44 Chapter 44

"Drink," Shenhe ordered simply as she brought an elixir to my mouth but I turned my nose up to it as I scanned it and knew it was weaker than my own elixirs. 

"No. The ones, I already consumed are better... I just need to heal overnight." I said with some annoyance as Shenhe was weighing down on my sore shoulders with her forceful approach of literally sitting on my chest. 

And as she just tilted her head in a silent state of wondering what to do next I asked with a slight groan. "Shenhe why are you sitting on me?" I asked with an eyebrow twitching.

Her silver hair moved through the air as she looked straight down towards my face and she replied evenly. "Lady Hera told me I am your sitter... I do not know what a sitter is, but judging from its root word of sitting I am supposed to be sitting on you to make sure you don't run off to Melen." 

Shenhe as though proud of her mental jump in gymnastics nodded to herself with some obviously wrong thought running through her brain as she continued slightly under her breath. "Indeed Lady Hera's wisdom is of the divine. No matter the Skill or magical item you possess while I sit atop you... You cannot escape me!"

Silently I pulled one of the two pillows I had behind my head and then while smothering my face I screamed out my mental frustration until soft hands took the pillow from my face and Shenhe who had leaned in even closer with her face naught but inches away from mine spoke with utter seriousness. "No Jake... You cannot smother yourself with a pillow either to escape. You are not allowed to escape life via suicide." She said bluntly while even poking me in the chest.

'Reeeeee!'

-

After a bit more of her antics in which I attempted to explain to Shenhe that she didn't need to truly sit on me to keep me safe. I finally made a compromise as she graciously allowed me to lay down with her wrapped around my back with her hands encircled with my own and her steely arms wrapped around my chest so that I may not 'escape'.

It was honestly... Something to say the least. Even though I couldn't really enjoy the feeling of her curves pressing into me due to the persistent ache in my shoulders. 

But as I awoke the next day with my shoulders feeling much better I was awoken by the sounds of Tina working in the kitchen and she soon came out with a couple of bowls of eggs and some cubes of steak in the eggs.

"You alright Tina?" I asked softly and she nodded quietly. From there we just ate silently as Shenhe sat across the room still watching me like a hawk.

Tina then made me feel a bit better as she added on. "You used a full vial of the elixer on me... I am a Pallum we weigh far less than other races so we don't need as much." She said with a joking smile making me snort as I should have realized that but oh well. That just meant she had stronger medicinal stuff running through her veins.

I then looked over at Shenhe and spoke. "I imagine you want me to get to work on Alfia's Elixer right?" And at my question, she firmly nodded.

I continued. "Where are the materials you went into the dungeon to get, including the Goliath monster stone?" 

Shenhe froze and some distress entered her eyes as she muttered. "I left them at the Hera compound... I couldn't carry them all in one trip and I didn't know where you lived so I didn't know where to go from the start." She frowned as she then hit the head of the issue in her mind as she actually looked at me with some concern. "I cannot leave you alone, so how do I go get the materials?" 

I couldn't help but think how adorable Shenhe's troubled face was but I kept a straight face as I said gently. "Shenhe, there's a door bar over by the door. Why not bend it around my leg while I am sitting in a chair so I cannot leave while you go get them." 

A light of comprehension entered her eyes and she firmly nodded with a small smile coming across her face as she hurriedly went to the door and came back with the thick bar of metal that level fours were supposed to have issues bending.

"Uhh Jake, are you-" Tina started with a raised eyebrow but I waved her off as Shenhe kneeled down beneath the table and I shivered hearing the groaning screech of the metal bar that was supposed to secure the door be bent around the tables central pillar before she grabbed my leg and then I felt cold metal wrap around my ankle as she wrapped my leg around a couple loops of the metal before she finally satisfied stood up with a small proud smile.

"You stay here." Shenhe said simply as she grabbed her spear. "I will be back in probably. Twenty minutes, I will need to use a cart to bring the Goliath monster stone and other materials." She finished with a nod as though confirming the steps to bring all the stuff she had collected for me and without a word spun on her heels and left my apartment with her heels making clicking noises on the stone ground as she left.

I turned to Tina and then spoke relaxedly. "Tina I am very hungry... Could you please make 'All the sandwiches." I said putting emphasis on my words and Tina's eyes widened as she ran into the kitchen to grab all our food as I laid my hand on the table and just popped the table and my leg bindings into my inventory.

'I kinda feel bad about tricking Shenhe... But Orario is a bit too dangerous right now.' I thought as I mentally crossed out the Melen plan as that wasn't possible with how Hera was going to look for me... But the world of Gekai was massive and there was infinite potential for my growth so long as I was willing to do whatever it takes.

'Fuck it...' I mentally cursed as I threw all our food into my inventory as Tina quickly followed me into the streets of Orario as I resolved. "Besides Melen Lake there are still many options. I say we head straight East to the Alv Mountains and the Seol forest. What do you think Tina?" I asked quietly as we raced towards the basically unguarded and unmonitored southern exit of Orario which was where the Red Light District was.

Tina who was basically jogging to keep up with my powerwalk instead said. "Let's go to the north leading to the Beol Mountains... Remember Hera has a lot of influence in the elvish forests due to Albion so our best bet would be the Dwarvin mountains to the north."

In the end, Tina had a good point so I nodded and once we thankfully got to the edge of the city I quickly threw my Infant Dragon out of my tamed space and we rode it into the distance to get some distance from Orario and once it tired we ran on foot pushing our adventurer endurance to the limit.