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It started with Frost, his feline ears picking up small noises the others couldn’t. As the crew walked he felt his head tilt slightly to the left as a peculiar rhythmic sound made itself known, and the tabaxi quickly identified it as a wheeze. One of his companions’ breath was ending in short high-pitched whistles. Subtly looking around to figure out who it was coming from, Frost zeroed in on the tallest member of the group.
Outwardly Torbek looked no different than usual, hunched over with his hands nervously fidgeting, eyes darting amongst the trees while scanning for threats. It was possible Torbek always wheezed and he had never noticed before. It was also possible that this was yet another horrific side-affect to being constantly exposed to witchlight. And of course a third possibility- Torbek was ill.
Whatever was going on, it wasn’t enough to be concerned about yet. So Frost took in this information silently, and said nothing.
–
They were stopped for lunch when Kremy noticed something off. He was passing out bowls after whipping up a quick soup and reprimanding Gideon when it happened.
“Come on, Gid! Let everyone else get a serving before helping yourself to seconds!” The alligatorfolk said with a groan.
He tuned out Gideon’s subsequent whining with a grin and handed Torbek his bowl. The bugbear’s eyes widened and peered up at Kremy from where he was sitting with the most pathetic expression known to man and gator. The poor guy always looked so grateful to be given food that it almost broke through the walls around Kremy’s heart. Almost. It certainly didn’t help that he was reminded of when a certain fire genasi had also been food insecure back when they first met. But where Gideon would grab the food and scarf it down as fast as possible, Torbek took it gently as if expecting it to disappear.
Torbek reached out for his bowl and the gator couldn’t help but note the slight tremble to Torbek’s hands. Trembling was… not necessarily unusual for the bugbear. So Kremy brushed it off as hunger, and went to serve Gideon his second helping-
“Gideon Nathaniel Coal you put that pot down or I swear to the Baron that’s the last meal you’ll have today!”
–
Gideon was watching Torbek. After lunch the crew had continued their journey through the feywild and Gideon was now back with the bugbear. Normally he’d be at the front with Kremy but the gatorfolk was mad at him for ‘cooking utensil abuse’. Pfft, as if sticking the whole ladle in his mouth wasn’t something he did on a weekly basis! Twigsy was even siding with Kremy and stayed with him at the front of the pack!
Anyway, the genasi was more focused on his tall friend now. They were walking on a relatively well-treaded path but… Torbek was stumbling. There were no rocks or branches or even tiny dirt hills! And yet, here Torbek was, falling over his own feet.
The bugbear was clumsy, sure, but not this clumsy. Torbek was usually actually pretty good on his feet, fast and stealthy. So seeing him not steady was weird. He didn’t want to embarrass Torbek if he said something and it ended up being nothing, but Gideon decided to keep an eye on his friend just in case.
–
Gricko happened to look back at the right time. He was talking at Frosty and suddenly felt something urge him to turn and watch Gideon and Torbek behind them. No wait, not something, someone. His beloved owlbear daughter Hootsie had nudged him hard in the back, getting Gricko to swivel and find out what was wrong.
He was about to ask what Hootsie needed when a different person caught his eye instead. Torbek’s eyes seemed glazed over, and he was hunching over more than normal. The bugbear’s hands were still and clutched tightly to his stomach. He was sluggish in his movements. All signs of being sick.
“Torbek! Are you okay?” Gricko inquired.
That got everybody’s attention. The group stopped and Torbek got sheepish, saying, “O-oh, Torbek is fine! Don’t worry about him!”
The goblin could tell that it was a lie right away. Torbek’s voice, while normally very raspy, seemed weak and quiet. He marched up to his friend and with his best ‘dad’ voice said, “You’re obviously not. Sit down.”
–
Frost couldn’t help but agree with Gricko’s assessment. Torbek did seem a lot worse than when he observed the bugbear this morning.
Torbek sat down gently on the grass, “Really, Torbek is okay! He’s not feeling any different than normal! We can keep going.”
Twig darted towards their tall companion and said, “No, Gricko’s right! You look real bad Torbek! What’s wrong?”
Faced with genuine concern, the bugbear melted and gave in, “Well, Torbek’s just kind of… not feeling good in general? Normally Torbek is achy and everything hurts a little bit but now he’s also dizzy and out of breath. And shaky.” Torbek raised his hands to show them how his hands shook.
“Was it somethin’ you ate?” Gideon asked.
Kremy practically snarled, “Gid, the only food he’s eaten recently is mine. If he got sick because of my food, we’d all be sick.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right, huh.”
“Besides, it all sounds like a common cold to me. What do you think, Frost?”
The tabaxi’s ear flicked toward Kremy in acknowledgement, “That does seem plausible, yes. But it came on so quickly. Perhaps it’s a sort of feywild illness?”
Twig perked up, “Oh! I know all about feywild sicknesses! Umm, lemme think about it…”
While the brownie pondered, Torbek turned to Gricko and said, “Hey, Gricko? Torbek thinks he needs to lie down now.” Unceremoniously, the bugbear pitched forwards while Gricko scrambled to help him lay on his side in the dirt.
The crew all watched Torbek worriedly as his eyes closed and his breathing became harsher. Gricko stayed seated next to the bugbear’s head while Hootsie cooed sadly next to him.
“Uh, Twig? Any ideas?” Gideon asked.
Twig scowled, “You gotta give me a minute, Gideon! I can’t just- Wait! I know what this is! I’ve seen these symptoms before!” She smacked one of her fists into the palm of the other hand.
“...Well? What’s the prognosis?” Kremy urged.
“It’s witchlight poisoning! I’ve had people come into the inn actin’ all weird and stuff, real shaky and dizzy! An’ when I ask their friends what’s wrong, they just go ‘oh he’s having a bad trip on witchlight, don’t worry’ but in the morning I go check on ‘em and they always look real bad!” Twig explained.
“How exactly does one treat witchlight poisoning?” Frost asked.
Twig continued, “Well usually I hear the best way is to get the witchlight outta their body!”
The gang looked relieved for a moment at the simple solution until Frost brought up, “Wait. Torbek is literally full of witchlight all the time. How are we possibly going to get it out of him?”
Gricko looked up, eyes scrunched, “Well, usually it comes out of his fingers, right?”
“Yeah, but only when he’s pissed! How am I supposed to piss him off when he’s practically out cold?” Gideon said.
Kremy’s expression became disgusted, “Maybe we can, I dunno, coax him into it? Like at Electrum Chef? Frost could talk to him in his mind and keep him calm, Gricko and Hootsie provide outside support, and Gid can, I dunno, massage his hands until the witchlight comes out?”
“What can I do Kremy!?” Twig shouted.
“You can grab us a bucket. No use in wasting all that witchlight, right?”
As Twig ran off to who-knows-where Gideon said flatly, “Uh-huh. And what will you be doin’, Krem?”
“Supervising! Making sure it all goes well!”
Unimpressed but unwilling to disobey his husband (ironically!!) Gideon knelt by Torbek’s hands. Twig emerged from the woods with a bucket somehow and Gideon propped it up where it needed to be to catch the falling magenta poison.
Frost then joined Gricko on the ground by the nearly unconscious bugbear. He didn’t need to be this close, but knew that Torbek might find comfort in his friends being near. Gricko started nervously petting Torbek’s head in a soothing motion. With a nod from Kremy that everything was in place, the tabaxi established a psychic connection and started talking.
“Torbek? Are you still conscious?”
On the outside, Torbek’s eyes scrunched further and his brow furrowed, “...Mr. Frost?”
Frost took a stabilizing breath, “Yes, it’s me Torbek. Just me. You are very ill. Twig has inferred that the witchlight within you is the cause and we need to purge it from your body.”
“How…?”
“Gideon is sitting next to you and on my command is going to try to massage it out. We need you to focus as much as possible and turn your fingers into needles.”
Torbek groaned loudly, startling everyone, “What if… Torbek… hurts someone?”
“You won’t. And if anything happens, Gideon is the one holding your hands. He is the best equipped to stop any flailing,” Frost reassured.
“Torbek can… try…”
“I’ll be right here,” The tabaxi opened his eyes and said out loud, “He says he’ll try. Be ready Gideon.”
The genasi’s hair briefly sparked in determination and he firmly grasped the bugbear’s hand in both of his. Slowly, he started pressing his thumbs into the back of the hand, bringing them forwards in a coaxing motion, and repeating. After a few moments Torbek’s long fingers started convulsing, the nails became sharper and slightly hollow.
If this weren’t a dire situation, they might all be fascinated by the process. Gideon didn’t have any interest in bio-engineering but the sensation of the hand transforming was… well, it was gross. But also oddly intriguing? The bones and ligaments and veins all pulsed and crunched in a strange rhythm only Torbek’s body knew.
A sudden bubbling sound from Torbek’s back captured Kremy’s attention, “Frost, the witchlight’s reacting! Is he still calm?”
“Let me check,” Frost said. “Torbek? Are you alright?”
“No… no more experiments… please…”
“This is not an experiment, Torbek. We are your friends and we’re trying to detox the witchlight from you. Do you remember?”
Torbek whimpered, “Please… Torbek just wants… to go home…”
Frost almost physically felt his heart break, “You’ve escaped the labs Torbek! You are not there!”
The noises from the canisters did not stop. Frost needed a new tactic, fast, “Torbek, do you remember Guys Night?”
“Guys Night? With… with Mr. Kremy? And Mr. Gideon and Gricko?” The sound went from a boil to a simmer.
“Yes. I wasn’t there, but Gricko told me everything. It was fun, correct?”
“It… was…” Torbek’s back relaxed as the sloshing witchlight stilled.
“Could you tell me your favorite part?”
“Torbek just liked… being with his favorite coworkers… and being included…”
“But surely there were parts you liked more than others?”
During this, Gideon has resumed his motions, and they all stared in confusion as no magenta liquid came out despite Torbek’s fingers resembling syringes. The genasi pushed a little harder but still, nothing.
Gricko, who was still petting Torbek’s head throughout the whole ordeal, lightly touched Frost’s arm to get his attention. Once the tabaxi opened one eye to look at him the goblin said, “Nothing’s happening.”
Grimly acknowledging that, Frost returned to the bugbear, “I apologize Torbek, but we really to expel the excess witchlight. I need you to help us. Remember you are surrounded by friends.”
The relaxed body of their tallest companion tensed again, “It’s not… going to come out from Torbek’s fingers… he thinks this has happened before… with the doctors…”
Frost was hit with a flashback memory from Torbek. A sterile room, beings in white coats and gloves, looks of disgust, and frantically written notes as Torbek-
“He’s going to vomit! Quickly, get him up!” Frost relayed the information as fast as possible. Gricko and Gideon panicked but assisted with getting Torbek into a sitting position, Twig pushing the bucket into his hands just in time.
With a horrifying gag, Torbek began to throw up bright magenta witchlight. The crew winced in sympathy, and Kremy had to look away from the sight. Gideon kept a hand on Torbek’s heaving back, providing the only support he could now.
The vomiting lasted much longer than any of them thought was possible. Torbek’s breath would catch, followed by a sharp inhale, before a disgusting retching sound was ripped from his throat as more and more witchlight was expelled. It was hard to tell if the bugbear was sweating more than normal but the wetness around his eyes was no doubt from tears, eyes quickly growing redder at the edges. By the time Torbek was gently laid back to the ground by the genasi, the bucket was nearly full.
A moment passed, and then Torbek spoke while still coughing and panting, “Torbek will… be fine in a few minutes… we can get up and keep going soon…”
An immediate explosion of protests followed.
“No Torbek! You just finished pukin’ your guts out!” Twig was appalled.
Gricko was equally upset, “You need to rest!” with a punctuating hoot from Hootsie.
“Torbek can get up! There’s no reason to stop here!” As if to demonstrate how he could ‘definitely get up’, Torbek attempted to sit using shaking arms. His hands dug into the dirt to find purchase before giving out and the bugbear flopped back to the ground with a groan.
The gatorfolk cleared his throat, “Now Torbek, you’ll be no good to us if you’re still weak from the witchlight poisoning.”
“Kremy-!” Gideon started but was interrupted by said gator speaking again.
“We’re gonna set up camp and stay here for the night. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
The genasi settled as he realized this was just how Kremy justified making Torbek take a break. He knew the bugbear sometimes equated usefulness with his worth as a teammate and friend. Pointing out how Torbek being sick was a detriment would help their tall companion give in easier.
Quietly Torbek responded, “Okay, Mr. Kremy.”
As Gideon, Kremy, and Twig started setting up camp, Gricko and Frost tended to Torbek.
First they got him to sit back up with some effort. Then the goblin produced a rag and began dabbing it around Torbek’s mouth while the tabaxi procured water for him to rinse with. The bugbear looked like he wanted to protest the care, but was too tired to do so. Torbek rubbed his eyes free of leftover tears and began sipping the water to soothe his throat.
Then the two grabbed Torbek’s bedroll and laid it out, followed by helping lay the bugbear himself down onto it. Hootsie curled up against him and snuggled her head into his chest. Gricko lost himself briefly in adoration of his daughter but pulled out of it to give a pat to both Hootsie and Torbek’s heads.
“I’ll go help set everything up. Take a real nice nap!” And with that, the goblin was bouncing around the camp, assisting their friends where needed.
To Torbek’s surprise, Frost made no motion to join the others. He sat down beside the two and simply said, “I’ll watch over you and wake you up when dinner’s ready. Don’t worry, I won’t leave.”
Torbek felt his eyes water again and cuddled Hootsie closer to him, careful of his strength to not hurt her, “Th-thank you, Frost.”
“Sleep well.”
The bugbear quietly fell asleep to the sounds of his friends milling about and the soft presence of the tabaxi next to him.
–
With a sigh Gideon asked, “Well Krems? You still want this witchlight?”
“Ugh, Gid. No. It was different when it was coming from his fingers,” Kremy peered down at the fluorescent liquid in disdain, “We should just get rid of it at this point.”
“How? Just like, dump it out?”
Suddenly Gricko butt in, “I’ll take it out into the forest and empty it. Do you want the bucket back, Twig?”
“Yes, please!”
And as Gricko wandered off into the trees, the rest could have sworn they heard him say, “Surely this will have no consequences on the local ecosystems!”