Nox knew a place not too far off, a small restaurant he used to go to sometimes before all this craziness started. He was surprised it was still standing, looked almost normal from the outside. Serian was still jumpy, her eyes darting around at every little thing.
Before they stepped inside, Serian paused. He watched as she sort of shimmered for a second, and just like that, her pointy elf ears were gone. She looked human enough now.
’Huh, magic camouflage,’ he thought. ’That’s pretty neat. Could be useful.’
"Hey, can you teach me how to do that ear-hiding thing?" he asked. He figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.
Serian just gave him a look. "No," she said her voice flat.
’Well, okay then,’ he thought. ’Worth a shot, I guess. Didn’t really expect a yes.’
They went into the restaurant. It was actually kind of busy. People were talking, eating, moving around. It felt weirdly normal after everything he’d been through. They found a table in the back corner, away from most of the other patrons. A waiter came over pretty quick, and he ordered some chicken and rice for both of them. It sounded simple, and he was starving.
When the food arrived, Serian just stared down at her plate. She picked up her fork but didn’t actually eat anything.
"What’s up?" He asked her, already taking a big bite of his own chicken. "Not hungry?"
"Is this... fare... safe for consumption?" she asked. She poked a piece of chicken with the tip of her fork like it might bite her.
Nox almost choked on his food. "Yeah, it’s safe," he said. "It’s just chicken and rice. Good stuff. People eat it all the time here." He wondered if elf food was really different or something.
Serian looked at the food again. ’It does appear palatable,’ she thought. Her eyes then shifted to Nox, who was eating like he hadn’t seen food in days. Which, fair enough, he hadn’t.
’But why is this human extending such aid? What is his ultimate objective? He seeks reward for my safe passage, that much is clear, but there is something more to him, something I cannot quite discern.’
Nox finished another mouthful. "So, the plan is, we eat," he said, talking around his food a bit. "Then I really need to find a place to crash for a while. Get cleaned up, you know? Maybe grab some actual supplies."
He glanced at his own torn and dirty clothes. He definitely needed a shower.
"A sound strategy, Human Nox," she said, finally taking a small, cautious bite of rice. "Rest and replenishment are indeed vital after exertion."
’Yeah, vital,’ he thought. ’And I need to not pass out before I get paid for babysitting a princess who asks if chicken is safe.’ He watched her eat for a second. She ate slowly, like she was analyzing every grain of rice.
"So, this ’sanctuary’ you mentioned," he said, after he’d eaten about half his plate. "How far is it, really? And are we talking, like, a secret elf treehouse, or what?"
She put her fork down. She looked at him. "I... I do not know the precise location," she admitted. That surprised him a little.
’She doesn’t know? Then how are we supposed to get there?’ he thought.
"When I awoke in this world," she continued, her voice quiet, "I heard the voices of my sisters. They guided me, told me the direction I must travel. But then... I encountered trouble on my path. Those beasts attacked." She gestured vaguely, like she didn’t want to think about it too much. "And then you appeared."
He processed that. ’Sisters’ voices, huh? So, some kind of magic telepathy thing, maybe.’
"And which direction did they tell you to go?" he asked.
"North," she said simply. "They said to head north."
He thought about that. ’North from here... if this city is where I think it is, then north could be heading towards the Olunghono region.’ That place was mostly wilderness and old mountains, or at least it used to be.
Not exactly a spot he’d pick for a sanctuary, but who knew with all this merge stuff.
"Alright, north it is then," he said. He finished his food. "So, you just woke up here? No warning, no nothing?"
She shook her head. "It was disorienting. One moment I was in Lifewoods, my home. The next... here. This broken world." She looked around the restaurant again, then back at him. "Human Nox, you are... strong. You dispatched that hound with ease. What is the measure of your power?"
He paused. ’Measure of my power? How am I supposed to answer that? Like, on a scale of one to ten? This isn’t some video game character sheet I can just show her.’
He had an idea. He’d seen those system messages about levels before. Maybe he could get some info on her that way. He focused on her, trying to use that Appraise skill.
A blue box popped into his vision.
[Appraise Error: Target Level Exceeds User Level by Significant Margin. Information Restricted.]
He stared at the message. ’Error? Level gap too large? What the hell does that mean?’ He looked at Serian, who was just waiting for an answer, looking all calm and collected.
’Eh? Don’t tell me... she’s pretending?’ he thought. ’She seemed like she was in real trouble with that monster. But if her level is way higher than mine... what’s going on here? Just how strong is she?’ He needed to know.
"Uh, it’s hard to say," he said, trying to sound casual. "How about you? You seem pretty capable yourself. What’s your level?" He figured he’d just ask her straight up. If she was playing games, maybe she’d slip up.
She tilted her head slightly, like the question was a bit odd, but she answered. "Oh," she said, her voice still polite and a bit formal. "I am merely level 70."
Nox choked on air. He coughed, trying to get his breath back. "Eh... wha—" he managed to get out, staring at her. ’Level seventy? Seventy?! I’m level sixteen! Merely level seventy? Is she serious?’
He looked at her again. She didn’t look like she was joking. Just sitting there, Mr. Formal Elf Princess, dropping level numbers like it was no big deal.
’This mission just got a whole lot more interesting.’