Jake's broken leg required the rest of the healing potions and although he tried to give half to Tibaut he rejected, saying it'd be more important if he could start walking properly than getting his hand fixed.
As they waited in the room and Tibaut could feel himself slowly succumbing to unconsciousness, Avis came by the three with an assortment of letters in her hand.
She intensely stared at Albus before he waved his hand. She clicked her teeth and handed him the letters.
Jake and Tibaut briefly wondered what that strange interaction was about before Albus opened his mouth.
"So, Avis, what are these all about? You don't expect me to read through all of these do you?" He commented as he handed them back to her.
Although she had no expression, Tibaut swore he heard her fist clench. Trying her best to remain formal she responded "Master Bradley, I believe looking at the senders of the letter would shed some light on the operations of the Lochmull Independence Society."
Albus sighed disinterestedly and looked through one of the letters. He looked through another and another and quickly looked at the senders of all the letters. A smile crept on his face but he didn't seem happy in any way. He handed the letters back to Avis.
"So that's what's going on. Hehe, what a bastard." Although he was laughing his face held no joy.
"What was on it?" Tibaut asked.
Albus quickly snapped out of it and fixed his face.
"Oh, well I couldn't find anything linking your cultist friends but I found a massive lead that might just solve it. At the very least I found some mentions of trafficking people so this group is as good as finished but nothing concrete."
"So they're related but they haven't been mentioned. Dammit!" Tibaut was infuriated by this but the accumulated damage he had taken left him less energetic than he wanted.
He leaned against a wall and silently cursed himself for letting Cormac away, even if it would have resulted in his death if he continued.
Seeing Tibaut's reaction Jake couldn't help but try and comfort him.
"Um, Tibaut? Don't worry too much about it. Whether we want to or not there is a high chance we'll meet them again. (What the hell am I saying, how is saying we're gonna run into those guys again reassuring?)" Jake questioned the words coming out of his mouth but it seemed to get Tibaut to stop moping. He now had a more focused face and Jake felt like he was staring directly into his soul.
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"That's right. They'll keep coming back until they get rid of us. I'll turn that bastard's confidence into his undoing."
Jake felt he had just added fuel to the fire but kept his mouth quiet, trying not to rile him up even further.
The group soon decided it was time to leave the mines and they eventually made their way out (Leaving the men tied up).
When they reached the outside, Tibaut passed out from his injuries and in this state, Avis manually readjusted his bones to straighten his arm and made a makeshift splint out of some wood and her dull wires. With Tibaut unconscious it was decided that Albus would be the one running alongside them, it was a fair decision and had nothing to do with him pissing Avis off.
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Tibaut soon woke up on the bed of his room, in the guest building. He looked around and realised there was no one around to greet him. He moved his formerly broken hand around, realising it now looked like a normal arm. It still pained him but the pain was nowhere near the amount he felt when his hand was broken.
("I swear, I wouldn't be surprised if my hair went white from the amount of pain I've been through.")
As he breathed he realized his chest was in pain as well.
("So she hasn't healed my injuries fully, huh.")
He touched his chest and felt like a searing chain had been wrapped around it. He felt his back but it seemed fully healed.
("At least I can lay down in peace.")
As he was drifting off, someone entered through the door. It was Elizabeth. She had a cold look on her face but Tibaut knew she was anything but cold when he pissed her off. He scrambled out of the bed and ran towards the window, but she shockingly didn't react to this.
Now that he looked at her, she had a tray with a bowl of soup on it. She placed it on his bed and promptly left the room. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart was beating like a drum. This was a new reaction to him pissing her off and he wasn't sure how to feel, so his body defaulted to fear.
He slowly walked over to the bed and looked at the soup. It was a mixture of herbs and a type of fowl.
"Is it poisoned?" He took a sip but other than it needing some more salt, he didn't notice any adverse effects. Not sure what to do and too afraid to face her again, he stayed in the room and continued drinking the soup. As he finished it up someone else entered the room. It was Grace and she had a relieved look when she saw his face.
"Did you get a haircut?"
He touched his hair and looked into a nearby mirror. He saw his hair was shoulder length and cleanly cut.
"Phew, I guess it isn't that bad." She commented
"That bad?" Tibaut asked.
"No, it's just, that Elizabeth's reaction to you coming home was a bit concerning, so we were wondering if you are still alive or not." She said with an awkward smile. "Like when we asked about you, she'd say "A dead man doesn't need your concern" or "It'd be better off if you don't know". I'm surprised your eyes are even open."
"... (...)" Both his throat and mind were empty as he heard this.
"Don't worry Maid Red, I'll tell the others you're alright."
And Tibaut was left alone in the room yet again. He laid back down on his bed and looked at the ceiling, before falling back asleep.