[SRP] Express Delivery (Zephyr x Tethys)

[Epine de Rose]

He had made it, albeit slowly and with the assistance of the hybrid who had recently joined his ranks. To say he was in considerable pain was an understatement, but at the very least he would be able to deliver the ingredients to his allies. Well, he could deliver them to some of his allies, just not all of them, which was a rather unfortunate thing as that would delay things just a touch. Still, some allies was better than none and he was fortunate that these particular allies would be able to patch him up (again) before he continued on his way to the Stormborn.

It was for this reason that he soon found himself hobbling down the garden 'path' to the Hlare compound where they were no doubt working. No sooner had he drawn near than he was hit by the overwhelming and very peculiar scents of the concoctions that they often cooked up. He could only imagine what they might be attempting to create at the moment - either it had something to do with more medicine, or they were working actively on his project.

For individuals who weren't in to warfare and weaponry, they still seemed to take everything in their strides. As Zephyr had said, while they may not actively participate, and they may have preferred neutrality, being involved would allow them to at least take precautions and develop the necessary antidotes should they ever be needed. For the perspective of the healers and the alchemists, this was something sensible to work on rather than to simply turn their nose up to.

...It was just as well really; up until now every single ally had encountered limited success. This was the first time in months that they had slowly begun to make progress!

Words: 301

 

[Epine de Rose]

"What in the hell happened to you?" Decorum went out the window as the lioness set down her herbs and marveled at the lion that was hobbling towards her. She'd seen injuries in her time but this really took the prize for the most extreme; she knew that any competent healer wouldn't be allowing him to move, at least not here. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if a Mwani came storming into the compound to demand that he be taken immediately to rest...he certainly looked like he needed it.

Whatever had occurred, it looked as though he had been absolutely destroyed and then pieced back together. Whoever had been responsible seemed to know exactly what they had been doing, or perhaps they had taken a gamble. Based on some of those injuries he really shouldn't have been standing. Credit where it was due, his tenacity was impressive in this case.

That being said she did take note of the bag in his mouse and lifted a brow.

"Please don't tell me that you nearly died to get whatever is in that," she added and shook her head. She appreciated that his 'quest' was particularly important, but there was no point in harming himself to the point of near-death. Last time she checked, in order to win against a foe you had to be alive to do it.

"Your determination to stay alive is admirable, your inclination towards nearly killing yourself isn't you know..."

Words: 244

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Adventure," Tethys supplied darkly, his reply might have been muffled by what was in his mouth but he managed to appropriately convey his tone. He wasn't in the best of moods, he was exhausted and the pain wasn't something he could ignore anymore. He needed to rest, desperately so, and yet he had a job to do. Onesimos might have argued that he could supply these materials to the various allies Tethys might have had, but on this occasion it made more sense to deliver them himself... It was on the way after all, and they did have significant healing capabilities here.

He soon deposited the bag at her paws and gagged ever so slightly; the combination of unusual scents and whatever had been in the bag had left an awkward taste in his mouth. He'd have to hope that whatever was in there wouldn't kill him, perhaps it all needed to be mixed together to cause any substantial damage?

Toes crossed as it were...

"I met your herbalist again," he said finally and released a sigh. "He brought back several of these, indicated that they were all the materials used to create... well I don't know, however the beasts control their victims," he added and pressed his lips together.

"You're the first to receive it, the rest will be delivered as I make my way home," he concluded.

Words: 230
Total Words (Tethys): 531

 

[Epine de Rose]

"I would say we're flattered but the point still stands," Zephyr responded as she picked up the bag and cast it towards one of the other Hlare who had come out to inspect Tethys. It seemed that the vast majority of them were in agreement, he looked like an absolute mess. While there was very little the alchemists could do for him other than supply the pulpices and the pain suppressants, she was going to be sure to redirect him to where he needed to go.

...By the looks of his escort, she'd also have his support.

"You look like death," she pointed out and nodded as the other Hlare swept away to begin dividing out their share of the materials. How she intended to test this when they eventually began to play with it was beyond her, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Suffice it to say that it was highly likely that she was going to have to ask for a very brave volunteer to use as a guinea pig. She'd have that discussion with the king at a later date as even she wasn't entirely sure of how to market this request desirably yet.

"We're grateful that you took the time to deliver these personally but given the state of you I think it's for the best that you delay the rest," she said finally and motioned behind him. His arrival had already caused a stir and sure enough she could recognise several of the mwani descending on the compound - the guards had filtered back the observations, he was injured and he needed help. On this occasion his stubbornness wasn't going to help him win out...

"We'll be tending to your injuries before you leave," she raised her paw before he could argue. "We will get you back on your feet, we won't delay you for longer than that, but you can't continue your journey like this," she stated bluntly.

"After that we'll supply you with a route that, based on wandering rogues, should hopefully help you follow a route which will allow you to receive some treatment as you go," she raised a brow.

"It would be pointless for you to die now, you haven't even had a chance to use half the things you've asked for us to make," she pointed out with a smile. "So let us, and your allies, maintain you enough to get you home - what the priestesses do with you when you return home is up to them," she finished softly.

Before Tethys had the chance to escape he had already been surrounded. Outnumbered and outgunned, he was simply going to have to do as he was told...

Words: 454
Total Words (Zephyr): 698