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- #121
Time for the next chapter of Dawn of Courage. (Warning: contains mild language)
It had been only an hour since the party returned from the Gurela Ruins. They had gathered in the royal bedchambers, where Nova was resting on the bed. Nina was sitting by his side while the rest of the party waited. Soon, there was a knock at the door, perking everyone up. Sir Reginald opened the door, revealing King Hendrik and a doctor.
“Your Majesty, you came as well?” Sir Reginald asked.
“I did, yes,” King Hendrik replied. “After all, it’s become apparent that Nova’s condition is my fault, along with the fact that I didn’t keep Charles on a shorter leash. I realize my plan didn’t work as intended, which probably only made Nova worse. I do apologize for it, as I’ve come to see it was not my best idea.”
Nina snapped, “You should’ve realized that sooner! What were you thinking, putting that unneeded pressure on Nova? And it played out exactly as he had expected it to! I thought you were better than that, Your Majesty!”
Sir Reginald said, “Lady Nina, don’t talk to His Majesty like that!”
King Hendrik said, “No, it’s fine. I deserve it. And she’s right. I thought the people of this city would’ve taken this whole thing more seriously. But I failed to realize they would instead use Charles’ own tactics of bribery in hopes of getting out of trouble. I guess they felt it was a legitimate tactic considering that’s how he’s always been, not realizing that the previous victims all ratted him out. So it is my fault for Nova getting pushed too far, especially since he’s already working so hard and forced on a routine basis to fight the very thing he’s afraid of. Which is why I brought this medical specialist, along with paying for his services myself, so I can make amends for my surprisingly lack of foresight. Now, doctor, please take care of Nova.”
The medic nodded and walked over to where Nina was sitting, saying, “I’m sorry, little miss, but you’re gonna have to move so I can examine him.”
Nina reluctantly obeyed, allowing the medic to examine Nova’s comatose body. He gained a grim expression.
“Boy, this kid’s in bad shape. It’s clear everything has been building up inside of him for quite some time, but the recent events have pushed him well beyond his breaking point. He’s gonna need my strongest medicine in order to avoid sustaining permanent damage.” He reached into his bag and pulled out two potion bottles, “These should do the trick. One will melt all his stress away, along with putting him in a deep sleep, thus removing the key factor. While the other will heal the damage he’s sustained from said stress. He’ll be out cold for about three days while these potions do their job.”
He then opened up the bottles and gently poured them down Nova’s throat, one at a time. Nova grimaced slightly, clearly not liking the taste, but remained out cold. After the final drop was consumed he was bathed in healing energy briefly before returning to normal, now in a deep sleep.
“Okay, that task is complete. But that’s not all we need to do. He needs Nuts Oil, and lots of it. While the one potion is designed to relieve him of all his stress the Nuts Oil is needed to speed up that process, as his stress levels are almost too high for the potion to handle naturally. Fortunately, since this city has its own private nut plantation it should be easy to get Nuts Oil. For the first day he needs two teaspoons of Nuts Oil every hour until sunset. After that he’ll need one teaspoon every hour until sunset for the next two days. Which means one of you has to monitor him and administer the Nuts Oil.”
Nina said, “And that’ll be me. Nova means the world to me and I don’t like seeing him suffer. So leave that task to me. We just need as much Nuts Oil as possible. It won’t be cheap but it has to be done.”
Kettu nodded, “I hear ya, Nina. Nuts Oil isn’t the most expensive medicinal oil but it isn’t the cheapest either. But getting Nova back on his feet is more important than the price. At least we still have some Nuts Oil of our own to start him off, but we’ll need to go to an item shop and see if we can get a lot more.”
King Hendrik pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ve got an idea regarding that. Please excuse me for a bit.”
He then left the room, confusing the rest of the party.
“Wonder what King Hendrik is going to do?” Zeeker pondered.
“This better not be another poorly designed plan of his,” Nina growled. “That’s the whole reason Nova’s in this mess in the first place.”
“Let’s hope it’s not, as I don’t think any of us, much less Nova, can take any more of such actions,” Angelo said. “Even a guy like me has a limit, and I pride myself on being very patient and understanding.”
“We know, we’ve seen it in action before,” Van said. “Remember Joy the witch? You clearly displayed your talent in that field that day, so we know just how far and deep your ability to understand others is. So let’s hope that King Hendrik isn’t cooking up another scheme, even if it helps Nova, as I don’t think we can take another round of that.”
The doctor said, “Well, whatever His Majesty is doing I’m certain it’ll help your pink-haired friend. I need to regroup with him so we can discuss what to do next. But I will return in three days when the potions wear off to check on him and see what his progress is. Hopefully you’ll have gotten enough Nuts Oil to help him. And if you have anything else that might help relax him use that, too.”
Nina pondered for a moment before saying, “Hold on. We’ve got some Serenity Pots. That should give Nova some extra effects to help speed up his recovery.”
The doctor nodded, “An excellent idea. Use as many as you have, since the effects stack. It’ll most assuredly speed up his recovery. But my question is… where are you keeping such items? They are far too large to put into any of the baggage you lot have. So… where are these Serenity Pots.”
Nina explained, “They’re inside Nova’s Digi-Pack, as he can store countless objects into it by turning them into energy and storing it in a memory bank. Don’t ask what it all means as I only have a general idea despite him explaining it to me. But the point is Nova can put anything of any size into his Digi-Pack, turning it into a bottomless satchel and allowing us greater ease in transporting goods, items, and food.”
The doctor went wide eyed, “That metal backpack of his can do all that? I don’t have the foggiest of what it all means but if it can store any item of any size and any amount in it then that’s a godsend for travelers. No wonder you all have plenty of supplies and such. Please, get those Serenity Pots out so they can start taking effect.”
Nina nodded, walked over to Nova’s Digi-Pack, and after fumbling around a bit managed to eject the three Serenity Pots that were stashed in it. The Serenity Pots looked like large pale blue urns painted with symbols of stars and constellations. She looked around for a moment before placing all three on the nearby dresser. They seemed to be releasing a pleasing energy from them, causing everyone to relax a bit more. Even Nova’s pained reaction lessened while still asleep.
“Good, very good. The Serenity Pots are already taking effect. Those will be extra helpful. Too bad you don’t have a Blue Moon Statue, which would be even more effective. But these three Serenity Pots will still be very useful in helping your friend recover. Now, I’m going to talk to King Hendrik about what needs to be done. If you’ll excuse me.”
The doctor left the room to go talk with King Hendrik. The rest of the party stayed in the bedchambers. Van pulled out the bottle of Nuts Oil he had and handed it to Nina.
“Here, Nina, you take what’s left of the Nuts Oil we have,” he said. “Since you volunteered to treat Nova I’ll leave it with you. You’d better give him some now. Zeeker and I will go out in a bit to see if we can get more Nuts Oil, since we’re gonna need a lot of it if we’re to get Nova back on his feet.”
Nina nodded, taking the Nuts Oil, “No problem, Van. Now, where is that teaspoon I saw a minute ago?”
Angelo took it off a tray, smiling, “Here it is, Nina.”
“Thanks.”
She uncapped the Nuts Oil bottle and poured some of it into the spoon. She gently pried Nova’s lips open and poured the oil down his throat. She repeated the process with a second spoonful of Nuts Oil before putting both the bottle and the spoon down on the bedside table.
“Okay, in an hour I’ll give him another serving. Hopefully we’ll have gotten more by then.”
Just then a knock was heard at the door. Sir Reginald opened it up, revealing a knight.
“Pardon me, but King Hendrik and the doctor just left,” he said.
“Thank you for telling us,” Sir Reginald nodded. “Keep us posted on anything.”
“Yessir.”
The knight left the room, leaving the party behind.
Van turned to Zeeker, “Come on, Zeeker, let’s go to one of the item shops and see if we can get some more Nuts Oil. We should have enough money to get at least a crate of the stuff, depending on how they price it here: which we may need.”
Zeeker nodded, “I’m right behind you. Let go.”
The duo left the room, out of the castle, and into the city, leaving the rest of the party behind.
Sir Reginald said, “I’ll inform one of the maids to bring you food, Lady Nina. After all, we cannot have you starve yourself and get into bad condition while tending to Nova. He wouldn’t want that.”
Nina nodded, “Yes, thank you, Sir Reginald. I’ll leave that to you.”
Sir Reginald gave a nod before leaving the room to inform a maid of his request.
Kettu crossed his arms, “I still wonder what King Hendrik was up to. Does he have another scheme to save this city? Or did he just tell them how badly they screwed up? I want to know.”
Angelo nodded, “Indeed, Kettu. I’m curious to know what His Majesty did myself. Maybe it’ll be something that’ll actually help Nova this time instead of putting unneeded pressure on him. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. By the way… how do you feel after saving your brother’s soul from Muu, Kettu?”
Kettu looked up at the ceiling, saying gently, “My emotions are pretty knotted up right now. On the one hand, I feel great joy knowing that my brother is no longer in Muu’s clutches and suffering. Having saved his soul from that vile, cowardly cretin helps alleviate so much of my guilt for failing to protect him. Which brings me to the fact that I’m also sad that I’ll never see him again. I know he’s watching over me now but I can’t help but feel my heart chip a bit knowing he’s gone forever. I’ll never get to spend time with him again, be it stealing from goons or just messing around like typical brothers. His soul has been saved but his life has still been extinguished and nothing will bring him back. So I feel both happy and sad knowing that my main reason for joining this fight has been completed yet also knowing that I’ll never see him again. It’s… pretty hard to describe, to be honest.”
Nina replied gently, “I think you did a good job explaining it, Kettu. I’m actually a bit jealous of your relationship with your siblings, seeing how close you all were. Compared to me, who was treated like a stain on my family’s name and mercilessly bullied by my younger brothers because of my clan’s sexist laws, I really envy just how well you get along with your brother and sister. So I can barely imagine the pain you’re feeling right now, having lost a vital piece of your life and family forever because of that damn Muu. But that’s why we need to keep fighting, as other families are suffering the same feeling you are. We cannot allow Muu to continue his evil so that the lives of those who live here, and those who are still to come, can prosper.”
The Werefox nodded, “I hear ya, Nina, and I totally agree. We’ve just begun to fight, and we’ll take this fight to Muu directly, one way or another. That way no one else can suffer this cruel feeling that I’m feeling right now. We’ve made good progress and we’ll continue our mission, no matter what it takes.”
“Here, here,” Angelo said cheerfully.
Sir Reginald then entered the room, saying, “I heard part of your discussion. I think it’s safe to say we all agree that Muu must be stopped once and for all so no one else has to suffer because of him and his accursed Undead Army. We will put a stop to Muu and end his terror and tyranny. Like Kettu said we’ve made good progress so far, and we intend to go the distance. It’s just a matter of time. And hopefully when that day comes we’ll have the entire world backing us up. Muu won’t stand a chance.”
“I’m all for that,” the Werefox nodded.
Just then Van and Zeeker returned with, to the rest of the party’s surprise, two crates full of Nuts Oil. They put them down at the foot of the bed, next to Nova’s Digi-Pack, wiping their brows.
“That’s… a lot of Nuts Oil…” Nina said, wide eyed.
“I hope that didn’t break the bank…” Sir Reginald said.
Van replied, “Actually, the shop owner gave all this to us for free. It appears the city is aware of what happened, that Nova is now comatose after defending them despite everything they did to him. I’m guessing that’s what King Hendrik did: guilt-tripped the people for their actions. I’m not sure if this is yet another scheme of his or not but it seems to be taking effect this time. Everyone seems to be trying to think of ways to help. The shopkeeper gave us these two crates of Nuts Oil on the house in hopes of helping Nova recover. Considering that just one crate would cost a good 25 to 30 gold, especially since these are large bottles of Nuts Oil, that was quite the contribution.”
Nina quirked an eyebrow, “You’re kidding me, right? The city is actually making a genuine attempt to turn things around? And they were willing to give up two entire crates of Nuts Oil just for one person? I’m… I’m pretty surprised. After Charles was that rotten example I was nearly certain that they wouldn’t change for the better, even after he screwed up their chances. Color me surprised and impressed on this one. I just hope that this isn’t King Hendrik’s scheme of trying to get them into Nova’s good books again. Guilt-tripping them is fine, since it was partly their fault, but I really hope this isn’t another gamble to not only win back Nova’s favor but get him to reconsider his stance on saving the city.”
Kettu nodded, “Fair point, Nina. It does seem a bit fishy that the city seems to be playing nice this time. But I guess just this once we’ll accept it. If it helps Nova then I guess we can’t complain. Not sure if Nova will agree with this but it might be in our best interest to just let it run its course. At least just this once.”
Sir Reginald replied, “That probably is the case. And it’s probably better that we do just go along with it this time. I don’t like it too much, as it feels a bit off and forced, but I’m willing to accept it just this once if it helps get Nova back on his feet. After all, we cannot stay in one place too long because Muu might try to mobilize his remaining troops to retake lost ground. But let’s see how this plays out. I’ll have a talk with the intelligence network to have them monitor things so we’ll know if Muu makes a move or not while we’re waiting for Nova to recover.”
He left the room, leaving the rest of the party behind. They all eyed the two crates of Nuts Oil, wondering if this was part of King Hendrik’s plan or a genuine attempt to make things right by the people who wronged Nova.
It was the following day. Nina was still by Nova’s bedside. Waiting near the door was a wheeled tray with an empty plate and used utensils and an empty glass on it, indicating Nina had just eaten. Nova was resting on a new pillow, sky blue in color, that seemed to be giving off a relaxing energy. The blanket he was under was also different, now lavender colored and seemed to be releasing an aroma. There was also another Serenity Pot now with the original three, another crate of Nuts Oil with the rest, sleep masks that seemed to give off calming vibes, and more pillows and blankets like the ones Nova was resting on next to his Digi-Pack, sealed up in a protective covering. Nina eyed these items with a crooked smile.
“Well, I’m still not sure if this counts as bribery or not, but the people in the city have been donating items to help Nova recover,” she said to herself. “Therapy Pillows, Aromatherapy Blankets, another Serenity Pot, more Nuts Oil, even a handful of Insomnia Masks for good measures. They might be going overboard here, which makes me wonder if this is King Hendrik’s doing. But… at the same time… I’m willing to accept anything if it’ll help Nova. At least they haven’t given something super-rare like a Blue Moon Statue, which would really make me question if King Hendrik is behind all this. Though I wonder where they got the Serenity Pot? We got one from the Night Market and obtained two from raiding Captain Boneacuda’s ship. Considering that Serenity Pots are pretty rare it does make me wonder where they got this one? Ah, well, I guess I can’t complain, since it’s all to help Nova, even though I feel there is an ulterior motive behind these generous gifts. Hopefully I picked the right Aromatherapy Blanket for him. It’s lavender scented so I hope he’ll like it.”
Just then a knock was heard at the door, getting her attention.
“Enter.”
The door opened, revealing Sir Reginald, “Lady Nina, how are things going?”
“Fine, for the most part. I gave Nova some more Nuts Oil just about ten minutes ago and he’s sleeping pretty soundly. And the maid gave me a meal just before then, so I’m not hungry or anything. I guess everything is going all right, as nothing major has happened. What about you? Did you get any new information from the intelligence network?”
Sir Reginald nodded, “I did, yes. No new news to report on that end, either. Muu’s forces haven’t made any moves out in the open since we dealt with Abyssmal, so we might luck out and get Nova back on his feet before anything major happens. But I’ll remain vigilant so we don’t get caught off-guard by anything. Hopefully Nova does recover before anything happens, which would be a lucky break.”
Nina nodded, “Yes, I agree. We need all the bits of good fortune we can get right now, as we’re down one teammate. At least Nova seems to be recovering well. Although, if I’m being perfectly honest, all these gifts that the city has been donating to help Nova recover… it seems a bit… overkill. And it makes me wonder if there is an ulterior motive laced in with these gifts.”
“Fair point, Lady Nina. Normally I can see through such acts but this time I can’t tell if this is the city genuinely trying to turn things around and help Nova or this is something King Hendrik cooked up. Well, either way, like I said before, I’ll accept it just this once if it helps get Nova back on his feet as quickly as possible.”
Suddenly, Zeeker walked in, carrying another crate of Nuts Oil, although it was smaller than the others.
“Not another crate of Nuts Oil!?” Nina sputtered.
Zeeker put it down next to the others, “Yep, although this one only contains small bottles, not the larger ones that we got before. I had a talk with Van when I brought these in and he and I agreed that we’ll distribute these bottles amongst ourselves, especially since these are small enough to fit in pouches. Nova’s got more than enough Nuts Oil to last him a good 20 years, if not more. I’m just putting them here with the others so they’ll all be in one place. And maybe to show Nova just what the people are doing for him. Granted, like we’ve all be talking about since yesterday, I’m not sure if this is a genuine attempt by the people to turn things around or King Hendrik’s doing. But at this point we might as well just accept it.”
Nina sighed, “Well, I’ll take Nuts Oil over something extremely rare like a Blue Moon Statue.”
Angelo walked in at that moment, freezing in place before saying, “Then this might be a bad time for me to show up.”
Sir Reginald turned to him, “What do you—” only to freeze when he saw what Angelo was carrying.
Angelo was carrying what looked like a statue with three blue-colored crescent moons slightly overlapping each other, with what looked like a swirling cosmic vortex structure underneath it. Everyone went slack-jawed at what they were seeing.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Nina exclaimed. “A Blue Moon Statue?! Who in the name of the Goddess donated this?!”
The frogman grinned sheepishly, “A family gave this to me while I was running errands. They said it belonged to their ancestor, so it’s quite old, but it still works. They’re willing to give it up if it helps Nova.”
“Now I’m really suspicious about all this,” Zeeker sighed. “I mean, sure, Nuts Oil is easy to get, and Therapy Pillows and Aromatherapy Blankets are everywhere. That I can accept. But a freaking Blue Moon Statue?! This is getting absurd.”
Sir Reginald rubbed his eyes, “Indeed, Zeeker. This is getting a bit ridiculous. Like you said, Nuts Oil, Therapy Pillows, and Aromatherapy Blankets are commonplace. But we also got another Serenity Pot and now a Blue Moon Statue? I really hope this isn’t another attempt by King Hendrik to sweettalk Nova into sparing the city. I almost dread what his reaction will be when he finally wakes up. But we can’t return it so we might as well just accept it. I’m starting to not like this but we really can’t say no here.”
Nina heaved a sigh, “Fine. This is getting out of hand but whatever. Please give me the Blue Moon Statue, Angelo. I’ll set it up someplace. At least it isn’t brand new so that does make it feel less like a bribe and more like a genuine gift. But this is getting ridiculous.”
She walked over and took the Blue Moon Statue from Angelo. After taking a moment to observe where to place it she put it on the opposite bedside table. Despite it being old the party could feel its effects, as it wafted a healing energy around the room, combining with everything else in an attempt to heal Nova. Nina gave another sigh before sitting back down on her chair next to Nova’s bed.
“We might have to tell the people to stop now, as this is not only getting absurd but we’ll soon have too much stuff to know what to do with,” Zeeker said.
Sir Reginald nodded, “I agree, but that could open up another can of worms. We may just have to roll with this until everything is said and done. For now, let’s give Nova and Lady Nina some peace and check on other things.”
The other party members nodded and left Nina alone with Nova. She heaved another sigh before resuming her task in helping her lover recover.
“Nova, please wake up soon,” she pleaded gently. “I want to see your beautiful green eyes again and know you’ll be okay. Especially now that we’re being overwhelmed with various gifts and items to the point I have no idea what to do with any of this. I just hope all this does help you recover in the end.”
It was the following day. Nina was still sitting by Nova’s bedside dutifully. She leered at the items near the end of the bed, which had increased since the previous day.
“By the Goddess this is getting out of hand…” she sighed. “If this keeps up Nova will have enough gifts to last him until he’s old and grey. I just hope he wakes up soon so we can put an end to all this, as I’m starting to get pretty annoyed. I know the people of the city are trying to appease him but they’ve gone overboard at this point. I think today is when the potions that medic gave him wear off so hopefully it’s soon.”
Suddenly she heard Nova grunt and shift, alerting her to him. He was starting to stir from his magical slumber, turning his head and shifting his body. Slowly he opened his eyes, revealing them to be lacking any sheen. It took him a moment to focus on Nina.
“…Nina?” he grunted. “Is that… you? Or did I die and meet an angel?”
Nina smiled warmly, “No, you goof, it’s me, Nina. Although I do appreciate you considering me an angel. But how are you feeling? You’ve been out cold for three days since we returned all the relics to the Gurela Ruins. We’ve been worried sick about you.”
It took Nova a moment to process all this before saying, “Wait. Where are we?” He looked around before saying, “Are we still at Navaral Kingdom’s former capital?!”
She gained a rueful smile, “Sorry, Nova, but it was our only choice. We needed you to be medically treated, as you ended up in pretty bad shape. Not surprising, given what you’ve been going through lately, but you were in worse shape than originally thought. We had to come back here so you could get treated. Granted, you were treated by one of Galvatar’s specialist medics, who came all the way here to help you with King Hendrik himself, but we needed to get you to someplace close so you could get patched up. I know how you feel about this place but it was our only option. And… well… it ended up working in our favor…”
Nova quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean, Nina? And, for that matter, why does this blanket smell like lavender? And why does this pillow feel almost therapeutic? What’s going on here?”
“Yeah, about that… well… when the people heard you became comatose after defending them despite all they did to you… well… How do I put this? They’ve been… generous with giving you special items that help relieve stress, fatigue, and have healing properties. The pillow is a Therapy Pillow while the blanket is an Aromatherapy Blanket infused with lavender. We also got more of those and some Insomnia Masks to go with them. Plus a good half a dozen crates of Nuts Oil, two more Serenity Pots, and an extremely rare Blue Moon Statue. It’s gotten to the point that… we have no idea what to do with all this stuff. We’ve got more than enough Nuts Oil to last you a good 50 years, enough Therapy Pillows and Aromatherapy Blankets to fill a moderate-sized hospital, and several other items. We can’t tell if this is the city giving you genuine gifts to help you recover or King Hendrik’s doing. Either way… we’ve got so much stuff we haven’t got a clue what to do with it all.”
It took Nova another moment to process all this before he flopped back onto his Therapy Pillow, sighing. Nina gained a concerned look.
“Beloved?”
Nova closed his eyes and groaned, “Dammit to hell. This is too much to wake up to. But whether this is King Hendrik’s doing or the city genuinely trying to help it matters not, as it’s pretty much forcing my hand to give in and let this city continue receiving support from its allies. Deep down I didn’t want to condemn this city but it pushed me right over the edge to the point I couldn’t accept anything else but its destruction. Now it has pushed me off a different edge, one that is forcing me to give them what they want. Dammit… I hate my life. But as they say, ‘Let the baby have its bottle’. Fine. If they were willing to give us so many gifts that are designed to help heal a person then so be it. They get their wish. Ugh… this is too much for me to take in after waking up from a three-day magical sleep.”
Nina gave a weak smile, “I know how you feel. But I’m just glad you’re awake, Nova. I missed seeing your beautiful eyes and hearing your voice.”
He turned to her, “You’re the one with beautiful eyes and a nice voice. A golden voice, to be exact. Times like this prove that I really don’t deserve you, Nina. Not many would be this devoted to me. Not even my own parents… which is rather depressing, but you know how that feels. But whatever. This is too much to take in when first getting up but whatever.”
Just then there was a knock at the door, causing both to gain looks of dread.
“Enter,” Nina said.
The door opened, revealing Sir Reginald. To their relief he wasn’t carrying anything. His eyes widened as he saw Nova sitting up.
“Nova!” he said. “We were worried about you. How do you feel? Have you recovered?”
Nova replied weakly, “I guess I’m okay, although I’ve been bombarded with all this stuff that the people of this city gave me. Which, unfortunately, has forced my hand into giving them what they want. My approval to continue getting support from their allies and not getting cut off from the rest of the world. This is not what I wanted to wake up to and yet that’s exactly what I did wake up to. Just tell them to stop with the gifts, as I’ve got more things than I know what to do with. At least we won’t have to worry about Nuts Oil for a while, as we’ve got enough to last a good 50 years at this point.”
Sir Reginald smiled weakly, “Yes, we all agree it’s a bit much. But I’m nevertheless grateful to see you awake again. I’ll let the rest of the party know that you’re finally awake, along with telling a guard from King Hendrik’s forces to get in touch with His Majesty and the medic. But it’s good to know that you’re willing to let this city off the hook. I can understand your frustration but you did the right thing, Nova. We knew you wouldn’t go as far as condemning an entire population willingly. That’s just not like you. But I’ll get to work. Be back shortly.”
Sir Reginald then left the room.
Nova sighed again, “To be honest I’m still tempted to condemn this city. After all, I do have a dark side, and everyone has a limit to how much slag they can tolerate. But whatever. I’ll let it go this time, especially since I feel like all my stress has been literally melted off of me, making me feel quite refreshed and even happy. So I’ll give them what they want. But I still have a bone to pick with King Hendrik, especially if this is his doing. Let’s just hope this city learned its lesson this time, as if I hear them cause grief for anyone else, like with false accusations and bribery, I’ll come back here with Elora and level this city personally.”
Nina smiled, “Works for me, beloved.” She then tackled him in a hug, “I’m just happy to see you awake again, my love. I can’t stand to see you suffer, especially after everything you’ve already been through. Please stay by my side forever, beloved, as I want to see our future, together.”
Nova gently embraced Nina, nuzzling against her. He was both happy and angry at the whole ordeal but he decided to just let it go for the greater good.
“I’m the Demon King’s champion, after all…” he said silently. “So I need to act like one… even if I’d rather not.”
Next Chapter: Sir Reginald’s Admirer
That's all for today. Tune in next time to see what our heroes face.
Recovery
It had been only an hour since the party returned from the Gurela Ruins. They had gathered in the royal bedchambers, where Nova was resting on the bed. Nina was sitting by his side while the rest of the party waited. Soon, there was a knock at the door, perking everyone up. Sir Reginald opened the door, revealing King Hendrik and a doctor.
“Your Majesty, you came as well?” Sir Reginald asked.
“I did, yes,” King Hendrik replied. “After all, it’s become apparent that Nova’s condition is my fault, along with the fact that I didn’t keep Charles on a shorter leash. I realize my plan didn’t work as intended, which probably only made Nova worse. I do apologize for it, as I’ve come to see it was not my best idea.”
Nina snapped, “You should’ve realized that sooner! What were you thinking, putting that unneeded pressure on Nova? And it played out exactly as he had expected it to! I thought you were better than that, Your Majesty!”
Sir Reginald said, “Lady Nina, don’t talk to His Majesty like that!”
King Hendrik said, “No, it’s fine. I deserve it. And she’s right. I thought the people of this city would’ve taken this whole thing more seriously. But I failed to realize they would instead use Charles’ own tactics of bribery in hopes of getting out of trouble. I guess they felt it was a legitimate tactic considering that’s how he’s always been, not realizing that the previous victims all ratted him out. So it is my fault for Nova getting pushed too far, especially since he’s already working so hard and forced on a routine basis to fight the very thing he’s afraid of. Which is why I brought this medical specialist, along with paying for his services myself, so I can make amends for my surprisingly lack of foresight. Now, doctor, please take care of Nova.”
The medic nodded and walked over to where Nina was sitting, saying, “I’m sorry, little miss, but you’re gonna have to move so I can examine him.”
Nina reluctantly obeyed, allowing the medic to examine Nova’s comatose body. He gained a grim expression.
“Boy, this kid’s in bad shape. It’s clear everything has been building up inside of him for quite some time, but the recent events have pushed him well beyond his breaking point. He’s gonna need my strongest medicine in order to avoid sustaining permanent damage.” He reached into his bag and pulled out two potion bottles, “These should do the trick. One will melt all his stress away, along with putting him in a deep sleep, thus removing the key factor. While the other will heal the damage he’s sustained from said stress. He’ll be out cold for about three days while these potions do their job.”
He then opened up the bottles and gently poured them down Nova’s throat, one at a time. Nova grimaced slightly, clearly not liking the taste, but remained out cold. After the final drop was consumed he was bathed in healing energy briefly before returning to normal, now in a deep sleep.
“Okay, that task is complete. But that’s not all we need to do. He needs Nuts Oil, and lots of it. While the one potion is designed to relieve him of all his stress the Nuts Oil is needed to speed up that process, as his stress levels are almost too high for the potion to handle naturally. Fortunately, since this city has its own private nut plantation it should be easy to get Nuts Oil. For the first day he needs two teaspoons of Nuts Oil every hour until sunset. After that he’ll need one teaspoon every hour until sunset for the next two days. Which means one of you has to monitor him and administer the Nuts Oil.”
Nina said, “And that’ll be me. Nova means the world to me and I don’t like seeing him suffer. So leave that task to me. We just need as much Nuts Oil as possible. It won’t be cheap but it has to be done.”
Kettu nodded, “I hear ya, Nina. Nuts Oil isn’t the most expensive medicinal oil but it isn’t the cheapest either. But getting Nova back on his feet is more important than the price. At least we still have some Nuts Oil of our own to start him off, but we’ll need to go to an item shop and see if we can get a lot more.”
King Hendrik pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ve got an idea regarding that. Please excuse me for a bit.”
He then left the room, confusing the rest of the party.
“Wonder what King Hendrik is going to do?” Zeeker pondered.
“This better not be another poorly designed plan of his,” Nina growled. “That’s the whole reason Nova’s in this mess in the first place.”
“Let’s hope it’s not, as I don’t think any of us, much less Nova, can take any more of such actions,” Angelo said. “Even a guy like me has a limit, and I pride myself on being very patient and understanding.”
“We know, we’ve seen it in action before,” Van said. “Remember Joy the witch? You clearly displayed your talent in that field that day, so we know just how far and deep your ability to understand others is. So let’s hope that King Hendrik isn’t cooking up another scheme, even if it helps Nova, as I don’t think we can take another round of that.”
The doctor said, “Well, whatever His Majesty is doing I’m certain it’ll help your pink-haired friend. I need to regroup with him so we can discuss what to do next. But I will return in three days when the potions wear off to check on him and see what his progress is. Hopefully you’ll have gotten enough Nuts Oil to help him. And if you have anything else that might help relax him use that, too.”
Nina pondered for a moment before saying, “Hold on. We’ve got some Serenity Pots. That should give Nova some extra effects to help speed up his recovery.”
The doctor nodded, “An excellent idea. Use as many as you have, since the effects stack. It’ll most assuredly speed up his recovery. But my question is… where are you keeping such items? They are far too large to put into any of the baggage you lot have. So… where are these Serenity Pots.”
Nina explained, “They’re inside Nova’s Digi-Pack, as he can store countless objects into it by turning them into energy and storing it in a memory bank. Don’t ask what it all means as I only have a general idea despite him explaining it to me. But the point is Nova can put anything of any size into his Digi-Pack, turning it into a bottomless satchel and allowing us greater ease in transporting goods, items, and food.”
The doctor went wide eyed, “That metal backpack of his can do all that? I don’t have the foggiest of what it all means but if it can store any item of any size and any amount in it then that’s a godsend for travelers. No wonder you all have plenty of supplies and such. Please, get those Serenity Pots out so they can start taking effect.”
Nina nodded, walked over to Nova’s Digi-Pack, and after fumbling around a bit managed to eject the three Serenity Pots that were stashed in it. The Serenity Pots looked like large pale blue urns painted with symbols of stars and constellations. She looked around for a moment before placing all three on the nearby dresser. They seemed to be releasing a pleasing energy from them, causing everyone to relax a bit more. Even Nova’s pained reaction lessened while still asleep.
“Good, very good. The Serenity Pots are already taking effect. Those will be extra helpful. Too bad you don’t have a Blue Moon Statue, which would be even more effective. But these three Serenity Pots will still be very useful in helping your friend recover. Now, I’m going to talk to King Hendrik about what needs to be done. If you’ll excuse me.”
The doctor left the room to go talk with King Hendrik. The rest of the party stayed in the bedchambers. Van pulled out the bottle of Nuts Oil he had and handed it to Nina.
“Here, Nina, you take what’s left of the Nuts Oil we have,” he said. “Since you volunteered to treat Nova I’ll leave it with you. You’d better give him some now. Zeeker and I will go out in a bit to see if we can get more Nuts Oil, since we’re gonna need a lot of it if we’re to get Nova back on his feet.”
Nina nodded, taking the Nuts Oil, “No problem, Van. Now, where is that teaspoon I saw a minute ago?”
Angelo took it off a tray, smiling, “Here it is, Nina.”
“Thanks.”
She uncapped the Nuts Oil bottle and poured some of it into the spoon. She gently pried Nova’s lips open and poured the oil down his throat. She repeated the process with a second spoonful of Nuts Oil before putting both the bottle and the spoon down on the bedside table.
“Okay, in an hour I’ll give him another serving. Hopefully we’ll have gotten more by then.”
Just then a knock was heard at the door. Sir Reginald opened it up, revealing a knight.
“Pardon me, but King Hendrik and the doctor just left,” he said.
“Thank you for telling us,” Sir Reginald nodded. “Keep us posted on anything.”
“Yessir.”
The knight left the room, leaving the party behind.
Van turned to Zeeker, “Come on, Zeeker, let’s go to one of the item shops and see if we can get some more Nuts Oil. We should have enough money to get at least a crate of the stuff, depending on how they price it here: which we may need.”
Zeeker nodded, “I’m right behind you. Let go.”
The duo left the room, out of the castle, and into the city, leaving the rest of the party behind.
Sir Reginald said, “I’ll inform one of the maids to bring you food, Lady Nina. After all, we cannot have you starve yourself and get into bad condition while tending to Nova. He wouldn’t want that.”
Nina nodded, “Yes, thank you, Sir Reginald. I’ll leave that to you.”
Sir Reginald gave a nod before leaving the room to inform a maid of his request.
Kettu crossed his arms, “I still wonder what King Hendrik was up to. Does he have another scheme to save this city? Or did he just tell them how badly they screwed up? I want to know.”
Angelo nodded, “Indeed, Kettu. I’m curious to know what His Majesty did myself. Maybe it’ll be something that’ll actually help Nova this time instead of putting unneeded pressure on him. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. By the way… how do you feel after saving your brother’s soul from Muu, Kettu?”
Kettu looked up at the ceiling, saying gently, “My emotions are pretty knotted up right now. On the one hand, I feel great joy knowing that my brother is no longer in Muu’s clutches and suffering. Having saved his soul from that vile, cowardly cretin helps alleviate so much of my guilt for failing to protect him. Which brings me to the fact that I’m also sad that I’ll never see him again. I know he’s watching over me now but I can’t help but feel my heart chip a bit knowing he’s gone forever. I’ll never get to spend time with him again, be it stealing from goons or just messing around like typical brothers. His soul has been saved but his life has still been extinguished and nothing will bring him back. So I feel both happy and sad knowing that my main reason for joining this fight has been completed yet also knowing that I’ll never see him again. It’s… pretty hard to describe, to be honest.”
Nina replied gently, “I think you did a good job explaining it, Kettu. I’m actually a bit jealous of your relationship with your siblings, seeing how close you all were. Compared to me, who was treated like a stain on my family’s name and mercilessly bullied by my younger brothers because of my clan’s sexist laws, I really envy just how well you get along with your brother and sister. So I can barely imagine the pain you’re feeling right now, having lost a vital piece of your life and family forever because of that damn Muu. But that’s why we need to keep fighting, as other families are suffering the same feeling you are. We cannot allow Muu to continue his evil so that the lives of those who live here, and those who are still to come, can prosper.”
The Werefox nodded, “I hear ya, Nina, and I totally agree. We’ve just begun to fight, and we’ll take this fight to Muu directly, one way or another. That way no one else can suffer this cruel feeling that I’m feeling right now. We’ve made good progress and we’ll continue our mission, no matter what it takes.”
“Here, here,” Angelo said cheerfully.
Sir Reginald then entered the room, saying, “I heard part of your discussion. I think it’s safe to say we all agree that Muu must be stopped once and for all so no one else has to suffer because of him and his accursed Undead Army. We will put a stop to Muu and end his terror and tyranny. Like Kettu said we’ve made good progress so far, and we intend to go the distance. It’s just a matter of time. And hopefully when that day comes we’ll have the entire world backing us up. Muu won’t stand a chance.”
“I’m all for that,” the Werefox nodded.
Just then Van and Zeeker returned with, to the rest of the party’s surprise, two crates full of Nuts Oil. They put them down at the foot of the bed, next to Nova’s Digi-Pack, wiping their brows.
“That’s… a lot of Nuts Oil…” Nina said, wide eyed.
“I hope that didn’t break the bank…” Sir Reginald said.
Van replied, “Actually, the shop owner gave all this to us for free. It appears the city is aware of what happened, that Nova is now comatose after defending them despite everything they did to him. I’m guessing that’s what King Hendrik did: guilt-tripped the people for their actions. I’m not sure if this is yet another scheme of his or not but it seems to be taking effect this time. Everyone seems to be trying to think of ways to help. The shopkeeper gave us these two crates of Nuts Oil on the house in hopes of helping Nova recover. Considering that just one crate would cost a good 25 to 30 gold, especially since these are large bottles of Nuts Oil, that was quite the contribution.”
Nina quirked an eyebrow, “You’re kidding me, right? The city is actually making a genuine attempt to turn things around? And they were willing to give up two entire crates of Nuts Oil just for one person? I’m… I’m pretty surprised. After Charles was that rotten example I was nearly certain that they wouldn’t change for the better, even after he screwed up their chances. Color me surprised and impressed on this one. I just hope that this isn’t King Hendrik’s scheme of trying to get them into Nova’s good books again. Guilt-tripping them is fine, since it was partly their fault, but I really hope this isn’t another gamble to not only win back Nova’s favor but get him to reconsider his stance on saving the city.”
Kettu nodded, “Fair point, Nina. It does seem a bit fishy that the city seems to be playing nice this time. But I guess just this once we’ll accept it. If it helps Nova then I guess we can’t complain. Not sure if Nova will agree with this but it might be in our best interest to just let it run its course. At least just this once.”
Sir Reginald replied, “That probably is the case. And it’s probably better that we do just go along with it this time. I don’t like it too much, as it feels a bit off and forced, but I’m willing to accept it just this once if it helps get Nova back on his feet. After all, we cannot stay in one place too long because Muu might try to mobilize his remaining troops to retake lost ground. But let’s see how this plays out. I’ll have a talk with the intelligence network to have them monitor things so we’ll know if Muu makes a move or not while we’re waiting for Nova to recover.”
He left the room, leaving the rest of the party behind. They all eyed the two crates of Nuts Oil, wondering if this was part of King Hendrik’s plan or a genuine attempt to make things right by the people who wronged Nova.
It was the following day. Nina was still by Nova’s bedside. Waiting near the door was a wheeled tray with an empty plate and used utensils and an empty glass on it, indicating Nina had just eaten. Nova was resting on a new pillow, sky blue in color, that seemed to be giving off a relaxing energy. The blanket he was under was also different, now lavender colored and seemed to be releasing an aroma. There was also another Serenity Pot now with the original three, another crate of Nuts Oil with the rest, sleep masks that seemed to give off calming vibes, and more pillows and blankets like the ones Nova was resting on next to his Digi-Pack, sealed up in a protective covering. Nina eyed these items with a crooked smile.
“Well, I’m still not sure if this counts as bribery or not, but the people in the city have been donating items to help Nova recover,” she said to herself. “Therapy Pillows, Aromatherapy Blankets, another Serenity Pot, more Nuts Oil, even a handful of Insomnia Masks for good measures. They might be going overboard here, which makes me wonder if this is King Hendrik’s doing. But… at the same time… I’m willing to accept anything if it’ll help Nova. At least they haven’t given something super-rare like a Blue Moon Statue, which would really make me question if King Hendrik is behind all this. Though I wonder where they got the Serenity Pot? We got one from the Night Market and obtained two from raiding Captain Boneacuda’s ship. Considering that Serenity Pots are pretty rare it does make me wonder where they got this one? Ah, well, I guess I can’t complain, since it’s all to help Nova, even though I feel there is an ulterior motive behind these generous gifts. Hopefully I picked the right Aromatherapy Blanket for him. It’s lavender scented so I hope he’ll like it.”
Just then a knock was heard at the door, getting her attention.
“Enter.”
The door opened, revealing Sir Reginald, “Lady Nina, how are things going?”
“Fine, for the most part. I gave Nova some more Nuts Oil just about ten minutes ago and he’s sleeping pretty soundly. And the maid gave me a meal just before then, so I’m not hungry or anything. I guess everything is going all right, as nothing major has happened. What about you? Did you get any new information from the intelligence network?”
Sir Reginald nodded, “I did, yes. No new news to report on that end, either. Muu’s forces haven’t made any moves out in the open since we dealt with Abyssmal, so we might luck out and get Nova back on his feet before anything major happens. But I’ll remain vigilant so we don’t get caught off-guard by anything. Hopefully Nova does recover before anything happens, which would be a lucky break.”
Nina nodded, “Yes, I agree. We need all the bits of good fortune we can get right now, as we’re down one teammate. At least Nova seems to be recovering well. Although, if I’m being perfectly honest, all these gifts that the city has been donating to help Nova recover… it seems a bit… overkill. And it makes me wonder if there is an ulterior motive laced in with these gifts.”
“Fair point, Lady Nina. Normally I can see through such acts but this time I can’t tell if this is the city genuinely trying to turn things around and help Nova or this is something King Hendrik cooked up. Well, either way, like I said before, I’ll accept it just this once if it helps get Nova back on his feet as quickly as possible.”
Suddenly, Zeeker walked in, carrying another crate of Nuts Oil, although it was smaller than the others.
“Not another crate of Nuts Oil!?” Nina sputtered.
Zeeker put it down next to the others, “Yep, although this one only contains small bottles, not the larger ones that we got before. I had a talk with Van when I brought these in and he and I agreed that we’ll distribute these bottles amongst ourselves, especially since these are small enough to fit in pouches. Nova’s got more than enough Nuts Oil to last him a good 20 years, if not more. I’m just putting them here with the others so they’ll all be in one place. And maybe to show Nova just what the people are doing for him. Granted, like we’ve all be talking about since yesterday, I’m not sure if this is a genuine attempt by the people to turn things around or King Hendrik’s doing. But at this point we might as well just accept it.”
Nina sighed, “Well, I’ll take Nuts Oil over something extremely rare like a Blue Moon Statue.”
Angelo walked in at that moment, freezing in place before saying, “Then this might be a bad time for me to show up.”
Sir Reginald turned to him, “What do you—” only to freeze when he saw what Angelo was carrying.
Angelo was carrying what looked like a statue with three blue-colored crescent moons slightly overlapping each other, with what looked like a swirling cosmic vortex structure underneath it. Everyone went slack-jawed at what they were seeing.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Nina exclaimed. “A Blue Moon Statue?! Who in the name of the Goddess donated this?!”
The frogman grinned sheepishly, “A family gave this to me while I was running errands. They said it belonged to their ancestor, so it’s quite old, but it still works. They’re willing to give it up if it helps Nova.”
“Now I’m really suspicious about all this,” Zeeker sighed. “I mean, sure, Nuts Oil is easy to get, and Therapy Pillows and Aromatherapy Blankets are everywhere. That I can accept. But a freaking Blue Moon Statue?! This is getting absurd.”
Sir Reginald rubbed his eyes, “Indeed, Zeeker. This is getting a bit ridiculous. Like you said, Nuts Oil, Therapy Pillows, and Aromatherapy Blankets are commonplace. But we also got another Serenity Pot and now a Blue Moon Statue? I really hope this isn’t another attempt by King Hendrik to sweettalk Nova into sparing the city. I almost dread what his reaction will be when he finally wakes up. But we can’t return it so we might as well just accept it. I’m starting to not like this but we really can’t say no here.”
Nina heaved a sigh, “Fine. This is getting out of hand but whatever. Please give me the Blue Moon Statue, Angelo. I’ll set it up someplace. At least it isn’t brand new so that does make it feel less like a bribe and more like a genuine gift. But this is getting ridiculous.”
She walked over and took the Blue Moon Statue from Angelo. After taking a moment to observe where to place it she put it on the opposite bedside table. Despite it being old the party could feel its effects, as it wafted a healing energy around the room, combining with everything else in an attempt to heal Nova. Nina gave another sigh before sitting back down on her chair next to Nova’s bed.
“We might have to tell the people to stop now, as this is not only getting absurd but we’ll soon have too much stuff to know what to do with,” Zeeker said.
Sir Reginald nodded, “I agree, but that could open up another can of worms. We may just have to roll with this until everything is said and done. For now, let’s give Nova and Lady Nina some peace and check on other things.”
The other party members nodded and left Nina alone with Nova. She heaved another sigh before resuming her task in helping her lover recover.
“Nova, please wake up soon,” she pleaded gently. “I want to see your beautiful green eyes again and know you’ll be okay. Especially now that we’re being overwhelmed with various gifts and items to the point I have no idea what to do with any of this. I just hope all this does help you recover in the end.”
It was the following day. Nina was still sitting by Nova’s bedside dutifully. She leered at the items near the end of the bed, which had increased since the previous day.
“By the Goddess this is getting out of hand…” she sighed. “If this keeps up Nova will have enough gifts to last him until he’s old and grey. I just hope he wakes up soon so we can put an end to all this, as I’m starting to get pretty annoyed. I know the people of the city are trying to appease him but they’ve gone overboard at this point. I think today is when the potions that medic gave him wear off so hopefully it’s soon.”
Suddenly she heard Nova grunt and shift, alerting her to him. He was starting to stir from his magical slumber, turning his head and shifting his body. Slowly he opened his eyes, revealing them to be lacking any sheen. It took him a moment to focus on Nina.
“…Nina?” he grunted. “Is that… you? Or did I die and meet an angel?”
Nina smiled warmly, “No, you goof, it’s me, Nina. Although I do appreciate you considering me an angel. But how are you feeling? You’ve been out cold for three days since we returned all the relics to the Gurela Ruins. We’ve been worried sick about you.”
It took Nova a moment to process all this before saying, “Wait. Where are we?” He looked around before saying, “Are we still at Navaral Kingdom’s former capital?!”
She gained a rueful smile, “Sorry, Nova, but it was our only choice. We needed you to be medically treated, as you ended up in pretty bad shape. Not surprising, given what you’ve been going through lately, but you were in worse shape than originally thought. We had to come back here so you could get treated. Granted, you were treated by one of Galvatar’s specialist medics, who came all the way here to help you with King Hendrik himself, but we needed to get you to someplace close so you could get patched up. I know how you feel about this place but it was our only option. And… well… it ended up working in our favor…”
Nova quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean, Nina? And, for that matter, why does this blanket smell like lavender? And why does this pillow feel almost therapeutic? What’s going on here?”
“Yeah, about that… well… when the people heard you became comatose after defending them despite all they did to you… well… How do I put this? They’ve been… generous with giving you special items that help relieve stress, fatigue, and have healing properties. The pillow is a Therapy Pillow while the blanket is an Aromatherapy Blanket infused with lavender. We also got more of those and some Insomnia Masks to go with them. Plus a good half a dozen crates of Nuts Oil, two more Serenity Pots, and an extremely rare Blue Moon Statue. It’s gotten to the point that… we have no idea what to do with all this stuff. We’ve got more than enough Nuts Oil to last you a good 50 years, enough Therapy Pillows and Aromatherapy Blankets to fill a moderate-sized hospital, and several other items. We can’t tell if this is the city giving you genuine gifts to help you recover or King Hendrik’s doing. Either way… we’ve got so much stuff we haven’t got a clue what to do with it all.”
It took Nova another moment to process all this before he flopped back onto his Therapy Pillow, sighing. Nina gained a concerned look.
“Beloved?”
Nova closed his eyes and groaned, “Dammit to hell. This is too much to wake up to. But whether this is King Hendrik’s doing or the city genuinely trying to help it matters not, as it’s pretty much forcing my hand to give in and let this city continue receiving support from its allies. Deep down I didn’t want to condemn this city but it pushed me right over the edge to the point I couldn’t accept anything else but its destruction. Now it has pushed me off a different edge, one that is forcing me to give them what they want. Dammit… I hate my life. But as they say, ‘Let the baby have its bottle’. Fine. If they were willing to give us so many gifts that are designed to help heal a person then so be it. They get their wish. Ugh… this is too much for me to take in after waking up from a three-day magical sleep.”
Nina gave a weak smile, “I know how you feel. But I’m just glad you’re awake, Nova. I missed seeing your beautiful eyes and hearing your voice.”
He turned to her, “You’re the one with beautiful eyes and a nice voice. A golden voice, to be exact. Times like this prove that I really don’t deserve you, Nina. Not many would be this devoted to me. Not even my own parents… which is rather depressing, but you know how that feels. But whatever. This is too much to take in when first getting up but whatever.”
Just then there was a knock at the door, causing both to gain looks of dread.
“Enter,” Nina said.
The door opened, revealing Sir Reginald. To their relief he wasn’t carrying anything. His eyes widened as he saw Nova sitting up.
“Nova!” he said. “We were worried about you. How do you feel? Have you recovered?”
Nova replied weakly, “I guess I’m okay, although I’ve been bombarded with all this stuff that the people of this city gave me. Which, unfortunately, has forced my hand into giving them what they want. My approval to continue getting support from their allies and not getting cut off from the rest of the world. This is not what I wanted to wake up to and yet that’s exactly what I did wake up to. Just tell them to stop with the gifts, as I’ve got more things than I know what to do with. At least we won’t have to worry about Nuts Oil for a while, as we’ve got enough to last a good 50 years at this point.”
Sir Reginald smiled weakly, “Yes, we all agree it’s a bit much. But I’m nevertheless grateful to see you awake again. I’ll let the rest of the party know that you’re finally awake, along with telling a guard from King Hendrik’s forces to get in touch with His Majesty and the medic. But it’s good to know that you’re willing to let this city off the hook. I can understand your frustration but you did the right thing, Nova. We knew you wouldn’t go as far as condemning an entire population willingly. That’s just not like you. But I’ll get to work. Be back shortly.”
Sir Reginald then left the room.
Nova sighed again, “To be honest I’m still tempted to condemn this city. After all, I do have a dark side, and everyone has a limit to how much slag they can tolerate. But whatever. I’ll let it go this time, especially since I feel like all my stress has been literally melted off of me, making me feel quite refreshed and even happy. So I’ll give them what they want. But I still have a bone to pick with King Hendrik, especially if this is his doing. Let’s just hope this city learned its lesson this time, as if I hear them cause grief for anyone else, like with false accusations and bribery, I’ll come back here with Elora and level this city personally.”
Nina smiled, “Works for me, beloved.” She then tackled him in a hug, “I’m just happy to see you awake again, my love. I can’t stand to see you suffer, especially after everything you’ve already been through. Please stay by my side forever, beloved, as I want to see our future, together.”
Nova gently embraced Nina, nuzzling against her. He was both happy and angry at the whole ordeal but he decided to just let it go for the greater good.
“I’m the Demon King’s champion, after all…” he said silently. “So I need to act like one… even if I’d rather not.”
Next Chapter: Sir Reginald’s Admirer
That's all for today. Tune in next time to see what our heroes face.
