12. Tasca and Claudus

time passes by.

as day and night changed so was cripple, aside stopping for a meal or relieving himself, he keep sitting in lotus position, it couldn't be called lotus position as his right leg was missing from his knee to toe, yet he couldn't care less about it.

altough occasionally he frowned enduring the pain, he persists as his body gradually began to adapt.

just one day after he had awoken he started to get some idea of how his mana vessel had gotten into.

it was shattered indeed, he couldn't store any mana within his vessel current condition. everytime he finished refining the mana, when it finally reached the vessel, it would dispersed inexplicably.

he had some thought about how to continue being magician in the future, it was all only conjecture from now, but he tried his theory anyway albeit very slowly.

magicians could only use mana after they refined and stored it inside their vessel, cripple didn't know about the reason but he felt it was because of 'acclimatization' or so to speak off.

mana was foreign matter, it was like how people could received blood transfusion, the newly transfused blood need times to slowly adapted to its new body and vice versa.

cripple thought it could be the same in principle, so he theorized the body as reservoir, it gather water, filters it, then distribute it.

so, how does he use the said reservoir if the reservoir had broken? why not discard it altogether then? he feels that he could just transform his body's mana system from 'reservoir' to 'water pump'.

he would gather, filter, and use the water directly without having them stored first.

the benefits of this would make him had almost infinte amounts of mana as his current mana reserves had become the surrounding nature itself.

yet the downside of this were also not few, his mana reserves depends on the quantity and quality of mana in his current environment.

cripple also realized that the mana in various area were also different, be it in quantity or quality, some were high and the other were low.

and he also needs to keep rotating his mana while simultaneously casting some spells, this would reduced his reaction time considerably, and lastly, could his body bear such burden?

cripple knew that his current body somehow brought the serums effects from his past life, but he also knew that he couldn't fully utilizes them at his current body condition.

alas, the most major concerns was that the mana channels inside the body had only one way function, be it absorbing or discharging, the channels couldn't utilize both functions simultaneously.

these all had becomes few major issues he must solved. he must connect the input and output channels inside the vessel directly without having the mana dispersed in now shattered vessel, it was much easier said than done.

nonetheless, be as slow as it get he could feels every debris of said vessel, and gain epiphany from it.

it was actually thanks to the nine revolutions mana absorption technique he got to read, last night cripple realized it more deeply, for each revolution he had undergone, the mana was much more tamed and easier to control as well as becoming much purer.

so he thought that 9 revolutions wasn't the limit apparently, his task for now was to tread about it slowly in uncharted teritory, meticulously modify the said technique.

cripple was 70-80% sure that the key for his 'mana pump' theory lies within the mana revolutions.

the sun finally set for today, the doctor just went back after delivering his proud gruel and medicine, the doctor didn't gave pocket any medicine for now as he said it wasn't necessary anymore.

cripple afirmed it, as he too knew pocket's condition clearly, he had anticipated looks on his eye waiting for his dear friend to wake up.

while waiting, he began to scrutinized his theory once more. as he absorbed in his own thought, suddenly there was a small movement from pocket's bed!

uunng*...

hearing the weak moan coming out from pocket's, cripple quickly hopping toward her, soon he reached pocket whom blinked her eyes groggily, her face occasionally frowned feeling the pain.

"...pocket..." with comforting smile cripple stroke her hair gently.

newly awoken pocket tried to see who was coming, yet as their eyes meet each other, pocket keep blank face with little confussion on it.

"pocket?..." cripple frowned slightly.

"thirs....thirsty, pleashe..." she asked in weak voice, cripple quickly reached the water vat beside the bed, he pour the water into the cup, then slowly he helped pocket to sit, soon he brought the cup closer toward pocket mouth

gulp* gulp* gulp*...

pocket asked for another 3 cups of water before she feels satisfied. she fell silent while keeping her eyes on cripple.

"pocket? what's wrong? this is me, cripple.." cripple starts to broke in cold sweat now, could it be pocket memories got compromised?

for a while pocket keeps tilting her head, her action made cripple grew even more nervous.

"pocket? are you alright? is there som..."

"who are you? where am i? who am i?" her weak voiced sounds like coming straight from nightmare, just like thunder in clear blue skies! cripple couldn't believed it! she lost her memories?

cripple as fast as lightning reach the door then he shouted, "DOCTOR! DOCTOR! COME HE..."

yet before he even finished, from his peripheral he saw pocket turned her head away while her shoulders shudders, sounds of giggling soon follows,

"haha cough*, hahaha....cough* cough*." she couldn't contained it anymore as she saw how panicked her dear buddy's had become.

holding the door frame, cripple rooted on the spot with dumbfounded look, in an instant he hopped back toward the laughing pocket, she was laughing so much holding her own stomach.

"hahaha...cough*, cough* haha...i'm sorry, hahaha, sorry brother...but your looks was really cough* cough*..."

wiping her tears, she was now stunned as she saw cripple was already standing on her bedside, his face was so black that calling it bottom of pot won't be an exaggeration.

recalling his forehead flicks, pocket held her own with both of her hands, she called meekly, "...um, umm brother?"

yet what follows wasn't how she expected! it wasn't flick but cripple directly embraced her head pulling her toward his chest, he put his chin on top of her head, while holding back not to shed any tears.

he was so grateful and relieved as if mountains were being lifted up from his shoulder seeing pocket was fine. heck, she even pulled a joke to him when she just waking up.

blushing slightly from his warm embrace, she also couldn't help but sobbing slightly,

'...thank god, thank god i could still stay with him....' she thought.

after a while the doctor whom cripple just called went inside to check what happened,

"uhum, cough*..." he was stunned first but he cleared his throat to reminds the two kids from their reunion.

finally both of them let go of each other reluctantly, cripple had warm smile plastered all over his face while pocket smile was shone brightly akin to sunrise.

the doctor went to check pocket's body condition using his stethoscope, after checking her pulse he nodded with a smile.

"well, you are as fit as tiger now, no need to worry for now, you should just rest well and eat well..."

"thank you doctor..." said pocket, she was still felt feeble. yet she was still smiling.

seeing pocket kept looking back at him, cripple asked, "what is it pocket? it's okay just say it if there's something."

"umm, umm...doctor? about the fee..." her voice trailed off weakly.

the doctor smiled, he replied, "ah? don't worry, you should ask about it to your brother..." then he paused slightly before continue, "...hmm, thats right, i already knew why both of you had your current name..."

pocket tilted her head in confusion.

"uhm, what i mean is, those name are not appropriate right? so, did you thought about how you guys would be called in future? personally i don't feel right to call you cripple or pocket.."

pocket didn't answered she keep her eyes toward her buddy, seemingly full of anticipation.

with a sigh cripple replied, "i don't think about it doctor, beside it was just a name right?"

the doctor and pocket were stunned, soon pocket harrumphed while turning her head away clearly disatisfied.

"what are talking about brother? these are not name, it was such humilliation you know? don't you think so?"

"what can i say, i got to know about 'cripple' from you right? and i got to called you 'pocket', its quite meaningful to me and for me it wasn't really big deal..."

"hmpff, stinky brother." altough she said that she was clearly touched.

"but the doctor was also right, how about this, from now on you're called tasca, and me claudus..." he said it lightly.

the doctor nodded in approval, "tasca and claudus, well even though i don't know what it means at least i don't have to call you guys 'cripple' or 'pocket' in future."

pocket now tasca seemingly deep on her thought while mumbled, "tasca and claudus? umm, umm...sounds good." then she turned to look at cripple now claudus with ever brilliant smile.

"thank you brother!"

cripple only smile in reply.

"ah! that's right my name is moi, please call me doctor moi okay?" interjected the doctor named moi in awkward manner, it couldn't be helped. after all the trio were all busy with their own doing. so, the old doctor often forgot mentioning his name.

"nice to meet you doctor moi.." said tasca and claudus at the same time, all of them laugh in unison.

"then claudus, i will get the food while you could help to redressing tasca's wound, is that all right?" he said while waving his hand and leaving the room.

in a while, only tasca and claudus left inside the room, tasca was now feeling on the cloud, she got to stay with her dear buddy and having name now.

tasca had a name before she was called pocket. but, due to dreadful environments she was in, she already forgotten about it already. beside she resents her family to the bone.

while humming she saw claudus brought medic-kit, gauze, alcohol, and scissors.

"brother? what are those for?" asked tasca.

"i need to change your wound dressing, now hurry up and take off your clothes."

she was stunned, but soon her face turned red in an instant.

"wha..what are you trying to do? sure you're my dear brothed but, but..." she paused as cripple with one swift motion already taking off her white clothes, her body was bandaged all around.

"stop your nonsense and turn around, if the gauze don't get to change, it will turn bad to your body." claudus reprimands her as he prepare clean thick gauze for the dressing.

pouted slightly, tasca reluctantly turned her body around, with skillful motion claudus cutted the gauze that wrapped around her back, soon her scrawny back with aggrieving sutured wound appeared.

"it was ugly right? i don't want to show you my back brother, i must be ugly..." her voice were shaken holding back her grief and embarrassment.

tasca was always sensible child, she knew that she got slashed badly on her back, the fact that she were still alive mean that the wound were mended somehow.

claudus didn't replied, he finished his work in no time, the silents were excrutiating for tasca, she thought claudus think she has ugly back, and surely will resent her in future. she didn't want that.

as claudus finished, tasca still hasn't moved much, gathering her courage she gritted her teeth then she turned her body around in an attempt to confront claudus about her thought.

she didn't believed her eyes, as she turned her head, claudus took off his clothes, he wasn't thinking much about it as he also wanted to changed his own wound dressing, alas his act actually shook tasca to the core.

"bro...brother cripple? what happened to your back?" she stuttered so much as she mentioned claudus name back.

"hmm? ah! it wasn't much, i got it after you were unconscious, this is nothing realy, don't worry." he replied without thinking much.

but tasca was feeling conflicted, she was sad about her buddy's predicament yet she was also feeling glad as it happens their wound seems similar, gashing wound of slash.

doctor moi took two bowls of gruel inside, as he saw both of them keeping silence he also didn't think about it too much, he only gave some word of advice than he turned away to call the day's off, it was night already and he need to close the clinic.

tasca lean back slowly toward her pillow, it wasn't soft but it wasn't too hard either. either way it was enough for her, she also considered it as luxury.

tasca still hasn't regains her strength back, so claudus helped her by feeding the gruel slowly.

"cough* cough*..."

"eat slowly..." holding the wooden spoon claudus reminds her.

"cough*, haha...no, i just can't help it. the gruel taste was much worse than before...hahaha" she complained yet she was also feel happy.

claudus chuckled a little, "haha, that's right, the gruel is actually richer in content, yet the taste isn't, poor doctor."

tasca keep eating while claudus keep feeding.

"thats right pocket.."

"its tasca now!" interrupt her with harrump.

he stared at her with serious expression, unexpectedly he bowed to her! caught in awkward situation, tasca immediately tried to soothe him.

"you remembered when you stole the scroll back then?" he said.

"the scroll? ah! yeah yeah i know, i said before that if you become great magician in the future, you need to take care of me right?" she nodded after contemplating for a while.

"because of you, i can keep my life..." claudus bowed deeply this time fully in appreciation and gratitude.

tasca was so flabergasted, she flails her hands around in confusion.

seeing her confusing behavior, claudus began to narrate of what happened after he arrived at the clinic,

"it was like this...."

both of them immersed themselves in stories, the escape story that surely would become some tales for the bards to tell in time comes.

~~~