Despite his usual gentleness, Jesh had steel in him. He was magnificent in his wrath and began lashing his whip at one stall after another with increasing speed. Coins flew, people screamed. The merchant with the shiner tried to hurl a stool at him but was caught mid-air by Simon and broken into splinters just as spectacularly.
Attack, big guy! Smash 'em! I didn't even know what exactly for — but it sure was fun to watch.
Some bastard rushed at Mattia, trying to yank off her cloak, only to get a ringing slap in return. Then Philip laid him flat with a blow from his instrument.
The whole place went wild!
Bartholomew's sling struck legs and arms with deadly precision, taking people out of the game one by one.
Someone had tackled Mar-Rukh to the ground and was trying to pin her with his knee, but Prok leapt in and stabbed him in the heel with his little dagger. No one dared go after Simon — he calmly tapped attackers on the head with his sword hilt, laying them down like planks.
Above me, I heard a scuffle.
I saw Jacob panting with effort, grappling in a wrestler's hold with Brushstroke (what the fuck, he's here too?!). Then I realized Brushstroke was moonlighting as security for the merchants. My observations were cut short — a moneychanger was charging at Jacob with a table leg aimed at his head.
I made a move worthy of any snake and grabbed the guy by the ankle.
The bastard toppled over with a scream, and I tried to mount him to throw in a couple of good punches. But right now, I didn't have the strength. We started rolling around the floor, stuffing each other with pepper in the form of hits to all parts of the body, biting and scratching.
Of those last two methods, I was the one using them the most.
We could've kept flailing for quite a while, since my opponent was clearly a weakling if he couldn't even handle someone like me in my current state. But then I happened to notice someone of rather considerable size charging straight at us. His run slowed with every step, tiredness kicking in, but he still had just enough in him to slam his boot right into my head and scream:
So what?! Huh?! What now?!
And now… Nothing. I passed out like I always do — broken, but not defeated.
Something soft and pleasant touched my forehead. A wet cloth? Mmm… pure delight! The thing was being wiped all over my head, and I felt like, right now — just about now — I was going to rise! And...
Nope. Didn't work. But I did manage to crack my eyelids open, and saw sleepy Mattia, who, the moment she saw I was back among the living, said:
He has returned to this plane of And I must now head into the unknown.
With that self-addressed farewell, she lay down beside me and immediately started snoring. Everything under me was shaking.
My sides felt every bump, every jolt, so I concluded that I was once again lying in a cart. And once again headed somewhere. Time to ask the now-standard questions, because I was getting pretty damn tired of fate — whose name was apparently Jesh — tossing me from one place to the next.
Where am I?
Pit stop! Time-time! I wanted to stretch my legs anyway, and look who woke You're about to see something so nuts, it'll blow your minds.
Sounded like Bartholomew yelling.
The others took notice, the horses snorted, and the movement stopped. They picked me up carefully, like an unshaven baby, and laid me down in some withered grass. I stared up at the sky for a long time.
And damn, it really was beautiful! Not some mystical farce with fighting chariots in the clouds — just a plain, real sky. With stars that, who knows, might just be their own version of Judea. Maybe there's a Thomas living on one of them too. Who knows...
Philip dropped down next to me and gently shook me.
Glad you're in one piece That drug poisoned you hard, and Mori had to put in some serious work to cleanse your system.