49
I didn't care where I hit the thing, so long as I hurt it. I aimed at the center of the rising creature, and pulled the trigger. The recoil brought the gun up in front of my face and I turned sideways to ready a kick as I worked the bolt again. The RedCap was bleeding heavily and got up slowly as I readied the pistol. “Stop!” Yelled Cobb as he ran towards me. “Stop!” “Why?” I yelled back at him. The creature reacted to Cobb's voice and turned, lurching into motion at a staggering lope. I didn't hesitate and shot it in chest. The creature tried to scream but only a wet gurgle came out and it collapsed in a wet, mucousy heap.
Cobb ran to the creature, anguish on his face, and then it closed, and when he looked at me I could see the cold anger underneath the calm face as he straightened up. “You bloody-minded mortal excrement”, Cobb said through gritted teeth. “That was our best chance to find out what was happening here.” “Cobb, I think keeping myself in one piece is more important! You don't like it, tough, you got me for this service, so you're stuck with me!” I shot back heatedly. If he was wanting a confrontation, I was more than ready. I'd reloaded the pistol and I had it hanging next to my hip. At this close range, if he tried any magic, I'd put a bullet in him before he even had the spell started.
He stared at me as if trying to force me to wilt, and I just glared back at him. From down below us, Kent yelled up. “Hey Fernie, can you get the first aid kit in the trunk? Kevin got a slash along his arm and I'd like to clean it and get it bandaged if you two are through yelling at each other.” “Okay, I'll be right down” I shouted back. I walked past Cobb and went down to the car and opened the trunk, and got the kit out. When I got to the two men, Kent had a blood soaked shirt wrapped around Kevin's arm, and Kevin was looking pale and pained. I handed Kent the first aid kit and watched as he pulled the shirt off and used the tape to hold the wound together, then wrapped it in gauze to hold the tape in place.
“I don't think we're going to throw spells today Fern. He needs a doctor to look at that arm.” I ground my teeth and although I wanted to finish this, he was right. “Okay, we can go over to Pictou and have him looked at there.” Kevin was able to get up and walk to the car, which was good, he hadn't gone into shock from the attack. He didn't complain of any burning or itching, so I didn't think there was any poison in him. Cobb did not come down to join us for the trip and I didn't going to wait for him.
We pulled into the local clinic, where the staff quickly looked Kevin over and they prepped him for surgery. He'd had a number of larger blood vessels cut along with nerve damage, so the doctors wanted to get those re-attached as quickly as possible. There was a staff magician on duty and he would help in binding the wound up and encouraging healing. Magick is great but major changes take major amounts. and rebuilding an arm is not as trivial as it sounds.
Kent came over to me while we were waiting for Kevin to get out of the surgery. “You want to get get him or should I?” he said to me as he sat down and stretched. “I'll go” I told Kent. “I asked him along and no telling what's gone on since we left him there. I'll pick him up and get us a room for the evening. No sense in driving home today.” “You mean he's going to stay with us?” Kent looked at me and his eyes asked the question 'are you sure that's a good idea?' “He's part of this now, and I still want him where I can watch him. Now more than ever.”
I drove back out to the bridge, and arrived at near sundown. Cobb was waiting for me at the spot where Kent and Kevin had set up their septacles. He had obliterated each one. That was a good idea actually, as they had been casting when interrupted, and no telling if any residual magick had been caught in them. He didn't move as I pulled up, and only after I had stopped the car, did he rise and approach. “Come to retrieve your things Fatelli?” He asked with a slight sneer to his voice. “Actually yes, though seeing you again made me wonder why I didn't wait until tomorrow.” “You would leave me out here, human?” he growled angrily. “Just what I'd expect.”
“You expect to be left here?” I said very sweetly, and started the car back up. “You can stay if you want, I'm going back to Pictou.” He got in the passenger seat without a word and said nothing, but just stared straight ahead as if he was a statue. I think it was his way of trying to make me nervous, but in truth I found it pretty funny, him staring like some gargoyle.
Cobb ran to the creature, anguish on his face, and then it closed, and when he looked at me I could see the cold anger underneath the calm face as he straightened up. “You bloody-minded mortal excrement”, Cobb said through gritted teeth. “That was our best chance to find out what was happening here.” “Cobb, I think keeping myself in one piece is more important! You don't like it, tough, you got me for this service, so you're stuck with me!” I shot back heatedly. If he was wanting a confrontation, I was more than ready. I'd reloaded the pistol and I had it hanging next to my hip. At this close range, if he tried any magic, I'd put a bullet in him before he even had the spell started.
He stared at me as if trying to force me to wilt, and I just glared back at him. From down below us, Kent yelled up. “Hey Fernie, can you get the first aid kit in the trunk? Kevin got a slash along his arm and I'd like to clean it and get it bandaged if you two are through yelling at each other.” “Okay, I'll be right down” I shouted back. I walked past Cobb and went down to the car and opened the trunk, and got the kit out. When I got to the two men, Kent had a blood soaked shirt wrapped around Kevin's arm, and Kevin was looking pale and pained. I handed Kent the first aid kit and watched as he pulled the shirt off and used the tape to hold the wound together, then wrapped it in gauze to hold the tape in place.
“I don't think we're going to throw spells today Fern. He needs a doctor to look at that arm.” I ground my teeth and although I wanted to finish this, he was right. “Okay, we can go over to Pictou and have him looked at there.” Kevin was able to get up and walk to the car, which was good, he hadn't gone into shock from the attack. He didn't complain of any burning or itching, so I didn't think there was any poison in him. Cobb did not come down to join us for the trip and I didn't going to wait for him.
We pulled into the local clinic, where the staff quickly looked Kevin over and they prepped him for surgery. He'd had a number of larger blood vessels cut along with nerve damage, so the doctors wanted to get those re-attached as quickly as possible. There was a staff magician on duty and he would help in binding the wound up and encouraging healing. Magick is great but major changes take major amounts. and rebuilding an arm is not as trivial as it sounds.
Kent came over to me while we were waiting for Kevin to get out of the surgery. “You want to get get him or should I?” he said to me as he sat down and stretched. “I'll go” I told Kent. “I asked him along and no telling what's gone on since we left him there. I'll pick him up and get us a room for the evening. No sense in driving home today.” “You mean he's going to stay with us?” Kent looked at me and his eyes asked the question 'are you sure that's a good idea?' “He's part of this now, and I still want him where I can watch him. Now more than ever.”
I drove back out to the bridge, and arrived at near sundown. Cobb was waiting for me at the spot where Kent and Kevin had set up their septacles. He had obliterated each one. That was a good idea actually, as they had been casting when interrupted, and no telling if any residual magick had been caught in them. He didn't move as I pulled up, and only after I had stopped the car, did he rise and approach. “Come to retrieve your things Fatelli?” He asked with a slight sneer to his voice. “Actually yes, though seeing you again made me wonder why I didn't wait until tomorrow.” “You would leave me out here, human?” he growled angrily. “Just what I'd expect.”
“You expect to be left here?” I said very sweetly, and started the car back up. “You can stay if you want, I'm going back to Pictou.” He got in the passenger seat without a word and said nothing, but just stared straight ahead as if he was a statue. I think it was his way of trying to make me nervous, but in truth I found it pretty funny, him staring like some gargoyle.
posted by JD at
3:44:00 PM
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