The Crystal Refinement (1)

"Long time no see, young master."

Hearing the blond-haired Knight tease him, made Hex chuckle in embarrassment. In the soft light of the moonstones, Lira looked even more captivating. 

She wore a sleeping gown of silky material held in place by two thin straps over her fair shoulders. The dress wasn't revealing but it followed her large curves and thin waist in a way that would send one's imagination wild.

"Yeah, I was busy preparing for the tournament," Hex said, feeling a bit awkward near her. 

His behavior caused Lira to giggle. "I know. I just hoped not to be forgotten by you," she said, walking slowly up to him. Hex realized suddenly that she was too close to him. 

"Of course not," he said without taking a step back. Thanks to the time spent with Althea, he wasn't uncomfortable being close to a beautiful girl. He still felt his blood flow going down but it didn't fluster him. 

"How are Gorge and Alice doing?" He asked, changing the topic to safer subjects. Lira stopped getting closer and gave him a deep look. She then took a step back.

"Gorge is recovering. He becomes lucid now and then but I am not sure. His mother doesn't allow anyone to even touch him," she said cooly. She didn't seem to like Hex ruining the moment but Hex preferred it this way. 

It had nothing to do with Althea. They weren't even in a relationship of that kind. Hex didn't want to start something when they were about to start a war with half the town. 

'Seems like bringing Gorge's parents here was the right thing to do. Aunty is protective but no one will take better care of that brat than her,' Hex mused, glad to hear at least one good news. 

"And what about Alice?" He inquired. He hoped she recovered too but they had barely known each other so he wasn't too concerned. The Blessed path was perilous and Alice hadn't been a kid. She knew what she was getting into. 

"She is still unconscious but is alive. Give it some time," Lira said with a shrug. 

Hex nodded and then excused himself. He wished to have an early start tomorrow. He had only two days to try reaching the third Blessing. He started to feel some pressure now, especially knowing that if he slipped up, things would go from bad to worse. The Dawnbringers were already a difficult opponent. If their Divine Lord managed to descend it would surely become worse. 

Lira watched Hex leave. Her smile had been replaced with a frosty stare. She only turned the knob of the door when she was certain he was gone. She entered the room where Alice was lying in. 

"Isn't it sad that no one is interested in your status?" She asked with a vicious grin on her face as she approached the bed. Alice lay with closed eyes on it. 

She seemed unconscious but her facial muscles seemed to contort in pain but she remained still. She had lost the ability to move. 

"O poor thing. It's not easy to take care of a child, I know."

Lira talked in a mock-concerned voice while checking up on her. She was very pleased to see the outline of the fetus squirming inside Alice. Gold-colored veins wriggled all over her upper body, acting like tubes to feed the fetus. 

"Soon, all this will be over."

…

Hex reached the Temple when the first rays of light appeared in the morning sky. Feeling well-rested, he packed enough food and water so he wouldn't need to leave the Temple. 

"It's you!" An old man ran up to him, more agile than Hex thought him capable of. It was the same old clerk who had assisted him the previous time had come to refine a crystal. 

Before leaving the castle, Hex had used the potion of the morphuse box to disguise himself, going for the same features as the last time. His disguise was already considered a refining genius by the Temple. With it, he could probably overcome the biggest obstacle he would have to face in using the monolith for a long period.

"Did you consider our offer?" The clerk asked eagerly. Seeing the pleading and hopeful gaze of the man, Hex realized how impressive his feat had been. 

'This might be easier than I thought it would be,' Hex mused inwardly, though, unlike the clerk, he hid his intent. 

"I gave it some thought," he said, seeming still undecided. "I still have my doubts whether it's worth my time."

The clerk was pleased to know the refinement expert didn't reject his offer immediately. Now it depended on his negotiation skills. 

"We can increase the share of coins or the purity of beast crystals you have to work with…" The clerk started to list possible adjustments to his offer. He wasn't specific with any. Hex knew he was doing it to see which proposal he showed more interest in. 

"Hmmm. How about increasing the duration with the monolith? I am trying to increase my skill level but I need more time to practice."

The clerk fell silent. Allowing more time for one person could be done but still within limits. Even the priestess couldn't prevent others access to the monolith for a long period. 

"Let me ask you this, are there a lot of people who come to perform crystal refinements?" Hex asked the clerk with a smile. 

"A few…wait no has come since yesterday. People prefer to go to the arena instead of slugging in an isolated chamber here," the clerk replied, starting to understand where Hex was going with his question.

"So, let me rephrase my request. What about letting me use the monolith as long as no one else needs it?" Hex leaned in and asked with an expression that seemed to say do you understand what I am saying?

The clerk nodded slowly and shared a knowing smile with Hex.

'That went better than I could hope for,' Hex lampooned as he entered the chamber. He didn't agree to the offer only to get more time. The Temple wished to get a batch of refined crystals so they gave Hex a pouch with Demon and Fiend crystals. 

'These can help me saturate my energy reserves,' Hex thought as he pulled the crystals and laid them on the small table beside him. Finally, he pulled out the large crystal he received from the baron. "You, my precious, will be used after that to break through to the next stage."