Chapter 28: Chapter 24

Ryder jumped high, higher than I’ve ever seen anyone do. 

 

I didn’t even see him reach for his spear, but it was already in his hand and burning brightly.  He held it upside down, and before I could blink, I saw Ryder drop straight down to plunge it into the top of the troll’s head. 

 

Crack!

 

It was like watching an acrobatic show. More than half of the spear length became buried in the troll vertically. Ryder landed nearby with cat-like grace, and a few seconds later, the monster fell to the ground with a loud thud. 

 

I think the spear worked like a wine cork because there was surprisingly very little blood. Turning nonchalantly as if he hasn’t done the greatest thing I have ever seen, Ryder walked up to me.

 

“You see, the head is much bigger than the neck, so you have a better chance of hitting it. And you don’t necessarily have to do what I did just now. You just gotta hit anywhere on its face. If you get the eyes, perfect, you’ll impair their vision. If you get their nose, you’ll destroy their airways. And of course, taking out their mouths would mean you’ll shut them up and get some peace and quiet. All good things.” 

 

I had to admit that Ryder was a good teacher. It was all common sense stuff, but it was something I often forgot. I tended to try focusing only on the neck, which was difficult to get to just as he said. 

 

Behind him, the dead troll turned into a reddish-orange gem, and his spear fell to the ground. Picking both up, he hung his spear on his back and threw the gem at me. 

 

“Catch! It’s a souvenir for you.”

 

I caught the palm-sized stone easily and stared at it. 

 

“I’m sure they’ll assign you to someone else.” 

 

I murmured to him, hating how uncertain I felt now about my decision now. I was jealous of him for being able to do what he just did so easily. At the same time, I imagined myself doing that exact same move. Was things like this something I would be able to do on my own someday? Or was it something he could teach me?

 

Increasing my Power value was one thing, but learning practical techniques like this was going to be priceless. I found his arrogance annoying, but this attitude actually made him look even more capable to me for some reason. 

 

Would this guy be able to help me? Was Virpal right about all this? 

 

Ryder gave me a sheepish smile.

 

“Well, the thing is, the RAC doesn’t really have anyone that needs my help other than you.” 

 

“Oh, great. So I’m the only loser in town,” I muttered. Ryder must have heard the hint of resignation in my voice because he pushed on.

 

“I’ll be honest here, Leah. You’re right that you’ll be helping me out here a great deal. If you don’t take me, I’m going to be stuck with the three-month ban. But I swear, I’ll make it worth your while. I guarantee that I’ll get you past the 10th floor in no time.”

 

I glanced at Gomi, who only shrugged at me. I looked into Ryder’s cobalt eyes and contemplated. 

 

*** 

 

“Uncle Bob called me this morning.” 

 

Sofia opened her lips hesitantly. 

 

“Oh yeah? Why?” 

 

There was no way he called her to say hello or see how she was doing. Uncle Bob didn’t care about us other than using us as good little working bees. Because I knew anything that had to do with that man was bad news, I became tense. 

 

Unfortunately, I think I knew what this was going to be about.

  

“Leah, he said you haven’t been working much in his restaurant lately.”

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It was true that I cut down my hours. I was spending more time in the Door for a good reason. Not only was I getting stronger, but I was also making decent money selling gems. 

 

Uncle Bob and his family didn’t care about us, so I knew I had some time before Sofia found out. Last night, I happened to work at his place, and he was complaining that he couldn’t find a replacement for me to cover all of my old shifts. 

 

He could’ve said that I was a good waitress and that it was hard for him to find someone as reliable. He could have asked me nicely to cover more hours, but no. That wasn’t his style. Instead, he blamed me for abandoning my family in need. It was funny how he called himself my “family” and “in need”. 

 

I couldn’t quit his restaurant completely for many reasons. First, although he was stingy with his hourly pay, I got pretty good tips working in this restaurant. It was a fairly touristy area, and the customers were often generous. 

 

As time passed, I knew my earnings from hunting inside the Door were going to make this gig financially unnecessary, but for now, it was still worth it. 

 

Then, there was the matter of Sofia. I knew she would become suspicious if I no longer worked at Uncle Bob’s. Obviously, I will have to tell her what I have become someday, but I wasn’t quite ready yet. 

 

My living situation was a fairly big problem as well. If I quit his restaurant completely, I had no doubt Uncle Bob would kick me out or charge me the going rental rate, which I knew to be exorbitant. And as a 16-year-old with a part-time job, it would be impossible to find another place to live. 

 

Hence, I was stuck with Uncle Bob and his ridiculous Chinese restaurant.

 

“Oh, I just found another job closer to school. You know that family restaurant on Fourth street, right?” 

 

I knew the day was coming when Uncle Bob blabbed on me, so I had a good lie ready to go. Sure, there was a chance she might call this family restaurant and find out the truth, but this was unlikely. Although she shouldn’t trust me since I was a liar, my sister had an unsuspecting heart. 

 

I chatted for a while about the tips and my imaginary “boss” at this restaurant, making sure to keep the details as simple as possible. It was best not to embellish too much or else, I was going to get confused later if this topic came up again.

 

Then, I smoothly changed the subject by flipping through the TV channels. 

 

“I haven’t really been watching anything lately. Did you find any good shows, Sofia?”

 

I asked while looking for a show that didn’t have anything to do with Rhombics. This was harder than it sounded because the news about the London Pockets and the dead hunters were still what everyone was talking about. 

 

 I was looking for some stupid cooking show or soap opera when my finger stopped clicking on the remote.

 

“I’m going to the washroom. Be right back,” Sofia announced, and I nodded while my eyes were still glued to the TV.

 

It was some entertainment channel that drew my attention. Normally, I wasn’t interested in celebrity news, but the familiar face of Ryder Reece was plastered all over this show. The reporter looked intrigued as she talked about him.

 

“It is suspected that Ryder Reece’s three-month ban restricts him from only the high floors. The popular Rhombic prince has been spotted on the fourth floor recently. We haven’t been able to verify the identity of his companion, but according to our sources, it is a young female who must have been very recently marked. It is…”

 

Oh boy. 

 

That mysterious female was obviously me. Ryder has been coaching me for the past few days, and I knew there was a chance someone might recognize Ryder inside the Door. But I didn’t expect this to actually make the news. And so quickly too. 

 

“Find anything good?” 

“No, not really. They all look stupid.” 

 

I quickly changed the channel when Sofia returned. I helped tuck her in and found some silly cartoons for us to watch. 

 

Dammit, this wasn’t good. The last thing I wanted was to be associated with him. I decided that he is going to need better disguises starting tomorrow.

***

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