The Wastelander

by Tipsy Wanderer

  Blackflag Outpost might truly be in danger!

  Cloudhawk swallowed, hard. “Fuck. I can feel a chill going down my spine. But… why haven’t you fled yourself? Given how badly hurt you are, there’s no way you can win!”

  “Flee?” The Bloodsoaked Queen forced herself to sit up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. She was extremely weak, but she still possessed an aura of forlorn beauty. Her eyes were filled with ardent faith and firm resolution, as well a look of absolute disdain for the ignorant child before her.

  “How could a wastelander ant possibly understand the faith and resolve of a demon hunter?”

  “Alright, alright! I get it already. I’m an ant, a bug. You are a noble demon hunter, a royal queen. Everyone gets it already. Do you really have to repeat this crap over and over?” Cloudhawk was getting rather impatient. “No matter what, the first thing we have to do is to treat your wounds. There’s a guy around named “Mantis”. You should’ve heard of him before, right? He loves to spend his time studying venomous insects and various poisons. I’m sure he’d be able to help treat you. How about I call him over and have him treat you in secret?”

  “Unacceptable!” The Bloodsoaked Queen replied coldly, “No one in the wastelands can be trusted. You can’t let anyone see me in the state I’m in!”

  This woman is crazy stubborn. What the hell am I supposed to do? Judging by the condition she was in, the poison shouldn’t be too dangerous; otherwise, there was no way she could’ve lasted this long. Poisons pre-applied to weapons were generally formulated to be persistent rather than potent. There were some types of poison that could almost instantly kill a person, but they were only potent for very brief periods of time. When a battle suddenly erupts, there is often no time to properly apply poison to your weapons.

  Cloudhawk played with the dart for a few moments when suddenly, something clicked. “I have an idea!”

  “What is your id-…” Halfway through her words, the Queen fell silent. Her eyes bulged as something completely unexpected happened. Cloudhawk suddenly stabbed himself in the arm with the poison dart, leaving behind a bloody wound. The Queen stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “W-what are you…”

  “Just wait here!” Cloudhawk was in such pain that sweat poured down his head, but he still squeezed out a smile. He seemed quite proud of this “genius” idea of his. “I’ll be back shortly to save you!”

  As soon as he finished talking, he pushed the door open and left.

  “Help! HELP! I’ve been poisoned! Where’s Mantis? WHERE’S MANTIS?! I need him to save me!”

  The Queen just stared blankly as he charged out, not sure if she should laugh or cry. What the hell was wrong with the kid?

  33 Treatment

  What gave Cloudhawk the courage to do such a thing? Sheer, absolute ignorance!

  As Cloudhawk saw it, if the Queen was able to survive multiple days without dying, the poison couldn’t be all that powerful, right? He was a recovery metahuman. How could he possibly lose to a woman in this area?

  But soon, Cloudhawk realized that he was wrong. Completely, ridiculously wrong! Less than five minutes after the poison dart nicked his skin, he realized that he completely lost all feeling in his entire arm. Large patches of skin already started turning purplish-black. Cloudhawk was scared out of his wits and frantically half-ran, half-stumbled straight towards Mantis’ workshop!

  Mantis was in the middle of inspecting a new specimen. He adjusted his spectacles, cold light reflecting off the glass. “How exactly did you end up being poisoned by a twin-headed viper?”

  Cloudhawk pretended to be completely confused as he vigorously shook his head. “I must’ve been ambushed by one of the sweepers during that fight. I didn’t notice anything at first, but now my entire arm is numb!”

  Mantis gave him a deep, long glance. “Really?”

  “Why are you staring at me like that?!” The look was making Cloudhawk’s hair stand on end. “Are you gonna save me or not?”

  Without saying another word, Mantis went to work. He mixed a number of strange medicinal fluids, producing two little jars of fluid which he then handed over to Cloudhawk. “The first should be smeared over the wound itself, ensuring that it doesn’t fester. The second should be taken orally to flush the poison from your body. You’ll recover in one day.”

  The Queen’s face was ashen as she lay curled on the bed. Her crow-black hair was plastered to her face by her sweat and her brows were knitted in pain. This dominating woman, who was able to slay a three-meter tall maneater with a single slap, was now completely powerless. In fact, she looked rather sad and pitiable. When Cloudhawk pushed open the door and ran inside, she didn’t react at all.

  Had she passed out again? Even if she hadn’t, she was clearly in bad shape! You can’t die. Even if you do die, you can’t die here. I haven’t asked you any of the questions I want to ask yet!

  Cloudhawk began to clumsily strip off her outer garments. Just as his hands touched her skin, her eyelashes fluttered slightly. A freezing look was in her eyes as she glared at him. She was using her gaze to warn him that he was making a dangerous, dangerous decision.

  When Cloudhawk saw the look in her eyes, he felt his heart clench in fear. Even though she was extremely weak, her glare still contained a mesmerizing, terrifying quality.

  She was a powerless yet peerless beauty. She was also an indomitable, fearless warrior. These two traits were completely contradictory, but they had somehow been joined together in her. What type of faith could produce someone like her?

  “I thought you passed out.” Cloudhawk awkwardly pulled his hands back and showed the two bottles he was holding. “I have the antidote here. Since you haven’t passed out, you can go ahead and treat yourself.”

  This woman was not only powerful, she also had a terrible temper. Cloudhawk was terrified that she might slap him into mincemeat and so he didn’t dare touch her. Instead, he obediently handed over the two bottles.

  The Queen felt both numb and powerless. She no longer had the strength to move at all. She tried to rise, only to discover that she was unable to do so. After numerous attempts, she finally gave up.

  Cloudhawk was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

  The Queen gave Cloudhawk a weighing look. Although he was a contemptible wastelander, he looked rather handsome and his expression didn’t reveal any ulterior motives. “You do it.” She was the member of a noble clan, was a proud hunter of demons, and had an innate sense of superiority over the wastelanders. As a result, she spoke very imperiously, almost as though she were ordering a servant to do something.

  It didn’t really matter though. Cloudhawk didn’t mind her attitude. He blinked a few times before mumbling softly, “I can help you if you want, but if I accidentally see something I shouldn’t see or touch something I shouldn’t touch… I’m worried that you’ll gouge my eyes out or chop my hands off. I reaaaally don’t want to do this.”

  His concerns weren’t completely unfounded. Given the Queen’s personality, she was entirely capable of doing such things.

  The Queen gave him a hard glare. If looks could kill, Cloudhawk would’ve died a hundred times over. “Hmph. I’m not as fussy as you think. I won’t do anything to you as long as you don’t try anything funny.”

  “Fine, then.” Cloudhawk walked over rather reluctantly. He first helped her strip off her outer garments, revealing the tight, form-fitting black clothes underneath. They were a suit of armor that had been fashioned from some sort of incredibly durable leather. The workmanship was exquisite and meticulous; there was no way something like it could’ve been made in the wastelands.

  “I, uh, have to take off this thing as well.”

  “Shut up and do it!”

  The Queen’s words were tough and disdainful, but her face turned slightly flushed. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see anything further. Her actions actually made Cloudhawk even more uneasy; she wouldn’t kill him afterwards to silence him, would she? Still, there wa
s nothing else he could do.

  Cloudhawk carefully unfastened her leather armor, but it was impossible for him to avoid all contact with her as he did this. Thanks to his control metapower, Cloudhawk could clearly sense her entire body tense whenever he touched her. Clearly, this woman wasn’t as open-minded about being touched by a man as she had claimed.

  Most of the leather armor was now removed, leaving behind a black undergarment that covered her upper chest. The rest of her body was now completely bare. Cloudhawk had never touched a woman before today, much less seen such a flawless form. Every inch of her body seemed to have been perfectly sculpted and molded. As for the black chest bindings, they were extremely tight but still unable to completely disguise her curves.

  “Watch your eyes!” The Queen’s own eyes remained shut as she issued this warning. Cloudhawk quickly came back to his senses and hurriedly began treating her wounds. Her injuries were even more severe than he expected; her side-belly had almost turned completely black by now. Cloudhawk couldn’t even imagine what sort of method she had used to contain the damage to this region, preventing it from spreading further.

  Cloudhawk had learned a few things from Mantis, and as a result, his movements were very quick and clean. He first used a scalpel to cut off the festering flesh around the wounds, letting the clotted blood flow out. He then poured some of the medicinal fluids over her wounds. The Queen furrowed her brows in pain, perhaps because the fluid stung, but didn’t say a thing.

  She really was a tough woman. Cloudhawk himself was about to jump up and down from the pain he felt as he smeared the medicine over her wounds.

  “You won’t be able to recover from these wounds in just one or two days.” Cloudhawk bandaged her wounds with cloth and placed the remainder of the medicine to one side. “Thankfully, I’m a recovery metahuman and as such can heal quickly. I didn’t need to use too much medicine for myself. All the rest is for you to use.”

  The Bloodsoaked Queen felt utterly humiliated throughout this entire process, but she was out of options. She tightly clenched her fists. Thankfully, the kid hadn’t tried to cop a feel in the process; otherwise, she really would’ve chopped him until he turned into mincemeat. As for the medicine, it really did seem to be effective; her pain was already beginning to subside and she immediately felt a sense of relief.

  “I know Mantis’s workshop like the back of my hand and I memorized all the ingredients he used to create the antidote. If this isn’t enough, I’ll go back and steal some more for you.” Cloudhawk helped the Queen put on her garments. “In short, don’t worry. You’ll recover from this.”

  The Queen glanced at him rather unhappily. “Stop chattering!”

  Man, she really is tough to deal with. Cloudhawk shook his head and turned to leave. The Bloodsoaked Queen instantly felt puzzled. “Where are you going?”

  Cloudhawk said helplessly, “Your Royal Highness, if I wanted to do something bad to you, I wouldn’t have wasted all this time helping you. Can you cut it with all your suspicions? Just rest up. I’ll be back soon!”

  “YOU!” The Bloodsoaked Queen’s eyes narrowed into slits. How dare this wastelander act like this towards her? It was preposterously unacceptable!

  Roughly fifteen minutes later, Cloudhawk returned with a large pile of items in his arms. He had a few bottles of clean water, a few chunks of meat jerky, some medicine for puncture wounds, some freshly washed and cleaned bandages, and various other instruments required to treat injuries.

  Cloudhawk picked up one of the chunks of jerky, chewing and swallowing while mumbling from the corner of his mouth, “You were hurt pretty badly. I figured you’d need some time to recover, so I grabbed some things we’ll need.” Cloudhawk finished off the chunk of meat in just a few moments… and right then, a gurgling sound could be heard.

  The sound was very soft, but it was extremely noticeable given how silent the room was. The sound had come from the Queen’s belly. She had been lying there like a jade statue, her eyes closed as she rested… but now, her beautiful face almost instantly turned beet-red. The redness stretched all the way down her neck and up her ears, making her look rather adorable.

  Awkward. Really, really awkward. She had actually embarrassed herself in front of this heathen bastard. Oh gods, I want to find a hole to hide in.

  Cloudhawk continued to chew on his food as he mumbled, “You hungry too, eh?”

  She let out a hard snort, not saying a word. No shit! Are you trying to piss me off on purpose? If he knew she was hungry, why couldn’t he just hand her some food? Was he waiting for her to ask? The Queen was a very proud person; she would rather starve to death than lower her head and ask a heathen wastelander for food!

  “Wait a sec.” Cloudhawk poured some water into a bowl, tore off a few strips of jerky, and placed it into the bowl along with some bread. Moments later, he went to his doorway and lit a chunk of wood on fire, holding the bowl over it to warm it up. Only then did he bring the “soup” back to the Queen. “Your body is pretty weak right now. This will help you get better faster.”

  The Queen stared blankly at the warm bread-jerky soup, a few mixed emotions flickering through her clear, limpid eyes.

  “I know you are used to better treatment, but this is the best food I have on me. In fact, I actually saved it up over the past few days as a special treat for myself. Just bear with it for now, alright? Need me to feed you?”

  “No need.” The Queen had a rather complex look on her face as she took the crude, battered bowl into her hands. She took a small sip in a very delicate manner, allowing small chunks of rat jerky and hard bread to flow into her stomach along with the hot water. It really didn’t taste that good, but she could feel some strength returning to her.

  Cloudhawk turned away as she ate, busying himself with other tasks. But as he turned, a whisper-soft voice came from right behind him. “Thank you…”

  Cloudhawk was stunned. Was he hearing things? He turned around, a confused look on his face. “What’s that? You say something?”

  “Are you deaf? Fuck off!” The Bloodsoaked Queen’s glare was so sharp, he felt as though it could chop him up into three parts.

  “D-don’t get mad. I just never expected a savage woman like you would ever say ‘thank you’ to anyone. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you, honest!” Cloudhawk couldn’t help but let out two chortles. By now, he was certain that she was no longer as guarded against him. “The ‘Bloodsoaked Queen’… that sounds like a nickname. You should have a real name, right? Can you tell me?”

  The Queen finished the rest of the “soup”. “I’m tired.”

  “Oh. I’m tired too, actually, but there’s only one bed. I guess we’ll just have to squeeze together.” Cloudhawk had meant it as a joke and the results were entirely predictable; the Queen’s eyes glared murder at him. He hurriedly said, “But you know, it’s too tight a fit. I’ll sleep on the ground.”

  That’s more like it! The Queen said not a word of thanks as she lay back down on the bed.

  She didn’t even answer any of my questions! Ah, forget it. No rush. Cloudhawk blew out the lamp, made himself a bed of straw, and covered himself with the wolf pelt Slyfox had brought him.

  “My name is Cloudhawk.”

  The Queen still didn’t respond.

  Man, she sure is unfriendly. I guess she really doesn’t like wastelanders. Cloudhawk didn’t say anything further. To be honest, none of this really mattered. The wolf pelt stank terribly, but it was also very warm. It had been two days and two nights since he had last rested so he quickly drifted off into the sweet land of slumber.

  34 The Outside World

  What were the wastelands like?

  They were filled with rot, filth, violence, barbarism, and corruption! As for the wastelanders, they served as the claws of the demons. They were born with sin in their blood and were both hideous and revolting. As such, they were banned from the Elysiums.

  The Bloodsoaked Queen was an incredibly devout and pious beli
ever. She would never view wastelanders as human and although it was not forbidden for Elysians to show wastelanders any pity or mercy, they would be profaning the almighty gods if they did. But… this Cloudhawk seemed to be different.

  Over the course of the next two days, the Bloodsoaked Queen gradually discovered that this wastelander youth didn’t have too many bad habits. After poisoning himself with the dart in order to save her, he gave her the majority of what little food he received each day. He attentively helped her treat her injuries. When faced with her arrogance and powerlessness, he didn’t put on a show of being reluctantly tolerant of her either.

  He truly was an extremely rare breed of wastelander.

  By now, the Bloodsoaked Queen’s attitude towards him had improved immensely. She was now strong enough to kill him with ease if she so chose. Should she? Should she get rid of the kid? Ah, forget it. The kid had unique sensory abilities; he might be able to help serve as an early-warning system for her. If she let him live, he might be of use to her in her mission. Fighting against that demon was more important than anything else.

  The Bloodsoaked Queen’s desire to kill him gradually faded, allowing Cloudhawk to finally relax. Although she seemed cruel and savage, she was actually a very pure and sensitive person. She covered herself with a hard spiked shell of ice, but that was all for the sake of protecting herself in these cannibalistic wastelands. If she didn’t force herself to be as tough as the wastelanders, how could she possibly hold them down?

  In addition, the Bloodsoaked Queen was a woman of many mysteries! She had come to the wastelands from a faraway land, all for the sake of hunting down one of those so-called “demons”. Her motivation couldn’t be simply due to her calling as a demon hunter, right? The hatred she accidentally revealed the last time he had talked to her about it was proof that this mission was one of revenge. The Bloodsoaked Queen was here as an avenger… but Cloudhawk didn’t dare ask her too much about herself.