Strategizing

-26th day of AC, 26.04.1052-

-Time: Around 19:50-

Aria's hand lowered. The staff she held let out weak crackling noises that quieted down together with the gem atop dimming. The mana that welled up around her started to disperse as she confirmed that the monster ahead was dead.

She shivered, seeing the legs of the cave spider twitch. The short, fur-like hair on its whole body made her feel almost nauseous. Its eight eyes, glistening in the light from her light orb, sent an ominous chill down her spine. She hated spiders.

She gripped her staff with more strength after just a second. Even if she felt uneasy, Travis relied on her to keep going. She wouldn't disappoint.

Releasing a light sigh, she made a careful half-circle around the corpse, continuing her venture down the cobweb-ridden corridor. A few meters ahead, Travis was already sheathing his sword, another of the spiders split in half. His face had a rather relaxed look as he made a small stretch. He glanced around, his eyes glimmering as he scanned every spot nearby. Raising a hand, he released a bunch of Mana Bolts, briefly illuminating one of the corridors.

"Looks clear," he said, turning to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Aria nodded, proceeding with caution. Every step she took was calculated, aiming to avoid approaching any of the dead spiders.

Suddenly, one of the curled-up bodies twitched. Its leg broke off, grazing Aria's.

"AH!" she yelped, loud enough for her voice to reverberate soundly against the walls.

In an instant, she lunged into Travis's arms. She felt the man hug her. However, what entered her ears was his snickering.

"Not funny," she pouted with a frown, looking him dead in the eye. The laughter in the golden orbs aligned with the curvature of his lips.

"Not a fan of spiders?"

She shook her head. "I never liked them, but... this place really gives me chills," her expression turned queasy. "I don't want to stay here longer than necessary."

'Let's add that to the list of things to watch out for in the future.' thought Travis as he let go of the woman's shoulder.

"Sure. Let's go, then. It's cleared up anyway."

Aria shook her head. With a hand gesture, she got the hair out of her face before turning around. The light ball hanging low below the ceiling moved as she trekked forth, the man following behind.

'With this, the first floor is cleared.' conceded the man, looking at his status. 'Not bad. There are many more monsters in here than in the previous dungeon. I might be looking at a level up tomorrow.' he nodded, seeing that the experience gauge had increased to nearly 65 percent. 'Today seems like a somewhat successful day, all things considered.' Travis nodded, looking at the woman. She was already pushing to level 27.

The walk back to the place they decided to camp in took a little over 20 minutes. As they approached, the rumbling sounds of the thunderstorm outside became clearer and louder. Finally stopping in a spot, Aria took out a duvet and put it on the stony floor before sitting down.

Travis joined her, leaning on the wall.

A few moments of silence transpired. Reaching around Aria's shoulder, her hugged her tenderly. The white-haired woman smiled in response, laying her head on his shoulder.

The storm outside had finally passed, leaving behind a heavy downpour. Thanks to that, the atmosphere was almost unbearably quiet, every second marked by their stable heartbeats.

...

"Hey," Aria suddenly broke the silence. "I've been thinking."

"What about?"

"Your attributes," she shrugged. "I mean, I understand you have the abilities of a Psion, but... what about the other half? The tricks?"

Travis frowned briefly. Bringing up the skill list, he scanned the numerous entries. What immediately came to his attention was some new skills he could choose from. However, that thought was temporarily thrown out of his mind. He had no skill point to use anyway at the moment.

"Well, there are a few spells that I can consider 'tricks'. Amplification lets me empower a spell but increases its costs. There's also a skill that lets me briefly confuse someone with an item, just like how I can hypnotize them. There's mana detection and a mana-based defensive ability... why do you ask?"

"Just thinking," Aria replied. "So, your abilities are that of a support," she continued. "Mental spells to influence people, and trickery to make your way out otherwise. Have you thought about what skills you want?" Aria looked at him, her gaze expectant.

"Frankly, I wanted to increase the mental side of my skills the most because of what's happened," he replied. "But I did get Mana Bolt to help with my fighting ability."

Aria made a humming sound. Even without voicing an answer, Travis could tell she understood his thinking. "Then, have you ever used them in a fight? The mental spells, I mean?"

"A couple of times. I've tried using Suggestion on animals and monsters, but it seems the less intelligent something is, the harder is it for the spell to work," 'It worked on Teleran, Isolde, and even the goblins we faced earlier. However, deer and rabbits were out of the question.' "Though, what's with the sudden interest?" he raised a brow at her.

"I'm thinking about what fighting style would fit you. Have you wondered much?"

"A bit," Travis hummed. "I primarily use my sword and support myself with Mana Bolts. It isn't exceptional in terms of damage, but I can cover all but the furthest ranges, and it's worked pretty well so far. I tried to not use mental magic because Willpower regenerates slowly," 'Though, with Unwavering Heart, that issue is almost entirely resolved.'

Aria's face showed a ponder. One of her hands went to her leg, stroking it through her pants unconsciously. Her eyes closed as she focused further, her other hand finding his as though to seek anchor in reality. Travis could almost sense the multitude of thoughts zooming within her head. No, actually...?

"Well," she suddenly spoke. "I suppose that's not a bad combination. I can cover longer ranges easily, so our compability is good," Aria shuffled, her bum rubbing against Travis's. "So, let's strategize a little. What abilities exactly can you learn?"

Travis focused on the skill tree. The sight of numerous skill orbs, each glimmering faintly, made the man sigh internally.

'I really wish there was a way for her to see this thing herself.' he thought. He imagined her amazement and wondered briefly what she would feel if she could view RALS herself. But there wasn’t time to dwell on that now.

[Manifest Reality lvl. 1

Bend existence to your will. Effects are temporary or permanent.

Duration: up to 70 seconds.

Cost: Depending on the number of changes, a minimum of 400 MP, 150 WP. Permanent effects cost 3 times more.]

[Sleight of hand lvl. 1

Dazzle your opponent with a held item, causing short-term confusion.

Duration: up to 6 seconds.

Cost: 60 MP]

[Amplification lvl. 1

Increase the damage/effect of your next skill by 1.5 times.

Increase the cost of your next skill by 2 times.

Cost: 350 MP, 35 WP]

[Mana detection lvl.1

Detect all mana flow around you. However, you won’t know its exact strength, direction, or master. The range is 5 meters.

Cost: 5 MP/s]

[Implant Trigger lvl. 1

Cast psionic magic on the target and encode a specific order. The order can be placed either verbally or mentally. The complexity of the order a target can accept depends on their mental capabilities. Whether the target accepts the order depends on how conflicting the order is.

Casting the same trigger more than once will reinforce it, making it more difficult to remove. However, reinforcement makes the trigger easier to detect.

*Targets of higher levels than you are resistant.

*Targets of higher WP than you are resistant.

Cost: 50 MP, 10 WP]

[Psi Bolt lvl. 1

Create and form a bolt of psionic energy.

Deals 4-7 + 20% of your magic power of damage. Damage is increased by 25% if the target has any mental conditions.

Cost: 8 WP]

[Mana Body lvl.1

Decrease all damage taken by 20%. However, any damage dealt to you will also drain your mana.

*Mana draining is equal to 150% of damage received before damage reduction takes place.

*Damage reduction from this skill is calculated before any other effects of a similar nature.

Duration: Until MP is used up or the skill is canceled.

Cost: 35 MP/minute]

He stopped briefly, having come to the end of skills that he had already checked at some point before. Aria sat quietly, the wheels of her mind visibly turning.

"I see..." she said, her voice slow and deliberate. Travis could imagine that within her head, a dozen thoughts at once moved, piecing together different scenarios. "Manifest Reality is the most peculiar of the bunch, I reckon. It doesn't specify whether it works on anything in particular. Does it mean it's possible to change the reality of a living being?"

Travis blinked, his confusion evident. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Doesn't this skill mean you could make someone a cripple in the middle of a fight? Or remove their weapon outright... hell, it even allows for permanent changes. It's a terrifying ability, which I guess explains its costs. Its utility is almost endless. You could change your or someone else's appearance for a short while... this could work fully as a disguise skill. It's a shame the duration is so short unless it's permanent. The permanence makes it almost like the skill wants you to consider long-term changes."

Travis felt a chill run down his spine. He had recognized the skill’s power, but hearing Aria lay it out so clearly made it even more daunting. "That's... quite terrifying, honestly."

Aria nodded, her expression focused. "But I imagine the costs for anything like that will be monstrous," his girlfriend continued. "I'd definitely keep this one in mind when you can pick something. But I'd get a better way of surviving first. From the list, it's hard to pick anything to solve that. Mana Body is something, but its mana consumption is too much. Amplification is a trump card, but its power tradeoff is quite large. Unless you can use it on an already strong skill and have enough resources, it will be almost useless for now. Psi Bolt is essentially Mana Bolt, but you already said Willpower regenerates slowly, so that's out of the question," Aria listed, her hand subconsciously marking a circle in Travis's palm. "Sleight of Hand… might help, but only if your opponent is paying attention. Mana Detection could unlock something useful down the line, though, and the last one…" She trailed off, her tone hesitant.

"The last one?"

Aria looked at him with a mixture of uncertainty and resolve. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Implant Trigger… it could be one of the most useful skills from the list."

Travis almost frowned. He expected the woman to be reserved toward Implant Trigger, as anyone would be. But she seemed to consider the possibility of him taking it?

"Listen," Aria continued, looking at him like she could read his inner thoughts. "If mental magic works when you're fighting, wouldn't it be possible to encode a trigger like that?"

"Maybe, but what kind of?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, exactly. Maybe it's possible to make your opponent turn away or drop their weapon when you tell them to, or maybe when you snap your fingers... I really don't know (it's your class, shouldn't you have at least an inkling?). It's described a little vaguely. Still, it's definitely a skill to keep in mind. Might not be a lifesaver, but honestly, it's the top three of the ones I'd pick in your shoes. This, Manifest Reality, and Amplification."

"If you say so," Travis nodded, gently stroking her hand. "I didn't think you'd actually consider that one. What changed?"

"...I just... thought about it all today," she replied. The way she stirred against his hold, combined with her uncertain tone, told the man she found her own thoughts mildly uncomfortable. "Without you using Mind Detection, we would've had to retreat from the last dungeon. Hell, I don't know if we could've even cleared it," she said, her tone somewhat heavy. She appeared to not be praising the skill, but rather, blaming something else. Or someone. "It's... I thought about it all in more context. It's not like I, a Mage, can pick up a sword and fight. Attributes of our classes are something we can't change," she continued, her voice quieter. "And you... your class is not fit for close quarters at all. You don't have any melee attack skills and must rely on items instead. You're meant to be a support, not a vanguard. That's why I think we should consider every last skill and their utility."

Travis didn't answer for a few seconds. His hand, placed lightly atop Aria's shoulder, tightened slightly as he stroked her skin.

"Yeah, you're right," he nodded, bringing his face closer to hers. His lips met her forehead tenuously. "Thanks for doing this."

"...it's nothing. Thinking this through is vital," she replied, nudging her cheek against his shoulder as though seeking more contact. The man could tell she wanted to add something but only silence ensued, the woman deciding against speaking her mind further.

"Then, let's continue," he said, focusing on the skill tree again.

This time, he brought up the skills that became available recently that he had not paid much attention to.

[Psionic Field lvl. 1

Create a field of psionic magic around you, 5 meters in radius. You can feel the mental strength of every being within the field and locate them precisely.

*The effect depends on the difference in Willpower between you and the beings within the field.

Cost: 1 WP/s]

[Evoke Thought lvl. 1

Briefly enter the target's mind and pick a thought in their surface memory level. The chosen thought will immediately come to the target's mind as though of their own volition.

*Targets with higher WP than you may feel the skill usage.

Cost: 10 WP]

[Block Thought lvl. 1

Cast a bolt of psionic energy to block a specific thought in the target's surface thoughts.

*Targets with higher WP than you are resistant and may feel the skill usage.

Cost: 15 WP]

[Mind reading lvl. 1

Enter the target's mind and read their surface-level thoughts and memories.

*The amount of information you can read depends on the difference in Willpower and level.

*The speed of information reading depends on the target's mental capabilities and your proficiency.

Cost: 20 WP/minute]

[Connect Mind lvl. 1

Create a psionic link between two minds near each other. Mental spells affecting one mind will also affect the other.

*You can create a maximum of 3 connections at once. Every time the skill level increases, the limit will increase by one.

*The target must be susceptible to mind magic to be connected.

*The degree to which the spell affects connected minds depends on the distance between the minds.

Cost: 40 WP. Additional 20 WP per already existing connection.]

[Mind Jab lvl. 1

Infuse a strike of psionic energy directly into the target's mind, disrupting their thought process and causing a headache.

Cost: 12 WP]

Travis took a deep breath. Those were not all the skills that were discovered, but they were the ones that delved into the territory of mental magic. His golden eyes traced along Aria's form. Her hand, resting on his knee, appeared to indicate her state, its fingers stretching and clenching in turn with every stable breath. He could imagine that despite her earlier words, she was still hesitant.

"..." she did not speak for some long seconds, her head on his shoulder. The stable rhythm of her breathing was the only indication that she was alive, her eyes invisible to the man.

Travis gently traced Aria's shoulder. The woman almost shivered, goosebumps appearing on her fair skin. However, she barely even tensed up. He pondered momentarily whether it was because she was so deep in thought.

Suddenly, Aria sighed.

"Frankly, none of those seem that great. Mind Jab sounds like it'd have a synergy with Psi Bolt, which almost entirely removes its candidacy (at least until you have skill points to spare). The remainder is literally just manipulative techniques, and two of them require Mind Reading, so they're in the same spot," she shook her head.

Travis nodded. "Connect Mind doesn't sound that amazing, either," he said, complementing Aria's words. "It's something that could work if there's a need to use mental magic on a few people at once, but otherwise, it's useless. Psionic Field sounds the best of the bunch," 'But it's not as useful because we're aiming to avoid people for now if possible.'

Aria hummed. Her hands retreated to her hips as she leaned on the man a little more. "Do you have any more skills available?"

"A few. Want to take a break first?"

"No, it's alright," she replied, but one of her eyes closed. "Go on."

Travis smiled at the sight. Aria's hand crept into his, letting him feel her stable heartbeat, nearly synced with his. Her skin, once so cold, was now warm and had a much healthier color than just a few days ago.

However, his attention was turned away from the woman, and onto his skill tree. The half-translucent background reminiscent of the night sky seemed to shimmer as though asking him to continue.

[Willpower Surge lvl. 1

Persistent passive.

When WP drops below 10%, double the power of all WP-based skills cast. Applies two times in total.

Cooldown: 12 hours]

[Psionic Infusion lvl. 1

Conditional passive.

Every time you use 100 WP, imbue your weapon with psionic energy, causing it to deal an additional 10% damage as psionic damage. Psionic damage ignores the target's defense and has a chance to lower their Willpower.

*Stacks up to two times.

*Stacks last for 1 minute. The duration is refreshed every time the skill activates.

Cost: None

Activation condition: Resource consumption]

[Meditation

Conditional passive.

Double HP, MP, and WP regeneration. Increase stamina recovery rate by 25%. Reduce skill cooldowns by 20%.

Cost: None

Activation condition: Focus

Cooldown: None

*Cannot be used intentionally. It will activate randomly when your concentration is ****.]

[Mind's Eye lvl. 1

Dislocate your vision from your body, allowing you to see the world remotely. The Mind's Eye can move freely. The range grows with your Intelligence and Willpower.

*Cannot pass through solid obstacles and requires some room to transfer its position efficiently.

Cost: 2 MP/s, 5 WP/minute

Cooldown: 10 minutes]

[Mana Ball lvl. 1

Form and cast a concentrated ball of pure magical energy. Deals 15-22 + 30% of your magic power as damage.

*There is a low probability of exploding upon impact, dealing half its damage value to all enemies within 1m of the target.

Casting time: 2 seconds

Cost: 35 MP

Cooldown: 10 seconds]

[Mana Spear lvl. 1

Form and cast a spear of pure magic. Deals 25-34 + 30% of your magic power as damage.

*There is a low probability of ignoring up to 20% of the target's defense.

*In the case of penetration, damage is increased by 50%.

Casting time: 3 seconds

Cost: 50 MP

Cooldown: 10 seconds]

Travis finished reading the skill tree. His hand tightened around Aria's briefly. Their shared warmth seemed to stir the woman who immediately understood his intention.

"...it's hard to pick anything," Aria started. "Willpower Surge is the worst in here. Psionic Infusion would require you to frequently use Willpower, so that's also not something to consider," she looked to the dark ceiling above. "Mind's Eye sounds like a reconnaissance skill, but I don't know about its usability. The restriction makes it situational, and no range is given in the first place," she shrugged.

"The two attack spells do look interesting, though, don't they?"

Aria almost immediately nodded. "I'm honestly a little surprised. I didn't expect you'd have offensive magic like that."

"Do you think they're a good choice?" his brow raised.

"Hmm..." she didn't answer with anything but a prolonged hum. Her green eyes glistened as she turned to her mind.

She wasn't however, the only one who thought about the skills and their implications.

'Meditation is a really horrible choice. It's only reliably possible to use it in a quiet environment, and it'll be easy to lose focus. I think Kanya had it... she used to do that meditation pose sometimes.' he thought. A brief memory of old resurfaced. His sister, golden-eyed like him and wearing a long, brown braid that half-twirled around her neck and loosely fell onto her green tunic was an image he saw so many times he'd lost count. It'd always go the same way: Kanya would take a breath or two, secure a somewhat comfortable position on her bed, and then cross her legs and close her eyes. Travis smiled, reminding himself of her soft face forming a focused expression, her thin eyebrows lowering and her thin lips almost curling before she relaxed.

And then, he reminded himself what he used to do in those situations.

'Gah, I was a brat of a little brother.' Travis chuckled. There were many things he could've done, from going to play with Crystal and other kids to trying to mimic his sister. In sincerity, he had tried all his options one by one. But the one thing he did probably one too many times was to go up to Kanya and curl up on her lap. He was just small enough back then to do that rather easily. The aftermath, however, was his sister's ruined session.

'And yet, she rarely so much as frowned.'

Kanya was not the type to express anger easily. Even though he clearly bothered her, she would always smile at him. And then, if his position was right, she'd pick him up and let him lean into her before hugging him tightly, like a mother he'd never had.

The warmth of her touch felt so common back then that he'd grown tired of it. His hand subconsciously went to his shoulder, exactly in the place where his sister's long fingers often went. For some reason, the reminiscence of the sensation felt almost fresh. Likewise, the memory of how warmly her golden eyes watched him, and the way her lips oftentimes curved tingled Travis's memory in a spot he could tell was just barely outside his reach.

Seemingly sensing his pondering state, Aria dislodged her hand from his.

"What are you thinking about?" she inquired, curiosity evident. She shuffled her position, planting her large bum on Travis's legs as she faced him sideways.

"It's nothing," Travis shook his head. "Just thinking about Meditation. Doesn't sound at all good if it requires concentration."

"Hmm... well, it has its uses," she shrugged. "It's more than just improving resource regeneration. It's a great way to clear your mind in general."

"Oh?"

"I have that skill," the white-haired woman explained at her boyfriend's raised brow.

"Is that so?"

"My brother, Gerial, taught me it to help me train. Much better than having to drink mana potions, but it is mostly redundant in a fight. Still better than nothing, though. I can teach you that."

"It's alright," Travis shook his head gently. "Gaining skills like that has always been difficult for me. I usually used skill trees instead."

"Oh..." Aria's head lowered slightly. A glint of some unknown feeling crossed her features.

"Well, that aside. What do you think about Mana Spear and Mana Ball?"

"...they're definitely a decent choice for most," Aria's head bobbed to her side, her white hair dancing across her skin as she did so. "And I think having an eye on one of them is a wise idea. Some extra long-range damage is always helpful."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Travis smiled. His hand found Aria's as the woman reciprocated. "Though, I wanted to ask you something."

"Mmmm? What is it?" she asked with a hum. Her emerald eyes flickered across his face as she showed a bit of inquisitiveness.

"What skills will you be picking?" her boyfriend inquired, his golden gaze slightly expectant. "With your recent level-ups, you should have a skill point or two, no?"

"...oh," Aria's eyes widened. "I can't pick skills," she said flatly.

"What do you mean?" he frowned, confusion evident.

"Wait, it'll be easier to just show you."

With those words, Aria looked around, locating her bag almost instantly. Rummaging inside for a few seconds, she soon brought up her MID. Lighting it up, she allowed it to display her skill tree.

The sight made Travis forget to breathe.

He'd seen his own skill tree back when he could use MID countless times. His every class hinged on that item to learn new skills. Every orb it displayed, colored or uncolored, was as important to him as the very attainment of the class. It was imperative to understand what the class could truly do, even if the insight was very shallow at every step.

Golden orbs appeared in the air, lit up by a blue glow from beneath. That was where Travis's expectations met a hard wall.

The first thing that got Travis's attention was, there were absolutely no connections between the skills. Rather, each orb appeared as separated from others as possible, as if getting any closer would risk the destruction of both. If anything, it looked like the skills were completely random, even though he knew at least a couple of them. Elemental spells in particular should've shown at least some dependence, if not on one another then on a uniform skill that was their predecessor.

But that wasn't even what perplexed him the most.

"You... am I seeing this right? You have no available skills?" he uttered with incredulity in his voice.

It made no sense. The skill tree - the stump of one's growth in their class - HAD to have some skills available. Or... did it? Travis's brows furrowed. His confusion went sky-high in an instant.

Aria immediately reacted to his bafflement. Shifting the card in her hand a little, she gave him a slightly strange look. "It's how it is. My family can't gain skills with skill trees. We use skill books and arcane teachings."

"...aren't skill books quite expensive?" Travis frowned. He already had a vague idea that Aria's family was wealthy. Since the beginning, her equipment was nothing third-rate, and when they got out of Penalty Zone, she offered to pay his fine for not having a working MID (those were hefty for a typical citizen). Later, Chris confirmed his suspicions. However, the question he never dared ask was, how wealthy they were. Fostering one child with those would be possible, but three? And what about the woman's parents, at least the part that was of pure Brinn blood?

"Well... I told you that Foll, my brother, is an adventurer, right?"

"Yes, and...?"

"He specializes in going into uncharted territories around the continent. He has more dungeons explored than even a seasoned mercenary, and almost always brings back some nice things. Among them these," she rolled up her sleeves, exposing the silver bracelets Travis had appraised not long ago. "and my staff," she pointed to her bag. "Come to think of it, even my bag came from a dungeon..." she put a hand on her chin before waving her hand dismissively. "Either way, the point is, he brought a lot of things over time. And because he quickly gained experience in dealing with them, he started appraising them on his own. Some nicer things are left for us, some others are sold, and the rest is usually thrown away."

"...how much does he gain per adventure?"

Aria hummed. "That really depends on a lot of things. Location where he's going, how much equipment he needs, the costs add up quickly. Some expeditions turn out to be a bust, and some make even the nobility of Poiri interested. I think, with all the costs and what he splits with his team, Foll's profits average somewhere around ten thousand per expedition."

"I see. That's a lot of silver."

Aria looked at him, a glint of confusion flickering within the emerald orbs.

"...you mean ten thousand silver... right?" Travis asked, his voice quieting as he stared at the woman on his lap in disbelief. Seeing her shake her head, the realization dawned on him. 'What the hell... gold coins?'

A few moments of silence followed. Travis took this time to do some mental calculations.

A piece of bread usually went for coppers. A good piece would be worth maybe a silver coin, but it was rare. Adding some extra to make it a worthwhile meal, buying some water, and adding spices and such would total about twenty silver per day to afford somewhat proper meals. Summing it with living expenses - a place to sleep, hygiene tools, taxes, and others - would total about fifty silver per day, perhaps double that in some cases.

However, that was only when one wanted a 'decent' life standard. Travis lived in that standard for years. He had nothing to complain about, really - at least he did not have to litter the streets at night or fight for food - but he was well aware it was entirely possible to survive for a tenth of that cost. Hell, some beggars the man could recall only managed to gather scraps, broken coppers, and, rarely, dented silvers, and even they managed to live.

Meanwhile, Aria's brother earned... thousands per expedition. Thousands of gold coins...

'Ten thousand is enough to set one for life. There'd probably be enough to split between a few kids, even.' he pondered. He never got to the stage of life where he'd inquire about the costs of building a house, but he had a clue. Overhearing things when he worked in many places had its quirks. Browsing through his memories, he recalled the sum total one of his coworkers gave him once. The cost of constructing a house in a remote location - if one wished to hide - would cost roughly two thousand gold, from the foundations to the roof. Foll managed that sum five times over? Per average expedition? The very thought made Travis's head spin.

Aria seemed to catch on to his palpable confusion. Her hand grasped his, her small fingers gingerly stroking his palm. Noticing his attention turning to her, she sighed.

"I know, it's quite a bit of money," she seemed to **** herself to not roll her eyes. "But the reality is a little different from what you might think. Quite a bit of what Foll makes goes into preparations, travel expenses, custom-tailored equipment he can't find... you wouldn't imagine how much of all that is spent on those. And he also gives some to our family treasury. When everything settles, he's usually left with less than a thousand."

"That's... still quite a sum, you know?" his brow raised as though he doubted the validity of his girlfriend's words.

"I'm aware. I'm just saying, it's more complicated than it might seem at first."

"Though... now that you mention all that, something doesn't make sense in all this. If you just stayed in Tullia, you'd have had a comfortable life. But you went to be an officer of law... why?"

Aria's mood immediately deflated at the question. She turned away slightly, and Travis saw that his inquiry stung her unpleasantly. A sour sensation appeared at the tip of his tongue, seeing her twitch in her spot before she looked at her hands.

"...I just..." she mumbled quietly before falling silent. Her gaze turned to the man. "...it's a little complicated."

Travis nodded. His hand slowly ventured to hers, his rugged skin contrasting with her soft. "It's alright," he said. "Don't say it if it's hurtful for you."

"It's not hurtful, just..." Aria started. Squeezing her man's hand tightly, she made a prolonged blink, as though deciding upon something. "...I've been having disagreements with my father for a few years now. He's always had this idea of marrying each of his kids to whoever seemed fit. But I... didn't like the idea. I mean seriously, one day I'd just wake up and be greeted with 'Aria, you're marrying this man whom you've never met in your life and you don't really know how he's going to treat you.'. It's just... wicked for me."

Travis hummed quietly. He could tell Aria was speaking from the heart. Truthfully, he understood her standpoint. How strange would it have been if Kanya one day woke him up by saying he was now engaged to someone?

The Apostle placed his other hand on Aria's shoulder and pulled her in, giving her a gentle hug. The Mage did not fight at all, and her form felt almost like she melted into his hold. She wiggled in her position a little, her head right next to his.

"So that's why you went to work with authorities? To go against your father's decision?"

Aria nodded. "It's more complicated than that, but that's the main gist of it. I specifically chose authorities because I hoped I'd be assigned away from Tullia. And lo and behold, I was sent to the other side of the kingdom..." her voice turned to a mix of a quiet groan and a low hum. Travis could tell that now, knowing why she was sent to Silvana, she didn't feel that great about it anymore.

Travis placed his hand on her back better. Tracing her skin through the clothing, he felt the woman tense up briefly before she gave him a hum of approval at the touch.

"What about your brothers, though?"

"Gerial didn't fight my father's intentions. He has a child of his own. But I can't say I like his wife much. She always gave off a strange energy. Not harmful, just... incompatible. Maybe it's just me."

"And Foll?"

Aria suddenly snorted before erupting into laughter. Her wide smile broke through the heavy atmosphere of the moment.

"Oh, Foll had none of that. When he met his fiance, he did everything he could to be a nuisance. After that didn't scare her off, he suddenly disappeared for a couple weeks. Frankly, they all were frantic about his disappearance, but I was amazed that he stood up for himself. And then, when he came back, he had a woman in tow, who turned out to be his wife. He met his current wife and married her during his escape. I will never forget our father's face when he did that," she snickered, touching Travis's shoulder. Her eyes closed before she yawned. "He inspired me to find my own way as well."

"So, is he adventuring with his wife?"

"Yeah. She was the one to give him the idea of starting the whole adventuring business in the first place. I really like her. The two of them fit perfectly, I think. Too bad our father doesn't approve of that much. Since he did that stunt, Foll has only been home for short visits. I honestly can't remember if they ever stayed at our home for more than a day at once."

"Does he not have kids?"

"Oh, gods no. Foll never said it openly, but he once mentioned to me in secret he wouldn't have a child until our father passed. A kind of his own pettiness for our father almost forcing him to get married and give him a grandchild," Aria chuckled. Travis could tell she approved of her brother's actions.

He lowered his lips to Aria's hair. Blowing a burst of air into the white strands, he earned himself half a hum in response, which was almost immediately followed by a yawn.

"Feeling tired?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder. "It's already getting dark outside, and I still feel that run from earlier *Yawn*. I'm too tired to get some duvet. Mmmm.... I don't care," she continued, shifting her position a little. Forcing the man's legs to spread, Aria leaned on him completely, her head just below his.

Travis's finger poked her in her cheek. "Lazybum."

Aria pouted. "You have five times my Endurance, smartass. Don't lecture me," she said, her body grinding against his. If not for her yawning, Travis would've sworn she was trying to make a move on him, awaiting his reaction. Or maybe...?

He got a hand to her hips. Grasping at the woman's wide posterior, Travis earned himself a muffled chuckle. However, before he acted upon that, Aria's hand went for her bag. With a lazy motion, she handed it to him.

"Get yourself something out..." she said quietly.

"Aren't you getting too comfortable?" he chuckled, accepting the bag. Aria had shown him earlier how to operate it, so unlocking the seal was a piece of cake for him.

"Mmmm," Aria stirred with a sound. Her white hair flowed as she made a final motion, laying her cheek right against the man's heart. He could notice a happy smile donning her lips. "Let's just sleep~," she said, her every next word quieter.

"Sure," he lowered his head, planting a light kiss on her hair. "Good night."

Aria gave him a short noise in response. The ball of light she'd maintained in front of them dimmed before slowly dissipating.

...

Travis searched her bag, illuminating everything around with a few Mana Bolts. Finding anything in that space was a challenge, as almost no light that entered returned, consumed by the large space. Getting a hold of a duvet took more than a minute.

His hand brushed Aria's shoulder. The woman hardly reacted. Taking this as a confirmation of her sleeping, Travis slowly changed her position to a lying one, covering her in the duvet. Her soft breaths continued unabated.

He got a hand to his head. A brief yawn escaped his mouth, signaling that he also could go for some sleep.

However, he abstained from doing so. Instead, he rummaged in the bag some more, getting out a large bucket and a few pieces of cloth.

His steps were quiet, at least compared to the rainfall outside. Approaching the entrance to the cave, Travis felt the humidity in the air that tickled his skin. The chilly dark of the outside felt almost foreboding.

He put down the bucket in a spot right outside the cave, covering it with the clothes. This water, put through a simple filter, would tomorrow be boiled by Aria and dispensed into several bottles she had for that purpose.

Then, he returned. The sight of quietly snoring Mage put a light smile on the man's lips. He sat down next to her, crossing his legs on the piece of duvet reserved for him.

Summoning a clock from RALS, he confirmed that the hour was still too early to even consider opening Rulebreaker's Piece. His quest screen also dictated that the Daily Quest was finished. Five points were spread across Agility, Endurance, and Intelligence to round them up. Travis hummed, discarding the status screen.

His eyes escaped to the dimly lit ceiling above. The light from his Mana Bolts danced across the irregular shapes carved in the stone. He let out a prolonged whiff of air.

Lowering his gaze, Travis closed his eyes and let go of the Mana Bolts, letting their mana seep back into him. Inhaling and then exhaling deeply, he thought about how Kanya used to do it. Assuming a similar position to what he remembered, the man tried to recall what she'd told him about it.

"Don't be discouraged because it fails," she said, her tone soft and eyes glimmering with resolve. "Nothing really works the first time around. Just try, and try, and you'll get it right."

He unconsciously formed a warm smile mimicking hers. His memories flooded, dozens of different events occurring at once. In the time that followed, Travis took great care to slowly unwrap them one by one. In doing so, he lived them all. A cacophony of sounds, smells, tastes, and touches enveloped him.

Travis wasn't aware at the time. All he did was slowly gain control over his memory skill. That was why he did not even think about his body's natural reaction. The longer he dissected the memories deep within his mind, the more his body relaxed, assuming a pose that was no different from his sister's. The longer he segregated them, scooping them up like tiny drops into a container, the more he cleared his mind.

He was still a far cry from reaching a state of selflessness required to achieve true meditation, but he was already taking the first steps.

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