The agony that followed the mutated bird's death shook me to the core. My chest erupted in more pains that spread to the rest of my body. I felt full once the pain subsided gradually.
I couldn't stay awake. Like a marathon runner during his last miles, the desire for rest threatened to pull me under. Before I gave to sleep, I crawled over to the merchants body. "Are you dead?" I saw his body torn in two. The legs cleanly separated from his torso.
My question was met with silence. Putting my finger on his hand, I tried my best to feel for a pulse. I've never been good finding these. With fruitless efforts, I turned my head away from his body and slammed my fist against the snow. "Why are people dying around me!" Deep down it was obvious he'd be dead. His body was mangled and he was left to bleed for a few minutes. Insane, I must be insane. I looked at him trying to remember his face and immortalize him in my memory.
My eyes drifted to his coat. A intrusive thought interrupted my mourning. It's been so cold. The heat that settled in me after the system only made the cold bearable. The coat would make travel easier. Is it wrong for me to wear a dead man's jacket?
My hesitation lasted for a few minutes. Several moral arguments were silently raised and I countered them logically.
Clicking my tongue, I reached over and started undressing the coat from him. I'm sure he would understand. Once I had it on me, the relief was almost immediate. Without the cold frigid air enveloping my body, I felt so much ease. Sleep threatened to take hold of me once again, this time I welcomed it.
When I woke up, I felt motion sickness? Lifting my face off a rugged sack next to me. I tried to get my bearing.
"Adele, the weird man is awake!" I heard a young voice shout nearby.
Where am I this time? Still dreary, I glance around. I was inside a wagon. An assortment of boxes and bags were pushed against my feet. Reaching toward my face, I pulled seeds off my cheek. I heard a snort from my right. Peeking over one of the larger boxes. I saw a man riding a horse trailing behind the carriage. His clothes were brown, but of decent quality. A patterned icon was embroidered on his shoulders. Resembling a sideways seven in a square box.
I sat back down processing the events that transpired earlier.
"Apologies, were you close to that merchant?" The rider asked out loud. I opted for silence. I focused instead on my own health. Thankfully my pain was gone when I woke up.
"Not feeling talkitave? Considering you were ambushed by that nasty bird. I don't blame you."
I felt around my pants when I saw dried blood on my knees. To my relief it wasn't my blood. I glanced one last time at the rider, it seemed he was holding a small rock to his eye. Since he wasn't paying me any mind, I seated myself firmly down.
Normally I would have been open to conversation. Except right now I wasn't, two people were dead. I felt bitter knowing I hadn't been able to prevent it from happening. My friend, Fred, would know what to say right now. Which made his absence sting all the more.
"Status" I whispered. To my disappointment, nothing happened. How do I make the system appear?
"Olight sys-"
Without finishing the system popped into view.
It was a blank screen without any text. Similar to a basic command prompt from a computer.
"Show me Innate abilities." I whispered. I didn't want the rider nearby to think I was insane on top of being antisocial.
The list from before populated.
Innate Abilities are listed below.
• Clarity (Unlocked)
• Mana Manipulation (Locked)
• Time Manipulation (Locked)
It was extremely lackluster. The only 'ability' available or unlocked was an emotional response. I was going to criticize it more, until I thought back to the dead bird. Why did my emotions flip so abruptly? One second I was terrified, and the next I was fearless and full of surety. Did I somehow use this ability then? Didn't I receive the system after I killed the bird? Pulling out my small notebook and pen, I wrote my questions down. Staring at the system, I tried making sense of the implications. Who's voice did I even hear back then? Wait, am I using clarity right now?
I wonder if it is a passive ability. Shaking my head in disbelief, would I feel so confused right now if I was using the ability? What a loaded question and how ironic. Chiding myself I looked at the other innate abilities.
Mana manipulation and time manipulation? What would that entail? Those sound extremely interesting and maybe powerful. Why are they locked though?
"Hey friend, I'm not sure if you understand me, but I collected those talons from that game. How about splitting the profit for the ride? Sounds fair I imagine." He laughed, but I didn't catch the joke. Pulling myself away from the Olight System, I moved to get a clear view of the rider.
"How much are the talons worth?" He looked at me surprised. As if my question was overly simple.
"Five… no… seven silver coins and handful of copper coins would be a hefty fetch for them." He glanced at me expectedly. I had a blank stare. Silver and bronze coins were the currency? Is this the medieval era? Should I just go along with it? Noticing his eagerness, I shrugged "we can do it that way."
He laughed. Then noticing my confusion, he raised his brow, "It was a jest. I'd only ask thirty copper at most. I'm not in the business for charity."
"What is this planet called?" I asked bluntly. It was abrupt, but the question burned inside me and I was getting tired of the social niceties. He gave me a very confused look. Was I wrong? After everything I saw, I thought maybe I was abducted to a different planet.
"What's a planet?" He asked genuinely.
It was my turn to give a dumbfounded look. What does he mean by 'what's a planet?'; isn't it common knowledge? Is this even earth?
"Everything we are on!" I felt exasperation leaking into my voice.
He made a drum noise with his mouth and then gave me a frown, "you shouldn't scream friend. You'll attract attention." The drum noise was likely a cultural difference, since the context was lost on me.
"This country should have a name." I persisted more monotonous.
"Crescent kingdom" he answered. A lot of his jovial attitude was toned down.
Biting my lips, I choked down my dozens of questions. I'm not on earth. In retrospect, it was obvious. However it wasn't a pleasant thought. Subconsciously, I knew I was avoiding this line of thinking altogether. A sort of denial that protected my already thin sanity. I took a deep breath.
Maybe I should focus less on things I can't control. I pictured myself throwing fireballs around like in storybooks. With a smirk, I called my system again.
Innate Abilities are listed below.
• Clarity (Unlocked)
• Mana Manipulation (Locked)
• Time Manipulation (Locked)
At least I can use mana in the future.