Convergence: Eclipse Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Broken Mind

Read chapter 15 of Convergence: Eclipse by J.L.Hollingwell on NovelPedia.

he paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect. — Dr. Peter A. Levine Laurie hurried over to the three chests nestled beside the Scale Hide Matriarch’s corpse, and tried to open the one in the centre. A box appeared over it: Locked! This chest can only be opened by: Cloudburst Laurie frowned. Cloudburst? Is that a person? He checked the one on the right, and it opened normally. It held two Basic Health and Basic Mana potions, and one Basic Antidote potion. Laurie stowed them safely in his backpack, and, for curiosity’s sake, checked the left chest, too. A second box appeared: Locked! This chest can only be opened by: Growth That can’t be a person… Maybe they’re spells? Laurie looked around for the two spellcasters. Maeve was still squatting in front of Roland. He had dropped his hands from his face, but still hadn’t made any sign of getting up. Laurie made his way over. We can’t stay here forever, he thought, then scolded himself the moment he thought it. Come on. He’s just lost his friend. He can have a minute. Maeve, he discovered, was clearly having the same thought process. “Come on, Roland, we have to move. We can't stay here! I need you to move, okay?” Maeve sounded a little frantic, which was itself alarming. Is there another monster? When Laurie got close enough, however, he could see the real reason for Maeve’s distress. Laurie had assumed Roland had been covering his face to weep, but Roland's face was an utter blank. His eyes were dry - but unfocused, boring a thousand-yard stare into the distance. He didn’t even seem to know that Maeve was in front of him, and did not respond to her words. Laurie hovered, awkwardly, unsure if he should (or even could) help. Maeve shook Roland’s shoulder, hard, before sighing and standing, turning to face Laurie. “I think he’s in shock, he’s not responding at all.” Maeve sounded worried, and tired. “I can’t think what you’re supposed to do for shock, I think I knew, before, but I can’t remember. I just can’t remember.” “Maybe he just needs some more time,” Laurie said uncertainly. She sounds like she’s in shock, too… Probably shouldn’t say that, though. “There are some chests over there.” Laurie gestured back toward the Matriarch. “They’ve got loot, rewards for killing the Matriarch. I opened mine, but it won’t let me open the other two. I think they’re for you.” Maeve looked over at the chests, a strange look on her face. “Why the fuck would we get a reward,” she said, flatly. “We failed. We failed so badly.” Despite her words, she went over to the chests. To Laurie’s surprise, the middle one opened at her touch. Okay, not a spell, then. Her pseudonym must be Cloudburst. Maeve’s loot was better than his. She pulled out a leather headband, with a small, clear gem set in the centre. The leather was the same mottled colour as the skin of the Scale Hides. Maeve stared at it for a long moment before slipping it over her head, adjusting it carefully so that the gem sat in the middle of her forehead. She stood there, as though waiting for something, before reaching up to tap at the gem, scowling. “It’s not working,” she said, “it’s meant to bond, or something.” She yanked it off her head, clearly not in any mood to try and decipher the cryptic messaging. “Try pushing a little bit of mana into it,” Laurie suggested, thinking of his boots of Spider-Kind. Maeve looked at him suspiciously, but put the headband back on her head. She closed her eyes, and the gem started to glow, a soft, pearlescent blue. I wonder if Roland got an item? Or if it just drops one, regardless of how many people kill it? If it’s just one, who gets the item? Maybe it’s the most damage? That wouldn’t really be fair on the healers or support classes though, would it? Maeve interrupted his musings - she said something, but Laurie didn’t catch it, too lost in his internal speculation about what magical healing might look like. “Sorry, what?” Maeve scowled at him, aga