Surelia fidgeted in her seat as the Duke, Gl'Cthno, gently drummed his fingers on the armrest of his throne as he watched the final moments of combat through his scrying device.

  "so..." he began slowly, seeing to mull carefully over each word chosen, "there is much to be said. And also much that should not be said, for now. first, let me address recent facts as I know them" He took a pause and looked over at the High Elf. Surelia nodded and gestured for him to continue, which he did. "you were, not too long ago, enthralled; under the dominion of a woman called Tyl'Maeya'i, The Indigo Queen. Her most prized possession in fact."

  "I'm not an object"

  "You may as well have been. To her, a living being can easily become a possession or trophy; her magic can easily supress an individuals soul itself, turning them into nothing more than a vaguely alive doll. Being truthful, her mastery of such complex magic is about the only thing I would commend her for; it took dedication to master her art to the degree she has, even for an Elderling. It is unfortunate that her effort went towards such a repulsive form of spellcraft."

  "And that's the magic she worked on me? Some kind of enslavement magic."

  "likely tied to a Deal of some kind. Suppressing a soul requires suppressing their 'Fate' to an extent as well, which is hard to do unless you have some kind of permission."

  Surelia clutched at her head as a lance of pain flashed through it, memories of her time at the Mages College rushing to the fore. Muscle memory tried to flex Mana, to allow her to supress the pain with magic. Instead, it brought brand new pain, like sharp needles in every inch of her flesh. And she worked out the reason rapidly. Her Mana-Veins, the lattice of tubes in her body that allowed for the absorption and utilisation of Mana were damaged beyond reason; Blocked in places, frayed and filled with holes in others. The High Elf drew her knees to her chest and shook violently as she wailed and cried. Surelia had never felt more violated in her life. the seconds stretched on until, finally, Surelia regained enough control of herself to be aware of the world around her. A figure stood at her side, an Angel-kin of some kind with Blue-ish skin, green eyes and a shaved head. He was wearing nice robes and with a sword at his waist. In his hands he carried a tray with a large mug of water and two white tablets.

  "Paracetamol;" Gl' gestured as he noticed her gaze "A Mana-less drug the Humans of Earth-F developed as a generic pain killer. It should be compatible with your biology and it won't cause issues with your... condition"

  "...Manaless?" Surelia picked up the tablet carefully and turned it over in her hand" "How? Why?"

  Gl' shrugged "They've existed without any access to Mana for most of their kinds existence. Ever since the war, the Mana in this region has been getting worse and worse. Still, it is impressive what such a limited society can accomplish even with such handicaps. Take them already. If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. And I already spent far too much effort removing the Queens Mind Control to just put you under in some other way."

  Surelia looked at the unassuming tablet once more. Ultimately, she didn't really have much choice other than to trust The Duke for now. It wasn't like she could put up any resistance without Mana. She took the pill and waited a few seconds "... The pain is still there"

  Gl' laughed "The pill is Manaless, remember? It takes time to take effect, a minute or two. And it's gradual, you won't really notice an instant relief or anything"

  The High Elf let out a sigh of irritation before locking eyes with The Duke "So, getting to the point; what exactly do you want from me?"

  "Hmmm... You are jumping ahead but... very well. Simply put; I want you to fight with me"

  "I'm not a mage anymore, and I've never been the best with blades. Though, speaking frankly, even at my best I doubt I could best you"

  "Both of those first two issues can be fixed. As for the final thing, my wording was perhaps imprecise so allow me to clarify; I meant fight with me as a member of my Army, not fight with me in a spar or something similar. Though certainly we can spar while training"

  "And perhaps you misunderstand; my Mana-Veins are ruined. Not just damaged, ruined. They're barely capable of sustaining me as far as I can tell"

  "I assure you I do not misunderstand; my knowledge of your condition is better than your own and I guarantee you that there are solutions I can employ. Just because it is beyond your knowledge does not mean it is beyond mine. Speaking of knowledge, how fairs your mind?"

  "The memories trickle back in slowly and thanks to the pain medication, the sensation is actually bearable; it's surprisingly effective, despite being Manaless. Back on topic, why did that... four-armed bitch do this to me? Was it intentional or am after-effect of the magic?"

  "What deal did you make with her?"

  "To become the top of my class; the Valedictorian. I was the only High Elf and... I felt that I deserved the top spot. In hindsight, I admit it was foolish to contract her for that"

  "Yes." Gl'Cthno left a pause, taking a few swigs of his drink before continuing "Yes, the weakening was intentional. She had made you a decently powerful spellcaster, strong enough that you getting free of her control might cause issues. Thus, she used her spell to eat away at your Mana-Veins and such as a clever precaution in case you were ever turned against her."

  "But... didn't you say it can be fixed? Why would she bother?"

  "It's very likely that she doesn't know. Most Elderlings do not give Non-Elderling races more than a cursory glance, even after we lost the war."

  "Isn't that a little stupid?"

  "And how do you look at Beast-Kin?"

  "They're... that's... they're not Elves, you know? But like, I mean they're cute? And fluffy?"

  Gl' smiled as Surelia tripped over her own words. "Ah, High Elves; the only group that can beat my supposed Kin at contests of Ego. Cease your bumbling and know that you do not consider others as well as you should. Everyone has potential. The Goddess who created our Multiverse is herself a Kitsune of sorts."

  "Wait... what?" A powerful, fluffy woman. That wou... No, wait. That wasn't important right now What was important was that that Tyl woman wouldn't expect her to seek revenge and Gl' would help her to do so.

  "... You understand that I want revenge yes?"

  "Of course. I myself would love to interfere with the Queens' plans. I'm not the biggest fan of hers, you know."

  "I want to accept your offer, but I have concerns about trusting another Elderling"

  "I swear, The Eternal Heavens as witness, that I will not attempt to manipulate your Mind, Spirit or Soul in such ways that would lead to your enslavement or be otherwise damaging by any means, magical or mundane. should I break this Oath I freely swear, may my Soul be unravelled in it's entirety as penance."

  Even damaged as she was, Surelia felt the change in the Mana around them as it became heavier and agitated; making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Then, she felt as a gaze fell upon the room. The sound of a bell suddenly chimed in Surelia's ear as she felt a warmth surround her. She felt as though shew was being hugged from behind, a woman's embrace enveloping her as several phantom fox tails trailed across her skin, feeling akin to soft brushes as they mapped out her body. "That he would swear such an Oath for thee" The ephemeral womans' voice giggled "How lucky thee are. Thou shouldst take full advantage of this"

  "Please hold still, this next part is delicate work and t'woud be best if We are as accurate as is possible" The sensation of the tails changed, their phantom forms seeming to go into her skin, the tips tracing along the paths of her Mana-Veins and repairing them as they went

  "You're... mending me?"

  "As best We can. Thee will needst to retrain thyself as these channels are brand new. They are likely more delicate than when thou first started training in magic."

  "It matters not, this gift means so much to me regardless. Thank you. By the feeling of these tails, you're a Kitsune? Are you..."

  "We are. But mayhaps it would be best not to think about it too much. Ah, and please close thy hands for a moment?" The repaired mage clasped her hands together at the request and felt them suddenly increase in weight. Looking within, Surelia saw a blue crystal with a gentle glow. "A gift from Us to the Duke. Please give him that. He will know how to use it"

  Surelia began to feel the warmth fade as her final Mana-Vein was repaired. The High Elf wasted to ask more questions, wanted to stay within that gentle warmth that the Fox provided. Alas, it was not meant to be and the strange sensations soon receded.

  Gl'Cthno let out a grunt "What... Happened? I remember making the Oath..."

  "A Kitsune repaired my Mana-Veins and gave me this to give to you" Surelia handed him the Crystal "I think it might have been that creator fox you mentioned?"

  Gl' took the Crystal and checked it over "You're right. I suppose I did invoke the Heavens and objectively speaking, there isn't many who could officiate that Oath. Her mind is already in the area as well. Extraxia, The Sapphire Fox. Hah, she really is trying to win me over to her side, giving me this."

  "So; what exactly did you envision for our partnership going forward"

  The Crimson Duke smiled "I was thinking of taking you in as a disciple. In return, I will want some measure of loyalty. Within reason of course"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Will you enforce it?"

  "I can't. The Oath forbids me to attempt to alter your mind. If I do something you inherently disagree with, you are free to stand against me. I'm rather sure that could be fun as well"

  "So... you basically just want to be my Mentor"

  "You can see it that way. I also need someone to do some of my bidding on Eath-F. One such as me cannot fully descend without thorough preparations, a portion of which would have to be carried out by a proxy on site."

  "... I see no reason to refuse for now"

  "Excellent. And with this," Gl' lifted the Crystal with a grin "We can do some rather intense training"

  "What even is it?"

  "A Remote Access Keynode for The System, Customised for my use. Lets me actually grant people a System UUID and Interface. It also lets me create Dungeons and generate Quests... Huh, this UI is actually kinda..."

  "So it's... like what the Queen has?"

  "Not quite The Queen Bitch made her key herself using a backdoor she managed to install on-location at a System Leynode she found in the Phantom Sea."

  "I do not understand a lot of those words"

  "... Ah"

  "But it will help me get stronger?"

  "It will, yes. Should make your revenge, along with whatever happens after, significantly easier"

  "Then I am ready, give me a 'System' thing"

  Gl' shook his head "Not yet. First; rest. You've only recently been cured of intense Soul-Suppression and only had your Meridians healed within the hour. After rest, we'll see where you're at without the System to get a baseline"

  Surelia tilted her head slightly "Is 'Meridians' another name for Mana Veins?"

  "Yes. Truthfully, it's the term I prefer. It comes from-"

  The High Elf gave a small grunt, cutting The Duke off as a hand cradled her head "I fear that the Pain Drug is wearing off"

  Gl' smiled "Go then, rest. We shall talk more later."

  Surelia stood and gave a small bow before returning to the Stone bedchamber she had awoken in.

  Chloe panted heavily, chest heaving as drips of blood from the cuts that were caused branches smacking into her dripping onto the hard baked dirt beneath her. She moved slowly into a sitting position, making sure to position herself as far away from any of the thorny bushes as she could, and took in the scene around her "We... actually fucking did it. Ha!"

  Lily sat next to her "That was almost enough to change my stance of deforestation. Don't think I'll ever be able to look at a tree quite the same"

  Ashley joined them, gently hugging Chloe as she did "I wonder if Ents already exist on Earth now, in those 'wilderness' Zones"

  "I certainly hope not, but I suppose it's possible" Chloe grunted slightly as she leaned her head into Ashley's shoulder "I wonder how they propagate"

  Ashley smiled and began gently stroking Chloe's hair "Well, not much point worrying about it for now. Lets take a few minutes to rest before heading back. We got the wolves we came out for at least, so it's best not to push ourselves"

  Chloe and Lily agreed readily, both taking out water bottles and taking deep swigs. Ashley topped Chloe's HP to full, despite being told not to worry too much. Unfortunately for Chloe's desire to seem stoic and cool, Ashley's increased Mana Pool from [Mana Spring] and her pleading eyes made it practically impossible to actually say no to her. Five minutes later, the girls were on their way back to base camp. MP recovered at about 5% per minute at rest, meaning Chloe and Lily had taken the edge off of the magical tiredness they were feeling after the fight. Unfortunately for Ashley, the recovery rate was based on 'Base' MP, so the Healer did not recover as much as she'd hoped and spent some time griping about it. Chloe honestly thought it was kind of cute to watch her pout. Honestly speaking, from the prospective of the Martialist, it seemed fair. If a single passive worked to both increase MP Totals and Regen, it would be a very strong skill for a low level person to have.

  the girls moved as stealthily as they could through the forest, tracing back the path that they have travelled out to hopefully avoid encountering any more Ents. Somehow, the group managed their goal and made it back to the cave without further incident. As they neared the cave's mouth, there was a flash of reddish-orange light. The trio surged forward in a sudden panic and took a cautious glance inside. There, they saw Lilac, who had not yet noticed them, sitting with her back against a large rock formation. Lilac played absentmindedly with a magical flame, staring into it as she tossed it from hand to hand and let it dance between her fingers before lobbing it off into a corner of the cave, lighting the place up with that same light the group had observed earlier. Around the cave was scorched rock and the charred remains of 4 Sonic Wolves.

  Lily was the first to move, rushing into the cave and hugging her sister tightly "Lilac! Are you okay? What happened?"

  Lilac jumped and let out a soft yelp as the hug caught her off-guard and interrupted her thoughts. "I got ambushed" She motioned to the pool of water "I came out of there after exploring the floored tunnel and the wolves were waiting for me. I'm fine though, really."

  "Let me check." Ashley crouched next to Lilac as she spoke, looking over her body for any wounds or other issues "Why did you use your Flames?"

  "I didn't really get much of a choice." Lilac pointed somewhere else in the dim of the cave. Chloe followed the movement, wincing as her eyes landed on Lilac's broken staff "My physique lets me cast fire magic without a foci, so after the wolves destroyed my staff, I only really had one option available to me."

  Lily pulled back slightly and looked her sister in the eyes "That's... admittedly kind of cool. Still, I wish you'd take more care of yourself and your stuff. How is your Physique, anyway? Any issues?"

  "None!" Lilac grinned widely and summoned more flames to her hands. "If I focus, I can just sort of do what I want with my fire. They've been behaving really well. I even managed to unlock a new skill!"

  "Sounds like you had fun Sis"

  Lilac's face instantly darkened "I'm... not sure to be honest" The Pyromancer took a sharp breath and looked up at the ceiling "I think that, while stressful, it was kind of fun. But is that okay? to have fun fighting and... killing..."

  Chloe gave Lilac a gentle pat on the head "I think these kinds of things are something you have to work out for yourself, but let me tell you what I think. For me, I know I enjoy fighting. I know that I basically always have. But I've kept it in check, stayed in control. I don't go around beating people up for looking at me weird. So long as you don't let it consume you, it's probably okay to let yourself enjoy it as much as you can. After all, we're probably going to be fighting a lot in the future. As for killing, you almost certainly don't enjoy it. Few people do. That being said, I'm not against killing monsters like this. It's part of the job and they'd certainly kill us given the chance. These Tutorial Beasties might be more contained than others, but Dungeon Breaks do happen and when they do innocent people die. Human society has been peaceful for a long time, for the most part, thanks to our ancestors who fought so we didn't have to. Now, that onus falls on Systemers, like us."

  "But..." Lilac shook slightly "What if I do enjoy it? What if..."

  Ashley pulled lilac into a hug "It's okay to unsure. And it's okay to ask questions. Asking these things is what proves that you still value your humanity; that you still value the life around you. If you're really worried, I hear that the larger Systemer Guilds have Psychiatrists on staff. For now, just focus on getting out of this shitty tutorial alive"

  Chloe cleared her throat "Right, well; enough about that. Tell me, what did you find? In the tunnels I mean, any cool loot?"

  Lilac smiled, grateful for the distraction "No loot but... I did find a place that probably has some." Lilac began to describe her adventures and theories; the swimming, the tunnel, the Cathedral and those things in front of the main gate.

  Chloe whistled "Does sound like a cool place. Probably where the boss is, right?"

  "Lets see;" Ashley began slowly, a cheeky grin on her face "Fancy building, large courtyard with multiple paths leading to it and the creatures in front of the main gate have high EqLs and Special Sounding names as opposed to the more generic stuff we've been facing up until now. I'd say it's a good assumption to make. Say, Lily, do you know what a plus means?"

  "it's probably something related to skills or equipment, if I had to guess. Give a Sonic Wolf some magical armour and it'd probably get a plus too"

  "I bet the knights are constructs" Chloe giggled "like, Animated Armour or something like that."

  "They may well be," Ashley couldn't help but smile at the cute excitement of her Girlfriend. She really did remind her of an excited puppy "But we should avoid the place. Given everything that has happened, I'd rather wait out the timer"

  "I'm... not actually sure we can" Everyone turned to face Lilac, causing her to nervously look down at the ground "The timer, it just went down to half speed as it hit the halfway point"

  The rest of the trio paled and checked their timers. Sure enough, Lilac was right, the decrease in speed was noticeable.

  "It's... probably fine, right?" Chloe couldn't keep the sudden nerves from entering her voice, despite her best effort. "We just gotta wait a bit longer than before"

  Lily swallowed hard "Yeah... I don't think it's gonna be that simple"

  "What do you mean?" Concern radiated from Ashley's voice as she spoke

  "I don't think this is a one off event" Lily's words were slow and her body was trembling slightly

  "We... we have no proof it isn't..." Ashley's words sounded weak, despite their truth. After all, they also had no proof it was.

  "The Tutorial we're in is glitched, right? We know that. And then the timer speed just so happed to half it's speed when it's half complete?" Lily shook her head "It feels deliberate."

  "Actually..." Lilac looked into the eyes of her Sister "It reminds me conceptually of a Supertask."

  Lily stopped to think for a second "A... Supertask? So, half the timer runs out after one and a half days, no matter what the time on the clock actually says?"

  "Come on!" Chloe shouted louder than anyone present other than perhaps Ashley had heard her shout before "What you're suggesting is was too specific. Do you think there's someone orchestrating all of this or something?"

  "... I heard a voice" Lily spoke slowly, choosing words carefully as she remembered the interaction "when I was picking my skill for leveling up. She asked me to trust her, said that she was... sorry for something..."

  Lilac spoke up after her sister "I felt... something as well... Like, a presence when I was burning up. As if someone unseen was helping me. At the time, I thought I was imagining it, what with the pain and all..."

  For a few moments, all was still. Then Chloe broke the silence with a loud groan-like yell "Bloody Hell! What kind of fucked up bullshit situation is this!" The other three couldn't help but smile, Chloe's animated frustration having cut through the worst of the tension.

  "Right then," Ashley's measured voice, finally calm once more, pulled everyone into focus "It's time to asses our situation and come up with a new plan"

  Etraxia gently rested on her bed, watching the actions of the Earth group she knew the Indigo Queen was also watching. She felt a bit silly not telling Lily to keep her words quiet, but she supposed the girl might have revealed her involvement regardless. The Kitsune also had to commend that Tyl girl for her creativity thus far; she has managed to bend the rules of The System's Tutorial function without outright breaking anything too major. Though she likely realised that Etraxia herself was also watching now, so it would remain to be seen how the Elderling would respond. Rulyet'Thea like her often had short and explosive tempers and were remarkably easy to irritate. Hopefully the Indigo Queen would keep hers in check long enough that Etraxia could find the Backdoor she'd installed and remove it before it caused an issue. The Divination spell her second wife had cast had told her that the [Spatial Hop] play was necessary for the best outcome, but she had no idea what that outcome actually was. The Kitsune pulled a fox plush to her chest and hugged it.

  All she could really do for now was wait.