Despite Chloe’s insistence that we immediately get to work dealing with the cult that’s sprung up around Red Clay City, we end up spending the rest of the day resting, getting to know our temporary comrades, and making preliminary plans for how to oppose the Order of the Wilds.

  Our discussions on the last point go late into the evening. We don’t know enough to go charging into their headquarters, but we get some useful information about them and their goals. Their leader is a figure who calls themself The Luminary Oracle. As the cult’s name suggests, they believe they are ordained by the System itself to bring about the end of the last vestiges of human civilization, returning it to its natural, primal, and strong state. Supposedly, they worship the great beasts in the wilds, from massive oozes and dinosaurs down to the territorial cats— lions, tigers, leopards, and the other predators of the jungle.

  Among them, most take classes relating to summoning or beast taming, like the man whose ooze we fought and who Lindsey killed earlier. Much as the adherents of more established religions seek communion with God or whichever deities they worship, these cultists are said to venerate and bond with the monsters in the wilds. Their intelligence guides the primal strength of these twisted beasts, directing them to savage civilization and claim dominion over it.

  I’m sure it’s all motivated by the selfish whims of their leader. It’s the same for every cult since time immemorial. Whether for financial gain, just to feel powerful, to have control over others, or a pliable workforce eager to toil for little tangible benefit.

  Personally, I think it’s all a way to funnel levels and Experience to this [Cult Leader]. The cult is all about gaining levels and strength in the wilds, and I can see how this supposedly 'Luminary' Oracle can stand in the background, watching fights, and siphon a portion of Experience from each. Heck, there might even be a Class Trait or Skill that allows the leader to do so without even having to be physically present on the battlefield. I’ve yet to gain Experience outside of combat, but I’m not prepared to stake my life assuming this is true of everyone in every situation.

  After dinner and a nice long soak, the two of us make our way from the commons room into the girls’ barracks. It’s a repurposed conference or meeting room from the looks of things, though instead of tables and chairs and other conference amenities, eight small padded cots, each about three feet in height, are laid out in two rows of four apiece. They’re about the size of a long twin bed each, and despite it all, are more comfortable than I’d thought based on appearance. The lack of heavy blankets doesn’t matter much in the late spring, and the circulation underneath helps air me out as I sprawl out a bit, one of my legs dangling off the side.

  We’re soon joined by Kristil, whom we learned was neither Caroline’s sister nor her lover, but in fact her cousin, six years younger than she. She’s a [Lightning Evoker] with the personality to match, and her dark violet locks crackle with energy and enmity as she sits down on the bed beside mine and tells us about her cousin.

  “Yeah, so Caroline and I were technically cousins, she six years older than I,” she starts, lying on the bed just to my right. “But we were as close as sisters could be. Lost my mother nineteen years ago to a bad car crash when I was still but a small girl. Her mother and father, my aunt and uncle, took me in and raised me as my own. Ever since, well, we’ve not quite been inseparable, but we’ve not been far off either. We ended up staying local for college, and then…”

  She trails off for a moment. “Then the System arrived a couple of months ago. My aunt and uncle… They–”

  Kristil chokes on her words before continuing on, the meaning of her unspoken words clear. “When Caroline saw what happened to her parents, it was an easy decision. She lost her parents, and was determined not to let that happen to anyone else. So when we started hearing about groups forming up to defend Red Clay City against the monsters and cultists, it was the easiest decision of her life. Even when I warned her about the danger, she just smiled and told me that this was what she was called to do.”

  I nod in understanding. Chloe walks over from the cot on the other side of me and places her hand on Kristil’s shoulder, infusing it with a bit of her healing touch. Then she offers her a hug for good measure, which Kristil accepts in the spirit it was given.

  “I’m sorry,” Chloe says. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry that we didn’t arrive sooner.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Chloe,” Kristil says. “You’re not the rotten bastard that took Caroline from me. You’re not the one who summoned that damned ooze, and you’re not the one who ordered it to attack us.”

  Kristil clenches her fist and launches a small bolt of electricity into the metal bed frame, causing it to spark for a moment before dissipating into the ground. My arm feels a bit of the sting as well, but I’m able to shunt the charge away before it causes any damage. It’s not noticeably more susceptible to electricity than human flesh, but it seems to act as a lightning rod, drawing lightning-based attacks to me. Something to experiment with and better understand when I can do so safely.

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  “We’ll find a way to hold the ones who caused Caroline’s death responsible for their acts,” Chloe says. “I’ll lend you what power I can in support of this.”

  I sit back up and nod. “I promised Chloe that I’d protect her through hell and high water alike. When I wanted to explore dungeons, she was there, supporting me. When I lost my arm and needed time to build this new one, she was there, making sure I was taking care of myself, getting enough food and sleep to be effective. Now it’s my turn to support her as she pursues something she’s passionate about.”

  I sigh. “Besides, I lost my mother when the System arrived. I can understand the sentiment you’re feeling. If I happen to find out whoever was responsible…” I trail off.

  “Thanks, both of you.”

  We end up turning the lights out early, not long after the last rays of the late sunset fade into night. Chloe and Kristil are fast asleep soon after, while I’m left lying down between them, thinking of my past. My past life to this point as a human, and then the life before this as a cyborg, the last hope of a universe that probably exists no longer.

  Did I— the old Seraphina— face such questions? Was I ever in the circumstance of having to decide who I could save and who I had to leave behind? How did I— did she— cope with the stress of making those choices, and grieve for those she couldn’t save? I wrack my brain about it, hoping that a memory or fleeting glimpse of my past might give me some clues on how to address this situation.

  None comes before my consciousness slips away.

  I awaken bright and early in the morning. Chloe and Kristil are still asleep, leaving me to tiptoe my way out of the barracks and make my way to the bathroom for a quick freshen up. I doubt I have enough time for the long soak I’d love to partake in were time and resources not strained, but at least a quick shower is on the table.

  Once I’m cleaned up and into my armor, I make my way back to the main chamber for breakfast of waffles with more berry spread much like the jelly Lindsey inadvertently made the other day. It’s a bit sweeter, a lot more consistent in its texture and flavor, and with far, far fewer seeds and bits of leftover stems that didn’t get picked quite off. The convenience of modern machine precision at work.

  Chloe and Kristil arrive a few moments after I do, the former in her usual beige robes befitting a healer, and the latter in a dark violet dress of some sort that is… revealing to the point of being provocative. It’s definitely some sort of System-registered outfit, and a step above the protection offered by Chloe’s outfit, if the Ether signature it gives off is any indication. I do sincerely hope that at no point in my journey am I ever forced to wear the equivalent of [Bikini Mail], or whatever else might reveal comparable amounts of skin.

  She’s also wearing Chloe’s [Spellcaster’s Hat], which honestly goes better with her dress; the off-white robes and black pointy hat do clash a fair bit. In exchange, Chloe seems to have gotten some sort of ring as a second accessory to go along with the [Gauntlets of Repulsion] that she and I both wear.

  I realize a moment later that I’m in no position to complain about clashing outfits, wearing a hot pink bandana that the System outright calls ‘gaudy’. On top of that, I’m wearing a single glove designed to shield against cold weather on my right hand to complement my metallic left arm. In fact, now that I think about it for more than two seconds, I must look goofy as shit. Then again, so are quite a few people, in a case of functionality being prioritized over form. Truly, the mysterious ways of the System.

  “How are you feeling today?” I ask Kristil, who’s taken the seat across from me as Chloe sits next to me. “Any better?”

  She demurs for a few seconds. “You said you lost your mother as well, the night after the System arrived.”

  “I did. I don’t know if it gets easier, but I just try to take it a day at a time, focus on keeping myself busy, and committing myself to getting stronger so it won’t happen again.” My eyes glance over to Chloe, who shoots me a shy smile. “So far, we haven’t been able to live up to that promise, but we’re working toward it a little bit every day.”

  “I guess I feel the same way.” Kristil stretches out her arms, and I’m not sure if the crackle that follows is her elbows popping or a bit of static discharge from her… wherever. She chuckles to herself. “This might sound more than a little silly and childish, but now, seeing you… I feel like I want to be some sort of lightning-winged angel of vengeance, leaving storm clouds in my wake as I dart off from battle to battle, protecting the meek and smiting the wicked, like those who took my aunt and uncle and cousin from me.”

  I smile. “No, I don’t think that’s silly at all. The System gives us power, and with it the potential to do great things. Good things and evil things alike, but great in either case.” I motion to my mechanical arm. “Just as it’s enabled me to move a bit closer to who and what I want to be, you’re thinking more about who you want to be.”

  “Too bad I chose a [Lightning Evoker] class instead of an angel one.”

  “As your first class. I think we get a second one, or some change to our classes, once we hit a high enough level.”

  “Neat, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Our conversation is interrupted by a low rumble in the distance, followed by Lindsey and Stefan both rushing in, fully geared up and both looking pale.

  “All hands on deck, everyone,” Stefan says. “Looks like our cultist friends found out about what happened yesterday, and they’ve come seeking their pound of flesh.”

  Chloe and I turn to one another and share a nod. Meanwhile, Kristil’s eyes are full of indignation and, dare I say in her case, bloodlust, as we make our way out of the lodge and out to meet these scumbags.