I sat back on the couch, wearing clothes that were a size too large. Mira was right, her clothes were big on me. My shoulder practically hung out of her shirt, which is not something I'd wear out on the streets. I decided to hang around until my clothes finished in the washer.

Really, modern cloth washing tech was a wonder in its own right. Mira assured me that a couple runs through it would see my clothes smelling as good as new. Too bad a couple runs took a while.

Of course, I coulda just returned home and grabbed clothes. Mira made a good point that I might as well just stick around. At least, until Uncle Ezra got back and we talked things through. He knew the gist, but it'd be good to have an actual conversation.

I was the only one around for the moment. Uncle Ezra was busy at the base, though he should be coming back by sometime soon. Mira herself was currently in the shower by the sound of it. I took the time to go over my gains and rewrap my bandages. Yes, Quick Healing would take care of it, but that wasn't a reason to practice poor medicine.

I flicked a dog tag, one of the many we pulled out of the water. This was it. Edward Smith's tag. One of the many carelessly thrown onto the pile. Didn't find his body itself, but I imagine it would be in the mound of bones somewhere.

I looked past my hand toward the interface blinking in the corner of my view.

「Tech - 3>4」

「Firearm - 1>3」

「First Aid - 1>2」

「Evasion - 1>2」

「Criminology - 3>4」

「Request - Killer - Complete

1 Skill Point」

「Request - Suspicious Disappearance - Complete

1 Skill Point」

There was certainly a lot to think about. There were two Skill Points and Perk Points ready to go, and I wasn't sure what to do with them. At least with the Skill Points. The Perk Points would work themselves out when I went to the pavilion space to cash them in.

I had just a few issues with Skills that made me second guess what to put the Points in. I've had the interface for… nearly a month now? How could I not notice? Skills seemed to get exponentially harder to level the higher they went. I've used Stealth off and on ever since the initial level six, and it'd only hit level seven.

In the month though, I think I could say with somewhat confidence where my 'level' was. Best I could tell, level ten was the highest level most people would reach. High-level mercs and other 'specialists' in their fields could be put somewhere between twelve and fourteen, I think. It was a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly since my stuff was still low-level.

Anyway, the solution to the issue was quite simple. I should only use Skill Points on the initial burst of knowledge, or use them once the Skill leveling slowed down. Anything from level one to four would be a waste. Maybe I should just save them in general? Only use them when I get the most cost-benefit out of them?

I could get them fairly easily, at least. Skill Points seemed to be the preferred reward so far. I was better off spending them as soon as possible to increase my chances of survival rather than sitting on them. And, it would let me take on some bigger and badder gigs if I was lucky.

"Whatcha' thinking so deeply about?" Mira poked me in the arm, jolting me out of thoughts.

"Uh- I was just thinking about Granny Smith…" I held the dog tag up so it caught the light. "Sad what happened."

"Ah… yeah…" Mira popped over the couch and slumped down beside me. She shook her head like a dog, sprinkling water all over me. "Hard to believe two hundred just like that… and nobody noticed."

I set down the dog tag on the coffee table, next to the others. "Fedra covered their tracks well. What do you think they were doing down there?"

Mira pulled out her phone and flicked it towards the TV in the corner of the living room. A second later, several pictures of the chamber popped up. "Hard to say… it looked like a stash, but the stuff there was too old- too worn out… maybe they hid something there. They're known for needle in the haystack type stuff."

We were silent for a moment. The picture of the hundreds of skeletons popped up. "You've been to other Fedra bases, right? I faintly remember you talking about it."

"A few… mostly I stayed on FSA bases while Pa' went out and did stuff, but I've been taken along a few times after the battles. They like to hide in the husks of fallen cities and towns." Mira shook her head in disgust. "Damn leeches use Dune Walkers as cover."

We talked a bit more before turning the TV onto some dumb show to wait for Uncle Ezra. And when I say dumb show, I mean it. It was mini-golf of sorts, and yet they were using guns to shoot the golf balls instead of hitting them with clubs. The ones with the least shots fired to get the ball in the hole won.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

And then there was the twist, as most 'modern' shows required. While trying to shoot the balls through the complicated courses, the shooters tried to dodge past a team armed with bats trying to beat them down. Truly a mess of elements… also kind of looked fun.

I'd rather watch Baseball, of course. One of the few shows I could actually stand on modern TV. Also one of the few bloodsports I actually liked. The other stuff was just too scripted- even the game shows. Good ole baseball, though? It was still a riot.

Baseball… Arkhanika's pastime, or something like that. It's funny, I wanted to be a player way back when. Before my parents died, of course. I stopped watching it since then. It was… bittersweet? Dad especially liked to watch the Slashers beat up other teams.

Thankfully, Uncle Ezra returned before too long, saving me from the agony of TV. He was fully kitted out in uniform and flanked by two soldiers. He turned to the two escorting him. "Wait out here. This shouldn't take too long."

"Yes, sir!" They both saluted and took positions at either side of the door.

Uncle Ezra closed the door behind him, and his serious expression immediately dropped to tiredness. "Glad you're both back… injuries?"

"I was grazed by a bullet, but I'll be fine in a couple of days," I said and idly rubbed at my injured arm. Still stung a bit, but Quick Healing would take care of.

He walked over and took a seat across from me and Mira. He immediately turned somber and sighed once his eyes fell on the mound of dog tags. "Mission successful then… how'd it go?"

We took turns recounting the trip down into the Underground. Mira did a far better job than I did at explaining the few times we got into combat, but I did a pretty good job at filling in the gaps between fights. She somehow managed to mess up telling those parts of the story several times.

"A Scav Den, huh?" Uncle Ezra asked as he checked the pin on my Mapp™. "Did you tell the Fangs yet?"

"I haven't had the chance. Why?"

He pulled his phone out and marked down the location as well as the other POIs I noted down. "It'll be a good exercise for one of my squads… I'll send another group down to wipe them out soon."

Mira flicked the pictures she took up to the TV. "And here's what we found in the storage cavern."

Uncle Ezra leaned back in his chair and ran a hand down his face. "I was hoping to be wrong… A Fedra stash?"

"Think so. Looked like a freighter dumped all its cargo after the storms." Mira moved through the dozens of pictures, including the closeups on Fedra's symbol.

"Like I said earlier, the place gave me the creeps. We didn't stick around long after finding the mound of bones." I motioned to the tags. "Just snagged those and got out."

He stared at the tags for a moment. "Right… I'll get a couple squads down there to secure and investigate the area, as well as retrieve the fallen… this'll ruffle feathers, so keep your head down for a while, Shiro."

I hummed non-committedly. "I'll try."

"Best I can ask for." He nodded his head to the door. "General ordered a guard on me after I came forward."

If I was offered a gig or something, I would still take it. I needed the money, especially since I wanted to move out even more now. Using the shower made me realize just how much I wanted one of my own.

And warm water! Oh, it felt so, soooooo good compared to the cold showers I was usually subjected to. Made me feel so much more clean… or that was the soap that they had here.

"Listen- they'll probably try to 'pay' my informant. Most definitely a trap, and they'll be watching my accounts to track the paper trail. Sorry I can't offer you anything." He sighed deeply.

There went my payday. Just like that, I was outta money. Or, I had some, but wasn't going to make anything from this particular job. "That's fine."

"Wait! Keep the armor and rifle and stuff. Might help you out." Mira nudged me on the arm. "Get up to anything dangerous though, come to me."

"Not like Danger is my middle name." Seriously. After this, I really wanted to just lay low for a while and not do anything super out there.

"Shiro? Don't talk too much about this." Uncle Ezra picked up one of the tags. "Sometime next week we'll contact the families and inform them of their loved one's deaths. Good job, you two."

"What about the people who were following us?" Mira asked as she helped her dad gather all the tags up.

"Hard to tell with Fedra…. Probably go to ground, though. I got more than enough now to bring a witch hunt. I'll do some work internally too. Give them even more reason to back away." He grouped up the tags and tucked them into a bag. "Still, watch your back, Shiro. Come straight to me or the Dragoon Saloon if you feel even a suspicion of attack."

"I will." Not like I had much hope in facing a Fedra Death Squad. That group we faced? Not even close to their heavy hitters.

Uncle Ezra ruffled my hair. His warm hand felt oddly comforting on my head. "Alright, I'm off. Stay safe, kiddos."

"See ya, Pa!" Mira called out after him. He waved back to us and left just as quickly as he came.

We watched TV for a bit longer. I could only stand so much of it, though and my clothes finished up. I yawned, causing Mira to follow along a moment later. I stood up and stretched out. "I- I think I'm headed back home then. Really tired."

Mira stood up alongside me. "You could stay here."

"Nah." I headed for the door. "I've got some errands to run."

In actuality, I wanted to be alone. The Perk and Skill Points wouldn't spend themselves. And it was better if I kept hiding the interface. How would I even explain it?

Hmm… I guess I could just say it was experimental tech? It could be the truth for all I knew. Considering the potential eidolon connection though… Gee, I really didn't know much, huh?

"Right… Goodnight, Shiro." Mira yawned again and gave me a sloppy hug. She absolutely drenched my shoulder when her blonde hair slapped against me. "Stay safe."

I returned the hug, a resigned expression crossing my face. I thought I dodged the worse of the water when she shook it out. Shoulda known better. "Night."

I changed back into my own clothes and left the apartment. So began the tiring drive home with all of my equipment. It was quite a bit colder tonight. I snuggled back into my jacket. Mira wasn't kidding, her washer got the stench out.

Insight didn't trigger, and I couldn't see anyone following me. Still, Insight wasn't a hundred percent accurate. I took Uncle Ezra's advice to be careful and took a long and convoluted path back home anyway, cutting through several back alleys a car wouldn't fit down.

I stopped and bought an XtraEnergy Quantum™ on my way. The stuff was basically a heart attack in a can, at least at normal levels. They got around 'pesky' health standards by selling the can as being three serving sizes in one. I backed into a dead zone and poured some into my magic canteen.

'Course, the stop wasn't only to grab a drink. It was common sense that if you were being chased, you kept running. It's natural considering inbuilt fight-or-flight instincts. Hopefully, the stop would throw off anyone with a prying eye. Hopefully.

Chek, I was just Shiro, the niece of the family. I definitely wasn't involved in the Fedra take down.

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