125 Recovering from the Hit
Aella opened Jack’s bag and took the healing potion from it, downing it in a single go. The wounds on her legs slowly started to close, and she began to feel famished. She didn’t even have the strength to stand, so she crawled toward Arad.
Arad rested just a few steps in the exit hole, where he collapsed, unconscious with countless holes in his body.
Aella can’t see how much health he has, or even if he’s breathing, but the shocking about of holes across his chest and torso made it clear he was dying. She gathered all of her strength to crawl to his head, cutting her wrist with a knife to bleed in his mouth.
Thud! After just a moment, Aella fell unconscious due to blood loss. She lost a lot when wounded, was famished due to healing now she lost even more blood.
As the blood trailed down Arad’s throat, his consciousness began to return, slowly growing inside his head. He opened the gates to his stomach in a natural reaction, absorbing the blood of the cultists he stored.
The wounds on Arad’s torso quickly closed, and his eyes opened up, seeing Aella unconscious beside him, bleeding from her wrist.
“Aella!” He shifted back to his humanoid form and clenched his fist around her wrist, “What happened?” As soon as he asked, he remembered.
The moment the hole opened and Aella fell, Arad jumped after her and transformed mid-air. He fell head-first after her and reached her quickly since he was heavier.
Sadly, Arad’s draconic body was too heavy to hold to the walls, and catching Aella with his claws could end up with his cutting her bowl open. He didn’t have time to think. The best he managed to do was lay below her and take the hit.
Arad fell faster than Aella. He ran on the walls, surpassing and then getting below her. When they hit the ground, The spikes that penetrated Arad’s abdomen still hit Aella since he had a thin waist like a dog.
“Aella!” Arad shouted again, shaking her, but she was unresponsive.
“SEARCH MY POUCH!” Jack shouted from the hole.
Arad looked around, seeing Jack’s bloodied pouch to the side, and from it, he pulled a few healing potions. He then quickly lifted Aella’s head and poured them into her mouth. The wound on Aella’s wrist healed, but she looked pale and her skin dry. Something is off.
“SHE IS FINE IF SHE ISN’T BLEEDING!” Jack shouted in the hole, “Let her rest and come help me. If you can,” He said calmly.
Arad put Aella on the ground and stood, approaching the hole. “Where are you?” Arad looked at the spikes, but there was no Jack.
“Up here!” Jack called him, and Arad looked up to see him hanging from the wall.
Arad transformed into his draconic form and carefully walked over the spikes, “Jump on my back. Can you do it?” Arad asked.
“Yeah! Thanks,” Jack let go of his dagger, falling down toward Arad. Thud! He landed on Arad’s back and immediately jumped toward the exit hole like a bouncing ball. THUD! Jack rolled in the exit hole and rested on his back, growling in pain as he hit his dislocated shoulder.
Arad walked back into the exit hole, “How is Aella?” He asked.
Jack looked at Aella’s face, “She needs food,” He said, waving his hand at Arad. “Come here, pull my shoulder off.”
“What?” Arad approached him with a puzzled face.
“It’s painful. I can’t do it on my own,” Jack said, “Grab me by the wrist, pull my arm toward you for a moment, and then let it pop back in place.”
Arad looked at Jack, “Are you sure?”
Jack shook his head, “No, It’s painful, and I don’t want you to do it. But someone gotta do it,”
“Just use a potion,” Arad said.
“We can’t afford to waste potions on a dislocated shoulder,” Jack said, glaring at his hand, “Potions should only be used when you’re bleeding since wounds can’t be closed quickly.”
Arad grabbed Jack’s wrist, “You asked for it,”
Jack clenched his teeth. CRACK! “AHHHHHHH! DAMN, IT!” He growled when Arad popped his shoulder back in place, “I’m going to skin that bastard!” Jack sighed.
“Are you okay?” Arad asked.
“Yeah,” Jack nodded with a sweat-filled face, “Let’s get Aella some water first,”
Arad nodded, pulling a water jug from his stomach and pouring it into Aella’s mouth. “Drink,”
“Don’t give her too much,” Jack said, grabbing Arad’s hand, “Give me that,” He took the jug from Arad’s hand and poured water into an empty potion bottle. It was the one Aella drank to heal her legs.
“What are you doing?” Arad asked.
Jack smiled, going through his pouch, “This is the food of the gods. It will get her up and running,” He showed Arad a small jar of honey.
“Honey?” Arad looked at him with a puzzled face.
Jack smiled, poured some of the honey into the potion bottle, and then started shaking it, “Hehe! It might not sate her hunger, but it should give her enough energy to be able to wake up and eat on her own,”
“Would it really help?” Arad asked as Jack was about to pour the bottle into Aella’s mouth.
“Elves only eat plants. They are herbivorous.” Jack smiled, “She would be disgusted as hell, but we don’t have the leisure of going around looking for nectar,” Jack poured it into Aella’s mouth.
“You don’t have nectar stored?” Arad looked at Jack with a smile, “I thought you would have anything,”
“Nectar spoils easily. Honey doesn’t.” Jack replied with a smile, “Look, elves are strong, and she’s waking up,”
Aella opened her eyes, her head spinning and her stomach twisting, “Don’t throw up!” Jack yelled at her. Arad patted her shoulder, “Keep it in! Just this time,”
Aella barely held herself, glaring at them with tearing eyes, “What was that?” She growled.
“Healing famish, we had to have you drink honey,” Jack said with a smile, “Sweet, isn’t it?”
“I still feel like throwing up,” Aella growled.
“It worked,” Jack said, looking at Arad, “We aren’t going anywhere without a meal. We stored food in your stomach, didn’t we?”
“Yeah,” Arad nodded, pulling the rations Jack gave him. “You should drink a potion,” Arad said, seeing Jack barely able to use his left arm.
Jack stared back at Arad for a moment, “Yeah, but I won’t down a whole bottle,” He pulled a healing potion from his pouch and only sipped a bit to soothe the pain.
As they ate, the party calmed down. “Those kobolds, I bet they are still alert up there,” Jack growled.
Aella looked at Arad and then kept eating. “I was thinking of having them work for me, but now I might end up eating them,” Arad said.
Jack nodded, “I understand how you feel,” Jack looked at Arad and Aella, “But imagine those traps all around your lair.”
“I don’t know,” Arad looked at the spikes, “I can’t decide just yet,”
“For me, I would only kill the bastard who dropped me down,” Jack said, “I bet he’s going to make a nice bag,”
“AH!” Aella pushed the food down with water and sighed, staring at Arad, “It’s my fault. I should have been more careful,”
“Neither Jack nor I noticed the trap, I would say you were unlucky, and that’s it,” Arad replied, “It’s the kobold’s fault after all,”
Aella looked at Arad and Jack, “How could we get out of here?” She looked around. The pitfall wasn’t climbable without risk, and the exit stones block the exit.
“I will dig a way out,” Arad said, “I won’t leave my draconic form,” He said..
“But why?” Jack looked at him, “It’s much easier to navigate the tiny crevices and tunnels in a humanoid body.
Arad shook his head, “I might have been able to save Aella if I was in my draconic body from the start,” He said, “I bet she would manage to grab my tail if I extended it to her quickly,”
Aella looked at Arad, “I doubt I would do it,” She smiled, “I won’t lie, I panicked when the pitfall opened below me,”
“Everyone would panic, even me,” Jack smiled.
[Everything that happened in the past. Focus on going forward,]
Arad looked at Jack and Aella, “That doesn’t matter now,” He smiled.
Jack and Aella looked at him, “We can reflect on the past and then decided what we could have done better, then make decisions for the future,”
“Is that how it works?” Arad smiled, “Then I will stay in my draconic form. We must keep moving forward until all the kobolds are defeated,” He said.
The kobolds are trap masters. Fighting them won’t be easy since they won’t even fight. Arad and his party have to navigate the cave, avoid all the traps, and reach their leader. Otherwise, they will die.
Jack stood, swinging his left arm to see if it still hurt, “I’m good. How about you?” He looked at Aella.
“I can move,” she smiled, standing up, “I’ve been in much worse cases.”
“You won’t ask about me?” Arad smiled, cracking his neck.
“You’re the leader. You’re the one who should be asking about us,” Jack smiled, “You would have survived even without Aella’s blood, wouldn’t you?”
[He is right. Such hit won’t kill you.] Mom said.