Becoming real again felt… weird. I had my Core surrounded by an image of my body moving towards my inner gate. When it came into contact, my senses shifted. I no longer could see the Empty from everywhere inside. My body was focused on that one spot where the connection between soul and body lay. It made little sense to me since there was no space and no location beyond reality but it felt like there was for just that moment. Then, I lost track of it.

Something was in the way on the other side and I pushed it back through. My body shifted for just a moment before laying still. I felt someone trying to connect to my mind but Truth seemed to still be blocking it. I was grateful because I was extremely disoriented right then. I knew where my eyes were and my beak. Where my wings started and where my legs bent. My talons should be at their ends. What I did not know was why I was hurting so much. Or how to move.

There was a beating rhythm pulsing through my form and it took me a moment to realize it was my heart beating. And it was slowing down. Why? Was I dying? If so, from what?

Something touched my beak and tried to pry it open. It was soft on one side, hard on the other. I let the hands move my muscles and a connection returned. I opened my beak, then closed it. Then again. And again. On the third attempt, I noticed something moving into my body. And I needed it. Air!

With just that thought, I was breathing again. My heart thanked me as I gulped in oxygen like a parching man water. It took several minutes for my hyperventilating to calm down somewhat. During that time, I twitched all my muscles trying to get a feel for my body. At some point, I figured out how to open my eyes.

The sight before me was familiar yet new. I recognized the walls and ceiling to be Roguk’s hut, what with all the shelves covered in alchemical ingredients. I also recognized the table I lay on and the goblin himself standing back and off to the side. What I did not recognize was the being right in front of me. There stood a purple human. That was the only description I could give at that moment. She was a smidgen darker than thaumium and had glossy black hair. Her face was smooth and showed emotion and movement like it was made of flesh and yet I knew it was metal. Her well-trained body knelt on the floor of the small hut and was covered in what looked like clothes made from brass. The gold-red shine was rather obvious to me. It formed something I was familiar with as well. A V-neck T-shirt and cargo pants. Her eyeballs were near-black and held a shining golden iris. The pupil was the telltale purple of thaumium. Inky black tears spilt out of the corners of her eyes and rolled down her face slowly, as if oil rather than water.

I noticed her hands were hovering right in front of me. Was she trying to pet me? I blinked at the trembling fingers. I felt the attempt at telepathic communication. And I knew Truth would protect my mind until I used the Skill myself. So I did.

“Good morning”, I yawned mentally, “This was a good nap.”

The metal woman’s mouth contorted into a grim smirk.

“YOOOUUUU!”, she sent as her hands grabbed me and gently pressed me into her bosom. Even though it was metal, it felt as soft as the real thing.

“I’m glad you’re safe”, she whispered in a voice like a choir of bells, “I’m so glad.”

“And yet you had time to evolve, Alex?”

The bells chuckled.

“I calmed down a lot after getting a hold of you”, she sent this time with her human voice, “What even happened? Were you really in the Empty?”

“Yes”, I said, “It was good.”

Alexandra gave me one last squeeze before letting me go.

I realized the goblins had taken the last minute or so to swarm the hut and were now crowding us. I could even make out Fredreck and Lothar somehow making it in and standing near the door.

“Everybody, out!”, Roguk called out, “She’s fine. We’ll be having a feast. Right now!”

That made the goblins break out in deafening cheers and a few minutes later, we were ‘alone’ again. I could hear the buzzing and excitement all throughout the village.

Most of the dwarves were there, only missing Hedreck and Redrick. From the goblins, Roguk and Ira stood close while my metal friend sat on the floor. She was not only looking like a human but also had their size. That made her tower above everyone at nearly the height of the ceiling. At least a metal bottom would not get sore from sitting on the ground.

“How long was I gone?”, I asked.

“Nine days”, Ira said, “This idiot wouldn’t leave your side even for her evolution.”

Alex smiled at me.

“Come on, [Identify] me!”, she sent.

“Why aren’t you speaking?”, I asked her without letting the others know.

She looked at the ground.

“I haven’t told them I can. My voice is…”

“Gorgeous. Different, yes. But gorgeous.”

“Thanks”, she said while meeting my eyes.

I took that time to fire off an [Identify].

[Identify]

Species: Living Fortress (human)

Age: 0

Name: Alexandra

Gender: female

Status: sapient, healthy, Beast Core (unique), starving

Level: 26

A Living Fortress? What was that? And since when did I have [Identify] at level six?

A pile of notifications tried to push to the front of my mind at that thought and I shoved them away. I could take a look later.

“You’re starving!”, I said.

“I know. I need thaumium to fill my insides. Right now, I’m a hollow shell.”

“What the… I’m making you some for the feast!”

Her bell chuckle rang through the room. I seriously doubted the others did not know about her ability to speak…

“So, Living Fortress. That sounds good.”

“It is. Check the details.”

I did.

Living Fortress (human): This individual has chosen the form of a human. Her metal body has formed from a much smaller golem to become something she remembered. The magic running through her form gives any metal that is part of her the properties she envisions, as long as they are found in its original make or a human.

“That means… You can be like thaumium or like… a normal human?”

“Mhm!”

“What about your brass clothes.”

Her cheeks turned a lighter shade of purple.

“That was a little embarrassing…”, she sent.

Smia laughed with the other dwarves joining in.

“She was naked when she evolved so we had to make some clothes. I simply rolled some brass sheets. Turns out, didn’t even have ta do that.”

“I’ve never seen something like it”, Harra smiled, “She just touched the metal and absorbed it. Shifted all over her body and turned soft like cloth.”

“So, you can absorb any metal? But only thaumium to eat?”

“I can eat any metal but I need thaumium to finish making my body. Until I do that, I’m gonna be starving.”

“She goes through ten ingots a day”, Fredreck said, “Bit much if ya ask me.”

“It’s gonna get better once I have actual innards!”, Alex defended herself.

I huffed.

“Well… Do you guys have some iron ready? Oh, wait… Do we have a crucible here?”

“No. I could’ve made my own thaumium if that was the case…”

“Well then. Smia. Make me a cauldron. About the size of Chef’s pot.”

“Do you have salis mundus on you?”

I nodded.

“In my storage.”

Alex let out a deep breath.

“Thank god…”, she whispered.

Her bell-choir voice chimed through the otherwise silent hut.

“HA! I knew it!”, Lothar exclaimed, “Pay up, everyone!”

“What?”, Alex asked out loud, bewildered.

The grumbling dwarves pulling out their purses and handing coins over to the [Digger] quickly cleaned up her confusion.

“Oh. You bet on if I could speak?”

“Sure did!”, Lothar grinned, “And I made good bank with it. Only Hedreck bet on yes ‘sides me.”

“Wow. Okay.”

Alexandra rubbed inky tears out of one of her eyes.

“I didn’t have someone bet on me in a while. Thanks”, she chuckled.

I really enjoyed the ringing sounds propelling her words through the air. After speaking a little, she had already figured out how to make it sound mostly normal but there was a sanguine tone always supporting her voice. As if some divine being was calling out rather than a normal person. Well, as normal as someone made from thaumium could be.

We quickly dispersed after that, Smia rushing to get me the cauldron done. Alex and I had settled down at the village square. Chef was busily cooking a meal but had taken a moment to welcome me back to the living which I appreciated. My metal friend was sitting next to me humming a soft song while hugging one leg.

“I’m gonna take a moment to look over my notifications”, I said to which she barely nodded.

Now, there was probably a lot that changed. Most importantly, I had a number of levels. Not only my Skills, there was also the fact that I hit level 77 as Alex had told me earlier. I wanted to know where those came from. And so, I opened up my mind to let the information come to my conscious.

~ding~ You have made friends with a being beyond the system. Additional experience was granted. Additional authority pending… denied.

Authority pending? Was the system about to give me administrative access? Or even just moderator rights or something like that? Why was it denied? Well, not much I could do about that. Not much I wanted to do about that at this point in time. I got on with the next one.

~ding~ For uncovering Truth, bonus experience is granted. Keep seeking understanding!

Well, okay then. I somehow got two bonus experience events. Now, how much was that in total?

~ding~ You have reached level 77. Attribute Points allocated. 36 Attribute Points awarded.

Wow. An actual 36 levels out of nowhere. That was… a lot. I should see what my Attributes looked like, now.

Species: Sgiathan Dorcha Owl (adult)

Age: 1

Name: Fio Catori

Gender: female

Status: sapient, healthy, Beast Core (unique, enriched – medium)

Level: 77

Class: [Assassin lvl 86], -

Strength: 33

Constitution: 31

Dexterity: 35

Perception: 35

Intelligence: 64

Wisdom: 64

AP: 36

Skills:

Racial:

Utility: [Owl Senses lvl 7], [Preening lvl 4], [Owl Stomach lvl 6], [Sgiathan Dorcha lvl 7]

Offensive: [Solid Grip lvl 4], [Intimidating Screech lvl 4], [Owl’s Shadow lvl 7], [Aerial Combat lvl 4]

General:

[Imaginatics lvl 5], [Hidden Identify lvl 6], [Telepathy lvl 4], [Guidance lvl 2]

Assassin:

[Sneak lvl 7], [Shock Attack lvl 6], [Mingling lvl 7], [Eldritch Shift lvl 7], [Winged Death lvl 5]

Oh, my! If I remembered right, my physical Attributes were all in the twenties before. Now they were in the thirties. That was a lot. And I even gained four points in Intelligence and Wisdom. Each. Four points! You basically never got those from automatic allocations!

The real change though was my name. Fio Catori. What Truth had called me just once. It was enough to make me who I truly Was. I was very thankful for this representation of my past within my new life. The bedsitting at the hospital had never been fun but… it was me. I Was. And I would Be. From now on until my end. The one where I did not wake up in a new body. Whenever that would be.

My Skills had moved as well. [Sgiathan Dorcha], [Eldritch Shift] and somehow [Mingling] had made it to level seven with [Telepathy] hitting level four. Guidance had gone up one as well. The real change was [Imaginatics] at level five. From where it stood, it had to be [Maths] after Breakthrough. What it actually did was not something I could tell from just the name. Thankfully, [Identify] could help with that.

[Imaginatics]: Numbers are not real. Your thoughts are not real. There is no connection between what exists and what you think. And yet, you find your ideas applicable to reality.

1st Breakthrough: When your mind could not keep up, you made it do so. It steeled your perception and changed your perspective. You Are.

Well, that told me a lot… This system was really being helpful! At least I could still do maths as well as before. There was some difference in my [Essence Sense] giving it a more accurate picture of the magical flow all around me. I even was able to notice vis more easily. It felt like the Skill was altered by my understanding of how perception and place worked in the Empty.

The last thing that was apparent were the 36 free Attribute Points. Obviously, I spent them all on Intelligence and Wisdom bringing them both to 82. Now, that was a lot. I quickly ran the numbers and if I reached level 100 in my Race before getting to 100 in [Assassin], I could have the two Attributes at three digits before evolving my Class. With the recent jump in race levels, that seemed very much possible. I had already planned some relaxation for the coming months, anyway. Just had to work on some magic and maybe I could get those levels closed up.

For now, it was time for the feast. I saw Smia waving me over to the other side of the plaza and took off after telling Alex. The woman simply smiled at me and gave a little wave. I had some snacks to make for her. Or more like a full course meal. Hopefully, there was enough iron in store.