Lila contemplated for a moment whether to give her own portable radio to Aira for additional tests. But then, seeing that the undead woman didn't damage the other devices they inspected earlier that day, she made up her mind.

  "Here, take this one," Lila said.

  However, the moment Aira got the device in her hands, it spoke in an unfamiliar voice.

  --- Completed Quests ---

  1. Find a better way to communicate with humans (Reward: 100,000 XP)

  2. Visit the Old World tech facility and investigate (Reward: 50,000 XP)

  3. Find allies and escape the settlement (Rewards: Skill; 100,000 XP)

  Lila blinked in confusion. "What in the thorny thicket is that?" she asked. "The other radio didn't do that! Elder's beard, what's happening?"

  "Yeah, I'm not sure either," answered Aira, using their newly established method of communication through the radio. "What I know is that's the information from the quest part of the System. Remember I told you how it guides me on my journey?"

  "You did, but why my radio?" asked Lila. "Why didn't the other gadget spark up like this one?"

  "I have no answer to that, unfortunately," said Aira. "I... I felt something, when I inspected the devices we found here in storage. They are different in some way, lacking something. But I can't put my finger on it. It seems to relate to the System and its magic, but I don't know what it is. Your radio, these wristbands, the tablet, and other devices you use in Mountain View, they were modified in some way."

  "By whom?" asked Lila. "Can't be anyone from the town—they're about as magic-savvy as moss on a boulder. Or… no, it can't be… By the roots, that's unsettling."

  "What?" said Aira.

  "I don't know," said Lila. "Sorry, just a wild branch of a thought. We know for sure that the Elders had their secrets. Maybe that was also one of them? All of that is as clear as mud! Now we have no one to ask! Unless we decide to try our luck in a different town..."

  "Anyway, what about those quests of yours," Lila continued. "Could you remind me how do they work? Are they just like trail markers, telling you where to go and what to do?"

  "Well, no... maybe... sort of," answered Aira distractedly. "They can be really vague. Like you've heard this last one: 'Find a better way to communicate with humans. 'How would I even approach it? Now we know it was about finding the radios here and making them work. But would have you guessed it before, when I just got this quest? Even if its description wasn't as scrambled as it is?"

  Aira hit the workbench with her fist in annoyance, and all the small gadgets jumped in the air.

  "Sorry, it's just so frustrating!" said Aira. "It is supposed to guide me. And while it's obvious that we are moving in the right direction, I don't know what that direction is. What is my end goal?"

  "Catch a leaf, Aira," Lila said gently. "You probably hit the mark earlier—figuring out your magic and finding your way home. That tracks, doesn't it? That's where it guides you?"

  "I hope that's the goal," said Aira. "But then, I was transported to this world for a reason. Unless it was someone's joke. But I can't even fathom the level of power a person has to have to pull out a prank of that sort! It just doesn't make any sense!"

  Aira growled, making Lila jump a bit.

  Then Aira hugged herself, trying to find balance in this strange situation. "Well, this is also a progress," she said. "We already know that different gadgets provide different types of information from the System. We need to continue experimenting. Maybe I'll find more ways to complete the puzzle."

  Lila stepped toward Aira and hugged her.

  "I can't even wrap my head around how tough this must be," she said. "It's like losing one of your senses—shadowfooting it through pitch darkness."

  She paused, and then her face changed as if she had made a connection in her mind.

  "By the roots, it's been, what, a month since we found you? And not until Jorin handed over that tablet did you get any break!" Lila exclaimed. "All that time thinking your life would never be the same—how'd you keep from losing every branch you've got?"

  "Yes, that's how I lived since I was brought to this world," answered Aira. "But it won't be the same anyway, my life. Even with my renewed connection to the System, it's all wrong, limited. I was a human, I had mana. Not to mention, that I had thirty advanced-level skills. And now I'm only left with one of them! Not counting that new skill I got after we left Mountain View but have no use for."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Well, at least you're still kicking," Lila said. "It's a lot, sure, but look at the progress we've made. You're tough as pine bark, and with that grit in your teeth, I've no doubt you'll crack this wide open."

  "Yeah, that's a fine joke, Lila, considering I'm an undead, ha-ha," said Aira. "Anyway, I have many things I wanted to discuss with you. But exchanging paper notes wasn't the best way of communication. And finally I have a chance to do that. When we left your town, as I just said, I was offered a new skill. It's a major thing, especially now, when I only have one skill left out of my old range."

  "Was it why you asked if you could test something on me?" said Lila.

  "Yes, it was," said Aira. "Skills allow me to add different abilities to my magical range. Their power relies both on my level and the level of each skill. Which is a whole other concept I'd have to explain in the future. So, Energy Manipulation was the only skill I had at the beginning. And then, the System offered me a new one, after I completed a quest. Otherwise I'd have to wait for five more levels until I got another one. And that could take a while."

  "Five levels, huh? That's like chasing shadows in a bramble patch," Lila quipped. "But hey, spill the sap—what's this shiny new skill of yours?"

  "So, yes, now I had a chance to have twice as many skills as just a few days before," Aira continued. "And this skill sounded quite useful. It is called Two is a Crowd."

  "By the Elder's breath, that's a riot!" Lila burst out laughing. "Sounds like your System has got a wit sharper than thorny brambles!"

  "It definitely does. Especially if you consider my predicament," said Aira, smiling. "Anyway, quite often, we get offered skills that are relevant to the things we do and our journeys. Sometimes, we even get skills that may help us in our future quests. Whichever way the System knows what that would be. The quests we don't even know about yet. So, I'm still quite hopeful about this Two is a Crowd thing. Long story short, this new skill, among other things, allowed me to create a party."

  "And invite folks for tea and chatter, huh?" asked Lila, continuing to laugh. "Well, that'd be a trick, considering the guest list around here's pretty thin—besides me, of course."

  "Seems like you have the same dark sense of humor as the System does," said Aira. "No, it has some similarities to what you had with your rangers and radios. You can exchange information with other members of the party and even have voice communication that won't be heard by anyone else."

  "That's handy! But I'm guessing it didn't work quite as planned," said Lila.

  "Well... Yes... nothing happened," said Aira. "I added the skill, and, I should say, paid dearly for it. Then I tried to invite you to the party. And you said you felt nothing. Obviously, I can't add you. I can't say about all humans, as I never tried it with anyone else, but it seems that you don't have access to the System. Like it's just not wired to your brains, souls, or whatever."

  "Wait, what?" said Lila. "Elder's beard! Souls? They are real?"

  "Yeah, sure, why not?" said Aira. "But anyway, I can't say that I just spent almost a thousand skill points for nothing. All of this is important knowledge. I'm sure I'll find use for it in the future."

  "Every time you start explaining, it's like I'm back at ranger school—more questions than answers," Lila sighed. "Skill points? Souls? And don't think I missed how neatly you sidestepped that last bit. I'll be keeping that on my radar!"

  "Yeah, skill points are the price I have to pay to acquire or upgrade a skill, as I said before. I get them when I gain experience. I guess I'll just draw a chart for you later, it's all just simple math," said Aira.

  "Sure as the seasons, I'll hold you to that," Lila said, shaking her head with a bemused grin. "But don't expect me to pick it up as quick as you. Some of us are green as spring leaves when it comes to this magic business."

  ***

  The most recent addition to Aira's routine was to start each morning on the facility's roof. She never stopped meditating. But there, deep down in the bowels of the facility, something limited her and didn't allow Aira to spread her senses that far. Still, she wasn't in a hurry to explore, either. They had plenty of things to do by turning this old building into their current base of operations.

  The way up to the roof was already a proper workout. Especially if Aira chose not to boost her stats. And there, on the top, with the cliff behind her, the other side opened to a beautiful sunrise. It began with the mountain peaks lighting up with the pink morning glow that slowly spread lower and lower until it was on the level of the roof.

  Aira blanketed the valley with her senses, tracing all signatures of living beings. They all differed, depending on the size and type of the animal. Sometimes, she sensed humans approaching the ancient structure but never venturing in. She still didn't master deciphering the patterns and signatures at a distance. While Aira's skill allowed her to probe kilometers away from her location, when she tried to do that quite promptly, she felt overwhelmed and drained. It was just... too much.

  Too much information. And too much energy to control.

  But even within the valley that surrounded the sprawling building they now inhabited, it wasn't always easy to keep the movements of every single being under control. With one of the main issues being that they weren't the only objects that gave away energy signatures. Trees and other plants were part of this picture, too, creating a powerful background noise.

  This morning, Aira felt like she sensed something different. A human-like signature exploring the edges of the nearby ridges, circling around the ancient facility. Like they were checking on Aira's and Lila's activity. But it wasn't a human. The pattern was... wrong... different. Maybe it was a bear? Some other animal of a similar shape and size?

  Aira woke from her meditative stupor as Lila approached her, losing connection with the mysterious being. Not much time has passed since she came here. The rows of dark surfaces of the solar panels still contrasted with the bright colors of the sunrise and the whiteness of the surrounding slopes. At least after Lila removed all the snow that had accumulated during the night. That clean-up was also a daily part of their routine now. A routine that constantly expanded as the two women made it a policy to gradually increase the number of solar panels, installing a couple more every week. Finally, their energy reserves were more than enough for any experiments Aira could envision.

  If only she could contain all that power. She had to learn to distinguish between all these energy signatures even in the distance. Having access to power wasn't enough. She needed to wield it properly. She had to train more.

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