The low whir of the Lienus Rail carried on as it's mad sprint to the outpost continued. At speeds exceeding several times that of sound on earth, it made large strides to the eventual destination.
Alas, it even that wasn't enough for out resident Homunculus as he paced back and forth down the aisle of the first rail-carriage. His hands folded behind his back, with a worried expression on his face.
"Argos, how much longer until the next checkpoint?"
[ETA : 4 hours]
"And the last two checkpoint?"
[7 hours sire]
"Seven system hours? That's....too long? How're the refugees holding up?"
[From the looks of things, they've held up against the last wave, not without any inevitable casualties however]
"How many"
[Ten at the very least]
"Not too bad then, but considering their numbers, you'd mentioned they were already down to less that 100"
[Affirmative]
"So thats 10% of their manpower down. They won't hold against the last wave will they?"
[Estimated chances of survival rest at 14.6%...Yet with the new arrival]
"Right, that one...Any idea who she is?"
[None within the known database have any matching records. It is highly likely she is a new addition to this already problematic scenario. However, judging by her capabilities, there is low chance she poses any threat. The only major issue when it comes to her is our lack of understanding on those....abilities]
And Argos wasn't wrong to think so. Miyu's abilities, followed by the rest of the Travelers had unique more often than not, unusual abilities, contrasting to the more....stable nature of power Verians had.
"If I'm not wrong, she uses mana in the form of sound(?) to make her attacks work"
[Negative]
"Hm?" Aedhira raised an eyebrow curiously. Argos rarely disagreed with him, however limited their interactions had been in his minute life had been. Meaning that either he had misconception, or Argos was feeling moody again.
Though he had a feeling it wasn't the second reason.
[Her abilities can be likened to that of a Ranker]
Now he had his attention.
"A Ranker?"
[Affirmative]
"How so?"
[Sire, I assume you have read on the Rankers already, but let me reintroduce it to you]
[Ranker are, more often than not, some of the strongest existences on Veria. Some with the ability to overturn countries with devastating power, while others bending bits of reality unto their bidding. They are the peaks of power. There are three things that make a Ranker, a Ranker.
The first, a Ranker would need to have their very own Primer Rune]
"WHAT?! YOUR JOKING!" Aedhira shreaked, shaking the carriage a bit. Regaining his composure, he responded again.
"Seriously?"
[Affirmative]
"But isn't making your own Primer Rune insanely hard?"
[Affirmative, but I had never mentioned anything about making them]
Then for a second, as if a light bulb went of in his head, he replied;
"You don't NEED to MAKE your own Primer Rune, you could get it from someone else. Law of Rune Transference: Primera, according to Zellsan F'are, one can either take Primer Runes, or inherit them"
[Affirmative. It seems the reading paid off]
"Of course it did. Did you honestly think I was just lazing around?"
[....]
"Oi"
[Anyhow, due to Transferrence, it makes it possible to mitigate the near-impossible process of creating a Primer. Though, it is preferred if one made their own]
"Right, and the other two conditions?"
[The other two conditions are more like 2 facets of one. One must have a Chronicle relevant to the Primer at hand]
"Chronicle?"
[Ah, it seems the database doesn't have that available to you yet. Well I can only provide a cursory explanation in that case]
[Chronicles, are essentially your achievements. Anything significant enough to be deemed worthy by the Universe, is a Chronicle. It is a rather illusive concept, but the simplest way to explain it would be this; say you have performed a one in a million Miracle. Should the Universe deem the Miracle worthy, it will turn said Miracle into a Chronicle. By turning it into a Chronicle, it gives the the ability to repeat said Miracle over and over, as long as you have the will to do so]
"Thats...Insane"
[Affirmative. Miracle were once the domains of gods, but because of Chronicles, due to the ability to repeat a Miracle over and over, it blurs the image between mortals and the beyond]
"But...there has to be a but somewhere, power doesn't come that easy. If someone could do that, then I might as well throw myself into a gorge to test my luck"
[Affirmative. Usage of Chronicles 'alone' puts heavy burden upon the soul. Overuse of a Chronicle would cause the soul to collapse]
"And I'm assuming this is where Runes come in"
[Affirmative. Runes, Primers specifically, were made to channel the power of the Chronicle by using mana as a substitute, therefore majorly reducing the burden that the soul takes upon itself]
"I get it. It doesn't get rid of the burden entirely, but enough to make it a viable tool"
[Affirmative. Case in point, the for a Primer to function, the Rune must have relevance to said Chronicle. A Primer that destroys will not fit in with a Chronicle that makes, and vice versa. And Finally the Significance of the Chronicle. IT-J(R@#---------------]
[It seems you are not authorized to access that information yet]
"It's fine, if I'm not authorized, then it means I'm not ready for it yet. I know the drill"
[Back to girl. Her abilities maybe likened to that of a Ranker, in how it may replicate aspects of Miracles though it doesn't seem she has any Primers or Chronicles]
"How do you know?"
[2 Reasons. A. If she did, then the refugees wouldn't be forced into such a situation]
Aedhira nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the information provided by Argos. He nodded because the point was so obvious, he really had nothing else to say.
"Alright, so we have a fledgling traveler with abilities akin to a Ranker, but lacking the necessary Primers or Chronicles," Aedhira summarized, piecing together the puzzle. "And yet, she's managed to make a significant impact on the battlefield."
[Correct. Which brings us to the second point I was about to make regarding her abilities.]
Aedhira raised an eyebrow in anticipation.
[The second reason I believe the girl does not possess Primers or Chronicles is the nature of her abilities themselves. While they may resemble Miracles, they lack the distinct signatures associated with Primers or Chronicles.]
"So you're saying her powers are different somehow?" Aedhira asked, intrigued by the revelation.
[Indeed. Her abilities seem to be more...organic, for lack of a better term. They emanate from her naturally, without the need for external channels like Primers or Runes.]
"That's...unusual," Aedhira remarked, mulling over the implications. "But it also means she's operating on a different level altogether."
[Precisely. It's difficult to say how she obtained such abilities without Primers or Chronicles, but it's clear that she possesses a remarkable talent for magic.]
The tele-feeds showed a rather wanton usage of her abilities, meaning she was an amateur on the battlefield. This was most likely her first large scale fight, if not, an actual 'fight' in general. Yet to perform like that?
It took guts.
Aedhira nodded, impressed by girl's resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. Despite lacking the traditional tools of a Verian mage, despite lacking the necessary experience, she had managed to hold her own against the Fyrraths and make a difference on the battlefield.
"Well, whatever her abilities may be, they've certainly come in handy," Aedhira remarked, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Let's hope she lives long enough to hone them properly."
[Agreed. It would be a loss should such a talent go to waste]
With a determined nod, Aedhira turned his attention back to the control panels. 7 hours remained. The journey to the outpost would be long, but with Miyu's unexpected assistance, the refugees stood a fighting chance, a chance of surviving long enough before Aedhira arrived.