Chapter 11

"Ugh... my head. The fuck happened?"

"You were knocked out in one hit."

"Of course I was-"

I was cut off as I saw my shoulder. Countless, not really countless but I'm not gonna bother to count them, of maggots writhed in my wound. Crawling, sucking, cleaning, eating.

"Joy."

"The nurse said you're free to go. And you can't eat anything for a few days."

"Great, must be a lucky day."

My back hurt, not sure from what. 

I got up from the bed. I don't want to meet the nurse especially not if I'm already discharged. Wasting the time of busy ladies never ends well. 

I looked over at Raya. Was she here the whole time?  Didn't realize that we're this close- she was knocked out too. She just happened to be sickbed neighbor with the only guy she knew here. 

"Did you do something to me?"

"No."

It's impossible to tell if she is laying because of that dam small smile she constantly has. She definitely poisoned me.

"Can I remove the maggots?"

"No."

"Did the Nurse tell you that or are you fucking with me?"

She didn't answer, just smiled at me with a cunning look. 

"I'm leaving." 

"Rest is highly recommended for us." 

"I'm going to work."

"The fuck you mean work? You're sixteen."

"I have a right to earn my own coin."

"What do you even do for work?"

"I make sure that upon request people get what they need."

"You're a delivery boy?"

"A high quality delivery boy." 

"What makes you so high quality?" 

"The fact that I can keep something in absolute perfect condition."

"Fair enough." 

......................................................................................................................................................................

In the sun Kingdom, there is a number of houses and families who hone their mastery over the different branches of magic. It's only obvious they would need large quantities of the ingredients that will help cultivate those branches of magic. 

That's why I am allowed into the estate of shadows. 

The mages of the shade bark family are born with the potential of using a light magic branch known as shadow magic. It is one of the few magic branches that is incapable of causing damage. It might make shadow magic sound underwhelming, but shadow magic is more like a versatile tool than a weapon. 

I was to deliver ashen tree saplings, which I did. 

"... twenty, that was the last one."

I put the last potted sapling on the the table like stone as a lady kept writing things down ever since I started unpacking the saplings. I had a tendency to make most intelligent characters hot ladies because I like women. 

She didn't really talk to me either, the only acknowledgement I got was her pushing my payment across the table like rock. I can almost hear it "just take it and get lost", honestly it is more pleasant this way. It's always awkward to talk to rich clients. 

"... why are you wounded?" 

I was counting the coins when I was caught off guard by the question.

"Happens when you get bitten by a wolf demi."

"Why were you bitten by a wolfkin?"

I guess you would be surprised too if the amazon delivery guy showed up wounded from a wolf attack. 

"There was a tournament in the sol academy."

"You're an academy student?"

"Yip."

"What is a student of the sun doing running the errands of others?"

"Earning coin."

"Huh."

I took out a pouch and pulled out the string that closed its opening so that it turned into a flat circular piece of whatever it is made of, I have a number of pouches and will not be bothered to remember each of their details. 

I put the thing flat on the ground and stepped on it with both feet so that I simply fell into the storage space. 

Multiple bags are all connected to the same space which pretty much shits on Schrödingers whole thing but you can pull a Schrödingers cat if you store yourself in multiple bags at once, existing multiple times while simultaneously not existing at all. 

I rose out of another flattened pouch, this one I placed on the tree in front of the alchemy ladies place. 

The alchemist, a pretty bitter woman that goes by the name Yüdoku after she abandoned the name given to her by the thistlewood family. She kept the arts of poison though. 

She is also the only "family" Liam has. Having taken in the orphan boy at a young age she sees the carrier as something akin to a son instead a freeloader.

I hopped down from the tree and grunted at a painful landing. I should have just climbed down... 

I knocked on the shops door as I fixed my robes.

Wait, I can just walk in, it is a shop. Why am I knocking?