[Congratulations!]
[You have gained a level!]
The insect fell to the ground after she'd shot it with her nanobots. I am so sick of these bugs.
It had been three days since the death of Ratagast, and she was growing tired of insects. Not only were they bad for levels, but they were super plentiful in the swampland. Luckily for her, it seemed that the swamp was starting to end. The humidity in the air was becoming a bit less the more North she walked. The swamp was transitioning to a forest instead. While still wet, it was nothing compared to the swamp she was leaving behind.
She walked past the corpse of the big beetle and left it behind. At the very least, she'd manage to gain one level. Though, there hadn't been anymore chimes regarding her usage of cybermagic. I guess it will take a while for me to reach the next tier.
The ground became more hilly terrain, and she was truly starting to leave the swamp behind. Eventually, trees were a bit sparser, and she could see the stone structures of a city in the distance. Her tail waved behind her as she spotted it, yet it looked like it would still take at least a day to reach it.
Even still, she was growing with both anticipation and fear for meeting new people. There was no guarantee in her mind that any of them would be like Ratagast. No, I should prepare for the worst while hoping for the best, and maybe I will get a somewhat normal outcome.
Though, she didn't know what a normal outcome even meant. What was the average level of tribalism in societies where people used magic? Either way, she wanted to see what the humans of this world were like. While her goal was to arrive in the North and meet more of her kind, seeing humans was a big step in that endeavor.
She pulled out her pot and the last remaining lizard meat she had. No matter if a lizard is 8 feet, it eventually runs out like all good things. The kitsune pulled out several grasses and herbs she'd collected along the way, remembering how Ratagast taught her to cut them.
Her nanobots ignited the pot, and water started bubbling after some time. She pulled out the rat's journal while she waited for the ingredients to cook. She was a bit surprised that all of this collecting of herbs and cooking of them didn't lead to a new class. She'd half expected a chef class to appear in her status or maybe a herbalist.
However, neither of those things came. She looked down at the notebook and opened it to the last page she was reading. Emily didn't know when the rat had started detailing his life, but there weren't any dates recorded. It seemed that his writing style was as sloppy as his magic.
Emily stirred the pot while reading. My ongoing hypothesis about the blight being connected to creatures seems strong, and that human mage thought so as well. Though, where do they come from? Is it a punishment of the gods or maybe the demons are behind this?
She sighed and readied a bowl of the soup. Most of these readings are disjointed and not connected to each other.
The next passage was something about plant species, and another one was about local fauna.
She brought a spoon to her mouth and blew on the contents. The kitsune's ears twitched as she ate her food. While she loved the taste of the lizard meat, her own soup didn't come close to the rat's. Weird, considering we are using the same ingredients.
Either way, she continued to flip through the boring entries. There were some things she was able to pick up about the rodent people. They stuck to their small hamlets and rarely left them. It was completely different from the rats Emily had experienced on Earth. Those were more social creatures and lived in huge groups.
Another thing about the rodents was how they chose leaders. They were often chosen by their physical abilities. Acrobatics was likely a common skill that not only Ratagast had. The old rat lamented that fact about his people. He was more of a studied mage than a brute.
Maybe that was why he stuck to the outside of their tribe? I guess he wasn't very accepted among them. Did he find some kind of kinship in me because I was a magic user?
There were only a few pages remaining. At the very least, the book gave her a rundown of safe plants in the swamps and a small tidbit about religion. Ratagast worshiped Rodemir in his own way. Those sigils hanging outside of the village were evidence of that.
Emily never believed in a god on Earth, but she was becoming a believer now. After all, she'd died twice and been reincarnated. She watched a rat fade away into magic particles after his death. If she didn't believe after that, it might've even been more illogical. Though, she would never worship this Kurayami person without evidence of them being someone good. So far, she only had evidence of the contrary.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Even Ratagast didn't know who it was.
She flipped to the last few pages that detailed his encounter with a new person. It was none other than Emily herself of course.
A most curious little fox I have stumbled upon. She is an adult in stature only and seems to know nothing of the world. Though, I can already tell after our first meeting that she is to be trusted...Even if there is no explanation for how she got here.
The next entry continued on. I can't help but feel that this girl would be helpless without my guidance. She's already lost her arm in combat with a bug. I cannot afford to let her lose more dignity. However, going easy on her is something I can't do....No matter how cute she is.
Emily's tears dripped down her cheeks as she read his recollection of her. All he ever wanted for the girl was to find her own peace. If he didn't have a duty to his people, he even mentioned taking her in as a disciple.
The fox girl sniffled and closed the book, holding it closely to her chest. You really were too kind to me.
She stowed it away in her satchel along with her pot and bowl. Emily stood up and continued her journey to uncertainty.
///
Emily hid inside of bushes, watching the city from afar. Stone blocks made up the outer wall, and it rose out of the surrounding hills, using some of the hilling for defense. A river made its way near the city, and there was a wooden bridge for traversal.
There were no proper roads leading into the city. It was a simple well-trodden dirt path, but it was clear that the people had cut out a lot of the surrounding forest. Outside of the city, there were rows of crops growing down the hillsides and a few humans tending them in the morning light.
Yes! They really are humans.
The fox's heart thumped in her chest at the thought of meeting people that were like her previous self. She watched as one of them sat on top of an unfamiliar animal pulling a wagon behind itself.
Though, on closer inspection, it was also a dinosaur. This one was the duck-billed type and its feet bore deep imprints into the ground. Emily imagined that the Edmontosaurus had to weigh nearly as much as an elephant. Its long tail protruded behind it and steadied the creature up the hill, despite the massive haul.
The entrance to the city was made wider likely due to the local people using these large dinosaurs. On either side of the towering gate, there were wooden guard towers, elevated above the ramparts. The guards wore brown leather armor that was not too different from Emily's own. Only, it definitely covered more of their bodies.
Each of the two men had crossbows and surveyed the distance. Each time Emily saw their heads look where she was, her heart rate increased. However, it was clear that she was well camouflaged.
Would they even let me in the city? Who knows what kind of people these are? Maybe it would be best for me to stick to the wilds? If they are all savages, then it would be game over.
Emily had read about medieval cities in her past life before, but everything was a blur. However, she was certain that if the lord of the city wanted, he would simply kill her and do it publicly.
Even still, she was in desperate need of a bath of all things. She found her own dirty state disagreeable. With a sigh, she decided to crawl away from her cover and further away from the city.
Once she was certain to be far enough, she sprinted towards the cover of the thick forest. The kitsune followed the same river that the humans used, and eventually, she was greeted by what she needed the most.
There it was, the river flowed into a natural spring. Not only that, but it was hot. The water bubbled slightly, and she felt the warmth against her skin even at a distance.
The fox girl smiled at a rare case of good luck, but she didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Her ears twitched, and her eyes scanned the surroundings for predators or other humanoids. Neither of those surfaced.
She hurriedly took off her clothing and climbed into the water. The feeling of it was immediate. It warmed the skin on her toes, and as she sank down into it, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. Days of exhaustion and muck washed away.
Emily'd not had a proper bath since she arrived, and she didn't waste the opportunity. She scrubbed away all of the dirt and who knows what else that remained on her skin. The bath was a soothing balm to her recently broken heart, and her tail enjoyed the thorough cleaning it got as well.
She got out of the water and grabbed her clothes next, trying to get all of the muck she could out of those as well. The dried blood was a bit harder, but with the help of her nanobots, she managed to have the little guys eat away the dirt.
Come to think of it, these guys are really helpful for cleaning. It makes sense given how small they are. She briefly wondered if they could hear her thoughts or if there was no thinking going on in their minds. They never provided her an answer. They just seemed like mindless drones, willing to obey whatever order she gave them.
Her ears twitched to the sudden sound of voices and she grabbed her clothes before fleeing on the rocky edge of the springs. She was grateful that the sides of this weren't covered in mud or dirt. The large rocks were much cleaner than running on the ground with her bare feet.
Only when she was out of the range of their voices did she start getting dressed again after drying the clothes with heat from her nanobots. She felt so much more refreshed with a clean body and outfit.
Though, she started sneaking on the people who carried on their conversations.
When she got closer, she could better make them out. They were two men, sharing the same leather armor as those who graced the wall. However, instead of holding crossbows, they held spears as their primary weapons. Both of them had lightly tanned skin with dark-colored hair.
"Are you sure you saw someone running over here? It could have been a villager."
"It wasn't a villager. She had a tail...I am pretty sure it was one of those cat girls."
Emily swallowed while listening to their conversation. Shit, they'd seen me after all.