Ari set off for her second adventure early in the morning, meeting up with Lori where they’d agreed to before parting: at the end of the Yeoman’s Trail.

“Lori! You … you’ve …” Ari stared with amazement as her leopard-girl friend—though not leopard girlfriend—padded over to her. “You’ve been busy,” Ari finished. “Wow. I’ve only been gone a day!”

Lori sniffed, cat-ears twitching as if offended by what Ari had just said. A reaction that said, ‘of course I’ve gotten a lot done’. 

In less than twenty four hours, Lori had managed to scrounge together a full set of armor. Ari had brought a change of clothes for her, but it seemed that was unnecessary. Her hunts through the Forest of the Golden Lake, and the loot drops she’d subsequently received, had donned her in a full set of brown, tan, and black armor. Slightly mismatched, as to be expected from random item drops, but fairly coherent. 

Ari was, to be totally honest, a bit sad to see Lori’s nudity covered up. Lori really had an amazing body … and the way she’d seemed embarrassed to have it showing had made the sight even more exciting.

“My hunts were fruitful,” Lori agreed. “And much more … suitable to my strengths … than our fight.” 

“Hey. I think you did great in ours,” Ari grinned. “I just had the advantage because of my class.” Her stats had all been higher, and she’d had a specialized skill to help her along. 

Lori pointedly ignored Ari’s comment, though her cheeks did color. If she’s embarrassed by this … today’s gonna be a challenge for her. Ari hadn’t set out into the Forest to get some fresh air, or say hi to Lori—though both were nice—but because she needed to make progress. Guild fees were high, and beyond that, she wanted to be working her way to higher ranks. She and Lori would be venturing out, deeper into the Forest, and gaining experience and loot the way Ari’s class allowed.

Speaking of experience, she checked Lori’s status.

===

Lori - Lv. 3

Leopard Girl

{HP: 120/120}

{MP: 15/15}

Defense: F

Attack: F+

Magic: F-

===

“Wait,” Ari said. “Your stats are gone! And … level three?” She’d leveled up twice during her hunts? In a single day? She really had been busy.

But where had her stats gone? Or, rather, the stats specific to Ari's class.

“I’m in my hunting form,” Lori said. “I can change back when … when …” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it outright; when she and Ari started ‘fighting’ other monster girls in Ari’s way.

“Hunting form? Is that a skill?”

“Level two,” Lori said.

That made sense. She had wondered how progression would work for Lori on higher levels, with the lack of bonuses from combat stats. At level one, a person’s mundane capability wasn’t that far from their class-enhanced one … but higher up, that definitely wasn’t the case. Without an ability to change in her combat form and receive normal stats, she wouldn’t have stood a chance against higher level monsters.

“Huh,” Ari said. “Well, that’s good. Means you can keep us safe, too.” Because Ari had no such benefits. She had years of adventuring training, so she wasn’t a slack, but again—especially as they reached higher-level zones—she’d be in trouble trying to rely on ‘mundane’ capabilities.

It was a shame she hadn’t leveled up herself. [Charm] said that Menagerie members provided a portion of their experience to Ari, and seeing how Lori had gone all the way up to level three, if the ‘cut’ of said experience had been high, Ari might have leveled up too.

But of course it was low. She could have up to five members, right now, and not only might that expand, passive experience in general was an insane ability. Not that Ari was the best determiner of that, as some girl from a nowhere village who’d learned everything she knew about adventuring from books and retired adventurers. But it seemed an obvious, safe assumption.

“I could’ve gone higher,” Lori said, “but it seems I’m capped.”

“Capped?”

“It wouldn’t let me progress beyond level three. It’s tied to your level. I can only be one above you.”

“Oh.” That … made sense, she guessed. It would be odd if a level two adventurer was walking around escorted by a bunch of level tens, or something. “Sorry?” She felt the need to apologize … like she’d inconvenienced Lori by not being high enough, and cutting her efforts short.

Though, level three in just a night! And she could’ve gone higher. Did monsters level up faster than other sapient life? Because the first few levels did come much quicker than ones later on, but two levels up in a single night was pretty crazy.

A level up in a single ‘encounter’ with Lori was crazy, too. So she guessed it made sense her menagerie leveled fast, the same as her. Everything about her class and circumstances was insane.

“It is what it is,” Lori said. “But it gives twice the reason to get you higher. I want to see what other skills I get.”

She and Lori had talked for a while—in between sweaty sessions—about her circumstances, and what she wanted in the future. Unsurprisingly, though Lori had arrived to a strange new form of sapience, her desires seemed to be more or less the same. Hunt, explore, level up. Which made her a great adventuring companion, Ari supposed.

“Okay. Well—daylight’s burning. Let’s get to it?” 

“Let’s,” she agreed.