Alice and Jonathan were running for their lives as they escaped the rotting bear that had attacked them. As they fled, Alice kept a close eye on Jonathan, making sure that he didn’t collapse and get left behind. Time was a blur as they ran. It could’ve been days for what she knew, her mind focused on running didn’t leave room for how many minutes or hours it had been. Inwardly she was cursing the bear and to a lesser extent, Jonathan, for landing them in this predicament. They should’ve left the moment they felt the creature’s power, but his misplaced confidence had made her stay. Despite her frustration, Alice couldn’t have lived with herself if she had left her new friend to die while she escaped.
As they ran, the scenery slowly shifted from the misty grasslands. Grass and mud turned more solid as they approached the roots of the mountain and the ground gained subtle yet noticeable elevation. Alice wanted to keep going, but a glance at Jonathan told her that he was on his last legs. In the bleak moonlight she saw his pale face, his single visible green eye staring blankly ahead without really seeing anything. His wounds had stopped bleeding, which would’ve been a good sign if it wasn’t for the creature that had inflicted them. Alice pushed on, hoisting Jonathan's arm over her shoulder and half dragging him towards safety.
Growing up in the nearby city, Alice was somewhat familiar with the surrounding lands. The rocky terrain around them was a good sign that they were close to civilization. Unfortunately however, not close enough so they could make it there in a night. Jonathan couldn’t carry on much longer and he needed rest. Through the fog, Alice saw a cluster of large boulders that dotted the surrounding landscape.
Dragging Jonathan underneath one such rock, she started to prepare a makeshift campsite. Most of their equipment had been left back at the grasslands as they made their escape. Extra weight would’ve only slowed them down, so in the moment it had felt like a minor sacrifice - a sacrifice she was now regretting. Cursing under her tongue, Alice laid Jonathan down and removed his bloodied tunic to inspect his wound.
A scream of pain echoed in the night the moment Alice touched the edges of the hard, blackened flesh. The exertion of the running had kept his adrenaline levels up, letting his mind stay focused on the task and ignore the pain. Now that they had a moment to catch their breath, the accumulated pain came rushing into him all at once.
“I’m sorry! But I have to do this!” Alice grimaced and removed her belt, placing it between Jonathan’s teeth before she continued her inspection.
Fighting rot ghouls at close range was a dangerous gamble. Their claws were coated with curse rot, a deadly substance that killed anything it came into contact with if left untreated. Curse rot was a slow and painful way to go, killing the flesh and leeching the life energy away from its victim over the course of days before the body simply gave up, succumbing to the infection. Alice noticed Jonathan’s left arm was beet red and swollen, but she had seen him doing something to get rid of the flesh maggots inside, potentially saving his arm and more importantly, his life.
The wounds were servere. Four deep gashes extended from Jonathan’s forehead down to his ribcage, the flesh around them blackened and hard from the rot. If Alice didn’t take action, Jonathan would suffer for days before inevitable death. Treatment options in the wilderness were limited. He was in no condition to keep moving towards the city, and it would take too long for her to drag the man the remaining distance. Cutting off the infected flesh off was the best short-term solution, but that meant risking severe blood loss. Even if the operation was successful, there were no guarantees Jonathan would make it through the following days.
Alice was faced with the difficult decision of whether to attempt the surgery and risk further harm, or to let the infection spread and kill him slowly. Inaction threatened to take hold of her. If her actions caused him to bleed out, could she live with the consequences? Would the means justify the end, even if it meant death? Alice drew her hunting knife, her hands shaking. Could she do this? Did she even know how?
Her hands fell to her sides. Before doing anything, she would need to make sure that Jonathan would survive the aftermath. As much as Alice wanted to blame him for not fleeing the moment they sensed the danger, she would much rather blame his person, not his corpse.
“I’m going to go gather supplies” She spoke to Jonathan’s restless body, not knowing if he could hear her words. “I’ll get you through this. Just… just stay alive, okay?”
As Alice left her companion resting under the boulder, she set out to scavenge the surrounding area for supplies to save his life. Her top priority was finding something to mitigate blood loss. Luckily, the rocky terrain near the stream was abundant with moss, which she knew to be a good substitute for traditional bandages. Gathering armfuls of the moss, Alice returned to Jonathan’s side frequently to check on his condition. At some point during the night he had lost consciousness and had fallen into restless slumber. Though she wished to join him in sleep, there was still much work to be done before rest was a possibility.
Water became her next priority. Their waterskins were left back at the site, along with all of their other equipment. The only watertight container she had on hand were her boots. They would have to do..
The stream was running steadily not too far away from their resting place. After a quick rinse to get the filth out, Alice carried two boots filled with fresh and relatively clean water back. There wasn’t much else she could do. They lacked any way to permanently close the wounds, so unless a miracle happened and a wandering cleric passed by and cured his injuries, Alice was as ready as she could be.
The moon was at its peak far above them, casting a pale light over their surroundings. Alice placed her hand gently on Jonathan’s forehead to check his temperature. Unfortunately, she could feel that it was rising, signaling that the rot had already started to take its toll on his body. This was a critical moment, and Alice knew she had to act fast. She couldn’t help but to once again curse the dire situation as she gathered her strength for what had to come next.
Alice poured water over Jonathan’s wounds as carefully as she could, trying to cause as little discomfort as possible. He twitched in his sleep, biting down the belt she had placed between his teeth. As she washed away the blood from his face, Alice couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Jonathan’s right eye was not just covered in blood, but was missing entirely. If the rot had infected his eye socket from the inside, there was little she could do to save him. The realization hit her hard, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair wash over her.
She sent a quick prayer to the gods of healing, fortune, life, whichever could help her. Drawing her knife, Alice got to the grim work, filling the night with another wave of screams.
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Hours later, the sun was slowly rising from the south, casting the fog lands in a cool orange glow. Alice sat down head resting against the boulder, her hands and clothes stained with blood. Jonathan was sleeping next to her, his breath slow and raspy. Whether he would make it or not, only time could tell.
As she sat there, lost in her thoughts and overwhelmed with fatigue, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The soft, unexpected voice instantly brought her mind to alert as she quickly grabbed her knife and stood up, ready to defend herself. As she did, a wave of dizziness rushed her, making her stumble on her feet. If it came down to a fight, she would have to take her opponent down by surprise.
A shadowy figure was just barely visible through the mist, slowly moving towards them. The first thing to emerge from the fog and into clear view was the gleam of an arrowhead, aimed at her heart. Alice wasn’t thinking clearly enough to realize the danger and rushed the perceived threat her knife held out. The bowman lowered their weapon a bit, shooting a warning shot at Alice’s feet. In an instant another arrow was knocked and pointed at her.
“Stay still!” A gruff voice of a man came through the mist, causing Alice to freeze on her tracks. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she quickly assessed the situation. The man was talking, which was always a good sign - talking meant friendly, right? She could deal with a friendly talking stranger. Trusting her instincts, Alice dared to hope that the figure wasn’t an immediate threat, and she lowered her knife slowly.
“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” The voice asked in a harsh tone.
“My name is Alice! Alice Althorn! I’m an adventurer with the Order!” Alice answered instantly, trying to keep her voice steady. “Me and my… umm… friend here, we escaped a rot ghoul bear from the fields last night! He got injured!”
“The Order? A rot ghoul?” The figure lowered his bow and approached them, revealing himself to be a tall, rugged looking man in his fifties. A bushy graying beard was visible beneath the hood of his cloak, covering his worn cloth armor.
What was most concerning to Alice was the fact that she couldn’t sense his energy waves. She knew that skills to hide your aura existed, but the attributes required to learn and use them were high.
The man’s eyes flicked between her and Jonathan, who was still asleep on the cold ground.
“You cut the rot out? That’s what the shouting was about?” He asked
Alice nodded, still slightly on guard. Even though the man was talking and not shooting, she still didn’t know who he was or what his intentions were.
“Let me see.” He half-asked, half-ordered. Alice moved out of the way of the man, who gave her a look as he walked past. “Don’t get any stupid ideas with that knife of yours.”
The man bent over Jonathan and inspected his wounds, his fingers pressing the edges of the cut skin. He let out a few dissatisfied grunts as he identified areas of infected flesh that Alice had missed during the night, and quickly excised them. After a few minutes he stood back up, nodding to himself.
“You did well enough. If you get him to proper healers, he should make a full recovery. Eventually.”
Alice wasn’t sure, but she was almost certain she detected a hint of admiration in the stranger’s voice.
“Thank you!” She said, forcing a tired smile. The fatigue once more took a hold of her and forced her to sit back down with a sigh of relief.
The stranger fixed his piercing blue eyes at her.
“Now. Tell me what exactly you two were thinking, traveling alone and fighting rot ghouls. It's reckless and dangerous, especially at your level..”
“You are both incredibly fortunate,” the man said, his expression growing increasingly grave as Alice recounted their recent events. “In your position, I would have left your companion behind. I can’t tell whether you are more brave or foolish.“
Alice’s face grew serious as she replied to the stranger.
“I couldn’t have. He isn’t part of the Order, so he is a civilian. Isn’t it our duty to protect them?”
The man nodded reluctantly, seeming to approve of her response. When he continued, his voice was far gentler. “I can’t take the time to see you two to safety. However, I recognize the threat the rot ghouls pose, especially this close to the city.”
He reached into his cloak and produced a metal disk, which he offered to Alice.
“This is my badge of the Order. Take it to the headquarters and report your findings. I, Marcus Erikson, will sponsor a quest to eliminate the rot ghoul presence.”
Alice recognized the name. “You’re Marcus?! The Marcus Erikson?” She exclaimed, surprised to meet the vice commander of the Hunter guild.
The man, Marcus, nodded as he got up.
“I am. And as much as I would like to stay and help, I am on a different hunt. But I can try to ease your journey a bit. If I come across your lost supplies, I will return them back to you. But if not...” He left the sentence hanging.
“You’re leaving?! Please, can’t you stay? At least for a while longer?” Alice pleaded, not wanting to be left alone again, especially now that she knew the stranger was a friend.
“I understand your concerns, but my mission is too urgent to wait around for days for your friend's recovery. But I will return in a few hours, whether I find your supplies or not.” He promised, and without speaking another word, he disappeared into the mist.
While Alice waited for any development on Jonathan’s condition and for Marcus to bring their gear back, she fluctuated in and out of consciousness. The sun slowly crawled across the sky as she waited, Jonathan’s breaths being the only sound in the mist, coming and going as unsteady rasps.
It was well past noon when she fully woke up, her body aching from the uncomfortable resting place. Looking around, Alice spotted their backpacks resting against one another next to two long branches wrapped in canvas. On top of the bags was her sword, and a small leather pouch she didn’t recognize. She crawled up to it and opened the pouch, pulling the sinewy cords that held it secure. Inside she found a small scroll, which she opened immediately.
As she read the scroll, a genuine smile spread across her face for the first time in what felt like forever. The note was from Marcus, stating that the rot ghoul they had encountered was no longer a threat and that he had encountered another one while returning to her. He had also included a spare healing elixir and the beast core from the bear, which she could use as further proof for the order, and sell to help pay for Jonathan’s recovery.
Alice clutched the letter tightly, whispering “Thank you” in the air.
Tilting the pouch over her hand, Alice carefully pulled out a small vial filled with red liquid and a black and turquoise gemstone the size of a grape. Without hesitation, she unsealed the vial and poured its contents into Jonathan’s mouth. The elixir took immediate effect, and as Alice laid the back of her hand on Jonathan’s forehead, she could feel his temperature returning to normal. One potion alone however wasn’t potent enough to heal all of his injuries, but at least it would keep him alive for now.
After ensuring Jonathan was resting properly, Alice returned to the nearby stream to clean herself up. She washed the dried blood from her hands and felt a sense of hope for the future. She changed her clothes and returned to Jonathan, sitting down next to his sleeping figure, slowly chewing on a strip of cured ham she had fished out of his backpack.
“It’s going to be a few more days before we get back to the city. And you are still not in any condition to walk.” She spoke to no one in particular, mainly voicing out her thoughts.
Her eyes flicked to the sticks wrapped in canvas and their purpose became clear to her.
“Oh, Jonathan. You owe me big time once you wake up.” She smiled, finished her lunch and set to work, using the branches and the canvas to create a simple but sturdy stretcher. Gently lifting Jonathan onto it, she made sure he was secure and set off on their journey back to the city. Alice felt grateful for Marcus’s unexpected help and was determined to repay her debt to him.