S1 E11 - Stay Alive [Season 1 Finale]

S1 Episode 11: Stay Alive

Intro & News

Calling all adventurers, I repeat, Calling all adventurers.

I am pleased to report that the issues raised last week have thankfully been resolved.

The Duskmere children have been recovered alive. A little shaken up, but alive. If the party responsible for saving them could drop by The Tower, I promised you an increased payout if you pulled it off, and I always keep my word.

Regarding the warband approaching Fellharrow, the heroes responsible for clearing that mess up made it there ahead of schedule. They helped rally the townsfolk into an acceptable militia before assisting them in repelling the invaders. They are going to trace the warbands trail and see where they came from. They have already gotten into contact with me, and requested their additional payment be given to the townsfolk to help rebuild after the attack. Worry not, I'll arrange to have that money transported there. For now, good hunting.

Besides that, we don't have any more notices today and I'm not expecting any more, so like usual, we'll skip the break in the middle.

Ready yourselves, as we are jumping back in right when it kicks off. And fair warning, this one is gonna be stressful and a little gory.

Story Start

The bone spike launched by the creature sailed toward Val as she turned to face it. I knew it would pierce her through the chest, killing her instantly if I didn't do anything. My perception of time had nearly ground to a halt, but my body would only move so fast. I had to be quick and concise, I had to move without fear or deliberation.

I reached out and slammed my palms closed over the projectile as hard as I could, stopping it dead in its trail. I had successfully grabbed it and time picked back up again. Val glanced at the spike, and then at me, seemingly unable to comprehend the speed I had moved at. We had that in common.

Then I felt the warmth flooding through my fingers. I looked up and saw blood. I reactively dropped the spike which clattered to the wooden floor. I saw the sharp spiral ridge coiling down its length stained red with bloody handprints. I looked to my palms.

Host: "Oh, no!"

Four long, deep cuts ran across my palms, blood seeped from the wounds and I felt the sensation in my fingers begin to wane as a numbness took over each of my digits. My pulse thumped in my temples.

I looked up at Val, who had managed to snap out of the stupor quickly. She stretched her arm past me with splayed fingers as though she was reaching out to the creature. But a focused fury was clear in her eyes as she clenched her fist with enough force that I heard the joints in her hand pop from the strain.

I felt energy pour out of her hand as chunks of the wooden floorboards from around the creature were ripped upward and banisters were torn from their places. A thousand pieces of splintered wood rushed into the beast's lumbering form in an instant. But it barely reacted. It was almost as though the beast was ethereal. I expected it to shred into dust or at least cry out in pain, but all I heard was-

Monster: "Kill me again."

Val: "Damnit, I'm trying!"

Val's face took on a more disturbing expression as her fury had now melded into an angry disgust. I could tell she was as annoyed by the beast as she was afeared of it.

She took a deep breath and re-extended her arm. 

She pointed her index and little fingers; I knew what was coming. But before I could look away, a bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips. A reprise from the spell in the sewers, not quite as powerful given how quickly she cast it, but still a devastating display of power.

I blinked the dark crooked lines from my vision and glanced at the beast, expecting naught but a charred corpse. Instead, I saw it writhing in pain...but still alive. Some of the darkness had cleared likely due to the attack, and the beast's torso was somewhat visible. Stretched pale skin with red veins sizzled from the power but bubbling flesh covered the fresh marks, healing them in a matter of moments.

Val: "Oh that is not good. We have got to go! Are you listening? We- we can't beat this thing outright! It's already healing and we need to hide!"

Val's words snapped me out of my trance as she rattled my sword in front of my face. I quickly surveyed the area and saw the civilians had been drawn out of their buildings, likely as a result of the alarm bell.  The creature took almost no notice of them. Its gaze was locked on us.

It stared at me, and I at it. A mutual understanding formed between us in that moment. By this night's end, one of us would be dead.

Val: "Everyone into the mess hall! Now!"

I broke eye contact and watched everyone turn and sprint to follow Val's instructions. We followed suit. Lenna and the research team were barely a second ahead of us as. Two more bone spikes struck the wall beside my head as I ducked through the doorway.

Expeditioners slammed the doors shut behind us, as two more dragged a bookshelf down to block the entrance.

Lenna stepped forward, surely about to ask what was going on but Val stepped in to cut her off with intense authority.

Val: "That thing is from the forest. It followed us here and we don't know what it is. Everyone needs to stay inside, stay low and stay quiet while we handle it. Understood?"

Val looked out to the crowd of people huddled inside the mess hall. They each gave a timid nod and huddled low to the ground, whispering to each other fearfully.

Val turned to face me.

Val: "First things first. Give me your hands."

I held out my shaking palms and Val took them gently to inspect the wounds. She turned my hands over in hers and did frustratingly little to hide the concerned grimace forming on her face.

Val: "Those are pretty deep. How does it feel?"

Host: "I'm not too sure yet."

Val: "What does that mean?"

Host: "When I was born, there was a problem with my nerves. I couldn't feel any pain until I was in my teens and even now it's dulled."

Val: "I've seen you complain of an aching back."

Host: "Well, yes. It's complicated and I don't really understand. Sometimes things hurt and sometimes they don't. I'm afraid that's the most explanation you'll get from me."

Val: "That's...okay. Right, can you move your fingers? Gently now."

I calmly flexed each of my digits, they were responding properly but-

Host: "I can move them but I'm losing feeling. The sensation of your touch is fading."

Val: "Okay, that's better news than you think. You've severed the nerves in your fingers but your tendons are intact. You should retain full mobility of your hands, but you're going to lose a lot of the feeling in them."

I was trying to look on the bright side but I was drawing a blank.

Val: "We won't know how bad it is for a while. Best we can do right now is try to patch you up."

Val picked a clean apron from a shelf and cut it into strips with my sword, before tightly wrapping the fabric around my wounds.

I looked away from my hands and did a visual sweep of the room full of shaking, crying civilians. It began to truly dawn on me how this increasingly treacherous clusterfuck was entirely mine and Val's problem to solve. We were hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement or reinforcements. This was our responsibility and we'd started off on a really bad foot.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do; how I was going to fix it.

[SFX loud bang]

The sudden noise startled me. The creature was trying to get inside.

Val and I pushed up against the bookshelf in an attempt to keep the beast back.

[SFX bang]

That thing was strong. It was a miracle the door and bookshelf didn't turn to splinters between us with every strike. Yet they continued to hold. Another lucky break.

Val: "What do we do? We can't keep this up all night."

I took a deep breath and tried to force a calm over my mind. When inspiration fails, fall back on process.

[SFX bang]

Host: "Let's evaluate and figure this out. We need to know what we're dealing with before we can know how to. What do we know?"

Val: "It's the same creature from the forest."

Host: "Hid from sight, hard to identify physical traits."

Val: "Tricked us by getting to the Shallowlands ahead of us."

Host: "Showcasing higher intelligence than most monsters."

Val: "Can launch projectiles. Likely has other abilities we don't know about."

Host: "Generates dark smoke to conceal itself."

[SFX bang]

Host: "Conceal itself? If anything it gave it away. If it weren't for the smoke I might not have noticed it in the forest."

Val: "Which could mean the smoke doesn't conceal it, it protects it from something. Maybe from physical harm? It shrugged off my first spell with nary a flinch."

Host: "Your second spell got a much better reception. But that might make sense. Lightning is a massive burst of heat and light, right?"

Val: "Right. So what if it wasn't the heat that hurt it, but the light? Now that I think of it, the only thing it has consistently hidden from is the light. It hid in the trees until dawn, then under the platform during the day. It has only come out again now the sun started to set."

Host: "That makes sense, but it doesn't bode well as we've just hit nightfall. We won't be seeing the sun for 12 hours. We aren't surviving that long. We could try and burn it out. Start a big fire."

Val: "In a nearly entirely wooden research station? We'd all be in trouble before the creature was."

Host: "What about your magic? Can you do another attack?"

Val: "That lightning bolt was the biggest spell I've got that produces light. I doubt my little orb is going to do enough to it to warrant the effort."

Val: "Wait, what about Lenna's orb? That thing absorbs ambient magic and produces some facsimile of sunlight. What would happen if I poured everything I've got into it and we released it all at once. It wouldn't destroy any structures-"

Host: "But it could be enough to blast the creature away."

Val: "Could it?"

Val asked while glancing toward the lead researcher and creator of the orb. Lenna gave a silent but frantic nod, unwilling to make a sound and draw attention.

The banging against the door had stopped. I listened carefully and could hear its mumbling fade as it retreated from the door. Clearly it was up to something.

Val and I confirmed to each other with a look that we wouldn't stop holding the door, just in case.

Val: "Then that's the plan. We get the orb, charge it up, lure that thing to it and blast it into dust. But there are complications we need to work out now ahead of time."

Host: "Like what?"

Val: "There are two things to consider. If we ignite that ball with as much magic as I can fit in it, There's a good chance it will permanently blind us both when it releases."

Host: "Then we close our eyes?"

Val: "A good enough suggestion. But I don't trust that I can line up the blast without visual confirmation. I need to see the beast in front of me to make sure I activate it at the right time. We'll only have one shot at this, we cant afford to make a mistake. We can't do this in half measures. We've seen how that thing can heal, we need to ensure the entirety of the creature is caught in the blast."

Host: "Then you need to have your eyes open. Which will likely blind you. Unless-oh-the-uh-the thing-the forge mask! It could be enough to protect your vision when the orb goes off."

Val's eyes lit up. I turned to find the Smithy's apprentice in the huddled crowd.

Host: "Smithy girl. Do you have your forge mask?"

The girl nodded and then patted her sides down, attempting to reach for something that just wasn't there. She looked back up at me with tears welling in her eyes.

She didn't have it on her.

Host: "Shit. Is it back in the forge?"

She tearfully nodded.

Host: "It's okay. We'll figure it out."

I said it but it felt like a lie to protect the young Smithy's feelings. If I wanted that mask, I had to go get it.

I turned back to Val.

Host: "Okay. Here's the plan. We're gonna split up-"

Val: "Bad idea. Always a bad idea to split the party. It makes things so much more difficult."

Host: "Well tough. Hear me out. We split up and you go to the orb. Drag it into the safety of the laboratory and start pouring everything you've got into it. While you're doing that, I'm going to distract the beast, drawing it away from you while I head to the forge to grab the mask. I'll keep it busy for you and then lure it to you afterwards."

Val paused, considering something, staring into the space between us.

Val: "You could die."

Her words cut clean through me.

I could die. I knew that. Of course I knew that. Or did I? Was I actually just aware of the concept of dying, but never one to believe that it would actually happen to me?

Dead. Done. Finished.

Was I willing to commit to that? I've been in a few scrapes before but there was at least the chance that someone else could help. Guards in the cities and towns who may put the beer down and lend an assist...but not here.

Then again, what option did I really have?

If I did nothing. The creature would get in eventually and then what? Attack it with spells that didn't work? Swing a sword at it and hope for the best?

I glanced back out to the huddling civilians...and I knew the answer.

Host: "I'm ready."

Val: "You're sure?"

She asked as I looked into her eyes. The look she gave me felt like she was pleading with me to take the choice away from her.

Host: "Yes. I'm sure. This is the job, no? Either we die in here for sure, or we take that one small chance to pull this off."

Val nodded solemnly.

[SFX glass smash]

A bone spike shot through the window at the back of the room. It sailed over the civilians heads and embedded into the bookcase right between my legs.

Val: "Cover the windows!"

Val's command forced a selection of people to their feet. I watched from my position by the front door as they dragged display cabinets and upended tables in front of every other door and window in the room.

Host: "I can't believe we didn't think about the windows."

I looked at Val with a bewildered grin.

Host: "That was close."

Her gaze didn't leave the spike between my legs.

Val: "It was more than close."

Confused; my focus shot downward. She was right. It wasn't close.

It had hit me, and torn a chunk of flesh off on my inner left calf.

Blood began to pour. I couldn't take my eyes away as dread filled my heart. I could see the blood pumping out of the ripped tissue.

I fell back against the bookcase and slid to the floor.

Val: "Oh shit. Shit. SHIT!"

A pool of blood began to form around my leg, soaking my trousers.

I looked at Val as she tore another apron apart barehanded this time. She packed the wound and tried to wrap it tightly, but her blood-soaked hands were shaking, causing her to fumble.

We had officially run out of time. If we didn't want this to get worse, we had to act.

Host: "Val. We have to move. We've chosen our option but we're running out of time to enact it. Help me up."

Val tightened the wrapping on my leg and offered a hand, bringing me to my feet.

Val: "Okay. Let's do this."

Host: "Me first. Wait 10 seconds, then you."

She nodded, and I grabbed the bookcase, pulled it clear from the door and drew my sword. My fingers were finally hurting.

I gripped the handle and took a few deep breaths that didn't feel like they fully filled my lungs. I wasn't going to die there but if I wanted to live, I'd have to fight for it.

I lingered with shaking hands and sinking heart.

Host: "This is the job."

Val: "This is the job."

I pushed through the fear and shoved open the doors as I rushed through into the open courtyard.

Monster: "Kill me again."

I half turned my head to look toward the sound but kept running. The creature was on top of the mess hall. I had to lure it away somehow. I could see the door to the forge but I was still maybe 100 feet away.

Host: "Over here! Come on! You wanna go? Let's go!"

[SFX thunk]

A bone spike struck the ground beside me. Thankfully its aim wasn't great for moving targets, but I wouldn't be so lucky every time.

I could feel the blood filling up my boot.

In the blink of an eye, the creature flew at me, leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake. It was a truly horrifying moment to see how fast it was. Lengthy silhouetted claws drove down toward me. It would tear me apart with a single strike.

[SFX heartbeat]

As a mass of stress and fear flooded my body, that familiar feeling struck me again. Like a lightning bolt straight to my heart. I stepped forward with the intent to leap ahead and avoid the strike. Instead, I felt the wooden board beneath my foot splinter as tremendous power washed over me. The distance between me and the door to the forge seemed to stretch and contort. I was simultaneously still 60 feet away and right in front of it.

I would have brushed it off as a stress induced hallucination had my next step not delivered me to the door. I had traveled 60 feet almost instantaneously. Unfortunately, I landed on my left foot which shifted in my blood filled boot, causing me to topple over and slam into the closed doors with enough force to smash them free from the latch. The momentum I had somehow built up carried me further into the room where I crashed through a wooden table.

I laid there for a second, my body heavy and throbbing with pain. I could see the beast closing in from where I had been standing previously and I had no idea where my sword was now, I must have dropped it in the moment. I'd performed an amazing feat that I simply didn't have time to think about.

I dragged myself back up, shut what remained of the doors and slid a large chest of drawers over to reinforce them.

[SFX bang]

The beast was already upon me again. I couldn't stop or rest. No time to analyse the situation or anything happening in it.

I began searching the countertops for the mask. Moving ingots and tools, brushing papers aside.

Host: "Come on. Come on! Where are you?"

The door was nearly splinters. From the corner of my eye, I saw a twisted, malformed limb punch through and begin tearing at the drawers.

Host: "Damn it. Focus. Don't look at the door. Look for the mask. Don't look at the do-"

There!

I saw it resting on a wall hook and snatched it up. I spun around to see the beast burst through the drawers and enter the forge. I pulled the mask down and tightened the strap right as a claw struck my face. I felt the mask's steel edges cut into my cheekbones as it protected me from the brunt of the attack. Even with the added protection, the force of the hit still threw me backward, nearly flipping my entire body. For a moment I was weightless as I hurtled through the air.

My ribs struck the forge's stone chimney but my momentum didn't stop. I bounced off and crashed into a wooden wall, cracking the planks behind me.

I dropped to the floor, collapsing to my knees as my vision went blurry and the breath was forced from my lungs. Pain radiated through me. I couldn't imagine what state I'd have been in if I could feel all that damage properly.

I doubled over. I had never been this hurt before. I had never been this close to death. I felt I was balancing on the tip of a blade.

Was this all still going poorly? Or was this the best case scenario of a situation that should have claimed my life minutes ago?

My heart hammered against my ribs as I desperately caught my breath. I was in dire straights, but I couldn't stop my lips stretching into a small wry smile. An ugly joy twisted in my core as I lifted my head and heaved out a cackle...I was ashamed at how alive I felt.

Once again I dug deep and once again I found the strength to stand. Clutching my side, I peered through sweat matted hair, kept from my eyes by the forge mask's lenses.

I didn't know how long it had been since I had stepped out of the mess hall. One minute, maybe two? I needed to be sure that Val had had enough time to charge the orb. This thing was beating the hell out of me and I didn't have the means to make a dent in it.

I watched the beast finish climbing through the hole. It stood tall, on all fours now leaving its burning eyes level with mine.

My right hand dropped from my ribs to my side and I pulled my focus to the mark on my wrist.

Host: "What now?"

Monster: "Kill me again."

Host: "Ah, I knew you'd say that."

The beast and I leapt at each other. I clenched my fist and felt the hilt of the Black Dog in my grasp. I swung wide. Black blood filled my vision as I felt the blade connect with the beasts torso. Its claw made contact with the top of my head, forcing my chin into my chest.

I went dizzy, but was still conscious so I continued to push  against the blade with all my might. The jagged edge carved a barbarous line of death through the beast's mottled flesh. I could feel it giving, as the blade made its way further into the mass.

I couldn't hold it in, all the power transferred from my swing into the beast and it launched clean through the forge's wooden wall.

I heard it crash into the water below as I pitched forward onto the floor.

Was it dead? That attack would have killed anything else, but with this creature I wasn't sure.

Laying crumpled on the floor as somehow even more blood began to run down my head, I listened for movement.

[SFX water moving]

Host: "Oh, gods be damned. You're still alive out there."

Monster: "Bring me back"

Host: "Oh, shut up!"

I pressed the tip of the blade into the floor and tried to use it to stand. But it was too sharp and slipped through the wooden floorboard, dropping me back down into a heap. All the strength fled my body like rats on a sinking ship.

I stared at the growing pool of blood on the floor around me. I felt it running down my head, under the mask and into my right eye but I didn't even have it in me to blink.

Host: "I...think I'm dying."

I laid there. I was more wound than man at that point. I had been thoroughly brutalised and I was losing blood at an increasingly alarming rate.

But I was still alive.

And if I was alive, then there was still a chance.

Host: "I just need to stay alive."

I hauled myself to all fours, and began to crawl.

I had to keep moving. No matter what.

I left the Black Dog behind and kept crawling. Then I brought my knees up and pushed myself into a walk...or a walk adjacent shuffle.

All I could think was to keep going. I felt the Black Dog return to my palm and with it I regained a semblance of strength.

I broke into a staggered, limping jog.

The few steps it took to get to Laboratory one felt more like hours of torture. I think I blacked out at one point because a portion of that jog is missing when I try to remember it.

Even so, I didn't stop. I fell against the door of the Lab, twisted the handle with stinging fingers and stumbled inside.

A calm washed over me as I saw Val knelt by the orb in the middle of the room. Her palms placed against it, I could see she was also exhausted. If one lightning bolt was enough to bring her to her knees in the sewers, I couldn't imagine what doing that continuously for 3 minutes would feel like.

She looked up at me.

Val: "Oh gods. Are you still alive?"

Host: "I'm not sure but we'll figure it out later. How is it going?"

I asked, while fumbling to close the door. I didn't have the strength to push anything against it. We would have to make do.

Val: "I've damn near put piece of my very soul into this. Every bit of magic that my body regenerates gets funnelled straight in. The second I take my hands off this its going to get really bright in here. I see you got the mask. Put it on me."

I stumbled over and tried to reach for the strap on the mask, but I didn't have the strength to lift my arms. I tried to force them, but the that pain shot from my ribs and back doubled me over.

Host: "I can't. My body isn't working properly."

Val thought for a moment.

Val: "Alright, I can't take my hands off this so I'll keep my eyes shut and you put your hand on my shoulder. When the beast gets inside, and I mean fully inside, squeeze and I'll let go. Does that work?"

Host: "I can manage that."

I'll be honest, I didn't know if I could have managed that but I could feel the magic radiating off of the sphere in waves. We'd have to go ahead with the plan regardless. I placed my shredded palm on Val's shoulder.

Monster: "Kill me again."

Val: "Let's do this thing. HEY STUPID, WE'RE IN HERE!"

[SFX bang]

That got its attention.

With the same ferocious vigour as in the forge, the creature clawed its way inside, tearing chunks of the door away like it was made of parchment.

Its arm and head made it inside. Still obfuscated by that hideous smoke.

The other arm and torso followed.

Host: "Not yet."

It stared us down as it scrambled to drag its legs inside.

Host: "Just a little longer."

Val's eyes remained closed. Her head was down but with the few functioning nerves left in my hand, I could feel her shaking.

The beast pulled it's legs inside. It stayed still for a moment, but I was familiar with its instincts now. With every ounce of strength I had I forced my hand to squeeze on Val's shoulder, correctly anticipating the creature would leap to us, and leap it did.

By the time my brain had signaled for my hand to move, the creature was already half way toward us, suspended in the air.

My eyes were wide as Val's hands pulled back from the orb by barely a millimetre, and the light show began.

A blinding white glow grew with vicious intensity, filling the room. I watched as the smoke burned away.

The mask's tinted lenses gave me a few more moments of sight, and I glimpsed the beasts true form. Twisted sinewy limbs covered in ill fitting stretched skin of mottled red veins. I could see the burning hatred in its eyes. I could see the tattered remnants of blue fabrics melded into its flesh. The face was hideously gaunt and deformed, but I still knew I'd seen that face before.

It all made sense now. The vendetta it held, the words it kept saying.

I knew why those words bothered me so much.

I'd heard them before. Hadn't I, Tranter?

You were right. You had every right to be afraid of your masters. You failed them and they turned you into a nightmare for it.

There was no moment of recognition, no peaceful expression took hold of his warped face as the light consumed him.

I watched him turn to ash in a fraction of a second, right before I had to shield my own eyes from the strain.

As soon as it started, it was over.

Stumbling backwards in defense, I half expected some part of Tranter to make it through the light and reach me. But nothing did.

Ash and dust filled the room before it too dissipated into nothingness. I heard something metal clatter to the ground.

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to clear the dots swarming my vision. Glancing downward, I spied Val's knife laying on the floor a few feet ahead of us. The one she had left embedded in Tranter's head, that we had had neither the time nor inclination to retrieve.

Val shuffled over and picked it up. Her head whipped around to me. Of course she recognised her own blade, and she knew instantly what it meant.

All I could do was give a faint nod, but as my head tilted downward, the rest of my body seemed to follow it. I couldn't hold on any more. I collapsed to the floor with a hard thud that I heard, but couldn't feel.

Consciousness slipped from my grasp so quickly that it would have frightened me had I the wherewithal to recognise what was happening.

I tumbled into the dark, dizzy and tired. Perhaps to never wake again.

[Music]

But of course, I did wake again.

Slowly, my eyes flickered open. It took me a few minutes to acclimate to being awake, as though I was coming out of hibernation.

Blurry eyed, and aching body, I surveyed my surroundings. I struggled to move. My body barely responded when I tried to sit up, so instead I focused on turning my head. The first thing I saw was the cover of a book, then the hands holding it, then Val's focused face reading from the other side.

I strained to speak.

Host: "What's happening?"

Val quickly sat up and threw her book to the side.

Val: "Yes! You're awake! Here have some water."

Gently, she poured the contents of a waterskin into my mouth. Water never tasted so good. It cleared my throat and energized me enough to sit up on my own.

Host: "What's the situation? How long have I been asleep?"

Val: "You've been slipping in and out of consciousness for about three days."

Three whole days? That was surprising. I still felt awful.

Host: "Is everyone okay?"

Val: "Yes, you idiot. You're literally the only person who got injured."

Host: "A job well done then."

Val: "I will hit you."

Host: "Okay, room for improvement. But I'm glad they're safe."

Val: "Everyone is safe, but you really fucking scared me for a bit there. I can manage a cut or two, but you were injured far worse than I really knew how to handle. But you got lucky. Turns out Lenna has studied a few fields over her many years, one of which was medicine. She's no surgeon, but we managed to patch you up to a pretty good standard."

I pulled myself up a bit further and sat upright.  I caught my reflection in a full length mirror. Listeners, I'll be honest; I looked like shit. Covered nearly head to toe in lightly bloodied bandages.

Host: "Okay, can you give me the rundown. Be straight with me. No sugar coating."

Val leant back and took a deep breath in preparation.

Val: "Okay. Firstly, you suffered a concussion, that much is obvious. Might not seem bad, but I cannot state how dangerous concussions are so I'm going to be monitoring your condition for a while to make sure there are no lasting effects. Next, the nerves in your hands are badly damaged. Lenna tried to repair what she could but in 18 months if the feeling hasn't come back fully, it never will. However, as we suspected, your tendons are fine, so you'll retain full use. The top of your head was split open. Luckily, the skull is pretty tough, so the wound was superficial. Your leg was largely a flesh wound, lots of blood and slight muscle damage, but you should be able to fully recover mobility with some gentle rehabilitation. The wound did get gangrenous, and for a day we got very worried we'd have to take the leg, but with some treatment you made an incredibly fast recovery."

It was a strange feeling, reckoning with a panic for an injury that was already recovering. The very idea that taking my leg came up set an unease in me that was hard to shake.

Val: "Amazingly, despite the beating you took, you hadn't broken a single bone. Which lead to another discovery. We've figured out why you're so heavy. Your muscle and bone density is many times higher than the average person. It also explains why you're so strong. Now, your mother's family history wouldn't explain that, but maybe your father's does. Are you positive you don't know what he is?"

Host: "I'm sorry. I never thought to ask. But I could write home and ask mum. She might know."

Val: "Okay. Well, its not that important I guess, but it would certainly sate my own curiosity."

Next to the mirror, there were several items on a table.

Host: "What's that?"

I asked, nodding toward them.

Val: "These are your gifts from the people here."

Val smiled and walked over to pick them up.

First thing she showed me were replacement clothes.

Val: "There's a few things but first, some new threads. Since your old ones were...well they were destroyed. Soaked in blood and/or torn to pieces. Many of the expeditioners are tailors, smithies, leatherworkers and the like. They all chipped in to reoutfit you."

Of course, we were here facilitating the creation of a settlement after all. It would make sense they'd all have these skills. She cycled through, showing each piece to me.

Val: "These are from the tailor and leatherworker."

She held up new dark brown trousers, sturdier and more durable than my old ones, and an ivory coloured shirt. Following that, she held up two separate bundles of leather straps and metal rings.

One turned out to be a belt to go with the trousers. Crafted from thick, dark leather, it buckled snug at the waist, but from a glance, I could observe the utility of its dual design. On the left side, a reinforced loop rode low on the hip perfectly fitted to cradle the scabbard of a sword. On the right, slightly lower down, a second connected strap wrapped around the thigh, securing a tight sheath for a dagger, angled forward for a reverse grip pull.

The other piece was some kind of leather harness that crisscrossed the wearers back, designed to fit snug under a cloak or coat. The rig bore a series of smaller pouches that rested beneath the arms, along the ribs. It was much like my swords back holster, but more streamlined.

I saw a new pair of boots leant by the table as Val put the belts down and lifted a coat that touched the ground even as she heaved to lift it up.

Val: "This was crafted by the pair of them together."

The coat hung heavy, falling to the calves with weighty brown fabric. It was thick, tightly woven, and clearly built to last longer than my previous. The material was stiff, still fresh from the hands of the craftsman, yet to be softened with use. Broad panels of dark oiled leather had been stitched neatly across the shoulders and upper back, reinforced for protection. On the inside, there were several sewn compartments and pockets. A high collar framed the neck, stiff enough to repel wind or flame. There were no frills, no ornate flourishes; it was pure practicality. A well balanced piece of gear, bearing tight and exact stitching.

To this day, these were some of the finest gifts I'd ever receive.

Host: "Incredible. I'm genuinely touched. What wonderful gifts."

Val: "That's not all. There was something else, that the Smithy's Apprentice cooked up for you."

Val sighed with relief as she placed the coat on the bed. She then presented me with something a little surprising.

Gently cupped in Val's hands, as though she were presenting at an art gallery, was a sinister black forge mask.

Val: "Your face was the only part of you  that had barely any injuries. A slight cut from the edges of the ill fitting mask, but otherwise, intact. I don't yet know how I feel about this thing. It gives me the creeps a little, but I love the symbolism."

This one was striking in comparison. It was bigger, clearly designed to fit my face rather than the young Smithy's. It looked as though it was forged from nightmares. Its surface resembled stretched wrought iron, matte and dark, with warped textures like twisted metal pulled thin by unnatural hands. It's didn't have a mouth, just stretched metal. But It's countenance still bore a bizarre expression, like thinly veiled rage. In place of the eyes, were two circular black lenses staring out. Etched into the forehead and over the eyes, was a golden sun. In contrast to the black steel, it was not decorative but declarative.

It was the very sunburst that our Tower Array now bears as its emblem.

Val: "She admits, she got experimental with it. She said it was representative of how we killed the monster. Apparently they could see the light even from the mess hall. What do you think?"

Host: "It's hideous. I absolutely adore it."

Val: "I haven't even shown you the best bit."

Val handled the mask, and then pressed on a hidden release catch along the jawline. The eyes of the mask came free from the inside. Val was now holding the eyeless mask, and circular-framed, black-lensed glasses.

Val: "She said the glasses would be more practical on sunny days than the full mask. Don't want you giving nightmares to every child that sees you."

That was remarkably impressive. That Smithy kid was a genius.

Val: "They also made me a new tunic, which I adore. Oh, do you want to try this stuff on?"

I shifted on the bed and a bolt of pain shot through my arm. I'd clearly torn the muscles in it when I swung at the beast in the forge. Perhaps it was best to play it safe for a bit.

Host: "I think I'm gonna get some more sleep for now."

Val: "Good plan. I'll let everyone know you're doing better."

Val placed the mask down, spun on her heels and near danced out of the room, a weight clearly lifted.

I settled back down and fell asleep.

Val and I spent two more weeks at the Shallowlands station. Not only to afford me more time to heal up, but also to ensure no other beasties were coming. I enjoyed resting and my wounds were healing nicely, much faster than predicted, allowing us to seriously consider leaving the station a whole month ahead of schedule. By the end of our second week, I was fit enough to move unassisted. I felt a lot of my strength returning, which was a substantial relief.

Eventually, the day came. We were as sure as we'd ever be that the station was safe and bid the research team farewell. We departed back along the platform, donning new gear with pockets full of coin.

As Val and I sat on the platform, we talked at length about what was to come.

Host: "So, where are we headed?"

Val: "If you want to get a thing or know a thing, you go to the capital. We'll pass through Varfell forest quickly. If we get to Pelsted in three days, we can take the train to Solumm, then get another to Sistia. Provided nothing goes wrong, we'll be there in 5 days tops."

I adjusted my glasses.

Host: "Well, now you've said that something IS gonna go wrong."

[The pair share a nervous chuckle]

Val: "Anyway, it should be smooth sailing once we're on the train. Quick and easy with none of this camping nonsense. We can relax for a bit."

Host: "And once we're in Sistia?"

Val: "Once we reach the capital, the work begins again. We've got to find someone who knows anything about Helar. Whatever he did to turn Tranter into that...thing. Well that's no easy feat. Power like that is hard to hide, so someone is bound to know something."

What happened to Tranter. The thought of it made me sick to my stomach. What if Helar did that to us? No. I couldn't think about it. I couldn't let the fear dissuade me.

We were already on Helar's shit list, and now after that stunt he was officially on ours. We'd find out how to bring him down, one way or another. Once it was done, I'd finally be able to rest easy.

Taking down a mythically powerful criminal mastermind and his expansive network of monsters and mercenaries with seemingly unlimited resources.

How hard could it be?

Host: "This is the job, huh?"

Val: "This is the job."

[Music] 

Outro

That's all for now, folks.

Many people have wondered over the years, how I found the strength to keep going in those bleak times. Well, I can only give so much advice, but for me the key was to stay alive.

Things can seem pretty bad, but so long as you're alive, there's always a chance things will get better. All while you draw breath, you haven't lost. You get back up, and you get back to it.

That's the job.

I'm gonna have to call it and let you know that we are taking a short break from operations as The Tower is undergoing some much needed renovations.

If you want to find out how the next leg of our journey fared, stay tuned. These broadcasts will return sounding better than ever in a few months.

For now, however, you've had enough excitement for one day.

Time to turn in.

Everyone at The Tower Array thanks you for listening.

Until next time, adventurers.

Rest well and good hunting.