Flashback The New Dawn

[Vick]

35 Winter 510 av





Bells had passed as Vick just kept running his along Fallon’s hair. Since he was a nuit he did not tire so his body could keep doing the same action over and over without any issue.

At last he did stop and just made his way off his bed, leaving her be at last.

She would either sleep and be safe or roam the halls and deal with the real danger of the island. Yet he did not mind either way for he left her alone. If Fallon was still awake then she would have to be alone with her thoughts. Yet if she was sleeping well her nightmares would be the least of her worries in the end.

It did not take Vick long to reach The Great Library and find what he was searching for. His pet needed help otherwise they may die a quicker death then he wanted due to the wounds for this was one of many.

The books he was reading over were just of herbs and basic healing ideas and thoughts. While Vick did have his own share of fixing problems with his own body in the past. He still did not know how to fix his pet as he just had time with removing metal shards or sewing himself back together. This was far different in his eyes.


‘One of the basic healing methods is salt water may prevent infection. You would need to soak the area in the water for 20 chimes then pat dry’

Was one of the texts he scanned as he flipped page over page taking each word and forcing it down his brain. He felt it was a tad odd to learn more about Medicine but if it meant keeping his pet alive longer than he would. The things he did for toys.

He kept reading over the book yet his mind just did not retain much information about the subject besides just using a few different seeds and flowers to grind up and rub into the skin.

How long had passed? Vick would take a guess it had been more time then he wanted to care to admit since he left his pet sleeping or even trying to free herself but for now he stood and left the room behind as he went about his goals.

Vick pushed the door open into his room and just as he came in he closed it without looking about.His hands were filled with one jar of looked like salt and the other a thin dagger. He just made his way into the bath area which he started running the water as he placed the items near the tub.

Once the water was at the right level which was just a few inches he looked at the jar and took it in his hands before speaking his thoughts at last.

“Little one come here”

He said out loud not even sure if Fallon was still in the room or not as it did not even occur to him to look towards his bed but if she was not he would learn that soon enough.

[Fallon]

Of course Fallon laid there awake for those bells, her eyes fixed quivering upon the inside of her arms. She had curled up, foetal and cocooning herself from the world around her. Her ankle continued its throbbing, the sharp sting as it was exposed to the air. And all the while he watched. Breathing rattled, the nervous, frightened energy betraying her when she did not need it to. No face could be saved par the pale, unflinching canvas of nothing. Her final wall and shield to the world.

Even as he shifted away from her and escaped to the world beyond she did not move. She dared not to, too scared of what was beyond. No, instead she deepened, she regressed. She tuned out the world, letting the thoughts and feelings slip away into nothing. A mental void that was only aware of what was going on. All in the name of personal sanity and safety. She did not know where he had gone, nor did she move. It was hard too with the aggravated and blooded wound. Walking would be a difficult past time until it healed - or was at least covered by something to protect it. A bandage, a cloth, clean fabric. Anything.

Lips trembled and twitched, her eyes peeking out from beneath the folds of her layers. And as she looked, trembling upon the stillness of the room. Time lost meaning, the ticks and chimes were little more than a hollow blur, a dulled sense of passing as she waited, curled up and unmoving. Waiting for him to return. When he did however, the girl simply stared, eyes wide, her entire form having shrunk into a ball. Those eyes stared at him, sucked out of feeling and emotions - apart from that faint glint of fear.

Wincing, dragging and pulling the girl went over to him the best she could. Every movement was shaking, every jerk of a step as she gingerly placed the barefoot onto the cold floor. No words were made, only the stare and watching, that buckling obeying as she moved towards him. Eyes were tired, her form slow and slipping as she tried to get closer. And then promptly stopped with her arms tightly hugging her frame. No more, she could not will herself to go all the way. In the vision of those dead eyes was enough for her for now, and until she knew what exactly was going on she was not going to budge.

"Yes?" she croaked.

[Vick]

His unblinking eyes looking towards her as she stood behind him, Her hair still a mess as if she never did much with it. Dark circles were starting to form under her red eyes as if she was stained. She was wearing a simple shirt and trousers with small bare feet along the ground.

She came without question he did notice but he still felt she had a long way to go in his eyes until she was more molded for him. He knew he had a lot of work as he never truly broken someone before. The island did that for him if he had any slaves that worked yet he would keep working with her but she would become the perfect little helper to him.

“Remove your trousers. You need to place your cut inside the tub and keep it no matter what.”

Vick said as he looked upon her as he took the lid along the jar off as he looked inside looking at the salt. This would be painful for her but this was a sign that Vick in his own way was trying to help her and make sure she did recover quickly. She could have done the same without removing the trousers yet he had to see just how far she would listen to him. If she did fight back then he would use the dagger on her or just go with voiding magic.

He was almost shocked deep down as he saw her remove the pants and place her foot in the water. He knew it would sting with just the water but the salt he had a good idea that it would feel like he was ripping her skin off all over again.

Yet without a word other than a steady glare at her he poured the salt inside the water along her foot. This would hurt and hurt like Hai and Vick had no way to ease this pain she was about to feeling. If she moved her foot he would place the knife along her upper thigh and press down upon it but only if she fought him.

If she kept fighting he cut along her skin but he was hoping just the threat alone would make her behave for now. He was not sure if she just had to soak the wound or scrub it but he used his other hand as he placed the now almost empty jar down and picked a rough cloth up. Slowly and trying to show some care he rubbed along the cut on her ankle and forced the scab that was forming to break up and for the salt water to push inside the wound to clean it.

Pain. Fallon would understand pain very well yet she would learn Vick was not trying to kill her. Just mold her but in time she may understand and learn to trust him. That or just become accustomed to the island and form nightmares that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Either way Vick would take care of her. Even if it was the only way he knew.

This would last roughly half a bell. Yet once it was done he would have her remove it and pat it dry. It would not heal her at first but he had hoped she would be able to use her leg soon without issue. Yet for now he just handed her pants back as he looked at her.

“Put them back on and follow. We have work to do now. The day has already started and now we need to get to work.”
Vick told her as he waited for her to get dress. With that he would lead her to his lab. It was going to be a long day for Fallon. He was hoping she had some sleep but he could be sure that she did or not. He knew she would not have food today or much of water if any. They would spend most of the day working.

She would get her hands dirty and work with bones with him. He would have to teach her the bare basics of his craft for her to understand what he had to look for so she would not waste his time.

He pushed his door open into his lab and told her to sit with a simple order as he closed the door behind her. This would be such a long day he knew but he had work that had to be done as he walked around her, his fingers brushing along the back of her neck as he took a seat at his desk facing her.

“Malediction. This is my craft in your tongue. You saw me work on this before now you need to learn more about it. At least the bare basics of it so you need to know what I am seeking for you are not to waste my time. So let’s start with the bare information…” Vick said as he picked up what looked like a rat’s skull, pushing it towards her.

“Everything has Djed. You, I, this table and even after we die we still hold djed. Such as this rat’s skull. It’s my job to take this djed and force it out and reshape it into something better. Everything that does have djed has limits. This rat skull is worthless compared to say a human mage that died.”

Vick said as he slowly went into detail into his craft. She did not need to learn the advanced things behind it but this would help her figure out things.

“Yet Djed is just one part. We need to know the history of something. Say this rat had been tamed and not wild. I could then use it in such a way that I can have the user tame other rats or animals better but if it was wild it would not work out like that.”

“So this is what we are going to do. You are going to touch and use your powers on the bones and tell me what you can. If you fail to tell me what I need to know in a good time-frame you will be punished.”

Vick said as he drop the skull and replacing it with a single sharp needle. He stood up and walked around the desk towards her. “If you fail me or my time-frames this is what will happen…” Vick told her as he pushed the needle inside her left hand between the thumb and index finger. Push the needle into her hand and pulling it out as drops of blood fell to ground as he looked upon her.

This was not a game to him. He would torture her even further for his research for she had to know she was still could be replace without issue but he still would help her. Twisted as it was but he had to make sure he was clear.

“This is what we are going to seek today. You are going to use your gift on the items here. I am looking for an high amount of djed and detail information about it. Such as a skill they knew in life or some type of talent that would make me care. Such as a magic of Projection or even a world magic like magecraft. If they did not know a magic then maybe a skill or trade. Understood?”

Vick said to her holding her in his eyes as he held the needle that was still dripping with her blood. He had to wonder if she knew what it meant for him to even share this amount of information with her and what it would mean if she did fail or try anything with it.

[Fallon]

Fallon obeyed of course, the movements weak and gentle, consumed with the sluggish sense of sleep. But that was the mindset she had adopted now. Would she break, or would she simply absorb and barely hold onto her sanity. The tired eyes blinked, slow and sluggish, her form swaying as she stepped over to him. Her fingers pinched and pulled, her removal proving as a surprise to the nuit. But as his gaze swept across did she feel it probing, searching and looking for points to exploit. There was only a mumble as she looked to the knife, "I will work better if you do not point things at me." She uttered a string of cries as the salt was rubbed in, the hissing reaching the air as he pressed down upon the injury. It was hard not to. But it was only between those noises that she managed to speak up, "If... given tools I will care for myself. It is... preferred."

To be moulded or otherwise, even she still held onto her own preferences, her own wants and desires when it came to such treatment. She preferred to look after herself, it was what she was raised to do. To be cared for by another was not the way she worked. She had to carry her own weight. That was the way she was now after all after being formed by her mentor. When she was finally released however the girl simply pulled the garment back on and watched him with her eyes. Her chest rose sharply, her breathing quick and light as she coped with the pain the best she could. A hard task.

As she gathered more of her bearings, did she begin to push herself to move after him. The ankle bled, the aggravated injury worsening as she limped off after him. All the while however the lesson began, the words of his craft falling upon the air and the heavy warnings. There was a blink, limping as she eased into the chair. Feet curled up beneath her at that point, her arm wrapping around her knees almost protectively. Deep breaths sucked in the air, her eyes turning up to the desk.

Retreat. Listen. Protect.

Eyes flickered as she heard his words, sharpening down upon the rat skull that rested there. There was a blink, slow, steady as she looked upon the rat skull. Djed was in everything, an imprint locked within their cores, their flesh and bones. Her lids pinched, focusing upon his words. Or at least until he stuck the needle into her. Jerking away, her hands clawed around her arms, the recoiling back into herself protectively. Instinct trembled upon the edge, her hairs rising as her lips curled back to bare her teeth. Hiss escaping she looked upon the bones, taking their shapes into her minds eyes. At least until his words met her ears. No, impossible, such reading was beyond her.

"I cannot," she managed to release a croak, "Beyond powers. Beyond attributes of blessings. Species... maybe. Name, sometimes. Purpose when made if lucky, or mood, emotions felt. But..." she gave a blink, her eyes staring and turning glazed upon the skull and then bones. Gingerly reaching out she picked one up, the finger tips curling around it and withdrawing back to her. Gently she handled it, turning it round between the tips and then turned her gaze once more up to Vick, "Though I understand. It cannot be done."

Blinking she lowered it down once more, her blood having smeared across the bone from her injury. Looking down upon the blood she gave only a pause, "Works like... feeling impressions in the sand. But limited. Could be given pile of bones and told what they come from though."