Mara kicked a pebble loose from the gravel beneath her feet, exhaling a deep sigh and a "Deb-ugh" as she refreshed her floating display for the umpteenth time. What is this, the nine hundred and ninety seventh time I've opened it? I really hope leveling other skills won't be this tedious... The display dissolved as she strode through it, an act of rebellion as she continued her walk unimpeded. I mean, is this even a skill? I never got anything when I first used it, what's a few hours of practice going to change? Pausing to eye some fauna, Mara was beginning to notice a few patterns. The fluffy critters seemed to avoid a few vines and plants, likely from valuable lessons learned the hard way.

What was it my dad used to say? Something like, 'Do something a hundred times, you got a knack. A thousand? That's a skill.' The thought of the mountainous lumberjack spread an unintentional smirk across her face. He'd probably be overjoyed just to hear I was out of the house, let alone in some uncannily beautiful woods. Not that this region is indicative of the general area, it's been getting rather barren as the air's been thinning.

Barely registering her own grinding, "Debug," Mara watched the screen appear and vanish just like its predecessor, her walk unimpeded. Jeez, mom though... She's probably running around like a panicked chicken, but dad will -probably- keep her in line. That is... if they even know I'm gone. Hopefully that group message sent, everything was a bit of a blur in the end. Whatever, work will realize something's up after a few days at least. Still, I wonder how everyone else is doing... At least I didn't have pets to take care of. Stepping over a long-dead log, Mara continued the grind. "Debug."

I really wish it did something other than look at my own stats. All the other isekai kids get a snarky magnifying glass, what do I get? A broken status window. Picking up a fist-sized rock, she weighed it in her hand as lingering thought itched the back of her mind. "Debug." Waiting until just after the panel appeared, Mara chucked the rock through the center, dissolving it just as quickly as if she had walked away instead. Not exactly the most durable things. "Debug." Summoning another as she set off, it exploded into white dust as she walked straight through it to continue her trek uphill.

If this thing doesn't turn out to be a skill by sunset, I'm fucked. I'm likely blender-paste come nightfall regardless, but- "Debug." -I really don't have many avenues left to explore. It's not like I've got a grey-robed wizard to hold my hand. Mara picked up a branch that looked a lot like a baseball bat- "Debug." -before breaking off the stray branches to craft it into a crude facsimile. She was about to give it a few test swings when something poked her attention. There were -two- windows, not just the usual one. Halting mid-stride, Mara slowly stepped back as her eyes raced over the lines of text.

<<

Skill Acquired: Debug

Debug a target with limited functionality.

>>

Her jaw was loose, hanging limp as the words found themselves unable to manifest. Her first skill– not counting a certain divine skill of course. A self-taught, hard-earned skill, and it was all hers. Now... I -really- hope the rest aren't this grindy. Looking around for a suitable target, she focussed on a withering tree a few meters away. Hesitating slightly, her anticipation eating at her nerves, "Debug." A smaller window appeared in front of the blackened bark, only a few lines were present. Then again, a day to learn a new skill seems a bit on the easy side.

<<

Stark Black-Bark

Age: Y.276.35

[ 368 / 556 ]

>>

Name. Age. And uhh, Health? Durability? Who invented these naming conventions? Honestly, it's a masochistic developer's wet dream over here. She paused as she approached the display, inquisitive. Taking a few steps back, then forward again, stepping left and right to repeat herself before approaching it again. It had never wavered from its mantle in front of the tree. So... these get anchored to their targets, and they'll only dissolve if the target moves? Potentially useful if they ever stop being so- Swiping her hand through, she dissolved the prompt. -insubstantial. Still, identification at a distance? Powerful stuff, but it's gotta have limits... Perhaps a line-of sight requirement? Closing her eyes, she set about testing it. First by mentally picturing the tree before her... then targeting it... before finally- "Debug."

Only the notifications made a noise so Mara was left with no alternative than to peek with one eye, just to see if it worked. No other options, but the childish grin on her face immediately flat-lined. Hm. It seems line of sight will continue to be an active requirement for the -foreseeable- future. Chuckling ever-so-slightly, her usual half-smile returned as she mulled over potential Debug applications. Well... I can cast fairly quickly, but it's bloody exhausting to talk so- "Wait, no. No... Come off it... No way. Noo... Really? No! YOU CUN-" Mara exploded. "I just ran my mouth for SIX hours, SIX. And only -NOW- did I even THINK to try silent-casting? Am I the DENSEST object in the universe!?" Screaming at herself, Mara kicked a large stone clean through the new silently-formed status screen, the air-cutting whistle almost as satisfying as the panel's burst into inevitable oblivion.

∆ ∆ ∆

Success was hers, however bittersweet. 'Debug' was now listed as an 'Active' skill. But there was no time for celebrations, night was upon her and priorities were shifting. 1.Safety, 2. Defense, 3. Shelter. Her safest route would be to take advantage of her dexterous frame to climb up a sturdy tree for the night. Noting the rocks might do well for defense, she pocketed a handful of 'golf-balls' and nabbed a 'soft-ball' for impacts. Sadly she hadn't found any caves for shelter, and the trees this high up were barely able to support their own weight. Finding a suitable respite was turning out to be- There's one. Mara eyed a grand great oak, slowly dying as its bark turned black with age. It would do.

Finding a large rock at the base, plus a few stubborn branches above, Mara had all the leverage she needed to boost her way up to the middle of the canopy. A few pull-ups, a couple quick swings, and a hop or two later, she was home for the night. Hopefully. We'll see if height alone is a sufficient enough deterrent to dissuade these horrors. Her perch wasn't comfortable by any means, between the bone-chilling breeze and uneasy creaking it was a miracle she had enough stable room to rest upon. Can't really spread out, but- plopping down against the trunk -it'll do.

Finally safe, Mara felt her shoulders relax as she leaned into the tree trunk, resting her eyes as she let her head roll back against the bark with a soft thump. She tried to convince her mind to relax, but it wouldn't stop racing. After all, how could it? She was in a new world, with magic, skills, and monsters. Half of it was terrifying, the other half, irresistible. Realizing this, the workaholic leaned forward and opened her eyes. She had a new tool to play with and a thought had occurred to her. Debug. Prompting her status window, Mara quickly scrolled to the 'Lore' section before poking its header with another, Debug. A small window appeared above the other, her excitement physically tangible as she read from her new treasure trove of knowledge.

<<

Lore:

"The surface on each side of a bird's head between the eye and the upper base of the beak, or between the eye and nostril in snakes."

>>

"W-what?..." The look on Mara's face was priceless, but she'd never know that. Punching it again, she got the same message. The functionality worked, just not at all in any way that she was expecting. You -are- a sarcastic git. I hope you know that. Pausing to give the panel 'that look', Mara picked the first item from her lore, hoping it wouldn't be more of the same...

<<

Lore: Abyss Shifter

"Who are you? The scent of the untouched lingers upon your existence. You have crossed through that which cannot be crossed, be warned."

>>

What? Are these... talking to me? Or is this just some really uncanny / personalized feedback? Where does that even land on the creepy-to-cool gradient? And what even is 'untouched'? This can't just be gibberish right? Is this my 'reward' for crossing worlds? No idea what else I might have crossed... And warned? Against or for what? Baffled, Mara reread the prompt a few times. She wasn't sure how she felt about her possibly-sentient menu, or a satirical system/god, but her curiosity wasn't going to let her stop any time soon. Punching the next one on the list, she wasn't really sure what to expect.

<<

Lore: Daemon Root

>>

...Sooo, a dud? I want a refund. Chuckling at the absurdity of a 'refund' in her situation, Mara scrolled through her status screen for more targets of her new-found scrutiny. What's nex- oh. Divine skills... Hm.... Hmmm... Stats? Mara scrolled back up and probed the short list in rapid succession, quickly validating her initial guesses and solving the mystery letters. 'M' was 'Mana', not magic, and 'F' represented 'Fate', whatever that was. She had tried to dig further by debugging her debug, but she got a lot of nothing. Likely a limitation imposed since it's brand new. Wait- It does level, right? Quickly scrolling to her active abilities, Mara probed the probe.

<<

Skill: Debug

Debug a target with limited functionality.

[?/?]

>>

"Yesss..." Mara cooed under her breath. That's gotta be an experience metric. Shame I don't get numbers yet, though I suppose 'limited functionality' is to blame. Pros and cons, at least it should improve, I've just got to grind my eyes out. Soul-sucking but do-able. Great. Sighing as she dreaded the investment that might be required for such a feat, a lifetime of relentless practice, she looked back at her status screen, trying to distract herself. Now, what else was there... Oh right! Dear 'sarcastic-git', I mean, 'oh-great-and-wise system', why am I a 'Half-Elf'?

<<

Race: (Half-Elf)

Dominant variant can be changed once every (24h).

● Elevae (Elf) [50%]: Reclusive Humanoid Fae - Known Ancestor to Elves.

● Daemon (Demon) [50%]: Rebellious Humanoid Entity - Assert Requested, Potential Ancestor to Demons

>>

"Dominant variant... Huh." I guess it's fine as-is if the alternative is 'Half-Demon'. Not sure what to make of my races though, they're not a variant or breed, but ancestors? And even the system is confused about my 'Daemon' race? Where did these come fro- Mara's speculation was cut short as a haunting growl crept in from a good distance away. A terrifying growl, unnaturally clear. She felt it wriggle under her skin and drill into her bones, flashes of her last encounter striking her like hot irons. She caught her breath, pulling her knees tight before yanking her hoodie over to cover her pale legs. Then she waited, the minutes ticking by with endless agony, while she scanned the shadows for any signs of movement.

Another growl sauntered in, closer than before, followed shortly by another. Mara's focus darted from one shadow to another like a frightened mouse, desperately searching for what might be lurking just out of sight. Then she heard it, the growl rolling out from her trail through the woods. They're heeere... Wide-eyed, Mara watched as three masses formed from the shadows, not far from her trail. The sight gripped her, she could feel their presence like dry ice on a hot day, their forms like oil spilling from the dark before the masses softened and solidified.

Shadow movement? Mara considered the possibilities, she had walked something like twenty miles, but they had covered the same distance in a fraction of the time. At most two hours versus her ten, but their tracking ability was insane! Sure, she was walking for most of it, but hunting at that speed? Terrifying. They must hop from shadow to shadow, or at least conventionally, popping out to check the trail until they've narrowed in on their prey. Highly efficient if the cost of such movement is low. Gotta be Mana driven, maybe a full day's running will exhaust their supply to keep up? My stamina vs your Mana, what's it gonna be?

Watching their prowling with a guarded intensity, she started to get a better grasp of them by their shifting silhouettes. They looked like slinky-foxes made of shifting shadows, their rears drifting lazily behind eager snouts. They were almost cute if not for the bone-gnashing teeth jutting from beneath their maw. So they're adorable shadow blenders, greeaat. -How- is that even remotely fair? Can I swap to rats in a cellar -or, hell- sewer roach cleanup?

Mara dared not budge from her perch as they scoured her trail. She had no idea how they had followed her, or what they were looking for, but she wasn't going to give them any opportunities. Suppressing her shallow breathing within the depths of her hoodie, Mara loomed above the ravenous pests below, stock-still like a stone gargoyle atop her perch. The slinking forms of black smog prowled along the ground, drifting lazily from side to side as they checked every step, every twig, desperate for any sign of their quarry.

Each second crept by with a harrowing difficulty, each minute a trial of her patience and willpower. She could not move, she could barely breathe, but she would remain hidden. Demons were stalking her trail, and they were ruthless. Fiends of shadow weaving in and out of the darkness, each near approach stealing her breath, leaving her so tense her heart was threatening to shudder to a halt. They were utterly ruthless in their pursuit, their hunger. If only I could distract them... Maybe throwing some twigs to the side might work, or even some surprising debug prompts if I can trigger them from here, but without knowing what they're sniffing at, I'm a bit at a loss. It could easily be smell or something more specific, and distracting them might only bring more attention here.... I guess it would be safer to wait them out. I mean, they haven't even looked up here... They could sense her trail, but not while she was in a tree? She couldn't make sense of it but she wasn't going to take the gambit. Camping out it is. Even if I get do-overs, there is no way in hell I'm volunteering to get 'blenderized' again.

So, gently leaning back against the tree, Mara waited out the night, most of it passing in treacherous monotony. Things got a bit frisky a few hours in when another pair showed up, they seemed to be a very pack-focused species. They fought for a bit until they seemed to agree to a territory-truce, but even with the additions they remained unaware of her presence. So, under the unstable safety afforded by her hunters' continued ignorance, Mara may or may not have fallen asleep. It wasn't until the -potentially- eastern sky lit up in a hazy mess of pastel greens and blues that she realized she was alone with her tree. Her relentless stalkers had disappeared sometime in the early morning without her notice.

Shame about our dietary conflicts, they're actually kind-of cute. Though keeping one as a pet is just asking for trouble... But even then... They are very pack-focused... No. No, that's just stupid Mara. Beast taming is a quick way to get yourself killed, especially with those nibblers. Slipping down to a lower branch as she fantasized about the logistics of magical carnivals and the upkeep of circus monsters, Mara hooked a lower branch and swung out. A perfect landing completed with her arms spread wide and a smirk on her face, before depressing slightly. Aww come on, where's my 'Quest Complete: Survive the Night... Prowlers' I totally earned that, don't give the tree all the credit!

Perking up just a little, near as gradual as the intricate sunrise, Mara lingered to enjoy the moment. She watched the solar mass grow in intensity until the birds began to stir, her wandering curiosity pondering why and how it could appear in such a manner, already seated near the center of the sky. I barely paid attention in physics, but even I can tell that's not a natural phenomenon. Where even -is- this place? Meanwhile, out of sight from Mara, a small prompt might have appeared next to the tree before it was quickly dissolved, something about a 'quest' and 'protecting the weak'.

Letting her mind wander as she set about getting prepped for the day, Mara figured she'd pick up her previous trail and hit the gas, hopefully putting out enough distance to keep her predators at bay. That or wear them out at least. Doing some quick stretches beneath the tree, Mara considered what else might be lurking in the great beyond. The crest of the mountain -or a crest at least- was coming up, offering the possibility of something other than trees. Mountain-lion rock golems? Angry undead tree ents? Maybe the shadow blenders minced everything else, though I'm not sure which would be worse for me in the end.

But, with a few cracks to her neck, Mara was good to go. Her old path had been roughly straight, terrain forgiving, so she lined herself up as straight as she could manage and set off. Yet one crucial issue immediately became apparent, obvious in hindsight really, sprinting over gravel with flip flops was never going to catch on. "Ahh-oW-Fffu-" Rocks flung from her rubber soles while her arms were thrust into the gravel, shielding her face from a similar fate. She hadn't even gone three steps before she caught a rock underfoot and flinched forward as her weight settled on the sharp pain near the sole of her foot. Tumbling forward as she slipped with her recovery step. It was such a comically bad attempt, it was almost like she -stooged- it. The forest was unnaturally quiet for a moment before it resumed its kerfuffle.

"Fine." Standing up as she picked rocks from her skin, Mara conceded. She'd have to stick to walking. It would take her longer, and she'd likely not out-pace the shadows for another day or two, but she could certainly use the opportunity to study and practice. More her forte anyway, she hadn't done track and field since her early years in school. Brushing off her hoodie, dislodging the remaining debris, Mara set herself some goals. One, study which berries the critters hoard vs avoid, that'll be -easy pickings- and, two, 'Debug' practice. Maybe with silent casting I can just focus to keep it active rather than strobing it like a moron. There's bound to be a knack to it. Pausing to look at a scurrying brown fuzz-ball, But besides that? -Debug- bloody everything.