Hunting Death-Collapse
#22 of Hunting Death
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"We've actually been following him since he left town," Simon points to Rophan, who looks around sheepishly. Gregory is currently busy supervising the arrests of all of the bandits. "These bandits have been terrorizing the people for months but were too well armed to go after with a small force and too wary to go after when dealing with superior numbers. But given how much they would make in ransom for Miss Sheira and the value of that scythe you displayed in town, it was clear that that was an opportunity that they would never pass up. And then while they were too distracted in engaging against you all we were able to fully get into position with some of the town guard lying in wait in case anyone tried to make a break for it."
"And if they had killed us in the process?" Ceirla asks.
"Well, for you in particular that would not have been an issue," Simon says, "Your ransom would mean practically nothing if you're dead. So they would have gone to great lengths to make sure you were kept alive. As for the elf and human it depended on how much fight they put up. Which from the looks of things would have been more to keep the elf alive and kill the human."
"I am far more difficult to kill than you may think," Hashal complains and I nod. Of course, I realize I'm the only other one right now that knows of Hashal's curse. Rophan is still keeping himself positioned as best he can between me and the other two.
"Perhaps, as for the fox."
"Fey," Rophan interrupts.
"I told you, I'm not fey," I correct.
"That would depend on how easy it would be for them to get at that scythe. How easy is it to get that scythe out of your pendant?"
"It comes out when I want it to."
"And if someone else had it and wanted it out?"
"Anaelin will only obey a worthy master."
"In which case they'd likely keep you alive long enough to torture you to get the scythe out of the pendant and then likely kill you with it."
"Anaelin can't kill."
"Never?" Gregory asks, coming into the conversation as he crouches down and examines me closely.
"Anaelin cannot draw blood under any means, it cannot break bones, it can only put to sleep."
"We really shouldn't be having this conversation out in the middle of nowhere right on the scene of a battle," Ceirla interjects. "I don't care how confident you are, the first priority should be to get back on the move in case anyone else decides to show up. So if you're quite finished boasting about using us as bait we should be off. I'd rather be far away from here by nightfall."
"True enough," Simon states in a casual manner before shouldering all his gear and waving at the guard finishing up rounding everything up.
"Wait, you're coming with?" Rophan asks.
"That was the intent, yes," Gregory comments. "Just because we had a job involving capturing these bandits doesn't mean they weren't the only job we had lined up. In fact, escorting you would actually be more our primary job all things considered. Doesn't pay as well, though."
"What my partner is trying to say is that your father had called in a favor that we owed him from dealings in the past. We're to see you to your destination safely. And when we got to the town we found out about the side job involving the bandits and couldn't resist making more money. And since they would have never killed you it wasn't that big an issue letting you help earn us some money while we're repaying a favor."
I'm not entirely sure what I feel about this. I don't know if they're one of mine or not so I don't know if I need them. But for the sake of protecting my own I decide to simply allow them to join without complaint and instead go about the task of just trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other along the road to wherever we're going, assuming they'll tell me if I start going the wrong way. Rophan seems to be more trying to dote on me and go on about explaining why it was he simply hid when we were all fighting but I don't have the awareness to really listen. And, unfortunately, after about an hour or so of travelling the dizziness and fever get the better of me and I collapse.
Gregory rushes quickly to my side and takes out a thin little stick filled with a black looking liquid. He speaks in a very slow, loud and deliberate manner. "This is a thermometer, I'm going to stick this in your mouth now to see how hot your body is currently running. Now this is made with dragon's blood, so whatever you do, don't bite it. Is that understood?"
When I nod slightly he gingerly sticks it into my mouth beneath my tongue. I find the sensation odd but know that even for my kind ingesting dragon's blood isn't the best of ideas even when healthy. So I refrain from biting it, though it doesn't exactly mean I have to like it being there. I feel somewhat ashamed about the fact that I've caused the entire group to have to stop on my account. Sam comes back with a blanket that's been soaked in water and he drapes it on me. Eventually Gregory takes out the stick and looks at it, though I'm not entirely sure what all that would tell him other than that it is a stick that was in my mouth. Hopefully it wasn't something that would reveal what I am. That I would never forgive myself over. To think of me giving away what I am simply because I got sick and let him stick a stick in my mouth.
Thankfully, regardless of how awkward it is to have it in my mouth I don't know if I quite have the strength to really bite down on it much even if I tried. Instead I find my head and eyes getting extremely heavy. So I decide to simply let them rest for the moment and just use my ears to tell what all is going on. I do feel the thing in my mouth being pulled out and I open my eyes long enough to see Gregory staring at it with interest and a frown on his face. He then reaches over and plucks a strand of fur off me, much to my displeasure. He raises it up and I'm half afraid that he's found me out for what I am and that he'll stab me in the heart any second now, but instead he blows on it and it bursts into flame. But then my eyes start to feel rather heavy and I lose consciousness. I awake I'm guessing some time later to a lot of commotion nearby. I rouse myself enough to see the others starting to surround some small creature pleading for its life. I can't make out anything they're saying; my translation stone must have fallen off or was removed at some point. But everyone seems to be angry from what I can tell and based on how they cast glances back at me I'm guessing that they consider this creature to blame.
Possibly a magic parasite or something. That could cause my symptoms if it ate away too much of my magic. But I'm not going to allow them to simply kill this thing on my behalf, especially since I know that it won't kill me. I weakly stand up and start trying to move forward, my head swimming and yelling at me for the act. I try to call Anaelin out to try and protect the creature but the necklace is either no longer on me or isn't responding. Meaning my best bet now to make my intentions known is I pull from what reserves of power I have left and try and conjure a barrier to place around it. The barrier does form, but only for a second and then shatters away. And even that small amount is enough to completely exhaust me and I fall back down. But it did get their attention.
"No. Killing." I manage to squeak out while trying to remain conscious. The guilt of knowing this creature was killed on my behalf wouldn't sit well with me for a very long time, possibly even past my death point. I won't let it happen if I have a say. I struggle to try and stand back up, to at least position myself between it and them but can't seem to find the strength. Even the act of just staying conscious is taking just about everything I have. I find my point of view rising up and then moving away, back to where I had woken up. It takes me a moment to realize that Rophan had come and picked me up. I'm laid back down where I was but that's not good enough for me. I try to stand and reiterate my point again until I feel someone opening my mouth and a liquid being poured in. Not wanting to choke on it and not having the strength to spit it out again I reluctantly swallow before continuing my plea that they shouldn't be killed on my behalf. But I end up finding my strength leaving me again and I fall into another fitful slumber.