Chapter 17

“Nyx, Nyx! Please wake up!”

I was woken up violently from my nostalgic dream to see Rain was shaking me back and forth.

“Alright, Alright, I’m up”

Rain stopped shaking me and hugged me tightly when I responded. Then she let go and started to sob uncontrollably.

“I ran when Ned told me you ran off to lead away the direwolf! I thought, I thought…”

Oh, she met up with Ned, that's why she found me so fast.

“It wasn’t a big deal”

“What do you mean? I’d thought you were dead!”

She then proceeded to shake me again, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, even harder than before

Rain please stop, everything hurts. I was thinking these thoughts in my mind but couldn’t say anything because I was beginning to feel very light headed, probably from all the blood I had lost, by her shaking.

My vision was starting to go black. Yep, I’m blacking out now.

“Oh no, stay awake Nyx, stay awake…”

I came back after blacking out for what seemed like a couple minutes, seeing Rain this time being more cautious and not shaking me this time, then Rain asking me if I was alright.

“Ya, I’m fine”

“Sorry”

Rain was being apologetic from making me black out.

I looked around to see that there wasn’t just Rain here anymore, there were other adventures that I didn’t recognize except for one, it was Cade who was among them.

Cade approached us with a grin.

“So, was it a good fight?”

I’d reply back with a yes.

It was really fun, nothing beats the thrill of fighting something that will give you a challenge. The rush of adrenaline and the pain of being injured, causing your mind to be so focused on trying to survive and kill each other, they’re sensations I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Anyways, how hurt are you?"

“Well you could see my left arm is in bad shape”

I have several big bite marks, each about 2 centimeters in diameter, in addition to it being broken.

“Also I think I crack a rib or two and hit my head pretty hard”

All in all I could manage.

“I see, here”

Cade took a healing potion out of one of his pouches.

“It’s a low-grade healing potion”

"Thanks”

“Sorry I can’t give you anything better, I might need my own just in case. I can’t thank you enough after you took down the direwolf and saved the lives of the other adventurers. As the guildmaster, it’s the least I could do”

“Huh? Guildmaster!?”

It could be the blood loss but I might have misheard him.

“Yep, that's me. Surprise?"

Cade had a grin like a kid who was boasting about something.

“I don’t really interact with the newbies much since becoming guildmaster, I’m really busy with doing paperwork, so I don’t interact much with the newbies. Since there was a direwolf, I wanted to stretch my legs for a bit. But I really found something more interesting and that is you Nyx.”

Sensing where the conversation was going, I knew what he was going to say, so I’ll just play dumb.

“Just who are you, a kid taking down a C rank monster on his own is just unheard of”

“I’m just Nyx, nobody in particular”

I didn't want to reveal to Rain, who was next to me that I was a noble, so I said that instead.

“You're really not going to say.”

Cade gave up on asking with a shrug.

“Worth a try, in any case you should start healing your injuries”

“Ya, thanks for the potion”

“No need”

I poured the low-grade healing potion on my left arm to feel some of the pain was going away. Then I drank the potion to find it tasted absolutely disgusting.

Did it always taste this bad? Or did I not notice that it tasted this bad when I was fighting the direwolf. I knew it tasted bad when I first drank it but not to this extent.

“Bleuh”

“Pfft, hahaha! So you can make other faces”

What’s that supposed to mean, I thought as I tried not to spit out the potion as Cade was laughing

“You better get used to the taste because you're going to have to use them a lot in the future and fair warning, the higher level ones taste even worse"

“You got to be kidding me”

Cade continued laughing, while I was showing unconsciously a grimace on my face.

After I finished drinking the potion, I tried to get up but fell down instead, my legs gave out from pushing myself too hard fighting the direwolf.

“ughh”

Everything hurts, I’m just starting to realize how much everything hurts right now.

“Don’t push yourself Nyx”

Rain helped me get back up by wrapping my right arm around her shoulders.

“You should go see the cleric, have her bandage you up. We had a small party separated from the group to help the injured by the road”

Cade pointed in the direction toward the road, it wasn’t hard to know where because the direwolf bulldozed through the forest, leaving a small trail.

“Okay, but are you not coming with us?”

“Afraid not, you know direwolves move in a pack, so there is probably more of them”

He had that big grin like when I fought him in my E rank evaluation exam, excitement was all over his face.

“Have fun then”

Rain and I walk back to the road, the trail of flatten foliage and knock down trees

“So Rain, how did you find me so fast?”

I was curious since I wasn’t expecting help to come so fast, especially that I didn’t see anyone with Rain, when she woke me.

Rain proceeded to tell me after I convinced her to go with the adventurer that was running to get help. Rain ran as fast as she could back to town with the kid in record time. The kid, who was named Oliver, ran to inform the town guard while Rain informed the guild. Rain went directly to Emma and informed her about the direwolf and everything that she knows.

Fortunately Cade was speaking with Emma, who I just found out was the guildmaster, and announced an emergency quest to the adventurers that were inside the building. While Emma would organize and coordinate with the guards and adventurers.

Rain then led Cade and the other adventurers in the direction Oliver told us about. By the time they got there they saw Ned and the other adventurers who were in bad shape. So they left a party to tend to the wounded.

Ned told them that I led away the direwolf into the forest, in which Rain immediately ran into the forest by herself, following the trail of trees and foliage that were knocked down.

“Why did you run off on your own, Rain?”

Rain looked a bit startled and said.

“I was really worried that you were dead. You ran off and were fighting a direwolf on your own”

Anyways, Rain found the dead direwolf and me laying motionless, covered in blood.

“So is that why you were shaking me awake”

“Sorry”

Rain had a guilty look.

Then Cade and the rest of the group catch up to Rain after checking up on Ned’s party and everyone else.

Our conversation finished as we reached the road and I saw people.

Among them, one group of 5 partially stood out. I saw Ned and that kid who ran to get help who was crying who was named Oliver, in addition to 3 other adventurers. They were standing on the side of the road, next to Mark's dead body that had a small white cloth draped on his head.

All of them had expressions that I was too familiar with in my past life, ones that had lost somebody close to them.

It’s best if I give them some space for now in these types of situations.

Rain helps me sit down next to a tree.

“Nyx?! What happened to your arm?”

I saw some people I wasn’t expecting to see, it was Alex. Is his party also here to help?

Alex ran toward us, looking shocked.

As Alex ran toward me, it got the attention of Maria, Wendy, Chelsie, and Lucia who were equally surprised when they saw me. It wasn’t that bad, but I guess it might look worse than it already is, probably due to the blood covering me and my left arm that couldn’t move.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Plus I’d killed the Dire wolf”

“You did what!”

“I’d killed the Dire wolf, a bit a struggle but it was fun”

I’d smile thinking about the fight with the DIre wolf, it was a struggle but I won.

“Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Alex immediately stopped his walking, he and Rain were looking at me strangely, looking terrified as if I was the direwolf itself. Even Wendy had that look, even though she was a bit away from us, her tail and ears were even tucked away.

“No, ummm, I’m surprise yet not surprise that you took down a C rank monster on your own, that's all”

“Oh, I see”

“I don’t believe you”

Lucia walked toward us and interrupted our conversation by saying she doesn’t believe that I kill the Dire wolf. I guess she has a bone to pick with me for some reason, it’s what I expected from a tsundere.

“I did, you want to test it?”

My grin turned into an excited smile thinking I had another chance to fight her, who was a mage. My exhaustion and pain immediately went away, wondering how interesting it is to fight a mage.

“Wait Lucia, I think Nyx could really take out the direwolf and he is no condition to be fighting right now”

That managed to calm Lucia, but I was disappointed that Alex stopped our fight and my excited smile on my face went back to normal.

Alex sighs in relief, while Lucia pouted and said “Okay fine”

“Maria, could you come help Nyx over here?"

“Okay, just let me finish for a sec”

Speaking of Alex and everyone else, I thought they had the day off.

“Alex, I thought you were on a day off”

“Ya but fortunately we were in the guild at the time, so we came to help”

Maria finished up the adventurer she was working on and came toward us and was shocked looking closer at my arm.

“It not that bad though”

I reassure her that it was that bad.

Maria had a trouble look as I said it. Compared to earlier, it stopped bending in places it wasn’t supposed to.

“Can you move it?”

“Slightly”

She examined me, then poured half a vial of healing potion on my arm and began bandaging my left arm.

“Your head injury seems to be healed but it looks like 2 of your ribs are crack and your arm is broken”

After she was done, I asked if there was anything else.

“Yes, please don’t push yourself too hard and here”

Maria pulled out 3 unfamiliar yellow potions out of her bag.

“These are regeneration potions, they’re a slow acting one but they can help heal your arm. Drink this and the other two once per day. Your arm should be fully healed in a few days”

“Got it”

I drank the regeneration potion and surprisingly it didn’t taste as bad as the healing potion I drank.

I receive the potions and stand back up with the help of Rain, saying my thanks to Maria, Alex, and everyone else in Alex’s party, and walk back to town with Rain’s help

When we got back to town, the air was different, with the guards on edge. It makes sense though, since there was a report of a direwolf attacking a party of adventurers and direwolves aren’t usually alone, so there might be a pack of them out there.

“Hey Nyx, where do you want to go?”

A lot of people were staring at me because I was covered in blood, so I should clean myself first.

“I guess lets go to the inn I’m staying at, I want to get the blood off me first”

After about 15 minutes of walking we reached the inn I was staying at, the clerk by the counter was surprised but didn’t say anything when she saw me. Rain helped me up the stairs and into my room, I sat on the bed and took a deep breath from my exhaustion.

“Could you please fetch some water, the well is over there”

I pointed out the window with my right arm since I still couldn’t move my left arm.

“Okay”

Rain left with a bucket in her hand. I watched her out the window, getting some water from the well.

In the meantime I should take off my clothes that were stained in my own blood. I try taking off my shirt but it’s really hard to do with a broken arm.

“Nyx, I've got the water…”

Rain stared at me with a slight blush as I was trying to pull off my shirt.

“Oh that was fast”

Seeing Norn fetch water quicker than I expected, I asked her if she could help me take off my clothes.

“huh!?”

Her face went all red and she almost dropped the bucket of water.

“Y-you can’t say something like that to someone”

Rain placed the bucket of water in my room as fast as she could and slammed the door shut.

Is she embarrassed about helping me take off my clothes? I don’t get why she is embarrassed all of a sudden. When I was still a noble, the maids always helped me with my clothes, and were both girls after all. Maybe it’s just a commoner thing that I’m not aware of.

After a couple of minutes, I finally managed to take off my shirt and then the rest of my clothes without much difficulty. I soak a rag in the bucket of water and wipe off all the dried blood.

When I was done, I struggled a bit to put on a new set of clothes, then walked out of my room.

“Hey Rain, I’m done cleaning myself”

“Your wearing clothes, right”

She had her eyes shut for some reason.

“Ya, and why would I walk out naked”

Rain sighs in relief but as she sighs her stomach starts to grumble. Her face turned all red again, this time in embarrassment.

“Want to grab something to eat? I’m paying”

“Really?”

We hadn't really eaten our lunch and it was getting late in the afternoon, kinda close to dinner.

“It’s the least that I can do for helping me”

We went down stairs to the tavern and ordered some food. It seems that they have already switched the wooden boards from the lunch to the dinner menu.

I ordered more than what I usually order because I was really hungry. Rain ordered the same because she didn't know what to choose, so she ordered the same as me.

“I’ll have a beef stew, vegetable soup, and roasted lamb.”

“I’ll ummmm… have the same”

I paid a large bronze coin for all the food, then we sat by a nearby table and chatted while we waited for the food.

When the food arrived, it was spread out on the table.

Rain and I began eating our food. I noticed when Rain was eating, she surprisingly had good table manners.

“What’s wrong Nyx?”

“You have really good table manners”

“I could say the same”

I thought I’d change how I eat to make myself look more like a commoner, it looks like habits that were taught to me by my etiquette tutors were still sticking.

Speaking of that, I had the sudden realization that Rain, her manners are really similar to what I was taught and from her being secretive about her family, there might be a possibility that she might be another runaway noble like me.

I should stop that train of thought because it wasn’t my place to get involved if she doesn’t want me to.

After finishing eating, Rain thanked me for the food and left to go back home.

I went back to my room and went straight to bed after a fun and exhausting day.