9. A breather after the storm

For a split second, I felt like I was floating, weightless and adrift in a sea of darkness. I couldn't see anything, but I heard a strange noise around me and smelled the faint scent of blood.

I tried to move to reach out and touch something solid, but my limbs felt heavy and unresponsive as if they were floating in the air and felt the motion of something carrying me, like a gentle breeze that lifted me up and carried me away as I felt a sense of comfort and safety in the embrace of the thing that carried me. I was trapped in that strange, blurry sensation, unable to make sense of anything.

"Joon?" I tried to call out his name, but my voice was silenced by the weight of my unconsciousness.

But then I heard his voice calling my name, and it was like a bolt of lightning that jolted me back to consciousness. I felt my eyes snap open, and I saw Joon's injured face and those grey orbs looking down at me. As I sat up, I felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. It was like I had been given a second chance, a new lease on life. I looked around me, taking in my surroundings and trying to make sense of what had happened.

"W-where are we?" I tried to speak with my strained voice.

"We are far away from Magook now, Near the regal camp. But for now, I think we're safe."

So we made it after all. I sighed with a smile. Reading the novel was fun, but experiencing it with my own body parts and mind was more horrific than people could imagine. Success in survival after fighting with life on the line really was something else. Joon gradually sat beside me and handed me a pot filler with water. I glanced at the water with confusion. What if he brought Poison thinking it was water until he said, "Drink it. Don't worry! It's clear. I tested it out."

"Dude!" I turned at him in disbelief. Was he crazy? Testing by himself? What if it was really poisonous? I took a sip, and that sip turned into big gulps making the pot go empty. It was sweet. Was water always that sweet? I turned my head towards Benjamin, and he looked away.

"Heh! Feeling guilty now?"

"What's there to be guilty about?" He and his arrogant behaviour never changed. "Your leg wouldn't be injured if you listened to me."

He turned towards me, frowning, "You wouldn't survive If I didn't run towards you with my broken leg! What about my dress? The Shelps came out cause of it. Talk about being ungrateful!"

I couldn't believe what I was listening to as I glared at him in disbelief.

"Hey, what? Joon and I were fighting with our lives out there while dragging you along so that your injured ass doesn't get eaten. And you're objecting about shit now?"

I felt a sudden surge of anger boiling inside of me, like a volcano ready to erupt. My fists clenched tightly, and I could feel the muscles in my body tense up as I felt the urge to land a punch on his face.

"That's enough, Benjamin! Ella, calm yourself. He's always been sensitive. This isn't the time to argue." Hyun Joon interrupted, and I blinked away, gritting my teeth.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I angrily stomped off without looking back. As I moved, the pain shifted and changed as if it had a life of its own. It was a constant reminder of yesterday's fight, a humble experience that made me feel capable.

As I stumbled through the twisted forest, the gnarled trees seemed to loom over me like menacing giants, and every rustle of leaves made my heart race with anxiety.

On the spar of a moment, my gaze fell upon the round uneven deep-green leaves spread on the ground near the foot of an Aurepaver.

"It's Hogweed!" I took a deep breath and began to walk towards it. In the original novel, Hogweed plants were greatly effective for wounds.

"Wait! If the hogweed is here, then Willow trees should be nearby too. So, this must be 'Magook'!"

'Magook' was the central part of 'Baraddurn' mentioned in the novel. Johan and others passed that area when Joon was ambushed. Which meant they were headed towards 'Arindor'- 200 Km away from the king's domain.

"We need to meet up with Johan promptly," I muttered while picking up the Hogweeds.

___________

A sneeze slipped out of my nose as I watched the water slowly turn light brown after adding willow bark in it.

"Can we drink this?" Joon's face twisted into a look of disgust.

"It works as a painkiller." I couldn't help but laugh softly at his comment and expression. "Besides, we don't have any food with us."

All of us drank it, having no option. Tasted terrible, but worth the shot.

I felt a sense of calm wash over me by the time. Leaning against the log, I closed my eyes, and cool forest air filled my lungs. Feeling Joon's presence beside me, I said, "We need to head towards Arindor."

"We need to cross the camp for that,"

Hearing his cautious voice, I remembered the female regal I met that day. "She didn't leave?"

"She's still out there. But she's probably alone since we wiped out her minions"

A tense silence took over my mind, thinking about how to get past that monster. After taking a glimpse at the broken sword, a sudden realization washed over me. I converted my gaze towards Joon to meet his eyes and uttered, "...Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Exactly!"

As mentioned in the original novel, regal ogre bones were said to be unbreakable. We were running out of Weapons. Only the dagger was intact. If we managed to take down that one, we'd get access to some weapons.

"Can you use the broken part?" I glanced at his snapped sword and then looked at Joon to see his grey eyes reading my expression. He scoffed softly, flashing a smirk on his lips.

"I'll give it a glow-up!"

"Great, then our next target is the female regal ogre."

After announcing it, I laid down on the hard cold ground to close my eyes for the next day.