Chapter 408 - 408: Thorough Examination
Since Ruby had spent most of her time outside the camp, she didn't know many places where she could transport Michael.
With adrenaline fueling her every movement, the only location that came to mind was the quarters Chief Wilson had set aside for their personal use. That was how the two of them ended up in the room.
By all means, Michael should have been stable. Aside from a few bruises, there were no fatal injuries. Yet blood slowly oozed from his eye sockets, refusing to stop.
Ruby might have lacked any real insight into how to observe the state of a soul, but she could tell something was deeply wrong inside him.
Outside of her gaze, Michael's spirit was being heavily agitated.
Like a pressure that mounted the more time passed, it threatened to explode. Even when his mind was unconscious, the tormented agony never ceased.
Instantly, Ruby got to work. Even if this was the first time Michael was in such a dire state, she was fairly familiar with the process and how to treat him.
To make sure she hadn't missed any fatal injuries, she removed his upper attire, exposing his torso.
Once she confirmed there indeed wasn't an injury that had escaped her gaze, her tongue gently trailed across his facial features.
Initially there wasn't a change in his condition, but the lack of improvement didn't deter Ruby in the slightest.
Eventually, focusing on his face yielded results. The paleness lessened… he still looked exhausted, but not to a dangerous level. Most importantly, the bleeding had ceased.
Never in her life had Ruby felt so glad that her saliva held healing properties. Not stopping, she continued the procedure.
Finally, after what felt like eternity, Michael moved. His eyes pried open, and a tired groan escaped his lips before his right hand clutched his head.
Whatever Lord Eleanora had done still lingered in his soul. A headache unlike any other stuck the back of his skull mercilessly. His senses felt overwhelmingly sensitive. If it had been only his head, it might have been bearable, but every fiber of his body screamed in anguish.
"You're awake!" Ruby momentarily halted her healing, embracing him softly.
Taking a shallow breath, he nodded, incapable of responding.
Amidst caressing his torso, Ruby took the time to gradually fill in what Michael had missed.
Fortunately, he hadn't been out for long… Less than an hour at most. As he focused, he could make out the faint echoes of battle along the camp's walls.
'You have to be kidding me.' He thought bitterly.
The memory of the fight still lingered. His self-control was one of the things he inwardly prided himself on, and losing himself was a bitter pill to swallow.
While he lay on a cushioned bed with Ruby focused on healing him, the crew, along with the felines they had worked so hard to keep safe, were locked in confrontation.
Essentially he was a liability… An unfamiliar feeling that stung greatly. To make matters worse, he had almost no information about what was happening on the front line.
Had only the ants bearing the auras similar to Masters attacked? Perhaps there were royal champions among them. Maybe even Lord Eleanora was there, slowly overwhelming those he cared about, one by one!
"Ruby…" He strained, barely managing to sit upright. "I… need to…"
Before he could finish, Ruby shook her head with a pout.
"No! You are staying here!" She declared, her eyes sharpening with unwavering determination. "You can trust the others to drive off the invaders!"
Ruby was familiar with Michael's thought patterns. However, regardless of how she looked at him, he was in no condition to fight.
Not giving Michael the time to respond, she continued.
"Going there in your state will place a greater burden on the others. They will get distracted by your presence, covering your blind spots and causing them to make mistakes. You aren't thinking clearly."
Out of all things, the last statement made Michael reconsider. Ruby had a point… Even now, despite having regained consciousness, he knew his rationality was still unsettled.
Thoughts came slower than expected. His mind felt more clouded than usual, and emotions that he normally had no problem controlling were on the verge of taking over.
Michael could always push his body further, becoming more merciless with himself if the situation demanded it. Yet if his logical reasoning was unstable, he might commit a critical mistake and come to regret it later at a later date.
Watching Ruby's frown while she methodically licked his torso, continuing to heal him, he couldn't help but smile.
'Come to think of it, isn't this the purpose of creating a faction in the first place? Entrusting them with tasks when I'm incapable of doing everything by myself.' At the end, he could only chuckle.
Had it not been for his dear feline companion, things could have taken a much worse turn.
Ignoring the numbness in his limbs, he reached out and gently patted Ruby on the head.
"Thank you… truly. I am fine now. There's no need to spare me so much attention."
She purred slowly with a blush, yet for some reason she wasn't willing to let go. Although she couldn't see the chaos brewing within Michael's soul, she felt her work was not yet complete.
Perhaps it was due to her feline instincts, but either way, she was able to sense the building pressure that threatened to erupt wildly.
Be it his exhausted state or Ruby's intuition, Michael wasn't capable of hiding that he was closing himself off.
It was a habit Michael did almost subconsciously. There was no need to concern Ruby any more than she already was, especially not after everything she had done to help him.
However, by the look of her eyes, it was clear she didn't hold the same sentiment.
Slowly, she reached out towards his lower attire, meticulously starting to remove it.
"What… are you doing?" Michael's eyes narrowed slightly, reacting slower than usual.
"I am…" Ruby paused deliberately, her blush deepening. "Just making sure I don't miss a spot…"