A Drink To Remember

Chapter 1

The forest is dark as I run through the trees. I'm losing a lot of blood. That last job with Torou was a lot. She wanted to help me out, but I don't trust other mercenaries. My vision starts to darken as I slip in and out of consciousness. My foot slips and I fall down to the ground, landing with a hard thud. I guess this is where I die, I think to myself as I lose consciousness.

"Fuck I'm not good with stitches!" What's that? "You better not die on me, Mister." Is someone talking right now? "That's the last stitch. If you die, I'm going to kill you myself, Asshole!" What are they going on about? Are they talking about me? "Please don't die Mister. I would never forgive myself."

I feel soft hands on my chest as I begin to wake up. My eyes slowly open to see a rather small woman resting on the side of my bed. Wait, a bed? Where am I? I jolt and sit up as fast as I can, crying out in pain as I do so. The woman sits up. "I'M UP!" She makes eye contact with me. "You're awake! Oh God I was so worried when I found you in the woods the other night! You must be starving..." She gets up and runs out of the room.

I look down to see me shirtless, and some rather crude stitches along the giant slash on my chest. I peak under the blanket to see I don't have any pants on either, just my undergarments. The woman walks back in and I quickly lay the blanket back down. I suspiciously look over her, this young woman before me.

She's not very tall, maybe five foot five. Her long, black hair is in a Dutch braid that flows down her back. She has bright hazel eyes that shine with a golden tint, and a spray of freckles across her slightly tanned skin. She's wearing a flowing dark blue shirt with a black corset, and black trousers that fit her snugly. Her dark leather boots are worn out and only come up to her mid shins.

She gives me a small smile and walks over with a bowl of soup and a glass of water. "Glad to see you're awake Mister! I'm sorry the stitches aren't better, I'm not a seamstress or a doctor. I don't have either of those out here."

"Where am I?" I ask her, guard up.

Her small smile turns into a smirk. "So you're a stubborn guy, huh? Calm down hot shot you're in a bar. You're lucky I like to walk through the woods at night otherwise you would be dead."

"You walk through the woods at night? Alone? Are you stupid?" I ask her with an irritated tone.

Her eyes dance with mischief and laughter. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. I may not be as good as you, Mister I have a thousand different weapons, but I'm no weakling. I did carry you here myself after all."

I look around the room. "We're in a bar?"

She sets the food down on the table next to me. "Yep! I don't get a lot of customers since it's out in the woods, but I get a lot of loners, hunters, travelers, and mercenaries here. It's a great resting point."

I keep my eye on her, not wanting to let my guard down. "Why did you help me?"

She scoffs. "Because you looked pitiful, bleeding out on the forest floor. Couldn't have you stinking up my scavenging grounds."

I glare at her. "What?"

She crosses her arms and puts all her weight on one leg, making her ass stick out even more than it already does. "I live out here by myself. I didn't want to have to smell your rotting corpse while I searched the area for different foods and ingredients. I was honestly surprised to find you still breathing."

"Haha, very funny. The real answer now?" I say rather sarcastically.

She takes a seat on the stool next to my bed. "I did it because I can't just let someone die when I can help them. I always help people when I can." Her eyes are really kind. She looks like she couldn't tell a lie even if she wanted to.