Luminado and Riley were on the other side of the blast. They suffered severed burns even though they were heavily armored. The rest of Luminado’s chest crumbled away. Riley’s armor was darkened black, helmet was still sizzling as she rips the helmet off of her as she breathe heavily in frustration she picked up her sword only for Luminado to grab her and stops her.
“No. We leave. And regroup with the others.” He said.
“Are you fucking kidding me, brother!? Like hell, I’m going let them make a fool out of us again!” She yells. She tries to break free from Luminado’s grasp but he grips her harder until she was down to her knees and Luminado lowers himself to her face to face.
“A warrior must know when one can win a battle and when they will lose. You got in battle with that ego and arrogance of yours then you will be wined up on their chopping block! Or have you forgotten of what they did to our brothers in arms!?” He argues.
They both remembered. The end days of the War. One final battle that will decide the turn the tide in anyone’s favor. If anyone claims victory of this battle, they would be the true winners, the ones that others will bow, respect, and has a chance to enter The Central City. But when the day finally came, every army was armed to the teeth for a chance of victory, glory, recognition, and entitlement. But then, they came and wiped every last mercenary band during the final assault. It was supposed to be anyone’s game to win for the glory of who won the war. But then they came butchered everyone like they were nothing. On the battlefield, there’s nothing but mountains of corpses, grand lakes of blood, ripped banners of every mercenary and national army banner from their respective legion too, weapons, disheveled and broken beyond repair. Luminado and Riley were of the few lucky survivors that survived. But over a mountain of bodies, there they stood holding their banner. A banner which none will ever forget, a banner which will haunt those that dare thread their path. The Dark Children of the Night.
Riley snaps back into reality and listened to Luminado’s instruction and followed him through the now burnt woodlands. Frustrated, she believed she failed not only her mercenary group, not only her brother, not only herself, not failing her chance for getting revenge of The Dark Children of the Night. Luminado on the other hand, he only saw it as an opportunity. He knows now, that they’re here. And that they have a new rookie with them. No way did he fought like a soldier like South army men once did. No, he fought like a mercenary. He fought hard, brutal, relied on instinct, took action before thought, and fought like his life depend on it. Albeit a beginner, he knows he’s going to improve one way or another. And when he does, Luminado will enjoy in killing him in glorious battle.
They head northeast where both of their horses were hitched on a tree. They unhitch them and saddled up on their horses and begin to make their way eastward toward their main camp and met up with some of the surviving members along the way. But none of them greeted Luminado or his lieutenant, not that it bothered but he knows what’s going on in their minds right now. They lost more of their brother in arms by The Dark Children of the Night, again. Frustrated, angry, and vengeful. They still desire one thing on their minds, to see The Dark Children of the Night’s head on their chopping block for justice for their fallen brothers.
Meanwhile, back in the south city, the majority of the escaped slaves made it to the south. However, not all of them returned in one piece or pieces. With a grand total of five hundred escaped slaves made to it the city, one hundred fifty of them lost some of their limbs in the process, forty of them were in ill health or became deathly ill after reaching the south’s northern gate, and one hundred sixty slaves died either from blood loss or by Desperado’s men pursuit. Leaving a total of three hundred forty escaped slaves rescued and are currently under the care of Andrea and her medical force of the south.
All of them have been transferred to a decerped and abandoned university now serving as a temporary emergency hospital for the wounded and as a shelter for them. The science lab was transformed into a make-shifted Emergency Surgeon Room as every room was treating or performing surgery on patients every minute or hour. The majority of the sick and wounded were placed in the gymnasium as there were wooden beds and IB bags and stands filled the whole gym. Even after going through proceeding surgery some of them were screaming in pain or agony, or both. While the ones who managed to made it unscathed or with minor injury were placed in the courtyard with pitched tents and futon beds. Most of them didn’t look at each other in the eye or with any of the doctors that were examining them. Most of them were still dealing with the aftershock of trauma. They just escaped from slavery after who knows how long and most of them made it…. But the others didn’t.
Back in the science building, doctors are working around the clock by rapidly treating and performing countless surgeons nonstop as countless slaves were injured or had some of their limbs severed. Even Andrea, who was still at work with Miyoko, Xin, and Sara going through surgery on Saul to tend his wounds in battle could still hear their cry behind closed doors. They managed to tend to most of his wound and the cast covered his arms as they were covered in dry blood. Nevertheless, they manage to save him before he bleeds out too much. After the surgery was done, Andrea exists out of the room as Frey, Jax, and Kam were right outside waiting.
“So how’s the kid?” Frey asked.
“Kid’s not dead is he?” Kam asked as he leaped out from his chair.
“Relax will you!” Andrea shouted. She puts out a cigarette from her chest again as she lights it with her fire magic from her fingertips. “He’s going to okay. But he lost a lot of blood and broken most of his bones in that battle. Had he pushed himself further, he would have surely died. Until further notice, he’ll be staying here until he has recovered.” She added.
“Ma’am. We’ll have him sent over to the gymnasium right away.” Said a nurse.
“No. I will be looking after him in my office for the time being.
“Ma’am, are you sure?” The nurse asked.
“He’s a ….special case to look after. And I do not wish for him to be near the other patients in case they get him sick or vice versa.” Andrea said.
“Very well ma’am.” The nurse replied as she walked away.
Andrea snapped her fingers as she opens a portal in front of the gurney Saul laid on. Kam and Jax assist Andrea but pulling the gurney towards the portal. Walking through the portal, they were teleported into a large dormitory room now turned into Andrea’s makeshift office. And in the middle of the room was a small single bed fit for Saul and right next to it was a king-size bed for Andrea. Kam and Jax then lifted Saul off of the wooden gurney and lay him on the small single bed.
“You sure you don’t need us to keep watch?” Jax asked.
“As if people would actually want to rob an old student dormitory. There’s not much to steal besides old textbooks. Besides, we also got guards on watch and some of the other doctors are also bunking in the other dormitory as well. We’ll be fine for now.” She said as puffs out smoke from her cigarette.
“Alright, give us a call if you need anything else.” Kam added.
Kam and Jax then walked back into the portal as it closes as soon as they entered it. Andrea then sighed in relief as she puts out the cigarette. She then walks over to a small counter where she grabs a bottle of liquor and pours herself a glass of brandy. She then walks over to a desk which was next to Saul’s bed. She then took a small towel and wets in a bowl of cold water and places it on his forehead and then ruffled his hair a bit. She also gets straight to work on some paperwork on her desk. The majority of them were reports about the current status of the many patients under her care now. However, a few of them are citizenship paperwork where she is signing a few of the names of the runaway slaves as citizens of the south city.
As night falls onto the university and everyone turns in for the night for lights out, the night change with depression and sadness. The patients both in the courtyard and in the gymnasium cried in their sleep. They cry from the horrors of their experience as slaves, they cry in relief, or they cry for many fallen people knew as slaves that died either by slave owners or during their escape for freedom. The guards on watch couldn’t do a thing for them, except to feel sympathy and pity them. Even the doctors and nurse sleeping in the dormitories quarters could hear their cries from the other side of the school. But again, they couldn’t do anything but pity for what they have been through.
No one deserves to be a slave for so long.
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