Chapter Thirty-One: Trouble with the New Leg/Surprise
Kokiri Yusaga was down on the beach in his fox form, staring at the ocean when his magic senses received a ping of pain. Someone was calling out for help and assistance. The ping felt familiar and very young in use so he could only guess that Blade was in pain and headed back to the hotel at a trot.
He met a large, 12 inch long hairy tarantula at the top of the trail, telling him about what the little jester puppet had found on scary-man's leg and that his brother would meet him in the lounge room.
He transformed back in his human state when he reached the lounge room's window and entered.
"So what's this I hear about Blade's leg mending?" he asked.
"Hey, you knew it was mending last night! This one is different!" Blade snapped, his pain becoming unbearable and making him snappy.
"I've already scanned him and the result was rather bizarre." Chug said and showed the imaging results to his brother.
Kokiri looked at the image carefully, but didn't see anything wrong. "So?"
"'So?' I didn't give him toes, that's what's 'so'." Chug said and clicked up the finer imaging pictures and Kokiri raised his eyebrows this time.
"Muscles, ligaments and body fat?" he questioned.
"He's got all the tarsal, metatarsal and phalanges bones in his toes, and it's still developing all the little bits and ligaments, reshaping the metal, but there's little extra globs of it in the foot, giving him what could be called a tumor, or no, what was it, bunions? Corns? Whatever. Point is, these little bumps are rubbing against the bones like those scarred tissues on that allosaurus which will cause inflammation and warp the wooden foot as it swelled, leaving permanent damage. They need to be removed now before the globs collect any more." Chug said.
"Well, I can get them if he can hold perfectly still." Kokiri said, looking down at Blade who was taking deep calming breaths.
"Ah-ah-ah, before you do this, did you give him any magic?" Chug asked.
"A sonar pulse, but it's only temporary." Kokiri answered.
"Yeah, yeah, the last time you gave someone "temporary" magic they managed to keep hold of it and keep it and that THIEF stole my potion as result." Chug said, crossing his arms.
"I didn't want to give him the added magic, you're the one who took pity on him." Kokiri said calmly.
"Ok, so it's both our faults the Na'Atiaas general stole it, but how he was able to shield himself from you is the big problem." Chug said, tapping his bottom lip in thought.
"We'll get into that debate later, right now you have a patient that needs your attention." Kokiri said and rubbed his hands together. "I can clear him up so you can grab the globs, that sound better?" he asked.
"Yeah, let me get my tools." Chug mumbled and fished them out of his hat and then poised over Blade, ready for another operation.
"Ok, now hold very still Blade, but keep up that breathing." Kokiri said and hovered his hands over Blade's left foot and turned the boot, the pants ankle area and his foot into clear water to expose the metal bones.
Chug then entered with his precision tweezers and removed the big globs before doing a thorough search for any little ones, having Jester and Pinhead hold a magnifying glass over the foot to get a closer look. The whole process took a good twenty minutes before Blade sighed in relief.
"I think that's the last of it." Chug said, pulling away and grabbing hold of the magnifier before Jester dropped it.
Kokiri returned everything to what it was and massaged Blade's leg. "Feel better?" he asked.
Blade nodded, relaxing more as the massage helped a great deal. Slightly painful, but it helped.
"Good. It's best you're relaxed anyway, you're not gonna like this next part." Kokiri mumbled, earning a hit on the arm from Chug and chuckled.
". . . What?" Blade asked, looking between the two brothers, a feeling of dread now entering his stomach.
"Since you have magic that's mending your leg and transforming it at the same time, you're gonna have to wait a bit on the physical therapy." Chug said.
"What?" Blade asked in a slightly panicked tone.
"It's back in the chair with you scary-man." Kokiri smirked and then chuckled when Blade groaned.
"No-o-o-o! I don't wanna go back in the chair!" he moaned, helpless as his brothers laughed at his childish display.
"Look, it may not be for long, this time. You could be up and walking in maybe an hour or two. Kegs' magic works pretty fast." Chug said, Blade shooting his head at that news and looked at the brother with hope in his eyes before realization shone in them as he remembered their talk last night.
"Your physical injuries lasts only a few seconds!" he said, feeling very hopeful now.
"Yes, but that's because I had learned the ability when I was four years old and had to relearn it when I was ten." Kokiri said.
Blade slumped back against the coffee table in despair, his hopes dashed.
Kokiri looked at the screen that was still scanning Blade's leg and noticed something positive. "But the kid is right. You don't have to wait long. It's nearly done." he said and showed the picture to Blade.
Chug explained every detail of the newly reconstructed foot and estimated that Blade should be fully healed by midnight if he kept to task with the healing program.
Desperately not wanting to be handicapped and confined to a chair for another day, Blade agreed and was taken to a separate room for the recuperation, Jester and Pinhead being his assistants.
Chug and Torch went back up to the attic room to finish their work so that left Kokiri and Six alone in the lounge room.
"So you gave Blade some magic, huh?" Six asked.
"Yeah, what'cha gonna do about it, Sorcerer?" Kokiri asked.
"And you can take away magic?" Six asked.
"Yes." Kokiri answered.
"I'd ask for proof, but . . ." Six shrugged.
"You try using magic against Torch to revert him back to his emotionless state, you're not only going to have your magic removed, the kid will grind you to a pulp that you'd be begging for his mercy." Kokiri said calmly and lied down on the couch. "Of course, if the kid or his creations catch you anywhere near Torch, alone, no matter what intentions you have, you'd wish I'd found you first. He can mess with the mind like nobody's business." Kokiri added.
"Ah, that doesn't scare me. . . It's the tutus." Six grumbled and began walking towards the doorway.
"It'll be more than tutus, Sorcerer, he used to be in theater productions. So unless you want to perform the lead in Swan Lake in front of your brothers, you'd best heed my warning." Kokiri said.
Six shuddered at the mental image of that and continued on his way. There has got to be a way to get Torch back to that emotionless state and remain alive, unharmed and out of the brothers' bothersome meddling at the same time.
Kokiri could feel Six's negative energies swirling inside him as he tried to think of a way to get to Torch, but Chug had declared Torch as his 'wee bairn' so Kokiri was gonna do everything he would to keep it that way.
A blue butterfly fluttered in through the open window and landed on his raised finger.
'It would seem Afzel is being corrupted. How do you propose to tell your little ones to defend against him when they've been brothers for so long?' he thought to the butterfly.
'Afzel was always determined to grow himself an army of living puppets to fight against Sutekh.' the butterfly replied. 'But he must not succeed. Torch was designed to be a general for this army, but the brains I used were those of a still-born baby animal in an attempt to foil his plans, but it backfired and he was brought to life and still managed to kill. Your brother must keep him safe for his own protection. I do not wish for him to have to lead such a bloody life like the others had to.'
'Not to worry, the kid will take very good of him. He's already claimed him as his own and is designing a new body for him as we think.' Kokiri smirked.
'I'm glad to hear that. According to how your years work, Torch is only two years old. And please help Blade with his nightmares, Jester looks up to him the way your brother does to you.' the butterfly stated and flew off back outside.
'Only when he's ready to talk about it Andre, you cannot rush that kind of trauma.' Kokiri thought and sat up to go back to the ocean.
