Master of the Hoard - Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Measure twice and cut once - John Florio

With a slam, my self-control returned as I spotted Aelis on the floor, still unconscious, but with Jazinth hovering over her. The twitchy shaman had a panicked look on her face and I had a sinking feeling as I lumbered over to her. I was horrified to see the blood pooling around Aelis’ arm. Craning my neck over the apprentice, I saw the reason. Her damaged paw had been torn off. Not a clear cut either, but violently torn off, with bone protruding from the arm. I was mortified. This was the second time I was the cause of her injury and I didn’t even have any hands to help stop the bleeding.

The shaman apprentice had twisted a leather strip around the limb, cutting off all blood circulation. She noticed I was there, but didn't remove her eyes from the diminutive figure. "Please do something. I've stopped the worst of the bleeding, but... It won’t last."

Mind racing, I growled. "Don't you have any magic you can use to heal her?"

She grimaced. "Do you think me a healer? I control earth, not flesh."

Damn. It would have been too easy. Grinding my teeth, I turned full circle, taking in the scene. A few of my allies were being tended to. The remaining Talpi were starting to gather around us, though a handful were lingering around the two surviving Clenchers who were still out for the count due to my Weakening Fog. One was prodding one of the monsters with his spear, drawing blood. I spoke up in a mental shout encompassing the entire group. "Leave the Clenchers be. Somebody take over here. Jazinth, I need you to capture the two surviving beasts right away. And I will need a fire. The rest of you need to get to work on the dead Clenchers. When we are done here, we are moving out right away." Silence reigned for a moment, only disturbed by the pained keening of a wounded Talpus. "Now!" I growled, and they got to it.

The next minutes crawled by at a snail's pace. I waited impatiently while they built a tiny bonfire. Jazinth finished trapping the monsters inside the rock of the cave and returned to me. "What are you planning?" Equal parts of nervousness and challenge wafted from her.

"The only thing I can think of. Aelis may not survive and even if she does, she may not thank me for it, but it's the only thing I can think of. We are going to amputate the limb." I stared down at the malformed appendage, taking in the remaining arm bones and flap of skin still clinging to the mangled arm.

"Amputate?"

"Yes. We are going to remove the end of the arm. Is the fire ready?"

"It is. But-" she quietened down.

"Good. Now, everybody. I need the sharpest weapon you have - and I need you to put the spearhead inside the fire to heat it up. Keep working the fire to get it as hot as possible. Then I need the rest of you to do the same with your spearheads. And I need the warrior with the steadiest paw to perform the cut."

It took some milling about and a couple of arguments before we were ready. A grim-faced Talpus was kneeling over the downed Aelis, spear tentatively placed over the offending arm. With a certainty I didn't feel, I addressed the present Talpi. "Okay. You, you and you, make sure to keep her down. Even though she's unconscious, the pain will be overwhelming. And you," I addressed the Talpus with the spear, "what's your name?"

"Taerys."

"Good. Taerys. The first thing I need you to do is wash your paws, the weapons and the wound. Use all the water we have, if necessary." There was no way we were going to keep the wound clean, but we would have to do as best we could. "Then you need to use your paws to find the spot where the wrist bones meet the bones of the arm. That exact joint is where we are going to cut." She did as directed. With a grimace of distaste, she brought the spear down hard, separating the sorry remains of the wrist from the arm. I ignored my thoughts over the madness of the situation. Directing an amputation like I knew what I was doing, instead of just trying to implement half-remembered bits of knowledge from tv shows. Aelis bucked from the ground, her body rising despite the three Talpi throwing themselves onto her form. Then, blessedly, she went limp. "Stay on top of her. And Taerys, keep going. There is a long flap of skin on the lower part - we will need that to stay on to sew back over the wound."

Seconds ticked by slowly, while Taerys cut, concentration written clearly on her tiny scrunched-up face. Eventually, she leaned back on her knees and looked at me. "I believe this is the best I can do."

I took a close look at the paw. It was still nothing but an open wound with a flap of skin dangling obscenely from it, but the cut appeared reasonably even. Grimacing, I nodded. "Good. Now, for the next part. We need to cauterize the stump."

Thankfully, Aelis stayed unconscious for the entire session, but I could feel the conflicted emotions of all the present Talpi as they took turns applying the fire-heated spear heads to the wound, watching as the flesh and liquid beneath sizzled and burned. Suspicion, fear and doubt were near the surface - which was very close to what I was experiencing myself. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. Damn, if only I had hands, I could do this on my own

Eventually, the bleeding stopped as the wound turned into a charred mess. Aelis' breathing came in panting, shallow breaths and her fur looked sodden with sweat and other liquids. I addressed everybody in the cave. "You have done well. As soon as she stabilizes, we will move toward our home. We'll need to rig an arrangement in order to carry her with as little movement as possible. Any suggestions?"

It turns out they already came prepared. A rolled-up skin was quickly attached to their spears and produced a stretcher. Apparently, it was not the first time they'd had to transport an injured friend in haste.

I agonized over my decision. We had a long trip before us and I couldn't wait to get started. Maybe it was for the best to get going right away? But...exposing her to trauma right away could be fatal. And there was the matter of the Clenchers too. I growled in frustration.

Aelis was arranged as comfortably as possible away from the blood and carnage and I started to handle the practicalities with Jazinth. We would need to approach this just right or our efforts would be wasted.

The trapped monsters growled and fidgeted, attempting to escape their bonds. I checked with Jazinth that they were ready to move out and approached the Clenchers to attempt the next part of my fledgling plan.

Initially, I had simply planned to eliminate all the Clenchers and use them for food. Which I could still do if this didn’t work. Then, I figured that if we were able to bring them home, we should be able to breed them for a perpetual food source. However, the more I thought about it, the more a different stratagem formed in my mind - and it all boiled down to this: I would need to establish my dominance over the beasts. That way I should be able to control them, and they might even become a potential added defence. A lot rode on my being able to control them though. Positioning myself right in front of the two muscular, bear-like monstrosities it was difficult not to be intimidated myself. They were both growling and slavering, snapping at me with their muscular jaws. It was an intimidating look, but I didn’t need to be a big red dragon to play the biggest, when they were safely trapped within the corridor floor. I let a deep rumble build in the back of my throat and stepped up to the largest of the pair, casually backhanding it across the face. It slammed back, but the trapped bulk of the beast ensured that it couldn't fall to the ground. When it swung back, infuriated, I released another Weakening Fog, right into its ugly face.

In a situation like this, where I was able to ensure that every inch of fog hit the target, the effect was instant. The monster sagged down, deflating slightly - but didn't relent. With me right in its face it growled back, standing up to my challenge.

"Release it, Jazinth." My mental command was direct and unflinching. I could feel the uncertainty oozing from her, but she did as I commanded. Within moments, the sensation of movement underneath the Clencher became obvious as it rose slightly towards me. I had no trouble keeping the animal fixed by the shoulders. "Now for the real test," I thought, and stepped back, releasing my hold. The inevitable attack was graceless and weak, and my tail slammed the beast back with impunity. I walked over to tower above the fallen Clencher, putting one foot on its chest, roaring down at it with all my might. A sudden impulse made me place my claws on its head, brutally forcing the head to one side even as I lowered my mouth to its neck.

Funny thing. You can actually feel a pulse through your mouth. Who knew? The Clencher's pulse thundered through its neck and every instinct of my body told me to bite down, just like that, and enjoy the salty taste of the monster's life flowing straight into my mouth. I refused to give in, however. The beast had gone completely still, only the occasional shiver running through its body. I bit down lightly, just enough to pierce the hard skin and started talking to it. I concentrated hard to ensure that the large beast felt every last nuance of my mental message, forcing the meaning hard at his pea-sized brain. "Listen here. You may have killed one of my subjects - no, my friends. That means you're mine now. If you want to live, you had better start acting like you want to live right about now." Removing my mouth from the neck with a grimace at the ugly aftertaste, I took a step back and waited for the effect. A glimmer of understanding seemed to pass through the beast's mind and it lowered its head... and tried to charge me. I just held it in place with my claws and repeated my mental message. Aelis really wasn't wrong about the lack of intelligence.

In the end, it took me a handful of minutes of enforcing my will on the monster until it eventually relented and stopped attacking me. I didn't believe for a moment that it had learned its lesson however, so I kept up my guard. I asked Jazinth to secure one of its paws as I repeated the session with the other Clencher. This one only took half the time before it caved, though. Perhaps it had just enough brain cells to see that the other beast hadn't exactly enjoyed much success.

The real test came soon. The Talpi were ready to leave, packed down with meat, skin and other items I didn't ask about. Aelis lay on the stretcher, still unconscious. I faced down both giants as Jazinth released them - and much to my surprise, nothing happened. There was a tentative moment where it looked like they were going to jump me, but they stayed put, expectant. I smiled at them, satisfied with their reaction, making sure to show plenty of teeth.

Soon, we were off.  A couple of mental messages told the monsters which way I wanted them to go and we started our march. The Clenchers walked in front with me right behind. One of the Talpi had managed to make a leash out of some skin from one of the other Clenchers. It was pretty grisly, but it suited my mood, and leashing the beasts together would ensure that they didn't take off in separate directions easily. The ensuing walk was fairly trouble-free. I kept up my mental commands, talking to them like I would a particularly stupid dog. However, they ceased attacking me, meaning they were either biding their time or learning to accept me as pack leader or... however these things worked.

It didn't take long for us to return to the corridor where we had left the remaining Clenchers behind. Truth be told, I was somewhat surprised that they were all still there. I somehow imagined that they had made a miraculous escape or... gnawed off their legs or something, just to get free. But there they were, lined up like a bunch of extremely impatient shoppers waiting for the doors to open on Black Friday. Well, the only special offer today was going to be a special class on behavioral science. Cheesy as that sounded, I took a very methodical approach. Went through the entire process of teaching the trapped Clenchers one by one who was the boss - and I did it all right in front of all the other Clenchers to reinforce what they had already been through.

They might be horribly dumb creatures, but they were learning, even if at a reduced pace. The final Clencher just took five minutes of workout to accept my authority, trembling before me with his head downcast in submission. This left me, along with the Talpi, ready for the real test.

"How do the knots look?" I didn't know how well I was able to hide anxiety in my own voice, but I could definitely feel my apprehension.

Taerys' face scrunched up in the Talpus equivalent of a frown. "As well as I can create them, Sire. The material hasn't been properly treated, so it's anybody's guess how well it will hold up. At least they won't be able to jump us all at once without difficulties."

That was putting it mildly. Not only had we tied the Clenchers together in a long row, we had also tied their legs together to keep any of them from taking too long steps. As we started out, I was reminded of an image I'd seen of an old prisoner chain gang - and it definitely felt right. I even had the whip, I thought. All I needed was to turn around and hit them with the tail. The march was a tense one, to say the least. We needed to move fast so we could get back home and let Aelis recuperate. Yet we couldn't move too fast for fear of bouncing her around too bad or letting the beasts escape. On top of that, I needed to examine every single beast every once in a while to ensure that they were kept under the effects of Weakening Fog.

Regardless of my jitters, it went surprisingly well. Only once did we suffer a delay as a Clencher tripped, tangling up the lines. When she fell, the others were pulled off their feet and reacted with explosive aggression, trying to fight to their feet and attack. A simple leap and a Deafening Roar left them all sprawling on the ground, stunned and subdued, and it only took a few minutes to sort them all out afterward.

Our return did not go unnoticed. We were noticed right when we first entered the tunnel system surrounding our new domain and the area was tiny enough that everybody knew what was going on by the time we arrived. The former collapse leading down into the necromancer's lair had been flattened into a steep decline and we could hear the excited squeals and snuffles from within. The arrival of the Clenchers turned the noises of celebration into ones of panic for a moment - but when I descended smoothly behind the huge beasts, prodding them on with a growl, the Talpi reacted with wild abandon. I think even the Clenchers were a bit taken aback by the ferocity of their celebrations as they descended upon us to shout their congratulations.

It might have been the first time in the tribe's history that they were able to go up against an enemy as formidable as the Clenchers and survive, so I let them have their celebration. I did make sure that Aelis was taken away to rest immediately and that Jazinth trapped all the Clenchers well and good. Soon, I found Arthor looking at me in expectation and we walked off to talk.