The Reaper's War

Zach was jerked awake by a new wave of pain. She moaned in near agony, clenching her jaw, and her eyes shut tight, trying to fight through it. Laying still, Zach heard footsteps coming near the tent. Great, more people she had to convince that she was fine, and needed no assistance whatsoever.

Arnokulus pulled open the flap of the tent. He walked over to Zach and upon seeing the wound said,"So kid, what happened to you?"

"Arrow..." she said simply. "Was dodging a few, got a little cocky I guess... and got in the way." Zach sounded slightly pained when she spoke, but tried her best to hide it.

Arnokulus inspected the wound more closely. "You'll live, but I don't want you to skip out on your treatment. Right now we don't know if it was a poisoned arrow. A white mage will inspect it later. We can't risk another loss, every soldier counts."

"It'll heal on it's own I'm sure. No need for a mage... I'm fine." she said protesting anyone who was to come near her. Zach sat up in an attempt to show that she was really ok... Bad idea. She groaned and laid back down painfully.

(gah...ok double post... let's just say it's an add on from that one 😛 )

And indeed that arrow had been poisoned. It slowly, quietly, spread its way through Zach's bloodstream. The poison was starting to take a toll on her, and her condition was worsening. It started as an intense fever that made her hot to the touch, and then progressed to make her break out in a cold sweat. Eventually her body started trembling, and her breathing started to shorten to. The venom on the tip of that arrow was killing her. Her immune system to fight it off was shutting down, and her heartbeat had started to slow.

Zach, still lying on the same cot, stared blankly around at the controlled chaos around her. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on something, anything. Her vision was blurred, the room around her started to spin. What was wrong with her? What was going on? She didn't understand. Zach went into a state of panic. Her heart started to race. She started to take fasts short breaths, almost hyperventilating. Zach started a cough fit as if choking on something. She tried catching her breath, but the more she struggled, the harder it became.

Coughing turning to weak attempts to take in oxygen, Zach’s bloodshot eyes started to close. She turned slightly onto her side, as blood slid out of the corner of her lips and dripped onto the floor. Zach eventually lost all consciousness, slipping off to somewhere dark, as her body laid limply on the cot.

Arnokulus noticed Zach struggling for air while he was checking another soldier, and he ran to Zach quickly." Yorinol! Get over here! Zach needs help!" Yorinol, the white mage that was healing at the time, rushed over. He whispered a few words and the stone on his staff started glowing. Black smoke came out of Zach's mouth as the poison was being drawn from the young solier. "We will need to inspect the wound to see if it is still infected by the dark magic." Yorinol said.

Zach awoke to the two men standing above her, and recoiled away from them out of fear. Her mind was still in panic mode, and they're closeness had frightened her. She looked up at them with bloodshot eyes, finally realizing who they were. "What happened?" she asked in a barely audible voice. All Zach could remember was darkness, and a feeling of drowning in water, other than that she could come up with nothing.

Arnokulus looked back down at Zach. "Drink this," he said while handing her a potion. "It will help you recover. Rest up when you're done, we need your help on a special mission."

Zach took the potion in her slightly quaking hands, grimacing as she drank it. The potion wasn't exactly the best thing she has ever tasted. "What kind of mission?" she asked, hoping it would be nothing that would blow her cover, the poison was a close enough call.

"Don't worry, if it goes as planned we shouldn't even be detected. We are just going to find where the portal that the undead are getting through is. Then, we can set traps and strike teams there."

"I see," she said chugging down the last of the disgusting potion, and twisting her face into a grimace once more. "What happens if we are detected?" Zach asked, never quite being the most optimistic of people.

"Trust me" said Arnokulus as he started walking out of the tent,"you do not want to know."

Her eyes followed him as he walked out, and a small smile spread across her face. She let out a barely audible sigh of relief. She had escaped being detected once again, and was almost confident no one knew. But Zach was still a bit afraid of what had happened when she had blacked out. No one had confronted her yet...