Dreamland

Noviel gently nudged Ayra's shoulder.

"Time to rise; we've got places to be."

Ayra lifted her head from the hard wooden floor, bewildered by the darkness enveloping them.

"It's still the dead of night," she muttered, shifting to the other side.

Every bone ached from resting on the unforgiving surface, but exhaustion still held her captive.

Noviel nudged her shoulder once more.

"We need to get moving. I won't hesitate to splash my water flask over your head."

The threat jolted Ayra fully awake, though she continued to protest.

"But it's not even dawn yet!"

Noviel affirmed with a nod. "That's right."

She pulled the horse away as the rain finally subsided, though small rivulets of water continued to trickle over the soggy ground.

Ayra stood up, watching her with puzzled eyes. "Are we leaving? We haven't even had breakfast!" she remarked.

Noviel chuckled softly. "You'll have something to eat on the road. Now, get up. We're too close to the camp; they might discover us here."

The notion was unsettling.

"If they find us, can we fight our way to escape?" Ayra inquired anxiously.

Noviel sighed heavily. "What can we do? What chance do a fox and a mouse stand against a group of foxes, possibly with a wolf among them? We'd either perish or be captured. Get dressed in the clothes I've laid out on the table and dispose of the camp equipment."

As Ayra changed into a peasant's dress, Noviel waited impatiently.

NPCs lacked the tools and the methods to measure magic within individuals as precisely as players could. However, they understood the benefits of magic accumulation within the body.

The nun's camp adopted the kingdom's qualification framework, dividing individuals into categories of initiates, trainees, veterans, and hardened veterans. These groupings typically encompassed levels seven to fifteen for trainees, sixteen to twenty-three for veterans, and twenty-four to thirty for hardened veterans.

Most individuals reached their peak around level twenty, while those surpassing level thirty were extremely rare elites.

Novices, children, or unfortunate individuals unable to progress in magic, all those who failed the basic tests and were in reality below level seven, were classified as initiates.

Advancing between categories necessitated passing stringent tests yet came with increased rewards, privileges, and reduced chores. Occasionally, a level fifteen or even fourteen might attain veteran status, especially if the evaluating nuns were lenient, while in other instances, a level seventeen might struggle to pass the test.

However, passing the test prematurely posed a double-edged sword, as veterans or teams thereof were deployed to face dangerous beasts where one's designated status mattered less than one's abilities.

In simpler terms, the common folk sometimes used an animal-based system to categorize individuals, a popular method widely used throughout the republic. At the bottom were mice, affectionately referred to as baby chicks, representing those with minimal experience. Above them were rats, chickens, and roosters. Moving up the hierarchy, we find cats and foxes, followed by dogs, wolves, and finally bears. The kingdom referred to those above foxes as veterans and those below as trainees.

There were methods to expedite the acquisition of power, often utilized by nobles or the affluent, but there were limitations to how far one could push these boundaries. Magic did not accumulate without the requisite effort, akin to how muscles did not simply grow without proper exercise. While specialized exercises and tools could expedite growth, ultimately, the effort had to be put in.

For a rogue-archer to secure a contract, they must have already attained the rank of 'fox' or preferably a veteran. This was the minimum requirement, indicating a level of roughly fifteen to twenty or higher. Bears were those surpassing level twenty-five.

The criteria for achieving veteran or 'fox' status in the republic differed slightly from those in the empire or kingdom, resulting in minor adjustments to the corresponding levels.

Ayra had no retort to Noviel's inquiry. She trailed behind Noviel, initially with resolve.

"Why won't you let me ride?" Ayra finally spoke up.

Noviel remained silent for a few beats. "You need to walk. You need more training. You're still too weak."

Ayra grumbled under her breath but didn't offer a response. She knew it was true, but her feet were throbbing.

By the time they reached Lilitown, the first rays of sunlight were just cresting the horizon. Emerging from different paths through the forest, they merged with a group of peasants making their way toward the town gates to sell their harvest. A small contingent of riders from the nun's camp was visible not far from the gate, but they missed them.

Noviel lingered by the gates, engaging in conversation with the guards, while Ayra entered the town alongside a family of peasants familiar to Noviel. Given her familiarity with the guards, there was no point in attempting to slip into the town unnoticed. It was preferable to be seen and acknowledged, ensuring that her solo journey was transparent to all. The arrangement was for Ayra to remain with the peasants, assisting them in selling their cabbage and carrots until Noviel returned to retrieve her.

The city was slowly rebounding from the devastation caused by the loss of nearby farms to dragon fire. With vegetables now scarce and costly, peasants from distant areas flocked to the market to sell their produce.

Noviel engaged in light banter with the guards as she passed through the gate, making her way toward the bustling marketplace. She refrained from contacting Ayra just yet, wary of potential pursuit. A quick glance reassured her to see Ayra obediently keeping her hood on, as instructed.

Continuing on, Noviel navigated toward an address provided by Alice. Pausing before the dilapidated building, she hesitated. A pair of chatterboxes loitered at the entrance, but it was another figure—a shadowy individual—that unsettled her. A familiar unease stirred within her, reminiscent of her encounters with Cala.

She wanted to enter, and one of the two guys eyed her suspiciously. "Are you looking for something?" he asked.

"I was told that I can find Elise here," she replied.

The two exchanged a glance. "And if that were true? What do you want from her?" the first guy inquired.

"I have business with her," she explained.

"Business? What kind of business?" the second guy became intrigued, eyeing her intently. "Maybe we can help you. Tell us what you need, and we'll give you the rundown. That'll save you time and hassle," he added.

Noviel hesitated. Alice had been very clear: she should seek out Elise and disregard everything else. She lifted her chin and met the man's gaze squarely.

"Should I relay this to Elise?"

The man took a step back, puzzled. "What?" he asked.

The other one snorted. "You can tell her what you want. She's at the end of the corridor, that is, if she's there. Otherwise, you'll have to wait or try another time," he explained.

Noviel hesitated for a moment, unsure how to interpret the somewhat cryptic message. Then she decided to enter.

She eyed the shadowy figure as she entered the corridor. In her estimation, he was a veteran level one, or what the guys in camp would call a fox. She preferred the kingdom's scale which parted the veteran class in two levels, only because she harbored a deep-seated hatred for the empire. Her parents had been killed in a raid that she strongly suspected was led by the empire.

The man gave her a simple nod, and she felt a tiny pulse of magic pass through her. She had learned to expect these tests and understood that it was a way to gauge her abilities. It was a bit different from the probe she had also learned to master. Alice had trained with her several times, refining her skills. Alice's test was much more subtle; at first, she couldn't even recognize it. She only felt it after Alice had explained it many times and put more energy than necessary into her test. So the man had tested her.

It felt like ripples in water. What they were learning in the camp was akin to splashing waves with your hand. But what this person did, as Alice had shown her, was at a much finer level. The probe she knew was like thrusting your ego forward—it only worked in the immediate proximity and provided a muddled answer with a wide range of approximations. It was a way of gauging your opponent, but it was much too obvious.

She proceeded through the corridor and entered the last room. It wasn't what she had expected. It resembled a tavern or the adventurers' guild where she had been with Spartacius. There were about ten to twelve people in the room. A couple of gazes acknowledged her, but most ignored her.

"Are you looking for something?" a tall girl asked, rising from one of the tables and approaching her. She was a veteran level two, a wolf. The girl grinned at her probe, looking down at her as their magic egos clashed. Noviel attempted to make some conversation.

"Are those quests over there?" she asked.

"Do you have a card?" the girl responded.

At her confused expression, the girl sighed.

"Those idiots shouldn't have let you in without a card."

As the girl grasped her hand, Noviel spoke quickly before being thrown out:

"I'm looking for Elise!"

"Oh!" The name worked like magic; the girl released her hand and took a step back. She pointed at a table.

"You can wait there; a waitress will come and check on you. Don't go to the quests area; those are not for you. Are we clear?"

Noviel nodded. Does this mean Elise will come to her? She hesitated but didn't dare ask. She sat at the table, and indeed, a waitress came almost immediately. It was a young peasant girl, about the same age as Noviel. She greeted Noviel, who answered, then waited. There were a few seconds of a staring contest, each one expecting the other to speak. The waitress broke the silence:

"Do you want something?"

A bit intimidated by the veteran girl and unsure if she could order an 'Elise' from the waitress, Noviel just tried to find her words:

"Ahm?"

The waitress smiled more relaxedly.

"Breakfast or only drinks?"

Oh, the waitress was here because it was a kind of tavern! Noviel suddenly realized.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked.

"What do you want?" the waitress replied.

Noviel stared for a moment at the waitress, confused by the answer, until she realized the waitress was pointing to a black table near the entry, where something was written with white letters, but it was too small to read from there. Just as he thought to stand up and go read the table, the waitress added:

"You look famished. I'll bring you ham and eggs and a potara juice. That'll be thirty copper."

The price seemed reasonable, and Noviel was grateful that she was spared the way back to read the table. She nodded, and the waitress left. Maybe she should have felt embarrassed by what the waitress had said about her being famished, but she shrugged it off. She was hungry. Just as she wondered what Ayra was doing, a lizard girl approached her.

"I understand you are looking for Elise?"

Noviel raised her head and observed her. The pulse indicated that she was a veteran level two, or a wolf. It was the second wolf she encountered here. Despite the girl's smile, she felt uneasy, particularly with the abundance of teeth on display. It resembled too closely the grin of a wolf. Nevertheless, she nodded.

"Yes, I do."

The lizardgirl furrowed her brows upon sensing Noviel's magical pulse.

"And what might that be?"

"As I mentioned at the entry, it concerns only Elise."

"Oh."

The lizardgirl's grin widened, and she gestured toward a door at the back of the room.

"When you're finished here, take that door and head to the green door on your right. You'll find her there. Oh, and be sure to leave two copper for the waitress."

The girl's manner of speaking carried a hint of both amusement and irony. Noviel couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of trap and asked herself if she should make a dash for the exit. Nonetheless, she bravely stood on her chair and nodded in response.

“Thank you!”

Once the lizardgirl had departed, the waitress arrived with Noviel's breakfast, causing a broad grin on Noviel's face as she set down the sizable plate. Noviel promptly settled her bill and dug into her meal with gusto. Oh, true, she had been famished!

Once finished, she took a moment to enjoy her juice, then rose from her seat and made her way toward the door indicated by the lizard girl. For a brief moment, she feared it might be an ambush when another guy stood up almost simultaneously, but he headed towards the entrance door instead.

She took a deep breath and stepped through the door. She found herself in a corridor lined with several doors on either side. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she quickly spotted the green door and let out a sigh of relief. That had to be it.

Without hesitation, she knocked on the door and pushed it open even before receiving a response, and saw the same lizard girl seated at a desk inside.

Glancing behind her, Noviel noticed the other tall girl now entering the corridor. She felt trapped. Stepping halfway into the room, she met the lizardgirl's gaze.

“Now, what do you have for Elise?” the lizardgirl inquired.

“I'm sorry, but it's only for Elise,” Noviel replied stubbornly.

The lizardgirl sighed. “Close the door behind you. I am Elise.”

As the tall girl entered another room, Noviel sighed in relief and closed the door before turning back to face Elise. She swallowed nervously.

“Sorry. We haven't met yet. My aunt Alice had advised me to come to you in case of need.”

“Alice? Alice, who?" Elise inquired, her big brown lizard eye focused intently on Noviel. "The Archer from Lilitown?”

Noviel nodded. “Indeed.”

“She is your aunt?” Elise's tone held a hint of surprise.

Noviel affirmed, “Yes.”

“Alice Sevenbrunn?”

“She is not allowed to use that name anymore. Neither am I. I am Noviel.”

“Noviel Sevenbrunn.”

Noviel shrugged, acknowledging the truth of Elise's statement.

“So what is the need you are here for, Noviel? May I call you like this?”

“Sure. It is my name.”

“Indeed. As Elise is mine, Elise Schattenwolf.”

A shiver ran down Noviel's spine. Alice hadn't mentioned that. Did she forget, or did she think it was unnecessary? She had heard the name, and not in a good context. Schattenwolf was a name one would do well to avoid mentioning in the town's respectable circles. Nor to the guards, for that matter. Noviel swallowed, realizing she would have never come here if she knew Elise's full name. Perhaps that's why Alice didn't mention it.

Elise seemed to relish the impact her name had on Noviel. She raised a brow, her reptilian eyes surprisingly expressive.

“So, what do you want from me, Noviel?”

“I have a book that I would like to have appraised and checked for tracking.”

Elise grinned again, her wolfish smile apparent.

“Then I have chosen this room well.”

She extended her hand, her claws open. “The book?”

Noviel hesitated but then extracted Ayra's book from her inventory and handed it to Elise.

“Oh, I see!”

Noviel's brows furrowed. What did she mean by that?

Elise's attention immediately shifted to the book. She handled it with care, examining it from all angles, and then finally opened it. Only after about five minutes of inspecting the book and conducting various tests did she turn her attention back to Noviel.

“What I've done so far would typically cost 30 silver, but I won't charge you for it. The book has a value of about one hundred gold, give or take. Probably less, so maybe closer to ninety gold, depending on where you plan to sell it,” Elise explained.

Noviel felt a lump form in her throat. Thirty silver just for a five-minute glance at a book! Where had her aunt sent her?

“It's not for sale,” she blurted out quickly.

Elise nodded.

“Understood. There's a tracking spell on it,” she added quickly, noticing Noviel's reaction. "There's no danger; this room is shielded. I can remove the spell, but it'll cost two gold. Do you want to proceed with that, and do you have the money?"

Noviel swallowed hard. What if this lizard girl was just pretending, doing some trickery, and taking her gold without removing any tracking spells? But Alice wouldn't have sent her to a scammer. She nodded.

“So, should I go ahead?” the lizardgirl insisted.

“Yes,” she managed to say, albeit with some effort.

Noviel felt a pang of regret at the thought of spending such a significant sum. One could eat well for a whole year with that amount of money. And now she was spending it on a book stolen by that stupid girl.

She couldn't help but shake her head in frustration. That girl's actions had been beyond foolish. Running away was one thing, but absconding with a valuable stolen book was another entirely. Without her interference, that girl would have likely been captured by now and facing the dire consequences of her actions.

Why was she doing it? Would she ever recoup this money from the girl? But amidst her concerns, she sensed that this girl might hold some answers. She was a piece of the puzzle. Who was Alice working for? Who was Spartacius, her former employer? What was his relationship with that mysterious Cala?

Above all, Noviel believed in fate. She couldn't shake the feeling that things didn't just happen by accident. There must be some order, some threads of fate weaving through this world, and she was determined to find hers. Why did Cala save her? Yes, she knew that Alice had brought the antidote, but she also knew it ultimately came from Cala.

Elise grinned, rose from her seat, and approached a wall where a chest sat on a nearby table. She opened the chest and placed the book inside, adding several ingredients from the table as she worked. While going about her task, she continued to speak.

“The book was stolen from an imperial mage. While I'll remove the tracking spell, I won't erase the ownership inscription from the imperial library, as it's woven into the book's pages, and removing it could damage the formulas. So, be cautious not to let it fall into any imperial hands, or you'll need to explain how you acquired it.”

Noviel nodded. Initially, she wanted to argue that the book wasn't hers, that it hadn't been stolen by her, but she decided against it.

Elise went on. “We received a quest about an hour ago. The description matches a girl who looks very much like you. You fit the description almost perfectly, except for your veteran category. The girl in question is a novice of the lowest level, not a veteran like you. So, I suppose it wasn't you. I'm curious, though, who would pay ten gold for the capture of such a low-level novice. Do you happen to know anything about this?”

Noviel raised her eyes and met Elise's gaze. There was probably some kind of lie-detector spell in the room. She sighed and answered as truthfully as she could:

“I am not the girl they are looking for.”

“So you know what this is about? Because if a novice stole a book this valuable, it would surely be tracked and chased,” Elise remarked.

“The imperial mages shouldn't think they can force their desires onto any poor girl just because she wants to study magic. Believe me, they can be pigs,” Noviel retorted.

Elise didn't seem impressed. “Oh, I'm sure of that, but a deal is a deal. Nobody forces you to make it.”

“Right. Until someone does,” Noviel replied.

They locked eyes for a moment. Elise grinned and raised her clawed hand: “Two gold?”

Noviel handed over the gold. Elise examined the coins briefly, grinned in satisfaction, and extracted the book from the chest: “Tracespell is removed. You can open it and use it wherever you want.”

As Noviel took the book from her hand, Elise added: “We have a shop you may be interested in visiting. It's for special guests, but you can say I allowed it for you... You know what? You want a badge from us! You can use it to pick up quests, too, from the green zone.”

Noviel hesitated. She almost refused, as the way Elise had formulated it was awkward. Yet, it was true; she did want to check the quests and eventually visit that shop.

“Yes, why not?” she finally replied.

She raised her eyes to look at Elise: “Why are you offering me this?”

“Why not? Because you may not want to be associated with us. Why do I offer this? Alice is a name in this city. She has helped many orphans here. I remember, I was one of them.”

“Oh! Thanks...” Noviel said, surprised by this revelation about Alice.

Five minutes later, with her new badge, Noviel entered the shop. It was located behind the door that the other girl had used in the interior corridor. Who puts a shop inside a building that you can only enter after passing through a corridor, a tavern, and another corridor?

Despite the apparent lack of patrons, it was filled to the brim with valuable items. Or maybe due to that. Noviel browsed through the items and found many things that raised her interest: hair dye, spells to change eye color, false ears, and various scrolls with spells. She had heard about them but had never seen one before. Spells to change the color of your eyes?

Very interesting but three gold? She deemed that too expensive, but hair dye for two silver? False elves ears for two silver a pair? She bought the hair dye and the false ears for Ayra.

One particular scroll caught her eye: Identify skill for sale at four gold. You could buy skills like that? It sounded incredible, but the price was very high. Almost half of her gold for what seemed an almost useless skill. Identify?

"Does it really work? What does it do?" she asked

The sales clerk approached her.

“It is not for your class. You should not mix classes,” she said.

Noviel was intrigued. “Why not?” she pressed.

The sales clerk shrugged. “I don't know. They say that if you mix skills from different classes, you may ruin your other skills. One wrong skill and you forget the good ones. But what do I know? Do you want it? Four gold! Do you have the money?”

Noviel hesitated, feeling very tempted. What could that skill, "Identify," mean? She glanced around the shop, noticing several other skill scrolls with astronomically high prices. One scroll in particular caught her eye: the "Three-Point Stab," priced at fifty gold. She didn't dare touch it.

“What does this Three-Point Stab do?” she asked.

The sales clerk, a lithe elf, approached and examined the scroll with her. Peering over the clerk's shoulder, Noviel suddenly noticed something else and exclaimed in shock,

"An undead!?"

The sales clerk turned, smiling at her. In the first moment, Noviel wanted to run, then she wanted to stab her, but then she realized the sales clerk was still smiling at her with a surprised expression.

“Yes, that's correct," the clerk replied. "How did you realize?”

Summoning all her courage, Noviel responded, “Your aura. I sensed it when you came near me.” Noviel braced herself, prepared to defend herself if necessary, while the undead girl seemed elated by her answer.

“Oh, good. I need to restrain my aura," the undead girl smiled, looking at Noviel. "You must have been trained by the nuns! So, nothing else in the way I look, move, or speak?”

Noviel shook her head, still not quite believing this conversation was real. “No,” she replied.

The undead elf gave her a radiant smile. "Better now?" she asked, turning back towards the scroll. “So, what do we have here?”

She concentrated on the scroll, completely ignoring Noviel. Noviel couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The undead girl seemed entirely focused on the task at hand, paying her no mind. Noviel could have struck her down or cut off her head, but she did nothing. Instead, she watched the girl's thin, long neck, and took a deep breath.

“It is a spell that helps you conjure two additional knives to the one you stab with," the sales clerk answered, "Your target will be stabbed three times. The magical knives will ignore normal armor. Your thrust is not reduced by the additional magical knives; they have the same force. Unfortunately, this requires a higher level than yours. You are only at level nineteen, and this requires level twenty-eight.”

Noviel's mind raced. A skill with a spell? She could learn skills just like that? This was a revolution in her understanding of skills. But why was this only available in this shop? Or were there more such shops?

Something else drew Noviel's attention: “What do you mean by level nineteen?”

The undead girl explained happily: “Yes, your magic level, as the identification skill reveals. The skill you just wanted to buy?”

“Oh!” Noviel nodded. “I'll buy it.”

“Good.” the sales clerk nodded. “I can give you a discount. I can sell it to you for three-fifty as a first-time customer, but please be careful how you mix skills!”

This undead girl seemed to be different, not like the undead Noviel had heard about. She had never heard of undead people you could talk to. It was always a fight with the undead. That's what she had learned.

The undead girl smiled. “Anabella!”

This was a surprising move. As she raised her hand, Noviel instinctively took it in hers. A shiver passed through her spine as she shook the cold, marble-like hand. Yet it wasn't as dreadful as she had expected. She barely mumbled: “Noviel.”

“Come and visit me again sometime. It's so boring here, and I don't have many friends in town.”

I wonder why? But Noviel did not express her thought. When she had finished her acquisitions, she took the package from the undead girl and put it in her inventory.