The Unwanted Tamer

Fergus' explanation took a while to finish and there were multiple times where he was stopped for questions. He answered them to the best of his ability but there were still many that he couldn't answer so they had to wait until everyone was awake. The parts that had everyone asking questions were when they'd found Gaia and when they'd all been badly injured. This had the Baron calling healers to the mansion to check on and monitor everyone. Fergus was actually happy about that, since he couldn't help but worry about everyone else.

The healers arrived a short while after Fergus finished his recounting of what happened. They split up and were led to each person's room by a servant while one did a quick check up on Fergus. He sat through it, having a good idea of what they'd say.

"He'll be fine. Might need to cut a small shard of bone out but he should be fine. I can do that now, but you might want to be somewhere you won't need to move from. It'll hurt to move the leg, even with healing after that." The healer stated.

"Really? I thought I was fine. The other healer didn't say that either." Fergus replied.

"I'm guessing they had patients that were in much worse of a state, right?"

"Yeah. Got it. I'll go to Gaia's room, can you do it there? And will I need to be awake?"

"I can do it anywhere that you can put your leg up and I'll use a skill to put you to sleep."

"Let's go then." Fergus replied and slowly walked up to the stairs and checked on his friends.

He opened the door to find the healers beside each of his companions doing a thorough check-up of them. Gaia had her own bed with a thin sheet covering her modesty, while Stephanie was asleep under the covers and Griff was asleep on top of it. They each had healers tending to them, but Gaia was the only one to have them constantly tending to her and casting skills. Stephanie's injury was already healed to the point that her natural healing would be better than magic. Griff's injuries were in the same vein, with his biggest concern being the concussion but magic couldn't heal that.

This left Gaia as the worst case in the room. This was still due to the fact that she hadn't woken up after a day and a half. Everyone was worried and being stone rank meant she'd heal quicker than normal, so no one knew why it was taking so long. Fergus went over and took her hand as he sat beside her. He sat like that for a moment before indicating for the healer that came with him could start. The healer stepped forwards and discussed something with one of the other healers before the ones healing Gaia moved to the other side of the bed. The healer tapped Fergus on the forehead and whispered something before his vision went black and he was deep asleep.

The first to wake up was Stephanie who awoke with a groan and pain all over her body. Nothing felt broken anymore, but everything hurt like she'd been hit by a battering ram, which she essentially had been. She didn't move since every slight movement sent a jolt of pain throughout her body. She just laid there for a while before trying to sit up, which was easier said than done. Her left arm was extremely weak and sent lances of pain up it when she put the smallest amount of pressure on it.

When she looked down, she realized why. Her entire arm and the entire left side of her body was a deep purple, almost black, from bruising. She concluded she wouldn't be doing much for a while, because of this. Her right arm wasn't injured aside from a couple small bruises, so she'd at least be able to eat without help. She was able to shimmy her way into a sitting position, after a lot of effort and breaks from the pain.

She finally looked around now that she was upright and saw her companions. Griff was beside her, face down and softly snoring on top of the bedding. He was obviously exhausted, so she didn't bother him. She saw another bed beside theirs, with a gap between them, where Gaia and Fergus were asleep. Fergus had his leg propped up and he had bandages around his thigh with small red splotches in it. Gaia was under the covers sleeping but was still sunken and had a grayish complexion. It was much better than before but she still didn't look great.

This was when she finally registered the healers beside each of them, monitoring each person in case they needed more healing. She turned towards one that was sitting beside her and finally spoke.

"H. How. Are they?" She asked with a raspy and hoarse voice.

"They'll all be alright. The danger has passed for everyone. Everyone should be waking up soon, but your Earthbound friend will probably be the last one. We're still not sure when she'll wake up, but it shouldn't be too much longer." The healer replied with a slight lisp.

"Thank you. How long until we can get back to normal? I'm guessing at least a week or two, but I don't know if healing magic would help."

"At least a week and a half. I think the Baron's son will be alright in a few days. His bone has already been healed, and all the shards have been removed. He just needs to heal naturally now. Next will be the young man beside you. All of his wounds have been healed and didn't need anything removed like the rest of you. The main issue for him is the concussion, it'll probably take at least a week but probably longer to finish healing properly. He'll be able to walk somewhat normally in a few days, though." They said as they motioned towards the two guys.

"How about for me and Gaia?"

"You and your friend will be the last two. You'll probably be first since your wounds are healed and it's mostly just bruising now. The worst part was the shattered arm, but your bound item seems to be growing around your bone to strengthen it. It's still growing and repairing itself, so it'll still hurt and take a few days at least. After that, it's more the bruising that will be really painful for a while. Lastly will be your friend Gaia. She'll be alright once she wakes up, but she'll be really weak and need to recover from the blood loss. That will take a while to get her strength back. Then she'll probably need a repair for the prosthetic leg she has. Whoever made it did a great job, I just hope they can repair it because it'll be painful until it is." The healer finished explaining.

"So, it's more myself and Gaia that will take a while to heal. Alright. While I'm stuck in bed, I guess I'll start brainstorming on possible materials to repair her leg. Not like I can really do much else, anyway. Oh, right! Are Gaia's bonds okay?"

"Wait, did you craft her leg? If so, good job. It's really well made and one of the more intricate prosthetics I've seen. Are you talking about the creatures that gather around her, then yes. They're alright. We healed them too, so they're fine. We had to remove them while the healers were doing their check-ups, but the small ones are around her while her wolf is lying beside the bed. They seem very worried about all of you."

"They are. We're all a big family. They're just as worried about us as we are about them." Stephanie replied.

They continued talking for a while after this, but the next to wake up was Fergus who awoke to the feeling of pain in his leg.

Fergus awoke with a slight jolt as pain shot through his leg. When he looked down he saw the bandage and couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. His leg had been healed before getting back to the mansion, so he thought he was dreaming at first. The memories since returning to the mansion came flooding back as he jostled his leg by accident. He'd had some bone shards removed, that's why his leg was bandaged and was bleeding slightly.

That also explained the pain which had woken him up. He looked to his left and saw Gaia still asleep, but her skin color was almost back to normal. It only had the slightest hint of gray left while her left side was still sunken in to the point he could make out the shapes of her bones. She was lying with her head on his arm, he'd apparently done this in his sleep. He could tell she was getting better and felt that they'd all be alright given enough time.

He finally looked around and noticed Stephanie was awake and talking to one of the healers. He was happy to see her awake and upright even with the visible purpling of her side. He glanced at Griff but saw a healer checking on him, so he wasn't worried about him either. They were all in good hands and he just laid there happy that they'd all survived and now just needed to rest.

Griff awoke to the sound of Stephanie's voice. She was talking to someone, but he didn't recognize the voice and couldn't make out most of what they were saying anyway. He had a horrible headache and when he turned his head to look at her, he felt lightheaded and dizzy. He quickly closed his eyes trying to ward off the dizziness and only opened them after the feeling went away. When he did, he saw her looking down at him and when she saw he opened his eyes a smile spread across her face.

Even in his semi-delirious condition he was drawn in by the sight of it. He just stared for a while even after she looked away and started talking to someone. He didn't move much from that position for a long time. Partly because he wanted to keep looking at Stephanie and partly because of the bouts of dizziness and nausea. He instead took a few minutes to take stock of how he felt.

If he ignored the pounding in his head and sharp pain whenever someone spoke loudly, he was alright. He was sore, bruised, and probably wouldn't be able to walk normally for a while, but wasn't in pain. His injuries had been healed quicker than anyone else's so they'd been healed with the least complications. His concussion was there to stay, though, nothing a potion or magic could do for that sadly. He'd be stuck healing naturally until it was better. With his current condition in mind, he spoke to Stephanie.

"Hey, how are you doing?" He said slowly, slurring them slightly.

"I'm mostly fine. My arm's kinda screwed for the foreseeable future though. I also won't be moving around much until the bruising and swelling decreases. I should be fine though, just need to rest and it should all go away with time." She replied.

"Good. So how are the other two? Has Gaia woken up yet, and is Fergus alright?"

"I'm just fine. The leg's a bit worse for wear, but otherwise alright. The healers had to cut out a few bone shards and just need to stay off it for a few days." Fergus replied a bit loudly, eliciting a wince from Griff, before pausing. "Gaia's still asleep, but not in any danger. They're not sure when she'll wake up but do think it should be within a few days. That's all we know right now." He finished after a couple moments.

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"Ok. Let's all just focus on recovering. We definitely need it. No plans for anything until we're all back to normal, alright?" Griff asked.

"Agreed." The other two said in unison.

Griff winced at the louder voices again before closing his eyes and relaxing again. There wasn't much any of them could do so they spent the time talking, sleeping, relaxing or reading. The mansion's servants took care of them and brought them what they needed or wanted. After about three days, Fergus could walk with a slight limp but was told it should go away after a few more days. Gaia awoke after about five days. She was really disoriented, dizzy, dehydrated and starving so she was surrounded by a group of healers helping her for the rest of that day and the following one. It wasn't until the end of day six after their return that they could actually speak to her for longer than a couple of minutes.

"Gaia?" Fergus asked after the healers had decided she'd be alright and left.

"Yeah?" She asked tiredly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Bad. Everything hurts, feels numb, and is cold. How are you guys?"

"Well, I'm alright for the most part, my leg was messed up, but it's healed now. Griff is in bad shape because of a concussion, and Stephanie's arm is really messed up still. I think I'm probably the only one that can move around relatively easily."

"Yeah. I still can't keep my balance, let alone walk, and I'm still really lightheaded. That doesn't include the massive headache either." Griff added.

"I'll be alright. Just gonna be painful for a while. My entire left side got hit and is now healed, but the bruising is extremely painful. My buckler shattered alongside my arm, but it looks like the buckler is growing around the bones to strengthen them. I'm hoping that means something like this won't happen again. It'll take me a while longer to heal. I won't be able to fix your leg until I'm healed though." Stephanie explained.

"Sounds like I got off easy then. What happened? I remember fighting the monsters and then going with Malachite as a distraction. Then it's a blur of pain, worry, and trying to stay awake. The only thing I really remember from the distraction is a pained yell from Malachite, more pain, and then nothing after that." Gaia stated as she tried to sit up without success.

Fergus sat beside her and helped her up. She leaned against his side as they took turns telling her what had happened. She listened intently as they all spoke horrified that everyone had gotten injured so badly. She wanted to get up and check on everyone but could hardly hold herself upright let alone move. She ended up just sitting there and talking with everyone, especially when Fergus went out and told the others that Gaia was awake and talking. Everyone else rushed in, like they had when Griff and Stephanie had woken up. It then just devolved into everyone checking on her and then talking when they were satisfied.

After another two days, Griff could walk around with assistance and not get sick from the movement. Three days after this, he could walk around like normal and did so with Fergus to get out of the room. Stephanie was able to walk with pain the same day but couldn't go far without the pain worsening. It took a total of fourteen days before Stephanie could walk without pain, she still couldn't use her arm for much though. That would still take a while to heal. She hoped it would heal before the tournaments, because they all wanted to join.

Gaia was still bedridden but didn't look nearly as bad. Her left side wasn't as sunken in and she wasn't gray anymore. She looked a bit malnourished but was able to sit up and eat by herself now. She still felt cold and slightly numb, so she was bundled in blankets constantly and had her bonds surrounding her at all times. This was due to their desire to stay close while she was recovering. The only major complication was that she couldn't move her right arm as much. She lost some movement in the arm, and it hurt when she moved it. She could use the arm more or less but only had around half the movement she'd had before. It was a problem she'd just have to get used to and played it off like it wasn't a problem.

The only reason everyone realized it was a problem was because Titania saw her sobbing in the room when no one was around. Gaia tried really hard to act like everything was fine even when it wasn't. Fergus remembered when he found her sobbing alone after her leg had been injured. She'd been in a similar situation to now, being bedridden and stuck with her thoughts. She'd been through so much and just ignored everything until she ended up in a situation where she had to acknowledge them.

Gaia was sitting in her room, sobbing. She remembered a very similar situation from around a year and a half ago. She'd just gotten injured and was bedridden like now. She'd just had a chunk of her leg ripped off by the Stone-shelled Tarantula Matriarch and was stuck with her thoughts. She'd shoved down all of her panic and emotions from being tossed into this world, having her gender changed, being blinded and everything else that had happened. Only to have it all come rushing back to the surface because of it.

She'd broken down and cried for hours. Now, she'd been injured again and realized she had been and was doing the exact same thing. She let her emotions finally come and show. She cried for nearly half a day this time. She still hadn't fully come to terms with her situation, and she'd been here for years now. She could accept that she was Gaia, that wouldn't change whether she liked it or not. She could understand everything that had happened so far and finally came to terms with it all.

She knew it would still be a while before she was actually okay, but she could finally move forward. She'd been through a lot and, after what had happened recently, she knew it would only continue. She would move forward and not hide her feelings, doing so only ended up hurting her and her friends anyway. When she came to this decision, her sobbing slowly turned into laughter. It was a simple thought, but it felt like a weight had lifted off her when she had it.

She laid in bed for a while letting her mind wander after this. She let herself go through everything and fully process it. She ended up doing this until she fell asleep for the night. She didn't even notice when her friends came in to check on her, and Fergus stayed to keep her company. She awoke the next morning curled up next to Fergus. She smiled, finally feeling like she was alright. She stayed like that until he woke up and she told him about what happened.

He'd been worried about her, as had everyone else and she knew it. When she told him, she felt the tension leave his arms. She felt that she was on the right track for the first time since arriving in this world. She felt in control of herself instead of just reacting to everything that was happening. It was a step forward for her and felt liberating.

Nothing else happened for the rest of Gaia's healing process. It took her a total of two and a half weeks, or twenty-five days, to fully heal. She still didn't have the full range of motion in her right arm but could use it. It was the day she fully healed that Griff remembered that he had something. He told her about it before bringing it to her.

It was the shard of her bone that they'd grabbed. He'd forgotten about it and hadn't thought about it. He'd been surprised when he found it again, he'd been cleaning his pack since they'd not gone anywhere when he found it. The weird thing was that it hadn't rotten or even changed since they'd removed it. That had been part of the reason he'd remembered it. He showed it to Gaia, who had to hold it to examine it. It was an inch-long shard of bone with something squishy on it.

"This is part of my bone and…" she paused for a moment before asking. "Is that some of my flesh?"

"Yeah. It is. I don't know why we kept it honestly. We just had a feeling we should." Stephanie replied.

"That's weird. Like really weird. I don't know why-" Gaia started before she felt something tug from around her neck.

She put her hand on the offending object. It was a pendant, something she'd taken and worn ever since leaving the Ruins of Xerios. She always had it on underneath her armor but almost everyone else had forgotten about it. She felt it float up and tug towards the disturbing chunk of bone and flesh in her hand. That made the situation that much more disturbing.

The necklace had been the eighth-floor guardian, Lyriana's. She was a Draugr that had been kind and welcoming to them. They'd been forced to fight her in duels in order to reach the bottom of the ruins, but in doing so, they'd had to killed her. Gaia had taken her pendant and tried to save a part of her since she'd been trapped in the ruins. Lyriana had wanted to be free and see the world, but couldn't due to an oath from her ancestors. Gaia had promised to try and save her and show her the world. After defeating Lyriana, she had been able to seal a part of Lyriana's spirit in the pendant, or at least she thought she had. Now the pendant was reacting so she could only hope.

She was about to let the pendant touch the disturbing chunk of flesh when she remembered something. When she'd bonded to the artifact, the screens had said her spirit couldn't handle more bound items and didn't know what would happen if she let this happen. She decided to try something she should have done a while ago.

"Hey, Cel?" She asked aloud.

There was silence and just when she was about to do something else she heard a voice.

"Yes, Gaia?" Cel replied.

"Do you know what will happen if these two things touch? And could I survive getting a new bond? I know my spirit can't handle another bound item, but I don't know about bonds."

There was silence for another short while before Cel replied. "I do not. You might be able to, but I would not suggest it before reaching Bronze rank. It would be dangerous otherwise. I can not guarantee your survival before that."

"Understood. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'd rather you not die when I've just bound to you." Cel finished.

Gaia quickly had Fergus put the chunk of flesh and bone in her space bag for safety. She felt everyone staring at her and realized they couldn't hear Cel speak like she could.

"You guys remember me talking about Cel? The artifact. Well, she says I probably won't survive a new bond whether with an item or a new friend. At least not until bronze rank, so I don't want to chance it since I don't know what could happen if those two things touch." Gaia explained.

"What?!" All three shouted.

"Yeah. I also remember a screen saying my spirit couldn't handle another bound item. So, we'll need to reach bronze rank before any new friends or items."

"You're being very nonchalant about this. You could have just died because of that. You know what, it's you. Of course you'd do that. On another note, you can talk to Cel?" Griff said.

"Yeah. I realized I hadn't done so since I recovered originally, so I tried. She answered. I think I can talk to her at anytime. Oh, right. Hey kiddos, can you all talk to Cel too?"

"Maybe? I don't know if they're the same person. Mine sounds like me." Malachite replied.

"Same for me, but she's rude." Liv added.

"Mines fun! They're energetic like me!" Shadow yelled.

"They're nice." Antonio replied.

"Each one has a version of me. They're each like a separate version of me influenced by their personality." Cel stated.

"Oh. So it's like a clone, that's influenced by each person? Does that mean you're influenced by me?" Gaia asked aloud.

"Nope. You have the original. Thankfully, you cleansed me to my original state when we were bound." Cel stated.

"That's cool. I'm guessing each version can only speak to who they're bound to right?"

"Yes." Cel replied.

"So, it looks like we each have a different version that only we can talk to. That's cool." Gaia explained.

The conversation continued like this as everyone talked about the new revelation. The information was important since it meant they might be able to talk to Cel for information in the future. The rest of the day passed quickly with everyone resting. Stephanie was still recovering and let her arm heal. She was getting bored and wanted to tinker or forge but she couldn't. She could still barely move her arm, and any strenuous activity could actually cause more damage.

Stephanie hated being unable to do anything. She was used to forging for hours on end or tinkering, it felt wrong when her hands were empty and not doing anything. She hated the situation but spent her time reading or walking. When she wasn't doing those, she was talking with everyone. She was doing anything and everything to keep her mind occupied, so she didn't think about her injury. She went out shopping a few times, having Griff carry the items she bought. She just had to wait for it to heal, but it wasn't doing it quickly enough for her liking.

Three and a half weeks after their return to the mansion, Fauna were all healed. Stephanie's arm finally healed enough for her to tinker and forge. The moment she'd been given the go ahead; she disappeared into her portable forge. She wasn't seen outside of mealtimes until five days later, when she emerged with something. She immediately went to Gaia and laid the item in her lap. Gaia felt it and it took her a minute to realize what it was. It was an insert for the section of her damaged prosthetic.

Gaia wasn't sure when Stephanie had made a mold or measured the damaged section, but she slid the insert in, and it filled the hole perfectly. Stephanie tapped the insert after it had been inserted, and Gaia felt the top turn. It then melded into the leg, replacing the missing section. Her leg felt whole now and she stood up. It felt more balanced, which she hadn't even realized before. She hugged Stephanie who was just happy it worked.

The party relaxed for the next couple weeks after this, while Stephanie forged and tinkered. Before anyone realized it, the time for the tournaments had come, or rather for their preliminaries. Everyone went and signed up for their chosen tournaments. Then, they just waited for the preliminaries. These would take place the week before the actual tournaments and were open to the public. Thus, it was the day after they'd signed up that they made their way to the colosseum for the team preliminaries.