Scratch

Three years ago continuance...

...Arno approximated a flask near his lips, he afforded the hidalgo up to drink. His lips shivered as water drops kissed them. Arno busied himself with cleaning the wound. Meanwhile, the man's eyelid moved up in a sudden seemed to be nervous about something, but didn't have enough stamina to move up. Arno leaned him back, "Hush, calm down man! Let me help you with this before it makes you done".

"Yes, we can't stay here, the dark is coming, already we are moving at snail`s pace", Silman added.

Arno heaved a sigh out and slowly nodded, got back to cleaning part, fetid black blood dried over worm-eaten skin he gently moved the bandage through it. It smelled bad already and teased his nose.

Crystal couldn't watch that and turned her face to Everin.

"Can you tell us what your name is?" Silman asked and sat on a rock near them watching around vigilantly. Deserts were safe till no food could be found for wildlings and monsters so now you could consider them as delicious meals, especially at nights.

"Mohan…coughed", an afflicted tone blustered, "Wilson…Groan", he slightly honed.

"Are you done brother? We shall ride now before dark hunt us". Silman emphasized and stood up.

"His wound will be safe, Come help me to mount him on my horse he can't come all alone", he pushed Mohan forth to his seat and Silman came along to help him stand on his feet.

*

It was an early twilight when they arrived near the forest entrance. You could see the Apple Bower board as they passed it and turned to a narrow route, hooves thumped muddy earth leaving deep prints. Dead soaked leaves pressed on holes that they left behind.

There was a safe house across them, slowed down their speed, a lodge in Airson's forest. Silman jumped down quickly to give a hand to Arno.

Arno helped Mohan to get down and Silman managed him to not founder out of vertigo. Their guest was weak with a blurry vision hardly could guess where he is barely able to realize, what they are talking about only heard words cutting and between them heard a familiar name which ringed a bell to him, "Atendor". He whispered, "The elf… magician", he may know what he is saying, but for others, it was just peddling delusion due to his condition.

They posited him on the bed then the world swirled into a deep dark.

"We are going to make some foods you clean the wound, we shall feed him or no longer this way he can hang on". Everin lifted her bag on the table and leaded crystal to the kitchen.

They had spent a leaps and bounds trip, dusty and tired of the way, but saving him was a priority. Arno tried to wake him up and keep him conscious, but his brain was trolling over another world.

Silman joined the group recently still wasn't familiar with Airson and safe houses, but he had reasons to be a part of this team, he believed that silence must be broken as long as people getting eaten like his younger brother. Nothing can help them survive if they stay still such as a plant that got no way to escape from fire, what can burn it so easy. Now it was the time of using hands and legs in a redeemer path to get rid of injustice.

He gave favor to Arno and unbraced Mohan's clothes.

"I will clean his body and this wound needs to be stitch, please bring all I need", Arno wasn't just a fighter, but a good healer. He learned that while working for a physician in Tegan at the age of sixteen, he got up and brought a bag and sat on the edge of the bed. Took out a lens and watched the wound carefully, it gave him a goosebump, that wasn't a scratch-made by wolves something even worse, these were prints of polygon claws which tear up flesh it could leave cicatrix if he could save that arm.

Silman left the room and a few minutes later got back with clean clothes, draw a desk near Arno adjusted them on it, and said, "No worms, right?"

"Hopefully no worms or vasculitis, but this ain't wolves attack, we didn't face this monster yet, these are polygon claws able to burr flesh, it couldn't hurt nerves, but muscles".

"Can you save his arm?"

"I will try, but can't be so sure about two next days, it's up to antibiotics and his body response, let's get started,"

He washed his hands, cleaned his livid arm from dirt, disinfected his own hands with alcohol, and reached to the needle. It was a painful five inches scratch and during that, if Mohan became sober couldn't bear the pain easily. To mind it Silman kept being vigilant.

As he spiked the needle Mohan roared. Their team already had figured it out about two kinds of monsters Cerace and Hell-spirit, but this new one seemed to be huge because claws left such a deep scratch. It must be the same size as Hell-spirit and giant northern wolves of frozen lands. This time Mohan was lucky to give them the slip. Now it has proven to them there must be more monster kinds around and they wished to not meet a winged one. Battling the ones in the sky wasn't that easy to face.

*

Silman walked outdoors after that situation he needed fresh air. He took a deep breath and whispered, "What on earth had happened to this guy? Sighed!"

"Was it the first time you see people in such pain?" Everin leaned right on a pier.

He bitterly grinned and said, "No, I saw even worse".

"Which kind of that?" she seemed very curious about him.

"My younger brother was getting eaten by a hell-spirit monster and I could save only half of his body to bury him". His fist clenched as he finished his statement.

"I'm truly sorry for your lost, if I knew that I wouldn't remind you of such a grief", she regretted to open that conversation.

"It's fine, Lorena arrived at the right time. If it wasn't for her I had the same fate as his, I owe her a life".

"I'm glad to hear that, she is wonderful", she added.

"Was he able to eat his supper?" he asked.

"It was a simple broth, but he could hardly eat a bit of it, Arno gave him some medicine he fell asleep. I'm here to call you for dinner".

"Oh thank you, but I don't think if I can eat". He was disgusted to see that wound and smell.

"You should have not become weak we need you to stay boisterous, let's go."

Even after the rainy weather was muggy and warm. Storms carried dust and pollution with them and made a huge mess all over. As the weather was heavy they walked back in...