27 Wolf’s Hear (1/2)
”A wolf's heart?” Bruce stammers.
You nod.
”Only the heart of a magical beast can change to fit a human,” you explain, ”and the obelisk in the forest changed the wolves — making them more human.”
”Yes,” he recalls, eyes seething in rage. ”The wolf that did this to me.”
”It's a slim chance and the procedure will be a difficult and painful one.”
He grits his teeth.
”A little hope is better than a lifetime of living this normal life.”
”Stay strong,” you encourage him. ”We'll need two weeks to finish the preparations.”
”Does Trent know or Eomer?”
You shake your head.
”They're happy you're alive — they won't risk losing you to an unproven procedure.”
”The others?” he asks with a hint of worry.
”Thomas might get on board — I don't know about Dune.”
”He'll agree,” Bruce declares, ”He knows the lengths I would go through to get back on the battlefield.”
You nod, finally understanding the deep bond between Bruce and Dune.
”Thank you,” he says. ”Even if it fails — just to be able to try, means a lot to me.”
”Don't thank me yet,”
You leave the house with a feeling of gloom — the implications of your mad plan begins to dawn on you.
Was Arun truthful about his results? Will Bruce's body accept the wolf's heart? Will the magic in the heart corrupt him? How long can he survive with the new heart?
All these questions bother you — but in the back of your mind, your instinct is telling you that there is a chance.
Since you need someone who could perform the procedure — it's probably time to head to the city. You'll need a mage — a very specific kind of mage.
You seek out Dune for company since Thomas already left for who knows where to find a healer.
Luckily, you spot him while he's on his way back to his house.
”Dune,” you raise a hand in greeting.
”Hey,” he returns the greeting. ”I heard you and Thomas hit it big with the bandits”
”We were lucky.”
”What brings you here?” he says as he opens the door. ”Come in.”
”I need to get to the capital,” you reply.
He frowns.
”For a healer?”
”Not exactly.”
”I know a merchant who needs a few trusted guards,” he suggested. ”I was planning to bring Eomer and the others — but they wanted a few more days of peace.”
”I can go,” you declare.
”I can see that,” he exclaims. ”I just want to know why you're so eager to get to the city.”
”Bruce…”
”So it is for a healer,” Dune interrupts. ”Thomas already got a healer from the city — he still failed.”
”I'm not looking for a healer,” you explain. ”I'm looking for a mage.”
”A mage?” he looks at you sharply. ”A necromancer?”
”No, no,” you raise your hands in a calming gesture. ”I need someone who understands the human body — preferably one who isn't squeamish.”
”D-don't tell me you're thinking about…” he stammers. ”You're walking the path of Arun the Mad?”
You give him a curt smile as you close your eyes and nod.
He flips the table in outrage.
”Are you insane?!?” he raged. ”You'll just end up killing him — or worse, you'll be creating a monster.”
”Bruce said you would agree.”
”No!” he scoffed, ”None of his subjects lived. Arun was a failure of a mage — the kingdom outlawed his experiments.”
”One of his subjects lived,” you remark. ”A troll with a bear's heart.”
”Bruce is no troll. He would die the moment you take out his heart.”
”Not necessarily.”
Your words shock Dune into silence.
”Explain.”
”Remember when I took in Bruce's wounds?”
”Yes,” he answers. ”Eomer thought it was some kind of necromancy — you said it was more like teleportation.”
”It's not exactly teleportation,” you explain, ”but teleportation is one aspect of my abilities.”
”Go on.”
You touch the fallen table and make a sweeping motion towards Dune.
Parts of his skin take on the color of wood.
”What…” Dune stands up from his seat in shock. ”What is this?”
You make another gesture as if you were taking something back — and his color reverts to normal.
”This…” he says as he inspects his hands and arms — still not comprehending what happened.
”I can do the same to the troll's regenerative abilities,” you explain. ”I can give it to Bruce.”
He sits down — pondering.
You patiently wait for his response.
”We'll need to see if you can really steal a troll's regeneration — and how long you can hold it… we need to test it on a few subjects to make sure it's safe before we perform it on Bruce… we need to get our hands on a troll… we'll need a place for the procedure….”
”I've already made arrangements,” you interrupt his ranting.
”Arrangements? What kind?”
You explain about your dealings with Glenn and your purchase of 2 sets of manacles, 2 wheelbarrows, and a collapsible metal rack.
”That's it?” Dune snaps, his voice filled with disdain.
”What else do we need?”
”We need another rack, two more sets of manacles, and a few cages.”
”Cages?” you wonder.
”I examined the obelisk fragments,” Dune explains. ”The obelisk wasn't just making the wolves more powerful — it was turning them into men.”
”A wolf's heart.”
”That was your plan, wasn't it?” he accused. ”You didn't seem surprised when I mentioned the obelisk or wolves turning into men.”
”It was the plan,” you admit.
”We'll need water and potions, just in case,” he adds, ”maybe even a healer.”
”No healer,” you shake your head. ”As you said, Arun's methods are frowned upon.”
”Yes, yes, of course — no healer.”
You nod — glad that he understood.
”I'm assuming we'll be doing the procedure in your little cave in the forest,” he says with a frown.
”Far from prying eyes and closer to the trolls and wolves,” you justify your decision.
”We'll need lumen orbs for light — you don't want to have a troll and an injured man out in the open and the wolves will come for one of their own.”
Dune shakes his head.
”We can't do this on our own — even with Thomas,” he mused. ”You'll be tied down with the troll and Bruce during the procedure, am I right?”