Under Ettamri’s scrutiny, nothing seemed amiss with the wagon. The small boulder that had been hurled in its direction had slid to a halt right beside it, and though it would have to be moved before they continued onwards, the axle and wheels seemed undamaged for the time being. Underneath the tarp, the sacks of grain were thankfully untouched, no miniature monkeys having sneaked in and pilfered some during the chaos of the failed ambush. The horses remained spooked though, nervously stamping the ground and snorting loudly. Some animalistic discipline kept the pair from bolting, but it would take special attention before they could be calmed.

Oscar’s task with butchering the apes was a less pleasant affair. The hunter had experience with butchering animals, yes, but those were [i]animals[/i]. No one ate goblins, slimes, or any of the other humanity-hating creatures that lurked near the walls of Andeave. The apes, despite their size, were disturbingly humanoid, and his lack of experience overall made the task far more bloody than it could have been. By the time he was finished with one of the apes, his machete was caked in gore and fat. Slitting open the belly would doubtless be another gruesome task, and the hardened, tough muscles of the monsters they felled, already cooling in the subzero temperatures, would make it all that much more annoying to cook afterwards, if it was even good eating to begin with. Regardless, it would be a time consuming task skinning all these creatures, and the prospect of eating what [i]might[/i] be the best cut of their body, their relatively soft but firm buttocks, was also a bit gross.

It was curious though, how two of the creatures were missing their hearts, as if a wild animal had savagely torn past their ribcages to rip out the hearts.

Thankfully, Argen hadn’t died from a brain hemorrhage after all, and Katya was quick to help him up, shifting behind him to push him up by the back. If he was talking coherently, that had to count for something, right? But an injury was still an injury and the small priest moved to pop his helmet off anyways, just to check up on the state of his face.

Needless to say, it wasn’t pretty.

Half of Argen’s face was swelling, black and purple bruises bunching up over his once handsome features like balloons about to burst. Blood caked that side as well, blinding him in his left eye, and, now that he was up, he could feel one, maybe two of his back teeth being weirdly loose as well, the gums aflame. A bludgeoning blow from a two meter tall giant with limbs like whips was nothing to shrug off, and the pre-existing dents in Argen’s uncomfortable helmet may have done more harm than good. Katya let out a wince upon seeing all this, and she rolled up her sleeves soon enough.

[color=6ecff6]“No, you stay put. No one else is injured but you, stupid Argen. Now let me do my work and buy me cake afterwards.”[/color]

With that bratty statement, she grasped the hexagram symbol that hung from her neck and brought it to her lips. Her other hand placed itself gingerly against the mass of bruises that half-blinded Argen, only the fingertips touching the damaged flesh.

[center][color=6ecff6]“Oh Keeper of the Sun, Alri-Qua, grant this child the strength to fight another day. Heal.”[/color][/center]
A soft light, warm as spring, shone from her open palm, and like a wax sculpture being molded into place, Argen’s face began to return to normal. His headache persisted, his eye wasn’t sealed shut anymore, and there was probably nothing outside of a Sacrament that could regenerate the two teeth he lost, but everything else…should be fine.

The blood was still there though. Soon, he’d probably have to be like Muu, trying to scrub his face clean of blood without dirtying any other part of his body in the process.