Fell blinked, feeling the weight of Nyla's hand on her head. The casual head pat caught her off guard, and for a moment, she wasn't sure how to react. Was this normal for beastkin? Or was this just a Nyla thing?
"Uh… sure?" Fell replied, her voice uncertain.
Nyla's tail swayed behind her, clearly pleased. "Great! Since we're friends now, tell me—are you strong?"
Fell hesitated, glancing down at her hands. She had fought slimes, but that wasn't exactly a grand achievement. And despite having Good cards, she wasn't experienced like Maris or, presumably, Nyla. "I… don't know," she admitted.
Nyla grinned. "Then let's spar."
Fell nearly choked on air. "S-Spar?! I just met you!"
Yuile sighed from behind the counter, shaking her head at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Nyla, don't scare the poor girl."
"But Mom, how else am I supposed to know how strong she is?" Nyla argued, crossing her arms. "Besides, she's an adventurer too! She should get used to fighting other people, not just monsters."
Fell frowned slightly. She wasn't against the idea of a spar, but after the emotional rollercoaster from earlier, she wasn't sure if she was in the right mindset for it. "Maybe another time?" she offered.
Nyla tilted her head, then nodded. "Alright, but I'm holding you to that, new friend." She plopped down at the counter, accepting the bowl of stew from her mother.
Fell sighed in relief, focusing on finishing her meal. Nyla's energy was a bit overwhelming, but something about her straightforwardness was… refreshing.
Fell was not tired after she slept the afternoon off, she wondered if she should go outside and enjoy the scenery of the town, but her mood was still down.
She absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair with her finger, she thought back on how that demon held her and made her feel a strange comfort.
She remembered her lullaby and could even decipher a few words from it but at the same time she couldn't pronounce them, it was surreal yet it was also slightly peaceful.
Fell was thankful for that demon for comforting her while she was at her weakest instead of taking advantage of her.
She stood up feeling if she sat here all the demons efforts may go to waste. Nyla curiously looked at her. "Oh are you going out, can I tag along after I am done with this."
Fell scratched the back of her head. "Uhm ok"
Fell sat back down and instead observed the Lynx girl, she was older than her and she was a bit taller than her too, her eyes were unique and the constant wagging of her tale was cute.
I wonder how fluffy her hair is. Fell was wondering such thoughts, her white hair looked soft and her tail was bringing her into a hypnotic trance.
She blinked and rubbed her cheeks slightly to stop her thoughts from affecting her.
Soon Nyla was done with her food. "Mom, I'll come back after I walk around town with my new friend"
Yuile smiled and nodded. "Ok but make sure not to overwhelm too much, ok sweetie"
Nyla pouted. "I am not that insensitive mom, Fell is small and she needs rest or her body won't grow, we will just stay out for a few hours"
Yuile sighed, she knew her daughter was being good but she can't resist giving her advice. "Make sure to stay away from beer and suspicious men"
Nyla grabbed Fell's hand and took her up running with her out of the door. "Ok mom?!"
Yuile shaked her head at her daughter's impulsiveness, she sighed and put her attention back to work and give a few adventurers and guests their meal.
Fell barely had time to react before she was dragged outside, Nyla's grip firm but not painful. The cool evening air greeted them as they stepped onto the bustling streets of Silick. The town was lively even at this hour—merchants were still calling out their wares, adventurers lounged in small groups, and the distant hum of music from a nearby tavern added to the atmosphere.
Fell exhaled slowly, letting the fresh air settle her nerves. Maybe this isn't so bad.
"So, where to?" she asked, glancing up at Nyla. The lynx girl grinned, her sharp eyes scanning the streets.
"Hmmm… we could check out the market, see if any traveling merchants have interesting stuff. Or maybe head to the training grounds?" Nyla wiggled her ears, looking at Fell expectantly. "Or—oh! The bridge over the river has the best view of the sunset. You seem like the quiet type, so maybe that's more your speed?"
Fell blinked at her. It was… kind of surprising that Nyla picked up on that so quickly.
"The bridge sounds nice," Fell admitted. She wasn't exactly in the mood for shopping or fighting right now.
Nyla beamed. "Good choice! C'mon!"
Still holding her hand, Nyla led the way through the town with an easy confidence, weaving through the crowd effortlessly. Fell, on the other hand, had to focus to not trip over her own feet. Nyla's energy was infectious, but her speed made keeping up a challenge.
They eventually reached the outskirts of town where the stone bridge arched over a gently flowing river. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting the sky in hues of orange, pink, and purple. Fireflies had started to flicker in the grass by the riverbanks.
Fell leaned against the bridge's railing, resting her arms on the cool stone. "…It's pretty."
Nyla, standing beside her, wagged her tail. "Told ya." She glanced at Fell and smirked. "So? Feeling better?"
Fell thought about it. The town, the sunset, even Nyla's chaotic energy—it had distracted her, in a good way. She wasn't entirely over what had happened earlier, but… she didn't feel as heavy.
"…Yeah," she said softly. "A little."
Nyla grinned. "Good. 'Cause I plan to drag you around town more often."
Fell huffed out a small laugh. "Guess I don't have a choice, huh?"
"Nope!" Nyla said proudly, her tail flicking against Fell's side. "That's what friends are for."
Fell blinked. Friends.
The word settled in her chest, warm and unfamiliar. She hadn't expected to make friends here, not this quickly. But maybe… maybe that wasn't a bad thing.
"Yeah, thanks for dragging me out Nyla" Nyla grinned and then gently ruffled her hair.
Fell was still not used to that but it didn't feel bad. She pouted at the contact instead. "I am not a Kid Nyla"
Nyla had a teasing grin on her face. "Oh really, then how old are you then"
Fell suddenly went silent.
"Fell~." Nyla was persistent.
Fell sighed and finally replied. "... Twelve "
Nyla looked at her, then thought for a moment, her pigtails were long and orange, it was populuamong kids these days, she was also short and had that childish body and she also looked vulnerable. "Oh so you're two years younger than me"
Fell nodded. "Yeah and I am a level one too"
Nyla grinned and patted her head again. "Hahaha don't worry, I started adventuring at that age and it took me a year and a half to reach level 10 and becoming a silver rank"
Fell was stunned. "Is leveling up really that hard?"
Nyla chuckled. "Yeah, it is, you have to train your class abilities a lot, it is a repetitive cycle of getting stronger, it's slow but also worth it if you're patient enough"
Nyla's hand was still on top of her head, but now she did not really mind, it felt comforting and it made her feel safe. "It's not easy then huh"
"It's not, making friends that won't die the next day is harder though." Nyla playfully said but there was a sadness under it.
Fell looked up at her. "You lost friends?"
Nyla had a sad smile on her face, she stared into Fell's innocent eyes and just smiled. "It happens, Some die, Some leave, Some get forced into slavery by some vey bad people"
"... That's terrible" Fell knew the world of Vel'Draeth was not innocent at all, by playing the main quest one would know it was not a world meant for the weak.
peaking of that, Fell thinks the main quest is not happen since the world is more realistic now, so it may come at a more different way.
No she should stop thinking about that, she should try to cheer up Nyla. "Hey, I won't die though, I'll make sure to get strong quickly"
Nyla blinked at her, then let out a soft chuckle. "Oh yeah? Big words for a level one newbie."
Fell crossed her arms, pouting. "I mean it. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon."
Nyla ruffled her hair again, her tail flicking in amusement. "Good. Just make sure you actually back those words up."
Fell huffed but didn't protest the hair ruffling this time. It was oddly reassuring.
The two stood in comfortable silence, watching as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon. The stars were beginning to peek out, twinkling against the darkening sky.
After a moment, Nyla stretched. "Alright, we should head back before my mom thinks I kidnapped you."
Fell nodded, pushing off the railing. "Yeah."
When they returned to the Inn, Yuile notified Fell that she has prepared a bath for her up in her room, Fell was grateful, Nyla gave her good night's to Fell and then went to the back of the counter.
After she entered her room, Fell did not immediately take a bath, she decided to use Card Craft to make the Slime body skill card.
The card Materials appeared in front of her in the form of floating cards with the pictures of the ingredients.
[Card Skill Blueprint-Slime Body]
[Description: A passive card skill created from absorbing the essence of a basic slime. When equipped, grants slight resistance to physical attacks and minor regeneration over time. Can be upgraded by absorbing more slime-type monsters.]
[Card Materials required: 1x Slime Core, 5x Mana Shards]
Fell stared at the materials floating in front of her. The Slime Core shimmered with a faint blue glow, while the Mana Shards pulsed like tiny embers of raw magic.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and activated Card Craft.
A faint hum filled the air as the materials dissolved into particles of light. The fragments swirled together, forming a new card in front of her.
[Skill Card: Slime Body (Lv.1)]
[Effect: Grants minor physical resistance and slow health regeneration.]
[Upgrade Potential: Absorb more slime-type monsters.]
Fell held the card between her fingers, studying its glowing edges. It wasn't a powerful skill, but it was something. It was proof that she could grow stronger, little by little.
She hesitated for only a moment before pressing the card to her chest.
[Skill Card Equipped.]
A faint warmth spread through her body as the card bonded with her. It wasn't a dramatic change—no sudden surge of power—but she felt… a little sturdier. A little more prepared.
She then brought out her status card
[Status]
[Name]: Fell (Originally Fall)
[Gender]: Female (Originally Male)
[Class]: Card Master (Lv. 1)
[Skills]: Draw Card, Card Combination, Card Looting, Card Craft
[Card Types]:
Buff & Debuff Cards: (2 cards)
Skill Cards: (4 cards)
[Card Materials]: 0
[Skill Descriptions]
Draw Card: Draws a random card from the user's available deck.
Card Looting: Grants a 20% chance to loot card materials and blueprints from fallen enemies.
Card Combination: Temporarily fuses two existing low-level cards of the same type into a stronger version. The effect lasts for a limited time before reverting.
Card Craft: Uses collected card materials to craft new cards. Higher-tier cards require rarer materials, and some crafted cards may be temporary.
...
[Equipped Skill Cards]
1. Slime Body (Passive) → Grants slight resistance to physical attacks and minor regeneration over time. Can be upgraded by absorbing more slime-type monsters.
...
[Six Seal of the Six demons beyond the stars]
1.Midnight Demon of the Plaedes Tower
-Name: Unknown.
-Card Type: Form Card(No Activator)
-Status: Caring, Awake
2. ???{Slumbering}
3.???{Slumbering}
4.???/???{Slumbering/Slumbering}
5.???{Slumbering}
6.???{Slumbering}