"Hold still!" I said, as I quickly stripped off my shirt.
Put on your armor!
She ordered, and I shook my head.
"Not until I see how bad this is."
I held Casey down, but with all the blood, I couldn't figure out where the wound was.
I moved to take her cotton shirt off, but as she winced, I bit my lip, and let go of her long enough to search my satchel for my other armguard.
"Oh my god!" Cameron exclaimed, as she dashed into the room, Nolan and Jordan in tow.
"Cameron, it's not safe-"
"Oh, fuck off!" Cameron shouted, cutting Nolan off, and he seemed to go quiet at the response.
"Hold her down," I instructed, as I put the bit of armor on, and as Cameron held Casey, I grabbed her shirt, and tore it down the middle.
I breathed a little sigh of relief, as the wound, a puncture, from what I could tell, was closer to her shoulder than her chest.
"Jordan, my shirt," I began, and he grabbed the piece of clothing. "Press here."
He nodded, and as he applied pressure, Casey looked at Cameron.
"Get him to put his armor on!" she cried, and Cameron looked at me, then nodded.
I relented this time, and as soon as it was done, I drew my knife.
"Nolan; watch the window," I barked, before turning to Cameron; "don't let anyone in, okay?"
"Nate!" Casey yelled, and I turned back just as I reached the door.
"What?"
"Don't use another heal," she said, and I clicked my tongue in annoyance, as I turned and walked away before waiting to hear the rest of what she had to say.
I'm serious,
her words continued in my mind.
Unless I'm actually dying, don't use it. Find out if there's someone here, like a physician or something.
As I got out of the tree-structure, however, another commotion seemed to be going on around the supply cart, and I quickly hurried over to investigate.
"Eradne?"
I spotted the girl, a dazed expression on her face, as she stood there, covered in blood.
"What happened?" I asked.
"They... attacked," she began, gesturing ahead, and as I followed her gaze, I spotted Francesca, and I gasped.
If Eradne was covered in blood, then I could only describe Francesca as drenched, as her hair was wet with the slick, red liquid, which also dripped from her face.
"Francesca!" I called, as I dashed to her. "W-what's going on."
But as I moved to her side, I saw it... bodies, all around the cart.
There were limbs; arms, legs, and a severed head... four people, maybe? All Kobalt.
"Who did this?" I asked, and her arms began to shake.
"M-me..." she said, and I quickly hugged her as she began to tear up.
"They attacked... I didn't know it would... the spear. I-I..."
"Shh, it's fine," I said, trying to comfort her, but I couldn't afford to waste too much time.
I went to the supply cart, and drew one of the small daggers from the weapon stash, quickly checking to make sure that everything else was still accounted for; then I grabbed a healing vial from the supply sack.
"Casey was attacked," I said, and Francesca suddenly studied me. "The danger might not be over yet, because her attacker escaped."
"Shit. What do I do?"
"I know this is a tough ask, but I need you to stay on alert."
Francesca bit her lip, as a determined expression replaced the lost expression on her face.
"I'm good. Go," she said, and I nodded, as I dashed back towards the entry hall.
"Herr Nathan," Gisela called, as she spotted me.
"Is there a healer here? Physician? Someone who tends to the injured."
"Eradne," the girl answered, and I nodded.
"She's outside. Can you get her and come to my room?"
Gisela nodded, then headed out the main door.
"Nate! What happened?"
I looked up to see Jeannie, with Emily and Evie in tow.
"Gather up the girls, and stay in one room. Wait, Emily!"
"Yeah?"
I slipped off my knife belt, then threw it at her.
"Keep them safe; and don't come out until I come get you!"
As I headed up to the room, I quickly moved to Casey's side, and as her eyes flashed toward the vial of green liquid in my hand, she frowned.
"Relax," I said. "Gisela is sending someone up. This is just in case we need it," I explained.
"How many of those do we have?" Jordan asked.
"Fourteen," I answered, and he tilted his head.
"Then why don't we just use it?"
"In a critical situation... it might take as many as four... or five of those; just to save someone's life," Casey explained, in between pained gasps.
"Will you sit back and stop talking?" I chided, as Jordan pondered the response.
"How much do they cost?"
"Thirty-five credits each," I answered.
"Auslander! Disen weg," Gisela called, and Eradne poked a head into the room, tentatively.
She took one look at Casey, then moved to her side, and Jordan moved around the bed, to give her space.
Eradne lifted up the shirt, and examined the wound.
"Single puncture. The wound is not ugly, but deeply penetrated... is possible. Did you see the tool?"
Casey nodded.
"A dagger, I think."
"How big, the blade?"
Casey raised her right hand, indicating the length between her middle finger and thumb, and Eradne nodded.
"I will keep the pressure. Little Schweinchen. Seek Ryker. Tell him a linae-sap is needed."
Gisela nodded, quickly hurrying away.
"Herr, Auslander; the God-kind here are too many. Better air space is preferable."
I nodded, turning to Cameron.
"There was a fight by the supply cart. Francesca's fine, but shaken up. Can you go check on her?"
"Yeah. Let's go," she began-
"What?" Nolan interjected, somewhat incredulously. "You were sick today, remember?"
"Seriously, I'm fine," she replied.
"Should we arm up?" Jordan asked, and I nodded.
"At least until we're sure the danger is over. Do you mind wearing armor?" I asked Jordan, and he quickly nodded.
Nolan still seemed pretty annoyed, but as they hurried from the room, I felt reasonably sure that I could count on them to hold down the fort.
"Auslander. I need water," she began, but as I made to move, she stopped me. "It must be cleansed. Have Ryker apply a boiling."
"No, Nate! The waterskin sterilizes water. You can use that instead. Just, fill it up from the bathroom."
Eradne didn't at first understand, but as I explained, she nodded, studying the item with interest.
"How long does it take?"
"Minutes," Casey explained.
I sighed.
"Casey, wouldn't the healing vial disinfect the wound, and start the healing?" I said, and she shook her head.
"The only uncertain factor we have to deal with is not knowing when we'll come across another guild hall. Otherworlders almost never come into this forest... we need to keep what we have for an emergency."
As I studied the bloody mess around the room, I frowned.
This
was
a fucking emergency.
As we waited for Eradne's associate, I studied the woman.
"What happened down there?" I asked, and she bit her lip.
"There was attack."
"The Kobalt?"
She nodded, a worried look on her face.
"From Palancar, I suspect. But this is not our way, Auslander. I am troubled."
"My attacker was a Kobalt too, Nate," Casey added, and I rubbed my chin.
I was under the impression that the extent of their retaliation would be refusal to trade, or no offer of support, and Gisela seemed pretty certain that the Kobalt would not raise arms against the matron; but now that the princess had been banished, did that mean they would threaten us like this?
Maybe I shouldn't jump to assumptions just yet.
After all, Eradne's reaction seemed to indicate that this development was extremely unusual, to say the least.
We waited for a while, before a young looking Kobalt entered the room followed by Gisela.
Eradne spoke to the younger Kobalt; Ryker, unless I was not mistaken; in their tongue, and the youngster quickly began to follow her commands.
The linae-sap she had requested appeared to be a thick, glue like substance, and at Eradne's instruction, Ryker scooped out a bit of the sap into a wooden bowl, then began to mix it with a purple-ish colored fluid, which Gisela produced from a mug.
From the scent, I figured it was probably some kind of alcohol.
As the younger Kobalt worked, however, his hands shook, and after he almost spilled some of the thinner liquid out of the bowl, Eradne flicked his ear, and tears began to form in the youngster's eyes.
"Herr, Nathan... could you?" the woman asked, and I nodded, shooting the younger Kobalt a sympathetic look as I accepted the concoction from him.
Mixing the two components together was difficult, as the thick sap took quite some time to absorb the much thinner purple liquid into its composition, before turning into a paste like consistency.
"Can you handle the dressing?" Eradne asked, and I nodded. "There. Apply some miasma to the hand."
She gestured to my own hand, and Gisela poured a little into my hand, and I rubbed it about.
Definitely alcohol
, I thought, as the burning sensation kicked in.
"Can you apply to me?" she said, and as she held out one hand, and Gisela poured a little bit of the liquid I reached out and rubbed it about Eradne's hand, and she shot me an uncomfortable glance.
"Ryker. Apply the water," she instructed, and the young Kobalt nodded, looking to me for permission before taking the waterskin from the bed, and Eradne released the pressure from the wound, as he poured a bit of the liquid onto the wound.
Eradne, however, seemed quite displeased with his performance, and with her other hand, snatched the vessel from him, and quickly washed out Casey's wound, examining it as closely as she could, before a fresh stream of blood began to pour out of it.
"The cut is clean," she said. "Not as deep as feared."
