“Yeah, well,” Gary said, “just give it a moment.”

“What for?” Jason asked. “Why are you all backing away?”

The light started to diminish, drawing back inside Jason’s body. As it did, he experienced a rising nausea, the sensation growing and growing as he resisted the urge to throw up. But he failed. He collapsed to his hands and knees, vomit spraying out of him. Red-brown pus started oozing from his pores, staining his clothes and coating his skin in oily filth. He kept vomiting and vomiting, bloody tears pouring from his eyes.

Finally, he fell unconscious, dropping into a pool of his own body fluids. A terrifying stench was coming off of him and the others backed even further away. Even in unconsciousness, pus and vomit fought their way free of his body. The others looked on until it finally subsided.

“That was a lot,” Gary said.

“I’ve done a lot of essence rituals,” Farrah said, “but I’ve never seen anyone purge that many impurities before.”

“What do you think he’s been eating?” Gary asked.

“He’s from another world, so there’s no telling,” Farrah said.

“Do you think we should have told him about this part?” Rufus asked.

“Not at all,” Gary said. “Did you see the look on his face? Completely worth it.”

“I kind of feel bad, though,” Rufus said.

“It isn’t like it would have been any different if he knew,” Farrah said. “We all went through it.”

“And he’s an outworlder,” Gary said. “He didn’t absorb his essences the same way we did. We couldn’t be sure this would happen.”

“Probably should have told him to strip down first, though,” Farrah said. “There’ll be no getting the stink out of those clothes.”

“Gary,” Rufus said, “at least go drag him out of his own filth.”

“You can do it, if you want,” Gary said. “I’m not going over there.”

“Farrah?” Rufus asked, but she shook her head.

“If you’re so concerned,” Farrah said, “then you go move him.”

Rufus looked over at Jason, splayed out in the stinking puddle.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

22. Apocalypse Stone

22

Apocalypse Stone

“I need a shower,” Jason said.

“You just had a shower,” Rufus said.

“I need another shower. The stink won’t go away.”

“Oh, we’re aware,” Farrah said.

After waking up Jason had been fed a stamina potion and pointed in the direction of one of the manor’s bathrooms. After washing away the gunk that had oozed out of the very pores of his skin, he had changed into fresh clothes.

“What was that stuff all over me?” Jason asked.

“We told you,” Farrah said. “Reaching iron rank made your body advance closer to a state of perfection, which included purging your body of impurities.”

“There is no way I was that impure.”

“It did seem like a lot,” Gary said, wrinkling his nose. “Maybe he should have another shower.”