System Break

Chapter 99: Midnight Surprise

Gisael got up and added another a log to the dwindling fire. 

I stretched and yawned. "It's been a long day. Can we meet up tomorrow? I'd love to see you wash down a boat with water."

Kysandre stood. "Sleep in. I have much to do in the morning, but I can come find you in the afternoon."

"There are plenty of beds here," Gisael said.

Kysandre shook her head. "I am not far and Alejo is outside. I hate it but I wouldn't want to make him wait up all night and he might do something stupid." A judgmental sigh escaped her.

The hair on the back of my neck tingled - I had closed my qi-sight after her demonstration finished a few minutes earlier. I was alert to something amiss and I noticed a dark shape move up behind her. Without thinking I flooded my streams with qi and created qi-speed patterns in the blink of an eye.

I moved to Kysandre and grabbed a knife by the blade moments before it sliced her throat. The man released it and I noticed it looked like one of our skinning knives as I dropped it to the ground.

Kysandre's eyes were wide - she had no idea what just happened but Gisael was already moving with a flaming piece of wood in her hand. She had picked it by the end that was not smouldering and jabbed at the dark shape of a man.

The smouldering stick hit something which protected him. I opened my qi-sight and he stood out like a sore thumb. It was no ordinary person, no adventurer. To my eyes this was a powerful practitioner. His core was healthy size and at least double the size of mine. It was someone who had been building their core for dozens of years.

My first thought was it was Alejo no matter how strange that would be, but after a moment I realised it was not. This man was older. He wore black clothing and his face was painted black. And it was some type of qi barrier that stopped Gisael's fiery stick. A qi-shield the size of an A4 piece of paper.

I pulled Kysandre past me and jabbed at him with a qi-strike. He blocked it easily with another qi-shield he didn't even bother to dodge or parry. He reached for his waist and began to draw throwing knives. 

The first hurtled towards me and I slapped it away, but the second I did not see until it was too late. It pierced my stomach just above my hip and pain shot up through me. His throwing knives were guided and enhanced by his qi. I grabbed it before it could burrow into me any further and had to struggle to pull it out. 

When I did he used his qi and jagged it to the side. It sliced me open good and proper. He blocked another attack from Gisael using his qi-shield to keep her at bay. He threw another knife at Kysandre and it struck her in the back. 

There was nothing vital there and I wondered at his mistake when he could have easily hit a kidney or the back of her neck. She fell forward to her hands and knees and gasped. I could hear a gurgle in her breathing.

The front door crashed open and another flew into the room at blinding speed. I had one hand holding in my guts and the other ready to slap down the next knife he threw. I kicked a sofa at the knife thrower trying to catch him by surprise. 

He was focused on Kysandre, but he didn't throw another knife and then I realised. I could see his qi pushing the knife through her back and towards her heart.  She fell flat, and the other figure flew past me.

The second intruder shouted, "Sigwurd." And they clashed.

I was glad they were opponents and I only now realised the second was Alejo. He'd come to help Kysandre against the other but was unaware of the knife heading for her heart. I used my qi recklessly and through myself to her, I reached and grabbed the knife before it could reach her heart. I yanked it free and broke its masters hold with brute force.

I was no healer. I knew a few stitches. Concentrating on her wound and using my qi-sight I did my beast to sew up the damaged blood vessels to stem her bleeding. Her lung had been punctured and then I began to stitch the slice in it as well.

I could hear the pair fighting and I turned to see the man wrapped in black walk through the wall. It happened in seconds he didn't make a hole, he made himself insubstantial and stepped through. 

Alejo did not pursue but ran to my side instead. "Is she hurt?"

I continued to stitch her lung. "He went for her heart, but I managed to catch it in time."

He inspected her. "She isn't bleeding too badly. Good work."

I concentrated on her and he was unsure what to make of my silence.

"Why did you clash with Sigwurd?" he asked.

"Perhaps you should ask him that," I said. "I don't know if you noticed but this is our home. He was the intruder here, dressed in black with his face painted, while trying to slice her throat with one of our skinning knives."

"Oh, and who the fuck is Sigwurd?"

Gisael walked quickly through the room quietly picking up the skinning knife and handing it to me. "I fetch my herbs"

"Yes," I said. "Hurry."

She nodded and ran to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Stitching the puncture in her lung," I said. "But I don't know what to do with the blood inside them. Perhaps you should get a healer before she drowns in her own blood."

"You can do that? Never mind. Send one of your people for a healer I don't want to leave her side," he said.

"You're useless here and a protector. Who do you think the best healer will listen to, you or me?"

"What if he comes back?"

"What if she dies while you hesitate. Go you idiot."

He frowned but stood up anyway. He walked briskly to the door and cast a final glance over his shoulder before running up the street. 

Gisael ran back to me with her pouch in hand. "She was blood in the lungs is there anything you can do?"

"Put her on her side, she may cough it out on her own." She then went about treating the hole in her back. I may have stitched the blood vessels but Gisael closed the wound. She tore Kysandre's white shirt and wrapped it round her as a makeshift bandage. 

We waited for Alejo and an experienced healer. 

"Any else we can do?" I asked.

"Your stomach," she said, and I grinned.

"In all the excitement I forgot."

She pushed me back. "Lie down. Is there anything for you to stitch?"

"I can do it from here," I said and then she applied something that hurt like hell. "Except when you do that. A warning would go a long way."

"Did you use what you learned tonight?" she asked as she worked on my wound.

"Not really. It takes time and practice to perfect these intricate qi techniques. I just used my ham fisted qi-stitching that I've been working on for the last month."

"Did you give this technique to the adventurers?"

"Yeah," I said. "That's my job. It keeps me here with you."

"Perfect it more and keep that for us. They can have your novice ability."

I tried to sit up and she pushed me back down. "What's changed?"

"I watch and think while you are away. I see the adventurers here and their numbers. They use abilities that you give them. They do not work for them like we do. And they hold no allegiance to you for this. It is dangerous and I want to be cautious."

I exhaled. "You're right. I'll take your advice."

Alejo pushed the door which was barely hanging on its hinges after he bashed it open the first time. The small woman followed him.

"I went to the docks and got the fisherfolk healer," he said. "We can trust her and until we know more its best to be careful." He pointed to Kysandre.

The old women bent over and said, "Kysandre, dear." She looked up and ordered Alejo. "Water, cloths and sheets. I need proper bandages when I'm done too."

Alejo nodded. He pointed to the bar, "Kitchen?"

"Yeah, knock yourself out."

He looked at my stomach. "Are you injured? When did that happen?"

"During the fight you idiot."

He sighed, nodded, and went to the kitchen quickly. He came back with water and cloths.

"I'll be back with bandages," he said. "Anything else before I go?"

"I have my remedies," the old woman said. 

He looked at me and said, "Thank you." The ran out the door.