DRIFA

> [Fight Room cleared.]

Flinching I look up. A while ago my eyes had dried up and I didn’t have anything left to do. Before I look around for him I try to at least make myself a little more dignified.

I swear these must be icicles at this point.

Grabbing the frozen tears on my face I try to pull it off but it’s stuck.

I don’t want to tear my eyelids out…

Not seeing any other option I slowly pull it off of my skin.

Ow!

They both come off eventually while I strain to not let any other tears fall from pain this time.

“Exfoliating is good for you, right? I hope the skin isn’t too red.” I try to cheer myself up, and then look up to where Ismund is again.

I wish I could’ve done something to help. He looks so tired. , I don’t think I could’ve done anything useful. and I suppose I didn’t get chased or get in the way. So that’s something.

Looking around I realize there aren’t any more monsters, and slowly walk over to Ismund. As I get closer I can see he’s messed up. Fresh cuts, bruises, and blood everywhere.

Involuntarily lifting a hand to my mouth I gag a bit at the sight of him, as well as the creature next to him.

That’s horrible. And that thing must’ve had the highest blood pressure known to man, That’s quite the spray.

Eyes trailing away from the stab wound I can see its face which already seems to be decaying. It had large eyes black as coal. The weirdest thing was its teeth. They seemed to be fused into one point that looked closer to the ice at the tip.

Ah, right, ‘frostbite’.

At a certain point, I stop walking forward.

I’m just giving him room. Heh, yep. Not from feeling awkward from sitting behind crying and not doing anything or something. I’m not feeling awkward. Pfft.

Looking away guiltily I purse my lips.

I did nothing to help, cried, and still don’t know how to help and I have the title [Help].

Holding the sides of my face with my hands I feel like I’m dying a bit on the inside.

I turn back towards Ismund out of the side of my eyes with a thin frown on my face and then look away hoping he didn’t notice. After doing this a few times I just feel like I’m shaking my head no and stop myself.

Wait no, I don’t know what to do here.

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I just shake my head to myself while rubbing my fingertips together nervously.

Well, it’s not like he’s going to do anything to me (I think) and it’s just gonna be a stalemate until one of us speaks up. Little steps, right?

Making up my mind I decide to walk up towards him again and hope he didn’t notice the pause from earlier.

Please, please, please!

“Why’d you stop?”

Darn.

“Well uhm I uh… I was umm,” shrinking back on myself I answer quietly, “I was scared, okay?”Ismund just keeps looking me in the eye for further response. If that’s what he wants

that’s what he’ll get!

Deciding to just speak my mind I scrunch up my face and let it pour out, “It’s not like I decided to go in this dungeon. It’s your fault I’m here. Why do you expect me to do anything else? I have a butter knife and cold tolerance, and what does that get me in a dungeon full of killer rabbits? Me being in here is contributing don’t you think? Bah! You should thank me for even coming in!” I finish gesticulating wildly.

I never really cared much for what’s been happening but now that I’m here, where I could die, I have to take it more seriously.

Frowning deeply he pauses for a bit, probably to collect his thoughts. Seemingly done he clenches his jaw and looks over his shoulder just enough to look me dead in the eye, which I sheepishly avoid while scowling.

“You said you’re scared and it seems like you’re blaming me for your situation-”

“Of course I blame you! Aren’t you the one who sent me over here with that System? Aren’t you the one who brought me into the dungeon with no prior information or training?” Huffing I cross my arms.

Wincing in pain, Ismund moves to look toward me a bit more despite his numerous injuries. After taking a breath he kept his composure, to my disappointment.

Can’t get much of anything out of that guy unless you destroy his whole village and make him think he’s alone. He should at least feel guilty.

“No. You decided to go with me, I gave you food, shelter, and clothes and kept you away from the monsters that are our current society and the actual beasts. You could’ve left if you wanted to. You didn’t.”

Trying to come up with an answer I voice, “Well, I um. I don’t want to be here at all. The dungeon.”

“What is the alternative?”

Throwing up my hands I respond“I don’t know! I just wish I didn’t have to do all of this. But I don’t want to join the people who are siding with the invaders.”

Slumping in on myself I try not to be emotional and make more eye-cicles.

“You have to choose one or the other, there’s no in-between.” He states rather hardly.

“I want to fight them,… but,” sniffing I recollect myself, “I don’t think I can do anything other than die in here. I don’t want to side with monsters but I don’t want to die either!”

“First of all, you won’t die because I want to finish this thing with some decent progress and your dying would set that back, so suck it up. Second of all, if you want to fight back against anything you have to work for it and work hard. It necessitates development in character. If you’re so afraid then be afraid of the repercussions from a lack of courage.”

I give him a quizzical squint.

Sighing, closing his eyes in exasperation, he elaborates, “If you have courage you can kill the monster, without courage you run away. If you run away from the rabbit, ahem, monster, then you will eventually die. So you could have ‘courage’ by being afraid of dying since that’s your only other option.”

Turning back to where he was, Ismund eats some jerky and waves me away.

Taking the cue I decide to walk into the tiny forest and sit down and sigh.

Time to figure out that conversation.

“Whoopy,” I mumble to myself.

Well, I mean Ismund isn’t the most pleasant conversationalist, no matter what it’s about. Thinking back on it, I guess I might be wrong but just a tad. I mean I did decide to follow him, but he still made me go skip ahead in time when I shouldn’t, right System?

> [Ismund was given multiple reward choices, one option was help. System chose you as the best candidate, System is beginning to think that was a mistake according to data.]

My face falls, and my eyes widen.

What now? Like I mean I guess he chose help, but the System selected me. It’s not really like he knew what he was getting into. Why me? Couldn’t it be some object or other person who’s more competent?

> [Negative. Ismund posses’ all of the blessed artifacts that are not corrupted in this time period. User Drifa would not impact the timeline from what would’ve been her imminent death as soon as the world was integrated into the System.]

How would I have died!?

[User Drifa is not privy to that information. Access denied.]

Harrumphing and crossing my arms I move on.

So I guess it wasn’t all his fault or something. But I don’t think it’s mine either since I didn’t join the monsters and stuff. I guess you have to work harder when you make the right decision sometimes right?

With that conclusion, I breathe out a misty sigh.

You win some you lose some.

Deciding to think back on his ‘you need courage and stuff’ statement I think.

I am afraid of dying, but does that mean that I can just become super courageous out of nowhere and dive head-first into battle? Ehhh, no.

Pursing my lips I try to come to some sort of helpful conclusion.

But yeah, I will die if don’t fight but the reason why I avoid fights in the first place is because I know I’m going to get hit. I’m not going to charge into a battlefield full tilt without any prior training. But it is kind of lame to just watch, even if it makes sense.

Wincing I finish the thought.

I can try to go on the field, but only if Ismund tells me what to do other than ‘don’t get in my way or die’ like last time. But if he doesn’t, then I’m not going anywhere. No way.

So in conclusion he’s kinda right and kinda wrong.

I nod to myself in satisfaction. And feel a bit despairing from my conclusion.

Peeking over the shrubs I look over at Ismund who’s done eating and not doing anything else now.

I guess I can see if we’re doing anything else. Hopefully, he isn’t mad at me.

I frown in thought. Probably not, nothing seemed to get through him and if something was bothering him he probably would’ve said so.