"Shouldn't he have woken up by now?" asked a worried Toby. He, Claire, Blinky and Barbara were sitting near the entrance of the infirmary, discussing recent updates.
"Under the usual circumstances, yes, but..."
"Blinky, what are you not telling us?" Claire's voice was suspicious and condescending.
"Well, I- um.. may have... er- given him a..." Blinky trailed off.
"Blinky..!" warned Toby.
"Mild... sedative?" Blinky finished sheepishly.
The look plastered on Barbara's face was a look of shock, betrayal, and anger. Claire and Toby's faces were that of a similar description.
Barbara opened her mouth to yell something at Blinky but he pressed on.
"Only to ensure I could fix him up without the risk of him waking up! Not unlike your... anaesthesia, I presume?"
Barbara slowly nodded.
Blinky glanced over at his dear friend. "He is quite the case. It seems that the blade he was injured with had some sort of poison on it. I am yet to deduce what poison it is, human or trollish."`
"Poison? You have the cure, right?" distressed Claire.
"Unfortunately not. I have given him a general antidote which won't destroy the poison but will slow it greatly."
"And the wound? How did you treat it?" fretted Barbara.
"The poison was acidic, it means if I try to stitch it the thread will be dissolved, and the injury is too large and deep for your medical glue. The best thing I could do was to cover it to keep it from getting infected."
"So we wait until it closes itself over?" asked Toby.
"It could take years," said Barbara sadly.
"Is that it? There's nothing we can do?" asked Claire.
"Worry not, dear friends! I am certain we will think of something!" assured Blinky. "Until then, Master Jim will just have to fare with the pain of a poisoned gash on his chest."
A loud cough interrupted what concerns Barbara had to say and the group quickly rushed over to aid their companion.
Jim slowly opened his eyes with a groan and looked around at his audience. "Blinky? Mom?" he asked wearily. His voice was as dry and hoarse as gravel.
AAARRRGGHH and Draal came running into the room.
"Jim awake now?" asked AAARRRGGHH.
"What happened to the Trollhunter?" asked Draal nervously, eyeing the worn human whom everyone was crouched over.
"Master Jim! How do you feel?" asked Blinky, fussing over his patient.
"Terrible, how- gah!" his groan was interrupted by a yelp of pain as the repercussions of the previous night caught up to him. He clutched his side and shut his eyes in agony. He stifled several screams of torture.
Claire and Toby looked on in horror.
"Oh, sweetie..." sighed Barbara, at a loss of seeing her child in this amount of horrible discomfort.
"Master Jim, I understand that you are suffering greatly, but I need you to tell me what you are experiencing right now." calmed Blinky.
"It's- it's like-" Jim started between gasps and grunts of great affliction, looking up at Blinky. "It's like- like someone forced me to drink acid, and it's slowly eating my body from the inside."
Blinky gasped. "That is not a good sign."
"Why? What does it mean?" asked Toby worriedly.
"I only know of one poison that grants those symptoms, Hunting Anubis."
AAARRRGGHH and Draal's eyes both widened in horror.
"It can't be..." muttered Draal.
"Hunting what?" asked Claire.
"The venom of an animal similar to a spider. It will not kill the victim, but it will prevent the wound from ever fully healing, and..."
"And what? Don't you dare start holding back now, Blinky," said Barbara.
"It... also brings the victim the most pain any venom can inflict, including lethal ones, and... there is no full cure," finished Blinky.
"That explains it," frowned Toby, glancing at his suffering friend.
"I have some painkillers, but they won't take effect for at least five minutes." murmured Barbara. "Would they even work?"
"Most certainly. Give them to him now and Master Jim will soon be relieved of some of his clear distress," confirmed Blinky.
"Honey," Barbara said to her son. "These are some painkillers, I need you to take them for us, can you do that?"
Jim nodded slowly. Toby and Claire helped him sit up partially and he inhaled sharply. He shuddered as he swallowed weakly.
"So I'm... not going to die, then?" he tried to joke feebly, sitting up the rest of the way with yet another grunt. Everyone could tell that the humour did not reach his glazed eyes.
"No, Master Jim, but you will be suffering greatly. Your body is at it's weakest, which means the poison is at it's strongest," said Blinky. "However, I have no doubt in my mind you will make it through, you have endured far worse and stood up tall nonetheless. You have a fierce personality, which will not let you give in!"
Jim sighed. "Thanks, Blink. So, uh... what actually happened? I haven't asked yet..."
"I was only informed of this incident recently, so I'm afraid I cannot help you, Trollhunter," said Draal.
With that, Toby and Claire launched into a discussion about how they had found him on the streets, almost dead (although they didn't mention that part, they thought Jim had suffered enough for one night) and how they immediately got him to Blinky. How they had decided it would be best if Barbara knew (Jim was annoyed at them for this, he wanted to tell her himself, but Claire and Toby promised they only briefly explained the Trollhunting, not his many adventures), and...
"You probably would have woken up a lot sooner if someone-" Toby broke off to pointedly glare at Blinky. "-hadn't of given you a freaking sedative!"
Jim gave him a look of confusion. "What?"
"It was a necessary precaution!" replied Blinky indignantly.
"You sedated me?" demanded Jim, his voice raised, body tensing, equally (if not more) irritated (although it did seem to be a good sign that the pain medication was indeed working).
"I would not have done it if there was such a high risk of you waking at the wrong moment," soothed Blinky, calming both himself and his patient down.
Jim relaxed again. "I'm sorry, Blink, I've just got... a lot on my mind," apologised Jim.
"There is certainly no need to apologise, Master Jim," Blinky said.
Jim winced.
"What, what is it?" asked Toby anxiously.
"Nothing, I'm fine!" Jim lied, doing everything in his power to make sure his friends worried as little as possible.
"It really hurts, doesn't it?" demanded Claire, seeing right through him.
Jim sighed (ouch, bad idea) and nodded.
"I know! What if he puts on the armour, will that help?" suggested Toby.
"That is not a bad theory, Tobias. Master Jim?" Blinky urged gently.
Jim felt around in his pockets. His eyes went wide. "Oh no."
"What is it, honey?" Barbara whispered. She (like Draal and AAARRRGGHH) had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the exchange.
Jim murmured his next words, frozen with fear and dread. "The amulet's gone."