Open Chronicles Just One More

[Felix Nevarre]

Cortos - Lagala

In times of war, there are only two types of people. Those that take lives and those that save them. The good news is you get to choose which one you are. - Arturo Nevarre

Those words were still fresh as they were spoken when Felix left his father's clinic, telling him that he was going to join the Guard and make a difference. His father had responded with disappointment, annoyance, and worry about leaving before his military service was required of him. At the time, Felix had left his home under the childish notion of a hero going off to fight evil and protect innocent lives.

The destruction and chaos of the no man's land before him was anything but heroic.

The siege of Lagala had started off perfectly. With the strength of Dreadlords and Guards alike, they seized the outer walls with relative ease. However, this city held a dangerous trap, the interior of the held countless secret tunnels and reinforced defensive positions. The Lagalan soldiers had retreated and resorted to guerilla tactics inside their own city.

Felix had thought the problem was done when the Dreadlords bombarded the city with magic after deadly magic, but when the first feet of the Guard stepped into the city, they were met with ambushes and deadly traps around every corner. That first day had turned into a slog of lives being thrown away on both sides, and much of the same continued for the next three days.

Felix now sat down, his head tucked low to avoid any crossbow bolts, low inside the hollowed-out building near the wall. The night was quickly approaching and he could already see signs that the Anirians were preparing to huddle in for the rest of the night. And like clockwork, the moans came to fill the air. The sounds of the wounded dotted all over the city, those still clinging to life but stuck in no man's land. If anyone were to try and reach them, surely they would be struck down by waiting defenders. The noise had nearly driven him crazy the past few nights as he tried to sleep. Even sprinkled in the groans were the voices of women and children who had likely been unplanned casualties of the bombardments.

Felix's eyes were squeezed shut before he forced them open with a shaky breath and whispered to anyone else in the room that would listen.

"We...We have to do something about them."

 

[Kassandra]

Kassandra took small, short breaths.

She had been unable to breath deeply since the middle of that day, when the Sergeant had screamed her to stop holding back. The memory buried itself deep in her mind, fingers wiping away hot speckles of blood that had long ago been cleaned away.

"We should." Was it guilt talking? No. She had always been the sort to want to help someone. This wasn't because of what she had done, what she'd needed to do. "I can make some healing glass."

The Princess offered.

Though her skill in medicine was nothing compared to Felix's, before the Guard had figured out how to truly use her magics she had been stuck in the medical core. There she had managed to use her magics to create small slivers of glass that contained healing properties.

They would not close wounds or mend broken bones, at least not yet, but they would alleviate the pain and staunch bleeding. It was the best she could yet manage, though the more Felix and her talked, the more she managed to understand. "And then when we go out there..."

Kassandra swallowed, not wanting to say. "I can protect you."

She told him, eyes flickering towards the broken panes of glass.

 

[Rhory Grimmere]

"Hells that you are going out there, Felix." Her eyes stared into him. Rhory was beside him, slumped but her voice carried a strength she was not feeling in that moment. Exhaustion wished to claim her, but she was terrified to close her eyes.

What if she never woke up again?

"We... we need a better plan." She let out through gritted teeth. It was fortunate that they had Kassandra's healing glass, but Rhory was not about to let someone as important as Kassandra out there nor risk losing her friend and healer, Felix. They had been sent away from Arn, and Rhory could not help but worry for her friend leading his own group into the front lines.

Her brown eyes scanned the area, taking into account who was present. "I'll go. We can afford to risk losing me. Felix is a healer, and so I deem him valuable. You too." She told Kassandra. Rhory didn't want to look to the city, to see who was the closest or where their enemy way lie in wait.

 

[Felix Nevarre]

Felix had his hands pressed tightly together and then pressed back to his lips and his eyes were shut. In some way, it looked like praying, but Felix wasn't the religious type. No, he was trying to think. He was never good at spur-of-the-moment decisions, Felix liked to do things meticulously after well-thought-out plans.

He didn't have time for that here. "Improvise and Adapt." He whispered beneath his breath before looking back up at Rhory.

"It's because I'm a healer that I need to go...It's not about the dangerous people. Those aren't the ones I'm going for...I have to help those that are hurt. They are just sitting there in the dark hoping someone comes for them or that death greets them...I might be the only chance they have."

Felix scrambled over to the wall where his pack was, making sure to keep his head low. His sword and shield would only slow him down here, better to just keep his knife and his medical kit.

"We can...Oh, those buildings on the left side, we can start through those. Rhory kills anything that jumps at us. Kass just watch my back. If we find someone then we help them, or we drag them back here so the rest of the medics can get their hands on them...Right?"

It was a good plan, right? It had to be because he did not have anything else, but he had to have something. These people needed his help. In fact, when was the last time he had slept? Those voices were with him all through the night, and if he could hear them then then he must not have been asleep. Well, he could sleep when this was over he supposed.

 

[Kassandra]

Kass frowned ever so slightly when Rhory did her best to keep them safe. Understanding the girls need to protect, but also feeling that same flicker of defiance Kizzie always felt when someone told her not to do something. "We all go."

She insisted right along with Felix, though knew no commanding officer would sign off on a mission like this. Not even Arn.

If they were going to do this, they would be the only ones out there. Those on the line would see them, but would any come to their rescue if it went wrong? Kassandra frowned for a moment, and then glanced down towards some of the other Anirian's.

"I'll be right back." She whispered, standing quickly and moving through the trench as she headed towards their fellow soldiers.

Rhory and Felix would see Kizzie speaking with them for a few moments, and then she returned.

"Vorik and Torn are going to get some crossbows." Vorik, she knew, had a crush on her. Not that she was leading him along or anything, but she had known he would agree to watch over her and the others. "They'll at least call out if someone is at our heels."

She offered, knowing that with the Red Guard about her abilities might not be enough. As...brutal as glassdancing could be, Kassandra knew she was no Dreadlord. The Guard had trained her for battle, but Althhaven was no Academy.

Standing at the side of Dreadlords, she might as well have been a student from Elbion.

 

[Rhory Grimmere]

She wanted to say no to it all, but Rhory knew she was outnumbered in the vote. Head head dipped, nodding to both of them as they spoke.

Steel sang as she withdrew her sword from it's sheath at her side, whirling it to warm up the muscles in her arm. "Then I take the lead. You got all you need, Felix?" She tried to simmer the flatness in her tone, hoping that her disappointment didn't come across all too obvious. "How should we prioritise this retrieval?" How many would get the healing glass? Rhory looked to Kassandra. "Does every wounded get one?"

Rhory looked to the path ahead, the route best to get out there amongst the stranded and wounded. Then she looked back to their numbers, waiting. They would have cover at least, but the three of them were about to go out in plain sight...

 

[Felix Nevarre]

Felix was already shaking his head as he double-checked all of the supplies in his bag. He had already used up a lot of what was given to him, but it would have to be enough.

"No, only heal the ones I tell you to Kass. If the injury is something I can keep from killing them by myself then we want to save up your magic glass."

He looked at Rhory and wanted to say something to reassure her, as he knew she wasn't a fan of this idea, but no words came to mind. This was dangerous, and he was acting a little recklessly, but...he had to help them.

"We're ready to go...Let's just keep our heads down."

The news of the crossbow cover did put him slightly at ease, but the cover they could provide would only exist during the first stages of their journey until the houses made it difficult for them to aim.

 

[Kassandra]

Kassandra nodded to Felix's words.

The glass-slivers she could create would not help anyone stand back up, heck, they would do little more than staunch bleeding and ease the pain. But it would allow Felix enough time to care for those who were worst off, even though it would tire her. "Lets go."

She said softly, taking heart in the boldness of her friends.

The Princess tried to remind herself, despite the horrors that had come earlier that day, that this was what she had wanted. That this was the reason why she was here.

Kizzie might not have been a Dreadlord, but she was a Daughter of Vel Anir. Had she not been her parent's daughter she would have been a Dreadlord. Her place was here, with her fellow Anirian's. With her fellow soldiers.

Not in some palace. Not some place far away.

"I'm right behind you." Kassandra told Felix as her fingers quirked, and some of the broken glass from around them flowed up from the ground. Flying into the air and forming a small shield which floated just a foot away from Rhory.

 

[Rhory Grimmere]

Rhory's worries lessened by the time Felix made it clear he understood not everyone could be helped. Rhory was even grateful to the Princess, for she showed better courage and bravery than someone that should be... a princess. Grimmere respected her for being here, to fighting for something out on the battlefields and not from the safety of guarded walls of the Keep.

The glass shield before her was another reason to be grateful for Kassandra's talents. She'd be wasted as a Dreadlord.

"Keep vigilant." She nodded them both before advancing to the field of the fallen. Anirian and Cortosi alike littered the devastation between the two parties, and Rhory had to navigate their party safely through it.

The wounded groaned, some worse off than others, but mainly Anirians this side. Rhory made sure to keep their location on the Anirian side, so that a retreat would be easily managed.

Rhory came up to a guardsman that reached out with a shaky, bloody hand. She paused, looking about their surroundings to ensure they were clear before she ducked behind the wall of debris. The man laid atop two other bodies, dead and beyond any help. "Help me..." He rasped, as if he had breathed in too much dust that it grated at his throat.

 

[Felix Nevarre]

"Keep vigilant."

Felix didn't need the reminder, but it was the fact that it was Rhory saying this that did help Felix calm down if only a little. He was still struggling to control his breathing, feeling like each breath was some signal to everyone within a mile just exactly where he was.

Even with this fear, Felix moved forward quickly, being careful to step over fallen debris before coming to stop next to the guard that Rhory stopped beside. It was just his imagination, but he felt like his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Focus on what you have to do in front of you.

The words of his father echoed in his mind as he took in a deep breath and he felt a stronger sense of calm. Right, one at a time.

"It's ok. We got you...Kass, can you get him some water, just a little bit."

Felix was already sweeping his hands over the man, there were plenty of wounds and even more dirt covering the body, so he was careful to find the major wounds, the life threatening ones.

Then he found it, lower abdomen on the left hand side. There was heavy bleeding and...no shrapnel remained. This should be simple. Felix quickly dug around in his bag and took out a set of bandages, this would stop the bleeding long enough to get them back for more medical treatment.

"This may sting a bit, but I need you to stay still...Rhory cover his mouth."

He waited until the others were ready and then began wrapping, pulling the guaze tightly around the man's stomach.

 

[Kassandra]

Kizzie moved as soon as Felix spoke, heading to the mans side and reaching into her satchel to retrieve the water-skin. She had brought two of them long, heavy as they were, she had known they would come in handy. Quickly she quenched the man's thirst.

The Princess swept her head from side to side, keeping watch as Felix went to work.

Rhory went to cover the mans mouth, and Kassandra quickly backed off. Her fingers shifting ever so slightly as shards of broken glass sprang up all around them. They flickered just barely in the moon light, barely there but ready to snap together if needed.

She might not have been a dreadlord, but this she could do.

Defending oneself was always paramount in Althhaven. The competitions there were fierce, and it was common for students to get hurt in the labyrinth tests. One learned to protect oneself. That was how she'd stumbled upon her healing glass too.

"Shh." Kassandra whispered. "Someone's coming."

The Princess motioned to the east.

 

[Rhory Grimmere]

Rhory gave Felix a hard look, but lowered her sword and placed her hand over the wounded's mouth.

Her brown eyes bore into the man's, her gaze hard and unyielding in their intensity. Her eyes told him to do as Felix said. Be quiet. Stay still. The worst was not over yet.

It wasn't until Kassandra alerted that someone was out there that Rhory's hand almost shot back to her sword to take up a defensive position.

"Stay down." She looked to Kass, then looked to Felix with the same hard stare she gave their patient. "We treat first, but if they come too close..."

Rhory would be the first to attack.

 

[Felix Nevarre]

They could see the pain in the man's eyes as he physically strained to hold in a groan of pain, but he remained silent under the threat of Rhory's gaze. Felix, for his part, never stopped moving even when Kass alerted them and Rhory moved to respond. He was careful not to be noticed, but he had been trained to not stop working if he was sure it was necessary.

His confidence came from his trust in those who were watching his back. In the back of his mind he was registering the sound of footsteps—their were...two...no three.

Was it Anirians? No, they would have known they were out here wouldn't they? No, communications had been slow and sporadic ever since the battle started. If they were Cortosi then maybe they were out here looking for survivors too.

He would leave the decision to Rhory.