"What's this about?" she asked me. "I have absolutely no idea. I just woke up, remember?" I said, putting my hand on Meliss' shoulder. "You'll be fine, so go with him. I'll be here whenever you get done. After all, I'll need help to get back down those damned stairs," I said playfully.
I watched the two leave the room, as Bernar took their place in the doorway and pulled up a chair to sit opposite me.
"Bernar told me what happened to Irun, and I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry to discover he really was a traitor. As I understand it, you two weren't very close; even so, it must have been difficult to fight an old friend," Taegin said grimly, but I could only shrug, knowing there was little more I could do at that point.
"He was always a little bratty, but I still considered him a friend. However, I had a hard time controlling my anger when I saw how mutated he was from the dark mana," I muttered, my wound still aching a little. I winced again, and a small drip of blood ran down the side of my face, which I wiped off with the sleeve of my oversized shirt.
"Be that as it may, I wanted to thank both of you for helping me with the others. If you hadn't, I most likely would have died because of my hubris," the Master said humbly. "Which of you two made the call to tag into the fight?" he asked.
"Thoma made the call. I was originally against it, because it would've left Leona and Meliss alone, but he saw something I guess I didn't," Bernar said, jutting his thumb in my direction. "Well, I thank you for making the decision, Thoma. I'm still alive, though it will take some time to fully recover my strength, as the claw that pierced my shoulder nearly severed my arm. I believe he was trying to rip out my core," Taegin sighed.
"Your core? What the hell was that claw made of?" I asked with genuine surprise. "It wasn't an ordinary claw of mana. That was the claw from the Nethersong Mask, one of the many gifts from the gods all those years ago," Taegin reminded me of our history with the artifacts briefly, as my eyes fell to the side of the bed with a sigh.
"Regardless of the final outcome, you two have fought valiantly in a battle that was definitely not in our favor. With that said, I grant you the rank of Adept, Thoma. Although I do apologize that it's taken this long to get you the experience you needed to get there," he said with a small grin that wrinkled the scar on his face.
That's only two away from master, I thought as my eyes widened, and even though it pained me, I bowed from my chair.
"It's about time you got your rank-up. I always knew it would be coming soon," Bernar said, smiling proudly. I allowed myself a small grin out of the corner of the better half of my face. "Thank you, Taegin… I mean, Master," I could barely say for the lump in my throat. "Ah, so you did hear that part of the conversation. There is a lot more to that, but I'll wait for Pyle to heal you completely," Taegin smiled, breathing deeply as he adjusted his position in bed, wincing at the pain.
"However, I did want you to be the first to know that with your new rank, you will aid New Bloods and Juniors for their basic training, since we will require more instructors. Since you're still new to teaching, Bernar and I will handle Senior ranks and above once we return to Codrean, which I hope is soon. The food here is good, but I'm tired of sitting in bed all day," Taegin said playfully.
"There is, of course, one more thing I would like to tell you, but again, we must wait for your jaw to fully heal to have a much deeper conversation than the one we've just had. You will have lots of questions, I imagine," he continued.
I didn't fully understand what he meant by that, so I simply nodded.
"In the meantime, you are free to go where you please. We've won the battle for Coltend, but I am sure it will not be the last for the Continent," Taegin said gravely. "Do you think he will try again soon?" I barely managed to ask, causing him to sigh heavily, like a weight had been put on his chest.
"My brother Ardrin, as you now know him, will most likely have returned to his fortress to rebuild his forces. Since Garett destroyed the crystals that controlled them, the creatures turned on each other, nearly wiping the entire force out in the process. If I'm right, his fortress is in the northern part of Hjalfar, but I have yet to confirm that," he said grimly.
I pondered the words for a few moments, digesting the information given to me.
"In any case, you have your jaw to take care of, so I suggest you go and do that immediately; we still have much to discuss," Taegin said, to which I nodded and rose from my seat. "I'll keep an eye on him until Pyle gets back," Bernar noted as I was leaving the room. Just then, I realized my predicament and the lack of assistance for what I now had to face.
Ah, yes, my arch-nemesis of the day: Stairs. Should I wait for Meliss to come back? No telling how long she'll be gone for, is there? Fuck me, I thought, embracing my demise with a deep, heartfelt sigh.
With every step taken, I could feel my jaw throbbing in response. I found myself praying to all the gods that Pyle would repair the damage Irun had caused with the blow to my face.
After more than a few minutes, I was back on the ground floor. I was still wrapped in my towel, and barefoot on the cold, stone floors of the hallways, I now limped down to find Pyle. I went as quickly as pain would allow me to through the emptied halls and into the main one, where the battle had taken place the previous evening.
That might just be the slowest I've ever moved, I thought as I cast my gaze to the horizon through the destroyed door and saw that it was nearly dusk.