Chapter 50: Echoes of Warmth
"Hm... that’s definitely an improvement," Quinn said, her voice calm but approving as she watched Sera slice through the wooden mannequin.
The impact sent a shiver through the air. Sera’s blunt sword cut deep enough to split the training dummy in half, all from the sheer force of her footwork.
"You... huff... think?" Sera asked between heavy breaths, bending forward with her hands resting on her knees. Sweat dripped from her chin and splattered onto the rocky floor beneath her feet.
Quinn spun her wooden practice sword with one hand and slid it back into the rack. "Yes," she said, smiling faintly. "You learn fast... after all.."
Her eyes moved to the far corner of the cave, where another mannequin had been completely obliterated. Splinters littered the floor, and a sizable dent marred the wall behind it. That one had gone flying after Sera combined her footwork with a mana burst.
Quinn sighed.
Lydia’s going to kill me when she sees this room.
This cave served as a training chamber for Lydia’s covert unit, quiet, sealed from the outside, and perfect for intense practice. Since Lydia was away on a mission, Quinn had let Sera use it freely.
It was usually off-limits, so no one can disturb her practice. She could see how much the girl wanted to grow stronger.
"Sera," Quinn said softly, brushing her palms together. "You should rest. You’ve been at this since yesterday’s noon."
Sera lifted her head, her gaze drawn to the window-like opening carved into the stone wall. Many of these were carved in almost all of the cave’s chambers. They acted as good forms of ventilation.
A sliver of morning light bled in through it. The stars were fading, and the moon still lingered faintly. It was full-moon day yesterday, so the moon was still round and bug.
"Yeah..." she murmured, her voice faint. The exhaustion was finally catching up to her. She’d spent the entire night practicing the movement forms Quinn had suggested her.
Quinn smiled and slipped an arm gently around her shoulder. "You did well, let’s go."
Just as they turned toward the exit, a shadow filled the doorway. An orc stepped in, broad-shouldered, armored with bones and skulls hanging from his belt.
Sera noted that the more of these skulls an orc wore, the higher his rank. This one had quite a few.
"Commander Quinn." He saluted. "Commander Lydia and guest Rune have returned."
Sera froze.
Her mind stopped working for a heartbeat. Then, her chest fluttered. Her heart began to pound so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
Rune’s back?
"Let’s go meet them," Quinn said, smiling knowingly at her.
Sera tried to keep her face neutral, but the smile slipped out anyway, nervous, but bright. She nodded, unable to hide the excitement that was already bubbling up inside her.
*********
"Both of you... seem to be in good shape," Tugnier said, his tone caught somewhere between surprise and sarcasm. His eyes trailed over my bruised arms, then to Lydia, who looked about ready to pass out.
Good thing we had put on some clothes before he barged in.
"Oh, yeah," I said, forcing a half-smile as a vein twitched on my forehead. "Never better."
Tugnier raised an eyebrow. "Considering you came this early in the morning, I’m guessing you traveled all night." He crossed his arms, sighing. "Go get some rest. We’ll talk about the details later."
Lydia looked pale as a ghost, exhaustion washed over her as soon as she got home and seen clearly in every step she took.
I could see her body swaying slightly, her eyelids heavy, but she still nodded and managed to look at me.
"I’ll have a word with Sera before I sleep," I said softly.
She nodded again, dazed, and slowly walked off toward her quarters.
I turned back to Tugnier, who gestured toward the meeting room. We both stepped inside and sat across from each other.
"So," I began, leaning back. "How are the preparations going?"
Tugnier let out a long exhale, leaning back in his chair too. "We’ve lined up all the artifacts you asked for. And just like you suspected, some were replaced with fakes. We’ll need to secure the real ones before the showdown with Merin."
I nodded. "We’ve got five days left. Let’s finish it in three, two days buffer before the fight. Lydia got the intel about black market routes from Drane. We can get what we need faster and without drawing too much attention there."
Tugnier stretched his arms, yawning. "Not gonna lie, outside of fighting, I’ve never worked this hard in my life."
I smirked, shaking my head, hands raised sideways. "There’s no other way."
"At least my lazy husband is finally moving his ass," Quinn’s voice came from behind me.
Before I could turn to greet her, something soft and heavy crashed into me.
Two things, actually.
"Sera!" I blinked, gripping the edge of the table to stop myself from falling backward.
"Rune!" she said brightly, wrapping her arms around my neck and sitting right on my lap, legs straddling me without a care in the world. Her white hair brushed against my cheek, her scent fresh and familiar.
"Hey," I managed, smiling helplessly. "I’m back."
She hugged me tighter, her body pressed firmly against mine. "I missed you," she murmured.
"Me too," I said quietly. "Though it’s only been two days..."
I flinched when I felt her teeth sink playfully into my shoulder. "Ow..okay, sorry!" I laughed.
Sera just chuckled and buried her face against my chest, mumbling something I couldn’t quite catch.
Across from us, Quinn folded her arms and tilted her head at Tugnier with a teasing smirk. "Did you ever hold me like that?"
Tugnier froze. The poor man looked at me like I’d just dragged him into a crime scene.
"Well..." he began, forcing a laugh. "We used to do that when we were younger, haha.."
"Oh?" Quinn’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "So you’re saying I’m old now?"
My smile froze. So did Tugnier’s.
"Old? You? No way!" Tugnier stammered. "You’re a forty-four-year-old young—"
Smack.
His sentence was cut short by the sound of Quinn’s palm connecting with the back of his head. His shoulders slumped immediately.
Poor guy. Getting smacked in his fifties like a schoolboy.
"Well," I said, clearing my throat, before I got caught in the crossfire. "I’ll... go get some rest."
"Sure," Quinn said sweetly, waving me off. "Have a nice sleep."
Tugnier, on the other hand, gave me a look of pure betrayal.
Sorry, old man. Every man for himself.
Sera was still clinging to me like a sleepy cat. I tapped her shoulder lightly. "Hey, I need to get up."
She shook her head against me, her hair brushing my chest, the fabric between us rustling softly.
I sighed. "Fine..." I muttered, sliding my arms under her and standing up with her still in my arms.
Quinn chuckled behind me as I awkwardly made my way toward the door, Sera holding on tight, and Tugnier still sitting there rubbing his head.
I didn’t even look back.
We went to the room allotted for us. It was simple. A bed, a few chairs, and a table near the wall.
I’d already washed up earlier, though I still looked around for an attached bath, only to sigh when I didn’t find one.
Guess that’s separate.
I carefully dropped Sera on bed. She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes following me quietly.
I stepped closer and gently placed her down, her silver hair spilling over the pillow like threads of moonlight. Those eyes of hers, soft and blue locked onto mine.
I climbed onto the bed and leaned over her, my arms planted on either side. For a moment, the world went quiet. It was just her breath, and mine.
She reached up, her fingers brushing my cheek. "I really missed you," she whispered.
A small smile tugged at my lips. "You did," I said softly, meeting her gaze.
I leaned down until my head buried into her neck. The warmth between us felt comforting. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer.
Her soft and delicate breasts pressed against my chest.. heaving with her breaths as she exhaled through mouth.
I could sense the heat in her body and feel her heartbeat against mine. Fast and steady.
Her legs folded across my waist, pressing herself further into me.
"Rune..." she murmured, her breath trembling near my ear.
"Sera," I whispered back. "I won’t be holding back tonight."
She nodded, he smile suggesting she was waiting too.
*******
Quinn sat beside Tugnier, her eyes tracing the tired lines on his face. Concern softened her expression as she spoke quietly, "If the work is exhausting, I can take—"
She stopped midsentence when Tugnier’s arm suddenly wrapped around her, pulling her closer with a firm but gentle motion.
"Huh?" Quinn blinked, caught off guard.
"You already have enough on your plate," Tugnier said, his voice calm but laced with warmth. "You don’t have to act tough around me."
For a moment, Quinn just looked at him, the faintest shimmer of emotion in her eyes. Then, slowly, a small smile tugged at her lips. She leaned into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder.
Tugnier held her there, steady and quiet, as the exhaustion in her body gave way to peace.
Her eyes fluttered shut, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint, unconscious smile, a trace of comfort she hadn’t realized she’d been craving.