ISMUND

> [Congratulations! Due to your one on one with a toad, you’ve become more powerful!]

> [Body: C- (10->15 /1000)]

> [Soul: D- (47/50 -> 3/500)]

> [It also Looks like you’ve been pretty banged up! Oh no, what will I ever do? Nothing. Have fun with that! The list of injuries are as follows: broken ja--]

I tuned out the damage notifications and focused on the upgrades. I was happy with strength and soul going up. My soul was finally back into average tier instead of well… not being that. It felt easier to think my own thoughts and be decisive. I wanted more of that back.

Other than that, I was disappointed when I got the notification that the room was cleared. I hadn’t been able to fight the micro-tone man.

It doesn’t matter if I can’t see as much. I could still probably figure out where the guy was… eventually. My eye’s aren’t that messed up.

They were, admittedly getting worse as time went on seeing that it was stuck to my eyes.

“Thanks for fighting the announcer Abs…” Drifa’s voice was quite and coming from the floor.

I tried to look at her, but all I saw was muted colors all blended together in blobs. There was one blob of white against all the other beige’s, blacks and browns.

That’s probably her head.

"Myyyy pleasure! I love beatin' tha' guy up. He’s fun~.” Abs piped up from above me and then laughed.

Fump.

“I tried eatin' those tomato’s once, they taste pretty rotten. Spoiled rich kids can’t hold their drink which makes them perfect for making bets with once they’re drunk. They’re pockets are stuffed.” His voice was coming from further down than it was before.

“Hey Abs?” Drifa said a little hesitant.

“What is it low one?” Abs said with a teasing voice.

It sounded like Drifa was shifting her position.

“Can me and Ismund have a rest before we move on?”

I hadn’t noticed it much from all the adrenaline earlier, but all the pain was really starting to kick in and it was just getting worse. I clenched my fists and hid a wince.

“Why’d you need that?”, It sounded like Abs opened a bottle.

“Well, that tomato gave me food poisoning, and It looks like Ismund’s jaw broke and I don’t think he can see.”

We don’t need a break. We’re almost done this place to. She’s just hiding from the dungeon like usual. This is no place for weakness, she needs to realize that before she gets us killed somehow.

“I know. And?”

I actually agree with him for once.

Everything went silent for a bit other than what sounded like Abs walking away. I did my best to follow him but I ended up hitting something. I changed my direction a bit and kept following.

Drifa didn’t move.

“Uhm, Abs, I won’t… uh, make anymore sausages if, if you go there!” She seemed uncertain as she said it.

I already have some food from last time, it doesn’t matter if we just hop right into the boss battle.

I wanted to say as much but as soon as I opened my mouth it felt like white hot needles were stabbing into my jaw in and out, over and over again. I immediately closed what little of my mouth had been opened end let out loud muffled grunt. My hand reached out and carefully touched the hot, swollen skin there.

I can talk with my mouth closed.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but I couldn’t actually feel my tongue or chin.

No talking then.

My face pulled into a scowl as I ‘looked’ around myself.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“—along with that I love sausages. Not as much as pork chop. Pork chop ish a darrrling!” Abs slurred out. I had missed what they had said earlier.

She tricked him. She’s so manipulative, just like in the town.

I tried to find the exit. I couldn’t.

I tried to find Drifa’s head and glared at it.

This is stupid.

A cold hand grabbed my wrist loosely.

“We’re making camp in the uhm… arena there,” Drifa said, “Can you go there so I can fix your jaw?”

I don’t have much of a choice now do I? Of course you ask now, after you’ve already gotten rid of my options.

I rolled my eyes and followed wherever she was tugging me.

My shins hit against a few things and I kicked a few of the debris around with my feet. Unsurprisingly, it was fine going up the stairs, my toes just scuffed against the steps a bit. I sat down once I was on top of the now somehow clean arena.

Where’d all the acid go?

“Can you still make a fire?” Drifa asked me.

I nodded my head lightly and pulled some toothpicks from my inventory and lit them up. I was able to see the light better than anything else. My mouth twitched up.

“Abs do you think we can burn the chairs? They have some wood in them or something, right?”

He responded with the sounds of creaking metal and snapping from below us.

We should gather up some of the metal. That could be worth a lot.

I sat in silence for a while as Drifa cooked.

“It’s done!” She called out, mostly for my benefit. I could hear Abs eating already.

Where’s my sausages?

“Here, Ismund.”

She pushed something that smelled like cinnamon, ginger, and something else my way. It was in some metal cup.

“Don’t spill it.”

Great. So I don’t even get the food I paid for. The alcoholic who probably has his own food gets it.

I pushed the tea back towards her and grabbed a sausage from my inventory only to pause.

Right.

If I couldn’t open my mouth, how did I plan on eating.

Drifa pushed the drink into my hand again and I took it. It didn’t smell bad.

I took a sip.

“Do you like it?” Drifa said hopefully.

I made a non-committal humming sound she probably couldn’t hear, but it was pretty good.

“Well, ah, I’ll fix your jaw so you can, y’know, use it later.” She let out a nervous laugh.

I could tell she was doing something with whatever magic she had, but I couldn’t actually feel anything near the fracture yet.

“I never knew that before…” She said.

“What?” Abs said.

“Well there’s some… what look like nerves in the jaw.”

“Well, duh.” Abs said then, “Haven’t you ever been in a bar fight?”

"Ehh, no. But I’ve seen a few when I worked”

“What about you Izzy boy?” Abs said.

I hate that ‘name’.

I frowned and tried to glare in his general direction.

“Oho! You haven’t? Too scared?,” I clenched my jaw only to have it lash out in pain.

“I should change that at some point. Pork Chop’s great at that actually.”

I was hit on the head with his hammer shaped flask and felt a little warmer from it like I was drinking some beer.

He then hit me again, again, and again on the same spot while making ‘bonking’ sound effects like I was some child. Each I was hit, It Jostled my jaw causing more pain.

I tried to grab his hand the next time, I missed and Abs just laughed loudly.

I caught it the next time.

“Ohhhh? Do you want a swig? Sure!”

Abs let go of it and let me hold it. I could see where the fire was. I threw it into the fire where all the chairs were burning. The fire roared and went even brighter for a few moments as it burned the drink.

Maybe I can have some peace and qu—

“What did you do! Pork Chop!” Abs shouted.

His fist slammed into the ground.

“Why?”

Because it’s stupid and you were hitting me with it.

I couldn’t tell him that even if I wanted to.

“Absinth, I don’t think he can really uh… say anything.” Drifa said timidly.

Two meaty hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me making my head spin. His disgusting breath wafted over me.

“Do You want to join Pork Chop? Do ya!”

He threw me to the ground. The pain was so much worse than before, it was hard to tell that anything else was hurting.

Drifa gasped in disbelief.

I probably shouldn’t do that next time.

“I won’t throw you in the fire… I still think you can redeem yourself a bit. But, if you don’t: you’ll be visiting her gorgeous bright flames at a later date.” He paused and gripped my jaw tightly in his bulky sweaty hands and made me turn this way and that. It was so tight I tasted blood, “Well, If he can’t talk, better help him with that pursuit, huh?” Abs said in a rough voice.

“Wait! Abs, please stop.” Drifa squeaked out.

“Why? I don’t see any reason to care about the guy.”

“There is!” She said defensively.

“Like what?” Abs ground out.

I tried to grab his hands off me but it didn’t work.

“Well, I mean, he’s fighting these monsters—”

“Pfft, anyone can do that Missy. He isn’t good company. Always quiet, self absorbed, or glaring. No fun if you ask me. And he THREW PORK CHOP INTO THE BLASTED FIRE.” He was shouting at both of us now and neither of us could do much for it.

“Please?” She said between sobs.

Absinth’s warm hand started squeezing my jaw tighter. I tasted more blood and felt like I’d feint. I couldn’t really move from the pain: it was searing electric bolts tearing away at my mind. My ears were ringing.

“We can get Pork Chop out of the fire once it cools down!” Drifa said in a hopeful voice.

“You think?” Abs said on edge.

“I do!” her voice wavered.

He let go of me and my head hit the floor and stars danced in my vision.

Drifa grunted and did her best to pull me away from Absinth.

“Hey you!”

“What—”

“Not you, Drifa. Ismund. I have a special treat for you.” He said the end bit in a way that sounded too happy. “My Aura has the ability to make whoever I want in it drunk. Whenever your healing more alcohol will be added to your system. The more you hurt something, like say~… the Boss? You’ll also have more alcohol added to your system.” He started laughing loudly.

“Don’t worry, Drifa, I’ve made this a special treat just for Ismund.”