The early morning was spent training. Lelly summoned Water Constructs and activated the other low-Level Constructs in the training [Dungeon] for Effimia to fight. Lelly had once helped Thesa in a similar way.

  Effimia was good at fighting. Really good. She was like a pouncing animal, using short bursts of speed and force to take out opponents or push them back. Even without the powers that came with her new [Barbarian] Class, it was clear that Effimia could hold her own in a fight.

  In no time at all, she reached Level 2 and gained a [Knack] called [Stand Firm] which decreased the amount of damage that could be done if she were surrounded by opponents and a [Frenzy] feature called [Crash More] which made it easier for her to both injure and move an enemy at once while her [Frenzy] was active.

  “What I don’t get is why I need the ability to do it in the first place. Can’t I just shove someone?” Effimia asked.

  “You’re right that you could. Even when it comes to magic, if you have the know-how and resources then you can pull off all the same tricks without a single [Knack], but it’s a lot more difficult,” Lelly explained.

  ***

  When they came to the front entrance of the training [Dungeon], a foxfolk grounds worker was writing something on a clipboard. The sky was bright with clouds.

  When the worker saw a naiad, a human, a CowDog, and a KangarooHawk emerging from within, they spoke up.

  “Hey, what are you kids doing? You can’t be in there. It’s dangerous.”

  Lelly didn’t know what to say.

  “I’m calling security,” the foxfolk added. They took a small stone from their pocket.

  Lelly knew that if they dropped it on the ground and crushed it with their foot, it would make a loud noise and bright light to call campus guards to their location. What do I say? What do I do? Ummm.

  “You’re absolutely right it’s dangerous. And what would you have done if we were injured? If my [Lawyer] gets a word about this she’ll want to sue this place to the ground.”

  The foxfolk was so surprised by the forceful, mostly gibberish, threats that they hesitated. “What are you talking about, lady?”

  “I don’t know why I woke up at the bottom of that–that [Dungeon], but I do know that this woman saved me.”

  “Wouldn’t you still want me to call the guards to investigate?”

  “I– Well…”

  Lelly, inspired by Effimia’s determination, snatched the stone from the foxfolk, grabbed Effimia’s hand, and started running.

  “Rooroo, can you take this up and drop it down on the other side of some buildings?” Lelly asked.

  Rooroo accepted the request in action. It flapped its hawk wings and took to the sky. Just before it returned, a loud noise and a bright flash of light emerged in the opposite direction to where they were all running.

  Foot traffic on campus was light with most students in class at that moment. A living-stone [Ranger] and a human [Barbarian] sat resting on the steps of a classroom building and were busy chatting. On a bench, a mouse-kin girl sat reading a book in the lap of a cat-kin girl with her eyes closed for a nap.

  Still, the foxfolk was shouting after them and people were starting to notice.

  “Good–job–stalling–him.” Panting, Lelly called back to Effimia as they ran.

  Lelly wasn’t exactly unfit but moving outside the water was always more taxing for a naiad, and after a morning of using her magic she was wearing out. She paused to breathe.

  “You’re going to hold us back,” Effimia said.

  Before Lelly could reply, Effimia stopped in front of her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Didn’t you hear me? You’re slowing us down.” Effimia crouched and slung Lelly over her shoulders like she was nothing.

  Lelly blushed. “But won’t this slow you down?”

  Effimia didn’t respond. She continued to run without a problem. It was almost like she had trained for something just like this.

  Moomi mwoofed as it ran alongside them and the KangarooHawk flew low above their heads.

  ***

  After nearly an hour, Effimia hadn’t slowed and they were nearing the edge of campus. Lelly had gotten almost comfortable, although she tried not to show it. Being carried by a strong woman was something else.

  Ahead of them was only a small classroom building and a dirt road. Beyond that was the wilderness of ItherBeau and who knew what was hiding out there.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  As they approached the dirt road, Moomi and Rooroo slowed. They began to growl and yip. A figure descended from seemingly nowhere and landed on the ground before them. A Knight with shoulder-length, straight white hair. She reached a hand out and an elaborately decorated war hammer erupted from the ground. She gripped the long handle. The head of the weapon was the size and shape of a confession booth and even as she put another hand higher on the grip, the heft was visible in the bending handle.

  “Not to worry,” the figure said. “Let I, Crilka, relieve you of your worries, for you will soon have none to speak of.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Effimia replied.

  “Who am I? I just told you. I am Sir Crilka, the Confessor and I am here to relieve you of your pains.”

  “And what precisely have either of us confessed to you?” Effimia shot back.

  “Why there’s no need,” Crilka laughed. “I have taken it upon myself to skip formalities in the interest of expediency. I’ve heard quite enough about all this nonsense and frankly I’ve more pressing matters to return to.”

  Without waiting for another reply, Crilka hefted the hammer into a swing. The swing became a spin on her heel. The weight of the hammer built up inertia. She spun and spun with the hammer and took to the air. The twirling attack was mere moments from Lelly who hardly had time to come up with a plan– clngg!

  Effimia’s axe caught the hammer in the air.

  Lelly’s Level was higher than Effimia’s, but her meek nature made her slow to react. Without Effimia’s intervention, she might have been taken out right there.

  But as her axe collided with the spinning hammer (failing to make contact with Crilka herself), Effimia was knocked prone, following her deflected weapon to the ground. Crilka, on the other hand, had trained for just this sort of combat. As her hammer gave up some of its momentum, she waited for the head to hit the ground, then let go and completed her spin with grace.

  “Ms. Mylona!” Lelly shouted as she scrambled toward her protector.

  “Even I can see your skills are promising, my dear,” Crilka sighed. “Such reactive instinct and strength… however I can also see that you’re simply green for combat.”

  She put her hand to her mouth and whistled loudly and a troop of campus Guards emerged from the trees beyond the dirt road.

  “Prepare to sing your final song, my dears,” Crilka added.

  “No!” Lelly shouted.

  She took a glass jar filled with murky water from her bag and after a brief chant she threw it down. Glass and herbs shattered on the ground, but the water within gathered in the air like a reverse bubble. The sphere of water grew in size and took the form of an enormous frogfish, although in truth it was a Water Construct. It was nearly the size of a house and its presence pulled significant attention on the battlefield.

  ***

  ***

  “If you could summon that thing then what did you need me for?” Effimia asked as she pulled herself to her feet.

  Lelly didn’t reply. Her body and clothes rippled as if she were submerged. The Water Construct hefted its weight toward Crilka, but the Knight wasn’t deterred. She lifted her hammer in another swinging spin.

  Meanwhile, Moomi and Rooroo had run past Crilka to address the troops past the road. Rooroo flew into the face of one ill-prepared Guard with a flurry of kicks and jabs to their face. Moomi bounded toward another, leaping up to knock its opponent to the ground and letting out a loud MWOOF which startled many of their nearby comrades.

  As Crilka’s spinning action collided with the Water Construct, its enormous form rippled and splashed. The Construct even seemed to lose some of its size, but this was misleading. The splashed water had tendriled out to grab the Knight’s hammer and even one of her arms. As the creature suctioned the weapon from its wielder, Crilka found herself knocked off balance and struggling to remove her arm from the water.

  Effimia looked at the scene. Moomi and Rooroo had managed many of the Guards with surprising efficiency. Lelly was clearly more powerful than Effimia had given her credit for. She wasn’t sure who these people were, but she remembered that back in her world companies only looked simple when they were trying to. They might have more up their sleeves.

  “Lelly, we need to proceed now,” Effimia shouted. She charged up to the naiad but got no response. “Lelly?”

  Lelly’s magic trance was still ongoing so Effimia scooped her up like nothing and ran for the trees.

  ***

  They were deep in the woods and making their first camp. Moomi and Rooroo took turns pacing the perimeter. Effimia surprised Lelly with her ability to build a fire.

  “Where did you learn that?” Lelly asked as she fumbled the construction of her tent for the fourth time.

  “I’ve been camping before,” Effimia replied more defensively than Lelly had expected. She added another log to the carefully arranged fire.

  “Well, in that case you might need to help with the tent, too,” Lelly said. “I’m not made for this kind of roughing it…”

  “You’re useless, you know?” Effimia sighed. Her face was scowling.

  “I’m sorry that you had to end up out here like this,” Lelly replied. She cast her face downward.

  “That’s not what I–” Effimia started, but interrupted herself. “Like I’d rather be dealing with those jerks?”

  Effimia turned from the fire and instructed Lelly through the tent’s construction. When it was done, the two sat beside the fire.

  “By the way,” Effimia said, “where are you going to sleep while I’m in the tent?”

  Lelly’s green face turned bright red. “Well, I–uh–”

  “I’m kidding. I’m used to camping. I can figure something out.”

  “That can’t be safe,” Lelly replied. She tried to ignore the fact that she was about to propose a pretty silly solution. What could she say? You read that many MunFi novels and they start to have an effect. “There’s enough room for both of us. Will you share it with me?”

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