Chương 55: Lunch

Evel sat in the quiet of Albert's living room, cradling his tea with a steady hand. Despite the rosy swelling distorting his features and the map of bruises scattered throughout his skin, his expression remained a mask of perfect stillness. He sipped the hot liquid deep in thought, ignoring the dull throb of his body. He had learned a lot in the past five hours more than he ever could have expected. He had always been weak when it came to close combat; he knew that.

Between lacking fighting experience and a weak body, he wasn't much of a threat unless he relied on Eth. Even then, he never realized just how big the gap in pure skill really was. In the past, his belief had been that as long as he strengthened his muscles and ate right, he'd be able to keep up in hand-to-hand combat for the most part. That belief couldn't have been more wrong. The past five hours had been a ritual of constant humiliation.

Albert had approached him with the same stance and the same move every single time. He had purposefully moved more slowly, hit lighter, and restricted himself from using his ability and even after all those handicaps, Evel still wasn't able to even put up a good fight. He couldn't help but sigh. He could see himself improving in real time, and he wanted to keep going, but his body couldn't keep up with his desires.

Had Albert not forbidden him from using more than two stem-packs in a day, he would have been ready to train all day. Albert probably knows best, and I still have to actually do my job… Activating his core, Evel summoned the ethereal hand and spun it around him. He was still struggling to make the best use of a third hand in close combat. It was unintuitive at first, but the hand provided Evel with a lot of flexibility. There was certainly immense potential if he continued practicing.

While he couldn't use it to directly harm Albert, it was extremely useful in redirecting incoming hits, disorienting the opponent, and setting up for Evel's follow-up attacks. Another thing he had known, but only recently noted, was how Eth felt to others. When Eth tapped Albert's shoulder, for example, he had absolutely no reaction. It was as if Albert's mind didn't even process the hand. Having a target practice helped Evel get more familiar with Eth's limits a lot quicker.

Once, he had actually almost been able to push Albert back and get an advantage using Eth. Until, of course, Albert slightly adjusted his style and continued to push Evel around. The steep mountain ahead of him was daunting, but the idea that he could one day climb so high was exciting. The soft smell of stew wafted through the gaps in the door, and Evel's mood lifted instantly. There were very few things in this world that a warm meal couldn't fix.

The door creaked open as Albert entered, balancing a tray with two large bowls.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" The chestnut-headed battle-monster asked, lightly placing down the tray. Evel immediately pulled his soup closer and grabbed a scoop.

"I need to decide on a location for the circus and make some purchases," Evel replied, blowing softly on his wooden spoon.

"You said you had narrowed it down to a general area, right?"

"South of the river." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Albert raised his eyebrow, watching Evel carefully.

"The slums?"

"Mhm," Evel replied with a mouth full of food.

"Wasn't your goal information seeking? I know it sounds harsh, but almost nobody of note really lives there, especially anyone with any key information." Evel swallowed, then looked up to meet Albert's eyes.

"The main problem I'm facing right now is manpower. Even if I'm the only show, I'll need to hire a lot of people. That's expensive."

"And you're afraid the citizens of Upper Ichoris will be too expensive?" Evel nodded.

"Won't Agent cover those costs?" Albert offered, sipping the broth directly from the bowl. Evel paused.

"I'd rather spend the Riak on other things." Albert narrowed his eyes, placing the bowl back on the table.

"And the real reason?" Evel blinked. He himself had believed those words when he said them, but facing pushback, the real reason had bubbled from his heart. Agent's wealth? Of course he didn't care about spending Agent's wealth. Despite it being the truth, it was a difficult thing to admit.

"I just don't trust the uppers." He replied through a deep breath.

"Oh?"

"Compare the lives of an upper to someone in the slums," Evel explained, a slight tone of distaste bleeding through his words.

"You may never have experienced what starvation feels like, but I have. How can I expect to trust a group of people who let their own people experience something so harrowing?" Evel's shaky hands gripped tightly around the bowl as he recalled his life as a fugitive. Albert's calm eyes rested on Evel for a while.

"Is that something the 'uppers' can control? Most of them just work a regular day job and live a life with their family." Albert explained.

"Without the proper skillsets, the circus will fail." Evel's eyes remained fixed on the bowl in front of him. He wasn't worried about other performers. Until he was able to train others, he alone would suffice. The bigger problem was the other pesky tasks. Somebody to manage the funds, costumes, sets, discovery, and so much more.

"I'll handle most of it until I find someone else who can," Evel replied, keeping his eyes on the bowl in front of him. Albert shrugged and gently placed his cup of tea down.

"You're the expert; if you think you can do it, I have no reason to doubt you." The remainder of the lunch continued in silence. As Evel was about to leave, Albert handed him another pouch.

"I'm pretty sure Avid expected me to take care of you until you got your operation up and running, so here." It was twice as heavy as last time. 50 Riak.

"Remember, this is just a loan, so I expect a full repayment in the future."

"Thank you." Evel deeply bowed, expressing as much gratitude as he knew how. Albert had fed him twice, trained him, and was now giving him even more Riak to live off of.

"Yeah, yeah, just take the door. I don't want to pay for your dinner, too." With a curt nod and a subtle smile, Evel left the room. It was time to figure out where his base of operations for the rest of his mission would be. Standing a pace behind his copper-headed buddy, Blake, Graham watched him aggressively knock on the door of a small house that looked as if it might collapse at any moment. No response.

"Get out here, Mateo!" Blake yelled, knocking again a bit harder. Still, just silence. Hearing a slight chuckle behind him, Blake snapped his head to Graham, "What." Graham didn't reply, only continuing to snicker. Blake knocked again.

"Hey, Blake, quick question," Graham asked, stroking his chin and looking thoughtfully at the door.

"..."

"Could you remind me what Mateo does to be able to survive? A source of income, perhaps."

"He works at the mine," Blake answered, narrowing his eyes.

"I thought we went over this."

"And what hours of the day do the miners work?" Blake's head followed the overhead tube, tracing it toward the direction of the mine.

"7 to 9, then 11 to 1, then 3 to 5…" Graham pursed his lips.

"And what time is it now?" Blake didn't reply. Instead, he turned around and walked back on the road. Still chuckling to himself, Graham paced forward to catch up.

"So where are we going next?"

"..."

"I really hope you don't say Clara, because I distinctly remember you telling me she also worked in the mines. Fool me once, shame on you or whatever, but I really hope you won't make the same mistake twice in a row." Blake abruptly stopped, facing Graham directly.

"If you have so many opinions, why don't you lead the way yourself?" Blake spat, his tone unsteady.

"And miss out on seeing my good buddy crash and burn?"

"Tch." Blake spat on the path and continued walking. Graham began whistling and continued walking beside Blake, hands tucked comfortably behind his head. Blake finally responded, not bothering to spare his good friend a glance.

"We'll visit the guards next."