Recovery

I opened my eyes to see the inside of Azraea's room once more. I thought I was going to die back there, no doubt about it. That ogre got me because of my own stupid mistake, I should have saved my magic for if anything like that came up. I looked on my body, to my surprise my wounds were completely gone. It was as if the ogre never hit me, not even scars remained. Then I heard the door open.

Out stepped Azraea, holding a tray with two mugs. She noticed that I had woken up, but had little reaction. She simply placed the tray on the bedside table and took one of the mugs. She proceeded to take a sip.

"So you are alive." she said, "Not a lot of people would have survived such a one-sided fight with an ogre. There's a reason why they're Silver ranked monsters. You're lucky I was there to rescue you, otherwise you would have ended up as a snack."

"So you killed the ogre?" I asked. She simply nodded in response.

"I killed the ogre, I took its treasure, and I handed in the quest notice." Azraea told me, "Everything was sorted whilst you were sleeping."

"How long was I out?" I questioned.

"About an hour." she replied, "Your wounds actually healed up rather fast."

An hour? No, surely a beating like that would put me out for a day or two at least. But, she didn't seem to be lying.

"Were you watching me this whole time?" I asked slyly.

"No, don't be stupid." Azraea responded, not fazed by the question at all. She's one tough nut to crack. A lot of girls would break into embarrassment after hearing something like that. "I actually had better things to do than watch you heal." she continued.

"Besides." she mumbled under her breath, "I only did it for a little while…"

"So you were watching me." I replied. Azraea started to go the slightest bit red. She downed the drink in her mug and released a small cry of pain.

"Hot!" she exclaimed. That was a sad attempt at changing the subject, I've been reading people for far too long to be fooled by that. But I guess I'll play along.

"Alright then, have it your way." I told her, "Keep your secrets. You should probably make sure that you haven't singed your tongue, by the way."

With that, Azraea walked off out of the room. Meanwhile, I got up and tested if I could still move properly. Strangely enough, I felt lighter and stronger as I moved. My movements were slightly faster and I felt fully rejuvenated. Was this something that just happened in this world, or is something making it happen?

I looked over at the tray on the beside. There was now a single mug, with a brownish liquid inside that steamed. Tea? I walked over and picked up the mug. Then I took a small sip. It was bitter, like there was no sugar in it at all. Overall, it tasted decent. The water wasn't the cleanest, but I guess boiling it takes care of that problem. Was there actually any running water in this world? Before I could question more, Azraea walked back in. Her face was back to its neutral state.

"You burn your tongue?" I questioned. Azraea didn't even dignify my comment with a response. Was she purposely trying to ignore me or did she actually burn her tongue? I sighed, then I walked over to her.

"Open." I asked of her. She didn't even listen to me, was she a five year old or something? Fine by me, I'll just have to treat her like one.

"If you don't open your mouth, I'm going to tell the others at the guild that you're just a child that throws tantrums." I told her. Looking a little bit distressed, she finally gave and opened up her mouth. Her tongue had some minor burns on it, but they should go away in a couple of hours.

"Go get some water down you." I told her, "You'll be fine in an hour or two, it isn't that bad."

Her only response was her face going red again, she swiftly walked out of the room. Hopefully she was going to do what I said, otherwise we'll have a small problem on our hands. I continued to drink until there was nothing left in the mug. I placed it down and walked out of the room.

I went to see my own room, I hadn't been inside it yet. I opened the door and looked inside. It was actually not that different to Azraea's, although it was a bit more plain. I could decorate it given the time and money. Speaking of, Azraea hasn't given me any kind of share from the quest. I went to try and find her.

Azraea was in the kitchen, slowly drinking a glass of water. She had taken my advice. She noticed me walk in and ignored me.

"You feel better?" I asked, "The water should help with the burn. You'll be fine in an hour, give or take. Can you at least speak?"

"Yes." Azraea replied. She had a very slight lisp from the burn on her tongue, but it was barely noticeable. "The water is helping, but it still hurts a bit."

"That was a pretty stupid move you know?" I told her, "Don't just down a hot drink like that, I've learnt that the hard way many times."

"Just leave it be." she responded, "I don't need sympathy for a burnt tongue."

I sighed. "Well if we're going to be changing the subject…" I started, "Then I guess we can start with the pay for that quest. How are we sharing it out? I think that you can keep the ogre's treasure, and half of the pay. I'll also have half. Sound fair?"

"You can have the treasure bag." Azraea replied, "I don't need it, you however need to get some proper gear. You know, so an ogre doesn't take you out in one swing."

She threw me the pouch attached to her belt. Inside was about thirty gold coins, two emeralds, and a few bones. I still had no idea about how money was handled in this world. But if my sword was six-hundred and fifty gold and a rare weapon, I would guess at normal gear being at under a hundred gold.

"Thanks." I responded.

"Don't forget the pay." Azraea added, "Thirty gold is your share of the pay."

She placed thirty gold coins in the bag. That brings my total to sixty, along with whatever these emeralds are worth. I thanked her again and I left the house to go to the market.

It wasn't so busy at the market today. I guess that yesterday was just a rush day, maybe some famous merchant. Nonetheless, it made it easier to find the merchants that I wanted. I took a wander about, until I came across a professional looking building. It had a sign on the door with a helmet painted on. If games have taught me anything, then this shop is an armour shop.

When I opened the door, there was the sound of a small bell. Inside was a counter with a large looking man manning it. He had a thick black handlebar moustache with a goatee and his muscles bulged through his apron and tunic. Despite this menacing appearance, he actually looked quite docile.

"What do you require?" he asked in a rough and deep voice.

"I want to get some armour." I replied, "Can I get a suggestion and a price so I know where I'm at?"

"Of course." the man responded, "That's why I'm here. Just let me take a look at you."

He stared right at me whilst he stroked his goatee. He was watching me for a few seconds before rising again.

"My best suggestion would be a set of leather armour." he told me, "It's easy to move in and someone of your physique would be able to handle its weight. As for a price. I would price a full set of basic leather at around ten gold. But you don't want to cheap out when it comes to armour, so I can make you a decent set of leather for about fifty gold."

"I can pay for that." I replied, "How long will it take?"

"Get back to me in about…two days." the man answered, "It should be done and tested by then. Can I get your name?"

"Keita Kuro." I told him, "That's my name. So I'll be back for it in two days."

I opened up the pouch in my hand and counted out fifty gold coins, then laying them on the counter. The man took them and wished me a good day.

As I walked outside, I felt a wind pass me by. But something was different, it felt heavier than a wind. I looked down and my pouch was gone. A thief. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a small figure running off at a super fast speed. It was definitely faster than me. I gave chase.