I stared at the quest prompt, translucent and bright blue in front of me.
A bond with a beastman? Does it mean this mark?
My fingers cross over the textureless mark on my neck as if it belonged. With no memory of its placement, I felt exposed.
Regardless of what happened, it seemed like it was something I had to do anyway. Though I do not know what happens next. I will firstly have to deal with the problem I have now.
I look at the button that reads 'claim' for a starter box. A reward for my 'quest'. Pressing 'claim', a message appears.
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You have received a Starter Box [1]. Please check your inventory.
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Upon reviewing my inventory, I notice that it now has a box labelled 'Starter box'. I opened it. Multiple items were now filed in the inventory. In it were:
Scapel [1]
Antiseptic [1]
Sutre Kit [1]
Bandage [10]
Alcohol wipes [100]
Surgical gloves [100]
Medical items? Nothing out of the ordinary, but I thought they wanted me to help with illnesses. These only help me with flesh wounds. How do I cure people with this?
Seeing the items made me remember my own wound. I look at the bandaged leg. Upon close inspection, underneath the cloth, a special type of clay was packed over the bite. It made me question the medical practices of this world. While using specific types of clay was not uncommon, the question was whether the equipment would be properly disinfected.
Did they clean the deep bite properly? I am feeling feversih... could the bite be infected?
I scanned the room and found a bucket of clean water. Grabbing it, I sat down on the bed and unwrapped my bandage. The clay beneath was mixed with herbs, which I was familiar with. These herbs were used to fight infection and inflammation.
As I started to remove the packed clay, a sharp pain tore through my leg. I could not help it. I screamed out loud, my throat sore. The last bit of the clay fell off to reveal the wound beneath. The edges were red and swollen, and a translucent liquid was starting to form.
"Fuck!"
The pain from the bite sent a white hot burn through my body. Soon enough, shortly after my cry, Thalen rushed in, hearing the commotion.
"What happened?"
He stopped, seeing me hunched over with my wound now bare. I had no time to acknowledge him, seeing the state of my infection.
I need to get a clearer look.
Scopping the water, I pour it over my bite, removing any last remnants of the clay. It allowed me to get a better look at what I had to work with before I started any treatment.
"What are you doing? Luman just patched that up for you." Thalen said, grabbing my wrist, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"It's the opposite of what I am trying to do." I shouted back, wrenching my hands free, " Look at my wound, it's red and swollen. That means whatever you guys did was not enough. Do you guys not even have basic healthcare at this place?"
"What? " Thalen looked bilwitherd by my statement, "Luman is the best healer in our tribe. He treated you. Most people would already be dead by now, especially someone without an Astrae mark. The reason you are even standing here is due to my bond mark, too!"
I looked at him as if he was crazy, "Are you saying a bite like this is enough for someone to die from? I don't know what this Astrae mark is and how your bond saves me, but this should be a simple treatment!"
Thalen returned the same look, then pointed to the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. "How do you guys not even know what an Astrae mark is? It shows the power one person weilds. Without my bond, you would not have had the strength to fight off the pain and would probably have died. What world do you come from? Is immortality a thing there or something? " Thalen joked, scoffing at the assumption.
"Basically..." I mumble under my breath, "Just bring me more sterile water," I ordered, watching him cautiously.
"I don't know what sterile water means, but I guess you mean water without impurities. What you used was the last we had before next week's ritual. You will have to deal with normal stream water."
"No wonder people die here." I snapped, astonished by the lack of resources," Without 'water without impurities', the infection cannot be cleaned properly. I mean, look, you guys did not even clean the inside of the wound, only the outside. Were you hoping the gods would cure me?"
Thalen's eyes narrowed as my insults hit him hard. He gripped my arm hard, furious by what I had just said, "Do not insult my people and their deaths! I know why they died. Pure water is scarce. We can't do anything about it. Maybe I made a mistake taking you in."
I must have taken it too far. I don't know anything about this world. It doesn't even look like it has electricity, so why am I blaming them? Still, sterile water is essential to treating people. This needs to be prioritised.
"I am sorry... I- I just got heated up in the moment." I apologise to him. He loosens the grip on my arm, "But why do you only have sterile water next week. Can't you make it now?"
Thalen looks at me with utter confusion, "Sterile water can only be purified by healers approximately once a week."
"Huh? You can just boil it, you know?" A sudden realisation starts to set in, "Do you guys have fire?"
"Of course. How will that make water sterile? We use it to light the dark." With a click of a finger, the unlit lamp suddenly starts to blaze brightly.
"Argghhhh!" In shock, I scream and jump towards Thalen. Scared of the sudden fire that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, I grabbed onto Thalen's neck in fear.
"You are one weird person, but I won't reject this open invitation." He looks at me and slides his arms around me.
For a second, I was face-to-face with him. I could smell his musky scent surrounding me, his hard body pressed against mine. I could feel the heat rising in my body. He let out a single chuckle, and I snapped back to reality.
"Get away!" I shoved against his chest, clearing my throat. "I have to clean this wound now."
This man is far too open about touching people.
Thalen shrugged, letting me go. He was not a stranger to my rejects now. "So why exactly do you need fire?"
This world is a crazy place where magic exists.
I look at the fiery lantern in awe.
I have always dreamt of being in a magical world. Oh, how I often wished I had magic as a kid. But this is not how I expected it to be. I was expecting more fairies and elves... not morphing beasts.
I shook my head. I had more urgent things to do. "Just follow my instructions. I need two very clean, large bowls, a clean cloth, and you to fire them. Make sure to fill one bowl with water." I instruct him without missing a beat, "I will show you how to make sterile water."
Thalen stared at me with disbelief, then sighed, deciding to humour me, "Normally, you would need at least one Astrae mark to even wield magic, but you do not have one." He eyed me, making me unsure if he would follow through, "But I will trust you this once. Since you are now my mate, it's the least I can do."
I roll my eyes at the mention of the bond again. Catching my reaction, he could not help but laugh as he went out to gather the materials.
"Ok, I guess the reward is going to be used now, then. How do I get it out... System?"
The system opens, and I quickly take out the items from my inventory. The sutre kit, gloves, alcohol wipes and antiseptic. These tools were going to be my last lifeline to survive for now.
Thalen returned with two younger boys, who appear to be in their early teens, carrying the items. Luman walked in behind them with a cloth.
"I hear you can make purified water? I would like to watch." A cold and questioning glare was visible on his face. It was obvious he did not believe me.
"Please just place the bowl down." I grabbed the cloth from him and stretched it over the empty bowl. Looking at the two teens, I instructed them, "You two. Hold each end tight and don't let go."
The two teens move. It was not until Luman gave them a nod that they followed my instructions. They grab each end. The fact that they did not follow my orders until Luman allowed them pissed me off.
"You." I pointed at Luman in spite, "Pour that bowl of water over this cloth."
Luman's jaw tightened at the order. It became obvious he was not used to being ordered around like that. Still eager to fill his curiosity, he lifted it up and started to pour the water onto the fabric. Going too fast, some of the water splashed onto the floor.
"Woaahh! Calm down!" I instantly reach for the bowl, holding it steady, "You are wasting the water."
Slowly, the bowl empties as all the impurities are filtered and caught by the cloth.
"I am sorry to say, but that water is still not pure," Luman stated, crossing his arms. He looked at me as if waiting for me to fess up to my lies,
He probably thinks I am lying. They don't know basic science. The manual process to create sterile water must be out of their thinking.
I could not help but shake my head.
I guess the use of magic has hindered their progress in many areas of science in this world.
"I am not done yet." I scoff at him, meeting his gaze. "Thalen, can you make fire around this bowl, please. I need the water to boil." Thalen clicked his finger again as fire erupted around the base of the bowl. I jumped back, still not used to magic.
Seeing this, Luman could not help it. He let out a chuckle, mocking me.
This girl Thalen picked up is crazy. I thought of her as a weak and malnourished female who needed help. Here, she is making a mockery of us and herself, claiming she was creating purified water.
Luma gritted his teeth, watching every move I made.
What a disgusting person. Such words give people false hope.
The water started to boil, and for the next 20 minutes, I watched it. Thalen spotted the surgical tools I had laid down and reached out. I instantly wacked his hands away, "Nope! Don't touch that."
He groaned, rubbing his hands, but followed my order. Watching the water boil, he couldn't help but yawn.
After the time had passed, I instructed him to stop the fire and placed a lid over it. Every second felt inescapable. Luman's judging eyes never strayed away from me, making me anxious.
Now that the appropriate time had passed, I removed the lid. Luman leaned in closer with curiosity. He hovered his hands over the water and used his powers to examine it. "This- this is really purified water!" he stammered.