She was bleeding.

She knew she was bleeding.

She didn't need magic to know that she was getting pale, and that she needed to deal with her wound as quickly as possible.

But, she just couldn't find the will to do so.

She was drained.

She would whimper, and she would cry.

But, she wouldn't move.

She just stared.

Right in front of her, was a pale, disfigured face.

Like a fruit, it had been crushed underfoot, spilling blood and brain matter all throughout, and onto her face.

Meanwhile, the murderer feasted on its prey, burying it's long, horned, scaly snout into the raw, shredded meat.

She couldn't even find the will to thank the beast.

Her companion.

Instead, she wanted to roar at it. To grab and beat it to death for waiting so long. For letting it's mistress get injured, and fear for her life and her chastity.

But, even this, she had no will to do.

So, there she laid, covered in blood, mud, and tears.

Like a lifeless doll, she waited.

Waited.

...

Waited.

...

...

...

Waited no more.

As the fear and humiliation finally receded, even by just a tiny bit, she found a reason to keep going.

Her pride.

She wasn't going to let this event define her for the rest of her life.

"AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!"

With one, long, powerful roar, she pushed herself up.

"Kh-!!"

But, the pain in her thigh immediately stung again, and she smacked back down onto the ground.

"I need to… Haaah… haaah…" She panted heavily, still barely able to even see anything.

"I need to… see my wounds… first… to see if I can..."

Once more, she grit her teeth and pushed herself up. But this time, while using one of the Drake's horns as a support.

"Urrrgh!!!"

This time, she finally succeeded.

What she saw was something that she wished she never needed to see in all her life.

The insides of her flesh; messy, disgusting, and…

She could barely keep her dinner inside of her. Operating on others, was one thing.

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But herself…?

She couldn't even believe that what she was seeing was real.

Did she really look this disgusting on the insides despite her unquestionable beauty on the outside...?

How?

There was no way that could be true.

She couldn't get too much time to contemplate, though. As the slashed vessel, suddenly started spurting out blood like freshly half-clogged pipe.

"Nnnngh!!!!"

She leaned into the wound closer, with her legs laying on their side. A difficult position to endure, but she had more pressing matters than being uncomfortable.

Using her magic, she was able to float the first aid kit to her from inside the carriage.

Needle.

"Half a roll of catgut sutures left… bastard."

Disinfectant and finally, pure cotton.

"Grrrrr…." Gritting her teeth, she opened the bottle, and drenched the cotton with it.

Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she applied it on her wounds.

But.

"Ayieeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!"

Her shriek was loud enough to even startle the Drake, making it raise its head and growl threateningly at their surroundings.

She inhaled deeply, and… "It's okay… haaah… haaah… it's okay, Drako. I'm okay…"

"Now… The first stitch… is always the hardest…" She tries to reassure herself. But, she had a hard time even wiping the new onset of tears, snot and drool that drenched her face.

"Nnnngh…!"

Second.

"Grrrk!"

Third.

"Haaah… haah… Mhng!"

Fourth.

And with that, she had fixed the vein. But she was still bleeding profusely.

She was still far from done.

But… at least now, she could manage a smile.

And, just in time, as she couldn't even move her arms anymore.

But, thankfully, she didn't need them to operate.

Even with fatigue wracking her mind, she used her Telekinesis as a substitute.

Messy, uncoordinated, and it overlapped a few times.

But, with the generous use of a bandage roll…

…

… She was finally done, and sleep quickly took it's hold.

The song of gore just lost its sorrowful accompaniment.

***

'The night was long, and painful. But… I managed.'

'It's Day four. Morning. I don't want to write about what happened last night.'

'You'll just have to guess.'

"..."

Guila closed her journal, then stared outside her window.

With her stuff arranged throughout, the 5x7x3-sized carriage had barely enough space for a bed which doubled as a sofa and tripled as a dining chair.

And overhead on the cieling, and somewhat obscured by stacked crates and a closet, was the known map of the continent. Though, most of it was featureless with only the coastal line. Or just became completely blank, after a certain point.

But, she wasn't worrying herself with the stuffiness of the room. Or the possibility of something falling.

Rather, she wasn't even thinking of anything

At least, until one of the wheels hit a rock, and the carriage jolted.

"NgraAAH! Drako! Be careful, please!" She may have complained, but she knew that it didn't understand anything of what she said.

It was a pet. It may be smart enough to follow instructions. But…

"What am I even saying…?"

She sighed again, and lowered her gaze to her journal.

"Wait..."

"... Culmi." She muttered weakly, suddenly recalling last night. Just the thought of it was enough to make her flinch. But, she shook her head while quivering.

"He said… I was worth every Culmi…" she paused, before setting the journal aside, and grabbed a large leather pouch from the bedside, instead.

Inside were a few hundred of the highest value currencies of every Kingdom in the continent.

And among them all were distinct black coins that had a glassy sheen to them, and the symbol of a sun and crown pierced by a sword.

A Black Culmi.

"... Legal tender that only functions in Coalition territory…" She growled, before simultaneously crushing all the coins into unrecognizable clumps.

"So a wannabe nation that only exists to try and dominate others without developing anything, is after me..."

"Fine, then." With her fists curled up the coin clumps liquified and formed arrowheads.

"Come and try it again. I dare you. Give me one more reason to change my plans. I've waited six years for this... I'm not letting you derail me, this easily."

She grinned, almost maniacally.

But, most likely, she was unaware of this. In the same way, that she likely didn't notice her hands shaking the entire time.

"Send more men. I'll be ready, next time. Then, I'll show you all why I'm called the Lady of Golden Steel..."

Then, she snapped her fingers, and the arrowheads were shot upwards, most landing on a certain, large northern territory.

But one landed right around where she had made camp just yesterday. Next to a major highway.

"I show you all..."