I slowly awaken as the early morning sunlight brings life to the dark room around me. Scattered sheets, blankets, and bedding become more clear, alongside the slumbering forms of those who’ve made the mess.

Yesterday’s mishaps and miracles made us all wanting of a distraction, though for some of us it’s more that we were wanting of an excuse for last night’s fervour. Adler, of course, shyly retreated to her own accommodations rather than joining us.

After my sudden breakthrough with reinforcement magic, I had to fight to defend Vii’s nude image which I’d accidentally created in that moment of passion. In the end, to save her the embarrassment of close inspection, I had to promise a deeply invested smith that when I train my Skills, I’ll come by to assist him with my shiny new reinforcement magic.

Though, I also have plans to make some requests for more functional goods once that deal comes into effect. Guns do not forge themselves, and without factories I need skilled metalworkers, though I’m certainly amused at the thought of what art he might add to the design. I’ll have to be sure to request a strictly feminine design, as while it’s amusing to think of a rifle shaped as a phallus, it’s certainly not my particular style.

Through all the mess and show, we also ended up with that little figurine of Vii, as I was certainly not about to let anyone else have it. Vii herself was as ecstatic about it as she was embarrassed, while Adler was wholly unimpressed with it all. She made sure that we promised to have it enchanted properly and made into something useful. Wasted resources and all that fluff.

Flexing my hand and reshaping my mana circulation, I feel the terrible loss of my mana. As soon as I got back to the dorms last night, I was sure to suck on my crystal candy, but the mana was hardly enough to tickle my appetite. I was half tempted to dive into the ruins to find something juicy to eat right then and there, but better sense prevailed.

Instead, I was left struggling to refrain from sucking dry the strangers I pass in the street, like some vampire that has been starved of blood. Unfortunately, my mana drain doesn’t work near as well for most inorganic things, and organic things tend to make much more of a fuss compared to inorganic things.

“Water…” Nel groans, waking up and heading over to where she’s left a large jug of water.

“Another day, and just one last fallen to hunt down.” I say, pushing myself out of the bed.

“The songbird, who steals ears…” Nel says thoughtfully, “It’s strange that we haven’t heard of them if they steal so many ears…”

“Maybe it’s literal.” I joke, taking a glass of water myself.

“Let’s hope not.” She groans quietly, “But considering that perverted smith, it seems that the literal reading might just be possible.”

The day starts proper, not soon after. Cleansing, breakfast, and a few classes that are a bigger disappointment than that time my brother got me a textbook for Christmas, except here there’s no secret candy stashed inside. Unless you count the students, and the mana in them, but I’ve already concluded that eating the mana from my fellow students is immoral and an all-round bad idea. Who even knows where they’ve been? Filthy creatures, they’ve been on the ground for far longer than 5 seconds.

Through all this, my attempts at developing a reliable mana sense have come to a stall, and not through lack of effort. I’m still trying to force more mana into my head, but it’s as if it’s not quite settling into my mundane flesh. The others are convinced that my rate of growth and adaption to mana is incredible, but it’s not nearly enough.

“Songbird. Songbird.” I mumble as the teacher goes on and on about sensing the mana, or some such nonsense that my mana-dry brain can’t make sense of. Eshya is giving the class about as much focus as me, but Vii is surprisingly keen on writing notes, perhaps understanding the class makes it marginally more interesting.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a class for reinforcement magic today, so I’ll have to track down the teacher later instead and see if I can’t get some advice from her. What I did with the figure of Vii was completely instinctual and I can’t help but suspect, poorly implemented considering how much mana I had to burn through.

As my class finally ends, and I network with a few more classmates, I get a message from Nel.

I have a lead on the songbird. Come here right away.

She details directions and follows up with a few more quick messages to urge us all to haste. It’s a good thing that we haven’t got any more classes for the day, but it is a little disappointing to be skipping lunch.

“She’s found the songbird?” Vii asks me as we hurry to the place Nel has directed us. “I wonder what they’re like. They’re a songbird so maybe they have wings like me? Or do you think it’s just a nickname with nothing to do with birds at all, but all about the song? They have to be a bit strange too, considering all the others of their group.”

“Strange? Certainly. Has Nel found her? Maybe? She says she has a lead.” I reply, “We’ll have to go find her to find out.”

“It’s not going to be a bird,” Eshya says with the sort of confidence that only a gambler can have.

“I’ll wager that it is.” I say thoughtfully, trying to hide a smile.

“Wager what?” Eshya asks, latching immediately on to the idea.

“A request.” I reply, “That one of us can request any one thing from the other.”

“Deal.” Eshya doesn’t hesitate even a heartbeat.

“Why are you so confident it’s a bird?” Adler asks, as she walks alongside.

“I’m not.” I reply, “I just know what nature of request that Eshya is likely to make.”

Eshya already has an eager expression and an extra hop in her step. A little extra spice rarely hurts, and it’s nice to have her smiling again. Her boredom can sometimes remind me a little much of that one morning when she wasn’t quite herself.

Vii, on the other hand is almost always herself.

When we do finally find Nel, I needn’t even ask to know what it is that has her so worked up over this lead.

Song echoes through the hall, faint but clear, and charming enough that we all quiet to listen in. Nel waves us all close and excitedly leads us through a number of halls and down through a stairway that takes us below the surface, but not so far as to delve into the ruins.

Music formed from a single voice carries through the hollow halls and escapes through any and every path available. The singer doesn’t, at first, seem to pause for breath, an illusion crated by the echoes that fill every brief silence, resonating within one another and creating a slightly different song depending on where you stand when you hear it.

I step deeper into the empty hall careful to quiet my footsteps, but not for want of stealth. Rooms that are abandoned but feel otherwise still glow with energetic mana, something that I’m barely beginning to sense. The dust gathered here seems frequently unsettled by travellers like us.

No one wants to speak, knowing that it would break the moment, and steal away some portion of the music that carries us onwards. I have to wonder for how far these echoes must carry, as even with this hundredth step, I’m not sure if I’m any closer to the singer performing this strange but beautiful solo.

Through the empty white halls, painted but aged, and through rooms empty of everything where the music seems to linger and grow, we travel for minutes that feel like hours before we finally discover our songbird.

“So soon?” She asks, her music still lingering through the passages we took to get here. Dozens of crystals glow green behind her form, bright enough that it’s difficult to see anything but her outline clearly. All I can be sure of is the wings that come out from her back like that of an angel.

“You’re the songbird.” I say, “That was quite beautiful.”

“Hmm?” She hums, relaxing back onto a stone bench behind her before introducing herself, “Ria. Charmed.

“You would be here to earn my trust? Combat course students, a true blessing.”

“Why is that?” I ask her, stepping into the room and nearer the light so that it doesn’t blind me.

“There’s something that I want to reclaim from the ruins. Or perhaps I should say that I want to reclaim some small portion of those ruins.”

I notice looking at her that she’s not at all a songbird rather her figure is more like that of the crystalline girl that I met in the beast taming class. The green lights reflect as red off of her, through some madness of magic, even her crystal wings, without glowing, reflect a brilliant red. Her crystalline hair, somehow soft, waves in the gentle breeze that stirs within the room.

“You want to take back the ruins?” I ask.

Adler shudders a little at the mention.

“I do, and you know the risks and dangers, or so I hear.” She continues, “Don’t worry, what I want isn’t too far away, and it’s only a small stretch of the place.”

“Sorry, but I’m not quite sure what we’re meant to be doing exactly. How do you want to take them back? Surely new beasts will take the place of the old.”

Adler is clearly upset at the talk of beasts, but thankfully she doesn’t interrupt us, though her jaw certainly seems a little tense.

“Exactly,” Vii perks up, “Kill a few beasts a few more come crawling. The ruins are a pretty big place, we can’t deal with everything in there.”

“And I wouldn’t ask you to,” Ria says, “There are defences against beasts in the very stone that builds this world. The problem is that the stone has aged, especially the doors, and enchantments have lost their strength. I can repair them, but I am no warrior.”

“This is starting to sound a little more possible.” I reply, “Maybe. It depends on what’s hanging around here.”

“Of course,” She replies with a smile, “And you’ll have my trust for just trying to assist me here. I’m not some foul person who would ask too much for too little of a return, if we’re successful I would go so far as to consider myself in your debt.”

“Well, let’s see about these beast infested tunnels first.” I say, following after her gently clacking steps.

“What, now?” Adler asks, aghast and horrified.

“Ria, this is Adler. Our friend and welfare officer.” I tell her.

“Ah, I do recall hearing such.” She says thoughtfully, “She should hopefully prove useful here then. I understand they have the complete Skills of a proper combatant.”

“So, there are beasts left wild under the surface?” Alder asks, sounding resigned.

“Should you ask your peers, they will say no. Should you dig too deep under the surface, you will see for yourself that which would consume you.” Ria replies, “Hopefully no such thing will bother us today, but there are no guarantees when you stray from the safe paths.”

Adler has grown deathly quiet at the mention of her flawed peers and their willingness to ignore this situation. No doubt there is something that clicks in her head, as rather than confused, she seems pissed off beyond anything I’ve seen of her before.

“Just along here.” Ria says, “There is a pathway here where my songs could travel, but with the doors closed…”

“This is for your singing?” I ask.

“Of course, for what else would I dare to risk my life?” She asks in reply as she stands hesitantly before the closed stone door. There is a faint light emitted from the symbol by the side of the door.

“Are you all ready? Or… wait. You would need your weapons. I’m sorry, my mind fails me when dealing with matters that I have little interest in.” She says sounding truly crestfallen as she looks back over us.

“So long as we’re careful.” Eshya suggests, giddily looking into the door.

I sigh, recalling my lessons in grappling and hoping that I don’t need to use them. I’m wearing my fancy dress today, and while I’m sure it would make for a good movie scene, it would likely end with a ripped dress that I’m not sure about repairing.

“Remember the stages of a fight.” I say, “We have to subdue.” While Adler is watching us at least.

I communicate the last with my eyes alone.

“As if I would forget.” Eshya smiles, keenly, “How about it, Adler? Are you going to be joining if things turn bad? Can we rely on you?”

“Of course, we can.” I interject before Adler can reply, “She’s our friend, she wouldn’t just watch us get into a bad fight without stepping in to help.”

“I shouldn’t have felt the need to ask.” Eshya says, again cutting off Adler.

“Yes, yes. I’ll take care of you.” Adler says with a sigh, “I can’t risk any of you taking any further damage to your wellbeing because of this. Especially if it’s a mistake of the welfare officers as… as seems to be the case.”

I don’t press her on that. It’s nice to hear that her doubts are growing but push too hard now and she might just snap at us instead.

“You’re able to fight?” Ria says, her eyes somehow finding a way to shine, even in the diffuse light of these tunnels.

“Hopefully,” I reply, “But if anyone screams ‘run’, there’s no questions, or thinking. We’re running.”

“Alright,” She replies, her fingers and joints clacking as she shakes a moment before taking a deep breath. She turns to the door and activates the marker.

The stone doors slide open without a hint of friction, these ones are clearly in good repair. The inside hall is clear of debris but lacking in lighting, we’re lucky that Nel remembered to bring her light wand along.

“I’ll lead,” Eshya says, “Nel follow closely and shine the light around me. Vii you’re after her. Adler take care of Kyra, and little miss songbird in the rear, in her current state, I don’t want Kyra fighting.”

“I want to complain about that, but I also don’t want to die.” I reply.

“We’ll let you kill a few things with that mana drain and get you back into fighting condition. That, and I want to watch it work from up close.” Eshya says, a little stiff as she keenly watches the darkness for any threats.

“You’re all so used to this…” Ria mumbles to herself beside me.

“Had to get used to it.” I reply, “We trained under a rebel captain for a few days, you know. Almost died a bunch of times.”

“A rebel?” She asks, confused, “You were rebels?”

“Captured by rebels.” Vii says, “They crashed our ship and we either had to run off and try and survive the wilds of a war-torn world on our own or accept the protection of the rebels. I considered trying to escape, but the beasts were just way too much. That and there was a whole war going on and everything. There wasn’t really much choice.”

“I’m sure Pom would be interested in that story,” Ria says thoughtfully, not as interested as I thought she’d be, “I’d like to learn a little fighting. At least enough to survive down here on my own.”

“That’s a bad idea,” Adler says, and I’m ready for her to say something awful, “Fighting isn’t something that just anyone can learn. It’s difficult, more so when you have to be careful to keep your enemies alive. Unless you have the talent for it, I strongly suggest just avoiding beasts and places like this. It’s better to rely on assistance, like you are now, but…

“This isn’t something that should exist here in the first place. I’ve tried to speak with the other welfare officers about this, but…” She sighs deeply, “We should have our military sweeping these ruins and clearing it out.”

“Yet, they aren’t.” I reply, “Lazy bastards.”

“It’s not laziness…” Adler says, “It’s… something else. I shouldn’t talk about it.”

“What you’re hiding, is it going to hurt us?” I ask her flatly. “It’s clear you don’t agree with what’s going on among the welfare officers here, we can only help you if you tell us what’s going on before we’re collared and ‘recycled’.”

“It’s… I’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that.” She says firmly, shaking slightly. “I might not agree with everything going on, but I do agree with what we’re trying to do. That is saving you all, so even if it goes against the rules, I’m going to do everything I can to save you.”

“Thank you.” I reply sincerely, reaching out and holding her hand. “But we should be trying to help one another, as friends. So, ask us for help when you need it.”

She nods quietly.

The hall continues for a while longer without even a speck of dust, which is a little worrying.

“There’s a room ahead.” Eshya says, her hands up and ready for a fight. “I think there’s something there. Be ready to run.”

Silently we follow. Vii is flying high enough that she can throw her magic over Eshya’s head, while Nel is carefully angling her light out and into the space.

“Interesting…” Eshya says, carefully stepping inside but losing some of her worry.

As they lead, I finally get a chance to see what’s here.

There are skeletons and half-eaten, half-rotten remains scattered across the floor, and what seems to be a clutch of eggs fills a corner of the chamber. Each is round and twice the size of my head, the moist clutch together is a heap the size of a small car, though still larger than a smart car.

Fortunately, the mothers not around, but I don’t know for how long we’ll be safe.

“There’s the door I need to close.” Ria insists, pointing at the door on one side of the room. Beyond it I can see spiralling stairs leading down into the ruins deeper below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~Mana Form:

Current goal: Develop your mana form.

Current mana density: 135 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 21%

Muscle: 8%

Mind: 14%

Cardiovascular: 8%

Misc.: 3%

Efficiency: 54%

~Skills:

-Mana drain touch

-Mana skin

-Mana shield.

-Mana surge strike

-Mana surge kick

-Flame burst

-Fireball

-Infused delayed casting

-Harsh petting

-Chaos dance

~Multi-mind messenger