Indigo Elf

Ch. 22

Ch. 22

Arlen

Someone was humming. The tune, I didn't know, but I knew that whatever song they were humming sounded very nice. I could feel someone running their fingers softly through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp. There was another hand around my waist that was repeatedly running up my back and down to my waist. I could also feel that I was pressed up pretty closely up to someone. I slowly opened my eyes, wondering just who was holding me so closely.

It was dark in the room, so I couldn't immediately see who was holding me, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was met with a pair of red orbs. I blinked slowly as I drank in the stranger's features. He was beautiful, very beautiful and I found myself blushing fiercely the more I stared at him. He had short white hair that he had tied back in a short ponytail with long bangs that fell along the side of his face and in front of his eyes. Like myself, he was petite, but he was still bigger than I was and taller. I have a feeling that I'll never find someone smaller than me. His lips were a soft pink and looked extremely tempting.

"Well hello there," he mused as he traced my jaw with his finger. Almost immediately, my eyes were drawn to his short but sharp fangs. He was a vampire, how very interesting.

"It's good to see you finally awake. Seems as if my healing magic worked wonders on you."

I glanced around the room, pausing when I realized that this stranger and I were surrounded by a soft green light that seemed to be coming from him. I snuggled back into his chest. Whoever he was, he was incredibly comfortable, and moving wasn't on my agenda at the moment.

"Now, now," he laughed, "You can't get comfy; your friends will want to see you."

I pouted, earning a snicker from him. Suddenly, the soft green light that surrounded us vanished and I realized the strange situation I was in. I was lying in bed, with a stranger, in a room that was very unfamiliar to me. I slowly sat up, wincing in pain as I did so. For some reason, my body was extremely sore, and moving was quite difficult. I looked down, frowning in distaste at the number of bandages I had wrapped all over my body, even my neck and head were covered in bandages. The only skin on my body that was exposed were my toes, fingers, and my face. I was also dressed comfortably in a large shirt that was more like a dress and a pair of boxers. I was a little embarrassed to learn that someone other than myself had changed me.

I turned back to the stranger who was still smiling softly at me. His eyes were glowing faintly, and I wondered if he was thirsty.

"Who are you?" I croaked. I grimaced at my sore throat.

"I am your guildmate and I am one of the healers of The Shadow Realm. My name is Link, it's nice to officially meet you, Arlen," he said as he sat up and handed me a large mug of what looked to be milk. I nodded in thanks and took a long sip, smiling pleasantly as my parched throat was relieved and my thirst quenched. I licked my lips and turned back to him.

"What happened?" I asked, "Why am I all bandaged up?"

I didn't give him a chance to answer as I suddenly remembered what went down in the forest of the dead. Finishing up my cup of milk, I brought up my status screen and did a double take when I saw my level. I nearly choked as I read over my stats. Link snickered and sat up patting me on the back.

"Apparently, you were pretty badass there in the forest. To rise from level forty to level a hundred and thirty-five in one day, pretty impressive," he spoke as he rubbed my back, "You even became the leader of the undead forest and managed to lift the curse. And that's not even mentioning creating your own spell. You're pretty amazing."

He poked my cheek teasingly and I quickly turned away, thoroughly embarrassed. Receiving praise from anyone always made me embarrassed. I swiftly summoned my spell book and read flipped the pages to my new and personal spell, Shape-shift, the ability to transform into anything and everything I wanted. I smiled; this spell would certainly be of use.

"You were so badly wounded, I was quite sure you would die," Link said as he patted my head, "But after a few days of my tender care, it was clear you would survive."

I could barely contain my surprise. Just how long had I been unconscious, and what was the extent of my injuries. I didn't have to ask, because Link filled me in.

"Your bones in both of your arms and legs were shattered, and most of your ribs were broken. Transforming in that state only ripped your skin to shreds."

I cringed in horror, "Oh my God!"

Link laughed and shook his head, "I said the same thing when they brought you to me. You looked as if a dragon chewed you up and spat you back out. I was so surprised you were still alive."

I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't have a clear memory of what happened before I transformed, but I remembered wanting to kill Gabriel. I narrowed my eyes as I remembered him and his stupid face; it was partially that bastard's fault for my predicament right now. I moved to stand up, only to regret it immediately. I hissed in pain as my legs screamed in protest.

Link sighed sadly, "It'll be a while before you can be as you were before. Though I am a healer, it took a lot to bring you back from the brink of death and I am fresh out of magic. Plus, it'll be good for you to heal naturally as well. Wait for me here; I'll go tell the others that you're awake."

Nodding, I watched him walk out of the room. Slowly, I crawled back into bed and proceeded to get comfortable. I didn't know who this bed belonged to, but here in this moment, it was mine. I brought the covers up to my neck, listening to what I could only describe as a stampede of beasts running down the hallway. The door flew open and smashed loudly against the wall. Instantly, I was blinded by the bright light coming from the hallway.

I huffed quietly in irritation and blinked rapidly in an attempt for my eyes to adjust for the sudden brightness. The first person I saw was Helen. She stood in the doorway, her pink eyes ablaze with murderous intent. I shrunk into the covers as she released a threatening growl.

"You can't hurt me!" I squealed, "Link says I'm not done healing!"

Helen glared at me for what felt like forever before sighing and sitting on the bed next to me. I glanced at her sheepishly. I didn't know what to say. Helen had been so against me going into the forest for this very reason, and now that I had made it out alive, I didn't think either of us knew what to say. One thing I knew I wanted to do was apologize.

I glanced down at the blankets, too shy to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Helen," I muttered quietly.

Helen sighed loudly and shrugged her shoulders, "I'm still pissed, but I'm more grateful that you made it back alive."

I cracked a small smile. I was happy that Helen and I were back on speaking terms. Having her mad at me was quite unbearable.

"Oi!" I heard a familiar voice shout. I looked up to see no one other than Casper taking up the doorway with his large frame. He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at me as if I were a child.

"I leave for a spell and here you are all bandaged up! What's wrong with you? Why did you go into the forest?! You retarded elf!"

Casper quickly turned away, and it didn't take a genius to know that he was trying not to cry. Through spending time with Casper, I knew that he was a big softy and was scared of almost everything. Sighing, I sat up and floated over to the centaur. Pulling him into a hug, I apologized, something that I seemed to be doing a lot of, and patted him on the back.

"It's good to see you," I laughed as he awkwardly patted my back.

Floating back over to the bed, I sat back down and patted my belly.

"I demand food."

_Gieo_