Chương 5: Rina Rumble!

Sid took a few steps back to give Allani space. The woman on the ledge picked up a makeshift bow and arrow from the ground. The fraying of the string told Sid it was not well crafted enough to have a high degree of accuracy. She likely wouldn't risk aiming for him lest she accidentally hit a vital organ or artery. [Board Vision]: Your allied pawn has entered a battle with you. Calculating resistance and resonance reserve...

Allani - Resistance: 71 | Resonance Reserve: ERROR Sid - Resistance: 32 | Resonance Reserve: NULL When you take points of resistance damage, they can be regained via healing, skills, or rest. Expended resonance points are regained via rest or skills. Now, let's get ready to RINA RUMBLE!

"Never say that. Never say that to me again." Sid looked away from the screen, returning his focus to Allani. She was cradling the marotte in her hands. Her fingers ran over the fabric of the witch doll resting on top.

"Alright, let's see how this works…" Allani Abbascia used [Auguste] lvl 1 to take her clown form, gaining a +20 bonus to resistance and a +10 bonus to attacks using [Marotte of Magic's Matriarch]. The pawn consumes ERROR resonance. A purple wave of light appeared at Allani's feet and started moving up her body. Red and black clown shoes replaced her regular sailing sneakers. Her loose white pants didn't change much, simply turning black as the wave passed through them.

Her bare arms were covered with long red sleeves and her blue top was replaced with the red shirt with black buttons she wore whenever Sid saw her circus perform as a child. A ridiculous ruffle took its place at the top of the garment. Her braided hair came undone and puffed out. Finally, the wave passed over her face and left behind white face paint with pink streaks at the corners of her lips. Sid couldn't help but giggle with nostalgic glee.

"Oh Holy Rose. I haven't seen that costume in years." Allani blushed.

"Sid, not now, please!" Though her nimble body could likely easily outmaneuver the enemy's, she remained in place in front of Sid. Allani was no killer. This was purely a defensive fight for her, which meant the two of them would not be benefitting from whatever reward came from completing the optional combat goal his mother had provided. The attacker on the ground was forced to make the first move. She charged Allani while her friend on the ledge shot an arrow in her direction.

Allani brought her marotte up to block the arrow as the ground attacker lunged for her abdomen with the knife that was used to hold Sid hostage. She slipped the knife fast enough to avoid a full hit, but it managed to graze the front of her torso just above her abdomen. Blood soaked through the fabric of her blood-colored shirt, looking only like a splash of water against the matching color. Allani's pivot left a clear path towards Sid.

The attacker noticed and started to bolt forward, but Allani grabbed her wrist and pulled her backwards. The woman stumbled back straight into the swing of Allani's marotte. Her head jerked to the opposite side and her momentum was reversed, sending her face-first into the dirt. She groaned in pain and reached for the back of her neck.

"I'm really not interested in accidentally bludgeoning someone to death, so could you please stay down while I handle your friend?" The attacker gritted her teeth and growled back. She pushed herself back to her feet, but her stance was unsteady. Her eyes kept drifting to the left and snapping back to center. She was holding her forehead and almost panting with how shallow and desperate her breaths looked.

"Are you sure you weren't trying to kill her?" Sid asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"You hit her right in the head. The ways her eyes are moving indicate some degree of brain damage." Allani took a step back and put her free hand over her mouth.

"Holy shit I wasn't thinking at all! I'm not used to using this in a real fight." While she was busy watching her impaired opponent, the woman on the ledge readied another shot. Sid squinted and noticed that she was trembling now. It may have made a kinder man feel bad, but Sid couldn't help but think about how pathetic it all was. Two grown women, likely a decade or so older than him and Allani, were on their last legs and decided to come in with their weapons drawn and their brains turned off.

Well, if they were starving, that would've accounted for any lapses in judgment. That would explain why, instead of surrendering, the woman on the ledge released the arrow her bow was holding.

"Allani, another arrow is coming from behind you!" Instead of simply stepping to the side like a normal person, Allani put her arms in the air and initiated a cartwheel. The arrow ended up passing through the space between her legs when they swung into the air. The attacker across from her squinted at the strange move. [Board Vision]: Allani Abbascia gets extra points for clown flair that was actively more dangerous than a standard dodge! Sid stifled a laugh with his hand.

"What on Earth was that move?"

"Just trying to play the game! When in Rome, you know?" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The injured attacker took a few steps forward before crashing to the ground. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body started seizing. The brain damage was worse than Sid initially thought. It was probably a hematoma that was building up in the skull. Had he been a real mystic, he may have been able to help, but without healing magic or a hospital, the woman was doomed.

"Oh Holy Rose," Allani said, running over to the woman.

"Sid, what's happening to her? She was fine a second ago…can you heal her?" The dreaded question finally arrived. There was no excuse Sid could provide that wouldn't make him seem like a heartless monster. The best thing he could do was blame the rules and act like he was sorry he had to obey them so closely. The jackass headmaster of St. Jane's probably wouldn't have healed these women, so there was at least some truth mixed in there.

"Unfortunately, the Rose calls me away from this one. She never repented for putting a knife to my throat. Like I said before, I am only sanctioned to heal the righteous." Sid turned to the woman on the ledge.

"I suggest you stand down now, unless you want my friend to accidentally kill you, too. She's an acrobatic. She carries around heavy duty sandbags at her circus all the time, and she has absolutely zero self-control when it comes to how much strength she uses."

"Sid!" The woman looked between them a few times before running off into the trees. Allani sighed and fell to her knees next to the woman that would be their first kill on the island. Her eyes were trembling and filled with tears. After the mass killing he had witnessed back at St. Jane's, it hardly fazed Sid at all. He wasn't a cold-blooded killer.

He wouldn't willingly kill unless his life depended on it, but his mind just wasn't moved by the thought of strangers dying, especially ones that had tried to kidnap him. What did make his heart hurt ever so slightly was Allani's own distress. He wasn't sure what she had been doing over the years, but the last time he saw her, she was content to travel the Eastern hemisphere with her father's circus. Though they were just kids, she always looked so happy when the audience smiled and cheered for her clown act.

Sid knelt by her side.

"I'm sorry, Allani. I think by now we both know that my mom brought us here. I'm sorry you got wrapped up in this with me." You little narcissist! Allani was invited here just as you were. It just so happens that her boating hobby made a convenient getaway vehicle to bring you both here. Only extraordinary people are allowed through the waters surrounding Ring. Though SOME people ruin the spirit of my island by having children, bypassing my selection process entirely by creating uninvited guests.

That was the case for those two idiots you just fought. Oh! That reminds me. Pawns Sidor Sokolov and Allani Abbascia defeated their opponents in a RINA RUMBLE! +50 XP to both pawns for winning the fight +60 XP to Allani Abbascia for slaughtering one opponent and acting like a clown. [Rina Ring!] Oh, I wish I had a camera for this moment. Your first level up! You've reached level two! Your actions up to this point have earned you +2 Presence and +1 Learning.

You've also unlocked the FAITH mechanic of your unique role. Since your sad, joyless soul has no resonance reserve, your skills will mostly use FAITH instead. You gain FAITH by cultivating loyalty amongst your loyal fans. All points gained are affected by a multiplier based on your [Presence]. I will give you 20 points to start out with. You may also choose a new skill from the two options below.

"Can you give me a second? Now is not a good time." Sorry, once Rina starts to ramble, the pawns aren't allowed to scramble!

"What?" [Forced Move] lvl 1: Choose one pawn you can see and consume FAITH to force them to use a skill from their skillset. At level one, [Forced Move] allows you to read the names and levels of your target's skills, but not their descriptions or activation requirements. You may choose which skill to activate. [Pin] lvl 1: Choose one pawn you can see and consume FAITH to look into their soul and determine what they treasure most in the world.

Sid checked on Allani, who was staring at an empty spot that was presumably where her interface floated. The tears in her eyes were gone now, an empty stare left in their place. She really didn't need the additional torment of having his mother congratulate her on a successful murder. Regardless, Rina was not going to leave him alone until he played along.

"I'll take forced move. It doesn't sound too helpful right now but it sounds like higher levels will give me more information." He leaned away from Allani and turned his voice down to a whisper.

"And it couldn't hurt to be able to use other people's magic since I'm apparently a soulless freak." That's the spirit! You always adapt to new environments so quickly. That's how you reached the top of your mystic class despite your complete magical ineptitude! My son certainly knows how to fake it till he makes it. [30/150 XP] to level three. As his system interface faded away, he could hear Allani mumbling something to hers. Board Vision wasn't showing her level-up interface at the moment.

He wondered if its passive activation was random, or if he felt too guilty about Allani being forced to kill that he was subconsciously deciding not to invade her privacy. He let her sit in the dirt and drag herself through her level-up. He wasn't very good at handling the distress of people he cared about. He could manage his fellow students at St. Jane's solely because he didn't care about sounding genuine or getting every word right.

The sound of frantic footsteps approached them from behind, forcing Sid to turn his attention away from his grieving friend. He saw a woman dressed in a soldier's uniform running towards them.

"Hey, are you two alright?" She spoke with a concerned and gentle voice.

"I'm so sorry! It's been a busy day today and we couldn't watch the path as well as we normally do." Despite not trusting the stranger entirely, Sid responded, "We're physically alright. Just a bit shaken up…"

"Oh, I'm sure you are. Especially a holy man like yourself. Please follow me as soon as possible. You're only a mile away now, and I don't want you two stuck out here any longer than necessary." Sid heard Allani stand up and saw that her outfit had returned to normal. She returned to his side and gave him a sad smile.

"Let's go then," she said.

"I need to get you to safety." Her calm facade was obvious to Sid, but he let her keep it as they walked towards the building in the distance. She was clutching at her abdomen where she was cut, though her tank top wasn't ripped like the clown shirt. As they approached the gates, several armed guards became visible. There weren't many soldiers there, but they looked formidable enough to keep a sanctuary safe from minor threats.

"We'll have you introduce yourselves to our leader, the head mystic of the monastery. He will assess your character and whether or not he thinks you're safe to admit as a permanent resident of our little oasis from chaos."

"Oh, perfect. That's just great." Sid suppressed a massive eye roll.

"I can't wait to meet him." The flying plastic stopped at the door and moved aside to let Sid open it. He took a deep breath and pulled the sliding door open, ready to walk into Holy Hell for the second time in his life. But with new abilities and Allani by his side, he had a feeling things would be much more bearable this time around.