Sam felt odd being carried like a small child. The servers weren't supposed to be live yet, so this must be a tutorial of sorts.

     “My daughter, what is your name?”

     Sam thought for a moment before replying. “Myrra.” Which updated the character sheet, the empty name space now reading ‘Myrra’. With a giggle that made Moria smile, she continued to walk.

     “My children,” she addressed the girls around the clearing, before setting the small child down. ”This is your new sister, Myrra. Please teach her what she needs to know.”

     “Um, hello. Like… like Mom said. I am Myrra. Please be gentle,” Sam said with a bow. Moria smiled happily, her eyes seemed to sparkle, creating a warm bubbly feeling. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, casting its light across the clearing. Myrra was bathed in its light, a tingly feeling springing forth.

     An older-looking dryad stepped forward. “I am Amalia. Please come with me.” She gestured, walking over to a small clearing of dirt and gravel. “It's been a long time since Mother brought us a new sister.”

     “How long?”

     “A few hundred years?!” Myrra exclaimed.

     Amalia glared at her newest sibling, almost daring to be asked her age. Myrra knew that even if she was just an NPC, it was still impolite to ask a girl her age. Instead, choosing to say, “I hope I can live up to our mother's expectations.” Which seemed to please her older sister.

     “We can practice here,” she asserted. Raising her hand, a faint green light wrapped around it as the ground shifted slightly before a wooden dummy burst upwards. “Now, I want you to attack this target, you’ll use magic. First, you have to find your power. It's slightly different for all of us. Once you can sense the Mana flowing through you, use it,” She explained before walking away, leaving the small nymph alone. 

     This was unexpected, used to having an interface of some kind. Earlier games had used verbal casting as well. Attempting to focus yielded nothing, unaware what exactly to feel for. She felt like one of those light novel protagonists who need to “feel” the magic. Not sensing anything however caused intrusive thoughts to appear.

     Listening to the wind blowing through the clearing. The sounds of animals wandering nearby. With a wandering mind, the feel of the sun left a warm, tingly feeling that seems to have spread completely within. Maybe it was from being a plant nymph? Like being part plant or something? Sunning felt invigorating, like all the stress and exhaustion was draining away, the game had no visible interface. There was no HP or MP bar, though there was an awareness of their level. 

     Then it clicked. Perhaps it was from absorbing the sun, acting like mana regeneration. Because the tingly feeling followed distinct pathways. This theory was proven correct as energy began to build, a warm feeling spreading throughout.

     “Good, now channel that energy into your spell, Seed Bullet. Focus it on your right hand and picture a seed shooting out and striking your target.” Holding it up and imagined the seed shooting the dummy. The power built up and started to hurt, causing a small glow, and feeling like it was going to explode. Just as it became unbearable, a seed appeared and rocketed forth. It missed the dummy by a wide margin, leaving behind a tired but satisfied feeling.

     “Good, now keep doing it. You should be able to do that quicker and more accurately,” she commanded in a firm but gentle tone. With just over an additional hour of practice, the spell was able to be cast with near instant timing. Accuracy, however, was still a bit off, only hitting the target seven times out of ten. 

     “How are you progressing, my daughter?” Moria said, coming over.

     “I think I got it. Watch.” Focusing once more on the feelings from, before. The seed blasted forth, hitting the dummy and knocking off its head. The secret was using just enough mana resulting in the seed flying straight and true.

     “Well done, sweetie,” she said warmly, scooping and hugging her daughter.

     “Thank you, Mommy.” The warm feeling returned. Something deep inside shifted. Moria carried the small child over to the tree, where someone had set up a small food laden table. There was a wide variety of dishes available, all of them consisting of plants in some manner. Fruit jams, cooked vegetables, and other similar dishes.

     “Today is a great day, we have a new family member, and she cast her first spell. And gained her first level.” The others smiled and congratulated her. Their praise made her feel warm and fuzzy. As well as another emotion she couldn’t quite place. The others began to serve themselves. Strangely, she didn’t have any cravings for meat. Even though she thoroughly enjoyed it in the real world. 

     After serving up her plate, her siblings began bombarding her with questions and telling exciting stories. Told by those who could leave the forest, such as the fairies and nymphs. The dryads were limited to their trees in the woods, but it covered a significant area, so they had plenty to manage. After she had eaten her fill, the others invited her to play. A few hours of fun later, she curled up with a pair of girls in a bed of moss. They were twins and the next youngest after her. The three girls fell asleep, snuggling each other and smiling happily.

     She was still in VR when she woke up. It felt weird to falling asleep in a virtual world and waking up there. She decided it had to be something to do with it being a tutorial. Yawning, she looked around and saw the twins still snuggled up to her. 

     “Morning, daughter,” her mom said, hugging her. “I hope you slept well.”

     “I did, Mommy,” she beamed. Moria really did feel like a mother to her, it helped that she was so doting on the small girl. And it made her happy to have a mom again. One thing about games she loved was the escape they provided. The ability to change oneself, to take on another role. Becoming a different person from her normal, boring self. And such a cute and adorable person she was now.

     “Do you want to go exploring today? Two of your sisters are about to depart on their routine patrol. You can use this as an opportunity to connect,” she suggested, looking at her daughter. Myrra nodded and smiled, prompting her mom to wave them over.

     “Hi, Mom. Hi Myrra,” greeted one of the girls, waving to them both.

     “Hello darling, can you take your sister with you?” she asked, grabbing Myrra’s gently by the shoulder.

     “I’d be happy to,” she volunteered with a smile. “So little sis, are you ready? We’re going to be leaving soon.”

     “Um… do I need to bring anything?”

     “No, we’ll be back in a couple of hours. The forest is usually free of monsters.” 

     “Wait, sister,” the other girl murmured softly, “the adventurers stuff. She might be able to make use of what they left behind.”

     “You're right. Come, little sis,” she laughed and bound over to the tree. Myrra followed behind and saw her digging around amongst it's roots. “Here!” she exclaimed triumphantly as she turned around holding a well-used backpack.

     Myrra took the backpack and set it at her feet. Her sister turned around and started digging again, while Myrra sat down and opened the backpack. Inside the pack were several healing potions, some dried fruits, jerky, and a fire starter. Bunched up in the bottom was a small bundle of clothes. She suspected they would be perfectly sized for her. But she figured her clothes were better. There were no shoes, but she didn’t really fell like she needed them. Despite being barefoot, her feet never once hurt, even when she walked in the gravel yesterday. Plus, none of her sisters had shoes either. In spite of this, her feet were still soft and supple, if a bit dirty.

     Myrra stood up and slung the backpack around her shoulder, which fit her perfectly, despite her short demeanor. Her sister turned around again, this time holding a bedroll and tent kit. This must mean she was coming up to the end of the tutorial. She took the backpack with her but left the bedroll and tent behind. They would be returning quickly, and she didn't want to be burdened with them. 

     “I’m Phyrris,” the first girl introduced, she was at least forty centimeters taller than the small girl. She had deep blue hair that fell down her back, and her emerald eyes sparkled like gemstones. Her face was set in a wide smile which reflected her bubbly personality. She was wearing a dress much like Myrra’s.

     “And I’m Neyti,” the other girl added. Her hair was a dark purple and went down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a stunning yellow, and were warm, like basking in the sun. She spoke in a monotonous tone. Her face had a neutral expression on it, but behind her eyes sat a mischievous glint. 

     “Big sis Phyrris. Big sis Neyti,” she noted excitedly, before following her sisters into the nearby woods.

 

*****

 

     She felt alive, the sounds of nature all around her. As a city boy, she didn't have much experience in the wilderness. But she found it refreshing, even though there was nearly as much noise. Although, this noise was nature itself. Birds chirped, larger animals stood just off the paths, and the underbrush was alive with small animals and insects. Despite her not having shoes, she didn't step on anything. Maybe it was part of her class or race?

     The three of them went deeper, or it was more accurate to say less deep, into the woods. The trees began to thin, and her sisters informed her that they were nearing the end of their influence. Neyti instructed her to move as silently as possible.

     “The humans here are friendly towards us, but sometimes there are those who aren't. They think hiding in our forest is a good way to escape their laws. You aren’t strong enough yet to deal with them. So if we run into anyone, I want you to hide,” Neyti explained.

     Myrra nodded, she knew there would be respawn mechanics. But it would still be embarrassing to die in the tutorial. She was convinced that there wouldn’t be anything too challenging to handle. So she tried to emulate her older sisters. Once they reached the edge of their protection, they left the path and began to walk through the trees. She noticed that as they walked, they moved silently without disturbing any of the plants.

     “Big sis? How are you walking so softly?” she asked barely above a whisper, tugging at Phyrris’ dress.

     “Hmm? Forest Strider, it’s a skill that makes you better when walking in forests. Don't worry. By the time we get back home, you’ll have at least one level in it,” she reassured, casually talked about skills and levels. As if they were just a part of everyday life. As they continued to walk, they passed by many beautiful plants. She stopped under a tree that had borne fruit. They looked like a cross between an apple and a pear. It was too far for her to reach, but she wanted to try them. 

     She ran over to the trunk and began to climb, it was hard as the tree was too wide for her to grip comfortably, and the nearest branch was too far to grab. After a brief struggle, she managed to shimmy her way up the tree and grabbed the closest branch she could. Several attempts later, she managed to swing herself up on it and climbed up a couple of branches until she reached one that had fruit dangling from it.

     Wrapping her hands around one of the fruits she started to tug, but it was stuck fast, she pulled as hard as she could, but it refused to come off. She examined the fruit, wishing she had a knife of some kind to cut it free. Wrapping her hands around it again, she tugged with her full weight. Freeing it with an audible pop, which threw off her balance. 

     She screamed as she began to fall. Instinctively, she reached for her mana and cast her first nature magic spell. It was a spell designed to accelerate the growth of plants. A flower sprung forth under her. The bud was large and filled with air. She bounced on its surface, and it unfurled and caught her.

     “Myrra, what are you doing?!” Phyrris exclaimed fearfully, running over. She picked the small girl up and hugged her. “You could have been seriously hurt. We may be spirits, but we can still be injured.”

     “I’m sorry,” she trembled. Tears formed in her eyes as she shook slightly. Usually, she’d be okay with heights, but falling nearly six meters as a small girl terrified her. 

     “Just be careful in the future,” she cautioned, picking her sister up, easily carrying Myrra on her back. “That was a good save, by the way,” she added with a reluctant smile. Which made Myrra smile and giggle.

     The three girls continued. Myrra ate her apple-pear hybrid fruit. It was juicy and sweet. They continued scouting the forest as they walked, but nothing caught their eyes. As they returned to their home, Myrra checked her status.