8550 Exp available, 25 cycles till next payment
-50 Exp for Dragon Blight Suppressor Dose
Out the door, she takes a breath. Dagnit said to go to Central Line. She huffs out the breath she had pulled in. Against her better judgement she headed to the lifts. I mean if she is waiting there that means I am free to join another group. Her hand hovers over the lifts panel. She sighs.
The door opens to the Central Line. A street of various businesses. Each sports a price at just the level of enticing but only if you decide to not eat for a month. Damn it, she hadn't said where though. Zelda begins to walk forward. Choosing south instead of north. The cheaper prices were south.
She scans the windows as she goes. An armor shop. A weapons shop. Implants. Cafe. Cat in cafe. Bar. Wait a second. Zelda backs up and finds the calico. Dagnit waves at her. She fumes but walks over.
“Aw why are you putting off angry smells at me now.” Dagnit purrs from her seat.
“Angry smells? Nevermind. You didn't tell me where we were meeting.” Zelda feels a rant coming on.
“Working on your socialization, pet.” Zelda glares at Dagnit, she just laughs. “We got system mail for a reason.” A plate of eggs, toast and sausage is placed in front of Zelda. It earns Dagnit another annoyed stare. “Oh stuff your balance bullshit, I'm still paying. They call this—”
“I know what breakfast is, Dagnit.” The retort is just met with a smile. Seeing her not saying anything else, Zelda starts eating. My balanced life is at an end.
“You know, if you feed a stray for three days you have a pet.” Dagnit appears to be attempting to annoy Zelda.
“Is that supposed to be a curse or something?” Zelda replies with a mouthful. Her attempt at revenge.
Dagnit just smiles and thinks about it. Then nods, “Yes, pet ownership is a curse. One day there will be a parting of great sorrow.”
Zelda stops her bad manners for a moment. Huh. Then returns to shoveling food into her mouth. That just elicits a bark of laughter from Dagnit. Dogs are supposed to bark, not cats. A hand reaches for Zelda toast. Zelda defends her bread, her hand darts over it. It seems Dagnit's goal wasn't the toast but the hand itself. A claw enters the top of Zelda's hand. She winces. The f—
“Speaking of curses, every time you lie to me it creates a desire to be truthful in the evening.”
A sigil spreads out on Zelda hand, her eyes grow wide as it then is sucked into her wound. She doesn't have a moment to understand what is going on when her heart clenches.
“What the hell did you just do to me?”
Dagnit looks at her like she is an idiot. She earns another glare.
“A demonstration then. Last night you were disappointed when I said I was disgusted with you, yes?” Zelda glare grows. Her heart clenches again. I didn't even answer. It feels like a weight is added when she doesn't answer. A new grin emerges from Dagnit. “Body language is an answer, too. Do keep your emotions in check, pet. Now then, is it true you want to kill dragons?”
Another glare, another heart clench. That was clearly an affirmative glare, curse. “Yes.” The heart releases. Seems I can get released if I answer truthfully.
“Why?”
“Do I need to even…ahhhh…they destroyed Earth...damn it…they killed my mother and brother, seriously, that's not enough?” Dagnit raises an eyebrow, bemused at Zelda antics, “Look, I loved the idea of dragons until that day and then real ones showed up and destroyed everything I truly loved.”
“Ah a child's betrayal, and a childish reaction to what is essentially a force of nature. I thought it was called Arth?” Dagnit nods.
“Seriously, your judging my truama…ahhh…Really? No it's Earth, I don't know why the translation keeps removing the E.”
This curse sucks. Not answering any question she directs at me causes my heart to clench.
“Ah, it happens from time to time. For an apology for cursing you, pet. Some contacts.” Dagnit places them in front of Zelda. Zelda eyes them suspiciously. “Don't trust me?”
“Of course not.” Zelda heart clenches. She keeps a straight face. The hell if I let her think I do. The clench releases on her foolishness. The curse's weight grows. Zelda rolls her eyes, “What are they supposed to do?”
A knowing smile greets the question, “They make your eye look normal, can't be going around with one eye shut all the time, pet.” Another glare greets the end of Dagnit sentence. “What, don't like me calling you ‘pet’?” She purrs out.
“No.” The strong rebuke doubles the curse's weight. It elicits a laugh. “This is so unfair.”
Dagnit shrugs, “I find it helpful to cut through the bullshit at times.”
“Really, I would think it would just make people hate you.”
Another shrug, “Do you hate me, pet?”
Damn it.
-----
“Says here you were already evaluated, only the first test is free. A thousand exp for another.” The insectoid with Bob on his name tag says.
Zelda gives an annoyed look at Dagnit. “Don't act like you aren't hoping it has changed?”
“Yes but not at a thousand exp hoping.” Her heart clenches a little. “Fine.”
-1000 Exp for Aspect Evaluation Test
Zelda puts her hand into a clear ball.
“Just push your mana into the device.” ‘Bob’ says.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
She rolls her eyes, she remembers how hopeful she was the last time. Now she just dreads that the answer is the same as before. A disappointment and consoling from her father. His recklessness grew after his daughter turned out to be a dud. Didn't want me to be forever tied down to this planet. I would have preferred having a father to no debt. The orb goes dark. Just like last time. Bob looks at the tablet, blanches and is about to say something when he looks to his right. He clears his throat and delivers his verdict. “No aspect.”
Damn it, that's a thousand exp for something I already knew. Dagnit snatches the tablet from his hands and looks at it herself. “Ah Red Deliverance has been naughty, they didn't want you to know you have a space aspect. What's wrong, does the corp not want her to know just how badly they screwed her?”
The insectoid appears to be trying to make himself look smaller, “I'm just doing my job, ma'am.”
Zelda grows increasingly angry. Dagnit continues, “No telling her her aspect was your job. You are covering for someone's malicious act from before. Since you failed to do your job, certainly you will refund her, yes?”
Before he can say anything, Dagnit pushes buttons on the tablet.
+1000 exp refund
“Let's go, pet.”
She drags a visibly shaking Zelda out the door. Zelda hadn't gotten a word out, her anger just grew. She tears herself away from Dagnit and begins to start walking towards the evaluation center.
“Your anger is not at the drone, Zelda.” Dagnit says in an even voice.
Zelda whips her head around, the hatred is visible, “They killed my father with that lie.”
“That may be so, but that drone is only two years old. Do you truly think he was the one who wronged you?”
“He tried to perpetuate it.” Her heart clenches. Why? The anger drains out of her. Why can't I blame him?
“Come Zelda, I feel you could do with some sanctioned violence.”
-----
Gain 2 Exp from party kill
The Kobold falls.
+1 Agi
Agi is now 11
Zelda hustles over the two fighting Dagnit. Her sword enters one in the back. Dagnit slays the other.
Gain 2 Exp from party kill
Gain 2 Exp from party kill
“Does it not feel good to release your stress?” Dagnit purrs out.
Annoyed Zelda retorts, “I've only replaced my anger for fear, I don't want another lecture from Pamulur. At least I got a stat up.”
Dagnit barks out another laugh, “Oh which one?
“Agi.” Zelda says with a bit of defeat.
“Good to be faster and surer in movement. You will need it when we get to the four packs.”
She is not serious is she?
-----
“Are we seriously going to fight four?” Zelda says after the last three pack died.
“Why not? Do you think you can get out of having me take on two the entire time?”
“No, but you're at a higher level than me.”
“Your debt does make it impossible to level, yes?”
I think she is intentionally making everything a question. Zelda gives an exasperated wheeze, “I have a stipend, I could technically level now.”
“So why aren't you?”
Zelda grows annoyed, “It's all the exp I get this month, if I spend it all I starve. I planned to buy some if their exp left over at the end of the month. Which you're not helping by making me pay for keys.” Can't believe she made me buy today's key as well.
“Thats our dynamic. I feed you, you buy keys.” Zelda growls at Dagnit, the cat ignores her and continues, “Zelda, buy some levels. You're a fool to wait. You can do more with more levels.” But I could starve. Dagnit, as if hearing her words. “You can do math right? Just stop buying keys before you run out of your exp.”
Zelda frowns, “I don't want to spend points on str and agi though. How is that going to help fight oversized space lizards?”
“Planning on just being a sitting duck, pet? Ships don't move themselves you know. What are you going to do if your body is too slow to input your commands?”
Zelda minces her hands, “I was planning on getting a mind spike.”
“A mind spike, one you have no exp to buy one and two do you plan to just forever be tied to one type of ship. The corps don't do standards and you are looking at becoming lobotomized just to avoid making your fingers faster. You just saw how easy a corp can screw you and you're ready to sign up for a port in your head that works only for them and only until they decide it's time for planned obsolescence.”
“I mean if I can kill—.”
“Zelda, your goal is not something you will succeed in with just one ship.”
Zelda deflates at that, “Fine, how much Agi should I have for here? I still want Int and Wis for magic.”
Dagnit gives a raised eyebrow, “You didn't know you had an aspect till now, why were you buying those stats anyways?”
“I mean I could still use some magic. Why buy Str if I could just buff Str with magic.”
“Other than the muscle tearing?” Dagnit says off handed.
Zelda tilts her head, “I never hurt myself with it.”
“That's absurd you're increasing your body Str by ten percent at the moment, you should be causing damage just by exerting yourself.”
“Never happens.”
Dagnit mutters, “Is it a human thing or a Dragon Blight thing? Dragons are far too large to actually exist in an atmosphere and yet they do. Magic reinforcement seems like the only thing that would make sense.”
Zelda rolls her eyes. “Dagnit, how much Agi?”
“Sorry, twenty should be fine.”
Damn, five levels? Fine.
Spend 8 exp to level?
Assign 2 stats to confirm
Level 5
Agi raised to 13
Spend 16 exp to level?
Assign 2 stats to confirm
Level 6
Agi raised to 15
Spend 32 exp to level?
Assign 2 stats to confirm
Level 7
Agi raised to 17
Spend 64 exp to level?
Assign 2 stats to confirm
Level 8
Agi raised to 19
Spend 128 exp to level?
Assign 2 stats to confirm
Level 9
Agi raised to 20
Int raised to 13
Zelda falls to the ground when her legs give out. Shit, that hurt. Her body spasm at the rapid change she wrought to herself. Perhaps doubling Agi could have been done in steps.
“Your going to be no good for hours, I'll separate the bodies. You go crawl back to the entrance.”
Zelda frowns but she does as she is told. Only five packs. A ninety exp at most today.
-----
“This is a cheese burger.”
Zelda rolls her eyes at the cat. At least she paid for dinner. The petulant woman eats her grease in silence. The last few fights were a breeze. In some ways it made her wish she raised her Str so she could cut through them faster. The eye was responding even better now. With the meal done she gets up to leave. Her one eye was still closed.
“Zelda, don't you wish your right eye matched your left?”
The question thudded against Zelda's heart. Is she suggesting I let my blight change me further…I mean my right side is slower but it's my eye. They are the same as my father's. Zelda struggles with her truth. That her hatred was greater than her reminder.
“I do.” The truth resonates with her, even as a tear falls.
-----
Zelda lays on her bed. Her indecision gnawed at her. I already decided, it's just procrastination at this point. She gets up. She crosses the room and enters the bathroom. She grips the sink and looks down. She raises her head. Her right eye, brown, her left closed. She opens her left eye. Nothing. Guess it was only—
Pain shoots through both eyes. She is on the floor writhing as she holds both. The left burns while the right stretches. It then stops. She is breathing hard. She gets up and sees the black sclera in her right. The cat eye itself is now pale blue in both of them. There are more scales on the bridge of her nose. She sighs. At least it's not as disorienting, strange that the left one changed. Why blue?
She rummages through her pockets. The contact case comes out. She puts them in and looks up. The sclera is white now but…bleeding Dagnit left me with cat eyes.
