"Hey, Aira!" Lila was running through the corridor toward her companion. "By the roots, did you see that?"

  "What?" transmitted Aira over the radio. "What's happening? Are they attacking?"

  "What? No! Spirits in the shadows, no!" Lila said, panting and waving her arms. "I didn’t mean to spook you! There are foxes, Aira! Playing right in front of the entrance. Actual, real foxes! Let’s go, you’ve got to see this!" She was very excited to see her favorite animals.

  "Oh, you just spooked me," said Aira. She was standing on a high ladder, hiding the elements of one of the traps they designed behind an access panel. Aira blew away an unruly strand of red hair from her face and smiled at Lila.

  "So, we are safe for now?" she said. "I was so focused on this stuff that forgot to scan the surrounding for some time. Again. It is still an effort for me to distinguish between the different energy signatures. Not to mention doing that in the background. But my magic tutors wouldn't be happy with my attitude."

  A week passed in a flurry of activity. Aira and Lila barred some corridors while strategically leaving others accessible to create choke points and lead the potential attackers to places where Aira and Lila could control the fighting even without numerical superiority.

  As Aira had at least some arcane powers now, she was sure of her ability to repel a small party of rangers. But would her efforts be enough if a larger squad of people decided to attack them? A score? What about a hundred?

  She has yet to have any opportunities to experiment with her Energy Manipulation skill on large crowds of humans since she left Mountain View many weeks ago. And their recent encounter with Korin and his team was different. Aira targeted their weapons then and not the humans. This time, she would probably have to do both. Or even more than that.

  There was that other thing as well: Lila didn't want to even hear about any sort of protective measures that had a high chance of killing the intruders. Shocking them, spooking them, making them retreat, all of that was fair game, in her opinion. But not any kind of lethal force.

  These thoughts consumed Aira while they were walking toward the building's entrance. What else could she do to guarantee both their own safety and the survivability of the human attackers? It was a really bizarre problem to solve. That really wasn't a challenge she had ever had before.

  The foxes were as cute as one could imagine. These small reprieves were crucial in the days of time overload and high pressure. Just something they needed right now. And Aira was happy to see Lila allowing herself to take a pause as well. All efforts in recent days have been even more taxing for the human woman just because of her limited abilities and lack of access to the System.

  After checking on the playful foxes, the two women returned inside, reviewing mental lists of tasks that needed to be fulfilled before anyone else approached the ancient facility.

  "Spying on those foxes gave me an idea," Lila said, a spark of excitement in her voice. "By the Elders' breath, why didn’t I think of it sooner? We can do more than just traps. Let me tell you about video systems."

  Aira tilted her head, intrigued. "Video systems? What's that?"

  "Just listen! My grandfather used to tell me stories about ancient security systems. I thought they were just tales for green spring leaves like me back then," Lila said, her words tumbling over each other in her eagerness. "But I think we’ve got the pieces for one of those systems in storage. Cameras, monitors—you know, eyes on everything. We could see them coming before they even catch their breath. But..."

  "But?" asked Aira.

  "I think I saw some components in the storage," Lila said. "If we can set up a primitive surveillance system, we'll have eyes everywhere. We can monitor their movements and stay one step ahead. Even without your sneaky abilities."

  Aira's interest was piqued. She had come across mentions of such systems in the books they had found, and the idea of having a way to see their enemies before they struck was enticing. "Tell me more. How does it work? And why didn't we consider that before? We were so reckless."

  When they returned to what was initially their makeshift kitchen, but now became the central hub of all operations, Lila explained the basics, sketching on scraps of paper. "I've seen remnants of these systems in some of the old buildings we've scouted," Lila continued, her excitement palpable. "They were always out of reach, too damaged to fix, or in places we couldn't secure. So, I never made the connection. But now I see how that could work."

  She talked about cameras, monitors, and how they could set up a simple network using the gadgets they had found. Aira listened intently, her sharp mind quickly grasping the concepts. She had known mages in her world who used distant surveillance to spy and gather information, and the principles were not entirely foreign to her. Still, it was very unusual.

  Aira lived in this world for several months already. But it hadn't stopped to amaze her how much of the functionality of magic was reinvented by the ancient human engineers. It was like this world didn't even need any touch of arcane. But it came here anyway, uprooting countries, splitting families, bringing death and destruction.

  She nodded: "It feels like some sort of tech magic," Aira said. "Even though I know that your humans do not use any magic at all. Quite bizarre. Let's start small, but explore more if it when we have time."

  ***

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  Finally, they prepared the defenses as well as they could with only four hands and limited time. Even the fact that Aira was able to work almost without breaks didn't completely negate the reality of them being only a workforce of two.

  After finishing with another set of traps, Aira and Lila went to the roof to enjoy the calm of the evening, contemplate the views, and have some hot tea in the coolness of the mountains.

  "I… need… more… energy…" Aira said, sitting with a groan at the very edge. The valley surrounding them was full of life and activity. Birds were singing in the nearby forest, and the rustling of the trees in the wind was soothing after a full day of work. The world was full of energy, one just had to stretch their arcane senses and grasp it. But at the same time, even probing for these signatures was painful to Aira at that moment, that much she had overworked herself in the previous days.

  "You’re running yourself ragged, Aira," Lila said, settling down beside her with a steaming cup of tea. "You’ve got grit in your teeth, sure, but you’re no good to either of us if you keel over. Catch a leaf, even if it’s just for tonight."

  Aira only growled in response. But it wasn't an angry sound.

  "How different is all of this from your old life?" Lila asked, her tone softer now. "I mean, you had magic then too. But this... it’s got to feel wilder than a briar patch."

  "It is strange, uncanny," said Aira. "I was on the brink of the 100th level. I wouldn't say there are many people who reach that high. At least among my friends and peers. But in so many ways manifestation of the arcane has become so easy for me, I didn't even notice it happening. And then, I was here, deprived of every single power. It was like my eyes were opened on how much of magic was there in my life."

  Aira paused, sucking in the tranquility of the valley that spread around them.

  "Now, it's also something different," she said." But of course, it's more alike what I had before. Still, every magical action has either to be constantly and precisely controlled or demands a lot of power."

  "I’ve seen you grow," Lila said with a nod. "When we first left Mountain View, it was like every little thing knocked you off balance. Now you’ve got forest wit, making even the tough stuff look steady as a well-traveled path."

  "You are right." Answered Aira. "And it is a long process. I still can't take this valley under my complete control. We have to rely on all these antiquated security systems instead. I feel restricted, not enough for this task. And I still don't know what force and why has decided to do this to me. Will I ever find out?"

  "With how persistent you are," said Lila, "you'll root out the culprit, sure as the seasons."

  "Ah, yes. If you say so," said Aira, smiling. "As for my skills, they need lot of constant training as well. That's why I spend so much time on meditation, it helps me to focus on them and consolidate the improvements. Still, any major effort drains me. And that's one of the things I need to improve. There is definitely a lot I need to learn about this new type of magic and my new skills."

  Lila tilted her head thoughtfully. "You know, I wouldn't be caught in this tangle if I hadn’t met you. But… I'm glad it happened." She glanced at the valley below. "I had a hollow stump's worth of questions about our leaders back in Mountain View. The way they ran things, the choices they made. I haven't gotten those answers… yet. But now, it feels like I've stumbled into something bigger than I ever could've guessed."

  Aira growled softly, a sound Lila now recognized as agreement. "I'm glad I have you as a partner and a guide in this unfamiliar world," she said. "You've been kind to me right from the beginning. And that's saying a lot, considering our obvious differences and the traditions of your people."

  "People…" Lila muttered, her gaze distant. "By the bark, Aira, I appreciate you considering the rangers' safety. I know it'd be easier to send them running with a few… harsher tactics. But… they're my people, even if they'd rather see me skirting the shadowline than standing here with you."

  "I'll do my best, Lila," said Aira. "But I'm sure that deep in your heart you know that if they don't listen, I'd have to act decisively. I care about you. And I don't want to die myself. Our safety is my only priority right now. Especially after I dropped the ball with that door last week."

  Lila let out a soft sigh, her expression conflicted. "Yeah, I know. Feels like I've got a stone in my shoe about it, but I get it. Anyway… it's too late to keep chewing on this. I'll probably get some rest." She stood, brushing off her clothes. "You heading to the command center?"

  Aira nodded. Among other things, they wired a room near the top of the building, far from all apparent routes of approach, far from that corridor that led to the bunker. There, they connected all the systems they'd planned and built over the past few days: traps, surveillance, and energy storage. All the needed data was gathered there. And Aira habitually started her shift there.

  "Well," Lila said, turning to leave. "See you in the morning. Don't push yourself too hard, alright? You're as tough as pine bark, but even bark cracks under enough pressure. Get some rest."

  "You too," thought Aira. The probability of the encounter with the rangers becoming violent was relatively high. And she had already experienced how distant Lila became when she thought Aira killed Korin and his team during their escape from Mountain View. The recent encounter proved that Aira was telling the truth, that she hadn't slaughtered them in that alley. Still, she didn't want to make Lila withdraw into her shell once again.

  Aira went one floor down to their 'command center. 'They decided to separate it from their home, the bunker.

  Enough time had passed since their violent encounter with Korin's ranger party, and it felt like if the attack would happen, it could start at any moment. As midnight blanketed the facility in darkness, Aira meditated, contemplating the day's progress.

  The screens around her flickered with images of empty hallways and still corridors, showing static from time to time when Aira didn't focus her powers well enough. The valley's silence, in stark contrast to the pleasant vibe of the evening, only boosted the tension she felt simmering beneath the surface. Long ago, she had learned to anticipate the quiet before the storm, the calm that often preceded chaos.

  And there it was, sending another pulse of probing energy, she sensed a gathering of beings at the entrance to the valley. It couldn't be animals, as they were packed together too tightly. The attackers had arrived, hoping to catch Aira and Lila unawares in the dead of night. Aira's heart quickened, but she remained calm, her years of experience as a battlemage guiding her instincts.

  She immediately sent an alarm signal to Lila: "Lila, wake up and come over here. They are coming to the valley. Soon, they'll be here."

  Lila groaned groggily over the radio before her voice sharpened. "How many, Aira? By the frost on the pine, tell me it's not the whole town."

  "They brought a small army," Aira answered, her voice strained but confident. "Obviously, they think they need numbers to get an advantage. They are probably right, I hope we are ready for something like that."

  "Spirits in the shadows," Lila whispered. Then, with a determined edge to her voice, "Well, shadowfoot it and let's see if those traps work. Time to call the foxes."

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