Akillia's Reign

by Dawn Chapman

  That damned red splotch invaded my vision with the number twelve in it. This was certainly a twelve on the one-to-ten pain scale, for sure.

  “Looks like a dislocation,” she said as she stood over the top of my body taking hold of it at a weird angle. “This might hurt more,” she said and then she added, “In three,” and she counted down, “Three, two,” and then she pulled my arm downwards.

  The pain doubled, and the burning sensation spread through as I felt the joint pop. There was no other way I could describe it, pop and clunk, and it must have been back in its place as the pain lessened.

  What the hell was with people who couldn’t actually count down from three!

  I tugged my arm around to huddle it close. “I’ve never had pain like that before.” I gasped. The number in the splotch, however, had gone down to a six.

  “I am sure you’re going to fall off a lot more than just the once.”

  I shook my head. “No, no way. I will not fall off, ever again.” I should have used my Karma to reduce the Learning Curve, dammit!

  Myleen giggled and held out a hand for me to take, and I did. She tugged me back to my feet. “Everything else okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, just a bit sore now.”

  “We’ll need to clear this section of the road,” she said. “The wagons won’t make it over those roots.” She pointed back to where Bracer had caught his footing. That’s not so great. We’d have to do it manually, and I wasn’t so fit with my arm throbbing in its socket.

  Myleen called for Dania to come back, and she did so, with Bracer in tow. Then Myleen reached out and pulled a sharp-edged bladed sword from her saddlebags. “This should do the trick. I think you have one on your left saddle panel too.”

  I moved to Bracer’s side, and I did find a sword slot. I pulled it out and watched as she quickly chopped at the roots. They soon started to give way to her, and I began doing the same. Swinging and chopping, we both made a dint in the section that felled me. That meant, within a few minutes, we would almost be done. But I had clearly taken a beating. Standing up, leaning on the sword, I wiped the sweat from my brow. I had discovered a few more actions and abilities for my labour, although my debilitation had gone up to ten.

  “I’ll ride back and warn the others this is a slower section of the terrain.”

  “I’ll keep plodding on. I’ll get to the next set over there.” I pointed to where there was another set of roots sticking out. “It looks clear from then on.”

  Myleen mounted Dania and trotted off. I took a flask out of Bracer’s side saddle and drank deeply. This was thirsty work. I could see why there would be a need for several stops, refills, and more food. I wondered for quite a while as I chopped, how hard this journey was going to be. If the first few hours were any indication, I thought I was done for. I stopped to rub my arm and felt the stiffness in the joints and the pull on the tendons that had just been wrenched the wrong way.

  I wished there was some pain relief. Maybe there was, I just needed to ask for some.

  When Myleen returned, I’d see what I could get to stem this ache and hopefully it would feel better. I wasn’t sure what I could do without help. We weren’t even through day one, and I was injured. Oh, I bet when Andy saw me fall off the horse. He would be kicking himself I hadn’t hit my head and died instantly.

  I moved to stand with Bracer, and he nuzzled into my neck carefully. I tugged out some fruit for him that I’d seen next to the water. He took the offered fruit from my hand and crunched his way through it in no time. “Is it kind of like an apple?” I asked but never got an answer.

  I heard the wagons and other clomps of the horses as they approached, and I moved Bracer to the far side of the path we’d cleared. The wagons would get through with no issues now. And with some luck, there would be plenty of time to get to where we had planned to spend the first night.

  I’d never taken part in this actual travelling thing before, and I liked it even if it was tough. I should get out in the real world, and do these things. Travel. The trip to the Philippines had been something special. I needed to do this much more often.

  The wagons made it past me, and I tried to see if Ferris was about, but he wasn’t. Maybe he was still working hard on the defence mechanisms.

  When Myleen trotted in front of me, she indicated to my shoulder. “How is it?”

  “Sore. I’m not sure if I can ride well or do anything else after the chopping.” My debilitation would probably be a fifteen or something higher once I was done, and that was sure to affect my performance.

  “I’ll go further into the forest if you like. There is bound to be some roots and stuff which can help.”

  “Oh, that would be great.” I patted Bracer and then managed to haul myself up into the saddle. Each bump hurt, though, and I hoped the pain relief would be enough to stem it. I wasn’t going to be much use to the group like this.

  We moved ahead of the little wagon trail we had, then Myleen moved on into the forest. There was rougher terrain, and I managed to stay on Bracer this time. I moved with him and felt his every nuance. I would be a great rider by the end of this trip, no doubt.

  Confidence wasn’t one of my strong points, though. What I was good at was putting on a face. I could look like I knew exactly what I was doing only to have the horrid inner turmoil that would fester and fester. This game world of Puatera reminded me of my first job interviews, my first day. Everyone loved me and thought I had done fantastic, and yet, on the inside, I’d been on edge all day, every day for weeks.

  “There you go,” Myleen pointed ahead of me. “The flower of an Eldridge bush.”

  I noted the way the green parted, and I could see the stunning yellow flowers.

  Myleen carried on, “I can make you a drink from it and put some in your flasks for a few days. That should take the pain away so you won’t be suffering while riding.”

  I watched, as she got closer and dismounted, pulling several sections of the flowers off, and shoving them into her bag. I moved in closer and started to do the same. She questioned me, but I added, “Never know when it might come in handy.”

  Then I pulled off a flower. “Are these edible then?”

  Myleen nodded. “They’re not bad either, a little sweet when cooked. I’d prefer them raw, but there are risks in raw flowers.”

  “Risk in what way?”

  “Only that it might have a different side effect. Everyone’s body reacts a different way.”

  “But it might help?”

  “Chew one now. It will make you feel better.”

  I did as she suggested and chewed on the flower, it had a mild fruity taste, apple and pears maybe? My arm did start to feel better. That I was very thankful for.

  As I filled my bag, I discovered the Harvesting action and the Advantage Herbology. By the time I was done, Myleen was back on her horse and ready to return to the others. Then I noticed she’d frozen a finger to her lips. I followed her line of sight to a small animal. Myleen reached behind her, pulling an arrow out of her satchel along with her bow. She quickly strung it, aimed, and fired. The tiny animal didn’t stand a chance, its body pierced fully.

  I shuddered. Feeling sorry for it, but then, as Myleen moved to pick it up from atop her horse with a grin on her face, I realised this was a good thing. The smaller victories of us getting fresh meat were something we were going to celebrate. Celebrate, or we’d go hungry and die trying to get across the ocean.

  I rode up alongside her and took the animal. “What is it?”

  “It’s called a Hobel,” she grinned. “There’s not many around in this forest, so we’re lucky. They also have a very unique property.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh!”

  “They’re good for healing.”

  “Any more do you think?”

  She shrugged. “We can tether the horses and see where it came from. If you’re up to it, that is.” Myleen indicated my arm.

  I nodded. “It feels better. I’
d like to at least try.”

  Myleen hopped back off her horse and tied him to a tree. I copied her, and then we carefully made our way through the forest and brush. When I spotted something, she immediately took a knee, knocking an arrow.

  “No, let me try.”

  She frowned but allowed me to copy her and knock my own arrow. This time, she moved behind me as I struggled a little with my sore shoulder.

  “Line it up in your sights, take your time.”

  I sucked in a breath, and anticipating the animal’s movements, I let loose.

  Ping! “You have discovered the action Archery!”

  Of course, I missed, but I was quick to reload, the pain and that stupid splotch going up a notch.

  This time, when I let loose, I nailed the creature in its hindquarters. It screamed.

  Myleen was up and at its side in a moment. She pulled a knife and ended its pain.

  Ping! “You have learned Archery!”

  I laughed at that. I might have learned it, but I wasn’t very good. I needed a lot of practice or Karma to grow it to its fullest capacity.

  Myleen smiled as she walked back to me. “Not bad, but you need to practice daily. This one’s yours.” She passed it to me.

  I shouldered the animal and grinned on the inside. “No, it was a joint effort. You can save the best healing bits for me though.” I laughed.

  “I’ll show you how to clean it, and Ferris can cure it. I think he has some nice veggies to go with it tonight. I don’t know what the other scouts or hunters will have found, but this will help some of us. Even a little rich protein is better than nothing.”

  “I’ll learn to hunt better,” I said. “As soon as I can.”

  “I believe in you,” she said as she untied and nudged Dania on.

  Soon, we joined the party back on the main path, and I saw Ferris sticking his head out his wagon. “All done,” he said to me.

  Chapter 12

  The wagons pulled up almost where we’d planned to an hour later. My arm was hanging limply by my side, even though I tried my best to keep it moving. I’d strained it more using my bow. I knew keeping it still made it worse. I just couldn’t help it. I had to flex it and use it or holding it by my side would become an impossible task.

  I was glad the wagons stopped, and the group started to pull everything together for the night. Ferris came to join me as I dismounted, and I almost fell on my backside.

  “Easy there,” he said, holding a hand out for me. “Myleen explained what happened. Come on. Let’s get this tea brewing.”

  I tried to smile at him, but inside, the tears were already brewing. What I thought sounded like a great adventure was turning into a small nightmare already.

  Myleen moved to take the tack off Bracer, and she motioned to the wagon. “It’s all good. I’ll be in with y’all in a few. Let me secure the horses first with the others.”

  I nodded and followed behind Ferris to the new wagon.

  “Everything go okay for you today?” I asked trying my best to make the actual conversation better and away from me.

  “I had some luck and came across a few snags. Without the right equipment, it was much harder than I had imagined. But I think we’ll be safe for tonight, and any other night.”

  “That’s good.” He helped me up into the wagon, where I noticed quickly enough that there were several other bunks in this one. Underneath the bottom ones, there were crates and storage units. Ferris moved to the area near the back stoking the small fire that he’d got going. “The Hobel Myleen can cook later after this has taken some effects.”

  I watched as he pulled out the flowers from Myleene’s bag. He put water and the flowers in a pot, and then placed it over the heat. “It will take about five minutes, but you have to be careful, as soon as it boils and the water turns yellow, you need to remove it from the heat, or it will spoil. If it turns red, you have to start again.”

  I watched the pot as it started to bubble. There was a sweet smell in the air, and as soon as it turned, Ferris pulled it off the heat, poured some into a mug, and then handed it to me. “You’ll be fine to drink it while it’s hot. Just blow on it until it’s a temperature you can stand.”

  I did so and watched as he put on another. Myleen knocked and entered the wagon. She held out some more flowers for him which he took.

  “How’s it feeling now?”

  I noticed the debilitation reducing, and it wasn’t hurting much. “Much better. Thank you.”

  Myleen moved to sit on a bunk opposite me. “Will most people sleep in here?” I asked.

  “We’ll take shifts. There’s only so much space, and we’ll need people on watch even with the shields and special equipment. With the way things are going, it’s not worth the risk of a night in case something turns bad.”

  I swallowed the last of the tea, feeling the aching of my arm reduce even more.

  I noticed Ferris pouring the hot water into a flask, and he sealed it up tight after that. It was interesting to watch the different methods he chose when he needed to. The flasks were coloured different. I believed red tops for hot while cold had blue. Pretty organised and easy to see.

  “Can I help you prepare the Hobel?”

  Myleen stood, and took the cup from me, handing it back to Ferris. “Yes, then you’ll be right for a full-on ride tomorrow. We’ve all got a lot of ground to cover.”

  Myleen took me towards where a cooking fire was burning. She pulled out the Hobel and proceeded to show me how to pluck out the few feather quills it had, and then to skin it.

  Once she had one side done, she let me cut and pull the other, discovering the Butchery action. It was a two-handed and pretty smelly job. But, I finally looked up at her grinning face. “Nice job,” she said, taking it to inspect it over. “There’s a spit there. It shouldn’t take too long over the fire with the other meats. Just don’t leave it alone or someone else might try to steal it. It’s a valuable animal to have caught.”

  I nodded. “Is there anything else I can do here while we watch over it?”

  “I think some veggies need preparing. So yes, we can do that.”

  Myleen moved away and returned with two pots, one full of veg roots, the other with water in it. By the time we’d peeled the roots, the meat was ready to turn, then the roots went in to boil through.

  I was really looking forward to this. Despite that the pain had eased, I was hungry. Manual work, riding, and falling off the horse had not only wiped me out but also caused me to feel famished.

  It was nice to listen to all the chatter from everyone. I tried to keep up with them, but for the most part, they had one up on me, and I started to feel like the outsider.

  With a yawn well after we’d eaten, I motioned towards the wagons. “May I take first watch, so that I can be rested well for tomorrow?”

  “With your injury, you need the full sleep. We’ve got tonight’s watches covered. Be prepared, though. You’ll have to help out tomorrow night.”

  “Oh, okay. I am fine with that.” I smiled and moved away to the wagon with the most bunks.

  I presumed this was a good time for me to log out. I wanted nothing more than to see how I was doing from an outside perspective, but my head lay down for the briefest of moments, and I was asleep.

  I was first in but didn’t hear anything after that, until waking sometime later to find the wagon full of gentle snoring. I liked this, so I turned over, fluffed my pillow a bit, and listened to it. I felt so very sad, but I didn’t want that to ruin my experience here. Lonely and tired, but I wanted to do this, for me, not just to prove to everyone in the real world. I wanted to discover something about me. And this made it all exhilarating. I drifted off into dreams about my situation, and it turned into a nightmare. I woke with a start when someone was shaking me.

  When I finally stopped with the kicking, I opened my eyes to see Abel looking down on me. “Akillia, everything okay?”

  I crawled to the top of the bed, giving him a littl
e more room. “Sorry,” I glanced around to a couple of worried faces in the wagon. “Did I wake everyone?”

  “They were worried, so they came to fetch me.”

  I wondered why for a brief moment, and then just nodded. “Maybe I need a space of my own.” Daylight spilt through the wagon windows.

  “I doubt anyone would kick you out.” He tried to smile. “Is this a common occurrence?”

  I shrugged, feeling vulnerable. Glancing around. Everyone else seemed to settle back down, going to sleep once more, so Abel motioned for me to get up. “Come on, I’ll make you a sleeping tincture, and that should ease the dreams.”

  I slid from the bed and followed him out of the wagon. There were still people in the party milling about. I hadn’t met them all, but I now knew all their faces. Fourteen of us in total, and it had come together pretty well over the last day. I hadn’t thought this would be the kind of adventure I would be on, but I was inspired by everyone. They rallied together with hope for their village. That meant something.

  Myleen looked up from her conversation by the fire when she saw me walking over. “Everything all right?” she asked and stood.

  “Bad dreams,” I said. “Abel said there was something to help me sleep easier. So, I’ll drink that then hopefully won’t keep everyone else awake.”

  There was no real chance of that, though. I heard something while the others talked. No idea why I could hear it and they couldn’t, but when the horses started to twitch and move nervously about, I stood and waited for someone else to notice. No one did. Abel was standing with Myleen by the brewing pot, and I didn’t want to startle anyone by shouting in case this was some weird false alarm.

  The more I observed the horses, though, the more I thought it wasn’t. I called out, “Abel,” and he glanced at me as I pointed to the far side of the wagon caravan. There were shields and more wards erected, and the area should be protected, but that wasn’t stopping whatever the hell it was out there.