Dr. Chu was pacing around the cave. [ Sir Henry and the child are delayed. Bad, very bad. My paranoia is slowly eating away at my brain. Barely thirty seconds have passed, what can happen to them? ]
"No, it's better to wait for them under the protection of the Lanterns of Hope."
The Doctor was going to sit down. My chest tingled. My tongue was instantly dry.
"W-why am I so scared? Suzanne needs help?"
Chu swallowed. Armed with only a scalpel, he left the protection of the Light of Hope.
"Moms, if I had the opportunity to take a flashlight of Hope, it would be easier. Okay, the main thing is to find Ser Henry and... and what? What can I do?! Is there anything useful I can do there?"
The doctor heard Henry's screams, then saw the lifeless Susannah.
"O Supreme One! No!
Chu took off without thinking about anything. The doctor pulled up his sleeve and applied a scalpel to the skin. [ I feel sick… No, if nothing is done, Suzanne will die! ]
Incision. Heat. Blood. Chu put the wound to the woman's mouth. Her eyes opened, and the doctor's teeth chattered.
Ronan hissed and bit into the flesh.
[ I'm finished, ] Chu managed to think before plunging into the oceans of pain.
***
Henry and the goblin collided. Red-hot magma doused the rocks. The evil spirit collapsed with a roar.
"Some kind of vengeful amulet ghost. Ahem! the man coughed up ash."
Charred ribs protruded from the side. His guts reeked of dried meat.
"I feel like a burnt roast."
Susanna, Romulus, and Chu lost consciousness. Their breathing could barely be heard.
[ It's too early,] Henry croaked.
The man limped towards his family. First, he stabilized the condition of the wounded with the help of Chu's first-aid kit, then carefully lifted everyone up. Only the lower half of Susannah remained on the rocky ground.
"Ugh! Pull up your guts, Henry Kali! You're a soldier, remember? A soldier must not give up, he must not leave the fortress, even after losing his legs!
You still need to take care of your family! Come on, quickly rearrange the stumps! A branch!"
The man took a step with his left foot; it went dark in his eyes.
"Paper!" behind it – the right one; the muscles are limp and torn. - A branch! A paper! The branch! The paper!"
Despite the expressiveness of the words, Henry spoke in a whisper, so as not to attract the animals. "The branch! The paper! Like at the training marches, remember?
Come on, what would the good old officer Ding Tai say if he saw his soldier so pathetic?
Only ... twenty ... steps… Just think, a fatal illness, just think, a through wound in my side, I'm still alive... I still have legs... I can still walk... I can bring my family to a safe ... place…"
Henry could barely hear his own thoughts. The legs of the former soldier dragged themselves to the light of the life-saving flashlights.
Kela wandered around the world for a long time: seventy days passed – he could not meet his brother: he slipped away like the wind. The saddened younger brother stopped at the foot of a high mountain, along with the tamed indrikoteria, sheep and snakes.
He made a snake omelet:
"There is no end to my search. Was it really my only chance to meet my brother then?" Kela remembered the tragic mistake in the Valley of Power and hunched his shoulders.
[ Now Sola's older brother is hiding from me. Maybe he died altogether? No, seventy days have passed, but still, still I have not searched the whole world.
I am simply obliged to explore every edge of this vast world not seven, but seven thousand times! Question every flower, every insect, every monster! As long as my diligence allows, I will go and search. ]
"Your attitude is impressive, the youngest son of the Monster of the World," The white fox appeared out of the night mist.
"Who are you?" Kela clenched his fists.
"Don't worry, I'm just an ordinary animal. There are many of them. Hee-hee-hee! My name is the Target! And I can bring you to my brother in the blink of a spark!"
Kela clapped his hands:
"Target, please do it! I promise that I will thank you generously! You will eat an omelet made of snake eggs every day, sleep in a warm house and not know worries!"
The foxy laughed:
"Son of a Monster, this price is not suitable. I, the Target, choose the terms of the transaction myself."
"Tell me what you have to do! I'll do it!"
"Play with me. I'll run away to that low hill, and you, son of a Monster, try to catch it! If you catch it, I'll send it to my brother. But if you lose... there will be no deal."
Kela nodded.
The target grinned broadly.
"Let's get started!"
The foxy was gone. All Kela could see was a rapidly receding blur. The younger brother got on the indrikoteria and went up the mountain.
The higher the young man climbed, the more difficult it became: sharp boulders scratched the feet of indricotherium, the wind burned with cold.
"I can't give up! Up!" Kela urged the animal on.
It moved its legs listlessly, until it fell down with wounded legs at all. Kela took off his pack and continued his ascension.
But in the end, his strength also ran out.
Then he used the pae of Diligence. The fatigue seemed to have disappeared without a trace, and the pain was dulled.
"Up!" I have to go up!
Kela conquered the mountain for a day, two, ten. Meanwhile, the peak went under the sky.
"Hee-hee-hee! And you are persistent and hardworking! What was expected from the son of the Monster of the World!" A disdainful voice came from far away in the sky.
"I hear you, Target, so you're close!"
The fox giggled:
"That's right. The top is just around the corner. If you don't get bored, you will definitely achieve it."
Kela stumbled and scraped his shin on the rocks.
"Go up! Not a step back!"
"Hee-hee-hee! laughter echoed through the mountain…"
***
"Go… The last step…"
Henry fell to the floor of the cave. One of Dr. Chu's fingers cracked and bent at an unnatural angle. Susanna and Romulus managed without additional injuries.
All four of them were in a near-death dream.
(And no one could hear how the embittered gobs dealt with Suzanne's legs).