Chapter 16: Muddy Aftermath

It’s always like this!

Mari?

I feel like I’m living with a corpse!

I’m not dead Mari, I’m right here! Please, give me another chance!

You can rot here by yourself. I have a life to live.

Mari! Please don’t leave! I don’t want to be alone!

What a waste of time.

“MARI!” I’m woken up by my own screams. It takes me a moment but I slowly remember everything, where I am. Wait, where am I? I look around to see I’m in someone’s bedroom. Am I back in Mud? It's sparse, just the bed I’m laying in and a tiny wooden table next to me. There’s a tall pitcher of water and a tin mug resting on it. My mouth tastes like sand. I reach for the pitcher.

“OWWW!” Right. Broken arm. My entire upper body is wrapped in bandages. I try my best to maneuver and pour myself a glass but it's easier said than done. Rina must’ve heard me struggling because she enters the room. She snatches the pitcher away and pours me a cup.

“Thanks.” I gulp it down quickly ready for another. She pours me cup after cup until I’m satisfied.

“How long was I out?”

“A few days.” She says as she looks over my injuries. I wince. We were supposed to be at the capital by now. Great, another reason for her to be pissed at me.

Rina checks my bandages for blood, replacing the one on my head with a fresh one. The young woman is more gentle than I’ve ever seen her. It almost seems like… she cares about me. I then realize I’m not wearing the mask! I quickly summon it, hiding my face in embarrassment. She doesn't seem to react though.

I clear my throat nervously. “ So uh, what happened? Where’s Kizzik?”

“They’re helping out around the village.” she says.

“That’s a relief! What about the bandits? The ones leftover I mean?”

“We caught a few. Their bounties will be a good payday. The rest we… It doesn't matter.” Her eyes turn cold for a moment before returning to normal.

Yikes. I guess I’m glad I was asleep for that. Still, it sounds like everything turned out okay in the end. Rina also lets me know that Bisanu hasn’t shown up since that night. I hope that means he died of his wounds, but something tells me that isn‘t the case. Either way, I sincerely hope we never cross paths again.

“Thanks. For taking care of me I mean. For everything really. I’d be dead ten times over without you.” I say.

Rina’s shoulders tense a little as she nods. There’s a long silence and I feel like she’s about to say something but she just gets up to leave. She hesitates at the door, turning back for a moment. Whatever she wants to say, something is stopping her. Rina exits and slams the door behind her. I sit alone in the room contemplating what that was all about.

Minerva? How’s everything looking?

[Welcome back, Void Walker. All systems are operational. Remaining power has been diverted towards healing your wounds.]

Whoa! You can do that?

[It is a basic function of the exo armor to provide emergency aid in the event of serious injury. I am able to inscribe minor healing spells directly on to your broken bones. At current power levels, you should be finished healing by the end of the day.]

That's… creepy… But convenient! Invasion of personal space aside, I’m glad Minerva was able to act without me needing to give the order.

[Void Walker. During your last battle, you forcibly unlocked a skill. Fabricate.]

Oh right! The cannon! Are you saying I can make stuff like that in the future?

[You can create new constructs for the armor through your mental models. You will need to evolve the skill to create more advanced constructs.]

How do I evolve it?

[Err#or. D@ta F1le C0rrupt3d.]

That’s weird. Still, I wonder what other things I can make with Fabricate. Maybe it will evolve the more I use it? Well, I can worry about it later.

My whole body is pretty stiff. It feels like all my muscle fibers have been ripped apart but I can't lay in bed anymore. I need to see what’s going on with everybody. I hobble out of bed, using the wall to brace myself. Slowly, I make my way out of the room and onto the patio. Mud is absolutely bustling! There's way more people now, the ones that Kerberos had captured mingle with the other town folk in front of the shops. Two little rabbit-eared kids, a boy and a girl race up to me.

“Mister Kenji’s awake! Hey Mister Kenji!” Lenny shouts. This little girl with him must be Lilly.

“Hi there! Are you doing okay?” I ask her.

She nods sheepishly, hiding behind her brother.

“Thank you for saving us from the bad guys.” Her voice is so quiet I almost dont hear her. Without another word, the kids race off into the village to play.

I smile, my heart brimming with joy. I’m glad she’s alright.

The cage from the camp is sitting across the street. In it are some very scruffy, very upset looking bandits. There's about a dozen of them. I notice that Kizzik is over there as well, speaking to a man I’ve never seen before. He’s well built, clean shaven, with a very stern look on his face. He’s wearing steel plated armor with an insignia on the breast that I can't make out at this distance, but he's a military man if I ever saw one. I limp across the street towards them, curious about the conversation.

“40 gold is more than sufficient for this lot. That’s all you’ll be getting.” The soldier barks, holding out a small leather pouch.

“The crown is so generous as always. Just get these bastards out of here.” Kizzik says as they snatch the bag from the man’s hand. They notice me and smile.

“Look who decided to wake up!”

We clap our hands together and they pull me into a hug. The armored man shoots us a dirty look then marches away.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood!” I say.

Kizzik flashes me a wicked grin. “We made a killing!” They whisper excitedly.

Looking around to make sure no one sees, Kizzik shows me a hidden pouch in their cloak. It’s stuffed to bursting with gold and multi-colored gems. “We’re stinkin rich! Man, I can't wait to hit the casino once we get to the capital! I can hear the Cuvolt tables calling my name already!” They give an exaggerated sigh. “Oh here, before I forget!”

They fish something out of another pouch and hand it to me. It's a large red-orange chunk of rough crystal. It glows faintly and I can feel its warmth radiating in my hand.

[Processing…

Mana Crystal Obtained

Purity: 74%

Affinity: Fire

Density: 6.9

The crystal provided will raise your mana batteries to (64%). Would you like to proceed?]

Hell yes I would!

The suit's gauntlet materializes on my hand and absorbs the crystal hungrily.

[Accelerating healing process…]

My whole body starts to burn. It doesn’t feel painful per se, just uncomfortable and kind of itchy. After a couple of seconds, the sensation dies down. I flex my arm tentatively. No pain! I jump into the air with a victory fist pump. Kizzik looks at me like I’m some kind of alien which might honestly be a good description from their perspective. Feeling only slightly embarrassed, I recompose myself. I have questions for my lizard-like friend.

“Is something going on with Rina? When I woke up, she was acting… different I guess.”

Kizzik chuckles. “She’s trying in her own way to adjust to you. We’ve lost our fair share of friends over the years but with Vergil it was… different. We’re both dealing with it still but I can tell you one thing.” They pull me in close. “She was with you the whole time you were out, taking care of you. Never left your side. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever met but she has her soft moments too. You didn't hear that from me though.”

I’m stunned by their words. Rina? The woman who couldn't care less if I lived or died? I don’t believe it. Kizzik sees the totally confused look on my face.

“What can I say kid, it’s complicated.” they say.

“Can you stop with the ‘kid’ thing? I’m actually thirty I’ll have you know.” I say.

“Oh? That’s nice and all but I still outrank you in this party!” Kizzik lightly bonks me on the head.

We spend a little time walking around the village. The kidnapped folks are a diverse group from all over. Some of them were brought from pretty far off places and some were already slaves that Kerberos bought from nearby towns. They all show their gratitude when they see us. The attention is a little overwhelming. I’ve always been awkward when being praised. I just smile meekly and we make a quick exit. When we come back to the house, Rina is waiting for us but she’s not alone. Standing across from her is a man. Though he’s dressed in commoner clothes, something about him screams authority and wealth. He’s very put together, standing tall and straight as an arrow. His face also has that kind of noble look to it. Strong nose, chiseled jaw, smooth ochre skin. His glossy black curls are tied back into a tight ponytail leaving just a single curl on his forehead.

“Great, you’re back just in time. This is Lord Guille. He was one of the people held captive by Kerberos.” Rina says.

“There are no words to express the depths of my gratitude. Without your intervention, I’d surely be shipped off to some hellish labor camp run by those despicable demon cabrones.” Guille bows so low that his long black hair touches the floorboards.

He and Rina take turns getting us up to speed. Lord Guille is a diplomat from a neighboring country. He was captured and held for ransom by Bisanu for weeks but no one ever paid up. Harsh. Still, the lord seems remarkably chipper.

“I was just telling your associate that I too was traveling to the capital before I was abducted. My goal is to continue my journey as soon as possible. For obvious reasons, I’d like to continue my journey with some added protection. Would you all agree to serve as mi escoltas? My bodyguards? I can pay handsomely!”

As I study him closer, I can see cuts and bruises on his neck and arms that his shirt doesn't cover. Some of them are relatively fresh. He carries himself well for someone who’s been recently tortured and living in a cage. I can't imagine what was going through his head, being treated like an animal day after day. Kizzik turns to Rina. She gives him a subtle nod.

“3,000 gold. Each. And you’ll reach the capital safe and sound, we guarantee it!” Kizzik says. The lizardfolk sounds like a used car dealer. It seems to work though.

Lord Guille claps his hands together in agreement. “¡Trato hecho! Partimos mañana! We leave tomorrow!”