"Why don't you go find a bathhouse while I patch Roran up," said Nul.
"You sure?"
"Yes, look at his hands. He needs healing salve and a couple days to rest."
"What do you think?" Kell asked, looking at Roran.
Exhausted and out of breath, Roran only nodded and waved Kell off.
"Alright, if you're sure. I'm probably going to find some company along the way then, don't wait up for me. And Roran, I'll expect to see you everyday until the event."
Nul waved Kell off and she headed out, her spear bouncing on her shoulder as she left the training arena.
"You okay?" asked Nul.
Roran nodded again.
"Let me see your hands."
Roran held up his bloody and blistered palms for Nul to examine.
"It's not too bad. You lost a lot of surface skin but it should heal with some salve and a little time. Come on, I brought some with us."
Nul sat Roran down and produced a skin of water and a small jar of salve. They poured water over Roran's hands, causing him to hiss in pain. Then they scooped out a dollop of healing salve and plopped it into Roran's hands.
"Go ahead and rub it around, make sure you get it anywhere you're missing skin."
Pushing through the pain, Roran smeared the salve between his palms and all over his hands. The salve burned at first but then began tingling as it numbed the pain.
"Better?"
"Yeah," said Roran, his voice hoarse after all of the exertion.
"Good, let's get them wrapped up."
Sitting across from Roran, Nul produced some bandages and carefully started binding Roran's hands. They moved slowly to avoid hurting him and took the time to wrap each individual finger so he still had full mobility.
"Thank you," said Roran.
"Don't thank me yet. It will take a couple days to heal and Kell is going to keep pushing you."
"I know, but thank you for being kind. You've done a lot for me, showing me around, explaining things to me, helping with my injuries. You're a kind person."
"It's a transactional relationship. We take care of you and you help us reach our goals."
"You mean Kell's goal," said Roran.
Nul blinked at him.
"You don't really care about killing the Kings, do you?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You don't hate the arena, not like Kell."
"What do you mean?" said Nul, "Kell loves fighting."
"She loves fighting but she hates the arena. She doesn't like the audience or the other champions or the people making us fight in the first place. Kell may love fighting but she hates the arena."
Nul scowled at Roran for a moment before saying, "You do realize this is why she chose you, right? You're too observant for your own good."
Roran smiled. "My mom used to say the same thing. So what is your goal, to support Kell? You clearly care about her a lot."
Nul nodded. "To support Kell and to keep her alive. I also want to see the Kings fall, but I'm not as motivated as Kell is. I just don't like seeing people suffer the way they do in the arena."
YOU ARE READING
Kings Game
Adventure[Updates Daily] THE FINALE BEGINS!!! After losing friends and family, fighting in two wars, and suffering through more than they could possibly imagine, Roran and his comrades set their sights on the Kings. Every obstacle has been cleared from their...
