Mickey and Xavier gathered the monster stones, handed them to the Warden and helped bring the guards to the Sanctuary, much to Mickey's annoyance. Xavier had warned the Warden that they shouldn't linger too long in the dungeon, lest more monsters be attracted to the area, and that resulted in a hurried escape from the area.
Many people saw them as they brought the injured guards to an infirmary that they had set up. The guards who died were left there to be buried the next day and the Warden brought the two of them to his office.
"You have seen how strong those monsters are and how much points their monster stones give right. So the deal I propose is this, I give you three of those monster stones everyday, along with the usual tax for the period of my friend's recovery. In exchange, you don't kill her." Xavier proposes and the Warden thought for a moment.
"And my counter offer is this, you give me six of those monster stones every day, along with the usual taxes, for as long you can manage to stay alive. In exchange, we will allow the girl to recover and she will be exempted from taxes as well. For the period of her recovery that is." The Warden said with smile and Mickey almost tried to punch the smug bastard, but Xavier stopped him.
"Deal." He said and shook his hand, as Mickey stared him wide eyed.
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"Why did you agree to that?" Mickey whispered angrily once they were out of the building and on the streets.
"Because we don't have a better option. I have dealt with shady bastards like the Warden before and trust me, when they hold all the cards, the only direction their demands are gonna go is up." Xavier said, and Mickey gritted his teeth but he knew Xavier was right. Both of them continued walking towards where the sisterhood building was, and as they did, many of the prisoners saw them. Some of them were glaring at them, and both Mickey and Xavier glared back, forcing them to look away.
"How is- you're awake!!" Mickey said excitedly and rushed over to Maria when they arrived.
"Ow ow." She groaned as she sat up
"Take it easy, you took a fireball to the stomach." Xavier said as he walked over and Mickey helped her up.
"So what happened, did you manage to get the Warden to spare her life?" Rosie asked
"Yes, but we need to give him six Diabolic Imp's monster stones, a long with our regular tax. In exchange, he will give Maria a tax exemption and won't kill her." Xavier explained and everyone looked at him in horror, except for Mickey. Tears suddenly started to stream down Maria's eyes as she realized how much they were risking for her.
"I don't deserve this. You guys don't have to do this for me. You-" Maria said as she cried, but Mickey stopped her.
"Stop it, we did this because we don't want to see you die. You've already come this far and we won't let you die a meaningless death." Mickey said and Maria looked him in the eye while sobbing.
"Ahem." Xavier coughed after they have been staring at each other for over a minute and they turned away from each other, their faces red.
"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Bethany, one of the new recruits, asked, pointing towards his hand, which looked like it was covered in third degree burns.
"Monster foot." Xavier said and she looked at him confused and stunned by his response
"O-oh, okay." She said
"I'm exhausted, so I'm heading back to my cell." He said and left the building
"Xavier wait." Rosie said and walked towards him nervously
"You have helped me and my gang a lot since we met, and we owe you an enormous debt, but-" She said and Xavier cut her off
"I know, you guys can't help me with the Diabolic Imps. I understand, I just need you guys to take care of Maria for now." Xavier said and walked away
"Oh, and do you guys still have the monster stones?" Xavier asked in a low tone and Rosie nodded her head with a smile.
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'With this, the total is 25.' Xavier thought as he lifted the floor tiles and threw 16 of the monster stones inside, all of them imps. Xavier leaned against the wall, exhausted, and he reviewed everything he learned today. The Warden as well as three of the guards possessed magical abilities, which means it was possible for humans to gain such abilities.
'Why did the Warden's ability affect Mickey and not me? That's the thing I need to figure out first. I already suspect that it's due to the "Fort"attribute, but I'll have to check with Mickey to confirm. Next, I need to figure out how they gained these abilities? It obviously have something to do with points. Maybe they bought something using the orb or it has something to do with our attributes. So many questions and so little answers.' Xavier thought, before lying on the ground to take a nap.