Aira almost had to drag Lila to her bed the previous night, declining to answer any additional questions about the new skill or anything else. And there were many questions to answer and things to discuss. Still, Lila had to get proper sleep before doing anything important or making any decisions.

  For Aira, of course, there was no such a problem. She felt exhausted after the attack, but that was something she could withstand. Maybe she couldn't just brush it off, but it shouldn't bring any significant complications either. Especially as she finally managed not to overexert herself.

  That achievement was even more crucial as she was on the brink of using up almost all of her reserves even before the siege began. And then, she had to perform actions that affected multiple humans, not once and not twice.

  Yes, Aira was quite proud of herself.

  It would only be better if she made it a habit to constantly scan the surrounding area with her Energy Manipulation skill. Maybe, in that case, they wouldn't be startled by the attackers.

  But it ended well, right?

  Aira spent the rest of the night cleaning up the halls and dragging the bodies out of the building.

  "I understand that they were scared," she thought, leaving Korin's body outside. "But don't they care about their fallen comrades? What should we even do with them?"

  The task took her the rest of the morning. Aira didn't have time to wash the floors, and the surfaces were still slick with blood in some places. But she removed at least some of the debris and cleared the paths they'd spent a week barricading.

  And, well, removed the bodies.

  There were more than twenty of them. Most of the leaders of the squads. And even a few more attackers who were killed during one of her first strikes when she targeted the firearms. Obviously, not all of them were fast enough to react despite that strange delay during her attack.

  Finally, the sun was rising. Soon, Aira would have to continue her gruesome work and bury the bodies. Digging up a hole wouldn't be an easy task during the winter, even with all the boosts she had. But the alternative was what? Making a pyre? Just thinking about that made Aira shudder. Even if they had to burn the people who just a couple of months earlier wanted to burn her alive.

  Was it time to wake up Lila? During the time they spent together, Aira began to rely on this quirky green-haired woman quite a lot. Much more than she ever relied on any other partner in her life. Still, there was that lingering question of continuing their journey. How far could they go together in this world where humans and undead were mortal enemies?

  Aira's radio suddenly woke up. "Hhhrrnnngh... Is it morning already?" Lila's voice came through. "Where are you?"

  "I'm right in front of the building," sent Aira directly to Lila's radio. "Doing chores, you know…"

  "By the twisted branches," muttered Lila, "That's one way to stomp on the morning vibes!"

  "You know what," said Aira. "Let's meet in the kitchen. We have a lot to discuss."

  ***

  When they had mugs of hot tea in their hands, it was finally time for the long talk.

  "So, Necrocommunion, huh?" said Lila. "Lila started, leaning back and giving Aira a sharp look. "By the roots, you didn't let me shake the tree on that one last night. What's all this about raising undead?"

  "I don't know yet," said Aira. "I didn't have time or… subject to test it."

  "And… Was Korin… was he one of the unlucky ones?" Lila asked, her voice getting quieter. "I can't say I was a fan of the guy, but, by the Elder's breath, he was my boss for a good stretch…"

  "Yeah… sorry," said Aira. "He's over there in the pile."

  "Well, root me sideways," Lila asked, her brows furrowing. "Can't he be a… what's the word… a subject? You know, for your, uh, new skill thing?"

  "I haven't thought about it yet," said Aira. "But it said medium-sized organisms. Do you have dragons in this world?"

  "Dragons? What in the thorny thicket? Why dragons?! Why is that your first thought?!" Lila exclaimed, staring at Aira like she'd grown a second head.

  "Well, I mean, if you don't have dragons," said Aira, "humans probably won't qualify as medium-sized. But I can try if you want me to do that. Do you? Want it?"

  Lila paused, startled by having that choice.

  "I… I'll be a lost acorn if I make that call," Lila said. "Not for him, not for you, and definitely not for anyone else."

  "Not that it would make his life worse than it is now," said Aira.

  "Ha-ha…" answered Lila. "Not funny."

  "Good, let's table that for now," said Aira. "Do you remember I mentioned a strange energy signature I noticed yesterday?"

  "Yeah, you said it wasn't a human," said Lila. "Boughs and branches, it got me all rattled like a loose gear when I tried to sleep. But, truth be told, I was too wind-snapped to care much. Slept like a stump…"

  She looked at Aira.

  "Ah, sorry," Lila said.

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  "Well, dead jokes are sort of your thing now," said Aira, smiling. "So, energy signature. It definitely wasn't a human. Moreover, I sensed the difference after I got this new skill. And its description mentions sensing the undead."

  "So, you think it was an undead spying on us?" asked Lila. "Can they… you know… spy?"

  "That's exactly the problem," said Aira. "I don't know! I know nothing about the undead of your world. But it sort of made me think. I need to find them!"

  Lila had just taken a sip of her tea. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she gasped involuntarily, sending the tea spiraling down the wrong pipe.

  "Elder's beard," she wheezed between coughs, "Are you even for real?"

  "Do you need help?" asked Aira. But Lila waved at her, showing that she'll survive. "So, I've been thinking," Aira continued. "We've spent a lot of time searching for documents about the old times and the Fall in the archives of this facility. But we haven't found much. Thanks to you, Elder Jorin, and… other not-so-kind people, I know about the humans. But what about the undead?"

  "By the frost on the pine," Lila said thoughtfully. "They say there's no talking to them, no reasoning either. Supposed to be dangerous as a fox cornered in a trap. That's why we kept our distance. But now… I'm not so sure. Especially after you pointed out how our gadgets don't match up with what's here in this old facility. Makes me wonder what else might not add up."

  "That's true," said Aira. "I have almost forgotten about that…"

  "You know how the Elders in Mountain View have tried to play nice with them lately," Lila continued. "Don't ask me why—couldn't tell you what swayed them. But whatever it was, it had to be big enough for Elder Jorin to pull the rest of the Council out of their hollow stumps and into agreement. That's no small feat."

  "Yes, that's right, everything points to the undead," said Aira. "Obviously, I'm not the only one who thought that. And now, with that new skill, I have even more reasons to reach out to them," Aira was hesitant for a moment. "I know it's a lot to ask. But would you care to join me on this journey?"

  "What?! By the twisted branches, you want me to march into an undead lair out of my own free will?" Lila exclaimed. "That's pure moon-blind madness! Humans aren't just discouraged from going there—we're outright banned! It's impossible!"

  "I know it's a tough decision," Aira agreed. "But please think about it. And we'll talk more later."

  ***

  In the end, Lila agreed with Aira that the bodies had to be buried. The task of digging the mass grave was somber and exhausting. But at least it kept Lila warm during the chilly morning. The spring was coming, but this high in the mountains, it wouldn't get warm until much later in the season.

  It was when they put the last body into the ground that Lila noticed Aira getting stiff for a moment. The undead woman then straightened up and turned toward the nearest hill. It was so densely covered with trees that it was hard to see anything there.

  "What is it?" asked Lila. "Did you catch something"

  "Yes, something…" said Aira. "Just for a moment I sensed the same energy pattern as before. I'm sure it's the same undead I noticed yesterday."

  Lila saw Aira focusing on something deep inside within her and decided not to distract her companion. A few minutes passed before Aira returned her gaze to Lila and let out a deep sigh.

  "It's gone," Aira said. "But this… being… it couldn't just run away. I can spread my senses far away. I can even sense Mountain View, even if it gets all fuzzy and is quite overwhelming."

  "So, what is it?" asked Lila. "How did they hide?"

  "The only explanation I have is that they have magic," said Aira. "Some skill that hides them, masks their signature, and negates my powers."

  "You're telling me the undead have magic?" said Lila, her voice rising. "What in the underbrush?! That's unfair as a fox stealing your dinner! Us humans are left without a spark, and they're out here tossing spells like leaves in a storm?!"

  "Steady there," said Aira. "Don't forget I'm an undead as well. And yes, the universe isn't fair. Not only your world. I guess all the multitude of worlds is totally unfair. So, we just need to make it work in our favor."

  Lila glowered at Aira. She was fuming, but it was hard for her not to agree with Aira's approach. That's what she had wanted to do since who knows how long ago: take up the reigns of her destiny and become something bigger. And now, there was an option of touching something magical. Literally.

  "Do you think…" Lila hesitated as if searching for the right words. "By the twisted branches… is there even a chance I could ever have magic?"

  "I won't lie to you, Lila," said Aira. "I don't know. I don't know enough about your world and its System to give you an answer. But I can promise you that if there is even the smallest chance for that, I'll leave no stone unturned to help you find your magic."

  ***

  It took them the rest of the day and even some more night-shift work on Aira's behalf to clean up most of the mess that was either sticky, smelly or prevented their freedom of movement around the facility.

  A new day dawned with a somber atmosphere hanging over the valley. Aira and Lila knew that their time here had come to an end, at least for now. They had survived the assault, but the lingering threat of another attack was too significant to ignore.

  What was even more critical was that they didn't want to take responsibility for even more stupid and greedy humans coming over to the ancient facility to take their chances and most probably lose their lives.

  They had to move on. They had to find a different, safer place. And probably move further in exploring Aira's quests. But first, they needed to secure the facility.

  "We need to mothball this place," Aira said, her voice steady with resolve. "We can't let anyone else get in here. What's your opinion, would the bunker door keep them out?"

  Lila shrugged and looked at the door with a frown as if doing some calculations in her mind. "Back at Mountain View, we've got heavier gear—heck, even explosives," she said, her tone steady. "You saw they used them a couple of days back. But this door? Solid as oak. Ha! That's funny. Stronger, of course! It's going to give them a run for their coin, that's for sure."

  "So, what's your professional opinion?" asked Aira.

  "It all comes down to how rattled they are," said Lila. "We just took out a few squad leaders—not just from Mountain View, mind you, but from other settlements too. That's got to have them fuming. Still, they'll have to weigh their anger against the risk of losing even more rangers. That kind of gamble? It's colder than cliff shade."

  "You are saying that we are safe," said Aira. "Should we stay?"

  "Absolutely not," said Lila. "What I mean is they'll take time to lick their wounds, sure. But with every sunrise, the shiny bits and gadgets Korin's team bragged about will get under their skin like a thorn. Every settlement out there would love to get their hands on this place, though probably not if it means losing their best rangers. Problem is, there are too many councilors, traders, and shadowfooted politicians stirring the pot. They'll push until someone bites the bramble again."

  "Yeah," said Aira, nodding. "It would just take some time before someone is overtaken by greed."

  "I'll give them a month," said Lila.

  "So, where do we go?" asked Aira.

  "I know it feels like we're tossing all our work to the wind," said Lila. "But it's the smart move. We've uncovered a treasure trove of knowledge, and you've sharpened your skills more than a ranger's blade. Now’s the time to keep our branches covered and move forward," she took a moment to think. "We have to continue your quest. We continue our quest. It's what matters most."

  Aira raised her brows: "Our quest? So, are you a permanent member of the team now?" she said, placing her hand on Lila's shoulder in reassurance. "I'm sure we'll come back someday," Aira continued. "And even make it work with humans. Both your friends from Mountain View and the others."

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