Chương 80: Chapter Seventy Six: The Bonding Cave

They stay silent for all of two seconds before they're asking me questions. Cage starts.

"What in the hell was that?" Her voice is laced with ice-cold fury. So she can feel anger. Great.

"Apparently venom. Are you going to turn into a vampire now?" Quill laughs, and its echo resounds in the pitch-black cave. The light and the heavy downpour outside can't even reach us here, we're so far down. I'm so screwed. I do not do closed spaces. Makes me feel like my skin is crawling. Please don't have bugs. This seems like a sea cavern made from some kind of volcanic rock. There are a few jagged rocks here and there, too, that look like they could be made from the sand on the shore.

Which, by the way, is blue. I wonder what gives it that color? Quill tries to theorize why Cage seems to just be recovering from a rather bad trip or poisoning rather than becoming a vampire.

"Of course not. Her venom seems to be psychoactive instead of parasitic. It'll mess with your senses, but it won't change your physique. To my knowledge, only male pureblood vampires can sire other vampires through venom. Speaking of…what happened? Why were you two fighting?" Cage pushes all of the blame on me.

"She abandoned her schedule, got me in trouble, and I graciously went to look for her. Only to find her whining in some man's arms." I correct.

"You mean my brother? She neglects to mention that I was starving and craving blood. I can't survive on fruit cups, salads, and steaks. I needed real food. Especially after that trainwreck you call training. Who makes a one-year-old–""One?" Quill sounds baffled.

"That explains it. You are young. You are literally a babe." She sighs and turns to Cage.

"And you? That does not explain why you were fighting." She adds.

"With a child." I narrowed my eyes in her direction. I'm starting to feel a little offended. Cage shifts and ruffles her clothing. Just the sound has my hair standing up. Damp walls make a hospitable environment for mold and other creepy crawlies.

"I was hungry, wet, about to be late, and she was wasting time. He refused to hand her over and…" Quill sounds unimpressed.

"You used your magic on a civilian. Cage, you know the rules. We can't touch them. They're guests. What happened next?" Cage sounds miffed but not as mad as before.

"Eira here. She lost her mind and tried to attack me. So I taught her a little lesson, too. Besides, he's not just—" I finish her sentence with a smug smile, you can hear as it echoes off the walls."And I wiped the floor with you for that." She growls, and Quill shushes her. She chuckles a bit and tries to mediate.

"Well. Eira. We can't have this happen again. So what do you think we should do?" What do I think?

"I hate those lessons. I don't like running, and I don't like exercise on an empty stomach. I also don't like it when people hurt my family or me. So, someone should apologize to me and help me get out of here." There's no way I'm going to stay here and get my ass kicked for nothing. Fuck magic. I'll figure it out on my own or not at all. I will break out of here one way or another. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Cage laughs maniacally.

"You must still be delirious from hunger. I am your supervisory officer. You deserted your duty to have a snack."

"I needed it. I didn't have a choice. I'd have starved."

"I was going to get your blood!"

"I can't have other blood. It has to be his." She remains silent.

"You've already imprinted?"

"Yes." She grumbles.

"Then you should've said something. I would've requested your Imprint be present at mealtimes or at least have his blood collected in advance.

""It was too late. All I could do was track him down and bite because I was so starved. I lost all control. All I wanted was his blood, and it was practically singing to me."

"That's a problem. You can't forfeit your rationality like that again. It's too dangerous."

"I know that. I couldn't think straight after you dropped me off for my playdate with that witch!" She made me try to fight. I don't—I can't hurt people. She didn't hold back at all. She huffed, and I could hear her scratching a wall."It's training, and believe me, you have it light." At least I hope that's her scratching the wall.

"You think that's light? I've never felt so stressed and exhausted in my life." This life sucks. She refuses to let me whine any further.

"Well, magic requires hard work, and you can't just skip training. You'll get us all punished along with you." Quill sighs.

"See? Look, now you're getting along. Communication is the key to everything. Now. I'm guessing we're going to be in here for a while. Did anyone bring food with them?" Cage shakes her head.

"Not me." Quill asks hopelessly.

"Eira?" I bite my lip and consider it. They're trying to be nice, and it seems like I'm going to be in solitary confinement for a while. They might even know how to leave. Getting on their good side for now is a must. Penguin? Can I use my inventory? [Yes. Please don't—] I have leftover pizza and fries, right? [Yes. But how are you going to explain it?] Leave it to me.

"Guy–Girls? I may have some food, but you have to promise not to tell anyone where I got it from." Quill frowns, and Cage lifts her head. She regards me in the dark and offers a question.

"What kinda promise?"

"A real one. A fae promise." Even Quill seems flustered.

"Eira? What did you bring?" I say in a sing-songy voice."That's not an answer, and it's still hot. Full of oil..." Cage gulps and thinks about it.

"Fine. I promise not to tell anyone where your food comes from. Quill?" Quill seemed on the fence but made a similar promise. Alright. Penguin? I want all the pizza and leftovers in a box. Penguin agrees reluctantly. A minute later, I have a big wooden box filled with food in my hands. Fun fact. I can't withdraw anything directly from the space, but… if it's in my inventory, it can be withdrawn from either world. Neat right? I set the box down, and it made a dull thud on the ground.

Carefully, I open the top and grin when the smell of pizza hits my nose. Fries too. I look up and jump at the sight of two glowing sets of eyes. Gold and red.

"What is that?" Cage tips the box in her direction so she can investigate the heavenly smell. Quill breathes in and sighs in relief.

"It smells incredible."

"It's food. I made it."

"You cook?"

"Yeah. Come on, eat." Cage and Quill stuff their hands in the box and come away with a handful of fries and pizza. They look between themselves and take the plunge. Together? Savages. Instantly, their eyes widen, and they chew faster. Cage asks between bites.

"What is this? You're cooking from now on. Damn. This is better than Puppet's cooking." Quill nods and stuffs her open mouth with more fries.

"It's seasoned so well. There's oil in this, too." They rave over the food while I pick at it, already full from my encounter with Lucian. I've got to get him a gift basket or something.

"What are you doing? Eat." Cage shoves a fry in my direction, and I take it. Fine. I dip it in pizza sauce and chew the crunchy goodness. Quill recovers from her temporary loss of composure.

"Why is this a secret, and where did all this come from?" Well…

"Illegal space bag?"

"..."

"..." [Miseria? What made you think that was a good idea?] This. Cage claps me on the shoulder and gives me a proud look.

"You are one of us now." Quill wipes at a tear and asks with hope.

"Does that mean? You have outside goods? Do you have hair oil?" I nod and offer a few more incentives.

"Of course. I even have soap." She clutches a hand over her heart, and her amber eyes glow with intensity.

"I would be honored. Please allow me to trade with you." [...] [Point made.] Contraband can move anyone. Prove me wrong, I dare you.