Gethel PoV
I instantly rushed towards him, I used my legs and flipped him over.
Oh, if only I hadn’t used the rest of my ointment on my bruise last week, would it work on a gaping hole?
I mean it said it was a cure-all, so maybe.
Ok, back to business, I needed to fill the wound.
Perhaps using cloth from the collapsed stall would cover it or maybe I should use part of my fleece, it definitely would be more sterile.
Of course, some people gathered around, and one person helped me put Caleb on the cart.
I needed to get him out.
“Listen, you need to get out of here, Valefar will definitely not be happy with you two after that stunt”
Of course, I think someone told me Valefar would be after us, a dog, I think, so I needed to move.
We couldn’t move out the front gate, that was clear, of course, a guard helped us through the back gate and urged us not to return.
“Don’t come back, if you do, he’ll definitely kill you now.”
I had to drag the wagon as much as I could, off the beaten path, as a commander of Leshy, Valefar definitely had authority to put a bounty on us.
… but, of course, I owed Caleb my life, that curse was a Bloodcurdle… to think Valefar had such curses in casual use, and, furthermore, Caleb survived.
He is definitely tough.
But I need to get back to camp, Ceres will know what to do.
Still, how was he moving, he muttered something about androgyny, which was weird, it could be simply gurgled speech, but I don’t know what else it could’ve been.
I mean, technically, he said “adrninin” but that doesn’t really matter.
Still, the Bishop also acted odd, telling of Valefar, and even paying double our rate was insane.
I mean, I’d never seen a commander as lost for words, and I was there when the priest Amdusias accidentally called the Bishop Libby.
Ooh boy that was a chaotic time, people said it a lot jokingly, and even some cultists go in on… wait… why am I… OH RIGHT, Caleb is still dying, gotta drag the wagon faster… How on Earth did he do this?
He made this thing look so light.
I mean, it’s made of Darkwood Oak, FOCUS.
I dragged the cart all the way back to the cult, it took a full day.
I stopped occasionally to reapply bandaging to Caleb.
And then I saw it, the red star that signified the camp.
I walked in and saw the annoying Fox and our glorious leader.
Then I remembered I hadn’t slept for the whole time I moved and faceplanted.
Ceres PoV
Holy moly, I was not expecting that, Gethel walked back into the camp, and collapsed.
The wagon was covered in blood, and Caleb was dying on top of it.
“Felen, call anyone with medical experience, Caleb is hurt, prepare the temple floor, we cannot put him on the ground directly.”
This was bad, what on earth did they run into to get that injured.
“What about Gethel”
“He’s exhausted with signs of dehydration, get him water and into his sleeping bag, but we need medical stuff… Gethel seems to have bandaged him decently….” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
I knew a way to help Caleb, but I didn’t have enough power to do it yet, so I had to stick to mundane things.
I used my cloak and had the red crown form into sticks, and with that, I made a rudimentary Gurney, and I carried him into the temple and laid him on the carpet.
I put my cloak back on and addressed the wound, clearly a curse, given the blood amount it could either be Bloodcurdle or Touch of Turua.
Both explain the hole, but if it’s Bloodcurdle he would also have immense internal damage.
Either way, it was lucky he was alive, likely his size allowed him to take more damage.
Rinar came in, apparently he was a medical student, not good, but the best we have.
He cleaned a stone and used it to open Caleb up, and ooh boy…
definitely Bloodcurdle… his insides were a mess.
I assisted where I could but Rinar showed surprising knowledge… I wish I could help more.
I examined what he did and noticed that to patch a hole in the stomach he used a piece of leather covered in what seemed to be some sort of mucus.
I felt sick looking at it but I had to be here in case something bad happened.
After the surgery on the stomach was complete Rinar asked my assistance with the guts.
I provided some plaster that we had on hand and we managed to patch up a few holes though we still had to remove quite a bit of the tract.
Rinar murmured in the middle how incredible it was that his first patient had “such a uniquely long digestive system.”
… unfortunately this was the best we had
Maty came in and helped refine the sewing on the leather over the stomach, using some thin metal.
And she then sewed him up with regular thread.
Then we sighed, he would live… hopefully long enough for me to get what I need.
“That… actually worked?”
Maty grimaced “I’m covered in blood now, my hands are so gross, and oh my needle… I’m gonna have to wash it for hours to fix this gunk.”
I blinked… really?
That was her concern?
Rinar spoke, “Listen Maty, you’re being disrespectful,” Good job, Rinar, tell her, “from what I saw, Caleb is an anatomical marvel, you should be honored to have those fluids on you”
….
What is wrong with my cult?
_
“Are you sure you need to go?
The cult is in disarray, if you leave now, we will fall to chaos”
That was the third time Gethel had asked me that question while I was packing, but I still looked at him.
“Listen, Gethel, Caleb doesn’t have time, I need to find two more commandment shards, if I don’t, he will die, and we can’t get him back.
I understand all of your concerns but this is needed”
“Then send me”
“No, I am responsible for him, as the leader-”
“But it’s my fault he’s like this.”
“I antagonized Valefar, I spoke against him, and he shot at me, Caleb stepped in to save me… please, let me save him”
I had never seen the goat so earnest, he genuinely felt at fault.
“I’m sorry… you aren’t strong enough, Caleb saved you, so don’t throw your life away, live and keep the cult from falling.”
Gethel thought, then nodded and walked off, and tackled Maty to keep her from eating a wild berry.
I had to make a proxy.
“Everyone, listen” everyone looked at me.
“I am leaving, but you will listen to Felen, he is your leader while I am gone.
Is that understood?”
They blinked, then praised me, and oddly, I felt myself grow stronger.
Then, I set out, zooming across the woods.
I needed to find Forneus’s shop, she would possibly have commandment stone shards, at least one, as that’s where Caleb got his.
Also, I took 50 coins with me, so I could afford most anything.
I ran fast, and bolted, and I tried, knowing my primal form would be faster… but it didn’t work… I paused… an ascendant was one who could touch the primal force, but despite being an ascendant, I had no access to a primal form…
I sighed, and stumbled upon Ratau’s cottage.
It had begun to rain, so I knocked on the door.
“Hello, one minute,” Ratau opened the door and saw my soaked cloak.
“Hello Ceres, what do you need?”
“I’m looking for commandment shards.”
“Really, aim to make a doctrine this soon?”
“I need the power to resurrect people.”
“Why?”
“If I don’t, Caleb will die.”
Ratau invited me in and gave me hot broth, refusing payment, like always.
“Ceres, you are kind, and that is good, but you cannot care for your followers that much…”
I could tell he didn’t believe that himself, “…
you did.”
“And that was exactly why I failed them.”
… … I thought for a moment.
“And then, would it not be even more of a failure to simply let my follower die?”
He thought, then he smiled, and wordlessly gave me a commandment shard.
My eyes widened, “how?”
“I’ve had this ever since I lost my role.”
I thanked him and headed out, into the rain, to look for the next.