Knock knock.
Lua raised his head from the schematics he was working on, and looked at the door with anticipation. Arc was right next to him, so this likely meant one of the mercenaries had returned and wanted to meet him.
Gathering up courage, he feigned indifference and said nonchalantly;
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and a stronglady walked in. However, unlike the previous encounter of Arc with her, she wasn't wearing thick armor. She wore a tank top and leggings, clothing that were common for doing heavy work.
Lua got up from the desk that he had found somewhere in the room, and did a slight bow as a greeting. "You must be Miss Victoria. Pleasure to meet you, I am Lua Moonsilver."
She laughed at his formal greeting. "No need to be so stiff. We're partners from now on anyways."
Lua chuckled awkwardly, having internal turmoil for the rejection of his greeting. He sucked at talking to people.
She sized up Lua, moving her eyes up and down his body that now only had a few scars remaining. She nodded and said, "You've healed well."
"It's thanks to your people, as I've heard. I couldn't have hoped to survive that ordeal without your help." Lua said what he really felt. He really wouldn't be here today without them. He owed them his life.
She shook her head. "It's our fault you ended up like that in the first place. If someone had done their job correctly, we'd have arrived on time."
Lua didn't bother with the specifics. All he knew was that he was alive, and that was all that mattered. He was perfectly content with the situation.
"It's no trouble at all. What matters is that I'm well right now." Lua smiled awkwardly again, shaking it off.
She then glanced around the room. "Good to see you again, Arc." She said with a smile.
Arc nodded his head, "Likewise."
Their conversation didn't last long, and it mostly covered what Lua already knew. There wasn't any relevant information. Before Victoria left, she stopped in front of the door.
"We'll hold a celebration when the guys get back. I'm sure they won't pass up a chance to drink." She laughed.
After Victoria left, Lua sat back down to his schematics. He was pretty confident with what he had so far.
It was a copper glove, one that could do multiple jobs at once. Most importantly, it would enhance Lua's strength. It was hard, harder than skin. Perfect for pummeling enemies in the face.
Next, it had tiny spikes on its fingertips, giving Lua the ability to grip things easily. However, due to the size of the spikes, they couldn't break skin. It was harmless to most creatures.
But most importantly, in the center, was a magical rune. Lua wasn't a magician, and he couldn't create runes easily. He needed an artisan to craft one for him, or even better, perhaps the mercenaries had one at hand from one of their countless adventures.
The rune was the power source of the glove. Without it, it wouldn't be able to grant the additional boons Lua had planned for it. The boons had to change depending on the type of rune, so Lua still wasn't sure what to pick.
Lua drew over the schematic for a few more hours, until the celebration Victoria promised finally arrived.
Lua and Arc left their room. Lua had been dressed rather casually, as he wasn't expecting any big event. He felt like it was more like a celebration to introduce them to the rest of the team.
He entered the living room from earlier, and immediately he saw three men chatting away. One of them, gazed at Lua, and grinned like a drunk. He probably was drunk.
"Hey, it's the new kid!" he yelled, attracting everyone's attention to Lua.
I hate this.. Lua wasn't one to be the star of a show. He was introverted, and hated being stared at, especially by so many people. He felt like he was being judged for each trait he had.
"Good afternoon, I'm Lua Moonsilver." He did a slight bow, simplifying his greeting to not be as formal, from Victoria's suggestion.
The man who yelled Lua's arrival, with black hair and green eyes, wearing shorts and white shirt, spoke first. "Winston. Pleasure to meet ya."
Another man, with a rough beard, scarlet eyes and short brown hair spoke up next. He was wearing semi-formal clothing which primarily consisted of a leather vest. "Anthony. I'm a Physician."
The third man was one that even Arc hadn't met yet. He had long black hair, flowing down to his shoulders. He wore leather jeans, with a white shirt to accompany it. "Mick. Good to meet you."
They seemed like surprisingly decent people, completely opposite to Lua's expectations from them. He fully expected them to drink every second of the day, and be complete arseholes on other occasions.
Sighing in relief, the afternoon moved smoothly. It was mainly the team members drinking, with the exception of Lua and Arc. Lua was underage, and Arc likely would break down if he drank any. It wasn't worth the risk.
The men's behaviour changed little. They were either always drunk, or drinking affected them too little. It was surprising to say the least.
Luna drank little. She only drank a single glass of wine, refraining from going overboard like the others had. She didn't engage much in conversation, remaining in her own world.
Victoria, on the other hand, was like she was begging for an opportunity to drink and lose herself. She had gotten too drunk and passed out on the couch, leaving the others to enjoy the celebration.
Lua briefed them on his experiences so far, excluding the Lord of Secrets. He figured an ancient god would prefer to stay hidden, and not have his safety compromised. Lua decided to respect his boundaries.
Finally, unable to keep his curiosity in any longer, Lua finally asked. "Do you have any magical runes?"
Suddenly, the air turned thick.