SOWER: My Cultivation Creates Gods

5 | Reimbursement

Thirty minutes later, Reyes called for a rest in a defensible side chamber. A dead end with good sightlines. Perfect for catching their breath and checking gear.

Rome found a spot against the far wall. Slid down. Let his head tip back against stone.

His arm was screaming at him now. A dull roar that pulsed with every heartbeat. And that numbness had spread to his fingers. He couldn't quite make a fist anymore.

*Not good.*

*Not good at all.*

His breathing came shallow. Quick. Harder to fill his lungs than it should be.

*Definitely not good.*

"You're pale."

Rome opened his eyes.

Kiona stood over him. Those sharp eyes of hers moved from his face to the arm he'd tucked against his side. Blood had soaked through his sleeve. It dripped onto the stone beneath him in a slow, steady rhythm.

"I'm always pale. It's called being indoors too much."

"Rome."

"I'm fine."

"You're sweating."

"It's hot in here."

"It's a cave. It's literally fifty degrees."

"I run warm."

Kiona crouched in front of him. Her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist before he could pull away.

"Don't—"

She pushed his sleeve up.

The wound wasn't deep. Just a scrape, really. But the skin around it had gone an ugly shade of purple. Dark veins spread outward from the cut like cracks in glass.

"Poison." Her voice went flat. "You idiot. That's venom from a blade-coated weapon. Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's not that bad."

"You can barely breathe."

"I breathe plenty."

"Your lips are turning blue."

"It's a good color on me."

Kiona's fox ears flickered into existence. Her eyes flared gold. She was already pulling essence before he could protest.

"Wait." He tried to lift his hand. His fingers barely moved. "Kiona, stop. Save it for the boss. You don't have to—"

"Shut up."

"I'm serious, I can—"

"If you say you're fine one more time, I'm going to let the poison kill you and then resurrect you just so I can kill you again myself."

Her palm pressed against his arm. The warmth came. Deeper this time. Hotter. It burned through his veins like someone had replaced his blood with sunlight.

The numbness retreated. The purple faded. The dark veins dissolved.

Rome sucked in a breath. A real breath. His lungs filled all the way for the first time in twenty minutes.

"There." Kiona pulled back. The golden light faded from her eyes. The fox ears dimmed and disappeared. "Happy now?"

He flexed his fingers. Everything worked.

"Kiona, you shouldn't have—"

"You would have died."

"I've had worse."

"When? When have you had worse than systemic neurotoxin poisoning?"

Rome opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"...I'll get back to you on that."

Kiona sat back on her heels. She looked tired. Using that much essence twice in one run wasn't trivial. Even for a Three-Star, it added up.

"Why?" she asked quietly. "Why didn't you just ask for help?"

"Because you were already low from healing my head. And we haven't hit the boss yet. And you're the only dedicated healer we've got. And if something goes wrong in there and you're tapped out because of me—"

"That's my decision to make. Not yours."

"I was handling it."

"You were dying."

"Slowly. I was dying slowly. Big difference."

Kiona stared at him. Long seconds passed. The sounds of the other hunters talking and resting filled the silence between them.

Then she sighed. Her shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch.

"If you're so worried about wasting my essence..." She looked away. "You can pay me back."

"Pay you back how?"

"Dinner."

Rome blinked. "What?"

"Dinner. You. Me. A restaurant that doesn't have a dollar menu." She still wasn't looking at him. "Consider it reimbursement for medical services rendered."

*Did she just...*

*Is this...*

*Wait.*

"Are you asking me out?"

"I'm invoicing you."

"That sounds like asking me out."

"It's a business transaction."

"A business transaction with candles and wine?"

"I didn't say anything about candles."

"But you're not ruling them out."

Kiona finally looked at him. Her cheeks were definitely pink now. No mistaking it.

"One dinner. Somewhere nice. You're paying."

Rome felt a grin spread across his face. 

"Yeah. Okay. I can do that."

"Good."

"It's a date then."

"It's not a date."

"Sounds like a date."

"I'm leaving now."