Sinking my magic into myself, I do a whole body scan. It takes time and we’re not in the safest place, as has just been proven. Even so, I don’t want to risk the damage I’ve sustained worsening in the time it will take to get back through the trees and up the hill to the cave.
And I have sustained damage. The joints of my leg, of course, underwent significant strain with the death roll of the crocodile. Then there’s the impact I had with the ground. The wounds created by the crocodile’s teeth are actually probably the least of the injuries I’ve suffered, but they’re there too. The worst, however, are my lungs.
The influx of river water has messed with the delicate tissue that makes them up, explaining the shortness of breath and difficulty in speaking that I’ve been experiencing. That’s where I start my healing.
It’s a bit like dealing with a poison: I have to shift the water out of my lungs entirely, while retaining and repairing the mucous membrane which normally covers the alveoli to protect them. I actually take a moment to pull myself out of my mental disconnection to reposition myself.
After returning to the position on my elbows and knees, my head relaxing downwards, I go back to working on my lungs. With gravity aiding me, it’s a lot easier to purge my breathing apparatus of the intrusive liquid. Another pass through that area of my body to ensure that there are no foreign bodies or bacteria which could harm me, and I’m pretty much done there.
I shift back to a position on my back to tackle my leg next. My consciousness streaming down to where I feel a sharp ache, I start with the open wounds. Getting rid of the bacteria from the crocodile’s mouth takes longer than healing the holes its teeth made – it obviously had never tried brushing its teeth!
With those incisions done, I move up to my knee joint. It’s actually quite interesting to see: the initial injury has caused the tendons to swell around where they’ve torn a little, but my own healing has clearly already kicked in. That’s evident by the indications I can see that the damage was worse before.
I quickly finish what my natural healing has already started and then move onto my hip. The damage is more extensive here, but it’s fairly similar in type to my knee. I guess this is the bit that took the most strain when I was being flung around.
Once I’ve finished dealing with that, I open my eyes again, feeling much better. Bastet is sitting next to me, keeping half an eye on me, and the rest on the surroundings beyond me. River is standing with his spear ready, vigilantly guarding my vulnerable form – clearly he’s still being eaten up over his ‘failure’.
Damn camouflaged crocodiles, I think to myself grumpily. This was meant to be a ‘safe’ trip down to the river so I could wash up, and the crocodile just had to intrude. I push myself to my feet and walk over to the crocodile itself.
Lathani seems to have given up on guarding the beast – perhaps she’s understood that it’s dead and not any threat to us anymore. She was poking around curiously at various things in the undergrowth, but when she sees me stand, she comes hurrying over.
She presses up against my legs, almost tripping me.
Are you well now? I was worried when the water enemy dragged you under the surface. I don’t like getting wet, do you? And then you changed colour. Are humans supposed to change colour? And your leg was bleeding, and I was worried– I interrupt her by stroking her head and rubbing behind her ears.
Leaning into my hand, I feel a rumble go through her, the sound ending on a plaintive whine.
“I’m fine,” I tell her gently. “It wasn’t much fun, and no, I don’t tend to like being dragged under water, but I’m glad that it didn’t grab you instead.”
I’ve never seen anything attack from the water before, she told me, her body and ‘voice’ relaxing a bit at my reassurance. In fact, I think that you need to improve your hunting. I frown down at her.
“Why do you say that?” I mean, it’s not like it’s not true, but I’m surprised that she’s the one pointing it out.
When I’m out with mother we’re the ones who are attacking, not the ones being attacked, she points out, with a bit of superiority. I laugh out loud.
“Your mother is both way too powerful for anything in this part of the forest, and also amazingly good at concealing herself. I’m not surprised that nothing attacks her, or you when you’re with her.”
Exactly. She’s much better at hunting, Lathani points out, like that explains everything. I’m still smiling.
“Alright, fine. I’ll work on my hunting. Good enough?” This time she sends a wordless wave of satisfaction, then presses once more against my leg before bounding off to continue inspecting whatever she was looking at before.
I stare after her for a moment more, a fond look no doubt on my face. Then, giving myself a quick shake, I turn to the corpse of the crocodile – time to find out a little more about this beast.
Casting Inspect Fauna, I wonder how much information I’ll get this time from the Skill.
Nere
Tier 2 Beast (evolved)
Dead
Able to camouflage itself thoroughly against the bottom of the river bed.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Close message? Y/N
The answer is: not much more than I already knew.
The only new information is basically that it was Tier 2. That’s good – there should be a Core somewhere in the body which can be put against River’s debt. Given the size of the creature and the fact that it’s Tier 2, Kalanthia might even be willing to count that as two Cores.
With all the hunts my Bound have been doing, it’s been inevitable that they would run into the odd Tier 2 creature. Especially since, I think, they’ve been heading deeper into the valley at times. With the Tier 2 creatures have come some Cores. Not all were big enough, but enough have been found to bring our progress towards paying back River’s debt to seven Cores out of fifteen. Almost halfway!
I next step forward to examine the creature itself thoughtfully. I didn’t have Inspect Fauna when I last fought this crocodile creature – a nere, according to the System – but I don’t think that one was evolved. Certainly, Kalanthia never mentioned finding a Core, though maybe she did but just didn’t mention it, assuming that I’d intentionally given it to her.
This one looks bigger than the previous, about half again as long and much heavier. Maybe I should use this one’s hide rather than the other’s for my armour? Or maybe I should use the first nere’s hide as an experiment – if I mess up the tanning for it, it doesn’t matter too much.
Getting it back is going to be a trial, though.
A glint of metal catches my eye as I turn my head to the side. Frowning, I step forwards for a closer look. Then I spot it.
My knife! I realise, and my heart skips a beat. Of course – I’d dropped it in the middle of the fight. My heart resumes its usual rhythm, though somewhat faster than before. If I lost that…. I’m lucky that the current isn’t too strong and only pulled it a little bit downstream.
Wading in, I grab it and quickly return it to my Inventory with slightly-shaky hands. I’m still a long way away from being able to create a metal knife, let alone something of this quality. Not to forget, of course, that I suspect there are enchantments strengthening and keeping it sharp.
Coming out of the river dripping reminds me of something else: I’m still wandering around naked. Pulling out a clean set of clothes, I get dressed. I put on my dress shoes too – they’re not exactly suitable for the forest, but they’re better than going barefoot.
My second set of trainers are, unfortunately, out of action now – they’ve got just too many cuts and holes in them to offer any sort of defence for my feet, even from the normal dangers of the forest floor. Having the soles of my feet stabbed by branches and stones is not fun, I can attest to that.
Clambering up a nearby tree, I pull out my axe and start chopping at the branch I’m sitting on. Obviously, I’m sitting closer to the trunk than I’m chopping – I don’t want to become a contender for a Darwin award, after all!
Lathani comes over to investigate what I’m doing.
“No, Lathani,” I tell her as she starts getting closer. “It’s dangerous.” She doesn’t listen – I get the sense that she’s pretending she hasn’t heard me. Worse, she wanders underneath the branch just as the weight of it starts to pull it downwards. “Lathani!” I say with more urgency as I feel the balance of the branch starting to shift. The damn cub is just staring up at the moving branch in fascination.
“Move, Lathani!” I tell her sharply. “Bastet,” I start, intending on getting the raptorcat to push her out the way if she doesn’t obey.
This time, though, she grudgingly obeys, but her stiff posture tells me that she didn’t like my tone of voice. I take a few more moments to cut through the last fibres holding the branch to the tree, the heavy bough thudding to the ground. Then, jumping the couple of metres to the ground, I walk over to the nunda cub.
As I move closer, she turns away so I’m always facing her back, her posture that of indignation.
“Lathani,” I say to her firmly, “you mustn’t go underneath a falling branch. If it had hit you, I’d now have to be explaining to Kalanthia why her daughter got severely injured or even killed by something that isn’t even capable of attacking!” I sigh, looking at her stiff back and ruffled hackles. “I’m sorry for speaking sharply to you, but I needed to get you to move with urgency.” No change.
I look over at Bastet beseechingly. Help?
The raptorcat sends across the feeling of an exasperated eyeroll, then pushes herself into a standing position. Stalking forwards, she goes up to Lathani, cuffs her over the head, then growls at her.
Don’t be stupid, I hear her say, her ‘voice’ muffled – because she’s not directing it at me, I guess. Pack leader gave an order, you follow. Lathani growls at Bastet, her tone still unhappy.
Bastet is apparently not taking any backtalk, though, and instead shoulder-checks the nunda, sending her stumbling off-balance. They’re almost the same size, so I’m a little surprised that Bastet manages to shift her so easily. Then again, I suppose that experience wins out every time.
While she’s off balance, Bastet pounces on her, rolling her over in a tumble of limbs. The contretemps comes to an end with Bastet leaning over Lathani, her paw on the young nunda’s throat.
You may be bigger, but you are still a cub. Follow your elders’ orders without question, she instructs Lathani with finality.
There’s a silence for a few moments as River and I look on with interest.
Yes, elder, Lathani says grudgingly. Bastet steps away and lets her up. She pushes herself to her feet quickly, then licks at her ruffled fur with a sense of embarrassment. Bastet steps forwards and licks at some ruffled fur near her ear.
Good. Listening to your elders is how you become an elder yourself in time. Then you can teach the same lessons to your pack’s cubs.
Lathani doesn’t reply in words to that, but she seems to like the idea, if the hint of pleasure coming off her and the way her fur starts lying flat again is anything to judge by.
Sorry, elder, she says finally to Bastet when she’s got rid of the leaves and small twigs which had got caught in her fur during the tumble.
Forgiven, Bastet replies, then nudges her towards me. Lathani darts a look at me, then another at Bastet. The raptorcat growls softly, the tone warning. Lathani slumps, then pads towards me, looking like she’s going to her execution.
Sorry, elder, she says finally, her tone almost begrudging, her gaze fixed defiantly on mine, her ears back.
Bastet growls and comes over to cuff her on the head.
Try again, she orders the nunda cub. Lathani makes some grumbling noise. Now.
Sorry, pack leader, she says finally, but her teeth are still slightly bared, her eyes are on mine, and her ears are back. Something’s not right here.
Forgiven, I say, following Bastet’s lead. The nunda then stalks off, returning to prodding at the undergrowth with an anger which hadn’t been present before.
I’m left staring at Bastet, completely baffled.