9 – To ask is to challenge ignorance.

“Her.” the man corrected me, his smile now relaxed. “This way then, please.” he walked back to where we came from.

We followed and left the building, walking to another, smaller one. It looked like a cabin of sorts.

Inside, a desk and a few chairs occupied the room. The man sat down and motioned for us to take a seat. He touched a ring on his right pinky and some papers came out.

I took the chair offered and Alyssa sat next to me.

“Alright, so.” he began. “Write your signature here, here and here.” he said, pointing at various papers before pushing them to me. “Write your information in this form.” he handed me another paper. “You’ll keep the original, and we, the copy.” he took out another sheet of paper. “I am obligated by Law to read to you the various regulations regarding ownership of a Beast like a Ratnak.”

I took the papers and a quill he offered. I looked at the form and it was as extensive as it could be. I began filling the thing and Jök began reading the Law. Which was basically ‘do no harm, stop what harm you can, report harm, and avoid harm if at all possible’. Of course, it was more than that, wizards, warriors, and all manner of individuals had a place in the law. Even if it was just ‘live mount ownership’. It reminded me of studying the law for a driving license, but Electric Bogaloo with a mount that could eat metal.

I chose my name in cursive as my signature.

Alyssa was paying close attention, even correcting the man when he made mistakes or used the wrong term. Jök appreciated the help. I was surprised at her knowing the law so well. She only winked at me when I turned to her.

After he finished, I sighed. He had paid special attention to sections that referred to E’eral beasts and those of a specialized diet. I felt drained. I had put the gold piece on the desk while he explained and he took it when he was done.

He took the papers and gave them a read. He did some magic thing and another set of identical documents appeared on the table. I received the 'original' and he stored the new ones.

He nodded and stood up. “A saddle will be provided along with a month’s worth of feed.” he extended a hand, and I took it.

“So what’s her name?” I asked, he never mentioned it.

“That is for you to decide, Lady Natasha.” he chuckled and went to the door, motioning for us to follow.

“Are they that smart?” I turned to Alyssa. “Or are they that ‘simple minded’?”

“A mix of both.” she smiled. “Smart enough to understand they’re being given a name, though.” she giggled.

As we came out, there was another man, tall and muscular, next to the merchant.

[Perco Human, Lvl 157 Peltasta]

Oh, a tank. I felt energy coming back. I was familiar with the class, having had it myself. It was pretty shitty in the game, however, it must be a life saver in reality.

“Darling, could you go fetch the Ratnak?” Jök told the warrior. “This customer has just purchased her.” he smiled.

“Alright. I’ll be back.” he said in a thick accent. He walked over to the shed.

I was flirting a little with Alyssa when the man came back, beast in tow.

It looked at me and lowered its head.

“What do I do?” I whispered.

“Rub the top of its head. It means accepting her surrender.” Alyssa responded.

I walked to it and did as advised. Its scales were hard and cold. At least these are proper reptiles. I thought. It raised its head and looked me in the eye for a second. Then, it headbutted me again, but much gentler this time. I felt a tiny bond form. The beast’s heartbeat was fast.

It sniffed me and sat. The tall man produced a large saddle and began the process of putting it on the beast. It was mostly leather with small metal details. The pieces too small to get its attention and eat them. I hope.

Once the process was finished, I made my leather boots disappear, replacing them by the leather and armor ones. I equipped the rest of the leather garments and stored the dress. Then, my armor covered my body. I succeeded on the first attempt, having already figured the trick.

It opened its mouth and tried to bite my hand.

I pushed its head away with little force. “No.” I looked it in the eye. “My armor is not food.”

It nodded. I was momentarily surprised. Shit, this little monster is quite smart.

I went around it and climbed on its back, the surface had flat scales and the saddle was comfortable. It stood up with no problems. I was satisfied with the animal. The height was a little worrying, but I’d get used to it.

“Looks like it can handle me.” I summoned my spear, the beast not reacting. “Good.” I said, rubbing its neck, the tip of the head over a meter away.

“You look powerful.” Alyssa said from the ground, giving me a thumbs up.

“Thank you.” I laughed. “Let’s see how fast you can run…”

I thought for a second, looking at the animal.

“Sonya.”

It growled and started moving. I had never ridden a horse, so a massive reptile was a high hurdle. However, knowledge of how to handle a ride had already been downloaded into my brain, so I felt like I had done this a million times. It was a little annoying. I wanted to spend time learning to ride this monster.

I took the reins and guided Sonya to a gate on the side of the property leading to a large expanse of grass. I looked back and called.

“I’ll be right back!” I was worried about Alyssa, but remembered she was higher level than the two men, and if I didn’t misunderstand the merchant’s comment, they were in a relationship. Besides, I’m told men are passive. I sighed in relief. There were many things I needed to change my perspective on. And a less than a week was not enough time.

She waved at me. “Have fun!” her voice reached me followed by a giggle.

Once we crossed into the field, the reptile gained speed.

From a walk to a jog. I felt the air brushing my face lightly.

Then, she started a full on sprint, lowering her head. My hair was flowing behind me, the air resistance increasing.

Animals around us went by as the two of us sped like a cannonball. It was about as fast as a motorcycle I had before. It was an old Kawasaki Versys 1000 I had little chance of riding after going into isolation.

I was no physics expert, and my numbers were dubious at best, but I reckoned we were going at 100 km/h at the very least.

"How can a living being run so fucking fast?!" my voice disappeared in the wind.

Well, I run faster. I leaned forward and raised my hips from the saddle. Just like the day I ran by myself, the air resistance didn't sting my eyes nor made breathing difficult.

“To the right.” I said, and she followed.

The turn didn’t loose speed at all. It was sharp, almost ninety degrees. Her claws digging into the earth granting much needed grip. She didn’t even lean to one side to compensate for the added weight.

I saw an elephant looking animal passing by like a pole in a highway. Its trumpet distorting due to our speed.

I looked ahead and saw nothing but fields of grass for kilometers. So, I decided to let her go as fast as she could.

“Faster Sonya!” I called and she sped up even more. Her body bending sideways as four legs moved in perfect synchronization. The head too, went from side to side. I looked back and saw the tail doing the same. The movement was incredible. The speed was increased by half. I looked at the trees and they were zooming past.

“Turn right again.” I doubted it would reach her, but she turned once more. Her long claws gripping the ground kept inertia from sending us rolling.

I gripped my spear and aimed forward. I had no idea how to make the skill work, but pushed E’er into Initiation, Preparation, and Charge. I hoped it would somehow work that way. It did.

In what I assumed was slow motion, air in front of us compressed and was pushed aside by a thin film of particles coming from me. A loud boom went off and I saw the world accelerate even in my sped up perception.

I laughed like a possessed woman. Such speeds were not meant to be achieved so easily, but I did it anyway.

In the distance, the farm was growing closer by the second. I deactivated the skill, cutting the stream of E’er off after five seconds. Our speed decreased noticeably.

“Slow down, girl.” I patted her neck and she slowed to a fast jog. “That was terrifyingly awesome.” I felt my heart pumping, adrenaline coursing through my body. I laughed loudly, the excitement was too much to contain.

I noticed barely seven E’er points were spent. “Fucking hell.” I was shocked. “I get the E’er efficiency, but shit. That’s broken as fuck.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s go back.”

Sonya followed my instruction and jogged back into the farm. On the way, I stored all my armor and leather, leaving me naked for a second, then summoned the underwear and dress over me, my feet covered by the leather boots. I had a wide smile on my face as we turned around the fence and entered the farm.

“That was pretty good.” I said, nodding at the merchant. “I really like her.”

“I’m glad you do, Lady Natasha.” he had a complicated expression. “Was it you who produced that loud boom?” he was wringing his hands.

“Yeah, I was testing a skill and we broke the sound barrier. Sorry if I made you worry.” I stood up and jumped down from the beast, making sure my skirt didn’t flip up. I landed on the floor and bent my knees slightly to compensate.

“I thought something happened.” he said. “But I’m relieved to know it was you.” a sigh escaped him.

“That sounded pretty dangerous.” Alyssa walked to me. “A loud boom like an explosion, then a roar, then you laughing like a maniac.” she chuckled, approaching the lizard. “She looks fine.”

“Good. I thought she’d be exhausted.” I stared at Sonya. Her breathing was fast, but nothing too out of place. It stretched its neck and playfully headbutted me again.

I laughed and scratched her chin.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Jök.” I said to the man.

“The pleasure was mine.” he bowed slightly. “I’m glad you’re happy with the Ratnak.”

“Sonya.” it was my turn to correct him.

“Pretty name.” Alyssa said, petting the beast’s head. The merchant and the warrior nodded approvingly.

Sonya reared her head back. I moved to stop the beast, but Alyssa raised a hand.

“I can take it.” she smirked at the animal and met the headbutt with one of her own.

The sound of skulls hitting resounded, making me wince. The beast lost and covered her head with a hand, a pained growl on her throat. She didn’t lower her head this time, but nodded at the Luzo.

“These are not just for show.” Alyssa pointed at her horns and the scales on her forehead with a smile.

“HAHAHA” the tall man that had been quiet so far let out a merry laugh. He turned and left just like that, laughing. The merchant laughed too and followed after him.

I chuckled at the sight and turned to my new girlfriend. “You okay?”

“Peachy.” she answered, fixing her hair. “My scales are pretty hard.”

I giggled and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the impact area. “Wanna go grab lunch?”

“Yes.” she said, blushing.

I released her and climbed on my new mount. Alyssa accepted the hand I offered and helped her up. She sat behind me on the large saddle, hugging my waist and pressing her big breasts on my back.

“Not too fast, please.” she said in a quiet voice, tightening her embrace.

“Okay.” I was convinced by the two divine pillows. “Sonya, go slow.”

The beast growled and began walking.

“Why did she headbutt you too?” I asked as we left the farm, the road mostly empty save for people on horses every now and then.

“The Ratnak are herd animals, so they try to establish their position in the group.” she explained. “I’m sure Lapia will have to do it as well.” she giggled. “I’ll help with that.” she rested her chin on my shoulder.

“Sounds like a troublesome animal.” I laughed picturing the Elf receiving a headbutt by the massive drake-looking beast.

“They are.” she agreed. “But they’re the perfect mount for you. Durable, long lived, strong.”

“Mhm.” I nodded. The Ratnak was indeed a good mount. “Where do you want to eat? It’s on me.”

We crossed a few carriages, Sonya ignored the other beasts.

“I know a few places. There’s a really good restaurant near the Church.” her breath brushed my ear, sending pleasant shivers down my back.

“Sounds-” I stopped mid sentence.

Meet?

I felt a word enter my mind. It was decidedly foreign, but a voice I recognized. Lapia’s.

“What the fuck was that?” I said, looking around me. “Alyssa is there a class that can fuck with my mind?” I took my spear out and pulled the reins, Sonya stopping too.

“What did you feel?” her voice was cautious, a large staff in her grasp. I didn’t focus on it, the weird voice still vivid. I felt an electric sensation go up my spine, my muscles felt lighter and my eyesight sharper.

“I heard Lapia’s voice.” I explained. “But she’s not around, and as far as I know, she’s not a telepath.” I was about to take out a shield when Alyssa burst out laughing while clapping.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!"

What now? I sighed. The spear went back into my storage. Just make it quick.

A few minutes went by with the Luzo laughing. I took the reins and Sonya continued advancing.

“Natasha, you’re a riot.” she giggled. “That was a message through the bond.” she wiped a tear. “What did she say?” she sighed, her breasts going up and down my back.

“Only ‘meet?’.” I sighed.

“You can send messages once a day.” she leaned on my back, hugging me again. The staff gone. “You can answer, grasp the bond and think of a word, then whisper into the bond, picturing the word going through.” she explained.

“Do you want to go?” I asked, the slight embarassment fading away as fast as it came.

“Yeah, sounds great.” she said, giggling still. “You’re the best.” I felt a kiss on my neck.

I calmed down and tried to ‘grasp’ the bond. I felt a tether forming. I thought ‘Going’, and whispered inside my mind, picturing the word going through and reaching Lapia. The link grew thicker for a second and my voice echoing into the distance.

“That’s neat.” I said. “I sent it.”

“Already?” Alyssa sounded surprised.

“I’m a Halve. Maximum E’er compatibility.” I said with as much smug as I could muster.

We were nearing the inner wall, guards posted on its sides.

I waved at them as we passed and a few warriors saluted back. Is it the military oriented class? I shrugged. Maybe it’s just the high level and species. Haven’t seen any golden person other than me.

We went through into the city proper, the clamor of voices and animals alike surrounding us. It was already afternoon, a flood of people going about. I assumed it was lunchtime for everybody.

“Yes. It’s impossible to forget that.” she said, running a hand over my arm. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I felt my cheeks heat up. Her hand wrapped around my bicep and she let out a soft whimper. Lord almighty this woman is thirsty.

“Can I braid your hair?” she asked.

“Sure, make only one, I like it tight.” I said back.

She took my hair and started humming a melody I couldn’t recognize. Figures.

We rode through the city like that. Her doing my unnecessarily long hair and me guiding Sonya. The city was crowded at this hour. Elves, Humans, Luzo, Lupum, and the feline species I forgot the name of.

I saw a teenager looking one passing and appraised her.

[Shishi Tigea, Lvl 181 Bard.]

She certainly dressed as one, a lute hanging from her back. She had tall ears and a feline tail, her feet covered with leather boots. Thin, brown fur covered her body where leather did not. Her relatively high level surprised me a little but I saw a good number of people around that level range. Lapia’s case was understandable, she had spend most of her time doing office work.

A few children were amazed by either me or my mount, following us for a block or two. Their parents explaining things along the way. I smiled at their curiosity, thinking that they would probably know more about this world than me. That made me laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Alyssa asked from behind me.

“Kids.” I pointed at a few following us. They waved at me and I waved back, they parents nodding at me.

“They are a funny bunch.” she commented.

“You don’t like them, right?” I remembered the form with her information. Such a good system, it gives topics to talk about! ALL HAIL THE CHURCH OF DANUVA.

“No, I don’t. I don’t disliked them either, though.” she fixed a few hairs that I messed by laughing.

“Why’s that?” I looked to the front, staying still.

“I have seventy two siblings, I grew up around enough children to last a while.” she explained.

“That’s a lot.” my shock evident in my voice. “How old are your parents?”

“My mother is seven hundred and forty one this year. My biological father is three hundred and fifty. My pomma is five hundred.” she stopped for a second to recall.

Right, three genders. The concept still confused me. Pomma? Is it a mix of pops and mom? I wondered. Maybe, maybe not.

“Do you have a lot of fathers? Since you mentioned the biological one.” I jumped straight into it.

“Twenty seven.” she answered. My eyes widened to their limit, but regained my composure quickly.

“That’s nice.” I said, I had no idea if it was nice or not. In a world where women chased, having many men could be seen as a good thing.

“Yeah, my mother is a player.” she chuckled.

I wanted to ask more, but three genders would make the family dynamic incredibly complicated. If three individuals needed to have sex to produce a child, what would the ramifications be if they changed partners every few years, or added more. I just didn’t know how to ask.

“Were you close with any of your siblings?” I decided on an easy question.

“Pretty much all my sisters. Our aristi were few and shy, and the males too stuck up.” she said.

Holy shit, I forgot the third gender being born. I mentally facepalmed. I had only thought of brothers and sisters. Imagine the amount of nieces, nephews and whatever the third gender is called.

“Are you an aunt, then?” I decided to fucking go with it.

“Yes, actually.” she sighed. “Thirteen little monsters by the time I was of age to leave the clan.”

Fast! The sheer amount of sex these people have must be insane. Well, coordinating reproductive cycles among three must be quite the task. Gotta take every chance. I sighed.

“Mhm. I can see why you’re not a fan of kids.” If I had that many around me as family, I too, would get sick of them.

“The oldest ones have grandchildren, too.” she said offhandedly.

Alright, that’s too much. I felt my sense of reality crack a tiny bit.

“Must’ve been lively.” I said. “Festivities and all that.”

“They were. Children everywhere, climbing walls, throwing spells at everything that moves, fighting each other.” she chuckled. “My pomma… there’s no word in common.” she thought for a second. “Were? Pretty laid back.”

“What’s the word in you native tongue?” I asked, interested in the language implications of having three genders.

“Eshek” she said. “It’s like he was or she was, but for aristi. It's complicated to refer to the aristi in another language without sounding distant.”

“That’s Dragon Tongue?” I remembered the section of known languages.

“It is.” she was halfway through my hair, taking her time with it. “It’s pretty wide in its variety, as you might’ve guessed already.” she giggled. “Not that easy to learn, with verbs taking gender form.”

That’s too much! I shouted inside my head.

“So eshek, what else is there like it?” this was actually interesting.

"Ashek for female, Ushek for male, Ishek for objects and animals.” she supplied. “When talking about a female you can say ‘ashek very strict’, for example."

Oof. My brain tickled with confusion.

“Sounds pretty... complicated?” I tried wrapping my head around it.

I stopped to let an old lady cross the road. More like forced, the old crook was ready to jump in front of me to pass.

“Yes. It’s the most difficult language to learn. Closely followed by Elvish in terms of pronunciation.” she giggled. “You’re gonna have a hard time, Natasha.”

“You bet.” my voice was weak. The old hag crossed and Sonya resumed advancing. “It’s going to take me a while.”

“You don’t have to.” she said, a little touched.

“It’s your mother tongue. I at least have to try.” Even if it sounded completely insane, it also was incredibly interesting. “What are the personal pronouns?” I tried with the basics.

“Kā is first person. Bā is second person. U is for male third person. A is for female third person. E is for aristi third person. I is for neutral, objects and animals. Ke is for first person plural. Bsā is for second person plural. Pu is for male third person plural. La is for female third person plural. Ne is for aristi third person plural. And Mi is for neutral plural." she explained.

“So Shek is the verb to be in the past tense?” I felt a little hope.

“Yes.” she undid a bit of the braid. “Sorry, got distracted.”

“Not at all. This is pretty interesting.” I said. I turned Sonya to the right when a building blocked the way.

Hmm. It's more like Spanish with the vowels. It would be hard but interesting to learn.

Two hours later I managed to say ‘I am Natasha. Nice to meet you’, ‘I am fine, thank you’, ‘You are beautiful’ and ‘I am hungry’. It was slow, but I was pretty satisfied with my progress.

Alyssa wasn’t meant to teach, however, she sulked every time I made a mistake. That forced me to make a few more mistakes on purpose, it was ‘force majeure’. She was just adorable.

By the time I said the fourth sentence, we had arrived at Punten & Co. We circled the building and found a parking lot for mounts. I chose a spot with shade.

“We’re here.” I pointed the obvious. “What now?”

“We go in.” she too, pointed the obvious, shrugging.

“Well, yeah.” I chuckled and dismounted, offering a hand which Alyssa took. Once she stood beside me, I approached Sonya.

“Wait here.” she just looked at me. For good measure, I gently headbutted her. She nodded and laid on the ground.

Huh. That worked. I took the saddle off and stored it.

We returned to the front and walked into the building, where a butler-looking young man greeted us. He was slender and his clothes crisp and tidy. Dark hair went down on one side of his head to his shoulders.

“Welcome to Punten & Co. How can I help you?” he bowed deeply.

I looked around and was unimpressed at the bank-looking interior.

“We come to meet Lapia. My name is Natasha.” I told the pretty boy. He had sharp features and slanted eyes.

[Tilen Human, Assassin Lvl 101]

“Wait a moment, please.” he excused himself and entered a door to the side of the entrance hall.

The first scout based class I recognize in person. I looked at his back as he disappeared into a room. While the game had a wide variety of classes, this world had more than I could possibly have imagined.

I sighed and looked around.

A few people sat behind desks, mostly merchants. The side opposite the entrance had a stair that went up and turned to the left. Not much else was of note.

It looked like a modern company building entrance. I looked at a clock on a wall and spent a few seconds figuring out the time. It had twelve hours, just like the ones from Earth.

Three thirty. Maybe?

“It got pretty late for lunch.” I said, taking Alyssa’s hand.

“Not a problem, really.” she rubbed my hand with her thumb. “I have lunch around this time normally.” she smiled. “Sometimes later.”

“Because of clergy duty?” I tilted my head. That must be time consuming, whatever it is.

“No.” she blushed. “I’ve been quite free lately. I just sleep in.” she looked away.

“I see.” I chuckled. “I must’ve woken you up earlier.”

“Y-yes.” she stuttered. “But it’s not a bad thing.” her quick addition made her look cute.

“I haven’t apologized.” I smirked. “Meeting you has been great.” I gave her a quick kiss on the lips, her blush intensifying.

“I think so too.” she caressed my cheek. Her red eyes staring into mine.

I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stair and turned in that direction. Tanned long legs made their appearance first, followed by thick thighs and wide hips, her slender abdomen was next, then her modest breasts and finally her face, framed by dark blonde hair and long ears.

She smiled from ear to ear. “Alyssa Pruvik.” Lapia’s voice was excited.

“Lapia Pofeta.” Alyssa said back, nodding at the woman. A similar smile on her face.

The Elf approached with arms wide open. She took the back of my head with one hand and pulled me in for a kiss. I kissed her back, her tongue wrapping with mine.

She separated and looked at the Luzo. She placed a hand on her cheek and Alyssa did the same. And they both kissed. I saw tongue going in.

Different culture. Adapt to it, Natasha. I told myself. The scene of beautiful women sharing a passionate kiss was delectable to say the least. I was smiling widely. They broke the kiss and sighed at the same time.

“Will you have me?” Lapia spoke first, her silky voice was quiet.

“I will.” Alyssa nodded, a blush covering her face. Her deep voice contrasted the Elf’s.

So that’s how you do it. You go straight in for the kiss. I nodded, impressed by them. Well, not that straight. Hehe, I'm so funny.

“So.” The Elf started. “Have you ladies had lunch yet?” she smiled.

“Not yet.” I answered. “We were at the breeding grounds when I got your message.”

Alyssa giggled and covered her mouth.

“Breeding grounds?” Lapia tilted her head and looked at Alyssa. “What happened?”

“We’ll tell you later.” I sighed. “Let’s eat first.”

“You’ll love it.” the Luzo said between giggles. “It was so funny.”

“I bet.” Lapia smiled, turning around and going to the stairs. “This way.”

We followed her, I noticed Alyssa was staring at Lapia’s legs just like me. I silently thanked all above for granting me a big titty goth girlfriend who was a woman of culture as well. Well, she’s not exactly goth. She’s pretty soft. I thought. Her scales were dark as night and her skin pale purple, but her personality was quite the contrast.

We were staring at Lapia’s big behind the entire way up the stairs. I again silently thanked all above for not having invented elevators in this world.

We went up to the top floor, which was the tenth one and turned left. There, Lapia entered the first door.

“Welcome to my office.” she said, making a flowery motion with her hands.

The room was spacious, a large desk at the end of it, wide windows letting the light of the suns enter.

Chairs were set in front of her desk and there was a door to the right.

It was surprisingly tidy. Documents on top of the desk neatly arranged next to quills. A few paintings hanging on the walls next to three diplomas.

Royal University of the Queendom of Maaruhk

Maarkhan, Queendom of Maaruhk

Upon recommendation of the Faculty, the board of Scholars has conferred upon

Lapia Pofeta

the degree of

Master Wizard

Ohk Tukiir

Having honorably fulfilled all requirements for this degree together with all the righs, privileges and honors pertaining thereunto.

In testimony whereof the Seal of the Royal House and the signature of Her Majesty Queen Lofrada Tilensis III and Headmaster Prince Ulmke Tilensis VI are affixed at Maarkhan, this first day of the twelfth month, year one thousand nine hundred and twenty.

A royal looking seal was stamped on the document, along with two signatures. My eyes opened wide. This looks official as fuck! I was admittedly skeptical about people going to university to learn magic of all things, but the framed diploma in front of me confirmed the importance of it.

The next one was practically the same, but for a different degree, ‘E’er Scholar’. The next one was for ‘Pyromancy’. The dates were different as well.

“What year is it?” I turned around to the two looking at me, smiles on their faces.

“1980, fourth day of the third month.” Alyssa answered.

“How is the calendar handled?" I looked at some books on bookshelves.

"Thirteen months a year, twenty eight days a month." Lapia said walking to her desk. "Days and months used to have names, but some species couldn't pronounce them. Now we use only numbers."

Twenty eight times thirteen... two hundred... no, no. Three times eight is... twenty four. Three times two is six, plus two equals eight. Okay, eighty four. Twenty eight underneath. Okay. Breath in. Four at the end. Eight plus eight is... sixteen. Six before the four. One plus two is three. Three six four. Three hundred and sixty four days?

I counted on the palm of my hand to help visualize. Huh. A day off. That'll be easy.

"What happened to make the years that way? I mean, people live for thousands of years. How come it's 1980?” I couldn’t think of a Jesus fellow, unless he was a Halve with healing powers.

“A God died.” Lapia answered. “Every time a God dies, the yearly number is reset, and a new Era begins. We're in Yiama's Era at the moment.”

“What?” I remembered my conversation with the Elf in the bathroom. “Aren’t Gods immortal?”

“They are.” Alyssa took a seat. Lapia did too, behind her desk. “They reincarnate, that’s what makes them immortal.” she explained. “Takes a few centuries, though.”

I nodded, not really interested in Gods and their deaths. Perhaps in the future I’ll meet one. Lapia said they were a chill bunch.

“Anyway, lunch.” I said.

“That was short.” Lapia stood up. “I thought you’d be more interested in Gods.” she had a surprised expression.

“Meh, Gods are lame.” I turned to Alyssa. “No offense.”

She shrugged. “None taken. Danuva’s pretty lazy.” she chuckled.

“Over here, I prepared food.” she entered the room next to her office. When she opened the door, the smell of chicken and vegetables drifted into her office.

Alyssa followed, and so did I.

An entire apartment welcomed us. A living room with sofas and tables. On a corner, a kitchen with ovens and what looked like a refrigerator. A wide doorway lead to a room with a massive bed opposite of the entrance.

“This looks deceptively small from outside.” I commented. Lamps hung from the ceiling. It even had a fireplace.

“The wonders of Dwarven construction.” Alyssa said, sitting at a table next to the kitchen.

“They built Riverfield? Impressive.” I sat next to the Luzo.

“They did, around two thousand years ago.” Lapia said from the kitchen. “That goes to show what a few thousand Geomancers can do if they put their heads together.”

“And billions of gold.” Alyssa added.

“You could pay them to build a few.” Lapia laughed.

“True.” I nodded. “I have no interest, though.”

“You’re that wealthy?” the Luzo asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

“Twelve trillion gold coins.” I said, smirking at her mouth opening wide. “Anyway. Now that the three of us are together, I’ll bother you with some explanations of the world.”

Lapia put plates in front of us along with silverware and napkins. “Shoot your shot.” she said as she returned to the kitchen.

Alyssa nodded.

“What is this system we see?” I asked the first thing that came to mind.

“Hm.” the Luzo pondered for a few seconds. “It’s pretty long, and surprisingly simple.” she looked at me and continued after I nodded. “In the very beginning, there were Gods, Halves, and the unawakened ancient species. They knew what they were doing, but only by instinct. One day, Gods and Halves gathered up and shared their findings of Galeia.” she stopped as I raised a hand.

“What is Galeia?” I asked.

She turned to look at Lapia. “That’s the name of the world.”

“It kind of never came up.” the Elf explained. “Go on.” she smiled as she put drinks on the table.

“As Gods and Halves came together, they discussed their findings of the world and noticed that they all shared the same tales. They used E’er, found E’er and saw E’er all around them.” I poured a glass of juice for her. “Thanks. Then, they turned their attention to the energy of the world. In their research, one Halve managed to read E’er the way we do today. Everything they had named reflected on the words she saw. That which was old, and that which was new. However, things that were not yet named did not show words.” she took a sip.

“As they verbally explained themselves to one another in ways they hadn’t done before, they began seeing their own names when they read each other and themselves. They protected each other, and together they studied E'er. After that, they turned their attention to the species of the world. Danuva lead the awakening of the species, granting knowledge to all with the Laws of Life.” she took a small break and drank more juice.

“My ancestors, the first Dragons, gained sentience and evolved with time. Storm Dragons, Earth Dragons, Ocean Dragons and Fire Dragons. They helped spread the knowledge. Foxes, Lapia’s ancestors, were more unified in their evolution. Nine tailed foxes with a wide variety of features. They helped gather the rest of the species. And so the first age of E’er began. Gods received new Halves with open arms, granting knowledge and direction. Halves protected the sentient species from dangers with their nigh invulnerable bodies. Things went on like that for a really long time.” she sighed and drank the last of the juice.

“Gods noticed through the ages that the new species were evolving more and more, and so was E’er. It shaped with everyone’s knowledge. If an individual understood the mechanics behind something, and then merged the knowledge with the E’er within them, they acquired a skill. If a group of individuals gained the same, or similar, sets of skills, E’er would react and grant them a shared name based on their understanding. Those who fought with their bodies became Warriors, those who studied the Laws of E’er became Wizards, Clerics for the Laws of Life, so on and so forth.” she took a breath. “The system is there to reflect what we already know. We learn to read E’er and in turn, are given knowledge based on the names Gods and Halves gave.” she nodded.

I waited for a couple of seconds. “That’s it?” I asked.

“The short version, at least.” she nodded again.

“So the system doesn’t rule E’er?” I was a little confused.

“Think of the system as the collective knowledge of every sentient being that has lived and is alive. It’s reactive. It structures information already inside us, in a convenient way.” she said after thinking for a few seconds.

She sucks at explaining. I smiled at her.

“Food is ready.” Lapia uncovered a tray and a roasted chicken sat surrounded by many vegetables.

I was left with my own thoughts, Lapia serving the food.

It’s organic. I thought. An organic magical network. That conclusion helped a bit more than Alyssa’s story. The concept of a magical hive mind was easier to digest. I’ll stick to my silly comparisons.

“What is E’er?” I asked next, taking a bite of the food. An explosion of flavor made me release a short moan. “This is good. Lapia you’re an excellent cook.”

“Thank you.” she smiled and blushed a little. “I’ll take that question.”

“You’re the expert.” Alyssa smiled.

“E’er is a particle that is everywhere.” she said. “We can manipulate it, spend it, absorb it, transform it, and be transformed by it.” I poured some juice for her. “When an individual’s body is changed by E’er, we call it ‘level up’. It happens when you’ve absorbed enough to naturally change your body. For example, if you lift heavy objects every day, your muscles will rupture and heal, increasing your strength and constitution. Absorbing E’er is different, however. It reacts to you, increasing your power across the board in different magnitudes.” she took a bite and drank a little juice, then swallowed with a smile. “With me so far?”

I nodded. Alyssa was paying attention as well.

“If I ‘level up’, my ‘INT’ will increase more than my ‘STR’ because E’er reacts to what I am. An individual who has spent time studying the Laws of E’er, my consciousness ingrained with their workings. Natasha, your ‘CON’ will increase more than your ‘WIS’ because you need to survive combat, being a warrior. A larger E’er pool won’t be as useful as a tougher body. Alyssa is similar to me, she doesn’t benefit as much from higher strength, but with a larger source to cast more spells.” she took a sip. “That’s the short version.”

I was confused for a second. You temper your body with the energy of the world. I smiled. For an organic magic world, it made sense to me. At least more than a weird interface that you could interact with and change your body on the fly.

“I see.” I nodded. It was all coming together. “So the E’er within you ‘resonates’ with the E’er you absorb, guiding it and further ‘nurturing’ you.” I made air quotes.

“That’s the gist of it.”

Both women nodded.

“Is E’er sentient?” I asked.

“That’s one of the big questions.” Alyssa said. “Not even the Gods know.”

“Okay. What’s with the three moons?” I tried to avoid talking about Gods.

“Shia, the bigger one. Kia, the smaller one. Tia, the one that looks like a small planet.” Lapia said. “Naturally formed satellites by asteroids crashing against Galeia when it first formed.” she took a sip.

“Gods have gone to Tia.” Alyssa commented. “There’s nothing much. Only vegetation, and the E’er is thin.” she shrugged.

“They can cross space?” I choked a little on my food. Drinking juice helped it down. They are fucking overpowered! Who told me they were weak?!

“Outer space is not enough to kill a God. They can hold their breath for a few years surrounded by barriers.” Lapia shrugged.

Don’t just shrug it off! I sighed.

“Is the world so dangerous that people form teams to go around?” I changed topics again.

“Yes.” they both answered at the same time.

“Wild Dragons prowl mountains.” Alyssa said.

"Predators run rampant between cities.” Lapia said.

"Oh. Okay.” Harsh world we live in, huh?