Chapter 177: Doomed
Chapter 177: Doomed
Moaning, groaning, cries of anguish, and every other sound of pain imaginable came from all directions around Jimmy as the raiders tried to pick themselves up in the aftermath of the Mare of the Primordial Void’s crushingly harsh ice attack. With his arm extended, Jimmy cast his heal on a moderately wounded adventurer wielding a scythe. Jimmy watched as the gashes all over his back sealed over with fresh, new skin. He’d be fine—but it was still too soon to say the same of everyone, and that was just the truth of the matter. It was impossible to sugarcoat things: the raid was in bad shape. Right now, the sounds of hurt and discomfort came from not just those who were still struggling to return to their feet, but also from those who were only first returning to consciousness as well.
“Oh, Gods, what just hit me?” moaned a confused-sounding adventurer in a starry robe who Jimmy did not recognize. He, like numerous others, was lying on the barren ground drenched in a combination of blood and cold water from the melted shards of the icy prisons that had exploded after briefly capturing all of them. The man, a spellcaster from Group 3S, was shivering. He clutched himself as a howling, icy breeze rolled over the raid. “What’s going on? Where am I? Isn’t it supposed to be summer? Why’s it so cold?”
“Relax,” one of the healers whispered soothingly to the man. “You’re fine.”
This is bad, Jimmy thought, nervously checking every face in his vicinity to ensure that signs of life remained in each of them. I hope nobody died. Please, Jesus, please don’t let anybody be dead.
The raid had taken a devastating hit, and this was true even though only about half the raid had taken any real damage. From what Jimmy could tell, the other half made out with only minor injuries or, in the case of the tanks, no injuries at all. But there were a number of people like Zach, Kalana, Donovan, and several others who had suffered, at worst, a few scratches here or there and would likely heal from passive HP regeneration within another minute or two. But that was all just in the physical sense of the word “damage.” Mentally—psychologically—every single one of them had suffered a hit. The sheer level of shock and surprise evident in many of their expressions was proof enough of that alone. It was like they couldn’t believe what’d just happened.
Did anyone die? he wondered, swiveling his head around. Is everyone still alive?
“You’re gonna be okay, Li,” Rian said with a pain in his voice that drew Jimmy’s attention. He was off to Jimmy’s left and on his hands and knees next to his sister. There was a tenderness to him that seemed out of place compared to his usual, shit-stirring self. Placing his hand on his sister’s shoulder, he gave her a nervous shake. “Right? Tell me you’re okay. Please, Li.”
She made several low groans. “Hurts. Hurts a lot.”
“I know it does, but tell me you’re okay. Please!”
“I’m…okay.”
Her steeple hat had fallen off her face, but at least her eyes were once again fully locked into place in her skull instead of bulging out as they’d been only a few minutes prior. Jimmy steeled himself as he took in her condition. He knew that her pain was on him. It was his fault she’d been in that state. And while she’d make a full, quick recovery thanks to the stones, it wouldn’t change how hurt she’d gotten. The mental trauma inflicted upon her was real. But it was also something that he’d tried his best to prevent. Without a doubt, she’d be dead if not for the ice-resistance buff.