Beginner's Luck: Growth 3

Fluke walked up to Q who was now holding their captive up like a cat by their scruff. The Derboul scowled down at the boy, his malice and rage written plainly across his face.

"Q can you speak to it?" Fluke inched closer to inspect the outsiders broken leg. When he got too close the prisoner instinctively flinched his wounded leg away from the boy. The howling and hissing that came told Fluke and the Librarian that movement had apparently caused him more pain than it was worth.

"I can give simple commands, but my language memory banks have not been updated in several hundred years. There is a chance he won't understand me." Q cocked his head sideways.

"Set him down gently. Can you tell him we are going to heal him?" Fluke stepped back and watched Q lower the outsider down slowly and carefully. Q let out a series of sounds, but the enemy combatant didn't react.

"What did you say Q?" Fluke looked back and forth between them.

"'Injury detected. You require first aid. Don't move please.... I think." Q now stood erect as if he were a soldier at attention, arms by his side. Fluke turned and looked to his mentor for help. The Librarian was standing a few paces back with his arms crossed.

"Don't look at me kid... I wanted to kill the thing."

Fluke rolled his eyes in frustration that he was going to get no help from the only adult on the island.

"Tell him to not move again. And if he tries to escape then you capture him and bring him back. If he moves to kill or hurt us, you have permission to attack. Do you understand Q?" Fluke moved forward to start undoing the fish net.

"Parameters accepted." A small chime sounded as well, followed by what Fluke guessed was 'Don't Move' being said three times. Q backed up several paces, then changed his stance to one of an athlete preparing for action.

"Fluke... What are you doing?" The alarm in his mentor's voice was clear, but Fluke started undoing the net. The Derboul didn't move or flinch, but the daggers coming from his six eyes would've been enough to kill. Once the tangled mess was cleared, Fluke stepped back, and not a moment too soon. The Derboul had swung his legs up in a blatant attempt to kick the boy in the chin, but having missed swung both his injured and good leg back in a low flip. Using three of his arms and his good leg, the warrior supported himself in a low stance like a wrestler on a mat. Fluke was amazed that even in his condition this warrior was able to think clearly, move athletically, and plan combatively. Before the Derboul could do anything else, Q moved quickly to intercept and subdue. The full weight of the automaton was now on his back, pressing him into the sand. The Librarian stepped forward and angrily kicked sand at the outsider, who flinched and growled in response.

"Damned beast! DON'T MOVE!" The Librarian shouted with a ferocious authority that needed no translation. Fluke ran quickly to the hunter's cabin shouting as he went.

"Don't Hurt Him! I'll be right back!" Returning a moment later he had scrounged two pieces of firewood and a short length of rope. The hind legs of Derboul are very similar to a dog's hind legs, but the nature of the fracture was clear even with the different anatomy. Compared to the good leg, the lower portion of the Derboul's limb was and 'L' shape instead of straight. Through yowling protests, curses, blasphemes and other choice words shouted in two different languages the Librarian and Fluke managed to straighten and set the leg with a makeshift splint. After stepping away a good distance, Fluke shouted to Q.

"Okay Q! Do not let him touch us, do not let him escape! If he runs, catch him and bring back to where you have him now!"

"Parameters accepted." Q stood releasing pressure from the Derboul, and all three of them waited for what was inevitable.

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Migoene was fuming with pain and frustration. Assessing his leg, he realized what they had done, which just made him more confident. When the machine released him, he made a dash to the beach. He made it part way there before he was grabbed by the neck and drug back to his starting point. When released he immediately pivoted and made a dash to attack the humans, again only making part way he was caught and drug back to the starting point. Letting out a roar of frustration he began to pace with a limp. The situation had changed, but now instead of being confined by a magical net and guarded, this entire beach was an open-air prison. Migoene sat and began to focus his now unrestrained resonance sending energy to heal his leg. To his surprise, the humans didn't react, and the automaton did nothing to stop him. Instead, the final boss of the rift pulled more vegetables and water from the bag they had brought with them. He began thinking to himself:

Don't be fooled. Human mercy is nothing more than a trap. This is a trick.

What had the golem said? The damned machine had said something that vaguely sounded like his native language but didn't make sense. It said, 'Contortion Evident'... 'Amelioration Imperative'... 'Reconciliatory Detention' then repeated the phrase 'Detention' over and over.

Migoene shook his head, giving up after a few minutes trying to decipher what was being communicated. Focusing his gaze to assess his leg, he knew it would be a couple days of continuous resonance therapy before the fracture would be able to bear weight, let alone handle the stress of combat. Using his different visions, he was able to see that they had reset the fracture imperfectly, but it was still an improvement. If he ever got out of here, he knew the healers at the cathedral would be able to fix it properly, but he would have a limp until then. Slowly, Migoene stood and hobbled over to the food, making sure to go slow. He looked back and forth to the golem guarding him and the humans, lowering his head and gesturing at the food left for him. The young human shouted, and the golem held its ground.

'The boy is in control of the golem. Good to know.'