Give and Take - Ch. 05 by wyzest69

Give and Take

A young newcomer, dreaming of adventure and a better life, crosses paths with a veteran who has lost himself. Can they help each other find what they seek? Or does their partnership only end in tragedy?

* * *

Chapter 5

"Alright, twenty more and we'll take a break." Jay barked, slowing his jog to a stop.

"Right!"

Alice moved beside him and dropped to her hands and knees, before straightening her body. With a small grunt of effort, she started raising and lowering her body using just her arms. His mother had taught him the exercise many years ago. Still a good one: simple, effective, reliable. It was an excellent way to increase both arm strength and muscle endurance.

Jay started his own set of twenty after checking the goblin's form, the exercise barely even making him exert himself. He had done these more times than he could even begin to count. Hells, he could probably do them in his sleep.

After a few moments, the pair finished the exercises, and they hauled themselves back to their feet.

"Good work." Jay glanced down at Alice. "Take a few minutes to rest, then we'll continue."

Alice nodded, a strange expression on her face. Jay couldn't quite place it. Maybe she was still hungover?

They had gotten started a bit later than normal that day, due to the merrymaking the night before. Still, Alice hadn't voiced a word of complaint, though she had downed nearly an entire pitcher of water after waking. Regardless, the pair had gotten right back to their usual training routine without any issues.

It took the human a moment to notice that his student was being uncharacteristically quiet. Alice was still standing, looking down at her hands.

"Is something wrong?"

The goblin jumped a bit, clearly startled by the question. She looked up at Jay, a sheepish look on her face.

"Oh no, nothing like that." She said, shaking her head. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

"At first I thought I was just imagining things, but..." She paused for a moment. "This feels...too easy?" She finished hesitantly, glancing at him as if he would take offense.

"You feel like you've gotten stronger?" Jay asked, mildly surprised.

"I...I guess that could be it?" She folded her arms, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she nodded. "Yeah. That would explain it."

"I see."

"But, uh, I mean...that's impossible, right?" Alice asked quickly.

"No, actually. It isn't."

The goblin looked up at him with wide eyes, clearly waiting for him to continue.

"This...isn't common knowledge." Jay started, thinking about how to explain further. "It's not exactly a secret, but it's something that's...better kept from the public. Honestly, I didn't think it would be noticeable already, so I felt it wasn't necessary to tell you yet."

Jay took a seat on the grass, motioning his student to do the same.

"Remember, yesterday inside the Hollow; what happened when you killed one of the constructs?"

"It basically...crumbled away, right?" Alice said after thinking for a moment. "The essyr goes back to the Hollow, or it might gather into a precious gem or metal."

"Precisely." Jay nodded. "However, what if I told you that a fraction of that essyr also went elsewhere?"

"'Elsewhere'?" Alice echoed, her brow furrowed. "Where else could it go?"

"Well, what was the thing closest to the construct when it perished?"

"Wait..." The goblin's eyes went wide. "You're saying that it went...into me?"

"Indeed."

Alice reeled back at Jay's answer, dropping her gaze to her hands.

"I...um, what?"

"Our bodies naturally attract essyr. Something in us just pulls it in." Jay began to explain. "When a construct is undone inside a Hollow, any adventurers nearby will naturally absorb some of the essyr, before the Hollow itself can reclaim it."

"Huh." Alice looked thoughtful. "So my body took in essyr from the monsters, and...I got stronger?"

"Yes." Jay nodded once more. "As your body takes in more, its capacity expands, and it becomes more durable, faster, stronger."

"That's...good. Yea, that sounds pretty damn convenient." The goblin grinned, then faltered. "But wait, why shouldn't people know about this?"

"Take a moment to think about it." Jay said slowly. "How do you think common folk would react if they knew most adventurers were significantly stronger than them, just on the virtue of them entering Hollows? How might they feel knowing that even novice adventurers could likely overpower the strongest of civilians?"

Alice considered it for a long moment, then shuddered, her face a grimace.

"Awful." She shook her head. "Even just thinking back to working at the tavern...if I imagine what some of those adventurers could have done if they felt like it..." Her voice trailed off.

"Exactly." Jay's voice was solemn. "Now, the Guild has very strict rules and harsh penalties for attacking or harming civilians, so it is rarely an issue. However, simply for the common folk's peace of mind, it's better that this isn't known."

"Yea, I can't argue with that." Alice said, shrugging. "But...how do people like city guards stop an out of control adventurer, if they become so strong?"

"Many towns and cities only recruit guards from former, proven adventurers. The places that can't do so often sponsor new hires to enter Hollows with an experienced party to strengthen them."

"Makes sense." Alice looked up at her mentor. "So you could just enter Hollows, like, nonstop and get really strong?"

"Not quite." Jay said wryly. "After doing it enough, the effects of absorbing essyr diminish. I won't say there's no benefit from continuing to defeat constructs in Hollows, but the results are nearly impossible to notice after a certain point."

"Ah well." Alice grinned, laying back on the grass, her hands behind her head. "There go my plans to become invincible."

Jay gave her a faint smile.

"I suppose you'll just have to settle for being strong, instead."

They sat in silence for a moment, eyes on the wispy clouds drifting across the midday sky.

Jay stood first, brushing grass from his legs.

"Back to it."

Alice gave a mock sigh and heaved herself up, grinning.

"Guess I should put my new strength to the test, then, huh?"

"If you're feeling that confident, I suppose we can double our exercises for the rest of the session." Jay said dryly, already breaking into a quick jog.

"Wait...I was just joking!" Alice groaned, bolting after him.

* * *

Steam nearly filled the small inn room, as Alice eased herself into the water. She had asked Jay to make it extra hot today, wanting to soothe her aching muscles. True to his word, her mentor had worked her harder than ever earlier, pushing her to the limits of her newfound strength and endurance. She should probably be annoyed, but it was hard when he'd done every rep right alongside her.

The hot water sent pleasurable jolts through her sore muscles as she sank into the liquid. Cupping her hands, she took some of the water and poured it over her head, sighing with satisfaction as the heat felt like it was seeping into her mind. The inn room was quiet, peaceful. Far enough away from the dining room that only the faintest murmurs of conversation reached her ears.

Alice sat there for a while, her mind wandering idly, until it drifted back to what Jay had said earlier. Or, more like, the secret he had revealed to her. Even now, she found it hard to believe. How could someone become so much stronger, just from killing a few monsters?

Slowly, the goblin reached out a foot and pushed against the side of the washtub she sat in. Bracing her back against the other side, she gradually increased her effort, until the wooden planks began to creak ominously. She quickly withdrew her foot, settling back into the water.

That was certainly something she wouldn't have been able to do before. The goblin chewed her lip pensively. Raising an arm, she poked at her bicep. It looked bigger, but that was definitely the result of the endless hours of training Jay had subjected her to over the past weeks. Whatever this new strength was, it didn't seem to be reflected in her physical form, at least.

Alice snorted, breaking the silence of the room. Of course it wouldn't be, or all the adventurers who came to the tavern would have been huge and brawny.

A bit of unease settled over her. She was changing, that much was clear. The tired barmaid who ran away from home in the middle of the night wouldn't have been able to swing a blade, or brave the depths of a Hollow. Maybe that girl didn't even exist anymore.

For the most part, she was proud. She'd worked so hard, put her all into her training. Her new skills had been paid for by the buckets of sweat she'd left in the field, by the muscle aches which had caused her to toss and turn late into the night.

Yet, now another part of her was changing, outside of her control. She should have been happy to become stronger, faster, but...it felt almost wrong, somehow. Unfair. Something that happenedtoher, not from her own efforts.

It was normal, though, right? At least that's what Jay had said.

Jay...Alice's thoughts drifted to her mentor. Things felt different between them. He was still a mystery of course, but today she had felt like there was something...a mutual understanding that hadn't been there before. Was it because of the trip into the Hollow? Or the food and drink they had shared after? Either way, it made her happy...for the most part.

The old insecurities weren'tthateasy to be rid of.

"Who am I?" Alice whispered into the haze of steam. She lifted her hand out of the water, turning it over and watching rivulets of water run over the callouses on her palm. "And who will I become?"

The only answer she got was the quiet dripping of water.

* * *

The imitation goblin staggered, its clawed hands fumbling weakly at the blade buried in its chest. Alice put her foot on the creature's stomach, pushing the thing to the ground and pulling her weapon from it.

"That makes five." She said triumphantly, glancing around the small room, her weapons at the ready. The bodies of her earlier kills had all but crumbled, and there were no other monsters around. Alice took a deep breath, wiping her brow.

"Well done." Jay's deep voice echoed slightly in the chamber as he approached. The two of them had returned to the Hollow, this time at Alice's request.

While she still had mixed feelings about getting stronger from destroying the constructs inside, the goblin couldn't deny the thrill their last adventure had given her. She would have never pictured herself looking forward to entering a cave full of vicious monsters, yet here she was.

"No drops this time as well." She remarked, sighing in mock disappointment.

"Not surprising with monsters as small as this." Jay said, looking around. "I doubt the Hollow used much essyr to construct them."

"I guess I got lucky last time, then."

"Indeed."

Alice couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly at her mentor's plain response, a wry smile on her face.

The atmosphere felt quite a bit different this time. Though Jay made sure they stayed alert and ready at all times, the pair was much more relaxed outside of combat. Alice's newfound strength and speed made defeating the monsters of the Hollow much easier, though Jay had already warned her a few times not to get cocky. All in all, she was actually having fun, despite the gloomy scenery.

"Well, I suppose that does it for this room, right?" Alice asked as she slipped her blades back into their sheaths.

"Yes, I think so..." Jay trailed off, looking around the room. "Alice, would you like to take point for the next hallway?"

"What, really?" The goblin looked at her mentor in surprise.

"Yes. I think you're more than qualified, are you not?"

"Yeah...I am, right?" Alice replied, a grin spreading across her face.

"I'll be following you of course, but I think you're more than capable of handling the beasts we've seen so far."

"Right!"

Alice had to actively stop herself from pumping her fist in joy. Though she doubted Jay would care, she didn't want him to think she wasn't taking this seriously. She moved to the entrance of the next hallway, and Jay moved into position behind her.

The goblin's eyes darted across the dark hallway, as she slipped into the deepest shadows. Her keen vision let her pierce the darkness, but she remained alert, scrutinizing every crack and fissure.

Even in the few days since they had last been inside, the Hollow seemed to have evolved. The formerly uniform hallways were now broken up by small alcoves and other hiding spots. The monsters residing within weren't taking advantage of them yet, at least this far in, but Alice wasn't about to let the Hollow take her by surprise again.

Alice was moving past a moderate-sized indent in the wall when she froze. As her eyes slid over the crevice, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She couldn't say how or why, butsomethingwas off about this place.

"What's wrong?"

Jay's quiet voice from behind almost caused her to jump, her focus completely on the indent.

"I...don't know." She whispered back, keeping her eyes on it. "Something about this section here...it feels odd."

"If you feel it warrants further examination, then by all means." The human slid closer, his hand hovering near the hilt of his blade.

The goblin looked back at her mentor in confusion.

"You are on point, correct?" Jay said calmly. "That means I will follow your lead."

"Oh...okay. Right!" Alice nodded.

She moved forward, pressing her hands against the rough walls of the crevice. It felt like ordinary stone, or at least a convincing imitation, and her heart sank a little. Probably nothing. Just when she was about to turn back to Jay and admit that she must have been mistaken, her fingers sank into a small depression in the alcove.

With a quiet rumble, the crevice split open in the middle, revealing a small room with walls of rough-hewn stone. Alice took half a step back, her hands flying the hilts of her weapons, but after a moment, she relaxed. Inside the small room was just a box, seemingly made of wood and framed in bronze or copper.

Before she could say anything, Jay was at her side.

"Now this is quite the find." He sounded almost excited, or at the very least intrigued.

"What...what is it?" Alice breathed.

"Hopefully, some treasure. Come." He gently pulled her forward, until they were both standing in front of the small box.

"This is...?" She trailed off, glancing at her mentor.

"The Hollow expending some essyr to entice us." Jay said, gesturing towards the box. "A little bait. Encouragement."

"So, should I just open it then?" Alice glanced at the human.

"One moment."

Jay held his hand over the box and muttered a word. Despite her sharp ears, Alice couldn't understand it. After a moment, the box started to emit a steady weak glow.

"Well, whatever is inside has some faint magic." Jay said, his hand rising to his chin. "But there's not enough to say that the box itself is enchanted..." It seemed almost like he was talking to himself.

"So...?" Alice dared to breathe.

"Just one more..."

Jay once again put his hand over the box and muttered another unintelligible word. This time, there seemed to be no reaction.

"It's not trapped." He stated. "Go ahead."

Alice slowly reached forwards, and lifted the top of the chest. As she peered inside, a sense of disappointment filled her. The box was nearly empty, with just a battered brown leather bag inside. Checking a sigh, she reached inside, grabbing the sack by its neck.

As if in contrast to her disappointment, Jay's eyes lit up at the sight.

"See what's inside." He gestured to her.

Alice upended the contents into her free hand, and couldn't repress a gasp of amazement.

A cascade of gems spilled into her palm, catching the Hollow's dim glow like starlight. They were finely cut, each one looking like a masterpiece to her untrained eye. They seemed to shimmer and shine, as if filled with a light of their own. Her mind full of wonder, she looked towards her teacher.

"Well, well, well." Jay let out a rare chuckle. "To find this in a young Hollow...you must have been touched by the Goddess of Fortune."

"This is...?" Alice was almost too overwhelmed to speak.

"A very,veryvaluable cache of gems." Jay nodded at his student. "Your savings are growing at quite the prodigious rate."

Alice didn't even try to stop the goofy smile that spread over her face.

"I...I just...wow." She finally managed to breathe. "Could...could you hold on to it?" Alice looked to her master, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"If you'd like." The human held out his hand. "We'll have to get you an enchanted bag soon, though. At least at the rate you're growing."

Alice breathed a sigh of relief as Jay slipped the gems into the little black disk that linked to his dimensional storage. She had felt unbelievably nervous, even just holding the precious gems herself. The two started to exit the small room, when a question escaped from Alice.

"Wait...isn't this too much?" She asked, looking curiously at her mentor. "Last time we were in here, the Hollow had barely even managed to make even walls, and now it's making hidden treasure rooms?"

"It does seem to have had quite the growth spurt." Jay agreed, glancing around the corridor.

"How could it have grown so much?"

Jay was silent for a long moment, before looking down at her. His expression was hard to read, more so than usual.

"Do you remember what I taught you about how a Hollow grows?" He asked quietly.

"They, uh...they try to get the essyr of...oh..." Alice's voice trailed off weakly. "You mean that some adventurers...?"

Jay didn't answer, simply shaking his head with a grim look on his face.

The goblin sighed, more than a little of her enthusiasm stolen away. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths like Jay had taught her, grounding herself again. Her jaw set, she opened her eyes again, nodding to Jay. He nodded back in approval, or at least that's what she hoped it was.

Alice slipped back out into the hallway, eyes sweeping around the rough walls, ears cocked for the slightest sound. She refused to let her focus waver.

Jay followed behind her, the pair moving through the narrow corridors with barely a whisper.

Oddly, the minutes stretched on with not a single sign of monsters. They had already traveled through several chambers without anything interesting happening.

Alice's brow furrowed. This didn't feel right.

She was about to ask her mentor about it when an odd sensation washed over her. Suddenly, the air felt wrong. It was almost as if it was squeezing against her, or perhaps buzzing angrily. The goblin looked around wildly, trying to figure out the source of the feeling.

Jay stepped forward, arm outstretched to block her path.

"I'm sorry, Alice, but it looks like our delve is going to be cut short today." His voice was low and quiet, but there was a feeling of power behind it that made the goblin uneasy.

"What's wrong?" She whispered back.

"There's anIntruderhere."

"An 'intruder'? Like another adventurer?" Alice asked, confused.

"I hadn't brought them up, because there should have been no chance to encounter one in here." Jay's brow furrowed. "This is beyond unusual."

Jay crouched low, bringing his eyes level with hers.

"AnIntruderis a monster that forces its way into a Hollow from the outside."Jay explained, his voice low and rapid. "Normally, the magic of a Hollow keeps out natural monsters. They cannot even enter, the magic power of a place like this forcefully stops them. An Intruder forces their way in, or slips in undetected."

Give and Take - Ch. 05

Discussion(0)