The Systems Challenge

When they caught up with Jonas again, it was at the entrance to an empty room. The only other entrance in the room was a stairway. Elin figured that it was where the team that had killed the kobolds in the room they'd come to previously had from.

She couldn't think of where else that group had come from. Although, she wasn't sure if they should wait there to see what the 'night' was like in this place, but couldn't think of any argument against it.

She looked around the room. All that she could see was a wooden table. Nothing else. She wasn't sure how well she'd be able to sleep, since she didn't have anything she was used to when it came time for bed.

She didn't have her bed, her gossamer nightgown, her hair brushes, her maids, a bath, soap, oils, towels, blankets, and pillows. She wasn't sure how well she'd be able to sleep without any of those, so she worried if they shouldn't continue looking, just in case any of those items might be out there somewhere.

"You know, I was thinking, would any of you like to learn some hand to hand fighting moves?" Kim asked casually.

"Why would I need that?" Elmo asked.

"Not sure why, but I would ask, why not?" Kim retorted. "Even if you don't use the moves, you never know if you might be able to use them at some point." Kim paused as she took a breath. "Where I come from, we have a saying. 'It's better to hand and not need than to need and not have.'"

"Yeah, I know that saying," Elmo replied grudgingly.

"So why not?" Jonas asked. "It sounds like a great idea. Besides, who's to say it won't give any of us an additional skill, even if it isn't directly related to what we're training for."

"I'm not sure I follow," Elin replied.

"It's simple," Jonas said. "Even if you don't get a skill about hand to hand combat, you might get another skill, like maybe improved recovery that helps you get back on your feet if you get knocked down or something."

"Why would a mage get a skill like that?" Elmo asked.

"Why wouldn't they?" Jonas replied cheerfully. "Maybe you could get knocked down by another mage's spell or something and the sooner you get back on your feet, the sooner you can cast another spell and return the favor or something."

"We really don't know much about what to expect with these systems," Kim added. "Even the tutorial thing won't even tell us what skills there are to learn. So, we can't say there isn't anything that we can't learn. Besides, even a mage can be caught off guard. If you enter this room and I was standing just around the corner of the entrance, I could hit you before you even realized it. So, if you can get a skill that would help you in that kind of situation, wouldn't you want to have it, if only to help you survive?"

Elmo looked like he'd taken a bite out of something that he didn't like. "Alright, fine. I'll join with that," he said finally.

"Um, I understand all that you said, but shouldn't we look at finding a more decent place to sleep?" Elin asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Jonas asked. "I've slept in more uncomfortable locations than these before."

"But we don't have anything to sleep on!" Elin cried. "There's no pillows, no blankets, no soap, no brushes for our hair, not oils for our skin and hair, no bathwater!"

Elin felt tears threatening to come out as she released all that she needed before she went to bed at night. However, the reaction she got was everyone laughing. Which pushed her over the edge and the tears came pouring out.

She turned and ran down the hallway as fast and as far as she could go. She didn't feel like she'd gotten very far when she felt arms wrap around her in a comforting embrace. Bringing with it the same feeling she would get from her nursemaid wen she was a little girl.

Turning into the embrace, she let out all the emotions she'd built up through the day as she returned it. The worry about having been pulled here in the morning when she was supposed to get up for the day, the fear of the unfamiliar surroundings, the fear of the monsters they'd fought, the fear of ending up like Charles McCoy, the pain of those she'd started to trust laugh at her for expressing what she needed for her basic necessities in order to go to bed, the aggravation of being called a title that was above her station, and the frustrations she felt by those she was with for not understanding her when she told them what she knew to be right.

She didn't know how long she cried, only that with it, brought her some peace. She hadn't thought about it before, but she really missed her nursemaid. Ever since she had died from old age a year ago, she hadn't realized just how much she missed her. Then there was how she just realized she couldn't even remember her nursemaid's name or face.

When she looked up as her tears finally ended, she saw Kim's worried face. Elin tightened her hold on Kim and didn't realize it when she fell asleep.

The only indication she had that she'd fallen asleep was when she woke up and under her head was a makeshift pillow of the spare clothing they'd brought with them, inside a bag that Elmo had been carrying it in.

As she sat up, she saw that Elmo was sitting against the wall by the stairs, his face full of sweat, clearly exhausted. In the center of the room, Jonas and Kim sparred. Kim didn't have any weapons she was using, just her bare fists and Jonas was pretty much the same.

They moved almost like flowing water, and while it was clear that Kim had the upper hand, Jonas seemed to be doing well preventing her from actually landing a blow. He would dodge each move and on occasion, launch a counterattack, which typically was either blocked or dodged by Kim.

Elin couldn't believe how alive both of them seemed. It was almost like they lived for things like this. The constant movement, the constant adapting to a fluid situation, the not knowing what might be coming next. It was almost like they were absorbing some sort of nutrient into their bodies through these actions.

Both of their bodies were covered in sweat, or at least what Elin could see of them, as they continued their dance. Elin just lay where she was, entranced at watching them move. It was almost like she was watching a performance with how both of them moved. While she didn't know how long they'd been at it, it was clear they'd been sparring for at least a while already.

Finally, it was clear Jonas slipped up or made a mistake. Something that Elin wasn't able to see what it was, but ended with Kim throwing him on the ground, and pinning him down, her hand completely flat, the tips of her fingers looking like a spear at Jonas' throat.

"Good match," Jonas complimented, clearly not willing to try to move until Kim did.

"You didn't do too bad yourself," Kim replied, smiling. "Where you placed your attribute points certainly seemed to help."

At Kim's words, Elin suddenly remembered that they had likely gotten a level from the kobolds. Which meant that she should be able to add some attribute points as well. Which she thought she should do right away.

"Status," she said quietly as she sat up.

The same window appeared before her as she saw her stats.

HP 25/25

MP 30/30

Level 2

XP 30/300

Stamina 11/13

Str 5

Int 20

Dex 14

Con 10

Wis 18

Mag 24

Agi 9

Cha 19

Physical Resistance 5%

Magical Resistance 30%

Skills:

Wound Identification 0/100

Wound Treatment, non-magical 0/100

Combat Medic

Holy Boost 0/100

White Magic Spells:

Life Attribute – Minor Heal 4mp 0/100

Life Attribute – Treat 3mp 0/100

Holy Attribute – Sacred Shot 4mp 0/100

Life Attribute – Assess 2mp

Green Magic Spells:

Life Attribute – Stat enhancement 2mp 0/100

Force Attribute – Physical Resistance enhancement 2mp 0/100

Force Attribute – Minor Protection 2mp 0/100

You have 5 attribute points to allocate. Would you like to place them?

Elin considered where to place her attribute points. It seemed like she should put them somewhere that would help not only her out, but the rest of the team as well.

However, she couldn't think of what would be helpful, so brushing the window away, she decided she should ask Kim. She couldn't say why, but she was sure Kim would know where to put her attribute points.

So, she got up and walked carefully over to Kim as Jonas went to sit down near the hallway they arrived in the room from. Naturally, Kim noticed Elin before she was even halfway over to her.

"Ready for your turn?" Kim asked.

"Um, actually, I was wondering which stats you think I should put my attribute points in," Elin replied. "I-I'm not sure which ones to put them in."

Kim chuckled. "Yeah, that can be tricky sometimes," Kim commented. Then after take a deep breath, she continued, "Since I don't know what would help your systems out the most, I can't really say for sure what suggestions to give."

Elin shook her head. "I'm sure you can still help me figure it out. After all, I trust you."

Kim gave Elin a surprised look, which confused Elin. Why is that so surprising? Elin wondered. Is there a reason I shouldn't trust her?

Kim sighed a moment after that. "Well, let me know what your stats are. I'll see what I can do," Kim relented.

Elin happily read off her stats to Kim.

"Okay, if you put some into your Agi, you should be able to cast spells faster, or even run away if we need to split. Then if you put some in your Wis or Int, that should improve your MP, if I remember what you told me about your stats correctly. Then I think you should put some into your Con, since your Str isn't as important for you. That way you Stamina can at least improve so you can either run longer, or do more physical activity, like maybe treat wounds if you don't have enough MP to heal us fully," Kim suggested

Elin nodded. "Got it. I'll put 1 in Agi, 2 in Wis, and 2 in Con."

Kim smiled at her. "Good for you," Kim added. "Now, ready for your lesson, princess?"