Growing Lilies

“So like, how do you even remember where your traps are? Everything looks the same in this snow.”

Sunica laughed.

“What? No it doesn’t! I’ve lived in this area my whole life. Look, that tree over there. See how it has a sorta gnarled lump on that branch? We’re gonna turn slightly right there.”

“I– I guess? It looks just like all the other trees. Like, that one over there has a lump like that too!”

“That lump is nothing alike! It’s further up on the branch, a deeper color, and at least a fifth smaller.”

Lily threw up her hands.

“If you say so. I just don’t know how you figure stuff like this out without magic. Or better yet, GPS!”

“What’s that? Some kind of artifact?”

Lily had nearly forgotten Adelina was sulkily following them until she perked up at something unknown. Lily crossed her arms and glared at the girl.

“Maybe I’d tell ya all about it if you weren’t being such a buzz kill. Don’t you want to know how your own sister’s class works?”

“You do? She’s not even level ten, and [Trapper] is a commoner class. Besides, I already know.”

Sunica was looking embarrassed, but marching forward.

“You already know? How?”

“My Mother is training me to rule one day you know. Just because I’m not guaranteed the position when she passes it on doesn’t mean I’m not training for it. As a potential [Matriarch] it’s my duty to learn about how most mundane classes work, down to what skills they’re likely to have. How else am I supposed to know who to tell to do what job, or understand a complicated interaction that could be dangerous? I have to learn all of that.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. Fine! Let’s give you a test, huh? If you really know all this already, tell me about it.”

Sunica spoke up weakly.

“Lily, it’s fine she doesn’t have to…”

“Hmph! I’m glad you asked Miss Human. Sunica is near but not quite level ten in the [Trapper] class. She’s unlikely to have any particularly notable skills at that level. Probable skills include [Detect Catch], [Detect Tracks: Beast], [Lesser Butchery], [Lesser Endurance], or in this area something like [Snow Walker], or if she’s very very lucky maybe even [Graceful Step]. So, Sis? How’d I do?”

Sunica was quiet. Lily had seen her use [Detect Catch], so she knew Adelina had gotten at least one of those right. But, she didn’t like the girl’s tone.

“Hey, you’re being really rude. Can’t you just be kind? It’s not a competition you know?”

Adelina, to her credit paused and seemed to think about it for a minute.

“I just get so mad. She could be so much more than this if she tried.”

“Well, being a jerk about it isn’t the way to be encouraging. Why not try being actually constructive? Like, how could she be doing better?”

“If she cared about what she was doing she’d gain levels! Obviously. If it wasn’t just to make it to the next day. If she’d just take an interest in something, I might be able to help!”

Sunica finally snapped and whirled on her sister.

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here. That’s easy for you to say! You don’t understand what it’s like out here.”

“I do too–”

Lily put a hand on Adelina’s shoulder and smiled gently.

“Uh… let’s move to a different subject, okay? Sorry Sunica. It was insensitive to talk about this.”

The younger girl crossed her arms and looked huffy, but let it go.

“Fine. Let’s talk about your levels then.”

“What about them? And hey, isn’t it rude to ask?”

The girl rolled her eyes.

“Sure. But something doesn’t add up to me. Why are you so… weak? Aren’t you someone important? I don’t get the feeling you’re particularly high level. Actually, you seem weaker than Sunica at a glance, in spite of your magic. How’s that possible?”

Lily felt the blood rise to her face.

“Y-you can tell?”

The girl nodded in response, and put a finger up to her lips conspiratorially. 

“Actually, I have a skill. I can’t see your exact level or skills or anything, but I can tell how strong you are in relation to me. I’ve been thinking you have some kind of magical effect on you that prevents me from getting a true reading, but you don’t, do you?”

“Um… No. I guess not.”

Lily was pretty sure she couldn’t lie well enough to pretend to a magic user that she had a spell on her where there was nothing.

“So, what’s going on here?”

To Lily’s surprise, Sunica spoke up for her.

“Somehow the teleportation spell got rid of ‘em. She didn’t even have a class when she got here.”

Adelina winced.

“Oh. I– I’m sorry. That’s awful. You lost everything? Must feel like stepping outside without clothes on. You gonna be alright?”

“Oh, um. Yeah. I’m fine. I actually picked up some new stuff that happens to be pretty useful for my magic. So, it’s cool. I’m not worried about it.”

The term ‘temporarily inconvenienced millionaire' came to mind, but she shook it off. Although, at times like this she wished she had brought a towel just so she could make the obvious reference.

“That is a crazy spell though, to do all of that at once. Do you think it used your levels like a component, or did something go wrong? Or maybe it was supposed to do that for some reason?”

Lily shrugged. Then shivered remembering the overpowering current of mana that activated the spell.

“It was an emergency. All I did was pour mana into the spell. So, so much. More than I’ve ever seen before. As it powered up, it started devouring everything around it, turning it into more mana to feed the spell. It was… It was really scary. I thought it was going to eat me too.”

Adelina frowned at her.

“You describe it like it was a living thing.”

“It felt like it. Sitting in the center of it with that much power around me that wasn’t mine. It flowed around me and I had no power to do anything but try and ride it out. I remember the ceiling caved in. So, I dove under some of the rubble and wrote a levitation spell on it with all my strength in the hopes that if more fell I wouldn’t get crushed.”

“Well, shit.”

That was Sunica’s voice. Lily turned to tell her that it was okay, when she saw that Sunica wasn’t talking about that. They’d arrived at the first trap they were supposed to check. It was empty, and looked… destroyed?

“Is… it supposed to look like that?”

Sunica shook her head and knelt down next to it.

“No. Something went wrong. Maybe whatever set it off was too big? There’s blood on the edges, so it definitely had something.”

“So… it escaped?”

“Mm. Maybe. I don’t see any animal tracks leading away though. And the ones that lead up to the trap look like a rabbit.”

“You can tell?”

“Adelina was right. I have a skill for that. Here, see these spots?”

Lily did. They were pretty faint, but Sunica seemed to see them no problem. Small tracks that led right up to the trap. But after that… nothing.

“Maybe another animal came by and ate it?”

“Maybe…”

Sunica didn’t sound convinced. Adelina seemed like she was smirking until Lily glared at her. She could be such a little shit sometimes. Lily suppressed the urge to call her out on it, because it wouldn’t help Sunica’s mood right now.

“I’m sure it happens sometimes, right? The next one will probably have something super cool in it anyways!”

Sunica turned back to her and smiled weakly.

“Yeah. C’mon. Let’s head to the next trap.”

With that she continued into the forest. Lily followed. Having Adelina around really seemed to ruin her mood. Maybe when she was feeling better, Lily could help her think about her class? If that was even the problem. Was it even a big deal to be lower leveled? Sunica’s life seemed pretty cool as it was!

“So, uh. I’ve been meaning to ask you something. And now that I know your classes were erased, are you sure they weren’t just like…. Suppressed or something?”

“What do you mean? Is that a thing?”

“Well, not really. But… Okay, I wasn’t going to ask about it, but I’m starting to think you don’t know and that freaks me out.

What the hell was she talking about now? Lily was starting to get a little worried.

“What… do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just. Did you put that spell on yourself?”

“The one from yesterday? Yeah, I was working on a self defense spell. By forming the circle just under my skin–”

“No. Not that one. Oh hells. Lily, do you not know about the spell on you?”

Now Lily was starting to get annoyed. 

“Oh, spit it out. What are you talking about? What spell?”

“The spell on your bones.”

Lily felt like her stomach fell out and clipped through the ground.

“W-what? What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oh hells. You really don’t–. Listen. I probably could have handled this better, but I really thought you cast it!”

“Explain. Now. Please. Before I freak out.”

Lily was starting to sweat. A spell on her bones? She definitely hadn’t done that. Maybe this was still some kind of crazy prank?

“Lily. There is a spell on you. It’s shining so bright inside you, anyone magically oriented can probably see it. It’s on your bones. Big magic. That’s why I thought you were a powerful mage.”

“What kind of spell!?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I knew that! What are you, stupid?”

“Shut up! I’m scared as hell! What does it look like? You can see it?”

“Yes I can see it! It looks like… uh. A guess like a really intricate tattoo made of magic? Just like, on your bones? It’s not a form of magic I’ve ever seen before.”

“Oh well that’s comforting!”

“Bite me! I don’t know what it is! What more do you want from me?”

“I want you to tell me this is a really bad joke!”

“Well it’s NOT!”

Lily felt like she was about to scream, when she felt Sunica’s arms around her.

“Adelina. Please give us a minute?”

The younger balaur huffed and looked like she was going to argue, but when she saw tears building in Lily’s eyes she turned and walked out into the forest a ways.

“Shh. It’s gonna be alright.”

“How do you know? Was she lying?”

“I… don’t think so.”

Lily felt the panic rise up inside her like a living thing. Sunica held her tighter.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not! I– I don’t know what–”

“You’ve been completely fine this whole time. For all you know, it’s been there since your world ending event, and you’ve been doing okay. Good, even. You’re okay.”

“I… Okay. That’s a fair point. But what is it?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t seem to be hurting you. Hah, I know it’s freaky, but don’t you live for this shit?”

“What… do you mean?”

“Strange magical bullshit that you have to figure out.”

Lily couldn’t help but giggle a little.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Her breathing was starting to normalize. Yeah. This was probably from the night the world ended. But what did the spell do? Maybe it didn’t even do anything? She really needed a second her to examine her. Maybe she could make that happen with Lily Zero? Was the spell on Lily Zero? Or was it from being copied…?

“You good?”

“Can we… stay like this for just a few minutes?”

Sunica hugged her tighter. 

“Anything for you, Miss Outsider.”

The familiar phrase almost hurt. Lily let the tears fall.