Quest for the Omnistone

Chapter 55: The Complete Set

"C-Crystal?" He looked around, eyes not entirely focused.

"She just left," I piped up. Lee turned and locked eyes with me. He looked... different. Kind of nervous and on edge, not at all the easygoing guy he'd first introduced himself as.

"Steven, uh..."

"Thank you," I said. "Raj told me what happened. You saved them from whatever that thing was."

"No, I didn't," Lee said, glancing at the other two occupied beds in front of him before looking down at his hands.

"Hey, who knows what that creature would've done if you hadn't arrived," I said, thinking that he felt bad for not arriving earlier. "Eaten them? Taken them somewhere to kill them off? You did save them, Lee."

He remained silent, so I decided to continue. "It was lucky that you came when you did. What were you doing there anyway?"

"Business," he said automatically, "Traveler business."

I decided not to pry since Crystal often replied with the same thing when she couldn't tell us. "Okay... so, do you know what that creature was? You seemed to know how to get rid of it well enough."

"I was lucky," he said simply, his hands curling into fists.

I watched him curiously, his mood seeming to have changed. "Really? Well, Crystal's gone off to ask about it. Plus, the others have gone to the museum for clues. We'll figure it out and hunt it down."

Lee's head snapped up at that, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "You will do no such thing."

That took me aback. "What? Why not? We have to—"

His eyes seemed to glow a little brighter than usual, and I couldn't seem to look away. "Listen to me, Steven Rockwell. You will not go after the creature. You will not want to find out what it is and when your friends return, you will encourage them to do the same. Focus instead on getting your friends healed. They are more important. Do not let anyone sway you."

I blinked and found myself agreeing with what Lee had just said. Going after the creature suddenly seemed ridiculous. Lazlo and Clam needed medical attention! We should be figuring out how to get them to wake up instead of wasting time on invisible beasts. The creature...wasn't....important.

I frowned. That wasn't like me... but the more I thought about it, the more I seemed to accept the fact that Lee was right. Turning to him, I opened my mouth to speak but he suddenly brought a small pouch out of his pocket.

"I believe you'll need this. Just tell Crystal—Agh!" He doubled over in pain, dropping the pouch on the bed.

"Lee?" I figured he was still reeling from the effects of the creature yesterday. If it was indeed toxic, then the poison must be traveling around his body. I pulled a drawer open, looking for some kind of anti-poison thing to give him. The doctor-in-charge, Kix was out in the field. He had pointed some things out to me, but I couldn't recall anything helpful for the situation.

"No! I have to— have to go," Lee said, disentangling his legs from the blanket.

"Uh-uh. You're not well," I pushed him back down before continuing my search for anti-poison, or at least painkillers. "Crystal will have both our heads if—"

The mention of Crystal didn't seem to help. "You will let me leave," he intoned and for some reason, I loosened my grip on his shoulder and allowed him to get up. "Just... give the stones to Crystal. I'm being— I have to—" And he stumbled out the door, a whooshing sound indicating his exit, just like Crystal's a few moments ago.