His dream was going great. Terry was alive and well, a party over the defeat of some Elder was going on, and the monster pup was making an attempt at dancing. It was good. That is, until he rolled over and layered on his burnt arm. He immediately jumped up, letting out a short, but loud, yelp. The monster mother, now called Blue, immediately jumped up at the sound; thinking they were under attack. When she realized they weren't, and the noise came from the hunter, she gave him the glare of death. One so mighty he could have sworn he felt a bit of his soul disappear, but he shook it off. He had to take care of something.
He went to his pack and pulled out his potion, his only potion. "Should probably save this for something more life threatening, but this isn't going to heal anytime soon without it. I'll be able to find more herbs anyway." He pulled the cork and was about to down the potion before he was interrupted.
"What is that?" Blue had momentarily paused her glare to ask about the potion.
He held up a finger, downing the potion before answering. The wound on his arm recovered enough to make it usable without him screaming in pain, though, it was still a bright pink throughout the majority of it. "It's a potion. It heals a decent portion of the damage we accrue during a battle. Keeps us in the battle a little longer. Though some of us don't use them." His face contorted as he finished his statement. Those who didn't bring potions either forgot or were arrogant. Those who forgot usually remember the next time. Those who were arrogant usually failed their mission, or, at worse, died.
"I had always wondered why your kind ran around drinking. It heals you. Does it work for my kind?" She took a step forward with a curious and hopeful glint in her eyes. He could already tell where she was going with this.
"I don't know. It could, but it probably won't be as effective. We don't have the durability that your kind has. It might heal you for the same amount, or it could only heal a scratch. I'll have to get some herbs and you'll have to get hurt in order for me to test this." She glanced back to where her pup rested, her thoughts clear as day to the hunter, and let out a light whine.
"What injury should I take?" She asked as if she was prepared to lose a limb, which isn't an uncommon thing to happen. He's lopped off a few legs or tails himself back on the mainland.
"Nothing you couldn't recover from naturally. As much as I would love to escape from here and head to my settlement, I couldn't leave the kid to survive on her own out here. So, for now, a semi-deep cut on a leg would be fine."
Blue let out a rumbling hum, a break in conversation to let her ponder her situation. She hadn't had encounters with other Hunters that could speak so she had nothing to base her judgment on. She'd have to trust he'd keep her pup safe while she was away. Nothing happened last moon, so it should be fine. The sooner she could send him out to claim the forest the better. She'd have to get some of that 'equipment' he spoke of.
"You find the herbs. I will go search for Hunters. I can gather your equipment and receive an injury. I hope, for your sake, that you can do what you claim." Though she said it was for him, he knew it was truly for her kid.
"No problem. We'll be here by time you get back. Probably." Blue growled in warning. "Hey, if you find a group super quick then naturally you'll be back faster. I've only seen a few herbs so I'm going to have to travel a bit. You can start your worrying at sunset."
"Sunset?" Blue's head tilted to the side once the word register for her.
"Yeah, you know, the big glowing orb in the sky? The sun. When it's about to disappear. Sunset." He explained. He should have guessed that they'd have different words for some things. They live in different worlds after all.
"So your kind calls the sky fire a 'sun'?" Blue's curiosity was kicking in but Dezros decided it best to shove it for later.
"Yes now go, I'll wake the kid and head out." She gave him a look he couldn't quite figure out but decided it best to leave. When she left, he faced the sleeping monster pup, he was averse to wake the kid. Her excitement has far exceeded what he thought kids should have, as well as her energy, thus he was unaware how waking her would go.
She was curled in a ball, her head under her tail and resting on her forepaws. She was sound asleep and he was averse to waking her, but he wasn't about to leave the kid alone. So with a gentle shake to her shoulder area, he commenced the waking process.
It did not go how he expected. Instead of bouncing out of the sleeping postion, the kid merely lifted her tail from her head and looked up at him. She had a dazed look, but the longer she stared her eyes seem to shine ever more. Eventually she realized who was waking her up and immediately jumped to her paws, her giddiness shining like a star through her eyes.
She started bouncing up, down, and around the hunter while energetically thrusting her voice in his face. "You're here! Are we going to play? What are we going to play? Is it a game? I like games! Let's play a game!"
The switch from grogginess to fully alert was as jarring as sprinting at full tilt into a brick wall. He could only stand and stare at the ridiculous child. He snapped out of his stupor, however, and motioned for the kid to follow. "We're going on an adventure of sorts. I need to find some herbs and honey so I can make a salve or potion that could heal wounds." At the confused look the child was giving him, her head looking like it was trying to turn upside down, he decided to clarify. "Um, I'm going to look for special grass that could help your mom not hurt."
The look the child had was priceless when realization dawned on her. Her eyes bugged out and her jaw opened acutely. "Ooooh, okay. What's a mom? And hun-knee? Or saave? And ad… add-ven…. Addentur?"
'This kid. Didn't think a monster could be adorable, but leave it to a kid to make that possible.' He gave a small chuckle before answering the kid's questions. "Just follow me, I'll explain while we travel."
"OK!" The kid jumped next to the hunter, an eager aura radiating off her in waves.
Once they had traveled a fair distance from the tree, Dezros begun an explanation of survival. "Alright, first things first when traveling in an unfamiliar area, make sure to leave tracks or marks to show where you have been. Like so." He put a star shaped design on a nearby tree. "If you can make a list for different types of marks and remember what each represent, do so. That way it will remind future you what is ahead."
The child bobbed her head up and down in acknowledgement. "I don't know what some of those words mean, but ok!"
'Right. Kid. Judging by vocabulary, I'd put her at 2 years old? Maybe 3. Probably completely off. Who knows how quick monsters mature?' He released a long slow breath to collect his thoughts, he'd have to try to explain things in a way a child could understand. "So if you find yourself doing what we are doing right now, you need to make sure you don't get lost. Thus, the mark on the tree." He would continue if he hadn't notice some herbs a few meters ahead and to the right. He jogged up to the herbs in elation. He'd be able to make a salve that would get rid of the burns on his arm, and considering how fast they regrow, and seemingly close they are, he could make a few potions each day. A white-blue snout interrupted his vision and thoughts, sniffing the unassuming plant.
"What is it?" Curiosity decorated her voice.
"These are herbs." He started while gently holding the plant in his hand. "They have incredible healing potential," At the blank stare he was receiving he corrected himself, "err, they can be really good a fixing hurts." When realization dawned on the young one her eyes bugged out while whispering an "oh". A feeling of familiarity crawled on him at her reaction, but he shrugged it off. "Anyway, you can mix it with other plants making it even better. Every hunter should carry a few of these with them. Even the leaves can fix small injuries."
She gave the plants a few sniffs and when it didn't hurt her nose she bit one of the leaves and ate it. It tasted bitter. Really bitter, but it also had a cool and refreshing aftertaste. She shook her head at the confusing plant and stared at the Hunter, a question gaze directed at him.
"Bitter, which what that bad taste was called, but also cool and refreshing. You feel nice and cold right now right?" She bobbed her head up and down. "Yup, these plants, though horrible in taste, are quite amazing." He began plucking the leaves and stems he deemed ripe enough to make a salve and placed them in the satchel he always carries. "This one must have been a bit older than the others; I could have made three or four potions out of this." He acknowledged out loud.
"What does a po-tion taste like? What does a sal- salf taste like?" She asked with her head tilted to the side.
'It would seem she still couldn't say salve, but I'm sure her mother will teach her. If not maybe the father.' A curious thought crossed his mind. "Hey kid."
"Hi!" A happy glint sprouted in her eyes.
"Where's your dad." At her confused glace, he corrected himself. "Sire. Dad is also a term for sire."
"Ooooh. I don't know." Her expression drooped a little before perking back up. "But sire will be back. He does this a lot. Dam doesn't like it but that is okay. I like dam. She plays with me." She paused her thoughts before lighting back up. "I like you too. You play with me."
If you want to break someone's mind, use a child. They're really good and breaking down barriers with their sincerity. "Yeah, I like you too kid. Now, let's move on. I'll answer your questions while we travel.
She was stalking the group for a quarter of the sky-fire cycle, watching for weaknesses. There were three. A bulky Hunter followed by a small Hunter and a small white furred creature. The bulky one had a large spine on its back while the small one had an odd plate in the same place. It was one she recognized though. A spike thrower. One of them merely stung, but they threw so many that she usually took those out first. The fur ball was trailing them by a short distance. They were only a problem when they wielded sickness.
She was waiting for them to enter the forest's deep. They were close, but not close enough to finish them off quickly. She could fight them here, but she didn't want to take any pointless risks. She needed to take an injury, but she wouldn't be foolish.
The sky-fire was at its highest when they finally entered. She did not hesitate. The moment the fur ball, rear of the group, entered she pounced. She jumped from the tree she was holding onto and tackled the small one. She picked the small one's head up with her jaws and crushed it, finishing off the main problem. She turned quickly to the fur ball and gave it a quick swipe, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Hopefully the fur ball will stay down. She faced the Hunter behind her. A mixed scent of fear and rage tickled her nose.
The Hunter shouldered its spine and charged her. She nimbly stepped to the side and smacked the hunter in the head with her tail. The Hunter was knocked over, dropping it but quickly picking its weapon and itself up; facing her once again. She was about to pounce it, but remembered that she needed to take a wound. So, reluctantly, she waited for the Hunter to attack.
She didn't wait long. The hunter charged her again; the spine aimed at her chest. She moved in a way that it would pierce her left foreleg. The resulting pain was as horrible as she remembered. Sharp, burning, with an immense pressure. Figuring it was a grievous enough wound, she punted the Hunter away and removed the spine. She quickly jumped on the Hunter and finished it off with an arc-light to its head.
Releasing a tense sigh she moved on to removing the spine. Thankfully, due to its length, she able to pull it out relatively easy. Though it cause a new rush of pain to present itself as well as a rush of blood to run down her foreleg. She hissed at the pain and gave the hole a few licks to try and stop the bleeding. When it continued unhindered she had a dark thought. If the Hunter's magic didn't work, she'd die.
She had to get back to the tree and fast. First, she had to take care of the fur ball. Once she was hovering over she placed her uninjured forepaw on its head. Closing her eyes in regret, she pushed her full weight on the creature. The head popped almost as if it wanted to. She didn't enjoy killing these creatures. They would play with her pup whenever she walked across one.
Clearing her thoughts she went over to the Hunter, picking it up and tossing it on her back. She began her travel back. Her hopes that the Hunter could 'heal' her. She couldn't leave her pup alone.
She was closer to the tree then she thought. Close to the Hunter territory. They were safe though. Unless spotted coming from the tree, they would never know. Her vision was fading. Emptiness surrounded the edges.
She heard her pup squeal before she arrived at the temporary nest. She wanted to dash in to save her, but she had no strength to do so. She only had enough to bring her to the entrance. She could only hope the Hunter would save her.
She broke through the trees, hiding theirs, and used the last of her strength to get to the entrance before she finally fell….
The sound of a small impact, followed by the rustling of familiar metal, put the antics of Dezros and the monster pup to an immediate halt. He gestured for the pup to stay before heading out to see what was happening. What he saw was a shock, to say the least. Blue was laying on the ground with a wound on her left foreleg; a wound that was bleeding unhindered. Her breathing was labored and her eyes had a glossy look to them. She was dying. He was about to rush over and apply the newly made salve when a cruel thought occurred to him. What if he let it happen? He was, effectively, her prisoner. Her death would set him free.
She stirred, as if sensing his presence, and tried lifting her head to face him. "Hunter…" She bowed her head for a moment. Contemplating her choice of words for the question she must ask. "I… I beg…"He could see the beast swallow. She must be having a hard time with this. Be it pride, or death, it's obvious she's trying hard. "I beg of you to 'heal' me. I can't leave my pup. I have to keep her safe." It was all she could say before her head flopped back on the ground.
He let out a sigh while sliding his hand down his face. He'd give it to her, she was dedicated alright. Everything she did was for that crazy kid. He couldn't blame her though; the kid was unique. He turned around and headed back inside the tree, heading straight for his satchel. The kid was still in the same spot, her eyes following his every movement. She looked ready to bolt at the smallest hint, but she remained as told. Good, a curious child, though normal, is a dead one in these kind of circumstances.
Once the satchel was retrieved he headed back out. It was as if walking through a wall of water with difference between the hidden home and outside. How had he missed this smell of blood? The thick metallic scent hung in the air like meat from a butcher's shop. It was like she was already dead and decaying at a rapid pace. He needed to get to work quickly.
Doing just that he knelt beside the wounded foreleg and pulled out the salve he made. It was more of a thick green paste than a salve, but that was just details. He took off his shirt and tore it in strips, placing them around, then in, the wound in an attempt to stanch the bleeding. It wasn't effective in stopping it, but it slowed it. It would have to be enough. He then proceeded to apply the paste in a similar manner to the strips, but in reverse fashion. He had no idea how on earth Blue was still alive, it looked like a major artery was cut in half, if the weird, thick, tube-like vein that ran through (or attempted to) the hole in the muscle was anything to go by.
It didn't take him long to apply the paste, a matter of seconds, though it did leave his hands coated in an oddly red-purple blood. It was an odd color considering that most monsters he's come across had red, but it was the least of his concerns right now.
It worked. He didn't know if it did, but it worked. Apparently more effective than a potion, which probably has to do with the large quantity to make the paste and the concentration. Regardless of the reason the wound was slowly closing stemming the blood flow to nonexistent, than leaving nothing but a white patch of skin where the hole once resided.
He let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't place the reason as to why relief, but it was there. Though, now he has a new thing to contemplate, and, if he ever gets to the Fifth Fleet's base, the researchers. Potions work on monsters. Not something to use as a crutch, but it does work. He'd have to go look for more herbs later.
A rustling in the bushes behind him was the only warning he had for the attack. He dodged to the left and watched as one of those yellow-green creatures from day one dove their head into Blue's shoulder. He didn't waste time in heading over to the equipment and picking up the lance and shield. He noticed that the equipment wasn't just so, it also was the corpse of a hunter; he'd contemplate those reservations later.
The creature ignored the hunter for the free meal in front of it giving him the opening he needed. Before it could attempt a bite, he charged the beast with the lance positioned in its proper place. Though, due to his lack of expertise with the lance, he stumbled a bit and only managed to pierce the creature's hindquarters. He corrected his stance and, as the creature turned to face him, thrusted the lance down the creature's throat. It tried to make some sort of screech but death had already embraced the creature and left.
It was only one, but there were bound to be more, and soon. Taking what time he had he position himself in a defensive manner, placing his stance in guard of Blue. With nothing else making an attack at this time, he figured he'd jot something down in his journal real quick.
Log 3- Days since waking 2
Potions. They work on monsters. Blue got injured and I have to protect her hide. I'll think I'll use the name Aurora for the kid. Bright as the lights she's named after and as energetic as their colors. Kid's being good and staying in the hideout. This is going to be tough, no idea when Blue will wake. There will be much to discuss between us. Terry, wherever you are buddy, I hope you're doing better than I am. Curses. Why did I have to get attached to a monster kid?
Right, forgot the author's note. Anyway, there's going to be a vote for the next chapter. it will either change perspective, continue on starting with the fight, or continue after the fight. If no one votes i already have the selection made. y'all have till next saterday(13th). Now, sorry for the rushed feeling at the end. i was getting really busy and i didn't know when i'd be able to get on next/ retain the ideas i had for that part so i posted it a bit early. A couple questions could stem from this. Why did Blue kill the hunter in one hit? Answer, She got a crit and she's an arch tempered. Even without the crit she could have done so. unless you are geared for arch tempered enemies you usually die in 1 or 2 hits. even when geared to them, certain attacks will still one shot you. so, no, it's not far-fetched she'd be able to do that.
secondly, why do i keep mentioning that Blue keeps doing things for her kid, over and over? Well, to show you how dedicated she is. She really, really wants her kid safe. There's a reason. no i won't say. but, rejoice, i won't be using that from here on out, and if i do, it'll be in passing or when absolutely necessary.
Those are all the questions i'll answer right now. oh, little bit of info. The femoral artery is rather large. i thought it would look like a vein but it actually is almost the size of an umbilical cord. it's pretty big. surprisingly, it's not exactly close to the bone, you'd need to put a lot of pressure in order to cut off circulation. just an fyi. i think i might change the rating. is this T or M class? the lines are vague nowadays.