Li pted 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 ied earlier that day, she made up her mind.

  "Here, take this one," Li said.

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

  --- pleted Quests ---1. Find a better way to unicate with humans (Reward: 100,000 XP)2. Visit the Old World tech facility and iigate (Reward: 50,000 XP)3. Find allies and escape the settlement (Rewards: Skill; 100,000 XP)

  Li blinked in fusion. "What ihorny 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 unication 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 Li. "Why nothing happened when you held the adget?"

  "I have no ao that, unfortunately," said Aira. "I... I felt something, when I ied the devices we found here in ste. They are different in some way, g something. But I 't put my finger on it. It seems to rete 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 Mountaihey were modified in some way."

  "By whom?" asked Li. "Definitely not by anyone from the town. They know nothing about magic. Or... no, that's not possible... By the roots, that's uling..."

  "What?" said Aira.

  "I don't know," said Li. "Sorry, just a crazy 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 oo ask! Unless we decide to try our lu a different town..."

  "Anyway, what about those quests of yours," Li tinued. "Could you remind how do they work? Is it just that they tell you where to go and what to do?"

  "Well, no... maybe... sort of," answered Aira distractedly. "They be really vague. Like you've heard this st one: 'Find a better way to unicate 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 dire, I don't know what that dire is. What is my end goal?"

  "Catch a leaf, Aira," Li said gently. "It is probably just as you said, to figure out how your new magic works and find your way home? That would be reasonable, sidering your description."

  "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 't even fathom the level of poerson has to have to pull out a prank of that sort! It just doesn't make any sense!"

  Aira growled, making Li jump a bit.

  Then Aira hugged herself, trying to find ban this strauation. "Well, this is also a progress," she said. "We already know that different gadgets provide different types of information from the System. We o tinue experimenting. Maybe I'll find more ways to plete the puzzle."

  Li stepped toward Aira and hugged her.

  "I 't even imagine how hard it should be for you," she said. "It's like losing one of your senses, being shadowfooted in the dark."

  She paused, and then her face ged as if she had made a e in her mind. "By the roots, it's been, what, a month since we found you until that day when Elder Jorin brought that table to you!" Li excimed. "All that time you lived uhe impression that your life will never be the same! How'd you keep from losing your branches entirely?"

  "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 e 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 ting that new skill I got after we left Mountain View but have no use for."

  "Well, at least you are alive," said Li. "It's a lot to deal with, but we're making progress, right? You're tough as pine bark, and with that grit in your teeth, I've no doubt you'll figure out what's happened."

  "Yeah, that's a fine joke, Li, sidering I'm an undead, ha-ha," said Aira. "Anyway, I have many things I wao discuss with you. But exging paper notes wasn't the best way of unication. And finally I have a ce 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 e."

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

  "Yes, it was," said Aira. "Skills allow me to add different abilities to my magical raheir power relies both on my level and the level of each skill. Which is a whole other cept I'd have to expin iure. So, Energy Manipution was the only skill I had at the beginning. And then, the System offered me a new one, after I pleted 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? Sounds like chasing shadows in deep li," Li remarked. "But hey, what's about this shiny new skill?"

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

  "By the Elders' breath, that's rich!" Li burst out ughing. "Sounds like your System's got a sense of humor sharper than thorns."

  "It definitely does. Especially if you sider my predit," said Aira, smiling. "Anyway, quite ofte offered skills that are relevant to the things we do and our journeys. Sometimes, we eve 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 Li, tinuing to ugh. "That would be great, sidering your situation, But I didn't think you knew anyone here besides me who'd like to e."

  "Seems like you have the same dark sense of humor as the System does," said Aira. "No, it has some simirities to what you had with yers and radios. You exge information with other members of the party and even have voiunication that won't be heard by anyone else."

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

  "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 't add you. I 't say about all humans, as I ried 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 Li. "Souls? They are real?"

  "Yeah, sure, why not?" said Aira. "But anyway, I 't say that I just spent those 964 skill points for nothing. All of this is important knowledge. I'm sure I'll find application for it iure."

  "Every time you expin something, it's like I'm back at ranger sore questions than answers," said Li with a sigh. "Skill points? Souls? A's not eve into how smoothly you dodged that st topic. I'll remember that!"

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

  "Sure as the seasons, I'll hold you to that," Li 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 es to this magic business."

  ***

  The most ret addition to Aira's routine was to start each m on the facility's roof. The was already a proper workout when Aira chose not to boost her stats. And there, oop, with the cliff behihe other side opeo a beautiful su began with the mountain peaks lighting up with the pink m glow that slowly spread lower and lower until it was on the level of the roof.

  Aira bhe valley with her serag all signatures of living beings. They all differed, depending on the size and type of the animal. Sometimes, she sensed humans approag the a 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, wheried to do that quite promptly, she felt overwhelmed and drained. It was just... too much.

  Too muformation, and too muergy to trol.

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

  This m, Aira felt like she sensed something different. A human-like signature expl the edges of the nearby ridges, cirg around the a facility. Like they were cheg on Aira's and Li's activity. But it wasn't a human. The pattern was... wrong... different. Maybe it was a bear?

  Aira woke from her meditative stupor as Li approached her, losing e with the mysterious being. Not much time has passed since she came here. The rows of dark surfaces of the sor panels still trasted with the bright colors of the sunrise and the whiteness of the surrounding slopes. At least after Li removed all the snow that had accumuted during the night. That -up was also a daily part of their routine now. A routihat stantly expanded as the two women made it a policy to gradually increase the number of sor 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 tain 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 o wield it properly. She had to train more.