After a lengthy day of walking and foraging for berries, roots and other things which Flappy pointed out to her. They both lay down on a tree branch, to restfully sleep and continue their journey at the next dawn.

“... what are you doing here, in the Shimmer Woods. If you're actually looking for your way home.”

“Don't know.”

“How did you get here. You must have left your home quite a few days or even weeks ago!”

“Don't know.”

“Aggh! Can you answer in more than two or three words please! I know you understand me.”

Looking at the bird that was making itself comfortable a few paces further down the branch. A worried expression started to get plastered onto her face.

“I need to talk ... more?”

“YES! If you don't explain stuff in your questions or answers. People will not know what's left or right. You got to speak up!”

“Hnn.”

After a bit of an awkward silence.

“Fell out of the sky. Lots of noise before, shiny surfaces and lights. Branches, big scratchy tree and then not home anymore.”

“... well, it's a start. But explain more and don't stuff so much into one go. And what do you mean, [Fell out of sky], you can't fly!”

Sigh

With its wings gesturing wildly. The flappy bird calmed down after a bit. Huffing a bit, it started to pace around on a narrow spot.

“Don't know. Suddenly was in the sky, then falling. Lots of things happened. There was even a weird blue thingy, that bothered me.”

“What! I wasn't there! How could I have done that!”

“Nhh, not you. You're not that weird, blue yes but lighter. Like the sky on a good sunny day.”

“Wait, you don't perhaps mean the status window ... by that?”

Looking confused at her involuntary companion.

“YOU do KNOW what a status Windows is, right?”

Swig Swig

Her tail twitching a bit, she just looked straight forward. Blankly staring somewhere else.

“How ... even the lowest kind of animal knows. It's probably a part of life, more important than anything else.”

Looking at the now nervously walking flappy. She wondered.

Why was there a window in the sky. Windows, are for homes?

“Listen her.”

Slap

“You gotta be kidding me right.”

Slap Slap

“There's no way you could have lived even past your first cycle of a year. I mean, everyone gets that birthday update. Where you can see how you progressed.”

Slap

“That won't even go away, until you acknowledge it!”

Slaaap

“... there's ... no way ...”

Looking in confusion at the agitated little thing, that was slapping her with its wings. Ever weakening with each repetition. It tickled her, so her face was a bit scrunched up.

“... wait. We can forget that for now. Yes, forget it. Just check your status.”

“Nhh?”

“For god's sake. Just think reallllllyyy hard of wanting to see that blue status window again. Like right now, please!”

Looking at the blue feathers and then shifting her eyes towards the glimpse of night sky she could see through the foliage. She concentrated on that hard.

If it's something I might need to get home. I want it.

Status of Spiko – No Family Name

Level: --- Title: ---

Race: Homunculus Class: ---

HP: ---

MP: ---

SP: ---

Special Abilities:

1. ---

2. ---

Passives:

1. ---

2. ---

Str:

---

Dex:

---

Agi:

26

Vit:

---

Int:

---

Wis:

---

Lck:

---

Chr:

---

‎

‎

View Notifications?

Outstanding Birthday Notifications duo comatose state will be displayed too.

Yes / No

“Uhh, more of them appeared?”

“Good. Well, for you, that means you won't get hunted down by the gods at least. Now look here. What does it say?”

“My name and lots of weird letters and a few words.”

“What's your level? It must be rather high, for you to be that strong.”

Looking at the part, with the word level. Her head tilted a bit to the side.

“Nothing? There's weird symbols there.”

“ ... “

“That bad?”

“Well, color me rather surprised. But you genuinely don't know anything. You're not even trough your attunement!”

A bit annoyed she huffed a puff of air at the flappy.

“Hey! Stop that! Let me talk you trough it!”

‎ “Nhh.”

‎ “So, well ... Okay. Any living being, really any, will get a status window as soon as they're 1 year old. Which they can even understand and read, without ever being thought too how.”

Looking at her skeptically.

“They will then get a message. That tells them roughly the following.”

“Go out and find your limits. So as soon as that is reached, you will get stats allocated to your status window. And when you manage to beat your past limits, it will increase.”

“Nhh.”

“Naturally, as a babe they will be utterly powerless. Compared to an adult. The limits are quickly found in a day or two. And everything except class and title will be filled in.”

Staring at the blue window that was hovering at the same spot, regardless of where she looked. Right there in arms reach. She furrowed her brows.

“Mines not filled.”

“Exactly. Either you never have reached your limits till now or you're the strongest being alive.”

“Good? It's good right?”

“Well, maybe. Is there anything in there, that's actually filled. At least your name and race should be in it.”

“Uhh, Agi is 26? Race named Humon ... Huomn ...”

“Well, you're clearly a demi-human, so race is fine. But Agi 26? How did you get your Agility that high, it's worth 5 Levels alone ...”

Perplexed she shifted her gaze to Flappy, who seemed to shift from feet to feet with his weight. Which made her eyes widen in anticipation of a hunt, at least a bit. Trying to keep it in, she thought about it.

“5 Levels? But it shows none in my blue window.”

“Well. That's because you haven't gotten all of your status unlocked yet.”

Sigh

“Look. Each time you reach a value, that's dividable by 5 with your overall status value. You will get a level.”

Plop

Flappy was sitting down a bit further away from her head. Fanning some air to himself.

“For example. I'm level 8, mostly because of my high dexterity and agility. But you beat my agility by 6 points.”

“What's the difference of that, those 6 points?”

“Haa, at least all this talking seems to make you actually ... well talk better.”

“Alright, alright! Stop staring at me like that. The difference is, well. Hard to say. Roughly one point in any stat will make you 10% better, than your average human villager. But happenstance matters too.”

Seeing that it didn't get through her. One of Flappy’s wings pressed on his forehead slightly, in a roweling motion.

“For Agility, you will be about two to three times faster than them. Or nimbler in your movements. With a better sense of balance and a certain grace.”

“Not always three times?”

“Well, let us say you find someone with an Agility of 10. Then decide to run the same distance as them, as fast as you can.”

‎ Flappy's wings spread slowly, then repeated the same motion but quicker.

“Because your 16 points above them. You will be ... hmm. 50 ... 75 .. 160% faster than them, yes. You will be able to run back and forth, while they will be out of breath just from getting to the goal. Roughly. There's a lot that goes into your actual performance.”

Looking at her sternly. He continued his explanation. Counting down things to mention, by spreading out feathers of one wing.

“Like weather, how good you're at running through different terrain and things like that.”

Pointing at himself.

“If someone like me, that can fly has the same Agility as you. He will be faster if, the ground is bad for you to run on. Or if you got sick beforehand and things like that.”

Looking at her a bit uncertain. Flappy was shaking his head slightly.

‎ “Even the Wheater or how full your stomach is, matters.”

“Nhh ... got it.”

“I have a feeling you didn't, but it's a moat point.”

‎ Pfft

“Stop that! Don’t spit!”

Slap

Agitated Flappy was hitting the branch he had perched on.

“Haa ... anyways. If you got more than one status window showing. That means you got notifications of a kind. Accept to view them, by thinking yes on that topic. You probably have a lot of those waiting for you.”

Waving of a question he saw coming, with a swipe of his right wing.

“No need to tell me your status afterwards, keeping that to yourself.”

“Shouldn't tell others my blue window stuff, cause it’s secret?”

“If you can help it, never show or tell someone more than necessary. Like your Level might be fine, but if you tell them your stats. They might try to get one up on you.”

“Nhh.”

Starring at Flappy.

“I should eat you, now that I have told you?”

“NO! W-why are you drooling now! Remember, you promised right! I’m helping you here!”

“Buuh ...”

Pouting a bit in jest, Spiko formed it quickly into a smile. Which he seemed to understand, reluctant.

Sigh

Clearly flustered Flappy was looking around. Not really sure if he should hightail it then and now. But given, that he at least knew how foolhardy it was to run. Specially from someone that had caught him already once. With a furlong look on his face, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“I won't tell anyone! And as soon as your out of the woods and on your way to a village. I will be gone. So just let me be!”

“Nhh, okay. Just joking about eating you.”

‎ A bit sad, that he hadn't tried to fly away. She gotten over it quickly.

No hunting play tonight. I'm bored. I need to stretch my legs~

“Nhh.”

“Just go and eat someone else!”

Flap Flap

Moving to a branch even higher up the tree. Cautiously watching that weird female he had been captured by. Flappy shuddered a bit.

So, I just concentrate on that and … oh that’s a long list of blue windows.

Title gained: “Encased Soul” Title gained: “Artificial” Title gained: “Sturdy” Happy Birthday. Please check here for your performance. Happy Birthday. Please check here for your performance. Happy Birthday. Please check here for your performance.

…

…

…

Happy Birthday. Please check here for your performance.

Uhh … that’s a lot of Birthdays.

Counting with her fingers, while looking at the notifications she quickly gave up. As messages with the same content, flashed past her.

Title gained: “Ancient”

There’s something different again, in all of those Birthday messages. Nhh?

As if something was observing her, the blue window she had focused on enlarged. A detailed description of the gained Title was now hovering to the side of the still scrolling mess of notifications.

Title: “Ancient”

Awarded to beings that just will not die. Neither natural or unnaturally, death has passed you by so many times already.

You managed to become so old, even trees might envy you.

Bonus: Your age can’t be seen by any mundane or simple magical means. Even by yourself.

Is that why I fell out of the sky? Into that tree, because it was envious of me?

The title didn’t make much sense to her. Focusing on the scrolling notifications, they finally came to an end.

Observing Stats. Progress ongoing. Please find your limits.

The whole thing seemed like a waste of time to her. Her other titles too, were quite obvious, as soon as she concentrated on them. Their descriptions didn’t really surprise her now.

Title: Encased Soul

Your soul has been encased into an artificial body. Which strengthened it beyond normal. But not being your original body, you won’t be able to use any Spiritual or Soul based attacks in this state.

Bonus: Soul based attacks are less effective against you.]

Title: Artificial

Your body is an amalgamation of different species. Tailored specially to house the soul of another being. As magic is constantly used to keep it functioning. There’s a constant drain on your ‘Mana Points’ and any anti-magical skills will be strengthened against you.

Negatives: High natural drain of ‘Mana Points’. Extremely weak to certain types of anti-magical effects.

Title: Sturdy

You’re tougher than you look. All resistances to simple poisons and detrimental physical effects are heavily increased. A sheen of magical energy seems to well up under your skin, as if it’s another layer of skin.

Bonus: Non-magical poisons, acids, bases or elemental attacks will be less effective on you.

It made perfect sense to her. As it was the body she was in, it must be with her soul. And she fully knew how sturdy she always had been. A bit of heat or cold never bothered her before. Even if she preferred a bit cozier temperatures at times. She had no idea, what a soul was. But if she had one, it was certainly hers. And if others had some, it would be theirs.

How would a soul taste?

Staring at the few twinkling lights that made it past the thick canopy of leaves. She mused about a lot of important questions. Mostly food themed.

That’s all good … but I'm tired now.

After a few more minutes. Loud snoring came from her. Which made Flappy look for some Acorns, to stuff into her nose.

Nzrrnnghgg

“How can she sleep like that …”

As dawn closed in, Spiko woke up from unfamiliar sounds coming from the forest floor.

What’re you?

Looking downwards, there stood a bulky animal. Thick wild fur covered most of its body, which would tower over her meager height of 164cm. Standing on four stout legs, slowly gouging the ground with its thick tusks, a beast with a height of over 2 meters was down there.

Grunt

As it moved along a path, only it could see. Sniffing wildly around with a stubbed nose and changing course without any apparent reason. All while grunting happily, when it seemed to find something to eat.

L-looks tasty.

Drooling with anticipation of a feast, she silently got herself ready to jump at it. As soon as it gotten into range, she sprung off the branch, tackling her new found target.

“Food!”

With a triumphant, but a bit nasal sounding, yell she pressed her fingers into its furry back.

Ah! Can’t grab onto it right. No claws!

Sliding off the backside, as the fur was rather grimy, she rolled a bit over the freshly overturned forest ground. Which pooped out the interloping acorn stopers in her nose.

QieuK!

“OH!”

Jumping to the right, she barely managed to dodge a charge from the now enraged beast. With its head lowered, it hit a tree dead center.

Tunk

Crash

As she was looking a bit in Schock at the scene before her eyes. One of the big trees, just crashed down. The hit from the beasts head, had enough force to break its target in two. Splintering the wood quite badly, by headbutting alone.

Ohoh …

The now even more furious beast turned towards her, hoofing the ground with one of its forelegs.

Snort

A steamy cloud came out of its nostrils, in the still cold morning air it looked like imposing, then it charged.

What do I do!

On all four, with a fully puffed up tail, she eyed the oncoming charge. Fainting dodging to the left, she sprang to the right. Catapulting herself off a tree and in a direction further away from her pursuer.

“Hey, what’s with …. WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING A GORE BOAR!”

Flappy that woke up from the noise. Screamed loudly at her. Which made the aptly named, gore boar, turn and charge into the tree they had slept in that night.

Tunk

Crash

“Run Fool! RUN!”

Flapping its wings furiously, he was gone in but a moment. Seeing that one of its targets was gone for good, the beasty turned.

Snort

“C-can we talk about this?”

Hoofing the ground, it charged mercilessly at her again. This time, with no tree close by, she ran straight at it.

Let this work!

Vaulting over its lowered head. She grabbed onto one of its ears, flinging herself towards its neck. Now straddling the beast, she clung to its ear and neck with all she had. Biting into whatever skin she could reach with her teeth.

Qieueeeeeiuuuuuk!

Finding its ear in pain, from being bitten strongly and pulled hard to the left. The gore boar steered itself into that direction, instinctively hoping to relieve the tugging pain that way.

With its head raised this time. It crashed, a few moments later, into a tree again.

Splat Snap

The impact had squished in its snout and the neck was bend at a quite unhealthy ankle.

“Haa …”

Having been flung of its neck at the moment of impact. Spiko rubbed her back. Small cuts were bleeding, from her short slide across the overturned soil. To her luck, she had been leaning to the left. Clearing the tree, which had been struck by the gore boar.

Pfft

‎ “Your fur tastes slimy.”

Spitting out pieces of greasy hairs, she looked at the motionless beasty.

Not what I thought would happen. But I won?

Actually, having aimed for a fight where she would bite of the ear. Then go for the neck and bleed her foe out. She moved closer, poking the beasty roughly.

“You’re dead, right?”

Climbing up its side. She gotten to the neck area and bit down into it. With nothing happening, even after chewing on the tough hide for a minute or two. She gave up.

Pfft

“Alright, you died. Shouldn’t have picked a fight with me!”

Looking proudly at her catch. She was sure, that it was the biggest prey she had caught. Ever.

Just … how will I eat this.

Pulling at the thick barrier keeping her from the softer flesh. She frowned at it. Meat would be nice as breakfast.

“By the gods … you survived. Even killed it!”

“Why did you run away?”

“I’m not stupid! That thing can squish me by simply rolling over. How would I fight something like that!”

“Nhh.”

Landing on the head of the slain. Flappy looked at it, then at Spiko.

“Soooo … mind to share?”

Looking at Flappy, Spiko furrowed her brows.

“What, I'm hungry too! You can’t eat that all on your own anyways …”

‎ “But can’t bite through it. How will you manage, if I can’t?”

With an evil grin on its face. Flappy pointed to a broken of piece of tusk. It wasn’t the whole thing, just a splinter that had been smashed off by the impact. Its aged yellow ivory color, told a tale of a long life.

“Just pick that up, then cut through it.”

So began the gruesome work of cutting up the gore boar. It took a bit of time and a few cuts on her hand. But sooner than later, she managed to fill up her belly with soft meat.

“Lets eat it all! HahaHAHAHA!”

Flappy proclaimed while munching on the open back of the gore boar. But in the end, they left most of it laying there. Moving onwards with their journey.

A few days later, both unwilling travelers found themself at a mud road. Which had been covered lightly with lose gravel, to keep plants and rain from making travel to cumbersome. It wasn't a well-built road in the least. Just enough that someone might consider it better, then to track trough the uneven forest floor. After a few first exciting hours of running on the road, while carrying her guide in one hand. She stopped abruptly.

“W-what is it ... ohh my head. Don't shake me so much. I couldn't even speak up, out of fear to bite my own tounge!”

“I smell a lot of blood ahead. Hear, lots and lots of voices too.”

“Huh? Ahh, you're right.”

Sniff

“Smells like more of Flappy.”

“Flappy? Who ... don't tell me! I'm not named Flappy! I will let you know, my name is a proud one!”

“Flappy?”

“NO! Haa ... never mind. Not like you would be able to pronounce it right. Just do whatever.”

“Nhh.”

Moveing on, but with a more sedate pace. She soon came upon the place, where joyful banter was exchanged and snappy comments fired back and forth.

“Get your grubby beak outa there!”

“Your own fault for leaving! Shuu, get lost!”

“Stop! You're making it shake too much. Can't you eat like adults!”

“HA! Adults, them!”

There were a lot of Floppy's kind there. She had trouble counting them, as they moved about. Trying to pry others off their perch. So, they could get a better eating spot. The smell of blood was really thick, which made her stomach rumble a bit.

“... “

“.. “

“... “

Plop

“H-hey~ Good to see you all here.”

With a weak smile, Flappy who had jumped down to the ground, was now waving at the others.

Fwup Flap Swush

“S-stop! Don't hunt them!”

“Why, they make me want to hunt them. I can get them.”

“There's no need. See, look there. Lots of food, easier then to run through the forest and get lost again. No need to hunt anyone!”

“Nhh.”

Going closer to the “food” the others had been eating. She clearly could see that it was dead. Well, they looked like her a bit. No fur, two arms and two legs. Just some fur on the head and a light covering here and there. At least the ones that hadn't been ripped up quite messily yet.

Should I eat something that looks like me? Better not, feels weird.

“No, don't want to eat that.”

“Ah, wait I said! Look, there must be food here in that carriage! Or in their packs! Even better food!”

“Hidden, better food? Okay, I will look. You can eat those, but I won't.”

Walking around she picked up anything that looked like a good thing, where food could be hidden in. Packs, broken jars, money pouches and even crates which had fallen of the carriage. Everything was starting to be piled up in a place with the least amount of gore. Which was incredibly hard to find close to the carriage. She may be a bit famished for something tasty, having only eaten weird non-meat stuff for the past few days.

Three days Flappy said. We have been walking around for more than that already.

But she wasn't going to be bothered to carry stuff to far around. She would deal with the peanut gallery.

“Fool! Die!”

“Haa, thief! Thief!”

“Idiot! Idiot!”

“““HAHAHAH!”””

The silence was soon broken. By the now annoyed flock. Which sprang from branch to branch, flying over her and dropping small twigs. Just being a nuisance in general.

“Ah, stop! Friends, friends! It's alright, as long as you keep to yourself. She won't hurt you.”

“HA! You're a fool too. Giving away how smart we are. You should be pecked to death and left to rot!”

“““HAHAHAH!”””

Flap

“Please listen! She is faster than any of us! So don't anger her if you want to live!”

“I'm telling the truth. Or why do you think I had been in her grasp, just a bit ago?!”

“Can I hunt them now? They're bothering me.”

“Ahh, please wait. Please. T-they don't mean it that way.”

Licking her lips, a bit, she looked at all those little flying targets. It was maybe a bit weird, to eat something. That had eaten something she wouldn't eat. But wasn't that normal? She had eaten others, that ate greens for a starting point. So, it should be ok.

“As long as I don't eat their guts, they're fine.”

‎ “Don't ... ahh .. uhmm .. AH! We will need them, yes! They might help us to find the better direction to head in. And they surely can help carrying things!”

“Nhh?”

Looking at her Flappy. Then at the pile of things she had hoarded.

“Why? I don't need all of that.”

“You might not! But you can sell a lot of this.”

“Sell, give it someone else? Ah! Can I get good food for this?”

Holding out something she had no glue about. A still bloody dagger she had picked of the ground. She probed the thing, that looked similar to what had been used to cut the boar meat. But this had a weird curved shape.

Meat clawer? Well without claws, that might be useful.

“Yes! Alot of food. Those weapons, armor and all the money will buy you a lot of good food.”

“Can they carry all of that?”

Pointing to her pile and the things around her. She really looked unsure. Their bodies were tiny, compared to her. Just a handful of meat, bone and feathers. Drooling a bit, she looked at her first Flappy.

“Y-yes. If we, well more accurately you. Put it all in bags or wrap it in cloth. They can carry it together.”

“Nhh, okay. Then I won't hunt them.”

Plop

“Haa ... b-barely. You lot, get down here and eat. You will help later or I can't promise you will see the next sunrise!”

“T-There's no way she's that fast!”

Swip

“AH!”

“Nhh, got you now.”

“LET MEWU UehEEJHGHH!!“

Stuffing one of the Flock into her mouth, after it flew to close to her. Chewing down on it playfully, well knowing how good this tactic worked before.

“B-be nice to them. He gets it now. They get it now. Spit him out, please!”

Pfft

“Tasted too bloody, why are you covered in so much blood.”

“Hyih! I-i cc-rawled i-into t-that .”

“Nhh?”

“See, all is well. They're not even tasty. Less than me for sure!”

Looking at the drool covered one.

“Why crawl into armor?”

Bonk

She knew what armor was. Remembered watching people fight in shiny things, that could keep them safer. Hitting the closest not as shiny piece of metallic armor.

“They can’t take that off the corpse.”

Showing his two wings to her. Flappy gestured with them.

“See, no hands on us. Kind of hard if you can’t grab something.”

Ahh. So, they can’t eat them easily. Like how I had trouble with the thick skinned beasty?

Deciding to be helpful and get more things she could sell for good food. She began stripping down the corpses one after another.

Three shiny sets~ I picked up those robes too. And all of these other ones.

Having stripped about 12 people, most of them in dark robes and clad with leather underneath those. She felt kind of proud with her business sense.

This will give a lot of good food.

Her original flappy, which was a bit bloodier now, looked at her. Then shook its head.

“What?”

“You know, why not put on some clothes? It’s better than nothing and will protect you a bit more. Being like that, just invites trouble.”

Looking at the pile of loot she had pilfered. Then down at herself.

Cover myself up? So, they don’t see how I lack fur … well at least I won’t need to be ashamed of being furless. If they don’t know what's underneath.

“But it didn’t help them?”

“They got killed by having their heads cut off. There’s nothing much anyone can do against that. And those in plate armor, got stabbed trough those moving parts.”

“Nhh.”

Deciding it wasn’t that bad an idea. She donned some leathery pants, a leather gambeson and a robe. To her luck, it fit her okay. The man she gotten these off, was on the smaller side of the corpse laying around.

“Nnh.”

Turning around on the spot, made the robe flutter outwards. Which made her smile. Maybe these things are fine, even if she had her fur back? Her ears twitching a bit happily. She got back to looking for more things to sell. Looting was surely a joyous task.

Hoarding stuff always had been nice.