Otherworld Avatar

Lily slept soundly, and when she awoke, the sun had passed its zenith. She could hear Mia humming a tune as she drove the carriage forward. She poked her head out and asked: "Could we stop for a moment so I could join you in front? Easier to talk that way. "

"Oh Lily, you woke up. I hope the ride wasn't too bumpy and you got some rest. Sure thing, give me a moment. "Mia answered and stopped the carriage. Lily quickly got out and joined her friend in front.

"The ride is great, I didn't feel a thing. You are great at this, I am impressed," Lily commented as they got underway again along the dusty road.

"I've always liked horses, so I spent a lot of time driving and riding around my father's estate. I drove my guards crazy," Mia said. "It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. "

"I'll have to take your word for it," Lily said.

"I have a lot of questions, and I am not sure where to begin. "

"Why don't you tell me more about yourself, and I'll do the same," Mia proposed.

"Sure thing. My name is Lily Spears, I am 21 years old, and I woke up on this world yesterday, after dying on my own and meeting the goddess Dahlia," Lily started.

"My name is Mia Dawnheart, daughter of Eric Dawnheart. I am 21 years old as well, and I live with my father and stepmother on our estate in Lundin," Mia said, turning to face Lily. "Did you have any family back on your world?" she asked.

"No, my parents died when I was a child, and I had no siblings. I spent most of my time working and studying, so I didn't have a girlfriend when I died," Lily answered, trying hard to keep the pain out of her voice. Memories of Earth were still fresh in her mind, and being reminded of the life she left behind, such as it was, was still painful. Mia's eyes seemed to light up for a moment when Lily mentioned having no girlfriend, but she said nothing, so Lily continued: "You said you live on an estate -are you some sort of nobility?"

"Ah right, my name means nothing to you. My father is not a noble, but he is one of the richest people on the continent. He started off as an adventurer, but went into trade and banking afterwards. He made his money transporting luxury goods from one end of Rund to the other, "Mia said proudly.

"I see," Lily let out a sigh. "I had no idea who you were when I tried to save you. I don't want to take advantage of what happened last night, especially now that I know you are rich. "

Mia looked at her, and saw the sincerity in her eyes. She didn't really need confirmation though, as she was already starting to understand what kind of person Lily was. "Relax and don't worry about it. Remember, I made the choice to use Soul Link on you, you didn't force me to. That's already better than what most Soulmancers end up doing, and far better than the fate that awaited me if you didn't show up. So, what's going to happen is that you are going to come and live in my father's mansion until you find out what the goddess has in store for you, and you are not gonna complain about it any more," Mia insisted, giving Lily a fiercely determined look.

She must be someone who is used to getting what she wants, and besides, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. Lily thought, and decided to accept.

"Yes ma'am," she finally answered, and Mia looked satisfied. "That's better, " she said. "Now with that out of the way, you must have other questions, so go ahead. "

Lily contemplated for a moment, before asking:

"How does magic work? I also heard you and the thugs mention levels, what's that about?"

Mia gave the question some thought before answering: "Uhm, so the two are related. Everyone has attunements, which determine the spells they can get access to. Think of Fire, Earth, Water as examples. Then, as you advance in levels by killing monsters, you unlock new spells in those attunements, and sometimes even new attunements altogether. "

"Sounds simple enough,"Lily said. "What about classes? What determines how good someone is with a sword or a bow, for example? I ask, because, when I woke up, I realized I could use a sword despite never wielding one before."

"That means you have a Sword Mastery. Masteries are gained through training and can be improved by experience. Everyone gets one by the time they are fifteen, and not all of them are combat related. There are no specific classes, but what spells you unlock as you advance is influenced by the way you fight, although it is not an exact science," Mia explained. "People try to match their Masteries to their existing skills and preferences, for example if you have access to damage dealing Fire spells, you might train with staffs or wands as those have spell-boosting effects more often, but nothing is stopping a mage like me from training with a sword to get a Mastery there, although the number of Masteries you can have active at any time is gated by level. Dahlia might have given you another one besides Sword, you should check. "

"I don't actually know how to do that," Lily admitted, a little embarrassed despite knowing that it wasn't really her fault.

Ok, it is partly my fault, I should have gotten more information from Dahlia instead of staring at her beauty for most of the time I spent in her realm.

"Right, I forget this is all new to you, sorry," Mia apologized. "I will teach you once we are home. It is not that hard to access your own information, but it requires peace and quiet, which is hard to get on a moving carriage. "

"If you don't mind me asking, what are your attunements?" Lily asked after a short silence. "That information is normally shared between party members, so I have no problem telling you. As I mentioned, I am a Soulmancer, which is a fancy name for people with the rare Soul attunement. I also gave a Lighting attunement, which is lucky, because most people start out with only one," Mia answered with pride.

"Nice. I do have to say again that you don't have to join me in fulfilling whatever task Dahlia gives me, if you don't want to risk your life. I am sure we can figure something out. I know you said yes last night, but you had just barely survived a kidnapping, and had just used your skill on me, so maybe you weren't thinking clearly. I really don't want to force you into something you aren't comfortable with," Lily said carefully, trying not to offend Mia in some way.

"You really are stubborn, aren't you? I told you that I always wanted to follow in my father's footsteps, and besides, one doesn't decline an invitation to an Avatar's party easily. Besides, I don't want to anger Dahlia after visiting her temple many times. So, my answer is the same as last night, it will be an honor to join you in your adventures," Mia replied, and Lily could see the same determined fire from last night burning in her eyes. She then continued in a hushed voice:

"Thanks for asking though, I really appreciate how considerate you are. "

Satisfied with the answer, Lily decided to continue with her questioning.