We are among the first to arrive at the gym, but not the last. It seems several other student groups have also concluded that this is a good place to train before heading out on their missions.

In any case, we take an unoccupied training area, find some targets and a bow, and Joe—handling me with a delicacy that still feels out of place for a skeleton—holds my shoulders and back to adjust my posture. The man cannot speak, but he has shown me how he holds the bow, the stance he takes, and then helps me mimic him.

At first, I cannot even hit the archery target, but little by little, I improve. After a few minutes, Ronan grabs one of the swords from the gym and starts training on a practice dummy himself.

We haven't been here for more than thirty minutes when Mary walks into the gym. She scans the room as if looking for us and smiles when she finds us. She approaches and greets us. Ronan stops his training, and I shoot, releasing the arrow between my fingers before turning toward her.

(I hit the target, yes, but nowhere near the center.)

"What brings you here?" I ask my friend.

"My mission. I think you guys might be able to help me a little. It is more complicated than I thought."

"Tell us."

"Sure, thanks a lot. Although… by the way, Ronan," Mary asks, somewhat puzzled, "didn't you already master the mace? Why are you training with a sword now?"

I laugh and answer for him.

"Because he says it's easier to master a new weapon than to improve his mastery with the mace. Plus, he wants the strength point. He's still sulking over the hit Darius landed on him during the exam."

"Poor thing…"

"So, an investigation mission," Ronan changes the subject while pointedly ignoring the sympathetic comment. "What's the intel?"

"The girl's from a farming family that lives relatively close to Plinks, the village nearest the academy's city."

As I'm once again trying to draw the string, Joe has approached me and is holding my arms to guide me into a better stance. The moment Mary mentions the village's name, he freezes mid-movement. Since he's behind me, I cannot read his expression, or rather, since his face is nothing but bones, his body language.

"Her grandparents issued the rescue mission. The mother's name is Eda. She went to look for her daughter and hasn't returned. The girl's name is Emmy Oakley. Her father died a little over two months ago."

"Hey, that hurts," I say, trying to pull away from Joe, whose gloved skeletal fingers are now digging into my arms.

The pressure immediately disappears, and I turn to him, confused.

"Joe?" Ronan calls his name, a suddenly hard and dangerous glint in his eyes.

Joe raises his hands as if in surrender. I think he's also communicating mentally with Ronan because my friend visibly relaxes before turning to me.

"Allow me to apologize, my lady. Joe did not mean to cause you discomfort. However, I believe he knows this kidnapped girl. She is someone very dear to him."

The skeleton, shifting his weight nervously from one leg to the other, nods repeatedly.

Oh, please, there is nothing to forgive.

"Here, give Joe a pen... I mean, a quill and inkpot so he can tell us," I say while massaging my shoulder, which is now the sorest spot.

"A pen? What is that?" Mary asks, puzzled.

"Nothing, just a slip of the tongue," I cover up.

"It's probably from that head injury you got. Poor thing! Once I improve my healing magic, I'll help you," Mary declares, determined.

Riiight. I glance at Ronan, daring him to tease me now that I am the target of our friend's well-intentioned concern. He simply shrugs.

"Actually, my lady, I completely agree with Mary."

Great. I roll my eyes and start heading off to get a quill myself.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Wait," Mary stops me. "What if I take Joe to a quieter place, like the library, and have him write everything down for me there?" She turns to Ronan. "Would you lend him to me?"

"Of course, if Bianca doesn't mind practicing alone."

"All yours," I reply.

I think I have more or less gotten the stance down by now.

"Well then, let's see how I do without Joe," I comment to Ronan once his skeletal friend and Mary have left.

"You just need to practice—you will do fine," he replies as he resumes his own training.

Well, I know it would have been faster with Joe, but what Mary was doing seemed important—not just to her. Skeletons with memories and feelings… It amazes me how different this world is from Earth.

Oh well. I shrug and reach for another arrow from the quiver slung across my back.

Mmm… I cannot wait to try channeling fire through it. But not here, not in the middle of the academy and in front of all the students in the gym.

I nock the projectile on the bow and pull the string. I aim. I shoot.

Off the target.

I sigh. This is going to take a while.

After about an hour, Joe returns. I greet him, and he approaches to continue helping me.

"Do you think Mary found out anything interesting?" I ask Ronan.

He remains silent for a few moments—I imagine he's communicating mentally with his skeleton. Then he tells me:

"Those farmers, the grandparents, are Joe and Bob's parents. Joe and Bob are brothers. The missing girl is Bob's daughter." Ronan sounds calm and sad, but as I'm getting to know him, I can pick up on a hint of anger in the slight tension of his body. "I apologize, my lady. I would have to ask Mary for more details, as the images Joe shows me, combined with emotions, tell a story that I believe will be much more precise once we see what he wrote to Mary."

So, the skeleton still remembers how to write and has the dexterity to glide a quill over parchment legibly. Yes, this world truly is fascinating. Without a doubt, much more than Earth.

We continue training, and when it is time, we head off to eat. I'm now landing all my arrows on the target—and some even near the center.

When we arrive at the dining hall, it's strangely empty. There're tables without students, including the prince's table. We grab our trays of food and sit down there.

"It is the trials. They might have already left on a mission," Ronan tells me, referring to our friends, and I nod.

We're in the middle of our main course when Mary enters the dining hall. She's a bit late.

"Hey, sorry, I was planning my mission," she says as she approaches with her food and sits beside me.

"It is fine. As you can see, we are alone, so I imagine the others have already gone to their dungeon."

"Yes, probably." She smiles at us. "I cannot imagine either Alistair or Darius waiting around. They will want to rack up as many points as they can in these two weeks."

"Mary, what did Joe tell you?" Ronan asks.

I see her expression sadden slightly, but she quickly steels herself and tells us:

"It seems that Joe and Bob were brothers. Joe was a rather skilled and well-known archer in Plinks."

Ronan nods. I did not know that, but it makes sense given how well he handles a bow.

"Well," Mary continues, "the thing is, Bob had a wife and daughter, and a noble passing through tried to assault her. Bob challenged him to a duel, and Joe was going to be his witness. On their way to the town where the duel was supposed to take place, the noble and his men ambushed them and killed them. They think those same men might have kidnapped the girl. And the mother, desperate, went out to look for her and never came back."

Oh. I'm speechless. A family torn apart by a heartless man. I glance at Ronan. I think he's angry, though I couldn't say for sure. He's very good at hiding emotions he's used to, like anger or pain. It's the others — happiness, surprise — that he tends to show more easily, since they still feel new to him.

"What about the noble in charge of the town?" I ask.

"They have no proof. The only ones who saw it happen, Bob and Joe, are dead. They did not know about the girl."

Mary seems to have reached her limit—her voice cracks, and a few tears escape. Poor girl.

"I am going to the town," she tells us after composing herself a little, "to speak with the grandparents and investigate as much as I can."

"Ronan," I say in a tone that sounds like an order.

I do not mean for it to be, but that is how it comes out.

"Of course, my lady," he replies, seeming to understand me perfectly. He slightly turns his head to look at Mary. "Take Joe and Bob with you. They can help."

I completely agree. First, they will protect her, and second, they will be incredibly useful since she is going to their childhood home.

Geez… If Joe and Bob truly retain their past memories and emotions—their souls, essentially—going there without being able to tell their parents who they are is going to be tough. But I understand. They will want to help Mary find both Bob's wife and daughter. And that is my third reason for wanting Mary to take them: if I were Bob, I would not be able to focus on dungeon diving while my wife and daughter were in danger.

"Will they not notice they are skeletons?" Mary asks Ronan.

"If you take them dressed as they were for the dungeon, they will be well covered, and no one should suspect anything. In any case, you can say they are mute or that they do not speak our language."

Leather armor, gloves, a hooded cloak, and even bandages to cover their faces in case the hood doesn't do the job properly. Yes, I imagine that could work.

Mary thanks him, and once we finish eating, she leaves with Joe. Ronan tells her he will go to the closet to get Bob and send him her way. Her plan is to take a carriage to Plinks the next morning so she can make the most of the day.

As for the two of us, we take an academy carriage to Solstar to buy myself a decent bow and plenty of arrows. Also, warm clothing, since the Blue Mountains have snow year-round.

The bow I choose is not magical. That would be too expensive, and besides, I don't need it since I plan to imbue it with my channeling magic—or at least try to. It is a high-quality traditional bow with curved limbs, not as tall as a longbow but still usable on horseback, on a bear, a wolf, or whatever mount I end up with. It also has more power. That said, I won't be able to use it in tight spaces—if that were my priority, I would've chosen a short bow. But I think this one suits my combat style best.

I also get a quiver and plenty of arrows. And once the purchase is done, we head back to the academy.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.