I swear I'm just so fucking kind.
Why does he even want to hide his injuries anyway? I give a quick glance at balrow, and he look back at me. Eyes empty, but probably shocked by the save.
Fucccck, just let everyone know the old man is hurt and that's all.
It's not the end of the world.
That's that's that's....something rage inside me.
The desire to prove I'm not helpless. That I can change things. Against my memories and prejudices against people that hide their injuries.
It remind me of my dream.
Again.
My hand clutch the blanket, feeling how it get crushed under my grip.
You're fucking lucky you decided to take care.
Urgh, fuck.
This is so damn annoying. Focusing back on the real world, the word of Jenna bring me back.
I can do it.
"He's waiting for you?"
Time to waive some words.
"Yeah" my hand pop the last bite of my food. Those bland tasteless system snack inside my mouth. Chewing just normally enough to give me some time to ready myself, to think.
Not about the plan, I have it already.
But about my words. No stuttering allowed.
"It's like with you, I tested your skill and I'm interested in balrow skill. Gonna test it too. But-"
my hand wave at the general direction of my body. Just showing off how this boar beat me up.
"-I can barely push annie alone, so a guy that just got the ultimate giga supra shield skill? Yeah no thanks, we're gonna test it when I feel better"
I look at annie, just digging into humor a bit more to change the conversation subject.
"I can't even push a litteral mouse...." "A litteral mouse? Really?" As annie answer me back, malfoy voice actually answer before me "why are you calm with ludger when he insult you, but wish to commit an homicide when I do?" Annie just straight up stare at malfoy for a second.
"Because life is unfair"
Malfoy blink. "It is the first time in your entire life that you said something that made sense"
Silence.
"Alright" annie get up and walk toward me before raging around like a beast toward malfoy "I'M GONNA KILL HIM STOP ME" I don't stop her.
She grab my hands and put them around her shoulders and waist. My left one over her shoulder, left one. My arm drapes over it.
And my right arm around her right waist. I keep it limp however and she need to keep it pinned around her stomach so that it looks like I'm the one keeping her in place "I'M GONNA EAT YOUR SOUL!"
I look at malfoy from above her shoulder. Yes, I'm sitting and she's standing, but I see above her shoulder.
Told you she's small.
"Malfoy" he doesn't ever react to the nickname anymore "what do you meant by your points weren't useful?" Jenna introduce herself in the conversation "oh right, you said that"
Malfoy stare at mousy just...being. Quote on quote restrained by me. "Exactly that. It didn't change much, I don't feel that much more powerful. Just a bit more energetic...maybe"
Jenna speak out again "huh, I feel like it's like those slow novel. It probably won't make anyone superhuman yet. Probably need a lot more of points for that" it's really her expertise area.
I can see her cooking something behind her gaze, I know this brain is working to figure out something.
Annie pat my hands and remove them "alright I'm good now"
I pat her back as she go back on her bed "I guess we won't have to fight litteral gods in the middle of a tutorial at least"
Malfoy rub his chin "it is good for sure. But I cannot help to be a slightly dissapointed"
Jenna reassure him "don't worry malfoy, with the whole skill names business, I think it's more of a strange mix between litrpg and xianxia" he look back at her "would you kindly tell me what the fuck this meant"
Jenna blink back, seventeen times.
Malfoy doesn't swear a lot.
Alright she's out of commision I'll answer.
"Litrpg is the system thingy with the numbers going up. Like a rpg in a game. And like, xianxia it's more like the kind of story where someone need to rest and cultivate for a long time before getting stronger. By training and meditating and all that"
Malfoy rub the spot between his eyebrows, thinking hard "so....real life? With game mechanics?" ....well yes but he forgot the xianxia part.
I wave jenna off before she can answer "yeah, kinda this, it's pretty weird but it will probably make more sense in the future."
Balrow grumble a nod. How does he do that? "Youngling readings." Malfoy look at jenna "she is older than me"
And annie jump to change the conversation "guuuuuuys, do you think every door give a skill?"
Good question
"Probably" they look at me "well, I mean. We can't be 100% sure but, we did two doors, and both doors gave us a skill, also" my finger point at the next door "the others also have weapons on them, I'm pretty sure we're all gonna get a skill"
And it makes sense with the leaving message.
It did talked about giving up a skill too.
"Make sense" jenna mutter at my reasoning before annie interupt her with another question "....we didn't got a side mission"
I look at annie first as she speak. Realizing that.
Yes.
We didn't.
Wait what? "We didn't yeah..."
Malfoy finish his food too "perhaps we did not find it?"
Annie sit on her bed with her legs crossed "find what though?"
The side mission of course. "We found hulk, and then we had the side mission, so like...we didn't find it?"
Balrow rub his forehead "maybe. But nothing was in the cave" yeah, that's the problem.
There was nothing in the cave.
"Are we even sure there was a side mission?" my eyes go on jenna. "Not sure to be honest. We just had one so we're all assuming there was one everywhere but we can't really be sure. And even if there is one everywhere. We don't really know how to activate it, last time we killed hulk. But maybe we need to do other things to activate a side quests.
Balrow last words resume everything well. "We don't have enough information"
Sighing as loudly as I can, I throw my back on the bed. Just looking at the ceiling. My forearm come in front of my forehead, resting.
"Yeah, we don't. And that's what's annoying"
I hear jenna from my right "Everything is strange. There are a lot of oddities left and right. But we barely have no explanation"
Annie prompt up "we can ask the system? Like we did for the settings."
I push myself up for a second just to look at her "did you tried asking it question?"
She look back at me "sometimes"
Sometimes huh? "And what did you get?"
Her eyes doesn't move "....no clearance"
That's what I thought.
I almost want to say that out loud but some annoying feeling stop me, instead I just go back to lounge on my bed.
"Same. No clearance"
Always no clearance.
Well fuck, shit is annoying for sure.
Before I can speak up and answer another subject malfoy brought up, my eyes fall on balrow.
He look at me.
I look at him.
He look at me.
I look at him.
Fuck.
Pushing myself on my side as naturally as I can, I stop looking at his fucking old grateful face.
Damn I'm financing his bad habits now.
I make sure to ignore the reassurance I feel from being able to impact another human life.
Maybe it's because of the specific of the situation. Maybe it's just because it's rhat close to that dream I had yesterday.
Maybe it's because of this. I don't know. What I do know is that it feels good.
I am not helpless.
I get it.
I don't need any reminder.