Chapter 70: Refugee Camp
Érica walked along with Leslie, following the leader of the adventurous group, José Vázquez.
Vazquez was a man in his thirties with strong Latin American features and a friendly personality.
Greeting some of the adventurers who knew him, he asked a few questions and got information of all kinds.
Around the guild, headquarters were not only the refugee camp but also some taverns where adventurers or mercenaries liked to meet.
The adventurers under Vazquez’s command moved to those places following Aurora’s order.
“So, how’s the situation here?” asked Vazquez as he handed a box of cigarettes to a known adventurer.
“It’s bloody chaos. The militiamen serving under General Kavuri are monsters,” said the adventurer and after lighting his cigarette, he commented. “They don’t care about anyone or anything. If they wish, they can shoot anyone they find in their path. I don’t recommend you go anywhere near their area of influence.”
“Whew. That sounds dangerous,” replied Vazquez and after a quick conversation, he said goodbye to the adventurer after saying he would buy him a beer the next time he saw him.
Érica, who was watching from behind, felt it differed greatly from the reality she knew.
The adventurers she interacted with were more polite and guarded their image. Here they looked like a bunch of mercenaries hanging out in bars.
No, as a temporary mercenary, she knew these adventurers acted differently, even from the mercenaries themselves.
“Surprised?” Vasquez asked as she noticed the look on Érica’s face.
She was walking through an area near the camp where some occupied buildings were located.
In this place, some taverns or other training places were present open during the day and they sold some valuable goods, such as alcohol, cigarettes, good food, and other items such as potions or ammunition.
In the cities of Africa, there were always local militia groups that were to maintain security or were under some individual seeking to gain power, hoping to become a worthy warlord.
“Yes. I thought they were going to be unfriendly, at least more formal,” Érica answered truthfully.
They had followed Vazquez after Alice gave her the order, so they would learn how adventurers moved in this kind of environment.
“Most adventurers or mercenaries have a Terra nova influence. You know, enjoying themselves in bars and taverns eating and drinking for fun,” replied Vazquez, smoking a cigarette and with a smiling expression, he stated. “Sure, sometimes it’s easy to get information out, but other times it’s good to give some perks. Some drink, packs of cigarettes, in this war zone where supplies are scarce, such goods have great value.”
Asking for information was not just about blatantly going to someone and asking for it. While no great subtlety was needed, an exchange of favors was always good.
A cool drink, a pack of cigarettes, or some useful potion could get adventurers or mercenaries to talk more calmly.
“Actually, in areas like this, it’s normal to inform each other. Going in a direction to meet the army is not pleasant, in the same way as traveling towards an area inhabited by monsters,” Vazquez explained with seriousness.
It was true that there were malicious people, but it was normal to report minor situations that, in the right circumstances, could be vital for survival.
One never knew when minor information could save another person’s life... And one never knew when listening to minor information could save one’s own life.
The trio moved on, letting Vazquez speak who, despite having two young women on his back, was good enough and charismatic enough to get what he wanted.
He was a recognized veteran and more so among the low-ranking individuals.
However, as they got deeper into where adventurers, mercenaries, and militiamen were, the looks directed at Érica and Leslie became apparent.
“Be careful,” Leslie muttered, revealing her revolver at her waist as a warning to those watching them.
Érica nodded calmly as she ignored the leering looks and those more frightening ones...
They were very well equipped and their appearances were quite attractive... Whether it was stealing an item from her or taking advantage of them; it was something many would surely dare.
“Do you like them?” asked Vazquez suddenly to a group of militiamen whose leering and malicious looks were all too clear, and without waiting for their answer he gave a cruel smile and declared sarcastically. “You can try something. I think it will be easy to get past the S-Rank that is protecting her.”
The looks immediately changed, and Vazquez laughed loudly and commented. “What bad luck. I thought I’d see today why Akira has the title ‘Tempest’.”
His raised tone was so matter-of-fact that everyone watching Érica and Leslie unconsciously and immediately averted their eyes.
As they left that area, heading back to the refugee camp, Vazquez gave the duo a look.
“They have to be careful. Don’t think that because you have good equipment, you will go unnoticed or they won’t dare to attack you. In this place, anyone can mug you, rob you, or... Do worse things,” said Vazquez, pausing in his words so as not to scare them, but with a serious look, he stated. “Here you guys can disappear and if you are experts, no one will notice it happened.”
He was guarded that their appearance didn’t help too much.
Both, Leslie and Érica were considered quite pretty.
Érica was an elegant young lady who made it clear that she came from an important family while Leslie was a more serious and disciplined young woman, but both had attractive looks.
Here they would not only be marked to be robbed or assaulted but to have worse things done to them... Érica and Leslie nodded as they learned that fact.
“Revealing your endorsement is very fundamental, but they have to be careful where the line is drawn,” Vazquez commented and with a low tone, he pointed out. “If someone finds out that they are young people from wealthy families, many people would be interested, no matter if one of their parents is a high-ranking psionic or a businessman of a major arms company.”
Érica and Leslie shivered at the last words, causing their expressions to become even more serious than before.
“No matter how strong your parents are, you will suffer enough before they get to save you,” Vazquez added with a serious expression.
If they weren’t present by her side, what was the point of talking about an important backup?
That was why using Akira, a recognized S-Rank who was present as a backup, was the best option.
******
In the medical area of the refugee camp inside a tent.
“This is horrible...”
Vanessa heard Clémentine’s murmur and, not wanting to lose concentration, she continued with her healing spell, seeking to stimulate the body’s natural regeneration so that the wound would close.
Her patient, who had a large wound on his chest, took a deep breath as the wound closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“Hang in there. In about fifteen minutes, you’ll be fine,” Vanessa reported with a warm tone and then added. “Stay in bed. Then you can retire.”
“Thank you.” Mumbled the patient as he stayed in bed.
Vanessa smiled and wiped the sweat on her face with her arm.
“Was this the last one?” Vanessa asked her assistant.
“Yes.” Replied Nicole, passing her a bluish energy drink and when she took it, she added. “It tastes like grapes, but it will help you get your magical energy back.”
Vanessa received the drink with a thank you and drank it slowly, refreshing herself.
Then she took a deep breath, looking at her patients.
This was the healing area, and there were more patients than she had expected.
This tent held those individuals who had minor injuries or who could hold out for a while to receive support from doctors or healers who were busy in other areas.
“War is crueler than I had expected,” Clémentine muttered with a frown.
Nicole at her side nodded silently, and Vanessa also agreed.
She had heard how patients got here.
Sometimes they were from stray bullets in confrontation and other times they were because General Kavuri’s troops performed atrocities.
Slashing a man’s chest and having him run away in fear.
Shooting around an innocent to see them terrified.
Skill users who used their skills to torture.
They were the worst of the worst.
“Let’s go to the next tent. I’ll need your help,” Vanessa said and immediately her companions nodded.
While they had only seen each other at the academy, they had gotten to know each other more during the trip and since there were few support people; they were a great help.
Nicole helped her with basic medical care and Clémentine was also quite helpful using her psionic energy to calm her patients.
“Ahhh!”
As they were making their way to another of the minor injury tents, a loud scream was heard and a group of local mercenaries brought a woman with severe wounds on her body, on a makeshift stretcher.
“Some fucking idiot fired a tank near it and they were left stranded!” reported a mercenary carrying the stretcher.
From a tent, Shao Ya and Cardinal Brousseau, along with Alice, came out.
“Cast healing magic, but I don’t think she’ll hold out,” the healer of the mercenary group reported, looking at the woman’s shoulder where there was no arm anymore.
Not only did the woman have wounds all over her body, but she also had her arm destroyed and some serious wounds on her stomach.
That mercenary’s healing magic was delaying death and keeping the blood from spreading, but from the woman’s screams, it was only prolonging the suffering.
“Good job,” Shao Ya replied immediately and approached the woman, muttering a spell, closing the lighter wounds.
Those light cuts all over the skin began to close and stopped, coming out for a moment.
“Cardinal, I can handle it. You go support those in intensive care,” Shao Ya said, and with a serious tone, she ordered. “Come on, help me get her to a tent!”
“Ahhh... It hurts! It hurts!” The woman’s screams echoed through the place.
Fear, panic, and pain, obvious enough to make those who heard her turn pale.
“Calm down.” Clémentine suddenly murmured, sending a wave of psionic energy towards the woman that calmed her down, enough to keep her from flailing from the pain.
“Thank you. Come on, move,” Shao Ya said quickly and took the mercenary team off, moving deeper into a tent.
Vanessa could see how Clémentine was looking at the tent.
She could make out how her eyes were filling with psionic energy, turning a deep purple color before she let out a sigh.
“This is awful,” the young psionic girl muttered in a complicated tone.
Vanessa nodded.
It was truly awful; the atrocity caused by humanity itself.
Cardinal Brousseau watched Alice, looking for her to intervene with the group, but that young woman remained indifferent, causing her to sigh.
“You may return to headquarters. My team will take care of everything,” Cardinal Brousseau said with a faint smile.
One could tell she was worried about the young women and feared that this situation would become a trauma to them.
Not everyone was capable of withstanding the cruelty of war and what humans were capable of causing in others.
Vanessa, as a healer who had peers who did not wish to be in this kind of place, understood.
“They can leave. However, this kind of situation will be encountered anywhere. Whether they’re in the middle of the city in an overflow, in a war, or when they’re inside a dungeon.” Alice said, without changing her indifferent look.
“You’re too serious.” Cardinal Brousseau muttered, but did not intervene beyond that.
Vanessa noticed that Cardinal Brousseau’s words were not only directed at Clémentine and Nicole, but also at her.
However, Alice’s words hit on the key point for both of them and were heavier words for Clémentine and Nicole, who were part of the group.
They were working as members of Aurora’s group and were being treated as members, not students.
Vanessa knew this as she herself was being treated as a trainee healer by the church.
“I’ll get on with my work,” Vanessa replied with a solemn expression.
She had not decided to come here without reason and she did not lack the will to take charge and continue with her work.
“I will help in any way I can,” Nicole replied, and Clémentine nodded at her side.
“Good. Clémentine, I will need your help, but it will be quite difficult what you will see. Are you ready?” Cardinal Brousseau asked with a serious tone.
“Yes,” Clémentine answered without hesitation.
When Vanessa and Nicole looked at Cardinal Brousseau, the latter let out a sigh and commented. “You may come if you wish.”
Nodding decisively, Vanessa followed her.
They were heading for the intensive care tent.
When they entered the tent, they were met with some moans and cries of pain, along with ten patients in serious situations.
Some nurses were caring for the patients, but they did not have enough professionals to handle all the work and were only performing basic care.
Whether they were doctors trained to perform complex surgeries or skilled healing wizards, both were in short supply.
Healing potions helped, and while they used some of them, they were of inferior quality and only served to close superficial or minor internal wounds.
As for those potions of higher quality that could heal serious damage, they were too valuable to be purchased and used here.
The patients present were those people who needed such high-quality potions.
“Clémentine, can you calm their mind?” Cardinal Brousseau asked.
Clémentine responded by extending her psionic energy, getting the patients’ expressions to relax.
It was only calming the people’s minds by overriding the pain, but the body would continue to function in the critical state they were in, leaving their body wanting to get better.
Quite a splendid control of psionic abilities.
“Alice, it’s your turn,” Cardinal Brousseau ordered.
Alice, without changing expression, moved to the center of the tent as twenty black arms extended from the shadow on her back.
Those arms reached out to different patients, performing first aid care and, in cases such as serious bullet wounds or metal pieces that were still in their body, small tentacles reached in, pulling out those tiny pieces with unique precision.
The control over those arms had reached an extreme level, controlling it as part of her body.
Vanessa couldn’t help but be amazed.
It wasn’t magic what Alice was doing. Those black arms that could transform into anything were an innate ability.
An ability that some people were born with, it was rare yet unique and Alice had come to control it with enough ability that it made it seem as if it was possible to replicate a surgeon’s feat if she had the knowledge.
No, as she watched Alice pull out small pieces of metal, without damaging veins or the insides of her patients, causing only necessary damage, Vanessa realized she had some experience.
When Vanessa perceived the nonchalant look with which Alice was performing the task, she couldn’t help but feel strange.
“My turn,” Cardinal Brousseau murmured, and after gathering her magical energy, an aura spread through the patients.
Alice, being in charge of removing the metals and helping to create wounds in some areas of the patients as infected areas, caused Cardinal Brousseau to reduce her concentration in that area.
Being a healing mage was not as easy as just casting a spell and expecting everything to happen as if nothing happened. Vanessa knew that.
As a healing mage, she had studied the basic spells, the way the body reacted and, at the same time, learned enough about the internal process to take care of troubling internal injuries.
Healing mages were a great substitute for doctors, but both had to study to become a capable individual... From books on healing magic to books on human anatomy.
That was why it was common for healing mages to also study medicine or specialize in areas of surgery.
If they were skilled enough, they could accomplish what Cardinal Brousseau was capable of... All mages had to study spells to learn how to cast it skillfully, healing mages were no different.
“That’s amazing.”
With just one spell, superficial wounds closed.
In cases of severe burns or cuts that looked infected, Alice would take care of making incisions to allow the affected areas to be replaced in a simpler healing.
Also, sometimes where some metals were still in the body, Alice’s incisions allowed them to be expelled from the wounds before healing could begin from the inside out.
It was a rather primitive, yet quick and effective method of healing people.
It reduced the mage’s concentration on mastering the spell and the expenditure of magical energy while allowing the mages to continue their work elsewhere.
Knowing how to control their magical energy and increase their effectiveness was vital when in dire situations such as this, where the trained individuals were fewer than the patients.
“Right now, the best I can do is heal damaged internal organs. As for mutilated body limbs, I will need more time.” Cardinal Brousseau muttered, shaking her head.
Nicole passed a bottle of magical energy, which made the tired Cardinal smile.
A healing magician was not all-powerful.
However, Cardinal Brousseau as an S rank had just healed fatal wounds on the body of ten patients, it was certainly an amazing sight.
While she could not immediately regenerate lost limbs like an SS Rank, she could take her time to perform it slowly if there was a need.
Although with this feat that would cost Vanessa herself too much, she had saved the lives of ten people in just an instant.
Vanessa wanted to be like her... A great healer who didn’t flinch.
******
Andrés watched as Liam was looking at the holographic screens, as what appeared constantly changed without leaving a moment for one to observe what was happening.
He was executing a large-scale hack using his AI and his talent to accomplish it.
Most of humanity had access to the internet due to the technology developed by the Cosmos Company that made it possible to have internet connection anywhere in the world thanks to their advanced satellites.
There were some exceptions, such as areas affected by a magical energy that prevented connection or when artifacts were used to prevent network connection.
However, it was common to have a local communication network even among the military.
That was because the efficiency was greater than using some magical communication artifacts.
The only problem was that if the security was not advanced enough, then it could be hacked with no one noticing.
Magical communication artifacts had the same problem, but mages who were capable of such feats were few.
“That was quite troublesome,” Liam muttered, sipping a drink as notifications and reports filled the screens.
“Are you done?” Andrés asked in surprise and disbelief.
It was a naïve question, as those reports were from the network of General Kavuri’s forces and the militia forces of the Lord of Mombasa’s army.
“The security to get me into the core network of the ‘Somali Terror’ is more complicated, but this is enough to get me started,” Liam replied, and began to re-compile the information.
He was getting into the network by gaining access to classified information within the local troops.
They had intercepted their communications, their orders revealed and their future projects unveiled.
Andrés took a deep breath, in awe of Liam’s ability for these tasks.
Liam had learned to crack security systems from a very early age, even before he developed his talent.
His talent only enhanced that ability to an advanced level and learning the basics without using his talent was what Andrés was looking for.
“Help me gather and organize the information for Aurora,” Liam asked as he was going through some highly confidential files from General Kavuri.
Andrés got to work immediately, employing his AI to support his talents while expertly using the computer.
“Tch... Aurora will be quite upset with the situation.” Liam muttered with a heavy sigh.
Looking at the information as he organized it, Andrés also let out a sigh.
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