Frostbitten Wayfarer

Zoe stood outside her cave for the first time since they left — though Emma had returned a number of times towards the end of their journey as her mana permitted the longer distance travel.

“You excited to be home?” Joe asked.

“Yeah, I am.” Zoe sighed. “So many things I’ve been wanting to do and just never found the time for, and now everything’s done. I can focus on myself for a while.”

“Sorry for making you help us out with our classes.” Emma said as she teleported past the door. A vulnerability Zoe wasn’t sure how to resolve, or if she even needed to anyway. How many people would be capable of just walking through space and would also have a desire to invade somebody’s home?

Probably a good portion of them, Zoe realized. If she was going to be a thief, then it seemed like quite a convenient class. Get in, get out. Nobody would be the wiser. But she still didn’t know how to stop it, maybe she’d get some skills that could help or maybe Spell Creation would pair as well with her enchanting as she hoped it would.

Zoe opened the door and looked at Emma just behind, holding her two cats to her chest. “It’s fine, I was happy to help. I wanted to do it, I just now want to finally toy around with all these new skills I’ve got.”

Joe squeezed Zoe’s shoulder as he looked back towards Foizo. “Well, thanks again for all the help Zoe. I had a good time but I think I’ll be happy sitting around in town for a few decades again.” He laughed and walked off back towards his proper inn after Zoe and Emma said their goodbyes, and then the two girls walked in to the kitchen.

Sally was sitting at the kitchen table eating some salad that Peter had made, while Peter himself was over the stove cooking some manner of soup that smelled somewhat acidic and almost fruity.

“Hey Peter,” Zoe said as she walked in. “Hi Sally,” Zoe smiled at the now much older girl. Well, from the girl’s perspective anyway.

“Hi Emma!!” Sally called back. “Hi… person!” She grinned from ear to ear as she greeted the two girls.

“Hey you two, welcome back. You’re back home, then?" Peter asked.

“Yup,” Emma answered. “Thanks again, so much. I really appreciate what you two did.”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. It was a great experience, really. Sally here loved looking after the kittens, didn’t you?”

Sally nodded several times excitedly. “Yeah! Fennel’s mean sometimes though. And his licks hurt.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, he can be a handful. Hope they weren’t too bad though.”

“No they were great. We think we’re going to adopt a cat next time we have the opportunity now. Wasn’t so sure we were ready for the responsibility — long term, you know? But this was good, I think.” Peter gestured to Zoe and looked at Sally. “And this is Zoe, Sally. We’ve told you about her a few times. This is her house.”

“Oh. I heard you’re a vampire. Are you a vampire? Do you eat people?" Sally asked.

“Sally!” Peter scolded.

Zoe laughed. “No it’s fine, I don’t keep much about myself a secret these days really. That’s my fault.” She looked at Sally. “Can’t say I’ve ever eaten a person though. I don’t think they’d taste very good, do you?"

“Mm mm,” Sally grunted as she shook her head. “I bet people taste gross. Like deer.”

“You don’t like deer?" Zoe asked.

“Tastes like metal. I don’t like metal.” Sally said.

“She hasn’t eaten meat in a little over a year. Just started saying it’s gross all of a sudden.” Peter explained as he turned his attention back to the pot of soup bubbling away on the stone stove.

“Hmm,” Zoe hummed. “Anything else happen a year ago?"

“Not that I can think, of why?”

Zoe shrugged. “Just remember sudden changes in taste being a thing when I grew up. Kids just do that too sometimes. Can I try to heal her though?”

“Of course, you think she’s sick?” Peter asked.

“I’m not sick! I’m four!” Sally held her head up proud.

“You’re three, Sally.” Peter responded.

“Daaaaaad!” Sally whined.

“Probably not. She probably just doesn’t like meat, just a thought is all.” Zoe answered as she put her hand on Sally’s shoulder and pushed Restoration through her, feeling nothing too wrong. Though with the peculiar way of how her skill worked, that could just mean whatever was wrong was too old. But it was far more likely that Sally just decided she doesn’t like meat anymore in the first place, anyway.

“Ooo that feels cold!" Sally shivered.

“Is she okay?" Peter asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

Zoe shrugged. “Probably. I won’t lie, my skill’s not good enough to tell anyway. Nothing bad’s happened recently at least. Like I said, it was just a thought.”

“I told you I’m not sick, I’m four!” Sally said proudly again.

Peter rolled his eyes. “You’re three, Sally.”

“Daaaaaaaad!” Sally whined louder.

“And what does being four have to do with it? You can still be sick even if you were four, you know?" Peter said.

“Nuh uh! Only little kids can get sick.” Sally said. “Big kids don’t get sick.”

“And four is when you become a big kid?" Emma asked.

Sally nodded. “Mhm. That’s why I’m a big kid now.”

“Because you’re four?" Emma asked.

“Yeah!” Sally nodded.

Peter rolled his eyes and smiled. “Well, Lauren should be home in a bit and we’ll pack up to head out later tonight or maybe tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

“I’m fine with it whenever, I’m probably going to be working on expanding the place anyway so you’re not in my way. Up to Emma, really.” Zoe said.

“I want my bed back tonight, but you can use Zoe’s room or the library tonight. No rush, really. We just showed up without a warning here, really. I should’ve come ahead and told y’all yesterday.” Emma said.

“Great, thanks. No worries, you already told us you were coming back soon. We’ll get out of your hair tomorrow afternoon then. Sally, dear? Do you have all your stuff ready to go?” Peter asked.

Zoe watched as Lauren walked past just outside the kitchen wall and vanished beyond her perception range towards the front door. “Lauren’s home.”

“How do you know?" Peter asked and raised his eyebrows as he felt the telltale sign of the front door opening as the air rushed out towards the now open door. A downside of Zoe’s enchantments keeping the home much higher pressure than the outside, but not one that Zoe cared to try and fix.

Zoe waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “New skill.”

“Hellooo,” Lauren called out in a singsong tone.

“Hey babe, we’re in the kitchen!” Peter called back.

“Oh, hello!” Lauren said as she stepped into the kitchen and saw Zoe and Emma. She walked past Sally and gave her a kiss on her head and hugged Peter. “Hey babe.”

“Long day?" Peter asked.

“God yes. Jane said she just wanted help with organizing some furniture but then it turned into her sitting on her butt complaining about Karl while I pushed all of her furniture around over and over until she finally thought it looked nice. I swear Peter, one of these days I’m going to strangle that woman.” Lauren complained.

“It pays well and you’re almost done at least, right?" Peter asked.

“Yeah I know, I know. I’ll put up with it for a bit longer. I hate that woman though, Peter. Everything’s always got something wrong with it for her. Can’t ever just be happy for a bit.” Lauren sighed. “Anyway, I’m sorry you two. Friend of a friend wanted some help with furnishing her house and I thought it might be fun. Needless to say, it has not been.” She chuckled.

Peter kissed her on the cheek. “You can always stop if you want to.”

“No, no. It’s worth doing and I can’t put out Karl like that. Just wish she’d not complain about the only reason I’m even helping her while I’m…” Lauren sighed. “Anyway. Enough of that. You two are back home then?”

“Yeah, they said it’s okay if we leave tomorrow.” Peter said.

“Or later, really. As long as I get to sleep in my bed tonight I’m happy.” Emma said.

“Right, alright. Well Peter and I have been sleeping there, so I’ll go get changed and clean up then.” Lauren said and kissed Peter on the cheek before she made her way back out to the hallway.

“Oh hold on actually,” Zoe called out to her. “I’m not sure what the best way to say this is but I have a skill that lets me see through walls, kinda. I won’t like, watch you or anything. I just thought it was a bit of a betrayal of trust to not tell you first.”

“Really? That’s so cool. You should watch me then, I’ll shoo you away before I start getting changed.” Lauren said.

Zoe watched as she walked into Emma’s room and stared at the wall dividing it from the kitchen, then held up two fingers.

“What’s she doing?" Peter asked.

“She’s holding up two fingers. I don’t know if she thinks I can respond though.” Zoe said and watched Lauren a bit longer as she held up different numbers of fingers and pointed to different objects in Emma’s room. Then she waved her hand at the wall which Zoe took to be pushing Zoe away, and Zoe turned her attention back to the kitchen. “Think she’s done.”

“She’s gonna question you on everything she did, you know?” Peter laughed.

“She knows I have super vision, not super memory, right?" Zoe laughed.

“Lauren’s a bit of a goof sometimes.” Peter said.

“Mom’s a goof!" Sally laughed.

Lauren showed up again a few minutes later and sat down at the table across from Sally. “So, what’d I do in there?"

“I don’t know!” Zoe said. “You held up two fingers and then four. At one point you pointed to your elbow I think? I can see through walls, that doesn’t mean I can remember everything.” Zoe shook her head.

“Aww, that’s really cool though. How was your adventure? I guess you can see through walls now, but was it as fruitful for you too?" Lauren asked.

Peter moved the bubbling pot of soup off the hot section of the stove and stuck a lid on it, then came and sat down at the table next to Sally.

“Yeah it was really good. A lot of fun, honestly. I’m glad to be back, though.” Emma said.

“Yeah, getting back was definitely the best part. It’s something else over there, isn’t it?" Peter asked.

“It is, everybody’s so.. I don’t even know how to describe it. Curt? Abrupt? It’s so different.” Emma said.

“Yes! They just don’t care about you at all. I mean they don’t want you to die or anything, but nobody cares about you for you. They’re all just doing their own thing.” Lauren said.

“Mhm. I’d like to go back I think someday, but not for a while probably.” Emma said.

They caught up for a while, as Emma shared some tidbits about her new abilities and most importantly, mana regeneration and then Peter stood up to put the soup away.

“Joe’s just back at his inn, yeah?" Peter asked.

“Should be.” Zoe said. “That’s where he said he was off to, but I bet he stopped to see Kenzie and Sue first.”

“That sounds like him. Well, we’ll head down to visit him and say hello again and get out of you two lovebird’s hair.” Peter smirked. “Sally, do you wanna come see Uncle Joe?”

“Yeah!” Sally said.

“We’re not lovebirds, you know?" Zoe said. ”We just happen to live together.“

“Yes, you’re just ‘roommates.’” Lauren said, making air quotes with her fingers.

“Yes! We’re actually just roommates! And I barely even count since I’m never here anyway.” Zoe shook her head.

Emma leaned into Zoe’s shoulder. “It’s okay dear, we don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”

“I swear to god you people are going to drive me insane.” Zoe groaned.

Her three friends laughed. “Alright, lets get going.” Peter said. “Joe’s probably just sitting in his inn relaxing and we can’t have any of that, right?” He asked Sally.

“Nuh uh!” Sally hopped down from her chair.

“Nice seeing you two again. We’ll be back in a few hours probably so take your time to make yourself at home again.” Lauren said as she stood up.

Zoe and Emma said their goodbyes and then split up to do their own things. Emma went to her room with Oliver and Fennel to have a nap on her much more comfortable bed while Zoe teleported herself into the dark cavern she’d carved out just behind her home.

There was a laundry list of tasks that Zoe had built up over the last few years, and she wasn’t even sure where to get started. She could start from the beginning and work on her Time Manipulation skill, or maybe she could start from the most exciting and toy with her Cosmos Manipulation or Spell Creation skills.

But then of course there was the question of what to do with her classes, too. Cosmic Mystic was a powerful class, beyond anything she’d seen before barring her combined Seasoned Persistence class which might be competitive at a similar tier.

The chances of Zoe ever wanting to replace it was slim to none, whereas her enchanting class was only pretty good. Which raised the question of where should her Cosmic Mystic class slot in? If she kept it at a high tier then she’d reap the massive bonuses from the class effects. But every time she wanted to change a class before it, she’d lose everything from it until she levelled up again.

Zoe decided she didn’t ever want to lose the benefits her Cosmic Mystic class gave her, and grimaced as she replaced her Everlasting Enchanter class with Cosmic Mystic. But the pain she expected never came, just the now familiar drain of her stats as the system ripped them from her soul.

*Ding* You have unlocked the Cosmic Mystic class. Your body and soul will be adjusted to accommodate the change.

Effects:

- Cosmic Mystic: Gain thirty stat points for each level in this class.

- Cosmic Vision: View the world around you.

­- One With The Cosmos: You gain experience through the passage of time and space.

- Cosmic Well: Health, Stamina and Mana capacity are increased by 150%.

- Cosmic Mastery: All Cosmos aligned effects are boosted by 250%.

Available Skills:

- Cosmos Affinity: Increased Mana affinity

- Spell Creation: Form spells to create magical effects.

- Cosmos Manipulation: Manipulate the cosmos with your will.

- Cosmic Armour: Wreath yourself in the power of the cosmos.

- Cosmic Rift: Rend apart the cosmos with your mana.

- Cosmic Step: Travel the cosmos.

- Cosmic Familiar: Summon a being from the cosmos to perform simple tasks.

- Storage: Store objects.

- Cosmic Radiance: Remove dirt and grime from objects.