Chapter 601 (2/2)

And Randidly was there, standing in front of her. His hair was shorn short, but otherwise, he looked the same. Tall, wiry, powerful, intense. His face went pale. He vomited onto the ground.

“That’s gonna cost extra,” The attendant said gleefully. Pressing her eyes closed, Helen tried not to both kill the man or look down to see the vomit on her shoes. It was something of a joke, saying that line, as about 99% of the people who passed through teleportation immediately vomit.

“...guess there is no fucking point in moving back now, is there?” Helen said, glaring at Leyalta. Randidly groaned.

*****

“I can’t remember the last time I threw up… hell, it was probably the last time I came here,” Randidly said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. In the wake of the teleportation, he was left with a throbbing headache that almost made him nostalgic for the hangovers he used to get after a night of drinking in college.

Helen’s face still remained stormy, but she addressed him as if she wasn’t ready to lash out and attack him for vomiting on his shoes. “According to the attendant, high Levels and Stats just make it worse; it affects you more the more powerful you are. That’s why so few of the truly accomplished Masters ever deign to use the portals.”

Feeling the roiling sense of nausea that plagued him even 15 minutes later, Randidly believed her. He spared Helen another short glance while she said something quietly to the large man behind her. His time on Earth hadn’t made Randidly forget how explosive Helen’s temper was or even the strange electric tension that ran between the two of them. But it had served to dull Randidly’s recollection of her beauty.

She was all toned muscle and smooth curves, with a cascading mane of mahogany hair that flashed almost golden in the light. Although she was slender by Earth standards, her high arched eyebrows and generous hips made her the type that would become a fitness blogger on Instagram in Randidly’s old world.

But where those women were about positive messages and empowerment, Helen was focused on capability and violence. There were several small scars scattered across her body that Randidly didn’t remember, but seemed to fit her new presence. Her gaze hovered around him without ever settling on him, which was likely a testament to her anger. Aside from these small scars, she didn’t appear much different.

Somehow, Randidly could sense that long gone were the days that she was his Spear Attendant. This was not the type of person that would easily concede anything. Their brief clash almost 9 months ago would not serve as an indication of their relative strength any longer.

Still, that’s what Randidly liked about Helen. She would never make anything easy.

“How has… your health been?” Helen asked, her voice as smooth as a pitfall in a road.

Randidly coughed lightly into his hand, and then pounded his chest. It hurt, but it served to dispell most of the lingering nausea. Very quickly, he stretched and cracked his knuckles. Then he grinned at Helen.

“Let’s not beat around the bush then. Want to spar?”

Helen’s face lit up like a blooming flower. The overweight man seemed to groan, sagging beneath the weight of his own body.

“Perhaps that is not for the best,” the man said quietly, speaking in an extremely reasonable tone. “Mr. Ghosthound, you are no doubt still tired from your teleportation. It is best to save your strength for now, and perhaps after a sufficient amount of time has passed, you will have recovered enough to-”

“Leyalta,” Helen broke in with a vicious smile on her face. “Are you volunteering to spar with me in the interim?”

The man called Leyalta didn’t even bother to respond, but instead stepped towards Randidly. As he did so, Randidly’s eyes narrowed. Although this man was large he moved very quickly. It was hard for Randidly’s relatively rusty Perception stat to follow the movement clearly. And then, strangest of all, Leyalta extended his hands towards Randidly and engulfed Randidly’s hands in his.

“My condolences,” The man rumbled. But then he paused. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time to bring it up, but have you ever heard of disability insurance?”