The world returned suddenly and I found myself several feet in the air. Gravity decided to remi existed and I hit the dirt with a grunt of pain, the sound of Jaina experieng the same thing drew my eye to my left. She looked okay, pulling herself up and gng around with wide and worried eyes.

  I realized why as I noticed the ck of trees near us. Also the ck of the train car. Additionally Henna and the other soldiers were also no where to be seen. Unfortuhe same was not true of the angel.

  “YOUR FINAL BREATH NEARS CREATURE. PRAY TO YOUR INTERLOPER PATRON TO OFFER REST TO YOUR TAINTED SOUL.” He spoke as he walked closer. Though I suppose stumbled might be a better word. Those few moments getting absolutely overwhelmed by gunfire seemed to have seriously fucked the guy up.

  “Esme! Rifle on your left!” I heard Carmil in my ear and gnced aside. It was just out of reach but close, yio one of the guards that had died defending me. I guess the transport spell or whatever was an AoE.

  I quickly moved, diving for the gun as the angel realized what I was doing and lunged with his spear. He was just a bit faster and I felt the bzial graze my arm. It wasn’t as painful as I expected but it hit hard enough to send me rolling over my target and hissing in pain.

  “CEASE, ABOMINATION. CEASE AND I WILL GRANT YOU A QUID.” he said standing over me. The rifle was right there but I didn’t think I would get to it before he finished me. Thankfully, ued gunfire proved a distra and he quickly turo face the source of the tack against him.

  Just long enough for me to grab the rifle and roll away. I twisted and brought the sights into line. “Go back to your choir, asshole!” I yelled, and the sed he turned back to look at me I put a round into his eye.

  There was a sing as he stumbled, body going sd falling forward. He hit the ground with a heavy THUMP hard enough that I felt the impa my rear from several feet away. The glow in his skin faded and the fmes on both his head and his spear went out.

  The System demanded my attention.

  [Celestial Purifier lvl 51 defeated]

  [Additional Experience awarded for defeating an enemy more than twice your level]

  [Experiehreshold reached, you are now level 18]

  “What the fuck?” I stared “Five levels from one asshole?” I immediately ighat all however and looked at where the unfire had e from and saw Jaina holding a pistol in her hands, panting heavily and staring wide eyed at the dead angel.

  “I-, I... oh gods.” she said just loud enough to hear.

  I pulled myself to my feet and she aimed the gun at me in a panic “Woah! It’s me, Esme!” that worked and she dropped the gun, looking at it like it was a snake about to bite her. I hobbled over and ed my arms around her. She was clearly having some kind of panic attack but I knew I had something for that. “Hey, gonna help you out okay. Just breathe.” and I cast Soothe on her.

  I holy wasn’t sure if just deg to cast it would work, memory issues and all, but I felt the mana flow through my hands and into her and she started to rex immediately. “Oh fuck, oh that feels… okay. How are you doing that?” she asked, hugging me bad breathing slow and deep.

  “I have a spell that lessens pain or emotions. Useful right now, huh?”

  “Gods, I still feel sick but I think at least.” We stood like that for several long moments, her head on my shoulder and arms around me. We were safe right now and o be calm to figure out our move. Jaina broke the silence by bolting straight up with eyes wide “I’m level twenty!” She yelled with a smile “Oh my gosh I actually got to twenty!”

  As she pulled bad started pag as she freaked out about that I wondered why she was so hyped. Carmil could feel my fusion I guess because she answered “She gets Adva Options this level. Remember what Henna told you?”

  ht. Also, oh shit. I took a better look around and firmed that we were not in the same pce as several minutes prior. The closest trees were a copse that looked a few hundred feet away, I think I saw a small pond they were surrounding. Everything closer was grass and shrubs and rolling hills lit up by stars and two full moons. It would have been a lovely night if not for the dead. There were six bodies nearby, four were uards, the other two were some of the pinclothes agents after me I assumed. Henna wasn’t ao be seen. “Any ideas Carmil?”

  “Celestial Evocation of some sort, high rank. Teleportation is her on nor simple.”

  “Okay and any idea why it was after me?”

  “Celestials are paragons of self destructive stubbornness. Quite a lot of what they do is preventing things from ging, or as they call it ‘maintaining order’ so the beings they hate most are agents of ge.”

  “So you think maybe oddess is trying to ge things through me?”

  “It would certainly ahe celestial pne enough to send a purifier after you. But to calm your fears, angels are notoriously slow to act or respond to anything. If they send a will likely be months before it happens.”

  “That’s good to know at least.” I let myself breathe and walked over to sit o Jaina who was staring at nothing. Likely readiatus and seeing her options. “Anything good?” I asked with a smile.

  “Kinda intimate question, don’t you think?” She smirked without looking at me.

  “sidering I’m actively trying to knock you up, I think I have some leeway there.”

  She turned red and avoided my gaze entirely “I’m reading, you should have leveled too. Go… do that.”

  I smiled and nodded before bringing my Status back up.

  [You have new Skills]

  [You have 25 u Attribute Points, would you like to use these now?]

  I whistled and pulled up my skills to see what was new I felt my breath catch.

  [Heavy Heart Piercer: E - When still and focused on a siarget, one enter a state of Hyperfocus that allows the attack to pee some defenses and deal moderately increased damage. This does not work whehod of attack is rapid ht.]

  [As a Statue: E - When remaining still, it bees much more difficult for others to bee aware of your presend sounds you make are lessened.]

  I noticed, for the first time somehow, that all of my Heartseeker Skills had thematiames. I felt dumb for it taking that long and only really noticed because As a Statue didn’t fit it and thus I realized it must have been from my Survivor css.

  But fog more I realized the bination of my two new Skills had fantastiergy for a sniper. Like, incredibly so. I wondered if gunshots ted as sounds I made if I was the one shooting? Maybe with some rank increases I would have silent ons when I was still. The thought gave me a wide, stupid grin.

  Another hing to some point my Polyglot had risen to Rank D. I was using it damned near stantly for a couple of weeks so that made sense.

  Now to turn to my Attributes. A quie that Rag Heart’s rank increase meant it gave two points in Coordination a level now as I was ten higher which immediately shot it up to my highest score.

  I threw seven more into Coordination to hit forty. If I was goierous I was going full tilt. Then four into Endurance for ahirty. Then five eato Focus and Ford the remaining four went tth. I hadn’t really used that yet in anything but the workouts with Vikkel, but having a little extra muscle couldn’t hurt. Maybe I could get a bigger gun with some bigger guns of my own. I blinked after the spends and realized I hadn’t put anything into Willpower like I’d wanted and thought that maybe I should pn some of this instead of just tossing things in to make the numbers feel good.

  “Oh! Oooooh love~ This is nice.” I head Carmil moan into my ear. “I hadn’t realized I’d grown so much but the extra room in here is lovely. Oh! And the depth! Oooh this feels so good! I love you my wonderful Esme~”

  “Wait you grew? Like, in my Anima?”

  Jaina turned her attention bae. “Hmm, oh, is Carmil alright?”

  [More than alright dear, my absolutely wonderful love just made it muicer in here for me. And yes dear, it seems as my levels are increasing, so to are my space requirements. I hope that doesn’t bee a problem, I’d rather carve pieyself off than have to break tract with you.]

  “Hey, if I have to toss a point or two into Focus every time I ding, that’s just what I’ll do.”

  Jaina bli me in fusion “Ding?” and I paused and stared at her in my own fusion.

  “I… think that means gaining a level but I’m drawing a bnk. Man I hope I get this memory shit sorted soon.” I sighed “Okay I’m done, your turn. You don’t have to give details but I do want to know if things worked out well for someone I lo-…” I nearly bit my tongue as the word almost slipped out.

  Jaina stared at me, pink in her cheeks and her eyes locked onto my own. I could barely breath as she just stared, I wasn’t sure what was happening in her head but I could make some guesses. The worst part was I could feel Carmil growing angry at me and I knew why and knew she was right. This was my emotional problem and I shouldn’t let it hurt her. Or anyone else for that matter.

  I swallowed “Someone I love.” I forced past my mental block, it was really fug hard and I felt a touch light headed but I did it. “I love you.” I took a breath and it was immediately forced out of me as Jaina tackled me to the ground and kissed me.

  The passion in the kiss was so intense I almost missed the tears dripping onto my face. After a few moments she sat up and wiped her cheeks “If you didn’t fug say it after I shot a gods damned angel for you I was gonna be pissed.”

  “I mean, I’m pretty sure all your shots missed.” She punched my stomach “Oof, okay but it still saved me. Thank you. I love you.”

  There was a moment where I could feel the heat radiatiween us, but Carmil interrupted.

  [Dears. Maybe don’t fuck surrounded by corpses. Even if it weren’t creepy it would be disrespectful.]

  “Oh, oh gods, oh gross.” Jaina said as she pulled herself to her feet.

  I took a deep breath and dragged myself to my feet pletely under my own power. I didn’t at all need Jaina to help me stand because of the rough ground. I was doing great with my metal leg and was utterly in and of my own body. I don’t know why anyone would think otherwise shut up.

  Jaina and I pulled the bodies together out of respect, and a bit of an apology for rifling through their clothes for supplies. Sadly there was a lot less to gather then when I’d been in that transport all those weeks ago. Gods, how the hell long had it even been? Like two months?

  I had the rifle in the best shape out of all of the ones avaible, something a bit more advahan the bolt a I owned before. Semi automatic, eight round internal magazine, good sights and a nice ba I still didn’t like it as much as my st gun. I missed the bolt, it felt o cycle it. I know I was being weird and picky about dumb things.

  I had seven stripper clips of additional ammo for it, also not quite the stupid amount of rounds I’d had st time either. No survival tools, ra socks, a single first aid kit, and a pass thank the gods. I also had a sidearm from one of our fallen and insisted Jaina carry another. Nurse or not she o be able to keep herself safe.

  They were also more advahan the revolver I’d pulled off of poor dead Bernson, though not magical. Slide a semi auto handguns with a ten round removable box magazine in the handle. We gathered elevera mags among the bodies of both sides, sihey all seemed to carry the same model. Fuck that was going to get plex once we got back. Internal issues were going to be an absolute shitstorm to figure out but as far as I knew Uvtrayl was still my best bet. Besides, they had Henna and I didn’t know if I loved her yet and I was determio find out.

  Once we were ready to go we headed east. Uvtrayl was more on the eastern side of the ti and even reached the eastern shore further north. Based on w of probability, we could most likely find something that way. At least that’s how I justified it in my head.

  As we walked, Jaina surprised me with a chocote bar she’d taken from one of the other side’s pockets. We split it as we walked and I took her arm in mine. “So, get something good for your Adva?”

  She chewed on her lip for a moment before answering “Um, yeah actually. One of my choices was odd but the description made it out to be…” She squirmed a bit and huffed before simply blurting out “I have healing magiow.”