Zera received a look of surprise from the group, and although they didn't seem as surprised as before they sort of shrugged it off after her comment of memory loss.
The scientist hobbled back over to Zera and repeated his question, "How did ya absorb that.. Essence. Your wing. May I examine it?"
'Wing? What? This geezer is crazy, I'm a human girl surely..' Zera thought to herself with mild confusion. She decided to settle this by feeling both sides of her back. She reached back and one side has nothing but the other. . . 'A wing? An actual wing? I'm not human?! eh?! Okay Okay.. Calm down and pretend I know.'
Zera nodded silently. "I mean it's just like using an arm or a leg, or blinking. It sort of just was instinct." She replied with slight anxiousness at the old man getting really close. Zera didn't like random people getting into her personal space, after all, who would?
He grabbed the red spike on the middle joint first, and then felt down onto the base of the wing, making obscure comments in random intervals as he caught interest. "It seems like a dragon's, but this is nothing I've ever seen.. This color differentiation.. it fades from black on the wing into red on the 3 spikes.. It's a work of nature at its finest. Anyone can absorb the loot but it normally takes time.." He quietly cackled and prodded the firm webbing before backing off without another word. Alice, Kale, and Leo seemed fairly creeped out by him while Zera.. Zera was going through a mental relapse of why she said yes to an old coot asking something like that.
A few minutes passed and everyone calmed down substantially. Alice came over and glanced at Zera, who's eyes were staring at nothing again. Meanwhile Zera was observing her inventory which was divided into several sections of squares. Each one was empty except for 3. One was the 2 Goblin ears, the second and third being the Soul Shard and Corpse Stealer Core. There was also a small colorful coin icon which had 100 labelled beside it. It was located above the inventory box.
After considering it for a moment she tapped the core and soul shard and they dropped into her hand. She got two notifications asking two seperate options. 'Well the old geezer said absorbing the loot was normal so surely this will go fine.'
--- Absorb ---
Do you wish to absorb one monster core (Corpse Stealer) for experience and potential extra gains?
Y/N
'Yes please~'
+2 KINETIC
+1.5 IMAGE
+ Rare Blank Skillbook
"Oooh I wonder what that is." She said it out loud without a second thought.
--- Absorb ---
Do you wish to absorb one soul shard for ???
'... will it kill me?'
'. . . yes.'
+ ??? Essence
Zera sighed in relief. She was clueless as to what this unknown essence was but atleast it didn't harm her. She glanced to her side feeling an odd tension in the air. The group was yet again staring at her with mouths agape from shock. Zera yet again did something completely abnormal.
"Did I do.. something wrong? Was I supposed to sell it or something?" Zera answered with a tinge of worry in her light slightly young voice.
Kale was the first to speak up, managing to stutter out a comprehensible sentence, "N--no... We don't even know what you just held--- or what you did. It disappeared into your hand like quicksand. What were those items?"
Alice and Leo nodded to reaffirm the question. "We wana know too."
'waah... I could've never predicted this.. How would I know these objects didn't exist normally.. System you got me into trouble again!!.. First the poison, then the group escort, now revealing something serious?! Warn me next time I acquire something unique to your shenanigans'
--- Warning Considered ---
'... You can reply you little-- Whatever.'
Zera chuckled nervously, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.
"It was uhm... An unknown shard. I felt inclined to absorb it yea? I didn't know it was something bad." Zera nervously looked away, hoping they didn't catch on to what it actually was and thought she was clueless instead.
Leo sighed in exasperation of Zera's 'rash behavior' and suddenly walked forward and grasped both her shoulders. He stared her directly in the eyes and then said in quite a loud stern tone, "Don't endanger yourself because of a whim, idiot! We already consider you an invaluable member, if only temporarily. Don't throw yourself away to satisfy your curiosity!" Leo immediately let go and backed up to give Zera space.
Zera seemed fine and her face didn't show any signs of grief, but suddenly she started to uncontrollably tear up. Her eyes watered and she rubbed them for a moment, considering possibilities of why she reacted like this.'The hell.. At first I felt weirded out but... Why do I feel hurt by that.. A numb sensation.. Maybe it's female mentality starting to kick in.. damn!..'
While Zera was controlling her slight mood shift, Alice hit Leo's shoulder not-so-lightly, then aggressively lectured him, "Go apologize you prick, jeez Leo! She is crying!"
Leo noticed this and shook his head in sheer disbelief and walked up to Zera, patting her head without warning. He spoke up shyly after a long sigh
"Listen. I don't know if your memory loss might've made you frail but..That doesn't matter. It was my fault for being too harsh. I'm sorry, please don't cry. Take care of yourself though, seriously.. You had me worried." Leo was flustered from shame and embarrassment, Alice didn't often speak up like that.
Zera didn't know how to feel for a moment but after registering what just happened her instinctive upset nature calmed and she gave an honest small smile with a nod.
"It's fine.. Really I don't mind it that much. I don't know why I started crying over something like that. I'm sorry as well." Zera bowed partially and when she postured herself back up she noticed Alice completely nail Leo in the back of his head.
Alice continued her previous lecture, feeling disheartened by Zera crying instinctively like that more so than assuming she was crying because she got scared. She yelled at him again, "Jeez you lousy shot. You fawn over girls and all but making a girl cry like that is really something else you know that?!"
Leo whined the entire time, pleading for mercy. Kale walked over to Zera and pat her back once a bit roughly.
"You'll be fine partner. Leo is just a sticker for friends, and Alice hates seeing people upset. Welcome to our merry band of rank 0 Misfits. There's one other person who we consider the leader but they decided not to take this mission. Once we bring Theodore back to his temporary lab setup just outside of the Third World Tree territory we can bring you back to meet the other person. Seem fair?"
"Sure.. I don't mind. Are you sure you want someone you hardly know to join up with you so suddenly? Won't this leader be upset about it?-- And wait.. 'third' world tree? There's more? What do they do."
"Nah, Don't sweat it Zera. Leader is very chill. Plus..." Kale smirked and pointed his thumb to his chest as if he was bragging, "We ARE the Rank 0 Misfits. We're quite popular for being out of control and different. You'll fit right in. As for the tree--" Kale noticed an odd look in Zera's eyes and went pale.
'Am I really that different?..' Zera decided to voice her thoughts. "Am I not normal?" Zera didn't even consider Alice's presence when she said that.
Alice looked over at Kale, staring daggers at him practically. She was still holding Leo by the collar of his shirt. "Hmmm? What did I just hear?"
Kale stuttered and got on his knees in a sudden panic, "N--no it's a misunderstanding Alice. I was explaining to her it wouldn't be a problem joining us because---" Suddenly Alice kicked her leather boot straight into his jaw, sending him flying back.
"K-Kale?!" Zera watched him fall a little ways behind her in disbelief, then walked over to Alice, concerned. "It really wasn't like that Alice.. He just offered me to join.. Please don't be so harsh on them."
Alice sighed then let go of Leo.
"I'll listen to you since you're such a cute little girl, Zera." Alice then ruffled up Zera's hair.
"What do you mean little? How old do I seem?" Zera was now more concerned about her body.
"Oh, no no I don't mean you're particularly young. I'm actually a witch. I am several hundred years old." Upon Zera hearing that statement she practically went into a state of blank confusion. She simply nodded in unsure understanding.
30 minutes later they were all settled down and proceeded to lead Theodore, the scientist, back towards his Outpost after he collected some root samples from the world tree.
Partway back a large orc walked around mindlessly, it's pale green wrinkled skin making it look more like a 7 foot tall pile of mush in Zera's opinion.
Kale called out to everyone, "Slime Orc! It's a hybrid! Everyone get ready!"
--- Mission Granted ---
Title: Save the group from the rank 1 special monster!
description: Rarely in the wilderness one monster will consume enough monsters to ingest plenty of their cores. This will cause a mutation called Hybrid in the world of Aeriol. They are very strong for their main species and carry special abilities."
Reward: 6 Slime Cores, 100 Elemental Coins
'Tch.. Do you just like forcing me to do work? Do you like seeing me suffer? Damn system.
--- He who does not work, shall not eat. ---
The remark disappeared and left Zera face to face with a deadly opponent. This gave her no time to get frustrated at the system, yet again.