The room was small, but equally as cozy as the rest of the house. There were two small beds, each pushed up against opposite walls, and tucked under a quilt in one of them was a young boy, watching Kate's entrance with excitement glittering in his pale blue eyes. Colorful paper figures that reminded Kate of origami hung from the ceiling by strings, some of them in unfamiliar animal shapes. A small crate under the window was filled with toys: stuffed sheep and rabbits, colorful wooden balls, and even a small wooden sword.
There was a chair pulled up alongside the bed, so Kate took a seat, trying to make her smile friendly. “Hello, Hal. I'm Kate.”
Hal immediately bombarded her with breathless questions. “Are you really a Hero? That means you're from another world, right? You're one of those 'humans', aren't you? Granny Yala told me a little about humans. She met some, you know. When she was little like me. Your skin looks funny. And your hair's so dark, it looks like the color of mud. Granny Yala said humans have all sorts of different hair colors. Is that a Guardian? Wow, they really do glow! Do you know any spells? What class are you?”
“Enough, enough,” Marla laughed, holding up a hand. “Give the girl time to answer you. And don't ask such intrusive questions about how she looks. Remember, we probably look odd to her as well. I'll be right back, you two. I left some pies baking and I need to check on them.”
She left the room, and Kate tried to figure out which of Hal's questions she could answer. Seeing Hal's wide eyes track Io's every move, she decided to start there. “This is Io. And yes, it's a Guardian.” Io floated closer to Hal's face, and the boy's eyes practically shone with amazement. “Io helps me out by giving me advice and explaining how things work in your world.”
“Wow.”
Kate shot a glance towards the door, but Marla hadn't returned yet. Should she risk trying her spell on Hal now? Io seemed to read her thoughts; it began looping and bouncing around in front of Hal's face to keep him distracted.
“Help,” Kate murmured. She felt the spell leave her, but other than a flush that rose in Hal's cheeks, she didn't think it had done anything. She let another minute tick down to reset the cooldown. “Help.”
How was she supposed to know if it was doing any good?
“You can touch Io,” she said finally. “It won't mind.” Io flounced in place as if to say it would so.
“I can't,” Hal said, more matter-of-fact about it than she expected. “See, if I try to lift my arm like this, nothing happens. I hurt myself awhile ago. Ma doesn't know if I'll ever move again.”
Kate felt a sting in her eyes, and she glanced away.
Io had been right.
Hal was trapped in his own broken body. And she wasn't powerful enough to bring him back.
She realized that Marla had arrived in the doorway. The woman's expression was, for one instant, full of pain, but she'd hidden it a moment later. “All right, Hal, I'm going to steal Kate from you for a bit. She looks and smells like she could use a wash.”
Hal giggled. “She does kinda stink.”
“Hey!” Kate said in mock affront. She managed to dredge up a smile for Marla. “Thanks. A bath sounds wonderful.”
Marla came over to kiss Hal on the forehead and tuck him in a bit more, then led the way back outside. A few of the Peltins were still seated at the table chatting with Gren, but the others had scattered. Some had gone indoors, presumably to work on supper, and the others were doing various chores.
“We have a few wash basins behind the cabins, but there's an indoor bathing room in Granny's cabin you can use for more privacy.” Marla eyed Kate's ill-fitting clothing. “I'll see if one of my nieces has anything that might fit you. Including some actual shoes.”
Granny Yala's cabin was over twice the size of Marla's, and equally as charming. “My parents live here with Granny, and so does my oldest brother's family, so it seemed worth the price to put in a bathing room, especially since it's easier on Granny.” Marla led the way to a door and opened it to reveal a tiny room with a huge copper tub. There was a narrow window high up on the wall to let in some light. She pointed to hooks on the wall where thin but clean sheets were hanging. “Dry yourself with those.” She pointed again, this time at a low shelf on the wall by the tub filled with various things. “You'll find soap, washcloths, and combs there. I'll have my brother-in-law Fann empty out the tub when you're done. The water's a bit lukewarm by now; we'd filled it for Fann's bath, but he can wait. I'll go scrounge up some clothes for you to try on.”
Without having to be told this time, Io hovered just outside the room and didn't attempt to come in.
“Thank you.” The moment Marla had left, Kate eagerly stripped and sank into the tub. The water was barely warm, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was scrubbing all the sweat, dirt, and grime from her skin. She took her time getting herself squeaky clean and carefully combing all the tangles out of her hair. When she finally drew herself out of the tub, shivering, the water looked murky and gross. She was wrapping one of the oversized towels around herself when there was a knock at the door.
“It's Marla. I'm coming in.” Marla opened the door, holding up a bundle of cloth. “I think these might fit. They're my niece's from when she was younger. I thought about trying to find you a spare... support...” Her mouth twitched with a smile as she looked pointedly at Kate's chest. “But I'm not sure you need it.”
“Flat as a board, that's me,” Kate sighed, reaching for the clothes. She'd gone without a bra plenty of times before. For the first time she could remember, she was glad that she wouldn't need one now.
“Not so flat as that,” Marla chuckled. “But I think you'll be all right for now. Let me see how the clothes fit when you're done.”
She left once more, and Kate hurried to dry herself off. Marla had brought her a simple yellow skirt and a long-sleeved white blouse. She'd have preferred pants, especially for travel, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Best of all, the skirt had pockets, which made the garment worth it in her opinion. There was even a thick pair of underwear, though they were more like granny panties without the elastic. The skirt reached to her ankles, and the blouse was a bit baggy, but overall it was a decent fit. She felt deliciously clean after a bath and new clothes. She exited the bathroom and did a spin to show off.
Io bobbed about in excitement.
Marla nodded approval. “There we are. I knew there was a girl somewhere under all that dirt. Once I get past the human bits, I'd say you're a pretty thing. I do hope you didn't leave some poor boy wondering at your absence back home.” She put a hand quickly to her mouth, looking abashed. “I'm sorry.”
“It's all right. I don't have anyone. I mean, I did, but I got rid of him awhile back. He was a jerk.”
“And... family?” Marla gave her a sympathetic look. “I doubt it ever occurred to Gren to ask. You're in a strange place far from home. I'm sure it's difficult.”
Kate smoothed out the skirt self-consciously. “My dad died when I was young. My mom, well... we don't talk much. It's all right. It's hard being here, and I miss my friends. But there's not really much of a family for me to lose sleep over, if I'm honest. I guess that makes it... easier.”
“I suppose that's something.” Marla held out a pair of what looked like moccasins. “Here. See if these fit.”
Kate tried them on, glad to be rid of the strange foot pouches Gren had made her. “Perfect.”
Marla smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her back outside. “Come. You can look around while we make supper. You'll stay the night here and we'll figure out how we can help in the morning.”
Excellent! Io bounced by Kate's ear. While you were in there splashing around, this one did some thinking. The wards set up here are similar to those at Gren's cabin. This space should be sufficiently guarded for us to begin your leveling-up process. Normally that would require a town, but it seems your circumstances have allowed this one to continue to bend the rules ever so slightly. Let us find some out-of-the-way place for you to raise your level. You have enough XP now to get to level three!
Kate felt a thrill of excitement. Finally, all the dangers she'd faced to get here were about to pay off. “Io has to show me something. I'll just go behind one of the cabins for a few minutes to concentrate, if you don't mind.”
“Along with you, then. I'll make sure the children leave you alone.”
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Kate hurried around behind the cabin, out of sight of the Piltens. She spun to face Io the moment they were alone. “All right, let's do it. I'm ready to level up.”
The moment she said so, a window popped up before her.
Current XP: 300
XP needed for next level: 100
Upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2?
Y/N
Kate found herself bunching the sides of her skirt up in her fists in anticipation. “Yes!”
Congratulations!
You have reached Level 2 for Support class!
Gained additional 10 HP
Gained additional 15 MP
Current HP: 100/100
Current MP: 35/35
The bump in her MP was a welcome sight. She could now cast Deflect and Heal before she'd need to replenish her mana.
Current XP: 200
XP needed for next level: 150
Upgrade from Level 2 to Level 3?
Y/N
“Yes.”
At level 3 you get attribute points, Io reminded her. It was bouncing as if her excitement was contagious. Remember what we talked about regarding your stats.
Congratulations!
You have reached Level 3 for Support class!
Gained additional 10 HP
Gained additional 10 MP
Current HP: 110/110
Current MP: 45/45
Gained 6 attribute points
Allocate points now?
Y/N
“Hell yeah. I mean, uh, yes.” Her stats popped up, each with a little plus sign next to it. “All right, obviously I want to put more into my Willpower. Especially now that I know it effects my gauntlet.” She studied her other stats pensively. “I guess I should put some into Constitution, too, to help my HP a bit. And Intelligence. You said that also effects how much XP I gain, right?”
Io's light brightened agreeably. Correct. Good choices.
She put three into Willpower, two into Intelligence, and one into Constitution. A quick alert informed her this had boosted her HP from 110 to 112. “So one point in constitution equals two extra HP? That's not much, but I guess it's another way to nudge my HP up, so it's better than nothing.”
Two more levels and you'll get a spell, Io crowed. Ah, remember, though, it won't always be a brand new spell. You see how some of your spells say they have the ability to level up? You may instead, for instance, upgrade Deflect I to Deflect II and shield your ally from more damage.
“Nice.” She admired her new stats. Still pitiful, but better than they had been. And she had done this without a Hero party.
KATE – LVL 3
(Support Hero #21)
XP: 50/225
Origin: Earth
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Main Class: Support
Secondary Class: Necrotic Healer
HP: 112/112
MP: 45/45
S: 2
W: 15
Dex: 3
D: 2
C: 6
I: 12
Ch: 6
“I think I owe Gren a fruit basket or something for helping me get this far without getting killed.”
Is that... a gift?
“Yes. Never mind.” She waved the window away. “Hey, I'm sure you noticed, but I tried Heal Other on Hal. It didn't work, just like you guessed. But I was thinking there might be another way.”
Io went still. She got the impression it was staring at her. You want to attempt to heal him with your Give and Take spell instead. The subclass spell.
“Yes. That way I can just keep pulling from a much bigger pool than my dinky little 30 MP. I won't have to wait for cooldowns or for my mana to replenish. I can just slap my hand on a tree and keep pulling lifesource from it. It's worth a try, right? I mean, Heal Other specifies that I can only heal for 25 HP, period. But there's nothing like that in the description for Give and Take. Theoretically, that means I can just keep pumping healing until the tree runs out of lifesource, like you said before.”
Possibly. Io began making slow, thoughtful loops. Technically you are correct. But it is not just the amount of healing you put into a spell. It is the power of the spell itself that matters, and the Willpower behind it. It paused, then said more slowly, This one will tell you something thought originally best left unspoken. Your Willpower is quite good for your level. When this one first saw that you already had a Willpower of twelve, this one was a bit surprised. Especially since your MP pool looked perfectly ordinary. Most level one Supports and Mages start out with somewhere between eight and ten points in Willpower. You may think fifteen is a low number, but for a level three, it is a bit on the high side. Especially since most Supports, nervous about their ability to protect themselves, are known to dump points into Constitution and even Defense early on. Your higher Willpower is also why when you reached level two your MP went up higher than your HP to compensate.
“Huh. Guess I got lucky.”
Perhaps. Or perhaps one of the gods gave you a little nudge to make up for the mistake that landed you in that field. Who can say? Regardless, your comment about the set limitations of your base class compared to your subclass gave this one a thought. You can heal for 25. This one was under the impression that the base healing for version one of Heal Self and Heal Other is 20. Which means already your spells have a slight bump in power due to your slightly higher starting Willpower. So this may apply to your Necrotic Healing as well.
Kate cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. So despite thinking she'd started out pitifully weak, she'd actually had a bit of an edge compared to most level one Supports, both in stats and spell strength. “So... does that mean you agree that I should try my subclass out on Hal?”
Io slumped down slightly. This one cannot stop you. And this one is merely speculating. But it does seem like it might be worth testing. There is one problem, however.
“Hiding what it is I'm doing?”
Two problems, then. This one was referring to the range of the spell. You must be able to touch your target for Give and Take. And there are no trees growing in Hal's room.
“Yeah, I'd noticed that.” Kate frowned, pacing back and forth. “I'd have to get him outside. That part's easy; Marla said they'd bring him out here for dinner so he could be part of the fun. But how do I get him away from all those prying eyes and closer to the trees? Especially since that means going outside the wards.”
Hal's parents would likely be willing to give some, perhaps all, of their lifesource to heal their son. But...
“But I'm not doing that,” Kate said firmly.
Then this one sees only one possible way.
Kate cringed. “Yeah. Me too.” She sighed heavily. “I'd have to tell everyone what I wanted to do. Which means I'd risk them all shunning me for my class. And, maybe worse, get their hopes up for nothing if it doesn't work.”
You will have to tell someone, Io agreed delicately. Perhaps not everyone.
“Gren?”
Marla.
Ah. Of course. If anyone would be able to put aside their prejudices and take such a leap of faith, who else but Hal's own mother?
Do not decide now, Io urged. Give it some thought. Someone is approaching. Let us speak of this later.
Kate nodded, turning around in time to see Gren come striding up.
“Still hiding back here? Are the Peltins that terrifying?”
“No, I was just leveling up. I'm level three now. Impressed yet?”
“Blown away,” he said dryly. “Come on. The food's not ready yet but I've been talking to the others about what to do with you in the morning.” He eyed her up and down. “Hmph. At least you don't look like some bedraggled rat I fished out of the mud anymore.”
Kate rolled her eyes and fell in step behind him as he led the way back to the table. She didn't even have the heart to voice a retort.
She was too busy trying to figure out how to bring up her idea with Marla without getting kicked out on her ass.
