“Grr... agh! Dammit, just piss off! Sahra, would'ja try and get this stupid thing off me!?”
“I'm doing my best, Naomi... so if you would try and hold still for just... a moment...”
A bowstring twanged loudly, sending an arrow whistling through the air of the overgrown ruins, and the young man glanced over his shoulder, startled by the exchange going on behind him. He watched with grim satisfaction as the sharp, silver arrowhead crashed full-force into a flame-coated wildcat that was scratching and snarling at the shield its target, a blonde-haired woman in brilliant armor, hoisted up. The strength of the sniper's shot sent the lynx flying into the nearby bookcase with a heavy slam, knocking a few ruined leather bindings loose from the high shelves; they fell, one after the other, onto the prone body of the monster, adding insult to injury.
“Skylar, on your flank!” Another voice, notes of steel playing in its usual softness, called out, and the explorer swiveled around at the yell of his name, bringing his arm up just in time as a sticky tongue wrapped around it, and a purple lizard started tugging, trying to pull him in. There was a sudden flash, accompanied by singing metal, and there was a screech of pain as a limp stump snapped back into the creature's gaping mouth. Skylar looked up at the slender figure standing between him and the anoir, who wiped blood from her katana, a red smear staining the side of her short padded dress. “I'll finish this one off, you go and check on Damien, okay?”
He shot the cream-furred beastwoman a grateful thumbs-up before jogging towards the dead end of the corridor, kicking up dust and bits of ruined tile, his boots stomping against the floor. There was another pained screech from the lizard, and he did his best to ignore the battle, instead craning his neck towards the ceiling, waving his sword at the other man high above his head. “Hey, Damien! Have you found that book yet?”
“Nope, nothing so far!” Came the reply, and Skylar found himself having to jump back as the medic practically flung a book at his head. The warrior ran a hand through his dark hair until his bracer bumped against his forehead; he stared at the pages, which looked like they had been half-eaten. “Just let me look a little bit longer, I'm sure that this was where I saw it! This spot is too familiar to not be the right place, I'm telli- look out!”
The medic held on tightly to the wall with one hand, pointing anxiously with the other, his coat and satchel waving from the abrupt motion. Skylar followed the finger and hastily sidestepped the jabbing claw of a dark gray scorpion, anger burning in its beady yellow eyes. He raised his shield defensively, digging his heels in before drawing his sword.
The monster scuttled forward on pointed legs, rearing back and swinging its other claw with surprising speed; the blow glanced harmlessly off of Skylar's shield, but he felt his feet skid against the floor, his sense of balance lost momentarily as he stumbled backwards. He awkwardly swung his blade to try and counter the attack, and there was a slight cracking sound. Tiny chunks of exoskeleton broke off from the damaged pincer, and the scorpion halted for a split-second before redoubling its approach, seeming completely unfazed.
Skylar shook his head and bounced on the tips of his toes as he regained his bearings, easily jumping over the monster's strike, stomping hard on its carapace before hopping away. He placed a palm on the hilt of his sword, concentrating, focusing, sensing energy swirl around the weapon. When he felt the metal start to warm up, he opened his eyes and raised his sword, which was now pulsing red with magic flames. The glow alone made the scorpion recoil in fear of the strange new threat that the warrior had created, its legs laying flat and its claws snapping together in an attempt to look menacing.
“This'll work just fine!” Skylar yelled, to nobody in particular, as he dashed forward, sharply pivoting as he drew near the scorpion, and his blade erupted into burning, flickering flames. He slashed at the creature's limbs, watching intently for the strike's result.
He smiled – the heat had worked! Both pincers clattered to the library floor, severed in half, the momentum of the attack even outright tearing them from the monster's body.
The explorer's satisfaction was short-lived, however, when the scorpion mimicked his movements, spinning around before he could react, its tail laying flat on the ground, the barbed tip ripping effortlessly through his pants and landing a deep cut on his leg. Skylar hissed in pain, caught off-guard by the vicious strike, and kicked at the creature, sending it up into the air and into the bookcase across from them both. The man grit his teeth as he quickly stole a glance at Damien, who had returned his attention to scouring the ruined library. He turned back towards his foe, his neck feeling oddly leaden all of a sudden, and the scorpion got back to its feet, curling and uncurling its tail as it stared the explorer down.
“Get back!”
The monster turned and looked at the newcomer that was sprinting towards it, her katana sweeping upward in a mighty slash, and it vainly lashed out to try and sting the beastwoman, instead losing all feeling in its limbs and then losing consciousness soon afterward. The scorpion's glare grew dull and lifeless as its body cleanly split in two, and the beastwoman danced around and swung again, lopping its tail off completely just for good measure, a link of flames imbued in her second strike.
She stared at the dead creature, glaring right back at it for a second, two seconds, three seconds... and then she inhaled deeply... and exhaled deeply, letting her posture slump as her tension subsided. Taking a look at her blade and grimacing, she wiped it again on her dress before returning it to its scabbard, sighing as she stepped away from the growing pool of scorpion blood.
“Daaamn! Nice kill, Hanae! Not that a bug like that could be a match for us, eh?” The bushi perked up, her ears twitching as armor clanked behind her, and Naomi ran up to her side, grinning toothily at the corpse laid before them. Another, lighter, set of footsteps alerted them to Sahra's presence, and the young girl pushed past both of them without a word, taking her goggles off and adjusting the red band that tied her bangs back.
“Aha, I found it! Hey, I found it, everyone, look!” Hanae and Naomi both peered at Damien, who was waving an unadorned tome at them, excitement evident in his face, his unkempt hair bouncing around. He waited for a moment, taking in the height he had climbed to. “But... uh, ahah, I'm not sure if I can make my way back down! Can one of you catch me?”
“Oh, you dumbass!” Naomi snorted loudly at the man on the bookcase, dropping her shield and hammer to the ground before walking to the base of the wall, wading through a small pile of destroyed papers and holding her arms wide. “Here, just jump and aim for me!”
Damien shuffled around until he was facing outward, pressing his back strongly against the various other books, his tiptoes on the edge of the hollowed stone. He inched forward a bit, bent his knees, swallowed dryly, and let go of the shelves, springing off of his foothold. He abruptly swerved down as his ankle clipped a stray vine, and he plummeted towards the ground. “OkaaAAAAAAAH! CATCH ME CATCH ME CATCH ME-”
Hanae's jaw dropped at their friend's misstep, and she sucked in a breath, stepping over and watching her teammate scramble around in a panic. Before she could try and help, however, the medic collided with the fortress' head, sending them both into a sprawling heap. The beastwoman couldn't help but giggle quietly at the sight, and she turned away to hide her amused smile. Damien was the first to sit back up, but he yelped in surprise as he was rudely yanked back down.
“What are you thinking!?” Naomi barked angrily, sitting up herself, brushing the stray parchment off of her armor, some of it falling to pieces at the touch. Damien's arm shot into the air, holding their leather-bound prize aloft, and he broke into a round of chuckles, which only seemed to annoy the woman more. “You're seriously laughing about this!?”
Hanae chose that moment to step in, offering both explorers an open palm. They glanced up at the beastwoman, glanced at each other, then took her grasp, and she helped them back to their feet, leading them over to Sahra, who was carefully carving the barb out of the scorpion's tail tip with a small knife. Damien hummed at the sight of the monster, digging into his bag and pulling out a cleaner, well-kept journal, as well as a sharpened stick of charcoal.
“Oho, this looks like some of the other scorpions we've seen before!” He muttered, quickly opening his book to a random page and starting to doodle. Sahra finished her work and slipped the needle into a small pouch on her belt. “Hey, Skylar, I was busy looking for that DNA book so I didn't see you fighting. What did this thing do, huh? Anything interesting?”
The warrior didn't answer, and Hanae cocked her head in confusion, turning around as Damien stopped drawing and repeated himself, raising his voice louder.
She gasped, her heart skipping a few beats as her eyes went as wide as saucers. “S-Skylar!”
Her frightened cry startled the other three explorers, and she ran over to the warrior in question, slowing to a stop just a couple paces away. Her teammates let out similar noises of dismay, and she hesitantly reached out, inching forward until she grazed the man's chin, his sword and shield still held forward to defend himself. His skin was cold to the touch, rough and gray – the sensation made the beastwoman flinch, covering her mouth in shock. Naomi, Damien and Sahra rushed over as she drew back, and the fortress walked around their friend before tapping his ear. The sound of metal against stone was unmistakable.
“What the hell... what the hell?” The woman said, uncharacteristically quiet, unable to stop herself from staring at the frozen swordsman. She tugged the top of his green shirt, then his scaled mail, looking down at his back. She then let the clothes snap back to the warrior's neck, letting out a confused huff and folding her arms. “What the hell! He's been totally turned to stone!”
“My god...” Damien mumured. Hanae felt the man nudge her, and she stepped away, letting him take a proper look at Skylar's face. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his own, gently wrapping her hands around the clenched fist, rubbing her thumb on the warrior's glove. Any other time, the gesture would have been comforting. It took a few minutes, or what seemed to feel like a few minutes, for the beastwoman to tear herself away from the sight, and she looked aimlessly around the library corridor, finally settling on watching her studious teammate scribble notes in his journal.
“So what's up with him?” Naomi asked, stomping back around and attempting to look over the medic's shoulder. He hunched forward each time she tried. “Was this because of that scorpion thing?”
“I... I have no idea!” Damien's voice trembled, caught halfway between curiosity and horror, and he swiftly dotted a sentence and slapped his book shut, standing up straighter to reveal his utterly baffled expression. He blew his bangs out of his face, blindly grasping at the various tubes and wraps of medicine stored in his coat pockets.
“You what!?” The armor-clad woman growled her reply, looking skeptically at her teammate. When he nodded at her, she walked over and gave him a strong noogie, digging her knuckles into his scalp. “Are you joking with me here? You're the team nerd, Damien, you're the one who's supposed to know about this kind'a stuff!”
“Well I don't, okay?” He shot back, wincing at the fortress. “I don't think any of us have ever had someone just turn to stone before and I don't have enough medicine to cover Skylar's whole body!”
“We... we need to get back to Tharsis. We need to get back and get Skylar to the clinic, and quickly,” Hanae said firmly, stepping away and looking at the other three explorers. She blinked when she saw Sahra, who had already gotten their bundle of maps out and was looking over one of them. Damien ducked away and nodded at the bushi's words, and Naomi nearly lost her balance, catching herself before her gauntlet punched into the floor, groaning in frustration.
“We're not far from where we left the Procne.” A stoic Sahra ambled over, holding their map of the library out for all to see. “But it would be hard for us to carry Skylar through the shortcut with the way he is now, and with the food we've gathered, I don't know where we'd bring him. It'd be better to use a warp wire.”
All eyes turned to Damien, who stared back for a moment before realization dawned on him. He dug into his satchel. “Oh... ah, right. Hang on, it's in here somewhere...”
“I'll be honest with you all... I never thought I'd see a case of this during my time in Tharsis. Heck, I never thought I'd see a case in my life! But you sure did it, Zephyrus... you sure did it.”
The old, bearded man hobbled around Skylar's prone form, inspecting it through a pair of big, round glasses, his remark not telling the four explorers very much at all. Hanae looked out the window as the clinic drifted into silence once again, feeling more than a little relieved at the emptiness of the room. The rush to carry Skylar through the wharf and down to the clinic, aided by a helpful group of guards, had left everyone feeling very, very drained. The early afternoon sun cast a bright glow throughout the city, and the beastwoman watched as the outside world passed them by.
“So that means you actually know what to do about this, right?” Naomi said, glancing sideways at Damien as she spoke, impatiently tapping her foot against the floorboards. The older physician turned towards the team's medic, who was frowning unhappily at the armored woman. The frown quickly twisted in to a sheepish grin when he noticed that the doctor was staring at him.
“Hrm... yes, you could say that,” The doctor replied, squatting down and squinting at the small hole in the swordsman's pants, revealing his stone knee. He blew on it before beckoning everyone to take a look. Hanae's eyes flicked over at the gesture, and she slid out of her chair, tracing the thin scrape that the old man was pointing out; it was pink, the only part of Skylar that wasn't stone. “I'll have to consult my books, but this is clearly where the scorpion wounded him, and that's a good place for me to start, hoh!”
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and even the corners of Sahra's mouth twitched upwards happily. Hanae stood back up, an invisible weight lifting from her shoulders, and her tail wagged a couple times. She locked eyes with the elderly man as he got to his feet; a pleasant sparkle played on his features, and the dimples in his cheeks were hidden by his facial hair. His mind seemed to wander somewhat, and he thought hard before continuing his diagnosis.
“It will take some time, however. He won't be de-petrified until tonight or maybe tomorrow in the morning, and he won't be going on any explorations for a few days more,” He said deliberately, obviously trying his best to sugarcoat the news for the four of them.
“That's fine, sir,” Hanae answered before anyone else could respond, giving the doctor a polite, reassuring wave. The bushi ignored the slack-jawed look that Naomi was giving her, and instead shook her head, brushing back a few strands of her hair when they fell in front of her arms. “I'm... we're just glad that you're able to treat it at all, really.”
“Damien. Book.” Naomi turned towards the medic, who quirked an eyebrow up at her.
“What-”
“Just gimme the damn book, I'm gonna go to the bar!”
“Alright, alright! Geez...” Damien stiffened at the terse reply, and he grabbed his satchel, undoing the flap and rummaging through it for a couple seconds, finally pulling out the book from the Echoing Library. He held it outward, studying its cover with a passionate smile, but the fortress swiped it out of his hands and stomped, livid, towards the clinic's door, opening it and then slamming it shut as she left.
The noise brought a new face running from elsewhere in the building, and a woman in a puffy blue dress peeked her head in through the wooden frame, bringing the smell of baking bread and roasting meats with her. “Oh! I'm not interrupting anything, am I, dears? After all the guards earlier, I wasn't sure when I heard the door...”
Hanae smiled sweetly at the innkeeper, and Damien and Sahra got out of their seats, the former cheerily waving. She eased herself into the room, leaving the door open behind her as she hurriedly walked over to the explorers, pulling them all into an impromptu group hug. The beastwoman sniffed, the scent of food wafting around the woman's dress, so strong that it briefly overpowered anything and everything else in the room.
“No... miss... Dalla!” Sahra exclaimed, wriggling free, and Dalla took that as her cue to let go of the others, glancing down at the young girl, who corrected her hairband, then checked inside all of the pouches on her belt. Satisfied that nothing was out of place, she made for the door as well, looking behind at her teammates. “It was... just Naomi, being the way she usually is. I'm going to catch up and keep an eye on her. I'll be at the bar if you need me.”
“Okay, Sahra!” Damien cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to the sniper, speaking quickly so she would hear him before the door closed again. “Be careful! Make sure that she doesn't get in any fightsanddon'tdrinkanythingsheoffersyoualright!”
The hinges creaked slightly when the knob stopped moving, and the clinic's caretaker cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Dalla squeezed Hanae's forearm, sending her a doting wink, and the beastwoman nodded at the innkeeper with a small, thankful smile, watching as she departed, returning to whatever work she had to do. After a second more, she turned back to the elderly physician, who was thoughtfully eying both her and Damien.
“Well... anyway...” The old man trailed off, pausing for a moment in case there were any more interruptions. Damien opened his mouth, then realized that the doctor wasn't finished speaking, and closed it. “Treating the petrification will take some time, and I'll need my full attention to do it, so before I get started, I was wondering if we could discuss payment?”
“Ah... oh! Oh, of course,” Hanae blinked in surprise, then exhaled, feeling mildly embarrassed at her own forgetfulness. She walked back to her seat and grabbed a coin pouch that was neatly tied to her katana, leaning against an empty bed. Her ears flicked as she counted out their money; one, ten, twenty... one hundred or so was the usual fee, she remembered that quite clearly, at least.
“Uh, doc, I was wondering,” Damien said, raising his hand and walking over, and the old man nodded at him to continue. The medic didn't seem to notice, too busy giving Skylar another thorough checkup, pinching his nose, attempting to close his eyes, and looking at the scratch above his knee. “Since you're going to be treating him, could I stay here and maybe help you out, do you think? That way I'd know what to do if we were all in the Echoing Library and this happened again.”
“Hoho, that sounds just fine, my boy!” Came a quick reply.
Damien grinned excitedly as the warm smile returned to the old man's face, but found himself wheezing right afterward as the elderly man clapped a hand against his back, accidentally winding him in the process. Hanae looked away from re-counting the payment at Damien's grunt, watching him take a couple deep breaths. He reached into the pockets of his coat and brought out a roll of bandages, then a couple flasks filled with colorless fluid. The other doctor shuffled around and peeked at her, expectantly thrusting a arm out, and she gingerly slipped the handful of coins into his palm, shyly looking back out the window.
“Would you like to stay as well, miss?” The elderly man asked, and the beastwoman glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, feeling her face turn red when she saw the knowing look that he wore. She nodded demurely, and the old man's smile widened considerably. “Well, I'm glad to hear that... because I may need both of you to help take off some of the armor your pal's wearing, hoh!”
Hanae's eyes widened and her cheeks flared up even further, and the doctor laughed heartily.
Sahra silently stalked through the streets of Tharsis, slipping through the crowd of various explorers with ease, the Sahrimnir Inn soon vanishing completely from her sight. People seemed to jump in surprise as she pushed and sidled her way past them, only to relax and wave at her. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes, not recognizing a good amount of them. She wondered how many people were novices heading to the mine just outside of town... she turned sideways when she noticed a small gap between two warriors in golden plate, stepping through without even feeling them bump her.
That was something she was going to miss when she started to grow taller.
“Sahra! Hey, hey! Sahra!” She narrowed her eyes at the sound of her name, scanning back and forth for whoever was calling her. It didn't take long to notice the other young girl waving her arms wildly at her, her brown overalls – and to a lesser extent, her face, too, Sahra noticed – stained with layer upon layer of soot and grime from her job at the atelier. “I didn't realize that ya were back home!”
“Hello there, Wynne.” Sahra waved a simple greeting at the energetic girl, who suddenly grunted when a soldier bumped her side with his spear. The sniper peered around the plaza for a moment, spotting an empty wall near some building or another. She grabbed the apprentice blacksmith's wrist, leading her out of the middle of the street. “What brings you out of the shop?”
“Me? Aw, I'm on a lunch break, hehe,” Wynne replied, letting out a chuckle as she scratched at the back of her head, her own pair of goggles moving just slightly. Sahra leaned against the wall and stretched, feeling the quiver of arrows dig into her waist. “Ain't no big deal, just a busy day as usual, ya know. But what about you? Weren't you an da rest of da crew out exploring up past da big mountains?”
Sahra nodded, letting her arms fall to her sides, and as she rested them on her belt, she remembered the barb from the scorpion. The girl glanced down at the various pouches for a moment, debating whether to bring it up. She looked up after a second, making a mental note to stop at the atelier sometime later. “We were. Skylar had picked up another request from the bar. Someone was looking for a book in the Echoing Library, and Damien remembered noticing it a while ago.”
“Just one little book? In dat big of a place?” The apprentice replied, tilting her head in thought. Sahra raised her head a little in surprise, only to lower it soon after; Wynne was probably exaggerating about the ruins as usual, and she just happened to be right this time- “I've seen da maps of dat place, a few other explorers were showing em off ta da boss! Were ya really able ta find it?”
Sahra sighed, turning her gaze towards the center of the city, the mass of figures blending together as she tried to trace what path she could take from here to the bar. Naomi was probably already there, and that thought nearly made her frown worriedly. “Yes, we did, Naomi's taking the book over right now. I was on my way to catch up with her. She... wasn't very happy when she left the clinic.”
“The clini- wait, da clinic!?” Wynne blurted out, staring in alarm at her friend's words, balling her hands into fists. “W-w-what happened? What happened down in da library, Sahra!? C'mon, tell me that nobody's gonna...”
Sahra rolled her eyes in response, but the pained expression on the apprentice's face was enough to make her force a serious smile; the explorer hoped that the rare gesture would help alleviate Wynne's innocent, childlike concern. “Nobody is dead or going to die, Wynne, no. There were some monsters near the spot the book was in, and one of them turned Skylar to stone before we killed it. That's why we're back in Tharsis now, he'll be recovering for a few days.”
“Woah... stone? No way...” Wynne whispered, awestruck.
The conversation slowed to a stop; Sahra was more focused on looking for the bar, and the apprentice blacksmith didn't seem to have any more to say. The sniper stood up, moving away from the wall, and she was about to leave when her bow slid down her arm a little, its string gently holding her back. She gave Wynne, who had grabbed the end of the weapon, a patient look.
“Sorry, eh... do ya think it'd be okay if I went an checked on Skylar?” She asked, grinning awkwardly as the explorer peeled her grasp off of the bow. “I'm going ta da inn for lunch anyway, so it ain't like I'd be going outta my way or nothing!”
Sahra paused, mulling the question over. She felt more than a little happy that her friend was so worked up, but... well. It wasn't really her decision to make anyway, was it? She folded her arms, letting a genuine smile onto her face this time. “I don't know how Skylar would feel about it. He is petrified, after all. But Hanae and Damien were still there when I left, and I think they would be glad to see you. Just ask the doctor first.”
The young girl beamed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Sahra, embracing her tightly for a few moments before letting go and walking backwards towards the street. “Thanks, Sahra! Heh, now I'm really starvin! See ya later, alright?”
Sahra simply held up a hand as the apprentice blacksmith jogged away, standing in place and watching her friend until she couldn't see her anymore, and she stared into the heart of Tharsis itself afterward, feeling content with herself. She reached back and rubbed an itch on her neck. A strange, dusty something made her stop, and she looked at her glove. The sniper winced. Soot was clinging to the hard fabric.
Her happiness dampened, Sahra curled her fists and marched forward, ducking and weaving through the crowd again.
The Dancing Peacock wasn't usually so empty at this time of day.
Kirtida hummed to herself, grabbing a mug from underneath the counter and wiping it down with a washrag, searching in vain for any more imaginary smudges that might still have been on its rounded surface. The bartender looked away from her work, absently scrubbing the heavy glass as she scoured the room, checking on the few occupants; she thanked Kismet for making her good at multitasking. A portly maintenance worker was slacking off on one of the couches, Sophie was sitting on the empty stage, rifling through her bag of equipment, a couple arcanists were sitting in the corner and chatting to themselves, their drinks barely touched and probably forgotten.
Nobody looked like they needed anything, and the tanned woman shoved the mug back among the rest with a sigh, carelessly letting the cloth slip from her grasp. It was satisfying to not be busy for once, of course, but it was also quite boring, which Kirtida hadn't been for... months, maybe. The sensation was unwelcome, and she traced a fingernail around the bowl of dried fruit that she usually left out for the easily-inebriated.
The chime of a bell signaled the door being opened, and she spun on her heels, reaching up to fix the bejeweled veil sitting on her head. When she saw who entered, she almost groaned. A knight with short blonde hair, decked out in heavy plate armor, noisily trudged over, hopping up onto a barstool without even saying a word.
“Well,” The bartender broke the silence, leaning down and steepling her fingers. The explorer looked at her irritably, blinking a couple times, which Kirtida took to be the closest thing to a 'hello' that she was going to get. Maybe someone was stuck in the clinic? “It's a little early for you to be coming in for a drink, hm?”
“Just gimme something strong, will ya?” Naomi tersely replied, and the fortress reached around and slammed a book onto the countertop, drumming her fingers against it before roughly shoving it over to the bartender.
The movement nearly knocked over the bowl of dried fruits, and Kirtida just barely managed to grab it before its contents were flipped onto the carpeted floor. She leveled a scolding glare at the younger explorer, and tried to calm down when she turned to put the food back, grabbing the mug from before and walking to the end of the bar, looking at the bottles on one of the higher shelves. After moving from cork to cork, the bartender finally took one, opening it up and letting the rich, amber liquid flow out into the glass, foam rising until it reached the very top.
Kirtida strolled back and held the ale out to Naomi, who took it in both her gauntlets, drinking deeply; she downed half the glass before she put it down, exhaling heavily as she did. She had perked up compared to moments ago, but the bartender could tell that her mood was still far from perfect. “So how are you doing?”
“Crappy.”
“Clearly.” She replied without missing a beat, her words dripping with sarcasm. The knight didn't notice – or care – in the slightest, lifting her ale into the air and polishing the rest of it off with one swift motion. Kirtida leaned onto the counter, and her wrist bumped against the book Naomi had brought with her. While her customer was preoccupied, she picked up the old, weathered tome, scanning over both the back and front. Both sides were featureless, the details probably lost to time and age. “So what's with this? Something of Damien's?”
Naomi gave her an incredulous look as she put her empty mug down again. “Are you serious, Kirtida?”
“What?” The bartender's mind started to race, trying to figure out what the fortress meant.
“God dammit... you know, the job!” Naomi swore loudly, lashing out with her arm, gesturing towards the bulletin board that hung on the nearby wall. Kirtida leaned sideways over the counter, narrowing her eyes. Now that she looked, there were a few empty tacks still stuck to it... ohhh...! The knight on the stool shook her head, and she realized that her realization was plain as day on her face.
“Yes... that's right, I'd forgotten you had all come and taken that request,” Kirtida said, retrieving the opened ale and gently shaking it towards Naomi. The fortress nodded curtly at her, and she tipped the bottle forward, refilling the mug with one hand and idly flipping the first few pages of the ancient book with the other. She couldn't make heads or tails of the odd charts and diagrams, aside from a string of double-helices. “The researcher who was wanting the book on monster DNA. I'm sure he'll be happy that you found this for him.”
“He better be, because I'm not happy!” The explorer growled and took another, smaller, swig of her drink, then grabbed a handful of dried fruit, stuffing it into her mouth. Kirtida closed her eyes and massaged her temples. The alcohol seemed to be helping Naomi talk, at least, which was progress. “Bah, forget it... maybe I'll just go out to the mine and blow off some steam, those giant baboons there make good punching bags...”
“Well then, what's got you all riled up?” The bartender scooped the book up into her arms, slipping it under the counter, away from the dishes cluttering the rest of the shelves, swapping it for the flask of strong medicine left as the job's payment. “You're always the first one here to celebrate whenever you and the rest of the Zephyrus Guild finish a request, so... just call me curious.”
Naomi let out a heaving sigh, slumping over until her chin was resting on the wooden surface, one of her cheeks rising and falling as she idly chewed. The knight stayed like that for a few minutes, staring blankly at the wall of the bar. “Guuuh... a scorpion turned Skylar to stone, so we're not gonna be exploring for a few days. It's stupid, I know, okay?”
“S-stone?” Kirtida did a double-take. She had guessed that one of her friends had gotten hurt, but whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been something like that. She hurried back over to the fortress, her scarves and jewelry rustling, and set the elixir down. “Goodness...”
“No, not goodness. Badness,” Naomi replied, and Kirtida furrowed her brow. She almost wanted to laugh at the woman's obliviousness, but didn't – she couldn't really tell if it was an attempt at a joke or not.
“But surely there's other things that you can spend your time doing, no?” She asked, taking the empty mug and wiping it down again, wryly noting in her head that she actually had something to clean from it this time. Naomi mumbled something incoherent and ate a second helping of snacks, letting her cheek fall into her other gauntlet. Kirtida slid the mug next to the explorer's elbow and wrung the now-damp dishrag out.
“Can I get another drink?”
“I don't think the others would like you to get drunk while the sun is still up.”
“Oh, come on!”
The tanned woman looked around the room worriedly as Naomi yelled in annoyance, hoping that nobody was too disturbed by the knight's outburst, and she frowned when she noticed the maintenance worker, who had fallen asleep on the couch. She squinted; it looked like the lazy man might have even been drooling. After scanning over the rest of the bar, she leaned in close to her nearby customer, her voice turning stern.
“Absolutely not, especially if you keep shouting,” She whispered, and she pointed out the elixir of nectar that the fortress hadn't collected.
The explorer's brown eyes followed the digit, and she reached out and glumly snatched the flask, resigned to her current sobriety. Kirtida smiled, biting back a laugh as Naomi started to slide the medicine bottle between her palms, and the door bell chimed again, catching the bartender's attention; she turned to look at the new arrival, her eyes widening slightly at the young girl that was solemnly walking over to the two of them, slipping her bow off of her back and resting it against an empty stool.
“Hello, miss Kirtida,” Sahra said as she hopped onto the stool, and Naomi's head shot up, jerking sideways to stare in surprise at her teammate. The sniper shuffled a bit in her seat before resting her arms on the countertop, glancing at the racks of drinks on the opposite wall. “I would just like some water, or juice, if you have any, please.”
The woman smiled slyly at the girl, clicking her tongue as she grabbed a smaller, wooden cup and started searching through the bottles.
“Okay... let's put it down on three. One... two... three-!”
Hanae held in a breath as she and Damien bent over, laying Skylar's set of scalemail next to a bracer and armguard, and she brushed away a few beads of sweat that were trickling down her bangs. Damien huffed, sucking at his sore fingers as he stared at the loose latches attached to each side of the collar, and the beastwoman wondered if he was regretting his suggestion to open them up, even if it had finally made it possible to take the scalemail off at all. She stood up and took a step back, her heel landing on the remains of her friend's shirt – she hoped the swordsman wouldn't mind that they had to cut it in half – and she quickly gathered the ruined garment up, draping it over its owner's backpack.
“Well, if you don't mind me saying so, hoho, he certainly would make for a fine-looking statue the way he is now, wouldn't he?” The physician remarked with a chuckle, and Hanae glanced behind her back at the bearded old man, who was still fiddling with the sword and shield that were stuck in the petrified explorer's grip.
After a few more vain attempts, he gave up and walked away, letting Skylar's form come into view again. The bushi gazed briefly at the dynamic pose the warrior was in, arms thrust outward as if he was about to deflect a mighty blow from an invisible opponent, with a pained, but utterly determined, expression frozen on his face. Damien pushed past her, grinning humorously as he circled around their teammate, searching for any more wounds that they might have missed.
“So now that we've gotten his armor off, what do we do next?” He asked, hopping onto an empty bed and bouncing a bit as he looked to the clinic's elderly caretaker, who started leafing backwards through one of his medical books, abruptly stopping as he came to a particular section.
“Hmm...” He grunted in reply. “Oh... hm, that's a bit of a problem.”
“What?” Hanae's ears twitched, and she worriedly loped over, catching herself just shy of reading the book over the old man's shoulder. His head turned to look around, and the startled man gasped, then exhaled, making the beastwoman feel a little sheepish. Damien jogged over as well, the supplies in his satchel shaking noisily. “Please, what's wrong, sir?”
“Hoh, sorry to accidentally get you two worried, it's nothing bad.” The doctor waved dismissively, moving over to let both explorers read over a short passage he was pointing to. Hanae's eyes darted back and forth as she reciting the writing in her head: boil the flowers in fresh water for five minutes or whenever nectar is extracted... mix in the aloe leaves until the scent of the flowers is no longer strong... strain the liquid into a new container to remove the solid matter... her head started to spin a little at the detailed instructions, and the medic standing next to her leaned in, reading closely.
“Wow... this is complicated... and it's really interesting!” Damien exclaimed, quickly grabbing his journal so he could jot down some notes, scribbling so energetically that Hanae worried, only for a moment, that the charcoal stick might tear through the paper. “But what's the problem then, exactly?”
“Like I said, nothing big. We just used up the last of the nectar flowers we had on hand the other day, so I'm gonna have to go and get some more for this,” The old man replied, scratching under his grizzled chin. Damien raised his head at that, leaving his notes unfinished.
“Why don't I just go and get them?” The explorer offered, shrugging at the older man.
He got a grin and a thumb towards the window in response. Hanae and Damien looked out at the busy Tharsis streets, the latter absentmindedly closing his notebook, putting it back in his satchel, and tugging on the edges of his coat as the doctor spoke up. “That's kind of you, my boy, but I was thinking of sending you to go and draw some water up from the well! You'd be better at it than me.”
Damien straightened up and gave the clinic's caretaker a single, sharp nod, and he turned to walk out of the room. Halfway, he realized that he needed the notes in his journal, and he bowed his head, slinging his bag over and rooting through it. Hanae felt her fur bristle when a 'clunk!' rang through the air, the medic having bumped his head against the wall while distracted, and he stumbled back a step, glimpsing his audience behind him. The explorer chuckled awkwardly as he turned the doorknob and departed.
“I'll stay here in case any more injured explorers need to be brought in, then,” Hanae said softly, turning towards the clinic's caretaker, who smiled gratefully at her from behind his glasses.
“Then I'll leave this here with you, just in case.” He lightly tapped his open medical book, folding the corner of the page over before making for the exit, no doubt headed right for the atelier.
The bushi's gaze lingered on the door for a few minutes before she turned around and walked over to her chair, lowering herself into it and leaning back; a beam of sunlight landed right on her seat, and she let the pleasant warmth sink into her, her muscles all relaxing at once. The clinic fell into a tranquil silence, only intruded upon by Hanae's breathing and the occasional muffled noises coming from outside. She stared at the ceiling, hair falling against her back and tail wagging softly on the floor.
Something heavy clattered elsewhere in the inn, making the building shake, and the beastwoman's katana rattled – or rather, her wallet rattled against the weapon's handle. She glanced at the little leather pouch out of the corner of her eye, and gingerly picked the scabbard up, holding it across her lap. Deft fingers undid the string that had only recently been re-tied, and she let the bag fall with a jingle, returning her blade to its resting place.
Skylar was the one who carried most of their money around, mostly as a precaution after Naomi's miserable loss of a drinking contest – that must have been the first or second month they had all formed the guild, Hanae mused thoughtfully – and he was typically the one to pay for their supplies and most other things they ever needed. She set her wallet at her feet and picked up the warrior's backpack, opening it up and searching inside for the team's coin pouch; the bushi wondered whether Sahra would stop at the atelier as well, to sell the spoils of their battle in the library. Her face fell when she remembered the needle the sniper had cut from the scorpion's tail. What could possibly be forged out of something like that?
There was a short, wooden sound. Hanae looked up, sucking in a surprised breath, one arm still stuck inside of her friend's bag. The door creaked just a little, and a gloved hand, holding a roasted bird leg, poked through the opening. The beastwoman cocked her head, not entirely sure who the hand belonged to, and she sat up, carefully placing Skylar's backpack next to her chair, watching the clinic's doorway all the while.
“Hello? Ey, doc...? Can I come in an take a look around?” A young voice piped up, its accent as unmistakeable as it ever was, and Hanae let go of the air she had held in her lungs, a small, cheerful smile wriggling its way onto her muzzle.
“The doctor isn't here right now, Wynne,” She called back, getting to her feet and brushing at her dress, and the apprentice blacksmith burst into the room, letting the door swing open completely as she ran into the clinic. Her mouth was half-full of food; she must have come to the inn for lunch. Wynne wrapped herself around the bushi's waist, giving her a tight hug, and Hanae affectionately fluffed the child's ponytail. “Hello, sweetie... it's good to see you.”
“S'good ta see you too, miss Hanae!” The girl replied, and she pulled away from the beastwoman after a few seconds, taking another chomp of Dalla's excellent cooking and grinning happily, gulping the bite down before continuing. “I saw Sahra while I wuz walkin over here an she said Skylar got himself turned ta stone!”
Hanae blinked, staying still for a brief moment, then she turned around, somberly nodding her head towards the petrified explorer that stood nearby. Wynne looked where she pointed and gasped in surprise at Skylar's form, running over and staring at the swordsman. The bushi slowly followed after the apprentice, a forlorn sigh escaping her lips as she reached out and touched the man's shield, using a couple fingers to trace a wavy line down the solid metal.
“Aw... woah...” Wynne muttered under her breath, leaning back and forth, and she stood on her tiptoes, poking and prodding at Skylar's forearm. She dropped to her heels at the feeling of the rough stone, then hopped right back up and grabbed the outstretched limb with her free hand. “Woah woah, he really made outta stone! It's like he's a statue, huh?”
Hanae lightly motioned at the girl to let go, inspecting the explorer afterward, as if he was the most fragile thing imaginable. Sure, he felt like stone, and probably was stone... somehow, but... she shook the thoughts away, patting Wynne's shoulder. “The doctor was saying that he would make a good statue too, you know.”
“He looks cool! An look at da muscles he gots! I never realized how strong he's gotta be, he looks like he could be inna painting!” The apprentice replied, quickly jogging around Skylar's figure.
Hanae's eyes went wide, and she brought a hand to her cheek, looking past the warrior's sword and shield as the full force of Wynne's innocent statement hit her like a crate from a foodapult. His upper body really was like a statue; without his shirt or his armor on, if she didn't know better, she would have mistaken him for an impeccably lifelike sculpture. Her vision wandered, from the man's head, to his chest, until she reached his belt and pants, which were suddenly hidden from view behind Wynne's overalls.
The beastwoman rapidly shook her head, breaking out of her daze as the girl in front of her imitated Skylar's pose, hoisting an imaginary shield close to her while simultaneously holding out her roasted bird wing, swirls of steam still wafting up from the partially-eaten meat. Hanae giggled at the young blacksmith, who turned around with a cocky grin on her face. “So, how da ya think I look?”
“I think you do look pretty cool, Wynne,” Hanae said, squatting down and stroking the child's hair, resting her hands on her knees when the child ducked under her arm. Wynne moved to the side, grunting somewhat as she punched at the air, finishing her attack with a playful uppercut.
There was a flash of light as the sun gleamed off of the apprentice blacksmith's goggles, causing the bushi to wince and shield her face, and Wynne jumped, looking out the window when she noticed. “Aw no! I musta lost track of time, I gotta get back ta the shop! I hope da boss ain't too mad... sorry, miss Hanae! See ya later!”
The girl took an enormous bite of her lunch and made a mad dash for the doorway, her boots pounding loudly against the floorboards until she had left the inn completely. Hanae strode to the window, peering through the pane of glass just in time to spot a shock of bright yellow hair zooming down the street that led down to the Tharsis plaza. Sighing, the bushi stood back up, once again finding herself alone in the room.
Well, not completely alone, she thought to herself, looking at Skylar. Her mind strayed back to the apprentice blacksmith's words from just a few minutes ago, and she ambled back to the petrified explorer, giving him a once-over. She never would have admitted it in front of the girl – or her teammates, either, really – but Wynne was right, Skylar was surprisingly muscular for being so lean... she bashfully bowed her head as she thought about the idea of getting a proper chance to look.
A niggling voice in her head said 'well, why not now?', and the beastwoman's jaw slackened at her own thoughts, fingers partly curling, her eyes darting from side to side as she looked around the now-deserted clinic. Slowly, she inched forward, moving her hand bit... by bit... by bit... until she lightly, almost-imperceptibly, touched her fingertips against the warrior's abs.
Time seemed to slow to a standstill as she eventually rested her palm on the muscles, shivering, brushing upward onto Skylar's chest, moving across the contours of his body, feeling her face heat up, cheeks burning, scrunching her eyes shut as she reached over with her other hand and leaned in close, feeling her breath as it hit her friend's face-
“Hey, Hanae, I'm back! Would you mind helping me with this water?”
The bushi yelped in shock, her arms snapping backwards as she jumped away from her petrified friend, turning to look at Damien. The medic was hunching over in the doorframe, holding a bucket of clear, fresh water near his feet, and he gave his teammate a confused look. She barely noticed as the white-coated man waddled into the room, setting his load down in as soon as he was out of the way.
“Uhh...?” He said, his eyebrow quirking upward. “Something wrong? You look kind of... red.”
Hanae covered her face with her hands, utterly, absolutely, positively mortified, and she ran past her teammate, her light footsteps drowning out a whimper of embarrassment as she escaped, skidding on her heels and sprinting towards the city gates. Damien flinched, staring at the spot where the cream-furred canine had just been standing, and scratched at his wild hair, unsure of what had just happened.
“...was it something I said?”
Hanae slowed to a stop just outside of Tharsis, glad that the guards only gave her a passing glance as she ran out of the city, and she waited for a few minutes until she finally pulled her hands away from her eyes. The well-traveled dirt trail wound southwards, a small fork leading towards the forest mine, and she scampered over to a large oak tree that rose high above her head, just a few paces off of the beaten path. Her legs trembled, both from exhaustion after her long sprint and from her lingering embarrassment, and she swooned as Skylar jumped to the forefront of her mind again.
The beastwoman sank to her knees, overcome with shyness, and shook her head, her hair falling around her shoulders. “Ohhh... oh my goodness, what was I even doing... I shouldn't have done that...”
A fresh breeze swept through the field, the tall grass waving along the rolling hills, and her ears flicked from side to side, the wind running cool against her fur. Hanae lifted her head and gazed out at the distant countryside, watching quietly. A few birds caught an updraft and soared into the sky, chirping as they went. There was the occasional bee that buzzed by, trying to choose from the colorful patches of flowers that dotted the land. And far, far out on the horizon, the gigantic trunk of Yggdrasil loomed over everything, glowing and pulsing as ethereally as ever.
A large shadow passed over the field, and the bushi looked up at the skyship that was taking off, its propellers whirling as the unseen pilot guided it away from the city, whisking its occupants off on an exploration. The sun seemed to have gotten a little lower than it had been before.
Wait... that's right, they still had food packed away on the Procne that needed to be unloaded, didn't they?
Hanae slowly stood up, taking a deep breath before turning on her heels and ambling back towards Tharsis, hoping, but not expecting, that the cargo wharf wasn't as bustling as it usually was. An unconscious smile was on her muzzle.
“Hey, Sahra, do you think that I could learn some cool tricks from the bu... bu... bush, or whoever the hell they are, if I asked one about it?”
“Hm?” The sniper looked up from her cup of sugar carrot juice, blinking at the blonde fortress that casually lounged on the other side of one of the Dancing Peacock's plush sofa. Kirtida had shooed its previous occupant out of the bar, scolding him for nearly drooling on the cushions or something similar, and both explorers had gladly taken the seat when she offered it to them. Sahra knew it was just a way for the bartender to get Naomi out of her hair, but didn't really mind. If anything, she applauded the idea. “Mm, sorry. What were you saying?”
“I said, do you think that I could learn some tricks to do with my hammer if I went and asked the bushes or one of those other folks about it?” Naomi repeated slowly, kicking out and crossing her legs, smacking the blunt end of her weapon a few times for good measure. The metal rang somewhat, though the noise was thankfully muffled by the cushion the hammer was resting on.
Sahra narrowed her eyes at the older woman's words, taking another sip of her drink before resting it on the cocktail table. She had an inkling of who the knight was talking about... but there was no harm in making sure. “Bushes? Bushes who?”
Naomi frowned in annoyance, bringing her hands up to her head, sticking her thumbs on her head and stretching her index fingers out in imitation of horns. “You know who I'm talking about! All of those beastpeople, like Hanae, except she came from the south like the rest of us and Kibble and all of them were in the mountains and everything!”
“Naomi, his name is Kibagami, not Kibble,” Sahra replied coolly, noticing a couple bushi sitting at another table, who her friend had caught the attention of, and when they looked over at her, the sniper gently gestured towards her teammate and rolled her eyes. Both warriors grinned back in silent acknowledgment, turning around and minding their own business. An oblivious Naomi waited for the girl to continue, which she did. “And if you can't even remember their leader's name, I don't think any of the bushi would be very willing to train you.”
Naomi slumped over in disappointment, a grumble escaping her lips as she glared at her teammate, though Sahra knew there was no real malice behind it. The two of them left the conversation hanging, keeping to themselves as the bar started to get busier, explorers of all sorts starting to visit for a late afternoon break. A low current of murmuring started to fill the room, the air growing more energetic as people swapped stories, laments, the latest gossip. Sahra watched as Kirtida left the counter, replacing the melted candles inside one of the hanging lanterns.
“Well... well, screw you, I'm gonna go and ask about it anyway!” Naomi suddenly stated out of nowhere, and she boldly pounding a fist into an open palm. Sahra glanced sharply at her teammate, who was starting to get off of the sofa, yawning hugely as she gathered up her equipment.
“That seems like a bad idea.” Sahra hopped off her seat and slung her bow over her shoulder in a single movement, and Naomi shot the young girl a stubborn look. “We're all already tired from exploring and looking for that book, and then having to carry Skylar in to the clinic. You've been drinking, too. How many did you have before I got here?”
“What's that supposed to mean, huh? Kirtida only let me have one bottle of ale, Sahra, I'm fine! Be... besides... haww,” The knight said, yawning again in the middle of her response; she remembered to cover her mouth this time. “I'm just gonna ask, that's all. If, eh... one of them says sure thing, then I'm gonna ask if we can start tomorrow, and if they say no, then I'll challenge him or her to a duel or something and train that way! I can thrash any of them in a fight anyway!”
Naomi stomped past Sahra before the shorter girl could protest, raising her arm and aimlessly waving goodbye as she opened the door to the bar, pushing through a small crowd of people that were about to enter. They voiced a chorus of 'excuse me's and 'pardon's as the knight wandered into the plaza, and Sahra sighed, quickly gulping down the rest of her carrot juice before reaching into one of her belt pouches. Kirtida had earned herself a hefty tip today.
Dropping a handful of coins into the empty cup, the sniper brought it over to the counter, sliding it across the polished surface until she saw the bartender catch it. The tanned woman looked over at her and winked, raising the cup in a mock toast. Sahra nodded, and was about to make for the door when she paused, lingering on the group of explorers that were just starting to look for a table. Ambling over, she reached up and tugged on an incredibly voluminous white sideburn.
“Oh? Oh, hello, who might you be?” The pale explorer asked, squatting down to be level with the young girl's eyes. She let go of his hair and pointed over to the vacated sofa, and the other explorer followed her arm, smiling broadly in understanding when he saw the cushioned seats. “Ah! Hey, everyone, look over there!”
The rest of his team quickly spotted the couch, and they made a beeline for it, laughing and thanking Sahra as they went. The arcanist waited for a few more moments, though the bounce of his heels showed that he was about to walk away as well. “Thank you, miss.”
“Sorry about Naomi. I'd better catch up to her,” She replied, turning and heading for the door, muttering under her breath. “And she calls Damien a dumbass...”
The man furrowed his brow, his smile vanishing from his face, and he kept still, thinking hard about the strange remark. “Naomi... w-wait, you can't possibly mean lady Naomi of the famous Z-Z-Zephyrus Guild!?”
His jaw dropped, and he ran over to the door, swinging it open and poking his head outside, but the sniper was already gone.
Damien exhaled, nudging the empty water bucket over to the chair near the window and watched as the older doctor returned from the inn's kitchen. The clinic's caretaker was carrying a small bowl of steaming, boiled liquid, protecting himself from the scalding heat with a handful of bundled washcloths. The explorer grinned at the sight of the mysterious mixture, feeling his excitement swell up again as he started to doodle a simple picture of the bowl in his journal.
“Is that all you needed the stove for, dears?” Dalla's voice called, and the innkeeper peeked her head into the clinic, waving an oven mitt at them. The bearded physician turned and nodded. “Just let me know if you need anything else!”
“We will, ma'am, thank you!” Damien called back , and the woman waved again before leaving them be.
The explorer glanced around the bearded physician's side, still sketching the viscous, yellow-tinted medicine; the medic hastily worked as the other doctor dipped the ends of two towels into the bowl, once, twice, over and over, until they were completely soaked through, carrying a hefty amount of liquid. He sniffed one of the trails of vapor; the flower nectar barely smelled of its pungent scent, just like he'd copied down earlier today. His grin widened; he felt as giddy as a new medical student again, he never knew any of this back when he'd first started!
The elderly man stood up straight after a few more dips of the cloths, and he thrust one at Damien, a couple droplets flying onto the medic's coat. The explorer jumped slightly, slipping his notebook back into his satchel before even more dribbles fell from the cloth, and he pinched the dry end between his fingers, hot on his senior's heels as they both walked over to Skylar's petrified form.
“Now, from here... we need to use these to clean the wound that caused the petrification,” The doctor thought aloud, crouching down and tugging the torn hole in the swordsman's pants, opening it as best he could to display the small, deep wound. Damien knelt onto the floorboards, giving his full attention to his teammate's leg as the older man started to dab at it, the stone skin darkening from each wipe of the nectar-and-aloe mixture. He felt the clinic's caretaker nudge him, and he curled his own towel around the cut, pressing his hand onto it and squeezing as much of the liquid out as he could.
“Is that it? Back in the library I was worrying that I'd need to put stuff all over him,” Damien asked, rolling his palm all around, vigorously applying the medicine on his teammate's knee, and he glanced away for a moment to check on the other physician.
“Hoh! No, my boy, in my professional opinion, I doubt we'd need to go quite that far!” The elderly man quickly returned, treating the scorpion sting a third time as he answered the medic's question. “It's normally caused by venom, you see, the venom secretes into the blood and goes all through the body. So we apply the medicine to important areas, like the wound and spine. It'll take a little longer for this to get absorbed, since we're using these towels and not a stinger, of course, but once it does...”
Damien resisted the urge to start taking notes again as the doctor continued to prattle on; his hands sopping with the now-lukewarm liquid, and he tried to dry off with his towel, stopping after a couple seconds when he realized what he was doing. He stepped backwards and wet the cloth again, and the two men went back and forth, cleaning and medicating the wound in turns.
A bronze knob turned, and Hanae demurely slipped back into the clinic, holding a large coin pouch, gently closing the door behind her. She panted tiredly, her tail waving as she looked at the two physicians across the room, and Damien peered over his shoulder, eyes brightening when he saw her. “Oh you're back! I was wondering where you went, Hanae. Are you alright?”
“Mmhm... sorry about before,” She said, walking over to her chair and grabbing her own wallet, which she'd left behind, filling it up again and setting the other pouch onto the nearby bed. The older physician smiled in greeting, and she waved back at him. “I went to the cargo wharf and sold the food we had stored in the hold.”
“Oh! Oh oh oh, woah... wow, I'd totally forgotten about it in the commotion and all,” Damien stuttered in surprise, turning and staring at Hanae's wallet as she tied it back onto her katana. The bag was so heavy now that it slid down the scabbard until it plopped unceremoniously onto the floor. “It looks like you got some really great deals for everything! Good thing you remembered.”
Hanae nodded slightly, walking over and looking at her friend, tilting her head when she noticed the moisture all over the statue's knee. “What can do to help?”
“Ah, if you want to help us out, there's another towel over near that bowl, you could indeed help us with this. If you could get his neck for us, that would be good,” The older doctor replied quickly, gesturing towards the bowl filled with the nectar-and-aloe mixture. The beastwoman quickly grabbed the washcloth nearby and submerged it in the medicine, holding it in both hands to keep it from dripping onto her feet as she strode back over to the petrified explorer.
Hanae walked around Skylar's form, feeling herself blush a little bit again as she looked at his back, and she gingerly covered the warrior's neck with the towel, her fingertips lightly kneading the fabric against his skin, feeling a slight ridge of bone between his shoulders. She rolled the fabric up, then flattened it out again, moving it up and down the statue's spine.
“How long will the medicine take to work?” She asked, a mild nervousness creeping into her voice, but Damien managed to answer her before the other doctor could.
“A little bit, but not a very very long time or anything,” The medic said, and Hanae blinked when he frowned suddenly, thinking of something, turning towards the clinic's caretaker. “Hey doc, is there any quicker way to do this? Like something I could do while we're out exploring and everything, you know what I mean?”
“If you want something as simple as a medica, I'm afraid not.” The other man shook his head with a slight grin. Hanae let her washcloth cling damply to Skylar's neck as she looked over at the elderly physician. “This has to be boiled fresh, after all. Hoh, and I don't think you'd find forest aloe in a big stone library, hohoho!”
“Couldn't we use the nectar and therica we keep with us, sir?” Hanae suggested, wiping her hands on her dress, cringing at the feeling of the sticky medicine against her padded dress, but continuing until she was dry; it was a small price to pay to not feel quite so grimy. The doctor plucked at his beard, looking up at the ceiling and humming briefly under his breath.
“Well, I suppose you could... but of course you would still need fresh water,” He replied, gesturing lamely as he hobbled over and inspected Skylar's neck and back. A pleased smile graced his features at the bushi's work, studying it close, bringing his glasses nearer to his face. “But if there are scorpions out there that can cause petrification, I imagine we'll be seeing lots more cases soon enough... perhaps I should send a letter to my colleagues out of town.”
Damien nodded earnestly, reaching into his satchel and pulling out his journal, opening it up to the page he had previously been scribbling on, combing his brain to remember everything that the doctor had talked about. He ran a hand through his wild, unkempt hair as he decided to start from the beginning and recall what he could from there. The paper crinkled slightly, and he planted a thumb on it to hold it down, leaving an unnoticed pale yellow print behind on the page.
“Hey. I'm back.”
Everyone jumped. Damien swiveled around, nearly dropping his notebook, his shock morphing into enthusiasm as Sahra strolled over and leaned against the edge of an empty bed, her arrival having gone unnoticed during the conversation. Hanae waved hesitantly at the young girl, who let her bow and quiver drop onto the sheets, then folded her arms, content to watch them work.
“Did you find Naomi?” The beastwoman walked over to the bowl of medicine, only to blink and stop in her tracks when she saw that it was empty. Sahra sighed, resting a palm on her forehead.
“She was at the Dancing Peacock for a bit, then she went to the explorers guild and challenged one of the bushi to a duel. The bunny lady won, and said she would try and patch her up and then send her back here for us,” The sniper explained smoothly, her words carrying an indifferent tone, and both Hanae and Damien looked up sharply at the news, the former opening her mouth to reply, only to lose her trail of thought, her ears drooping as she shut her jaw. Sahra paused, pulling a flask out from behind her, and held it out to her teammate. “She did deliver the book to Kirtida and finish the job, at least. We'll need to make a proper report on it later, but this was our reward.”
Damien took the bottle and opened it up, lightly spinning it before taking a sniff, flinching immediately afterward.
“Hehe... hehahahaha, it's nectar, really really strong nectar! Blegh... ech, very strong!” The medic started to laugh as he hastily closed the flask, steadying himself just enough to stuff it into his coat before snorting. “Ahah! We probably could have used this before when we were boiling, doc!”
“Really...? Well, I suppose it's already too late to try, hoh! We've used up all of the mixture we made, so now all we can do is wait, I'm afraid.” The doctor hurried over, chuckling quietly as he slapped the explorer's back.
“Are you sure?” Hanae asked softly. The clinic's caretaker nodded, and she bowed her head, her hands clasped together as she gave the elderly physician a grateful look. “Okay... thank you for everything, sir. Please, let us know when Skylar is... um... de-petrified.”
All he could see was darkness.
Skylar's eyes felt like lead, grogginess gripping his mind so strongly that he found it difficult – too difficult – to think, only picking up on a mild throbbing in the back of his head. Silver motes of dust seemed to dance in his vision, despite the lack of light, and he attempted to lean forward for a better look, feeling an odd tingle through his joints.
Suddenly, there was a spark of life in his chest, and the swordsman's heartbeat started again, the sensation of touch returning to his nerves, an overwhelming feeling washing over him as he woke up fully, his unconsciousness vanishing in an instant. He gasped, eyes opening as wide as saucers as the world seemed to register in his brain as if it was all new to him. The still air around him, a chill running through his arms and body, a lingering smell of food, wooden planks under his boots, the thud of two heavy somethings as his fingers uncurled... where... where was he? Was he on-board the Procne?
The explorer tensed as something grasped his forearm, saving him from an inevitable fall as he lurched forward, his aches and stiffness no longer dulled by his clouded senses. The something spoke, whispering. “Woahoh there, steady on. Easy does it now, you've had a rough day and night...”
“Wuh... w-w-wuh...” Skylar's mouth refused to move at first, only letting him make incoherent grunt. It took a few minutes before he remembered how to speak properly. “W-w-where am... w-what's going o-on?”
“Here... come with me,” Was the only reply he got, and he found himself being tugged towards... somewhere. That made his legs finally respond, taking a clumsy stomp forward, staggering along until the friendly something pressed on his back, easing him onto a comfortable set of sheets. He fussed around, shivering against the rather cold linens.
“Where a-am I?” Skylar said, blinking rapidly as his eyes got used to the dark room, and he looked over at the something, which turned out to be a very tired-looking bearded old man, who had taken his glasses off to rub the sleep from his eyes. “This... this isn't the library...”
“Very perceptive of you,” The old man remarked, placing his spectacles back on his nose with a light cough. “You're back in Tharsis, my boy, you're in the Sahrimnir Inn's clinic. I imagine your mind is probably still more than a little muddled, so it'd be best if you just lay back and tried to sleep again.”
“Tharsis!? But we were at the Echoing Library, I heard Hanae yelli- agh...” Skylar blurted out, shooting up from the bed in confusion, but a headache quickly forced him back down onto the pillow with a groan. “Y-yeah... sleep m-might be good... what time i-is it?”
“I believe it's about two in the morning. Good night, hoho! Hawww... my, excuse me...”
The doctor hobbled away before Skylar could respond, and the warrior curled up, falling asleep sooner than he realized.
When he woke up again, he found himself staring at a mess of blurry colors, half-shielded by his fluttering eyelids, and the swordsman lay prone on the downy mattress, resting his sore arms on top of the covers as he adjusted to the light streaming into the clinic. He could hear Tharsis bustling through the window behind him, the muted noise helping to keep him from drifting off again. He exhaled mightily, lifting a hand up to wick a line of drool from his mouth, but something soft and lightly fuzzy clasped the appendage. It was a little ticklish, and Skylar had to keep himself from letting out a quiet laugh.
“You're okay... you're okay, Skylar.” A cerise-eyed beastwoman suddenly appeared above him, cerise eyes locking with his, and he smiled, reaching over with his other arm and cleaning himself up. The two only got to enjoy each other's company for scant moments before a heavy plodding drew their attention away. Naomi burst into view, one of her cheeks red, swollen, and hidden by a wet bag of ice.
“So you're finally awake, huh? You took your sweet time, hahaha! You sure you're alright?” The fortress yelled with a laugh, smirking smugly at her teammate, who let his head loll around on his pillow. She walked up next to Hanae, resting her other elbow in her palm.
“I'm... huh?” The swordsman said, furrowing his brow. “What... happened to me? I remember... a little bit. We were at the library and that scorpion had managed to hit me with its tail...”
Both women looked at each other, Hanae uneasily, Naomi still smirking. The former was the one who broke the silence, her tail swishing around in the air, her concerned expression unable to mask the exuberant happiness she was feeling. “Skylar... that scorpion's sting petrified you somehow.”
“Petrified? You mean like... turned to stone?”
Hanae nodded gently, and Skylar ran his fingers through his dark hair, tousling it as the response sank in, letting out a low whistle. Naomi moved her ice bag to her other hand, wiping her drenched gauntlet on the side of her friend's dress; the beastwoman snapped her head over and frowned deeply, startling the knight into taking a shaky step backwards. The bedridden explorer chuckled, earning himself a short glare, and he shook his amusement away, looking back at his other friend.
“But... how? I'm guessing you all brought me back here?” He asked, a near-inaudible gasp escaping him as he tried to inch up into a sitting position, letting his neck bump against the back of the bed's frame. He cocked his head in mild confusion as Hanae bashfully turned away, idly twiddling with her thumbs, but there was a loud series of footsteps elsewhere in the inn that made them all perk up.
“Ah, ah... eh! There you are, Naomi!” Damien crowed as he slammed into the clinic, juggling a deep dish back and forth, Sahra following just a few paces behind. The medic quickly walked over, making a series of odd grunts as he tried to keep from burning himself, his wild hair bouncing with every step. “You didn't have a single bite of your breakfast and since you normally go for seconds and thirds anyway I was wondering if I could have your-”
He stopped when he noticed the swordsman, and he hastily set the plate – of Dalla's vegetable stew, Skylar saw, unable to keep his mouth from watering – onto a nearby chair. “Oh hey, Skylar! You're up, that's great, awesome!”
“Yeah, I guess I am.” The explorer smiled, nodding warmly at his teammate. Naomi trudged over to her food, snatching it up and shoveling some food into her mouth, exaggerating her chewing as she stared Damien down. The medic raised his hands defensively, grinning innocently at the armor-clad woman. Skylar chuckled again, then sucked in a breath as a twinge of pain rippled through his joints, particularly near one of his knees. “Egh... but shoot, I still feel really sore.”
“How the hell'd you even manage to get hit, anyway? Damien's the one who's bad at fighting, not you,” Naomi said crassly, flecks of vegetables flying onto her plate before she managed to gulp down her bite with a hunch of her shoulders. Damien nodded, not offended in the slightest by the knight's remark. “The old man said you'd be stuck here for a few days, so y'know, thanks heaps!”
Skylar shrugged, unable to give an answer, and slumped back onto the bed with a slight moan, wrestling with the sheets as he curled up, pulling his legs towards him. Hanae gingerly seated herself on the side of the mattress, reassuringly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb; he couldn't help but gaze warmly at the beastwoman in return.
“You got everything done while I was, er, petrified, right? Sold the food we'd picked up, filed a report on... wait, did you find that book that the researcher wanted?” He wondered aloud, relaxing when his friend nodded at him, her long hair shaking against her shoulders. Damien nodded, slinging his satchel around, the leather bag slapping against his stomach, and he dug through his disorganized supplies until he pulled out a small flask. He brandished it above his head with a 'tada!' and a victorious flourish, nearly smacking Sahra on the way up – the sniper stoically dodged under the medic's arm.
Someone coughed deliberately, clearing their throat, and the group of explorers glanced over at the clinic's caretaker, carrying a hefty medical book with a plate of his own on top of it; he was standing a respectful distance away, likely to keep from interrupting the group's discussion. As his friends voiced a hello, Skylar sat still for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, remembering the man as the older doctor from the night before. The swordsman lifted his free hand into the air.
The weak gesture prompted the bearded physician to hobble over to his side, wearing a thoughtful expression as he scanned over the explorer's form. Before Skylar could say anything, the doctor firmly tapped two fingers against his elbows, and he instinctively bent his arms; then he felt a tap on his knee and pulled his leg just a tiny bit closer. Satisfied, the elderly man stepped back and put his breakfast on the floor, letting his book flop open to a random section.
“Hohoho, well, if you're still sore, my boy, then I think you shouldn't really be fidgeting quite so much!” The man joked, clapping in good humor at his patient. Skylar sheepishly smiled; the advice rang true, after all.
“Is there anything else you needed, sir?” Hanae asked, turning towards the doctor, who was catching a quick glimpse into the pages of his book. He double-checked, then closed the cover over, shaking his head as he looked back at the beastwoman.
“Not at the moment, no, but I'll be here all day like I usually am,” He replied, bending down and picking up the plate of stew, taking care not to accidentally knock it over with his foot. He promptly held it out to Skylar, who blinked in mild surprise. “But I'll be testing his joints like that throughout the day every so often. Now go on, eat up before I decide to have it all to myself, hoh!”
“Er... thanks,” Skylar said. Hanae let go of his hand as he reached out and took the food, suddenly realizing just how empty his stomach was.
“You haven't eaten yet, doctor?” Sahra asked, staring sternly at the old man.
“Well, I was about to go and eat, actually!” He grinned back at the young girl, glancing over his shoulder at the five of them as he made for the clinic's door. “I suppose you're already eating, miss Naomi, but the rest of you are welcome to join me if you haven't either, of course!”
“Aw yeah, count me in!” Naomi exclaimed. Skylar's jaw dropped, though he kept his mouth closed, when he saw that the knight's plate was completely clean. Her appetite never ceased to amaze.
The other explorers all shared a mutual look as both the bearded physician and their teammate departed, and Hanae scooted back a little, her hair falling around her shoulders as she shyly bowed her head. Skylar ate a spoonful of stew, sighing as the inn's excellent cooking hit his tongue; Damien's stomach rumbled from the smell of the food, and he spun around the room in confusion, only noticing a few seconds later that he was the source of the sound. Sahra simply stood in silence, adjusting the strap of her goggles that hung around her neck.
“I'll stay here. You two can go on ahead, okay?” Hanae said.
The bushi nodded at Damien as he meekly scratched his neck, and the medic smiled, then bolted, heading off into the rest of the inn, his coat jostling around from the weight of the various medicines he carried with him. Sahra was the last to leave, the door's hinges squeaking as she swung it open, and the young girl stopped in the middle of the doorframe to take one last glance at her teammates. Skylar and Hanae both looked at her expectantly, the former pausing in the middle of his meal to lick his lips.
“Lovebirds.”
The sniper slipped away before either of them could protest, leaving the swordsman and the bushi alone in the clinic. Skylar slowly started to chew again, swallowing and laying his spoon to rest on the plate as he watched a flustered Hanae try to form a response and fail, wringing her fists in her lap. He reached out and playfully poked her belly, barking out a laugh when she yipped in surprise.
“So, uh... heh,” He started to speak, trailing off as his teammate gazed demurely at him, one of her ears twitching cutely. The warrior hid his awkward pause well by scooping up another quick nibble of stew, letting out a refreshed exhale as he finished. “...aren't you hungry, Hanae?”
“U-uh? Oh...” Hanae brushed her bangs back behind her, and Skylar thought he could see a deep blush forming underneath her cream-furred cheeks. “I... A little, I guess.”
The swordsman furrowed his brow, gathering up some food and offering the spoon to her. The beastwoman sitting near him gave him a small smile and took the utensil from his grasp, sending a pleasant, indescribable happiness through him. As she ate, he spoke up again. “Once... you said I got petrified, I figured that you did fine without me yesterday. What all happened while I was out?”
This time, he was the one to reach over and clasp her free hand, and she closed her eyes. “Well...”
Skylar jumped as a round iron ball thudded into the floor where he had been standing mere moments before, throwing chunks of ruined tile up into the air. He cautiously watched the strange automaton, which wobbled towards him on tiny legs, the blue crystal embedded in its forehead shining a beam of light that almost perfectly tracked the warrior's movements. Raising his sword, he focused hard, hearing the blood pump in his ears, waiting until his weapon started to audibly spark with electricity before he readied a mighty blow.
Suddenly, with a fierce warcry, Naomi barreled into the fray, charging at the robot with her shield raised, knocking it off of the ground and pushing it until she could push no more. She hastily turned her head around, eyes widening as she stared back at her startled teammate, and the fortress jabbed out with her hammer, giving him a loud grunt. Skylar spun around and yelped at the scorpion's pincer aiming for his face, smacking it away with his shield; the monster reared up and whipped its tail forward, but the swordsman stepped out of the appendage's reach, waiting for a chance to strike.
The chance never seemed to come, however, as the scorpion continued a relentless assault with its tail and claws, hardened chitin clattering endlessly against the explorer's shield, leaving no safe opening for a counterattack. It fell into an easy, almost rhythmic pattern that he began to count off in his head: one sound of a pincer on metal, a second sound of a pincer on metal, then he took another step back, letting the creature's stinger hit the stone underfoot. First pincer, second pincer, a step back. One, two, step. One, two, step.
It was almost like dancing, he thought. Was this why Hanae seemed to be good at dodging and countering in the blink of an eye? Maybe there was more to her graceful movements than he realized.
Skylar was rudely flung out of his thoughts as the scorpion changed its tune, grabbing the bottom of his shield with both claws and throwing them up, and the swordsman cried out in surprise, his arm twisting at an awkward angle and flipping over his head. The man berated himself inwardly for getting caught off-guard, bracing himself as the monster scuttled forward, closing in for the kill.
“Sahra, now!” The yell accompanied an arrow that flew in from the left, piercing through the tip of the scorpion's tail with a sickening noise, the sacs of venom inside of it popping from within, practically exploding all over the monster's body. Skylar flinched at the sight of the mutilated stinger, turning away in disgust, and he glanced over at Hanae and Sahra, who dashed towards the wounded monster, the former drawing her katana and calling out to her friend. “Skylar, your sword!”
The explorer tightened his grip on his weapon and forced himself to look back at the scorpion afterward, biting back a retch as he kicked off, stabbing his electrified blade above his opponent's jaws; he felt more than a little satisfied as the monster started to hiss and buzz from the sparks that coursed through its body. He sidled away and watched as Hanae followed up his attack, swatting the scorpion with the flat of her blade, a lance of linked lightning hitting its underbelly and sending it flailing into the air, landing upside-down a short distance away. Sahra split off to flank the monster, one hand at her quiver.
Skylar stopped in his tracks as he bumped into Damien, and the wild-haired man carefully picked up his shield arm, giving it a quick checkup. It didn't feel like it hurt, and the medic seemed to agree, letting it drop back down to the warrior's side. “That was a pretty clever idea that it came up with, wasn't it? It's not sprained or broken or anything, though.”
“Yeah, I thought it was alright...” Skylar started to say, but Hanae waved to get their attention, and they watched as the scorpion managed to right itself, glaring furiously at the four explorers. Skylar shrugged his shoulders and walked to the beastwoman's side, nudging her and smiling before placing a palm on his sword.
Naomi's bellow took everyone by surprise, including the scorpion, which was abruptly crushed underneath the weight of an armored automaton as it tripped over the creature, the light on its forehead dimming until it had died completely. The knight that had stampeded into the robot yelped as she tripped along with it, metal scraping against its breastplate as she slid onto the floor, her tower shield turning into a makeshift sled. Sahra was the first to get her bearings back, circling around to survey both foes; Skylar and Hanae were next, and they ran over to their teammate, helping pull the fortress to her feet.
“Thanks, you two,” Naomi said with a nod, her armor clanking as she stomped around and retrieved her shield, taking a few seconds to dust it off. “If that's what these imperial assholes have guarding this place, then they better think about getting some better goddamn guards, hah!”
As Damien jogged over and started to patch the woman up, Skylar sat down on the tiled floor, looking around at the towering bookcases as he caught his breath – Hanae did the same, sheathing her blade before she lowered herself next to the swordsman, resting her head against his. Sahra called out to them from the pair of corpses, and they peered at the girl as she stood up, shaking her head.
“There's nothing I could possibly scavenge from either of them,” The sniper put plainly, shouldering her bow before she continued. “But in case any of you were still wondering, the scorpion is definitely dead.”
Skylar sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Thanks for checking.”
“I'm doing my best, Naomi... so if you would try and hold still for just... a moment...”
A bowstring twanged loudly, sending an arrow whistling through the air of the overgrown ruins, and the young man glanced over his shoulder, startled by the exchange going on behind him. He watched with grim satisfaction as the sharp, silver arrowhead crashed full-force into a flame-coated wildcat that was scratching and snarling at the shield its target, a blonde-haired woman in brilliant armor, hoisted up. The strength of the sniper's shot sent the lynx flying into the nearby bookcase with a heavy slam, knocking a few ruined leather bindings loose from the high shelves; they fell, one after the other, onto the prone body of the monster, adding insult to injury.
“Skylar, on your flank!” Another voice, notes of steel playing in its usual softness, called out, and the explorer swiveled around at the yell of his name, bringing his arm up just in time as a sticky tongue wrapped around it, and a purple lizard started tugging, trying to pull him in. There was a sudden flash, accompanied by singing metal, and there was a screech of pain as a limp stump snapped back into the creature's gaping mouth. Skylar looked up at the slender figure standing between him and the anoir, who wiped blood from her katana, a red smear staining the side of her short padded dress. “I'll finish this one off, you go and check on Damien, okay?”
He shot the cream-furred beastwoman a grateful thumbs-up before jogging towards the dead end of the corridor, kicking up dust and bits of ruined tile, his boots stomping against the floor. There was another pained screech from the lizard, and he did his best to ignore the battle, instead craning his neck towards the ceiling, waving his sword at the other man high above his head. “Hey, Damien! Have you found that book yet?”
“Nope, nothing so far!” Came the reply, and Skylar found himself having to jump back as the medic practically flung a book at his head. The warrior ran a hand through his dark hair until his bracer bumped against his forehead; he stared at the pages, which looked like they had been half-eaten. “Just let me look a little bit longer, I'm sure that this was where I saw it! This spot is too familiar to not be the right place, I'm telli- look out!”
The medic held on tightly to the wall with one hand, pointing anxiously with the other, his coat and satchel waving from the abrupt motion. Skylar followed the finger and hastily sidestepped the jabbing claw of a dark gray scorpion, anger burning in its beady yellow eyes. He raised his shield defensively, digging his heels in before drawing his sword.
The monster scuttled forward on pointed legs, rearing back and swinging its other claw with surprising speed; the blow glanced harmlessly off of Skylar's shield, but he felt his feet skid against the floor, his sense of balance lost momentarily as he stumbled backwards. He awkwardly swung his blade to try and counter the attack, and there was a slight cracking sound. Tiny chunks of exoskeleton broke off from the damaged pincer, and the scorpion halted for a split-second before redoubling its approach, seeming completely unfazed.
Skylar shook his head and bounced on the tips of his toes as he regained his bearings, easily jumping over the monster's strike, stomping hard on its carapace before hopping away. He placed a palm on the hilt of his sword, concentrating, focusing, sensing energy swirl around the weapon. When he felt the metal start to warm up, he opened his eyes and raised his sword, which was now pulsing red with magic flames. The glow alone made the scorpion recoil in fear of the strange new threat that the warrior had created, its legs laying flat and its claws snapping together in an attempt to look menacing.
“This'll work just fine!” Skylar yelled, to nobody in particular, as he dashed forward, sharply pivoting as he drew near the scorpion, and his blade erupted into burning, flickering flames. He slashed at the creature's limbs, watching intently for the strike's result.
He smiled – the heat had worked! Both pincers clattered to the library floor, severed in half, the momentum of the attack even outright tearing them from the monster's body.
The explorer's satisfaction was short-lived, however, when the scorpion mimicked his movements, spinning around before he could react, its tail laying flat on the ground, the barbed tip ripping effortlessly through his pants and landing a deep cut on his leg. Skylar hissed in pain, caught off-guard by the vicious strike, and kicked at the creature, sending it up into the air and into the bookcase across from them both. The man grit his teeth as he quickly stole a glance at Damien, who had returned his attention to scouring the ruined library. He turned back towards his foe, his neck feeling oddly leaden all of a sudden, and the scorpion got back to its feet, curling and uncurling its tail as it stared the explorer down.
“Get back!”
The monster turned and looked at the newcomer that was sprinting towards it, her katana sweeping upward in a mighty slash, and it vainly lashed out to try and sting the beastwoman, instead losing all feeling in its limbs and then losing consciousness soon afterward. The scorpion's glare grew dull and lifeless as its body cleanly split in two, and the beastwoman danced around and swung again, lopping its tail off completely just for good measure, a link of flames imbued in her second strike.
She stared at the dead creature, glaring right back at it for a second, two seconds, three seconds... and then she inhaled deeply... and exhaled deeply, letting her posture slump as her tension subsided. Taking a look at her blade and grimacing, she wiped it again on her dress before returning it to its scabbard, sighing as she stepped away from the growing pool of scorpion blood.
“Daaamn! Nice kill, Hanae! Not that a bug like that could be a match for us, eh?” The bushi perked up, her ears twitching as armor clanked behind her, and Naomi ran up to her side, grinning toothily at the corpse laid before them. Another, lighter, set of footsteps alerted them to Sahra's presence, and the young girl pushed past both of them without a word, taking her goggles off and adjusting the red band that tied her bangs back.
“Aha, I found it! Hey, I found it, everyone, look!” Hanae and Naomi both peered at Damien, who was waving an unadorned tome at them, excitement evident in his face, his unkempt hair bouncing around. He waited for a moment, taking in the height he had climbed to. “But... uh, ahah, I'm not sure if I can make my way back down! Can one of you catch me?”
“Oh, you dumbass!” Naomi snorted loudly at the man on the bookcase, dropping her shield and hammer to the ground before walking to the base of the wall, wading through a small pile of destroyed papers and holding her arms wide. “Here, just jump and aim for me!”
Damien shuffled around until he was facing outward, pressing his back strongly against the various other books, his tiptoes on the edge of the hollowed stone. He inched forward a bit, bent his knees, swallowed dryly, and let go of the shelves, springing off of his foothold. He abruptly swerved down as his ankle clipped a stray vine, and he plummeted towards the ground. “OkaaAAAAAAAH! CATCH ME CATCH ME CATCH ME-”
Hanae's jaw dropped at their friend's misstep, and she sucked in a breath, stepping over and watching her teammate scramble around in a panic. Before she could try and help, however, the medic collided with the fortress' head, sending them both into a sprawling heap. The beastwoman couldn't help but giggle quietly at the sight, and she turned away to hide her amused smile. Damien was the first to sit back up, but he yelped in surprise as he was rudely yanked back down.
“What are you thinking!?” Naomi barked angrily, sitting up herself, brushing the stray parchment off of her armor, some of it falling to pieces at the touch. Damien's arm shot into the air, holding their leather-bound prize aloft, and he broke into a round of chuckles, which only seemed to annoy the woman more. “You're seriously laughing about this!?”
Hanae chose that moment to step in, offering both explorers an open palm. They glanced up at the beastwoman, glanced at each other, then took her grasp, and she helped them back to their feet, leading them over to Sahra, who was carefully carving the barb out of the scorpion's tail tip with a small knife. Damien hummed at the sight of the monster, digging into his bag and pulling out a cleaner, well-kept journal, as well as a sharpened stick of charcoal.
“Oho, this looks like some of the other scorpions we've seen before!” He muttered, quickly opening his book to a random page and starting to doodle. Sahra finished her work and slipped the needle into a small pouch on her belt. “Hey, Skylar, I was busy looking for that DNA book so I didn't see you fighting. What did this thing do, huh? Anything interesting?”
The warrior didn't answer, and Hanae cocked her head in confusion, turning around as Damien stopped drawing and repeated himself, raising his voice louder.
She gasped, her heart skipping a few beats as her eyes went as wide as saucers. “S-Skylar!”
Her frightened cry startled the other three explorers, and she ran over to the warrior in question, slowing to a stop just a couple paces away. Her teammates let out similar noises of dismay, and she hesitantly reached out, inching forward until she grazed the man's chin, his sword and shield still held forward to defend himself. His skin was cold to the touch, rough and gray – the sensation made the beastwoman flinch, covering her mouth in shock. Naomi, Damien and Sahra rushed over as she drew back, and the fortress walked around their friend before tapping his ear. The sound of metal against stone was unmistakable.
“What the hell... what the hell?” The woman said, uncharacteristically quiet, unable to stop herself from staring at the frozen swordsman. She tugged the top of his green shirt, then his scaled mail, looking down at his back. She then let the clothes snap back to the warrior's neck, letting out a confused huff and folding her arms. “What the hell! He's been totally turned to stone!”
“My god...” Damien mumured. Hanae felt the man nudge her, and she stepped away, letting him take a proper look at Skylar's face. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his own, gently wrapping her hands around the clenched fist, rubbing her thumb on the warrior's glove. Any other time, the gesture would have been comforting. It took a few minutes, or what seemed to feel like a few minutes, for the beastwoman to tear herself away from the sight, and she looked aimlessly around the library corridor, finally settling on watching her studious teammate scribble notes in his journal.
“So what's up with him?” Naomi asked, stomping back around and attempting to look over the medic's shoulder. He hunched forward each time she tried. “Was this because of that scorpion thing?”
“I... I have no idea!” Damien's voice trembled, caught halfway between curiosity and horror, and he swiftly dotted a sentence and slapped his book shut, standing up straighter to reveal his utterly baffled expression. He blew his bangs out of his face, blindly grasping at the various tubes and wraps of medicine stored in his coat pockets.
“You what!?” The armor-clad woman growled her reply, looking skeptically at her teammate. When he nodded at her, she walked over and gave him a strong noogie, digging her knuckles into his scalp. “Are you joking with me here? You're the team nerd, Damien, you're the one who's supposed to know about this kind'a stuff!”
“Well I don't, okay?” He shot back, wincing at the fortress. “I don't think any of us have ever had someone just turn to stone before and I don't have enough medicine to cover Skylar's whole body!”
“We... we need to get back to Tharsis. We need to get back and get Skylar to the clinic, and quickly,” Hanae said firmly, stepping away and looking at the other three explorers. She blinked when she saw Sahra, who had already gotten their bundle of maps out and was looking over one of them. Damien ducked away and nodded at the bushi's words, and Naomi nearly lost her balance, catching herself before her gauntlet punched into the floor, groaning in frustration.
“We're not far from where we left the Procne.” A stoic Sahra ambled over, holding their map of the library out for all to see. “But it would be hard for us to carry Skylar through the shortcut with the way he is now, and with the food we've gathered, I don't know where we'd bring him. It'd be better to use a warp wire.”
All eyes turned to Damien, who stared back for a moment before realization dawned on him. He dug into his satchel. “Oh... ah, right. Hang on, it's in here somewhere...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I'll be honest with you all... I never thought I'd see a case of this during my time in Tharsis. Heck, I never thought I'd see a case in my life! But you sure did it, Zephyrus... you sure did it.”
The old, bearded man hobbled around Skylar's prone form, inspecting it through a pair of big, round glasses, his remark not telling the four explorers very much at all. Hanae looked out the window as the clinic drifted into silence once again, feeling more than a little relieved at the emptiness of the room. The rush to carry Skylar through the wharf and down to the clinic, aided by a helpful group of guards, had left everyone feeling very, very drained. The early afternoon sun cast a bright glow throughout the city, and the beastwoman watched as the outside world passed them by.
“So that means you actually know what to do about this, right?” Naomi said, glancing sideways at Damien as she spoke, impatiently tapping her foot against the floorboards. The older physician turned towards the team's medic, who was frowning unhappily at the armored woman. The frown quickly twisted in to a sheepish grin when he noticed that the doctor was staring at him.
“Hrm... yes, you could say that,” The doctor replied, squatting down and squinting at the small hole in the swordsman's pants, revealing his stone knee. He blew on it before beckoning everyone to take a look. Hanae's eyes flicked over at the gesture, and she slid out of her chair, tracing the thin scrape that the old man was pointing out; it was pink, the only part of Skylar that wasn't stone. “I'll have to consult my books, but this is clearly where the scorpion wounded him, and that's a good place for me to start, hoh!”
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and even the corners of Sahra's mouth twitched upwards happily. Hanae stood back up, an invisible weight lifting from her shoulders, and her tail wagged a couple times. She locked eyes with the elderly man as he got to his feet; a pleasant sparkle played on his features, and the dimples in his cheeks were hidden by his facial hair. His mind seemed to wander somewhat, and he thought hard before continuing his diagnosis.
“It will take some time, however. He won't be de-petrified until tonight or maybe tomorrow in the morning, and he won't be going on any explorations for a few days more,” He said deliberately, obviously trying his best to sugarcoat the news for the four of them.
“That's fine, sir,” Hanae answered before anyone else could respond, giving the doctor a polite, reassuring wave. The bushi ignored the slack-jawed look that Naomi was giving her, and instead shook her head, brushing back a few strands of her hair when they fell in front of her arms. “I'm... we're just glad that you're able to treat it at all, really.”
“Damien. Book.” Naomi turned towards the medic, who quirked an eyebrow up at her.
“What-”
“Just gimme the damn book, I'm gonna go to the bar!”
“Alright, alright! Geez...” Damien stiffened at the terse reply, and he grabbed his satchel, undoing the flap and rummaging through it for a couple seconds, finally pulling out the book from the Echoing Library. He held it outward, studying its cover with a passionate smile, but the fortress swiped it out of his hands and stomped, livid, towards the clinic's door, opening it and then slamming it shut as she left.
The noise brought a new face running from elsewhere in the building, and a woman in a puffy blue dress peeked her head in through the wooden frame, bringing the smell of baking bread and roasting meats with her. “Oh! I'm not interrupting anything, am I, dears? After all the guards earlier, I wasn't sure when I heard the door...”
Hanae smiled sweetly at the innkeeper, and Damien and Sahra got out of their seats, the former cheerily waving. She eased herself into the room, leaving the door open behind her as she hurriedly walked over to the explorers, pulling them all into an impromptu group hug. The beastwoman sniffed, the scent of food wafting around the woman's dress, so strong that it briefly overpowered anything and everything else in the room.
“No... miss... Dalla!” Sahra exclaimed, wriggling free, and Dalla took that as her cue to let go of the others, glancing down at the young girl, who corrected her hairband, then checked inside all of the pouches on her belt. Satisfied that nothing was out of place, she made for the door as well, looking behind at her teammates. “It was... just Naomi, being the way she usually is. I'm going to catch up and keep an eye on her. I'll be at the bar if you need me.”
“Okay, Sahra!” Damien cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to the sniper, speaking quickly so she would hear him before the door closed again. “Be careful! Make sure that she doesn't get in any fightsanddon'tdrinkanythingsheoffersyoualright!”
The hinges creaked slightly when the knob stopped moving, and the clinic's caretaker cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Dalla squeezed Hanae's forearm, sending her a doting wink, and the beastwoman nodded at the innkeeper with a small, thankful smile, watching as she departed, returning to whatever work she had to do. After a second more, she turned back to the elderly physician, who was thoughtfully eying both her and Damien.
“Well... anyway...” The old man trailed off, pausing for a moment in case there were any more interruptions. Damien opened his mouth, then realized that the doctor wasn't finished speaking, and closed it. “Treating the petrification will take some time, and I'll need my full attention to do it, so before I get started, I was wondering if we could discuss payment?”
“Ah... oh! Oh, of course,” Hanae blinked in surprise, then exhaled, feeling mildly embarrassed at her own forgetfulness. She walked back to her seat and grabbed a coin pouch that was neatly tied to her katana, leaning against an empty bed. Her ears flicked as she counted out their money; one, ten, twenty... one hundred or so was the usual fee, she remembered that quite clearly, at least.
“Uh, doc, I was wondering,” Damien said, raising his hand and walking over, and the old man nodded at him to continue. The medic didn't seem to notice, too busy giving Skylar another thorough checkup, pinching his nose, attempting to close his eyes, and looking at the scratch above his knee. “Since you're going to be treating him, could I stay here and maybe help you out, do you think? That way I'd know what to do if we were all in the Echoing Library and this happened again.”
“Hoho, that sounds just fine, my boy!” Came a quick reply.
Damien grinned excitedly as the warm smile returned to the old man's face, but found himself wheezing right afterward as the elderly man clapped a hand against his back, accidentally winding him in the process. Hanae looked away from re-counting the payment at Damien's grunt, watching him take a couple deep breaths. He reached into the pockets of his coat and brought out a roll of bandages, then a couple flasks filled with colorless fluid. The other doctor shuffled around and peeked at her, expectantly thrusting a arm out, and she gingerly slipped the handful of coins into his palm, shyly looking back out the window.
“Would you like to stay as well, miss?” The elderly man asked, and the beastwoman glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, feeling her face turn red when she saw the knowing look that he wore. She nodded demurely, and the old man's smile widened considerably. “Well, I'm glad to hear that... because I may need both of you to help take off some of the armor your pal's wearing, hoh!”
Hanae's eyes widened and her cheeks flared up even further, and the doctor laughed heartily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sahra silently stalked through the streets of Tharsis, slipping through the crowd of various explorers with ease, the Sahrimnir Inn soon vanishing completely from her sight. People seemed to jump in surprise as she pushed and sidled her way past them, only to relax and wave at her. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes, not recognizing a good amount of them. She wondered how many people were novices heading to the mine just outside of town... she turned sideways when she noticed a small gap between two warriors in golden plate, stepping through without even feeling them bump her.
That was something she was going to miss when she started to grow taller.
“Sahra! Hey, hey! Sahra!” She narrowed her eyes at the sound of her name, scanning back and forth for whoever was calling her. It didn't take long to notice the other young girl waving her arms wildly at her, her brown overalls – and to a lesser extent, her face, too, Sahra noticed – stained with layer upon layer of soot and grime from her job at the atelier. “I didn't realize that ya were back home!”
“Hello there, Wynne.” Sahra waved a simple greeting at the energetic girl, who suddenly grunted when a soldier bumped her side with his spear. The sniper peered around the plaza for a moment, spotting an empty wall near some building or another. She grabbed the apprentice blacksmith's wrist, leading her out of the middle of the street. “What brings you out of the shop?”
“Me? Aw, I'm on a lunch break, hehe,” Wynne replied, letting out a chuckle as she scratched at the back of her head, her own pair of goggles moving just slightly. Sahra leaned against the wall and stretched, feeling the quiver of arrows dig into her waist. “Ain't no big deal, just a busy day as usual, ya know. But what about you? Weren't you an da rest of da crew out exploring up past da big mountains?”
Sahra nodded, letting her arms fall to her sides, and as she rested them on her belt, she remembered the barb from the scorpion. The girl glanced down at the various pouches for a moment, debating whether to bring it up. She looked up after a second, making a mental note to stop at the atelier sometime later. “We were. Skylar had picked up another request from the bar. Someone was looking for a book in the Echoing Library, and Damien remembered noticing it a while ago.”
“Just one little book? In dat big of a place?” The apprentice replied, tilting her head in thought. Sahra raised her head a little in surprise, only to lower it soon after; Wynne was probably exaggerating about the ruins as usual, and she just happened to be right this time- “I've seen da maps of dat place, a few other explorers were showing em off ta da boss! Were ya really able ta find it?”
Sahra sighed, turning her gaze towards the center of the city, the mass of figures blending together as she tried to trace what path she could take from here to the bar. Naomi was probably already there, and that thought nearly made her frown worriedly. “Yes, we did, Naomi's taking the book over right now. I was on my way to catch up with her. She... wasn't very happy when she left the clinic.”
“The clini- wait, da clinic!?” Wynne blurted out, staring in alarm at her friend's words, balling her hands into fists. “W-w-what happened? What happened down in da library, Sahra!? C'mon, tell me that nobody's gonna...”
Sahra rolled her eyes in response, but the pained expression on the apprentice's face was enough to make her force a serious smile; the explorer hoped that the rare gesture would help alleviate Wynne's innocent, childlike concern. “Nobody is dead or going to die, Wynne, no. There were some monsters near the spot the book was in, and one of them turned Skylar to stone before we killed it. That's why we're back in Tharsis now, he'll be recovering for a few days.”
“Woah... stone? No way...” Wynne whispered, awestruck.
The conversation slowed to a stop; Sahra was more focused on looking for the bar, and the apprentice blacksmith didn't seem to have any more to say. The sniper stood up, moving away from the wall, and she was about to leave when her bow slid down her arm a little, its string gently holding her back. She gave Wynne, who had grabbed the end of the weapon, a patient look.
“Sorry, eh... do ya think it'd be okay if I went an checked on Skylar?” She asked, grinning awkwardly as the explorer peeled her grasp off of the bow. “I'm going ta da inn for lunch anyway, so it ain't like I'd be going outta my way or nothing!”
Sahra paused, mulling the question over. She felt more than a little happy that her friend was so worked up, but... well. It wasn't really her decision to make anyway, was it? She folded her arms, letting a genuine smile onto her face this time. “I don't know how Skylar would feel about it. He is petrified, after all. But Hanae and Damien were still there when I left, and I think they would be glad to see you. Just ask the doctor first.”
The young girl beamed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Sahra, embracing her tightly for a few moments before letting go and walking backwards towards the street. “Thanks, Sahra! Heh, now I'm really starvin! See ya later, alright?”
Sahra simply held up a hand as the apprentice blacksmith jogged away, standing in place and watching her friend until she couldn't see her anymore, and she stared into the heart of Tharsis itself afterward, feeling content with herself. She reached back and rubbed an itch on her neck. A strange, dusty something made her stop, and she looked at her glove. The sniper winced. Soot was clinging to the hard fabric.
Her happiness dampened, Sahra curled her fists and marched forward, ducking and weaving through the crowd again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Dancing Peacock wasn't usually so empty at this time of day.
Kirtida hummed to herself, grabbing a mug from underneath the counter and wiping it down with a washrag, searching in vain for any more imaginary smudges that might still have been on its rounded surface. The bartender looked away from her work, absently scrubbing the heavy glass as she scoured the room, checking on the few occupants; she thanked Kismet for making her good at multitasking. A portly maintenance worker was slacking off on one of the couches, Sophie was sitting on the empty stage, rifling through her bag of equipment, a couple arcanists were sitting in the corner and chatting to themselves, their drinks barely touched and probably forgotten.
Nobody looked like they needed anything, and the tanned woman shoved the mug back among the rest with a sigh, carelessly letting the cloth slip from her grasp. It was satisfying to not be busy for once, of course, but it was also quite boring, which Kirtida hadn't been for... months, maybe. The sensation was unwelcome, and she traced a fingernail around the bowl of dried fruit that she usually left out for the easily-inebriated.
The chime of a bell signaled the door being opened, and she spun on her heels, reaching up to fix the bejeweled veil sitting on her head. When she saw who entered, she almost groaned. A knight with short blonde hair, decked out in heavy plate armor, noisily trudged over, hopping up onto a barstool without even saying a word.
“Well,” The bartender broke the silence, leaning down and steepling her fingers. The explorer looked at her irritably, blinking a couple times, which Kirtida took to be the closest thing to a 'hello' that she was going to get. Maybe someone was stuck in the clinic? “It's a little early for you to be coming in for a drink, hm?”
“Just gimme something strong, will ya?” Naomi tersely replied, and the fortress reached around and slammed a book onto the countertop, drumming her fingers against it before roughly shoving it over to the bartender.
The movement nearly knocked over the bowl of dried fruits, and Kirtida just barely managed to grab it before its contents were flipped onto the carpeted floor. She leveled a scolding glare at the younger explorer, and tried to calm down when she turned to put the food back, grabbing the mug from before and walking to the end of the bar, looking at the bottles on one of the higher shelves. After moving from cork to cork, the bartender finally took one, opening it up and letting the rich, amber liquid flow out into the glass, foam rising until it reached the very top.
Kirtida strolled back and held the ale out to Naomi, who took it in both her gauntlets, drinking deeply; she downed half the glass before she put it down, exhaling heavily as she did. She had perked up compared to moments ago, but the bartender could tell that her mood was still far from perfect. “So how are you doing?”
“Crappy.”
“Clearly.” She replied without missing a beat, her words dripping with sarcasm. The knight didn't notice – or care – in the slightest, lifting her ale into the air and polishing the rest of it off with one swift motion. Kirtida leaned onto the counter, and her wrist bumped against the book Naomi had brought with her. While her customer was preoccupied, she picked up the old, weathered tome, scanning over both the back and front. Both sides were featureless, the details probably lost to time and age. “So what's with this? Something of Damien's?”
Naomi gave her an incredulous look as she put her empty mug down again. “Are you serious, Kirtida?”
“What?” The bartender's mind started to race, trying to figure out what the fortress meant.
“God dammit... you know, the job!” Naomi swore loudly, lashing out with her arm, gesturing towards the bulletin board that hung on the nearby wall. Kirtida leaned sideways over the counter, narrowing her eyes. Now that she looked, there were a few empty tacks still stuck to it... ohhh...! The knight on the stool shook her head, and she realized that her realization was plain as day on her face.
“Yes... that's right, I'd forgotten you had all come and taken that request,” Kirtida said, retrieving the opened ale and gently shaking it towards Naomi. The fortress nodded curtly at her, and she tipped the bottle forward, refilling the mug with one hand and idly flipping the first few pages of the ancient book with the other. She couldn't make heads or tails of the odd charts and diagrams, aside from a string of double-helices. “The researcher who was wanting the book on monster DNA. I'm sure he'll be happy that you found this for him.”
“He better be, because I'm not happy!” The explorer growled and took another, smaller, swig of her drink, then grabbed a handful of dried fruit, stuffing it into her mouth. Kirtida closed her eyes and massaged her temples. The alcohol seemed to be helping Naomi talk, at least, which was progress. “Bah, forget it... maybe I'll just go out to the mine and blow off some steam, those giant baboons there make good punching bags...”
“Well then, what's got you all riled up?” The bartender scooped the book up into her arms, slipping it under the counter, away from the dishes cluttering the rest of the shelves, swapping it for the flask of strong medicine left as the job's payment. “You're always the first one here to celebrate whenever you and the rest of the Zephyrus Guild finish a request, so... just call me curious.”
Naomi let out a heaving sigh, slumping over until her chin was resting on the wooden surface, one of her cheeks rising and falling as she idly chewed. The knight stayed like that for a few minutes, staring blankly at the wall of the bar. “Guuuh... a scorpion turned Skylar to stone, so we're not gonna be exploring for a few days. It's stupid, I know, okay?”
“S-stone?” Kirtida did a double-take. She had guessed that one of her friends had gotten hurt, but whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been something like that. She hurried back over to the fortress, her scarves and jewelry rustling, and set the elixir down. “Goodness...”
“No, not goodness. Badness,” Naomi replied, and Kirtida furrowed her brow. She almost wanted to laugh at the woman's obliviousness, but didn't – she couldn't really tell if it was an attempt at a joke or not.
“But surely there's other things that you can spend your time doing, no?” She asked, taking the empty mug and wiping it down again, wryly noting in her head that she actually had something to clean from it this time. Naomi mumbled something incoherent and ate a second helping of snacks, letting her cheek fall into her other gauntlet. Kirtida slid the mug next to the explorer's elbow and wrung the now-damp dishrag out.
“Can I get another drink?”
“I don't think the others would like you to get drunk while the sun is still up.”
“Oh, come on!”
The tanned woman looked around the room worriedly as Naomi yelled in annoyance, hoping that nobody was too disturbed by the knight's outburst, and she frowned when she noticed the maintenance worker, who had fallen asleep on the couch. She squinted; it looked like the lazy man might have even been drooling. After scanning over the rest of the bar, she leaned in close to her nearby customer, her voice turning stern.
“Absolutely not, especially if you keep shouting,” She whispered, and she pointed out the elixir of nectar that the fortress hadn't collected.
The explorer's brown eyes followed the digit, and she reached out and glumly snatched the flask, resigned to her current sobriety. Kirtida smiled, biting back a laugh as Naomi started to slide the medicine bottle between her palms, and the door bell chimed again, catching the bartender's attention; she turned to look at the new arrival, her eyes widening slightly at the young girl that was solemnly walking over to the two of them, slipping her bow off of her back and resting it against an empty stool.
“Hello, miss Kirtida,” Sahra said as she hopped onto the stool, and Naomi's head shot up, jerking sideways to stare in surprise at her teammate. The sniper shuffled a bit in her seat before resting her arms on the countertop, glancing at the racks of drinks on the opposite wall. “I would just like some water, or juice, if you have any, please.”
The woman smiled slyly at the girl, clicking her tongue as she grabbed a smaller, wooden cup and started searching through the bottles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Okay... let's put it down on three. One... two... three-!”
Hanae held in a breath as she and Damien bent over, laying Skylar's set of scalemail next to a bracer and armguard, and she brushed away a few beads of sweat that were trickling down her bangs. Damien huffed, sucking at his sore fingers as he stared at the loose latches attached to each side of the collar, and the beastwoman wondered if he was regretting his suggestion to open them up, even if it had finally made it possible to take the scalemail off at all. She stood up and took a step back, her heel landing on the remains of her friend's shirt – she hoped the swordsman wouldn't mind that they had to cut it in half – and she quickly gathered the ruined garment up, draping it over its owner's backpack.
“Well, if you don't mind me saying so, hoho, he certainly would make for a fine-looking statue the way he is now, wouldn't he?” The physician remarked with a chuckle, and Hanae glanced behind her back at the bearded old man, who was still fiddling with the sword and shield that were stuck in the petrified explorer's grip.
After a few more vain attempts, he gave up and walked away, letting Skylar's form come into view again. The bushi gazed briefly at the dynamic pose the warrior was in, arms thrust outward as if he was about to deflect a mighty blow from an invisible opponent, with a pained, but utterly determined, expression frozen on his face. Damien pushed past her, grinning humorously as he circled around their teammate, searching for any more wounds that they might have missed.
“So now that we've gotten his armor off, what do we do next?” He asked, hopping onto an empty bed and bouncing a bit as he looked to the clinic's elderly caretaker, who started leafing backwards through one of his medical books, abruptly stopping as he came to a particular section.
“Hmm...” He grunted in reply. “Oh... hm, that's a bit of a problem.”
“What?” Hanae's ears twitched, and she worriedly loped over, catching herself just shy of reading the book over the old man's shoulder. His head turned to look around, and the startled man gasped, then exhaled, making the beastwoman feel a little sheepish. Damien jogged over as well, the supplies in his satchel shaking noisily. “Please, what's wrong, sir?”
“Hoh, sorry to accidentally get you two worried, it's nothing bad.” The doctor waved dismissively, moving over to let both explorers read over a short passage he was pointing to. Hanae's eyes darted back and forth as she reciting the writing in her head: boil the flowers in fresh water for five minutes or whenever nectar is extracted... mix in the aloe leaves until the scent of the flowers is no longer strong... strain the liquid into a new container to remove the solid matter... her head started to spin a little at the detailed instructions, and the medic standing next to her leaned in, reading closely.
“Wow... this is complicated... and it's really interesting!” Damien exclaimed, quickly grabbing his journal so he could jot down some notes, scribbling so energetically that Hanae worried, only for a moment, that the charcoal stick might tear through the paper. “But what's the problem then, exactly?”
“Like I said, nothing big. We just used up the last of the nectar flowers we had on hand the other day, so I'm gonna have to go and get some more for this,” The old man replied, scratching under his grizzled chin. Damien raised his head at that, leaving his notes unfinished.
“Why don't I just go and get them?” The explorer offered, shrugging at the older man.
He got a grin and a thumb towards the window in response. Hanae and Damien looked out at the busy Tharsis streets, the latter absentmindedly closing his notebook, putting it back in his satchel, and tugging on the edges of his coat as the doctor spoke up. “That's kind of you, my boy, but I was thinking of sending you to go and draw some water up from the well! You'd be better at it than me.”
Damien straightened up and gave the clinic's caretaker a single, sharp nod, and he turned to walk out of the room. Halfway, he realized that he needed the notes in his journal, and he bowed his head, slinging his bag over and rooting through it. Hanae felt her fur bristle when a 'clunk!' rang through the air, the medic having bumped his head against the wall while distracted, and he stumbled back a step, glimpsing his audience behind him. The explorer chuckled awkwardly as he turned the doorknob and departed.
“I'll stay here in case any more injured explorers need to be brought in, then,” Hanae said softly, turning towards the clinic's caretaker, who smiled gratefully at her from behind his glasses.
“Then I'll leave this here with you, just in case.” He lightly tapped his open medical book, folding the corner of the page over before making for the exit, no doubt headed right for the atelier.
The bushi's gaze lingered on the door for a few minutes before she turned around and walked over to her chair, lowering herself into it and leaning back; a beam of sunlight landed right on her seat, and she let the pleasant warmth sink into her, her muscles all relaxing at once. The clinic fell into a tranquil silence, only intruded upon by Hanae's breathing and the occasional muffled noises coming from outside. She stared at the ceiling, hair falling against her back and tail wagging softly on the floor.
Something heavy clattered elsewhere in the inn, making the building shake, and the beastwoman's katana rattled – or rather, her wallet rattled against the weapon's handle. She glanced at the little leather pouch out of the corner of her eye, and gingerly picked the scabbard up, holding it across her lap. Deft fingers undid the string that had only recently been re-tied, and she let the bag fall with a jingle, returning her blade to its resting place.
Skylar was the one who carried most of their money around, mostly as a precaution after Naomi's miserable loss of a drinking contest – that must have been the first or second month they had all formed the guild, Hanae mused thoughtfully – and he was typically the one to pay for their supplies and most other things they ever needed. She set her wallet at her feet and picked up the warrior's backpack, opening it up and searching inside for the team's coin pouch; the bushi wondered whether Sahra would stop at the atelier as well, to sell the spoils of their battle in the library. Her face fell when she remembered the needle the sniper had cut from the scorpion's tail. What could possibly be forged out of something like that?
There was a short, wooden sound. Hanae looked up, sucking in a surprised breath, one arm still stuck inside of her friend's bag. The door creaked just a little, and a gloved hand, holding a roasted bird leg, poked through the opening. The beastwoman cocked her head, not entirely sure who the hand belonged to, and she sat up, carefully placing Skylar's backpack next to her chair, watching the clinic's doorway all the while.
“Hello? Ey, doc...? Can I come in an take a look around?” A young voice piped up, its accent as unmistakeable as it ever was, and Hanae let go of the air she had held in her lungs, a small, cheerful smile wriggling its way onto her muzzle.
“The doctor isn't here right now, Wynne,” She called back, getting to her feet and brushing at her dress, and the apprentice blacksmith burst into the room, letting the door swing open completely as she ran into the clinic. Her mouth was half-full of food; she must have come to the inn for lunch. Wynne wrapped herself around the bushi's waist, giving her a tight hug, and Hanae affectionately fluffed the child's ponytail. “Hello, sweetie... it's good to see you.”
“S'good ta see you too, miss Hanae!” The girl replied, and she pulled away from the beastwoman after a few seconds, taking another chomp of Dalla's excellent cooking and grinning happily, gulping the bite down before continuing. “I saw Sahra while I wuz walkin over here an she said Skylar got himself turned ta stone!”
Hanae blinked, staying still for a brief moment, then she turned around, somberly nodding her head towards the petrified explorer that stood nearby. Wynne looked where she pointed and gasped in surprise at Skylar's form, running over and staring at the swordsman. The bushi slowly followed after the apprentice, a forlorn sigh escaping her lips as she reached out and touched the man's shield, using a couple fingers to trace a wavy line down the solid metal.
“Aw... woah...” Wynne muttered under her breath, leaning back and forth, and she stood on her tiptoes, poking and prodding at Skylar's forearm. She dropped to her heels at the feeling of the rough stone, then hopped right back up and grabbed the outstretched limb with her free hand. “Woah woah, he really made outta stone! It's like he's a statue, huh?”
Hanae lightly motioned at the girl to let go, inspecting the explorer afterward, as if he was the most fragile thing imaginable. Sure, he felt like stone, and probably was stone... somehow, but... she shook the thoughts away, patting Wynne's shoulder. “The doctor was saying that he would make a good statue too, you know.”
“He looks cool! An look at da muscles he gots! I never realized how strong he's gotta be, he looks like he could be inna painting!” The apprentice replied, quickly jogging around Skylar's figure.
Hanae's eyes went wide, and she brought a hand to her cheek, looking past the warrior's sword and shield as the full force of Wynne's innocent statement hit her like a crate from a foodapult. His upper body really was like a statue; without his shirt or his armor on, if she didn't know better, she would have mistaken him for an impeccably lifelike sculpture. Her vision wandered, from the man's head, to his chest, until she reached his belt and pants, which were suddenly hidden from view behind Wynne's overalls.
The beastwoman rapidly shook her head, breaking out of her daze as the girl in front of her imitated Skylar's pose, hoisting an imaginary shield close to her while simultaneously holding out her roasted bird wing, swirls of steam still wafting up from the partially-eaten meat. Hanae giggled at the young blacksmith, who turned around with a cocky grin on her face. “So, how da ya think I look?”
“I think you do look pretty cool, Wynne,” Hanae said, squatting down and stroking the child's hair, resting her hands on her knees when the child ducked under her arm. Wynne moved to the side, grunting somewhat as she punched at the air, finishing her attack with a playful uppercut.
There was a flash of light as the sun gleamed off of the apprentice blacksmith's goggles, causing the bushi to wince and shield her face, and Wynne jumped, looking out the window when she noticed. “Aw no! I musta lost track of time, I gotta get back ta the shop! I hope da boss ain't too mad... sorry, miss Hanae! See ya later!”
The girl took an enormous bite of her lunch and made a mad dash for the doorway, her boots pounding loudly against the floorboards until she had left the inn completely. Hanae strode to the window, peering through the pane of glass just in time to spot a shock of bright yellow hair zooming down the street that led down to the Tharsis plaza. Sighing, the bushi stood back up, once again finding herself alone in the room.
Well, not completely alone, she thought to herself, looking at Skylar. Her mind strayed back to the apprentice blacksmith's words from just a few minutes ago, and she ambled back to the petrified explorer, giving him a once-over. She never would have admitted it in front of the girl – or her teammates, either, really – but Wynne was right, Skylar was surprisingly muscular for being so lean... she bashfully bowed her head as she thought about the idea of getting a proper chance to look.
A niggling voice in her head said 'well, why not now?', and the beastwoman's jaw slackened at her own thoughts, fingers partly curling, her eyes darting from side to side as she looked around the now-deserted clinic. Slowly, she inched forward, moving her hand bit... by bit... by bit... until she lightly, almost-imperceptibly, touched her fingertips against the warrior's abs.
Time seemed to slow to a standstill as she eventually rested her palm on the muscles, shivering, brushing upward onto Skylar's chest, moving across the contours of his body, feeling her face heat up, cheeks burning, scrunching her eyes shut as she reached over with her other hand and leaned in close, feeling her breath as it hit her friend's face-
“Hey, Hanae, I'm back! Would you mind helping me with this water?”
The bushi yelped in shock, her arms snapping backwards as she jumped away from her petrified friend, turning to look at Damien. The medic was hunching over in the doorframe, holding a bucket of clear, fresh water near his feet, and he gave his teammate a confused look. She barely noticed as the white-coated man waddled into the room, setting his load down in as soon as he was out of the way.
“Uhh...?” He said, his eyebrow quirking upward. “Something wrong? You look kind of... red.”
Hanae covered her face with her hands, utterly, absolutely, positively mortified, and she ran past her teammate, her light footsteps drowning out a whimper of embarrassment as she escaped, skidding on her heels and sprinting towards the city gates. Damien flinched, staring at the spot where the cream-furred canine had just been standing, and scratched at his wild hair, unsure of what had just happened.
“...was it something I said?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hanae slowed to a stop just outside of Tharsis, glad that the guards only gave her a passing glance as she ran out of the city, and she waited for a few minutes until she finally pulled her hands away from her eyes. The well-traveled dirt trail wound southwards, a small fork leading towards the forest mine, and she scampered over to a large oak tree that rose high above her head, just a few paces off of the beaten path. Her legs trembled, both from exhaustion after her long sprint and from her lingering embarrassment, and she swooned as Skylar jumped to the forefront of her mind again.
The beastwoman sank to her knees, overcome with shyness, and shook her head, her hair falling around her shoulders. “Ohhh... oh my goodness, what was I even doing... I shouldn't have done that...”
A fresh breeze swept through the field, the tall grass waving along the rolling hills, and her ears flicked from side to side, the wind running cool against her fur. Hanae lifted her head and gazed out at the distant countryside, watching quietly. A few birds caught an updraft and soared into the sky, chirping as they went. There was the occasional bee that buzzed by, trying to choose from the colorful patches of flowers that dotted the land. And far, far out on the horizon, the gigantic trunk of Yggdrasil loomed over everything, glowing and pulsing as ethereally as ever.
A large shadow passed over the field, and the bushi looked up at the skyship that was taking off, its propellers whirling as the unseen pilot guided it away from the city, whisking its occupants off on an exploration. The sun seemed to have gotten a little lower than it had been before.
Wait... that's right, they still had food packed away on the Procne that needed to be unloaded, didn't they?
Hanae slowly stood up, taking a deep breath before turning on her heels and ambling back towards Tharsis, hoping, but not expecting, that the cargo wharf wasn't as bustling as it usually was. An unconscious smile was on her muzzle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey, Sahra, do you think that I could learn some cool tricks from the bu... bu... bush, or whoever the hell they are, if I asked one about it?”
“Hm?” The sniper looked up from her cup of sugar carrot juice, blinking at the blonde fortress that casually lounged on the other side of one of the Dancing Peacock's plush sofa. Kirtida had shooed its previous occupant out of the bar, scolding him for nearly drooling on the cushions or something similar, and both explorers had gladly taken the seat when she offered it to them. Sahra knew it was just a way for the bartender to get Naomi out of her hair, but didn't really mind. If anything, she applauded the idea. “Mm, sorry. What were you saying?”
“I said, do you think that I could learn some tricks to do with my hammer if I went and asked the bushes or one of those other folks about it?” Naomi repeated slowly, kicking out and crossing her legs, smacking the blunt end of her weapon a few times for good measure. The metal rang somewhat, though the noise was thankfully muffled by the cushion the hammer was resting on.
Sahra narrowed her eyes at the older woman's words, taking another sip of her drink before resting it on the cocktail table. She had an inkling of who the knight was talking about... but there was no harm in making sure. “Bushes? Bushes who?”
Naomi frowned in annoyance, bringing her hands up to her head, sticking her thumbs on her head and stretching her index fingers out in imitation of horns. “You know who I'm talking about! All of those beastpeople, like Hanae, except she came from the south like the rest of us and Kibble and all of them were in the mountains and everything!”
“Naomi, his name is Kibagami, not Kibble,” Sahra replied coolly, noticing a couple bushi sitting at another table, who her friend had caught the attention of, and when they looked over at her, the sniper gently gestured towards her teammate and rolled her eyes. Both warriors grinned back in silent acknowledgment, turning around and minding their own business. An oblivious Naomi waited for the girl to continue, which she did. “And if you can't even remember their leader's name, I don't think any of the bushi would be very willing to train you.”
Naomi slumped over in disappointment, a grumble escaping her lips as she glared at her teammate, though Sahra knew there was no real malice behind it. The two of them left the conversation hanging, keeping to themselves as the bar started to get busier, explorers of all sorts starting to visit for a late afternoon break. A low current of murmuring started to fill the room, the air growing more energetic as people swapped stories, laments, the latest gossip. Sahra watched as Kirtida left the counter, replacing the melted candles inside one of the hanging lanterns.
“Well... well, screw you, I'm gonna go and ask about it anyway!” Naomi suddenly stated out of nowhere, and she boldly pounding a fist into an open palm. Sahra glanced sharply at her teammate, who was starting to get off of the sofa, yawning hugely as she gathered up her equipment.
“That seems like a bad idea.” Sahra hopped off her seat and slung her bow over her shoulder in a single movement, and Naomi shot the young girl a stubborn look. “We're all already tired from exploring and looking for that book, and then having to carry Skylar in to the clinic. You've been drinking, too. How many did you have before I got here?”
“What's that supposed to mean, huh? Kirtida only let me have one bottle of ale, Sahra, I'm fine! Be... besides... haww,” The knight said, yawning again in the middle of her response; she remembered to cover her mouth this time. “I'm just gonna ask, that's all. If, eh... one of them says sure thing, then I'm gonna ask if we can start tomorrow, and if they say no, then I'll challenge him or her to a duel or something and train that way! I can thrash any of them in a fight anyway!”
Naomi stomped past Sahra before the shorter girl could protest, raising her arm and aimlessly waving goodbye as she opened the door to the bar, pushing through a small crowd of people that were about to enter. They voiced a chorus of 'excuse me's and 'pardon's as the knight wandered into the plaza, and Sahra sighed, quickly gulping down the rest of her carrot juice before reaching into one of her belt pouches. Kirtida had earned herself a hefty tip today.
Dropping a handful of coins into the empty cup, the sniper brought it over to the counter, sliding it across the polished surface until she saw the bartender catch it. The tanned woman looked over at her and winked, raising the cup in a mock toast. Sahra nodded, and was about to make for the door when she paused, lingering on the group of explorers that were just starting to look for a table. Ambling over, she reached up and tugged on an incredibly voluminous white sideburn.
“Oh? Oh, hello, who might you be?” The pale explorer asked, squatting down to be level with the young girl's eyes. She let go of his hair and pointed over to the vacated sofa, and the other explorer followed her arm, smiling broadly in understanding when he saw the cushioned seats. “Ah! Hey, everyone, look over there!”
The rest of his team quickly spotted the couch, and they made a beeline for it, laughing and thanking Sahra as they went. The arcanist waited for a few more moments, though the bounce of his heels showed that he was about to walk away as well. “Thank you, miss.”
“Sorry about Naomi. I'd better catch up to her,” She replied, turning and heading for the door, muttering under her breath. “And she calls Damien a dumbass...”
The man furrowed his brow, his smile vanishing from his face, and he kept still, thinking hard about the strange remark. “Naomi... w-wait, you can't possibly mean lady Naomi of the famous Z-Z-Zephyrus Guild!?”
His jaw dropped, and he ran over to the door, swinging it open and poking his head outside, but the sniper was already gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Damien exhaled, nudging the empty water bucket over to the chair near the window and watched as the older doctor returned from the inn's kitchen. The clinic's caretaker was carrying a small bowl of steaming, boiled liquid, protecting himself from the scalding heat with a handful of bundled washcloths. The explorer grinned at the sight of the mysterious mixture, feeling his excitement swell up again as he started to doodle a simple picture of the bowl in his journal.
“Is that all you needed the stove for, dears?” Dalla's voice called, and the innkeeper peeked her head into the clinic, waving an oven mitt at them. The bearded physician turned and nodded. “Just let me know if you need anything else!”
“We will, ma'am, thank you!” Damien called back , and the woman waved again before leaving them be.
The explorer glanced around the bearded physician's side, still sketching the viscous, yellow-tinted medicine; the medic hastily worked as the other doctor dipped the ends of two towels into the bowl, once, twice, over and over, until they were completely soaked through, carrying a hefty amount of liquid. He sniffed one of the trails of vapor; the flower nectar barely smelled of its pungent scent, just like he'd copied down earlier today. His grin widened; he felt as giddy as a new medical student again, he never knew any of this back when he'd first started!
The elderly man stood up straight after a few more dips of the cloths, and he thrust one at Damien, a couple droplets flying onto the medic's coat. The explorer jumped slightly, slipping his notebook back into his satchel before even more dribbles fell from the cloth, and he pinched the dry end between his fingers, hot on his senior's heels as they both walked over to Skylar's petrified form.
“Now, from here... we need to use these to clean the wound that caused the petrification,” The doctor thought aloud, crouching down and tugging the torn hole in the swordsman's pants, opening it as best he could to display the small, deep wound. Damien knelt onto the floorboards, giving his full attention to his teammate's leg as the older man started to dab at it, the stone skin darkening from each wipe of the nectar-and-aloe mixture. He felt the clinic's caretaker nudge him, and he curled his own towel around the cut, pressing his hand onto it and squeezing as much of the liquid out as he could.
“Is that it? Back in the library I was worrying that I'd need to put stuff all over him,” Damien asked, rolling his palm all around, vigorously applying the medicine on his teammate's knee, and he glanced away for a moment to check on the other physician.
“Hoh! No, my boy, in my professional opinion, I doubt we'd need to go quite that far!” The elderly man quickly returned, treating the scorpion sting a third time as he answered the medic's question. “It's normally caused by venom, you see, the venom secretes into the blood and goes all through the body. So we apply the medicine to important areas, like the wound and spine. It'll take a little longer for this to get absorbed, since we're using these towels and not a stinger, of course, but once it does...”
Damien resisted the urge to start taking notes again as the doctor continued to prattle on; his hands sopping with the now-lukewarm liquid, and he tried to dry off with his towel, stopping after a couple seconds when he realized what he was doing. He stepped backwards and wet the cloth again, and the two men went back and forth, cleaning and medicating the wound in turns.
A bronze knob turned, and Hanae demurely slipped back into the clinic, holding a large coin pouch, gently closing the door behind her. She panted tiredly, her tail waving as she looked at the two physicians across the room, and Damien peered over his shoulder, eyes brightening when he saw her. “Oh you're back! I was wondering where you went, Hanae. Are you alright?”
“Mmhm... sorry about before,” She said, walking over to her chair and grabbing her own wallet, which she'd left behind, filling it up again and setting the other pouch onto the nearby bed. The older physician smiled in greeting, and she waved back at him. “I went to the cargo wharf and sold the food we had stored in the hold.”
“Oh! Oh oh oh, woah... wow, I'd totally forgotten about it in the commotion and all,” Damien stuttered in surprise, turning and staring at Hanae's wallet as she tied it back onto her katana. The bag was so heavy now that it slid down the scabbard until it plopped unceremoniously onto the floor. “It looks like you got some really great deals for everything! Good thing you remembered.”
Hanae nodded slightly, walking over and looking at her friend, tilting her head when she noticed the moisture all over the statue's knee. “What can do to help?”
“Ah, if you want to help us out, there's another towel over near that bowl, you could indeed help us with this. If you could get his neck for us, that would be good,” The older doctor replied quickly, gesturing towards the bowl filled with the nectar-and-aloe mixture. The beastwoman quickly grabbed the washcloth nearby and submerged it in the medicine, holding it in both hands to keep it from dripping onto her feet as she strode back over to the petrified explorer.
Hanae walked around Skylar's form, feeling herself blush a little bit again as she looked at his back, and she gingerly covered the warrior's neck with the towel, her fingertips lightly kneading the fabric against his skin, feeling a slight ridge of bone between his shoulders. She rolled the fabric up, then flattened it out again, moving it up and down the statue's spine.
“How long will the medicine take to work?” She asked, a mild nervousness creeping into her voice, but Damien managed to answer her before the other doctor could.
“A little bit, but not a very very long time or anything,” The medic said, and Hanae blinked when he frowned suddenly, thinking of something, turning towards the clinic's caretaker. “Hey doc, is there any quicker way to do this? Like something I could do while we're out exploring and everything, you know what I mean?”
“If you want something as simple as a medica, I'm afraid not.” The other man shook his head with a slight grin. Hanae let her washcloth cling damply to Skylar's neck as she looked over at the elderly physician. “This has to be boiled fresh, after all. Hoh, and I don't think you'd find forest aloe in a big stone library, hohoho!”
“Couldn't we use the nectar and therica we keep with us, sir?” Hanae suggested, wiping her hands on her dress, cringing at the feeling of the sticky medicine against her padded dress, but continuing until she was dry; it was a small price to pay to not feel quite so grimy. The doctor plucked at his beard, looking up at the ceiling and humming briefly under his breath.
“Well, I suppose you could... but of course you would still need fresh water,” He replied, gesturing lamely as he hobbled over and inspected Skylar's neck and back. A pleased smile graced his features at the bushi's work, studying it close, bringing his glasses nearer to his face. “But if there are scorpions out there that can cause petrification, I imagine we'll be seeing lots more cases soon enough... perhaps I should send a letter to my colleagues out of town.”
Damien nodded earnestly, reaching into his satchel and pulling out his journal, opening it up to the page he had previously been scribbling on, combing his brain to remember everything that the doctor had talked about. He ran a hand through his wild, unkempt hair as he decided to start from the beginning and recall what he could from there. The paper crinkled slightly, and he planted a thumb on it to hold it down, leaving an unnoticed pale yellow print behind on the page.
“Hey. I'm back.”
Everyone jumped. Damien swiveled around, nearly dropping his notebook, his shock morphing into enthusiasm as Sahra strolled over and leaned against the edge of an empty bed, her arrival having gone unnoticed during the conversation. Hanae waved hesitantly at the young girl, who let her bow and quiver drop onto the sheets, then folded her arms, content to watch them work.
“Did you find Naomi?” The beastwoman walked over to the bowl of medicine, only to blink and stop in her tracks when she saw that it was empty. Sahra sighed, resting a palm on her forehead.
“She was at the Dancing Peacock for a bit, then she went to the explorers guild and challenged one of the bushi to a duel. The bunny lady won, and said she would try and patch her up and then send her back here for us,” The sniper explained smoothly, her words carrying an indifferent tone, and both Hanae and Damien looked up sharply at the news, the former opening her mouth to reply, only to lose her trail of thought, her ears drooping as she shut her jaw. Sahra paused, pulling a flask out from behind her, and held it out to her teammate. “She did deliver the book to Kirtida and finish the job, at least. We'll need to make a proper report on it later, but this was our reward.”
Damien took the bottle and opened it up, lightly spinning it before taking a sniff, flinching immediately afterward.
“Hehe... hehahahaha, it's nectar, really really strong nectar! Blegh... ech, very strong!” The medic started to laugh as he hastily closed the flask, steadying himself just enough to stuff it into his coat before snorting. “Ahah! We probably could have used this before when we were boiling, doc!”
“Really...? Well, I suppose it's already too late to try, hoh! We've used up all of the mixture we made, so now all we can do is wait, I'm afraid.” The doctor hurried over, chuckling quietly as he slapped the explorer's back.
“Are you sure?” Hanae asked softly. The clinic's caretaker nodded, and she bowed her head, her hands clasped together as she gave the elderly physician a grateful look. “Okay... thank you for everything, sir. Please, let us know when Skylar is... um... de-petrified.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All he could see was darkness.
Skylar's eyes felt like lead, grogginess gripping his mind so strongly that he found it difficult – too difficult – to think, only picking up on a mild throbbing in the back of his head. Silver motes of dust seemed to dance in his vision, despite the lack of light, and he attempted to lean forward for a better look, feeling an odd tingle through his joints.
Suddenly, there was a spark of life in his chest, and the swordsman's heartbeat started again, the sensation of touch returning to his nerves, an overwhelming feeling washing over him as he woke up fully, his unconsciousness vanishing in an instant. He gasped, eyes opening as wide as saucers as the world seemed to register in his brain as if it was all new to him. The still air around him, a chill running through his arms and body, a lingering smell of food, wooden planks under his boots, the thud of two heavy somethings as his fingers uncurled... where... where was he? Was he on-board the Procne?
The explorer tensed as something grasped his forearm, saving him from an inevitable fall as he lurched forward, his aches and stiffness no longer dulled by his clouded senses. The something spoke, whispering. “Woahoh there, steady on. Easy does it now, you've had a rough day and night...”
“Wuh... w-w-wuh...” Skylar's mouth refused to move at first, only letting him make incoherent grunt. It took a few minutes before he remembered how to speak properly. “W-w-where am... w-what's going o-on?”
“Here... come with me,” Was the only reply he got, and he found himself being tugged towards... somewhere. That made his legs finally respond, taking a clumsy stomp forward, staggering along until the friendly something pressed on his back, easing him onto a comfortable set of sheets. He fussed around, shivering against the rather cold linens.
“Where a-am I?” Skylar said, blinking rapidly as his eyes got used to the dark room, and he looked over at the something, which turned out to be a very tired-looking bearded old man, who had taken his glasses off to rub the sleep from his eyes. “This... this isn't the library...”
“Very perceptive of you,” The old man remarked, placing his spectacles back on his nose with a light cough. “You're back in Tharsis, my boy, you're in the Sahrimnir Inn's clinic. I imagine your mind is probably still more than a little muddled, so it'd be best if you just lay back and tried to sleep again.”
“Tharsis!? But we were at the Echoing Library, I heard Hanae yelli- agh...” Skylar blurted out, shooting up from the bed in confusion, but a headache quickly forced him back down onto the pillow with a groan. “Y-yeah... sleep m-might be good... what time i-is it?”
“I believe it's about two in the morning. Good night, hoho! Hawww... my, excuse me...”
The doctor hobbled away before Skylar could respond, and the warrior curled up, falling asleep sooner than he realized.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When he woke up again, he found himself staring at a mess of blurry colors, half-shielded by his fluttering eyelids, and the swordsman lay prone on the downy mattress, resting his sore arms on top of the covers as he adjusted to the light streaming into the clinic. He could hear Tharsis bustling through the window behind him, the muted noise helping to keep him from drifting off again. He exhaled mightily, lifting a hand up to wick a line of drool from his mouth, but something soft and lightly fuzzy clasped the appendage. It was a little ticklish, and Skylar had to keep himself from letting out a quiet laugh.
“You're okay... you're okay, Skylar.” A cerise-eyed beastwoman suddenly appeared above him, cerise eyes locking with his, and he smiled, reaching over with his other arm and cleaning himself up. The two only got to enjoy each other's company for scant moments before a heavy plodding drew their attention away. Naomi burst into view, one of her cheeks red, swollen, and hidden by a wet bag of ice.
“So you're finally awake, huh? You took your sweet time, hahaha! You sure you're alright?” The fortress yelled with a laugh, smirking smugly at her teammate, who let his head loll around on his pillow. She walked up next to Hanae, resting her other elbow in her palm.
“I'm... huh?” The swordsman said, furrowing his brow. “What... happened to me? I remember... a little bit. We were at the library and that scorpion had managed to hit me with its tail...”
Both women looked at each other, Hanae uneasily, Naomi still smirking. The former was the one who broke the silence, her tail swishing around in the air, her concerned expression unable to mask the exuberant happiness she was feeling. “Skylar... that scorpion's sting petrified you somehow.”
“Petrified? You mean like... turned to stone?”
Hanae nodded gently, and Skylar ran his fingers through his dark hair, tousling it as the response sank in, letting out a low whistle. Naomi moved her ice bag to her other hand, wiping her drenched gauntlet on the side of her friend's dress; the beastwoman snapped her head over and frowned deeply, startling the knight into taking a shaky step backwards. The bedridden explorer chuckled, earning himself a short glare, and he shook his amusement away, looking back at his other friend.
“But... how? I'm guessing you all brought me back here?” He asked, a near-inaudible gasp escaping him as he tried to inch up into a sitting position, letting his neck bump against the back of the bed's frame. He cocked his head in mild confusion as Hanae bashfully turned away, idly twiddling with her thumbs, but there was a loud series of footsteps elsewhere in the inn that made them all perk up.
“Ah, ah... eh! There you are, Naomi!” Damien crowed as he slammed into the clinic, juggling a deep dish back and forth, Sahra following just a few paces behind. The medic quickly walked over, making a series of odd grunts as he tried to keep from burning himself, his wild hair bouncing with every step. “You didn't have a single bite of your breakfast and since you normally go for seconds and thirds anyway I was wondering if I could have your-”
He stopped when he noticed the swordsman, and he hastily set the plate – of Dalla's vegetable stew, Skylar saw, unable to keep his mouth from watering – onto a nearby chair. “Oh hey, Skylar! You're up, that's great, awesome!”
“Yeah, I guess I am.” The explorer smiled, nodding warmly at his teammate. Naomi trudged over to her food, snatching it up and shoveling some food into her mouth, exaggerating her chewing as she stared Damien down. The medic raised his hands defensively, grinning innocently at the armor-clad woman. Skylar chuckled again, then sucked in a breath as a twinge of pain rippled through his joints, particularly near one of his knees. “Egh... but shoot, I still feel really sore.”
“How the hell'd you even manage to get hit, anyway? Damien's the one who's bad at fighting, not you,” Naomi said crassly, flecks of vegetables flying onto her plate before she managed to gulp down her bite with a hunch of her shoulders. Damien nodded, not offended in the slightest by the knight's remark. “The old man said you'd be stuck here for a few days, so y'know, thanks heaps!”
Skylar shrugged, unable to give an answer, and slumped back onto the bed with a slight moan, wrestling with the sheets as he curled up, pulling his legs towards him. Hanae gingerly seated herself on the side of the mattress, reassuringly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb; he couldn't help but gaze warmly at the beastwoman in return.
“You got everything done while I was, er, petrified, right? Sold the food we'd picked up, filed a report on... wait, did you find that book that the researcher wanted?” He wondered aloud, relaxing when his friend nodded at him, her long hair shaking against her shoulders. Damien nodded, slinging his satchel around, the leather bag slapping against his stomach, and he dug through his disorganized supplies until he pulled out a small flask. He brandished it above his head with a 'tada!' and a victorious flourish, nearly smacking Sahra on the way up – the sniper stoically dodged under the medic's arm.
Someone coughed deliberately, clearing their throat, and the group of explorers glanced over at the clinic's caretaker, carrying a hefty medical book with a plate of his own on top of it; he was standing a respectful distance away, likely to keep from interrupting the group's discussion. As his friends voiced a hello, Skylar sat still for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, remembering the man as the older doctor from the night before. The swordsman lifted his free hand into the air.
The weak gesture prompted the bearded physician to hobble over to his side, wearing a thoughtful expression as he scanned over the explorer's form. Before Skylar could say anything, the doctor firmly tapped two fingers against his elbows, and he instinctively bent his arms; then he felt a tap on his knee and pulled his leg just a tiny bit closer. Satisfied, the elderly man stepped back and put his breakfast on the floor, letting his book flop open to a random section.
“Hohoho, well, if you're still sore, my boy, then I think you shouldn't really be fidgeting quite so much!” The man joked, clapping in good humor at his patient. Skylar sheepishly smiled; the advice rang true, after all.
“Is there anything else you needed, sir?” Hanae asked, turning towards the doctor, who was catching a quick glimpse into the pages of his book. He double-checked, then closed the cover over, shaking his head as he looked back at the beastwoman.
“Not at the moment, no, but I'll be here all day like I usually am,” He replied, bending down and picking up the plate of stew, taking care not to accidentally knock it over with his foot. He promptly held it out to Skylar, who blinked in mild surprise. “But I'll be testing his joints like that throughout the day every so often. Now go on, eat up before I decide to have it all to myself, hoh!”
“Er... thanks,” Skylar said. Hanae let go of his hand as he reached out and took the food, suddenly realizing just how empty his stomach was.
“You haven't eaten yet, doctor?” Sahra asked, staring sternly at the old man.
“Well, I was about to go and eat, actually!” He grinned back at the young girl, glancing over his shoulder at the five of them as he made for the clinic's door. “I suppose you're already eating, miss Naomi, but the rest of you are welcome to join me if you haven't either, of course!”
“Aw yeah, count me in!” Naomi exclaimed. Skylar's jaw dropped, though he kept his mouth closed, when he saw that the knight's plate was completely clean. Her appetite never ceased to amaze.
The other explorers all shared a mutual look as both the bearded physician and their teammate departed, and Hanae scooted back a little, her hair falling around her shoulders as she shyly bowed her head. Skylar ate a spoonful of stew, sighing as the inn's excellent cooking hit his tongue; Damien's stomach rumbled from the smell of the food, and he spun around the room in confusion, only noticing a few seconds later that he was the source of the sound. Sahra simply stood in silence, adjusting the strap of her goggles that hung around her neck.
“I'll stay here. You two can go on ahead, okay?” Hanae said.
The bushi nodded at Damien as he meekly scratched his neck, and the medic smiled, then bolted, heading off into the rest of the inn, his coat jostling around from the weight of the various medicines he carried with him. Sahra was the last to leave, the door's hinges squeaking as she swung it open, and the young girl stopped in the middle of the doorframe to take one last glance at her teammates. Skylar and Hanae both looked at her expectantly, the former pausing in the middle of his meal to lick his lips.
“Lovebirds.”
The sniper slipped away before either of them could protest, leaving the swordsman and the bushi alone in the clinic. Skylar slowly started to chew again, swallowing and laying his spoon to rest on the plate as he watched a flustered Hanae try to form a response and fail, wringing her fists in her lap. He reached out and playfully poked her belly, barking out a laugh when she yipped in surprise.
“So, uh... heh,” He started to speak, trailing off as his teammate gazed demurely at him, one of her ears twitching cutely. The warrior hid his awkward pause well by scooping up another quick nibble of stew, letting out a refreshed exhale as he finished. “...aren't you hungry, Hanae?”
“U-uh? Oh...” Hanae brushed her bangs back behind her, and Skylar thought he could see a deep blush forming underneath her cream-furred cheeks. “I... A little, I guess.”
The swordsman furrowed his brow, gathering up some food and offering the spoon to her. The beastwoman sitting near him gave him a small smile and took the utensil from his grasp, sending a pleasant, indescribable happiness through him. As she ate, he spoke up again. “Once... you said I got petrified, I figured that you did fine without me yesterday. What all happened while I was out?”
This time, he was the one to reach over and clasp her free hand, and she closed her eyes. “Well...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some days later...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skylar jumped as a round iron ball thudded into the floor where he had been standing mere moments before, throwing chunks of ruined tile up into the air. He cautiously watched the strange automaton, which wobbled towards him on tiny legs, the blue crystal embedded in its forehead shining a beam of light that almost perfectly tracked the warrior's movements. Raising his sword, he focused hard, hearing the blood pump in his ears, waiting until his weapon started to audibly spark with electricity before he readied a mighty blow.
Suddenly, with a fierce warcry, Naomi barreled into the fray, charging at the robot with her shield raised, knocking it off of the ground and pushing it until she could push no more. She hastily turned her head around, eyes widening as she stared back at her startled teammate, and the fortress jabbed out with her hammer, giving him a loud grunt. Skylar spun around and yelped at the scorpion's pincer aiming for his face, smacking it away with his shield; the monster reared up and whipped its tail forward, but the swordsman stepped out of the appendage's reach, waiting for a chance to strike.
The chance never seemed to come, however, as the scorpion continued a relentless assault with its tail and claws, hardened chitin clattering endlessly against the explorer's shield, leaving no safe opening for a counterattack. It fell into an easy, almost rhythmic pattern that he began to count off in his head: one sound of a pincer on metal, a second sound of a pincer on metal, then he took another step back, letting the creature's stinger hit the stone underfoot. First pincer, second pincer, a step back. One, two, step. One, two, step.
It was almost like dancing, he thought. Was this why Hanae seemed to be good at dodging and countering in the blink of an eye? Maybe there was more to her graceful movements than he realized.
Skylar was rudely flung out of his thoughts as the scorpion changed its tune, grabbing the bottom of his shield with both claws and throwing them up, and the swordsman cried out in surprise, his arm twisting at an awkward angle and flipping over his head. The man berated himself inwardly for getting caught off-guard, bracing himself as the monster scuttled forward, closing in for the kill.
“Sahra, now!” The yell accompanied an arrow that flew in from the left, piercing through the tip of the scorpion's tail with a sickening noise, the sacs of venom inside of it popping from within, practically exploding all over the monster's body. Skylar flinched at the sight of the mutilated stinger, turning away in disgust, and he glanced over at Hanae and Sahra, who dashed towards the wounded monster, the former drawing her katana and calling out to her friend. “Skylar, your sword!”
The explorer tightened his grip on his weapon and forced himself to look back at the scorpion afterward, biting back a retch as he kicked off, stabbing his electrified blade above his opponent's jaws; he felt more than a little satisfied as the monster started to hiss and buzz from the sparks that coursed through its body. He sidled away and watched as Hanae followed up his attack, swatting the scorpion with the flat of her blade, a lance of linked lightning hitting its underbelly and sending it flailing into the air, landing upside-down a short distance away. Sahra split off to flank the monster, one hand at her quiver.
Skylar stopped in his tracks as he bumped into Damien, and the wild-haired man carefully picked up his shield arm, giving it a quick checkup. It didn't feel like it hurt, and the medic seemed to agree, letting it drop back down to the warrior's side. “That was a pretty clever idea that it came up with, wasn't it? It's not sprained or broken or anything, though.”
“Yeah, I thought it was alright...” Skylar started to say, but Hanae waved to get their attention, and they watched as the scorpion managed to right itself, glaring furiously at the four explorers. Skylar shrugged his shoulders and walked to the beastwoman's side, nudging her and smiling before placing a palm on his sword.
Naomi's bellow took everyone by surprise, including the scorpion, which was abruptly crushed underneath the weight of an armored automaton as it tripped over the creature, the light on its forehead dimming until it had died completely. The knight that had stampeded into the robot yelped as she tripped along with it, metal scraping against its breastplate as she slid onto the floor, her tower shield turning into a makeshift sled. Sahra was the first to get her bearings back, circling around to survey both foes; Skylar and Hanae were next, and they ran over to their teammate, helping pull the fortress to her feet.
“Thanks, you two,” Naomi said with a nod, her armor clanking as she stomped around and retrieved her shield, taking a few seconds to dust it off. “If that's what these imperial assholes have guarding this place, then they better think about getting some better goddamn guards, hah!”
As Damien jogged over and started to patch the woman up, Skylar sat down on the tiled floor, looking around at the towering bookcases as he caught his breath – Hanae did the same, sheathing her blade before she lowered herself next to the swordsman, resting her head against his. Sahra called out to them from the pair of corpses, and they peered at the girl as she stood up, shaking her head.
“There's nothing I could possibly scavenge from either of them,” The sniper put plainly, shouldering her bow before she continued. “But in case any of you were still wondering, the scorpion is definitely dead.”
Skylar sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Thanks for checking.”