Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 55

Severance had one eye squeezed shut against Vast's happy assault. His hands buried themselves in soft fur, fur that had been bloody and singed just a minute ago. He didn't even want to imagine what he'd looked like. It must have been awful.

"What happened?" he asked.

Hopefully the Veiled had an idea, because he sure didn't. He felt exhausted, the memory of the horrific experience still lingering in his mind like a fresh, repeating echo.

"After you fell, Vast went a little crazy." Maun shrugged, a little half-smile lifting his lips. "He ended up getting the next lightning bolt, but that didn't stop him from keeping the little golems away from you."

Severance winced at that. No wonder poor Vast looked so beaten up. He turned back to Vast, running both hands through thick fur.

"You're a nutcase," he told the beast fondly. Then he closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what happened, but you guys could have gotten killed while I was... whatever that was."

"Do you have so little faith in us?" Maun shook his head, amused. "There's a reason we took you to this particular dungeon, you know. Batin and I can handle it on our own, so no one was in any real danger."

No real-?! Severance's mouth flattened into a thin line. "Vast was almost killed!"

"I see." Maun sat back, and ran a hand through his dark hair. "The furball is what you're really concerned about. It's like we're not even here, Batin. That's rather depressing."

"Vast doesn't have one of those bracelet things," Severance muttered. He grimaced as a rough tongue dragged over his closed eye. It was gross, but he didn't particularly care at this moment.

Maun gave a slow nod. "Well, that's true."

"And what about you, Severance?" Batin appeared by Severance's other side, a tall shadow that gazed down at him somberly. "You were badly damaged to the point of incapacitation."

It's never affected you before. The silent accusation hung over Severance's head, and he tensed. There was no denying something so obvious. He just didn't know what to say about it. Or what he even could do. So he just shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Maun said, oddly gentle in tone. When Severance peeked up, he saw only a quiet understanding lurking behind that slight smile. "Olen thought it might happen. That's why we're here. To test your limits in a safe environment."

"He thought this might happen? How?" Severance wasn't sure if he should be horrified or impressed.

"Because he's a know-it-all," Maun answered, as if that explained everything. Which it didn't. The narrowing of Severance's eyes had him adding, "I mean, Olen's the expert on this sort of thing. He can explain it better than I can."

No. Severance didn't want to wait. Not for this. "I don't care. Just tell me why this is happening. Please."

Things weren't supposed to hurt in Eliona. He knew that much. It was part of what made Outsiders so powerful; they could run dungeons, fight monsters, and generally risk their lives without, well, the risk. But if he could feel everything, just like a resident of Eliona, how was he supposed to do any of that? What happened if he died?

Silently, Batin stepped back and to the side. This put him at Severance's back, where he quietly regarded Maun. Unaware of this, or that Batin had even moved, Severance tried his best to give Maun what he hoped was an unyielding stare. He didn't want to leave this dungeon until he knew what was going on.

With a sigh, Maun steadied himself with a hand on the ground and settled down into a seated position. "Olen told me of the little chat you had before, when you absolutely should not have come over but did anyway. Smart thinking there, Sev." He shook his head as if terribly disappointed, but sadly, the effort was wasted as Severance ignored it. "So, you know how you're closely tied into the whole System, which makes all of what you Outsiders do possible, right?"