The next day we rose just before dawn, cleaned up the bits of our camp, and got the caravan ready to move. The guards, myself included, didn’t know much about tending to beasts, so we just stood back and watched as the driver and Zhervaol adjusted their harnesses and checked them over for whatever it was they were looking for. The animals were, as always, incredibly docile during the process, barely letting out more than a stray chuff while being poked and prodded at. Zoyvrao’er’s caravan didn’t check theirs over this thoroughly, I thought, I wonder if she's just meticulous, or if he was negligent.
When we set out, the sun had just begun cresting the horizon to our right. Koyl and the other guards were still yawning, but I had woken up enough to be alert. Once the level of light increased enough to allow me to see properly, I pulled out the papers I had taken from the high priest and began examining them. As I had initially judged, the writing looked almost purpose-built for simple printing and digital rendering, but it didn’t appear to match up with the normal Uwrish alphabet. It is alphabetical though, I thought, looks like around fifty unique characters in total, but I don’t think they’re mapped the same way as the normal alphabet, assuming this is even spoken as Uwrish.
“Hey, what’s that?” the guard in front of me called out, pointing off into the distance across the plains. It took me a moment to put away the paper and find what he was pointing at, but then I spotted it. A human figure, collapsed over a large rock, was around eighty meters to our left. Multiple arrows were sticking out of its back, but other than that details were difficult to make out. Could be an ambush, I thought, looking around. There weren’t many spots someone could hide, but it wasn’t impossible that people were waiting in concealed dugouts.
“Looks like a person,” I said. “Could be an ambush.” The caravan ground to a halt, and Zhervaol hopped down from her wagon to come and take a look at what we were pointing at. Squinting her eyes, she leaned forwards, then grunted.
“They look hurt,” she said, stating the incredibly obvious.
“That would be the point,” I replied. “If this is an ambush, they would be hoping we would come and try to assist. I would recommend that we leave them and move on, keeping an eye out for any other possible bandits.” Koyl and the other guard also wandered over, looking at the scene absentmindedly. Only the driver stayed on his wagon, apparently not interested.
“How much experience do you have with bandits in this region?” Zhervaol asked us, as an open question to all the guards.
“Yuwniht and I were ambushed during our last guard contract,” Koyl said. “That was northwest of Owsahlk though, and it took place at night. Other than that I’ve mostly avoided them.”
“Not much,” the male guard beside Koyl grunted, and the female one grunted in the affirmative as well. “We mostly run between Kahvahrniydah and Towrkah.”
“Then, how sure are you that this is an ambush?” Zhervaol asked, turning back to me.
“If I had to put a number on it, I would estimate a one in three or four chance that this is some kind of ambush,” I replied. My response caused a few raised eyebrows, and Zhervaol moved her lips around, thinking. “This is based on past experiences with other forms of bandits and ambushes,” I added. Though most of them weren’t on this planet, I thought.
“And if I told you we were going to go over there and see if that person needs help?” Zhervaol asked, once again looking around.
“I would advise against it,” I warned. “Regardless of whether or not this is a trap, that person is likely dead. You’d be risking your caravan for nothing.”
“The possibility of saving someone’s life isn’t nothing,” Zhervaol countered. “We are going to see if they are alright. Be on the lookout for bandits, as I do agree that this could be an ambush.” I sighed, then looked at the crossbow in my hands. I would feel better with a gun, I thought. Zhervaol climbed back onto the wagon then, surprisingly, broke off from the driver’s wagon and began directing the beast to move toward the fallen human. At least we’ll have cover, I grimaced.
Every step to our destination was a tense one, and Zhervaol deliberately kept the beast moving slowly with the reins, probably to avoid being surrounded. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, I thought, it’s not like any bandits could even surround us quickly here. The grass is far too short for cover and all the rocks are in a straight line. My old battlefield instincts were, admittedly, not the best in a world without rapid-fire ranged weaponry. Once we had made it halfway to the human, I took a closer look at them and assessed the scene.
There was a trail of blood leading up to the body from a nearby creek around twenty meters away. The body itself was wearing torn pieces of chainmail with tattered clothing underneath, along with a breastplate and a single thigh plate on the left leg. Five arrows of the same design as the ones from the civilian we had buried a day before were sticking out mainly from the back of the body. Unlike the civilian, however, the arrows had stopped with their heads still inside this person's chest cavity due to their armor. Two had also broken and lost their fletching.
“Hey!” Zhervaol called out, freezing everyone in their tracks. The person on the rock didn’t budge. “Are you alive!?” she called, with no reaction following yet again. The male guard in front of me looked back, our eyes met, then we looked at Zhervaol. “You two, go get a closer look,” she ordered, pulling out her own crossbow. “We’ll keep an eye out from back here.”
Silently, the guard and I began creeping forward, spreading out to make about ten meters of distance between us so there would be decent vantage points for the caravan to shoot anyone who jumped out. Looks like a woman, I thought as we got closer, and then I froze in place. How could she possibly have arrived here? I wondered, realizing who I was looking at. Using the strap on my crossbow I put it over my shoulder, then drew my sword.
“Stay back, I’ll approach,” I said to the male guard, who gave me a surprised but compliant nod. Relaxing slightly but still keeping my weapon in hand, I walked up to the body and peered at its face, confirming it was Vaozey. Still breathing, but unconscious, I thought, still smells like the sewer, underneath all the blood. I placed my hand on her shoulder to try to wake her, hoping the contact would be enough. Contrary to my expectations, there was no response initially, and only when I jostled her body slightly did Vaozey’s eyes open up.
“Who…?” she groaned, before finally focusing on me. “You,” she growled, anger rising before it was cut off by a gush of blood from her mouth. “I’m glad you’re dead,” she spat, exhaling slowly. “Seytoydh useless ngaazmayjh, you deserved it.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, wondering silently why she hadn't gotten up from her laying position.
“I hope it hurt, you npoyt,” Vaozey grumbled, remaining eerily still as she did so. “What kind of man is afraid of a little bit of dirt? I watched you practically bathe in blood, but the sewer scared you off?”
“I would have been pulled down with you,” I replied. “I’m surprised you survived at all. Were you washed out of the drainage somehow?” She must have lost pieces of her armor while being tossed around in the current, I figured, but how did she end up out here?
“Why are you doing this?” Vaozey winced. “Gods, I didn’t expect it to be so bright here. It's supposed to be dark when you die.”
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“If you died, how would you be conscious and speaking to me right now?” I asked, realizing what was going on but not necessarily why. She looks dehydrated, could be delirious, I noted, seeing Vaozey's sunken eyes and dry, cracked skin across her face. My words seemed to anger her, and she struggled to move her head while the rest of her body was slack.
“If I’m not dead, I’m going to kill you,” she grunted. “No, this is just a trick. You're not even him, you're just stealing his form because you know it pisses me off.” Seeing the arrows sticking out of her back, I noticed that the highest one was just above the shoulder blades, and beside the spine. If she got shot there a day or two ago, maybe the swelling is compressing her upper spinal cord, I thought.
“This is going to hurt,” I said, reaching for the arrow.
“Do your worst, jhahreyv,” Vaozey taunted weakly. With a shrug, I began pulling the arrow out, getting it around two centimeters before it stopped. Vaozey didn’t seem to feel it, or if she did she didn’t give any indication. I pulled it a few more times, trying to unstick it, before realizing I needed to rotate it around fifteen degrees to get it out of the hole in her breastplate. Dark, clotted blood came out with it, then the wound closed in around a second. Incredible resilience, even for one of these people, I thought as I watched the scarred flesh knit itself back together.
“If you wait a few minutes, you should be able to move again,” I told her, showing Vaozey the arrow. “The other arrows aren’t anywhere near your spine. You’re healing fine, but you need water, and we should pull the rest out before they get worse.”
“Hey, is she alive?” the male guard called out. Looking behind me, I saw the rest of the caravan minus the Steelheart driver watching on with interest.
“She’s alive,” I called back, loud enough for all of them to hear it. Zhervaol hopped down from the wagon and began leading Koyl and the female guard over, but I gestured for them to stop. “Just give me a minute to talk to her,” I said, then I also gestured for the male guard to step back. Vaozey, who hadn’t moved since I pulled the arrow out, began to slowly push herself up off of the rock, hanging her head.
“You…” she whispered, drawing in deep breaths. Though I knew it was coming, I didn’t try to get out of the way, and instead sheathed my sword and prepared to grab her when she dove at me. With my hands on her wrists, I held Vaozey back as though she was a snarling attack dog. “Paamseytay ngaazmayjh!” she screamed. “You left me to die!” Before I could respond, she coughed blood into my face, then shoved herself off me and fell to the ground. Amazing that she still has this much energy, I thought.
“Woah, hey!” the male guard yelled, running up to us against my orders. Pointing his sword at Vaozey and taking a stance like one might if fighting a wild animal, he didn’t seem to know what to do. “Lady, you need to calm down, we’re not here to hurt any-” the guard froze when Vaozey looked at him, displaying her burned face. She clambered up to her feet, then collapsed into a heap again.
“Seytoydh legs,” she swore. “What did you do to me?”
“You have damage to your spine that’s still healing,” I told her, wiping my face. “It’s shocking that you can even stand right now. You’ll need to wait a few minutes before you regain full mobility. Stay down until you regain sensation in your feet.” At least there's a creek nearby, I sighed, can't stay clean these days.
“I need to get back to Owsahlk,” she heaved, forcing herself to stand again. “Where am I? I thought I was running towards the city, then I fell into a… what?” As though she had only now realized where she was, Vaozey looked around, wide-eyed. I heard footsteps behind me and saw Koyl, as well as the others, approaching. Koyl paused once he met Vaozey’s eyes, and she glared back at him.
“I am Zhervaol Kawdoydhmeyl,” Zhervaol said, introducing herself with a slight bow. “Are you alright? Our caravan spotted you from the road, we thought you might be dead.”
“Where am I?” Vaozey demanded.
“We are about a day’s walk north of Owsahlk along the path to Kahvahrniydah,” Zhervaol replied politely. “We have food if you need it, and there is water nearby. Would you like some help?”
“I’m fine,” Vaozey snapped, her voice cracking. “What way is south?” How can you not know? I wondered, the sun is to the east, it’s not hard to figure out.
“You have four arrows in your back,” Zhervaol said. “Please, sit down and let us remove them at least.”
“I need to get back to Owsahlk,” Vaozey said. “Those lawmzaob Rehvite scum are attacking the slums, probably as we speak. I don’t have time to seyt around out in the woods. Do you have a weapon I can use? I lost my mace.” Zhervaol frowned, and the mood of the caravan darkened. “Don’t tell me you’re one of them,” Vaozey growled, tensing up.
“No, I swear by Roydlow, I am no Rehvite,” Zhervaol said.
“Then give me a weapon!” Vaozey yelled. “If I start now, I can make it back by sunset in a straight line! I’ve seen the maps! I-” Doubling over, Vaozey threw up more blood.
“It’s been two days since the attack,” I said. “Even if you were to go back now, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” Nobody else said anything as Vaozey wiped her mouth, then glared at me.
“You lie,” she snarled. “There's no way I was laying there for a whole day, it's just not possible. The sun hadn't even come up until you arrived.” Nobody said anything in response, and Vaozey looked around as if demanding someone to speak. Reaching behind her, she fumbled around to grab one of the arrows in her back, then pulled it out with a grunt. “Did you all suddenly go mute?” she snapped.
“The slums were burned down,” Koyl said, finally speaking up. “The guards came and set them on fire, then killed everyone they could get their hands on. When we left, they were rounding up the rest of the adults and putting them in chains.” Vaozey, still holding the blood-covered arrow, glared at Koyl.
“And you didn’t even try to help, did you?” she fumed, making Koyl look away. Her gaze turned to me, but I refused to break eye contact. “You either, you just ran away and let them do it,” she chastized. “You’re a match for a yihzhae and you didn’t use that strength to help anyone, you coward.”
“As I told you, I am one person, as are you,” I said, refusing to rise to the provocation. “Regardless of how strong you or I might be, we cannot fight an army. Attempting to do so is just an elaborate and extended form of suicide.”
“An honorable form of suicide,” Vaozey retorted. “Give me a weapon so I can go do what you didn’t have the ngehvb to.”
“She’s the madwoman, isn’t she?” the female guard asked, drawing all of our attention. “She’s the one they were looking for when we left, the one with the gigantic bounty. She has the scars and everything. She's the one who instigated that riot.”
“How much were they offering?” the male guard asked.
“You think you can take me in, boy?” Vaozey taunted, standing up straight so she was about five centimeters taller than him. “Stronger men than you have tried and failed, and I am really not in the mood to put you down softly.” Even though she sounded confident, I doubted she thought she could win a fight in her condition.
“That’s enough,” Zhervaol declared loudly. “Nobody is turning in anybody for money, and I am not giving you anything but food until you sit down and let us take those arrows out. What you do then is up to you, but he’s right; Going back to Owsahlk will only get you killed.”
“I don’t care,” Vaozey replied. “Pull these seytoydh arrows out and give me a sword. Those yeyhhayseytayb are going to pay.”
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Vaozey sat quietly while I pulled out an arrow that had pierced her stomach, and one that had pierced her guts and possibly her reproductive organs. The third and final remaining arrow was near, but not touching, her heart. When I pulled it out of her back, Vaozey went pale and fell unconscious, though her healing ability fixed whatever damage had caused her blood pressure to drop fast enough that it didn’t kill her. However, it appeared that the sheer exhaustion she had accumulated meant that she plunged into a deep sleep once she was no longer injured, and nothing Zhervaol or I did was enough to wake her. Koyl even tried pouring water on her face, which only elicited a few coughs and a groan.
My recommendation for what to do with her, which Koyl also agreed with, was to leave her where we found her with a sword and a note telling her what way was south. Zhervaol, on the other hand, thought that leaving Vaozey in the wilderness was cruel and dishonorable. Since she didn’t want to wait for Vaozey to wake up, instead she opted to have us load her onto the back of one of the wagons with the cargo and bring her with us. Not one of the guards liked the idea, but Zhervaol reminded us that she was the leader, and thus outranked us.
“She’s going to be pissed when she wakes up,” Koyl said around noon as we walked in front of the caravan.
“She’s unarmed and still exhausted,” I replied. “I can defend us if necessary.”
“She’ll understand,” Zhervaol said loudly from behind us. “When she wakes up, just let me speak to her alone. I’ll explain everything in a way she’ll accept. Trust me, my mother became a priestess not long after I was born, we know how to talk to people.”
“If you say so,” Koyl shrugged.
“What was her name again?” Zhervaol asked. “I can’t just call her ‘madwoman’. It’s disrespectful.”
“Vaozey Svaaloyweyl,” I replied. “Just remain alert. She's not mentally stable and she might attack you.”
“Biggest understatement I've ever heard,” Koyl muttered.