Lila froze in anticipation. She both willed Aira to finally resolve the situation and dreaded the consequences.

  Since the moment she met this strange woman, Lila felt that her life would never be the same. But she never considered she'd have no way back to the human society, always reserving that as a backup plan.

  These past months showed Lila how much there was to explore in this world. Bizarre that some outworlder had to show her that. What a strange word and concept, outworlder. Still, here she was, rooting for an undead and hoping that her peers would be thrown back.

  Since Aira established flowing communication through radios and headphones, Lila didn't even notice that they were different. Well, she realized Aira was brilliant, even for a human. The undead momentarily grasped the weirdest technical ideas, learned languages, and figured out the most complex concepts from the ancient workbooks.

  Now, the only hope was that Aira would keep her promise of… Of what? This crisis couldn't be resolved without blood. Korin was probably its first victim. But how many humans dying was a reasonable price for her and Aira's freedom to choose their destiny?

  There was no answer to that question.

  Lila focused all of her attention on Aira. The undead woman sat still in front of a battery of screens, seemingly gathering her bizarre powers, draining the energy from the bunker's reserves.

  The whole idea of a human sucking a battery dry like a ripe fruit still sounded like madness to Lila. She couldn't see the effects of the process, but she saw the results multiple times.

  Soon, Lila started seeing the consequences on the screen. It was like a scene from the ancient myths. Aira targeted the gadgets carried by the rangers—radios, flashlights, anything that could hold a charge, everything that had a battery. With a deep breath, she sent focused beams of energy toward them, causing the devices to overload and explode.

  But Lila couldn't feel the currents that were flowing through Aira's body. She only saw the results. A man on the bottom-left screen grasped his hip, his hand and part of the leg becoming charred and blackened. Sparks covered his whole body, and his fellow rangers jumped away with screams in primal horror.

  A female squad leader on the central screen was talking to someone through a radio. Lightning bolts obscured her image for a brief moment, spreading all over her body, reaching to other devices she had on her, and then spreading to nearby rangers.

  All in all, almost a hundred rangers attacked the ancient facility, split into small squads of five to ten people. Many of them soon had at least one team member incapacitated or killed. Frantic voices sounded over the radio. And again, Elda, the ranger from Korin's team, urged everyone to continue their advance.

  "We're not stopping," she shouted, her voice filled with determination. "Return to your positions! There wasn't a command for retreat! Move forward, now!"

  With only a few people wounded severely enough to not be able to move forward and others coming back to consciousness, the unrelenting exploration of the facility continued.

  ***

  Aira felt like she was made to fight blindfolded. Not that she needed to see her enemies with her Energy Manipulation skill. Still, she knew she could do much more. She could probably stop all humans altogether in one decisive strike. But her promise to Lila made her hold back.

  She nodded, sensing Lila's unease. "There are too many of them, Lila. We can't hold them off forever. A decisive strike is our only chance."

  Lila took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, Aira. Unleash your bag of tricks, but don't overdo it, yeah? Last thing I need is my undead partner collapsing mid-fight. That'd be awkward."

  Aira focused, her mind sharpening to a fine point as she prepared to use her Energy Manipulation skill in a way she rarely did. She scanned the video feeds one last time, focusing on the leaders of each attack team.

  With precision, Aira began to manipulate the inner energy of these humans, feeling the life force within them. She couldn't stop but feel disgusted by her own actions. They went against the beliefs she held in her past life. Still, maybe it was time to review them?

  However, she still was hesitant. In Mountain View, during the execution, she did it instinctively. Later, when she and Lila tried to escape town, it was the last resort measure. Now, it felt like the only option. But wasn't it a bit too close to necromancy?

  Finally, seeing that the humans didn't plan to stop, Aira made up her mind. She started sifting the energy out of the rangers she singled out earlier, drawing it from their bodies. It was a delicate process, but her 9th-level skill made it manageable. She focused on a score of humans at once, their energy flowing into her like a powerful mountain stream during spring. Ultimately, the amount of arcane power she took in was so immense that she could feel herself starting to overflow.

  "Lila... this is intense..." Aira gasped, screens around them lighting up much brighter than ever before and electric devices all over the facility starting to glow." I need to spread the energy as much as I can!"

  "How's our juice looking?" Lila asked. "Are those ancient batteries going to hold up, or do I need to start thinking about cranking them by hand? Because I'm not signing up for that."

  Aira quickly redirected the excess energy into the batteries they had installed, using them as a reservoir to store the immense power she was absorbing. But that wasn't enough. She explored what other targets she could choose for her overflowing energy. The remaining humans were out of bounds per their agreement with Lila. Unless they weren't stopped by this show of force. So, Aira started pushing the energy wherever she could.

  The facility lighting gradually began glowing with blinding intensity. Next, an ancient public announcement system woke up in bursts of horrible sounds and static, bringing even more disorientation to humans, who had to deal both with the loss of their fellow rangers and this psychotronic attack.

  The targeted humans began to stumble, their movements slowing as their life force drained away. Still, that wasn't enough. The reserves of the human bodies were immense.

  With the last push, Aira stumbled with her senses upon the ancient devices, still stored deep in the bunker warehouses. She poured a fraction of her energy into each of their batteries. Finally, feeling the pressure going away.

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  She glanced at the screens that were gradually returning to their normal operational state. The bodies of the humans she targeted started to dry up, their skin tightening over their bones. Within moments, they collapsed, lifeless. This wasn't something she expected to see, and it was quite different from her previous experiences with this skill. Still, it wasn't time for reflection. That would come later.

  Aira still felt a final surge of power coursing through her, but it came with a wave of nausea and dizziness. At least she wasn't passing out this time. The faces of the dying rangers, twisted in terror and pain, were now seared into her memory. A grim reminder of the cost of her survival.

  Between that shocking display and a light show that was a by-product of Aira's actions, the attackers were utterly paralyzed with fear. Momentarily, the facility became eerily silent as the remaining rangers witnessed the horrifying display. The sight of their comrades being drained of life so swiftly, so effortlessly, was enough to break their resolve. What was even worse was that not a single intruder had an opportunity to get close to the human traitor and the undead abomination. Their efforts now seemed entirely futile.

  Panic finally set in, and without a word, the attackers began to retreat, dropping their tools, weapons, and explosives. Not even bothering to help their wounded comrades. The earlier determination was now wholly replaced by sheer terror.

  Aira grimly watched through the monitors as the attackers fled, their figures disappearing into the night. She felt a mixture of relief and sorrow. The room was silent except for the hum of the monitors. Aira's hands trembled, the rush of power leaving her feeling hollow. Killing her adversaries wasn't something new for her. But this… it was somehow different, sucking all the life force out of these people. The memory of their faces in their final moments... it felt like they would haunt her forever.

  Was this the path she would choose to walk?

  She turned to Lila, who was blindly staring at the screens, her face pale but determined.

  "They're gone," Aira transmitted as softly as she could over the portable radio, her voice carrying a note of exhaustion.

  Lila nodded, her expression conflicted. "I get why you did it, but, Elders keep me sane, watching it happen? That's something I'm not forgetting anytime soon."

  Aira's radio crackled to life with a System message:

  --- Completed Quests ---

  1. Defend the base (Reward: 300,000 XP, Skill)

  2. Find a better way to communicate with humans (Reward: 100,000 XP)

  3. Visit the Old World tech facility to investigate. Explore beyond the large door (Reward: 50,000 XP, Loot)

  [...]

  "Oh, now we are talking!" exclaimed Aira. "Still, 300,000 XP is good progress towards the next level! I can't complain."

  "Not to rain on your System parade," commented Lila, shaking her head in disapproval, "but did you catch how many people paid the 'XP toll' for you? My people, Aira. That celebration's got a bit of a sour aftertaste, don't you think?"

  "Well, it was their decision to attack us, not mine," Aira defended herself. "And as that function of the System works normally here, you are quite right, I got XP for the kills as well. Sorry if I sound callous, but that's how I live my life. Complete quests, kill bad people, and gain XP. And I did my best to save as many lives as possible today."

  Lila crossed her arms on her chest, not giving any other answer.

  "Look, if you plan to stick with me, you'd probably have to get used to that, "said Aira. "But it's not like I can defend against an attack of a hundred people and gain 300,000 XP any given day. That's major!" Despite Lila's mood, Aira wasn't going to let her spoil the moment of this immense progress.

  "Whatever..." said Lila, sad but curious, "what's that about a new skill for you? Maybe it's something useful?"

  Aira mentally pushed toward her wristband and sent the command to launch the System menu. She was enjoying the familiar sensation of the arcane answering to her. But still, the need to constantly use this technological crotch drove her insane.

  --- New Skill(s) Available ---

  1. Necrocommunion - Boosts coordination with the undead allies. You can sense the undead.

  Cost to add a new Skill: 1,024 SP + 3 SP SP

  Acquire this Skill [Y/N]?

  "Coordination with the undead? Necrocommunion? What the hell?! What does it even mean?" Aira exclaimed. "But I get it that in this world it may be reasonable to have a skill like that. Not that in my experience the undead communicate with anything but screech and growl."

  "You mean, like you?" Lila asked, a feeble smile finally appearing on her face.

  "Point taken. Okay, let's get this skill." Aira sighed. "The System is obviously pointing me in some direction. And with the quest system broken, I don't have many other ways to interpret what I need to do next. I'd better follow the signs it's giving to me."

  "Oh, so you're saying you'll be the undead whisperer now?" Lila said. "Guess that makes you the charming exception to the whole 'screech and growl' crowd, huh?"

  --- Skills ---

  [...]

  3. Necrocommunion (Level 1 / 24 SP to upgrade to Level 2)

  - Chance of boosting cooperation among low-level undead.

  - You can sense the undead.

  - Maximum skill use distance: [100 m x Level] = 10 km

  [Cost to add a new Skill: 1,089 SP + 3 SP]

  "So, Lila, what do you think? Should I splurge a bit and upgrade this skill as much as I can?" asked Aira. "It seems it may be quite useful in this world."

  "Do I look like an expert on necro-anything?" answered Lila. "You're already neck-deep in undead shenanigans. But let's be real—you've already decided, haven't you?"

  "Right, let's upgrade it and make it more powerful!..."

  Necrocommunion (Level 2 / 81 SP to upgrade to Level 3)

  - Chance of boosting cooperation among low-level undead.

  - You can sense the undead.

  - Maximum skill use distance: [200 m x Level] = 20 km

  Upgrade further [Y/N]?

  [...]

  Necrocommunion (Level 7 / 1,536 SP to upgrade to Level 8)

  - High chance of boosting cooperation among mid-level undead.

  - You can sense the undead and scan their stats.

  - You can raise medium-sized organisms as undead. Energy consumption: high.

  - Maximum skill use distance: [1 km x Level] = 100 km

  Upgrade further [Y/N]?

  "Ok, let's play it safe and stop there, keeping some skill points for another skill if needed," mused Aira.

  "So, what have you got in the end?" asked Lila.

  "I have only two quests left. So, we are moving in the right direction, but I hope we'll stumble upon new quests soon. It still looks like the System is guiding me somewhere. With this skill as well. But I wouldn't be surprised it we'd have to explore the world a bit before I get anything else."

  Aira gave a start, re-reading the final description of the skill."But… What the hell?!?"

  "Elder's beard! What now?" asked Lila anxiously.

  "The undead have levels?" Aira exclaimed. "So, they are connected to the System. We need to find out more!"

  And then, there was a new sensation Aira got after acquiring this new skill. Something loomed in the background. It was like a shadow that hadn't yet formed into a solid body but provided a response to her probing.

  "Lila, I think there is somebody else in the forest near the facility," Aira said. "And this person doesn't seem to be human."

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