Whether the monsters had some kind of sleeping cycle, grew dormant at night, or simply were exhausted from ravaging and fighting all day Ethan couldn't be sure, but he was thankful as it seemed the fighting was done for the day. The sun had since dropped behind the tree line in the distance, the last monster having skittered over the towering ring of bodies about a half hour ago, and now the boy's body fell to the ground with a grunt. Even the sensation of being hunted had slowly diminished as if the predator had slowly fallen asleep itself. Looking around him the carnage that filled his gaze brought a new wave of sickness washing over him and if he had anything substantial in his stomach he most likely would have vomited. Letting his head weakly hang between the pair of knees he had drawn up toward his chest he began to softly sob, his fingers digging into his shins as he clung to himself in an attempt to seek solace. Despite his situation, he wasn't the only one dealing with overwhelming pressure, emotional upheaval, and massive trauma that day, though it was of a slightly different kind.

The remaining children that had escaped on foot ran into the relief force marching from Cloudcrest and the mood was a mixture of jubilation and reserved hope. On one hand none of them had perished since their kidnapping, even when their caravan had been attacked, that in itself was a gift from the Keepers, on the other hand it had now been confirmed that one of the children, Ethan Kipley, a fledgling adventurer, of low rank, had acted a decoy and led the monsters away. Furthermore, based on the basic information they had been able to gather the commander and others were able to make an educated guess that he ended up heading toward Coppershear. As soon as the commanding knight confirmed her worst fear from the girl named Sarah she quickly excused herself and ran outside. In the darkness, behind a cluster of high bushes, the knight vomited as the sound of metal grating against metal sounded around her, caused by her armored fingers trying to dig into the armor covering her thighs.

"Terri?"

The voice was gentle, tentative even, but was clearly concerned.

"I'm ok."

Was Terrie's quick response as she cleared her throat and took a swig from the waterskin that had been hanging from her waist. Swishing the liquid around in her mouth she spit the contents out into the darkness before turning to face one of her two subordinates.

"I'm sorry you had to see such a sight."

"Oh please, you have seen me in far worse situations."

Selena, the subordinate in question, blushed a bit as she remembered some of the various situations that her commanding office had to help her escape. Shaking her head to try and clear the embarrassing thoughts she then motioned toward Terri.

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"You've been acting a bit strange since the start of this assignment, Patrick and I are a little worried about you."

Their concern brought a small smile to her currently gentle features, and for a moment she considered how they would take her upcoming decision. She was already feeling raw after hearing the danger Ethan had put himself in so she quickly dismissed the scenario as to not fall over the edge a second time. However, to help put the two at ease, she did offer a small clarification as an explanation for her recent behavior.

"So I have... Ethan and I are from the same hometown, and I met him when I was younger."

There was much more to the situation but that would do for now. It also seemed to have been enough for Selena because her eyes immediately widened in surprise and then she began nodding in understanding.

"Of course you would be concerned about a childhood friend. You should have said something!"

More concern, and another small smile, though this one held a bit of sadness considering she wasn't being totally honest to Selena. Regardless she had to focus on the task at hand and getting to Ethan.

"I didn't expect it to effect me so much. I'll be more careful next time."

"Oh here you two are."

It was Patrick's voice and soon his form appeared from the darkness at a trot.

"A scout just returned, there are thousands several hours away, they are townspeople from Coppershear, or at least the survivors."

"Survivors?"

"The scout was quick to return so she didn't get a lot of information but it seems that at about midday the monsters suddenly left the town and moved off toward the mountains."

"Ethan," Terri whispered softly to herself and quickly moved past the pair and back toward the others.

"Send the children to the rear of the column like before. Get them fed and taken care of. Half of the supplies are to remain here and prepare for the refugees while the other half will continue with the main force to face the swarm."

After giving the orders she turned back and looked between Selena and Patrick twice before letting her gaze settle on the male.

"Patrick, you aren't going to like this but I need..."

Patrick sighed and finished her sentence for her, "me to stay here with the other half of supplies and help with the refugees."

"Yes, you have the most experience in disaster response, whether that is a good thing or not is of course debatable, but you get the idea."

All three felt small, ironic, grins appear on their face and he finally nodded with another sigh.

"I understand. You two be safe, and Selena be sure to keep the commander out of trouble since I won't be there to do it."

"Hey!"

Terri wanted to walk over and smack Patrick in the arm but he was already running off toward the supplies, offering a wave and a smirk as he did so.

"I'll get him when we get back."

The statement was reflexive but as soon as the words left her mouth Terri suddenly felt a bit sad. The change in her eyes wasn't lost on Selena but she remained quiet about it for the time being. A little bit later their forces were once again moving toward Coppershear, their pace now quicker since they knew what was ahead.