"You're joking... I lost it in the chamber!? Could have made a fortune with it... You ain't no friend of mine, Undwote." Paps swears in our native tongue, patting himself down as he walks away. I return my attention to the out-of-control wind magic. Lashes of emerald break up the ground, throwing it up into the vortex plagued sky. Rushing over to the edge of the glowing crater, I cover my eyes.
I'll need to bathe in this pure arcane light if I mean to do anything...
"NIN!" Vapooliar once again screams, perhaps for the final time. Her magic is calming down, but it's still quite the display. I shake my worries away and switch my attention to the shards of rock raining from above. One of the dropped Acadamite weapons serves as my umbrella for the time being. A notably big stone dings away, leaving me shaken and glad. Way to vindicate my choice there, gods and goddesses!
I dump the weapon and my ears move away from the sounds of my mental voice, and I hear Vapooliar whimper. She sounds out of breath. My eyes find her as she bends forward with bloody excess. Her voice breaks as her stomach sucks itself in, squirting out more of her life.
I slap a paw on my suit and pull out a packet of medical supplies. Paps won't need them anymore, so I can spare it. Opening it up here, I get everything ready and take a forward step. Sliding down into the crater, I cross the distance between us with strides a hwardgon body like mine really shouldn't make. I slap the patch onto her wound, and she rolls over, recoiling from the sting.
"Stap it." I tell her for more reasons than just the fact all this noise could attract predators. Finding a tool on my person, I sacrifice it to apply some capture-sack lubricant into and around her wound. This should at least make the twitching flesh calm down. What magic is still in the air calms down.
The vicious winds stop trying to tear up my skin and strip me bare. I groan as I try to squeeze myself out of the non-existent corner the remaining arcane pressure gives off. Putting my mind to work, I carry on dressing her wound. I detect an odd bump. Then another. Another-
"AAAAAAHHHH!" she cries, smashing up and onto her back. Her fingers curl up, her gut thrusting upwards as the magic viciously reignites. Ducking down, I avoid the worst of the pressure and watch her wound. Small stone spikes pop out of her stomach wound. Growing.
My eyes widen and I look back up out of the crater, spotting Paps at the edge, "PAPS! BAAAYANET, NAW!"
He nods at my demand and I return to keeping an eye on the growing spell-tumour. Steps reach me and Paps presents my musket to me. My mouth opens, the edges of a glad smile to my lips. I take the weapons and he raises his paws, shaking them and then backing away.
My smile vanishes, replaced with a far fancier groan and glare. I roll the resentment away and dump it into the wreck of a mountain. Hopping over one of Vapooliar's legs, I brace myself before her crotch. I drive the bayonet into the wound.
She barely even registers the blade. It might as well not even be bothering her! Well, a Valkinvar is certainly something. I probably wouldn't even get this into her were it not for the wound.
The bayonet chips against something, and the resistance grows. Jamming it to the side, I properly lodge myself. I jump and drop my weight onto the weapon's stock, flicking the mutated stone out of her. Vapooliar catches it, giving the spell-tumour barely any time to fly.
The hyperventilating woman meets my eyes with her tearful ones. With how much she is trembling, it would be easy to mistake her as someone who is vulnerable. Her hand clenches, crushing the lingering problem. The hand opens up, grey, chunky dribble bursting out of her falling hand.
"Good. Now she stop. 'Sibs stay down." Paps snorts, and he begins his climb back out of the crater. I stare in disbelief and shake my head at my old man.
"W-Where aaare yau gaing?" I ask, pulling my weapon out of the still-unbothered Valkinvar. It catches on something and I start to struggle.
"H-H-Here..." she barely lets out, and she picks it out like nothing. I blink in surprise at the bent out of shape bayonet. I continue to stare at the broken tool as my body finally gets over it. A free paw gets to work, unscrewing the broken tool and tossing it away at the former mountain. Whatever's left of it.
Glancing back down at the Valkinvar, I nod some of my appreciation at her. I leave her to it and watch Paps with some amusement as the dirt breaks under his grip. Still, I keep an open ear out in case there's anything he wants to say. His eyes meet mine.
"We go now. Away from witch." Paps tells me, leaving my sight. Another sigh and groan escape me. I turn back towards Vapooliar and watch as the sedative works its way through her system. Or maybe it's the lack of a spell-tumour that has her calm now. I dunno, I'm no professional healer. Just an expert and dealing with scrapes and cuts with very little to work with.
Still, the bleeding is slowing, but it's not stopping. The wound needs to be cauterised or otherwise sealed properly. I glance at her sword, noting the glow it has. My body aches in warning at the anticipation.
"Sameane give me aaa haaand!" I call out, dropping my gun. Stepping over the wounded human, I take the lengthy sword handle into my paws and pull. Vadei rushes to us from somewhere and helps out. More so when her hands are able to find enough space to.
"What are we doing!?" she asks hastily as we hold the flat bladeface over Vapooliar's wound.
"Seaaaring shut this." I answer as we carefully struggle against the weighty sword. Resting it on the wound, Vapooliar hisses as she takes over with the holding. Her glove stretches harshly, her grip twisting around the handle. It eases up and we step back.
She nods at us, slowly. Hmph-ing my final thoughts on the matter, my paw pads clap together. I go pick up my musket again and give it a cautionary look. Seems like there's no damage to the main body...? Thank the gods and goddesses.
"Th... Thank you..." Vapooliar answers, her throat full of huffs. Her eyes narrow on the edge of her blade. I return the earlier nod and finally get going back out of the crater.
"Try nat ta let it apen aaagaaain!" I call back to her and I crawl up the dirt to see what Paps is up to. Reaching the top, I first spot the human soldiers he is conversing with. Moving closer, I hear them clearly enough and get the gist of the conversation. They are looking for a way back to the Theocracy. Back to their war.
"Yes. We guide." Paps assures as I approach. Recoiling from his sudden slap, I rub my head and grumble. Did he seriously just reprimand me for shutting that howling human up!? Right whilst we are still next to an osibindah hive!
"You lot can't be serious. The Seven-Peaks Union ran right over us. And you lot want to just go back!?" one of the human soldiers asks. The utter distraught is a shared sentiment. A group of three splits off from the main body. We watch the birth of a hideous new monster, Tension-Between-Soldiers.
"We swore our oaths to Waionr and to our homeland!" another nearly shouts as he shakes his head, baffled by such words. Oh, no... A dissenting opinion, someone call the divine to save us...! Pfft, group thinkers.
"We'd be running right into their army!" a split-off argues quite rightly. It's all well and good to be true to your word. But, when the only option will be a fruitless endeavour... Yeah.
"So what? It's our duty as Ironcoats of Thurn's Forge! As men of Waionr's Chosen Theocracy!" the loyalists spit back in a chorus so messy it somehow becomes eligible. The group he is with raise their guns and they chant an ancient tongue. Right after getting out with our lives, they all want to throw it away. Great.
"We knaw aaa saaafe waaay in." I point out to the disillusioned trio. More so concerned about Paps' plan and the positive ramifications it has for us.
"What a load of-" the oldest split-off starts to swear.
"Oh, cut it out! We have the Valkinvar!" a loyalist reminds everyone and my head starts to wobble. I mean, technically, he's right, but... Looking over at the crater, I watch as Vadei helps Vapooliar out. Silence takes over the group.
"You're heavy..." the oxfuine comments to the injured witch, breaking what the soldiers created.
"Valkinvar! Come, let's bring glory Waionr on the field of honour!" one loyalist declares to the cheers of his fellows. But, slowing down from her already slow pace, Vapooliar stops and looks at them. Her body trembles and she starts to show her pent-up fury. It lashes at the ground with emerald might, frightening everyone away.
I step back, avoiding bladed wind, and Vadei covers her ears, "I AM NOT VALKINVAR!"
Vapooliar's words throw my head back, leaving me in a state of disorientation. My arms tremble while I wait for the ringing in my ears to stop. Such vocal strength does not deter the relatively large group of soldiers. They argue amongst themselves until one finally works up the courage to move forward.
The man tightens his weapon grip, his confusion drenching his face more than the sweat and muck, "What does that even mean...? You wear the armour, hold the sword..."
Vapooliar takes a step forward with her new bladed cane, staring the man down, "It matters not!"
I stand aside and watch as she turns to leave, the arguing soldiers turning hateful, "YOU TRAITOR!"
"YOU'RE ALL LOYALTYLESS TRAITORS!"
"WAIONR WILL NEVER COME FOR YOU!"
"YOU ABANDONED HIM AND HE'LL ABANDON YOU!"
"SO THIS IS JUST HOW YOU PAY BACK THOSE WHO DIED SO YOU CAN LIVE!"
More and more insults come out of them and Vapooliar stops with a weak tremble.
"I came to terms with that not too long ago..." she barely answers back.
Vadei rushes about, coming back with the aelenvari seed. I mentally tch at the lost loot and the oxfuine follows the powerful witch. A strange understanding given I am watching her hobble into the distance. The three split-offs also go off and trail behind them, leaving me and Paps alone with the others. We return our attention to the larger group.
"So, guide?" Paps says to get us back on track, one of his paws smacking on the thigh of a soldier. He pats them ahead, getting them into motion so we can rid ourselves of this mountain by night's fall. I take a last glance at our former camp mates. And I give them a small wave. Maybe I'll even spare them a wish for good luck.
"Yes... If you can, guide us back to the Theocracy. Get us back into the fight," the touched soldier urges as he and his fellows get to using the light and calm to clean themselves. Their mail coats are a tedious task to handle. But, with all of our travel time, it will be a good way to pass it.
"It cost." Paps comments plain and clearly. His paws open up in a display of empty pockets. I keep my knowing smirk to the confines of my imagination.
"Yes, we can sort that out in the future," the soldier assures us distastefully. He motions for the rest to move, and they do so along with us. Moving up to Paps, I bounce my gun's stock on the dirt as we walk.
"Plaaan?" I whisper against his ear and I pull back, catching the corner of his fur-hidden smirk.
"Union pay well," he chuckles under his breath, his pace speeding up. He catches up with one of the soldiers and gets to the business of it.
"Thaaat they do." I chirp, smiling at the future sum of ransom money we'll be getting. If I close my eyes even, all that rattling mail turns to jingling coin!