The party fell silent. Helene and Gymgrei looked between Whis and Edoix with confusion on their faces.
"Whis," asked Helene, "what does he mean?"
Whis scratched his head. It wasn't really a secret of his that he was from Earth. He felt no real reason to obscure that fact intentionally. He merely did so because it just didn't feel like a detail that needed to be brought up.
"I'm not from here." Whis shrugged his shoulders, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his tail around him. "How'd you know, Edoix? I don't remember bringing it up."
Helene and Gymgrei recoiled at the reveal, eyes wide.
"Yer a traveler, lad?" gasped Gymgrei, leaning in to squint at Whis, looking him up and down as though he were some kind of mystical artifact.
Whis shrugged, balancing his palms. "I mean, I get around. I've never really left my city, though. I'm usually dodging cars, getting tuna, or sleeping on the parked cars when the humans go to work."
Helene shook her head. "Wait, so you weren't a slave? You weren't forced to fight in pits for the entertainment of slavers?"
Whis leaned back in shock. "Oh god, no! I've been free my whole life. I lived on the streets, doing what I wanted whenever I wanted. The fighting I did was always over territory and food. Sometimes over a girl but I—Um . . . never mind that part."
Edoix knelt down. "You said the humans called you Whiskers. Here in Mithra, any Sealgari, like yourself now, would have been gravely insulted to be called that."
Whis shrugged. "Well that part's still true. I wasn't a Sealgari where I come from. I was just a cat. The humans that gave me a few treats here and there called me Whiskers, so that was my name."
"A cat?!" gasped the others in unison, jaws slack.
Whis ducked his head. "Y-yeah? You know like—" he brought one hand up and brushed the air with it like a cat pawing the air, "meow?"
Helene covered her face in her hands and curled in on herself. The action earned a knowing smirk from Gymgrei and Edoix.
"Whis, I was able to piece together your origin due to your behavior. First and foremost was how open and friendly you are. Most Beastfolk are incredibly isolationist and closed off, the polar opposite of you. Then there was your reaction to the slime culture," Edoix started, leaning in close. "You have seen it, haven't you? The Rune Sea?"
Whis stared and nodded. "Yeah. I was chasing this bug back home. When I pounced, it spread its wings and it made this . . . hole in the world. I fell in and saw this massive ocean of glowing blue."
Edoix rubbed his chin. "A Runic Scarab? Do they still exist?"
Gymgrei stood up. "Regardless of how ya came here, lad. You need to sharpen up."
"He is right, Whis," Edoix said, snapping out of his muttering. "If the wrong people learn that you've not only touched the Rune Sea but managed to enter our world through it—"
"There'd be war, lad. To escape Mithra's fate . . ." Gymgrei shook his head, pinching his brow.
Helene nodded and stood up. "It's dangerous just being with you, Whis," she said, her voice soft and tender.
Whis's heart sank and he stood up. "Helene?"
Edoix rose as well to join his party. "The Sealgari call Sundara their home. Outside of close friends and family, they do not discuss anything unless it is immediately important. I advise you to talk to nobody else about yourself, stay as secluded as possible."
Gymgrei sighed. "What's yer plan, Whis? What're you gonna do?"
Whis held himself, gripping his arms. "Well, I want to find a way to get home." His voice was soft, ears laying back. "What are you guys going to do?"
Edoix scratched at his chin. "A way to get home, I see. That would require quite a bit of research, I imagine. You'd need a scholar."
Helene shook her head and sighed. "You'd be dealing with the flows and weaves of mana as well as hunting down arcane artifacts. You'd need a proper witch to guide ya."
"You'll be doin' a fair bit o' fightin', too. You'd need a tinkerer to keep yer gear in condition," said Gymgrei, grinning proudly.
Helene barked a laugh. "Sorry to say it, Whis. But it looks like you're stuck with us. Can't go around telling every scholar, witch, and tinkerer you're from another world now, can ya?"
Whis's ears perked up and he let his arms drop back to his sides. "Guys?"
Gymgrei gave a boisterous laugh and wrapped Whis in a crushing hug. The dwarf's massive muscles were like boulders. "Aye, lad! Ye ain't rid of us yet!"
Edoix smiled at Whis, the elf towering over him. "Friend Whis. This may be our easiest quest. From here on out we are seeking knowledge to flee our dying star, knowledge that would be coveted by all manner of people. It will be heavily guarded and the very search itself will put us all in grave danger."
"That's right, we're going to have to get stronger than we were today," said Helene, leaning on her staff with all the day's fatigue weighing her voice down. "Speaking of—Edoix, weren't we supposed to level up?"
The elf shook his head. "We have to turn the quest in first. Only then does the weave accept our quest as complete."
"Lo, there!" called the heavy voice of the Lieutenant.
The party looked up at the ridge of the ravine, seeing the Lieutenant standing there with a squad of ten or so men with him, armed and ready.
"We heard the explosion from the Outpost. When it fell silent, I deemed it imperative we investigate. What happened here?" he called down.
"Dear Lieutenant, we found your slime culture. Had we waited any longer, the culture would have become a Gel," replied Edoix, cupping a hand by his mouth to cast his voice.
"Dead gods! Is it dead? Did you four kill it?"
"Aye, Lieutenant! Your slime problem is resolved," called Gymgrei, fists on his hips as he stood proudly.
The moment the words reached the Lieutenant's ears, a filigree-decorated window appeared in the vision of each party member.
Quest Completed
[Slime Subjugation] | Rank: 0
You have been awarded 2,000 Experience Points
Level Up!
1 > 8
You passed 5 levels. Select a Feat or Improve an Attribute.
The party smiled and cheered as they saw the notification. Whis, however, stared at it in confusion. Edoix was quick to spot him and took the feline's shoulders in his hands.
"I do not blame you for being stunned, friend Whis. Eight whole levels is a big deal. But celebrate with us!" said Edoix as he squeezed Whis's shoulders to emphasize the last sentence.
Whis blinked and threw his arms in the air and cheered, jumping up. "Quest complete! Let's get dinner!"
The party agreed with the sentiment, using a lowered rope to climb out of the earthen bowl that made their battlefield.
The Lieutenant handed Helene a hefty-looking bag the size of a grapefruit. "For services rendered, Ms. Thorne, including the bonus for destroying the culture."
Helene's smile was one of professional coolness. "I hope we can work together in the future, Lieutenant. Simply ask for me at a Wanderer's Lodge building."
The Lieutenant nodded and turned, returning to his duties as outpost commander.
The cart ride back to Alexandria was a quiet one, not for any reason other than the party carefully making their decisions on what to do with their recent levels.
Whis stared at the window after Helene explained how to make it work. Edoix had tried to explain earlier, but got so technical it started to hurt Whis's head.
First and foremost was the alert that he could either pick a Feat or level up an Attribute. By the power of simply willing the system to do what he wanted, Whis looked at his current Attributes. It brought up a window loaded with information about him.
Name: Whiskers "Whis" | Race: Sealgari (feline) | Job: Berserker
Level: 8 | Experience to Next Level: 2000/2200
Under this header of information was his attributes. The four attributes were Strength, Agility, Intellect, and Willpower. Next to each attribute were five dots with one dot filled in.
Strength:〇〇⬤〇〇
Agility: 〇〇〇〇⬤
Intellect: 〇⬤〇〇〇
Willpower: 〇〇⬤〇〇
Whis didn't understand what it meant, and when he willed an explanation to appear, all he got was a boilerplate: "Your attribute rank is your proficiency in that specific attribute of your total being."
It didn't help at all. So instead of looking at his attributes, Whis looked to the option of Feats.
The list was extensive. There were so many to pick that Whis wished there was a way he could just ask for a specific feat. Then the window shifted again, showing Whis a search function.
Whis blinked and lay on his back, hands behind his head. This would take a hard think for sure. What did he want out of a feat? What even was a feat? He bit his lip as he thought before deciding that he'd look at a random feat. Perhaps by looking at a feat at random, he'd have a better idea of exactly what they were for.
Feat: Second Wind
The first time in a fight that you would be pushed past your physical limits, you continue as though you were not yet exhausted or critically injured. When the delay ends, the consequences apply normally.
This was a simple one. It made it so you could push yourself a little further in a fight. It was interesting, but Whis wanted something more.
Feat: Anchored
You cannot be forcibly moved against your will. Effects that would push, pull, or knock you back fail unless you let them succeed.
Now that was a feat. Whis could only imagine how intimidating it would be for the slime to punch him with those big arms only to not budge him an inch. But that would still hurt, and getting hurt sucked, no matter how cool you looked.
Feats made a bit more sense now, and now Whis had an idea of what he wanted from a feat. He willed the system to show him a feat to help him with his claws. He scrolled through the many that remained when his eyes were caught by one specific name.
Feat: Nine Lives
Each time you land a strike on the same creature without missing, you gain a stacking surge of speed. On the ninth strike, all your speed is released in a single overwhelming blow and this feat resets.
Whis wasn't unaware of the joke of cats having nine lives. But for the system to have a feat named so was interesting, to say the least. The feat was good too. Perhaps if Whis had this against the Proto-Gel, he wouldn't have needed to pull that high-risk maneuver.
Whis chose the feat and felt the throb in his head as the skill cemented itself with his being. The pain lasted only a moment, and he breathed in relief as it faded.
As he backed out of the feats menu, he saw another to look at—Job Points.
He selected the option and was presented with three different trees, each one possessing its own description similar to feats. No wonder everyone was still quiet. Whis really didn't have the patience, so he quickly combed through the trees. Each tree started off with the same skill at the top, already illuminated, showing it was selected.
Job Skill: Battle Trance
Lose yourself in battle. Your strength and speed are doubled, however you take twice as much damage in turn. Build fury every time you attack or are attacked by an enemy while Battle Trance is active.
The skill seemed required no matter what, and it cost nothing to pick, so he accepted it, allowing him to select the next tier of skills. However, he felt at a loss. There were so many to pick he didn't know what would be best for him. He scanned through, seeing that one tree was all about raw power, building strength and dealing massive single blows. It was strong, but Whis didn't like the downside of being a slow single hitter. He liked being fast and not getting hurt.
The second tree was . . . disturbing. It read like a murder scene, with a gross fascination with intentionally saturating himself in blood. A psychopath's wet dream for sure.
It was the third tree that felt best to Whis. It was all about speed and going faster and faster as long as he fought.
He'd choose that tree over the others, but would hold on for now until he got some more experience in a fight. It would suck to pick a skill now and miss out on better later.
The window blinked away and he smiled to himself, sticking a thumb into the air. "I'm Whis. Level eight Berserker."