"Say that again." Vanessa ordered Matthew with a murdering tone.

"Claudio approached me on the street and said he could help us with the Howling Spear problem." Matthew explained again. It was night and Matthew went to Eric's house to speak with Vanessa just after dungeon diving with his class. "He said he has someone in the DA's office that can help us."

"And he offered it on the goodness in his heart!" Vanessa exclaimed sarcastically.

"What does he want in return, Matt?" Eric asked in a serious tone.

"He wants me… Actually, Ffyr to help his research in the Labyrinth of Enkidu." Matthew said in a low voice intimidated by the energy Vanessa and Eric were showing.

"For how long?" Eric asked again holding Vanessa's hand containing her from screaming.

"For as long as he wants." Matthew said looking away embarrassed of even bringing the deal up.

"Tell me you didn't accept this bullshit." Vanessa spat on the grass. They were all in the backyard sitting by the pool.

"I didn't." Matthew defended himself. "But he told me to talk it over with you before he would accept a no."

"Of course it's a no!" Vanessa screamed and threw a can of beer in the trash with force enough to make the trash can wobble and almost tip over.

"I told you she would be mad." Ffyr said taking another beer from the fridge and handing over to Vanessa.

"But you do have enough evidence to deal a huge blow to them." Eric thought out loud. "And this can speed things up."

"What?!" Vanessa looked at Eric like she could kill him. "Are you really thinking about giving Matthew and Ffyr to that bastard?"

"Claudio is man without morals, but he does follow his promises, does he not?" Eric said not intimidated by Vanessa's glare.

"He avoids complications." Vanessa pouted agreeing with Eric.

"And if it is just a matter of making Matthew dive into the Labyrinth regularly until he gets satisfied, it seems a reasonable price." Eric explained his point. He was not over protective towards Matthew as Vanessa was. "Besides, you can go with him in those dives. And Paula and Lumi and Michael too. If we make him agree to only hold dives during the weekends to not get in the way of Matthew's school days, it seems like a good deal."

"It's still too dangerous. You know how the Tower of Ryvylin works. They are not to be trusted." Vanessa said quaffing her beer.

Matthew watched both of them talking to each other without saying a word. When he arrived there that evening, he found both of them in the backyard in swimwear listening to heavy metal and drinking beers. Their conversation was light and filled with laughter until Matthew brought up Claudio's offer.

Now the mood was tense. The guitar solos on the background seemed to fade away in the argument over what to do next.

Matthew took a deep breath and said looking Vanessa in the eyes:

"I'm willing to do it. For you."

"What?!" Vanessa exclaimed looking at him as if what he wanted didn't matter to her.

"Vanessa. Look at you. You are a mess right now. You aren't sleeping. You are putting yourself in danger. You are out there beating people up. One of these days you might go to jail or get hurt. Or even die!" Matthew said passionately. "I can't let you risk yourself like this anymore. And if all it takes is for me to work for Claudio, I'll do it."

"Kid. You don't know what you're saying." Vanessa dismissed Matthew shaking her head.

"Yes he does." Eric defended Matthew. "Matt is not a kid Vanessa. Look at him. If he goes all out he might even be more powerful than me. He's a man, Vanessa. Let him help you."

Vanessa looked at Eric surprised by his words. Then looked at Matthew and, for the first time, she didn't see that kid she met in the dungeon looking lost. He was different. He looked at her different. He went through hell, he experienced a lot more trouble than most adventurers ever saw in their lifetimes.

But she was still scared. She felt responsible for him. When she gave him tips and encouraged him to pursue the adventuring world when they first met, she second guessed herself thinking if she did the right thing. Ever since then she's been looking at him as a kid, as a little brother who she had to protect.

But Matthew wasn't a kid. Despite being almost 10 years younger than her, he was still an adult. And he did become very powerful. Much more than her. Perhaps it was the time to let him help her. Even more when she was losing hope of finding someone with power and probity to help her.

Claudio's offer would solve that problem. Not on the probity front, but surely in power.

"Are you sure about that Matthew?" Vanessa asked him leaning forward and supporting her elbows on her knees and her chin over her hands.

"I am." Matthew was resolute.

"Me too!" Ffyr said while sitting on Matthew's shoulder.

"I'll go with Matt to the Labyrinth when I can as well." Eric said. "If his parents agree to babysit Katia, that is."

"Of course they will. Mom loves with Katia. She's already thinking on what to buy her for Christmas." Matthew smiled at Eric.

"Tell Martha that that girl loves anything pink." Eric smiled back at him.

"Alright." Vanessa agreed smiling as well. Then she looked back at a tree that grew on the neighbor's backyard whose branches invaded Eric's. "Did you hear that? Tell your boss we agreed. Have him call me in the morning." She apparently said to the tree.

"Very well." A person hiding in the branches said and jumped away.

"What? Who was that? You knew he was there?" Matthew asked confused.

"I have the Sense Others skill, Matt." Vanessa giggled. "I know we've been followed for some time now. Figured it was Claudio's doing."

"So, he's the one who took our picture the other day?" Matthew asked.

"Most likely." Vanessa answered.

Shortly after that, Vanessa entered the heated waters of the pool and relaxed there focusing her attention on the music that blasted from the stereo. Ffyr joined her loving the chaotic feeling the guttural screams from the heavy metal singer brought her.

Eric served Matthew some snacks for dinner. Chips, cheese sticks, ham, olives… It was all he had to offer, since they weren't expecting him there that evening.

"Where's Katia?" Matthew asked eating the little cheese sticks Eric heated in the convection oven.

"She's at a friend's house. Doing a sleep over." Eric said. "It's her first since my wife passed away." He added sitting down next to Matthew. "That's why we're here drinking and trying to relax. Me and Vanessa are a bit nervous leaving Katia alone like this."

"I see. Sorry to impose." Matthew said trying to relax as well.

"Not at all. It actually helped that you came." Eric dismissed Matthew.

"How so?"

"It took our mind away from Katia. At least for a while. I was about to go there to spy on her." Eric laughed loudly.

Matthew spent a little longer there before returning home with Ffyr.

A few days latter, Vanessa called him to say she made the deal with Claudio. Matthew would have to go every Saturday to the Labyrinth of Enkidu to help him with his research and only if Eric or Paula and Lumi went with him.

That was surprisingly graceful of Claudio. Vanessa attributed it to him wanting to keep a good relationship with Matthew to maintain a peaceful and orderly research environment. Eric however, raised a better point: Claudio's main objective was to take the Howling Spear out of the way and he was just getting Matthew as a bonus.

Whichever the point was, the deal was made. And for now on Matthew would have to work for Claudio every Saturday starting that very own.

It was Friday when Matthew got the news. That day, during training, Faralynn asked Matthew to go to a dungeon on Saturday. After hearing he would be going to the Labyrinth, she asked if she could come with him.

He then explained what was going on with Claudio, omitting the part of Vanessa's illegal investigation into the Howling Spear.

"Really?" Faralynn said turning her head. "Then I really want to go." She added looking at the shadow where Faynn was hiding.

"Why?" Matthew asked confused.

"I have an interest in the Tower of Ryvylin as well." Faralynn answered being cryptic. "Erin will go too." She added clearly thinking something she didn't want to tell Matthew.

Matthew asked Claudio's permission on the phone by text message. He took quite some time to answer, but he agreed. It meant that that Saturday it was going to be Matthew, Vanessa, Eric, Faralynn and Erin diving into the Labyrinth of Ekindu. Paula and Michael were busy that day with another dive they could not miss.

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