Despite all the changes in her, Aira had more important goals for the near future. A long and arduous process of mutual study began. A cautious dance of curiosity and mistrust. For all townspeople, the arrival of an undead was an excellent opportunity to debate and spread gossip. The ordinary people saw her brought on the stretcher towards the town hall. And there was no denying the person was a captured enemy, an undead beast. Definitely not an injured ranger. Aira's eyes glistened with unnatural light, a clear sign of her inhumanity.

  But what was the purpose of keeping her alive and bringing her here was anyone's guess.

  Some people were more knowledgeable in the local politics and the decisions made by the Elders. Thus, among the rangers, there was a different debate. They talked about the balance of tradition and the rule of law. For centuries, the first and the only thing one should have done after encountering an undead was to kill it. And definitely not bring it home, the place that should be protected at all costs.

  But when Elder Jorin became the Council's leader, these rules changed. For reasons only he and his fellow councilmen knew, he demanded and made most of the other Elders agree that an attempt at communication should be made. To what ends? That was above the pay grade of any of the rangers, except maybe for Garrick, who was promoted to the level of Elder.

  Among the members of the Council, a different discussion took place. Garrick was reprimanded for his outburst in front of the rangers and the undead captive. It was unbecoming of an Elder to air their dirty linen in public. These things had to be discussed privately, and only the joint decisions were to be announced to everyone. Especially in such a peculiar situation. They all had to stand united in the eyes of the people. And while Jorin's project was very experimental and still may prove to be a dangerous mistake, it may also bring many benefits to the people of Mountain View.

  And they had high hopes after Lila's report. She stated that it was undeniable that the undead captive tried to communicate with the rangers. If it wasn't wild enough, there was the fact that the undead was resting near a fire. And most of the Elders were persuaded that it was the right decision to wait and watch. To try to communicate with the creature.

  The main problem in dealing with the undead was that not much research has been done in the previous decades and centuries. One of the reasons for that was widespread superstition. But also, there were the dangers posed by the powers some of these creatures demonstrated. In the end, the wars of the previous centuries were devastating not only for the enemies of humanity. These abilities were mysterious, and it was hard to distinguish legends from truth. But that was another goal Jorin pursued through his experiment.

  Still, the humans couldn't be sure of anything, including the level of consciousness of a newly transitioned undead they had in their possession now. And they had no doubt it had transitioned not too long ago. But they could watch. And try to communicate. All of them, including Garrick. At least while it seemed to be safe.

  That approach proved beneficial right from the first day. Some of their old assumptions seemed to be wrong. For example, this undead accepted food and ate everything they gave it despite the widespread belief that these beings didn't need any sustenance at all.

  Jorin was silently congratulating himself for insisting on treating the captive the same way they would treat a human. It was a risky move that antagonized some of the other Elders. And almost lost him the crucial vote. But in the end, his motion was adopted, and there they were, getting answers to some questions that led to even more mysteries.

  Was it some sort of deception on the undead's behalf? Or a sign of change in the undead community? Did they even have a community? Or was the initial information the Council possessed wrong? But if that was true, it probably wasn't their only misconception about their foes.

  How the undead were even able to survive without any food was another question humans were never able to answer. Finally, the Council had a chance to get some invaluable answers.

  None of this drama has reached Aira, however. She mainly was left alone and allowed to get accustomed to her captivity, lowered stats, and absent magic.

  Even if somebody wanted to fill her in, she wouldn't understand a word.

  ***

  The following morning, Aira started a new daily routine. She needed to ramp up her physical training. Her body had to be improved if she wanted to have at least some chance to survive. But not only that. Despite all the signs, she hasn't given up hope of breaking through the wall that separated her from magic. If it was at all possible. So, she created a new regimen that weaved meditation and physical training together. The hardest part was not to despair every time she sensed that void at the end. But at least she was getting more acquainted with her new base stats.

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  That wasn't the only thing she was doing, though. In the days that followed, her captors tried various methods of communication. The rangers and even some Elders tried talking to her and exchanging notes. They brought books and scrolls, hoping Aira could read them. It was as if they expected her to understand them. And humans were quite disappointed when they realized it wasn't the case.

  But there was not enough information there to even begin learning the language. Even with her arcane skills and habit of constant learning, there just wasn't enough data.

  Everything changed when she discovered the miracle of illustrated children's books. For Aira, this wasn't even an option she considered. Illuminated manuscripts were some of her world's most expensive and elaborate books. With just a few illustrations that often didn't correspond to the texts. Not something made for kids. But that's what she got now: pages with single words paired with images as if intentionally created for her circumstance. To help a person to learn the language.

  Finally, Aira was able to read simple texts. And while she was still struggling with movement, it seemed that her intelligence stat wasn't debuffed as drastically during her transition as her agility. So, she spent every available moment learning new words and concepts.

  Unfortunately, what was not up to the task was her manual dexterity. That other consequence of her lowered agility proved critical when she tried writing simple texts. Even short notes with replies to her hosts were a chore that demanded a lot of time and effort. Her hands just wouldn't work with any small instruments as well as before.

  ***

  Every few days, Aira was brought in front of the Council. Now she knew it was the official name of this governing body. And these men were called Elders. They weren't necessarily old people but represented different aspects of the town's life: artisans, traders, farmers, and hunters.

  It was apparent that she was a hot topic for them. Their passions rising each time she was brought before them. But it was still hard for Aira to decipher what they told each other. Learning the written language was one thing, but knowing how it was represented vocally was a whole different thing. Aira needed even more practice, and studying alone didn't give her enough opportunity.

  During these meetings, they tried to address her as well. Still, without any knowledge of their spoken language, she couldn't decipher what they wanted of her. The only thing she could do was to scribble simple notes in advance and pass them to the Elders. It took her hours each time just to write a few words. But her efforts paid off, as each time it made the councilmen happy. Which probably meant that she was safe. At least for now.

  But these humans... It seemed they wanted to get something from her, and she wasn't progressing fast enough to appease them. What was even worse, she probably didn't have what they needed. There was that confusion with the other undead of this world. But she never met them. The only solution was to up her game. Make them believe she could give them something. And a familiar face during one of these meetings was something that brought her hope. It was the same green-haired ranger she remembered from her first days in this world.

  The woman approached the long table behind which the Elders were seated and had a brief discussion with them. She had a brief, spirited debate, gesturing with a dark board of slate and pointing at Aira. And then, she was allowed to approach the undead. She took a piece of chalk and wrote a few words on the slateboard: "Hello, my name is Lila. What is your name? Do you want to try communicating this way? Would it be easier for you?"

  ***

  Even if the Elders had their own agenda, Aira was grateful for their effort and time spent figuring out what tools would improve the learning process the most. She needed that to survive. And that was more important than any hidden intentions these humans had. Still, she understood their wariness and impatience. At the least, she had to give them something—Aira needed to show them she was not a threat and could even be an asset.

  Hesitantly, Aira accepted the slate and chalk with a nod of gratitude, and taking a moment to think, she recalled from her memory the shapes of unfamiliar letters. Then, earnestly, she wrote out a simple greeting.

  The letters were boxy and not entirely similar to those she saw in the books. Still, they were legible enough for the others to read: "Hello Lila and the Council. I don't know how to write my name in your language. But I will learn."

  Lila's eyes opened wide when she read the message, but her smile was even more telling. The breakthrough was obviously significant. However, Aira's writing initiated another heated debate among the Elders. They even asked Lila to approach their table and exchanged a few phrases with her.

  A few moments later, Lila nodded and returned to Aira. She wrote: "If you don't know our language, where are you from?"

  "I came from far away," wrote Aira. "You probably don't know that place."

  That didn't seem to make the Elders any more content with her answers and sparked another round of debate. And while they continued the discussion, Aira was abruptly dismissed and led back to her quarters by Lila.

  Something changed in the attitude toward Aira after that session. Now, she met with Lila every day. The green-haired woman spent the entirety of each morning at the prisoner's quarters, helping her to learn the language. And if that wasn't enough, she sometimes returned to continue their studies in the evening. This woman was becoming Aira's personal guide in this world.

  It wasn't only reading anymore, but also writing and speaking. Or, in Aira's case, listening, as she couldn't reply. The process soon became another routine Aira added to her daily order.

  Aira would show Lila a word in a book or write it on the slateboard, and Lila pronounced it for Aira to memorize. Soon, she even knew how to spell her own name.

  "Thank you, Lila," she wrote with the same boxy script. "My name is Aira."

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