Here's another chapter for you readers out there, as always be sure to read and drop a review if you can.
Chapter 34 Is this trip turning out to be a big let down?
Later on that day we made back to camp while Kat and Tryston let the loggers know of the position to the missing lumber shipment was. Caitlin was reading by the fire, while Ms. Verona was readying tonight's dinner, since it was most likely that we were going to be leaving tomorrow.
About an hour later I was hanging out in the distance away from the main fire standing next to a large tree. For some reason I was having trouble moving my left arm, as the armor that met from my shoulder to the left part of my chest kept getting strained. So I lifted the part of my cloak that covered it to see what's up with it only for my eye's to widen in shock at what I saw.
That god dame bear left me a parting gift alright; it must have struck me near that area without me ever noticing it, since there were now three large gaping holes of bent plate metal. I tried my very hardest with a small dagger to try and fix it to no avail.
Meanwhile the usual suspects were gathering by the fire to warm themselves up as well to prepare to have dinner. All of them were wondering where Nate has gone off to, only for all of them to noticed that he was off in the distance by himself standing next to a tree with his back turned to them.
Katherine let out a huge sigh, "why does he always want to be by himself I thought we were thru with this sort of thing with him." As all of the party looked towards Nate's direction. Caitlin was the first to speak up, "do not worry everyone, I shall go and fetch him so he can join us for dinner."
Nate on the other hand was trying very hard to get his armor in check, when he didn't even notice the footsteps from behind him of crushing snow. He felt a small gauntlet hand touch him near is neck, that made him feel a tingle of cold that caused him to flinch his neck and jump up a bit.
He turned around slightly to see Caitlin smiling to him," oh hey Caitlin what do you need?"" Nate supper is ready and everyone was wondering why you are here by yourself?"" Oh its nothing really, I'll be along shortly, so you don't have to wait up on me ok."
Caitlin was now getting a bit curious as to what Nate was doing and possibly hiding something from her. "What are you doing Nate?" She tried to get him to turn around, but he was just brushing her off. So as a last ditch effort she quickly gets the up hand on him by out maneuver him to face him.
Caitlin's face was in shock when she saw a small dagger in Nate's hand as if he was about to stab himself. "What are doing Nate!?" "Look Caitlin it's not what you think." She then lifts Nate's cloak to the area of where he was about stab himself with the dagger. Her eyes are now as wide as it can be as she proclaimed to him that he was in fact injured.
Without any hesitation she grabs Nate's right wrist to drag him back to Priestess Verona, so that she will examine and heal him if need be. Nate on the other hand was trying to get Caitlin to calm down, to let her know that he was ok, but Caitlin was having none of that.
Caitlin and Nate were coming into view of the rest of the party as Kat interjected." Hey Nate glad to see that you can join us for dinner." Caitlin excitedly says," Priestess Verona you must give Nate a complete examination at once!"" Oh how so Caitlin?"
"Because I found this dagger that Nate had with him as he was about to stab himself with it." Kat then had an amused look on her face, "oh Caitlin I'm sure Nate was only playing with you he would never take a dagger to himself."
She then showed the area that was exposed of Nate's armor with deep gash cuts that showed dried blood. Everyone's amused looks went away in a flash as both Ms. Verona and Kat got up to look at Nate's damaged armor.
"Look I'm not injured at all ok, I'm pretty dame sure this blood came from the bear."" It just that this armor feels very restricted on my left arm." Kat just cut him off then and there," Nate why didn't you say anything about this before!?"
Before Nate could give a response Kat grabbed him into a cradle position as Priestess Verona urgently led the three of them to the aid station." Kat put me down; I'm not child ok I assure you I'm not injured." Kat just ignored him as she looked at him with sternness in her eyes, letting Nate know to just shut up.
Thirty minutes later after Priestess Verona examines Nate thoroughly finding not injuries, Nate starts to redress himself and tried to put his armor back on while Kat just scolds at him very loudly.
"Nate how can you keep something this serious away from me like that!?"" Look Kat, I didn't think it was a big deal ok."" A big deal, a big deal, you have a gaping large hole in your armor!"" For all I know you could have some major internal injuries!"
"From now on you report to me everything, not matter how insignificant it might me."" What you can't be that serious?"" Nate don't play this off like it's some kind of joke ok, because I'm not laughing!"" You know what your major problem is Nate, you don't listen!"" I told you to stay together and didn't, I told you to not to rely too much on your light and mana and didn't."" From now on I'm going to have a tight leash on you from here on out is that understood!?"
I continue to look at a now cherry red face Kat. Boy was she pissed, I never seen her so angry before, not counting the last time. I didn't really know how to respond to her. I guess I really screwed up this time.
So I bowed my head down in shame and said, "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you Katherine."" I kept my head down and continued, "I'll just go now."
Kat with sternness in her voice, "not before you finished your supper, now go and I'll be there to check on you in a little bit." Nate quietly exited back to the campfire keeping his gaze down.
Kat sighed to herself while touching the bridge of her nose with two fingers as she sat down on a chair inside the makeshift aid station. Though priestess Verona was in the same makeshift aid station minding her own business tending to the inventory of her potion count, she couldn't help but feel for Nate.
It is never a position of another Priest or Paladin to get in the way of another's instructor in their teachings of a student; however she felt she had to intervene somehow. Priestess Verona continued to work silently, but started to talk to Katherine.
"You know Katherine; you are letting your anger get the best of you." Kat who sat there kind of felt that she didn't really want to hear lecture from her long time friend, yet she still wanted to hear what Priestess Verona had to say about it.
"Well how do you think I should have handled it then?" Priestess Verona stops what she is doing and casually walks over to sit next to Katherine. "You may not think that he listens to you, but he does."" He often thought that your methods were rather harsh on him, yet in a way he has grown rather to admire the way you teach him."" I only know of this, because he has often told me of it."
"The fear of feeling that he has let you down in some way, does weigh heavily upon him."" You have to remember what Lady Proudmoore has said of him before."" The big fear of feeling that he will not be able to live up your expectations."" Remember Katherine he is still learning, you just got to show him a little compassion every once in awhile."
"I know you care for him deeply, in that you don't want to see any harm come to him, but just let him know of that caring and compassion does reside in his instructor." Kat started to straighten herself up, with the new found wisdom that Priestess Verona shared with her.
"You know you are right Priestess; I kind of did blow my top off with him."" I'll go right now and set things right with him, just let me take a spare blanket with me."
Much later by the fire as night was setting in, Nate sat there with his shoulders slumped over as in defeat. He had a rather sadden gaze looking at the fire before him as it cracked and started to die down a bit.
The bowl of soup in his gauntlet hand has grown cold, as he really didn't feel like eating. Caitlin and Tryston who are long gone by now, knew that Nate was in some kind of pain. From his demeanor they wanted to comfort him, yet Nate just wanted to be left alone. Tryston got his drift from the get go, while Caitlin wanted to just try. Yet Tryston did show her enough sense to let her know that Nate really wanted to be left alone.
Even though he kept his focus on the dying fire before him, he knew someone was coming from behind him. Judging from the heavy footsteps in the snow it could only be Kat coming to scold at him some more for letting his soup get cold.
Yet he felt something rather different, even thought he kept his gaze at the fire. He sort of jump up a bit, as Kat came from behind him placing and folding a blanket around him," it's cold out here Nate and I don't want you to catch a fever." Kat said softly to him.
She looks at the bowl in his hand and touches the same bowl. Sigh," Nate you let your soup get cold on you. ""Here, I'll get it warmed up for you."
Kat took the seat right next Nate as she placed more wood into the fire to get it bright and burning warm again. Silence then fell upon them for a good five minutes. Kat knew she had to set things right with Nate as he did with her when she was sadden in despair a few months ago.
"Nate I'm sorry that I snapped at you like that."" I didn't mean to blow my stack like that ok."" It's just that I deeply care for you; I know that your heart will go to Caitlin." "Yet I care deeply for you as if you were my own flesh and blood."
Nate plainly said," So you want to be my mom now."" No, I mean….I think of you as a little brother to me. ""It was very gut wrenching to me the day you fell off the tree and injured yourself greatly."" I felt that same fear when I saw you armor like that and in a way I kind of became a bit more overbearing like a mother."
"I pledge to you that I will never do that again."" I still want to be a good teacher and a friend to you." "You are not a disappointment to me ok Nate, if anything you have exceed my expectations."
"So you are saying that I'm not a complete failure then?"" Of course your not a failure Nate, the way have shown how to control the light within you has improved greatly."" You just need more practice and training that is all."
Nate's shoulders started to straighten up as he sat up straight." Thank you Katherine." Kat then placed her left hand on Nate's shoulder," No Thank you Nate."" Ah I see your soup is ready here you go."
She handed him to grab with his left hand, but because of the damage to his armor it kept restricting his arm movement.
Kat notices this as well as she puts the bowl of soup down by the fire. "Nate let me look at your armor ok." Upon expecting it Kat lets out a huge sigh." I'm not going to lie to you Nate, but your armor has received massive damage."" You are probably better off getting a new set, then trying to repair it."" Hold on Nate and be still there is something stuck in here."
Kat pulls out her dagger and carefully tries to pry something out of his armor. When she pulls out the foreign object, Nate is ecstatic since whatever caused it, now his armor was now functioning right.
Kat looks at the object carefully, but starts to smile. "Here you go Nate a souvenir from the bear", as she hands it to him. "What is it?"" It's a bear claw."
Nate didn't seem to be too happy about since he heard of Kat's assessment about his armor. Kat picks up on this too and ask him what is wrong.
"Nate what the matter this time?" "It's just what you said about my armor; there is no way that I can afford buying a new set of armor."" Huh what do mean you can't afford it?" "What happen to all the money you earned from your drinking escapades and side jobs that you did?"
"Well most of that money went into other ventures that I can't explain to you."" Oh you mean all those gifts that you bought for everyone on winter veil."
"Hey wait a minute you know perfectly well that I didn't do it". Kat then turned to face Nate eye to eye. "Nate you're not fooling anyone here ok, we all know that it was you all along."" The only thing that was bugging Lord Grayson is, how you manage to sneak into to his locked office."
"Which is another thing he wanted me to ask you Nate if ever the conversation came up, you didn't use a portal did you?"" Portal?, uh what's a portal?" "Ok judging from you confusion, it's safe to say that you don't know what that is, that's good to know."
"I'm still going to warn you though don't ever mess with a portal, that's reserve only for people studying the arcane arts."" Oh you mean like witchy woman Proudmoore."" Uh yeah Nate." "Anyway it's getting late so hurry up and finishing eating ok and get some shut eye."
I took the bear claw that Kat gave me and tucked in my side pocket, while I sat here and ate my soup with a watchful eye from Kat. I did my best to hurry since I could see Kat getting a bit of the shivers from the cold out here. The only thing that really lingers on my mind at the time till I went to sleep, was how the hell am I going to pay for a new set of armor.