Chapter 32. The Ruins
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"I know, I know…" said Aira. "I wasn't even sure how it would work. Or whether it would work at all. But in the end, it answered my commands and brought you out on the ice."

"By the roots, where is it now?" asked Lila. "Why didn't I catch a leaf of it?"

"Ah… I had to kill it, to take all its energy, and…" said Aira. "Transfer at least a part of it to revive you."

Aira cautiously glanced at Lila as if afraid the human would be offended by that.

"Boughs and branches, that's grim," Lila murmured. "But does that mean you can rustle the leaves with other animals too? Maybe use them as helpers?"

"Probably…" said Aira hesitantly. "I mean, I can do that. But I'm not sure I like the implications of my actions. These animals won't be the same anymore. And they don't seem to be independent after I turn them. I have to control their actions. And all of that just seems cruel."

She looked away as if searching for an answer deep within the forest.

"I don't like this skill," Aira said a moment later. "What I did there was that I did it only because I didn't see any other options. And I had to act fast to save you. And even that doesn't convince me I did the right thing."

She glanced at Lila again and raised her palms in front of her.

"Don't get me wrong," Aira said. "I wanted to save you. I don't want to lose you. But…"

"I understand," said Lila. "I know what you mean."

 

***

 

As they traveled further from the river, the landscape began to change. The trees thinned out, replaced by crumbling structures and overgrown roads. At first, it reminded Aira of the initial hours after she was transported to this world. The moment when she found a mysterious abandoned settlement in the woods.

Then, it was absolutely unthinkable for her to see anything like that. Why would people leave a place that still bore the signs of comfort and good planning even after all these years of neglect? But now, she knew at least a bit of this world's history and understood that the demand for towns and cities was much lower than during the peak of human civilization right before the Fall.

The ancient city began to gradually show itself. It was as if the buildings started growing out of the earth, leaving less and less space for trees. Still, the foliage was everywhere. In some places, it was hard to distinguish the old structures under layers of greenery.

But that was the goal of their journey. Aira and Lila exchanged glances, not really believing they'd gotten there. To the outskirts of the mysterious and probably quite dangerous ancient city.

There was a name for it on the old map. The ancient writing placed it as Wentouk. However, nothing helped the two women figure out if it bore any meaning.

The ruins loomed ahead, dark and foreboding against the setting sun. Aira felt a shiver of anticipation and fear. There was no doubt that the mysterious observer came here. And there were other signatures Aira could read with her skill—somewhere further in the city. This was it, this concentration of energy, their destination. The place where they would hopefully find the answers they sought.

"Elder's breath, here we are," whispered Lila, awe and fear in her voice. "The old city."

Lila was visibly trembling. She fell on her knees in an almost mystical fervor.

"This is the shadowline, Aira. The forbidden land," said Lila. "No humans are allowed here. None come back alive. By the twisted branches, this place feels cursed."

She looked at Aira.

"Are you sure we should bite this bramble, Aira?" Lila asked, her voice faint and uncertain. "Feels like the shadows are holding their breath. It doesn't seem they have noticed us. We could still fox-tail it out of here."

Aira nodded, feeling a strange mix of excitement and foreboding. "I feel danger," she said. "But I don't think we should come back. There's no other place we could get any answers. Humans know nothing about magic or the undead. We have to… We just have to explore this lead further. Let's move carefully."

"I've heard so many tangled tales about this place," said Lila. "Spirits in the shadows, I just hope we're sharp as thorns for whatever's waiting. I hope we survive the encounter with the undead. Wouldn't want this to be the end of our trail."

"I'm sure I can deal with anything they can throw at us," said Aira, her voice resolute. She looked at Lila, her eyes softening. "I promise, I'll protect you. We're in this together, and I won't let anything happen to you. And this undead we followed. Of course it could be a trap. But I don't think so. My guess is that they want to meet us."

They made their way through the outer ruins, stepping over broken pavement and weaving through the skeletal remains of structures. Their progress was much slower than even during their hike in the mountains near the ancient facility. The city was a labyrinth of collapsed buildings, sinkholes and dark pits looming under their feet, and wild overgrowth that reigned nowadays over this old gem of human civilization.

Streets were covered in rubble and mounds of broken stone and metal. Trees and foliage had taken over, making the surface even trickier to navigate. Every step had to be checked.

Aira's enhanced agility proved invaluable once again. She moved with a fluid grace, her steps light and precise as she led the way. Lila followed closely, her ranger training allowing her to match Aira's pace despite the challenging terrain.

If the city was still in its pristine state, Aira wasn't sure that she'd have enough sources to replenish her energy reserves. But as it was now, there was plenty of life force present around them to interact with. Plenty of energy to boost her reserves.

"Watch your step," Aira cautioned as they walked through a particularly unstable-looking structure trying to get to a different street. "These buildings look like they won't survive for long."

The floorboards creaked ominously under their feet, each step a gamble against the forces of decay. The air was thick with the musty scent of forgotten memories and hidden dangers.

"Yes, watch out for those loose planks…" Lila started saying. "...whoa!" She stumbled, falling down as the floor gave way beneath her.

For Aira, time froze for a moment. It was as if the recent scene on the ice was reenacted in a different setting. She felt her Energy Manipulation skill waking up from passive mode and grasping every shred of energy she could sense in the area. Foliage started drying up around her, and her agility was momentarily boosted.

A message flashed out in her vision:

 

Agility: ??? + 32.3 [(Base Stat + Level) / 3]

 

Aira covered the distance in one jump and caught Lila's hand: "I won't let you go down once again!" she exclaimed. "Got you! This place is a death trap. We don't have any bizarre beavers to rely on over here. Let me help you get out of this hole!"

Lila was breathless for a moment. She looked into the opening, the bottom was too far away for them to see, lost in shadows. "Roots and rivers, Aira, that was close!" she said. "But how in the forest's name did you move so fast?"

"I'm not… sure," Aira answered. "Training and meditation?"

But even for Lila, it is evident that it wasn't a statement. It wasn't even an educated guess.

Aira's mind was racing. She wasn't expecting this prompt reaction either. And her skill boosted her so powerfully. Surprisingly powerfully.

During the past two days she replayed the moment when Lila went down under the surface of the ice so many times. And tried to figure out how to react if a similar situation had happened to them again. But even now, she wasn't sure what the answer was. Just sucking all available ambient energy and boosting her base stats?

Was there a limit? Was there any danger in overcharging herself?

She still had to learn so much about her new abilities and the aspects of interaction with the System in this world, it made her head spin.

Aira took an uncertain step back, and Lila had to catch her before she was in danger of falling into the same bottomless pit.

"Whoa, hold your branches, Aira!" Lila exclaimed, grabbing her arm. "I'm all for sticking like vine, but let's not start a trend of falling into every trap we cross!"

"Well, look who's talking," said Aira.

She looked around her, assessing the space once again. "I've caught whispers about spots like this," said Lila. "But bones and bark, seeing it in person is something else. Can't say I've met anyone who's ventured here and lived to tell the tale. Even my grandfather. And he traveled far! Or maybe those people just kept their roots covered."

 

***

 

The deeper they ventured into the city, the more treacherous the path became. They encountered streets entirely blocked by fallen buildings, forcing them to find alternative routes through alleyways and abandoned structures. What complicated the matters even more, was that it seemed that the ancient buildings grew larger as the distance from the edge of the city increased. At least the stumps of these ancient structures were higher and higher. With some buildings appearing to be almost intact, piercing the evening sky with their pointy spires.

Each step had to be taken with caution, the threat of collapse ever-present. The probability of an ambush also was looming over the two women. While Aira didn't sense anyone approaching them or hiding in any of the ruins, she remembered quite well how easily that person who was spying on them avoided her senses.

Still, their concealment probably won't be perfect. And on no occasion, Aira sensed anyone even moving in their direction. In contrast, she sensed plenty of signatures at the center of this forgotten city.

At one point, they reached a massive pile of rubble blocking their path. Aira, without breaking her stride, began to climb, her enhanced agility allowing her to scale the debris with ease. Lila followed, her movements careful but confident.

"Almost there," Aira said, pausing at the top of the rubble to offer Lila a hand. "Just a little further. We need to find a vantage point. Let me get on top of this heap and hopefully I'd be able to find a better location for us. I can feel the direction in which we need to go, but it would be nice to have a look around."

"Look there," Lila whispered as soon as she caught up with Aira. She pointed to a high structure that seemed relatively intact. It was a tall building, some of its upper floors collapsed, making it impossible to guess its original stature, but dozens of lower levels appeared accessible. "By the frost on the pine, I've never seen a building that tall," Lila breathed, her eyes wide with awe. "How in the shadow of the old pines did they pull that off? It's, what, ten times the height of the town hall? No, twenty! Wilder than a briar patch, that's what it is."

Aira nodded, her eyes narrowing as she examined the building. "In my world, I'd say it was magic. I've seen even higher structures during my travels," she said. "But you are right, the technology of the old world was quite amazing. I wish we had more opportunities to learn from their knowledge."

She paused for a moment and then continued. "That could be a good place to have a look around," Aira said. "Let's check it out and let's hope that it won't crumble while we are inside."

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