Alphonse lifted his gaze and stared at the black book on the pedestal.
'I know nothing about these three,' Alphonse thought. 'And they know next to nothing about me as far as I can tell. I'm just a stranger they found wandering in a dungeon. This contract is definitely dangerous, and this bond she's talking about is way too vague.'
The decision with the contract wasn't his only concern. Someone in Hovestile wanted him dead. It might just be the archer, but Alphonse couldn't fathom why someone he'd recently met wanted to kill him. Perhaps someone else hired him. The reason still eluded him, but who could he trust? Maybe the spellcaster girl and his friend were in on it as well to some degree. They'd done so little to help that it seemed like a possibility.
Alphonse reasoned that he did have one thing in his favor. Rinka wasn't just offering him an opportunity. He was also their opportunity, so he did have some amount of control.
"Okay." Alphonse took a deep breath and forced himself to look directly at Rinka. "Before we go further, I have an important question to ask. Please, don't take this the wrong way if I seem blunt. Really, I'm grateful for everything. You all saved my life." He then gestured to Kirie and Asa. "But what makes them so valuable that I would want to give up something important?"
Kirie uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists. "Are you saying we're weak?"
Asa stopped fussing with her hair and feigned a hurt look. "And after all we've done for you. Such a cruel man."
Alphonse raised his hands in defense. "That's not what I meant at all! I just don't know anything about you. And mentioning this contract out of the blue and telling me I have to give up something important...that could change everything for me. I have a whole future to think about!"
Rinka grimaced. "You make a valid point, Alphonse. I understand your dilemma, and I apologize for being so indelicate, especially since you are still recovering from such a terrible ordeal -- not just physically, but mentally as well."
Her words held the sincerity that Alphonse anticipated. He recalled feeling something similar when he spoke to Asa before they arrived at the oasis. He glanced behind him at the two catgirls. Asa stared at the floor with a somber expression, her staff clutched tight to her chest. Kirie still maintained her look of perpetual annoyance, but the trembling of her arms was apparent.
Alphonse sighed and composed himself. "It's fine. I'm sorry, I could have worded that better."
Rinka's fingers visibly tightened and she closed her eyes. "Now that you have a grasp of what I'm about to offer you, I would pose another question. Alphonse, what do you want from this world?"
Alphonse's mind blanked at the unexpected question. The answer had always been at the forefront of his thoughts, but the words were lost as Rinka slowly opened her eyes. They seemed to bore into his very soul. Her pupils narrowed even further than when she analyzed her daughters. She let out a breath of anticipation, awaiting his answer.
'Am I just unlucky?' Alphonse wondered. 'Couldn't these catgirls leave me just like everyone else?'
Then it dawned on him. He recalled the change in Rinka's tone as she spoke to him about the contract. Her speech wasn't as calm and controlled as when she introduced herself.
'This isn't just an opportunity,' Alphonse thought. 'This is an act of desperation.'
He looked up at Rinka and attempted to read her expression, but she'd gone completely neutral during his ruminations.
"You're really willing to give something so powerful to a stranger?" Alphonse asked. He gave her a hard stare in an attempt to get some sort of reaction out of her. "And your daughters?"
Alphonse managed to glean the slight twitch of her mouth with the last bit. Just as his silence was enough for her with the mention of his betrayal, this was also enough of an answer for him.
Both parties were desperate. Both sides were taking a gamble.
"I would have you answer my question first," Rinka said.
"Fair enough." Alphonse sighed as he considered how to word his answer. What he finally settled on almost sounded silly to him. "A home. That's...all I want. I've been robbed of it twice now, and I'm sick of it."
Rinka stared at him unblinking. A sad smile formed on her face and she nodded. "I see. I'm relieved to hear that. Yes, I want my daughters to be free."
Alphonse turned to Kirie and Asa, but this time he made it a point to approach them. He willed his trembling legs forward. He didn't feel the pain in his injured leg.
Their expressions shifted to something much like their mother's. Even Kirie suppressed her scowl. There was no denying her interest in what he planned to propose.
Alphonse mirrored Kirie's previous stance and folded his arms to assume an air of calm. "What about you two? Why would you even want to join me?"
They glanced at each other uncertainly.
Asa spoke first, "There is something we need to do. Mother saved us in the past, but she paid a price to the contract. If you agree, then we can leave this place and help with your goal as well."
Kirie jumped in next. "Trust only goes so far. I get that, but trust us when we say that we will work with you -- even if you're weak."
Alphonse sighed. "Did you really have to add that last part?"
He waved his hand in front of him, and a transparent circle appeared. A line moved around the circumference, much like a radar. It was the preparation for viewing the profiles of individuals in the world of Hovestile. Every being had one, and it was an accepted part of the world's System that supposedly existed since its birth.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to cast appraisal spells like Asa, so he needed to request their permission to view the profile information.
The catgirls gave their consent and, after a few seconds, words appeared displaying their information:
~"Name: Kirie
Class: Warrior
Identification: Demihuman
Stats: N/A
Name: Asa
Class: Healer
Identification: Demihuman
Stats: N/A"~
'I figured as much,' Alphonse thought. 'The original denizens of this world don't have stats. Not even demihumans. It's reserved for outworlders like me. They only improve by normal means. But I've come this far. I've taken so many gambles.'
He pulled up the profile that displayed his own information. The holographic screen hovered above his wrist as he examined it:
~"Name: Alphonse Kneller
Class: Scout
Identification: Human
Mana regeneration: .6/s
Health regeneration: .3/s combat exclusion= 1.5/s
Stats: Vitality - 10 Endurance - 10 Strength - 5 Agility - 15 Intelligence - 8 Focus - 6 Dexterity - 16 Sneak - 20 Perception - 18 Proficiency - 8 Constitution - 8
Resistances: Poison - 15 Paralysis - 12 Bleed - 12 Fortitude Debuff - 15 Curse - 13~"
He closed the profile. Truth be told, it wasn't confirmed exactly how much the stats actually helped outworlders. It was almost impossible to separate natural gains from the System, and the people of Earth didn't seem to have a full grasp of it either. All they knew was that they did contribute in some ways.
Alphonse considered his stats with lower values. 'If these two end up joining me...I wonder...'
He shook his head as too many ideas formed. He needed to focus on one thing at a time.
"No more questions," Alphonse said. He addressed the catgirls, "Fine. If you think you can handle it, then prove it."
Kirie let out a boisterous laugh. "Prove it? Ha! I don't even need that stupid stat handicap you outworlders have. I'll destroy whatever gets in our way!"
Asa drove her staff into the floor confidently. "My support skills have been developed since I could walk. None are more dedicated than I am. I will keep us safe."
Their choice of words sat right with Alphonse. It seemed his own had them both riled up. They weren't careful about what they said, which boosted his confidence in them further.
'Whatever gets in "our" way. I will keep "us" safe,' Alphonse repeated it in his head a few times.
He grinned. "Alright then." He stood in front of the pedestal and rested his hand on the book. He stared at the strange tome for a moment, as if it might respond in some way to his decision.
'It's dangerous,' Alphonse thought. 'But it's not like I actually have to make deals once this is all said and done. I'm just going to free these two, and then we'll see what happens.'
He took a few deep breaths and curled his hand into a fist over the book. "Fine, what the hell! Let's do this!" Alphonse announced.
Rinka leaned forward and laced her fingers. "Wonderful. When you are prepared to make an offer, say, 'I invoke the Construct Contract.' Then, make your offer. The contract will tell you if it is sufficient. If it accepts, give your blood to sign and seal the deal."
Alphonse nodded. "Alright."
He started with some basic offers. Unsurprisingly, the contract denied him. The offer needed to be equivalent to its power.
Alphonse attempted to offer his health regeneration, which was something unique to outworld adventurers. He was still denied.
'Shit, what do you want from me? Something permanent? Something that gives me an edge?' he thought.
His health regeneration did give him an advantage over native adventurers. It put him at a slight disadvantage against outworlders if he lost it. It provided extra vitality recovery when in battle, but it only had noticeable positive effects for injuries when outside of battle. Physical damage done to his body during combat still hindered his movements. Also, since he didn't even have a number to associate with his health, he wasn't sure how much it benefited him specifically.
He needed something equal to the contract.
Alphonse's eyes widened, and he stared at Rinka as a viable solution occurred to him. He knew what he was about to attempt could be incredibly brilliant or equally stupid. But based on his class and the potential of the catgirls...
'This could work,' Alphonse thought with all the conviction he could muster.
The catgirl mother tilted her head as she observed the shaky grin form on the adventurer's face. "Oh?"
Alphonse held out his hand. Just like this contract, the world was about give and take. Sometimes the world took more than it gave, and there was always the potential to turn it the other way around.
There were enemies who had wanted to take from him. Perhaps Kirie and Asa could tip the scales in his favor.