Kopii's heart was pounding like crazy. Cold sweat covered his entire body. He hoped it was just his imagination, that he was just lucky. But his thoughts were interrupted when the curtain opened and Raven entered the wagon. Seeing the familiar face, Kopii calmed down a little.
"That gloomy look again. You can trust me," he smiled again, getting closer and closer. "After all, I'm a future hero."
"I understand," he croaked. It was easier for him to speak than when he woke up. "I wanted to ask…"
"Of course, of course, you can ask anything you want," his smile widened even more because Kopii had taken the initiative.
"You said you found me. Right?" He nodded. "I want to know exactly how you found me. That's what I want to know."
"Okay. You've probably already guessed that this is a caravan of merchants heading to the city of Oraria. Well, anyway, we stopped by the river to water the horses and get water for the journey. And when I was walking by the river, I noticed something strange. I was curious, and I decided to take a look, and then I realized it was you. When I found you, I thought you were already dead. Your body was battered, you had meager clothes on. You can't imagine how surprised I was that you were breathing. Then I decided to take you to the camp. Of course, it was a miracle that you stayed alive with such wounds," the uncle said. "Well, that's how it all happened."
Kopii analyzed the information he received. "Okay, I understand," he paused for a moment and said, "If what you just said is true, then thank you for saving me. I'm very grateful to you."
Raven was very happy to hear the praise and laughed heartily. "No need for thanks. I'm a future hero, and as a hero I couldn't leave someone in need of my help," he glowed with joy as he said this. He definitely liked being praised. "To be honest, you're the first person I've saved, so I'm very glad you're okay." After these words, he fell silent, but not for long. "If that's the case, then I also have a question: how could you have ended up in such a state?"
He was silent. He didn't want to tell the truth, he didn't fully trust him yet, but saying that he was attacked by monsters didn't make sense either. He remembered being shot, so he would immediately see that he was lying. After a moment of silence, Kopii spoke:
"Well, I was attacked by bandits, and I wanted to swim across this stream, but I was shot. Because of the shot shoulder, I couldn't swim properly. Well, and maybe I lost consciousness from the pain when the adrenaline wore off." Kopii watched Raven's reaction carefully. His face was thoughtful, but then that smile reappeared.
"Okay, I understand, it wasn't easy for you. But okay," he waved his hand. "That's all in the past, you're safe now."
But before he could finish the sentence, Kopii began first: "As I understand it, you want to become an adventurer?"
"Yes, that's right, I want to become an adventurer. I want to be like the king of mercenaries. To be hope. I want to see people smile… I just want everyone to be happy."
"Okay, I understand. And how old are you, if it's not a secret?"
"Of course, it's not a secret. I'll be sixteen soon. How old are you? I'm also curious."
"I'm fourteen years old. We're almost the same age."
"Yes, almost. So call me 'elder'."
"No," Kopii immediately replied.
"Well, okay. I was just kidding. It's getting late," he said, looking outside. "Oh, I forgot, I need to examine your body and change the bandages, I completely forgot," he said, getting closer and closer to Kopii. "Can you sit up?"
"Yes, I can," he replied, slowly starting to sit up.
"Do you need help?"
"No."
"But your face doesn't show it," Raven said, helping him to a stable position. "Okay, let me start, you know it's going to hurt."
"Yes."
After the affirmative answer, Raven slowly began to untie Kopii's bandages. "Okay, I've taken them off. This remedy will help you heal your wounds faster."
"What is it?"
"It's an ointment that my mom made. I'll say right away that it will sting, so be prepared," he began to apply the ointment to Kopii's wound. He wasn't lying, it stung quite a bit. "Okay, I'm done. Raise your arms so it's easier for me to apply a new bandage."
"There, everything is ready, you can lie back down, just be careful."
"Well, okay, I'll go, I need to do my work. I'll be back soon," he said before leaving the wagon. Now he was alone again with his thoughts. He heard snippets of conversations, but couldn't make out what they were about. With each passing second, he became more and more bored.
"How boring," Kopii thought, continuing to stare at one spot. He didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't want to admit it, but it was boring without Raven. Kopii moved his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist. The muscles still hurt as much as when he woke up.
"Maybe I tore them during the fight? Is that why it hurts so much?" But Kopii immediately dismissed these thoughts. He knew this pain. It was the same pain as when he started training, only twice as strong. But Kopii wasn't interested in that, but in the fact why all his muscles hurt. He couldn't remember what kind of load was on his muscles during the fight, and what he could do to bring his body to such a state. He only remembered snippets.
Time passed, and it got darker and darker until night came. He heard someone trying to climb into the wagon. Kopii looked. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so he immediately understood who it was. It was Raven again.
"Oh, it's so dark here. But it's okay," he said, taking out a candle and lighting it. "That's better, right? I brought you something to eat. You need to eat well to recover. Here, eat this, it's just regular porridge. It's quite tasty," he watched Kopii sit up. He noticed that for a moment Kopii's face stretched from pain, but it quickly passed.
He began to reach for the bowl of porridge, but couldn't even lift it. Seeing this, Raven took the bowl. Kopii looked at him questioningly.
"I'll help you eat, so open your mouth. Aaaa."
Kopii frowned at his suggestion. "No, thanks for the help, but I can handle this myself," he didn't object and returned the bowl back. Kopii took a spoon, scooped up the porridge, but couldn't hold it for long, it fell out of his hands.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
"No, I can handle it," again taking the fallen spoon, again scooping up the porridge, but as in that time, he couldn't hold it in his hand, and it fell again. Kopii looked at the porridge, which slowly spread across the floor. This was the second attempt. Kopii, without hesitation, decided to put his pride away.
"Okay, help me."
Hearing this, Raven smiled. "That's what you should have done right away," he said, taking the porridge and spoon. "Now open your mouth and say: aaaa." Kopii reluctantly opened his mouth, accepting the first spoonful of porridge. Raven fed him slowly and carefully, watching every gulp. Kopii felt awkward, like a little child, but hunger took over. The porridge was warm and filling, and with each spoonful he felt a little better.
"That's it," Raven said, putting the bowl aside. "Well, okay, I'll be back now." he watched Raven leave the wagon. And again Kopii was left alone with his thoughts. There was only one source of light in this wagon. Kopii focused his gaze on the fire. It was quite unsafe, he thought, continuing to look at the candle. The flame of the candle flickered, casting bizarre shadows on the walls of the wagon. "Ha," Kopii rose and extinguished the candle. He extinguished the only source of light.
He just stared into the darkness. "It's already dark," Kopii thought, preparing for sleep. Sleep didn't keep him waiting long.