How strange - I seem to have found myself lying on the ground. Wearing... armor?
"██▄▄▄██▄▄▄█▄!!!"
Oh? What's this? A mana monster? How perfect - my reserves are depleted - you will serve nicely.
"██▄▄▄██▄▄▄▄███▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄!!"
Hush now. There... much better, but still not enough.
Something glitters in the crumbling remains of the dead creature. A depleted mana crystal.
How interesting! I reach forth and summon it towards my hand with a sharp gesture.
Pain! It feels like my very blood is on fire. Mana deficiency? How?
I fall to my knees, the crystal tumbles from my fingers. Vision blurs...
What... what was I doing, again?
----
"Tor! Tor, wake up!"
Hm? I can hear someone calling me from far away.
"Oh, wow. What happened to the monster?"
"Never you mind that, now. Look, blood. We need to get him back to a healer."
"He hit his head when he fell. See?"
Several voices - much closer now. And hands touching my head and shoulders. I think I recognize the speakers but I cannot tell who is speaking - it sounds muffled, as if I am under water.
"We'll have to carry him."
"Let me."
Oof. Someone has lifted me over their shoulders. It hurts to be moved, but not less than the way it was before.
"Jane, you meet ahead with the guards - make sure they send for a healer."
"On it."
"Damn, he's surprisingly heavy."
The words are starting to blur together. Unconsciousness beckons.
----
I open my eyes to a bright blur.
I am laying in a soft bed in a brightly lit room. To one side is a small work table and a tall cabinet on wheels painted with the green circle symbolizing healing magic. Standing over me is an tall elven woman in healer's robes - she reaches with surprising strong hands to help me sit up.
"...Where...?" My voice is raspy with thirst. She presses a cup of cold water to my lips.
After a few sips, I try again. "What happened?"
"You are in the infirmary at the Guild Hall on the second floor. You were very lucky. The A-class monster was sustained by a mana-crystal - when its power ran out it crumbled away. Right on time - you had fallen and gone unconscious. Hit your head on a rock. Another second and you would have been dead."
"So that's why my skull feels like..."
"Like it smashed into a stone? Because it did."
This nurse has quite the deadpan sense of humor. Maybe I'll appreciate more when my brain doesn't feel like it's been rearranged with a warhammer to the cranium.
"How long was I out?"
She hums, turning towards the med-station to consult a clipboard. "About thirty hours."
"So long?!"
The number is surprising. Was the blow to the head more serious than I first thought?
"The head wound wasn't the main factor on that. You were also suffering from mana exhaustion. In fact..." She puts down the clipboard and draws a thin wand from her sash, waving the point smoothly from the top of my head, over my torso, and circling over my heart.
A pale light shines in a disc over my head like a halo - it shift from a soft green into a blue before rapidly darkening into a purplish-red.
"...You are still experiencing mana exhaustion. Hmmm... With your mana so low, it could be dangerous to cast a scanning spell... Please wait here a moment. If you require assistance, ring the bell to your left and someone will assist you."
"Wh-what? What is it?"
She sighs, crossing her arms and glaring at me with steely blue eyes.
"Your mana is dangerously low. If I scan to see what status afflictions you have, it could put you in a coma from the influx of magic power to your system, sending you into shock. I need to get an Artifact to do a passive reading."
"That's nothing new," I explain, a little relieved. "There's a reason I'm a fighter, not a mage. I have practically zero magic capacity on a good day. By the way... the rookies I was on the quest with - did they make it back alright?"
She softens slightly. "Yes. Tired and bruised, but they were able to carry you back safely. They will be glad to hear you have woken up." She bows suddenly, sending her pale golden hair spilling forward over her shoulders. "I am Priscilla - Petros is my younger brother. You have my thanks for helping them escape."
"I'm sure anyone else in my position would have done the same."
"Well." She straightens, flushed slightly. After her stern and no-nonsense attitude of just a few moments earlier, it's a little jarring. Is she embarrassed about having to thank a human? I've heard that some elves get weird about things like that, though this is the first time I'm witnessing it for myself.
"Tor - relax for now - I will only be heading downstairs to collect the [Rank Stone] from the lobby. I should only be a few minutes - if you need assistance, ring the bell on your left and another healer will be with you shortly."
"I will, thank you."
As she closes the door behind her, all I can do is curse internally.
----
The [Rank Stone] is just as its name implies - an artifact that measures and displays an adventurer's rank. It's used by adventurers looking to update their levels and ranks within the guild - similar artifacts are used by the guards and knights, craftsmen, and the town hall has one available for public use as well. It can be used to view a variety of information.
I stopped checking my level more than a year ago.
I am content as a Rank C Adventurer. Level 30 is the upper range of Rank C. If the [Rank Stone] displays a level higher, I will be upgraded to Rank B whether I like it or not. And if that happens, I can kiss my simple and peaceful life, 'Goodbye'.
...I'm not looking forward to this at all.