500th Time Reborn, A World Only Known By Women: The Karma System

"We will have to see how the night goes, and I will have to talk to Leafe first," I replied as I looked back over at Carly. "So, where is this place we are going?"

Carly hesitated before replying, "It's a bit of a hike, but if you follow the main road for about 4 miles north out of town and then take the path to the left when you see it, there should be an old ranger station."

"Well, if you know the way, then you can be the one that leads us," I said, and Carly nodded with a shiver. Part of me didn't feel bad for her because she was in an outfit that looked more for fashion than function, but I knew how cold it was going to be. Still, I needed to wait until we got out of town before I could do anything to help.

"Sure," Carly said apprehensively, but then Lana grabbed her and pushed her into me, where she tried to pull away but stopped and then cuddled into me as we left Calham. "How are you so warm?!"

"Rosie or Leafa probably just know some Everyday Magic for a warmth enchantment. Kaila used to be the resident Enchantress, but she went missing last week," Mona said as she walked beside me, and I smiled. If this kind of thing was normal around here, it wouldn't seem too strange if I used some enchantments on them, but I would still have to be careful.

"I can, and once we get far enough away, I can place some enchantments on you all to keep you warm if you want?" I offered, and Carly looked up at me with a cute smile. This woman, I was sure that I was the only reason that she was coming out, but I had a hard time understanding why. I had made a point to make myself as average as possible.

I had even made a point to look in the poorly polished mirror in the room Olivia and I was staying in to confirm that I was not considered attractive. Still, Carly seemed to have no trouble warming up to me, and even after we stopped and I enchanted everyone, Carly still walked practically leaning into me, but I decided just to leave her be and not bring it up. She was cute, and the whole cuddling thing was actually kind of nice.

It took us about 4 hours, but we made it to the ranger station without any issues. It didn't look like anyone had been in the area for some time, though, as there was a thick layer of snow on everything. Carly led us right to it as she looked inside with caution before stepping in and looking around as Lana lit a torch that she had brought along.

"Has anyone else been out here?" I asked them after we all stepped into what looked like an old abandoned office area, and Lana placed her torch down in a metal holder on the wall beside her so she could look around better herself while Carly started poking at things with curiosity now that there wasn't any danger lurking about. Maybe she was just excited to be out of the house.

"No, we tend to avoid this place," Carly replied as she kept poking at things. "It is just an old ranger station that was abandoned when the town started to decline."

"But there are no boar-wolves in sight," I pointed out, and then Carly froze up as Lana looked over at her with a stern look on her face while Mona stared in confusion between us both. It seemed like they had more going on than they were letting on.

"What is going on?" I asked, and Carly looked over at me with a pained expression. It was clear that she didn't want to say anything, but Lana sighed as she walked over to place a reassuring hand on Carly's shoulder before turning back to me.

"There have been rumors of people seeing things in the woods lately. Things that they can't explain, so people have been avoiding coming out here," Lana said cryptically, and I frowned as I looked around the abandoned ranger station. It did give off an eerie vibe being so empty like this, with only a few inches of snow on the ground in some places while other areas were undisturbed.

I had noticed when we first came in that there were no animal tracks anywhere around this area at all, which was very odd. Considering how many animals should have been using this place for shelter from the cold, considering how isolated it was from everything else. "Do you think it has something to do with why people have gone missing?"

"We don't know, but Carly's sister was one of the people that disappeared. That is why she is so on edge," Lana explained, and I frowned as I looked over at Carly, who had tears in her eyes as she stared down at the floor. This was not what I wanted, but it did make sense now why Carly was so eager to come out with us.

"I am sorry to hear that," I said quietly before clearing my throat and looking back around the room. "Have you girls ever been in here before?"

"No, we usually just stay out front or on the lower floors where it is more open," Lana replied as Mona looked around with curiosity now while Carly just sniffled softly beside me, still not really paying attention to anything else going on around her. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," I replied casually as I started walking towards one of the staircases that led up to what looked like more living quarters. "I just wanted to check something out."

"Be careful; the upper floors are not structurally sound," Lana called out after me, but I just waved my hand dismissively before making my way up the stairs. Carly followed behind me with a sniffle while Lana and Mona stayed downstairs as they talked quietly to each other about something. As we made our way upstairs, Carly started poking her head into different rooms until she eventually stopped in front of one and just stared inside with a pained look on her face while holding back tears.

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