As the two walked back Victor could only notice how tall he was compared to her. He measured nearly 6’3 back on earth and this girl didn’t even rise above his shoulders. As he looked her over from behind he realized her outfit was loose fitting with only a bit of leather on the chest and back. Her pants drooped down with a rope holding them up only to end above her knees in tatters. Her shirt wasn’t much different ending in tatters far above her elbows. ‘I should probably get her new clothes. They probably meant for her to be in my party.’ For a moment he contemplated giving her his cloak but decided against it for the time being.
The two of them reentered the room and at the unlit side of the room she walked over and placed her torch into a fire pit the goblins dug out. The low crackle of the flame slowly rose up illuminating the room. It has a spit with no food on it. She walked over to the meat and quickly and cleanly sliced it up with her knife before wiping it off on her clothes. “The least I can do for you is cook you dinner. Sorry it’s in such a terrible place.”
“It’s not a big deal I haven’t eaten anything.” Victor noted being very literal. He hadn’t eaten since reincarnation and definitely felt hungry. ‘Wait am I about to have dinner with a girl? I guess it doesn’t count as a date since I saved her and she’s just doing it out of a feeling of obligation.’ He shrugged watching her take a slab of the meat to the fire pit. She pierced the meat and placed it over the fire. She pulled up a chair and began to slowly rotate the meat.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Serena looked down at the fire.
“Do you enjoy adventuring?” Victor asked.
She suddenly got really quiet and only the crackle of the fire. “They forced me to lead the way. Getting cut repeatedly really hurt, and they never healed me saying it cost too much money.”
“That’s horrible, but they are dead now so at least there is that little bit of justice for you.” Victor tried cheering her up.
“They paid 10 gold coins for me, and 3 gold coins for each of those potions.” She paused starting to tear up. “Those potions were worth more than my life to them! They intended to use me until I die in a cave!”
Victor didn’t know what the right thing to do here would be. Should he go to hug her? Should he offer words of hope? Should he make an empty promise that things will get better? He stood up and walked around the table sitting down on a closer chair and reached out his hand to take hers. She quickly grabbed it and squeezed. She buried her face in his shoulder. Completely awkward for Victor he placed his other hand on her back. “There. There.” He knew this was important for her but he felt so out of place. He had never read what happens after the heroic rescue as those imprisoned broke down afterward. As she took a deep breath and sobbed he realized she just needed a few moments. So he waited letting her cry on his shoulder. “After we get out of here and get that off your chest you’ll be able to go back home. At least that is something to look forward to right?”
Suddenly she started sobbing harder and gripped him harder. What did he say? Shouldn’t she want to go home? ‘Wait did her parents SELL HER?’ He suddenly started to fume and began to think Luzuzal might just have the right attitude in this world and perhaps it was war torn for a reason. “They are dead. My father died defending our village from the slavers and my mother died in the brothel she was sold into less than a year after that.” She tried to catch her breath. “I don’t even have a home to go back to.” He gently rubbed her back and could feel the scars cutting deeply into her back through the thin armor. “I don’t know what to do now. There’s nowhere for me to go.”
Victor felt torn, he knew the question he had to ask but it felt horrible to ask it. He refused to be an opportunist and decided to wait. “Where do you want to go?”
“Leave Hoxal!” She practically screamed echoing through the cave.
Victor wiggled his finger in his ear from the piercing scream. “How far is it to the edge of this country?”
“We are near the capital it’s nearly a 10 day walk to the edge of the country and we’ll have to cross the border which is heavily guarded. We can’t even leave without a merchant claiming we are his employees.” She pulled back and started to slow her breathing before rotating the meat.
“Well at the very least we have horses.” Victor noted.
“Horses? Wait you’re right they are dead and there are two horses! I almost forgot because they made me walk the entire time despite having horses.” She added angrily.
“Do you think we could make it to that town on horses tonight? A bed would be nice.” Victor asked.
“If we ride after dinner probably.” She nodded. “But it will be dark by the time we arrive.”
“We should definitely do that. I’d sleep better in a bed.” Victor nodded.
She started to turn a bit red and began to lift the meat onto the plates and sliced it in half. “A bed...” Serena drifted off and took a small portion of the food.
“Huh?” Victor cut a part of his food off and evened out the portion sizes. “You’re hurt, eat.” Speaking of which Victor finally checked his health at the bottom of his vision and noticed he had regained a point of health to 41 from 40. She didn’t reply but just kept eating. She cleared everything off her plate wordlessly as did Victor. Victor had to ask a question to Swordie but hesitated. ‘Should I show her the book? What if it’s too powerful and she decides to steal it?’ He shook his head. ‘My first reaction was to trust her.’ He pulled out Swordie and opened the book.
“That book looks really expensive.” Serena commented.
“How do you remove a slave tattoo?” Victor asked aloud. The books pages swirled before displaying a skill
Magic Writing Rank 1
Requirements: 10 mana, Cost 3 stat points
Instant Spell
Mana Cost: 10 mana
Allows inscription of magic symbols and removal of magic symbols. To make the symbol take effect a secondary spell is often required.
“Of course it’s a skill.” Victor groaned.
‘Of course. You have two unclaimed achievements sir.’ The book noted.
“Oh?” He tapped the exclamation mark on the book.
Achievement: First Blood – Kill your first creature. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ]
Achievement: Your Own Kind – Kill a creature of your own race. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 1 luck. [ Claim ]
“You have a magic item?” She asked looking at him with almost starry eyes.
“Ah well, it’s something from a long time ago, somewhere far away from here. Don’t worry about it too much. More importantly it says I need one more stat point to buy the Magic Writing skill and remove your slave tattoo.” Victor noted.
“You are going to take the Magic Writing skill!?” She asked in confusion.
“Well yeah how else was I going to remove it?” Victor tilted his head.
“I thought you were going to buy the spell from someone nearby and pay them. Spending points on someone you don’t even know is so much more. I just can’t possibly ask for that.” Serena put her hands up.
Victor sunk his neck and narrowed his eyes remembering the word ubiquitous from before. “Yeah, I get the feeling I’m going to need that skill a lot.” At that he could only think Luzuzal definitely had the right idea but Victor felt disappointed it didn’t come stock standard with Luzuzal’s other skills. “There will definitely be more opportunities to use it. Honestly that seems inevitable.” Serena remained completely speechless. Victor asked the book. “What achievements if any can I do here and now that would grant a stat point, preferably while still in this cave?” He paused lifting the book up closer to his face as the book swirled almost expecting snarky and sassy answers. “It has to be something I can realistically and plausibly do.” The swirl stopped and spun the other direction.
Achievement: First Time – Have sex for the first time. Gain 1 stat point. Gain 40 luck.
Victor turned crimson and blinked twice. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’ He stopped dead and could feel the heat on his face skyrocket. ‘Swordie when you can talk again I am going to have a long talk about how inappropriate this is.’ He sighed really hoping there would be another answer. “Are there any other options?”
“What did it say?” She asked.
“It sassed me.” Victor groaned. “It doesn’t respect my intelligence or vastly over estimates my intelligence. There isn’t a middle ground.” he paused and thought to himself ‘Either that or it doesn’t see a problem with me taking advantage of this girl which would make me really angry at Swordie.’
No other achievement is available readily in this cave.
In the nearby town achievements which are easy to acquire exist.
Achievement: Novice Adventurer - Join an Adventurers Guild – Gain 1 stat point.
Achievement: Slaver – Buy a slave – Gain 1 stat point.
Achievement: Merchant – Gain a merchant license and sell an item – Gain 1 stat point.
Achievement: Thief – Successfully steal and escape with an item within a town – Gain 1 stat point. Gain 2 luck
Achievement: Brigand – Successfully steal an item outside a town using brute force – Gain 1 stat point
Achievement: Spell Sales – Sell a spell to someone in a town – Gain 1 stat point.
Achievement: Bard – Perform in a bar or theater to an audience of at least two for pay. – Gain 1 stat point. Gain 2 luck.
“Somehow I knew he would just spam me with achievements after that.” He placed the book on the table. “All of these seem rather specific and I don’t know how hard any of them are.”
“Joining the adventurer’s guild is easy it only costs 2 gold coins!” She seemed overjoyed at the prospect.
“Well shall we ride on to town and get that removed from you?” Victor smiled standing up and putting away Swordie. She stood up slowly clearly still injured. Victor could feel the slight slowness on his leg from the cut but nothing he couldn’t handle. She seemed in far better spirits having eaten. The two of them made their way out as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon. She eagerly hopped on the horse torch in hand. Victor untied the horses from the trees and stopped for a moment. “Get off the horse.”
“I don’t understand.” She asked confused getting off the horse.
“We can’t take them or when people come to check this place out and recover their body it will look like we killed them and took their stuff. We have to leave the horses.” Victor insisted.
“Then we shouldn’t walk at night. It’s dangerous.” Serena added.
“Do you trust me?” He asked as he watched the time on Luzuzal’s Promise tick down.
Without hesitation she answered. “Yes.”
“We have to walk.” Victor could feel it in his bones that it was the right call. She nodded and approached him. The sound of crickets as she approached him with torch in hand he took a deep breath and both of them started walking. Victor grabbed her hand. “I don’t want to lose you in the dark.” The two of them walked with their torches ahead of them for more than 30 minutes before either of them said a word. When he looked over at her she looked almost afraid but Victor couldn’t figure out why. “Are you afraid of the dark?”
The words snapped Serena back to reality. “Oh, no. I’m used to the dark.” She looked down at his hand.
Victor blinked and tried to figure out what was going on. ‘Wait is this romantic?’ He started to think about what he had done. He walked up to her captors immediately killed them, saved her life, and promised to help free her from slavery. ‘Wait is this all a hero is? Is it just someone with basic decency and the power to act on it against injustice? Am I the hero here?’ He started to ponder and then realized he was still holding her hand warming his hand in the cool night. At that his heart jumped ‘Well that is not what I meant to do.’ He looked over at her and in the light despite her scars and blood she was still beautiful to him.
Serena shivered and grabbed her stomach wound as a cool breeze blew through. Victor unclipped his coat; he could use the cool air to cool him off so he placed it around her shoulders. The cloak engulfed her far above her size it completely wrapped around her. “Thank you.” She grabbed it and wrapped herself in it except for her torch. When the next breeze flew through the only thing that rustled on her was her beautiful hair. “Are you sure you didn’t rescue me for any other reason?”
“Honestly I only just realized I’ve been doing something that I’d only read about before.” Victor scratched the back of his short hair. “I saved you without thinking how you must think about it. My bad. If I was giving off vibes that I did this for you because I find you attractive, I didn’t”
“It’s not shocking you don’t find me attractive.” She hung her head.
“That’s not what I mean!” Victor insisted.
“I’m scarred all over my body. This one is this worst. Everyone sees it all the time.” She slightly moved the cloak and across her left shoulder near her neck a deep sharp scar went down below her clothes. “The only good thing about the scar is that men stopped paying attention to me.”
Victor shook his head. “I meant I didn’t save you because you are beautiful. I saved you because I’d have saved anyone in your situation. I don’t have experience with women or people in general. I was raised mostly isolated with only rather hostile people around me. What I mean to say is, you are beautiful and I didn’t save you because of it. Anyone in your situation deserves to have someone to step in and change your circumstances because you couldn’t do it yourself.”
Serena sank into his cloak as they walked turning red. “You think I am beautiful even though I look like this?” She pulled up her shirt revealing the wound he stitched and several other scars across her abs. She then pulled her shirt around the neck revealing the scar on her neck extended all the way down to her chest. “This is what I am.” She looked at the ground as though she was broken in body and spirit.
“I think they look badass.” As he glanced at Serena briefly, trying not to stare at the girl exposing herself to him.
Her tan face no longer remained tan. “Really?”
“They look really cool. You look like a battle hardened fighter.” Victor replied.
“I’m a rogue though.” Serena corrected him.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“It’s a figure of speech. You were forced with likely terrible gear to fight because of slavers and yet you lived this long. I bet you’re stronger than me too.” Victor added.
“I’m only a level 6 rogue.” She hung her head.
“Is that low?” Victor asked.
“Most 18 year olds are level 2 to 5. I’m 19. Most people try at least once when they come of age to be adventurers.” Serena answered.
“Some 18 year olds are level 5?” Victor glared angrily at the sky.
“A few, they train from a young age and quickly gain levels as they encounter more and more dangerous monsters.” She noted.
“I’m only a level 4 mage.” He scratched his head.
“You took on two people as a level 4 without knowing anything about them? Are you stupid? Are you crazy? They could have killed you.” She stepped in front of him stopping their walk. “How can you possibly take such a risk? Don’t you care about your life?”
“I had to ask myself, is life worth living if you are too afraid to live it? My mentor told me if he could give me one piece of advice it would be to take risks, and this was a risk worth taking.” Victor looked down at her wrapped in his cloak with a bright smile. “That does raise some concern though. If you could become a slave at level 5 or 6 I can definitely become enslaved by them too.”
“But you possess so much power! Your lightning killed all of them in a single hit. How are you only level 4? That spell shouldn’t kill someone in a single hit unless you hit them in the head for a critical hit.” She protested.
“I guess every jolt cast did hit directly in the head.” Victor looked at his hand.
“When electric hits someone it slightly staggers them. The critical hit effect of lightning spells do 10 times as much damage instead of 5 times and stuns a creature that isn’t resistant.” She explained. “So you just got lucky!?”
“Seems that way!” Victor laughed out loud grabbing her hand and resuming their walk toward the town.
“I can’t believe I’m free because of your luck.” She looked to the ground almost dumbfounded. “How much luck can you possibly have?”
“-100 Luck is where we started the day.” Victor answered.
“WHAT!?” She shouted taking a moment to catch her breath. “Actually wait, that might make sense. You save me and then something horrible happens to you because you saved me.”
“If you want to leave you can leave. I was just trying to help.” Victor slumped his shoulders.
“No! I literally owe you my life. I can’t just leave yo-” Victor put a finger to her mouth.
He noticed another set of torches in the distance riding out of the forest and away from them. He quickly tossed the torches on the ground and stomped them out. “How close are we to the town of Jocal?” He whispered looking behind him to make sure they were alone.
“It’s just ahead. If it were light we’d be able to see it.” She replied.
“We need to approach quietly. If this is violent don’t get involved you don’t have enough health.” Victor looked down to his health still at 41. ‘My rigor does nearly nothing. That is annoying.’ He saw his mana full and took a deep breath. “Let us just hope it is some adventurers returning from a late night.”
The two of them could feel the warm air on their faces and suddenly they spotted flames in the distance. “Let’s leave.” Serena grabbed his sleeve. “Please.”
“We can’t just abandon them we might be able to help.” Victor watched as the timer ticked down 1:52:21 on the Luzuzal’s Promise buff.
“Please… If you die…” She pulled at his sleeve.
Suddenly the gravity of his foolish risks ‘If I die, she’s a slave again. Saving them effectively enslaves her.’ The crackle of the fire behind him as he turned to her and the smell of smoke could only trembled at how horrible that risk would be. He had to decide between the screams of people and children being abducted or killed or the agony of Serena bleeding to death because he didn’t finish rescuing her. “Would you rescue them?”
“No! It’s too dangerous!” She protested.
Victor sighed and mouthed to the sky ‘Luzuzal help me.’ Victor took a deep breath. “Are you good at throwing weapons or with a bow?”
“Yes.” She panted anxious about the situation. “Please let’s leave, I’m scared.”
“So am I.” Victor shook his head and started marching toward the flames in the distance. He wasn’t lying. He had no idea how effective that promise could be, fear was the only thing he felt as he marched toward his doom. Did this fit an implausible task? “You can wait here. If I die try and escape, if I live I will come back out to get you before dawn.” Serena couldn’t understand why he was doing this. He didn’t even know them. Ironically Victor probably wouldn’t do this if not for Luzuzal and Swordie convincing him to take risks and seize his own desires. ‘I probably shouldn’t do this it stretches the rules placed on that skill but if I don’t know then why have it.’
He approached the wooden walls surrounding the village only to reach an open gate. Two dead guards and a dead bandit burned face down on the ground. Suddenly around a burning building a horse charged with a man on it. The man had a woman bent over the horse screaming. ‘Please work.’ His hand snapped up “Jolt!” Once again his jolt landed square on the targets head knocking him to the ground with a satisfying crack as his body planted into the dirt. The horse quickly stopped and the woman ran off screaming. ‘I bet if I just try and pick off bandits that are running out I’ll do a lot better than just wandering into the town.’ He backed out to the edge of the wall so he could see past it and waited intently noticing something that caused him to step back.
Fighter Level 7: Experience Increase: 33.1%
Current Exp to Level 5 55.8%
‘Level 7! I killed him in one hit!’ Victor realized a critical reality. ‘I bet if they land a single clean hit on me I’ll die. Did my spell even kill him? His head cracked on landing my spell probably didn’t even kill him. This is definitely beyond me. I wish Serena would have come with me then we could probably kill at least one or two more.’ Another rider with a child across the horse started riding toward the entrance he sighed and once again shouted “Jolt!” His uneasy hands caused his aim to miss and hit the horses head. The horse head exploded into chunks of blood and viscera. It crashed to the ground causing the rider to become pinned and the child to roll safely away. He screamed running out of the town.
The bandit still lived. Victor walked toward him in the open and pointed his hand toward him. “What the hell are you-”
“Jolt.” His cold demeanor angry at just how cartoonish evil bandits raiding a village felt to him, reading about this in books always felt less, something. He couldn’t put his finger on it but it always felt so much less serious than it felt to him standing right here. He didn’t know if it was because he had just listened to Serena or if he was here physically but this entire raid just viscerally angered him.
Fighter Level 6: Experience Increase: 24.0%
Current Exp to Level 5 79.8%
He decided to step forward only to notice a dozen bandits rounding up people into a cart. Bodies lay strewn across the square. He realized if he stepped forward out of the shadows he definitely would die. He doesn’t have enough magic to fight them and they are all stronger than him. He turned around and ran out of the town resuming his plan to hold near a bush and blast any of them passing by. He listened as the sound of crackling flame and the smell of burning straw filled his mind intent on blasting any further single riders only to notice the full caravan instead. Victor ducked back into the trees and watched in great pain as they pulled out a string of people in shackles.
Victor felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly and a hand around his mouth. Serena held him close to her and pressed her chest into his back. He could feel her heartbeat as she slowly removed her hand from his mouth. He couldn’t see in the cart but at least a dozen people on foot or in the cart had been hauled off. Victor sank to his knees listening to the cracking of the flames. “If we had taken the horses or if you hadn’t stopped me to talk we’d have been in that town.” He watched as Luzuzal’s Promise reached 0 and disappeared off his HUD. Victor shook in anger “A dozen people, at least a dozen people carted off to who knows where to be slaves. Why didn’t anyone defend them? Why didn’t I?”
“Why didn’t you?” Luzuzal asked appearing through the tree in front of him. Victor collapsed to the ground and backed away from the tree. “Do not worry. I only appear due to your skill.”
“I’d definitely die if I tried to free them.” He looked down to his feet. He grabbed his hair with one hand ready to pull it out.
“You aren’t able to do everything.” Serena hugged him from behind.
“No but while my promise was active you could have defeated them.” Luzuzal bent over toward him that large sun center at the center of his face.
“There’s no plausible way I could win.” Victor angrily wiped away his tears. “All I wanted was a warm bed.”
“No plausible way? 12 Headshots, a few quick fumbles a weapon sliding out of their hands due to blood loss. They could already all be dead and those people could be free. You aren’t trying to defeat a god, or slay a dragon with a stick. A victory against them is unlikely at worst.” Almost as to taunt Victor Luzuzal added “You would have won with my blessings.” The worlds forming his mouth upturned to a strange smile. “Reactivate my promise and go after them.”
Urgent Quest
Time to accept: 0:20
Quest Giver: Luzuzal
Rescue Jocal Villagers – Activate Luzuzal’s Promise, Rescue the Jocal Villagers from the bandits.
Reward: ????
Accept Reject
“They get farther away with each moment, time slips away. Soon even my blessing won’t be enough if they reach their camp.” Luzuzal taunted him
Time to accept: 0:17
“Show me your resolve to fulfill your desires against overwhelming odds. Show me you have what it takes to seize your desires delude yourself to the last breath that it will work even if you have no hope for it! Show me you will never relent in your pursuit!” Luzuzal boasted.
Time to accept: 0:11
Victor turned up at the quest in front of him. His hand outstretched and Luzuzal’s face once more stretched off the edge of his cosmic form smiling so far the moons became part of it. “It’s really good you didn’t go after the bandits. Their leader is supposed to be a tier 2 fighter.”
“What?” Victor turned confused.
Time to accept: 0:06
“I noticed it on their quest board when my previous owners took me in. They wanted to take that quest before the woman at the guild discouraged them from doing so.” Serena noted.
“It’s now or never! Choose their fate. Show me the depth of your delusion of freedom!” Luzuzal’s voice paced faster and faster as though he was in ecstasy practically salivating for his answer.
Time to accept: 0:02
With that Victor calmed himself and immediately with his freedom pressed reject in the HUD. “Don’t worry Serena. I’m not going to risk your life.” He placed his hand on hers.
“Disappointing.” Luzuzal’s expression deflated popped like a balloon. “Though as your first day I will forgive you for this transgression against your own ideals. Your delusion isn’t strong enough, but it will grow. Enjoy your victory and your defeat. I will be watching” Luzuzal disappeared.
“I am just not strong enough to do this.” Victor sat and waited for the fires to die down slightly.
“I think we should check inside the town.” Serena whispered in his ear still kneeling behind him. “Someone might still be alive.”
“Okay.” Victor stood up and she grabbed his angry fist. He relaxed his fist to hold her hand as they two of them approached the town. The sound of crying children and a small number of people gathering toward the town square milled about the otherwise silent night. They walked up toward them only to be met with pitchforks.
“Outsiders!” One man shouted.
The two of them raised their hands as they became surrounded. “I just got here.” Victor noted.
A tall woman clad in ordinary town garb and long red hair walked up to them with a small dagger in hand. “I am Jaya Griffin. Tell us who you are before I tell my town to gut you for helping those bandits.”
“I killed two of them over there.” He pointed with one finger keeping his hands up.
“I’m just his slave. He bound me after my previous owners died against the goblins in the den to the north despite his efforts to save them.” Serena added. Victor’s eyes turned to her as his blood pressure shot through the roof ready to yell at her.
“Wait! He saved me and my son!” A woman ran up with her child.
“Asa? Is that true? How did he save you?” Jaya asked.
“He shot lightning from his hand and killed the soldiers carrying us off killing them instantly!” Asa York replied.
“Are you a high level mage?” The woman’s eyebrow might have shot off her face going up as fast as it did were it not for her long hair.
“I’m only level 4.” He answered. Everyone groaned and put up their pitchforks. “Sorry?” He said almost asking the question ‘what had I done wrong?’
“Don’t apologize, thank you for the assistance.” She put the dagger away. “Most of our buildings are burnt but some rooms on the first floor of the inn remain. You and your slave can stay tonight for free. Is she a cleric? Even weak healing magic would be appreciated.”
“She’s a rogue.” Victor answered.
“Unfortunate, well it is late I am guessing you need some sleep. The inn is that way. Take your slave with you. Tell that old man Jaya is picking up your tab.” She pointed to the opposite end of the town.
The two of them walked through the devastation as small flames gently linked the ends of burnt wood. The smoke filled their lungs along with the smell of burnt flesh. So many guards laid dead with a massive wound in their chest through their armor as they reached the inn. The door had long since fallen off its hinge. A bloodied old man stood behind the counter fiddling with a toolbox before pulling out a hammer. They walked up. “Jaya said she’d pick up our tab and told us to come here for a room to sleep in tonight. I killed a couple of the bandits.”
“I’m Peter. Here’s your room key.” He handed a key to them. Peter pulled out a hammer and started walking to the door.
They walked back to a room which didn’t appear to have any damage unlocked the door and opened to a room with a single bed and just enough space on the ground for one of them to sleep on the wooden floor. “Let me make it very clear in no uncertain terms I do not own you, you are not my slave, why did you say that to her?”
She sensed his sudden anger. “If a slave isn’t owned in this country and a town or city finds them they take ownership and try to return them to their owners. If their owners are dead the town or city takes ownership of the slave.”
Victor’s shoulders relaxed and he blinked before shaking his head and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, I’m not from around here. I didn’t know that.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to people being angry with me. At least you didn’t hit me after.” She smiled.
Suddenly Victor realized exactly how dumb he had been. “I am sorry. You can have the bed I will ball up my cloak and sleep on it.”
“What? No I can’t let you do that. You saved my life today.” Serena insisted.
“You know what I’m just going to solve this easily. We flip a coin for it.” Victor insisted.
“I have a better idea. Either we both sleep on the bed or on the floor.” Serena nodded at him.
“Did I rescue someone with more wit than me?” Victor asked.
“You rescued me.” Serena hugged Victor.
“We would both sleep better on the bed.” Victor noted pointing to the queen size bed.
She rubbed her arm. “Yeah.”
“Are you just doing this because you feel like you have to?” Victor sat down on the bed looking at her.
“No!” She paused before sighing clearly nervous. “Yes… I don’t think you’ll help me if I don’t make myself valuable to you.”
“That’s a shame because I’d help you no matter what. Let us just go to sleep. I will sign up for the guild tomorrow and get the last point. Then I will get the skill and remove your slave tattoo. If you still feel the same later let me know.” Victor took off his cloak and pulled up the cover to the bed.
“You saved me. I’m just not good with physical affection. I was trying to get over it because I thought I had to. I’ll do anything you want me to.” Serena added sheepishly.
“No, if you feel the same after I remove the tattoo we can talk about it.” Victor insisted before falling asleep.