บท 39: The warmth fades away
She takes a step back, but her attention is swiftly stolen by the soft, dry whimper of Das, who noticed her sudden reaction and tries to get out of the hole. Her mind may not be as bright as most, but living in the streets makes you sharp, so she immediately knew that the guards shouldn't see Das in this state. Defenseless.
"By the Lightbringer, what are you doing here girl?" the old guard asks raising the lantern to try and see better.
"I-I-" she leans into the tree trunk, using her hand now hidden behind it to push Das back inside the hole "I got lost," she says, barely loud enough to be heard.
"Lost? and what the hell were you doing in here, to begin with?! It's a miracle you have managed to get this far without getting killed" the old guard begins to walk forward, towards her. Half of his men follow close, they are all as or more elderly than him.
Ida hears Das's dry mumbling once again, and without looking away from the guards she pokes his chest a few times, begging in her mind that he understands she wants him to stay there.
Das then grabs her hand and nods. Sitting and rested his back inside the hollow tree to keep focusing on the strange magic beyond her understanding. The light of his hand and orb dim enough to not be noticed.
It's at that moment she remembers, the green light from his hand is the same he used on her back inside the alley and not so long ago on her wrist "He will heal himself!...but it's taking longer than before..." she thinks.
"Ida?" the old guard's voice makes her tense, he is getting closer.
"He needs time," she thinks "I-I have to give him time!"
"I was..." she swallows "Looking for you, Gunter!" forcing a smile she rushes to the guard, practically jumping into his arms and embracing him. Managing to stop his advance at least fifteen meters from the tree.
"Hey, don't stick to me in front of-" flustered, Gunter pushes Ida away only to change his embarrassment for wide eyes and agape mouth "You, look much different than before, Ida"
"Oh," she looks away, trying to hide her frightened expression from him "I..." her mind may be sharp, but against time, fear and pressure, she can't think of anything else to say but the truth "I met a strange man with the pretty stick!" her eyes meet the inquiring eyes of the old man.
"The same that gave you this cloak I suppose" he murmurs grabbing the leather garment.
"Y-Yes!" she moves away from him, hating that he touches the cloak Das gave her " It's dirty, so please d-don't touch it"
"Your- Your hand! Are you alright?!" He takes a step forward and seizes her right arm, raising it to look directly at the closed wound that looks as if her hand had been lost years ago.
"G-Gisela! She caught me stealing one of her loaves of bread and she, cut off my hand" forcefully, she manages to free her arm, concealing it beneath her cloak "It hurt but, the strange man cured me, and brought back my teeth" giving him a wide grin to show off her row of white teeth "See?!"
"I see indeed..." he grabs her by the face, slowly moving her face around to look at it clearly with the help of the lantern "Did you happen to see that same man when you were looking for me in here?" releasing her, he takes a few steps past her as he looks at the surrounding swampland "Why did you think I would be inside this rotten excuse for a forest?"
"I...remembered the last time I saw y-you" she playfully tugs at his cloak, trying to pull him back and away from the tree, "You said we had to come here, so I came when I couldn't find you"
"Right" he snickers " I had forgotten about that "I didn't expect you to be so afraid of Totesland, left the barracks how a drunk leaves the tavern when is dry of ale, eh boys?" the surrounding guards laugh softly "But, the stranger. Did you see him around here?"
"I... did" her voice was weak and full of doubt. Worried she may have given the wrong answer.
"Where?" Gunter turns to her, aggressively taking a few steps until she was within reach, hearing her stutter, he grunted "Listen, that man is very dangerous. He may seem kind, but he isn't. He is a monster"
"Why?" anger cuts through her fear and show in her face as well as the defiant tone in her voice, surprising both of them and making Gunter lean back.
"His kind has only brought pain and death to humans since the beginning of time! Burnt entire cities to the ground, killed countless innocents, and created all other monsters and creatures that hunt us today" he grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her "You are lucky he didn't find you alone here where no one else can safe you, who knows what he would have done to you" he lets go of her and brushes her hair behind her ears.
"I see..." she looks down, trying her best to hide the growing anger inside of her.
"So" he waves his hand to the other guards and they begin to walk around, coming dangerously close to the tree "Where is he?"
"UP!" she shouts, making everyone look at her and then at the clouded, moonless night, stopping them in their tracks.
"Up?" Gunter spits, raising his eyebrows in confusion.
"Y-Yes, like a bird, I couldn't believe it either!" Ida raises her right arm, only to notice the obvious and correct herself, raising her left and pointing at the sky.
"Damnit" the old guard sighs.
"So he escaped," one of the other guards says.
"I suppose he did"
Ida feels as if she could fall to the ground. Her heart races like never before and with those words, it can finally start to relax "C-Can we go back?" she asks him.
"No"
That sharp, and direct answer makes her face drop "W-Why? He isn't here, I don't want to stay here anymore!"
"Either way it's too dark and it may be dangerous to wander in the deeper parts of the swamp. You found yourself a pretty secluded place to hide" Gunter turns his back on Ida and walks up to the tree, sitting down and resting his back on it "It's better if we make camp until morning. It will still be dark but not too much, we rest around this tree, all eyes on our surroundings"
Making a circle in the air with his finger, the other guards carrying spears and lanterns begin to walk in all directions. Ida's world seems to almost come to a complete stop.
She has to stop them, they are mere meters away from the tree.
"Wait!" she shouts, almost in desperation. Once again managing to get everyone's attention.
The beggar swallows hard. And takes a deep breath.
"Do you have Blisswater?" she asks, walking up to Gunter.
"Really? By the Light, that's all you beggars ever think about" he chuckles and sticks his hand inside a leather pouch on his belt, taking out a small glass vial with a black liquid "Do YOU have the coin?"
"No..." Ida takes off her cloak, squeezing it tight in her hand before throwing it away, as far as she can "But remember you promised me, all the Blisswater I could ever need if we did it with your friends in here?" she sits down in front of him, feeling how the painful tears can barely be kept at bay "We are here, I need it"
Gunter looks at her with a smirk and plays with the vial in his hand, exchanging malicious glances with the other guards that walk closer to the girl, like hungry, ill dogs licking their teeth near a dying doe.
"I think we all need it" he smiles "Don't we?" the guards chuckle as they let their clocks fall to the ground.
Ida closes her eyes as Gunter grabs her by the waist. Surrounded by black, her mind is free, for the first time in a long time without the clouding effects of the addicting drug. She thinks of Das and notices, just how cold it was without the cloak.
For as long as her mind had been freed. She had been warm, beneath the embrace of the heavy leather cloak.
"Yes," Das thinks "YES!"
He can feel the light cursing through his veins, and with it the powerful healing power it carries.
Then, the power vanishes.
"NO!"
Being his first time combining two arts that were not both elemental, of course, he would find some difficulties. However, despite the initial failure, he didn't give up.
All he had at his disposal was time. So he took it.
Feeling the energy coursing through his veins once more, it was like mixing two colors before applying the result on parchment to make a painting. He was afraid they wouldn't mix, to begin with, if that was the case...what would he do?
"It doesn't matter. I can't see or hear. But I can still do magic, if I can't make this work I will wait until Ida is back, carry her with me and fly up! Yes! Maybe she can guide us out of Totesland and I can use the Light to heal me completely"
He clenched his hand into a fist. He couldn't even feel it, but he knew he was doing it.
"I will get us out of here no matter what" with his resolve now stronger, he took a deep breath "Let's do this one more time"
Both arts clashed against each other and Das used all his strength to keep them from separating. Until finally, he felt a connection.
A single point, a lone strand that he hold on to as if his life depended on it since it most certainly did. And as soon as he held it firm in his mind, one thousand other strands and connections appeared and connected both arts that in his mind, looked like light green and yellow fire mixing into one.
Until they were one.
It was difficult, but mixing the healing magic with the light had been a success. Maybe because he had used both arts so many times it took him less time than he expected.
Letting the energy flow inside of him, he guided it to his head, where he immediately felt its healing power both cure and grow back what he was missing. Muscle, veins, nerves, skin, and hair.
It was slow, but it was progressing steadily.
"As soon as I can see and hear I must find Ida. She can't have gone far if she was fetching more water"
Now it was just a matter of time. And as minutes went on he could feel more and more. The cold in certain places of his face, how his eyes were growing back.
He wondered what to do with Ida. It felt wrong to leave her alone after everything that has happened, so maybe he could squeeze in another "Crazy woman" into the palace.
Or convince the Steward of the palace to take her in as a servant. Ida would have a roof, three meals a day, and a coin or two each day. He knew it wasn't much.
But she would be safe, and better than she would out there in the streets.
With that thought in mind, he smiled.
Or, he tried. His cheeks were still forming.
But then, sight.
His eyes grew back in their entirety and he could see the swampland through the entrance of the hollow tree he sat in.
He looks at his hand and sees the green and yellow energy traveling from and within his arm up to his head. It wasn't that much different from regular healing magic, but the effects were far greater.
And with them, the strain on his mana. The time he had been out definitely helped in regaining some of the energy he lost, but it was quickly being depleted, maybe the combination of the arts wasn't natural, or more likely since it was better, it demanded more mana to be cast.
Then, his new eyes catch the dim orange glow coming from outside the tree.
"Fire? Did Ida make a campfire?"
He begins to move forward, and the magic heals the interior of his ears. The first thing he hears is laughter. All men and they seem amused.
"He left us a nice goodbye gift didn't he?" Gunter says, a satisfied smile on his face.
"She was the prettiest beggar we've tasted thus far, maybe he should come more often and do some more charity" a guard mockingly joked as he secured his pants.
"Do you think he killed them? The Vampirs"
"I hope not, another five and it would have been our turn" Gunter cleaned his dagger with the end of his cloak "But well, that only means we get more free girls and boys, Blessed be the King and his fucking never-ending war!" he then raises it as the guards exclaim "Blessed!"
Then, one of them screams, his pants still down he falls to the ground and grabs a nearby spear. Everyone looks around and all blood leaves their faces when they see the monstrous men standing next to the tree.
His head was a mess of flesh, bone, and hair.
His round hazel eyes were clear for everyone to see, with no eyelids of any kind.
And those eyes didn't look at the dozen men quickly securing their clothes or reaching for their weapons.
No.
Those eyes were locked on the naked body of the girl that lay on her stomach. Her left arm stretched towards him, eyes blank, looking at the tree.
And a puddle of blood, coming from the deep cut on her neck.
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