Streets of Atalya Volume Two: Tentacles

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio frowns at Daewell.

He could've broken it to her a bit more gently...

"Daewell's right. We're facing outworldly threats to all our safety. The Devourer we struck a deal with... we take care of the threat to all of us, and they leave us alone. That includes you, Firethena. You shouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

"But that doesn't rule out the tentacled beasts threatening Gaudemus and Gareth. They're skinwearers, infesting people and slowly taking control of them. Luckily, we've discovered a few clues that someone's infested. One of them is marks on the back. So we're doing checks of everyone we can to make sure they're not infected. That includes you, Firethena."

Horacio grins shyly.

"Firethena, do you mind if I check your back for these marks quick? I know it's a bit abrupt, but we need to make sure... I, uh, could give you a back rub or a massage while I'm at it, loosen up those muscles, relieve some tension. This has been pretty stressful for all of us.

"And after that, all of us are going to meet an old comrade of mine. That includes you too, Firethena. She's an expert on dreams and the mind, she can double-check to make sure none of us are influenced or infested by anything. She can give us some advice on what to do and... guidance."

Horacio's grin fades to a sad smile.

"I think we all need a bit of that right now..."

Spoiler

Show

If Firethena faints, Horacio immediately gets out the smelling salts to revive her. Not having her go unconscious mid-reply.