Hello everybody!
I once started a fanmade story inspired by the RTS Stick Empires (I suppose everyone who reads this has heard about it at least.).
Then I had to realize that I reached the maximal length for a post (100.000 characters), so I'll continue the story from here.

For those who haven't read the previous part yet, here's the link to the site: http://forums.stickpage.com/showthread.php?83293-The-Crawler-Rider-Fan-made-Story

So, the story of Liam Axcer goes on. Enjoy to read, to give criticism or whatever you want to do! ;)


[spoiler="Chapter 10"]Chapter 10: "Surprises"

Liam found himself back on the road and was walking back to the hostel in a mopish manner.
The last hour's events were pure horror for the young Swordwrath.
Not enough that he was told he could die because of his arm's wound.
Now the solution to prevent this improbably soon death caused more trouble than before.
So with some fish he quickly bought for him and Codyn on the market and stashed in his bag, he hurried to his dorm while he remembered the recents events with the council again.

___________________

"W-What do you mean I could die?" he asked earlier towards the council.

"It means what I said" the warlock responded dryly, "every wound caused by wild animals can transfer diseases. Crawlers aren't poisonous as far as we know, but wolves aren't, either. And still, they can transfer rabies for example. In conclusion, there's the possibility that you were infected by whatever the Crawler could transfer. This would also explain your strange kind of Rage Lieutenant Axcer mentioned recently."

Noboby dared to interrupt the speech for the next moments when Odrian finished these explainations, only to continue after a quite long pause.

"Anyways, it's almost an impossibility that you die because of this. We have a lot of time to cure any infections, so the outcome shouldn't be your death, considering that Crawlers aren't poisonous in general. We definitely get you fixed in a few hours. Unless we cannot find the corpse to produce the elixir."

"Thank gods! I almost thought that it would get much worse, sir." Liam blurted out in relief.
Then, all of a sudden, he rethought the last part Odrian mentioned.

"Wait a second." he gasped, "Corpse? Elixir? What is this supposed to mean?"

"It means that we can produce an elixir to cure probable injuries", Mellinna stated firmly, "but for this, we need the corpse of the Crawler to take a sample".

"Apologies for interrupting, but is this really necessary?" Liam's father joined the conversation from his seat. "I mean, can't you just take a sample of any Crawler? We surely have some essences of random Crawlers in the storage rooms, don't we?"

Some of the other members gave approving glances towards him before shifting their gazes in high expectation to the mages.
To their misfortune, the mages shook their heads.

"We only stored any samples of our known poisonous foes for the purpose to produce antidots." the Meric's leader explained, emphasized by Odrian's following nod of approval.

"And next to herbs and potions we never had a use for anything concerning Crawlers."

"And the fact that any Chaos armies retreated recently brings us to the conclusion that the slain Crawler is the only source for a sample!?" the usually inactive but listening Shadowrath's leader chimed in.

"Correct" the sorceress confirmed and turned to Liam again, "like he said, the Crawler is the only source to get a sample for an elixir. It is still somewhere in the woods, isn't it?"

"Well...you know..." Liam began to explain, but he didn't know what to do next.

He remained silent, but his mind was furiously thinking about a way to end the whole unpleasant conversation. But where and how could he begin?
The Crawler they were talking about was recently in his room in the recruit's hostel sleeping peacefully while everyone was expecting it to be out in the woods. And not alive.
What could he just do to not get into further trouble?
Luckily for him, an idea quickly formed in his mind when the Spearton's leader talked to him.

"My boy, now don't tell us Codyn took the corpse along as a trophy!" the warrior exclaimed in mild disbelief.

"Oh, no, he didn't took it." Liam reassured them. "And I think I can find my way back to the location where it should be. If you want, I can travel right now!"

"Not so hasty, young warrior!" Odrian stated then. "You just returned this morning and it's not even midday. And now you want to leave again? Under these circumstances?"

"Yyyeeeess?!" Liam carefully answered, sheepishness indicated in his voice, only to gain a mild but amused old man's chuckle as response.

"Young one, no need to rush into action!" the old man then reassured.
"We have enough scouts that we can send out to seek the corpse. Besides, there is no valid reason that you should go on your own."

"But I know where it is" Liam blurted out before he could think twice about what he says "I made several signs that I can read best. If I'd go out again to find the corpse, it would be the fastest way to retrieve it."

All council members had to think about the boy's proposal, mostly because they were sceptical about him.
Was he serious about travelling back to that place? Reportingly, he should still be in grief about the recent events: surviving his first fight, almost encountering death and killing his first foe. But no signs of grief were visible on the Swordwrath in front of them. Niclus of course knew it better, recounting the images of his whimpering son he had experienced earlier.

" And besides, it was my fault after all so shouldn't I be the one who fixes his own mistakes?" he added, giving the audience more food for thought.

Odrian himself wasn't sure why the boy insisted to do this task on his own. But no matter if Liam wanted to prove something or do the "right" thing, there were no reasons to deny his plea. That his former mentor once taught him that some matters in this world have to be settled solely by the ones who caused it didn't conflict the boy's plea, either. And somehow, Liam was solely responsible by leaving the castle for a walk the previous day. It was still unpleasant to send this boy back into the outskirts of the castle's territory all alone, though. But the blind Magikill knew how to react accordingly.

"Any objection?" Odrian finally asked into the round, expecting everyone except Lt. Axcer not to reply.

Strangely, even the Swordwrath's leader had nothing else to say when Odrian took a view into his colleagues' faces.
Knowing that nobody had demurs to mention, he sighed half-heartedly.

"Looks like your plea is granted, my boy. But I give you the permission to travel on your own if you agree to one condition..."

_________________


"Great! This is just great." he muttered in his mind, still searching for a loosened loop in the net to escape.
"So now I get an escort, Codyn is actually presumed dead, I need a sample of him,..."

He swung his backpack forward while he continued walking. He then ransacked it, trying to find the key for his room to have it in range when needed. Finally, he grabbed a key like object and pulled it out, revealing the key he was looking for.

"Can this day even get worse?!" he incidentally thought, not noticing the young Meric that was walking in the other direction.

She didn't carry books like last time, but Aleeze was still mentally absent, almost daydreaming, when both collided together. Liam, to his fortune, didn't lose his balance due to the weight of his bag stabilizing him from the impact. On the other side, Aleeze was about to fall due to the strong collision if a hand hadn't grabbed hers in time to prevent it.

Finally recognizing each other, both teenagers' eyes widened in realization for the fraction of a moment. Then Liam pulled to help her standing up, immediately gaining her complaints.

"Hey, can't you watch out?! I'm not interested in always bumping into you." Aleeze complained.

"Same goes for me." Liam countered, "you could have watched out, too."

Both sharply breathed in because of each other's behavior. Then Liam's face relaxed slowly and a small smile appeared on his face. Aleeze's tensions loosened, as well.

"Anyways," she started while a barely noticable blush appeared on her cheeks, "thanks for catching me!"

"You're welcome! But maybe, if you want to, you can thank me by paying next lunch for both of us." Liam then mocked with a wide grin.

"Hey, now don't overreach!" she commented unnerved, but coldly.

"Yeah, sorry! I was just joking anyway." he reassured softly.

"Of course!" the Meric apprentice sarcastically stated. "Say, by the way, is it true that you are infected?".

"Oh, this! Actually it's not that bad, I mean..." Liam answered, but interrupted himself, realizing what Aleeze had asked.
"Wait, why do you know that?" he wondered quite dumbfounded.

"Oh didn't you know yet?" Aleeze wondered about Liam not knowing the recent gossip concerning him.
"There are some rumors recently that spread like a wildfire and involving you."

"There are?!" the young Swordwrath asked in disbelief, only to gain a nod from the Meric standing in front of him.

"Yes, one of the ninja novices visited the temple today and casually boasted of his abilities to spy a council's meeting with some comrades. This is where it started." Aleeze explained, noticing the worried look onto Liam's visage.

"And how bad is it?" said Swordwrath asked further.

"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that." Aleeze apologized. "Some people are saying that you were doomed or cursed by a Crawler. Others say you gained new superpowers by said creature and yet others are rumoring that you'll transform into a 'Crawler-human-hybrid' soon. The last rumor I heard about twenty minutes ago said that you were banished because of the mark you are wearing now."

"You mean this one?!" Liam said while pointing unconcerned at the sickle-shaped scar on his right arm.

On the other hand, Aleeze's eyes widened at the sight that made her remember last evening's events. She was too distracted that she didn't even notice Liam explaining that everything was fine.
She recognized the scar immediately as the former bite she tried to heal the previous day, but somehow, she missed to heal it completely. She then smiled and silently ask Liam.

"Weird, isn't it?"

"Huh?" was Liam's reply to the sudden and unfitting question.

"It's weird that one wound that wasn't healed properly can cause so much trouble." she explained with a somber voice while her face saddened.

Liam, being quite observant to the people around him, didn't need long to notice what Aleeze was referring to. But he wondered if she was really thinking that it was her fault. And was she really fighting back some tears, as well? Nevertheless, he had to console her.

"Hey", he softly spoke, "it's okay. You don't need to be sorry for it's not your fault after all. And besides, the chances that I'm infected are too low to worry about."
"B-But the gossip. And the remaining scar?!", Aleeze added, her saddened look loosened a bit.

"What about it? If you ask me, the scar is quite nice-looking." Liam responded cheerfully.

The result was quite satisfying. Aleeze didn't need to fight back tears anymore. Instead, she smiled amused and shook her head.

"You can be really stupid sometimes." she stated then, gaining an unnerved look from Liam this time.

"Say," she then continued, "about your proposal how to thank you, I'm actually on my way to the mess halls. Maybe you want to come with me?".

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm actually in a hurry." he said, declining Aleeze's offer to have lunch together. "But what about tomorrow?".

"Okay, tomorrow sounds good." she confirmed and both bid farewell.

When Liam was out of sight, Aleeze noticed a whistling sound emitting from behind her. She turned around to see two of her closest friends that partly overheard the conversation.

"Uh-oh, does there someone fall for the Lieutenant's son?" the first Meric commented playfully while the other one continued giggling.

"Hm, it's nothing. We both just get along well every now and then."

"Of course" Alleze's comrade said sarcastically when the three Merics made their way to the mess halls.

______________________


Meanwhile, Liam found himself back at the soldier's hostel whose amount of inhabitants was low at the moment.

"Well, looks like I was wrong." he thought happily by himself.
"How can this day get worse now?!" the Swordwrath's novice incidentally thought again when he unlocked the door and swung it open, not knowing what surprise awaited him behind it.

He was proven wrong. His day just got worse when Liam saw what happened to the room since he left.
He gazed in shock at the sight of his and Morred's room.
It looked like Chaos would rule over it.
Their cupboards, chairs and table had several scratches, all fabrics from the carpet to their blankets were torn into pieces and Codyn was just about to continue chewing Morred's pillow if Liam hadn't gained his attention by exclaiming the horror he saw in front of him.

"MY ROOM! HOLY...!" he shouted in complete disbelief, gaining unintentionally the attention of the hostel's staff.

Fortunately, Liam already entered the room and the worker was at the end of the corridor, unable to see him. Nevertheless, the man was curious.

"Hey!" he exclaimed through the corridor, "you who just screamed. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, uhm... it's fine!" Liam replied, his voice echoing in the corridor, "I'm just surprised that my roommate really tidied up our room."

For a moment, silence followed and Liam hoped that the man wouldn't further check.
To his relief, this situation never came.

"But no need to scream through the whole hostel" the employee responded loudly.
"There are other people living here. Be more considerate next time!"

"Alright, I'll remember!" Liam finally reassured aloud and closed the door behind himself.

Shortly after done action, he let himself drop, leaning against the door and his backpack already thrown to the ground. He just couldn't believe that Codyn was running riot that immensely within less than two hours. The room was in complete chaos. And although no furniture was broken into pieces, everything was leastly damaged. Codyn himself stopped his rampage against Morred's pillow when Liam entered, only to approach him slowly and curiously afterwards.
Then, recognizing who the Swordsman leaning against the wall was, the Crawler slightly crouched down only to jump onto Liam's upper part of the body.
The cat-like creature then nudged Liam's head curiously with one of his paws.

The Swordwrath would have found this action quite strange and funny, maybe even adorable if his mood hadn't dropped immensely by what havoc Codyn has caused. Instead, he was annoyed by the Crawler's foolings and waved the claw away that was about to nudge against his cheek again.

"Hey...hey, hey, hey, stop, no, would you, hey, Stop it" he then commanded while fighting to keep his stern composure and still disturbed by Codyn not stopping nudgings.

"Okay, enough!" he eventually exclaimed and grabbed the Crawler beneath his forelegs and lifted him up, only to set him back down next to him so Liam could stand up without any problems.

Said Swordwrath then grabbed his bag after Codyn tried to nugde it, as well, probably attracted by the scent of food efusing from it.
With the bag in his hand, Liam sat down on his bed, having his backpack at his right side and Codyn, who followed and jumped onto the bed, on his left side. He sighed and observed the mess Codyn has caused to their room.

"Morred is going to kill me!" he whined slightly, his shoulders shrinking in defeat.

Now what should or COULD he do? Liam had managed to smuggle a Chaos creature into the castle whose corpse were still expected to be somewhere in the woods, his room was devastated by said creature, there was the low chance he was infected with any unknown disease and to top up all the current problems that arose,

Cool, the Dean of Magic is impressed :eek: :D.
Well, I'll do my very best, even if it gets difficult.

Very nice job ordie. please try to finish it when you can :D

I cannot promise, but I try.
For now, it's still a long way until it's done. :rolleyes:

So, what happened to Liam's 'friendly' relationship with Aleeze? By the way I can't wait to see more of your works!

Alright, I feel a bit trolled :/.

I mean, just when i try to add chapter 13 into the first post, I reach the maximal post length again. :|
So yeah,

Chapter 13 and onwards are readable here:

[spoiler="Chapter 13"]Chapter 13: "More than the eye Part 1"

If there was something Aleeze hated like hell, it was boredom while being on duty.
It was one of those afternoons where nothing was happening. The storages had been checked earlier, most sick people were already provided with medical care and the last patients were two Shadowrath novices that accidentally poisoned each other in training.
Those clumsy fellows left an hour ago and it didn't seem like more people would arrive for the rest of the day.

But it was nothing she could complain about for it meant less work to do and more time to read one of the books she luckily took along.
Normally, Aleeze preferred wise lectures and books or scrolls that helped her to learn. This time, she changed the genre, though and instantly found herself being dragged into the world of Inamortian legends, myths and folk tales.
She didn't know why exactly she liked all those legends, but nonetheless, she simply devoured the book whenever she was able to.
Right now, after finishing the tales of Kotarkath and Vastolis, she came to a story that was already intriguing by the title:

Tales of Medusa.

Once upon a time, a mighty sorceress and noble woman named Medusa lived upon the lands of Inamorta.
Her young beauty was like a never fading rose and just as dangerous as the rose's thorns were her magic abilities to those that made themselves her enemy.
But although she held immense powers in her hands that might seduce one to fall for dark powers, her soul remained kind.
And although she was from a high family and wooed by many men, she never decided to marry one of those admirers her father suggested in a good manner.

It was one day however, while taking a walk through her homeland's woods, that Medusa suddenly heard wonderful sounds echoing through the quiet forest, both the sound of a singing man and a flute playing along with him.
The music, so mesmerizing yet so familiar, was unlike anything she had heard for a long time. But she just couldn't say why the melody seemed so familiar, thus, her curiosity drove her deeper into the woods as she abandoned the usual dirt tracks to track down the musicians.

As she reached a small clearing, Medusa had to discover that two young and identical men about her age sitting under nearby trees were playing the mesmerizing melodies. As she entered the clearing and revealed her presence however, the music stopped and one of the men instantly vanished into thin air, revealing that he was a temporary dublicate.
Both were now able to get a closer look at each other for the first time since Medusa disturbed the play. Still, none could say why they felt so close to each other.

Medusa never believed in love at first sight, the congeniality of souls or destiny leading two soul mates together , only to be proven wrong this once by meeting this man.

For as soon as they revealed their names to each other, epiphany dawned to them because both remembered a dear childhood friend they seperated from a long time ago.
It was now that they saw each other for the first time after so many years of seperation.

The man, now revealed to be called Ciburo, once lived in the same town like Medusa and was, just like the young sorceress, known to have a talent for magic. While she wielded the incredible powers of light and purification, he was able to produce duplicates of himself.

Fate however seperated their ways when Ciburo, a young teenager at this time, had to move away and left her alone with one last reminder; it was a song he played for her with his duplicates before he departured.

Ciburo, now a young craftsman, musician and free to travel whereever he wished to go, never imagined to meet Medusa soon enough so that both remembered the good old times they shared together.

And so, they began to talk with each other again, telling stories of both the past and future plans.
From this point, it didn't need long until their old friendship turned into admiration and love.

Time has passed since their reunion , and as soon as everyone found out about them being in a relationship, there was one admirer that was more than furious about this.
It was Drazzilb, the talented snake warlock who was in love with Medusa, as well.
But despite all the times he tried to gain her heart, he was always rejected and never loved back by her like many other admirers. But he also was never able to let her go. Thus, he became envious about the couple and feared that they'd finally marry.
When this day actually arrived and both lovers were affianced to each other, he turned mad after getting the news and attempted to his last option: 'If he couldn't get the beautiful rose, than no one else should get it.'

With this mischievous ambition in mind, Drazzilb, by using the forbidden arts, created his most powerful curse and planned to place it onto Medusa at the day of her marriage.
All he needed to do now was getting a sample of Medusa's blood and the opportunity to complete the spell in her range.

When the day of her marriage arrived, he disguised himself to hide within the crowd of witnesses.
As soon as the moment was right, the snake wizard acted instantly, aiming a spell for Medusa in order to get her off guard in front of the altar.
Immediate havoc resulted when bystanders witnessed the sorcerer's attempt to harm the couple, but Medusa reacted fast.
She was able to shield herself and most guests so that they could flee when the snakes and spell attacked and therefore, she was ready to fight the intruder with full power for he lost his moment of surprise.

But Drazzilb was cunning.
He simply produced a very small snake to sneak to Medusa while they were in the middle of their battle. Medusa noticed the white serpent when it was close to her, but it was already too late.
The reptile bit her, stunned her in the process with its venom and turned back to its master, the jowl full with the blood of the sorceress.
It was now that Ciburo stood up for his prospective wife when she was helplessly laying on the ground.
He shielded her with the best spells he had and attacked the villain with his clones.
But the snake warlock was much stronger and thus, he managed to defeat the bard and gave him his personal punishment by crippling his sight forever before knocking him out. From this moment onward, Ciburo went blind in an agonizing way and was never able to see again, cursed with the eternal darkness that denied the gift to see his beloved again.

As for Medusa, she could only watch how her love lost his sight painfully and how she was cursed afterwards.
The ritual was an agonizing procedure for both the sorceress and the warlock.
Strong magic energy was emitting in a painful manner from the warlock in the process, transforming her into a monster in both look and heart.
Her once smooth skin slowly turned sallow green, her admirable eyes formed into crimson slits and her shining hair disappeared to be replaced with snakes forming her new headdress.
And her soul, once kind and well-natured, was crashed brutally and refilled with pure evil and unholy magic powers.

For the curse was the creation of the forbidden arts, Drazzilb had to pay a high price when his work was completed. As soon as he realized that the curse succeeded though, he collapsed to the floor with a smile, knowing that no one else would ever be able to love and admire the rose he figuratively turned into a venomous mushroom. He took his last breath in melancholic satisfaction before death reached him.

When silence ruled again over the battlefield turned altar, the witnesses returned to the deserted place, the battle being fought and over. Noticing the couple laying on the ground motionlessly, their closest relatives and friends approached them instantly to help them.
But as soon as they reached Medusa, the curse took over as she suddenly went berserk and attacked the people she once acknowledged as friends and family members.
Those who met her eyes were turned immediately into stone while others were poisoned by the venom she spit out.
When no one was alive anymore, she left the place and fleed to a place unknown to anyone but herself.

Ciburo, however, was the only person surviving the massacre. When he regained his conscience, he managed to feel what terrible events must have happened despite his new plight.

He began to search for his love, but decades passed and he was never able to find her again.
Only when he gained a great age, he gave up his search, went to the lone outskirts of the place he called home and passed away lonely, his tomb known to no one but himself.

Thus, the story ended.
To this point, it was one of the saddest stories she had ever heard. An admirable couple that was at the edge to live happily together, only to be torn apart violently...

Aleeze paused for a moment, wondering if there was any truth in this story.
She knew for a fact that Medusa was real. The Order warriors managed to kill her after all.
But this was only a few months ago and as she reread the inscriptions, the young Meric noticed that the story was even older than the first Order War; it was a very old folk tale indeed.

But knowing that she didn't know a real answer, she shrugged off the topic for now and proceeded with the next tale; an alternative version of Medusa's story.

The main plot was almost the same. A beautiful woman in the middle of countless admirers and a mischievous soul that places a curse onto her.
This time, it was Chaonos, the Inamortian God of chaos , who fell in love with her.
But as a god, he wasn't allowed to interact freely with humans in the realms of Inamorta, unless he transformed into a human with limited powers. But no matter what he attempted, he was not able to win her heart.

... Thus he placed a terrible curse onto her. Medusa's kind heart rotted. Her beauty, being worth a god's admiration, vanished and was replaced with a remorseless snake monster whose look could turn anyone into stone who dared even the slightest glance towards her. As for the God of Chaos, he was doomed by his fellow gods to stay a human with all downsides, including sadness, pain and at the end of his life, death.
As soon as...

"Miss Farrose..." a female voice carefully joined as she was still reading without giving much attention to her environment.

"Aleeze Farrose!" the voice called out louder this time.

It was now that Aleeze realized that someone was talking to her. She looked up in surprise, noticing that said person was an old Meric she knew all too well. The elderly woman standing in front of her was the Meric leader after all.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." she hastily apologized while instantly straightening up in front of the old woman.

"I figured out that much." the old Meric stated, a slight hint of blithesomeness in her voice for she was amused by the apprentice's behaviour.

She then shifted her look to the lecture Aleeze was reading earlier, grasping the title and a few words of the lecture Aleeze was just reading.

"Northern folk tales?" Mellinna inquired curiously as the novice nodded in approval.

"Interesting." she mused aloud.
"I haven't seen you with one of those books before."

Before Mellinna's granddaughter could reply however, she beat her to it.

"But it's good to see that you not only read medical lectures for work." the old Meric said for good measure.

"Well, actually I didn't have any other medical books to read, so this one was the only one left." Aleeze corrected sheepishly while obliviously rubbing her right arm.

In return, Mellinna didn't know what to say about her granddaughter's bookworm complex. It wasn't wrong in her opinion if someone was interested in lectures of any kind. They all had their hobbies in those difficult days after all. But Aleeze's obsession with books was everything but healthy for she apparently devoured them like daily meals.
Although she was learnt in the purifying magic arts, Mellinna had to wonder what sorcery allowed her granddaughter to finish dozens of books in about two weeks.

"Always reading hard lectures or practicing..." she remarked while shaking her head amusingly.
"Please promise me that you won't work that hard in the future! I must say it's impressive, but also damaging your condition when you do not hold the limits."

Not gaining an immediate reply from her grandchild, Mellinna asked further.
"Understood, my dear?"

"Yes, grandma." Aleeze stated lazily, her reluctant manner clearly hearable.

Thus, Mellinna could conclude that her attempt to soften her grandchild's obsession was futile for the time being.
"Maybe she needs to face the consequences first to wake up...?!" the Meric leader mused inwardly before changing the topic.

"So, what tale are you exactly reading?" the old woman inquired curiously.

"I'm currently reading Medusa's tales." Aleeze explained her simply.

Mellinna had to smile when her granddaughter mentioned said story. She knew this folk tale of Medusa, Ciburo and Drazzilb all too well for her own daughter, Aleeze's mother, loved to hear this story in her childhood although it was usually saddening the listeners.

"Ah, a beautiful story indeed." Mellinna stated absently, unwillingly getting reminded of earlier days.

Aleeze on the other hand was confused. Did her grandmother really say that the tales of Medusa were beautiful? The young Meric assumed that her grandmother might have confounded it with another story. The knowing answer of Mellinna however denied her theory.

"Uhm, excuse me?" the Meric apprentice attempted to ask, only to gain the Meric leader's knowing smile.

"I know it's weird to consider this story beautiful... I'll explain later." Mellinnna reassured before her mien tensed slightly.
"Anyway, I'm actually here to ask you for a favor."

"A favor?" Aleeze inquired, not knowing, but having a bad feeling about the reason her grandmother visited her.

"Yes. I guess you are aware of the recent events including Lieutenant Axcer's son?"

Aleeze needed a lot of force to resist her urge to gulp. The bad feeling now confirmed, she fought back the worries invading her head and nodded.
"I...I am." the younger Meric uttered in discomfort.

"And if the information of Lt. Axcer was right, you were the one taking care of his son?!" Mellinna proceeded.

At this point, Aleeze thought to know where this was heading. She was partly involved in the last weird incident about Liam after all, so why shouldn't someone blame her, as well?
While steeling herself for the upcoming scolding, she tried to save as much trouble as possible.

"I know I made a mistake." she admitted meekly while avoiding the expectant glare forming on Mellinna's mien.
"And I really regret what I was doing. But everything was just..."

"Will you stop apologizing now?!" Aleeze's grandmother interrupted her with a firm voice.
"There's no need to ask forgiveness for helping out someone who was injured."

"Bu...But I failed healing him completely." Aleeze responded in slight disbelief.

She had the firm belief that Mellinna's intention was to scold the young Meric about her incompetence to heal wounds properly. But now that this belief was crushed in an instant, she couldn't make head or tail of the situation.

"And now he has this stupid bite mark on his arm." she then added meekly as she strove to keep her point.

"Aleeze, listen!" Mellinna told her granddaughter serenely while sitting down next to her.

The Meric leader then motioned her to sit down, as well. Obeying a moment later, the old Meric continued.
"You're still a novice. Your skills aren't comparable to those of the experienced healers yet. And secondly, we all do mistakes. Just that you know, there's no chance that your misake's outcome would be lethal for the occupant."

Aleeze sank into thoughts as she considered Mellinna's words, concluding that her grandmother was right... maybe.
At this moment, said Meric noticed her granddaughter's musing and snickered quietly.

"Did you really think I would condemn you because of such a voidness, silly?" she stated sarcastically, indicating Aleeze's illo