“It’s a long story,” Zeirdin sighed as flashbacks of the jungle began to play in his mind. Butterflies began to form in his stomach. An unlikely reunion with his friends was something he dreamed of in the jungle, yet now he was at somewhat of a loss of words.

“Same here.” An awkward silence followed. Lumia scanned Zeirdin with the discerning eyes of a skilled Lovac practitioner. He could feel her eyes boring through his clothes and leaving streaks across him. Lumia shut her book with a clap, “I can see… you’ve been through a lot. I’ll go first. Well, where… where do I start?” Zeirdin could tell she still couldn’t believe he was alive.

“What happened after the yemlins got me?” Lumia’s eyes shifted to the corner of the room as they grew distant. Zeirdin shifted weight from one foot to the other as he stood awkwardly in the center of the room. He supposed his social skills had withered away significantly in the past months.

“Oh, where are my manners? Take a seat,” Lumia gestured to a wooden chair next to the metal dresser. Zeirdin pulled it out from against the wall to where he could see Lumia face to face. “In all honesty, I think you saved us back on Floor 3. There were just too many. None of us were experienced in horde combat yet. You bought us enough time to exit their territory. Things went… well they went downhill, and not in a good way,” The bags under Lumia’s eyes darkened. Zeirdin put his elbow on his knee and rested his head on his hand as he listened.

“Moral was at a low after we lost you. Jin… was devastated I think. The fun dynamic of the group never returned. A lot of our supplies got left behind with our tents the night of the attack. We barely left Floor 3 alive. After that, ammo became a huge problem. Everyone had exhausted their monster rounds and were down to their final AP bullets. I was the only one who could hold my own against the androids on Floor 4 without a firearm. None of us left unscathed,” Lumia pointed to red burn marks and scars on her arms. The burns were no doubt from energy weapons.

“In the end, Jin had to buy small amounts of supplies from other travelers for tons of money. Thanks to that, we were all able to make it here, to Tennia.”

“Damn,” Zeirdin didn’t know what to say. “Why, or what happened? To you?” Zeirdin tried to ask as politely as he knew how. Lumia didn’t look very well. She looked sickly and pale.

“Ah. You must’ve heard from Rauli, huh? Well. Essentially, Taeya got food poisoning in the middle of Floor 4. One of the last things you would ever want to happen in the Tower. But we had no food and were getting desperate. I don’t know what she ate, but it wasn’t good. Everyone had to take turns hauling her. Anyway, we got ambushed by wire poachers. I-I should’ve noticed them scouting us… but I was worn down. The gunshots attracted a grovewalker which barely bought us enough time to escape. During the escape, I was carrying Taeya, and I twisted my ankle on a root. Tore a tendon and dislocated it. I forced myself to keep going with Lovac and fried the mana channels in my foot.”

Once again Zeirdin didn’t know what to say. He wished he always knew the right thing to say at the perfect time, like all the heroes in stories.

“That… sucks.”

“It’s okay. Everything else that happened is my fault,” Lumia paused with a sigh. “I might as well tell someone.” Zeirdin shifted his posture slightly. “I-I kept the extent of my injury secret. They only knew I’d twisted my ankle.” The words caught in her throat. “We reached Tennia and I decided to let everyone continue without me, under some excuse. I borrowed money for treatment for my ankle. I guess that’s where things went very wrong. I didn’t want to rely on Jin anymore. I’m not sure how much he spent on supplies, but it was a lot.”

“Jin would’ve been happy to help,” Zeirdin said, immediately regretting it. Lumia knew that already.

“I know… things should’ve gone fine after that. I was going to pay off everything quickly by selling android scrap from the caves after I recovered fully. But things never go according to plan.” Lumia fidgeted with her hands. “The night Jin and the others departed, right after they left, I saw three men dragging away a girl my age. No one batted an eye.” Zeirdin understood. The attitude inside the Tower was very cutthroat. People rarely stuck their necks out for others. Zeirdin had been lucky. “I was able to save her but got shot in the process.” Lumia swung her legs out from the covers and over the side of her bed. Her left ankle was wrapped in thick white bandages.

“That girl happened to be Rauli’s only daughter. She’s been letting me stay here as thanks. Under ideal conditions, it would’ve just been a scratch, but my ankle slowed me down. Ahh, I’m dragging this part out. I had to spend the money I borrowed for my ankle on emergency treatment for the bullet wound. This left me still unable to properly hunt androids while in debt. Well, my contract got sold from one gang to another… I’ll probably end up being a slave or prostitute in three weeks unless a miracle happens.”

“That… wow. That’s a lot,” Zeirdin struggled with his words.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to just dump all of that on you. I know we don’t know each other super well.” Zeirdin knew she didn’t have anyone else she could confide in.

“It’s really okay. I think you might’ve had it worse than me...” The fire and stubbornness he once saw in Lumia’s eyes were dim and hidden behind a wall of fatigue and despair. His heart ached seeing someone he knew in such a state.

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“Fuuuuuck...” Zeirdin lightly tapped his forehead with his knuckles. Thump thump thump. “I have no money either.”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to help me. I can figure something out.” Her words were empty reassurances. Zeirdin could see she didn’t believe her own words.

“Thanks for saving Jin on Floor 3. I never got to thank you.”

“You’re welcome?” Both of them smiled slightly at the awkwardness. Zeirdin hated himself for being so indecisive. He knew he couldn’t help everyone, it just wasn’t possible. He had his own problems, aspirations, and motivations. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t bare to see her dreams die and her freedom sold. She saved Jin. Zeirdin knew he couldn’t live with himself if he did nothing.

“How much?”

“How much what?”

“Debt.”

“12k dynats.”

“Shit, that’s a lot. Haah, I’m so dumb for doing this, but I want to help you. I need money too. Our goals align,” Zeirdin finally made up his mind. Lumia opened her mouth but decided against whatever she was about to say. She was right that they didn’t know each other super well, but he saw something in her. The world needed its good people. People who would stand up for what was right. People who wouldn’t waver in the face of corruption and fear. If Zeirdin was in her position, he would want help, no matter how much his pride said otherwise.

“Thank you.” Someone was offering her help. She wasn’t in the position to decline.

“You know the place with all the warehouses?” Zeirdin asked.

“Oh, the Redstrip? With all the fighting and gambling, yeah.” So it’s called the Redstrip.

“I made enough money for clothes, food, and lodging fighting today.” Zeirdin looked down at his right hand as he began to circulate and gather mana within his palm. The blue glow caught the dust particles in the air. “I’m not as powerless as I used to be. I think… I think I could make more.” Zeirdin felt slightly embarrassed saying it, but it was true. As far as he knew, he could not die. He could stop a few bullets with mana and tear apart humans. Fear could no longer grip him the same way.

“Blood Brawl 18. It’s an open tournament, I was going to sign up until everything went wrong. You might be able to win a bunch of money.” Lumia suddenly looked a lot less tired. A small light was visible at the end of the dark tunnel for her.

“Are admissions still open? Where is it?” Zeirdin asked, perking up.

“I think there are a few days left. You should go to the diamond in the Redstrip tonight or tomorrow to sign up. That’s all I know.”

“It’s a plan,” Zeirdin said. The atmosphere in the room grew lighter. The dark fog of despair dissipated slightly.

“Oh, right! You never answered my question! How are you alive?” Lumia exclaimed with the energy and hint of shyness reminiscent of her old self. Zeirdin was once again in another dilemma. Did he tell her? He had a feeling it wasn’t something that he should tell very many people or anyone. Something inside his chest gave him a negative response. That being said, he didn’t want to be super secretive since Lumia had been very forthcoming with him, despite it being against her nature. Zeirdin shifted in his chair. His bottom was getting sore from the hard surface of the chair. Zeirdin decided he would compromise by keeping it vague. Lumia had seen him torn to shreds in front of her, so she needed at least the beginnings of an answer.

“Hmmm… I can’t tell you the details of how or why at the moment,” Zeirdin paused as he bit the inside of his cheek. A bad habit. He realized what Zriga said was bothering him. The Tower has been breached. But that’s not relevant right now, He thought. “I think it's akin to a curse. That’s the extent I can explain the how or why.”

“A curse? Ahh, well, it’s okay. It seems complicated,” Zeirdin was glad Lumia was understanding. He didn’t feel good withholding information from someone he owed.

“I guess I can share some of my… I guess you could call them adventures,” Zeirdin sighed. It felt weird thinking about the jungle like it was long ago. Only five nights had passed since he departed from it.

“Do go on, I think I’m in need of hearing about an adventure or two” Lumia chuckled quietly.

“Well. After the yemlins got me I woke up in the pit. It’s a little hard to tell from outside the pit, but it’s just one giant jungle. I’m not sure where all the water comes from since I don’t think it rained even once while I was there,” Zeirdin left out many details but kept the gist of everything the same. He chuckled, “I can’t stress how much I appreciate being completely dry again. The jungle was always so humid I never felt dry,” Lumia listened intently, nodding here and there.

“You know how yemlins are bloodthirsty? Well, it turns out that there are not many other options for meat when they’re around...” Zeirdin scratched his nose as memories began to trickle forward.

“No… you didn’t… did you?” Lumia looked aghast.

Zeirdin snickered at her disgusted face, “I sure did. For around three months, I think, my diet consisted of… uh, avocados, nuts, tubers, and you guessed it. Raw yemlin!”

“Nooo!” Lumia squirmed in disgust.

“The meal that Rauli made me was the first hot meal I’ve had in months,” Zeirdin said patting his full stomach.

Zeirdin spent the next half hour recounting as much he could of the past few months while giving little away. He told her everything up to when he met Zriga. He decided he would tell her later. It was late and Zeirdin needed to find a room.

“Well, it’s getting late. I need to find somewhere to hit the hay,” Zeirdin said as he got up from his chair. The chair creaked like a cricket, as if sighing in relief.

“You could ask Rauli if you can stay here,” Lumia said. Zeirdin considered it.

“I don’t want to freeload off of her generosity. After all, you saved her daughter, but I haven’t done anything.”

“Oh, yeah I understand that.”

“Can I stop by again sometime tomorrow afternoon?” Zeirdin asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be here. Company is always welcome.”

Zeirdin left the restaurant feeling lighter than he had in months. I’m not totally alone anymore. He had one ally. The dim sign that read “Away with December” cast a light yellow hue on the dark street. Things were nowhere near resolved, but he had the start of a thread. Zeirdin felt the encounter had deepened their friendship. The thought of a romantic relationship had crossed his mind before, but he knew now wasn’t the time. She was a valuable friend and he couldn’t let such things get in the way. Zeirdin looked back at the restaurant one last time before leaving. Finding a place to sleep was at the top of his mind.