Critical Condition

Tyr stared at Luna's body become smaller as she fell. "Luna!" he cried out in anguish. Time seemed to slow. He got up to jump off the cliff after her. He knew he wasn't agile enough to get down safely, but he didn't care.

Aži flew down and tried to grab Luna to slow her fall. His black wings flapped frantically, but her body still crashed into some rocks along the way. Luna's body landed on the sand and Aži cried out with sadness.

The sounds of fighting had drawn the rest of the party to the cliff. Krystof saw Luna fall and Tyr begin to get up in order to jump after her. Krystof jumped off the cliff, pushing Tyr back on the ground. Krystof hopped from rock to rock with deft agility. Tears fell blurred his vision as he got closer.

"Luna," Krystof whispered. He slowly approached her crumpled figure.

Luna's head rolled to look at him. "Krystof," she called before she closed her eyes.

****

The party left immediately. Luna survived but suffered internal bleeding and broken bones. Her condition appeared bleak, but Mathis was forced to use all of his energy to keep himself alive. His condition was still critical, and he had no stamina left. The harpy had taken off most of his arm and sliced open his chest. Luckily, Aila could do some healing magic, but it was not enough to pull Luna out of the dire situation.

What was a leisurely two-week journey to the island, became a one-week journey back. Taylen had expelled every ounce of magic she had to call forth favorable winds daily.

They docked in Marseille at dusk and the party dashed for the guild headquarters. Every mage that knew healing magic was ordered to help Mathis and Luna. Hours went by before the two were stabilized. The guild settled down after midnight and Tyr returned to his room.

****

Macha had passed out on the floor. Her day had been demanding. She trained with some of the other students and had bruised all over. After training, she went to the kitchen and showed the cooks how to make a few dim sum dishes that she tested. By the time she made it up the stairs, she didn't have the willpower to go further than the living room.

Tyr opened the door to the apartment, and the lights were already on. He staggered in and saw Macha laying on the floor. She didn't move, and he rushed over to her side. "Macha!" His mind would break if something had happened to her as well.

Macha woke up and rolled over. "Tyr? I thought you would be another week," she rubbed her eyes to help herself wake up. She sat up and saw how pale and gaunt he looked. "You don't look well. You need to get some sleep," Macha chided.

Tyr exhaled with relief. "We rushed home because Mathis and Luna needed medical attention." He didn't want to worry her so he added, "They're fine now, so don't bother them. Let them rest." Tyr seeing Macha was fine, walked to the corner to take his armor off.

Macha nodded her head. She noticed Tyr had a difficult time taking his armor off, so she helped him. After she took his pauldrons off, a strong putrid odor invaded her nostrils. The armor was sticky with warm blood. "Tyr, you're bleeding. Let me get someone to help you." Macha turned to leave, but Tyr grabbed her hand.

"No. Everyone was used to help Luna and Mathis. This is nothing."

Macha looked at him. She didn't believe there could be no help. As she continued to help him take his armor off, she looked at the wounds. They were swollen with yellow pus. Tyr's skin felt hot, and he was sweating.

Tyr asked Macha to bring a towel. He used the towel to cover the couch and laid down.

"Tyr. You need to shower. The wound is infected," Macha looked him in the eyes. She felt he wasn't taking his situation seriously.

"I'm fine. I just need to sleep. Let me rest my head on your lap. I don't want to dirty the pillows." He was tired and didn't have the energy to clean up.

Macha placed his head in her lap and waited until he fell asleep. After his breathing slowed and became even, she got up and left the room.

Macha ran as fast as she could down the stairs and approached the front desk. In between breaths, she asked, "Is there an available doctor in the guild?"

The woman at the front shook her head, "All the trained medics were used earlier. All we have left are the trainees."

"That's fine. I just need someone," Macha pleaded. Tyr's condition was bad, and she didn't want the wound to fester any longer than it already had.

The woman gave Macha a few of the trainee's room numbers and Macha ran up the stairs. She knocked on three doors before one opened.

A young-looking boy who looked about sixteen answered the door. "Lady, do you know what time it is?" His eyes were sleepy, and he was wearing pajamas.

"The captain needs your medical assistance. Please come," Macha's hands were together, and she rubbed them furiously to beg him.

The boy didn't understand why they would choose him, but if the captain needed him, he could not refuse. He grabbed his things and followed the small lady up the stairs. He remembered seeing the woman with the captain many times, they almost seemed inseparable, so he didn't think she was lying to him.

On the way up, Macha explained the situation, "Tyr has two wounds on his shoulders. The skin looks red and they are dripping with pus. He feels hot and is sweating too. I think the wounds are infected." She remembered she didn't introduce herself and mentioned, "I'm Macha by the way."

"Aeson, nice to meet you. I'm still a trainee. Why did you come to me? I can't do much but if there is pus I can draw it out and reduce the fever. I can't actually heal skin yet."

"The healers in the guild had to help others, so you are all I have left. Just do what you can. I don't want him to get worse from neglect," Macha explained.

Macha opened the door to the room and Tyr was resting on the couch. His skin was wet with sweat. His complexion was pale and his cheeks were sunken in. A foul odor filled the apartment. Aži sat between Tyr's legs watching him.

Aeson made his way towards Tyr and rolled up his sleeves. "I need a large bowl."

Macha ran to the kitchen and took out a steel mixing bowl from the cabinet. She rushed over and placed it down on the ground next to Aeson.

Aeson tilted Tyr's body so he could inspect the wound. Pus and blood ran down Tyr's back. The smell caused Aeson to retch. He did not have much practical training and had just learned how to take pus out of bodies a week ago.

He held his breath and began drawing the pus from Tyr's shoulder. Aeson placed his hand on the wound and a soft green light formed around the wound. He carefully drew his hand back and balls of yellow pus came out. He put the pus into the bowl and continued this method until both wounds bled clean and his hands shook.

By the time Aeson finished, sweat poured down his face. He took deep breaths and Macha gave him a glass of cold water to help him catch his breath. At that point, Macha stopped him and took him back to his room. He explained that he got all of the pus out, but Tyr still needed to see a trained healer for his wounds. He instructed Macha on how to bandage and clean the wounds. Macha thanked him for his help. She was relieved that the infection was taken care of.

Macha spent the rest of the night awake. She wiped Tyr down and changed his clothes. Macha also dressed his wounds with bandages. Tyr slept through it all, his body and mind were exhausted from pushing himself to the limits for the past week.