Successor of kukulkan st.., p.49
Successor of Kukulkan: Stormcaller, page 49
“What the hell happened to him?” Laura demanded to nobody in particular. There was no answer, but every Disciple there stepped forward to the point where they could lay a hand on the suffering man.
“Wait a second.” TJ said before anyone else healed Jeff.
“We’re not going to leave him in suffering because of your previous arguments, so there should be a reason why you’re requesting that we wait.” Laura said, her hand a mere inch away from touching Jeff’s chest. Before TJ answered, though, Angelo spoke.
“No, I agree. We shouldn’t recklessly throw all of our MP at the problem before we take a look at the wound. This obviously isn’t a normal injury, and there may be something that we should learn first.”
“If that is the case, I’ll step back for now.” Laura said, her face looking nearly as green as the pulsating, poisonous looking veins covering Jeff’s chest.
“Make sure he can’t pull his arms down. I’m going to investigate the wound, see if there’s anything in there that shouldn’t be. If it’s just a poison or something, then I can take a look for that, but his Status isn’t showing Poisoned.”
At Angelo’s command, TJ stepped closer, taking Jeff’s arm into a slightly gentler version of an arm bar. Instead of hyperextending the trapped man’s elbow, TJ kept it fully extended and trapped against the ground. With his Strength being so much higher than Jeff’s, it wasn’t too much of a struggle. Then, each of the highest leveled Zealots took another limb as Angelo looked to ensure that the supporters were all ready. While Jeff thrashed with all his strength, he could only move an inch or so in any direction.
“Ok, Jeff. I don’t know how much of you is left in there right now, but I’m sure this is going to hurt. Probably a lot. I’m sorry about that, but there’s really just not that much I can do about it. If you can hear me, I want you to hold still as best as possible. The less you move, the faster this will be. Ok?”
Jeff didn’t respond, but his eyes did go glassy for a second. TJ had no idea what exactly that meant while Angelo pulled a disposable glove out of his backpack, one intended for fast food preparation, not surgery, but the attempt at sanitary practice couldn’t hurt. Then, a squirt-topped water bottle was pulled from the backpack as well and placed within arms’ reach. Then, as prepared as he could be, Angelo began the surgery.
When he touched the wound, Jeff bucked in agony, the rage that filled his face immediately changing to misery. Tears streaked down his dirty cheeks as Angelo prodded around the site of the injury. Weeping sickly pus flowed freely from the swollen puncture, the wound pulsating with Jeff’s heartbeat. The sounds of his suffering were loud and insistent, but Angelo didn’t stop checking out the necrotized flesh. The natural hair that should have been growing in the underarm had instead grown stiff and almost bony, though TJ couldn’t say if it was because of the body’s seeping fluids or because of something else.
TJ didn’t have the stomach to keep looking at the wound so continuously and instead focused on ensuring Jeff couldn’t move. The smells and groans of pain were inescapable, and TJ noticed a few other people going green at the gills as they listened to and smelled the suffering of the man they were holding down. At least a minute passed by while Angelo investigated Jeff’s wound. Then, after a fair few muttered curses, he spoke to everyone else.
“I think I found what the main problem is now. It’s deep, about an inch under the ribs, but I can feel some hard foreign body there. If we don’t take it out, I don’t think we’ll be able to heal him. I’m going to get my pliers out and see if I can pull it out without cutting the wound bigger.”
Angelo explained what he was doing, but it didn’t seem that anyone there cared to have a full explanation from him on every little thing he was doing. Thus, after he pulled a pair of needle-nose pliers out of his surprisingly well-prepared backpack, the Medic Disciple plunged them into the wound. TJ felt his stomach tumble as the wound leaked more and more pus onto the ground, a greenish tint mixing with the brown rot. The smell grew ever more overpowering, and a couple people retched again as the unnaturally horrendous scent filled the air. The nearest thing TJ could compare it to was a mixture of the smell of someone that had gone dumpster diving and the other time he’d smelled the aftermath of a body left to bloat and explode. Jeff’s wound smelled like a mixture of those two scents dialed up to 43.
Even while the smell overpowered them and Jeff thrashed, the people holding him down were able to keep him from bucking free, though he seemed to get stronger the longer it went on. Or, perhaps, he was simply more desperate. Whatever the reason, TJ was tiring as they continued to hold the raving invalid down. Checking, he saw his Stamina was at 486/980, almost perfectly halfway spent. Much of that was still a holdover from the nearly disastrous hunt, but the number appreciably fell as Angelo continued his attempted extraction.
There was a wet squelching noise, and a fountain of brown liquid shot out of the wound in Jeff’s ribcage. Angelo shouted and dry heaved as he picked up the water bottle and sprayed it into his mouth. The thought of that disgusting fluid all over TJ’s face nearly had him retching but he was grateful that Angelo, though disgusted, was not cowed. He sprayed the water all over his face and leaned back down to continue treating Jeff.
The poor man had long gone hoarse from his muffled screaming, his breaths rasping in agony as Angelo pulled a utility knife out and, muttering apologies again, cut the rotting flesh away from the wound. It wasn’t long before the Medic pulled out his pliers once again and pushed them into the larger access point. TJ couldn’t help but watch as Angelo grabbed something hard inside the wound and then, with both hands on the plier, jerked back.
Angelo grunted as he fell back onto the ground, his pliers decidedly unsuccessful at removing the foreign object. Whatever it was that had been lodged inside of Jeff wasn’t willing to come out, but Angelo’s will was stronger as he reset his grip and pulled back again, slower this time. Jeff’s screams of agony redoubled in fury, but Angelo was implacable, and the long thing was pulled free inch by inch. Even after it was loosened and pulled back a little, the source of Jeff’s afflictions didn’t relinquish its hold. When Angelo relaxed his grip to adjust, TJ saw it sink back into the flesh.
“Fuck off!” Angelo grunted as he set the pliers against the hard core of the devilish item. Steadily, he pulled it free, and as TJ saw the furthest point of the item, he realized that he recognized it.
The wendigo’s claw, once fully out of Jeff’s body, glowed with a sickly green radiance. A whorling pattern of… something covered the surface of the digit, and the glow somehow originated from the cracks of the pattern. As soon as the claw was removed, the green tint to Jeff’s veins faded, and Angelo called out to the rest of the Disciples.
“Alright, we should be good to heal, let’s do it all at once. Ready? 3, 2, 1, go!”
Angelo didn’t wait to give commands, and every one of the other people nearby capable of healing, including Stanton, did so on his command. With the glow of five healers’ Skills working in tandem, Jeff convulsed as if he’d been defibrillated. The nasty goo that’d filled his wound exploded out again, the smell of rot intensifying and filling the air. However, with the residue created by the wendigo’s claw discharged, Jeff’s complexion improved immensely. Though the veins that patterned his chest still were darker and more distended than they should have been, the sheer panic in Jeff’s eyes faded to a more reasonable fear.
“We’re basically done with the healing.” Angelo said as he stepped back and pulled his gloves from his hands. “I just hit level 15, and should get some Skills that’ll help us with these stupid fuckin’ afflictions. Jeff’s still got at least a dozen, so keep holding him for now.”
TJ and the Zealots followed instructions as Jeff rolled his head back and forth, his eyes flitting from one face to the next. When TJ’s and Jeff’s met, TJ smiled as best as he could. Jeff resumed screaming, his throat apparently healed by the Disciples’ ministrations.
“Maybe I should be replaced?” TJ suggested, his ears ringing from the poorly muffled screams of terror. “I think someone else can take my spot at this point.”
Someone did just that, and as soon as TJ stepped away, Jeff did calm down quite a bit. He still was unhappy with being held down and nearly a prisoner, but he was merely unhappy instead of apoplectic. Angelo continued checking through his Skill choices before he smiled.
“I’ve got just the thing, guys.”
As soon as Angelo lay his hands on Jeff’s head, the struggling and unhappy Zealot went still. A full minute passed, then, with Jeff still unmoving, Angelo whispered, “Let him go, everyone.”
While they stepped back, Angelo kept his hands on Jeff’s head for another minute or more. Then, as if a dam had broken, Jeff collapsed into sobs. He clutched desperately at Angelo, his fingers tangled in the fabric of Angelo’s jacket. As the healed man continued his wracking cries, Angelo ran his fingers through Jeff’s hair and quietly hummed a comforting song. They remained like that for a time, Jeff’s body trembling with the release of too many emotions and Angelo caring for Jeff as he came back to himself.
After a couple of uncomfortable minutes of bitter weeping, Jeff stood up while pulling Angelo up with him. His eyes were puffy from his tears, and Jeff wiped at his face with dirty hands. His streaked cheeks were filthy, but he stood taller than TJ had seen him do since maybe the first time they’d met.
“Everyone, and especially you, TJ,” Jeff said, “I owe you an apology. I hope that the information I can give you now will help you, but even so, I don’t deserve your mercy or forgiveness, but I believe this information will be useful for the end of this Tutorial.”
Chapter seventy-six
“There are more Elites than just the wendigos. There are the Chindis, which you’ve heard about, and there’s another. The raven did this to me. I don’t know what kind of creature it was, I never asked before, and when I ask now, I don’t get anything. But it was a huge raven or crow, at least four feet long with a wingspan bigger than I am. Its feathers were constantly falling out, and its breath was disgusting. Whenever it cawed, my heart shuddered, and when I saw it the first time, I couldn’t move.” Nobody interrupted as Jeff continued to tell his story.
“When I first saw it, I had walked into the forest alone. I know, it was stupid, but I was mad at you, TJ, and I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I’d seen you get stronger and stronger, and I was just… doing nothing. I was too scared to go on hunts, too prideful to ask for help. I was jealous of how hard you worked and how much people looked up to you. I was just… I just wasn’t ready for all this, and I’d thought I was an inspiration before you appeared here. But that doesn’t matter. I’d left TJ’s house and went out alone, and that was when I didn’t realize I’d been taken by the Chindi.
“Its magic just got me to keep walking further and further, until I was all alone in the middle of the forest. I’m not sure why, but I think I started to resist the Chindi then? But before I could react, the raven flew in as if from a shadow, because I didn’t see it until it was there. It left a trail of feathers everywhere it went, though more kept on growing. Its eyes were terrible. As soon as I met its eyes, I couldn’t remember my name, or why I was there, or anything. The next thing I knew, I was laying down on the ground, the materials TJ gave me in the hands of a wendigo that appeared. With all three Elites there, they cursed me.
“They talked to each other, though I couldn’t understand them at first. I screamed, but nobody heard me. The wendigo held that finger–” Jeff pointed at the runically inscribed object on the ground, “while the raven ran its beak all over. Wherever its beak went, its tongue flicked out and left those carvings and they started to glow. Then, when it was done, the raven swallowed the finger before spitting it out. The Chindi did something I couldn’t see to the finger, then the wendigo said something else and stabbed it into me.
“While I screamed, I was suddenly able to understand what they were saying, and they commanded me to go back to town. I couldn't say no or do anything, it was like I was watching my body in a movie. Every time I went out on a hunt, I heard the Chindi’s voice. Each time I heard it, it made me more sure that everyone here was wrong, that they were in danger, and I forgot why I’d ever thought otherwise. When I heard Zig saying that TJ was dangerous, that was it. My mind broke, and I did what I did.
“After getting kicked out, the Chindi had more time to mess up my mind. Whenever I wasn’t with a hunting party, I was sleeping or out in the forest. I can’t remember very much after that. My mind was just… broken. I remember bits here and there, but nothing solid. Except for this.
“The woman who died tonight, who was the bait in your ambush, Julie. Her death is my fault. Because of the Chindi, I drew her away from her party. I… there’s no reason to give any of my excuses about this. But she left her party because of me, and I was out there with her just before you all showed up. The Chindi hid me while the wendigo tried to kill you. I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
Jeff’s throat was choked with emotion, but a part of TJ couldn’t help but feel like his words rang hollow. It was because he “had no choice?” He couldn’t do anything else? TJ couldn’t help but feel like it was a crock, but he tried not to say it out loud. Jeff was looking at him, though, and his already bitter expression fell further as TJ heard the last of the story.
“I don’t expect to be forgiven or forgivable. I just… thought you should know. They seemed to say something about some sort of plan for the final siege, but there weren’t any details I learned. Sorry.” Jeff petered off. After saying as much, Jeff shrugged and turned before he started to walk off into the forest, away from everyone else. His bare torso still showed dark lines all over, a remnant of the curse or poison or whatever it was that the raven had done to the wendigo claw. In the darkness, TJ saw Jeff shiver, but he seemed like he didn’t think that he deserved even to try to warm himself and didn’t react.
Angelo walked forward and caught Jeff by the shoulder and pulled him back before the older man could get too far.
“I… I don’t know if I can forgive you. I mean, the reason you got caught up in all this was because you were jealous of TJ getting close to Laura and doing better than you. You know. Like a kid. You’re a grown ass man, and you got someone killed because of it. After this Tutorial, I don’t think I’ll want to see you ever again. During the Tutorial, I don’t want to trust my back to you. But you’re here and it seems like you want to get better. That’ll have to be enough, because we’re seeing every day just how much more dangerous all this is than we expected. Someone will stay with you to make sure you’re recovering, and tomorrow, you need to get some levels. Then, we’ll see if we can get you to prove how you’ve changed.”
“Yes.” Laura agreed as she walked forward. “You have made mistakes, and if we could afford it, I believe some punishment would be due. However, just over four days remain until we need to defend the general store, and exiling or imprisoning anybody who could help is just hurting the possibility for our own survival. Jeff, come to the firehouse. We’ll have you sleep where several others can ensure you don’t get yourself lost."
TJ ground his teeth, keeping himself from speaking about the situation in any way. He recognized the similarities between what had happened to him and Jeff, just that Jeff had been weak and alone when under the influence of the Chindi, but even so, he found it difficult to feel even a little charitably about him. Maybe it was hard feelings from the insults and the passive and active aggression Jeff had shown the entire time they’d known each other, but TJ eventually came to the realization that he’d deliberately stepped away from being a leader of the town multiple times. He didn’t want to be mayor, he didn’t even want to be in charge of a group when they went hunting. If he wouldn’t allow anyone to put him in charge, then he couldn’t be pissed when the people in charge didn’t do what he wanted. Right?
“C’mere kid.” Stanton grumbled as he pulled TJ back to the house he’d only recently been pulled out of. They walked up to their room, where TJ slumped into the bedding he’d claimed for his own. Stanton, being an old man, had taken the bed without complaint when TJ offered it.
“You don’t want Jeff to stick around.” Stanton said as they settled into bed.
“No. He’s an unstable element, and, frankly, I just don’t like him.”
Stanton nodded and grunted without asking anything else. After working the thought over in his head for a while, TJ spoke again.
“It might be a little hypocritical of me, but I don’t trust him. He’s gotten someone killed, and while I was very dangerous to Zig when I was under the Chindi’s influence, I didn’t do anything more than scare anyone. I didn’t hurt anyone, much less kill them! He’s dangerous, and I don’t want him around me. Maybe it’s just because we’ve never liked each other, but no matter what happens, he’s been an asshole at best! It’s just… like–!”
“I get it, and I don’t disagree with you.” Stanton said, surprising TJ.
“You… agree with me?”
“Don’t trust ‘im half as far as I could throw ‘im. Never have. But here’s the thing: in this situation, there’s only really two things you can do about it. The first is you can leave him alone and just never be around him. Only see him in the final battle, if you’re lucky, and then, the Tutorial’s over and maybe we get taken home so he’s out of your life.
“The other option is to kill him.”
TJ blinked at the stone faced man three times before he spoke. “Holy shit, Stanton! What the hell are you talking about? There are, like, a thousand other things we can do instead of murder!”
“In this situation? With all that’s happening around us? Really?” Stanton met TJ’s eyes. “What other things would you do, and how would they not harm everyone else’s chances for survival? You put him in jail, and people need to watch him instead of getting levels. You exile him, and the Elite monsters out there will do the same thing to him. He doesn’t have anything to pay a fine with because there’s no money, and who’d waste time in a made up court to decide what punishment to levy on him? So, what other things do you want to do?”
