Chapter 4

The street lamps lit the street below along with the cars as she learned. Vehicles that require no magic, but science. They would be riding a bus, bigger car, out of town where there would be a car they would be taking towards the cabin.

It excited her. Truly to be inside something that could move that fast. Sure she could cast a haste spell, and with her new lifeforce expand the ability by bounds, but she would have to move her body. From what she has seen it would be a relaxing ride to their destination.

She closed the curtain and turned towards Jekki who was getting supplies for their journey. Some food and clothing, but most of the stuff turned out to be for Tendorn. He was a good boy sleeping in the bed and his sister really cared for him. Maybe she could help him out not with just his body, but his mind. It might help Tendorn adapt to his new body. Though she had nothing planned other than that small thought. Messing with a person's mind was beyond dangerous and could make things worse. She had used a higher tier spell that calmed someone's mind, they were mainly ones who had grievous injuries. They were going to die anyway.

Of course using her infinite lifeforce would help, but without many more tests, she was very hesitant to use anything that she had yet to try on a healthy person. Even if his mind was different than most, he was healthy overall. And different didn't mean that he was sick. He just thought differently. It was something she had seen before and was no different from that.

She lifted Tendorn into his wheelchair and then turned towards Jekki.

"That's not going to be enough food." She whispered that after placing a blanket over Tendorn.

"I know. I don't have too much money, but we can buy some food at a gas station near the cabin. If I can't get a job there and earn money, I plan on using the rifle there to hunt." Jekki replied as she moved between cupboards.

Although Saranie didn't know what a rifle was, she guessed that it was like the powerful ranged weapon that Jekki had mentioned. 'Guns' sounded like her magical dart spell with more power. At least Jekki made it sound that way. She wanted to make sure for now though.

"Rifle?"

"It is a powerful gun. You said you had bows, so if a pistol, a small gun, had the range of a bow, a rifle could double that."

That would make a lot of things easier, but most of the combat she took place in was close quarters. If someone used these weapons, she might be able to close the distance if she moved quickly. Perhaps testing out the haste spell might come in handy.

---

As they were about to leave a knock appeared at the door. Jekki's surprise and fear drove Saranie to draw her dagger. In the small 'home', her sword would be useless. Just in case she casted a higher level barrier using her mana on the three occupants. Lifeforce would be better, but right now she didn't want to risk exacerbating any negative effects she had yet to see. Treat it the same as she would if this was a real fight. Only use lifeforce when needed most. It would save her in the long run.

Quickly Jekki changed into someone of determination. She made a gesture with her hand towards Saranie, given the context, told her to stay back. So she did, behind the wall protecting Tendorn.

Saranie wanted to be the one to answer the door as she had the most fighting experience. She didn't think shooting a 'gun' with her grandfather at a young age was anywhere close to six years in a war.

So she leaned against the wall staying silent and listening in. Even if some words were foreign, context was key.

"Hello, who is it?" Jekki moved towards the door, just before it, but didn't open it.

"Good afternoon. My name is Yelten and I'm a police officer for the WPD. I have a couple questions I would like to ask you, if that is alright."

"Can I see your badge?"

"Of course."

Saranie heard Jekki move, but not open the door. When she entered she noticed a little hole in the door, so she was probably looking through that right now. And considering the context of 'police' she heard before, those would be the guards of the city. An unknown threat. Then the door slowly unlocked and opened. She could easily hear all of this happening. When turning the door knob and pulling that chain off the lock on the door, she could easily hear Jekki shaking.

"How can I help you?"

"… Well I was wondering if you know a woman called Brecsta."

"I know her. She comes by the building often."

"To meet with an individual named Zakshesh, the one who lives over there right?"

"Yes and she does go see him often." Jekki's voice changed in pitch for a moment, before going back to normal. Along with that there was a pause from Yelten.

"I heard from Mr. Zakshesh that you two seemed to fight a lot. Would you mind telling me about that?"

"Brecsta was in love with Zakshesh and she thought I was interested in him. She took issue with me living near him and got crazy."

"Was?" It sounded like an innocent question. Saranie could hear it in Yelten's voice that he found that wording strange. Though it didn't sound like he made any movements towards Jekki because of that.

After stuttering for a moment, Jekki began to speak again.

"Well I haven't seen her in a while and last I saw of her she apologized to me." Her lie was subtle, but not completely hidden. Saranie could hear it in Jekki's voice that she was afraid and worried. Completely out of her depth at the moment.

"I see… That's all the questions I had today." Jekki just about closed the door during that pause, before she stopped. "I actually have one more question. Did you perhaps know where I might find Brecsta? Someone mentioned they saw her heading towards the park, but nothing after that."

"I wouldn't know. It's late, I have to go to bed now." Jekki slammed the door shut and fell to the floor. At that, Saranie came around the corner. "We have to go as soon as he's gone."

Saranie just nodded.

---

Tendorn in his chair asleep, two bags on wheels, one worried woman, and the other attempting to prepare for the next part.

Even though Jekki had said that it should be fine, Saranie couldn't really sit still. A guard asking questions doesn't help. They could ring the bell and alert the others. Whatever equivalent there was of that here. They had no real reason to move, but if Yelten was anything like the guards she knew, then he was at least suspicious of Jekki.

"Are you ready?" Jekki asked, clearly agitated.

"Just lead the way. In case anything happens that barrier will protect you both." Now that they were leaving, and with a new potential threat, Saranie didn't care about any negative effects from her lifeforce. So she created a barrier on each of them with it and now it can serve as her last line of defense. She was in this to help her new friend and her brother. Get them to safety and learn about this world from there. It was simple, but so many things could go wrong.

She doesn't even know if she would even have to fight. If she did, their weapons were still unknown. Although the fact that they didn't have magic did help, it was still in the back of her mind.

Although Saranie would be following Jekki, she planned on standing to the side. Afterall she had no idea what a bus looked like or their destination other than a vague direction from when Jekki pointed that way.

Saranie opened the door and looked into the hallway. After seeing that it was clear, she waved an all clear sign towards Jekki. Four signs she prepared Jekki with. All clear, follow, stop, and run. If they did run, there most likely would be yelling, but one can never be too careful on the battlefield.

She carried one of the bags in her left hand, opting to not use the wheels on the bad and carry it all by hand. While Jekki had managed to hook the other, with Tendorn's stuff, on the back of the wheelchair.

Jekki pushed past Saranie and towards the elevator. She was pressing the down arrow like it was the last thing she was going to do. As Saranie waited, she set the bag down and put her hand on Jekki's shoulder to help calm her down.

"Thank you… I can't express that enough."

"It's all good. Just remember to teach me about… well everything here."

Jekki made a small chuckle as the door to the elevator opened. It was empty and they quickly boarded. She grabbed the bag back in her left hand while Jekki pressed the L button. The doors slowly closed and they were going down. It was such a different feeling from going up. Amazing.

---

Doors to the elevator opened and a dark interior opened to them. There were some lights on signs and outside, but otherwise it was dark and quiet. Left hand holding the bag and her right always on the dagger behind her back. They pressed forward towards the glass door at the entrance.

The wheelchair was squeaky and Saranie's armor wasn't any better. In this kind of environment where there could be both enemies and civilians in the same area, it made her relax. Even if the noise was present, it reminded her of the past where she could fight. Peace was great and all, but right now it wasn't and she felt at home.

"I got the door." Saranie whispered to Jekki.

As they exited the building they started heading towards the 'bus stop'. It sounded weird to her, but it didn't matter right now. She felt like there were people in the shadows. Sure there was a couple across the street laughing and a few cars passed by, but the ones that went unseen would be the dangerous ones.

"I told you she would be leaving tonight. You better pay up Wartalc." A familiar voice was heard as they were nearing an intersection. It was just out of the light from the lamps around that Saranie had already been prepared for this spot. A perfect place for a trap.

"Don't go yet. Let me see if I can talk to them." Jekki whispered in Saranie's ear. Although she heard it, she put herself in front of the two siblings.

"I got this." She whispered back after setting down the bag in her left hand. "We wish to pass unharmed." Before she said anything else, she sprinted towards the two. Talking to these kinds of people always ended in disaster. Killing them would be the best option, although Jekki mentioned that killing is not only frowned upon but will draw massive attention to them both, she opted to knock them out. As she ran she gave the signal for Jekki to run herself.

The one on the left, not Wartalc, tried to get something out from behind his back. Most likely a weapon, probably one of those 'guns'. She punched him in the face, then sent a kick at his right knee cap. Then turned towards Wartalc, as the other called him, and threw a right hook towards him. Wartalc dodged to the right and got on the defensive. He didn't attempt to bring out weapons… yet.

She rushed him tackling him to the ground. On top, she sent a fist into his right side as he attempted to kick her off. He succeeded, but she took no damage. The barrier was working just fine and prevented it from hurting her. She rolled back and stood up. As she was about to go to the first one she attacked, Wartalc shouted.

"Sloten, I'll take care of her. Go for Jekki. Grab her and that brother of hers." At the same time he got to his feet and pulled out a knife. "Kid, you messed with the wrong people. I don't understand why you're wearing that stupid fantasy crap, but I'm gonna beat you out of it." Then he ran towards Saranie before she could kick Sloten running away.

Even though he messed up her attack, she adjusted and safely righted herself. Even if it was dark where they were, the light outside the area made her enemies' silhouette stand out. She pulled her dagger to match him. They both took swings at each other, but both missed. This guy had similar training like her.

'This is war.'

"Never seen that. Where did you serve?" Wartalc calmly said with a smile. Not the friendly kind, although there was a hint of respect.

"Not around here."

"Really, never would have guessed." Sarcasm. That told her that wars they were fighting took place far away. At least not around here. "We could use someone like you… as long as you don't dress up like that."

He was clearly indicating her armor, but it didn't matter. He lowered his guard there for a moment. It was a subtle pause and she took it. Even if it was a feint, she could still punish him. She sent a mana dart towards his leg, which he didn't dodge, clearly surprised, as she sprinted towards him. Knocking him on the ground, she stabbed his side and before he could do anything more went for his neck that was now unguarded.

He was dead now. She kept the bloody dagger in her hand and ran in the direction of where Jekki had gone. Even if she didn't know where those two were, mana sense could easily make out the two of them. It was her lifeforce after all, so it wasn't hard.

---

Catching up, she heard shouting, but not a voice she expected to hear. It was in an alley away from the eyes of the public.

"Put the gun down slowly, then slide it over here." Yelten was standing in front of Tendorn, while Jekki was on the ground.

"You think I'm stupid?"

"I didn't-"

A loud noise ran through the city. That was a gun and more noises followed. Seven shots in total. Yelten retaliated against Sloten and both had blood flowing out of their bodies. The only difference was that Yelten was moving, trying to handle something on his shoulder. He was gurgling blood as he attempted to speak.

Saranie was by his side. He protected Tendorn and Jekki. He was a good person and one that didn't deserve to die. He looked at Saranie, his eyes filled with regret and acceptance. The way he moved his eyes, he wanted to know if Tendorn was fine.

Thanks to her lifeforce barrier, it was still active, it hadn't been breached on either of the siblings. So they were fine, but she needed to get to work on Yelten.

"You'll be fine. Just try to breath in what you can." His lungs were filled with blood. It was easy to see even without her diagnostic spell. She whipped out her dagger to use her lifeforce. First she casted a diagnostic spell. Three small pieces of metal debris were lodged in Yelten's body. Two in the chest and one in his left hip. The one in his hip hit bone and splintered off destroying more of his body. The two in the chest didn't do as much damage, but still enough to be life threatening. One of them had nicked the left lung causing the blood to fill his lungs. There was a hole, but no metal. So he was shot four times by the gun.

The first part of her treatment was a simple heal on the lung. She needed him breathing for him to survive the wound in his hip.

"I need you to hold on tight. Bite this." She put the same piece of leather she had used just a few days ago in his mouth. He understood what to do and she healed his lung. That wasn't the bad part and he must have been numb to the pain, so he was fine for that part. Although he was getting cold and going into shock. She needed to stop the bleeding, but needed to wait just a little longer. She had some time, but not a lot.

After his lung was healed, she cast a cleaning spell using her lifeforce in his lung. It was a version of the spell meant to be used inside a person's body. Yelten's breathing quickly cleared up. Her lifeforce really was making this easy, but the next part was going to be difficult. She got rid of the liquid, the blood, now she needed to get rid of the metal in his body and close the wounds. She left his wounds open because she hadn't completely decided to remove them with magic or by hand. Saranie didn't trust her lifeforce completely and she was dealing with an unknown projectile. She turned towards Jekki.

"Those things inside him, are they just metal?"

"The bullets? Yes… I think so."

Jekki had been freaking out and asking if she could help. Saranie just ignored her this whole time trying her best to understand the situation. If the bullets were just metal, then she could use magic. Her plan was to guide the bullet out from where it entered. She could pull it out or use magic. Using her magic would be best, but if it was an explosive of some kind, then keeping her hands away from it would be best. Considering the loud noise, she was worried about that. If the doctor is dead, they are no use to save others.

For the bullets to the chest, she quickly guided them out using her lifeforce. It offered her complete control to avoid any more injuries. Even the small bits and pieces, she could see them all with the diagnostic spell. The wounds on his chest closed with a rainbow glow, leaving three small holes covered in blood around a pink patch of skin. With the diagnostic spell, she learned that the lifeforce didn't use his own bodies' nutrients. It was consumed from the lifeforce or taken from somewhere else. Whatever it was, it was revolutionary. After all she had only tried before with her body and Tendorn's, so a third was confirmation that this was new.

But before she could explore more of that, she needed to work on Yelten's hip. He was barely conscious.

"I took care of your wounds on and in your chest. There was another one in your hip that is the worst. Thankfully I don't need you awake for this. So rest well." Saranie casted a sleep spell, like the one she used on Tendorn. Looking at the boy in the chair for a moment, he was still resting. "Go to your brother, take him out of here. I'll meet up with you later. I can find you with that barrier on you so no need to worry. Go now."

Jekki just nodded, ran over to her brother, and moved out of the alley way.

Saranie was already working on Yelten's hip. What made this wound the worst was how the bullet broke apart when it hit the bone. It shredded the muscle, veins and the bone. All lodged in there waiting for some more movement and then it would make it worse. And after the pain Yelten went through when she healed his chest, it was worse than when she started.

Now that wasn't the only bad thing. Even as she was working on his chest earlier, there were voices coming from the thing on his shoulder. They were sending more people this way, more police officers.

The blood, two dead bodies and one injured, one of them, she could be caught in a misunderstanding. A situation she had no intention of being in.

Then again there was no way she was going to let someone who risked their life for another end here. So she worked fast and efficiently. Guiding the shards, bone and metal, out through safe pathways. Once they were out, she cast a cleaning spell to remove the biological material of blood and muscle. Then she repaired the damage and closed the wound. He was safe and now alive. She removed the leather from his mouth and woke him up.

"What…?" As his eyes focused on Saranie he looked fearful then it turned into acceptance. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem. Although everything is healed, you need to get something to eat." Well not anymore, but that would have been what she told her patients. As now her lifeforce didn't eat their body to repair the damage. "Never mind that, here." She stood up and held out her hand. He stood up. She turned around and started to leave.

"Can I ask you a question?" He sounded very unsure of himself. Though as the noise was getting close she could see red and blue lights outside the alley way. It was time to leave, but she obliged him.

"Go ahead."

"Was that magic?"

"Of course!" She sprinted out of there, hugging the darkness.

---

"We're almost there." Jekki said next to Saranie. She was still shaking, but keeping her calm taking care of Tendorn.

"Will we be expecting company?" Saranie had guessed that with resources and time, even without magic, they would be hunted down eventually. She just wasn't sure how fast they would catch up considering the circumstances a few bells ago.

"They won't be the only ones after us now. I'd say a week a most."

As she would later explain, due to her magic and saving Yelten's life, people wanted that power for themselves. It was inevitable that they would be hunted, but now more people learned of her and her powers. It was no longer about Jekki or Tendorn, but her.

She needed to learn of this world. What her enemies had access to and what she could use. This was a war and she needed information. She quickly fell back into that mindset, happy that she could focus on something she had spent a long time training for.