Cory looked around, his eyes wide with a mix of adrenaline, fear, intense pain and his nervous system doing cartwheels. Get the kids to safety, then sort the rest of this mess out is all he could think. He tried to summon his best warm but authoritative voice and ushered the children away from the still exploding warehouse and into the ‘safety’ of the houses and hovels nearby. Several kids took off straight away and needed minimal encouragement, some were more reluctant but after being directed to the Rusty Tankard, the kids took off. He looked back over his shoulder to the blaze behind him. A massive timber fell to the ground with a massive boom, sparks flying into the air, as another minor explosion spit more colored smoke into the night sky. What a mess. As he turned back to the group to make their next move, pain lanced through his upper neck again. The bolt luckily, was a little too high and was currently barely lodged into his upper trap. Any lower and it would have hit bone or vital organs. Anytime it moved however, it caused the bolt to bob and shift and pain shot through him. The only thing keeping him from screaming from it was most likely the presence of Pavil still and the strong desire to impress the man. If he could even be called a man. Cory had never seen anyone fight like that before and it was short of life changing. Speaking of, he walked over to Pavil who was still asking about payment in his very matter of fact tone. Cory pointed to the bolt and asked if Pavil would do the honors of pulling it the rest of the way through. Pavil nodded and before Cory could get set or brace, the giant of a man yanked it out. Cory clenched his eyes so hard but willed them not to let any tears out. When he finally opened them, Pavil offered him the bolt and gave a small sign of being impressed with the young man. Cory shifted the new burden under his cloak to accept the bolt and asked if Kolbus had any remaining gauze to pack into the wound. That done, Cory absently let his hand drift to the vial still in his pouch. His hand clenched around the tiny vial, thinking of how that would take all the pain away. It would at least take away this screaming headache he suddenly had. Or had it had it for awhile now and with the sudden pause in trying to not die, he could notice it finally. He had been feeling worse and worse since the effects of the moonsnow, or sunshine, had worn off. It had started with a minor headache, then sweating. He still had sweat rolling down his back even now, but that might be due to the fire…but probably not. He was was having withdrawal now wasn’t he? Unlike his one experience with alcohol however, which made him never really want to drink ever again, the small glass vial with its precious white powder seemed like a nice reprieve and nice reward for what he had just gone through. Kolbus, he realized, was talking to him, but Cory was too lost in his thoughts to hear him. He shook his head to clear the cotton out of it and asked Kolbus to repeat himself. He could barely concentrate on the mans words however. There were so many things moving now, so many balls to be juggling. How he longed to be back at home with his dad and the militia. The only perk of where he was now was that the men he had just taken part in killing, probably deserved it. That wasn’t for nothing.