The six of them bounded out of camp like happy cows in a pasture. I’m free! Noah thought as he frolicked in the tall grass. The change in environment was so dramatic that he felt tears welling as he took in another breath of the refreshing air. For the first time in nearly a year, he felt at home. The eerie uniformity of the elven forest, the black dirt and lacking shrubbery of the mountain, the ridiculous monsters and their terribly pointy teeth. It was all too much. But as Noah took in this little slice of Earth he felt whole again, if that was even possible. For a moment, he wasn’t a superhuman or a tribe leader, nor was he a System-twisted beast slaughterer. No, he was just Noah, a human of Earth. Tranquility reigned in his innermost being and he felt a spark of inspiration push its way forward within him. The next Gate. He shook his head and pushed the spark away. This is my moment.
When the razor-toothed rabbit saw the strange man standing with his eyes closed and arms stretched to the sky, it was confused. This wasn’t the proper way for prey to act, he should be cowering or running or screaming. The rabbit bounced forward. No response. It hopped again. Nothing. It sniffed, finding the sweet aroma of prey still present on the strange man. Without further questioning, the rabbit sank its teeth into the man’s leg, intent on savoring the rare specimen.
Noah shrieked as his bliss was disturbed. What foul demon dares! He glared hatefully at the fluffy white protrusion jutting from his leg. My old enemy. With a grip like iron, he throttled the wretched creature. Only it refused to die. Further, it refused to let go of his leg. An all-too familiar sense of foreboding crept up his back. He sighed, his nerves well and truly fried from the constant near-death experiences. As his leg continued to bleed out, he took a moment to center himself and regain his grit. He drew his bone dagger from its sheath and mercilessly plunged it into the rabbit's neck. He felt a deep relief as the blade sunk several inches into its body. From there it was just repetition, and before long the matted red abomination fell from his leg with a disheartening squelch. Noah grinned. That is, until he saw the black lines spider webbing from incision points in his leg. His vision started to blur and the ground seemed to move beneath him. Then there was nothing.
Ne’Ja found the new environment to be quite pleasant, not unlike the farmlands of her home planet. They were missing the ever-present sopgus, those beautiful little belch flies, but the day was still young. She shrugged, they would make themselves known if they were around. She noticed Noah enjoying himself, seeming to relish the fresh air. She smiled, delighted to see him relax. He was a good orc, or man she supposed. He was also a bit uptight and over-serious, though she understood why. She continued to watch him as the smile spread across his face. Then the grass around him shifted, once, then twice. She frowned, squinting at the patch of tall green obscuring her view. Noah screamed, not in pain, but in fury. She ran toward him, still unsure of what was happening. She saw him raise his dagger and then manically stab at his leg. She frowned in horror as his hands came up bloody. Is this a human ritual? Then he stumbled and fell face-first into the grass.
When Ne’Ja got to him he was lying in a pool of red, and she could see blackened blood oozing from his leg. She grimaced at the acrid smell but didn’t hesitate as she tore a leather strip from her pack and began binding the wound. She examined his wound, noting the blackened veins surrounding it. She knew there must be some kind of toxin affecting him, but her knowledge was limited. She quickly packed and bound his wound and slung him over her shoulder. That’s when she noticed the squished and mangled body that was under Noah. She grabbed it as well before sprinting toward the camp.
“Help! No’Ah is injured! I need Un’Dal!” She yelled as neared the others. The others from the scouting party had seen her distress and followed her back into the camp. Together they carried him to the healer, who had already stretched out pelts on a simple cot for him.
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“Quick, put him here.” Un’Dal commanded, immediately receiving his new patient. He spoke while he worked, first examining the exterior of the wound and then removing the leather strips.
“What happened?” He asked, not looking up.
“I believe he was attacked by this,” Ne’Ja said, holding up the rabbit. “From a distance it looked like No’Ah was taken off guard by its attack, and proceeded to kill it once it had already bitten into his leg.” Ne’Ja explained. Un’Dal paused to examine the creature, prompting Ne’Ja to open its mouth. Using his sheathed knife, he pressed the fangs of the rabbit into the leather. Several beads of liquid flowed out of them, wetting the sheath. Un’Dal nodded his head in understanding.
“It appears to be venom.” He said, quickly moving to tourniquet Noah's leg. Using a bone shaft he twisted leather bands around the leg until the blood flow slowed. If not for his own enhanced strength, and that of the leather he doubted it would be able to have any effect on Noah’s body. Once the venom in the leg was isolated from the rest of the body his hands began to glow a soft green as he held them over the tourniquet site.
“Now typically you would never isolate venom in this way, the surge of polluted blood that would come from a failed tourniquet would quickly overwhelm the rest of the body. For this reason, you normally allow the venom to spread, to minimize the risk of losing a limb or worse. In this case, however, I am not confident that we will be able to neutralize the toxin at all. If it can so quickly disable No’Ah then it could finish the job.” Ne’Ja paled at Un’Dal’s words.
“So what can you do for him then? Will he lost his leg?” She questioned. He shook his head.
“I do not know for sure, but I believe I have a chance of out healing the venom’s destruction. With the toxin isolated, I can work to heal the damage as it is being done with the hope that the toxin will run its course before I run out of mana. With any luck, No’Ah’s body will also begin to adapt to combat the venom.” He explained. Ne’Ja nodded and the gathered crowd let out a collective sigh. Their eagerness to explore was diminished and a sense of trepidation filled its place instead. Ta’Ku had watched quietly as Un’Dal worked on his companion, and only upon hearing his words did he consider leaving. He called for Ne’Ja and the others.
“Set up a perimeter, and alert everyone of the potential threats. Cut down all of the tall grass within fifty feet of the camp, and ensure that no one has any foolish ideas. If No’Ah can be so quickly neutralized, a misstep could be the death sentence for anyone else.” Ta’Ku ordered. The others didn’t hesitate to obey his commands, knowing full well the weight that a Dan’Kar carried in his companion's stead. Ta’Ku returned to Un’Dal and sat down beside the cot.
“Is there anything else that can be done for him?” Ta’Ku asked. Un’Dal considered his words for a moment.
“Perhaps if we had someone skilled in alchemy, we could distill an antidote. For now, I believe this is our best bet. I would ask for the others who have begun to study healing magic to join me, but they are yet to reach Copper.” Un’Dal mused.
“We could move No’Ah to them then.” Ta’Ku suggested.
“Un’Dal shook his head. At this point, the denser essence may do more for him than their magic could manage.” His head tilted as a thought struck him. “I suppose we could bring him to the very edge of the barrier, and they could heal him from the other side.” Together they carefully carried the cot through the camp and placed him directly along the edge of the boundary. Ta’Ku then ran off to find the apprentice healers. Before long the three apprentices joined Un’Dal in his efforts and worked to slow the effects of the toxin. Noah’s leg was bloated and blotchy, with dark splotches throughout it. Close to the incision site, steam rose from the wound as if the venom was melting his skin away. Ta’Ku held back his bile as he watched over his friend, thankful that he wasn’t conscious for the procedure. Just as everything seemed to be under control, Ta’Ku heard panicked shouting in the camp.
“The deer are coming! Run!”
