While Aura was used to not getting a lot of sleep, owing to constantly being on call back on Earth, this body was not quite used that that. There was the physical exhaustion of recovering from the fighting last night, with both fatigue and her now healing injuries. As well as some mental fatigue as she tried to process the best way to help Jackie following her blow up. Suffice to say, all of that combined had her just sit in the abandoned building and allow her mind to drift as she took yet another lazy day.

  When it started to get late, she pulled herself together and depart for the barracks again. The swelling in her face is all fixed, as was all the aches she had been feeling. A quick check of her HP shows that it is full again, so she’s ready for heading out again tomorrow if that was going to happen. On making it back to the barracks, the other Soldiers give her some looks. The ones on her squad, outside of Kaelen and Maul, do give her speculative looks. She ignores them though to try and catch Jackie’s gaze. But the other girl has a look of serious concentration on her face and is refusing eye contact.

  The evening meal came and went with nothing major happening, though it is on heading back to the barrack room that things get strange. Her other squad members, Kaelen and Maul excluded, begin to make offers to ‘keep her safe’ at night if she shared a bedroll with them. Given all the men are talking over each other, as well as the building arguments that come from it, it became obvious what was going on.

  They seriously think someone assaulted me last night. And now they are taking the chance that I might be vulnerable to try and get into my pants. I could probably clear up the issue, but then they will want to know why I was injured this morning. If I stay quiet though, someone might actually try something thinking they have a chance. But seeing that they are all working against each other rather than together, that could be shut down rather quickly.

  There was the other option, of accepting one of the offers or even approaching Maul with the matter. While she was no prude, she was also no whore. Accepting one of their offers would probably snowball the matter, leading to things she was not willing to do. So, taking a risk, she ignores all the arguing men and just goes to her bedroll. Storing away her weapon and armor, which are resting atop of it after she had them fixed, the sounds of hushed arguing are not enough to keep sleep from her.

  Luckily for Aura, her sleep ends up being undisturbed. The same cannot be said for most of her squadmates. They stay up at night, maintaining a heightened focus to try and see which of them is the one that they suspect had assaulted her. Their selfish motives give them plenty of staying power, though eventually some do start to fall asleep. By the time morning comes and she wakes, only two managed to stay awake all night. It is obvious how exhausted they are, but she doesn’t address it.

  Heading out into the main room to await the Runners bringing them food, she finds herself sitting next to Maul. The man has a slightly amused expression on his face as he looks at the tired members of their squad, though he gives her a sterner one. With conversation providing some dim noise, he hisses under his breath so that only she can hear.

  “Even if we are all going out again tonight, you shouldn’t be neglecting staying active. I’ll be out there after we eat, and I expect you to be as well.”

  While a little rough and abrasive, the concern is there. Sure, she has no idea if people can grow weaker from not doing anything, but it doesn’t hurt to play it safe. However, she also cannot just roll over and do as he says either.

  “I might be out there for a little while. But you shouldn’t assume I haven’t been doing things these past few days either. You don’t want to be like most of the rest of our squad, do you?”

  The snort of laughter coming from Kaelen, who sat on her other side, tells Aura that she did not speak as softly as intended. None of the other members of the squad seems to have heard though, and given Mauls disappointed look as he gazes at them his opinion on the matter is known. The time for conversation soon ends though, as the Runners begin to make their way into the barracks. Before she even sees Violet though, the cool breeze of wind tickles her ear, and a voice is carried with it.

  “Aura, Calen says he is ready to go tonight if you all are. Also, if you have time to spare, can you meet me at that building around midday? Bring any of those essence crystals you want to be used from any of the others.”

  Violet’s voice is more wispy sounding, and as Aura turns, she can see them standing by the entrance to the barracks. A small smile is the only reaction she gets before food begins to be handed out. Given how she notices Jackie stiffening at her squads table, it is possible that some kind of message was sent to the others as well. Not having any means to respond back, all Aura can do is focus in on the food when it is brought to her.

  On the way out to the ‘training grounds’ following the meal Kaelen catches up with her. Discretely, he passes along one of his own crystals and mutters, “Poultice” before going on his own way. Jackie doesn’t approach though, which is somewhat worrying. While not as angry, the girl was clearly still simmering on everything.

  The training in the morning is light, with Maul and herself mainly consists of him going over the basics with her. And really, that is all his knowledge when it comes to fighting as well. The basics are all he really picked up from living with his father, and it is on him to develop his own style beyond them. While the two of them normally do not talk all too much during the exercising, Aura brings up the topic of the essence crystals. Framing it as her own idea to not let on that Violet has more magic than just healing, he seems to be impressed by it and hands over two of his own.

  They also get to discussing exactly where they each put the stats from their level ups. Despite his physical stats being so high, Maul reveals that he bolstered his own STR up to 30. She had found out that the special attack he had done during their proper spar did cost him mana. Though with him needing to essentially stand still to use it, he did not want to worry about it right now. Her own revelation of buffing up her DEX gets a nod of approval. With him mentioning how much smoother the swings of her club are over the course of the exercise.

  After training for a couple of hours, she breaks off from Maul by saying she is meeting up with Violet to deliver the crystals. A nod is the only response she gets, and soon Aura is off towards the abandoned building once more. Being active today was a nice change of pace from the past two days of lazing around. There is a little curiosity at what Violet had wanted to meet about. But she will find that out soon enough.

  On arriving, she pauses in confusion for a moment. As not only is Violet standing waiting at the table, but Ryse is as well. The two of them are standing a decent distance away, so she did not walk in on anything. She spots Aura first, and shoots a quick smile before waving her in.

  “Aura, I’m glad you could make it.”

  “Yeah, it was no problem. I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

  While the question is directed towards Violet, Aura gives Ryse a glance as well. The blue-haired man snorts lightly, his face twisting slightly after doing so. Waving a hand in front of his face he takes a step back from her with an expression that is a mix of humor and disgust.

  “You could have washed up at least first. But no, you are not interrupting anything. In fact, I am the one that asked Violet here to invite you to meet.”

  Implied insult aside, that is a bit of a surprise for Aura. Ryse had seemed to be hostile with her after she became a Soldier by revealing her magic when he did not. So, something must have changed to cause this shift. Violet steps forwards at this point, acting as a bridge between the two of them.

  “That’s not the full story though. I originally only asked Ryse here because I figured you might be busy Aura. So… I asked if he could help teach me that spell he used before. See, when we all met up and decided what we’d all do, after being told to learn an offensive spell to join you all on those night hunts I got a quest to do so.”

  The revelation of Violet having received a quest was not that big of a surprise. Aura had expected as much given how everyone had reacted that night. And while she was a little hurt to not be the first choice, she could at least understand where they were coming from.

  “Since we are being honest, I did receive a quest that night as well. Though mine was involving the hunt we were going on. I expect Aura received one as well and got a skill crystal for a reward. While I am interested in what it gave you, that is not the reason I asked for you to be here.

  Look, I get that I may have come off as a bit of a dick after everything. Honestly speaking, I was more pissed at myself than you for not bringing up that I could cast a spell at that time. So, I do apologize for that. Though, from the way this place is structured, I doubt that spells or magic are really all that appreciated anyways. And that annoys me more than anything, so I was thinking that if the three of us work together than maybe we could change that.”

  Having extended a hand to her to shake in reconciliation, something Aura accepts, Ryse continues to speak. While she nods in sympathy at his mention that magic is probably not really appreciated here in Fortress, Violet does so hesitantly. Before she can question that though, he continues to speak. He mentions how he had asked around the settlement about a library or anything similar, only to be laughed off for asking. Everything was passed along through word of mouth, and nobody seemed interested in writing things down.

  In addition to that, not even any of the older Herbalists seemed to know any magic, nor were they interested in doing so. To them, and most others, mana was considered a useless stat. The more he spoke; the more frustration built in her chest.

  These people… are they only behaving like this because of Fortress? I mean, I already have seen how downtrodden most of the non-soldiers are. And there doesn’t seem to be anything to entertain people either. Could they be repressing magic for a similar reason or something?

  “I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who is annoyed by all of this. Sadly though, I doubt that the three of us can do anything about it all by ourselves. I mean, we can try to figure out as much about magic together as we can. But it might be a good thing to keep it all a secret.”

  Aura is not to surprised that her frustration is showing and offers a wry grin in return. While meeting up with Ryse like this was unexpected, he is offering an interesting proposition at least. Not only for the fact that learning more about magic could make them stronger, but simply for the fact that he was talking about them learning more about magic in general! She still remembers that rush that on casting a spell for the first time. And while this was not a game anymore, she still felt that mixing magic with melee might be the best way for her to fight going forwards.

  “You aren’t the only one who has noticed those things. In all my running around, I’ve seen lots of ways that even a little bit of magic, or just writing things down, might have helped. I mean, it is not like people don’t know how to read. The fact that they all have menus and stuff pretty much means they must. But… there is definitely something more going on with all of this. So, count me in on trying to learn more about magic. Even if we can’t figure out much, just a little bit could make a difference.”

  There is some confidence in Violet’s voice as she speaks up on the manner, and Aura cannot help but send a smile her way. While the two of them have only hung out together a little bit, there is a level of trust there. This could be a good way to deepen things to a proper friendship, and Ryse may be added in on that to. Jackie probably would be frustrated at it, but it was something she could worry about later.

  “Count me in on this as well. As crazy and dangerous as this world is, the fact that we can use magic is amazing. Learning more about it is something I want to do. Oh, and um, going back to what you mentioned before. I haven’t figured out how to use the skill crystal yet.”

  With assurance at the start, Aura starts to chuckle somewhat embarrassedly. Accessing her inventory, she pulls the skill crystal out and shows it to Ryse and Violet. Rather than any scolding or disdain though, she gets a small smirk and nod in return.

  “That’s fine, I imagine you’ve been busy. All you need to do is squeeze it and a prompt will appear asking if you want to consume it. I don’t know if it was luck or not, but I got the skill [Concentrate] from it.”

  Violet saves her the trouble of asking details on that, allowing Aura to focus on the crystal in hand. The explanation for how to use it is simple enough, and something she probably would have figured out soon enough. Gripping it in one hand, the crystal feels smooth fully in her grasp. Squeezing it causes it to warm up, with a prompt appearing shortly after.

  Pressing the yes prompt as it appears, the crystal would shift in her hand. She can feel it cracking in her grasp, before suddenly a sensation like crushing a chip is in her hand. Soft powder floats from where the crystal was, glittering in the light, before another window appears.

  “I guess that makes sense as a skill. Magic does seem to require you to focus a bit, so this [Concentrate] increasing your ATU makes sense.”

  “Sadly, it only does so when I am actively using the skill. Hopefully that will change in time, but that is something I will need to train.”

  As the window disappears after she acknowledges it, Aura tunes back into the conversation going on between Ryse and Violet. She missed the detailed version but has a general idea of what Ryse’s skill does. Her zoning out must have been noticed, because they both turn towards her after finishing speaking.

  “Well, the skill I got is useful. Though in a different way than your own skill.”

  Addressing the two of them, Aura shares what her new [Scan] skill can do. This is her first active skill as well, and when she says the name of it while facing Violet, the air above their head distorts. Followed shortly after by the number 100 suddenly beginning to float there.

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  “I’m bettering that will grow into showing more with time, you will just need to practice with it. Given how strong your own Mana Bolt is though, I’m sure that is nothing new.”

  Ryse offers his own observation on the matter, and the gears practically turn in his head as he considers the possibilities of her skill. She does so as well, wondering just how far it can go.

  It might be able to actively track HP eventually. And, going by its name, maybe it can give me information about the target as well? Hopefully it won’t take me to long to get this thing trained up. Though, considering how easy it is to use it just might.

  “As fun as hearing you two talk about your new skills are, maybe we could work on getting me one as well? I did originally ask you hear to try and teach me that Mana Bolt spell after all.”

  Violet speaking up draws both Aura and Ryse from their thoughts. A round of soft laughter is shared as it becomes apparent that they’ve strayed from the original purpose of meeting. Still, not that much time has passed so they can get on with the lesson easily enough. Though considering this is her first time trying to teach someone something, much less something as immaterial and strange as magic, Aura is slightly nervous on the matter. But hopefully with Ryse there to offer feedback as well they can at least make some progress on this.

  Despite trying for a few hours, neither Aura nor Ryse succeeded in teaching Violet Mana Bolt. It was not that they had difficulty explaining how the mana felt when using it, but the chant was where the issues were. With Aura planning on going out at night, she could not really cast the spell. But when Ryse did so, he did comment on how his chant seemed to help with the spell taking shape. Violet had tried to imitate both of their chants, though did not gain any real success. So, it was easy enough for them to determine that, at least for this spell, the chants must need to be unique.

  Still, that was not to say that Aura did not enjoy the time she spent. Discussing magic like this was fun, even if it was a little technical. It reminded her of when she played video games as a child and had to figure out the various mechanics of it. The companionship was pretty good as well, and she felt closer to both Ryse and Violet.

  Before she left, she did make sure to drop off all the essence crystals to be turned into poultices. Rather than share that Jackie had not given any, a simple lie that Maul’s are hers is told. It is all to keep tensions down, and she knows that having a proper talk with Jackie is something she will need to do soon.

  That aside though, after leaving and heading back to the barracks the rest of the day passes without anything happening. Before long, night has fallen once more, and the group has snuck out of the barracks. Luckily Aura’s squadmates are too exhausted to keep watch two nights in a row. So, herself, Kaelen, and Maul slip out unnoticed.

  On leaving the barracks, they can see Calen approaching from the distance. To her surprise, he somehow is kitted out similarly to a normal soldier. Wearing padded cloth armor and with a stone club at his side, she wonders just how he managed to get ahold of everything. Rather than ask right now though, she jerks her head at him to indicate to follow, and they all set off in following Kaelen once more.

  “So, I know we told you that you should get ready. I didn’t think you would manage to get together some armor and a weapon Calen. How did you pull that off?”

  It is after maybe an hour of silent travel under the light of the still full moon that Aura breaks the silence. Calen, who had looked to be growing somewhat tense relaxes a little bit at the question.

  “Ah, well I don’t know if you caught it on Awakening day, but I was assigned as a Generalist. Tailoring is where I ended up finding myself at, so I had access to plenty of armor and even weapons. Luckily, yesterday we had a Runner bring in the armor and weapon from a Soldier. Apparently, it hasn’t been used that much for some reason, but they wanted some maintenance done on it. I don’t know why, but it was pushed back on being worked on. So, I just kind of swiped it for use since it was going to be fixed up later.”

  The explanation of how he got the armor is simple enough, though Aura cannot help but glance towards Maul at the casual theft admission. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by the admission. He lets out a small snort of amusement as he looks Calen over, a tight smile on his face.

  “If that is the case, that is probably a woman soldier’s equipment. Present company excluded, they don’t tend to use it at all.”

  His tone is derisive, and Aura can already tell that his words are not going to go over well. She has a feeling that she understands what he is saying though. Even if it has only been a little over a week, she has not noticed any women other than herself and Jackie on the training ground. Even the two female Soldiers in their barracks tend to just head back to their squads’ rooms after a meal.

  “The only reason that any of the women Soldiers don’t use their equipment is because of all of you men trying to push us down! They just need to learn that they are stronger than any man and stand up for themselves!”

  As expected, Jackie responds with fire in her tone. Aura mentally agrees with some of the assessment, though she knows there probably is more to it than that. Outside of the two of them, the other two female Soldiers in their barracks had not been volunteered. And while she did not remember their exact stats, she could at least recall that STR and VIT were not high for either of them.

  They were probably chosen because of that. Even then though, based on what Sue had said back then it almost felt like all the girls knew what they would be in for if they were chosen as Soldiers. I really should check in on her if I get the chance.

  Following Jackie’s outburst, Calen looks slightly uncomfortable about the matter. She did try to scold him for using the armor and weapon without permission, though is quickly hushed by Kaelen as they continue to travel. A more awkward silence falls after that, and there is clear tension in the air. She notices Maul briefly speaking with Calen, though it is done to softly to hear exactly what is said.

  Another couple of hours pass with Kaelen leading them along, and it looked like they were heading to the same location as before. Sure enough, at around the same point as the other day the forms of Giant Spiders roaming about can be seen. Gesturing for them all to get down, they begin to plan their formation.

  Unlike last time, Aura is the only one with magic. However, Calen is the one who probably needs the protection the most due to being a level weaker. Jackie strongly pushes for groups to be formed, with herself and Aura being one and the men all being another. Aura shuts that down quickly though, not wanting to end up in a similar situation to the last time where she was surrounded. Kaelen is the one to suggest a variation on the previous formation. Only this time, Calen will go between everyone to assist with two of the spiders each. It would result in lessened experience for those spiders, but in exchange everyone else would kill five total to equal things out.

  Formation in mind, they assume it before standing up. Raising her hand towards the horde, something about the situation feels a little bit off for Aura. Unlike with the normal hunt, a repeated mission had not appeared as they made the plans for the night and set off. More than that though, something about the horde of monsters feels a little bit off. Pushing down the unease for now, she takes aim at a Giant Spider and lets a Mana Bolt fly.

  [36 Damage Dealt]

  As her magic crashes against the target, a window briefly appears in her vision. A couple of brief intakes of breath in surprise are the only indication that the others may have received something as well. She cannot focus on it to much though, because the Giant Spiders are on the move. Unlike last time where they began to head directly towards them, this time they act completely different.

  The horde begins to spread out and move to circle around them a bit. With the one that had been struck by her magic falling back behind one of the others. While it would normally be hard to keep track of it due to similar appearances and the light of the moon being the only illumination, Aura can faintly see the lingering glow of her magic. A moment later, she also mutters a single word under her breath.

  “Scan.”

  At that, her original target stands out even further as a glowing red 100 appears above it. While it is reassuring to know how much health these things have, their behavior is more than a little off putting. As the monsters take time to somehow organize themselves, she raises her hand to maintain her aim on them.

  “Are the monsters supposed to be doing this?”

  “No, they are acting strangely. Everyone stay on your guard; something strange is happening here.”

  While Calen voices his concern, Maul’s voice remains firm. Pushing past the distraction for the time being, it is when the Spider Aura had hit earlier stops moving that she lets another Mana Bolt loose to fly at it. A shriek of what can only be surprise fills the night as her spell strikes true.

  [36 Damage Dealt]

  With the Spiders having completed a semicircle around them now, with only the area closer to the river not covered, they begin to charge forwards. While not any faster than normal, the fact that twenty spiders are charging towards them in a somewhat tight formation is intimidating. Though, it is not exactly twenty spiders charging. Aura can see the one she struck is staying back, and that another spider is doing so as well.

  Unsure of this development, and with a veritable wall of spiders closing in she only has time for one more spell before the monsters are on them. Considering what that quest window had said, dealing with unknowns should be saved for after this main threat is dealt with. So, taking aim at the one she has already severely weakened, she unleashes one more spell which should finish it off.

  [36 Damage Dealt]

  Only, her spell doesn’t reach its intended target. Briefly she hears a sharp click over the sound of many stomping legs. And a moment later one of the spiders in the charge jumps into the air to intercept her attack. It is blasted back a little bit, but she is more than a little surprised at the development. The surprise lasts for only a moment though, before the first wave hits them.

  Unlike the previous night they had fought, their own formation is still firm. Which is probably for the best because the Giant Spiders are acting far more organized than before. The charge of the spiders is easily intercepted, weapons crashing against them and dealing damage to stop their momentum. But it is the fact that spiders further back attempt to jump over the front line and pounce on everyone that catches them off guard at first.

  Luckily, despite the clever tactic everyone can react to it. Increasing her DEX may have saved Aura here, as she can only just raise a hand to blast the Spider jumping at her out of the air. While everyone is holding their own though, the fight is far more difficult than previous ones. Small injuries are starting to pile up, and they just cannot get a proper kill on any of the Spiders. Whenever one of them jumps, the one that had been charging falls back. And the cycle seems to be on repeat.

  [28 Damage Dealt] [-6 HP] [36 Damage Dealt] [-6 HP] [28 Damage Dealt] …

  The battle is not going well, and their intended way to handle it is quickly falling apart. The damage being dealt to Aura is low, but it is hard to keep track of how much she has dealt to any individual Spider. [Scan] would not help either, given how it only shows the maximum HP. They are coming at everyone hard as well, and she barely has time to think much less chant her spell.

  [16 Damage Dealt] [Giant Spider Defeated!]

  Eventually though, something shifts in the battle. She’s been bashed by their legs a couple of times at this point, when one of them finally crumples dead from being hit by her club. Exclamations of triumph erupt from the others, as they presumably deal with at least one of the Spiders as well. In that brief moment though, something about the battle seems to shift. Rather than another Spider appear right away, they seem to pull back a little bit.

  During that time, Aura looks past them to see that multiple spiders have made their way back towards where the one that had not acted before was standing. More than that though, their carapace seems to be covered in a white substance that can only be silk. A bit of dread fills her at seeing this, as she has no idea what it could be doing. Muttering “Scan” under her breath, the dread only grows as a glowing 300 appears above the one Spider’s head.

  “I bet that one is the reason we have been having so much trouble. Aura, watch my back and I’ll go and take care of that thing!”

  “Jackie, wait!”

  Aura’s call comes to late as Jackie begins to move. Breaking the formation they had come up with, she steps onto the Giant Spider corpse in front of her and jumps forwards. Something about the jump seems off, and there was a brief burst of force that came away from it. As Jackie soars through the air over an oncoming wave of spiders, Aura can hear cursing from Maul as well as a cry to tighten up the formation.

  Then, the next wave of spiders’ hits. Tightening the formation up to not be attacked from behind, it makes movement a little more awkward. She cannot make as much of a horizontal swing without hitting Maul to her side, and he is even more restricted due to having Kaelen on his other one. Luckily, this tighter formation causes more trouble for the Spiders as well, who after being rebuffed initially seem to be making to circle around them more properly. What is worse though, is that some of the spiders with silk on them are starting to come forwards as well.

  Peeking through the gaps of the oncoming wave, Aura can see that Jackie has made it to where the stronger spider is. And she is engaging it in combat alone rather than being swarmed. From the brief glimpses Aura catches as everyone else deals with the waves of Spiders, she is at least keeping up with it.

  [-6 HP] [20 Damage Dealt] [- 6 HP] [28 Damage Dealt] …

  [10 Damage Dealt] [Giant Spider Defeated!]

  Eventually, another group of spiders finally fall due to the combined efforts of everyone. The ones that had been covered in silk not only proved more resistant to their attacks but even seemed to be healed up a little given the damage they took from everyone. Still, there are almost a dozen spiders left and the battle shifts once more.

  “Fuck! Aura, help!”

  Jackie cries out in the distance, and through the gaps Aura can see what is going on. That same silk that was covering some of the Giant Spiders was now covering Jackie. She is visibly struggling to move her arms and legs, only for the Spider she had been facing to act. Jumping on the girl, it moves swiftly and begins to wrap her up in the silk. All the while she continues to call for Aura to come and help. After doing so, it turns towards their group and begins to scuttle towards them along with the rest of the horde.

  “Damn it! We need to fall back now! There are too many of them still alive and we are to grouped up to deal with whatever that thing does!”

  Maul calls out, his voice a mixture of frustration and panic. As much as Aura wants to protest and go and help Jackie though, she knows he is right. Nearly all of the remaining spiders have silk covering them now, and with this strange one approaching they are in trouble.

  “The river! They avoided that area when we were more spread out, so they probably can’t swim. It is probably our only way out.”

  Kaelen calls out next, pointing out something she had observed earlier as well. Of course, there are some spiders there now, but she can deal with them.

  “I’ll come get you Jackie, I promise!”

  Calling out loud in hopes that Jackie can hear, Aura moves in their formation until she is facing the river area. Putting her club away, she raises both of her hands and begins to chant as quickly as she can. Two Giant spiders are blocking the way to the river, and the group is actively moving towards them.

  [36 Damage Dealt] [36 Damage Dealt]

  Chanting as quickly as she can, she fires off one then two bolts towards the monsters. The formation breaks a little bit then, as Maul charges forwards and quickly lashes out at them with his club. The force behind it is enough to send them flying, and probably dead since they had likely taken damage earlier. With the path to the river cleared, he jumps into it without any hesitation.

  Moving as quickly as she can, Aura’s lack of AGI makes it difficult to keep up. The corpses are in the way and makes her normal way of getting around quickly, skipping, unfeasible. She can only watch with frustration as Kaelen speeds up enough to get into the river before the gap closes again. Calen is still standing next to her as two more Giant Spiders appear, a grim look on his face.

  “I can clear them out and then you need to move Calen.”

  “…No Aura, we are both getting out of this. I know that you can do this, just go as hard as you can.”

  Calen’s voice is calm as he responds, a bit of determination in his tone. As he speaks though, a surge of strength rises inside of Aura. Looking at herself, she can see a faint red glow around her body. Shooting him a brief look, all she gets is a smirk in response.

  I guess he never did say what his other Innate skill was.

  Letting out a cry of exclamation as she feels this surge of power, Aura charges forward slightly faster and bowls through the two Giant Spiders that had moved to block the river over the corpses of the other two. Calen is right beside her, and the river is in sight. Then, however, a shadow suddenly looms over their vision and turning slightly, the spider with the glowing 300 above its head jumping through the air towards them. A globule of silk erupts from the monsters’ mouth and heads towards the two of them as well, and Aura tries to act. Tries to use her strength to force Calen into the river.

  Only, in this he seems to be faster than her. She feels a grip on her arm, hears a grunt of exertion, and feels her feet leave the ground as she is tossed through the air. As she splashes into the river, all she can see before she dips beneath is a sorrowful smile on Calen’s face, before the white silk globule hits him and forces him down. As she crashes into the water and heads beneath it, it takes a lot of effort for Aura to turn her gaze away and begin to swim to safety.

  How did this all go so wrong…