"Seventy-two," Ryan groaned as he pushed himself up, before going down again and pushing himself up. "Seventy-eight." He had taken off his shirt, and now his body was covered in sweat.
"So... you're just gonna watch or..." Ryan asked the dark-haired woman who sat outside his cell watching him, the one who had first brought him food.
"What are you training for?" The woman asked as Ryan did another push-up, before turning to her.
"To keep fit," he turned back down, his chest reaching the ground before pushing himself up again. "With how generously I'm fed in here, it won't be long till I'm obese," Ryan's tone laced with sarcasm.
The woman shook her head slightly before turning back to look at Ryan, "Are you familiar with the beast tide?" Her voice seemed to drop low as she spoke. Ryan turned to her briefly, "I've heard the term a couple times," he said, continuing his push-ups.
"Well, it's coming, and even you won't be safe down in here." A small smile tugged at the side of Ryan's lips as she spoke. "Well, dying will be better than staying here till my hair turns grey."
"Don't you fear death?" She asked as Ryan looked at the notification that popped up in front of him.
[Push-ups done: 100/100 (Training completed)]
"I'm not a fan of it," Ryan stood up, grabbing his shirt to wipe his face. He was always in good shape, but his muscles had become more defined, and his abs chiseled.
"I don't know about fear." Ryan now took a good look at the woman. She sat at some kind of bench placed at the front of the other cell, wearing a slit long silk gown. As she crossed her legs, her thighs, with their alluring curves, lay exposed to the dim light, beckoning Ryan's gaze.
"My eyes are up here," she whispered.
"I know." Ryan's gaze climbed up to meet hers without the usual flustered rush of someone caught staring.
"My name is Aira," she introduced as she looked at Ryan. "And what's yours?" Aira asked.
Ryan paused for a moment, glanced at the blue screen to his side before turning back to her. "Adrian," he replied.
A silence occupied the place for a moment as they stared at each other. "So Aira, what brings you to a dungeon to chat with a prisoner?" Ryan asked.
"If you aren't afraid of death, why not die for something good?" Aira's gaze strong with a strange conviction, one Ryan recognized, a gaze he had back at the slaves' town.
"I was sent to rot here for attempting murder, so what could possibly give you the impression that I'm a good person, even more ridiculous, one willing to die for good?"
"Well, if you'll die anyway, why not for something you might be remembered for?"
"I feel you are under the impression that I can be of help to you." Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"You fought off the beast, didn't you?" Aira's tone showed she was certain of her assumption.
"No, I remember you saying something along the lines of someone without mana fighting a mana beast was unbelievable," Ryan quickly fibbed, his cards couldn't be revealed early on.
"Yes, I still stand by it, and that's why I believe you do have mana." Aira shrugged.
"You do know we were all tested for mana back in the slaves' town? If I did have mana, I probably wouldn't be in this situation."
"You were ordered to imprisonment by an imperial squad candidate; just having mana wouldn't have saved you."
"Are light magic users that important?" A small annoyance formed within Ryan.
"Let's not get off course." Aira turned her gaze to the roof of Ryan's cell. "If you don't have mana, how could you have done that?" She referred to the obliterated chunk of rock that was done by the black blast.
"I didn't." Ryan replied simply.
"What a terrible liar you are." Aira smiled.
"What do you want from me?" Ryan grew tired of the semantics.
"There are only six mages in Azkai province. Knowing this, the legion has still refused to send any aid for the beast tide." The smile faded from Aira's face as she spoke, replaced with a bitter expression.
"So you're asking for my help?"
"Yes. I don't know how strong you are, and honestly, one more person wouldn't make a difference, but I can't let Azkai end like this." Sadness laced her tone as she spoke.
"So let's say I help you, and we do the impossible and all survive, then when it's all done, I come back down here and continue my sentence?" Ryan asked.
"No, although you won't be able to leave Azkai so the imperial legion isn't aware of your freedom, you would live a free life within the province."
"No, I want more." Ryan had to do this anyway because of the Quest, so why not get even more benefit from it.
"What's that?"
"I'll think about it." Ryan responded as he went back to the side of his cell to sit. "When is the beast tide?" he asked.
"We can't know the exact day yet, but in some months."
"Let's see what happens" Ryan opened up his learnable skills, glancing at the three options.
"I'll talk with the leader then, although it might take a while before I can get you ou-"
"No," Ryan stopped her. "I'll come out if I want to."