Digging around in his storage bracelet, Eli began pulling out a few of the packages he’d found in the cultists’ camp. Unwrapping the one he’d already looked at and placing the others to the side, he had a sudden inspiration. “Identify,” he whispered.

Ollmora Jerky

Item Class: Common

He smiled, happy to have his hunch about Identify confirmed. What was the limit of this power? He already knew he couldn’t use it on himself, as Guide had already told him, but would it work on anything else? A cleared throat brought his attention back to Daralis, sitting quietly and staring at the food in his hands. Embarrassed at his absentmindedness, he handed the package to her, and she took it, careful to keep the big pieces from falling out of the flimsy paper packaging.

“Here’s some ollmora. I’m not sure what kind of animal that is, but it’s apparently some kind of jerky.”

“It’s a tamed marta,” Dalaris replied, her eyes lighting up as she picked up a piece. She took a bite, her eyes closing while a wide smile seemed to split her face as she chewed.

“I have no idea what that is either,” Eli said with a chuckle while picking one up from the package she was holding. Most of the pieces were large, thin, and with a dark reddish-brown coloring, most resembling leather paper, but they smelled sweet.

She arched an eyebrow, her eyes searching his expression for some hidden joke. Maybe recognizing that he was serious, a tiny smile tugged at her lips while she sat straight with her shoulders back. “A marta is a four-legged animal about as tall as you and with dangerous horns,” she began, her voice full of confidence. “The ollmora is a weaker cousin bred for centuries, but they’ve lost their horns. Ollmora are mostly used for their meat, organs, and skin. However, some people give them special feed to bring out other valuable properties. If you travel to southern Northmarch, you’ll find wide grasslands full of herds raised for the markets.”

Eli looked at the jerky in his hand, thinking Daralis’ explanation made the animal sound like maybe this world’s version of a cow. There were still kilos of the stuff in his DS. Adding it to the other food he’d found, plus the different meal blocks, they had enough food for well over a week. Taking a bite, he couldn’t quite figure out if it was closer to venison or beef, but it was definitely jerky. Its sweetness reminded him of teriyaki, but with a surprising tenderness that melted in his mouth.

“I also have some fruits and dried bread in these other ones,” he said after swallowing and gestured to the bundles he’d laid out. “So while we’re eating, how about we chat about our next steps? Maybe we can figure out how to get you home from here while I tag along?”

He unwrapped the other packages and took another sheet of the tender jerky and a handful of dried fruits and nuts before passing the opened bundles to Daralis. She nodded again in thanks before placing them near her blanket-covered legs, her long, agile fingers snatching up a dried yellow fruit before plopping it into her mouth.

“Hopefully, you found something useful in all those clothes?” Eli said as he gestured towards the pile near her. They’d obviously been disturbed with one of the dresses he’d put on top missing.

Both sides of her mouth came up with an even bigger smile as she looked down. It was too dark to tell, but Eli guessed she might be blushing. “I did, thank you. I put it on while you were sleeping.” She opened her blanket slightly, just enough that he could see the dark material, which looked much better than her torn garment. She quickly closed the blanket again before the cold had a chance to invade her warm nest.

“That’s great. I’m really happy we could find you something since I’d imagine it would be a cold walk otherwise.”

Peering at one of the dried yellow fruits Daralis had just eaten, he tried one too. It started as soft and chewy like a fruit gummy, but his eyes opened wide as a gush of almost overpowering sweetness invaded his mouth. Picking up another piece, he turned it around in the brightening light, surprised by all the flavor packed into such a small package. It was like eating candy.

He’d had the blue wrapper thing yesterday, but it hadn’t been anywhere near as tasty as the jerky or dried fruit. What would a hot meal taste like in this magical world? Were there other buffs to discover? Thinking about the medicinal-flavored food, he pulled out the blue package and used Identify on it.

Mana Candy

Item Class: Uncommon

Effects: Substantial increase to mana regeneration

He pulled out a green one next while Daralis continued to eat.

Healthy Refreshment

Item Class: Uncommon

Effects: Substantial increase to health regeneration

Eli smiled, gratified that his earlier theory about the magical rations seemed correct. He still had a handful of other colors to try, but that could wait for later.

Thinking about the blue one and the strange floating glittery lights he’d seen yesterday, he wondered what mana even was. Some form of energy was the most obvious answer, but how was it related to the glowing ball in his chest? Assuming he needed mana regeneration for some reason later, at least he had a way to get it.

He pulled out a canteen of water, screwing off the top and handing it over to Daralis. He’d found it in the bracelet earlier when he’d been thirsty and, like the magic rations, had appeared in his hands as if to answer his thoughts. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything special, according to his Identify. Daralis took it with a slight nod of thanks, picked up another piece of jerky, and took a bite while he looked over the nearby structure.

“I think we should get going. I’m not sure which direction we should go, but I don’t think we should hang around here now that it’s almost dawn. How about we chat a bit on the way? I’m open to ideas on where to go, but maybe we can take you home?”

Daralis continued chewing the jerky, her gaze kilometers away. After a few moments of silence, her eyes suddenly jerked back to him as if just processing his question. “Oh, yes, we should go. My uncle might appear here.” Her eyes darted to the nearby trees, still little more than dark shadows in the dawn's early light.

Surprised at her reaction, Eli opened his mouth to ask a question but stopped. There’d be time for questions later when she trusted him more.

Her eyes, under furrowed eyebrows, returned to study him. “We should make a binding oath if we’re traveling together. For our mutual safety.”

He nodded, reminded that promises were extra real here. He couldn’t help glancing up and around, thinking about Daralis’ words on the Oververse and how it tracked everything they said or did.

“Sure, what were you thinking?”

Daralis put her clenched right hand across her chest in a kind of salute. “If you agree, I swear to lead you to my home. I swear to offer you no violence if you offer me no violence. You will provide food and shelter along our journey. In trade, I will provide counsel and information about the area and this world. I also swear to keep any secrets you share during this journey. I swear on the Oververse.”

“Activate Mana Scan,” Eli quickly whispered. Her eyes widened as he looked for changes in the glittery fog around them, but the lights didn’t react to Daralis’ oath this time.

Huh. I guess it makes sense since her vow was conditional on my agreement first. That indicates something else interesting about the Oververse. Damn it. I really need a way to track this better.

He made a similar promise without bothering to raise his hand, saying, “I swear to offer you no violence if you offer me no violence. I will provide food and shelter along the journey, and you’ll tell me about the world around us. I swear this on the Oververse.”

The colors floating in the air did their little dance like the last time a vow was made to the Oververse, both of them briefly lighting up around their bodies. At the same time, he felt like he was suddenly on a rollercoaster performing a series of loops. Luckily, the feeling passed as quickly as the flashing lights. Even with the nauseating sensation, he smiled at realizing that saluting like her wasn’t necessary and filed the bit of data away for later. It was a tiny progression forward in learning his new world, but it was a start – there was so much testing to do.

Getting up, they both worked at breaking down their little camp. While Daralis helped clean up their meal, Eli had a chance to see the outfit she’d picked for their walk through the woods. She was wearing a heavy charcoal-colored dress extending to her knees and holding it closed with thin ties at the neckline. A wide belt cinched the dress tight around her waist with one of the knives he’d looted on her right hip. Under the dress were pale linen pants that went down her legs to just above the open-toed sandals she was wearing. She’d obviously found a pair of shoes to fit her in the pile he’d left, even though she had to suspect where he’d found them.

Sadly, he hadn’t had as much luck finding new clothing. Everything he’d found was far too small for him, and he wasn’t about to try and improvise an outfit. He’d just settle for the clothing Lugh had stashed away in the DS, at least until he had a chance to do some shopping once they reached civilization.

Eli got to experience the wonder of having things disappear into his bracelet. He’d started with the lean-to as a simple test. He just touched it with his left hand and willed it into storage. A heartbeat later, the plastic tarp vanished while the poles holding it up fell over to thud against the bare earth. He switched hands, touching one of the poles with his right hand, and it disappeared just as quickly. Smiling at the magic, he tried again without touching the other pole, but it lay unmoving in the dirt. Snorting at the failed test, he assumed that physical contact was required to make things appear and disappear.

Soon their campsite was empty. There were marks in the dirt where he’d buried their campfire and scratches against the bark to show that someone or something had been there, but they could do little about that now.

Daralis took the lead and directed them towards a small trail west away from the rising sun, and Eli found a strange comfort in finding something familiar with Earth. “So why are we taking this small trail instead of the wider one?” he asked.

With one of the blue blankets wrapped loosely around her shoulders, Daralis looked at him briefly before her eyes returned to the trail. “I’m pretty sure that was Blood Boulders,” she said, gesturing back towards the stone structure that had disappeared behind a turn in the path. “Or at least it matches the description my father gave me, which puts us days away from civilization. The larger trail probably goes to Bishal since that should be south of us, but I think we should stay away from that city for now.”

“Why?” he asked simply.

“My uncle,” she said quietly, her eyes far away again while the blanket tightened around her shoulders. “My father and I live at least a few days west of here, maybe more. To the south is Bishal, where my uncle Duarte Easone lives, and he’s the reason I was taken.”

The two of them walked quietly for a minute, and he didn’t ask any questions as he let her find her voice. Eventually, she started again, her voice barely loud enough to carry over the forest’s noises. “I hadn’t seen my uncle since before I was little. He and my father haven’t gotten along well in years, but then he suddenly invited me to visit. He’s family, and I was excited to meet my aunt and cousins.” Daralis stopped talking, her sudden watery eyes looking up at Eli before returning to stare at the trail in front of them again. “The moment I saw my uncle, though, I could feel something was wrong, but I ignored it,” she finished, anger or maybe disgust creeping into her voice. “The first night I was in Bishal, only his oldest son Fausin joined us, but my uncle said my aunt and two other cousins were away and would return in a few days. It was strange, but I felt tired after dinner and sensed something was off.”

Daralis slowed her pace, finally stopping on the narrow trail with her eyes staring off at something only she could see. Eli stood nearby, unsure how to help her while she worked through the memory, feeling guilty that he’d pushed.

“I woke up in the middle of the night,” she said, trembling with emotion. “I felt hands on me, and there were ropes. I was so tired and could barely open my eyes, but I saw my uncle among the others. I remember them binding my hands, but then everything got hazy. Then I woke up back there still bound but tied in the shade of the Blood Boulders,” her voice had dropped even lower, making him move closer to hear her words. “I had to wait hours while they prepared, knowing what they had planned; I’d heard the stories about how the cultists would kill their victims and steal their power.” Her tight shoulders shook, a few silent tears leaving wet tracks. “I tried to get free when they weren’t looking, but my strength left me.”

Eli felt his own eyes welling at her words, trying to imagine the horror of her experience, and wanted to hug her at that moment but held himself back. Human touch can be a fantastic thing, but only at appropriate times – after what she’d gone through, who could say how she’d feel. Instead, he decided on a different tack. “Hey, you’re here now,” he began but cleared his throat after hearing the quaver in his voice and started again, trying to inject warmth and positivity into his words. “You survived, Daralis, and you still have your strength. They tried to take it, yet here you stand on your way home. And you know where they are? Dead in a hole. So, I’d say you won this round, and let’s just keep that winning streak going, okay?”

She turned to him again, one hand coming up to wipe almost angrily at her eyes before scanning the trail ahead. She finally nodded, though, and began walking again.

He had to take a few quick steps to catch up but was soon by her side. “So tell me about your home. Maybe about your dad or a bit about where we’re going and what this trail is like?”

She threw him an almost grateful look. “Alright,” she replied and gestured at the forest surrounding them. “Assuming that was Blood Boulders, then we’re in Eld Forest. That means we’re less than a week from my home if this trail continues west. I can’t say for sure since I haven’t been this deep into the forest.”

“Is this a dangerous forest? I mean, other than the crazy dipshits back there?” he asked, gesturing behind them.

Daralis nodded along with his question. “Very dangerous,” she replied and patted the knife at her hip. “I’ll keep my knife handy as long as we travel through the Eld. I’m not sure how much help it would be against the demon, but hopefully, we can scare off any bandits. Maybe you can look through that magical bracelet for a more suitable weapon once we stop for a break?” One of her eyebrows quirked up at the end.

“Of course,” he said, smiling despite the seriousness of their situation.

***

The area they were walking through was heavily forested. It was alive with sounds and full of animals, not afraid of the two people stomping through their home. Some of the bird calls were eerily familiar yet different. One particularly annoying one sounded like a buzzsaw grinding through metal and loud enough to almost be painful. The loud chirps and drone of the bugs dominated with a vibrating hum of sound that never stopped while they trudged down the narrow trail.

The smell, though, was terrific. There was the scent of dampness, leaves, life, and more. There weren’t many flowering plants, yet the multitude of different smells kept shifting around the ever-pervasive undertone of wood. The deeper they went, the more invigorating the scent became. It felt like they were in a pocket of the world largely hidden from civilization. The trail went through here, so people did use it, but it felt like people were just visitors in this forest. Not unwelcome, maybe, but also not guests.

Daralis explained some of the basics of geography as the two walked through the woods. The local star, Lackar, was hidden behind the forest’s cover, with only a slightly brighter section of the canopy revealing its existence. The world’s single moon Maor was also hidden, but she said he’d get a good look at it soon enough. The land they were in was called Freesan, which was apparently some supercontinent, but she wasn’t great with the details. She did say her father had a nice map, so Eli was hopeful to learn more, though he sensed that geography and traveling weren’t high on the list of priorities for most people here. Daralis might not be the best reference, though, and he’d just have to explore more.

She told him more about the cities nearby. There were so many details about the theocratic city-states, but there was no way he would remember all the little details. He eventually steered the conversation towards Daralis’ background as he still didn’t know much about her.

Daralis told him about her home in Wolf’s Manor. Amused by how her home was named after her father’s nickname, he barely stopped himself from laughing, not wanting her to think he was laughing at her or her dad. It wasn’t like Eli had any right to judge how a person used their name - he didn’t use his full name either.

Daralis lived there with her father and his household, which was some sort of fortified house or castle, but she wasn’t that clear on it. Eli thought there might be a slight translation error as she described it as a house, but it was big with solid stone walls. She also let slip that others worked for her father, defended the walls, and kept out any attackers. He didn’t think her father was a farmer or merchant anyway since she carried herself like a fighter with her shoulders back, head high, and piercing dark eyes scanning for threats around them. It would be hardly surprising if her father turned out to be one of the local warlords or something.

She briefly mentioned that her mother died when Daralis was young, and her father hadn’t remarried. She also didn’t have siblings, which surprised him because he’d assumed this world would have large families with many kids. Examining the thoughts behind it, Eli realized that he’d started to think that this world was akin to his own, but pre-industrial age. Maybe even like the dark ages, going by his experiences so far. Cognizant of the ego buried in those thoughts, he reminded himself to keep an open mind. There was no telling how this world differed from Earth.

They took a break around midday, stopping right on the trail. Daralis insisted they stay close to the path, which was fine for him. He might have preferred a little distance, just in case, but she was the local. He put down the same tarp they’d used before, but even folding it in half didn’t provide much cushion from the hardpacked earth under them. He offered more jerky and some trail mix he’d found in the crazies’ camp. It was pretty disappointing, at least as far as trail mix went – no raisins or chocolate, which was some serious sacrilege for him.

“How’re you feeling? How’s that bruise on your knee?”

“I’m fine,” she said as she looked towards the forest. “The bruise seems to have disappeared, but I’m still a bit sore in my joints. Those ropes were tight.” She briefly rubbed one of her shoulders.

“Well, why didn’t you say so? How about another green square?” The green-colored wax package appeared, and he handed it to her with a bit of flourish. “Here you go. That’ll help you heal faster.”

A twitch of her lips made it worth the effort as she opened its packaging, and her previously injured hand showed just as much dexterity as the other one. Ripping off a corner, she happily tossed it into her mouth like candy.

Amused but remembering her words from earlier about the dangers in these woods, Eli went digging through his DS. There had to be something better than his belt knife, and he didn’t want to pull out that nasty dagger he’d seen in Lugh’s place. There was a strange and ominous vibe it had given off – it kind of freaked him out if he was honest with himself.

“Score!” He stood up from the little picnic they’d set up and walked a few steps into the long grass beside the trail. Then, a long wooden staff appeared in his hands. It was colored like a rich cherry wood with short, darkened metal caps on both ends. “Identify.”

Bash (Staff)

Item Class: Legendary

Effects: Soulbound

Soulbound? Is this like the bracelet?

Eli drew out his belt knife. He’d used Identify on it and the one he’d given to Daralis, but unfortunately, they weren’t anything special. In fact, it looked like a pretty dull steak knife and took some work just to make a small cut, barely nicking his finger. He spread the small bit of his blood on the staff.

Bind Bash (Staff) to User?

Unauthorized use will cause pain

User may summon staff

I can summon this thing? Holy crap!

He moved it a bit in his hands while Daralis looked on. He hadn’t played around with a staff or quarterstaff in years. Some of his friends back home had been into the local renaissance fair or the society for creative anachronism where they could indulge in mock combat. He’d never been an actual participant, just a tourist, but he’d hung around long enough to pick up some basic moves. He was more comfortable in unarmed fighting after Aarav showed him some grappling and submission techniques during their camping trips years ago.

Eli smiled, remembering how enthusiastic Aarav had been to find a willing student and sparring dummy to practice with while they camped and later when they returned to campus. Even after a couple of years of sporadic training, he’d never managed to come close to beating Aarav, but Eli had appreciated the effort. Still, unarmed fighting would be a disadvantage against armed folks, and the metal-tipped staff was definitely better than just his empty hands.

At least Eli knew enough that he didn’t drop it when he did a simple forward figure 8. That move always looked impressive, though it wasn’t that difficult to pull off. Just gotta pay attention to the legs set with a good foundation, keep arms and posture correct, and move the entire body with follow-through. After a few more quick moves, he stopped and smiled in satisfaction. He wasn’t incredible with a staff, but at least he wasn’t hitting himself in the face or dropping it, and with its much longer reach, the weapon was definitely an upgrade over the knife.

He looked over to Daralis. “Ready to go?”

She nodded, and after cleaning up their temporary rest spot, they started walking down the narrow trail again.

They were still on the trail a few hours later, the two walking in a content silence while he marveled again at the forest around them. The growth here was unreal, with everything seeming so vibrant and alive with countless birds and other small animals calling out, seemingly ignoring the two people walking through their woods.

He glanced over as Daralis stopped. Her eyes were up, scanning the trees before them when they suddenly widened with fear. Her mouth parted as if to warn him, and a strange sensation came over Eli as the air suddenly hardened even while the forest’s shadows darkened. He tried to glance back to where she was looking, trying to understand what was happening, but there was resistance. Feeling like his head, body, and even eyes were encased in a world of invisible syrup, he strained to turn his neck faster. At the same time, the slowly building sound of his heartbeat thudded away in his ears.

Shit!

Two arrows came hurtling out of the forest. Guide automatically highlighted the two flying threats and provided projected paths in his vision where one dotted line intersected with Daralis while the other disappeared into Eli’s chest. He started to shift towards Daralis to try and push her away from the arrow's path, but she was a couple of paces from him and out of easy reach. Instead, he lifted his staff, and it came up and over towards the arrow threatening her. The missile moved slower than expected but still far too fast, and he couldn’t get to her in time though he strained to block it or even just touch it and nudge it away. The metal-capped end of his staff brushed the shaft, minutely shifting the projectile, and then it was past him. The momentum from his lunge carried him into a short tumble as he lurched off the trail into the short bushes growing nearby.

“Activate Mana Scan,” Eli said as he tried to get up from the ground, the words coming out distorted like a slowed-down video. On the trail, an arrow stuck out of Daralis, slightly off-center and near her shoulder. She had just landed after being hit, the slow-motion world including her too, while her mouth opened as if to scream.

Mana Scan finally activated, lighting up the world around him. Daralis still had her own light show inside her, so he had hope. He couldn’t help her yet, though, as there was still a threat, and turned towards where the attackers had launched their arrows, his ability picking out the four silhouettes hidden in the trees. Two were braced as if holding long poles or spears below a hidden structure in the trees. Inside, two more figures slowly reached for something down and to the side, but Eli didn’t plan to give them more time and moved to attack.