After finishing reading his new skill, he tried to sense what type of mana was in the Jackalope fur. Having no reference to what a specific mana type was supposed to feel like, he was just going to guess. Instead of running his hands through the fur he just placed his hand on top of it. The only thing I sense is “Natural.” What does that even mean?

Deciding he had an information dealer at hand he decided to ask Neia. When he looked at her he could see the faint hint of a smile. Well, that’s hopefully a good sign. “Neia, do you mind if I ask a question about a skill you might have, I remember you saying that type of information was personal?”

Neia, now with a lovely full smile, replies “Depends what skill you think I have, what skill are you trying to learn about?”

Lee, thinking this was valid, decided to share. “I just unlocked the skill Mana Sense, but I couldn’t sense what type of mana the fur contains. The only thing it tells me, is the feeling of naturalness. If that’s even a real feeling.”

“The feeling of naturalness, I think I understand what you mean. You are probably talking about the base mana. The natural state of mana.” Neia responds, still smiling but watching around the clearing. “Why don’t you head to sleep, use that fur as a blanket or pillow. One of us will wake you in the morning.”

Having had a long, unexpected day. Lee began to set up some type of sleeping arrangements. It was definitely not going to be the most comfortable, but anything was better than the ground. Slowing he began to process all the information he learned. Thinking about what class and professions he would get. Thinking about how he will have to inevitably fight monsters, even if all he wanted was to just heal. Thoughts running rampant, he slowly dozed off into sleep.

========

Neia watched around the clearing until Lee fell asleep. Once he had, she stared at Ruven.

Ruven, knowing this was probably going to happen, started to rise from the log and walk towards the end of the clearing. Neia followed.

“What the fuck did you think you were doing earlier?” Neia asked coldly.

“He has information that could help us and our people. I simply thought…” Ruven began, but was interrupted.

“Do not tell me what you were thinking. I am surprised you were thinking in the first place. That is not how we treat people these days. Maybe a few hundred years ago before Thexis, but not now. Not ever again. Now tell me you understand.” Neia practically demanded.

Cold sweat dripping down his back, Ruven nodded. That apparently wasn’t good enough.

“Tell me.” Neia’s frosty voice whispered.

Ruven immediately answered. “I was not thinking, there was a slip of the tongue. We do not act like common criminals.”

A few moments pass where Ruven basically berates himself for even thinking of talking like that in front of Neia, who was one, if not the, strongest magic user in Neldam.

Neia, knowing Ruven for the last 150 years, knows well enough that Ruven is not a bad person, sadly it is common for those with power to throw their weight around. Ruven was looking out for our people, but there are ways of getting to the desired outcome that do not involve threats and what basically amounts to ransom for someone's life.

“We must help him, and he will then help us. I can tell you obviously believe him. He is not from here. There is no way he is from here, just look at him.” Neia says, they both turn to look at the sleeping form of Lee. “That there!” Pointing to Lee “is basically a child. Tell me you see what I see.”

Ruven looks upon the malnourished gaunt form of Lee sleeping for a few moments. Slowly he begins to feel an emotion. It’s an emotion he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Disgust.

Disgust, but not at Lee, at himself. From what he knows of humans, they live anywhere from 60-150 years. 150 is being generous because the ones who reach that age are the most powerful among them. He doesn’t know for sure but Lee can't be over 30, he basically threatened a child's life, and not just that, he threatened a malnourished sickly looking child's life. He quickly turns away and looks at Neia.

Neia was watching Ruven, happy with the outcome of his observation she speaks to him gently. “You are not a bad person Ruven, you just couldn’t see what I saw in the moment, only after the fact.”

Ruven looks ashamed, “Thank you for helping me see.” He moves off towards the fire once more, to add some logs.

Neia follows, and begins a quiet conversation. “Elder Sono will know what to do. He has spoken to humans and knows more about them than any one else in Neldam.”

“That was a long time ago, I suppose the worst that could happen is that he just stays with us.” Ruven replies.

“He doesn’t even know about us dark elves. Only hearing stories of the wood elves. He can definitely help us. You know why we were sent here to this forest.” Neia spoke even quieter.

Ruven slowly turns to look at her. “I am well aware, we are better now.”

Neia nods, “Yes, but nobody knows that. When he leaves he will talk about us. Then we can rejoin the world.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.” Ruven says while he lays down on the ground preparing to sleep.

========

Feeling a slight shaking I opened my eyes. Staring right back into mine were Neia’s. “Wake up, we get breakfast then we move.”

Getting out of his makeshift fur sleeping arrangement, he realizes that he isn’t stiff or sore at all. Healer’s Touch, might be even better than he already thought. Thinking about his ability, he has never tried it on another person. Looking towards Neia, Lee asked, “Do you feel sore or stiff anywhere?”

Neia confused, looked at him, then suddenly came to a realization. “No, having a higher constitution will fix that issue. I haven’t been sore in many many years.”

Lee, accepting this as fact, looked around their little camp and looked for breakfast. Having not spotted it asked. “Where is breakfast?”

Ruven looked at him, to Neia, and then back to him. “We decided you’re coming with us to catch it.”

What?

“I’m sorry I think I misheard you. Where was it?” Lee said.

“You’re coming with us to get it.” replied Ruven.

Nodding to himself slowly, Lee says “Yeah, my ability that lets me understand language must be broken, because I keep hearing you say that I'm coming with you to get it.”

Ruven just looks at Neia.

Neia at least has the good grace to look apologetic. “Lee, you will eventually be in a situation where combat will start with you around. When that time comes you need to be ready.”

Oh… I’m a fucking liability again.

Understanding what was just said in the nicest way she could put it. Lee slowly nods and asks a question. “Will I have to join in the combat? Or just be near?”

Neia, looking softly at Lee says. “You can join if you want to, but I would recommend watching at the start. You can take this just in case, it also looks like you need it. I will need it back at Neldam.” She tosses a leather belt and a small belt knife towards him.

Catching the belt and knife. He begins to put it on, the belt helps a lot because the hospital gown's small cloth waistband does not hold up well in the forest. The constant twig or brush up against any bark really does damage it, another day and he would have been showing his bare ass.

“Neldam?” Lee asks.

“The settlement. It is called Neldam. It’s a small city actually, I lied about it being a settlement for security.” Ruven replies while checking his arrows.

Neia, deciding it was time to go, says, “Stay between us just like yesterday, watch closely, and only join after you yell at us. You do not want to randomly throw yourself into the fray. We will go after another Jackalope, but we may encounter something different so be prepared.”

Lee, now trying to put himself into the mental state required to willingly seek danger, follows Neia. Shortly after leaving the clearing he glances to make sure Ruven is behind him. He doesn’t spot him. Looking up, he sees Ruvan jumping quietly from tree to tree, not making a single sound. Reassured he continues.

After around thirty minutes, Neia slows down. Lee, tense, tries to observe his surroundings for danger. After another few seconds, Neia slowly creeps through the forest. Trying his best to be quiet, Lee follows. In his mind he is a giant beacon of noise stomping through the forest like he owns the place, when in reality he is actually doing fairly well.

Having never been happier to receive a skill, Lee continued following on, trying to be as quiet as possible.

A few minutes later Neia stops and motions him over. Lee, heart beating faster than ever, creeps up alongside her. She points through a gap in the foliage and he spots a large fat squirrel. Too scared to even use Identify, just in case he alerts the squirrel. He studies it. The squirrel is truly fat, easily considered morbidly obese, and about three times larger than an average squirrel on Earth. Its brown fur has rolls of fat underneath going along its ribs, and it almost seems as if its long bushy tail that is curved towards the end, has fat stores as well. It has two white strips going from its forehead all the way down its back, each turning to go down its two hind legs.

Neia, once she has waited a few moments nods to Ruven. He disappears quietly among the trees. After thirty seconds, Lee heard a faint whistling sound, and as fast as the whistle came it was gone, an arrow plunged itself directly in the side of the squirrel. Reacting to pain, the squirrel whirled around, faster than its obese body would normally indicate and screeched a high pitched scream.

Covering his ears, Lee continued watching. Neia moved forward with a singular sickle-like sword etched with plants and animals along its silvery blade. She seemed to glide forward and then attacked, she gracefully sliced down from behind on one of its hind legs. Trying to hamstring it. She was very successful.

Carved through like a hot knife through butter, the blade basically separated the squirrels right leg to the bone. Leaving a huge gash where all of the fat could be seen. Just as quickly as she came she was gone, like a dancer she avoided the retaliation tail swipe by a mere inch. She looked towards Lee in askance.

Hell fucking no.

It’s all that went through his mind. He began shaking his head back and forth.

Neia frowned but understood, turned, then practically glided up to the squirrel, who is now facing her, at a speed he could hardly follow with his eyes. The next moment the squirrel's head was split in two.

Lee finally took a breath. He hadn't realized he was holding one but apparently he had been. Shaking slightly he walked towards Neia. Ruven walked up as well from the other side.

“Would you like to loot it?” Neia asked while cleaning her blade along its fur.

Deciding that he would at least do something instead of standing there like a damsel in distress he laid his hand upon it. He felt a sensation he never knew he could feel, almost like a small muscle never used. Using it, the corpse began to disappear. And in its place, a small clay jar, the fur of its body, along with the fur of its tail, separated from one another, and 4 large steaks.

Not having anything to store it with, he begins to motion towards Neia, then he pauses. I am so dumb. “I have a way to store items, would you like me to store these for later? Lee asks.

Ruven looks surprised but Neia just nods and motions at the pile of loot.

Before he activates an ability he never used before, he remembers he actually has something else he can store. Checking his one gown pocket he finds a bunch of mushed berries. Great, I can't even use my own abilities wisely. Berries ruined, he then realized another simple mistake. I never used Identify on the squirrel.

I am a liability…

Quickly realizing how out of his depth he is, he uses Identify on all the newly acquired items and his Jackalope fur.

Mana infused? That must be special. Lee begins to use his Hidden Cache ability and before he even realized it the items he wanted stored were gone. No flashes, no void black hole to suck in items, nothing. Instantly gone.

Shocked, he tried to use Hidden Cache once more to remove an item, and in his mind he could see a representation of his 1x1x1 foot cube, already almost full. He thought about removing the Jackalope fur and it was instantly in his hand. No air displacement, no sounds, no visuals. Instantaneous.

Pretty rattled and just emotionally done with the day, he turned to ask Neia or Ruven where they were going to have breakfast.