Lana closed her eyes, then jumped up. “Holy hell!”

Lana, Human, level 0 (0 Tec)

Path: -

Attributes:

●       Strength 1

●       Agility 1

●       Intelligence 3

●       Control 2

●       Awareness 2

●       Appeal 2

“So, what’s your highest attribute?” Nori asked with a faint smile.

Lana laughed, clearly a little embarrassed. “Intelligence, three.”

The blonde nodded. “That’s not bad. Most people’s scores are one or two. I met a bodybuilder whose strength was three, so I’d say you’re pretty smart.”

“What’s your highest score?”

“Agility, three.”

“That makes sense. The kick you gave that monster was unbelievable, I bet a normal person wouldn’t be able to do that. And that jump afterward … How did you do that?”

Nori shrugged. “I always liked sports, and I practiced Capoeira since I was a little girl. That kick is called Meia-Lua. It’s designed to focus the body’s entire kinetic energy into the leg. And as for that jump … I almost didn’t make it. I would never have tried that if that thing wasn’t about to eat me.”

Listening as the two women talked, Nathan covertly accessed his own status screen.

Nathan, Human-scion, level 0 (0 Tec)

Path: -

Attributes:

●       Strength 1

●       Agility 2

●       Intelligence 3

●       Control 3

●       Awareness 3

●       Appeal 2

He didn’t have a clue as to what the ‘scion’ part meant, but his attributes appeared to be even higher than the standard if he was to take Nori’s word.

Finishing the last of her cereal, Nori put down her bowl. “Thanks for the shelter, guys, but I should move on. It’s going to be dark soon.”

The two students exchanged puzzled looks.

“Won’t you stay a little longer?” Lana asked in a pleading voice. “It’s just that … it gets kinda lonely ... just the two of us here.”

“I should get going. Thanks for the snacks. I should be good for the rest of the day.” She paused and studied the two students. “Why don’t you come with me? I’m heading to Lou’s Yard. The shelter’s fairly close so we should make it there before nightfall.”

“We can’t,” Lana answered slowly. “I told you - Nathan doesn’t do well with other people.”

Nori shrugged and got to her feet. “In that case, I wish you the best. I’ll try to stop by next time I’m around here, check up on you.”

Nathan threw Lana a worried glance.

“No, wait! It's… it's not safe out there,” the dark-haired woman blurted.

Nori frowned. “How do you mean?”

Lana hesitated as she looked at Nathan. The young man looked down, then nodded.

“The Warped that chased you is still around; it's probably looking for you. You should stay here until it leaves.”

Nori's eyes narrowed. “And how do you know that?”