The Last Mage

[Shalashaska]

Aeron Zaynesworth

"Finally decided to join the party, huh?!" Aeron inquired as he cut another demon down, spinning around until his back faced Alexis'. The odds really weren't in their favor, but that was how he preferred it. Spending years on his own working for The High Command had made him adept at fighting with a number's disadvantage. And, while he didn't know how to exactly describe it, he knew he fought better when under pressure. It was both exciting and terrifying, and it constantly spurred him on.

But, even he knew it was possible for them to become overrun. There just... So many. And it felt like whenever he cut one down, two more popped up in its place. It was frustrating; not just physically, but also mentally. Aeron had never been extremely pious, but he figured if what he's doing was for the sake of the Old Gods, the least they could do was throw him a bone and help him out.

'Hello? Beam of fire from the sky? Something? A little help here?' He inquired mentally, wondering if his thoughts were even capable of reaching Prothos. Or was it Pophis? He really sucked when it came to names.

Ducking low, he spun and cut another demon in two before his eyes landed on Frazer.

'That's the Black Rose guy... Isn't it?' He pondered, not exactly sure. He could have sworn he had met him before. Ah, he'd deal with it later. For now, he had to focus on not dying. Maybe the guy would lend them a hand - or rather, a blade or two.

It'd certainly help.

Though, before Aeron could call out to Frazer a screech ripped through the air and everything seemed to stop. Standing, Aeron quickly looked around as he attempted to identify the source of the cry before a shadow passed overhead and a smile passed over his face.

"You Gods can go fuck yourselves." Aeron muttered under his breath as the dragon landed on top of the temple. It wasn't one of the large beasts that could eclipse an entire town, as most usually fantasized them as. But rather, it was about a good 5 feet taller than Aeron with a body as wide as a carriage. Its scales were a sickly pale white, much like the demons the duo had been facing, and its throat glowed orange like a furnace.

"Hey..." Aeron muttered under his breath, getting Alexis' attention as the dragon reared its head back and its throat began to glow brighter. Oh. He knew what this was. He'd seen this before. Grabbing Alexis' arm, he ran towards the temple, straight to the dragon as he fell to the ground, pulling the Templar with him.

As soon as the duo hit the ground, the dragon opened its maw and spewed out flames. Rolling onto his back, Aeron stared wide-eyed as the blue flames consumed the demons and the landscape.

"Aw, shit." Aeron cursed as the dragon leaped from atop the temple to the ground. Roaring, the dragon surveyed the damage it had done, killing a majority of the Dark God's thrall. A low grumble rose from its throat as it was almost pleased with the destruction it had caused before it lowered its head and looked to the Legionnaire and Templar, having not noticed Frazer yet.

"I don't think we're getting out of here without killing that bastard..." Aeron commented as he slowly stood, grabbing his sword. "You ever killed a dragon before?"

 

[PoetLore]

Alexis just huffed at him, "You told me to get Hellena to safety," she said in a rather heated voice, "Make up your mind." She was cutting down her share of the demons with controlled accuracy and a good amount of angry aggression. She too was tired and this annoyed her more than invigorated her, as it normally would have. Nothing gave her more pleasure normally than destroying a minion of the Dark God, but at the moment she just wanted a good rest.

She noticed someone watching them and was a bit irritated at the inaction, though who knew if he was on their side. Perhaps he was here to kidnap the oracle and was hoping to see their end to make that particular assignment a bit easier. That very thought gave her a burst of energy that had a roar rising from her chest , her sword flew with renewed energy and purpose. She felt Aeron pushing her toward the temple after she heard the screech. She knew what it was, she hadn't felt the need to look at it and confirm her suspicions.

She looked at him when he'd asked if she'd ever killed a dragon before and rolled her eyes, "Aeron," she said in that slightly heated voice that he seemed to just pull from her so easily, "Remind me to smack you for that later." She saw the red welling up in the throat and let out a low growl. "You go left...I'll go right...one of us should be able to get the throat..." She pushed away from the Temple and ran forward and to the right, slashing at the wings and then sliding lower on her knees to try and get a good stab at the throat and take away the fire builder.

 

[PoetLore]

Hellena had been praying over Brom, but she felt at peace so she stood and moved to the entrance of the temple and 'saw' the dragon. She heard a voice within telling her to step out in faith and the rest would be done by her patron. She knew no fear when she heard those words, not that she was a fearful person ever but this was entirely different. Her instructs were clear and almost glowing within her.

Her hands raised and her voice rang clear and loud, "BE GONE! THE TEMPLE OF PROTHOS FORBIDS YOUR PRESENCE, AND I, HIS ORACLE DO AS WELL!"

She would not see that her entire body was glowing and emitting a nearly blinding light as the words left her with force, conviction and faith. Such faith was magnified by the gods themselves and every dark creature surrounding the Temple would feel that power and be suddenly shaken and filled with unease, doubt and a few lesser creatures perished.

The dragon would not fall to her command but whether it could function, or whether it would flee remained to be seen. The other demons would more than likely flee.

 

[Furasian]

The Druid watched the others fight their way through the demons, his half-eyed almost serene demeanor failing to show his concern for the situation at hand. The two heros he had watched seemed to be very capable of handling the lesser demons, but even he could see their struggle that demanded his swords at their side. That all changed however when a dragon of all things made its destructive appearance. With the severity of the conflict now taking a turn for the worst Frazer knew it was time to act.

He wasted no time in shifting into action, taking the first few steps as a human before he shifted into his wolfish form and sprinted on all fours towards the unsuspecting dragon. On the last step Frazer leaped onto the creature's back, scaling the bus sized challenge while grabbing for his sword, around the same time the Templar was making her advance. The dragon upon feeling the Druid climb onto him in return tried to thrash about in order to get him off as quickly as possible, giving the others room to commit to their attack without risk of being attacked by the dragon. Such retaliation lead Frazer to wrap his arms around the creature as far as he could reach in order to stay on, however the scales made it very difficult for his claws to find something to dig into. Eventually the ambassador would be forced off and thrown into the dirt, a grunt escaping him as he made contact with the unforgiving ground. Despite it being a rough landing Frazer was able to roll with the motion and force himself onto his knees, soft pants escaping him as he observed the results of his brazen attempt.

 

[Shalashaska]

Aeron Zaynesworth

"Of course you'd want me to go left - must be tired of me being right." Aeron commented as he pushed himself forward, letting Alexis take the lead. Slowly, he deviated to the left, sliding below the dragon's sweeping claw. Rolling along the ground, he quickly recovered - mentally noting how whatever remaining demons immediately began to flee and the dragon itself seemed to 'freeze' momentarily.

'Goddamn Hellena back at it again.' He mused mentally as he swung at the dragon's hind leg, the blade having no real noticeable effect. Oh, if only they wouldn't have lost so much of their gear. He had brought along a crossbow and bolts for the sole purpose of dealing with the dragon in case it showed up, but said equipment got washed away in the river. 'Never lucky.'

Oddly enough, Aeron wasn't even surprised when Frazer fell off of the dragon in his wolf form.

"Kind of you to join us." Aeron commented as he jumped back, doing his best to avoid being crushed. Backstepping, Aeron smiled as the dragon turned to face him, the same familiar glow of its throat informing Aeron what it was intending, though the Legionnaire could see Alexis sliding beneath the dragon, obviously going for the throat.

 

[PoetLore]

Alexa saw the momentary freeze on the dragon, but it slowly turned its head away from her. With a grin and a quick maneuver, she was underneath the dragon. She forced the blade up and into the glowing throat of the dragon, and the twisted and slashed to her left as she rolled away from the falling acid. Some of it was burning her arm and part of her thigh as well but she ignored it and spun trying to get another slide at the throat and head.

She dragon however had moved it's head toward her with great force and she went flying and landed against the wall of the temple with a loud thud. She slid to the ground in a daze. She shook her head trying to clear it a bit and to get her body to respond. She thought she saw a wolf...no, maybe. She blinked a few times as the dragon's head drew near. She reached for her blade and tried to lift it but her hand felt weak. She reached instead for a dagger she wore at her waist and prepared to die, but hopefully take him with her.

"Prothos...help us." she whispered as she held the small dagger in front of her waiting.

 

[PoetLore]

Hellena could 'sees' all the demons departing except the dragon. She had figured as much. The voice within her changed its message and she obeyed instantly, "Prothos grant your power to our protectors! Strengthen their arms, make keen their sight, and fell the minion of darkness!" Again her voice rang clear and was as of the sound of rushing water for its intensity. She knew the great gods were powerful, and that they would provide protection when the believer's faith was strong and unwavering. She was one such believer.

Her vision saw the great dragon falling, so she stepped inside the temple and back to the Mage she'd seen in her prophetic vision. She once again knelt beside him and prayed for returned, strength and healing. She knew the others would be well, so she returned to her primary focus, which was returning with a healthy and able mage to battle the Dark Lord and overthrow him.

 

[Furasian]

Frazer who was still on his hands and knees merely chuckled in response to Aeron's comment, his episode of brief chuckling coming to a quick end as he collected his sword and pushed himself onto his two feet. When he had been thrown off the dragon his hat seemed to have toppled off and went missing in the chaos of the fight, a pity. Hopefully he will be able to recover it once things were settled. Such thoughts were quickly brushed aside though the moment the druid caught the Templar in her dire situation.

"Do what you can, friend." The ambassador said with a wolfish growl in his tone. Again he jumped into a quick dash, his cloak's clip seeming to become virtually useless as the current picked up the fabric and caused it to fly and reveal his identity.

"Come on then you bastard!" He snarled as he skidded to a halt in between Alexa and the dragon. The dragon, easily enraged by the druids taunting stance immediately snapped at him, attempting to silence him with it's savage array of sharp teeth for his outburst. Frazer, expecting the attack was able to sidestep, exploiting the speed and agility that came with his second form. It was a close one though, the scales of the dragon's neck brushing through and scraping Frazer's arms as it passed. Before it could even consider pressing on towards Alexa the druid gave it's neck a hard kick to knock it's biting motion off course and cause it to stagger to the side a bit.

 

[Shalashaska]

"Goddamn overgrown lizard." Aeron spat as he broke out into a sprint, rushing at the dragon from behind. Spinning the sword in his hand, he focused as he jumped forward. Landing on the beast's tail, he hurriedly scaled up the dragon's back struggling to keep his balance as the dragon suddenly became aware of his presence. Moving quickly, Aeron made his way to the beast's head.

"Easy there, Betsy." The Legionnaire said with a soothing tone as he raised the sword above his head before stabbing downwards, the blade sinking into the dragon's eye. Tightening his grip on the sword, Aeron twisted the blade as the dragon began to violently thrash about, the pain jolting through its skull, as well as its wounded neck, making the dragon reconsider its assault.

Eventually, the creature was able to fling Aeron off its head, the man and his sword both hitting the side of the temple with a loud thud. Backing away, the one-eyed dragon roared and snarled, snapping at the trio in anger as its wings began to flap. The dragon would fall one day, but this would not be that day. Batting at the air, the dragon spared them one last spite filled roar before taking to the sky, flying away from the temple.

"Is it over?" Aeron called out, eyes closed as he lay on the ground, too sore to move.

 

[PoetLore]

Alexis was still trying to focus her eyes. Her head was throbbing and she was seeing two of everything. There was a burning pain on her arm and leg as well, but she was still trying to stand, only to fall back down after each try. "Dadblastit!" she gritted out as she tried again, only to fall back against the wall and slide to the ground.

She saw a blurred double image appear between herself and the dragon and was grateful but also angry that she couldn't get up and do her part. She was stubborn though and continued to try three more times before she heard the thud against the wall somewhere near her. she didn't have time to try and focus on who that might have been before she heard the screeches of the dragon and the heavy flapping of its wings as it rose into the air, leaving them there an embattled mess.

She heard Aeron and realized it was him that had been flung at the wall, and somehow that made her feel better, knowing she wasn't the only one who would be hurting after this. "Heaven please make it so!" she prayed aloud. Again she tried to stand only to be swamped by dizziness and weakness that made her legs refuse to obey. She let out a frustrated huff of air, "I think I need help." she said though she hated to admit it. "And...would you be good enough to stop the world from spinning? I would like to get off now.."

She had no idea that blood was slipping down her back from a good sized wound to the back of her head. She also had a lump forming there as well. The dragon's acid had burned through the armor on her right thigh and was eating at the flesh there, and the same (but to a lesser extent) was happening to her upper right arm. Even so, she was still stubbornly trying to stand on her own. She'd never been unable to walk away from a battle before, and she didn't want to start now, especially in front of Aeron. She felt the rebellion in her mind rise against his 'short stack' name and pushed herself to her feet though she was leaning against the temple wall. As soon as she managed it though her eyes rolled back and she started to fall to the ground in a dead faint.

 

[PoetLore]

Hellena was praying over the mage when she heard the dragon flying away. She smiled and nodded her head, good riddance, nasty beast. She had met friendly dragons in her lifetime, and it always bothered her when animals who were created by the gods for their good purpose and had freedom far greater than people, would willing choose to serve the dark one. But, such was the way of things and she could do little to alter the fact. Still, it peeved her greatly.

Hearing the quiet now, she stood and moved toward the temple door and it opened for her before she got there as it had been doing since her arrival. She stepped out, "Are you all well?" she asked, "I did not see death, but that does not mean wellness either."

She smiled at the one who had not traveled with them. "Thank you for your assistance, Frazer," she said with a slight bow of her head, "We are in your debt Druid." she was about to say something else when her head turned toward Alexis, "Someone should catch her...."

 

[Furasian]

Frazer followed Aeron with his eyes up until the point where the man had made his rough landing, leaving the Druid to be the last man standing in good health. He looked to the dragon with a glare only to watch it fly off and make its retreat. Was it over? He wasn't sure but once he noticed that the dragon wasn't returning a sigh of relief escaped his wolfish maw as he straightened his posture and sheathed his blade.

"The dragon has routed.. We win this day." Frazer said in response to the man's question before turning to face the Oracle that was now approaching her. The moment he set fell upon the Oracle the Druid immediately took a step back and bowed before the woman only straightening himself the moment she added a note about the Templar. Being one of the closest ones Frazer quickly rushed over to Alexis and wrapped his arms around her so to hold her up in a bear hug. Should he feel her would he'd quickly adjust so to ensure she wouldn't feel any pain. "Ac-ch! There there now Templar.." The Druid said as he slowly sat down with her on her lap without a care for the fact her blood was smearing all over his cloak. Should the woman that was slipping away look up at him he'd try to display an attempt of a smile, but being a wolf made that rather difficult.

 

[Shalashaska]

"Oh... Sure... Just leave me here... Goddamn sexist." Aeron coughed as he slowly sat up, his back straining as he came to the realization it was bruised. Oh, whatever, he'd walk it off or something. Forcing himself to stand, Aeron huffed out a sigh. He wasn't dead - yet - and that made him happy. Not being dead was generally pretty great. Stumbling forward, he made his way to the temple, patting Frazer on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Good job, Wolf-Guy." He commended him casually, pausing as he passed Helena. "You, lady, are the strangest person I have ever met." Aeron commented as he kept walking, making his way up the steps into the temple. Huffing out a deep breath, his eyes instantly focused on the unconscious mage. "This is him, right?" He called out to Helena, walking forward before crouching down beside the man.

"Doesn't look like much." Aeron stated matter-of-factly before lightly slapping the guy's face. "Hey, wake up." He ordered lazily, his voice incidentally rousing Snowball from its slumber. Standing, the tiger made its way over to its partner before sitting beside Aeron, staring at the man before licking the side of his head.

"How about you lick him until he wakes up instead of me?" He questioned, quite puzzled by the tiger's actions.

 

[PoetLore]

Alexis felt something catch her fall and it snapped her back to consciousness when pain sliced through her. She lifted her head slowly and with some effort and beheld the furry face of her helper. She whispered, "Thank you.." but slumped heavily against him. She hated feeling weak but her right leg was refusing to give her support. "Sorry...leg hurts..." she said as she tried to walk with his help only to almost force them both to the ground. She sighed and looked at him again and there would be a gray haze of pain clearly seen there, "don't think....can walk.." her voice was soft and labored and broken. Her head was throbbing so hard she could barely think.

For the second time in one day she felt the world swim before her s blackness encompassed her. This time she did not come to, in spite of the pain. She was completely unconscious and dead weight at his side.

 

[PoetLore]

Hellena nodded, "Indeed it is," she replied to Aeron. "You think not?' she said with a huff and a smile, "I see what you cannot," she said with a hand to his shoulder, "There is much magic within him. He will indeed end the dark God's reign of terror." her words held conviction, knowledge and faith of a kind that was impossible to ignore or disbelieve.

"You are injured, but are you able to help Frazer?" she asked, "Alexis is not well."

She moved to a tapestry on the wall and pulled it down and folded it into thirds to give a bit of cushion to the stone floor. When they got her inside she motioned to it, "Please lay her here," she instructed, "Druid. Are you a healer?" she asked, "I am not, but I can pray."

She awaited an answer but knelt beside the folded tapestry to pray no matter his reply.

 

[Furasian]

Frazer kept his arms around her and slowly lowered her down while falling to his knees so to let her the faint Templar use his legs as a cushion instead of the hard floor. It took a lot of discipline for him to do this, fighting back the subtle yet significant aches that had settled in from him being thrown aside by the dragon. While there was a brief moment of freedom the wolf looked over his shoulder towards the horse that was some distance away, seems the horse had remained instead of running away in fear, how convenient. The Druid would make a clicking noise with his tongue to beckon the horse over before slipping his left arm under the girl so to step to her side and scoop her up in his arms in order to bring her inside. Should Aeron return like the Oracle suggested Frazer would simply give the man a nod and a thankful smile.

"I think I can handle it. You two took the worst of this fight." The Druid said as he stepped into the temple and laid her down. Upon being asked to healer her Frazer nodded again, his hands hovering over the unconcious girl while he stared down at her with great concentration. Over time a green aura could be seen forming in his palms before a green mist was conjured, the mist carrying what one could describe as a natural glow as it blanketed over the Templar and settled in. As seconds turned into minutes the templar could feel a sense of rejuvenation come over her, and her would even began to close, leaving nothing but flesh where her clothing and armor had been punctured. When everything had been healed, the processes was complete, leaving the Druid time to sit back with soft pants escaping his maw.

"It is done. How are you holding up?" Frazer asked, his half eyed gaze shifting over towards Aeron. When the man declined the druid's quiet offer Frazer's gaze would shift over to the unconcious man nearby, his eyes having a flickering spark of hope in them. "Is that him? The mage?"

 

[Shalashaska]

"And I can see things you can't." Aeron replied coyly in response to Helena, a smug smirk making its way onto his face as. "Whether or not he has 'much magic' in him doesn't matter if we can't wake his ass up." He commented while standing, glancing over his shoulder when he saw Frazer bring Alexis into the temple.

"Looks like I ain't even needed." He commented while rubbing his neck before sitting down. Watching over his shoulder, he watched as Frazer began to heal the Templar. "Ugh. Still ain't comfortable with that magic-voodoo shit." Aeron complained. He wasn't foreign to magic, obviously, but it still made his skin crawl just from being around it. He didn't know what it was, but unless he could hold it, he generally didn't trust it.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Aeron replied with a click of his tongue, his tone coming off with a slight hint of sarcasm, though it wasn't anything uncommon for him. "And yeah, apparently this is him." The Legionnaire commented, nudging the unconscious mage's body with his foot.

"We shouldn't stay here long. There's a chance the dragon could come back, and I doubt those demons just wound up here without any direction. Chances are D'rela or Lesym sent them after this guy, which means we need to move as quickly as we can." Aeron said, forcing himself to stand up.

"I hope that horse of yours can hold two." Aeron commented as he sheathed his sword on his back, ignoring the discomfort. "Seeing as how Alexis may be out for a while, you're gonna be sharing the horse with her. I'll toss the mage and Helena onto Snowball then we'll get going." He said, patting Snowball's head to signal the beast to stand up.

 

[PoetLore]

Hellena prayed for Alexis, and for the druid who was using his own brand of magic to heal her. she could 'see' the green glow of the druids magic grow and become bright as he healed Alexis and her smile grew. "Such a clean aura," she remarked but kept praying for the Prothos to grant power and strength to the druid and to Alexis as well. She also prayed for Aeron and Snowball, and Brom and the horse. In general praying that they would all be seen safely to the next village and that Brom would awaken and able to communicate with them.

She wasn't worried actually. She hadn't seen any death or hardship, aside from what she could see right here before her, the two unconscious members of their party. She prayed until she felt peaceful about their situation and then stood and moved around the tapestry to crouch beside Frazer, "That was quite spectacularly impressive," she said with a smile, "I am sure Alexis is unable to be grateful at the moment, but I am. She has been a very good protector and friend, so I thank you."

She looked up at Aeron and shook her head, "I do indeed see things that you do not," she quipped, "However none of them are helpful in this our current state of uncertainty. So...I will defer to your wisdom in travel arrangements." She rose to her feet and moved to Snowball's side, "You are a very good companion and I am very sure we will all get where we are going because of your willingness to be overburdened with us. Many thanks dear Snowball." her hands ran over the great cat's neck and side. She laid her hands on his side and prayed for power from Prothos for the great cat and smiled when she felt the prayer being answered. "All will be well."

So they set out, Hellena and Brom on Snowball and Alexis and Frazer on the horse. Hellena looked at Aeron and smiled, "We shall ahve to be sure to acquire more mounts before we continue further. You cannot make the entire journey on foot Aeron." For now he did though, and they made steady progress, though it was at a slower pace than perhaps Aeron would ahve liked.

She lifted an arm later that day, "We are near our destination," she said as she rubbed Snowball's neck. "I can see it ahead...we must stop at the second resting house, not the first." she announced suddenly, "Aranem has prepared a place for us."

They arrived in town and just as she had said, the first resting house was full, and the second was run by a man named Aranem, who had felt the urging to prepare five rooms, though he had not had any renters in over a month. "Prothos bless you," she said to Aranem and smiled a knowing smile at Aeron. They were each given a room, Brom was lain on the bed in his room and felt to rest. Alexis likewise had been gently rested upon her bed to recover her strength. Hellena, Aeron and Frazer too food and then rested as well.

 

[PoetLore]

Alexis did not rouse for even a second during the trip. Though Frazer had healed all of her wounds, her body needed sleep to recover fully. And so she slept the sleep of the dead for most of that day.

Her body jolted as she reached for her sword in a dream to slay the dragon and smacked her hand off the wall and fell off the cot she'd been laid on. She hit the floor with a loud thud and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the odd new surroundings. She frowned slightly. Where was she? How did she get here? Had she been taken captive?

As she came fully awake she remembered the dragon and being throw at the Temple walls and the pain in her head. her hand lifted to feel her head and she was surprised to find no wound or even a bump. Surely there must have been one. She stretched out her arm and rotated her wrist, and let our a humph of confusion. She'd been injured. She remembered being unable to stand.

She stood and waited for the pain to come, but it didn't. Moving across the room tot he door, she was actually surprised to find it could open. She left her room and made her way to where she heard voices. She approached the group, ""Where are we?' she asked, "Do we have him?" she asked Aeron who was seated the closet to where she was standing.

 

[Furasian]

Frazer looked over at Aeron and couldn't help but display a slight grin in response to his sarcasm and rather blunt response to his inquiry about the boy. That grin faded however once the discussion transitioned from his Druidic powers and the mage to the need to seek better shelter, something he most agreed with. "The Oracle and take the Templar on the horse. Seems like we are walking, friend." The wolfish man said as he walked over and gave the man a rather heavy pat on the back the moment the term 'friend' escaped his maw. He'd only set off after collecting his hat that had toppled off during the fight with the dragon.

The trip back to the settlement he had passed earlier that day was rather incident free, a fortunate turn of events especially during a time where they were most vulnerable. Frazer was wise enough to shift to his human form when they made it back to civilization, but he was sure to return to his canine roots the moment he either had the opportunity to or the moment swords were drawn. While it probably brought no significant benefit to have a wolf-like fellow walking around their hideaway in the tavern, it sure was a great feeling for Frazer to be his natural self. With all the energy in the world from a night of rest the Druid could go animal all day as long as he didn't tire himself out.

On the hour that the sun pierced the darkness with it's ray of light Frazer had already awoken, but the group wouldn't find him in the lobby. Instead the Druid situated himself next to the unconcious boy known as the Last Mage, his half-eyed gaze patiently peering down at the mage as if he were expecting the boy to wake any moment. Should there be any injuries to help soothe and heal the free slave would wake to have the massive towering wolfman with a pawish hand extended out over him that held onto that same aura that he used to heal the Templar. This time it was regulated, but at the expense of his own time. He was expecting the others to remain in the lobby, knowing that crowding the boy wouldn't do him any good, but perhaps the Oracle would settle down nearby to supervise both the mage and the Druid. It would be hard for him to answer those immediate questions that would come from the young man that he was tending to.