Pain flared throughout his body as Ash tried to lift his sword to ward off the next blow. Though the enemy knight wore a helmet, Ash could almost see the victory grin on the man’s face as he swung his sword down for a finishing blow. Ash pushed himself and was able to get his sword up in time, but his strength faltered and he was only able to partially block the blade and it dug deep into his shoulder. Ash felt as bones broke and flesh was torn. A loud yell pierced the air as Ash fell back against the cold stone of the tower wall behind him keeping him upright.
Ash watched as the knight neared him, taking only a small amount of happiness of the blood seeming from the man’s injured arm as the blood dripped from the armor. The knight once again raised his sword, but this time it did not fall as a large ball of flame engulfed the knight causing him to scream out in unimaginable pain. The knight moved too far to one side and seeing his chance, Ash used the last ounce of his strength to jump forward, pushing the man over the side of the wall. As the man disappeared from sight, Ash’s head started to swim and his eyes started to falter.
Ash felt something grab him from his uninjured side and tried to turn his head, but it felt as if he was moving it against a tide of water. He caught a glimpse of Matt who was saying something, but it sounded like gibberish to Ash’s ears.
Ash was carried down the ramparts to his tent and soon a woman clad in a white dress stained in many spots with dark splotches of red entered. The whole time he lay, Allice sat by his side his hand in hers. Ash tried to smile, but each time he did, Allice would start crying in earnest.
When the woman laid her hands on Ash’s chest, he felt something warm enter his body and a portion of the pain disappeared. With each passing moment, his mind became clearer, but even when the woman took an unsteady step back, Ash still couldn’t bring himself to sit.
“Master,” Ash heard Allice say her words catching slightly as she spoke.
“I’m fine Allice,” Ash said, giving her hand a squeeze. He tried to say more, but he suddenly felt tired and had to fight against the closing darkness, but it was of little use.
8-9
As he slept, Ash felt as if something was calling out to him. The sense of loss from the night before was still there, but it was much weaker than before. It had been mostly replaced by a longing as if he was missing something, but didn’t know what it was. Hundreds of thoughts pulled at him and in his dreams it was almost as if he could see something forming in the darkness, but it was so blurry that he couldn’t tell what it was.
When Ash woke, he found that Allice was still sitting beside him with her hand holding his. He tried to lift her other arm, but pain shot though his body. Ash wanted to curse, but currently Allice had her head laid against the bed sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her, so he quietly ground his teeth.
Turning his head slightly, Ash looked toward the tent exit to see that the sky was already dark. He didn’t hear any sounds of battle so he guessed that it was in-between battles. Ash’s side and shoulder hurt, but it was only a dull pain, unless he tried to move. Looking back toward Allice, Ash lightly squeezed her hand, enjoying the feeling of warmth transmitted as he did so.
“Master,” Allice said as her eyes sluggishly opened. When she saw that Ash was awake, Allice’s eyes brightened then quickly furrowed with worry. “Are you hungry master…Or should I get you something to drink? Are you comfortable? Does it hurt?” Allice asked another question before Ash had a chance to answer the previous one.
After a bit Ash was able to get Allice to calm down. He asked her to get him something to eat and drink. Allice quickly ran out of the room only to return seconds later carrying a small bowl and a mug of water. Ash sat up and ripples of pain shot from his shoulder and side, but he ignored them. When he reached out to take the bowl from Allice, she pinched her lips and held it out of his reach then took the spoon and held brought it to his mouth.
Before Ash had finished half his meal, Jorin entered the tent and gave a slight laugh when he noticed that Ash was being fed by Allice. He gave her a sly wink and pulled a stool up so that he could sit beside Allice at Ash’s bedside.
“How is the battle going?” Ash asked hesitantly.
“Not as good as I would wish, but better than expected,” Jorin answered cryptically. “Four hundred men dead another seven hundred injured, yourself included. Out of those seven hundred, less than half will be fit for duty before the next wave. Luckily the enemy has taken heavy damage as well and after the last battle they pulled back and night has already fallen. I had expected a few small forays to hit us, but so far the night has remained quiet.”
“Do you think we will be able to hold out another day?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Jorin said after giving out a heavy sigh. “I won’t lie to you son, it looks bad. I expect that tomorrow will be far worse than today. At first light I think they will mount a large attack at least the same size as the last one. If we can hold that off, they will mount a second larger attack. If we can hold off the second attack, we will last another day, but it won’t be easy. The healers are already exhausted but it seems that the goddess favors us and as the priestess has explained are helping them recover, but even if they could bring back the dead, I still doubt we will be able to hold much longer. Still if we can hold out until tomorrow, it will give that much more time for our messengers to arrive.”
“Will the capital be prepared?”
“That is a question beyond my ability to answer,” Jorin said, his shoulders slumping slightly. “There are less than five hundred troops in the capital. If the duchess is able to gather enough fighters from the guilds, she might be able to hold the walls long enough for reinforcements, but I honestly doubt it. There is just too many walls and not enough soldiers. As soon as there is a breach, the city will fall within the hour.”
Hearing the news, Ash couldn’t help his face from turning slightly white with fear then red with anger. “I will be ready to fight shortly,” Ash said as he tried to get up from the bed. Before he could move one leg both Allice and Jorin moved to hold him down.
“I understand your feelings boy,” Jorin said gruffly. “I truly do, but right now you would just be hastening your death and that wouldn’t help us or your wife. For today take it easy, if it gets too bad then I will call everyone who can wield a sword and that would include you so until then, rest. And tomorrow you can join what is left of us on the battlements.”
Ash didn’t want to heed the commanders words but when he noticed the look on Allice’s face, he relented and nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. Jorin gave a weak smile then stood and excused himself and quickly left the tent, leaving him and Allice alone.
For a long time after Jorin left, Allice and Ash sat in silence. There were many things that Ash wanted to say to Allice, but he could figure out how to put it into words. No matter how many women he now had around him, sometimes he still felt like the awkward loner from his previous world. Ash started to wonder if he would ever truly get over his awkwardness.
“Master,” Allice said breaking the silence that had hung over the two.
“What did you call me?” Ash asked trying to be playful.
“Ash,” Allice said ducking her head slightly. Ash thought that she was embarrassed, though that thought quickly left him. Allice was often insecure, but she was seldom embarrassed. When Ash noticed that her shoulders were softly moving and that small dots of water were falling onto his hand he felt his heart soften. “I don’t want you to die,” Allice said, clutching his hand tightly but not daring to look into his eyes.
“Allice,” Ash whispered as he pulled her to his chest. Pain shot through his body but he ignored it. “I don’t want to die either, but we don’t always get what we want.”
“Ash,” Allice said between tears.
Ash continued to hold her until Allice wore herself out. Once she was finished crying, Ash pulled her into the bed and held her tightly while whispering calming words to her. As Allice fell asleep, Ash so
ftly stroked her hair and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know how much time passed but soon he saw the first streams of daylight enter through the small gap in the tent flaps. Shortly after the sun was up, Ash heard the first sounds of battle coming from outside.
As soon as the sounds of battle filled the air, Allice started to shift in her sleep, her face taking on a look of pain as silent tears leaked from her eyes. After a few moments her eyes shot open, but when she noticed that she was still in Ash’s embrace, her eyes softened and a light and warm smile graced her face. Ash pulled her close, trying to hide the pained look that threatened to sprout on his own face as he listened to the battle outside.
The day before Ash had only fought in two of the four battles, but each time the enemy attacked he had heard the sounds of the bows and the screams of those injured and dying. Now behind the thin curtain of fabric, those sounds were like a knife stabbing at his heart. A part of him knew that this war was not his fault. It was just something that came about using him as a catalyst. That knowledge did little to lessen the guilt whenever he heard the scream of a man or woman who had been fighting on the wall while he sat by doing nothing.
The fighting lasted for hours and each passing second more and more screams rang out. Ash feared that his own heart would give out from the pain before the battle ended, then he felt Allice’s warm hand on his cheek pulling him down. Suddenly his lips were sealed by hers and his ears were covered by her hands drowning out the sounds of battle. Allice kissed Ash for a long time and when she released him from her grasp, only a small lingering smile was left behind on his face.
“Thank you,” Ash said as he looked into her large eyes that seemed to stare straight through him.
“I love you,” Allice whispered softly.
“I love you too,” Ash said as he pulled her close.
When the sounds of battle started to wane, Ash held his breath. A cry suddenly rose from the fort and Ash knew that they had pushed back the enemy once again. He wanted nothing more than to get to his feet and to see the situation of the fort, but currently doing so would only result in him reopening his injuries. Ash listened intently to every sound trying to pick up any news that the passing soldiers were talking about. From what he gathered, it was the fire mage that had forced the enemy to withdraw though at great cost.
Each mage master level or above had one skill that trumped all others though it was one that could only be used once in a lifetime. By condensing all the MP in their body they could unleash a spell far greater than normal, but the cost would be their life. It was one of the reasons that mages were respected and feared. No one in their right mind would push a mage to the point of death unless they wanted to perish along with them. The best way to handle any mage was too kill them quickly before they had a chance to use their final attack.
The news hit Ash hard. The loss of one of the mages was a big hit to the defenses of the fort. Any man could fire an arrow, but mages were in short supply and Ash knew that his own life was only spared the day before because the fire mage had intervened on his behalf.
Ash didn’t know what time it was, but he hoped that it was at least midday. From the sounds of the battle, it had been fierce and it would take time for the enemy to clear the field before they could begin the next assault.
After the stress of listening to the battle, Ash started to feel weary after it ended. Soon he found his eyes growing heavy and he quietly drifted off to sleep.
Once again, Ash dreamed of something that he couldn’t put into words. It felt as if not just one, but thousands upon thousands of people were calling out to him, but he could not make out their voices. Looking in the distance, all Ash could see was darkness, but it was a hazy darkness as if something was just out of sight. He called out to the darkness but he received no reply. He felt a coldness slip into his bones and a feeling of loneliness overcame him.
Ash’s eyes shot open and he quickly looked around the tent only to find that nothing had changed. Allice had left the bed, but she was sitting close by while sewing. As he watched her, he remembered Lillanis who in a way had become like a sister to her. Ash quickly dismissed that train of thought since it left an unpleasant feeling in his chest.
The sounds of people moving outside were still present, but there were no sounds of battle which allowed Ash to relax. With little to do, Ash checked his status to see if anything was wrong. His MP had mostly recovered though it was only slightly above half. His Stamina was also recovering though at a slightly slower pace than usual. His HP seemed to be the main problem. Below his HP stat there was a small red word, “injured.” His HP had been reduced to only 512/1400 and it didn’t seem to be recovering very fast. Ash had learned long ago that some wounds needed advanced healing and even then it could take a long time for them to be recovered. Ash had not only received a great wound, he also had bones broken. The bones had been repaired, but healing wasn’t some mystical force that could heal everything. There was always a cost and that cost was taken from the body of the person being healed. Most the time the cost was in the form of stamina so as long as the healer had the MP, Ash could almost always be healed, but with the number of people injured, how could they spend so much just for one soldier. It was amazing that they would do as much as they had when it would make more sense to heal many soldiers for what it cost for them to knit his bones back together.
Shortly after looking at his status, one of the priests entered Ash’s tent and bowed. “Lord Hawkwing, I am just about to go off duty so I thought I would check on your state before retiring,” the man said politely.
“I am fine,” Ash said, thinking it odd that he was just thinking about this when the priest showed up. “If you still have the strength to heal, it should be put to better use on someone who can still fight today.”
The priest gave a light chuckle but seemed to ignore Ash’s words as he moved forward. He placed his hand on Ash’s chest and closed his eyes. “The wound on your side is mostly closed, but the wound on your shoulder is quite bad. The sword had cut through your clavicle and severed three ribs. If it had moved an inch deeper it would have reached your heart and not even the best healer would have been able to help you.” A warm light engulfed Ash and the pain lessened. When the healer was finished, Ash could move his arm without much pain. On the downside, his stamina was so low that he was still unable to strain himself without fear of passing out. “I think with this, you should be good enough. Though you still need plenty of rest and some food, otherwise you won’t completely recover,” the priest said before excusing himself.
As soon as the priest left and before Ash could say anything, Allice sat down her needle and thread and left the tent only to return shortly after carrying another bowl of pottage. Ash once again reached for the bowl, but just like before his hand was swatted away as Allice demanded to feed him.
Once he was finished eating, Allice checked his bandages and smiled when she noticed that only a long thin silvery scar was left behind. Ash tried to hold back a laugh as her soft fingers traced the scar as it ran down his chest. She looked up at Ash with slightly moist eyes. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore,” Ash said moving his arm freely. “I should be well enough to fight again soon.
At this, Allice’s eyes started to tear up and she leaned against his chest, her fingernails biting into his skin. Before he could say anything to console her, shouting filled the air and once again Ash knew that the enemy had returned. He tried to sit up and reach for his sword but his stamina had been almost completely depleted during the healing. Small multicolored lights dotted his vision and his head started to spin. Without any choice, Ash leaned back onto the bed, once again forced to only listen to the battle.
The fighting lasted for untold hours and the whole time Ash drank stamina recovery potions waiting for the call to arms, but it never came. Soon the light started to fade from the sky and the horn sounding retreat filled the air. Upon hearing the horn, Ash let out a deep breath and he suddenly f
elt weak as if he had been holding it in the entire battle. Ash got to his feet, though Allice quickly protested and tried to push him back into the bed.
“I am fine now,” Ash said letting his hand rest gently on her head. “I want to see how things are going for myself.”
Hearing his words, Allice’s face paled but she didn’t say anything. In truth what could she say? She knew that Ash treated her nicely, but in the end she was his slave.
As soon as Ash exited the tent, his heart felt as if a hand had reached out and took hold of it squeezing it till it nearly burst. A large area near the back of the fort had been cleared and upon it lay the bodies of countless soldiers ready to be burned at the pyre. Along the ground, numerous cots lay with even more soldiers waiting treatment.
Ash’s eyes quickly scanned the area until he found commander Jorin walking among the wounded, his own arm and right eye wrapped in bandages. Quickening his pace, Ash quickly approached the commander who smiled upon seeing him. “Good to see you back among the living,” Jorin said with a hearty laugh.
“So we made it another day,” Ash said, though there was no happiness in his voice.
“That we did,” Jorin agreed in a dark voice. “Walk with me for a bit lad.”
Jorin led Ash back to the command building and quickly ushered him inside and shut the door. The commander slumped in his chair and pulled out a bottle from one of the drawers and poured a glass, sliding it over to Ash before taking a long draw straight from the bottle.
“Bad day?” Ash asked, already knowing the answer to the question.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Jorin replied after taking another deep drink. “I am still alive so it could have been worse. You know Captain Matthew fell during the last battle. Saw it myself. The young fool rushed forward, pushing one of the large ladders that had been placed on the wall over the side taking him along with it. As soon as he hit the ground, he started unleashing every skill he had killing near a hundred soldiers by my guess, but he still fell to the sheer number of the bastards.”
Reborn: Demon's Heritage Page 7
