The One-Sided fight

Well, time for lunch! I got up in a hurry feeling lighter and better than ever. My body felt great, and even my mana seemed to run smoother in my new body.

I stuffed the gold in the bottom of my sack making sure it wouldn’t rattle at all before getting dressed. They didn’t say anything regarding the Robe, so I kept it. It was really soft despite the breeze, and I could use it between the showers and my room.

As I left the room in my clean clothes, I made a pit stop at a bathroom. OF course, it was basically just to check myself in the mirror.

I didn’t look that different than before. My teeth were clean and straight, and my eyes were brighter, but I was still myself. My skin was a little odd since I wasn’t used to the color, but it wasn’t a tan. It was a more flawless creamy white with a slight golden tint to it.

Before I had been about as average as possible. Almost invisible in a crowd, since I just wasn’t noticeable. Now though, I had lean rippling muscle, and a more refined look about me. I suppose if I kept my head down a little I could still pass fairly unnoticeably with my cloak.

But wow, who knew a heal spell could do just this much. Even now he could feel the potential changes he could still do. In the future he would try keeping it internal though. He wasn’t necessarily looking for attention. After all, he still had to beat the other kids for a job offer. Which might be harder after threatening a teacher… what’s done was done though.

Moving on, he walked out the infirmary following arrows on the walls until he exited around the second floor stairwell.

Moving back down stairs, he decided to visit the city for lunch. Screw these classes, he might visit the archery classes later for more practice though.

Exiting the building carrying his pack, he made his way down the market district. It was rather loud and people pushed and jostled about as little kids ran around your knees. I even saw a teen nick some coins out of a guy’s pocket.  I guess they should’ve hid their money better.

A little happy from the current events I stopped at an outdoor restaurant serving a spicy skewer with some sort of meat and purple vegetables with a sweet flavor.

After I sat down with my meal, I finished up in under two minutes so I got another large skewer with a barbeque flavor. The local fauna might bite back, but man did it taste good!

Sitting back with a full belly I pulled out some of my books. The restaurant wasn’t overly busy, and I still wanted to learn a few things today after all.

Starting in on the journal, I noted the price I shared the information for and my reasons, just in case I needed to remember for taxes or something. Not like I’d actually pay taxes for extortion, but recording stuff has kind of become a habit.

Actually, now that he noticed he was running low on paper for notes. If he kept adding more and more to the current notebook, there wouldn’t be any information blocks. Just a bunch of random stuff. He needed to stay more organized, and didn’t the teachers want their books back for the most part?

Well it’s settled then, he would find a shop selling supplies. With that he tucked the notebook away and headed off further into the hustle and bustle.

You wouldn’t think paper was that hard to find, but every time he found something resembling what he needed the hop owners tried selling their other wares pushing it into my face. I wondered if they knew they were pushing a shopper out of a purchase.

I was just about to try later when I exited the previously crowded streets and entered a road seemingly four wagons wide. On either side there were glass fronts and slow foot traffic milling about leisurely. I guess this was the wealthy shopping district?

Well no matter, writing supplies couldn’t be that different here right? Finally free of the crowds I walked comfortably along window shopping for a while until I found something that looked like a general goods store.

Upon entering a small bell chimed but the clerk didn’t simply glanced up from their newspaper, then went back to whatever they were reading. Kind of rude if you ask me, but then again I was wearing lower class clothing and I did just fight through throngs of crowds before getting here. So I guess it was ok that I wasn’t swamped by merchants and such for once.

Moving along I perused the shelves quickly coming to the paper, ink, quills, and books. I wanted something to last a while and I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t be snubbed buying something too fancy which would break immediately.

I grabbed some loose paper in a folder to practice my drawing skills and general class notes. That done I grabbed a small wood box with slots for multiple different ink types to be stored. It currently had full containers of black, red, green, and blue. This seemed like more than enough for his purposes. It was mostly useful because it had a few nicer quills stored in the top of the lid for easy access.

Finally I started perusing the bound books. There were actually a few textbooks on the shelf, but I couldn’t look at them because they were behind locked glass.

I couldn’t believe how many things there were, from blacksmithing all the way to agriculture. They definitely had a good variety. The only issue was, everything cost like five gold each! Even a blank book was a whole gold piece.

The ink and lose leaf only cost 1 gold two silver. The currency ran 100 copper = 1 silver, 10 silver = 1 gold, 100 gold = 1 platinum, and there were many other high up currency but those were usually kept in treasuries.

Anyway the point is, why are things so much more expensive after you add a binding? I couldn’t really investigate everything, since there was just too much that cost too much. I was looking thought the magic books when I heard a gravelly voice beside me.

[Male clerk] “Young man, may I help you? Surely what you have already is pushing your budget?” By the gods, this had to be the oldest person I had met here so far. I wonder if he just can’t afford healing potions, and who is he to suggest I am too impoverished to shop in a general store?!

“Actually, Could you open this case for me? I would like to check the merchandise for a purchase.” I think his eyes twitching a little… Did I say something wrong?

[Male clerk] Of couse he couldn’t just walk away, but he grudgingly opened the case with a scowl on his face. “Better not try any funny business, and no reading any of it. Ya gotta pay for it first.”

I thanked him but he just stood there all crotchety like I stepped on his foot. I quickly turned to the case and scanned for the products I was interested in. I quickly found a thick green empty tome with a latch and key on the side covered in a reptilian hide. The book was at least six hundred pages judging from the thickness. I’m pretty sure it was ten gold because it had a large round piece of amber inlayed in the front.

It was expensive, but I was going to use it as my spell book in the future. I also picked out four smaller green leather bound books about two hundred pages thick. These were to copy the class books into for my own use after this week. They were 1 gold each, but they weren’t anything special.

Finally finished shopping I stood up with the books in hand. After fishing the gold out of my bag the man closed the case and left back to the counter to store his new funds. I think he was pretty surprised when I actually handed it over to him. He was probably ready to call me a thief or liar.

Still though, I wasn’t done shopping yet. I went over to a rack stacked with clothing items and other wearable items. I looked for about thirty minutes before I found what I was interested in. I wasn’t necessarily looking for the clothes themselves, but something to repair the ones he had when needed.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I found a spool of thick corded cotton-like material, and a small leather folding kit with some tweezers and a small selection of needles ranging up to four inches long. It would run a whole whopping 3 silvers. I considered it a steal really, considering how thin the metal work was.

I paid at the desk and left a somewhat confused, but nonetheless happy man behind. I decided to cut my spree short and head back to the academy. That was what the tower was, as far as I knew.

The crowds were just as bad, but I hustled my way through with better efficiency than before, seeing as I wasn’t shopping anymore.

I arrived at the dining hall just as dinner was being served. A soup it seemed today, the bread was the highlight though having a cheesy layer. Completely stuffed, I made my way up towards my room to unload my stuff.

I had basically been carrying everything I started with in my pack, since I wanted to know what things to look for and compare prices and such.

When I arrived in my hall, there was a very minimal traffic going back and forth. What I do know is none of it was good, hence why I got my key out to run for my door. Of course nothing ever works out the way you plan.

As you could probably guess, the Orcish group must not have been happy for about me extorting money from their idol. Looking back on what I did, I should’ve turned tail and ran back down the staircase. I am not the smartest person though.

The orcs, as it turns out are very fast and they were all currently in possession of some dangerously large maces. It didn’t take me long to reach my room, but they were on me like flies on shit I tell you.

I had just inserted the key when I felt a vice-like grip wrench me from the door. I don’t know what kind of training they were doing, but it wasn’t the gentle kind.

I was still carrying my slim pack so the impact on the floor when he threw me ten yards into the wall was only slightly dampened by all my books. Of course, the asses they were I wasn’t given a chance to get up.

The largest one from the group knelt on my chest eliciting a slight crackling noise from my ribs. Then he laughed! Jerk number one then pulled a dagger from behind himself and placed the tip on my left shoulder. The thin leather padding didn’t do much to resist and he plunged the whole thing in between the joint popping and cutting as my arm lost any ability to move.

The pain was incredible, and I’m sure I would’ve passed out if they didn’t slamming their clubs into my legs. Each one progressively hurt worse, as the bones splintered and cracked. My kneecaps were practically gone after a whole minute of this.

Then they all took turns spitting in my face as I suffered for breath. I was completely helpless now. They were just too big, like big green statues come to life. I could feel three ribs at least snapped off as orc number one pushed himself off of me to stand.

Now my right lung was filling with fluids through a puncture going all the way through. They all laughed like maniacs as they bragged about who did the most damage.

Then just like nothing happened, despite the blood spattered around nearby, the first orc simply wrenched his serrated dagger from my wound and they all walked off. Not even a glance back, I think it might have even been an insult considering I felt I was worth thinking about at least.

I simply laid there until a gaggle of girls came up the stairs, of course they screeched like any horror movie I could remember. But, unlike the movies where they suddenly admit their love to you or cry over your body, these girls ran PAST me and didn’t stop until they reached their rooms.

I guess, considering it was kill or be killed, this was to be expected. Also, they probably didn’t wanna end up like me, the smear on the wall. I wasn’t having a good time, which was for sure. At least I still had money… for a short time I guess.

Oh pretty colors… wait! Don’t pass out, I’m gonna die! Wait, yes if I can heal the lung and open wounds, maybe I can wait until someone comes along that actually helps others.

With that I concentrated inwardly looking at my body like a 3d hologram. The damage came up as a red light, and I looked like a Christmas tree. Well time to get to work. I memorized the locations needing the spell most and opened my eyes while collecting mana in my hand.

Forming the circle, I slowly drew the runes including the ones for improve and grow. The torch-like pyramid appeared and I enlarged the globe until it was a few inches in diameter.

Pressing the tip into my skin I heard a sound like a vacuum sucking up water, and slowly as I moved around the lungs my breathing became easier and easier. 

It was bliss just having my breathing back, but now I could clearly concentrate on the pain resonating around my body. Thankfully I still had one good arm because otherwise it would’ve been hard to reach my other limbs.

Pulling myself into a sitting position against the wall, I started healing my shoulder. But everything took enormous amounts of mana to actually repair.

Before, it was just bruises and the muscle made was more like converting body fat. This was fabrication out of nowhere, besides the destroyed muscle and bone I absorbed, which still barely affected the dent in mana. I guess bone takes a lot of effort to stitch together or replace.

I was still in pain but, I started a second set of runes on my left hand as well when I felt confident it was functional and started in on both legs working my way down devouring and realigning bones to at least save the limb. By the time I was done, I looked ridiculous and I was still missing the muscle. But I still had legs, even if they looked like noodles.

The feet were a little tricky, and I’m still not sure whether the tendons are in the right place, but now I just sat back reminiscing in the relief from escaping the pain.

Who knew it felt this good to be crippled or emaciated on a brick floor? Anyway, I sat there a while just waiting for someone to come by to get a teacher but I was sorely disappointed when it became late and no-one else came along.

I guess the orcs threatened anyone who helped or stayed in the halls late today. I thought of a lot of things as I sat in silent darkness simply staring at the stairs. Every now and again a person would walk up or down but didn’t glance in at me. Every time was like another strike to me.

I had helped most of these kids find their mana or gave them notes in classes, and not one looked back at me. Like a greasy burger wrapper after you ate its contents, I had lost their appeal. Actually, most probably thought I was dead by now including the orcs. Heck, by the time the girls past I was barely breathing at the time.

Well, if no-one’s gonna help me I’ll just have to help myself. Of course my legs were worthless, but I managed to flop onto my belly before I crawled towards my door. The bag was holding me down like a cinderblock, but there was no way I was leaving it behind.

 Reaching the door I leaned against it to get it opened with minimal issues, before crawled into my bed after making sure my door was locked. I passed out as soon as I laid on the rough material of my blankets.

(kind of slow here in the beginning, but I am trying to establish rivalries and character development. leave comments if you see issues or questions please. thanks for reading again :) )