My mouth stays open, so far open it hurts. I’ve stopped screaming, just choked gurgles and sounds that I didn’t even know I could make. The Reganel lay fallen around us, all 23, as he said. I stand watching in shock and horror, staring at Carl, his legs in shreds, torn open by beasts, and in awe of the Machina and what he managed to do, and in despair that even if he stopped all that Carl could still die. Finally one more emotion covers me, dampening the others and drowning them out, like a cover slowly enwrapping me. Carl was going to die to save us.

“Fuck it hurts!” Inevitably Carl’s cries of pain and pleading stir me out of my stupor, so I shut my mouth and walk over to him to inspect the wound. Boy is that a wound. I can see right through the muscle and tendon and flesh, all the way to his ruined bones. There isn’t anything in the world that can help Carl walk again, that’s for sure. Immediately I look for anything to stop the bleeding. I spot a Caprilla nearby attacking some ants and immediately move closer. Rewarded by my efforts I spot a Capril bush and immediately get to work. I look at the machina for a moment and tell him to “Find something sharp!” before returning to the bush. First I pinch one of the branches and from the tip comes the precious sap I’ll need. Taking as much as I can I rush over to a nearby tree, taking its leaves and breaking them open, revealing their fluffy interior.

Quickly I take some of the fibres and the sap, mixing them together to create a makeshift bandage, before taking some branches and tying them around it, applying it to Carl’s torn leg. I motion the Machina over, noticing his empty hands as he does so. “Something sharp?” The Machina splays out his hand and, from his wrist a small but likely deadly blade extends. “Will this do?” I wince at how much this is about to hurt, but nod. “Carl, you're not going to like this. Close your mouth, and try to keep it closed.”

Carl only looks at me for a moment before asking, “Can it really hurt that bad?” I turn back to the Machina and I almost tell him what to do when I see his blade poised over Carl’s leg. I nod, in confirmation to both of them, and Carl can only tense as he watches the Machina’s blade fall.

1 Minute Later

Carl’s choked and depressing sobs fall through the forest, but with the amount of Reganel corpses around us, it’s clear that there isn’t much danger, I know I wouldn’t want to attack three creatures that took on a herd of 23 predators. Even I’m surprised at what this body is capable of, I had no idea it could be so powerful. But I do now.

I look at Carl, and my gaze falls down to his stumps where legs used to be. They’re heavily wrapped in the makeshift bandages that Kate came back with, but that doesn’t mean we won’t need more soon. The bandages are already absolutely soaked and Kate is already rushing to get some more. I’m about to ask how I can help, but Agin interrupts me.

‘There is a way for him to walk again.’

No, he has no legs. No-one without legs can walk.

‘There is a way, in you.’

What can I do? I barely know first aid, after all that won’t save you from a 7.62 calibre round, let alone shrapnel.

‘You are not of this world, are you? You are just like them.’

Like who?

‘You can save Carl, you just need some material.’

What do I need?

I look around for a moment, looking for anything that could technically be used as replacement legs.

‘Flesh’

Agin’s monotone response sends shivers down my mechanical spine, if I have a spine-

‘You do not.’

Could you not listen in on my thoughts?

‘That is exactly how we coordinate and can speak, by monitoring the neural activation and flow of-’

Don’t speak unless I tell you to.

‘...’

I stand for a moment, left awkwardly for a moment thinking about this. Do we need flesh to reconstruct his legs? Where are we going to get it… How is it even possible to reconstruct his legs? Worst of all I don’t want to kill anyone who hasn’t done something wrong, and taking a legless man on a journey with us is asking for trouble. Will we have to get rid of his arms until we can find another source of flesh to reconstruct them too? If only- ‘Might I make a suggestion?’

I told you not to speak unless asked, but you seem to have a solution.

‘There happen to be exactly 23 fresh Reganel corpses around us.’

Oh…

I look down at my feet. Sure enough there they are, the fresh flesh all around us and quickly I decide to get to work. What should I do?

‘First take it in your hands.’

I immediately reach down and as I tough the flesh it gets… sucked into my hand… Disgusting.

“What the hell!” Carl takes notice from his spot next to the tree, concern flashing in his eyes.

‘Keep going’

Following the instructions of the voice in my head I suck up as much fresh flesh as I can. This is definitely one of the strangest and most disgusting things I’ve ever done.

‘We need to apply the solution.’

I reach down to touch Carl's leg. “Hey what the hell are you doing? Shit! That hurts!” The bandages are pushed off as his leg miraculously reconstructs, a steady stream of strange spray landing on his leg and building it back up, and in about 15 seconds Carl’s entire left leg is back. “Holy shit…”

Without hesitation I place my hand onto his other leg, continuing the process until his right leg is back, this time it takes 17 seconds, there is less leg to work with after all. Disbelief covers Carl’s face as he looks at his wrinkling toes, wiggling them and moving them back and forth.

“Carl!” Kate shouts from behind me, a sound that probably would have been deafening if I was still human considering how loud she can be. Kate moves past me as fast as thunder to take Carl into an embrace. Carl breathes in, and smiles a full smile, one of gratitude and joy, a look I’ve never seen before. In my war I never saw moments like this, people liked to imagine they existed but… it was dark. It’s always been dark. This one doesn’t have to be the same… No. It’s already over, the war left this world years ago. Instead, I’ll be ready to prevent another. Once more past words enter through my skull, echoing and filling me, ‘never again.’

“Are you two okay to go on now?” I ask, hesitant to break their moment of embrace. Kate takes a moment to respond, but lets out a sigh of relief. “I’m ready.” Once again whole, our group pushes on and outwards. I still need to head to the Archipelago, maybe I can gain my bearings there.