The dragon's harem

125 Recovering from the Hit

Aella opened Jackʼs bag and took the healing potion from it, downing it in a single go. The wounds on her legs slowly started to close, and she began to feel famished. She didnʼt even have the strength to stand, so she crawled toward Arad.

Arad rested just a few steps in the exit hole, where he collapsed, unconscious with countless holes in his body.

Aella canʼt see how much health he has, or even if heʼs breathing, but the shocking about of holes across his chest and torso made it clear he was dying. She gathered all of her strength to crawl to his head, cutting her wrist with a knife to bleed in his mouth.

Thud! After just a moment, Aella fell unconscious due to blood loss. She lost a lot when wounded, was famished due to healing now she lost even more blood.

As the blood trailed down Aradʼs throat, his consciousness began to return, slowly growing inside his head. He opened the gates to his stomach in a natural reaction, absorbing the blood of the cultists he stored.

The wounds on Aradʼs torso quickly closed, and his eyes opened up, seeing Aella unconscious beside him, bleeding from her wrist.

”Aella!” He shifted back to his humanoid form and clenched his fist around her wrist, ”What happened?” As soon as he asked, he remembered.

The moment the hole opened and Aella fell, Arad jumped after her and transformed mid-air. He fell head-first after her and reached her quickly since he was heavier.

Sadly, Aradʼs draconic body was too heavy to hold to the walls, and catching Aella with his claws could end up with his cutting her bowl open. He didnʼt have time to think. The best he managed to do was lay below her and take the hit.

Arad fell faster than Aella. He ran on the walls, surpassing and then getting below her. When they hit the ground, The spikes that penetrated Aradʼs abdomen still hit Aella since he had a thin waist like a dog.

”Aella!” Arad shouted again, shaking her, but she was unresponsive.

”SEARCH MY POUCH!” Jack shouted from the hole.

Arad looked around, seeing Jackʼs bloodied pouch to the side, and from it, he pulled a few healing potions. He then quickly lifted Aellaʼs head and poured them into her mouth. The wound on Aellaʼs wrist healed, but she looked pale and her skin dry. Something is off.

”SHE IS FINE IF SHE ISNʼT BLEEDING!” Jack shouted in the hole, ”Let her rest and come help me. If you can,” He said calmly.

Arad put Aella on the ground and stood, approaching the hole. ”Where are you?” Arad looked at the spikes, but there was no Jack.

”Up here!” Jack called him, and Arad looked up to see him hanging from the wall.

Arad transformed into his draconic form and carefully walked over the spikes, ”Jump on my back. Can you do it?” Arad asked.

”Yeah! Thanks,” Jack let go of his dagger, falling down toward Arad. Thud! He landed on Aradʼs back and immediately jumped toward the exit hole like a bouncing ball. THUD! Jack rolled in the exit hole and rested on his back, growling in pain as he hit his dislocated shoulder.

Arad walked back into the exit hole, ”How is Aella?” He asked.

Jack looked at Aellaʼs face, ”She needs food,” He said, waving his hand at Arad. ”Come here, pull my shoulder off.”

”What?” Arad approached him with a puzzled face.

”Itʼs painful. I canʼt do it on my own,” Jack said, ”Grab me by the wrist, pull my arm toward you for a moment, and then let it pop back in place.”

Arad looked at Jack, ”Are you sure?”

Jack shook his head, ”No, Itʼs painful, and I donʼt want you to do it. But someone gotta do it,”

”Just use a potion,” Arad said.

”We canʼt afford to waste potions on a dislocated shoulder,” Jack said, glaring at his hand, ”Potions should only be used when youʼre bleeding since wounds canʼt be closed quickly.”

Arad grabbed Jackʼs wrist, ”You asked for it,”

Jack clenched his teeth. CRACK! ”AHHHHHHH! DAMN, IT!” He growled when Arad popped his shoulder back in place, ”Iʼm going to skin that bastard!” Jack sighed.

”Are you okay?” Arad asked.

”Yeah,” Jack nodded with a sweat-filled face, ”Letʼs get Aella some water first,”

Arad nodded, pulling a water jug from his stomach and pouring it into Aellaʼs mouth. ”Drink,”

”Donʼt give her too much,” Jack said, grabbing Aradʼs hand, ”Give me that,” He took the jug from Aradʼs hand and poured water into an empty potion bottle. It was the one Aella drank to heal her legs.

”What are you doing?” Arad asked.

Jack smiled, going through his pouch, ”This is the food of the gods. It will get her up and running,” He showed Arad a small jar of honey.

”Honey?” Arad looked at him with a puzzled face.

Jack smiled, poured some of the honey into the potion bottle, and then started shaking it, ”Hehe! It might not sate her hunger, but it should give her enough energy to be able to wake up and eat on her own,”

”Would it really help?” Arad asked as Jack was about to pour the bottle into Aellaʼs mouth.

”Elves only eat plants. They are herbivorous.” Jack smiled, ”She would be disgusted as hell, but we donʼt have the leisure of going around looking for nectar,” Jack poured it into Aellaʼs mouth.

”You donʼt have nectar stored?” Arad looked at Jack with a smile, ”I thought you would have anything,”

”Nectar spoils easily. Honey doesnʼt.” Jack replied with a smile, ”Look, elves are strong, and sheʼs waking up,”

Aella opened her eyes, her head spinning and her stomach twisting, ”Donʼt throw up!” Jack yelled at her. Arad patted her shoulder, ”Keep it in! Just this time,”

Aella barely held herself, glaring at them with tearing eyes, ”What was that?” She growled.

”Healing famish, we had to have you drink honey,” Jack said with a smile, ”Sweet, isnʼt it?”

”I still feel like throwing up,” Aella growled.

”It worked,” Jack said, looking at Arad, ”We arenʼt going anywhere without a meal. We stored food in your stomach, didnʼt we?”

”Yeah,” Arad nodded, pulling the rations Jack gave him. ”You should drink a potion,” Arad said, seeing Jack barely able to use his left arm.

Jack stared back at Arad for a moment, ”Yeah, but I wonʼt down a whole bottle,” He pulled a healing potion from his pouch and only sipped a bit to soothe the pain.

As they ate, the party calmed down. ”Those kobolds, I bet they are still alert up there,” Jack growled.

Aella looked at Arad and then kept eating. ”I was thinking of having them work for me, but now I might end up eating them,” Arad said.

Jack nodded, ”I understand how you feel,” Jack looked at Arad and Aella, ”But imagine those traps all around your lair.”

”I donʼt know,” Arad looked at the spikes, ”I canʼt decide just yet,”

”For me, I would only kill the bastard who dropped me down,” Jack said, ”I bet heʼs going to make a nice bag,”

”AH!” Aella pushed the food down with water and sighed, staring at Arad, ”Itʼs my fault. I should have been more careful,”

”Neither Jack nor I noticed the trap, I would say you were unlucky, and thatʼs it,” Arad replied, ”Itʼs the koboldʼs fault after all,”

Aella looked at Arad and Jack, ”How could we get out of here?” She looked around. The pitfall wasnʼt climbable without risk, and the exit stones block the exit.

”I will dig a way out,” Arad said, ”I wonʼt leave my draconic form,” He said.

”But why?” Jack looked at him, ”Itʼs much easier to navigate the tiny crevices and tunnels in a humanoid body.

Arad shook his head, ”I might have been able to save Aella if I was in my draconic body from the start,” He said, ”I bet she would manage to grab my tail if I extended it to her quickly,”

Aella looked at Arad, ”I doubt I would do it,” She smiled, ”I wonʼt lie, I panicked when the pitfall opened below me,”

”Everyone would panic, even me,” Jack smiled.

[Everything that happened in the past. Focus on going forward,]

Arad looked at Jack and Aella, ”That doesnʼt matter now,” He smiled.

Jack and Aella looked at him, ”We can reflect on the past and then decided what we could have done better, then make decisions for the future,”

”Is that how it works?” Arad smiled, ”Then I will stay in my draconic form. We must keep moving forward until all the kobolds are defeated,” He said.

The kobolds are trap masters. Fighting them wonʼt be easy since they wonʼt even fight. Arad and his party have to navigate the cave, avoid all the traps, and reach their leader. Otherwise, they will die.

Jack stood, swinging his left arm to see if it still hurt, ”Iʼm good. How about you?” He looked at Aella.

”I can move,” she smiled, standing up, ”Iʼve been in much worse cases.”

”You wonʼt ask about me?” Arad smiled, cracking his neck.

”Youʼre the leader. Youʼre the one who should be asking about us,” Jack smiled, ”You would have survived even without Aellaʼs blood, wouldnʼt you?”

[He is right. Such hit wonʼt kill you.] Mom said.