He did not know how long he was out of it but I must have been some time, because the sun begun to rise again when he took a look around. They weren’t in the cab anymore and also not in the city as it seemed. He was surrounded by trees and bushes and the air was much better than before. Mist danced in the cool air and rays of sunlight tried to get through it.

“Took you long enough to wake up. I feared to have damaged your mind by giving you my special power. You are just born and have gotten two powers could have been too much for you. But now that you are back, we can progress faster than before. First you need to scan me and then we figure out, what to do in the future.”

Misako stood some steps away and stoked a little fire at her feet with a long branch. The smell of roasted meat filled the air and made Iranueels stomach growl.

“Okay, let’s get it over. I hope, this shows us, what is wrong with you and then we can settle it.”

Misako came to him and sat on her knees before him, looking him deep into his eyes. Under different circumstances he would really like this situation but now, there was serious business to be done. He concentrated and tried to look deeper than just her eyes. After a few seconds he recognized a shine rising from her body that had a dark and menacing feeling. Using her imprinted knowledge he understood that this was her aptitude for necromancy.

But that was not what he was looking for. Looking deeper he saw some kind of lightning sparkle in her aura and shoot of into the distance.

“I think I saw just now, what seems to be a kind of homing magic transmitting your position to the recipient. Removing it will be tricky and if i say so very uncomfortable. I will have to separate your mind from your body for a moment and that is something a bit too much for a simple spell. We will have to build a spell array for this and that will consume some time. Time we possibly don’t have.”

Iranueel watched Misako closely to ascertain what she thought. She let her head sink in a depressed way and sighed deeply.

“How long do you need for this to happen? I mean, if this is mind magic, it’s bound to be complicated and as far as I know, you’re just a beginner with magic. How can you make a spell array if you just started to be an avatar?”

Iranueel leaned back and thought about his response.

“I have invested heavily into my spellcasting technique when I created my avatar. So I have more knowledge about casting spells and rituals. But my knowledge about the different categories of magic is quite limited. So I have to rely on rituals to create strong magic. Most of my spells are very weak but quite diversified. I want to be able to cope with a wide array of situations. You would call it a jack of all trades. I don’t know if this a good idea in this world, so please enlighten me a bit.”

Looking to Misako, Iranueel saw her contemplating his words. Her eyes were dark and staring into space. Then she sought his face.

“It’s nothing bad being able to cope with many situations, but a specialist has more power in the beginning. Only some time later in their development most avatars broaden the repertoire. But this also makes most dependent on other avatars or mortals. You have to raise many skills but at the same time your potential grows exponential.”

Iranueel nodded and reflected on this a bit.

“I will need two days to build this array and also need some ingredients for it. I don’t know where to find them, but this is china, so getting strange things like tigers piss should be easier to get than in Europe. So do you think, we have these two days and also the ability to fetch the needed materials before your pursuers catch up?”

“We could travel deeper into the country where their power is weaker, but that will also cripple our grip onto materials, but I have some connections still going on and some people still owe me. 10 kilometers from here is a small town where I can get money. My enemies will know where we are when I withdraw some cash but I will give us the option to get away faster.”

She seemed unsecure about his reaction and looked to the side.

“I would understand you, when this whole mess is too much for you and you want to leave me behind. The triads will hunt you too if they discover you with me and trying to help.”

Iranueel saw some tears coming from her eyes and felt a strong impulse to hug her but he also knew that Misako was an experienced avatar and also a woman. She used all her weapons to influence his decision to follow her.

“Now, now, please don’t cry for me lady. It will do you no good to pull this womanly trick on me!”

Misako took a look at him and then a sudden smile appeared on her face.

“Hey, I see, you’re learning. Don’t be mad for me trying this trick. Some men fall for it and in my position I have to use all of my arsenal.”

“I do understand but believe me or not, but I will stay with you. You’re fun to be around and you seem to care about me, at least enough to not let me die in vain. So get back on track and find a way to get out of this mess. You’re the experienced one here and I will follow your lead. And if everything goes downhill, I can absorb your soul as a last resort.”

Misako watched him and leaned suddenly forward to kiss him directly on his lips. She smelled like peppermint and lemon and her lips were soft and smooth to the touch.

“Thank you! Really, I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Friends that stand at your side in this world are a rare trove. I will do my best to repay your kindness with my knowledge and power. So together we rise or fall.”