Bale opened his eyes with a start and tried to sit up, only to have a violent pain assault his abdomen and the left side of his rib cage. He winced and fell back, taking deep breaths, but with each intake of air a sharp pain would shoot across his back, knocking the wind out of him. It took several minutes, but he was finally able to take back control of his breathing. The immense pain also subsided a bit.
Once he was comfortable enough, he slowly sat up, this time only wincing from the pain but not falling back. He examined his body as best he could, taking note of all the bandages and wrappings. 'What the hell happened...?' He pondered as he looked at him arm, noticing the wrappings there as well.
His face felt warm, and he could taste a bit of copper in his mouth.
'Just how badly was I beaten?'
He slowly moved his legs to make sure they weren't broken nor was there any pain, and then slowly began to stand. It was difficult, however, because from the pain in his left side, his ribs were at the very least cracked, not to mention all the bruises and any internal damage he might have suffered, and all that compounding pain made it hard to focus and gather the strength needed to stand up. After several minutes of laborious breathing, he had managed to prop himself up on one knee but he was sweating profusely. His face was pale and it was obvious from his facial expression that he was in pain. As much as he wanted to yell and howl in pain, he knew it would do no good. It would just be a waste of energy on his part to produce, at best, a small raspy breath that was barely audible to himself.
Bale shut his eyes, allowing himself a moment of respite, as well as time to figure out how he had ended up in this state.
Last thing he could remember was Quan Hanzou charging at him, his face red with fury. Of course, since Bale had his back to him, he couldn't see the strike. Although he sensed the attacked, all he could do was turn his body so that the brunt of the charge impacted his left side.
'That probably explains the ribs,' he thought, 'but what about the other injuries?'
Try as he might, a cloud hung over his memories, making them hazy and unclear, in turn causing him to have a headache. Sighing, he drooped his shoulders. Without his memories, and no one around to explain what had happened, all he could do was speculate. And speculate he did.
After the initial charge, he probably blacked out, and his body went into a 'self-preservation' mode. Sadly, when you only have one arm and you're up against a guy who has the full use of both arms as well as a chaotic aura at his command (even if it was only temporary), you're gonna get the crap beat out of you. Bale figured he had managed to last for a little bit, hence why his face wasn't in more pain, but his training wasn't as in-depth as an inner disciple. Even though Bale read books, practiced what he read, trained with the other outer disciples, it didn't matter. All the knowledge was incomplete. And he wasn't some super genius that could suddenly see it once and then figure out how to complete it! Yes, his learning speed was quicker then others, but even so he still needed to train and practice, and if the technique or skill was incomplete, then there was little he could do about it. He was nothing more than a man, after all.
—————
"What do you have to say for yourself, Quan Hanzou?"
An elderly woman sat upon a raised platform, in an ornate chair that was half hidden in the shadows, which cast a sinister appearance onto her face. This was Elder Yan, Disciplinarian for those who chose to disregard to the sects rules. Many would describe her as a kind woman, making you feel as if she were your doting grandmother. However, never break the rules. If you did and she caught you, she would go from being your doting grandmother to ruthless interrogater, and if need be, bringer of punishment. And none of her punishments were ever light. But they were never unjust, either.
Right now, Quan Hanzou was kneeling under the cold, heavy gaze of Elder Yun. He dared not look up for fear that she would immediately strike him down. His back was drenched in cold sweat. His hands were currently in shackles that were bolted to the floor to prevent escape. "It was an accident, elder..." he muttered, his voice slightly quivering.
"What was that?" She said asked in a dominant yet cold manner.
"I-I didn't mean for it to happen! I just- I became enraged seeing Shale coming from that man's room, and lost control of myself!"
"Hmph!! I think you're lying. I believe you went there with the intent to fight him, and seeing Shale stepping out of his room only made any hesitation you might have had disappear. Our sect doesn't condemn disciples fighting one another, but only when both sides skill are relatively balanced. This means that an inner disciple CANNOT fight an outer disciple, especially one who has only been with the sect for a few months!" Elder Yun stared at him fiercely. "For this reason, you shall be barred from accepting any missions for three months, as well as having your monthly allowance halved."
Quan Hanzou's eyes widened. This was a critical time for him. He had just achieved a breakthrough, but his energy was chaotic and needed to be calmed. The best way to do that was through hunting missions, then meditation to smooth the remaining. If he could not go on missions, then he could only rely on purchasing special herbs and medicines to help, but they were a bit costly since the materials needed were a bit scarce in their region. If his monthly allowance was halved, he wouldn't be able to afford even a single medicine bottle! But what could he do? This was The Disciplinarians judgment, after all, and that made it final.
"You didn't even ATTEMPT to speak to him about this-"
"I did so!" He exclaimed.
"You DARE lie to me?!" Elder Yun stood, her aura flaring just a bit, but enough that it caused a great pressure to fall upon his shoulders, making him sweat profusely. "All witnesses reported the same thing - as soon as you saw that woman emerge, you lost all rationality and simply charged at Bale. That senseless attack nearly killed the man! The sect's own head doctor cannot cure his internal injuries, all of which were your doing!!"
"But I thought our doctor was a master..."
"Of course he's a master!! But we don't have the necessary resources to heal all those injuries, and it would take far too long to go and get them from another city! By then, it might be too late. All we can do is support his recovery indirectly. Be glad that your punishment is as lenient as it is! Because of the damage you inflicted, I have a right to be much more severe!"
Quan Hanzou closed his eyes and slumped over, hanging his head. Nothing he could think of could justify his actions. After all, what elder said was true. He didn't bother to find out why she was leaving Bale's room, he simply saw that she was and reacted.
For this, he would have to make amends.