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The straw man went up in flames, writhing and screeching as its body turned to ash, the dry straw serving as ideal fuel for the hungering inferno that now consumed it. Hardwick heard Ayeka shout something about the fire at him, but it was faint and drowned out by the ever increasing ringing in his ears.

He stumbled out from behind the bar just as one of the other patrons managed to put out the last smouldering remains of the straw man. Hardwick looked down at the charred floorboards - already he could see the blackened marks shrinking and fading. The far wall had begun to mend itself too, the splintered timberwork reforming slowly, gradually erasing any trace that he'd had been thrown into it barely minutes before.

As the adrenaline began to calm, Hardwick became aware of just how much he [i]hurt[/i] all over - the straw man's assault had taken its toll on his mortal body. He coughed violently. The ringing in his ears was a din mow, a fever-pitch of noise that drowned out all other sound. He coughed again, this time a concerning amount of blood flying from his mouth. His legs began to give way, and he gripped the bar to steady himself as his eyes widened and the world began to fade to black.

[color=0072bc]'D... Doctor....'[/color] came the bubbling gasp from his throat, now more blood than saliva. The world went black, and Hardwick crumpled to the floor, blood pooling from his mouth; not yet dead, but barely alive.