"I apologize for arriving so late after your summons, Master Agilo." Vigen bowed at the waist, cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Adalrich Agilo's force of presence was in no way diminished by reflective goggles, a sharp white labcoat, or the fluffy six-limbed creature held firmly in his gloved grasp.

The large sterilized lab was empty except for the two of them - and the squeaking animal in Adalrich's arms. Most of the complicated hulking machinery was silent, just one tabletop device mixing several different colored liquids together in different ratios. A single light on a metal examination table provided all the illumination in the room, glinting off Adalrich's goggles in a way that did little to hide the displeasure in his gaze. "You have made it a habit to disappoint me lately, Vigen. Is this job taking its toll on you?"

His words and tone were calm and pleasant, but the old steward felt his blood freeze to ice. "Not at all! Sir, there was an incident in my home this evening I thought you should know about." Vigen reached into his coat and pulled out a bundle of cloth. Unwrapping a corner revealed a cheap blade covered in blood.

Adalrich raised his eyebrows, waiting for Vigen to continue, but the steward looked supremely uncomfortable. Sighing, Adalrich locked the fluffy creature back in its small cage before taking the dagger. "Did you kill someone with this tacky little blade? You always preferred your own fists in the past."

"I found this dagger stabbed into my nightstand and my bed was slashed. Food, medicine, and some personal items including my serums were stolen without the intruder arrays being activated. When I presented the dagger to the guards, they tested the blood and had... mystifying results." Vigen hesitated, his curled mustache quivering. When Adalrich didn't interrupt, he had no other option but to continue. "The blood on the blade belongs to five different slaves and was less than two hours old at the time of testing. Four burnt in the manor fire last night, while the fifth died two months ago. It's impossible for any of them to provide fresh blood samples."

Adalrich leaned on the examination table, drumming his fingers against its cold metallic surface. "I was not informed of a recent death in the estate. Did I not order you to report any and all changes, no matter how small?"

"S-sir, the message you sent.... Ah..." The old steward's expression twisted in a mixture of confusion and dread when Master Agilo's expression didn't show any recognition or understanding. Instead of trying to explain himself and risking things getting muddled, Vigen retrieved a communication device from his coat pocket and handed it over after opening a written order received two months prior.

The device Vigen had was called a pager, a round crystal magitech disk about an inch thick specifically intended for a servant to receive orders from their employers. It could send and receive voice or text messages, recording everything to an expansive archive. In the event something went wrong, such as misunderstood commands resulting in legal issues or the necessitation of punishment, the device could be utilized as evidence. Similar devices were used on Earth for a few decades until they were replaced by cell phones.

"44 outlived her usefulness. Discrete disposal." Adalrich read the short message aloud, slowly removing the reflective goggles covering his eyes. Without them he looked like a charming and handsome scholar, sharp disdain adding a touch of frost to his dark eyes. The full force of his frigid gaze made Vigen sweat even more until it turned back to the pager, perusing text archives displayed in a holographic display above the smooth transparent surface. "You had 44 disposed of?"

"I ordered a slave to kill her in secret. She confirmed 44's death once the job was done, I left it at that."

"The body?"

"She disposed of it, or so I assumed. The slave died in the manor fire, so I can't ask for clarification now..."

Adalrich clenched his fist, crushing the crystal pager like it was sugar glass instead of quartz. A series of orders dating back several years called for increasingly harsh treatment of 44 for countless ridiculous reasons, culminating in the message demanding her disposal. "When I brought 44 to the manor, what did I say to you Vigen?"

"...To look after her. But Master Agilo, your orders-"

Vigen's words stopped short as Adalrich's fingers dug into his throat, lifting the old steward off the tile floor and flinging him into the nearest wall in an effortless arc. The old man's sturdy body caused the stone wall to crack, leaving a vast intricate spiderweb around a Vigen-shaped dent. Air rushed out of his lungs, leaving the steward gasping for air.

"I told you myself to look after her. You took text orders from a pager without confirming personally about any contradictions. The serums traded your brain for brawn, Vigen." Adalrich cracked his knuckles, waiting for the old steward to finish coughing before he continued. "A single drop of that girl's blood is worth more than this entire estate and all its facilities combined, and you had her killed."

Color drained from the old steward's face as his pale lips trembled beneath the long white mustache. He fell to his knees, hitting his forehead against the ground with enough force to break tiles and cause his brow to bleed. "Your servant understands his failure!"

Poor old Vigen's distasteful bed slashed, a bloody knife left behind. Traces of blood from slaves who died in a very violent and sudden manor fire as well as some from the child who was supposedly killed. No sign of outside intruders, no alarms from security arrays. Theft of food, medical supplies, and strengthening serums.

Adalrich picked up the bloody knife, running a thumb along its chipped edge. A spark illuminated the depths of his dark eyes, lips twisted into an amused smirk. 44 was most certainly alive. "You are no longer up to the task of being my steward, Vigen. Considering your many years of loyal and devoted service... Perhaps we can find another use for you?"

Vigen trembled on the floor, a single tear winding its way down his weathered face. Though Adalrich was not spectacularly tall, the shadow he cast was long and dark.

Li Mei grumbled, rubbing pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index fingers. "Take a weapon into the forest, it says. It's dangerous to go alone, it implies. What kind of weapon should I take when I'm not familiar with any!? A sword in a treasure chest won't do any good if I don't know how to swing it! Probably cut off my hand..."

She stood in a tool shed behind one of the many farmhouses, Bao wearing a blanket like a cape as he stood behind her wagging his tail. Even with her feet bandaged it took three times longer than it should have to cross the distance between the cottages and the first farm fields.

There were a couple more hours until dawn, just enough time to grab the last stuff she needed for safely camping outdoors before the farmers started waking up and going about their early days. Waterproof canvas, a shovel, and several meters of rope were her top priorities, though she also grabbed a barrel of ripe purple apples Bao kept sneaking peeks at.

Her storage didn't have any room to spare after that, full to bursting with all sorts of supplies.

She stared at a wall of hanging tools and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose again. Li Mei didn't know how to use any weapon other than a bow, and that was only a hobby class she picked up out of vague interest. The farmers didn't have any convenient bows or arrows hanging in their shed - just various tools she didn't know the name or use of until she used Scan.

Several tools leaning in the corner caught her attention. A few silver metal bars each about a meter long, one end sharpened into a point while the other had a flat blunt edge. Despite their solid appearance Li Mei was pleasantly surprised to discover they were very lightweight. She could lift them with one hand without feeling any sort of exertion.

Considering her low STR score, that was impressive.

-----

[Pencil-Point Digging Bar (Light)]

A digging bar is used as a post hole digger, to break up or loosen hard or compacted materials such as soil, rock, concrete and ice, or as a lever to move objects. This particular type has a pencil point and is half as long as standard digging bars.

Intended for use by someone with a smaller stature, as evidenced both by the length and the lightweight metal used in their forging.

Resistant to rust.

-----

Li Mei grinned, picking out a digging bar that still had that New Tool sheen. "Doesn't take real skill or martial technique to swing a metal bar. I'll just use this!"

Li Mei and Bao walked until the sun was starting to rise, dying the sky lovely shades of peach and scarlet with its warm orange rays, chasing away wisps of clouds and sparkling stars. They took a rest for breakfast when the cool chill of night was replaced by the warmth of morning, watching birds fly in lazy circles overhead.

Half the sky was dominated by an enormous ringed planet. The planet itself was a lovely mix of blues and purples in various shades, while the wide rings seemed to contain every color of the rainbow. Two of the three moons had already set, the third seemingly suspended between Elysium and the ringed planet - it wouldn't set until well into the afternoon.

Bao held a purple apple between his claws, stripping the outside with his tongue before taking small savory bites. Half his eyes were closed in delight, while the other half kept a careful watch of their surroundings.

They sat on a hill overlooking their forest destination, enormous trees reaching countless branches toward the sky. White, brown, and black trunks supported a rainbow canopy and network of looping vines covered in flowers, roots hidden by a carpet of ferns and bushes. Behind them, grassy plains dotted with wildflowers stretched back towards a series of farms and orchards already being tended to by farmers. The distance was too great for anyone to notice the small girl and her horse having a quick meal on a hillside.

Li Mei allowed herself to enjoy the moment. She wondered what kind of low-rank monsters filled the forest - the Quest said they'd be within her capabilities, but considering her low physical stats the only thing she thought herself capable of beating in a fight would be slimes or something.

"A rainbow forest filled with slimes. Yeah, that sure sounds like a newbie area." She grinned at Bao, who was too occupied with his meal to bother sharing an opinion. "We'll find a nice place to set up a camp. Maybe a cave or something? A defensible position where we'll be safe. Once we have a permanent camp I can start cooking up some meals. I'm an excellent chef, you'll love what I make!"

Li Mei lost herself in daydreams of comfort food. She didn't know if simple things like soy sauce, tofu, or even bean sauce existed in Elysium. There were a lot of produce equivalents like fuzzy blue potatoes, rainbow rice, or purple apples. Maybe there were condiment and spice equivalents too? Sesame oil, garlic sauce, chili paste, ginger and rice wine and peppercorns and fennel...

Elysium seemed similar to Earth in many ways. Perhaps in the cities or bigger towns they even had fast food! Street vendors selling meat noodles or buns, coffee shops, bakeries. The estate didn't have access to such familiar luxuries but that didn't mean nowhere in the world did. She tried not to hold out hope for anything like WcDonalds, even though the existence of rice vinegar in the manor kitchens already raised her expectations a bit regarding available cuisines.

None of the books she translated in the Archive so far were cookbooks. Li Mei pilfered plenty of leftovers from the manor, but she didn't know anything about how dishes were traditionally prepared or presented on Elysium. The expected flavors how to make them, she didn't know anything. 44 basically existed on nearly-rotten scraps and bowls of gruel, her knowledge of fine dining was nonexistent.

Maybe the next time she snuck around the farms for more food she'd be able to find a cookbook? Surely some housewife had a box of family recipes she could pirate. Just because the blue fuzzy thing was called a potato by Scan didn't mean it could be prepared or eaten the same way.

Was the fuzz supposed to be eaten or removed? How? Was there a special method or tool? Maybe the fuzz was nutritious! Or maybe it was toxic. Li Mei didn't know, and what she didn't know had the potential to be dangerous.

More importantly, enjoying great food was one of the best things about living! Of course she longed to learn more about Elysium cuisine. And to try every last possible dish. Several times over if they proved delicious!

"Food can be worried about after we have a safe place to sleep though," she sighed, propping her chin in her palm. "We have canvas to make a tent, and plenty of blankets. Lighters for campfires, rope for whatever, cooking utensils, a weapon for defense... Wish I had a way to test water for impurities in case we run across any rivers or what have you, but I can sneak back to the farms for refills when needed. And I have medicine, thanks to Vigen for his generosity. Those serums will help me get stronger, along with killing slimes or maybe rats or whatever weak monsters are apparently in my capabilities? Giant spiders might be neat, but if there's toothy worms I'm running no matter how low level they are."

Plans upon plans unfolded in her head. Li Mei absently handed another apple to Bao, shivering at the raspy feel of his tongue plucking the fruit from her grip. "Yuck, horse drool. I don't know if you have any special needs either, pal. Do I have to trim your nails? Brush your teeth? Do you need weekly baths? And I still don't know anything about my own dietary needs, much less yours! Maybe kids on Elysium need different kinds of vitamins than the ones on Earth. I've been doing alright so far but that could be short-term, I don't know about long-term effects. Not having information is so frustrating..."

Bao rolled his eyes, nudging the girl's elbow until she fed him a third apple with an amused smirk on her face. "Last one, you greedy little horse."

Once the pair finished eating, Li Mei did some warm-up stretches before sliding down the hill. The trees seemed to stretch infinitely upward, growing larger and larger with each step she took toward them. A strangely beautiful forest of myriad colors turned intimidating in just a few short breaths. Li Mei tangled her fingers in the ruff around Bao's neck, squared her shoulders, and took the first steps forward into the forest.

She failed to notice a spark of red light beneath the forest loam at the tree line when her toes brushed past a hidden array, sending countless threads of mana upward that weaved into a wall of light shimmering like a soap bubble.

Every last plant suddenly twisted in her vision, expanding, enlarging, contorting into unreal shapes. Sky and ground swapped places continuously, her stomach plummeting to rest somewhere between her ankles as the world spun faster and faster. Bushes, ferns, trees charged past in a blur of odd motion giving the feeling that she and Bao were dragged for countless kilometers rather than standing motionless in place.

Li Mei nearly lost her breakfast, clinging to Bao's ruff for dear life. The hand clutching the digging bar turned white from the force of her grip. If she were any stronger it probably would have dented.

Her Interface flickered. The minimap went blank and the clock disappeared entirely. Bright red exclamation points contained within triangles flooded her field of view, shimmering and pixelating until she could barely understand what they were. A holoscreen popped up, contents too distorted to read and her eyes refused to focus.

Li Mei fell to her knees, valiantly fighting against waves of nausea. Bao whimpered, head lowering until his nose was between his clawed feet. Whatever the girl was feeling, the horse seemed to be experiencing to some extent.

After what seemed like hours the forest eventually calmed down, ceasing its crazy dance and settling back into normalcy. The sky went back to being up and the ground resumed being down. Li Mei untangled her hand from Bao's ruff to press it against her unsettled stomach. It felt like an entire nest of worms was squirming around her insides!

The holoscreen notice was bright red instead of the soothing cyan she was accustomed to, and the edges of her interface were blocky and mosaic. Triangle exclamation points hovered in the air around the notice, blinking to get her attention. Only a single word occupied the blurry holoscreen, a word she never thought would make her experience so much dread.

-----

Run!

-----

Bao let out a shrill, harsh scream at the same moment a hoarse roar shook the trees behind them.

Li Mei didn't stop to think. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted as fast as she could away from the roar.