Ch 1.28: Accommodations

[Elaina Weaver has achieved level 2]

Skill Enhanced: [Humiliation Factor] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all aspects relative to the User’s current state of embarrassment.

Skill Gained: [Fear Response] - Rank 1 - Passive: Converts a {minor} amount of fear to arousal.

[Carline Forsythe has achieved level 2]

Skill Enhanced: [Viewer Rating] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all {External Targeting} aspects relative to the User’s current sexual attraction to the target.

Skill Enhanced: [Peeping Carly] - Rank 2 - Active: Expend mana to receive a {moderate} ability to see through objects.

Elaina blinked as the information imprinted into her mind. Like last time, it wasn’t like anyone telling her anything, just the instant knowledge of both of their class details. “Oh!” Carline said, taking her hand off Elaina. The pain returned just as swiftly as the information had. “Oh, stars,” Carline continued as Elaina winced in pain. “I’m sorry! I am low on mana though, can you wait a bit?”

“Yeah,” Elaina said, grunting. It wasn’t really less than before, but she’d manage.

“So, uhm, did you, did you level up as well?”

Right, Carline wouldn’t see Elaina’s advancement. “I did. One new skill that, erm, lessens fear. And then it enhanced the one that makes me stronger the more embarrassed I am.”

“You got a new skill so fast! I didn’t realize it could work like that, that our progression wouldn’t be symmetrical.” Carline looked lost in thought again, seemingly past the revelation that her country’s official record of its single most important historical event was built on faulty information, if not outright lies. Elaina wouldn’t pry; she was certain it wasn’t the last time they would have to talk about it anyway, and there were other matters at hand.

“Carline, could you open the chest? Still can’t move well.”

“Of course!” The girl hopped to her feet, displaying an astounding sense of grace. Had she always been that light on her feet? Elaina had been surprised at her movements in the dungeon, but Carline seemed to surprise her even more every time she looked.

Carline pressed the crystal at the center of the chest and pulled out two small spheres, the same kind that had been in the chest at the start of the dungeon. She walked over and handed Elaina one.

[Mage Gear Enhancement]

Well, no time like the present. She activated hers in tandem with Carline, both spheres shattering into sparkling blue dust, along with their discarded weapons, forming into new shapes in front of them.

[Elaina Weaver: Gear Enhancement Obtained]

[Flexible Restraints]: Crystal chain that can be shaped into other forms of restraints. The mass of the weapon cannot be changed.

[Carline Forsythe: Gear Enhancement Obtained]

[Crystal-Tipped Spear]: Grants a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all {External Targeting} aspects when used to affect injuries made with this weapon.

The crystal chains in front of Elaina were more or less the same, but had a soft glow to them now. Carline’s weapon was more drastically changed, the ring at the top now housing a length of crystal core, and the thorny spike now replaced by a properly menacing, glowing crystal spearhead.

Carline picked up the spearstaff and looked over it. “It’s more balanced now too. Did you see its ability?”

Elaina nodded. “Yeah. Mine’s malleable now, I guess?” She focused on the chain, commanding it to change. The links on one end melted together, forming a shackle instead. “Kind of slow, but useful for sure.” Her other creations she couldn’t change at all, stuck the way they were after she made them unless she wanted to spend mana to make an entirely new thing, so it was useful to have something she could change, and it being the one she’d always have access to was even better.

“There is another matter that must be addressed in regards to your successful retrieval of my subcore,” the System said. “While disconnected from my subcores, my capabilities are lessened. As System Administrator, Elaina, you must guide the restoration of the System by selecting appropriate subsystems to bring online.”

Elaina frowned. “I still don’t know what that really means, being the System Administrator.” She looked over to Carline. “Can we change that? Carline knows more about this stuff than me. I’m sure she’d be better at it.”

Carline’s eyes widened as she dropped her spear and started waving her hands. “Nuh— No no no! I only know a couple of things from bedtime stories!”

“The role of System Administrator can be transferred at the current Administrator’s discretion,” the System said, “but such a decision is usually only made in the event of retirement from service. It is your choice, however.”

Elaina looked back to the crystal orb. [Admin] was such a strange word, one she didn’t quite understand, but it felt… wrong to give it up. She’d received it simultaneously with her class, with her aspect. It seemed as much a part of her as those. She’d had none of them for very long, but the thought of giving any of them up felt akin to ripping off a part of her soul.

“I’ll— I’ll keep it for now. The role.”

“Understood. The core you retrieved has the capability of adding one of its two subsystems. Being from a learning facility, the options are either Armory or Training.”

Armory or Training. “Uhm, can I ask what the difference is?”

“Certainly. Armory will allow you as the Administrator to have a certain degree of choice when receiving new gear upgrades for yourself or other Users. You may also delegate this ability to the other Users themselves. I will note that as the rewards you earned from your mission earlier were set in stone when you completed the mission, selecting this before I presented the chest to you would have had no effect on them. Training allows you to design simulated scenarios in dungeons to further the advancement of System users. I may offer a suggestion on which to pick, if you prefer, but the final decision still rests with you.”

Elaina would take all the guidance she could. “Yes, please.”

“Training is historically a very important subsystem, but it is more important the more Users there are. Since you two are the only current Users and have some degree of instruction taking place at your Academy, I would recommend Armory, which is used just as widely as Training and is less easily substituted for.”

“Okay, that sounds good. We’ll do Armory.”

“Affirmative. Armory subsystem initializing.” The crystal swirled with blue mist, dimming and brightening the cave as it did. “Initialization complete.”

“Wait, wait, sorry to interrupt,” Carline said. “My mana’s full. Why is it full?” That wasn’t right. There was no way it would have recovered that fast, right? Elaina felt for her own mana pool and gasped. It had almost been full before since she hadn’t been spending it while Carline healed her, but it was completely full as well, more than full, a tenth more there than had been before.

“Correct. As you two have achieved level two, your mana pool and physical attributes have been increased. Your mana refills as a result.”

“I’m sorry, physical attributes?” Elaina asked.

“Correct. As they were enhanced when you first gained your class, they are enhanced again now.”

Elaina blinked in realization. It had been minor, so minor she hadn’t even noticed, but she had been stronger lately, more dextrous. It explained a lot, actually.

“Did you not know that?” Carline asked. “I’m sorry, I would have mentioned it.”

“Uhm, no, I didn’t. But it’s fine.” She was starting to think maybe she really should give her role to Carline after all again.

Carline’s bandaged hand fell on Elaina’s shoulder again, pain once again dissipating. “I should be able to heal you fully with this, and then we can head back. We’ll need to get back before the dinner bell anyway.”

“Sure, sounds good.” Elaina was getting hungry, and a break would be nice. “I just wish there was a way to continue talking with the System without coming all the way back here. There’s still so much I don’t understand.”

“Fortunately,” the System said, “there is one final matter to address. The subcore you retrieved needs to be attended to. It would be unwise to leave it out here, as it cannot by tied to the same housing as another.”

“Oh. I guess we’ll take it back with us. We can talk to you through it?”

“Correct. It is still the System. After you eat, we can speak more on the nature of the System and your duties as Administrator.”

The three remained silent while Carline finished healing Elaina. It wasn’t that Elaina didn’t want to talk, but she was a level of spent she’d never been before: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“There, all done,” Carline said, standing up and smiling. “I’m sorry it took so long, it was, well— It was a lot.”

“No, thank you,” Elaina said, standing up herself. All her pain gone, all her wounds healed, all in a matter of less than an hour. Even compared to the stories that Elaina had heard about aspects and classes, Carline was a wonder. Still, one thing wasn’t fixed. “Uhm, what about our clothes?”

Carline looked down, blushing. “Yeah, I’d thought about that too. I’m still… Still showing quite a bit more than I’m used to, and the robes are bloodied besides.”

“Not to worry,” the System said. “Your gear will recover itself by feeding off of your excess mana reserves, but only when not equipped and only when your mana pool is full.”

“Huh, convenient.” Elaina wondered for a moment how to unequip her gear, get back to her uniform, but just thinking about it was enough to realize the answer. She willed her class gear away, and in the same crystal-dust display as before, her uniform appeared as her dress and crystal chains faded away. They were gone completely this time, not locked in a sphere, but Elaina could still feel them, just waiting to be re-equipped. She grimaced. While her bloodied clothing had been replaced, she did still feel the dried blood that had been on her body proper. Thankfully it was all covered by her current clothes, but she’d still need a second shower of the day for sure.

Carline had also changed back, and was currently looking over her hands in astonishment. “Something wrong?” Elaina asked.

“Oh, no. I just, uhm. The scrapes I had, they’re gone. Maybe from the potion you gave me.”

“Oh, that’s good. You said they weren’t that bad in the first place, right? Must have been small enough for the potion to heal.” If the amount Elaina herself had drank healed paralysis, then a small amount would certainly have healed any scratches on Carline, probably could have healed more.

“Correct,” the System said. “The amount you consumed would have been enough to heal such injuries. I must apologize for the potion as well, I feel. You earned a discretionary bonus reward for completing a mission that was a higher difficulty than intended, and while I would have preferred to offer more permanent gear, the restoration potion was necessary.”

“Anyway!” Elaina said, trying to change the subject and looking over at Carline. Elaina still didn’t want her to know how much damage her spine had actually taken, but fortunately Carline looked distracted herself, rubbing her hands together and looking down. “We should probably get going. And what are we going to do with the subcore once we get back, anyway? It’s too big to carry around all the time. Can we, like, store it the way we do our gear?”

“That is not currently possible. Theoretically, any System related gear can be stored in such a manner, but a subcore is far too dense in energy for a level two User to hold that way. I do not know what level one would have to be at, as no one has tried it before, to my knowledge.”

“We’ll have to keep it in our room then,” Elaina said, bending down and picking the sphere up. She knew the System was right just from holding it, that it held too great a power for her to contain right now. “System, if you have, well, this much power, is there any way for you to share that with us?”

“I already am. That is the purpose of the System, to cultivate Users by granting them strength based on their accomplishments, to train them to be strong enough to fight the Red Order, as well as other celestial invaders who would seek to feed on the crystal infrastructure of your world.”

“Like starhounds,” Carline said. “They were around for ages before the Night Wars, usually in crystal mines, but they haven’t been seen in almost a millenia.”

“Correct. It is strange that you would say they have not been seen for so long though. It is unfortunate that we are under attack by the Red Order with the System as a whole in such an unprepared state. The System was not designed for such a circumstance. I am limited to certain immutable guidelines, and must follow them when distributing my power. An oversight, perhaps, by— Nevertheless, even though I wish I could grant you two additional power right now, it is not possible. You must progress naturally, like all Users.”

Elaina cocked her eyebrow. “Were you going to say something else?”

“It is not something I can speak of freely.”

Elaina sighed, more questions. “Well, we still need to find a place to put you. Carline, any ideas?”

“Uhm, I guess one of our dressers is the safest place? The automatons will do our laundry at the end of the week, on Fifthday, but they just place our clothes on our beds is what I hear, so inside a drawer should be fine.”

“A dresser?” the System asked, sounding concerned.

“Yeah,” Elaina said. “I’ll keep the core in mine. It would stick out with my uniforms, but if I bundle it in with my underwear then it shouldn’t be noticeable, even if anyone were to look in there.”

The System buzzed, lights flickering. “Wha— I, I refuse! You will find me suitable accommodations, as I will not abide a piece of my being to reside with your undergarments!”

***

After Elaina had stuffed the subcore in her underwear drawer, Carline and her left for dinner. The bell had rang while they walked to their dorm room, so there wasn’t time to shower, but Elaina was starving, so she’d manage. They’d spent most of the walk back ignoring the protestations of the System, much to Elaina’s amusement, so not much of import was discussed, allowing a brief mental reprieve.

The one thing they had decided on was to tell the headmaster about the System. It was awkward that there wasn’t a foolproof way to make someone else a System User if they already had an aspect, unless they were “party compatible,” whatever that meant, but Alonse Stormshine was as good a person as any to tell about all of this. They had to tell someone, after all.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the hall right now. He’d been there for lunch, but he had missed other meals, at least in public, but after eating Elaina and Carline approached the only other faculty member they knew, Professor Calivahn, as she was getting up to leave herself.

“Uhm, professor?” Elaina asked.

The gruff woman turned, smiling once she saw Elaina’s face. “Ah. Hello, Weaver, Forsythe. Tira told me you had a successful bit of independent training after I left, isn’t that so?”

Independent training? She had to mean the duel, but Elaina didn’t think she’d be talking so openly about it after the fact, or that she would have discussed it with Tira at all. “Oh, yes, uhm, the training went well.” The duel had seemed so long ago, and it was hard to believe it was earlier the same day, only a few hours prior. “But we had a question for the headmaster, actually. Do you know where he is?”

“Stormshine? He will be away for some days at least, I’m afraid. Summoned to the capital. Apparently there was some security incident in the mountains.”