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[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 16: Date Night
🕑 Added 2025-01-20 18:00:12 +0000 UTCAfter stopping by the public green for a quick post-shopping workout, Edge jogged back to the lodge.
He was glad to see Blue playing in the yard. It meant that Sasha was back from a hunt that had taken her most of the afternoon to complete. He hadn’t really expected it to work, but he had successfully bribed the manager of the Silver Spoon a few hours prior. As a result, Edge had a table reserved at the second-fanciest restaurant in town, and he was hoping that Sasha would be amiable to a night out.
In part because he enjoyed her company, especially if she felt like spending some quality time in his bedroom after. But mostly because he’d been looking for a chance to speak with her without the other hunters around.
When Edge let Sasha know what he had in mind, she agreed to go with him. They spent a few minutes getting cleaned up and changed, then walked over to the Spoon together. When he stepped through the front door, the manager winked and then waved one of the servers over. If Edge was being honest, striding past the line of people waiting to get in kind of made him feel like a badass.
When she saw how proud of himself he was, Sasha let out a delightful little laugh that sent shivers down running down his spine. The waiter seated them in a corner table with a prime view of the stage, upon which a woman was playing an elegant grand piano—a cheerful song that captured the final days of summer with autumn lurking just around the corner.
He ordered a bottle of wine while they looked over the menu. The vintage had been imported from another settlement on Ord, not Earth. But it was still incredibly expensive, since all forms of trade had been severed for the time being. When Edge took his first sip, he decided that it was worth it. It was a timely reminder that food and drinks didn’t need to be suffused with mana seeds to be absolutely exquisite.
They picked out a selection of vegetables and fish, since their meals tended to be red meat heavy back home, then looked into each other’s eyes. Edge knew what he wanted to say to Sasha, but he didn’t know how to begin. He had to get this just right. To let his friend know how much she meant to him, but also what he needed right now.
While he toyed with a few potential segways, he ran his gaze across his date for the evening. Tonight, Sasha was wearing a blue silk dress that was a perfect blend of elegant and sexy. She had her strawberry blond hair pinned up in an elaborate style that was strikingly different from the ponytail she wore in the field. Most unusual of all, she was wearing makeup—warm colors that accentuated her high cheekbones and dazzling green eyes.
Sasha wasn’t in the mood to make small talk either. Edge could tell from her expression that something was weighing on her mind. They spoke little during dinner, although they thoroughly enjoyed their meal. The main course was followed by tiny chocolate cakes floating on a plate of buffalo cream.
When he finished the last bite, he knew that the moment had arrived. It was time to find out where they stood, and whether it would continue going forward.
Edge was happy with what they had right now. While he was fond of Sasha’s company, he wasn’t ready to commit to anything deeper. He was thrilled to have made such a good friend, and their sexual chemistry was pure electricity. He might be open to something more at some point, but that wasn’t what he wanted now.
He was still coming to grips with the fact that he was stranded on Ord. That he would never see his mother again. That he had an ancient entity bound inside him, whose heart now beat in place of his own.
He liked Puppet Town and being a part of Trapper’s crew. But he had no idea where he would wind up a month from now, let alone a year. Hell, none of them might be alive come spring, given the changes taking place across the Ivory Plains.
Alright, Edge. That’s enough stalling. You owe it to Sasha to tell her how you really feel. He nodded to himself, looked her in the eye, and opened his mouth… only to be cut off as she began to speak.
“Edge. There’s something that I need to tell you. I meant to do it sooner, but I’ve been having a hard time finding the right words.” Over the next ten minutes, Sasha explained that she liked him and enjoyed going out on a date every now and again. But she wasn’t looking for anything deeper right now, and didn’t have the bandwidth or the interest for a committed, monogamous relationship.
Her reasons were similar to his own, minus the ravenous lord bound in chains. She was still dealing with being separated from her old life, which had meant far more to her than his had to him. Sasha simply wasn’t ready to form a deep emotional bond right now. To make that much of her life about another person. Not when her present was so chaotic and her future so uncertain.
When he had a chance to say his piece, Edge explained that he felt pretty much the same way. They were both relieved—thrilled to have cleared the air and that they hadn’t hurt each other’s feelings in the process. Now that they had communicated their wants and needs, all that was left was to clarify the nature of their relationship.
After discussing the matter for a while, they agreed to continue enjoying each other's company. To have a night on the town every now and then and work some stress out in bed when they were both in the mood. For now, they would be friends with benefits, with no strings attached.
It meant that he could date other people if he wanted, and that they could carry on the same as always during their working hours. It turned out to be a great night, even though they wound up sleeping alone. It didn’t feel right to get too close after drawing their boundaries, which suited him fine.
When they made it back to the lodge, Edge had several updates waiting for him. At the top of the list, Trapper had accepted a commission from the Sheriff. Early tomorrow afternoon, the crew would be leaving to hunt another big beast that had been attacking resource-gathering teams.
He also had received messages from both Ander and Ann. His new gear would be ready to pick up in the morning, and the Mortium exchange was open until midnight. He grabbed his pack, bid the crew farewell, and then headed back out the door. It seemed that his day wasn’t quite over yet after all.
***
Edge strode through the streets of Puppet Town while gazing up at the night sky.
There was a chill wind blowing in from the south, and clouds obscured the moons, leaving the town lit by magelights and an occasional torch from people who were too poor to afford the magitech devices. He stuck to side streets and alleyways, so that no one would see him coming and wonder where he was going.
The less-traveled corners of the settlement didn’t seem nearly as dark as when he had first arrived, thanks to his improved Perception. He was less worried about running into trouble anyhow, now that he was in the middle of stage one. By this point, he could hold his own against anyone other than the town’s heavy hitters—the handful of hunters and warriors who had made it to stage two.
This time around, he spotted the lookout from the corner of the block. An older man with a crossbow strapped to his back was watching from the rooftop across from Ann’s. The sentry seemed surprised when Edge looked right at him and waved, then he waved back and gave Edge a thumbs up before returning to his duty.
Edge took the stairs leading to Ann’s basement and entered a small room at the bottom. Then he waited for the secret staircase to open that led to the Mortium exchange hidden beneath the building.
When he stepped into Lilly’s shop, he took a few minutes to peruse the high-grade weapons and armor hanging on the walls. All of it was out of his price range, since he’d spent most of his Mortium stealing the garax’s epic skill, which was still digesting for another eight days.
Lilly stepped out from behind the counter and came to a stop beside him, waiting until he was done browsing before offering a greeting. “It’s good to see you, Edge. I heard that you ran into a behemoth during your big game hunt. Well done. I wish that I could have been there to help take the big bastard down.”
“Me too. We could have used the assist. We’re lucky to have made it back in one piece.” They exchanged a fist bump, then he turned to give the woman his full attention. Lillian was Ann’s sister. Although Edge wasn’t as close to her yet, he liked Lilly and enjoyed her company.
As always, the contrast between the women jumped out at him when he ran his gaze across her. Ann’s hair was long and golden, while Lilly had short, raven locks. Both women had striking eyes. Ann’s were baby blue, and Lilly’s were a rich brown hue.
Instead of an apron-wrapped dress, Lilly wore form-fitting combat armor—at least while she was minding the shop. By day, she led a double life as a famously-shy handywoman, but this was the real her. Edge wasn’t sure why she maintained the deception, but he thought it had something to do with running the town’s Mortium exchange.
They spent the better part of an hour chatting, discussing recent events and the changes taking place across the settlement. While they caught up, Lilly walked over to a refrigeration unit and brought out a six pack. They downed a few beers while he told her about the padamas hunt.
She was most interested in the fights and stopped Edge several times to get more details or offer a bit of commentary. He didn’t mind. Lilly had far more combat experience than himself and her observations were invariably useful. He committed them to memory to ponder later.
When they finished the last can, they got down to business. “So, Edge. What brings you down here today? Finally ready to get one of those weapons you like looking at so much?”
“Not just yet. I earned a Mortium from the battle with the cancerous blightlings, but nowhere near enough for something on the wall. I was hoping to pick up a utility device instead. Trapper showed me how useful a surge of Disruption can be in battle, but I haven’t learned how to do it myself. I was wondering if one of your gadgets could do the trick. My budget is only one lifecoin at the moment, but I can toss some Credits into the mix.”
“Hrm.” She rubbed her chin. “That isn’t enough for one of the advanced models, but I could sell you something simple.” She walked over to a rack and then handed him a silver sphere the size of a baseball.
“This is what is generally referred to as a Disruption Grenade. It has an adjustable timer and a trigger on top. Push the button, throw, and the aether inside will be converted into a disruption surge. The grenade packs a decent punch. But it only has one use per charge, and costs 3000 creds worth of silver-class aether to refill. On top of that, it’s a dumb device. Your own skills will be disabled if you get caught in the blast.”
Edge thought about it for a few minutes while tossing the grenade between his hands. He considered a few other options, but this was the best tool in his price range, so he decided to go for it. “I’ll take it. I also need to refill the heart-guard you installed the last time we met. The fight was the garax was closer than I care to admit.”
Edge had actually burned through the heart-guards charge while fighting Warren the manslayer. But no one besides his crew knew that he was the one who had killed the bounty hunter, and this story let him keep that secret.
After they summoned their Guides and he transferred the funds into Lilly’s account, she led him into the backroom where she performed maintenance and installation surgery for a type of magitech device known as implants.
Edge’s heart-guard was attached to a rib beside the organ in question, but she had a machine that could refill its reservoir of silver without invasive surgery. After he took off his shirt, she taped a wire to his chest, then flicked a switch on the wall. His skin tingled as aether conducted from the cable into the implant, until it finished charging a few minutes later.
When she removed the tape, Lilly ran her fingertips across his stomach, causing him to flinch as an unexpected thrill ran through him. She laughed at his reaction, then walked him to the door. “See you around, Edge. Hopefully, we get to install something a little more exotic the next time you stop by.”
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Lilly. Thanks for everything. Maybe we’ll get to hunt together one of these days.”
After a last, lingering look at the gear on the wall, Edge walked back up the stairs, out the door, and into the night.
