There was only one thought in SJ's mind as she flew back towards the Wandering Ogre as fast as she could: she hoped Kibble wasn't seriously injured. Her display was open, and she could see his dot, which she took as a sign that he was still alive. He had flown some distance away into the forest canopy, and as she flew above the bar, chaos still reigned, although they had taken on a resemblance to order. A shaman now stood directing water at the burning flames. They didn't appear to use water magic as she had witnessed water mages use it, who could make water materialise. Instead, it was directing water from a barrel that had been brought. SJ noticed several water barrels surrounding it. That was something she would need to remember.
"There! In the canopy," Dave shouted.
SJ flew down towards where the dot was, among the top branches of a tree, and located Kibble. He was caught up, hanging upside down, his wing wedged between two branches. On seeing SJ, he mewed weakly. Her heart was in her mouth as she saw her companion. Below, under the canopy, she could hear the calls of draconians who were searching for where he had come down. Thankful that he hadn't crashed through to the ground, SJ hovered by him.
"Kibble," SJ said softly, as tears continued to fall.
The branches were only narrow, and in her miniature form, she wasn't sure what she could do. He was being held precariously, and if she freed his wing, SJ didn't know if he would fall. He tried to flap his uninjured wing, but all it did was force his injured wing further into the wedge of the branches.
"Stop moving," SJ whispered.
Kibble stopped, his little eyes filled with fear, and it made SJ's heart break. He was dangling his good wing facing down.
"I'm stuck," Kibble said, his voice cracking.
"State the damn obvious," Dave said.
Kibble growled. "If I could see you, I would zap you," he spat angrily, his face flashing with anger.
"Now that's better, isn't it?" Dave said. "Than feeling sorry for yourself."
Kibble hmphed in response.
SJ was still trying to work out how to free him. If he could get his claws onto the branch and grip, she may be able ot free his wing without him falling. The problem was what she could do then. Wyvern didn't have forelegs like a dragon, so he was limited in how he could hold on. His little wings had small, gripping claws halfway along their length, but she had never seen him climb before.
"If I can get your feet on the branch, can you hold on?" SJ asked.
"I'm not sure," Kibble said. "I think my wing is broken," he sobbed.
SJ thought it had to be the way it was twisted. There was no other option than to see if he could grip the branch. SJ positioned herself next to his body and lifted him towards the branch. Kibble squeaked in pain, the movement as she forced him, twisting his wing further. He scrambled with his legs as he reached for the underside of the branches. The movement caused SJ to lose her grip, and she nearly collided with the branch as she lost Kibbles' weight. He was much larger than she was, despite being a miniature.
"Stop," SJ said as she hovered back down. "Let me move you."
Kibble squeaked, and SJ wouldn't repeat his reply.
"I'm going to add that one to my repertoire," Dave chuckled.
She moved around Kibble again before pushing upwards, her wings beating with force as she slowly moved his now limp, hanging form towards the underside of the branch. It took considerable effort to go slowly so as not to increase his pain, as his wing twisted at an even more unnatural angle. She winced in sympathy as Kibble groaned.
"I'm sorry," SJ said.
"Keep going," Kibble hissed.
"There," SJ said as Kibbles' feet came within reach of the branch.
Kibble gripped the underside of the branch, his claws digging into the surface.
"Okay, now to free your wing." SJ moved to the wedge and pushed with her weight on the bottom branch as she lifted the top branch. It moved slightly, and she beat her wings as hard as she could, straining against the branch. It creaked as it slowly released pressure on his wing. His wing moved slightly, but from its twisted position, it was obvious he had no way of controlling it.
"Nearly," she hissed as she again strained to separate the branches. The branch groaned and creaked as she pulled upwards with all her strength. Strength in miniature form was comparable to objects of her size, so it was equivalent to lifting a trunk rather than a branch. Sweat beaded her brow as she gritted her teeth, and then it happened.
Crack!
The branch she had been pulling upwards snapped. SJ yelped in shock, the sudden release of tension sending her hurtling upwards and spinning wildly in the air for a heart-stopping second before she righted herself. Kibble now swung upside down, his good wing able to reach onto the underside of the branch and also grip into the bark, while his broken wing hung limply. He now looked like a bat hanging there.
"Are you okay?" SJ asked as she flew back to him.
"Yes," Kibble said.
SJ had some healing potions she had collected from the mine and removed one from her inventory. "I need to try and heal you. I know it won't fix your wing fully," as she uncorked the bottle. Kibble lifted his head as she approached and tipped the contents into his mouth. As the potion took effect, his grimace faded, the pain in his wing reducing. If it was broken, SJ knew she would need Alice or another druid to heal it for him. Normal potions wouldn't heal breaks.
The problem was that now he was hanging upside down; she didn't know how he could get down.
"Can you move along the branch? If you can reach the trunk, maybe you can climb down with my help. At least to somewhere where I can stand on a branch and grow. I can then carry you."
"You can't fly with me when you are grown!"
"I know that. I can..." SJ trailed off, then continued. "Dave, can I portal with Kibble like this in miniature form?"
"Erm... there is nothing stating you can't portal while miniature."
"So if I have hold of Kibble and the portal, he would come with me, even like this."
Dave exhaled. "Yes. He should do, but he can't be holding onto the branch. Excellent idea, I might add."
SJ rolled her eyes. "There is only one way to find out."
"Kibble. I think this is the only way. I will hold you if you let go of the branch. As soon as I do, I will portal."
Kibble looked down through the forest of branches that he would collide with if this didn't work. "Are you sure about this?" he said nervously.
"What other options do we have? I'm going to the portal at Farleck Cottage. That way, you are out of danger, and Alice is closer, so we can get you sorted out."
"Okay," Kibble gulped.
"Ready?" SJ asked as she opened her display and focused on the cottage, selecting the portal and ready to trigger it immediately.
"No," Kibble squeaked. He looked terrified. If this didn't work, he was going to plummet through the branches to the ground below, where they could still hear draconians calling and shouting as they continued looking for him.
"Aww, poor little Kibble is scared," Dave said so sarcastically that even SJ winced.
Kibble squeaked furiously as he let go. SJ squealed in shock, not expecting his sudden weight as they sailed downwards. Frantically, she triggered the portal.
As Fas approached the gate to the crags, cries of alarm sounded from below. Many of the beings would never have seen him previously in his dragon form, and although he was reticent in displaying his true form to so many, he had little choice. Gary was limp in his grasp. He had lost consciousness as soon as he had taken off, and he was worried about what state he was really in. Fas didn't know the orc. He didn't know many of the beings, or, if he was being candid, he really didn't care or hadn't cared. But since he was SJ's friend and guardian, he had started to notice a change; he had to do what he could to help.
It was strange how SJ had started to affect him. In his 500 years plus, he had never really had any feelings or emotions for anything, except for himself. He wasn't naturally selfish or a loner; he enjoyed the company of others and would spend hours in the bar in Asterfal talking to patrons, socialising around his work. He wouldn't have spent as much as he did to help the orphans of Asterfal if he didn't care. It was just in his line of work; he didn't really have any friends. As a dragonling, his kind were frowned upon by most dragons and shunned. He supposed that, like SJ being a fae, he had chosen a profession which, although his race was ideally suited for, was seriously questioned in dragon circles.
"It's Fas," Cristy yelled as he flew down towards the group.
Several of the archers had their bows nocked, ready to fire, not that their arrows would have done anything to him. Most were of too low a level. With a final beat of his wings, he landed before gently placing Gary on the ground. The three lizards by Aletheia hissed at his presence, baring their teeth, until Aletheia put her hand up and they instantly calmed.
Cristy and Lorna ran towards him as he folded his wings.
"Gary," Lorna yelled, seeing her orc sergeant. Gary didn't stir.
"Get Lythonian?" Cristy roared at a guard, who turned and sprinted off into the forest.
It was nighttime now, and many of them had headed back into the forest to rest. Lorna rolled Gary over and gently lifted his head, resting it on her lap. His face was battered and there was a large hole where his tusk had been torn out.
Lorna let out a scream of anger on seeing the state he was in.
Lythonian appeared, sprinting over to them. He had removed his armour and wore only his cleric's robe. "What is it?" Lythonian called as he neared.
"Gary," Cristy said, tears in her eyes. He had been like an uncle to her since she had been orphaned, always making sure he called in to see her every day at the orphanage until she had reached her coming of age.
Lythonian reached them and took one look at Gary before he started to chant, gripping his arm. A white light emitted from his palms, warm and pulsating, as it slowly crept over his body, until he was fully encased. Lorna held his head still as Lythonian's healing took effect. It took a while as Lythonian continued his low chant until Gary's eyes fluttered and opened.
"Gary!" Lorna said, looking down at him.
"Lieutenant," Gary replied as a cough wracked him.
Lythonian's spell ceased. "You should be fine after a bit of rest. I found no break. I can't do anything about your tusk, though."
Gary smiled at the draconian cleric. "Thank you," Gary said as he moved to sit up. He winced in pain as Lorna helped him.
"Here, drink this," Lorna said, handing him a water canteen.
Gary thanked her before taking a deep swig.
"Where's SJ?" Cristy asked, looking back across towards the town.
"Saving Kibble," Fas said.
Cristy gasped. "What happened?"
Fas then went on to explain what had occurred at the Wandering Ogre; Gary filled in the parts he wasn't aware of from inside.
"I'm going to kill them all," Lorna cursed, her knuckles white.
"You won't be alone," Cristy added.
Fas had his display open and was looking at the map. He could still see SJ's dot in the forest by the Wandering Ogre when it suddenly vanished. He frowned.
"She's gone," Fas said.
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Cristy asked.
"She vanished off the map. She's still alive; I can see her health bar as we are in a party, but I don't know where she disappeared to?" Fas zoomed out on his map, but there was no sign of her dot on his display. "Wherever it is, it is outside our range."
"Farleck!" Cristy shouted excitedly. As she pulled her communication stone from her inventory, pressing the gem.
"Urgh," SJ cried as they appeared at Farleck cottage. Usually when she portalled, she would appear standing upright in a still position. Since she had teleported while falling, she hit the ground with a thud, feeling nauseous. She wasn't high, only a couple of inches, but it was the crushing weight of Kibble landing on top of her that knocked the wind from her.
Kibble groaned as he rolled off her. His broken wing hung uselessly at his side.
"Sorry," Kibble squeaked as cries from the cottage reached them
SJ climbed to a sitting position as she grew.
"SJ," Charlotte called as she hurried over, followed by a series of screeches as one, then two, then five wyvern piled out of the cottage.
"I'm fine," SJ called, standing and brushing herself down. "Kibble's injured, so I had to bring him here." She bent and gently picked her companion up, carrying him towards the cottage. The five wyvern hatchlings squeaked and shrieked, snapping their jaws in a frantic, concerned chorus.
"I'm fine," Kibble squeaked back, "just my wing."
The cacophony of shrieking calmed as SJ entered the cottage. The hatchlings were swarming around her ankles. "Get out of the way, unless you want me to fall over while carrying him," SJ said as she walked straight through to her bedroom. As she entered, she kicked the door closed behind her, to the upset of the hatchlings, who squeaked in protest and scratched at the door.
SJ gently placed Kibble on the bed.
"How does it feel?" SJ asked.
"Sore," Kibble said.
"I'll get Alice to come and see you, but I need to head back."
"I know. Thank you for saving me!" Kibble said, as a tear formed in the corner of his eye.
SJ gently hugged him and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. Kibble purred in response.
"I'll check on you soon, but you need to rest," SJ said as she pulled the blanket up over him and left the room.
Kibble grumbled about not being able to help as she closed the door. The hatchlings squeaked angrily as she left the bedroom, and as she walked down the corridor, they started scratching at the door again.
"Sorry about this," SJ said, entering the front. Charlotte was busy chopping fish into small chunks and placing them in a dish.
"Is he okay?" Charlotte asked, with a concerned look, if there was a concerned expression for skeletons.
"I believe his wing is broken. I need to head back, but I am going to get Alice to come and see him," SJ said.
Terence came bundling through the cottage door, his large orc skeletal frame almost tripping as he did. "SJ. I thought I heard you. How's everything going in town?"
"Oh, you know what's going on?" SJ asked.
"Yes, Floretta stopped by and told us."
It made sense, Floretta didn't sleep, and she didn't need to cook constantly to help those on the plains.
"We have taken the crag gate back, but we need reinforcements to take the town back," SJ said with reluctance. She was still unsure about how they could do it effectively, without the lives of the captives being put in even further danger. "Where's Brian?"
"Fishing," Charlotte said. "Kibble's hatchlings don't stop eating, and he got fed up with them chewing on his ankles." Charlotte chuckled.
SJ could imagine Brian trying to sit, preparing fishing hooks, while five hungry hatchlings chewed on his ankles. She couldn't help but smile at the image.
"Right. I can't stay. I need to let Alice know about Kibble and get back to the gate."
"We'll take care of Kibble, don't worry," Charlotte said with a smile.
"Thank you," SJ said as she left the cottage. As soon as she was outside, she shrank and took off heading to the plains where Alice would be.
