Posted back up, with a second chapter! Yay!
...
Hiro had been sure this dungeon would lead them back to the Blue Star. They had been lost for several hours, but none of his friends were about to complain. It was thanks to him that their world was saved, and, besides, they also missed their dear friend Lucia. They were all one in their goal: to rescue the Princess of the Blue Star from her lonely fate. They would not stop until they found a path to the Blue Star.
But they were weary from travel and battle, and Ronfar and Lemina's magic power had run dry, leaving them weakened. They decided to rest for a little while, taking the watch in shifts.
Leo watched with a smile on his face as Jean nodded off several times, jerking awake each time her head drooped down too far. He went to sit next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You go to sleep, Jean. I'll take the watch. I'm used to night shifts."
"I thought I was too," Jean said, smiling back. "I guess I'm more exhausted than I thought…"
"You have fought well, and always do more than your share. Rest now," Leo said. Jean nodded and closed her eyes. She was asleep within seconds.
Leo sighed as he watched her sleep. She was beautiful, from her dark skin to her emerald hair. Her dancer's body was lithe, but strong and muscular. She was a karate master, after all. But more than that, she was kind, caring, and possessed a strong sense of justice.
Leo chuckled bitterly to himself. What did he know of justice? He was the fool who had hindered Hiro's journey from the start in the name of "justice."
"Forgive me," he found himself whispering. "I was one of those who persecuted you for celebrating in the name of the goddess."
But things would be different now. He hoped that this journey would be the next step in regaining his lost honor. He looked again at Jean's sleeping form. If she knew…
He shook his head. He did not deserve her respect, much less her love. Someday, maybe. But that day was far off.
Leo looked out into the darkness, lit only by the torches Ruby had set fire to along the corridors. Strange shadows moved along the walls. He blinked several times, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. The shadows only got bigger and clearer, accompanied by animalistic grunting: more monsters.
Leo unsheathed his sword.
"Hiro! We're not alone!" he shouted. Hiro was first to his feet, but everyone stirred quickly. Their bodies had been trained through experience to awaken and fight at any moment.
The monsters finally showed themselves, but they were not what anyone had expected. Three tall guardians appeared in full armor, carrying broadswords and thick shields.
Hiro and Leo were the first to lunge forward with their swords, but they could not even leave a dent.
"No good!" said Leo. "The armor is too thick!"
Hiro charged his sword with a magic spell and took three strikes at one of them, shattering the armor and slicing through flesh. The guardian fell. One enemy was down, but Hiro needed a moment to recover; that spell combination was incredibly draining.
Ruby bravely dove forward and distracted one of the two remaining guardians by clawing at its helmet while Ronfar tried to break its armor with his mace.
The last guardian set its sights on the women of the group. Lemina was out of magic, and cowered helplessly as Jean stood in front of her in a protective stance, an iron fan in each hand.
Leo saw the guardian raise its sword and panic struck through his mind. Jean's karate outfit could easily be sliced through. It would kill her with one strike.
With a cry, he charged toward the guardian, attempting to deflect its attack with his own sword. But the guardian was stronger. Leo could not even slow its strike; he only succeeded in slightly altering its path. The guardian's sword sliced deeply into Leo's left side, just below the ribs, and hurled him several yards away.
"Leo!" both women screamed.
Hiro and Ronfar looked over in panic to see their friend lying on the ground beyond both guardians. They tried to run to him, but the guardians stood in the way.
"Leo!" Ronfar called, hoping his best friend would at least respond to his voice. Leo stirred and struggled to sit up, clasping both hands over his side. Ronfar felt encouraged; at least Leo had enough sense in him to cover his wound.
"Ruby, we could really use some dragon power about now!" Hiro shouted as the rest of the group quickly ran to join him at his side.
"Are you sure? These dragon attacks are kind of in short supply!" Ruby said, still distracted with the guardian she was scratching at.
"Yes, I'm sure! Just do it!" Hiro yelled back, desperately.
When Ruby looked up and saw Leo bleeding on the ground, she felt the Red Dragon Anger flow though her. She transformed just long enough to send a hail of burning fire upon the guardians, who were reduced to ashes in a matter of moments. She regained her cat form and landed on Hiro's shoulder, weary but relieved. She had helped defend her friends.
The group was momentarily frozen in awe at the Red Dragon's incredible strength. They often forgot what an ancient and terrible power their little friend held.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry and help him!" Ruby screeched, bringing her friends back to their senses.
Hiro was the first to reach Leo's side, and he knelt down to check the damage as the rest of his friends caught up.
"It's all right, Leo," Hiro said, trying to keep his tone light. "It's just a little scratch."
Leo did not respond. His eyes were shut in a pained grimace and his hands were clamped tightly over his side. It wasn't doing much; blood still flowed freely around his hands and between his fingers.
"Show me your wound," Ronfar said, also kneeling beside their friend. He was not his usual joking self; he took his job as healer very seriously.
"It's deep," Leo said, slowly peeling his bloody hands from his side. There was too much blood for Ronfar to properly assess the injury, and it continued to flow unchecked.
"All right, we'll worry about cleaning it later. Right now we need to stop the bleeding," Ronfar said, very calmly. "Hiro, There's a clean blanket in my pack. Would you get it for me?" Hiro nodded and rushed to retrieve the item.
"I need you to lie down now," Ronfar said. He turned to Jean and Lemina, who were both anxiously watching. "If one of you could hold his head..."
"I will," Jean volunteered, sitting down on her knees beside him. Ronfar gently lowered Leo to the ground and placed his head in Jean's lap.
Hiro returned with the thin blanket and offered it to Ronfar, who quickly placed it over the wound and pressed down, eliciting a pained moan from his friend.
Ronfar winced in sympathy, but kept pressure on the wound until the bleeding began to slow. He muttered a healing litany twice, but he was too low on magic for it to do anything helpful.
"Damn it," Ronfar said, frustrated. He turned to the others. "We're going to need some water. Did anyone see a spring or pond on the way here?"
"I heard water dripping in the tunnel just a little ways back!" Ruby squeaked. She flew off of Hiro's shoulder and into the darkness of the cave. "I'll check it out!" she yelled behind her. Hiro rolled his eyes. He couldn't let her go by herself. He ran to catch up.
"How are you holding up, Leo?" Ronfar asked. His friend had said very little during this whole ordeal.
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine. As soon as I get this wound wrapped, we'll be able to move on." He closed his eyes, and Ronfar could see the pain in his face.
"I'm not so sure about that," Ronfar said, gently. "Like you said before, this wound is deep, and pretty wide as well."
Leo was silent for several moments. Then his eyes suddenly flew open. "Are the girls all right? The guardian that was attacking Jean-"
"We're fine, Leo," Jean said, smiling down at him. "You fought bravely."
Leo looked up, realizing that he had been in Jean's lap the whole time. Lemina was also there smiling too, but her eyes were full of tears about to spill over.
"You protected us, Leo. Thank you," the wizard said as she turned away to wipe her eyes.
It was several tense minutes before Hiro and Ruby finally returned.
"We found it; there's a small stream about a half mile in that direction," Ruby said, obviously proud of herself.
"We also found a map," Hiro said, smiling with relief. "We're closer to the end than we thought."
"Good," Ronfar said. Wasting no time, he put his arms under Leo and lifted him like a baby.
"I don't need you to carry me..." Leo whispered, weakly. Ronfar looked down, worried. Was he delirious, or just being his usual, stubborn self?
"Let's go," Ronfar said.
It was slow going; Leo was not a small man, and Ronfar was being extra careful not to jar the injury in any way. He passed Leo to Hiro about halfway through, and everyone was relieved when they arrived at the small stream.
With trembling arms, Hiro slowly and carefully lowered Leo to the ground beside the stream.
Jean sat quickly by his side, again holding his head in her lap. It was the only thing she could do to help, and she was desperate to do something. Leo had gotten that wound defending her from the guardian, and the guilt and worry were beginning to eat at her.
The beastman appeared unconscious by this point and did not move while Ronfar untied his cape and sliced his shirt off with a small knife.
Jean was surprised at Leo's shirtless chest. She had expected him to be covered in thick fur, but he only had a light coat over his well-muscled chest and stomach, with barely any fur extending to his sides. Jean blushed, realizing she was staring.
Ronfar dipped a small piece of cloth into the cold stream and tried to warm it with his hands for a moment before applying it to the wound. Leo's eyes shot open and he squirmed in pain.
"You need to lie still," Ronfar said, putting a hand on Leo's bare shoulder. "Lemina, could you help hold him?"
The wizard nodded and put her hands on Leo's shoulders. "Stay calm, Leo. You'll be all right," she said. Leo stopped moving, but remained tense with pain.
Everyone watched helplessly as Ronfar washed the wound. He was disheartened to discover that it was even bigger than he had suspected, and still bleeding.
Jean tenderly pushed Leo's hair out of his face and noticed how pale he had gotten.
"Ronfar?" she began.
"What is it?" Ronfar asked, distracted with his task of cleaning the injury.
"He's gone pale," Jean said, worriedly.
"That's…to be expected," Ronfar responded. "I'll need to stitch the wound. Are you still with us, Leo?"
Leo's eyes fluttered open and he gave a short nod.
"I'm going to sew your wound now. It might take several minutes..."
"Don't mess me up," Leo whispered with a weak smile.
He winced as the needle met flesh, and his hands clenched into fists. Jean tentatively reached out and took his right hand into hers. Leo gratefully accepted her grip and held on tightly. His hand was slippery, and she looked down to see that it was still covered in his blood.
Hiro kept a protective eye out as Ronfar worked. His group of friends was now extremely vulnerable: tired, low on magic, and one of them badly injured. He didn't want to think of what could happen if they were taken by surprise again.
"Lemina, would you bring me some herbs and bandages from my pack?" Ronfar asked, finishing the last couple of stitches. Lemina ran to complete the task.
Ronfar filled a water skin and held it to Leo's lips. Leo drank a few mouthfuls, then turned away, coughing weakly.
"There are only two herbs left," Lemina said when she got back.
"That's alright, it's better than nothing," Ronfar said, applying the herbs to the wound. "There, my friend. That will help ease some of the pain," he murmured. He sat Leo up and tightly wrapped the wound with the bandages Lemina had brought, and then laid him back down.
"He's out cold," Ronfar commented, taking a moment to wash the blood off of Leo's hands. "About time. I don't remember the last time he slept." He covered Leo with the last remaining blanket from his pack.
"You should all get some sleep," Hiro spoke up. "I'll keep watch."
No one argued with their leader. Everyone was beyond fatigued and ready for a rest. But sleep evaded all but their injured companion. They were all more worried than they were willing to admit, and with good reason. It was no simple wound that Leo bore.
Several hours passed, and, thank the goddess, no more monsters appeared. Then, Leo suddenly began to stir.
He tossed about in his sleep, as if plagued by a vivid nightmare. Jean placed a gentle hand on his chest and he awoke quickly. He tried to sit up in his confusion, and Jean had to hold him down to keep him from aggravating his injury.
"The guardians...they're here...Jean!" he gasped out.
"I'm right here, Leo," she said. "There are no more guardians, you were just dreaming."
"Jean..." he repeated. He had stopped struggling, but now he was trembling. The rest of the group started to gather around them, each hoping to be of at least some help.
Jean placed a hand on Leo's pale, sweat-covered forehead.
"Ronfar, he's burning up!" she cried, turning to the healer for help.
Ronfar lifted the blanket and unwrapped the injury. Leo began to shiver violently. His entire side was inflamed.
"Damn it!" Ronfar muttered. How had infection set in so fast? He got another piece of cloth and dipped it in the water. Leo cried out when it was placed on his wound.
"I'm sorry, Leo. You need to bear with me." Ronfar gritted his teeth and continued the difficult task of cleaning the injury again, trying to ignore Leo's soft moans of pain. He dried the wound and applied more clean bandages. He offered the waterskin again, and Leo took a few more small sips.
"Hiro," Leo said, hoarsely.
Hiro knelt next to Leo. "How are you doing?" he asked.
"Help me stand up."
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Hiro said, surprised by the order.
Leo gripped Hiro's arm with a fur-covered hand, far tighter than Hiro would have expected him capable of in this state.
"Please, Hiro. It is time we moved on from here."
Hiro could feel Leo trembling through his grip.
"You're not well, Leo. You're not going anywhere until you start to heal," Hiro said, firmly.
"Then you should go on without me. You're just wasting your time here." Leo said. His hand dropped from Hiro's arm, and he looked smaller and more vulnerable than Hiro had ever seen him.
Hiro was about to respond, but Leo appeared to have lost consciousness.
"Just rest, Leo," he murmured.
There was a long silence, finally broken by Ruby's high voice.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked.
No one ventured to answer right away.
"Ronfar, how long till he can move?" Lemina asked.
"Not anytime soon." said Ronfar. "The wound is very deep, and instead of healing, it's gotten progressively worse."
"So what does that mean for him?" Jean asked, revealing more panic in her voice than she had meant to.
Ronfar glanced at his best friend, whose face was contorted with pain and fever.
"It means he's fighting for his life. And right now he's losing."
The true gravity of the situation finally hit them full force. Lemina began to cry, silent tears trailing down her face. Jean also felt tears stinging in her eyes, but she held them back. Crying isn't going to help Leo, she told herself.
"So what do we do? What can we do?" asked Hiro.
"The infection has made him very sick. He needs medicine and rest, which he won't find here." Ronfar wanted to kick himself for not being more prepared. He should have bought more medicine and supplies in that last town. "As to what we should do, that's your call, Hiro."
"What if we split up?" Lemina began. "Hiro and Jean are good to fight; they could go on ahead and get Lucia. I'm sure she'd be able to do something for Leo, or at least help us get out of here."
"That would leave you and Ronfar alone with Leo, and neither of you are in any condition to fight if something were to happen," Jean pointed out.
"Jean's right," said Hiro. "We should stay as a group."
"But then what?" said Lemina. "Leo's only going to get worse without treatment, and, no offense guys, but carrying him even a half mile was a struggle."
"It's all right." Leo's weak voice was suddenly heard. "Just go. Lucia is waiting for you."
"Leo, we didn't know you were awake," Jean said, gently. She reached for his hand again, but he pulled away.
"I don't deserve your sympathy. I have done nothing but hinder your journey since the beginning," Leo said. His eyes were glassy.
"You were just doing what you thought was right, like any of us would," Hiro said. "You have been an invaluable member of this group since you joined. And aside from all that, you're our friend. We're not leaving you."
The rest of the group members nodded.
"Looks like you're stuck with us, my friend," Ronfar said, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.
Leo shut his eyes and tears spilled from the corners. So it was true, then. The only person who hadn't forgiven him was himself. He did not pull away when Jean took his hand in both of hers.