Aftermath

Jp with Lorem and Bandorchu

The poorer ventilation from the back of the tunnel was causing the air to smell increasingly like an overwhelming mixture of sanguine and sweat perfume. Gonyaul’s olefactory senses were being overloaded by the sickening smell. Simultaneously his sensibility was being shook by the traumatic consequences of combat. Never before had he seen so much beneath the skin of a human being; it was a foreign environment that brought with it a cacophony of painful noises coming from the injured.

He did his best to help Nicolaus. Following instructions and staying attentive was easy. The hard part was watching some of the less gentle techniques that had to be applied in order to achieve results. Gonyaul had blood, smeared, sprayed and pressed, all over him; however, he could count himself extremely fortunate none of it was his own.

It was a long queue of men and by the end Gonyaul was exhausted both mentally and physically. He could only imagine how Nicolaus must feel, or those that actually fought and suffered in the battle.

Gonyaul emerged from the tunnel entrance as if in a frazzled daze. He had enough stamina and mental fortitude at the moment to bring one coherent thought into focus. ~I need to find Voah and Alexis.~

Seeing the area was now free of danger he began searching for them.

He came across dead body after dead body, from both sides. Each one increasing his fear that his friends were going to be among them. Occasionally he would have to pause as a dry heaving fit or gag at the sight of a mutilated form or a twisted expression on a deceased combatant. War was awful.

Finally the last of the raiders was making their way out of sight. Finally Alexis could lower her bow and come to terms with the fact she wasn’t going to die tonight. Probably.

With that realisation, everything she had forcefully pushed away caught up with her, every cut and bruise and stab wound she had suffered over the course of the last few days, every sleepless hour on horseback and on defense for the settlement.
And that was just the physical toil.

She had to brace herself against the stone next to the entrance for a moment as a dizziness spell almost made her world go black and took a few steadying breaths.

The mercenary looked at the few surviving soldiers who had stood their ground in front of the mine entrance with her and quietly thanked them, directing them to Zane’s command.

Then she began to slowly, laboriously make her way down the tunnels towards Cagliostro makeshift field hospital.

She couldn’t really think right now. Didn’t want to. She just wanted to know how Tarmen was faring, and to see Voah and Gonyaul.

Gonyaul was so shocked from this experience, he had no clue that he had wandered out from the mines and completely went past Alexis without realizing it. To any onlooker it was as if he was just covered in blood and walking in a serpentine pattern aimlessly in the direction of the forge.

In fact, his tired eyes were having trouble discerning the difference between friendly and foe from the slain left on the ground. Each one was a precious life now gone. His tears for them, and those in their spheres of influence that would no longer share life with them, ran black down his blood smeared cheeks due to the charcoal makeup around his eyes from his earlier disguise.

He began to call out, his hoarse voice and choking emotions made it sound more like a croak.

“Voah … Alexis!?”