His body shook with disgust over the stench of blood and guts. Using the sharpest piece of flint he possessed, Kay set about skinning the deer. The hide was firm, and the small flint blade was barely enough to cut into the deceased flesh.
He wasn't used to touching something dead. At any moment, he expected it to resume the thrashing he had cut short, but even after many stabs and longer cuts to the beast, it remained still.
Like most things, he understood that his work was far from perfect. By the time he'd made a sizable indent the fur was ravaged. Stained with red and marred by the sharp rock it looked like it'd been violated by a psychopathic murderer.
Kay felt saliva accumulating in his mouth as his stomach churned. He felt on the verge of throwing up the limited sustenance in his body. With considerable effort he pacified the gag response because he knew that if he was interrupted from the gruesome procedure then he most likely would be unable to restart.
After what felt like an eternity, he had extracted a chunk of flesh similar in size to the rock that had ended the beast's life. Gathering up leaves from nearby trees and bushes, he blotted as much blood from the soft lump as possible.
The silence spell wore off shortly after. Kay was grateful its duration had been so long. If sound had returned as he fileted the beast, he most definitely would have puked. Coming from a bush behind him he could hear the groans and heavy breaths of Sanson the Mage. He hoped his companion would be okay for a little longer. Without the wizard's help he had little faith in his ability to reach the far away tower.
There was one problem. Though he now held meat that could feed them, he had no means of cooking it. He wanted to avoid food poisoning if possible, but he saw no way to avoid it. It was risky; he hoped the old man would be fine.
Using the sharp flint to slice a small, pinky finger's worth of meat off the larger chunk, he ran over to the bush where he'd hidden Sanson. The wizard looked near death. His eyes were closed, but flitted about restlessly. His body was beaded with sweat, and his skin felt like it contained only a tinge of warmth. If left alone it was likely that he would die in a matter of minutes.
Refusing to abandon his one chance of victory, he took the small piece of deer flesh into his mouth and thoroughly chewed the clump. The first food he'd eaten in a day, Kay could only describe the taste as bloody and nasty. The knowledge that the raw meat likely carried food poisoning didn't delight his taste buds either.
He reluctantly chewed the piece dozens of times in an effort to make it smooth and easy to swallow. With his mouth full of saliva and mashed deer meat, he kneeled down and faced Sanson's mouth.
'I'm glad it was Sansan I found in the jungle, but just for this one moment I really wish he were the vampire lady.' He thought was a restless heart.
As he watched the man's chest weakly rise and fall even as he took great, deep breaths, Kay started to track the rhythm of his exhales and inhales. Then, as a large gust of air escaped the wizard, Kay plunged his face into the old man's lips hoping to catch him breathing in.
Their lips intertwined, Kay forced the slimy, bloody contents of his mouth down Sanson's throat. He felt the older man gag as the unidentified gunk entered his windpipe, but the transfer had been successful. The elven wizard shivered after the exchange of fluid sustenance, but his breathing did stabilize and his wrinkles seemed slightly less pronounced.
Sanson weakly opened his eyes, and said the thing Kay least expected to hear.
"That was my first kiss," he said, a thin smile formed on his still grimacing face.
"If it makes you feel better, it was mine too," chuckled Kay weakly.
There was still something he needed to ask the wizard. He hoped that his answer would be favorable.
"Hey, did that give you any mana back?" he asked.
"A little, but I'll need far more than that slop if I'm going to cast my spells at their full power," Sanson replied.
"Hey, Sanson?" said Kay with a twisted smile.
"Yes, Kay?" he responded.
"I got some deer meat for us. The only problem is I don't know how to start a fire. Could you cast that fire spell from earlier?"
Though the deer meat could easily provide them a decent meal, Kay wanted to avoid eating more of it raw. The small amount they had just consumed likely wouldn't cause any major complications. They may have some indigestion, but anything worse he'd like to avoid. Also, it was revolting to eat raw.
"With my current mana, it would only be a small spark. And after casting it, with my mana drained, I would return to my near death state."
"Give me one second," said Kay,
In anticipation of cooked meat, the overweight man hustled to hanging branches that weren't soaked from the earlier flood. Having gotten several dry twigs of varying shapes and sizes, he returned to Sanson who'd worked his body into a sitting position. Placing them into a pile near the old man, he looked with expectant eyes at Sanson.
"You want me to use the mighty Explosion to ignite a couple sticks!?" Sanson said with indignation.
Kay vehemently nodded, the thought of spit-roasted meat all he could think of.
"I require your magic, o' great mage," he said with a short bow.
"And how am I going to eat in my weakened state?" said Sanson, before a look of understanding flashed across his face. His eyes widened as he grasped the horrific truth.
"I guess I'll just have to feed you," said Kay jokingly.
"Dear god," remarked the mage.
It took several back and forths to convince Sanson, but he did eventually cast the spell. He made it very clear that only because of the dire circumstances would he use the pitiful spell, little more than sparks.
He once again fainted, as the pathetic sparks grew into a small fire with the help of the kindling. Kay cut a thin slice off the bigger chunk of meat and skewered it with a stick. Roasting it over the weak fire, he chuckled softly to himself.
His hands stained with blood and little red blots scattered across his white shirt, he was a grisly sight. He was still an overweight glutton who had no clue how to survive on his own. His only companion was a crazy old mage who insisted on using apocalyptic spells, currently passed out from mana exhaustion.
However, as the meat of his successful hunt browned quickly from the harshness of the fire, he eagerly awaited Sanson's recovery. For the first time in years, he felt like he had a friend.