Babel

After hearing Eliza claim to have been in the same Party as his sister, Linnaeus' mind completely blanked out. He suddenly felt like he was in a dream or, more specifically, a nightmare beyond any other...By the time Linnaeus returned to his senses, he was cradling his head with both hands as, for reasons beyond his awareness, a trickle of blood was trailing from his nose. He didn't know how to describe what he was feeling in this instant as, beyond rage and sadness, it felt like 'nothingness' had taken root at the very core of his existence.Eliza could only bite her bottom lip as she watched Linnaeus anguish before her. After hearing about his past, she felt very empathetic towards his suffering. She could tell that, more than anything else, he cared deeply about his sister. Knowing she was no inside the Tower, it must have devastated him to a degree she couldn't even comprehend.Seeing that Linnaeus wasn't likely to speak any time soon, Eliza lowered her head and, in a somber tone, muttered, "I'm sorry...I just thought you should know..."Hearing Eliza's words, Linnaeus turned to meet her gaze and, seeing she looked extremely sorry for what she had done, he felt a pang of guilt. In truth, he should be thanking her for the information as, if he had returned to the outside world without knowing the truth, it would have been too late to do anything about it.To calm himself, Linnaeus ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned back against the wall of the den and whispered, "You don't need to apologize...thank you for telling me. Now I have even more reasons to return to the Tower and continue my climb...haaaa..."Eliza winced slightly in response to Linnaeus' words as, for the past few days, she had suspected that it was impossible to leave the Crucible of Souls. Since she didn't want to dash the last bit of his hope, she decided to keep her speculation to herself. After all, there was still a chance they would be able to leave so it would be thoughtless to argue against the possibility.Linnaeus hadn't missed Eliza's reaction but, as he couldn't determine why she had reacted as such, he also decided to let matters lie. Right now, it was more important to come up with a plan, not just for this Floor, but all Floors to come.For the better part of twenty minutes, complete silence reigned within the dark den until Linnaeus inhaled a deep breath and said, "I need to become much stronger...we also need to recruit more members to our Party. With our Blessings and attribute allocation, we need someone who can block enemies from the front and someone that specializes in attacks from a distance..."Being the more experienced between them, Eliza gave a curt nod before offering a semblance of a smile as she explained, "From what I have seen, it is usually better to have two Vanguard units, one specialist ranged attacker, and someone to protect them. If I'm not wrong, you're intending to fill the roll of our Party's second frontline unit...I don't think this is wise. You should continue to polish your Skills in [Assassination] and [Stealth] further. Once you reach LV50 in [Stealth], it gives you a brief period of invisibility that can give you an edge against opponents with lower [Perception]. At higher proficiency, some claim it will allow you to become permanently invisible until someone reveals your position..."Hearing Eliza's explanation, Linnaeus couldn't help but agree with her. He really wasn't much of a frontline fighter so, rather than find someone that can support at a distance, he might as well take up the role himself. At the very least, he could be the person protecting the backline so, if he wanted to take Eliza's advice into consideration, they needed two Vanguards...After thinking for a few moments, Linnaeus pulled out his hand-drawn map for Eliza to see. It was a jumbled mess that was nearly impossible to read but it was still better than nothing.Though it might trigger Eliza's suspicion, Linnaeus showed her the locations of each other person he had tracked on the Floor and gave her a brief overview of their habits, character, and Blessings. Since she had more experience than him, he wanted to have her input before deciding whether or not he should try and recruit any of them.As could be expected, Eliza frowned slightly when she noticed an area on the map that indicated her own habitat but, remembering how cautious Linnaeus was about entering his own den, she credited it to him being an amazing Scout. She could teach him the basics of [Drawing] so that, in the future, Linnaeus would be their trusted with gathering information for their entire Party.Of the candidates Linnaeus mentioned, Eliza was drawn to two in particular. This included the man with the Blessing that allowed him to absorb the properties of anything he touched as there was a fair chance he had the [Adaptation] or [Beast King] Blessings. Considering he was in the Crucible of Souls, the odds were in favor of the former as, even outside of the Tower, the [Beast King] Blessing was considered one of the strongest.The second person Eliza took an interest in was none other than the girl with the ability to produce and manipulate water as, while she may not be suitable as a core member of their Party, it was never a bad thing to have a source of freshwater. In a setting where they had to hide away for long periods of time, she effectively gave them unlimited sustainability so long as they could resist hunger pangs.All of this was secondary, however, to the fact that, at later levels, most water-related Blessings had the ability to treat wounds and heal other people. It wasn't nearly as strong as other forms of healing but, with how rare such Blessings were, it wasn't uncommon for most Companies to have at least a few people with water-elemental Blessings.Linnaeus hadn't known about the ability for water-elemental Blessings to heal wounds so he was a little surprised by the revelation. Fortunately, Eliza took pity on him and explained that, prior to entering the Tower, she was also unaware of this. This was due to the fact that, at the very least, it required a person to reach LV50 in their Blessing for such effects to appear.After hearing Eliza's explanation, Linnaeus couldn't help but release a sigh as he remarked, "I wish I had something like a compendium of every Blessing...not knowing what other people are capable of makes me uncomfortable."Eliza giggled in response to Linnaeus' complaint, earning her a look of blame from the pale-haired boy. She didn't take this to heart, however, and instead leaned forward slightly as she informed, "It isn't impossible to obtain information about the Blessings of others. Once you reach the 10th Floor of the Tower, there is a massive settlement with hundreds of millions of people. So long as you have enough Aether, you can always purchase the information from the Explorer's Guild. You can even purchase information about other people, though it is a little more costly."Linnaeus wasn't really surprised by Eliza's words, as information brokers were very common within the slums. Still, it was an important piece of information and, seeing how willing she was to talk about other Floors, he decided to ask her about the challenges she underwent. He also wanted to ask about his sister but, considering how Eliza behaved previously, part of him didn't want to know. All that really mattered was, regardless of what had happened, he would now do everything in his power to catch up to his sister...Since she had been wanting someone to talk to for quite a while now, Eliza had no problem sharing everything she knew with Linnaeus. This included information about the challenges from the 4th to the 9th Floor and, more importantly, information about the various Guilds and Organizations he had to be aware of beyond the 10th.Among the information revealed by Eliza, Linnaeus learned that the first actual exit wasn't on the 10th Floor, but the 20th. From the moment you entered the 11th Floor, you were essentially stuck trying to climb until you reached the 20th as it was impossible to backtrack after you reached one of the 'safe zones'. The only reason the major Guilds and Organizations had power in the lower Floors was due to the fact that their members or, more specifically, their offspring, would have to start their climb just like anyone else. This allowed them to continually recycle personnel and maintain their influence on lower Floors.It was indeed possible for people to rear children within the Tower but, just like those born in the outside, they suffered similar restrictions. The only real difference was, compared to those that were born outside the Tower, they had a considerable edge in the information department. Fortunately, the Tower seemed to take this into consideration so, when such individuals began their climb, they often ended up in clutches comprised entirely of other tower-born Fledglings.The most important thing Linnaeus learned from Eliza was, as could be expected, the Eight Heavenly Families had also built up their influence in the Tower. It was more accurate to say that, if you were born outside of the Tower, you were actually a branch family member. The only way to become an official member of the main family was to reach the 50th Floor as, prior to that, you are just another inconsequential entity that served no purpose other than keeping order and finding capable recruits on the lower floors.Linnaeus also learned that there were two boards on the 10th Floor, one showing a person's overall ranking in the Tower while the other showed their ranking compared to others of the same Class. It included the names of every person that had reached the 10th Floor and beyond, without exception. This was a method people used to recruit other Party members and build up their own team to try and challenge the dangers on higher floors. After all, it was easier to recruit people around the same Rank as yourself while, in some situations, those with greater ambition actively tried to recruit those in higher positions.One of the most important features of these boards is that it showed the highest floor cleared by an individual so, if you were searching for someone, it was possible to, at the very least, determine their approximate location. The only problem with this was, much like the planar world of Lumen, the size and scale of floors beyond the 10th increased exponentially. According to the rumors that Eliza had heard, the 20th Floor actually had several Kingdoms spread out, regardless of the fact that a 'reset' would occur every thousand years or so, forcing people to either leave the Tower or move to higher floors.Though it was important information, Linnaeus didn't particularly care about the groups vying for power against each other. He was more interested in the fact that, if he could reach the 10th Floor, he would be able to determine the approximate location of his sister. With this information, he just needed to reach the same Floor or, if searching for her proved to be a problem, he could try and wait for her on the 20th.The only thing that troubled Linnaeus was how Saht would react when she reached the 10th Floor and saw that his name was not present. She would undoubtedly still wait for him but, knowing her, she was likely to do something drastic if he kept her waiting for too long. It was also possible that she had found allies of her own so, after a while, she would either have to part ways with them or continue her climb after realizing his sister was inside of the Tower...Knowing that the two people he cared about even more than his own life were climbing the Tower, Linnaeus felt he couldn't just continue to idle about. The Tower seemed to actually reward those who fought against the odds and climbed faster so, while it was better to shore up his foundation, he just didn't have the time to do so. Instead, he would need to find ways to fight against enemies stronger than himself and, no matter how difficult the challenge before him, he would have to surmount them all...he had to...

Though he felt pressured to ascend the Crucible of Souls as soon as possible, Linnaeus wasn't foolish enough to believe that simple conviction was enough to carry him to the top. If he shifted his focus and threw himself forward without consideration, he would develop a tunnel vision that allowed him to be taken advantage of by others.Linnaeus knew his strengths and weaknesses but, in order to surmount the challenges that were to come, he needed to know the capabilities of his allies as well.According to Eliza, a person was required to have formed a Party of four by the time they reached the 9th Floor. Here, your teamwork would be put to the test and, only when a few Parties had set themselves apart from the rest would the individual tournament begin.It was possible to enter the 10th Floor without a full Party but, before moving on to the 11th, even the most headstrong individuals would form a Party. This was due to the fact that, once you left the relative safety of the 10th Floor, you could not return to it. The next safe area wouldn't be until the 20th Floor so, before moving on, most people would form a full Company before trying to break through the obstacles barring their ascension.A Party was a unit consisting of four people while a Company typically consisted of a total of five full Parties. This was to keep some semblance of balance as the five Party Leaders could elect someone to head the Company, bringing the total to 21 people. While the Company Leader had the authority to come up with laws and restrictions, which could actually influence and bind Party members, they could only do so if there was a unanimous vote from each of the Party Leaders. For lesser issues, it only required a majority vote but, more often than not, the laws and restrictions regulating a new Company were decided before its formation.There were some people that would spend years on the 10th Floor making preparations and trying to gather a full Company of people to their cause. After all, it was possible to gain information about the higher floors and, while it was difficult to contend against the seated powers, it was still possible to make a name for yourself by building up a small Company. If you were more ambitious, you could even form a Guild or an Organization, essentially building a small army for yourself before you made your way to higher floors.When large Guilds and Organizations formed to climb the Tower, they were often referred to by the standard Explorer, the colloquial name for Fledglings setting out from the 10th Floor, as Expeditions.Joining an Expedition greatly increased your chances of reaching higher floors if you were a part of the key personnel but, if you were a weaker combatant, your fate was usually to serve as fodder to protect the rest of the group. This still didn't deter people as, if they worked hard to make a name for themselves, there were a lot of benefits to be had from joining a Guild or an Organization.Even at the Company level, it was possible to receive a second Title, one that designated the role you played in the Company itself. The benefits provided by this secondary Title weren't nearly as good as standard Titles but, if your Company became famous, it made a very big difference later on.According to Eliza, joining one of the Companies belonging to the Eight Heavenly Families actually gave you increased Spirit and Luck per Level. If you managed to work your way up to an Officer role within the Organization itself, you could even earn extra Free Attribute points per Level. These were incredible boons and, as a result, the middle and higher floors were all dominated by large Guilds and Organizations. The 50th Floor was even rumored to possess several large Kingdoms, expansive Empires, and massive Clans with several thousand years of history.While this may seem unreasonable, Eliza also explained that the average lifespan of a Fledgling that reached the 10th Floor had already more than tripled. If you managed to reach the 20th Floor, your average lifespan was said to have increased by as much as five times while, on the 50th Floor, it was possible to find several individuals who had already lived for thousands of years.Linnaeus felt that the existence of such people was the primary factor behind why so few people were able to actually reach the higher floors. He hadn't had to deal with them yet but, after growing up in the slums, he understood the lengths people would go to in order to elevate themselves above others. It was easy to imagine a bunch of old monsters who would either forcibly recruit or kill those not in line with their ideals, effectively bottlenecking anyone that had the potential to exceed them.In order to avoid being suppressed by others, Linnaeus knew it would be necessary for him to either fall in line with one of the established powers or, against all odds, build a faction of his own. This was easier said than done, however, as he fundamentally lacked the prestige to pull strong people to his side. Still, if he wanted to protect his sister from the incalculable number of people who would seek to use her power for themselves, he needed more than personal strength.Curiously, Eliza was very supportive of the idea but, when asked about her reasons, she would often deflect or just fall silent. She knew he wouldn't pester her too much if he made her uncomfortable so Linnaeus could only shake his head before falling silent himself.Linnaeus could tell that Eliza was contemplating something but, as it didn't seem to be betrayal, he didn't press her on the matter. Instead, they got along well enough as, despite her being a great deal stronger than him, Eliza regarding his words seriously and always listened to his orders. Though she would question some of them after the fact, mainly to understand what he was thinking, she would never challenge him at the time the order was given.Though this made Eliza seem like someone that was easy to suppress, Linnaeus never once felt this way after their first time hunting together. Instead, he felt like she was trying to build his confidence as, when he made mistakes, she would always give him bits and pieces of advice when they returned to the den. This made him feel quite a bit of pressure as, if he made mistakes in his orders, it felt like he could get them both killed, not just himself.What Linnaeus was unaware of was that Eliza was, quite literally, trying to groom him into being a better leader. From the moment of their discussion about Companies, Guilds, and Organizations, she had decided to see how far someone that was born without any inherent benefits could go.Unlike Linnaeus, who seemed to treat his time in the Crucible of Souls as a continuation of his first life, Eliza knew her own fate had already been twisted. Since she was likely to lose even her identity, she had already stopped thinking about how she should act as a daughter of the Evendoom family. Instead, she had chosen to live according to her own convictions this time around and, as Linnaeus was the first person to pull her out of the darkness she had been sinking into, she decided to follow him until he either broke or succeeded.Eliza felt that the current state of the world was too stagnant and, unlike how others seemed to be very excited about their climb, she had essentially been dragged around by other members of the Eight Families. Because of her status as a daughter of the Evendoom family, she didn't have much of a choice in her selection of Party members. She was forced to join up with haughty and arrogant people who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of you if you showed any signs of weakness.Now that she had already died once, Eliza had decided that she didn't want to live that kind of life any longer. Even if it was stressful and significantly reduced her chances of climbing to higher floors, it was still better to live as she pleased. She had lowered her head in her past life but, despite doing her best to go with the flow of events, she still lost her life. Since acquiescence ended up getting her killed, she wanted to be more proactive in her decisions now that she had a second chance at life.To this end, by the time three days had passed since her joining Linnaeus' Party, Eliza had already worn down most of the peculiar boy's resistance against her. He was the type of person that had a lot of walls around his heart but, with her association to his sister, a person he cared about more than himself, it didn't take long for her to get closer to him.Linnaeus might not have realized it himself but Eliza could see that he was starved for things like love and companionship. He didn't seem to proactively think about such things but, if you made an earnest effort to get closer to him, he couldn't help but open himself up to you in a remarkably short period of time. This was a major weakness that could be exploited by those with malicious intentions but, due to their age difference, Eliza felt like he was a little brother that needed someone to care for him.Now, though he would still turn statuesque, Eliza was able to hug him from behind and snuggle up to him whenever they were going to sleep. She gave the excuse that she was weak against the cold and, despite this being an obvious lie, the adorable little boy ultimately relented. Though he did try and talk about a woman named Saht the following morning, Eliza didn't really care about his former lover as, rather than the love between a man and a woman, she felt like her affections were more maternal in nature than anything else.The first two nights, when they had slept alone, Eliza couldn't help thinking about how difficult it was to grow up without experiencing a mother's love. She could remember the reminiscent smile on his face when he talked about finding warmth at his sister's side so, after mustering up her courage, she decided to try and provide similar warmth with her own body. It made her feel very nervous at first but, after the initial tension wore away, Eliza found it was actually very comfortable to hold onto his frail and seemingly powerless figure.Now, going into the fourth day together, Eliza had a small smile on her face as she watched Linnaeus do his best to avoid direct eye contact with her. Seeing him embarrassed made her feel happy, even if what they were discussing made her feel troubled...Linnaeus felt that, with each passing day, Eliza became harder to see through but, as she was usually very obedient, he couldn't really find the words to rebuke her. He would never admit it but, perhaps due to her large breasts, it was very comfortable to be cradled in her arms. It made him feel like he had regained something he had lost but, even after hours of rumination, he was unable to recall any memories that paralleled the comfort her presence brought to him.After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Linnaeus psyched himself up for the coming day, saying in a determined voice, "We should try and scout our other Party members sooner, rather than later. It should be possible to reach the next Floor after completing a feat worthy of recognition. I have been gathering information on the surroundings Kings, the large monsters that govern each region. Even with the two of us, we could probably move on to the next Floor but, based on the information you had provided, I believe it is better to recruit a full Party before we proceed any further..."Eliza nodded her head in understanding but, unlike Linnaeus, she didn't have much confidence that things would go smoothly. From what he had told her, it was obvious he had never formed a group with boys his own age, much less those that were older than him.Depending on the circumstances, having multiple men and women in the same Party often led to discourse and conflict. Men, with few exceptions, were very prideful while women, for reasons Eliza herself wasn't certain of, often sought benefits by taking advantage of strong men. When strangers were grouped together, the men would often try to establish a hierarchy among themselves while, more often than not, the females would scheme against each other to try and secure a place for themself at the dominant male's side.This was a serious problem, even amongst the Eight Families, so Eliza couldn't help but worry about Linnaeus. He had an uncharacteristically strong will but, more than most of the males she had come to know, he gave off a distinctly weak and fragile aura...one that invited those with strong egos to target and suppress him...

Though he had given a similar account to Ryuuna, Linnaeus quickly noticed that Eliza was paying a lot more attention to what he was telling her. She seemed attentive and, at times, even empathetic to the experiences he had growing up. He wasn't really trying to earn her pity but, having someone just quietly listening got him to talk a lot more than he had intended...Linnaeus started off his story in a solemn yet disinterested manner, stating in a dull tone, "Though I have bits and pieces of memories from an earlier period, the first cohesive memory I have is being hungry. I remembered crying out for my mother instinctually but, due to the nature of her work, my cries were answered, not with kindness, but cruelty. You see, my mother had been a harlot, someone who made a living by selling her body. She had been a beautiful Manalyte woman so it wasn't really her fault as, in the slums, most women do not have a choice in how they live..."Without realizing it himself, Linnaeus' face had formed a deep frown but, rather than wait for Eliza's questions, he unhesitantly added, "My father had been a low-tier Enforcer for a gang called the Blue Ivy Noose. They were a group that specialized in trading slaves and running brothels in one of the middle districts of the slums. He had been assigned as my mother's keeper and, though I can't really say much about their relationship, he took good care of her after especially difficult clients...I'm can't say with certainty that there was any love between them but, as they lived together, they at least had some kind of bond..."Linnaeus could remember his father much better than his mother, despite hating and fearing the former a great deal. This was because, as he explained to Eliza, "My first real memory is crying out, only for my own father to try and smother me with a blanket to keep quiet. I remember fearing for my life and desperately struggling only for him to repeat words like, "Be quiet you little rat" and "You're bothering the customers!" as he unhesitantly deprived me of oxygen..."As he mentioned his father, Linnaeus' tone was largely emotionless and, rather than the focused gaze he normally had, his ruby-red eyes had dulled over slightly. Still, he intended to continue his story so, after shaking his head with a crooked smile on his face, he added, "After that, I learned not to cry. I kept as quiet as possible, regardless of how hungry, cold, or lonely I was. If I had known it was an option at the time, I might have just readily accepted my death...hahaha..."Shaking his head once again, this time in self-ridicule, Linnaeus then adopted a more natural smile as he continued in a happier tone, "It was during these lonely times that the only truly good thing in my life appeared. One day, another infant was put into the same box-like crib that served as my bed and prison. This was my sister and, after only knowing loneliness and brief periods of comfort, she became my reason for living. Her warmth and presence gave meaning to my life so, no matter what happened to me, I decided I would do my best to protect her..."During the earliest periods of Linnaeus' life, the memories that were most clear were the moments when he had been taking care of his sister. She was so tiny and frail but, despite being born into the same cruel world as him, she was a lively and cheerful baby. Her smile gave him strength and, much like how some children would become dependent on toy animals and dolls, his developing mind could not imagine life without her...With his mood becoming melancholic once again, Linnaeus took a deep breath before releasing a sigh and saying, "Though she was only an infant, my sister had already been claimed by one of the cadres of the Blue Ivy Noose. She was born as an unnaturally beautiful girl and, after she reached adulthood, her fate was to become the personal sex slave of that middle-aged piece of shit. To make matters even worse, my parents were fully in support of the idea as it made their own lives a little easier to have the favor of a cadre. My mother was even..."Just as he was about to mention his mother's attempts to educate Gwen, Linnaeus found himself at a loss for words as a cocktail of negative emotions surged forward. He managed to largely suppress them before ultimately deciding that it wasn't really pertinent information. With that in mind, he just skipped over it, stating in a deflecting tone, "When I was around six years old, my parents suddenly vanished into motes of bluish-white light. According to Rebecca, the kindly caretaker who had taken us into her Orphanage, they had been given the opportunity to enter the Tower. My sister cried a lot but, knowing what kind of future awaited us under the care of my parents, I believed that fate had been on our side..."Linnaeus had very confliction emotions regarding his parents but, despite having been a little upset at their sudden appearance, he had been genuinely grateful to fall into Rebecca's care. She not only began training Gwen to be able to protect herself but, when time allowed, she also provided a basic education to help the boys survive as Street Urchins. Some might say that her treatment was unfair between the boys and girls but, in the slums, just being given free shelter was a boon most could only hope for. If not for her teachings, he wouldn't have been able to survive and, no matter what anyone else said, Linnaeus was grateful for the acceptance Rebecca had shown him after his first series of kills...Since the years leading up to his tenth birthday blended together quite a bit, Linnaeus only gave a brief accounting of his daily life and the training he had underwent to survive his encounter against Skaadi, the Vulna woman. He talked about the daily beatings, his attempts to earn even a pittance in order to treat his sister, and how he would often go days, or even weeks, without a meal. All of these things were rather jarring to Eliza as, being born a daughter of the Evendoom house, she had been left wanting for very little in life.The story got decidedly more interesting after he reached the point where he received his Blessing. It wasn't the most stable period in his life, and he was still haunted by the memories, but Linnaeus had a simple smile on his face as he recounted his journey westward before his inevitable return to the orphanage.Linnaeus' journey wasn't all bad as, in between being hunted down and gathering information, there were some happy moments mixed in. He talked about some of the interesting sites he had seen but, what had left the deepest impact on Linnaeus were the times when he would help others walking the same path. Though he couldn't do much for them, Linnaeus tried to help out any Street Urchins he came across, so long as they did not seem to have been completely corrupted by the darkness of the slums.It was his helping people that led to Linnaeus earning the [Charm] Skill as, knowing what kind of life they were forced to live, he had saved a fair number of young girls in his travels. Not everyone was patient enough to wait until a female Street Urchin matured into an adult, especially when it came to other Street Urchins.When there was a girl in a group, she was almost always the experimental plaything of the boys in that same group. Some Enforcers even took great pleasure in goading the children to try and do terrible things to each other, baiting them with food and medicine as a means to pass the time. It wasn't even that uncommon for such acts to be carried out in broad daylight but, rather than do anything to interfere, some pedestrians would just stop to enjoy the show...Though he could not save as many people as he'd like, Linnaeus couldn't ignore it when such acts were taking place right in front of him. It had gotten him into a lot of trouble at times but, as he had been on a warpath at the time, the vast majority of his kills were the result of him trying to protect other Street Urchins. As a result, some of the girls he had rescued wanted to follow him but, as he couldn't even protect himself, Linnaeus could only try to take them to a relatively safer area before having to leave them behind...Eventually, Linnaeus' story reached the point where his sister obtained her Blessing and, as could be expected, Eliza was quite surprised. She even interrupted his story for the first time, asking, "You are the brother of the Saintess of the Southern Slums, Lady Finnian...?"Since Saints and Saintesses were important existences that were few in number, Linnaeus wasn't too surprised that Eliza had heard of his sister. Still, it brought a smile to his face knowing that even the daughter of one of the Eight Heavenly Families showed genuine awe and surprise when mentioning Gwen.What Linnaeus didn't expect was for Eliza to immediately follow his nod by saying, "There is no way that is true...it's impossible..."At this point, Linnaeus realized there was a deeper meaning to Eliza's reaction, causing his mind to buzz with anxiety as he asked, "Do you know something about my sister? Please, tell me...!" Since it was much easier to imagine something terrible happening, Linnaeus was beginning to panic after seeing how Eliza was behaving.With Linnaeus suddenly invading her personal space, Eliza instinctually brought her hands together without thinking about it. As a result, his body was suddenly pressed to the ground as a wispy purple field appeared beneath him. He could feel his bones creaking but, what made matters much worse, was the sensation that his blood vessels were bursting while his eyes felt like they were going to fall free from their sockets.Almost immediately after activating her Blessing, Eliza separated her hands with a fluster, waving her hands from side to side as she exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! You surprised me...!"Linnaeus was in a lot of pain so, rather than respond, he just stared blankly at the notification asking if he wanted to expel Eliza from the Party and penalize her for attacking an ally. Part of him was very tempted to confirm it but, knowing he would likely die shortly thereafter, he managed to resist the urge. Instead, he blamed himself for getting riled up before dismissing the notification and focusing on recovery...Seeing Linnaeus fall silent with a dull look in his eyes, Eliza began to feel extremely guilty. His story had actually affected her a great deal so, seeing him having to suffer in silence, she suddenly felt like all the terrible people he had talked about. Since the only times he smiled were when talking about his sister, she tightly clenched her fists before mustering up all of her courage...Linnaeus noticed Eliza moving but, as he didn't feel any real threat coming from her, he continued to lay on the ground in silence. He would soon come to regret this as, moments later, Eliza was pulling his body into her embrace, an easy feat with her Strength. She squeezed him tightly but, rather than pain, Linnaeus felt an indescribable softness as her disproportionately large breasts pressed into his back. She also rested her forehead against the back of his head before whispering in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry..."A lot was going through Linnaeus' mind when Eliza hugged him but, before he could find the words to say, his body had already moved to extricate himself from her embrace. He was breathing a little faster than normal as he backed away from her and quickly stated, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm used to pain..."Once again, Linnaeus quickly came to regret his words and actions as, after mentioning he was used to pain, Eliza's expression turned even more empathetic and concerned. At the same time, he heard a small ding in his head, followed by his [Charm] increasing in proficiency. This wasn't his intention at all so Linnaeus was beginning to grow a little flustered as he tried to deflect, asking, "Did you know something about my sister? If you do, please tell me. It has been more than three years since I heard anything about her..."Eliza came back to her senses when she heard Linnaeus' words but, rather than recover completely, her expression turned apologetic as she explained, "I know your sister...she...she was in the same Party as me..."

Chapter 41: Knowledge and Experience