"Wow, you fly really pretty fast. What kind of bird are you? Surely you can't just be a crow, right?"
Nora slowly nodded her head.
"Whoa, no way, that's actually really crazy. There aren't many that can keep up with me."
Nora gave him an annoyed look 'Wow, pretentious much? I'm sure there are a lot better birds than you. '
The Voltrake completely ignored her look and continued on, "Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet, I'm Torin, by the way. Torin Ford."
'Ford, huh? Reminds me of someone from my past life… not just someone, but also a car company.
"You'll have to tell me your name once you can!" He chuckled a little bit, "It shouldn't be too long after we get there."
Nora felt a pang of nervousness once he mentioned the bird clan's location. This was something completely new that she was walking into, especially since she had no idea what the power dynamic of this world was.
Torin immediately noticed her shift in mood, "Oh, don't worry, I know it sounds a bit scary, but you'll keep your ability to fly. I promise!"
Nora felt no less nervous after Torin told her that, but he didn't seem to notice that.
"I'll also show you around and stuff too, don't worry, " he added, almost as an afterthought. "You'll be safe with me!" He puffed out his chest mid-flight, clearly joking around.
Despite not being serious, that one action made Nora ease up a bit, even though she still found this guy annoying; at least he had a sense of humor.
'I don't think I mind sticking by him for a bit… at least until I get my bearings'
There were a few moments of silence before Torin spoke up again.
"Oh yeah, while we're still saying to the clan, I should probably tell you how everything works there. Just so you're prepared, you know?"
Nora nodded her head eagerly, wanting to know what the clan was like.
Torin, seeing the confirmation, immediately launched into an explanation.
" When we get there, they're gonna get you registered and everything, with you being a new bird and all that's important, and with that, they'll test your skills and abilities, and determine the best allocation of available resources for you. Then you take a binding oath, you know, stuff about not harming the bird clan and all, otherwise you'll suffer great consequences. Next, you get your life stone and your tasks, and then finally, you get set up with a home."
Torin spoke all of this with a casual tone, even the part about the binding oath and severe consequences.
"The tasks are super simple too, and you only need to complete a couple of them to keep your house and spot in the bird clan. Most birds really like doing their tasks cause it gets them out of the bird clan for a little bit. I will tell you it's super loud in there, like if you aren't used to it, it can be obnoxiously loud. Birds are super talkative. Everyone is super friendly, don't worry about that… it just… can be a bit much sometimes. Most of the houses are completely soundproof, though.
'I can tell what you mean by chatty, you've been talking the entire time we've been flying, and it's only been an hour or so'
Nora began to wonder if this guy had any friends; he seemed like he was pretty lonely.
In the next couple of hours, they exited the enchanted forest and passed over a plains area. Nora looked around eagerly, noticing that it seemed to be pretty similar to some that she had seen in the Midwest (of the US), but instead of farmland, it was just grassland, and the land seemed to be dotted with magical animals and plants.
Eventually, they made it to a very large forest, and the trees looked like they were the size of redwoods. But it seemed kind of empty, not like what the bird clan should be. She looked confused.
Torin looked smug as he directed her towards an area of trees. He landed on a particularly dead branch and called out a very specific tune, then began to fly again, in the direction of one very large tree.
Before he collided with it, he suddenly disappeared. Nora looked at the scene in front of her in shock, but quickly followed him.
'This is some Larry totter type sh*t,' she thought as she rapidly approached the tree.'
Nora subconsciously closed her eyes and braced for the impact, but it never came; she went straight through to the other side.
Feeling the winds change and seeing as she hasn't collided with a tree yet, Nora cautiously opened her eyes again.
Opening her eyes after a few moments, she was stunned and almost fell out of the air in shock. She composes herself at the last second, only wobbling slightly in the air.
Looking around in amazement, she sees a whole different forest; there are tons of trees and large sprawling structures weaving in between them, and there are bridges and ladders spanning across them as well.
Looking down, Nora could see just as much action on the canopy floor as she saw in the trees, different birds and bird-like people, some with very brightly colored feathers and strange patterns.
Some looked to be bartering over food, and others were wandering around chattering excitedly. The whole place seemed so utterly alive that Nora almost couldn't believe it.
It was nothing like the human cities that she had visited before. Which, despite being busy, were drab and boring in comparison to this place. It was almost overwhelming, the sounds and colors and things that were all happening around her.
Nora was so busy taking in the sights that she didn't realize that she had caught up with the hawk again. He chirped lightly to get her attention. Quickly. Looking back at him, Nora realized that he was making a gesture to follow him. She turned her body slightly towards the direction that he was heading, and they swiftly flew towards one of the bigger buildings stationed in the center.
The building that they were heading towards was stationed around one of the biggest trees; it was much larger than the surrounding buildings and seemed to be made of a marble-like material that glowed faintly with different runes, emitting a faintly protective aura.
This building was a lot more crowded than anything that Nora had seen up until now. There seemed to be a constant swarm of mostly bird people going in and out of the building all simultaneously. Inside, however, it seemed to be more ordered; there were pied people in professional attire directing different crowds towards different sections. Nora and Torin stayed in the air so as not to get stepped on, but both had lowered their flight speed so that they wouldn't run into anyone and cause an accident. Torin directed her towards the right side of the building, where there was a line of bank-like booths, with more bird people in professional attire helping others fill out paperwork.
They quickly joined one of the shorter lines, finally landing since the area was clearer and they were less likely to get stepped on. When it was their turn, Torin stepped up and did all the talking for Nora, since she couldn't speak yet.
As they approached, Nora looked at the bird person at the desk with curiosity. She was a middle-aged woman, Nora could tell that she was a bird person due to the brownish wings on her back, each of her wings had small streaks of white that also showed in her hair.
She had a small stature and gave off a friendly vibe. The name tag on her shirt read 'Mina'
Torin began the conversation cheerfully as Nora perched on the desk in front of Mina. "Hello! I'd like to help register a new bird to the clan. They can't speak yet, but they can understand us."
"Wonderful! Welcome to the bird clan." Then she turned to Nora, "Do you have a human form yet?"
Nora shook her head quickly.
"Not a problem, I can help you fill out the paperwork and get a spot for you in the ritual hall, so you can get that sorted out."
"I just need you to answer some simple yes or no questions, then we'll get your power level sorted out."
Nora tilted her head 'Power level? Torin didn't mention anything about that.'
Mina explained patiently, "The bird clan follows a set of 10 different power levels. Most birds are only at level one or two when they start, but they can quickly move up with the resources of the bird clan."
'Oh, interesting, I wonder what power level I'll be… and what power level everyone else is…'
Ding!
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New system feature: Power Level added.
Host is currently at power level: 3
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Nora didn't think too much about the notification right now and quickly tuned back into the conversation.
"After the power demonstration, we just need you to swear an oath and sign a contract, nothing too big, and then we'll get you to the ritual hall to get your human form, then once you have that, we'll give you your tasks and your welcome package. Then finally, we'll get you sorted with a house!"