The price of madness vol.02 : Rebirth and Redemption

Back on the road

         Yells, cries, screams... That's all that emanated from the ships that were to enter the port of Felhydae. General Nar'Ilia's procession descended once at the dock. All covered from wounds, blood and tears. A military hospital had been set up in view of the news they had received but it was quickly overwhelmed. Of the nearly three thousand souls who left, only two thousand returned and not all of them unscathed. As the ships emptied, the streets of Dayand turned red, blood mixing with the sand and flowing down the drains to end up in the city's sewers. Julie ordered a security perimeter around the port and entrusted Valeïs to Rilk before running towards the ships with Lucia, Sylph and Keryll. She called out to the one who seemed to be the most high ranked.

Hey, you !

           The Nar' immediately snaps to attention upon seeing the imposing black armor rushing towards her like a bull.

What happened ?! Where is General Nar'Ilia?! continues Julie.

            Keryll, meanwhile, boarded one of the ships, making her way through the wounded, accompanied by Sylph. She shouted her friend's name, her voice taking on a less and less confident tone each time.

Matriarch! Interjected a voice near them.

           An Arachna was moving towards them with difficulty. She had two of her claws cut off and was wearing a headband around her neck. Julie recognized her without any difficulty, it was Anvar, the General's second. She was still far away so Julie didn't immediately notice that she was supporting Brena, limping with difficulty alongside her. The latter sharply pushed away her second and stood at attention in front of her Matriarch.

General Nar'Ilia reporting, Madam.

           Her tone was clean and smooth as her body betrayed intense pain with its incessant trembling. Her gaze was proud and plunged into Julie's while she was sweating profusely from the effort of even standing up. Her armor was in pieces and a gaping wound in her stomach had just been quickly bandaged. Julie dove on top of her to support her and carried her to the military hospital. Keryll jumped from the ship when she saw them moving away below.

STEP ASIDE ! Julie screamed as she pushed her way through the stretchers and the wounded.

           She placed Brena on one of the empty stretchers and tore the armor from her chest. She then used her magic to stop the bleeding. Keryll arrived at this moment and threw herself near them. She observed her friend from every angle, asking Julie with her eyes if she could do anything. This one did not take the time to respond to her and remained focused on her task. It took several long minutes for Brena to regain some color and steady breathing. When confirmation that her life was no longer in danger arrived, a sigh of relief passed through the family.

ANVAR! Julie shouted as she approached the second being treated.

           The Arachna stood up to stand at attention but Julie stopped her with a wave of her hand.

What happened ?!

           As she continued to receive treatment, she explained the situation and gave the most detailed report she could. But the more she said, the worse the situation seemed.

The corrupted Matriarch has joined the battlefield?! Keryll lost her temper.

           Anvar nodded. She turned her gaze towards her superior who was lying unconscious a little further away.

We were maintaining a reinforced line of defense around the port of Nersoma.

           We used this city to evacuate the wounded and transport reinforcements, but the enemies emerged from Void portals right in the middle of our numbers. The surprise quickly gave way to chaos and many wounded could not be evacuated in time... The Void hounds ran freely in the streets and attacked civilians and soldiers without distinction. A fire quickly started near the food stocks and several Void ships bombarded the port to prevent us from fleeing. General Nar'Ilia launched the charge with our frigate to blockade and let the last ships escape but when the Matriarch appeared on the bridge, everything changed again. The General couldn't do anything and unfortunately it was a one-sided fight. I managed to get her out with three other of our soldiers but the frigate sank. Nersoma fell... I'm sorry Madam.