"Jack! What happened?" I said rushing over to him.
Mom held me back "Honey stay back, let your father work." she said to me and looked at my Dad.
He looked back at her and nodded. He then pulled out a small pouch from his pocket. He reached his whole arm into his Magic Storage Bag and pulled out a vial with a red liquid in it, one I knew to be a healing potion.
He then moved his hands to the vines around his wounds, but the strange man grabbed his hand and said, "Don't use it yet, he is starving and I have already tried."
"Why can't you give him a potion!" I said with tears in my eyes
"Terra, we need to give them space to work. I will explain ok." Mom said grabbing my arm.
"Ok," I said
Once we moved away Mom explained "Honey. Healing potions can be complicated, they can heal wounds but they need energy to work. If someone hasn't eaten anything and drinks the potion it will permanently weaken them or could even kill them."
"How do we get energy then?!" I said almost crying
"He needs to eat or we give him a special potion that I know we don't have any of," Mom said with worry in her eyes as she held me tight.
~~~~~~
Brakos POV
"What happened to him?" The half-elf man asked.
"I don't know, we found him here and have given him potions but all it did was consume his energy and heal nothing, internal or external. " I said holding Jackson I'm my arms.
I looked around at the 3 people in front of me. A human woman, a half-elf husband and a 10-year-old daughter.
'This must be his aunt, uncle and cousin.' I thought to myself and looked at the Lightning Tiger standing off to the side. The one I asked to find Jack's family or someone who could help him.
'If only I got here sooner, he wouldn't be in this situation.' I thought to myself.
"He was attacked by someone. One of the cuts he has are from weapons but I don't know what kind or why potions don't work."
The man, Erik, looked at me with shock for a second then started thinking. Mumbling to himself. "If potions don't work and he was cut by weapons does he have a fae bloodline and was harmed by iron, no I would have noticed. Could he have been poisoned?"
Suddenly he looked up. "Oh f..." He looked behind him at his wife and daughter "Oh crap!" He said
"What is it" I asked.
"Some reports have come through about The Red Hand. A wandering orc tribe that coats their weapons in a poison that stops someone's Healing Factor (natural regeneration ability) and potions from working!" Erik said
Suddenly things made sense to me but they also raised some concerns.
Deciding to focus on the matter at hand, I thought for a second "I know the poison and it makes sense. The poison is made from the pollen from a special flower. It can be removed by someone with plant and water magic but it is difficult. Do you know anyone who can use plant magic? I can use water and can guide the plant mage but we need them now!"
Erik turned to his wife and daughter "Terra, we need you here now!"
Both girls looked over and the daughter got up and walked over. "What is it?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"Jack has been poisoned. This man says that your magic can help him, can you do it?" Erik asked his daughter, Terra.
Wiping away the tears from her face she said "Yeah I can help what do you need." and nealed down next to Jack.
"I will explain soon, just be ready," I said and she nodded
I turned to her father. "This will probably hurt him greatly. I will help your daughter guide the poison out through his nose, it will be a yellow liquid. When it comes out I need you to give him this." I said as I produced a jar of honey mixed with a few other ingredients.
"This concoction will supplement the energy needed for healing potions to work. Pour half a cup into his mouth and make him swallow. After that give him a potion and hopefully, it will work."
"What if he wakes up?" Terra asks worried.
"We can't do much if he wakes up. Me and your mother will hold him down but no matter what don't stop using your magic. Letting go could harm him more than anything else, ok." I said to Terra while motioned for her mother, Miranda, to come over.
Terra nodded with both worry and determination written on her face.
Terra took a minute to calm herself down. "Ok. I'm ready" she said with a nod.
I nod back and lay Jack flat on his back with Terra sitting to his left the mother next to her and me and her father or Jack's right.
"All right now place your hand over his chest and slowly move your magic through his body, you should be able to sense mine. I will guide the flow of blood but you need to move the poison. We do this slowly and I will guide you through this."
"Ok," Terra said. She closed her eyes and moved her hands over his body.
Over the next few minutes, we worked on moving the poison out of Jack's body. Slowly but surely we moved it through his bloodstream and managed to get it to his nose with little damage considering I was working with a child. Thankfully, through all of this Jack didn't wake up but I knew he was not in a good condition.
When the poison got to Jack's nose I caused his nose to bleed and the poison came out dyeing the blood orange.
Erik moved quickly, poured the honey into his mouth and massaged his throat to make him swallow. After Jack ate the honey Erik grabbed a healing potion and removed some of the vines and leaves pouring some of the potion directly on the wound.
'it's a good thing this man knows how to use potions properly.' I thought to myself.
After pouring half the potion on Jack's wounds he made Jack drink the other half.
Soon the wounds on his body started to close and we all sighed in relief.
"It's done. He should live through the night at least but you should have someone with healing experience look after him," I said to the family.
I soon noticed the spirits started to move away now that Jack was safe, all except for the Lightning Tiger from before.
"Right, thank you," said Erik while looking at his wife who was hugging their daughter, who were both crying.
"Um If you don't mind, why did you help him? I can guess the spirits didn't want to see a child die but why you?" Erik asked.
I looked at this man with some confusion 'Does he not realize I am a spirit?'
"I helped this child because we spirits need someone to help us. This child has a connection to us. If we want to bring an end to the slavers we will need his help."
I surprised him with that response and his wife looked over at him and said "Did you not realize that, Erik? I thought elves were supposed to be able to sense spirits."
"I'm half-elf, and I don't know how," he said sheepishly looking back at her. "Wait how did you know?"
"His words he kept saying 'we' when regarding the spirits. Plus his aura doesn't match that of a human despite his appearance."
"A good eye, She is right I am a spirit. Although it is odd having a human joke at a time like this." I said
She laughed "This is how I deal with stress, same as my sist... wait! Jack was supposed to be with Alex and Draven. What happened to them?!"
All of our faces except for Terra's, who didn't realize what was implied, darkened instantly as we realized what this meant.
"Orcs..." a weak voice escaped from Jack's mouth.
"Jack, you need to rest," I told him. Holding him gently.
"Orcs... attack... Thornbrach... Mom... Dad... Defend... told me... to run." Jack told us ignoring my warning.
"If it's orcs then it must be The Red Hand! We have to get the guards now!" Miranda said with worry.
She then turned to me "Can you help us?"
"I'm sorry I can't. We spirits can't interfere with the affairs of the world unless a contract has been made or we wish to make one with a summoner."
"Then why help Jack!" She yelled in anger
"As I said he has a connection to us. We can help him as if were a spirit. Before you ask, no a contract won't work, I can't fight and the others are not willing to help anyone other than Jack." I said partially lying. I can fight but certain rules prevent me from doing anything.
"So what do we do?!" She said pulling her hair and pacing back and forth.
Erik then spoke up "Honey we need to get back to the manor, organize the guards and move out as fast as possible."
Miranda looked up at her husband and nodded "Right. Let's go!"
Erik picked up Jack and held him in his arms while Miranda helped Terra who seemed to be in a slight daze. Understandable for what has just happened.
She turned to me slightly angry as I wont help. "I know that you can't help us with this, but thank you for helping us to save Jack," she said gritting her teeth at the first part and calming down at the second.
"It's no problem and here, take this," I said and handed her 2 crystals.
"I may not be able to help with the attack but I can give you a teleportation crystal to bring Jack to your manor. Simply smash it on the ground and think of where you want to go and anyone you want to come within a 10 ft radius will come with you."
She looked at the 2 crystals and was about to ask but I interrupted and said "Spirits can't interfere with the world's affairs unless it is someone like Jack. The crystal is to help save his life. Hence why I only gave you one." I said and winked
She nodded, walked a little bit away and smashed the crystal on the ground and they all left.
I stood there in the clearing and noticed the lightning tiger standing nearby
"If you intend to forge a contract with him you will have to gain his trust," I said to the Lightning Tiger.
He looked at me, let out a small chuff and stood proud.
"Hm, we shall see when he wakes up," I said back.