Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Group Chat

"Hello?" I could see Govessa's transparent face from the Tella Stone's projection. Her emerald eyes darted around before focusing in on me.

"Hello, Govessa," I said calmly. I turned my gaze to the side and saw Yusha with her fingers interlocked together as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Her eyes were opened wide as she tried to get a glimpse of the goddess while trying to stay out of view.

"Everything all right on your end?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

There was a short pause. I looked at Yusha and she looked back at me. She mouthed something in silence. I assumed she wanted me to ask if she could join in on the conversation.

"Did I tell you that these calls cost [Mana]?" Govessa asked, drawing my attention back to her.

"Right, right. I'm on one [Mana] point right now so I need to make this quick. I had a few questions about looking at stats and stuff like that."

"Go ahead."

"But there's one more thing I've got to tell you."

"Timer's ticking, Adrien."

"I met someone in the forest where you dropped me off. Said she'd help me out if I let her talk to you." I paused to look at Govessa. She raised one eyebrow at me, looking at me like I had just asked her to pay for my bail. I knew my [Mana] was running out fast, so I broke the silence. "Would that be... okay with you?"

"Sure. I don't see why not. But you don't have time to let her have an entire conversation."

I waved my hand at Yusha and she came running. All happy and giddy, she waved at the goddess with both hands.

"Govessa! Is that really you?" she exclaimed.

The goddess giggled, covering her lips with her fingers. "Of course it's me! I'm the only that can use Tella Stones."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Yusha put her hands on her legs and bowed forward. "I apologize for acting so puerile in your presence. It's just that I never thought I'd actually get to see one of your Champions in my lifetime, let alone be in your presence."

"No need to apologize. I'm not like Zahnte. If I could talk to everyone under my rule, I could."

"Thank you, Govessa." Yusha bowed again.

"Adrien said that you were helping him out."

"You mean that little deal he mentioned?" Yusha let a nervous chuckle escape as she looked at me with the corner of her eye. "I would have helped him regardless of our conversation. I didn't even expect him to agree to let me talk to you."

"Well, I'm glad he was kind enough to let you chat with me. I'd hate to end a conversation with a devotee so abruptly, but Adrien is burning through his lone [Mana] point at the moment and he has some important questions to ask. But I'll tell you what."

"Yes, Govessa?"

"If you keep helping him out, feel free to join in any calls he might have with me. I'd be delighted to talk with a dedicated young woman such as yourself." Govessa ended her sentence with a wink of the eye that wasn't obscured by her long, golden hair. I watched as Yusha took a step back, trying her best to keep control of her rampant grinning.

"T-Thank you, Govessa," she said as she bowed. Again. She then moved out of frame and I faced the goddess again.

"Back to business," she said, her smile straightening out and her face becoming stern. "You said something about needing to check your stats?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Took out a couple of Entities. I wanted to know where my [Attribute Points] are at right now."

"If they were the lower-level ones, you probably still have a bit of a way to go. Aura-Entities typically are nothing more than pests to even semi-competent warriors. Their strength comes from sheer numbers and overwhelming their targets."

That news was a bit of letdown. I know the first enemies are never actual threats but being told that my first accomplishment in this world was just glorified bedbug squishing put a bit of a damper on my parade.

"But bringing up your stats is easy," Govessa continued. "It's all in your mind. No one else can see them except for me. And as a Champion, you have the ability to see the stats of others as well."

That caught my attention. "Really?"

"Yep. But seeing the stats of others costs [Mana]. Not to mention if someone really didn't want anyone seeing their levels, there are plenty of ways stop you from doing so. To see yours, all you have to do is focus. It's like reliving a memory. The stats are buried deep within your subconscious. It might take a bit of work seeing it the first few times but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."

Just focus on bringing them up? Sounds vague, but doable. Good thing there's still a long walk ahead so I'll have plenty of time to practice.

"And what about seeing the stats of others?"

"It's another spell called [Analyze]. Costs a single [Mana] point. And if you use it on a person, they'll be able to tell that it's been cast by a weird nagging feeling. Some people might chalk it up as a 'someone's watching me' sensation. But if the target is someone who has had their stats seen with [Analyze] before, they'll know for sure that you're using it on them."

That's some useful advice. I can't use [Analyze] and be stealthy at the same time. Got it.

"Any other questions?"

I tapped my chin as my mind raced to figure out what I needed to ask. Like a lightbulb, something flicked on in my mind. "Oh yeah. Since I'm using up my last [Mana] point to call you, how do I get them back?"

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"Just rest. They'll come back eventually. About a point every half-hour. And if you get a decent rest, about six hours or so of uninterrupted sleep, all your points will return no matter how many you have."

"If only [Stamina] worked like that!" Yusha called out.

"I know, right?" Govessa said. She turned her to look at Yusha and laughed. "Then we wouldn't need so many Healers and Clerics in our ranks!"

I knew my time was running short. Wanted to come up with other questions but I thought it was best to put the conversation to an end. "Thanks, Govessa. That's all I really wanted to know for now. I'll call you again in case something else comes up."

"Talk to you later, Adrien." Govessa waved at me then looked at Yusha. "And hopefully you as well."

The projection faded away. I placed the necklace back on my chest and turned to Yusha. She was still smiling from the encounter.

"I-I can't believe I got to meet Govessa!" She pressed her hand against her like she was trying to stop it from jumping out her chest. "And I'll get to talk to her again? And maybe even more after that!"

"You seem excited," I said.

"It's every warrior's dream to meet with their deity. I only fantasized about getting to meet her. And now here I am, helping out one of her Champions!"

I felt bad. Yusha was more excited for my job than I was. And she sure was grateful to just meet with Govessa, even if only for a few seconds. And here I am, making snide comments in my mind about the goddess. If anyone deserved to be a Champion, Yusha did. She's got the passion. The dedication. Probably the talent, too.

Meanwhile, I could barely be bothered to get out of bed in time to make it to an 10:30 AM class. I guess I need to change my mindset. No more procrastinating and slacking off here, now that not only is my life on the line, but possibly Yusha's as well.

"I... uh... have a feeling I'll be calling her a lot," I said nervously. "Every few seconds it seems like I have another question pop into my head."

"Don't call her all the time," Yusha said sternly. "She has to oversee all of her territories, not to mention that other Champions under her command. Govessa is very busy. Please, call her sparingly." She placed a hand on my arm and then gestured towards herself with her thumb. "I'll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability. We can't burden a goddess with mundane requests."

That basically makes Yusha a teacher's assistant. A goddess' assistant. I'd call her that, but I'm sure Govessa uses that title for someone else. Regardless, I'm glad I met her because I'd probably spend more [Mana] on asking questions instead of my spells. Speaking of which, it dawned on me that I was all out. It was time to check my stats.

"You're right. Nothing more annoying than a needy constituent. Looks like we'll be on our own for a bit."

"Did you at least get the answers you were originally looking for?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just needed to figure out how to check my stats."

"That's easy. I could have told you how to do that."

"But then you never would have gotten a chance to talk to Govessa."

Yusha giggled. "Good point. Go ahead and check your stats then. I want to see just how powerful one of Govessa's Champions can be!"

I looked at her with just a shred of embarrassment. "Don't expect too much. I was just summoned here a couple of hours ago."

She raised one hand like she was taking an oath. "I shall temper my expectations."

If only my parents had the same mindset when I went to college. I closed my eyes and pressed two pairs of fingers to my temples. My mind went through my limited journey in Sianka. Meeting Yusha. Fighting those Entities. Walking through the forest. As I massaged my forehead with my fingers, I pushed those memories to the side. I envisioned a blurry chart. The text was fuzzy for me to read so I concentrated harder.

I could sense that Yusha was hovering over me as I knelt. I didn't think it would take this much effort to pull up such a small bit of information. I grunted a bit. And then the image became clear.

Attribute Points

10/40

All of that just to see I only gained ten [Attribute Points]. Usually the first level-up is the easiest, but it looks like I've still got a bit more grinding to do. A sudden pat on my back freed me from... my meditation? Let's call it that.

"Everything fine?" Yusha asked as she patted me on the back again.

"Yeah, yeah." I stood up straight and pressed a hand to my forehead. Getting that table to show up kinda hurt.

"Well, I want to know! What are your stats like?" she asked after clapping her hands.

I rattled off the numbers. I was nervous the entire time, thinking she'd be disappointed with the stats, but Yusha didn't mind. She maintained her avid disposition despite my mediocre numbers.

"That's not bad. You're stronger than anyone in the village, that's for sure!"

Interesting. Either this village has no warriors or maybe I've underestimated my abilities. "Even you?" I asked.

"It's hard to say for sure. I'm a Caster so our skillsets are different. But I'd say we're at least on par with each other."

Looks like I just found a buddy to level up with. And it's perfect since she's a different class with a different element. That bit of news perked me up enough to make smile. "Great! You must have worked hard to get where you're at now."

"I did." Then Yusha's smile faded for a moment. "But I would be even stronger if it weren't for the asinine rules our village's leader put in place."

Oh boy. There just had to be a caveat. "Rules?" I regretfully asked. Yusha turned around and started to head in the direction of Tuanha.

"It's a long story. Let me explain it to you on the way."

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