Theo froze. He’d always hoped that just maybe his adventuring spirit would reveal itself at a critical moment such as this. He’d react to the oncoming monster and prove to the world that, once and for all, he had the potential to be an adventurer.

That, Theo now realized, turned out to be a bold-faced lie. As the snake struck toward him, time seemed to slow. His body refused to respond - no matter how much he pleaded with it.

A sudden force jarred him out of the way from the side. It took his mind what felt like forever to catch up. Pain exploded in his chest followed by a series of sickening snaps inside him. His body rolled across the grassy expanse outside of Romuen, stopping on something distinctly solid.

“Theo!” Pina’s voice called out to him.

“That probably broke some ribs! Don’t let him drink a potion, Pina!” Telsa shouted, her voice tight.

Theo heard a loud slam followed by Adam grunting. He groaned, turning his head as much as he could bear toward the noise. Adam stood between Theo and a massive serpent. The snake stood taller than most buildings he’d seen in Romuen, hissing and attempting to shift around the warrior before it.

Adam brought up his battleaxe, blocking another blindingly fast strike by the snake. A shockwave traveled out, shaking Theo’s body. He groaned, pain lancing through him from even that slight movement.

Trying to take a breath, coughs wracked Theo’s body. They had a concerning wetness to them. Pina fussed over him, trying to drag him further away from the snake. A scream tried to escape his body, but no air carried it. His chest heaved for air, but he couldn’t take a breath.

Pina noticed Theo’s struggles, her eyes widening. “Guys! I think Theo can’t breathe!”

Through the pain, Theo heard several curses, none of which appeared to be able to leave the fight. At that moment, his eyes widened as he realized his life was in the hands of Pina. Is this where I die?

“Theo! Just um, try to breathe? In and out? Wait! I have an idea!” Pina said, fumbling through the pockets of her borrowed vest. She pulled out the wand Theo had supplied her with.

Theo’s eyes widened further, connecting the dots to Pina’s idea of help.

“Okay, Theo. Sit still. I’m not gonna put a lot of mana into it. I’m just gonna blow air into your mouth with the wand,” Pina said, holding up an assuaging hand and kneeling down next to him.

Realizing there weren’t many other options, Theo shut his eyes and nodded his assent. The wand tip passed his lips. Pina murmured something under her breath.

Wind galed into Theo’s lungs, bringing him to heights of pain he’d never realized were possible. With one final look in the eyes of his floral savior, his eyes rolled back in his head and the world went black.

Adam reacted. There was no time for anything else, he simply needed to act. Mana coursed through his body, heightening his speed to beat the snake’s. His shoulder connected with Theo, shoving him out of the way.

Internally wincing, Adam shoved down the guilt building up inside of him as he turned from his boyfriend’s tumbling form. His battleaxe met the strike, his legs straining under the force. He shoved back, the muscles on his arms bulging under his mana.

The world around Adam slowed down. Thanks, Nils, he thought, sending mental appreciation to the Phrenic mage. With the extra time to think, he shifted his grip, calculating how he wanted his counterstrike to land.

Adam never could get comfortable with the difference in the speed of the world and how his body moved through it under Nils’ spell. It felt like dragging his body through molasses. Regardless, he pushed one foot into the ground behind him, channeling all of his weight into this next strike.

The axe connected - just barely. It glanced off of the snake’s scales, only managing to open a thin red line on its body. Despite the enhanced perception from Nils, this snake moved fast. It reared up once again, leaning around him.

Why is this damn thing so focused on Theo? Adam asked himself, shifting his stance to a defensive posture. His arms creaked under the force of the blow, the runes on his skin barely keeping him together.

Adam grunted, his planted foot plowing into the ground. Shit. I’m stuck.

Telsa bought him precious moments, sweeping in with one of her Rending Slashes. The snake recoiled away, blood spraying the both of them. He wrenched his foot out of the ground, frowning as his boot didn’t come with it.

“Good hit, Telsa. What is this thing?” Adam asked, a long-forgotten lesson on monsters tickling at the back of his mind.

“It’s a Garden Snake! Theo’s basically a beacon of mana for it right now with those leaks!” Nils shouted from his position behind the two of them.

Adam rolled to the side, managing to dodge a panicked tail whip from the snake. He scanned its form briefly, noting familiar magical plants growing out of it. A grouping of vindiya roots sank slowly into the snake’s body, the gash Telsa made closing up inch by inch.

“Guys! I think Theo can’t breathe!” Adam heard Pina shout across the field.

He cursed. Theo’s definitely dead if I let this fucker near him. Let’s just hope- Adam’s eyes widened. Oh gods, Theo’s life is in Pina’s hands.

“Nils, gonna need another,” Adam called out, readying himself as the snake stood tall once more.

“Alacrity!” the mind mage cried out, mana pulsing from him.

The world slowed once again, a small headache making itself known in Adam’s mind. He watched as another plant - that waxy one with the weird name Theo had told him about earlier - dipped into the snake’s body.

It opened its maw, small sparks of lightning arcing around the inside.

Adam began to move as he watched the brilliant force gather in the serpent’s mouth. It charged far faster than he felt comfortable with for the factor Nils had slowed his perception down by. He shifted low to the ground, dropping his weapon as the violent arcs traveled at him in the blink of an eye.

An explosion erupted from his axe as the lightning arced to it. Adam shook his head, trying to clear the spots from his vision. Telsa yelled something, but his ears rang too loudly to process it.

The smell of lightning reached Adam’s nose, he looked up to see the snake charging up once more. No time, shit. He pulled a slender object out from a belt pouch. Come on, Theo, I know your work is strong enough for this.

“Bolt Orb!” The runes on the wand in Adam’s hand lit up, pulling Primordial mana from the crystal set in its handle. A set of three electrical orbs shot out from the tip of the wand, colliding with the streaks of lightning firing from the snake’s mouth.

The resulting clash blinded Adam with its brilliance. He flew backward, skidding across the ground on his back.

Hissing, the snake reared back, writhing from the flash.

Adam blinked, trying to clear his vision. He caught a flash of motion around the indistinct form of the snake and a glint of bent light.

“Warped Size! Rending Slash!” Telsa called out, slicing through the snake’s hide.

“Adam!” Nils shouted, heaving the battleaxe toward him.

Catching it more on instinct than any level of ability to see, Adam staggered to his feet. “Regeneration.” Healing mana flowed through him, soothing his body. His vision slowly cleared and his ears went silent as Telsa bought him time.

“It’s still after Theo! Adam, get over here!” Telsa shouted, rolling to the side as the snake’s massive tail slammed down in the spot she occupied moments before.

“Titanic Strength! Power Throw!” Runes lit up across Adam’s arms, filling them with strength. He breathed out, lining up his throw as his body moved reflexively. The axe spun through the air, sinking into the hide just below the snake’s head.

It hissed and shook, trying to dislodge the axe. Several plants adorning the snake’s head sunk into its body. Its scales pointed outward, gleaming edges apparent. Wind began to spiral around it as it snapped forward at Telsa, fangs dripping with venom.

Adam appeared at her side, his legs screaming their protest at the exertion. He grabbed the fangs as the world slowed once more around him. The small headache he had before reared its head with a vengeance.

Too late to react, the snake’s body coiled around Adam, the sharpened scales digging into his skin. Blood dripped from his arms as he tightened his grip on the fangs. Alright, fucker, your turn to feel it.

“Titanic Strength.” Adam pulled, ripping the fangs out of the snake’s mouth. He winced as some of the venom dripped onto his open wounds. Shit, shit, shit.

Writhing in pain, the snake only tightened around Adam further, its scales piercing deeper into his body. He pushed more and more mana into his Regeneration spell, fighting off the damage as well as the venom.

Searing pain coursed through Adam’s body, nauseating him.

“Adam!” Pina called out from across the field.

He spared a glance at her, noticing a smooth stone object in her hand. One he recognized from this morning. Red runes lit up across its surface.

“Vortex Sprint!” Pina shouted, spinning on her heel as winds boosted her speed. She hurled the stone, sending it careening toward the snake. “Pina Throw!”

And a throw it wasn’t. It landed several yards shy of the mark. Fire erupted outward from the stone, burning shrapnel following in its wake.

Several pieces of burning stone seared into Adam’s skin. He cursed Pina, but noticed the snake’s coiling slacken. Looking up, a piece of stone had pierced its eye! Taking advantage of the situation, Adam forced mana into another Titanic Strength, the spell belting out of his lungs.

Something tore inside of him, but he forced the snake’s body apart just enough to leap out of its grasp.

“I don’t know what these do, but Pina Throw!” Several metal spheres flew through the air, landing in front of the snake.

Adam recognized them immediately. Violently rattling, the spheres emitted an ear-splitting whine, paralyzing the snake. He tried to move to capitalize on the opening, but his muscles spasmed, refusing to respond.

Telsa, however, flipped through the air, her daggers gleaming in the sunlight. “Warped Size! Rending Slash!” The world seemed to dip toward her daggers, refining into a single point. Waves of Fundamental mana flowed out from Telsa as her daggers extended beyond a length Adam had ever seen before. A ripping, tearing sound echoed across the field as her weapons slid through the snake’s neck, beheading it.

Telsa landed, her daggers falling apart in her hands.

Adam fell to the ground, his vision tunneling inward.

“Adam!” he heard Telsa scream. The world faded away as the venom ravaged him.

Theo awoke to a surprising lack of pain, but in its place, movement in his chest. Were his ribs moving on their own?

Forcing an eye open, a fulvitre sat at his side. As Theo fully took in his situation, he noticed that the fulvitre’s fingers were thin to the point that he could barely make them out and inside of him.

He tried to move, but a pair of solid, dark, glassy hands held down his shoulders.

“Do not move, young human. Galeen is performing delicate work, you see? Their magic keeps you from pain, but only if you do not move,” the chiming voice of a fulvitre said from behind him.

Theo nodded almost imperceptibly. “W-” he gurgled, finding he couldn’t talk.

“The magic numbing your pain is also preventing your ability to speak, please try to remain still, young one,” the voice tutted from behind him.

Theo squirmed internally, trying his best to keep himself from moving. But whatever this treatment was, it felt so invasive. Fulvitre fingers, thin as could be, moved inside of him.

The fulvitre behind him made a surprised chime. “Where are my manners? I hold you down and do not introduce myself. I am Faastran, young one. I am told your name is Theo. You are lucky to know Pina, her work kept you alive. I have never seen that girl run as fast as she did returning with you to Romuen. As for this treatment, Galeen is moving your ribs back into place piece by piece. I hope you understand why you must remain still.”

Nodding slightly again, Theo tried to calm down. He attempted to think of this as just… enchanting, but instead of runes, it was fulvitre fingers poking around in his body- Okay, it felt horrifying. There was no arguing that, but at least whatever magic Galeen was working kept the pain at bay.

“Healing potion, Faastran?” the other fulvitre asked, speaking for the first time. Their voice sounded closer to a flute than Faastran’s chiming voice.

The glassy hands on Theo’s shoulders left. He could feel the stare Faastran gave him, reminding him to not move.

Theo saw Faastran for the first time as they walked in front of him to Galeen. Their glass body contained not a single speck of clear glass. Obsidian, he realized with no small amount of shock. He admired the fiery reds and oranges that had been melded into the fulvitre’s body, using them as a distraction from the… procedure he was undergoing currently.

Faastran inserted the healing potion onto a small hole in Galeen’s arm. The contents poured in, flowing down their thin fingers.

Feeling himself turn green, Theo wanted to look away, but he had a sort of curiosity about the process at this point.

The shifting inside him mostly stopped, aside from Galeen moving their fingers around. Small pokes inside of him followed by a disturbing click indicated his bones fusing back together.

“I had to repair the membrane inside you first, young Theo, so that you could breathe. This process will be over soon. Recovery after this will take time. I do not recommend the use of potions past this point, as this process is taxing on your body,” the fulvitre said, their head swiveling to him.

Theo couldn’t help but stare. Water motifs swirled across the fulvitre’s head and body in tones of blue and white. He nodded slowly, allowing the healer to continue their work.

The minutes crawled by as Theo watched, his eyes growing heavier and heavier. Finally, Galeen pulled their fingers out of his chest.

“It is done. You must allow your body to heal normally past this point, it is imperative. You may perish from exhaustion otherwise,” Galeen said, putting small drips of healing potion on the entrance holes in Theo’s chest to seal them up.

“Th-ank… yo-ou…” Theo managed to say before his head slumped into the pillow cradling his head.

The world came back to Theo in sharp, painful clarity. His chest hurt. He took a breath, wincing in pain. That wince turned into a coughing fit, which hurt even more.

“Theo? You’re awake!” Pina squealed, stepping over to him. She went in for a hug before stopping herself. “Right. Super fragile right now or whatever. Air hug!” Wrapping her arms in the air around Theo, she smiled at him.

Lips quirking up, Theo gave Pina the best smile he could manage. It wasn’t much. “I um, thank you, Pina. You saved my life.”

Pina waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Just doing what friends do. Oh, Galeen wants you to make them something like the wand you gave me. They said it can be considered payment for their services. You’re lucky you know me, they normally charge more, but my dad is friends with them!”

Theo looked around, realizing he was back in his room. “I- yes, I can make them a wand for sure. Actually, I’d been wanting to improve the design. ...I’m getting carried away. How did I get back to my room? I remember… being in some house, and there were fulvitre. The one you mentioned, Galeen, they had their- their fingers inside of me.”

Taking a seat next to Theo on the bed, Pina made what Theo thought was her attempt at a reassuring face. “Oh, yeah. Fulvitre healers can do weird stuff, what with the whole body shape changing thing. I had to have a splinter taken out of my foot by them once. They did the same weird finger thing.”

“Yes, and there was the other fulvitre there too… Faa…” The name escaped Theo, his memory of the event hazy at best.

“Faastran. They’re from Vulbanos,” Pina said, giving Theo the answer to the comment he hadn’t made yet.

“That explains the obsidian body. I’ve never met an obsidian fulvitre before. Oh, and Pina?” Theo asked, internally cursing himself for asking already.

She turned to him, eyes bright. “Yeah?”

He gulped, questioning if he even wanted to ask. “How- how long have I been… asleep?”

“Um… two days or so? I tried to run your shop after the weekend, but I had to work most of those hours, but Nils said he could try. We didn’t know most of the prices of your stuff though so we couldn’t sell much,” Pina said, frowning.

“That’s- that’s very kind of you both to try, Pina. I appreciate it. I certainly hope there’s no legality issues as neither of you are hired by me,” Theo said, a small seed of worry planting itself in his already-painful chest. “Pina?”

“Yeah?”

Theo grunted, trying to push himself up with his elbows. “Could you- could you help me sit up? It… hurts to move.”

Her eyes widened. “Right. Totally. Sorry! Didn’t even think about it. Yeah, let’s get you something to eat too before I tell you about-” She froze, slapping a hand over her mouth.

Theo’s heart skipped a beat, the seed of worry in his chest spreading its roots. “Tell me about what, Pina?”

Her eyes darted around the room. “Um, about the uh, the one thing with the um…”

“Pina, please. What’s this about?” Theo pleaded, pushing himself up on his own with a pained yelp.

Pina met his eyes, worry showing brightly within them. “It’s- it’s about Adam.”