Who knew that each side had a secret? Secrets that could change the tides of war in an instant. They played against the balance--the push and pull of power--invisible to all as the Kinsmen continued to push forward.
Two years had passed since that f...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Instead of heading to the barracks, Az herded Nagan straight to the clinic. Az grumbled the entire way, saying Nagan should've gone there first. He still needed to be checked by a more experienced medic—because while Az sounded somewhat confident that nothing was permanently damaged—there was still a chance a nerve was nicked. Nagan, however, could've guessed what the real reason was. For one, the clinic was quieter than the barracks. Not because their injured and dying were few—they still had their fair share, even if it was substantially less than the hospitals at the front—but because the Information Unit did a good job of separating the areas.
The hospital, where Az served his shifts, was tucked in the back of the bottom floor, deep within the stone. Nagan remembered Az telling him of the grim protocol, where if the situation was truly dire, all able personnel were to abandon their post and head to the floor above, leaving the rest behind. Not that most of the medics would follow, as they vowed to protect those under their care. Az, decidedly, was not allowed to take that vow, instead being ordered by Meixong themself to run to safety. The Unit still needed some medics available if that situation were to ever arise, but Nagan had a feeling Meixong only said that to appease a less-than-pleased Az. Some of the younger medics were also forbidden to take the oath.
The clinic, meanwhile, still shared the same entrance as the hospital, but those who only needed a check-up or a wound rewrapped turned right instead of heading straight. Down a smaller hall was a set of rooms with the entrance guarded by a barrier. Most of the doors had been removed (for safety reasons) but there were curtains for privacy. Usually, to access these rooms in general, you would have to flag down a medic and let them sort themselves out, but since Nagan was with Az, none of that was needed. Instead, all it took was for Az to catch the attention of the head medic—it wasn't hard, there was an alarm at the main entrance that would alert Major Kavil if anyone passed through—a vague wave in the clinic's direction, and a nod of confirmation. Together, they passed harmlessly through the clinic's barrier.
A couple of the rooms were already occupied, medics and patients chatting about various things, but Nagan didn't get the chance to hear anything private before Az urged him past to the last unoccupied room. Someone else had the same idea with the final room also occupied, so Az pulled Nagan into the one before the adjacent room. Once inside and the curtains drawn close, Nagan's second suspicion was confirmed.
"By the heavens, what are we going to do?" Az groaned, pressing his palms to his eyes. Nagan was quick to cast a muffling barrier across the doorway.
"I'm sorry." Nagan reached up with his good hand and grasped Az's arm. "I didn't know—"
"I know you didn't know, but I hate how this is going! Fuck, you could be executed for this! For just trying to defend yourself!"
Nagan tried not to wince, keeping a passive face to calm his friend. He shifted uncomfortably, completely unused to being the one giving comfort or bringing the other down from a panic. In any other situation, it was usually Az drawing him out of his mind, using a mix of coaxing words and other distractions until he was in a better place to process. So, taking a deep breath, he tried to do the same.
