The Systems Challenge-Chapter 458: Why Give Heather a Weapon?

"Just in case I actually need it," Heather protested, sounding rather defensive. Not that Jonas could blame her. She certainly was the most vulnerable f their entire group.

"And what circumstances would warrant you needing a weapon?" Elwin asked, sounding rather dismissive of Heather's concerns. Which was rather typical of Elwin.

"If all of you are occupied with an enemy and I still get attacked," Heather said defiantly. Clearly not wiling to give an inch on the matter.

"There's also the possibility that an enemy could pierce through our lines and go for her directly," Jonas added, feeling that Heather should get some support from others, even if it was for unlikely scenarios.

"No one would be able to get by me," Elwin boasted.

"They don't have to," Jonas retorted. "They just need to keep you occupied while another bypasses you."

Elwin opened his mouth to continue protesting his case, but nothing came out, which Jonas took as a win. A small win, but a win nonetheless.

"And how likely would that be for someone to target Heather directly?" Owen asked, apparently not ready to let the matter go.

"Not likely, but you never know what we'll be up against," Kim answered, surprising Jonas a little. "Like the saying goes: It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

Heather at first had looked stunned at the unexpected support she was receiving, but she clearly wasn't looking like she was going to complain about it.

"We also can't be sure that Stanley and his group won't end up fighting us," Sonya chimed in. "Not only does he know what Heather's abilities are, he probably would want to eliminate our healing abilities, as that's a big advantage for our side. Not just our numbers."

"What about you? Does he know what you're capable of?" Owen asked rather derisively. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Some," Sonya admitted. "He was there when I was a dragon, after all. So, it's certain that he knows my strongest shape, but that doesn't mean he'd target me first. After all, my presence isn't as big of an advantage as having a healer is." Sonya paused for a moment before quickly adding, " And we got two of them as well."

Exactly," Owen stated, as if that proved his point. "Elin isn't trying to get a weapon of her own, so why should Heather get one?"

"That's because I can use my magic to attack as well," Elin retorted, sounding like she didn't appreciate being dragged into this matter. "Heather can only heal with her system." Elin suddenly smiled as if she thought of an important point. "Just like the name of her system indicates: Healer system. Meaning its only for healing. Mine is a White Mage system. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I still have some attack spells that I've been able to master and get improved versions of."

Jonas glanced at Bart and wasn't surprised to see that he was trying to keep from getting noticed. It was clear that he didn't want anything to do with this matter, which Jonas considered a wise choice on his part. Jonas himself wouldn't have gotten involved if he hadn't felt that Heather needed some support. Support that Owen and Elwin didn't seemed offer on this matter.

"That still doesn't mean she should have a weapon of her own," Owen insisted. "Would she even know how to use it?"

"I can help her out if needed," Kim offered, sounding like she was wondering why this discussion was still going on. "I did show Elin and Elmo a few basics of hand-to-hand combat before."

Jonas wasn't sure how well that would work out, especially since they didn't plan on taking their time getting back to the dungeon, but he also didn't see the point in pointing that issue out. Especially since he was certain that it would just prolong this discussion.

"And how will that make any difference?" Elwin asked, sounding to Jonas like hew as just trying to come up with something that would at least sound good for his side of the argument. Which Jonas couldn't say would be very helpful in the end.

"What difference would giving you a weapon make?" Kim retorted. "Your system doesn't have anything to do with weapons, right? Maybe if you'd used your system more, you'd have been able to have gotten more challenges completed than you have."

Elwin blinked and Jonas braced himself. Since Elwin had needed his brother to use the system, bringing it up was a touchy topic. One that Jonas wasn't sure would end well for Kim.

Elwin also looked like he was about to explode on that subject, but then the moment passed. To the surprise of everyone present, including Owen.

Elwin didn't say anything or really react, he just turned away and continued focusing on cooking breakfast over the campfire.

"That was anti-climatic," Kim remarked quietly.

Jonas didn't disagree, but he didn't say anything. Elwin had been touchy on the subject of his brother's death, and since he had needed his brother to use his system, he pretty much was without a system with his brother dead. As such, mentioning his system was akin to bringing up his brother, or so Elwin had been reacting whenever it even got mentioned by accident.

Which, in turn, made this instance so surprising for everyone involved, given that it was clear how he'd changed. Whether he'd gotten over whatever he felt guilty for about his brother's death or if he'd just moved on from mourning Leon, Jonas couldn't say. Nor did he think it would be a smart move to ask about it even. Inquiring might light the tinder keg that Elwin so often had seemed to be. As such, it still wasn't clear how Elwin was currently feeling at the moment.

"Well, if Elwin's not going to continue on, I guess I won't be able to have any support for my arguments," Owen chuckled.

Jonas chuckled as well, though mostly because he wanted to try and keep things from turning hostile later. If they did end up fighting Stanley and his group, he couldn't say that it'd be good to have any potential ill feelings going on among their group right then.

"Well, if that's settled, I guess we can take it easy today," Kim remarked, looking around.

Jonas nodded, though he wasn't interested in doing much other than relaxing. If others wanted to do anything that would exert themselves, that was their prerogative. Although, one thing that he felt he couldn't complain about, but didn't especially like, was Elmo choosing to pretty much do the same. Only Elmo was cuddled up next to Jonas, as if he'd arranged the whole thing just so they'd have that time together.

While Jonas wanted to tell Elmo to stop, he wasn't sure how to do that without hurting Elmo's feelings and he had a feeling that whatever they had between them would be affected if he did that. Which he wasn't sure he really wanted to do right then.

Through the day, Elwin worked through some of the sword techniques that he'd come across in the books back in the library. Kim had Heather practice with some small weapons, like a dagger she'd borrowed from Jonas. Owen and Bart left to do their own thing away from the camp while Patricia and Patrick disappeared when no one was looking and no one knew where they'd gone. While Sonya seemed to have decided to emulate Jonas and Elmo and lounged around the camp, spreading her body out to catch as much of the sun as she could on her wolf body.

When the sun was nearing the horizon, the sound of hoofs thundering across the plain around them drew their attention to a rider heading straight for them. Which told Jonas that they'd been able to fashion a weapon for Heather with the flower teeth.

When the rider stopped, Jonas recognized they young man as one of the guards who'd accompanied the king earlier that morning. The youth didn't say anything, just merely tossed a small parcel at Jonas, which he caught easily, before turning the horse and galloping back towards the city.

While he didn't really understand what the rush was for the youth, Jonas figured that he could at least open the parcel, even though he was certain it was for Heather.

"What is it?" Kim asked, a knowing smile betraying her intent behind the question.

"Feels like a dagger of some sort," Jonas replied, tossing the parcel to Kim, already having lost interest in opening it himself. Why that was, he couldn't be sure. Just that his interest had already waned just by having his attention pulled away from it for just a moment.

Kim opened the parcel quickly, pulling out a dagger with a hilt that had silvery dragon claws on the hilt, from the crossguard to the pommel. The blade looked like the metal had been encased over a number of the flower's teeth that were sharpened along the sides to act as the blade on both sides of the dagger.

"Tell me what you think," Kim said tossing the dagger to Heather, who jumped back as she hadn't expected to have it tossed to her.

"What'd you do that for!?" Heather cried, looking like she was close to having a heart attack, despite being so young and in good shape.

"Just seeing what you'd do," Kim merely replied, her eyes full of amusement.

Heather merely shook her head as she picked the dagger off the ground. She held it like Kim had instructed her to and tested out a few swings with it.

"Not bad," Kim remarked. "It looks like you'll do well if you need to draw that later on."