Vale told them what happened, everything from when they were bathing to the moment he lost consciousness. They listened with hushed breaths, their attention sharp on him, especially when he described how he fought back.
When he finished, the silence that followed was broken only by Arvas, who said solemnly, "You are really lucky. You fought an Elemental Knight-rank and you're still alive. So lucky, or maybe not, maybe you just have a monstrous core."
Vale was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard something that sounded close to a compliment from the man, and he blinked several times. "Thank you?"
Arvas snorted angrily. "But it's stupid to stand and fight. If the second assassin hadn't run away, you'd be dead by now! You should have run at the first sign of danger, you're a fool."
And there it is, Vale thought wearily.
