“You can’t just go off like this!” Alistair told her, following Liliana around her room as she grabbed items and tossed them onto a growing pile on her bed.

“Astrid, can you get me food from the kitchen? Food that’ll last the trip,” Liliana asked, ignoring her stepbrother as she swerved around his form in her quest.

“Of course, my Lady,” Astrid answered, though her eyes hesitated on Liliana, worry plain and clear on her face. She did not speak up, not in front of Alistair. It wouldn’t be proper for a servant to try to argue with her mistress. No, Liliana knew yet another conversation would come tonight, as had the past two days since Liliana had declared in the city she was going to Timberborn.

“It’s not proper! Leave it to me, Emyr, and the Duke’s men. We’ll see justice done!” Alistair insisted, twisting to keep Liliana in view as she moved.

Liliana grabbed her alchemy book, weighing it and deliberating over bringing it before she placed it back on her desk. She grabbed a few completed potions, placing them in her storage bracelet. She grabbed the bestiary she had that had the best information on flowered serpents in her storage ring, along with the notes she’d taken on them.

“Listen to me, damn it!” Alistair shouted, hands snaking out to grab Liliana. However, he had not invested even half the points she had in Speed and she avoided the attempt with lazy ease.

“Father has already approved this Alistair,” Liliana told him, voice curt as she started tossing the spare clothes she’d pulled out into her storage ring.

“Why do you need to go?” Alistair asked, ignoring the comment.

It had been a shock to all of them when her father had approved the trip. She had marched into his study prepared to argue her case, with no preparations but a chest filled with rage. Yet her father had accepted almost immediately. It wasn’t until he had followed his approval with a comment that Liliana had realized it was not charity or kindness that drove his answer, but stark practicality. And greed, always greed.

“It’s good to see you looking for more ways to increase your power. A flowered serpent would be a promising bond for you. I was becoming concerned when you showed no inclination to progress yourself any further in that category,” her father had said, voice pleased and touched with pride. Liliana had been sick, but she’d accepted his reasons without protest.

“I’m glad that you’re looking out for the duchy. It shows promise, and great loyalty as I would expect of a Rosengarde scion,” her father had told her before assigning two squads of guards to accompany her, both as protection and to handle the justice necessary for the broken laws committed by the town, if such was found to be true. Her father had shown anger then, a rare emotion for the Duke. Though Liliana thought his anger was less directed at the town for killing the serpents and their offspring and more for the act of defying laws in his lands.

The departure was set for three days after the decision, tomorrow now. They had needed time to get that many men ready for the trip. Liliana would not be expected to decide the justice for herself. A guard sergeant would be with her to do that. She, however, was expected to be there when justice was handled to ‘get a good idea for how such things are done’.

A teleportation gate would not be used for this, much to Liliana's irritation. Teleportation could be costly, and to expend such costs for a ‘minor’ reason wasn’t acceptable. Not because the actual spell process was expensive, but the people who knew such long distance teleportation spells were few and far between. The ones her fathers had in his employ were stationed on the borders or at the military forts in their territory. So they would go by horseback, or carriage for Liliana. She had to make sure she up kept the family image, and gallivanting off into the wilds on foot simply wasn’t something a young noble lady should do. Or so she had been told. Her father would forgive it once, but not a second time.

“Because, Alistair, it’s my duty,” Liliana spat the word out as she finished shoving the last of her clothes into her storage bracelet.

“Besides, you’ll be with me. To be sure, I don’t besmirch the Rosengarde family name,” Liliana added on, no small amount of resentment in her tone. Alistair drew back, as if struck at the venom in her voice. Almost instantly Liliana regretted the words, but the anger in her chest was a bitter seething thing that had grabbed hold of her tongue.

“That’s not,” Alistair started, but he was cut off before he could mount any defense.

“Because the disgraced child of the great Duke Rosengarde can’t be trusted to go out and save a single flowered serpent without a gods damned babysitter,” Liliana growled, hands fisting at her sides. Hadn’t she shown her father she was strong enough, proper enough to do this alone? She could stand the guards. They were there in an official capacity to see justice done. But Alistair? And Emyr? They didn’t need to go with her for any reason besides keeping her on a leash.

Logically, Liliana could understand that it was important for Alistair to see something like this. See what happened when laws were broken, see how investigations were done and how justice was handled. She knew that, yet she couldn’t help but feel like it was just another sign that for all the new privileges she’d been given, she was still nothing more than the despised child her father neither trusted nor cared for. She was bitter, for she knew if it had been Alistair who brought this to her father, she would never have been considered to join. He’d have been sent off on his own to handle it. But not her, no, never her.

The boundaries may have been extended, and the bars hidden, but I’m still trapped in a gilded cage, Liliana thought bitterly, the anger roiling in her chest like a rabid beast. A small part of her mind was trying to calm her down, telling her she’d have asked Alistair and Emyr to come with her anyway, and perhaps her father was only trying to ensure her safety. She had done little to build up trust after she’d run away from home for a week.

Yet the anger was stronger, and Liliana shook with it, turning narrowed eyes at her still silent stepbrother who was looking at her warily. She took a step forward, to do what she wasn’t sure, when a large furry head knocked into her hard enough to hurt. Liliana landed on her bed, the air knocked out of her and with it her anger fled just as quickly. Lelantos was pushing calm through their bond, not understanding her anger. Fearing it, even. He struggled to convey his feelings over their connection, despite the leaps he’d made in intelligence since bonding with her, but he gave her a very firm sense of wrong connected to her anger. The same kind of wrong he felt when looking at a diseased beast driven mad and beyond reason or sense.

That, more than anything, sent a frigid chill through Liliana, banishing the last dredges of the anger. With it gone, and her mind clear, she could recognize that the anger been irrational. It had felt like… the anger she remembered from her nightmares that still plagued her. The nightmares that were foggy in her memory, the only things left from them, an overpowering fear, disgust, rage and greed for a power so overwhelming it was incomprehensible. That, and ancient shining red eyes.

Fear took the place of the anger as Liliana slowly sat back up. Lelantos was sitting by her bed, looking at her with his shifting, multi-colored eyes. He let out a gentle chuff and nudged her with his head, far more gently this time. Liliana sank her fingers into his fur, taking solace in his solid presence, a steadfast protector by her side at all times.

“I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve that. I’m just… stressed out,” Liliana murmured. She couldn’t look up at her stepbrother. The words felt like ash on her tongue, and her pride railed against admitting fault in herself. But, fault there was.

She could see that her stepbrother truly hadn’t deserved to bear the brunt of her anger, not when he hadn’t been responsible for any of this. Not for the villagers killing to feather serpents, not for her father’s callous attitude, not for her father’s decision to foist him onto this quest of hers. He had come to her, honestly worried for her. She had seen it in his eyes, in his voice. He didn’t want her to go, not because he didn’t want her to get powerful, but because she was going into an unknown and dangerous situation. She’d be facing the worst kinds of monsters in any world, humans. Humans who possibly had gone mad and descended into some kind of mob mentality. She’d have guards, yes, but it didn’t make it safe.

Then again, this world was not a safe one. It wasn’t like earth, where the greatest threats most had to worry about were accidents. Maybe a violent attacker, but it was rare. In her last life, she’d never once experience violence beyond a screen. Here, it was a fact of life. It was worse for the nobles, even with their fancy houses, fancy clothes, and fancy parties. They also pushed their children the hardest, to gain levels, to gain prestige and to possibly perform one of the legendary acts that would see their noble territory expanded or their noble position increased. And with the centuries some nobles could live, what was it to them to lose a child or two? They had the time to make replacements, hell her and Alistair both had replacements already in the twins.

Rosengarde perhaps pushed their children the hardest. With the ancestors they had, it was inevitable. Their position as the military power in their country dictated that the children bearing the Rosengarde name could be nothing less than exceptionally talented on the battlefield. After all, who would follow a leader who was shown to be weak and low leveled? So while this expedition was not safe, it was as safe as it could be given the situation. It was an opportunity for the two oldest children of their family to get a valuable lesson they might not get a chance to see again, for how often did an entire town decide to break their country’s laws so flagrantly?

“It’s… alright, I… perhaps… shouldn’t have raised my voice at you,” Alistair said hesitantly, obviously struggling with the words. Liliana’s head swung up, eyes wide in shock. Her brother had just apologized?

“Its-“ Liliana began when the door to her rooms opened and a harried looking maid darted in, eyes locking on Alistair in relief.

“Lord Alistair! The Duchess has been searching for you everywhere. Please, she requests your presence, immediately,” the maid rushed to speak, and Alistair's face closed off as soon as his mother was mentioned. The awkward embarrassment that had colored his face, making him look like the fourteen-year-old he was, was washed off. Replacing it was the mask of a nobleman, calm and cold, a titanium armor that showed no cracks and made him look far older than he was.

“I’ll be on my way momentarily,” Alistair told the maid, but she didn’t leave, simply waited at the door nervously and Liliana had to wonder what kind of temper Imogen must be in, to have the servants in such a tizzy.

“I’ll see you in the morning, sister. Get some rest.” Alistair said, nodding at her and bowing slightly before he turned on his heel and marched out. The maid seemed to sag momentarily in relief before she disappeared. Alistair stopped at the door and seemed to hesitate.

“We’ll see justice done and be back here. Nothing will go wrong,” Alistair stated, but Liliana shivered for all she knew the words were meant to be reassuring. For some reason, they felt like an ill omen. Then he was gone, and Liliana was left alone in her room with just Lelantos. Sher looked at the door for a long moment before turning from it, trying to shove the fear and foreboding down.

Summoning her notes on the flowered serpents from her storage, she opened them to where she’d noted down something more journal entry than scientific study.

The flowered serpent is a rare creature, benign but highly shy. Seeing one isn’t a feat many can boast. Yet seeing a flock of them is read almost universally as a good omen. Not without reason either, flowered serpents as a whole are generally known to have a Life alignment, typically. Regionally speaking, there are variants, as seen with many beasts. However, a fascinating bit of information has been relayed to me from an old goat herd in this sleepy village that even named itself after a flock of flowered serpents that nested here for decades before moving on. Serpentshead, they named it to honor them.

He told me that when he was but a boy; he snuck to their beds and saw youngling flowered serpents using Earth alignment abilities. He told me their area benefited from the typical boosts recorded in other areas that hosted flowered serpents, increased crop production, healthier livestock, less violent wildlife, and a vibrant forest. This implies that the flowered serpents, or at least this regional variant of them, start with Earth then take Life to work up to a Nature affinity. Now Nature is one of the most commonly recorded affinities for flowered serpents, though like many researchers I have yet to even glimpse one.

One thing we do know is that the flowers that seem to make a mane for the flowered serpents seem to have some effect on what they do. One's focusing strongly on Life tend to have commonly used healing flowers, or even Lotuses for their mane. Roses tend to indicate protective flowered serpents. Marigolds and Nasturtium and other fast-growing flowers are seen with the ones that aid plant and crop growth. It seems that the flowers are endless, as every time I find more literature or a new area to investigate, I get yet more variations. It's truly fascinating. It does leave a question, can they develop flowers found on different continents? Or are they locked to the regions they were born in?

They are frightfully rare, and the people who coexist in the same territory as them are always highly protective and secretive about their hidden guardians. What information we have now is just what’s been pieced together from what we can gather from the areas they’ve long left. However, other affinities are almost as common, even pure Life affinity flowered serpents have been recorded in southern territories and Gadria’s king has said he himself was saved by a great white flowered serpent. Likewise, they’re also seen with Life and Light affinities, legends telling of them erecting great barriers or granting new undiscovered plants to lucky individuals using Creation affinity. This does imply that flowered serpents have a wider typing than we have guessed, though if it’s impacted by their environment or their specific flock, I haven’t determined. However, I have yet to see any tell of them deviating from anything connected to Life, and they don’t seem to choose any type of affinity that is strictly destructive in nature. More study will need to be done.

Liliana tapped her finger gently against the pages, humming as she let the excitement of a new creature take over her. For too long, she’d seen just the regular humdrum creatures of her area, and they were nothing truly interesting. Not anymore, at least. No one told tales of how someone had slain a Hedgehog, or a Horned Hare. No, they told tales of those who met reclusive and legendary creatures hidden in mystery and myth. The flowered serpent would help cover a hole in her abilities as well. Earth was in theory defensive, but unlike Light it offered more offensive power. Nature was both less defensive and less offensive as far as affinities went. However, it could be a formidable affinity, as with any of them. Fighting off a single being was fine. Fighting off the being and the entire forest it resided in was a far more daunting task. Nature generally lent itself to trapping, turning one’s own environment against their opponents. Coupled with the buffing and healing powers attached to it, a flowered serpent would make a good addition.

Liliana hoped that the flowered serpent wasn’t one of the ones who picked Life and Light, as it would become rather redundant for her. She needed to diversify her abilities, not double down on a single facet. At that thought, she brought up her screen, looking at the newest affinity she had gained: Wind. And what a pretty penny it had cost her, too. In the game, affinity unlocks hadn’t been near as expensive. She supposed it was simply the nobles’ way of keeping a good amount of power with themselves. For the cost of 200 gold to unlock a single new affinity, Liliana could imagine many commoners, even merchant families, likely didn’t have the money to spend on even a single affinity, let alone several. She’d only been able to pick up a single Wind spell with the money she’d had left over, much to her irritation. And it was a weak one, because her affinity was so low at a beginning level. [Gust], it was nothing but a push back and against anything on her own level, it likely wouldn’t do much of anything. But it would raise her affinity if she used it, and she had the time they’d spend on the road to try to figure out other skills and spells with [Mana Manipulation].

Liliana sighed and sent her notebook back into storage and dismissing her screen. Her mind was calmer after reviewing the information on the feather serpents. It left her hopeful that this tame would be far easier than Lelantos, if flowered serpents were already benign creatures. Since this one had lost its entire garden as well, it was likely to be more apt to agree to a bond, if only to feel a connection again. She’d read that bond were easiest with creatures inclined towards pack behavior, as they naturally wished for companionship.

As Liliana stood, her eyes caught on a flash of blue in the late afternoon sunlight and she walked to her desk, swiping up the pendant she’d left on it. Under and around it were notes on the pendant, theories and general frustrated rambling about the blasted thing. She’d been spending a good deal of her time since the dungeon trying to understand it, and to understand why only she and Lelantos could feel its power. She wasn’t entirely sure why she cared, but something in her was pushing her on to figure out why this believed to be a bug in the game was appearing now, in the real world. It spun lazily in the air, the metal and stone catching in the light and throwing off shimmers of silver and a deep, unfathomable blue.

For a moment, Liliana thought she could feel some kind of revelation at the edge of her mind, but as the pendant spun around once more, it vanished and with a sigh, she dropped the pendant into her storage.