I spent some time replenishing my innate spirit. Once I had enough, I created a duplicate and had it go hunting. Luckily, it brought back alot of wool and meat, which I used to create makeshift bandages, stopping the bleeding of my own body and of Morgan's.
It's been a day since the battle ended. Morgan still hasn't woken up. I was sitting by a campfire, of our original camp, roasting some meat. Morgan was laying beside me, most his body bandaged up, he looked like a mummy.
'If only I had a phone.....I would of shared this on insta. Just how many likes will I get?"
I giggled at the thought.
Anyways, after the battle ended, instead of going straight to the lake, I brought Morgan back to where he first started. Then, I hunted for wool and food, with them, I bandged up the severe wounds Morgan suffered during his fight with Dorian. Even now, im curious about what happend.
The reason I didn't go straight to the lake was simple— both of us was severely injured. I had pretty much resigned to the fact that the lake would of been taken over by someone else now. The only way I managed to survive with my curse was through dumb luck, a few hours ago, it rained and that was a little bit enough to control my thirst.
For now, all I'm waiting for is for Morgan to wake up. Then, make a decision with him. But even so, how can I be sure when he will wake up? He has been out for an entire day now and has no signs of waking up anytime. To be honest, I have even genuinely considered abandoning him a few times. It's not like I knew him well, we have barely spent much time together.
However, I didn't.
It's not because it's the "right" thing to do. It's because I simply want to and he would have his uses in the future. It isn't time yet to terminate our contract. Besides, when he wakes up, knowing I didn't abandon him, he will start trusting me more. That will make controlling him much easier.
At the end of the day, every participate of The Mulligan will only lookout for themselves. So, I won't keep burdening myself with him if he doesn't wake up anytime soon.
Or do I just go visit the lake?
That's a choice I could give a shot. Even though it's risky, I can't be sure any humans have conquered the lake yet. Not to mention, I haven't met much humans while here either. So, chances are, many humans aren't around here. They are somewhere far. If my conclusion is right, the lake should be completely free and I will end up having a near unlimited source of water.
"Yeah....I think that will work."
I sighed, nodding my head. My resolve made. I turned my head and glanced at the sleeping Morgan with a faint smile, getting distracted by the cute face he makes whenever he sleeps. Morgan has grown on me alot.
"Time to go, buddy."
I stand up and reached down, picking Morgan up, carrying him on my back. He was too heavy for me at first, but I have gotten used to his weight. Plus, this is great exercise for me. It can help me level up my physical attributes even further.
Now that I mention it....
I summoned the game-like interface, my eyes darting downwards.
Physical attributes: —
Power: [9/1000]
Speed: [11/1000]
Stamina: [20/1000]
Agility: [17/1000]
Flexibility: [10/1000]
Balance: [14/1000]
Accuracy: [17/1000]
Hmm, im mainly lacking in power. But I have great Stamina, Agility and Accuracy. Balance isn't that bad either. But I will have to start improving on Power. This recent fight made me realize how important that attribute was. Oh and can't forget about Speed, either!
Eventually I dismissed the screen and continued walking forward. The lake awaits at the end of the path. Yes, im taking the same path I was stuck in for an entire day, having to deal with an annoying guy from my past life that wanted to date me. Ah, if only everyone could be as restrained as Morgan.....He never even falters when I tease him in the most flirtatious ways. Im honestly starting to doubt if he even is attracted to me in the first place...
Hold on, why am I pondering this so seriously?!
I shook my head off those thoughts and continued walking. I noticed the damage done to this place from the battle. Some trees had fallen, there was blood everywhere and holes on the ground. I even passed by where Morgan and Dorian fought, finding a gaping hole on the ground and Dorian's headless corpse.
It made me glance at Morgan whom I was carrying with a hint of fear.
'Just what did this guy do?'
I shuddered at the thought and continued walking. Luckily, I had a duplicate to scout the distance. There wasn't any animals around here to stop us, even if there were, my scout would of informed me, I don't mind having to take detours either. I pretty much had all day, since I was mainly waiting for Morgan to wake up. It would be better if he did before i reached the lake....
But unfortunately, he did not.
I was standing right at the end of the path, hidden deep within a few bushes, I stared ahead at the vast open space within the jungle where the lake was located. There, I was a light.
Since it was deep into the night, the moonlight shining down faintly, obstructed by a cloud, I was able to see it clearly.
Two figures were seated by the lake, a campfire started. They even had makeshift tents made and was eating some delicious looking food. They looked much better off than we did. But that's not what I really cared about. What really mattered was that....
"I was too late."
I sighed, setting Morgan down to the ground. I stared at his unconscious body silently for a few minutes, then shook my head.
'What do I do now? Go and talk to them? Sneak attack? Try and ally with them?'
I don't really have much of a choice. Even if they may be hostile, I won't be able to last long without reaching the lake. Sure, i could take a detour and make camp at some other side of the lake, but that will take too long and I would die from thirst by then. So, I need to ally with them. There isn't much of a choice.
I took a breath and picked Morgan up again. Im not abandoning him. Whatever we go through, we are going through it together. With my resolve made, I walked out of the bushes and slowly started making my way towards them.
I wasn't silent nor discreet, my movements slow and calm.
Soon enough, I saw one of them turn their head and face me. The other one followed suit. They tensed up and began reaching for their weapons. Wooden crafted swords. I halted immediately after seeing the reaction, raising one hand signaling "peace."
I saw them slowly calm down. Then, they began talking amongst themselves, eventually, one of them stood up and waved over. I couldn't help but sigh in relief. However, I didn't relax yet. This could be bait and I will have to be careful. Even abandon Morgan if necessary. It's funny how I said I will not abandon him not too long ago, but just a day later, my resolve has wavered and I can barely even think of reasons why I should keep him with me.
Soon enough, I was only a few meters away from them. This time, I got a good look at who they were. Both of them were well-dressed, their clothing made through skill. I guessed as much from the tents. One of them must be pretty good at wilderness survival.
There was a man and a women. The man was a bit taller, his figure was thin and slender, his hair was black and long, almost reaching his back. The most distinguishable feature being the strange comedy mask he wore, that was split into two sides and had no openings for eyes, mouth or nose. It was wooden, one side laughing, the other side screaming? Crying? Yelling? I wasn't sure.
'What sort of aesthetic is this? Did he really take the time out of his day to make that madk?'
The women was different. She had a strange silvery hair and innocent, delicate features. She looked young. Way too long to be in The Mulligan. I assumed her to be around 15 or 14 years of age. Poor girl. She wore a neat dress, that reached her knees, presumably making it not so long so that she can fight. Her skin was a youthfully pale and flawless, I almost envied her skincare routine. Her figure left much to be desired due to her modest size, but everything about her screamed that she would be a beauty once she grew up.
I gave them names "Mr. Comedian" and "Mrs. Assistant" Seems to suit them pretty well, no?
Eventually, I reached them and halted just a fair distance away. Before I could speak, however, the girl spoke up. Her voice was high-pitched and dripping with childish innocence.
"Miss....you look horrible. Do you want to eat something? And is that you're friend your carrying? My friend here can heal him!"
My eyes widened at what she said. What luck. A Healer? I couldn't help but glance towards the masked man, seeing him in a new light. The man laughed and responded, his tone light and amused.
"That's right! Let me see that boy."
________________________________________
I was sitting by the bonfire, with the little girl by my side. The masked man took a Morgan into a tent, seemingly unwilling to show me how his abilities worked yet. After some silence, I shot the girl a look over my shoulder.
"Um, thanks for not attacking me. Im Isabella, by the way."
I wanted to be nice. Since they were nice to me. The little girl nodded her head, a pleasant smile playing on her lips.
"It's nice to meet you, Isabella! Im Cassie."
She pointed at herself, then she used the same finger to point at the tent where the masked man had gone.
"And he is Zeke."
Then she paused and pursed her lips, thinking for a moment, before adding.
"Um, he's a little shy around strangers. So, don't mind him wearing that mask...."
I stared Cassie silently. I could tell that the little girl was lying. That much was obvious from the way her tone became nervous and her averting her eyes guilty. She was so easy to read. It was adorable!
I didn't push it, though. If she was lying, then it meant she didn't trust me enough to tell me why Zeke wore that mask. It could either be related to his blessing, or something else much more secretive. I admire that Cassie was looking out for her partner. They must have been together for a long while to build this sort of level trust.
We were silent again. Until, the tent opended up and Zeke crawled out. I managed to spot the bandaged body of Morgan inside. He looked much better than before and there wasn't any obvious wounds. None at all. Almost like he didn't just survive one of the most harrowing battles yet. Just what did Zeke do?
I couldn't help but stare at the masked man, impressed. If I actually saw the state Morgan was in from inside the tent, I would of been even more impressed. I wondered what his blessing ability was, with the healing ability being so potent...
Eventually, Zeke broke the silence with an obnoxious laugh.
"Why are you all so serious? Come on, girl! Tell me all about what happend to you guys. The story must be very interesting!"
I blinked in surprise, I expected them to ask about how we got here and what our intentions were. Not about what happend to us. It's gonna be a long story....
"Ah....yes. it was very interesting. It's a long story...."
With that, the two of them settled down and began listening to my tale, the moon hanging above us in the sky, the cloud obstructing it moving away to reveal it's beautiful light.