Ryan stretched his limbs.
There was a knock on the door, and soon after, the door was pushed open.
Am I ever going to get a break? Some me time maybe!
A black haired woman entered carrying a tray of food, she adorned a white apron and a small white hat. She had kind, black eyes and a warm glowing smile. "Hello, Sir. I brought you some food so that you can regain your strength."
Ryan smiled back, grateful for the interruption from his thoughts. "Thank you."
She set the tray on his bedside table. "If you need anything else, just let me know, sir" she said before leaving the room.
Ryan looked at the tray: a bowl of hearty stew, fresh bread, and a pitcher of water. He realised how hungry he was and began eating, savouring the flavors. As he ate, he felt his strength returning, the food a welcome comfort after days of unconsciousness.
However, as he continued eating, he started feeling a strange sensation in his stomach. His vision blurred, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Panic set in as he realized something was very wrong.
Poison.
Help might take too long, I need to try solve this myself and quickly.
Ryan's mind raced but he remained calm. Ryan entered his meditative position and began drawing upon his mana and light element, he focused on the source of pain.
Please, please work
With a deep breath, he channeled his mana into a concentrated point of light within his abdomen, intending to burn away the poison.
He could feel the searing heat inside him, the light element working to eradicate the toxin. The pain was intense, but Ryan gritted his teeth, trying to maintain his concentration. As the poison dissipated, he felt a surge of relief, but it was short-lived.
The burning had taken its toll on his insides. He felt a new kind of pain, a deep ache from the damage caused by his own desperate action. His body shuddered, and he leaned back against the pillows, breathing heavily.
Blood began to trickle down his lips.
Just then, the door opened again, and Eleanor walked in, her expression turning from cheerful to alarmed as she saw Ryan's condition. "Ryan! What happened?"
Ryan managed a weak smile. "The food..." Ryan nodded towards the tray beside him, "it was poisoned. I had to burn it ou-out from inside."
Suddenly, for a split second, Eleanor closed her eyes, and in the next moment re-opened them, as if she was taking a long blink.
Eleanor's eyes widened in shock and anger. "Poisoned? How did they...?" She shook her head, focusing on Ryan. "Stay still, I'll fetch a healer!"
Eleanor dashed out of the room, her footsteps and shouts could be heard even when she was all the way down the corridor.
Thankfully, Ryan and Eleanor were already in one of the camp's hospitals, so a healer immediately arrived, a middle-aged woman with a calm demeanor. Her eyes shut as she used her mana sense to quickly assess Ryan's condition. A few seconds later she began to work, her hands gliding over Ryan's abdomen glowing with a soft, soothing light.
"That was resourceful," she said, her voice steady. "But you did some damage to yourself."
Ryan nodded, wincing as the healer's magic worked through him. "I didn't have a choice."
The middle aged woman continued speaking as she healed Ryan's internal wound, "That would be true for some more dangerous poisons, but this one, well, it's simply a few Grecken berries. Although lethal, it wouldn't have killed you for at least another ten minutes."
"If the attacker used something which acts much quicker, like Bloodthorn Elixir. Then your response would've been more understandable. But- if the attacker actually did use that then unless you are a much more powerful mage, you wouldn't stand a chance removing it from your system. But why did the attacker not use a better position? Hmm, well Grecken berries can be locally sourced, whereas-" The healer paused "Sorry, I go on tangents quite often," the healer raised her voice slightly to catch the attention of Eleanor, who was biting her nails in the corner of the room beside the door, "Miss Eleanor, could you please inform General Aldric about this situation."
"Ah, yes! I'll do that now," Eleanor immediately rushed off again, and as she left, two guards came in.
"Are you okay hero? We heard that you had been poisoned!" The smaller guard of the two exclaimed.
Who are these two?
"I'm fine now, a little injured but nothing much!"
The two guards immediately fell to their knees and slammed their heads against the stone floor.
The smaller guard blurted out, "Please forgive us sir! We are the guards assigned to protect you and we have failed, please punish us as you see fit!"
… punishment?
"No, no, I won't give you any punishments, there is no need."
Before Ryan could continue, footsteps approached—fast, controlled.
The door opened with deliberate force.
General Aldric stepped inside.
His eyes swept the room in a single glance—the healer's glow, Ryan on the bed, the tray by the bedside, the kneeling guards.
"Up," Aldric said.
The guards scrambled to their feet.
"This is not a small act," Aldric continued coldly. "This is war."
Silence fell.
Aldric turned to Ryan. "You were poisoned.
Ryan nodded. "The food."
The healer withdrew her hands. "Grecken berries, he neutralised it himself. Caused internal damage but he will recover within a couple days."
Aldric's jaw tightened.
"Who delivered it?"
"A white woman in an apron," Ryan said. "Black hair. Kind eyes."
Aldric's fingers curled slowly into a fist.
"Kitchen staff with a low-grade toxin," he said. "This wasn't meant to kill you."
Ryan frowned.
"If it did kill you, great for them, but If it didn't, it would weaken you," Aldric continued. "Slow you down. Force us to delay you and Eleanor's extraction."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the door Eleanor had exited through.
"An injured hero doesn't cross the mountains," he said. "And the second one doesn't leave them alone."
The implication settled heavily.
He turned sharply. "Seal the camp. Full lockdown. Double internal patrols. I want two guards constantly inside Ryan's room and two more inside Eleanor's. Make sure they are strong and trusted. We need to be ready for an attack before tonight so I want the scout squads to start setting the traps and get into their set positions."
"Yes, sir!" the guards replied, rushing out.
Aldric faced the healer. "The second you are done with Ryan, I need you to focus on whether anyone else was helping the intruder, who it was and where they are now."
"Yes sir" she said, leaving at once.
Aldric returned his attention to Ryan.
"You acted decisively," he said. "That matters. But you should never have been forced to."
"What happens now?" Ryan asked.
"We accelerate," Aldric replied without hesitation.
"You and Eleanor were scheduled to leave tomorrow afternoon. That is no longer acceptable."
"When?" Ryan asked.
"Tonight, early evening." He paused, "This camp will hold," he said. "But not for you."