Chapter 132: Start of Book 3 - Indulge & Book 2 out on Amazon!
Chapter 132: Start of Book 3 - Indulge & Book 2 out on Amazon!
Pete wasted no time in rushing Yeo over to the table and getting a bowl of soup before him. Part of Chance could hardly believe what was happening. It hadnt really been all that long since theyd all left Gleam, but it felt like ages.
Have you been safe? Pete asked, lowering himself back into his chair. Youve picked up some scars, Yeo.
Yeo looked down at himself, then shrugged. Yeah. They look pretty cool, huh? I think they add to my appeal.
Was it rough for you? Chance asked. I wish we could have managed to grab you before we had to run from Gleam. We were in some pretty deep shit.
Nah, it was fine. I just spent a bunch of time training, really. Yeo waved a hand dismissively and blew on a spoonful of soup before drinking it. He let out a satisfied sigh. This food tastes way better than what I was eating, though. I officially hate field rations.
Yeo devoured the rest of the meal in seconds, then leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. I hope you guys kept up on your training. Im pretty impressive, so you might have fallen behind. Im already
Rank Three, right? Bella grinned. So are we. Sorry.
Oh, come on. Yeo glared at Bella. Stealing my thunder. I bet you were waiting to do that all the way until we got back. But, if Im being honest with you, I almost missed it. Ive just been bored out of my mind training.
I think we had more than enough excitement for all three of us, Chance grumbled. Count yourself lucky. Vex came after us.
The easygoing grin on Yeos lips vanished in a heartbeat. Youre kidding me. Seriously? What happened?
He died, Chance replied. He was rewarded with the very satisfying sight of Yeos eyes going as wide as saucers. Yeo nearly hit his knee on the underside of the table in his haste to sit up and stare in shock.
Bullshit, Yeo said. You killed him? At Rank 3?
Not really. He kind of killed himself. Chance briefly explained Vexs hunt and how the cultivator had met his end at the hands of a scroll. By the time he was finished, Yeo was glaring daggers at him.
Of course youd manage to stumble your way into a victory. Yeo rolled his eyes. Youre so lucky. That must have felt good, though. Especially for Bella.
You have absolutely no idea, Bella said. But Im just glad to be back in one piece. Im not even sure what Ill do from here. I cant remember a time when Vex wasnt hanging over my head.
What else happened for you two? Did I miss anything cool other than Vex getting killed?
A lot, Chance admitted with a sheepish laugh. We destroyed a slaver sect and I accidentally made friends with Lin the Red Hand, among other things.
When Chance says other things, he means visiting an ancient realm and proceeding to refuse to take ninety percent of all the artifacts we found in it. Bella gave Chance a good-natured prod in the side. And then he sacrificed the artifacts we did manage to bring out. The only physical thing we have to show from the whole trip is a ring.
Yeo let out a cackle. You know, thats the most Chance thing Ive ever heard. Let me guess he didnt take the artifacts because he would have felt bad leaving nothing for other people?
Ding.
Chance reddened as Yeo and Bella both started to laugh even harder. Even Pete couldnt keep himself from joining in.
Sorry, lad, Pete said. Youre certainly one of a kind.
Ive missed this a lot. Things havent been right when we were apart and Chance needs someone with a brain on his shoulders to be with him, or hell keep giving things away for free.
Whats that meant to mean? Bella asked, crossing her arms.
Oh, come on. Youve got a soft spot for him. Youre only ever strict with me, grandma.
Bella opened her mouth, then closed it again, settling for rolling her eyes. Thats just because you deserve it. I cant say I didnt miss this just dont expect me to ever admit that again. Im looking forward to doing normal missions once more.
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Mee too. Yeo flashed them a toothy smile. Though Id say the next step should probably be pretty small. Relax a bit, you know? Start with some really easy, laid back things.
Bella tilted her head to the side. Chance was equally as taken aback. That was a strikingly easygoing suggestion. It wasnt one that hed expected to come from Yeo.
Maybe all the time he spent training actually made him mellow out a little? Odd. If anything, I would have thought that hed be way more crazy now.
Thats a good idea, Bella said. After weve all gotten some time to relax, we can go do some normal missions.
Exactly. We should probably start by making a name for ourselves again. Yeo tapped a finger against his chin. Why dont we find a bunch of other Rank 3 teams and crush them in sparring matches, then make them work for us to form an empire of young Shikari teams?
Chance and Bella stared at him.
Thats what you consider starting small? Chance cut himself off as he saw a smirk slip across Yeos lips. They were getting played with it hadnt taken Yeo long to go right back to his normal self.
What? Why not? Its a good way to remind people who we are.
Very funny. Bella rolled her eyes. But, jokes aside, we might actually want to lay low for a little while, dont you think? Id imagine people arent going to look to kindly on us, even with the order for our heads lifted.
Wood scraped against stone as Yeo pushed his chair back. He stood up, scrunching his nose and letting out a sigh. God, youre so responsible. Its lame. Youre totally right, though. We probably dont have very many allies right now. Taking some chill jobs and letting a month or two pass is a good idea.
When were ready, it would be nice to reconnect with Wren, Chance suggested. If it wasnt for him, things might have turned out a lot worse for us. We should find Jade as oh. Well have to introduce you to Jade. She was one of the Shikari chasing us, but we became friends.
I know.
Chance blinked. You do?
Its kind of obvious. Half the people you meet end up as your friends, Bella pointed out.
Thats also true, Yeo said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. But thats not how I knew. Ive actually met Jade.
Seriously? She found you? Chance asked. We asked her to try and check up on you, but I was worried she wouldnt be able to figure out where you were. Thats great! How is she doing?
Well, we got off to a bit of a rocky start, but everything smoothed out. Shes fine, as far as I know. We didnt get too much time to talk since she met me while the Shikari were still hunting us, Yeo said. He stretched his arms above his head. She told me a bit about how you guys met and that she was on my side, but I havent spoken with her since.
Its good to know shes fine, Chance said. I was a little worried she might get blamed for Shaes death.
She talked a bit about that, but it seems like the Shikari arent complete scumbags. There was a slight note of bitterness in Yeos voice that Chance couldnt blame himself for. For a protective force meant to be enforcing justice, the Shikari had completely failed them. Either way, Jade is fine. She didnt tell me where she lived, but I imagine well run into her soon enough.
Chance yawned. He was somewhat surprised to find just how tired he was, but it wasnt hard to tell why. After weeks on weeks of tension and running, dropping his guard had hit him with a massive adrenaline drop.
Sorry, Chance said. I think Im pretty exhausted.
Youll never hear me say it again, but so am I, Yeo said. You have no idea how many Shikari I had to fight over the past few weeks. Jade said she and Shae were the first to find you guys. If it wasnt for everything else that had happened, Id say you were lucky.
Bella rolled her eyes and Yeo snickered. Chance just let out an amused sigh. He probably wasnt going to get away from lucky jokes at any point in the near future.
Perhaps its time to retire to bed, then, Pete said. Ill handle cleaning up after dinner. Youll all find that everything is as you left it minus any holes in the walls from the fights. Please, rest. Tomorrow, you will need to determine what course of action you will set for the future. But that is tomorrow, and today is today.
Words had never sounded wiser to Chance, and the others clearly felt the same way. They all pushed back from the table, thanking Pete and heading toward their rooms. It felt oddly surreal to be walking up the wooden stairs.
I didnt realize quite how much I missed this. I cant wait to hear more about what happened to Yeo, but not until tomorrow.
Chance yawned again, stopping as he drew up to his room. The door hung slightly askew, welcoming him inside. He paused to look over his shoulder.
Goodnight, guys. Weve got a lot more to talk about tomorrow, yeah?
Youve got no idea, Yeo said with a grin. And you better get ready to spar. Im going to be finding out just how much stronger youve gotten.
Count on it, Chance said.
Me too, Bella added.
Yeo glanced at Bella in surprise. Really?
Why not?
No reason, youre welcome to it. I kind of expected you to roll your eyes or something. No real reason why.
Do you want me to? I can. Maybe you just missed it.
Yeo held his hands up in defeat. If I did, I imagine Ill get over it soon enough. See you nerds tomorrow.
He slipped into his room, giving them both a wink before closing the door. Chance quickly walked over to Bellas room before she could step into it. He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss.
Its nice to be home.
Tell me about it. Bella touched her cheek. See you tomorrow.
She waited until Chance had returned to his room to close the door. Even as Chance let his own door swing shut behind him, the only thing in his room that his eyes could pick up was the bed. It swam before him, beckoning with promises of sweet rest and relaxation.
He indulged it.
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