The Systems Challenge

"So, you're saying that it might not be so easy to actually deal damage to the dragon, right?" Owen asked, looking like he wasn't sure if he should believe Elmo or not.

Elmo nodded,

Owen sighed, making Elin wonder if he might actually be accepting what Elmo was saying, despite how it first seemed to her.

"So, you mean it'll probably take us years to beat it?" Elin asked, not sure if she was really following everything that had been said.

Elmo merely shook his head. "I'm saying that it's dangerous."

Elin suddenly realized that Elmo really didn't know what to do about the bear. He had information about it, but it was clear he wasn't sure how to interpret it. Which is where he seemed to have gotten stuck.

"Well, if we can't beat the bear quickly, then when we go to rest, it could wipe us out while we're trying to recover," Owen commented. "No matter how slow it is, if we're not moving, it can still potentially get us while we sleep."

Elin wasn't sure how to respond to that. She actually hadn't thought about that aspect of things.

"I'd rather not have to see it again," Elmo said.

"Well, if it might not be up to you," Owen commented. "Though, with your spells, you might be able to do more damage than you think. While you might not be able to deal as much as you'd like, it still might be more than any the rest of us could deal."

"Especially if Owen enhances your spells," Elin added. Feeling happy that she could think of something to say.

Owen nodded. "Exactly. Plus, with Patricia and Patrick, we should be able to do more damage than you're probably realizing."

Elmo sighed. "Well, when it wakes up, it's supposed to give off light, I guess. Like it's a nebula or something."

Owen looked in the direction of the dust cloud, which was obscured by the surrounding trees. "I'm not seeing any extra light coming from it," he remarked after a minute.

"All I can say is what I learned when I used my View Stats spell," Elmo replied, sounding a little defensive. "I don't know why it isn't giving off light now or if the dust cloud is just too thick for the bear's light to get through."

Owen nodded, "Well, I think we've looked for water long enough. We should probably head back."

Elin blinked. She had hoped to find something in relation to water, but from the way Owen spoke, it was like he hadn't expected to find any. That he'd only accompanied them in order to talk with Elmo about the stellar bear without the others overhearing. She wasn't sure if he'd really been looking for water himself, but she didn't feel like capitulating to his demand just because he'd gotten the information he'd wanted about the stellar bear.

"You can go back if you want to," Elin told Owen. "We haven't had time to really look very much for a stream or anything."

Owen looked like he wasn't sure how to respond to that, which Elin was happy about. If only because she was starting to not like him from how he went about things.

"You don't have to accompany us," Elmo told Owen. "It's not like we need proper adult supervision. We're both capable of taking care of ourselves."

Elin wasn't sure how Owen would respond to that, but at the same time, she wasn't that concerned. She had a feeling that whatever he could do wouldn't be able to affect what they chose to do themselves.

+++

Kim sighed. Part of her was confident that she'd made the right call in relation to Elin while part of her was worrying about if Elin would leave her. She knew all relationships had times where the people involved had disagreements and fights, but she also felt confident that Elin would stick with her when they'd resolve their disagreement. After all, it wasn't like she was doing anything to push Elin away.

"You know, how thick do you think the bear's skin is?" Elwin asked, as he looked towards the dust cloud in the distance.

Kim shrugged. "Not really sure. I'm sure it won't be thick enough that we won't be able to do any damage, regardless of any other considerations."

"Maybe so, but who knows how thick it is with how large it is," Jonas remarked. "For all we know, it's skin is in direct proportion to it's skin in relation to how big the bear is compared to any other bear."

Elwin got up and started pacing around the camp. Kim was sure that he was wanting to do something, but unable to figure out what it was. Especially with the target he wanted to fight in sight, but not within reach for him to even get to within a days travel. In fact, Kim was pretty sure that it would take maybe a few days to reach it, even if it moved directly towards them.

"You know, if you're gonna keep this up, you might as well run around in circles just to wear yourself out," Patricia remarked. "Otherwise you're gonna have us taking turns knocking you out just so you don't drive the rest of us crazy."

Elwin stared at Patricia, like she'd just insulted him. Kim couldn't say that it was a kind of insult, just not a direct one, though she also had to agree with Patricia. If he was unable to keep still until they reached the bear, since it had been decided during the discussions that lasted almost until it was the turn for Jonas to swap out with Elin on the watch, that they would head to fight the bear. Though, the discussions didn't exactly really start up again until after they'd finished eating.

Kim wasn't sure anymore who was against it, though she did at least remember that Elwin was always for going after the bear. She didn't know if that was something he'd wanted to do for just the challenge or if he was suicidal at the moment. Regardless of which, she didn't think it was a good idea to let him go on his own. Which then meant the rest of them would need to accompany him. Or at least they would if they wanted to keep together as a group altogether.

"Do we really all need to go?" Bart complained.

Kim wasn't surprised. Bart hadn't been in favor of going himself, though she wasn't sure if they'd be able to find each other again if he didn't accompany them. Especially since no one had indicated about having a meeting place once the fight with the bear was over. As Kim was confident that they'd be able to find a way to kill the bear, even if they didn't all go.

Of course, she'd rather avoid the bear entirely, if only because she didn't care to fight something that massive. However, she had a feeling that if she didn't, that it could create more problems down the road. Although, she wasn't sure why she felt that way exactly. Just that the sensation was present.

However, she also felt that if she didn't join in, that it might not be possible to ever be able to return home. While she doubted that she'd understand the reasons for that, she couldn't dismiss them either. She wished she could ask her tutorial for information of that, but doubted that it would have any to give her about this. Especially since she had already had to deal with her tutorial several times when it wouldn't even be clear about what information it would give.

"Maybe not, but it's like this," Patrick said. "Even if you can avoid a challenge, that doesn't necessarily mean you should. It's all about getting learning experiences and growth. If you avoid something simply because it's a challenge, then you're not going to learn what you would have if you had met the challenge."

"No duh," Bart retorted. "That doesn't mean doing this is a good idea."

Patrick shrugged, making Kim feel like there was more to his statement than he was able to vocalize. Though, in order for her to figure out what it was, she'd have to think about what he'd said and she really wasn't that interested in doing just that.

"Look at it this way, if we defeat it, we'll probably all get a 'completed challenge' or whatever. If that's the case, then we can be that much closer to winning this competition," Patrick said.

Looking at Bart, Kim wasn't sure he was buying into what Patrick said, though she couldn't blame him. If she remembered correctly, she, Jonas, Elin, and Elmo all were three completed challenges shy of the ten that was given as a requirement to 'win' this competition. Yet, Bart and Patrick only had around five or so. So, if all of them got a completed challenge, then they would still be behind Kim's group and wouldn't be able to 'win' as a result of that.

However, it looked like Bart didn't feel like debating the issue more, as he merely shrugged and looked away, not giving any further response. Kim wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but if nothing else, it did put an end to that discussion. Not that Kim felt bothered by it.