Whispered Thanks

Jack could only stare in shock as Sam fell to the ground. He knew his summoner was strong, because even Fang an S rank Death Knight had admitted as much. But even so, this creature had seemed beyond Sam or Jack from the beginning. Jack knew this was because of the radiation factor, but how could Sam.

Did they even know what radiation was in this world. It's destructive power, its dangers. Perhaps in the distant past this world had. After all this very room and these caverns spoke of such terrors lost in history. Even so how could such a thing possibly mix with magical beasts like this. Shouldn't it have died from radiation poisoning a long time ago? Instead it seemed to be growing stronger as it breathed in the radioactive dust that had been disturbed by their fight.

Jack looked down at Sam with utter hopelessness as the Fallout Chimera slowly approached him.

"Jack move!" Suddenly the world turned upside down as he want flying through the air again. As he landed hope filled every goblin bone in his body.

"Fang! It's getting stronger from breathing the dust!" He called out the most important information of the fight as he struggled clumsily back to his feet.

[Inspect]

[Fallout Chimera]

[Rank S-]

"Shit." Jack wracked his brain as Fang held the Chimera off while guarding Sam's body. It was getting strength by breathing. Perhaps he could solve that issue with his new skill. "Fang! If I can keep it from getting stronger do you think you can beat it?"

"Does a chicken sh*t eggs, mon?" Fang grinned looking back at Jack as his eyes glowed and black flames coated his sword and covered his skeleton and hardened into ornate samurai armor and a katana.

"Of course I can!"

'Okay, so a Jamaican accent coming from an Oni Samurai is the strangest thing I have ever heard.' Jack thought as he focused on his timing.

As Fang parried the tail again Jack leapt forward at top speed and activated his newest skill.

[Reaper's Grasp Activated]

Excess bandages around his arms unraveled and flung forward faster than Jack himself wrapping tightly about the Fallout Chimera's snout.

The next thing he knew Jack was cursing as he was flung away again and crashed into the floor with a downward arc. Mercifully the bandages were still attached and hadn't snapped.

Fang grinned as he lunged forward leaving a black flaming gash in the beast's side. The makeshift muzzle was already doing it's job. The Fallout Chimera's strength rapidly began to drop the moment it stopped inhaling dust. And not too soon either as it had just hit SS Rank moments before.

'Thank god for half life...' Jack thought.

The Fallout Chimera had been getting stronger rapidly as it inhaled the radioactive dust. It was a gamble but Jack had hoped the dust had a short half life for that reason. They were lucky his gamble had paid off.

With the Chimera dragging Jack around via the bandages around its muzzle its movement speed had also been reduced making things easier for Fang. More gashes appeared seemingly like magic on the Chimera's hide as Fang muttered incantations under his breath.

[Warning! Low Health]

Jack cursed as the notification popped up. Being flung around by the Fallout Chimera during its fight with Fang had been dealing tons of damage over time. He gritted his teeth as he made up his mind and cut the bandage connecting him to the makeshift muzzle and fell back down to the ground again.

'I really hope that mends itself again and wasn't a one time thing for the evolution.'

As the Chimera noticed its newfound freedom it began to leap around with more speed and fury while attempting to dislodge the muzzle.

"Nice try sucker. That thing can only be pulled off by the hands of the dead." The chimera stopped suddenly at Jack's taunt and slowly looked in his direction.

'Did it understand me?'

To Jacks horror the Fallout Chimera reached up with on of its paws and slowly began to remove the makeshift muzzle with a single talon. 'Oh shit.'

[Inspect]

[Fallout Chimera]

[Rank A+]

[Species: Zombie]

"Fang!"

"On it Mon!" Flames burst forth constricting around the wrap before it could be fully removed. The Fallout Chimera launched itself at Fang again with a growl.

"How the hell can it understand us?" Jack yelled as he looked around for a solution.

"Same way we can speak to each other without a mind link, mon! The pocket dimension was damaged by its strike when it attacked Sam earlier. It's leaking necrotic energy like a sieve. In this enclosed space its nearly as dense as it is there." Jack's eye sockets went wide in surprise as an idea struck him.

"Do you know how to pull undead into the pocket dimension?" He asked in desperation.

"No, mon. Only Sam can do that."

Jack cursed at Fang's reply while Fang struggled desperately to keep the makeshift muzzle in place. The moment that muzzle came off the fight was as good as lost. Even more dust had been kicked up than before. Jack stood there frozen with fear as every hope seemed gone.

Suddenly both Fang and the Chimera froze as if stuck outside of time. A dark aura had encased them both. Jack followed the dark energy to the source where Sam sat, slowly burning sigils into the air. They got faster and more frequent as Fang and the Fallout Chimera began to shrink. They became the size of a fist slowly floating towards Sam's outstretched hand where they both vanished.

Jack stood there slack jawed shock written on his goblin skull, as Sam smiled warmly through the bandages before passing out.

"Sh*t. Oh crap what do I do what do I do. Sam's gonna bleed out or die from radiation poisoning. Sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t."

Jack began to devolve into panic before memories from his past life flashed through his head.

'Oh right I went through med school.'

Without further hesitation Jack began working. Jack put Sam in a more comfortable position before he began cutting Sam's clothing around the site of the wound. He knew his first step was to clean and bandage the wound. Jack's eyes widened in complete shock as the last piece of the shirt fell off.

"YOU'RE A GIRL!!!"

Jack shook away his initial surprise wondering if skeleton's could blush as he carefully covered her chest with the coat he had left lying to the side. He had removed it earlier while searching for something to disinfect the wound.

Through incredible luck, he had found some alcohol in another pocket of holding that appeared to be for equipment. Jack winced as he carefully began to clean the wound from the stinger. It wasn't pretty.

Jack hadn't failed med school due to his lack in skills or knowledge, but rather his hate for taking written tests. He knew what to do even if he didn't have proper equipment. Taking out some needle and thread from the pocket of holding he began to sew the wound shut after he had disinfected them.

Jack tied off the the thread as he pondered what to do next. He didn't have proper equipment, and doubted anyone in this world did. Additionally with their healer gone who knows where he couldn't rely on heals either.

Jack recalled a dissertation he had taken on radiation poisoning and searched the pocket of holding for some food and drink. He breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to find some milk and fish. The iodine content would hopefully help with the radiation poisoning some.

Jack carefully removed the bandages around Sam's face and was shocked to find she was beautiful. She had a perfectly round face with heart shaped lips and raven black hair. As he stared slightly stunned her almond shaped eyes opened to show deep purple irises.

Jack shook his head slightly flustered as he quickly reached for the milk and raised it to her mouth. She drank it slowly her eyes never leaving Jack's face making him hope more than ever that skeletons didn't blush.

After a short while Jack pulled the milk bladder away so she didn't drink too fast and grabbed the fish. He began to feed Sam as she she sat up rather gingerly wincing with pain as her wound was jostled.

As Sam sat up the coat fell down exposing everything for Jack to see again. Rather suddenly his goblin skull got hot. He spun around quickly, now certain that magical skeletons could blush, as Sam giggled softly behind him. It was the first sound he had ever heard her make and it was musical.

'Gods damn it Jack what are you thinking! You're a skeletal goblin and she's human.. stupid, stupid, stupid.'

Jack berated himself internally as the sound of rustling clothes ceased. He peaked pack to see she was covered up properly and slowly eating the fish he had brought out for her.

The irony of his thoughts after thinking his summoner was a pervert for so long wasn't lost on him either. Turns out that what would be creepy or pervy for an old man was actually rather normal for a young woman and not at all pervy. He smiled chuckling inwardly at that realization.

While Sam ate Jack realized there wasn't much more he could do except let her eat and drink. She needed to restore her lost nutrients and get enough iodine in her system to hopefully counteract the radiation poisoning some.

With Sam able to take care of herself at this point Jack decided to take a look around. The first thing he did was to check the still immovable vault door. He decided there was nothing he could do about it for the time and began to look around in hopes of finding a switch somewhere.

[Inspect]

[Rock]

'Dammit not now!'

[Inspect]

[Mana Crystal]

Jack smiled at that. It seemed at least something in here was useful. He began scanning all the crystals to find they were all listed as either mana crystals or summon stones.

'Strange... I thought they would have been labeled as some sort of radioactive crystals. They appear to be as far as I can tell, but the system is labeling them as magical items instead...' Jack's thoughts were interrupted as the sound of soft foot steps behind surprised him. Sam stood there smiling softly as she reached out gingerly to start picking up some of the crystals placing them in a small pouch.

[Inspect]

[Lead Lined Pouch]

Jack's eye sockets widened. How could they know to use lead lining in this world yet not know what radiation was. Things were getting more confusing by the moment. There was a big mystery here. Jack new that for certain.

Sam closed the pouch smiling softly before a coughing fit suddenly took over her body. Red flecks covered her hands to Jack's horror. The radiation poisoning was far worse than he had first expected. Their only real hope at this point was if they could get her to a healer, but there was no way she could survive long enough to reach one at the rate she was declining.

'No, no, no, no, no! It can't end like this dammit!' Jack screamed internally as half a dozen emotions raged through him.

Suddenly a loud knock boomed interrupting Jacks inner monologue while Sam coughed some more. Jack stared blankly at the vault door until another knock echoed in the room.

As Jack approached the door the knocking stopped almost instantaneously. Jack gulped slightly squaring his shoulders as he reached up to touch the vault door handle. Just before he could grab it the door cracked open barely wide enough for a goblin to step through.

'Ya that's not creepy....'

Jack held back his fear as he slowly poked his head out. For a few moments Jack saw a shadowy figure patiently standing off in the distance before vanishing with a puff. He was about to rush back in when he noticed a small pouch on the ground. Picking it up hesitantly Jack opened it to see it's contents.

'Medicine! Iodine pills too!'

Jacks eyes widened in shock as he saw the contents. This could keep Sam alive until they got to a healer!

"...thank you..." A familiar voice whispered on a soft breeze just before Jack pulled himself back inside the vault room with a smile.

*******

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