--- Kat ---
Once Craunch was… suitably appeased the next pod was opened with much less fanfare. Soone Kat would flag as middle aged stumbled out, showing the sa sort of faded wear as Stensil though having none of the seizures. He did imdiately throw up though. He was angled slightly towards g when he started gagging and the greed demon wasted no ti in summoning a bucket and shoving it into his arms.
Kat wondered if g would've bothered had she not been in the splash zone.
"There there, it'll be alright," said Craunch as he patted the man heavily on the back. It would later be revealed that the man was called Amalak, though for the mont he wasn't much for conversation. Especially with Craunch's heavy 'patting' that was if anything making things worse. The fact Craunch had a big goofy grin on his face made the action seem all the more intentional.
With Craunch watching Amalak, Corela and g moved forward with to the next pod. It had a man nad Trumbor inside and he simply collapsed as well. Corela was horrified for a few monts and then saddened… only to notice g was slowly nudging him off to the side. "What are you doing?" asked Corela.
"What are you doing?" asked g right back.
"I was… going to return him to the pod?" said Corela unsure.
g jabbed the Trumbor in the chest with her foot, causing the man to wheeze slightly but not actually wake up. "He's alive," said g with her best deadpan.
"Then why didn't you catch him!" hissed Corela.
"Why didn't you?" returned g with a shrug.
"Because I was surprised soone else had DIED g. I thought this was ant to be the safe lot, so I was concerned about your abilities effectiveness… but it seems whoever this is happens to be a lazy ass. Hundreds of years of sleep and he can't even be bothered to wake up," grumbled Corela.
g shrugged, "It's another common side effect, increased need for sleep. Not as common as the seizures but much less of an issue. You could shake him awake if you really want?"
"Just… just get him out of the way," grumbled Corela.
"Here, Kat, catch!" said g as she lifted the man up with her foot and essentially kicked him over. Kat wasn't exactly ready, though she wasn't totally surprised either. It was easy to catch the man and place him on another summoned beanbag. Kat considered saying sothing… but decided not to.
Corela looked like she was ready to chew out g as it stood, so Kat could just… let the older woman deal with that.
Of course, this might have been the wrong decision as when they went to open the next pod the sa thing happened. This ti it was a woman nad bor. Corela was ready for g's lack of care and managed to catch the woman without issue. "That one however IS dead," said g with a shrug.
Corela flinched at the statent, even as rage lit up her face. Gently, and with as much care as she could manage Corela placed the woman back into the pod and locked it. Her face never quite loosing that glare. Once the pod was safely closed she turned to g and slapped her in the face. g let it happen… and then slapped Corela in response, much harder.
Corela spat out a glob of blood onto her hand and sighed. "Fair,"
*Um… not sure that it IS fair Corela! Why is that your response Corela!*
"What's this I'm hearing about a dead girl?" asked Craunch. Amalak wasn't throwing up anymore, and was looking over curiously as well, though his eyes were unfocsed and his body slightly wobbly.
"You explain," hissed Corela, still in a good deal of pain from the slap and her still bleeding cheek and summoning up a spell circle, the first Kat had ever seen from her.
g shrugged, "Girl is dead, cryo pods are risky business after a while. Corela is surprised,"
Corela growled out, "I do believe you said these people were the most likely to survive?"
"Yeah, they are. I completely stand by that statent. I'd have given everyone here at least 90% survival rates, probably higher. The fact that she did die is weird but not sothing I particularly care about. Do you want to open the rest?" asked g.
Kat bit back a bit of laughter. It was horrific. Soone had just died and yet… Kat could feel her laughter threatening to spill out. It was just… so absurd. Kat didn't know what to think. Didn't know how guilty she was ant to feel.
Then all of a sudden she switched to angry. *Actually? Fuck this mission. I'm here debating how guilty I'm ant to feel for soone who just died in front of when there was nothing I could do. We're here to help people but because we're helping soone died. Wait…
Did g plan this? No she can't lie… and she didn't answer strangely. Corela asked plenty of tis if g was sure and this was after the fifty percent survival rate. I… I guess if we assu 95% at the low end that's still one in twenty people. I just… how am I ant to feel about this?*
That was the thing though. Kat felt nothing really. She felt worse for Stensil and Amalak, at least they were alive and their suffering could be helped sowhat. This though? Kat just… didn't know what to do.
"So, we continuing?" asked g once again after silence from Corela.
Corela glanced around at the room but Craunch stepped forward and asked, "How many likely candidates for staying alive are left?"
"Two," answered g easily.
"Open them," said Craunch.
"What?" growled Corela. "How can you suggest that?"
Craunch shrugged, "The numbers haven't changed. You decided it was worth opening the pods for those of us likely to survive? Well now it's ti to finish that. Getting unlucky once doesn't an it's ti to stop. Just ans that I can shoulder so of the bla. Do it,"
g shrugged in response and moved to the next pod, flicking it open. Normally Corela would do that part, but g had seen the release sequence enough at this point she was confident in at least repeating the motions.
Another woman, this one nad Slate tumbled from the pod. She was unsteady on her feet and Craunch allowed himself to be used as a support, letting Slate wrap her arm over his shoulders. Craunch gently guided the woman away from the group though she had yet to say anything.
The final pod. A man nad Grepnar. Corela moved forward to open this one herself and g stepped back, bowing in an overly serious manner as she did so. Corela growled but didn't actually say anything. Just standing in front of the pod for a few monts. The man inside looked sowhat unfit, but had strong arms and a scar running across his face.
When Corela eventually opened the pod the man leapt out and slamd a fist straight towards Corela's stomach. Corela, not expecting this reacted on instinct and slamd a palm into Grepnar's temple sending him spinning towards g who simply took a step back and allowed him to crash onto the floor.
The mont it caught up to Corela what she'd just done she let out a long hiss and bent down to check the man. He was still breathing despite the heavy hit. Though around the impact sight his scales were cracked and bleeding slightly. "Hahahaha, you got that one good. Got a bit of an arm on you, you old hag," said Craunch.
"Dammit Craunch! It's his own fool fault. Now can you tell how deadly that blow was? My field dic training was a long, long ti ago even before everything that happened and I hesitate to use the healing spells I do know on soone else. Never really trained for that…" said Corela.
"Eh, considering he ca out swinging he's an idiot so I'd say he's probably still alive," said Craunch without much concern. Find exclusive stories on empire
"Why did I expect you to answer any differently?" grumbled Corela as she felt around the impact sight for broken bones. "Look, can you be serious for one second?"
Craunch nodded, "Of course," gaining the air of a refinent gentleman and pulling a pipe out from sowhere in his clothes… then started to blow on it showing that created bubbles instead of smoke and that goofy grin returned.
Kat sighed and looked back down at her two sleeping charges. They seed fine. A glance over at Amalak revealed that he was fine… enough. Still holding onto that bucket and not really sure what to do with it either… then again neither was Kat.
*Well the plan was to get help deciding what to do… but I'm not sure if that's still the plan. Three people are unconscious, ones a goofball and soone's just recently died despite the fact that g was fairly sure everyone they'd just revived would live. So… now what?*
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