Chương 103: 2-1 Waking Up

Josef immediately regretted waking up when the weight and sensations of his own body fully returned to him. Back in that inner realm, he was free from pain and injury, which now assailed him without mercy. Had he really pushed himself that far? He must have been running on adrenaline because this felt worse than what he remembered. For a moment, he simply lay there, trying to shoulder the weight of his own existence.

He was barely succeeding, though the desire to return to that desert where pain wasn't a thing was tangible. Something he could actually do now, thanks to the skill Lapis had given him. ✩✩✩✩✩ Meditation (Pinnacle) Look within and behold the center of your power. The heart shows truths that the mind denies. To inspect your domain means to learn, improve, and change yourself. Can you nourish greatness, or will you flounder in mediocrity?

Its description still lingered in his mind, though the notification itself had already faded into obscurity. A lingering sign of his system not doing so well, he suspected, thanks to the ongoing effect of the Stillness. Josef was struggling to find a pattern in the things that continued to work in that condition, as the blockage had proven not to be universal.

His notifications had appeared to be completely shot ever since he started converting order affinity mana in large quantities, only for this one to break the mold. Aside from that, he had only barely managed to get results from inspecting the status of others. A quick check followed by a massive headache also confirmed that his own status overview was still unavailable. So what was different between those? Maybe Lapis would have some answers once she recovered enough mana to talk.

Until then, it didn't really make a difference to him, did it? Before Josef could even contemplate stirring from his position, he was once again beset by a furry missile, burying itself softly into his side. While they had already met in his domain, as the skill called it, Nibbles had not been next to him upon awakening, needing to run over from wherever he was.

"Didn't we already do the same thing just now?" Josef chuckled, his words a barely audible rasp. His throat felt parched and dry, but was otherwise well enough for speaking. Idly, he realized that there was quite a bit of extra heft on his familiar. Was that a sign of him getting stronger as the summoning affinity had improved, or was he getting too many snacks?

"The boss doesn't understand. Is not the same!" the rodent squeaked dramatically.

"Also, never enough hugs!" Briefly considering the logistics of twisting his body enough to pet his familiar, Josef gave up and simply surrendered to Nibbles's affection. Instead, he contemplated a terrifying possibility after recognizing those speech patterns.

"Why do you sound like Dizzy?" It was not to the same extreme, but there were definitely similarities. Suddenly, he felt like a concerned father, worrying about who his child hung out with. Instead of his familiar's voice, a different one reached his ears.

"Well, look at who finally finished his nap." Josef needed a second to remember the owner of that voice, but when he did, he cracked an eye open to peek at the elderly lizard lady. She had come to sit by his side in an old-fashioned nightgown, setting down a candle on a small clay platter.

"Morning, Charly," he mumbled his greeting. The old herbalist gave him a stilted look.

"Night, actually. And quite a bit before opening time, for that matter. But your little friend suddenly squeaked so much, I couldn't sleep through it if I tried. Guess how I know that." He flashed her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, he just got a little excited. Besides, he's barely a week old, and you can't blame him at that age, right?" That kicked off another question in his head, though.

"Actually, how long have I been out?" It had felt like days, maybe even weeks, when he was wandering through that desert, but he hoped that reality had been much shorter, considering how his skill selections usually worked. Though that name no longer fit after what happened, considering he had been entirely bereft of choice.

"You've been here for the last three days. It had given everyone quite the fright when you wouldn't wake up," there was a sense of admonishment in her voice.

"Sorry, guess I've been in a worse state than I thought." He smiled bitterly.

"What about the others? How are they holding up?" Charly sighed and shook her head.

"Can't even sit up straight, but already worried about others." Then, catching his eyes with her own, she continued, "After what you put my grandsons through, I had half a mind to throw you in the sewers, you know? Fortunately for you, the little rat has been excellent company, and I wouldn't want to upset him too badly." Just why did he feel like this little old lady had experience with dumping bodies in the sewers? For that matter, why did her cellar have a connection to it?

Back on his first day in Highsend, he had felt like Zassa was some kind of mafia boss, but maybe the herbalist was the secret crime lord all along?

"Anyway," she continued, "Bezzo was doing well enough last I saw him, though the rascal is already up and about again. As for Zippa, just look for yourself. He needs his temperature checked anyway." Turning his head to the opposite side, he quickly understood what she was on about. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Sorry, but why exactly are we both in the same cot?" He asked flatly. Zippa was right there, nestled by his side. Even in the warm glow of candlelight, his face looked thin and pale, except for the charred bits still clinging to the front of his muzzle. There had clearly been some effort made to clean him up, but that could only do so much.

"What, is my boy not good enough for you, great Drake?" she cackled, and only got louder when his face morphed into shock. Has another elder seen through him already? The older generation of Aurum was terrifying. After Charly calmed down, she continued, "It's not like I have spare cots just lying around, and we needed at least one for your little clinic. Also," her tone turned somber, as her eyes glazed over in reminiscence.

"Just like back then, overdrawing on his fire has caused his temperature to drop dangerously low. And since you were sporting a fever, I thought it only fair for you to share some of that heat with him."

"That's… How did you find out?"

"With a thermometer," she smiled widely, as Josef's translation skill did some heavy lifting for that term. Giving her his best unamused glare, something that became easier thanks to his still half-numb face, he urged her to continue.

"I could hardly miss the signs after taking care of you for the last couple of days," she finally explained while gesturing along his body. Josef barely dared to lift his blanket far enough to check, though the motion alone already revealed plenty. Not only had the scales spread massively along his torso, covering his entire chest and parts of his stomach, while stretching towards his back, but some of them had even appeared along the lengths of his arms and legs.

"Are they on my head too?" He feared for the answer, as he silently wept over the two smooth spots on his chest. Charly shook her head, "No, just plenty of scars on your scalp." So there was still a chance to get his hair back, at least. More than for his crippled system, he really needed a word with Lapis about this. There had to be a way around what was to come if the transformation spread even further down. He was not ready for that change in anatomy!

"The color choice is also quite bold, I have to say." As she mentioned it, Josef realized that his scales looked quite different from their first emergence. Where before they sported a very dark shade of blue, the coloration had turned somewhat brighter. However, there were cracks of white and black running through them, creating a marbled appearance. Sighing in defeat, having no choice but to go along with what his body was going through, he instead got his inquiry back on track.

"What about Cana? Where is she? Is she…?"

"Zassa and I had a bit of a dispute over who goes where, but she ultimately let me keep you in exchange for the girl. I could have gotten all three of you, but she didn't want to let me stack you all on one cot." Her tone was very matter of factly in the end, as if doing so would have been perfectly normal.

"Shameless," he muttered under his breath, only to receive a nod from Charly.

"I know. Pulling a sick person away from the only available healer is a heinous move." A sage nod of her own supplied her opinion. Josef began to see where Zippa had gotten his blend of jokes from. Now that the old reptile was talking more openly with him, that same humor began to surface.

"What about Sprout?" Seeing a questioning gaze taking over Charly's features, he added, "My plant familiar. Looks like a dog."

"Ah, right, that adorable thing. I was trying to get her to stay, because her presence could have done wonders for my craft. Unfortunately, she insisted on staying right by your lycan girl. Very protective, that one. She was also the one carrying her out of the dungeon, from what my grandson told me." How had Sprout known that she was the right person to bring along? But Josef quickly realized that she had probably caught some of the emotions he had felt towards Cana when he discovered her.

As flawed as their connection still was, that conclusion seemed the most logical explanation.

"You should let me borrow her for a while. I can think of many uses for someone with an affinity for plants in a shop like mine. Just think of the many new medicines I could make with herbs grown by her." There was a bright gleam in Charly's eyes as she spoke of his familiar. Surely she wouldn't get up to anything strange if he left the two of them alone together? Clearing his throat, he brought back her attention from whatever botanical dream it had descended into.

"I'll talk to her about it." He wouldn't force Sprout to work with her if she wasn't amenable to it, but the idea of improving the medical situation without relying on his own affinity had some merit. There was only so much of himself to go around, and that could not be the sole pillar of healthcare for the people of Highsend.

"And where did we stash Aifreed? There's no way Linda left the dungeon without him. Just like Zassa wouldn't let him stay at her tavern." With himself as the sole notable exception, the lamia had been quite clear about her 'no men' policy in the living quarters. Charly merely shrugged.

"You'll have to ask your friends about those. Can't say I have met either." Had she just carried off her knight after everything was over? No, he couldn't believe that. At the very least, she would pester him until the elf was restored to health. He thought it much more likely that the noble lady would have arranged for her own accommodation in the city. Hopefully, Sanctum wouldn't bother them, because he feared that Linda wasn't quite capable of living silently while keeping a low profile. Speaking of which…

"Any chance you heard of what became of Onyx? You know, that big, infamous lug-" A snort cut his explanation short.

"Why don't you ask the 'infamous lug' yourself?" The answer didn't come from the old lady in front of him, though. In the back corner of the room, scales almost invisible against the shadows cast by the candlelight, a familiar big reptile emerged. A weight lifted from his heart that Josef hadn't even been aware of. A part of him had really feared that the reptile would have done something irreversibly stupid after the fight was over, with no one able to tell him off.

"With how much attention your operation is bringing to my shop," Charly explained, "I thought it a good idea to invest in some security." Onyx let out a low growl.

"Don't make it sound like you're actually paying me for this shit."

"What? Are bed and food not enough for you? Apply somewhere else if you don't like it." Even though there was a smile on the old reptile's face, her tone held a sharp edge. She wasn't exploiting the guy after what he went through, was she?

"You don't have to force yourself, Onyx. I still have some coin if you want to-""I'll do whatever the fuck I want, Drake. Or do you have an order for me?" Onyx challenged.

"Otherwise, keep out of my business." The guy's demeanor was almost cold enough to distract from the fact he was guarding them at their most vulnerable for basically nothing in return. Josef silently thanked the big reptile, knowing that saying it out loud would only incite a snarky reply. Instead, he cradled Nibbles and turned over to the sleeping form of Zippa and whispered quietly.

"Please wake up quickly. I'm surrounded by weirdos." The synchronized huffs told him that they had heard him well enough.