His eyebrow twitched making Larissa smirk.
"Your rags are dirty and look older than Jesus, it's better if you tie some leaves together than to use that."
He froze, he looked at her as if he just discovered his wife had an affair with his father. His eyes trembled. Hyera laughed inside of him.
On his astounded gaze, Larissa pretended to blew some dirt out of her nails with an annoyed face.
'Paying you back for before.' Her attitude said.
Lazaro squinted his eyes and laughed, Larissa looked at him with suspicion.
His demeanor changed and he put on a cheap smile. He took three leaves from the nearest plant and extracted their essence in front of her.
She watched it entranced from the beginning until the leaves became dust and his hands became coated in green mild essence.
He pointed it at a nearby tree and the green essence condensed on the tip of his finger,
Fwhip.
The sound of wind being cut through echoed. And her hair flew upwards a bark on the tree behind her was broken apart by the small ball of air.
He looked at her, "Do you want it?"
"I-I'll loan you..." She blabbered
He laughed and put his arms on behind his back.
She crossed her arms and looked at him in the eyes.
"Ten thousand." She stated.
"I can feel the amount of essence inside of you woman, don't pretend to not know the value of this, I'll sell it to you in installments if you have a sizeable first payment." He said and thought: Even if I want to know more about this place, I can only know everything with wealth.
She thought of using sex appeal, then thought of exchanging her services as a healer for the rest of the journey, but his smile is.... so damn cheap!
She looked at him with disdain and stepped right in front of him. Her clear brown eyes glued on his golden one.
"I healed you two times, both times you were about to die, and you won't even make a reasonable deal with me!? Also! Although the method to extract essence have not been discovered yet, it's only a question of time, so what you're offering me will lose value fast! Besides, what kind of person doesn't repay their savior don't you have any pride!?"
She gasped repeatedly after finishing her tirade.
He leaned in closer, she jumped back with a start. He went forward and her back touched the tree behind. Her eyes went cold and unflinching.
His face went down, to her side and he whispered.
"I don't believe for a second that you selflessly helped me, don't be so self-absorbed as to think I did not notice that you're studying me since the beginning. And don't forget, those so-called guards of yours were killed by me, aren't you free and easy now because of it?"
He pulled his head back and stared into her clear cold brown eyes.
"We both have our reasons, so why don't you give me a number? Then we both will profit."
"You reek of blood and burnt flesh."
He smiled and stepped back once more.
"I'll pay you five thousand right now, and a thousand for twelve months."
"I want ten thousand right now, and two thousand for twenty-four months."
She bit her lips, but looking at his calm golden eyes she nodded slowly.
[Do you accept, 10,000,00 from Larissa?]
'I do.'
The money came to him and he put a finger on her forehead, what was left of the leave's essence, he used to transfer the method to her. He distanced himself with a smug smile, went to the middle of the clearing and stared at the sky.
The midday sun glared at his face.
'There's still time.'
He looked a the regard people around and laughed.
"How about some meat for today!?"
*****
(Thank god you chose hunting, for a second I thought you'd offer them the men you killed as a meat party.) Hyera said.
".... I'd never do that, the taste would worsen their mood instead of motivating them."
(You thought of doing it!? This is a different world, people are civilized here!)
'I don't think they'd mind it much, when hunger strikes, your fellow men's body transforms into a banquet, just like a fifty-year-old prostitute becomes a goddess in times of war.'
(Disgusting being!)
"Oh, Rebecca, let me tell you about that tim-"
(The healer played you.)
Before he could gross her out, she suddenly spoke with a tone of mockery. He stopped moving through the forest and frowned.
(She played you.)
"Don't be envious Rebecca, it's unbecoming."
Hyera laughed.
"Humans have been trying to find a method to extract the essence from things since the moment they knew of its existence, and that was ten years ago, from what I saw, they are still twenty to thirty years away of finding it. And yet, by pretending to be intimidated by you. That woman took the method without breaking a sweat."
He froze, remembering again how Larissa put up a fake front to not show fear he couldn't help but notice some issues with her small movements.
'W-Was I, Lazaro of superbia, c-conned!?'
(AHAHAHA!)