Ravenna stared at the crystal in his hand like he was offering her a live grenade.
"What?" She took a step back, her tail curling tighter around her leg.
"It's called a Heartstone." He held it out with the green light pulsing gently between his fingers. "Permanent stat enhancement. Increases your core attributes by about ten percent across the board. Rare enough that most climbers never see one."
"And you want to give it to me?" Her voice cracked on the last word while her hands stayed pressed against her chest. "Why?"
'Because you're going to need every advantage you can get. Because the Tower eats the weak and spits out their bones. Because I'm already broken and you still have a chance to be strong.'
"Because you need it more than I do," he said while taking a step toward her. "I'm already capable. You're still learning. This will help you survive."
"But you found it, you knew where it was, you led us here, you did most of the fighting." She shook her head with her tail twitching with agitation. "It's yours by right."
"I don't care about right." He grabbed her wrist and pressed the crystal into her palm, closing her fingers around it before she could protest. "I care about keeping you alive. Take it."
She looked down at the Heartstone, at his hand wrapped around hers, and when she looked back up there were tears in her eyes.
"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was barely a whisper while her fingers trembled against the crystal. "Why do you keep helping me? I'm nothing, I'm worse than nothing, I'm demon blood, I'm the thing people kill on sight. You don't owe me anything."
'Because someone should have helped you a long time ago. Because I know what it feels like to be alone in a world that wants you dead. Because I'm not going to let another half-demon die thinking nobody cared.'
"Just take it, Ravenna." He let go of her hand and stepped back, giving her space.
She did, and the crystal dissolved into her skin the moment she accepted it, green light spreading through her body in branching patterns that pulsed once, twice, three times before fading. When it was done she stood straighter, moved smoother, her breathing easier than before.
[heartstone absorbed]
[target: Ravenna Cinderheart]
[enhancement: +10% all base attributes]
[quest complete: claim the heartstone]
"Oh." She flexed her fingers, tested her balance, looked at the world with eyes that suddenly saw more than they did before. "I feel different. Stronger."
"Good." He turned toward the exit while hiding the small satisfaction that curled in his chest. "Let's get out of here before something else wakes up."
---
The way out of the cave was easier than the way in, or maybe it just felt that way because neither of them was dreading what waited at the other end. They emerged into afternoon light and started the trek back toward the exit gate, moving faster now that Ravenna could keep pace without struggling.
They made camp that night in a sheltered hollow at the base of a cliff, far enough from the main paths that they wouldn't be disturbed. He set up the perimeter while Ravenna gathered what passed for firewood in this frozen landscape, and by the time the sun finished setting they had a small but serviceable camp.
"Let me see your shoulder." Ravenna stood over him with determination in her mismatched eyes.
He looked up from the fire, having almost forgotten about the wound from the alpha fight that still leaked sluggish blood whenever he moved wrong.
"It's fine." He shifted away from her slightly.
"It's not fine." She sat down next to him, closer than she ever was before, and reached for the torn fabric of his shirt. "You've been ignoring it for two days. Half-demons have natural healing abilities, so let me help."
He could have refused and pushed her away, maintaining the distance he was so careful to keep. But her hands were already on his shoulder, gentle and warm, and somehow the words wouldn't come.
"Fine." He held still while she worked.
Her touch was tentative at first, exploring the edges of the wound with the uncertainty of someone who was never allowed to take care of anyone before. Then something in her shifted and a warmth that had nothing to do with fire spread from her palms into his damaged flesh.
[healing detected]
[minor regeneration applied]
[estimated recovery time: reduced by 60%]
"You didn't tell me you could do that," he said quietly while watching the wound close.
"I didn't know I could." She kept her hands on his shoulder even after the healing was done, her eyes fixed on the now-closed wound. "I've never... nobody's ever let me close enough to try."
The silence that followed was heavy with things neither of them knew how to say. She was close enough that he could smell her, something like ash and wildflowers, and for the first time since he woke up in his old apartment he felt something that wasn't purpose or rage, which scared him more than any monster could.
"You should get some sleep," he said while pulling away. "Long day tomorrow."
She let him go, but not before he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes. He told himself it didn't matter and that getting attached was a weakness he couldn't afford. He told himself that everyone he cared about ended up dead and she deserved better than to be another name on that list.
He almost believed it, but not quite.
---
They reached the exit gate on day five, two full days ahead of the deadline. Adrian's group was already there, their numbers noticeably reduced from when they entered the floor. He counted heads and came up with eighteen survivors out of an original thirty-two.
'Nearly half didn't make it, which is standard attrition for Floor 2, maybe a little worse.'
Adrian emerged from the crowd when he spotted them, his smile firmly in place despite the losses.
"You made it." His eyes swept over both of them while noting details and filing information away. "And in better shape than when you left, from the looks of it. Find anything interesting out there?"
'A hidden quest, a permanent stat buff, and another reason to watch my back around you.'
"Just rocks and cold," he said flatly while meeting Adrian's eyes. "Nothing special."
"Mm." Adrian's smile didn't waver, but his eyes said he didn't believe it. "Well, you're welcome to rest with us before the transition. Floor 3 is supposed to be rough."
Floor 3 was called Blood in the Dark, and it was worse than rough. He remembered dying there during his original timeline, remembered hiding while his first party got slaughtered by shadow creatures and swearing he would never be that weak again.
"We'll be fine." He turned away from Adrian. "See you on the other side."
He walked past Adrian without another word, Ravenna following close behind, and pretended he couldn't feel those empty eyes boring into his back.
The Heartstone was just the beginning, and by the time he was done Ravenna would be strong enough to survive anything the Tower threw at her, including the man walking next to them who was waiting for his chance to betray them all.