— It was still night, a night that already felt far too long for Kaelen, who couldn't stop frowning as he watched the woman apply a greenish ointment to Krax's wounds. She was almost finished, revealing how Oberon's bare torso was now almost completely covered in the ointment.
She finished doing the same for Krax, standing up to address Kaelen —
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll think you don't want me here"
"What is that cream?"
— A cold question, yet it didn't seem to bother her. She sat down next to Kaelen, taking his arm, and applying the same cream. Kaelen offered no resistance —
"It's a special cream, made with plants and crystals that are quite expensive on the market. They accelerate wound healing, act as a good antibiotic, and relieve muscle pain. I put quite a bit on your companion with fragile bones."
"You should save it for later if it's that expensive; I don't need it."
"Oh, yes, believe me. Over the next two months, you're going to be doing a lot of exercise; it's better to keep you in top condition."
— They fell silent after that brief exchange as the sorceress applied the ointment to all his wounds. It was quite interesting to see the tenderness with which she did it, as if tending to a child; she made it as painless as possible for Kaelen, even though he was quite insensitive —
"Kaelen"
"Hmm?"
"My name is Kaelen, what's yours?"
— The sorceress finished applying the ointment to his back, turning to face him to finish treating the wound on Kaelen's cheek. They were close to one another, not close enough to feel each other's breath but close enough to see each other in detail. With the light of the campfire illuminating them, she could see her reflection in the beast's completely yellow eyes, and he could see himself in the reflection of the sorceress's hazel pupils —
"Elena, my name is Elena Vascovich"
"I like the sound of your name"
"That won't make the service free. I'm done with your wounds; go to sleep—tomorrow will be a long day"
— Elena stood up after finishing applying the ointment to Krax's wounds, heading toward her tent, but not before placing a third metal orb that gradually expanded, enclosing them in a transparent bubble —
"What is this? And what about my companions?"
"It's still too early to say for sure, but I've done what I could with what I had tonight, and this is just a precaution—we'll be imperceptible to animals' normal senses. Now I'm going to sleep; if you have other questions, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the answers"
— Kaelen didn't press the matter further; he simply got up to lie down by the fire as well. Even so, he didn't close his eyes, watching his badly injured companions—one breathing heavily and the other barely noticeable. There was a heaviness in his gaze, and it wasn't from sleep —
"I should have known better. You always end up badly injured, your bodies shattered. Can't you just stay put? There's food and drink here."
— For two hours, Kaelen stayed awake, lost in thought as he watched his companions, but eventually exhaustion got the better of him, and he closed his eyes to the song of the crickets and the full moon illuminating the forest —
"Wake up"
— Kaelen felt a light tap on his stomach, opening his eyes slowly before squinting at the sunlight hitting him. Morning had arrived, and the sun was already nearly at its highest point —
"I let you sleep long enough; we need food if you want your companions to recover"
— Kaelen got up from the ground, almost dizzy, lost in his thoughts, which his hair perfectly reflected. The woman handed him a bucket of water; Kaelen simply dunked his whole head in it and poured it over himself, fixing his hair —
"If only it were that easy for me"
"What did you say?
"Find food, meat above all else; bring it back as fresh as possible. In the meantime, I'll go look for some plants."
— Kaelen once again followed her orders without question, venturing into the forest surrounding the camp. It was clear how he was behaving more and more like a beast in the way he moved and hunted for prey—how his physique had become more muscular and how more and more hair was visible all over his body. Also, although he was lighter, his movements seemed to be on the tips of his toes.
With his speed and keen tracking skills, it didn't take him long to find prey—a boar, quite imposing for its small size. Even so, it wasn't very difficult for Kaelen to capture it, leaping onto it to deliver a downward kick.
He returned to camp with the boar's carcass over his shoulder; the mage was already seated, preparing something with the ingredients she had —
"Cook the boar, you know how to cook, don't you?"
— Kaelen didn't answer the question, remaining silent as he looked at the boar. The mage just sighed —
"I'll take care of that too; you go gather branches for the fire—we'll need plenty"
— And so the days went on: Kaelen handled the physical labor and hunting, while the sorceress tended to Obi and Krax, giving them herbal soup with a bit of ground meat to aid digestion. After two weeks, all of Krax's wounds had healed, and his complexion had returned to normal —
"He'll wake up soon. He still has several internal hemorrhages and torn muscles, but they're fairly minor now. Without the ointment, it would have taken three times as long"
— Kaelen approached Krax, kneeling down to touch his forehead; his temperature had improved significantly —
"He's no longer in danger. He has a surprisingly strong body. Even after losing so much blood and developing a fever, the fact that he's already in a stable condition after two weeks—even with help—is something to be commended. I can't say the same for the second one"
— Oberon was still in nearly the same condition as when he arrived: pale skin, a cold body, and barely perceptible breathing —
"Well, even though he's not improving, he's still clinging to life. That, too, is something to be commended."