Redemption
Over the last couple of days, we’ve been preparing ourselves for a scout mission back to the encampment. It would be wise of us to assess the situation to see if we could have a safe return. We harbored no doubts in our head that everyone there is most likely long dead, however, we needed to know if the enemy still occupied the outpost. If they didn’t then we could nab a wagon and head towards one of the major cities to alert them of what happened. Besides, the provisions here would only last us about a week. This storehouse wasn’t meant for a long term safe haven. It was simply a place to buy time and wait for reinforcements. The problem was that we didn’t actually have the reinforcements to wait for.
My days were spent pathetically training with Christine. I could see the soldier’s hateful and disgusted eyes glaring behind my back. It seemed they didn’t take too well for a commoner like me to be training with someone of noble status. I would frequently hear them say behind my back, things like “Can’t even wield a proper weapon”, “What a disgrace”. I don’t blame them though. My physical strength is way below par, and I don’t really have much going for me. If one were just to see us training, they would assume that I was wasting her time on purpose.
I was currently resting on a stool, staring off into the distance. Christine was somewhere around, probably doing her own thing. She insisted that she would stay by my side at all times because she would need to watch over me to make sure I didn’t do anything reckless. There was also the fact that I wasn’t human, so she needed to make sure I wouldn’t get taken away or anything. I’m sure she noticed all the distasteful whispers behind our backs.
We didn’t have practice that day, which meant I was excused from that harsh labor for a brief period of time. Even though we were on the run, we were still unrelentingly training. We mostly focused on physical training, so now that we didn’t have practice, I had an excuse to work on my own powers.
I honestly didn’t know how to control it or even harness it. No one in this safe house could use magic, and from the basic explanations that Christine presented me, it was basically just trial and error. It seemed that they didn’t teach magic to those who couldn’t wield it. It kind of made sense, in a strange way. If you couldn’t use it, there was no reason for you to know how to use it. Besides, if someone interrogated you, then you would be liable to spill the secrets of how to use certain techniques across to other nations, thereby getting rid of the leverage a certain nation had against another. Magic was only accessible by the nobility, so they wanted a tight grasp on the situation.
During our first few days in Aeolian’s Post, I used a hooded cloak to cover myself to hide my magic, however, we quickly realized that that also raised suspicion. Instead, we opted for tying my hair up. We decided to tie my hair up into a bun as it both worked well for training purposes as my hair wasn’t in the way, and that it would bind my hair tightly so not much loose floating hair could be seen. That was how we avoided suspicion amongst these soldiers currently around us as well.
I tried to copy the brief amount of magic that I saw Sebastian do. Tch, if only he was still here with us to teach me how to use it. I tried to picture the fabric of magic, or current as they call it, in my head. It was an entity that permeated the atmosphere. I tried to visualize what it looked like, to no avail. I would try closing my eyes, trying to sense the “spirits” that resided within me, but I could only picture darkness in my head. I felt normal, and that was all there is to it.
I groaned in frustration. Was there seriously no way I could harness this power? What’s the point of being special when you can’t even do anything with it? I decided to give it a rest for the day. There was no use in trying something over and over again and expecting a different result. I’m not insane.
Tonight was the night of the scouting mission. We would bring around half of us to scout the area, I included, and then report back to everyone else. Our goal currently wasn’t to retrieve anything but information.
We had about 3 hours left until we set off so I was a bit anxious. What if the enemies were still there? If they were, we would surely get annihilated.
As time drew closer and closer, we reviewed the game plan. We would stick close to the treeline to avoid being seen. We would observe the outpost for about 20 minutes before heading back. There shouldn’t be much fire or smoke at all, given how much time had passed. However, if we saw our enemy, we were to instantly retreat. We couldn’t risk them finding us and tracing us back to our safe house. As a final order before we left, Christine issued an order to everyone.
“Under NO circumstances should Lyrah here come of any harm. Even if I were to die or get captured, make sure you keep her safe at all times”
That statement warmed my heart. I know that some of the sentiment there came from the fact that I wasn’t human, but it felt nice to be protected by people. To have someone to care for me to say.
And so, we set off on our scouting mission. It took us an hour to reach the safehouse when we first came, but we estimated it would take only around half the amount of time going back. This is because we weren’t that exhausted or tired anymore and that we were going downhill. Our formation consisted of 4 people in the front, us the middle, and 3 in the rear. This meant that Christine and I were sandwiched from harm.
As we drew closer and closer, I could smell the faint scent of burnt ash in the distance. There were small remnants of smoke in the air that could be seen. You could see in the distance the slightly burnt tree trunks, indicating that the entire place swelled up in flames and destroyed the surrounding forest.
As our party made it to a clear vantage point, we got a good view of the aftermath. The entire place was burnt to the ground. You could see minor remnants of the tower that Christine and I stayed at, however it was nothing like it was before. Standing only at around 6 feet tall, you could see the vague outline of what had once been. The wooden planks used to construct the tower were dyed black from soot. It was honestly a bit surprising that that much remained, considering the rest of the buildings were beyond unrecognizable. One could still see the embers aglow in the midst of the chaos of charcoal. All the vegetation was gone. You could still see the broken land where the patches of grass once were.
The surrounding wall that encompassed the outpost was surprisingly intact, par the few holes that were seen through it. It seemed like they just blasted holes in the wall whenever they needed to enter and exit.
As my eyes scanned the area more closely, I noticed the corpses. It wasn’t as much of a total destruction like I saw back at my village, but I would’ve preferred that over what I saw just now. There were people, almost frozen in time, as they screamed in agony whilst trying to escape. Some had their entire lower half sliced off. Some had their skin burned away so that it revealed only the fleshy inside of their body. I saw flies and insects, feeding on the corpses.
This sight made something well up in my throat, as I gagged trying to suppress it. I curled over, trying my best to not vomit on the floor. This was… this was simply just too much for me. How… why… why would someone do something like this? What was their purpose? They didn’t have to burn and kill every single person. They could’ve just had them surrender. I’m sure everyone would’ve agreed for it to be that way instead of being burnt alive.
I felt a hand on my back, trying to comfort me.
“Thanks, Christine”
I could see everyone else’s eyes as they grimaced at the sight they saw, though none as bad as my reaction. Was this war? Am I really this weak? So weak that I was unable to prevent this atrocity. So weak that I am unable to handle the aftermath of what happened.
Upon making sure that there indeed was no sign of our enemy near the outpost, we decided to head back. I personally wanted to head back as soon as possible, however, I also understood that we needed to make sure everything was safe.
However, as soon as we turned our backs around to head back to our safe house, my jaw dropped. 10 people stood in a semi-circular formation, surrounding us. They were directly between us and our route home.
What!? How did they find us? We made extra sure to take care to stay close to the trees so they wouldn’t notice us. I was sure we didn’t make any noise when we were walking here. They shouldn't have been able to realize that we were here… unless… they were expecting us.
I assessed the situation at hand. 9 of them were the typical soldiers that I saw back at the village. Their dark, almost abyssal looking armor stood like a fortress. Some of the highlighted areas were painted a deep crimson red as if it were blood… or fire. In the center for the 10 soldiers stood someone who dressed quite differently. I would’ve assumed she’s the commander of the group.
Her armor looked like the physical incarnation of fire. The same black metal licked around her, forming both natural and unnatural lines. Her shoulder plate had a red and orangish hue to it, resembling fire. Her helmet was sturdy, with only a horizontal slit through it for vision. Two metal horns extruded from it giving her a really demonic vibe. She wore a necklace of sorts, with a small vial at the end of it. The vial was filled with what seemed to be pure fire. It’s as if the essence of fire itself was trapped within. The dark red, smoky cloak that surrounded her made me think of hellfire. Hellfire for the demon of flames.
I watched her as she extended her hand out, a red glove covering it. If I blinked I would’ve missed it, but there was a very brief gathering of magic. Suddenly, her hand combusted, as if it were wreathed in flames.
At the signal, it was utter pandemonium. The soldiers previously standing in wait started to charge in and slaughter our party. We put up a decent fight, however, it was clear as day that we were slowly being pushed back. A slice here, a cut there, our soldiers were being gradually wounded more and more whilst we couldn’t even dent their armor. I spared a glance over at Christine, and we both understood that we had to run. If anything, the two of us have to survive no matter what.
As we turned tail, I felt a sharp stinging pain engulf me. Fire and flames, it was everywhere. The entire battlefield was coated in an inferno. Screams of agony carpeted my surroundings as the soldiers were being melted within their own armor. Christine and I weren’t wearing any of that, only a cloak and traveler’s clothes. I briefly felt the stinging and burning of the flames, however in my terror and panic, the gust of wind always around me flared up and protected Christine and me from the worst of it as she was right next to me.
We ran and ran, albeit a bit slower because the fire made it difficult. After the fire died, I could see the crumpled bodies of our dead and near-dead comrades laid down on the floor. The enemy soldiers quickly recuperated and chased after us. I ran and ran, dodging under trees and around bushes, when suddenly, I realized that Christine wasn’t with me anymore.
Turning my head, I noticed her locked in combat with two other soldiers. I could see that she was just barely fending off, however, I knew it wouldn’t last long. As more and more soldiers were catching up, she wouldn’t be able to handle any more.
I skidded to a halt and began to run towards her to save her. I could not let her die. Not here. However, as if sensing what I about to do, she screamed at me.
“LYRAH, RUN!! Just leave me here!! You have to survive!”
There was no way in hell that I was going to let her die alone. I don’t care if she’s screaming at me to leave her be, but its either both of us dying or none of us at all.
“You idiot! Did you forget everything that I taught you!?”
A sudden quote from her flooded my head. “Also, stop being so reckless and straightforward. Assess the situation first, and if you can’t handle it, think of a separate option” She’s right. Do I just never learn? When will I realize that I’m weak? This power that I have means nothing in the hands of someone like me. I need to calm down, I need to take a deep breath. Assess the situation.
It was clear as day to anyone that I wasn’t going to get anywhere if I charged in. Was there any other way I could save her? If I were able to create a distraction, perhaps she could break free from their hold and escape? However, I need to actually have a distraction first. I doubt screaming would do anything. Could I use my power to kick up some dust to block up their vision? But no, my power currently only works with strong emotions. It’s too reckless to rely on something so uncertain. Common, think, think. You can come up with a solution.
However, as I worked my brain to the maximum, I could only find one solution to this problem. A solution that I had avoided and shoved into the back of my mind. Gritting my teeth, I said to her one last time, “I’ll definitely come back for you” as I ran away as fast as I could. Though I knew that my words were of false hope, I still held a small glimmer of hope in my heart that maybe… just maybe they won’t kill her.
As I ran and ran, tears swelled up in my eyes. Even though I ran and ran, it felt like I was heading nowhere. Even if I went back to the safe house, it’s not like anyone would listen to me. I wasn’t respected at all. The only thing I have going for me is Chistine’s final order. However, once they realize that she’s dead, they would quickly abandon me.
“I’ll be waiting for your return!” A loud booming voice echoed through the forest.
I turned around to see the commander holding up Christine by the scruff. She looked battered and beaten. I could just about make out the bruises in her face. Her hands were limped down as if she were unconscious.
As I confirmed that they weren’t chasing after me, I slowed down my pace. I wonder why they weren’t chasing me like last time. Maybe it’s because they have a hostage now? Were they that sure that I would go back for her? I mean, they weren’t wrong. I was pretty thankful that they didn’t decide to chase after me actually. If they decided to, I don’t think I would have the willpower nor the stamina to be able to outrun them.
Since I ran in a random direction, I didn’t know what was the direction back to the safe house. If I made it back to where Christine was, I probably would’ve been able to make it back towards the safe house. However, since that place was cut off now, I had to find a way back myself.
I knew that the safe house was somewhere up the mountain, however, it would be hard to just spot it. I would have to get up to a high vantage point to be able to notice it. Thankfully, the trees around here were quite tall, so if I were to be able to climb to the top of one, I could possibly spot out the safe house.
And so, with a plan in mind, I decided to rest up and sleep. I would search for it when it was brighter out and when I was well-rested. I didn’t bother trying to secure a safe place as I figured that if the enemy wanted to kill me, they would’ve done so already. So crawling up in a semi-safe/warm area, I closed my eyes and headed to sleep.
When I woke up the next day, I noticed the face of a fallen soldier next to me. Was there someone else that managed to escape amidst that pandemonium as well?
Examining him, he seemed very injured. Burn and scorch marks seared his face. His armor was bent and dented. He looked very worse for wear. Checking his pulse, if not tended to soon, he would probably die. I needed to bring him back to the safe house as fast as possible.
Nudging him a bit to wake him up, I saw him slowly open his eyes with a groan. I watched him as he tried to get into an upright position, pain and agony showing on his face. Upon noticing me, we both came to a common understanding. He was in no way shape or form to be able to speak. The fire had seared his skin, even showing traces of the fleshy muscle of the jaw. Moving it would definitely incite tremendous amounts of pain.
I headed up the mountain with him leaning on me a bit for support, taking care to stay somewhat near our original path (or at least, where I thought it was). I was a bit worse for wear as well, as sleeping from the wilderness was a bit taxing, but it wasn’t like this was my first time experiencing something like this.
We trekked up the mountain and I contemplated what I was going to say to the soldiers back at the safe house. They probably are pretty restless at the moment, considering we were supposed to have been back last night. I needed a way to address them that both gave me some respect and authority, and a way to soften their fears. The one thing I could use as leverage was the fact that Christine was still alive. With her still alive, they would have a semi-chance of listening to me and therefore coming with me to rescue her. That and the fact that I had an injured soldier with me.
I know it's wrong to think of him as something to be used for my own benefit, but I couldn’t escape the fact that it was actually beneficial. With him near me, it would give more weight to my words and it would probably douse some of their suspicion of me being the only one surviving.
With a plan in motion, I focused on finding a particularly tall tree to get a vantage point. We had been walking for 40 minutes now, so we had to be somewhere around the location of the safe house. While walking, I had considered lighting a fire for a sort of flare of sorts, but I quickly realized that that would alert the enemies of my location. Even if they weren’t chasing after me now, there was no telling when or if they’ll change their mind.
After locating a sturdy and tall tree I set my companion down and I set out climbing it. Or so… that was the plan until I realized just how difficult it was to climb a vertical face. I had spent over 30 minutes just slowly inching my way towards the first branch. I needed to reach at least one branch so I could gain some sort of leverage. However, this tree’s branches were just wayy too high up for me to reach. So, I ended up sliding all the way down.
Looking around, I remembered the words that Christine said to me. If I couldn’t find an outright solution, think of something else. There is never just one way to solve a problem. Scanning around to see what I could use, I realized that around this tree, there were lots of other smaller trees. If I were to climb to one of those and then switch to the taller one midway, I could reach the top.
Brimming with determination, I set out to do exactly just that. My hands stung with pain as I climbed higher and higher. If I was still the same me back at the village, there was no possible chance that I would’ve been able to do this, however, thanks to all that hellish training that Christine put my through, I am. Even if she was far away, even if she was captured, she would still be by my side forever.
As I neared a good crossover location, I got down to all fours as I slowly traveled from branch to branch. As I furthered away from the base of the tree, the branches swayed more which caused some unbalance. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I didn’t need to keep climbing when the branch was shaking. Wait for it to die down before continuing.
And so, I gradually made my way to the top of the tree. The wind was a bit chilly up here, but I could see for miles. In the far distance, you can spot the ruined outpost. To the side of it, there was a patch of burnt vegetation in the treeline. That was where we fought and the fire mage burnt us to a crisp. If I use my eyes to follow the trail in which we came from, I can trace my way back to the safe house. All my time spent loitering in the forest back at the village finally paid off. At last, I found it. There was a small clearing not too far from where I was where you could make out some buildings.
Making my way down, we headed towards everyone else. I’m sure they would be happy to hear even just a little bit of information regarding what happened. However, just as we got near the home stretch, my companion collapsed on the floor. I quickly put myself between him and the ground so he wouldn’t face plant into the floor. If that injury came into contact with the floor, it would surely spell all sorts of bad things.
I tried to pick him up and carry him back to the safehouse myself, but that was way out of the realm of my abilities. I was tired and exhausted from climbing the tree, and there was no way in hell I was going to be able to carry a grown man on my own. As such, I decided to just go back myself and ask for help later.
Pushing through the final thickets, I emerged at the camp. I could see people moping about and pacing as if they were anxious about what happened. As soon as I came into view, all eyes turned towards me.
“Everyone, I have returned. I know you were expecting all of us to return, however, we ran into some unexpected circumstances, and as such there was a great delay in coming back.”
I could notice their eyes wandering behind me, to see if there were anyone else with me, so I continued.
“I have made it back with one other person who’s gravely injured. He collapsed not too far away from here and I couldn’t carry him back. Everyone else nobly sacrificed themselves, so that Christine and I could escape. However, even then, Christine was taken hostage. We need to rescue her!”
