The Systems Challenge

Even with the rain that was starting to fall, Elin hadn't expected anyone to return. She'd expected Elmo and Bart to have stayed with the others, since she was confident that they'd been interested in going after the bear. Or at least had been pulled into the part of the sub-group of their group that was to pursue the bear, if nothing else.

However, not only had Elmo and Bart returned, but now they were with another person. Elin couldn't see who it was, but could at least make out their shadow's silhouette in the failing light. Yet, Elin also couldn't help but wish neither of them had returned.

Somehow it felt like they were intruding, despite there being nothing for them to intrude on.

"We came back in case something attacked while you were taking care of Sonya," Bart explained before Elin or Heather could ask. "And we met Grisha on our way back. He's apparently looking for his sister… uh, what was her name again?"

Elin was confident that the question was for Grisha rather than himself or Elmo. Though, Elin was wondering if maybe Grisha should have been the one to explain what he was doing there. If only because he would at least be certain to know the details of what he was doing were. Though, it was a little late for that at this point.

"Elysia," Grisha replied. "I've been able to confirm the rest of my family is safe, but I haven't been able to locate Elysia."

Elin cocked her head. "I met someone who said their name was 'Elysia Violet' a week or two back," she said, wondering if that might be the same person Grisha was looking for.

"Where was that?" Grisha asked, his tone telling Elin that the girl she'd encountered on her walk that one time likely was this person's sister.

"Good evening contestants!" the announcer's voice suddenly burst around them. "What a shocking turn of events! Not only was the power of the stellar bear shattered, but then what was left over was killed without any care to the fact that it was just a regular giant bear. What bloodlust! What savagery! What disgusting method of getting out of that bear!

"While we had instructed our contestants to avoid the stellar bear, that was primarily because the defeat of a stellar creature, like the stellar bear, had never been recorded before. As such, it was generally assumed they couldn't be defeated. So, as a reward, all contestants who participated will be allotted three completed challenges each. Even those who were merely on the periphery of the battles.

"Meanwhile dangers are starting to gather for the creature or creatures who you will need to capture. Will anyone manage it? Or will this be the first failed set challenge of this competition? We're all eager to find out!"

Elin felt like they'd somehow been played. That there had been a con in there somewhere, but couldn't quite figure out where it was. Maybe it was the fact that they'd listened to so many of those announcements, but this one just felt different somehow. Which annoyed her even more that she couldn't figure out how. Though, she supposed that that's just how this competition worked in the end.

Movement brought Elin back to the present. The newcomer was starting to walk away, which brought her back to what the topic had been before the announcer interrupted it.

"Don't go!" Elin called out. She had been hoping to learn more about that girl that she'd seen.

"Oh, now you're ready to talk?!" Grisha snapped. "I asked you a question and you just sat there as if I suddenly didn't exist anymore. If you're not going to help me find my sister, I have better things to do with my time."

"Sorry about that," Heather said before Elin could respond. "She gets like that sometimes. Usually it doesn't happen at important times, so we're usually able to deal with it."

Grisha sighed, like he didn't buy what Heather said, but wasn't going to argue. "Whatever. Are you able to tell me where you saw my sister? Or are you just going to waste my time?"

"As I said, I saw her a week or two back… uh, I think it was kinda north of here?" Elin suddenly felt unsure about where it had been exactly. If she'd been asked when they first arrived around the bear she knew she'd remember exactly, but at this time it hardly felt like it was something that was just out of her reach to remember correctly.

"What I do remember is that it was near that valley where there's a hill in the exact center," Elin finished.

"Oh yeah, like an inverted breast that had the nipple going inside rather than out," Bart commented as the rain started to fall in a steady stream.

"Wha…?" Elin heard Heather say in the dark as she herself felt confused as to what exactly Bart was referring to. She didn't think the valley looked like that. Not with how shallow it had been.

"Probably best to keep those thoughts to yourself," Elmo advised. "You never know who might get offended by something like that."

"Whatever," Barth merely said.

"Aside from that, how was Elysia? Did she say anything?" Grisha asked, Elin feeling a little surprised to hear the level of desperation in his voice.

"Uh…" Elin hesitated. While she hadn't been certain where she'd seen Elysia, she also hadn't felt like she needed to give an exact location, since she hadn't a clue as to where the girl had gone to since then. However, what she said felt like it might be more important to get correct. Or at least as accurate as she possibly could at this point.

"Well, I first introduced myself, I think, then she introduced herself and… oh yeah!" Elin was surprised at how quickly she remembered. "She was singing beautifully and when she saw me, she asked who I was, so I told her and she introduced herself. I then complimented her singing and asked if she'd sing it for me, but then she wouldn't. Then before she left, she said that she was sorry. That was the last I saw of her."

Grisha sighed. "That sounds like her," he said, as if it pained him to admit it.

"You know, Elmo? Bart? Would you two be willing to get a fire going? Or at least something to cover us? It's kinda getting cold here," Heather said, even as the rain started to become a downpour.

"I'm not sure what I can do about giving you any shelter," Bart commented. Though, I could at least go looking for some firewood.

"Why not use Sonya's wing as a shelter from the rain?" Elmo suggested. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind… uh, you know. As long as it's the good one, I mean."

"He has a point," Elin remarked. "And I'm sure Sonya would rather you're kept safe more than you staying by her head."

Elin thought she heard Heather sigh. It was difficult to tell with the sound of the rain. Though, she didn't think it was that big of a deal either way. Yet, as she thought about it, she could understand that Heather might want to be there for Sonya when she woke up. Especially since they still didn't have a clue as to when that might be.

So, while they settled in under Sonya's right wing, Heather had moved Sonya's head as close as her neck would allow. Which Elin took to mean that Heather still wanted to try and be ready in case Sonya came to while it was raining.

"Oh, by the way," Elmo said suddenly as he got a small fire going to let them all get a little bit of warmth. "Grisha, what did you mean by 'your parent's nest?' You mentioned that when we first met."

While Elin couldn't see Grisha because of how crowded it was under Sonya's wing, she could at least feel the tension Elmo's question created. Though, she also had to admit, that the phrasing certainly sounded weird.

"It's nothing much," he answered. "It's just what we called where we lived. It probably came out because that's what I'm used to saying."

"Fair enough," Bart said, his tone sounding to Elin like he was trying to tell Elmo to let the subject go. "Though, how long have you been searching? I mean, you said that you were with your sister just before you were here, so with how long it was that Elin saw your sister, it makes me wonder how long you've been here."

Grisha sighed. "You know, I haven't really paid that much attention to it. I've just been searching. I found most of my family, and have ensured that they're safe, but I still haven't located my sister."

"Uh, I think you mentioned that already," Elmo remarked. "No need to rehash what you've already told us for no clear reason."

"Sorry, I'm just worried about her," Grisha said, the worry in his voice making Elin wonder if there was anything that she'd be able to do for him.

"Oh!" she said, suddenly remembering something. "If you wait a week, my friend Kim could help you find your sister."

"Wait, you mean with the 'Locate' ability on her sword?" Elmo asked. "Think Kim would be willing to help him?"

Elin shrugged, not sure if her gesture was able to really be seen in the rather weak firelight in their small cramped space. "I could at least ask. If nothing else, it would at least give us something to do while we try to figure out what our next challenge is supposed to be."

"What're you talking about?" Grisha asked, his suspicious tone startling Elin. "What 'challenge?'"