“Thank you, but it’s fine. It’s nothing but a small wound.”
Despite the obviously severe wound on his waist, Head mander Markham had a wide grin on his face. He was just too happy to see K3308 alive and well.
Abel shook his head, “No, no, no. Here, take this blue potion, Markham. Take it for me. I don’t want to lose a single friend today.”
Head mander Markham did take the potion from Abel. He was going to say thanks for it, but at this point, what Abel had done for them was already too much to be expressed with words. There was nothing they could do back that was enough to return the favour.
After drinking the blue potion, Head mander Markham took a long, fortable stretch with his body. He could feel the wounds on his body being healed up at an extraordinary speed, and again, he couldn’t help but sigh at how generous a man Abel was.
Abel asked the others, “So what happened here? Why didn’t anyone tell me about being attacked?”
“Um, well,” Head mander Bodley scratched his head in embarrassment, “The orcs were stronger than we thought. They also got us by surprise, so the fight escalated before we could get any help.”
K3305 was also very ashamed, “I think you’re hiding too much from a friend there, Bodley. Here, let me tell the story.”
K3305 coughed a bit before continuing, “Ok, so. There’s one of you that’s surviving all alone on the orc battlefield, and there are nineteen of us here, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Abel replied.
“During the entire month, you have never called for any reinforcements. If the nineteen of us decided to call you over for some orcs…”
Abel understood, “Oh, I get it. You don’t have to say anymore.”
There’s still quite a bit that they didn’t talk about. It was actually Head mander Bodley that declined to have Abel e over. While he never gave a specific explanation for that, it was easy to tell that his attitude towards Abel had changed.
As for when? Well, ever since he sent Abel the invitation.
Abel decided to leave the details for later, “Can I borrow you for a while, K3305? K3308’s injured quite badly. I’m going to have him with me before the mission ends.”
“Yes, K3516!”
Something really bothered K3305. During all this time, Head mander Bodley had never paid any attention to Abel. He was treating the wounds of the other members. Abel was the one that came to save them, but he never said anything to thank him.
So far, K3305’s had more trust in Abel than his own team. Abel was a friend, after all. Both of them had already been on a few adventures together.
Head mander Bodley spoke, “I’ll take care of K3308 with you, Sir K3516.”
“Sure,” Abel nodded, “it’s been a month since I’ve seen any orcs around where I was. Should be safe enough over there.”
Head mander Edi was struggling here. There were two options that Head mander Donald gave him. One, persuade Abel to search for the blood of the beastly god with them. Two, hand the orc war drum to them. Right now, Abel was going to leave them, and it was not like he could just call him to do otherwise.
There was also something that Head mander Edi heard about. Wizard Amos had gone missing. Whatever happened to him, it had got to do with Abel and the drum. It was the reason why he wasn’t sure how to face Abel now. He was the one who’s invited him over to this whole thing, after all.
Abel went to talk to Head mander Edi, “Sir, K3308 has been injured. I have to bring him with me at all times. It’s for his treatment.”
“Oh, oh. Yeah ok. Take care of him, K3516.”
“I’ll be leaving now,” Abel bowed.
“Actually, wait a bit, K3516,” Head mander suddenly called out, then spoke in a quieter voice, “Can we talk somewhere quiet?”
After Abel gave his consent, the two went somewhere quiet.
Head mander Edi spoke in hesitation, “The drum, K3516. Donald wants me to trade with you for it. He said it’s crucial for our quest to obtain the blood of the beastly god.”
An extra century to hit a level higher than a knight’s head mander. Head mander Edi might be a pretty mellow man, but he did have his own wishes with the blood of the beastly god. Of course, he didn’t think that Abel would just accept the bargain.
“Head mander Donald?”
“Right, Donald,” Abel repeated the name, “He should’ve given up when he realized what happened to Wizard Amos.”
Sweat started flowing down Head mander’s cheeks, “What happened to Wizard Amos?”
A staff appeared in Abel’s hand, “You’re asking about Amos? It’s not like I want to talk about it, but oh well.”
“I need to know K3516.”
“He used a very “special” way to tell me to hand the war drum and the map over. You know what I did? I was standing right here, sir, and I made sure he would never leave the orc battlefield ever again.”
Head mander Edi’s heart started beating very fast. He recognised the staff Abel was holding. He realized how stupid Donald and Amos were for messing with Abel. Most importantly, he was starting to get a sense of how strong Abel really was.
Head mander Edi had a lot of ideas about who K3516 could be. Of course, “Abel” had always been on his list, but Abel was just too much of a prominent figure. Abel’s the legendary man that was notorious for killing several advanced wizards. He wasn’t an advanced wizard himself, but everyone recognized him as such. There was no way that he would be allowed at the Miracle City.
Head mander Edi was kneeling to Abel, “I did not know what happened, K3516.”
Abel went to get him up off the ground, “I knew that, of course. If you did know about it, it wouldn’t make sense for you to e here alone with me.”
“Still,” Abel said in a calm but murderous tone, “I need you to tell Head mander Donald something, sir. For what he’s done to me, he has to die.”
Head mander Edi didn’t know how to change Abel’s mind. Donald was a friend of his, but more importantly, he was the key to get to the blood of the beastly god. Abel was not up for any sort of negotiation, it seemed.
The staff Abel had belonged to Wizard Amos. All this time, Head mander Edi had thought of him as a master archer, but now, it seemed that the man had a lot more up his sleeves.
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