Brandon followed the man's finger with his glare, staring at the patch of trees he was pointing to. The hiker had said he wasn't going to Lhavit or any other nearby city, but he did want to get to a rather specific place in the Unforgiving.
“Why do you want to go there of all places?” the bat muttered under his breath, it was more a grumble than a question. When he'd completed his observations on the state the hiker had been in, he had thought he could end this quickly and be on his way. Of course, he had not taken the human nature into account. The man didn't want to die, and even though his death was possibly almost upon him, he clung to life. He wasn't ready yet, even though Dira probably had her hand on his shoulder already.
The hiker needed some extra time, he needed to prepare himself and accept what was to come, Brandon was positive that there was no escaping death for the fellow. His leg was broken; he couldn't stand. An ax was stuck in his side and drawing blood; not a wound that damaged vital organs, but there was a chance of him bleeding out. This didn't look like a minor laceration, it was pretty deep and serious. However, Brandon wasn't the kind of person to make decisions of life and death. It wasn't his own life, but the hiker's. As such, the hiker was the one who had to make the decision of whether he wanted to end it or not. He'd chosen the latter.
“Prolonging your life it is,” the bat stated with a sigh, having decided this probably was some sort of last wish, even though there was one to come still. The hiker hadn't given up on fighting his fate yet, he hadn't accepted his coming death, and he wasn't making any last wishes. It was a request, and Brandon planned on doing his best to fulfill it; after all, it might just help the man in embracing his end, at least a little.
“Heh, I'd probably have said the same thing, if it had been me,” Brandon spoke honestly, believing that talking might help the man too. Not just to distract him from what was to come, but also from the ax Brandon would have to pull out of his side.
The thief's rummaging had rewarded him with a woolen shirt and pants, which Brandon put on to aid in warding off the cold a little bit, and a roll of bandages, along with some liquid that smelled strongly like alcohol, but not the drinking kind. Hm, hadn't some of the doctors of the Catholicon said something about cleaning wounds with alcohol? He'd been there a couple times when he'd sustained injuries from glass windows, bad falls and some other things. Was it worth cleaning the wound though? There was little doubt the man would die soon, so it might be a waste... but to hell with that, it wasn't like he could take it with him, not in bat form.
Talk Brandon, talk to him. Distract him. “So,” the bat spoke, his hand almost gripping the handle of the ax, then retreating to tear a length of cloth from the man's shirt first, getting a good look at the wound soiling the bare flesh.
“What are you doing here anyway? Are you trying to brave the Unforgiving on foot?” His hands folded the piece of cloth a couple times, forming a thick cushion of sorts. Then his hand returned to the ax.
“I've never heard of anyone succeeding in doing that. It's called the Unforgiving for a reason, you know. But-” he pulled the climbing tool out of the flesh with a quick motion, using his other hand to press the cushion onto the wound,
“that doesn't really provide any answers. If you're not trying to get to any city, then what are you doing here? -Hold this would you?” Brandon grabbed one of the man's hands and pressed it onto the cushion of fabric, then tore off a larger bit of cloth from the man's shirt and folded it into another small pillow. Then his hands took hold of the bottle of alcohol and brought it to the wound, uncorked.
“Don't tell me you're actually living around here? Is that why you want to go over there? Is there some sort of cabin there? This'll sting.” He didn't really expect any answers, and removed the hand and the cloth, now pouring some of the alcohol on the laceration and then pressed the bloody fabric back on the flesh, the hand on top of it.
Next, the bat gently pushed the man into a sitting position, moving the backpack so the hiker had something to lean against.
“I can't bandage your torso if you're lying,” he explained,
“And that's a difficult area to bandage to boot.” Nevertheless, the bat got started right away, removing the old cloth and replacing it with a newer one, then applying some bandages on top of it, once more telling the hiker to hold it in place. Then, Brandon started swathing the man's torso, tight enough so it wouldn't fall of, but not too tight so he could still move. Of course, every so often the bat had to go over the shoulder as well, as to make sure it would stay in place. It took a while, and was by no means professional, but eventually the bat was done. The fact that the hiker had still been wearing his coat hadn't made things easier. Brandon just hoped that the cloth cushion would do its job and apply enough pressure to slow down the blood flow for a bit longer.
“Right, now to get you to that patch of trees...” After a bit of consideration, the Kelvic stuffed all provisions and rope into the backpack and swung it over his shoulders, then helping the hiker to his feet, using his own body as support. One of the man's arms was draped over his shoulders, while one of Brandon's own had gone around the man's back and ended under the man's arm. Of course, since the bat was playing crutch, the hiker's broken leg was between the two men. Then, they started walking, Brandon adapted and adopted the hiker's limping pace, not wanting to exhaust the man any more if he could help it. They probably wouldn't make it to the patch of trees otherwise, but now they might have a chance. It wasn't that far, but still, the hiker was rather heavy, and Brandon wasn't really in top condition either. He just hoped they wouldn't run into a pack of wolves or other dangerous animals. As there was a fair chance of the man passing away during the walk, Brandon did his best to try and comfort the man, telling him he was going to Wind Reach, that he had rather high hopes for the city, and sharing the rumors he'd heard about the place and its citizens. Also did the bat try subtly to urge the hiker to tell him his own story, and attempted to determine whether the man regretted any choices he'd made in his life by questioning him. And of course every so often the thief asked how the man was feeling, if it hurt to be walking.
OOCI assumed it was very likely a hiker would have an extra set of clothes and first aid stuff with him, but if you disagree and want me to edit it, please tell me ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/smile.gif)