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Chapter 10 - Nami

Nami looked at her best friend in confusion at his statement and then rolled her eyes. Only Kin could turn a simple trip to a temple into an intelligence-gathering mission. To her dismay, her partner drew out her suspense by talking about his reaction to the temple. She gritted her teeth, knowing he was doing this on purpose to make her die of anticipation. But, she forgot her frustration when he described his battle with the bandit in the temple. She felt her fury rising with each word from her partner's lips and her vision turned red. She cheered the loudest among the audience as he explained how he destroyed the crystal. He then took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry Nami, I ruined one of your knives."

Nami giggled and kissed the back of his hand. "I think I can forgive that since we are not up to our waists in Shades right now."

Dyric looked on and nodded before he said. "One knife for the lives of how many citizens? I would call that a bargain. Also, I cannot believe this Colburn would tell you the location of the bandit base and then leave you alive."

Nami felt her blood run cold at her fiancee's response. "Agreed. I felt like either he wanted me to tell you all or he was going to kill me anyway so it did not matter if he told me or not."

Nami took her hand away from Kin's grip and bit her lip in worry. "But, why would he want us to come to attack him? That makes no sense."

Kin reached out and ran a hand through her hair to calm her nerves. Dyric shook his head and replied. "Unless this was a trap. If they manage to kill a Dove captain, they will earn a reputation. One that will all but make sure they are not challenged again. I now worry about marching our forces right up to the gates of the fortress knowing it might be in their plans."

Nami saw Kin get his mischievous grin on his face, the one that had gotten on her nerves so much growing up. It was the face he made when they played cards and had an ace in his hand.

"What was that secret you mentioned?" Nami demanded as she put her hands on her hips and glared at her childhood friend.

"Right," Kin ran a hand through his hair and turned to face the audience. "There is a secret tunnel around the back of the fort that the Doves used for escape in case of fire. Toothless told me he and Scar found it recently when they were being punished and had not told anyone about it. The passage is narrow and hides among the underbrush. It comes out into the cellars behind a locked door. Even if they guard it, a few good archers should be able to open the passage for us to pour into the fort."

Nami's eyes widen in wonder at the news, sure this was the answer they were seeking. At the same time, Dyric smacked himself on the head and turned away from the crowd.

"Of course! I should have thought of that already. Most of the older Dove Forts had an escape tunnel like that. My teacher back at main camp would flay me alive for forgetting that detail."

Nami saw Kin reach over and pat the older warrior on the shoulder and her heart warmed. She liked the captain from the short time she had known him and was glad to see her partner was warming up to him as well. She came out of her thoughts as Kin spoke.

"There is still the issue of the door in the cellar we would need to open. I don't suppose you all have the key laying around somewhere do you?"

Again there was a shake of the dark-haired man's head. "I'm afraid not. We do have a key for a fort closer to Crater City but not for the one they're referring to. They abandoned the fort before I was born. Don't worry though, we'll find a solution."

"I can be of help with that.' A booming voice came through the crowd and Nami saw Hugh walking forward. He strolled up to the stage and paused before the stage, his bulk making even the men in the crowd seem small.

Nami grinned as Dyric took a look over the massive man. "Well met friend. Let me guess, you're gonna break the door down?"

Hugh tossed his head back and laughed. "But of course, the only way I know how to handle a locked door. I suspect there will be a lot of noise when the door comes down though."

Dyric offered his hand and the two men clasped arms. "That's alright. We will manage somehow. Thanks for your help." He turned to look at the audience. "These three have given us a fighting chance! Are you going to let their hard work go to waste?"

The crowd replied with a resounding "NO," and even Nami could feel the energy of the crowd in their response.

The captain pumped his fist into the air. "Now, go and get some rest, my friends. Since we have a location and a lead, we will head out as soon as we can to deal with these bandits. It will take us over a day to reach the fort, we will need to prepare tomorrow and I would like everyone to pitch in. Hopefully, we can set out at first light the day after tomorrow."

As he finished, Dyric turned on his heel and started marching back to the Dove camp. Nami glanced over at Kin who was watching the man walk away.

"He is a natural leader. We'll be alright with him leading the way."

Nami grinned and elbowed him. "Agreed. I feel a lot less nervous about the battle with him at the reigns. Now, shall we go to the inn and rest up?"

Kin wrapped an arm around her waist. "That sounds lovely, though I want to talk to Hugh first."

She saw him look in the direction of the large man and frowned. Turning her head, she noticed that Hugh has vanished again.

"How does such a large man vanish like that?"

Kin shrugged. "Beats me, but I would like to learn that. It could be a useful talent. Come on, let's go."

Nami winked and wrapped her arms around his as the two of them headed off to the inn together.

***

They arrived at a two-story building facing the Temple of the Guardians in the square. The inn resembled the temple, they were both built from stone. The sign out front declared it The Three Pines Inn. It featured three pine trees forming a triangle under the words. The door was standing wide open, allowing the wonderful scent of stew to permeate the air. There was smoke coming from the chimney, a welcome sight as the warm day gave way to a chilly night. The partners walked right in and were once again amazed at the inside.

The inn's main room was open and spacey. A desk for checking in sat facing the door with a staircase behind it going up to the second floor. The rest of the first floor was a large dining room with enough tables and chairs that could sit a hundred people. There were already a few parties eating at the tables. A door on the west wall lead into what must be the kitchen area and that was where that stew smell came wafting from. Nami felt her mouth water as her stomach rumbled, reminding her how long ago their merger lunch had been. She forced her mind to focus and looked upwards towards the top of the staircase.

The second floor of the inn was not a floor but a walkway that wrapped around the main room. There was a bunch of doors leading into the various rooms. Kin nudged her, he looked impressed too.

"Wow, how did they got up there to build all those rooms," he wondered aloud and she could not help but agree. Then there was a chuckle from an older man who had been eating at a nearby table. He had the blazing red eyes of a Red Phoenix and his hair was snow white. He likely had once been tall and built but he was now stooped and wrinkled. He had a large oak cane sitting in the chair to his left.

"Ladders, lad, and a bunch of determination! Also patience and care. My great-grandfather used to tell us the story of how his brother had too much cider one day before work. He fell right where you're standing now."

Nami covered her mouth as she gasped. "Oh, oh I'm so sorry."

The man threw his head back and laughed. "No, no lass. He was miraculously unharmed, no need to worry. Are you here for rooms?"

Nami saw her partner nod as he replied, "yes, sir! One room though is fine."

Now she was in no way ashamed to claim Kin as hers in public. But the shrewd look the older man gave them made her blush deeper than she had in some time.

"Oh ho? Makes me think of me and my wife when we were young, Lady blesses her soul. You on your ordeal then? Also, have a seat. It's hard for these old bones to look up these days."

Nami moved over to sit down facing the man, while Kin took the chair to her left. "Sorry sir, we check in at the counter back home."

The man waved this away with a flourish of his spoon. "It's quite alright, lass. I leave that kind of thing to my daughter and granddaughter now. Even sitting on a stool tall enough to get over the desk is too hard on me anymore. But for such a nice young couple, I can handle your check-in. Long as you keep it down tonight if you get what I mean." The man then winked at them. Nami saw, to her amusement, that Kin had turned red from blushing.

"T… that won't be a problem." He stuttered before casting a pleading look her way. She would have fun with this later.

"Yes, that will not be a problem, sir."

The man grinned and reached over into the left chair and pulled out a pad of parchment and a quill and ink bottle. "Alright, my name is Einar. If you need anything, you can come to me or Eria, my granddaughter. What are your names for the book?"

Nami smiled at the kind old man and spoke for both of them. "I'm Nami Forgewood, and this is my partner Kin Hearthstone."

There was a ripping sound as the quill shoved through the parchment. It was like Nami had slapped the old man across the face. One moment he was grinning and smiling and the next he was somber and terrified.

"Forgewood and Hearthstone, you say?" He asked, no trace of mirth left in his voice. "How are you two even in the same room together, left alone sitting at the same table?"

Nami felt her throat constrict in fear at the man's reaction. It was one thing for their fathers to tell them about the family feud. It was another having a total stranger judge them based on their names. Then the fear disappeared and replaced with a white-hot fury. Kin must have noticed her reaction as he reached over and stroked her hair, distracting her from her rage.

"We grew up away from the main branches of our families sir, we only learned of the feud a few days ago ourselves. We have nothing to do with anything you might have heard."

"Heard?" The old man barked a laugh, but this time it was cold and heartless. "Several of my friends have lost their businesses or even children to the damn feud." He was raising his voice now, all but shouting at the couple. "And you expect me to just let you stay in the same room together? Your kin will burn my inn to the ground if they find out."

Nami felt tears sting her eyes. This was so unfair, why did she and Kin have to suffer this man's ire when they were innocent. She finally managed to gather her voice to tell the man off but Kin beat her to the punch. "I am sorry those things happened to you sir, truly I am. We had nothing to do with our extended family until now and have nothing to do with their crimes. Please, sir, we don't mean you or your family any harm."

She bit her tongue, she longed to give this man a piece of her mind but even she could tell her beloved had the right idea. This man had seen some horrible stuff to have such a drastic reaction to their names alone. The man rose to his feet and grabbed his cane.

"I want the pair of you out of my inn, right this minute…" He started before a loud cough came from the kitchen door. Nami looked around for the sound. A medium-height blonde woman standing there, glaring at the older man. She wore an apron and light clothes meant for working in the kitchens. Her eyes were the same blazing red as the old man’s were and her cheekbones were sharp and defined. She looked like she could not only take a punch but return it twice over. The tough-looking woman stepped out into the dining room.

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"That will be quite enough, grandfather."

"But Eria my dear, these kids…" The old man began, only to silenced by his grandchild's glare.

"Are two young people in love. You should not punish people for whom they love. If they say they are not connected to their feuding families, that's good enough for me."

"But…" He started one more time but bit his lip in defeat. He got up and hobbled away from the pair, not even looking at them.

Nami felt the strength drain from her as the argument came to an end and she sunk to her knees. Eria stepped over and offered her a hand, which she accepted.

"I'm sorry about him, he was only trying to protect the inn. Please do not think badly of him, he is right about the feud causing more harm than good."

Nami puffed her cheeks up, still upset. "But that has nothing to do with us! Our father's left and started a smithy together!"

She raised an eyebrow, "Ah, you would be Alaister and Heath's kids then?" A smile appeared on her face as she asked this question.

"Yes," Kin confirmed as he took Nami's hand and squeezed to help calm her down. "They are our parents. You know them?"

"Aye, that I do. When your fathers fled Crater City, they stopped here and stayed a few days. They used fake names on the book, something I recommend you two do in the city, by the way. Mother got the full story out of them over cider. I was six at the time but she let me stay up to listen."

Nami smiled as she saw Kin roll his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like our fathers. They do love their cider." She could not have agreed more, that was their one clear weakness.

Eria picked up the quill and Nami watched as she wrote: Kin and Nami, surnames omitted. The letters were in dark ink and she exhaled on them to force the ink to dry faster. The woman then handed over a key to Nami. "Here you are my dears, a key to your room. I'm again sorry that my grandfather caused you so much grief. I'll have my beloved prepare you some warm cider before bed tonight, as a treat."

Nami flushed, a bit ashamed of the way she had reacted during the whole situation. She was also humbled by the kindness of this stranger. "Oh, no ma'am," She forced out. "I can't ask for more after you got us a room for the night."

Eria chuckled and waved this away. "Nonsense, Nami. My dear Torunn is a little shy around strangers though, so I'll bring up the drinks. You two rest and feel better after that ordeal."

Nami smiled, her anger washed away by Eria's kindness. "Thank you, ma'am, you are too kind."

The innkeeper waved her hand in dismissal as she turns to make her way to other clients. Nami felt her hand taken by her partner's as he begin to tug her towards the stairs. She followed Kin up to the room that Eria had indicted for them and he opened the door for her. Once inside the room, she felt her strength drain from her as she slumped to the floor. She could not decide if she wanted to cry or rage again more at that moment. Her partner helped her remove her equipment.

Nami felt Kin's presence beside her as he knelt and wrapped her in his strong arms. "It's gonna be alright," she heard him whisper as he made small circles on her back. She allowed herself to indulge in this for a few minutes before she moved out of his arms and sat down on the bed. She watched him rise and look at her, concern written on his face.

"Thank you, Kin. I needed that." She flashed her partner a genuine smile to let him know she was okay. He sighed in relief and returned her smile.

"I'm so glad. I honestly thought you were gonna attack the old man for a moment there."

Nami lay back on the bed to stare up at the ceiling."I thought I was ready for it, you know? When our parents warned us about the feud, I thought it couldn't feel worse. But now, it's like a hand is gripping my heart Kin. And we are still weeks away from Crater City! How much worse is it going to be when we are in the city where the feud is?"

Nami watched Kin sit down in a chair near the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wish I had the answers. What our families did to this guy, Jakob, and countless others is horrible. What grudge could be worth ruining people's lives?"

Nami shrugged in defeat. "Who knows? Anyways, I doubt it could be worth that. I swear, if it turns out to be something silly, I'm gonna punch someone. There's sure to be several people in our families that deserve it."

To his credit, her best friend tried to stifle his laugh, but he failed and started to laugh aloud. When he calmed down, he reached over to run a hand through her hair, making her breath catch. "If you do, I wanna be there to see that. It will likely ruin the ordeal for us but watching you knock out a bigot will be worth it."

She joined him in laughing. "Alright, it's a promise. If I have to punch them, I'll make sure your watching. Now, let's get some food and head to bed. We have a long day ahead of us. Oh, and a bath. We must smell awful!"

Feeling better, Nami was much lighter as they finished their day out. And the cider that Torunn made? She would take this fact to her grave, but it was even better than her father’s was.

***

The next morning, Kin and Nami were up and dressed before the sun had even begun to rise in the east. Eria brought them some warm nut bread and butter to break their fast. all too soon they headed off to meet with Dyric. Nami had left her bow in the inn but had her daggers with her. Kin had his sword strapped to his back as usual but had left armor and shield behind.

They arrived in the main square to find Dyric going over a checklist with a tall woman in a smiths apron. As they approached, Nami could hear the woman berating the captain. She giggled as she heard the seasoned warrior sounding nervous at her verbal assault.

"Look, every man and woman has the right to enlist in the invasion force. I cannot be held responsible for…"

He stopped as the woman glared even more and spoke. "But how am I to get all the weapons and gear ready for tomorrow if you have poached all my workers! Give me back at least one or two of them to get things sorted."

Dyric shook his head, trying to remain firm. "I'm sorry, but they need to drill. They have no experience in battle, and taking them with us could get them killed. I'm sure you don't want that."

The smith sighed in defeat. "I don't. I don't know how I'm gonna get everything ready by tomorrow alone either."

Nami reached over to nudge Kin forward, only to find him stepping forward on his own. She smiled in pride at her partner.

"Hey," Kin waved at the pair and they turned to look at him. "I can help you. I'm battle-trained already so I have nothing else to do today."

The woman looked him up and down, the look on her face was not a pleased one. "Hmm, you don't seem the smith type, boy. Have you ever swung a smithing hammer?"

"All my life." Kin replied with a serious expression. "I'm Kin Hearthstone, and forging is in my blood."

The woman blinked and turned to Dyric. "Why didn't you tell me you had a Hearthstone smith hiding in your pocket? I'm sure we'll be fine if you lend him to me."

Dyric winked back. "I didn't know that was a big name in these parts."

The smith scoffs. "You have a lot to learn, captain. A Hearthstone Smith is one of the best in the Dale." She wrapped her arm around Kin's shoulder. "Come along lad. We have a lot of work and not enough hours to do it in."

"So, it's another day in the forge?" Nami could not help but roll her eyes at Heath's joke coming from her lover's lips.

"Oy, I like this one." She looked at Nami. "You alright with me stealing him for a few hours?"

Nami gripped her hands behind her back. "Nah, go right on ahead. Make him work like a dog."

Kin put on a look of mock hurt. "You wound me, love." He leans in and kisses her cheek. "See you later."

Nami waved as he and the smith head off to the forge. Dyric grinned and waved her over to his side.

"Well, that's one problem dealt with. You up to helping out too?"

"Sure," she replied. "What do you need me to do?"

"We need to prepare traveling rations for the group and we need a lot of salt. There is a warehouse on the outskirts of town where they store salt among other things. Can I get you to bring me one of the medium slat crates?"

Nami did not hesitate to nod in the affirmative. "No problem at all Dyric. I can even help out with preparation if you like, I used to help my teacher salt meat for longer hunting trips."

The captain chuckled in response and handed her a set of keys. "Really? You and Kin have been Lady-sent, I swear. In that case, take the crate to Simeon at the temple. We are using the kitchens there as they are the biggest in the city."

"Got it!" She snapped her fist to her chest in a salute and headed off on her mission.

***

Nami reached the edge of town about twenty minutes later. She had thought she would have trouble finding the warehouse. But to her surprise, the mass of building vanished with only a single building beyond them. About 200 meters from the building was the treeline for the ever-present forest. It was not a very big building, only a single floor but is longer than it was wide. It had no windows at all to let in daylight. The entrance was a large set of double doors with a single padlock holding it closed. She could not help but grin at the sight. Nami chuckled, if she and Kin had grown up here, they would have gotten in trouble. This warehouse would be a prime location for one of their adventures.

She approached the doors and the key slid into the lock with little effort. The key turned and she felt the padlock click open. At that same moment, she had a strange feeling someone was watching her. She whirled around and examined the treeline. Alarmed, she found the feeling was growing stronger and threw herself to the side. Not a moment later, there was a heavy thud as something buried itself in the door.

Hitting the ground, she launched herself into a roll and got on the side of the warehouse. As she was going, she was able to see an arrow sticking out from the door right in the path her leg was in. She launched herself to her feet and dashed to the backside of the building, where the shooter could not hit her. Sinking to rest on the ground, she winched as her side ached. She realized she must have hit the ground a little too hard back there. As she drew her blades from her jacket she was mentally berating herself for leaving her bow back in the inn. As she hid there, she heard a voice call out from the direction of the forest.

"You dodged my shot? I'm impressed girl, really I am. I had meant to put my arrow in your leg since your such a pretty little thing. You would have made us a decent sum on the market. Shame, now you will have to die instead."

She caught her breath and risked looking over the side of the warehouse. She saw a tall blonde haired man standing by the forest. He had on a yellow tunic and a simple coonskin cap. He had a longbow on his back and a short bow in his hand. She could not make out much more about him at this range but she could tell his eyes were not glowing. He must be a Common Phoenix like the bandits Kin called Scar and Toothless. She decided to call him Yellow for now.

"Are you so sure that's how this is gonna end?" Nami asked, stalling for time as she moved back into safety. She had six throwing blades on her which would usually never win against a bow. But she had trained under the Gami herself. She could hit a target at pretty much any distance if it was possible.

"Yes, I am quite sure." And then she heard him whistle. "These will finish you off. Farewell girl."

A moment later, three large growls came from the direction of the forest. She could recognize that sound. It was Shade corrupted beasts, likely wolves. That was worse, last time she had been at range with her bow. And her arrows had melted in the process too, which she hoped would not happen to the precious blades. Then she swore as she recalled Kin had lost her seventh blade destroying a Shade Shard the previous day.

Nami risked another look around the warehouse. She found the man was vanishing into the trees as three dark wolves began to emerge. She blinked in shock as they passed the man unmolested. Why didn't they attack him too? She did not have time to consider this as the beasts began to rush at her. She kicked herself up onto her feet again and glanced around desperately for a place to make a stand. She found the perfect place a moment later, though it was hardly a safe one. There was a raised area where someone chopped wood. She dashed over to the area and jumped onto it and waited. She knew the beasts would overtake her if she ran now. Her only hope was to try and wound them so they could not follow her. Then she could dash for help from Dyric and the others in the town proper.

The three wolves came around the warehouse and started making their way to her, slow and steady. This confused Nami, she was sure the beasts would have rushed her as soon as they were in sight. Not one to miss a chance, she flicks her wrist as Gami taught her and sent her first blade at the middle creature. The monster did not even get a chance to yelp in shock as the blade buried itself in its eye. It dropped to the ground, dissolving into shadows. When they vanished there was nothing left. She groaned, she would run out of weapons sooner rather than later. The other two creatures growled and rushed at Nami, their caution gone in their anger.

She threw her other blade and then drew two more. To her horror, the wolf she had thrown the blade at had moved its tail up. The appendage stretched twice its normal length and intercepted the blade. The blade bounced off the thick fur and landed on the ground. She gritted her teeth as the beasts reached her platform. As the left one jumped up next to her, she whirled and struck the beast into the muzzle with both blades flashing. The creature roared and jumped back from the razor-sharp attack. But there was no rest for Nami, as the second creature jumped at her. She stepped to the side and brought her right hand up in an arc and buried the dagger in the beast's jaw. She found the fur there must be thinner as the blade dug into her target. But it did not seem to be enough to put it down.

Nami jumped off the platform and drew another blade as the wounded wolf jumped back on. She squared her shoulders and stood her ground as the beast attacked, assuming it was going for a bite. This was her mistake, but, as the beast instead brought its paw around and raked her leg with its claws. She screamed in pain as she felt the skin on her leg shred. The creature must have claws that rival a mountain lion to do this much damage. Every instinct was telling her to look down and check the shape of her leg but she dared not take her eyes off her foes. Besides, the wet and sticky feeling on her leg told her she had lost alot of blood. Then her leg buckled and she tumbled to the ground.

Nami panted, not even able to ready herself for another attack. Her chances of running had now dropped to zero. Her only regret as she prepared herself to go down swinging was that she never got to see Kin again. Feeling the deep guilt in her chest. She screamed in defiance as the dark wolves came to finish her. She closed her eyes as she struck with both blades. Yet, the blades only struck air. The feeling of impact and sharp fangs never came. She opened her eyes and could not believe what she saw.

Both wolves were turning into shadows, their heads severed from their bodies. A short distance from the corpses was a girl with her back to Nami. She had long dark brown hair tied in a braid down to her bottom. Her skin was as pale as a Red Phoenix's was in the winter when the sun would hide behind the clouds. She wore Green Phoenix clothing that accented her looks. Her waist was completely exposed between the hem of her short pants and shirt. Her build was identical to Kin's, she was wry and lithe like a swordswoman should be. Nami blinked, transfixed by her radiant beauty.

Her savior had killed the beasts with a long sword that was almost identical to Kin's. She was sheathing it even as Nami stared. Then the girl turned to face her right as the sword clicked into place. She felt like someone had hit her in the stomach. The girl was so pretty already but her face multiplied this. She looked like a celestial being that had descended into the world. The odd part was, she could not describe what the girl looked like otherwise. It was like some kind of force was hiding her form.

Finally, Nami made it to her eyes. This was the part that hit her the hardest. Her eyes were glowing like a Phoenix but were not any of the four main colors. Her eyes were such a dark purple, they might as well be black and glowing. The girl slipped the sword onto her back and finally she was able to find her voice.

"Thank you for saving me. Who are you?" She tried to rise and felt her leg give way again.

The girl clicked her tongue. "Do not try to stand, Nami. Help is already on the way, just rest there. You fought well, but it is unwise to go without your main weapon."

Nami was taken aback by the girl's chiding. "Alright, I know that was dumb but who are you to tell me that?" It was at that moment, she realized the girl had called her by name. "How did you know my name?"

The girl smiled weakly and placed a hand on Nami's head. "It is too soon for these questions, Nami, as it is too soon for us to meet. We will meet for real soon. Farewell for now."

They were a dark purple flash from the girl's hand and Nami knew no more. When she woke up again, she had no memory of this strange encounter.

***

Nami came to in the bed of her inn room and stared up at the ceiling. She blinked her eyes and wrinkled her nose. Why didn't she hurt? She should be in agony right now. She sat up and took inventory of herself. Her clothes were gone and replaced with a simple tunic. She examined her bare leg and found there was not a mark on it. She went to sit up further and felt a hand push her back down gently. A wave of dizziness swept through her at the same time. She glanced over and saw Kin next to her bed, a worried expression on her face.

"Hey." He gives her a watery smile. "You worried us there, Nami."

She smiled and sat up, waving away his next attempt to stop her. "Sorry, I got ambushed. I guess someone came and saved me? I thought for sure I was a goner."

The expression on her partner's face told her this was not the case. "No, you were alone when you were found. Hugh told us he found three Shade puddles near where you fell. You must have blacked out right after killing them."

She pursed her lips as she considered this. "I recall being unable to fight anymore and bracing myself to be attacked.. and then nothing. I have no memories beyond that. Why is my leg better?"

Her best friend sat down beside her on the bed and she couldn't help but lean over to rest her head on his shoulder. "You can thank Hillevi the cleric for that. She used her magic to restore your injuries but she said you are to rest in bed until tomorrow morning just in case."

She pouted, hating to be confined to bed and wanted to argue with him. But then she yawned as a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

"See, you not ready yet to be up and about." She watched detached as Kin helped her lay back on the bed and tucked her in. "Rest now, so you'll be ready for tomorrow."

"Alright…" Nami yawned again and felt herself sink into sleep. She didn't wake again until morning.