Dyna nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! There is one near Virigo further south. Grandma said it appeared fifty years ago and warned me never to go near. I heard there is a military base built on top of it.”

This felt like important information, and supported Exill’s growing belief that Labyrinth’s were associated with Aberrations, and indirectly - himself. He was curious how the one in Virigo differed from Ark’s Labyrinth, so pressed her further.

“Is there a Mercenary Guild here in Virigo? Do they allow Mercenaries to delve inside?”

“There is a small branch… but they only take requests there. I’ve never heard of anyone venturing towards the military base.”

That was disappointing to hear, but not entirely unexpected after hearing a military base had been built on top of the Labyrinth… “I see, in answer to your earlier question on what came first – I honestly don’t know.” He paused before continuing, “From the runes inscribed on the Tower, I suspect that Ark as we know it wouldn’t have been around when the Labyrinth first appeared.”

Mentally filing all this information away, he moved the dirty dishes to the sink. Dyna lowered an apron over his head and reached around to tie the knot behind his back, pressing her body against him. Tsarra glowered at the shameless girl while nudging past to take position with a drying towel. Building up the courage to confront, or at least send the girl home, she spoke up with a timid suggestion.

“Um... thank you for your help, but you should go home before it gets dark.”

“It’s only late afternoon though? Besides, I brought my nightwear for a sleep over!”

Dyna picked out a thin black nightgown from the bottom of the wicker basket, holding it up to her shoulders. It was definitely translucent.

Before Tsarra could lose her temper, Envy snapped first, angrily snatching the wicker basket and the vixen by the nape of her neck. She coursed through the living room, Dyna in tow, throwing her unceremoniously outside and slamming the door shut.

Dyna frantically knocked at the door, then came round to circular window, demanding to be let in. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw Envy buckle on a sword and make way for the door. The young maiden swiftly turned to run away, wicker basket in hand.

Throwing the vixen out had done little to soothe Envy’s considerable frustration, and she turned her considerable attention to him… “If you ever let that sly fox enter this house again, I will personally castrate you, leaving you to die a pathetic lonely virgin.”

Exill froze, hands still immersed in dish water, wondering why her anger was suddenly directed at him.

“I-I didn’t do any-”

Envy approached his vulnerable form, hand loosely gripping the pommel of her sword. She frowned at him like a beautiful, crimson Valkyrie, her soft lips pursed in disappointment.

“Exactly… you did nothing. Girls like that need to be shut down hard and early. Even Tsarra has more guts than you, she asked that bitch to leave. Politely.”

Exill sighed softly. It was two against one, and although he felt unfairly targeted, the resentment was swept away when Envy leaned threateningly close, her amber eyes tinged crimson and whispering so only he could hear.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“As penance, you will give the bed to me.”

‘Ah, clever girl… so that was her true objective all along.’ Now he understood why the false outrage had been redirected at him. The long journey had tired him out and for a moment, it was ever so tempting to back down and let the assertive woman just have her way.

“She can have my bed.” Tsarra interjected, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“No, it is your first time having your own room.” He quickly dismissed her offer then turned to Envy, “Nice try, but you are going to have to sleep in the living room.”

“Tch.” Disappointed that her gambit had failed, Envy slunk away to unpack her belongings and dragged the bedroll out into the common area.

She knew it was childish, petulant even. Yet whenever she pushed Exill into a concession no ordinary Master would make, it brought strange relief to her. Theirs was an implicit relationship balanced between an owner and a slave. It was like placing her finger on the scale, and testing it still worked, that he still saw her as an equal.

Exill finished washing up, and also began unpacking his bags, prioritising the rune throwing bones secured in a small pouch. Channelling mana into them, he posed a silent question about their safety, before releasing them onto the table below. They runes flashed impossibly fast, and he had difficulty interpreting even a fraction of the message, but a fragment was all that was required.

‘I guess that Aberration last night was not the end of our troubles…’ he thought with thinning lips.

“We should stick together for the time being. I sense the danger has diminished but it still remains. No one should leave the house alone after dark.”

Seeing everyone acknowledge his warning, they began to inventory the old healer’s stock of basic herbal remedies, finding it sufficiently stocked. He dragged Tsarra to the side where there was a shelf containing two tomes of herbal remedies and magical treatment theories.

“I’ve been a terrible mentor to you, only giving hands on experience instead of the theoretical underpinnings. You should take this opportunity to study from these tomes. I’m sorry I don’t have a single book at home, but here is a little gift.”

He took out a small clay tablet, identical to his own. Exill had carved her name on the frame and stylus while standing watch the night before, prior to the Aberration’s emergence. Tsarra’s gentle eyes glittered with emotion as she struggled to hold back tears.

Exill stood awkwardly while she dabbed at her eyes, similarly embarrassed that an item worth four Denars could elicit such a response.

“Um… can you teach me how to write? I mean, my mother taught me how to read but I don’t know how to draw the shapes well…”

He barely held himself back from pinching her rosy cheeks that had become flushed from embarrassment. Remembering she was technically five years older than him, he had to stop treating the diminutive woman like a child.

“Sure.” It was a simple request, and some of the prepped ingredients on the table were swept aside for their studies.

“This is how you write ‘A’…”

They spent the rest of the evening practicing until she could write confidently, her handwriting much neater than his own. When they got up to retire for the night, she embraced him tightly in gratitude, before drawing away, pressing the tablet to her plump bosom.

Only then did he realise how much her body had filled out in the past two months, the dress clinging tight near her hips and chest. She was no longer the emaciated slave he had brought in many months ago and the clothes no longer hung off her bony shoulders like drapes.

“We should visit the market tomorrow and see if we can get some better fitting clothes. Don’t worry about funds, I’ll be buying.”

Tsarra looked down at her faded green dress, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Iris had often offered to take her shopping, but she had demurred every time through lack of funds. In the end, it felt like another debt added towards her mentor.

“Um, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Wishing each other goodnight, Exill approached the doorway to the master room and saw Envy splayed out on his bed already fast asleep.

‘That cunning leech...’ He snorted in amusement.

Sometimes, you just had to step back and admire the craftiness of others. Frankly he didn’t have the heart to wake her up, just to kick her out of the room. She had stood guard against the Aberration in the camping grounds and dusted the clinic from top to bottom. She deserved a good night’s sleep.

‘I was looking forward to some alone time… but perhaps this is for the best.’

He reluctantly unfurled the bedroll in the living area. If Envy had been sleeping on the floor there wouldn’t have been any privacy for him in the room anyway. Confirming all the windows and doors were closed, he finally lay down to rest.