Chapter 67 – Blood Poison

  “Should we go?” Rayne asked.

  “They sent the signal to retreat,” Daniel said.

  “I know but,” Rayne said.

  Sylvian shook her head. “He’s right. Clayton escaped and we won’t be much help soon. We are going to have to trust they can get out. Alzona will be waiting for us as well.”

  “He’ll continue to be a problem,” Reuf said uncertainly.

  “More reason to regroup,” Daniel said. “We disrupted his operation. This had to have set him back a little. Hopefully that will be enough for now.”

  “Very well,” Reuf said. “We retreat. If we are going to go, it should be now.”

  “Small groups?” Sia added. “Harder to spot.”

  “No, too dangerous,” Rayne shook her head.

  “We shouldn’t split up,” Elizabeth added.

  “We’ll stay together,” Daniel assured her. “I know I’m not the fastest, but I’ll try not to slow us down.”

  They faded into the jungle. The Wenduags had stopped throwing rocks and spiders at them now and no one was looking to see them go. Still, they followed a route they had chosen, leading away from the camp and their Settlement. They would keep to this path for a while before covering their tracks and returning to Phoenix.

  *~*

  “I’ll need help,” Zajowle said. “The place has two Wenduag guards, but we might be able to avoid them. The biggest issue is, they are unconscious, and I couldn’t get them to wake. We’ll have to carry them out.”

  “So, three of us then,” Elaine said. “One for each would be best.”

  “I can help with one,” Jack offered.

  “I can help as well,” Teresa said but Victor stopped her.

  “They’re going need someone if they get caught,” Teresa started to argue.

  “You should recover,” Victor said. “I don’t know what he tried doing to you, but I never seen you like that before. We’re all not in the best shape right now.”

  “If they need help then I’ll go,” Savgar offered. “I’m better off than either of you.”

  “No, you should head back with Victor and Teresa,” Jack shook his head. “They might need your help if something happens on the way back.”

  “I’m telling you I’m okay,” Teresa said.

  Elaine shook her head. “It will be safer for everyone if we move in small groups. Hopefully, we will be able to avoid a fight. We should be okay.”

  “I’ll be coming with you,” Ciao said jumping on Elaine’s shoulder. “I have to stay close to Jack anyways.”

  Zajowle looked around. “What about the Wenduags and spiders?”

  They looked at several Wenduags standing around. A few of the Wenduag were fighting off the effect of Jack’s poison but they were recovering fast. The more lucid of the Wenduags were starting to take off into the jungle followed closely by a stampede of spiders. The Wenduags scattered in every direction, but the spiders were all heading north. Jack hoped that meant they had managed to break their leash and were taking the opportunity to escape.

  But the spell didn’t break on all the beasts. Jack could see several of the Wenduags shaking off the confusion. They picked up their weapons and started to resume their attack.

  “If we are going to do this, we should go now,” Jack said. “I don’t think we will have a better chance than this.”

  “We’ll get back to the camp,” Victor told him. “But you better not leave us waiting.”

  “We won’t be far behind,” Elaine said.

  “Watch out for Clayton,” Savgar advised. “He won’t be done yet.”

  “Before you go,” Jack said. He cast a quick Mend on all of them. Their wounds were in the process of healing, but with Jack’s spell, he could see them visibly start to close. Within a few seconds the worst of their injuries were gone, and they were starting to look healthier.

  “We’ll be off then,” Savgar grunted.

  “Same,” Jack said.

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  Zajowle shifted away and Elaine and Jack followed as the three fighters took off back through the camp. Fire continued to burn around them, but Jack didn’t see anyone working to put out the flames. Zajowle led them up though the camp, quickly ascending the winding maze of haphazard structures and catwalks. He took them to a large building hidden at the back of the camp. Just as Zajowle said, two Wenduags stood guard at the entrance.

  “Should we take out the guards?” Jack asked.

  “Risk is too great,” Zajowle said. “The fighting might alert the others nearby.”

  “Also, we don’t want to draw more attention than we need to with Clayton still about,” Elaine said. “We should sneak in and sneak out.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Zajowle said.

  “Do we know if Clayton came this way?” Jack asked.

  “We do not,” Zajowle answered. “We should be prepared in case.”

  “At this point, I almost hope he is,” Elaine muttered.

  Zajowle shifted to the top of the building, followed immediately by Jack and Elaine. Zajowle cut a large hole into the leather so they could slip through easier. To Elaine’s disappointment, Clayton was not on the other side.

  Zajowle brought them past several of the rooms until they were standing in front of the three missing elves. As Zajowle had said, they were still unconscious. They each picked up an elf and left just as quickly as they arrived. Back on top of the hut, they planned their route.

  “Which direction should we go?” Jack asked.

  “Whatever is quickest out of the camp,” Elaine said. “Zajowle and I will have to focus on our normal movement skills for now. I don’t want to risk alerting the Wenduags and having them chase us. We can’t let them follow us back to Phoenix either.”

  “That is going to be tough,” Jack said. “My skills help reduce the traces I leave behind, but I don’t think it will eliminate everything. Especially, not while I’m carrying another.”

  “We will have to be careful,” Elaine said. “If we don’t move as fast, we might be able to hide our tracks better.”

  “We should go down through the fire,” Zajowle suggested. “The Wenduags and spiders will have left that area, and the smoke will give us cover and hide our escape. Keep your Barrier up.”

  “Okay, but just the normal fire,” Jack added. “Don’t go near any flame that is black and purple. I’m still learning how it works, but what I do know is it doesn’t just burn physically. It burns away magic as well.”

  “Darkness Aspects,” Ciao nodded. “It can absorb energy. Add it to fire, and you have an element with a unique appetite.”

  “That doesn’t sound great,” Jack said.

  “Another time,” Elaine said. “We need to go now.”

  “I can help,” Zephyr said flying down to join them. “I’ll clear a path for you.”

  “The others?” Elaine asked.

  “Already on their way back,” Zephyr said.

  *~*

  Clayton hurried back through the camp. The dagger was still stuck in his back and while it was there it continued to spread poison into him. The poison was aggressive and had he not already reached the first stage of Body cultivation, it might have been enough to kill him outright. If not kill, then bed rid him for days. Even now, he wasn’t sure if he could recover from it in time, but his only chance would be if he could remove the dagger.

  He could handle the physical effects of the poison, but the real issue was the way it ate at the Mana flowing through him. He tried to cast his Purge spell in an effort to cure the effects of the hemotoxin, but his Mana spasmed and disappeared within him as he tried to use it. He might have managed to use his switch ability to relocate, but that was before the effect of the poison had taken hold in him. Now it was like his own Mana was at war with him.

  Worse than that, he could feel the poison snapping at the threads that bound his pets to him. He was struggling to keep control as he felt the weight of hundreds of minds rebel against him at once. It was like they sensed his weakened state and they all chose that moment to try and break free. Already he had lost hundreds of spiders and dozens of his Wenduags.

  He chose to focus his effort on holding onto the beasts that really mattered. Every elite, every commander was worth hundreds of the weaker ones. So long as he continued to control those then he could regain the others in time, but he needed to get the dagger out first. He needed to regain control. He couldn’t lose now. Not like this. Not from some lucky coward with a kitchen knife.

  He made his way to his hut. His howler monkey was still there waiting for him. It was the oldest of his beasts and the one he had the most control over. He trusted it more than the Wenduags right now. This one hadn’t even tried to rebel.

  With a thought, he set the monkey to work. Clayton laid over his bed as the monkey worked to remove the dagger. It would have been better to have one of the Wenduag handle this, but he couldn’t trust them right now.

  The monkey tried to remove the dagger, but it struggled to pull it out. The lizard had managed to not only wedge the dagger at an angle that he couldn’t remove it himself, but it also made it so that it was held in place by his own muscles and bones. Was that luck or skill?

  Clayton gritted his teeth against the pain, as the monkey continued to work. After a minute of struggling though, he decided on a different tactic. Breaking his ribs and creating the gap needed for the monkey to finally pull the dagger out of him.

  With the dagger removed, Clayton could already feel his bones and wounds starting to knit themselves back together thanks to his Regenerate skill. He still had to wait a few more minutes as the poison began to break down and he trusted his Mana enough to try casting Purge again. Once he did, he was finally starting to feel his control come back to him. That had been too close. He would make them pay for what they did to him.

  Clayton stepped out of his tent summoning a captain to him. He had lost the majority of his creatures in that stunt, but he would soon have them back again. As the Wenduag appear, Clayton double check to make sure it was still under his control. Once he was satisfied the bindings were still in place, he started issuing commands.

  “Send out half the remaining elites,” Clayton said. “I want those people found and brought to me. If they resist, kill them. I’m done being nice. They pushed me too far. Some people just aren’t worth the effort. Get the others to put out the fire. We need to salvage what we can. This was planned, and I don’t think it was just to say hello. I want to know what they were planning and if they managed to accomplish it. Check the prisoners and find the Wenduags that ran.”

  “Sir,” the captain said. “Prison covered in black fire. Can’t go near.”

  “Fire is fire,” Clayton growled at the Wenduag. “Put it out and confirm if the elves are dead or gone. If they are dead, then whatever. Can’t do anything about that now. But if they escaped, I need to know, and I want to know where they went.”

  “Sir!” The captain thumped its chest in salute.

  Clayton watched him go. Looking down at the destruction of his camp, a deep hatred filling him. He would make them pay for this.