Chapter 032 - Humble Abode

Anna wiped a little blood off her lip, scowling against the snow as it blew across her face. She kicked the first of the skeletal corpses and it dissolved into that putrid smelling dust. It was strange, in the dungeon she barely noticed it but out here in the fresh air it was horrible again. She coughed and raised an arm over her face as the trio turned into essence to add to her total.

You have received: 90 Iron Coins and 87 Essence Points

She clicked her tongue. There's a bonus for killing things in a dungeon, isn’t there? She thought irritably before turning towards Catherine. Her new ‘companion’ was also looting the bodies of all three of her attackers. The woman tilted her head back and let out a sigh as the faint shine glowed beneath her skin. “Already ready to level up, that was easy, not that it will last.” she muttered and turned to Anna. “What?”

“You took them down quickly.”

Catherine flicked her sword once and then rested it on her shoulder, “I was a Paladin and Inquisitor serving a god that embodied holy light. Undead are profane. This is like brushing my teeth,” Catherine said dismissively and gestured to the skeletons. “I know how to sever the magic that holds up their bodies at the weak points.”

Anna gave her an appraising look, “Then the undead we find are all yours until you catch up,” she said bluntly.

“Fine by me,” Catherine said and nodded to the remains of the skeletal hound. They weren’t pretty. Anna had dealt with the humanoids quickly but she’d taken her time a little with the hound, crushing pretty much every joint until she was satisfied. “You didn’t like him very much?”

“My first encounter after arriving,” Anna said over the growing wind. “Let me loot him and we’ll move on.”

“Wise,” Catherine agreed.

Anna trotted back over to the body and kicked it.

You have received: 61 Iron Coins and 40 Essence Points

The hound dissolved and she stepped over it. Killing it had been easier than she had expected but the level difference was only two and she had way more experience than she had in her first encounter with one. She slung her club over her shoulder and started walking. There was no point in sticking around and she could tell that Catherine wasn’t the type that needed prompting. Neither of them wanted to be in the cold for much longer. She glanced down at her hand and the ring on it, it was doing its job for sure but it was by no means perfect.

The snow drifts were quiet besides the roaring wind. Just the steady crunch of their boots in the ever deepening snow as they descended the slope from the rock formation where the portal to the dungeon still stood. She took a bit of time to muse about the last notification she got as she left that horrible place. She had access to an instanced version of the dungeon that provided no essence but she could go in there and hopefully get more of that medicinal water and the boiled water as well. There was also the option of actually hunting the animals inside rather than converting them into essence.

“Are Stygian Deer edible?” she shouted over the wind.

“Yes!” Catherine shouted back, “A little gamy but very nutritious, why?”

Anna briefly explained the prompt she’d received and Catherine barked out a laugh. “Why am I not surprised?” she shouted over the wind. “It makes sense that you would inherit the dungeon itself. At least we will not run out of food or water!”

“That was my thought!” Anna shouted back as she felt the texture of the snow beneath her feet change slightly. She glanced down and tapped her foot before looking up to see the faint jutting formation of the precinct’s roof. “We’re here!”

Catherine stopped next to her and squinted against the snow, “There is a building under there! I see it now!” she called and tapped her foot, “Pavement?”

“Yeah!” Anna shouted as the wind howled even louder. The two of them glanced at one another when the wind blew so hard they nearly stumbled. Anna was the first to turn back towards the distant rock formation and her gut sank. A wall of storm clouds was drawing closer. She clicked her tongue and darted towards the building, trying to remember where the entrance was. “Blizzard! We don’t have a lot of time!” 

Catherine was at her side in an instant and first they both started digging the snow away by hand. Huffing and puffing in a matter of moments as the storm drew closer and closer. The wind was so loud it was starting to hurt her ears. Anna ground her teeth as she tossed aside the latest dusty clump and kicked the snow. It was too fresh and powdery to dig by hand and the stuff below it was packed. I need to blast- oh god damn it.She tossed aside another chunk of snow and scoffed, “Back up! I got an idea!” 

The two of them scurried back and Anna held out a hand, activating the function on her gauntlets. Firebats formed and flew towards the mound of snow, exploding on contact. Snow was either vaporized or sent flying into the air as one bat after another pulverized the blockage. Even so, there was a lot to get through and the wind was getting even louder. Anna scowled and held out both hands.

BOOM! BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

A staccato of blasts nearly deafened Anna along with the incoming storm and Catherine grabbed her shoulder. “Careful! You are going to burn out like that!”

Anna checked her mana tolerance.

Resources:
HP: 198/198 | SP: 113/188 | MT: 86/165

She shrugged, “It’s fine! I’m not even half-way there!”

“What? That is imp-”

Another series of blasts drowned her protest out and finally Anna could see the doors. The glass was practically iced over but that wasn’t a problem. She blasted away the snow at the foot of the doors and hurried forward, grabbing a handle and pulling. With her strength the ice just cracked and the two of them hurried inside as the buffeting wind slammed the door shut for them. Snow was already building at the foot of the door as Anna finally caught her breath in the dark lobby.

“Fucking shit,” Anna swore. “Did we get moved to the arctic or something?”

“I assume that is a region of your world? Also, how are you not suffering from mana sickness after using that gear feature over and over?” Catherine asked, finding a chair to sit down and rest.

Anna wandered over to the couch she’d camped on when she first arrived and threw herself into it. She lay face down for several moments before turning her head and staring at Catherine. “It’s a trait or something. I take on less taint when I’m using items or potions.”

“Very handy,” Catherine said with a nod. “I am actually jealous.”

Anna rolled onto her back and finally took an easy breath. The cold air felt like it had burned her lungs. “Wel-Welcome to my uh… humble abode?” she gestured around herself. “Well, this is where I was when the integration happened and every other human on the planet went to the tutorial.”

Catherine looked up and squinted at her surroundings before frowning a little. “You said that like humans are the only intelligent race on your world.”

“They are, why?”

“That is not good,” Catherine said with a sigh and set her sword down on the chair next to her. “A world needs to reach a certain point in development or age before it will be integrated, as far as we understand it anyway. If it has only one race then that race tends to develop an extreme ethnocentric mentality after integration. It will become hostile to any external race that may actually be friendly.”

Anna winced. “The system did mention that other groups would be setting up on Earth. I didn’t really get it. Some of them aren’t actually invaders?”

“No,” Catherine said. “Some of them are actually here to help the native race adapt and fight off the invaders.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Anna said and double checked her character sheet. “Uh… ‘terrans’ are absolutely shit with strangers. We even treat each other like horseshit and I’m not talking about a nasty neighbor whose dog you don’t like. I’m talking big wars.”

Catherine’s face fell. “Then I do not see a lot of hope for your people, realistically. Even if some powerhouses come out of your tutorial, the invaders have millenia of experience conquering integrated worlds. You met one of the worst. The Grand Necropolis, though most call it the Undead Empire,” she wrinkled her nose, “Not very creative.”

Anna slumped on the couch. “Well, I got a year to figure out how to push them off, right? The system may be a jackass but I get the impression it won’t deny us a fighting chance.”

Catherine nodded, “That is a good way of looking at it. For now we focus on gathering our personal strength and securing our surroundings.” She looked around for a heartbeat and frowned. “What is this building anyway? It does not appear to be a domicile.”

Anna opened her mouth to answer and then closed it, a flood of shame rushing through her. She knew what had brought her to this particular building had not entirely been her fault but at the same time she had been in here for a reason that wasn’t flattering. To make matters worse she hadn’t forgotten what had been said during the appeal and Catherine’s own words. She was basically a super cop who got promoted to the head of police. She pursed her lips and pulled her hood over her head, looking down at the ground. “It’s um…” she mumbled. “It’s a police precinct. Law enforcement.”

“You said you were a student. Why were you here?” Catherine asked.

“I was in lock-up,” Anna said flatly, leveling Catherine with a stare.

Catherine returned her stare with her own. “Your crime?”

“Assault,” Anna said and waved her club, “With a bat.”

“Why would you do that?” Catherine asked.

Anna frowned and looked away. She had done more than enough sharing and she was starting to begrudgingly agree with her old man that she shouldn’t just spill her guts. It was hard not to for some reason. Almost like this lady is some kind of religious authority figure or something, she thought sarcastically. “That’s… personal for now.”

She was expecting the ex-inquisitor to press her but instead Catherine just let out a breath. “I understand.”

Anna looked up, “Huh?”

“I understand not wanting to talk about something you are ashamed of,” she said and got to her feet, brushing a little more snow off her legs and shoulders. “I have my own secrets and I’m sure the appeal didn’t tell you my life’s story.”

“I only saw you in your dorm and playing in the fields with your boyfriend or whatever,” Anna said. “Weird visions on the way to where the appeal was.”

Catherine’s face went through a very complex series of emotions before she cleared her throat and looked away. “He and I were never in a relationship. I don’t-” she shook her head and chuckled. “He was just a very, very dear friend.”

Anna watched the forlorn look on her face and hated that she felt a little bad about it. She sighed and rubbed her neck before getting to her feet as well. “Sorry I brought it up,” she mumbled and stormed past. “We should figure out lights first. Can’t see a fuckin’ thing in this place and I am not dying by tripping over some shit after all I’ve been through.”

“I can handle that. Just allow me to refine to the next level so I can have a bit more mana tolerance at my disposal,” Catherine said, “I know the method of casting magelight, even if it is no longer on my record.”

Anna turned and squinted at her. “Oh yeah,” she said thoughtfully, “You went to magic school or something. Gonna pick mage when you level up?”

Catherine stared at her for a moment in confusion and then her eyes widened. “I… I get to pick my class again. I forgot,” she said and sat down, holding her head. “I am going to need to think for a while after I level up.”

“You do that,” Anna said with a sigh. “I am going to go see if I can’t get into their supply room now that I’m probably strong enough to at least break the locks,” she grinned, “I might be able to get into their armory too. A gun would be nice in all this bullshit.”

Catherine looked up, “If you find a long-arm I would not mind it. I was an okay shot as a girl.”

“Your world had guns? Looked pretty medieval to me,” Anna asked, leaning against the archway between the lobby and the still busted as hell office space beyond.

“I do not know what ‘medieval’ means but if you mean primitive, then you are in for a rude awakening once you get into the wider multiverse,” Catherine said with a sardonic smile. “My home was not some technological marvel but we were quite proud of what we had accomplished.”

Anna pursed her lips, “Fair enough. I’m out, you do you. I’m sick of fighting for my life and want to catch my breath for a little while,” she bit out. “If you need me I’ll be trying not to break my neck.”

With that she dipped into the office space and disappeared.

–

Catherine watched her go and smiled ruefully to herself. What a crass young lady. It does not match her aura at all. Regal and domineering. She sighed and found a comfortable spot on the floor, crossing her legs and closing her eyes only to recoil as memories of another life crept back up. She considered going through a few rounds of prayer to clear her mind and found the feeling the thought evoked to be a hollow one. Lord Lumar, You really have let me off the hook. She thought sadly and closed her eyes again.

There was so much to think about. She had the feeling that Anna had not fully internalized that she had literally brought someone back from the dead, pulling them out of hell. It was something that a newly integrated person would very likely wrestle a great deal with. There was also the many questions Catherine had about why everything had played out the way they had. Anna was at an unscheduled appeal, for me? She presided over it. Only the Lord of Hell presides over appeals, though. It had disturbing implications but she had learned not to prejudge. She would observe Anna for now as she found her own way in this new life.

A new life. A starting class, one I get to choose. She smiled a little to herself. Maybe this penance will not be so bad. A fresh start like you always said I needed, old friend. A tear trailed down her cheek. I hope someday you can forgive me and I hope I live long enough to apologize in person.