Aira joined him, her heart racing. Alliot pointed to a set of footprints, clear and distinct in the dust. That wasn't all, though.

  "Five to ten people came through," Alliot said, studying the tracks. "They left with heavier packs than when they arrived. These prints suggest they weren't alone when they left—they took someone with them. Likely a prisoner."

  Aira's blood ran cold. "Lila," she whispered. "It only confirms what we suspected. But I still had some hope that she went voluntarily."

  "Doesn't look voluntary," Alliot said. "We'll check outside for more tracks, but the person they took was being controlled—kept close. That much is clear."

  Aira's radio woke up once again to announce her progress.

  --- Completed Quests ---

  1. Check on the Old World Facility (Reward: 100,000 XP)

  2. Explore Heart of the Forest (Rewards: 300,000 XP, Skill)

  3. Make contact with the undead (Reward: 100,000 XP)

  [...]

  After sealing the bunker, the duo of rescuers left in the direction of the spot where Aira last sensed Lila's signature. It has been a few days since then, and the rangers would have obviously moved on during this time. But still, Alliot and Aira had to ensure they were moving in the right direction. It would have been unfortunate to storm the town only to find out that Lila wasn't there.

  "What is the distance of your communication skill," asked Alliot while they were crossing the empty area in front of the abandoned facility. "Is there still a chance to reach out to Ainorrh? It would be great to give her a report. I don't think she's in the party anymore."

  To answer, Aira checked her System interface.

  --- Party Interface ---

  Maximum party invitations: 2

  Current party size: 2 (including the host)

  Invite a new party member [Y/N]?

  "You are right," said Aira. "Ainorrh was probably removed after the maximum distance was exceeded. The range is twenty kilometers, which is a day's walk for a human. Here, we are much further away. And it would take us to get almost the whole way back to re-establish the connection. It's not worth it."

  "That's fine," said Alliot. "We have our goal. I have my orders. Nothing changes."

  Aira took one last look at the facility before they left the valley. This place had been their sanctuary. A temporary haven in a hostile and strange world. But now, it was nothing more than a shell—a reminder of the impermanence of safety.

  She pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task ahead. Lila needed her. And Aira wouldn't fail her. Not after everything they had been through.

  Alliot's skills and experience helped them to find at least some tracks. Even if they didn't need them right now, to track the group of rangers to that location where Aira last sensed Lila's presence. Still, it only helped them to confirm their suspicions once again.

  The tracks led them through the dense forest, the underbrush crackling under their feet as they moved with a sense of urgency. The silence of the woods was punctuated only by the occasional call of a distant bird and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Aira's heightened senses caught every detail, her focus unwavering. Alliot, with his honed tracking skills, moved effortlessly beside her, his eyes scanning the ground for any signs of anything unusual.

  As they moved through the forest, Aira glanced at Alliot. "Do you think she's okay?" she asked." Lila, I mean."

  Alliot didn't hesitate before answering. "Our belief is that the life is sacred," he said.

  When he saw Aira beginning to interrupt him, he asked with a sign to let him continue.

  "You know that it's our base principle to cherish life as it is," Alliot said. "That's one of the reasons we don't want to fight with humans. But humans are different. Your stories only confirm that."

  Aira almost interrupted Alliot once again. But then, looked at him intently and allowed him to continue.

  "I believe that Lila knew what she was doing," Alliot continued. "And even if she isn't safe, she needed that experience."

  "I just hope they wouldn't do anything to her," Aira said, her voice trembling. "She's been a part of my support system since I came to this world. I can't lose her."

  "She's lucky to have you searching for her," Alliot said, nodding, his expression thoughtful. "We'll find her, Aira."

  Aira gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Alliot. It means a lot to hear that."

  ***

  They journeyed deeper into the forest, and soon, Aira began to recognize the surroundings. The trees, the paths, the landmarks—it seemed they were returning to Lila's town. Her heart quickened, a mix of hope and dread building within her. She pushed herself harder, her mind racing with thoughts of Lila and what she might be enduring.

  Even before the pair reached the spot they were heading to, Aira was able to sense Mountain View with her Energy Manipulation skill. Once again, a bright spot with hundreds, if not thousands, of human signatures appeared in her magical view. She felt some of the humans approaching the settlement and leaving it. More of them were working in the fields. There even were ranger parties sprinkled around the town at a wide radius, fulfilling their duties.

  Business as usual.

  Still, it was too early to decipher any specific details about the people within the town. Too many of them gathered there, mudding Aira's magical vision.

  However, with each day, Aira's senses brought more and more information. Until, finally, she found the signature she was looking for.

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  "What is it?" asked Alliot when Aira stopped abruptly. "We haven't reached the right spot yet, haven't we?"

  "No, it's not that," said Aira. "We don't need to go there anymore. We can go directly to Mountain View. Lila is there, I'm sure."

  "Sure, why not," agreed Alliot. "If it saves us any time, I'm all for it."

  The rest of the hike was relatively uneventful. Aira and Alliot avoided human patrols, sensing them from a distance. And they weren't surprised when the forest ended and Mountain View finally appeared in the distance, across the field. That was what they waited for all these days, the goal of their journey. They felt it as they approached the town.

  Somehow, knowing exactly where Lila was helped Aira calm down a little bit and not rush in without a plan. The human's signature felt dimmed, feeble. But Aira couldn't say it had changed much since the last time, a few days ago. At least her condition wasn't deteriorating.

  ***

  Aira and Alliot camped in a nearby forest to strategize and recuperate some energy. Heeding Alliot's recommendations, Aira didn't push them to reach Mountain View in the shortest time. So, she hoped her reserves were in much better condition compared to the moment they arrived at the ancient facility.

  "Alliot, can you sense Lila from here?" asked Aira when the camp was ready and hidden well enough from the humans. "Do you feel anything? Can you add something to what I have?"

  "It's hard for me to distinguish between humans," said Alliot. "Even though I spent weeks with Lila, it's still difficult to differentiate her from other villagers. It's much easier with the enlightened; I can feel each person's unique energy patterns. I think you do it much better than me already. But I'll practice to learn the trick while I have an opportunity."

  "So, what's the plan?" said Aira. "Any recommendations? You are the local in the end."

  "I don't have much experience attacking humans," said Alliot. "It goes against…"

  "Yeah, yeah, I know," said Aira, mocking Alliot. "It goes against your beliefs. But you supposedly should be ready to fight against them if they attack. What can you tell me?"

  "You probably know more about the defenses of this town than I do," said Alliot. "I can provide support. I can distract them with some of my skills. I can even do that so they won't figure out it was magic. But you should rely on your own powers and experience to get inside and find Lila."

  "Distraction is a good idea," said Aira. "I don't want to just blast away the gates. It would be better to sneak in unnoticed and get Lila out as discreetly as possible."

  "So, you know her location," said Alliot. "I'll choose the gate on the opposite side of the town and focus my efforts there. With your boosts, you can probably just scale the wall and get inside. What about that tunnel you used before?"

  "If they hadn't blocked it or don't patrol it by now, they are completely stupid and hopeless," said Aira. "But sure, let's check it later."

  "One more thing I need to stress," said Alliot. "Don't harm more people than needed. I just can't condone that. Our mission is to get in and take Lila out. Not to punish these humans. You have other things to do after we are done here, aren't you."

  "What's wrong with both of you?" asked Aira. "First, Lila didn't allow me to use my powers in full. Now you. And I know it's not something in the air on this planet. There are plenty of cruel people here. I had experienced their ire myself."

  Alliot shrugged and spread his hands. "It is what it is."

  The town's fortifications didn't impress Aira when she lived in Mountain View. Not that she had many opportunities to pay close attention to the town's defenses back then. But now, with her skills at least partially back, she had a much wider range of opportunities to better analyze the situation.

  In the old times, in her old world, Aira had been to many castles and fortified areas. She wasn't an expert, but at least she saw a lot. In her world, magic reinforced these defenses, making them even more formidable. Here, the humans had only managed to build primitive walls, towers, and checkpoints—structures that would have only been used by the poorest villages in her world, those without resources or mages.

  What could she say? Aira wasn't impressed.

  It seemed that this world had abandoned proper fortifications since the time of the ancient cities. Enlightened relied on their elemental magic too much. And humans… It seemed like they weren't really expecting an attack. Even if they were constantly retelling all these stories of crazed undead who jumped at any opportunity to eat some fresh human brains.

  Maybe they relied on different methods to protect themselves. But neither with her eyes nor with her arcane powers, Aira wasn't able to find anything.

  But besides the immovable fortifications and Lila's precise location, there were also other variables Aira and Alliot had to take into account: rangers, patrolling schedules, and degrees of protection of different elements of the town.

  Aira began analyzing that part earlier, even before they approached Mountain View. As soon as she was able to distinguish separate human signatures, she began focusing on the people who manned the walls and patrolled the perimeters.

  "So, we have a day's worth of patrol schedules," said Aira. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to watch them for much longer."

  "Let's agree to compromise," said Alliot. "Let's wait until this midnight. This will allow you to confirm what you already learned yesterday. But also, it will give us more opportunities to scan other parts of the town to make sure everything is alright."

  "Sure, it would be the best moment to go late in the night, anyway," said Aira. "Humans have to sleep. And even the ones who don't sleep because they are on patrol, they tend to be not as focused when it's dark. In the end, they are not expecting an attack. There's no major force approaching the town. And they didn't see any undead."

  "Well, that may change soon," said Alliot through the party chat with a grim smile.

  ***

  As the bell tower in Mountain View chimed midnight, Aira and Alliot left their hideout to have a visual confirmation of the things they knew, thanks to their senses. The town was slowly calming down, with only several people remaining in the streets. Aira could feel their energy signatures moving slowly in different directions. More people were spread around the settlement's walls: guards and patrols.

  By now, the duo knew the positions and schedules of the rangers well enough to have high hopes that Aira would be able to get through to Lila's holding location without being noticed.

  But that all was cold logic, planning. Alliot's calculated touch was all over these plans.

  Aira lusted for action. Her muscles tensed with anticipation as they approached the settlement walls. She was pushing the ambient energy through her. The leaves of nearby trees trembled as if whispering in protest, their edges curling ever so slightly as Aira drew power from the air around them. The grass underfoot withered to brittle stalks, snapping beneath her boots as Aira moved forward, her senses aflame with stolen energy.

  The thrill of the impending infiltration coursed through her veins, a sensation she somehow avoided in this strange new world. Beside her, Alliot moved with his usual measured grace, his mind no doubt still calculating and recalculating their odds of success.

  "Stick to the plan," Alliot said. "No risks. No bodies. That's it."

  Aira stole a glance at Alliot. The only thing she wanted at that moment was to be sure that Lila was fine. That nothing terrible happened to her.

  "You'll have to define 'unnecessary'," she said glumly.

  "I'm sure you remember our talks," Alliot said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "Any life is sacred. Even a barbarian human life."

  Aira didn't even try to hide her emotions at using the B-word. Were these snobs ever going to learn?

  "You'll make me always call your people 'undead 'this way," she said. "And that wouldn't be the only consequence of using that kind of language."

  "Sorry, Aira," said Alliot. "I didn't mean to antagonize you at such an important moment. I promise to improve."

  "Even if I don't like your language, I wanted to thank you for being here with me," said Aira. "But… I owe you. Learned a lot about… humans. More than I wanted. More than I thought."

  "Don't thank me. It's duty, that's all," said Alliot. "I'm just fulfilling my duty. But I will say thank you to you, too. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten so much new knowledge about our world. Even if it is knowledge about barb… humans."

  "Arrrgh, I guess it will take some time for you to adjust," said Aira. "So, are you ready?"

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