I'm feeling refreshed by this conversation with Uldrei's Granddaughter.
With my position as Queen, I rarely ever have the chance to talk with someone casually. But with her, I could talk about my daughter as well as my worries about the future of after I'm gone. But I think I can relax with her assurance to help when needed.
She has her own quirks, seeming to get distracted by her own thoughts but I see a lot of Uldrei's charisma and love of laughter in her. Maybe the rest is from her parents and grandmother.
But something happened.
She had crushed the cup in her hand before slamming the table with all her might. The table shattered and I could see blood coming from her hand but before I could recover from the initial shock her face seems to twist in pain, but it doesn't appear to be from the glass as she suddenly grips her shoulder before letting out the most blood-curdling scream.
"W-What's wrong?!" I try to ask her, but she falls out of her chair before tightening her jaw, trying to not scream again.
The doors slam open as the two Royal Knights stationed just outside rush in with the Headmaid Lin just behind them. The moment Lin sees Veda fidgeting around on the floor with blood being flung about every moment her body twists and turns, she was ready to rush over too to help.
But the moment one of the Knights gets within arms reach of her, Veda's fist slams into the knight's chest, sending him flying backward with a dent left in. With a single gasp of breath, Veda shouts as loud as she can. "PLEASE!!! GRAB MY GRANDMOTHER'S BOOK!!!!" before her jaw tightens once more.
Everyone was in so much shock that we froze. But when the attention comes to me, I point at the other knight. "You Go!" He took only a second before darting through the open doors, not wasting a second more.
It would take time for him to get there for the book and back, but in the meantime, blood continued spreading across the floor as more glass from the table ended up sticking into her back, yet all her focus was completely on her shoulder.
Everything that happened in this long minute was such abnormal circumstances happening in quick succession that I could only freeze in place while trying to collect my thoughts.
A Royal Knight in full plate armor was currently struggling to recover after getting backhanded by a young woman we know to be a mage. That hand of hers must've shattered and yet, she was completely focused on the pain in her shoulder.
When next she screamed, I regained myself, and so too did the Headmaid.
"This is..." I see the expression on Lin's face, just as astonished by the situation as I am. But we are brought back to reality by Veda's need to scream once more.
"Stop gaping and find out what's making Veda wail like this!" I shouted at myself just as much as I was shouting at Lin. She has some medical skills, not like those of a physician but depending on the cause, she could give an early diagnosis to give to the physician upon her arrival.
Lin snaps out of her daze as she begins making a diagnosis, but she dare not get close after witnessing what happened to the Royal Knight. From what limited information she could see and understand through Veda's actions, she could only guess.
"If she is a normal human, then this amount of strength from a female body, especially without any regard for self-sustained injury, is... likely that of someone struggling against the grip of death. A... dying gasp, if you will."
My entire body shook, hands tightly gripped on my dress with my worry impossible to hide, even with my decades of training, I couldn't keep my authoritative mask on after hearing the worst possible answer.
I can only watch from the sidelines as more Royal Knights enter the courtyard. Lin orders them to move everything out of Veda's reach while warning them not to get too close. They were confused at first but when they saw the dent in their comrade's steel plate armor, they all took this seriously and followed the order to the letter.
With the initial shock dying down, my sight focuses on her bloody left hand that used to hold the cup currently gripped tightly on her right shoulder. I asked Lin. "Do you have a clue what the cause is?"
Through the screams of Veda that rang through our ears once again, Lin could only shake her head. "With my knowledge of medicine, what's happening to her just doesn't make sense. She's gripping an area that isn't vital and even if it were a poison, her shoulder being the center of focus is just... bizarre..."
The howls of Veda echoes throughout the castle grounds, us being unable to do more than wait for either the physician to arrive or the Knight to return with what she asked for.
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I tried my hardest as I always have when it comes to fighting for not just my life, but also theirs. The moment it was revealed to be three of those hobgoblins, I threw my spear originally meant for the one facing Sapheir in the other direction before dashing after them, trying to get them away from Floris who only just realized the danger coming for him.
"Three steps forward!" I shout to Floris. If he can make distance away from them those coming at him from behind and I keep launching ranged weapons, I should be able to reach him before they do.
Both dodged the spear but one did it without a lap in his judgement. The first to dodge I recognize as the better dodger, the main one to attempt to take Floris's life when I was throwing everything I could at him before.
With that in mind, I threw my axe, striking the Hobgoblin that originally targeted Jikani, managing to hit him. Just as the Hobgoblin was about to catch up to Floris, I intercepted its dagger with my shield before striking it down with my sword.
I managed to intercept their ambush before Floris could get hit.
"Look out!" Sapheir shouts, warning me of the Hobgoblin that was originally targeted Sapheir. From Sapheir's warning, I attempted to dodge, but I could tell it would hit if I didn't block. I raised my blade to block the coming spearhead, but to my damning luck, the rusty blade snapped. The dagger-like spearhead slid across my right shoulder, only a cut, but the poison was now in my veins.
At first it was only a wince, but the burning sensation acted only seconds after, an excruciating pain sending my entire nervous system into shock as my grip on the handle of my shattered sword loosened, falling to the ground.
Veda had collapsed to the floor shortly after but as Verei, I had to resist, at the very least till we've gotten rid of this hobgoblin.
At least till the fight is over.
The smug look of victory that spread across its face was irritating but if it thinks I'm unarmed just because I only have a shield strapped to my arm then it's got another thing coming.
It didn't have time to bask in its success of getting a single hit on me, and it knew it. But it looks like it was dead set on ensuring my death making another attempt at my life. I raise my shield, the weapon piercing into the wood and I begin to use my leg to kick it. Despite hitting, it managed to resist getting knocked around, grabbing hold of my leg.
'Oh Great! This one was the most resilient of the three!'
As it raises the dagger to strike my leg, my shield meets its face instead, making it miss its strike. It looks pissed off now, if it wasn't already. But that's just fine.
Pulling my leg out of its grip, I prepared to strike it again, yet the hobgoblin was able to avoid my next shield bash. But, it's already out of time. Sapheir shoves the sword clean into its back, dragging its entire body to the side. A clean hit to end the battle.
Its last act is trying to regrip its weapon only to be pierced in the head one last time.
I didn't have time to celebrate the end of the fight, collapsing to my knees as I groan a scream that sounded like my body was contorting. It wasn't pleasant but it was all I could muster with the lack of breath I had before I could take another breath.
I could see everyone moving to me, the White wolf pelted in arrows and scorched flesh. They try to argue about what they should do as I begin gasping for breath in synch with my other.
Without delay, Sapheir picks me up and orders his party to rush back to the village as quickly as possible.
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I told anyone who would listen to grab me my grandmother's book. My reliance on its spells might've looked like an addiction but those spells haven't failed me since I set out on my own.
Had my male counterpart been in any of the situations this body has, or even if I had to go through them without the spell book, I would have perished for sure.
At the very least, a spell for curing poisons might cure this but I don't have time to test that so I can only use one incantation I know has a powerful effect in curing just about anything, so long as I don't lose the ability to speak before I can cast it.
When the doors opened, I was hoping to see the Knight Her Majesty sent out, but it was Serci and the princess. Though I appreciate their worry, it doesn't mean my hopes weren't dashed as my already clenched jaw tightened even more.
"Mother! What's happened to Veda?!" While the princess moves to her mother, Serci tries to rush to my side only for a few Knights to step between her and me.
A Royal Knight warns her, "Don't! She has been flailing around in a dangerous manner, enough so that all we can do is clear the area and leave her as she is."
Serci was about to argue but she caught sight of the dent in the one knight that had tried before choosing to remain where she is. Princess Maridia is also disappointed, her question as to why her friend was in pain had been ignored, but the Queen had only as much knowledge of what'd happened to me as anyone else, despite her being there from the beginning.
Whether it be the Head maid or one of the Knights, no one knew what was happening to me as I'm likely the only one to ever experience a 'third-party sharing of pain' with 'another me.'
The door was thrown open again shortly after as the Knight sent out finally returned, and with the book in hand. He rushes past Serci and the other Knights, the first person to come within five meters of me since the last guy. It might sting from hitting metal but that pain is numb compared to this acidic-like poison eating into Verei's flesh.
"What is it you needed from this book?" he asked.
I try my hardest to remember what page the spell is on, but my mind feels on fire. "Page... 1...4... 5. Read... the Title..." He hurriedly flips through the book to the page specified. "Heal wound."
I curse at myself for getting the page number wrong before giving the next order. "Next page..." He begins reading the next one and I curse inwardly again before repeating my words.