“Why does he only ever tell me that?” I grouse.
His last command before vanishing in a puff of mana and sparkles was for me to not get into any more trouble.
Bella raises an inquisitive brow, as if to ask if I’m seriously asking that question.
Cari mercilessly stabs me in the back.
“Because you are a walking tornado of mischief and chaos,” she states matter-of-factly, not even bothering to look my way.
I lick a finger and stick it in her ear.
The yelp of surprise is music to my ears.
I’m forced to dance about the cavern as she retaliates—rather excessively, in my opinion—with nearly two dozen seemingly slimy tentacles that phase into existence around me.
She only gives up when she manages to sneak a sickeningly sticky cheek-slap in.
Bella never once steps in the rescue me despite the pleading looks I send her way, and I vow then and there to get her back for that.
I glower at her as I push far more mana than I likely need to into Ashari’s Grace, letting the choker deal with the slimy reminder of Cari’s unfair retribution.
As we begin making our way out of the tunnels and back to the dorms, I think back to my assessment results.
—————————
Entrance Exam Assessment Results — Delve 2
SEE ADDENDUM ATTACHED TO STUDENT’S FILE BY HEADMASTER KOPHIS.
Student: Emilia KenTier: OneLevel: 75 (from 74)
Evaluation Scale:Liability - Lacking - Adequate - Exceptional - Overwhelming.
Results:Individual Combat Ability: Exceptional.Team Coordination: Adequate.Leadership: Lacking to Adequate.Tactical Decision-Making: Lacking to Adequate.Threat Assessment: Lacking.Operational Efficiency: Exceptional.
Overall Delving Performance: Adequate to Exceptional.
Notes:
Delve One
Demonstrates extreme individual capability relative to Tier norms.
Exhibits inconsistent leadership presence. Alternates between decisive action and complete delegation, with little transitional communication.
Repeatedly prioritizes forward momentum over risk mitigation. This results in high efficiency, but introduces significant and potentially unnecessary risk to the party.
Threat assessment remains underdeveloped. Student identifies immediate dangers effectively, but fails to appropriately weigh long-term or abstract risks.
Control remains a critical concern. While no catastrophic loss of control was observed, behavioral patterns indicate a high probability of escalation under stress or provocation.
Notably, student successfully navigated an anomalous Dungeon environment containing multiple unclassified elements, including at least two entities of immeasurable power.
Interaction with said entities remains insufficiently documented.
Despite irregular conditions, student maintained operational effectiveness and contributed significantly to overall delve completion.
Close supervision recommended in future delving scenarios.
Delve Two
No changes to results necessary.
No additional notes.
Delving exam passed.
—————————
No changes, no notes... nothing.
Although mildly disappointing, the first section alone offers more than enough viable feedback for me to improve upon.
Too much, honestly...
I shake my head ruefully, then get distracted when Cari grabs my hand after exiting the Tunnels proper. Looking over, I find her eyes already glazed as she goes through her System Notices.
Then Bella does the same, hand cupping mine as she pointedly avoids my gaze.
The rosy tint at the tips of her ears is telling, though.
I stick my tongue out at Cari before doing the same, more than a little excited to see the progress.
Ice Resistance has leveled up!Level 4 -> Level 6
The resistance levels don’t surprise me in the least, given what we went through. I am happy to have gained more than one in a single week, though.
Maybe I should ask Bella to spar with me so I can get more levels in it?
With my healing, she might be willing to go all out, and I figure that if she’s actually trying to hurt me, the System will recognize it as something worthy of gaining experience for.
Maybe.
Quest AlertYou have found yourselves trapped atop a perilous mountain.Make your way to safety on the plains below.
Objectives:1. Survive for one week.2. (Optional) Slay the mountain guardian.
All mandatory objectives complete.
Rewards:Level up x1 (reduced from 2)One enchanted item of epic rarity for each surviving party member.
You have leveled up!Stats gained:+9 Strength+12 Constitution+12 Dexterity+11 Intelligence+16 Wisdom+9 Charisma+10 free stat points
I don’t hesitate, dumping my free stats into Wisdom, then inspect my new and improved Status.
StatusName: Emilia KenRace: FaefoxAge: 20Level: 74 -> 75
Health: 82,309 -> 83,279Health Regen: 38,719 -> 39,354 per minute
Mana: 863,466 -> 876,534Stored: 1.72m -> 1.75mMana Regen: 13.34m -> 13.75m per minute
Stats:Strength: 1,358 -> 1,372 (4,973)Constitution: 1,829 -> 1,850 (6,708)Dexterity: 2,794 -> 2,825 (10,240)Intelligence: 2,173 -> 2,196 (7,961)Wisdom: 10,793 -> 10,956 (39,718)Charisma: 1,424 -> 1,439 (5,218)
It isn’t a huge improvements, but I did increase my wisdom by a total of 163 points. Mainly thanks to Manaborn, but still—every bit helps.
Besides, if I were still Tier Zero, 163 points in any stat from a single level would have blown my mind.
Glancing over at Cari and Bella, I find that their levels also increased.
Human MageLevel 53
Human MageLevel 76
Cari got the full two levels from the quest completion, while Bella and I only gained half that due to being too high of a level for the dungeon.
Still, I wouldn’t complain with the results.
At this rate, I’d be Tier Two in a matter of months, rather than the years I was expecting.
Don’t jinx it, Emi.
Then I remember the other half of our rewards, and I fail to restrain my tail as anticipation bubbles up.
I didn’t have a chance to think about it beforehand, but the fact that we didn’t get a reward chest is a big deal. Soulbound items are the only things that don’t get passed out in reward chests.
They simply appear on your person, as if you’d always had them.
And we didn’t get a reward chest.
Which means...
I shift about, trying to find what’s different, then catch a glint of metal beneath my jacket. With a thought, the jacket disappears into my storage, and I see what it is that I’ve gained.
A silvery harness of thin, oddly flexible metal rests over my clothes, cinched snugly against my thighs before reaching up to wrap around my waist, then further to criss-cross my chest before looping over my shoulders securely.
Dwarven Traversal HarnessEpic, Soulbound
Enchantments:Self RepairThis item can repair itself from most damage, so long as the wielder has mana.
Momentum AnchoringSudden changes in direction or velocity may be partially absorbed and redirected at will.Note: Excessive forces may damage the harness.
Greater Surefooted TraversalContact with solid surfaces is reinforced, greatly increasing traction and stability on unstable or vertical terrain.
It’s thin enough that I’m certain I could wear it under my uniform with ease. Or even overtop it, as I can’t imagine the silver harness would clash with the black and silver of the school uniforms.
Then again, Cari has gone truly out of her way to ban me from buying my own clothes...
Apparently my tastes are ‘atrocious’ and ‘an affront to women’.
Thinking of my sister, I glance her way, finding her also looking herself over.
She freezes when she notices a new ring adorning her finger.
Then she's suddenly in my path, apparently unwilling to wait to learn what it does. She shoves her hand in my face with no hesitation whatsoever, vibrating with anticipation.
“What’s it do? What’s it do?!” she asks excitedly.
I realize, then, that there might actually be a downside to having Relic Whisperer in my pocket.
I heave an exaggerated, weary sigh, then examine the ring and share the results.
Ledgerkeeper’s BandEpic, Soulbound
Enchantments:Perfect Self RepairThis item cannot be permanently destroyed.
Perfect Cognitive PartitioningThis item allows simultaneous tracking of multiple streams of information with minimal mental strain.
Resource AwarenessThis item grants its wearer an intuitive sense of nearby allies’ resource states.
She sprints around Bella and I as she cheers with joy.
Then her eyes roll back mid-step, and she just... drops.
“Oh, shit!” I blurt, already kneeling at her side. “Are you okay?”
I push Arcane Regulation into her, though other than some very minor bruising, there’s nothing to heal.
“Wuh?” she says blearily, as if just waking up from a deep sleep.
Then she seems to all but snap back into focus.
“Oh, wow,” she adds intelligently.
“’Wow’ what? What’s wrong?”
She waves me off.
“Nothing, nothing. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It just drained all my mana to use it, is all.”
I quirk a brow at her, but Bella beats me to the question.
“Oh? How did you manage that?” she asks.
Cari looks around, and after finding that the nearest person is still back a ways, in the Tunnels, she grins.
“I have a Skill that effectively gives me multiple brains. As it turns out, I can use this beauty,” she says, wiggling her new ring happily, “to partition each of them.”
Bella winces.
“You’ve no idea how mana intensive such a thing is, do you?”
Cari shakes her head, but never loses her smile.
“I do now! But it doesn’t matter. The fact that it works means I can work around the costs... eventually.”
I can already tell she’s disappearing into her own head, so I just scoop her up into a standing position before she’s too far gone. When she’s finally upright and no longer at risk of collapsing again, I turn my attention to Bella.
“You’re lucky to have woken back up so soon,” Bella sighs. “Skills and enchantments like that can be... overwhelming.”
Then she seems to realize Cari is in her own world as well before giving me hesitant glance.
After a moment, she seems to resolve herself, stepping closer. I realize, then, that she’s been idly rubbing a brand new pin that now adorns her lapel between thumb and forefinger.
“I’m not quite so rushed to understand my item. I can tell it has something to do with locational awareness, but not much else. That said...” she says, trailing off.
Then she dons the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen.
Oh gods, that’s so unfair.
“...Would you mind?”
I remember how she abandoned me to Cari’s vengeance earlier, and decide that now is as good a time as any for my own brand of vengeance.
Play.
With a grin, I step in, grab her lapel, then pull it—and her—closer with a firm tug.
It works like a charm, a faint flush coming to her cheeks as I pull her closer.
She lets out a delicate gasp of surprise, but doesn’t object. She simply stares at me, eyes wide as color blooms across her face.
Stonewright’s Buried LineEpic, Soulbound
Enchantments:Perfect Path MemoryYou may now recall previously traveled routes perfectly, allowing you to retrace or optimize them instinctively. This applies even through weak magical effects that would otherwise cause you to lose your way.
Line of DescentYou may choose a path with a small investment of mana. When you do, moving along the chosen path increases your efficiency over time, reducing energy costs and improving speed and stability.
Unbroken RouteMinor environmental interference is resisted or corrected while moving along a chosen path.Note: This enchantment is tied to the enchantment Line of Descent.
Her breath tickles my face as I keep her there for a moment longer than is strictly necessary, before gently straightening her lapel and releasing her.
She clears her throat and looks away.
“T-thank you,” she mumbles.
That’s when I notice the change.
Fae Ferocity had already faded the moment I decided to let her go, but I still felt... fine.
A little more shy about my actions, certainly, but not overwhelmed with embarrassment as I had been before.
Is that the medicine?
Something about that doesn’t feel right.
I wrack my brain, and after a moment—and a bit of mental backtracking—I realize that after the week that passed in the Dungeon, the heat of my estrus has officially ended.
It might have even ended yesterday, quietly fading under the subduing effects of the medicine without my notice.
So... it’s not only the medicine.
Oh.
While it has helped keep me in check, the desire to be near Bella was always there. At the time, I attributed it to my estrus urging me on, since that’s what it is meant to do during heat.
But even with the heat finally over, I still... want her.
Admitting that to myself brings a new wave of confusion, but not even a hint of denial.
I frown as I look her over, trying to sort my thoughts. My gaze settles on her hand as it plays with her newest item.
I lean on Charisma for a moment, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do to test... whatever this is. My tail swishes behind me in long, languid arcs as I probe the stat for guidance.
Then I come to a decision, opting to dive into the riskiest—and least liable to get me slapped—option my stat nudges me toward.
Fuck it.
I grab her hand again, along with Cari’s, then start dragging them both along behind me.
Then entire way to the dorms, I find myself glancing back at her, checking her reaction to my actions.
She never pulls away. A few times, I purposefully let my tail brush her side as we move, allowing it linger longer than I do with Cari.
Once, I think I even catch her smiling faintly when it happens.
There’s no hints of rejection at all.
My resolve firms, then. In a week, when my estrus has completely and officially ended, I’ll see where things stand between us once and for all.
Then the butterflies arrive, settle in, and immediately decide to riot.