“A little more to the left please.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, ow that actually hurts.”

It seems two weeks was the maximum amount of time I could stay away from an injury. While I was training with Kraft I got a little too cocky and provoked him, the result is an arm I can bend in more ways than I should. At the moment I’m laying face down on the bed with Ellen on my left side giving me a massage. This is good but what happened when I got hurt was priceless.

Ellen was drinking tea while Kraft was sparring with me when I said “How about you at least try hitting me” then I saw his fist coming and I couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. I’m pretty sure I did a double axel when I got hit. I felt some bones in my arm broke.

The moment I touched the ground Ellen put her cup on the ground and went to Kraft. The most terrifying thing was her smile. For a moment the pain in my arm disappeared and I felt my hair standing up. Ellen went in front of Kraft and sent him flying several meters backwards taking a few trees with him. I think he used body enchantment before he hit the first tree.

I thought my body was already stronger than that of a human but even with my enchanted eyes that scene happened too fast for me to see clearly. If I had wind magic I probably could throw people around like that, instead I got magic I know nothing about.

After she blew Kraft away, Ellen came to check up on me. I don’t know if it were because of the shock or because of fear but when I saw her I instinctively looked down and curled into a ball. The next thing I remember was waking up in bed with a bandage on my left arm. That was a terrible experience but I got to see Kraft flying into trees so I guess it was worth it. Those were the events that brought us here.

“Can you stop, this actually hurts.”

“What do you mean?”

“The pain I feel now is different than the pain I usually feel. When I’m training I feel pain like I fell an arm or a leg, I know it’s there but it doesn’t affect me but know I can actually fell it.”

“I can see some black veins under the bandages and I can feel your arm healing itself.”

“So a broken arm takes that long to heal, just great. Better work on my hit and run techniques.”

“You avoided getting your arm blown off, it’s only natural it takes some time to heal.”

I thought the jump scares were over for today.

“I don’t think I was that screwed when I was hit. The punch wasn’t powerful enough.”

“The black veins appeared on your arm before you got hit. You subconsciously enchanted your arm.”

“I don’t even know what happened it was too fast for me to see.”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know but you should pay more attention to your surroundings, you can barely track an opponent the way you are now.”

“You know…, I don’t even know anymore I need time to think.”

Not even my “total recall” helped me, there simply wasn’t any spell or technique activated by me, my body must’ve protected itself. It doesn’t make sense.

Ellen massaged my arm for a few minutes then bandaged me back. This is one of the few times I felt mentally exhausted. I am taking a nap and then I have to find Kraft.

After I woke up I checked my arm. Yup still broken well then let’s search for Kraft.

“Kraft, are you here?” Yelling is the efficient way to find him.

“I’m in the kitchen.”

I went inside to kitchen and I saw Kraft with bandages all over his body.

“Hahaha, that sure blew you away.”

“You know kid, how about you shut up.” That was the first time Kraft got angry at me. This time I was reminded that he is almost twice as big as me. Before I realized I had already taken a few steps back.

“I am sorry, OK. I went too far today.”

“Good, you better behave from now on.”

It’s during times like these that I forget he is someone who gets easily offended. Considering the fact that I never miss an opportunity to make fun of him I should be thankful I wasn’t already beaten. I might stop making fun of him. Yeah right, not going to happen.

“You feel that bad about what happened why don’t you heal me?”

“I can’t heal, I just transfer your wounds to me.”

“You going to do it or what?”

“I will, jeez don’t lose your patience.”

I used dark transfer on Kraft. There weren’t any serious wounds left and even those were almost healed but there was muscle fatigue, maybe from the impact force.

“Kraft, before you hit me did I use body enchantment magic or something.”

“I just woke up so I didn’t tell Ellen but both your veins and your eyes turned black and instead of trying to avoid me you were ready to turn the tables on me with your mother’s counter technique but then you returned to your senses and because you stopped I couldn’t change my direction and ended up landing that punch.”

I’m not supposed to remember something I didn’t do. The dark magic actually did what I wanted to but I was too scared. I wasn’t the type to defend myself in a fight, if I couldn’t dodge I might as well deal some damage myself. I’m still too much of a coward.

“In a few days you are going with me on an extermination mission so you can see what fear feels like.”

“But isn’t that too dangerous for me, even with you with me what if we get outnumbered?”

“Some soon to be knights will have their initiation then so there will be more people. If something happens we can run and let them die. Most of them aren’t even prepared for sparring even less for an actual fight. I’m using this event to get you to understand the world a little.”

“I know I’m going to regret this but I will put my trust in you. What are you going to exterminate?”

“Some stray demon wolves were spotted in the hunting zone killing the animals we are supposed to hunt, and injuring the hunters.”

“I understand everything except the part about the hunting zone.”

“This village is far from the capital but the craftsmen here are highly skilled and their products attract merchants and adventurers. The people who come here use a part of this forest to hold a hunting game. This brings money to our village so we have to keep those weaklings safe.”

“No need to burst a vein, just tell me what to do and everything is going to be fine.”

“Then how are your wounds?”

“My arm will be fine is a few days and the wounds I transferred from you are just flesh wounds.”

“Then you will have no problem running with me.”

“No, I want to stay inside today.”

I don’t know how Kraft came with that proposal but I think his train of thought needs more coal. I have the right to be excused from this shit for a day. If Ellen was here she would shut him up. Speaking of which, where is Ellen?

“Hey Kraft, where’s…”

“Ellen is out shopping. You are stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

“So what am I going to do now?”

“You spent more time with your mother than me.”

“Unlike you Ellen always keeps me entertained.”

“I can teach you how to play bongo.”

“Bongo?”

“It’s a type of ceremonial drum I used to play it when I was travelling.”

Now I just have to find a way to speak Rastafarian and I’m going to be the best bard ever. Since I used to play harmonica, this time it might be fun to be a drummer.

“Are you sure you can teach me?”

“I’m going to search for it. I’m sure I left it in the armory.”

The armory was the room behind the metal door. If I knew that this guy had drums there I would have taken them a long time ago. Well, I will become the Dark Drummer instead of the Dark Knight.