Ichor Cell-Chapter 10: An offer you can't refuse

“You think we can help each other.” Alex repeated, observing the woman before him with a raised eyebrow. “And how exactly would we help each other?”
“Well, mister… what did you say your name was again?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I never did.” Alex replied in a deadpan voice.
The woman stared at him expectantly for a moment, before realising that no other answer was forthcoming. “You’re insufferable!” She threw her hands up in the air, her frustration bringing a small smile to Alex’s lips.
“You’re doing this on purpose!” She exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at his face.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He denied, smoothing his expression into his best poker face.
“You… Whatever. I don’t care. Moving on.” She sighed. “Anyway. What I mean when I say that we can help each other, is-”
“Alexander.” He interrupted her.
“Huh?”
“My name.” He repeated. “It’s Alexander.”
The woman's left eyelid twitched. With visible effort, she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Reopening them, she gave Alex another long look. "You really are an irritating man, you know that right?"
He stared back impassively, not letting anything show on his face. They held each other’s gaze for a few more seconds before she broke eye contact with a shake of her head. “Well then, Alexander, although I can't say it's nice to meet you, hopefully it will be nice to know you. I’m Elara.”
“They do say hope is a powerful thing. Nice to meet you too, Elara.” Alex smirked, before a serious look returned to his face. “So. You mentioned we could help each other out. How exactly would we do that, and what makes you think I need help in the first place?”
“Really?” She gave him an unimpressed look. “Even a blind child could see that you haven’t done a day of hard work in your life, and you look entirely too healthy to be some sort of vagrant that old man picked up off the street. Add in your capability for magic and I suspect your situation is somewhat similar to mine.”
Alex immediately tensed up, almost lunging at the woman.
‘What does she mean by that? Is she also from earth? Or does she mean she got turned into a vampire too? But how would she know about either of those things?’
‘No, Calm down. You don’t even know what she means. For all you know she has a completely unrelated problem and is just jumping to conclusions. Relax.’
Although Alex had a mini panic attack in his mind, he stayed completely calm on the surface, showing no indication of his inner turmoil. "Capable of magic?” He deflected. “Now, that's a bold statement. What made you think so? What if I’m just very good at sleight of hand?"
Elara rolled her eyes, clearly not amused by his evasiveness. "Right. Because most people “sleight of hand” their way through walls and surviving blows that would send a regular person straight into a coma.” She paused, her gaze sharpening. "You’re not exactly blending in, Alexander. So, drop the act."
"Could've been luck," Alex countered, though at this point it was more just for appearances than any actual hope that she would believe him.
Elara rolled her eyes. "Right. And I can bring people back from the dead."
“You can?” Alex’s eyes widened in fake shock.
“What? No. Of course n-” Elara took a deep breath to calm down, letting it out slowly. “Can you please just talk normally?” She asked, a frustrated note entering her voice.
“Fine, if you insist.” He sighed. “But what did you mean when you said our situations were similar?”
“Well, you know.” She gesticulated vaguely. “Family expectations, wanting to decide things for yourself, to get away from all the pressure and demands. You get what I mean, right?”
“Not really, to be honest.” He shook his head. “Are you saying you’re on vacation or something?”
"I ran away from home," She corrected, her voice a little quieter now, though her gaze never wavered. "My parents wanted me to follow their path—take over the family business, lead a nice, safe,
normal
life." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "But I’m a mage, magic is new, different, exciting. I don’t want to stay cooped up in my home, managing family affairs until they find some rich nobleman twice my age to sell me off to. I want—
need
—to make my own decisions.”
“And they didn’t understand that.” The young mage lowered her voice further, anger filling every word. “They think they know what’s best for me, best for my continued survival; but I don’t want to survive, I want to live.”
Alex stared at her for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around what she had just said.
Then he laughed in her face.
“So let me get this straight. You think that I’m slumming it out in the outskirts of the city while relying on an old man’s kindness, simply because I don’t want to go back to my family? You think I do this because I
choose
to?” He asked incredulously.
“You… aren’t?” The young woman asked with a furrowed brow.
Alex tried to suppress the laughter, but it came out as a sharp snort, quickly spiralling back out into uncontrollable, full-bellied fits of mirth. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as the laughter grew louder, gasping for air between fits. He waved a hand weakly in Elara's direction, attempting to signal for her to wait, but the words were lost in his laughter.
Finally, after what felt like hours, it began to subside.
Alex slowly straightened up, still catching his breath, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Sorry-" he gasped, holding up a hand. "It's just-" He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Oooh that felt good. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Thank you."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, the violation.
Elara’s expression had grown progressively stonier, not pleased with being mocked.
"But no, I’m not some runaway noble trying to escape family drama," He did his best to calm himself, though a trace of amusement lingered. "My situation is a bit more... serious."­­­
“Are you saying that my problems are a joke?” The young woman asked sharply, not taking kindly to the slight.
“No, no, not at all.” Alex waved his hands before slightly nodding his head. “But they are much less threatening.”
“Oh sure, just because I’m a noble my problems are less real than yours. I’m sure mister tall dark and brooding over here has so many life-threatening issues he has to deal with, as well as a horde of assassins coming for his head every night.” The young magician rolled her eyes, derision dripping from her voice.
Alex simply smiled and looked at her.
Elara opened her mouth to retort but then paused, “Wait, you’re not actually serious, right?” Her eyes widened when he didn’t answer. “What the hell did you do to get assassins sent after you!?”
“Well, it’s not a whole horde. There’s only been one so far, though I don’t doubt there’s more out there.” He shrugged, taking no small amount of satisfaction from the shock on the young woman’s face. “But anyway, that’s beside the point. What I’m getting at is that our situations are nothing alike, and I don’t believe there’s much help we can offer each other.”
“No, wait!” She called out when she saw him turn around to leave, scrambling to her feet. “I can help you get a handle on that weird magic I felt you practicing back in the store!”
‘So that’s how she knew.’
Alex paused at that, turning back around to face her. “And how exactly am I supposed to believe that you have a way to help me? What are you even going to help me with?”
The young mage hesitated, a conflict playing out across her features as she studied him. Whatever she was about to say, it was obviously of some importance, given how open she had been with Alex so far.
‘Too open, if I’m being honest. Either this girl is entirely too sheltered or she’s trying to gain my trust. From her behaviour so far as well and what she told me of her situation I'm more inclined to believe the former, but that could all be a ploy.’
He thought, studying her in return. ‘
I know next to nothing about this world, and it would be stupid to trust this stranger to any real extent, but I can at least use her.’
The expression on the young woman’s face firmed as she seemed to come to a decision, her shoulders squared. “I have a magic tome with techniques to help control and master magic power.” She said, her body tensing up as her bracelet shimmered slightly.
“…and?” Alex asked, confused. “Is that it? Why do you look like you’re about to get attacked?”
Elara stared at him. “Are you serious?” She asked. “Did you crawl out from under the biggest rock known to man? Not knowing about various magics and things like that I understand, but this? How?”
Something told Alex that maybe this was something he was supposed to know, some sort of common knowledge in this world. “I injured my head when I gained my powers, so some of my memories are a little fuzzy.” He lamely tried to defend himself.
The look she sent him could have given the old man a run for his money. “And I’m supposed to believe that why, exactly?”
“Just humour me.” Alex replied with a shrug.
Elara exhaled, still looking tense, though not as much as before. “It's not illegal, if that’s what you’re thinking. But it’s… rare. Techniques like the one I’m offering? They don’t come cheap, and they’re not exactly shared freely.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “So, how did you get your hands on it?”
Elara hesitated for a moment before answering. “My family... they have money. Lots of it. I might not have wanted the life they planned for me, but I didn’t leave empty-handed. I used my family's wealth to buy access to one of the best magic instructors around.” She crossed her arms, her voice growing more firm. “I learned things the common man couldn’t even begin to imagine. And that includes explanations on how to quickly master magic and a set of techniques to go with it.”
"So, what? You’re saying you bought yourself a magical education with a silver spoon, and now you’re offering to share it?" Alex raised an eyebrow. “Mighty bold of you to just give away resources you stole from your family. They’re not gonna come for my head if I accept your offer, are they?”
"I didn't steal anything" She snapped. “I’m saying I have a tool that can help you and I would like to engage in a mutually beneficial exchange.”
“Oh, you should’ve said so from the very beginning!” Alex exclaimed, immediately turning around and sitting down. “What do you want, and when do we begin?”
Elara took a step back, taken aback by his sudden change in attitude. “What brought this on? I thought you didn’t trust me?”
“I don’t.” He nodded. “But there’s a difference between being offered a valuable technique out of nowhere by some stranger and being offered a deal. If you had told me the technique was a gift with no strings attached, I wouldn’t have believed you. There has to be some sort of catch, something you gain out of it. Now that it’s a trade we both benefit, so there’s less reason to expect trickery.”
“So you’re suddenly willing to work with me because my things are no longer free?” She asked, her voice filled with skepticism.
Alex gave a small shrug. "I guess so. Let’s just say it’s easier to understand people's motives when there’s something on the table for both sides. Less chance of hidden agendas when we’re both getting something we want."
“So what would you like in exchange for that knowledge you have?” He inquired, ready to bargain. “I should let you know that I am completely broke and have about two silvers to my name.”
“If I wanted money I would have just taken more from home.” The young mage rolled her eyes again. “No, I want to hire you.”
“Hire me?” Alex blinked. “To do what?”
“Protect me of course.” Elara smiled sweetly at him. “I want you to be my bodyguard.”
Alex blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Bodyguard? You want
me
to play personal babysitter?"
Elara frowned, her tone filling with faux irritation. “You make it sound so unglamorous. I prefer the term ‘protector’.”
Alex's brow furrowed as he mulled over her words. “So your offer is: You’re going to teach me rare magic techniques, and in exchange, I follow you around making sure no one drags you back home or puts you in danger?”
“More or less.” The young woman nodded. “I make you stronger, and you use that strength to protect me.”
“I see, I see.” Alex nodded along to her explanation. “I have just one teensy question.”
“What now?” Elara frowned, her annoyance mounting at the young man’s insistence on disagreeing with her.
“Well, if your so-called technique is so rare and powerful that you think it will make me strong enough to keep you safe, why did you not just use it yourself? Surely relying on someone else’s protection is worse than just getting stronger yourself?” He levelled his gaze at her. “Or is there something about this technique you’re not telling me?”
The young mage met his eyes without flinching. “Oh, that’s simple. I have used it, and that’s why I’m already as powerful as I am right now. For you to be able to survive an attack from me unscathed even before training… You would get much stronger than me much quicker.”
Alex sighed, rubbing his temples as if the proposition was physically paining him. "And you trust me to not betray you at the first opportunity why exactly?”
Elara’s grin widened. "Because you gain nothing from doing so. I am already offering you the most valuable thing I possess, so there’s no point to you turning on me.”
He couldn’t argue with that. He really wanted to use his magic, and the current foreseen timeline of several weeks did not sit right with him. Elara’s offer could be his best and only chance to change that. "Fine," he finally said, his tone reluctant but resigned. "But I’m not promising any long-term commitments. Once I’ve learned enough, or I feel the risk is not worth the reward, we’re done."
Elara’s smile remained, though this time it was tempered with relief. "Deal. And don’t worry, Alexander. Once you see what I can teach you, you won’t regret it."
"Well that remains to be seen, though I feel like I'm getting the worse end of the deal.” He retorted. “And stop calling me Alexander. It’s Alex."
Elara chuckled, amused by his grumbling. "Fine then, Alex. Shall we get started?”