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“AIIEEEEE!”
The scream ripped through the air, startling both Rajan’kin and Gage-jun. Gage-jun was the first to her feet and at the flap to the shrine room. The dwarves had paused in their work on the Ancestral Shrine of the kumdahari, each of them looking around in weary confusion. Elfric was standing in the center of the tent, his axe in hand, watching the entrance. From outside in the alley, several voices could be heard yelling, growing closer.
“Clear the way!”
“Healer!”
“Move!”
“What happened?”
“Who was it?”
“Guards!”
A hulking beast of a bull-man skidded to a stop in front of the hut, sand sent flying in a small wave before him. He wore an almost kilt like wrap around his massive form. With an inner layer in the front with an outer layer around the back while a loose vest left his torso bare. All of which was bound at the waist by layers of a thick cloth belt. The fur that covered his body was a light, off-white tan with two large, dark grey spots on his shoulders, which matched his short, spiky hair. His horns curved forward from his temples, two small, bone spur blades grew on the outer ridges of each horn.
Behind him he had dragged a board of sandstone, on which were two individuals. One was a male creature that looked like a furred lizard. He had long, ears that looked elven if not for a more rounded tip. His hair was roughly cut short, giving it a spiky appearance and was poorly dyed pink. The face had a slightly elongated nose and prominent cheekbones, with large eyes. The skin had a very short layer of fur, giving it a smooth look as it transitioned from a lighter tone on the chest and inner arms to a darker shade on the back and outer limbs. He had a prominent tail extending from his lower back. It was muscular and thick, nearly the length of his leg. He sat at the higher end of the board, just behind the bull-man that was pulling it. He was beaten, rough bruises and cuts covered his torso, arms, and head. Tears were streaming down his face, which was fixed in a look of horror.
The source of the screams and cries was the third individual who was another bull-man. He was not nearly as large as the one pulling the board, though still quite muscular. He had soft, light brown fur covering him, slightly darker for the hair. His horns were black and grew out from near his temples before turning up in a roughly ninety-degree angle. His outfit was similar to the other bull-man’s, just with different colorations. His head was cradled in the furred lizard’s lap. It took Gage-jun a minute to realize what was wrong with him and when he did, her eyes widened.
The bull-man’s throat was nearly severed clean through. The laceration cut around his throat from one side of this spine to the other. Frothy bubbles of blood were burbling up in ragged bursts through the gash. The younger bull’s eyes were rolling wildly in his head, his pupils pinpricks of panic and pain.
“Daja,” The furred lizard’s voice was strained and shaking. “Please, my magic… I can’t…”
“Sahra’zar!” Gage-jun snapped to, “Help him get that board in here. Now.” Instantly the dwarves dropped what they were doing and rushed over. Lining up an up along the sides of the board they lifted it up on their shoulders. With expert maneuvering, they took it from the bull-man and cared it into the hut. “Elfric, close the flap and watch out in front. Don’t let anyone in unless they have an emergency.”
Gage-jun gestured to the dwarves where to set down the board, and they did so as carefully as they could before filling out the front flap. Only the bull-man, the furred lizard, and Rajan’kin stayed in the tent with Gage-jun and the patient.
“Rajan’kin, fetch the bandages, rags, water, and the tall, blue jar.” Gage-jun knelt down next to the furred lizard. “When I count, slid aside and I will take over. If you can, help Rajan’kin clean the wound and hold him still. Ready? One… Two… Three!”
Not even a heartbeat passed as the furred lizard’s hands left the bull’s head and Gage-jun’s slid into place. Instantly his power pushed into the bull-man’s body. He found the traces of the furred lizard’s magic. It seemed the boy had been trying to keep the bull breathing and masking the pain. Gage-jun immediately took up the pace, her eyes closing.
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With his power, he let the bull pass out before continuing his work. Keeping the heart beating, the lungs pumping. He barely registered when Rajan’kin and the furred lizard began working on cleaning the wound. It was a long process as he started connecting the blood vessels to each other. One by one, so that the blood could flow properly while he rebuilt the actual vessels around the flowing blood. The central column of organs was next, a grueling task as he turned his attention to the trachea. Thankfully, the esophagus had been spared, tucked behind the windpipe as it was. If the cut had managed to go through the first pipe all the way, it may have had damaged it.
As the new cartilage and muscle began forming, sealing the cut through the pipe. At the same time, Gage-jun cleared any remaining blood from the windpipe and lungs. Finally, he began reconnecting the muscles of the surrounding neck and the outer skin. She gasped for breath as she sat back, looking down at the bull-man. He was still unconscious, and there was a clear, pale line of new skin ringing his neck.
“Take the… the paste from the jar and smear it over the wound… Then wrap it in the bandages.” Gage-jun panted out. She pushed herself to her feet and stepped over to the large bull-man. “You found him?”
The bull-man nodded, the worry clear on his face. “My brother, Keylan. I… I don’t know what happened.”
Gage-jun nodded and put a comforting on the bull-man’s arm. She stopped herself from flinching back, surprised by the amount of heat coming from him. “Well, Keylan should avoid speaking loudly for some time, foods should be liquid or soft until everything is finished healing. The paste should help with that. If you’re gentle, you can move him to one of the mats and make him comfortable.”
“I am Taylon, thank you for saving my brother.”
“You acted quickly, Taylon. Though you should be thanking him,” Gage-jun nodded to the furred lizard, who looked exhausted. “If he had not kept your brother breathing, we would be having a very different conversation.”
Rajan’kin and the furred lizard moved back from Keylan, his neck cleanly bandaged. As Taylon went to move his brother, Gage-jun went to the furred lizard. “I did mean that, thank you for what you did.”
“Griz’tek accepts thanks and gives his in return.” The furred lizard, Griz’tek, made a fist and held it to his stomach before giving a slight bow. “I am friends with Keylan, we work the refuse fields together. We were speaking in a side alley when…” Griz’tek looked miserably about, “When he came out. He attacked me first, beating me. I didn’t catch much. Keylan moved to help me and… it happened so fast. One moment Keylan was stepping forward, the next the man was running off down the alley and Keylan was… his…”
Gage-jun pulled Griz’tek toward her and embraced him. The smaller form trembled, his hands clutching at Gage-jun’s robes. “He lives because of you Griz’tek. Come, let’s get your wounds tended to.”
As Gage-jun guided Griz’tek to a mat, he stopped as they passed Rajan’kin. “There is something you should know…” He hesitated as he looked at Rajan’kin, then down to the sand. “When he was attacking me, the man said something…” Griz’tek ran a hand through his hair, agitated, and gripped a fist full. “He said he was doing it for Kin. Would… would Kin really do such a thing?”
Rajan’kin looked at Griz’tek in shock, before sharply looking up to Gage-jun who openly showed the same emotion. “This one knows Kin would never have his followers just attack people. This one doesn’t know why the attacker did this, but this one assures you that they will find out.”
Gage-jun’s shock shifted to a cold anger. How dare someone do such a thing in my name! Stiffly, she guided Griz’tek to a mat and laid him down. It was short work healing his wounds, none of them serious. Letting Griz’tek rest, Gage-jun went to the front flap and looked out. There was a small crowd of people gathered across from the hut. A wide range of emotions rolled through the group. He was surprised to see that not only Elfric, but the sandstone dwarves were standing guard. Off to the side, a small group of kumdahari guards were waiting.
Gage-jun stepped out. “Elfric, you can go back inside now. Please, watch over them both. I will relieve you in a bit.” The elf nodded and slipped into the hut. She turned to the kumdahari. “They will live, though you will have to wait to speak with them if that is what you are here for. They are recovering from their healings.”
One of the kumdahari stepped forward, giving one of the sahra’zar an annoyed look. The dwarf stared back stoically. “That is fine. We received a description of the attacker, and he is being searched for. There are… concerns based on what observers heard the attacker say. We wish to speak to Rajan’kin.”
Gage-jun nodded, “You may enter to speak with Rajan’kin. The rest may watch the entrance, maybe the attacker will be stupid enough to come here to try and finish the job.” Her voice was hard, almost daring the attacker to make the attempt, wherever he may be.
To the dwarves, her voice softening, “Thank you for your help, I know this is more then you signed on for today. If you have the time to finish the Ancestral Shrine, it would be appreciated. I will of course compensate you all for your time.”
The kumdahari guard stepped into the hut and Gage-jun was followed in by the dwarves. One of them spoke up, “The offer is appreciated, Daja, but it has been an honor to assist you this day.”
Her eyes fell on the blood-stained board. “If I may request, then.” She pointed towards it, “Move that before the Shrine of Kin.”