I was in the mood to hit things. Maybe break something. Any wall would’ve done just fine, but I withheld my temper. It wasn’t going to be much longer until the appointed hour with Quinn, and even though I had the feeling she might understand my frustration, I wanted to keep up appearances.

To draw my attention away for a bit, I called out the iPaw and scrolled over to check how my [Stats] looked.

Matt

Base Level 9

Warrior Class Level 9

Health Points: 54/54

Myana Points: 7/7

Energy: 27/28

Strength: 6

Magic: 1

Vitality: 6

Dexterity: 1

Agility: 1

Resistance: 2

1 Stat Point available!

1 Skill Point available!

Out of curiosity, I pulled up Ravyn’s sheet next. The way I figured it, being a second class brought upon a whole slew of boons, so I imagined her [Health Points] were probably higher than mine for some time.

Ravyn

Base Level 12

Sorcerer Class Level 8

Health Points: 53/53

Myana Points: 119/119

Energy: 35/36

Strength: 1

Vitality: 3

Dexterity: 3

Agility: 1

Magic: 13

Resistance: 4

I chuckled. I was only ahead of her by a single point. Guess second classes weren’t to be taken for granted. Ceres’ balancing advice rang in my ears, for better or worse. Each of the girls had alluded to how some of the [Stats] can and may work. However, beyond the obvious features of each attribute, I was still unaware of how they were ultimately affecting me. For the first time in a long while, I was paralyzed by indecision.

I recalled the sensation that filled my being when I first leveled [Strength]. I remembered how my muscles felt, how noticeably lighter my axe was in my hand, and how my very skin began to feel more leathery, tougher. It was a difficult experience to describe—felt like I cheated my way out of the gym for some newfound witchcraft—which, I guess wasn’t too far from the truth.

Another thought occurred to me.

What if I were to ask some of the girls where their points were? Did they acknowledge what sort of effect it had on their performance? Would they even notice?

I was sure Keke could answer the latter two questions. Probably Ceres too. But it wasn’t going to do me any good just sitting here and wondering, and it was a long-overdue lesson. Since it was nearly time to speak with Quinn anyway, I made my way over to Espada’s shop. If she was even half the person Tristan claimed she was, then there wasn’t a better person to ask.

When I approached, Espada was busy lining one of her latest and greatest creations with fur. I waited patiently for her to finish. It dawned on me that she must value the breeze around here. You could catch a salty whiff of the sea from where we were, and the murmurs of the passing catgirls were just quiet enough to offer a peaceful ambiance to a busybody like herself.

A couple of minutes later, she stretched her fingers and approached the counter. “You’re awful quiet today. Whatcha need, Matt?” Her tone was friendly—well, friendly for Espada—and I saw the briefest hint of a smile tug at the edge of her mouth.

I couldn’t help but smile back. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” Her immediate frown put me on the defensive. “Nothing bad, and nothing about your history if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Her frown deepened. “My history? What do you think you know about my history?”

I wondered if I’d dug myself a hole. I had no idea what Tristan’s investigation into Espada looked like beyond the limited information he’d shared with me. I was quickly realizing that I should’ve just cut straight to the point. “Not much, honestly. Sorry, let me try again. I have questions about Stats.”

Her expression eased, as did my breathing. “What about them?”

“Do you know how each Stat affects a person? I’m kinda… asking around.”

Espada folded her arms. “Mostly. I can only really tell you from the viewpoint of a catgirl, though. I don’t know anything about the iPaw or the strange magic it uses.”

My shoulders fell. “That’s fine. Nobody seems to really know what they do, it seems.”

Espada blinked, then laughed dryly.

Why do I feel so stupid right now? “Please just tell me what the Stats do.” My impatience was getting the better of me. I had to know for sure if there was an immediate urgency to the Stats I chose. It might even affect what [Class] I picked next.

“Ease up, Matt. Look over there.” Espada motioned to where Saphira was gleefully doing business with a pair of catgirls that barely stood up to her shoulder—which was saying a lot. I watched for some time, admiring the sparkle in Saphira’s eyes, the way she animatedly gestured using her hands. Now that I was paying attention, I never noticed that quirk before. She really did use her hands a lot.

“That’s your average catgirl on Ni Island, Matt,” Espada continued. “Most girls on this island never reach second advancement. Many of them have never distributed a Stat point in their lives. So a lot of them wouldn’t be able to help you.”

“Right. I mean, yeah, that makes sense.”

Espada chuckled. “Oh yeah? Why?”

Uhhh, shit. Um, there could be a couple different points she’s making here. I sighed. “Cause the island’s quiet. Not a lot happens here.”

“You’re not wrong. Truth be told, you got lucky when Keke found you. She’s the daughter of one of the most well-known catgirls in Nyarlea. The Famed [Sniper]. Few would’ve been able to help you better than she.”

Keke doesn’t talk about her much. “I honestly didn’t know that.”

Espada walked over to a white tarp and pulled it away to reveal a strikingly beautiful silver shield underneath. The glare reflecting off its surface was almost enough to blind me. “Finished this early by the way. Well… almost. I’ll just need another hour on it to tune it up. It’s some of my finest work yet.”

“Thanks, Espada. I’m at a loss for words. I didn’t think you’d put that much work into it.”

When I realized how I’d come off, I clapped a hand to my mouth.

Espada laughed. “It’s fine, Matt. I didn’t think so either.” She sighed, then turned back around. “Anyway. What I was trying to say was that these girls couldn’t give you much of the information you need. They haven’t fought much, haven’t come face to face with the Defiled. So go easy on them, will ya? Ask your friends first.”

It had been a while, but I recalled a conversation I’d had with Keke about Stats. “I did ask her, and she told me I needed more [Knowledge] for some of these Stats. Her mom may have known them like the back of her hand, but Keke’s been limited by the island, I think.”

“Hm. Alright.” Espada threw the tarp back over the shield and folded her arms. “Let’s keep it simple. I’m guessing you threw all your points into [Strength] and [Vitality], yeah?”

I nodded. “That’s right. Hit harder, take more hits.”

“That’s what I did too. That’s going to work for a while. But later on, Matt, you won’t keep up. You need speed or it’ll just be a matter of time before a Defiled catches you.” Espada felt for the piece of ear she was missing. “Take it from someone who got caught.”

After the encounter we had with the twins, I had trouble imagining more things moving so quickly. Even my memories of the fight were blurry—too many details caught between stances and positioning of the girls and Defiled both. I didn’t have to see Jazz’s sheet to know she’d stacked [Agility] like her life depended on it. Ara too.

Now that I think of it, has Ara ever gotten hit?

I struggled to remember if I’d seen Ara take a blow in any of our fights. Even so, she had emerged from every encounter practically unscatched. Her uniform was still in tip-top shape. Not a single scar on her body—at least, as far as I knew. Was that also due to her [Agility]?

“Are you talking about [Agility]?”

Espada nodded. “If you intend to protect these girls, you’re going to have to keep up. [Strength] and [Vitality] are going to get you fucked up if you depend on them too much.”

It felt counterintuitive to me. For as long as I could remember, distributing points into power and health-related attributes were the way to go whenever I played barbarian or berserking-type characters. I understood that this wasn’t a game, and that many of Nyarlea’s quirks and penalties applied in different ways. But the concept of throwing [Agility] into my build was not something I’d get used to overnight.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked.

I’d barely gotten the words out when Espada snatched the iPaw out of my hands in a flash. There was no time to react. She held the screen up and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

My mouth hung agape. I’d never seen Espada move so fast. I called the iPaw back to my side with, “Return, iPaw.” The device vanished from her grip and reappeared back in my hands. I paused. “You made your point. What happens when I get it, though?”

“It’ll make more sense if you just get it. Don’t ignore [Dexterity] or [Resistance] either, Matt.” Something caught Espada’s gaze. “I’m going to finish up. We can talk more later if you want.”

“Oh. You’re here,” said another voice.

I looked down and over to my side to see Quinn.

She raised a hand. “Yo.”

“Y-yo.” I raised my hand in response. I don’t know why, but Quinn gave me this weird feeling like I was trying to communicate with a long lost civilization. Should I be flashing a Vulcan sign?

“Your hunk o’ junk is done. Here.” Quinn held out my armor with both hands.

To say that it had been fixed would not do her service. I couldn’t tell it had ever been damaged. The leather looked freshly cured, and when I yanked it as a small test run, I couldn’t get it to budge an inch.

I was impressed. “Thanks, Quinn. Seriously. You’ve saved me a huge trip.”

She shrugged. “Whatevs.” Quinn held out her hand. “Bells, boy.”

I reached into my [Cat Pack] and placed a sack of a hundred and fifty Bells in her palm. “Hang on.” I reached further into my [Cat Pack] and pulled out an extra ten Bells. “Here’s a tip. As a big ‘thank you.’”

Quinn seemed less than impressed, then bit one of the coins. “Huh. It’s real. You’re a weird one.”

Takes one to know one.

Espada was already hard at work on her next commission, and as I drew the iPaw close to my face, I pondered the screen for a short while before putting a point into [Agility] and a point into [Increase Attack].

I can’t afford to get caught. Not now.