Stepping back to observe his handiwork, Ark wiped the sweat from his brow as he eyed the woman bleeding profusely from her broken legs and arms.
Her breathing came out shallow and ragged, her voice, long since lost from the screams she let out as Ark broke her.
Cruel? Probably, but Ark decided to take no chances with the bandit until he could secure her some place safe.
Still, he got the answers he wanted, just not the type of answers he actually wanted.
The woman was a sell sword, hired to eliminate Ark’s benefactor who had been buying up the slaves and interfering with the local underground market.
More specifically, that was her secondary objective, her primary goal had been to kidnap the twin girls Ark had seen in the woman's bedroom.
Apparently someone didn't take too kindly to the baroness shadowing their bid on the twins and while the bandit named Karja didn't have a name on her employer, she had something almost as good.
Access to the Black market.
All Ark needed to do was make sure she was alive enough to lead him to where he needed to go. However for now, he was too tired, in fact, he was struggling just to keep his eyes open.
“Keep circulating your ki, your injuries will heal… eventually,” Ark said, rising to his feet. Of course the severity of the woman's injuries would take days to fully recover, long enough for him to find a place to secure her.
Satisfied that the bandit couldn't go anywhere, Ark turned and left, moving swiftly through the foliage but not before marking his path.
Stepping from the forest, Ark frowned and rubbed his head, ignoring the migraine at the back of his eyes as he watched the manor burn from the fire he had created.
“Shit…” Ark muttered, his body racked with fatigue and falling to one knee.
“Young master!”
Sain appeared a moment later, the green-haired guard picking Ark up to carry him towards the baroness watching her home burn.
“Loyd!” Fey cried out, rushing towards him with tears and worry evident on her face. “Healer! Healer!”
“I'm fine! I'm okay…” Ark said, waving the woman off lethargically, “Sorry about the fire…”
“Don't worry about that, are you okay? Oh goddess, you're covered in blood!”
Ark opened his mouth to speak, yet weariness claimed his voice, instead, in the safety of his allies, he simply groaned while his eyes fluttered to the woman wearing vestments of a mage and carrying a wooden staff.
She began to chant, raising her focus into the air to command the magicil particles to bend to her will.
Listening in, Ark couldn't make since of the words, but he could feel it's power and the shift in the air as small clouds formed above the ignited manor.
Then it rained, a torrential storm isolated above the Fey household that swept away the fire.
Satisfied, Ark closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to finally fade away as the Baroness screamed his name.
****
Ark woke with a jolt, his eyes snapping open as he felt his body touched.
“Oh, forgive me milord! It wasn't my intention to wake you,” Vermel said, the young slave girl retreating from Ark’s half-naked form.
“What are you doing?” Ark asked, attempting to sit up only for a sharp pain to shoot through his core and lay him out.
“Oh! Please don't strain yourself milord,” Vermal said, “I was merely trying to change your bandages.”
Ark looked down, eyeing the burns that covered various spots of his body.
“Last time I trust a bird brain…” Ark growled.
“What was that milord?”
“Nothing, continue,” Ark said, closing his eyes, unable to muster the strength to protest even if he wanted.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Ark winced as the woman went to work, unaware that the injuries she was treating were already healing thanks to Ark circulating his ki.
Well… I guess I can chalk this up to ‘training to failure’.
Allowing his tense body to relax, Ark decided to open his system to pass the time.
[Level 1]
[EXP: 45/200]
-[HP: 10/15]
[Status: Fatigued(-2 to all stats)]
[Phoenix Points: 1]
[Stats]
-[STR: 7(-2)]
-[DEX: 5(-2)]
-[VIT: 5(-2)]
-[WILL: 18(-2)]
-[SENS: 7(-2)]
Seems like killing those bandits gained me a level… Ark said to himself before frowning at the debuff affecting his entire body and the new icon on his system.
I added it after reviewing our battle last night. Soliloquy explained, sitting on the pillow beside Ark’s head. I believe this would be useful when you woke.
It is. Ark replied, attempting to move his head to the window.
He could barely move, everything from his neck down seemed to burn with his entire body fatigued and unwilling to move.
“What time is it…?” Ark asked, noticing the lack of daylight streaming through his window.
“It’s watersday, you've been asleep for nearly twenty hours,” Vermal said with Ark's eyes going wide.
Shit.
“How's the baroness?” Ark asked, quickly recovering from his shock.
“She is well, shall I notify her that you've woken?”
“No… don't disturb her,” Ark said, attempting to recover from an unforseen oversight caused by his body, “Find me the guards named Sain and Kent.”
“Sir?”
“Do it. Let know one else know I'm awake.”
Vermel bowed and left, fulfilling Ark's orders and bringing forth the guards.
“Sir, you've asked for us?” Sain said with a genuine look of concern while standing at attention.
“Yes, Vermel, leave us,” Ark said, barely able to turn his head.
“Very well milord,” Vermal bowed and left, leaving behind the guard who kept tightening his jaw.
“Sain, Kent, listen closely. I need you two to do something that you can't tell anyone else about,” Ark said, hedging his bets. It wasn't that he trusted the pair, rather they were the only two names he knew other than Welkin, Vermel, and the Baroness.
“Sir?” Sain said, sharing a look with his companion.
“Promise me, no one outside this room can know. Not even the baroness. Do this for me and I'll consider it a personal favor. And you two no doubt heard that the ‘lame’ prince might not be so lame after all,” Ark threw in the last bit to sway the pair.
Sain blinked repeatedly, his eyes widening for a moment before dry swallowing, “I live to serve sir.”
“By your will, Milord,” Kent replied.
“Good,” Ark sighed, “I left something in the forest. And I need you two to get it and secure it somewhere safe.”
“Is… that all sir?” Sain asked.
“Pretty much. Are either of you trained in first aid?”
“I am sir,” Kent said, standing just a bit more upright as if proud, “I served at Roeckfiels as a stretcher boy.”
Ark didn't know what any of that meant but he nodded nonetheless, “Good.”
“How will we know what we're looking for sir?” Sain asked.
“You'll know when you see it. I left a trail from the manor to the location. Hand me that parchment and inkwell” Ark ordered with Kent hastily doing so, “Head west and look for this symbol and follow the trail, you'll find it and understand what I'm asking you to do. Be quick, lives depend on this.”
The two shared a look.
“We won't disappoint sir,” Kent said, the pair bowing and quickly going about their task.
“Fuck,” Ark muttered laying back down.
“Well, let's hope the pair find her before a warg or goblin does,” Soliloquy chirped.
“I hadn't intended to be asleep for so long but it is what it is,” Ark groaned as Soliloquy sat upon his chest.
“Is there a reason you didn't outright tell them that you captured the bandit?”
“I like a little mystery. Speaking of mysteries, this phoenix point, how do I use it?”
“Focus on the words and decide on what stat you wish to upgrade. You can also use the point to restore yourself if you wish.”
“You mean heal myself?” Ark said, pondering the applications. “Is this how you kept regenerating?”
“In a manner of speaking. Revitalization is rewinding of time, placing yourself in a previous state. However be warned, your progress will be reverted, although in this instance there would be no significant progress lost.”
“Let's do it then, I need to be up and about.”
Eager to rid himself of the fatigue and to experience the sensation of a phoenix's power, Ark willed the phoenix point to restore himself.
Suddenly, Ark could feel his body shimmering, his entire form violently shaking as primordial energy emanated from his core and took hold.
Then it stopped, with all the pain Ark felt vanishing completely as his being was reverted to state before the burns.
“Incredible…” Ark muttered, sitting up and undoing the bandages that bound him just as the door of his room opened up.
“Loyd! My baby boy!” Fey shouted, hugging Ark before he could react. “Are you okay? How are you feeling? Are youwellareyou-”
Ark winced, the woman's string of words seeming to meld together as she cried and became inconsolable.
“I'm fine! I'm fine!” Ark yelled,blushing the woman attempting to smother him.
“Ehem…”
The baroness relented her assault as Welkin cleared his throat.
“Your wounds! Your burns are gone,” Fey said, realizing underneath the loose bandages that Ark’s injuries were gone.
“Okay, I need you to not freak out,” Ark said as Welkin neared. “I was wanting to keep this a secret, but… I'm-”
“A mage knight…” Welkin said, his eyes wide at the boy before him.