Awakening from my sleep, I feel a bit better, the haze of grogginess slowly dissipating into the soft pounding of a headache. Tempting as it may be to yawn, I restrain myself, and I look around with a few blinks.
'Guh... are we there yet I wonder? We've been traveling for hours now...'
Angus sits impatiently, his nose stuck down into a small and worn leather-bound book. My ears twitch, hearing him muttering to himself with the occasional "hmm" and "haw" at the pages. My eyes catch his weathered hand carefully stroking his beard, and I watch him for a bit with curiosity.
The caravan leader, Finnegan, is nowhere to be seen, and my ears fail to hear even a peep of his boisterous presence. I wonder where he may have gone off to, but Angus remains far too engrossed in his book to notice my finger weakly tapping against his hard leather boot. Thoroughly fed up with my injuries at this point, I lay my arm back down and groan, exasperated.
'I have no idea how long I've been in this world, but I hate this! I'm a catboy for Pete's sake, I should be climbing trees, chasing birds, and all the other stuff! Not laying here like I'm dead! Ughhh...'
[Answer: You have been in this world for | 3 | hours, | 12 | minutes, and | 51 | seconds.]
'Thanks, text-to-speech voice in my head...'
'Hm... what should I call you anyways?'
[...]
'Hummmm... how about... Cortana? No, too sci-fi. What about Samus? You sound like a Samus... I think. How's that name for you?"
[...]
'Alright... Samus it is then. So, where exactly am I? And how long until we reach uhhh... Sandal? Was that her name? Guh, this headache is killing me...'
[...]
'...hm?'
[Error: System does not register the name "Samus".]
I slap my palm against my face, dumbfounded, the pain from my shoulder and back quickly making me regret doing so. My moaning and groaning is short-lived however, as the cart soon slows to a stop. My ears swivel rapidly, trying to hear what's going on. Angus closes his book with a satisfying clap, making me flinch at the sudden loud noise. He stands and faces away from me, looking at something out of my view, with one bushy eyebrow raised atop his forehead.
"He better know what he's doing..." he mutters.
I hear the sound of something hitting gravel, followed by receding dusty footsteps. Then, a series of loud knocks, frightening a flock of birds into the sky.
"SJENDAL, GET YER LIL' LEGS OUT 'ERE! PLEASE!"
Recognizing the yell as Finnegan's, I wait to hear a reply, but the air fills with silence. After a few moments pass, he calls out for the gnome once more.
"SJENDAL! WE'RE IN NEED OF A TRULY EXPERT HEALER! THE ACADEMY MAGES AREN'T SKILLED ENOUGH TO DO IT!"
At this strange remark, a door hinge creaks open, and an elderly, coarse voice responds.
"Did you reaaaally go to the academy and ask for their help?"
Finnegan clears his throat sheepishly before replying. "Well... no, but we could really use yer expertise. We've picked up a wee beastfolk girl from deeper into the forest, and she's quite beaten up! Can't even sit up or talk, it seems. Please Sjendal, yer the only one I can come to fer 'elp right now..."
"Hmm... a beastfolk? On this side of the continent? Well, I guess I could give her a look over. After all, I do still owe you from last time..."
Two sets of footsteps approach the cart, and with a clunk and a shake, I see her land next to me. She's short, very short... even by dwarf standards. Gray hair, black eyes, and porcelain skin, her gaunt face peers down at me, and the black of her eyes begins to emit a fine white vapor. Suddenly, she turns to scowl at Finnegan, before kicking him in the shin.
"Do you really have rocks in that head of yours? That's a boy, you moron!"
Finnegan's eyes widen in surprise for a moment, before the air suddenly fills with bellowing laughter. Sjendal looks at him disapprovingly, as he wipes a tear from his eye. I groan in annoyance.
"A boy, eh? Ha, had us fooled, must not be old enough for a beard yet!" The other dwarves laugh even more at this, and eventually Sjendal continues her examination with a roll of her eyes, echoing my disbelief.
"Not all boys have beards, you uneducated bumpkin!" She yells loudly, kicking him in the shin again for his comment. "Anyways, he seems to have a few broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a ruptured diaphragm, a dislocated shoulder, some pulled and bruised muscles and ligaments, and a pretty bad collection of scrapes and cuts, not to mention a concussion, plus the fact he's dehydrated."
My ears twitch at hearing all of this, Finnegan raises an eyebrow, and Angus looks down at the gnome with concern. Sjendal crosses her arms and thinks for a moment, before turning around, and jumping off the cart. Angus quickly turns and shouts after her, his words also echoing my own disbelief.
"H-Hey, Sjendal! That sounds like quite the precarious pickle she's in, aren't you going to help the poor beastie?"
"It's a he, and yes! Now stop gawking and bring him inside!" Sjendal snaps in reply.
I force a slight grin, happy to finally be treated from my skydive, but barely hold back a wince as Finnegan and Angus lift me back onto the stretcher, and out of the cart. With each short step, the stretcher's fabric bounces slightly, and I relax a bit at the change in texture against my stiff and bruised back. My comfort soon ends though, as they bring me inside what looks like a giant, hollow, and strangely well-furnished tree.
Shelves line the walls, and wooden furniture litters the room. The two dwarves set the stretcher down on a low wooden table, and the gnome stands atop a creaking wooden ladder, searching for something on a dusty top shelf. Sliding down the side rails, her heavy wooden shoes clomp loudly onto the wooden floor.
'Is everything in here made of wood? Good for scratching, I suppose...'
My tail flicks curiously as she mixes together several herbs and bottles into a wooden bowl, and my nose catches something with the scent of caramel and... lavender? I hear something bubbling, and watch Sjendal's tiny hands move around the bowl, making small, glowing runes appear in the air as she softly murmurs something. Angus watches the magic warily, while Finnegan looks around the space with disinterest. Finally, she takes the bowl, and waddles over to my side.
"This mixture won't heal your injuries completely, but it will allow you to at least move and talk somewhat. Now open your mouth, and drink."
She tilts the bowl against my lips, and a feel a warm slime press against them. I look down at it, a bit grossed out by the feeling.
'I'm not sure if I want to know what that is...'
I stare at the glowing brown liquid for a moment, before ultimately opening my mouth. Laying mostly flat on my back, I struggle to swallow it, but manage to drink the full bowl. Immediately, a warmth fills my body, and my abdomen and chest are consumed with an intense burning sensation. My hands clutch the torn fabric of my canvas robes, ripping it more as I squirm and groan, clenching my teeth in discomfort and pain.
'She's killing me! She made me drink poison and I'm gonna die! Angus was right to not trust her, she's a crazy murderer!" I think frantically.
[Correction: No poison status effect detected.]
"aaAAAgh! Hnnnngh!" I cry out, no longer able to contain myself.
Strangely though, it doesn't hurt any extra as I do so. I do begin to cough violently however, as air is forced in and out of my lungs. My display continues for another few seconds, as the concoction's side-effects begin to wear off. I lay there, eyes wide, hand clutching my chest, panting heavily.
"Did... did it work?" Angus asks, stupefied.
"Of course it worked you rockhead, now get out of my house!" Sjendal replies. "Stonefist, our debt's clear now, so you get out too!"
Finnegan grabs Angus, and waves to me as he drags him out the door. Angus struggles and protests, but a strange blue aura seems to be helping Finnegan.
"See ya 'round, cat! Make sure to come an' visit us in Eos!"
The door slams shut behind him, and I sit up, extremely confused, and still a bit winded.
"H-Huh?!?"
I watch Sjendal carefully, as she turns around to face me. A sly grin settles across her small, elderly visage, and she speaks.
"As for you, my dear feline, you now have a debt to settle with me."