Time swiftly passed, and before long, it was time for the task settlement.
"How many?"
At the workshop's external window, Carmel and Ivan stared intently at the apprentice inside, eager to find out how many credits they had earned after a busy month.
The apprentice inside looked at Carmel with a troubled expression.
"Come on, speak up. How many credits do I have, and how many does Ivan have?"
"Carmel Lidia, you have earned a total of 144 credits."
"Ivan Marichardon, 147 credits."
Urged by Carmel, the apprentice reluctantly relayed the final results in a quiet voice and helped to record the credits onto their crystal tokens.
"Ah, I knew I was short," Carmel thought, knowing very well the daily count was accurate. He couldn't have misremembered, but it still stung to confirm his loss. He had never lost to anyone before, including his sister Heidi.