Chapter 50.1 - Paid to Sleep

Predictably, all our tailor ‘friend’ wanted was the opportunity to get some sleep.  It was a request that was difficult to say no to.  To be sure, it was an imposition, and he was a condescending asshole.

But…

It was hard not to feel sorry for the guy.  What the Dungeon wanted with a bunch of knitted underclothes was beyond me, but forcing the guy to work for days on end without sleep was unsustainable torture.

Which might have been the point.  He had said there was some task he was meant to complete.  From that, I could infer that this was not some inescapable, slave-labor camp.  It was meant to be a challenge.

One he had been about to fail, but a challenge nonetheless.

However, the Dolilim had zero fucks to give.  The words had scarcely left the man’s mouth than they had descended, seeking to draw out every ounce of profit from him that they possibly could.  They took turns cajoling and flirting, haranguing and brow-beating until he was on the verge of tears.

Equally disconcerting was the difference I could see in Arx since the last time we had been in this situation.  Back then, Jax had handled the haggling all on her own, with Arx mostly on the sidelines.  She had not much cared what outcome was arrived at.

Now, they were peas in a pod.  Partners in crime.  If anything, Arx was more vicious in her dealings, with Jax having to occasionally rein her in.

I was not entirely sure how to account for the change, either.  Perhaps it was the extra time spent in her new skin, creating a distance between herself and her old life.  Or there could have been a correlation between this behavior and her recent transition from Loyalty to Devotion.

Either way, it was kind of disturbing to watch.

These two people—both of whom I loved dearly and who could scarcely bring themselves to aim a single criticism even vaguely in my direction—were treating a stranger as if he were little better than dirt.  A thing to be used and discarded as the situation warranted.

It was a revelatory moment, especially in light of how they had been behaving with Lynnria.  In their own words, she was something like a pet.  They could love and cherish her.  Even view her as a valuable companion.  But she could never be quite on the same level as a person.

This man?

He was out-group.  Chaff.  Refuse.  Unworthy of even a moment’s regard.

It was as if all the love and consideration that a person might have for the whole of humanity had—for them—been gathered up and concentrated into a single individual.

Me.

They had none left for anyone else.  Those peripheral to me could bask in my glow, perhaps.  But that was it.

All of which had been explained.  And more than once.  However, it took seeing their moral outlook in action to really internalize and understand it for what it was.

Worse, I knew perfectly well that they could feel the tailor’s emotions, gain strength from them, and ultimately use them against him in this contest of wills.  Which they had.  Freely.

I might have even stepped in.

But…

Again.  Kind of a dick.

And I certainly did not want to sit on my duff in this shop for hours, babysitting a guy while he tried to sleep.  The second they did not have something actively occupying their attention, the Dolilim were going to be all over me—I knew—and that was going to go over like a brick through a stained-glass window.  Especially, in light of how hard a bargain they were driving.

Ultimately, they had agreed to four hours of rest in exchange for a complementary outfit for Lynnria—off the shelf, the man had been adamant that creating a fourth, skill-enhanced outfit was out-and-out extortion—and two silver pieces.  Which does not sound like much, but even a single silver was worth something like four hundred bucks by my estimation.

The only thing we had to do was keep the timer running.  That and…

I cleared my throat just as they were sealing the deal.  “Alright.  Four hours of uninterrupted silence, then.”

Both of the Dolilim immediately swiveled around, shock and betrayal writ across their faces.

Uh huh… that’s what I thought.  Silence had not been a part of the bargain.

Jax narrowed her eyes.  “Challenge accepted.”

Arx looked at her with a mix of horror and a large helping of doubt.  “’Stits… you can’t be serious.”

“The Master set his standard,” she returned, standing tall—like a woman staring into the abyss.  “Be up to me to see it through.”

The tailor eyed us uncertainly before expelling a puff of air from his… face holes.  “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.  Four hours.  I’ll be in the back.  If you want your money or your clothes, you will see to it I remain un-poisoned.”

We waited while he took a slow, cautious step to one side.  Then another.  All the while, keeping a mistrustful eye trained on us.

We just silently returned his stare.

His mouth twitched.  Once.  Twice.

Several quick steps backward took him to the door, then he fumbled with the knob for a few seconds before making his escape.

There was a collective sigh.

“Finally.  I thought he’d never leave,” Arx whispered.  “So, how do you plan to do this?  I doubt just stuffing some clothes in your mouth will—”

She froze, having caught sight of the item I was holding between my fingers, and Jax could not help but follow her gaze.  Her eyes widened in immediate recognition.

Slowly, I began to wave the little green Gem back and forth, and they followed it as though entranced.  Lips were licked.  Hips began to shift.  Hands clutched at thighs.

“Master,” Jax forced out eventually, as though I were casually playing with a live grenade.  “What… exactly do ye think yer doing?”

I shrugged, innocent as could be.  “Oh, you know.  We have some downtime.  Figured… might as well make use of it.  Right?”

She firmed her jaw.  “Arx, how strong a Gem be that?”

“Grand.  Rank II.”

Jax swallowed.  “Now, Master…”

I edged the Gem toward my mouth, and they both jumped.

“‘Snails, Dearest,” Arx tittered.  “Be careful with that thing!  There’s no way we can keep to the deal if you—!”

I began to slowly extend my tongue.

Jax stiffened then began to hastily sidestep.  “He means to do it!  Quick!  Outside!”

With a malicious gleam in my eye, I stalked after them—Gem hovering inches from my tongue—while they fled.  It was not until the door thumped closed after them that I relaxed.

Lynnria turned to me a moment later, having watched from the sidelines.

Understandably, what with the language barrier, she had become bored with the negotiations and busied herself with trying on some of the hats lying around.  Her current selection was a rakish bycocket in a purple just a few shades lighter than her hair.  It was a little small for her but, with a few hat-pins to secure it in place, she could pull it off.

“What… was that all about?” she asked uncertainly.  “Should I leave, too?”

I suppressed a chuckle.  “Nah, we were just playing around.  You’re good.”

“I hope you were not actually intending to swallow that,” Mia put in.  “Need I remind you how overtaxed your Core is?  Even the smallest of Gems would put you in danger of rupture.”

I grunted with some consternation, not having considered that.  The Rank III Arx had shoved down my gullet as we were escaping from the maze would have over-leveled me by a fair margin.

You would have thought having a Core in such a state would give a person a sense of indigestion.  Or something, if only to warn off imminent demise.

Tummy full!  No eat more!

But no.

The only indication I had that something even might be amiss was a vague sense of tiredness, but I had just run a half-marathon.  Anyone would be fatigued after that.

I was just glad Mia was on the lookout for these types of mistakes.

However, not following through with my threat was going to present a problem.  The Dolilim were easily startled, but they would soon be back.  And in greater horniness.

“Am I able to slip into torpor, yet?” I asked.

“Yes.  As of six minutes ago.”

I nodded.  That did at least line up with the fatigue.

Turning, I began to search for a comfortable looking spot amongst the piles of cloth.  “Good.  Wisdom and Toughness this time.  If you please?”

If a person could audibly roll their eyes, Mia was putting in a good showing.  “Yes, yes.  Far be it for me to recommend beneficial attribute distributions.”

“Beneficial to you, maybe.”

“Donum, are you seriously going into torpor?  Now?” Lynnria hissed, scurrying forward.

I fluffed a poofy-looking overcoat into a makeshift pillow and laid down.  “Best not to leave things to temptation,” I reasoned.  “Send my apologies to my mates.  And make sure you keep the timer running.  Poison gas, you know?”

“Poison gas?!  What—Donum!”

But it was too late.  I was out.