Michael spent the next few days recovering in the ward. The cause of his injuries were just minor burns and cuts across his body. Stefan had already paid the expenses for his care so the nurses only had to spread a healing salve on his wounds. He thought the feeling was weird, almost ticklish, but that was how he was healed.
Once he could walk again, he only strolled around the place while holding his sword. He admitted that his injuries were just a scratch compared to the other adventurers that rolled through. As much as he wanted to forget the sight, he couldn't. The sounds of crying, sounds of groaning pain, some people had wounds that were far from recovery. It wasn't a nice place to get better but he didn't have anything else.
The Adventuring guild had a vast yard right behind the entrance lobby. There were three other buildings that they had. An inn for housing adventurers, a section for horse stables, and the ward that Michael currently sat inside.
He would just look through the windows and watch them train in the yard. Nobody came close to the ward unless it was some type of medical injury. This place constantly spoke of death. The Adventuring guild didn't have any priests available so efficient healing was out of the question. Michael was grateful that he didn't suffer anything worse.
His only pleasant experience here was whenever he slept. When the skies turned night, and his room felt dark, he could only hear the voice and subtle hum from Evelyn. She stayed as a sword just laying inches away from him. Whenever they were alone, Michael would talk to her so he could pass some time. She was always there for him and didn't care for anything else.
Michael imagined her hair laying across the bed. He imagined her face looking back at him as he fell asleep. She didn't know about any of these thoughts or feelings. He had already admitted to loving her but this was a totally different subject. Sometimes, he would fall asleep thinking about if she ever felt the same.
***
Once Michael was healthy enough to go, he didn't waste another second walking through those doors. It must have been morning since he skipped whatever grub they gave to him. He forgot to mention how awful their serving of food was to the injured. They advertised the grub was described for health benefits but there was no way Michael could stomach another day inside there. Maybe he just developed a fear of being in a ward.
He walked back into the adventuring lobby, where people hanged around and looked for quests. Michael wasn't here for that though. He was looking to step into a new chapter of his journey.
Stefan was relatively easy to spot among the crowd. He was already tall and his laugh was louder than theirs. This time, he was wearing commoner clothing instead of his armor.
Michael imagined his party to be a wide group of adventurers. There were only two others that stood beside him.
One looked to be a woman, about a few inches shorter than Stefan with a judging face. She had jet-black hair tied in a comfortable pony-tail with the usual shining silver armor. Michael thought she looked like a rich noble because of how clear her skin was, as if she had never known the word blemish. It was almost like an offense to compare her stunning face to the other adventurers here. Her stormy-blue eyes were a bit scary, he admitted, striking a sense of hesitation to anyone who dared to approach the woman. She was folding her arms while ignoring whatever Stefan was trying to say.
But Michael was even more surprised with the other person. At first, Michael thought Stefan had found another child to recruit but this one's demeanor didn't look young at all. Despite his small face, it was stern and collected like he had been an adventurer since birth. His hair was puce, just sitting over the length of his ear, and his dark-green eyes glistened with persistence. He was fixing a small bow that was adjusted to his height and wore tightly strapped leather armor, fit for a nimble stature like him. With a quiver on his back, Michael guessed this boy was an archer.
The only concern was that this boy was even shorter than Michael.
Stefan turned beside him, spotting Michael standing awkwardly among their party.
"Who's that?" the woman said, following his glance. "Don't tell me that's who you're talking about."
"Relax," Stefan waved his bottle of booze around. "You barely know him. What if he's better than you think?"
"He looks nothing more than a peasant."
"A peasant that would be a great addition to our party."
"That's him?" the boy asked. "What's his class?"
"I'm a warrior." Michael answered, showing his sword.
"Great, another warrior," the woman scoffed. "Our party composition can't get any worse."
Stefan patted Michael's head. "I don't see the issue here. We've been doing fine so far, and we're going to do better with him—"
"I said a mage," she snapped back. "I've been saying that we need a mage for months."
"When was the norm for parties to require a mage?"
"To help us defend against spells? We're completely defenseless against magical attacks if you didn't already know."
Stefan and the woman argued back and forth between the decision of keeping Michael in the party. The boy restrung his shortbow not minding any attention as if this was usual for them to fight.
I told you, the voice said, all of these guys are idiots. I hate the way they talk to you.
Michael thought it was just the way it is. This world had probably hardened adventurers to have open minds since their profession mainly depended on their survival. Stefan's party only had two warriors and one archer. Michael could understand their frustration as Stefan introduced, not only a lost child, but an inexperienced one that only held a real sword for a few days.
"I'm Ellis," the boy approached him. "I assumed you already met Stefan."
Stefan turned his face away to drink while the woman kept trying to convince him.
"That's Mave," Ellis said. "They've always been fighting ever since I made this party."
Michael felt Ellis was even shorter up close. "You're the party leader?"
"Believe it or not, I am. If it wasn't for me, they would've already gotten themselves killed. We haven't failed a quest in a while but Mave just wants a mage so we could expand our arsenal. She doesn't really care about the person, it's just as long as you can pick up your own weight."
Michael looked at his own skinny arms.
"I didn't mean that literally," he snorted. "I know you're just a kid but I'd have to agree with her. You don't look that promising at all. Stefan was probably drunk when he asked you but you can't join our party. You're too weak."
Michael couldn't take Ellis seriously if he was that short, especially calling someone else that was obviously taller weak.
Stefan suddenly grabbed Michael and pulled him to the front. "This kid is joining us, end of discussion!"
Mave kept her disapproving look. "Ellis, say something."
"Stefan, the booze is getting into your head," Ellis sighed. "Mave is right, we need a mage if we're going to level up our quests. Michael here, even if you like him that much, won't do us any good than now."
Stefan placed his bottle on the table. "Fine, you two can suck each other off and I'll get some air."
Mave recoiled her face. "What the hell did you just say—"
Stefan dragged Michael outside, walking them away from the Adventuring guild. It was obvious that he was determined on getting Michael to join their party. Michael didn't know why Stefan wanted him in so bad but he figured it was because he was just drunk like Ellis said. Even so, it looked like he didn't want to let Michael go.
"Where are you taking me," Michael looked back to the guild. "Are you leaving your party?"
"No," he smacked his lips. "They just need to cool down and I'm tired arguing against that woman."
"Then, where are we going?"
"To fix you up. It's not like you have somewhere else to be, right?"