Super Supportive FIFTY-SEVEN: A Scale Tips

FIFTY-SEVEN: A Scale Tips

When Alden woke from his initial healing session, he hurt like hell.

Rrorro had knocked him out with a spell while she worked on him. It was her main magical pain relief thod, but she couldnt safely keep him under indefinitely. And whatever overkill mind-altering drug LeafSong had given him had finally worn off at that point.

Very apologetic, the icorlax gave him sothing that worked about as well as an aspirin and explained that so of the wizards were trying to track down and/or brew serious, human-approved ds.

Being healed was a process. Shed knock him out again soon. Until then, Alden got to feel all of the damage.

Stress fractures, broken ankle, broken toes, swollen knees, torn muscles, missing skin, missing nails, giant oozing sores on his ribs and back

Hed been in bad shape before he took the magic pill. Being desperate and unable to register pain had kept him going long after nature would have made him lie down, but it had also let him demolish himself.

Rrorro explained that shed used their first healing bout to deal with the strain on his heart, his dehydration, and his dust-abraded eyes and lungs. All great choices, in Aldens opinion.

But even though he understood, it was still disturbing to see himself looking like an infected, broken, and partially-skinned monster. The healer left to rest for a couple of hours, ca back, and Alden went under again.

He woke up completely pain free and feeling like he had solid-ish bones. The d room was full of way more equipnt than it had been when hed first arrived, and he had a couple of IVs.

Kibby ca in shortly after that for what was apparently her own second healing session. She wanted to sit in a chair right beside Aldens bed, and since Rrorro didnt mind, Alden had a front row seat he was not prepared for while the icorlax literally chopped away patches of corruption damage from Kibbys hands and arms and then slowly regrew clean flesh in its place.

He tried not to freak out about how awful the process looked. Especially since he was the only one bothered. Kibby had accepted pain killers but refused sedation, and she and Rrorro were having a relaxed and informative discussion about Artonan biology while the healer worked.

Watching the healing did make Alden wonder about how powerful the other Avowed was. When Stuarts foot had been blown up, there had been tons of wizard-doctors in the operating room at the hospital to patch him up. Admittedly that had been extre damage to a whole limb, but Rrorro seed to be working really fast and without too much strain to fix him and Kibby all by herself.

The third ti he went under and ca back, he woke with fresh skin on his feet and the other places hed needed it and a different set of IVs. The new skin was tender, but he was really glad to see it there.

All in all, Alden was in and out of consciousness for what he thought was around six days. He could have asked for the precise number. It just didnt seem that important.

Physically, he went from feeling like hed been run over by a vicious lawnmower to feeling incredibly well. Every ti he thought the healer was done with him, she would reappear and ask for permission to knock him out and improve on sothing else shed found. Sotis when he groggily ca to, he saw her watching dical lectures on a tablet in her own language.

When he asked her about it, she eagerly told him how very exciting it was to deeply explore the cells of a new species.

Alden was surprised to learn that the Systems often picked up slack when it ca to an Avowed doing cross-species healing. Rrorros skills and spells were sothing she didnt even have to think about when it ca to Artonans or her own kind, since theyd been designed specifically to handle them. And it sounded like shed enhanced herself with other species-specific healing options as she developed her talents.

But she had not anticipated eting a human.

With a new kind of patient in front of her and no direct help from a System, she said she was enjoying the added challenge and artistry of fixing him.

On around the sixth day, she started talking about what percentages of his body fat should be stored in various locations, and Alden concluded that he was not being healed back to what had been normal for him pre-Moon Thegund. Instead, he was being brought to ideal physical health for his age.

He assud Kibby was getting the sa treatnt. She had been rocketing around the dical room with above-average energy levels lately, and yesterday shed reported to him that she was growing thirty percent more hair on top of her head.

Alden let Rrorro do whatever she wanted.

She was happy. Kibby was happy. It seed like the two of them were fast becoming friends.

That was good. The icorlax was smart, and she had a gentleness about her that seed to perate the whole room. It was soothing to be in her presence.

Kibby needed a friend like that.

*************

The next ti Aldens eyes opened, he was tucked into the most comfortable bed hed ever slept in. The sheets were silky and exactly the right temperature. The pillow was lightly and pleasantly scented. And sothing magical was definitely going on with the mattress. No pressure points. He almost felt like he was floating in dense water.

It wasnt the dical area.

He let his eyes roam around the dimly lit room, taking in the luxurious furnishings, until they landed on the other occupant. Knight Alis-arth sat behind a pale wooden desk with curved legs. A three-paneled piece of abstract art on the wall behind her was giving off a soft golden glow, and she was writing with a pen in what looked like an oversized journal.

Sothing of a rarity. You hardly ever saw Artonans using paper when they had such ubiquitous access to tech and magic.

Kibby wasnt around.

Kibby was almost always around. Shed stuck to Alden like glue ever since they arrived. The other day hed woken up and heard a familiar sound from under his bed in the dical area, and when hed rolled over to check, hed seen her curled up there, doing her squeaky snore.

No Kibby. Sleeping in the Quaternarys own room.

So, he thought, its today.

Hed been wondering when Alis-arth was finally going to talk to him. The knight had only co by to see him a single ti so far, and their conversation had been brief and stiff compared to the more playful version of her he rembered from the party.

He didnt know what she thought or felt about him. He was sure he knew what she was going to tell him, though, and the stiffness was only to be expected.

He considered making a sound to let her know he was awake. Just to get it over with quicker.

Buthe didnt really want it to be over with quicker.

It had been fun for the past couple of days. Hed been magically turned into soone ridiculously healthy. Hed t a huge griveck Ryeh-bt whod waxed poetic about his skills in hard-surface scouring and multi-species massage therapy. And hed spent lots of ti talking to a Kibby who was happy, relaxed, and unstrained by the chaos.

So instead of calling attention to himself, he lay there quietly, enjoying the comfy bed and listening to the pen scratch against the paper.

It was the only sound other than his own breathing. His tinnitus was gone. Hed asked Rrorro to take care of it, and shed been thrilled to have a specific target for her attentions. Especially since he wouldnt let her get rid of the shrapnel scar on his abdon.

Finally Alis-arth looked up and realized he was watching her.

Oh, Alden! She gave him the smilethe sa forced one Hannah had given him when she first realized he was awake inside the bubble. Youre awake. How are you today?

Ive never been healthier in my life. Your healer is wonderful.

She does have the most stellar qualifications. Though when I asked her if she would co along for this assignnt I assud she wouldnt actually have to do anything

The smile fell. She hitched it back up. She had a very readable face.

Or maybe it was just that Alden was comparing her to Joe.

Im happy to tell you that we have a teleportation onboard the ship we arrived on. Its not as good as a Contract-to-Contract teleport, but its better than nothing. Now that youre well, Im sure youre excited to get back ho.

Alden was surprised. Hed thought the lie several days ago had only been for Kibby.

It is kind of nice to get one, I guess. If you understand why shes doing it.

You dont have to feel bad about it, he said, sitting up in the bed. Its not your fault Im dying.

He wished he could be a little more specific and let her know he actually understood what shed been doing for him ever since he arrived. But it was Joe whod told him that this situation could happen, during the conversation covered by the extra-absolute secrecy agreent.

A scale tips, the professor had said.

Kibby had begun to existentially stabilize and recover her authority almost as soon as they set foot in the cleansed zone.

Alden had, too. In a way. But he was still falling apart.

He wondered if it had even been the chaos rupturing his skill and his trait during that last day of the long journey, or if that had just been an added disaster on top of the one already taking place within him.

Now that he was out of the corruption, his power felt so strange. The unbound authority was strong again. It was thrilling, amazing. But it was also like so giant bird that wanted to launch itself to new heights, without any regard for the fact that his affixation was collapsing under the force of it.

Alis-arth had been doing sothing all this ti to keep it in check. Shed been holding her authority over him like a weighted blanket. That and his own efforts to directly repair the damage with his beginner-level control were the only things keeping him from what Joe had once assured him would be an agonizing death or sothing much worse.

The Artonan woman looked stricken.

You knew? she said, setting aside her pen. I would have talked to you much sooner if Id realizedoccasionally, Avowed can sense it when theyre at risk of imbalance and loss of skill assignnt. I wasnt sure about you. I havent worked with a human closely before, and everyone is different. At first, I thought you might be able to, since you seed to feel my brothers power at that - party, but then you were so calm I decided I must be mistaken.

I can feel that sothings wrong. An understatent.

Im told it feels like a dread with no source to those without an Artonans sense for it. Im sorry. That must be awful.

Alden blinked. That would be awful. What was happening to him was also awful, but at least it wasnt sourceless, incomprehensible dread.

Its not your fault, he said again. But I want to talk about it without kind lies. I have questions. Whats going to happen to Kivb-ee?

She took a deep breath. Eventually, shell be in the care of a cousin on Artona I. Her closest relative. However, that will take so ti. The entire Moon Thegund Contract collapsed. Well be - an entirely new one. At that point, it will be safe for everyone to teleport in and out again. An for the people who reside here. Sothing that will vastly improve the quality of their lives. But it will be several more months.

She wants to learn magic. And I think eting a knight was one of her goals, but I guess weve done that.

Alis-arth gave him the first real smile hed seen on her face since he arrived. The two of you are best friends with my brother, I believe.

Alden snorted.

Its even funnier if you know how difficult he is to make friends with. To answer your worrythe girl will be safe and well. Either here with us or with a family until she can join her relative. She paused. She is very proper around now that she is sure I am taking good care of you. I doubt she will ask for anything at all herself. If you tell what she wants, I will get it for her.

Alden had a long ntal list of all the things Kibby needed, wanted, and deserved. And he didnt hesitate for a second in asking the knight for every single one of them. Rather than becoming annoyed by the number of requests, Alis-arth seed relieved that he had them.

If Kibby didnt have so objection, she would be living here in the travel do for the next several months, having magic lessons with so very talented wizards and spending lots of ti with Rrorro. They would help her get in touch with Instructor Gwen-lor, and they would arrange for her future attendance at the elentary boarding school if her cousin didnt refuse. Alis-arth said she couldnt imagine why the cousin would. Sending a child off to wizard school was an achievent for most people.

She would also be able to talk to Joe and the people who had been rescued from the lab.

That was the only request the knight balked at.

I have noticed her affection for Worli Ro-den, she said in a frosty tone while she sipped on a cup of tea.

Rrorro had brought first al and an extra chair for Alden a while ago. He sat at the desk across from Alis-arth working his way through two giant plates of food.

Healing made you feel like you were starving. His stomach had been a bottomless pit all week. And the icorlax was completely chard by his diet anyway. She seed to think it was a pacifistic choice on his part.

Alden forced himself to swallow instead of talking with his mouth full. Ro-den is really generous to his assistants.

Kibby had assured Alden Joe was the guy to work for if you were a scientist interested in chaos and demonic energies. It was a field of study often limited to the wizard class, but Joe apparently didnt enjoy working with other wizards.

Soone who treats their own species well while behaving as if a mber of another one is a disposable tool is not a good .

Role model, maybe?

The knight used more unfamiliar words than Kibby did. He guessed hed just gotten used to his roommates vocabulary.

When what Alis-arth had said finally registered, Aldens eyes widened.

Oh, shes really mad Im here, he realized.

Hed definitely gotten angry vibes from the Quaternary right from the mont he walked into her do and collapsed in front of her. But he hadnt been sure if she was inconvenienced by the presence of two dirty injured people, upset shed almost crushed Kibby in what appeared to be an intense magical terraforming project, or just upset in general that sothing unexpected had happened and shed been ill-inford.

Ro-den did tell it was dangerous to pick berries on Moon Thegund, he said.

It was kind of funny to Alden that he had to keep talking about berries with soone who knew for a fact that hed been sent here to rescue Joes assistants. During his first round of dical treatnt, Kibby had described him as Saint Alden the Savior of the Lab to everyone in the do. After all, she didnt have any contract tattoos preventing her from telling people the full story. Shed even embellished it a little in his favor before shed realized that Rrorro was going to take good care of him regardless of whether or not he deserved it.

Nobody forced to co here, Alden added.

The knights expression was unyielding.

I am sure he told you everything you needed to know before you agreed and that he had your best interests at the front of his mind, she said caustically, slamming her cup down.

Alden jumped. He was certain the cup would have shattered if it hadnt been made of wood.

I am sure he did not throw an ignorant young teenager at a problem of his own making like a -!

Shes gonna kill Joe.

Im all right, he said hastily.

You are literally monts away from dying horribly.

Alden dropped his fork. He didnt an to. His fingers just let go without his permission. He winced.

Alis-arths face paled.

Uh, said Alden. I ant Im all rightemotionally?

It wasnt untrue. He didnt know why he was okay with the situation, but he was. Maybe it had sothing to do with the fact that hed been sure on so level, for a very long ti, that he was going to die here on Moon Thegund. He wanted to go ho so badly, but it had been ages since he really believed himself when he imagined doing it.

Probably thats the opposite of being all right emotionally, he thought.

But it didnt change the fact that he sohow felt like hed won just by making it here.

The silence that fell in the room was awkward. Might as well lean into it.

So monts away from death? How many monts? Should I eat faster?

He tried for a smile. Alis-arth just sat there staring at him.

Kibby says my jokes are bad.

She pushed her plate away from her and sighed. Not bad. I enjoy humor usually. But its depressing coming from an Avowed in your situation. I will remove my protection from you this afternoon. I am not skilled enough to fix what is wrong with you. I would be prolonging things pointlessly if I tried, and I would risk - you. There are very few people who might be able to help, and the Triplanets cannot any of them. They are all assigned elsewhere. II did look into it

Ah. Okay, thought Alden, staring at a small round fruit that looked like a candied apricot. Its this afternoon.

The fact that you survived for this long in even a low-level corruption environnt at your age and rank shows natural talent, the knight said. The sa talent my brother detected in you, I believe. But it is not enough to earn you extraordinary help. I am truly sorry.

It was already good of you to stop cleaning up the moon so that you could take care of .

Alden assud that was why he hadnt gotten to experience the daily dirt smashing phenonon up close since he arrived. Alis-arth had stopped working as soon as he got here.

Do not thank , she said, looking away from him to stare at a mirrored dressing table. My kindness is . The best thing I could do for you would be to ignore my task here, maintain my on your presence, and travel with you back to Artona I, where the Contract can probably save you. We might make it.

She still wasnt looking at him. But that would take months. Delaying the cleansing of the corruption and the creation of a Contract here, one stable enough to allow all citizens to teleport and receive aid from the rest of the universe, would cost lives. Probably too many to be by your own future potential.

Alden wondered if he should have specified that he would prefer to have sothing between the loving lie and total honesty. It did hurt to know there were salvation thods that wouldnt be used.

The only recourse left to you is the ergency teleportation option on our ship, Alis-arth continued. It would not be safe for soone as weak as you even under normal circumstances. In your situation, even with the Mother Planet as an ideal and relatively close destination, I do not think you will survive the trip.

Alden looked up from his plate. There really is a teleporter?

She finally turned back to him. Yes? Did you think I made it up?

I thought you were just trying to make feel better.

I was. Its a bad option. But it does exist.

Alden felt sothing stir inside him. He hoped it wasnt hope. That seed like a very dangerous emotion at a ti like this.

And the Contract on Artona I can help ?

Crap. It was definitely hope. He tried to crush it back down, but he felt his heart rate pick up.

Its ideal for Avowed to return to their ho Contract for skill assignnt. Especially in situations like this. But the Mother Planet is the second best choice.

That sounds like a good plan then, Alden said, wondering if he looked excited. He hoped he didnt look excited. It was entirely the wrong thing at this mont.

You are probably going to die, stupid. You were fine with it ten seconds ago. Focus on the stuff you need to get done.

What was that stuff again?

Kibby would be fine.

Oh. Yes. Can I make so kind of alegal request saying who gets my possessions if I die? He didnt know if Artonans did wills. The System actually had options for listing your beneficiaries, but Alden hadnt had the ti or the inclination to set that kind of thing up. I got summoned a couple of hours after I agreed to the Contract, and then I was busy. So I never thought about it seriously.

Alis-arth closed her eyes for a mont, and when she opened them again, her facial expression had smoothed into sothing more neutral.

I can be the - for any sort of contract, magical or legal, you wish to make, she said. Naturally I will see to it that your requests are honored.

Great, thought Alden. Kibby and Boe can have their share of my Argold all at once. But Aunt Connie should probably receive inheritance money in installnts.

Jeremy could have Aldens non-monetary stuff. His parents were rich, and he was the kind of person who got nostalgic over ntos.