Newt continued going from rooftop to rooftop along the ornamental stone roofings of the residential district, paying little mind to the rapidly passing marbled wonders of architecture. Zera quietly whined, used to the absurd level of her strength and assuming it was absolute.
"Why are you in such a hurry?.. I'll just handle them like I've handled everything so far." She paused and then spoke again with an unsettling amount of confidence that almost sounded like it was a joke.
"I will do it swiftly and with a few hit--"
"No." Newt sounded dead serious.
"You won't get away with your usual effortless clean up. I'm sure nobody has explained to you but in this old world, in contrast to how I assume yours was..." He took a moments pause and continued.
"Humanoids and humans are normally at the bottom of the food chain. You don't get much weaker. There are exceptions like Holy Warriors and top ranking guild members, but that is as close as you'll get with us."
"what? Seriously?" She looked exasperated and kind of concerned, the fear of danger engraved from her time on earth showing a little.
"Yes, BUT.. In your case depending on how hard you work you may become the top of the "food chain." You have to work hard and not get consumed by the entity you're inhabiting for that to be the case though. It'll be worse to block out when you unlock affinities and classes. Since you're so determined to be a thrill-seeker this time around, I'm sure you are prepared for that?"
Zera felt a strange tightness in her chest as those words filled her mind. She couldn't come to terms mentally with what would happen to her if she couldn't stay herself. Before she could answer his philosophical lesson he leapt off of another rooftop and landed infront of the clocktower door and set her down. He abruptly went ahead of her and chopped the side of his hand against the rusted iron lock holding the bronze ornamented medieval wooden door. The lock shattered and the door creaked open automatically.
"Come on, Zera. We do not have time to waste. We need to go into the abandoned warehouse. That is likely where they are, considering what we were shown."
Newt went in and Zera followed behind, keeping a moderate distance behind to avoid combat as much as possible. What Newt said was making her reflect on her new ideals. The inside of the tower was dark and humid due to all of the cracks in the cobbled walls which let heat and moisture get in far easier.
Newt took notice to Zera's behavior after he stopped for her to catch up and she didn't move forward. He then returned to his original pace, contemplating something until he came to a set of crumbling stone stairs.
"Okay, Zera. You go in ahead of me. I'll watch the entrance." Newt suddenly turned and walked back, leaving the troubled Zera to figure out what to do.
"Hey.. Wait why are you not coming with me? .... Fine! I guess I'll do this.." She took a heavy, trembling breath and then slowly went down the winding spiral steps while weighing the choices in her mind:
'This... Will be my last fight until I decide. I'm not so sure if I want to be different anymore, but then I'll just lead the same boring life I did before. I can't have that-- but should I really want to have excitement like this? From playing hero?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the crash of glassware down below maybe 30 meters. the sound echoed along the stone stairwell repetitively. This made her go a little quicker since all she wanted was to get done with this urgent situation, get her stuff if this person had it, and stop playing as a badass until she decided what she wanted to do.