67: Pneumothorax


Content Warning (click to view)

Large amounts of blood and moderately disturbing depictions.

caprimesun says:

Congratulations on your promotion from accused murderer to actual murderer  

Wenkwort says:

Consider loading the gun again. I seriously doubt that they’ll let us go that easily.

The Nerkogos look like they’ve scrammed for the time being. There’s no doubt that the rockets along with the musket-fire have drawn the ire of the Qoths. Regardless, you’re grateful that this is over because if you have to keep shooting you’re probably going to throw up.

Colonel says:

Perform first aid on yourself (that shoulder wound in particular) and then tend to Effi and Yen’s wounds. Remember, it’s quite the challenge to tend to others if you’re bleeding out yourself.

Olivergarden says:

should probably put some bandages or anything to stop the bleeding on your arm

Right, your entire arm is soaked and its really starting to hurt now that you’re calming down. Or at least you think you’re calming down…The bleeding doesn’t look like it’s slowed so you’ll ask Yenkaran if he has any more bandages to patch you up.

big q says:

How do you feel?

You feel very dizzy… And the pain is starting to spread to the rest of your body.

FuBo_JT says:

Check on your crewmates

…The engine turns on.

Yenkaran snorts…

Despite their agonal breaths, they go on…

“Are you okay, Yenny?”

“I think… I think I fainted.”

Ugh…” she wheezes for air, “Do you want to know something?”

She stands up, “It was— a sock. Caught in the paddles. We almost got ended because of a sock.”

“So… it wasn’t my fault?”

“No… I just forgot how filthy this place is.” she glares at you, body still twitching, breathing still labored, “Took you long enough. So was that your cruel way of getting back at me or are you just a little bitch?”

“Oh, stop it, Sister! We made it out because of her!”

She scoffs, “I’ll give you team effort.”

“Well, how magnanimous…” he sighs.

Effrenka looks behind her, “Some stupid prick up there was loading broadheads and shot me in the ass. I hope he was the one you shot, Freckles— god damn him.”

“Ah yes, superb shot by the way, Sister!” He smiles through his mask.

Effi gurgles blood, “I’m getting too old for your Quyverspike shit, Yenkaran.”

Yenkaran casually fastens a bandage around the large gash in his arm. “What does Quyverspike have to do with this?”

“The hell was that tragedy?” she snaps her finger, “The one where that Qothic asshole gets stabbed a bunch at the end?”

“Oh, ‘Erydanyx‘? That was actually at the beginning.”

“Yeah— yeah, well we’re him every time we go with your plan.”

“Well Sister, it was your call, considering how ill-equipped this whole job was.”

She wheezes, “Well more fool me I guess. Next time bring a helm; I can see a splinter sticking out of your head.”

“Perhaps you could’ve lent me yours, it didn’t seem like you needed it with your head in the engine.”

She pauses, “Okay— s-so is it just me or have you been very snippy with me lately?”

“What the fuck?”

“Sister… are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost… Must have been a lot for you.”

Okay, first of all, Freckles— language. Second of all, Yen— it was a lot for usnot her. Our little passenger princess didn’t come out of this looking like a goddamn sea urchin. She points at you, “Look at her: She’s only been shot once!”

You peer down over your breast to see a bolt lodged into you. You must’ve missed that.

Your lung flops freely in your chest, like a warm, soaked rag.

Then you lose your balance, and your legs buckle.

Yenkaran gently catches you and reaches for the bolt. “I hope its not a broadhead.”

“Stop! STOP!!!” you scream, pushing his hand back.

”W-what’s wrong?”

You scream in agony, feeling your chest burn as it fills with hot fluid.

The Gormutt forces Yenkaran to the side and unbuckles your belt.

She peels off your apron.

Blood forces its way up your throat, then shortly after, pink foam.

You find your body convulsing, desperate to relieve the pain from the mash that is now your left side.

“Yenkaran, do you mind explaining why this “True Hunter” is bleeding out?”

“I— I didn’t— how? How could this be? M-Mikella fed her yesterday! I SAW her! She’s one of us! She’s had her catch! She hunts! She should be mending!?

“Well someone fucking lied.

“No- NO! Of course not! She was already on the path! She—she just needs… yes— a nudge in the right direction.”

Effi takes out bandages and packs them against your wound. “Oh Yen…  Look at the man Mikella is turning you into…” 

“Stop it Effi! I-I can fix this!”

You cough through the swelling fluid, “Please— I don’t want— I can’t! M-my friend—”

“Glass, you need to stop moving— and take slower breaths, okay? We’ll get you to a surgeon.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

YEN. What are you doing!?”

“She can still live!”

Guess that’s it for you. I mean, what did you expect? Living the way you did— dodging that many crossbow bolts— one was bound to hit you eventually.

You’ve run out of last chances, and instead of saving Iron you’re going to die on a boat with two cannibals arguing over your leaking carcass.

You don’t know where you’ll be off to, but you hope it’s where your dad is.

“You keep that away from her NOW! DON’T DO THIS TO HER!”

“And WHAT THEN!? SHE DIES!?”

Effrenka falls silent.

“The Circle mends!”

Fuck. This is so painful.


End of Chapter 3


Get notified for the start of the next chapter

look for Tinderkell on your favorite RSS app/extension (RSS Code)

Join our Discord for update notifications and to chat with others

Follow Tinderkell on Bluesky/Twitter

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

59 Comments
Anonymous
Anonymous
18 hours ago

Your work continues to be excellent, I will eagerly refresh for your next update 🙂

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
22 hours ago

It occurred to me that Yen and Zeb are very much alike. Both seem to be lost young men who have crippling issues of confidence that stemmed from their horrible upbringings. They never had a proper father figure (Zeb’s father abused him, and I can only imagine that Yen’s father was whipped to death in front of him by their… Read more »

Last edited 21 hours ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Allah-Babbah
Allah-Babbah
1 day ago

Axaxaxaxa 67 BceM HawиM

Anonymous
Anonymous
1 day ago

Jesus, poor Glass. Becoming not only a killer but also (potentially) a monster on the same night. 🙁

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
1 day ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Killer is such a bad word. Yeah she did kill that guy – or not, who knows, he could just be in a coma – but it was in self-defence. Cochiwan said something to that effect, that she wouldn’t five able to feel guilty if she didn’t shoot because she’d have been killed. The monster part? Yeah….. maybe Effi will… Read more »

AveriguadorDeResenha
AveriguadorDeResenha
2 days ago

Caralho! Isso foi resenhudo !

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
2 days ago

Sorry, it just occurred to me something very epic that could happen. So the Hunger is this supernatural force that grants special powers, but then there is the Consciousness. Now, apparently all the Consciousness has been confined to Gnomanya… but what if the Jar of Ominous Fluids was a sample of it? And where is that sample now? With the… Read more »

Abobus
Abobus
2 days ago

I have a question: how did they even survive? It seems to me that when you have a dozen holes from bolts in your body, how difficult would it be to even remain conscious, let alone function fully? Although, it’s possible that they ate something beforehand.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
2 days ago
Reply to  Abobus

They have mysterious powers that their cannibalism has given them, and among these include a high healing factor. They do have their limits, however: Yen fainted from taking so many bolts. Generally, to really kill one of them you either have to keep damaging them, or you have to hit on of the essential areas. Not just the lungs: I’m… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 days ago
Reply to  Abobus

Installment 46, mural No.2

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
2 days ago

“She also has snake-bite piercings below her crooked lips.“ That’s very interesting. I’ve noticed a few reptilian motifs among the Circle. Besides Effi’s little snake-bite fangs, I thought that Mikella’s golden chain mail she worn back in entries 30 and 31 looked like reptile scales, and then there is the reptilian head on the hacksaw. Also, I’ve said this before,… Read more »

Last edited 2 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
2 days ago

Oh, Effi just got a new page! How old is she compared to Yen? It says she acts a mentor to Yen, who is described as a young man. She doesn’t look old by any means: I’ll take a stab and say that Yen is in his early 20s to 25; I’d say Effi is around late 20s perhaps. Also,… Read more »

Last edited 2 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Anonymous
Anonymous
2 days ago

I’m loving where this is going, please don’t stop making these

Yitexity
Admin
Yitexity
2 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

thank you :3

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Damn if that isn’t a powerful way to close out the chapter. Amazing work, yitexity!

Effe, maybe you’re not so bad after all …

Yitexity
Admin
Yitexity
2 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

i appreciate it :3

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

I wonder if we’ll get a scene similar to this for Zeb. He gets badly injured in his next confrontation with the Circle – maybe Yen tries to pull the same stunt as with Lutemes – which snaps Glass out of the Hunger through her sheer worry for him. She crowds over him, begging him to heal. Whereas Glass is… Read more »

Yitexity
Admin
Yitexity
2 days ago

no

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 days ago

I don’t think that’s in character for anyone in the circle, let alone Yen. They very much see grazers (like Zeb) as little more than free range meat, sparing or even giving a grazer whatever the circle’s gift happens to be is completely out of the question. Yen is incredibly forgiving if you ask me, but he is absolutely a… Read more »

Last edited 2 days ago by Anonymous
Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
1 day ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I don’t mean for them to help Zeb. What I meant is that Zeb goes to help Glass, but Yen catches him and slits his throat like Lutemes. I meant that the sight of his throat being slit activates Glass’s memories and feelings for him, which temporarily allows her to break free from the Hunger. I didn’t mean that Glass… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
1 day ago

Ah, I misread.
Still really can’t see that happening when Lutemes has never met Zeb, and that they’re not really part of the same organisation. The only things connecting them in this hypothetical would be their species and faith, and I’d imagine a ghostly Lutemes would have better choices to magick back to life (like the captain Glass shot).

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
22 hours ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I imagined that Lutemes would be hanging around as a ghost, considering Yen disrupted the haunting ritual by cutting him up and prevented him from going to the afterlife. Snek_Inna_Tenk made an art of a similar concept, where a ghostly Lutemes aids Glass in killing Effi. If Zeb got his throat slit or badly wounded, I thought that Lutemes might… Read more »

Last edited 22 hours ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

This is very incredible

Yitexity
Admin
Yitexity
2 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

<3

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

A la bestia

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Literal

XyDark
XyDark
3 days ago

My prediction: She won’t be able to eat the meat since she’s actively vomiting blood and she’ll die anyways.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  XyDark

I’m not sure, it seemed like Yen was going to shove the meat directly into her wound.

Anonymous
Anonymous
1 day ago
Reply to  XyDark

The digestive system isn’t damaged, so doable with little pieces, just won’t be comfortable.

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Faaaaaakk, this is soo good, dayummmmm, I literally would work for free for them if that means quicker releases I just need more

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Cmon girl, you still got one good lung, doncha?

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Not how I expected it to go- but this was a great installment!

Yitexity
Admin
Yitexity
3 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Thank you!!

KCDodger
KCDodger
3 days ago

Yooohohohooo, alright COOL AND GOOD – I was hoping this’d come up! Look – On one hand, I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with the meat and the way these guys eat it, but what I was sure of was that something was up. Now we know! Eating meat – or whatever it is specifically tht these guys… Read more »

D':
D':
3 days ago

Look what they did to my girllll, My poor Glassss wuaaahh,,,,

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  D’:

She’ll get better – meat powers heal all wounds! I’m worried what happens when Zeb gets injured like this. Imagine Zeb encounters the Circle again to rescue Glass, and Yen or someone else slices his arm off or puts a hole in his stomach.

Last edited 3 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
D':
D':
3 days ago

Owie

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
2 days ago
Reply to  D’:

Perhaps he could get a prosthetic arm. I think he’d love that considering his cranking.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

What if Zeb and Effi end up working together to shutdown the Circle? Effi might be the only member who understands why Glass chose to help him, and, combined with her own want to snap Yen out of it, could then help Zeb work out a plan to defeat the Circle and find a cure for Glass so she isn’t… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Time for some bovani stew.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Nah, it looks like Yen’s going feed it to Glass raw. Raw Lutemes.

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Oh shit.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

Seeing some real conflict also between Effi and Yen. ‘Effi takes out bandages and packs them against your wound. “Oh Yen… Look at the man Mikella is turning you into…”’ and ‘She pauses, “Okay— s-so is it just me or have you been very snippy with me lately?”’ Yen might be starting to grow upset with Effi’s lack of devotion… Read more »

Duke of Dooks
Duke of Dooks
3 days ago

You didn’t ask for any of this.

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Oh shiiiiiiit…

kome
kome
3 days ago

SonovaFUCK, they’re vampires.

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  kome

Bring the stake and garlic! Better yet, Zeb builds a special crank-powered auto crossbow that shoots silver-tipped stakes (werewolf protection – can’t be too safe) and goes full Van Helsing.

Last edited 3 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

This has some serious potential for not only character development for Glass – gosh knows what she’ll get up to with this bunch – but for Zeb. Say Zeb finds out about the deal through Janko, and he confronts the LightKeeper. Worried sick for Glass, he says, despite himself, that he will somehow complete Glass’s deal for Kivari. He ends… Read more »

Last edited 3 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

What do you think of this, discord gang?

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

I didn’t expect an actual supernatural element to this, but their ability to survive what would be mortal wounds to others seems to be more than just belief

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

“You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner – you’re in one!”

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

Saying that actually has me thinking. What if Tinderkell has supernatural elements in the same vein as Pirates of the Caribbean – not high fantasy casting spells and stuff of that variety, but more low magic such similar to the curse of the Black Pearl or the curse of the Flying Dutchman? Hehe, perhaps that really does give the ability… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

Assuming you’ve read the Gnomanya lore article, you’ll notice that it mentions the “Consciousness” which just screams as being something supernatural. “In a last desperate attempt to protect the rest of Gnomanya and the world, acting general Steel Cross in a final order to the Gnomanyan army, mandated that all remaining soldiers either entomb themselves in mind vaults to protect… Read more »

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago
Reply to  Anonymous

It seems supernatural in a Lovecraftian sense. It reminded me of the Mi-Go’s brain technology from ‘Whisperer in the Darkness’, where they could remove a creature’s brain and put it in a special container that would allow them immortality.

Last edited 3 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory
yenkaranLoverOwO
yenkaranLoverOwO
3 days ago

OMG MY HOT BOY YENNY IS IMMORTAL????

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 days ago

What the FUCK

Tinderkell_Theory
Tinderkell_Theory
3 days ago

….well, I think we can forget about that deal with Kivari.

Last edited 3 days ago by Tinderkell_Theory

Join the discussion and participate on discord!