"Iris... wake up! Come on!"
Kayde shook her as he was attaching his sword to his hip. Her eyes blinked open and a hand flew to her head. With a groan, she surveyed Kayde, and immediately wondered why he was rushing to grab his sword and other things. She heard the bell tolling through the walls, but didn't register it through the headache she had.
"What's going on?" she slurred, "Gods, my head hurts."
He didn't laugh at her as she halfway expected him to. Instead, he used a hand to roughly pull her to her feet.
"What are you doing?" she asked, a little harshly. With another movement, he pulled out one of the prickly fruits and stuffed it into her mouth. Confused, and a little agitated, she began to chew on it. Her face still pinched at its flavor.
"Do you not hear the alarm bell?" he pointed it out, and then it all made sense to her. "We have to go."
Understanding jolted through her. Instantaneously, she began scanning the room for her weapons, finding them lying dormant on the side table next to her bed. She quickly grabbed them, stuffing them in their scabbards, and readjusted her gauntlets. She didn't say anything to Kayde as she pulled her hair free from the very untidy topknot and fixed it back
"Is the town under attack?" she asked, remembering Zayn's warning from earlier.
"I can only assume..." said Kayde, who was now making his way to the door, "Only one way to find out."
Iris followed him, aching head still full of questions. As they walked, she asked them.
"How do you know that it's an alarm bell?"
"Get your wits about you now, dear girl," he said, and swiftly began rubbing her temples as if that would somehow increase her cognitive function. "What else could it be? It's a loud bell that is ringing in the dead of night."
Iris nodded dumbly, and decided not to question him further. After that, the both of them made their way down the inn's stairs. She suddenly realized that she didn't remember this place at all. How had she even gotten to the inn? She pushed that thought aside, however, as there truly more pressing matters at present.
It wasn't a very big building, so it didn't take very long for them to get to the main lobby.
She didn't see any of her scouting group there. She hoped that they were ahead of her rather than behind. Either way, she and Kayde rushed out the door, both trying to be quiet enough to not draw any attention.
It didn't take long for her to see them. There were ten heavily armored men within the village's premises. The tunics that each of them wore was inscribed with a symbol that Iris had never seen before. She immediately assumed that these were Tokens. Iris wanted nothing more than to run headlong and attack them on sight... but none of her group were there, and she knew that she would die if she were to pursue them now, even if it was only a small group of them.
"Shit!" she cursed, "where is the General?"
As if in response, the inn's door opened again to a very alert looking Zayn. Not far behind him was Ra and Shen. The general saw Iris standing there within seconds and went up to stand beside her. Wordlessly, she pointed to the soldiers in the middle of the city. He narrowed his eyes, noticing that two of them were carrying torches.
"Tokens," he said quickly, confirming her suspicion. "Damn it."
Iris waited for instructions, but he gave none. At least, not verbally. With one last look at all of them, he ran forward, drawing his sword. Ra followed suit after him, running a bit more slowly than Zayn.
"Attack them," Kayde said simply to Iris before taking off himself.
The assault on the group of Tokens took them by surprise. The general was upon them before they could even make an action to stop him. With a wide swing of his sword, he caught the first one in the shoulder. Iris didn't watch long enough to see how bad the sword had injured the opposing soldier, but instead took off running.
As she charged, she drew her weapons. Watching them, every single one of them seemed to be intent on Zayn. This gave her small relief, for she would be able to attack from behind.
Even so, one of them did take a side swing at her as she ran in behind them. She winced as it slid against her arm. However, after that, she paid it no mind. Instead, she focused on a soldier that was now in front of her. Lashing out with both of her blades, she caught the back of his neck, slicing through thick skin. Blood poured from the wound on the Token, and he shouted out in pain.
Iris had never seen someone turn as fast as her challenger. His footwork was a tad askew, allowing her to dodge his next attack deftly with a quick leap backwards. She hoped that she could isolate him from the others in order to further ensure that she didn't die. Grunting in anger, he stomped toward her, swinging his large sword at her twice. He missed, much to Iris's liking, because she was quick. She led him farther back and then behind a building.
"Fuckin' hell. I'm gonna kill you, kid," he called after her. "Get back here an' fight like a man, you little bastard."
She ignored that the best she could. Iris knew that once he was alone, she had a far better chance at killing him --or rather, less of a chance at being interrupted by another unfriendly hand. When he was out of sight from the others, she turned to face him.
Observing, she noticed that blood was still spilling from his neck. She also noticed that he did not appear very intelligent with his ruddy, round face, and eyes that looked like dark holes poked into soft dough.
His next grin was vicious. He attacked immediately. Rapidly, she tumbled forward, and slammed her hands into his chest. She found herself surprised that he stumbled back a little. She lashed out again with both of her blades, barely nicking him once. For a minute, he seemed surprised that she had found a weak spot in his massive armor. She thanked Kayde in her head for teaching her how to do so, but not for long. The Token warrior attacked with new vigor, trying his best to hit her before she could move out of the way.
He did not succeed.
He cursed at her again, but Iris did not give him the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, she focused completely on killing him.
Iris lunged forward, swinging her daggers fast and hard. He was not fast in the slightest, so he did nothing to avoid her attack. He did not expect her to get past his heavy breastplate... so it was a big surprise when she was able to stab through a small, exposed place on his side. This made him shout out in pain. With another swing, she drew her blade fiercely through the skin on his forehead.
After that, the warrior was no more. Iris expected to feel proud of herself for killing him... but all she felt was disgust. She had just taken a life. Even though he was her enemy, one that would have killed many, many others with his group, she still said a small prayer for his soul before returning to the center of the village. Upon stepping out from the village, she saw that both of their groups were scattered about.
Jehrth and Shen had found cover behind a fruit stand, and were firing their bows at the rooftops.
Upon seeing this, she saw that a couple of the Token soldiers had made their way onto the rooftops, and were firing their own bows back at the rest of their entourage. With a quick glance, she noticed that Ra, Kayde, and Dregar were all battling with about four soldiers a good distance away from her.
Iris hardly worried for them. Kayde danced the dance of a deadly cat around the soldiers. General Zayn was the one she was more concerned for. He was the nearest to her, doing his best to fend off three men at once.
Upon seeing this, she ran to his aid, hoping that she wouldn't be shot by the archers.
Slam.
She rammed her dagger straight through the one that was swinging at the general. It was easier to penetrate his armor, as it wasn't as thick as the soldier's that she had just killed. With a cry of pain, the man fell. Something inside her hurt at the new blood on her hands. The general looked past the man, briefly confused at what had just happened. Realization quickly dawned on his face when he saw Iris skulking about where the dead Token has stood just a moment ago.
He didn't pay attention to her for very long, but instead turned to the other two men that were also stunned at the sudden death of their companion. One of them looked in Iris's direction and then scowled.
"Get the little shit," he said to his men.
Iris didn't let the insult get to her head. He was trying to destroy her focus. Instead, she began swinging her daggers at him. She could tell that he was definitely more experienced than the one that she had fought first. Even so, the swordsman was still taken aback at how utterly fast the blades came flying.
Iris knew that if he had raised his shield a millisecond later than he had, he would have not defended against her blows. With a tumble backwards, she still took a small cut from the tip of his sword.
It hurt, yes, but it did not do enough to make her fall. Fueled now by her rage at being hit, she pounced at him, her weapons flying swiftly at his head. Given, his helmet protected him from any injury he might have otherwise acquired. However, he was startled a bit at the loud clanking that rang out on his head. He used a foot to kick her backwards a few feet, but she still remained balanced.
Landing on her feet, she charged at him again. He swung a couple of times with his sword... but missed.
Her next attacks did nothing but startle him further. She cursed, now searching for a weak spot in his chain-mail. To her displeasure, she could see none. At least... not in the front. With a deep breath, she took a couple of steps, and then whirled around. As fast as she could manage, she jumped to his flank.
She didn't think about what came next. She only plunged her knives deep into his back, he was as good as dead. His last scream was agonizing. Iris wished it would have been a quicker death. He died cursing her.
At about the same moment, the general was able to dispatch the other man that was standing nearby. Seeing no immediate threat, Iris went to stand beside him.
"Well done," he praised, looking over toward the rest of the group. It was just in time to watch Kayde dispatch the last man with a blade to the gut.
"Thank you, sir," she said humbly. She felt a strong hand rest on her shoulder, and give it a friendly squeeze.
"Thank you," he said with a final nod.
It took a few more moments, but the rest of the soldiers came over to join General Zayn to celebrate their very first victory as a scouting group. Iris gave a once over to the dead people on the ground, and then searched the roof to find two more dead Token archers.
Everyone moved to the side a little bit, chatting cheerfully. Everyone except Iris. She was busy saying small prayers for the dead as she had done for the soldier she had killed at the beginning of the small battle. As she looked to the archers, she began whispering the same words... up until she noticed something strange.
Both of the enemy archers were both slack, penetrated everywhere with arrows, but one of them was still gripping tight their bow. Iris watched the dead man closely, wondering how it was possible for him to maintain his hold on his weapon.
Her question was answered all too quickly. The man sat up, looking very injured. Iris watched as the archers eyes sought out the general. With shaky hand, the enemy loaded his bow... and aimed right at General Zayn's head.
"Shit! General!" she shouted.
Iris flew into action, running toward him full speed. She leapt and shoved the general out of the way before he could even turn around to see what was going on. Mid-jump, Iris felt a searing pain rip through her abdomen, making her eyes tear up a little bit. Both of the soldiers toppled to the ground in a heap. After a second, the general stood up, looking extremely puzzled.
Then he saw the archer. So did Shen.
It only took two seconds for him to finish the near-dead Token off with his bow.
Iris was still lying on the ground. Even with the intense pain in her stomach, she tried pushing herself up. Still a little wobbly, she stood completely up, instantaneously turning to confirm that the Token was dead.
Then she looked down at her torso to see the arrow that would've killed Zayn sticking out of her stomach.
"What the hell was that?" Zayn asked, disoriented.
This made her turn to him, hands pressed next to the wound on her stomach, as if she were trying to stop the jolting pain. Blood coated her fingers in an instant.
Shen was the first one to gasp.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, trying to blink back the spots in her vision. "He was aiming for your head. I improvised."
Zayn's eyes snapped to the arrow.
"Shit... this hurts..." she wobbled a little bit, trying to stabilize herself.
"Oh gods," the general rushed over, using his arms to keep her upright, "Ingred, are you alright?"
She didn't say anything, as her eyes sported more black dots. For a minute, everything was surreal. Oh gods, the pain had her so dizzy. Even considering the circumstances, Iris couldn't fathom that she might be dying.
She vomited.
"Is there a healer here?" Zayn asked immediately.
Meanwhile, Kayde scooping the stumbling Iris into his arms. With deft hands, he put pressure on the wound. Iris let out a near guttural scream at his tough. Kayde grimaced and said, "Not that we know of. Feels like the arrows embedded in a rib. The wound's not deep." He looked around. "I've got stuff in my pack to sew him up. But I'm going to need you to pull the arrow out. One quick, straight motion outward so it doesn't break off inside him."
Even though Iris needed a real healer, Kayde still fought to protect her secret. He knew that once any medic took her armor off, she would be revealed. And that was a definite death sentence. Meanwhile, Zayn grimaced and grabbed the arrow's wooden shaft.
"Sorry, lad," was all General Zayn said. As soon as he yanked it out, Iris went completely slack in Kayde's arms.
"Don't let him die," Zayn quickly instructed. "I'll see if I can't find help."
----
Iris woke up an hour and a half later, laying in the same inn room she had been in the night before. If it weren't for the searing pain in her stomach, Iris would have believed the attack on the town to be a dream. Vaguely, she remembered being shot. Slowly, she sat up and surveyed the room. Kayde was pacing at her bedside.
"Are you alright, Kayde?"
This made him turn to her and then let out a huge sigh of relief. "Am I alright?" he asked in disbelief, "I'm not the one who took an arrow to the rib. Are you feeling better?"
She grimaced. "I hurt." Suddenly, she was keenly aware of her situation. "Wait!" she whispered in panic, now realizing that she was no longer wearing armor, "Who healed me? Where is my armor? Did they find out?"
Kayde placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. With a couple of deep breaths, she decided to give him a few moments to answer.
"No one healed you. At least, not yet. Zayn's still on a mad search for a medic, though. For now, I did the best I could at bandaging you up. Be careful not to excite yourself, it's not healthy in your condition." He paused. "I'm sure your general will be here to check on you again soon. You might want to eat another one of your fruits."
"What about... the medic?" Iris asked. "What if he brings a medic?"
"Then ask for pain herbs. You might need them. I've been well taught by the guardians to properly clean, stitch, and bandage injuries... but I fear that does nothing to numb them." Kayde looked sympathetic. "But don't come out from under the covers, whatever you do. You're not wearing your armor."
It was then that she noticed her chest was bound, along with her stomach under the robe she now wore. He handed her one of her fruits, letting her register her discovery. She took it quietly and popped it in her mouth.
After a few seconds, her face flushed with color.
"Did you do this?" she referred to the chest bindings. Picking up on what she was thinking, Kayde nodded his head.
"I did, after I tended to your stomach, in order to help keep your secret. Do not worry, I did my best not to look at your body." His words were stoic whereas his face was tinged a light pink.
Even if she didn't doubt he was telling the truth, she was still a tad embarrassed. Seeing her face, Kayde decided it'd be best to leave her to her thoughts for now.
Moments later, Zayn appeared, taking the guardian's place at her bedside. He walked very quickly to where Iris was laying. She just eyed him curiously. Zayn noted that Iris's eyes were opened and exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
"Thank gods, you're alright. I couldn't find a medic," he said to her, obviously relieved.
She was silent for a moment at this, surprised at how worried he seemed to have been.
"I thank you for your concern," she said, "I am sorry to have worried all of you. I assure you... that was not my intent"
This made the general's eyes widen a little bit, as if in incredulity. He took a few moments to think about what he would say next, starting a few times before getting it right.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Ingred. Hell, I should be the one thanking you. You almost gave your life to save mine."
Iris had no idea what to say to that. "Err," she muttered, averting her eyes. "Well, at least I didn't have to," she finally finished. After hearing her words, the general steeled himself, and took a few moments to just be silent.
"Ingred, you are one of the bravest soldiers I have ever known. I hope you know that. And even though I have only known you since the training camp, I count you among my friends. Thank you, again, for doing what you did. I owe you my life."
This would've made her smile if the act wouldn't uncover her identity.
"I am glad to have made you proud, General."