Chapter 23 - Travel

<p>I played with Raeki as we walk along the dirt path, the trees lining the way down the small, forgotten road. It had already been about 2 hours, so we had probably traveled a few miles already. The most we had experienced was thankfully a small group of locusts, which I easily took out. It was only 30 EXP's worth, but as I had experience with them before I was the one who could take them out the fastest. Eniyala had clearly disagreed but made no arguments to fight them in my place. Even though she hadn't shrieked or anything, her face had gone pale when they appeared, and I could figure it out from there.<br/><br/> As I laughed with Raeki, I eyed the cooldown of my least favorite skill. So far I had been lucky, then unlucky. 'Maybe it's really just a pattern?'<br/><br/> Either way, I might find out in less than two hours.<br/><br/> A wrench was thrown into my thoughts as Eniyala turns to face the two of us. "Let's set up camp here."<br/><br/> If I wasn't in a situation where I was using my Dexterity, the skill wouldn't activate. "Maybe I can force it to activate in a controlled setting?"<br/><br/> "Yo, Mutter King. You wanna help build the fire? Or maybe you can talk it into lighting itself?"<br/><br/> Rolling my eyes, I pull the five sticks out of my Inventory, snapping them all in half twice and tossing them in a medium-sized pile at the teasing woman's feet. She raised a blue eyebrow at me before snapping her fingers, setting the 20 sticks alight easily with a blue flame. The blue quickly faded as the fire latched onto the wood, burning at a steady rate. I pull a half eaten bug out of my Inventory, and the two siblings look at me in disgust.<br/><br/> "Have you… been eating THAT??" Eniyala asked in horror.<br/><br/> "Not like I had much choice," I reply evenly, snapping a leg open and pulling out a large piece of chewy gray meat. "You get used to the smell."<br/><br/> "Uh, yeah no. Raeki, food please."<br/><br/> Raeki obediently pulls out one of the cubes. Putting his hand over it, it glows, and a large bag appeared on the ground, filled with—<br/><br/> "Real meat," I said, my mouth already beginning to drool. Eniyala gave me a smirk as she pulls out a piece of dried meat, waving it under my nose. The amazing smell made the drool fall in waterfalls out of my mouth as I stare hungrily at it.<br/><br/> Then, she pulled it away, taking a bite of it. She closed her eyes with a contented sigh, opening them to relish in my defeat with her even stare.<br/><br/> But I had swiped the rest of the meat from her hand so quickly she hadn't even noticed, and sat munching it with tears in my eyes. She almost yelled at me in protest, but realizing the tears were genuine, she stopped the bullying with a sigh and we all shared the food.<br/><br/> Meanwhile, the half-eaten bug sat depressedly upside down several feet away, where I had chucked it with all abandon for the prospect of real food. A drip of my leftover saliva dripped from its eye, as if it was crying that real meat was picked over it.<br/><br/> After we had our fill of meat and cooked vegetables, Raeki stored the food back in his cube and placed it back in his pocket. The effects of the cube stacked, meaning the kid's Strength must be pretty impressive. Curious, I asked if I could use my skill on him, to which he happily agreed.<br/><br/>[Name: Raeki Ignios]<br/>[Age: 11]<br/>[Lv: 7]<br/>[Health: 63/63]<br/>[Mana: 38/38]<br/>[Stamina: 63/63]<br/><br/>STR: 17 MAG: 4<br/>AGI: 5 DEX: 4<br/>VIT: 13 INT: 7<br/><br/>ACC: 4<br/>DEF: 15<br/>POW: 5<br/><br/>[Skills: Shield Bash (Uncommon), Taunt (Uncommon), Sprint (Common)]<br/><br/>[Spells: Fortify, Defender's Cry]<br/><br/> I blink in surprise. Maybe I really was low-level. Not only that, but the boy was clearly not a mage, yet still had a few spells in his arsenal. Up until I had Analyzed Eniyala, the spells portion hadn't even shown up.<br/><br/> "Hey Raeki, you know spells?"<br/><br/> "Yup! Until you reach Level 10, you can learn just about any spell from a Spellbook! Once you pick your Class, you can only have ones for your Class Type, though. I'm picking spells for a Tank! What do you think?"<br/><br/> Looking at the boy's expectant look, I give him a thumbs up. "Look at how strong you are! Stronger than me, even. Thanks for teaching me, little man."<br/><br/> The small boy shakes his head with a wide smile. "No way, Big Bro! Your strength is manazing, so it's only natural I teach you the things you don't know yet."<br/><br/> Eniyala decides to interject herself into the conversation. "Amazing, not manazing, dork," she says. "And about that. How the hell do you have as many Stat Points as you do? At Level 5, the average human has around 40 Stats, but you… Where'd you get the extra 11?"<br/><br/> I stare blankly at her. "Huh? I just… got them."<br/><br/> "The hell is that supposed to mean?"<br/><br/> I'm not sure how I feel about both of them picking up the curse words I spoke, even if one of them is technically older than me now.<br/><br/> "You guys don't get the extra stat things?"<br/><br/> "The WHAT?"<br/><br/> "You know, the achievements?"<br/><br/> "What the FUCK are you on about?"<br/><br/> In my confusion, I explain the strange occurrences where specific conditions forcefully raised certain stats. Once I finish, both of them stare at me with their jaws dropped. After a few awkward seconds, Eniyala drops her chin into her hand, pondering furiously.<br/><br/> "The only way this makes any sense is if Alyphia's been watching you since you became a Reincarnate. But… why?"<br/><br/> Remembering a certain phrase my Statscreen said, I shrug. "Guess she's a bit picky."<br/><br/> Eniyala seems baffled that I would even dare consider the Sword Saint picky, but it wasn't my words. With a loud groan, I flop backwards, staring at the night sky. "I'm gonna fall into a food coma now."<br/><br/> With a sigh, she nods. "I'll take first watch, you take the second. You better stay awake when it's your turn."<br/><br/> "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, princess."<br/><br/> "You and your weird ass names for shit."<br/><br/> "You don't know what a princess is?"<br/><br/> "Of course I do. We had one."<br/><br/> "Did she die or something?"<br/><br/> "She's the queen now."<br/><br/> I nearly choke on my own spit. "That's one way to tell me 'don't call me princess.'"<br/><br/> "You're not going to anymore, are you?"<br/><br/> I turn my back to the fire, closing my eyes. I had enough shit to figure out without having to deal with potentially angering a queen. Shaking those thoughts away mentally, I let the satisfaction from the food take over my body…<br/><br/> It feels like I had just closed my eyes when suddenly I was being shaken awake. It was Eniyala.<br/><br/> "Hmm…?"<br/><br/> "It's your turn, baby Reincarnate. Up."<br/><br/> With a mumble, I slowly stir from my position, eventually finding my way into sitting up.<br/><br/> "Who's Christy?"<br/><br/> "Why does it matter?"<br/><br/> "Cause you were calling her name out so fearfully that my brother thought something was wrong. A partner from your past life?"<br/><br/> I laugh. "More like a partner in crime. And I don't miss her specifically. I don't miss my past life, but…"<br/><br/> "You still feel like you're scared of leaving something behind?"<br/><br/> "… Yeah, actually."<br/><br/> She lays herself down in my spot, the weak flames flickering on her back. The way the clothes fall to the ground, a slim shoulder barely makes itself visible through the fabric. I stare a second longer before standing, stretching out my back with a big yawn. <br/><br/> "Night, Eniyala."<br/><br/> "Night, Klum."<br/><br/> I walk just outside the flame's circle, leaning against a tree and using the dark for cover. It feels a bit easier to blend into the shadows for some reason, but not enough so that it's concerning. <br/><br/> All is quiet as I watch the large moon in the sky passing slowly overhead. It's about halfway, and looks as if it intends to swallow the sky. As I admire it, a 'ding!' sounds.<br/><br/>[User Aged Up!]<br/><br/> "…The fuck?"</p>