Selm
Unknown Location
Oh gods, what did I do to deserve this? Selm thought to herself, completely overwhelmed at the moment. It was terrible enough that she had no clue as to where she was or what had happened to her, but now her only reliable source of information was some drunkard who claimed to have put them back together. Hardly a reliable source to listen to.
She… she died. It was terrifying, the pain of it still lingering in her mind. The feeling of that glowing piece of metal going through her neck, severing her spine from behind, and coming out the other side was a horrid memory still fresh. Hundreds of questions were racing through her mind, only placated by the nausea of returning to life. That, and the overwhelming relief that she was not alone in this.
The others had survived as well. Perhaps "survived" was not the most accurate of words, but they were alive now and she did not have the energy to search for a replacement. Inathia, Yule, Baz, and even Runner. Everyone besides Jonesy had been restored.
Selm knew that the magic to bring back the dead existed. It was practically a given, her being from the Holy Capital and all that. But, from what she knew, it was terribly costly to do so. Often it required a skilled priest or priestess who not only had a plethora of time but also possessed the materials required to bring someone back from the dead. It was not something done casually and is a practice seldom used out of emergencies. She did not know why, but she speculated that perhaps each different church had different opinions on interfering with the cycle of life and death.
Regardless of that, someone had brought them all back. And, as Selm quickly discovered when she was inspecting herself earlier, unwounded and unblemished. The only evidence of the ambush was bandages where the wounds would have been. No scarring, no scabs, not even faint bruises. Nothing.
The fat, hot tears that rolled down her face had nearly all dried up as the weird man chortled out his name. It was a weird one, but people were often named weird things. Runner looked disgruntled and Yule looked curious, but no one outwardly knew where to take the conversation from there. Everyone seemed to still be reeling in their shell-shocked state of post-revival.
"Ah… look 'ere at the time! Ah've got teh be on the way." Bonesy stated, hefting himself off of the operating table he had been leaning against, the wood creaking in appreciation at his departure.
"Wait! I have too many questions for you Bonesy for you to just up and leave!" Yule exclaimed, a bit flustered at the announcement. "Where have you brought us? What of the rest of the caravan? What does the word harbinger mean? Who-"
Yule's mouth clamped shut as Bonesy belched loudly and longly, the disgusting noise lasting for several seconds. "No need… no need teh get yer knickers in a bind. Some sap er 'nother will come get yeh. Ye'll learn 'nough then." Bonsey had made his way over to the tent flap, nearby where Runner had inched to. He paused at the exit to the large medical tent. "An I'd keep that last bit teh yerselves."
Ominously, he left the tent without saying another word. The sound of bellowed laughter and drunken stumbling could be heard as the man left the vicinity, leaving the group alone with a sleeping dwarf and a whole slew of unanswered questions. And, of course, a strange sense of foreboding.
Coincidentally, mere moments after Bonesy's drunken stumbling faded from earshot, they were startled by a groan in the tent. All eyes turned to the source of the noise. Melia was sitting up and blinking slowly at them, deep visible bags present under her icy blue eyes. Her raven-colored hair was a mess, the kind of mess usually present in someone long past the point of exhaustion.
"Oh… you all are awake." She yawned, rubbing at her eyes for a moment. She paused the action before rubbing at them faster and giving them a wide-eyed look. "You are awake! Oh Winet, thank you for your kindness."
Melia shot up, quickly fussing over every one of them. "I must say, you gave us quite a shock. The state we found you all in…" She hesitated while looking at Selm, their eyes locking before Melia's dropped down to Selm's neck. "It was a horrid affair. Gods above and below it was such a nightmare."
"What exactly happened?" Yule said, trying to get some form of solid answers. "The last I remember, we were ambushed by some forms of evocation magic and a necromantic swarm of undead."
It was Melia's turn to look confused. "Undead? Well… I am not sure about any undead, but we did find you all surrounded by ashes and burning brush." She had moved on to Inathia, requesting the tall girl to take a seat on a stool so that she could inspect her more thoroughly. "The caravan was attacked by a collection of more gnolls. Gnolls and, strangely enough, a mix of full-blooded orcs and goblins. By the time we were able to come and check on you, the damage had been done."
"Why did you say 'strangely enough' when you said that?" Runner interjected, an eyebrow cocked on her tanned face.
"Orcs n gnolls hate each other," Baz stated, the quiet man speaking up once again. "Feral goblins ain't too friendly either."
Yule nodded in assent, as did Melia. "They were a very large group. We had to sacrifice a whole merchant cart to drive them back. It was part of the reason why it took us so long to get to you all."
"What about Jonesy? The cart and cargo?" Runner pressed. Melia simply shook her head in response.
"We found the area burned to cinder, but you all were miraculously still mostly intact. Heavily wounded, but still alive… somehow." She stressed the final word, disbelief filling the air.
The tension and shock of that revelation was immediate. Even the stoic Baz and the cool-headed Yule had their eyes widen and their jaws drop. Selm's chin wobbled as a second wave of emotions crashed into her, this one a myriad of confusion and relief.
"ALIVE?" Runner exclaimed, her hands spread out wide in the outburst. "How? I saw her with a spear jammed through her fucking neck and her with her arms ripped off." She pointed to Selm first and then Inathia. Selm certainly did not appreciate the pointing, but these were memories she also had. There was simply no way for someone to be still alive after taking wounds such as those.
Inathia's hand squeezed Selm's tightly as if to reassure herself that her arms were still attached where they should be. Selm hadn't even noticed that her hand was in the scaled girl's grip in all of the commotion. She gave it a comforting squeeze back, albeit her strength was nowhere near similar.
"I have, in all of my years of dedication to Winet, never seen someone with as terrible injuries as yours and still be alive. But… I am sorry, did you say her arms were ripped off?" Melia's confusion was clear.
"And I am fairly certain he was skewered a dozen different ways! Explain that!" Runner said while pointing at Yule, her voice high and almost accusatory. Not towards Melia, however. No, it was like Runner was just asking the world to make sense. A sentiment that Selm shared.
Melia shook her head, finishing her round of checks upon all of them. She sat down in the seat she had been occupying when they first woke up heavily. Stifling several yawns while doing so, she explained how they were found in greater detail. They sported great wounds, massive gashes, and puncture spots. Not a single one of them, save maybe Inathia, was found without severe burns. It was most questionable whether or not they would survive an additional few seconds, let alone the time it took for them to get medical treatment.
Selm was beginning to see points of difference between their stories. Melia stated that, while impossibly wounded, they were still alive when they were found. That just could not be… there had to be some sort of mistake. If it was just herself, she could chalk it up to hallucinations brought on by severe pain. But no, every one of them had similar memories of what had transpired, at least that was what Selm could see upon their faces.
Baz simply nodded along with the conversation, taking all of this in remarkable stride. When Melia had finished her explanation, he asked a simple question in his gruff and steady voice. "So where are we?"
"Ah, well…" Melia fiddled with her hands, gloveless and revealing the scars upon them. "You see… I could not give you the medical attention you all needed. I really did try! Your condition was simply beyond my capabilities, especially after the battle we had while you were ambushed."
That made sense to Selm. Without knowing that there were others in far greater danger, the cleric would have had no idea to save her divine magic for them. Selm bit back the bitter thought that the healing magic Melia could have provided them would have made a huge difference in that fight.
She bit it back because it likely would not have made any difference. The mysterious mage who ordered around those demons and undead would have just added one more body to the pyre. Selm could not even call that a fight, it was a slaughter.
"...a couple of horses and rode hard back the way we came." Melia continued, shaking Selm from those dark thoughts. "The Order of the Golden Warriors chased after many of the attackers that struck out against the caravan, as well as helped transport you all here. To their camp."
The pieces began to come together. They had been rescued by the valiant knights of the Order. Of course, that is why they are alive now. Somehow, the Order had been able to bring them back to life. That is why it sounded like many armored people outside the tent, and why this medical tent looked so established. Selm felt relief flood her as she realized that, for the first time in a little while, she was safe.
Runner paled at this revelation, a different reaction than one should have at learning that they had been saved by the army. If anything, she looked even jumpier than before.
"So, should I be so bold as to presume… we were revived- no, as you stated, we were healed by some in the Order of the Golden Warriors. You stated that this was out of your range of abilities. May I ask, then, why are you still here? Surely you were not off as bad as we were. You could have simply let their healers do their duties overnight and gotten yourself some sleep." Yule asked. It did not go unnoticed by Selm that he changed the story, at a point, to what Melia had said happened to them. Perhaps he assumed it would be easier for everyone that they stick with the outside perspective of what had happened. She did not understand the reason behind that but did not speak out against it either.
Melia bristled a little bit at that. "I am not heartless. As cold as some may assume Winet is, my lady is fair to those who deserve her mercy. You all seemed to be kind folk, and I was not going to simply leave your side when you all needed help." She huffed, albeit her calm and tired demeanor returned quickly. "Besides, restoring you was not simply a one-night affair."
"How long?" Baz asked.
"A week. You all were-"
"A FUCKING WEEK?" Runner exclaimed, her voice shrill. Selm echoed her in voicing her disbelief, leaving out the crude language.
"-out for an entire week. Yes." Melia finished, wincing at their shouts. Baz simply shook his head at the information, while Yule looked thoughtfully at it. Inathia simply sat down at the information, the strength leaving her legs.
"Your recovery is, frankly, a miracle. Notice, under your bandages, you bear no scars nor any permanent damages." Melia said, prompting each of them to quickly rip off a few of the strips of cloth. It was no lie, they truly had no scars. Selm felt her neck, positive she would feel something other than the soft flesh she was used to, but there was no scar tissue nor anything out of the ordinary. Nothing at all.
"Impossible." Baz shook his head. "Just impossible."
Melia simply shrugged, as lost as they were. "And yet here you all are. Father Yieros is an excellent healer, but even he was mystified at your recovery."
A simple 'huh' was all that could be afforded in response to that as the tent flap opened, daylight shining in on the relatively dim interior of the tent. Standing at the entrance was a knight, in similar armor to the ones Selm saw earlier that day. Wait, no, that was a week ago now…
He looked to be of the beast folk, a leonin man with fuzzy fur the color of sand. His mane was cut short, barely a few inches long, and the color of wheat before harvest. His eyes were a startling dark blue, nearly a perfect shade to mimic deep ocean water. He stood about the same height as Baz, around six feet and a few inches. Well built, for a soldier, and carrying a longsword at his side with a kite shield strapped to his back. He, too, bore the emblem of the Order.
"A-ah… sorry. Am I inter-interrupting something?" The leonin stammered, his voice unsteady and unsure. He sounded young because of this, like someone who had reached adulthood within the year. He scratched at the back of his head, the fluffy mane shifting under his fingers.
"No no, not at all, Eldrig." Melia said, sighing. "You are perhaps right on time." She turned to Selm and the rest. "This here is Sir Eldrig Mathens, a knight of the Order. He was one of the people in charge of you all. He is a good lad."
Selm gave the leonin a polite nod. "Thank-" She had to clear her throat, the turbulent emotions that she had been experiencing clogging it. "Thank you Sir Mathens." The others all murmured out words of thanks as well, following Selm's lead. They were all polite, if not a bit short. Runner only muttered something under her breath that could have been a thanks.
"Well… I am sure they will answer any questions that you all have. The Order is good to citizens of Keldanis who are in need. I intend to stay here for a few hours longer… I am beyond tired." Melia said, proving a point with another barely stifled yawn.
"If y-you all would follow- follow me." Sir Mathens said, opening the entranceway for them to follow him out. "I-I'll take you to the L-Lieutenant Commander."
As the knight began to leave the tent, Runner was a step behind him. She seemed eager to see the sky after what had just happened. Baz fell in line behind her, with Yule following behind as well. Inathia waited for Selm at the tent entrance.
Instead of immediately following, Selm watched Melia make her way over to one of the cots to rest. As the cleric sat down and gave her a quizzical look, Selm pursed her lips.
"Thank you… for… everything Melia."
The cleric smiled. "Of course. Winet gives us chances to become better through adversity. All things aside, you all seem to be dealing with this well."
Selm blinked in surprise. "Really?" A small laugh of disbelief came from her lips. "I doubt I would call this handling things well."
"But better than some," Melia concluded. "You all have the makings of reliable folk. Should you find yourselves in the Holy Capital, maybe you would do well to join the adventurer's guild. The Blade n' Scroll is always looking for capable hands. I will even recommend your skills personally."
Selm bit her lip at the thought of going back to that city but found the gesture kind all the same. "I can't seem to stop thanking you today… but… thank you."
Selm saw Melia give another smile as she turned and joined Inathia. The rest were waiting for them outside of the medical tent. As Selm stepped out, she had to shield her eyes against the sunlight, wincing from being inside for far too long. As they adjusted, she began to see an impressive sight.
The sight of a full-blown military camp at work.
Orderly tents were lined in neat and even rows, soldiers and knights in varying states all around them. Selm saw some soldiers grabbing some sort of stew out of large cooking pots. Others were polishing their weapons or readjusting their armor. Others were playing a game of lamden, a card game of interest amongst the gambling type. The soldiers who were not resting were doing some form of duty around the camp. Whether that be carrying supplies from one point to another or taking inventory of certain tents, it seems like most were very busy. The metallic ringing of blades striking and aggressive shouting of instructions made it clear that there was some sort of training exercise happening at one side of the camp, but that was out of sight to them.
"Welcome to the camp! We, of the Order of the Golden Warriors, will do our best to get you back on your feet." Sir Mathens said, a happy, if not nervous, grin on his face.
What a relief.