Normally when a person would lose this much blood, a blood donor would be a necessary aid in saving someone's life, but in Goshem, human beings could go through the worst before tasting death. The wounded girl whose life bar reflected really low health, managed to guide them to a mountain peak with high altitude. From below, the group could see what looked like rocky barricades, that were all set up and wooden gun turrets that actually had wooden pikes. These contraptions seemed rather specific and there was no way they could have been made by just anyone.
As the team drew closer to the base, they began to hear sounds of movement and then soon enough, the turret was mounted by a rather stocky man who looked round and his face looked rough. The man was wearing a red undershirt and pointing the turret at them. John quickly shouted out, "Wait, don't shoot at us. We brought Tadiwa with us, the girl. She is hurt pretty bad and she insisted we get her to you. She really needs your help!" Clarice and Tinashe also participated in the act of dissuading the man who seemed to be checking them with doubtful eyes. After a few seconds and the name 'Tadiwa' becoming more audible as it was mentioned, the man known as Malcolm came down with a look of horror as he gazed upon the ravished body of Tadiwa. He immediately called the two who were carrying her to bring her up and went to work on her.
Malcolm's base was a well organised place: there were several animal hides, herbs, sea shells and clay made bowls that contained things that seemed like a concoction of multiple liquids. Apart from the turrets, there were several wooden spears and what seemed like a wooden speargun, all lying around. The wooden shavings and even animal fur that was obviously skinned from one of the monkeys, was used for both the creation of a carpet and blankets. There was also a brick and mortar fireplace which was made by hand and what looked like a half finished roofing made of palm tree leaves. Malcolm told Tinashe and Clarice to lay the girl down and he immediately checked for her arm.
Malcolm could see Tadiwa's low health bar and was worried about her chances as he removed Tinashe's jersey which was covering the wound. Tadiwa began to groan in pain, as he removed it. Malcolm eventually saw the gross state of her arm and then held his mouth in shock. He then scratched his head, and then asked them, "How the fuck did this happen? Please tell me how the hell did she end up like this?" John quickly answered, "She got attacked by a wild animal. We managed to kill it but the damage was already done. It looks pretty bad, do you think you can save her?" Malcolm immediately darted his eyes at him and said, "I am no doctor, I don't think I can save her but I have something that can help her heal faster." Tinashe and Clarice wondered what he meant by 'heal faster' as they saw him move fast, looking for a specific container. John who seemed disappointed by the fact that the girl led them to her protector, who seemed to lack any medical skills. He then quickly entered a custom goal of saving Tadiwa. The results ended up showing:
Amputate hand to allow regeneration to happen before blood loss completely wipes out her life - Difficulty: Will increase infamy.
The fact that amputation was a suggestion seemed rather crass and John didn't want to adhere to the option of removing a girl's life. He even avoided mentioning it and then decided to wait and see what Malcolm was planning to do. Malcolm returned with what seemed like a thick, black gelatinous fluid that he administered to her via the mouth. John looked at him with uninspired eyes and wondered what that liquid solution would even solve. Tadiwa clearly had bite marks, severe abrasions and her arm was cleaved off by the beast's claws, not to mention the partially chewed bone. In his honest opinion, John didn't think that Tadiwa would live to fight another day. After Tadiwa finished drinking, she coughed slightly and then Malcolm went on to say, "The solution I am giving her is something I discovered when I was testing my body's healing capabilities. I am pretty sure you understand, going by how our bodies essentially act like avatars of a video game character that there would have to be some healing property that recuperates our health. After experimenting with the custom goal, I figured out some formula that speeds up that process. That's what I have given her."
Tinashe and Clarice were amazed by his story, but John was keeping an eye on the depleting life bar of the girl which was now entering the critical levels. Malcolm also noticed this continual decrease and wondered why her life bar wasn't adjusting. John then asked him, "Why isn't it working? What's supposed to immediately happen when drinks that stuff?" Malcolm who seemed to be going crazy with the fact that his solution had failed began to try to administer more, but at this point, Tadiwa couldn't even open her mouth. She eventually fell into cardiac arrest without them knowing and her life bar began to blink. Both of them were about to witness this girl die before their eyes, but John then remembered the result he got from the custom goal. He didn't feel okay with the idea, but he then decided to act on it to save the girl's life.
Without any hesitation, John grabbed the arm that had the exposed bone, winced his eyes and then with his bare hands, ripped off the chewed portion of flesh from the one that was still intact. The three of them watched with internal agony as he shocked them with this brazen act. Malcolm didn't take this act of body desecration well and punched John in the face. John didn't resist the angry man, but soon enough stopped him when the fruits of his quick decision began to show.
Tadiwa's life bar began to stabilize and her right arm began to make sounds of flesh reforming as well as bones solidifying. Her arm began to resemble a residual limb, forming a stump that closed the bloody area. Witnessing the regeneration was an uncanny experience that made them feel much consternation. The chewed flesh that John had ripped off from her, soon wilted and then began to show the same red miasma the beast had.
After a few seconds, the hand went up in flames. This really scared Clarice who associated this creepy turn of events with what she believed as dark magic witchcraft. What these survivors hadn't realised was that the chewing of the beast had left a curse on that particular area of her hand and foiled her body's healing. Now that she was amputated from the cursed hand, she could restore her body but she would sadly have to contend with not being 100% back to normal. Malcolm who seemed angry at what John did began to feel slightly confused as well as guilty about having punched him. Clearly what John did saved the girl, but would she be okay with him, knowing that he amputated her hand?
The group settled down with a bonfire at the centre as Tadiwa slept peacefully. Clarice had helped with the undressing of the girl so that Malcolm wouldn't have to change her out of her bloody clothes and have to deal with her naked body. Malcolm had her wear his white shirt and grey pants as spare clothes. He was left with only his red vest and boxers in the middle of the night. After laying Tadiwa to rest, was done, they began to discuss, but little did they know that the girl was pretending to be asleep as she listened to their conversation.
"I want to thank you John, Ti-na-she and Clarice for what you have done for her. I was counting on her getting some food for me whilst I worked on an extra turret, but I should have just gone with her instead. Thank you for saving her from that monster." he said, with a poignant look.
"Well, we both learned something tonight from this and we saved that girl's life. I am just glad that those monkeys where there to stall for time. Who knows what could have happened if we didn't come across her in our journey," he said, giving off a beatific smile, "but how did you figure out that black liquid solution that makes a body heal faster?"
"Well, when I woke up here and got that message from that purple creature, I tried to jump off a cliff and slipped on my way up and grazed my leg badly. After a day of resting, I healed completely without a scratch. That was a miracle, or so I thought at the moment. There was this slug I noticed in the jungle which got pricked by a bird, but quickly healed. Most of the animals here don't instantly heal or recover as fast us, but that slug thing, it really had a solid grasp on this healing stuff. I tried experimenting with the custom goal mechanic and then figured out how I could use the fluid it excreted to heal faster. It was an unexpected find, but it worked." he said, moving his hands around and point at the bowl with the solution.
"That's incredible. Are your like a trained entomologist?" asked Tinashe who was fascinated by Malcolm's story.
"No, I am not familiar with that field at all. So tell me, how have you guys been surviving on this island?" asked Malcolm who seemed rather curious. After asking the question, he began to notice Clarice who seemed familiar. Malcolm began to dig deep into the recesses of his mind as he tried to figure out where he had seen the girl before.
"Well, I woke up on the beach, confused and terrified by the isolation of doing things on my own. I got beaten to a pulp by a monkey and almost drowned in a flood. So things haven't been fantastic for me at all, but John here seems to have really decent survival skills, so I have managed with him." said Tinashe, who seemed to have a brooding look on his face.
"Yeah, me too. Well I woke up in a tree and landed on a pile of bird shit, I think. Nasty awakening and then I got the same message as you guys, it hasn't been fantastic, going commando and having to rewash the same clothes again. Those monkeys are pretty unfriendly and I feel like I have gone pretty much vegan with the way I have been living here…" said Clarice before being interjected by Malcolm.
"I do apologise in advance if I made a mix up, but are you that girl who goes by the name Maya? Maya Vijou?" he asked, slightly embarrassed and worried about how she would react to his question. Both Tinashe and John raised their eyebrows and had their mouths wide open in shock. Clarice was caught off guard and began to blush. She then said, "So even you watched my videos. Hmm, so the 3 men here have all seen me naked. This feels rather unfair, but I guess most men watch porn, maybe, all men. I guess I shouldn't have ended my life and just continued to do what I do best." she said with a mischievous look in her eyes. Tinashe immediately swallowed his saliva as he wondered if this discussion would transition to something sensual and depraved. Malcolm then broke the sexual tension that the adult star created by asking her, "Based on what Tadiwa told me before getting here on the island, it seems as if those who go here all died in the past due to suicide. So if that's the case then why would a beautiful girl like you who worked in the lucrative adult entertainment industry kill herself?"
"As much as I would want to do the sharing is caring stuff, I think right I don't feel like talking about that just yet. You know what, if you tell us your reason then maybe I will share my story." she said, kinda peeved and scared to open up. Malcolm accepted the challenge and began to prepare to tell the story about his time, working in hollywood, before he had committed suicide.