Sleeping in the Stable

I was going on my way to meet with Zelezo again but it’s really late. I went back to his workshop but before I knocked, I heard a stern, knightly, but feminine voice, “Who goes there?!”

I let out a giant scream and raised my hands in the air. I turned around and saw a woman clad in large, blue armor. “I’m just a guy who woke up around here and I don’t know anything or anyone! Just don’t hurt me!”

She lowered her sword, her deep, blue eyes glaring at me. “Explain who you are.” I JUST said what had happened to me. I feel like one of my veins is going to burst. I took a deep breath. “I seriously don’t know what happened I want to go home but I don't-” She interrupted me, “Fine, but I, Kobalta, am going to keep an eye on you until morning. You’ll be sleeping in the stables since you're walking around the town like a thief and the inn got hit by a bad monster attack, it was a demi-dragon.”

The sable was barren, there wasn’t anything decorating it besides hay, just hay. There weren’t any horses and at least I couldn’t smell any poop. I laid down on my side, but I couldn’t get comfortable at all.

I didn’t have much in my inventory that could help, I took out the leftover fur pelt I had helped a bit but was still unsatisfactory. I took my old clothes from my inventory and looked at them, they were soaked in the blood from the daggertooth and my sweat. I put them underneath the pelt to lessen the roughness. Still not much better.

Not even laying on my new shirt helped. It was definitely past midnight now. I don’t have much for materials and I heavily doubt anyone would let me break some wood off to make something. I think I’m going to go mad.

After about an hour I heard some cawing behind me. I rolled around and saw a giant crow… I screamed just as hard as before and bolted to the door where I saw a blue blur “Would you just SHUT UP ALREADY!” I was met with a blue coated fist, and then darkness.

I woke up groggy and with my head hurting. I could hardly remember what happened last night, just something about a woman in blue. I didn’t feel well rested at all. I gathered my stuff along with a bit of hay in case I needed any later. Today I needed to get stuff done.

Kobalta was gone when I went outside. I wandered around trying to find where Zelezo’s shop was until I saw Carine again. She ran up to me with a worried look, “What happened to you? You have a black eye, and your face is swollen.”

“I don’t remember, I just woke up in the stable.” She touched the bruise, which hurt but made me blush with how close she was.

“We should get you to the healer,” she took my hand and started running. She was surprisingly strong; I was nearly tripping the whole time. When we finally stopped, we were outside of a decently big building that had a sign with an herb on it. “This is the place,” she said confidently. “This is where I’ve been staying mostly since I arrived a year ago.”

The inside smelled nice, like there was some kind of incense. Most of the furniture was colored white. At a desk there was a woman with shiny white hair. Carine looked towards me, “Akio, this is Platina, the local healer.” Platina turned in her chair and welcomed me, I gave a small wave.

“My, looks like you were in a bit of trouble.” she gave a sweet smile. “Yeah,” I felt a bit embarrassed with how weak I seem, and I don’t even know how it happened. She turned back to her desk and opened a drawer. She picked up a yellow-colored leaf and handed it to me. Some notifications for crafting recipes appeared in my peripheral vision. “Just put some water on that leaf and hold it to your eye. The bruise should go away after a while.” “Isn’t that good, Akio?”

Platina pointed towards a pot that had water in it. I followed her instructions. The door opened and an old man in a white robe walked in. “Who’s he?” I asked. Carine spoke up, “That’s Old Man Tristein, he showed up a month after I did. All he does is stay in his cave and do whatever.”

He definitely seemed strange, he was disheveled and looked even more tired than I did. “Oh, hello.” he said in a raspy voice, “I’m just getting more sleep suppressors.” Platina gave a stern stare. “No, you’ve been using them for the past 3 days, not only am I going to run out, but you’re also going to suddenly collapse during one of your ‘experiments’ and crash your head on something.”

He gave a tired laugh, “Wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.” Platine gave an audible sigh.

I decided I should see myself out now. Carine followed me.

My eyes wandered around until I saw another one of those Stahl-Soldat things, but it was smaller than the last. “Oh, that’s Árgyros and Chrysós’s place, they’re brothers who’ve been running the mining operations since their parents passed. The caves in Mt. Orichal are very rich with ores.” I think considering my powers, I should meet them.