I lie there on the grass with tattered breaths as I looked upwards into the trees. I sprawled my arms out wide. Flipping myself over to try and get upright. I stood on one leg as my partially healed leg dragged on the ground.
I threw up as I looked down at it. disfigured joints were not my strong suit.
I hopped over to where the old man was hit, the ground caved in as I peered inside. The old man was no where to be seen as impact blew him away.
"I wish you a fair journey" I bowed to him as I turned, the journey back was going to be difficult. Hopping away I strained and started my way down the mountain.
Breaking into the opening I saw another group of backline soldiers laughing. They apparently were traveling together and were leaving prey for a one on one. Basically a travel group, I stumbled over to them.
"Hey uhh…" I trailed off, the pain in my leg has been rattling my brain since the shock wore off. The pulsating radiated throughout my body.
"Jesus Christ bud, what ya do there!?" A guy wearing a helmet said with the heaviest accent I've ever heard. Kind of like our general but more severe.
"I tripped" I told them with a smirk.
"Mind giving me a hand!" Asking them as I moved forward a bit and stood still in front of them.
He nodded as he trotted over and helped me walk. He lead down the small incline towards the wall. It's royal appearance sprung outward at me as i limped forward. The stone wall stood tall as we approached an entrance, the guard let us through easily. Since the backline headquarters were right next to the wall it was an easy trip to the meeting room. They lead me over and layed me down on a large sofa.
"Now lay here while I fetch you a healer." A burly man said as he disappeared in a door. The comfort of the leather couch allured me into sleep, but I decided against it as a woman with another green staff walked into the room and winced when she saw my condition.
'"I know right" I laughed as she walked over with furrowed brows
"How did you even get this bad of an injury when tasked with fighting phase 2 monsters?" She looked at me seriously.
"Easy, it wasnt a phase 2" I replied as she casted a spell, a pleasant green hue surrounded the area.
"Phase 3?" She tilted her head at me, brown hair fluttering a little from the magic.
I shook my head again as a loud crack resonated throughout the room.
"GAHHHHH" I scream as my leg snapped back into place.
She looked at my with a surprised gaze, full of sympathy and agitation.
"You should've run when you saw it if it was above phase three. Thank god you managed to get out unscathed. Can you report where you saw it so we can go kill it?" She shook her head at me like she was lecturing her child.
"No need." I replied weakly waving my hand.
"I already killed it"
She looked at me full of shock as she stopped healing me.
"W-well than." She turned around
"That's all I can heal, healing is just the sped up recovery so you still lack a lot of blood and your muscles will need a while to be back in shape." She gave me a wooden crutch.
"You will need this for around the next six hours until the spells effect wear off."
I look at the crutch with dissatisfaction.
"Be happy you even get to walk today, two more tendons and it would've been weeks." She frowned at the gaze I gave her.
I grab the crutch with some dissatisfaction and waddled out back to the room where I first met with the general, the building was made of two large rooms. One for meetings and one for civilian problems and other issues.
Walking into the meeting room I saw a couple of people lazing around, Sam included. Once she saw me she bounded over.
"Woah, what happened to you?" She asked with pure curiosity.
"It was nearly torn off, took a fight I probably shouldn't have. But I won!" I smiled at her.
We continued to converse as we sat down on a large sofa on the side of the room. I planted myself there for the general to come back as Sam took a nap. The timeline should be over soon.
A couple of minutes later the door opened as she walked through. She looked around the room of people, almost everyone returned back on time. She frowned after counting but went to the front of the room anyway. I nudged Sam awake as she drooled on her shoulder.
"Alright, once I call your name walk up and state your kills and display the pelt as proof. If you bought pelt from a tailor I will know as all pelts are brushed and refined before given to sellers at the guild, or anywhere else." She nodded as she turned down to the list.
"John, come forward" a small thin man walked forward with hurried steps.
"Yes ma'am. I've got one phase 2 deer and one phase 2 fox" he presented the pelts to the general and she scribbled down on her clipboard.
"Well done, you are dismissed for the day." She waved waved her hand at him as she called on the next name as John retrieved his pelts.
This happened a couple of times without much surprise, there was one person who managed to kill a phase 3 but it was already weakened from a previous scuttle with the other phase two he had killed.
"Akio sano, step up." She said in a bored tone. Even with her slight accent you could tell that she was not interested.
'I have to study geography to figure out a map, then find out where these accents are from.' I made a mental note, I keep wondering where they get the accent.
"Yes ma'am." I responded as i crutched my way up there.
She raised her eyebrow at me and turned to look at me.
"You okay?"
"I'll be fine" I responded as I stoped in front of her.
"I've killed one phase three bear and a phase 4 leopard." I told her with a straight face as I pulled out the pelts. Her face contorted with disbelief, but after a moment spoke.
"Very well done!" She looked down at her paper.
"You are dismissed for the day."
I nodded and turned around the faces everyone had was well worth the broken leg. I turned over to Sam too see her eyes wide open looking at me with interest. I gave her a wink as I limped out the front door. Leaving the backline hall I stumbled back towards the inn. The cobble road gave a good grip for the wooden stick as I passed other civilians. Some offered me a hand if I'd ever need it.
Opening the door to the inn the front desk woman looked at me in surprise.
"Welcome back sir, do you need help back to your room?" She said as she walked over too me. Placing a hand on my back.
"Ah no, I'll be fine." I replied back to her as I waved her away. Walking up stairs proofed to be a rather difficult task as I struggled towards my room.
Opening the door with the noon sun shining in on my bed. I collapsed, felt like I'd been awake for days. I opened up my system to check for anything to do.
------------status------------
Name: Akio Sano
age: 15 years
HP: 100/100
Con:20
MP:300
Level:43
Status points:104
Str:311
Dex:219
Int:209
Wis:169
Mana: 7700/7700
Skills: [appraisal (LVL 3)], [passive: blessing of Verglas],[passive: Mana absorption] [transformation LVL 1] [Flare LVL 1 (ice)] [lightning control(2nd grade) LVL 1]
------------------------
'Why aren't the menu buttons there anymore?'
[clutter, I told everything I made had to be perfect.]
I ignored his answer, I could look through my inventory and stuff when I woke back up. I looked at the top of the inn. Sleep came over me as I though about what to do after I awoke.
Up on the mountain 5 hours later:
The rocks cluttered the ground as the wind blew through the trees. Not an animal moved, too afraid of what might happen.
"How interesting" a woman's voice spoke from behind the trees. The fluttering of birds were the only sound present, the usual animal cry absent.
The bark turned grey and colorless as the woman appeared, her blue eyes radiated obsession.
"Your growing fast, but not fast enough. why don't I try to speed things up."
The grass refused to move from the air as the color drained from every thing around her. She snapped her fingers.
Animals poured out from the mountain towards the town. In a fit of rage that awoke with the snap, as if it was a command.
"I will see you soon." She trembled with ecstasy as she looked at the oncoming onslaught of enemies.