Chapter 82: The Frenzy Flower Treatment And Aldric’s Shyness!
Neve heard every word that Ryker said from where he stood.
He heard the threat. He heard the coldness in Ryker’s voice. He heard the promise of consequences that would come if anyone ever tried to hurt him again.
He almost started tearing up right there.
He was so proud of Ryker that he almost screamed out loud. That’s my man! He wanted to shout it to the entire village. He wanted everyone to know that Ryker had chosen him. That Ryker had given up his chieftaincy for him. That Ryker would stand against anyone, even his own tribe, to protect him.
Ryker walked back toward him with his expression completely changed.
The coldness that had been there when he was confronting the elders had disappeared. When he looked at Neve, his eyes were soft again. Gentle. Present.
"Let’s go," Ryker said simply.
Neve looked him back in the eye and smiled.
"Let’s go," he agreed.
They started to move together toward the cave, but then Neve remembered something.
He stopped walking.
"Wait," he said.
Ryker looked back.
"You take Sorin to Gideon," Neve said. "I’ll handle her."
"What?" Ryker reminded him. "She just attacked you. She tried to kill you."
"Didn’t you say she was innocent?" Neve asked. He shot the tiger tribe a glare. "Those people are responsible for what happened to her. They poisoned her. They manipulated her. Besides, Sorin said she’s not evil, so I’m going to trust him."
Neve was staring at Popi lying unconscious on the ground. Her breathing was shallow but steady.
"Okay then," Ryker said after a moment. His voice suggested he understood Neve’s reasoning even if he did not fully agree with it. "I’ll just take both of them on my shoulder and go summon Gideon."
Ryker shifted back to his human form and carefully placed both Sorin and Popi on his shoulders with the ease of someone carrying groceries rather than two injured people.
Neve followed behind him as they started heading back toward the cave.
He looked back once at the tiger tribe gathered in the village center. He saw the regretful look on their faces. The shame. The realization that they had made a terrible mistake.
If they had just wanted Ryker back as their chief, all they had to do was ask nicely. They could have convinced him with words and reasoning. But instead, they had chosen violence and manipulation and deception.
"Hmph," Neve turned away and continued following Ryker toward home.
.
.
When they reached the cave, the smell of burnt soup from earlier was still hanging in the air.
Aldric was there, but this time he was not alone. His sister was with him, sitting nearby, looking much calmer than when Neve had last seen her.
Ryker carefully placed both Sorin and Popi down in the main cave close to each other so they could be monitored easily.
Neve took off the oversized Winnie the Pooh blanket and handed it to her without thinking about it much.
"Hold this for me, will you?" he asked.
"Uh..." She stuttered, her eyes going wide. "I... yes. Of course."
She took the blanket from Neve and looked at the picture printed on it. Her hand traced the outline of Winnie the Pooh carefully, like she was looking at something precious.
"I’m Sif, by the way," she said with a small smile. "I’ll take good care of this."
"I trust you will," Neve said.
He walked over to the unconscious people and knelt down in front of Sorin first.
He began treating the claw wound on Sorin’s arm immediately, even though he did not have professional tools or proper medical supplies like Gideon would have.
He secretly pulled out some herbs from his purse that was tied around his waist. He put them on a rock and crushed them with a smaller rock, creating a paste. Then he spread the paste carefully over Sorin’s wound.
Sorin winced even though he was completely unconscious. The cut was deep. Very deep. Blood had already soaked through his clothing. Neve was sure Gideon would need to do more thorough treatment once he arrived.
That was why Neve had made sure Ryker would summon him.
He walked to the other side to check on Popi.
Her skin had rashes. Angry red marks appeared all over her wrist where the frenzy flower had been rubbed into her skin. Her body was reacting to the toxin, the skin inflaming in protest.
"What even am I supposed to do about that?" Neve asked himself, staring at the rashes.
In his original world, he would have used ointment or lotion or something to treat the inflammation. But here in this beast world, in the middle of winter with snow covering everything, it was practically impossible to find anything useful.
"Did she come in contact with the roots of frenzy flower?" Aldric asked from behind Neve.
Neve looked up at him.
"Root?" he asked.
"Ah yes," Aldric said, and he looked away shyly, his large frame suddenly seeming smaller as he tried to make himself less noticeable. "The bear tribe knows medicine well. My people have been studying plants for centuries."
"Just say what you know, Aldric," his sister Sif said from where she was holding the blanket. She was being direct in a way that clearly embarrassed her brother.
"Uh..." Aldric started fiddling with his fingers nervously, clearly uncomfortable with being put on the spot. "The root of the frenzy flower makes someone go insane. But the leaf can be treated as an... aphrodisiac."
The word hung in the air.
"Oh," escaped from Neve’s lips without his permission.
An aphrodisiac. That made sense. The frenzy flower was being used to heighten senses and cloud judgment, but the leaf specifically was designed to increase arousal and desire. It was the perfect tool for someone wanting to drive another person into an uncontrollable state.
"It’ll be best to put her in cold water," Aldric continued, clearly forcing himself to keep talking despite his shyness. "Or maybe in the snow for a few minutes. The shock of the cold will help to suppress the feeling away from her body. It might help her recover faster."
Neve’s eyes widened.
It was a brilliant idea. The cold would shock her system. It would interrupt the wild effects. It would bring her back to herself faster than anything else could.
He stood up and walked toward Aldric.
His hand reached out and touched Aldric’s thick arms.
"Thanks Aldric! It’s a great idea," Neve said genuinely.
Aldric’s face flushed red immediately.
His entire body went stiff like Neve had just shocked him with electricity.
Neve looked up at the number above his head and his eyes widened.
{Aldric: 29%}
The number had jumped significantly.
It had gone from twenty percent all the way to twenty-nine percent just from Neve touching his arm and thanking him.
Neve’s internal monologue started immediately.
’Oh. I better refrain from touching him for now. I don’t want the numbers reaching fifty percent yet.’
But even as he thought that, he could not help but notice how cute Aldric looked when he was embarrassed. The way his small ears drooped slightly. The way his hands fumbled nervously. The way he tried to make himself smaller even though he was already one of the largest people in the cave.
’But he’s so cute,’ Neve thought, before catching himself.
He stepped back from Aldric and gave him space.
"Come on, help me carry her to the snow entrance," Neve said, his voice back to being professional and focused.
Aldric nodded quickly, clearly relieved to have something to do that did not involve Neve touching him.
Together, they carefully lifted Popi and carried her toward the cave entrance where the snow was piled high.