Chapter 18: Recovery and Contract
I am the lungs, heart, and blood cells; I guide them I am them. The image stays in my mind solid. The bumps on the road at the hands of others mean nothing. I am fully concentrated on my body, keeping it functioning. I use mana to sustain and gather to continue my suspension. Time has no meaning to me and continues to exist in such a state.
My body is suspended in a state as I burn nutrients that somehow get inside my body. I know not as I focus on the natural paths.
I continue my body's animated state lives on mana. The slightest slip of mana means death. I know not when or where I was, but nothing matters. After an unknown amount of time, I feel more nutrients enter my body. I set to work creating new cells regenerating the more damaged parts of my body.
Soon, even more, as I replace ever so slowly mana with the nutrients making my body less and less dependant on mana to survive. I release toxins guiding my body to release waste with no regard. More and more nutrients reach the inside of my body, and I continue to guide it carefully, creating replacement parts to keep my body running.
More and more time passed as I concentrate on the movements of my body. Mana in mana is then used to upkeep the less substantial parts as nutrients replace the mana upkeeping other parts. Then release the built-up toxins. I continued to maintain this state, my body in full recovery when finally no mana is used to sustain my body from stopping bodily functions.
I develop storage of nutrients to keep the body sustained, then I collapse, letting my exhausted body rest.
I woke up. My eyes open; the first I see is Emily by me with tear-stained eyes. My stomach kicked me in the stomach, and I was in a world of hunger. I only had the strength for one word.
"Hungry" No idea if she heard it, but I passed out again.
I woke again. This time there was a cute pixie hair cute girl with pink hair. She turned and looked at me, and she was cute. I open my dry mouth and couldn't talk. I had a straw put into my mouth. That began my slow recovery.
I was hand-fed, and water was given to me. I was down and out, and my body was in desperate need of life-saving nutrients. I was in a hospice for at least a week before my body started to come back online, and I could eat and drink on my own. I would regenerate my mana as I waited but flatly refused to use it to speed my healing more.
My body ran on Mana for too long and needed recovery from that speeding it up. I felt I would create problems for myself later.
After a week, I was on my feet. I found two months had passed since I took the arrow to my leg and stomach. That last battle nearly killed me; it wasn't the fact arrows came at me; it was my lack of understanding of the world around me. I had no idea how to stop that type of bolt that could pass the shield. I was in full recovery and maintained mode after that battle, too.
I couldn't even fend off a toddler if they had a sharp knife in that state. It woke me up again. Since I left the Wizard tower, I had been struggling with. I was still weak, but I was not as weak as I sometimes think. I learned that wearing a robe was started; I needed agility and to free up my movements. I will grab some clothes that free up my movement.
I need to get my body back in shape and surpass that. I need to be able to keep my distance while spell casting; hoping for companions to do so is stupid.
I trust Mally and Emily. I am still not sure of Kate's ability, but I sure didn't want to put the burden on them. I didn't have long cast times for a majority of my spells and can cast on the move. Spells like the meteor take time because you have a create the time for momentum and landing time. That made it take a bit. The gravity spell is also dangerous and hard to use.
I stepped out after paying the dwarfs there for their care. As soon as I stepped out, Mally, Emily, and Kate were waiting for me outside. I laugh. "I'm Back, Ladies," I cheerfully shout, and I receive hugs and kisses from them all. Emily had tears in her eyes. I smile and take in all the emotions.
We left to get food from an Inn. The City we were in was a Dwarf and Gnome town; most buildings were with short doors, but farther you would call it the trade hub if the city where everything was more structured towards taller races. I was only five foot tall, but Dwarves tended to be no more than four foot six at the tallest.
Gnomes, on the other, had three foot five inches was the tallest recorded height. It was weird to be surrounded by shorter people as they went from place to place. The streets all had Lamps that reminded me of my previous incarnation.
I went to where one of my nurses said there was an Inn with private paths for the wealthier. I found the Inn and found Owen too. I was slightly surprised until I remember the Cargo we just hauled. I sit across from him, Mally Emily and Kate behind us.
"Holy Shit!?" Owen looked at me, startled. "I heard you were living, but I honestly thought people were fucking with me!" He exclaimed.
"Can not say it was easy," I remain blase, "So our Contract Owen I received my share?" I know he used my name; that was the deal.
"Uh, I thought you were dead? Why would I use a dead person's name?" He asks back, dodging the question. I smile viciously.
"It doesn't matter if you used my name or not; what matters is my share. I might not be able to kill you in town. But I can place a spell on you or enchantment on you, Owen, to kill you if you leave this town. I want my side of the contract. I know the other merchants have been using my name. Your products didn't need it, but they will.
I will take my portion now, or I hunt you down. What will it be, Owen?" I ranted because I didn't care. I honor my contracts. I fucking got him here and almost died. A lot of adventurers died to get the shipment here. I will get my payment.
His face looked constipated; we had a contract, though, and took out a bag with a sigh. I pass the bag to Mally, and she starts counting. I wasn't going to hold him to every gold coin merchants are greedy, and I knew this. Back in the modern world, they would do anything on their prices we negotiated for even a tenth of a penny since it was in the thousands of dollars saved or gained.
These Merchants were amateurs comparatively.
"Two thousand gold coins," Mally whispered into my ears. I wasn't going to get greedy and nickel and dime him. I took the bag and stood.
"Mr. Owen, If I find this is less than nine percent, then I will find you and beat it out of you. I am a gracious girl from an upscale background, but I will not take your fuckery." I state. I laughed when his face changed and dropped another bag of hold. I was interested where he kept it.
Mally picked it up, and her face was dark. "Four thousand gold is in here." My face was dark as I looked at Owen. I knew he made a lot, and there was more he was holding back; there were still other merchants too on that train. I sat down in front of him. I look at him, and I could see the hairs on the fur of his arms raised.
"Owen, I realize that I might seem weak after a recovery. Personally, I never did the math just on your cargo and the actual worth. Now though, I am sure of one thing. I counted sixty barrels of Hallow Beer. Now I remember those are worth at least a thousand if not more. Do you see where I am going?
I was going to be nice and just take nine percent or whatever, allowing myself to be fucked with a little to keep on good terms. Then you have insulted me twice. I gave you two chances the First time I told you I was fine and to be wary." I drop the first bag on the table, and I hear the surroundings in the Inns restaurant area go quieter, hearing a bag of two thousand gold drops onto the table.
"You insult me with this underpayment. This is just off your cargo; it would be thirty percent of the contract stipulation. I then gave you a second warning." I take the bag of gold from Mally's hand. This heavy bag lands on the table with a loud thud. "You give me what would be ten percent of your cargo only. My contract with you was ten percent of all the merchant train.
You then can all use my name to waive a good portion of your taxes. This is all of the profit, which I know would be more than this. The taxes you would owe to the Dwarven Kingdom would be more than your paying out to me. I am a C-rank adventurer, and you are taking advantage of each county's tax breaks to us.
This was a contract that allows the faster movement of goods and creates incentives for adventurers like me to protect caravans and merchant trains. You are spitting in my face Owen."
His face had black lines across his forehead, and he was furious. I was now attacking his reputation. He took out a large bag and dropped it onto the table. "Miss Chelsea, that is the entire contract paid." He stood up and walked out. I took the bags knowing bridges were burned.
I sigh, and I collect the gold coins and put them away. I went to the Inn Keeper ordering a room and asking about the baths. They indeed have private baths that we can add to our stay here. I order two nights to start with a bath dedicated to us. It came out to like five gold, but I thought it was worth it. We sat down to eat a meal that was included in the price.
We enjoyed a good meal; while I still needed more rest, we were most likely going to spend some time while I finish my recovery
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