Khan did his best to help Jenna and Piran, but he couldn't achieve much in his condition. He could only suppress his painful grunts as the two Nele carried him back to the intermediate floor and across the previous area.
Scenes of slaughter flowed through Khan's vision, but he wasn't in the right state to pay attention to them. He could only confirm that every Orlats had died.
Some members of the team stormed the place to seize as much loot as possible, but Khan, Jenna, Piran, and a few other Nele disregarded the process to hurry back to the district.
The streets around the club were packed with bystanders. The structure had hidden most of the noise and scenes, but its doors were open, so the dock's population had an idea of what happened.
Seeing Khan's poor state and the blood on his companions only confirmed the rumors. The Nele had launched a direct attack on the club, and many didn't know why.
Khan couldn't really study the area. He let the two Nele carry him as his consciousness blacked out every few seconds. He wanted to sleep, but the pain coming from his many injuries kept him awake.
Streets went by, and none of the bystanders approached the team during the walk. Some hurried in random directions to spread the news, but it was clear that only time would tell what repercussions the hunting season would have.
Khan couldn't help but smile when purple halos appeared in his vision. The team brought him inside the district and crossed any area witnessed before to lead him into a hangar that contained whiffs of natural mana.
That peculiar feature forced Khan to focus a bit, but the hangar didn't have the explanations he sought. He saw boxes and some furniture, but nothing that could justify the presence of natural mana.
The answers arrived when Jenna and Piran opened a trapdoor hidden behind some boxes. More natural mana flowed through the opening and entered the hangar, and descending the staircase revealed a series of green plants kept in small vases.
The place was a proper greenhouse. White lights stood above the various plants, and tubes that leaked water ran through each vase. The structure wasn't overly complicated, but it remained functional enough to keep that vegetation alive.
The Nele on the upper floor sealed the trapdoor while Khan studied the area. For some reason, he felt more awake and able to focus, but the natural mana wasn't to praise for that. The smell released by the plants was easing his mind and quelling his pain.
The center of the greenhouse was relatively empty since all the plants stood next to the walls. That spot only featured a long mat, and Jenna and Piran carefully dropped Khan on it.
A grunt inevitably escaped Khan's mouth when he tried to sit. He didn't want to lie down due to his injured back, but tensing up didn't help either. Luckily for him, Jenna was already at his side.
"[You must relax and let the plants do their work]," Jenna announced while pushing Khan down and exposing his back. "[A physician is also on her way. She'll get you back on your feet in no time]."
Khan nodded and closed his eyes when Jenna reached for his hair. Her careful touch expressed how worried she was about his condition, but he didn't have the power to reassure her. His mind slowly went dark as the plants' scent seeped through his nostrils, and the nightmare soon arrived.
A wet sensation snapped Khan out of the nightmare and awakened him. He instinctively tried to turn to see what was happening, but Jenna kept him down by pressing on his head.
"[This ointment will make you feel better]," Jenna reassured while proceeding to caress Khan's head. "[Focus on resting]."
Khan could only follow those orders, but his mind remained awake for a while, allowing him to go through some details. Jenna was next to him, so someone else was applying the ointment. Another Nele was freely touching him.
The physician didn't leave any burnt spots untouched. She went over Khan's feet, back, and hands before performing a massage that helped with the absorption of that substance.
Once the massage ended, the physician handed a fuming bowl to Jenna, who proceeded to spoon-feed Khan. The soup was dense, almost solid, and pretty hot, but Khan didn't get burnt while eating it. He even had the chance to experience the cozy warmth the meal spread inside him.
Jenna giggled from time to time. She was clearly enjoying herself, but some guilt always made her suppress her laugh. She liked taking care of Khan, but she didn't want him to get so hurt again.
The meal gave some strength back to Khan, but he decided to remain in his position. Still, scenes from the fight against the third-level warrior reappeared in his vision and gave him the chance to study them through a calmer mindset.
There was no way around it. The Orlats had been way above Khan's level. He had managed to survive for so long thanks to his sensitivity to mana, and the alien's dispersive element had also played a significant role in that part.
Khan's seemingly endless mana had been a critical element in the battle. He had managed to use the alien's experience against him, which had made the whole survival possible. After all, his martial arts had become terrible during the last exchanges.
‘Are my mana reserves really bottomless?' Khan wondered while lying on the mat. ‘That shouldn't be possible, right?'
The mana core wasn't much of a container. It mainly produced energy that Khan could use for different reasons. The fact that he had yet to see its limits stated that the creation of new mana happened incredibly fast.
‘Overcharging my spells is out of the question,' Khan thought as he began to look for ways to exploit that quality. ‘I'll become unable to control them if I'm not careful.'
Liiza's voice resounded in Khan's mind, and he mixed it with everything he had learnt about mana after Nitis. The chaos element strived for freedom in ways that Khan had yet to understand fully, and that prevented him from knowing how to canalize its power. He used his emotions to alter the human's approach, but that couldn't help him in the creation of spells.
‘Maybe I need to study more spells to get ideas,' Khan wondered, and multiple reasons backed that thought.
First of all, the battle against the third-level warrior had revealed some flaws in Khan's arsenal. The chaos spear took too long to prepare, and the Wave spell had no range. He lacked quick and effective attacks that could cover some ground while retaining his element's destructive power.
Moreover, getting new spells would add details to Khan's overall knowledge. Seeing how his approach would modify them might reveal something useful, eventually leading to the fusion of his various methods.
‘I wonder what's so secret about the Tors' arts,' Khan thought. ‘I also need to speak with the Fuveall. It would be nice to get close to their species.'
Countless possibilities unfolded as Khan thought about the dock. That environment could offer many priceless things, and he wanted to explore all of them. Time was a big problem, and his recent involvement with the hunting season joined that field.
Jenna never left Khan's side during his recovery. The two didn't speak much since Jenna wanted Khan to focus on resting, but her affection remained evident through her touch.
The physician returned a couple of times to reapply the ointment. Some Nele even delivered food three times a day for Jenna and Khan. He was being treated like a proper guest, but he didn't know how long that would last.
Khan recovered quickly in that peaceful and cozy environment. Soon, new skin replaced the burnt flesh and made most burns disappear. He could feel his condition improving every day until he eventually felt confident enough to change position.
"[You shouldn't get up so soon]," Jenna complained when Khan left her to straighten his back and finally sit on the mat.
"[How many days have I been down]?" Khan asked as he checked his condition.
His back and feet still featured red spots that would probably never vanish. Burns had an annoying way of leaving marks, and even the Nele's ointments couldn't fix them, but Khan didn't really care. He preferred those scars over the azure one on his chest.
His hair was another casualty of the battle. The flames had been merciless there. Khan couldn't find long strands even when he checked with his hand.
"[A week]," Jenna revealed while getting closer to place her hand on Khan's chest. "[You recovered quickly, but not completely. You are still tired]."
"[I can feel that]," Khan laughed as he stretched his neck. "[I guess that's expected after a fight against a third-level warrior]."
"[Why did you face him on your own]?" Jenna asked. "[You could have regrouped with us. We could have taken him down together]."
Khan could only wear a fake smile that Jenna didn't like at all. The hand on his chest tensed up as she got even closer and sat on his lap. Jenna enveloped Khan in a warm embrace, but her face hinted at more than affection.
"[You are impossible]," Jenna sighed.
"[That's my line]," Khan joked while staring deeply into those beautiful worried eyes.
"[I won't ask you to give up on your selflessness]," Jenna exclaimed, "[But I will follow you closely from now on]."
"[Closer than this]?" Khan teased.
"[You'll see]," Jenna giggled. "[Now cuddle me up a bit]."
"[I thought I had to rest]," Khan reminded her.
"[You are well enough to stand]," Jenna pointed out. "[You can handle my spoiled mood]."
Khan felt defeated but in a nice way. He didn't want to lie down again, but he couldn't win against Jenna. She actually deserved that after staying by his side during his entire recovery.
The greenhouse didn't offer much privacy, so Jenna kept her clothes on while Khan dealt with her mood and made a point of the situation. He had yet to get anywhere with his original mission, and Jenna didn't know enough about the consequences of the hunting season to help him out.
The two couldn't remain in the greenhouse forever, especially since Khan had yet to understand when the Nele's hospitality would run out. He also wanted to stretch out a bit and learn more about what happened, so he eventually left the area with Jenna.
The hangar on the first floor was empty, but life appeared as soon as the couple left it. The district was more active than ever, with tens of Nele running left and right. Still, Khan's arrival in the open made most of them stop.
Khan didn't know whether that reaction was a good thing. He mostly saw curiosity and interest in those beautiful faces, but that didn't confirm anything. He needed to have a chat with Piran, and the latter seemed to share that idea.
A group of Nele moved toward Khan as soon as he left the hangar. He could see Piran and some of the aliens who had joined the hunting season. Nessa was also among them, but their intentions remained unclear.
"[Come with us]," Piran announced without halting his march as soon as he reached Khan.
Jenna wanted to voice a pissed remark at that apparent coldness, but Khan eased her by taking her hand. The couple simply followed the group of Nele until they reached another building that didn't show much about its functions.
The entrance opened to reveal a relatively large area filled with interactive desks and screens. Nele stood behind them and studied the information they depicted.
Khan could read the names of ships and goods together with hours and other writings. He could quickly come up with ideas about the nature of the place, but something became clear before that. The area was definitely important in the district.
"[Wear this]," Piran exclaimed once the entrance closed behind the group. A set of baggy clothes stood on one of the interactive desks, and Khan didn't hesitate to take them.
Getting close to the desk revealed more information. Records of shipments and other names that Khan couldn't classify appeared in his vision, and he didn't know how to approach them. They sounded like secrets, and he couldn't just close his eyes.
Khan tried to focus on dressing up since the situation hinted at something positive. The Nele seemed ready to trust him, but he remained calm and waited for Piran to continue.
"[We didn't expect the club to have a third-level warrior]," Piran explained when Khan finished dressing up. "[It's hard to surpass the Orlats in terms of information]."
"[I've noticed]," Khan admitted. "[They are quite resourceful]."
"[You didn't see everything]," Piran stated before reaching the desk nearby and tinkering with it until a video played.
Scenes that Khan recognized flowed on the interactive desk. He saw himself with the Nele from the hunting season walking toward a hidden camera that recorded the destruction of the club's entrance.
The video didn't even stop there. The perspective moved inside the building, showing Khan's initial assault and subsequent charge into the theatre area.
The perspective remained on the first area, and Khan had the chance to witness the clean and swift slaughter performed by the Nele. He even noticed how all his companions turned at the same time once they sensed the presence of a third-level warrior, but the remaining Orlats didn't allow them to reach him right away.
The video then showed a few Nele managing to reach the hidden passage and coming back a few minutes later with an injured Khan. The actual battle against the third-level warrior wasn't part of the recording, but anyone who knew about the presence of such a strong Orlats would make the necessary connection. Khan had survived for many minutes against him.
"[I thought stuff like this couldn't exist on Milia 222]," Khan uttered. "[Especially in the dock]."
"[It doesn't officially exist]," Piran revealed. "[We found it when we looted the place, and we even confirmed that someone forwarded a copy somewhere. The Orlats will probably add it to their database]."
"[And spread it]," Khan guessed.
"[It's difficult to say]," Piran replied. "[They might find buyers, but that's unlikely at the same time. You aren't a high-profile figure]."
Khan didn't know what to say at that revelation. The battle in Lower Level 2 had already announced his arrival on the dock, and now the Orlats had him fighting on tape. His anonymity never had a chance to exist.
"[What happens now]?" Khan sighed.
"[Nothing, really]," Piran responded.
"[What]?" Khan exclaimed.
"[Some factions among the Orlats might want to retaliate, but others might be happy about what we did]," Piran explained. "[Their species is too divided to agree on something. I wouldn't be surprised if they leaked information on purpose to give us new targets]."
"[So, is the hunting season still open]?" Khan wondered.
"[We hit two more places while you were recovering]," Piran revealed. "[We will hit two more this week before letting things cool down]."
Khan obviously noticed how Piran was being strangely open about those plans. That was far from normal unless something about his status had drastically changed.
Nevertheless, Piran didn't say anything about that specific topic, and the matter was getting annoying. Khan didn't want to sound disrespectful, but he eventually decided to stop holding back his tongue.
"[Am I in or out]?" Khan directly asked.
"[You can live with us]," Piran stated. "[Go get your things. We have a place for you already]."
"[Us]," Jenna corrected as she jumped at Khan's side and took his hand.
The Nele in the room found it hard to keep straight faces in front of that open affection, and Piran was no exception. He diverted his eyes for a second before performing a slight nod.
"[As for the next two targets]," Khan continued. "[I'm not in perfect condition, but I can help]."
"[We can't be seen relying on a human so heavily]," Piran explained. "[Besides, you have different orders]."
Khan was about to voice a question, but the building's entrance suddenly opened to reveal a familiar figure. Maban stepped through the door and let it close behind him before coldly inspecting Khan.
Maban's arrival was a surprise even for Jenna, and his clear interest in Khan only added fuel to that feeling. Still, it also made Khan curious.
"[I didn't expect our second chat to happen so soon]," Maban announced. "[Trouble sure follows you. I'm starting to wonder whether you are trouble yourself]."
Maban stepped forward, and Piran made room for him. Maban could approach the interactive desk and rewind the video a bit to see Khan being carried away.
"[Jenna introduced you to our arts, right]?" Maban asked.
"[She did]," Khan confirmed.
"[It's time to apply them properly then]," Maban ordered. "[If you want to live among us, you must pass for one of us]."
"[I'll put more effort into it]," Khan promised.
"[No need]," Maban stated. "[Since I'm here now, I'll take care of overseeing your training]."
