Chương 8: Peculiar Conversation

Lio was silent, meeting her gaze for a long moment, his bearing remaining flat and unreadable. Then he gave her a small, relaxed smile.

"I saw you yesterday." Ophila blinked.

"What?"

"In the market district." The lie came easily and smoothly, constructed with the scattered information he had gotten from Poluo and William.

"You were asking a merchant about Ghenna.." He watched her face carefully as he continued.

"I overheard your conversation. And I thought it was strange, because you could've been asking those questions in the Union building." He paused.

"So I started asking around about you." Ophila frowned.

"And you spent an entire day trying to track me down because... you were curious?"

"I'm planning a descent soon," Lio explained, which was true.

"I need to get there fast, which means I can't waste time on the upper floors. If you've already made it to Floor 7 solo, that means you're competent enough." He shrugged.

"I thought we could help each other." It was a good lie, built with logic and practicality, with just a dash of self-interest to make it even more believable. Ophila studied him for several long seconds, her head tilted like a bird examining something curious. Then she smiled again.

"Okay," she said simply.

"I'll accept that." Lio's eyes narrowed. Oh…? She didn't believe him. He could tell from the way she'd said it, the slight emphasis on accept rather than believe. But she was letting it go anyway. What an interesting person…

"Now it's my turn to ask questions," Lio said.

"Fair enough." Ophila spread her hands in a gesture of openness.

"Ask away!"

"Why Floor 15 specifically?" Ophila's smile turned a bit sheepish.

"It's because of a Checkpoint. There's supposed to be one on Floor 15 that has... unique properties. I need to touch it."

"What properties?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she admitted.

"I heard about it from another Delver." She shrugged.

"It's a long shot, but it's the only lead I have." Lio filed that away. He'd seen the Checkpoint on Floor 15 across hundreds of loops. It had never seemed unusual. There was a high chance that this Delver had lied to her.

"Where are you from?" he asked next.

"A settlement north of here. You wouldn't know it."

"Try me."

"It's called Millhaven. About two weeks' travel from Crater City on a wagon." Lio hummed. He knew Millhaven. He'd been there in Loop 467 chasing a rumor about a Delver who'd found a rune that could manipulate the concept of 'luck' itself. The rumor had been false, but he remembered the settlement—a cluster of maybe fifty buildings around a broken mill.

"And you came all this way alone?" Lio pressed.

"Not exactly alone. I traveled with a merchant caravan most of the way." Ophila sighed.

"Though I did have to sneak away from them at the end. They were getting a bit too... interested in where I was going."

"Interested how?"

"The 'we should report this suspicious teenager to the authorities' kind of interested." She made a face.

"Adults never trust kids traveling alone. It's so annoying." She crossed her arms, pouting slightly as she muttered under her breath, "They kept patting my head too. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm a baby…" Her voice had taken on a distinctly irritated tone. Lio glanced at her height—about 5'2, which was average for her age. That was hardly short enough to warrant that kind of reaction. He studied her expression next. It didn't look like she was lying. And if it was, she was really good at it.

"How many times have you descended?"

"Four times total. The first two were with a group from Millhaven, just rookies. We made it to Floor 3 before turning back." She grimaced.

"The third time was solo. Got to Floor 5 before I almost died to a rock golem."

"And the fourth?"

"That was the time I got to Floor 7. About a year ago." Her voice had gone quieter.

"I had a partner that was experienced. We made good progress until..." She trailed off.

"Until what?"

"Until he tried to rob me and leave me for dead on Floor 6." Ophila gave a cold smile.

"Turns out not everyone who offers to partner up actually means it. Who knew?" Her tone sounded bitter.

"But you made it to Floor 7 anyway," Lio observed.

"I did." The brightness crept back into her voice.

"I stabbed him with his own knife, took his supplies, and kept going. Made it to Floor 7, touched the Checkpoint, then came back up." Lio raised an mental eyebrow. She said it so cleanly, without a shred of remorse, the casual admittance of murder. Ophila continued, unbothered.

"That's when I decided I needed to be more careful about who I partner with." Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"And yet here you are, offering to partner with me."

"Well, you're different." Ophila took another step closer, close enough now that Lio could see the tiny freckles on her nose.

"My last partner was a big, muscular man. I think I can take you if you threaten me." She smiled.

"Plus, you seem younger than me. That makes you less threatening." Lio almost laughed at that. If only she knew that he was multiple centuries old, and had access to countless runes and powerful weapons.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Seventeen. You?"

"Seventeen," Lio replied.

"What do you know, we're the same age! That makes us equals." Ophila grinned.

"So, what do you think? Want to be partners?" Lio didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked another question.

"Why didn't you just post a notice at the Union? They have official partnership registries. It's way safer than wandering around asking strangers."

"Oh, I thought about it!" Ophila said quickly.

"But the Union has so many rules. Background checks, reference requirements, waiting periods... It's all very bureaucratic."

"Most Delvers don't mind a little bit of bureaucracy if it means finding a reliable partner," Lio observed.

"The paperwork takes maybe two days. You've been in Crater City for three days." Ophila raised her eyebrow.

"Oh? You know more about me than I thought—""Answer my question." Her smile faltered slightly.

"Well, I just... I prefer to handle things myself, you know? Less official channels means less complications."

"Less complications," Lio narrowed his eyes.

"Or maybe you just want fewer records of you being here?" The smile froze on her face.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're wearing gear that's been patched so many times it's falling apart," Lio explained, his eyes scanning her outfit.

"But you haven't bought new equipment even though Crater City has dozens of supply shops. You're asking questions in markets and alleys instead of at the Union where the information would be free and accurate." He paused.

"And you tracked me down to my apartment instead of approaching me in a public place." Ohila shrugged.

"Those are a lot of assumptions," she said lightly.

"You're avoiding official channels," Lio continued.

"Which means either you can't afford to leave a paper trail, or someone's looking for you and you don't want them to know you're here." His eyes narrowed.

"So which is it?" Ophila stared at him for a long moment, her cheerful smiling fading until it became more of a neutral expression.

"You really are smart," she said quietly.

"I want you as my partner even more."

"Answer my question." Ophila sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly.

"Yes, there's people looking for me." Lio raised an eyebrow.

"What do they want?" Ophila hesitated, her fingers picking at the colorful stitching on her uniform.

"I... I think it has to do with something I saw back in Millhaven." She bit her lower lip.

"There was this Delver who came through town about a month ago. He was injured… dying actually. I helped him, gave him water and food, and sat with him until..." She trailed off.

"Until what?"

"Until he died," Ophila finished quietly.

"But before he did, he told me some stuff. About Floor 15, about the Checkpoint there. He said it could..." She shook her head.

"He said a lot of things, honestly. Most of it didn't make sense cause he was delirious from blood loss. But some of it..." She looked up at Lio, her blue-and-gold eyes looking deeply troubled.

"Anyway, a week after he died, people started asking about me. Strangers in nice clothes, claiming to be from some northern guild. They wanted to know what the Delver had said to me before he died. When I told them I didn't remember much, they got... aggressive." She wrapped her arms around herself.

"That's when I decided to leave Millhaven."

"What exactly did he tell you about the Checkpoint?"

"That it could…" Ophila stopped herself, shaking her head.

"No. I'll tell you when we get there. If I say it out loud now, you'll think I'm insane and won't partner with me." Lio almost snorted at that faulty logic. If the secret was that insane, that shouldn't he know of it before he even teamed up? Still, he knew that she wasn't going to budge. And it was clear that her fear of the organization hunting her down was real. He wanted more answers, but he didn't want to scare her off too soon.

"So they're chasing you because a dying man told you something about a Checkpoint," Lio recounted slowly.

"And whatever he said was important enough that they've been tracking you for this long."

"That's what I think, yeah." Ophila gave a bitter smile.

"Pretty stupid reason to be running for my life, right?" Lio studied her face, searching for any kind of deception. Her body language had clearly changed, with a slight undercurrent of fear. She didn't seem to be lying.

"How close are they from Crater City?"

"I don't know. A day? Maybe two?" Ophila glanced at the steadily darkening sky.

"That's why I need to get into Ghenna as soon as possible."

"But why Ghenna?" Lio questioned.

"If you're running from them, why not just keep moving?" Ophila shook her head.

"They'd find me eventually. They've been tracking me for three weeks—every time I think I've lost them, they show up again. It's like they always know where I'm going." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

"Running on the surface isn't working. I need something much more permanent."

"And that's on Floor 15?"

"Yeah, the Checkpoint there has properties that could help me disappear for good." She looked back at him.

"That's all I can say right now." Lio nodded silently, processing the information. An organization with enough reach to track someone across weeks of travel. That narrowed it down to a handful of groups he knew of, though none seemed to stand out as more likely.

"What's your rune?" he asked, changing tactics. Ophila's nose wrinkled at the sudden question.

"What?"

"If we're going to partner up, I need to know what you can do."

"Oh." She smiled.

"I'll just show you when we're in Ghenna. It's easier to demonstrate than explain."

"I see."

"And you?" Ophila asked.

"What rune do you have?" Lio hesitated, then pulled up his left sleeve to reveal the [Mach Heart] rune on his wrist.

"It can enhance my speed or propel me forward." Ophila leaned in closely, studying it with interest.

"Wow. That's really useful."

"It helps with mobility," Lio said simply, pulling his sleeve back down.

"Especially on the lower floors where the terrain gets difficult."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. How far down have you been?"

"Floor 12," Lio lied smoothly.

"I was trying to reach Floor 14 before I had to retreat."

"So you know the route already! That's perfect." Ophila's face brightened up.

"This is going to work out great!" She smiled and extended out her hand.

"So... partners? Officially?" Lio reached out and shook her hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm, and he could feel multiple callouses on her palms.

"Partners," he confirmed.

"Great!" Ophila released his hand and stepped back. She turned to leave, then paused and looked back.

"Oh, what time should I meet you tomorrow?"

"Be by the Union building by five-thirty."

"Got it. Five-thirty." Ophila gave him a small wave.

"See you tomorrow morning, partner." She turned and started walking down the alley, her long blonde hair catching the last rays of fading sunlight. Lio watched her disappear around the corner, maintaining the relaxed smile on his lips. Then his face went blank. The carefully crafted smile dropped away like a curtain falling. His posture transformed, his shoulders and torso relaxing from their carefully maintained openness and friendliness.

Even his eyes changed, the faint warmth he'd projected during their conversation draining out until only those dead, empty amber irises remained. He stood alone on his steps, staring at the empty alley where she'd vanished, his expression as lifeless as a corpse. After a long moment, he turned and climbed the stairs to his apartment.