Mark watched anxiously out the broken train window. He held Grace in his arms, her heartbeat's slowing down, Mark thought.
"Mark," Grace said, her voice weak.
"Shh, you need to save your strength."
Her breath was getting heavier, but Mark was doing all he could. Someone couldn't absorb mana from someone else—not safely at least. In cases where mana loss was serious, they'd need a purifier to transmit mana from one person to another.
"Flame it," a weak voice said.
Mark glanced over to find the gunman lying face down. He looked pale. Almost as bad as Grace, though Mark found no pity for the man.
"I didn't know," the man said, his voice softer now. "Flame it I didn't know."
"Mark?" Grace asked, nodding to the man.
Mark grimaced, then sighed. He walked over, still holding Grace, and lifted the man's head by the hair, causing him to wince.
"Who are you?" Mark asked, a slight growl in his voice
He gave himself a moment to breathe. "Telleb," he said, his accent clear.
"So Telleb," Mark said, "why is a Helladorian with the Conexe?"
He didn't answer immediately, his breath was getting weaker and he was starting to pass out again.
"Tell me!" Mark shouted, pulling the man's hair further.
"Ahh!" he said weakly.
Grace put a hand on his arm, Mark glanced at her weak yet stern expression. He sighed again, letting go of the Helladorian's hair.
"Hellador's falling," the man replied after hitting the floor.
"What do you mean falling?"
"The country shattered a decade ago." Telleb took a few weak breath's. "The Conexe kept each peace from killing the other. They stopped a civil war." His head slumped further.
Mark's eyes widened. Hellador was second only to Navahownum in power and stability. And they fell apart a decade ago.
"Hey," Mark said, grabbing the man by the collar. "Hey! What do you mean the Conexe kept it together? How in Raphael's name would the Conexe be capable of keeping a country together?"
The man didn't respond, he had passed out again, and his skin was getting paler. Mark let him go.
"Flame it," he said, "where is Green when you need him."
The perpetual shade that was cast on the train disappeared. Mark looked to his left. They had gotten out of the forest and were nearing the train station.
Finally, Mark thought. When they stopped he shouted for help to bring the gunman. The Paipites left the train of their own volition. Mark didn't stop them, not that he could.
But he did pause when the fourth Paipite, the one that stopped the others. looked in his direction, and actually smiled. The expression was disturbing on the creature.
Mark started running, carrying Grace.
"I'm fine Mark," Grace said. "I just need a little rest."
Mark gave her a look, Grace's mana was still on the brink of running out. Mana depletion wasn't something someone could just shrug off with a nap.
"Sleep," Mark said. "I'll take you to a hospital."
"What about Green?" Grace asked.
Mark kept running, "sleep, Green will be fine."
I hope, Mark thought. Green was strong, and two years ago Mark would bet his life on Green's safe arrival. His stubbornness will get that boy killed someday. Though Green did have the pulx pistol, it could only last so long without Mark there to refill it.
Unfortunately however, Mark couldn't worry about Green when Grace could likely be in a worse situation. He continued his dash to the hospital with three people tailing behind him.
"She'll be fine," the doctor said.
Mark gave a sigh of relief, still recovering from his run. Sobnark only had one hospital, and it was conveniently two miles away from the train station.
"You were lucky to bring her in when you did," the doctor added, "any longer and she would have gone freeze-pole."
Mark nodded.
Freeze-pole was a term to describe someone whose mana had been depleted for too long, thereby keeping it in the depleted state. It was like starving yourself until your stomach got smaller.
"Can I go in?" Mark asked.
The doctor nodded, so Mark walked over, and poked his head in. He was surprised to see Grace reading a book, the mana purifier connected to her arm. Grace looked up, then smiled, and Mark's heart skipped a beat.
Stones, Mark thought, she's beautiful even when she's pale. Mark smiled back, closing the door and sat next to her. He put a hand on the mana purifier as it was getting low.
It was full a moment later however.
"I'm still amazed every time I see your mana pool." Grace said.
"See it?" Mark asked.
One couldn't "see" another's mana pool. It could be measured with technology, but mana didn't leak from people. Animals were one thing, but humans were too perfect a vessel for mana.
"You know it takes three people to fill the purifier safely?" Grace asked. "Yet you just have to give it a light touch and it's bursting."
Mark shrugged.
Grace put a hand on Mark's arm, "thank you."
"There's no point in thanking me," Mark replied. "I'd give away every ounce of mana if it would keep you alive."
"I don't mean that… thank you for bringing him,"
Mark paused, then looked down. "I shouldn't have. He tried to kill us."
She gripped his arm, getting him to look her in the eye.
"Never regret saving someone, it doesn't matter who they are, or what they've done."
Mark smiled again, then kissed her forehead. "Where do you get all that kindness?"
Grace just smiled, putting her book away and laying down.
Mark's smile widened. When looking at their group, many would be confused as to why they kept Grace around. She didn't seem like much at face value.
Mark was a large brawler and a crafter. A pulxer capable of using every kind of pulx without having an affinity. Green was nothing to scoff at either.
Compared to them, Grace didn't seem all that valuable on the outside. On the inside however, Grace was the one keeping them together. Keeping them from killing each other.
They put on a show for Grace's sake, but Mark and Green weren't as budy budy as they would have others believe.