Eliona's War 3: Lethal Healer

Ch. 6

Time Elapsed: 04:11:02

Severance stood quietly on the stone platform, staring out at the endless expanse of black rock. The scene outside the robot raid never changed, no matter how many times he came here.

Old ruins, charred and twisted, were entombed in hardened flows of what had once been glowing lava. A stillness hung over the entire area, accompanied by a silence so absolute that he could hear a pin drop. The only sound now was the quiet murmurs coming from behind him.

He didn't turn to look. Instead, he counted his breaths, breathing as deep and evenly as he could. His hands curled into tight fists, every muscle in his body tensed. If he relaxed even a bit, he'd start shaking again.

Today had been the worse yet. He wasn't sure why. Mouna's fire-resistant clothing had proven to be a huge boon, and he'd died only once for a change. Both things should have made the raid a lot easier to get through.

But even so, he couldn't stop the tremors. He felt unbalanced and nauseated. Even out here on the platform, the stench of burnt flesh still hung in the air, tainted by the sweet tang of blood. It followed him like a shadow, lingering like a heavy morning fog curling above a creek.

Someone came to stand beside him. The figure loomed in his peripheral vision, and he didn't even have to turn to know it was Chad. The sheer bulk of the armored figure betrayed who it was.

"Okay?" the tank asked quietly.

Severance flinched. Somehow, Chad had packed that word full of concern and reproach. It let him know that the man had missed very little.

"I'm fine," he said, and folded his arms across his chest. This way, he could tuck his hands into the crook of his elbows, where no one could see how they shook. A part of him felt a bit guilty, because he hadn't exactly been honest with Chad and everyone about how deeply the Gifts affected him in Eliona. He should have known he wouldn't be able to hide it from someone so keenly observant.

Perhaps it hadn't been wise to invite Chad to a dungeon party, but there'd been little choice. Time was running out and he had to get to that special dungeon as soon as possible. Nothing else mattered at this point.

He could feel Chad's gaze on him, and braced himself for the incoming accusation. But... nothing came. Chad remained silent.

That was somehow even worse.

Then Chad gently placed a hand on Severance's shoulder and squeezed lightly. That gesture of support contained a thousand words, and Severance felt some of the tension leave him.

Chadley was a good man.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Chadley patted his back, just as the sound of armor clanking reached them. Another player came over to join them, and he was no less intimidating than Chad.

Jack Coyote was a force of nature. His golden eyes held an icy intensity, and he had a way of demanding absolute silence without even saying a word. Now he did just that, taking up position behind them.

Severance found himself turning automatically so he could properly see Jack. Chad mirrored his movements. Together, the two of them waited, because neither of them was going to say the first word.

Jack Coyote observed them coolly. His armor had taken a terrible beating, and more than half of it was covered in soot and blood. Not all of it was his own blood, either. Even the long silk panels hanging from his tasset had been burnt badly, and their singed ends only reached his knees instead of swaying gently around his calves.

Behind him, there were white flashes as players left the platform. Names vanished from the party list one after another. After a few moments, only the three of them remained.

It was only then that Jack deigned to speak. His attention settled on Severance.

"Well?"