Banished Pt. 11

As I peeked inside, I caught sight of her, and it was not a pretty scene.

She was wrapped heavily in bandages that were visibly bloody, and I quickly turned to Casey.

"Why wasn't she healed with the vials?" I asked, and Casey frowned.

"Their cores can't process the vials the way ours do... this was all we could do before they stopped working completely."

I frowned.

"Please, Nate. I can save her. I know I can!"

I turned to Evie.

"Tell me everything," I said, and she pointed to her shoulder, where she now wore a shoulder guard.

"I gave her the shoulder guard with the medicine skill," Casey explained, and I nodded.

"How has it worked?" I asked.

"It's amazing. Like, I feel as if I just suddenly understood things about the body and how it works. It helped me to treat some of Myrinne's cuts, but there's something more to it. Like, I could feel something inside of her trying to heal the worst of the wounds, and something just tells me that I could help it along if I knew how to direct the energy from her core to the places that need that energy to accelerate healing the most."

I nodded, immediately understanding what she meant.

"Can I?" I asked, gesturing to the shoulder guard, and Evie quickly nodded, deactivating the piece and removing it.

I fixed it in place on my own shoulder, and as we secured the straps and it powered on, I climbed into the supply cart where Myrinne lay, her breathing so ragged, that every breath seemed as if it could be her last.

I focused my gaze on her and concentrated hard, and as I did, I saw the threads of energy flowing within; but it was pretty slow and choppy, much like what happened when someone's core was almost depleted.

There were many smaller threads, however, which connected the main thread to the various areas which had been damaged, a lot of which I now realized represented internal injury, and as I placed a hand against her body, I began to focus on directing the threads to the areas that my newfound intuition about the body seemed to be indicating were in the worst shape.

Myrinne's breathing evened out almost immediately in response, and Evie placed a hand excitedly on my shoulder.

"It's working! You're doing it," she said, but no sooner had she uttered the words than the urge to puke suddenly overwhelmed me, and I turned, darting to the side of the cart just as I began to vomit violently.

Casey quickly moved to my side, and she rubbed my back gently until I was done, and I wiped at my mouth, and blinked back the tears.

"Fucking hell, Nate. You need to hold off on using your abilities until the excess radiation leaves your body."

"But, can he teach me?" Evie asked.

Casey bit her lip, uncertainly.

"I'm not sure. He learns abilities quickly because of another skill that you don't have access to, so it might not be transferable," she said.

"Actually, Danica said that energy manipulation was a basic skill that everyone learns eventually; and that's the basis of what I just did. Let's give it a try," I said, and as Casey eyed me sharply, I added, "relax, I won't use any abilities myself."

I returned the shoulder guard to Evie, then described to her the energy pattern, and the way I saw it when I focused my gaze on someone, and as she focused hard on me, her eyes suddenly went wide.

"Oh my God! I can see it," she said, and I let out a relieved sigh.

"Now, tell me what you see when you look at her," I said, and Evie nodded, focusing on Myrinne.

"Her threads are so weak... compared to yours. Nate-"

Her eyes teared up, and I rested a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"We can save her. You can... I believe in you," I said, and she nodded, wiping away the tears. "Tell me if you see the areas where she needs to accelerate the healing the most."

She nodded.

"I think I see them... she has a damaged lung, and muscular tearing along- here; I don't know what it's called."

"Stomach lining," Ryker suggested, and Evie quickly nodded.

"How do I help her?" she asked.

"You need to direct the threads to the areas where the healing should be prioritized," I explained.

"How do I do that?"

"Just focus on the spot, and imagine that you're directing the threads to it, from the primary energy thread."

She bit her lip, as a look of intense focus appeared on her face, and she nodded.

"I see them moving; how many threads did you manage to direct there?"

"I'm not sure."

I focused on Myrinne, much to Casey's annoyance, but I noted that while the threads directed by Evie weren't as thick in volume as what I'd done, she seemed to be directing the threads to multiple affected areas at once.

"Keep that up, and I think you'll do fine here," I said, and Evie nodded, as I continued, "just keep an eye on your own core, okay?"

She nodded again, and Casey and I decided to leave her to it.

Ryker also stayed behind, and I noted that he seemed quite interested in Evie's newfound ability.

Maybe I should also keep him in mind as a candidate for core training?

"Ryker would make a great healer, wouldn't he?" I suggested, and Casey nodded.

"Are you thinking about training him?"

I nodded, and she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"We need him for medical emergencies, though," she said, and I nodded.

"Maybe we can get Evie up to speed first? Then let her take up some of the load so he can focus on training. His medical skill is probably already decent enough, so it's really a matter of bolstering his core capacity."

Casey nodded in agreement.

"Where do you wanna go next?" she asked, and I gestured ahead to a cart where Francesca was hanging upside down over the edge, her legs locked onto the wooden barrier on the side of the cart, and she was doing inverted abdominal crunches.

As we approached, however, I spotted Lucia, who was studying me with an expression that was equal parts worry and fear.

"Come on," I said to her, and Francesca paused her workout to study us. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Lucia's eyes teared up a bit, and she shook her head, but as I gestured again, insisting, she finally took a few timid steps towards me, and I scooped her up.

"You understand what you did, don't you?"

She bit her lip, then nodded timidly.

"I don't want you to get hurt; I know you hate that monster, and I promise you... we'll get your revenge. But you need to get strong enough, or else you're just throwing your life away."

She nodded, wiping away the tears, and replacing them with a more determined look.

I ruffled her hair a bit and she wrapped her arms around me as I held her comfortingly.

"How's your arm?" I asked, but as Lucia winced, I shot Casey a quick look, and she nodded.

"Hey, Lucia. Let's go get Francesca something to eat," Casey suggested, and I shot her a thankful nod, though her ability to correctly guess what I wanted at a glance was beginning to unnerve me.

I set Lucia down, and as Casey took her hand and led her to the supply cart, I returned my attention to Francesca, and shot her a disapproving stare.

"What?" she asked.

"Can't you rest even with a broken hand?" I chided, and she shrugged.

As she tried to get herself down from the cart, however, I stopped her, and eyed her lips for a moment, which made her smile.

"We could totally pull off that spider-man upside down kiss right now," I said, and she giggled at me.

"But wouldn't that make me spider-man, and you, Mary Jane?"

I shrugged.

"I could be your MJ. Go get them, tiger," I said, and she giggled again.

"If we're re-enacting spiderman, let's at least do the less cringy versions," she said.

I leaned in and kissed her, then helped her up from her workout position.

"I really fucked up, huh?" she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"When that thing grabbed me; I figured how strong he was in an instant, but I tried to let my hand noodle, thinking I could survive the thrashing before making a counter attack, but I was wrong. He snapped my arm anyway. I should have tensed up, held firm; and tried to control his trashing," she said.

"No way you could figure that out in that situation," I said, and she frowned.

"I know... but I still regret my error. Even before the fight; we always have a spare dagger lying around; if I'd taken it with me, I'd could have stabbed that thing right in the face instead of jabbing at it with my fist. That fight could have been over before he even got past us. That was my second mistake, and it could have cost us lives."

I shook my head at her, chuckling as I did.

"Now I see why Raul is terrified of you. My fierce little lion."

I ruffled her hair a bit, and she blushed cutely.

She truly was something though, wasn't she?

We were both hopelessly outmatched by that beast's sheer athleticism and deadliness.

Yet in that instant, she had already worked out how she could have beaten it, while I could barely conceive of a way to react.

Maybe I'd need to start taking lessons from her as well.

"Hey, Nate. Do you think you could support my weight? I wanna try doing a one-handed push-up, but I don't wanna risk falling on my arm if I can't do it."

I shook my head at her, when something occurred to me.

"Actually... there might be something else you can work on right now."

I explained to her how I was able to see the energy threads inside of a person, and she sat down cross-legged in front of me, as she decided to give it a try, and once again, her eyes went wide as she immediately figured it out.

"Holy shit! That's amazing!"

I nodded, focusing on her core threads as I did.

I could see the coagulation of threads where the bone in her right arm had been broken, that were delivering accelerated healing to the spot.

As I explained to her how to manipulate the threads, she began to work on it while I watched, and I noted again that she was able to direct the threads as I'd explained, though the density of the threads she gathered up was significantly less than what Evie had managed to accomplish.

Was that because of the armor? I wondered.

Even so, I quickly realized that this was a skill that everyone needed to learn as soon as possible, since being able to handle the healing of minor injuries on our own would be a crucial skill going forward.

Francesca thanked me for my help, then set to work on repairing her own injury, so I turned and tried to figure out where my final stop would be; Miriam.

I spotted Gisela some way off, and as I approached her, she turned to study me, a slightly worried look on her face.

"Herr Nathan. Are you well?" she asked, concern plastered on her face, and I nodded, rubbing the back of my head as I did.

"How is the princess?" I asked, and she frowned.

"She is with sickness, but her affliction does not appear dire."

"Can you take me to her?" I asked, and Gisela quickly nodded.

I followed along as she led me around a bit of bush beside the supply cart to where a little make-shift sleeping area had been assembled for the princess to rest.

As soon as Miriam spotted me, however, she frowned, and quickly said something to Gisela.

"The princess wishes you not see her in this state," Gisela explained, and I shook my head.

"You can leave us," I said, and she shot me a worried look, before turning to the princess and bowing slightly, before turning to leave.

As I approached, however, Miriam scowled a little.

I am not in a state to be in the presence of my beloved, she began, and I shook my head.

I remembered Gisela's assertion that the princess at least understood the old tongue, so I decided to give it a try.

"I was worried," I said in German, and she smiled.

My state is not something of worry; this affliction is just ugly, she explained, and I shook my head.

"You saved my life. You saved everyone," I countered. "How could I accept such an honor, if I could not sit by your side through your affliction?"

She smiled, though still a little glumly, as I moved closer and took a seat beside her.

She rested a hand against my face, caressing it gently.

You are also afflicted, she said, and I nodded.

As she tried to sit up, however, she stumbled, and I caught her, then brought her head to rest on my lap, and as she lay there, she smiled again.

Your energy flowed into me at that time, she said. It left me with a longing to be filled with your essence in a different manner.

She shuddered a little, and I snickered, as I understood her curious use of 'Kobalt innuendo'.

"If you desire it, you may have it at any time," I said, and she shifted a little uncomfortably.

Truthfully, I wished us settled so that our godling would come forth surrounded by companion-servants.

"I can arrange that," I said suggestively, and Miriam blushed.

Oh? Are goddesses seeking your bed already that many?

"If you will it, I would bed them all," I continued, and she smiled.

In time, my sweet. I will not permit godlings to serve a princess; especially not yours.

As I stroked her smooth, glassy hair comfortingly, Miriam let out a soft, appreciative moan.

I desire to rest in your embrace. May I request the honor? she asked, and I nodded.

"Of course," I replied, and she curled up on my lap, and after a few short minutes, she was fast asleep.

I studied her as she slept, and I suddenly felt the urge to study her energy pattern again.

I quickly recognized the hypnosis ability, along with several other abilities that formed little clusters around her core thread; but as I studied the hypnosis skill, I suddenly realized that what I'd previously believed to be one large bump, was in fact a cluster of bumps wound together with threads and forming a little knot.

What did it mean?

Was the hypnosis skill then, not exactly a skill; but rather, the combination of several skills?

Or were there perhaps prerequisite skills required in order to acquire it.

I thought about it for a bit...

There were some skills that I'd seen that I hadn't been able to copy, weren't there?

Like Danica's fighting style?

Or even the way she moved as she ran; and movement skills fell into the realm of something that I'd even copied before.

It was a curious thing, and it made me wonder if there weren't other people other there; otherworlders like Danica, who could offer us some guidance when it came to these things.

I mean, if left on my own, I'd probably have taken weeks to happen across energy manipulation; yet with a few minutes of instruction, I'd been able to teach the skill to both Francesca and Evie.

There was a high probability many more things like that existed; useful, game changing things, that we could maybe learn with a few small pointers.

I let out a tired sigh, then sat back.

I felt pretty tired as well, but as I moved into a more comfortable position, the princess stirred just long enough to settle properly into my arms.

She seemed so frail and vulnerable in my arms, and as I studied her sleeping form, I began to think about our current situation.

That creature; whatever it was, was still out there, and I had no idea how long Miriam's hypnosis would last.

We needed to get stronger; and faster too.

And for that, we'd need a skill trainer...

***

What was that?

The man just disappeared!

And my claws!

Even now, I could not see them.

I turned to the sky and let loose a wicked howl, then slashed at a branch, and it fell.

It exists!

I cannot see them, but they exist!

Then so does the man...

To think I would let him slash me.

ME!

He will pay

Pay.

PAY!

I need rest.

There is still much to learn, but the meal is more than I could eat in a year.

I needed to digest faster.

Faster!

Maybe if I eat the smaller ones, then my light would burn brighter and the master's knowledge will fill me!

Smaller ones...

There were many around the tasty one, but I can't smell them anymore.

That woman.

That fucking woman!

She ruined everything!

I will feast on her too-

Wait!

I smell it.

One crawls nearby!

Follow, quick.

I swung from branch to branch, until the thing came into sight.

He was running.

Run, run, little bug!

Wait... what's a bug?

Must be master's word...

No, my word!

I am master, and he is me!

Tasty little bug, come, come!

I leapt onto his back, and his scream died out as I tore the throat out of his neck.

Now, just to gather up the core... but, maybe a snack while I wait?

The flesh is no longer as tasty, but no mind, the core is ready!

But as I absorb a little, a scowl crosses my face.

The taste is poor.

Bitter.

But... I must eat.

This one will take but an hour...

Wait, what's an hour?

Never mind! The meals will be many before master's knowledge can come to me.

Eat, eat, hunt!

Eat!

***

"Hey, Nate. Wake up."

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open.

"Is it time to leave?" I asked, and Casey nodded.

The princess was still asleep beside me, but as my eyes adjusted, I caught sight of Gisela and another of her companions beside her.

"We will move the princess to a carriage, Herr Nathan," Gisela said, but I quickly shook my head.

"Let me," I said, as I easily scooped her up.

She was such a petite, delicate little thing, wasn't she?

It was hard to believe that one so small could carry such significance and importance to an entire people.

She stirred, and as her hands gently brushed against my cheek, she smiled.

Your touch is as gentle as the Garenon breeze, mine Götze.

Gisela led me along to the cart prepared for Miriam, and as I settled her in, she held onto me.

I desire your comfort, love.

I shot Gisela a quick look, and she nodded, letting me know that it was okay, but I caught a slightly glum expression on Casey's face as she left us, somewhat reluctantly, and the journey resumed.

Tell me a story, high Götze.

I chuckled a little, rubbing the back of my head nervously.

"That's a little difficult. This tongue does not come naturally to me."

She waved a hand dismissively.

Any tale that you adore will do, my sweet. I wish to hear the sweet nuances of your voice; I need not understand.

I gave the matter some thought, then nodded, clearing my throat as I began:

"There was a throne; upon it sat no king, nor creature, and while it existed, it did so in neither space nor time, until the throne willed such things into existence. But as space and time came to be, the throne also fashioned two beings. To these beings, it delivered a command:

'Travel to the ends of space and time,' it commanded the two beings, 'and return when you have seen the ends of your respective journeys.'

"So, the first being set off through time, while its opposite number, through space. But even as they travelled on and on, no end was in sight. It was then that a voice spoke to the being of time:

'If you return now and say that you have seen the end of time, then none can doubt you!'

'But what of the throne?' the being asked. 'Is it's will not absolute?'

"The voice laughed.

'The throne sees nothing. It will know nothing of your journey, for this task, is in itself meaningless.'

"The being of time gave thought to the voice's words, then nodded.

'Very well. Let us return, and you can confirm to the throne that you were with me when I saw the end of time.'

"The voice eagerly agreed, but as soon as the being returned, it quickly realized its mistake, and as it stood before the throne, no words came.

'Speak onto me,' the throne commanded. 'Why do you appear before me?'

'The end of time, we have seen!' the voice answered, but the being remained silent, for he could not bear to lie to the one who supplanted him with life.