Roland moved forward towards the skirmish, balancing his spear in one hand. From behind, he was able to thrust it into the gargoyle's spine, ending its life. The man on the other side of the creature panted heavily from the exertion of fighting it, but his face lit up when he saw the Rhone prince before him.
"Roland!!" Dr. Sherman gasped. "I'm so glad you're all right!"
The younger man's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his adoptive father, then threw his arms around the man briefly.
"What are you doing outside?" The man should be treating patients in the infirmary, not out fighting gargoyles!
"I have a patient," Dr. Sherman gestured to the giantess. "She had some internal injuries I'm ill-equipped to resolve alone, and for obvious reasons I cannot bring my nurses outside."
Roland's eyes moved between the doctor and patient. Finn had advised having a giant help him destroy the objects in case he could not manage it himself.
"What do you need me to do?"
The two men took several minutes to prepare for the procedure. It was not easy, as they had no instruments made large enough to accommodate Fjorna, for that was the giantess's name.
A drainage pipe would have to do, though it was not sharpened enough. Roland dislodged a length of it from its place alongside the house. Dr. Sherman tossed him some cleanser and a flask of water from his medical bag, and he quickly cleaned it as best he could in the squalling blizzard.
That accomplished, the giantess, who's breathing was more and more constrained, laid down in the snow. She occasionally raised her hand to swat at a feasting gargoyle, but the energy was quickly leaving her.
"Help," She whispered.
Roland and Dr. Sherman exchanged a look, both understanding how uncontrollable the situation was. It might be better to wait until she passed out, but then she could regain consciousness at any moment and flail wildly.
"Hold as still as you can! This will hurt!" Dr. Sherman yelled over the wind. A single nod was the only response. There were no painkillers to numb the woman.
The doctor took a clean knife and pressed it to the woman's side, between her ribs. Nothing happened. Roland recalled how his arrow, even at close range, had barely scratched Hugi. His eye had been vulnerable, but a giant's skin was thick.
Dr. Sherman frowned. Roland looked down. His sword might be sharp enough for the necessary incision, but its blade was chipped from his clash with the goblin that had wounded him. That would leave an ugly, uneven cut that would be more likely to get infected.
"Judah!" Roland called. "Please help us."
The large cat eased closer, eyeing the giantess. Roland quickly scrubbed Judah's forepaw with soap and wiped it away with fresh snow. The large woman's breathing had devolved into a pained sort of gasping as her lungs began to collapse.
"Can you extend one claw and make an incision from here to here?" He asked. "It needs to be about this deep." He indicated what was needed with his hands, not expecting the cat to be familiar with his forms of measurement.
Judah chirped, and with one slash, the cut was made.
The two men sprung into action. Roland put both hands into the wound and held it wide enough for Dr. Sherman to shove the drainage pipe into it. They both wished it had a sharp edge to make the task easier, but there was no time for that now.
Once it was in the initial incision, both men turned their efforts into shoving it deeper, until finally it met its intended placement.
They were both thrown back as a whoosh of air and blood came suddenly pouring through the pipe.
Landing on the ground, covered in the mixture, they could only try to scramble away from the deluge.
It slowed after several seconds, as Fjorna's strangled gasps became full breaths, and the pressure on her collapsing lung dissipated. She still held very still, but her eyes cut over to the two men who stood at her side.
"I can breathe." She whispered. "What did you do?"
"Your lung was collapsing! We had to let out the pressure against it!" Dr. Sherman called. "You must rest now. I wish I had a better way to keep you warm. I do not think we can even build a fire until the wind calms."
Roland nodded, considering. "I may need a giant for the task ahead, but I do not think she is fit to move."
Dr. Sherman shrugged. "My knowledge of her anatomy is limited. I have made educated guesses based on our own bodies, but… I can know very little for certain about her. Your guess is as good as mine as to her prognosis."
"How do you feel?" Roland shouted up at the woman.
"Much better, little one." She sat up, and more blood gushed from the makeshift tap, showering the men and surrounding area. The droplets froze as they hit the ground, making for a macabre sleet of red ice covering the clean snow.
The initial rush of blood and air had been warm from the giantess's body heat, but the fluid was freezing on Roland's winter coat.
Thankfully it was well-insulated, but the sticky, freezing nature of it was somewhat less than comfortable. He yearned to get it off of himself.
But, there was little point in changing if he were just going back into battle to get bloody again. Maybe the sight of him covered in so much blood would even intimidate the enemies… or lure them.
A gargoyle swooped close, and Roland dove for his spear. Would the scent of female blood act as a beacon?
He'd honestly much rather fight these flying creatures than the goblins.
"I may need you, soon, at the City Hall." Roland called up to Fjorna, realizing even as he spoke that she would have no idea where that might be. "Head towards the mountain. It will be the largest building."
"If you wish it, lifesaving child." She blinked. "I will go as soon as I can stand."
"He's not a child, he's my best apprentice." Dr. Sherman said proudly to her before turning to Roland. "If you truly need her, I'll get her patched up and on her feet as quickly as I can."
That was all Roland needed to know. He nodded his thanks and leapt onto Judah's back, though the cat wrinkled his nose in distaste.
"I'm sorry if I get your fur messy," The man apologized. "This is war, after all."
A condescending chirp was given in answer before Judah ran towards the city hall. Roland would have chuckled under less dire circumstances.
Gargoyles swooped low as they ran, gravitating towards the smell of Fjorna's congealing blood. Roland kept his spear at the ready, and Judah ran slower than normal, both because of the wind and so that his rider could keep his seat while fending off the bloodthirsty monsters.
He wondered fleetingly if any of the goblins were female. Some infighting amongst the Void's forces would be helpful. Somehow he doubted that such an oversight would have been made. The Void was too clever.
___________
Lysander slumped against the top of the wall. Exhaustion permeated his bones, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep fighting. His eyes shot over to the giants, who were continuing to swat the seemingly endless swarm of gargoyles from the sky. Just how many of the blasted things even existed?
The former Provider was grateful that the swarm was not inside the city, attacking the women there.
Like his wife and daughter. He fought for them tonight.
He pushed himself up, determined to continue the struggle. The men around him were falling one by one. It was heartbreaking. Would his life be the next snuffed out by the fangs of a gargoyle or the blade of a goblin?
The sound of a horn caught his attention. Another attack? A new enemy? It wasn't a signal he recognized… except from a vague memory.
Ceto?
Had the Cetoans sent more men to reinforce Klain?
"Hugi!" Lysander called to the youngest giant. "Hugi!"
Having gained his attention despite the howling wind, Lysander paused before continuing. "Can you carry me to that sound? The gates are closed! The new troops must be met and let in!"
"Mother?" The giant asked uncertainly.
"Go! The more fighters we have, the sooner we can end this!" She cried, not bothering to whisper for the humans' sake. It showed just how frazzled and frustrated she was by the onslaught. Lysander gulped.
Hugi stepped across the dry, icy riverbed. The tunnels' flooding had drained the lake significantly, and the river it fed was now just frozen mud beneath the giant's feet. He snatched up Lysander from the wall rather roughly.
"Let's go, little man." He said in a voice which made Lysander wonder if he should have asked one of the others to accompany him.