“Nothing,” Ruiz muttered, walking away as he continued to grumble. “I do not understand what is missing. It cannot be something as simple as one from the other side…”
Bria could only shrug at that as he walked off with Boris and Nikolai following him. She didn’t really want him to find anything else after his speech in the garden, but there wasn’t much that she could do about it. Spending most of the day hiking through the woods from location to location while poking at stone walls wasn’t her usual definition of fun, but it was better than staying inside playing Dungeon Heroes.
A statement she never thought would prove true.
Yet, being able to fight actual monsters made doing so in a game feel hollow. She’d taken one look at the console before grabbing some things and returning to visit Neth-amii and restore more of her mana. Thankfully the shrine didn’t get any further surprise guests.
“Boy,” Mister Ruiz called back, making her jump. “We will continue the investigation of the archive. Do not linger when spending your nights recovering.”
“Yes, sir!” she replied.
“Oh, and send Hector to assist us,” Mister Ruiz added. “We will need the students to resume their work in the archive.”
“You got it,” she shot back, glad to have the excuse to return home.
The jog back didn’t take nearly as long as it used to, and Bria was left a bit shaken at just how much of a difference a few levels had made. Arriving back in town, Bria brushed a few strands of hair from her face as she slowed to a walk. A half-hour walk had taken her only a few minutes to clear.
“Insane,” Bria muttered.
Back home, the dinner rush appeared in full swing. She spotted the blue-haired guy sitting at a table laughing with two of the other students. She hurried up to their table, drawing eyes her way. She offered them a practiced smile meant for the customers then turned her full attention to the blue-haired guy.
“Mister Ruiz is asking for you,” she said to Hector, “something about sorting the archives.”
“That man,” he grumbled. “Sorry ladies, looks like duty calls.” One of the girls huffed, muttering about it being typical. Hector got up, leaving his fellow students at the table before he paused. “You know, I don’t think I ever got your name.”
It took Bria a moment to realize that he was addressing her, and she froze. He stood there with a polite smile as the silence quickly turned awkward. Both girls snickered, and the hanging moment passed. Hector shrugged, and walked off, leaving Bria standing there.
Why did such a simple question make her lock up like that? Unsure of how to even start unpacking that whole mess, Bria prepared to have dinner with her family and take a plate back to Neth-amii.
***
Mister Ruiz made himself scarce over the next two days, with Boris and Nikolai simply stating that he was busy with preparations for Bria’s own journey into the strange and fantastical realm. That was fine by her, as she didn’t really want to see the man and be reminded of the face he made when it became clear he wouldn’t be joining her on the expedition.
With the arrival of the unscheduled aerial delivery, gear and materials were being loaded into the pyramid atrium with the intention of bringing them across. Among the items were a collection of canned foods, processed snacks, and raw sugar. She was looking at several trips to get it all through, but could agree with the idea.
She did feel a bit sorry for the glasses-wearing student from the tour. Ruiz had the poor guy checking the inventory, and he seemed quite irritated with the whole affair. More goods to trade did mean more money to use on preparations for whatever might await them as they delved deeper into the mystery. Just how were the two lands interconnected? Why would someone from a world of magic bother to maintain a base of some sort on an island in the middle of the ocean?
It was the mystery that had baffled explorers for hundreds of years, and Mister Ruiz was the foremost expert alive. Now, he was having to take a back seat to the discovery. Despite everything, Bria could understand why he was upset about that, but that didn’t give him a right to threaten her over it.
At least she would get some time away from his manipulations, and there wouldn’t be any point in harming her parents while she was away. The worst he could do was take them off the island, but that might raise questions he doesn’t want to deal with from their neighbors.
That left her with the awkwardness that was saying goodbye despite still needing to make several trips to bring everything over. Like, did she hug her parents now or did she wait until the last load was across? It was silly, but such thoughts were better than dwelling on the betrayal that was still far too fresh. Boris and Nikolai were there, as was Officer Sanchez as witness. They were still keeping the truth in house for now; even the students had been kept out of the loop on what had been discovered.
Just how would the world react to knowledge of a portal to an entirely different world? Bria didn’t even want to think of it. She’d seen how wars were fought over the pettiest of reasons throughout history, even in her own lifetime. So, she understood the caution. Every new person that learned what was going on was another potential vector for a leak.
Not that there were many ways to communicate off the island. They had a radio transmitter that could reach the mainland and satellite TV. That was it. No phone lines had ever been run despite the adults all talking about it as if it were going to happen any day for years now.
“Look at my baby, heading off on their own,” Mother said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Every parent dreads this day…”
“I won’t be gone that long,” Bria said, looking away. “Besides, I have a bunch of trips to make before I’m staying.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Mother said. “For all we know, you’ll like it over there so much that you’ll never return!”
She didn’t miss how Mister Ruiz stiffened as Mother said that, which was probably the reason she had in the first place. If so; go Mom.
“I think I’ll miss pizza too much for that,” Bria said, playing it off. “And I don’t think they have video games over there.”
Father snorted. “Like you’ll care when you’re living out Lord of the Rings.”
Laughing, Bria shook her head. “Okay, that was a good one. I don’t think it’s quite the same, but it’s also not wrong.”
“If you’re done, we do have work that needs doing,” Mister Ruiz said, foot tapping away.
Glad to have gotten under his skin, she grabbed one of the crates and quickly stepped through the portal as it flared open. Mister Ruiz approached the iris, and tapped, causing ripples to run across the surface. Well, it seemed that Neth-amii had been right about that. He couldn’t just step through her portal.
Which would only make him all the more desperate for his own amulet.
The trips were quick; little different from carrying something across a room, and none of it proved to be all that heavy. Even the four bulk bags of sugar. Once done, she hurried back over to her parents and gave them quick hugs.
“We’re proud of you,” Mother whispered. “And we’ll be safe, promise.”
Father gave a firm nod of agreement. “She’s right. I’ve already told a few friends that something’s not right. We’ll be fine, so go give that world hell, so—”
Mother chose that moment to elbow him, driving a puff of air from his lungs. Bria wasn’t quite sure what that was about, and left it alone while the two began to fiercely whisper to one another. That left just one more thing to take care of as she walked right up to Mister Ruiz.
“Here’s the example,” he said, passing over a single scroll. “We’ve found four identical scrolls so far among the archives. We can spare this one.”
“I’ll see if we can find an expert.” She very pointedly didn’t look at him as she accepted it. “The glyphs look similar to what we found in the sealed room, so the Priestess is also interested in finding an answer.”
“Yes, this mysterious and powerful guardian you spoke of,” Mister Ruiz muttered, glancing over at the student for a moment. “Do take care with her, we can’t be certain she will have our best interests at heart.”
Well, it wasn’t like he had anyone’s best interests at heart aside from his own. Despite only knowing her for a few days, Bria trusted Neth-amii almost completely. There was a kinship between them, not that she could really explain why.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bria said, stepping back towards the portal. “I’ve no idea how long this will take, but I’ll try to avoid dallying too long.”
“Better you find things and take longer than to rush and miss something vital,” Mister Ruiz said with a stern glare. “Discovery awaits, my boy, and I anticipate your return most eagerly.”
With a grim nod and a parting glance at her parents, Bria stepped back through the portal and into the mana-rich air of the other side. She had spent each night there, all to ensure her mana was topped back off, plus, it had let her get to know her new friend just a bit better. Neth-amii had entered the antechamber at some point and was poking at the supplies that had been stacked in the room.
“Do you intend for me to carry all of this?” Neth-amii asked, poking at a bag of sugar. “My pack may be expanded, but it isn’t infinite. I never bothered to get a merchant grade expansion bag, and this much would practically require one.”
That got a snort from Bria. “Some of this is just for you, like the soda. Other things I’ll be carrying, like the camera. Mister Ruiz wants documentation and I don’t want to give him a reason to hurt my family until I know for certain that he lacks the power to do so.”
“Level ten should mark that point,” Neth-amii said, sorting through some of the more mundane supplies. “Once you have a class, your ability to fight in your preferred style will grow exponentially by comparison.”
Good to know. Yet, Bria wasn’t sure how she wanted to grow as a fighter. Was she a stereotypical heroic type with armor and a sword, or was she someone who moved quickly and struck true? Currently she had a knife, but did it feel right? What about the mismatched leather gear she was currently wearing?
It was a lot to consider, and there were still more than five levels between where she was and that mystical unlock. All things to discuss at some point during the excursion to Brookvale. There were probably experts on classes and such in the city, which meant saving the questions for then.
Bria was expecting to stay for at least a month, which meant there wasn’t any real rush. First thing would be getting all the goods situated and figuring out how to pack for the journey. Then she would head into the dungeon to hopefully reach level five before setting out the following day. It would also give her more time to adjust to the difference in day and night before it became a matter of safety.
The goods were moved into Neth-amii’s home, and some things shifted over to her pack. Unfortunately, the sugar bags were too big to simply slide inside. Which meant they needed some other way to transport them. Some of the soda definitely made its way into the bag, much to Bria’s amusement.
“Careful,” she said as her friend added another can to one of the side pouches. “You might just alert the entire countryside to our presence if you drink those on the road.”
A dusting of crimson crept across Neth-amii’s face. “It would be worth it for more of this sweet nectar.”
“Pace yourself,” Bria said with a laugh. “I brought you four cases, and the cans take years to go bad.”
“I shall do as I wish, thank you very much,” Neth-amii said, then stuck out her tongue. “Still, I must thank you for this. You didn’t have to go out of your way to have goods delivered simply for my own enjoyment.”
“Sure I did,” Bria shrugged, unable to quite look at the Shrine Maiden. “You’ve been such a big help to me, and now you’re escorting me to Brookvale! It’s only right that I return some of the favor.”
“If you say so,” Neth-amii said, then giggled softly. “I do hope you’re aware how sweet you are Bria. I thank you for all the hospitality you’ve shown despite being my guest.”
Even with the teasing tone, Bria didn’t think she was being mocked. Every word carried genuine warmth that she wasn’t used to hearing from anyone that wasn’t her mother. Even Father kept a certain distance in their daily lives. It was only when he was teaching that his true warmth shined through.
With Neth-amii, that warmth had shone through the moment she’d heard the weird error with her status sheet. For whatever reason, Bria was much more palatable to Neth-amii than ‘Kevin’ was despite it being her birth name. Not that she had said it out loud, but she kinda preferred being thought of as Bria. Even that asshat of a Paladin had seen her as Bria first and only, which was something she should probably give more thought when she had some time.
Once everything was sorted, Bria treated Neth-amii to some of Mother’s cooking that had been packed away. It would be the last taste of her cooking that Bria would enjoy for at least a month, and she wanted to savor it. Plus, she had pleasant company to share it with.
“I’ve never had meat quite like this,” Neth-amii said, staring at the meat and bun in her hand, “such an interesting application!”
It was just a hamburger, but it was her mom’s own take on it. The Burger Queen had nothing on how she made them and the whole town knew it. It was a pity that fries simply didn’t hold up long after leaving the oil, otherwise some would likely be packed with.
Still, it was a nice capstone on the day. Neth-amii would be retiring to bed shortly, and Bria would do what she could to get some sleep as well. Tomorrow promised to be a busy day, even if the danger level was low. She still needed to show Neth-amii the journal she found, and venturing back into the dungeon would hopefully be met with a level up. Then they could set out for Brookvale as well prepared as possible.
Knowing her luck, however, Bria fully expected some complication that would throw everything into disarray. She wouldn’t let pessimism get in the way of enjoying herself, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t prepare for the worst. It was simply prudent.
For now, she could only imagine what magic she might unlock next!