9600 Exp available, 26 cycles till next payment
That's new. Guess I'm still paying for my medication. Zelda completes her morning ritual. Keeping her left eye shut, just in case.
-50 Exp for Dragon Blight Suppressor Dose, 9550 Exp available.
A day of new messages. How much is it to level?
Spend 8 exp to level?
She hesitates. She hadn't leveled since the system declared her an adult. It was a sad day. Learning that 170 cm was as tall as she would ever get. At least until I become a bloody Dragon. The day when all the exp she earned went to her debt. I'm not actually sure if I can go into further debt. She sends a quick message to Grant.
Mail Notification: Issuance of New Debt
No.
Curiosity sated, assumption proven. Zelda decided to wait till the end of the cycle period before buying a level or ten. Being Returned for not eating is not a lecture she wished to hear again.
She heads to the smithy.
-----
“Thought you were dead when they brought in your sword and armor.”
Zelda frowns at that. They were never mine.
“How much to buy a gladius?”
The lizard woman quirks a brow ridge, “Seems rather bold debtor to be asking for prices.” There is a bit of a glare off between the two. It ends with an eye roll. “It's three hundred Exp for the one you fancy.”
“You charged me ten thousand for breaking one.” Zelda said with a bit of chagrin.
She shrugged. “Credit surcharge. You renting or still dreaming?”
“Buying, sword and armor.”
The lizard woman turned her head, eyes narrowing. She looked back at Zelda. “Well I'll be, you got bought. Shit investment but I wasn't the one buying. They even let you fritter away Exp. Well eight hundred exp for your usual load out. Comes with a free month of maintenance. After that it's eighty exp for weekly maintenance though if you're still using this shit by the end of the month you're hopeless. Warranty applies so long as you bring it in once a week for a look over.”
Zelda sighs, "What's all that in cycles.”
The shiny red scaled lizard smirks, “Vaxians? Thirty cycles, six cycles. You know, you should aim better, spend ten times as much and I won't be getting scraps back in a box.”
Zelda frowns. “Still got to eat.”
-800 Exp Spent at Red Deliverance Smithy Subsidiary
“By the way, they left your joke of a shield in the box.” The clerk pulls out the sheet metal masquerading as defense. Zelda picks it up, sees the dent and the blood staining the inside of it. She shudders. Guess she didn't assume I was dead after all.
-----
The lift opens. More Kobolds. She makes her way to the mass recruiting spot.
“Forty-threeeeeeeee.”
Forgot to check the room. Zelda turns to find Dagnit prancing over to her. Ponies prance, not cats. Her mood sours.
“If you're going to volunteer to buy a key please just do it for my party.” She purrs. Then tilts her head, “Why you keeping your left eye close, didn't jam a Tuesday bar into it did ya?”
That makes no sense. She sighs, “Only if you don't contest my gains after you leave for the night.”
“Of course, wouldn't dream of it. You still haven't said anything about your eye.”
“Wasn't planning too.”
The cheshire grin forms on her face, “You're not reading my words anymore. Oh my gods, may they never strike me down for the mere mention, you got a new implant. You exchange the eye one for anything?”
She gives a one eye glare at Dagnit. It seems to only encourage the cat. “Tell me, tell me, tell me.”
She walks to the counter with Dagnit still hounding her. Finally she gives a reply.
“There isn't one.”
“Your eye is naked? Forty-three that's just reckless.” Dagnit admonishes.
“ZELDA! Stop calling me a number they tack onto me just because my name isn't unique enough.”
“Sure Zelda…like you could have told me your name if it upset you that much. I'll just go tell the others.” She scampers off, a bit hurt. She's not wrong, let's just get this over with.
“Done ruining friendships? Five hundred exp for a key…huh seems you're actually good for it. Imagine that.” Marla says with a bit of disinterest.
-500 exp. Instance 713 assigned. Good Hunting
-----
The mood was awkward. Zelda fought her Kobold while the others handled theirs. Any attempts to start conversation was hushed by Dagnit. Zelda thought this would have been preferred but the silence was stifling. Focus. Zelda swing comes up short. The club comes towards her. She puts her shield in front of the blow. A thud travels through her arm. Not the best shield block. She charges forward, when her shield pushes into the Kobold she stabs. It wasn't a good one. This sucks.
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Gain 1 Exp from party kill
The Kobold shifts to Zelda left. Out of her vision. She turns with her shield. Too far. The Kobold lands a kick to her midsection. She falls on her back. Not again. She closes her right to the obvious follow up. Guess they get a better split from the start. Another lecture is incoming.
A bit of warm wetness hits her face. She opens her eyes to see a sword sticking out of her executioner chest. Its club falling to the side. The kobold joins his club slumped over.
Gain 1 Exp from party kill
She sees Dagnit standing there, looking rather annoyed.
Gain 1 Exp from party kill
“Zelda, if you still have two eyes, you should use them instead of dying.”
The shock wears off and Zelda closes her left eye in a hurry. This further incenses the calico cat. She glares at the rather foolish adventurer.
“Seriously, if you can't bear for others to see it, you best find some other trade. You're just a liability here.”
“I thought I was just a debt sink, why do you care if I survive?”
The cat is on top of Zelda immediately, her clawed hand gripping Zelda's jaw. “Listen here, child. I may have fed you on false pretenses but I still claimed you with the act. Now you are going to need to decide. Are you a warrior or a tradeworker? There's no shame in quitting the battlefield. Plenty of work to be done. But if you wish to kill, then you best be doing it with both eyes open.”
Zelda glares at Dagnit, rivulets of her blood begin to coat the cat's claws. She opens her left eye.
“Good.” She purrs, letting go and standing up. “Dragon blight is a rather painful existence, but it doesn't mean it's all downsides. You have any idea of that thing’s aspect?”
Zelda shakes her head.
“That's Arth for no, right? Have you not been tested?” She growls.
“They said I had no aptitude.” Zelda says with a bit of petulantance.
The hairs on Dagnit begin to puff out, “After they stuck the eye into your head, fool.”
Another negative head shake. “Seriously, does this Grant care at all about your ability to fight?”
Zelda narrows her eyes at the slip up. Dagnit is unfazed.
“Yes, I was trying to take you to him when I fed you that ‘Tuesday’. So I am guessing he didn't buy you for a return on investment.”
“No, I'm just a science experiment for him.”
Dagnit stares at Zelda some more. Shit this hurts. Zelda wipes her chin with the clotting puncture wounds.
“Well if he doesn't have an actual plan for you then. What's he want, medical scans? Nevermind, he ain't going to care if I go run off with you. As long as you report in. Right?”
“Why would I agree to such, I have my own goals.”
“Which are?”
The glare off resumes. Dagnit starts to get ready to add a few more wounds to Zelda's oozing face. Zelda backs down and answers, “It's to kill Dragons.”
That shocks the cat, she throws her head back and laughs. “Any specific one? I need to know how soon to plan the funeral.”
Zelda growls out, “All of them.”
This just furthers the cat's mirth. She is taking gasping breaths through her laughter. The other two wait patiently but are getting a bit bored.
“Here I thought you were looking to hunt the one that blighted ya, seems I judged your ambition too small. Going to go kill them all the way to the Calamity are ya?”
“Considering he blighted me, it's the same either way.”
The cat mirth ends at that, “Now you must agree to be my partner.” Partner? I like cats but that's going a bit far. “In our party idiot, your disgust is mirrored by my own.” Oh.
“Still don't see why?”
“Oh that's simple, you're hopeless without one. And you're too much of a ‘I can't talk to people cause I was abused by the system’ to find another party. So then to the stray I fed, you ready to be my debt sink?” The mirth blossoms out of the cat at Zelda consternation. She grabs Zelda's face once more. Gently and with healing magic.
-----
They managed to kill another sixty Kobolds. It was awkward for Zelda but she fared better than before. They went to the portal out. Flocks went through. Followed by Frankie. Dagnit stopped. She wouldn't.
“Alright, let's see what you do.”
“I thought you promised not to claim anything after you left.”
“I haven't left.”
Zelda body slumps in defeat. Of course, I really should have thought that through. She starts heading back to the corpses.
-----
“So you separate them so that you can have a bunch of one on one fights. Not too bad of an idea. You would have actually broken even if I hadn't stayed behind.” She laughs at Zelda glare.
“Worry not, I will feed you again after tonight's blood letting. To make up for my stealing of exp. Though sixty is a lot.”
They had just finished moving the last body, and returned to the entrance.
“Nap time.”
A chuckle is heard. But the world fades away for Zelda.
-----
A hand shakes her awake. Zelda eyes snap open. “The evening is upon us.”
Damn missed the easy first killed. Used to my robot eye having an alarm. “Let's get to it.”
“You start, I will watch and see where you need to improve.” Zelda glares at the cat, “Don't worry, when you tire I will take some. We can alternate rest and combat so we can eat sooner.”
“Wouldn't fighting together be even faster?”
“Marginally for me but a lot for you. We'd end up resting at the same time. Besides, you need the practice.”
Instead of retorting, Zelda went ahead. I do need practice. Her left eye was behaving strangely. The undead would try to rake her with their claws. She would bash them back. Her left eye would focus on their chest. Zelda would blink it back and chop down. It was distracting but eventually the monster was unable to prevent a heart stab.
Gain 4 Exp from party kill
“Hmmm you seemed to focus on the heart at one point but pulled back. Why?”
Zelda turns her head to Dagnit, “It was too soon. My left eye keeps zeroing in at times. It's distracting.”
“Maybe you should go for it.” Another glare, “Seriously, your reactions on your left side are faster when you're not over compensating. Mayhap you're just seeing more with it.” If I end up Returned again… “Hurry up, my stomach is ready for a meal.”
The next fight is much the same as before. No opportunity or magnifications.
Gain 4 Exp from party kill
Zelda looks at Dagnit. She just gets waved on. Fine. In the third fight, her left eye focuses. She follows through this time instead of pulling back. The sword pierces the Kobold heart to the hilt. Generally she required a downward angle for such a thrust but it simply felt like her arm was pulled through the motion. She has to kick the corpse off the sword.
Gain 4 Exp from party kill
“Ah, much faster, we may have dinner yet, instead of breakfast.” Dagnit purrs.
Zelda rolls her eyes and proceeds to the next. She only had another forty minutes before her strength buff wore off.
-----
“Are you sure I can't convince you to eat better than this?” Dagnit laments next to a familiar vending machine.
“It's a balanced meal.”
“Zelda, it's a balanced meal for a normal human, you're a warrior. Your needs are greater. Are you not hungry after you had your bar?”
“It says here, there are appetite suppressants.”
Dagnit cups her face with her right hand and stares at the sky. She comes to a decision. “Nope, you're coming with me.” She grabs Zelda by the back of her collar. Her strength is easily capable of dragging Zelda away.
“But I'll be out of balance.”
-----
Zelda sits with a bit of a frown. Dagnit exclaims, “What, I selected Arth food. I believe they called it a Bur It To.” She says the word slowly, piecemeal. Her species’ esophagus is not quite up to the task of sounding out the Arth word.
“This thing has the same amount of calories as all the week bars combined.”
“Good, then it's guaranteed you will be in balance for the week.” The cat says between bites.
It sours Zelda's mood but she takes a tentative bite. It is followed by a ravenous flurry of bites. Dagnit watches, amused. When she comes up for air, Zelda murmurs, “Sorry for yelling at you about my name…and thanks for giving me a different lecture.”
A smile of many sharp teeth issues out from the cat, “Sure thing, stray.”
