Oath of the Survivor

The damage from channeling the atmospheric mana was worse than Kyle expected.  In contrast to the burns from Carlyle, this wasn’t a searing pain, rather a bitter cold and numbness.  His right arm was particularly bad after channeling so much of the energy through, and he could barely twitch his fingers.  Still, Kyle knew that he needed to get up and move.  Even though it was only a few minutes, it felt like hours of hard effort to bring himself to a sitting position.  Despite Carlyle and Valentine being dealt with, there were still Liberation soldiers present in Duilleag. 

Kyle hoped that they wouldn’t investigate too soon, as in his current condition he wasn’t confident dealing with them.  Wincing in pain, he turned to look at Garth.  His body still looked to be in rough condition, even though the wounds were replaced with angry scars.  Was I too late?  The question hung in Kyle’s mind as he looked at his friend, until he saw it.  It was shallow, but Garth had taken a breath.  YES! 

The sight reinvigorated Kyle.  He reached out with his left hand, pouring what little mana he had managed to recover into Garth.  Even if it didn’t do much, the young Healer knew that his friend had a long road left, and every little bit counted.  Several minutes later, Kyle felt well enough to stand up, though shaky on his feet.  With effort he was able to stabilize himself and take a few steps. 

[REALLY, DR. MAYHEW.  I DIDN’T EXPECT IT WOULD TAKE YOU SO LONG TO COME GET ME.]

“I’m sorry, C.H.A.D.D., and I fully imagine I’ll get an earful.  Right now, Garth needs us, do you think you can put the lecture on hold?”  There was a prolonged moment of silence, then the drone responded.

[THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.  THOUGH I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW YOUR RECKLESS ATTITUDE WITH CENTRAL HEALTH EQUIPMENT WILL BE GOING IN YOUR FILE.]

“I can handle that.”

Kyle picked up the drone, and they made their way back to Garth.  “I’ve got the worst of the injury patched up, but I don’t know the full extent of the damage.  What can you see?”

With that, the drone offered its expertise.  As Kyle feared, there was still a significant amount of internal damage that he hadn’t been able to heal.  The worst of it was from the skill Valentine used to punch a hole through his friend.  The damage required a nuanced touch to heal, and without clear direction Kyle just wasn’t able to do the delicate work with enough consistency.  He thought about his grandfather, and the injuries he carried with him decades after he last saw combat. 

If he had received better treatment, there was a chance it could have worked out differently for him. Fortunately, working alongside C.H.A.D.D. allowed him to do better.  The drone was able to direct him towards the worst of the damage, and Kyle followed the instructions as close to the letter as he could.  His years of training in internal medicine showed their value as he treated the injuries.

Periodically, Kyle glanced at the city as he worked, and by some miracle nobody from Duilleag approached.  Nearly an hour later, he got the all-clear.  Transporting a patient in Garth’s condition was dangerous, and in normal circumstances he wouldn’t dare attempt it.  However, a patrol could come out at any moment, and Kyle gauged that risk to be greater than the risk from transport.  Despite being exhausted, his body was still that of a peak E Grade.  He was confident that he could get the three of them somewhere safer without too much risk.  He set the C.H.A.D.D.pack across Garth’s chest and gently lifted.  His Exoskeletal Musculature allowed him to lift them with minimal issues, and he made his way into the surrounding forest to find shelter. 

“Think you can jostle me any more?  Valentine clearly couldn’t finish the job, but at the rate you’re going you might.”  Kyle nearly dropped the man in surprise at the sound of his voice, and looked down to see Garth’s eyes partway open, a weak smile on his face.

[DR. MAYHEW REALLY SHOULD WORK ON THAT.  I COULD TELL YOU A THING OR TWO ABOUT HIS JOSTLING.  WHY, THERE WAS THIS BUG, YOU SEE, AND -]

“I think our patient needs some rest, C.H.A.D.D.  You can tell him the story later.”

[CERTAINLY, DR. MAYHEW.  WHAT DO I KNOW, IT’S NOT AS THOUGH I’M A QUALIFIED DIAGNOSTIC DRONE.]

“The little fella may have a point, Kyle.”

“If you don’t both knock it off, I’m leaving you in Duilleag.” 

That earned Kyle some well-earned silence, and he found a spot to rest shortly after.  The remains of the road sloped upward, and below it there was a small recess.  It was barely visible, with fallen trees obscuring much of it.  Perfect.  Kyle got Garth settled in, and turned to C.H.A.D.D. 

“How’s the damage looking?”

To its credit, the drone was all business when it mattered. 

[MUCH OF THE TEARING REOPENED DURING TRANSPORTATION.  INTERNAL BLEEDING IS STILL A CONCERN.  CHIPS OF BONE ARE STILL PRESENT WHERE THE LACERATION ON THE BACK STRUCK THE SPINE.] 

Not great, but I can work with it.  The journey had allowed Kyle to recover more mana, and he put it to work.  Garth remained silent, only grunting in pain occasionally as the Healer once again depleted his reserves. 

When Kyle finished his work, Garth finally spoke, voice soft. 

“What happened back there?” 

Kyle considered how to respond, not sure he was ready to unpack everything that had gone into his final confrontation with Valentine.  He saw Garth’s eyes drift down to the hole in his armor, damage mirroring the strike that had nearly killed him.  When he saw that Kyle wasn’t ready to talk, he spoke again. 

“You don’t have to answer now.  Just know that whatever you did, I know you saved my life.  Thank you.” 

With that, Garth closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.  Kyle considered the man’s words.  That’s not right.  Kyle didn’t fight Valentine to save Garth.  He didn’t even know that Garth was alive until he made his way over.  He tried to kill the Liberation leader because he’d wanted to.  Exactly like the monster you’ve become.  The bitter thought entered his mind, and he sighed as he leaned back against the side of the wall.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but something else had been grabbing his attention.  Satisfied Garth was stable, he entered meditation.  That’s when he saw the confirmation:

KYLE MAYHEW.  ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA (AWAKENED), HEALER.  LEVEL 75 (MAX)

D GRADE EVOLUTION AVAILABLE

~~~

Gregory Valentine felt the mana condense around him as he activated his Transportation Array.  It was everything he could do to hold onto consciousness, and he knew he was in grave danger.  Fortunately, he’d had the foresight to plan for the possibility of losing Duilleag.  He’d set up his Transportation Array to have a second location, a hidden base that only he knew about.  The world around him blurred as he began to travel, though instead of stabilizing, the area around him seemed to blur even more.  He felt the mana begin to destabilize, and for a moment he thought he was going to be ripped apart by the opposing forces. 

Soon, however, the blurring began to slow, but the sight that greeted him wasn’t what he expected.  Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he looked around to see thick metal bars.  He turned as fast as his injured body would allow him, and saw the same thing on all sides.  What the hell?  Gregory Valentine, leader of Liberation, was in a cage. 

The rest of the room was only dimly lit, and from what he could see it was featureless other than a window at the top of one wall and a thick door against another.  Something went wrong, where am I?  He struggled to get his thoughts together, darkness beginning to close in around the edges of his vision.  Then the door opened, and he forced himself to focus.  A large, well-muscled man entered the room with his spear leveled, and behind him strode a man in elegant red robes. 

“Well, this isn’t what I expected.  You’re in quite a state, Gregory.” 

Even though the man had aged since Gregory had last seen him, there was no mistaking the voice of Victor DeRosa. 

“Let’s have a chat, shall we?” 

Valentine wanted to respond, but he couldn’t hang on any longer.  The last thing he felt before losing consciousness were tendrils of mana wrapping around his body.

~~~

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