Wolfen - Part 16

 
David was getting worse. Almost all of his fur was gone, replaced by sickly black scales. He was soaked with sweat and he kept thrashing around. It was obvious that he was in a lot of pain. Everybody did all they can to help him. Water was brought from the river, both to hydrate him and to cool down his burning fever. They also brought relaxing herbs and fed it to him, but he couldn’t keep anything down without vomiting a little bit later.

Everyone remained in silence as they moved around camp. There wasn’t much to say. Everyone was thinking the same thing and they all knew what was going to happen. All they had the power to do is make the last bit of time that David had as comfortable as possible.

The silence was broken by David’s hoarse voice, “Where is Keil? I need to speak to him.”

Keil, who was sitting with him the whole time, said, “I’m right here. Can you not see me?”

David sighed. “I’ve lost my connection to the Mana. These eyes are useless now.” He paused for a bit, when he started talking again, his voice was trembling. “I’m scared. I don’t want to become one of them. Please…” A tear escaped his eyes and slid down his scale-covered face. “Please end my life. All you are doing now is extending my suffering. There is nothing you can do to actually help me.”

Keil struggled to find the right thing to say. He knew how terrifying this must be and the amount of pain he must be in, but he still hated the idea of ending one of his packmates life.

David continued. “Down by the stream, there is a fallen tree. At the base, there are some silver mushrooms growing. They are extremely poisonous. Bring them to me and then I will be responsible for my own death. You won’t have to do anything.”

“There has to be another way.” Keil said softly. “Maybe Karthan knows something. If we could speak with him, then maybe…”

David shook his head. “Everything that Karthan knows, I know too. Our minds were one before he died. Also, there is no talking to him. He hasn’t spoken a word since that once at the fortress.” He sighed sadly, “There is no other way. I am turning into one of these monsters. Either you let me die now and end my suffering, or you can wait until I have fully lost control and then you can kill me then. I am dangerous and you know it. That’s why I’m tied up, isn’t it?”

Keil scowled deeply, trying to find a solution, but none came to him. Finally he grasped David’s arm and dipped his head. “Someone, find these mushrooms he was talking about.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” An unfamiliar voice said from somewhere in the trees.
Everyone turned toward the direction, trying to see who it belonged to, but there didn’t seem to be anyone there. The air was filled with a familiar, but unpleasant scent. “Who’s there?” Verik growled.

“I’m a friend. I promise.” The voice responded. Suddenly, a black object dropped from the tree tops and landed smoothly on the ground. It stood up and everyone could see that it was one of the black demons from the fortress. Acting instinctively, Verik rushed forward and jumped at it. Throwing his whole weight against it he brought it to the ground and pinned it to the ground.

“What are you doing here?” Verik demanded. “Speak quickly before I tear your throat out right now.”

The demon chuckled. “Hey, easy now, don’t be too rough. I don’t want to damage my perfect wings.”

“Shut up and answer my question!” He snarled.

“Fine, alright. Are you always this unwelcoming?” He cleared his throat and continued. “I’m here to help you fight against Erebos.”

Verik held one of his claws less than an inch from his eyes. “Why the hell would we believe you, demon?”

“Maybe because it’s the truth.” The demon said nonchalantly. “Honestly, why else would I come here alone? If I wanted to kill you guys, I would have brought an army. Think through situations before you act, please. Now would you mind letting me up so I can explain myself?”

Emmaline went to Verik’s side. “I think he is telling the truth. I don’t sense any deceit in his thoughts.”

“Let him go.” Keil ordered. “There are enough of us to kill him if he tries anything.” Verik growled and reluctantly backed away from him.

The demon huffed haughtily as he stood up and then examined his wings. Once he was satisfied, he looked at Keil. “My name is Myorakk. I used to be a worker for Erebos, but I’m going my own way now.”

“Why did you leave?” Verik asked, still suspicious about him.

“I was not that happy with the things he did. The way he slaughtered innocent lives was too animal-like for my tastes. I saw that you,” he looked to Verik, “were able to defeat Erebos in combat. You let him live, which was quite a brainless decision, but what’s done is done. He cannot be left alive. The longer he remains alive, the greater his army will become.”

“I can understand that you would leave him to go your own way, but why do you want him dead? Why are you wanting to help us?” Keil asked him.

“To be honest, I feel guilty. I used to be a scout when I was with him. I found you as you were travelling to that fortress. I led Erebos to you. It was my fault that all those wolfen died in the fortress and he,” he gestured to David, “got infected. I was tempted to just run and hide and let you take care of Erebos, but even I have a sense of morality. I had to do something to make up for my mistakes.”

Verik crossed his arms and scowled at him. “Why would we need your help?”

Myorakk rolled his eyes. “I understand your enemy better than you do. I can also fly, which can give you many scouting advantages. Are you going to accept my help, or do you have any other pointless questions to ask me?”

Verik glared at him, but remained silent. Keil approached him and asked, “So, what can you tell us?”

“For starters, as I said before, do not kill this one. David, was it?”

“Why not?” Verik asked between his clenched teeth.

“Lighten up, please. Your uneasiness is going to start affecting me. One of the biggest strength of Erebos and his army is that they all share a collective mind. All their thoughts are connected. This allows all of them to act as one. However, we can use this against him. David here will eventually lose his mind to their collective mind. However, if we could tap into his thoughts, we should be able to steal important information from them and then use it to find their vulnerabilities.”

Keil shook his head. “We can’t force him to turn into one of them. He is suffering so much already.”

David stirred and opened his eyes. “I think we should listen to him.” He said weakly.

Keil knelt down beside David. “What do you mean? You said you wanted to end your suffering now.”

“I am in a lot of pain and I fear becoming one of those monsters, but what this one says makes sense. Who am I to deny you of a chance to gain an upper hand? The physical pain I go through is not stronger than my desire to do good. If I can help you even when I lose myself to this evil, then I am willing to do it.”

Keil laid a hand on his shoulder. “You are strong and brave, young one. The elders would be so proud of you.”

“Wonderful!” Myorakk exclaimed. “One thing that I have to suggest is that you move him into a cave or something else to limit his vision. We don’t want him to see something that will bring Erebos to our location.”

“That won’t be necessary.” David sighed and asked Myorakk, “Could you come a little closer? I need to tell you something.” Myorakk knelt down by his side, so he continued. “The wolfen that were slaughtered at the fortress were my only family. The only reason I am anything today is because of them. Because of you, they are gone. It would be very easy to hate you to my death…” he paused a bit, trying to find the words. “But I don’t ever hold grudges. If you are telling the truth about everything and you regret your actions, then I forgive you.”

Myorakk just stayed there unsure what to say to him. “I have never met anyone like you. You have a good soul. And I am sorry for all the grief I have brought you.” He dipped his head in respect and backed up.

Keil instructed his packmates, “Head into the forest and get some herbs to help him relax.” He turned back to David. “We will do everything to make sure your last moments as yourself are as comfortable as possible.”

“Thank you.” David responded.

When most of the pack left the camp, Myorakk approached Keil. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just stay out of our camp for now. I believe you have all good intentions, but my pack is still nervous and untrusting. I will talk with them and then you can be free to stay here.”

“Makes sense. I’ll come back tomorrow night. I’ll see you then.” He leapt into the air, his wings carrying him above the treetops.

Verik walked up to Keil and asked him, “Are you sure we can trust him?”

“I believe we can. I am usually pretty good at seeing through lies, and he seemed genuine. Plus, Emmaline probably knows more than any of us, since she’s more telepathically skilled. If his theories about connecting to their thoughts are correct, then our chances of defeating him have grown exponentially.”

“If you trust him, then I will try to as well and I won’t cause any problems. I definitely don’t like him, but I won’t allow that to effect anything. However, I will be keeping a close eye on him. If he tries to betray us, he’s dead.”

Keil smiled and nodded. “Good. Now go help everyone.”