Disoriented, aching and having some degree of memory loss. That's the state Poltas woke up in. He couldn't remember his last conscious moments and contemplated if he had taken a nap. But the throbbing and prickling sensations all over his body quickly sobered him up.
He recalled fighting weevilians using battle-mode and winning. And what did he do then?
Ah yes. He had checked his weblet only to discover that his body had been absolutely wrecked during the fight.
His surroundings were familiar, and he soon realised that he had somehow returned to his bed in Brandial's cottage. His spear was lying untouched next to the door, and his weblet seemed to be abandoned on the floor with the bag.
The pain in his body was consistent but a lot more dull than what he had felt after the fight. His throat was dry and even swallowing his own saliva was painful. Poltas spotted a glass of water on his bedside table but he didn't even have the energy to lift his hands anymore.
In the dimly lit room, he laid there silently, suffering for an unknown period of time before Brandial came to find him awake.
"You finally woke up!"
"..."
"Everyone has been so worried about you since we brought you back. I tried questioning Tyom but he didn't want to tell me anything. I can't even punish that little brat because he is already refusing to eat."
"..."
"Luckily you did not have any external injuries or, with your body's poor condition, your situation could have gotten a lot worse."
Seeing no reply from Poltas even after saying so much, Brandial leaned closer and placed a hand against his forehead to check for fever.
Poltas, who had been silent due to his dry throat, croaked out a sound, trying his best to articulate the word water.
"Oh you need water. Hold on."
Feeling a lot better after quenching his thirst, Poltas pondered over the updates Brandial had presented.
"How long was I unconscious for?"
"Almost a day.
"How did you guys even find us?"
"Tyom came to me for help after you fainted. What even happened back there? I have never seen weevilians attack anyone before."
"Actually it might have been our fault for picking plants from the lake. But how could I have known that there were giant bugs guarding them."
"Even if the weevilans were attacked first, you two could have just left. Why did you overreact and fight back in such a flamboyant way?"
"Are you kidding me! I don't want to be chased by poison spitting mutated bugs."
"Poison spitting? Mutated? That sounds like balastomatids. Weevilians are harmless plant eaters, how could they even hurt you?"
"What..?"
Brandial explained the difference between weevilians and balastomatids to Poltas. Unlike weevilians which lived on land, balastomatids were a seaborne species known for its hostile nature. Although Tyom had recognised the weevilians correctly, due to being attacked underwater he confused them for balastomatids.
Thankful for surviving the encounter, Poltas had made peace with his poor condition. Once he discovered that he was never truly in danger, it made his eyes tear up.
Brandial assumed that the medication had worn off and brought more painkillers, but no amount of medicine could soothe the pain in his heart.
He spent the night tossing and turning, internally cursing himself.
The next morning Tyom came to visit him while looking like a homeless person. With a pale face coupled with prominent eye bags, and foul smelling breath, Tyom appeared before him. The younger had not even changed out of the clothes he was wearing on the day of their trip.
Tyom looked at Poltas with puppy eyes, and seemingly wanted to hug him for comfort but Poltas did not want to have any physical contact with the filthy person opposite to him. However, Poltas had no energy to prevent it and was hugged by a child smelling like mould.
"I'm so sorry about my mistake, Miss Poltas. If I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have injured yourself by fighting."
Being subjected to Tyom's crying made Poltas angry.
'I'm the one who is in pain, why do I also have to deal with annoying children that cry.'
"I didn't tell anyone else about it except my uncle and he scolded me a lot for my careless behaviour."
Uwah uwah uwah.
'If only I could still walk, I would be anywhere but here.'
"Does Miss also think I'm stupid for dragging you with me for herbs."
The question was very sensitive. Saying no was equal to forfeiting the right to reprimand Tyom. Saying yes was the same as insulting every fiber of Tyom's being. If this was asked before the trip, Poltas would have said yes in a heartbeat. But ever since he recalled his sister's kindness he couldn't bring himself to fault Tyom for caring about his uncle.
"Your decision to get help in looking for the herbs was not wrong, but the fact that you went to do it while lacking information on the herbs was definitely stupid."
"...I know."
"Knowing isn't enough, you have to learn from this for the future."
`I also have to learn a lot from this for the future' Poltas thought internally.
"I will Miss Poltas and I hope you will forgive me!"
Although angered due to his situation, Poltas decided to forgive Tyom just this once.
"By the way, did you end up finding the last herb?"
"The one from the lake, Spiruline?"
"Yes, that one."
"I did! It turns out spiruline is made from very small aquatic plants called algae. When Mr. Darshel came to rescue you; he inspected the weevilians closely and found the chemical in their abdomens."
How were they supposed to find algae in that lake! Poltas had this thought but did not say it out loud.
"With Mr. Darshel's help I was able to extract lots of spiruline. I kept a few extra bottles for you since you were the one who took care of them."
Weevilians were plant eating creatures, so the chemical must have been inside of them because they ate algae.
Did this mean if he had not killed the weevilians his quest would still be in progress? Poltas was still deliberating over this when Tyom said his farewell and left.