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The Big Oof! Volume 2 Chapter 59: Sugar Rush
🕑 Added 2023-09-09 19:03:53 +0000 UTCAs the morning sun began to peek through the windows, Elijah descended the stairs from his room with a look of annoyance spread across his face. He huffed in indignation and shrugged his medpack in an effort to put it in a more comfortable position as he cursed under his breath..
After spending a good portion of the night observing the two sickly Freelancers, he had finally managed to diagnose their condition. The symptoms he saw were far more insidious: persistent coughing, high fever, and a general sense of malaise. Their breathing was labored, their lungs filled with a strange, crackling sound that was indicative of a severe respiratory condition.
The condition wasn't something that could be easily cured with a simple potion or spell, contrary to whatever the primitive quacks used here, but it wasn’t something incurable. It was a complex ailment that required a more sophisticated approach, ideally involving hospitalization and a carefully monitored treatment plan.
Unfortunately, a hospital and a carefully monitored treatment plan was WAY out of the question. What they needed was a specific type of antifungal or antibiotic medication, something that was not readily available over the counter.
This is where things got a little tricky. Such medicines were usually tightly controlled by authorities and usually required a doctor or some kind of medical professional to issue a prescription. However, in certain systems Elijah had been to, the law was often more of a guideline than a rule and there were ways around such restrictions.
The hospitals of a few systems were places where one could find almost anything if they knew where to look and had the coin to pay for it. And one would usually have to pay in bulk to make it worth the while of the seller. So Elijah found himself with enough specialty medication to last him a decade, but that was also the problem.
He had enough specialty medication to last him a decade with no feasible way of replacing them.
Another sigh left Elijah’s mouth as he hit the bottom of the stairwell and spotted Bennett, standing around with a shifty look on his face.
“Ben…?” Elijah called out, narrowing his eyes at his Engineer. “What the hell do you have in your hand…?”
Bennett jumped and shoved his hand back into pocket. "Nothing…" His response was quick and monotone, but it was too late, Elijah had already caught a glimpse of the tiny candy bar the Engineer was trying to conceal.
Elijah was silent as he stared at the man with an odd look that said he was both exasperated and incredulous. “Ben… Why the hell do you have a candy bar?”
“I… um… I dunno, I just wanted one.” Bennett shifted nervously as he scratched his neck.
Silence reigned as Elijah just held his stare with the same strangle, and judging look on his face. “Okay, just…” Elijah finally spoke, deciding he wasn’t going to waste anymore of his brain power or sanity on whatever in god's name his engineer was doing. “Whatever, just whatever.” He sighed, throwing his arms up as he walked past the man.
The medic's frustration was palatable as he left Bennett behind, his mind already racing with the potential consequences of a sugar-high fairy. “Cool, now I’m going to have to deal with a cracked out miniature demon.” He grumbled as he stormed into the kitchen, towards the basement. “This is some bullshit…”
It was obvious to Elijah what the dumbass was planning. He could see it already: Bennett, with that dipshit grin of his, offering a bar chocolate Yana as if it were some sort of peace offering or bribe in an effort to teach him what-the-fuck-ever. The fairy, unable to resist the sweet temptation, would then proceed to consume the entire thing in one go, leading to a sugar-induced frenzy that Elijah would inevitably have to deal with.
"God I fucking hate that asshole," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the thought. He knew Bennett meant well, but his lack of foresight was going to cause more problems than it solved.
Descending the last few steps, Elijah mentally prepared himself for the upcoming negotiation. “Not that I’m any better” He sighed before steeling himself for the negotiations that were to come. If he was going to have to part with precious, irreplaceable medicine, then he sure as shit wasn’t going to do it for free. He pulled out the pistol hidden at his side and slightly pulled back the slide to make sure there was a round in the chamber before shoving it back into place and pushing open the door.
Ulina and the Freelancers were already having a discussion about payments when Elijah barged in and dropped his medpack on the ground. The sound of his pack hitting the ground drew everyone's attention to Elijah as they snapped their heads towards the man and raised an eyebrow.
“Good news, I can help them.” Elijah said impassively.
The room fell silent as Elijah's words hung in the air. The Freelancers exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of relief and skepticism.
Daumo was leaning against his bow when he smiled and opened his mouth, but Elijah soon cut him off. “Bad news, it’s going to require me to part with resources that will be extremely difficult for me to replace. So there’s going to be a significant cost with that.” He continued as right foot stepped back while his hand subtly hovered over the side that held his weapon.
The room fell into a tense silence once more as Elijah's words sank in. The Freelancers exchanged glances, their expressions hardening. The Dog-like man who had been about to talk, narrowed his eyes slightly and tensed up seeing the healer get into a more athletic stance.
"Cost?" He echoed with a sharp, but rumbling voice. "What kind of cost are we talking about here?"
Elijah met the beast's gaze, his expression unreadable. "Five gold coins." he replied, starting off the negotiation with a bang. He didn’t quite understand the monetary value of things in this world, but he might as well go outrageously high and see how they react to it.
Everyone in the room, including Ulina, balked as they all soon erupted into a cacophony of disbelief and protest. "Five gold coins?!" Talisa shouted in both shock and outrage. "You’re INSANE!!"
Ulina, who had been quietly observing the exchange, looked equally taken aback. "Eli-jah," she began, her voice filled with concern, "that's... that's a lot of money. That’s… That’s too much even for a rich merchant!"
Elijah simply shrugged, his expression unchanging. "The medicine I have is rare and considering the state your friends are in and the treatment they’re going to need? they're going to need a lot of it."
The room fell silent once more as the Freelancers digested his words. Some looked worried, others defiant.
“And if we refuse to pay…?” Talisa snarled as a hint of violence crept into her voice. Her hand floated to the sword at her hip, and pushed her body weight more forward.
The room paused for a moment as Elijah's gaze flicked to the woman, his expression remaining impassive. "Then I walk away," he replied simply, his tone devoid of any emotion. "And your friends' condition will continue to deteriorate until they're beyond saving."
A tense air filled the room as the brown haired woman's hand tightened on the hilt of her sword, Her knuckles turning white. “And if we make you stay…?” The angered freelancer’s face hardened as she spoke.
Elijah couldn't help the malicious smirk from spreading across his face as his hand gripped his own weapon. "You can most definitely try," he replied with a cold and steady voice. "But then I’m sure Ulina would have to clean up 5 bodies, instead of two."
Again, The room fell into another tense silence as both the two stared off at each other. But the dirty blonde haired man stepped forward, placing a calming hand on his companion's arm.
“One… one gold coin.” Yomick stammered trying to counter negotiate.
The malicious smile on Elijah's face didn’t waver as his eyes watched the Freelancers body language carefully. "One gold coin?" he echoed, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "That's a steep drop from five."
"It's all we can afford," Yomick replied, his voice finally evening out. "We're not exactly swimming in gold here."
Elijah considered him for a moment before responding. "Three gold coins."
Yomick couldn’t help but frown as he glanced back at his companions. After a moment of silent communication, he turned back to Elijah. "Two gold coins."
A huff of indignation left Elijah’s mouth as his eyes momentarily flicked towards the man he was negotiating with. “What do I look like? A fucking charity?” His response was sharp, his tone laced with annoyance. "Do you think I walk outside handing alms to the poor?”
This time, Daumo called out in a begging tone. "Please! It's all we can afford!" He said, taking a step forward. “That’s all of our savings combined!”
Elijah glared at the beast for a moment before his expression softened slightly at his plea. He sighed, running his other hand through his hair. "Fine," he conceded, his tone grudging. "Two gold coins and some favors. The first coin is to be paid upfront, the other in installments over time.”
The entire group of Freelancers sighed in relief as the tension in the room seemed to dissipate with the agreement to terms. Daumo, who had pleaded with him, shared a nod with the rest of the group before she too nodded in agreement. "Deal," He said, extending a clawed hand to Elijah. "Thank you."
Elijah shook his hand, his expression stern. "I'm not doing this for thanks," he said, releasing his grip on his weapon. "I'm doing this because it's my job."
Ulina let out a sigh of relief as she watched Elijah start to prepare his medical supplies. "That was... intense," she admitted in an awkward voice. "I thought Azeline was joking or exaggerating when she talked about you, but... you really are something else." She finished half laughing.
Choosing not to dignify that with a response, Elijah pulled out a black bag labeled ‘ANTIFUNGAL’. From it, he retrieved twelve small, hard tablets, unsheathed his knife and with precision, he began to carefully slice each tablet into four equal parts until he had 48 manageable pieces.
As Ulina observed Elija work with these strange white tablets, she couldn’t help but tilt her head in curiosity. “Are you sure this can help them?” She asked with a concerned voice.
A huff of indignation and amusement left Elijah’s voice as she looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. “Yes.” He curtly replied with a shake of his head. "As long as they follow my instructions to the letter, they should start to see improvement within a few days."
He then paused as he looked for something to put the pieces of tablets in. "Do you uh… Do you have clean and empty cups somewhere?"
Ulina’s gaze quickly scanned her surroundings and honed in on one of the cupboards in an open room before quickly standing up and moving to fetch two clean cups. Trotting back over to Elijah just a few moments later, she presented findings. "Here," she said in a soft and jovial voice. "Will this do?"
Elijah’s eyebrow shot up as he nodded in approval. “Ya, yaaaa this will do nicely.” He confirmed as he carefully placed the divided tablets evenly into each cup.
Walking over to the three healthy freelancers and their two sickly friends, Elijah presented the two cups to them and started giving them instructions. “Make sure the two take one piece every six hours, with food if possible.” He explained in a stern voice. "It's important they don't miss a dose. Make sure they keep taking them even after they start to feel better."
Yomick nodded with a dubious look on his face. “Okay… umm… Okay but why should they keep taking them if they feel better?” He asked, staring at the cup's contents.
Unable to help the sigh escaping his voice, Elijah looked at him and replied. "Because feeling better doesn't mean they’ve completely healed," he explained. "These dudes have an infection, and the medicine is still working to completely eliminate it from their bodies. If they stop taking it prematurely, the remaining infection could become resistant to the medicine, making it harder to treat in the future."
With furrowing brows, as the Blondes gaze went to his sick comrades and back to Elijah. “Okay… Um… Okay thanks. We’ll make sure they follow your instructions.” He said hesitantly before reaching out for the cups.
“Nuh uh,” Elijah said, retracting the cups. “Money.” He said curtly, extending a hand out, waiting for his payment
Yomick blinked, taken aback by Elijah's abrupt demand. He glanced at his companions, who shrugged before turning his gaze towards Ulina. “Ulina…” He began in a begging tone.
Ulina, who had been standing quietly to the side, turned to the Freelancer addressing her and cringed. “Yomick… Really?” She sighed, shaking her head. “I said the tavern would facilitate the meet and Healer, not PAY for him.”
Yomick, the blonde Freelancer, looked down at his feet, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Right... of course," he mumbled before looking back up for it. “But, we’ve gone broke paying the rest of the other healers and your facilitation fee price though…” He responded with a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. “Come on Ulina, you know we’re good for it!”
A sigh left Ulina’s mouth as she rubbed her temples. "Yomick, you know I can't do that," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "The tavern has its own expenses, and we can't afford to cover your debts."
“How about you just keep that cut of any job we take for the Tavern and we’ll funnel any jobs we get!” Yomick pleaded, his desperation clear. "We'll work it off, I promise. We just... we just need a little more time."
Ulina looked at him for a long moment, her expression softening. "Yomick..." she began, her voice filled with sympathy. "I understand your situation, but the tavern can't afford to cover your debts. I told you Eli-jah was going to be expensive, you should have known the costs."
Elijah, eyebrows shot up in slight amusement as gaze shifted between the two parties. "Look, everyone has bills they have to pay and I’m no exception." His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. “I don't work for free.”
A look of defeat formed on Yomick's face as he turned to Ulina with a sigh, "Look… How about we turn over any rewards we get from Indi?" He asked, causing the room to fall quiet.
“Indi’s jobs huh?” Ulina said, her interest piqued. "Those jobs can be quite lucrative." She mused, her gaze thoughtful as she considered the proposal. "But they're also dangerous and unpredictable. How can I be sure you'll be able to complete them?"
Yomick looked at Ulina as if he was almost offended that she even considered them failing. "Oh please Ulina, you know Indi only looks for the best Freelancers and WE are among the best in the city.” He responded, shoving a thumb at himself. “We've handled plenty of Indi's jobs before, and hell, we’ll even connect you with her as a form of interest!”
Ulina raised an eyebrow at Yomick's confident declaration. "Is that so?" she asked, her tone skeptical yet intrigued. "Well, if you can indeed connect me with Indi, that would certainly be... beneficial."
Elijah furrowed his brow at the conversation. He remembered hearing the name Indi from somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place it. However, that wasn’t as important at the moment as getting paid. “This is cool and all, but who's paying me?” He asked, looking between the two.
Silence once more came over the room as Yomick and his group stared expectantly at Ulina. She narrowed her eyes and snarled before ultimately sighing.”Fine!” She yelled, rubbing her temples and turning to Elijah. "I'll cover the first payment," she said, her voice filled with resignation. "But Yomick, you and your team will have to figure out the rest."
Huge smiles covered the group of Freelancers faces as they all hugged and cheered. "Thank you! Thank you, Ulina!" Yomick shouted, holding Ulina’s hand in both of his. "I promise we won't let you down."
Ulina merely grunted in response and nodded her head. "See that you don't," she replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. “And I expect you to introduce me to Indi!” The northern woman jabbed at Yomicks chest.
Turning around and facing Elijah, Ulina let out a sigh and jerked her head to the side, indicating for him to follow. “Give them the stuff and follow me so I can get you your coin.” She finished, throwing her thumb over her shoulder, towards the Freelancers.
Elijah gave Ulina a nod in return before he turned back to the Freelancers. He handed Yomick both of the cups and shot a look at both Daumo and Talisa. "Remember, one piece every six hours and don't miss a dose even if they say they feel fine." he instructed, his tone stern. “I won't sell you another batch, otherwise.”
Talisa slightly snarled and turned her head in a huff, however the other two Freelancers nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry about Talisa, she appreciates what you’re doing, it's just that… She's had a hard time.” Yomick said, trying to defend the woman as she went over to check on her two ill companions.
Daumo, the burly beast-man, grunted in agreement, his gaze hard but not without a hint of gratitude. "The man there is Talisa's younger brother and the woman is her brother’s lover," he rumbled quietly, bringing his voice to a whisper. "She's exhausted her life's savings trying to find a healer to treat them." He paused, his clawed hand absently scratching at his furred chin. "She's... she's been under a lot of stress. Every single one we've consulted said there was no cure for the Breathe Plague."
His gaze dropped to the floor. "Talisa blames herself... She was the one who disturbed a Plague Gloop in the sewers and thought that she brought this upon them." His words hung heavy in the air.
Elijah's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the unfamiliar term. “Plague Gloop?” He echoed, his tone incredulous. “The hell is a Plague Gloop?”
Yomick and Daumo exchanged a glance, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief. "You don't know what a Gloop is?" Yomick asked, his tone incredulous. "They're like... well, they're like giant, sentient blobs of slime. Most are harmless, but some, like the Plague Gloops, are incredibly toxic."
Upon hearing Elijah's question, Talisa, who had been tending to her sick siblings, spun around on her heels. Her eyes, filled with a mix of anger and guilt, bore into her companions. She opened her mouth, ready to lash out at them for discussing her mistake so casually, but when she turned her gaze to Elijah, her anger seemed to deflate. Instead, her eyes welled up with tears as she managed a shaky, "Thank you..." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it echoed in the silent room.
Elijah, for his part, simply stood there with a nonchalant expression and watched the scene unfold. With his arms crossed, the medic shifted his gaze between uncomfortable Yomick, Daumo, and the silent Talisa, who was now staring at the ground, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her sobs.
Catching Ulina's eye, Elijah subtly jerked his head towards the door. Understanding his silent cue, Ulina gave a small nod. "We'll, uhhh... leave you to it," she said, her voice soft. "Eli-jah and I have some business to attend to." With that, the two of them quietly made their way to the exit.
“Yep, and if you have any questions, uhhh… ya…” Elijah added as he slipped out of the room, leaving the Freelancers to their own devices.
Once the door was gently closed behind them, both Ulina and Elijah broke into a power walk, eager to put some distance between them and the emotional scene they had just left behind. “Ho-ly shit that’s a lot of emotional baggage.” Elijah muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm a medic, not a therapist."
Ulina wasn’t entirely sure what a 'therapist' was but understanding the gist of Elijah's complaint, gave a sympathetic nod. "Yaaaaaa, that happens sometimes," she agreed, her tone a mix of resignation and understanding. "Freelancers often carry more than just physical wounds. But don't worry, you did good. Now, let's get you that coin."
At the mention of payment, Elijah's mood seemed to lift slightly. "Coin you say?," he replied, a small smirk playing on his lips. "You sure do know how to sing to the heart, Ulina!"
Chuckling at Elijah's comment, Ulina couldn’t help but shake her head. "Well, I've been told I have a way with words," she replied, her tone light. "Now come on, let's get you paid." She gigged while opening the door leading to the dining hall.
As soon as the two stepped out of the door however, a small figure came barreling out of nowhere and smacked straight into Elijah's face. The impact sent him stumbling back into the kitchen and flipping onto a counter, knocking over several empty mugs.
"ELI!!!” An excited and familiar voice happily screamed.
Elijah wildly swung his arms as he tried to grab at the being hugged tightly to face, but the being in question, seemingly dodged every attempt at being removed.
“WHAT THE FUCK!!!” Elijah roared out, finally catching whatever or whoever was clinging to him and chucking them through the kitchen door.
The small figure was Yana and she was sent flying through the air as her high-pitched cackles echoed throughout the kitchen and into the dining hall. However, the fairy wasn't done. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she came screaming back through the doors, aiming directly for Elijah's face once more.
“BEN! BEN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!” Elijah bellowed, as he put up his hands to defend himself. He quickly ducked, causing Yana to crash into a stack of pots and pans behind him.
The little menace’s eyes were sparkling with an energy that could only be attributed to one thing - sugar.
She was giggling uncontrollably, her wings fluttering as she tried to right herself amidst the chaos she had caused. And at that moment, a man stuck his head through the doorway, his face a mix of concern and guilt. "Ya, my bad… But only you can deal with this crackhead now." Bennett said, his voice filled with regret. “Good luck." He finished, slowly closing the door and leaving Elijah to his fate.
