DRIFA

Marcella looked back at Ismund and said something again. Ismund seemed irritated and unconvinced, he also seemed to be thinking. Whatever it was, he gave the Marcella an unconvinced quirk of the mouth and picked up the new clothes I’d made him, placed them in his bag and walked off. I quickly wrote on the stone and flashed, “Bye!” ,with a big smiley face written on the side of it and headed off. The woman looked a little sad but waved nonetheless.

Once I caught up to Ismund I asked him a question.

“Where are we heading now?”

He glanced at me with a weird look on his face and kept walking.

A few minutes later I found that we were going to the doctors.

Well, duh. Should’ve figured that out myself.

It was a quaint building, but it was different from all the others. It had small trinkets around the place with some mutated creatures around the perimeter. Most of all, it gave off a sort of ominous aura. There had been a few other buildings around the neighborhood like that, but this one stuck out in particular.

As we walked closer my doubts crept up on me. I looked up at Ismund. He didn’t seem too concerned, just on edge, his usual.

He’ll probably tell me if he want’s me to keep an eye out. He knows what he’s doing.

As soon as we stepped into the building I was hit with a horrible feeling, it sank down to my bones: I had to leave.

I spun right in the other direction, towards that wonderful exist door. Ismund stopped me by grabbing my sleeve. He looked at me inquisitively and I just shook my head and tried to walk back to the precious outside. Before I could do much more a man with spotless, smooth grey skin approached us saying something.

Him, he was the source of the worst of it. I squirmed.

“I need my stitches addressed.”

Not here!

I looked at him earnestly and tried to tug him away from the man. He didn’t budge.

The other man smiled and spoke a bit while drumming his fingers. After that, he waved us deeper into the building.

Can we go back now? Please!

[User Drifa does not have access to Telepathy.]

I know. That’s not the point- wait, is that a thing? Wait, don’t answer that right now. I need to focus.

I looked around for another way out. There were rooms that I did not want to go in. Other than that there were no windows or doors to outside, just straight walls and more caged mutant animals. They were looked horrible. They were staring at us while drooling, standing in their own filth.

The man led us further into the buildings until he swished a curtain aside revealing a cot which he gestured for Ismund to sit on.

Can I just leave? I’m not doing anything.

I looked around nervously, while trying to scoot back towards the door. Ismund glanced in my direction and seemed unhappy, but he couldn’t exactly get up so… I was gonna do it. Once the strange man turned his back towards me I headed out of the room, out of the main office, and then out the door. Only then did I feel like I could breath properly.

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Wait. What does that mean for Ismund? Did, did I put him in a worse situation? Well, probably not. I can’t do much as is since I don’t even have access to my magic.

[You could operate magic if you wanted too.]

I still don’t get what you mean by that. Well, I don’t know how to any magic right now and I don’t understand whatever you’re talking about.

I was a bit nervous though, I couldn’t make up my mind whether I should just head to the hotel or not. After considering it for a while I figured that it would make the situation worse if I went back in. Also, I did not want to go back in. So, I headed up to my room and sat there for a while.

Agh—

I looked around my room hopelessly.

— what am I supposed to say when he gets back? Maybe it’ll be fine? Ismund will probably either be… upset or neutral. Hopefully he’s fine and it was just a me issue.

I looked down at the bandana around my neck.

The System keeps saying that I can still do magic or whatever so maybe I can figure that out?

I situated myself so I was sitting comfortably.

May as well.

I pursed my lips.

Well, maybe not. I won’t be able to talk to him when he comes back. I can try practicing later. He’ll need to heal for a while anyways. I think that you want to remove the stitches after about a week, and it’s been something like that… wait no! It’s been like two or something. Those need to get out.

I felt my own painful swollen skin on my back.

Shoot!

“Can I, no.”

I don’t think I can cut it myself.

I grunted and spun around in circles looking for anything.

Nope, nothing. Why would there be? ‘Special stitch remover over here!’

I snorted.

“Well, maybe Ismund can do it.” I mumbled.

I waited, and waited, and did some more waiting. Finally I heard some steps creaking on the wood.

Ismund!

I unlatched my door and stepped out, Ismund was just up the stairs. I walked right over to him, he didn’t seem very happy. Instead, he looked quite tired, more tired than usual.

Once he caught sight of me he raised his eyebrows unimpressed. I wasn’t sure with what.

Hopefully not me.

“So?” I asked him.

He didn’t say anything, he just walked over to his room. It didn’t seem to be his usual grumpy self though. I walked behind him.

Maybe he’ll tell me more when we aren’t in the open.

He didn’t slam the door so I figured that meant I could go in.

His room looked just the same as mine except the bed was made.

“What happened?”

He looked up at me with a slight frown and mumbled something about freezing.

“Hmm?”

He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, “The stitches are out. They’d been for too long.-”

I knew it, but that does mean that mine need to go to.

-“The creams or ointments he tried to use froze. He didn’t like that and asked for extra pay.”

He looked up at me with a scowl, but I didn’t think it was directed at me this time.

“So, bright thing the guy was decided to use their,” his words dripped with deep sated disgust, “magic.”

Oh no. What did they do?

I searched his face worriedly and voiced my thought.

“I guess they closed it up or something, I can’t exactly see it. But it’s sat wrong with me and feels like a, a,” he searched for words, “like a prosthetic but for skin but if it didn’t work.”

What? That doesn’t make… sense. Okay whelp, he tried.

Meeting my eyes he spoke gruffly, “Get rid of it.”

My palms were sweaty.

At least he’s conversational… Well, it’s probably because it’s a thing he doesn’t like.

“Uhm… I’ll do my best. I’ll try.”

I lifted the back of his shirt after a short nod.

“Can I, switch so I can hear what he did?”

He bobbed his head and I pulled out my rock and the charcoal just in case he wanted to write. He did not.

Lets take a look, shall we?

He was right about it being very wrong. Like the mans flesh, it was a ash grey instead of where the open skin was.

I’m not getting enough by just looking.

I switched over and it was worse than Ismund had described. It was some sort of Parasite. It kept taking energy from something.

Taking energy? How would it get energy?

I looked into it deeper. It wasn’t making any of it’s own sound, it was using sound tendril things to seek out sound in Ismund. I looked down at myself.

We make sound? Like, other than breathing and stuff?

I tilted my head and I blew some hair out of my face.

I don’t think I can get rid of it as is unless I want to gouge another hole in him. I need to figure out my magic so I can make any sort of difference. This thing — it seemed alive in some way — was going as soon as I was able.