Reincarnated as the Only Human

I gave the two Deerkin a little eye roll before bringing the discussion back around to something that was far more pressing than that, even if they both only narrowed their eyes further and made it clear that they expected proper answers eventually.

”Lycaniata’s warning got me thinking about a few things, and honestly... I am rather worried about it. I mean... you said it before, Rhefia; Reincantra is a rather high profile Goddess, if not one of the highest ones. Then there’s Demetra too...”

Even though she was still unimpressed with my very basic pivot back to the things I was more worried about at the moment, and although it was me brushing their ’concerns’ aside, I was going to make it up to them later on in one way or another.

”Think we have a target on our backs then? That makes sense; they can’t touch you directly, at least with ill intentions, but whether or not that protection extends onto us is a whole different story entirely. That and if they can have some people try to come grab you for them; they didn’t do anything on their own, their followers did! That would make a perfect excuse wouldn’t it?”

Sari drummed her fingers on the table and glanced at Rhefia as she added ”Though I imagine we’ll be fine anyways, what with little miss protege over here. You still haven’t told me the extent of you or your Dama’s relationship with Areseta yet. And then... well, I’m not entirely ’untouched’ either.”

The Catkin met my gaze for a moment before smiling wryly as she said ”You’re not the only one touched by a Goddess, Astra; there are quite a few of us out there. Now the difference is readily apparent; I was given a bit of a blessing and a pat on the back for my efforts that barely boosted my strength, while you can just... defy the laws of reality because Reincantra said so.”

I didn’t argue with her on that point, but I brought us back to what I needed to discuss as I said ”All that aside, I think it’d be healthier to assume we do indeed have a target on our back and to start preparing for it, which to me means getting some serious gear upgrades and me starting on some of the wackier ideas I had.”

”Wacky how?”

That question from Renna made me smile as I gestured to the floorboards, something that made everyone look down before turning back to me curiously as they waited for an explanation, which I gave after a few moments as I decided to start with something more ’realistic’.

”The first was to expand the depths of our basement to be rather... deep. Like... quite deep, to the point that the only way to reach it is to come through the house, and that would mean entering our territory and playing by our rules, right? That’s the first idea I had, and I could definitely make it work; it only takes me around a few hours to dig out two levels that are roughly as large as the house, so...”

All of my warrior minded family members raised a brow and shook their heads as they tried to imagine storming our house if I managed to do that, and the likelihood of actually being able to make it past a few levels before succumbing to whatever traps I could design with my reality ignoring System.

Pitfalls into nothingness, extremely heavy weights falling onto their heads, projectiles coming from seemingly nowhere... the possibilities were endless for me, especially if I was give the System blueprints for those kind of traps and made some of my own.

”The second idea though was more of a... fantastical one. Something that I was thinking about simply because it’s rather hilarious to imagine. What if I made an island... in the sky? Since I can just... place things down however I please?”

Everyone stopped at that one, and silence filled the house as they just stared at me blankly for a few moments, only for Rhefia to take a deep breath, steady her mind and give me a serious reply as she said ”As difficult as it would be to make and to reach for us, the problem is how many different races have wings and access to Wind Magic, Astra. They could likely reach this island of yours pretty easily...”

Since she had given me a serious answer, she allowed herself to deflate a little and cradle her head in her hands as she groaned ”Though the idea of you somehow managing to do that is fucking insane...”, earning herself a half hearted smack from Sari as the Catkin reminded her not to use that language around the children.

”That’s why I said it was wacky! But it’s still something to consider maybe; if I did it on a mountain or somewhere it was just so out of reach, maybe it’d be an acceptable idea? But yeah, I had the same thought... either way, it sounds like we have some more work to do! I need more materials, and I need to start excavating a large area beneath the house to make into a bunker for us!”

Grinning at my family, I ignored their flabbergasted expressions as I added ”I even have ideas on how to sustain us permanently down there using everything we have on hand! All sorts of seeds that we could grow into food, we could bring down animals and create a farm for other types of food...”

I trailed off a little when Renna gave me a slightly disgusted look at that idea, while the others all seemed to be agreeing with the Nymph as they shook their heads and made it clear that idea wasn’t something they were yearning for.

”It was just an idea... if we ever needed to go into hiding or something, that’s an idea we could have, y’know..?”

My weak argument for it was only accepted by Yiksa and Prixisia, the two nodding in agreement only to instantly say ”You’re not going to get the right kind of support from us, Mistress; I was raised underground and Lamia thrive in those sorts of areas. We were... made for them, I suppose.”

Sighing, I slumped down before deciding to continue on some of the other ideas I had, laying down some plans for the mercurial future we had before us and ensuring we would be prepared as best we could be if anything happened.