The next weekend's market yielded even more than the last one. After buying more supplies to handle the amount of packaging required her balance was still over 10,000 credits. However, a level 4 and a level 5 ability book would not be cheap. She got lucky last time and found them used. There was no counting on such luck. She needed high numbers.
Minx went to bed Sunday night with hope in her heart. If they could get a good planet and under the right circumstances, they could do this. They learned in class they could get 100 credits for a basic tier beast crystal, 1,000 for an intermediate tier and 10,000 for an advance tier. They just needed to hope for a planet with advanced tier beasts they could beat.
The next morning, only Peter was at breakfast. Minx's heart dropped into her stomach as she felt the shoe had dropped in the night. In class, they were told the portal outing was cancelled due to two missing students. This told her Quinn was with Vorden which made her quite nervous. She knew Quinn was a vampire and was afraid Mister Hunk would end up on Quinn's menu due to lack of blood.
By lunch time, she started hearing murmurings that Peter had pushed Vorden through a portal. Her face scrunched in anger and the plotting began in her head. She sent a message to her brother:
[Follow that Peter Chuck kid. I want to know who he meets with.]
Midas replied with a thumbs up emoji.
After lunch, he sent her a message:
[Met with Earl. Room 212D.]
Minx sent her own thumbs up emoji.
Since Vorden was gone, her sparring session was not going to take place, so she went to knock on a certain door after her afternoon class. The boy who answered was beaten and bruised. Yet, he was the same boy that had the book and crystal the other day. His eyes took in the fire in hers and drifted down to her watch. He was instantly alarmed.
She didn't feel guilty in the least when she pushed him into his room with a root tearing up his floor eagerly pulling all four of his limbs in different directions. His screams were music she savored with closed eyes.
However, she was surprised that despite the pain he must be feeling, he refused to give her any information. She happily decided to try something else. Instead of using her normal vine as a whip, she summoned her climbing rose vine. With her roots holding him upright, pulling him, she lashed his back, his front, and more…. sensitive regions of the male anatomy.
She savored the damage she did to his body. She wasn't the happy-go-lucky girl everyone knew her to be in this instance. She was a girl filled with vengeance. Earl whimpered words she barely heard, but she did hear them.
She walked out of the room with a healed boy, level 3 and 4 ability books, a beast crystal and all the information she requested. She was really thinking she needed to buy a dominatrix outfit after what she just did and the level of pleasure she took in it. He could clean up his own pool of blood. She left him behind with a satisfied smirk,
As she stepped into the hall, she again heard whisperings. This time she heard that the two missing students had returned. Already on the second floor, she simply needed to head down through a few fire doors to get to the second section. She put on a bright smile and skipped happily down the hall singing a song about the glories of retribution.
On the way to the rooms, just passed the fire door to enter the hall, the girl she saw in the library with Quinn that day ran past her. Her face was contorted in anger and a twinge of fear.
Minx tried to drop off the books to her brother, knocking for a few minutes, when she realized he must be at the VR room since he was out. She just carried her prizes with her to the next room. She knocked hesitatingly afraid he'd be asleep after having spent time on the most dangerous level a planet could get.
Portals were used to travel between the planets that were actively being explored for dangers and resources. Space ships were still used but portals expedited travel. The colors represented the level of safety for those on the planet.
Green meant the planet was fully explored and humans were living there in some form of shelter and paid taxes to the owner of the planet.
Orange was not fully explored, and a party could run into a beast not yet seen which could be beyond their skills.
Red was unexplored or too dangerous for all but the most experienced travelers.
She heard angry footsteps and the door flung open, hitting the wall behind it. A startled Vorden appeared in front of her. "Oh, hi."
A shy smile replied, "hi yourself," she looked him over really quick. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I know his secret now."
"I figured you would. I was just hoping there would be no traumatic reveal."
"Oh, no. There WAS a traumatic reveal, very much so." Vorden shuddered at the memory.
"Would you like me to bring you something to eat instead of eating downstairs?"
Vorden smiled at her, "that would be wonderful."
She smiled and ran off to her tree where her friends would be, kicking herself because it was time for her to cook, not time for the VR center. Midas was waiting on her.
She stopped by her room and put the basic tier beast crystal in her closet before heading to her tree. She handed the books to her brother then began cooking. He looked at her with a question. "They were donated," was all she was willing to say.
She made sure to make a nice hearty meal and set aside a plate for Vorden. She still had plenty of packing materials left from the weekend, so she was able to use a plate that was not part of the kitchen. She also made some desserts.
She realized she should ask her tree to make a food pantry rather than keeping these things in her bedroom up in the branches. She would do that after Vorden had his food. She grabbed her last jar of apple cider and headed off to deliver the food telling everyone she would be back and eat after she delivered it.
When she got to the room, she noticed Peter was in the hallway next to the door. His back was against the wall. Tears were flowing down his face like a river and his face was puffy. His hairs was mussed as if he'd been pulling at it.
She knocked on the door and trudging footsteps approached. It was Quinn. He looked different. Taller, more mature.
"Is Vorden still here?"
Quinn nodded and let her in, not even glancing at Peter.
Vorden was lying on his bed when she approached. He looked at her, shocked she was there so fast.
"Did you not notice how fast my kitchen cooks? Yes, I got everyone else eating. I'll eat mine once I get back. I wanted you to have a hot meal. This is the last jar of apple cider so savor it."
Vorden looked at her, "thank you but you should have eaten first."
"Excuse me? Did you know you were going to be pushed through a portal and knew to bring food with you?" The look in her eye dared him to challenge her.
He chuckled wryly, "no. No, I did not know."
"Exactly, now enjoy a nice hot meal."
As she turned to go, "I'm glad you returned safely as well, Quinn."
He looked at her, "why do you never offer me any food?"
"Do you eat it? Or do you need some blood. Do you eat steak? I can give you some if you need it."
Quinn chuckled, "no, I'm all good. I do enjoy barely cooked steak. I think." He shared a glance with Vorden then looked back at her. "Thank you for thinking of us."
Minx suddenly looked alarmingly at Quinn, "Quinn… What happened to you on that planet?"
Quinn looked at her nervously, "I … evolved. I was a halfling before. Now I'm a full-fledged vampire."
"Evolved?"
Quinn nodded, "vampires have evolutions for different stages of life. It's why I look a little different now."
Minx was staring at his forehead, "that's not the only change."
Quinn replied, "I got a little taller as well…"
She nodded knowing there was more. "I'm off to my food before it gets too cold. Have a good rest!"
As Minx returned to her tree, she was wondering how another conscious got inside Quinn's head and whether she should be concerned about it.