He stared hard at them. All three were young Samite men, their skin either a very dark brown or outright black. And each of them was holding some sort of weapon. One had a pipe, another had a hammer, and the third had a machete. Sain looked to the one with the hammer and noted the blood that coated it. He lifted a hand up gingerly to touch his head and it came away wet, a sheen of blood on it.
"You fuckers" he growled even as the one with the hammer launched at him, a wide swing coming down, aimed at the crown of Sains head. It never reached its target as Sain let loose a weak blast of energy and the Samite man was blown clean backwards, slamming into the wall of the room, his head smacking hard against it. The blast wasn't enough to keep him down, but the realisation that they were up against a mage sent the other two fleeing, dropping most of Sain’s belongings in the process.
Sain blinked in surprise and turned slowly, making to grab at the man with the machete, who had a handful of money. Sain’s money that he had been keeping in his back pack. The man with the hammer burst past Sain, and he felt a strike to the back of his head which glanced straight off his barrier, and he snarled, striking out with a fist at the man as he got out of the room. Sain's fist kissed air and he stepped forward to follow the three men but staggered, his head swimming. He fell to one knee, a hand reaching out to rest against the wall of his room even as his barrier faded away, his magic slipping from his grip.
He scowled and just let the men go, figuring he had a concussion. What was a handful of money over his life.
Sain used the wall as a support to help him stand up, and even leant against it as he closed the door and secured it with its chain. He rested there a short moment, eyes closing briefly before he pushed off the wall and flopped back to his bed, arms out and legs still on the floor. He let out a low groan as the pain in his forehead subsided to a dull throb.
As he rested there, his mind turned to his situation and he quite suddenly felt a crushing depression rush over him and tears welled up. What the hell was he doing here? He had tried talking to many the local shop keepers the last few days, but had found only one or two that could hold some sort of conversation with him. He had not been able to find out any real information, or any job prospects, so feeling rather lost or no idea what he should be doing, he had retired to his room.
Sniffing a little he then scowled, dashing those tears away again. Perhaps he should join the military here, as Lesha had said. It really seemed to be the only way to really gain employment here, outside of criminal activities, and he didn't particularly feel like keeping his guard up all the time.
His mind turned to something else, and he remembered a conversation he had heard in the past between his father and brother, and how his father had said that sometimes it didn't matter how good you were, but how lucky you were. Tears welled up again at the memory and he actually sobbed. Perhaps he could stay in the military for a few years, build up some money and try to get back home. If he even could. A dead man returning home would be sure to raise some eyebrows.
After a few more minutes of haphazard sobbing, he rolled over and grabbed one of the dirty pillows on the bed and wrapped it up under him, basically hugging it to his chest as he tried to drift off to sleep, doubting those men would come back for round two so soon.
Chapter 36
* * *
Niall looked out across Pagua with a heavy heart, flanked by his liege, Princess Phidel. The two of them stood quietly as they surveyed the city. It was a destroyed city undergoing repair. There were cranes and trucks everywhere, removing rubble and knocking down buildings too damaged to be salvaged. The few members of the local populace that remained in the city were even helping, albeit with bad grace. Niall suspected they were not happy with the failed liberation attempt at all. Hearing Phidel sigh, he turned to look at her as she started to speak.
"We heard today that Clovis made it back to Federation territory, where he has been demoted. He is now just a captain again, though he will surely rise once more, he is a hopeful of the Federation after all" Phidel said then remained silent when Niall simply nodded to show he had heard her. He had recently received yet another medal from her Highness due to his crushing defeat of Clovis. Yet he did not feel elated at all. It was just another medal to add to his large collection.
He had fought in bigger battles in the F.K.E, where there had been greater loss of life, but he had never felt this downcast. He was sure Phidel understood why though, he did himself after all.
After the defeat of Clovis, Harald had taken his fleet to bomb the Federation trenches surrounding Pagua uncontested, as well as lead an offensive with all the remaining air power Phidel had at her command. He had taken the sky fleet out over the ocean whilst Phidel and Niall remained in Pagua leading clean-up operations of the Federation infantry, of which many surrendered once they understood that they were stranded and trapped.
Niall scowled suddenly as he looked down and saw many Federation soldiers being marched through the streets, their hands on top of their heads. He felt a sudden stab of anger and Phidel seemed to pick up on it, noting the expression he wore. She followed his gaze to see what he was looking at and then frowned slightly.
"Don't let Harald's actions get to you Niall. He did nothing wrong" she stated softly, a hint of defensiveness in her voice. Niall just scowled.
"I am not having this conversation again my lady. Your brother ordered the army to kill everyone. Even I had difficulty making our soldiers stop the slaughter. It was just wrong" Niall stated angrily, a recent memory coming forth of him yelling at the Prince, and coming very close to physically striking the Royal.
Phidel exhaled slowly and then frowned once more, not about to repeat the argument they had had earlier. Instead she turned the talk to another subject.
"Aside from that unpleasantness, Harald just defeated Admiral Raus at sea. The Federation navy will not be returning here to blockade the city. That is joyous is it not?" Phidel asked of her knight, a smile forced on her face.
"I would agree normally my lady, if I thought Harald actually won such a victory. It was most likely Admiral Riley that achieved that" Niall replied darkly and sunk in on his thoughts once more.
Niall knew that Harald had the aid of reinforcing Imperial navy vessels, during the battle with Admiral Raus at sea, and that they would have done the majority of the fighting, forcing the Federation fleet and what remained of Clovis' original Sky fleet away, making them limp back to the north sea.
The fleet had then been left alone when it had settled into ports in the North Sea, too deep in Federation territory to risk attack from the Empire. Now it apparently sat under repair, licking its wounds. Basically the same as what Phidel's forces were doing.
As the awkward silence seemed to lengthen, Phidel exhaled sharply and placed her hand on Niall's arm. When he looked at her Phidel smiled, knowing the effect it would have on the knight.
"Come, stop your brooding, there is work to be done and people that need to do it, so stop moping and start making yourself useful" she said in a soft light heartened tone of voice and grabbing his arm harder, she pulled Niall from the view and dragged him into the command centre to find something for him to do.
* * *
Sain stood at the basin in his small room, his hands resting on the sinks edges as he stared at his reflection in the broken and dirty mirror. A pair of blue eyes stared back at him and he just scowled. He had had brown eyes before his incarceration, so whatever the Gestonian's had done to him had left many a change on his body. He stared further, his scowl getting deeper. He was no longer as thin as he had been two weeks ago, even if he was still somewhat gaunt. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was stained by dirt and grime.
Tilting his head somewhat, he looked at the bloodstain on his skull, just slightly above his left temple. A hand came up and he gingerly touched the area, feeling no pain, or even sensitivity. He prodded it a few more times before dropping his hand and turning on the tap. It rattled and squeaked befo
re a thin stream of water came forth and pooled in the cracked basin. At least the water was clean. He cupped some in his hands and dashed it against his face, wiping away the dirt and blood.
Turning off the tap, he just looked at his face and inspected the area he had been struck. There was not a single hint of an injury, not even a scar, and he felt completely fine. Not a headache which would have suggested a concussion. What was it that that Samite commander had said. That Sain showed an abnormally high healing rate. Well this sure as hell proved it.
Pushing away from the sink and straightening his posture, he heard his back crack satisfactorily and he grit his teeth, hissing through them slightly before he began to move around the small room, picking up his few possessions that had been strewn around by his burglars last night.
His tattered jacket that he stuffed into the backpack the army had given him, a few pairs of holey socks and an old metal water flask. Once he had gathered his belongings, he turned back to the mirror and gave himself one final look over. He was wearing a khaki coloured singlet and similarly coloured pants. He had calf high boots and he swore he looked like one of the local militia men. Shaking his head, he turned and left the room, trudging down the hallway towards the hostel's reception. Coming into the room he chucked his set of keys at the woman there who swore at him in her usual screechy manner. He didn't give a damn.
"I am done here you foul shit stain. I am not staying in this dump any longer" he called out angrily, drowning out the woman's angry screeching, not caring if she understood him or not. He was sure she could, she just chose not to speak Gestonian.
He stepped out into the dusty street, a hand being lifted to ruffle through his dishevelled shoulder length hair. It was manky and knotted, and he hated it. He would get it cut when he was sure the barber would not try to mug him. As he looked around, he stepped off the sidewalk and into the empty street and noticed some Samite youths lounging in the shade of a building on the opposite side of the street.
Sain raised his hand and flipped them off before spitting into the dirt in a sign of derision. The youths did the same but otherwise stayed where they were. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he recognised one of them from the attack last night and he scowled. It had been dark, and their skin colour didn't exactly make it easy for him to identify them in the night. For a moment he considered crossing the street and flinging magic at them, in a sort of revenge attack. A stab of rage rang through him and he turned away from them, lest he actually do it. Sain actually felt quite elated and liberated because of last night, due to the fact that he had used magic, and didn't face any repercussion. He had never known this kind of freedom back home.
He smiled slightly and then continued trudging down the street now, aiming for the army recruitment office. He had finally come to the decision to enlist this morning, figuring now that he had no money after it was stolen, he would be needing to find employment. And he figured none of the shopkeepers would hire him if he couldn't speak the local language. Plus, he really did not want to subsist on a life of crime. He had seen what that did to people in Rindai, even when they were operating on the fringes of the law.
Turning a corner, he stopped as he found a van parked in the middle of the street, three men standing there, all with scarves wrapped around their heads and dark sunglasses hiding their eyes. They were adorned with military get up, but not quite. Each was wearing civilian clothes, but wore military belts and weapons. Each one held a rifle and they just stared at Sain, no words being spoken. These guys looked dangerous. They were large and thickly built, a few sporting tattoo's up their limbs.
Sain didn't even hesitate and turned around, meaning to walk in the opposite direction, but stopped again as he saw another two men appear from corners opposite him, rifles slung across their body. They walked slowly towards Sain, threat implied, and he scowled even as he heard one of the men behind him speak.
"Best hop in the van kiddo. We don't particularly want to rough you up" he heard one say, the voice thick and accented. It did not sound Samite or Gestonian. The man was foreign. Sain gulped and turned around to face the man that had spoken.
He locked his eyes on the man, noting his rippling muscles and large chest. It seemed as though his muscles were set on escaping the clothing keeping them just barely contained.
"Well, I don't particularly want to. At least when I don't know who you are" Sain stated, his jaw working a little as he rolled it side to side. The man seemed to note Sain's agitation and slightly lifted his rifle, the other two men behind him doing the same, the threat implied. Sain gulped and tentatively reached for his magic. He touched the pool of energy, seeing it in his mind’s eye. It was many times larger than what it had been in Rindai, and he felt considerably more powerful because of it.
He pushed a barrier out around his immediate vicinity, the barrier mere inches from his body. The men seemed to sense what he was doing, and their rifles came straight up to point at Sain, the lead man taking a few steps backward.
"Now now lad. That is a bad idea. Drop the magic or we will shoot" the man stated, his voice level and even, seemingly not worried in the slightest.
"Not happening. My da told me never to get into stranger’s cars" Sain retorted, holding his magic close to him. Dust swirled lightly around the barrier, unable to get inside, and Sain just stayed silent now, staring at the men.
They didn't say anything further and just opened fire on Sain, their bullets ripping into Sains shield. Sain blinked, realising they were using pre-energy era weapons and he grit his teeth as he felt his shield buckling under the pressure of the kinetic weaponry. With a grunt he gathered a vast amount of energy and flung it out with a wide gesture of his hand, and watched as the three men in front of him disappeared from view, being flung straight backwards through the air. Even the van behind them was thrown, much like a small toy in a storm. The ground Sain was standing on ripped upwards and the buildings either side of the road disintegrated, their walls blowing down the street as if they had just been wiped out by a tornado.
Sain watched the van and the three men tumble down the street, coming to a halt about fifty meters from where they had been previously. They did not get up. Sain could not see their injuries, and did not feel inclined to investigate them. Feeling bullets still ripping into his barrier from behind, he turned, feeling the exhilaration he always did when he let his power loose. His mouth split in a wicked grin, his eyes open wide and filled with glee.
The two remaining men stared, emotions unseen from behind their scarves and glasses. As they kept firing, Sain flung his hand out again, the magic rippling forth from him like a whip. It caught the first man in his left flank and flung him away, barely any sound coming from him as h flew down the street, coming to a halt as he slammed into a street sign which buckled under the impact. Stepping forward, Sain brought his other hand down, energy falling from above and forcing the other man to the ground. Sain didn't kill him, and instead used his magic to rip the weapons away from the man, flinging them against the nearby destroyed buildings.
Still keeping his barrier up, Sain stepped forward again and again until he was standing before the kneeling man, his magic holding him tight to that position.
"Why did you want me in the van? Who is after me? Who sent you?" Sain demanded of the man. The man just grit his teeth and shook his head.
"Hey. I am just a grunt. Don't know shit" he replied and Sain felt a twinge of anger. Judging from where he was, and what Lesha had said when she had left him here, there could be innumerable people after Sain. He grunted and then just lifted a foot, kicking the man in the face rather hard. He then released his magic, letting the man slump to the ground, unconscious.
He looked around briefly then, noting many faces peering from other buildings, even the demolished ones and he scowled. The people would no doubt ransack his attackers. But he did not care. So, he just hoisted his bag back on his shoulders and walked off, choosing to take another route to his intended destination. He
felt nothing now. There was no guilt in him, nor any remorse. Perhaps being in captivity had given him a much darker look on life. Shaking his head, he just kept walking, keeping his barrier up, lest some stranger attack him from an unseen location.
After a while, Sain came to a halt before a building and he looked up at the structure before him. He now stood outside the SNDF recruitment office, mostly clean of filth or graffiti. Sain felt dirty and like he was nothing more than a street beggar standing before such a clean building. He was tanned by the hot sun and streaked with dirt by the lack of a good bath or shower. His hair was dirty, long and dishevelled and badly needed cutting, and simply put, he felt filthy. Even in Rindai he had been able to keep clean. The laws may have been much harsher, but at least the standard of living was higher than it was in the Samite Union.
Summoning his courage, Sain blew out a puff of air and hoisted his bag onto his shoulder once more before he walked into the recruitment office. He came into the small lobby and looked around at the half dozen other lost souls looking to enlist. Most of them were standing in line whilst being watched by two armed soldiers. Those soldiers shot him a weird look and one of them simply pointed to the line. Sain just shrugged and stepped forward to join the line awaiting his turn. This was way different then what he had just done. It almost seemed like a parallel world.
The Sky is Endless Page 33
