The Golem Adventurer

Chapter 20 - Healing

It wasn't until morning when we had finally left the now destroyed orc sty. The walk back to the village was one filled with silence. There wasn't any cheering or laughter. Not from the adventurers or the soldiers. Not from the survivors. I certain did not. Just the heavy pall of loss that covered us.

When they entered the camp and discovered me burning all the corpses of monsters, none of them spoke. They all just stared at me like they saw a ghost. At first I thought they were angry I was burning possible materials for salvage. I would have quit the guild in disgust in that was the case. When the Guildmaster had found me later while the militia's healers were triaging the survivors, he explained why. My eyes glowed, huh? Tessa had mentioned they did light up in patterns when I felt emotions.

As we advanced on through the forest, Lily continued to stay by my side and refused to let go of my hand. Her brown eyes were swollen red and lifeless. I may have saved her from the orcs but I can't save her from her own memories. Being confronted by that Sowmother is something out of nightmares. Most of the other survivors were just the same. Seven adults and six children dead. Thirteen parents and kids who had to watch monsters devour their loved ones. Only time is going to heal post traumatic stress. I can only hope that they have people who will help support them through it all.

There was a crowd of people waiting for us back in the farming village. When we had finally come into view, the families of the missing children ran in full sprint towards us. Lily finally let go of my hand as her parents rushed over to embrace her, tears of joy running down their cheeks. The moment she realized what was transpiring, Lily's eyes started to fill with light again as she let out a cry, burying her face in her mother's chest. I'm glad she's finally returned to life. I was starting to worry her heart would continue to stay shut.

In the corner of my view the Commander I was introduced to by the Guildmaster had to take two families away to the side who couldn't find their own children among us. I didn't even noticed my fist clench or myself start to hyperventilate as I watched them break down in despair. I forced myself to calm down. The orcs were nothing but ash now. They'll never hurt anyone ever again. I made sure of that.

"You did what you could, Arlan." Guildmaster Kurtz appeared at my side as he said these sympathetic words to me.

"I know." I replied, "But it feels like it's never enough, does it?"

"You say that like you've experienced this before," Kurtz stated.

"I have," I said solemnly and left it at that. The Guildmaster didn't follow it up thankfully. There are some memories you just don't want to share.

A moment of silence fell between us as we continued to watch the gathering, "What happens now?" I ask.

"We go home. The Commander and his forces are going to stay here to help clear the rubble and write up a report to give to the Region Lord," he replies, "The farming villages are considered part of the city so the lord will cover the cost of repairs."

"That's good. The extra soldiers should help them feel some security after what happened."

He then gives me a good look over, "And you need to get repairs. The orcs really did a number on you, didn't they?"

The Guildmaster's right. I was currently in shambles. Every part of me was barely functioning and I was running low on energy. The rations I brought with me gave me some fuel, otherwise I wouldn't have survived the night. Taking out a war band of orcs only to die from a dead battery would have been embarrassing. Even my clothes were just rags at this point.

[Caution: Liquid Mana levels are still dangerously low. Performing any unnecessary activities are strongly not advised.]

The hit from the orc chieftain's ax had managed to hit a bunch of my chest tubing, spilling out a flood of blue liquid. It was that liquid that ran throughout my body like blood. The upper left half of my body still wasn't responding to any of my thoughts. It's only hanging on by still intact tubes until one of the healers wrapped it up with cloth dressing and made me a sling for my broken arm.  It was already broken by the time one of the orcs got hold of my arm though. I got lucky that the ax hit a spot that was already useless.