Chapter 8: Shifting Balance

"They're the targets we were sent to eliminate..?" Asked Bjorn, as if saying it out loud would make some sort of sense.

Graum stayed silent watching the injured cat-eared Imalidae slowly bleed onto the dirt.

"Quest be dammed! We need to save them" Bjorn declared gritting his teeth.

With his mind made up, Bjorn examined the shoulder wound the fox-eared girl sustained. "It doesn't make sense for her to lose consciousness over a shoulder wound.." Stated Bjorn aloud; recalling the abundant wounds he witnessed during his many battles.

"Poison.." Graum whispered aloud trying to find the resolve to take action. "That yellow fluid is poison from the goblins arrows."

"How can you tell?" Bjorn asked uncertainly, he hadn't considered poison to be an option.

Graum looked at him as the whites of his eyes melted to black, the iris turning a scarlet red.

Bjorn forgot how useful Graums sense skill could be.

"I should've known.. but can't you use your devil magic to save her?" Bjorn pressed the question further.

"You know as well as I do that I can't heal poison. You're gonna have to suck the poison out." Graum instructed.

"Suck the- what're you insane?!" Bjorn yelled hysterically.

"Trust me, Brother, if you can survive your own cooking…a bit of poison will be no problem." Graum responded coldly.

*Harsh Word Impact*

Bjorn held his gut as if a massive arrow pierced his insides.

"Your words.."

"You'll be fine. So man up and suck the poison out. I'll treat this one." Graum hissed, pulling out the sewing box and a healing salve from his knapsack.

Bjorn looked down at where the girl was injured; she had a shallow cut below her left collar bone.

Beads of nervous sweat began to pour from Bjorn's forehead.

"Do you want to save her or not? The longer you take the more time the poison has time to circulate." Graum barked threading a needle. "If you feel this guilty about it, buy her dinner AFTER you SAVE her LIFE!"

"Ah hell!" Bjorn shouted kneeling down to suck out the poison, though he encountered an issue as the fox-eared Imalidae's breast plate impeded Bjorn from aiding her. The very aid he was nervous about administering.

"Brother, her armor is in the way, what should I do?" Bjorn asked nervously, turning his head toward Graum.

"Strip her down." Graum casually responded, as he was already cutting away bits of clothing from his 'patient' with an arrowhead.

"Brother this isn't the time for your jokes.." Bjorn gulped turning his attention back towards the girl. He knew Graum was right… however his high moral standard conflicted against Graum's ethics. Reluctantly, Bjorn slowly began taking off her armor. The breast plate gave restistance and wouldn't come off easily. "I'll make you a new one I promise." Bjorn whispered as he broke off her armor. With the wounded area clear, Bjorn began to suck the poison from the wound.

Graum knelt next to the cat-eared Imalidae.

"If you can hear me, just know, I apologize"

He circled the stab wound with his finger. "This is will be excruciating" he whispered, jabbing his finger into the stab wound.

Her unconscious body squirmed, writhing in pain.

*Harmacist*

Graum healed what he could. He knew he couldn't restore her completely, the shock from the pain needing to be inflicted would definitely kill her.

With her more severe injuries tended to, Graum expertly stitched the wound closed with a fine silk. Then he applied a gel-like salve over the stitches. Within seconds it would harden offering an extra layer of protection against the elements.

"There. That should do the trick." Graum whispered to himself in satisfaction.

-kkkkrrrrrzzzzzt-

An unnatural amount of malice shivered down Graum's spine.

"!!"

Frightened, he looked around to see if he could determine the source.

He looked up to see a gigantic mass of mana in the sky, taking the form of a sphere of light.

"Bjorn DIG!!!" Graum shouted, grabbing the girl and his knapsack before being swallowed by the shadowy mass underneath him.

*Shadow Stride*

Bjorn understood this to be a dire emergency because he was called by name. With his great sword on his back, Bjorn scooped up the girl and recited Dwarven script..

"Oh Earth Mother, grant us protection in your embrace." The ground swallowed Bjorn and the fox-girl sending them deep underground.

-VVVVRRRPPUGGGGGSHHHHH-

The massive spell hit the ground completely decimating the clearing.

Only a wide crater remained.

Graum reemerged within the tree line just out of the blast radius. Cautiously he lifted his head to see the caster of the devastating spell.

"Well that should take care of them.." The caster spoke.

He was shocked and surprised to see Maltreesh of the Grey Coin guild standing amidst the destruction.