Elemental Cats

Just like the cats, Toz was still tired, despite sleeping for several days straight. After having learned some tips when cooking, Charlie didn't mind him going to sleep a little earlier.

Toz slept like a baby with the cats huddled up on his tors until a couple of hours before dawn. He was a lot more energetic than he had been during the previous evening, and after saying good morning to Din started preparing breakfast for the entire group.

He quickly made a pot of porridge, and after eating his portion, he left it next to the campfire. Din also ate some upon receiving Toz's acknowledgment that he made enough for everyone. He couldn't help but comment on how it was better than what Charlie usually made.

After breakfast, Toz woke up the cats and gathered a change of clothes. When Din asked him what he was doing, he answered,

"I'm going for a swim."

"In the river? At this time?"

Din sounded doubtful. Rightfully so. Toz, without considering his injuries, was taking a bath when the night was coldest, it was still dark, and in a river with invisible currents.

But Din was forced to acknowledge the truth when Toz walked away, leaving the cats behind next to the fire sleeping soundly. And soon after, he heard a soft splash, different from the coursing river natural sounds it made when hitting a bend or rocks.

The splashing sound was the noise Toz made as he walked into the river after undressing and removing the bandages. He was happy to see the wounds healing nicely. They were, after all, mostly scratches, even if they sometimes reached the bone. He had done his best to protect his face since his eyes and Lucy were there, so the wounds on his head weren't as bad and would soon heal completely.

Toz was even more thankful for the trio as they had done a good job cleaning his injuries, making sure there wouldn't be any horrible scars covering his face. Only vague lines would be seen when looking closely.

The wounds on his legs were worse and would probably leave more significant scars. Toz didn't mind too much since it was proof of his experience, but it miffed him a little that a bunch of weak rats had managed to injure him so severely.

After he was finished with inspecting his body, he started washing himself in the cold water, goosebumps covering him, clearing away old dried blood that came from both him and the rats. Although Amanda and Charlie had washed and dressed his wounds, they hadn't crossed any explicit boundaries since, despite Toz's state, there was nothing serious enough to necessitate that.

Soon enough, he started swimming along the riverbank, having gotten used to the cold, he didn't plan on getting up any time soon as he enjoyed his bath. He had thought this during his wash in the stream after they left the wasteland the first time as well.

'Baths are seriously underrated.'

It was even to the point he wondered if they should find a water element plane to go to next after they were done with their business with the rats. It wasn't just making a report to the guild or relevant authorities anymore, it was personal, and Toz was sure he wasn't the only one who wanted revenge.

Toz and his group hadn't provoked the rats in any way and only wanted to cross the wasteland. If the rats had just let them pass, they might not have reached that forest or discovered the reality of how bad the rats were for their surroundings. If the rats had just let them be, walking unknowingly, deeper into the endless wasteland, the group might just have died of thirst or something, and no one would be the wiser about the truth of the wasteland until it was too late.

With the attitudes of most explorers, they might have walked into the wasteland due to their adventurous spirit and gotten swallowed by the rats, which would have further delayed someone with the power to stop them from finding out about how the rats were destroying the plane.

But now, the rats had chased Toz and the cats back into safety, forming a deep grudge at the same time. The rats had tried to kill them, so they would naturally do their best to return the favor and try and eradicate the rats.

While his body had gotten cold from the chilling water, the fire in Toz's heart burned as strong as ever.

After finishing his swim and drying himself, Toz returned to camp and found Amanda and Charlie awake, happily eating porridge. They greeted Toz upon his return. They had heard from Din he was swimming so they weren't surprised to see his wet hair, but they were a little shocked to find his wounds healing so quickly.

After they had patched him up and the first time they cleaned and dressed his wounds they had mostly let him heal on his own since it didn't look like the bandages needed changing.

Although he was still visibly injured, it was nothing compared to the absolute mess he was just a few days before. When he was sleeping, they had also felt his mana stabilize at the second level, so they knew he didn't have a level advantage that helped his body heal faster.

The cats were also mostly healed, but as spirit beasts, that was much more understandable. Humans had their inclinations that gave them variety in their magic. Beasts had their physique. Spirit beasts had a slightly weaker body than most wild beasts, but it was still better than most humans. Different types of beings had different innate advantages in the competition for survival known as life.

And Toz was almost approaching a spirit beasts regeneration speed while still being human.

The trio didn't think much more of it other than it being slightly shocking, they settled for chalking it up to his inclination. They had seen his cats, so they already knew he had a beast type inclination, and it wasn't unusual for the humans with those to gain some traits from the bonded beasts. Someone bonded with a lot of large beasts might start growing taller. Someone with a lot of furry beasts might start getting hairier.

There were a lot of strange things happening to humans because of their inclinations. Healing a little faster was nothing special, just a little unexpected since it happened to someone with only cats. Although there were some notions and hierarchies in the beast world, they didn't matter that much when it came to assessing the qualities beasts transferred to their bonded humans.

Cats were mostly known for their agility, sharp claws, good senses, and slit pupils. None of those traits could be seen noticeably, so unless a mage was seen with cats, it wouldn't be obvious. But seeing a mage with cats would, in most cases, mean that the mage was agile and perceptive. Toz seemed to be an oddball with his rapid healing.

The trio might not know the complete truth behind things, but Toz did, and after noticing his rapid regeneration, he suspected Mindle. Although his thrice refined body also strengthened his physique a tiny bit, it wasn't enough to explain the wounds fading like fog in the morning sun.

Toz had noticed how Mindle healed quickly as long as she had mana, and during the first day of his short coma, Toz had indeed not healed that fast. But now that he was awake and actively absorbing mana he had started recovering much quicker. It was a pretty satisfying feeling, being able to heal at a noticeable pace.

It also had Toz daydreaming about a situation far in the future where both he and Mindle are a lot stronger and can regenerate limbs from mana. It was just a fanciful dream based on his understanding of how Mindle healed herself, but it made for a nice goal. Toz decided to share the vision with Mindle later, when they were in private, without the three other humans nearby.

Although the three cats weren't shy, Mindle was so far physically incapable of communicating with beings other than Toz, Nil, and Lucy. And while Nil and Lucy had interacted a little with Charlie, they were still busy restoring themselves to their prime, absorbing mana, and resting like crazy, they even skipped breakfast in order to sleep in and further recover from their injuries.

When the four humans started walking, they even opted to enter Toz's familiar space to continue with their recovery. Mindle would have liked to spend some more time with Toz, but she felt slightly out of place with the other three humans she couldn't communicate with there, so she also entered the familiar space.

Amanda, Din, and Charlie had gotten an explanation from Toz who had personally witnessed the severity of the rats, and none of them wanted to waste time, so they got moving as soon as breakfast was finished.