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The Aesculapians have traveled to Old Iron and been welcomed there--given a place to set up a little medic area in the Freehold Hollow. Petra has been here before, but its new to the others. It looks similar to Shackamaxon, in a lot of ways, like maybe they shared the same original architects. But Old Iron's little cottages and huts look more industrial than homey and comfy. There's many little workshops scattered about, with chimneys that billow smoke from forges. In the center of the little town is a tall bell tower with a large metal bell, that rests there silently.
The Hedge here is clearly dying. It looks even worse than when Petra was here last. The thorns and plants are all brown and brittle, and it's only from the effort that has been put into keeping the walls up that they are in tact now--sheets of metal and wood built up to create a fortifying wall. But even that seems to become brittle and weathered at an abnormal rate, meaning there's several changelings moving about, just focusing their time on mending and rebuilding.
Today, the group had been met by a different lost--a Spring man named Frey, Old Iron's best healer. Hes thin and freckled, with deep Norse runes carved into his skin, which still look fresh--though they don't seem to cause him any pain. He's friendly, with a warm but sort of day-dreamy smile as he helps them get settled in.
Petra was smiling cheerfully, happy to be there at Old Iron but there was a current of worry that flickered in her expression whenever she got distracted or took a moment to look around at the state of the Hedge and freehold around them. She'd driven them up here in her RV, and schlepped her biggest first aid kit and a backpack full of medical textbooks. "Hi!" she greeted Frey enthusiastically. "I'm Petra, nice to meet you. We're looking forward to working with you today."
Annie may not have the experience in healing that the other Aesculapians do yet, but she's more than willing to do her bit to help anyway. "Annie," the Nymph adds. "Is there anything in particular you want us to start with?"
Eugene has never been here before, that's true. That doesn't mean they aren't happy to come along to help out with things there, but it does mean they let Petra, who isn't a stranger to these people, lead the way in the conversation. "Eugene," they introduce to Frey with a slight bow and a flicker of something in the smoke of their face that seems like a smile. "A pleasure, but I wish it was under other circumstances."
"It's nice to meet you all, though I agree, I wish it were under better circumstances," Frey replies with a warm smile, nodding his head to each of them. He looks to Annie. "There's a few people who have some injuries that I've let know you'll be here. I admit, I'm not the best of healers. I more focus on healing the mind. There's also a few people who have found sick hedgebeasts lately, who could use some attention."
She nodded seriously. "I've heard of a lot of hedgebeasts needing attention lately too. And I brought some of mortal medical textbooks to share too, if you want to brush up on those skills. We're also willing to help teach contracts, if you'd like to exchange knowledge." Petra smiled. "Healing the mind is just as important as the body, don't put yourself down."
"Both rely on the other to function to their full capability," Annie adds. "There is a reason most Freeholds have several Joyeaux in their Spring Court, after all."
Eugene's soft laugh, more sympathetic than mirthful, makes their smoke pulse softly to the sound. "That's my focus as well," they say. "But necessity and invention, as the phrase goes, and I do have some skill knitting bodies together and not just minds. Sickness is something I could only try to deal with mundanely, though. Who's most in need? I suppose that's where we should start."
"That's very kind of you," Frey replies to Petra, nodding gratefully. "I'd happily accept the textbooks. What I do know tends to be more... holistic." He laughs. "Not quite up on the modern age just yet." He grins. "You're absolutely right. Alright--lets see who's here..."
He lets them into a cottage that has been set up as a sort of clinic--there's a few cages that have some hedgebeasts curled up inside them, who look to be in various conditions of injured or unwell. There's also a couple other Lost waiting inside, lounging back in chairs. One has a deep gash on their arm that doesn't look like it's healing very well, and the other has a cane propped up against their chair--some sort of leg injury, it seems.
"Holistic usually works for us pretty well too," she said with a smile. "But sometimes glamour is in short supply and stitches will do just as well as fruit- Hi guys! How's everyone holding up? I'm Petra from Shackamaxon, this is Annie and Eugene."
Annie nods, waving slightly slightly when Petra mentions her. "We are here to help."
The Lost are fairly friendly, introducing themselves and seem genuinely grateful for the trio's help. The Lost eventually make their way out, and a couple more come in, sporting similarly bad but not life threatening injuries. The hedgebeasts are likewise easy enough to tend to. Most seem dehydrated and malnourished, but there's some with injuries that need to be stitched or broken bones to put into casts. Frey helps here and there, and despite his humble attitude, he's pretty good--with the basics, at least.
After a few hours of working...
Eugene and Annie hear... something from outside the little cottage. It's muffled, at first, but it quickly becomes identifiable. It's like the sound of distant thunder, but it continues on and on. A rumbling, in the distance.
Petra stuck close to Frey through the triage, assisting him more than trying to take over herself. She didn't have the best bedside manner with patients, but she liked working with other Healers and exchanging ideas and tips for dealing with certain types of injuries. Thunder? What thunder. There were stitches to do!
Annie glances up from her work helping with stitching a patient up as the rumbling continues. "Does anyone else hear that?" She asks, glancing around the assembled Lost.
Eugene looks up from what they're doing at the time when that sound comes, then looks at Annie and said, "I did. It sounds like a storm, but thunder doesn't usually go on that long."
Frey glances up as Annie and Eugene speak up, looking towards the door. He doesn't seem to hear it, at first, but after a few seconds he frowns as everything in the cottage starts to tremble and clatter slightly--just little tremors. "...An earthquake?" He moves towards the door, opening it to look out.
"Around here? In the Hedge? That'd be weird," she muttered, looking up to check for hazards from above that could hit someone if it was an earthquake or something similarly earth shattering. "Maybe it's a Summer thing? Aren't thunderstorms a summer thing? Seems like they should be."
"I do not know much about earthquakes, honestly," Annie murmurs. "What should we be looking out for if it is one?"
Eugene glances around too. "We'd want to make sure nothing's going to fall on people," they say. "Or just get outside. I'm curious what's going on." They move to follow Frey out.
There's not a lot that could fall dangerously, but Petra can quickly grab some things on high shelves and secure them to make sure, just in case!
The sound is getting louder. Closer. It dawns on them that this isn't an earthquake--but than something... or many somethings, are coming closer.
It's a split second after that there's a horrible, tremendous crashing sound from outside, coming from one side of the Freehold's town. The sounds of screams follow after. Outside, Eugene is able to watch as a stampeding herd of massive, deer-like creatures come barreling straight through the weak hedge walls of the Freehold. There's dozens of them, each the size of a moose, each with massive, sharp pointed antlers that are covered in some sort of green moss. Only the most reinforced parts of the walls survive, but enough give out that the stampede comes streaming into the town, weaving their way through the cottages. The Lost in the Freehold are scattering and running, but Eugene can see that there's several getting caught in the stampede, trampled and torn open by the antlers.
Petra put the box she'd pulled from a shelf onto the floor and then hesitated for just a moment when she saw the stampede. "Stay in the cottage!" she called before promptly ignoring her own advice in true Healer fashion, and ran out the door. She leaped and called upon Chrysalis, transformed into a huge Quetzalcoatlus and desperately pumped her wings to try gain some height above the moose like antlers.
Annie grabs up her violin and bow, beginning to play quickly as she sings, focusing on compelling the Hollow's terrain to shift and flow, creating ravines for the stampeding moose to flow into, around small islands holding the Lost who were caught up in it safely out of the way.
Eugene's not the best singer, but they're going to do their best to help Annie when it comes to pied pipering walls into place to redirect the flow of the animals, and Spring helps them out with that a little bit. Their voice ends up warmer and sweeter than it seems like it should, but fitting for someone who smells like opium smoke.
It's chaos. Most are running, trying to get inside cottages to safety--while others are grabbing weapons and rushing out to do their best to protect those who have been caught by surprise. It helps to give the trio some cover, as the maddened stampede turns their attention on those threatening them. On the other side of the village, they can briefly spot a feline-person wielding a sword and shield, and a massive bear-man that roars at the stampede and helps scare a good number of them away from the main village. Petra recognizes them as Enyo and Nick.
Petra dives down to the closest Lost as Eugene and Annie play their music, charming the Hedge into following their will. They feel a rumble underneath their feet as not the Hedge, but something else pushes back. Some roots burst up out of the ground, causing some damage to cottages--but their work does the trick. Walls are carefully grown up and the stampede is cut off from the Lost who were trapped. But they... aren't looking good. Two Lost are unconcious--while the other two look badly injured, trying to drag themselves away to the safety of the cottages.
Petra is able to swoop down, dodging around the thrashing moose-like hobs, getting to one of the unconcious Lost! He... doesn't look good.
Frey, meanwhile, runs to the other unconcious Lost, now that the stampede has been diverted.
After putting her violin and bow aside, Annie follows Frey at a jog, reaching into her satchel for a jar of the balm she's started carrying recently as she does so. Once she reaches them, the Nymph kneels, quickly checking the unconscious Changeling over for where is worst hurt.
Petra let out a shriek of Petrasaur defiance as she swooped in and snatched the unconscious changeling by their shirt with with her beak and winged her way back to the medical hut, waiting a moment for Annie to take charge of them and then returning to survey the field.
Eugene also rushes forward once some of the people are out of immediate danger, scanning around looking for who might be the most injured, and in most dire need of help.
Petra is able to carefully pick up the Lost and bring them back to the medic hut. As she swoops back up, she sees one of the two other very injured Lost collapses, unable to drag themself any further.
Annie realizes that the Lost isn't just suffering from blood loss--his body is starting to convulse, his flesh around the wound starting to turn dark. There's something else going on, not just the immediate risk of the injury.
Eugene confirms this suspicion with grim certainty. There's some sort of poison at work. Perhaps the moss covering the deer-like hobs' antlers is toxic?
The one Frey is crouched down in front of is clearly the worst off, though.
Petra went to work, quickly flying everyone she could reach to safety at the medical hut, and then shifting back to her usual self, breathing hard from the exertion. "Status?" she called, looking for direction to where she'd be the most useful.
By now, things are calming down a little--most of the stampede has been herded back out into the thorns. The few massive hobs that remain are being cut down by fighters. The Freehold... is a wreck.
"There's definitely a poison at play here," Eugene says as they look around at the wounds that people are suffering. "Something I haven't learned how to deal with yet, unfortunately. Both of you know the Gift of Warm Breath, right?" They go looking for whoever seems to be worst off, poison or not, which means they come up beside Frey. As they move their appearance changes, as the smoke that forms them changes in color from its dark grey to a brighter, almost white one, and the scent of it changes to be more floral and less narcotic. "Let me help," they say as they kneel down beside Frey and the injured person.
"I need them to be awake to ask for permission to use that first, Yu Jin," Annie points out, too distracted by spreading balm on the various unconscious Lost to notice the shift in their smoke's colour.
Frey looks up at Eugene with a deep frown and nods, moving over to give her room.
Meanwhile, Annie quickly moves to heal some of the wounds--they look less pale, but they still look... not great. The one Eugene is crouched beside is going into an intense seizure.
Petra rushed over when Eugene's patient began seizing and dug her talons across the back of her arm until she began to bleed freely, and mixed it with an ointment she quickly began to apply to the patient's wounds, cursing all the while.
The man doesn't quite stop seizing, the poison still effecting him, but he does look in far less critical condition as his wounds mend. And as Eugene uses the stolen Kith's blessing, the man's eyes fly open, panicked and convulsing.
Now that the trio have this guy covered, Frey moves to one of the others, keeping them alive long enough for them to get to the others.
With him stable, Petra patted Eugene's shoulder in appreciation and then dug into her first aid kit and wrapped a quick bandage around her own arm. Then she raided the hut's own supplies for disinfectants and saline to flush wounds with, preferring to reserve any further use of glamour for the most serious cases. "Good work Frey," Petra called encouragingly. "Anyone know how things are looking out there?"
Outside, things appear to be calming--or, at least, the sounds of battle are quieting down. But as they do, several others are coming to the cottage to all but collapse around it, some vomiting and others just gasping for breath. Those that were fighting. They have lesser wounds, and are clearly willing to wait for their turn while others worst off are tended to. But based on how sick they look, a few others are effected by the poison as well.
The trio works together in doubletime alongside Frey. They clean wounds of the toxic moss, bandage up wounds--and honestly, most of it is just helping people ride out the worst of the toxin as they suffer from abrupt seizures. At one point, they have to perform CPR on someone who stops breathing.
But no one comes close to dying. Everyone survives--and about ten minutes later, help comes to back them up. Other Springs who know Gift of Warm Breath come to help cleanse the rest of the ill. Among them is the Spring Queen, a short Bright One made of stained glass, sunlight shining through them to cast rainbow colors all around. She looks upon the group gratefully. And then...
The bell tower in the middle of the town lets out a loud, resonating GONG that rings out across the Hedge. It fills each of them with a sense of grief and makes their chests instinctively ache.
Frey's eyes go wide with panic, looking around. The expression is mirrored throughout the rest of the Old Iron Lost.
Petra looked over at Frey and nudged him with an elbow to pass another bottle of saline solution to flush out another wound before wrapping it in clean bandages. "Pull it together! What's the bell for anyways?" she demanded.
Eugene looks up from what they're doing at the sound of the bell as well, and then looks around at the other Lost that might know what it symbolizes. They clearly have no idea.
Frey turns a grim look upon Petra. "It means someone has died. Or been dragged back to Arcadia."
The woman of colored glass looks to those who had been healed enough to move. "Hurry! Find who is missing!"
From outside, they hear echoes of yelling back and forth, "Where's Nick?" "I don't see Enyo!" "They were both here during the fight!"
"Is there anything we can do to help ensure they are retrieved safely, if it is the latter?" Annie offers.
"Fucking hell," she muttered darkly. "Of course it does..."
Frey shakes his head slowly. "The bell only rings if there's no hope of returning them."
Petra feels a lot of creatures nearby--there's about a dozen Lost in the Freehold now, none mean her ill.
Eugene glances around like there might be some sign to see, but chances are that's not the case if the bell is ringing. "Then I don't think there's much we can do for them as healers," they say with regret. "Let's focus on the people we can help."
"Screw that, there's always hope," Petra growled, but she wasn't one to charge off directionless into the Hedge when people in front of her needed their help. "Stars Above, you don't even know if someone's dead or Taken. Which is it? Resuscitation is a wee bit time sensitive."
Annie nods. "We can do more good here than we could by going after them."
The Spring Queen's eyes are filled with tears, but she looks to the three of them with earnest emotion. "If it weren't for you three, the bell would be ringing many, many more times. What you have done today, Old Iron will never be able to repay."
Eugene responds to the emotional gratitude like they're not really even sure what to do with it, just a glance away and a shrug, and then a look at Annie and Petra like maybe they'll know better what to say. "I didn't do it for repayment," is what they manage.
"The preservation of life is something we are all sworn to, Your Majesty," Annie says softly. "No debt is sought for plying our trade."
"Yeah. You can't pay it back. You can only pay it forward," she agreed.
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