Sacred Spring

She was running with the help of Light Feet, pausing for an instant each time she recovered some mana, to Detect if there was something around, and change direction to avoid it if necessary.

Despite her caution, she met a level 5 albino deer, which was as scared to see her as she was. They looked at each other for a moment, and each followed their own path, as if they had never met.

She almost collided dangerously with a huge lizard, with a flattened body, and whose skin was very poisonous. Without batting an eye, she invoked the power of nature, so that roots tangled in its legs and immobilized it for a few seconds, long enough to get away from it, and be able to continue on her way.

A little later, she discovered several presences going in her direction from the side, so she kept moving forward hoping to leave them behind. But, when she activated Life Detection again, they were behind her, at a distance.

She ignored them and kept running, slowly noticing her tiredness. However, upon discovering them again with the next Life Detection, she frowned at the evidence that she was being followed. And that their levels were higher than hers.

Soon, she began to hear the sounds of footsteps running after her, so she considered climbing a tree to try to avoid them, or defend herself from there. But her destination was already quite close. If it was like in the game, she would be safe. If it wasn't, she would still have time to climb a tree.

She felt as if she were going through a kind of intangible membrane that didn't put up any resistance in her path. After that, the elf stopped in front of a small pond, to turn and look around, finding what she was looking for. She immediately began to Hover towards the strong branch of a nearby tree, since she couldn't know if whatever was chasing her could get in there too.

It wasn't long before she spotted, while she was still levitating, various silhouettes that were approaching. Soon, they reached that invisible membrane, stopping in front of it, even trying to cross it without success. They could smell the trail of their prey, and see her from afar, but they couldn't go beyond the invisible barrier that protected the place.

They were strange carnivores on all fours, with elongated heads, hairless, very muscular and the size of a lion. They might look like mammals to someone unfamiliar with such animals, but they were actually reptiles, perhaps similar to those that had lived on the face of the Earth even before the dinosaurs.

Goldmi dropped after checking that the barrier worked as in the game, and went to the water, where her face was being reflected. Not for a moment did she thought that the barrier could fail, because in the game it was unbreakable.

"It's my face in the game. Maybe more natural. It's strange, it doesn't look weird. The truth is that I'm quite pretty, even though it's wrong for me to say it," she thought aloud.

She took a sip of the spring's water, that make her recover mana and energy, just like in the game. Then, she looked back toward the barrier, where those strange predators were still.

"They'll leave," she thought.

She brought out her castle-shaped tent, ready to sleep in it. She felt tired after that strange day and the race to there, although, before sleeping, she ate the remnants of the soup she had cooked before, and which was still hot.

Then, she put on one of the pajamas Gjaki had made her in the past. It was a nightgown made of a fine translucent black fabric, which allowed the whole outline of her body to be seen.

"This is… shameless," she was embarrassed, even though no one was around.

The next one she checked wasn't only semi-transparent, but very short.

"Gjaki's designs are a little…" she blushed.

Finally, she found a full-body cat-like pajamas, that looked like to be designed for children. But it was warm and comfortable, and she felt at ease in it.

"Maybe I should wash the clothes I was wearing before I go to sleep," she muttered to herself.

But, when taking it out from the inventory to do it, she found to her surprise that they were again spotless. However, after what she had experienced that day, she simply decided that it was convenient, and didn't think about it anymore, so she went into the castle and lay down on a bed more than two meters long and wide, and with a large assortment of cushions and pillows. Soon, she fell asleep, since she had been overcome by exhaustion.

When she got up the next day, the first thing she did after leaving her castle was check the place where those strange predators had been, and where there was no longer a trace of them.

"Later, I'll check that they aren't around," she decided.

But, at that precise moment, she had a strange sensation and looked back, just as a part of a small wall next to the pond was coming off. Perhaps, she should have been afraid that something had crossed the ground, thus overcoming the barrier, if that was possible, but she didn't feel scared. In fact, she didn't even wield the bow or her weapons.

Among the dust produced by the collapse, an outline appeared first, and then a feline figure. Its pointy ears were crowned by long tufts of fur that made it appear more stylized, while its tail was shorter than most felines. Its fur was brown and mottled, and, from its cheeks, there were white sideburns hanging, that formed something like a beard that had lost the central part.

Goldmi looked at it with tears appearing in her eyes, taking a step forward to that animal whose size was much greater than what would have been normal in her original world, as its height was of almost one and a half meters. She looked at it incredulously, without quite believing it, but without being able to stop doing it.

"Lynx sister…" she called her, moved.

"Elf sister…" she answered, but not with a voice, but through the link that had been reestablished and was connecting them back together, a link that not only transmitted their words but their strong emotions.

The two approached. The elf hugged her soul sister's neck, while the feline gently rubbed her head on Goldmi's. The lynx wasn't crying, but she was moved, and even purred. She had been waiting for years, not even knowing if her waiting would be eternal.

And, meanwhile, on the character sheet, a part of the mist had disappeared, and the face of a feline creature was now visible.