Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Not-So Grand Awakening

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Day 6 / Time: 3:00am - 5:00am

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Thunk-

Artie was awoken by a quick force to the forehead. Groaning softly, he slowly opened his eyes.

"He's finally awake."

Laying on his back, a light from above made it difficult to see. His left arm was at his side, while the right was tightened over his stomach.

Squinting, he could see the moon hovering above him. Surrounding that moon was a dark wooden frame.

"Where am I…." He faintly mumbled.

Anxious to find out his whereabouts, he began to lift himself.

"Uggggh!" He screamed, the sound echoing.

Artie settled back where he laid, his eyes wide open after the surge of pain he felt. He still couldn't see the room he lay in, but he saw the ceiling, or rather the lack of one.

The room's roof was cut out in the shape of a square. Moonlight shone through, so it took time for Artie's eyes to adjust.

"Blue," He whispered, calming himself.

Both the green and blue moon were present in the night sky. However, the blue moon was much more dominant. It was not only brighter, but that night it was deep in saturation, in contrast to its usual pale tone.

A beautiful and bright sapphire blue. It was vague, but the moon's color induced a feeling of growth within Artie, one he could not explain.

"Perfect, you're healing nicely." Said an unfamiliar voice.

"This further confirms what we hypothesized. Increase of strength, accelerated healing, the boost in the craftsman proficiency. All of it points to the moon's influence on our bodies." Said a woman with an increasingly passionate voice.

"Don't touch me." Hissed Artie agitatedly, aware of who the voice belonged to.

"I would never touch an unconscious, un-consenting subject!" Replied the woman, offended.

"Unless there were untold circumstances that prevented the individual from consenting." She said, throwing herself over Artie's view.

It was the women that inspected him before. She wore the same banged-up glasses and smiled the same delighted smile.

"You're blocking the light," Whispered Artie, trying to hold as still as possible.

"Tell me, how do you feel after basking under the moon's light for seven hours?" She said curiously.

"I'd feel better if your face wasn't the first thing I saw after waking up." Mumbled Artie.

"Ah! Then sleep; we shall attempt another analysis once you've woken up again. This time, removing the unsought factor that is myself." Said the woman, backing away from Artie.

He sighed and gazed up towards the deep blue moon once again. He was still unable to make out the rest of the room, but he knew he laid on a wooden platform, and under his head was a cluster of grass and leaves. He was covered with an unknown layer of cloth but was still uncomfortably cold.

Adding to his discomfort, he felt a thin, straight piece of lumber tied under his broken forearm. Wrapping the arm was a leather material that tied it at a right angle, similar to a brace.

"I'll have to ask that you keep your distance from him until he's discharged from my care. I have a reputation to keep, and it doesn't involve my patients being experimented on."

The woman that spoke stepped forward and leaned over Artie. It wasn't anyone he'd seen before. The woman was tall, light brown, and tied up her long hair. She wore a bulky fuzzy coat that looked like a lion nested on her body. Her hair and eyes were dark but appeared slightly blue under the moon's light. She spoke with a professional tone and had a slight Hispanic accent. Artie assumed the woman was a doctor in light of what she said.

"My name is Paula. Can you tell me how you're feeling?" She asked kindly.

"Cold," replied Artie, only looking at the woman's coat.

Conveniently, a rough and warm material suddenly covered Artie's vision. He closed his eyes, not caring about where it came from or that he could no longer see.

He exhaled peacefully. Relaxing his aching body and clearing his mind.

"Let's leave him to rest." Said Paula.

"We've already waited hours for him to regain consciousness; I need to collect data while the moon's effects persist!" Argued the woman in glasses.

"¡Sal Ahora!"(Get out now) Snapped Paula.

There was an annoyed groan, then three sets of footsteps left the room. Artie, sure he was alone, drifted off, back into the safety of unconsciousness.

 

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Day 6 / Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm

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"Dark…"

Moving carefully, Artie removed what covered his face.

Wincing, he was instantly blinded by the golden sun that sat overhead, shining its warm rays onto him.

Troubled, he covered his face once more with the material.

"..."

Artie sighed and laid there, coping with the pain of his broken arm and now the light spots he was seeing behind his eyelids.

"Since you're up, I'll take my top back." Said Mayumi, pulling the leather material off Artie.

He gradually turned his head and spotted her as she pulled the protective leather over her black long-sleeved shirt.

"...Thanks," he said hesitantly.

She looked at him plainly, as if not content with his half-assed gratitude.

Artie returned his head to its resting position then closed his eyes. He raised his left arm over his face and left it there.

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"So, what happened to that day?" He asked lazily.

Though he couldn't see her, he could sense she was looking at him intently, as if searching for something.

"I heard you froze up," said Mayumi bluntly.

Artie pressed his left arm over his face harder and closed his fist. While his forehead was covered, his arm wasn't large enough to hide the frown creeping across his face.

"You know that's not what I was asking," He complained.

"PTSD is common among the people here. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." She said casually.

PTSD: "Post-traumatic stress disorder."

Artie remained silent.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Asked Mayumi.

"No," Replied Artie, his frustration revealed in his voice.

"Because you prefer to manage alone?" She asked, speaking faster.

He continued to hold his arm over his face, obstructing the sun's blinding rays.

Artie slowly turned his fierce gaze towards Mayumi, who sat on a wooden stool next to him.

"Do you want to hear my opinion?" She asked, ignoring his obvious signs of frustration.

"No," grunted Artie.

Mayumi brushed back her short black hair, the blue highlights even more vivid under the sun. Her almond-shaped eyes stared directly through him, not at.

"I suppose it can wait until you've healed." She sighed, looking away and shutting her eyes.

She left a few seconds of silence before continuing.

"It was a one-sided battle." She said, her tone slightly graver.

"The large goblin killed two dozen of our hunters. Ultimately we were forced to retreat without dealing any significant damage."

"..."

"If the moon makes you guys stronger, why do you hunt during the day…." Asked Artie.

Mayumi adjusted herself up-right, then placed her foot on the wooden platform Artie laid on. She cool kicked off the bed and raised the front of the stool she sat on.

"This planet has its balance. What advantage we have may not necessarily be a disadvantage for our enemies."

"I don't understand…." Uttered Artie, lowering his arm from his face and squinting up at the hole in the roof.

"That's fine for now. I get the feeling you don't believe in any of this anyway." Mayumi speculated.

"Moons that make humans stronger? It's far-fetched." Said Artie, unconvinced.

"Despite how quickly you're healing and how fast we've built, you're still skeptical?" She said, lowering her chair and leaning in towards Artie.

"I admit this town is amazing, but we've also created miracles on our Earth." He replied.

"..."

"Four days," she said plainly.

"Huh?" He mumbled, giving her a look of question.

"Within four days, humanity entered the stone age, built a town, elected leaders, and raised an army." Said Mayumi earnestly.

"Raised an army by forcefully drafting anyone your magic stone picked." Retorted Artie.

Mayumi became agitated, leaning further towards him.

Not shying away, Artie grunted, then leaned upright before inching closer. A burning and stabbing sensation tormented his broken arm and caused him to whimper; despite this, he returned a threatening look of his own.

"We did what we had to do," said Mayumi, whose face sat displeased only a foot away from Artie's.

"of course, you, who only recently arrived, wouldn't understand what we had to endure." She scolded.

"Well, sorry, I would have loved to help, except I was alone struggling to SURVIVE!" Shouted Artie furiously.

They both sat provoked, staring at each other heatedly under the warm sun.

"You two argue like an elderly couple…."

Hearing them bicker, Paula had entered the small room and stood at the entrance.

"If you're feeling better, get out; you're disturbing the other patients."

Both Artie and Mayumi looked away from each other, then to the doctor.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Paula, tapping her foot on the wooden flooring.

"..."

Mayumi stood first, nodding to the doctor before exiting the room. Artie took his time uncovering himself, then he too rose and made for the exit.

"Come back later so I can rewrap your shoulder too. Whoever patched you up did a terrible job." Said Paula.

"Sure…" Replied Artie, placing his hand on his shoulder and exiting the brightly lit room.

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