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Yeah lol. The downside with pantsing is that, while you can get to some insane page counts, there will be some kind of plothole, or absolutely no ending/arcs at all… I’ve done that a lot. 🤣
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
Thank you so much for the pictures!! Your art is great, and I love getting to see the characters in my mind now! I’ve been slammed with school but am planning to read Chapter 3 tonight!
Not me having KP tag emails sitting in my inbox for weeks while I slave through anatomy classes 🙂"To death or to victory"
You’re welcome, and thanks! Good luck with those classes. 🙂
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
Great job on Chapter 3!! It had good follow-up from Chapter 2 and might just be my favorite chapter yet. All of you herbalism/healing techniques are spot on, and the descriptions of the ship really added to the cool sci-fi vibes. I could picture everything easily. Keep up the good work! Your charries are so likable and fun. Great comradery! I can’t wait to see more of them 😉
"To death or to victory"
Thanks so much! I was hoping the healing was at least somewhat realistic, but all I know comes from watching random vet shows… I’m glad you could picture everything well! That’s something I’ve been working on a lot recently, so it helps to know someone can. 😅🤣
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
OOO I love those character designs, especially Quelin’s XD
"...I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain..."
(Part of) Isaiah 45:19Thanks! Quelin was the first one I ever actually drew. 🙂
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
Yes, it was great!! Thanks so much for posting it and allowing me to read it.
"To death or to victory"
Hey, sry it’s been a while, but here’s the next chapter in Healer.
Chapter 4
A yell echoes throughout the ship. Sitting straight up, I bang my head on the bunk above me. Rubbing my head with a scowl, I jump out of bed and run to the main room, blinking my eyes to clear my vision. Already having panicked, I growl when I see them. Sorren and Dune are mid-fight, Dune with his dagger and Sorren with his sword. Sorren has the Felisaro on the ground, but he keeps getting whacked with Dune’s thick tail. Dune grins through the weapon in his teeth.
“Good morning,” says his muffled voice. I sigh, turn around, and walk to the washroom to splash water on my face. The clock there tells me that on Lacertilia, the sun should be at its peak in about three hours, and my stomach tells me it’s time for breakfast. Stumbling into the galley, I find meat and put it into something like a box on the wall that I’ve seen the Serpenree use to cook food. After accidentally setting it on fire, I sit at the long counter and eat scorched-black venison.
It’s good to be free.
When I’m done, I try washing the charred meat’s taste out of my mouth, but it remains an annoying film on my tongue. I begin to wish the Serpenree had taught me more than how to clean. Then maybe I could have been useful, not that I would have enjoyed it. Every second working under the creatures that imprisoned me and most likely killed my parents was unbearable.
“There you are!” Dune scrambles into the galley, panting. He stops a couple feet away from me, then quickly backs up. He goes through a couple strange expressions before settling on his usual grin. “That Lupinari back there is a crazy good fighter. He beat me, not that that’s saying much.”
I smile at him. “I’m sure you’d make a great soldier if you had all the training he probably has.”
Dune puffs out his chest. “Yeah. I should train under one of his Lupinari commanders until I’m the best soldier ever. That’ll show him.” He flicks his tail over his paws. “Oh, yeah, I just remembered what I came to tell you. We found Aavian! I mean, right now it’s a speck smaller than the stars, but the distance should close quickly.”
“That’s great!” I cock my head. “It’s going to be warm there, isn’t it?”
Dune nods. “Yeah, a lot better than the weather on Lacertilia.”
I glance down at my thick fur. “Hopefully not too warm. I’m used to the cold. Heat was a punishment back with the Serpenree.”
“Oh.” Dune looks over his shoulder at the door. “I could turn down the temperature if you want.”
“The ship is fine,” I say, quickly, before he can leave. “I’ll just have to see how Aavian is when we get there. Where’s Sorren?”
Dune laughs. “Sharpening that sword of his. Not that it needs it. That thing is about as sharp as a blade can get.” He sniffs the air and wrinkles his nose. “What’s that smell?”
“Oh, that’s… burnt meat,” I tell him, a little embarrassed. “The Serpenree never really showed me how to cook.”
Dune stares at me. “Really? They never wanted you to make them dinner or something?”I shake my head. “I don’t think they trusted halflings enough to do any of that. After all, I was a healer”
“Hmm.” Dune brightens. “I’ll teach you! Not now, obviously, but I can show you at lunch. I’m no master chef or anything, but I learned some before I left Leor.” He looks around the galley. “The Serpenree really need to find better ways to cook, but this will work.”I jump down from my chair, landing on all fours. It’s easier to walk this way with my wounded leg. “And maybe Sorren can show me how to fight. I’ll need to know if I’m going to be of any kind of help.”
“You already are.” Dune jumps to his feet. “You’re our healer. So, if we get stabbed, just be ready with those magic jars.”
I raise an eyebrow. “They’re not magic, but sure. Just try not to get stabbed.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Sorren’s voice comes from across the ship. “Dune! Your radar is flashing!”
Dune grimaces, his grin disappearing. “I was afraid of that.” Turning, he runs back through the doors. I follow, uneasiness washing over me. We might have bigger problems than a scorched breakfast.
My mind flashes back to Ziln’s message. Hail Dragor! Surely no one would help the Serpenree. Then again, if there’s a reward, especially such a large one, I know it’s foolish to hope no one will. I feel a growl rise in my throat. There’s no way I’m letting anyone kill Dune or Sorren, even if Dune doesn’t trust me yet.
When we reach the front of the ship, red light is flashing in the room. Dune stops in front of a screen, which is blinking on and off with circles radiating outward like ripples in water. At the top right edge is a red dot. Dune presses a button, and the red lights stop.
“It’s still far away, right?” I ask, my tail flicking nervously.
He shakes his head. “Not far enough. If they see us, which they might just be able to, they’ll be able to catch us.” He slides his paw across a mark on the dashboard, making the image of the red dot bigger on the screen. “That’s not a Serpenree ship, but it’s probably at least three times the size of ours. Still, if it’s from Aavian or Leor, we’re definitely going to be slower.”
I lean out over the dash, trying to see if I can spot anything through the window. It seems the ship is either too far away to see, or not within the scope of the window. Sorren draws his sword, then sheathes it again, as if realizing it won’t be of much help.
Dune is shifting from paw to paw again, a nervous habit I’ve already seen multiple times since yesterday. “I don’t know whether to go faster, and risk running out of fuel and getting stuck anyway, or just keep drifting along.”
“Keep drifting,” I tell him. “They’ll have to come onboard to get me, right? And when they do, Sorren can be waiting at the door.” I knit my eyebrows. “Wait. If they open the door, won’t we be sucked into space?”
Dune shakes his head. “No. A ship that large will have an airlock big enough to fit our craft inside.” He sighs. “I don’t like your idea, but it’s kind of the only option.”
I laugh dryly. “Trust me, I don’t like it much either.”
Sorren starts to pace again. “I hope it’s the Falcor. They’ll be easier to fight in a space where they can’t fly.”
“Maybe we won’t have to fight at all,” I say hopefully. “Maybe they don’t care about the bounty, or didn’t even hear about it.”
“Doubtful,” Dune replies. Sorren elbows him. “Ouch! I mean, yes, maybe, but they probably at least heard it.” He winces. “Sorren, maybe you could just elbow all the Falcor away.”
Sorren looks like he is trying hard not to be amused. “Not all Falcor are as easily defeated as you are, Dune. They’ll probably have at least some kind of training.”Dune’s nervous grin returns as he turns back towards the radar. Then his expression goes blank. “Oh, no.”
“What?” I ask. He doesn’t answer. His eyes are locked on the screen. I grab his shoulders and shake him. “What? Come on, what is it?”
Dune swallows. “Not the Falcor. That’s a Felisaro ship, and they’re closing in.”
“Okay.” I blink at him. “We knew that could happen. Why so nervous now?”
He looks up at me and raises an eyebrow. “Me? Nervous? Not at all. It’s not like the Felisaro will kill me on sight or anything. Not like they hate me and my entire family.” He looks between me and Sorren for a moment. “Oh, right. Forgot to mention that part.”
“Forgot to mention!” Sorren puts a hand to his forehead. “What could you possibly have done to make the entire race hate you?”
Dune frowns. “There’s no time for that now. And for the record, I didn’t do anything. At least, not really.” He takes a deep breath, shifting on his paws like he doesn’t know what to do with them. “You’d better be ready to fight, soldier, because they’re definitely coming after us.”
The speakers crackle to life, and Dune turns a knob, again changing heavy static to a clear voice.
“State your business. This ship is commanded by Admiral Korwin.”
Dune looks up at the red button at the top of the dash, but doesn’t press it. Korwin’s ship opens its airlock and floats toward us. He growls, his tail twitching nervously. “Of course it’s Korwin,” he mutters. “It had to be him. What am I supposed to say?”
I sigh. “Just don’t make him mad.”Sorren’s head snaps up as the Felisaro ship starts to swallow ours. “Hold on. Try to make him mad. I’ll stand by the door. Maybe he’ll storm right in.”
Dune nods stiffly. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he presses the red button, and puts his face right in front of one of the speakers. “Our business is none of your business!” he yells, nearly making me jump. “Admiral Korwin can go bother someone dull enough to fall for his act. Tell Korwin he’s a coward!”
I cringe and wait for a response. Dune seems almost pleased with himself, but he’s still doing a nervous little dance. Sorren is right up to the door with his sword in both fists as the other ship’s airlock closes around us. I wait, unsure of how to help. Remembering Sorren’s dagger, I run to their bedroom and return with it, holding it shakily. Fighting didn’t go so well last time. Let’s hope the Felisaro can’t throw punches like that. Can Felisaro even make fists? I shake my head. Focus, Rina.“Prepare to be boarded. Open the door, or we will open it for you.”
Dune pressed the red button again. “You g-go…” He clears his throat. “I mean, go ahead.”
A few growls and hisses from the other side. A couple minutes that feel like hours pass, and then a loud clang rings out, a dent appearing in the door. Dune waits a couple seconds, then presses a green button. The door opens, and a Felisaro swings a hammer right into open air, gripping it in his teeth. Sorren rushes forward and pierces the Felisaro through a gap in his armor. Before I have time to think, another Felisaro is through the door, and Sorren is fighting what must be dozens of them.
Dune leaves his spot at the dashboard, pulls the dagger from the sheath at his shoulder, and jumps into the fray. His striped brown fur disappears in a whirlwind of similar shades, but his reddish armor stands out. The other Felisaro wear black armor with a pattern that takes me a moment to make out- a dying Phoenix. I shudder. I might not be fond of the Celestial Phoenix, but this is too much. Korwin must really hate the Phoenix.
After realizing I’m still standing frozen at the front of the ship, I step towards the door with my dagger raised. Hopefully I manage to stab a Felisaro and not myself. My first chance comes when a Felisaro jumps over Dune while he and Sorren are fighting. He’s small compared to the others, and I hold out the dagger, my hand shaking. His eyes scope out the ship and finally land on me, and he runs forward, leaping at me. His eyes are a mix of excitement and focus, and I shiver.
My dagger drops to the floor and I duck under the incoming Felisaro. I can’t kill him. I don’t think I can even hurt him. He’s not a Serpenree. No one should have to die because of me. My gaze shifts to Sorren and Dune. But what if they die because I refuse to act?
I crouch there, unable to make a decision, and suddenly the Felisaro is on top of me, his claws digging into my shoulders. My attempts to get away only make his claws grip tighter. I can see Sorren pressed up against the wall by three strong-looking Felisaro. Dune has stopped fighting, and while a circle of Felisaro surrounds him, no one is holding him down. All of the other Felisaro form a line outside the ship, and a larger Felisaro walks into the doorway.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is Korwin. He’s the largest Felisaro I’ve ever seen, which isn’t saying much, but he’s probably twice Dune’s size. He is covered in gray fur, with darker gray stripes running through it. His yellow eyes land first on Sorren, then Dune, and he grins. I don’t like his grin. It’s much too similar to Dune’s. Then finally he looks at me.
“So you’re the one the Serpenree want so badly,” he says, stepping forward to stand a few feet away. From my position on the floor, I can’t see his face. “I don’t see why. What kind of power could you have if you don’t use it to escape?”
Dune growls. “Korwin, what are you doing? You can’t help the Serpenree.”
“Don’t be so hostile, cousin,” Korwin replies, turning away from me. “I thought you were traveling alone.”
Dune lifts his chin while I’m still trying to piece together how they could be related. The grin seems to be the only thing they have in common. “I was.”
“Then what are you doing with a Lupinari and a halfling?” Korwin asks. “If you can travel with her, then I can certainly help the Serpenree. Besides, they pay well. I doubt she can pay you at all.”
“It’s not about the money,” Dune snarls. He’s shaking, obviously trying to hide it. “Get off my ship and mess with someone else.”Korwin barks a laugh. “I like you, Dune. I think I’ll keep you alive.” He glances at me and Sorren. “I’ll put the soldier to work. No use wasting him. But the halfling…” He taps his claws on the ground. “She’ll go back to Lacertilia, at least long enough for me to get my reward.”
I push against the Felisaro on top of me, and he hisses, his claws gripping my shoulders. Quickly I use my hind legs to kick him off, and rise to all fours. I lash my tail to stop its shaking and turn to face Korwin, putting as much growl into my voice as I can. “You couldn’t keep me here if you wanted to, Felisaro.”
“Interesting.” Korwin nods at me. “Alright, then. Escape. Go ahead and try.”I don’t have time to think. He’s expecting either magic or nothing at all, but there’s no time to figure out if I have magic now. I run at him, even as Sorren yells at me to stop. My claws are about to rake across Korwin’s shoulder when he dodges to the side, bringing his massive paw around to slam me into the wall. The impact jars me, and I blink away dizziness. Not this time. Come on, stay awake!
Korwin turns around to say something to the other Felisaro, and I set my jaw. Lunging forward, I bite down on his hind leg, right above his paw. He yowls with fury and tries to kick me off, but I don’t let go. Sorren draws a small blade out of seemingly nowhere, and fights past the three Felisaro guarding him. The line of Felisaro disbands, each of them running towards us. Korwin bites down on my hood and throws me across the room, yanking my teeth from his leg. I land in the group of incoming Felisaro and roll out the door along with a few of them.
My head is spinning as I scramble to my paws. I claw around wildly, not seeing or feeling if I hit anyone or not. I don’t see Korwin or my friends, but a Felisaro blocks my path every time I try to go back inside the ship. Are they fighting Korwin in there? I doubt even the two of them together could defeat him. Oh, please let them be alive.
A bright flash blinds me, and I stumble back. A Felisaro steps into me, and I jump, blinking my vision back into focus. The Felisaro around me are all dazed and blinking. Sorren appears, grunting and throwing a stunned Korwin out of the ship. Dune yells something, and I run for the door. Almost immediately after I enter, Sorren tosses out a limp Felisaro. The soldier lets out a long breath and points out of the ship.
“The airlock,” he gasps. “There should be a button on the other side.”
Dune shakes his head. “She’ll be trapped outside our ship!” He closes the ship’s door behind me and pilots the ship slowly into the air. “Let’s see if we can just bash through.”
“That would be impossible,” Sorren argues. He slumps down against the wall, looking exhausted. “This ship can’t be that vulnerable, even from the inside.”
Dune nods. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorren, rest. Rina, come up here and pilot the ship while I figure out the weapons.”I stare at him. “You want me to do what?”
“Just come over here!” I run forward to stand beside him. “See this circle here? The Serpenree use it to steer. It’s like a screen. Just drag which direction you want to go with your paw.” He points to the left of the circle. “Use that lever to go up and down, and the yellow button to lock it in.”
“That’s it?” I ask, setting my paw on the circle.
“Not even close,” Dune replies, “but we don’t have the time to show you everything. As soon as I get this airlock open, slide your hand all the way forward on the circle. Got it?”
I nod. “Probably.”
“Good enough for me.” He rotates one of the buttons, and a panel extends out of the dash. “Aha! Found it.” He presses the red button to turn on communications, grinning excitedly. “Hope you’re ready for this, Korwin! I suggest you exit the airlock as quickly as possible.”
From the startled yells I hear outside of our ship, I assume the Felisaro are making a mad run for the door. Dune waits about ten seconds and then fires what looks like a straight beam of deep purple lighting into the wall. A hole about a foot wide appears, outlined by blackened metal. Dune continues to fire, using a small lever to aim the weapon. When he’s done, there’s a large circle of holes about the height and width of our ship.
“Now go!” Dune yells. I slide my paw all the way up the circle, not thinking to ask questions. The wall is still there, and we’re heading straight for it.
Oh, no.
I swallow. “Dune-” I don’t have the time to finish. We hit the wall with a loud crash, and the entire circle of wall Dune outlined comes off, spinning into open space. I fall to the ground, only barely managing to keep my hand on the circle. Should I keep it there, or remove it?
A blast from Korwin’s ship decides for me. Our ship spins to the side, and I roll across the ground, slamming hard into Sorren. He grunts, holding the wall with one hand and me with the other until the motion stops. Sore and dizzy, I run back to the circle, again piloting us forward. Dune takes a deep breath and aims the weaponry, which I assume are some kind of guns, back at Korwin’s ship.
“Nice flying,” he says wryly. I’m too focused on the circle to snap something back. Why I’m so scared, I don’t really know. My mind reasons that all the things I could run into- stars, planets, the sun- are too far away to actually matter, but that doesn’t stop me from shaking. I’m controlling a ship. Controlling anything for me feels strangely wrong after so many years as a prisoner. Besides, we could get shot by the other ship again at any moment. My opinion of the Felisaro, especially Korwin, is lowering by the second.
Sorren is leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. I hope he’s okay, but I don’t see any injuries. Maybe he’s just tired. I know I am, and I practically just woke up. Drifting through space, I can’t even tell if it’s day or night. It could be midnight on Lacertilia right now, and we wouldn’t know it.
Our ship shakes violently, tilting to the side. I scream and lose my grip, falling back into Dune and knocking him from his panel. He growls and tries to shove me off of him. “Rina! This is serious. We could die!”
“I know!” I shout, scrambling off of him. My paw hovers above the circle.
He growls and turns back to the panel, aiming another beam at Korwin’s ship. “I need a clear shot.”
I take a deep breath. “What do you need me to do?”“Turn the ship to the left a little,” he tells me. I give him an inquiring look and he rolls his eyes. “Just run your paw along the outline of the circle until we can see Korwin’s ship through the window. When I get this shot in, be ready to turn and go full speed again.”
Following his instructions, I turn the ship.As soon as Korwin’s ship comes into view, Dune jerks the lever and slams down on one of the buttons so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break. Our ship is blown back a little by the force of the blast, but the beam hits its intended mark. Smoke rises from a decidedly important part of Korwin’s ship, one of many I couldn’t name.
“Rina! Rina, now!” Dune yells. I flinch out of my daze and turn the ship back around, again sliding my hand to the top of the circle. I can feel Dune’s glare on me but don’t look. It’s not like I don’t already know that I’m doing everything wrong. The Serpenree voices hiss inside my head. Mutant. Creature. Halfling. Can’t do anything right. Dragor should have killed it as soon as it arrived.
“Yes!” I look up as Dune’s frown turns back to his usual grin. “Ha! He’s too slow. That shot really did the job.”
I stare down at my paw awkwardly. “Good work.”
“Thanks.” Dune turns to Sorren. “You see that? We’ll be on Aavian in no time now.”Sorren nods. “That’s good.”
Dune takes over piloting and I walk over to sit by Sorren. He looks me over for a moment before coughing. “Are you alright?”
I nod, tilting my head to the side. “Yeah. I guess so. Why?”
He raises an eyebrow. “You just look a little beat up, that’s all. What with the scratches and everything.”
Looking down, I see my arms are covered in thin lines of blood. Most likely from those Felisaro’s claws. “Weird. I don’t feel a thing.”
“Really?” Sorren blinks at me. “Either way, you might want to wash up. Don’t want any infection getting into those.”
I nod and stand slowly, wincing. The feeling is coming back to my arms, and the scratches sting. I make my way to the washroom and splash water on my face, letting it soak into my fur. The mirror in front of me reveals just how long it’s been since I’ve cleaned myself up. The Serpenree never really cared about bad smells, but I’m sure Dune and Sorren do. Stepping into the shower, I manage to turn on the water after a long time of staring at the knob that supposedly turns it on. I have to yank it out and twist for it to work, and the flow of water hits me right in the face.
When I’m satisfied, I turn off the water, shake out my wet fur, and slip back into my battered cloak. I rub stinging liquid from my satchel into the wounds to prevent any kind of infection. I’ll check Dune and Sorren for wounds later.
My mind wanders back to Korwin. Is he really Dune’s cousin? They had the exact same grin, but Korwin’s eyes were evil. I don’t know how else to describe it. The large Felisaro had me shaking. Yet, I still fought him. Maybe it was because Sorren and Dune were watching. Maybe it was because I had no choice. Or maybe I just couldn’t stand Korwin for a minute longer. Considering the circumstances, it doesn’t really matter.
Whatever caused me to fight him, I’m glad I didn’t have to kill him. I don’t think I could live with myself if I did. Even if I really did meet Dragor and had the chance to stop his cruel reign, I fear I wouldn’t have what it takes to kill him. Am I a coward, or should I feel this way? I already know I’m a coward. Maybe both.
Instead of returning to the main room, I decide to head back to my bedroom. Then, realizing I would have to go through the front room to get there, I make my way to the galley. I don’t feel like talking to Dune, or even Sorren. Even though I only just woke up, I’m tired, and I ache all over.
Feeling weaker than ever, I curl up in the back corner of the galley and fall into a fitful sleep.
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
Heheh forgot the tags 😅🤣
@thearcaneaxiom @keilah-h @godlyfantasy12 @gwyndalf-the-wise @landric @anyoneFollow your heart, but take your brain with you.
@kyronthearcanin Whoa, nice job! I’m liking it!
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
@kyronthearcanin You’re welcome!
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
Chapter 4 did not disappoint!!! Looking forward to more! (Dune is totally my favorite character. This chapter solidified it in my mind XD)
"To death or to victory"
Thanks! Dune is probably my favorite too, lol. He can have some anger issues at times, but yeah, he’s pretty great XD
Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.
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