Saintess Summons Skeletons

Sofia and Alith approached the village on foot; flying in might not be the most polite thing to do. We do look weird enough even without the flying… Sofia wore her elegant new clothes, but could do nothing to hide her skeletal wings. Even folded neatly against her back, they showed enough that you could see them from the front. Conversely, Alith looked rather normal. If you forgot her being barefoot. And wearing nothing but white pajama pants and a plain black strip of cloth around her chest. Without mentioning carrying two sheathed mithril sickles by hand.

The duo’s storage space had been reduced to only the sand pendant, and it couldn’t fit much. Supposedly they didn’t need to eat as much now that they were level 100, so that wasn’t an urgent issue, especially after the meal they had before departing. The water situation however did look a bit dire if they expected to enter the desert. And that was their destination, since the compass’ needle hadn’t shown any movement. Hopefully they could buy what they lacked here.

Sofia counted a total of seven homes in this village, as well as two larger buildings. There wasn’t much of anything else on the outside besides the obvious paths linking the different homes. Where even the sparse strands of yellow grass you could still find growing this close to the desert didn’t survive.

They could not get very close before someone flew out of one of the bigger buildings by a side window. A winged woman, stubby leathery wings, but wings nonetheless. She approached and landed in front of the duo.

[Fighter - Lv. 199]

Quite the high level, but same filter as us, maybe she failed her trial, we might still be able to beat her. I wish I had Pareth ready though.

“You gals flew across the green?” she immediately asked, without waiting for an answer, “Weird wings. Though I ain’t much better,” she continued, “What’s a Saint and a Hero doing here? Fleein’ your kingdom? Quite the unusual duo.”

Sofia didn’t feel like answering, “We could ask the same question, about you and this place.”

“Oh so you didn’t know about the glass shop? Quaint lil place ain’t it? Aight whatever, come inside, it’s burning out here, but don’t make a mess, I’m paid to protect this place so… yeah.”

Alith looked at the open window, “She’s a bit easy going for a paid guard, don't you think?”

“She is twice our level, do you feel threatened by a level fifty?”

“True, but still. Well. Carry me I guess.”

Sofia frowned, “Can’t you climb the window by yourself?”

“With all these times you’ve been making me out to be a child, now you don’t want to do it?” she shrugged.

Sofia rolled her eyes, but she spread her wings anyway and grabbed Alith.

The winged woman’s name was Tyrene, she was actually ecstatic to have found two new conversation partners. She offered free refreshments and so the three sat around a table in a side room of the large building. The building itself was some kind of warehouse filled with crates of all kinds and sizes, and they were in the guard post near the entrance.

Sofia explained that Alith and her were out to explore the north as a way to relax after the trial, which immediately dampened the winged woman’s mood.

“Damn,” she sighed, “I’m never gonna get over it eh… Ah, sorry every time I think about the trials I can’t help but be like this. Tough shit.”

Alith was quite curious and had not an ounce of tact to give this day, “You failed the second one?” she asked.

“That I did, quite something the second trial. You know what you’re in for?” It seemed the woman’s mood had shifted again, she was that enticed by the simple act of conversing. Seeing the duo’s lack of reaction, she continued, “Well, hear me out, the second trial… It's the same for everyone. The main event at least. Or so we think.”

“You think? And who is ’we’?” asked Sofia this time.

“We as in everyone, the thing is, no one is allowed to talk about the second trial. Not much more than what I'm telling you right now anyway.”

“Not allowed?” Alith chimed in.

“Yeah, you’re a Hero so you should know, right? The censor? Same thing but worse. The system’s in your head, it won’t even let you try to spill the beans, no matter what you do, can’t even write it down, nothing.”

Well, it’s true that the system can listen to our every thought… Even the scribe… Somehow it’s worse when she says it like that. Well, that’s everyone’s lot anyway, system’s good. Probably.

“Why’d you tell us this then? I don’t think that helps. Kinda worrying actually,” Alith complained.

“Well, I can still give the same advice everyone else does, don’t go in there until you’re maxxed out of your mind. Upgrade everything. Spend all your money. Redeem all the favors. Whatever power increase you can get will help you there. Don’t go in the damned place randomly, you get me? This is all we’re allowed to say. But I can swear that it’ll help.” She drank her whole glass of water in one go, “And with luck you’ll succeed where I failed.”

“You really can’t describe what the trial is, like not a single word?” Alith pressed on.

“Nah, if I try to, my mind blanks out, not that pleasant.”

“Can you tell us where it is at least?”

“That ain’t no secret, go east, cross the sea, beastfolk capital.”

“We won’t be going there anytime soon either way,” Sofia rejoined the conversation, “Why are you alone here by the way? Looks like a village from afar but… You mentioned glass?”

“Yeah this place makes glass. Blue glass to be specific, what’s used to make spatial items like your pendant.”

It’s that obvious to everyone that it's what it is? Maybe I should get a longer cord and hide it in between… Sofia thought as she looked down. Alith took the lead again since Sofia was spacing out, “Why here in the middle of nowhere though?”

“Seen the red sand? It’s mana draining sand. Does what the name says. You need that in huge quantities to make a tiny bit of glass, so the workshop’s here, it’s a big conglomerate who owns the place, called Red Carpet, I work for them.”

“I get everything until now… But why’s the workshop empty besides you? Didn’t look like anyone else’s there.”

“Everyone’s left cause the green’s spreading in this direction, workshop’s going to relocate somewhere safer, but I’m here until the people come to empty the warehouses, gonna be a few more months...”

“Wouldn’t it be easy to move if the company’s business is making storage items?”

“Well, no. Can’t store blue glass in there, doesn’t work cause it has conflicting raw spatial properties. That’s why I’m waiting for the airship, but it’s broken right now. That's good, I’m not cheap to employ and I don’t really have to do anything here. Free money is free.”

“Just that the place is boring?”

“Extremely so.” Tyrene vigorously nodded. It does look the part.

Sofia chimed in again “What’s the deal with the ‘green’ by the way?”

“You don’t even know that? Should research more next time before you sneak out.” She stopped to refill everyone’s glass with fresh water, “The green, well, you’ve seen it, all plants, furiously growing everywhere, no other signs of life to be seen. Something like twenty years ago, supposedly a very high level Elf died there, like above ninth filter…” Seeing the girls start counting, she elaborated, “Above level five hundred, maybe higher. And well, things never go well when someone that strong croaks.”

Alith was shocked, “You can go that high?!”

“Yeah, why couldn’t you? As long as you pass the trials that is. Highest I’ve heard of is five-twenty, not sentient though, elven spirit tree.”

“What about the sentients then?”

“Red Carpet’s boss. Don’t know how high exactly but above four hundred.”

“Human?” Sofia asked.

“Former. Goes by ‘Arch-Lich’ now.”

Sofia looked at her own wings, “And people are fine with that?”

“What else are they gonna do? Fight him? Stop using spatial storage items?”

Guess I only need to reach 400 and I’ll definitely be left in peace… What a deal.

“There’s a good chance even your pendant’s made by him, signature on the back?”

“None.”

“Oh, guess not then, he always signs T.L.D.R., can’t miss it… Where you girls going next?”

“Can we cross the red sand?”

“I wouldn’t, but you can try, the sand drains all mana around though, you’ve been warned. There’s some odd monsters in there too, like worms and stuff.”

“I still think we’ll try,” Alith replied, “I could use shoes though, and a few other things. Wouldn't happen to have some spares?”

“Well, workers’ stuff still in the barracks, whatever they left they’re not getting back, won’t say anything if you take stuff so long as you don’t touch the glass crates or the machinery. Can get you some food and water too, doesn’t seem like you have any left, unless you got another storage item hidden somewhere.”

“How do you know I don’t have it in my pendant?”

“Small space, I can tell. Level three [Identify].”

Sofia and Alith spent the night there, Tyrene was endlessly talkative. They left in the morning with newfound supplies.

The compass’ needle beckoned them to the red sands.

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