My business with Alden was promptly completed so I moved on. Dragging the minitours head off the desk with me, I headed back to the inn.
People parted for me like I was an S-ranked adventurer. I told myself it was because of how cool I looked… But honestly, it probably had more to do with the smell and the gore.
the thick oder of the tavern did its best to drown out the sent, but even that couldn’t get rid of it. When I walked in most people were busy partying the night away. someone urgently ran and told them they'd have more antidotes soon, so it made sense.
‘Not the welcome I was expecting… It’s nothing like last time when all eyes were on me.’ I limped up to the innkeeper’s bar and grabbed a sheet of paper, quickly scribbling “YOU ALL SUCK!” on it in large letters.
Then I staggered back to the notice board and stabbed my throwing knife straight through it, pinning the large paper to the wall. Then I pulled the beast's head back out and hung it by the horns on the same knife.
Slowly but surely the party started to quiet down as people noticed. Walking past the innkeeper I flicked him a copper coin. “If anyone touches that head they die.” I groaned.
He caught the coin, only moving his hand to do so, the rest of him stiff as a board. I could see on his face it wasn’t lost on him what exactly it meant to walk around with a minitour's head. “Yes sir…” He muttered.
I sat down with a heavy sigh, or at least as heavy as I could manage, and slammed my fist into the table “Now… Get me a drink… Please…”
He rubbed the copper coin between his fingers. “First ones on the house, what do you want?”
“Just make it strong and pour it over ice…”
“Sure… You looking to celebrate or Grieve fallen comrades?”
“Fire Mead… And a jug of Airag.”
He gave a hearty laugh. “Celebrating then, alright, here you are.”
I wasn't disappointed. The mead smelled just like creamed honey bread but got its name from its high potency. It tasted like fire, but it did its job. The sweet creamy flavor followed and I instantly felt better as it washed the blood from my throat and cured the dull headache I had that only seemed to be getting worse until then.
Letting out a long sigh I finally took in a deep breath. It hurt, but my wounds didn’t open up, at least as far as I could tell, so even that felt good in a way. ‘I killed my first boss and just got promoted three ranks in less than a week… And I’m still drinking alone…’ I lifted my mug and looked down at my clothes. “Uh… Sorry about the mess…”
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He brought out the airag in a 3-gallon jug that slammed into the counter. It was a sweet-scented Fermented milk from some creature or another, no one would give away the secret to what it actually was. Not quite a health potion, but it was as effective as a low-grade one, just with the effect spread out. “This is an adventurers' inn son, I guarantee that seat will be the most popular one, now that it’s stained with the Ogaefa’s blood. Well,
Its actual alcohol content was so low they didn't even count it as alcohol for consumption laws. It had just enough to keep it from going bad, nothing more. In other words, it was safe, and even medicinal because of the herbs they brewed it with. Wafting the scent into his nose from the drink he took in a deep breath. “Ahh… Nothing goes better with the scent of blood than Airag. Drink up.”
I stored the jug and finished my mead, finally starting to feel better, ordering and eating a meal to make up for the recovery magic I used to speed up my metabolism. All the while calmly keeping to myself, just like normal.
To be honest, I was half expecting the others to at least ask me about what happened. I mean, I was the reason they were celebrating before I walked in, no one said a word though, much less to me… ‘I guess Minitour blood scares away people too… That must be it… Yeah… Well, I did basically just tell them all to piss off with the way I wrote that message…’ I let out a long groan downing the last of the mead and laying my arm out across the table, resting my head on it too. ‘Am I really the type of person that chases people away and then complains about being alone?’
After a moment I let out another groan, this time coughing up more blood as I agitated my lungs.
“Are you sure this is the kind of medicine you need right now?” The man behind the counter asked.
I looked down at my hand. ‘It’s probably still just left over, I don’t think the wound opened up again…’ “I'll be fine…” I muttered. “I just need a hot bath and a bit of sleep.” ‘I should probably clear my head before I do anything else. It’s probably a good thing no one talked to me when I’m feeling like this…’
I groaned, walking to the base of the staircase, but the moment I raised my leg to walk up the first step I felt like my side split open. It was almost enough to make me vomit.
‘Change… Of plans… Medical tint… healer… Just… Need some painkillers. Then I can open up my side and poke around to make sure everything's in the right spot…’
I was only a couple steps away from a nice bath and a good night's sleep… The last thing I wanted was to go to the infirmary, especially the dirty overworked one where I volunteered… But I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to make sure I woke up in the morning.
‘I just had to get hit a second freaking time… Even once was pushing it Why did I let my guard down… Well, I guess it was more like half a hit since it was missing its head by the time it made contact.’ I slammed my fit against the wall as I held my side, but that only made the pain worse. ‘I should just drink the freaking potion. How much did I make from the quest? I don’t even remember anymore…’
I walked over to the infirmary, my stride ironically a bit straighter with the numbing of the alcohol, and before I knew it I was inside the tint. Without so much as looking at me, the girl who seemed to be in charge spoke out. “Go ahead and take a seat, we'll be with you in a minute.” The line was relatively short for once, but the situation hadn’t improved. Most of the patients looked pale or burned from acid. Somehow it was even worse than before, although people were at least moving through faster, and the workers seemed to be healthier, if not just because they were all new.
“Uh… Right… I think I'll just go back to Rothet…” ‘Then again the teleporter might actually kill me if it twists my insides anymore…’
She looked up from her clipboard “For heaven's sake was there another attack? How many are in your party? Should we be expecting more wounded?”
I was shocked by her sudden change of pace and her annoyed, rather than concerned tone. “I'm… alone. Don't worry.”
Her annoyed face was replaced with one of solace and pity for just a moment before she snapped back. “Sorry…”
I couldn't help but think she somehow got the wrong idea. “No, I mean I work alone. I didn’t go out with a party.”
Her face quickly contorted with disgust, “Oh…”
I coughed again, spitting more blood out onto the ground as the violent exhale opened up my wounds. ‘I think… Before I try this again… I’m going to learn “heal…” Not just lesser heal…’