Whumptober Day 6: Healed wrong, “it’s not my blood”
So I tried something new with this, which is part of why it took so long (the other reasons just being that it’s a weekend and I’m busy). I’m not totally sure I like it, but it was an experiment *shrug*
(please tell me what you thought please—)
I also used the “unhealthy coping mechanisms” prompt, but only sorta.
Warnings: badly broken bones, violence, blood.
Ao3 link
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If I were less of an optimistic guy, I might say that I was in a bit of trouble, currently.
Or if I was less of a sarcastic guy, I’d say that I’m in pretty big trouble, but I am, and therefore it’s only a bit of trouble. Despite what my eyes are telling me and the kind of overwhelming pain in my leg.
But if there’s one thing I’ve gained from a solid five adventures, it’s the ability to ignore pain. Even when it’s sharp and overwhelming and my eyes are stinging and passing out would be pretty nice, I ignore it with the best of them.
And in addition, I’ve found that going through everything I’ve been through gives you a pretty good coping mechanism or three. I think mine’s sarcasm. Or grumpiness, depending on who you ask. Zelda would say grumpiness, and Ravio would probably say sarcasm, but the jury’s out on which one it actually is. My uncle would probably just laugh and say it’s hot cider.
But anyway. Back to the trouble.
Hi. I’m Link, the Hero of Legend, and I currently have a boulder twice the size of me sitting on my leg.
Now if you’re like me you’re probably wondering “Mr. Link, how on earth did this happen to you, since you’re the hero of Legend and all?”. And I’d tell you that “well you see, sometimes even the greatest of heroes can be real ding-dongs. Or not look where they’re going and trip.”
Or fall down a mountain while trying to escape an avalanche.
So yeah, it was a pretty crummy situation all in all. Especially since I couldn’t remember a lot of how it had happened. If the sticky feeling on the bag of my head was any mark, then I probably had something of a concussion, which would... explain some things.
It was pretty dark down here, even with the lantern I’d managed to grab and light. Breaking my leg in an avalanche was a new one for me, but really, you’ve broken one leg, you’ve broken them all. This would be the second time I’d snapped my left leg, and based on the huge chunk of rock resting on it currently, it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy to fix as the first time.
My breath puffed out of me in a cloud as I shifted around, trying to budge the rock, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. It was only getting colder as the sun set, and the reality of the situation was starting to sink in, making my stomach feel tight.
My bag had been thrown just far enough away that I couldn’t reach it, the clasp shining innocently in the light from the setting sun. A few items had fallen out, but apart from the lantern, there was nothing that would help much. I had no idea when the others would be along, since I was pretty sure I’d fallen a good halfway down the mountain. Thinking about it, it was actually kind of miraculous the only injuries I had were some scrapes and a severely crushed leg.
Well. And the cut on the back of my head that was making my hair damp with blood. But the leg hurt more.
A hiss escaped my teeth as I tried pushing at the rock again, but it was too heavy to budge, especially with the pain radiating through my body. I was trying not to think about it, but it was getting worse the longer I sat here.
And the blue potion that was just close enough for me to reach wasn’t going to be useful unless I could get the blasted rock off my leg.
I took in a few slow, steady breaths, calming down and bracing myself. I’d shove the rock as hard as I could this time, push through the pain, try and shift it enough that I could at least reach my bag.
This time I would make it. I could do it.
C’mon Link. It’s just a rock.
I counted down in my head, then shoved at the rock with all my might, a scream rising in my throat that I choked back. Pushing put way too much strain on every part of me that hurt, but despite the terrible angle and the fact that I was making absolutely zero progress, I kept pushing, the scream coming out as a pitiful whimper.
The rock didn’t move. My leg ached.
I pulled on the last bit of strength I had and shoved, and then you can probably guess what happened next.
One moment I was shoving, and the next, I was lying on my back, darkness fading from my vision. I’d blacked out.
The sun had finished setting while I was unconscious, and the stone was cold under my back, stars beginning to glitter above me. My lantern was still lighting up the immediate area at least, and I groaned, resting an aching arm over my face.
I was trapped.
I briefly raised my arm and glared at the boulder, ignoring the way the limb trembled. I hoped it was just the cold and not because I was losing too much blood.
“Stupid rock,” I croaked, glaring at the stone. The rock didn’t reply. Which was good. If it had, I’d be a lot more worried.
I gave it a shove, then let out a cry of pain, the movement making my leg and head both throb in sync. I fell to the ground with a hiss, and stared up at the sky, watching my breath puff into the cold air.
I wasn’t getting anywhere with this. If only I could reach my items, I could already think of five off the top of my head that I could use to free myself.
But no. All I had was a lantern and a potion I couldn’t use yet.
I looked over at it again, briefly debating it. The potion would try and fix anything that needed healing, even if it was broken and lying in a strange position. I didn’t know exactly what it would do to my leg if I drank it now, but... I didn't want to find out. That would be my last resort.
Something that wasn’t the wind made a noise nearby, and I stiffened, swiveling an ear. I didn’t use to be able to do that, but perks of briefly being a rabbit I guess.
The noise rang out again, and I groaned, recognizing the familiar growl of a monster. They could probably smell the blood all over my head, heard all my yelling.
I was a sitting duck.
The blue potion glinted innocently in the lantern light, and I swallowed, my mind whirling. The potion would heal my leg wrong, no doubt about that, but my head would heal over completely, and even if it healed wrong the pain in my leg would probably ease enough for me to get a good grip on the rock, or at least stretch far enough to grab my bag.
It wouldn’t be fun. In fact, it would probably end really badly.
But between that and getting mauled by something without so much as a knife to defend myself, I’d take the pain.
Believe it or not, I’d been faced with worse.
I grimaced, and grabbed the cold glass of the bottle, blue liquid sloshing as I tugged it over. My fingers were shaking enough that the cork was hard to remove, but I finally got it, and stared at the liquid, my stomach suddenly rolling.
Eyes glinted in the dark, focused on me, and I swallowed, bracing myself.
“Bottoms up,” I muttered.
Then I chugged half of it all in one go.
The effect was immediate on my head, the pain in my scalp gone almost instantly. The potion swept through and cleared the pained fog that had been clogging up my brain, and rushed through my body like a cool breeze, healing scrapes and bruises as it went. I braced myself as it slipped past my waist and down to my leg, and the cool feeling faltered, unsure of how to proceed.
Then it tore through the limb, trying to fix things.
The boulder firmly kept my leg at an odd angle, and I couldn’t help my gasp as my bones began healing in ways they shouldn’t, bending and crooked from the rocks. My vision whited at the edges as several somethings shifted, and it took me a second to realize the scream echoing off the rocks was mine.
Then the potion finished and I choked in a breath, tears running down my cheeks as I gasped for breath.
I could tell it was wrong, I could tell it was so wrong, but I knew I’d probably vomit if I thought about it too hard so I didn’t. Again, back to the ignoring thing. Instead I shakily pushed myself up, relieved that it didn’t hurt to do so as much as it had a few minutes ago, and pushed.
The boulder was still huge, and I was still in a lot of pain, but this time it shifted a little, just enough for me to stretch a little bit further, and snag the corner of my bag. I let out a cheer that was on the shaky side, then froze.
The eyes that had been watching me moved into the circle of lantern light, revealing the beast they belonged to. Dark scales and long talons met me, and I swallowed. Some kind of lizalfos, though I didn’t recognize it specifically.
Wings spread out from behind it as it hissed, and I quickly began rifling in my bag for the items I’d need. Aeralfos were even worse.
In one fluid motion I’d grabbed both the cane of Somaria and the cane of Byrna, and as the dark aeralfos lunged for my head, I twirled them simultaneously.
A protective whirlwind appeared around me, knocking the aeralfos backwards, and at the same time an orange block appeared under the boulder, throwing it off of my leg, finally.
I grinned in triumph even as my leg throbbed with a fiery feeling, and ignored the pain as I shifted myself to a sitting position. I switched the cane of Somaria out for my ice rod, and shot a few solid blasts at the lizalfos while it was still reeling.
A loud snarl came from its snout as it flared its wings, but before it could fly, I nailed it in the face with a huge blast of ice.
It screeched, and as the whirlwind around me faded, I quickly hammered it with more blasts, until its screeches faded and the cliffside was silent again.
I let out a sigh, shakily leaning against a part of the wall, and was so busy being relieved I didn't hear the second aeralfos until it was too late.
Talons ripped into my shoulders and I screamed as air rushed around me, the monster dragging me up into the sky before I could do a thing to stop it. We were already at a height too dangerous for me to be dropped, and I struggled against the aeralfos, mind whirling.
Was I seriously going to die right after finally getting free?
An idea clicked, and I snatched my hookshot out of my bag, aiming it at a particularly rocky spot on the mountainside. I shot it, and to my overwhelming relief the chain hit, pulling both me and the aeralfos towards the cliff at a rapid speed. I was ready for it though, and I grabbed at the cliffside with a cry, the aeralfos losing its grip on me at the force of the movement.
It howled, and I yelled as I pulled myself up onto the cliff, swallowing back bile as I caught sight of my grossly misshapen leg. I managed to claw my way up, and the aeralfos followed, still making a huge racket.
My hands shook as I yanked out my sword, and as the aeralfos slammed into me and knocked me on my back, I stabbed my blade into its neck.
The aeralfos let out a wracking gurgle, then fell on top of me, dead.
I dredged up the strength to shove it off of me, then collapsed backwards, breathing hard. My shoulders hurt, my leg hurt... most of me hurt actually, but the rest of the blue potion was still somewhere at the bottom of the mountain. And I really wasn't excited at the prospect of trying to climb down with a leg that currently had a few extra angles in it.
So I didn't. I just laid there, breathing hard, trying not to look at my leg and slowly working up the energy to move.
Lucky for me, I didn't end up having to.
"Vet! Hey, I found him!"
I blinked out of my doze at the shout, and heard bootsteps pound in my direction, a horrified gasp reaching my ears. Something poked my face, and then touched my leg—
I yelled and jerked forward, narrowly missing a collision with Warriors' head.
"Don't touch it!" I hissed, and the captain raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, Hyrule abruptly appearing beside him. He gasped as he looked at me, and I tried to send him a reassuring look. No idea if I succeeded. "It's not my blood. Well... most of it isn't."
"The blood isn't— Legend what did you do?" Hyrule asked in a horrified voice. Which was surprising, since Hyrule was usually pretty calm with injuries and the like. "You have— you have bone sticking out of your leg?!”
Oh. Yeah I could see why that would bother him.
More Links appeared behind Hyrule and Warriors, and I saw several faces pale, Twilight putting a hand to his mouth, Sky's face turning green as he quickly ducked away.
"Legend did you heal this? It's bent all wrong, what on earth..." Warriors said in that voice he always used when he was trying to keep his demeanor calm. It wasn’t working.
"It was stuck, I had to heal it, long story," I muttered tiredly, not having the energy for more.
"You know we're... we're going to have to break these again, right?" Hyrule said quietly, and I swallowed.
"Yeah. I knew going into it."
"Can you handle that now?" Warriors asked seriously, and I breathed out, trying to settle my flipping stomach. It needed to be done, the sooner the better.
It wasn’t going to be fun though.
“Yeah,” I said, and Warriors nodded, sympathy on his face.
He and Hyrule moved me further from the dead aeralfos and set me on a bedroll someone pulled out, Hyrule giving my hand a quick squeeze. Four came forward and tucked something soft under my head, and Time handed me one of his bracers to bite down on.
Twilight knelt by my head and took my hand, and I breathed in slowly as Warriors and Hyrule got into position.
“Ready Vet?” Warriors asked, and I swallowed.
Warriors and Hyrule would have to rebreak, set, and then heal multiple bones in my leg. It wouldn’t be fast, and it would get much worse before it got better.
But I wasn’t alone this time. Even if I was about to be put through unimaginable pain I wouldn’t be able to ignore... I couldn’t really think of anyone else I’d rather have doing it.
I closed my eyes, and tightened my grip on Twilight’s hand.
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
