Chapter 560: Reforges aftermath (1/2)
'All I saw at that moment, was the view from above, from behind someone who rescued me. The ruin that had rained on camp Reforge, the many years of peaceful fights against monsters turned to a massive failure. In my mind, as well as the others, we knew, today's incident was only begging to arrive. The amount of death, blood, and bodies all over, the decomposing corpse of the new beasts. I was hopeless, my friends were killed, I don't even know if some survived. Still, on those warm solid shoulders, I found myself praying for it to never end. Reality and expectation were different, from where we stood, the mild fire seemed like nothing but a distant flame.'
”Hey, are you alright?”
”Yeah, I'm fine,” replied she stuck winding the moments leading to her friend's death.
”Don't fret too much,” they leaped off the wall, ”-all if this happened because we were weak. Good men died protecting the youth, no way can we back down.” An elaborate lie to put the fearful mind at rest when in pain, either combat with another fiercer emotion or let it ruin thyself, or so he thought. Now, the world through the shiny-white eyes felt different. Everything seemed to have a different form, a nostalgic feeling. Halfway till the camp, Origin stopped talking and said to call on him if ever things got out of hand. Thinking nothing of it, they continued. Occasionally trampling over perished men; disfigures, disembowel, others, just an arm or leg. Thus, on Monday the 8th of March X100, the sun rose bashfully to the east, lighting the road coming from Stonegrove. Stamina ran low, mana was naught, not to mention, a pretty lady on his back. Putting another foot forward, the once deserted road came in view. Trucks and ambulances went up and down, the aftermath of the battle was handled with much experience. Teams, mostly the military, broke off to handle and care for the injured. A makeshift healer's camp settled at the center of the outpost. Damage sustained was to the defensive walls and watchtower. Reforge stood without much harm. The fires were unfortunate trucks caught under attack.
”Heal my comrade, please, he's barely alive,” cried one.
”Are you dumb, my wife has priority, is that how you treat her for having served your useless asses for years?” screamed another.
'What is this?' ash and dust hovered from the ground, people in bandages were left to rest under the shadow of broken walls. Both men and women buckled under the pressure, supplies ran low – few arguments broke. Unable to see much, they passed the main gate. Lines separated injured, only a limited number of ambulances were present. Those considered at death's door were given priority, however, those without hope of rescue were left to die a painful death. The triage held no regard for gender, race, and age. To make matters worse, the curse of monsters grew to infect more than a few.
”You there,” voiced Corporal Zoey, ”-is that Ling?”
”Yes,” answered he curtly, ”-she's sleeping.”
”Good, take her inside, Corporal Tommy's waiting,” to which, her strong gesture continued in guiding the survivors. The strain on healers wasn't to be desired, forced to drink mana potions and heal without rest. Casting a wince of discomfort; the door opened to the cleaner interior of the headquarters. Medics ran along the halls, another makeshift medical camp for injuries beyond magic's reach.
”Is she injured?” asked a flustered nurse, ”-take her inside, follow me.”
”No, no,” he interrupted her jog, ”-I need to see Corporal Tommy, this here is his sister, she's just exhausted.”
”I see,” glancing up and down, ”-fine, sorry. The influx of patients is too much – I wonder where the doctor is. Take care,” and off she scurried with a knee-high uniform and curly hair. Watching her felt even more exhausting, running here and there to engage anyone who entered, trying her best to save the lives lost.
*Knock, knock,*
”Come in,” said a rough voice.
”Excuse me,” said Igna, ”-Corporal Tommy, I've brought Ling,” the table wasn't alone, as the guests spun in curiosity.
'Viola, a sergeant, and the corporal.'
”I see,” said Tommy, ”-thank you for bringing her, is she alright?”
”Might have sprained her ankle, apart from that, she's ok.”
”Good put her on the couch. I'll ask the officers to prepare a reward.”
”No,” he refused, ”-use the money for more supplies. Outside's a mess. They could start fighting any second.”
”Well Corporal,” voiced the sergeant, ”-that's the boy I was talking about. He single-handedly killed a few Crawlers by reports from the Wall-Guardian and adventurers. A very courageous lad, there's another report about him rescuing three girls and running off into the fog to bait the beasts.” Though the words felt encouraging, the mannerism and tone didn't match. A suspicious glare, hard-pressed brows, and a rigid stance.
”Come out and say it,” said Igna nonchalantly, ”-what's the underlying intent. Let me guess, you think I'm a traitor… I guess having survived the fog, killed the threat, and rescued a few girls isn't enough, now is it. A Silver-ranked adventurer should have been on the front lines, not a porcelain rank. Tell me how that is fair, huh?” slamming the table, ”-I tried to save my friends, but they were killed. Ling over there barely managed to survive; do you know how bad the fucking battle was… I guess not, you were busy fighting amidst yourself.”
”Igna,” voiced Viola.
”No, I'm not done giving my report. Guess what, a low-tiered demon was behind the summoning, we barely escaped, everyone else died. Still, I'm a traitor; or so what sergeant Appy figured. Matter of fact, I wish I was the one responsible for this fucking massacre, culling the incompetent is one way to get rid of bastards like you off the continent.”
”That's enough,” voiced Tommy, ”-Sergeant, the boy has a point.”
'Why did I lash out… I thought I lost my emotions…'
'Hey, being heartless isn't good for discussions. Leave that side to me,' said a faint whisper.
'Origin's doing, whatever, still my doing.'
”I apologize,” he side-glanced the window and spun, ”-if not for some imbeciles, this could have been avoided.”