Elm felt the sun dance on his eyes, waking him up from his rest. The memories of the previous day flooded back to him, and he instinctively went to grab at his sides. The flesh that had been healed felt slightly unnatural, almost as if it was too perfect for his imperfect body. The lack of the burns on his chest didn’t help with this sense of mental vertigo. His eyes naturally moved across the bunkroom to find North peacefully asleep, delicately covered in a blanket.
That idiot…
He expected him to learn fast, but it appeared that connecting concepts on the fly was just a given habit. How he had successfully reformed the flesh and healed not only his sides, but his burns, didn’t make sense. Healers often required a deeper knowledge of the body to make the mana flow replace the missing parts. It wasn’t as much knowledge as your average field medic, but the kid was a damn candle maker.
Inevitably, his mind wandered over to the information North had shared with him prior about the mana being conversational. The fact that he’d survived the primer incident and appeared to be healing at a faster rate made his words feel as though they held more weight. It wasn’t like accelerated healing wasn’t unheard of with people who had aptitude. Mell, the comically large Asarnian, was probably a faster healer than most. The inability to transform mana but having control over one’s internal flow made the body highly adaptable and easier to mold.
He could only guess the stress and confusion it was putting on him along with all of the pressure of leading the rebellion.
But the fact the kid is holding up tells me he-
The door to the bunks opened, interrupting his line of thought. The rather boisterous cartographer peered inside and spotted Elm. At a quick glance, he noticed something was different.
“Is he still asleep?” Ruby quietly asked. She clearly didn’t want to disturb him.
“He’ll be out for a good bit. His body is probably trying to rebalance its own flow and get him back to a stable state. It’s best to just let him rest until he gets up on his own.”
She seems to have changed her view on the kid.
Whatever he had said to her back in Bir had made her one of his strongest allies. She seemed less committed to the overall cause than she was to North himself.
“The people are asking for you. How are you holding up?”
More alive than I should be.
He still felt off but the anemia was mostly gone. Chugging water and eating a few bread rations helped to replenish him, but not fully. He assumed he wasn’t going to be back to full form until they were on the road again.
“Enough to have a functioning brain and walk around. I’m not that fucking old.” He responded, glaring at Ruby. “I’ll be out in a second.”
Ruby closed the door, leaving the student and the mentor alone. Elm let out a sigh of relief as his eyes began to wander.
If there was one thing North was infuriatingly good at, it was bringing back old memories. Elm had tried to bury his past yet simply being around him seemed to draw it back to the surface. There was something about him that dragged him towards those distant times, when he still loved Arlin.
If Elm had to guess, it was probably because of how much he reminded him of Elliot. North and Elliot looked nothing alike physically. The Corithian’s underdeveloped body and messy brown hair which looked like it had lost a fist fight with the wind stood in contrast with Elliot’s middle of the road disposition and blonde hair. However, the general air that surrounded the two was the same. They mirrored each other, and yet no matter how hard Elm tried, he couldn’t separate his own reflection from them.
His life was deeply entangled with the two light mages, and as Elm Grayson sat silently in the bunks, his gaze began to turn to a time long past.
***
“So the siege of Lohim… what was it like?”
Specialist Elliot sat in front of him with his legs crossed, a curious smile on his face. Elm Grayson couldn’t remember all the details about him, but he remembered how wide his eyes were. Rather, how wide they could get.
“It wasn’t much. I just did my role and used my attunement to help us push forward.”
The siege of Lohim was the final battle of Rolith, the destruction of the capital and capture of its leadership. In many respects, it was the first time the rest of Sol recognized the power that Arlin held. Magore was understood to be a powerful tool, but the utilization of mages and combat with bows and swords were still the norm. Even with minimal cavalry and less men than the enemy they were besieging, Lohim was a one sided victory. Arlin simply overwhelmed them with superior military technology and better trained mages. In many respects, Elm Grayson, who was only a captain at the time, exemplified the traits of that battle. His mastery of his stone attunement and usage of magore weaponry ascended his presence as a single mage.
“I’ve heard the stories, I just don’t know how true they are.” he responded. The specialist refused to give up, so Elm relented.
“We were making our way there. I had burner fire covering me as we got to the main wall. It was the height of 5 men and was well reinforced. They’d been built up the entire time we were encroaching on them. Thing is, the stones were braced for pushes from the outside. All I needed to do was pull it outwards, and we had an opening to run through and get inside. After that, my platoon was able to head to the gates and open them up for everyone else.” Elm smiled as he remembered the first few moments after the walls fell on the outside of the city. “Took 2 days before the entire thing was ours and they surrendered.”
When he went home, Grayson, who had been given the promotion to Major after the battle, was commended for his honors. He even had a meeting with the second emperor, who personally offered him a medal for his actions. After the war, Rolith would become a territory and the Arlin Empire would expand. Major Grayson remained in the military in reserve, during which he studied magore and became extremely affluent in the craft. Once in power, the third emperor rapidly declared the 5th campaign on Uril and Major Grayson would once again be put on the fields of combat.
“Guess they weren’t exaggerating when they said you tore the walls down with just your attunement.” The specialist’s eyes stayed as wide and bright as ever. His attunement with light was rather fitting in that way.
“Heh. Ain’t just me who deserves honors.” Elm took a swig from his worn and storied canteen before speaking again. “You join because of my story?”
Surprisingly, Elliot shook his head. “Nah, I mostly joined for my family. Half of them are Pluma immigrants, if you can believe it. Once they learned I had a light attunement, they told me that if I joined up with the army and helped in a campaign, it’d make the people in Arlin accept them.”
It clicked now. Light mages were a rare commodity. Most of them ended up in the service of the nobles, surrounding the courts and governors. Healing turned a normal attunement into an important gift. There were a rare few healers that were in the forces, but they often never saw the frontlines of combat. The young soldier in front of him was an exception due to his family lineage, as Pluma wasn’t considered a part of True Arlin yet.
“I’m sure your family would be proud to see you serving Arlin so faithfully.”
Elliot grinned. “They definitely would.”
***
672
That was the amount of losses they would experience in the battle the next few days. That was half of the more than 1200 troops which had charged the fort that day. A good portion of those men were under Major Grayson’s orders.
161 of them were either captured or had missing bodies after the charge. The retreating forces of Uril took a number of prisoners of war with them. None of those who were taken were ever found.
Elm never saw actual combat during that time. He stayed in the backlines with the other commanding officers, watching from afar. He could remember the distinctive rays of blue energy flying from both sides in the battle. The previous strategies of overwhelming their enemies with burner fire no longer worked, as they had to deal with a volley of burner fire coming against them. Those who rushed inside were captured or killed.
A battle that was expected to last only a day or two ended up going for nearly a week. Over that time, the soldiers were whittled down and slowly picked off while Uril forces retreated deeper into their territory, covered by their allies still in the fort. Arlin would take the fort, but they suffered far more losses than Uril did in that battle.
Whenever he thought of Elliot, of that discussion with him, his mind would inevitably drift towards that number and the 511 coffins he saw afterwards. Elliot was naturally presumed to be dead after the war ended even though he was not one of the men that had been placed in those coffins.
Elm visited the household of Elliot after the war to give his condolences directly to the family. A part of him felt responsible for the loss of their son, and he believed the only way that he could make it right was to be the one to inform them of it.
He didn’t remember all of that visit, but he would always remember the sensation of the glass vase that had been tossed directly at his head. It was from the boy’s mother. The vase was accompanied by screams of hatred, telling Major Grayson that he was responsible for their loss. Because of his failure, their son would never come home and be able to give them the honor that he had fought for.
He killed Elliot.
Soon after, Elm would turn down the jump in rank to colonel and asked to work as a researcher in magore technology. His tenure had given him the respect to make such a refusal, and the military agreed.
He didn’t want to see something like that again. He didn’t want any more glass vases thrown at him.
Elm Grayson loved Arlin. So he resolved himself to not let something like that happen again. He would make his nation stronger. It was the only way he knew how to honor Elliot’s pointless sacrifice.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Maybe he knew that his actions were selfish at the time. Maybe he didn’t. All he knew was that his love of Arlin and wish to protect his people would inevitably end up coalescing into the cuff.
Through detailed formulae and complex machinery, he created the tool of Arlin’s future. Although he had no way of knowing at the time, his creation of love would end up destroying the lives of many families just like that of Elliot’s.
That destruction would inevitably include the entirety of Marlisle.
***
The old soldier snapped back to reality, finally escaping those darkened memories. He quickly got up and went to open the door, but turned to take another glance at the sleeping North.
I’m sorry.
He didn’t know why he was thinking that. He didn’t even know what specifically he was saying he was sorry about. Elm Grayson had committed so many sins that it was hard to pinpoint which one to ask forgiveness for, especially towards someone like North.
However, the orphaned child of Marlisle held no malice toward Elm. Out of anyone, he should have thrown a glass vase at him.
Maybe it’s not North I’m asking forgiveness from.
It was naive, but a part of him truly did pray that Elliot was alive. He’d been isolated for almost a decade, so he had no way of knowing. Maybe they were back with their family, reunited and able to share in that lost prestige.
But that was a fantasy. A dream that at least one of his sins could be absolved.
At least there was one light mage who he could actually save, even if this one was a dumbass.
Elm gave a weak grin as he turned and walked outside where Ruby was impatiently waiting for him, furiously tapping her foot.
“Enjoy making us wait?” she grumbled.
“Don’t patronize me.”
Elm slowly made his way through the camp, spotting the members of the caravan and the newly freed slaves dismantling buildings. There was also a group of freed slaves interacting with Karla who was looking quite overwhelmed.
Eventually the two of them arrived at a large building in the center which looked identical to the guard mess hall back at their own camp. Stepping inside, he saw all of the main leadership around a large table.
There was one new addition, the woman named Silva. Elm had heard limited things about her, but the one thing he knew for sure was that Alex was pretty damn chummy with her. Her ember colored hair stood out from all the others. Elm made his way to the table and placed both his hands on it, locking eye contact with the woman.
“Oh! Sorry I didn’t introduce you earlier. This is Silva, the lieutenant in charge of my old mage squadron.” Alex said, gesturing towards her.
Ah. That’s how those two redheads are connected.
Nacilian mage squadrons were extremely well regarded militarily before annexation. They were the main way that Nacilia held their own against Irebor and their unconventional military tactics. They were tight units, which he could clearly see.
“Alright, glad you two got your cute reunion. I’m guessing you’re coming along with us?” Elm gave a wry grin.
“That’s correct sir.”
Another person with military experience wouldn’t hurt. Especially someone used to leadership.
“North will be glad to meet you when he’s back up. We are going to need to put some control on him though.” Elm took a look around the table.
“Why is that?” Silva inquired.
Sera let out a deep sigh. “Because when he wakes up, his first thought is going to be about healing my leg.”
Everyone at the table gave a collective nod.
“I’ve known a good few healers in my time, and one thing I know is that repeat healings of large injuries, such as mine or Sera’s, is extremely draining. It won’t be dangerous to the kid specifically, but it could knock him out again. Once we’re on the journey and have everything planned is when we can let him try.” Elm turned his head in the direction of the bunks. “We need to plan carefully, since our next target is the border. Ruby, what’s the timeline?”
Ruby quickly pulled the map over to herself and began to study it. She traced the line with her deformed hand, mumbling under her breath. Elm noticed that in her other hand, the one that wasn’t deformed, she was holding a compass. It was probably something she had raided from the camp.
“We’ve got around a week of travel. Maybe more.”
And then there’s the problem we’ve been avoiding.
Elm took a deep breath, his mind drifting towards images of cavalry and iron chariots.
“The problem is that the Empire most certainly knows about us now. A rebel group of slaves destroying camps and refineries is going to catch their attention, and that means that we’re probably going to face resistance at the border. We might also be fighting on our way there. That means we need to be as armed and as ready for battle as possible. Which is why we’re going to want this camp’s slaves on our side for the battle.”
Numbers mattered. Especially now.
“And we’re supposed to get everyone at the camp to follow us?” said Alex, giving a side glance to Silva.
“We need their numbers. At least we don’t have somebody like Nicole here, which makes our job a lot easier. Silva, can you convince them to help us?”
“I can try.”
Elm then turned his focus to another person at the table, and one that was opposite of the Nacilians.
“Elina, I’d like for you to give the soldiers training on using their burners. We have time before we get there, and I need as many people as possible able to use their weaponry. I’d also like you to teach them some basic fucking maintenance so North and I don’t have to spend so much time repairing them.” Elm said with a tinge of irritation in his voice.
I know her relationship with the kid is terse at best, but I need her.
“On it.” Elina gave a nod of confirmation. Where he had expected trepidation, he found only confidence.
Huh. Guess the Irebor bitch has some common sense.
“Good. Ruby, I need you to mark out our rest spots for the trip. Mell, I need you to help with the slaves currently collapsing the mine. Everyone else, help with gathering supplies. We’re hitting the road tomorrow whether North is awake or not.”
Elm looked directly at the two Nacilians.
“You two are coming with me. I need you to gather the people at the camp and announce our mission. After that, everyone can start their individual jobs.” Elm took another look at everyone surrounding him. “We’re working on borrowed time, so I don’t want to see any of you shitheads wasting it. Just because North isn’t here doesn’t mean we stop. We move forward together or not at all.”
The room gave Elm a collective nod before heading in their separate directions.
Damn. Haven’t given a speech like that in a while.
The two Nacilians stood across from him, patiently awaiting his next words.
“Well? Let’s get this shit done.”
***
Elm sat on the sidelines as he watched the two red haired mages speak. They were elevated on a familiar platform to one from their own camp, and seeing it made an irritating face come to mind.
Thinking of Roy Galen made Elm want to spit. He never liked the man, even as he put up with him. He just felt sorry that a person could look at his story and find something admirable in it.
Guess he’s also like Elliot in that way.
It hurt him to think of any comparison between the two, but it was impossible not to draw the lines of connection. They were two people who came to the empire for honor and glory, loved its history and wanted to have their own mark in it. Both of them found inspiration within Major Grayson.
It was odd to see the two of them in his mind at the same time, but it wasn’t the first. He’d made the comparison back at the camp. Perhaps that was why he put up with the man’s delusions for so long and played along with him. He did the work for the camp, told Galen the stories he wanted to hear and survived.
Elm’s mind drifted back to the present as he heard a cheer come from the crowd. Whatever the two Nacilians had said, it appeared to have worked. Silva seemed to be well respected by the rest of the slaves. Soon after the crowd dispersed, the duo made their way over to him.
“Well, old soldier? Looks like we got them. What’s the next step?” Silva asked smugly.
“We count our numbers and give everyone roles. I’ve got a plan for the border, but I’m going to have to pass it by the kid to see his response.”
Silva put her hand on her chin, pondering his response. “You call him kid?”
Heh. Guess I do.
Elm had done it for a while to the point where it had become second nature. Meeting the group for the first time, one would naturally make some assumptions.
“He’s not my offspring. Never fucked around in Corith in the past. Just a habit ever since I took him as my apprentice at the camp.” Elm made sure to emphasize the fact that they weren’t related.
Alex made a small turn to Silva and quietly said “See what I mean?”
Elm stared at the two, confused by the tiny interaction. He knew they would be close, but something about it felt off. Before he could ask about it, Alex spoke up again.
“What should we do next?”
“Just get with everyone on gathering supplies and help Sera log all of the new members. Just at a guess we’re going to be handling over 130 people at least. I’m gonna help a bit with the mine destruction crew to make sure they don’t kill themselves. We've got a few things we need to do before we can tear it down.” Elm began to sit up, grumbling as he did. The process made him feel a bit dizzy, reminding him of his lack of blood.
Don’t want the kid to suffer any more losses than he needs to.
***
I bolted upwards, removing a small sheet which had been placed over my eyes, to find myself in a moving carriage. My eyes struggled to focus as trees passed overhead and shook in the cold wind of the oncoming winter. Eventually, they landed on a familiar shape in front of me.
“Took you long enough. Enjoy your nap?” Elm smugly said. I cocked my head to the side in confusion, only for the past to come barreling into my skull.
Right. I lost consciousness after healing… Elm?
“Elm, are you alright? Did it work?” I leaped forward a bit, my words interrupted by a deep growl in my stomach. The shock had apparently awoken my hunger, making me realize how starved I was.
“Yeah, I’m all good. However you figured out how to do it, it worked. Of course, it ended up putting you out for a while.”
“How long?” I tepidly asked.
“About two days.”
TWO DAYS?
I immediately put my head in my hands. Time like that wasn’t something I could play around with.
“Kid, don’t worry. Everything’s worked out and we’re on our way to the border. We’ve got more manpower with the rest of the new camp on our side.” Elm pointed over his shoulder. I raised my view to see a bunch of new people discussing and interacting with the familiar caravan. A few of them even turned back and noticed me, giving me a small wave.
When I went back to Elm, my face was immediately met with a loaf of bread. My mind was still hazy, so I hadn’t been able to catch it. I could hear him laughing as I went to grab it off of my lap and take a bite out of it.
There was an odd moment where I was finally able to ponder the fact that I had pulled off healing. Immediately two different faces came to mind.
One of them was Elric.
The other…
“Where’s Sera?”
There was a loud collective sigh of all of the members of the caravan surrounding me, including Elm.
Did I say something wrong?