With the whole Tuskir tribe together the coming days have gotten easier, Oinna managed to take care of the wounds of the others, returning them to their best form possible as quickly as possible. This was possible due to Urla having rested enough to regain her strength, which took less time with Oinna tending to the elderly leader.
With all hands on deck, sorting out different issues about the village was a matter that only took a week. The missing parts of the wood wall had been re-erected, the barbed wire repaired, the pit traps cleared of corpses that were given burials after Vodra, the Hay-yen, had been given a few moments to identify the few bodies that were recovered for names on the grave markers.
Things were looking up, except for one matter that took not only the initial week that passed, but another one on top. A dreadful task. Oinna and Urla together examined Michael's legs, even taking a look at the condition of his bones below the knee and the news they brought were rather dreadful.
Michael's leg bones were set slightly crooked at the various breaking points they had, caused by the rushed job, that Urla had to do initially, and he was missing so much skin there was not much of a chance for it to regrow by itself with minimal aid. After consulting with him, Michael agreed to go a rather horrific, yet necessary procedure. With the aid of Zurra to make some straight rods, the two healers would give Michael an impromptu osteotomy. They would break his bones as cleanly as possible, using the rods to make sure they are set straight and then repair them. Once that was done over the span of five days, the remaining nine days, of the the two week total, were spent slowly healing Michael's legs to stimulate skin growth.
Those first five days were some of the worst as even with some of their stronger numbing herbs and magic, the pain was enough to rip a few horrific yells from Michael. The other days the skin regrowing process was something they haven't exactly tried before, but focusing the healing magic on those areas and using Michael as the conduite and source for their spells helped the process.
Once everything was done, the human's legs were complete with fresh pale skin, free of any hair or moles, the toenails growing in normal and healthy, too. The only area that indicated injury was how the new skin knitted with the old, making the surfaces around his knees look like the skin was stitched from two different types. He could move decently, but he experienced a strong pain in his legs, after long periods of time on his feet.
The pain that was crawling up his lower appendages felt like spined spikes shooting out of his bones and threatening to break out of his legs at any moment. By Michael's description at least it was rather dreadful sounding.
All the time he spent with the two healers was optimized for the sake of getting to work sooner. Under confidence he even confessed to the two that he needed some assistance with a different part of his body, his liver. He could see signs of liver damage on himself, signs he recognised as he saw them in his father when he was younger, caused by large quantities of alcohol. This could be fixed rather easily too, but as usual magic here wasn't too alike to that what he imagined before, healing wasn't painless, and neither was removing poison from his liver by forcing it through his system. Well, all ended with no major incident after a few days of stabbing liver pains and some really uncomfortable toilet breaks.
Now, after taking time to rebuild their home and themselves, the Tuskir tribe had come together to have a most important conversation. This discussion, brought up as important by Urla and Michael, involved not only the usual boar like tribe natives, but also the few Hay-yen prisoners they had, to be more specific, the two that have been showing a high interest in co-operation, who have spent a modicum of time here, enough at least to be given a sliver of trust to build relations upon, Vodra and Nushii.
"Before we can go into any specific depths in our discussions, there is need for a most important talk. This has to do with the Hay-yen we had in our midst, captured from the incident by the river, as you all remember. Tis not a decision for me to make alone, as I know there are conflicting interests among us. The few talks I had with Michael at times opened up the need for finding common ground among our interests and making a decision that benefits us best." Urla said in a stoic tone, her usual self now showing. The impartial tone rang out over the group before her, as she watched their expressions while she spoke. The elderly woman then looked over to the human as if to prompt him to speak.
Michael, noticing the indirect signal to talk, had gotten to his feet using a wooden sculpted crutch, made by Yenna as a small project, that looked in shape more like the modern crutches from his world. Using the support from it, he positioned himself as straight as possible, trying to minimize the pangs of pain that he felt in his legs.
"Ahem... as well all know, we currently have in our hold a total of five people from the Hay-yen tribe. From speaking with most of you on the matter, or at least with the elders, I know there is a resentment that some of you hold towards the Hay-yen. Although I lack the details, I am aware of how a war is what broke apart the bigger Tuskir empire that you once dwelled in, splitting it in tribes. I also know that sadly quite a few of you, if not all of you, have lost loved ones due to this. Although I haven't experienced loss of a blood relative to war, since coming here I have lost one person, I dare to say I saw as grandparent of my own... even if he couldn't look more different than I do, he was a good man, who despite in the difference in our views... he had given me his support in the endeavors I was trying to push forward at the time." Michael took a moment as his voice died in his throat, his mouth drying up. His eyes peered slightly up and into the distance, looking at the visible canopy of the tree that was near the center of the village.
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"I blamed myself for what happened to Spek... to a degree I still do, but as you all know now... I didn't know what else to do..." The human said as he took in a deep breath. His face, with scars on the right side of his forehead and cheek, held to a stoic expression as best as it could, despite the glisten in his eyes signaling their glazing in tears that he didn't wish to be shed. He already cried his soul out about this and this wasn't the time to break apart on this matter, despite how much it might sting.
"Aye... boi. We ain't blamin' ya. You did what ya could." Zurra said from the seat she had on a stool.
"To blame ya fer takin' a risk, one ya didn't have much time tha think on, it wouldn't be fair. If dis didn' happen the alternative woulda been to let Spek bleed out... then we'd have held a burial for 'im." Runhar said as he gave Michael a nodding look. "Ya did what ya could an' in the end... in a way we still got Spek with us, watchin' over us." The guard captain added as he finished his speech.
"Yeah. We're lucky to have 'im among our ranks even in this form." Gharna added after taking a moment to clear her throat. Her mind wondered for a moment to the past, a time soon after the conflict between the Tuskir and the Hay-yen, the conflict that claimed the lives of her and Yenna's parents, the conflict that left them with Spek taking care of them, a close friend of their parents.
"R-right. Hm... Getting back t-to... my point. From the five Hay-yen we have here, two are new arrivals still going through some proper healing, although I do recognise the one with a single eye... he was part of the attack on me and Zurra, but the blinded one I am not certain of, as she had been altered like the other ones that attacked us. Still, the two I wished to focus on were Nushii and Vodra. They have talked with me extensively, they have co-operated with us, they haven't caused trouble, nor have they attempted an escape. So... my proposition for their situation is to see if we can integrate them into the tribe, like you have agreed to let me be here or to let them go. Now, I know what might be some thoughts running around, but if we take an approach to their integration like you took with me, then we can safely observe if they are to be truly trusted. In war, where I am from, there are many times when soldiers go to fight unwillingly or due to being fed certain ideas, lies or some of them do not wish to go, but still do, due to not having an alternative. I recommend that we see if they wish to remain here and help us or if they want to go their own way. To add on top of this idea, I wished to discuss about the third of the original three, her name was Letra. From my own assessment she is a very high risk and after all we had to go through with her. She is most likely to lie about any proposition about joining, so my main..."
"Ye want to suggest to just let her go then? Let her go off free or somethin'?" Brekda said interrupting, looking at Michael with a gaze that had a whisper of disdain towards him. " 'Cause in yer world prisoners are let go or some shite once the conflict is over?" He added crossing his arms.
Michael looked at him with a most casual expression, unbothered, as if he didn't even clock the remark or the tone. "Uhm... the second part of that sentence, that is somewhat correct, depending on the situation, prisoners of war are let go of. But, no, that was not my suggestion. Keeping her captive consumes resources and poses a risk of security within the walls. Letting her leave has a risk of retaliation, if she is interested in revenge. Although back home, someone in her situation might be detained for an indefinite amount of time, that is not a perfect solution for us, unless we can make a really strong cell and even then... that is not sustainable, in my opinion, especially if we will have additional cases like hers in the future. In the end, to pose no risk at all, she would have to be detained until the end of her days, but I do not feel like that is an option for us. So. I think that I agree, for this specific situation, with some older views I even heard Spek voice at times. She has to die." Michael said, making the conclusion succinct and direct.
A quiet, not of disagreement or approval, had laid down upon the meeting, but one of surprise, at least from the members that thought they knew Michael a good bit, those that didn't think he was too keen on killing, unless certainly necessary. Still, his argument made sense, and in a way, to make sure there are no risks... this would be a certain way to have one less person out there looking to do them harm.
"Huff... then ya want one of us to kill 'er? That'd mean you don't have to bloody yer hands, right?" Brekda added looking to see what Michael would say, thinking he'd agree, as in his eyes the hooman was not part of their tribe, nor would he ever agree for him to be. He had heard Runhar speak of the way Michael fought against the undead minion and he saw his injuries himself, but that was no different in his mind than a caravan guard defending the merchants that assure his food and pay.
"No. I made the proposal, so I'll do it. Until now, I always had an excuse to tell myself that I haven't taken someone's life, that... I have done no wrong. An undead didn't count as a living being, but just a puppet of meat. The one time I actually aided actively in killing people, I was so out of it, I could barely remember what happened." The young man said taking a moment to inhale a deep solemn breath and then exhale it slowly. "Urla said that she wanted me as part of the tribe and the Tuskir have done me plenty good, so I intend to show my faith back proper. If killing someone who wishes me harm, or harm upon those I care about, is what needs to be done, I'll do it. I will always look for a path to peace, but a peaceful approach is only an option if you have the strength to do what the alternative is." Michael said gazing at Brekda, before his eyes drifted to Woh, who was seated on a table. The small pink amphoran let out a silent croak as her gullet inflated, giving back a nod towards Michael.
Brekda stood up with a huff. "Well then, I hope ya got the guts to do it. Now, I'll excuse meself. Gonna swap up with Runny, to watch the piglets, she can fill me in on anythin' I missed." The tuskir said as he turned to leave.
"I will have the guts for it..." Michael said, which got Brekda to stop in his tracks, but not to turn to face him. "Because, I won't let free someone who openly promised to put your children's heads, our people's heads and my own on pikes. Until recently, I thought I was alone here, but the Tuskir are now my kind. I will help those I call my kin, be they alike me or not."
Brekda left in a solemn silence, not a word leaving his maws. 'You are the reason we'll never be safe.' He thought as he walked on, going to the hut where his wife and children resided.
The air soon calmed down after Brekda left, the previous tension between him and the human, slowly but certainly, lifting. Runny eventually came to take his place and the talks resumed.