Moogie yelped as she nimbly sprung out of the way from the sharp end of Kramy\'s pike. The dodge had caused her to lose balance, however, and she fell flat on her back as the Kran charged out of the bushes, pointing his weapon at her menancingly. The bulky creature stopped just in time, a look of suprise (if such emotions were so visible on a Kran\'s hard face) replacing his angry scowl. Moogie squeezed her eyes shut and awaited her fate, but to her suprise, Kramy pulled back his pike and spoke to her in his deep, gruff voice.
\"It you? I thought kitty ran away?\" He said, scratching the back of his head in confusion. Moogie opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. A smile replaced her frightened expression as he offered a helping hand and lifted her effortlessly from the ground.
\"Why thank you... umm, what\'s your name?\" She politely asked, dusting herself off.
\"Me Kramy. I don\'t know kitty\'s name.\"
\"I\'m Moogie, it\'s a pleasure to meet you.\" She smiled again. The Kran attempted a smile of his own in return.
\"Where to go?\" He asked the feline. She thought for a while, her hand on her chin as she wondered what to do next. She could go back to the city, but wasn\'t her original plan been to hide herself away and be forgotten? Going back might mean her friends would be in danger...
She looked at Kramy, studying his large form shaded by the forest trees.
\"Where do you live, Kramy? What were you doing out here alone anyway?\" The Kran shook his head. Two questions at once? What was this kitty\'s hurry?
\"Kramy was eating yummy RIPs and going to big city. Then Kramy saw Moogie in danger and helped little kitty.\" He answered slowly. \"But Kramy going to big city Hydlaa now. Maybe more RIPs there for Kramy?\" His face seemed to light up happily at the thought. Moogie watched him and had to stop herself \"aawww\"ing aloud at his innocent cuteness. She padded down the path a few steps and turned to face him.
\"Well, Kramy, Hydlaa is this way. Come on, I\'ll come with you. We\'ll go to Kada\'El\'s Tavern and have a rest there after this little adventure, hmm?\" She offered, smiling at him. The Kran nodded his head and followed her out of the forest all the way to Hydlaa.
It took them a day and a half to reach the city. After buying two sackfulls of rubies from some merchants they met outside the city gates (both of which Kramy happily carried with one hand, slung over his back), Moogie lead him to the tavern and entered, making sure he minded his head on the way in. Kran are pretty tall creatures, after all.
No sooner had the girl stepped through the door then people from tables around the room looked up, greeting her with a hearty cheer and raised beermugs. She was well known here, and she had expected such a warm welcome after not visiting in so long, but the Kran looked shocked by the sudden rise in volume. He held his hands over his ears grumpily untill the noise stopped.
Several people approached the girl in turn to greet her, offer her a drink or a free chair on their table. But Moogie had already picked one out for herself and her bulky friend, who followed her through the crowded tavern awkwardly, lugging his sacks of crystals behind him. He ignored the strange looks he received; he was used to the little people gawking at his magnificent, powerful body. Let them stare! They were just jealous of him.
The Enkidukai and the Kran moved to the far back corner of the room where another feline watched their approach; his blooded and bandaged foot resting on a stool beside him. Moogie rushed to meet him upon seeing the injury.
\"Seperot... what happened? Are you okay!?\" She exclaimed.
\"I got into a fight with the cult leader, he stabbed me with some sort of cursed blade.\" He winced as another pain shot up his aching leg. He tried to hide it as much as he could, but it was weakening him with every minute it continued to eat away at him. As Kramy stood munching rubies and watching the two friends, Moogie moved around to his foot and kneeled down, preparing to heal him.
\"Wait!\" The rogue shouted a little louder than he realised. \"Another healer tried to do something to this a few hours ago. Next thing he knew he was across the room, on a broken table on the floor. Don\'t touch it, I don\'t want you getting hurt...\" He warned. Moogie looked at him with worried eyes.
\"But Sep, I have to try, I can\'t just let you sit there...\" She pleaded. She peered at him, silently begging, untill finally he nodded his head in agreement.
\"Okay, but... owe! ...Just don\'t hold back on them powers of yours, Moogs. I don\'t wanna see you flying across this room if you can\'t get rid of this curse.\"
Seperot made himself steady and comfortable on his seat before Moogie began whispering her incantations with closed eyes, her hands hoverring over his injured limb. After a while, small globes of light started dancing around, entering and exiting the feline\'s bare foot as if it were but a mere vision. The rogue squeezed his eyes shut. His foot felt like it was on fire. But he clenched his teeth and his fists as hard as he could to keep himself steady for his friend. He hoped to Talad that this would work. He was more concerned about the effect it would have on her, rather than any more pain it would give him.
Moogie concentrated hard. This was alot more difficult than it had first seemed. Though her eyes were tight shut, she could see an image of Seperot\'s foot in her mind, enshrowded by a dark swirling mist that strangled the limb tightly and stabbed it, passing through the other side of the flesh and bone. She visioned her own pure spirals of light trying to circle the tentacles of dark energy, hoping to smother it and choke it untill it disappeared. But it was so much harder than anything she had tried to heal before, she thought again in concern. Not even bringing Kramy back from the brink of death was as difficult as this, even though the task seemed many times more urgent and taxing than simply purging a curse.
But this curse was more powerful than she had ever experienced. She watched in horror as the black mist began twirling its way, almost gracefully, up her own light and towards her very soul. It started to overpower her, her light fading both in her mind and infront of Seperot\'s own eyes. Even Kramy peered at the girl in concern. This didn\'t look good. The rest of the tavern had stopped their social banter and drinking to watch the scene themselves. Random shouts of encouragement rang out, but Moogie could hear nothing. She could hardly breathe. The energy reached out towards her, strangling her, ripping her soul apart. She decided it was now or never. She would have to throw every ounce of energy she had into this, lest she be killed on the spot by the angry curse.
She suddenly began chanting louder, more complex sentences. She focused all the energy she had to fighting the curse and banishing it from Seperot\'s body. The poor Rogue had long ago been overwhelmed by the pain and slammed his fist into the table repeatedly, his jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth were going to shatter any second. Long, loud howls escaped his lips as the light intensified steadily and the chants became louder, and louder...
Suddenly, the light seemed to explode. The patrons of the tavern shielded their eyes in suprise as Moogie cried out, the pain pouring from her friend into her own body in one sudden burst of healing power. The curse disappeared in a sparkle of darkness, just as the healer fell lifeless to the floor.
The room returned to its normal ambience as the healing magic faded. Seperot\'s foot showed almost fully healed and the feline could no longer feel any pain. However, he stared in horror at Moogie. His best friend and companion, and one of the most powerful healers in Yliakum it seemed, lay on the floor without but a soft breath escaping her bloodied mouth.
[Edit: *sees Kramy\'s post* NOOOOO!!!!]
[By the way, I didn\'t die. But darn near close to it.]
