
"By the roots, that depends on how fast he comes to!" said Lila. "Some answers could save us a lot of trouble. But bark and roots, Aira, don't you even think about killing him. That's what you're hinting at, right?"
"Should I, you know, jolt him again?" said Aira in contemplation. "It helped to wake you up there on the ice."
"Are you tree-root sure that won't rattle him worse than he already is?" asked Lila.
"Of course I'm not sure," exclaimed Aira in exasperation. "It's not like I can pull a System menu and choose the precise function for these energy surges."
She stood up and made a circle around the fire.
"Sorry, that was harsh," she said a moment later. "I agree that some information would be helpful. Also, if we don't want to kill him, it would be better to leave him in a conscious state. It's not too cold, but if he stays here until the night falls, he could just freeze to death."
Luckily, they didn't have to make this choice in the end. The man stirred and opened his eyes.
"What?!" he exclaimed, scrambling back on his hands and heels from the two women. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"So, you're moonblind and stone-dumb?" Lila growled, her temper rising. "You try to sink us out there, and now you're saying you don't remember a thing?"
The man focused his gaze on Lila and then looked at Aira, noticing the strange glow of her eyes for the first time.
"What???" he exclaimed. "You… you… you… are an undead!" he looked at Lila. "You are consorting with an undead! You are that bitch from Mountain View!"
Lila was ready to seize the man by his collar.
"Wait, you just wanted me to spare him. And I don't think he'll cooperate," Aira said through Lila's radio. "But now you are ready to kill him? What's happening? Should I take him out?"
"Wait? What?" the man screamed, switching his gaze between Aira and Lila. "You can talk?!?"
"Can you do anything else besides repeating 'what 'in every sentence? "asked Aira. "It becomes a bit repetitive. "
"Shush, Aira, "said Lila. "The guy's rattled like a loose gear. Let's catch a leaf and ease him down first."
"Ah, now you care about him? "asked Aira. "Well, alright, let's take is slower and see if he could be of any use. "
In the end, the man started to make more sense. As soon as he realized no one was going to kill him right away, he was ready to bargain for his safety.
He explained that when he was shouting, he was just trying to warn the strangers that they were infringing on the territory of the River Clan. Only with the chief's permission would they be allowed to enter.
"So, how were you planning on checking if we had that permission from that distance?" asked Aira.
"If you had it, you'd know how to react," the man said. "I didn't plan to put your lives in danger! I just had to scare you a bit and make you turn back!"
"Yeah, right. That tale's got more cracks than a cliffside," said Lila. "I've never even heard of this River Clan—it's way out of Mountain View's branches." She paused, her thoughts turning over. "Even if they somehow know about our… hm… adventures. How'd you hear about it, by the way?"
"Your chief, I don't remember her name…" said the man.
"Tara?" prompted Lila.
"Yes, yes, Tara!" the man continued. "She sent messages about your escape to all the neighboring settlements and even further away warning us about you and your… friend. And then, just this morning, another message came confirming that you are still alive and dangerous. Why am I so damn lucky to be on patrol today…?"
"So, what should we do with you?" asked Aira through the portable radio.
"Please don't kill me!" the man said. "If I knew who you were, I wouldn't even approach the river. Just tell me where my bike is and I will slowly continue my patrol as if nothing has happened."
"Do you believe him?" asked Aira.
"Well, bark and roots, if he knows about the ancient facility attack, he's sharp enough to steer clear of messing with you," said Lila. "And if he does double-cross us, well, you can flick his light off later."
The man was already shaking in fear by that moment. A stream of warm liquid went down his trousers.
"Please! Tell me what else you want to know," he pleaded. "I have a family. I don't care about politics and power struggles."
"Catch a leaf, buddy," said Lila. "She won't bite the bramble if you're playing it straight."
"But I have one more thing to ask," said Aira, "What's the shortest way to the ancient city? Are we heading in the right direction?"
***
It took them some more time to fish out everything they wanted to know out of this ranger. But soon, he started repeating himself, showing that he didn't know much. Still, his information about the valley and the territory the River Clan occupied was at least marginally helpful, and the rest confirmed Lila's suspicions that the undead they were following was leading them to the ancient city supposedly populated by his kind.
By the moment they finished the interrogation, Lila was feeling better and was eager to continue their hike and get further away from the unlucky ranger of the River Clan.
The two women considered taking away the vehicle for a brief moment. And Aira expressed her hesitation about the sledgehammer the man used to hit the ice. But in the end, she decided it was less handy than her makeshift warhammer. As for the electric bike, and that's what the man called his mount, Aira and Lila agreed it would be too suspicious if he lost too much equipment during patrol.
Still, they took away his backpack and some of the smaller items in compensation for the stuff Lila lost during her under-ice dive.
Soon, they left the man on the shore and moved away from the river. Aira's scan showed that there were still no other humans in their vicinity and that the undead they were following gained more distance ahead of them.
"I think I can sense the ancient city and its inhabitants," said Aira when the human ranger was left behind and couldn't overhear. "It's hard to distinguish their energy signatures when so many of them are together and when it's that far. Also, I feel how much it drains me to spread my probing to that distance."
"So, the city's truly crawling with undead?" Lila asked. "It's not just old roots and stories?"
"There are some people there," confirmed Aira. "I'll tell you if they are undead when we get closer. Or, at least, I hope I'll be able to confirm if their signatures are similar to the one we are following all these days."
It didn't take long for Aira and Lila to return to their habitual trekking routine. It seemed that soon they'd have a routine for every situation: building a home at an ancient bunker, defending during a siege, crossing half of the world to explore an unknown and mysterious ancient city. Was there anything this journey could throw at them they wouldn't survive and come out of even stronger?
***
Surprisingly, there was no pursuit. It looked like the ranger decided to keep his word and just continue his patrol along the river's shore.
According to his testimony, Aira and Lila were only a couple of days away from the outskirts of the ancient city. But he didn't know how far that haunted settlement spread. Legends said that it took at least two days to cross it. Maybe even more. There was no one there to tell the story, as the undead would supposedly allow no human to pass near the center.
By that time, the undead they were following, well, the supposed undead they were following, reached the area that Aira sensed as a blob of energy within which it was impossible to distinguish any separate signatures.
As before, Aira had to comply with Lila's daily schedule. They made one stop at around midday for lunch and then had dinner before Lila went to sleep and breakfast in the morning. On the one hand, spring wasn't the best time to travel long distances. In places, there was still some snow. And even if it wasn't there, the ground was often wet, slowing down their progress.
During their breaks, Aira trained, practicing her energy manipulation to improve her agility and endurance. Not only that, she constantly trained in powering and draining energy sources. Even if they only had half of them left after the unpleasant river crossing experience, that was enough to test her skills. And, of course, checking the surrounding areas and probing for humans and other signatures was a constant duty for Aira.
Luckily, it seemed they were moving farther away from any human activity. As Lila mentioned during their stay at the ancient facility, humans preferred to keep their distance from the undead and rarely ventured closer to the old cities.
As they traveled, they talked about their hopes and fears. Aira shared stories of her world, tales of magic and battles that seemed like something out of old myths and fairy tales to Lila. In return, Lila spoke of her life as a ranger, the challenges she faced, and the people she had left behind.
One evening, as they sat by a campfire, Lila looked thoughtful. "How often do you think about your world?" she asked, her voice soft in the twilight. "I'm away from my town for just a few months. And I still have a chance to come back and see my friends… well… maybe. But even I feel sad every time it comes to mind."
Aira stared into the flames, her expression contemplative. "Every day," she admitted, her voice tinged with a mixture of longing and acceptance. "This world has its own beauty, its own challenges. But every smallest detail reminds me of my old world. My friends. But I'm here now, and I have to make the best of it."
"The most recent thing that made me think about it was quite bizarre, really," Aira continued. "It was that enlarge beaver beast that helped me to pull you out of the water."
"What's a beaver?" Lila asked, curiosity on her face. "And what you mean helped to pulled me out? By the frost on the pine, you've been holding out on me!"
"Yeah, we have these animals, beavers. They live near the rivers and even build structures with wood," said Aira. "So, I sensed an animal swimming near you under the water. And… I didn't see any other solution, so, I just… sort of raised it as an undead!"
"What in the thorny thicket?!" Lila yelped, her voice sharp with surprise.