Carrie was not exactly sure what to expect once it was finaly time to leave for the assigment. For one she has never been outside the fortress she 'woke' up in for long nor far. Only wandering into the nearby forest for her weekly ingredient gathering with two guards for her safety as the even the weakest of wild beast or monster could kill her.

  The other reasons being she is a cook and noone really expect a cook to go out and fight after all. Even as part of the army of the Demon Lord, there are certain expectations and common sense even here. There is also the fact that she is weak in both race and level. Despite having most of her stats in the 20s and near the 30s, as a lesser skeleton she is far more restricted in ways until she has evolved into the more standered skeleton, both in how to take and deal damage.

  It had been a hard lesson to learn while Ironwing was still her teacher, as the steel gargoyle had to make sure she understood what exactly it meant to be a lesser skeleton, specially when it came to her evolution paths. Granted, someone like her should not have stats thats near the 30s, as most have at best their stats at the 10s instead. But given how odd she is and clearly has something speical about her, they seem to leave it at that. For now anyways. Carrie is just glad to know none suspect she is from another world and have gotten a few cheat abilities to go with her 'rebirth'. She has been trying hard not to let that bit slip and seems to be doing a good job as far as she can tell.

  Then theres her level. Normally it played a big role with how strong one is, as ones level often shows where one lies in the stats, skills sets and many other aspects. Theres even restrictions on what one can evolve to if you don't have the right level for it. But once again, she is the odd one out on this. Her stats and skills don't match her level 4 status at all, noone on her level should have stats has high as she does unless your a very high ranked race from the get go. She is not.

  There is also the fact that the average level of a soldier is 15 at the lowest, with those who have crafting related classes being just under that or maybe a little over. Crafting related classes like hers tend to work a little different in some aspects then those meant for fighting, support, healing and other such roles. For one, they tend to gain experience in different ways. A cook for example gains experience from cooking and serving food to others. The better the food, the more experience one gains. But that also depends on the quality of the food and the number of people eating it as well as how well they enjoyed it. There is also the fact that the higher level the person eating the food, the more experience she gains. But that also depends on how much they like the food as well.

  Carrie never realized that much went into how she gained the needed experience she needed for her levels. Not that serving all those imps back at the fortress was actually helping her level up just a little faster even if it was not by much. The fact she also gains a small bit when her skills level up as well helps a lot. Though thats common for all classes that their skills given them such a nice little bonus.

  But despite her oddeties, Carrie is still weak and that had lead to the commander make a desicion Carrie had been unaware of until the week before it was time to leave. Give her some babysitters in the form of a team of 5 people that usually was out on scouting missions.

  In all honesty, Carrie felt insulted at first. Sure she is from earth where no such things as levels, classes, magic and everything else here that exsist in a fantasy world. Aside from stories and games that is, but that don't mean she was totally helpless. She had her own tricks and ways to survive. The commander could have at least asked her opinion about this. She is not some weakling that needs constant protection. Or at least that how she had believed at first.

  Turns out the team that she was assigned to had more duties then just babysitting her. They where also her teachers on how a army works when out in the field and the various tasks everyone does ones camp is made. Ranging from how to set up a tent and break it down in the morning, to how to pack things so it doesn't break during travel. How to ration water and what to look for to avoid being poisoned by things in the wilderness. How to set up traps to avoid being ambushed by monsters and other such things. It was a lot to take in and Carrie was honestly glad that she was being taught all this, caue it was dearly needed.

  Truth be told, she should have been taught these things well before the assignment even began. But once again her kins reputation ruins things for her thanks to long established rules and common sense. That don't mean some haven't tried though, once they gotten to know her better but by the time they where willing to try she had finally gotten her kitchen to work with and became busy serving hundres of imps on the daily. She had no time unless the lessons could be taken at night and as Carrie has learned over the months since she came into this world, while there are people here who sleeps in the day and works at night due to how their race works, that don't mean there are many of them.

  So now she is getting these much delayed lessons while she and the 100 men large company travle to the outpost in need of help and rebuilding. Beside, it became clear very early that the commander had taken care to choose a team that treat her right and was opened minded for the most part.

  The team was made up of a warrior orc, a dark elf ranger who is also the leader, a dark dwarf mage, lizardman shamen that was also their healer and a goblin thief. Each had their own quirks and personalities that Carrie was slowly getting used to as they traveled. The orc, Grommash, was the one that was teaching her how to set up and break down camp, his large hands surprisingly gentle as he guided her through the steps. "Tent poles first, then the canvas," he'd grunt, his voice low and gravelly. "Don't rush. Rushing means mistakes, and mistakes mean a wet bedroll when the rain comes."

  The dark elf, Virel, had taken it upon herself to teach Carrie about the dangers of the wilderness. She'd point out plants with a flick of her long, pale fingers—some edible, some poisonous, some that would explode in a cloud of spores if disturbed. "See that vine with the purple thorns? Touch it, and your bones might just decide they'd rather be dust," she'd say, her voice a cool whisper that sent shivers down Carrie's spine despite her lack of flesh. The lessons were practical, urgent, and delivered with the kind of detached precision that made Carrie realize just how fragile her existence was out here. But Virel was not unkind, and the occasional flash of a rare smile felt like a hard-won victory.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The dark dwarf mage, Thorgrim, had little patience for a lot of the tasks Carrie needed to learn, not that he did not teach them to her at all or helped when she was clearly struggling, it was just that he had one main job to do. Help her with her magic. Irowing had done his best but a few months for magic traning is not enough to be considered well learned or know all the basics of it. And given her affinity is fire, it was even more important for her to learn how to control her magic to avoid accidents while out here. Theres only so much the healers can do at the moment should someone ends up badly hurt. Thorgrim's is earth, so while he could not teach her much about fire magic itself, he could teach her how to control her magic better and how to feel it better then she currently can. "Focus on the heat within your bones," he'd growl, his beard bristling as he watched her attempts. "Don't force it. Let it flow like lava, slow and deliberate. Force it, and you'll cook yourself before dinner." His lessons were short, intense, and often left Carrie feeling like her skull might crack from the effort. But the rare nod of approval from him felt like a spark igniting in her core.

  And even with his attitude he was never cruel to her. When they could not practice magic in the pratical way, he would teach her the more theoretic aspectse of it. Knowing the more academic stuff is just as important as the partical ones, even if studying is not one of her strongest strength. Thorgrim sees she tries her hardest and that seems to put her in his good book.

  The lizardman shamen, Kessak, moved with a quiet grace that belied his scales and sharp teeth. He taught Carrie the subtle art of reading the land—the shift in wind carrying scents of predators, the disturbed earth hinting at buried dangers. "Water is life, even for bones," he’d hiss, showing her how to find hidden springs beneath rocks. His lessons were patient, delivered in a voice like dry reeds, and Carrie found herself clinging to every word. When she successfully identified a safe water source by the moss patterns, Kessak’s slit-pupiled eyes crinkled in what might have been approval. It was a small triumph, but in this vast, unfamiliar wilderness, it steadied her rattling joints.

  He was also the teams cook and not just the healer. The two of them work together when it comes to the meals of the team, Carrie learning all sorts rations and other meals that can be made with what one has on hand and gathered as one travled. Kessak has also been teaching her basic first aid and how to make various types of creams and other such things that can be made with plants that can be found in the wild. While she cannot use healing magic, she can at least learn how to help others in other ways. Not to mention the potions of healing she has tucked away in her inventory skills for a emergency.

  And last but not least, their resident goblin thief, Snikk. He was the one who taught her the art of not being noticed, something that was harder for a skeleton than she'd ever imagined. "Click-clack bones make noise," he'd rasp, demonstrating how to shift her weight with eerie silence on the forest floor. His lessons came in stolen moments—during night watch, or while others were distracted—and involved practical tricks like smearing mud on her joints to muffle sound or using shadows to break up her stark white form. He is a bit envious that thanks to being only made of bones, Carrie is naturally very lightwight and flexible despite the occasional rattle her body naturally makes now and then.

  The only thing she finds very annoying about the goblin, is his habit of stealing even from those he sees as friends. However, its not out of mischief or malicious intent as she has come to learn. It seems to be more of a instinctual and subconscious act thanks to his class and being so used to pickpocket and steal things that he does not even notice he is doing it until he is caught. Even then he would look at the item in his hand with a confused look on his face. The only reason why she is not too mad about it, is because he always returns what he has taken without complaint once he realizes what he has done. He also tends to apologize as well and looks genuinely ashamed of what he has done. She suspects it has something to do with how he was raised and how his race is treated in this world. So she has taken to not say anything until he notices it himself. Unless its needed like when he accidentally took the few spices bags she has for personal use. The team is fine with raitons and less then tastly food for breakfast, specially when camp will be broken soon after breakfast is done and its on the march once again. But when lunch or dinner comes around, she likes to make the meals more flavorful and tastier then the standard rations. It helps keep morale up and she gains more experience that way.

  But aside from that, Carrie can't say she don't like being with them. She's only know them for a week and while she can't call them friends, she hopes they will be at the outpost for a while before having to leave for another mission or something. She really likes them all and its nice to just talk with them during the march or when they are resting at camp. They don't treat her the way others do, even if most are polite when she has questions to ask or need help finding something. Despite having lived for almost a year now, she still gets lost in the fortress due to its share size and the fact it has several underground levels big enough to be their own mazes. She mostly keeps herself underground, thanks to her kitchen and the imps she has to feed, going mostly to the upper levels when she wants to relax in her room or let Irene out so she can strech her wings and fly around. The fortress is big enough the crow always has something new to see.

  Speaking of the crow, Irene is having a blast. With them being outside now 24/7, the bird has been flying around the group whenever they are on the move, sometimes bringing back a shiny rock or a interesting feather to Carrie. She even managed to catch a small rabbit once and dropped it near the cook during one of their breaks. Carrie had thanked her for it and made a stew out of it that night, the team praising the meal while Irene got a extra portion of meat as a reward. The crow puffed up her feathers proudly at the attention. Irene has also been finding what herbs and other edible plants that is still around, given how late into the fall season it is now. The bird seems to have a knack for spotting things that others miss, even Virel is impressed by the crows keen eyes. Carrie is just happy that her friend is enjoying herself and not getting into trouble.

  Much.

  Irene have been harassing some of the soldiers, but only the ones who mistake her for prey and dinner. Or a animal they can throw rocks at for entertainment. Even with those magical metal bands on her talons or the little red bow to help make sure she is not mistaken for a wild animal, soldiers still try it anyways. It has lead to some trouble with high command, but not in any serious matter. Specially when both the general and the mage incharge just see it as karma for those who where stupid enough to try it in the first place and then still do it afterwards. If Thalmor was here he might say that Irene is getting some good training from this.

  Carrie's head jerk a little as the wagon dip a little in the mud, luckly not getting stuck in the process. She shakes her head, trying to focus on the task at hand as the reins in her hand slip a little to give the animals a bit more room. Though even while she focused on making sure she don't get stuck in a mud pit somewhere alone the road, a idly thought of what to cook for dinner tonight managed to slip into her mind and stay there until the general finally gives the single to stop for the night and make camp.