While trudging behind Mark, I slowly adjust Melissa on my back; her chin digs into my right shoulder, and she drools on me. Kevin follows beside me, fretting over his passenger, annoyance radiating from the tentacles whenever he gets too close.
Why broadcast every annoyance? Carrying Melissa, who weighs more than a bag of rice, is exhausting enough. Why is she so motionless? She can't be dead. I guess it was a good thing I knew some basic first aid. I must have messed up somewhere. Just like with Trevor. I'm doing it again. Now all we need to do is find someone more skilled than I am.
As we continue walking, I notice a large group of people setting up camp in the distance.
"It seems our expedition team beat us to the meeting place. They looked pretty beat up, though," Ivy remarked, a green aura covering the areas around her eyes. "What do you think happened?"
"I thought things were too peaceful," Mark sighed, brushing his hair back. "Heavy casualties?"
"Doesn't seem like it from what I could see."
"This is what I've been waiting for!" the redhead exclaimed, bumping his fists together. "Any monsters will rue the day they cross paths with me!"
Following behind Mark, I glanced around as we neared our expedition team's campsite.
"Mark!" a man shouted upon our arrival. "You're here!"
"Where's Penny?" Mark asked. "I need to speak with her."
The man let out a booming laugh, clapping Mark on the back.
"Always business with you first, eh, buddy," he chuckled, pointing toward a green tent. "She should be in there. Probably working herself into a frenzy. Anyways, once you're done with that, stop by my tent. Me and a few others are having a couple of beers."
"I don't know if I could make it," Mark said, massaging his shoulder. "There might be-"
"I'm breaking out my stash of Umqombothi."
"Fine," Mark sighed, turning toward me. "Leave the bodies you process over there." He gestured to a brown bench where lizardmen were busy picking through a pile of corpses. "We are going to be processing them."
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"Beatrice!" Mary smiles, slightly out of breath, "You're back! That was quick! I-" Her eyes widen and she rushes toward me, dropping the box in her hands. She takes Melissa off my back and onto a nearby slab of rock.
"Ollie! OLLIE! Where are you, you old bat!" Mary hollers while examining Melissa's stump. "Get over here!"
An old bald man stumbles from a bush, face set in a scowl. His brown robe is stained with dry blood while marching to Mary's side.
"What do you want now, you old hag?" the man screeches. "Thanks to our expedition team, I'm knee-deep in patients! Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Who cares! This girl needs priority. She's lost too much blood!"
Suddenly, tentacles send a picture of an old married couple from some TV show. Frowning, I push them away.
"Aaugh," Kevin groans, his legs buckling beneath him.
Swiftly grabbing his arm, I sling it over my shoulder.
"Melissa," he moans near my ear, his voice cracked. "W-where is she?"
Is he too disoriented to see what happened? He might have depleted his asura organ to a dangerous level.
"She's right over there with Mary. Do you want to go over?" I ask, nudging him gently. Pain shoots through the bond as Kevin's elbow presses into the tentacles.
"Yzzsss." He croaks out.
Without further discussion, I begin to guide him slowly toward Melissa. Mary briefly looks over at our approach before returning to her conversation with the old man.
"There is quite a lot of poison in Melissa's body, especially in her stump," the man mutters, securing a metallic band around Melissa's wound. "I need to eliminate it before it spreads further." He turns towards Kevin, assessing him from head to toe.
"Oi, you! Let me check his condition," he says, nudging Mary aside. "Why didn't you bring him to me sooner? Jeez."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The old man roughly examines Kevin's face, pulling at his skin before retrieving a small flashlight from his pouch to examine Kevin's eyes.
"Severe asura depletion, likely from stopping Melissa's blood flow," he mutters while taking Kevin off my back. "That would explain the foreign asuras I found in her body." He glances sharply at Mary with beady eyes. "Oi, Mary! Did you get what I asked for?"
"Not exactly. Mostly run-down ones, unfortunately," Mary shakes her head as she gestures for the bald man to follow her. "They said those were all they could spare."
"They will do," Ollie growls, snatching them.
Crossing my arms, I turn toward where Melissa lay. My eyes land on the bloody stump with black fluid oozing out of it.
"He lost way too much blood. I don't know if he's going to make it."
Trevor's body is covered in layers of bandages, with only tufts of hair peeking out. His chest barely rises with every second.
"Beatrice?" Mary's voice cuts in as a hand frantically waves over my eyes. "Are you there?"
Jolting in place, I quickly shake my head. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You're shaking a lot."
"I am?"
Quickly glancing down, I uncross my arms. My fingers clench and tremble uncontrollably.
How did I not notice?
"Hey Beatrice," Mary gestures with her head to the side. "I'm going to be busy for a while. I need you to help Iss distribute the supplies to the other porters."
I slowly nod my head. "Alright."
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"Thanks for the help, Iss, I really appreciate it," Mary gushes, her hair messily strewn about. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Iss hands me a heavy satchel before turning toward Mary.
"It's nothing. If anything, I wish I could do more," Iss sighs, slowly shaking his head. "The others are picky about what they give out due to the recent skirmish." He glances to the side with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Maybe I could try to convince my brother..."
"That's alright, Iss. You've done more than enough for us," Mary smiles, clutching a parcel in her hands. "I don't want to trouble you any further."
"If you say so," Iss mutters. "Is there anything else you need? I will be busy for the next several days."
"No, not right now."
"Alright. Do me a favor and keep Matthew away from the liquor. He's not supposed to be having any, but he'll probably drink himself stupid without me around."
"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Mary chuckles, motioning for me to follow her. "I better get these to the others. See you around, Iss."
With one last wave, Iss strolls back to his side of the tent. As I look away from his retreating figure, I hurry to catch up with Mary.
Huh, how surprising. It's not often that an interaction between a human and a lizardman is amiable, especially considering their differing positions of power, with Mary being a porter.
"Friend of yours?" I ask, walking beside Mary.
"Yeah. Turns out, Iss has a big interest in tea," Mary explains as she opens the parcel and sifts through its contents.
Friends? Is that even possible? Maybe she's just using him to get more supplies. Yeah, that seems more likely/
"We hit it off after Matthew introduced us."
"I see. That's...nice."
Matthew. So Iss is the lizardman I saw back at the lodge. It is somewhat concerning if Iss is associated with someone suspicious like Matthew. The asura he extrudes isn't one you've seen from a porter. Maybe he's someone hired from Blossom City to finish the job. That, or I'm overthinking it. Who in their right mind would send someone after a porter, anyway? Or it could be what they want me to think in order to let my guard down.
A tentacle pokes at the satchel while another slips into its opening, delving inside. Quick bursts of happiness suddenly flow through the bond.
"Sure didn't take them long to find it, eh?" Mary chuckles and gives my arm a nudge. "Can't seem to ever hide it from them."
Opening the satchel, I retrieve a gel compact. It's wonderful floral but minty scents tickle my nose as tension in my muscles slowly relaxes. A tentacle reaches over and rubs against the container.
This is weirdly...nice. It's been a while since I felt this relaxed...Should I be more suspicious of this?
"What is this stuff?" I ask Mary, putting the container back. Disappointment flows through the bond.
"Silverbell grass," Mary mutters, flipping through a paper covered in writings. "It makes all Essevians weirdly happy, almost content."
"Even those without a sentient?" I inquire.
"Especially them," Mary confirms, still absorbed in the paper. "With the host's consciousness dead, nothing stops them from acting on instincts."
"Just because it's more effective on them than other Essevians, don't throw it at one," Mary leans closer, her tone serious. "They'll still give chase, even if they don't plan on eating you."
She winks before returning her attention to the paper. I glance back at the satchel and hold it away from my body. Disappointment instantly flows through my side of the bond.
I should probably keep my distance from this stuff. Despite its calming effect, which I appreciate, it might lower my guard and impair my ability to assess threats.
"So," Mary chimes in, "How are you feeling?"
Peeking through the corner of my eye, I shrug. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."
Should I be suspicious of why she's asking that? I can't tell, the question seems innocent enough. Then again, that might be the Silverbell's fault.
"Well, that's nice to hear," Mary says with a smile. "It could be—"
She suddenly pauses and looks to her right, focusing on something in the distance. A frown appears across her forehead.
"Ah, sorry, Beatrice," Mary apologizes as she looks back at me. "Do you mind delivering the gels?" She takes out a folded piece of paper and hands it to me. "Ollie is busy with patients, and most porters are hesitant about approaching those Essevians."
"I don't have anything else right now, so sure," I agree.
"Thank you, Beatrice," Mary sighs, briefly closing her eyes. "I know this is sudden, but something's come up." The look in her eyes slowly darkens. "Or rather, someone who apparently can't wait even a second."
"It's fine, go."
With one last wave, Mary quickly strides toward her destination. A shadowy figure moves in the distance at her approach.
Huh, who is that?
Quickly shaking my head, I turn away.
I shouldn't get involved. It's none of my business, anyway.