Exill frowned as the bright runes on his throwing bones dissipated on the bedroom floor. Ever since he had accepted the duel, the runes gave a brief impression of peril whenever he asked about the results. Just now, he had felt whispers of something else.
His death.
Fortunately, he had learnt from studying in the library that divination only dealt with probabilities, and there was a good chance this was a bad reading that would fade away the next day.
There were five days left until the duel in the Arena and his combat stats were tantalizingly close to unlocking a new set of perks.
Active Jobs Tier Level Perk/Skill Warrior 1 36 +Atk speed, STR bonus Hunter 1 35 +Acc, SPD bonus Spearman 2 23 +Atk damage, [Weak Point] Ranger 2 23 +Atk speed, [Steady Hands] Monk 2 17 +Damage Resist Healer 1 2 [Focal Area] Diviner 1 6 [Foresight]
Exill was fairly certain he could reach lvl 20 of Monk if he kicked training up a notch, potentially unlocking a new perk or skill on top of the amazing damage resist bonus it provided.
He wasn’t sure if Warrior and Hunter would reach lvl 40 before then, or even if it would unlock a new perk/skill. At the moment the only non-combat jobs he was training in the Labyrinth was [Diviner] and [Healer]. Worried about what the future entailed, he put away his divination tools and unlocked the bedroom door.
“Good morning Luna, that smells delicious.”
There were dark circles under her eyes, and the elf maiden shot him a warm smile while lowering a large bowl of porridge on his side of the table. After struggling to sleep last night, she had simply reheated what was left over from the stew yesterday, adding a handful of barley, water and some salt.
“Will you be coming back late again?”
“I’m afraid so, I’ll be back by mid-afternoon at the latest. I’ll also pick up the scalpel from the Enchanter’s on the way back.”
Luna pouted at the thought that she would have to handle most of the clinic load until he arrived. More than that, she was worried whenever Exill entered the Labyrinth. After all, she had seen firsthand the scars inflicted on his body. As much as she disliked his slave, it provided some comfort to know that the lethal woman was watching his back.
“Be careful and don’t push yourself…”
“I’ll be safe.” Exill grinned in response then climbed the ladder to fetch Envy. She was wiping sweat away from the exercises she did every morning. Her hair was tied up in a bun as usual and her tunic clung to the generous curves of her body from sweat.
“How long do you need to get ready?”
“Ten minutes.”
She turned around to take off her tunic and Exill coughed as he took his cue to leave. He had seen her naked form before, but that was back when she was still infirm and recovering. He still couldn’t grasp how she was nonchalant about some things while lashing out at others.
Picking up his gear, he went downstairs and waited in the patient area of the lobby. Soon after, Luna could be heard hurrying down the stairs with a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
“Bless the Will you haven’t left yet. Since you’re returning late I packed you a sandwich. It’s just cheese, bread, and lettuce if that’s okay.”
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She sat next to him on the bench and tucked the bundle into his ruck sack. They talked about the new scalpel she would be receiving and how best to maintain it. The two had occasionally been called out to handle difficult births, owing to their recent success at Diallo’s. Luna was keen to have her own blade in case he wasn’t available.
Their discussion ended abruptly when Envy climbed down the stairs, the two women exchanged a subtle glance before Luna bid him goodbye and excused herself. The two took to the streets and headed for the Labyrinth.
***
“Do you know if his sword holds any enchantments?” Exill asked as he checked over Envy’s armour. He had decided he needed more information on Sir Eumol after the latest divination reading.
“I don’t know.”
“Is there any way you can find out?” He urgently pressed her, after all, it could be the pivotal clue to his victory.
Envy paused as she thought about ways to obtain the information. She started to shake her head when an idea popped up, “I’m delving tomorrow with him and Vameki, you could join us.”
“Are you still giving him Labyrinth tours when our duel is in a few days?!”
The Vampire shrugged. To her, money was money.
Meanwhile, Exill was beside himself with anger at the thought that she was aiding the enemy. His life was on the line, and her freedom was at stake, but here she was just… shrugging. He dumped his frustrations on her.
“If money is so important, why do you even bother delving into the Labyrinth!? You could easily earn five times what you’re earning here, working nights at the red-light district, servicing rich men just like you’re doing now. Heaven knows you don’t care about people seeing you naked.”
Exill bit his lip as he immediately regretted the words that had left his mouth. Envy’s face was placid as she concealed her inner pain. She had sensed his raw surface emotions through their Party connection, one of loathing and jealousy, followed by regret. She reached out with one hand, gripping his in a handshake and dismissed their party.
“Fine words coming from a man-whore.” Then she turned around and headed into the Labyrinth alone.
Exill stood still, sighing heavily. He had messed up. He knew that, but the anger remained. Some monsters would have to serve as his punching bag.
***
It was late evening and Envy still hadn’t come home.
Exill rolled up his sleeves after dinner to do the washing and was immediately intercepted by Luna. She pointed accusingly at the large welt across his forearm.
“Did you hurt yourself again? I thought you promised you wouldn’t be getting injured, now that you have that slave watching your back.”
The young man brushed her aside and continued to pile dishes in the sink. “She didn’t watch my back today. In fact I made quite a mess of things this morning.”
“What happened?” she stood beside him while channelling [Heal] onto his forearm.
“Ah, well… I found out she was still delving with the Noble. Then I got angry and said if she was so intent on prostituting herself, there were better ways to make money.” Exill sighed heavily as he admitted his mistake.
Luna was perplexed.
This was so unlike the compassionate Exill she knew. As much as she disliked the slave, she had admired the Witchdoctor’s altruistic desire to free the Vampire. However to hear he had insulted the slave, and insinuated she might sell her body made her wonder if some other hidden factor was afoot.
“How can you understand what she went through and make light about selling her body? We don’t know what her old master’s forced her to do and this may be her last vestige of pride. I can’t believe you even said those things…”
“You think I don’t know that?! You’ve met her, there is something about that woman that brings out the worst in me. I regret what I said, but I also don’t understand her sometimes.” Exill huffed as he roughly scrubbed the dishes, taking out his anger and guilt on the innocent plates. Luna could only watch him as he suffered in inner turmoil, brushing her fingers against his back.
Hours later, it was approaching midnight, and Envy still hadn’t come. He got up from bed and reluctantly climbed the ladder to the attic. It was dark but he could see the outline of the mattress not far away.
“Are you sleeping?” Hearing no response, he crawled beside the mattress and placed his arm under her head, earning a swift elbow into his side. He shuffled closer as he hesitantly apologised for the incident earlier that day. “I’m sorry for what I said in the morning. I don’t know what you’ve been through. I also don’t understand how you’re coping with the stress of what would happen if I lost. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”
Envy lay still for a long while, causing him to think she had fallen asleep until a question whispered back to him.
“Why were you afraid?”
Exill let out a small laugh into the top of her hair. He often forgot that the Party’s emotional connection went both ways, and she must have sensed his growing apprehension of the duel. She was so good at controlling her feelings that it felt like it wasn’t there at times.
“I asked the divination bones this morning about the duel… it whispered I may die.”
“Then let’s run away.” Envy turned around in his arms, and he felt her warm breath on his chest. He shook his head, then further clarified when he realized she couldn’t see him.
“To where and to what end? I can’t pay Diallo’s debt from another city.”
“Then you can admit defeat when the duel begins. You won’t die then.”
“And hand you over to Eumol without a fight? Have you forgotten our contract? No, I still have some cards to play, and we will go on. Fate is not set in stone for us.”
Exill had studied Divination in the Library and an excerpt had embedded itself in his mind. The art of Divination dealt with probabilities, while Oracles dealt in certainties. There was a chance he could still win, he just needed to figure out how.
They stayed that way for a while, consumed in their own thoughts. Envy eventually turned away and lightly latched onto his arm and fed. This left Exill to absentmindedly stroke her hair as he wondered what he could do to increase the chances of winning.
Eventually, he reluctantly climbed down the ladder and knocked lightly on Luna’s door. Hearing no response, he retired to his room and flipped the locking mechanism.