“‘Samantha leaned in, hands on her desk, face inches from mine. “I would risk every dime for you,” she said.’” Lelly closed the book she'd been reading aloud.
“Wow,” Thesa said. She sat on the floor holding her poor little Yabba. The Nest Walker’s injuries had recovered but it was still lethargic.
“Right?!” Lelly said, giddy to share one of her favorite book series.
“That was pretty good, but the names seem kind of weird,” Thesa pondered. “Like the author just took real names like ‘Zamantha’ and ‘Shanom’ and swapped letters around until they got something they liked.”
“That's pretty common in mundane fiction, although different authors have different preferences. Some mun-fi writers even go so far as to build entire fictional languages, but that can take a lot of work,” Lelly explained.
“But wait,” Thesa said, “If Samantha is the [Office Core] and Shannon is her [Employee], isn't that kind of unethical?”
Lelly nodded. “To me, that's part of why the books are so unrealistic. They're pure flights of fancy. If it were set in the real world with magic and monsters, I could see myself expecting it to more closely align with realistic morality, but the line is different for everyone.”
“If I were an author,” Lelly added as if she hadn't written staggering amounts of secret fanfiction, “I would want readers to be able to ask questions and think critically about the ethical models and implications of my story while also recognizing that fiction is a space for play. Not everything has a one-to-one allegorical meaning.”
Thesa nodded in return. “Back at the Convent, there were a lot of arguments about which texts were acceptable for reading and which should be rejected. I guess outside of very particular religious and institutional contexts, our personal relationships to books aren't worth moralizing.”
“Honest, there are still certain tropes and stories that leave a bad taste in my mouth and its pretty undeniable that fiction has an impact on the world around us,” Lelly said. “There are lines, but at the same time, it's hard to generalize. Plus, a trope that might be harmful in one context isn't necessarily harmful in all contexts.”
“You've put a lot of thought into this?” Thesa asked.
“I used to spend way too much time on the [Forums] arguing with people about light novels and stuff. I think it was mostly an outlet for real life anxieties I was dealing with.”
“What is a [Forum]?” Thesa asked.
“It's one of the functions of the [System] but you can only use it in places that have the proper magic runes set up. It lets you talk with people from all over. I have been meaning to set one up here but I keep putting it off. IBMC has them set up all over campus.”
“Weird,” Thesa nodded. “Do most people know about it?”
“I'm not sure I'm the best judge of that kind of thing, but I think the [Forums] are fairly popular,” Lelly said.
“I keep feeling like an outsider, unfamiliar with so much about the world,” Thesa sighed. “I guess the Convent education wasn't exactly well rounded.”
As the conversation lulled, Thesa's momentary distraction faded and her mind returned to the horrors of reality. Three days had passed with only the occasional brief message from Merijest with a [Floor] number. Earlier that morning, she was on [Floor] 45.
The wyrmic form that Merijest had taken when Thesa last saw her had looked painful. Sounded painful. Thesa got the idea that it took a lot out of her. She worried how long the demoness might have stayed in that state for the sake of survival.
Lelly could see her friend's mood dipping. “Want to play another round of Ant Hill?”
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“I don't know,” Thesa said. “I think I need to do something else. We've already played that one a lot.”
“Hmm,” Lelly thought before hopping up. “How about you follow me on my rounds? It could be nice to stretch your legs.”
Thesa considered the discomfort of wading through the watery [Dungeon Floor]. She supposed it was better than continuing to sit around in the same three rooms.
Yabba let out a small creek, and Thesa’s attention turned to her [Minor Familiar]. “Does the baby need some peace and quiet?” she asked in a sing-song voice. Then, to Lelly she said, “Let me get Yabba comfortable and I’ll be ready.”
***
As Lelly led her through the [Floor], Thesa dragged her feet and ruminated. The [Familiars] were resting back at the dorm.
“Thesa,” Lelly said, not making eye contact because neither of them was a big fan of that. “It might be helpful to talk about your feelings.”
Thesa moaned, but ultimately decided she would try.
“This all feels pointless,” she said, pausing every few words out of frustration or just in search of the will to keep talking. “I don't know why I thought we had any chance… I'm stuck at Level 3…Merijest's powers are weaker because I helped the Convent destroy all of her [Familiars] before she saved me. And…I can't even get much experience because the [Dungeon] hasn't repopulated the monsters on this [Floor].” Then she added, “And I would probably feel bad killing monsters at this point anyways.”
Lelly turned around. “I don't know if you'd be interested, but I think I could actually help with part of that.”
***
In the biggest chamber on the [Floor], Thesa stood ready with her halberd. Lelly sat floating atop the water on the other end.
“Like I said, this is a new spell, and they'll be pretty low level, but…yeah that's all I have to say,” the naiad said.
Thesa nodded. It was the best choice she had.
Lelly stuck her hand into the murk and pulled out an orb of water like a reverse bubble. With a brief chant, she threw the orb. It spun through the air and took the blocky shape of a Water Construct.
Thesa swung her halberd, striking through the creature with a splash. The Water Construct's form rippled but it remained intact.
“Ok, Bubblo, use [Aqua Blast]!” Lelly shouted.
Lelly didn’t need to give a name or verbal commands to the creature, but she had told Thesa it was a reference to a board game or something.
Bubblo the Water Construct aimed one of its rectangular arms toward Thesa and a high-pressure stream of water bolted across the chamber, knocking Thesa back.
Thesa tried to maintain that bit of distance, using the reach of her halberd to get in another strike.
“Now, use [Mega Wave]!” Lelly shouted, jumping onto her feet as she did.
The water level at Thesa’s feet lowered as a large wave swelled and arched up before knocking her over.
Trying to match Lelly's energy, Thesa stood up and shouted, “[Miasmic Slash]!” Her halberd was enveloped in a purple haze as she hit Bubblo again.
“I don't think Water Constructs can be poisoned,” Lelly said.
“I know,” Thesa said. “I just thought it might look cool.” She hadn’t gotten a lot of chances to use her [Witch] abilities in combat before this.
“It did look cool,” Lelly replied.
Thesa smiled. Having something to focus on. This was helping.
For the rest of the day, Thesa faced off against various Water Constructs. Lelly even got creative with their shapes. She made one in the shape of a Frogfish and another like a Minor Dragon. By the evening, Thesa had reached Level 4.
The failed encounter with the Knights had been worth a lot of experience points. Depending on how much longer Merijest took to return, scrimmaging against Lelly's Water Constructs might help her get through a few more lower Levels. Each successive Level required more experience, so eventually this approach would slow to a complete crawl.
In Merijest's absence, Thesa looked to the [System] for her new perks and abilities. Level 4 granted another spell. She opted for [Strength of Winged Boar] which would temporarily skyrocket her [Strength] and by extension her weapon damage. She also gained extra [Mana] which would increase the number spells she could cast in a short time.
“Lelly, thanks for all your help,” Thesa said as the pair re-entered the dorm. “Not just today, but the whole time I've been here.”
“No problem,” Lelly frowned with her eyes, but smiled with her mouth (not that Thesa could read the expression). “It's nice having company here even if the circumstances are not really ideal.”