The officers gathered the troops to them and led a short pursuit of the Thrainians as they chased them out of the immediate area. The goal was to make sure that they were as scattered as possible. The longer it took them to consolidate all the lost pieces of their forces, the better for us. Making them expend their resources was now the name of the game.
I wandered the battlefield with my group, stepping over the limbs and bodies of those that had fallen in the fighting. Pools of muddied blood had even formed in some of the divots on the ground, making for a truly grim sight. My side ached with a dull pain from the stab wound. I had received a new shirt after my wound had been wrapped in bandages so I wouldn’t bleed to death, but my injuries were low priority in my mind when there were those who had lost whole limbs in the fighting and couldn’t get them back.
Once more my mind turned to the idea of prosthetics and their production. It still shocked me that they hadn’t come up with the idea on their own, but maybe with magic being an option it limited their view and kept them from considering the application of mundane objects for such a complicated problem. Whatever the case, I couldn’t very well commission more right now, so it was all just a moot point anyway.
While walking, a commotion caught my attention as a far-off group of coalition soldiers was escorting some captured Thrainians through the aftermath of their defeat. It seemed normal at first, but I noticed at the back of the prisoner line there was what looked like an argument between one of the prisoners and an Ulgor soldier who was shoving him along. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but apparently it was enough to make the Ulgor strike the offending detainee into the dirt. Seemingly not satisfied with ending things there, the Ulgor kicked the man in the gut while he was down, causing him to curl up and dry heave.
I don’t like the look of this. Changing directions, I started to walk towards them, and my pace only increased as I saw the Ulgor reach down and grab Thrainian by the throat and drag him away from the prisoner line. Before I knew it, I was jogging, and almost tripped over the leg of a body, gritting as catching myself from falling exasperated my wound. The Thrainian was tossed in the mud, and the Ulgor drew his sword.
“Hey!” The word left my mouth with the force of a cannon shot behind it. This made the Ulgor flinch a little bit before he realized who was shouting at him. Once his eyes met mine, he adopted an expression of shock before quickly bowing his head.
“Lord James! I--”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I interrupted him before he could finish his statement.
“Sir, the prisoner was being difficult, and attempted to rile up the others. I was administering a punishment.”
“Really?” I said with incredulity dripping from my voice. “Because to me it looked like you were about to perform an execution. We have prison cells for a reason.”
His brow creased just enough to betray that he was not happy, but to his credit, he kept his voice level at least. “They would not offer us that same courtesy, sir.”
I folded my arms in front of my chest. “So what? You want to be just like them? Are they your role models that you're going to base your every action on?”
“I...” His gaze was downcast as his eyes darted around in a physical display of contemplation. I noticed his grip tightening around the handle of his sword until his knuckles became a lighter shade of his natural earthy green. “Our families,” he began again. “Our friends, our homes, our lives. They’ve taken so much from us, and I just wanted to take something back for once.”
He was frustrated, that was clear, and meeting his frustration with more anger or arguments wasn’t going to help anything right now. So, I took a softer approach. Stepping up to the big man, I reached up and put a hand on his shoulder.
“You’re angry, and that’s perfectly fine. I’m not going to tell you to not be angry, that would be hypocritical of me. All I can ask of you is to point that anger in the right direction, use it to do the most good. Indiscriminately destroying everything only leaves you holding nothing in the end. At least leave yourself some tools with which you can build something better in the future.”
The tension in the soldier’s body slowly left him as he eased his grip on the sword. After a few seconds, his next action was to sheath the blade once more before suddenly dropping down on one knee. His head was bowed low to me, and he drew a quick prayer circle in front of him before rising once more. I didn’t expect that and didn’t really care for the gesture all that much, but if it helped him learn something, then I wasn’t going to rebuke his actions. The only thing I offered in return was a nod of acknowledgment to him as it seemed appropriate.
He grabbed the prisoner out of the mud and hauled them to their feet again. “You owe your life to the goddess and her champion, so be grateful for that.” The prisoner did indeed shoot a glance my way that seemed to be quite relieved, a little mystified, and certainly grateful.
They rejoined the line that was being led towards Yol’vastume, and things seemed a lot more restrained between the two sides with most hostility just being reduced to some glares here and there. After they had begun to march away once more, I let out a sigh as a wave of weariness hit me. The stress and the way I moved to intercept them may have aggravated my wound and made me bleed a little more.
I pinched the bridge of my nose before glancing behind me at my posse. While they had been stuck as witnesses to my conversation, it seemed that they generally approved of how I handled the situation. They gave me a few approving nods and smiles to which I returned. That interaction lifted my spirits a bit, so now I just had to decide where to go next.
Maybe I can find Durdan and make sure everyone made it through alright? That seemed like the best thing to do with the time that we had, and I knew that Kala probably wanted to make sure that her mom was alright. Leaving the field of corpses, we walked towards Yol’vastume’s gates.
Getting closer to the walls showed me the extent of the damage that had been done over the course of the siege. Large, jagged scars ran up the face of the stone walls where flung boulders met solid wall. Some divots were long and horizontal, almost like a giant knife had cut into the stone, and others were roughly circular, like a chipped ice-cream scoop was used on it. All that wasn’t to discount the scorch marks from fire magic or the occasional arrow and crossbow bolt that had managed to find purchase in the stone.
On approach to the portcullis, it was discovered that the entrance didn’t fare much better than the wall itself. The Thrainians had made an honest attempt to break down the imposing gate as the latticed gate that drops down was mostly destroyed and the solid iron banded wooden gate behind it was dented and burned. There were a lot of old bodies that were piled up a fair distance from the road, most likely failed previous attempts at breaking through.
The gates stood open for us, probably for the first time in weeks since the start of the siege. Coalition soldiers entered and exited frequently, carrying either what relief supplies they had to spare or the injured who needed someplace more sanitary than a tent and a cot. Any prisoners of war that were being escorted were immediately directed to what was previously the slave pens and thrown into the many cells that were down there. It was a little bit ironic how their use had been turned on its head, but there weren’t a lot of other options available.
After passing under the portcullis and into the town proper, it became clear that the infrastructure hadn’t gone unscathed over the course of the fighting. Some houses that had been standing when I left were destroyed by stray artillery or fires that had started. The level of destruction that had visited Yol’vastume in just the last two months alone would take years to repair properly, a I doubted that they would really begin in earnest until after the war.
While walking I kept my eyes out for anyone familiar in the sea of faces. The entrance was in such a state of chaos and flux that it was difficult to even keep track of a single face let alone pick out anyone specific. Thankfully, the congestion cleared up a little bit after a few dozen yards and I was able to see a familiar face.
Durdan was standing off to the side of the road in full battle dress and in the company of a dozen other heavily armed soldiers, some from the reinforcing army, and a few from his own personal retinue. He appeared to have just finished giving orders as several of the soldiers saluted and then broke off from the group in a jog to complete whatever task they had just been given.
Taking the opportunity, I approached the general while calling out to him. “Durdan, good to see you survived.”
That drew his gaze and that of his guards, who upon seeing me, flinched their hands towards their swords before they recognized me. I forgave them for their brief bit of hostility as they most likely thought I was a Thrainian at a glance. Being under siege by them for the better part of a month was a good excuse for being jumpy.
Durdan smiled a very weary smile. “And that is only thanks to you, James. For a little while I was wondering if you were ever going to show up.”
“Might have had to twist a few arms to get it done, but I did it. Sorry we couldn’t get here any sooner.”
He shook his head while waving off my apology. “The fact that you managed it at all is a feat in itself. I am glad that you convinced the council to take this opportunity. This may be the one chance we have to end the war on our terms, but there is still plenty of work left to do.” His eyes flicked down to my bandaged abdomen for a moment. “You’re injured? You haven’t gone to see a healer yet?”
“There are people with greater injuries than I and who have to suffer the consequences of death when I do not.”
“Regardless, you should still go see Velshi and have her fix you up.”
Velshi, now that was a face that I hadn’t seen in a while. It honestly felt like forever since we had last talked. It must have been stressful for her while I was away, having to deal with all the injuries mostly by herself. Hopefully she’s been taking care of herself.
It was Kala’s turn to talk to him now as she stepped up to draw his attention. “Excuse me general, but do you know where my mother is?”
Durdan considered for a few seconds before responding. “Last I saw of her she was assisting with the wounded, but she may also be transporting supplies, so do not take my words as fact.”
She nodded. “Of course. Thank you for your help.”
After giving a courteous nod to Kala, Durdan stepped around us to talk to our friends who had joined us on the mission. “Well done men, you performed your duties exemplary.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
They all saluted with a resounded response of, “Thank you, sir.”
Durden grinned in a satisfied manner before his expression dropped as he scanned the line of men before him. “You’re missing someone. Holdrem, right? Where is he?”
The mood immediately turned dower as we all cast our eyes downward. Durdan was quick on the uptake, and after closing his eyes and taking a long breath, he spoke again in a much more restrained tone. “I see. Was it today?”
I took it upon myself to answer him. “No. It was back in Sor’Balvas.”
Durdan sighed but remained stoic in appearance. “My condolences. He was a good man, faithful and steadfast in his beliefs. I often saw him pray before missions or battles. His presence will be sorely missed.” The delivery was a little flat, lacking in true substance behind the praising words. But that was the role of the commander, to send your troops out knowing that they may die. I’m sure this was not the first, nor the last time he would have to give such praise to a fallen soldier.
“I had hoped that your task would be more peaceful than that,” Durdan continued. “I’ll be sure to get a full report on your time in the city later, but for now I believe we both have tasks which we must complete.”
I nodded in understanding. “Yes, I imagine that things will be busy for you for some time. I won’t distract you any further and let you get back to it, but I will wish you good luck.”
“Much appreciated, James. Good luck to you as well.” With that cementing the end of our conversation, Durdan began to walk towards another group of soldiers who were hauling supplies and began a conversation with them next.
Taking Durdan’s suggestion, I started to walk in the direction of the hospital to see if we couldn’t catch up with some friends and family. The further into the city we went the less damage from the siege there was. It still wasn’t in great shape considering it also went through an attack and riot before this, but it appeared that it hadn’t changed much since our time away. It was almost nice to see something familiar if it wasn’t for all the bad memories associated with this place.
Once we passed into the noble’s district the hospital was only a short jaunt away. However, once I laid eyes on it, I feared that we wouldn’t be able to do much socializing at this time. The building was swarmed with injured soldiers to the point that they had spilled out the front entrance and were currently being treated outside the building too. We carefully navigated our way through the crowd of groaning and moaning soldiers.
There was a metallic smell in the air as we entered the hospital. It clawed at the nostrils and made me feel uneasy. Blood, and lots of it, to the point where it pooled in several places on the floor. It was a flurry of motion and noise inside. People cried out for help, medics ran from one corner of the building to the other in an attempt to keep the injured from losing too much blood, and at the center of it all stood the imposing woman that was Velshi.
She held a large crystal in one hand and healed the injured with the other all while giving orders to the medics from the army in a loud but collected voice. It spoke volumes of her experience that even in the middle of what was arguably a nightmare, she maintained control and focus. I waited until she had finished treating her current patient before even attempting to speak to her.
“Hey Velshi, sorry to interrupt, I just figured I should--”
I suddenly found the collar of my shirt seized in a firm grip as she pulled me along. “Good, you’re here. I need you to grab a crystal and start treating as many injured that you have the knowledge to do so for. You can start over he--”
“Damnit, slow down! Ow! Little injured here.”
She turned to me a noticed that I was coddling my side. “Oh, sorry. Let me get that for you, but then I really do need your help around here.”
“Alright, I'll do what I can. Beats kicking rocks while everyone else works.”
She placed a hand on my chest and used the large crystal she was lugging around to treat my stab wound. I would never get over that skin crawling feeling that healing magic made me feel. Part of me wondered if the revival process would feel similar if I had any amount of feeling during it. It would probably be worse, if not painful, in the intensity, so being insensate was a minor thing to be thankful for.
The moment I was healed Velshi was right back to dragging me around and putting me to work. This was my first time in a situation where I performed mass triage, and being handed a crystal and pushed into the deep end left me dealing with a bit of shock at the situation. Trelnval and Ulgor, that was the extent of my knowledge for patients I was capable of treating, at least for anything greater than a flesh wound. I really didn’t want to end up giving a Nactren an extra organ they didn’t need.
I started on those who were bleeding a lot, some of them were soaking through their bandages just as quickly as they were put on. They were at the most immediate risk of death from exsanguination, not to mention it created additional health hazards from the risk of cross contaminating blood. For all the effort that Balidor had put into the creation of this hospital, it was still a medieval society with no knowledge of germ theory.
From bed to bed, cot to cot, and even floor mat to floor mat, I did my best to heal the injured. It was in this environment that Velshi’s spartan training that she put me through came in handy. The yells of pain and the constant distraction of people trying to ask me for help when their injuries were of a lesser priority made focusing on the task at hand difficult. If Velshi hadn’t done her best to immunize me to the chaos of a medical emergency, then it would have been impossible for me to help in the slightest without causing more harm than good.
Being smart about how I treated injuries was a must considering how many there were. Returning them to a flawless state was a waste when I could simply close off the bleeding veins and arteries so it would make it the equivalent of a shallow cut, something that is easily handled by more conventional treatments. It was the amputations that were the most challenging. Dealing with those who had their arms removed was harrowing, and I felt a great deal of empathy for them as I closed their bleeding stumps. There were a lot of arms and hands missing, but an occasional leg that was roughly hewn through or crushed did make an appearance. These consumed a lot of energy and even the larger crystals the Yol’vastume had in its stock were drained dry with every case.
Kala and the others weren’t just sitting around either. After Kala confirmed that her mother wasn’t here, the group set about assisting in whatever way they could, which mostly involved carrying things to where they needed to be. Every little bit helped though, and I appreciated them bringing me a fresh supply of bandages while I worked.
I spent the better part of two hours healing people. I’d closed many lacerations, severed limbs, and set shattered bones. It wasn’t pretty, and many of the wounds still looked raw, but they weren’t going to bleed to death anymore. The bones were actually the worst to treat. They had to be repositioned, and that meant the mangled limb had to be forcefully moved back into place. Needless to say, I got punched in the sternum once and had a Droln grip my hand so tight that they broke two of my fingers. After fixing my hand, I adopted the policy of strapping them down for that, despite any of their protests.
In the end I was exhausted, sore, and covered in blood, but those who were in immediate danger were now stable and recovering. It felt nice to heal for a change instead of tearing everything apart. If only fixing this world was as simple as healing these soldiers, but there was little worth doing that wasn’t a challenge.
After cleaning up and taking a breather, we finally had a chance to talk to Velshi as she was now just walking between beds and checking to see how the recovery of her patients was progressing. There were still injuries being treated, but the storm had passed and the healers from the army could handle what was left.
“Hell of a way to come back,” I opened the conversation as I stepped up next to her.
“You’ve certainly made a dramatic entrance.”
“Not sure there’s any other way to make an entrance when you have an army at your back.”
She gave a restrained chuckle at that. “True enough.” There was a brief pause in the conversation before she began again. “So, how have you been? I heard there was... trouble, during your stay in Sor’Balvas.”
I nodded somberly. “I’ve been better, but also worse, so I think I'm alright, for now.”
“That’s good. While it is likely that I will be busy for the foreseeable future, I am still willing to make time for you if you need to talk. It certainly has been a while.”
A small smile formed on my face. “Thank you, Velshi. I may come to you after this is all over, but right now I think it’s best to keep myself focused.”
She nodded, but also shot me a concerned look. “Be careful treading that line between stoicism and stubbornness. Hurting yourself in the name of efficiency is more degrading than helpful.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
“Good, because if Kala ends up dragging you to me by the ears, I'm going to be rather upset.” We shared a chuckle before we were interrupted by the little devil herself.
Kala approached us, and apparently noticed that we had been laughing. “I see you two have been having fun catching up.” She then directed her full attention to me. “I’m going to go look for my mom. Are you coming?”
“Oh, sure thing, unless there’s something else you need, Velshi?”
“I’m fine, and last I heard your mother was heading towards the warehouses to help load up supplies for the coming campaign.”
Her face lit up with excitement. “Really? Thank you, that saves me a lot of time. Come on James.” Kala snatched me by the hand and started to pull me towards the exit. I was only able to cast a quick glance back at Velshi just to see her waving goodbye with an amused smile before she returned to double checking her patients.
Kala pulled me relentlessly out of the building and down the street. She didn’t even wait for the rest of our group to join us. I figured it would be alright, they didn’t need to babysit me anymore considering we were now part of an army. They could take some time for themselves while they still could.
We made a straight shot for the eastern part of the town, a very unpleasant place as memory served, but it’s function as an industrial center of Yol’vastume was undeniable. Of course this place was now swarming with allied forces, and several of them were apparently from Durdan’s camp because they treated me with a reverence that I had not seen in a while. I guess witnessing the results of a literal miracle will do that to people, but I had gotten used to a more reserved reaction during my time away.
When we arrived at the rows of warehouses that had been used to store their food and other supplies, we were met with a long train of wagons that were being loaded up. It appeared that Durdan was trying to get out of Yol’vastume as soon as possible. Momentum was certainly an important aspect of morale to maintain.
Kala and I walked down the rows of horses and wagons, heads on a swivel as we scanned the churning crowds for the familiar face of Silia. It took a few minutes, but eventually I saw Kala straighten her spine before shooting off in a run. Her target was clear, and it only took me a moment to spot Silia after Kala gave me the general direction.
“Mom!” Kala yelled out. Silia immediately stopped what she was doing and looked in the direction of her daughter before smiling wide, face lighting up with motherly warmth. Kala practically dived into her mother’s embrace as they both hugged and nuzzled one another.
“My little river glider, I'm so glad you’re okay.”
“I was worried about you too, mom. Every day I prayed that you would be safe, and I'm glad that the gods were merciful enough to grant it.”
It was a touching moment, but I was beginning to feel like the third wheel as I stood awkwardly to the side. Silia only noticed me after a solid minute of the two of them showing affection for each other. She didn’t bother to involve me in the conversation, and instead our interaction boiled down to a simple nod of the head in acknowledgment of one another. After that brief interaction was concluded, Kala brought up another subject.
“You’ve been moving supplies for Durdan?”
“Yes, the general needed all the help he could get during the siege, and while I can’t fight all that well, I can still help in my own way.”
Kala created a little bit of distance between them so they could have a normal conversation. “That’s great that you helped the soldiers, but I think we can handle it from here and you can get to safety now.”
“Oh no you don’t. I’m not leaving you to march off on your own into those damnable Thrainian’s arms. Wherever you go, I will be there.”
“Mom, please, I don’t want you be hurt.”
“And you think I don’t feel the same way about you?! What parent would go to safety while their child runs towards danger?”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
“You will always be my child and I will always do whatever I can to protect you. Now enough of this. I'm going with you, and you will not argue with me about it any further young lady.” It was certainly easy to see where Kala got her stubborn streak from. Kala was forced to relent in the face of Silia pulling the mother card on her.
The conversation didn’t go much further than that as they were interrupted by a demanding officer who complained about them talking and not working. Kala and Silia both gave the man a rather withering glare, and the combined effect made him hesitate a bit before he eventually scoffed and went to bother someone else.
Silia sighed. “Well, despite the rudeness, he is right. Durdan was very adamant that we be ready to leave by midday at the latest. Probably thinking of taking the fight to the Thrainians now that we’ve given them a thrashing here. So, if I'm going to be helping, I may as well take my job seriously.”
She then got back to work helping the soldiers load the wagons full of food, firewood, weapons, and other miscellaneous supplies that could prove useful. Kala moved to help immediately, and I figured I should join in as there wasn’t much else for me to do. Things were moving quickly now, and the road ahead of us looked to be long and arduous indeed as I noticed a frosty white snowflake floating gently through the air.