"Despite how bad it is outside the village, this place actually looks pretty nice." Steven said, looking around at the small village.
The village was bigger than I expected. With how hostile the environment was, I was expecting a dark and dreadful town where the people stay cooped up in their houses. Instead, I was met with a lively place where people walked the streets cheerfully. It was almost as if they had no idea what lurked beyond the safety of those lights.
We had managed to get here before nightfall and had become utterly exhausted with how fast we had to run. It didn't help that the places where Takamori had gotten me hadn't become any better. If anything, it feels like they've gotten worse. My head had become a little woozy as well and I found it difficult to stand up properly.
"John, are you okay?" Bea said, tugging my cloak.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fi-"
A bright light was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I slowly raised myself up and realized I was in a bed. I looked over to my left and saw Bea and Steven sleeping in two chairs. There was a large window behind me which showed the night sky. Leaning against the edge of my bed was Genki and the two swords Takamori had given me.
The sound of footsteps coming from behind the door next to Steven and Bea caught my attention. As I readied myself for what was to come, the door suddenly slammed open. Steven and Bea were jolted awake by the sound while I flinched.
"Oh good. You're finally awake." The man standing in the door frame said.
His appearance reminded me more of a cleric than a doctor. He wore a long white robe and had a grimoire tucked in between his right arm and body. His hair was a dark brown that almost went down to his back. His face was one of someone who hadn't seen sleep in days. There was a lit cigarette in his mouth which looked to be nearing the end of its usage.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You passed out. Honestly, I'm surprised you even managed to get to the town before fainting with all the damage you took. I took the liberty of healing you while you were sleeping so you should be all better now. Though you being here raises another question of mine. I'm sure you already know what I'm going to say so I'll just wait for your answer." The cleric walked over to the side of my bed and looked down at me with those tired eyes of his.
"As I'm sure you've figured out, me and that boy over there, Steven, aren't from this island. We actually traveled here by ship but ended up crashing and being separated from the rest of our group."
The cleric's eyes widened and his cigarette fell out of his mouth and towards the floor, "eh?"
"Eh?"