14 Reality

Jin, Viscerin and Thompson walked along the road, back to the village. Jin was carrying Viscerin on his back. No one said a word.

A large cloud of smoke hung behind them. When the yargoth died, a few minutes later, the fire had simply ceased. He figured it must have been that the flames had some connection to the yargoth, and thus, when it died, the flames died as well.

The weight of Viscerin on his back paled in comparison to the result of that battle.

When Jin returned to Thompson and Viscerin, she revealed to him that she had lost feeling in her legs. Apparently, the yargoth's attack had damaged a vital part of her back. Jin asked why Thompson didn't heal the apparent injury, but he said that his magic wasn't powerful enough.

The way healing magic worked, specific spells were only powerful enough to do specific things. Thompson knew how to restore a portion of a person's stamina, how to heal flesh wounds and repair minor parts of the body, however, he didn't have the knowledge or the prowess to restore Viscerin's health. He only knew the most basic of healing magic.

However, he told Jin that maybe, someone in the village could do it. The village held a clinic, where light magic users attended to the citizens wounds.

Jin wanted to run there, even with Viscerin on his back, but he was tired. Thompson's magic was had been enough to heal Jin's head injury, but it didn't take the strain away from his body as a whole.

Still though, his anger kept him moving. He had failed. Sure, no one died, but if Viscerin couldn't get help, for an archer, a warrior like her, not being able to use your legs could be a fate worse than death. What would she do? How would her mother, a scout herself, respond?

Jin worried for her, but dared not ask any questions. The expression on Viscerin's face whenever he looked back halted him from seeking any answers.

And what about Goljin? The boy had run away. Worse yet, he pushed Viscerin into the attack that put her in this situation. Where was he now? If he could, Jin would choose to take his anger out on the coward.

They arrived back at the village. A few of the guards standing by the gate visibly cringed when they saw the condition Jin and his friends were in. Jin's clothing was ripped, and blood-stained. Viscerin being on Jin's back couldn't have been a good sign. Thompson was largely left unscathed, but the magic he used had drained his own stamina.

The guards made way for them, taking a few steps back to let them pass.

Thompson led Jin to the clinic. It was a small, white building, with two floors and a sign outside that said "Daysinn Village Clinic". For a moment, Jin realized that up until now, he didn't even know this place's name, and already, he'd become desensitized to it.

They walked inside, and Thompson quickly informed a woman sitting behind a desk of Viscerin's condition. She hurriedly stood, and walked into a nearby room.

A few men and women dressed in white emerged. Three of them were vastly different to anyone Jin had seen so far. Their skin ranged from blue, to dark grey, to a bright yellow. He realized these must have been the demons his aunt had told him about.

They led the group towards another room. Jin was still carrying Viscerin on his back.

They ended up at a place with a few white beds placed evenly throughout. The people in white told Jin to lay Viscerin down on one of the beds.

For a moment, she clutched Jin's arms harshly. Her eyes briefly told Jin that she didn't want to be left alone, but after realizing where she was, she let him go.

"Please, I'd like to discuss the patient's condition with her, privately." One of the demons said. Jin was about to argue, but Thompson placed a hand on his shoulder, and nodded towards the exit. For a second, Jin remained, but he turned and followed Thompson out.

Jin had lived in a forest all his life, with just one other person there with him, but he was certain that the wait which followed once he sat down on one of the chairs outside was the single quietest moment he'd ever had.

All he could see was the yargoth slashing Viscerin across the back. Could he have been quicker? He wondered. Was it due to his own lack of speed, lack of strength that she now suffered? He was sure that maybe, if he had been as powerful as the characters in the books he used to read, he could have killed that yargoth before it ever had a chance to lay a hand on Viscerin.

His hand closed into a tight fist as his eyes narrowed. He couldn't avoid the realization. This happened because he was weak. This happened because his best, just wasn't enough.

A few minutes later, Viscerin emerged from that nearby room. She was sitting on a chair with two large wheels on its side. The same man from earlier was propelling the chair forwards. He stopped when Viscerin indicated to him that she'd continue herself.

"I'm afraid that, at the moment, there isn't anything we can do about this. The issue in question is an incredibly specific fracturing of her spine, and in order to heal this, we'd need more than one expert-level healer. I myself, am the only one in this clinic. However, our messangers will send for assistance from Nova."

"When will the help get here?" Thompson asked.

"About three weeks. There's been talk of beasts preying on the roads these days. Normally, it would be about two weeks worth of travel time, but with the alternative routes being the safest right now, that time almost doubles. But, we promise you, this won't be permanent. We just have to wait."

Jin lowered his head.

"Thank you." Viscerin said. It was the first time she'd spoken since they came back to the village. Jin looked up, and saw that she was smiling wryly. It tore away at him to see her that way.

He'd hear about a particularly interesting concept a while back when he still lived at the cabin. "Friends". At first, it was an extremely vague concept to him. A type of person closer, and more trustworthy than the rest. He didn't understand it, until now.

Regardless of what else he felt for Viscerin, he knew that she could be included in that category. And he had let this happen to her. It stung tremendously.

They left shortly after, with Jin pushing Viscerin's wheelchair.

"I'm going back home. Take care." Thompson said. He gave Viscerin a sad look, and turned to walk away.

"Can you take me back to my house?" Viscerin asked.

"Of course." Jin replied.

They proceeded along the dirt road. The whole time, Jin had no idea what to do. Should he try to console her? Should he mention how sorry he is?

"Jin." Almost as if she could read his thoughts, Viscerin spoke up. "It's... It isn't your fault." She said.

"No. It is." Jin replied, trying to hide the anger inside him. Viscerin didn't respond.

A few minutes later, they were there. Jin had to carry her along with the chair, up the steps to the front door. He set her down in front of him. She turned the chair on her own to look at him.

She had tears in her eyes.

"I guess I'm not going to be helping you any time soon, huh?" She said. Jin grimaced.

"I'm not going to let this happen again." There was a determination in his voice that made Viscerin pause.

"Have a good rest." She muttered.

"Yeah." Jin squeezed out. And just like that, by herself, she opened the front door and proceeded to head inside.

She disappeared from view. Jin was left standing there for a moment. His hand had turned into a fist subconsciously.

He breathed. As much as he wished it weren't the case, there was nothing he could do to change what had happened.

He turned to go back to the inn, when he saw a figure lurking behind one of the nearby houses. It was with the corner of his eye, but he recognized him despite that. It was Goljin.

Jin sprinted towards him. Goljin startled back, and tried to run away, but Jin was already on top of him. He tackled the bastard, and didn't hesitate. He punched him over and over again as the boy cried out for mercy.

Jin reared back, and left his fist hanging in the air. He looked down at the man, no, the child in front of him. He looked utterly pathetic. Even now, after almost securing the death of one of his allies, he wanted to avoid taking responsibilty. It was pitiful. Jin couldn't even bring himself to continue. He dismounted him, and began walking away.

Goljin didn't even say he was sorry. He just stood, and ran away.

Jin looked down at his hands. How could he judge Goljin when, if he had been powerful enough, Goljin wouldn't have had to push Viscerin in the first place. No matter where he looked, he only had himself to blame.

He solemnly walked back to the inn. As soon as he stepped inside, every ongoing conversation ceased. All eyes turned to look at him.

Jin didn't bother saying anything, and simply headed up to his room.

He walked in, and crumbled to his knees. Again, he stared at his hands. Something had to change.

"Jin?" A recognizable voice said from behind.

"Theresa?" Jin asked with a dry voice.

"What happened?" She sounded genuinely concerned. Jin stood up, and turned to face her. When she saw his condition, she placed a hand on her mouth.

"I want you to train me." Jin stated. "I want to become as strong as I can possibly be."