“The time has come for you to depart this place”, announced the [Guild Master] with finality.

“So…”, I started saying, “this is it, uh?”

“Ah, it almost feels like it was just yesterday that you had doubted my qualifications!” Exclaimed the old Elf, grinning at me, and reminding me of his impeccable acting skills, with maybe a note of pride in his tone.

“Remember to kick som’ ass for me too!” Said Skortch, giving me a thumbs up.

“Do not get killed out there”, rumbled the Orc, kind of ruining the mood with his chosen words.

“That’s the type of confidence boost I needed, sure”, I responded, looking questioningly at Grog.

“You prevailed in becoming a [True Adventurer] on your first attempt, little more than a week after being [Transferred]. That should be all the ‘confidence booster’ that you should require, what you now need is to be reminded that you are not invincible.”

His words struck true, and I lowered my eyes while I nervously rubbed the back of my neck.

“Oh, leave him alone, you oafs!” Interjected Merga, who decided that hugging me was the correct course of action in that situation.

I’d like to think that I’ve become much better at handling others touching me, since even though she picked me up and squeezed me to her chest during the hug, I didn’t react outside of awkwardly patting her back in return. But maybe I just learned to appreciate pretty ladies ‘handling’ me without fetishistic motives behind it.

A piece from the bottom of the airship above detached itself from it and started fragmenting into steps that led to a side entrance, which was beginning to open.

“Quit it, [Witch]! The kid has to go”, Eddd reminded my hugger, failing to withhold his laugh at her expense.

“Mph! Fine,” she said to him, before loosening her grip on me and turning her eyes back on me, “but you have to promise to remain in contact!”

“Sure… but I’m not sure if you have phones here… and I wouldn’t know how post offices work in this realm”, was my response.

“That’s why we’re giving you this”, said Abaan, handing me a metallic rectangle, which looked like a small sheet of copper.

I took it without being on my guard, started watching it over, and what I saw mirrored what my [Inspect] was telling me: This was my [Adventurer’s Card], with my basic information on it (full name, [Class], and [Job], with my ‘rank’ mirrored by the material: copper).

And also, when it had [Mana] channeled through it, it opened a ‘contact list’, where my [Teachers], the [Guild Master], and the other [Humans] were already registered.

“This is cool… but how does it work?” I had to ask, since it wasn’t an [Artifact] it meant that maybe I could recreate something similar, with my own twist on top of it (obviously).

“Trade secret”, said the flamboyant Elf with an exaggerated flourish with his hands, momently going back to the charade he used to put up in front of others.

“Figures”, I responded, pocketing the card, “anything else that any of you have forgotten to address beforehand?”

They looked at each other, and when they looked back at me they all had a worryingly wide grin on their faces. They all refused to elaborate on it, except the [Fire Nymph] that let escape that it was supposed to be a surprise, and one that I would like, supposedly.

I let them have their fun, and didn’t pry into it too much: As Undine had once promised, I’d come to trust other people, and feel safe in their presence.

I picked up the leather backpack I had received at the [Temple], now stuffed with newer rations, and even more books. The staircase had been lowered for a while now, and since t felt like we were done here, I started heading up them, but had to stop after only a couple.

“Goodbye, and may our paths cross again then!” I said, and everyone replied with their version of it, all accompanied by either unnecessary slaps to my back or jabs at my character.

They let me go soon after though, and this time it seemed that I could actually go now.

Don’t get me wrong, these guys were great, even Eddd, but I was hungry to have an actual adventure, and that brief exploration of the [Dungeon] wasn’t enough.

I didn’t suffer from vertigo, thankfully, so I ascended the floating steps without a problem, marveling at the small amount of ‘give’ that they gave, almost giving the impression of being ‘bouncy’.

“I must study this later, since it seems to be much better than the type of ‘floating’ I’m currently capable of bestowing upon my [Constructs].”

At the top of the steps, I found what I could only describe as a ‘portly pirate’ waiting for me, with a pipe in his hand.

“Rready forr deparrturre!?” He rasped, slurring his ‘r’ like a stereotypical pirate.

I turned back towards the people that I was leaving behind, noticing for the first time that the ship wasn’t displacing even a single string of grass, which should have been even more obvious when I didn’t feel any wind coming from it even when it was hovering over my head.

“Thank you for everything, especially for putting up with me!” I shouted to the whole group, not misty-eyed at all (definitely not!).

“It was our pleasure, Mr.Dulcet!” Shouted back the [Guild Master].

“Good riddance!” exclaimed Eddd, but if it wasn’t obvious by his tone, his grin made it clear that he wasn’t serious.

“Safe travels!” Were the words that felt as if they had been hurled by Grog at my ears, making me flinch even at a distance.

“Watch ya back!” Recommended Skortch.

“I hope you’ll like the company!” Said Merga, which caused the others to poke her, or give her annoyed looks.

“What was that about?” I thought, turning around and stepping into the ship’s proper, receiving another slap on the back by the sky-[Sailor].

Beats me…

Almost as much as people seem to want to beat you.

“Ugh, it not fair that only you get to make puns, I haven’t had to occasion to make any, even after I promised myself otherwise!”

Get on my level, scrub.

“Screw you.”

“It seems like you will be my fellow weirdo in this adventure!” said a deep feminine voice further in front of me, making me notice that the pirate had brought me to what appeared to be the inside of a luxury private jet, but was obviously just where the passengers were supposed to seat themselves. With 4 double-seated plush sofas, and mahogany tables working as dividers between the ones that faced each other, two by two, I felt fancier just by standing in the room.

Then there was the owner of the voice that had spoken to me before, already seated on one of the ‘comfy chairs’, and she left me speechless.

I wasn’t one to simply stare at people, both for my bashfulness and my asociality, but this woman hit every one of my weak spots: During my life, I came to appreciate what I couldn’t have, meaning height, muscle mass, piercing gazes, and confidence. This woman not only showed them, but she oozed all these qualities.

There she was: with a height that must have been getting close to two meters and a half, maybe even three meters; beefy enough to look like she crushed coconuts barehanded in her sleep, but not enough to detract from her womanly curves; skin such a pale white and unblemished complexion that she looked like she was made of porcelain; tones legs for days, plump lips, with braided hairs of the same shade of deep purple, and modestly sized breasts, that if they weren’t on her body probably would have looked ridiculous in their size. And to complete the look, Icy blue eyes.

“My name is Fyratta, Sheeno Fyratta, a pleasure to make your acquaintance”, she said, standing up to shake arms with me, and revealing that she had been using a posterior that matched the front.

While dumbly reciprocating the gesture, I noticed her apparel: almost completely made with red leather, and only a dozen metal studs that seemed to struggle to keep it together; her outfit hugged her body like a second skin, probably to facilitate movements; with boots, which started as normal leather boots, but past the calf became intertwined leather strips that went all the way to her thighs, where they disappeared under a short reinforced skirt; her top was made up of an elongated breastplate, which also went under the skirt, with a metallic sheet that protected the front and the upper-shoulders, where the outfit seemed to be cut off all the way to her bracers, where the majority of the studs seemed to be concentrated, providing adequate protection to all 4 of her arms.

And yes, she had 4 arms.

The four arms stopped me in my tracks hard enough to snap me out of it and to make me realize that she had just presented herself, while I was still staring at her mutely.

“Hi, I’m Dulcet, Darwin Dulcet… I’m not copying your introductions, that’s also the way I introduce myself to people- but I’m just rambling now, and the pleasure is all mine.”

She chuckled, “don’t worry about it. I was told that my supposed companion was as ‘special’ as me, even among those that were recently [Transferred], so I already expected both some excentricity, either from your personality or seeing such a radically different [Race] from yours, like mine”.

“I… don’t really know how to interpret that.”

“Ah! Don’t worry about it, I’m just messing with you”, she said, while putting on hand on my shoulder and guiding me to sit in front of where she previously had.

Once we were Both seated, and I had the chance to appreciate the ‘giggle physics’ up close, were heard a voice coming from the walls: “This is the [Captain] speaking, we have refurbished our supplies and will now initiate departure. Please find an available seat and enjoy the travel”.

The ship then gave a small shake, and it became obvious that we had already started moving.

“Now, don’t be alarmed, but people tend to get a bit queasy when on these types of flying contraptions-“, Sheeno started saying, but I interrupted her before she could make any assumption.

“No, no, I’m fine with them. We had much faster ones in my world, and I had plenty of chances to grow used to them already”, I dispelled her worries, making the sign of a frown, that was starting to appear on her brow, disappear with them.

“Good… good…”, and the situation got awkward, weirdly quick.

“So… you’re an [Heliokan], right? Never knew they could be so fair-skinned”, I said, trying to break the ice.

But it had the reverse effect instead, making her hiss in displeasure, and assuming a more guarded stance. “Yeah… that’s related to why I’m considered ‘special’…. You see, I’m both [Anomalous] and [Aberrant], with my pale skin being one of the most evident side-effects from it”.

The switch from glorious warrior woman, to a nervous and twitchy girl, was cute enough to make me feel like I had palpitations.

I pondered that information for a good 20 seconds, and after asking for the ‘go ahead’ from [Buddy], I said my part.

“Oh, that’s the same for me: I’m also both [Anomalous] and [Aberrant], and my eyes are a result of that. It’s no big deal.”

“You’re also… I don’t think you appreciate just how fortunate of an encounter ours has been. People like us are one in a trillion, and we’re here talking like this wasn’t [Luck]’s work!” She exclaimed, suddenly revitalized.

“If you put it that way, both Merga and the [Goddess] had a hand in this… and she probably was the surprise they had for me.”

Through your prayers, you have been awarded +1 [Serendipity]

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And you should also feel like lucky that the other…. [Humans], right?” She stopped to ask for confirmation, before going ahead, after a nod from me, “you should feel lucky that the other [Humans] had no time to grow accustomed to the craziness of the [Nexus], before they noticed how different you were… unlike what happened to me, the [Banished Princess]…”.

The atmosphere got heavy once again, and it was clear that there was a story there, but now wasn’t the time to pry, and I knew just how to add a bit more levity to the situation: Self-deprecating jokes.

“Nah, that ship has already sailed, literally now; and from the first day the [Humans] were already avoiding me, but maybe that was more for my biting personality than anything.”

She guffawed loudly, the grief and sorrow melting off her face in an instant, but it was still obvious that she was going along with my crude attempt to cheer her up. “You seem amiable enough to me, which makes it hard to think how much of hardasses the other [Humans] could be. And don’t worry, you won't find anything ‘biting’ about me, unless you ask nicely”.

And with that last phrase, she fully showed me her teeth, which looked wicked sharp, while telling me through her eyes that she knew exactly what she had implied.

I had to chuckle at that, because I was in danger.

And so, we went towards unforeseen adventure, hoping to find a place to-

“Oh, wanna make a [Party] together? I know that we don’t know each other that well, yet, but…”, she suddenly said, interrupting my monologue.

“Sure, and I’d love to get to know you better too!” Was my immediate reply.

“I bet you would”, was her teasing reply, which succeeded in making me blush, and in turn make her laugh again.

“We’re gonna have so much fun together… with someone that can understand the other…”, it was almost too quiet to hear what she last said, but my enhanced [Stats] were high enough to catch it, and it warmed my heart to know that we were thinking the same thing.