Isabelle stood there naked before the cabin in shock, her towel unfurling at her feet.
She was not prepared for this.
The Phoenixborn was standing naked too, facing the wall.
Okay, he wasn't completely naked. Isabelle could see as some of the steam cleared that he was wearing cloth trousers. But he was shirtless, and his fiery, feathery back was on full display. He was groaning in what sounded like some strange cross between ecstasy and agony.
"Um, are you okay?" asked Isabelle.
"Huh?" said the Phoenixborn. He turned around quickly.
Isabelle, startled, bent over to snatch her towel off the ground and quickly wrap herself back up. She heard a whistle from behind her, though she wasn't sure if it was the halfling or Tahsi Junior that had caught a cheeky glimpse of her.
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry," said Isabelle. "This is so embarrassing."
"It's fine!" said the Phoenixborn. "Don't be embarrassed. At least of that, anyway, it was an honest mistake."
Isabelle rolled her eyes as she remembered the systemic torture that had required her to take a shower in the first place and blushed. Then, she noticed that the Phoenixborn's arms were glowing a fiery red-orange hue, and that they were wrapped in leather bracers that were tied to gears suspended on the wall behind him.
"Woah!" said Isabelle. "What's up with all that mess?"
"The airship harnesses my phoenix powers to fly, remember?" said the Phoneixborn.
"Oh," said Isabelle. She walked a little closer to him. "Is it painful?"
"No," he said. "Actually, it feels like... well... sex, I guess."
"Wow. Okay," said Isabelle. She backed away. "I get it. I guess."
She turned her back and began walking back to the deck. The Phoenixborn sighed deeply.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
The Phoenixborn's eyes were closed and his breathing slow. "You've been using those skills too much."
Isabelle glanced at his body again, still covered in fiery orange skin and feathery scales.
"You saw my system notification?" Isabelle asked.
"How could I not?" groaned the Phoenixborn.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"What does it say, then?" asked Isabelle, with a raised eyebrow. "You don't have to tell me, but... do you mind if I know?"
"No, it doesn't matter," said the Phoenixborn. He reached down and began to pull his trousers down. Isabelle felt herself freeze. Her eyes widened with fear as the Phoenixborn's muscular, feathery, sweaty upper body was revealed to her, even though the Phoenixborn still hadn't moved or made a sound. "Sorry. I had a wedgie."
"You know, it kind of does matter what the notification says," said Isabelle. "Actually, it really matters. Because if you can really see my system notifications, well... you know what that means."
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"So tell me what it says," said Isabelle.
"Fine," said the Phoenixborn. "It says you're ready to level up."
"Well look at that. I guess you're in my party now, aren't you?" asked Isabelle.
"Yes," said the Phoenixborn with a sigh. "I guess I am. You can stop trying to pretend you're not embarrassed by my body now."
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
Isabelle rolled her eyes again. "Oh no, no. I'm totally not embarrassed. But you know what this means, right?"
"It means you can stop trying to hide from me," said the Phoenixborn. "And stop pretending we're not together."
"Yeah..."
"We're not together," repeated the Phoenixborn. "But I want to be." [Notice: you're ready to level up]
Isabelle was quiet for a moment. "Okay," she said. She turned around to face him again and took a step forward so their faces were nearly touching. "Wait a second. What do you mean?"
"What do you think I mean?" asked the Phoenixborn.
"Well... I mean..." Isabelle looked around the room aimlessly as she tried to collect her thoughts. For some reason, her mind was feeling more and more like mush. "Aren't you already in my party now, though?"
"Well, yes, but--"
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"So we are together, then," said Isabelle. "As in, we've both got my system. But watch it, or I'll kick you out!"
"Oookay, well, I don't know why you're acting that way, but if it makes you feel better..." the Phoenixborn pulled his trousers back up a little bit.
"Won't that give you a wedgie again?" asked Isabelle.
"...Nevermind the wedgie. I've suffered far worse things," said the Phoenixborn melodramatically. He stared off into the steamy fog of the room wistfully, as if he was waiting for a message from a homing pigeon that would never come.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"Isabelle!" cried the shrill voice of Tahsi Junior from outside of the cabin. "Isabelle! Come quick! We've got a problem!"
Isabelle rolled her eyes. Yet another thing that would surely prevent her from leveling up.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"Thanks for helping us fly, Phoenixborn," said Isabelle.
"It's Ryzer," said the Phoenixborn. "My name is Ryzer Feathersworth."
"Feathersworth?" Isabelle snorted with laughter. "It's a family name," said the Phoenixborn in a huff. "Isabelle! Please come!" cried Tahsi Junior. [Notice: you're ready to level up]
"Bye, Mister Feathersworth," said Isabelle with a smirk. "Talk to you later."
"...Just call me Ryze, Isabelle," said the Phoenixborn.
Isabelle walked out of the cabin and back onto the deck of the airship. She noticed that the sky had grown windier, choppier, and grayer.
"Is a storm coming?" she asked Tahsi Junior.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"Probably," said the dragon-kobold. "This is the kind of weather it tends to be like here. There's no rain, though. At least not yet. But that's not why I called you out."
"Oh?" said Isabelle. "Then what's the issue?"
"That," said Tahsi Junior. He pointed a scaly finger forward through the sky. Isabelle saw what looked to be three more airships heading towards them.
"Shit!" said Isabelle.
"Yea, I'll say," said Tahsi Junior. "They're all flying the same flag as this one, too. Which could be a good sign, or a bad one, depending on how you look at it."
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"What the hell do you mean by that?" asked Isabelle.
"Well--" Tahsi Junior cleared his throat, "--on one hand, they could think we're on their side. Surely they're Red Serpent airships, so I mean they might definitely possibly think we're part of the Red Serpent too. But on the other hand, they might realize that we're actually not part of the Red Serpent, and then they might kill us. I don't really know what they know or how convincing we've been. It
can't help that none of us are wearing Red Serpent armor, for starters."
"So..." Isabelle paused, "...they might decide for themselves that we're enemies based on our appearance? And I can see both sides of it!"
"I guess... that's true," said Tahsi Junior, with his tongue between his teeth and an odd grin. It was almost like he wasn't trying to smile in the first place, but it somehow turned into a sort of snigger anyway.
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"Why do you look so smug?" asked Isabelle.
"Just thinking about why you had to take that shower earlier," said Tahsi Junior.
Isabelle scowled. She certainly didn't want Tahsi Junior thinking of her in such a manner.
"I mean, that must've taken you quite a while!"
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"You have no idea," muttered Isabelle, looking away. She knew her face had flushed slightly, and she could feel herself start to heat up again. It only got worse when Tahsi Junior began laughing.
"Sorry, I should be taking this seriously," said Tahsi Junior. "We might be in deep shit--heh, deep shit--once these airships get a little closer to us."
[Notice: you're ready to level up]
"How long will it take?" asked Isabelle. "I don't know, like, five minutes?"
"Perfect," said Isabelle. She thought, 'Open Character Sheet.' After all, if she was going to have to fight people, she definitely didn't want to leave a level up on the back burner.
[Congratulations, you’ve reached level 38]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend] [Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 26
Hp:
371
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
191
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
186
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Isabelle was happy she’d get twenty six points this time. She decided to put ten to mana, ten to stm, and six to hp.
Skill Points to Spend: 26
Str:
105
Int:
90
Dx:
105
Wis:
73
Const:
77
Char:
69
This was always tricky. Isabelle decided she’d put ten to str, ten to dx, three to const, and three to wis.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Level:
38
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
377
H-Regen:
3/30sec
Mana:
201
M-Regen:
2/40sec
Stm:
196
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
115
Int:
90
Dx:
115
Wis:
76
Const:
80
Char:
69
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
3
Summon:
2
Heal:
3
Destroy:
13
Transmute:
2
Confuse:
3
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
8
Sneak:
12
Archery:
11
Lockpick:
3
Armed Combat:
18
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
15
Sleight Of Hand:
6
Isabelle smiled. Nothing felt better than leveling up. Now that she’d finished that, she could pay more attention to the issue at hand.
“How close do the airships look now?” she asked Tahsi Junior.
“Hell, I don’t know, why don’t you ask the guy who knows how to fly an airship?” said Tahsi Junior, gesturing to the halfling, who was turning a large, wooden steering wheel in the distance. “Oh, by the way, you don’t want a sandwich, do you?”
“What?!” Isabelle said.
“I just want to practice my sandwich making skills,” said Tahsi Junior. “Is that such a crime?”
Isabelle rolled her eyes and walked over to Jopher the halfling.
“Should we be concerned about those airships, Jopher?” asked Isabelle.
“Oh, gods yes,” said Jopher. “These ships are from the Red Serpent, and those crazy OverQueens want you dead as a doorknob, Isabelle. Either that, or they want you to join them or make love to them or gods forbid something else even more terrible!” He turned to Isabelle, taking his eyes off the skies.
“I'm here to tell you what’s going on, Isabelle. We can either fight them back to protect this ship, or we can run like little girls and let them take it and then come back later when we're strong enough for battle. But one way or the other, they're going to win if we fight right now, and we can't really afford to let that happen, especially now that we’re all in your party. It's bad luck. Plus, I really like being alive.”
Isabelle was surprised at the level of insight Jopher had into the situation. She looked at Tahsi Junior for confirmation, who gave a shrug that said, 'Well, it was worth a try.'
Then, Isabelle got really, really irritated.
“Are you fucking kidding me on this?!” she said, glaring at her new party members. “That’s some of the most defeatist, negative, and useless shit I have ever heard come out of someone's mouth! What the fuck is wrong with you? We’ve just met! How could you know anything about me after one conversation? Or two, even? Who are any of you to give me advice?!”
Isabelle paused and then continued, her voice dripping with acid, "This is how we're gonna play this? You think there's a possibility that I might not want to fight back against these people who, fucking news flash, want us dead? Do you seriously think there's some reason to believe we're weak and helpless losers? That somehow we need saving? I'm sick and tired of that shit! I don't know any of you!
We barely exchanged a few words, and even before that I bet you were all just talking shit behind my back!"
Jopher stared at Isabelle in amazement.
"That wasn't a question," said Isabelle. “It was a fucking statement. And if anyone is an asshole in here, it's you, so please, by all means, enlighten me as to why we should go along with your shitty suggestions and be happy with them, okay?"
The party stared at Isabelle as she finished up her tirade and sat down on the floor in shock at herself. She had never spoken to a group like that before and was completely caught off guard.
After a minute or two, Tahsi Junior stood up, walked over to Isabelle, and kneeled next to her.
“Isabelle. Look. We understand that you’ve slayed dragons and giants and that you defeated the Overlord, okay?” he said. “But we just don’t want to die. We’re afraid of dying. Why aren’t you?”
Isabelle thought about how she would have replied had someone asked her that question back when she’d first reincarnated into Beaubinte, when her whole world had fallen apart.
“Because I didn’t know that I had a choice. I was scared, I was trapped, and I couldn’t escape what was happening. I was terrified! But I learned to get rid of that fear and embrace it for what it is: the thing that allows us to survive, once you convert it to anger and bloodlust!” said Isabelle, feeling inspired by herself. “Now that I do have a choice, I don’t intend to be afraid of anything! And if I am, then so fucking what?! I'll be scared and take my chances and kick their ass, because at this point I know what will happen. It's either fight now and get the hell out of here, or stay and end up dead and hated anyway! So, yeah, I'm scared. And if anyone else here has the balls to tell me different, they can kiss my fucking ass!”
Tahsi Junior and Jopher looked between one another anxiously.
“Total mage of shadows talk right there,” said Jopher. “Truth,” said Tahsi Junior.
“Oh, why don’t you two go suck a bag full of cock, you assholes?” said Isabelle, glaring at them. She stood up and started pacing around the deck in circles. Then she stopped and stared down at Tahsi Junior again.
"Okay, well. That was a bit of an outburst. Maybe I've got some shit to work through here myself." Isabelle paused a second, staring off into the distance. "I guess I could use this as a moment to reflect, so, like...let's give this some time?"
[Combat mode activated]
"Fucking seriously?!" said Isabelle, immediately devolving back to her angry, frustrated state. In fact, she was only doubly frustrated now, because she was forced to stand in a defensive, combat-prepared posture no matter the move she made.
Before Isabelle could expand on why exactly she was so irritated, a cannonball soared through the air.
Isabelle turned her head and saw it coming straight for her, but the shot passed over her, hitting the wall of the vessel with a loud explosion that threw dust and debris onto everyone's faces.
A second cannon ball zipped through the air, passing over Isabelle's head, then two more, one after the other. Each shot slammed into the walls of the ship or the side of the airship and exploded. The third shot struck the front wall of the ship, sending pieces of wood and canvas everywhere.
"Fuck!" said Jopher. "This ship isn't fucking made for this many hits! We need to start taking out some of those airships, and fast! And maybe do something about those cannons, too, before more ships show up or something."
"That'll be easier said than done," said Tahsi Junior. "After all, I've got terrible indigestion from that sandwich, and I'm sure that it's going to negatively affect my battle focus."
"I don't think it can get any worse," said Jopher as he wiped his face with his handkerchief again. "But that's just me. And I've only just met you, so what do I know?"
"Oh! Oh!" Isabelle shouted, jumping up and down a little. "I just had an idea!"
"Okay," said Jopher with a frown as he looked over at Isabelle with his eyebrows raised skeptically. "Mind telling us what it is?"
"Tahsi Junior, can't you fly?" Isabelle asked the dragon-kobold. "Uh, yea?" said Tahsi Junior. "But why?"
Before Isabelle could elaborate further, yet another barrage of cannon fire soared through the air and struck a hole in the ship's hull near where Isabelle stood a second ago. She ducked down to avoid getting hit again.
"Dammit!" shouted Jopher as he ran over to where Isabelle had been standing and looked through the hole in the hull. "What are you two doing? Helping with this whole fucking situation would be really nice. It's a real pain in the ass to steer a ship with fifty holes in it!"
"Mage of shadows! Isabelle, mage of shadows! We have you surrounded!" said a loud, booming voice from one of the airships. "Surrender to the Red Serpent and be spared! You have no chance against us."
"Oh," said Tahsi Junior with his mouth open in surprise when he heard that voice. "That's a good thing, right?"
"Yes," said Isabelle with a nod as she stood up again. "It is." She turned around to look at Jopher and Tahsi Junior with an annoyed expression on her face before turning back around and start walking
forward again on the deck of the ship. She cleared her throat and screamed back at the airship spokesman: "Why are you fucking antagonizing us? Whose side are you on? If you weren't aware, I've still got a quest request from the Red Serpent to join them and their evil ways. Why are you attacking me? Also, what in the hell do you mean, you have us surrounded? All three of your ships are directly in front of ours!"
The booming voice from the closest airship grew a little uncertain. "Erm. Well. You never accepted the quest request, so the queens were feeling a little offended. Also, you stole one of our ships and converted two of our men to your party, which is pretty bitchy if we're being honest."
"Oh! Oh!" Isabelle shouted as she turned around and started running back towards Tahsi Junior and Jopher again, then she turned back to face the voice booming from the airship and bellowed. "I didn't know that could happen! I swear! I didn't know that could happen! How much gold do we owe you for those men? We'll pay double if we have to!"
"That's... an interesting question," responded the voice from the nearest airship. "Although we would probably consider that payment in full if you came with us willingly."
"Come with you?" Isabelle scowled. "I don't want to come with anyone!"
Tahsi Junior snickered.
"What?!" Isabelle said to him. "What's so funny?!"
"Oh, nothing..." said Tahsi Junior.
Before any more bickering could take place, yet another cannonball shot into the side of the airship.
"Jesus Christ!" said Isabelle.
"A what sus who now?" said Jopher.
"Oh, never fucking--"
Before Isabelle could finish her sentence, the sound of a cocking rung in her ears as a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of Isabelle's neck.
"Don't make a move or I'll crit you to fucking death, mage of shadows," said the voice of the false prince of Sharithlond. "And then, after that, I'll kill your little horse too, beautiful though he may be."
"Balls," said Tahsi Junior.