It took a few minutes before Axel could move at anything short of a crawling pace due to the pain from the burns, torn muscles, and healing bones. The regeneration was really coming in handy already, as Axel's journal reported that the damage he had taken was well on its way to being repaired. He also noted that his body took damage from the running, as his body was repairing ligaments and a fractured knee.
Lyra got back on her feet a short moment later, still looking drained, and the group made a quick trip to a launch station and took a platform back to the inn. None of them talked about the ambush until they were safely back in Aria and Axel’s room. After closing the door and locking it, everyone collapsed at the same time, almost like they had practiced it before.
“Well, that was close,” Axel said into the silence. “I think they were all at least cycle three, if not four, with how powerful they were.”
“Yeah, Aria was not expecting to be jumped by them,” Aria said with a shaky breath. “I thought we would be harassed by maybe some riffraff from the Guild.”
“Those four were not riffraff, and even though I had been expecting an attack ever since I heard about the bounty, this was a stronger response than even I expected,” Axel said while looking at Aria.
“We need to get stronger fast if that is what we have to worry about. I don’t think we can take that group head-on,” Lyra said in a shocked tone. “I am now on the let’s go hunting plan. We need to get out of the city and lose our hunters.”
“The other option is for you both to stay far away from me so that they…” Axel started, then received a pillow and shoe to the face for his trouble.
“If you suggest that one more time, I when I have more energy, will get up off this floor and kick your ass!” Lyra said. “There is no way I am going to abandon you in this situation, so just stop those thoughts now.”
“Aria knows that you are rattled, Axel, but if you think you are leaving Aria when you are in danger…” Aria said while getting up and invading his personal space, getting her face nose to nose with Axel.
“I just want you both to know you have the option to get out now. My gut says this is just the start of our troubles,” Axel replied and kissed Aria on the nose to get a squeak of surprise from her.
Aria then sat on Axel’s lap and looked over at Lyra. “Aria thinks the people who ambushed us said the bounty went up, which is likely what drew stronger people than expected. Do you know what the original was, as you were the one that first warned us about it?”
“I never heard a number, as I only heard it mentioned from several guards that were traveling with the villagers,” Lyra replied with a head shake.
“Problematic, as it is now too dangerous to check with the Guild to see what it is, as now Aria and Lyra are kidnap targets to be used to draw Axel out. None of us have the strength to move alone anymore, and goddess forbid that the bounty has reached a level that draws in Adepts, we are really in trouble if that happens,” Aria said, then put her head on Axel’s chest, seemingly needing to either breathe in his scent or take in his body heat.
“Good news is that bounty hunters are unlikely to hit a Seeker inn, as there is no way to know if they will anger someone staying that is stronger than them, and there is normally an Adept on security to allow peace of mind,” Axel comforted Aria while wrapping her in a hug.
“Yes and no,” Aria’s muffled reply came as she pulled her head back and looked Axel in the face. “There are killers in the Guild that take contracts to kill people on the grounds of a Seeker inn, but those are very expensive contracts, and Aria finds that the price on Axel’s head has not reached that level yet.”
Axel could feel Aria shaking in his arms as she said this. This was the first time that he had seen her this scared on a subject, and that worried him more than he wanted to admit, as Aria always seemed to have a crimson-may-care attitude about life-threatening situations. This shaking, more than the dangerous fight, was what shook Axel the most. He could face a hundred bounty hunters with nary a care, but with Aria shaking in fear, he was having doubts.
The group went silent for a while as they all went through their thoughts. It was a long time later when hunger drove them to go to the common room and get some food. They ate in silence while keeping an eye on their fellow patrons before heading back up to the room.
“So, I think we may want to accelerate our plans with Jareth or leave and have him catch up. We are going to burn out from nerves and suspicion if that meal was any indication,” Lyra said after the door was closed.
“I would like to agree, but we already told Sky when to meet, and it sounds like Jareth also needs the time. We can see about speeding things up, but there is more in play than we were planning on even this morning,” Axel replied while he sat on the bed, tired of sitting on the hard floor from earlier.
“Aria also does not suggest that we leave on our own. There is no way to know if a bounty hunter has a guard on the payroll to snitch on Axel leaving. There is bound to be many that will take that bribe and see it as a bonus to their pay,” Aria added, then sat on Axel’s lap, seeming to need more time in contact with him.
“Well, what do we do then?” Lyra asked in frustration. “I still have training to complete, and while I think Rex will understand me trying to end it early due to the circumstances, there is a large target now on all of us, bounty or not.”
“About that, Aria would like to know, do you have energy healing or enhanced reflexes, as you were parrying the fire whip much faster than anyone with our body’s blessing could do,” Aria asked as she thought that Lyra had taken a healing orb to make her core.
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“About that…the Goddess helped me and used the fragments of the reflex orb and healing one to create a twin core to hide my new healing power,” Lyra explained.
“That’s…” Aria started when Axel put a hand over her mouth and said, “I assume there is a downside to this?”
“Yes, first, each core only has about one-third of the power a complete core would, though they can draw on the power of either. To keep them stable, I need to use my Goddess Blessing to keep them balanced as if it gets too far out of line, it would be bad,” Lyra explained. “Last, it takes a moment to switch between powers, and unlike if I had a whole core, there is at this time no way to run both powers at once as my mind can’t handle the process.”
“There is also the downside that I need to, when I advance, feed both cores. This does mean more powers but will get harder and harder to balance them as I go on. The Goddess gave me this option but warned me that this is the hardest path that she had calculated for the Cycle,” Lyra finished with a deep breath and lay back on the bed, seeming out of energy.
“Sounds like trouble,” Axel said in a consoling voice. “But it could give you an edge in the future if you can do it right. I assume each of these mini cores has to follow the Cycle and have a different type attached to it?”
Lyra nodded from her laying position and left it at that. It was at this moment that Axel was bitten by Aria as she was tired of her mouth being covered.
“Aria still thinks that is amazing! Now Aria is jealous that both Axel and Lyra get special privileges from the Goddess, but that doesn't negate that what you have done is so awesome!” Aria said while bouncing on Axel’s lap, causing discomfort that had nothing to do with her weight.
Putting his hand on Aria’s shoulder to stop the issue, Axel looked over at Lyra and told her, “I can understand why you didn’t tell us, but if you need anything, just ask, okay?”
Lyra just gave a thumbs-up and covered her face with her arm. “I thought there would be a worse reaction from both of you as I am different and have to follow a new path.”
Aria responded to this comment by leaping off of Axel, breaking his weak hold, and landing on Lyra, beginning to tickle her.
“This is your punishment for keeping it secret. Regret Aria’s wrath!!” Aria said in between laughing as she tickled Lyra.
“P-P-Please s-s-s-stop! I am going to wet my pants if you don’t!” Lyra begged for mercy. Aria stopped her assault on Lyra and gave a magnanimous huff while sashaying back to Axel’s lap to retake her seat.
“Now that Lyra has been so thoroughly punished, let’s make some temp plans until we can…” Axel started when there was a knock on the door. Everyone reacted by reaching for a weapon, and Axel moved slowly to the door. His core was only about thirty percent, but it would have to do.
“Yes?” Axel asked from the side of the door.
“I have a message for an Axel and Aria from a man named Jareth.” The reply came in a light soprano voice. Axel looked to his companions and received nods before opening the door. Standing in the door frame was a young female Vortan. Axel was bad at telling their race's ages, but she had not completed her Trial as he felt no energy from her.
Axel took the letter from the young woman and handed her a silver for her trouble before shutting the door. Axel didn’t talk until Aria gave him the sign that no one was listening at the door. Then he opened the letter and began to read.
‘Friends,
It has come to my knowledge that after you left my shop you were attacked. My sources say that you got away but were injured in the process. I hope this letter finds you well or on the road to recovery. I would have found you myself but I was not sure if you had returned to your Inn or at one of several places you would find safe so I am sending a courier to several in hopes one finds you well.
I have done some checking with other friends and found that Axel your bounty has risen from 100 gold to 1000 gold with a bonus of 250 gold to bring you in alive. This is a substantial bounty for a Novice but has a low chance of bringing in anyone higher than an end-tier Novice to hunt you. I recommend you stay in open areas for now and run if you feel anything is wrong.
I also don’t recommend you leave the city on your own as you will be caught quickly in an unprotected area. I can move my plans up to about two days from now and have you meet me at my warehouse to sneak you out. If something else changes our plans meet me at my shop and we will work from there.
Stay Safe,
Jareth’
Axel handed the letter to Aria, after noting an address on the back, who read it and then handed it on to Lyra. As the other two read, Axel sat on the bed, regretting again that he broke the chair, and started to mentally map out a plan. Axel’s thoughts were interrupted by Aria again taking his lap.
“So our whole schedule is messed up,” Lyra started. “On my end, I need to talk to Rex. I would like more training time to get used to my ability, but I am not sure if we have it.”
“Aria is not sure how we are going to get this issue under control. We also need to train together and get some kind of teamwork down, as what happened in the ambush showed that we can’t just work as individuals,” Aria added.
This was when a thought struck Axel that could help solve at least some of their issues. Axel first lifted Aria and placed her on the bed and wrote a note before he forgot and turned to Aria and Lyra.
“So here is the plan. We go with Lyra and see if Rex will do more intense group training to help Lyra get used to her power, and this will allow for us to get teamwork training in. Next, if Rex agrees, we talk to Sky and see if she wants to join, and then we have at least four, making it harder for others to attack us,” Axel started to explain.
“Two days of intense training is not a lot, but it will keep us in a safer area and start fixing the cracks in our teamwork,” Axel finished.
“I am fine with that, but didn’t you want to go to that library more? I swear you were beginning to take up residence there the last two weeks,” Lyra said, leaning near the door.
“I would love to expand my knowledge more, but that seems like one of the places that I would be looked for,” Axel said sadly.
“Aria thinks this is workable for now, and Rex is very likely to agree. He loves it when people volunteer for intense training,” Aria said with a shudder.
“Since it’s late, do you both want to turn in for now?” Axel asked, and both girls agreed.
Everyone took showers and repaired their equipment, then headed to bed. Lyra decided to stay in the room with Axel and Aria, sleeping on the spare bed as she was scared that something would happen if she was in a room on her own. This put a cap on Axel’s plan for the night, but he could not blame Lyra for wanting to have others nearby after a bad fight. Aria though seemed to have other plans as she began to quietly initiate things while hitting it with her wing and blanket.
Axel was unsure if this was a good thing but went with his mate as it felt thrilling until he started to receive warnings of increased heart rate, spiking hormones, and low blood pressure killing the mood as he was forced to fight his journal to get all the alerts out of his vision. When he was done Aria had dozed off leaving him feel very stifled. Axel decided to update the Goddess and go to sleep as he was still tired from everything today.