Unusual Enemies - A LitRPG Adventure (The Whispering Crystals, #2)

by Mills, H. C.

  Jacob shifts uncomfortably, but doesn’t object, and the decision is soon made final with everyone’s agreement.

  I look at the Major Lavi Crystal thoughtfully. ‘Suri, what would happen if I took a Stardrop and swallowed it down together with this puppy?’ I subvocalise.

  [Don’t even think about it,] she chimes in response. [Your Toughness isn’t high enough to handle that kind of pressure, so you’d probably end up blowing a hole in your stomach.]

  ‘Hmm, that’s too bad. Would I be able to handle swallowing it normally?’

  [That shouldn’t be an issue.]

  Well, there’s no time like the present. I open my mouth and immediately attempt to fit the nearly fist-sized crystal inside.

  Alec gapes at me when he notices my struggle. I just try even harder, and soon manage to get it past my teeth.

  All of a sudden, I get the feeling this was a terrible idea. I’m pretty sure this thing is stuck in there now, if for some reason I can’t absorb it.

  However, as soon as I reflexively attempt to swallow some spit, the crystal turns into a stream of Lavi, which shoots down into my stomach, and from there, floods into my meridians like a tidal wave.

  A glance at my Status Bar shows my Lavi Pool growing from 75 all the way to 94.

  Sweet!

  I quickly clear my throat and pretend like everything just went exactly according to plan. Glancing around, I notice Alec shake his head at me with a smirk, so I glare at him. He clears his throat and gets up off the couch to go back to training or something. Now, the only one who’s still looking at me funny is Jacob, who quickly looks away when our eyes meet.

  That’s right, nothing to see here.

  However, a little later, while we all gradually drift away from the couch to resume training, he approaches me.

  “Hey, ehm, Emma, could we talk?”

  What’s this now? Trying to back out of our match? Wait, or does he want to talk about what happened at the end of the Trial? Oh boy.

  I shoot him my most disarming smile, hoping it doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “Sure! What do you want to talk about?”

  He fidgets nervously. “Ehm, I meant like, alone.”

  I blink. “Eh, yeah, sure. My room okay?”

  He nods.

  I lead the way, thoughts racing through my head. If anyone looks at us weirdly for leaving together, I don’t notice it.

  I take a seat on the bed in my room, feigning nonchalance, and look at him expectantly.

  He hovers. His eyes dart around the room, and he doesn’t say anything.

  “So, what’s on your mind?” I ask finally, when my impatience overcomes my nerves.

  “Right, I guess I should just, come out and say it then.” Jacob sighs deeply, and some of the tension seems to drain from him. He shakes his head. “This feels so stupid.”

  He slides down against the wall opposite my bed and looks at me. Briefly.

  “Look, Emma, when I offered to take the door, I wasn’t, like, challenging you. It’s actually, kind of the opposite.”

  I blink and cock my head sideways. Where is he going with this?

  “You see,” he says, drawing the last word out. “I’ve been having these feelings lately, that I don’t quite understand. Somehow, I find myself, ehm, attracted to you.”

  My mouth quirks to the side. Really? That’s what’s going on? “Somehow? Well geez, way to make a girl feel pretty.”

  He snorts and rolls his eye at me. “Emma, I’m gay.”

  Oh. Oh! I guess the guyliner should’ve been a hint, in hindsight. But wait, if he’s gay then why—

  “Or at least, I thought I was,” Jacob continues. “My mother would have a field day if she’d heard what I just said.”

  I find it hard to concentrate on what he’s saying, however, because something’s nagging at me.

  “I mean,” he continues, “it’s weird, because I’ve literally never been attracted to a girl before, and okay, I guess I’m still pretty young, but you’d expect that to happen at some point if it’s a part of you and—”

  My eyes widen when it hits me. Suri said Charm makes your friends like you more, but she didn’t specify which kind of like.

  It’s even called ‘Charm,’ for Pete’s sake! Oh man, this is bad, I’ve given him a sexual identity crisis with this stunt! I have to tell him now, right? Ugh, this is giving me a headache. I rub at my temples, trying to abate the pressure inside my head.

  Well, the fact that it might be tactically more advantageous not to tell him, like Suri insists, hasn’t chang—

  No! What am I thinking? I have to tell him now. It’s not right to keep this from him any longer!

  I glance up. Jacob’s still prattling on, “And of course, I’ve seen how you and—”

  “It’s not you, it’s me!” I burst out. It’s like I need to physically drive the words out of my mouth. Something in my head seems to snap as I do, and the pressure drains away.

  Ah, sweet relief.

  He stares at me in confusion.

  “Right, that came out wrong,” I admit. “Let me explain...”

  The words come easily now, and I give him the basic version of what happened at the end of the Trial, making sure to stress that using Charm was something I’d never done before and that I didn’t do it on purpose.

  When I’m done, he’s frowning at the floor. I give him a minute to process what I’ve said.

  “Well, say something!”

  All right, maybe a little less than a minute.

  “That’s... huh,” he says intelligently. “I’m not sure how to feel about this. I mean, part of me is glad you did what you did. You gave me the courage to come back out and help you kill that thing. If someone had died, and I could’ve prevented it, I’m not sure how I would’ve lived with myself after. Another part of me feels deeply violated—are you saying this Charm effect is still active, and that’s why I’m feeling like this?!”

  I blink at him. “Ehm, Suri?”

  [No,] she chimes curtly. [The effect lasts only for as long as you activate your Charm, which quickly drains your Espir. Any change in how he perceives you is just positive association from the memory of it.]

  She sounds a little mad. I guess she doesn’t like the fact that I ended up telling him, despite her protestations.

  Oh well, what’s done is done.

  “Ehm, no,” I tell him, “it’s a very short effect. But it may have triggered something in you, changed the way you look at me, so to speak.”

  He nods slowly, looking relieved. “Yes, it may have. It fits the timing.”

  I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I was holding. It ruffles Jacob’s hair. “There you go then. You’re still gay—probably—I just inadvertently messed with your sexual preferences a little. I’m sure it’ll fade.”

  He nods again. “Right, right.”

  “So, friends?” I venture.

  He looks me in the eye, for the first time in a while, and smiles, though it looks a little forced. “Of course.”

  “Cool, cool,” I say, nodding in relief. “And are we still on for our match? ’Cause I was kinda looking forward to it.”

  I smirk at him in playful challenge.

  He smirks back, this time more genuinely. “You betcha. And don’t think I’ll go easy on you either.”

  “Oh you better bring it, boy, or it’ll be a very short match,” I promise.

  He chuckles, shaking his head, and a weight drops off my heart ’cause it feels like we’re on pretty good terms again.

  Now, unfortunately, there’s something long overdue, that I need to do.

  “Well,” I say, getting up with a deep sigh. “I guess I better go tell the rest about this now.”

  Oh brother.

  It’s silent for a bit after my confession. Alec looks like he’s trying to solve a hard math problem. Kaitlynn glances back and forth between me, Jacob and Dave worriedly.

  Dave frowns thoughtfully at the ceiling. “So, let me see if I got this
straight: by activating your Charm stat with Espir, you can make someone want to do your bidding. However, they can resist it with their Mental Fortitude, which becomes easier if they’re aware of what you’re attempting, correct?”

  I nod.

  “And the reason you didn’t tell us about it, is because you felt it might be able to give us a mental boost in a moment of need—like you ended up doing for Jacob at the end of the previous Trial.”

  “More or less,” I say. “Jacob needed a little extra... courage?” I glance at him for confirmation.

  He leans forward, smiling self-deprecatingly at the floor. “Yeah. Just to be clear, I’m not proud that I almost walked out on you guys. I mean, I don’t feel super-guilty or anything either, because that octopus thing was friggin’ scary, but still... Despite that I’m pretty weirded out that Emma basically manipulated me into doing what she wanted—”

  I cringe a little.

  “—I can’t help but feel glad things turned out the way they did, because, well, the alternative seems worse. You guys are, ehm, well, you’re all right.”

  An awkward beat of silence follows his statement.

  Dave seems to be fighting a smile as he clears his throat. “Yes, well, thank you, and likewise. Anyway, Emma, I believe you said there’s also a passive effect of Charm, which may make us like you more? I must admit, the existence of such an effect is a little hard to swallow.”

  “Well, that should be largely blocked by your Mental Fortitude,” I’m quick to reassure him. “My Charm is only 6.” For now.

  It’s silent for a bit.

  Dave sighs. “I have to admit, I’m not sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, I’m not a fan of secrets within the group. On the other hand, I understand we’re all under a lot of pressure, and in some cases it may be beneficial or even necessary. Also, I’m pretty confident I liked you well enough before you got the Charm stat, and I could definitely see someone like Alec needing a little mental support in the future—”

  “Hey!” Alec cries indignantly.

  “—and if you had told us about it,” Dave continues, ignoring him, “and had therefore failed to influence Jacob in the previous Trial, I might’ve been dead right now.”

  He really does seem conflicted, with how he stares at me in deliberation.

  “In conclusion,” he finally continues, “I’m not mad, but my trust is a little shaken, and I’m going to need some time to think about this.”

  I lower my eye and nod. “That’s understandable.”

  Kaitlynn raises her hand. “I have a question.”

  “Shoot,” I say, glad for the distraction of Dave’s intense scrutiny.

  She fidgets uncomfortably in her seat for a moment. “I was wondering: why tell us now? After all, Alec might’ve still have needed a little boost in the future, and now that you’ve told us, it is much less likely to work.”

  “Seriously?” Alec gripes.

  “Ehm,” I say, studiously avoiding looking at Jacob. We haven’t told them this bit yet, but I don’t believe we can really get around it. “I’ve since learned that using Charm on people can potentially cause some, ehm, sexual attraction to the one using it, as a side-effect.”

  From the corner of my eye, I can see Jacob duck his head a little, likely to hide an encroaching flush.

  “So, yeah,” I continue. “I just couldn’t justify the idea of using it on you guys anymore.”

  Kaitlynn nods, turning red, probably sympathetically with Jacob.

  Alec frowns. “Sexual attraction to you? Eww, how does that work?”

  My wild chase after Alec through the living room breaks the tension at last.

  Though I feel like I’m going to be working to repair damaged trust here for a little longer, all in all, it’s a huge relief to have this off my chest.

  CHAPTER 27

  Featherfall

  HAVING EVERYTHING OUT in the open feels much better, but it’s still a little awkward. Thankfully, I have the perfect excuse to seclude myself: namely my first Skilldream. Sitting on my bed alone in my room, I agonise a little over my options. Okay, make that a lot.

  [So, one Skilldream for Decrease Inertia?] Suri finally prompts.

  I sigh. “I mean probably, but—ugh, Status Window please?”

  Honestly, there’s nothing on here I don’t already know. I just want to stare at that total a little longer. I mean, 151 Trial Points! Will I ever have that many again? I’m so very tempted to just take Distort Space and damn the consequences right now. I could always follow it up with Increase Inertia to make up for the lack of improved combat capabilities.

  Learning two big Qi-based Skills in the same preparation room may be a bit of a stretch though, considering my limited Qi Pool. Perhaps I better stick to my original plan: Decrease Inertia still sounds like tons of fun, and would probably synergise really well with my new and improved Breath Con—hold on.

  I sit up and move a little closer to the transparent screen floating in front of me, frowning at what I just spotted.

  “Suri, why didn’t you notify me that my Mental Fortitude went up?”

  [Hmm? Oh, would you look at that, must’ve slipped my mind,] Suri chimes.

  That’s weird.

  “Actually, how did I raise it?” I ask slowly. “I mean, I haven’t had a Skilldream in ages and—”

  [Ah yes, you wanted the Skilldream for Decrease Inertia, right?] Suri chimes, interrupting me. [Good choice. Let’s get started.]

  “Whu? No wait, I’m still—”

  I’m in heaven.

  There’s no other explanation possible, as I’m currently literally lying on a fluffy pink cloud under a purple night-sky, and being watched by a serenely smiling goddess.

  Since it wouldn’t be a proper Heaven without some angels, I attempt to make one by moving my arms and legs on the fluffy surface, but it just reforms in my wake. This doesn’t deter my giggling efforts, of course.

  [All right, I need you to focus now, Emma,] Suri admonishes me gently. [We’re here to train, not to play.]

  “But it’s so fluffyyy,” I whine.

  [Yes yes, I’m well aware, but—]

  “This is the funnest place in the world!”

  Suri sighs. [This isn’t ‘the world’, dear, not really a place either.] She glances at me, and when she continues speaking, she does so in a very different, almost conspiratorial tone. [But, you know, the fluffiness actually isn’t the ‘funnest’ thing about these clouds...]

  I sit up straight, wide-eyed. “It’s not?!”

  Suri shakes her head. [It’s the bounciness.]

  Mere seconds later, I soar through the air, bouncing from one cloud to another at ridiculous speeds with hardly any strain to my muscles. It’s as if my body’s as light as a feather.

  [The bounciness, although arguably the ‘funnest’ aspect,] Suri lectures while serenely floating after me, [isn’t the most interesting feature of these clouds. The most interesting feature is how their mere presence drains your inertial mass.]

  Something clicks in my mind and I stop bouncing. Or, well, that’s my intention.

  It takes a long series of increasingly small bounces for me to actually come to a complete stop. Once my feet are suitably grounded in a cloud, I turn to look up at Suri. “They drain my inertial mass? How does that work?”

  [Ah, I see the inner child has retreated, good.]

  I blush, and bashfully scratch my nose while starting to shrink a little.

  [No need to feel small, Emma. This place has a way of bringing it out in us.] She stares at the clouds wistfully. [Even I’m a little tempted, but we’ve got work to do.]

  Right. I nod and sit down on the fluffy surface expectantly. It takes a few bounces and a lot of Willpower to sit still.

  [Now, once again, the clouds in this Dreamscape I’ve conjured don’t contain actual Inertial Energy, but they have a very similar effect. Observe carefully.]

  She waves her hand, and a brick appears. It drops onto the surface of the cl
oud and deforms it with its weight.

  Then the cloud rebounds to its original shape, sending the brick flying up into space.

  I watch it disappear wide-eyed.

  [As you can tell, coming into contact with the clouds quickly drained the brick’s inertial mass, making it much easier to accelerate. It will recover soon enough now that it’s far away from the clouds, of course. This is the effect you need to achieve with Qi in the real world, in order to gain this Skill.]

  I nod absentmindedly and stick some cloud in my mouth. It tastes like cotton candy!

  [Stay focused, Emma,] Suri chimes. [I’m going to conjure some objects on the surface of the cloud near you, and I want you to do me a favour and watch carefully how the energy in the clouds drains—]

  A blue blur bounces off a cloud above us and comes crashing down onto the cloud in front of me.

  Some part of my brain, upon noticing the colour, jumps up and shouts ‘Kaitlynn!’ and I glow with happiness at the thought.

  Against my expectations, Kaitlynn doesn’t bounce on the cloud in front of me, however, but tears right through it, leaving a circular hole in the cloud.

  [Ugh, this is why I don’t like coming here,] Suri mutters, facepalming as I jump through. [Wait, Emma, where did you go?! GET BACK HERE!]

  Her voice reaches me while I sail down the hole and I cringe a little. Well, it is kinda rude to just run off... but it’s Kaitlynn! Suri will understand, surely.

  When I come out of the hole at the bottom of the cloud, I find myself high above a massive forest, with no Kaitlynn in sight.

  Huh. Where did she go?

  I ponder this question for a good second when a voice interrupts me.

  “Hi! What are you doing?”

  I look over and find myself face to face with a strange blue birdwoman, who is definitely not the blue-haired girl I had mistaken her for. I am momentarily disappointed by this, but then curiosity wins out.

  The birdwoman has bright pink eyes, a sharp, beak-like upper lip, claws for feet, wings for arms, and is covered from head to toe in brightly coloured plumage in different shades of red, purple, and familiar blue. All in all, she makes for a striking image.