Perspective : Conrad Garnier
"Just who is this guy?".
"First that rare mana potion and now these healing potions..... Not even one, two of them at that?".
"Is he an alchemist?".
"Nope .... that's unlikely".
"This forest is filled with plants that could have been made an excellent potion.... at least I think so, ... could have swear..... if I had seen him harvesting any of those?".
"Nope he definitely isn't an alchemist".
"Come to think of it .... that weird magic of his ... particle magic.... I have heard it's name mentioned some times but never seen anyone use 'em ....huh strange".
I pondered, while I stood there unintentionally staring at Kyle.
Kyle caught on,
"Do you need anything Conrad?".
He asked.
I replied,
"Nope".
He responded,
"Sure you do .... ".
"Look at that leg of yours .... that's quite a nasty wound you got there".
(Huh)
I had completely forgotten about that. My sudden recall of my injury came with a unsuspecting searing pain, followed by a throbbing, like a heart beat.
"Ahckkk".
Regina quickly responded by taking that left over healing potion off Patrick's hand,
"You have had quite enough?".
"Now give it here".
The sudden snatching of the potion from Patrick's hand, prompted him to respond,
"Hey... I wasn't done yet".
Regina replied,
"You are not the only one who needs that".
Patrick responded,
"Ohhh.... sorr ... sorry".
Kyle said to Patrick, comforting him.
"It's seems like you haven't had that kind of injury before".
Elkdrack sarcastically chimes in,
"Well duh ..... do you go often in an unknown forest filled with deadly monsters?".
"I don't think so mate".
Kyle added,
"And yet .... despite being that injured... you prioritize healing me... you really are a kind person at heart Patrick".
"Don't worry ... the effects of the potion will kick in .... in about an hour or so".
"It will heal everything".
Kyle took out his hour glass and placed it on the floor,
"You see ... when all these sands have settled down .... in this chamber.... It will be half an hour ".
"Then flip it over again ... and observe the changes".
Meanwhile, Regina carefully positioned me on the hard floor, and as she glanced at my wound, but her hair was getting on her way, so, she delicately used her hands to gently push that strand of hair away from her line of vision and behind her ear.
As her soft, yet firm fingers caressed my wound, because the blood was flowing everywhere, making it kinda hard to discern the location of the original wound.
Tracing her hand from one bloody spot to another, she carefully observed my reactions.
Until, that one specific spot, got "my hairs in a twist".
It was like being stabbed with a hundred needles at once, causing me to.
"Yow!".
She, murmured,
"So .... it's here.... don't worry you will feel good in no time".
(But its not only me you are hurt too).
(Blood's tickling down your head).
As she poured the remaining portion on my wound, I said her,
"Save some for yourself too ....."
She replied while indicating her injury,
"Oh this .... it's nothing... I will be fine.... ".
I responded, by attempting to touch her wound that was in her head.
As she reacted,
"Owwie!".
(Are you kidding me)
I added,
"I don't think so".
Due to my insistence, Regina ended up using a little bit of the healing potion to treat her wound.
I could feel the effect of the potion kicking-in, my leg was as un responsive as ever, however at least the pain was finally subsiding, giving me a moment of reprieve.
Sparing a glance at Kyle,
(What's with that .... I am the good guy smile ... he is carrying on his face .... it looks genuine... )
(It pisses me off)
"Maybe the pain is getting on my head".
I thought to myself. As I lay there, Regina, who was beside me, asked with concern,
"Are you feeling any better?"
Uncertain of how to respond, I replied,
"I don't know... maybe."
In an attempt to reassure me, she said,
"Don't worry, you will... this thing is the real deal... Kyle's wound is almost healed".
(Because he used an entire bottle for himself).
Injured and battered, we all lay there, on the same battlefield we were struggling to survive.
An eerie silence, took hold of the place.
Not a silence before a storm, but a comforting one, reassuring us, that we were still alive.
There we lay on the ground, vulnerable to anything that might attack us.
And yet, we didn't care. The silent symphony of the pain, that echoed within us was enough to let go, of our fears.
To let go, of our common instincts.
To let go, of our tensions. It was almost comical.
"Looking at those ant's hanging carcasses from this angle ... Is really creepy".
"I should close my eyes for a bit".
It could be because of the healing potion, a sudden drowsiness washed over me. Despite my efforts to stay awake, a quick scan of the surroundings revealed that everyone else had already been out cold.
"A quick nap ... won't hurt me".
[After 2 hours]
I opened my eyes, the pain was gone.
My leg regained its movements.
"Ohh you are awake".
Regina stood right beside me, extending her hand towards me. I Instinctively grasped her palm as she gently propelled me upward.
I thanked her.
Everyone else was already awake. Kyle looked fine, Patrick was able to stand in his feet again.
Elkdrack was as lively as ever. And strangely enough, I felt rejuvenated.
Elkdrack exclaimed,
"Can't believe we slept ... here in the open ...".
"Must have been more exhausted then we thought".
Patrick added,
"Or maybe It was the potion".
"What's your take in it Kyle?".
Kyle replied,
"I don't know... It's my first time too ... you know".
Following Kyle's reply, Elkdrack inquired,
"You were a life saver ... anywho .... where did you get hold of those potions?".
The conversation suddenly seemed to be peeking my interest.
Kyle replied,
"I looted it off someone's corpse... In an old ruin".
"Funny enough... they turned out to be the real thing, huh".
Kyle's reply followed by everyone's silence, revealing that no one was falling for his lie.
But they didn't inquired further either.
Patrick catching everyone's attention said,
"We gotta catch up with those guys .... come on time's waste'in".
Following Patrick's lead we all started moving again.
But our progress was swiftly hindered by a pile of fallen debris obstructing the path ahead.
Inconvenience be it might, we took on the task of individually lifting rocks, clearing a passage for at least one person to chip through. With patience and over time, we crossed the obstacle one by one.
Only to find ourselves standing on the edge of a massive crevice in the floor, which appeared to be very deep. Fortunately, unlike our previous encounter, our journey was not stopped this time. There was still a viable and practical way to cross that enormous chasm.
A gigantic dead centipede lay before us, serving as a unique bridge connecting the two sides.
That was actually, a quite unique side to behold. Because after traveling for two days, we finally saw a glimpse of what we came here to get.
"Gold and riches ... beyond our wildest imaginations".
As I stood before the lifeless centipede, its limbs glimmered with a striking golden hue, captivating my gaze. The peculiar creature had an eerie aura surrounding it, intensified by the massive human skull that adorned its head, adorned with two protruding horns. The harsh and unforgiving environment had consumed two days of our perilous search for gold and treasure, and now, in the midst of it all, this astonishing sight bewildered us, baffled us.
The dead centipede stretched out before me, its massive body sprawling across the ground. Each limb, once teeming with life, was now a magnificent sculpture of golden splendor. The precious metal seemed to gleam even in the dim light, reflecting a mesmerizing radiance.
But it was the head of this creature that truly left me breathless. A colossal human skull, weathered and worn, rose from the centipede's body. Two menacing horns curved upwards from the crown, casting dark shadows on the ground. There was an undeniable sense of foreboding emanating from this grim sight.
As I took in every intricate detail, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and trepidation. I, Regina and every damn one of us had journeyed through this harsh terrain, driven by the pursuit of riches, and now we were face-to-face with this extraordinary, yet haunting discovery.
"Finally... It wasn't all for nothing".