Cue nervous breakdown

After John got taught the basics by Miranda and under her watchful gaze offered the trophies to Artemis, he moved to the familiar smithy of Old Fred. His pets had by then run off to play with Mimi once again. After trading some greetings and showing off the loot he got, plus offering him one piece of Iron Wood if he made a new bow for him from the tendons and remaining wood, John started crafting with his remaining loot.

While John was using the tools, his body started to shake softly, his hands became unsteady as he was sawing the bones into smaller pieces to allow more items to be made from one bone. When he wanted to smoothen the edges of the bone parts, his vision got blurry. Even his crafting skill could no longer help him and deactivated itself. Seconds later, John collapsed onto his knees with tears streaming down his face. It was weird, when Cynthia had cried about him dying, he had remained calm. When he got told off for being foolish, he had been hurt, but he had remained calm. And now, when he was trying to move on with his life and just do a little bit of crafting, he finally broke down.

Old Fred, who had been in the next room inspecting the tendons and wood, came running when he heard a sound that did not have anything to do with blacksmithing, sobbing. The dwarf tossed his glasses into his beard when he saw the young, promising lad crying on the floor. He rushed over as fast as his small legs could carry him, placing his hand on John’s shoulder and shaking him softly. “Lad, what’s happening? Are ye okay?” he asked with concern clear in his voice.

John, who was just staring at his hands, shook his head slightly, grasping at nothing on the floor. The tears just came without pause, dripping down his face as his body shook. “I don’t know. After last night, everything just seems so. I don’t. Know,” John replied with long sobs in between words. “My life has been turned upside down, within a week. I killed people, Old Fred. I killed people. I’m a horrible human being.” The depression that had struck him after Mariel’s **** was back in full ****. His talk with the cold Ellen had been enough to push him forward for a bit, but now that he had time to think while his body went on auto pilot, he finally snapped.

Old Fred retrieved a bottle of water from his beard, popping it open and handing it to John. “Lad, I will be back shortly, try to calm down, okay? This sounds serious. And just to make sure, lad, I am taking any sharp tool around with me for the time being,” the dwarf said with a hint of humor in his grizzled face. He swiped saws and chisels into his beard, then when he saw John try to take a sip of water and do nothing else, he turned and broke into a run.

The hunters in the camp thought they had seen it all, but now, they saw something completely new. Old Fred, the drunk, friendly ‘uncle’ of the camp came running from his smithy with a face too serious to be Old Fred’s. They made way for him as he barged on, his beard flying up more than once to block his view. It was just a few moments later that he arrived at Cynthia’s tent. “Cyn, it’s urgent. Yer boyfriend has broken down in the smithy, come with me, quick. Quick!” he shouted at the tent, then he grabbed the arm of a passing hunter. “Dan, go fetch Arnold for me, tell him to meet me at the smithy. This is nay good.”

The hunter named Dan saw the clarity in Old Fred’s usually glassy eyes and swallowed slightly. “Yes sir!” he said, saluting the dwarf before breaking off into a run towards the pet area.

Cynthia’s worried face popped out of the tent a few seconds later, looking at Old Fred who was already turning around again. Together, they ran back to the smithy, Cynthia’s hands moving as she muttered something, the wind around them picking up and pushing them forth even faster.

When she laid her eyes on John, she let out a soft sound of surprise. The geek she had been teasing before, the guy with the bullshit powers and the man that was keeping his cool no matter how much crazy the Abyss seemed to throw at him was reduced to such a state, and it tugged on her heartstrings. She knelt down next to him as quickly as she could, wrapping her arms around him as she whispered. “It’s okay, John, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here.”

John had calmed down slightly in the time that Old Fred was gone. When Cynthia’s arms wrapped around him, it only seemed to make things worse again, however; as he sobbed loudly once more, his body lost its strength as he felt her warm embrace. He muttered words of apology as Cynthia brushed his hair.

Old Fred stood to the side when Arnold entered too. He looked at his daughter and her boyfriend and then at Old Fred. When he cocked an eyebrow, Old Fred explained what John had told him before and what he had done as a result. Arnold approached them slowly after hearing that, a sigh escaping his lip. “I was afraid this would happen. We were careless,” he whispered to Old Fred, who nodded slightly.

Arnold placed his hand on John’s shoulder as he knelt down next to the two of them. “John, I think we need to have a good chat, you, me and Cynthia. Would you want that?”

John looked up, his eyes red and puffy, and he nodded, taking a deep, shaking breath. “Yes. I need help, please.”

“This is not the place to talk though,” Cynthia cut in. She rubbed John’s back softly as she kept on hugging him. “How about we take this to my tent? John, do you think you can make it there?”

John gave a nod in agreement, slowly getting up with Cynthia and Arnold’s help. He turned to Old Fred as they started moving. “Sorry, Fred, I’m sorry.”

“‘Tis okay lad, have your talk, your well being is what is important right now. I wish I could help ye, alas, I’m just a simple blacksmith, nay blood on me hands. ”