Aira and Li didn't reach the mysterious a facility on the first day. It was a much longer walk that should take at least half a week. So, Li was quite motivated to move as fast as possible despite Aira mentioning that she hadn't sensed any pursuit yet.

  However, uanding the unease of her panion, Aira didn't have anything against that pn, even though she wao experiment with her new abilities a bit more.

  Nothing prevented her from doing that during the march, though. Especially as they were walking through a dense forest with plenty of energy sources around them. Maybe it was a bit different type of activity pared to meditation aandard physical training routine. But tapping into them was a new habit she o create for herself anyway.

  And, oh my, it was challenging to keep it w in the background. Simultaneously, Aira had to focus on their surroundings, are power sources, and Li's movement and trol the redistribution of the abundant energy that filled the forest.

  Every few hours, Aira sent probing strands of magical energy toward Mountairying to decipher what was happening iown they left so hastily. They were stantly moving away, but she yet had to discover the limitations of her skill. And it seemed she was far from reag it.

  While figuring out the exact state of affairs in Mountain View was hard, she retty sure there was no pursuit. There were a few energy signatures outside the town walls, but they didn't veoo far from the safety of the fortificatioher humans didn't want to look for them, or they were still distracted by the chaos that reigned itlement during the previous days, thanks to Garrid Aira.

  There were some plications there for her, though. These newly obtained powers allowed Aira to read multiple energy signatures of the humans even at this ever-increasing distance. But as soon as she tried to focus on them, she quickly became overwhelmed. Her magical reserves were draining swiftly when Aira had to i with more than a couple of targets.

  What made it even trickier was that it was getting increasingly hard to focus on human signatures specifically. All energy patterns mashed together, making the town glow like a pyre.

  This metaphor... it may not have been the best one, sidering Aira's ret experience. But at the same time, it reflected the energy storm that roared within her almost perfectly.

  Each time after these probes, she had to tap deeper and deeper into the are power of the trees surrounding them than she sidered safe. What kind of energy was that? Would there be any sequences for draining a tree and transmitting its power to a human... or, at her current state, an undead?

  She wasn't a human anymore, even if sometimes she tio think about herself this way. Still, she didn't hurry to experiment with an actual human she had on hand. After the effects her powers had on Garrick, Korin, and others, she wasn't sure there wouldn't be any unsavory sequences if she tried to influence Li in any way.

  And she didn't think Li would agree to be her b rat. Not that soon after they left Mountain View.

  That left only one person to try her new powers on. Herself.

  Aira checked her base stats once again.

  ========== Character Status and Skill Overview ==========Name: AiraRace: UndeadCss: NecrokiiforcerLevel: 100

  Strength: ??? [(Base Stat + Level) 1.5]Agility: ??? [(Base Stat + Level) / 3]Intelligence: ??? [(Base Stat + Level) / 2]Endurance: ??? [(Base Stat + Level) 1.5]

  That was so unnerving that she couldn't see the numbers. Still, she couldn't pin. This limited access to the System interface was so much better than not having it at all. Not knowing it existed in the world.

  After a day of fast walking, Aira estimated that her agility stat should be parable to Li's. If one could even talk about the base stats of someone who had never experienced magic. Maybe she was a tad slower.

  What made the march easier for Aira was that she obviously had much higher endurao measure it, she could at least use the multiplier shown through the System interface. Even if she had zero base stat, which was impossible, her total endurance should stay at least 150 due to her current level.

  Not to mention that she stantly boosted her energy reserves from the enviro. She felt like she could walk this way day and night without stopping if needed. She didn't have to rest. She didn't o eat. She could probably...

  Aira seized that thought and tried to redistribute the ambient energy a bit differently. Instead of fog on her Energy Manipution skill or inner reserves, she targeted her base stats this time.

  Gradually, she poured more and more energy intility stat. But the effect was almost instantaneous—at least, its representation through the System. But then, Aira felt it in her body as well. Her legs became empowered, promptio move faster. To run.

  She checked the System menu once again.

  Agility: ??? + 0.66 [(Base Stat + Level) / 3][...]Agility: ??? + 1.67 [(Base Stat + Level) / 3][...]Agility: ??? + 3.33 [(Base Stat + Level) / 3][...]

  Aira tinued her experiment for a few more minutes, fully absorbed by it, until she noticed that she had ged her pace from walking to running and overtook Li by a few hundred meters. By this moment, the raopped and looked at the fast-moving undead with amusement and . Aira slowed her pad let Li catch up with her.

  "By the Elders' breath! Look at you darting off like a shadowfoot!" Li asked. "What, you think I'm dead weight now?" She was teasing, but there was a flicker of worry in her eyes.

  Aira shook her head aured with her hands for Li to move forward.

  "Alrighty," Li groaned. "ime, give me a holler before you go fox-tailin' off! And it's getting te anyway. Time to find a pp. There won't be any s anywhere his spot. Will have to set up a tent."

  They he stop for at least two reasons. First, Aira still wasn't able to renew her reserves perpetually. Well, she could probably do that, but they expired faster than she filled them. That aspect has to be the focus of her training aation in the uping weeks and maybe even months. But more importantly, Li was a human and wouldn't get far withur rest and food.

  And that's what they had. Even Aira enjoyed some of the stew.

  Befoing to sleep, Li tried in vain to distribute the night watch shifts. But Aira was adamant. Even if she hadn't fully recovered after the long hike, she could rest without sleep. So, against all Li's protests, Aira insisted on being the only person to keep the lookout during the night.

  Not that they needed a all, as Aira would have sehe approach of a human or any other creature from far away, thanks tical abilities. Still, it was an excellent opportunity for her to solidate the day's gains, expand her experiments with the new powers, aate.

  Marg in that manner day after day, they settled into a monotonous routine of walking, meditating, experimenting with Aira's abilities, eating, and sleeping. Even if the tter two were mostly for Li's be and the magical stuff was avaible only to Aira.

  Initially, it may have seemed that every day went as previous, so subtle were the ges around them. But soon, Aira started notig the ndscape shifting. Luckily, she could keep up better aer thanks to her stant training aer uanding of her new powers. Nightly meditations helped her immensely, and by the end of the third day, she could keep pace with Li without any deys or additional stops.

  The sery ges were subtle initially, but soon, the once dense forest-covered ftnd gave way to rolling low hills. And then, the first rugged cliffs emerged from the earth. They were approag their destinatio mountains looming ahead.

  ***

  Li was getting more and mitated with each passing day. She talked about her past during their walk, about being a ranger. She couldn't stop telliory to Aira as if trying to silehe demons' voices inside her head.

  Striking an alliah an undead. Attag fellers. All of that was unthinkable.

  For sure, the town's rangers have already found these two dead bodies at her house. They were Garrick's ies killed by Aira on the tral square. But who would even take a moment to sider that?

  No, they'll bme it all on her.

  So, she told stories. There was a strange ce to this dialogue, as Aira could only answer by growling auring with her hands. That didn't stop Li. She described how humanity has found a fragile baer the Fall. Most people lived in small towns like Mountain View, still frightened by the undead attacks and not venturing too far. The sequence of the decades of wars after the old civilization crumbled. However, these wars were legendary events of the times long gone.

  In many ways, the fragile security of humalements relied on Old World ted maery. No one could expin how it survived all these turies. But Li knew where it came from. Facilities like the ohey were heading to were the primary source of the a gadgets.

  Not that she expected to find anything at their destination. That pce was discovered many decades ago and has since been pilged thhly.

  "Soon, we'll get to this beautiful valley," said Li. "But the thing is... I've been there only once."

  Aira looked questioningly at her.

  "Yeah, you are right... I'm lost in the li," Li said. "I don't remember the exact route. It has been a while. And we don't go that far from the town during our patrols. The pce was cleared ages ago. I think it was my grandfather who found it. He brought me there as a child oo show me the miracles of the old civilization."

  She looked around, trying to figure out which dire to go . "As I said, the building is in a valley. If I could even call it a building so huge it is. It would be hard to miss after we get to that ridge."

  Li cautiously monitored Aira's activities. She traveled with the undead, but it would be wrong to say she made the final decision. Aira mentiohat she has been doing 'training' and 'meditation.' But it was hard to see what it was iy. Most of it was intangible, reted to these supposed bizarre powers of the undead. Or maybe not only to the undead, if she believed the stories about other worlds where even humans could cast spells.

  Preposterous!

  Still, as the ndscape gradually ged around them, differences in Aira's capabilities were as subtle yet as undeniable. Li ooked when she first noticed how much mile Aira was after she got one of the gadgets in her hands. For several weeks, she could barely write a few words on that skateboard. And then, momentarily, she was scribbling long passages in a journal.

  In the same way, everything else about Li's unlikely panion was ging in the days of their hike. Sometimes, she sped up or paused for a few minutes near a rge tree, caressing its bark as if sensing something within. At other moments, it seemed she was sleepwalking, not notig anything around her, following Li only thanks to her are abilities. And the most bizarre were the nights. Not once did Aira allow Li to keep the watch. Still, she was surprisingly calm during her sleep, and in the ms, she felt better than when she slept in bed.

  On the fourth day of their journey, something strange happened. Suddenly, Aira approached Li and gave away all of the gadgets she collected from Garrick. She didn't expin, but the ge was instantaneous. Her movements became sluggish, and she couldn't keep up anymore, even when Li slowed her pad started to walk slower. It was like a device was switched off.

  "Elders' breath... Is that for real?" Li asked incredulously. "These gadgets truly improve your state that much? You aren't messing with me right now?"

  Aira gestured to her, asking to return the wristband. As soon as it was fasteo her forearm, agility returo the undead woman. She grabbed her journal and scribbled a message: "Yes, but it shouldn't surprise yht? You expected me to be quite slow when you carried me baountain View on my first day here."

  "Solid as oak, I'm with you," Li answered. "But it's ohing to know it and a different thing to see it. Especially when you ge so much right in front of my eyes."

  She took the measure of Aira. "Are you feeling good?" she asked softly. "Does it affect you? Are there any sequences?"

  Aira made a nonittal gesture with her hands and wrote another note. "My health stat has just dropped to the maximum I seem to have without magiow it's 205 instead of 555. But looks like that's the only sequence. As soon as I have one of these gadgets ba my hands, it starts to improve."

  Li grinned. "Bones and bark! That's intense, Aira. If you're not some stray dream from st night, that's the wildest thing that ever happeo me!"

  She took a moment to take ihing Aira wrote. "Does that mean you 't lose these gadgets? Will you be able to charge their batteries?"

  Aira looked at her as if she did not uand the question.

  "All of the gadgets use power stored inside," Li expined. "Ba town, eors that allowed us to charge our devices and rger maes. But here in the wild... We don't have anything like that. And in the old facility, most likely nothing remains there."

  "Ah, so, that's what I felt inside of them," wrote Aira. "It seemed there's some power hidden inside. Well, that's not the only thing I sensed, but I know what you mean. I think I charged them in background, using my skill. But I'll make a point of expl it a bit more iure."

  "Good!" said Li, visibly more rexed. "I finally start to believe we might actually stand a ce, you and me, as wild as it sounds."

  That's how they came to the edge of the forested area and found themselves at the top of the ridge. As they gazed down, the enormity of the a building preseself before them in all its glory. Both Aira and Li were awed. For the human, it was a sight that reminded her of her childhood. The time she spent here with her grandfather. The legends of the olden times he recited to her.

  But the structure that domihe valley surprised Aira as well. In her world filled with magily the most powerful wielders of are powers and the wealthiest kings could allow themselves to build something like that. It demanded a lot of intricate spells not only to ereething simir but also to keep it from crumbling. Especially as it was supposedly turies old and not looked after during these years.

  As night approached, they decided to camp right there, on the hilltop, taking in the breathtaking view as they set up their tents and prepared for the evening. Leaving the exploration of the facility until m, when they will be able to properly assess its safety and check for potential danger and traps.