Injured

Shards of glass stuck in my forearm, and in my shoulder, as a piece of the wall crumbled and fell on top of me as I lay prone. The injuries on my shoulder and sides lessened as I leveled up from the death I wrought. 

I groaned heavily, and glanced to the end of the street when a shadow blotted out the light of the rising flame. A dogman: half burned: its flesh still smoking still smoking growled as he approached me. I managed to point my wand forward. Some of 

One word? I had a second idea already lined up. 

"Gnomes, servants of Gob the Magnanimous, I beseech thee to seize my enemies."

I managed to sputter out. 

The downward facing triangle with a line going through its apex glowed. 

Ensnare created. 

+1 Creativity

A small hand formed of soil and cobble stone reached up and grabbed hold of the creature's ankle just as it stepped forward. It fell face first onto the ground. I could only use my left arm, as putting any pressure on my right sent waves of nauseating pain through my body. 

With great difficulty, I pushed myself off the ground. The part of the wall that had fallen on my body crumbled off of my back as I managed to find my footing after nearly falling head first through the wall ahead of me. I pointed my wand at the creature still trying to free its leg, and pull its way toward me. When it saw me approaching it stabbed forward with its spear, but it couldn't produce enough force to do much of anything. I stomped on the spear as I clutched my right arm over the bullet wound on my gut. 

I put the wand in my pocket, and ripped the spear from its grasp and stabbed down into the back of its neck. 

10/23

The ability, 'Spearmanship,' has been added. 

I grimaced as the stench of burning flesh and fur falls over the alley like a pall. I hobble out before those that had managed to escape from the fire find out that I did, too. With any luck, I could get somewhere else before they investigate the building further. I hobbled to the street behind the house. The guards there had joined the fray, so I was able to hurriedly hobble over to one of the houses; not at risk of catching the fury of the crackling flames as the Efrans that managed to escape, either watched helplessly as their comrades burned, or tended to their own burns. 

11/23

I stumbled into the closest building as a wave of ash and flame rushed over me. I glanced back, and the roof had collapsed inward. 

15/23

I ducked inside of the house, and quietly shut the door behind me, as I stumbled forward: clutching my gut. Blood oozed out, but the bullet still lodged an inch or so beneath the surface of fat. It burned and throbbed as the adrenaline wore off. I collapsed onto the floor and hissed as I writhed on the ground. 

Every inch of my body hurt like hell. 

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, I beseech thee to seal my wounds, by the power of Christ thine Heavenly Son." 

I tapped my forehead as I incanted. The whole wand glowed a bright yellow as my pain lessened by an incredibly small degree, in all areas except my stomach. As the flesh there began to knit together, it tightened around the bullet sending a fresh wave of pain flushing through me. I rolled over onto my stomach and vomitted as the pain increased in intensity. Was I going to have to pull the bullet out? I rolled onto my back and prodded the hole with my finger. 

16/23. Another Efran succumbed to their wounds. 

The tip of my finger brushed against the top of the lead round, and I had to suppress a scream from breaking out from my mouth. I slammed my fist on the ground again and again. If I had to do this, I should probably do it somewhere my voice won't carry. I glanced around the floor, to the corner by the door. Sure enough, there was a small hatch there much like in the other house. I pulled myself across the floor, and forced myself to stand. 

Bending at the waist to pull up the hatch felt as if I was pushing the bullet further in with the movements, and once it was open, I fell forward into the cellar: landing hard on the dirt covered stone floor. I roll over on my back in the dust, as the hatch slams closed above me. The sound of rushing water roared from the well right by my head. Good. Something else to mask the sound. I clutch my stomach, and take a deep breath as I push my finger into the wound. 

17/23

Grunts and screams of pain rolled off the rafters that held up the floor above me, and off the stone floors, and I had to quit. One more time. I jammed my finger again, and managed to worm my gore slickened finger onto the side of the bullet and push it up a little before the pain forced me to quit. I until I bumped against the stone rim of the well, then leaned over and once wretched once more onto the floor. I take another quick, deep breath, and pushed my finger back in.

Centimeter, by grueling centimeter, I pulled the bullet up. Each centimeter, I would have to stop, catch my breath, and wait for the agony to stop before starting again. Hot sweat rolled down my forehead, and into my eyes, as my teeth drew blood from my rolled tongue. As white flashed through my mind like countless lightning strikes going off through my body.

"One last pull, Lawrence." I muttered to myself after pulling the bullet most of the way out. The top of it was sticking out of the hole at this point. The last one had been exceedingly painful, as one of the exposed nerves near the surface had clung onto my finger. 

I gripped the top of the bullet with the nails of my pointer finger and thumb, and pulled as hard as I could. As the bullet fell out of my stomach and onto the floor, a relief like nothing I had ever felt; comparable to a lancing of a too-tight boil, flooded through me. That was quickly replaced by panic as blood quickly began to soak my sweater and shirt.

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, I beseech thee to seal my wounds, by the power of Christ thine Heavenly Son." I uttered as quickly as I could as I tapped my forehead with the wand. 

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, I beseech thee to seal my wounds, by the power of Christ thine Heavenly Son." 

Again. The wound hadn't fully closed yet. Again. 

"Hail Mary, full of Grace, I beseech thee to seal my wounds, by the power of Christ thine Heavenly Son." 

There was still a lot of pain. Again….

"Hail Mary…." 

Again. 

"Hail Mary…" 

Again…

"Hail Mary…" 

Again…

By the time I was able to overcome the panic flushing through me, a throbbing headache had formed in my head. The bleeding had stopped, and I was alive. I pressed my palms over my eyes. Alive. My body trembled. Hot tears flowed out, as I tried to stifle the stress-built sob forming in my throat. I slammed my fist on the stone ground.