James: (Wearily) Mother...?
James looks at a woman rushing towards him, imagining his mother over the woman. James closes his eyes.
13 HOURS LATER
James opens his eyes to bright sunlight on his face. He tries to move his hand to block the sun from hitting his eyes but no matter how much he tries he can't move his arm. He tries to move his other arm, his body but no response. His neck worked just fine however.
James: (Mind Voice) Don't Panic James! Don't you panic. Calm down
James calmly looks around his surroundings. He's on a queen size bed, in a house, with beautiful décor all around it. The sunlight came through from a window on James's Left. The window had its doors open and its two red silk curtains to the sides.
The room had at least one painting hanging on its walls and a mirror on the wall in front of the bed, right of the mirror, was a closed carved door.
James: (Mind Voice) Which noble's bed did I wander into? Wait, How did I 'wander'? What the hell is going on?
James: Hey! Anyone there?
James shouted towards the door. After a few seconds, a few hurried steps rushed towards the door. The door opened and in came a woman. She held a wooden tray as she walked in, with glass bottles filled with liquids of various colors. and a metal goblet
James couldn't again clearly see her but he could hear her voice, affectionately advising James like his mother
Woman: Oh don't strain your muscles!
The Woman closes the curtains partially and James can finally see the woman. She's young, older than James but definitely young. Her hair is short and as white as snow and cut similar to a both Side-flared up Bob cut with flared up hair in her back. She was wearing a light off-white woolen gown. A green cloth was tied up over her gown and covered her abdomen. Her eyes were light red but gave a kind look.
James looks at her, almost familiar with her. The Woman places the tray on the desk next to the bed.
Woman: How are you feeling?
James: I... ugh... I can't move my body... Wait, how'd I get here? Who are you?
The Woman looks back at her tray and picks up a bottle of green liquid and pours it into the goblet. She looks back at James
Woman: Well, you were infected by some kind of poison. The poison didn't kill you but injured your muscles. I gave you something to partially paralyze you from the neck down so you wouldn't feel the pain.
James: Injured my muscles!?
Woman: Yeah....
James looked very stressed, his heart raced, was his life of adventuring truly over?
James: Can I recover?
The Woman picks up the goblet
Woman: Yeah you will be. I used a High Class Healing Rune Stone on you. You should be fine in a few hours. But, it will take your body to recover.
James sighed a breath of fresh air.
James: Oh thank god.
Woman: Drink this liquid, It will speed up your recovery.
The Woman helps James up, making him lean on the headboard of the bed. James notices that his shirt, armor, and everything else is missing. His chest, wrapped in bandages. He opens his mouth as the woman pours the green liquid from the goblet into his mouth.
James reluctantly drinks the foul-smelling liquid, trying not to taste the bitterness of it. He finishes swallowing the drink.
James: Eugh, Disgusting.
James stuck his tongue out in disgust, The Woman rubs his back to comfort him.
Woman: There, there.
James looks at the Woman. His cheeks flare up uncontrollably. The woman turns around and takes the tray of bottles and the goblet and leaves out the door. Before she leaves and closes the door however, James asks her a question
James: I'm James, What's your name?
The Woman turn back, smiles and replies,
Woman: Haha, I know who you are. My name is Alice
She turns around and closes the door. She places the tray onto a table nearby and quietly falls down to the ground, placing her hands over her face, which was blushing red as tomato, with an uncontrollably smile. Alice talked to herself quietly under her breath.
Alice: He... He blushed at me, right?
She then stood up and got back to her usual work. Back in the room, once Alice shut the door, James rested himself in the position he was left in, wondering if he had weirded out Alice by unintentionally blushing.
James: Alice huh? She looks pretty familiar but I don't remember her face. Weird.
James talked to himself silently to pass the time. He looked at the sky from the small peak of the window curtains. He could hear birds chirping and singing, people talking and shouting. He wondered what Silvie and Melaich were doing right now, whether they were looking for him or didn't think much of it.
James: Wait a minute, which town am I in?
James figured it wasn't Orliave because he couldn't feel the Orliave Mana Crystal field's presence around him.
James: (Mind Voice) Did she carry me all the way till... wherever this place is?
James suddenly felt the sensations of his limbs come back. He tries to move his right arm and it works, he looks at his right arm and moves it around. It's still weak but at-least he can move it now.
James lets out a good laugh,
James: Finally! Oh fuck you Elf.
James showed his middle finger to the ceiling above, seemingly showing it to the dead Elf. He looks around the room and notices a metal cane, with intricate carvings placed next to the desk.
James: Did she leave it for me? Ah Whatever.
James takes the cane and walks slowly towards the door using the cane. He opens the door to just pure awe. A beautifully furnished interior, a fireplace, an intricately carved table and chair set, a blue woolen carpet, a vertical painting that screamed nobility, an entire kitchen in the back of the main hall, a bathroom and a staircase that led to a room above. Not to mention the silk curtains for the windows in just the main hall.
James: Holy shit!
This was Amazing, even more than the single floor, normal table, chair, bedroom, bath and the lack of kitchen that Silvie's house had. The Kitchen part makes James more curious. He knew that most people, including Silvie, were not rich enough for an entire kitchen. Sure they had a furnace and some utensils but not an entire Kitchen.
Alice comes down after hearing James shout in awe. She sees James walking with a cane, looking around the house. She rushes towards him
Alice: I told you not to strain your body!
Alice holds James and walks him to a nearby chair and sets him down. She goes into the kitchen and fires up the flame.
Alice: Let me make you something first.
James looks at her curious as to his current location.
James: Where am I again?
Alice: You're in Lorwin, You've been asleep for 13 hours or so
Alice replies without turning back, focusing on preparing a dish. She puts the previously cut vegetables into the huge utensil over the flame.
James: Wait, Lorwin!? That's at least 20 Kilometers away from Orliave. Did you carry me all the way here?
Alice looks back to explain herself,
Alice: Oh no, no. I... uh, I used my Magic Treasure to bring you here and treat you.
Alice said with a small joy in her voice. James understood why this was, After all, Magic Treasures were as rare and expensive as rubies. It was natural to flaunt them with the added benefit of not being able to steal magic treasures that have been etched onto a soul, unlike rubies on a necklace.
James: (Mind Voice) Must be a speed or Strength based Magic Treasure. But why bring me here instead of Orliave
James: So, you're a noble?
Alice: Oh no! no! I was an adventurer.
James's eyes light up with curiosity
James: Adventurer? You must've been a popular one to buy a Magic Treasure.... Not to mention the house and amenities.
Alice pours some kind of soup from the pot over the flame into 2 wooden cups with wooden spoons in them. She carries them and brings them over to the Table in front of James, she takes a chair and sits in front of James.
Alice: The Magic Treasure, Well I got that as a gift from the Roman Empire
James: Woah, The Roman Empire huh.....
Soon after the Roman Empire fell at around 475 AD, The Great War between all the species of this world and the invader began. Magic was introduced into the world because of the Great War. When the war ended a few years later, The remnants of the Roman Empire Formed the New Roman Empire and The Selvarian Empire.
James: (Mind Voice) The Roman Empire does have cheaper Magic Treasures... Wonder if it's really because of the Bellum Mana Leyline?
James drinks the soup with Alice, It had been many weeks since he had food that didn't taste bland or stale. He gobbled up the Soup with no disregard for Manners but Alice laughed slightly at the sight, like James was a small child..
When James placed the empty cup and the spoon down, Alice took them back to the kitchen to refill the soup for James. He looks around more to pass the time when he notices the Rain-Guard of a Sword, kept behind the stairs, in the dark.
He uses the cane to walk towards it. On the wall, kept in the dark is a two-handed Greatsword. It's blade was too broad and therefore too heavy to be used by one-hand. He took a step back in shock. He'd only ever seen this sword once in person a long time back but has only ever heard rumors of the Sword.
The Sword's blade was clear, the hilt was made with two Mana Stones on each side, right in the center. The Grip looked Worn out and used, It was not unique in any sense whatsoever. But it's specialty came from the one who used it.
James: The Greatsword: Terra Ruptor!
James looked back at Alice who was looking at him. His brain finally started to make sense of who she was,
James: You're.... The High Class Adventurer, Alice Merdia! The User of the Teleportation Magic Treasure!
Alice bows her head to James, Acknowledging the fact that she is Alice Merdia.