[b]Iktomi-Awakening[/b]

Iktomi’s jaw clenched as he finally felt the fire that coursed through his veins upon regaining consciousness. Slowly he forced his eyes open, his gaze darting around the room until they fell upon the medic. Pushing himself up onto his elbows he took a shallow breath, before speaking for the first time in days. “Get out of here right now. Leave.” Within his eyes there was no emotion, only killing intent. While the medic scurried out of the room Iktomi rested his head against the pillow once more, listening to the fading footsteps of the man. 

Two minutes after he had sent the doctor away Iktomi’s will finally broke. His lips parted as a scream tore through them. Curling into a ball his screams continued. Minutes ticked by, until he finally gained control of himself again. Tightening his jaw he straightened up, laying on the bed properly once again. He had never experienced such pain before, but he still knew there was only one way for him to handle it. All he could do was find out the source, which meant..

[i]’Archania what is happening to me? I feel like my blood has been replaced with hellfire. I really hope you have an idea, because I don’t.’[/i] His thoughts were as forced as his words the medic had been, the pain made it difficult for him to even form coherent thoughts. 

Archania’s mandibles clicked rapidly in excitement, before she finally spoke. She couldn’t believe that Iktomi had woken so soon, or at all really. She knew he was strong, but for a time she believed that he wouldn’t be able to pull through. [i][b]’It is good to see that you are awake Iktomi, you were out for a couple of days. During the attack on the Blood Saints, you used too much of your spirit, and it caused your body to go into a coma. The pain is a side effect of having woken up too early, your body didn’t get a chance to heal fully.[/b][/i]

[i]’If waking up early is the cause of this then it is acceptable. I have work to get back to after all.’[/i] Biting back a groan, Iktomi pushed himself back off of the bed and swung to the side. Reaching toward the end table, searching for his headset, his fingers brushed against an envelope. Bringing it closer his lips flickered into a brief smirk as he read the writing upon it. [i]’I suppose this means she must have left already. It couldn’t have been too long ago, given that I have only been out of it for a couple of days. I wonder why she didn’t bother to stay around until I was on my feet, perhaps she doesn’t care as much as she would like me to believe. Since she couldn’t wait to leave, I may as well wait to read the letter.’[/i] Placing the envelope back on the end table he searched once more for the object he had originally been reaching for. Finding the headset he put it on turning it to Hali’s frequency in the same motion. 

“Halimae would you please come to the medical room? I could use some assistance.” Turning the mic off for a moment, Iktomi let his head fall. After a couple of moments the door to the room opened and Hali slipped into the room making her way quickly to his side. As she slipped one arm around his waist, Iktomi placed his own on her shoulders. “Thanks for coming so quickly Hali, it is greatly appreciated.” 

“Of course sir, it is good to see that you are back on your feet. We have all been worried sick about you. How are you feeling?” Halimae’s voice remained as cold as ever to anyone not used to her, but Iktomi could clearly hear the caring tone that she was trying to cover. 

“Honestly? I feel like there are thousands of needles in my veins. But that is quite minor compared to be unconscious, at least this way I can resume command. Speaking of which I would like an update on anything you have done in my absence.” As he spoke Iktomi began moving, prompting Hali to as well given that she was his main support. 

“Leo and his slaves finished the tunnels that they had been previously working on, excluding all of those that were collapsed of course so I directed him to have them begin working in the other direction. Along with that order I told them to take any buildings that they came across and to evict any tenants. In addition to that I sent my frequency number with Kisheto to give to Hector. The leader of the Golden Mercenaries, Victor, has called for an outright rebellion as you predicted. Both Miss Arianna and Kisheto left to join the Mercs that are stationed in Sovereign as a result of that.” Her words were a bit rapid as Iktomi continued to pick up the pace. 

Turning down the hallway that led to the dining room Iktomi nodded his head, a smirk coming to his lips. “Excellent, that means everything is going according to plan then. Contact squads 3-9 and tell them to get into the predetermined ambush points. After that inform squads 10-13 that they are to remain stationed along the perimeter. You are also going to stay at my side. I am too weak at this time to be alone.” Removing his arm from her shoulders he made his way to the chair at the head of the table. Collapsing into it, he leaned his head against his fist eyes falling closed. “You are dismissed for now Halimae, please inform everyone that they are still to contact you rather than me. Thank you.”