but I''m sure he knows. Fuck-fuck-fuck, I''m dead."


    "Hold up now!" Kanai grabbed her shoulders and shook slightly to get Orisa back to her senses. "Start from the very beginning and recount word to word what happened."


    After calming a bit, Orisa told the boys about her morning upheaval before slumping down on the ground.


    "I think we are either safe now, or we were doomed from the very beginning. This event changed nothing," Kanai pondered quietly.


    "I share your thoughts as well," added Iten.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "He said it doesn''t matter anyway, right?" excited, Kanai began his explanation. He always turned like that when there was a chance to tell somebody about his findings, which Orisa found rather cute. "So what I think is that he either planned to get rid of you from the get-go, which is highly unlikely considering everything he went through to get you into his division, or he really couldn''t care less for your knowledge about his whatever it is."


    "That is if we were to believe in his words. But yet again, we have no reason to doubt him, do we? If he wanted to hide something, there would be no point in talking to Orisa in the first place," Iten nodded at his own conclusion.


    "Hmm, and why do you think he wouldn''t care about us knowing his secret?" wondered Orisa. She had spent the entire morning fretting about Dippo, so now she was too tired to think straight.


    "I would bet on the fact that you won''t be able to do a single thing even if you knew," Kanai chuckled and helped Orisa up from the ground.


    "Or the captain planned to let you in on this secret sooner or later, but this is an unlikely guess," Iten added reluctantly, and the trio left to look for the creek.


    Kanai noticed that Orisa was still brooding over something but with a different expression.


    "Are you thinking about the cave again?" he asked, gently patting her head. Orisa reluctantly nodded, understanding full well that it was unhealthy and unproductive. "Don''t let it consume you, alright? We agreed on getting there, so let it go for no."


    "Thank you... I know that I should, but it''s so hard to get it out of my head. Sorry for bothering you."


    "Idiot," Kanai chopped her forehead, "you aren''t bothering. We are worried about our leader, that''s all."


    "Kanai is right, Orisa. You are too focused on one thing. It''s dangerous. Your mind needs rest." They talked a bit more and went to find water.


    One of their raid''s goals became evident rather soon. Dippo took out an item from the bag that looked like a thermos for tea; it was a narrow metallic cylinder about twenty centimeters high with four crystals facing different directions around its upper part. The most prominent element of this item was a compass attached to its top. It had five arrows instead, and one of them was longer and painted red, while the other four were identically black and short.


    "Alright, my pumpkins, those of you who don''t know what this is, flock to your dear captain here," Dippo paused to give them time to find a spot around him and continued. "Supplementary Identifier of Retraced Impulses is a fucking chore to pronounce, so we are calling it SIRI, alright? We use it to navigate through the forests, fields, or other areas without any landmarks. Now I''ll show you how it works, pay attention to the crystals."


    Orisa''s Seal allowed her to sense an intense flow of Mana inside the device. Ten seconds later, Dippo was done with charging, and Orisa felt an enormous amount of Mana circulate through the device. It almost made her dizzy. Dippo pushed a button on Siri''s surface, and all Mana stored inside boiled momentarily, multiplied, and then pushed outside in all directions.


    Orisa''s body jolted as if dozens of eels wriggled inside her at the same time, turning her insides upside down. She slumped on the ground helplessly and vomited the recent lunch.


    "Oopsie, I forgot how sensitive you were, sorry," muttered Dippo, scratching his head. "Anyway, while your leader is suffering, pay close attention to the crystals."


    Tiana, Kanai, and Iten carried Orisa to the side and rested her on the grass. The other squad members were forced to observe Siri''s work, being urged by Dippo. A dozen seconds later, four waves of Mana returned to the device with a short delay between each other, making Orisa shudder and convulse yet again.


    In the meantime, Siri in Dippo''s hand began to react. Crystals on its top started blinking simultaneously. They flashed twice per second, and in a few blinks stopped one after another.


    "When you are using Siri to navigate, you count these blinks. Then find the dots on your map with the same number as there were blinks. For example," Dippo took out a map of the surroundings and pointed at its center, "we are somewhere here, but let''s find where exactly. The first crystal to the left of the compass'' arrow blinked three times, the next had four, then two, and six. So we are looking for a quadrant on the map where its vertices have the same numbers. Voila, we are here. Easy, right? Next time I''ll show you how to find even more accurate location, but for now, that''s enough. Moreover, our goal is complete now."


    "Our goal? What are we even doing here?" muttered puzzled Shou.


    "Well-well, my sweet crunchy toast, you should think of this yourself. But since you asked, we are checking if all navigational pillars are intact. If one of the crystals isn''t blinking after the charge, it means the pillar is broken and needs to be repaired or replaced. That''s one of our jobs as well, maintaining the navigation for the entire central region."


    Dippo abruptly stood and looked around before chuckling and announcing in a carefree manner:


    "By the way, Siri attracts all surrounding Beasts when it''s activated. And they''ll be here in ten seconds or so. Isn''t it great?"


    The following fight was the first that Orisa missed entirely due to her Mana sickness. Coincidentally, it happened to be the first real fight their new three members partook. While their teamwork and chemistry with the rest of the squad were non-existent, they managed to hold the entire sector by themselves. The Beasts also favored the group''s first fight, flowing generously but not overwhelming them. Despite Dippo''s promise, there were surprisingly fewer Beasts than what was expected. By the end of the fight, Orisa was able to stand up, but it was too late to contribute to the victory.


    They had spent half an hour, looking for the Beast''s cores and tending to the wounded before Dippo commanded to the squad mount up.


    "We are not done here." Onuki said out loud with an irritated voice.


    "What is it, girlie? Are you already too tired to move?" mockingly asked Dippo.


    "We need to store materials from the Beasts while we can," she replied stiffly. By her tone Orisa guessed that Onuki was extremely nervous.


    "You heard the chick," grumbled Dippo and waved the squad. "I must say you aren''t half-bad, girlie. Very nice, I like you."


    "So what, now you would accept me as a proper member and not Orisa''s useless luggage?"


    "Oh, you knew? My-my, how interesting you are, cute little stinger."


    Without saying a single word, Onuki went to unload dismantling supplies. Several minutes later, Orisa approached her reluctantly. Onuki turned to face her with a face overcome with frustration, lower lip bleeding from a bite, and muttered angrily:


    "Don''t. Say. A single. Word." She worked silently for some time, spraying an anti-dissolving agent over the dismantled parts other squad mates were bringing her. "You thought I was so clueless and stupid? Of course, I know how useless I am now and was even more so. That''s why I was so bothered by all the preparations. I can''t fail the only thing I was entrusted."


    "You won''t," said Orisa firmly and stood up.


    After wandering around the place, Orisa stumbled over Tiana. She was now looking at the girl in awe, observing her dismantling skills. Tiana wielded a knife on an entirely different level; separating only needed parts, she swiftly cleaned them of excessive flesh or bones and put into a container.


    ''My little Tiana is the best,'' akin to a parent, Orisa''s felt joy while observing the girl. The fact that she had absolutely nothing to do with Tiana''s skills didn''t bother her in the slightest.


    Several hours later, they came out of a small forest, and a mountain range opened up in front of their eyes. This time it was a proper set of mountains, not those fake hills they saw during Sean''s reclamation raid.


    "Are we going to hike?" Clemen voiced everyone''s horror.


    "Oya, are you afraid of heights? Well, not exactly. There is a village there inside one of the gorges, and we''ll spend the night there."


    "Isn''t it too early?" Orisa said doubtingly.


    "Oh, don''t worry, I have plans for your lot. Also, there is a hot spring there. Not that it was the main reason for our visit or anything."


    "Hot spring?!" Orisa and Kanai exclaimed in unison. For some reason, their Japanese souls longed for this place without their owners realizing it. Excitement filled their eyes.


    On their way, the squad passed through numerous fields with crops, and it made Orisa curious again:


    "Captain, how do we grow crops when there are Beasts everywhere? And besides, is it even possible for a village to exist outside sturdy castle walls?"


    "Good question, dear. There is a trick to it. First of all, it''s way harder to sense Mana through the stone, which makes a village inside a mountain range a rather safe place. The Beasts rarely wander up high, so a regular fence is enough to buy time for the guards to gather and round the intruders. As for the field, the Beasts have no interest in the grass. When the need to tend to the crops arises, people gather, pick up guards, and work on one spot before moving to the next. They stay grouped, attracting attention from a lesser range; and, of course, it''s easier to defend them as well."


    The path to the village was tortuous, turning left and right inside a narrow gorge. During the ride, Orisa was throwing glances upward from time to time; the feeling of constant danger to be crushed by falling rocks pressured her.


    "Do not fear, Orisa," Tiana turned to the girl with an encouraging smile. "This is no ordinary rock but an ore. You''d need to put a considerable effort to break them, which means the danger of a landslide or a rock fall is almost non-existent."


    "An ore, huh? Do people, by chance, mine it?"


    "A little, I think. There are better materials both for Mana crafting and for common metalwork."


    "Don''t tell me you are knowledgeable in metals, too?"


    "It''s important to have at least a vague understanding of various topics to become a decent head of the House," Tiana muttered with a visible blush on her cheeks.


    ''My-my, aren''t you an adorable little head of the House?'' Orisa''s heart melted once more.


    The path opened up, revealing what Orisa described later as a volcanic crater. A giant space around one kilometer wide housed a town made of the same dark stone as the surrounding mountains. Even if it was a volcano, it died centuries ago since now a narrow river was flowing amidst the town, with occasional patches of grass on its banks. There were even trees planted inside neat pots all over the place.


    Looking back at the narrow entrance of the valley, Orisa spotted two balconies dug inside the walls, and guards watching over their group. One of the archers noticed her and waved his hand; Orisa waved back and turned to face the approaching city.


    It was surrounded by a not so high stone wall which probably served more as the borderline than anything else. As Orisa predicted, the city wasn''t flat and followed the craters curve; the buildings grew like mushrooms even on the walls, making the entire city look like a giant glowing beehive. The streets were well illuminated, and there was some light still coming from the sky as well since it wasn''t nighttime yet.


    They booked a whole floor of a three-story inn, and Dippo gathered them inside the most spacious room.


    "Before we go to the main event, I have another piece of information to share with you, my little cubs. And you should listen very carefully, alrightie? Today we''ll talk about healing."


    Dippo''s lecture was focused on the difference between tiers of healing spells and why it was mandatory to know about the injury before healing it. While Greater and Calamity tiers of direct healing spells could heal anything, lower tiers were not fit to handle serious cases. For example, while Lesser Mend could be used to close deep tissue tears and cracked bones, it shouldn''t be applied to broken bones and severe internal damage.


    The reason for that was simple. The spell will heal whatever it can, leaving broken and crushed parts in the same state. This improper state, in turn, will lower the chances of a proper treatment later on, or even make the damage permanent since magic will treat the damage as normal state of the body.


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    "What I mean is that you shouldn''t throw healing left and right without first inspecting the patient or you risk leaving a permanent injury. Durational, reverse, and source healing is the other deal entirely. They are situational, weak, but could be used freely whenever and however you want without any risks because they work on a different level."


    "What kind of injury shouldn''t be treated with Lesser or Major Mend?" Orisa asked worriedly.


    "Spinal cord, brain damage, severe internal injuries, bones shattered to pieces. Another thing, my precious flowers, is that you shouldn''t heal severed parts. Stop the blood flow and wait for help; if you heal the wound instead, it won''t be possible to attach the severed part back. Only do it when you are absolutely sure there won''t be any chance to treat it properly."


    On such grime note, their lecture was over, and squad members spread over their respective rooms to prepare for the hot spring visit. Clothed in long towels alone, the girls went into the women''s shower. Indeed, to Onuki''s relief, this inn was big and expensive enough to allow a luxury of separate showers and basins for men and women. Despite Tiana''s insistence, Ramulie shot down the idea of the hot spring, so there were only four of them.


    "Te-he-he, sis, your skin is so smooth. What cream do you use to keep it fresh?" Marina shamelessly touched Tiana''s side while they were showering.


    "Cream? I''m sorry, but I don''t know anything about it," Tiana muttered apologetically. She honestly thought that it was improper not to know something, especially considering her position as a future House head.


    "Oh, you don''t? Gee, it''s so nice to be young," Marina almost broke down crying, but Orisa quickly got her back to her senses with a painful pinch on the thigh.


    "Granny, you shouldn''t bother younglings. Let them have their fun and don''t spoil the joy of youth with your elderly complaints!" she grumbled jokingly and pulled Marina away from puzzled Tiana.


    "Pay no heed to these idiots," said Onuki and let out a tired sigh. "Do you need help with your back?"


    "I would love to, thank you!"


    Ten minutes and some more laughs later, the girls entered the hot spring. Unlike the traditional Japanese basins, this local variant was with a continuous flow, adding a light massaging effect from a swiftly moving stream. Since the spring''s water was too hot, a stream of cold river water was added, creating a mixed flow. Depending on own position inside the basin it was possible to get hotter or colder water. Even from the look alone, Orisa already took a liking to this place.


    Dropping their towels, Tiana and Marina went inside, walking around the basin and studying the temperature. Orisa paused for a moment, looking at the girls thoughtfully when Onuki asked her in a hushed voice:


    "Does Tiana know? I mean, about you."


    "She thinks I''m a lesbian, that''s it."


    "Hmm, I see. And you have no plans to enlighten the poor girl, I assume?"


    "At least not while I''m her only friend and mental support," Orisa answered with a tensed expression.


    "Oh, how noble of you. I wonder how much of it is true, though," Onuki''s voice was full of doubt.


    "It''s obvious that I want to be her friend and stay by her side. But I can''t even begin to imagine the horror, pain, and anguish she would go through if she were to learn the truth."


    "You haven''t thought about the same thing before telling me back then, right?"


    "Wrong. I did. And a lot, to boot. And I still think it was the right thing to do. Although, I might have pulled it in a better way, regrettably."


    "Yeah, you probably could. Regrettably," Onuki said absentmindedly and went into the pool, leaving her towel behind. Enjoying for a moment the curves she almost forgot the look of, Orisa followed Onuki''s example.


    Two hours later, clean, fed and refreshed Orisa stood on the roof of the inn which served as an improvised balcony. A small crowd gathered at one side of the roof, looking in the direction of the crater''s entrance, the gorge. After straining her eyes, Orisa was able to discern that some commotion was happening there; people with magical lights, lanterns, and torches were moving back and forth between watcher''s spots and the city.


    "What happened there?" Orisa asked with an uneasy premonition wriggling inside.


    "A few dem Beasts showed up," answered an old plump man wearing a dirty white apron, a head chef''s hat wriggled in his hands.


    "Is that a problem? They are all dead already, aren''t they?" she was still puzzled, looking at the chief with a questioning expression.


    "That they are, indeed. Dat''s not what''s on my mind, lil'' miss. Dat''s not it at all," the man muttered worriedly.


    "Then what''s the matter, sir? If you don''t mind me prying."


    "I don'' like where dis is goin'', smells like trouble if I''d say so myself. I''ve been choppin'' beef in dis kitchen for fifty long years now, and last time dem Beasts set they cursed foot inside dis lovely place was some thirty years ago, if not more."

 66 Exit strategy

    Dippo rushed the squad to leave as early as possible to cover most of the remaining work in one day. Judging by the grumbling of the chief who was still barely awake, they were the last one to enter the city yesterday and the first to leave today.


    As the group slowly rode through the city, Orisa spotted two men conversing with the guard by the city gate. When the squad passed by a trio of men, she overheard a worried voice:


    "I know you are probably right, but it''s still strange for them to stay in the field without saying something first."


    "As you said so yourself, they were scheduled to return before nightfall. I''m sure they are sleeping soundly somewhere with tons of mushrooms and herbs in their bags and would surprise you soon with their big catch."


    "I hope you are right, Patr. I really do..."


    The entrance to the gorge looked ominous. It was still too early for the sun to fully brighten up the path, so the gorge looked like a dark chasm. Orisa shivered, hushing her imagination.


    There were marks of the recent fight all over the place: scorched and smashed stone, broken arrows, and even one shattered wooden shield. Seeing the scene, Orisa recalled the conversation she had with the chief last evening, and it added to the overall gloomy mood.


    "Come on, kids. We need to pick up the pace!"


    Dippo rushed his horse, and the squad followed his example. They rode quietly, only the hoofs echoing inside the gorge. Dippo graciously illuminated the road with the floating lights, so at least they did not need to worry about the road. Orisa switched places with Clemen and was now riding by Dippo''s side.


    "I have a really bad feeling, sir."


    "Me too, dear kitten. That''s why we are rushing."


    "To get away from the trouble?"


    Dippo gave her a surprised and questioning look, before answering with a laugh:


    "No, silly, to be the first ones to get there!"


    They almost made it out of the gorge when Orisa turned to Dippo once more:


    "I think I feel Mana outside. Like, a lot..."


    "Interesting," he pondered before turning to face the squad.


    That very moment they finally made it outside the mountains, and all the Mana that was blocked by the rock appeared on Orisa''s Seal-radar. It was an oppressing, crushing amount of Mana that momentarily made her dizzy.


    The moment the last member of the squad came out of the chasm, numerous Beasts from both sides rushed to block the path, cutting the squad''s easiest and safest escape route. The road ahead was already obstructed by a few giant boulders so close to each other that no horse would be able to pass through. The ground by the road''s sides was too uneven and riddled with small obstacles that it was out of the question to lead the horses there while maintaining at least a bare minimum of speed.


    "There are dozens, if not hundreds of them everywhere around us!" Orisa yelled, looking over the surrounding scenery. Numerous Beasts stood there, growling and howling, with even more of them hiding behind rocks, inside the cracks and caverns. Razor-sharp feathers, needles, and spikes started flying from all directions.


    "Halt! To arms!" commanded Dippo and dropped from the horse.


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    "-Fog of war!-"


    While Orisa was setting up the first line of their defense, Dippo and Clemen both let out clouds of Mana to further obstruct the Beasts'' aim and field of view. Seizing the moment, Orisa pulled a minuscule vial out of her chest pocket and downed its content, an easy-to-use single dose of the Concentration potion.


    "-Jack Field!-"


    The anti-projectile barrier appeared and gave them a short breather to prepare, and everyone started moving. Amidst the shouts, buffs, and other spells, Orisa managed to ask Dippo:


    "What the hell is happening? How is it possible?"


    "Someone or something is leading them, I guess," while Dippo was answering her questions, a long and loud howl spread across the area. "Oh, and that''s our clue. A twice evolved pack hound or a wolf, something like that; yep, sounds about right. They are quite capable of following their prey, gathering more grunts to do the deed, and creating an ambush as well."


    Without any more hesitation, Dippo took out a few expensive-looking potion bottles and downed them all, tugging a few support crystals into his pockets. While he did all that, the puzzle inside Orisa''s head finally assembled. A surprisingly low amount of trouble they met on their way here; a small scouting group of the Beasts inside the city; missing people who got caught on their way back home.


    "I''ll probably be busy playing with their leader, so you''d better take care of everything-."


    But Dippo wasn''t able to finish the phrase as the Beasts rushed to their side from all directions. Orisa immediately felt the pressure rise on her barrier, straining her Mana pool. They had two lanterns at their disposal, and Dippo took one with him. The last thing he did before disappearing into the crowd of the Beasts was to shoot three red flare guns up into the air.


    "What''s the plan?" Kanai asked while throwing several healing spells.


    "We won''t be able to hold out in the open!" shouted Iten while warding off another Beast.


    "I''m thinking! Give me some time."


    Orisa bit her lip in panic and frustration. So far, only agile and swift foes like dogs and wolves made their appearance, that''s why they were still holding up. The long-ranged Beasts were giving them much trouble, eating Orisa''s Mana, and the moment stronger Beasts like boars or bears would make it to the squad''s position, everyone here would be dead. Or Orisa''s Mana would run out, leaving them without her shield to be easily picked by ranged attackers. They ought to seek cover and make it out of here.


    The entrance to the mountain path was a hundred meters away from them and would serve as a good cover. The path in that direction, however, was packed tight with the Beasts.


    A vague plan started to take shape inside Orisa''s head. The shouts around her made it harder to focus, especially while maintaining the barrier, so the frustration inside her boiled. That moment, a familiar calmness dawned upon her, and Orisa let go of the barrier to cast Enrage and more Blocks. While she was throwing the spells, her plan formed into an elegant but still extremely risky endeavor.


    "Clemen, come to me," she asked her overly enthusiastic squad mate.


    "Reporting for duty, Imperator Orisa!" saluted the boy. He was covered in blood and sweat and had a few deep cuts here and there, but it didn''t stop him from smiling.


    "I''m going to drop the shield and cast five more blocks. When I''m done, I need you to cast the Fog of War a few times. Clear?"


    "Crystal clear, sir ma''am lordship!"


    "I''m dropping the shield in five seconds, be ready!" Orisa yelled and counted to five.


    The moment the last series of Blocks appeared, she nodded to Clemen, and together they activated their skills:


    "-Fog of War!-"


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Fog of War!-"


    "-Major Status!-"


    A stream of information flooded her mind. Discarding most of it away, Orisa focused on the part that contained data on the spell and Mana flow inside Clemen''s body. With a light internal chuckle, she noticed that the intent behind the spell that made Mana distract Beasts was ''Sparkle.'' Pondering the very source of the magic system and the laws of this world, Orisa focused on the spell she was about to create. While the details were still being processed by her accelerated mind, Orisa commanded the squad:


    "Everyone! When I shoot the spell, you all jump on your horses and rush to the gorge!"


    Orisa added a few more groups of blocks to cover the squad and got on her horse. She ought to ride first to make it work. Raising her right hand, she focused on the first part, the Seal of Intensity which was supposed to increase the effects of durational and persistent magic. Without this Seal, the spell wouldn''t be able to cover their retreat. After that, the Repeating Seal took its spot in the line. Staining her mind, Orisa created the last part, the Seal of Lesser Projectiles.


    Maintaining three Seals was a feat of its own, and everything in front of Orisa''s eyes became blurry already. She focused on creating a shell and felt blood vessels pop up inside her nose yet again, but despite that still managed to finish it. The moment Orisa tried to infuse it with Mana, something clicked inside her head, and she blacked out, falling from the horse with a loud thud.


    "-Lesser Status!-"


    "-Lesser Condition!-"


    "-Lesser Mend!-"


    Onuki reacted instantly. While Kanai was pulling Orisa up, she checked the girl''s status and proceeded to heal her. A few seconds later, Orisa groaned in Kanai''s arms and came back to her senses.


    "Whatever you were doing, you need to stop," Onuki scolded her angrily.


    "I need... A buff to Dexterity and Mana control. Do it," slowly muttered Orisa with a barely audible voice.


    "Wait a bit!" said Tiana who rushed to the sight of Orisa falling from the horse. She now dashed away and pulled an unenthusiastic Ramulie a few seconds later. "Just do it, please!"


    "Guess I have no choice, then," the girl rolled her eyes and pointed her wand at Orisa:


    "-Major Mend!-"


    "-Major Owl''s Eye!-"


    "-Major Sage!-"


    "-Major Blessing!-"


    "-Major Recovery!-"


    Orisa immediately felt much better. Muttering thanks, she climbed back to her horse, renewed the Blocks around the group, and started from the beginning. Meanwhile, the squad had already lost three horses by that moment, and both Iten and Bassa were beyond exhausted, with Marina following close. They were running out of time, Mana, Barriers, and weak foes.


    Orisa remade the three Seals and the shell; slowly and carefully pouring Mana inside, she added intent to ''Sparkle.'' With the construction made of three Seals and the infused shell, Orisa aimed towards the path to the village. Opening a small hole inside the shell, she launched the spell and almost fell from the horse again, so hard it was to operate five Mana layers despite being buffed to the brim.


    Her projectile started emitting Mana that was bound to both attract and distract the Beasts; it passed through her first Seal, making the distraction more potent. Without any additional effects, it passed the Repeating Seal and came into contact with the Seal of Lesser Projectiles. At that moment, the shell disappeared, and four smaller shells came out of this Seal, flying in the same direction but with slightly altered angles. Half a second later, the Repeating Seal spat out three more shells one after another, and they were multiplied by the last seal yet again. Before the Seals disappeared, sixteen shells flew forward, showering the surrounding area with the distractive Mana fog. It looked like an advanced smokescreen right out of the WWII movies. It wouldn''t be able to hide them completely, but there was nothing she could have done to increase their odds.


    "Mount and run!" she commanded, grabbing Kanai and helping him sit behind her back since his horse was dead. The moment his hands tightened around her waist, Orisa sent the horse galloping forward.


    "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-"


    While they rode, Orisa was constantly pushing the Beasts away with the blocks. Enemies'' projectiles flew all over the place, and the Beasts were running chaotically, trying to find their prey in the blinding and maddening mist. Orisa didn''t stop her Block barrage even for a second.


    When they made it out of the distracting mist and into the gorge, Orisa noticed that her Blocks were now pushing a huge clot of Beasts deeper into the gorge. Some these Beasts managed to leap over her barriers and were now running in the squad''s direction. They were jumping back and forth between the walls of the gorge, which made it impossible for Orisa to stop them effectively, so she commanded to dismount and shouted:


    "Iten, Kanai, Clemen, these further down the road are yours to handle! Everyone else, focus on the entrance. Tiana, Shou, to me!"


    As the mist Orisa made began to dissipate, the first Beasts started getting to their position as well. Onuki, Marina, Bassa, and Ramulie were dealing with them, while Orisa explained her plan to both casters.


    "This is an experiment. I''m going to conjure Seals for both of you to shoot through them. I only tried it once and with a single Seal, so stop if you notice something is wrong."


    Tiana and Shou were both puzzled but nodded obediently to their leader. Orisa stood at the center of the gorge and spread her arms wide. She focused on the Seals, and two identical sets appeared to her left and right, above her palms. It was one of the methods Rita explained in her Seal manual, and Orisa longed to utilize it in a battle for quite some time now. It was her chance now to test it.


    Their vanguard was battling the Beasts when Orisa suddenly commanded them to get back. When all four members made it past her, Orisa yelled:


    "Fire!"


    "-Dualcast: Barrage!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Firebird!-"


    It was way harder to keep the Seals up and running when other people used them. Orisa felt like she had to fold origami during a hurricane; the Seals were constantly losing shape, making Orisa concentrate twice as hard to maintain their functionality. Aside from that, each passing spell pulled a chunk of her Mana pool to refuel the Seals, and Orisa wasn''t used to the feeling of constant borrowing.


    Each projectile was first increased in size by the Gigantic Seal and then multiplied by the Seal of Lesser Projectiles. A local branch of hell was now open on the mountain path. Shou maintained his Barrage while Tiana launched firebirds almost every second. The entrance to the gorge soon turned into a burning and smoking pit of flesh. The whole passage was covered in smoke and dust.


    Ten seconds later, Orisa found her Mana pool halved, but Shou stopped his spell and mumbled tiredly:


    "Out of Mana."


    "Cover us for a moment!" ordered Orisa to the now idle vanguard and turned to her casters. Aiming her palms at their chests, Orisa chanted:


    "-Mana Transfer!-"


    Tiana and Shou looked at her with shocked expressions plastered over their faces. The spell was extremely ineffective, that''s why nobody used it. But Orisa with her lake-like Mana pool was an exception. They switched back to shooting half a minute later, letting the vanguard retreat. The situation no longer felt as dire as it was a mere five minutes ago. They switched twice more before she noticed the number of Beasts rushing the gorge drop down.


    With her sharpened senses, Orisa spotted three wolves jumping back and forth between the walls of the gorge. They avoided all the spell fire with ease while bouncing in the air like squirrels, and Orisa understood the reason a few seconds later. The slits that all Beasts had in place of their eyes were glowing violet, the sign of their owners completing their first evolution. The once evolved wolves were cautions, cunning, dangerous beyond measure.


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    Immediately dropping the Seals, Orisa started shooting at them:


    "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    After the first few spells, Tiana and Shou both noticed new threat and tried to help Orisa shot them down. While far from dead, two of these wolves went down, but the third Beast made it to their line. Despite Orisa''s expectations, it leaped over their heads and ended up in front of the other four members who were resting at the moment.


    Orisa was already forming the Blast Shell on her palm when the Beast''s jaw closed around overwhelmed Marina''s waist.


    The wolf swung its head towards the gorge''s entrance with great force and opened the jaws at the last moment. Marina''s body was sent flying high into the air. Orisa''s Blast Shell went inside the Beast''s neck, exploding and ripping a chunk of flesh, but Orisa wasn''t paying attention. She followed the body''s trajectory with a horrified expression. Marina flew at least fifty meters if not more, and crashed somewhere outside the gorge and Orisa''s field of view.


    Channeling her Mana through the Steel Skin Seal on her right glove, Orisa activated both Thickness and Force Guard barriers. With the same variation of the Wall Rush spell that she used during the defense of the Arrival Chamber fort Orisa launched herself into the air and flew towards Marina''s body.

 67 Law of unequal exchange

    Orisa launched herself into the air without a second thought. Her sharp and focused state of mind reminded her that she had forgotten to think about the landing, thus was likely to break some bones. Despite that, Orisa was still adamant about Marina; she completely denied the fairly realistic possibility that the girl was already dead.


    Orisa was slowly flying over the Beasts that were still rushing the gorge, albeit not as eagerly as before. A flash of worry ran through her mind for a moment, but Orisa decided to believe in her friends that she left behind. ''They should be alright.''


    Her flight, in fact, was in no way slow and only due to her focused state she was able to study the surroundings. There were no signs of Marina during Orisa''s jump when she began to lose altitude, which meant that the wolf threw her even further away. When she was about to land, Orisa tried to push Mana beneath her feet to soften the fall. Lacking any intent or form, Mana merely dissolved in the air. Remembering some long-forgotten parkour lesson, Orisa tried to perform a roll while landing on the ground to reduce her inertia. Despite her attempts, the speed was too high to roll properly, so she stumbled instead and flew uncontrollably for more than ten meters.


    The Thickness barrier empowered through one of the Seals on her gloves performed a miracle. Orisa ended all sore and in pain, but her injuries were limited to a sprained ankle, broken nose, and a dislocated left shoulder. But her wounds were left unattended to perform a crucial task. Without wasting a single second, Orisa sat with the help of her intact right hand and launched the Fog spell twice, towards the gorge and into the opposite direction.


    The first Beast attacked while she was still on the ground. It was a lizard that almost stumbled over Orisa while blindly strolling inside the Mana fog. Acting almost reflexively, she trapped the Beast inside a Block Prison and launched five Blast Shells into the hole between the Blocks. But now she had announced her presence loudly and was running out of time.


    Gritting her teeth and letting out a yelp, Orisa fixed the dislocation. While helping herself up, she simultaneously channeled Mana into her left glove and activated the Regeneration Seal. A warm and soothing feeling spread over her body. It was considerably weaker than Kanai''s spells but still better than nothing or if compared to Orisa''s own healing attempts.


    While focusing on the feeling of the surrounding Mana through her Seal, Orisa was attacked by Beasts a few more times. She slowly moved through the fog, her ankle aching with every step. At least her nose stopped bleeding and clicked back to the norm after several more Regenerations.


    After walking for thirty meters, Orisa felt a faint flow of familiar Mana. She renewed the fog and ran in that direction. Right in the middle of the road lay the body of Marina in a pool of blood. Her legs and arms were all bent in wrong directions, and fang marks on the belly looked horrible as well. She was staring into the distance with open but unfocused eyes full of tears.


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    "-Blood Blockade!-"


    Infusing the Regeneration Seal with Mana, Orisa pressed it against the dying girl. Status spells revealed that Marina had little time left.


    "Sis..? Is...you?"


    "Yes. Don''t talk. I''m healing you."


    "Can''t see... a thing," Marina''s voice became even weaker.


    "Stop talking, damn," Orisa whispered, pressing the glove to Marina''s belly wounds time and time again.


    "Sorry... too late..."


    "Shut up, would you!?"


    Orisa almost yelled, outraged by Marina''s words. She wanted to scold the girl, but a volley of splinters shot in her direction, two of them hitting her right side. Thanks to empowered Thickness, one barely grazed her skin while another struck her rib, causing a lot of pain but little damage.


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    Orisa channeled Mana through the Steel Skin Seal and conjured several walls to buy them some time. More Regenerations were used on Marina, but her conditions were the same. The power of this Seal was enough to prolong Marina''s suffering, nothing more.


    "I''m sure... you are wrinkling your face again, sis. Stop it, or... you''ll end up like me...old, ugly, lonely hag..."


    "You either shut the fuck up, or I''m going to slap your ass!"


    "...can''t feel anything...below my neck..."


    Orisa managed to react in the last moment when a grey dog jumped out of the mist. She let it chew on her Force Guard while pressing her left hand against its eye-slits and sending the Palm Push Strike. The Beast wailed and took a few steps back, letting Orisa throw two Blast Shells at its face. Another Beast jumped and forced Orisa''s attention, but she still managed to hear Marina''s whisper due to her heightened senses.


    "Don''t spend...all your time...on books, promise me?"


    "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    "It''s easy...to run away from...mean people by hiding inside the books."


    "I swear, if you won''t shut up, I''ll-." - "Block Rush!" - "Triple Block Rush!"


    "When you... the first month... the school, it''s hard to... fit¡­"


    Orisa got pinned down by a bird that dived from above. While it was smashing its beak against her Force Guard, Orisa charged the Regeneration Seal and pressed it against Marina''s broken arm. The girl didn''t even flinch or otherwise reacted to the touch; she truly couldn''t feel a thing.


    "Then... the college... you are already too... scared of people..."


    Orisa found the tactic of letting the Beasts chew on her Force Guard and then shovel something explosive into their mouth or eye-slits extremely effective. The only downside was that her right hand was sore, cut in multiple places, and one finger already broken. She renewed Regeneration effects on Marina and herself and returned to a more pressing matter.


    "¡­got a job, but... it''s all the same... so you... your life inside the books..."


    It became harder to fight when two more Beasts attacked her at the same time, supported by someone still shooting spikes from afar. Her already weak Regeneration couldn''t keep up with all the wounds, so now Orisa standing on one knee with her left ankle pierced by a spike.


    "Found another... as a librarian... this was the end..."


    Orisa could barely hear Marina now. She slammed a few more rows of walls and crawled to the girl, charging the Regeneration Seal.


    "Promised myself to... start living... but when I finally... shit together... hair... grey... wrinkled..."


    "Why can''t you be silent? Would it kill you to postpone this confession to a later date?"


    "Te-he... sis is cool... not... me..."


    "You are plenty cool, idiot. So beautiful, cheerful, and strong. I''m sure you are lying about your past, too. It''s hard to believe you were like that, you know?"


    "... woke here... promised... live... fulfilling... to be... great girl..."


    Orisa renewed Regeneration and Blocks around them. Four Beasts were slamming against her walls now, and only the gloves with Steel Skin helped her maintain the barriers. ''I need time.''


    "-Mana Transfer!-" -- "-Mana Transfer!-" -- "-Mana Transfer!-"


    "Was... I a good... girl?"


    Orisa''s Mana pool was almost depleted, but she knew what she was supposed to do. She only needed some time. Some more time for the girl by her side.


    "...scared... don''t... want to..."


    Orisa focused on the spells and Seals she knew, ignoring the tears that were raining from her eyes. She tossed the spells inside her head, looking for a better way to do what she envisioned. For the first time, she was concerned about Mana and how little was left of it.


    She turned to Marina only to see the girl''s eyes closed, her body motionless. The sound of Orisa''s teeth-gritting was deafeningly loud. She charged Regeneration Seal again and slapped the girl''s cheek so hard that her head turned in the opposite direction.


    "I know you are still here! Stop joking, you idiot!" Orisa could feel Mana flowing inside Marina, although its pulse was slow and weak. Like Marina''s own heartbeat.


    Orisa channeled Mana through the Steel Skin Seal and conjured the Bulwark Seal and the Seal of Empowerment. Concentrating on the intent of the spell, she conjured a tiny spherical barrier around them. Now she only needed one Mana layer to support this shield, and could finally focus on Marina. After refreshing Regeneration on the girl, Orisa took off her tattered jacket and shirt and tore off the remnants of Marina''s top.


    "Sis... leave..."


    Most of her Force Blocks were now destroyed, and the Beasts directed their attention to the small glowing barrier, the last line of her defense. With every bite and shot they took, Orisa felt the remnants of her Mana slip away. But she ignored it all and lay on the ground close to Marina. Gritting her teeth from the pain of her broken finger, Orisa pulled Marina''s body over herself. The girl''s back felt cold on Orisa''s burning stomach. Pressing both her hands to Marina''s chest, Orisa ordered:


    "Cast your healing."


    "What... mean..."


    "Your source healing or whatever, use it now! Don''t ask questions, please!"


    She activated the Regeneration Seal again, but Marina was still silent. Almost ten seconds had passed before the girl channeled every last bit of her life force into the spell:


    "-Source Heal!-"


    Orisa felt Mana rush through her belly and into her hands, agitating Marina''s own flow and commanding it to heal its owner.


    "Good girl. My great girl. Keep it up."


    "What... how¡­"


    "JUST DO IT!"


    "-Source Heal!-"


    With every spell, Marina''s voice became firmer. It was unbelievable but pointless all the same.


    "Sis... I won''t be able to heal... everything even if... if I had more Mana. My Magic is... too weak."


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    "-Mana Transfer!-"


    Everything in front of Orisa''s eyes swayed as she blanked out for a second. Her Mana pool was empty; several more bites and the last barrier would dissolve. Orisa sobbed quietly. ''It''s unfair. I tried so hard and still¡­ Unfair!''


    "Marina, I''m sorry for giving you hope," she muttered, admitting defeat.


    "Idiot, you were supposed to run... away. I''m so glad that I... met you, stupid sis."


    Orisa sensed a huge Mana source nearby, and something big crashed into the Beasts that were chewing her barrier. When the last bit of Mana left the shield, Orisa saw a horse pressing down one of the dogs, and two figures climbing back to their feet from the ground.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Corrosive Ray!-"


    "Go! I''ll manage!" Tiana''s voice sounded frightened, almost hysterical.


    "-Lesser Status!-"


    "-Lesser Condition!-"


    Orisa felt Kanai''s spells go through her body and yelled in rage:


    "Not me, her! Heal her! She has legs and arms broken, and probably spinal cord, too."


    "Orisa, I can''t heal wounds like that. Not with how much Mana I have now," he answered with a pained expression.


    "I''ll give you Mana, just do something!"


    "Okay, but I''ll run dry in a few seconds, are you ready?"


    "JUST DO IT!"


    Kanai straightened his back and aimed at Marina with his wand. He took out a deep breath and chanted:


    "-Lifespring!-"


    A thick jet of greenish Mana shot out of his wand and into Marina''s chest. Just in a few seconds, his face turned chalk-white from severe Mana exhaustion. Orisa squeezed his leg and yelled:


    "Whatever happens, keep healing!" - "-Mana Transfer!-" - "-Mana Transfer!-"


    After one more spell, something rose up in Orisa''s throat, and she vomited a lump of blood. At the same time, something clicked loudly, and Marina''s right hand straightened, no longer bent and broken. With hope burning bright inside Orisa''s heart, she gripped Kanai''s leg even tighter.


    "-Mana Transfer!-" -- "-Mana Transfer!-" -"Ma-."


    She blacked out.


    ---


    ---


    When Orisa came back to her senses, it felt like she was sick, feverish, menstruating, and poisoned at the same time. Her entire body ached, burned, wriggled, while her head was spinning, leaving her on the brink of vomiting again. She was too afraid to open her eyes.


    "Here, drink it," something cold touched her lips, supported by a gentle voice.


    When the contents of the Mana potion moved into Orisa''s stomach, she felt better. Shuffling a little, Orisa noticed that she was lying horizontally, and her head was resting on something warm and comfy. Still wary, Orisa slowly opened her eyes.


    What she saw was a beautiful face looking at her worriedly, platinum blond hair hanging down and blocking most of the view. Orisa slowly turned her head around and finally noticed that she was resting on Tiana''s lap. The girl stopped caressing Orisa''s head and asked anxiously:


    "How are you, Orisa? Does it hurt somewhere?"


    "I''m more or less fine, just a little dizzy. How is Marina?"


    "She is here, sleeping," answered Kanai. He was sitting nearby, observing both girls. "The city guards helped us a lot. It''s too soon to say now, but they think there won''t be any serious lasting effects for her."


    Orisa let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. Tiana immediately resumed her patting duty, calming Orisa even more; the girl''s palm felt so warm and soothing that Orisa almost fell asleep again.


    "How are others?"


    "We... are glad that you both are alright," muttered Kanai. Orisa didn''t like his voice.


    "What is it?" She instantly rose up but was assaulted by severe dizziness. Calming her raging insides, she asked, "What happened?"


    "Orisa, I''m sorry..." Tiana muttered and took Orisa''s hand.


    "Kanai, what is she sorry about?"


    "Mantis. Evolved mantis jumped from above. I don''t know how he got there. Maybe climbed the mountain or just jumped high." He was silent for a few seconds. "He sliced Clemen in half. There was nothing we could do."

 68 Names on the wall

    Someone inside the village had noticed the flares that Dippo launched at the beginning of the ambush and notified the guards. By the time their company made it to the scene, Clemen had long been dead, so they could not help in the slightest. However, there was a thing that they could help with, a reckless leader that launched herself into the fray.


    While the guards helped to clear the path, Kanai and Tiana took a horse and dashed forward. They made it in time to buy the few precious minutes that Marina needed for the guards to reach the spot. Among their party was a skilled healer that saved Marina and Orisa.


    Two squads combined helped Dippo finish off the twice evolved wolf that led the ambush. In the end, the Beast tried to escape, but they predicted its tactic and surrounded the place beforehand. A twice evolved core crowned their victory but couldn''t help the mood at all.


    Dippo organized a camp right on the spot, letting some people rest while others were gathering spoils of war. That''s were Orisa found herself when she woke up. She was listening to Kanai''s report with a blank expression, Tiana''s touch over her palm no longer felt calming and soothing.


    "I know what you are thinking now. It''s not your fault," Kanai concluded the report.


    "It isn''t. Or maybe it is?" Orisa''s blank expression was supported by a lifeless voice.


    "Or maybe it''s everyone''s fault? We can''t see the future or simulate different outcomes. Maybe it was the only way?" Kanai crawled closer and took Orisa''s other hand. He turned and pointed at Marina, who was sleeping peacefully a few meters away from them. "You''ll feel like shit, I know. We all will feel the same. There is no helping it. But this girl over there is alive because of you."


    "You two saved us, so no point in shifting your achievements on me," Orisa squeezed Kanai''s and Tiana''s hands. "Thank you."


    "Orisa, you are always welcome," the girl smiled warmly, "but I hope this was the last time you put yourself in mortal danger."


    "You wish," Kanai chuckled.


    Orisa sat with her friends for several minutes before springing back on her feet. The guilt forced her to move, to do at least something. She didn''t know how to feel or what to think. Clemen wasn''t her best friend by any means, but he entrusted his life to her command, he believed in Orisa. And he was a nice kid of whom she knew almost nothing except his name-giving quirk.


    Orisa wasn''t sure of her decisions but saw no obvious flaws or mistakes in the plan she used. When she jumped towards Marina, the situation was mostly under control: she took care of the last wolf, and most enemies were already dead as well. Except for putting herself in danger, Orisa saw nothing wrong with her actions. Because of that, it was hard for her to feel genuinely guilty; that, in turn, produced another type of guilt which wormed her insides with the thought ''You are not normal. You should feel guilt and shame. Are you a psycho?'' These mixed feelings forced her to move and start doing something. There was only one thought that repeatedly echoed in her head, ''Was there something I could do?''


    While looking around the camp, Orisa''s gaze stumbled over Onuki and Iten. Their healer looked shaken, and Iten was slowly talking to her, whispering something with a firm expression. At first, Orisa jolted to help Onuki but immediately stopped herself. A sudden wave of anxiety hit her, and fearing another failure, another misstep Orisa turned and walked away. ''Iten has everything under control. I''m sure they''ll be fine,'' she kept repeating on the inside.


    Wandering around the camp aimlessly, urged by her wriggling conscience and mutated guilt to move at least somehow and somewhere, she finally stumbled over Dippo who sat on rags that were his leather jacket just this morning. He looked beaten up; hands and torso covered in small bruises and cuts, remnants of the gear bloodied and tattered; he looked exhausted. Upon noticing Orisa, he clapped on the ground by his side, inviting her to take a seat.


    "You look like shit, sir," she said after taking a seat.


    "And you feel like shit, girlie," he chuckled tiredly. They sat quietly for a few minutes, observing the camp. The guards that helped them were still there, working on the Beasts'' corpses. Dippo traded some of the spoils for five horses and added some cores as personal gratitude. "Drowning in guilt?"


    "I''m drowning in a feeling that I should feel guilty."


    "Oh, you absolutely should. It''s your damn fault, right?"


    "Yes. I know that it''s my fault, but I don''t know what I could have done better or differently to save them."


    "Are you retarded? Honestly, now I''m starting to think it might have been a mistake to make you into a leader," Dippo looked at Orisa angrily, and fear and despair clutched her insides. She bit own palm in frustration, not knowing what to do or what to think. Looking at that, Dippo only shook his head in disappointment. "You have only one problem, but that problem will lead you to ruin. Everyone already knows about, and you know as well."


    "I do?"


    "Of course you do, stupid! You are always trying to do everything yourself. You don''t trust anyone with anything, how the fuck are you supposed to lead people? And answering your absurd question, you could have organized your group the same way you led them to the gorge and charged to reclaim Marina. As I see it, most Beasts were already dead, no? So it would have been quite safe to use the same fog to ride and save her using the entire squad. Honestly, I should punish you somehow for this shit."


    "Yes, sir."


    "But it would make you feel better, so to hell with this. I need you to suffer, which would make you remember. But I''d be damned if next time you do something like that, I''ll surely demote you. No shit, got it?"


    "Yes, sir."


    They sat in silence for some more time, looking at the bustling camp, and then Orisa let out a long sigh and said:


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with me. I know I should feel guilty, but I just... Am I some kind of senseless monster?"


    "Sure as hell you are. But just like that we are all the same, aren''t we?" Suddenly Dippo patted her head twice. "It''s easy to send people to their death when you don''t care. And that''s horrible. But even easier and worse it is to hesitate and lose moment thanks to caring too much as well."


    "I know all that. It''s just that I don''t understand why I feel that way. I mean, Clemen was a little troublesome but still freaking fun guy. Why do I feel so distant then?" she looked at Dippo with pleading eyes, asking for something. Yearning for something she couldn''t even formulate inside her head. But Dippo only stared at her quietly, so she started talking again. "I barely knew him, too. He appeared so suddenly and unexpectedly, exploded like a hurricane. The first time he called me ''Lord General Lady Orisa Sir Ma''am'' I almost died on the spot. He spewed crap like that nonchalantly all the time, and his straight face made everything so hilarious. As if in his own world, he didn''t care what others thought or how he looked. Just went so casually and freely..."


    Only then Orisa understood that she started crying. Tears rolled slowly and quietly; her words made her realize everything. She understood not only with her mind but with the heart as well, it finally hit her.


    They made a small grave by the road, but Dippo said it was only to bury the body since the real farewell they''ll say back at the headquarters.


    Orisa was the last to move, standing by the grave until everyone moved away.


    "Thank you for guarding them. Thank you for following me. I wish I knew you more. Forgive your Demon General, Clemen. I won''t let your efforts go to waste, you''ll be the first and the last one, I promise."


    They made it to the headquarters, and Dippo gathered the squad half an hour later. He walked the group to the backside of the mansions, to the part where there were no windows or doors, only a wide wall. It was hard to see in the dark, but when Orisa got closer, she understood. The wall was riddled with names. There were hundreds of them, maybe even thousands.


    Dippo took out an instrument that looked like a metal pen and inserted a crystal into its head. When the pen began to glow red, Dippo started carving another name on the wall''s surface.


    "What is this tool, sir?"


    "Don''t know its name. Only know that if I use it, the building''s Seals would recognize the change in the wall and forever preserve it as if it was the part of the mansion from the beginning."


    When he was done, another name appeared in the last row:


    --- Clemen Tinn ---


    All of a sudden, Dippo smacked his fist into the wall, leaving a bloodied mark over the freshly added line, and said:


    "I did not want to add your name."


    When the squad members began to leave the place after a few minutes of silence, Orisa pulled Kanai and Tiana to the side.


    "I know it''s an inappropriate time to do so, but I''m too afraid to get lost in all the tasks and happenings and forget about what''s important," Orisa began while fidgeting slightly. Indeed, it was time to mourn and stay silent, but a few events of the past week made her more hesitant to leave things for another day.Still in doubt, she continued all the same, "I had no chance to thank you for what you did..."


    "Orisa, there is no-," Tiana tried to reply, but Orisa grabbed them both in a tight embrace:


    "Thank you so much! If not for you, there would be two more names on the wall. Thank you for saving us!"


    "Orisa, you don''t need to say it like that. Everyone would do the same," Tiana finally said.


    "No, you don''t get it. This idiot here thinks only she can help people or save them. But when someone else does the same, it''s something out of the ordinary for her, a grand shock."


    "Screw you, jerk," Orisa muttered quietly. Kanai''s words hit the spot.


    "There, there, don''t act all tsundere," to Orisa''s embarrassment, Kanai patted her on the head. "We are always here for you the same way as you are there for us. And... I''m sorry that we couldn''t help Clemen."


    "It''s no one''s fault!"


    "I wish you would honestly think the same," Tiana added quietly.


    They stayed like that for some time before Orisa let go of her friends and went to look for Marina. The girl had been silent for the whole day, and she was worried about her.


    As was expected, Orisa found Marina in her hideout on the far side for the mansion, atop the warehouse roof. The girl lay on the couch motionless, staring into the distance with a blank expression.


    Orisa sat on the floor right in front of Marina''s face and began to stroke the girl''s head, her palm slowly moving over Marina''s hair and cheek.


    "It was tough," Orisa said while caressing the girl.


    Finally, Marina''s gaze focused on Orisa, and she said with a hollow voice:


    "I thought I was ready. When I landed on the ground and lay powerless on the road, I thought it was okay, that I had my share of fun and it was time to pay the bill. But then you came and shown me that I was not alone anymore..."


    Marina looked Orisa in the eyes, and then her face distorted. She moved abruptly and stuck her head under Orisa''s chin, hugging her with both hands. Orisa felt the girl''s body shudder and heard her wail a moment later:


    "I was so scared! I didn''t want to die!"


    "I know, I know," Orisa said slowly and kept caressing the girl''s head. "I was scared, too. But it''s okay now. We are safe, and I won''t let it happen again. I promise."


    Several minutes had passed before Marina stopped crying. During that time, Orisa felt how tension was gradually leaving the girl''s body. She became more relaxed, her grip around Orisa softened, and Marina went limp. When she distanced herself, Orisa''s shirt was all wet from tears.


    "Sorry..." Marina muttered in embarrassment. Her face, albeit red, looked better. Life returned to her eyes, as well.


    "There is nothing to be sorry about, Marina. You got ahead of me, but I wanted to do exactly the same," Orisa said with a gentle smile. She removed her shirt and went to hang it on the chair to dry a little.


    "Liar. Can''t imagine you crying, you are too cool for that."


    "I''m not cool at all, and you know it. But it''s easier, at least for me, I think, to shovel my problems and ignore them when helping other people."


    "Come here," Marina sat up and opened her arms, inviting Orisa.


    There was no need for a second invitation, and Orisa swiftly moved to the couch, letting Marina''s strong arms grab her and press tighter to herself. They cuddled for some time, enjoying the calming warmth of each other''s bodies before Marina spoke again:


    "You know, somewhere along the line I wanted to say ''I love you''." Orisa jolted and tried to distance herself, but Marina held her tight. "Te-he-he, don''t panic, sis. Now I''m sure that''s not the love I''m feeling. Sure, I like you very much. I admire your, hmm, everything, I guess? Anyway, I could go on forever about your traits or appearance, but that''s not the point. What I mean is that it''s great to be around you, even snuggle like that, he-he. By your side, I feel like I can achieve my goal of living a fulfilling life with no regrets. But that is not love, right?"


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    "Yes," mumbled a still flustered and blushing Orisa.


    "But it would turn out bad if you are in love with me, sis," Marina chuckled and kissed Orisa''s forehead.


    "No-no, I feel exactly the same!"


    "Isn''t that great, huh? What we are then, I wonder. Best sisters in the world?"


    "I''m not sure sisters are supposed to do the things we did a few times already," they both laughed over Orisa''s comment.


    "I''m sorry for Clemen," Marina said a few minutes later.


    "Yes, it''s..." Orisa''s body tensed up inside Marina''s embrace.


    "If you promise me you won''t blame yourself, I''ll promise not to blame myself for being weak and letting that Beast throw me away."


    Orisa abruptly turned her head to look at Marina. What she saw was a serious face with a hint of pain in the eyes. They looked at each other from some time, a wordless exchange going between them, and then Orisa turned away and relaxed a bit.


    "Okay, I promise."


    Three more days of rest and recuperation passed. Dippo gave out huge bags filled with coins, a three week''s worth of salary that they skipped due to various events. The squad was gradually returning to its normal state, although the gap that Clemen left was evident.


    At the evening of the third day, Dippo gathered them and announced:


    "I''m leaving for some time, kids. It''s OK to rest a bit more, but I need you to get back to work. Don''t let what happened to drag you down. Plan another patrol or something. While Sean''s group is still here, you can team up with them, too. Alrightie? Don''t sulk and prove your worth. I believe in you."


    ---


    ---


    "Welcome to the capital, sir!" saluted a soldier in charge of the identity check before returning Dippo his tag. The captain nodded and walked from the underground gate, setting his feet on one of the main streets of Mitras. Breathing in a mouthful of air, Dippo grimaced in disgust. Due to the giant walls, the wind rarely found its way into the streets. Stale air always ticked Dippo off, and now it was carrying a hint of smoke as well, despite the incident being resolved two weeks ago. Rain was picking up the pace as well, a clear sign of a hateful season that would last for a month or two and cover the entire central region, slowly moving its front from north to south. He hated rainy season as much as he hated the capital.


    After making a turn into a dark narrow alley, Dippo muttered under his breath:


    "-Crimson Shade!-"


    His silhouette blurred and became almost invisible, completely indistinguishable on poorly illuminated streets leading to his destination. The safehouse he headed towards was hidden inside one of the poorest and most despised districts of the capital, which didn''t add to his mood.


    Dippo casually moved through the streets and dark alleys, sipping from a Mana potion from time to time. His spell worked wonders on people who couldn''t sense Mana, but was useless against Beasts for an obvious reason. His former captain questioned the need to learn anti-human skills, but Dippo knew better. The spell helped him greatly even before his fated meeting with Nowa, and now it was his greatest tool.


    The further he dived into the slumps, the more disgusted he became. The smell got into his sensitive nose and inside his throat, making him want to throw up. While the reason for the safehouse'' location was obvious, Dippo still wanted to smack Nowa''s face.


    He made another turn and was walking inside a narrow and almost completely dark alleyway when a muffled sobbing and whispers touched his ears. A little further into the alley, two men were raping a woman on the pile of trash, ignoring a light rain. One was holding her arms with one hand and playing with her chest with another hand, while the second man was doing the deed. As Dippo passed by them unnoticed, he saw the woman all beaten up, crying silently with a dejected look on her face. Rolling his eyes tiredly, Dippo took his dagger and made two light swings.


    The woman noticed something was wrong when the pain from her lower regions subsided. Dippo ignored her and kept walking away, but a horrified scream he heard worked as a pleasant tune for his nerves. Whistling something quietly, he continued the walk. A smile touched his lips.


    A matter displacement gate hid behind a heavy wardrobe inside a rented room in the basement of a run-down house. By the time Dippo had made it inside the hideout, his mood had already gone up thanks to clearing some human garbage. Inside a dusty but nicely illuminated room were several boxes and shelves filled with various items, reagents, and consumables; another door led to a shower and a toilet. In the far corner of the room on a single bed lay humanoid charcoal.


    Nowanzi Goalo looked as one would imagine a human-sized kebab. His entire torso, right arm, neck, and part of the face were all charred, covered by a black crust. His entire body was constantly glowing green, a sign of healing magic. Hunter Nowa looked at his guest and put away the book he was reading.


    "Drugan? How nice of you to arrive ahead of time."


    "Ten minutes is not ahead of time. Nowa, dear, you look so yummy."


    "A joke I was expecting, umu."


    "Do you, by chance, need something? Tea, porridge, massage?"


    "Nothing my summon couldn''t handle, thank you."


    Dippo felt a breath on his neck and shivered. Only a second later he was able to feel its presence. While curious, he decided against checking the summon''s appearance and walked towards the bed. A guest chair was found by its side, so Dippo occupied it and stared at Nowa expectantly:


    "So what''s going on?"


    "What might you mean by that question?"


    "Don''t play fucking dumb, okay? The hell you did to the capital and the guards? That''s not what we talked about."


    "Everything is according to the plan. Well, except for the burns. I hit the wall quite some time ago, but the dog keeps getting stronger and stronger."


    "Is that his fancy black flame or whatever?" Dippo nodded to the blackened skin.


    "Umu. No matter, I prevailed in my mission and achieved the goal, so don''t let little details cloud your judgment. If it is that important for you, I haven''t killed anyone. A few corpses were made by our friend''s pets. The rest, I assume, were treated as witnesses and eliminated to keep the secret."


    "So what''s about that goal of yours?" muttered Dippo several seconds later. Despite his appearance and demeanor, he cherished the guards and other military soldiers who simply performed their duties and didn''t want them to die aimlessly. While he harbored a little doubt about Nowa''s words, his story was believable. With the strength that Nowa possessed, it was child''s play to render the guards unconscious or avoid them altogether, so there was little incentive for Nowa to kill them.


    "As I expected, the first Vault is there, its door open. However, everything inside was powered down. When I tried to turn it on, our friend appeared. You know the rest."


    "What he was doing there, I wonder."


    "An obvious assumption is that he was visiting the Commander. From the fact that both the Commander and his guards joined the fight against me, we can draw only one conclusion - the Military is already under his toe. An upsetting but unimportant event since the plan never depended on their participation."


    "You say it''s unimportant, but I find it fucking hard to ignore an army, you know?"


    "Umu. Fear not, for I am sure even Commander would find it hard to explain why the Military should support the dog. The only thing the Commander can do is to postpone or block any attempts to organize the Military against our slit-eyed friend. Thus, unimportant. Everything is in accordance with the plan."


    Dippo grimaced unhappily. He still couldn''t completely buy Nowa''s attitude. His constant ''Everything went as I planned'' ticked Dippo off to an unimaginable extent, even though indeed everything proceeded as Nowa envisioned.


    "On this note, it''s time for you to relay how our kids are doing, Drugan."


    "I hate the name, and you know it."


    "Umu."


    "Nowa, dear, sometimes my hands are itching to pick both daggers and ram them into your eyeballs."


    "Oho? Well, I have grave news for you, then. One girl has already done so once, but it did not work out well. For her, of course. Also, I''m already doing you a big service by ignoring all your dear-dear-dear, so you should show some gratitude."


    "Tch. Okay, fine, I got it. A lot has happened since our last meeting, but I''ll tell you little details later. The most important thing is, I think she accidentally found the entrance to the third Vault."


    "Hoh? That one near your base that we couldn''t locate all this time? How very amusing, I must say. Extremely wonderful, terrific. Umu!"

 69 Time for a crusade

    While Dippo was helping hunter Nowa move to another hideout far from the capital, Orisa had been exchanging numerous letters with Rita. The last one hit close to home, and Orisa decided to move:


    ***


    "I too think this is as best as it could get if you are aiming to discover the contents of this cave, Orisa. You have a free reign for now, and another, more experienced team is there to assist you. It might be the best deal you would ever get. Even knowing how dangerous it is, I agree that the cave looks too important and too suspicious to ignore.


    But you need to go prepared. I am sure you were not neglecting your training, and your new spells look fine, yet I would recommend and even insist on learning some skills from my own repertoire. You will find a detailed manual below.


    I wish you luck, Orisa, dear. Stay safe."


    ***


    Dippo was away, and Sean favored Orisa and accepted her as a worthy leader of her squad. The stars aligned.


    "Excuse me, Sean I need to talk to you. Is this a good time?" Orisa said upon knocking on the door to his room. Together with Jando, Sean recently moved to a vacant room which the two of them were occupying now.


    "Oh, yes, come in, please," the answer immediately followed. Orisa stepped inside and found Sean alone, reading some papers behind a neat brown desk. Orisa was so nervous and focused on her mission that she skipped the room''s interior altogether and swiftly moved towards the table. "How can I help you? If I''m not wrong, you look quite stressed. Is there something that bothers you?"


    "Um, yes, I mean no. Well, maybe?" She took a chair and seated herself on the other side of the table. "When the captain left, he said that he wanted me to organize another raid. He also suggested us to work together and create a combined group if needed."


    Orisa threaded a thin line. She didn''t lie, but her interpretation of Dippo''s orders wasn''t as straightforward as one would expect.


    "Strange that it is the first time I hear about it, yet sounds interesting, indeed. A welcoming learning experience for you, and a pleasant company for us."


    "My thoughts exactly!" Orisa tried to sound both naive and surprised.


    "I see that leading minds think alike. If you would like to, I can come up with a route that would provide as varied an experience as possible. That is, unless you already have something in mind?"


    "Oh, I''m not sure about the idea, but I have something on my mind, yes. I thought about returning to that cave where we found you. You know, for obvious reasons."


    "I like your way of thinking, Orisa. An interesting idea, that''s for sure. We have an unfinished task at hand. The danger level is rather high, but not unmanageable, especially for a combined taskforce. And the location is familiar and not far away. Three Beasts with one Firebird, I like it."


    "Great! Awesome, brilliant, perfect. Would it be okay for you to give us four days to prepare? I''d like to do some more training and learning before the departure. Plus, I think it would be better to let everyone rest mentally. You know, after Clemen and everything."


    "I can''t stop admiring your attitude, Orisa. You think about your team and their well-being and plan ahead accordingly. What a promising leader you are."


    "Please, you are exaggerating. There is nothing great about me or the way I do things. Even more so after the last raid. It''s mere common sense."


    "I wish more people possessed such common sense."


    Half an hour later, Orisa gathered her squad and made an announcement with the assistance of Sean:


    "Guys, upon Dippo''s orders we''ve decided on another raid. We are going to the same cave where we found Sean. I know it sounds scary, but Sean''s group will be there with us, so things should work out quite well."


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    "Indeed, what Orisa said is true. We still have an unfinished job of clearing the snakes, and it will be a convenient learning opportunity for you all."


    "What''s the goal of the expedition?" Iten raised his hand, eyeing Orisa suspiciously. However, it was Sean who answered the question:


    "As I said, our primary goal is to eradicate evolved snakes. The combined power of our two squads will be enough to cover the situation. And the secondary goal is to provide your squad with more combat experience."


    Iten still looked skeptical, but Orisa eyed him frantically, signaling to shut up.


    "If you don''t have any more questions, let''s start with the preparations. We have four days counting today, and I hope to get some more training done by all of you in the meantime."


    "I don''t like this..." Iten muttered but refrained from other questions. He was vary of Orisa''s obsession but had some faith in Sean''s support.


    In the following days, Orisa not only learned and practiced the Sealcasting that Rita provided, but also asked Marina to teach her the Source Heal.


    "Oh, you want to know, sis? Well, I guess it might be a good idea. Just remember that it relies not on your stats but on your target instead, so no point in using it for yourself."


    "Yes, I understand. Just thought it would be better to have something alongside the Regeneration Seal."


    "Te-he, let''s hope you won''t need to save me again. Anyway, I''ll now explain how it works, so you can-," Marina began but was immediately stopped by Orisa.


    "No need for explanations, just cast it a few times, I''ll scan your Mana flow."


    "Wow, you can do that? But yeah, I think I saw you do this once already. Yahho, sis is super cool! Okay, here I go!"


    "-Source Heal!-"


    "-Major Status!-"


    They went for several repetitions before Orisa got the hang of the spell, and she proceeded to practice it by herself to let her body memorize it. The day went on, full of training and exercises. Orisa was glad to see Sean''s squad on the training field as well. They were going through various formations and techniques to counter the acid attacks of the snakes, which made Orisa think about her squad''s protection as well.


    It was their last day before the raid when she tiredly slumped into Dippo''s favorite chaise lounge on the terrace. The late evening breeze pleasantly cooled her skin, red and hot after the shower. Back in her old days, Orisa would have never dared to go out like that, fearing to catch a cold and go down with a fever. But a young, healthy, and a reasonably trained body was bliss in this regard. Orisa was dead tired from all the learning and practicing, she even asked Onuki to help her pack the luggage. Deep in thought, Orisa was startled by a familiar voice:


    "How is your Super Saiyan form doing?"


    Kanai walked towards the closest seat and slumped there. Just like Orisa, he was giving the training his everything and now was exhausted.


    "I prefer to focus on my midichlorians, you know me," she chuckled and looked at Kanai.


    "Actually, I don''t. And I''m not even sure anybody here does," Kanai blurted out and looked at Orisa. "You are the one asking questions but hesitant to answer them."


    "Fancy of you to say that, my dude. I know nothing about you as well."


    "There is nothing interesting to know here, so no point in telling."


    "Oh well, same here."


    They glared at each other for a few moments and then simultaneously began to laugh.


    "Honestly, there is nothing to know about me, bro," Orisa wiped a lone tear, still chuckling. "I was in the middle of my thirties, normal salary, well, person. No family, no kids, few friends. That''s more or less it."


    "You are not on a job interview, so don''t give me that pointless summary. Hobbies, interests, love affairs?"


    Orisa stared at Kanai suspiciously. She never thought of him as the kind of person who would want to know details like that. In the end, she saw no harm in talking about her life. Besides, Orisa wanted to chat with Kanai for quite some time, and this was an ideal opportunity.


    "Okay, okay, don''t be so pushy, gosh. Well, it''s quite obvious that I''m a weeb like you," both let out a laugh again. "That aside, I was a gamer, of course. A tough choice between three hours of sleep or three hours of gaming, heh. That pretty much sums up my hobbies, you know?"


    "Not sure if I should pity or envy you," Kanai shook his head in amusement. "What about the last question, then? Were you a lonely girl hugging a body pillow of some random husbando all night long?"


    "Hey, that''s unfair! Body pillows are sacred, you shouldn''t lump them together with something as disgusting as relationships and handholding."


    "I agree, handholding is too lewd to do, especially with body pillows. But seriously?"


    "Oh, I''m telling you there was nothing special as well," Orisa grumbled and waved Kanai away. "I had several tries, but it didn''t work out well."


    "And? I feel there is more to it."


    "Would you stop already? Damn. Yes, there was another person I admired for years, but when I finally decided to advance, I was already looking at a fancy green magic circle casting the Translation spell. Happy now?"


    "Stop pouting like a little kid," Kanai laughed and patter Orisa''s head. "There, there, good girl. What about now? Any plans or maybe someone on your mind already?"


    "Oi-oi, are you hitting on me or something, bro?"


    "Not interested, and you know it!"


    "Yeah, that''s what I like about you, Kanai. To tell the truth, I''m not into men that much, so I was hesitant about getting closer to you and Iten at first. You know, because it would have become awkward were you to fall for me or something. But then Iten found Nene, and you... Ahem, I believe you, anyway. Knowing all that, I can relax around you and be myself without any reservations. Honestly, you can''t even imagine how I glad I am to have you here, bro. It''s so nice to be around you, to spew nerd shit and everything."


    "Same here," he mumbled while blushing slightly. "It was hard. Well, coming to this world, I mean. And it still is, but at least I can manage when I''m around you..."


    He turned to face Orisa, all flustered after saying everything, and immediately smacked her forehead:


    "Could you, I don''t know, behave normally for a few seconds?! I can totally see it in your eyes, this burning desire to spit another stupid anime quote. Damn, and here I was opening my heart to you, a cruel and soulless weeb demon!"


    "Te-he-he, you two are so cute together!" A hurricane named Marina exploded on the balcony and proceeded to wreck chaos amidst the pair. "I so wish you would end up with each other, ohmigod!"


    "And here is our Fujiwara," Orisa began laughing, and Kanai followed shortly after.


    ---


    ---


    The combined raid was standing in front of the entrance to the cave, their destination. It was long past midday when they made it here, drenched in rain and being constantly distracted by the Beasts that were plentiful due to a recent Wave. Despite having to fight constantly, the group suffered almost no damage and safely made it to their goal, pockets full of freshly salvaged Mana cores. They even managed to get several evolved cores, so Sean was humming happily; by his standards, the raid was already a huge success.


    "We should enter the cave and split into two groups. The first will block the entrance for thirty minutes while the second one is resting, then we swap to let the first group rest."


    Sean led the raid, and everyone trusted his experience, so there were no objections to his plan. To Orisa''s pleasant surprise, he often asked her opinion on the matters, sharing his thoughts as well. Orisa took a great liking to the man who tried his best to teach her various things related to raiding and squad management.


    "Orisa, you should pick members for both groups," he said with the usual encouraging smile.


    "Thank you for your trust, Sean," she nodded and turned to look at the group.


    While Orisa was splitting the team in her head, counting defenders, healers, and attackers, the group kept fighting against the coming Beasts. The assault never stopped and only grew in intensity over time as more and more monsters rushed at the group.


    The party slowly entered the cave, with Orisa telling each member what side they belonged to, either resting or defending group. When they were done with the selection, the first half blocked the entrance, letting the resting party relax a little and try to dry their clothes.


    It was five minutes into their break when everyone heard a loud hissing.

 70 The price of obsession

    The party slowly entered the cave, with Orisa telling each member what side they belonged to, either resting or defending group. When they were done with the selection, the first half blocked the entrance, letting the resting part relax a little.


    It was five minutes into their break when everyone heard a loud hissing.


    The moment they heard the dreadful noise, rocks in front of the cave''s entrance exploded, and numerous bugs crawled from the ground.


    "Burrowers! Look for more holes inside the walls!" yelled Sean, but his warning came too late.


    Similar bugs began to fall from the cave''s ceiling, which was apparently riddled with holes and burrows made by these same bugs. They rained down on the squad members like hail, covering the floor. Nobody got badly hurt from the initial attack since the bugs were rather light and also needed time to prepare for combat after the landing. The main force was outside the cave, and bug-troopers served as a distraction to make the squad falter and delve into a panic. Sean skillfully managed the raid, directing most of the fighters to the entrance. Only a handful of people were left to deal with bugs inside the walls, including Orisa and Tiana.


    Another loud hissing came from the cave''s depth, and Orisa finally sensed something approach. A lone figure of the snake slithered into the light and immediately took a shooting stance.


    "-Jack Field!-"


    Orisa made an anti-projectile barrier with one hand, fighting the bugs with another, and the first acid lump landed on the shield a moment later. More followed soon after. Orisa didn''t need to look at the scene to feel more and more Mana sources closing on their position. Soon, four snakes poured down acid rain.


    The cause of both distress and relief was the fact that snakes were not evolved, although Orisa remembered well the warnings about evolved snakes. And their lack made the fight easier but more concerning at the same time. When two more snakes showed from the dark, Orisa decided to move:


    "Sean, I can''t cover us for too long, we''ll go and clean the snakes!"


    "Take two people with you and be careful!"


    "Tiana, Bassa, we''ll move forward. Advance slowly under my shields and be ready to counter melee attacks!"


    When the armored boy grumbled and moved forward, his sister almost exploded:


    "I won''t let you go alone! I''m going as well!"


    "I can take two people, as you have probably heard Sean," Orisa retorted. She didn''t have time to argue with the siblings.


    "I don''t care. I''m going!" the sugar princess screamed and stomped her feet angrily.


    "Okay, then you go, but your brother is staying."


    "Sister, you move with Lady Tiana and heal her if anything were to happen. I will protect your back, don''t worry," suddenly, Bassa sounded very reasonable for his usual self.


    "Please, hurry up," rushed them Tiana and moved with Orisa. Together, they slowly advanced until Ramulie caught up with them.


    Orisa was confident in her ability to protect, so as a support to the initial pair of Tiana and herself, Ramulie worked even better than Bassa. For a moment, it made her wonder why she didn''t think of that herself despite being under the Concentration potion. All her other friends were covering the entrance, which narrowed her choice to Tiana alone. But what made her subconsciously exclude a useful healer Ramulie? Now she had no time to think about it.


    They slowly advanced towards the snakes. Orisa wanted them to get closer since Tiana''s spells were mostly mid- or close-ranged, and her fighting style was accustomed to being not far away from her foes and under the protection of the siblings. Orisa subconsciously tried to make everything more comfortable for Tiana, even when in the middle of combat.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Chain Lightning!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Firebird!-"


    While Tiana was attacking the snakes, Ramulie gave her a full set of buffs, and even Orisa got some to her great surprise. One snake was down, three kept shooting, and the remaining two slithered towards the trio to engage in melee combat.


    "Tiana, use the Seals," ordered Orisa and conjured a pair of Seals with her left hand.


    During their preparation period, Orisa practiced a lot to increase the speed and stability of the Sealcasting, which included external Seals for other people to use. Out of four stable Mana layers, she used one to maintain an anti-projectile shield, the second layer went to supply the Lantern, and two more were used for the Sealcasting to empower Tiana.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Ice Blast!-"


    "-Major Smite!-"


    Ramulie helped Tiana as well, but ignored Orisa''s Seals altogether. Out of three Beasts who moved to them, only one was still alive, but Tiana swiftly finished it off. Orisa took a quick peek at the entrance. Things looked under control there as well; the frontal group was holding out under the assault of the bugs and other Beasts while Bassa and two members of Sean''s squad were battling the bug-troopers. ''Despite the ambush, I feel we are doing great,'' she thought for a moment.


    They were too distracted with finishing off the last two snakes, and when Orisa finally sensed new Mana sources, it was too late. The burrows made by the bugs were placed here deep inside the cave as well, and snakes began to fall from there the moment Orisa and her group passed by to finish two remaining shooters.


    As if time around her slowed manifold, Orisa watched the Beasts fall from the ceiling. Their eye-slits glowed violet, a sign of the evolution. There were at least five of them, but Orisa now could sense more Mana sources wriggling above. She readied both her hands to start pushing the Beasts away with her signature Block Rush, but something clicked in her head the last moment before the spells launched from her palms, ''If I''ll push them away, the Beasts would land right on the backs of the squad members. Everyone would end up dead in a matter of seconds, jammed between bugs from the outside and evolved snakes from the inside.''


    The first snake fell to the ground and immediately stood up, ready to attack Orisa. The two were only four meters apart, and Orisa had no other choice:


    "Brace for impact!" she shouted and turned to grab both girls.


    The moment Orisa''s hands took hold of Tiana and Ramulie, she used her new spell. It was new only in the name since she had already used it twice before. After the last time, Orisa decided to train the spell properly, considering it a useful emergency tool:


    "-Launch!-"


    A cloud of Mana formed behind her back and embraced the three of them inside a sphere that launched forward and into the cave''s depth. Both girls squirmed in panic, but Orisa only pressed them tighter. While they were flying, she activated the Thickness barrier and turned around inside the sphere to act as a cushion for the girls. Despite her numerous attempts, she wasn''t able to fine-tune the spell to make a soft landing. The best result she had produced after four hours under the Concentration potion was to slow the sphere''s speed and make it break upon impact to use the remnants of its surface to reduce inertia a bit.


    "The hell-," began to argue Ramulie but was interrupted by the landing.


    The sphere broke, releasing the tangled girls. As was planned, Orisa dropped on the ground, hugging the girls that landed on top. It wasn''t as painful as she expected due to the Thickness barrier, and her party ended with only a few bruises.


    "What the hell was that? Are you finally out of your mind, you brainless abomination?!" Ramulie grumbled and stood up, glaring Orisa.


    "No time for that. Evolved snakes are coming here."


    Despite saying that with confidence, Orisa wasn''t sure the Beasts would follow her, and to make that happen, she used another spell:


    "-Aggro!-"


    It was the spell to make Mana inside her more active and attractive to Beasts, forcing them to switch their attention to her. As expected, a loud hissing followed. Orisa couldn''t let the snakes attack the squad.


    "Buff me," she ordered Ramulie and turned to Tiana. "We are going to retreat deeper into the cave while I''m blocking the Beasts. Don''t attack them unless they are close. Illuminate the cave. Move!"


    "I''m not going to-," almost screamed Ramulie. Orisa slapped the girl''s cheek, grabbed her dress, and shook violently:


    "Wake up! We are going to die in a few seconds if we aren''t working as a team!"


    As both girls started moving, Orisa turned to face the snakes who were thirty meters away now.


    "-Jack Field!-"


    "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-" -- "-Triple Block!-"


    Using her right hand to produce one half of the anti-projectile barrier in case of acid attacks, Orisa kept building the walls around the cave. The path was too wide to be easily blocked, so she needed at least three sets of Blocks to cover the whole thing. She made another layer of walls, turned around and ran after the girls. While the Blocks were still there, she wasn''t afraid of the acid attacks, meaning there was no need for a Jack Field as well. Orisa used the time to cast one of Rita''s signature spells on the move:


    "-Mana Source!-"


    Three Seals appeared between her palms, and Mana flowed from one side to another, augmented and enriched in the process. It was Rita''s Fountain of Eternal Youth, the Mana-replenishing spell that Orisa decided to rename since it reeked of eight-grade syndrome too much. Instructions for this and few other spells were included in the letter, so Orisa diligently practiced them until perfection. She heard a sound of breaking Barriers and turned to the snakes. By a miraculous coincidence, she also activated Jack Field, and a mere fraction of second later, numerous tiny acid bullets rammed into the shield. They were incredibly fast and shot from a long distance, too. Orisa noticed several snakes slithering in her direction, and one more standing behind their backs and spitting the projectiles. ''I''m fucked,'' she thought, understanding that it wouldn''t be possible to build a proper wall under this acid barrage.


    "Run!" she screamed at the girls.


    No longer paying attention to them, Orisa turned to face the snakes. She launched several fog-making projectiles to tamper with the snake''s aim and proceeded to create more walls. Each of her Blocks could hold only a few hits of acid bullets before breaking. ''That shit is too far away from the Lantern, damn,'' cursed Orisa before placing another layer of Blocks. Her goal was to buy as much time as possible for the girls behind her.


    Despite constant attacks, Orisa managed to leave a short maze made of Force Blocks; the construction wouldn''t be able to hold on, but at least it will slow the Beasts down somewhat. When the first snake was only a few meters away from her, Orisa shouted:


    "-Launch!-"


    While the Beasts were overcoming the obstacles she left, Orisa proceeded to build another layer of Blocks after the landing. She repeated the same procedure twice before deciding that she had bough enough time and now was free to run.


    "-Aggro!-"


    Orisa renewed her taunting spell and sprinted after Tiana and Ramulie, throwing back Blocks to stall the Beasts more. When she caught up with the pair, Ramulie was sweating and panting heavily.


    "We are almost here, keep going," Orisa said to the sugar princess. "We''ll hole inside the opening where I found Sean and lure the snakes here, killing them one by one in that narrow path."


    "Are you nuts?!" shouted Ramulie, breathing heavily. "You want us to get into a dead-end?!"


    "The snakes will catch up with us soon. We don''t stand a chance in the open, especially against evolved snakes. And we don''t know where this cave leads. We might end up in a worse situation. It''s the only chance for us."


    "I trust Orisa completely. She is our leader and the one making decisions," Tiana said calmly and looked at Ramulie who shut up under Tiana''s gaze.


    They finally made it to the crack in the wall leading into the opening where Orisa found Sean and had a strange sensation. Indeed, the moment they got close to the narrow path, Orisa sensed pressure raise in her. The same feeling assaulted her, called and urged to uncover the truth. She shook her head to clear the thoughts, placed several barriers outside, and crawled into the room. The girls followed closely after.


    "Ramulie, buff us and stay far away in case something goes wrong," Orisa ordered.


    "And what could possibly go wrong with your perfect plan?" the girl argued back, nervously shuffling to the far side of the opening. Despite her attitude, Ramulie proceeded to buff them all. She knew all too well that her life was on the line as well as that of her liege, Tiana. Ignoring her blabbering, Orisa turned to the last party member:


    "Tiana, I''m going to place a barrier that would let you shoot through it. Use my Seals and go all out on the offensive. You are our only hope."


    "Don''t worry," Tiana said and placed her hands on Orisa''s shoulder. "I trust you. You had never let me down before, and I won''t let you down either."


    "I''m so glad I met you, my friend."


    Orisa quickly hugged Tiana and dropped down on one knee right in front of the crack in the wall. She renewed the Aggro spell and conjured the Jack Field barrier with her left hand, shrinking its size and range to fit their current situation. With her right hand, Orisa prepared three Seals for Tiana, wishing her Mana pool would last long enough. Her only hope was that the snakes would be inside the Lantern''s range, weakened and slowed. She sensed several Mana sources closing on their position even through thick stone.


    "They are coming, get ready!"


    Due to Tiana''s efforts, the opening, the crack, and the cave on the other side were well illuminated, and when the first head appeared inside the narrow path, Tiana went all out:


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Chain Lightning!"-


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Firebird!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Major Cold Blast!-"


    Orisa was astonished by the speed of Tiana''s chanting; the girl threw spell after spell, sending hell through the narrow crack in the stone. Orisa was sure that this extraordinary speed came not only from the Concentration potion but of Tiana''s relentless training and numerous hours of practice as well.


    Despite the local hell that Tiana conjured, Orisa felt acid splashes on her barrier; together with the Seals, they ate away her Mana pool. But this was not the scariest thing as Orisa sensed snakes crawling through the crack. They were slowly advancing while spitting acid, two at a time since the path was too narrow to fit more. And two more snakes followed the first pair. Cold sweat appeared on Orisa''s pale face.


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


    "-Empower!-" -- "-Arcane Scattershot!-"


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    Tiana probably sensed something as well since she doubled her efforts and switched to close-ranged attacks. One by one, Mana sources Orisa sensed inside the crack became weaker and then disappeared completely. All four snakes were dead, so Tiana paused her relentless assault to catch her breath. The joy of this realization quickly subsided when Orisa felt there were more of them; at least two evolved snakes were still alive outside the crack.


    When the smoke raised by Tiana''s attack cleared a bit, Orisa saw a snake''s head on the other side of the path. It opened its maw, and a purple magic circle formed in front of it. Two seconds later, a purple soccer ball-sized sphere popped out and rolled towards Orisa.


    "BACK OFF!" she screamed and jumped on her feet, hands facing the crack:


    "-Quadro Block!-" -- "Quadro Blo-."


    The sphere came into contact with the first Block and exploded.


    Orisa saw hell.


    The row of Blocks she conjured disappeared without a trace, and the blast wave from the explosion entered their tiny safe room. It threw Orisa back, and she flew across the entire room to hit the other side. The ceiling partially collapsed, raining down huge boulders and myriads of smaller debris.


    Her Thickness body barrier saved her from serious injuries, but it couldn''t help against a concussion. Orisa blacked out for several seconds. When she opened her eyes, the entire room was filled with dust, making it hard to breathe. Despite the pain from the impact, she still forced herself up, coughing and moaning.


    Orisa didn''t have time to look around and made do with the feeling of two familiar Mana sources nearby, meaning both Tiana and Ramulie were alive. She was out of time because two more Mana sources were closing on their position.


    The narrow crack in the wall turned into a big hole by the explosion. Boulders and rocks were scattered everywhere, blocking part of the hole as well as making the traversal inside the room complicated. And a snake''s head appeared over one of the boulders. It spared Orisa a quick look and began to slither towards her, its giant body coming out of the hole.


    "-Blast Shell!-"


    A deadly projectile launched from her palm and flew towards the snake, but the Beast swiftly rolled to the side, avoiding it. The Shell exploded, turning surrounding rocks into shrapnel that flew in all directions. The snake ignored minor cuts it got from the explosion and slithered further.


    ''I can''t use attack spells in such a narrow room,'' Orisa thought, fearing for Tiana and Ramulie, or another cave-in that she might cause.


    "-Quadro Block!-" -- "-Quadro Block!-"


    She barricaded both girls and turned to the snake that was only a few meters away now. Orisa also felt another snake was not that far away, crawling through the expanded crack.


    "Okay, bitch, you will help me test my new build," Orisa grinned at the snake and channeled Mana into her forearm protectors.


    As Jando said after handing them to Orisa, these items were her masterpiece, and she loved working on them. They were not Jando''s best work because of their power or quality. What made her proud was the results that she was able to squeeze out of limited resources and Orisa''s own capabilities. Orisa was also ecstatic and spared no effort to practice with them. She even took lessons from one of Sean''s squad mates specialized in this type of weapon.


    Four Seals glowed on the surface of each protector, and two wide and long Mana blades emerged from Orisa''s knuckles. They glowed with blue and emitted a hum, tiny lightning arcs rolling over their surface.


    The protectors were connected to her gloves with several thin Mana pipes, which allowed Orisa to utilize her precise Mana control and choose where the blades would appear. Her initial plan was to look like Zerathul, but after numerous hours of training, she found her knuckles to be the best possible spot for blades.


    Jando''s main focus during the development phase was to jam as much penetrative power as possible. That''s why the blades were utilizing lightning-converted Mana instead of its neutral variant since lightning provided more penetration. But it was not all. Even the Seal of Piercing and the Seal of Sharpening were not the main source of its effectiveness. What made these blades special was the fact that they vibrated with extreme speed, barely visible even to Orisa''s sharpened sight. This vibration allowed them to break through all types of shields and barriers she could conjure for testing and penetrate them with ease.


    Orisa took a battle stance and stared at the snake after activating the Force Guard shield on her right forearm. The snake stopped and looked at Orisa and her blades for long three seconds. Without any preparations, it abruptly turned while swinging its tail at Orisa, but the girl expected something at least this creative from an evolved Beast. A Force Block immediately appeared at Orisa''s right side and blocked the snake''s attack. A moment later, an acid follow-up arrived, and Orisa blocked it with another barrier.


    That was when the snake finally lunged its body forward, aiming at the neck. Orisa''s body was way slower than her mind, but in this situation, the only thing she managed to do in the face of a giant maw with long fangs closing at her neck was to shield herself with a Force Guard. The Beast''s jaws closed around the shield and tried to crush it; Orisa felt the bones in her forearm crack. Her left hand moved on its own, jamming Mana blade inside the snake''s body. She felt resistance, but the blade slowly moved in and made the Beast''s body wriggle.


    Orisa realized two things a moment later. First was that the Beast''s lower part was slowly wrapping around Orisa''s legs. The second thing slowly slithered towards her from the crack, hissing aggressively; Orisa had completely forgotten about another snake.


    "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Triple Block Rush!-"


    Immediately freeing her left hand from the snake''s wound, Orisa pushed the second Beast away with several Block rushes. Next moment, she already conjured three rows of walls to stall it for a few seconds and returned her attention to the first snake.


    Its body already wrapped everything below Orisa''s waist and started exerting pressure. The Thickness barrier was enough to buy her a few more seconds at best. As if sensing its prey''s desperation, the Beast doubled its efforts on Orisa''s forearm.


    The moment bones inside her hand shattered, blinding Orisa with insufferable pain, she stuck her left hand into the wound on the snake''s body and shouted:


    "-Magma Fist!-"


    As an improved version of the Raging Fist, the spell provided more destructive power with the help of two Seals. Despite an incredible level of might, the Magma Fist has zero penetration power, so it could only be used when inside the Beast''s body.


    The wound exploded, tearing the snake''s body apart. Upper half was left hanging on Orisa''s broken right forearm, and lower part fell on the ground, weakening its grip on her legs. Orisa slumped on the snake''s corpse powerlessly. The pain from her broken arm was excruciating. She channeled Mana into Regeneration Seal and then carefully pressed her left hand to the broken forearm:


    "-Source Heal!-" -- "-Source Heal!-" -- "-Source Heal!-"


    It didn''t help much since her Magic was too low. Regenerations Seal was also of little help; it would take no less than a day to heal broken bones with this level of regenerative power it could provide. Orisa wanted to cry, but the effects of the Concentration Potion and Enrage kept her mind more or less clear, which added another level of pain as well.


    Orisa felt one of the Mana sources behind her back move slowly, and at the same time the last snake broke through all rows of Blocks Orisa used to trap it. The moment the snake took a shooting stance, Orisa raised her left hand and used Jack Field to block acid bullets. The snake looked at Orisa for a moment and swiftly moved towards her.


    ''Something! I need something to take it from afar! I can push it away, but what''s my next move?''


    "-Triple Block Rush!-"


    The snake was thrown away, but the pain from the broken arm jolted through her body, blinding her for a moment yet again. ''Fuck, it hurts so much. I wish I could just freeze it or something. Wait, freeze!''


    After pushing the Beast away once more, Orisa began to assemble the spell. The shell she always used as a basic carrier of compressed blazing Mana was now filled with an ice Mana instead. She also added a usual set of the Repeating Seal and the Lesser Projectile Seal and launched the spell.


    As multiple shells flew, the temperature in the room dropped down considerably. Without any hesitation, Orisa threw another set of Block Rushes and repeated the freezing spell. Again and again, push with Blocks, freeze with the spell. One after another, she kept them going until her teeth began to chatter. She no longer felt Mana coming from the other side of the room. Along with that, Orisa also lost the feeling of her legs and hands, and her head was spinning from exhaustion and nervous breakdown.


    On shaky legs, Orisa turned around and went back to the girls. The sight in front of her almost paralyzed Orisa. Behind the Blocks lay Tiana in a pool of blood, and Ramulie was sitting by her side.


    ''No, wait! I still feel her Mana! It''s not too late!''


    Orisa channeled Mana into her left forearm protector and broke the wall with the Mana blade. Not wasting a single moment, Orisa chanted:


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    A stream of information rushed into her head. Throwing away numerous unnecessary pieces, Orisa looked into physical conditions and searched for damage.


    "Back away from Lady Tiana!" screamed Ramulie in rage. "I''ll heal her right away, and you stay out of it! It''s all your fault, demon!"


    "Ramulie, wait! Her brain is damaged. There are pieces of her skull struck inside. We need to stabilize her and wait for help."


    "Shut up! It''s all your fault! You brought us here in the first place! It was all your doing!"


    "Yes, it''s my fault, but we mustn''t make the situation worse. Just stop the bleeding and call for help," Orisa tried to reason the girl and slowly moved closer despite the pain in her hand and growing dizziness.


    "Stay away, bitch! I''ll heal Lady Tiana myself, that''s why I''m here!"


    "No, you don''t! You can''t heal her condition with a mere Major Mend, you-."


    "Shut up! You know nothing!" Ramulie went into full hysteria mode.


    "Recall Dippo''s lecture, please. You''ll make things worse because of an insufficient level of healing. That''s what he said about brain damage," Orisa made a step closer.


    "Don''t move, you beast! I''m not letting you lay a finger on my Lady! I''ll heal her myself, and don''t you dare interrupt me!"


    "Stop it immediately. It''s an order from your leader."


    "Shut up!"


    "Ramulie, stop. You''ll hurt Tiana with that! We are wasting precious ti-."


    "SHUT UP!"


    A glowing fist of Mana appeared over Orisa''s head and hammered her into the ground. Another one followed, and then two more.


    "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"


    One after another, Major Smite hit Orisa, pounding her body deeper into the stone. The last thing she saw before blacking out was a strange belt Ramulie took out of her dress. The girl muttered while moving closer to Orisa:


    "You''ll pay for this..."

 71 Path of Exile

    Orisa was dreaming. And it was the strangest dream of her life.


    Her body was in pain, which in itself was already bizarre and unbelievable. She wanted to wake up and see for herself what was going on and where this pain was coming from, but she could not. So she endured it while traveling through the grey mist that was her dream.


    Sometime later, the thick fog that surrounded her was illuminated by a bright light. It shone like the sun, piercing her invisible body, cleansing the pain, and filling her soul with joy.


    Orisa was dreaming.


    The hazy world around her began to shake. Gradually, a noise came that she couldn''t understand at first. But after some time, Orisa became confident that these were words, phrases, dialogues; they were muffled, silenced, almost indistinguishable, but she was sure of their nature:


    "...planned..."


    "...her...lies..."


    "...monster that..."


    "...kill you..."


    "...worse..."


    Scraps of conversations flew past her several times when the shaking stopped. Every time Orisa heard another voice, she turned to the source and ran towards it but to no avail. The fog was everywhere.


    Orisa was dreaming.


    The mist around her began to shake again, but this time it was a monotonous swinging, supported by a quiet hammering sound.


    Clang-clang.


    Clang-clang.


    Clang-clang.


    Orisa was dreaming.


    She lost all sense of time. How many hours had passed since she entered the fog? How many days or even weeks? Orisa wanted to wake up. She longed to see Tiana and know her conditions. She was worried about her friends fighting at the cave''s entrance. Kanai, Iten, Onuki, Marina, Shou, and everyone else.


    "Wake her up."


    And Orisa woke up.


    The fog around her drained as if someone turned on a giant fan that blew it away. Vision slowly returned to her eyes, and other senses followed shortly after.


    Orisa was on her knees in the middle of a dark-brown room. She tried to stand up but found that her entire body was tightly shackled. Only her head was free to move.


    There were people in front of her sitting behind a long table, and behind them on a small platform stood a tribune occupied by the Supreme Commander. He was glaring at her with eyes full of cold resentment.


    "Secretary Undridge, proceed," announced the Supreme Commander with a cold voice that sent a blizzard down Orisa''s spine.


    "Yes, Commander. As was stated before, I will read the testimony of a sole witness of the assault."


    The remnants of the fog inside Orisa''s head cleared in an instant as a realization dawned upon her. She tried to scream, to voice her protests, but no word left her mouth despite them being wide open. A giant Seal was glowing brightly beneath her feet, draining Mana and silencing her voice.


    The Secretary, a dry old gentleman in a pink dress, cleared his throat and began:


    "The entire operation was planned by the woman in question. She led the raid towards a secluded area, knowing full well its layout from previous operations. By her choosing the squad was divided, making it easier to carry her horrible deed. Abusing the trust she earned from Lady Kavenfenn, the woman lured her deeper into the cave. She also manipulated the Wavespawn to follow the three of us, creating a sense of fear and dread to make us comply with her scheme. She proceeded to trap us inside a narrow crack, threatening our very lives. When Beasts she lured began their attack, the woman mixed one of her devious spells among their offensive and conjured the explosion which led to Lady Kavenfenn''s injury. While the woman was meddling with the Lady, I managed to fend off the creatures, but it was too late. I begged her to stop, but she unleashed an unknown spell that I failed to block completely, and it hit Lady Kavenfenn, leaving an unknown effect that disallowed all my healing efforts. While basking in her success, the women became distracted. I used this chance to attack and knock her down. It was a miracle that I carried a Tamer''s cuff on me this time, planning to procure a Wavespawn for the Division''s study. I used the cuff to restrain her."


    A deafening silence came upon the room. People were exchanging glances, looking into papers, or staring at her silently.


    ''No... No... No! NO! IT''S A LIE! DON''T LISTEN TO IT!''


    Orisa was screaming internally, but nobody could hear her thoughts.


    "Thank you, Secretary Undridge. The situation is apparent," the Supreme Commander shattered the silence with his cold voice.


    "I must say, the testimony contradicts the profile I''m reading right now," carefully voiced his opinion a chunky bald man with an enormous mustache.


    "Are you, by chance, doubting the words of your own daughter, Mace vi Durek?" asked Commander calmly, but his voice contained a barely disguised threat.


    "What I am thinking right now is that my daughter might have been in a shock due to the event''s nature, and that-."


    "I think you should consider your words carefully, Mace, as a father of a young promising child and as a head of a Lesser House. Setting family matters aside, the testimony coincides with the profile perfectly. A vile and aggressive nature was made apparent during the woman''s days in the Training Camp."


    "Are you talking about the incident with your new wife, Commander?" Mace vi Durek tried to imply the Commander''s personal interest by nodding towards the side area of the room.


    Orisa followed the direction and turned pale. Her body instantly covered with sweat. In the corner of the room sat Mira Rahna in all her gorgeous beauty. She had been staring at Orisa all this time, and her eyes were full of triumph. She was gloating, basking at the moment, constantly licking her lips in excitement.


    ''This was your doing? That''s how you are going to strike me back?'' Orisa thought. Emotions were slowly draining from her, leaving her empty and resigned to her fate. She understood all too well where this was going.


    "There were other incidents as well, and in abundance," the Commander cut off Mace''s implications with a sharp voice.


    "Shouldn''t we listen to the testimony of the defendant?" another man on the far side of the table asked out loud.


    "Unnecessary. This vile creature will deny any accusations, of course. In the end, it will be the woman''s word against the word of Ramulie vi Durek. And we know all too well who is more trustworthy."


    "Commander, we are merely concerned with the fact that you are too involved with this process. Well, personally."


    "This is not the first, nor would it be the last hearing on such a matter. We did the same in the past, and we will carry on in the same manner in the future. My personal involvement in the case provides no obstruction to the process, and my daughter being the victim is unrelated to the hearing. I''m only doing my job here."


    "Speaking of your daughter," the same man tried his last straw, "can we hear her testimony?"


    "She appears to be in a coma and shows no signs of recovery," the Commander answered dryly.


    Orisa''s heart sunk, and excruciating pain pierced her chest. ''No... please... Tiana, not you! Please!'' Tears poured down her cheeks as she tried to scream.


    "Our best healers gave up on her condition after a deep analysis," he continued, ignoring Orisa''s silent outburst. "Whatever it was that the woman here performed, it made the damage to my daughter permanent."


    "I see... my condolence, Commander."


    "Thank you, admiral. I think we have enough data to conclude this hearing. Let us proceed with voting. Those who judge the woman guilty, raise your hand."


    Ten out of fifteen people simultaneously and eagerly raised their hands. The remaining five were showing clear distress and regret on their faces, and Orisa even heard one of them saying: "I wish we could help this poor soul somehow."


    "We judge the woman here guilty," calmly announced the Supreme Commander. "A verdict here is obvious as well. Secretary, proceed with the preparations, please. We will handle the execution as soon as you are ready."


    "Yes, Commander. Guards, take the convict away. The hearing is now closed."


    Mace vi Durek abruptly stood and stormed out of the room.


    Four men surrounded Orisa and locked metal bracelets on her wrists and ankles. Each of them glowed, showing the same Seal that was placed beneath Orisa''s feet. The guards raised her in the air and carried towards the exit.


    In the corner of her vision, Orisa noticed Mira. The girl was almost drooling, as her eyes were shining with bright excitement, she followed Orisa with her gaze. Triumph radiated from her figure.


    Several minutes later, the guards arrived at the prison block''s upper level and to the cell with a heavy metal door.


    "We don''t need to unshackle her, right?" asked one of the guards in a tired voice. "In an hour or two we''ll have to carry her back anyway."


    "Sure thing, just throw her inside, and that''s it."


    They carried a shackled Orisa into the dark cell and put her on a cold stone floor. Three men left the cell, but one of them turned and went towards the small barred window.


    "Miha, what are you doing here? Hurry up, or I''m closing the door!"


    "Want to check the window, you know, just in case something goes wrong. We don''t want an angry Supreme Commander on our heads, right?"


    "The hell are you talking about, man? She is cuffed and sealed tight."


    "Just let me do my job properly for once, would you? It''s a procedure anyway, so shut your trap!"


    The guard proceeded to check the bars on the window and even stretched his hand outside to inspect the wall''s outer surface. Orisa didn''t pay much attention to his actions. They closed the door with a loud metallic bang, and Orisa was left alone in a cold dark room. The only source of light was a tiny barred window on the far side of the room. It was so small that even if there were no bars, Orisa would barely fit in there.


    The rain kept pouring monotonously, and Orisa slowly fell into a trance.


    ''Why me... This is unfair... Tiana, god, please... Mira, you bitch... Why... Save me... Kanai... Tiana... Mirai... no, please...''


    An unknown amount of time had passed before a loud bang of lightning got Orisa back to her senses. Her body was all sore because of the shackles, and she couldn''t move anything besides her head, even lift a finger or shake her feet. Another flash of lightning threw Orisa into panic:


    ''No! No! It can''t end like that. Why me!? What''s wrong with this world? What the hell!? They''ll save me. They''ll definitely save me. It cannot end like this. They''ll save me. They''ll come up with something. They won''t let me die. It''s not true. Not possible. They''ll save me.


    They''ll save me.


    They''ll save me.


    They''ll save me.


    Save me.


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    Save me.


    Save me.


    Save me.


    SAVE ME!''


    Swallowed by despair, Orisa began to wail silently. Tears streamed down her hung head right into an open mouth. She recalled everything that happened to her. Every unfair and horrible thing that happened to her in a short span of two months crushed her spirit. She could no longer stomach it.


    Orisa only wanted everything to end.


    When she noticed something was going on, a mechanism inside the window was almost finished. A hand appeared from the outside, carrying another metal part. It installed the part and fixed it with a screwdriver. A thin metal frame was constructed inside the window, and after a muffled click a familiar luminous screen formed inside the frame, a matter displacement gate. A moment later, a short figure crawled through the gate and dropped on the floor, water dripping from its raincoat. Swiftly moving to the shackled Orisa, the person procured another instrument from underneath their coat and proceeded to unlock the shackles.


    Orisa tried to ask questions, but her voice was still blocked. Noticing her attempt, the person removed their hood and whispered:


    "Time is of the essence for now. The Seals will be removed at a later date, my friend. We should hurry up and take our leave."


    Orisa stared in disbelief. In front of her was standing Toatre radiating her usual otherworldly aura. Orisa tried to stand up and hug the girl, but her body was so stiff after spending several hours in a shackled state on a cold floor that she dropped on the floor instead.


    "Here, drink this pill. It should speed your recovery. Or at least that was what others told me," Toatre bent down and handed Orisa a brownish pill and a small vial with a Stamina Potion. Wolfing the pill and washing it down with the potion, Orisa let out a sight. Her body began to shake, pierced by a thousand needles. Luckily, the Seals prevented her from screaming.


    After a minute of agony, Orisa finally stood up and hugged the girl in front of her so tight that a normal person would end up with cracked ribs.


    "A pleasure to meet you again, my friend. Although, I''m left wishing for it to have happened under different circumstances. But no more stalling, we must make haste. You need to exit through the gate. Be careful on the other side."


    Orisa nodded, kissed Toatre''s forehead, and began to crawl outside. When her upper half made it through the gate, she almost dropped back, scared to death. On the outer side of the wall, a narrow platform was waiting for her, mounted into the wall. Beneath it was emptiness.


    Orisa''s cell was inside a tower, and now at least ten floors of nothingness and rain were waiting for her beneath the thin metal plate. Finally, the Stamina Potion kicked in and made Orisa''s fear yield a bit by returning her former strength. She carefully crawled outside, immediately drenched in the rain. Toatre followed a moment later, skillfully dismantled the gate, and loaded the parts into her backpack, then told Orisa:


    "I need to remove the footing as well. Hold onto the bars."


    After some manipulations, the platform folded into a nice little tube and disappeared inside Toatre''s backpack as well. Only two narrow holes beneath the window reminded that something was there several moments ago.


    Without further ado, Toatre climbed on Orisa''s back, hugged her tightly using both arms and legs, and said:


    "Now, jump."


    "What?!"


    "I said, jump."


    "Where!?"


    "Down. Isn''t it obvious, Orisa?"


    It wasn''t as if Orisa doubted Toatre, but the girl had her strange moments. What If it was her dream to perform a double suicide?


    "We are out of time. What are you waiting for?"


    Breathing in a handful of cold and wet air, Orisa let go of the bars and kicked off the wall. The moment her feet left the stone, Toatre chanted:


    "-Argo Metamorph!-"


    A purple circle appeared around the pair for a second, replacing them with a strange creature right away. Toatre''s Meta form looked like a hybrid of fox and squirrel, but the most bizarre thing about its appearance was its back where two pairs of wings were folded.


    Orisa felt strange. It was as if somebody put her inside a box and placed a monitor in front of her face. The sounds were muffled and unclear, and her vision blurry and unfocused.


    Toatre unfolded her wings and began to glide through the air. The rain quickly wetted her fur, so their flight turned more into a controlled fall, but they landed safely on one of the roofs. Only now Orisa noticed that it was almost evening. The visibility was quite poor because of the time and a rainy weather, letting Toatre freely jump from one roof to another unnoticed.


    The metamorph made her way towards the Slumps, and after jumping into a secluded alleyway, undid the transformation. Without letting Orisa catch a breath, Toatre grabbed her hand and pulled down the path and into one of the buildings. When they were inside, she moved a heavy wardrobe to the side, revealing a matter displacement gate. Orisa stepped into a dusty but well-illuminated room and was greeted by Iten, Onuki, and a bald man with a mustache she saw during the hearing, Mace vi Durek.


    "I''m glad we made it on time, Orisa," Iten said with a smile.


    "It''s good to..."


    Onuki tried to say something, but emotions overcame her, and she silently hugged Orisa with a mixture of fear, relief, and regret on her face.


    "I need your hands and legs now," said Toatre and took out more instruments.


    Orisa obediently sat on the floor, stretching her limbs and entrusting them to Toatre. Her friends took a few steps back, letting the man behind them forwards.


    "I thought much about ways to deliver my feelings to you, but I''m not sure if I will be able to. Despite that let me say this: I''m so sorry for all the troubles my children brought upon you."


    Mace vi Durek got on his knees and bowed down in front of Orisa, hitting the floor with his forehead.


    "I''m so ashamed of them and myself! I''m so sorry!" Orisa heard the man''s cry, and his shoulders began to shudder. "I know it''s inexcusable, but I have almost no influence over them now. And even during the hearing, I was completely powerless, too. I''m so sorry!"


    Orisa couldn''t talk yet because of the Seals, so she tapped Mace on the shoulder, urging him to look up. When she saw his red face and eyes full of tears and burning with regret, his feelings reached her. She grabbed both his shoulders and firmly shook her head.


    "I''m sure this hopeless person wants to know what happened," suddenly said Onuki with a sad grin.


    "I see. Sure, it is the least I can do for now," Mace sat on the floor and proceeded to explain his part.


    Mace vi Durek was the head of the family only in name. His wife held most of the power and influence over the family matters, including their children. It was her views that turned most of their offspring into a hateful and arrogant bunch. The youngest, Bassa and Ramulie, were no exceptions. Mace knew all too well about their worldview, and when the news came about the incident, he was almost sure that it was his daughter''s doing. He questioned her harshly and even used some force to make her talk, getting a confession in the end. However, neither the Supreme Commander nor the Secretary were interested in his speech. Commander openly hinted at the consequences of Mace intervention, forcing him to shut up.


    He despaired, hating injustice more than anything in his life, but suddenly an unknown man contacted him, offering a way to set things right.


    "That''s how I came into contact with these wonderful people here," Mace finished his speech.


    With a loud click, the last bracelet came undone, and Orisa felt her strength return to her. She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of Mana resuming its flow inside her body. After probing her voice, Orisa said to Mace:


    "You are a good man, Mace vi Durek. It''s a shame about your family, though. I-."


    "Orisa, we actually don''t have time for this," interjected Iten worriedly. "You need to dress up and leave now."


    "Oh, sure, sorry. What''s the plan?"


    "First, change into your gear, I''ll explain the rest," Iten handed Orisa her combat gear and turned around to face the opposite direction. Mace vi Durek did the same, while Toatre and Onuki proceeded to pack some more items inside an already enormous bag.


    "Toatre will get you out of the city where Kanai is waiting for you. Together, you''ll escape on horses. In fact, that''s the end of things, for now, we haven''t planned anything more."


    "That''s plenty already. I can''t thank you enough for this, guys, I..." The despair that Orisa felt inside the cell was slowly returning. The dread made her throat dry, and her legs began to shake.


    "Don''t worry, everything is fine. You are safe now," Onuki squeezed Orisa''s palm, reading her mood like an open book.


    "You don''t need to thank us, right?" added Iten with a chuckle.


    "Right..." Orisa mumbled, calming down a little. She swiftly changed into her outdoor gear and turned to ask, "but how did you end up together? Who organized everything?"


    "No time for that now. You need to go. Kanai will explain everything," urged her Iten. He handed Orisa her backpack and pushed towards the exit.


    "Iten, wait. One last thing. I''m sorry to be this demanding right after you all saved me, but I need you to promise me one thing, okay?"


    "I''ll get to Tiana and see what we can do," he answered and shook his head in understanding.


    "You are the best! Thank you! And I hope to see you all again."


    Orisa hugged him and kissed his cheek, then turned to Onuki and did the same, making the girl pale and blush at the same time. They shook hands with Mace, and she left the hideout right after Toatre.


    It was already dark outside. They returned to the same alleyway, and Toatre embraced Orisa before turning into her Meta form. They jumped from one roof to another, making their way towards the city walls. Without lowering her speed, Toatre jumped onto the wall and sunk her claws into the stone. Using both pairs of wings, she made a jump upwards before clutching to the stone again. The same motion was used again and again before they finally made it atop the walls.


    ''That''s how she made it to the window,'' Orisa finally understood how important Toatre''s participation was. The girl was both a Metamorph and a skilled engineer. ''And maybe something more as well. Always on top, a prodigy in every aspect. Gosh.''


    Thanks to the rain, the patrols on the walls were scarce, so they easily got to the other side and descended on Toatre''s wings. After that was a mad dash towards the road and away from the city. They ran for at least fifteen minutes before Toatre went down a barely visible path leading into the forest.


    Half a minute later, they entered a small cavern under a hill where an unpleasant picture met them. Two horses lay on the ground, shredded to pieces and turned into bloody mincemeat. Several meters deeper into the cavern lay a corpse of a Beast, already half dissolved. And Kanai sat on the ground, resting his back on a giant backpack. Toatre undid the transformation; she looked rather unwell. ''Assuming it''s her third morph, she is exhausted, to say the least.''


    "I think you can guess what happened here," muttered Kanai in a guilty tone.


    "It''s important that you are alright, bro! I''m so glad to see you," said Orisa happily, but internally, she felt distressed. ''Why nothing can go right when I''m a part of it?'' she thought. Dread began to crawl back, taking hold of her insides.


    "Yes, sorry. You are right. I''m glad to see you well, too," Kanai muttered and got back on his feet.


    "What do you plan to do now without the horses?" Toatre asked. She sat on the floor and took out a bottle of water, washing down a pill. A sandwich appeared in her hand a moment later.


    "Move on foot, of course. We can''t stay here. Dippo said it''s a known spot."


    "Dippo? He is on board?" Orisa sounded shocked.


    "You won''t believe it, but he organized everything himself," Kanai sounded surprised as well. He stood up, nodded to the backpack, and continued, "I don''t think we''ll be able to carry everything on foot. So if you are okay with sharing the same tent, we should drop the second one here."


    "What do you mean sharing? I''m going alone."


    "Don''t be an idiot, please. We don''t have time for another of your pointless sacrifices. I''m coming with you, and that''s it."


    "Kanai, you don''t have to..."


    "And you don''t have to be so stubborn," he said angrily.


    "I''m going back now and suggest you leave as well." Toatre stood up and moved towards the exit.


    "Toatre, wait!" Orisa stepped after the girl and hugged her. "Thank you so much for helping me. And I was extremely glad to see you again."


    "The feeling is mutual, Orisa. Let''s meet next time in a more pleasant situation."


    "You are absolutely correct, my dear."


    With that, Toatre stepped outside and walked away into the rain. Orisa looked at the girl''s silhouette disappear into the dark, and the thoughts she had been pushing all this time began to crawl back to her.


    "We should move out as well," Kanai elbowed Orisa.


    "Give me a few moments, please..."


    She leaned her back against a cold rock of the cave and slowly slid down.


    ''...We judge the woman here guilty...''


    ''...She appears to be in a coma and shows no signs of recovery...''


    ''...We will handle the execution as soon as you are ready...''


    ''...We will handle the execution...''


    ''...execution...''


    ''...execution...''


    ''...execution...''


    Orisa hugged her knees and dropped the head down, hiding her face. The cold stone sucked away the heat of her body, and despair filled her insides.


    ''...in a coma...''


    ''...guilty...''


    ''...execution...''


    "Orisa, are you OK?" Kanai asked worriedly, but Orisa only nodded quietly.


    Knowing her well, Kanai put his backpack on the ground and came closer to the girl. He sat by her side and hugged her shoulders with his left hand.


    "Orisa, are you OK?" He repeated the same question, this time adding more pressure to his voice.


    The girl in question slowly shook her head.


    After a few seconds, her body began to tremble, and she burst into tears.


    ===


    ===


    Book 2: Path of Exile.


    The end.

 72 Only getting started

    Book 3: Deprived City Legend.


    ---


    ---


    "Orisa, wake up."


    Kanai gently whispered into her ear and shook her shoulder.


    After crying out all her tears, Orisa dozed off while leaning on Kanai. With each passing minute, the temperature had been gradually dropping, and now they could no longer stay even remotely warm despite being side by side. Another reason for him to wake up Orisa was, of course, time.


    "Oh... I''m sorry," muttered Orisa sleepily before jolting up. "Wait! Kanai, what time is it!?"


    "Don''t worry, please," he said and got onto his feet. "Less than an hour has passed, so I think we are safe yet. And you needed some rest, I''m sure."


    "I''m... I''m sorry for being such a bother and endangering this whole operation. It''s because of me that-."


    "Oh, would you stop? I''m warning you for the last time, you either drop this crap, or I''ll hit you. I''m serious."


    "Sorry..."


    "For fuck''s sake, get used to getting help when you need it. And be grateful for it. Grateful, not moping and whining. Got it?"


    Orisa nodded and looked around the cave. The Beast had already dissolved, but the horses'' corpses were still there; anyone would easily guess that this place was a hideout of some sort and recently used. It would give their direction away.


    "Yep, we need to clean this place up," her partner nodded to Orisa''s thoughtful gaze. "Help me pile things up into one heap."


    The horses were so heavy that even together they had difficulties moving them, so Orisa used her Flip spell with other Blocks to throw the horses together. Kanai dropped their second backpack on top and stepped several meters away.


    "-Corrosive Ray!-"


    The spell quickly turned the pile in front of the pair into a handful of ashes and scrapes. Kanai carried the remains outside and scattered them around.


    "-Mana Transfer!" -- "-Mana Transfer!-"


    "Oh, thanks. You sure know how to make a man feel great," blurted Kanai and burst into laughter.


    "Jerk," lightly chuckled Orisa. It was the first time she smiled in a long time. Kanai somehow knew how to pull her strings.


    "It''s time to move out now, I guess. The plan was to ride the horses on the road until sunrise and then drop them in the nearest village, but now the best option is to move on foot and get lost inside the forest, I think.


    "Kanai, you are the boss now, so I''m perfectly fine with your decisions."


    "Yay, an untimely and unwanted promotion! Let''s celebrate it with Stamina potions," he laughed yet again.


    They downed the potions, took out raincoats and warmer clothes, and moved out five minutes later. The rain was light but still cold and annoying, especially at night and inside the forest.


    "Here, put it on and activate," he said and handed Orisa a bracelet with Mana-suppressing Seal.


    "I think I now have PTSD from these things," muttered Orisa while locking the metal band around her wrist. "So, what happened?"


    "That''s what everyone wants to know, damn. What did you do in that cave?"


    "I mean, what happened after I passed out at the end of the fight?"


    "Yes, I know what you mean. But first, tell me what happened there between you three."


    "Oh, sure. I guess you were all worried and shocked," said Orisa thoughtfully and proceeded to relay the story.


    When she finished the tale, Kanai was fuming with rage:


    "I knew this bitch was lying, but to such an extent? Holy fuck, how retarded one must be to come up with such an idea?"


    "You know, Kanai, I don''t want to sound paranoid, and it''s really strange and doesn''t fit together well, but there is one thing that made me think it all was somewhat planned beforehand."


    "Planned? What do you mean? As if, it was not an accident that our sugary ass used to mess with you, but a scheme?"


    "Remember Mira Rahna? The girl that I almost killed during our Dungeon training. She was there during the hearing, almost drooling over the whole process with such a happy smile that it sent shivers down my back."


    "Shit, are you for real? How is this even possible?"


    "Well, she did disappear from the camp, right? There was an episode I haven''t told anyone about before. As it turned out the Supreme Commander, Tiana''s father took her as his new wife or something like that. Considering how openly he disliked Tiana, and..."


    "Wait-wait-wait, hold up. What are you even saying? You think that Tiana''s father decided to kill his own daughter only to please his new slut and let her get back at you, and even involved these brain-dead siblings? Actually, that''s not the end of things. Does this mean the whole appearance of Tiana in our squad was a part of the scheme, too? No-no-no, that''s beyond insane, nobody would plan something with this level of complexity and added risk."


    "I know, bro, I know. But how would you explain it, then?"


    "The best thing that I can think of is that it was a pile of coincidences. For example, sugary ass hated you and took advantage of the situation inside the cave. The chick only wanted to make you suffer more and didn''t know how exactly it would turn out. Since Tiana was involved, obviously her father caught the gist of the situation and, knowing Mira''s grudge against you, probably decided to use the situation to its fullest."


    "Well..." Orisa thought for a few moments, looking at the outcome and all preconditions. "Maybe you are right. I hope you are right, or else..."


    "Yep, or else I don''t want to live in this world," he concluded depressingly.


    The pair''s stroll through the night forest was not an easy one, and the rain added more troubles. Poor visibility, uneven ground with numerous roots and plants tangled together, two large backpacks, everything was against them. But the Stamina Potion and each other''s company made it bearable at the very least.


    "Kanai, you know that I''m waiting for your part as well?"


    "Yes, I do," he answered casually and continued walking forward.


    "Do you think you could tell me?" her eye began to twitch a little.


    "I think I could do that."


    "How about NOW?!"


    "Oh, that''s what you meant?"


    "Damn, I never knew you were such a teaser, dude."


    "Oh, I found it out only recently. It''s so fun to tease you. Actually, we already had this dialogue before. Perhaps even twice, if I remember it right."


    "Really? Wow, time sure flies by fast. Wait! You jerk, I almost forgot what I was talking about. Go on and spill it already."


    "Sure-sure, no need to turn to violence, you barbarian. Gosh..."


    And so, Kanai began a recollection of events.


    When the raid was done with the bugs and other Beasts, they went to look for Orisa and other girls and found them inside the cave. Orisa was already out of commission. Ramulie relayed her version of the events that sounded ridiculous to everyone at least a little bit familiar with Orisa, but the girl waved some quote from the Military codex, and Sean was forced to comply.


    They healed Orisa since she was a bloody mess, but Tiana''s condition was already beyond salvation. Pieces of her skull were stuck inside her brain, and her body deemed them as a natural state of things thanks to Ramulie''s healing. So the raid carried both girls back to the mansion, and Sean contacted Dippo somehow.


    By the time The Hounds'' leader made it to the lair, Military police had already arrived and taken Orisa into custody. Shou, as the one most familiar with the laws, hid Orisa''s belongings beforehand, so nothing important was confiscated.


    Dippo was surprisingly calm on the outside, but from his various little slip-ups, Kanai noticed that their leader was raging like a demon inside a lake made of holy water. He took Kanai, Iten, and Onuki to the capital, and left them inside an inn for two days straight while making some preparations on his own. The trio''s job was to plan and organize everything in regards to Orisa''s post-escape life. The prison break itself was prepared by Dippo and Mace vi Durek, so Kanai knew little about that part.


    Somehow Toatre became a central figure of the plan. It turned out that both Dippo and Mace knew about her from various sources, and Onuki also vouched for her reliability. Kanai and Onuki went to prepare Orisa''s gear among other things useful for long camping while the others were busy with the extraction.


    Dippo allowed only Kanai to accompany Orisa, saying it would be easy to cover the absence of one person, but more people leaving the squad would endanger the whole operation. That was how Kanai ended up as Orisa''s partner. Having a member that was not considered a fugitive and could easily enter and exit cities should help them a lot.


    "And don''t you dare start apologizing and thanking me again," he finished in a tired voice.


    "But why would you go to such length for me? I don''t understand. Helping with escape is one thing, but voluntarily going into exile to accompany me? Dude, why?.."


    "How should I know!? Stop asking stupid questions and just move your legs, please."


    Kanai''s behavior was odd. Even not knowing his motivation, Orisa was still grateful to him. She wasn''t sure she would be able to stay sane on her own, but with Kanai, it was definitely possible.


    They marched through the night and stopped to rest when it began to dawn. Orisa spotted a group of rocks with a wide burrow underneath. It was wide enough to fit two people perfectly, and the rain didn''t bother them inside. Kanai took out two sleeping bags, and they settled down.


    "I think we are safe inside the forest, so it''s okay to move during the day. Let''s sleep for three hours and then continue?" he asked, looking at Orisa expectantly.


    "Whatever you say, bro, sounds good to me." They each downed the Endless Night potion and went quite, warming their cold bodies inside the sleeping bags. After several minutes, Orisa muttered before falling asleep, "Thank you for staying with me."


    ---


    ---


    Orisa opened her eyes several hours later and was immediately greeted by Kanai:


    "You slept so soundly, not even the last night''s storm could wake you," he said, trying to imitate a hoarse voice.


    "Wait-wait, hold up," she yawned soundly, but her mind was already clear due to the Endless Night potion giving her a good rest. "We already joked about this, right?"


    "First, it was not we but you. Second, you joked about Skyrim, and this one is from Morrowind, so it counts."


    "Oh, yes, sure. Good job, bro, a nice way to start the morning. Or is it evening?"


    "Ten in the morning. You slept for less than five hours, which is great, I think. We should eat fast and start moving."


    "What are our rations? It would be nice to check the bags, but I don''t think we have time for that now, right?"


    "Better to do it next time, Orisa. We have rations for two weeks, but it''s better to save them and get as much food from villages or cities in case we would need to go into hiding for long."


    "Um, Kanai, but how are we supposed to go there?"


    "Remember, I''m an upstanding citizen, so there shouldn''t be any difficulties with me going shopping," said Kanai and grinned.


    "Oh, yep, sorry. Slipped my mind that it''s me who is PK with red karma and a bounty on my head."


    "If you can joke about it then you are fine now."


    "I''m worried about Tiana, but otherwise should be in top shape," Orisa said and looked at Kanai thoughtfully.


    "Your next line is - thank you for coming with me."


    "Don''t roll your eyes on me, you jerk. I''m really grateful, you know!"


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    "I know, and that''s exactly why you should stop saying that. As for Tiana, we''ll come up with something, I''m sure of it."


    They had a humble breakfast, packed their things, and moved out. Kanai pulled SIRI and looked at its top where a compass was attached. Nodding to his thoughts, he adjusted their course.


    "Do you have a destination in mind?" asked Orisa out of curiosity.


    "There is a farming village that Dippo suggested. It''s big enough to have a post office, but not nearly enough to station a big garrison or tight security. We should be there by the evening, although I''m not sure you should show up there yet..."


    "It''s totally fine, my dude. Don''t worry about me and proceed with the plan. I won''t die out of loneliness after one night without you," Orisa chuckled and winked at Kanai.


    They walked in silence for an hour, watching their steps. The path through the forest was tough, and Orisa couldn''t help thinking about her old body, a thirty-three years old man out of shape and almost past his prime. Orisa could still recall a pain in her kneecaps after a mere hour of walking, or how sore was her back when she helped Mirai move a wardrobe in her house. Her current young, healthy, and reasonably trained self felt amazing.


    ''Mirai, huh. I wonder what she would have said if she saw me and heard about the whole situation?''


    A familiar sensation pulled Orisa out of her thoughts, the Wave.


    "Do you think we should remove the bracelets?" Orisa asked worriedly.


    "Hmm, actually, we should be f-."


    A shadow moved right in front of the pair; it walked past them, slowly moving its legs. With each passing step, it gained more substance, taking shape. Something glowed for a moment inside the figure before it turned into a Beast. The creature appeared to be a meter-tall ape, and it walked for several seconds before coming to a halt. As if only just now noticing the pair of travelers, it slowly turned its head and stared at them with its slits.


    Before Orisa could grasp the situation, four more Beasts materialized around them.

 73 Team L, Double Trouble

    "Did you see that!?"


    Orisa hasn''t caught her breath yet but was already shaking Kanai''s shoulders, overly excited and shocked at the same time.


    The fight that broke out lasted for fifteen minutes since more and more Beasts appeared or were drawn to the location by the noise and Mana. During that time, they got rid of twenty Beasts; luckily, they came one by one or in pairs, so the threat level was quite manageable for Orisa and Kanai.


    The fighting, however, was done by Kanai alone since Orisa''s potions were in the backpack. She was on a guarding duty and protected Kanai with shields, barriers, and Block Rush attacks.


    "Take out the potions. And it would be nice to do something with your fighting issue at last," Kanai grumbled tiredly.


    "Yes-yes, I know. But did you see?! What the hell was that? Is that how the Beasts appear? I haven''t seen anything like that or read about it."


    "Me neither. I''m sure we aren''t first to witness this stuff, so something should be mentioned somewhere. But it looked quite bizarre, I guess."


    "You bet! I''m sure we could squeeze lots of useful things if we were to study their creation," Orisa''s excitement only grew with each passing moment. "Now that we are kind of free we can finally start working on the whole Wave things, what do you think?"


    "I think we need to look for cores and get out of here fast." Someone has to act reasonably, and that role fell onto Kanai''s shoulders.


    After quickly skinning through the bodies, they found only one core, and that made Orisa''s enthusiasm raise again:


    "Dude! Remember, the first shadow had something shining inside, and others were empty. See? We found only one core, and it was inside that ape! Isn''t it cool!?"


    "Orisa, you are too excited for your own good. Calm down a bit, and let''s go."


    They both returned the Sealing bracelets on their wrists and picked up the pace. After marching for several minutes, Kanai let out a sigh and said:


    "You''d explode if we won''t talk about that thing now? I can feel your burning enthusiasm even through my backpack."


    "But dude! Aren''t you curious as well? I mean, we found out something big."


    "As big as the cave that you were so obsessed about?" he said half-heartedly. Orisa momentarily went silent as if after getting a bucket of cold water over her head. They marched for several minutes in complete silence until Kanai mumbled apologetically, "Sorry, this was uncalled."


    "Well, I understand where this is coming from, bro. I know this all happened because of me and my obsession, I do. But how much time do we have now? Three months? Four? We made zero progress. Have you heard something about this whole Beast ordeal over Military channels? I sure haven''t. That''s why I''m desperate, Kanai. Of course, I''m curious, as well, I won''t deny. But what if we are too late?"


    "Yes, that''s true, but what if we won''t be able to save you next time?" Kanai spat stubbornly.


    "Then you will continue without me. We can''t stop, Kanai. It''s good that you are of the cautious type, I''m really glad on this matter. We''ll make a good team like that. But we can''t stop now. We need to press forward."


    "Why? Why are you so set on this save the world quest? How the hell are you so sure you can pull it off? Don''t you think someone besides us could do it?"


    "Kanai, what happened to you? You weren''t like that before," asked Orisa, a genuine worry showing in her voice.


    "I... You know what, forget about it. Do what you want."


    "Dude, wait," Orisa pulled Kanai on a sleeve of his raincoat. "What''s going on? Please, tell me. You can tell me everything, right?"


    "It''s nothing. In the end, you are our leader, so it''s up for you to decide what we are going to do."


    "I don''t want to be your leader, Kanai. I want to be your friend. And you were my best friend as well. Or am I a bother to you now?" Orisa sounded distressed. She looked Kanai in the eyes, and even her look was worried and pleading.


    "What? Of course, you are not a bother, damn. Are you out of your mind!? Look, let''s get to this topic later. What I meant is that you should strategize and plan, and I''ll follow."


    "So, are we friends?"


    "Don''t make me say it twice," Kanai lightly chopped Orisa''s forehead and began to walk again.


    The rain was always there, getting weaker or stronger from time to time. The forest the pair was walking through was rather tall and dense, and it was cloudy as well, so the visibility was quite poor and atmosphere gloomy. Despite that, Orisa was smiling from ear to ear. To her, Kanai somehow became one of the pillars of her life and mental well-being. He liked and valued Iten and Onuki, and all other people she made close ties with, but Kanai was something else, akin to a soulmate. Because of it, Orisa grew scared of him becoming tired of her stunts and recklessness and leaving her in the end, so his reassurance took a weight off her mind.


    "So, what do you think about the Beasts?" she threw the question half an hour later.


    "That I was right, after all."


    "What?"


    "When you came back from your vacation, we had had a discussion, right? I told you that Beasts were moving from the epicenter, and that''s exactly what we saw earlier today."


    "Well, you aren''t wrong, but..." Orisa pondered his words. "Hmm, I just don''t know what to make of it."


    "Me too, but that''s the same for all the info we had gathered so far. Maybe one day it will help complete the puzzle. Maybe not."


    Orisa nodded to his words and returned to her thoughts. ''If the Beasts are moving from the epicenter in an immaterial state, is there any way to block them? Intercept, perhaps, or even kill? How does it help that we can see their cores beforehand?'' Pieces of the puzzle were scattered everywhere, but Orisa felt they still were lacking many important details. The overall picture was unclear.


    The pair stopped to have lunch and give some rest to their feet. Half an hour later, another group of Beasts attacked them. Kanai collected seven Mana cores by the evening, and it made Orisa wonder again:


    "Isn''t it kinda easy to get cores? If I remember it right, Miss Satou said that it was hard to live as a free hunter, especially financially. But we managed to salvage seven cores in a single day, considering their prices it''s a month if not two of a happy life."


    "Good question, actually. But I think the issue lies in some other place. Yes, you can get cores, but only as long as you are strong enough to kill the Beasts en masse."


    "Um, does this make us, what, strong?"


    "Well, remember how we were at the end of the training camp. Remember our first fight with the Beasts. And now we are almost throwing them left and right. Yes, they are unevolved, unorganized, and we have a Lantern. But we definitely became much stronger since the exam."


    "Okay, maybe you are right, but what does it change? Everyone could do the same."


    "Tch-tch-tch," Kanai waved his index finger, "that''s where you are wrong, kiddo. First, Dippo trained us personally and let us finish the Dungeon. And I''m not even talking about all the training and practice we did after coming to the Lair. Second, we had a team with a good setup. Third, they bought us basic gear. Fourth, and I''m sure not the last, but I will stop here, is that our daily life was secured, we did not need to worry about food, clothing, or a place to spend a night. See? Easy."


    "Well, yep, Great Teacher Kanaizuka, thank you for an enlightening lecture."


    "Setting education of barbarians aside, I think we should look for a place to set up a camp. I thought about it, and there is no need to rush to the village, better play it safe and walk there in the morning."


    It took another hour to find a suitable cavern since Kanai was against setting a tent the same day the Wave passed. They spread a blanket on the ground and proceeded to unload both backpacks to let Orisa see what was inside.


    To her great surprise, inside she found all her money, neatly stacked potion maker kit and most of her other belongings. Two items attracted her attention.


    "Hmm, a core? Why are you keeping it in your bag?" asked Kanai, curious because of its form and color.


    "This one was from the wolf I fought on my third day in this world together with Rita. It''s an evolved core."


    "Wow, that''s cool. I''ve never heard about that before!"


    "I think I mentioned it once, albeit briefly," finished Orisa and set the core aside.


    She took another item, a tiny book, and opened it. Memories from the past flooded her, and she began to laugh.


    "What''s up?"


    "Oh, nothing, it''s just that..." Orisa could stop laughing. She waved the book in her hand after calming down a little, "Rita gave me several presents and a note written in an extremely rough kanji. I barely figured out the purpose of other items, but this one eluded me. By the time I learned how to read, I had long since forgotten about the book, and it got lost at the bottom of my bag."


    Kanai took the book and studied its cover:


    --- Guide to Lazra: resorts, vistas, and other points of interest ---


    "Now, at least, we know where to go," chuckled Orisa. Memories of Rita surfaced and filled her heart with warmth. ''I wonder if she knows about everything or not. How is she doing out there? And that book...''


    Next morning came, but it was less like morning and more of dusk: the rain doubled its efforts, dark clouds covered the sky. Orisa woke up with a now-familiar uncomfortable feeling under her stomach and grimaced. It was the last thing she wanted to experience during such a journey.


    "I think you should wait here, Orisa. I''ll go to send mail and buy supplies and should be back by the evening or even earlier.


    "Are you sure you should go alone? I can walk you at least half the way."


    "Don''t worry, damn. It''s not like I can''t handle a Beast or two, right? And the village is close, twenty minutes from here or even less. Come one, give me your letters, and I''ll be off."


    Orisa handed him two sheets of paper that she prepared the last evening. First was addressed to Rita, and the other one to Iten, Onuki, and other people of the squad. Orisa still felt uneasy about letting Kanai go alone, but he already went into his stubborn mode.


    When Kanai crawled outside, Orisa called him again:


    "Um, Kanai, wait..."


    "What is it again? Don''t give me that look. Everything will be fine!"


    "No, that''s not it..." Orisa shuffled uncomfortably. "Um, I..."


    "Would you spit it already, for god''s sake?" Kanai started getting angry. He liked Orisa, but her worries were getting on his nerves too much. He felt like she treated him as a helpless child, which was both insulting and irritating.


    "Yes, sorry... Could you buy me a pack of pads?"


    "Oh, um..." His attitude was completely blown away in a single moment. "Yes, sure. Um, well, sucks to be you, my condolences."


    "Yeah..."


    In an awkward silence, Kanai nodded and left, disappearing into the rain.


    Orisa finished Guide to Lazra and chewed a slice of dried meat from the rations. Her thoughts were drifting lazily from one topic to another. It was her brain''s method of recuperation - aimless wandering through various themes without a specific goal in mind. She was clearly mentally exhausted, and even Orisa herself understood that, so she didn''t push for any plans, theories, or other overly important matters.


    Several hours had passed in such a manner until she heard a scream muffled by rain.


    Orisa rushed outside, wasting no time to put the raincoat on, fearing the worst. She spotted splashes of red and green behind the trees, and more screams followed. ''Kanai, hang on!'' was her silent plea. While moving towards the fight, Orisa activated her usual set of protective spells. She also had time to regret leaving her gear inside the cavern; she dashed without a second thought and now was wearing only the Postponer, gloves, and her usual pants and a shirt. Setting aside an unpleasant rain that immediately soaked her wet, Orisa also lamented her wristguards and a leather jacket.


    A view she couldn''t expect opened up several seconds later: a rather intimidating boar was struggling to catch two cloaked figures dodging between the trees. Two runners managed to stay safe thanks to the thickness of the forest which slowed the boar considerably, but one of them was already heavily injured by the look of things.


    "-Blast!-"


    The second person was in better shape and tried to cover their wounded partner, throwing weak spells at the Beast to distract it.


    "-Spear!-" - "-Blast!-" - "-Sparks-!"


    The attacks, while flashy and loud, had little effect on their pursuer, stopping him momentarily at best. Orisa wasted no more and jumped forward:


    "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    "-Block Prison!-"


    The last spell encircled two people inside, making them yelp in surprise, and Orisa ordered while facing the boar:


    "Stay inside! It will protect you."


    The Beast shook its head and stared at a new foe, pondering what happened. Orisa had no time to drink the Concentration Potion, but even without it, the target was alone and not that dangerous after what she has been through before.


    "-Triple Block Rush!-" -- "-Hand of God!-" -- "-Hand of God!-" -- "-Block Prison!-"


    A barrage of spells stopped and disoriented the boar, letting Orisa catch it inside the Prison. The rest was her usual routine - several Shock Pokes, the Postponer charged for five seconds, and some Palm Push Strikes aimed at the Beast''s eyes to finish it off.


    Orisa got back to the first Prison and broke one of the walls, but both its residents stayed inside, sitting on cold and wet dirt. Not knowing what to do, she bent closer to them to look under their brown hoods. Two pairs of awed eyes met her, and their owners, kids not older than thirteen, were staring at Orisa with mouths agape.


    "Wow, Big Sis is so strong!" squirmed the first person, a girl with shoulder-long ginger hair and freckles.


    "She is probably cooler than dad..." echoed the second figure, a copy of the first one but belonging to a boy. The tone of his voice made Orisa get back to her senses:


    "-Major Status!-"


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    "-Major Condition!-"


    He had several very deep cuts on his left leg, and two broken ribs, probably from the boar''s strike. Orisa cursed quietly and charged the Regeneration Seal while also casting Blood Blockade. The way this boy behaved despite getting such injuries shocked Orisa.


    "Are you two alone? What are you doing here?" She asked and charged the Seal again.


    "Yes, sorry. But please, don''t tell mom! She''d kill us this time for sure!" the girl immediately jumped and shook Orisa''s shoulders in panic.


    "Okay, right. Just calm down and tell me what''s going on."


    Orisa charged the Seal again and tried to wrap her head around the fact that two children were alone in the forest where Beasts were roaming freely.


    "So, basically we went to train and-," the girl began, but Orisa quickly interrupted her.


    "Wait, to train? Aren''t you two too young for that?"


    "We aren''t kids!" they yelled in unison.


    "I understand, but how old are you? And where are your parents?"


    The siblings gave each other a cautious look and did some non-verbal exchange.


    "Why does it matter, anyway," the girl shrugged off Orisa''s question. "As for our parents, they are home, of course. What are you doing here, sis?"


    "Her face looks somewhat familiar, Lif," the brother eyed their savior suspiciously. "You aren''t from here, though."


    "Have you seen her somewhere, Lif?" the girl turned to her brother, but he only shook his head silently.


    "Wait, of you two, who is Lif?" Orisa''s head began to spin for their quick exchange.


    "I''m Lif!" they both replied simultaneously with happy grins on their faces.


    "By the way, sis, why are you dressed like that? It''s raining, you know," the girl poked Orisa''s shirt. "And what were you doing here in the first place? This forest is off-limits so that you know."


    "Says who?" Orisa groaned quietly and helped the boy up. When he got back on his feet, she noticed a quick grimace of pain flashed on his face. "Can you walk, kid?"


    "I''m not a kid!" he leaned on his sister with his left hand, and Orisa took his right. "Are we going back?"


    "We can''t go back with Lif as he is now! Mom will kill us for sure if she sees us like that!"


    "Okay, stop panicking. We aren''t going back just yet."


    They returned to the cavern where Orisa left the kids at the entrance and went a little deeper to change into something dry. Two pairs of demanding eyes met her return, full of curiosity and eagerness:


    "Do you live here?"


    "Are you a hermit?"


    "What''s the source of your cool powers?"


    "Do you eat monsters?"


    "Where are you from?"


    "What''s your name?"


    "Can you fly?"


    Shivering from the barrage of questions more than of cold weather, Orisa sat by their side and charged Regeneration Seal to apply another healing to the boy''s wounds.


    "Are these mittens magical?"


    "Okay, stop. It''s my turn to ask questions, and if you don''t answer I''ll tell your Mom everything," Orisa took the initiative back. She had too many questions and didn''t know what to do.


    "Not fair!" they cried out loud and pouted together.


    "Then start talking, you little rascals."


    Still working on the boy''s wounds, Orisa learned a bit about the twins. The girl''s name was Lif and her brother''s Lifthrasir, which in itself appeared rather bizarre. They came from the same village where Kanai had left earlier today, Carne Village. Both children were neither Nobles nor reincarnated. Their parents met during the first year of Military service and left after finishing one year''s contract. Shortly after, a young girl Freyla found out she was fertile but decided to turn down all offers from the Nobility and kept living with her to-be husband, Oudr.


    The twins made their life harder and happier at the same time. Together, they, like most families who left the Military, were living a modest life. That was the sole driving factor for kids'' actions - they wanted to get good positions in the Military to support their family''s needs. To this end, they had been constantly sneaking into the forest for the past year, risking their lives while self-studying magic, and causing their mother''s angry outbursts.


    "You kids are out of your mind. It''s a miracle you are still alive, you know?"


    "We are not kids!" the twins loudly protested, and then the girl continued, "you aren''t that old, you know? And you are still fine. And, like, super strong!"


    "That''s because I was trained in a special camp where wise and skilled trainers helped and taught me everything. You can''t do it by yourself. You''ll just end up dead, upsetting your parents and making them cry."


    "Can you teach us?!" the boy''s eyes instantly lit up, ignoring the part about being dead.


    Orisa groaned and recharged the Seal again. ''I can''t treat his ribs here, but what should I do? Going to the village is out of the question, so is leaving them here to wait until Kanai''s return.'' She glanced over the kids and thought for several minutes, enjoying a quiet atmosphere since the twins probably thought that she was pondering whether to teach them or not.


    "Say, Lif, is your father strong? He can handle a Beast or two, right?"


    "Of course, it''s a dad! Although, you might be stronger, but only a tiny bit."


    "Great. Listen, then. I have a task for you and you alone, but it''s quite dangerous. I can''t go back to the village with you and letting you two go back alone is out of the question, too. So I need you to go back and bring your dad here so that he could carry your brother home."


    Her plan seemed risky, but it was a calculated gamble. The fight between them and the boar made a lot of noise and generously splashed Mana. Despite that, nobody came after them, which meant there were no Beasts nearby. Add a Mana sealing bracelet, and Lif should be safe. More or less. Orisa hated herself for that, but she couldn''t risk jeopardizing the entire operation because she went to escort the kids and ended up stumbling over a random patrol or something. Especially considering a rather low level of threat.


    "I can go back by myself," the brother in question argued half-heartedly. As the adrenalin from the battle drained away, the pain finally caught up with him, cooling down his eagerness by a huge margin.


    "But why can''t you go with us, sis?" Lif asked, blinking her huge green eyes in confusion.


    "It''s complicated, but trust me - I would love to go with you, but it''s not possible now."


    The twins looked sad as if after hearing that their beloved cousin wouldn''t be visiting them this year.


    "Fine, I get it. I''ll go back and bring dad with me, okay?" Lif collected herself and stood up.


    "Wait a moment," Orisa went to pick up the bracelet, then handed it to the girl. "Put it on and channel Mana inside. Do you know how to do it?"


    The ginger girl nodded and did what Orisa had told her. The wristband glowed blue, making the girl shiver:


    "Whoa, what''s that? It feels so strange!"


    "It''s a sealing gear. While it''s active, you can''t use your Mana, but the Beasts won''t be able to sniff you, too. Kind of like hiding from them, right? If you are in danger and need to protect yourself, just take it off, okay?"


    "That''s super cool!" Lif exclaimed with glowing eyes.


    "Military is sure great," added Lifthrasir, causing Orisa''s expression to turn sour.


    "Tell your dad that his son is fine and not in danger, but I still need your father to come here and pick him up. And, Lif, be careful, alright? If you see any Beasts, you hide. Promise me."


    "I know, I''m not a kid," the girl grumbled and dashed outside.


    In complete silence, disturbed only by the sound of rain and the boy''s loud breathing, Orisa worriedly thought, ''I hope it was the right thing to do."

 74 A terrible day for rain

    "So, what are you doing here?"


    Orisa flinched from a sudden phrase. For the past twenty minutes, she had been brooding over her decision to let the girl go alone. It was a weighted choice she took after considering other options and possible danger, but it made her heart ache all the same. She wasn''t afraid of the girl bringing back not only her father but guards, too. Probability of this was extremely low since none of the twins found out she was on the run, and their father would lack any details to come to this assumption. No, instead, Orisa was worried about Lif and her life. Would it be possible to keep on living if something were to happen with her?


    "Um, Big Sis? Are you sleepy, too?" asked Lifthrasir slowly while trying not to yawn. As the adrenalin from a previous battle wore off, it became harder for the boy to stay awake because of all the stress and injuries he suffered.


    During all this time while Orisa was pondering the issue, she had been healing him with the Regeneration Seal. As a result, most of his wounds turned from deep tears into small cuts. The cracked ribs, however, showed no signs of getting better because of how weak the Seal''s effect was.


    "No, I''m fine, but you definitely need to take a nap, Lif."


    "Nah, that''s boring. Tell me something cool about yourself. What did you do to get this strong? Teach me, alright?"


    "Hmm, I don''t know about cool and teaching, honestly," Orisa looked at her guest apologetically.


    "Why not!? You are so greedy. And here I thought you were nice and everything..."


    "It''s not about being greedy, Lif. First of all, I trained hard under the guidance of the training camp''s teachers. And you should do the same when it''s time. Besides that, I don''t think I''d be able to teach you anything useful since my fighting style is rather strange."


    "And what''s that supposed to mean? You are trying to trick me!" A pout on Lifthrasir''s face became even bigger, and he stared at Orisa unhappily.


    "Why would I do that? Come on, don''t behave like a little kid," she used a dirty method to calm the boy down. "I mean that my spells are all custom made by me because I''m actually rather weak and need to come up with ridiculous tricks to stay on par with others. But I do have two important things to share."


    "Really?" his eyes lit up and glistened like a Christmas tree.


    "Yes, so listen carefully. First, you need to stop going into dangerous places. And don''t look at me like that. There are special people in training camps who will summon weak monsters for you to train with, and that''s how you start your path."


    "Hey, that''s cheating!"


    "Idiot, that''s how a proper training works - you start with something small that you can handle, and gradually grow stronger. Anyhow, that''s what you should wait for instead of going into a forest where real Beasts dwell. In the meantime, you can and should practice Mana control and other things, and with this, I can help."


    Orisa took out bottle water and taught Lifthrasir the basics of practice. She then dived deeper into what magic is and how to use and tweak spells, but the boy finally fell asleep half-way during her lecture. It was getting colder and colder, so Orisa brought two blankets, covered him with one, and used another for herself. She was feeling rather weak as well, perhaps due to all the worries she had about Lif going alone.


    Wrapping up in the quilt, Orisa prepared to wait. She almost dozed off several times but managed to stay awake despite her eyelids growing heavier with each passing moment. Finally, she had noticed movement half an hour later.


    The first to appear was Lif. She skipped towards the cavern in a carefree manner, ignoring rain and dirt. Next, a tall skinny man appeared between the trees. It was hard to make out his features yet, but what caught Orisa''s attention was a two-edged battle-ax that rested on his right shoulder. A little shiver ran down Orisa''s spine as she witnessed how easily the man carried the weapon.


    "Liffy, wait here," he said in a cautious tone and moved closer. There was no hostility in his eyes or posture, only concentration, and determination.


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    Orisa stood up, leaving the comfy and warm blanket, and waited for the men to close the distance with her hands in plain view. She tensed a bit but otherwise was unfazed after judging the situation calmly - the cavern was too narrow and low for her guest to utilize his axe fully. Aside from that, Orisa was rather confident in her own defensive skills. The only problem she had felt just now was that her body felt heavier for some reason.


    The man stopped near his son and bent down to check his conditions. Lifthrasir was sleeping soundly, covered with a blanket. Orisa even bandaged his leg during their previous interaction. After checking the boy''s condition, his father loosened up a bit and was now standing in a more relaxed manner.


    "Name''s Oudr, this brat''s father," he said, still a little wary while studying Orisa''s face.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m-."


    "Already know the name, saw and heard it enough for the past day."


    "Um, right... Well, sorry that I couldn''t lead them back home, didn''t want him walking with his ribs cracked. And I have no means to heal him. So, I had to-."


    "That''s a given. Although can''t appreciate my girl walking alone in the forest, at least you gave her this," he handed the bracelet back.


    "Dad, is everything okay?" Lif suddenly appeared at her father''s side and pulled his raincoat.


    "Of course, my flower."


    "I told you Big Sis is awesome, right?" the girl looked at Orisa proudly as if it was thanks to her efforts that their savior ended up awesome.


    "Good work, dear, you did great," Oudr ruffled his daughter''s hair and looked at Orisa again. "And what did you do?"


    "Let some Noble trash harm my friend and push the blame on me."


    "And that''s why they pay one grit for your head?" a doubt oozed from his voice.


    ''One grit? And that''s it? Half a million yen for my head? Are they fucking kidding?'' Orisa was thoroughly shocked by that amount. For the ordinary people who lived a modest life in a village, it was a large sum, almost a life-long saving. But for the Military and especially for the Supreme Commander - nothing but spare change. ''Something''s fishy.''


    "Honestly, I thought it should have been way higher," Orisa finally squeezed a response. "Considering who wanted me dead, that is."


    "Upset that bounty is low?"


    "It pisses me off how little that bastard value his daughter." Orisa gritted her teeth, hands clutched into fists. It was beyond insulting towards Tiana and how perfect the girl was. Orisa thought that she was already past the point of getting angrier, but now her blood was boiling again.


    "Right. Makes no sense. Don''t care that much. Can we go now?"


    Orisa looked at Oudr as if seeing him for the first time. Her veins were still filled with magma, but she took a deep breath to calm down a bit and raised her brow:


    "What do you mean, Oudr? Am I in your way somehow?"


    Instead of answering, the father eyed Orisa for several moments, then took out a tiny pouch and handed it to her.


    "Who do you think I am?" Orisa got angry again, unconsciously clenching her fists once more.


    "You might need it more than we do," Oudr answered, and Orisa noticed a hint of compassion in his voice. In instantly cooled her rage.


    "No, I have enough for my needs. Besides, it must be hard dealing with two hurricanes. Just make sure to keep them safe."


    Orisa even pondered for a moment if she should give the man a bit of her own money after learning from Lifthrasir how poor they were but decided against it in the end. She understood that this gesture came mostly from the guilt of sending the girl alone through a dangerous forest, so it was a pointless and even harmful desire. ''I did enough.''


    Oudr removed the blanket and took the still sleeping son into his arms, covering him with the raincoat.


    "Whatever you did, hope you''ll find a way out. Thank you."


    With that, the man turned around and stepped into the rain. His daughter, Lif, smiled and waved to Orisa before following after her father. Orisa, on the other hand, waited for a few moments before slumping down on the stone floor. Her legs were so heavy that she couldn''t last a second longer. Pulling both blankets over her cold body, she immediately fell asleep.


    ---


    ---


    "Huh, must be nice to wind up wanted criminal. You can laze around all day under a blanket while your loyal slave is running errands under a cold rain. Feels good."


    "Uh? Sorry, break is over? I''ll get back to work right now..." Orisa muttered half-asleep. She opened her eyes and stared at Kanai in a futile attempt to grasp the situation. After blinking several times, she finally came to her senses, "Kanai? Oh, it''s you... Sorry. Glad to see you back..."


    Everything was so fuzzy, and Orisa''s mind felt hazy. She shivered under blankets and focused her gaze on Kanai. Her partner glanced at her for a moment then began to unload his luggage. Several envelopes came to light from his pocket, and he handed them to Orisa:


    "From Rita, the squad, and Nana plus Nene."


    "Thanks, that''s great. Can I read them later? My head hurts a little."


    "Probably because of the weather. I was sleepy half the day as well, especially while waiting for the letters. By the way," he suddenly lit up and looked at Orisa with burning eyes, "saw your poster! You actually look great, at least way better than IRL."


    "You dick..." she protested weakly, pulling one of the blankets and handing it to Kanai. "Do you want to rest a bit or should we move out now?"


    "Want to leave? I thought about spending the night here."


    "Um, I don''t think it''s such a good idea..."


    Orisa proceeded to retell the events of the day. With each passing second, Kanai''s brows went further upwards. He looked at her in disbelief, shaking his head slowly:


    "You are incorrigible, you know? You had only one job - to lay low and sleep, and you went and did this..." Despite his harsh words, Kanai''s eyes were laughing. "Okay, what''s done is done. And I would have done the same so don''t fret it."


    He stretched under the blanket and yawned soundly before checking his wristwatch. They still had a good four hours of daylight at the very least, so Kanai decided to take a short rest before leaving their temporary shelter.


    "How is everyone?" asked Orisa some time later.


    "They are back to the Lair and having a short vacation to celebrate this stuff. Iten wrote that Dippo tried to poach Toatre into the squad, but she shot him down soundly. Said she was ready to help any time but wanted to keep to her studies."


    "I wonder what will happen to the squad. How many members there are now?"


    "Iten, Onuki, Marina, and Shou. Dippo kicked both degenerates from the squad, and from what I heard from Iten, he actually got in trouble for doing so. Says a lot about the man, I think."


    "A bit strange but a nice guy, I think," added Orisa while reminiscing about the good old days when her worst problem was to deny Dippo''s attempts at calling her weird names.


    "As for the squad, I don''t know. Maybe they''ll join some other group? We''ll see, I guess."


    "How is the atmosphere in general?"


    "Iten wrote that everyone was panicking the first day you fled, but now things calmed down surprisingly fast."


    "It''s all kind of strange, don''t you think? The trial was so big and official, but it looks like they stopped caring the moment I got away." Orisa paused to catch a breath. Her mind was still hazy, and it was rather hard to focus on her thoughts. "I also heard about the bounty, well, on my head. For the crime I supposedly committed, it''s laughably low. It all looks like they only wanted to mess up my life and don''t care at all what happens next. At least as long as I''m on the run."


    "Now that you''ve said that," Kanai looked at her thoughtfully, "indeed, it does. Well, aside from getting even more pissed, isn''t it a good thing? I mean, we shouldn''t expect any real difficulties as long as we don''t provoke trouble ourselves."


    "Yeah..."


    They stayed quiet for some time, resting under the constant noise of the neverending rain. Each of the pair had their own thoughts, but they surprisingly ended up at the same idea, thinking how nice it was to be around each other.


    "Time to move out, I suppose," Kanai got back on his feet and went deeper into the cavern to gather their belongings.


    When Orisa tried to stand up, she swayed violently and managed to stay on her feet only after leaning on the wall. ''Damn, that weather is surely killing me," she thought, taking a small sip of Stamina Potion.


    They were ready to depart ten minutes later. Orisa''s backpack wasn''t as heavy as Kanai''s but her legs still trembled a bit. She steeled herself and prayed for the potion to carry her through their march. Giving one last look at their shelter, the pair moved out. It was only two minutes later that she called her partner:


    "Kanai, wait..."


    Orisa had to lean on a tree to stay on foot since everything was blurry in front of her. Her head was heavy and filled with cotton at the same time, and she had a hard time squeezing out even a single thought. Next moment, Orisa was already on the ground.


    "What''s wrong?!" Kanai dropped his backpack and rushed to her side. He turned Orisa on her side to see her face. It was completely red, sweat dripping from her forehead. It took him only a second to check her skin, and he almost yelled, "Are you nuts!? You are burning with fever!"


    But Orisa couldn''t answer.

 75 Hot pursuit and Cold meeting

    "Oh for fuck''s sake, Orisa! Can you live a single day without getting bad dice roll?"


    Kanai was loudly cursing while checking Orisa''s condition with diagnostic spells. Her fever was high without a doubt, but he found no traces of severe infection or other things that could cause such a state. The only conclusion he could draw from these facts was that she either caught a simple cold or overworked herself. Considering it was Orisa, both assumptions were probably correct, topped with the huge stress she went through. A pitiful and worrying but not so grave condition.


    "I swear, next time this happens, I''ll switch with Iten. Stupid, helpless, hopeless girl..."


    Despite his grumbling, Kanai gently removed straps of Orisa''s backpack and tenderly wiped her face. Dropping his own backpack as well, he bent and picked his partner, holding her like a bride.


    "Damn, your ass is too heavy. I''ll cut your meat portion down, you hear me?"


    The distance they had traveled several minutes ago took Kanai more than five times longer. Having no way to look under his feet, he tripped thrice but managed to keep Orisa safe. By the end of this short trip, he was all wet and dirty; the hood of his raincoat fell back, and now his silver hair was all over his face.


    Kanai left Orisa inside the same cavern and, after casting Regeneration spell, ran back to pick their luggage. He prepared a nest further into the cavern, stacking two sleeping bags on top of each other. Both blankets were ready nearby when he moved Orisa there. She ended up in a giant cocoon with only her head visible under the mountain of warming cloth.


    Pleased with his work, Kanai nodded to himself and went to make a wet towel. Orisa''s fever had gone up a bit more, so Kanai took his wand and used his most potent healing:


    "Lifespring!"


    The spell drained most of the Mana Kanai had but did almost no good. Orisa''s fever dropped down a little, and her breathing steadied, but that was all. That left him with no choice but to go to the village again and ask more about treatment methods. He placed a bottle of water by her side before leaving, gave her one last check and then jogged outside.


    The rain was only getting stronger.


    ---


    ---


    "So you are saying I can''t help it at all?"


    "That is correct, mister. I may recommend this medicine if you are set on trying something, but it will mask symptoms. Don''t expect anything beyond that, sir. You''ll have to wait for it to go down on its own."


    "What''s wrong with this damn world? You can heal back missing limbs, but there is no cure for a freaking cold?"


    Kanai rolled his eyes and complained a bit more to the apothecary before purchasing said medicine. It took quite a bit of running to find this shop, and now Kanai was cold, wet, and dead tired. Despite that and the revelation about the sickness, he appeared quite pleased:


    "Well, at least something is still better than nothing, I guess," with that, he shivered from the thought of getting soaked again but steeled himself and moved back out under the rain. While the village was rather small, at least it had paving stones instead of the usual dirt.


    Kanai stashed the medicine inside his coat and strolled forward, towards the village''s southern exit. An unexpected obstacle blocked his path - while going by the tavern''s entrance, his stomach growled loudly, demanding an emergency refill. Sighing tiredly, Kanai changed his direction and muttered under his breath:


    "Hope ten minutes won''t kill this unfortunate idiot since I haven''t eaten a single thing most of the day."


    While waiting for his order, Kanai dropped at the corner table where the street and entire hall were both visible. Barely several seconds had passed after that, and three guards stopped by his side:


    "Sorry to bother you, kid, but can we see your tag?" said one of them, probably a senior officer.


    "And why is that happening, pray tell?" Kanai was clearly not in the mood, with hunger adding more to his already sour state.


    "I don''t need to state my reasons, boy. A tag check is what we, the Police, do."


    "How should I know that you are really from the Police?"


    A little irritated, the man in charge waved his tag in front of Kanai''s face. Resigning to a pointless and tiresome activity, he took out his tag and dropped it on the table, turning to the window to look at the street.


    "So? What''s this all about?" he asked after several seconds of silence.


    "I''m sorry... sir," the senior guard fretted, acknowledging the superiority of his opponent.


    When it came down to authority in emergencies involving people, the Police was superior, and even the lowest rank would outclass anyone except captains and commanders. But outside of crime scenes and other related matters, Kana''s Hounds were one rank above the Police, letting him ignore even commanding officers if needed.


    "Explain yourself, officer."


    "Well, sir, we saw you come and go twice today, and you are clearly not from here. It looked rather suspicious, and we decided to check. If you don''t mind, what are you doing here? I think this village is quite far in regards to the Hounds'' field of expertise."


    Kanai looked at him for a moment as if gauging whether he should answer to a lower-ranked person or not. In fact, he was frantically looking for a good explanation:


    "Isn''t it obvious?" he finally said in an offended tone. "I''m looking for our disgrace whom you''ve probably seen on a new poster."


    "You mean the girl that killed some Noble?" All three guards tensed quite a bit, looking at each other with a hint of fear. "I heard she is completely nuts and dangerous. Do you think she is somewhere around these parts?"


    "If I thought that way, our entire division would have been here already. I''m just scouting possible escape routes, nothing more. But," he looked at them with steel in his eyes, "if you happen to see her, immediately retreat unless there are at least ten of you. And find me."


    "Yes, sir! Are you staying at the Boar Hat?"


    "That is correct. You can leave a message there, or call for me in case of emergency. Although I''m spending most of the time looking for clues. Or Beasts." Kanai thoughtfully rented a bedroom for two days, which made for a perfect cover and temporary storage room.


    "Yes, sir. Thank you for taking care of our village and sorry for bothering you. Have a good day."


    Fifteen minutes later, two pairs of eyes followed Kanai''s departure from the tavern. The rain was pouring like a waterfall.


    He left through the northern gate and went further down the road for five minutes before getting off the path and entering the forest. While it was hard to navigate among densely growing trees, and even more so under the rain, he memorized several landmarks and marched forward without any difficulties.


    Two pairs of eyes followed him, lurking among trees, hidden by rain.


    Kanai didn''t bother with the Sealing bracelet, so he wasn''t all too surprised when a meter-sized spider dropped just a few steps in front of him.


    "Corrosive Ray!"


    Kanai''s wand jumped into his hand, and the most powerful spell in his arsenal turned the Beast to ash in three seconds. As usual, his breathing became ragged, and face turned all sweaty after spending half of the Mana pool on a single spell. He leaned on the closest tree and rested for a minute, before continuing to the hideout that was not far ahead.


    One pair of eyes followed him with an intent gaze.


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    At last, Kanai made it to the cavern and immediately checked Orisa''s condition. The fever was still there and even higher than before; she breathed hard while sweating buckets. Despite her state, Kanai still had to wake her up to take medicine. Dissolving some of it in a bottle of Mana-infused water, he shook her shoulder until Orisa woke up.


    "Wha... I... Uh..."


    "Here, Orisa, drink this," he immediately helped her sit and pressed the bottle against her dry lips.


    "What... Where..." Orisa tried to get up from her nest, but Kanai pressed her down and covered with blankets again.


    "It''s okay. It''s okay. Everything is fine, don''t worry and go back to sleep."


    Orisa tried to say something, but her lips stopped moving midway as she went back to sleep almost immediately. Satisfied with the outcome, Kanai got back on his feet and went to get a book from his backpack.


    Everything they had in terms of warming power was used to build Orisa''s bed, so Kanai had to sit on the edge of the blanket since the stone floor of their base was ice-cold. Sighing tiredly, he turned to look at his partner, gently brushed a lock of wet hair from her red face, and opened the book on various magic techniques that Dippo gave him before the departure.


    A book with the strange name Hitchhiker''s Guide to Mana Formation was one of the greatest reads for spellcasters among the Hounds'' archives. The book touched many aspects of Mana transformation, ways to empower and enrich magic. Such a hard material was written in an informal and easy to understand language, which was a plus. On the other hand, the guidelines weren''t as detailed and left too much information outside of the book for the reader to discover by themselves.


    Engulfed in reading, Kanai had almost caught a heart attack after being startled by a sudden male voice:


    "Get away from her. Slowly."


    Kanai jumped on his feet, his wand aimed at the entrance to the cavern. Four silhouettes were blocking it, at least one of the armed. Two of them were tall, bending slightly because of the low ceiling, and two others were way smaller.


    "Who are you, and what do you need here?" Kanai asked aggressively.


    His mind was racing frantically and looking for ways out of this situation. Even if he could manage to down these four, the probability of more people waiting outside was not low. He could also run if not for Orisa. And leaving her here was not an option, at least not for him. His white hand squeezed the wand, and he was mentally prepared to give it his all.


    "That''s our question, don''t you think so, kiddo?" asked another voice, female this time.


    By the sound of it, these two were not that young, at least mid-thirties if not more. When Kanai was about to attack, another voice chimed in:


    "Mom, kick his ass and save Big Sis!"


    "Lif, be quiet, and stay away!"


    "Wait, what!?" Kanai snapped and almost yelled. The first shock was the voice of a child, and the fact that she called another person ''Mom'' added a strawberry on a cake. "Stop-stop, timeout. What the hell is going on? And, seriously, your Mom!? Who are you people?"


    Kanai''s mind was going haywire. A rather awkward silence at the entrance to the hideout was interrupted by a no less awkward:


    "Oops, sorry..." This time, the voice belonged to a boy.


    "Okay, I get it. You are the kids she had saved earlier today?" Kanai lowered his wand and straightened, relaxing a bit. Mostly because his mind solved the mystery of this bizarre incident.


    "How do you know it, you thug!?"


    "Lif, keep your mouth shut, or I''m going to double your punishment today," the woman said sternly.


    "What''s wrong with the girl? She isn''t moving," asked Oudr, still gripping the handle of his axe.


    "You can come and check this idiot yourself," Kanai sighed and moved behind Orisa''s nest, giving people at the entrance space.


    All four cautiously moved inside, and the woman was first to check Orisa''s condition:


    "She has a fever. You didn''t tell me about this."


    "She was okay!" both kids protested in unison.


    "I assume she got wet in the rain. And all the stress caught up with her as well. When we were about to leave, she suddenly collapsed, so I made this bed from our sleeping bags and blankets."


    "Who are you?" Oudr asked warily.


    "Her partner, of course."


    The family exchanged doubting looks and stared at him. After several moments of silence, the boy pointed at Kanai and protested:


    "But I heard you saying that you were after her!"


    "Yes, I was there, too!" added his sister.


    Completely relaxing, Kanai smacked his forehead in understanding. He let out a dry, tired laugh, and muttered:


    "What was I supposed to say? Hey, guards, I''m actually helping this wanted criminal, you don''t mind, right?"


    "Okay, I don''t care about this nonsense, but this pipsqueak is clearly sick and needs help."


    "I already gave her this," Kanai said and handed the woman leftover medicine. "If you can help more, please don''t hesitate. I can pay."


    The woman gave Kanai a long look, then checked the medicine''s name and tasted a pinch of it with the tip of her tongue.


    "This should be enough, I suppose," she said after a long pause. "Keep her warm, and she should be okay after resting for a few days."


    "Um, what can I do to keep her warm? No way to make a campfire. And I don''t know any spells for this purpose either."


    "Are you, perchance, dumb?" the woman stared at him as if he was a complete moron. "Just remove these sweaty clothes from her, then get under the same blanket, undressed. For god''s sake, is it that hard?"


    "W-w-w-what!?" Kanai''s face turned bright pink.


    "What?" the woman gave him a dubious look. "Also, wipe her at least once a day. It''s bad to let the sweat stay for too long. Got it?"


    "Y-y-yes..."


    "Okay, I''m done here."


    The woman stood up and turned to her family that was standing a few steps away, clearly wary of their mother''s temper and behavior during emergencies.


    "You aren''t mad that we didn''t offer to take her with us?" she said with a bland, emotionless voice.


    "Too dangerous for you and us, as well," Kanai answered in a similar way.


    "Good. Keep the kid warm, hydrated, and clean. If you need anything, our house is third from the southern exit."


    With that, the father and mother both left the cavern. Two kids remained for a moment longer:


    "You keep Big Sis safe!"


    "Or we''ll kick your butt!"


    Kanai was left overwhelmed and speechless as the family disappeared into the rain.


    ---


    ---


    Orisa finally came to her senses the next morning. She slowly opened her eyes, suffering from a headache, fever, and thirst. Her mind was still hazy, so she felt rather disoriented and lost while staring at a dark stone of the cavern.


    But something bothered her even more than the symptoms. Something hard was poking her right thigh. Slowly turning her head in that direction, Orisa appeared face to face with Kanai who was sleeping soundly by her side. Her mind flipped. In one swift motion, she raised both blankets and looked underneath only to find herself and Kanai almost completely naked:


    "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

 76 Morning Spear Technique

    Another three days passed before Orisa could recover completely. By the end of the ordeal, Kanai stopped being as red and embarrassed as he was at the beginning:


    "Okay, time to harass your brawny back," he said and pulled a clean cloth and a bottle of water.


    "Do you really have to say it like that? What about giving me a cloth massage? Or you can call it making a girl wet, I suppose."


    "I see you are as lively as before. If you need to get yourself wet the rain is still here. Go help yourself."


    "Boo, and here I thought we became family. You know, overcoming obstacles together in exile, living a poor but lovely life," Orisa rolled her eyes and made a tragic gesture befitting the best actors on stage, all while Kanai was working with her back.


    "Poor? You can buy half the Carne village with your money."


    "It''s our money, Kanai, our war funds presented by our goddess Rita."


    "Whatever, I''m done here."


    Kanai went to the entrance of their hideout to clean the cloth while Orisa was putting back her bra and shirt. She couldn''t help but chuckle from his innocent behavior of getting red and excited below the waist every time he saw her like that. Not that Orisa wanted to get naked in front of men, but Kanai''s reaction was just too much to pass by.


    "Do you think you can start moving again?" he asked a minute later, setting the cloth to dry on an improvised handmade rack.


    "Of course, bro. Thanks to your tender care, I''m at one hundred HP again!"


    "Are you embarrassing yourself on purpose?"


    "Nay-nay-nay, the plan was to embarrass you."


    "Yeah, we already know by now how good a planner you are," Kanai quickly got back at Orisa with a verbal touch¨¦.


    "Jerk! Lecher! Pervert! Noble!" she burst out in a fake rage.


    "Yes-yes. Okay, I''ll go back to the village, resupply, and be back in two or three hours. The letters should be waiting as well. Try to be ready by then."


    "Sir, yes, sir!"


    "Urgh, I''m already tired of your excitement..."


    Kanai left, and Orisa dropped back into her nest to warm herself and laze around a bit more. Various thoughts plagued her mind, but one of them became bigger and impossible to ignore, always jumping in front of her mental queue. Kanai.


    ''I wonder why he is like that. And what''s going on between us.''


    Outside of their harassing and toxic banter, the way Kanai treated her with such care and gentleness almost stunned Orisa. Despite that, all her subtle and not so subtle probing returned only one result - he wasn''t interested in her physically. But at the same time, without a doubt, Kanai wasn''t gay since his body was more than happy to see Orisa''s feminine parts.


    Her own reaction was also alarming. Mentally, she was appalled by the thought of associating with men. Her hormones, however, had other plans and thoroughly ignored their owner''s ideas - not once during these days she found herself hot not only from fever, especially in the morning after sleeping the night skin to skin. To her shame, every time Kanai went away to do some chores or stretch his body, Orisa''s hands immediately moved down to her panties.


    Kanai, perhaps, had it even rougher than her, considering how average male body behaved near a half-naked woman. Various charitable but horrific thoughts frequented her mind, and she had to go on a mental rampage to throw these mad ideas out of her head.


    Setting sexual matters aside, the way she felt around Kanai could not be overlooked either. She was at ease, calm, secure, and happy. Talking to him was like conversing with your own clone, albeit with minor differences. They understood each other well; they liked to talk or simply stay by each other''s side.


    ''And what does it make us, then? A family? Best friends? Soulmates?''


    ---


    ---


    The other party was having exactly the same internal debate, doubting and figuring his feelings and plans. Kanai had a hard time balancing between his thoughts and his needs. Several times his hands even moved on their own when he was half-asleep. Thankfully, Orisa wasn''t awake either, which saved him from even more embarrassment.


    Among other plans for the day, he also scheduled a visit to his room in the inn. Without Orisa to constantly keep an unintended eye on him, now Kanai would have a chance to release some of built-up stress and frustration, although his mental fatigue wouldn''t leave as easily.


    Several hours later, a well-fed, somewhat rested, and fully restocked Kanai left the Carne Village. He also paid a short visit to that bizarre family to inform them that Orisa was leaving. The kids were sad without a chance to say goodbye to their Big Sis and the parents gave him a mushroom pie with several fruits. Despite their rough start and limited time together, Kanai also found the family cute. In their own way, of course.


    "Greetings, sir. Are you leaving on another patrol, sir?" asked the same senior guard when they encountered each other near the city''s northern exit.


    "I plan to give another round, and if there are no signs, I''ll go deeper into the forest for quite some time. If anything happens, just inform my division. Can I trust you with this?" Kanai said in a serious tone. This play was getting on his nerves, but he saw no other choice but to continue.


    "Yes, sir! Please, take care."


    And with that, the Carne Village was left behind.


    ---


    ---


    "Now that we are relatively far away and all set, I''d like to further discuss our plans."


    Orisa and Kanai were sitting at a campfire in front of a tiny tent. It was their fourth day after leaving the proximity of the Carne Village, and by Orisa''s insistence, they had moved deeper into the wilds. To the west of the capital was an enormous area called the Western Reach without any cities or villages due to a high concentration of Beasts and lack of safe locations to establish a human habitat.


    This location was a rather obvious choice when it came to running away from the Military. Still, Orisa judged it a safe decision for several reasons: first, the area was large, more than a hundred kilometers long and half of the size wide making any searches a complicated and almost pointless endeavor; second, the density of Beasts'' here added more difficulties for the potential pursuers.


    They had set up the camp for the first time today, being content with only sleeping bags while sheltering inside caves or caverns. After looking for a suitable cave for an hour, they gave up and decided to unpack the tent and place it under one of the big trees that made this part of Western Reach. Its branches went as far as thirty meters away from the trunk, giving a lot of space relatively free of rain. Magic made everything somewhat easier, as well. They cut thin branches of nearby trees to make firewood and dried them a bit with Mana-made fire. Orisa also produced an improvised shelter from her Force Walls, creating a roof above the campfire. They no longer tried to hide their presence from Beasts as a part of Orisa''s current plan.


    "I can understand us getting stronger through Beast hunting, okay," Kanai began, while carefully steering a stew inside a pot hanging above the fire. As it appeared, he was a rather competent cook, not as good restaurant-level chief as their training camp squad mate Crion but skilled in cooking something edible from almost any ingredients. "I get it. But what''s your global plan? Why are we god knows where? What are we going to do next?"


    "Do you remember our goal? Our quest?"


    "I do," he said after a long pause. It was the topic Kanai tried to avoid for the longest time, still doubting their chances and the whole idea of saving the world. "How are you so sure? Do you really think you can pull this off? And, please, what it is exactly you are trying to pull off? I don''t see any dragons or demon lords here. Who are you going to fight to win this?"


    "Kanai, I won''t say that I understand your frustration, but at least I understand your doubts. For me, there is no other way. I can''t sit and wait not doing anything at all. And as for the dragons, I know where to start. But to reach the place, we must get stronger, way stronger than we are now."


    "You know the place? You mean the tower? No, wait..." Kanai looked at her with an overwhelmed expression, not wanting to believe what he just thought. "No-no-no, say I''m wrong. You don''t mean to go there again?"


    "I do," Orisa answered firmly and looked Kanai right in the eyes.


    "For fuck''s sake, you never learn!? I don''t believe it. You can''t be serious."


    "There was no point in saving me if you only wished to live several months of peace, Kanai."


    "You don''t care, do you? About Iten, Onuki, about everyone else. You only want to be a fucking hero, a world-saving legend because anything else is not enough of glory for you, right?"


    "I do care, but maybe in my own way. I care about them. And even more so about you, mate. That''s why I''m doing this, that''s why I''m willing to risk everything. If you think about it logically, is there any other way?"


    "I''m sure there is, but you haven''t stopped for a single moment to give it a thought since it won''t make you a bloody martyr."


    With that, Kanai stood up and stormed away into the forest. Orisa had a hard time keeping her temper under control. She wanted to say lots of mean things but knew better. Exploded like that because he was genuinely worried about her. Perhaps deep down, he even knew she was right but didn''t want to go through the nightmare of seeing her hurt again. She understood all that and tried her hardest to not lash back at him.


    Several minutes later, Orisa took the pot off the fire and left it on the ground before leaving to look for Kanai. She had no difficulties finding Kanai since her Mana sense range has increased to almost fifty meters. He was sitting on a broken tree trunk not far away from their camp, gazing into the distance with a depressed look.


    "Let''s go back. The food doesn''t taste right without you," Orisa said, slowly taking place by his side on the improvised bench.


    "So now I''m a bad cook?"


    "Why now if you were always like that?"


    "Ah, that''s how it is, then. I see."


    That sat in silence for some more time, each thinking their own things.


    "I know you are worried and don''t like the idea at all. I''m worried too, about the whole thing. And about you, as well," Orisa began.


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    "Wow, that''s something new. How so?"


    "Don''t make me spill any more embarrassing things, okay?"


    "Oh, so now you are embarrassed to talk to me? I see I see," Kanai said, slowly stretching his words. Orisa knew where this is going, which made her heart light again:


    "You senseless and cruel jerk! Of course, I care about you so much. Way more than about anyone else," she spat out these words, and her face turned pink.


    "So, you are saying that I''m more important than Tiana?"


    "Probably the same, but in a different way," Orisa answered after a long pause. It was still hard for her to think about Tiana. "She is, well, like a daughter to me, I guess."


    "Then, who am I?"


    "Do you want me to die from embarrassment or something?" Without a doubt, neither of them knew how to name or even describe their relationship. After not saying a single word for a minute, Orisa suddenly continued, "I promise to back off if we find another way, or if someone can take the lead."


    "Must be nice to promise something when you know there is no chance it could happen," Kanai said after a long sigh and stood up. "The food is getting cold. I don''t want any more whining about my cooking skills."


    "Then just git gud, kid."


    ---


    ---


    The rain went from a waterfall to light and almost non-existent dripping. The pair was sitting by the campfire, enjoying its light and warmth. During their travel, they end up missing such a simple thing and now were catching up as if trying to store some of the warmth for future uses.


    Fifteen Beasts attacked their camp today, and the friends made a quick work of them together. Kanai dealt damage with his Corrosive Ray, and Orisa kept his Mana pool from drying up. They also went on a trip across the surrounding area to try and round more Beasts, but nobody attacked them. On the bright side, they found a tiny stream of water and thanks to Kanai''s disinfecting spell their water supplies were now limitless.


    "Okay, give me a quick summary of your plan," he said after pouring another cup of tea.


    "Yes, sir, at once, sir! We are in the first phase now," Orisa began, but Kanai quickly chimed in:


    "At least not in the endgame..."


    "Right, thank you. The first phase is simple - go find Beasts, smack them. When we become confident in kicking their butts, we move to the second phase."


    "Which is?"


    "Khe-he-he," Orisa released a creepy laugh, "I call it a One-time Beast Amusement Park."


    "Okay, seems like you finally went senile. Good luck, was nice hanging out with you, ciao."


    "I knew you would say that. Anyhow, after that, we are going to take a short break and then move to the cave. From there, I honestly don''t know."


    "Yeah, depends on how many limbs we would have by the end of this phase," Kanai sighed again. "Well, this is all great and fun, but we need to figure out how to sleep tonight. I mean, there is only one tent."


    Orisa gave him a long look, and Kanai shivered from a mad glint in her eyes:


    "What if... I put my bed... next to yours... Just kidding! Unless..?"


    "Oh, for fuck''s sake, Orisa! Why did I even bother asking? Sometimes I forget that you only look human, you filthy nerd."


    "Bro, why are you fretting so much on this topic? I''m mostly used to your morning spear techniques, although I''d prefer full-plate underwear to keep myself from being pierced..."


    "Okay, death it is, then."

 77 Mistakes were made

    "Found it!" Orisa yelled in excitement.


    "W-w-what?!" Kanai was out of breath after throwing five spells in a row.


    "A perfect spot for an amusement park, of course."


    "Is this the right time?!"


    "Oh, Kanai, don''t be like that."


    Orisa turned back to the mob and smiled cheerfully before stretching both hands in their direction. Around twenty Beasts were struggling to get closer to the pair of adventurers and could only throw occasional spells and ranged attacks. Those, of course, were absorbed by Orisa''s new stationary barrier.


    "-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-"


    Three Seals appeared in front of Orisa and spat out a horde of tiny lightning-enchanted darts. The volley rained down on the Beasts, causing them to wail in rage. Some of the projectiles bounced off of thick skin, but many more struck their targets, spawning electric arcs all over the victims'' bodies. Several Beasts fell to the ground, disoriented or paralyzed, while others merely slowed down.


    A week of intense hunting has passed. Aside from numerous hours spent on the fighting itself, Orisa and Kanai both substantially broadened their arsenals of spells. Shock Volley was a modification of Orisa''s Enrage-free spell, Shock Poke. She used little projectiles with lightning Mana and enchanted penetration power to slow and stun enemies from a distance. Since they were complimenting each other perfectly, Kanai also produced a new spell to assist Orisa:


    "-Field of Corrosion!-"


    A cloud of dark-grey smoke appeared under the mob of Beasts and started dissolving their slowed and stunned bodies. The Field took Kanai''s Corrosive Ray as a basis to create a static zone of similar effect. Its power was several times lower than the original spell, but the Mana cost went down considerably while boosting the spell''s area at the same time. It made good use of the foes being disabled by Orisa''s darts and slowly but surely melted them. Orisa and Kanai both were game nerds, so they came up with many other combined attacks and techniques to use in various scenarios.


    Among other upsides of this specific combo was that these melted Beasts still left their cores; it made harvesting them that much easier.


    "So, dude, how much does it make?" Orisa asked while stuffing the last core into a large reinforced leather bag.


    "Let''s see. Something around seventy unevolved cores and five evolved or close, I guess. What are we going to do with them, buy the entire Military?"


    "I''m working on that, man. I think I''m close to something really cool. But I''m running out of potions as well, so that''s a big problem."


    "Then stop being a freaking addict already, perhaps?" Kanai took a bigger bag with unevolved cores from Orisa and asked: "So what were you blabbering about earlier?"


    "Oh, yes! Thanks for reminding me about our next grand project, a One-time Beast Amusement Park!" Orisa''s eyes sparkled.


    "I''m worried about your mental health. Should we visit a doctor?"


    "Don''t be such a buzzkill, Kanai. I''m having fun planning to commit a mass-murder, what''s wrong with that?"


    "Yes, officer, this girl right here!"


    Orisa ignored him and went towards her destination, a hill made out of solid rock with no grass or other vegetation. She had been roaming back and forth all over the hill for ten minutes before Kanai''s patience ran out:


    "Would it kill you to explain your grand plan already?"


    "Right, sorry. So the idea is quite simple - gather Beasts and kill them."


    "Uh-huh, it''s not like we''ve been decimating them for the past week, right?"


    "What was the biggest crowd we gathered?"


    "Um..." Kanai was thrown off by a suddenly serious question. He recalled all their activities before coming with a rough estimation. "Around thirty-five, I guess. Why?"


    "Yeah, nice. But now I''m talking about hundreds," Orisa exclaimed with a predatory smile.


    ---


    ---


    Orisa and Kanai were sitting by a campfire under the tree and processing today''s spoils of war. For Orisa''s crazy idea to come to life, they needed tons of Mana ink which were impossible to get here in the wilds. After a careful and thorough study, they found an imperfect but reasonable substitute - processed Beasts'' blood. It could transfer Mana the same way the ink does, although a little slower than the original. To process it and turn into a usable and ready for storage liquid, they used most of the chemicals applied to the Beasts'' parts to prevent them from dissolving. And again, after a looking into the anti-dissolving agent, Orisa found that its main component was Mana core powder mixed with Mana-infused water.


    Each time Orisa used Status and Condition spells to study the nature of items, she fondly thought of Rita. Orisa was quite skeptical after hearing her mentor''s words about true mage''s bread and butter spells, but now it all came together. Not only did she use these spells to produce substitution for some materials, but also came up with several new skills after scanning the Beasts.


    "Have you ever considered that we are inside a game?" Kanai asked out of boredom.


    "Huh? What exactly do you mean?"


    "I know it sounds weird and far-fetched since we lack any understanding of this world''s nature, but the way we are growing stronger is strange. I mean, we are most certainly leveling up, don''t you think? When we just joined the Military, we could barely take several Beasts at once with our entire group. Now I alone can kill at least three at the same time. And I''m too afraid to think about your progress. It''s hard to explain our growth as simple combat expertise. Our spells are many times stronger than they were before, of that I''m sure," he put down instruments and cores and looked at Orisa.


    "Well, I also came to that idea earlier on. But, honestly, we have no way of proving or denying it either, except for the thing about us gaining more power. Let''s assume that we are, indeed, inside a game. So what?"


    "So what?" Kanai repeated her words with a confused expression.


    "The fact that people die when they are killed hasn''t changed. Would you treat your life differently? What about mine, then?"


    "Um, no, probably not."


    "And if we were to assume it''s a game for real, I think we''d turn paranoid or insane rather quickly. Imagine talking to a person while thinking he is an NPC. Who is real, and who is a program? Is Tiana real? Are you human, Kanai? And what about me?"


    "Okay-okay, I got it. I don''t know, just thought that it might help us somehow. To gain levels faster, for example, or come up with abuses and game-breaking things."


    "Again, if we have no means of counting experience gained or levels received, everything we could come up with will be a random guess. It''s clear that we are growing, especially during this past week, although we haven''t met a real threat so far. I mean, there was only one evolved Beast among this last pack, and we weren''t ambushed even once. I guess we lucked out of most troubles?" Orisa thought for a moment about their past experience. They had been doing it pretty well past weeks, raising their teamwork and overall spell quality. But the success was most certainly due to them not meeting any real threat like the fights with evolved snakes or near the mountain village. "Okay, I digress. What I''m saying that if we can''t measure our progress and control environment then there is no point in trying to figure it out. For example, if you knew that spiders give one hundred experience points while wolves generate only eighty, would you look for the spiders and ignore the wolves? It''s not like there are fixed spawn points or something, right?"


    "Yeah, sure. That aside, do you honestly think we were just lucky these past weeks? I thought we got that much stronger..."


    "Well, it''s true that we are tougher. For example, I could barely use four Mana layers before and now am proficient with five. We have more Mana, and our spells are perhaps five times stronger, too. But don''t let it get to your head, Kanai. Beasts here are scattered and gather only when we attract them with Mana. They are quite docile and at least somewhat weaker than their friends in the central area. I think we''ll be in deep shit if we were to encounter a pack of evolved snakes here in the open."


    "Thank you so much for a thorough lecture, Orisa-sensei," Kanai rolled his eyes and got back to processing.


    "Ara-ara, student-kun, we are not done here," Orisa wholly enjoyed Kanai''s flustered expression before continuing. "You won''t believe it, but I actually have an indirect proof of your theory."


    "You do!?"


    "Well, it''s a stretch, but I''ll leave the judgment to you. In fact, there are two things I found not making sense while I tried to come up with new spells. First is the fact that I can''t considerably slow down the fall with Mana or magic. Whatever and whenever I tried, the best result was only a barely noticeable slow, and that''s it. The same is applied to my attempts to fly or hover - nothing worked. The second thing is even more ridiculous, and I can demonstrate it to you if needed. To put it simply, I can''t create stationary Force Walls or any platform on the height of ten meters or higher as they instantly dissolve. But they work just fine if I place them by a building or tree, or another grounded object. Both examples could be explained with me not knowing how to do things properly but can also fit into this game theory."


    "Holy fuck, this changes... changes nothing, okay. But we may still draw at least something from this information, I think."


    "Yep. But I''ll stick to believing that this isn''t some game," Orisa said in a serious tone. Kanai looked at her questioningly, and she blurted out: "I don''t want to believe that you are not real."


    ---


    ---


    Together, they moved the camp closer to the rocky hill on Orisa''s insistence the next morning. Most bottles they had were now used to store what Kanai named a Blood ink with only a few spares to hold drinking water.


    "I know you love dramatic pauses, but maybe it''s time to explain what exactly are we doing here?" Kanai said tiredly. He had been working all this time without knowing their goal, and now he wanted some answers.


    "Chill, bro, I was planning to tell you after our relocation."


    Orisa crawled into the tent to cover from the rain, and Kanai followed after her. Despite growing weaker those past few days, the never-ending waterfall still drove them mad. A high humidity, cold weather, and heavy raincoats all made the pair wish for a change of weather.


    "Okay, Kanai, listen up and promise not to scream."


    "I have a bad feeling about this..."


    "What we have been doing this past week outlived itself, I think. Throwing Mana left and right in hopes to attract Beasts and gather them in one spot was a great idea to start with, but we need to move further beyond."


    "To infinity?" Kanai chuckled.


    "Yes, and beyond," Orisa laughed as well. "Remember how Dippo explained the mechanics of SIRI? What happened next?"


    "A horde of Beasts attacked?" Kanai muttered unsurely.


    "And we have SIRI now, right?"


    "Yes, so what?" It took him several seconds to notice a glint in Orisa''s eyes. "Wait, WHAT?! No-no-no, fuck it. I''m out of here."


    Kanai tried to stand up, but Orisa quickly pulled him back while laughing.


    "Come on, don''t fret like that. I have a plan."


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    "That''s the worst part!" he yelled at Orisa in frustration. "Say you are kidding!"


    "Ch-ch-ch, that''s how much trust have I earned?"


    "Even less than that, you monster! You''ll get us both killed."


    "Okay, enough foreplay. Here is what I suggest. We dig into that hill and create a twisting tunnel with lots of traps. We''d need all our Blood ink and probably five times more to cover the tunnel and draw all Seals to create traps and weapons."


    "Wait, I still don''t understand how you are going to use this all."


    "Remember when we were in the Dungeon, I noticed that its floor was able to transfer Mana? Dippo said back then that the floor was riddled with Mana circuits that were used to activate spells from a distance. Our tunnel will act the same - we''ll draw circuits and Seals using Blood ink, and I''ll active them from the depth of the tunnel."


    Kanai became quite. He sat there in silence, glaring at Orisa with a dumbfounded expression.


    "This is madness," he said after a long pause.


    "This. Is. Sp-."


    "Oh, shut up, I''m serious. I''m not sure that you understand even half of all the possible things that could go wrong."


    "A cave-in could either crush us or lead to suffocation. If we''d fail to kill most of the Beasts, we will be against a horde without any place to retreat. There is a possibility of burrowing monsters flanking us, too. Also, Beasts capable of sending something like a wave of fire down the tunnel would pose a significant problem. And the Blood ink isn''t invulnerable as it might end up damaged, rendering the entire plan impossible. There are construction and design issues, too."


    "Why, then?! I don''t understand what''s going inside your inflamed, potion-corrupted brain at all. Why not regroup with others from our squad, at least?"


    "Because we are running out of time, Kanai. What was the delay between Waves when we first came to this world? Around four or five days, right? So, what about now? I''d say, less than three days already. We need to speed up and move to the next stage because God knows what awaits us after that. What if that cave is only the first step out of ten or even of a hundred steps? If we know nothing, the best thing is to assume the worst. And your idea to regroup with others is out of the question, of course. Don''t you remember that Dippo is under probation, and the Layer is frequented by various commissions and inspectors? They are constantly interrogating everyone, too. How are we supposed to meet up? How much time would it take for things to calm down? We don''t have that luxury here."


    Still fuming, Kanai faced Orisa with a tense expression. The plan of hers was of unprecedented danger, far beyond reckless, borderline insane. She wasn''t wrong in her assumptions, but the way she tried to solve everything made Kanai dizzy. Suddenly, Orisa took his hand squeezed tight:


    "Kanai, please, be with me on this. I won''t survive alone and... and I don''t want to be in this all without you. Please..."


    Kanai dropped on a sleeping bag and let out a long sigh without Orisa letting go of his hand. He stared at the tent''s ceiling while listening to the sound of rain. His brain understood the suicidal direction of this plan all too well. Despite that, Kanai''s soul felt at peace for some reason, even eager to try and undertake this mad ordeal together with Orisa. He let out another sigh.


    "How are we going to do it?"


    ---


    ---


    The first stage of the preparation was to create a tunnel. Orisa and Kanai stood at the foot of the rocky hill, inspecting it thoroughly. In all honesty, it was Orisa who did the inspection, with Kanai looking at her questioningly.


    "And how were you hoping to make a tunnel in solid rock?" he asked finally.


    "To tell you the truth, I already practiced a bit. Well, it worked on the ground, but I''ll need your help with the stone."


    Without further delay, Orisa stretched her hand forward and chanted:


    "Lagann!"


    The Diamond Seal appeared first, followed by The Steelskin Seal and Sharpening Seal. They merged in one circle and produced a meter-sized... drill.


    "A... drill?" muttered dumbfounded Kanai.


    "Our drill is the drill that will pierce the Heavens!" shouted Orisa happily. She twisted her wrist slightly, and the drill began to rotate slowly in a clockwise direction.


    "I... um... I mean... Really?"


    "What were you expecting, bro? An excavator?"


    "Uh, right. What should I do, then?"


    "Throw your corrosive spell right in front of me. It is supposed to soften the stone. When the corrosion is over, I''ll drill through the patch of weakened rock. Rinse and repeat. Also, while I''m drilling, you are in charge of our protection."


    "Do you think this size will be enough for the Beasts to pass through?" he asked skeptically.


    "We''ll expand it later on, don''t worry. Don''t worry, mate. Orisa and Kanai, O and K, so everything will be okay."


    "How are you even coming up with such cringey lines!?"


    And so, the first Lazra Mining Company was founded. At first, the work dragged and stalled on each possible step. Since Orisa was busy with mining, they had trouble rounding the Beasts who were attracted to both Mana and the noise. There was no reliable way to remove the crushed rock from the tunnel.


    Slowly but surely, the tunnel went deeper. By the end of the first day, the pair managed to go only as far as five meters into the hill. But day after day they tirelessly worked while farming the Beasts. There were no empty containers to store the blood, so the corpses were left to dissolve outside, letting their cores be harvested in the evening.


    At one point, Orisa created a small branching tunnel, and they moved their belongings inside to escape the rain. It became livelier when they started working in a dry environment, and the process went even faster. Twice during the construction period, the entrance was blocked by a large pile of corpses.


    "Have you thought about this issue?" Kanai asked while waiting for the corpses to dissolve naturally.


    "Well, yes. I think we don''t need to concern ourselves with the corpses. They will make a natural chokepoint, a limiter of sorts. That way we won''t have to deal with all Beasts at the same time."


    "What about the Burrowers?"


    "It takes time to make holes. And I''m sure you''ll be able to deal with them alone."


    "Right..."


    The first stage of construction has ended nine days later. They sat in the furthest end of the fifty meters long tunnel, a wide room that will serve as their base and the last line of defense in case of emergency. Orisa had spent most of the day solely on this chamber, making it spacious enough for them to move freely. One of the hardest parts of this step was the removal of crushed stone. And now tired and dirty pair sat inside the room, resting on sleeping bags.


    "The air here is heavy," Kanai slowly said.


    "Yeah, I''ll think of ventilation tomorrow..." Orisa muttered tiredly and let out a yawn. She was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.


    "I still can''t believe we made it this far..."


    "So, would you doubt me ever again?" she asked with a cocky tone.


    "I don''t doubt you, per see. What I doubt is your sanity."


    "Where is my mind. Where is my mind," Orisa began to hum quietly.


    They moved the sleeping bags closer to the entrance to get more fresh air and called it a day. After a modest dinner composed mostly of various parts of Beasts and some random tree roots, the pair dropped dead into their improvised beds.


    "I bet we stink like a cesspool," Kanai muttered sleepily.


    "What do you mean? I don''t smell anything weird."


    "That''s because of our noses gradually adapting to the smell. When was the last time you took a bath?"


    "Um... well... Somewhere this past week?" Orisa answered with an awkward smile.


    "Bo-boop, wrong answer. Anyhow, I know it''s cold out there, but let''s try to wash something besides our hands and faces tomorrow."


    "You softie. If we wait long enough, the dirt will fall off by itself."


    "Yes-yes, first thing in the morning tomorrow we are going back to the river," Kanai said with a tone implying no objections.


    "By the way, Kanai, I meant to ask for a long time. How did you die?"


    It was quiet for several minutes before he let out a sigh and said slowly:


    "In the most absurd way possible. Imagine a perfect evening with you and your, well, close friend walking and having the best day of your life. And the moment it began getting even better..." Kanai paused, reminiscing days gone, but an unusual silence from the other side alerted him: "Hey, are you even listening?"


    Orisa was soundly sleeping in her warm and comfy sleeping bag. Gritting his teeth, Kanai muttered before turning away from her:


    "I swear, one day you won''t wake up after a stunt like that."


    The next day they had spent doing each their own tasks: Kanai was in charge of painting the interiors of the tunnel while Orisa drilled tiny ventilation holes. Her task was way harder since the last room of their excavation ended up more than ten meters away from the surface to make the burrower''s work harder, and less incentive for other Beasts to try and smash through the rock.


    "We are out of ink," Kanai said after finishing less than one-third of the tunnel.


    "Well, that was to be expected, bro. Okay, let''s take a short break and get back to grinding reagents."


    "The more we do it, the more it sounds like another MMORPG..."


    "You don''t say, man, you don''t say."


    It took the pair five more days to finish the blood circuits. Today was the last day of the preparation phase, and while Orisa was drawing the Seals needed to make traps, Kanai went to the river to take a bath and refill their water supplies. Half an hour had passed before Orisa began to worry. She put away her instruments and went towards their usual river spot to check on him.


    She came out of the woods at full speed and almost bumped into Kanai who was in the middle of releasing his pent-up male needs.


    "Oh shit, I''m sorry!" Orisa shouted and turned around.


    "Another wonderful day, yay... God, I so want to die right now," muttered Kanai while slowly getting dressed.


    "I''m really, really sorry, Kanai. I can leave so that, um..."


    "No, thanks, I don''t think that now I''ll be needing it this year or maybe the entire life."


    "I''m an idiot, bro. Forgive me, please."


    "Yeah-yeah, too late to cry over a not spilled milk."


    They both chuckled awkwardly, and Orisa helped him pack bottles of water. As they began to walk back to the camp, Orisa muttered:


    "Um, Kanai, do you want me, well, um..."


    "What?"


    "I mean, you know, to help you with..."


    "What''s wrong with you!?" he exclaimed angrily. "Do you want me to help you get off, then?"


    "Geez, of course not. Eww, gross."


    "Then why the fuck do you think I would want that!?"


    "Well, I mean... I heard boys had it harder than us, so... Yeah, I''m sorry for saying stupid thing again."


    "You better get these ideas out of your cotton-filled head," Kanai puffed furiously.


    "It''s not like I wanted it or something!"


    "Yeah-yeah, the more you say it, the more you look like you really want it. Keep going, please."


    "Geez, I hate you."


    "Than stop peeping at naked men already, you daily closet pervert."


    "What!? How dare you... Okay, I get the joke, nice one."


    The preparations were completed by the next afternoon. They moved all the luggage into the furthest room of the tunnel, and Orisa explained the last bit of the plan:


    "Okay, so I''ll be sitting here and filling the blood circuits with Mana. You go to the entrance and launch Siri. I''ll be activating Seals constantly to chew the Beasts, but if someone would run past the first half of the tunnel, you''ll have to deal with them. If things go south, I''ll blow up the second part of the path to barricade us here. The walls inside this room are reinforced with Seals, so it shouldn''t collapse, but just in case I''ll make an additional barrier to protect us. We''ll have enough water and food to last several days and figure out how to get out. As for the air, I''ll drill another hole if needed."


    "Are you one hundred percent sure we are going this, Orisa?" Kanai asked with a barely noticeable trembling in his voice.


    "It is the only way."


    "I highly doubt it, but it would be a waste to let such a construction go unused, I guess. Okay, I''ll be going up."


    "Bro, wait a moment," Orisa abruptly hugged him for a second, then sipped a potion.


    "Okay, here goes another red flag. Nice job, commander."


    "Actually, I think we forgot something, but I''m not sure what it is."


    As Kanai slowly paced toward the exit with an orb of light illuminating the tunnel, the blood ink on the walls began to emit a red glow. He passed by tens of same red Seals that were connected to the blood circuit but were not active yet and shivered from thinking how much destructive power this part harbored. With each passing second, the glow increased in intensity.


    Kanai stopped at the entrance and put Siri down on the ground. Without wasting a single second in fear of getting cold feet, he channeled Mana into the device, and a huge impulse went out of it several seconds later. It took him five seconds to understand what had just changed. It was the blood circuit that stopped glowing.


    Gripping Siri in his arms, Kanai dashed back into the depth of the mine. What he found in the last room was Orisa on the ground, wriggling in pain, vomiting breakfast, just like the last time Siri was used near her by Dippo.


    "Shit!"

 78 Elephant in the room

    "-Recovery!-"


    "-Regeneration!-"


    "-Lifespring!-"


    A stream of healing and recovering spells showered Orisa who was wriggling in pain on the floor. She moaned and groaned in a futile attempt to stand up, but slumped back on the cold stone.


    "Hang on, girl! You''ll get better soon, I p-promise," Kanai stuttered in panic. His shaking hands tried to feed Orisa a Stamina potion, spilling half of the bottle in the process. Cursing out loud, he picked their emergency stash of two Mana potions and rushed back to the entrance.


    The tunnel was winding left and right to slow potential intruders, but this played against the defenders, too. As Kanai was running up to the surface, he couldn''t see far ahead since the tunnel went straight for only five meters at best before making a turn. He had to pray that no Beasts made it inside yet, or they would be screwed.


    After making the last turn, Kanai saw something that made him both laugh and sigh in relief - the entire two meters wide and high entrance was blocked by a stuck toad. But the moment he relaxed a bit, the toad shot an icicle projectile in his direction that he could barely dodge. Ducking behind the corner, he used all his buffs to ramp up his chances of survival and carefully peeked at the entrance.


    What he saw there was rather nerve-wracking - the toad croaked loudly twice and stopped moving, and its body almost exploded a moment later, letting a horde of soccer ball-sized bugs inside. While Kanai was observing the mind-breaking occurrence with his jaw on the floor, the toad''s corpse was completely torn to pieces, and larger Beasts rushed into the tunnel. Psyching himself up, he raised his shaking wand hand and pointed it at the mob:


    "-Pestilence!-"


    "-Field of Corrosion!-" -- "-Field of Corrosion!-"


    "-Frostwind!-"


    "-Pestilence!" - "Pestilence!-"


    By stacking several different toxic clouds inside the tunnel and adding a slowing effect, Kanai created another choke point between him and the entrance. What helped him even more was the fact that they were still in a radius of the Lantern which Orisa could maintain active even while unconscious. Weak Beasts died without getting out and creating more obstacles for others, while stronger foes got through badly damaged, letting Kanai finish them off easily. The situation looked manageable if not for his Mana pool - the first potion lay empty on the ground, and the last was missing a quarter already.


    Earlier this week, Kanai came up with a method to replenish his missing Mana, but the skill was clunky, risky, and hard to use. There were only three Mana layers in Kanai''s possession due to his naturally low Dexterity, and the spell ate away one of them, leaving Kanai weakened and almost helpless in the meantime.


    "-Frostwind!-"


    "-Pestilence!-"


    "-Field of Corrosion!-"


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    Despite knowing all the downside of the spell, Kanai was out of options. He refreshed the area spells and began to wait for a suitable enemy to appear since there was no other choice anyway.


    From the cloud of the toxic mixture came rolling an almost intact armadillo. Its size was nothing compared to the one the squad fought in the Dungeon, but in a narrow closed space, it posed a serious threat. Kanai hid behind the corner of the tunnel again, and just a second later, the Beast crashed into the wall with a deafening sound. The stone around the impact area cracked and quite a few rocks fell off the ceiling, but the tunnel withstood the impact in the end.


    "-Corrosive Ray!-"


    Kanai pressed his wand right to the Beast''s face and swiftly melted it, leaving the armadillo overwhelmed, disoriented, but not dead yet. That was exactly what was required for his spell to work. Not wasting a single second, he bent on one knee by the wriggling Beast''s side, pressed his left palm against its body and chanted:


    "-Leech!-"


    The armadillo tried to wriggle but quickly lost the remnants of its power and ceased to exist. The trick to the Leech spell was that its caster was supposed to connect to a living creature before activating the draining effect. After the initial setup, it was possible to drain Mana directly from the core if the contact was maintained, but the first step could only be performed on the active, flowing Mana inside the victim. The output was far from enough either, especially when compared to Orisa''s Mana Source, but Kanai had to make do with whatever was available to him.


    "-Pestilence!-"


    "-Decay!-" -- "-Decay!-" -- "-Decay!-"


    "-Pestilence!-"


    It was not possible to recast the other two area spells while draining Mana from the body, which led to more Beasts rushing towards him. The only reason Kanai could still breathe was the fact that numerous corpses had been stalling and blocking the advance of the foes all this time, and the longer the fight was going on, the more obstacles appeared.


    When Kanai was about to renew all of his spells since the armadillo''s corpse had no Mana left, a volley of razor-sharp spikes shot from the entrance. The first barrage turned every Beast still alive into mincemeat and the second followed shortly after.


    Kanai was knocked back by the force of impact. Two thorns struck his chest and were stopped by his ribcage, and one more grazed his neck. A spray of blood shot out of the wound, dyeing the wall to his left with red. Led only by an enormous surge of adrenalin, Kanai fell to the right, behind the corner of the tunnel. When his body made painful contact with the cold stone, another volley struck the spot where he had been just a second ago.


    Together with Orisa, they had practiced various disaster plans and techniques that were supposed to help in case of emergency. Among them was the ability to swiftly cast spells without chanting them. While in theory it was the easiest thing possible since everybody started exactly with that, the reality was quite different. To cast a spell without chanting, its caster needed to recreate all commands and Mana manipulations manually, just like he did to memorize the spell''s work in the first place. The problem lay in speed. They had to practice most life-saving spells to be able to cast them as quickly as possible without any voice commands.


    It took Kanai four seconds to activate Blood Blockade spell and five more to use pain-killing magic. During this time, three more volleys of spikes crashed into a nearby wall. Kanai''s head began to spin from the initial loss of blood, but he forced his wand against his chest and began with the hardest spell of his arsenal, Lifespring. The most difficult part was not the spell itself, but maintaining it long enough to produce the required effect.


    An approaching noise interrupted Kanai''s third attempt at healing his wounds, so he went for an easy but weaker spell instead - Regeneration. A relatively small ant made its way through the tunnel and jumped onto Kanai without any hesitation. Its jaws sunk into his right leg and brought an immense pain even through the pain killing spell. Another ant showed around the corner.


    "Corro-."


    Kanai tried to cast but began to cough violently instead. It was beyond hopeless to try and use spells normally with such damage to his throat. Instead of trying to recreate any of his spells manually, he blasted a simple Mana explosion out of his palms, pushing both ants back a little. The explosion was too weak to do any significant damage and also hurt his own legs, but it was still better than being eaten.


    Two more Beasts appeared and rammed the ants at full speed, making Kanai''s face even paler than before. One of the foes was about to attack when Kanai touched the closest Seal that was half a meter above the floor. His Mana went inside, making the Seal glow for half a second before a meter-long electric blade came out of it and pierced the first Beast. Kanai channeled more of his reserves while feeling his Mana pool growing dry with staggering speed. An empty potion bottle rolled to the side after the last bits went down Kanai''s throat, and he activated the Seal three more times.


    While using his right hand to activate the Seal, Kanai was also pressing his left palm to his neck and sending the simplest type of healing Mana into the wound. He tried to heal it directly without wasting resources on his legs or ribs, and this effort bore fruit: while not completely closed, the wound got smaller and was no longer interrupting his speech.


    With the little Mana that was left inside, Kanai pointed his wand at the heap of Beasts partially cut by the Seal and was at the beginning of incantation when the blood ink all over the tunnel finally glowed red.


    All Seals activated almost simultaneously, some of them producing electric blades while others launched short flame or ice bursts. Explosions, squeals, sounds of crushing stones - everything turned into one giant deafening mess.


    Five seconds later, the glowing stopped only to resume ten seconds later. Kanai tried to crawl back to the room, thanking Orisa''s foresight not to place any Seals at ground level, but something heavy dropped and pinned his waist and legs to the ground. Immobilized, almost suffocating due to all the explosions and smoke, Kanai could only wait and slowly heal the injuries on his neck and chest. Luckily, the Blood Blockade spell prevented his wounds from reopening.


    Time and time again the sequence repeated - Beasts rushed into the tunnel, drawn by the abundance of Mana inside, the Seals activated to decimate them and add more burns and cuts to Kanai''s ragged body. Flashes of red flame and blue lightning mixing with each other reminded him of something that he preferred to stay forgotten. Ten long minutes later, the flow of Beasts finally dried up. The tunnel was literally smoking, piles of dead bodies covering at least half of its height and creating a horrible yet promising picture. The fact that Kanai could think about the amount of Mana cores they would harvest afterward made him question his sanity, among other things.


    A worrying thought visited his mind five minutes later - for some reason, nobody came to save him or check if he was alive, at least. Knowing Orisa, it could only mean one thing. Kanai doubled his efforts of escaping the heap of dead bodies, cursing out violently since not only his old wounds opened up from all the friction, but he managed to cut himself several times on sharp claws and naked bones of Beasts. The effects of the painkilling spell wore off a long time ago, so the pain was all over his body and tormented him with every move. He finally got out of the trap only to find that his left ankle was sprained.


    "-Blood Blockade!-"


    "-Regeneration!-"


    "-Major Balm!-"


    "-Recovery!-"


    The emergency course made him feel better, although each step was still taking a huge toll not only on his body but on his willpower as well. Another worrying thought appeared in his frantic mind, reminding him of numerous infections that could have gotten through his wounds. His hand moved subconsciously:


    "-Major Disinfect!-"


    And only when Kanai had felt the spell''s effect he remembered the downside - it was a taxing spell that would knock off a weakened target to perform a thorough cleaning of their blood. Realizing his mistake, Kanai sped up, ignoring the muffled but still present pain in his ankle. Leaning on the wall, he stubbornly moved his legs even when his eyelids became heavy as dumbbells.


    When Kanai finally barged into the last room, he saw exactly what he was expecting - Orisa was lying on the floor amidst an improvised Seal control scheme. Blood was oozing from her nose, eyes, and even ears, and it created a tiny red pool around her head which looked especially pale on this crimson background.


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    The scan revealed severe overexertion that led to a surge of her blood pressure and made Orisa faint in the end. No longer surprised and mostly used to such scenes, Kanai calmed down a bit since there was nothing in Orisa''s condition that some healing couldn''t handle. The only problem was his heavy eyelids. He had to crawl towards Orisa as his legs gave away, but tenaciously moved closer and directed his wand at her body:


    "-Regeneration!-"


    "-Recovery!-"


    "-Lifespring!-"


    One last thing he did was to lock and activate sealing bracelets on them both. Two seconds later, Kanai fell asleep by Orisa''s side.


    ---


    ---


    Kanai woke up to an intense rubbing going all over his face. He found himself resting on Orisa''s lap while she was wiping his face with a wet towel. The fact that she was as dirty and bloodied as a half-rotten corpse but still preferred to take care of Kanai said a lot about her priorities.


    "I can''t say I dislike this activity a lot, to be honest," he mumbled, the sound barely escaping his dry throat.


    "Kanai! How are you?!" Orisa jolted, involuntarily kicking his head upward.


    "It was fine until you decided to hit me in the head," he got up, gave Orisa a long look, and took the half-red towel from her shaking hands. "Just look at yourself! I was away for a mere twenty minutes, and you managed to get yourself into this state again. God, you are beyond help."


    "Kanai, I''m so sorry! Another of my plans almost got us both killed, and this all just because I forgot about one fucking detail... I''m extremely sorry, please-."


    "Oh, shut up. I agreed on this, didn''t I? And two people forgot about your barfing habits if I recall correctly. At the end of the day, it worked, right? And we are alive."


    "I don''t deserve you..."


    "Oh, you are so damn right, girl," Kanai grinned and began to clean Orisa''s face. "So, how was the control scheme?"


    "Well, it felt horrible. Imagine having seventy hands instead of your usual two, and to move them you need seventy times more effort and determination. I should have practiced before launching this whole shit fest. But now I don''t even know what to do..."


    "Oh, don''t cry, pussy. We''ll figure something out."


    "You are surprisingly positive, bro. Can''t say I''m not glad that you aren''t angry, but it just feels strange to see you like that."


    "Never mind," he mumbled with his cheeks getting slightly red.


    "Oh? Spill it! What is it that you are hiding?" Orisa poked his cheek. It was her time to grin as she began to suspect something. "Come on, say it!"


    "Okay, screw you. I''m just happy that you are okay. Now get lost," Kanai threw the towel into her face and turned around with a giant pout on his face.


    "Aww, so sweet! Me too, bro. I''m happy for you and also thankful for your help. You protected me and stalled long enough for me to recover." Orisa became silent for several moments before continuing in a serious tone: "I mean it, Kanai. Thank you so much. I''m so glad that we are here together."


    "Yeah-yeah, sure. I''m amazed that you can say those embarrassing lines out loud."


    "Count me shocked as well!"


    After a light and hearty laughter, they both jumped on top of their sleeping bags to rest a bit.


    "Honestly, I was slightly scared," Kanai suddenly said and turned to face Orisa. "Those lightning and flame Seals gave me a horrible flashback, so I''d like to refrain from staying inside the tunnel in the future if you don''t mind."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Oh, well, it doesn''t matter. In the end, I still think it''s better to die from fireballs or Beasts than thanks to that fucking truck. Man, it''s so pathetic, I even joked about being hit by a truck, and here I am..."


    "Yeah, no shit. Imagine, I was escorted here by the almighty lord truck-kun, too. I''ll never forget this police car siren. It was so loud I thought I would turn deaf."


    "You don''t say, dude when I think about these red-and-blue flashes... Wait, what?"


    "Um, Kanai? What''s up with you?"


    "Police car? Did you die near the police car? Was it in the evening? Were you alone?" Kanai grabbed Orisa''s shoulders and squeezed them tight, his palms were sweaty.


    "Okay-okay, chill, man. What''s up with you!? Yes, the truck hit me when I was talking to the police. Some random degenerates chased after me and my friend when we were walking in the evening. We tried to run away after splashing them with pepper spray, got to the police car and then the big bang happened."


    With an unreadable expression, Kanai was looking at Orisa, his mouth agape. He opened and closed them several times, his lips trembling and eyes wet from all the emotions swirling inside. He touched Orisa''s cheeks with his shaking hands and looked her in the eyes, before one single name came quietly out of his mouth:


    "Satoru..?"


    "Um, how did you..." Orisa''s pupils instantly enlarged and almost overtook her iris in a sudden realization. "Mirai?!"

 79 I Am Thou, Thou Art I

    Two people were staring at each other inside a barely illuminated dusty stone chamber. A boy and a girl sat face to face motionless, soundless, too scared to breathe.


    A boy was looking at a girl with long chestnut hair, her violet eyes seemingly glittering from within. But instead of said girl, his eyes saw a man past thirty with dark hair and perceptive brown eyes. That man was smirking sarcastically after another witty comment, waiting for his peer''s reaction.


    A girl was looking at a timid boy, his grown out silver hair partially covering his green eyes. But the girl''s eyes reflected not a boy but a young and beautiful woman wearing a peach bob haircut and giant red glasses. The woman was looking up, hoping, and wondering when the promised moment of happiness would finally bless her with its presence.


    "Is that... really you?" they said in unison, as they usually did before.


    "Satoru?"


    "Mirai?"


    "But how..?" together, their voices echoed through the tunnel again.


    Silence spread over the chamber, leaving no sound except for two hearts beating to their own rhythm. Both people stretched their hands to touch each other''s faces.


    "Is that really you, Mirai?"


    "What about you? Are you Orihara Satoru? Certainly doesn''t look or sound like that, if I''m being completely honest," Kanai chuckled and took Orisa''s palms in his hands.


    Quietly squeezing each other''s palms, their gazes connected and created a bridge between their souls. At least that was how they both felt at the moment, basking in compassion and showering in warmth.


    Before long, Orisa jolted, and a grimace of shame and regret distorted her face:


    "Mirai, I''m so sorry! It''s all because of me that you ended up here!" her emotional outburst rose in intensity with each passing word. "If not for my meddling, you could have lived such a wonderful life. But I almost dragged you here to this world, to this place, to this body. I''m so sorry for everything I had caused to you. I''m..."


    "Are you done with this crap?" Kanai asked with a puzzled expression. He looked at Orisa for a long time, his right brow raised questioningly. Then his expression finally softened, and he voiced a question with a tender voice: "Idiot, is this really what you should be saying right now?"


    "What..." Orisa was startled by such a question. Deep in thought, she lowered her head and pondered her actions. It took her five long seconds to realize her grave mistake, and she looked up and right into Kanai''s eyes, her gaze steeled with determination. Orisa squeezed his palms, let out a long breath, and finally said it: "Mirai, I love you."


    "I love you too, my dumb and slow Satoru," Kanai answered with a smile brighter than Sun.


    A moment later, they both jumped forward and embraced each other tightly. The world around the pair turned two tones brighter, filled with their warmth, joy, and love. Dirty, ragged, wounded, bloodied Orisa and Kanai ignored every inconvenience because Satoru and Mirai were together at last. Nothing could bother them in such a moment, they melted into each other and formed a blob of pure bliss. Not a single thing could get in their way, except for just one:


    "Well, this is awkward," mumbled Kanai, still holding Orisa.


    "I don''t know a suitable phrase to describe how mixed my feelings are," she added. "Oh, fuck it, let''s stay like that for a bit more."


    "Yay!"


    A few more minutes of cuddling ended, and an embarrassed Orisa and Kanai distanced themselves from each other. Flustered but happy, they were facing their true love that survived and traveled to another word. Coughing shyly while looking away, Kanai mumbled:


    "Say it one more time."


    "Ugh, really? Okay... I love you, Mirai."


    "Can''t hear you."


    "Mirai, I love you," said Satoru even louder.


    "One more time, please," giggled Mirai.


    "Kanbara Mirai-san, I''m in love with you!" This time, Satoru shouted it with all his strength, feeling courageous and young. Even though he spent more than three months in this body, he never felt the age mentally. But now he was young and almost almighty yet again, strength and energy coursing through his veins.


    "You won''t believe how long I waited for these words, idiot Satoru. What took you so long?" Mirai was staring at him with a glitter in her eyes.


    "Yeah, sorry. I''m on a slower side in this regard," Satoru chuckled awkwardly and scratched his nape.


    "Honestly, we could have done so many wonderful things were you a bit more decisive. Maybe ten times more, for starters?"


    "Hey, that''s mean! If you were so dead set on everything, what stopped you from asking me out?" protested Satoru.


    "Huh? Are you nuts? I''m a girl, you know. I gave you enough opportunities and chances to do one single thing. Oh god, how frustrating it was, day after day and week after week dropping you subtle or even obvious hints. How many conversations there were when I praised you or said how great it was to spend time together. I can''t even remember the number of times when I took your hand or hugged you, geez."


    "A man has his doubts, you know."


    "You were like a saint virgin being tempted by a devil. I so wanted to slap your stupidly cute face!" Mirai almost growled in frustration.


    "Hey, stop beating a dead horse. To be fair, most people would be in doubt when approached by such a perfect lady."


    Two blushing teenagers were exchanging stares, flustered by each other''s confession. Their hearts were beating in unison, speeding up with each passing second. Something sparkled between them, and reunited lovers jolted up from their sleeping bags and almost jumped into a tight embrace again. Mirai half-closed her eyes in anticipation, and Satoru''s lips were rapidly approaching hers.


    And then they stopped a mere inches away. Orisa and Kanai were staring at each other, blinking in confusion and embarrassment. Orisa slightly distances herself, and Kanai muttered with a shocked expression:


    "Oof, gross. I hoped it would work somehow, but nope, no-no-no way."


    "Um, yeah, this is beyond strange and way above my discomfort threshold," agreed Orisa and let go of Kanai before slumping back on her sleeping bag.


    "I''m astonished of how lame this whole situation is," Kanai groaned and stretched on his sheet, with his hands crossed and used as a pillow.


    "On the other hand, many things became clear," Orisa chuckled after remembering her first weeks in this world. "When I first met you, I was thrown out of the loop with how moody you were. Now I at least can see why."


    "Goddamit, of course, you''d be moody. You can''t even imagine how awful it is to end up with so many unfamiliar and counter-intuitive..." Kanai was interrupted by Orisa''s coughing. "Oh, right, you actually can. Anyhow, the center of gravity is completely off. And I''m so tall right now that I acquired a fear of heights. I can''t properly pee while standing! And you don''t even want me to start with all this morning, ahem, tower eruption. Satoru dude, the first time I woke up with sticky pants, I thought something was wrong with my body, holy crap."


    "I raise your bet with my first period when I woke up in my bed in a pool of freaking blood."


    "HOLY SHIT, REALLY!?" Kanai rolled off from his bed, shuddering in laughter.


    "I thought I was going to die from embarrassment. Stop laughing, you demon."


    "Oh, man, I''m dying here..." Kanai kept laughing for another minute before returning to his bed. "So, does anybody know about you?"


    "Yeah, Onuki and Rita."


    "Onuki? Why?"


    "Well, um, I mean..." Orisa shuffled uncomfortably, knowing all too well what will follow next. "She made rather bold advancements on me, but I was pretty sure from her demeanor that she has some issues with men, so I decided to confess."


    "You cheated on me with Onuki?!"


    "She only kissed me twice and, um... Well, nothing happened in the end."


    "Lust-driven molester!" Kanai tried to accuse Orisa with a straight face but couldn''t keep the facade and broke into laughter yet again.


    "What about you?" Orisa asked to put an end to another round of teasing.


    "No, of course not. How was I even supposed to say something like that?"


    "Yeah. Must have been hard on you, I guess," Orisa muttered sympathetically.


    "Kinda. I didn''t want to live at first. All this dying stuff wasn''t that pleasant, and then I found out about the gender..." Kanai stared at the ceiling that was barely illuminated by a single orb of light. "But then I met you..."


    The chamber became quiet. Outside noise was blocked by tens of meters of solid rock, so the only sound inside the room was their breathing. Several minutes had passed before Kanai said:


    "Satoru?"


    "Hm?"


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    "I love you so much."


    "Probably as much as I love you, Mirai."


    They were smiling and looking at each other fondly. An unknown bond between them finally took a form and acquired a proper name, clearing up the confusion and replacing it with another layer of happiness and warmth. Orisa and Kanai were basking in the light that their smiles produced, the minds of theirs finally at peace. They had spent some time like that, doing nothing and merely admiring each other before Orisa finally spoke after a short sigh:


    "Honestly, I don''t even know what comes next. I mean, what are we supposed to do now after finding all this?"


    "Um, how about we continue like we were before?"


    "You think nothing is going to change between us?"


    "Wow, you were so slow before but now jumping the gun? How cute," Kanai chuckled, teasing Orisa again. "What do you suggest? It''s not like we have lots of options, right? As much as I''d love to, I''m sure nothing good would come from trying something physical. I don''t want to kiss a girl, just saying."


    "Well yeah, same here - I think I''ll throw up in the process, too," agreed Orisa after imagining how she would kiss a man.


    "Then let''s not rush things. If something were to change in the future, we would always catch up on our lost, ahem, activities. But for now, let''s keep it as it is. Also, not like we have time to waste on this."


    "Ho-ho, somebody actually speaks business now? Wonderful!" Orisa laughed after observing Kanai roll his eyes and sigh. Then her face turned all serious, and she took the backpack to rummage through its contents. After pulling something out, she gave Kanai an intense look and said: "I know you''ll be against it, but please keep it on you all the time."


    With that, Orisa handed him a green crystal with a black circle around it, their most powerful restorative item. The crystal contained the Restoration spell with enough power to recover lost limbs and cure the most fatal wounds. Exorbitant price and rarity of the item came from the fact that its reagents were five evolved cores plus other materials on top of rather high skill requirements from the crafter. Dippo gave it to Kanai with tears in his eyes, begging him not to waste it.


    "Why?" Kanai asked, immediately turning defensive and almost offended.


    "Because I don''t want to lose you again."


    "So it''s okay for me to lose you, then?" he scowled back at Orisa''s answer.


    "Okay, how about this?" Orisa said after some contemplation. "If you are alive and well, you''ll be able to heal me back. I can''t do the same."


    Kanai glared daggers. He couldn''t deny Orisa''s words completely - there was the Source Heal in her arsenal, which she could use on Kanai effectively activating his high Intelligence, but its power and healing speed were still way lower compared to his Lifespring. Growling something unpleasant under his breath, Kanai took the crystal and stuffed it into his breast pocket.


    "Thank you," muttered Orisa apologetically but with a warm smile.


    "Whatever. Let''s go check on the tunnel and our spoils," Kanai jumped on his feet and swiftly marched towards the entrance.


    Judging by the fact that the corpses of the Beasts already dissolved, they had spent more than two hours recovering and talking. The tunnel sustained quite the damage during its first combat test: the stone cracked here and there, some of the blood ink scratched or burned away, and several local cave-ins partially buried the path. Predicaments aside, the pair plundered one evolved and twenty-five normal cores, amounting to roughly one hundred Beasts killed.


    "Whew, aren''t we hella rich now, dear wife?" Kanai cackled, shaking the bag with the cores. "Yay, I guess. Although, what to do with all this pile? It would be a chore to drag them with us."


    "Don''t worry, my dear, I''m in the middle of something. Remember how I told you that we are running out of Concentration potions? Well, I was experimenting with the cores to create a substitute and now am quite close to the actual test. If you don''t have anything better to do, we can run a trial today."


    "Uh, honestly, I don''t know," Kanai began slowly. "You see, there is this thing to do, and also that and those as well. Kind of, like... I''m a busy person, you see. Not sure I can find a room in my tight schedule."


    "You better find a room, or else¡­" Orisa jokingly threatened him with her fist.


    "Officer! Domestic violence! Help!"


    "Sheesh, you''ll wake up our neighbors!"


    Laughing cheerfully, they arrived at the cave''s entrance and stopped motionless, staring outside with their mouth agape. The astonished pair was looking at clear, bright skies without a hint of clouds. The rainy season had finally come to an end.


    With red cheeks, Kanai slowly took Orisa''s palm and squeezed, looking at her. Orisa turned to him with a smile so bright that Kanai was almost blinded by its shine:


    "Into the bright new world," she said, radiating joy.


    "Together," added Kanai.

 80 High-end conten

    After having lunch and taking a break, Orisa and Kanai went into the last room of the tunnel to prepare for the experiment.


    "Satoru, are you absolutely sure it''s safe?"


    "First of all, there is no such thing as a completely safe test. Second, and I wanted to discuss it with you, as the issue of names. I don''t think we should get used to calling each other by our real names since it would only bring more troubles later on."


    "Well, there is that, but... You are right, of course. It''s just that when I call you by your name, I feel like my old self, too."


    They exchanged gloomy looks and let out a long sigh in unison.


    "Honestly, love, I understand it all too well. Do whatever is better for you, just don''t get too hung up on this, alright? It would be beyond awkward and frustrating to explain our situation to everyone, and I''m not even talking about tons of complications it would cause," Orisa said sympathetically.


    "Yeah, you won''t be able to peek at young girls anymore. No shower, no sleeping together with them. I understand, don''t worry. Yes, it''s perfectly clear, my dear. The complications you are speaking of are indeed fearsome."


    "Glad you understand," Orisa nodded with a serious expression.


    Orisa occupied the usual spot on her sleeping bag and took out an unevolved Mana core. She tapped a spot by to her right, inviting Kanai to sit by her side. He carefully landed there, and Orisa moved closer. Together, they sat shoulder to shoulder for several minutes in complete silence, quietly enjoying the company. Finally, Orisa took Kanai''s hand, squeezed it lightly, and began:


    "Before we move forward with the test, let''s discuss the whole list of tasks."


    "Wao, I''m having workplace flashbacks now. You sure can set up a mood for another suicidal activity."


    "Yes-yes, thank you. Aside from testing the core, we''ll need to fix and improve the tunnel for a better performance next time."


    "Next time? There will be next time?!" Kanai shuddered from the thought of being pinned down by a horde of Beasts again.


    "Of course, how else are we going to power level and grind more resources?"


    "Oh god, please..."


    "Anyway, fixing and upgrading the tunnel comes with another task - more blood ink, and we know how to farm it. That aside, to properly utilize the tunnel, we''d need to do something about my sensitive soul."


    "You mean to come up with a solution to your barfing spree?"


    "Remind me, why I''m in love with you again?" Orisa angrily pinched Kanai''s thigh.


    "Because I''m cute, smart, witty, and your living dream of a girl?"


    "Uh, yeah, right... I remember that dream of having a girlfriend with a dick bigger than mine..." muttered Orisa.


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    "You are just jealous, admit it," Kanai snorted with a laugh.


    "Absolutely disgusting, just as I like it. Okay, so once more - upgrade the tunnel, gather blood ink, do something about my Siri reaction. That''s one big and complex task to tackle, but there are more. I don''t know about you, but I found another issue I''d like to fix."


    "You mean your attitude?"


    "Okay, Mirai, I love you three thousand, but let''s focus on the business for now."


    "Aye-aye, boss. Ready to serve. Zag-zag!"


    Orisa couldn''t contain laughter and fell on Kanai''s lap, still squirming and giggling. He smiled as well, then proceeded to pat her head. They had spent several more minutes in this tranquility before Kanai tapped on Orisa''s shoulder and whispered:


    "Back to business?"


    "Uh-huh. I noticed one thing while managing the blood ink network in the tunnel that affects quite a number of things. What I found was a limit to how fast I can emit Mana," Orisa began explanation without leaving the warmth of Kanai''s lap. "It''s like a drain that can let only that much water pass through at a given time."


    "Um, sounds complicated. You mean you can push out only a certain amount of Mana per second? What''s wrong with that?"


    "Yes, right! Mana per second, let''s call it that way. For most spells, it was unimportant, that''s why I didn''t notice. But when I operated the tunnel, I felt how much time I took me to charge all Seals. It also places a limit on how fast I can operate complex spells or use Mana in general."


    "Well, uh, right. And..?" Kanai mumbled in confusion.


    "Just sharing my problems with my mate."


    "Oh, okay, sure. What''s our plan for now?"


    "Experimentation time!" Orisa got up from Kanai''s lap and grabbed the core. "I told you once that the Concentration potion is made from the cores, right? So I thought about exploring its effects and analyzing is mechanics to create a more direct method. And that''s what we are going to test today."


    "So, I''m here to collect your lost limbs?"


    "Among other things, yes. However, first of all, you should be ready to dispel. I don''t know yet how to draw the core''s properties, the only thing I understand so far is the end result and parts of its mechanism."


    "Sounds risky, but there is no point in saying that to you."


    Orisa nodded and stood up. She took several steps back from Kanai and placed a Force Wall in front of him to block any possible blast waves. Before drawing the core''s Mana, Orisa also activated her Thickness barrier.


    And with that, the experiment began. Orisa surrounded the core with her Mana and squeezed it to break the shell. It cracked after ten seconds of pressure, but despite her expectations and plans, the Mana contained in the core didn''t follow Orisa''s instructions and simply discharged outside. While the explosion itself wasn''t as dangerous, the sudden surge of concentrated energy did a number on Orisa through her Mana-sensing Seal. She slumped on the floor, wriggling and groaning under the sensory overload. Luckily for her, the backlash was noticeably weaker than from the Siri.


    "Why was I expecting anything else?" nagged her Kanai while also patting her back.


    "This shit is called an experiment for a reason," Orisa argued back, still feeling horrible.


    "Any other ideas on how to make it work?"


    "Of course. I just need a moment..."


    Five identically unsuccessful attempts and broken cores later, a sweaty and puffing Orisa lay on the sleeping bag groaning in frustration.


    "Maybe you should try it in your concentrated state?" Kanai asked, not knowing how to help the case.


    "Nay, how am I supposed to turn the concentration state if it''s already on, then?"


    "Right... Okay, let''s do it the old way - tell me what exactly you are doing, step by step."


    "Oh! Rubber duck debugging? Sure!" Orisa instantly perked up and got back on her feet. "So basically, I''m trying to send an intent into the crystal''s Mana, which is supposed to produce effects similar to the Concentration potion. The issue here is that I don''t know how to connect to-. Oh, wait!"


    "Yes-yes, I''m waiting," Kanai let out a content smile.


    Orisa swiftly grabbed another crystal while Kanai went behind the barrier. This time, she took one of her Mana layers and connected it to the core. At least, that was her plan, but Orisa encountered an unexpected problem: ''How do I put it in?'' The situation was akin to two kids eager to have sex but not knowing how to do it. There was a goal in front of Orisa and within her reach, but how could she grab it?


    Probing the core with her stretched Mana layer, Orisa was staring at it absentmindedly. The first idea that came to her mind was to crash the crystal again and try to seize its contents, but five previous attempts had taught her that it was unwise. Some tiny thought was circling in her head on the edge of consciousness, eluding her attempts to catch it. She raised her eyes from the crystal and looked at Kanai helplessly, and a vivid image appeared in her head - Kanai sitting by the campfire and crashing crystals into a thin powder with a special alchemical pestle.


    While her forehead was burning from a self-inflicted slap, Orisa rummaged through the Potion Brewer toolkit. The item in question, the pestle, was found to contain not only the Splitting Seal but also several effects imbued into its body. It took her another hour to practice merging these two effects into one spell.


    During all this time, Kanai had been reading the book on magic while also giving Orisa comments on her attempts. It was his idea to add an Enrage effect to the final spell so that Orisa would only need one incantation to get the entire pack. By the end of the evening and after wasting more than half of their crystal stock, she learned the spell completely.


    "So, how does it fill compared to the potion?" Kanai asked Orisa lazily.


    "Well, mostly the same, I think. I''m probably a bit faster now, and the effect is instant, which is great. A side effect of using the crystal as the spell''s base is that it''s undispellable, too."


    "Sounds nice, I guess?" said Kanai with uncertainty in his voice, not sure about the whole idea of having undispellable effects.


    "Let''s call it a day and cook something?" Orisa yawned tiredly.


    "You are saying it as if you will actually be the one to cook."


    "Hey, don''t underestimate my moral support!"


    "Oral support would have been much more appreciated..." chuckled Kanai under his breath.


    "You know I can hear you?" Orisa grumbled.


    "Already hearing things, my dear? Looks like you are too tired to think properly," Kanai grinned and went to the surface.


    Using crystal cores'' explosions as a testing tool, Orisa found a workaround for her Mana-sensing problem the next morning - she used the Sealing bracelet to reduce her Mana flow and thus weaken the backlash from Siri''s activation. Together with Kanai, they also strengthened the walls of their cave to be able to sustain more damage.


    The pair''s grinding routine started on the next day: farm the blood ink, repair the tunnel, gather and kill the Beasts. During the breaks that occurred naturally after rounding all available enemies, they experimented on various new skills. On one of these days, Kanai accidentally helped Orisa discover another peculiar thing she didn''t think of herself:


    "I like casting through your Seals, dude. No, not that, I really love it!" Kanai almost jumped in excitement after obliterating another Beast with a single Decay spell. "The spell''s power grows at least twice, or maybe even thrice, I think. Amazing, yay!"


    "Well, I certainly appreciate your words, but you are exaggerating too much," chuckled Orisa.


    "No, I''m telling you!"


    "That''s absolutely not how it works for me, Mirai. If I were to guess, I''d say something around thirty or forty percent at best."


    "Stop being Hermione and trust me for once, would you?" Kanai pouted and crossed his arms.


    "I trust you, but how am I supposed to ignore my own results?"


    "God, you are so fucking annoying, Satoru!" Kanai groaned and grabbed Orisa''s arm. "Okay, let''s do a field test, then."


    The usual test with several Force Blocks stacked as a target dummy revealed that Kanai was right - a full set of Orisa''s Seals made his spells thrice stronger while having a much lesser effect on her own magic.


    "I don''t understand..." she muttered slowly, absolutely lost. "It''s like this world is fucking up with me just to make me look miserable or something."


    "Oh, don''t be like that, my hero," Kanai patted Orisa''s head with a sympathetic smile. "It''s too soon to give up, let''s think about the reason instead. What''s the difference between you and me?"


    "Stats, gender, our opinion on Rem being the best girl."


    "Oh, don''t even start on this blatant waifu bait, please," Kanai groaned and rolled his eyes. "Let''s think about stats. If we consider-."


    "Nah, I got the answer," Orisa interrupted him and stood up. "I recalled Rita noting numbers similar to mine as well. And her stats were way higher than ours, obviously. This fact leaves only one thing, one point being different - we are incorporating Seals directly into spells while you use them as external modifiers. The way I cast them for you is also different from adding the Seals into spells'' structure."


    "See? How nice I am, right?"


    "That you are, indeed."


    This dialogue marked another line of experiments and discoveries, leading to a new way Orisa began to use Seals - instead of building spells with them built-in, she learned a number of skills to conjure external Seals:


    "-Attack Seal!-"


    "-Utility Seal!-"


    "-Support Seal!-"


    "-Raging Fist!-"


    Three magic circles glowing with different colors were stacked one after another, and Orisa rammed her fist through them to cast the last skill. An enormous wave of fire burst out and burned away a patch of grass in front of them, leaving a twenty meters long area of charred ground. After experimenting with the new way of spellcasting, Orisa found the true reason behind such a growth of power - she could pack much more Mana into external Seals, making their effects that more potent.


    "Mirai," a beaming Orisa turned to her soul mate, "I forgot to say how much I love you! You are the best!"


    "Well, I''m clearly not Rem or Kuroneko, but oh well. By the way, I also love you. Just saying."


    Orisa hugged her partner tightly and went to experiment more on this next stage of Sealcasting. Not willing to be left behind, Kanai also practiced and dived deeper into the book on magic. Among other things, he also asked Orisa to let him carry the Lantern in hopes of increasing his Mana pool from constant usage of Mana.


    Three weeks had passed in such a manner. While it was hard to measure their growth, Orisa and Kanai both felt noticeably stronger after such intense fighting. One of the clearer proofs of their efforts was the fact that Orisa could use six Mana layers under her new Fury effect.


    Things didn''t go smoothly all the time despite their best efforts. The burrowers made it into their room twice, making them abandon this part of the cave. There were several ambushes from evolved Beasts by the exit of the tunnel, leading to intense combat with their lives at stake.


    One of the toughest ordeals they had to deal with was an evolved toad with a high affinity to ice and water magic. First, it poured tons of conjured water into their tunnel, and then rapidly lowered the temperature inside. Orisa and Kanai barely escaped the lower parts of the cave and avoided freezing to death.


    There were two reasons for their decision to end this phase of Orisa''s grand plan. The first was due to the tunnel wearing down more and more after each fight, making it harder to fix the blood circuits. Three cave-ins occurred one after another, and burrowers added numerous holes as well. Another reason came from the number of Beasts thinning down considerably. The time between Waves shortened even further with them occurring every two and a half days now, but the number of Beasts rushing to the tunnel almost halved.


    "This was the last time, I suppose," Orisa said tiredly.


    "It was fun while it lasted," a sinister smile crossed Kanai''s dirty face. "What''s the next stage?"


    "For now, let''s gather the loot and process it. It would be nice to catch a short breath somewhere, but I''m not sure we could find a nice and cozy village or town without a wanted board."


    "I sooo want to take a hot bath and eat something not made of Beast meat," Kanai started whining.


    The pair looked extremely shabby and worn out. Despite their best efforts, most of their clothes had turned into rags after numerous battles, and no repairs could bring them back to even the most modest standards. On top of that, the soap had ran out long ago, leaving them with boiled water and disinfection spells to stay try to stay clean.


    "Besides, I don''t think anyone would recognize you like that," he chuckled while tossing the Lantern in his right hand.


    Orisa and Kanai slowly crawled through the corpses filling the tunnel and took a step outside. The sun was going down, and twilight began to conquer the surroundings, spawning numerous shadows between the trees. Kanai yawned and stepped forward to stretch his limbs:


    "I''m so tired, Satoru. Let''s leave the loot for tomorr-."


    "Watch out!"


    Orisa rushed to him after sensing a sudden Mana spike behind them, but it was too late. A ray of condensed lightning flew at Kanai, melting his right hand together, part of his shoulder, and the Lantern that he had been carrying at the moment. His body spun twice before slumping to the ground as he immediately lost consciousness from immense pain. A smell of charred flesh filled the air.


    Orisa''s reflexes sprung into action, and she jumped towards her love, shielding them both with a barrier. Kanai looked horrible. His skin was white as chalk, and Orisa''s legs gave out as she looked at his burned right side. While tears were streaming from her eyes, she didn''t stop for a single moment and took a green crystal with a black circle around it out of Kanai''s breast pocket. She pressed it against his wound and activated, observing a familiar green circle develop around Kanai''s shoulder.


    Another surge of Mana was followed by a loud crack and bright explosion as the second lightning strike struck the barrier, eating a quarter of Orisa''s Mana pool to support the defense. After a green silhouette of a hand appeared, signaling that the crystal began to work, Orisa kissed Kanai''s forehead and whispered:


    "Rest well, my love. I''m not losing you again."


    With that, she stood up to face a Beast that stood on top of the hill. Its slits were staring at her, burning with red. Recognizing the color and its meaning, Orisa gulped but steeled herself. She couldn''t lose, not while protecting her one and only beloved Mirai. Not even the lack of the Lantern could stop her now.


    A reckless grin appeared on Orisa''s face as she resolved to a showdown with a twice-evolved panther.

 81 ASURA

    Orisa was staring at the reason behind the thin flow of Beasts of the past few days. The twice-evolved panther had been feeding on them in the background, smart enough to hide and not give away its presence while eating its kin to grow.


    "-Mana Flow!-"


    An upgraded version of her original Mana Source spell began to replenish her reservoir, while Orisa was glaring at the Beast. It felt the flow of energy and started to charge another attack. Unlike the previous strikes, this one looked and felt stronger, giving Orisa chills. She, however, couldn''t move away until something could be done for Kanai and decided to stay in cover behind the barrier.


    Five seconds had passed before her foe discharged its strike. The twilight around them disappeared in a blinding flash followed by a thunderous crack, and the spell struck her shield. The protection disappeared for a moment after being hit, slowly recovering its structure while Orisa felt a horrendous gap grow inside her. More than one-third of her Mana pool evaporated after the charged strike. ''I can''t take these empowered attacks directly on this type of shield,'' she thought, frantically looking for a way out.


    The panther started charging yet another lightning strike. Orisa could distinguish through her Mana sense a pattern in the Beast''s energy flow, letting her know that it was another heavy-hitter. Despite her decision to not take these hits head-on, she was too scared to move or use a different type of cover. Even her concentrated state didn''t help much, suggesting only one thing - kill it before it could kill them. Without dropping the shield, Orisa targeted the still aiming Beast and chanted:


    "-Hand of God!-"


    The spell struck true, but the panther was completely unfazed and didn''t even flinch, continuing to build up its attack. Orisa bit her lip and shouted again:


    "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Blast Shell!-"


    Two deadly projectiles able to annihilate unevolved foes struck its face, but it ignored them altogether. A tiny burnt spot appeared on its fur, but aside from that, the attack did nothing again. The Beast''s lightning strike, on the other hand, roared and ate another chunk of Orisa''s Mana pool. Sweat appeared on her face.


    After unloading the spell, the panther began to charge another attack of the same strength, and Orisa dared to do at least something in this dire situation. With no time for subtlety, she grabbed Kanai''s body and launched him into the tunnel using her slowest Wall Throw. She hoped for him to land on one of the Beasts'' corpses to soften the fall.


    "-Safe!-"


    Four Seals activated at the tip of her palm and produced the strongest wall she could manage around the tunnel''s entrance, giving Kanai at least some level of protection. Orisa doubted that the panther would go after an unconscious victim, but she couldn''t be too cautious when thinking about Mirai''s life. Having absolutely no confidence in her physical ability to dodge a lightning strike, Orisa quickly chanted:


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Mana Flow!-"


    Three multi-layered barriers appeared in a row between her and the panther, and Orisa proceeded to replenish her resources. Another white flash announced the lightning strike that broke all three of her barriers, throwing Orisa away with the blastwave. While flying through the air, her mind didn''t stop working despite the overall terror that began to squeeze her body. She decided to use this time wisely and chanted another spell:


    "-Force Armor!-"


    A greatly empowered version of her Thickness barrier covered Orisa''s body. She smashed into a tree and fell to the ground, escaping major injuries due to body protection. Only a flash of pain blinded her for a moment. When she opened her eyes, the panther was already halfway through towards her, rushing at an enormous speed. ''So fast!'' she thought, throwing her hands up:


    "-Block Wave!-"


    Four Blocks flew towards the panther, forcing it to perform an elegant leap high into the air. It landed on the same tree six meters above Orisa''s head, sticking its claws into the trunk. Without any preparation, it immediately launched a swift but weak lightning strike at Orisa.


    "-Safe!-"


    The quickest barrier spell flew from her mouth barely in time to block the spell. However, the Beast gave her no time to catch a breath, lunging downward at her and the barrier. The fact that it rushed personally instead of launching another spell sent another wave of dread through Orisa, urging her to flee immediately:


    "-Launch!-"


    She threw herself away, witnessing how the panther shattered her empowered barrier, barely slowing down. It landed on the ground and left a noticeable dent under its feet, immediately aiming at Orisa with another quick lightning spell. The thunderstrike caught her in midair, breaking her Launch sphere into pieces. While she was falling, a desperate and bitter thought coursed through her mind: ''I am too slow. Too slow! All this tunnel grinding was for nothing!''


    Orisa painfully crashed into the rocky hill, and another swift lightning struck her, throwing her body even further away. The Force Armor weakened the strike considerably, but several spots on her body were already charred, a blinding pain tormenting her and making her wriggle on the ground. Feeling another surge of Mana, Orisa gritted her teeth and muttered:


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    She didn''t go for the Mana recovery spell this time. Instead, she took out three pills from her pocket and chewed them down immediately. A heavy lightning strike crashed through her barriers and threw her back again, but it was a small price to pay. During the flight, she also managed to charge the Regeneration Seal on her left glove, reminded herself to use it as often as possible.


    Orisa landed on the rock and quickly got up just in time to see the panther rushing at her again. Switching her gears from defensive into offensive mode, Orisa dropped on one knee and pointed at the Beast:


    "-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-"


    She hoped that if not with damage, it would be possible to put the panther down with status effects. But what happened next Orisa couldn''t describe other than in one simple word - unfair. Her stun darts flew towards the target, but mere moments before coming into contact with them, the panther turned into a ball of lightning and safely passed through the projectiles. It rushed past Orisa, turning corporeal again right behind her back. A swift slap of its paw sent Orisa flying like a baseball going for a home run. She felt her left shoulder crack as she rolled down the hill.


    Her body stopped by the entrance to the tunnel where the fight had started less than one minute ago. The panther was on top of the hill again, looking down at Orisa and baring its teeth grimly. Orisa barely managed to get herself into a sitting position as her left hand went completely limp. The pain subsided because of the pills she took earlier. Three capsules at the same time were an overdose by a large margin and would later come back to make her suffer, but she might not live to see that moment either way, so it didn''t matter.


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    For the first time since the training camp, Orisa felt genuinely scared. There were moments when she was afraid of something, but now a clear sense of dread and doom crippled her ability to think straight, and shackled her willpower.


    Orisa absentmindedly covered herself with a barrier and took a look at her surroundings. Within the shield that she conjured lay two bags with cores that they had dropped earlier. She pulled out an evolved core from a smaller bag, spilling its contents around, and squeezed it tight with her right hand. It took some serious effort to get back on her trembling feet, but Orisa managed the feat and glared at the panther. Her foe was standing still, observing her movements indifferently as it apparently decided the battle was over. Resolving to go all out, she gritted her teeth and stubbornly shoveled the fear into the deepest corner of her mind.


    "Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer, bitch," muttered Orisa and squeezed the evolved core even tighter. She stretched one of her Mana layers towards the crystal, sensing an enormous amount of energy inside. Compared to unevolved cores she had used before, the sensation was overwhelming. And scary. When her hand turned white and began to hurt, she bit her lip to clear her frantic thoughts and yelled a spell that she had practiced before, albeit with a common Mana cores:


    "-Fury!-"


    The crystal in her palm shattered loudly, and a hurricane of energy went directly into Orisa, modified by the intent of her spell. Her brain almost exploded from the information overload, and the world went blank. Her vision, hearing, and other senses shut down, leaving her alone in a world made of white. Since she felt absolutely nothing, Orisa couldn''t even fathom whether she was standing on her feet or lying on the ground, or if there was any ground under her invisible feet at all.


    An unknown amount of time had passed before she began to see shadows. In this warped white world, they were blue instead of black, with hints of other colors mixed here and there. She saw a massive shadow of cold blue in the distance, although it was hard to say how far away it was. Two more figures appeared nearby and in front of her, one looking like a massive dark-blue disk, another giving off a warm greenish-blue feeling.


    Orisa thought of looking down, and her vision shifted in that direction to reveal her own color. Her figure was of the same dark-blue hue as the disk in front of her, solid and almost opaque. The puzzle assembled in her head. The shadow afar and above her was the panther''s Mana flow, and these in front of here were Kanai''s Mana and her Safe barrier.


    Amidst the observation, Orisa finally noticed the movement of the Beast''s shadow and saw how a swift lightning strike was born inside it. Since Orisa couldn''t see or even feel her hands, she simply stretched her Mana layer forward and began to conjure Force Blocks. The process was mentally exhausting first and foremost due to the speed - everything moved too slow for Orisa to stay sane. She groaned and moaned internally, witnessing her Mana crawl outside, take the form of a Block, solidify it and move further to conjure another one. More than a minute had passed by her distorted sense of time before she conjured several Blocks, and the lightning finally stuck them, shattering six out of eight barriers.


    With each passing second, however, the motions sped up. Either the effects began to wear down, which Orisa deemed unlikely, or her brain started to adapt to this new sensation and tried to return to a more familiar flow of time. One way or another, she was gradually returning to her usual self while also observing the Beast move towards her.


    To Orisa in her empowered state, the panther looked like a cat on the night stroll, moving slowly and lazily. Orisa knew what to expect now and launched the Shock Volley at the Beast, who predictably turned into its lightning form and passed through the darts. As it was about to appear behind her back, Orisa constructed an empowered Palm Push Strike exactly where the Beast thought to materialize. The spell exploded and sent its target flying away.


    While the foe was still mid-air, Orisa conjured several further empowered Blast Shells and launched them forward. A moment before the panther fell, she threw a chilling blast shell and another Hand of God. All these spells struck the panther almost simultaneously, crushing everything around the spot where it landed.


    The panther jumped back on its feet and shook its body. There were two small wounds on its back, and the Beast licked them after a short angry growl. To Orisa, its movements still looked comically slow, and a surge of hope warmed her fear-shackled soul. ''I can do it!''


    The foe rushed towards her again, and Orisa met it with a barrage of empowered Blast Shells. Her six Mana layers worked like slaves, conjuring Seals and sending projectiles, and she even started to worry about her Mana pool again. The Beast was jumping left and right, dodging the shells. Despite its agility, Orisa''s mind was now faster, allowing her to predict its movements and aim at these spots to catch it mid-jump. The panther was advancing regardless of the damage, and when it was about ten meters away from Orisa, she launched another Shock Volley.


    Her enemy lunged at her, changing into the lightning from, and passed through the darts. When the electric ball was inches away from Orisa, she activated her right wrist blade. Her mind was sharp, unlike her body that moved slower than a dead snail. It took her hand an eternity to raise, but Orisa still managed to prepare the blade on time and plunged it into the Beast''s materialized body. The moment it became completely corporeal, she also used the rest of her Mana layers to launch two empowered Palm Push Strikes.


    The panther''s body flew away, while Orisa was happily observing its blood on her hand. She turned into a stationary turret, launching numerous Blast and Chill Shells at the Beast''s body.


    A bright idea formed a blinding bulb over her head, and Orisa used the Flip spell under the Beast''s motionless body, launching it back to Orisa. While the body was mid-air, she prepared the Mana blade to skewer it and finish the fight. Suddenly, the Beast came to life and spun, sending a quick lightning strike at Orisa. Now it was her time to roll away and cough in pain.


    A piercing howl paralyzed Orisa, making her blood freeze. She looked up at the panther in time to witness its body glow blue, lightning arcs shooting in all directions. Its fur stood up, sparkling with power and life. Orisa was now looking at a completely intact Beast, no marks of previous combat visible anywhere on its frame. All of the might and joy she had felt after using the evolved core quickly drained away, replaced by dread and crippling fear once more.


    The panther looked at her for a moment and moved forward, thrice quicker than before. Orisa rushed to conjure another Shock Volley, cursing at her Mana''s almost lethargic speed in comparison to the Beast''s newfound agility. ''I''m so slow again. How is this possible? How do you even fight these creatures!?'' she panicked inwardly as her projectiles crawled towards the running panther.


    The Beast could have easily dodged them, at least that was how Orisa saw it at that moment. Instead, it turned incorporeal again and suddenly split into three balls of lightning. The first moved to Orisa''s right side, the second ran to the left, and the last flew into the air. ''Decoys!'' she thought, trying to perceive the difference between their Mana flows. The fear slowed her mind once more.


    It wasn''t easy, but she managed to find a subtle detail in their patterns, looking at two identical copies and a slightly different origin. Her Mana moved out of her body to form barriers, but it was extremely slow, too slow to make enough protection in time for the upcoming attack. She managed to conjure only two shields when the copies disappeared, and their owner turned corporeal to her right. The panther''s paw shattered both barriers and slapped Orisa''s right arm, sending her into the woods again.


    A crushing pain blinded Orisa, breaking her concentrated state and letting Enrage overtake her for a moment. Her left arm was completely limp. She could barely squeeze her right palm now as the hand was also broken in two places, causing even more pain with every movement despite the painkilling pills. Ignoring all that, Orisa jumped back on her feet and screamed at the top of her voice, overcome by rage and mad from fear:


    "I DON''T NEED HANDS TO MURDER YOU, FUCKER!"


    The shout helped her partially regain her composure, and the calming cold of concentration veiled her enraged mind, letting Orisa think straight again. She saw the Beast charge up the heavy lightning again. From their previous exchange, she understood that it couldn''t move while preparing the spell, and muttered:


    "You are so dead."


    "-Zap Seal!-"


    "-Support Seal!-"


    "-Attack Seal!-"


    "-Blast Shell!-"


    The thrice empowered projectile flew forward like a bullet, accelerated by the Zap Seal. Orisa followed its path with a vengeful and triumphant gaze, grinning in mad excitement to see an immobile foe take an artillery strike equivalent into its face. ''Even if you are that strong, you can''t come out of the attack like that intact!''


    When the burning shell was a moment away from hitting its target, the panther stopped the preparation and casually swung its paw, slapping the shell. Orisa''s projectile exploded on the spot, leaving the Beast unscathed.


    "It was toying with me..." Orisa muttered in disbelief, paralyzed. The panther tricked her into thinking it couldn''t move. Judging by its behavior, it didn''t even need to intercept the Shell. The panther did it just to show how insignificant and futile Orisa''s attempts were. The folly of her struggle crushed Orisa''s spirit. "Impossible... Impossible..."


    She looked at the Beast lunged at her from afar, flying through the air in its lightning form. Despair clutched her insides and squeezed her heart. She imagined the creature tearing her apart, ending this misery swiftly, but something jolted inside her in protest and yelled: ''The hell are you whining about, pussy!? Sober the fuck up already!''


    Orisa snapped back to her senses using the remnants of her trampled willpower and conjured several Five-Seal Barriers. An instant before the Beast crushed the last of her shields, she used Launch to jump towards the tunnel.


    She noticed after landing on the ground that her foe was already casting its heavy lightning strike, and proceeded to put more barriers between them:


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    "-Mana Flow!-"


    Orisa was almost out of Mana and desperately needed a breather to resupply. The attack broke three Barriers and almost shattered the last. As if there was no need for it to rest for a single moment, the Beast began to charge the same spell again. Orisa broke her channeling and restored the walls, returning to her recovery process as well. They had gone back and forth twice more before another lightning strike suddenly went upward instead of its usual forward direction.


    "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"


    Muttering like a madman, Orisa barely made in time to block the thunder strike, but the Beast was already in the process of casting another one. Using this time to gather some more Mana and grab several moments of rest, Orisa dropped on one knee. While focusing on the flow of her energy, she lowered her gaze and noticed the same bag of cores she grabbed earlier to use for the Fury spell. It was half-open, and its contents partially spilled outside. Her attention immediately snapped to a familiar form. It was the evolved core that Rita gave her on the day of their first parting, Orisa''s first haul, and one of her most prized treasures. They now possessed several more evolved cores, but this one was so precious to her, because it was associated with her mentor, her generosity, wisdom, and her might. It gave Orisa a surge of hope.


    Orisa grabbed the core with her barely functional right hand and squeezed it with all her might, causing another spike of horrible pain. ''Not letting go of you, no matter what.''


    The panther released another lightning attack that crushed Orisa''s barriers, and then lunged forward, splitting into three non-corporeal forms again. Orisa immediately knew which of them was original and prepared to guard since there was absolutely no chance for her to strike it with the Mana blade again. She knew her normal defense wouldn''t block the attack, or the Beast would simply change its position and strike an unguarded spot if Orisa were to erect barriers beforehand. Aside from blocking the attack, she had another goal in mind as well, so she used a Status spell on one of the copies to understand its mechanics of mimicking Mana flow.


    The panther reverted right above Orisa''s head and swung its paw downward. Orisa used four Mana layers simultaneously to conjure and compress two empowered Force Blocks. After this modification, the blocks shrunk almost tenfold, turning book-sized but that much tougher and stronger. The first Block cracked and shattered under the mighty strike of the Beast, but the second one managed to stop the attack, making the foe rebound and take several jumps back.


    After witnessing the effects of her empowered defense, Orisa got some of her lost confidence back. She proceeded to replenish her Mana while waiting for the panther''s next move. It wasn''t the time for going on the offensive yet.


    It didn''t take long for the panther to strike again - it swung its head, releasing three balls of lightning that slowly moved towards Orisa. Two spheres headed directly at her one after another, and the last one''s aim was slightly off. Orisa conjured more barriers to block the projectiles and went back to her Mana regeneration. With a loud hissing, both spheres broke and dissipated after coming in contact with her walls, and the third ball slowly drifted by, at least two meters afar from Orisa.


    She finally understood the trap when the panther suddenly dashed towards her. The last sphere blinked wildly and discharged a lightning strike at Orisa, electrocuting her. The moment her mind went blank from the pain, her foe appeared behind her and clawed her waist, sending Orisa into the forest once more. After at least thirty meters of flight, she loudly crashed into a tree, both its trunk and her waist cracking loudly.


    It hurt so much that she thought she was going mad. But the pain went away almost immediately along with any sensation below her chest. She lay in a growing pool of her own blood gushing from a deep wound on her back, and her lower body was paralyzed. The left hand of hers broken and limp, and her right hand barely functional, still miraculously squeezing the crystal.


    Her head was spinning, and corners of her vision grew darker. Despite losing the feelings of her lower body, the rest of it hurt like hell, her hands included. The painkilling pills were not designed to work with such damage. Tears slowly streamed from Orisa''s eyes, leaving marks on her dirty face. Tears of pain and despair, of this feeling of impotence that the twice-evolved panther instilled deep into Orisa''s heart.


    Each of her moves and every type of defense was mercilessly crushed by the Beast that apparently didn''t even use its full strength, pulling out new attacks every time Orisa tried to think creatively. How many more tricks were up its furry sleeves, she didn''t care anymore. She wanted to close her eyes and rest for a bit. Maybe then she would be able to do something, but now her eyelids were too heavy and vision dark. Her wounds and fractures hurt so much, making it harder to sleep, so she closed her eyes and prepared to wait for what was coming.


    With her vision shut, Orisa''s Mana sense heightened and drew pictures of her surroundings inside her mind. She saw a panther slowly moving towards her, its Mana thinner but still strong, coursing through its body in a cold-blue color. Scrapes of dark-blue scattered all over the area, those were the remnants of her spells. And at the edge of the field, she felt another shadow of warm greenish-blue. A voice immediately popped up in Orisa''s mind: ''If you feel yourself hitting up against your limit, remember for what cause you clench your fists! Remember why you started down this path, and let that memory carry you beyond your limit.''


    Orisa didn''t need to open up her eyes, for she saw everything she needed to see with her Mana sense. She conjured three different supporting Seals and launched the Fog of War thrice. The cover was thick and powerful, but Orisa knew better than to rely on it completely. Its goal was to mess with the panther''s senses just enough to fool it. She wasn''t afraid of missing the enemy since the fog was made of her own dark-blue Mana, and she wouldn''t miss anything inside it.


    After releasing the smokescreen, Orisa used the Blood Blockade and proceeded to conjure multiple barriers everywhere around her in a chaotic manner. More and more various shields and walls appeared nearby, creating a massive blob of Mana and energy, mixing with the fog as well. While waiting for the panther to come closer, Orisa channeled the Mana Flow to replenish her resources, and one thought coursed through her mind: ''I''m never losing Mirai again.''


    The Beast slowly and carefully crawled towards its victim, sensing a Mana clot amidst the trees. It didn''t want to waste any more Mana on attacks and decided to finish the play in melee, resupplying its reserves with the fresh and powerful Mana of the prey.


    Orisa felt the panther close the distance and began to gather her Mana into one tight knot in front of her, supplying it with two specific intents. The clump grew thicker and darker with each passing moment, eating away the remnants of her Mana pool. But Orisa knew how much energy she needed for the final step, so it didn''t bother her in the slightest.


    When the Beast entered the fog, it sensed a huge chunk of Mana rapidly moving in the opposite direction. Her prey had finally decided to run, but it was too late to escape the hunter. In one swift motion, the panther lunged forward and caught the thick and juicy mass of Mana, sinking its fangs right into it.


    Orisa watched the Beast''s shadow jump at her cloned Mana. The sphere exploded, activating its second intent to turn Mana around it into a freezing torrent. The panther stopped in its tracks, chilling bite and shock shackling its body for a moment.


    Pushing the scrapes of her willpower, Orisa clenched her teeth from the pain and raised her right hand with the evolved core tightly clutched in her fist. One of her Mana layers was connected to it. The remaining five layers she pushed outside to conjure the Seals:


    A-ssault Seal. Penetrating power increased.


    S-upport Seal. Mana potency increased.


    U-tility Seal. Stored effects multiplied.


    R-otary Seal. Speed and penetrating power further increased.


    A-ttack Seal. Power increased.


    "-ASURA STRIKE!-"


    The core cracked, releasing a torrent of Mana that rushed through the Seals, following Orisa''s intent and direction.


    The forest in front of her cried.


    The ground in front of her cried.


    The air in front of her cried.


    Her mind blacked out for a second, losing to immense stress. A moment later, she finally opened her eyes.


    The forest to her right and left was burning.


    The ground in front of her had melted and turned into an ash-filled cavern hundreds of meters long.


    The air was distorted as if from immense heat.


    And in front of her hanging in the air was a semi-transparent pale silhouette. Despite its lack of substance and weak presence, it was still clearly visible in the twilight, colored in yellowish-red from the burning forest. The silhouette lingered for several more moments, and then Orisa heard a lifeless voice:


    "On the achievement of slaying a foe of two evolutions alone and without a Lantern, I commend you, Orihara Satoru."

 82 The Watcher, a glimpse

    "On the achievement of slaying a foe of two evolutions alone and without a Lantern, I commend you, Orihara Satoru."


    The silhouette lingered silently for a little longer, but there was no reply.


    "I am well aware that you can hear me, Satoru, although your current state might prevent you from comprehending my words to the fullest."


    Orisa''s body blinked green, and all the pain subsided immediately, making her mind clear as spring water. She let out a gasp of relief and tried to stand up, but her body didn''t listen to her at all.


    "I temporarily cleared your state to make it easier for you to listen. Temporarily means that you will return to your previous condition after we are done talking."


    "I know what the word means," Orisa blurted out without a second thought, only a moment later realizing her attitude.


    "Indeed, you do. My intention was to stress the fact, nothing more. To clear further meaningless questions and worries, let me say this - neither you are dead, nor are you dying at the moment. This vision in front of you is no hallucination, of course. Are we clear?"


    "Yes, sir," she hastily answered.


    "Oh, one more thing which, I assume, is the most important for you," the voice chuckled, giving Orisa chills as the chuckle is lifeless as well. "Your, hum, girlfriend is alive, too. I am positive of her ability to heal your back, provided you give her enough Mana. You two form a balanced pair if I do say so myself."


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    "Thank you, sir. But who are you, if I may?"


    "This is not the time for your questions yet, for all of your words matter, so listen well. As I stated earlier, you achieved a feat which not many people could boast of. I am here now to commend and commemorate. Achievements such as this should be rewarded most appropriately. Thus, I grant you a reward - I will thoroughly answer any one question of yours to the best of my abilities and what limited time there is. Think thoroughly and ponder it, as I imagine you would like to use this opportunity wisely."


    Both parties fell silent. The fire that began after Orisa''s strike almost died out, but the air was still filled with ash and smelled of smoke. The phantom in front of her was dyed in yellowish-red as if highlighting the cause of its appearance.


    "I need something to write on," said Orisa finally.


    "How is this request related to my previous statement?"


    "You see, I need the question to be in a written form so that there won''t be any misinterpretations or misunderstandings. I saw enough movies about djinn to at least try and write a foolproof request."


    And so, both parties fell silent yet again. Orisa had been waiting for the almighty creature''s reaction for quite some time before it finally blurted out:


    "Are you retarded? Ahem! What I meant to say is, um..." the silhouette shook slightly, also giving Orisa time to recover from the shock. The interlocutor in front of her lost half of their mysterious aura in a single moment, leaving Orisa more puzzled than before. "Orihara Satoru, you need not doubt my words. I have no intention of tricking you or otherwise distorting your request. Be calm, be confident, do trust me, and ask your question now. My time is limited."


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to doubt you. Anyhow, if that''s how it is, my goal is to prevent the Wave from destroying the world. It includes all the related events, from Beasts simply spawning too often and eating humanity or occupying the whole continent, to any bizarre phenomenons that may occur after the Wave is done charging up. The question is, how do I achieve it?"


    "The question I was expecting to hear from you, Orihara Satoru. Even one as old as myself can never be too sure of your kind''s nature, so now I''m filled with joy. I was expecting this question some ten years ago, but the other party deemed it unworthy of their attention. But I digress. There are two answers to your question, and I''ll go from the shortest to the longest. Aside from these two, you are able to conceive other solutions by yourself, but they would not fit your own description completely. Thus I will omit them.


    The first one is simple and quick and should provide you with a general understanding. To achieve the goal of yours, you would need to travel to the Spire Transmitter and either disable or destroy it.


    Destroying it is an option, indeed, but you yet lack understanding of the consequences of this decision. Following this condition, the longer but more thorough answer is to collect the necessary tools and knowledge to do so ahead of time. In doing so, you may find even more solutions to this issue.


    The places of learning you will seek are already known to you by now, Orihara Satoru. Those are the Shelters of the past where the Spirespawn gather, indeed. One of them was twice within your reach, but that is a sad tale of the past. How many of those shelters you would need to visit is up to you to decide, but knowing you as well as I do, I would recommend measuring the time you have on your hands well before committing to the task.


    There is only one more thing I want to add to provide you with a thorough answer. The knowledge contained there is not easy to comprehend as it refers to terminology, methods, and technologies of which you have little understanding.


    I would like to conclude this explanation with this - you were expecting more specific instructions, of that I am well aware, but you will understand everything when the time is right. To ensure this, I will imprint this conversation into your memory. Whatever should happen to you, it will not be possible to forget my words.


    The time is out, so I must leave. I hope to meet you again one day, Orihara Satoru."


    Upon finishing the speech, the silhouette disappeared in a blink of an eye. All the pain that has been silenced by his presence returned to Orisa''s body, squeezing a muffled moan out of her dry throat. She lay motionless, her ragged breathing helping to fill her mouth with a taste of ash and smoke.


    ''What the hell was that thing? Am I really sane?'' Orisa pondered. As she tried to question the reality and recollect the event, every word of the discussion appeared in her mind with ease. It felt as if she had spent numerous hours memorizing the speech, and now sentences and paragraphs were jumping in her head, ready to be spoken out.


    ''Oh, so he didn''t lie about engraving them, huh? Guess I''ll think about it later, then.''


    Orisa closed her eyes, and her mind began to drift inside a haze. For her, an unknown amount of time passed. She had seen visions during this semi-dream that she couldn''t remember well when a scream woke her up:


    "Satoru! Satoru, where are you!? Satoru, please! Answer me! Where are you?!"


    ''Oh, I know that voice...'' thought Orisa, slowly opening her eyes.


    "Please, Satoru, where are you!?"


    Focusing her attention upward, Orisa released several bright sparks in quick succession and then repeated the same thing thrice after a short pause. When Kanai''s Mana began to move in her direction, Orisa finally allowed herself to relax. Her mind slipped as she began to dream.


    ~~~


    "Tia, please, we are out of time," Orisa pleaded to her friend, although her voice surprised her. It sounded alien, wrong, but quite familiar at the same time.


    "That''s not my name, stop calling me that!" yelled a girl in front of Orisa. She brushed her short blonde hair to the side, revealing angry eyes looking at Orisa with a mixture of defiance and betrayal. A mask she had torn from her face a moment ago was clutched in her hand. "I have a name that my mother gave me! I have no need for this... this insult! I hate it, but you still keep calling me that! You keep insisting that I play along with this madness. You dragged me here, but all you do is order me around or look down upon me!"


    "I''m sorry, I... I know it''s all my fault, but please let''s continue it some other time, not here," Orisa begged once more, feeling her soul tearing apart from a burning sense of guilt.


    "You are always like that, always thinking about grand things. I told you I didn''t want to go! I told you this isn''t for me! But you dragged me here, you begged, clutched onto me, cried at my feet. What a fool I was, how little I knew, how naive I was to trust you." She looked at Orisa, her eyes wet with tears and full of pain as she kept screaming: "You all betrayed me! I don''t know you! I don''t want to know you!"


    When Orisa was about to answer, a metal door behind her opened loudly. That made her realize her surroundings - they stood on a roof of a very tall building, a skyscraper, surrounded by the lights of a bustling night megapolis.


    "Orion, what are-. Oh, Tia, where is your mask!?" A familiar and dear voice ran pleasantly through Orisa''s ears, but she couldn''t look away from her friend.


    "To hell with the mask, and with your schemes and games!" Tia threw the mask down, then pulled out a phone from her back pocket and smashed it to the concrete floor, blasting it into pieces. "I''m sick of it all!"


    The next moment, her figure turned blue, then white. A gust of wind blew over the roof, shattering the silhouette and turning it into a cloud of snow that flew away, leaving only the mask and the broken phone.


    Orisa let out a long and tired sigh, torn by the event, her feelings of grief and guilt growing even bigger.


    "Don''t worry, she''ll be back by tomorrow anyway," a warm palm squeezed Orisa''s shoulder, calming her a bit. "I know that you blame yourself, but even I think it was the right thing to do. For now, let''s focus on the mission."


    ~~~


    Orisa woke up in a complete dark. The air felt dusty and cold, but her body was warm despite that. And something heavy was pressing her down, making it hard to move. She shuffled uncomfortably, still feeling awful from the dream she saw.


    ''Where was I? Who were these people? It all looked so real and familiar.''


    Memories of the recent events surfaced quickly in her mind, and Orisa almost yelled, remembering what had happened earlier - the fight, the revelation from the ghostly figure. And Mirai. She jolted but couldn''t get up as something heavy was obstructing her movements. Remembering who she was, Orisa focused her mind and produced a sphere of light, illuminating her surroundings.


    She was inside the cave that they made together with Kanai. She knew for sure since numerous hours spent in the tunnel made every crack here familiar to her. The warm and comfy place was, indeed, her sleeping bag and a blanket. And she was pinned down by Kanai, who was sleeping soundly by her side with his right hand and leg both hugging Orisa. She couldn''t help but chuckle.


    A piece of paper was clutched in his hand, and Orisa overcome by curiosity carefully pulled it out. Numerous identical Japanese hieroglyphs filled the page, which made its hilarious content even funnier and endearing:


    ''Idiot Satoru Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot I love you Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot.''


    With a huge smile plastered over her face, Orisa went back to sleep.

 83 Unexpected Spa-nish

    Orisa and Kanai were sitting by the campfire just outside the tunnel, enjoying the fire and each other''s company. They woke up the next morning after the battle and had gone through a lengthy talk about the happenings of the previous evening before going outside to witness it with their own eyes. After a shocking observation, they began with their morning routine while Orisa was going through the revelation from the ghost.


    "Are you sure you can talk about it?" asked Kanai worriedly.


    "Well, he didn''t warn me or anything. Assuming it''s that important, he would have warned me beforehand."


    "Oh, are we assuming his gender now?"


    "God, no, please, not in this world!" Orisa groaned. "Okay, let''s call it the ghost from now on."


    "How much of its speech do you believe?" he asked a bit later.


    "Judging by your tone, ''everything'' isn''t the answer you are waiting for?"


    "Think critically, moron Satoru! What if it was some kind of on-death ability of the kitten to lure you into a trap or stall your advance? It didn''t say anything you didn''t know before or didn''t guess and suspect before, right? We knew about these five strange spots that attract Beasts. Was there something new in his words?"


    "Well," Orisa furrowed her brows and recalled the speech, "it said that I''d need some special knowledge to understand the information contained there. It also mentioned you, our time limit, and other information that nobody should know."


    "Exactly! It fits perfectly into a simple memory-reading technique, especially after you take into account that it imprinted the dialogue into your memory. The rest of the information is well within your guessing capabilities, too."


    "Okay, you may be right, but it changes nothing. We planned to get there anyway," Orisa pouted, unhappy with Kanai''s criticism.


    "Urgh, right. So, ultimately, it was for nothing?"


    "Except for the fact that we are alive?" she chuckled.


    "What''s our destination, then?"


    "Considering we need to resupply, fix our gear, and rest at least a bit, let''s study the map and Rita''s book first. I''m hoping for a nice little village in the neck of the woods."


    By the end of the study session, they found a village mentioned in Rita''s resort guide as a secluded resting spot for weary travelers. Around five days of hiking awaited them, so the pair began the preparations.


    While inspecting and packing her bag, Orisa stumbled onto the vas Kavenfenn ring that Tiana''s maid Maria Pestoni gave her as a token of gratitude. Her mood immediately plummeted after remembering her friend and a sore state of hers. That, in turn, made Orisa remember her secondary goal - vengeance. Not wanting to forget it even for a second, she made a simple rope from several threads and put the ring on her neck. ''We''ll meet again, my dear.''


    Among other things, Orisa also prepared several cores and tucked them into her pants. For her, quick access to high-caliber ammo and a Concentrated state seemed appealing enough to bother with a holster for crystals.


    They were ready to depart after lunch and stood in front of the tunnel''s entrance. Two ragged fighters equipped with large backpacks were paying a silent tribute to the cave of death and mass murder. In the end, Orisa bowed and muttered with a grin:


    "Thank you for the exp, Cave-san. It was delicious. Be well."


    ---


    ---


    "I think you''ll like it, dude!"


    Excited, Kanai was practically dancing in front of Orisa. She sat under a large tree, killing time with a book until his return from a recon trip to the village.


    "There is no garrison or Military here, only self-appointed guards. Of course, no wanted board either!" he continued happily. "Come on, get your ass up, and start moving."


    "Have you seen a place where we can drop?" Orisa asked, adjusting Tiana''s ring on her neck. For the past three days, it had turned warm or cold several times. The strange behavior of the item Orisa shrugged off as a reaction to local Mana patterns.


    "Of course, of course! There is an inn with everything we need. Oooh, you won''t believe it, yay!"


    And Kanai didn''t lie or betray her expectations. The village stood on a hill, surrounded by a dense forest. It was one of those spots that Beasts ignored for some reason, allowing the villagers to maintain the lowest level of security. The Military didn''t bother to create a garrison here in the middle of nowhere since there was no need to protect people and no strategic reason to station soldiers as well.


    After safely passing the improvised guarding post at the entrance to the village, Kanai confidently led Orisa towards a white three-story building. It looked way better than Orisa would expect from a village in the middle of nowhere, but she soon understood the reason.


    "Welcome to the Rejuvenation Heaven. How can I, um, help you?" a perfect example of a clerk in a white dress greeted them from behind the counter, flinching from the look of the pair only for a fleeting moment.


    That was when Orisa finally recalled why this village was famous and prospering despite its location. The sole driving factor of this place was a renown spa resort with a long-standing tradition of high-quality masseurs passing their knowledge and skill between generations.


    Unlike the settlement itself, the inn was well-protected to ensure its customers'' peace. Four guards were eyeing the suspicious and ragged pair warily, so Kanai pulled his tag and waved it in front of the receptionist:


    "A room for me and my partner. We are dying from a long expedition, so get us the best service there is," he said confidently.


    "As you wish, sir," the clerk bowed slightly after witnessing his tag. Her reaction was quite tame compared to other people witnessing The Hounds division since this establishment was well-known and attracted various people from different positions, including top squads and ranks. "There is only one room suitable for your request at the moment, sir. It will be five mids for one night per person and includes our full course."


    Orisa coughed inwardly upon hearing the price that was a hundred times higher than a common inn. ''Almost a week''s salary for one night? I''m expecting virgin catgirls to serve me ambrosia tonight.''


    A servant appeared from a side room and offered to take their luggage to the apartment while also showing them the way. For some reason, he was unable to move even a single backpack and hastily apologized to the giggling Orisa and Kanai before leading the way to the third floor.


    Their lodging was wide and well-decorated by the standards of this world: a thick carpet covered the floor; every window was dressed in massive curtains; several paintings occupied the walls. Three doors led to a wardrobe, toiled, and bathroom, respectively. And in the farthest corner of the room stood The Bed since this enormous bedstead with purple and red draping, giant pillows, and three layers of blankets could not be called anything else.


    Orisa chuckled, expecting Kanai''s reaction, but he just groaned and went to drop his backpack. The servant gave them a pair of keys and retreated.


    "Let''s take a shower first, then eat and take their course. You can go first," Kanai said.


    "Nah, you should go first. I need to check something," Orisa replied and began to unpack.


    Kanai first opened vents in the shower and poured a random soap, then began to undress. Curious, laughing Orisa turned to him and asked:


    "I thought you''d still be shy and uncomfortable with getting naked."


    "Well, it''s not like you are staring at my body," answered Kanai indifferently. "If anything, It feels more like a character in a virtual MMO. Plus, now that I know about you..."


    "Aww, so sweet. I love you, too!" Orisa jumped on her feet and rushed to hug a bright-red and mostly-naked Kanai.


    "Oh, would you stop already?" he pushed Orisa away and went into the bathroom.


    Orisa had waited for a suitable amount of time to make sure her plan would succeed before bursting into the shower completely bare. Kanai was seemingly sleeping at the moment, but her entrance didn''t startle him. Without opening his eyes, the boy muttered:


    "You are so predictable in your futile attempts to make everything harder and more complicated."


    Luckily, the bathtub was big enough to let two people lay without getting in each other''s way too much, so Orisa''s landing only pushed some water and bubbles beyond its edge, making Kanai groan again:


    "Is there really any point in doing all this?"


    "I don''t know and all set on finding out!" she laughed and shot a water pistol at him.


    "Are you for real? Satoru, how fucking old are you? Four?"


    "Oh, don''t be like that," Orisa grabbed Kanai''s cheeks and pinched them with both hands before submerging into the water. When she opened her mouth again a bit later, her voice sounded more serious: "Honestly, I just want to be closer to you, even closer than now, but don''t know how to do it without, you know, being grossed out."


    "Um, yes, sorry..." Kanai''s cheeks got redder as he turned his head away.


    Twenty minutes had passed in complete silence, brimming with relaxation and pleasure. The hot bath was among their top three wishes during the trip into the wilds, and now they thoroughly indulged.


    "Want me to help you with your back?" asked Orisa lazily.


    "If you promise not to do anything stupid," Kanai sounded even more relaxed.


    As it turned out, the procedures were all booked as well, so the pair had waited for another two hours before being finally admitted to a small room with two massage beds separated with a white private screen. The staff consisted of thirty years old twin ladies who greeted Orisa and Kanai with slightly forced but still bright smiles:


    "Dear customers, we are happy to see you here."


    "Please, get ready for forty-five minutes of pleasure and relaxation."


    "You don''t need to ask twice," chuckled Orisa and went to the left table.


    Kanai followed her example and settled on the right bed, his silhouette visible through the screen.


    "Please, remove your bathrobes and lay face down on the table," the twins said in unison.


    The following thirty minutes were filled with similar sounds and yelps:


    "Haaah..."


    "Urgh..."


    "Ohhh..."


    "Eeeh!"


    "Umph..."


    "Ouu..."


    "Please, turn on your back now," the ladies commanded.


    "Um, I, uh, not sure I like the idea," Kanai muttered uncomfortably.


    "Oh, dear customer, don''t worry, your body''s reaction is perfectly fine and rather healthy. There is nothing to be shy about, I assure you. If you would like, we can provide an additional service for you and your lady for a separate fee."


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    "No-no, thank you, that''s plenty already," he protested, turning on his back.


    "Just look at you," Orisa chuckled with a wide grin. "You said it wasn''t your body only several hours ago, and now you are all shy and cute."


    "Oh, fuck off, pretty please!?" he shouted angrily.


    "What about lady, then?" another twin asked Orisa.


    "Hmm, I''ll need to think about it, but I might find you later on today," she answered with an even bigger grin.


    "Don''t you even dare, you hear me!?" threatened her Kanai, causing Orisa to burst into laughter.


    ---


    ---


    "How can I help you, sir?" the clerk at the reception desk asked Kanai two hours later.


    "If possible, I''d like to ask for directions. We are looking for a place to repair our gear." They knew the basics of the repairs, but their gear was beyond that level, damaged and worn out too much for the pair''s skills.


    "Of course. I can direct you to a shop, but if I may, a skilled craftsman is staying with us at the moment. His service will be of much higher quality, although the fee isn''t low either. If you''d like, I can request for his assistance. He may be interested in tending to such a renowned division, I think."


    Kanai and Orisa gave each other a puzzled look.


    "If it''s not too much, we would love to meet him," Orisa answered, adjusting a rather warm ring on her neck.


    "Most certainly. Please, wait here."


    Ten minutes later, they were led to an apartment on the second floor. Inside, a short burly man with gray hair sat on a comfortable chair, calmly stroking his beard tied into a knot. He stared at the guests, carefully studying them both, although Orisa garnered noticeably more attention than Kanai.


    As the clerk closed the door behind them, the craftsman began in an even and slow voice:


    "Greetings, hounds. Name''s Kouhito. I was informed of your desire to engage my service." His tone didn''t leave them any spot for introduction. "You must understand that both my vacation and business time are rather limited. Thus, I most certainly would have declined your request regardless of the price you were willing to pay. That is unless you have of interest to me, young warriors?"


    The pair exchanged worried looks while Kouhito kept staring at Orisa, occasionally switching his gaze to Kanai.


    "While the majority of our gear is quite bland and common, we have several items that might pique your interest, master Kouhito," Orisa carefully said and then proceeded to describe her gloves, wrist protectors, and other items of the slightest interest.


    "I can take a look at your stock, but do not expect me to work on mundane things. If I deem some or most of your gear well within the capacity of a common worker, I''ll skip it. There is no point in wasting my time on something you can fix in the nearby barn."


    "We most certainly don''t mind this, sir. Indeed, little sense in using a needle where a nail would suffice," Orisa hastily agreed.


    "Trying to win me with words, woman? You are fifty years too young to negotiate, so don''t even try. But I''ll give you one bonus mark for an attempt."


    "One out of five?"


    "Out of a hundred, of course."


    They spent the next hour sifting through the gear and splitting it into two piles. The smallest went into master Kouhito''s room while the rest was transported to the nearest workshop by the inn''s staff.


    "The gear should be ready by tomorrow''s midday," he said after taking an astronomical twenty mids for the service. "You are free to leave. I''ll ask the servant to fetch you when I''m ready."


    Together, the three of them went down to the front desk, where Orisa and Kanai bid their farewell and left to check the workshop and other stores, while Kouhito asked the clerk behind the counter to assist with sending several business letters to his clients.


    ---


    ---


    The promised time has arrived, and the pair got their gear back as good as new. It was completely repaired, cleaned, and polished the shine.


    "Thank you so much, master Kouhito! I can see every coin paid in this gear. A masterful work," Orisa said in excitement.


    "No need for that, girl. I had my share of fun studying these wristguards of yours. What are your plans for today? When do you plan to leave? Maybe we can go together if the destination and the schedule are the same."


    "It''s a good question, sir," she turned to Kanai with a questioning gaze. "Probably today, I guess?"


    "A shame, truly. I would advise taking another day of rest. You two looked a tad bit unhealthy yesterday. Although, not my business. Farewell."


    When they got to their apartment, Orisa stared at Kanai with a pleading gaze:


    "Let''s stay another day, please?"


    "Um, it''s not like I''m against it, but are you sure? Is it really safe for us to laze around?"


    "I think so, dude. I mean, there are no guards here, and nobody should know about me anyway. Also, how much time has passed since my escape, two months or so?"


    "Well, Satoru, if you are sure..."


    "Please, pretty please? Let''s hit the massage once more! And I want another bath, or maybe even two of them. Oh, and this fried meat was great, too!"


    "Okay-okay, stop it! You are drooling already, gosh."


    And so, another day passed with them lazing around, indulging in various spa activities, overeating, and almost comfortably sleeping in the same bed again. A completely refreshed pair of youngsters were ready to leave by the next morning, standing by the counter and filing papers.


    "Kanai, I''ll wait outside," Orisa dropped all the boring stuff on him, bowed to the clerk, and went outside, adjusting the now hot ring on her neck.


    When the door behind her back closed, she heard a rather cocky voice to her right:


    "Don''t move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."


    Seven more people were standing with their weapons ready in front of a vehicle that was still hot from severe overuse. They were here because of her.

 84 PVP

    "Don''t move even a single finger, trash. But please, I beg you, I dare you, try to resist. I was told you are one fun thing."


    Adrenaline hit Orisa when she realized the situation. Her heartbeat was deafening, and sweat began to drip from her forehead. She took a quick look at the crowd in front of her.


    A pair of shooters equipped with rifles stood behind the vehicle parked at the center of a small village square. To their left and right were hiding two casters with wands. Assuming their weapons, Orisa guessed that they were of a support class, either healers or buffers. Another duet of casters hid behind the corner of the repair workshop. From their battle staves, she thought that they were damage dealers of some sort. There were around twenty meters between Orisa and the car in front of her, and combat mages were a bit farther away. However, midway towards the transport stood a mountain of a man, a bulky fellow clad in gray metal plate armor with a sword and a tower shield. The last person of the raid was to her right. To get a better look at him without any suspicion, Orisa decided to start a discussion after calming herself a bit with a deep breath:


    "Don''t you think it''s a contradiction? I mean, don''t move a single finger but try to resist."


    "Listen up, lady," the burly shield-wielder addressed her after a short chuckle, his voice sounding fatherly and friendly, "we don''t want it to get ugly-."


    "I do!" interjected the fellow to her right. The cocky voice belonged to a boy around twenty-five. He smirked, glaring at Orisa with a provoking gaze. His equipment consisted of light chainmail and leather pants, leaving his head with a short yellow hair unprotected. A two-handed sword he was gripping was lowered to the ground level, ready for a swing. "I fucking do!"


    "-so, please, don''t make ours and yours share any worse than it is supposed to be. Just come with us nice and quiet, please."


    "You, good sir, are asking me to march obediently to my execution? And on top of that, for the things I didn''t even commit?" Orisa asked, trying to calm temper.


    "It''s not for me to decide, lass. My job is to bring you back, that''s it. I''m only doing what I am supposed to do."


    "Awesome stance, but I don''t like it. Shaking off all responsibilities on your superiors is a coward''s way, an easy way," her blood was almost boiling.


    "Gajef, can I kick her already!?" the same boy asked impatiently.


    "We are negotiating," the warrior, Gajef, said in a tired voice.


    "By the way, who might you be, gentlemen? It''s rude to talk without introducing yourself first." Orisa decided to ask, still thinking of a solution. Her main concern was to leave Mirai out of this, but there lay two problems in front of her. First, she didn''t know whether her friend was reported alongside her or not. Second, if they were to start fighting here and now, Mirai would rush outside and try to help.


    "Fancy of you to ask, babe!" the boy let out a mad laugh and even licked his lips in anticipation. "Our folk is called Inquisitors, but I doubt you''ve ever heard of us. Don''t worry, love! We aren''t that tough, so let''s get violent."


    The mention of a top force of the Police sent chills down her spine, cooling down her boiling blood. She gulped nervously and didn''t even notice how the ring on her neck began to burn her skin, so hot it was.


    While thinking about the mess she ended up in, Orisa felt another source of Mana to her left and moving along the wall of the inn. She couldn''t hear any sounds from that direction, and her peripheral vision provided no clues either. Despite that, the Mana source was slowly getting closer, and she came to trust her Seals more than her senses.


    "Don''t you think, mister Gajef, that it''s insulting to try and ambush a lonely girl with nine people first thing in the morning?"


    "But there are only eight of us here, lass," he tried to argue, but Orisa spotted a change in his expression and tone even from a distance.


    Orisa didn''t need to hold the core in her hand. She swiftly stretched her Mana layer and connected it to the unevolved crystal, sensing its power. The invisible foe was too close to comfort, so Orisa let out a short sigh to psyche herself up, and began:


    "-Fury!-"


    The calming cold wave ran through her veins, and everything around Orisa became slower. She could see the boy''s eyes lit up with mad joy as he began to swing his sword. The source of Mana to her left also shifted and jumped at her. Two shooters aimed at her but didn''t shoot, waiting for a better moment. At the same time, all four mages shouted in unison:


    "-Major Break!-"


    "-Major Takeover!-"


    A barrage of counter-magic spells shot towards Orisa, but from Youko Satou''s notepad, she knew what to do with them. As soon as they would come in contact with Mana containing any intent, they will activate and try to convert or dissolve it. Orisa swiftly constructed the non-verbal Fog of War and shot it in all directions. The Fog was made of numerous independent particles, so it could easily intercept the counter-spells.


    Right when the Fog began to spread, Orisa also created two Flip spells to throw both melee attackers away. The moment her platform touched the person to her left, the camouflage wore off, revealing a short girl in a light grey leather set and a strange mechanism with grappling hooks around her waist and thighs. She was sent into the air by the Flip but did a spin and landed on a nearby roof. As for the cocky brat to her right, he wasn''t as agile and ended up plastered over the wall of another building.


    "Shoot!" shouted Gajef.


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-" -- "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    Two shields were conjured in front of Orisa to block attacks and spells, and the last one she placed in front of the door of the inn, sealing Kanai inside. She couldn''t risk starting a fight right here, so her next move was to launch herself into the air and away from the inn.


    Amidst her flight, several rifle shots exploded with magical shrapnel, damaging her Launch sphere. A moment later, a barrage of dispels and counter-magic hit her, dispelling everything except Fury. Orisa didn''t waste a single moment and activated the Force Armor, hoping to block some damage and avoid more dispels. Next, she aimed at the two mages hiding behind the repair workshop. For a split second, Orisa debated the usage of Blast Shells but decided to go with the less-lethal Chilling type. Three projectiles shot in their direction and exploded, creating a freezing cloud.


    When Orisa was about to land, she sensed a surge of Mana below her. Two trap spells appeared beneath her, and the only thing she could do on time was to throw a Force Block into the ground. It exploded, triggering the traps and sending a blast wave in all directions. A fraction of the blast hit Orisa and did enough damage for her to realize that Inquisitors were serious. She dropped on the ground and activated the Regeneration Seal on her glove.


    Immediately after her landing, two Fireballs shot towards her in an arc, threatening Orisa from above. She conjured three Safe barriers facing upward to meet the projectiles only to hear two rifle shots a moment later. The Fireballs were a distraction from the beginning and only served to pull her attention from the shooters. The first projectile was of explosion type and threw her to the ground. That helped her avoid the second shot entirely.


    Orisa fell on her back and created a Five-Seal barrier before getting up. She sensed two Mana sources approaching her and launched herself away once more. While in mid-air, she released another Fog of War to get at least some level of cover from the shooters and threw two Block Waves towards the car. They exploded midway, intercepted by focused fire. Several spells and shots flew past her Launch sphere. She safely landed on the ground and conjured more Barriers above and in front of herself.


    ''Why the hell am I fighting the bunch in the first place? I should just run,'' she thought for a moment but was quickly pulled back to reality.


    A meter away from her, two grappling hooks with wires attached struck the ground. Orisa didn''t sense them because they were completely Mana-free. However, she sensed a Mana source rapidly approach her. Another barrage of offensive magic forced her to conjure more Barriers. Less than two seconds later, the stealthy girl landed right by Orisa''s side, pulled by the wires from the mechanism on her waist. Using the inertia from the pull, she swung two short swords, aiming at Orisa''s legs.


    Orisa remade a compressed shield that she had used during the panther fight, and it was able to block both blades. The hooks kept the girl in place even with the strong recoil from the barriers. Instead of another swing, she made a twin stab towards Orisa''s stomach. Robbed of any time to think of a good solution, Orisa launched two Palm Push Strikes at the girl''s hands. A piercing shriek rolled through the area as the foe dropped on the ground, her palms melted together with the blades'' handles.


    Grimacing from the horror she inflicted, Orisa threw a quick Blood Blockade spell at the girl and turned to refresh the barriers. One of the two Mana sources leaped into the air, but its trajectory wasn''t threatening to Orisa, so she switched to the second target. It was the annoying brat with a two-handed sword that managed to get into striking distance. His blade glowed red and rushed at Orisa. She conjured a pair of reinforced blocks that saved her from the swing and was about to strike back when a volley of counter-magic dissipated her defensive shields. More dispels followed after, immediately removing any defense she could conjure.


    "-Jack Field!-"


    An anti-projectile field covered Orisa from the ranged attacks for a moment. It was constantly supported by her Mana flow, automatically regaining its form after each dispel. Another Mana source that had previously leaped into the air landed several meters away from Orisa. It was Gajef. He muttered something and smashed his shield into the ground. A semi-transparent wall appeared in the air and blocked Orisa her escape route. She would need to go through the raid to flee in a different direction.


    She didn''t have time to curse, however, as the boy''s blade glowed purple and charged at her. A compressed shield appeared at the last moment. The sword struck it and released a shockwave that hit Orisa and pushed her. She tripped over a now unconscious girl and fell, throwing the Fog of War and covering herself with the barrier.


    The Fog played a great role in her survival by making precision shots useless. Instead, the mages and shooters switched to area attacks, and those were less damaging. They still hit her hard, but at least she was alive. Several shots exploded nearby with electricity, trying to stun her.


    "Raj, take Mika away!" ordered Gajef, and charged at Orisa.


    The moment they were left alone after Raj obediently took the injured girl away, Gajef stomped the ground, sending a shockwave at Orisa. Her body trembled, and she fell on the ground again. The warrior shouted and stomped again:


    "-Anchor!-"


    Orisa felt another wave of Mana move through the ground towards her, but she didn''t know any way of dealing with such spells. She tried to roll to the side, but the wave still hit her. It clung to her like an animal, forming shackles around her legs, waist, and wrists. A moment later, the spell solidified, and Orisa became trapped, unable to move.


    "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"


    Covering herself with the shield, Orisa closed her eyes and focused only on the Mana sense. Gajef was moving closer to her, and several spells were flying in her general directions. When the warrior was just a few meters away, Orisa conjured three Shock Volleys. The darts struck him, sending shock and chaotic Mana through his body. Gajef dropped on one knee, groaning.


    "You aren''t going anywhere after what you did to Mika!" he muttered through his teeth.


    "You left me no choice!" Orisa yelled, trying to find a way out. Thanks to her Mana control, she could activate Mana blades anywhere on her wrist protectors, so she cut through the shackles on her hands and freed them. While cutting through the rest of the shackles, Orisa eyed the stunned man and spat aggressively: "I could have killed her, but instead, I even treated the bleeding! If I were that crazy murderer they are painting me to be, you all would have been dead already."


    "Coming through!" yelled Raj and dropped down on a distracted Orisa. She rolled to the side the last moment, so the two-handed sword only struck the ground. The boy didn''t waste time pulling his weapon free and gave her an empowered kick instead. Out of breath and blinded by pain, Orisa flew ten meters and fell on the ground. She ended up outside the Fog, and two shots immediately rang. Both attacks hit her right leg.


    "Fuuuargh!" Orisa cried out, raising the barrier by reflex. Several spells struck it a moment later.


    Cursing inwardly, Orisa stopped the bleeding. She sensed Mana gathering beneath her feet - there was a spell forming there. Acting without a second thought, she removed the barrier and used the Launch just in time to avoid an explosion. The leap, however, disturbed her injured leg even more, and its spontaneous trajectory led Orisa directly into the nearby wall. Blinded by pain, she blacked out for a moment. A burning sensation from the ring on her neck woke her up.


    When Orisa opened her eyes again, Raj was already close. A moment later, his empowered kick rammed into a barrier she hastily conjured.


    "-Safe!-"


    "-Flip!-"


    The barrier blocked two Ice Lances shot by the mages. Orisa tried to flip Raj, but he either anticipated or reacted on time by smashing the flipping platform with his glowing fist. A volley of dispels removed all her shields and even Force Armor, so Orisa launched herself into the air again, refreshing the body protection. She landed not far from Gajef, who immediately closed the distance and pointed at her with his sword:


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    "-Leash!-"


    Orisa saw a faint Mana thread moving towards her and conjured Force Block. The thread, however, bent around it and struck her. She immediately felt foreign Mana inside her body agitating her flow. Something strong began to pull her towards Gajef.


    "-Shock Volley!-" -- "-Shock Volley!-"


    "No use now, heh," muttered immobilized warrior after dropping on both knees. Orisa sensed another barrage of spells and covered bother herself and Gajef with a shield.


    "They might hit you, too! What''s wrong with them?!" she shouted angrily.


    "They are doing their job and nothing more."


    Orisa activated Mana blades and tried to cut the thread that kept pulling her closer to the warrior, but it didn''t help either. A moment later, Raj appeared to her left and swung his sword. Orisa conjured a compressed barrier, but Raj let go of the sword midway and kicked her in the stomach with his glowing fist instead. She rolled on the ground but was immediately yanked back by the Leash.


    It hurt so much even after going through her Force Armor. Orisa dropped on the ground, moaning from pain. She tried to conjure a shield, but a fist rammed into her head. And another one. Her vision turned dark.


    "Raj, wait for a-."


    "STOP IMMEDIATELY!" a vaguely familiar voice rang through the surroundings.


    ---


    ---


    Forty days earlier.


    "Okay, pumpkins, I don''t know what you plan to do with the information I accidentally overheard from a very reliable source. Tomorrow starts your two-week annual leave, so I don''t care where you are going. Be sure to get back on time, ciao!"


    With that, Dippo departed. The note he had left earlier on the table was passed down through the rest of the team.


    "Good, now we can make our move," Iten said, going through the note once more.


    "Isn''t it too early? Only two weeks has passed since her trial, right?" Onuki tried to reason with him in a worried tone.


    "I promised her to do whatever I can. Whatever WE can," Iten emphasized the most important part and gave the team one of his looks.


    Onuki frowned and turned away. Marina nodded with a serious expression, while Shou shrugged indifferently. Nene and Nana kept playing cards that they came to like after their game with Orisa. They would gladly go with anything suggested by Iten and involving Orisa''s business anyway. After carefully folding the note and tucking it into his pocket, Iten said in a firm voice:


    "Tomorrow, we begin the operation."

 85 Sleeping Beauty

    "According to the note, our target is the so-called Rosamond Mansion," Iten began a meeting to decide the group''s course of action.


    "I say that''s hella nice. We''ve been there once," Nene declared loudly, eyeing Iten with a proud smile plastered over her face as if expecting to be praised for such an achievement.


    "This is great news, thank you," he played along, knowing well his ex-ex-girlfriend. "If we are to trust this information, the mansion isn''t that well-guarded unless the Supreme Commander is visiting. Usually, it''s only several servants and guards. That aside, there is an alarm system that covers all the exterior."


    "Well, we already know a person who can handle this, I suppose," Onuki muttered absentmindedly.


    "We do?" asked Marina.


    "Mhm, her name is Toatre. She is, well, an oddball. In a good sense, of course, but she is still in her own world. She helped us a lot during the initial escape."


    "Yes, Toatre is a perfect candidate. We need to secure her aid swiftly and plan the rest of the operation with her being present. She should be a great addition to the team."


    "Why would she help you out again?" Shou asked, trying his hardest to look bored.


    "She will. I believe in her," Onuki said, and Iten supported her with a firm nod. She eyed him for a moment, then chuckled and added: "I''m surprised you are so eager to head a burglary with a possibility of kidnapping."


    "We are only setting things straight. There is nothing illicit in saving a person and fixing what''s wrong."


    "Must be nice being so self-righteous," Onuki snorted and left to her room.


    ---


    ---


    Three days later, a small team of four people prepared to infiltrate the Rosamond Mansion. Iten, Onuki, Nana, Toatre were hiding in the bushes, clad in black clothes, their faces covered by masks.


    Previously, they had had a heated discussion over the composition of the infiltration force. Everyone agreed on making it as small as possible, but they couldn''t find the best setup. Toatre and Iten were mandatory members, and in the end, they decided to take Onuki as their best medic, and Nana to provide combat support. Her sister, to Nene''s own outrage, was ruled out due to her inability to stay quiet and hidden. Marina was vetoed for the same reason, and Shou simply declined to participate.


    Moonlight illuminated a three-meter tall wall of red brick in front of them. The obstacle gave an imposing feeling, threatening any possible thieves, but the main issue was hidden from the naked eye.


    "Indeed, I sense magic currents wash over the stone. They aren''t as pleasant as I wanted them to be, which isn''t good. But not that bad, either."


    Toatre was talking in her usual otherworldly manner, her eyes frantically following something invisible for the rest of the team. She took out several devices of unknown purpose from a large and heavy bag that Iten carried for her, and began with some tests.


    "Not sure I like this idea of trespassing on the guarded property," Onuki said nervously.


    "We are here to pay a friendly visit and merely forgot the invitation card at home, or so they say," Nana put her palm on Onuki'' shoulder and squeezed it lightly, trying to cheer and reassure her mate. The girl in question smiled weakly and patted Nana''s palm.


    "The picture is clear to me now. The outline is, at the very least, slightly visible," Toatre said, tucking the first set of devices into the large bag, which she then lifted with ease and then went closer to the wall. Iten only shook his head in amazement, not used to being around the girl of many talents.


    Toatre unpacked more instruments from the container and spread them on the ground in front of her. Among the various machinery and unknowns, the most peculiar was a set of wired needles connected to a large black tablet.


    "How is it going, Toatre?" asked Iten with a hint of worry in his voice.


    "It isn''t going anywhere, if you are asking about the alarm system, Iten. I thought that it was the reason you brought me here."


    "No-no, you are correct. I was referring to the progress of your, um, manipulations. Is there any chance for us to get inside?" he massaged the bridge of his nose tiredly, unaccustomed to Toatre''s ways.


    "Oh, I see now. Indeed, it is very much possible, even too simple for my taste. There is a pulsing net that changes its size and orientation every four seconds. With the instruments here, a sacrifice of one person, and a few more minutes of preparations, I''ll make a passage for you."


    "That''s good to hear, thank-, wait, what!? Why do we need to sacrifice someone?"


    "Unless you know a better way to overcome this web, I pledge to you that sacrifice is a must."


    "Toatre, dear, explain to poor Iten what exactly it is that you suggest, or he would get a heart attack," interjected a chuckling Onuki. Her mood suddenly got better.


    "Hum-hum, as you wish, my friend. So, Iten, as I have said before, there is a net. It changes its structure every four seconds. We need someone to recalibrate the size of the path each time the net shifts. This leads us to my solution of leaving someone here to watch the instruments, reconfigure the path, and wait for the rest of you to return."


    "So what you suggest is to leave someone here with this, um, machine, while others are inside? That''s your idea of sacrifice?" Iten doubled his effort in massaging the bridge of his nose.


    "That is correct, Iten. I''m glad that you were able to follow my explanation. It is strange, though, I remember you being sharper."


    "Um, thank you. And I need to make sure of one thing - we''ll have only four seconds to pass, right?"


    "Correct again. By the way, you can go one by one. I''ll remake the path for you."


    "Wonderful, thank you. Ultimately, you are making a hole in this wall, and we''ll each have four seconds to get to the other side, right?"


    "Your conclusion is mostly correct, though there won''t be any hole in the wall."


    "But you said there would be a path..."


    "Indeed, the path through the alarming web," Toatre looked at Iten with a dubious expression.


    "And how are we supposed to get to the other side?"


    "Why do you even ask such questions, Iten? Jump, of course."


    The rest of the group eyed each other, then looked at the three-meters high wall and fixed their gazes on puzzled Toatre.


    "Dear, common folk like us can''t jump that high," Onuki said with a mixture of apology and sympathy. "But I think we can make something similar to Orisa''s blocks, right?"


    "I don''t like the idea of wasting Mana now, but we don''t have a choice," decided Iten, and then gave Toatre another look. "Can you assist us with the ladder?"


    "No reason to decline for me here, Iten," she answered and turned her attention back to the instruments.


    A few minutes later, Toatre got back on her feet and began to stick wired needles into the wall. They were glowing green and easily went into the stone as if it was made of butter. At the same time, a ladder made of her Mana appeared nearby. Iten pushed it to test its stability, and the construction didn''t even budge.


    "Thank you, Toatre." Iten turned to the girls and frowned, thinking of the next move. "We have a ladder now, but there are still three meters for us to fall from on the other side of the wall."


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    "It shouldn''t pose a problem, or so they say," said Nana and repeated the same set of spells for the three of them:


    "Major Agility!"


    "Grace!"


    "Feather Fall!"


    "Oh, I feel strangely compelled to climb a tree or jump from the roof," muttered astonished Onuki, moving her body to get used to its empowered state.


    "Perfect, thank you, Nana. Alright, I will go first and alert you if anything is wrong. We regroup at the nearest obstacle on the other side of the wall and plan the next move. Our goal is to make it to the bedroom on the second floor."


    Without further ado, Iten took a smaller bag with infiltration tools and climbed the ladder. He carefully peeked over the wall. With no lights or sounds coming from the mansion or its surroundings, the area looked like an abandoned or haunted house. It played into their hands, of course, but gave a creepy feeling.


    "Toatre, I''m waiting for your signal."


    "Watch the web. When it burns out, you are free to go," murmured Toatre, moving blue lines closer to green triangles on her tablet.


    "What are-," Iten began in confusion, but then fell silent.


    Right above the wall and amidst the air, a transparent grid appeared. It blinked several times, then burned away like a web set aflame. Taking a deep breath, Iten dived forward. Showing an unusual and unnatural level of agility and reflexes, he spun mid-air and dropped on his feet like a professional acrobat. The feeling of grace and agility left his body immediately after that. He crouched to blend with high untended grass just as a precaution and looked around once more. Several seconds later, something soft dropped on his head with a strange squeak.


    "Iten, I value your attention to an extent, but I''m not sure Onuki would like to partake in a triangle," Nana said with an even voice, getting her butt from Iten''s face. "I also suggest you to move a bit to the side, or so they say."


    Four seconds later, Onuki landed on the ground, and the three of them crawled towards the dark mansion. After checking the back entrance with an alarm detector, they unlocked it without any trouble using the simplest lockpick.


    "It does feel like a trap if I''d be honest," Onuki said uncomfortably. "Everything is too easy."


    "Not sure I share your concerns. For me, it merely shows the value of the person held here to the owner of the place, or so they say."


    Iten and Onuki gave Nana a heavy look, understanding the implications of her words. With the atmosphere taking a turn to the worse, they made it into the building and came into a dark and dusty hall. The place felt like it was deserted years ago.


    "Cat''s Eyes!"


    Nana''s eyes glowed green, and she took a long look over the premise, frowning while pondering something:


    "That time we paid a visit, it was from the main entrance, so I am not familiar with this part of the mansion. There is another complication - we''ll leave footprints in the dust, and I don''t know any skills to cover them, or so they say."


    "Since we can''t do anything with our tracks, let''s ignore them. As for the rest, I suppose we should head to the second floor and start looking for the bedroom," Iten concluded, and the group departed to look for the stairs.


    During the search, they stumbled upon a room with lights coming from below the door and swiftly retreated. Aside from that encounter and a muffled discussion between two guards, the mansion appeared abandoned. Finally, they made it to the second floor, and Nana was able to make out a trail of footprints leading in and out towards a certain direction. The group followed the tracks to a pair of heavy doors at the end of the long corridor.


    Iten used the same tool to check the door for alarm and was ready to push it open, but Nana stopped his hand then chanted a spell, making the door frame glow red:


    "Muffler!"


    "Why do you even know such spells in the first place?" asked a surprised Iten.


    "You two were making too much noise, ''oh my mighty knight,'' so I had to," Nana replied to Iten, his face turning beet-colored.


    With the mood lifted a bit, Nana and Onuki pushed the door open, and the trio stepped into the room. Unlike the rest of the mansion, three large windows weren''t covered with heavy curtains, letting some of the moonlight inside. And again, unlike the other rooms and corridors, this room was cleaned to perfection, and fresh flowers in vases filled it with a pleasant aroma.


    Fearing what they were about to see, the intruders slowly moved closer to the large bed at the corner of the room. A moment later, three muffled gasps of horror broke the silence.


    If it were not for the barely noticeable movement of the bedspread, a person there could easily be mistaken for a corpse. The girl''s platinum blonde hair lost its silky shine and was spread over the pillow. The pale skin of her face turned completely white, looking almost translucent under the moonlight. Her cheeks turned hollow, revealing sharp cheekbones, and chapped lips served as an undesired highlight to the overall picture of complete exhaustion. Tiana vas Kavenfenn looked barely alive.


    "Oh my god..." muttered Onuki, covering her mouth and looking away.


    "How could they... How dare they..." Iten''s rage was clearly visible on his distorted face.


    Nana only clenched her fists. The trio stood in silence, thinking each their own. Despite not being as close to the girl as their leader, they were appalled and enraged, with their hearts torn and weeping. Their thoughts had drifted for some time before arriving at the same idea - whatever happened inside the family, Tiana didn''t deserve this.


    "Iten, it''s time," said Nana with a tense voice.


    He silently nodded and stretched his hands towards Tiana:


    "Major Status!"


    "Major Condition!"


    Iten had been practicing these spells for a few days straight before the raid, but it still took him some time to process the data. He closed his eyes with a frown, deep in thought. Onuki followed shortly after with another set of diagnostic spells, and then asked him:


    "What do you think?"


    "Honestly, I don''t know. Back in my old world, I would have suggested marking her as an organ donor without a second thought. Here, things are different somewhat, but I can''t say for sure. I-" wasn''t able to finish his line as the group was startled by a voice coming from the door:


    "And who might you be?"

 86 Operation Quickpoin

    "And who might you be?"


    The group was startled by a voice coming from the door. Nana reacted immediately, turning around and dropping on one knee. Her hand reached for the handgun on her belt but stopped after she took a look at the speaker. When both Iten and Onuki reluctantly turned around and prepared their weapons, Nana warned them:


    "Wait a moment, everyone." She rose up and addressed the person in front of them: "Night-night, lady maid whose name I don''t remember."


    "Mhm, isn''t it young Lady vas Flamie? I see that your tongue is still too sharp for your own good," said Maria Pestoni and took several slow steps forward after closing the door. When she came into the moonlight, it revealed an even grayer person that lost too much weight too quickly, just like her ward. There were traces of severe distress on her face. "And who are the people by your side?"


    "We are Tiana''s squad mates," answered Iten with a hostile tone, slowly removing his mask. Onuki and Nana followed his example.


    "And what business do you have here?" Maria inquired. "Came to finish what you started?"


    "How dare you!?" both Iten and Onuki yelled in anger, then Iten continued: "We aren''t monsters like you who starve the poor innocent girl, hastening her passing!"


    "I see. So you mean Lady Tiana no harm?"


    "It has nothing to do with you or this cursed family. Now, be gone before I do something to you," spat Iten through his teeth, anger burning in his eyes.


    "Iten, wait a moment," Nana urged him as she understood the situation. "You shouldn''t-."


    "It''s alright, young Lady. I deserved such treatment."


    Maria let out a sigh in which relief was mixed with pain. She took the nearest chair and almost slumped on it, her legs and hands trembling slightly. After taking another look over the children in front of her, she began:


    "My name is Maria Pestoni, and I''m Lady Tiana''s caretaker."


    "Then why is she in such a state?!" Iten asked aggressively.


    "Iten, maybe let her finish?" Nana rolled her eyes and casually sat on the edge of Tiana''s bed, giving the girl another sad look.


    "Don''t worry, young Lady, he is right. I''m Lady Tiana''s caretaker and... but..." her voice suddenly cracked, and she turned away as tears began to rain from her eyes. She bit her lip and clenched her fists, fighting emotions that were raging inside. A few seconds later, she continued, but each word was followed by a sob of a broken old woman: "I''m not allowed to do much. I can visit her only twice a week and I had to grovel before the Master to let me at least clean the room. Only I can enter the room, and guards stopped me from bringing healers. The only thing I could do was to learn several spells to keep my Lady alive. I''m afraid my skills aren''t high enough to keep her going any longer. I''m so sorry, I''m... My Lady... I failed you, I''m sorry..."


    Maria hid her face in her palms and burst into tears, wailing like a wounded beast. Nana and Onuki moved towards her to try and comfort the maid while Iten contemplated his words, at the same time thanking Nana inwardly for her silencing spell.


    "Please, forgive my rude words. You clearly did not deserve them. I''m ashamed of my behavior," the group''s leader said a moment later.


    Maria only shook her head, still crying her pain away. The girls tried to calm her down, feeling extremely uncomfortable in this bizarre situation.


    "Forgive me my weakness," the maid said a few minutes later, calming down. Her eyes and nose were still red, but her voice at least sounded steady. "Why did you come here? To check on young Lady?"


    "Actually, we thought to try and help Tiana, but-." Iten began uneasily but was immediately interrupted.


    Maria rushed forward, falling to her knees in front of him. She clenched Iten''s pants, looking upward with more tears in her eyes, and pleaded in a husky voice:


    "Please! Please, I beg you. Whatever you can do, help her. Save young Lady, please. I''ll do whatever you ask of me. Anything!"


    Flustered beyond words, Iten helped Maria up, but she grabbed his arms and didn''t let them go, begging him again and again.


    "Please, stop. We planned to give it our best from the very beginning, so you don''t need to say another word," Iten added hastily. "I won''t promise anything, though, since the situation is quite dire. While this world''s magic is a great addition, I''m not sure my skills would be enough to help her recover."


    "Your skills?" Maria asked.


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    "Yes. I am, um, I mean, I was a neurosurgeon back in my world. It''s a profession in charge of brain surgery, so Tiana''s condition is my job to fix. "


    "Oh, now I see why Orisa asked you specifically," muttered Onuki thoughtfully, and Iten nodded to her comment and added:


    "Indeed. Although, I''m surprised she remembered my brief mention.


    "What are the chances?" Maria let go of his hands and moved back to the chair with Nana''s help.


    "I can''t say. I don''t know," answered Iten, and it was clear that he already began to blame himself. He turned to Tiana and stared at her, deep in his gloomy thoughts. "I''m not confident in my skills, and I don''t even want to talk about how out of practice I am. I''ll need to prepare and to learn more about magic here. Aside from that, we''d need instruments and time. And even after that, I''m not sure of the chances."


    "Considering her state and where this is going, I''m sure they are still higher than zero," muttered Onuki.


    "I agree, and will help you in any manner possible," Maria said in a firm tone.


    ---


    ---


    The group was preparing for another six days while also keeping in touch with Maria Pestoni. Iten ordered a set of instruments from Toatre. The prodigy girl managed a miracle and completed the order in a mere thirty hours, providing Iten with a variety of tools capable of enhancing their function with the user''s Mana. It was Iten''s time to dive deep into the training, and he even used the Concentration Potion to speed up the process.


    Despite having a contact inside the mansion, they had to infiltrate via the same route. This time, however, Toatre went with the group, leaving Marina and Shou outside to watch the alarm-breaking equipment. Iten insisted on having her with the main force in case something went wrong with the equipment. They also took Nene with them to provide more brute force for the worst scenario of being discovered by the guards.


    The raid gathered inside Tiana''s bedroom, and it was the newcomer''s time to gasp in horror from witnessing her state. The past week didn''t help her condition in the slightest, making her look like a real corpse. Iten coughed to get everyone''s attention and began:


    "Nene and Miss Pestoni, you are on the lookout inside the room across the corridor. If anybody were to appear, try to knock them off silently. In the worst-case scenario, we are sealing the room and finishing the operation, and then we''d take Tiana away with us. It''s a huge risk, but we''ll have no other choice." He waited for the two people mentioned to leave and continued: "Toatre, be on standby. Nana, after each instrument is used, wash and disinfect it immediately. Onuki, you are following my lead and not doing anything unless I specifically say so."


    The tension inside the room skyrocketed. The group was on edge despite their training and mental preparations. They swiftly unloaded their supplies and instruments, preparing an improvised operation table. Hands were thoroughly washed and disinfected, instruments, wipes, and clean water ready for Iten on a nearby nightstand.


    While the surgeon team went through the preparations, Nana proceeded to shave the back of Tiana''s head. After that, she also unpacked and prepared drip with saline and disinfected its needle and Tiana''s hand. The bed was also modified with pillows and blankets to place Tiana face-down.


    Iten and Onuki took a sip of the Concentration and Stamina potions. Everything was ready.


    "Commence," Iten commanded. Together with Onuki, they directed their hands to Tiana and chanted:


    "-Monitor!-"


    This durational spell allowed them to get a constant flow of information on their patient''s vitals. It took Iten extraordinarily long time to master the spell due to his stats, but he was persistent.


    "Proceed with the painkilling, disinfect, and enforced sleep," he ordered and began with the dip, while Onuki chanted:


    "-Major Balm!-"


    "-Major Disinfect!-"


    "-Slumber!-"


    Iten took the instrument and infused it with his Mana, making the tip of a drill glow green. He calmed his raging heart, took a deep breath, and began.


    "Major Condition!"


    The spell helped him locate the skull splinters. The drill moved forward.


    ---


    "Stop and remove blood."


    "-Blood Blockade!-"


    Onuki proceeded to drain the red liquid with a tiny pipe.


    ---


    "Disinfect and wipe."


    "-Major Disinfect!-"


    While Onuki was clearing the wound, Nana washed the drill and the scalpel.


    Iten proceeded with micro dissectors.


    ---


    With the lack of a skilled assistant, Iten had to pick instruments by himself, which annoyed him a great deal. He installed several retractors and proceeded with a micro bayonet forceps.


    Slowly but steadily, seven splinters of various sizes were removed from three openings.


    "-Major Condition!-"


    Iten went with the same spell several times to make sure they were done.


    "Proceed with disinfection and closing," he said and tiredly slumped on the floor, his clothes were drenched in sweat. An hour had passed since the operation began, but it felt to him like an eternity.


    Nana came closer to Onuki with a set of Mana potions ready. Both girls began simultaneously:


    "-Shillien!-"


    "-Lifespring!-"


    Nana kept pouring Mana, drinking one potion after another, while Onuki had been healing Tiana''s wounds without a rest. The healer''s face immediately turned white, but the constant flow of Mana kept her steady. When even Tiana''s hair started growing back, Onuki finally dropped down on the floor, blacking out from immense stress of the spell.


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    Iten checked on Tiana while Nana pulled an unconscious Onuki to the side. They both went outside, leaving Toatre to tend to their healer.


    The lookout room appeared to be crowded. Aside from Nene and Maria, there were four bodies of guards stacked on top of each other. Two were knocked out magically, and the other two showed signs of a physical influence on their heads. Iten gazed on Maria questioningly, but she shrugged and said:


    "I''ll deal with them somehow. How was your part?"


    Iten shivered from the amount of hope and plea radiating from her voice.


    "We are done, and she is alive now. As for the rest, I don''t know. Come with me. I''ll instruct you about the dip and how to manage it," Iten talked abruptly and with difficult, showing how taxing the operation was. "You''ll need to keep it running, one bottle per day."


    When they were done packing, Nana and Nene helped to carry Onuki outside. Toatre went with Maria and Iten to stage an alcohol-filled distraction that Maria decided to use as a cover story for the guards to explain their loss of memory and minor bumps on their heads. After taking the last glance at their sleeping princess, the rest of the group left the Rosamond Mansion.


    Two weeks later, Tiana opened her eyes. As her gaze was slowly focusing on Marina''s face, the maid put a glass of water to the girl''s mouth.


    Marina Pestoni was in charge of the vas Kavenfenn offspring for a reason. Under the facade of a calm and obedient maid hid a cunning mind that helped her threaten and blackmail guards to allow her to visit Tiana daily. Because of that, she was able to fix the dip properly and managed to witness Tiana''s wake.


    After taking several sips and calming a coughing fit, Tiana finally turned to her caretaker and said slowly:


    "Maria? Oh... G-g-greetings to you. I''m happy... to see you. W-w-what happened? W-w-where am I?"

 87 Exodus

    "Please, read out loud everything from this note," Iten asked Tiana and handed her a piece of paper. She ran through the text and raised her questioning gaze back to Iten. "It doesn''t make sense, I know. Just read aloud."


    "Another boy closed the distance, excited and g-g-giggling," Tiana paused, fighting her voice. "However, Iness Jason kept leading her mother Nemesi, ig-g-g-noring obstacles. People quarreled restlessly, seeking the truth. Ultimately, v-v-victims w-w-were xenophobic, yapping zealots."


    "I see. Only certain letters and exclusively at the beginning of the words or in the first syllable, hm. Okay, let me check you once more," said Iten thoughtfully, and then chanted:


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    While Iten was going through the data, the rest of the guests exchanged worried looks. Maria Pestoni, Onuki, and Nana stood behind Iten, watching him work with an embarrassed Tiana. The admission took place inside the same room of the Rosamond Mansion, because to this moment, Maria had been keeping secret the fact that Tiana woke up.


    "I can see traces of the past improper healing, and because of them, your recovery won''t be complete, I''m afraid," said Iten, a pained expression distorting his face.


    "Iten, please, you don''t need to w-w-worry about this minor inconvenience! I''m alive because of you," she took Iten''s hands and shook them, her gaze then turned to the rest of the crew and Maria, "and because of you, as w-w-well. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Please, rejoice together w-w-with me and be merry."


    Onuki averted her head uncomfortably, while Nana was eyeing Tiana with her usual calm expression. Maria could no longer hold her emotions and rushed to embrace Tiana, her eyes full of tears yet again.


    "I w-w-wish to thank you all properly and show how g-g-grateful I am, but I understand that it is not yet possible," continued Tiana. "But please, g-g-grant this foolish me one more request - do not be sad. Because of your skills, your relentless effort, because you risked your lives, I''m alive and w-w-well now instead of slowly w-w-withering away. I am confident to call it a g-g-great success, an astonishing achievement on your side. I promise you all to overcome this little mishap. So share my joy and start smiling already."


    Under Tiana''s constant nudging, the rest of the procession had given up one by one and were now smiling. They had had a small talk until Tiana finally moved to the topic everyone had tried to avoid.


    "How is Orisa doing? She is overworking herself like usual, am I right?" she asked, trying to sound normal. To everyone in the room, however, Tiana''s worry and sadness were obvious. She scolded herself inwardly for being selfish and unreasonable, but couldn''t help it and asked about her closest friend''s absence.


    "She probably is," Iten let out a sigh.


    "For all we know, she might be slacking off somewhere, enjoying her honeymoon," Onuki snorted and turned her gaze to Nana.


    "The ways of the ex-leader are unfathomable, or so they say."


    "W-w-what? Honeymoon? Ex-leader?" Tiana panicked. Her brain began to race, trying to connect the dots, but got overheated in the process.


    The trio of Hounds looked at Maria with a silent question, but the maid only shook her head slowly:


    "I haven''t said anything yet."


    "Haven''t said w-w-what?!" Tiana got up from the bed, shamelessly revealing her bare legs, and grabbed Maria''s shoulders. "W-w-what happened to Orisa?"


    "Ahem, you see, Tiana..." Iten began with the tale of the past.


    Tiana''s expression had been changing through the story from sickly, then to devastated, and to infuriated, until Iten finished, and her face became a calm mask. She turned to Maria and asked:


    "Did Bassa or Ramulie v-v-visit me?"


    "Only their father, master Mace," Maria said solemnly.


    "Did my Father attend this place at least once?"


    "I''m afraid not, my Lady."


    "I see."


    Tiana got up from her bed, ignoring her semi-transparent short nightgown and making Iten politely turn his head away. Her posture wasn''t steady yet, but she collected herself and straightened up, looking at the people in front of her.


    "The situation exhausted itself, and everything became clear to me. There is no reason to try and follow promises of the past for there w-w-was no chance of fulfilling them from the start. I stop lying to myself today." She paused, eyeing the room of her childhood. Many memories, both fond and bitter, were associated with this place. "The time has come to g-g-grow up and move forward. Maria, tomorrow, I''m leaving this place. I need a few days to recover completely, and then I''m meeting my father. A talk is due."


    "Yes, my Lady," answered Maria with a warm smile on her face. It was her long-standing dream to get Tiana out of her obedient shell. It came true, albeit in a horrible situation. At least, some silver lining for the event.


    "After I''m done, let''s move after Orisa."


    "We don''t know her location, Tiana. And have no means of contacting her directly. Their last letter was about moving into the wilds," said Iten apologetically.


    "You don''t need to w-w-worry, Iten, there is a chance her location is known to us. Let''s meet in three days. I shall talk to my father, and in the meantime, Maria w-w-will explain everything to you."


    ---


    ---


    A knock on the door disturbed Supreme Commander. He grimaced and put the paper he had been working on to the side, near a huge pile of similar documents. His working hours were perfectly known to assistants and guards, therefore no fool would dare to bother him without a good reason. Which, in turn, meant that it was something urgent, unpredictable, and quite possibly, troublesome. Letting out a tired sigh, he closed the seal used for stamping official documents and said:


    "Yes."


    Tiana entered the room and closed the door before moving closer to the giant brown working table. A shadow of a surprise crossed her father''s face, but he remained silent and kept looking at his daughter that miraculously overcame death. Tiana mimicked her father and stood wordlessly, awaiting his reaction.


    "Is this urgent? You know my working hours," he finally muttered.


    "Does this mean your only daughter w-w-waking up from a coma isn''t urgent by itself, father? Yes, I am w-w-well, more or less. Thank you for asking, father."


    "What''s with your voice?"


    "An aftermath, I suppose. Though I understand that you expected more than just stuttering."


    "So now you are not only useless but crippled as well? Another letdown for a family yet again, although I''m already used to being disappointed by you."


    "Oh, indeed. How dare I did not die from such a perfect plan of yours. Sorry for being such a disappointment ag-g-gain, father."


    "Talking to you is such a vexing endeavor. Is this all you have to say? I''m busy."


    Supreme Commander opened the seal and stamped the document he had been reading before. After placing it on top of a smaller pile, he took another paper and began to read its contents.


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    "So you aren''t denying the part about w-w-wanting me dead?"


    "I''m used to people muttering nonsense. Apparently, your brain was too damaged for you to continue being coherent and sane. I should call for a doctor."


    "Hoh, now you are calling for doctors? That''s something new, considering you haven''t thought about them while I was in the coma," Tiana said and crossed her hands, studying her father''s indifferent expression.


    "How would you even know about that, stupid girl? Stop with your delusions and leave already."


    "I''m not leaving until you overturn the conviction of Orisa."


    "Who is that?"


    Tiana grimaced. She was expecting something similar, but it still felt awful.


    "The person sentenced for my condition."


    "I see no reason to do so. The court ruled out that she was guilty, and the decision was based on the testimony of a Noble," he said calmly without getting his eyes up from the paper.


    "Here is a testimony of two more Nobles saying that Ramulie lied. I talked to master Mace, and he confirmed that. Besides, her w-w-words contradict my memories, too."


    "So what? I won''t call a hearing because of one mental kid and a sore excuse of a Nobleman, especially for some random trash."


    "Trash? I''m honestly appalled by your complete lack of shame. In one month, she did to me more than you had managed for the past sixteen years. And now you went and ruined her life for saving me."


    "Which makes her the second person whose life was ruined after saving you, am I correct?" her father calmly said.


    Tiana was thunderstruck. Her vision turned red, and blood became lava inside her veins. Every horrible thing that this person had done to her for the past years surfaced in her memories now. Every time she tried to follow her promise and please him but got thrown away, every time he baselessly and pointlessly insulted her, everything came rushing at her and broke the last straw of her mother''s plea.


    "How dare you open your rotten mouth, you sore excuse of a human being? You left your only daughter to starve to death, helpless in a situation you made yourself. It just so reeks of you, of your ug-g-gly cowardice. You couldn''t even finish me by yourself, you slug. And now you brought my mother to this conversation just to g-g-get back at me. That w-w-woman honestly loved you despite you being an apogee of trash. She stayed by your side and did everything you w-w-wanted, and that''s how you decided to stain her memory? How much more of a pathetic scum could you become?"


    "One more word and I will disown you ungrateful, spoiled, useless brat," he muttered through his teeth.


    "Don''t make me laugh. You are a coward and couldn''t possibly do such a thing. Just imagine how it w-w-would look in the public eyes - the Supreme Commander has disowned his only daughter that miraculously came back to life. I already see the fear in your ugly fish-like eyes. You are a loser clinging to your family name and position because you are just a lonely scared nobody w-w-without them."


    "You have five seconds to leave, or I''m calling guards to throw you out." Tiana could hear the sound of his teeth gritting.


    "I politely asked them to leave, so no one w-w-would answer your cry. So w-w-what''s your next move? To scheme another accident because you are a spineless coward and can''t do a thing by yourself?"


    Supreme Commander abruptly stood up and stormed to Tiana. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted above the floor a bit, muttering through his gritted teeth:


    "If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead already. There is nobody here to stop me, and I don''t need guards or schemes to get rid of an insolent naive cunt."


    "Try me, slug," Tiana said with a mad grin and spat in her father''s face.


    The man let go of his daughter''s collar, and she dropped on the floor. Stepping over her as if she was a pool of dirt, he left the room after slamming the door. As her rage and adrenaline began to leave her body, Tiana''s head started to spin violently. She could not believe herself and what she did just now. But at the same time, she felt so light and free, so weightless. And so clean.


    After calming herself, Tiana stood up and prepared to leave, but her gaze stumbled over the father''s table. Stacks of papers, documents, and clean sheets lay together with his favorite pen and the stamping seal.

 88 One of us

    "STOP IMMEDIATELY!" a vaguely familiar voice rang through the surroundings.


    Raj of Inquisition squad stopped his hand midway towards Orisa''s head and turned his questioning gaze towards the source of the noise. Followed closely by Iten, Tiana jumped from her horse and rushed at the scene, ignoring several pairs of eyes and two guns pointed at her.


    "Missy, it''s none of your business. We are in the middle of a police operation to apprehend a dangerous criminal," said Gajef tiredly.


    "From this moment on, there are no more criminals here, sir," Tiana went straight to him, waving a paper.


    "Hey, chick, stop messing and get lost before you get yourself hurt," Raj yelled angrily, but everyone ignored him.


    "Who might you be, little lady, to declare such things?" Gajef asked a little bit more politely this time.


    "My name is Tiana, and I''m here on behalf of my father, the Supreme Commander. Here is an order of pardon signed and stamped by his hand," she said, carefully avoiding words that would cause her to stutter.


    A stunned silence dawned upon the square. Exchanging confused gazes, the Inquisitors straightened themselves and stopped aiming at Tiana. They didn''t let go of their weapons, though, and relaxed only a little. The leader of the group, Gajef, took the paper, checked the stamp, and skimmed through the text.


    "Hmm, falsely accused of a lethal assault of a Noble? I wonder who that Noble was and what happened to him. And why didn''t we hear about it before our departure, Lady Kavenfenn?" he said after returning the document, still in doubt.


    "That Noble is me, sir. Now you understand the situation and how ridiculous is this charge? As for your second question, my father signed it yesterday."


    "And how did you know where to go, then?"


    "My father asked his assistant to find out. This is all I know about the origin of this information, I''m sorry."


    "So, you rushed here just like that?"


    "But of course, captain. It is natural to aid your best friend. And setting that aside, imagine how distressed my father became after learning of this false conviction? I simply had to make haste to correct such a mistake. The honor of our system and our family is at stakes."


    "The honor, indeed..."


    While talking to the captain, Tiana tried her hardest not to look at her friend and to hide her distress. Orisa was still on the ground, unconscious, and blood slowly dripped from a light wound on her temple. She was also borderline panicking, trying not to stutter and quickly wrap up the conversation so that the Inquisitors wouldn''t start suspecting anything.


    "Now, please, let''s correct the mistake and treat my friend''s injury," she pressed the matter, looking Gajef in the eyes.


    "Shinkan, come treat the girl," the captain ordered one of his healers and stood up from the ground as the shock that Orisa had inflicted earlier wore off.


    "Hey, old man, hold up!" Raj turned to him and grabbed his shoulder. "The hell are you doing? So, what, we''ll just leave after what this shit did to Mika!?"


    Another healer arrived, carrying the girl in question on his hands. She was sleeping, and only two green cocoons in place of her palms remained as proof of the battle. Everyone turned their gaze to Gajef.


    "What did you expect? It''s not like she attacked us, right? Everyone''s alive, and Mika will soon be back good as new. You got your share of punching already. Moreover, from what I saw, she did go easy on us all, especially on your beloved Mika. So the case is over, we are leaving. If you have anything to say, go to the Supreme Commander and argue with him."


    "The hell!? Gajef, you old bastard, how-."


    "Shut your trap, kid. You are too young to see the picture." Upon saying that, he turned to Tiana and said: "We are leaving, young Lady. Next time, would you mind sorting your Noble mess before it turns violent?"


    "Thank you for your understanding, captain. Stay safe and have a nice trip."


    The Inquisitors began to gather around the car while Iten came and picked up Orisa. At this very moment, the sound of glass breaking announced the arrival of another participant. Kanai rolled on the ground, covered in glittering shards of the broken window, and an angry yell followed from inside the inn. Quickly getting back to his feet, he turned around, ready to fight. Everyone on the square and even enraged inn clerk that was leaning from the broken window were staring at Kanai silently. The only thing that was missing was the sound of crickets.


    Gajef was first to react - he shrugged and went to the car. It wasn''t his first time seeing something so out of place. The rest of the Inquisitors followed shortly after. Iten with Orisa in his hands quickly strolled to Kanai, and Tiana followed him.


    "Iten? Tiana? How is Orisa?! What the hell-."


    "Be quiet," hissed Iten and nodded towards the inn.


    "Hello, Kanai. Orisa should be fine now. W-w-we w-w-will explain everything later. For now, don''t any suspicion, please," whispered Tiana.


    "Um, Tiana?" Kanai gave her a worried look.


    "Please, just a moment."


    When they entered the inn after breaking Orisa''s wall that was still in place and blocking the door, the enraged staff assaulted Kanai.


    "I told you I''d pay for the repairs," he said tiredly and took out a purse. "It was a life-threatening emergency. And, by the way, why does this damn place has only one exit?"


    "I''m extremely sorry for the mess our friend had caused you, miss," Tiana politely addressed the clerk. "I understand that my request is rather unreasonable, but please, can we rent a room for several hours? Our friend is injured, and w-w-we need to take care of her."


    The clerk eyed Tiana with suspicion, then directed her gaze to a still unconscious Orisa. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh before saying to Tiana:


    "Your tag. We can lend you a small conference office on the first floor."


    "That w-w-would be much appreciated, thank you!" Tiana handed her tag to the female clerk. After glancing at it, the clerk''s face changed abruptly. She went through the tag once more before addressing Tiana with a different expression:


    "I''m sorry, my Lady, this very moment. Please, take a sit. Would you like something to drink?"


    "Um, no-no, thank you. You don''t need to g-g-give me special treatment."


    "Yes, my Lady, I''m very sorry."


    Accompanied by the stream of apologies, they were led by the clerk to a private room with two comfortable sofas. After she closed the door and left the group inside, Iten put Orisa down, and Kanai started working on her health.


    "What happened, and what are you two doing here? Tiana, I''m really glad to see you! What''s with your voice?" he dropped a barrage of questions, making both guests smile.


    "Let''s wake our embodiment of misfortune first. No point in explaining everything twice," said Iten and sat on the other sofa. Tiana quickly followed him and occupied a spot by his side. Kanai eyed her with suspicion before switching back to Orisa.


    "Regeneration!"


    "Recovery!"


    "Lifespring!"


    When he was done, someone knocked on the door. It was the female clerk from the desk, who brought them refreshments and light snacks. They had been eating in complete silence when Orisa woke up. Her confused gaze wandered through the room and the guests before it focused on Tiana at last.


    "Um... Tiana? Uh, my head... Tiana? Tiana?!"


    Almost knocking everything on her path, Orisa jumped at her friend and enclosed her in a tight embrace. The snuggling went on, accompanied by happy squeaking and purring. Iten struggled to get away from the pair since Orisa almost jumped onto him to get closer to Tiana. He finally managed to pop out of the sofa, and together with Kanai, they kept watching the pair of beaming girls.


    "Okay, that''s enough. You almost squeezed the poor girl to death," mumbled pouting Kanai.


    "Oh, indeed! I''m extremely sorry," Tiana swiftly apologized and distanced herself from the still clinging Orisa.


    "I''m not talking to you, Tiana," he added dryly and kept glaring at Orisa.


    "Dude, come on!" the girl in question protested and waved her hands. "Really? It''s Tiana, you know!"


    Iten and Tiana exchanged confused looks but decided to stay quiet. Some new dynamic had been born between their friends, and the two newcomers didn''t know how to react or even perceive it for now. Orisa and Kanai rolled their eyes in unison and went to sit on the first sofa, elbowing each other like little kids.


    "Good to see you two doing well," Iten said, and Tiana supported him with a vigorous nod.


    "Oh, how glad we are to see you as well! Iten, thank you so much," exclaimed Orisa.


    "Yay, man, good job!" added Kanai.


    "Iten is a true hero of the day. Although, the rest of the squad w-w-were of g-g-great help, too," murmured blushing Tiana.


    "Um, Tiana... What''s going on?" a worry crossed Orisa''s face.


    "I''ll explain everything from the-," began Iten, but Tiana immediately interrupted him:


    "No, please, let me do it. I don''t w-w-want you to start blaming yourself ag-g-gain, Iten," Tiana''s expression was strict, and Iten decided to let her handle the story. "As far as I know, the story began some two weeks after your escape..."


    After ten minutes of a thorough recollection of Iten team''s infiltration, their operation, and her partial recovery, Tiana wrapped up the report:


    "And so, I took his seal and pen, signed and stamped five blank documents, and left. W-w-writing an official paper isn''t hard, so I came up w-w-with a plausible wording and presented it as your pardoning. W-w-which sadly is a lie, so it''s better for us to leave as soon as possible."


    Since it was the first time Iten had heard the whole origin of the paper, three pairs of stunned eyes were staring at Tiana. Astounded, the trio sat in awe, not making a single sound.


    "Wow... I must say, just... Wow..." Kanai muttered.


    "This is really awesome, Tiana, but..." as was expected, Orisa''s attention became focused on a different thing. "I''m so sorry, that-."


    "No!" outraged, Tiana abruptly jumped on her feet and even stomped the floor, shaking in rage. "It is I w-w-who am sorry! Those people that had sworn to protect me many times, people that called themselves my guardians, my family, they betrayed me, used me in their schemes, and then tossed away as a no longer usable tool. It w-w-was you who came to my aid and protected me. You and your friends saved me, and that''s how these bastards treated you!? I am so deeply ashamed of this and don''t even know how to properly apologize for everything. But let me say just one thing - do not be sad for me since it is a minor inconvenience. Instead, rejoice for now, and then be enraged, for their vile deeds should not be left unpunished."


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    Impressed by the speech, the trio shook their heads and had been admiring their cute little groupmate for some time until Orisa finally stood up and took Tiana''s hands:


    "I''m glad for you beyond words, Tiana. You''d grown so much from the moment I had met you, and now you even made the last step towards the freedom and healthy future without dead rotting weight dragging you down. You can move forward with your head raised proudly. You deserved it."


    Orisa''s warm words cooled down Tiana''s rage, and the girl swayed, slumping back to the sofa as her head started spinning from adrenalin and emotions swirling on the inside. An immense sense of relief and gratitude that Orisa had inflicted upon her accidentally drained the remnants of Tiana''s strength.


    "I w-w-would like to move forward, indeed. But I don''t know w-w-where to or how," began Tiana weakly. The thoughts that she had been pushing to the back of her head now cornered her. "I despise the man, of course. I hate him so much. It''s true, but there is another side to this. It w-w-w easy to follow his orders, to simply obey. I did not need to decide for myself, to chose my path, to think of the future. Now... Now I don''t know. Honestly, I''m lost."


    Tiana raised her pleading eyes and looked at Orisa, whose heart sunk from such a view. Kanai nudged her, sending a telepathic message made of winking, a raised eyebrow, and a nod towards Iten. The boy in question also nodded approvingly, and a predatory grin appeared on Orisa''s face.


    "You see, Tiana, we here actually have a somewhat peculiar proposition in regards to your near future."

 89 Tomb Raiders

    "So you had been g-g-going through this investigation and preparation for several months during the training camp and military service?" Tiana asked in astonishment.


    Heeding her insistence, the group had left the resort village as soon as Orisa grabbed a bit of rest. They adjusted their supplies, bought four more horses and another tent, and moved out. The company had been moving along the road for half an hour before they stepped off into the forest. Tiana was afraid of the Inquisitors and their leader, a seasoned veteran who could check her words after sensing her nervousness. A ride through the forest calmed Tiana a little, leading Orisa to their current conversation about the end of the world scenario.


    "Well, pretty much. Although it''s hard to call out struggle an investigation since we had learned almost nothing particularly useful so far," Orisa concluded regretfully.


    "I w-w-wish I still had access to our family''s resources and knowledge."


    "We already have the best thing your family could ever offer," suddenly added Iten. Orisa couldn''t believe her ears and after carefully studying his expression, concluded he meant it more as an aggressive comment towards the Supreme Commander. But it was too late for poor Tiana, whose cheeks and ears turned bright red. Orisa subtly observed the girl''s reaction, spotting how she was biting her lips and adjusting her hair, peeking at Iten from time to time. ''Woosh, this is unexpected. Oh my, I just hope it''s an overblown gratitude showing and not something else,'' Orisa thought in amusement.


    "Iten has a point," she then added with a smile. "You are all we need, Tiana. We''ll manage, I''m sure. What do you think about our little party? Want to join?"


    "W-w-why do you ask rhetorical questions?" Tiana answered, focusing on the discussion at hand. "I thought about the W-w-waves myself, too, but have never moved beyond simple consideration before. Now I can finally start doing something that could benefit my home, not ruin it or its people."


    "Yay, great to have you with us!" Kanai said cheerfully, and Iten nodded with a content smile.


    "Are there only four of us? W-w-who else knows about the movement?"


    "Only my mentor and Onuki so far." Suddenly, Orisa became silent. She remembered another person who had known about their plan for some time, but she decided not to mention him for the sake of the mood.


    "Oh, I heard about your mentor and w-w-would love to meet them in person."


    "I''m sure you''ll like each other, Tiana. So, you two are here, where is the rest of the team? How is everyone?"


    "Working, of course," answered Iten. "Dippo allowed me to leave, but everyone else is serving to cover for our absence. We were lucky that Nana and Nene managed to transfer divisions. Nothing in particular to say, everybody is doing good."


    "That''s nice to hear, thanks. By the way, Tiana, are you traveling light? We''d need to stop someplace safe and stock for more gear and things for you," Orisa asked. They didn''t have enough time to perform a thorough inspection of Tiana''s backpack, but she grasped the situation just from its puny size.


    "Mhm, yes. I thought I ought to hurry and leave the house, but I also w-w-went to our bank on my way here and withdrew my monthly limit. It''s not much, but..."


    "Don''t worry, dear, we aren''t exactly poor. How much were you able to take?"


    "Only twenty-two grits," mumbled Tiana, causing a coughing fit from the rest of the group. The sum was thrice the already enormous amount Rita gave Orisa.


    "First world''s problems," Kanai rolled his eyes. They ignored Tiana''s meek protests and questions, exchanging mischievous gazes. "By the way, how did you find us?"


    "Um..." Tiana took a quick peek at Orisa. "I''m sorry for not saying anything beforehand, and I''ll understand if you''d g-g-get mad at me for this, Orisa.."


    "I can''t imagine you doing something really bad, Tiana. Don''t worry, keep going," Orisa cheered on her friend, while also recalling their interactions at the beginning of her training camp time. For some reason, bad memories just kept getting into her head today.


    "The ring that Maria g-g-gave you... She did mention it briefly, but I forgot about it after joining your g-g-group. I didn''t say anything about it because of this, honestly! I w-w-wasn''t trying to hide it or anything..."


    "Tiana, it''s okay. What''s with the ring?" Orisa asked, but the situation became clear to her already.


    "Our family can track these rings similar to how Siri resonates w-w-with the navigation pillars. But it''s only possible if you know the specifics like its unique Mana signature. Maria had changed it before entrusting the ring to you, so it w-w-was rather safe... I suppose..."


    "Mhm, I see. Well, I would have preferred to know about such things in advance, that''s for sure."


    "I''m really sorry, Orisa! I didn''t mean to spy on you! Maria said she w-w-wanted me to be able to find my only friend in case w-w-we''d lose contact..."


    "It''s fine, Tiana. I''m not mad, just a little bit... wary, I guess?"


    "Tiana, sweety, do you have the same ring, too?" Kanai asked casually.


    "Indeed. You don''t need to w-w-worry, I had changed its signature already. Only Maria knows it now."


    "So it''s just your maid, huh? I see I see," he mused, trying to gauge how trustworthy was Tiana''s guardian from everything he knew about her.


    "In the end, you saved me for which I''m beyond grateful, Tiana. So don''t worry too much about the ring," said Orisa. On the inside, she did feel slightly different. The situation resolved itself well, though she couldn''t help but think how things would turn out were Tiana''s father the one to find it. The whole feeling of being under surveillance didn''t sit well with her, either.


    The conversation died out, and the group continued their ride through the thin forest.


    "So what have you two been up to?" asked Iten sometime later to break the silence. "How was your travel?"


    "Oh, you know, nothing interesting. Just little things here and there," Orisa waved his question away. For some reason, she felt guilty because of their adventure. It was full of pain and suffering but still made them much stronger. Because of this, Orisa felt like they had cheated somehow during their travel, so she didn''t want to admit it in front of a righteous Iten.


    "Oh, really!?" Kanai almost choked on the air. "Iten, don''t listen to her! First of all, she got sick on the third day of our party after saving two random kids from a Beast..."


    His recollection went on for quite some time, supported by Orisa''s snarky remarks. The part about them digging a tunnel had garnered the most yelps. However, the most shocking tale was still ahead:


    "In the end, we decided to leave the tunnel. That was when a twice-evolved Beast ambushed us."


    "WHAT!?" Tiana and Iten gasped in horror, although Tiana''s reaction was ruined by her stuttering.


    "Well, something like that did happen..." muttered Orisa uncomfortably.


    "Please, say you are joking," Iten looked at them, thoroughly shocked.


    "How w-w-were you able to escape? To think there w-w-was someone who managed to flee from such a threat..."


    "Well, you know..." Orisa tried to come up with something, but Kanai decided to bury her completely:


    "Escape? Come on, who do you think you are talking about? It''s Orisa, our glorious, oops, I mean completely nuts daredevil, she-."


    "What I was supposed to do? Leave you behind?" she scoffed, trying to shut him up.


    "Yeah yeah. Anyhow, imagine, our poor friend with a broken stat build and numerous handicaps killed the thing! And that''s after taking into account that we lost the Lantern!"


    "Of course. What was I even expecting from you two? I get it, you left the tunnel and went straight to the village where we met you?"


    "Iten, I''m telling you! I wouldn''t believe it myself if not for the giant crater and burning forest. Holy shit, this was a sight to behold. It''s a shame there are no cellphones to make a video. When I found Orisa, she was lying on the ground in front of a magma-filled chasm. She passed out in a pool of own blood, with her hands and spine broken. I almost pissed myself, you know? Thought she was a goner. It was too much even by Orisa''s standards."


    "Um, yeah, kind of..." she shuffled uncomfortably under Iten''s scrutinizing gaze. Tiana was silently staring at her as well.


    "And there was also this weird ghost thingy, too," Kanai kept throwing something brown on the fan, and it surely wasn''t chocolate.


    "Wait, so are you telling me Orisa managed to kill a twice-evolved beast alone, without the Lantern?"


    "Why would I lie, Iten?" Kanai turned serious. "I mean, it''s a miracle that we are alive. The only thing I remember was how it blew off my hand with a single strike. When I woke up, everything was over, but even I could tell how ugly it went. The air was so thick with Mana, and everything around the place was burning like in hell. I don''t want to remember her broken and tattered figure, Iten. I was so fucking scared she wouldn''t make it. Why would I lie about something like that?"


    With a sour expression, Iten turned away from Kanai''s grim face. Seeing where this was going, Tiana interjected with an obvious question:


    "Orisa, I don''t doubt his w-w-words, but I can''t say it doesn''t sound impossible. How did you manage to slay it?"


    "Um, well..." Orisa shivered uncomfortably under Iten''s gaze. "Earlier on, we had found a replacement for the Concentration Potion, a spell that uses unevolved cores of Beasts as its main component. Instead, I took an evolved core to enter a much more focused state, but even that wasn''t enough at first. The Beast got me cornered, but I used its own decoy skill against it, making it think I was trying to flee. I made a duplicate filled with slowing and freezing magic, and when the thing attacked and triggered the trap, it became incapacitated and gave me a few seconds to prepare the last strike. I used another evolved core as an energy source, released its Mana, and empowered it through five Seals. It is worth mentioning that thanks to Kanai, we had also found a way to make Seals much stronger and squeeze even more power out of them, which led to the spell I used to kill the Beast."


    "Would you be able to repeat it?" asked Iten, still in doubt but also a little curious now.


    "I think so. But you need to keep in mind that it takes time to build five Seals, so the target must be kept restrained. Also, the spell costs too much money to throw left and right. I think I can use unevolved cores, too, but they aren''t free either."


    "Understood. Thank you."


    Their ride went on. Twice during the first half of the day, they had been attacked by Beasts. Orisa and Kanai took care of them with ease, leaving no chance for Tiana and Iten not only to help but even to react in time. The unannounced competition became even more one-sided when they left the forest and entered a vast plane where enemies were visible from afar.


    Seeing there was no need in their skills, Iten and Tiana started a small talk. Orisa kept observing her female friend''s reaction and behavior with Iten, quietly pondering the situation. Kanai woke her from her thoughts with a sudden phrase:


    "Mister Baggins, I can carry the ring for you!"


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    Orisa almost fell off the horse, and then looked at him with wide eyes. Kanai chuckled merrily after lifting her mood a bit and sped up his horse to catch up with the other two members of their small party.


    They stopped by a little spring to have lunch, and Tiana turned to Orisa after they all had settled down with their plates:


    "W-w-what''s our next move, Orisa?"


    "We have only one direction from this ghost figure, the Spire in the Epicenter," she began, but Iten immediately interjected:


    "The ghost figure? Ah, Kanai did mention something like that. Would you elaborate?"


    Orisa went through the recollection once more, omitting the part about the weird dream which she withheld even from Kanai. Tiana looked thrilled, but Iten remained doubtful:


    "I understand why you are suspicious, Kanai. It definitely sounds like a hoax, especially because there was no new information except for the Spirespawn word."


    "Anyhow, that''s not what''s important here," Orisa abruptly cut in. "Since we have no leads other than those five places, I would like to visit them. And we should start from the one that we already know, the cave."


    Kanai and Iten sighed simultaneously, while Tiana supported the idea with a firm nod. Since she was expecting this reaction, Orisa only shrugged and continued:


    "I want to recruit Toatre if possible since she is the best expert on technologies of this world we could ever find. And she is a cutie pie, too."


    "Yes, I see where your priorities lie," groaned Kanai.


    After careful consideration, they decided to temporarily split the group in two, with Orisa and Kanai continuing towards the cave on horses, while Tiana and Iten went to contact Toatre, deliver Orisa''s message, and store more supplies. The recruitment process went smoothly - the moment Toatre had heard about Orisa, her plans, and future tasks, the girl immediately dropped out of the workshop, gathered her belongings and instruments, and departed towards the meeting point.


    Four days later, a group of five people was standing in front of a cave-in inside a little room deep into the cave. The spot gave both Orisa and Tiana chills since it looked exactly the same as before, but they steeled themselves and continued.


    "I''m still afraid of another rockfall," Orisa muttered thoughtfully after inspecting the ceiling. She proceeded to place Force Blocks to support it, while Kanai began to weaken rocks in front of them with his spells.


    "A quite interesting way of doing things you have there, Orisa, Kanai," murmured Toatre then pointed her hand at the spot where Kanai''s spell was softening the stones and chanted:


    "-Quickflow!-"


    Another cloud appeared inside Kanai''s Field of Corruption, making it boil.


    "What are you doing?" he asked worriedly.


    "Oh, this? I assumed that you would like to speed the decomposing, mhm. The Quickflow can increase the speed of Mana and all related processes. Was I wrong?"


    "Oh, um, huh. No, thank you for your help..."


    Orisa conjured her signature drill and began to break the rocks. For a few minutes, the three newcomers had been observing her work with a varying degree of awe, until Tiana finally asked:


    "W-w-what shall w-w-we do in the meantime, Orisa?"


    "Watch the cave for Beasts and observe the ceiling, please."


    "Imagine there is a Creeper behind the rockfall," chuckled Kanai, earning an angry hiss from Orisa.


    The digging had went for another hour when Orisa''s drill suddenly disappeared inside a four meters-long tunnel. It vanished quietly and without a trace as if dispelled. Two more attempts proved that the drilling was over.


    "Guys, I think we''d have to do it manually..."


    "What happened to your drill?" asked Iten after coming closer.


    "I don''t know why, but it just dissolves every time I try to dig farther."


    "Have you tried other spells?"


    "Yep. The Force Wall disappeared instantly."


    The uncomfortable sensation she had been feeling all this time had only increased in intensity after she got closer. With each meter that she had passed, the feeling grew stronger and now became oppressing.


    Without wasting more time, Iten lit a flare and crawled into the hole that Orisa''s drill had left. He got back a minute later and announced:


    "There is something behind the rocks there. It''s solid and grey. And very cold to touch."


    "For now, let''s widen the hole so we could get closer easily?" Kanai directed the question to Orisa. She nodded and returned to the digging.


    "It was strange at first, but now I came to like your new relationship," Toatre said suddenly while looking at Orisa and Kanai. All four remaining members of the group coughed in surprise, and Kanai hurriedly asked her:


    "Um, what do you mean?"


    "Mhm, I shouldn''t have said that, am I right? The way you look at her, or how Orisa brushes past you, lightly touching your hand. I assumed you weren''t hiding it. I''m sorry for bringing your great mystery to the light."


    "Ahem, well, there is no mystery, you see..." Kanai began uncomfortably.


    "Guys, it''s a very long and strange story for another time, okay?" said Orisa in a strict tone while still working her drill. "There is nothing, well..."


    "Physical?" suggested a red-faced Kanai.


    "Yes, indeed. There is nothing of this sort going on, so you don''t need to fantasize or something," Orisa finished.


    "Oh, Orisa, I''m so happy for you!" exclaimed Tiana.


    "You are missing the point, but thank you."


    Another hour had passed before they became content with the tunnel''s size. The far end of the path looked like a poorly made cheese - the dark-brown rocks were riddled with holes and cracks revealing the grey something that Iten had mentioned before.


    "Do you think you can weaken the rest of the stones?" Orisa asked Kanai, but he shook his head and pointed his wand:


    "-Field of Corrosion!-"


    A cloud appeared around the rock and got immediately sucked into the grey surface. The group exchanged puzzled looks.


    "There are no tools for digging in our backpacks if that''s what you were thinking," Iten said, looking at Orisa and waiting for her decision.


    "Damn. I don''t want to go back for the tools and waste three more days," Orisa groaned.


    "It isn''t much, but it''s an honest tool," said Toatre and handed Orisa a relatively small black hammer.


    "Okay, I''ll take it from here. You people should rest and perhaps even prepare a camp for the night," Iten took the hammer from Orisa and strolled to the last obstacle on their way to the unknown.


    The rest of the team went outside the cave to round the Beasts that had gathered there. Orisa watched Toatre fighting in amusement - the girl was using an unbelievable combination of magic, buffs, debuffs, and melee abilities, exerting an unexpected level of strength from her tiny figure. Another point of wonder was how she was moving during the fight. It closely reminded Orisa of several Easter fighting styles where the fighters were smoothly flowing from one stance to another. Toatre looked like a living liquid.


    "Alright, I''m done," called them a rugged and tired Iten two hours later. "You better see it for yourself."


    Inside the tunnel, they found a dirty grey surface. Aside from the big vertical rectangle that was bulging slightly above the exterior, the rest of it was perfectly flat.


    "A wall..." muttered Kanai, dumbfounded.


    "A door?" mused Orisa and touched the object. She regretted doing so as it felt horrible beyond words. The problem was not the surface itself since it was just cold and smooth like metal. What made Orisa shiver was the sensation the touch brought upon her. She felt like standing on the edge of the endless pit, a giant gaping maw that was ready to devour anything and everything. She sensed the wall drain her Mana.


    "-Major Status!-"


    "-Major Condition!-"


    But the spells were absorbed completely and without a trace, providing Orisa no clues at all. She stretched one of her Mana layers and directed its flow into the wall. Similarly to a stranger craving for water amidst the desert, the surface greedily absorbed her Mana without end.


    "What are you doing?" Kanai asked carefully.


    "Well, I just thought about something..." as if in a trance, Orisa caressed the wall''s surface while studying the bulging rectangle of the door. The sensation she was getting from the bottomless pit in front of her began to change gradually. With a fleeting smile, Orisa muttered slowly: "Aren''t you one hungry little thing, huh?"


    "-Palm Push Strike!-"


    Everyone gasped in shock when Orisa smashed the door with her palm, but the explosion everyone was expecting didn''t occur. The wall absorbed every droplet of Mana swiftly.


    "Everyone, step out," commanded Orisa and took several steps back.


    "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Blast Shell!-" -- "-Blast Shell!-"


    Upon impact, the Shells produced explosions that were immediately sucked into the surface as well. Not even a speck of ash could be seen across the grey wall.


    "Hmm, not enough?" mused Orisa.


    "-Quadro Block!-"


    A thick wall appeared between Orisa and her friends, barricading her inside the tunnel.


    "What are you doing?!" shouted Kanai angrily.


    "Let''s call it an aggressive lockpicking," she grinned and took an unevolved core from her belt.


    "-Force Armor!-"


    "-Assault Seal!-" - "-Support Seal!-" - "-Utility Seal!-" -- "-Rotary Seal!-" -- "-Attack Seal!-"


    Five Seals were hanging in the air in front of Orisa. She turned around and winked at Iten mischievously before turning back and raising her palm with the core squeezed in it:


    "-Asura Strike!-"


    The core cracked and released its enormous contents. A ray of blue energy rushed forward and, after absorbing all Seals, struck the wall. Despite her confident look, Orisa was sweating profoundly. If her guess was wrong, she could end up buried by the rockfall or evaporated by the excessive energy from the spell. But her hunch was right - the wall greedily absorbed every, and small ripples ran over its grey surface.


    "Are you out of your fucking mind!?" Kanai shouted, banging on the Force Block.


    "Orisa, I have never thought of you as a master thief. I should reevaluate you once more. Isn''t it amusing?" Toatre chuckled.


    Iten shook his head disapprovingly but said nothing. For ten seconds, nothing happened. Then a light vibration shook the area, causing dust and tiny pebbles to fall off the ceiling.


    With a loud hissing of an airlock being open, the door moved forward and then split into two parts that slid to the sides. One by one, starting from the farthest, the lights inside a long bare grey corridor started turning on. When the last lamp activated, it revealed an ancient human skeleton lay in the doorway.

 90 Fallout Shelter

    With a loud hissing of an airlock being open, the door moved forward and then split into two parts that slid to the sides. One by one, starting from the farthest, the lights inside a long bare grey corridor started turning on. When the last lamp activated, it revealed an ancient human skeleton lay in the doorway.


    "I wasn''t expecting anything but..." muttered Orisa.


    "But that''s not what I was expecting," Kanai finished instead of her.


    Toatre moved first, closing the distance to the skeleton. She squatted by its side and carefully inspected the bones.


    "-Expiro!-"


    "Mhm, how very fascinating it is, indeed," she mused after processing the data she got from the spell.


    "Toatre, what are you doing exactly?" asked Iten. The rest of the group still stood outside the corridor, fearing that it might suddenly close.


    "Sating my curiosity, of course. What else would I be doing with the age-detecting spell, Iten? Mhm, I suppose I shouldn''t expect much from a frontal row fighter in the end. Okay, I will explain so that even-."


    "No, thank you," Iten interrupted Toatre with a twitching eye.


    "How old are these remains, Toatre?" carefully inquired Tiana.


    "Close to ten centuries, dear Tiana, but I''m sadly unable to determine a more precise date."


    "Holy crap..." mumbled Kanai.


    "It''s starting to look like a proper ancient shelter now, guys. My spider senses are tingling," Orisa said and stepped into the corridor, moving past a still squatting Toatre.


    "W-w-what senses?!" exclaimed Tiana in surprise.


    "Ignore this filthy nerd, please," quickly answered Kanai and followed Orisa.


    "Do you think it''s safe to go inside? What if it''s a trap to entomb us all here?" asked Iten.


    "I understand your concerns, Iten, but highly doubt it. There were better ways of eliminating us in case someone was targeting our group. I won''t suggest this place is completely safe, of course, but I don''t think there is an immediate danger here."


    "How did you know what to do with the wall?" Kanai quietly asked Orisa.


    "I''m sure you already know, but I didn''t. The feeling I got from the wall hinted at it, and when I tried to pour more Mana there, I felt it settle somewhere deep within the emptiness. You know, as if it was a giant empty barrel or something. Plus, the fact that there is no electricity in this world, as well as that some mechanisms are powered with Mana even now. These things made me want to try and, I don''t know, charge the wall with my Mana, I guess?"


    "So another wild guess that could have killed you... I should have thought twice before starting this suicidal relationship," grumbled Kanai and brushed past a chuckling Orisa.


    After picking up their backpacks, they carefully walked into the corridor made of the same material as the exterior, leaving the skeleton behind. The path was completely bare, with no decorations, furnishing, or anything noteworthy, only the same walls and lamps in the ceiling.


    Curiously, there was almost no dust or dirt inside. Orisa expected the place to be more run-down, considering it stood abandoned for a thousand years. That led to one of the three possibilities.


    The first was that Toatre might have been wrong in gauging the skeleton''s age. It might have died fifty years ago or even closer to the current time. An unlikely idea but still worth considering.


    The second explanation could be that there were other dwellers of the shelter that, for some twisted reason, decided to keep the place clean but leave the skeleton intact. An autonomous lifeform or technology could also be included in this even less believable theory.


    The last speculation led to the idea that the shelter was completely sealed off for the entire duration, isolated from the rest of the world. It left unanswered the question of the air circulation while the owner of the place was still alive, but the theory itself was more realistic.


    Regardless of the reason behind the current state, Orisa was hoping to find the facility full of ancient technologies and useful artifacts since nobody had stepped raided it yet.


    The group walked through a thirty meters long corridor that made a sharp turn to the right. There they found a rather spacious hall with two doors. One of them looked suspiciously similar to an elevator door, with several buttons and black squares placed right on its surface. The other one was a simple door with a handle.


    Everything around the hall was made of the same grey material, but the door was different. After a close inspection, Orisa and Toatre concluded that it was made of an unknown metal alloy. The quality of said alloy wasn''t what Orisa was expecting from an ancient civilization - the hinges and the handle were completely rusted and turned brownish-red. The door itself wasn''t in much better condition.


    "Force Armor!"


    Orisa wanted to get a basic level of protection before opening the door, but her armor got immediately sucked into the floor. After observing her struggle, Iten shrugged and knocked the door off the hinges with one mighty kick.


    "Very unlike you, man," Kanai wondered.


    "The gates are open. We could end up trapped here if somebody were to show. Be that Beasts or other enemies, we better hurry and leave this place," he said and stepped through the now empty doorframe.


    At the other end of a small platform was a spiral staircase that went down. Iten made sure that the rest of the group was following him and began to descend. It took them three whole minutes to get to the bottom of the path, where they found two similarly rusted doors. One led further down with another spiral stairs, while the other opened into a wide grey room identical to the one they left above. Besides the closed elevator, the room led into a bigger hall with a high ceiling and several more doors and passageways leading in various directions.


    "Smells like rotten wood," muttered Kanai. He stepped into the opening and immediately stopped in front of a strange pile of brownish dust. Toatre joined him, took a pinch of the dust and smelled it, grinding it with her fingers:


    "A wood it is, indeed. How nice of you to see that even without a close inspection, Kanai." She swiftly moved through the hall from one pile to another, sniffing some of them and lightly kicking the rest. After stopping in the middle of the space, Toatre turned to the group and said: "My educated guess is that some centuries ago these things were furniture like sofas, stools, wardrobes and such."


    "Hm, are you sure?" Orisa asked in doubt.


    "But of course, my dear friend. See?" Toatre pulled a piece of dirty glass from the closest heap of dust. "A cup, I assume, or something really close. There were springs, screws, and bolts in the other one, mhm. As I see it, most furnishings were made of wood or metal, and the passage of time didn''t spare them."


    "So... This isn''t a treasure vault but someone''s residence? What use does it have for us, then?" Orisa furrowed her brows in doubt. If this was true, how was she supposed to gain knowledge and learn ancient secrets?


    "I don''t think you quite understand this finding, Orisa, which is strange, mhm. From our perspective, everything here is priceless, an invaluable source of wisdom, mhm. Let''s take a look."


    The residence was big and spacious, neatly illuminated with pleasant lamplight, and only the lack of windows could remind that it was an underground facility. The group found ten rooms of various sizes but with an equally high ceiling, and they were all made of the same grey Mana-absorbing material. Most of the rooms'' contents had turned to dust in the past centuries, but they still found remnants of the past: pieces of tableware, fragments of decorations, shattered glass that looked more like a decoration, and so on.


    However, there were several still functional and intact items among piles of dust and decomposed wood. They, of course, consisted of the same grey substance. The first thing that Tina found was a refrigerator that had turned on automatically after the complex was powered up. From the outside, it looked like a sealed door to a pantry, but when Tiana opened it, a wave of cold air made her sneeze and shiver. Inside the freezer, they found remnants of various containers, sealed bottles of unknown red liquids without labels on them, and more dust.


    The next functional piece of equipment was a stove. Kanai accidentally activated it after a carefree brush over a black surface that immediately turned red-hot. Led by a panic attack, he slapped and smashed the space around it, turning on two more cooktops, an extractor, and red highlights before finally shutting it down.


    "We are like clueless monkeys rummaging through an appliance store," Iten said, more fascinated than disappointed.


    In such a manner, the inspection had continued for an hour before the group decided to meet in the first hall.


    "Is it just me, or the light became dimmer?" Kanai wondered.


    "Now that you have said that, it is quite possible," Tiana nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think the residence is about to run out of Mana?"


    Three pairs of eyes stared at Orisa with a silent question. She shrugged casually, took out an unevolved core and, went to the far side of the hall.


    "Assault Seal!" - "Support Seal!" - "Utility Seal!" - "Rotary Seal!" - "Attack Seal!"


    "Asura Strike!"


    The attack raised the dust all over the room, causing everyone a coughing fit. When the dirt settled down again, Orisa saw three people with various degrees of disapproval on their faces.


    "On the bright side, the room became brighter," she grinned. "By the way, where is our precious friendly alien Toatre?"


    "Haven''t seen her for a while," Iten shrugged.


    "I hope this is not one of those episodes where the other characters start to disappear one by one in a haunted house until only the protagonist remains to deal with the demon," Kanai said in a spooky voice.


    "Protagonist? W-w-who is that?" Tiana asked. Kanai and Iten turned their heads at Orisa in unison, then looked at each other.


    "There can be only one!" Orisa exclaimed theatrically.


    "Who are you now, a highlander!?" protested Kanai.


    ''You know, it actually feels quite satisfying to understand your jokes for a change. I might even come to enjoy it," Iten reflected.


    "That''s great and all, but seriously, where is Toatre, guys?"


    "I think she w-w-went downstairs," Tiana pointed at the open door with another spiral staircase leading into the depth of the complex.


    "Yikes, it is really starting to feel like a stupid teen movie with dumb-ass kids marching to their demise," shivered Kanai and earned a pinch from Orisa.


    Another long descend led them to another floor where they found similar elevator doors and another hall. The first level of the facility was, without a doubt, made for living. This floor, however, gave off an entirely different vibe. The path to the hall had been blocked by a thick metal door that was now broken.


    After walking into the hall, the group witnessed a laboratory of sorts: the ground was littered with broken glass and rusted metal tools. Some of the items were mostly intact, and Orisa managed to make out test tubes, vials, measuring cups, and even syringes.


    "Now, this is what I call a proper vault," she said with a dreamy smile.


    "First, let''s find our lost kid," grumbled Iten and walked into the hall.


    The glass was crunching under their shoes with each step, announcing their arrival. In the otherwise silent floor, this sound made everyone even more nervous.


    There were several doors and open passages leading to other rooms, but Kanai halted them and muttered uncomfortably:


    "I know that it would sound lame after joking so much, but maybe we shouldn''t split up?"


    "I ag-g-gree, let''s stay close."


    "Really? Are you guys scared of an ancient ghost?" Orisa snorted but still went along with their request.


    In such a manner, the group of four began to scout another floor. There were considerably more devices made of the same Mana-absorbing material, but their purpose wasn''t clear, so Orisa decided to leave them be for now.


    Once the search party stepped into the room, they understood that they had reached their destination. Aside from now-familiar ceiling lamps, the area was illuminated by a wall-to-wall glowing picture that looked like an image from a projector. In the middle of the room on the floor, like a little kid playing in a sandbox, sat Toatre with her backpack open. Various devices were spread around her, with a few of them being wired to a strange glowing tablet hanging in the air twenty centimeters above the ground. Her gaze was constantly moving from the tablet to the screen on the wall, where words and schemes were quickly running downward.


    "Toatre, dear, are you okay?" Orisa asked carefully.


    "Mhm."


    "You are busy, and we shouldn''t distract you?"


    "Mhm."


    Orisa cautiously moved closer to Toatre and began to observe the girl in action. What she saw with her eyes told her little, but there was another way that proved more beneficial - Orisa closed her eyes and focused on her Mana sense. She felt numerous tiny Mana streams and flashes run back and forth between the screen and the tablet. From time to time, rougher spikes of Mana went from Toatre or her devices towards the tablet.


    "This device is controlled by Mana?" Orisa asked quietly.


    "Mhm. Although I am yet to understand what to do."


    "Do you need help?"


    "Mmm, can you help?" asked Toatre bluntly.


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    "Well... Perhaps? I can sense Mana quite well..."


    "Mhm, same here. Anything else?"


    "I understand. Sorry for distracting you. Please, call us when you have an update."


    "Mhm."


    Orisa walked back in awkward silence, met by three pairs of pitying gazes.


    "At least you tried," Kanai chuckled and walked out of the room.


    "W-w-what do you think this image means?" Tiana asked after they had left Toatre alone.


    "My guess is as good as yours, but it looks a Mana-powered primitive computer," Orisa answered idly, pondering what she had seen a moment ago.


    "Computer?"


    "An advanced version of your world''s mail-transmitting device, I guess," she said after thinking on the explanation.


    "I have never seen anything like that before," Tiana answered meekly, ashamed of not knowing something.


    "Either the technology had been lost, or someone carefully hid it for their own benefit," guessed Kanai, earning an approving nod from Orisa.


    "Is there even any value in a computer in this world?" asked Iten in doubt.


    "We know nothing of its capabilities, so no point in guessing. I assume it will take Toatre quite some time to get results. We shouldn''t waste such a moment, guys, let''s get up and cook dinner."


    Two hours later, they had to remove Toatre from the tablet by force to make her eat and take a break. During the wait, the lights began to dim again, and Orisa went to charge the facility with Mana. Another five hours had passed before the girl came to them and said:


    "There is so much there, mhm. I think I was able to open one-tenth of its functions, if not less. I had to limit myself, of course, to relevant options only, but-."


    "Can you close the main entrance?" interrupted her Iten. Toatre looked at him with a dubious expression, then smacked her own forehead:


    "Iten, an extremely pleasant surprise, I must say. So even you can be of use outside of combat. It makes me glad and also adds more admiration towards Orisa and her member-selecting skills. I''ll be right back."


    "Is she doing it on purpose?" Iten asked his smiling comrades but got no reply.


    Toatre turned and rushed down the stairs, but the rest of the team decided to follow her, leaving their belongings at the kitchen. They found the girl focused on the giant screen where numerous symbols were changing places and spinning. Some of them had words written above or below them, but they moved too fast for Orisa to read them.


    "The door is closed. Now, dear friends, Kanai, Tiana, and Iten, take a seat," Toatre gestured on the floor by her side.


    "Don''t you think our pure little Toatre has drastically changed since the training cam[?" Orisa asked Kanai, but he only rolled his eyes quietly and sat on the floor.


    "There were quite a few noteworthy elements, but we''ll start with the most interesting one. Do note that I had gone through its contents, albeit briefly, and will now present you the document''s relevant part, mhm."


    The symbols on the screen disappeared, replaced by a wall of poorly formatted text. The rest of the group exchanged gazed while Toatre had been scrolling it down.


    "Dear, what is this document about?" Orisa asked her friend.


    "Oh, I thought it was rather obvious. It''s a journal of the owner of this place, of course. His name is Markes Todo."


    Orisa raised her eyes to the wall, and all her attention immediately focused on the text it was displaying:


    ''Since everything had gone to shit and I have nothing better to do, I''ll at least record and recollect this. I just hope I''ll be able to read it one day and laugh my ass out, thinking how scared of nothing I was.


    It has been six days already. Six days, huh. I''m had been sitting here for six days already, damn. I wonder how are Varisa and the kids doing. Okay, screw it, I''m sure they are fine.


    Anyhow, six days ago those... those bastards, those brainless fuckers had apparently gone and launched the Spire.''


    ---


    ---


    AN: due to IRL reasons I''ll be taking a several weeks break. Thank you for reading.

 91 Days Gone

    ''Since everything has gone to shit and I have nothing better to do, for now, I''ll at least record and recollect this. I just hope I''ll be able to read it one day and laugh my ass out, thinking how scared of nothing I was.


    It has been six days already. Six days, huh. I have been sitting here for six days already, damn. I wonder, how are Varisa and the kids doing. Okay, screw it, I''m sure they are fine.


    Anyhow, six days ago those... those bastards, those brainless fuckers have apparently gone and launched the Spire.


    I still can''t believe it. I was sure the majority voted against it, but now that I think about it, who actually went and said no? The only two that came to my mind were Rimma Flamie and Pomas Nava. Perhaps, one or two more at best? The rest probably complied or even welcomed this insanity.


    Immortality, my ass! An endless source of energy and Mana, uh-huh. To fuck with your bullshit, Vinchi, you degenerate. You should have listened to me for a change. The current research is already proving to be promising. I combined three elements in the lab, and even tested a dual combination with Varisa. She called it the Dualcasting. She likes giving funny names to my projects. Or liked... More importantly, I''m sure I could have made it even further with this multi-elemental theory that would have solved most resource and Mana issues and perhaps even helped us increase our lifespan. But no, this greedy madman went and ruined everything.


    I told him numerous times that his calculations were based on a wrong theory, and his main assumption was also incorrect. Even a toddler could attest that was beyond stupid to put so many objectives in one project. This was beyond greed. A mad obsession. There was literally no chance for it to succeed. And here we are.


    I should have protested more. I should have stopped Vinchi! But what was I supposed to do? Unlike him, I''m a mere researcher with a family that could be targeted easily... I wonder how Varisa and kids are...


    I need to think of the way to contact them.


    ---


    Day 8


    I''m still unable to contact my wife, but at least our Bond is still here, so she is alive. I tried to use Proxies, but they were all wiped out by these creatures. Ah, yes, creatures. While I''m at it, I''ll try to elaborate. When these degenerates activated the Spire, something went wrong. Of course, who would have guessed? An unexpected result, indeed. Shit, could they... Okay, irrelevant. So, something went horribly wrong, and instead of collecting Mana from all over the Lazra, the Spire made a huge, I don''t know, wave? This wave went through the lands, marking some regions and skipping the others, and even I saw and felt it. What were those marks for? I don''t know, since the closest to my lab is quite far away, and I had no chance to study it. I don''t know if or how was this wave related to the creatures, but they came shortly after. They rushed from the west, perhaps even came out of the Spire itself, and devastated everything in their path. These monsters looked like normal animals, but their eyes were replaced by Conjuration marks for some reason. And they were bigger, too, maybe twice as big? Irrelevant.


    So, these monsters rushed through the land, there were thousands of them. Through the Proxies, I saw them devour everyone and everything around the lab. There was a fancy market not far from here. Yes, there was, but now it''s a bloody grave. Shit, it looks so horrible even a week later, and I even adjusted the routes of the Proxies to avoid the place. These creatures, they ate everything. Other animals, people, food. I even saw one chew on the speeder''s generator. That''s crazy.


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    I don''t think they are that strong, though. One of the Proxies saw five Sentinels fighting the first group of these things. I didn''t count, of course, but they slew at least fifty monsters, if not more. These numbers ended up irrelevant after a larger group came. But maybe I''ll try to go outside and test it for myself?


    ---


    Day 11


    Still no luck. Both Epheret and Proxy Con are inaccessible and have been like that from the first day, so still no way to contact Varisa or get any news. I have finished an upgrade to the lab''s transmitter and can send Proxies farther, but they are still being hunted and killed by the monsters. Luckily, it costs me nothing to make more - as long as I''m alive and sated, I can squeeze out more Mana.


    Funny thing, though. I had been stocking up for our first shared vacation together with Varisa for quite some time, saving up and storing quality food and ingredients. And here I am now, eating it by myself when it''s her who likes the food, not me. Honestly, I don''t care. Well, I mean, who would decline a nice meal? But I certainly wouldn''t go out of my way to get things above the basic level. But Varisa, she is different. She... Ah, never mind. I just hope to see her again.


    ---


    Day 12


    I thought things couldn''t get any worse or more messed up. Shit, how wrong I was. Earlier today, one of the Proxies saw a group of almost naked people, you know, covered in leaves and whatnot, running from the monsters. I wanted to guide them towards the lab, but they were too far away. And too slow. And... Urgh, I don''t want to remember.


    But who were they? Why didn''t they fight back?


    ---


    Day 15


    Now that I think about it, Vinci did mention something about summoning energy from other realms to use it in the ritual. Were these monsters summoned in such a manner?


    ---


    Day 18


    To keep myself occupied, I have kept working on the range of the lab''s transmitter. This Dualcasting is a real deal! After combining wind and lightning glyphs in one chain instead of running them in parallel to each other, I was able to triple the radius of my Proxies. And, which is more important, the range of my connection went up to the Zion City transmitter. There are still some people there! We talked a bit about the catastrophy, but they knew even less than me.


    I did learn something from them - by their claim, these monsters are reacting to Mana. That''s strange but also fascinating in its own manner. I need to think more.


    ---


    Day 22


    It took me long enough, but I still made it, and for the past few days, I have been studying these creatures. So what did I do exactly? Oh, that''s so cool and elegant. Well, not as much as elegant, but... Whatever. I redesigned the Proxy scheme and added analyzing glyphs before sending these new Proxies out. I call them Inspectors. Indeed, the folks from Zion were right. The monsters do react to Mana. That''s precisely how they can effortlessly locate my Proxies! And now I know the reason behind the lab''s safety - maxtolitian walls absorb most of Mana, and the rock surrounding it hides the rest. See, Varisa? It was a wise purchase in the end!


    But that''s not the best part. I studied one of them while it was running after the Inspector, and I found so much more about its structure and functions. Three is something extremely powerful inside each creature, but I''m yet to find what is this knot of mighty Mana. I so wish to dissect one of them. Imagine how wonderful it would be to study such a thing. I''ll keep observing them for now.


    ---


    Day 24


    The work has kept me distracted, indeed. Because of that, I almost missed the date. Yes-yes, it''s today. The whole point of me being here - to prepare for our anniversary with Varisa. Twenty-five years... It''s been such a long and wonderful time. Well, she did piss me off from time to time, but man, such a woman is one of a kind.


    I''ve been saving the best bottles for the day. Going to indulge a bit.


    ---


    Day 30


    That strange wave that occurred on the first day, it happened again! I checked, and then I double-checked. Exactly thirty days from the first. Coincidence? I don''t know.


    A few days ago, I saw one of these monsters attack a group of its kind. It was bigger than the rest, and it shot spells, too. Real, full-fledged spells. I''m not sure, but I think its... eyes? Well, these things on its head, they were of a different color. I need to double-check again.


    ---


    Day 30


    There are more of them now! I wish I had recorded it! I swear, I saw them materialize out of thin air. Perhaps the ''out of thin air'' isn''t right. The first to appear was some kind of mineral or crystal structure that then formed the matter around itself, creating the monster. They came from the west before, but now are appearing right here? What does it mean, I wonder.


    On another note, the supplies are running low, I should start conserving food. I thought about getting out, but every time I look outside, there are dozens of these creatures walking nearby.


    ---


    Day 36


    I''m mostly out of food because the last package was damaged, and everything inside it got spoiled. On the bright side, I advanced the studies of these monsters during the past days. Even after double-checking the results, I''m still confused, though. I recorded and analyzed Mana imprints of several creatures through my Inspectors, and they all look oddly familiar. I wish I had access to Epheret or at least Proxy Con to look into the database.


    ---


    Day 40


    Honestly, I don''t know what to say. I have doubted myself. I have doubted the results as I was taught to do. But they are still the same no matter what I do...


    I recorded my own Mana signature and compared it to the monsters''. If I were to remove some of the flows possibly related to the Spire transmitter (further study required to determine their origin), I would get identical results. I know how it sounds, I really do. It''s impossible, yet it is what I get every time.


    On a side note, I turned off most of the functions of the lab since I can no longer maintain the necessary Mana supply. Who would have thought?


    ---


    Day 42


    I woke up in complete darkness, and the air was stiff and dirty, hard to breathe. Obviously, magenerators are empty now. Oh, how I understand them, I''m running low on... on everything? The grumbling of my stomach reminds me of my university days, those were fun times, indeed.


    So here I am, writing this after I used the remnants of my Mana to charge the inputer. It won''t be long before it goes dark again, so I''m finally going outside. Perhaps I can, well, salvage a few of these creatures for food?


    I''m coming, Varisa.


    ---


    The group had been sitting in silence for quite some time, pondering over the fate of Markes Todo. Only Toatre was unfazed and kept going through various menus and folders, looking for something.


    "I assume this complex and Markes himself both ran out of Mana, that''s why the door was stuck half-open," Kanai voiced his thoughts.


    "But w-w-what a horrible way to g-g-go..."


    "It''s his fault for leaving everything until the last moment. He could have left the shelter earlier," muttered Iten grimly.


    "You are right, but... It still saddens me that he w-w-wasn''t able to meet with his w-w-wife in the end."


    "Guys is it just me, or some names in this log looked somewhat familiar?" Orisa suddenly said in a thoughtful tone.


    "What do you mean? How can they be familiar?" Kanai answered with doubt.


    "Everyone, I understand your emotional investment into the fate of an unfamiliar person that died centuries ago, but what would you say about skipping to the most important part?" Toatre interrupted them with an even voice.


    "I thought this was the most important part? I think we''d learned quite a few useful details from the log," Orisa looked at the girl with a questioning gaze.


    "Oh, really? Well, I''m sorry then. I just thought that you of all people ought to value his research data and the glyphs he was talking about. By the way, from a quick glance over the notes, I also assume that these glyphs are, in fact, the Seals you are using."


    ---


    ---


    AN: I hope to be back in several weeks.

 92 Seal the past, open the future

    Two more days had passed before Orisa and Toatre both satisfied their thirst for knowledge and squeezed out everything even remotely useful from Todo''s research facility. Their notepads were filled with mostly unusable but still fascinating knowledge. Even things related to the Dualcasting were there, though Orisa had failed to use even the most basic techniques.


    "This is hardly surprising, my dear friend," Toatre said while they were packing things. "There are quite a few things in this world related to bloodlines. Why does it work like that I am yet to understand, but it is, indeed, quite fascinating, don''t you think so?"


    "Well, I could have shared your sentiment if not for the fact that we really need these skills to work, you know, right now," Orisa answered sourly. She glanced at Tiana and said: "Although it is an interesting topic for research, I suppose. Would be cool to know how or why some of these things are DNA-locked."


    "Perhaps they aren''t locked completely but simply require much more effort and skill to utilize? Well, or something like that," mused Kanai, trying to cheer up Orisa.


    "But what is this dean-ay you are talking about?" asked Toatre, but she was ignored.


    It took the group half a day more to pack things and rest. Before going up to the exit, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the shower that was using magically cleansed and processed water. Refreshed physically but somewhat exhausted mentally, the group ascended the stairs.


    "Are w-w-we going to leave the entrance open? It is going to end up sealed forever should w-w-we close it now, Orisa?" carefully asked Tiana.


    "Yes, such a waste. But I don''t think it''s wise or safe to leave it open. And a hand-made rockfall is out of the question, too," Orisa said.


    "Mhm, indeed. This is precisely why we should avoid it at all costs," casually noted Toatre.


    "Your suggestions, dear?"


    "I think it should be a relatively safe and reliable solution to close the door, mhm."


    "Thank you, my charming Captain Obvious. That would be great, of course, but we don''t know how to do that," Kanai rolled his eyes.


    "Oh... we don''t? It means I''m no longer a part of your group? I can''t say I''m surprised, but it still makes me rather sad."


    "Toatre, for god''s sake, what are you babbling about?" even Orisa''s patience and love for her friend began to wear thin.


    "You see, I''ve been looking into the facilities controls and functions all night... But I guess you no longer need me..."


    "You were? So you can close the door and then open it from the outside?" Orisa asked with glittering eyes.


    "But of course, it happens to be rather trivial. You just need to-."


    "Just do it already and let''s move out," Iten said tiredly. "You can explain everything later."


    ---


    ---


    Two days later, the squad safely entered a small town. It was late into the night, and Kanai used his superior acting skills and the Hounds'' tag to brush past guards and smuggle Orisa inside the walls. Tiana''s family name helped to rent a whole floor in the inn for an unspecified number of people. There now was no need to register each member individually, allowing Orisa to come without exposing her identity. However, there was a small question that Iten addressed, looking at Orisa and Kanai:


    "I assume you''ll be using the room together?"


    "Wow, Iten, really?" snorted Orisa. "You are so eager to get together with Tiana?"


    The girl in question turned bright-red as her eyes began to dash between Orisa and Iten in panic. She tried to say something but couldn''t even squeeze out a single word. Orisa savored the picture, then chuckled and said:


    "Okay, I guess we should stick to the usual - girls to girls and boys to boys. I''m going to have a great time with these girls."


    After winking at Kanai and making him groan, she grabbed Tiana''s elbow and pulled her into their room, waving Toatre to follow.


    "I would very much prefer to avoid interruptions while I''m studying our notes," Toatre stated and marched towards another empty room.


    A shower, late dinner, and gear inspection later, the girls were ready to call it a night. Orisa had gotten into her bed and was about to turn off the light when she noticed Tiana looking at her and shuffling hesitantly:


    "Um, Orisa?" After changing into her nightdress, she was sitting on her bed and looking at Orisa shyly. "Do you, um, w-w-want to sleep now? I''m sure you are tired..."


    Orisa chuckled from how adorable Tiana''s behavior was. She couldn''t help but remember their first encounters and how much of a jerk Tiana had been back then. This thought, in turn, led her to reflect on her past life as Orihara Satoru - she couldn''t imagine her old self overcoming Tiana''s issues since Satoru''s tolerance towards arrogant people had been extremely low. For some unknown but welcome reason, she could handle these things way better now, after coming to this world and into this body. Her rather short temper had grown even thinner because of her work, but now she was mostly fine in terms of stomaching bad attitudes from other people. It was as if her soul had been cleansed from the black tar that had polluted it.


    While going through an internal reflection, Orisa was also trying her hardest not to stare at Tiana''s features that were visible through the thin cloth. A familiar voice was already nagging her internally about staring too much at young girls, threatening to call the FBI.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have..." mumbled Tiana, confusing Orisa''s silent glaring''s meaning. Orisa snapped back to reality from her long reflection, raised her blanket, shifted to the side of the bed, and asked with a warm smile:


    "Sorry, I was kinda lost in thoughts. Want to chat a bit?"


    "Of course! Um, I mean..."


    "Come on, don''t make me wait. It''s getting cold, you know?"


    Tiana didn''t need another invitation and was under Orisa''s quilt in a blink of an eye. They shifted a bit to get into a comfortable position, getting used to the warmth of each other''s bodies.


    "So, how have you been? I imagine leaving your home behind had its toll on you. Keeping a strong and brave front for the sake of the image isn''t good for your health, you''ll get wrinkles." Orisa asked while slowly patting Tiana''s head.


    "It''s... not that hard, I assure you. I just..."


    "You are just a little lost? And maybe a tiny bit vulnerable after losing your footing? Perhaps, even slightly scared from all the unknown that is waiting for you from now on?"


    "How do you always know these things?" Tiana''s voice sounded half-surprised and half-upset.


    "Well, I''m twice older than you," Orisa let out a laugh.


    "Indeed, you people are not as young as you seem to be. It''s easy to forget because talking to you is nothing like talking to suffocating adults here."


    "I can imagine. So? How have you been?"


    Tiana turned to Orisa with a strange expression, a mix of reservation, eagerness, and sorrow. She looked hesitant to act while still trying to keep her stoic front. Orisa shifted to face her, embraced the girl, and pulled her closer.


    "Must have been really hard," Orisa said while patting her friend''s back.


    Tiana had struggled for a few seconds before breaking down completely. Her body begun to shudder, slowly at first, but getting more frequent with each passing second. She clutched a shirt around Orisa''s chest and hid her face there. A husky cry got out of her throat, and she began to weep, immediately drenching Orisa''s shirt. Her friend didn''t mind all that and kept patting Tiana''s back and head, slowly caressing the shivering girl.


    "There-there, everything is alright now."


    "W-w-what have I done," through her cry, Tiana barely squeezed out the words.


    "You did well, dear. Everything is fine now, you are safe. You are with us, with people who love you, who treasure you. You will be okay, starting from now."


    "I... My life... Everything... W-w-what should I..." she muttered sometime later, slowly calming her breath but still crying.


    "You have discarded poisonous luggage and broken your rusty chains. Now you are free. Free of pain, doubts, regrets, free to live the way you consider right."


    "But how... I''ve never... On my own..."


    "You are not on your own, dummy. You have us. And I assure you, it''s not that hard to decide for yourself instead of being led by greedy, heartless adults. You''ll find your own way and follow it with ease. And I''ll help you, of course. You have me, remember? I''m with you, forever and ever."


    "Forever?" Tiana looked up at Orisa, and their faces ended up inches apart.


    "Of course. What were you expecting? You won''t get rid of me that easily."


    "Promise?"


    "One hundred million percent promise."


    Tiana calmed down significantly but still was clinging to Orisa. In the silence that had become more comfortable after Tiana had cried out her tears, the two lay on the bed, looking at each other. Orisa gladly noted that Tiana''s eyes regained their usual lively glint after some time. Suddenly, the girl frowned and asked Orisa:


    "Are you sure it is alright for you to stay with me? I w-w-would rather not separate you and Kanai."


    "Aren''t you one cute cupid, huh?" Orisa let out a laugh and then got back at Tiana with full force: "Are you sure it''s about myself and Kanai and not because you are just dying to stay with Iten?"


    "W-w-what!? No, of course not! W-w-why do you say such things?"


    "Oh, you can''t fool me, you little rascal!" laughed Orisa while squashing Tiana''s cheeks. "Come on, do you think I didn''t notice your glances towards an almost married man?"


    "Stop it! I don''t even know w-w-what you are..." Tiana tried to protest but stumbled mid-sentence, discovering something within herself as her cheeks turned red.


    "Uh-huh, there we are. Ready to confess your crimes?" Orisa pressed on with a huge grin.


    Tiana was silent, pondering the situation and trying to explain her feelings. Confusion in her eyes grew bigger with each passing second. She looked at Orisa with a silent question but immediately started talking herself:


    "I have merely been enjoying my conversations with Iten... But... I don''t understand..."


    "Don''t worry, sweety, love happens. Nobody is safe."


    "Love?! No-no-no, you surely must be mistaken. How could I..."


    "Okay, I might be mistaken," Orisa said, instilling a false sense of hope in Tiana, proceeding to lay a trap: "So, tell me about Iten. I have a feeling you now know him better than I do."


    "I don''t think so, Orisa. There isn''t much to share, honestly. I''ve found Iten''s w-w-worldview rather interesting, it''s true. Despite being an alien to this realm, he knows a lot about politics, laws, and g-g-government. His knowledge comes from frequenting a library, which is a rare and quite a w-w-welcome trait, at least among people I know. It felt refreshing to discuss with him several turning-point reforms of the past. His attention to detail and unique w-w-way of perceiving cause and effect of political and social decisions helped me to understand some points of these events that I found somewhat unclear.


    If w-w-we are talking about his attention to detail, it spreads not only to books or politics, I assure you. That one time when I decided to wear a different pair of earrings, he w-w-was the one to point it out and compliment how well they go with the color of my eyes, which is true. That aside, erudition and attentiveness aren''t the only redeeming traits I can point out for you, Orisa. On one of our days off, he v-v-volunteered to make dinner, and it w-w-would be a disservice to call the dishes he made tasty. Nothing less than delicious, and believe me w-w-when I say that I know a thing or two about food. It is true that you always have a skilled cook hired in your mansion, but isn''t it a magnificent skill to have? Iten''s stance that nothing should be w-w-wasted I clearly saw in a manner he handled the ingredients, too. And I respect and share this v-v-view completely.


    Another unexpected and appealing side that I think should be mentioned is..."


    Tiana''s passionate speech went on for another fifteen minutes. With every new sentence, her eyes shone brighter, her voice became louder, and her heart beat faster. In short, the tale''s focus revolved around how wonderful Iten was and how eager Tiana was to spend time with him. Orisa was having a hard time hiding a huge grin on her face, so she finally gave up and interrupted her friend:


    "Tiana, dear, I don''t want to ruin the mood but, I still need to remind you that you have been talking about how wonderful Iten is for almost twenty minutes straight."


    "I w-w-what..? No, this can''t be true," she tried to argue but was met with a confident grin. Her eyes dashed around the place, trying to avoid Orisa''s gaze, and Tiana submerged into panic: "Oh no, this... But I have only... And he just..."


    "Oh, this sweet young love, so pure and innocent yet so bright and firm."


    "This isn''t right, it can''t be happening! Orisa, w-w-what should I do?!"


    "Don''t worry, sunshine, the situation will resolve itself, I''m sure. Either you''ll get to enjoy your first love with Iten, or your heart will end up broken. Which is a valuable experience in its own way, I must say."


    "You can''t be serious!" Tiana proceeded to smack Orisa''s shoulder, and their conversation went back and forth between Tiana squeaking in panic and Orisa laughing over her friend''s hearty troubles.


    Suddenly, a loud bang on the wall interrupted their brawl, and they heard Kanai''s angry and irritated voice:


    "Would you girls mind kindly shutting up? We are trying to sleep!"


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 93 Hunt the hunter

    First thing in the morning, the group gathered in one of the rented rooms to discuss their future plans. Almost entirely ignoring the discussion at hand, Orisa''s attention was preoccupied with a different matter. She focused all her willpower to keep her face straight while subtly observing Tiana, whose expression was undergoing a constant metamorphosis. She turned bright red after glancing at Iten then immediately became pale and shifted her gaze to a window. A few moments later, apparently, her chaotic train of thoughts stumbled over something love-related again as her face turned pink once more. This process had gone for five minutes in a row, forcing Orisa to pull the remnants of her strength and stand up to their improvised chalkboard.


    "Okay, everyone, let''s focus on our plans, would you? We need to decide on our next target."


    "Mhm, Orisa, are you done inspecting Tiana? Is she ill, by chance?" asked Toatre casually. Tiana''s outraged gaze was directed at Orisa who tried turned away and pretended to whistle.


    "Well, you can say that," she muttered a moment later and turned to the drawing board again. "Anyhow, our plan. In general, nothing has changed about the idea of visiting all vaults. Any objections? Great, so now what''s left is to select our next target."


    "Do we know where they are? It seemed to me that their location isn''t well known," Iten said with doubt.


    "Mhm, that is correct," began Toatre. "While all the clues we have only provide circumstantial evidence, it is quite possible to assume that the rest of the facilities should be somewhat similar to the one we know."


    "I can''t grasp how it helps us, though," continued Iten.


    "I think our lovely Toatre is trying to tell us that while we only know their general location, we can use our knowledge to narrow down their position." Orisa began to draw on the board: "If there are hills or mountains in the targeted area, we will look for caves and inspect them, searching for Mana void areas. In case it''s a plane or a forest we are talking about, we''ll probably have to deal with a subterranean area where some digging is required. Something like that, sweety?"


    "Mhm, that is correct, I believe," nodded Toatre in approval.


    "I don''t know," Kanai let out a depressed sigh. "Won''t it be kind of impossible to find it, considering we stumbled over the first one accidentally?"


    "We don''t have any other choice, do we? Plus, maybe our little genie will come up with something while we are on our way?" Orisa patted Toater''s head.


    "This is rather unlikely, mhm. It would have been much wiser to stay in the shelter to study it and look for possible methods of detection for similar structures."


    "Well, there is that, true, but I don''t think we have time to go back there and study. It would cost us another week or so, and I feel we don''t have this luxury," muttered Orisa grimly. They had discovered a diminishing timer of the Waves almost four months ago, meaning two-thirds of this time budget had been spent. She pulled out a map and pinned it to the board, and continued: "For now, we should go for the closest one. From our current location, a western shelter should be our target. The map shows that it''s a forested area, so we''ll really need a method to look for the entrance."


    "Is this w-w-wise to venture there blindly w-w-while we are lacking any means to detect the shelter?" Tiana finally decided to join the conversation.


    "Any other ideas, then?" Orisa gave every group member a long look, waiting for their arguments, but everyone was silent. "Then it''s decided. Let''s stock up and move out."


    The meeting was over. Everyone stood up to leave the room, but Kanai stayed behind and approached Orisa after everyone else went to pack their bags. He came closer and squeezed her shoulder, asking in a quiet voice:


    "Are you absolutely sure this is the best course?"


    "How should I know? Dude, you know as much as I do, and that''s what I found right. Going back to the Hounds is out of questions, as well as the return to the first shelter. We don''t have time to sit here and wait for god knows what."


    "Okay-okay, I get it. Just don''t want you to decide on something we''d all come to regret." He sat back in the chair he had been occupying during the meeting. "What the hell was going on yesterday with Tiana? I couldn''t hear the words, but it really sounded like you were having a fight."


    "Oh, that? It''s nothing like that, quite the opposite. First love came crashing down without warning, so now she is struggling to wrap her head around the fact."


    "First love?" Kanai gave Orisa a confused look, but then his eyes narrowed into thin lines: "Don''t tell me you..."


    "Bro, the fuck!? A little trust, maybe?" Orisa swiftly smacked his forehead, honestly appalled by such an allegation. "Of course it''s not me, you donkey! If I knew you were such a jealous twat, I wouldn''t have let the truck isekai me. Gosh..."


    ---


    ---


    Three nights later, the group finally arrived in the target area and set up camp, putting off the exploration for the morning. They took shifts guarding the tents, and everyone went to bed wearing Mana sealing bracers, so the night passed peacefully. Despite that, a strange foreboding had been haunting Orisa the whole trip and even during the following night. Something at the back of her mind kept triggering her senses, but she couldn''t figure out the reason behind it.


    During their travel, they hadn''t come up with any bright ideas on how to locate the shelter, so their initial plan was to search the surroundings for spots suitable for an underground entrance. The group was ready for a long, tiresome exploration. However, only two hours in the morning they were met by a confusing and surprising picture instead:


    "I don''t like being our Captain Obvious, but I think it''s what we are after..." muttered Orisa, scratching her head.


    With their mouth agape, the friends were staring at a field that had been a part of the forest before but now looked like it had been used as a proving ground by some explosion maniacs. The trees were no more, only charred trunks here and there reminded of this area''s origin. The space in front of them was riddled with pits and holes, and a giant crater in the middle left an unforgettable impression. Grass began to grow, meaning that the last clash or whatever had been behind this area being devastated had happened more than a month ago.


    "You don''t say..." echoed Kanai.


    There was, however, quite a number of Beasts roaming the area, although they didn''t notice the squad that was still wearing Mana sealing bracers. Despite things going well so far, the situation bore a concerning question:


    "How do we proceed from now on?" voiced Iten everyone''s concern.


    "W-w-w risk drawing too much attention w-w-were we to fight them head-on."


    "Contrary to that, our freedom of exploration will be hampered greatly, mhm."


    Everyone gave Orisa a questioning look, expecting a decision on this matter. She thought for a moment but quickly arrived at an obvious answer:


    "There is no choice, in fact. Even if we''d manage to find the entrance, we''ll have to use Mana to go inside, pulling Beasts'' attention anyway. Plus, the area will be swarmed by them when we decide to leave. So let''s start blasting."


    Despite the squad''s experience and growth, it took them almost three hours to get rid of the Beasts as they kept coming wave after wave. An unusual amount even for a place that was supposed to draw their attention. It took them another hour to find a small half-buried cave which led them deep underground to a long and narrow passage. Luckily, the pass withstood the test of time, so Orisa''s drilling skills ended up unused. Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the second shelter - the same grey surface, the same Mana void that Orisa felt after touching the walls. Despite a seemingly successful endeavor, the group was at a loss.


    "The door is closed," Kanai stated the obvious after Orisa had used Asura Strike to fill the shelter''s entrance with Mana.


    "Who would have expected that..." added Orisa sarcastically.


    "Wasn''t it an evident outcome?" asked Toatre in surprise. "The probability of another door being half opened was close to zero even by most optimistic assumptions, mhm."


    "So, leader, what''s our plan?" asked Iten with a hint of dissatisfaction.


    Orisa thoughtfully scratched her head. She was half-expecting such an outcome but was still hoping to luck out somehow. Her head was completely empty until her gaze stumbled on Toatre, and something clicked in her head. When she was about to open her mouth, however, Toatre said in her usual tone:


    "I think I''ll start working on the passage while you are doing whatever it is you do, mhm."


    "What do you mean?" asked her confused Kanai.


    "I think our dearest friend means that since the material is the same, the door''s mechanism must be identical, too," quickly spat out Orisa, trying to sound like it was all a part of her plan from the beginning.


    "Mhm. I don''t anticipate it to be entirely the same, but the principle should be similar. Which means that I need to find the right combination of Mana intents."


    "Exactly. Thank you, dear," Orisa concluded with a smug.


    Toatre cracked the door''s Mana mechanism two hours later, and the group stepped in. Inside the shelter, they were met with an absolutely similar grey corridor leading to a room with elevators and a staircase. The first hall they descended into looked mostly the same, too, although there was some furniture still present and intact. It was made of glass or similar material that had withstood the test of time, so the curious group started looking around. They had been studying the shelves and closets for several minutes when a lively and cheerful male voice suddenly interrupted them:


    "How curious, I must say! A group of children has come this far. You shouldn''t be here, little urchins. Naughty kids should be scolded with all due severity, right?"


    "W-w-who are you?!"


    Tiana stood closest to the entrance and was first to react. Her staff was pointing at a knight fully covered in white armor. An unsheathed katana was attached to his hip, and aside from it, there was no other gear present. The knight''s helmet turned towards Tiana as if the person inside focused all his attention on the girl.


    "Oh? A somewhat familiar face I was not expecting to see. Truly, fate must have a lot up its sleeves for me," he said after tilting his head slightly. "Who would have thought that a kin call I''ve received would lead me to such an encounter?"


    "Explain yourself, mister hero," Orisa said. She stopped in front of Tiana, shielding the girl with her body. "We don''t want things to get unnecessarily violent, right?"


    "We don''t?" the knight sounded surprised. "Well, maybe you are right. Since the door is now open, I don''t have time to play with you, so it should be over in a moment."


    Without warning, the knight threw forward three magic cores and shouted:


    "-Kin Call!-"


    Out of thin air, three evolved wolves appeared and landed in front of Orisa and Tiana. No sooner had they touched the grey surface of the floor when their bodies got turned to dust of pure Mana and sucked into the complex'' Mana reserves.


    "Hmm, I wasn''t expecting that..." muttered the knight in confusion.


    "-Fury!-" -- "-Force Guard!-"


    Orisa was first to move. She pulled out an unevolved core from her breast pocket and used it to dive into the focused state. Next was her forearm guard since she couldn''t use the full body armor as it would end up sucked into the complex. Kanai also came to his senses from the initial shock and began to spread buffs over his teammates.


    "-Reality Slash!-" swung the knight his katana, sending a wave of magic towards Kanai.


    "-Five-Seal Barrier!-"


    Orisa reacted in time, but all the barriers she placed in the way of the spell broke, sliced by the wave. Fortunately, Kanai was also quick to act and managed to duck at the last second.


    "The v-v-voice... So familiar," slowly uttered Tiana, who was utterly shocked and out of shape from the moment she had heard the knight.


    "-Shield Rush!-"


    With his shield in front of him and glowing red, Iten dashed towards the knight. Instead of blocking or rolling away, the man in white armor simply kicked Iten''s shield. The impact sent the group''s tank flying, and he smashed into the wall a moment later.


    Despite the knight''s words, Orisa still had her doubts until a moment ago, believing they only needed to restrain the attacker and question him. She changed her mind after seeing the way he had attacked Kanai and Iten - this person was dangerous and very much serious about killing them.


    "Orisa, are you sure we need to fight this person? Shouldn''t we first offer a negotiation?" asked Toatre with a slightly concerned voice.


    "Goddammit, yes!" shouted Orisa angrily and threw three Force Blocks that the knight easily slashed.


    "Mhm, if you insist..." the girl agreed, still unsure.


    Despite her tone, Toatre pulled two short wands out of her holster and began. Even Orisa was thoroughly impressed. First and foremost was the fact that Toatre was casting wordlessly, creating spells from scratch, which was quite hard even for a skilled fighter. On top of that, her attacks were diverse, they flew continually like a river of magic, barraging the knight. At first, he was parrying and slashing through her spells, but as Toatre''s temp grew up, forcing her opponent to dodge.


    "Tiana, what''s wrong? Are you alright?" Orisa used this short breather to check on her friend, who was still silent and shocked.


    "I... I don''t know, I''m sorry. It''s just that... I don''t understand, this voice is so familiar, but I just can''t remember!"


    "Kanai! Take Tiana away, please," asked Orisa, covering their escape to the other room with several layers of shields. She had no time to deal with Tiana''s strange behavior.


    While Orisa was occupied with Tiana, the clash between Toatre and the knight went on. At first, it looked like the squad''s genius was winning, having her foe on constant defense. But as the battle went on, the knight got used to the rhyme and style of her attacks. He jumped over two wind blades and dashed towards Toatre. In her focused state, Orisa could see her friend''s attempt to dodge in all its futility since the foe was way faster. Orisa recalled how easily the knight''s first attack had broken through her defense. She conjured a barrier around Toatre that was connected directly to her Mana pool since it was the only sure-fire way to block. Doing so was extremely cost-ineffective, but she had no time to come up with a better solution. When the strike connected, more than one-tenth of her Mana pool evaporated. Considering Orisa''s growth, this simple swing of katana was on par with the evolved panther''s mightiest attack.


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    "Huh? Didn''t expect you to block," the knight uttered in surprise.


    As he became distracted, Orisa saw Toatre conjuring another spell, so she removed the barrier. Two blazing spears shot out of Toatre''s wands and struck true.


    "Oh, right, I was lost in thought, sorry," the knight said without any concern in his voice. Toatre''s attack had done nothing, his armor was as white as before. "Okay, I''ve had enough fun."


    Orisa saw his leg move but still couldn''t react on time. He kicked Toatre, and her body flew exactly into Orisa. The crash was tremendously painful, but Orisa suspected that Toatre had it much worse than her. She was trying to gather her pain-scattered thoughts to conjure a barrier but was interrupted by another voice coming from the hall''s entrance:


    "Hoh? You can''t cease to amaze me. Not only have you found the shelter and managed to open it, but you''ve also attracted a wonderful toy for my experiments! It was a wise investment to place a tracking spell on you, little one. How very amusing. Umu!"


    Hunter Nowa appeared to be in high spirits.

 94 AOG, assemble!

    "Haven''t you had enough, old man?" spat out the white knight, his voice full of irritation.


    "Ha-ha-ha, you are a funny little pup. I''m only just getting started with you."


    Hunter Nowa entered the hall and casually swung his two greatswords. Without paying any attention to the knight, he began to walk towards Orisa and Toatre, both of whom were still slumped on the ground.


    "We both know you have already reached your limit while I''m continually growing stronger. You should let your old bones rest. I was hoping the last time has taught you some lessons," continued the knight.


    "Umu. I think we both know that you are all bark and no bite, homeless mutt."


    "-Reality Slash!-" the knight shouted angrily and swung his katana.


    "-Twin Reality Slash!-" Nowa answered him on the move, not even looking at the knight or his attacks. Two spells clashed in the air and exploded in the middle of the hall, throwing dust into the air.


    "-Lupus Touch!-" a green healing circle appeared beneath Orisa and Toatre, and the girls immediately felt its effect.


    "You''ve done enough, little ones. Help your partner while I''m scolding this arrogant dog," he added without looking at the pair. Orisa glanced towards Iten and noticed that Kanai was already healing him.


    "Are you sure you don''t need help, sir?" she asked Nowa.


    "Bold of you to assume you can be of help at the moment," chuckled the hunter and moved towards the knight.


    "I''m faster and stronger than you, geezer. I can also burn you to crisps. You have no-."


    "We are getting nowhere with your pointless blabbering. As I have said before, you talk too much, mutt," said Nowa and crossed his greatswords in front of him, then started chanting:


    "-Enrich Magic!-" -- "-Arcane Trap Field!-"


    "-Maximize Magic!" -- "-Drifting Minefield!-"


    Orisa had helped Kanai to carry Iten into the next room where he had left Tiana earlier, and now she focused her attention on a fight in front of her. She immediately sensed numerous invisible magical sources appearing everywhere inside the hall, and some of them were instantly sucked into the complex after coming into contact with the floor or the walls. The rest began to float in random directions. Despite seeing them for the first time, she could tell real and fake mines apart by their Mana flow.


    "If you think I''ll fall into the same moronic trap, you are completely senile," shouted the knight and pointed his katana at Nowa:


    "-Darkflame Barrage!-"


    A black circle appeared in front of the knight''s katana and began shooting black projectiles of cursed flame. This spell had left Nowa out of commission for more than a month, but now he was perfectly ready.


    "-Triple Haze Shield!-"


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    In front of Nowa, three grey barriers appeared, forming a three-layered defense line, and met the Darkflame Barrage head-on. What Orisa saw next contradicted everything she had known or had thought about barriers and their mechanic. The first Haze Shield didn''t block a single projectile, and more than half of them flew past the second shield. But none passed through the last.


    What made this formation surreal and unbelievable for Orisa was that each shield wasn''t one solid formation but was made of numerous tiny blocks. When a Darkflame projectile came into contact with such a block and set it ablaze, the block disappeared, weakening the projectile. The flame didn''t spread all over the shield either since each individual block had vanished before spreading the fire to its neighbors. Destroyed blocks had been immediately replaced by new ones since Nowa''s Mana had been recharging the shield''s reserves.


    Even this wasn''t the end of it as Orisa could tell there was more to this Spell. It wasn''t possible to find more about the shield from a distance, but she was still fascinated by such a spellcraft.


    While the Barrage went on, Nowa kept repeating the same Minefield spell over and over. Orisa could sense the whole hall overcrowded with Mana sources, and even the air began to shimmer. After ten long seconds of the relentless barrage, the knight stopped and muttered in disbelief:


    "How could this-," but the moment he became distracted, Nowa immediately counterattacked:


    "-Rally Point!-"


    Tens of invisible mines floating between Nowa and the knight rushed towards him, making an enormous explosion. Orisa reacted on time by making a barrier that protected her and the rest of the squad, but most of the blast had been sucked into the walls and the floor. The complex and its wondrous material didn''t differentiate between pure or explosive Mana and ate everything all the same to fill its bottomless reservoir.


    Excessive Mana had been eaten by the floor, but it hadn''t made the knight''s fate any less miserable. He was pressed against the wall with most of his armor gone and the rest smoking like a kebab. He had burn marks all over his already tanned body, and his right arm was missing almost entirely.


    "I like you much more this way. Umu." Nowa began to walk slowly towards the knight, putting his greatswords into his back sheath on the move. "How surprising must it have been to see your favorite toy fail you, little pup. Predictable, easily distracted. Pathetic. And you call yourself an apex of life? How very disappointing."


    The knight''s body and his armor started to regenerate slowly, but there was no way for him to recover completely in such a short time frame. Nowa stopped a few steps away from him and continued:


    "It wasn''t that difficult to find a suitable way to deal with your attack. Raw power isn''t everything. Experience and knowledge, however, is. I am four parallel universes ahead of you, mongrel. Any last words?"


    "You should have gone for the head." -- "-Darkflame Nova!-"


    Three little black spheres flew to the center of the hall and merged into a bigger one. It began to grow, and its size was rapidly increasing by the second. Nowa hastily pulled out two twice evolved magic cores and chanted:


    "-Absolute Domain!-"


    A barrier appeared around the sphere right when it was about to explode. The space within the shield became one black hurricane of raging magic. After a few seconds of madness, the shield began to crack, while the swirling death inside was still present, so Nowa used two more magic cores to create another Absolute Domain.


    When the spell finally subsided, the knight had been long gone. Every piece of still intact furniture was shattered, and the hall turned into a mess. Orisa''s squad that had been observing the fight was silent, puzzled, and lost. Everything had happened so fast that they neither hadn''t been able nor hadn''t known what to do.


    "Umu. Is anyone hurt?" asked Nowa as he approached them. His question was met with the same silent and puzzled expression, and for people unfamiliar with hunter Nowa it might have seemed that he shuffled uncomfortably. "There was a risk of placing you all in greater danger. For this reason alone, I let him run. Do not be shaken as it is a part of my plan."


    "Um, if you say so..." muttered Orisa.


    The group was eyeing Nowa cautiously, Tiana was especially collected and unconcerned, and she had already returned to her usual self. She stood up and asked in a serious tone while gripping her battle staff:


    "You are Nowanzi, the one w-w-who destroyed my house, a district around it, and killed several dozens of people. W-w-what are you doing here, and w-w-why are you helping us?"


    "Umu. I like your stoic attitude, little Kavenfenn. First of all, it isn''t your house anymore, so why concern yourself with its fate?" began Nowa, casually showing off his knowledge about a very private topic. He didn''t wait for the answer and continued: "I didn''t attack your house if we are to use this term. It merely happened that a thing I was looking for was there, as well as this white-armored gentleman you just saw a moment ago. This unfortunate and ill-mannered person attacked me while I was examining the object. All tragic victims of the event were made by his hand, not mine. More importantly, I''m impressed that you are able to keep fighting with such a verbal problem. Umu."


    "You are a terrorist and an enemy to us all. I w-w-won''t believe a single w-w-word of yours."


    "What made you think I need such a thing?" answered Nowa, his voice filled with metal.


    "Okay-okay, let''s leave this matter for now," Orisa said, waving her hands, and stood between Tiana and Nowa. "Regardless of the past motives, we would still like to know how you''ve ended up here, and why are you helping us?"


    "For now, there are things we must first do that are of more importance. Follow me."


    Nowa turned and moved to the hall''s exit without looking back. The squad exchanged confused and worried gazes, but in the end, Orisa shrugged and followed Nowa, waving the rest to do the same. They used the staircase to get up to the complex'' entrance and walked outside. Nowa stopped right there and used a spell:


    "-Commanding Beacon!-"


    A pillar of yellow light appeared in front of him. Nowa took out a pocket watch, checked the time, then pressed his hand against the pillar and became silent for a moment. Just then, the Beacon in front of him glowed and released a magic pulse similar to Siri, which caused the usual reaction from Mana-sensitive Orisa.


    "What are you doing? It will attract more Beasts here! What if this freakish knight returns with them?" shouted Kanai angrily.


    Nowa silently turned and walked back into the complex. Kanai turned to Orisa, but she shook her head and followed the hunter. When everyone inside the complex gathered near the entrance, Nowa finally directed his attention to them:


    "Close the door."


    "We''d like to hear some explanations, sir," said Orisa slowly. "Our concerns shouldn''t come as a surprise to you."


    "Look," Nowa said tiredly, "when I say that you need to do something, you just do it. If I think the explanation is due, I''ll give it. Since you are new to my group, I''ll forgive it once."


    With that, he turned and went deeper into the complex, leaving the dumbfounded group behind. Everyone was speechless for a moment, and then their questioning gazes all shot towards Orisa.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?!" she even panicked for a moment. "I know nothing about this nonsense! Anyhow, Toatre, close the door, please."


    "Is it smart? We wouldn''t be able to retreat quickly with doors closed if-," began Iten, but Orisa immediately interrupted him:


    "I don''t think there is anything we would be able to do if he wants us dead. Going outside right now is impossible, too. That freak knight might still be somewhere."


    "Still don''t like it," muttered Iten.


    "Do I look like I do?" retorted Orisa and turned her discontent gaze at Toatre.


    "It is rather unpleasant to be left without a proper explanation, mhm, but can''t say I''m not interested in working with this person. His techniques look quite promising," said Toatre while sealing the door.


    "We aren''t working with him," grumbled Kanai. He glanced at Orisa, rolled his eyes for some reason, and added under his breath: "Yet..."


    They found Nowa in the complex''s kitchen boiling water inside a glass pot. A number of cooking ingredients were laid out by his side. A picture of a fully-armored black knight with two giant greatswords on his back cooking soup in front of a stove was too surreal for the group''s already shaken minds. Orisa didn''t even want to know where these groceries had been stored since Nowa had nothing on him except his weapons.


    "Whoever it is that was in charge of extracting data from the previous vault should start working on it. We don''t have much time to waste."


    "Um, mister Nowa, I know we aren''t in a position to demand something, but I still must insist on some explanations. Can you, I don''t know, explain what the hell is going on?"


    By the end of the sentence, Orisa''s irritation had overcome her caution quite a bit, so she ended up almost shouting. Nowa turned his head, looking at her through the slits of his helmet as if it was the first time he noticed Orisa''s presence.


    "I like how lively you are. Umu." He paused to chop down half an onion and a carrot and continued after throwing them into the pot: "For reasons I see no need of explaining now, I put a tracking spell on you after your successful venture into Todo''s vault. For me, it was apparent that you''ll target this shelter next. It happened so that I also had such a visit in mind. That''s why I''m here.


    Commanding Beacon is a spell that allows me to communicate my current location as well as a message to all of my subordinates. They will be here by this time tomorrow, which returns us to the topic of extracting the vault''s data. Since your dearest Captain Dippo is one of my subordinates, this technically and effectively makes you my underlings as well.


    The last thing you may need to know for now is that the useless knight that you''ve seen not so long ago is a thrice-evolved Beast. Or, using the words of an old man''s ghost you''ve probably met, the Spire''s Avatar. Now, get to work, little ones."

 95 According to the plan

    The squad gathered in a room where Toatre had been extracting data. They had a lot to digest and discuss while Nowa left them on their own. They were sitting on the floor in a circle around Toatre, and nobody wanted to start the conversation. After half an hour of complete silence, Toatre decided to let her hands rest and said without a hint of worry in her voice:


    "A thrice-evolved Beast is the Avatar of the Spire? Isn''t it exciting? I would love to study it in detail. But I must say, it certainly didn''t look like a Beast to me."


    "Scratch that, so Dippo is, in fact, Nowa''s subordinate! I knew they were connected somehow," Kanai burst out, overwhelmed by the news.


    "Nowanzi is a terrorist and can not be trusted. W-w-we should avoid associating with him at all costs," Tiana added, still angered by the previous event.


    "I support Tiana''s opinion. This Nowa looks dangerous, unpredictable, and unconcerned about the people around him. It would be beyond hopeless and reckless to follow him," Iten voiced his thoughts.


    "Man, my head is going to explode..." Orisa groaned and dropped on her back.


    "Do you really think Nowa is a bad guy?" Kanai asked, poking Orisa''s shoulder.


    "Why does it matter? For now, he is doing the same thing as us and doesn''t look hostile. If we are lucky enough, we can go through the rest of the vaults with him," Orisa said tiredly.


    "We can consider the fact that he is after the shelters that contain data on how to deal with the Spire a sign that he is on our side, mhm."


    "But that Dog Knight is after the shelters, too. It kinda doesn''t make him good, though," Kanai chuckled.


    "Why the Dog Knight?" Iten asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.


    "Well, Nowa says he is a Beast. Plus, Nowa calls him something similar, too. So why not?"


    "Wow, such knight, much Beast, very powerful, so wow..." Orisa mumbled under her breath.


    "His v-v-voice sounded so strangely familiar..."


    "Yep. You freaked out so much that even I was worried," Orisa sat up and patted Tiana''s shoulder. "We''ll figure it out eventually, don''t think too much, or you''ll get wrinkles."


    "Toatre, is there anything of interest so far?" Iten asked to switch the topic.


    "It depends on what you consider interesting, Iten. There is a work log here, which is not as detailed as the previous one, and apparently, more than one person was in charge of keeping the journal. It doesn''t look like you would be interested in such matters, mhm."


    "Do you think she is doing it on purpose?" Kanai quietly nudged Orisa.


    "Honestly, I have come to doubt it myself recently, but it''s hard to tell. It''s Toatre we are talking about..."


    "There is an issue with my current task," Toatre suddenly switched a topic. "It is well beyond my capabilities to extract all data in the time allocated."


    "Why? It''s something complicated even for such a bright head?" Orisa chuckled.


    "It makes me happy to see my skills recognized, thank you. However, this matter isn''t something to be solved with abilities alone, mhm. You see, besides several large texts about Dualcasting and other researches, there wasn''t much information to go through. Here, the journal alone covers a few centuries."


    "What?!" exclaimed everyone.


    "Are you saying this thing goes beyond the Cataclysm?" asked agitated Kanai.


    "As of now, I have only a vague understanding of their calendar but can say that the log goes on at least for two hundred years since the fateful day."


    "Can you skip to the last entry and read it?" asked Iten, showing a hint of excitement as well.


    Toatre gave Iten a curious look as if noticing a faint presence of something solid inside of his skull and turned to a screen-projector on the wall. A few minutes later, she cleared her throat and said:


    "Here are the last two entries since they appear to be connected."


    ---


    ---


    Millim Nava; 2312.7.12.


    A message has arrived today from Judan Kavenfenn of the third government. There isn''t much written there, but he suggests a conference between the Attendants to discuss the Apocamorphing problem. He states that he might have found a solution to this issue.


    ---


    ---


    Millim Nava; 2312.7.13.


    I''m leaving for the meeting. I haven''t told the others about it - they are doing another Clearing. We will have a talk when they are back. For now, I''ll close the door because it doesn''t seem wise to leave it open even if I''m the only one who can unseal it. Hopes are, I''ll return before them.


    ---


    ---


    An uncomfortable silence settled amidst the group. Everyone felt too uneasy to look at Tiana, who was sitting with her head hung down.


    "I don''t know w-w-what to say."


    "Well, I suppose they didn''t pass this episode through your family history books," Kanai said with a slightly sarcastic but a bit more sympathetic voice.


    "You can''t be more right," Tiana suddenly agreed. "Most knowledge in our family is passed v-v-verbally from the previous g-g-generations to the next one, and only from the head to the following head. I can''t say I know a lot about our history..."


    "A dark past of the greatest Noble family is unveiled. An article for the first page," Kanai chuckled again and earned an elbow smack from Orisa.


    "My father didn''t look like a decent person, but I hoped it w-w-was an exception, a stain on our family."


    "Looks like you are the stain instead," Iten said. "A white one, that is."


    "Anyhow, let''s stop brooding for now. I''ll ask Nowa what to do with all these logs," Orisa said and was about to get up when they heard a voice coming from the room''s entrance:


    "Scratch the logs, we don''t need them. Focus on everything related to the Spire and Nava''s technologies."


    "Scratch the logs!? But we can finally learn more about the past and what actually happened back there," Orisa protested loudly.


    "I have a general picture already, so there is no need to dig deeper and get further involved since it won''t help us in the slightest."


    "You do? How so?" asked Kanai with a doubt.


    "I''ve already been to the rest or have seen their contents'' description, obviously."


    "Wait, I''m certain we''ve sealed the entrance to the mountain complex, how could you..."


    "He went through our notes," Orisa said with a dry voice.


    "Umu. You are rather swift to grasp the truth, a commendable trait."


    "You''ve been rummaging through our belongings? Eww, gross!" groaned Kanai. He tried to raise the comedy level of the situation, but Orisa noticed how tense he became. She could understand his anxiety since a feeling of complete vulnerability had also dawned upon her after Nowa''s words. Someone had sneaked, peaked through their notes, and left without them noticing.


    "Can you brief us on the history matter so that we wouldn''t get distracted any more?" she brought the conversation back to a less unpleasant topic.


    "Less distracted? I can see it being a valid reason, umu. Well, here is a quick summary. There was civilization before the Cataclysm, nothing especially great or advanced but not too shabby either. Their higher-ups got too greedy and decided to solve all of the world''s problems with one trick. They built a tower that was supposed to transmit a spell all over the world. That trick failed, vanishing all the participants, and summoning the Beasts. The tower became their home, the source of their regular appearance.


    The general population was left in the dark, and raging monsters came as quite a surprise for them. Among the people left after the Cataclysm were five big shots with their families, and they were one way or another related to the government or the experiment. You know them as Great Noble Houses - Kavenfenn, Todo, Flamie, Nava, Saetan.


    Two of them, Todo and Nava, lost access to their respective vaults right from the very beginning. Some of their members still survived, continuing the bloodline and keeping some of their knowledge and power. Why they failed to regain access, I don''t know. My only assumption is that they didn''t know of the exact location or something along these lines. Among the rest, one was, let''s say, less naive or noble than the rest. Rulers of Kavenfenn took the opportunity and subtly got rid of the other two families'' heads. I assume their original goal was to gain access to the vaults, but we''ll never know.


    The rest you should have already figured out - this whole Noble system was introduced, lifting five families above the rest with Kavenfenn as a supreme ruling faction. Why it was decided to keep the other four families, I don''t know and don''t care. To this day, only vas Kavanfenn has kept their vault functional, obviously using its contents for their own benefit."


    "You don''t have to believe him," Orisa was quick to speak up when Nova finished his history lesson, squeezing Tiana''s hand.


    "Hoh? Do you doubt my words? I''m confident you''ll find this complex''s log ending around two hundred sixty years after the Cataclysm, exactly the same time as in Saetan''s diary."


    "It''s alright, Orisa. You don''t need to sugarcoat things anymore. On top of his w-w-words looking believable, I no longer consider myself a member of v-v-vas Kavenfenn family anyway."


    "I think you need to employ another way of thinking," Iten suddenly spoke up. "Isn''t it better to consider them outsiders unfit to be a part of your family? I can see quite a number of signs hinting that you''ll become a great head of your house, unlike your predecessors."


    "Umu. With that, get back to work and focus on things I''ve mentioned earlier."


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    With that, Nowa left the room, leaving the group with even more mixed feelings. Again, a huge load of information had been dumped on their heads, and everyone was digesting it silently. Only Toatre shrugged and returned to her duties. The silence went on.


    Orisa was mulling over the fate of people who participated in the experiment. One other topic that she had mixed feelings about was the reason behind a complete lockdown of all shelters since it looked rather strange that every family except one had lost it. She found it hard to swallow that every house had been so divided on the inside that they hadn''t trusted each other with the vault''s access or location.


    "Are you okay, dear?" she asked Tiana, who was staring at the wall absentmindedly.


    "Please, stop parenting me. I am fine," answered Tiana with a hint of irritation.


    "Sure, then I''ll go talk to Nowa some more."


    "Wait a moment," Kanai suddenly spoke to her . "Are we suddenly now trusting Nowa and following his orders?"


    "We aren''t. But what do you suggest?"


    "I don''t know, don''t talk to him?"


    "Dude, this sounds kind of childish and counter-productive," Orisa answered with a slightly raised eyebrow. Since there was no follow-up, she left the room.


    Orisa found Nowa sitting on the floor and leaning his back against the wall inside the main hall. Since his helmet was on, it was hard to tell if he was sleeping or not, so she carefully approached the man and stopped a few steps away to observe him.


    "Is there something that still prevents you from doing what I said?" he suddenly said without moving. Orisa shivered, feeling as if she was talking to a statue or a corpse.


    "Toatre is doing her best, and it''s not like all five of us need to be there," she grumbled with a hint of irritation.


    "It is better for you all to get used to it, or you won''t be able to achieve your goal."


    "Get used to what exactly?" asked a now confused Orisa.


    "To my instructions, of course. You have the same goal as me, and I have people and resources to achieve it even without you. Setting even that aside, I have already pieced together a team that is fully operational and successful. I know how to fulfill the task on our hands in the most efficient way. Everything is going according to my plan."


    "So?" Orisa asked blandly, getting even more irritated.


    "So stop being a child and start following the procedures if your aim is to save this world."


    "And how do you know about my aim?"


    "I know everything that is needed for my plan, of course. Again, and for the last time, I will repeat this - you and your people will fit well into my organization that has the same goal as you, so you either do what''s right or continue being an arrogant child who doesn''t want to follow simple orders. In the latter case, pack your things and get going already."


    "Such a pleasure talking to you, Hunter Nowa..."


    "It is, as long as you don''t waste time and do what I say. You have a chance to learn it firsthand. By the time my team arrives here, you''d better come to a decision."


    "Is it just me, or you were quite different back when we first met?" questioned Orisa defiantly.


    "I thought I didn''t need to be different with people like you," he answered coldly.


    "Like me? You are constantly implying that you know a lot about us, our goals, and even me. How come?"


    "Intel gathering, obviously, to scout possible skilled individuals. Now, enough questions. You may learn more after agreeing with my terms tomorrow. For now, rest or do something useful. Or don''t."


    Orisa was frustrated for a somewhat unexpected reason. She agreed with Nowa, with his goals, and even his general approach. It was only his directness, disregard for the atmosphere and people''s feelings, and overall demeanor that pissed her off. First and foremost, she was frustrated because he reminded Orisa of her old self. Back in her old days, she had been directing people of her team with an insensitive, cold hand. The fact that she had been right had blinded her completely, leading to an extremely blunt and straightforward approach. Nowa was the same.


    In such a mood, Orisa returned to her new team and recounted the conversation with Nowa. What followed was a long and heated discussion on their future plans, their goals and methods. The general opinion was that they completely disliked him but saw no alternative at all. If they were to ignore his invitation, they would be free. But on the other side of the coin were several downsides: Beast Knight completely outclassed them, and it was obvious that they would meet him again; splitting with Nowa meant that they might clash with him in the future; it would be hard to continue working with The Hounds, whose leader was Nowa''s subordinate.


    Swapping the work of data extraction between Orisa, Kanai, and Toatre, they stepped into the following day. By the time Nowa came to check on them, two notepads had been riddled with data. The squad''s mood was mostly neutral, with a hint of anxiety and discontent. They had agreed with the inevitable, but it still didn''t help the mood.


    "Good job, everyone. We have four minutes until the specified time, so it''s a good moment to hear your decision," Nowa said with his usual calm but strong voice.


    "Can we hear your final goal, mister Nowa?" went Orisa with a question. "It''s good to know the exact intention of our possible boss, you know?"


    "Umu. Nothing prevents me from lying to you, and there is no known to me method to guarantee that someone is telling the truth. Do you still want me to continue?"


    "Of course."


    "Hoh, suit yourself. My final goal is to stop Waves from overwhelming the world by any means, be it the Spire''s destruction or any other solution. If it is possible to stop them from occurring at all or reset the delay to its initial state, both outcomes are good enough as well."


    "What will you do after that?" suddenly asked Kanai.


    "Irrelevant. Your answer?"


    "We agree," finally said Orisa with a heavy voice.


    "Umu. I expected nothing less. Now, to the surface."


    "Isn''t it quite likely that there are hordes of Beasts waiting outside with this white knight as well?"


    "I would like to see him again, umu!" Nowa was in a good mood.


    When Toatre sealed the entrance, and the group stepped outside, they found the following picture - the whole field around the cave was smoking and riddled with corpses of Beasts. Four armored vehicles were parked nearby, and a mixed bag of people was lazily chatting by their side. Among them, Orisa found two familiar faces - their Captain Dippo, and an almost completely forgotten Lieutenant Reezpauzo. The latter came as a big surprise but also helped Orisa understand the source of Nowa''s information on her. She wasn''t even mad at all this, only surprised and slightly overwhelmed.


    "According to the plan, umu," Nowa declared and walked towards the group.

 96 New Home

    Knowing Orisa''s nature all too well, Dippo sat by her side and prepared himself for a torrent questions. Orisa didn''t disappoint:


    "Where are we going?"


    "To AOG''s main base in the south eastern region."


    "What''s AOG?"


    "The name of your new organization. Neither I nor anyone besides Nowa knows what it means."


    "Was I expected to join?"


    "Of course, honey. That was the sole reason I let you find Nowa''s letter back at The Hounds headquarters," Dippo chuckled.


    "You what?! It wasn''t an accident?" Orisa wanted to protest but then recalled that some of the arguments in favor of joining Nowa were one way or another related to the fact that she had learned about Dippo''s allegiance.


    "All went according to his fucking plans, as usual."


    "Is it just me or every member of my squad needed here?"


    "You are who you are because of the squad, idiot."


    "That''s surprisingly deep coming from you."


    "Don''t forget your place, sweety," grumbled Dippo, smacking Orisa''s head. "While you are a fugitive, technically speaking, I''m still your boss."


    "Wow, resorting to violence and abuse of power? How low, sir," laughed Orisa.


    The scenery behind a glass window was unchanging - the same plains, bushes, and trees. Occasional Beasts tried to attack the vehicles only to be blasted away by someone''s spell. The steady hum of the Mana engine worked as a lullaby. It began to get dark outside.


    "So mister Reezpauso was spying from the very beginning?" she asked with a yawn.


    "Apparently, yes. Until a few weeks ago, we hadn''t known about the other members. That old fart is paranoid about security and secrecy."


    "What about the rest of my team? Onuki, Marina, and the rest?"


    "Since we are still The Hounds, they are performing their duties. What were you even expecting? It''s too important to uphold the front and keep access to the Military data."


    "Do they know about this AOG thing?"


    "I highly doubt it, my dear. It all depends on Nowa, and I don''t think our father owl has any interest in them. But you can try and convince him if you are so adamant about bringing your pals into a suicidal one-way trip."


    "What do you mean?" asked Orisa with a tense voice.


    "Think for yourself, kid. The further it goes, the more Beasts will be gathered around the tower. We''ll need to get through tens of thousands of them before storming the very lair where they are made. I don''t expect to live past this fucking crusade."


    It wasn''t like Orisa hadn''t thought about such a possibility, but hearing it from a person that held some credit and respect from her made her think for real. Was she ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of a foreign world? And, more importantly, was she ready to sacrifice her friends for the same purpose? Thinking about losing Kanai or Tiana made her heart sink.


    It was completely dark outside; barely visible shadows of trees or bushes blinked past the window, leaving no chance to be seen. The vehicle they were riding wasn''t as comfortable as cars in her old world, but its springs or whatever was used to stabilize the transport were highly commendable since Orisa had barely felt any shaking. The interior was plain metal and dark-brown leather, hinting that the transport was combat-oriented from the very beginning.


    "By the way, by the way," suddenly a person occupying a seat in front of her turned and spoke to Orisa excitedly, "Nowazzi said something about you smacking a twicy by yourself. What did you do, what did you do? Spill it, c''mon, c''mon!"


    The voice belonged to a girl with dark blonde long hair gathered into two chaotic hair buns on the sides. Her eyes crowned by thick blonde eyebrows were of cat-yellow color with rather small pupils and a dangerous glint. Her big mouth was open in a wide, predatory smile, revealing crystal-white fangs. Judging by what was visible through her simple green shirt with specks of blood all over it, she had a medium physique with a chance of getting chubby if not careful. The girl''s appearance left a strangely concerning impression on Orisa.


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    "Um, hi there..." she muttered uneasily, shivering under the girl''s gaze.


    "This is Tomika, pay her no mind. She has a few screws tight," Dippo said while rolling his eyes.


    "You mean a few screws loose?"


    "No-no, dummy. Just a few of them tight and the rest, an overwhelming majority, completely loose."


    "Druzzi, want me to open you up? I can''t wait. I can''t wait!" Tomika whispered excitedly.


    "See? This sweet little apple is packed with worms and rotten to the core."


    "Druzzi? Nowazzi?" Orisa scratched her head, mildly confused and uneasy. "Are you one of these people who call others by weirding their names?"


    "Isn''t it more fun that way? It''s so nice, so nice!"


    "I see, well..."


    A lazy conversation between Orisa, Dippo, and Tomika kept going until they finally arrived at the base. Orisa missed that moment and only bothered to look out the window when the transport stopped. Everyone silently got out and began to descend a seemingly endless spiral staircase. After at least two minutes of walking, they arrived at a dead-end where Nowa activated a matter displacement gate. Unlike most such doors that Orisa had had experience with, this one was at least two meters thick, meaning that the walls of this facility were that wide as well.


    While she was walking through the gate, Orisa couldn''t help but think about what would happen were the gates to close while someone was still inside. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead. The moment she stepped out into a simple grey corridor, she felt a surge of magic run through her, then another one, and a few more in the next three seconds. Among them, she could distinguish a dispel, a counter-magic, and a magic reversal, but the rest of these spells were unknown to her.


    When Orisa stepped into a small hall a few steps farther down the corridor, her eyes stumbled over a bizarre scene. One by one, members of the AOG were coming to Nowa, who was standing in the middle of the room, handing them cups with an unknown liquid. After the person drank the cup under Nowa''s intent gaze, they proceeded farther into the room to sit on sofas and chairs placed there en masse.


    "What the fuck?" muttered dumbfounded Orisa with her friends clustered around her like scared ducklings around their mother.


    "This bitter crap removes potion effects," chuckled Dippo and went to take his cup.


    "Don''t stay there and waste any more time," Nowa ordered loudly, and everyone''s eyes focused on five newly brought members. "Nothing more than a cleansing potion, see?"


    With that, Nowa downed one of the cups and gestured to Orisa''s team. Seeing him without his usual helmet was supposed to put her and her friends at ease, but Nowa''s absolutely generic face lacking any emotions only made things worse. Regardless, they had no choice, so Orisa decided to serve as an example and took the cup. She almost vomited from an extremely bitter herbal taste of the potion, and it took all her resolve to gulp it down.


    "If I die, I will haunt you forever," she whispered to Nowa and went to the sofas.


    "I don''t mind. I have a sweet spot for apparitions, umu."


    After the rest of Orisa''s team went through the same torture, everyone stood up and left the hall. Another spiral staircase led farther down and ended with yet another matter displacement gate. When they finally entered the facility, Orisa felt the walls, floor, and ceiling brimming with magic. The Seal on her chest went haywire, almost knocking her out.


    "What''s wrong with this place? Why is there so much magic?" she groaned quietly.


    "Nowazzi is mega paranoid about security, mega paranoid!" Tomika shouted into Orisa''s ear.


    "I am not paranoid. It is a bare minimum of precaution against intruders," Nowa calmly noted.


    The corridor turned several times before opening into an enormous garage. There were five more vehicles similar to the ones they had been riding today, and several more different mechanisms, all clearly combat-oriented. One of the walls was clustered with shelves filled with various crafting materials and instruments, with an adjacent wall containing different machinery and tools for gear and weapon production. Orisa could feel all these items thanks to her Seal since they all contained traces of Mana, and the more traces, the more expensive these items were. And she was confident - reagents and tools were both beyond expensive.


    They walked past the garage slash workshop hall into the next big open space that contained finished products - racks of weapons, armor, potions, and ammo. It wasn''t enough to equip a small army, for sure, but could certainly satisfy the needs of an elite team of fifty or even more.


    "How... is this all possible? W-w-where did you g-g-get that kind of money?" mumbled Tiana in disbelief.


    "Almost a decade of being one of the strongest mercenaries paid off, umu."


    "Money is one thing, but building such an underground facility must have taken years," added Iten in awe.


    "The moment I learned about this world''s scenario, I immediately began preparations," Nowa answered again, and Orisa sensed a barely noticeable sense of pride and accomplishment in his voice.


    "Preparations for what exactly?" asked Kanai.


    "It must be rather obvious. Preparations to save the world. Umu."


    ---


    ---


    Everyone in Orisa''s team was given their own rooms, and so began their life in AOG. They were given a day to familiarize themselves with the enormous complex, so the five of them kept wandering around, getting to know people of AOG, and inspecting the facility.


    Orisa''s head was spinning from how diverse and even bizarre people that Nowa had personally selected were. She had a hard time memorizing not only their names but even their looks. It was as if Nowa had been selecting people based on how unusual they were. But from a sneak peek into one of the complex''s training halls, she managed to grasp how strong they were.


    Apparently, sparring was quite common and almost mandatory among AOG members to raise their skills not only against Beasts but to counter the Military as well. And a match that Orisa was able to witness looked like anything but training. A tall rifle-wielding man went against a woman with a combat staff, and by the end of their match, the walls and the floor both were damaged beyond Orisa''s wildest imagination. They were not as strong as Nowa or the white knight, but Orisa wasn''t sure if she would be able to stand against any one of them even if she went all-out.


    There were rules and traditions set for AOG members that covered every aspect of their lives, not only training and combat. Among them were even group baths in an artificial hot spring, though Nowa still had enough common sense to divide them by gender. Another team-building rule was to eat together - there were five periods when food was made available, so regardless of personal preferences, people were still sharing the same dining hall.


    During such a dinner two days after the group''s arrival, the door to the kitchen slammed open, and an overly enthusiastic Tomiko startled everyone present by shouting with all her lungs:


    "Nowazzi is fighting Orizzi!"

 97 I know what you are thinking

    \"Now, proceed to show me this attack that you used in combat.\"


    \"I''m not sure it''s a good idea, mister Nowa,\" Orisa answered and shuffled uncomfortably. \"Killing my boss on the second day of my employment isn''t something I would be able to brag about on my resume.\"


    \"Hah, not bad, little one. Umu! However, as your, um, boss, this is my order.\"


    \"I still think I should decline politely and with all due respect.\"


    \"You don''t trust me that much? Haven''t I earned enough credit after the fight in the Nava''s vault?\" Nowa waited for a few seconds, but there was no reply. \"Umu. I understand. I see that you won''t put your faith in me unless my strength is proven. Then there is only one way to do it, right?\"


    Orisa noticed the tone of Nowa''s voice shift, and an extremely uncomfortable feeling ran through her back, making her shiver violently.


    \"I have no use for subordinates who do not trust me and disobey my commands. I order you to attack me, and if you fail to deliver, I will slaughter you and all your friends. Your answer?\"


    \"Should we really be wasting resources?\"


    \"What do you mean by that?\" Nowa asked, thrown off by her question.


    A door to an observation balcony opened, and a crowd poured inside, but two people standing in the middle of the arena didn''t notice them. Orisa was chaotically running through her options since she firmly believed that nobody could withstand fully powered Asura Strike.


    \"I mean that I''d need to waste an evolved and twice-evolved crystals for such a pointless showcase.\"


    \"I don''t mind at all. There is no shortage of resources here in AOG.\"


    \"By the way, what does AOG mean?\"


    \"Your answer? I''m giving you five seconds to decide.\"


    \"Well, I don''t have cores on me, so...\" she said hesitantly.


    \"It won''t be a problem, here,\" Nowa threw a small pouch that contained around thirty cores of various strength and tier. \"Now, you ran out of time and pathetic excuses. Your answer?\"


    \"I agree,\" she said angrily since Nowa''s last comment snapped something inside her.


    \"Marvelous! Umu. Come at me.\"


    At this moment, Orisa finally noticed the crowd that was staring at her intently, and her anger subsided a little, replaced by a mixture of confusion, awkwardness, and shyness. She tried to gulp, but her throat had turned into a desert. It has turned into a difficult situation.


    \"Okay, fuck it. I never asked for this, but at least now I have witnesses.\"


    \"-Fury!-\"


    \"-Assault Seal!-\" -- \"-Support Seal!-\" -- \"-Utility Seal!-\" -- \"-Rotary Seal!-\" -- \"Attack Seal!-\"


    \"-Asura Strike!-\"


    When Orisa was about to launch her spell, Nowa raised both his greatswords in front of him and chanted: \"-Triple Haze Shield!-\" -- \"-Triple Haze Shield!-\"


    Familiar barriers appeared in front of him in a row one after another, but this time the barriers were large enough to cover his entire silhouette as if he had been anticipating Orisa''s attack to be big. Like most of her skills, Asura started thin but grew wider as it went further.


    A deafening explosion of Asura was accompanied by a blinding flash. After coming to their senses, everyone could witness the results - Nowa stood unharmed with two remaining shields floating in front of him. However, the training hall was smoking, and the floor in front and behind Nowa was obliterated, leaving a deep crater. The wall behind his back was now decorated with a hole tens of meters deep.


    \"Are you for fuck''s sake god dammit serious?\" swore one of the casters, a tall thin man in his twenties with half-moon glasses and black hair. \"This bitch just went and, like, ruined the wall with my bloody enchants!\"


    \"Language!\" shouted a woman with a long blonde spiral ponytail in a white dress. She smacked the swearing man''s head and added: \"There are children here.\"


    \"To hell with twats. Don''t you bloody see? I''ve spent like a month on this wall, and even this shit-eater Nowa couldn''t make such a mess of it!\"


    \"Don''t judge the book by its cover, huh?\" muttered Kanai, implying that the man''s look was opposite to the way he had been speaking, but everyone around Kanai took it as a phrase explaining Orisa''s performance.


    Orisa had been chewing on her lips all this time. With a sour expression, her red lips moved:


    \"How did you do that?\"


    \"Hoh? Now I have your trust?\"


    \"Yes-yes, but how did you do that?\"


    \"Umu. Do you expect everyone on the battlefield to explain their skills to you?\"


    \"Seriously?\" Orisa groaned and rolled her eyes. \"I thought it was something like training where you humiliate me in front of everyone to then teach some useful things and make me stronger.\"


    \"Oh, I see. No, you are mistaken, little one. I spend my time wisely, lending my hand only to those skilled enough to take it. As for the rest, I have a dedicated crew that should.\"


    \"So, I''m not skilled enough?\" she grumbled, feeling offended. While Orisa had never thought of herself as strong, she also hadn''t considered herself weak either.


    \"But are you?\" asked Nowa calmly. \"This was your strongest attack if I''m not mistaken.\"


    \"And you were expecting it. Is this fair?\"


    \"I see your point. Very well, little one, I can spare several minutes. Come at me. Umu!\"


    \"-Force Guard!-\" -- \"-Force Armor!-\"


    Orisa''s usual set of defensive spells was followed by a barrage of walls and various other attacks from her repertoire. Nowa smashed through most of them with his swords and covered himself with a shield to block the rest.


    \"Umu. Uninspired, to say the least,\" Nowa said calmly and went on the offensive:


    \"-Reality Slash-!\" -- \"-Reality Slash!-\" -- \"-Twin Reality Slash!-\"


    \"-Five-Seal Barrier!-\" -- \"-Five-Seal Barrier!-\" -- \"-Five-Seal Barrier!-\"


    The strongest defensive spell was almost on par with Nowa''s attack, but Orisa managed to put only three of them, so the last Slash broke through, and she was forced to take it on her forearm guard. The strike was weakened by the Barrier, forearm, and body shields but still sent Orisa flying. She fell on the ground several meters farther down the hall and immediately rolled to the side, groaning and raising more barriers at the same time. But Nowa stood motionless. After watching her for a few seconds in silence, he asked:


    \"How did I hit you?\"


    \"You are stronger. Your attacks are too powerful for me to block completely,\" answered Orisa warily, feeling there was a catch to his question.


    \"Umu. How disappointing. So you think it''s because of the difference in our might? Then, I need to correct you on that one.\"


    \"-Arcane Field Trap-!\"


    Orisa sensed how a huge invisible Mana source appeared between her and Nowa. She raised her eyebrow, doubting this whole extremely obvious setup. She was about to voice her feelings when Nowa continued:


    \"-Drifting Minefield!-\"


    A spell she had seen before created numerous small and again invisible Mana sources around her. Knowing all too well how Nowa could manipulate these mines, Orisa ignored fake ones and focused on real bombs, sending projectiles and Force Walls to set them off. Nowa was calmly observing her efforts, but when she was almost done with mine-clearing, he suddenly chanted:


    \"-Black Hole!-\"


    Orisa was yanked forward towards a small black sphere hovering in the air. She knew this would be the end for her if she got hit by this black thing, so she conjured a barrier right in front of her. The contact with the wall was quite painful, and she got plastered over the barrier mid-air, but then the pulling force immediately disappeared for some reason. With nothing to keep her pinned to the wall, Orisa fell. Right into the Arcane Trap that Nowa had placed earlier.


    A loud bang followed, and Orisa''s body flew well over ten meters before slumping to the floor. Her lower half was burned and bleeding, and she curled into a ball, moaning from pain. A few moments later, a green healing circle, Nowa''s Lupus Touch spell, appeared under her body, quickly fixing her injuries while also acting as a painkiller. Nowa was standing in a relaxed pose where he had stood from the beginning of the fight.


    \"Stand up,\" he said after a short pause and took a battle stance again.


    Orisa got back on her slightly trembling feet and remade all her defensive spells. When she was ready, Nowa went with the same combination of Arcane Trap and Minefield spells. As Orisa began to shoot down the bombs, Nowa went for a Black Hole again. To protect herself from being sucked into the trap again, Orisa reacted on time and placed several barriers between herself and the Arcane Trap. The moment she switched her attention from the Minefield, Nowa pointed at Orisa with one of his greatswords and chanted:


    \"-Rally Point!-\"


    The four remaining non-fake mines that Orisa hadn''t had time to shoot down rushed at her. Their combined power did less damage than the Arcane Trap, but Orisa still ended up on the floor again, bleeding and burning from the explosion.


    \"Again!\" Nowa commanded as another healing circle appeared beneath Orisa.


    \"I can''t bear to watch it,\" muttered someone from the observing balcony and left the hall. Several more people followed.


    Orisa stood up and took her tattered jacket off, leaving herself in a ripped shirt and half-burned pants. Her face was red from the humiliation, eyes burning with defiance, fists tightly clenched. ''This is a critical point for my path. I won''t bend, I won''t break, and I will make you regret,'' she thought while glaring at Nowa.


    Without further confirmation, Nowa raised his greatswords and went for the same set of spells. Orisa focused as best as she could, sharpening her senses. Under Nowa''s command, half of the bombs flew towards her, and Orisa shot Block Walls in all directions to intercept bombs. A Black Hole appeared above her head, pulling Orisa upward towards the spell while the rest of the bombs slowed down and continued to travel to the spot on the floor. She placed a barrier between herself and the hole above, which immediately disappeared and reappeared on the floor below her, yanking her body downward. She made it in time to place a Wall, but several more mines that had been flying towards the floor all this time hit her and exploded a moment later.


    Orisa ended up on the floor again. It hurt a lot, but her pride had been damaged beyond even that. Nowa was clearly toying with her, and this gap in strength and speed made her grit her teeth in frustration and resentment.


    \"Poor kid. Nowa should have gone easy on her, especially for the first time.\"


    \"How did I beat you? Do you still believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with this outcome? Knowing your opponent is important. To execute a plan in combat, you need to create a situation where you limit his actions and escape routes to one or two, and that''s where your real attack should happen. Visualize your opponent''s movements, his defensive, and offensive moves, and lead him into the trap,\" Nowa narrated aloud as if teaching everyone present. \"You are clearly not suited for such training.\"


    More people left the balcony. Only her squad members, Tomika, and the woman with the blonde ponytail were still standing there. Orisa glanced at them but couldn''t make out their expressions. She straightened herself, took a deep breath, and pointed at Nowa with her right hand. After several seconds of delay, she waved him in a provoking manner to come at her.


    \"Hoh? Interesting,\" he said in a clearly unamused tone and went on the offensive again.


    When multiple mines appeared around Orisa, she dug one of her Mana layers into the floor and anchored herself to the ground. Without stopping for a single moment, she conjured three Multiplying seals and started shooting simple projectiles through them in all directions. Thanks to the Seal, there were so many of these projectiles that most mines were destroyed in the barrage. Nowa commanded the rest of his bombs to fly towards Orisa while also summoning a Black Hole in front of her. She was anchored to the floor, but the pull was so strong that she still dropped on her knees. Orisa was expecting this and covered herself in a spherical barrier when the rest of the bombs were about to hit her. This move was extremely inefficient in regards to her Mana pool, but she didn''t care and only wanted to shut Nowa down by proving her worth.


    \"Umu. You were not harmed,\" he said after smoke from the explosion had dispersed.


    \"Good job, dude! I believed in you, yay!\" shout Kanai in excitement, and the rest of their squad followed, cheering on Orisa.


    \"It is good to see you overcome the same pattern of four simple spells after the third attempt,\" Nowa continued, killing the mood instantly. He waited a bit to let the phrase sink and said: \"You can come at me now. However, I won''t stay on the defensive as well.\"


    \"Yay, show him! I know you can do better than this!\"


    More irritated than cheered by Kanai''s yelling, Orisa got back on her feet and took a moment to think the situation through. In theory, she had lots of options to defend and attack, but in reality, her arsenal was limited to just a few because of Nowa''s strength and speed. She wouldn''t be able to overwhelm him with strength or speed, which led to two obvious choices - a surprise attack or an overwhelming amount of independent strikes from multiple directions. Their strength was irrelevant since the goal was to prove Nowa that she wasn''t dead weight.


    Orisa launched into a barrage of attacks while also stretching forward the Mana layer she had been using to anchor herself to the floor. It was hard and went slow since the floor didn''t have mana-circuits. Nowa counterattacked with a few lazy Slashes that were met by Orisa''s Barriers but otherwise was idle. When her Mana layer went far enough and ended up beneath Nowa''s feet, Orisa launched a distraction barrage of various attacks and used this layer:


    \"Palm Push Strike!\"


    Nowa made a small sidestep, and Orisa''s spell shot into the air, barely missing its target. When the last of her attacks landed harmlessly, an uncomfortable silence landed on the training hall. Seeing that Nowa stopped as well, Orisa hung her head in disappointment, lazily going through other ideas in the meantime.


    \"You should have known that I can sense Mana as you do,\" Nowa said calmly, but Orisa felt his voice switch to a slightly less disrespectful and displeased tone. \"Try again.\"


    When Orisa prepared herself, Nowa threw one of his greatswords at her without any warning. She sensed a Mana layer attached to the sword and was ready for it to be pulled back to Nowa after she would block it. What she wasn''t ready for was an explosion that he channeled through his sword after it got stuck in Orisa''s shield. Perhaps due to the distance or lack of preparations, the explosion hadn''t had much power to it, so Orisa ended up more scared than hurt.


    The sword fell on the ground. The loud bang jolted Orisa back to reality just in time to sense Nowa rushing towards her from the side with his remaining greatsword. Bearing in mind some lessons that she had already learned today, Orisa placed a spherical barrier around the sword just in case, and mere moments after she had done so, the sword exploded again, this time harmlessly.


    Nowa pulled the lying sword back while swinging his remaining sword at Orisa. He was faster, which left it pointless for Orisa to try and dodge. To stop the sword, she made several compressed barriers that she had used in the fight with the twice-evolved panther. She used her remaining Mana layers to counter-attack with two Palm Push Strikes. While Nowa''s sword hit the shields, he also blocked Orisa''s retaliation strikes with the other weapon. Right at that moment, she used Flip right under his feet.


    The spell flung Nowa into the air. Despite his armor, he made an elegant twist and landed on both feet.


    \"-Hand of God!-\" -- \"-Hand of God!-\"


    Two giant palms smashed the floor, forcing Nowa to sidestep again. He ended up at the same spot where the fight had started. As if slightly offended by such an outcome, he went on the offensive, throwing numerous Reality Slashes at Orisa. In the middle of the barrage, he also used a spell that Orisa hadn''t seen before:


    \"-Niggurath Hoof!-\"


    A giant hoof appeared above Orisa''s head, and at the same time, Nowa also summoned his signature Minefield, filling the air around her with invisible bombs.


    \"-Safe!-\" -- \"-Safe!-\" -- \"-Safe!-\" -- \"-Safe!-\"


    \"-Fog of War!-\" -- \"-Fog of War!-\"


    A stack of shields appeared above her head, but Orisa didn''t stop there and conjured a double Fog to cover herself and her Mana.


    Nowa stopped for a moment in confusion. He thought he had taught her that he can sense Mana well. Despite the fog, he could still locate her position and even saw that she made a round barrier below the stack of shields. Shrugging in disappointment, Nowa commanded his mines to fly at Orisa. The hoof and the bombs hit at the same time, although the hoof was stopped by the last of her stacked shields.


    A loud and bright explosion followed, spreading the fog all over the hall. Nowa sensed two thick Mana sources inside the fog. They appeared inside the shield that had apparently saved the girl from his bombs and rushed towards him from both sides.


    \"Hoh? A decoy and a real one to confuse me inside this fog?\" Nowa wasn''t amused by such a move but still gave Orisa one point for trying.


    Both Mana sources closed on him, but Nowa lazily swung his greatswords. To his mild surprise, both targets exploded in a freezing torrent. At the same time, he heard a familiar chain for spells:


    \"-Assault Seal!-\" -- \"-Support Seal!-\" -- \"-Utility Seal!-\" -- \"-Rotary Seal!-\" -- \"-Attack Seal!-\"


    \"-Asura Strike!-\"


    \"Umu, this is a good plan, little one,\" Nowa announced, covering himself with six Haze Shields. Another blinding and deafening explosion occurred, amidst which Nowa heard another chant:


    \"-Palm Push Strike!-\"


    From the start of the last fight, Orisa hadn''t made a single step, so she retained that one Mana layer stretched throughout the floor. Her previous attacks had forced Nowa back to his starting position as well. Right at the spot where her Mana layer was waiting.


    When the smoke from Asura cleared, everyone in the hall noticed armor around Nowa''s left leg ragged, and a thin stream of blood painting the floor below his foot in red.


    All present inside the room understood very well that Nowa hadn''t used even half of his strength, but still, Orisa''s efforts were commendable and deserved loud cheering and applause that were running throughout the hall at the moment. Nowa put his greatswords away into his back sheath and said with his public, deep and mighty voice:


    \"I expected nothing less from you, little one. Good work. Umu!\"

 98 Snatch

    Three days later, most AOG members gathered inside a meeting room, eager to hear about their next step. The sparring between Orisa and Nowa had had a surprisingly positive effect on the atmosphere inside AOG as people began to open up and interact with her squad in a friendlier manner. This attitude change had been bugging the friends until Dippo explained to them that Nowa had mentioned there would be a delay if Orisa''s squad was found lacking. In the end, Nowa''s expectations had been on point in regards to the squad''s skill level, and everyone in AOG brightened up in anticipation of their next global move.


    \"While our newest members still require some amount of education, we need to make a move nonetheless,\" Nowa began the meeting without any pleasantries or opening remarks. He had been training Orisa personally during the past three days, and the rest of the squad had had personal coaches as well. \"As you all know, there is only one shelter left, the one with the most data and all remaining secrets.\"


    \"What made you believe so?\" a woman with a long blonde spiral ponytail, Ririm vas Nava, asked bluntly. Despite having a priest-like appearance, an angelic voice, and a healing specialty, she was one of the most direct and doubtful people in AOG. She was always the first to question everything.


    \"Because I know that, Ririm.\"


    \"We all trust you, Master Nowa,\" unfazed, she continued. \"However, it won''t kill you to explain your source of confidence. Like usual.\"


    \"I believe we''ve been through this countless times already,\" Nowa said with a hint of exhaustion in his voice.


    \"Exactly. For one of such intelligence, you show a striking inability to advance in a social direction.\"


    A light chuckle ran through the room. Orisa glanced at Nowa and, for some reason, felt sympathy and almost pity for him being laughed at. She scratched her head and coughed, pulling the attention on herself:


    \"I think what mister Nowa is trying to say is that the reasoning is quite obvious, at least he thinks so. I assume it is the following - since the Kavenfenn family retained access to their vault, and were also behind the downfall of the other two houses, they should have processed and used the data in the vault, or even added more on top of the legacy.\"


    \"Obviously,\" Nowa said when everyone looked back at him. \"The Kavenfenns'' origin was commerce, technology-related commerce, to be specific. They were the biggest supplier of Spire''s experiment, among other things such as materials for shelters and operational tools. Even not taking into account what young Orisa said, the conclusion is quite obvious. Umu.\"


    \"How were we supposed to know all this?\" asked someone from AOG.


    \"By reading the document that I asked everyone to read before coming to this meeting that nobody bothered to read?\" Another laugh went through the room while AOG members were exchanging proud glances. \"Honestly, you people are ready to work tirelessly, get yourself hurt, fight hordes of Beasts... And the sole thing I can''t make you do is to start reading documents? How very unpleasant.\"


    Again Orisa felt a surge of pity as this situation reminded her of the old days of being a team lead. Nobody had ever bothered to prepare for meetings she had planned, each and every time had she been forced to retell everything, and people had been laughing at her efforts. It was strange to see a person with such authority, power, and charisma still fail to bring his subordinates to order regarding this matter. Some things appeared to be beyond the capacity of anyone.


    \"Shouldn''t we get back to the topic?\" she asked loudly.


    \"Indeed, playtime is over. It is the last step towards our goal and our ambitions. We must execute it perfectly, although I don''t doubt the outcome in the slightest.\" Nowa paused and looked around the room, making brief eye contact with everyone present. \"As always, I would like to hear your ideas first, and then I''ll share my vision of the situation.\"


    \"Raid them and kill everyone?\"


    \"Blow something to make a distraction, then storm the place?\"


    \"Disguise as guards and sneak inside!\"


    \"Release a sleeping agent, then stroll into the vault?\"


    Opinions and ideas began to shower down like hail. The brainstorm went on for fifteen minutes, but to Oirsa''s taste, it all sounded delusional at best. The vault happened to be in the capital city below one of the most guarded mansions. Without taking into account the capital''s garrison, the Kavenfenn guards would pose a threat as well. And if they were to get noisy, it would be beyond unrealistic to leave the capital through the only exit it had.


    \"I don''t know how useful it might prove to be, but I still own several blank papers signed and stamped by the Supreme Commander''s seal. W-w-we can use one to write a document allowing us to enter the v-v-vault. Or something...\" Tiana started the phrase loudly but turned all sheepish by the end, shuffling uncomfortably by everyone''s gaze. Despite everything, she felt uncomfortable from the stuttering, and people''s pitying gazes made it even more so.


    \"We can send Tiana herself with such a paper, I think. It will bolster the chances of success greatly since I highly doubt that her father has changed her official status or disclosed anything about their breakup. To be safe, we''ll still need to check the facts, but there is another issue I haven''t heard anyone mention yet,\" Orisa quickly added.


    \"Umu. I think I know what you are going to say, but go one, state your concerns.\"


    \"Even if we manage to get inside, it would take too much time to get all the data via our current methods. What are we going to do with it?\"


    \"And so, my dear comrades, once again, I was right about requesting your patience. Young Orisa and her squad are proving to be as useful as I promised, umu. Indeed, her concern is on point, and I have been working on the solution for quite some time.\"


    Accompanied by everyone''s respectful gazes, Nowa went into a long lecture about technologies, vaults, planning, and other things he so wanted to share with everyone. By the end of his speech, some people even began to yawn.


    \"And so, a small group of our specialists will depart first thing in the morning towards the Todo shelter to finalize the extraction method and test it in the field. As for the plan of our operation, we will utilize all our remaining connections to the Military as well. Using them, we will be sending young Lady Kavenfenn to her ancestral home. Together with young Orisa, they will carry the operation, and the rest of us will be on standby to cover them if necessary.\"


    \"Are you sure? Why me and why only two people? I''m a wanted fugitive, you know? How would people like you or me even get into the city?\"


    \"Don''t worry about little details - we have our ways to infiltrate. As for your personal appearance, our stylist Tomika will be glad to help you with the recognition. Regarding the other question, the answer is obvious, and you can get it by yourself. I will name people who should stay here and plan the details of the following event. The operation will be launched when we are through with the data-copying mechanism.\"


    With that, Nowa dismissed most of AOG members, leaving Orisa, Tiana, Toatre, and a few more people of his crew. They spent three hours going through different ideas, routes, schemes, escape plans, failsafe mechanisms, and more. It reminded Orisa of her own meetings that she had held numerous times in the past. By the end of the planning, her head was spinning faster than what she thought humanly possible.


    The plan''s general outline was the following - Orisa and Tiana would enter the mansion and go directly to the vault where they would present a paper signed by the Supreme Commander that told the girls to test a new data extraction device. While they were inside the vault, the support and rescue teams would observe the perimeter and interfere with any alarm or messaging systems. They wouldn''t take action unless the situation turned into a mess since they wouldn''t be able to enter the mansion without raising the main alarm. There were several other failsafe steps to protect the girls and create an escape route, and the final step in the worst-case scenario was to blow one of the exterior walls surrounding the city to create a distraction.


    Three days passed after the meeting. The quick extraction method was finally ready. During that time, all members of Orisa''s squad had been training hard, including Orisa herself. The device for swift data recovery resembled an aqualung - two huge and heavy tubes and a cable to connect it to the vault''s system. Luckily, they still managed to fit it into a common backpack, so now Orisa was walking down the capital city''s streets by Tiana''s side and carrying the device on her back. The other operation members had entered the city beforehand and were already on standby near the mansion. Orisa had even heard Dippo mention that the rest of her original squad, namely Nana, Nene, Marina, and Shou, would be present since it was the time to bring them up to date with everything and also test their skills in such a plan.


    \"Are you nervous?\" asked Orisa. Their whole stroll through the city, she had been holding Tiana''s hand that had turned into a sweat-basin during the trip. \"Don''t worry, I''m with you, and everyone else is nearby, too.\"


    \"It''s not that, Orisa. I w-w-was just thinking...\" Tiana paused, and they walked in silence for some time. \"Thinking about w-w-what should I do if my father shows up.\"


    \"Now you are raising some red flags here, dear. But I''m sure we''ll deal with this man just fine,\" Orisa reassured her friend. She was confident in the combat side of things but remained doubtful of the mental part.


    \"If... If it comes to that, let me deal w-w-with him by myself, please?\"


    \"Sure thing. But I''ll be covering your back just in case, so I accept no objections on this part.\"


    The pair kept walking down the streets that were now submerged into twilight. Despite being an evening of a weekend, there weren''t many people around. Orisa didn''t mind this at all and decided to help Tiana relax with a little bit of teasing:


    \"How are things with you and Iten? I saw you passionately whispering in the kitchen the other morning, so cute. You can make a move while Nene isn''t here.\"


    \"Orisa! How could you?!\" Tiana even stopped, looking at Orisa with her mouth agape. \"I w-w-would never do such a thing. It is completely inappropriate. And w-w-we w-w-weren''t w-w-whispering!\"


    \"Yes-yes, as you wish. But it''s nice seeing you two get along, that''s what I meant.\"


    \"I am more than convinced you meant an absolutely different thing.\"


    \"Did I? Oh, silly me. By the way, how did he like your braids?\" Orisa asked, recalling Tiana''s temporary change of style. Due to their situation, everyone was rather limited in their clothes, so people had been making do with whatever available to make everyday life less mundane. In this case, Tiana had tried gathering her hair into braids.


    \"He said that the braids revealed my neck and shoulders in a new and interesting w-w-way, highlighting my profile...\"


    \"Oh my...\"


    Internally, Orisa was rolling on the ground and squirming with joy. While she had never really wanted Tiana to try and steal Iten, somehow, the whole situation was always making her chuckle and beam with positivity. The light teasing went on until they arrived at the staff entrance to the vas Kavenfeen mansion. Three guards were standing outside the closed gates, and their amazed looks directed at the approaching pair.


    \"Wow, young lady, we haven''t seen you for ages! Greetings, what are you doing here?\"


    \"Hello, Uhura, Scott, Leonard, nice seeing you all here. I have a day-off and decided to meet my father today.\"


    \"But why are you using the back entrance?\"


    \"My friend here has a private business and needs to talk to the Supreme Commander. She prefers her arrival to be anonymous, if possible.\"


    \"Of course, young lady, as you wish,\" said the guard and banged on the gate. \"Kirc, open the gate, it''s lady Tiana here with her friend. Also, inform Miss Pestoni that the young lady is here.\"


    \"Maria is here?\" Tiana was caught off-guard.


    \"I believe so, lady Tiana.\"


    The girls ended up inside the yard and slowly strolled to the other side of the mansion where the entrance to the shelter stood, disguised as a storehouse. Four more people were guarding the entrance, which made Orisa shake her head in amusement: ''So much for hiding things. Inconspicuous storage guarded by a number of people, heh.''


    \"Good evening, young lady. How can we help you?\" asked one of them in a polite but tense manner.


    \"Hello, Noah. I have an assignment from my father. Here is my assistant, and here is an explanation,\" she said and handed the guard a signed paper. The guard quickly skimmed through the document, returned it to Tiana, and said:


    \"As you wish, young lady. Please, proceed.\"


    All the guards silently stepped to the sides, letting the pair in. The door closed behind their backs, leaving them in a barely-illuminated room with a single open hatch. There was a narrow staircase leading downward.


    \"Somehow, I''m getting a bad feeling now,\" Orisa muttered.


    \"Indeed, it feels w-w-wrong. Despite that, w-w-we have a mission and must proceed.\"


    A long journey down ended with a familiar corridor. Although they had prepared a device to solve the issue, the door to the vault was open, and they passed through without an incident. Unlike the other two shelters they had seen, this one didn''t have a room with elevators, and the opening corridor led directly into the first hall. When they stepped inside, five people simultaneously turned their heads towards the intruders. One of them stood from a comfortable chair and clapped his hands once, letting out a creepy laugh.


    \"He warned me that someone might come here, but I could have never imagined such luck. Not only did you, my moronic daughter, return here but also brought a gift for my fiance as well. Terrific.\"


    The Supreme Commander was thoroughly pleased. He was looking at the girls with a triumphant look for a few moments until Orisa''s laugh broke the silence:


    \"See what happens when you raise red flags? But I think this daddy of yours is surely mistaken since it''s we who are lucky today.\"


    \"W-w-what do you mean, Orisa?\"


    \"Well, I was really hoping to meet him, you see. Some parenting one-ou-one is long due,\" said Orisa and supported her message with a sound of her knuckles cracking.

 99 The right thing

    \"Orisa, you promised to let me handle him,\" Tiana said and pointed her battle staff at the Supreme Commander.


    \"I stand by what I say because this is my Ninja Way!\" Orisa laughed even louder, causing six pairs of brows to rise up. \"-Fury!-\"


    \"What in the damn-.\"


    \"-Shock Strike Field!-\" -- \"-Vi Shock Fist!-\" -- \"-Hand of God!-\"


    A field of floating bombs appeared all over the hall. Right after that, Orisa summoned two giant fists and threw them at four guards. Two guards didn''t react on time and were hit by the fists that exploded with fire, shocking them unconscious immediately after that. Since Orisa lacked severely in raw magic power, her spells couldn''t penetrate targets'' resistance easily. For that reason, all her attacks contained a sequence of effects, exploding first to create a breach in the defense and then letting the shock effect reach the target''s Mana circulation system. Shock Fists and Strike Mines were similar in that regard. Out of two remaining guards, one jumped backward to avoid the fist and landed right on one of the bombs, triggering an explosion with a shocking post-effect. The last guard made an empowered jump upward and was hit by a Hand of God. In a span of three seconds, all four guards ended on the floor.


    \"How anticlimactic,\" she said lazily. On the inside, however, Orisa was jumping all over the room and yelling happily. The duel with Nowa and his lessons both gave her a surge of confidence and also added a good layer of tactical thinking to her combat skills. The training of past days was paying off.


    \"Useless fools. I''m so tired of being surrounded by incompetent garbage! Why is this happening to me? Always need to do everything by myself,\" the Supreme Commander spat out words in a tone full of hatred and unsheathed his rapier.


    \"I''m g-g-giving you a chance to surrender, father.\"


    \"But why?\" Orisa exclaimed in surprise. \"We do not negotiate with terrorists!\"


    \"You two are completely out of your mind if you think you can get out of here alive,\" he said and took the battle stance, swinging his rapier:


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Living Legend!-\"


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Way of the Sword!-\"


    \"Okay, Tiana, prove him wrong while I''m resting on the sofa over there,\" Orisa said and casually strolled to the nearest couch, putting the backpack with the copying device on the floor. Despite her demeanor, she was nervous and restless on the inside. While she trusted Tiana and her skills, especially after the girl had taken numerous lessons, Orisa still couldn''t risk it. After settling down, she slowly started stretching her Mana layers all over the room. While she was doing so, Tiana engaged in combat:


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Overtake Cascade!-\"


    The spell was designed to turn positive effects on the target into negative debuffs one by one if there was enough power to breach the target''s resistance time and time again. Due to gaining much more strength from Empower, the spell could easily rob most targets of their strength and drown them in debuffs. Usually, most people didn''t bother with learning anti-personnel magic or counter-spells because their main targets were Beasts, so even a moderate amount of specialized training could turn anyone into a battle maniac.


    The Supreme Commander suffered for a moment under a pile of negative effects, then dispelled them and rushed forward after cursing loudly. While being a close combat fighter, he also had several ranged attacks.


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Lightning Thrust!-\"


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Blazing Wave!-\"


    Spell after spell flew from his rapier, covering his hurried advance. Tiana put up a simple barrier and took all of her father''s attacks head-on. When the man got close enough to perform a melee strike, she chanted two spells without moving or trying to dodge the swing:


    \"-Negative Field!-\"


    \"-Guardian!-\"


    A sphere of dark-blue Mana surrounded Tiana, covering an area of several meters in all directions. Unable to change his path due to inertia, the Supreme Commander stepped into the field, and his speed dropped down immediately. Orisa knew the spell. It created a multi-layered web of reinforced Mana that could hinder any movement within its radius. Since they were fighting inside the vault, it''s floor began to absorb the spell, but Tiana had supplied enough Mana for it to last a few moments. A second later, her deer-guardian appeared to the left and rammed its antler''s into the man''s side. Tiana dispersed the Field at the same time, letting her father fly away freely.


    The Supreme Commander landed on one knee a few meters away and immediately applied a healing effect. Once again, Tiana aimed her staff and turned the spell into a poison via the Cascade Overtake.


    \"Ungrateful bitch, I''ll make you suffer!\" her father screamed. His pride seemed to suffer a much deeper wound than his side, which made Orisa chuckle with a predatory smile.


    \"-Empower!-\" -- \"-Piercing Throw!-\"


    The man threw his rapier after empowering it with Mana. Tiana didn''t even bother trying to dodge. Instead, her guardian stepped forward and took the hit. As it disappeared, the weapon fell on the floor with a loud noise, and all its power was absorbed by the floor. Her father was on the move again, and his fists were glowing red. He lunged forward, screaming:


    \"I''ll fix you with my own hands!\"


    \"-Rising Smite-!\" -- \"-Falling Smite!-\"


    The first golden fist hit the man from below, and the second one caught him mid-air, smashing the Commander into the floor. He yelped from pain, swearing and spitting on Tiana''s footwear. His daughter stood motionless, calmly observing him from above.


    \"You think¡­ you''ve won?!\"


    The Supreme Commander pulled a dagger from his belt and tried to ram it into Tiana''s ankle, but the girl calmly smacked his hand with her staff. A Falling Smite spell calmed the man substantially. He was lying on the floor, panting heavily.


    \"I thought it would feel nice, but¡­ You know, looking at a father trying to kill his only daughter certainly doesn''t bring you joy,\" Orisa muttered uncomfortably.


    \"Shut your filthy trap, fiendfood!\" the man exploded and tried to stand up, which earned him another Smite.


    \"Stop this pointless struggle and g-g-give up, father.\"


    \"Don''t call me that, you abomination.\"


    \"There is only one abomination here, and it is you. You could have served your people, your land, and your house. Instead, you only brought shame onto Kavenfenn. Although, the name w-w-was already beyond salvation¡­\"


    \"What do you even know, stupid bitch?! I''m the head, I''m the house itself. And I''m the Supreme Commander, whatever I want is what this world needs!\"


    \"Are you saying this w-w-world needs an usurper w-w-who abuses his power to satisfy his puny pride? You care not for your people, only for yourself and this ugly, sullied bloodline of yours.\"


    \"Pathetic excuse of a Noble, you clearly know nothing about our glorious family.\" He slowly turned on his back, still lying on the floor, and looked Tiana in the eyes. \"We are the ones who upheld the world on our shoulders, who guided the peasants and filthy fiendfood to the glorious future. The only house capable of withstanding the test of time.\"


    \"Yes, by trampling the rest¡­\" Tiana uttered bitterly.


    \"Phah, indeed, you are pathetic. Soft, stupid, shortsighted, utterly useless like your mother.\"


    \"Don''t you¡­\" Tiana clenched her hands around the staff.


    \"Oh, I so wish she''d die sooner. I would have found a normal, appropriate wife a long time ago and wouldn''t have been punished with such disgrace of a daughter.\"


    \"How could you¡­ W-w-when this is over, I-.\" Tiana was trembling from anger.


    \"When we are through, I''ll make sure that I''ll lock you somewhere deep where nobody would find, and you''ll rot there, disgusting brat.\"


    \"Tiana, stop listening to him,\" Orisa tried to guard her friend, seeing how Tiana began to shake. Her face turned red, and sweat was rolling down her brows.


    \"And your fiendfood pet, I''ll-.\"


    \"Stop...\"


    \"I''ll make something good for her specifically.\"


    \"Stop...\"


    \"Oh, I''ll take my time and first will make her a soldier''s plaything.\"


    \"You..!\"


    \"When they are through, I''ll slowly-.\"


    \"Stop!\"


    \"I''ll slowly chop her in front of you and feed her to Beasts like a proper fiendfood she is.\"


    \"Tiana, stop!\" Orisa ran to her friend, but she was too late.


    \"-Blast!-\"


    From a point-blank range, Tiana''s spell turned the Supreme Commander''s rib cage into a bloody mincemeat. He coughed once, tried to raise his head to check his body but couldn''t. A dumbfounded covered his face like a mask as he drew his last breath.


    Shaking violently, Tiana took a few steps back and fell on her knees. Orisa dropped by her side a second later and hugged her trembling friend. Tiana was still clutching her staff. Her clothes were drenched in sweat. Orisa forcibly turned Tiana''s head to look into the girl''s eyes. They were wide open, but she wasn''t looking at Orisa, her gaze went somewhere further, somewhere beyond. Orisa heard the girl slowly mutter:


    \"I did the right thing¡­ I did the right thing¡­ I did the right thing¡­\"


    Not knowing what to do, Orisa took hold of Tiana''s shoulders and shook the girl, trying to bring her to her senses. She wanted to call Tiana, but her friend''s gaze suddenly focused on Orisa and turned sharp. She looked Orisa in the eyes said with a strong, clear voice:


    \"I did the right thing.\"

 100 A good old friend

    The event with Tiana''s father left both girls mentally and physically drained. They sat on the sofa in silence, neither knowing what to say nor wanting to produce any sounds. An unpleasant stench of blood filled the room.


    Some ten minutes later, the guards began to wake up, so Orisa made a round and knocked them out once more. When she got back, Tiana was absentmindedly staring at her father''s corps, so Orisa decided to ask:


    \"How¡­ are you feeling?\"


    \"Um?\" Tiana finally remembered that she wasn''t alone here. \"Oh, forgive me. I think I¡­ should be alright. W-w-we need to store the data.\"


    \"Don''t you worry about silly things. I''ll do it myself, and you just rest here.\"


    \"No, let me help. I need to¡­ to g-g-get my mind off the thing.\"


    Orisa took the backpack with the device, and turned to Tiana expectantly. The girl stopped by her father''s body once more and gave it a long look. Then her gaze switched to Orisa, who felt too uncomfortable in this ongoing silence and said:


    \"I think you did what you had to.\"


    \"I know,\" Tiana answered after a long pause. Together, they went to look for the vault''s access room.


    Half an hour later, the girls were done with the extraction and returned to the main hall. With a sting of pity and guilt, Orisa noticed how Tiana shivered slightly from the sight in front of her. That was when they heard footsteps from the corridor. Both girls tensed immediately and took battle stances, but the guest left them speechless.


    \"What the hell is going on?!\"


    Out of breath, sweaty and somewhat ragged, Kanai was standing speechless in the corridor.


    \"Kanai..? What are you doing here? How...\" Orisa asked.


    \"No time for this. We need to get out and fast unless you haven''t finished the task yet,\" Kanai continued with the raised voice.


    \"W-w-were are...\" Tiana muttered uneasily, baffled.


    \"Hurry up - we need to leave ASAP. What''s wrong with you people?\" Kanai went to take the backpack from Orisa and finally noticed the corpse. \"Wow, you did a number on him. Who is this guy?\"


    Tiana flinched. Her gaze was wandering between the body, Orisa, and Kanai, not knowing what to say or how to explain everything. In the end, she looked at Orisa with pleading eyes and turned away. Still shocked herself, Orisa let out a painful sigh and said:


    \"It''s Tiana''s father. For some reason, he was waiting for possible intruders here.\"


    \"Oh... shit. Oh, fuck.\" Kanai approached Tiana and lightly hugged her around the shoulders. \"I''m so sorry, Tiana. That''s horrible, even though he...\"


    Kanai shut up, realizing what he had almost said in such an inappropriate moment. While still hugging Tiana, he subtly gestured to Orisa a question: ''Was it you or her?'' Orisa pointed at Tiana, and Kanai''s expression darkened even more. He quickly distanced himself from the girl and spoke:


    \"I know it''s... Well, honestly, it all coincided horribly, but we are in deep shit and need to leave fast. The city is under attack, and Beasts are already inside.\"


    \"WHAT?!\"


    \"Yeah. Nowa thinks it''s all part of this knight''s plan. Something about being unable to go against us one on one and bringing an army into a trap instead. I don''t know and don''t care. But Nowa says we can''t leave the city be since it''s our fault.\"


    \"Doesn''t look like him, though,\" Orisa said thoughtfully.


    \"It does look like he has something else on his mind, sure, but we have his orders either way.\"


    \"W-w-what should w-w-we do?\" Tiana asked, slowly returning back to her usual self..


    \"Great minds work in mysterious ways, so, coincidentally, there is a breach in the wall, and Beasts are coming through the hole. Nowa and most of AOG are fighting there, but from what we know from the reports, half of the Beasts'' horde is rushing through the main underground gate. We need to reinforce this part.\"


    \"I see. Okay, but should we really be leaving things like this?\" Orisa asked and gave the hall another long look.


    \"We don''t have time and... Honestly, what can we do?\" said Kanai with a heavy voice. Together with Orisa, they turned their heads at Tiana.


    \"What do you want to do with his body?\" Orisa asked.


    \"Let''s leave it here. He doesn''t deserve anything better,\" she said after a short pause while giving her dead father one last look. \"But we need to at least take his g-g-guards out before locking the shelter.\"


    \"Locking? You mean¡­ you want to leave his body locked here?\" Kanai was thunderstruck. He couldn''t recognize Tiana.


    \"Yes.\"


    \"Well, if you insist¡­ Okay, let''s take them out. I hope they won''t give us trouble later.\"


    ---


    ---


    The vault was buried deep underground, which had prevented the girls from hearing outside noises before. When they finally got out of the facility, they were almost overwhelmed by the commotion: an alarm call was ringing, accompanied by sounds of distant fighting, spellcasting, explosions, and shouts. The air was filled with smoke. Although the actual combat was taking place relatively far away, occasional Beasts had made it that far, leaving broken and burning buildings all over the city. Even the mansion was damaged.


    \"Maria is here!\" Tiana exclaimed the moment she saw the damaged house.


    \"There has been only one Beast as far as I know, and all the guards pulled back to protect residents, so I''m sure she is fine. And we have our orders,\" Kanai said.


    \"Orisa...\" Tiana''s pleading gaze made Orisa''s heart sink. They both couldn''t afford to lose another member of Tiana''s family today. With that in mind, Orisa turned to Kanai:


    \"We are going ahead, and Tiana will catch up with us in a few minutes.\"


    Kanai nodded reluctantly, and Orisa turned to Tiana: \"Make haste. While we''ve sealed the vault''s door, I don''t want to take unnecessary risks - if he wasn''t the only one who had access, there would be an uproar when his body is discovered.\"


    Tiana''s face expression darkened again, but she nodded and ran towards the mansion. Orisa and Kanai left the yard through the now unguarded staff entrance without any difficulties and ran towards the underground gate.


    \"Aren''t you worried about her?\" asked Kanai.


    \"Well, a bit. But Tiana is quite capable, you know? Also, there are tons of guards in the mansion. She should be okay.\"


    \"That''s that, but I was talking about, you know, her father and stuff. What really happened there?\"


    \"She is tough, I believe in her,\" answered Orisa with a strained voice and hung her head.


    \"Hey? What''s up with you? What happened?\"


    \"Please, I...\"


    \"Oh, hm, sorry. Well, uh, I''m here for you in any case, alright?\"


    \"I know, thanks.\"


    They continued jogging in silence, passing by occasional Beast corpses or destroyed buildings. Not many creatures made it this far into the city but still managed to cause enough damage to the streets. After several more minutes, Kanai decided that Orisa looked less distressed and said:


    \"Onuki, Nene, and Nana are here. Marina and Shou pulled out of the whole AOG thing together.\"


    \"Together? Like, together-together?\" she answered mostly in her usual voice.


    \"Yep. Onuki said that they somehow got real close while we were out taking a breath in the wild.\"


    \"Wow, that''s so sudden. Can''t say I''m not happy for Marina, but I hoped to meet her again.\"


    \"What for?\" Kanai asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    \"Love, are you for real? First Tiana, now Marina?\"


    \"Exactly. Your pervertedness knows no limits.\"


    \"Well, I mean... You aren''t wrong, but that''s different,\" Orisa chuckled and squeezed Kanai''s palm for a moment. \"You know that you are one and only for me.\"


    \"Stop with those lame and embarrassing pick-up lines already,\" Kanai shouted angrily while his cheeks burned crimson.


    Since Tiana and Iten had joined them, Satoru and Mirai had had no quality time alone, making such rare exchanges even more embarrassing. Despite the outraged look at the beginning, a warm and happy smile made its way onto Kanai''s face a few moments later. ''Seems I shouldn''t neglect my romance duties,'' Orisa thought while enjoying the smile.


    On their way to the square, they made a small detour and dropped their luggage in one of the backup hideouts according to the contingency plan. The place wasn''t completely empty since someone had already unloaded their belongings there as well, showing that people of AOG were strictly following the plans.


    The closer they were getting to the gates, the louder it became, and the more people were fleeing from there. Soon the pair encountered a block post that was also serving as an evacuation coordination knot - soldiers and guards were instructing feeling people on the direction and necessary steps while preventing people from getting back to the gates.


    \"Turn back, it''s dangerous here,\" stated a soldier when Orisa and Kanai tried to pass.


    \"We are from The Hounds and were ordered to come and help,\" Kanai answered in a matter-of-fact voice, placing himself above the soldier immediately. \"Status report on the situation at the gates.\"


    \"Sir! I don''t know much since I have been stationed there the whole time, forgive me. I''ve heard that both Guardians and Crusaders there, and evacuation is mostly over, sir.\"


    \"Good job, keep going,\" he said and marched forward. Orisa followed him, carefully hiding her smile. She loved the moments when Mirai turned all serious and leading. They walked away from the post, and then Kanai turned to Orisa: \"Two top groups out of four possible are here. Do you think we should go there?\"


    \"Well, I think it''s okay. As long as there are no Inquisitors, we should be fine. Anyway, we''ll first check the situation and just walk away if it will look like everything''s under control.\"


    \"Oh, yep. What could possibly go wrong when two strongest raids are defending the gate.\"


    \"Dude! What the fuck? Now we are doomed,\" Orisa shouted angrily and kicked Kanai''s feet.


    \"You are too hung up on red flags. It isn''t some Attack on Titans situation.\"


    \"Like, really? You are talking about Titans when we are inside a city surrounded by giant walls with monsters rampaging outside? I just can''t believe it...\" Orisa palmed her face and let out a long sigh. \"Look, if some random giant monster pops out from behind those walls, I''m taking our dear Tiana and going back to my mom.\"


    \"Wow, not to mom! Anything but that.\"


    The closer they got to the Gate Square, the more intense things became around them - soldiers were running back and forth with boxes containing supplies from storages, medics kept bringing injured into shielded areas used as hospitals. More buildings in this area had sustained damage or were completely destroyed. And corpses of Beasts complimented the picture.


    \"Looks like those walls aren''t good enough,\" Kanai said.


    \"I told you so, dude.\"


    The pair finally arrived at the square in front of the underground gate''s entrance. It appeared exactly as they were expecting - people there were constantly swapping each other in small groups, entering and leaving the tunnel non-stop, and a separated division was treating the wounded. Among those people, the ones belonging to top groups could be distinguished easily by their unified and expensive-looking gear. And a thick flow of Mana was coming out of the entrance, making Orisa slightly nauseous and hinting on the insane amount of magic and Beasts there.


    \"I know it''s kinda too late, but is it really okay for you to go there without a tag?\" asked Kanai.


    \"Pfft, do you really think people here have time to check these things? Plus, I have the paper on me. In the worst-case scenario, Tiana will be here to get me out.\"


    \"That''s true, but I still don''t get Nowa. Why the hell should we do all this?\"


    \"Who knows, dude, who knows...\"


    Orisa had been wondering about the question for some time but hadn''t arrived at any plausible answer, looking puzzled herself. It was definitely one of Nowa''s schemes that Orisa couldn''t make sense of because everything they were doing now was dangerous and ill-conceived. Despite that, she wasn''t worried that much since Nowa had earned her trust and due to her already tarnished mental state from the earlier events regarding the Supreme Commander. She resolved to be reactive with the situation instead of being proactive.


    \"Who is in charge of the operation?\" Kanai asked the closest guard when they reached the center of the square. The man only pointed in the general direction, but it already became evident even without his help.


    A small crowd of knights of white and grey armor stood around two people going through a heated argument. One of them, a man with grey hair gathered in a knot, was wearing heavy white armor and holding a two-handed sword in his hand. In front of him stood a woman with a tight white ponytail clad in an even heavier-looking grey armor set. Unlike the man, she was holding a tower shield and a morning star.


    \"Thora, calm down already,\" the man said.


    \"The hell is that supposed to mean?! Pipe down yourself and stop messing up my orders!\" The woman''s mighty shout shook the surroundings.


    \"You are the one not following the plan.\"


    \"Listen well, Freyar, and listen well for this is the last time I''m saying this - take your crapload of a plan and shove it up your ass.\"


    \"We are fighting a horde of Beasts. Their behavior changes drastically when they are like that. You clearly don''t know how to approach such an amount.\"


    \"We are defending an objective, imbecile! You know nothing about proper defense, so shut up and leave it to a pro.\"


    \"You have no experience with crowd controlling, Freya. Mobs require a different approach.\"


    \"And you don''t even know how to set up a proper perimeter and man a defensive line. Why is that important, your empty head might wonder. Because it''s a fucking city defense!\"


    \"Who are they? What''s going on?\" Kanai quietly asked one of the knights.


    \"Oh, you don''t know? Thora and Freyar Ragnos, leaders of Paladins and Crusaders, respectively,\" a knight in white armor answered.


    \"They have been like that for a good ten minutes,\" chuckled a caster in a grey robe.


    \"Are they, like, siblings?\" Orisa raised an obvious question.


    \"Worse,\" was a unanimous reply of all nearby soldiers.


    \"Huh?! Who gave you permission to speak?\" Thora directed her thundering gaze towards the disturbance in the crowd. \"What''s up with those weaklings? Throw them away and get back to work!\"


    \"Um, I''m sorry for interrupting you, Miss Ragnos, we-,\" began Kanai.


    \"HUH?! I didn''t hear your mumbling!\"


    \"The Hounds, reporting for duty, ma''am! Under direct orders from our captain, ma''am.\" Orisa stepped forward and reported in a soldier-like tone.


    \"That sleazy crook is sending more men? Ugh, what''s going through his head?\" Freyar sighed. \"Well, your Mana doesn''t feel weak, at the very least.\"


    \"Sir, what''s the current situation, if I may?\" Kanai asked, picking up this gender-differentiated game.


    Freyar gave Kanai a slightly surprised look, clearly not being used to answering questions. He glanced at Thora, but his wife was still fuming and only blasted another thunder gaze at him. Letting out another tired sigh, he gave a short account:


    \"The tunnel is safe, but I expect Beasts to notice the situation soon and focus most of their attention on the walls.\"


    \"Notice? You are saying it like they are being directed by someone,\" Kanai pointed out carefully.


    \"It''s not unusual for evolved Beasts to take control over small crowds. However, this horde is clearly abnormal. Which, on the other hand, changes nothing - we''ll still need to take crowd control measures and-.\"


    \"That''s exactly why reinforcing our current positions and following my directions is a must!\" Thora exploded again.


    \"So, should we head to the walls?\" Orisa quickly interjected before another round could start.


    \"Whatever, I don''t mind. Take the elevators to the left of the gate,\" Freyar said and turned to his officers. \"Inform groups through six to eight that when their shifts are over, they are to head on the walls.\"


    \"Tell ours to do the same. Also, start bringing hand cannons as well.\" immediately echoed Thora by commanding her peers. She and Freyar exchanged glances, looking ready to start another argument, so Orisa swiftly pulled Kanai away and towards the lifts.


    \"What a lovely pair,\" he noted when they were far enough from all the commotion.


    \"Do you think we''ll be like that, too?\" Orisa asked with a poker face.


    Kanai bent forward in a coughing fit, looking like he was about to die. When he came round a few moments later, Orisa was practically rolling on the ground, laughing her lungs out.


    \"You know what?!\" Kanai spat out angrily and went forward with a retaliation phrase, \"To become like that, we need to get married first.\"


    \"Ew, gross. Why would you bring something like that up? Oh well, if you insist... Then you need to propose, I guess.\"


    \"What?! Why me?\" Kanai was left with his mouth agape, silently staring at Orisa in outrage.


    \"Who else, then? You are a man here, right?\"


    \"What..? But I... You... Urgh, you are impossible!\"


    Laughing even harder, Orisa sped up to catch up with Kanai, who had dashed forward while fuming angrily. They made it past the guards and into the elevator. Before she went inside, Orisa asked guards to spread the word that Tiana vas Kavenfenn might visit so they should guide her to the walls as well.


    The sound of a battle was growing louder while they were going up inside the lift. The pair tensed up and went through the usual buffing routine. The elevator''s doors opened into a small room where several wounded were lying on the floor, and a healer was tending their injuries under a strained look of several soldiers. Orisa shivered from revulsion when the healer turned her head to check the guests, but there was nowhere to hide or run, and her new dyed hairstyle failed to deceive the person in front of her.


    \"What the hell?! What are you... Guards! Arrest her for she is a dangerous criminal,\" their beloved sugar princess in her usual pink dress screamed on top of her voice.

 101 Taking out the trash

    "What the hell?! What are you... Guards! Arrest her for she is a dangerous criminal," their beloved sugar princess in her usual pink dress screamed on top of her voice.


    "Another one of your nonsensical tantrums, Ramulie?" The question came from one of the soldiers overseeing the healing she was performing.


    "Moron! Mongrel! I''m saying she is a wanted criminal for a long time now, and you have probably seen her posters many times. If you are too dumb to keep doubting me, then check her tag."


    Despite the growing disturbance from the battle raging outside, the room became quiet, and several pairs of eyes were staring at Orisa with a mixture of doubt and growing wariness. After a long and dramatic pause, Orisa let out the friendliest and harmless chuckle in the universe.


    "She isn''t entirely wrong, guys, don''t be too harsh on the poor girl. There was a bit of a misunderstanding that we cleared out, so I was acquitted by the Supreme Commander himself. I even have a paper on me."


    "A misunderstanding?!" Ramulie yelled, deafening everyone present. "Nonsense!"


    "Be quiet and keep healing," the same soldier said and took the paper that Orisa handed over.


    "I came here today to get the tag back, but then..." Orisa nodded towards the exit, where Beasts were roaring and magic flying in all directions. "So, well, we rushed here to help since we are from The Hounds, and it''s our job to hunt these things."


    "If she was a criminal, why would she even be here? This assumption is beyond madness. But if you are still doubting us, the Supreme Commander''s daughter will be here soon and could confirm everything," Kanai added angrily.


    "They are lying! There is no way these scrabbles could be genuine, and his daughter was long since..."


    Realizing what she was about to say, Ramulie shut her mouth and glared daggers at Orisa and Kanai. Even she wouldn''t blurt out strictly confidential information about the Supreme Commander''s family matters.


    "Let''s send someone to verify the paper and clarify the situation," she kept going, not willing to let go of such an opportunity.


    "Are you completely empty-headed? We don''t have enough personnel to man the defense line, and you..." The soldier, apparently one of the officers responsible for this segment of the wall, shook his head tiredly and concluded: "Anyway, keep doing your job of damn healing. We don''t have more time to waste."


    The assault had started not that long ago, but the defenders were already quite tired and ragged. Orisa dreaded to think what would happen if or when more Beasts would switch their attention to the walls instead of the tunnel. Remembering a piece of good news, she decided to cheer them up:


    "On our way here, we met people from Paladins and Crusaders. They agreed on sending more people to the walls, so you should expect reinforcements."


    "Took those goats long enough to realize it. Who knows, maybe some of us will even live to see another day," another soldier grumbled, showing anxiety and resentment on his face.


    "Is it that bad?" Kanai asked with a concerned voice.


    "Right now, it''s somewhat bad. What will happen to us all in an hour, though, is a tricky question."


    "Let''s not waste time then?"


    Orisa moved towards the exit. A barely audible grumble followed her move, but she ignored it and stepped outside. Instead, Kanai turned around and gave Ramulie a long appraising look. Coming to a conclusion of his own, he then silently left the room.


    ---


    ---


    The situation on the wall was growing worse with each passing minute, and the arrival of the reinforcements from two elite squads had eased the burden only just briefly. As the commanders predicted, more enemies came at the walls instead of the tunnel, and now almost one-fourth of the wall, an entire southern segment, became a battlefield. Beasts were spreading over a wider area and forcing defenders to thin themselves, trying to cover more space. It was the first assault on the capital of such scale, and defenders were not ready to meet thousands of Beasts.


    Including Orisa and Kanai, only a handful of people were left to guard the elevators, and most of them were either dead or missing. Since she had finished with the last batch of injured, Ramulie was also present among the defenders and regretfully for some people, intact.


    "Don''t expect me to lend you a hand, criminal scum!"


    "I''d rather cut my hand off," Orisa answered after launching another Beast into the air.


    "Why, you..!"


    "Ramulie, shut your trap right now, and help me!"


    Among the remaining few, Seiya was the most promising and reliable of the soldiers stationed on the wall. He was in charge of one of the local defense squads and a "fortunate" superior of Ramulie vi Durek. His experience became evident rather quickly, and Orisa was subtly guarding him against especially eager foes.


    As for the pair, Orisa and Kanai both were getting tired from the constant pressure but otherwise felt confident in their skills. It was hard to guess what helped them - the training they had undergone in AOG base or their trip to the wilds - but their individual skills and teamwork were on an entirely different level.


    "Do cloud," Kanai said, positioning himself behind Orisa.


    "Gotcha." -- "-Rain Support Set!-"


    Earlier, Orisa had found that external Seals not incorporated into her spells were adding considerably more power to her attacks. As a result, her combat style shifted to rely heavily on the external Seals, which made her overall tempo even lower. Together with Nowa, they had trained hard to overcome this issue, and it led to the technique she was using now - a Seal Set. It was similar to normal spells she was using with only one minor difference - the Sets were useless on their own since they only created several Seals without anything else to utilize them. The idea was to combine Sets with other spells in swift succession.


    A beneficial side effect had been an increase in Orisa''s supporting capabilities as it became easier to provide power-ups to other people. She had developed several Sets to support specific spells of Kanai, Tiana, and Iten, compiling Seals to draw the best out of their attacks.


    "-Corrosive Storm!-"


    A grayish-green stream spurted out Kanai''s hand and passed through the Seal Set. It grew several times bigger, forming a cloud that began to drift away from the walls. Five seconds later, the corrosive mass started pulsating, sending lumps of acidic Mana in all directions. Originally, the spell had been designed to either clear rooms and other closed spaces or create a cordon to give a breather or time to escape. However, it appeared even more useful when used from the higher ground, clearing both areal and ground units with striking efficiency.


    "Okay, now to the outer walls. Swarm," Kanai ordered and moved to the edge. The moment he stepped too close, a claw rose from the other side and grazed him. A moment later, a gray rat crawled onto the wall and buckled up for a jump.


    "-Block Rush!-" -- "-Block Rush!-"


    Orisa sent the Beast flying and ran to help Kanai, but he was already done healing himself with the Lifespring. Similar to Orisa''s, his gear was full of holes and covered in blood, but healing kept them both in good shape.


    "-Mana Transfer!-"


    "Thanks. Now, do the Swarm, hurry."


    "-Swarm Support Set!-"


    "-Pestilence Swarm!-"


    Numerous tiny insects rushed down the wall when Kanai used his spell. Multiplied, empowered, and accelerated, they were falling onto the Beasts that were crawling up the walls. Each time the conjured creations collided with the foes, they exploded with corrosive magic, leaving marks of Decay that rapidly grew and killed the Beasts. Without Orisa''s support, the spell couldn''t summon enough units, and they were considerably weaker as well.


    Getting another short breather, Orisa went to recover Mana for herself and people around, but her mind was elsewhere. She was worried about Tiana. The girl hadn''t shown up yet. There could have been many reasons for that, and not all of them were alarming, but her heart was heavy regardless.


    "-Phoenix Thrust!-"


    Orisa snapped out of her thoughts as a comet dashed past her. After blinking in confusion several times, she recognized the defense squad commander, Seiya, pulling his burning sword out of the Beast''s corpse. The creature had been stopped a mere moment before it could sink its fangs into Orisa''s back. Kanai was too occupied with his part and didn''t spot the danger in time. It took her a few seconds to understand how she could make such a mistake. Orisa slapped her forehead in frustration upon discovering that her focused state had run out.


    "Fury!" She chanted, using another unevolved crystal.


    "Now now, don''t get upset, miss, you are doing just fine," Seiya waved his hands jokingly.


    "You better stay a good distance away from her, man. She is hella scary, I''m telling you," with a huge grin, Kanai stirred the pot.


    "Say your prayers, louts," Orisa grumbled, threatening them with a fist.


    ---


    ---


    The siege went on for another fifteen minutes, steadily growing in intensity and difficulty. Of the whole defense group stationed at the elevator, only Seiya and Ramulie were still present. The rest of the soldiers were either dead, moved to other parts of the wall, or were lying unconscious in the elevator room. Even Orisa and Kanai were getting exhausted.


    Suddenly, Orisa felt a surge of Mana from the other side of the city, and another one a moment later. Despite such a great distance, she could sense those enormous explosions of energy and even discern them. One clearly belonged to Nowa, and the other was somewhat familiar as well. Orisa got goosebumps from trying to imagine how much Mana had been used there to make it reach the other side of the city.


    The moment the surge subsided, Beasts doubled their rush at the wall, and Orisa could no longer afford to get distracted. Together with Kanai, they downed their last Stamina Potions and dived into the battle.


    When two evolved Beasts landed nearby a few minutes later, Orisa turned to Kanai with a worried expression:


    "I can''t use Asura or other destructive spells here, or I''ll blast half the wall. Can you-."


    "Yes-yes, so string me up," he quickly interrupted Orisa, grinning disgustingly.


    "I didn''t know you were into this stuff, dude." -- "-Mana Leash!-"


    One of Orisa''s Mana layers stretched out towards Kanai and tied itself around him. This way, she could transfer Mana continuously without any additional spells or manipulation. It was less efficient than her Mana Transfer spell but much more convenient in tougher situations. After making sure he had what he wanted, Kanai proceeded to ready himself:


    "-Endless Regeneration!-"


    "-Endless Cleanse!-"


    "-Intense Flow!-"


    "-Blood Stance!-"


    Due to Kanai''s low Dexterity, he was limited in his arsenal. It was hard to manage complex spells similar to Orisa''s, and even moderately difficult ones were almost impossible for him. Being frustrated with his power ceiling, Kanai had spared no effort looking for a way out. He found it in the form of Ririm vas Nava and her Bloodcasting. Despite being spell-oriented, this style was only usable in melee combat in the long run.


    Bloodcasting relied on the usage of the user''s own blood as a material to conjure attacks. Blood was extremely potent by itself and infused with Mana to the absolute maximum since it was circulating through or alongside Mana layers all the time, which made it the best material. But it was also the most sparse resource available in combat. There was only so much blood that one could lose, and projectiles or other one-use items made out of the blood would obviously make the user''s body go dry in no time. Because of it, the only possible way to use Bloodcasting was to make short-ranged spells and then recycle the blood by taking it back into the body. And after coming back into the blood flow, it was necessary to cleanse it of anything and everything, and also recharge its potency by circulating Mana in a specific manner. Both things wore the user out and ate his Mana quickly, making Bloodcasting a niche and almost useless in most circumstances. Kanai was forced to run regenerative and cleansing spells inside his body for the whole duration of the battle. While Orisa''s Mana Leash solved the cost issue, the exhaustion was unavoidable. But the spells it provided were simple, easy to use, and usually required one Mana layer, which made it worthy for Kanai to use in extreme situations.


    "-Blood Hedge!-"


    Red meter-long spikes burst out of Kanai''s body, several of them going into the stone behind him to reinforce his stance, but the majority went forward. They broke through the evolved Beasts'' resistance with ease and impaled two of them a moment before they landed on Kanai. The last one passed by and ran towards Orisa.


    "Blood Claw!"


    Five spikes surged from Kanai''s palm and almost tore off the Beast''s head, pinning it to the wall. Immediately after that, his vision turned blurry, and he would have fallen on the floor from the sudden dizziness if not for the spikes supporting his posture.


    "-Retract!-"


    The blood got sucked back into his body, and Kanai fell on his knees, panting. He needed a moment to recover. Orisa spotted another evolved Beast on time and caught it mid-air, allowing herself to deal with it without worrying about the surroundings:


    "-Force Block!-" -- "-Force Block!-" -- "-Force Block!-"


    Orisa conjured an obstacle in front of the Beast and created a platform for it to land onto. The moment her target stopped, she enclosed the foe inside a Block Prison, halting its advance for a moment. She gripped an unevolved Mana core and attacked:


    "-Finisher Support Set!-"


    "-Guillotine Fist!-"


    Orisa''s signature attack, Asura Strike, was too destructive to use in a normal situation, but she desperately needed another killer move. After thinking for a while, she had decided to combine several ideas from her previous spells and came up with the new one. Guillotine Fist was a close-range strike made of a Mana blade that was meant to go through obstacles or defense and then transfer the core''s contents right into the target''s body. Combined with a specifically tailored Support Set, it could blow apart most Beasts in one strike. A clear downside was that Orisa needed to get within the arm''s reach and spend some time to conjure Seals.


    The Beast exploded, showering surroundings, and the battle continued. Several more evolved Beasts graced this segment of the wall with their presence, and the team dealt with them in the same way. As the fight went on, they became more and more exhausted, especially Kanai and Seiya. Ramulie was hiding inside the elevator''s hall most of the time, throwing occasional healing spells at her superior officer. Orisa and Kanai were spared from her assistance, although Kanai was barely holding up due to the fatigue.


    A razor-sharp feather came out of nowhere and hit Seiya right between his ribs, sending him rolling on the stone floor. He rammed into the outer guardrail of the wall and went limp. Cursing loudly, Orisa dashed to his aid but was thrown onto the ground by a wave of air. It was created by the landing of an evolved eagle as its massive body rammed into the stone floor, throwing rubble in all directions. Kanai was also thrown to the side and hit a stone wall of the elevator''s hall with his back. The Beast made a sharp turn towards Seiya and waved his wings, conjuring sharp feathers to finish its prey.


    "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-" -- "-Safe!-"


    Orisa barely managed to block the projectiles with the last-moment walls. A surprisingly strong for his evolution stage eagle let out a high-pitched shrill, enraged by such an outcome. Orisa sensed how Mana gathered around the eagle''s wings, so she put forward an anti-projectile Jack Field barrier.


    An empowered hail of feather assaulted Orisa''s shield. It didn''t break her barrier but pushed her a few steps back. Another volley of projectiles knocked on the Jack Field, driving Orisa further towards Seiya and the wall''s edge. She felt another Mana surge, even stronger than previous, and decided to drop the Jack Field. Instead, she stretched her arms forward and chanted the strongest shield in her possession:


    "-Unbreakable!-"


    A multi-layered barrier formed in front of her palms and met a mighty barrage of feathers. She was forced a few steps back again, suffering from the impact. The Beast roared and immediately sent blades of compressed Mana, throwing more feathers afterward. Its attacks went on in quick succession, pushing Orisa farther. Even her strongest barrier began to crack despite the constant supply of Mana.


    The eagle went all out and threw an enormous wave of projectiles. The shield broke, letting some of them through. One of them grazed Orisa''s left temple, two more were stuck in her hands, and the rest were stopped by her body armor and shields. Orisa was barely standing on her feet, leaning on the wall''s guardrail. Behind her was a long fall, and Seiya''s limp body was lying by her side, and her blood was slowly dripping on his figure. She was having a hard time trying to focus - the pain and exhaustion made it difficult even in her focused state.


    Luckily, the Beast was also out of breath and Mana, so it paused for a moment. At that moment, Kanai finally rejoined the fight after being knocked out for several seconds:


    "-Blood Claw!-"


    "-Retract!-"


    Five red spikes pierced the eagle''s head, killing it on the spot, and returned back into Kanai''s palm. On shaky legs, he slowly walked towards Orisa, who was still holding onto the guardrail. An angry shout from behind his back reached his ears:


    "-Greater Holy Wave!-"


    A blinding wave of Mana rushed past Kanai and rammed into Orisa''s chest. Her body shields absorbed most of the damage, but the impact was enough to push her over the edge. As if in slow motion, she was observing Kanai''s changing expression and a triumphant look on Ramulie''s face until they both disappeared from her sight, replaced by an upside-down view of the approaching earth and numerous corpses of Beasts covering the ground.


    "-Blood Grab!-"


    "-Blood Claw!-"


    Something thin and hard wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. As her body made it back to the wall''s floor, the grip loosened and left her lying. Orisa saw blood strings coiled around her figure. They stretched a long distance from Kanai''s left palm. With five spikes growing out, his right hand was facing a different direction.


    Making a huge effort, Orisa focused her gaze on Kanai''s right hand. Pieced by his Blood Claw, Ramulie''s body was hanging in the air. Blood was raining down, and a red pool formed below her feet. Her gaze was blank.


    "Kanai... what..." Orisa muttered in disbelief, trying to make sense of the picture in front of her eyes.


    "She fell," Kanai answered in a quiet, tired voice.


    "Why... how... no..."


    "She fell," his exhausted but angered voice echoed. With a swing of his hand, he threw Ramulie''s body over the edge of the wall.

 102 The truth

    The capital city suffered heavy casualties among its defenders and civilians but withstood the siege. A seemingly endless flow of Beasts dried out eventually, leaving the wall and its surroundings riddled with corpses. The damage to the inner parts of the capital ended up moderate, considering the scale of the attack and the lack of any preparations.


    This outcome was possible because of the AOG and their unofficial help in the defense. While the southern part of the city took the biggest hit from the Beasts'' army, the most dangerous creatures went to the northern side. Using a breach made by Beast Knight, more than fifty twice-evolved Beasts entered the city. If not for the AOG taking them on and hunter Nowa going against the knight, the outcome could have been much worse. After dealing with the northern situation, several AOG members came and picked up Orisa, Kanai, and other members of the organization who ended up defending different segments of the southern wall. Using the general chaos, they fled the city and returned to their base.


    Since AOG got what they wanted from the vault, the operation resulted in success. The outcome, however, was not as favorable and welcomed. There were no casualties due to a fantastic job of AOG''s healers, but more than half of the crew ended heavily injured by Beast Knight''s black fire. The burns couldn''t be healed with magic or potions, and even a little spot would cause considerable pain. Regretfully, quite a few team members got hit almost from head to toe. Among them were Nene and Nana.


    A day later, Orisa walked into the infirmary and took a look around. All of the facility''s beds were occupied by the injured. They had been put into an artificial dream to avoid pain and speed up their regeneration. Ririm vas Nava, AOG''s most skilled healer and owner of the Bloodcasting, was sitting in the middle of the room on a Mana-engineering scheme painted on the floor. It was connected to every bed with a severely injured patient to provide them life-support. Nene, Nana, and other people with heavy burns would have been dead if she hadn''t been helping them.


    "Um, hi there," Orisa asked as she walked into the infirmary.


    Ririm frowned up without saying anything and silently nodded towards the rearmost section. Orisa carefully moved past the woman trying not to step on the glowing Mana Ink lines painted on the floor. In the corner of the room, she found Iten and Onuki sitting by Nene''s and Nana''s sickbeds. The injured girls were almost entirely covered in white cloth, only their eyes and mouths could be seen. While Iten was calmly observing approaching Orisa, she was taken aback by Onuki''s gaze full of animosity. Her momentarily silence born out of confusion was taken the wrong way:


    "What? Have something to say? Spit it," Onuki blurted out, chewing her words.


    "I um..." Orisa was frantically tossing answers in her head and looking for a possible cause for such a reception. Her gaze stumbled upon Onuki''s tightly pressed and slightly trembling white lips, then moved up towards her narrowed eyes. "It''s horrible that everything ended in the way it did. I''m truly sorry and can''t even imagine how both of you feel right now. Everyone tried their best in this shitty situation, but it still turned out like that. I''m sure you did everything you could and then more. I''m sorry."


    "A... yes, thank you," Onuki muttered as all her hostility died out. Judging by her reaction, Orisa concluded that she had guessed right - the girl had been drowning in guilt and expecting to be blamed for everything that happened to Nana. "How was, erm, your part of the operation?"


    "We managed."


    Orisa gave a brief answer since she hadn''t told anyone details of neither the vault''s nor the wall''s incidents. From the concluding report, everyone knew that the Supreme Commander had died, but that was it. Even Nowa hadn''t asked for any specifics.


    As for Tiana, Orisa''s worries proved to be needles - her friend had been caught in a local fight with a Beast that had gotten into the city. She was not only late for the wall''s defense but almost missed the evacuation. Tiana tried to keep it together, but Orisa saw through the act with ease - the girl was barely holding on. Aside from being by her side, Orisa didn''t know how she could help Tiana or ease her pain.


    "It''s good to hear that your group did well," Iten said with an even voice. Orisa couldn''t read him and was worried because of that. Clearly, Iten was saddened, everyone would have been in the same situation. But even after all this time, Orisa still hadn''t learned how he really felt about Nene. Was he head over heels and thus devastated by this, or maybe he had only a general sympathy towards the clingy proactive girl who conquered him almost by force?


    "What''s the prognosis?" Orisa asked Iten, hoping to gauge his state from his reply.


    "As long as I''m here, they''ll live," Ririm answered instead, obviously following their exchange. She was quiet for some time, and Orisa even thought that the conversation was over, but then the blonde woman suddenly continued: "The first time I''m dealing with something so distorted. And that''s coming from me, you see? I know a thing or two about twisting nature through magic. Well, my family does. And this, er, method is quite something, something else entirely."


    "So, what now?" Onuki asked impatiently.


    "Now we calm down," Ririm slightly raised her voice, making Onuki shrink. "Don''t get me wrong, I''m not bragging, but I''m sure I would be able to find a faster way to fix them, if not for, well, you know."


    "I''m afraid we don''t know," Iten calmly noted.


    "If I wasn''t sitting here channeling healing to keep them alive, for example?" The healer sounded quite a bit irritated. "For, like, the following month or two?"


    "Isn''t there anybody to replace you?"


    "Not at the current stage, kids, that''s for sure."


    "Um, so what are we gonna do when you go to sleep?" Orisa raised an obvious question.


    "Obviously, I won''t."


    "Excuse me? I don''t think I''ve heard about magic or potions that would let me stay awake for a month."


    "Sheesh, calm down. There is no such thing, of course. But I''ll manage for a few days, at least while they are in the most danger. Then I should be fine with taking short breaks. Even so, I don''t think there will be a chance for me to research the thing properly."


    "Which leaves us with what exactly?" Onuki asked, trying to keep her voice down.


    "Judging by what Nowa said, the luckiest ones should be fine in a couple of weeks. The majority in a month or so, perhaps? As for your girls and the rest of the charcoal, I don''t know. Wouldn''t expect them walking away soon."


    "A month for the majority? Shit, that''s¡­ We have forty days at best, or even less..." Orisa was at a loss of words.


    "Yep, looks like we are fucked." Everyone''s attention dashed to the door where Kanai was standing. He waited for a few moments for a more dramatic effect then waved Orisa out of the room. "Let''s go."


    "Can it wait? I''ve just gotten here," she said reluctantly, looking back at Iten and Onuki.


    "I''m not sure Nowa will appreciate it."


    "Don''t make him wait, Orisa," Iten said in the same voice. "He wouldn''t ask for you if it wasn''t important. Moreover, you can''t change the situation here anyway, so no point in staying."


    "I''ll come back later today, I promise," Orisa reluctantly said and walked out of the room. When the door closed behind them, she asked: "Why didn''t you go check on the girls?"


    "I was there earlier today, and it didn''t feel like Onuki actually wanted me to stay. It''s not like there is any point in staying there anyway."


    "Well, there isn''t, but maybe there is? I remember you getting angry that I forgot to visit you in the infirmary back at our camp days."


    "They certainly can''t get angry at you because of that."


    "You''ve changed quite a bit," Orisa said softly, then took Kanai''s hand and squeezed it lightly.


    "You think? I kinda doubt it. I''m me, except for the parts that aren''t me, yay."


    They both chuckled softly, clearly getting the gender joke, and continued through the corridor. Orisa hadn''t had time to talk to Kanai, so the wall''s event was still hanging in the air. One of the reasons was that she didn''t know how to handle it.


    "Um, I was meaning to say... Thanks for saving me."


    "Why? Is it something new? Should I thank you for every time you did the same, too?" Kanai wanted to sound casual, but Orisa heard hints of strain in his voice.


    "This time is different, and you know it. I was-."


    "Don''t know what you were, but I was merely taking out the trash," Kanai interrupted her rather harshly. "You know what? I think it''s you who has changed. You became soft, all too forgiving, perhaps even weak! I''m trying to remember the good old Satoru who made almost each and every one of his subordinates cry and wail for help. That Satoru who could put even his superiors to shame and rule his team with an iron fist. What happened to him?"


    "There is a difference between berating morons for how useless and incompetent they are and straight out killing someone. I felt so-."


    "Wow, just look at you! The bitch went for your throat, hello? And, I''m sure, more than once. If her retarded brother were here, they would certainly **** you to death before pissing on your corpse. Does it sound right to you?"


    "No, it doesn''t. But so does your attitude. What''s wrong?"


    "What''s wrong?!" Kanai even stopped, turned to Orisa, and painfully squeezed her forearm. "Are you asking me? Orisa, wake the fuck up, people are walking all over you, and you are just smiling back and trying to reason with them. This isn''t a fucking Mass Effect you are playing on a Paragon route, this shit is real! And I''m sick of watching this whole crap."


    Having said that, Kanai let go of Orisa''s hand and walked on, leaving her behind. Stunned, she was watching his back. Her first impulse was to lash out and tell him to flip, but then it hit her and immediately calmed down. Orisa became angry once more, this time at herself for cooling off too fast since it made Kanai''s point even more upsetting. But she could no longer get mad after realizing the real meaning behind his harsh words. And that pissed her off again.


    In disarray from those mixed feelings, Orisa dashed forward and caught up with Kanai in a split second. Without warning, she grabbed his shoulder, abruptly turned him around, and embraced him with all her might.


    "I can''t explain how damn pissed I am right now, and how even madder I''m getting for what I''m about to say, but I''m sorry for not thinking about your feelings. It would suck for me to watch someone trash you, and I can''t even imagine some dumb shit doing you harm. I''m sorry that I make you worry all the time. Mirai, thank you for being here for me, and I love you so much."


    "Idiot...Geez..." Kanai muttered, completely drained from a maximum level of embarrassment. "You better learn your lessons, or else..."


    "Yes-yes, I''ll do my best."


    A few minutes of cute murmuring later, Orisa and Kanai walked into the briefing room. Aside from hunter Nowa, there were seven people from the AOG, including Tiana, Toatre, and Dippo. Orisa sat by Tiana''s side, and Kanai followed her suit. Since the meeting hadn''t started yet, Orisa whispered to Tiana:


    "How are you?"


    "I''m still trying to digest the situation," Tiana answered, carefully choosing her words. Slightly red spots at the corners of her eyes left no doubt about her state, but the girl was keeping it together. Orisa made a mental note to spend some time with her friend in private and was about to ask something else, but Tiana turned her head and said: "W-w-what about you? You look w-w-worn out, are you sleeping w-w-well?"


    A hurricane of answers, questions, and apologies exploded in Orisa''s head. She hadn''t told Tiana about Ramulie yet and wasn''t sure she would do so at all. At the same time, she was feeling somewhat guilty for the outcome with Tiana''s father. The two thoughts had been plaguing her mind all this time, which is why she was having a hard time sleeping. Orisa didn''t know how she could or should face Tiana while bearing this self-imposed guilt.


    A sudden poke between her ribs woke Orisa from her thoughts, and she faced Kanai, who was rolling his eyes disapprovingly. He could read her like an open book, imagined what was going through Orisa''s head, and decided to stop another self-loathing session. After thanking him with a silent smile, Orisa turned to Tiana and gave an overdue answer:


    "I''m good, thank you. I had a lot to think about and missed the sleeping hours. Don''t worry."


    "Children, I think you should let our chieftain start his speech, or we''ll be sitting here for another hour," Dippo said with a grin.


    Everyone''s gaze focused on Nowanzi Goalo. Their leader was standing in the corner of the room, his back leaning against the wall. He had left his helmet on the table, which left him in his full-plate black armor. With a completely expressionless face, he was looking over the room, stopping his gaze on each person for a moment. A minute passed in complete silence, then another one, but hunter Nowa''s eyes just kept wandering.


    "Have we fucked up?" Kanai suddenly asked as he grew tired of the pantomime.


    "Not exactly," Nowa''s voice was radiating with power, as usual. He seemed absolutely unfazed by the raid''s outcome despite getting almost half of his organization bedridden for weeks. "I know some of you have suggestions, so I''m waiting for you to speak up. But this isn''t the reason why I gathered you all here today."


    "Suggestions about what exactly?" Kanai couldn''t stop and just bulldozed forward. "Should we propose some random insanely bright idea on how to handle the fact that half of our firepower won''t be able to recover before our deadline? Are we talking about this little issue here, or is there something else I''m missing?"


    "Your estimates are not exactly correct since I''m still here. Umu." Confused looks of AOG members focused on Nowa in complete silence. One by one, people began to realize his cue, and strained laughs rolled over the room. "While the fact that our members got hurt is bothersome, I assure you the situation is still well within the design. But if it''s a point of concern for you, my trusted followers, we can bring on board several more members. I think some of you may have suitable candidates in mind."


    Orisa was glad that Onuki wasn''t present at this meeting, or else she would have scratched Nowa''s eyes out for his words about that got hurt. While his attitude made Orisa uncomfortable, her thought process immediately switched to Nowa''s latter words. She remembered one crucial person that was missing from her life.


    "I don''t know about others, but I think I have a fitting candidate in mind. I''ll talk to you, sir, after the meeting is over."


    "Umu, that''s what I was talking about. But if you plan to invite the person I think you are planning, you don''t need to consult with me. Feel free to invite them right away."


    "Uh, um, okay?" Orisa was slightly lost. ''Does he know who I''m talking about? It''s Nowa. I''m sure he does. Probably?''


    "If anyone else would like to suggest more people, talk to me after we are through with the other topics. So, as I was saying, I have a different agenda right now. The first topic is the homework of sorts. I would like you all to study the map and think of ideas on how we could approach the Spire. You can find detailed reports on the area pinned below the map. Bear in mind that the majority of Beast''s population will be spread around the tower, making the nearby area infested to the brim."


    "Nearby area? Be a little bit more specific, pretty please?" Dippo asked sarcastically.


    "Think of it this way - wherever you step in a ten kilometers radius, there will be a horde. Most Beasts of the continent are now gathered around the Spire. Or, to be more precise, will be after the following Wave."


    "What do you mean?" Orisa''s curiosity got piqued.


    "I thought it was rather obvious?" Nowa gave people in front of him a questioning look. "Umu, I see. The assault on the capital. While it may have seemed that its goal was to raze the city, there were two major reasons behind it. First, quite obvious by its timing was to target us, the AOG. It pains me to say this, but I can''t imagine by what virtue the dog was able to guess our timing. Alas, it happened. The other goal, however, was of higher priority for our friend. As you all, I hope, know, the Spire stands at the western edge of the Lazra continent. Instead of leading them through the lands and spending weeks and months to group them under the tower, he deemed it way faster and more efficient to gather Beasts from the eastern side and quickly kill them with the head-on assault. Since the Waves are shorter, most of them will respawn near the Spire, making it way easier to round them for the last defense, which he is preparing, without a doubt."


    While some of the audience ended up lost in the explanation, it made perfect sense to Orisa, who had been wandering about the reason for this attack for quite some time. The knight made perfect use of the Wave''s core principles and turned it to his advantage, and Nowa figured it out based on the same data that Orisa had but failed to do the same. A respect bar she had towards Nowa rose up a few notches.


    "I hope your homework is clear," Nowa continued. "As for the second point of my agenda, we''ve finished with the vault''s data. I''ll present you with an extremely simplified outline since it would take too much time otherwise. You can read the data later if you would like to do so. So here is how it all went.


    Kavenfenns were one of the wealthiest merchant families of the time, and they specialized in magical tech. Their company was employed by the head of the project to supply the necessary equipment and reagents, as well as make final adjustments to the ritual''s scheme since it required a lot of manual labor to implement all over the Spire. Kavenfenns messed it on purpose, planning to get rid of the tip of the ruling class and take the continent over. As it is evident now, they succeeded. However, their plan went wrong in several places. First of all, they were only targeting a handful of people, no more than a hundred directly related to the government, or family heads, and their close successors. Instead, everyone participating in the ritual was affected, and in a way that Kavenfenns didn''t expect. This is the second point, to which I will get back at the moment.


    Setting aside their failure for a second, let''s talk about the extent of Kavenfenn''s knowledge and why it is reliable. Firstly, they dealt with the initial crisis caused by the emergence of Beasts, then began to study the phenomenon. Throughout history, especially at the beginning, when the time between the Waves was long, they gained direct access to the Spire''s controls several times. And they, as we all know, did nothing to resolve the issue since a new world order was rather convenient for them. They could, but they didn''t. It''s not my uneducated guess, it is in the data. They even found three different ways to end the Waves.


    Kavenfenns also found out another fact that brings us to the second point that we abandoned earlier. I hope that you all will think about it carefully and draw out the same correct conclusion as I did. The other thing that they discovered was that all the people participating in the ritual didn''t die as was expected. And that the Beasts aren''t coming out of nowhere and aimlessly.


    The initial ritual''s aim was to create a scheme that will constantly summon creatures from other worlds and immediately sacrifice them to feed their life force to participants. As a result of Kavenfenns'' sabotage, people partaking in the program ended up linked to the Beasts that were summoned, feeding the creatures with their own Mana and energy. Each Beast is connected to a single person that is, let''s say, frozen inside the Spire and acts as a battery to supply Beasts. This means there are exactly one hundred and three thousand ninety-five Beasts total, equal to the number of people participating in the project.


    I know very well what sort of idea you can draw from it, but I assure you it is wrong. I can clearly rule out the assumption that all this time, we have been killing humans whose spirits were imprisoned inside Beasts. Those people''s minds were lost without a doubt, and only their bodies functioned to provide energy. So do not second-guess your actions or our goals. Umu."

 103 A Straw Fortress

    "I think it changes nothing," Kanai said, fidgeting on the hard seat of a railway station. In front of him, Orisa was walking back and forth - she couldn''t stomach the wait at all. Impatient, mentally exhausted, and tired from the road, she latched onto the topic:


    "About the Beasts?"


    "Yep. First of all, I don''t believe the crap about humans controlling them or giving them a conscience. If this was true, why the hell would they attack everyone? They would have either freed themselves or alerted people a long time ago, right? So they are mental at best, but even that is highly doubtful. Even if they are somewhat conscious, they have been attacking people for centuries, eating them for decades, and dying thousands of times. If they were human, which I don''t believe at all, they went mad years ago."


    "I don''t know, man. There is another point to it if you think from a moment. What are Beast Knight''s goals? What is he trying to do? Maybe he wants to save those trapped people? What if when the Wave is at its maximum, the Beasts will disappear and free everyone in the Spire?"


    "Eh, do you really believe in this nonsense? What if they won''t?"


    "I don''t know, just thinking out loud," Orisa let out a big yawn and scratched her eyes.


    "Come here, you need to get some rest," Kanai tapped a bench seat to his right, inviting Orisa. "You can nap a bit, and I''ll wake you up when your friend is here. I''m sure she''ll recognize us."


    "Thanks," Orisa occupied the spot and even leaned onto Kanai''s shoulder. Her eyelids were getting heavier.


    "Were you with Tiana all night?"


    "Yeah... She is barely holding it together. Too much has happened in the past months, too much for a sixteen-years old girl," Orisa muttered, falling asleep.


    A meeting that Nowa had held a day earlier had ended with Tiana in tears, bowing and apologizing to everyone present for the sins of her ancestors. Burning from shame and resentment, she had left the gathering and holed up in her room. After Orisa had been through with an immediate discussion with Nowa, she had gone to check on the girl and ended up staying there. While Tiana mostly returned to the norm after Orisa had patched her up, the girl''s facade was barely holding, full of cracks and leaks. First was the betrayal from her father and vi Durek siblings, accompanied by the trauma and painful recovery. Next was her departure from the House Kavenfenn and the following life without any directions, an unclear future. Then she had killed her own father and learned about her family''s unforgivable past. Tiana was only a step away from a major breakdown.


    Orisa didn''t know how to help her dearest friend and could only talk to her about random silly things, trying to distract from the gloom. They had ended up speaking all night, and Orisa had to leave to meet Rita in the morning.


    It came as a big but welcome surprise how quickly Rita had answered Orisa''s mail, agreed to everything and left the Military to move to AOG. Judging by her reply, she had almost been sitting on the bags, ready to leave any moment. The fact that Rita had treated Orisa''s words seriously and thus had been prepared to move out immediately warmed Orisa''s heart. Her mentor and friend respected and seriously considered her words, showing that she was thinking of Orisa as her equal. At least something had gone well and brought positivity.


    Rita''s reply came late in the evening five hours after the meeting with Nowa. The message stated that she would be coming to the specified railway station next afternoon, which brought Orisa, Kanai, and a few more AOG members to the city. While some of them went shopping or stood to guard their vehicle, our pair went to the station to meet Rita. And, apparently, take a short nap.


    "Isn''t it sweet?" a woman standing a few steps away from the bench said with a chuckle. She was the same height as Orisa, red curly hair had grown to a shoulder-length and was now partially covering her bright green eyes. Dark-brown leather pants and a jacket of the same color emphasized her figure, although the image was slightly ruined by a gigantic backpack behind her back.


    "And you are, perhaps..?" Kanai raised his eyebrow.


    "Rita Stronoff, nice to meet you. I think you were waiting for me. At least hope you were," Rita smiled brightly, her eyes constantly jumping between Kanai and sleeping Orisa. "And you are, I suppose..."


    "Someone in charge of not letting this idiot here to be too reckless. I''m Kanai. I wish I could give you a family name as well, but that''s the only one this crappy place gave me."


    "Don''t worry, silly. Short names are reserved for unique individuals with a promising future."


    "Aren''t you one smooth lady?" Kanai chuckled and woke Orisa up.


    "Um, Rita..? Rita!"


    Orisa jumped from the bench and assaulted her mentor. She even lifted Rita up in the air for a moment, but her backpack outweighed Orisa''s enthusiasm, and the three of them fell on the ground.


    "I''m so happy to see you!"


    "I''m glad to meet you, too, but don''t you think you are... Oh, to hell, I''m also happy," Rita gave in to Orisa''s passion. Ignoring gazes from all directions, she cuddled with her younger friend for a few moments before getting up. "You should properly introduce me to your, um, friend here."


    "Oh, yes, right. This Rita Stronoff, my mentor, and a close friend. This is Kanai, he is, well... It''s a long story, um... Wait a second," Orisa said and pulled Kanai a few meters away. "Actually, Rita knows about me. I mean, she knows that I''m Satoru. Would it be alright for me to tell her about you as well?"


    "I don''t like the sound of it. What''s the point?"


    "Well, I felt much better after talking about it with her, you know? She was super understanding and sympathetic, so it helped me get through the rough start."


    "Lucky you, I guess? Wish there was someone there for me as well," Kanai said with a slightly bitter look. Orisa couldn''t help but hug him under Rita''s confused gaze. Growing embarrassed, Kanai pulled away and continued: "But that''s in the past. Right now, I don''t see any reason to add more people to the secret. Weren''t you the one who suggested us to keep quiet?"


    "True, but... I don''t know, it''s your call. I just feel that it''s not wrong, kind of?"


    "I''ll think about it, okay? Now, stop making her wait and let''s move out already," Kanai said and walked back to Rita. "Well, it''s complicated, so don''t bother your head with this stuff. Let''s go."


    "Um, right?" Rita was beyond confused. She had gotten somewhat used to Orisa''s tales and wasn''t expecting anything ordinary coming from her general direction. But this exceeded even for Rita''s expectations.


    While having a small talk, the group went back to the vehicle, met other AOG members, and ventured to the base. It was already close to midnight when they made it back.


    Judging by Nowa''s words, Rita wouldn''t be the only new member, but she definitely would be the first. With that in mind, Orisa was expecting some kind of procession or a welcoming party at the very least, but there was nobody at the underground entrance except Tomika Higo. A nutjob of a girl was in charge of verifying incoming people, so she answered Orisa''s question:


    "Nowazzi? Wa-ha-ha, you were expecting him, but it was me, Tomika! The big guy is too busy with whatever he is busy with, you see, so he told me to meet you. Tell me later what room you are going to take, I''ll add it to the map. Food is dead, ho-ho, but here is a bit we''ve saved for you guys. Bye-bye!"


    The welcoming hurricane dashed away, leaving behind a basket with food split and packed individually for each returning member. It even had glasses and bottles with juice. Most of their group took their portions and went to sleep.


    "We should get acquainted better tomorrow, smooth lady. Good night," Kanai said and left.


    "Whoa, am I missing something already?" Orisa blinked in surprise.


    "You are always missing something, that''s for sure," Rita winked to her, chuckling merrily. "Are you tired, or would keep this old lady a company for some time?"


    "I don''t see an old lady here, and aside from showing you your room, which we haven''t even chosen yet, I have no plans. If you''d be so kind as to house this young adventurer in your apartment, I''ll be most delighted," Orisa answered, easily getting infected with a playful mood.


    After a little bit of wandering around, they found an empty living room not that far from Orisa''s, and Rita settled there. While she was unpacking, Orisa went for an evening hygiene routine and to change clothes. On her way back to Rita''s room, she came across Tiana. Dark rings beneath her reddened eyes wordlessly explained the situation.


    "Tiana, dear, how are you?" Orisa asked anyway.


    "I''ll be fine. You shouldn''t w-w-worry about me," Tiana answered and was about to leave, but Orisa stopped her.


    "Actually, if you have a moment, there is someone I''d like you to meet." Orisa thought to introduce her to Rita, hoping to lighten Tiana''s mood by a new acquaintance, since that''s how new people worked on herself. "The mentor I''ve been talking about is finally here, so I was hoping to introduce two of my closest people to each other."


    "Oh, your mentor? Mm, w-w-well, I don''t mind," Tiana slowly answered, and Orisa noticed a speck of enthusiasm flashed through her eyes.


    Without further delay, Orisa took Tiana''s hand and led the way. After arriving at the door, she knocked and immediately peaked inside, whispering to Rita:


    "Hey, old lady, remember how I told you about my most precious and closest friend? She is here, and if it''s alright with you, I want to introduce you."


    "Well, I can''t say this old lady is absolutely ecstatic since she has already changed into her nightdress, but there is no point in reminding you of common sense, right? Give me a moment, I''ll come out."


    A few seconds later, Rita appeared in the doorframe. Her dark-green nightie was hastily covered by a long thick black shawl, but she still forgot to change out of her cute bunny slipper. Even Tiana chuckled lightly over the picture.


    "I know it''s late and midnight and everything, but I really wanted my most precious people to finally meet each other," Orisa began hastily, barely containing her excitement. The enthusiasm was contagious, so Tiana and Rita started smiling. "You both knew each other indirectly, and it just now occurred to me that I haven''t even mentioned your names, so silly. Anyhow, now is my chance to fix this horrendous error, so I''m proudly presenting to each other Tiana vas Kavenfenn and Rita Stronoff."


    As an overexcited puppy, Orisa was almost jumping on the spot, her eyes dashing between two people. But something was wrong. While Rita''s expression darkened only a little, Tiana''s face became completely distorted. Her lips began to tremble, and her eyes shot open for a moment, but then she narrowed them as her gaze started burning with hatred. She even took a few steps back, glaring at people in front of her.


    "How could you..." Tiana said, sounding betrayed.


    "Tiana, what''s wrong?"


    "Orisa, it''s-." Rita tried to say something but was interrupted immediately.


    "Don''t open your mouth, w-w-witch!"


    "Tiana?!" Orisa was flabbergasted.


    "And you! I thought... I don''t even..."


    "Tiana, wait for a moment," Orisa tried to get closer and grab Tiana''s arm, but the girl slapped her hand:


    "You did it on purpose? No, but... You called her... Her..."


    "Tiana, you need to stop and calm down right. I can''t even begin to imagine what Rita could have done to you or-."


    "It''s not about me, she... This woman killed my brother!"


    Orisa was silent for a moment, thunderstruck. Her gaze shot back to Rita only to find the young woman on the verge of tears. Pain and suffering completely overtook her beautiful face, and she was biting her lip to contain her emotions. Suddenly, Orisa remembered the whole story that her teacher from the training camp, Youko Satou, had told her.


    "But wait, that''s not what happened. I was told about it by the person who had been there. It''s-."


    "He stayed by her side to protect her, and she left him behind. She left him to die!"


    "Orisa, she is right, it''s my-."


    "No, she isn''t right! What''s wrong with both of you?" Orisa was desperate. She felt everything she held dear slipping through her hands like sand. "Tiana, you know how dear you are to me. You know I''ll do everything for you. But this is-."


    "Of course you''ll be on her side, I have figured this much already," Tiana spat the words and turned to leave.


    "Tiana, wait, let''s talk-."


    "First, my mother, then my brother. And now even..."


    "I understand that you are hurt, but please-."


    "I need some time alone. Leave me be."


    Having said that, Tiana marched away. Orisa tried to catch up with the girl, but the door to her room slammed shut in front of Orisa''s nose. Not knowing what to do, she knocked on the door and said:


    "Tiana, please, let''s talk..."


    Silence was Tiana''s answer. It added the last bit of weight on Orisa''s shoulder, breaking her like a straw. Everything that had happened to her since the cave incident, everything that she had been pushing to the corner of her head burst out, flooding her mind.


    Orisa''s legs gave way. She fell on the floor, holding the door handle. Everything she had been building all those months fell apart, and she didn''t know what she had done wrong, or how she could fix it. She did nothing wrong, but at the same time, it was her fault. She was guilty of pulling Tiana into her quest, of getting her mixed with people like Nowa, and of eventually making Tiana destroy her previous life. Orisa neither meant nor wanted this to happen, but it nevertheless did. The weight of unfairness crushed her spirit.


    Hopelessly trying to hold up her tears, she banged her forehead against the door. Once, then twice. On the third time, someone''s hands grabbed her under her arms and pulled up. It was Rita, who almost forced Orisa to walk forward, holding her around the waist, and brought her back to the room where everything happened just a minute ago.


    Orisa was in a trance and didn''t remember anything. She missed how Rita walked her back, how she was settled on the bed, or how her mentor dimmed the lights in the room, sobbing quietly. She got somewhat back to her senses only when a glass full of smelly liquid was pushed into her hands.


    Rita dropped by Orisa''s side, and they sat on the bed in silence, leaning against the wall and slowly sipping alcohol. A few minutes later, a tight knot of emotions inside Orisa began to wriggle.


    "I haven''t told her, of course, but to me, Tiana is like a daughter. I know it sounds stupid, but¡­


    When we went back to the cave after saving Sean, Tiana got badly hurt... I was horrified. Looking at her lying motionlessly in a pool of blood and knowing I can''t do shit to save her..."


    "You must have felt horrible, dear."


    "And then I woke up in the middle of a courtroom cuffed like an animal or slave. Hearing what I have apparently done to her, it made me want to vomit..."


    Orisa took a mouthful of the drink and rolled it inside before gulping down.


    "Inside a cell... while they were carrying me there, I still couldn''t believe it, but then I ended on a freezingly cold floor, alone in the dark, and it hit me. This whole death sentence and shit. And Tiana... they said she was in a coma with no chance of getting better..."


    Rita hugged Orisa with her left hand and pulled the girl closer. Orisa''s head dropped on Rita''s shoulder, and a lone tear ran down her cheek.


    "I was so scared. I was scared out of my mind."


    Orisa fell silent again. Together with Rita, they were sitting in the dimly lit room, and the outside world disappeared for them. Without a clock, windows, or noises from the outside, time seemingly decided to disregard the pair and leave them in peace. Sometime later, Orisa continued her speech, breaking it with pauses of varying length:


    "When we were on the run, I got feverish on the second day. Imagine the forest, endless rain, no basic needs like toilets or water, and you are dying from fever. If not for Kanai...


    "You know, we went East after that. To hide from possible pursuers and maybe get stronger by hunting Beasts...


    "A twice-evolved one showed up. It almost killed Kanai right off the bat. You know how it felt? I thought Tiana was beyond hope, and then Kanai...


    The thing was so strong, unreasonably strong. Felt so unfair...


    "At the very end, its attack broke my arms, then it broke my back. The pain was so... so intense... It hurt so much that I remember it even now.


    "And then was a vision. Or a dream, I don''t understand it even now. But it all felt real, as real as it is now. And there was Tiana. Inside the vision, I knew it was her, although she looked quite different. And she was mad at me for something, so mad that I thought she would attack me..."


    Orisa didn''t notice how she began to cry. Tears were running slowly but steadily, making Rita''s nightie wet. Her glass was already empty, so Rita took it and left it lying on the bed. She carefully refilled her own cup, trying not to bother Orisa with her movement.


    "One day, I came out of the inn, and a squad of Inquisitors attacked me. It felt disgusting and terrible when I was forced to blow off a girl''s hands. I really felt like shit, but then... anyway...


    "I don''t know, maybe I had a glimmer of hope, but I was too worried not to get Kanai involved, so they nailed me so hard, especially one crazed brat. I thought I was a goner, but then Tiana showed up and saved me. I was so happy to see her again...


    "It was when I found that she began to stutter, that the trauma from the cave was permanent. She was trying to put up a front, but I knew she was suffering. And every time she stuttered, I felt like shit. I failed to protect my precious little girl. I failed her..."


    Orisa looked up at Rita, smiling bitterly.


    "If it was all, but no. I knew Tiana was attached to her father despite leaving the family. I knew it would hunt her years to come. We had a mission, the two of us, and we met her father there. She beat the shit out of him, of course, but was obviously pulling punches. I knew I shouldn''t... I probably should have stopped her, but I didn''t. I wanted her to do it. It''s because of me that her previous life was destroyed, and then I let my precious little girl kill her father. And now I somehow added even more on top of that..."


    Rita was silent all this time. Not only had she been occupied by her own pain from the reopened wound, but now she was trying to digest everything that Orisa said. It was too much, even for her tempered character.


    "I didn''t want all that," Orisa muttered slowly, sobbing on Rita''s chest. "Why me..? I''m so... so tired. It''s unfair."


    "It is, my dear. It sure is."