"Yeah! There is actually"
Ace wasn't expecting that. He thought that she would say something like 'well consider it a gift for all the troubles you went through today because of me'.
He frowned.
"What is it?"
With a big smile the girl responded.
"I still have another day to stay here, so I want to explore this place during that time before I leave. Since the gate leading to the lift won't open until tomorrow. And I want you to be my guide"
He looked at her, confusion written on his face.
'there was a lift? If that's what I'm thinking, it should be a machine to rise into the next levels right? So I risked my life trying to sneak into that place by climbing the borders and I still got caught?! Unbelievable!'
He sneered at himself.
As some seconds passed he sighed before nodding.
"Alright.. let's do that."
He accepted the spirit crystal reluctantly. And watched her absorb it. The aura around her suddenly shifted and the spiritual energy got denser.
As soon as she finished she suddenly looked at a weird looking gadget around her wrist when it suddenly popped out a hologram.
"Yes!! A 3% rise in just a minute!"
She sighed as she just ate a meal and was suddenly full.
Ace couldn't take his eyes off of the hologram. He was bewildered by it, the higher levels had such technology? He still didn't know what a hologram was but the sight of it only amazed him.
Ace copied Morwen and got into the same position as her, like he did before, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, and crushed the spirit crystal in his palm. He took his hands and placed it over his chest. Like what happened to Morwen, his own aura shifted, and the spiritual energy that was already denser because of Morwen only got denser. He felt like his veins were going to pop as he absorbed the dense spiritual energy.
There was another reason why Morwen didn't want to absorb the second spirit crystals, not just because of her grandpa or dad. If she decided to absorb both of them, her veins could've popped from just the density of the spiritual energy.
Ace, sitting a bit further away from the place she absorbed the spirit crystal felt like he was being tortured, it was a familiar sensation, but he was not used to it. He had his eyes shut tight, but tears still managed to squeeze out from the pain he was going through, his muscles were cramping too.
Morwen watched him with guilt for not warning him beforehand.
"Shit... I can't even help him"
As Ace was absorbing the spirit crystal, the usual voice rang in his head once more.
[You have successfully absorbed a spirit crystal. The remnants of the spirit crystals are being absorbed. You have chained a soul of an awakened beast. Snagtooth Viper. Your affinity towards poison has increased. Your fangs contain a partial amount of venom. Absorb more spirit crystals to improve your skill]
Ace couldn't hear the last bit after 'absorb more'. Once he had completely done absorbing the dense spiritual energy. He fell on his back completely passing out.
For what felt like an eternity for Ace, the torment he endured once more was only some seconds.
Morwen sat beside Ace, she was showing genuine concern. She placed her head on his chest trying to listen to his heartbeat.
She watched him intensely as he was absorbing the energy but didn't do or say anything afraid of Ace falling into a energy deviation. But now, looking at his unconscious face she regrets forgetting to tell him not to absorb it right away. And the darkness in the room didn't help at all.
**
Ace stirred awake.
Morwen forced him to lay there pushing him back as he tried to get up.
"Rest a bit more"
"How long was I out for?"
Morwen shrugged
"About 30 minutes or so. Not so long. Sorry for what happened... I should've warned you."
"So you knew?"
She nodded. She was feeling guiltier as time passed.
"Sorry.."
"Sorry doesn't cut it." Ace sneered.
Morwen was starting to get flustered.
"Then what the hell do you want?"
Ace finally got what he wanted. His cunning finally worked out.
"Well right now. I don't really need anything. Just remember you owe me"
"Fine! But you still have to keep your end of the deal for that spirit crystals okay?"
Ace simply nodded. Too tired to say anything right now and his consciousness slowly drifted off again.
Morwen as well was tired. Since she had to fight the Snagtooth Viper and and run away from those she went on the expedition with. She had a pretty tiresome day too. She slowly got back on her two feet and walked over to the other corner of the shabby room of the abandoned room and took some rest.
**
As the morning shone from the crack in the wall that they entered both of them stirred awake. Ace sitting up from the previous position he was in and Morwen trying to go back to sleep.
Ace walked over to Morwen.
"Hey, wake up. We gotta get out of here. And before I take you around this place for the whole day, I have some work to do back at the place I stay in. So are you coming with me or staying here?"
He waited for Morwen's response but all she did was wave her hand.
'tch! Spoiled brat'
With that Ace left, leaving her alone in there.
Ace went to do his usual work. Doroth didn't question where he was, since he was already used to Ace running off some days even staying out the whole night to explore. As soon as Ace was done he waved at Doroth leaving with some copper coins he got from Doroth. That was his weekly salary. It should've been a daily salary but since Ace was staying with Doroth and gets provided with a meal every time he stayed there, Ace didn't mind.
Ace got back to where he left Morwen but the sight wasn't something Ace was expecting.