"Hey, have you found Skills yet?" Jonah asked as they walked and continued on their way to the east-gate.
"No, it's a bit concerning..." She was purposely vague, cheekily trying to build tension, but Jonah refused to bite and eventually she continued when the silence got awkward. "...Tch, I mean, they said it will take some time to get used to our new bodies. What if our skills are built into us and we have to figure them out rather than just activating them?"
"Then it's a good thing we have those health potions, aside from a few bullies that need to eat concrete and typical cardboard tube sword swinging, I've never been in a fight, no martial arts hobby either."
"Damn, well you're still in a better place than the death-bed girl who hasn't walked in nearly a decade."
"Yeah, about that... Look, I'm not trying to play the hero, but if we get in a bad spot you should run..." Orcette froze mid-step and turned to face him with janky, almost robotic movements. "...You lagging?"
"No, just, why? You don't even know me."
"Well, you never had a chance in your old life, I did and threw it away. To me, it just makes sense that I'm a throwaway character in the story." The cold detachment in his voice when he spoke about his life, sent a chill down her spine.
Orcette pushed him and would have left him flat on the floor if his body hadn't reacted and used his wings to catch himself.
"Shut up, idiot. You can't be so nice then say you're a throw away character. You're still my first friend here and since this is a new life, that makes us each other's oldest friend, you don't get to martyr yourself."
"Sheesh, Pushy. Fine, I'll try and fly us out of there, but if we fall to our deaths it's your fault." Jonah chuckled after his wings suddenly stopped hovering and he fell to the ground comically.
Orcette held a pointed finger so close to the gap between his eyes, he went cross-eyed trying to see the tip of it. As it made a chuckle fight its way free, she jabbed the finger into the bridge of his nose. "Weirdo, don't think I'll let you throw your new life away just because your old one sucked."
"Hey... I don't want to get mushy, but thank you for caring, it makes a nice change." Jonah grew awkward quickly and continued the way they were headed, leaving Orcette to blush.
When she finally caught up to him, he was already going through menus again and almost immediately startled her as he celebrated something with a pump and a loud, mumbled exclamation.
"Jesus! You nearly scared me to death. What did you find?"
"Loophole. No skill screen, but the book of lore menu gives decent clues about racial and class abilities." Using his own as an example he guided her through the rather confusing menu layout, from there it was easy for her to find the entry for "Angel".
Angels:
A race of celestial entities.
They aren't born, but rather come into existence. Aging at approximately a 1,000:1 ratio compared to humans. They are gifted at reading emotions, opposed to violence and instruments of violence are cursed by their touch while instruments of protection are blessed.
Aside from their innate ability to communicate telepathically, they have the ability to sense when they are being lied to and are gifted empaths.
Whilst they are opposed to violence, they do not shy away from it when the situation calls, but since they can't hold material weapons they either use their superior physical strength and hyper resilient bodies to engage bare-handed, or create spiritual weapons that can be wielded the same as material weapons.
Additionally, they can utilise magic almost infinitely, but struggle to learn the languages spells are cast in and have a plethora of AOE effects, from calming tempers, to healing injuries and purifying poisons.
Whilst they have no skill that specifically deals with curses, burning an angel's feather creates a sacred flame that burns curses away.
"Oh, wow, you really went OP from the get-go didn't you?"
"Just wait til you read the "Guardian Angel" entry." Jonah replied with wide-eyes as he did precisely that.
Guardian Angel
An Angel-Specific Class
Created for the sole purpose of interacting with mortals, they are fundamentally the same as the angels of the heavenly realm; however, they have less spiritual power due to lesser ambient energy and more resilient bodies due to the hostile environment.
Whilst some Guardian Angels are given freedom to choose their charge, they are rare and when they choose their charge, their lives become bound to one another and grant their chosen the longevity of the angels.
"Jonah, you can't tell anyone, you'd have people hunting you down."
"Yeah, no joke. You sure you want me around? If anyone finds out, they could come after you."
"Don't be stupid! If I'm with you, they are more likely to think you've chosen your charge."
"That's actually a really good point. On a different note, did you read the "Orc" entry?"
"I'm looking but this li-..." Orcette suddenly rolled her eyes at herself and just nodded with pursed lips as Jonah asked if she just spotted the search bar.
Orc
Demon-descendants
Whilst distantly related to demonic species, they are not on good terms due to demons believing that the orcs owe their loyalty and should offer it unquestioningly to the demons. Likewise, mortal races have a tendency to treat them with contempt in many parts of the world and as a result they favour remote, tribal villages.
Due to their demonic lineage, they have excellent resistance to fire and due to favouring mountainous environments they have evolved to be very resistant to cold temperatures.
Their long history of clashes with demons and mortals alike, have pushed their development to lean in favour of combat, survival and utility roles.
When they get riled up or start to think that they are in a hopeless fight, they enter a berserk state that not only lets them push through their physical limits, but also increases the rate at which they heal.
"I think that explains Gregor's comment about a weird pairing. Sounds like I'll be more trouble for you than the other way around."
"Sure, we find out you're a trouble magnet now I can't bail..." Jonah laughed before messing up her hair. "...I ain't going anywhere. Nice hair by the way, seriously salon level do you go- had."
"Cheers jerk." Orcette grinned.
After that they stopped messing about with menus, deciding to focus on getting to know their bodies, mentally noting every little feeling, the way their limbs, appendages and features move.
As they reached the fourth ring, they began trying to sense more and Jonah tried his hands at telepathy and empathy.
As far as Jonah was concerned, he had a fair amount of trouble getting anything else out of most of his senses, but when he tried to focus his eyes he found that he could see perfectly regardless of lighting.
Where his mental abilities were concerned, all he could telepathically translate was a single syllable that he yelled with frustration and didn't even mean to send. His empathy was present but limited to good or bad, which made Jonah believe that it would take time to understand the nuances between them.
"It's strange though, I could read them so clearly in the courtyard..."
"Two thoughts, either the intensity of the feeling makes a difference, or you just aren't focused enough."
"...Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
On the other hand, Orcette seemed to take to her new body like a fish to water. "I barely remember what a body is supposed to feel like, or the last time I cared about anything enough to focus my senses."
"So you think my problem is that I'm too stuck in my ways."
"I mean yeah, your wings are definitely stiff... When we get back, why don't we get a room and you can try meditating. As for the mental stuff, we can try sensory deprivation, I used to do it as therapy and the doc explained it was used for ESP experiments."
"Get a room? You're mad if you think we're sharing a room. Let's get to that river and get enough cores to get you some money."
"Aww, are we a shy boy Jonah?"
"Yes and I also suffer from nightmares, I don't want to disturb you or get you thrown out with me."
"Oh... Sorry, I di-"
"Don't worry, we're still strangers. I look forward to getting to know you, but let's try to remember we don't know each other. It will minimise the risk of upsetting each other."
"Right... If it helps, I hate needles and people being over protective."
Jonah made a quick joke about only giving unsolicited help when she is unconscious and as he ran away and she playfully chased him, they found themselves in an impromptu race.
When they got to the gate the guards stepped out and eyed them. "Why the rush? You look like foreigners, shouldn't you be in the courtyard?"
"Hey idiot!..." A second guard shouted at the first. "...What do you think you're doing talking to an angel like that!?"
The first guard blinked a few times, then craned his neck closer to Jonah and then his eyes widened as he noted the wings. "I'm-"
"S-s-s-sorry? I take no offence to people doing their job. I suggest you prepare yourselves, many of the foreigners have found themselves emotionally unstable. Even my power wasn't enough to quell it all, so I prioritised my charge's safety. She still has much to learn, so we're going to the river to train against slimes."
"Of course, Sir. Thank you for the warning, we will send word to the other stations and ensure the streets are secure. I'm assuming you left before you received your IDs so take this and we'll get you sorted when you return as payment for the warning."
"Appreciated, please remain alert, negativity is contagious and prone to spiralling."
The guards stomped their right feet and stood to attention as Jonah took the small brass token he had been offered.
"Come on, Jonah. I want to get to training!"
"Calm yourself, Orcette. Discipline and patience are as important as the strength of your swing. That said, your mortal stamina is lacking so we should train that as well. Good day gentlemen."
Jonah led them both out of the city in a jog that lasted until they were out of sight and earshot, at which point they started laughing.
"You are good at improv and getting into character, you sure you didn't cosplay."
"I'm sure, but what boy didn't pretend to be a spy, cowboy, or tv character when he was little?"
"The only thing I ever pretended to be was a vegetable..." Orcette said bluntly as she narrowed her eyes and practically dared him to laugh at the dark joke.
"Get a move on already." Jonah shouted as his self-control began to crack, hoping he could run through the urge to laugh.
With Orcette leading and setting the pace, Jonah found a slither of accuracy in her assessment as he pushed through what he thought were his limits keeping up. As tight as his chest felt, he could breathe freely and he knew it really was just his brain sending warning signals out of habit rather than necessity.
The area they were running through, mostly farmland with a few sporadic farmhouses, sheds and store houses, was actually the fifth ring of the city and it wouldn't be long before they reached the outermost wall.
They slowed down as they approached this one, not wanting to risk the same reaction as the guards at the fourth ring.
"Hail!"
"Good day, good men. I trust it has been at any rate, I'll just tell you now that I don't require special attention just because of my species."
The guard craned his head and shielded his eyes before having the same reaction as the last despite his request.
"Jonah really doesn't need special treatment..."
"Indeed, it's actually a bit cumbersome, I require nothing more than common courtesy. If you could pass that along for the angel travelling with his Orc-charge, I'd appreciate it greatly."
"Of course, please enjoy your trip and stay safe." These guards stomped their right feet the same as the last, then Jonah made sure to give them the same message about the emotional instability of the foreigners at the courtyard ceremony, then they left.
Finally out of the city-limits...