Veltar thought it would be much harder to pick up the wilted Jhinto, but to his surprise the old male was merely skin and bones underneath his heavy robes. Hell, the robes felt heavier than the stranger did.
Whoever he was, it looked as though it took all of his strength to get here in the first place. The old wolf must have been running from something terrifying. It didn't matter. If he got the chance, he'd ask the robed male why he was here. For now, it was into the cave with his new patient.
'Goddess damn it all...' Veltar thought with disdain as he make his way into the moving sheet of water and inside his "office" ( even though it was Metas' first ).
He couldn't help but peer down to Metas, who had not moved, and was snoring deeply. The sound made the alchemist sigh out with relief at the fact that his leader was finally sleeping. Myranda was tucked into his side like his own personal teddy bear, and it was actually pretty cute to see something so massive, hold something so small without shattering it into a billion pieces.
Mates were the weirdest things.
--but he didn't have time to sit here and look at something no one else would be afforded. There was someone barely clinging to life, whose robes and satchel were far more heavy than what was left of the elderly figure.
'He had to be a priest, or a magic user -- or something like that....' Veltar thought to himself as he removed the heavy pouch around his chest and laid his body out flat as to not cause injury to his neck or spine.
Sure, they could regenerate - but at an advanced age it was slow going, and not always complete or right. Based on how old this guy looked, Veltar was absolutely certain that he wouldn't be able to heal efficiently without support and medications.
He did all the normal things - checked for signs of a pulse, felt for temperature, and examined his bones and joints. Other than time, nothing seemed to be wrong with Jhinto's body.
'Let's just try to keep him alive until sundown. I can wake the others and figure out what to do next...even though Silas was supposed to be punished that "day". The good doctor did all he could to keep the delicate-looking male who seemed to be at death's door even before he reached the river.
'What are you doing out here anyway? Surely someone was supposed to care for you?' Veltar had no idea he was taking pity on his race's most talented sorcerer. He honestly thought this was just some hermit who wondered in from the wild.
Suddenly, there was a gasp as though the old stranger heard Veltar's very thoughts, and Jhinto sputtered out, "my satchel - my satchel".
"Woah. It's alright, sir. It's just next to you," the stunned wolf clutched his chest as Jhinto's desperate eyes looked into Veltar's eclipse-like ones.
"You-" Jhinto started with a shock and looked at Veltar's eyes with wonder and fear. "The one with moon and sun eyes - the satchel - you must make sure it is safe. It needs to go to Metas. Only his blood will be able to open it now that I sealed it. See to it he gets it..." his voice was dry and tired, and each sound he made was more like a sad bagpipe trying to wheeze out the last of its sounds.
"Alright, alright," Veltar started with a hushed tone as though he were going to calm down the terrified male below him.
"No - not alright. Harbinger. Bomb. Coming...." Jhinto managed to squeeze out of his lungs tightly.
"...seriously?" Veltar asked with complete befuddlement. "That man in wolf's clothing really is going to go full wipe-out isn't he?"
"Destruction. Books - the books - give them to.....silver haired male with orange eyes as bright as the sun..." he continued to try to convey with urgency as he grasped Veltar's arm with a strength that shouldn't be possessed by someone of his size.
"Joss? Y-yeah, okay. I can do that," Veltar tried to keep as quiet as possible as to not wake Metas. Sure, the king was 'drugged', but the alchemist knew that any loud noise would jolt Metas from even the depths of a dead-sleep.
Hell, even now he was squeezing his wife towards him as though someone were about to take her away. He looked nervously between Metas and Jhinto and tried to speak in a hushed tone that he also wanted to come off as comforting.
"Letters...hope...but hurry... Harbinger - sealing the tunnels.... Ahgn..." Jhinto gripped his chest and took in a deep, painful sounding scoop of air.
"Okay, hey - calm down. It's going to be fine. If you don't stop talking, you won't be able to keep enough air in your lungs. Let me stabilize you, and then we can chat..." Veltar started, but Jhinto merely gripped his wrist with cold, thin fingers.
"You must...use the...medicines...on the Queen..." Jhinto sputtered out.
"I already have - hey can you just calm down for a moment? You're hurting yourself to speak right now," Veltar insisted with urgency behind his hoarse whispers.
"N-no...the medicines... in my...bag... use on the.."
"-on the queen, I heard you - I will." Veltar finished for Jhinto who nodded.
"Metas...needs to-" Jhinto started again.
"Open the bag, yes. I will tell him. I'll give the books to Joss. Stop talking, please. You're going to die if you don't stop. If you rest you will have more time to live and explain things better," the shaggy-haired young male tried to get the old mage to just stop talking and literally save his breath, but it was clear his patient had a death wish.
"No time..." Jhinto let out in a wavering tone that spelled both fear and pain in one warble.
"Yes time. Shush." Veltar insisted.
As the old mage drew in another breath to speak, his mouth gaped open and stayed as the air he had just collected escaped him.