System Change

Chapter 100: Clare

Derek left the Crown and headed over to the Gracefall Manor. He was let through the gate with no hassle and was escorted by Lieutenant Areyas. Both Bronson and Walter were out back by a newly formed pond. It wasn’t too big, but not too small, about 10 by 10 meters. Or, by Derek’s standards, a bit over 1,000 square feet.

In the center of the pond was a small island with a shack surrounded by flowers and stone for decoration. On the surface of the pond, there were lily pads and moss, and the occasional fish could be seen splashing around.

Man, when a noble decides to do something, they really go all out. Derek thought as he walked over to the two men. Now that he had a better view, he could see a small girl standing in front of the two, looking out over the pond. The girl turned to say something to the two men, and Derek caught a glimpse of her face.

She favored Walter a bit. She had short black hair and a button nose. There was still some baby fat on her face, making her look younger than she probably was. What Derek took note of most was the look in her eyes. It was the same look Brandi would get when she was preparing to work on a new project. A look of pure focus.

This must be the niece Walter told me about during dinner. Derek and Lieutenant Areyas were finally spotted by the little girl, causing both Walter and Bronson to turn around to take a look.

“Ah, Derek! Just in time. I want to introduce you to my niece, Clare.” Walter spoke first, gesturing towards his niece. “Clare, this is Derek Hunt. He is the one that came up with the plan we are going to be using. You could say that he is either going to be the reason you obtain glory and honor, or he is going to be the reason you fall behind your peers and are never able to catch up. Why don’t you say hi.”

Lieutenant Areyas quickly dismissed himself after a look from Bronson. Derek suspected that the guard didn’t know what was going on or why, and that Bronson wanted to keep it that way.

The little girl walked past the two men and arrived in front of Derek. She tilted her head and looked up at him with squinted eyes, inspecting him. “The Patriarch said that I will be able to get a better class because of you, is that true?”

“I told you to call me Uncle Walter, or even just Uncle, enough of this Patriarch nonsense. We’re all friends here, no need to be so formal.” Walter chimed in before Derek could say anything.

Derek shook his head at Walter’s antics, then looked back at the girl. Straight to the point, I like this girl. Derek thought. He smiled at Clare. “Honestly, I’m not sure. In theory, it should. But I have only been able to test it once. Though, that test proved to be very successful.” Derek answered.

“Then I will be the second success.” The girl confidently spoke.

“How old are you?” Derek asked the girl that didn’t seem to be older than 10. Derek remembered Walter saying that his great niece was 12 years old, but it was possible that he chose a different family member, one that was younger and would be able to train for longer before she unlocked the system.

“I just turned 12. Is that a problem?” She asked, a little worry showing in her eyes.

“Not at all.” Derek reassured her. “Someone younger would be able to train a little longer is all.”

Derek turned from the girl to look at Walter. “So, has she picked a weapon yet?” He asked.

Walter shook his head. “No, we haven’t gotten that far. We only just showed her the pond. Speaking of which, what do you think?” Walter turned and gestured with both hands at the newly formed pond.

“It’s nice. It should work well… I think.” Derek replied.

Walter nodded. “I was just about to have Bronson go fetch a variety of different ones from the barracks. I only keep my sword and staff with me, and backups, of course.” Walter replied, then turned to Bronson. “Bronson, if you would.”

Bronson nodded. “Of course, sir.” He said and prepared to run off to the barracks.

Derek stopped the man before he took off. “It’s fine, Bronson. I have plenty of different weapons on me that she can test.” Derek then moved his arm, and the weapons he summoned for Malorie back in the dungeon began spilling out before them.

Derek sorted the swords, scythes, daggers, machetes, and other types of bladed weapons into one pile. He moved his arm and summoned the different polearms into another. This included halberds, spears, and his favorite, glaives… along with many more. The stack of ranged weapons wasn’t very large, though. It only had a few different sized bows, a crossbow, and a bola. None of which he thought Clare would use.

The pile of blunt weapons had everything from nunchucks and clubs to quarterstaffs and brass knuckles. He also included a pile of multi-purpose weapons that included weapons like shovels and blade staffs. Again, he kept the few guns and enchanted weapons to himself. He didn’t think the smiths of this world would know what to do if a blaster needed to be repaired.

Derek’s stockpile of weapons soon had even Bronson and Walter going through it. Bronson seemed particularly interested in a giant halberd that Derek had obtained from an ‘invader’ who thought it was a good idea to wield a weapon he could barely carry.

Bronson took a few swings, then returned the weapons to the pile. “Too light.” He commented.

“Well, we aren’t trying to find a weapon for you, now are we?” Derek said. “Plus, these aren’t high level weapons. They’re probably good for level 65 and under.”

“I just really like the design.” Bronson replied. “If a Blacksmith copied it, then made it out of a good material…” He trailed off.

“What? Your greatsword not good enough? Wouldn’t changing weapons hurt your stats?” Derek asked.

Bronson shook his head. “I went the heavy weapon route. Never specialized. The greatsword was the closest thing I could find to a weapon that felt good.” He looked at the halberd again. “I mean, what Blacksmith would waste so much material to make such an outrageously big weapon?”

“Well, go ahead and take it. Maybe you can see if you like it, and if you do, you can have someone craft a higher level version for you. I certainly don't need it.”

The three men chatted for some time while the girl sorted through all of the weapons. It took much longer than Derek expected, and the girl’s decision piqued his interest.

Clare was swinging her fists around with a pair of brass knuckles. Of course, in her hands, the knuckles looked ridiculous. But she had good form, unlike Thomas when he was trying to use daggers. If she chooses those, Walter will have to get a Blacksmith to make her a pair that’s the right size.

One thing Derek had wondered about this system was if it counted weapons like knuckle dusters and studded gauntlets as unarmed. He knew that his previous system did, and many of the video games he played as a child would have knuckles under the unarmed weapon category.

Beside Derek, Walter scoffed. “A brawler’s weapon.”

Derek squinted his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I think the noble in you may be seeping out.” He joked.

Walter flushed. “Nobody who uses weapons like those…”

Derek cut him off. “I know plenty of people who used weapons like those and are damn good fighters. Think about this. If you learn to fight with knuckles, if ever you are disarmed, you still have your trained fists to fall back on. You don’t get that with a sword or spear. Trust me, I know. I’ve been fighting unarmed ever since I outgrew my glaive. Everybody needs some familiarity with fighting unarmed. At least like this, she won’t have to split her focus.”

“Here, watch.” Derek said and walked over to Clare. “Those are a bit big for you. Put them down and come spar with me.”

Clare eyed him quizzically, but did as asked. She didn’t seem to have heard them talking about the weapons, as she was too busy trying them out.

They walked a few meters away from the stockpile of weapons. “So, you like the knuckles then?” He asked.

The girl nodded. “They’re light and feel like I’m fighting barehanded.”

“Have you been taught to fight unarmed before?” He asked.

The girl shook her head. “No. But I’ve always watched the guards train. I never had swords or spears and dad always said I was too young, so I follow along when they train without weapons.”

Derek nodded. “I see.” He took a step back and motioned at the girl. “Come on, let’s see what you got.”

Without hesitation, the girl bent her knees and launched herself towards him. Derek smiled. Because of the height gap, the girl instinctively swung her fist towards his midsection. Derek blocked her little fist with the back of his hand, moving it with the motion of her fist so she wouldn’t break her fingers.

He slowly, at least for him, swung his palm out at the girl's head. She ducked just in time and retaliated with an uppercut to his chest. Derek took half a step back and the girl whiffed. Quickly, she regained her balance and continued her charge.

A bit later, Clare was heaving, trying to catch her breath, and Derek’s smile had only grown wider.

Derek waited for her breathing to calm before asking, “So, you’ve never practiced with anyone? And you didn’t try to follow along with, say, a stick instead of a sword when the guards were training?”

“No.” She shook her head, her breathing still labored. “That’s why I was... so happy when…” She looked at Walter. “Uncle Walter… asked me... if I wanted to train.” She finally caught her breath and was able to speak clearly. “I have tried using a stick before, like all the boys do. I don’t like it. I feel like I’m…” She tilted her head and looked up with her brows furrowed. “Like I’m tripping over myself.” She nodded. “That’s it. It’s like my feet get tangled.”

Derek summoned a small sword from his storage and handed it to the girl. “Show me.”

The girl took the blade and slashed out. The swing was much wider than it should have been and she stepped in too far. Derek only needed to watch for a short time before he concluded that she wasn’t meant for a sword. Still, she is much better than Thomas was with a dagger. But she is also much more talented unarmed than Thomas is with a spear.

Maybe it was unfair to Thomas, using him as a comparison, but he was the only kid that he could use to compare Clare with. He could compare her focus with Brandi, though. So if she concentrated on fighting as much as Brandi did on crafting, she would be unstoppable.

“That’s enough.” Derek stopped her before her next swing. He turned to Walter and Bronson. “You still think the knuckles aren’t suitable. If you make her use another weapon, you’ll be crippling her. Why do you think Unarmed Combat Mastery is a general skill?” He took a chance on the two systems using the same classifications.

When he wasn’t corrected, he continued. “Combining it with water won’t be bad either. It will allow her to have a more balanced fighting style. Of course, lightning or wind would be better because of the speed, but other than having someone here with the ability to control it, I don’t see a way to train around it at all times. I’d do it.” He summoned some lighting in his hand from Chain Lightning. “But I’m leaving soon and you already built this great spot for water cultivation.”

“It’s okay, though. I still think it’s better than purely offensive fire or defensive earth. Plus, you said that your family already has a certain affinity for water, so that may help.”

Walter sighed. “You’re right. What she showed earlier was… impressive. I don’t have much going on these days, so I will make sure she gets more training that she will ever need. She will not let me regret my decision. Isn’t that right?” He aimed the last question at Clare.

“No, sir!” She answered.

“Good.” Walter nodded. “Now go look at your new home.” He pointed at the shack. “You’ll be living there for a long time.”