Though the ground was not painted in a crimson liquid, bodies became silhouetted under the moonlight. Alongside a pile of maimed bodies, Lecca took in a breath of the iron-stained air. Her arms unfolded and fell to her side. The cold harvest wind battered against her exposed skin making her shiver.
Ahead of her, Captain Thompson led the group unlike before. He was at the point of the formation she was not familiar with. Three men stood ahead, Thompson, Malkovich, and Richard. Behind her, Mike, Green, Simon, and Patterson pulled rear security. Lecca herself was standing with the other three knights in the center of what looked to be a circle.
She once more wrapped her arms around herself. She felt safe being in the custody of the Rangers. It was almost as if they "Reclaimed" her, and was taking her to a faraway place, yet the large, now ruined stone walls of Bishmark casted a shadow upon her making her cold.
In the dark corners of the city walls, several guards watched as the eleven shadows moved through the primary gate after being checked in with the knights below. Though in silence, they were being watched-being observed as their constant shuffling of footsteps on the dirtied stone roads echoed in the occupied streets.
Thankfully they slipped past unnoticed. Their gear, though unrecognizable, painted them as being a part of the Royal Guard in addition to the dirtied white tunics and brown trousers they wore. Passing by several light posts that were powered by small mana gems within, they were temporarily illuminate, visible for all to see. Amongst the citizens that were trying to clean the ruins within the city, they recived no glances of ire, yet no one gave them respect either.
As they slowly came to a stop, man wearing colorful clothing approached them. He had the aura of a leader, and he demanded attention as he raised his voice. "The clean-up operation is currently in progress." He said confusing those not on the same page, "I want you all to assist in the collection of bodies to assist with identification. I'll lend a few of my own to assist you."
Captain Thompson reached out his hand and called for the man that had just forced orders upon them, but as swift as he arrived, he was lost in a crowd of civilians and soldiers who were carrying covered bodies towards several carts nearby.
"Clean-up, huh?" Patterson murmured as he snuck his hands into the sides of his plate carrier. "Guess we should get going."
With a group of unnamed soldiers approaching them, the Rangers quickly let themselves be led to the western gate. Upon turning a corner, the smell of blood and burning wood overwhelmed their nostrils. Bodies, body parts, destroyed buildings, ruins. Stalking in the darkness looking upon the carnage did not sit well with Thompson. His rifle lightly shifted in his quivering hands. It was impossible to notice the faint glow of red embers littering the moonlit street.
"I thought the attack happened to the south?" Green said as he kneeled above a burning piece of wood. He rose and stomped it out as he continued, "What the hell happened here? It looks like it was hit by a one-fifty-five."
"If it was a two-front attack, there's nothing we could've done." Mike said cautiously as he eyed the pale-faced Princess next to him. "We were stuck on the southern front. There's no way we could have made it back here in time."
"True." Richard added. "If we were here anyways, we could've been caught in this shit."
An uneasy silence fell upon the group. Spotting a collection of people in the ruins of a building, Patterson notified the group, and the small distance in between was traversed with minor difficulty. Unnerved by how many people were at this single building, Thompson took the lead as he maneuvered through the crowd.
Entering what looked to be an inn, Thompson spotted a lone girl standing at the reception desk. She wore a small white cloak that gave her the aura of being a Nobel or a member of the church. Noticing the captain's lingering gaze, the girl motioned her hand allowing for the group to approach her. Lowering the hood that concealed her face, the girl's black hair tumbled out and rested on her shoulders.
With an apathetic gaze she eyed the captain, then swiftly she examined each member of the group. The girl only looked to be ten years old but based on her disposition Mike assumed that she was more mature than she let off. He paused momentarily as he stared at an insignia commonly found amongst Royal Guard members. Was she apart of the guard? That was the only question occupying his mind.
"Welcome Holy Knights. My name is Ariel Yumi, daughter of Count Leonidas Yumi. I will act as your resident mage during the clean-up operation happening." She lightly bowed her head as she spoke softly making the men look upon her in surprise.
"Captain Oliver Thompson." In a confused state, Thompson raised his hand and offered a handshake. It took several moments for Ariel to understand what he was trying to do; thus, he relented and lowered his hand as the girl composed herself and spoke clearly.
"The Royal Guard made me aware of your sudden departure from the royal capital and your subsequent arrival in Bishmark. I do apologize that you were all caught up in the attack, then the defense of the city, but I am here to help you all get back to the capital safely."
"So, they been watching us the entire time? Go figure…" Richard said as he shared a glance with Malkovich only gaining a shrug in return.
Annoyed by the lack of response she had gained, Ariel huffed as she stepped out from behind the desk and to the front of the group. "There is a nearby site we have to examine. It would be best to head there now, and Princess, the king will overlook this 'ignorant' decision you've made."
As she walked to the entrance of the room, Ariel noticed how the "Holy Knights" all stood around the First-Born Princess with confused looks. Leccamaradel was taken aback by the faint threat given by the mage, yet she did nothing to retaliate.
"You good?" Malkovich said concerned.
Coughing into her hand, clearing the awkward atmosphere established by the mage, Lecca spoke flustered as she tapped Mike on the shoulder as she walked off. "We must hurry to the site… Come along now…"
Looking to and from the place where he was tapped. Mike was somewhat confused as he watched the Princess stand near the door waiting for himself and the others to follow.
"C'mon lucky bastard. Time to go." Green chuckled as he continued to curse out his now flustered Sergeant.
Walking outside the now group of twelve travelled around he ruined city to reach a collapsed building near the western gate. A large scar laid in the middle of the street, bodies were collected to the side and covered with a shredded tarp, a pool of blood collected under the palates, and the scar. Ariel stomached the thought of a whole group being simply vaporized under the sudden heat and pressure of the object that caused the canal.
She almost hurled, yet she was kept upright by Malkovich who helped her. Soldiers walked up and down as the cleaned the body of the dead off the streets.
Seeing another collection of people outside of a building, Thompson directed the group inside. From a simple observation, a large boulder was thrown from the impact site, crushing all those that were inside the building.
Morale was non-existent. Simon fell to his knees as he looked upon the crimson liquid that stained the boulder.
"What-" He choked out struggling to comprehend what laid before him.
Walking up to the mangled bodies and reaching out her hand, Ariel began to chant as the men watched in horror. "In the name of the Goddess of light, I ask thee to take these souls to their final resting place.
A bright golden light emanated from the body parts. Mike watched in awe as the parts began to dematerialize into bright balls of light as they rose to the sky one-by-one.
Walking up to the boulder and placing his hand on it, Mike felt a small amount of heat escaping the huge rock. A light pain rested in his head as Lecca walked silently beside him. She was worried about the direction the Sergeant's emotions went, so she rested her cold palm on his shoulder garnering his attention.
"Come along…" She spoke softly while she stared at the sergeant's shining brown eyes. "It's time to go. We are done here."
--
Publicly Available Information: Casualties – Military – The Raid on Bishmark:
Casualty report:
5th Garrison Guard –
20 Knights K.I.A.
13 Knights M.I.A.
413 Soldiers K.I.A.
36 Soldiers M.I.A.
59 Wounded.
12th Mountaineering Corps –
3 Knights K.I.A.
23 Soldiers K.I.A.
17 Wounded.
1st Royal Guard Division –
15 Knights K.I.A.
54 Soldiers K.I.A.
13 Wounded.
Total:
528 Killed in Action.
49 Missing in Action.
89 Wounded.