Rukiyo settled herself against the jagged edge of the cliff, right across the cave she had fled from earlier.
The night stretched on and it was agonizingly slow, but she kept a vigilant watch— her golden eyes scanning for any movement below, not wanting to miss the sight of Blank and his brother leaving the cave.
Finally, as dawn painted the horizon in soft hues of pink, blue, and gold, she spotted Blank and his brother emerging from the cave.
They moved quietly, disappearing into the forest without so much as a backward glance.
However, even after they vanished from her sight, Rukiyo remained still on her spot— waiting for another hour, just to be safe and sure that she wouldn't be spotted by them, or Blank's brother rather, if they decided to come back for some reason before exhaling sharply and finally relaxing against the cliffside.
"Finally." She muttered under her breath, running a hand down her face.
Rukiyo shifted slightly, her legs, which had been dangling precariously over the cliff's edge, lifting as she pushed herself up into a proper standing position.
She stretched her arms high above her head, arching her back with a satisfied groan as cracks broke in the air.
Her black wings flexed wide behind her before settling neatly against her back.
With a final shake of her limbs to dispel the lingering stiffness that made her numb over the course of a few hours, she cast one last glance toward the empty cave entrance below before turning her attention to the rising sun.
"Alright." She murmured, inhaling deeply. "Time to figure out where the hell I am."
Once finished uttering those words, Rukiyo propped a hand on her hip and pulled up the system interface again, navigating straight to the map feature.
Just like last night, most of the terrain is still shrouded in those ominous dark clouds— areas unexplored and unknown.
The only part that's visible is the path she took when she fled yesterday, with only a thin, winding trail marking her flight from the open field with the elf to the cave, which proceeded to the cliffside perch.
She frowned, tapping the air as if that'll somehow force the map to reveal more.
"Great." She grumbled under her breath. "So I've got zero idea where I'm going. Perfect. Just.. Perfect."
Her tail flicked in irritation behind her as she shot a glare at the map, half-hoping her intense stare will somehow make more of the area magically populate.
Then, all of a sudden, the entire interface shifted.
A new text appears in its place and Rukiyo's eyes snap to the words, surprise flashing across her face.
Main Quest: Pursuing a companion.
A quiet village is located nearby and is housing humans with knowledge that came from all over the land.
Journey to the said village and befriend one of them— however, it would be much better if the host befriended all of them, making all of them trustworthy companions.
Show them how a real dragoness cares for a mortal companion and help their little village prosper!
Reward: Beginner's pack, 10 gold coins, workbench
She scanned over the quest description, a frown slowly forming on her face as she processed the details.
Go to the nearest village, find a companion, and earn a beginner's pack, ten gold coins, and a workbench? All for what..? To make her new life miserable?
Rukiyo glared at the map, because it was surprisingly straightforward.. Albeit incredibly vague.
She scratched her head, her frown deepening. "Look for a companion? For what? I'm supposed to be living freely and peacefully this time around— why would I need someone tagging along?"
Her tail lashed behind her in irritation.
Then, remembering what happened last night, she huffed out a bitter laugh. "Besides, did you not see how I handled Blank? I panicked and flew off like some kind of startled bird. How am I supposed to find a companion when I can't even hold a conversation without nearly combusting from the awkwardness?"
Rukiyo became silent after muttering those words and to her surprise— not really, the system did not answer.
Rukiyo groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "...Fine. Whatever. Village first."
With a grumble of resignation, Rukiyo stepped off the cliff's edge, but instead of a frantic flight, she spread her wings wide, letting them catch the air like a parachute.
Her descent is slow, controlled, almost graceful as she glides downward rather than plummeting.
The wind rushed past her, tugging at her hair and clothes, but her wings stabilized her effortlessly, causing her to land lightly at the base of the cliff, her boots touching the ground with barely a sound with her knees bending slightly to absorb the impact before straightening again.
"Okay." She mumbled, shaking out her wings before tucking them behind her. "Now to find out where the village is will be a challenge."
Rukiyo advanced through the forest, her footsteps even and measured.
She walked and when she passed by the small lake that rested at the bottom of the cliff, her eyes caught sight of her reflection— noting the wings, horns, and tail that still adorned her form.
She quickly turned her attention to the system interface, pausing abruptly in her tracks.
"Hey." She called, her voice dripping with reluctance. "You want me to go to the nearest village, but.. I still have my wings, horns, and tail out. Is this.. Okay? Will people react badly to me looking like this?"
The screen flickered in response, the text glows faintly before updating.
>> MORPH FUNCTION UNLOCKED.
Rukiyo blinked owlishly, eyebrows furrowing as she read the text, then a second later, the texts flickered again and changed.
>> The host can shift between her original form to her human form at will, but to activate, the host has to simply think of her desired form and she will change.
Rukiyo titled her head. "Seriously? That's it?"
She hesitated for a second before closing her eyes, picturing herself without wings, horns, or a tail— just her original, human appearance.
Then, a tingling sensation spread across her skin, followed by a soft warmth.
When she opened her eyes again and looked back onto the water, her wings were gone, her tail vanished from behind her, and her horns were nowhere to be found.
She lifted a hand to her head— just to confirm, and touched where the horns were supposed to be in.
When she felt nothing, but her messy hair, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a slow breath. ".. Huh, so easy and convenient."
Now, at least, she won't terrify the entire village.
With her form now in human disguise, Rukiyo resumed her walk along the path and passed by the cave where she had taken refuge before.
As she did so, she opted for a different path this time and veered away from the cave, going further into the forest.
She moved carefully and quietly, still on guard despite her new human appearance, but with each step she took, her gaze kept darting to the map, watching the dark clouds slowly dissipate as the path uncovered.
Slowly but surely, the terrain got revealed and Rukiyo kept pressing forward.
She doesn't know if she'll even find anything by clearing the fog— it could just be empty space or more forest, for all she knows, but she figured that it can't hurt to try.
And with any luck, she'll come across that village and get the companion quest over with.