Heirot

Havi stayed close on the man's heels. He wasn't sure why his stomach was in knots. He couldn't shake this odd, protective concern for Laurius Marr. It had nagged at him ever since he'd seen Laurius's reaction to this place and the people here.

Or had it begun with guilt, when he'd torn the man to shreds in his sister's stadium?

Right. He should answer the man. "It's fine...That didn't really shock me," he explained. If anything, he was surprised by how much Laurius was offended by it. He hadn't batted an eye about the girl, but that young man...

The back of his brain tried to tell him something, and he viciously drowned it out. He didn't know what to say to Laurius. Talking was not a skill of his, nor was he particularly experienced with friendship. "Perhaps it would be best if you take the sword and wait nearby, rather than going back in with me."

Laurius shook his head. "No, I'll stay. It's fine. I had hoped that we could push the trials, and maybe the Sister's would arrive, and we could get the book and take Lee away before needing to 'pay' for her," he said. "Go easy tonight. Don't push yourself to complete his test. Oberin will not care if it kills you, and if it kills you then Lee goes back to him and Tenara's heart breaks. We just have to do this for a few weeks." I can make it a few weeks...

Laurius set the meat pie on the table between the two couches and went to the room he'd instructed Lee to rest in. When he opened the door and peeked inside, he found the bed empty. He frowned, and pushed it all the way open, stepping into the room and turning around, looking in the corners. Then, he stepped around to the other side of the bed, and found the child curled up on the floor.

He folded his arms. "You're child doesn't know how to use furniture," he muttered to Havitharon.

Havi set his jaw. He did not want to be here for a few weeks. He wanted to turn this place upside down, take what they came for, and burn everything behind them, yesterday if possible.

When his attention returned to the moment, Laurius was showing him "his" child lying on the floor.

Havi looked her over in silence. He wondered if she was truly asleep, and if the venom protecting her eye was wearing off yet. Her underweight body looked especially frail beneath the thin fabric of her dress. The knot in his stomach, oddly, released. One look at her removed any doubt about what he needed to do.

"Are you awake, child?" he asked simply.

Laurius elbowed Havitharon. "Don't wake the poor thing. There's no telling if she ever got a moment's peace in that house," he said. But Lee was stirring, and began to wince, and then made a soft cry as she reached for her bandaged eye. Then, she noticed them and her cry silenced. She moved quick, twisting herself onto all fours, pressing her head to the floor. She said nothing, waiting for a command.

Havi watched the child's behavior grimly. He supposed he had his answer about the venom. He could provide more, but the more frequently he used it, the weaker its potency would become. He took the meat pie from the counter and set the papered-wrapped meal in front of her on the floor, without a word. Then he took the pillow and blanket off the bed and placed them on the floor beside her. "From now on, neither I nor anyone else will enter this room unbidden. You have no duties tomorrow. Be at home. Come out whenever you wish."

He stepped back and went to the door.

The girl slowly reached out for the food, lifting her head up from the floor to watch them leave. Before the door had closed, she asked. "What is... un-unbidden?"

Laurius grabbed the handle. "You have to ask us to come in," he said. "You can sleep on the bed, you know?"

She looked at the bed but shook her head and pulled the blanket over her until he couldn't see her anymore. He imagined her eating her pie off the floor like a dog beneath it, but they could teach table manners later. Laurius closed the door. "You should get some sleep too. Take the other bed. I'll fit on the couch. You won't."

Havi nodded to him. "Appreciated. Wake me when it's time."

He took himself to the other room, stripped, and lay on the bed, which was still too short for his long frame. It was too hot to bother with the covers, so he just draped his feet over the footboard. He used his acquired skill of sleeping under pressure to ignore the questions buzzing through him and force his mind quiet. Within minutes, he was at least resting, if not fully sleeping. If this armor was designed to steal energy, he would need to go in with as much as he could get.

Laurius sat on the couch, but could not bring himself to lie down. He mopped sweat off his brow and settled back, reaching into his pocket again for the stone Lelana had given him. He twirled it between his fingers, wanting to speak to it. But, it hadn't even been a day. Wasn't it too soon to try? He wondered what they were doing...

After several hours of sitting and staring at the stone and doing absolutely nothing with it, he tucked it back into his pocket and rose from his seat. It was nearing midnight, and they would have to head to the Pit. He knocked hard on the door to Havitharon's room. "It's time."

The Pit sat beneath the south tower, where the stairs entered a cavern. Hot springs and acidic pools filled the air with steam, and the layered way in which the ground opened up, deeper and deeper towards a volcanic rock pit, created the effect of a natural theater. Despite the hour, the trows of stone seats were filled with every manner of person or beastly being.

Oberin waited the the bottom, in a sectioned off area. On the bench inside the area was a crate full of bronze-looking metal. "I'm so glad you're early. We need to retrofit the armor to fit you," he said, lifting up the chestplate. "Go on, start putting it on. I'll make the adjustments."

Havi approached the gear slowly. His head had been cautiously blank ever since he'd followed Laurius out of the apartment, but the familiar atmosphere of the stone arena put him on edge. If he closed his eyes, he was back in Cera's pits. It felt like Tenara didn't even exist... like none of it had ever happened. He was the same as he'd always been, ruthless and doomed.

Anger he'd pushed deep his whole life jabbed at its cage inside him. He was this again. He pulled each piece of gear on mechanically, adjusting straps to get the fit closer to his form. He'd never had, nor needed, a squire, but this was also quite a bit more than he would normally choose to wear. The plating was rigid and cumbersome. If winning the fight had been Oberin's purpose, Havi would have asked to go without the armor entirely. But this gear was apparently what he wanted to develop, so he turned and presented himself to the man for inspection.

Oberin frowned as he examined the fit. “It’s a bit short in most places, but I guess it will do.” He ran his hand over the armor, and a little past where it stopped. Then, he pressed a button on the chest plate, and a stabbing sensation could be felt as the armor sank its fine teeth into his skin.

“When the fight starts, it will make you faster and stronger. At least two to three times your normal range. I need it to last a battle, but can’t get it to make it through a single fight. I’ve made an adjustment, and hope it conserves your energy but if it doesn’t we’ll try again.”

At the other end of the ring, Havi’s opponent appeared. He was nearly eight feet tall, with horns stretching out of his head, and a bull-like face. He slammed his fist into his wide palm, hooved feet stomping into the earth.

“Last guy it drained in five minutes. Let’s see how you do?”

"Two to three times," he noted flatly. Havi observed his opponent, then looked back at Oberin without a trace of concern in his expression. "How long do you want the fight to last, then?" He didn't want to take this guy down in one hit and then get some nonsense about the fight being too short to count.

Oberin looked thoughtful. “As long as it can. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The minotaur made a throaty roar that sounded like something crossed between a young dragon and the low bellow of a cow.

Havi raised a brow. "How does it activate? And do you intend for me to win, or just fight until the armor does?"

"It's already activated. You should have felt the needles sink into your skin through your clothes. The more you use it, the more drained you'll be. I want you to fight until the armor wins. I need to see how long it—you—can hold out. The longer the better. I don't care if its fifteen minutes or four hours. Push it."

Laurius frowned. "What effects should Havitharon be concerned about?"

"Exhaustion and delirium while wearing it, once it's drained you. Hallucinations and hunger once its off."

Laurius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anything life threatening?"

"Those can be life threatening. One could die from exhaustion."

A man came over. "Are we ready to get this going?"

Oberin looked expectantly to Havitharon. "If you're worried, I can take Lee back. No hard feelings. She'll be right at home."

Havi twitched. He hadn't felt the needles. Why hadn't he noticed? He twisted to examine the plate on his upper arm. A thin smear of dark blood oozed slightly around its edges, surprising him. He lifted the edge slightly. The skin beneath made a sticky sound as the tiny points shlicked free. He twitched his hand back and let the armor fall back into place. Oberin was still talking, discussing something with Laurius, but Havi hadn't been listening until Oberin addressed him directly.

"...no hard feelings. She'll be right at home."

That word, home, set his pulse double. He thought of the child they'd found hidden on the floor earlier, unable to use a bed. Home? A disgusting joke.

"One more question. Is this armor blocking me from feeling pain? To fight, I must have an accurate sense of my injuries."