"Haaaa… That was refreshing…"
It's been a week since we stopped at this nameless city. I just got out of a hot bath, I had a towel around my body.Still, it felt odd seeing the body of a young girl... I just wrapped a towel around my torso, just past my hips.
"What to do today…"
I wanted to train with Verd, or Shaun. But, those two were busy taking care of their families. All the guys left the girls behind, even denying me. As a former guy, I knew what they wanted to do, they had the innate urge to provide for their families.
I could sneak away…
I was left all alone, Melinda wanted to spend time with her daughter. As well as the other mothers, we'll call them V and S. They had not given me their names, Verd and Shaun always gave them nicknames and they never gave their own. And it was always cheeky nicknames too.
Anyways, they finally took the time to wind down. Leaving me alone, I was just sitting on my bed, it was really comfortable. It's the first time in a while I could just lay back.
"I can practice magic…"
I managed to gain a few skills over the year. Once the first month passed after almost dying, I gained [Mana efficiency]. It was basically a mini enlightenment; furthermore, it controlled my mana as I cast spells.
With it, I could cast at most twenty fireballs, which further increased as I got it to level two. But, level two was its max; my maximum amount of fireballs are stuck at twenty-five. So, practicing magic was useless in that regard.
"I'll take a stroll around…"
First, I dressed myself. I was tempted to go commando under my clothes, no bra or underwear. The bra is way too small for me, and it hurts my back massively. But if I said that to Melinda I'm not sure I'll get to see the light of day again. I'll have to stick with it for now.
Second of this routine, I hid knives in the sleeves of my jacket. We kept this as a routine during our travels, you'll never know when you need it.
And lastly, I slipped my Identification Card into my pocket. Then, I stuck my adventurers' plate into my cloak. It always comes in handy, it gives a story to tell and an alibi.
Some unruly guards, unlike the ones of this city, pestered us. They wouldn't believe our story of coming from Untergrant. The rumor of it being destroyed spread far and wide, it was a major city of Amura.
In just a few minutes, mainly drying my long hair, I was dressed. I took a look at myself in the mirror seeing a sight I was never used to.
My hair had really grown super long, it went down to my butt. I was wearing a black pair of trousers, a belt holding it up. Additionally, my old shirts barely fit me, even the sleeveless ones. Yet, I wore it, it made me look extremely skinny, like I wasn't eating well.
It wasn't that, as my status said I was just cursed. Anyways, I wore a jacket over it, it was just a simple one, it looked like a hoodie from modern times. Finally, I wore a cloak, it was yet again, a routine.
Before I left my room, I pulled my hair into a ponytail, a messy one. It felt uncomfortable, but lessens the chance of me being recognized. I'm still learning how to do it..
It worked before, Jin and I walked by a few Mirin soldiers in one city. We were not recognized, despite me being seen before.
"Ah! Good morning Miss Yukina!"
The handsome man at the counter, as cheerful and good natured as always greeted me. His looks made me feel envious. I wasn't the best looking in my past, but I wasn't bad looking. Probably, a seven out of ten on the looks scale.
"Good morning, if any of my companions come by, just tell them I went out."
I didn't want to sit idle and chit-chat, mainly because it gave me an odd feeling being called Miss. Moreover, this guy was too cheery for my taste. Like those massively extroverted kids in class..eugh.
I'm not interested in men, at all. I know what my little old diary must think, yes I'm talking about you.
Anyways, I left the tavern. The streets were bustling as always, there's an adventurers' guild, I probably should go there; I didn't do the requirement of a request once a month. For at least… Eleven of them.
I'm totally screwed, unless my status as an other-worlder prevents it. I went forth, praying with each uneven step.
I'll probably check that shop out, it'll be worth it.
The shops around here were pretty interesting; they sold more modernized food, most likely the work of other other-worlders. Rolling back on that thought, I saw a lady selling kebabs. They looked absolutely delicious, aside from the sign that forbade selling to animalkin.
It sure has its disadvantages, huh?
Anywho, the streets were rather straightforward, I eventually made it to the guild. In front of the two not so gigantic doors were two guards.
"Hold it, the adventurers' guild does not allow children to enter."
Just as I was about to push the handles, a halberd halted my movements.
Are you ef-
I stared dumbfoundedly upwards, glaring at the guard blocking my path. Was he serious?! That's so much different than Untergrant!
"What if I needed to submit a mission?"
To enhance my disbelief with this question, I tilted my head. However, this damn guard just shrugged and shook his head.
"Tough luck Little Girl, bring your parents next time."
"..."
Whatever god allowed me to injure my foot is probably laughing. Either I can just fall over, flat on my face; Or I'll stomp with my left, the injured will cry out in pain.
After my internal cursing, I turned to simply walk away. YES, WALK AWAY! I didn't want to deal with that shit.
You may be wondering WHY did I not show my identification? I could just tell from their arrogance, their manner of speech, everything… They'd just bar me from going and confiscate my damn identification.
I'll just return later, when these meatheads are gone.
***********
As night encroached, I wriggled out of Melinda's arms. And I managed to free my ear.
Seriously, it feels as if my ears are on pins and needles. Y'know that feeling of hitting your funny bone? Yeah that, but it's so much worse.
Just a little flick sends those nerve signals, now imagine someone yanking on them. I let it rest for a moment, and got dressed.
The streets were quiet, dimly lit by the moon's rays. Carefully and as alert as I could be, I crept on forth.
"I'm sorry Miss, this is obviously false. No adventurer is five hundred years old."
The entrance was guarded by those same meatheads. In front of them was a fellow animalkin. Under the night sky, I could see her entire body.
She wore a suit, a literal tuxedo and pants. Connected to her tailbone was a fluffy fox tail, and on her hip was a flask of a red liquid.
She has a nice bust and hips.
My perverted mind wandered, trying to capture this view. Just like her hair, her tail was an ashen grey and it curled at the end.
Yet, her shoulders were slumped and from my view, she looked exhausted. The taller guard handed a silver plate back to her.
"Come back with a real adventurer's plate, no sane guard would believe that."
"It is real, I am five hundred thirty four years old… Ah… Whatever…"
The foxgirl mumbled, covering her face. As her gaze turned to the sole witness; me, she waved for me to come here.
"Little Girl, I have a question."
"Eh?"
Should she be saying Little Girl? She and I were the same height, but I stood to her side.
"You're an adventurer too, right?"
Exhausted, she asked this. Her gaze was fixated on the adventurers plate I held in my hand.
"I-I am, why?"
"Do you have a skill called Identification?"
Does she mean Identify?
"Ah…"
Slowly, she rubbed the back of her head and fixed her mistake.
To cut it short, she had me used Identify on her. Her name was Shen, and I could only see her age and race.
Indeed she was, five hundred thirty-four years old. Foxkin, with some ??? Next to it. Was it like mine?
James had shown me to transfer the status window between individuals. I just redirect the mana of my target to another. Basically, I acted as a circuit.
Mana in, flip a switch, transfer. Easy as that, after some time it was.
"You really are…?"
The taller guard mumbled in bewilderment. His eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped.
"Mhhm, believe me, I tried to change it. Adventurer plates cannot be renewed, that's the first thing you're taught."
Slowly, she gave me a wink.
She is as red as can be…
Unsurprisingly, random hair colors and eyes aren't rare.
Contrastly, her skin was extremely pale when I got a closer look. Almost sickly, I didn't get a good feeling when she smiled.
"Do we have permission to come inside?"
"Y-Yes, go right ahead."
"Come along, my friend."
She pretty much dragged me, disallowing my hand to be removed from hers. Inside, it was dimly lit by orbs, the receptionist lady was snoozing away.
"Mm? Ah! Sorry, um welcome to the adventurers' guild! H-How can I help you two?!"
She yelped after Shen poked her hand. After her little gesture, she released my hand before clasping her own.
"Uhm, the guards outside need to be trained further; their knowledge of the adventurers' guild is limited."
"Eh?"
"They tried to stop me from coming in, even when I had a valid adventurer's plate."
"E-Eh? Can I see?"
I closed my ears off, until it was my turn to talk to the receptionist.
Maybe I should get a mission for myself…
It's probably dumb of me to do so, regarding my foot. But I am competent enough to do so, and the mission board was stacked. Additionally, we have a few days left so… Why not?
[I need help fetching my cat, it got lost… It's an orange-]
Nope, I can't run, nor can I use my magic in a city. And I'm not dealing with an orange. Never.
[Gat-]
Wanting to find a hunt mission.
I lost track of how many damn papers I flipped through.
[Slimes located west from the city.]
And of course, the most boring part. Better than nothing…
So, it's decided. I'll be hunting slimes again, the rest of the paper detailed what they were. They were green slimes, the ones that I first met.
I should be able to do it myself, after-
"Hey, Little Wolf…"
Shen's voice creeped behind me, she felt so close. When I flipped around, she was smiling at me… Even her eyes were closed, the bags under her eyes really gave me a creepy feeling.
"E-Eh? What's-"
"Your little limping doesn't seem to help you much. Do you mind if I accompany you with that request?"
Her voice was immensely creepy… I don't know why. Was she into little girls? Her moral compass is probably awry after living for five hundred years. What am I supposed to do?
"Oh, it's just a little slime hunt. I'll join you, I haven't done one in a long time."
When-
She yanked the paper out of my hands before I could even see… Was she a high level?!
"Can I have that back please?"
"Here you go."
"Thank you… And I'm fine by myself. Thanks."
I seriously don't know why, her just appearing behind me gave me the heeby jeebies. Now that I can smell her, she smelled like nothing. Even a bathed person had a scent, she smelled like just a void…
"We can take this on tonight, it's a simple request… And by way of your expression, you do not know where this is located- Plus, you want to go by yourself, no?"
From then on, my mind went blank. I did not know what went on, I didn't know if I was in control of my body. I just found myself beside her, we were outside the city borders.
"We just need to walk a mile that way."
Shen said, whilst pointing in the horizon. "Mile" was a word from my previous life, yet she knew what it was.
"Okay…"
It took a while due to me, but we got there. There was a whole heap of slimes… All ranging in different sizes.
"Go ahead, do what you need to do."
"T-"
….
...
…..
Where the- Why is it sunny outside? It was just night out. It's sunny.
"What… Ow…."
My neck was hurting. There's blood on my hand, it wasn't much… But my neck is bleeding.
I can't recognize my surroundings, I'm somewhere I don't know.
The slimes are all gone, they're missing…
My neck's not stopping, it's bleeding. It stings so bad, why can't I remember anything?
I need to stop the bleeding…
My clothes were still intact, I took off my cloak and stuffed it right to my neck.
"Go ahead and do what I need to do?"
That voice broke me out of that stupor, I can't remember much before that. Only the slimes, then just waking up now. I do not know where I'm at, I'm just lost in a plain area…
Grass as far as I can see, there was no forestry, nothing. What the hell happened to me?
Was I assaulted? Is that why my neck is bleeding? Did someone try to cut it?
That couldn't have happened, I would be dead.
"Where…"
I don't know, I tried to rack my brains. That Shen woman… Whoever she is, brought me here. She left me here.
I don't have that mission I wanted to pick up. It's gone, it's not in my pants…
Without any way of knowing, I just… Plopped to the ground. I'm defeated. With no way of knowing where I was at, I was just done.
I can walk around, but I'm utterly slow. I'll have to do it.
Eventually, the stinging on my neck slowed, then disappeared. Thankfully it's black, but my cloak didn't have a speck of blood on it.
I should… Is my life compass on me? No… it's gone? I swear- Did that Shen woman take it off me?!
I pulled out everything in my pockets, I had nothing aside from my ID and adventurer's plate… And I thought pickpocketing in foreign lands was a joke from my old world.
"Well… Crap. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
I only have one option right now. Without much contemplation, I got to my feet.
"The sun's rising… I should go that way."
I pointed to what I believed to be south. If my memory serves, the request mentioned slimes in the south. Unless that Shen lady was a jerk, I should be just south of that city.
Without further ado, I was alone traveling. It's the second time in this life, but I'm in a much better place.
"Haha… I don't have much to begin with."
It's pretty laughable, one decision of mine led me here…
***************
James
"Honey! Wake up! Wake up!"
Hmm? Why is she screaming? It's early…
"Wake up! It's urgent! Please!"
"W-What's wrong-"
My wife's pleading caused me to shoot up. She looked scared, our daughter was nowhere to be seen. Yukina wasn't there…
"Yukina's gone… Everyone's searching for her! We need to get going, we need to find her. It's not safe out there, we have to find her!"
"She-"
"SHES GONE! WE NEED TO GET GOING!"
There wasn't any time to think, or react… I got up, and dressed myself quickly. Where the hell… I never painted Yukina as someone to run…
I checked this city, up, down, left and right. Yukina could be lost, there was nothing dangerous.
We turned this city inside and out, no one has seen her. No one, Barry said nothing. He was asleep, he couldn't have seen her.
There was one place, the adventurers' guild. Knowing Yukina, her curiosity about it. She could've come here.
There were two guards, they knew me well.
"Good morning Mr. Frenzied Healer! What's-"
"Have you seen a girl named Yukina? She's a wolfkin, about this tall. She has black hair…"
I measured Yukina's height to Melinda. They were roughly the same height, excluding her eyes.
"We have seen someone like that."
"Please tell me-"
"She helped a grey haired foxkin inside, claiming she was five hundred thirty four years old- They both went inside, but I don't remember seeing her leave."
My wife and I rushed past them, inside was the aforementioned foxkin. She was talking with the receptionist.
"Ah, sorry Miss Shen, there's some other people. Welcome to the adventurers' guild. How can I help you two?"
The receptionist pushed her aside.
"Actually, can we talk with her?"
"Eh? Me?"
"We need to speak with you privately."