Chereads / The Systems Challenge / Chapter 18 - Elin in Battle

Chapter 18 - Elin in Battle

Elin was ready to do something, but she wasn't sure when she should make her move. She was determined to show the others, especially Kim, that she wasn't a burden. Someone that didn't need to be left to the side until the battle was over and then had a use. She had enough MP that she could use her magic to help attack as well as heal everyone afterwards.

She especially wanted to learn more about her skills and build all of them up if she could. She didn't know what the 'attribute' parts of her skills meant, just that she had only one spell that she could use to attack. So, even if they others didn't like it, she was going to help in the fight. Even if they decided to leave her behind.

Seeing the skeletons made her know she had to do more than just that. However, she didn't think she should do anything just then. Jonas would be able to react to her doing her own thing right now, but if she waited until the fight started, then she might be able to do something then.

Elin glanced at Elmo, who looked like he was trying to settle his nerves. Before the actual fight. She was confident that she had someone who would support her in this, though she wasn't sure how well he'd be able to do that. Just that he thought more of her than as a burden.

With how slowly the skeletons were moving, she couldn't help but feel like time itself was slowing down. That they should have already reached them and started attacking.

While she knew this was just in her mind, it was also making her itch to do something even more. She felt like she was starting to lose her mind with how long it was taking. She had to close her eyes and take deep breaths in order to keep from either casting a spell or running out to attack them with her staff right then.

When the skeletons started attacking, she wasn't aware of it at first, just that she heard odd sounds, so she opened her eyes. The skeletons moved so much faster than they had when they had been walking. Why that was, she couldn't say. Only that for every step they had taken, there were swinging their arms at Kim and Jonas at least ten times.

When she saw Jonas and Kim parry, block, and sometimes attack the skeletons, she was so impressed by their movements that she momentarily forgot to cast a spell. It wasn't until she heard Elmo casting a spell, that she realized she should use her magic.

"Magic Burst!" Elmo yelled.

However, with how fast the skeletons were moving, she was hesitant to just attack. She could help Kim and Jonas with some of her spells, right? She tried to remember what spells she had for that and blurted out the first one she thought of, "Minor Protection!"

Elin had first thought when she'd heard from the tutorial that this spell would affect only one person, she saw that it affected her whole team. She couldn't say how she knew this, only that she was somehow aware of who was being affected by it.

She felt pleased with herself and tried to think of what other spells like that she had. She knew it would at least help keep them from getting hurt, so she reasoned Jonas couldn't get that upset with her for doing this.

Suddenly she remembered another. "Physical Resistance enhancement!" she cried, again feeling that it was affecting her whole team.

However, at that moment, she saw that enough skeletons had reached Kim and Jonas that they were facing three each. While the skeletons were getting in each other's way when it came to fighting Kim and Jonas, it didn't seem that either of those two were being very effective with their own attacks. Elmo's spells seemed to be more effective than anything Kim or Jonas were doing, though it looked to Kim like he was focusing more on the ones that were by Jonas.

Elin was sure there was more spells that she could cast to help them out, but wasn't sure if they had time for that, or if it would be of any use anyway. So, she took another deep breath and focused on the skeletons.

"Sacred shot!" she screamed, focusing on a skeleton that was reaching for her Kim.

Like Elmo's Magic Burst spell, her Sacred Shot produced what looked like a white swirling orb of pure energy that moved towards the skeleton she was focusing on. The primary difference between Elmo's Magic Burst and her Sacred Shot was Elmo's was purple. The energy didn't seem to be in a hurry moving towards it's target, but when it struck the skeleton, the skeleton dropped to the ground, like a marionette who's strings had been cut.

Elin was surprised at how well her spell worked. Elmo's didn't seem to be as effective, not that she paid attention to how his affected the skeletons when it reached them, but it didn't cause them to drop like hers did.

Looking at the skeletons still coming towards them behind the ones that were flailing at Jonas and Kim, Elin called out, "Sacred Shot! Sacred Shot! Sacred Shot!"

She wasn't sure how many she took down, but made sure that she focused on a different skeleton for each time she casted her spell and tat she only needed one to drop each skeleton. However, she suddenly felt faint when she tried casting it again and nothing came out.

"Status," she whispered, trying to keep from having the contents of her stomach make a hasty exit and keep from falling over. She couldn't be sure what had happened, only that it felt like her body was trying to fall apart on her and she couldn't say if it wouldn't. Especially as she felt it begin to shake all over.

HP 30/30

MP 1/33

Level 2

XP 79/300

Stamina 12/15

Str 5

Int 20

Dex 14

Con 12

Wis 20

Mag 24

Agi 10

Cha 19

Physical Resistance 5%

Magical Resistance 30%

Skills:

Wound Identification 0/100

Wound Treatment, non-magical 0/100

Combat Medic 0/100

Holy Boost

White Magic Spells:

Life Attribute – Minor Heal 4mp 0/100

Life Attribute – Treat 3mp 0/100

Holy Attribute – Sacred Shot 4mp 84/100

Life Attribute – Assess 2mp

Green Magic Spells:

Life Attribute – Stat enhancement 2mp 0/100

Force Attribute – Physical Resistance enhancement 2mp 20/100

Force Attribute – Minor Protection 2mp 20/100

She noticed that she was pretty much out of MP, but couldn't figure out why she felt this way. "T-tut-torial," she whispered, unable to keep from stuttering as her body felt like it was falling apart and everything about her felt like it was going haywire. Especially as the shaking got worse.

the friendly voice asked.

"W-what-t's wrong-ng with m-m-m-me?" Elin managed to eventually get out as she felt herself sink to her knees, partly because she wasn't sure she wouldn't fall over with how her body was getting.

the friendly voice informed Elin, seeming indifferent to Elin's state. Or at least in the way it spoke in her mind.

"H-h-h-h-how-w l-l-long w-w-w-w-ill-l-l-l it-t-t-t-t l-l-l-las-s-s-s-t-t-t?" Elin wasn't sure she'd be able to understand herself is she heard how she was sure she was sounding with how bad the stuttering was getting.

The voice said.

Elin wanted to just stop talking and get through this ordeal, but wanted one last thing before she let herself succumb to what was happening to her.

'Wh-wh-wh-what c-c-c-can-n I-I-I d-d-do to r-r-r-red-d-duc-c-ce th-th-th-the ch-chanc-c-c-ces-s of-f-f-f th-that-t-t-t-t hap-p-p-p-p-ppen-ning?" Elin finally got out. At which point she had to take deep breaths to try and steady her own breathing, as it had made the nausea she felt even worse for a moment.

the friendly voice replied.

Elin sighed as she let her stopped trying to get her body to do anything other than shake and make her feel miserable. She wasn't even sure what was happening anymore with the fight with the skeletons. She just lay on the ground as her body convulsed and made her feel like she was going to just crumble like a dry cookie held too tightly in her hand as the room began to spin around her.

She knew she'd been useful, but couldn't say how useful. As far as she knew, there were dozens more skeletons. Behind the ones she'd stopped. She closed her eyes and that seemed to help with the vertigo and nausea, but it still didn't stop how miserable she was feeling from the effects of apparently trying to exceed her MP.

She wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually she felt herself enter the oblivion of unconsciousness. With the sweet relief of not knowing what else was happening to her body after that. Where she was taken away from what was happening to her body and allowed relief from the misery that had wrapped itself around her in that state.