stood up in unison and lifted their weapons in response, but before Inlojem could grab his blade, he realized that the figure was a young Vesh female, and was covered in rich violet blood that trailed down her white skin through her thick, hide-woven cloak.
She was a Necrologist.
She collapsed into Inlojem’s arms and he caught her, looking back at Teftek with astonished eyes as he held her. It was like a miracle had fallen to him from the sky. Her hand feebly grabbed for him as she mumbled incoherently. She began to convulse in his arms, but he gripped her by the back of her neck and by her torso and held her body rigid, like he had with Iogi before, keeping her awake in his arms.
“What happened?” he asked her, hearing Teftek and Aljefta rush to his side. The other soldiers lowered their weapons and beheld her female form like frightened, curious children.
“Shades,” she sputtered, as violet blood trailed from her lips and the gashes along her sides and stomach. Teftek and Aljefta attempted to guide her away from Inlojem, but his grasp was tight, and her hands pushed the two soldiers away. His wide, brazen eyes kept on hers, as he jostled her to keep her awake.
Teftek tried to rip the hide-sewn cloak and she reflexively yanked herself away from Inlojem and punched Teftek backward. She hissed at him, showing her bloody teeth, and fell back into Inlojem’s lap.
As Teftek nursed his lip, Inlojem told him
“She is a Necrologist- this hide is made out of her kills.”
“Well, we’ll have to get it off of her if she wants to be patched up,” Teftek advised.
“Do you require…sacrifice?” Inlojem asked her calmly, as her head tilted this way and that, and her body writhed in pain. She snapped out of her trance and grabbed the back of Inlojem’s neck, pressing her thumb deep into his throat.
“NO!” She commanded. “Strip me, but do not dare sacrifice me here…I must live…through…The Prophecy,” she gurgled through a mouthful of blood and collapsed in his arms completely, losing consciousness from the sheer agony of her wounds.
“Come on - get her into the tent, and we’ll treat her. You can take the robes off, but we need to get her medical attention right now if she’s got any hope of anatomic regeneration,” Teftek insisted, as he caught Inlojem’s eyes. Inlojem knew they did not have the tools to cure her of a shade’s plague - even the minimal vaccines they carried would not work against such serious gashes.
But a cure was not what she desired. He arose with the female Vesh in his arms and brought her to Teftek’s tent. The soldiers stared at the tent as Teftek and Aljefta worked on her while Inlojem sat in silence next to her. All the soldiers could see were their silhouettes, but they were still immersed with curiosity, caught up by the lure of a female form out here among the wastes. Iogi stood behind them, and stared into the meadow, the only one watching for the Shades.
Inlojem watched Teftek and Aljefta carefully remove the young Necrologist's cloak and place it in Inlojem’s hands. He felt her blood seep through it, down across his own coat. Across her was splattered the invisible blood of the Shade that she had undoubtedly slain, given the amount of its blood on her. It made parts of her blend into the tent behind her, until it was wiped away and her pale skin was revealed.
She bore old scars and wounds that far outnumbered her new ones. These scars were all over her body - a testament to the battle-strength of her being. Her breasts were uneven, one having been severed and replaced with one that had regenerated through a patch of sewn together skin. Although she had all her fingers, her left hand, the one with which she blocked, boasted two crooked fingers that had regenerated when they were severed. The skin around the base of those knuckles was a different white than the skin of those new, flimsy digits.
These lacerations and scars maneuvered between the tribal tattoos
She was a Necrologist.
She collapsed into Inlojem’s arms and he caught her, looking back at Teftek with astonished eyes as he held her. It was like a miracle had fallen to him from the sky. Her hand feebly grabbed for him as she mumbled incoherently. She began to convulse in his arms, but he gripped her by the back of her neck and by her torso and held her body rigid, like he had with Iogi before, keeping her awake in his arms.
“What happened?” he asked her, hearing Teftek and Aljefta rush to his side. The other soldiers lowered their weapons and beheld her female form like frightened, curious children.
“Shades,” she sputtered, as violet blood trailed from her lips and the gashes along her sides and stomach. Teftek and Aljefta attempted to guide her away from Inlojem, but his grasp was tight, and her hands pushed the two soldiers away. His wide, brazen eyes kept on hers, as he jostled her to keep her awake.
Teftek tried to rip the hide-sewn cloak and she reflexively yanked herself away from Inlojem and punched Teftek backward. She hissed at him, showing her bloody teeth, and fell back into Inlojem’s lap.
As Teftek nursed his lip, Inlojem told him
“She is a Necrologist- this hide is made out of her kills.”
“Well, we’ll have to get it off of her if she wants to be patched up,” Teftek advised.
“Do you require…sacrifice?” Inlojem asked her calmly, as her head tilted this way and that, and her body writhed in pain. She snapped out of her trance and grabbed the back of Inlojem’s neck, pressing her thumb deep into his throat.
“NO!” She commanded. “Strip me, but do not dare sacrifice me here…I must live…through…The Prophecy,” she gurgled through a mouthful of blood and collapsed in his arms completely, losing consciousness from the sheer agony of her wounds.
“Come on - get her into the tent, and we’ll treat her. You can take the robes off, but we need to get her medical attention right now if she’s got any hope of anatomic regeneration,” Teftek insisted, as he caught Inlojem’s eyes. Inlojem knew they did not have the tools to cure her of a shade’s plague - even the minimal vaccines they carried would not work against such serious gashes.
But a cure was not what she desired. He arose with the female Vesh in his arms and brought her to Teftek’s tent. The soldiers stared at the tent as Teftek and Aljefta worked on her while Inlojem sat in silence next to her. All the soldiers could see were their silhouettes, but they were still immersed with curiosity, caught up by the lure of a female form out here among the wastes. Iogi stood behind them, and stared into the meadow, the only one watching for the Shades.
Inlojem watched Teftek and Aljefta carefully remove the young Necrologist's cloak and place it in Inlojem’s hands. He felt her blood seep through it, down across his own coat. Across her was splattered the invisible blood of the Shade that she had undoubtedly slain, given the amount of its blood on her. It made parts of her blend into the tent behind her, until it was wiped away and her pale skin was revealed.
She bore old scars and wounds that far outnumbered her new ones. These scars were all over her body - a testament to the battle-strength of her being. Her breasts were uneven, one having been severed and replaced with one that had regenerated through a patch of sewn together skin. Although she had all her fingers, her left hand, the one with which she blocked, boasted two crooked fingers that had regenerated when they were severed. The skin around the base of those knuckles was a different white than the skin of those new, flimsy digits.
These lacerations and scars maneuvered between the tribal tattoos
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