“Exill?
He looked up from his meal to find Luna, flushed and out of breath at the Inn’s entryway. Moving his bowl of soup aside, he gestured to the bench on the other side.
Luna sat down, still breathing heavily as she looked around at the dilapidated interior.
“What are you doing here? Nana wouldn’t explain. There are many patients looking for you!” Luna asked, her face full of confusion and betrayal “Is it because I’ve been acting distant? I’m sorry, but please come back for the patients if not for me, they need you.”
Exill felt a tug at his heartstrings.
He had been confident he could cut Luna away cleanly and spare her the pain... it was akin to an amputation of sorts. However, he had not been expecting the self-blame. He was struggling to find the right words when a voice behind him made his blood run cold.
“Master no longer needs you. He only desires me.”
Envy walked down the stairs; her smouldering amber gaze tinged with red focused on the timid elf-maiden. Exill glared back at her, but slowly turned away. He had asked Envy to stay in the room, but perhaps this was for the best.
Luna stared at the intimidating beauty in shock, then turned to him, absorbing the resigned expression on his face. She whispered, teary eyed, “Will you not return, even for the patients?”
“Do you think Savta would permit a slave owner to work in her clinic?”
“But... why, what changed? Why give up all that you had to be… here?” her eyes flickered towards Envy who was now standing behind Exill, one hand resting possessively on his shoulder.
Searching deep within himself, he offered her a fragment of truth as he saw it, “People don’t change Luna; they reveal who they really are... It is my priorities that have shifted.”
Luna nodded, barely holding back her tears, “I understand, but the patients still need you. I’ll talk to Nana so that you can return.” Before he could respond, she stood up and left, leaving Exill inwardly swearing for the last time that day.
***
Back in their room, Exill sat cross legged on the floor and opened a woven pouch bulging with fragments of bone. After the earlier incident with Luna he was in a mournful mood and wanted to clamber back into bed, but pushed on because of the urgency of their finances.
“Have you hunted in the Labyrinth before?” Exill asked, as he channelled mana through the rune throwing bones before letting them slip through his fingers. The Night Market vendor had assured him the battered divination tools were still functional when he had purchased them yesterday.
“Yes, but it’s been... over a year.”
Exill nodded while frowning, he could sense... flickering thoughts and impressions as the mana dissipated from the bones. It was no use, again.
“What is your preferred weapon?”
“Sword and shield.”
Exill flinched, it was one of the most expensive weapon sets to equip... but it had good compatibility with his bow and spear. The throwing bones were returned to their pouch, he would practice again later.
“Let’s head out,” he grunted wearily while rising to his feet.
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The two travelled to the Central Market, the largest of its kind in Ark. The broad square was used as a parade ground on special occasions, but day-to-day, it was a patchwork amalgamation of hundreds of colourful stalls selling everything you could imagine.
Exill weaved through the morning crowds, heading in the direction where they sold weapons. They passed rows of stalls selling impressive armaments. Envy made to stop as a particular sword caught her eye, but Exill kept walking. Scowling, she followed until he stood in front a dinghy military surplus store looking especially proud of himself.
“You can find the best deals here. I heard they source their range from decommissioned battalions. Sturdy, reliable stuff.” Envy looked at the barrels of chipped blades in distaste. Entrusting her life to this rubbish didn’t sit well with her. As a last resort, she tried charming him.
“I saw something nicer on the way here. I might get hurt wielding one of these.” She hugged his arm, pressing her curves against him.
Exill pulled away while frowning, his gaze serious as he addressed her concerns, “We can’t afford to splurge on top shelf equipment. If we don’t make the next payment to Diallo you will be seized and returned to his warehouse to be sold again. A good sword cannot save us from that fate.”
The Vampire’s eyes flashed at the mention of Diallo. The slave merchant had left her to starve till she was unresponsive. She let go of his arm, a corner of her mouth downturned in a slight grimace.
“Tch. Stingy virgin.”
‘Excuse me?’ he blinked.
Envy looked down her nose at him with a hint of challenge, begging him to prove her wrong. Exill decided it was better to pretend he didn’t hear the statement and instead turned his attention to the barrels before him.
He had hoped to find something good amongst the barrels of rubbish but neither of them had such luck. After some time, Exill excused himself, saying there was something he needed to buy, and left Envy to the arduous task of sorting trash from lesser trash.
Later, he returned, stuffing a roll of parchment into his satchel. “Did you find anything usable?” he asked. Envy pointed to a well-worn shortsword that needed some sharpening and an iron buckler with most of the leather straps intact. It all came out to 300 denars.
“I’ve got a small whetstone in my rucksack. Let’s head to the Labyrinth to give the weapons a trial run.” The pair left Central Market and stood in line for the Labyrinth, shuffling forward until they reached the guards.
“The woman needs a Field Guide to go through.”
Exill motioned her to summon the Card and green token to demonstrate she was his slave. The Guard inspected her Card, his eyes seeming to hover over a few details before waving them through.
“I’m letting you through this time, but grab a Field Guide next time you come here.” The Guard warned him in a bored tone then turned to whisper to his fellow companion. Exill could overhear them conversing behind him,
“Did you see her second job?”
“I told you. The beautiful ones are the craziest.”
“Hahaha, I wouldn’t mind getting murdered by that!”
Exill grit his teeth as he walked away from the guards into the hallowed grounds of the Tower. They were bullies pure and simple, finding problems where none existed. When he obtained the Green token from the Magistrate’s – he was assured it awarded similar privileges as its master, and there were legal precedents to that effect.
In some ways it was a double edged sword. Although the master and slave were considered as one in the eyes of the law, he would equally be held liable for the slave’s action, ranging from homicide to theft.
Thankfully, the clerk at the Magistrate’s had assured him there was an effective ceiling on damages. The master had the option of turning over the offending slave to the authorities as a functional equivalent of limited liability.
‘I don’t want to pick a fight with the Royal Guard over this, but better yet, it would have been great if I could change Envy’s second job.’
He was more than capable of changing party member’s assigned jobs, but too many people and background reports knew her second job as [Murderer]. If it was changed now without going through the official channels – it would raise several eyebrows.
‘I heard the Church does it in exchange for donations, and that the waitlist for commoners is several years long. I need to investigate an acceptable alternative.’ He added another item, among hundreds to his to-do list.
The temperature dropped several degrees as they drew further into the interstitial space between Labyrinth and outside. Envy felt his shiver, drawing his arm closer and breathed enticingly into his ear, “Would you lay down your life for a night with me?”
Exill suddenly reflected on all the times he had teased Luna. It was not fun being on the receiving end and he kept silent as he adjusted the scrap leather armour on the Vampire. There were gaps in the coverage around her thighs and chest... but it would have to do.
“This is as good as it gets.” He slapped her backplate, and after forming the party, entered the inky blackness of the dungeon portal.