The Jungle Frontier: A "The Novice" Tribute Story

Part 7: A Moonlit Graveyard

"He isn't dead is he?"

Rico didn't even look away from Dustan's broken form as she answered. Etching a heart shaped healing symbol in the air with her mana as she did so.

"Not yet. But he's knocking on death's door for certain."

The healing symbol etched into the air began to glow brighter as Rico poured all her energy into it. Seeing what Rico was trying to do, Lin immediately ordered Jorrsk to pull the massive spear out of Dustan's chest. Rico watched as, after a few violent tugs, the bloody instrument of death came free of the boy's body and the tree it was pinning him too with a sickening sucking noise and a spray of blood. As they watched the large wound slowly closed, the flesh stitching itself together in front of their very eyes. 

Rico slumped forwards, significantly drained after performing such a intense healing, and Sakina stepped forwards. Pulling a long metal skewer from her jacket she knelt down in front of Dustan and carefully pressed the needle against the unconscious boy's side. Rico had no idea what she was doing but was too spent to say anything.

"What the bleeding heck are ya doin' woman! Poor boy's already been skewered once" Jorrsk protested as Sakina plunged the needle into Dustan's side before quickly removing it.

"Listen to his breathing" Sakina said sharply "Healing spells mend flesh and sometimes organs but they can't fix bone and they can't fix blood loss or having your lungs fill with fluid. Dustan could still die. Is this not correct?"

Rico realised she was right. Even now Dustan's unconscious breathing was faltering and hoarse, it sounded like he was drowning without being underwater.

"Yes" Lin answered "But what would stabbing him with a needle accomplish"

"I needed to make an opening for the blood in his lungs to escape from before he drowned or caved in his chest trying to breathe" Sakina gestured to the blood pooling out of the small wound.

When Sakina felt that Dustan was no longer at risk of drowning Lin used a healing spell of her own to close off the wound caused by the needle, glowing threads of light flowing out of the symbol etched into the air and into Dustan's side. Jorrsk meanwhile surveyed the bloody, mud soaked graveyard that surrounded them. Searching fruitlessly for any other survivors, taking names of who died and watching for more Orc's lying in wait to take them by surprise. Lin's colossal demon, the creature that had almost offhandedly murdered the Orc shaman about to kill Dustan, stood in the middle of the clearing alongside Lin. It watched their surroundings with both of its heads.

Rico couldn't help but be awed whenever she saw the colossal monstrosity. Lin's one and only demon, named Ziggurat, was a massive Xuanwu. A black tortoise with a massive, venom-less serpent for a tail who's shell reached eight feet tall. It had been the lightning fast strike and crushing jaws of the snake head which had ended the shaman's life before. A very rare demon, it's powerful shell could more than likely block cannon fire and it proved to be the very reason Lin was victorious in every mock battle at Vocan's academy. 

"I suggest we leave" Sakina said promptly, taking Rico's attention away from the Xuanwu. "Every second we spend out here increases the likelihood of our deaths. Plus Dustan may very well die if he does not get proper health, I have no way of assessing how severe his condition out here in the jungle"

"I agree" Lin said, climbing onto Ziggurat's massive shell. The small girl looked even smaller when compared to the size of Ziggurat. "Can you stand, Rico?"

"Yes, healing Dustan took a bit out of me but I'm good now" Rico replied, she was eager to get away from the grim clearing where so many bodies still lay. Slowly getting up, her three demons surrounding her, Rico turned her attention back to the ever puzzling Sakina. A question nagged at the back of her mind and she couldn't hold it back any longer.

"You used to be a doctor, right?" She asked the mysterious Akhad woman "I mean... right?  Before you were conscripted. How else would you know all this doctor stuff despite not being an army medic?"

"I'm do not enjoy personal questions, Rico" The woman replied, throwing a small glare at her. "Especially when involved in a illegal, unnecessary and highly dangerous mission that I may get court-martialed for. I'm doing this for you. Don't ask for any more from me"

Rico and Jorrsk worked together to hoist Dustan onto Ziggurat's shell, the loyal demon Moss not moving from his side as they did so. The little demons cries were how they found Dustan in the first place. Rico quickly returned her attention to Sakina once Dustan was safely in place.

"You seem like you hate the military" Rico pressed on "Why would you care about a court-martial?"

"I have business I need to attend to here in the south" Sakina said before walking away, moving to scout out the route ahead.

"What in gods name does that mean" Jorrsk, who overheard the conversation, whispered to Rico. She just shrugged in response.

On that note the rest of the group set off. With Sakina leading the group, Jorrsk watched the rear and Rico strode alongside Ziggurat, her demons crawling and flying amongst the trees, searching for any waiting to ambush them. Lin rode atop her demon, keeping watch over Dustan. With no scrying stone to see though her demon's eyes, having left it at camp, Rico had to pay close attention to the emotional link she had to them, waiting for any sense of alarm or warning from the demons.

Climbing up onto the slow moving Ziggurat to rest her legs, Rico checked up on Dustan. Her only friend was pale and completely void of consciousness. If what Sakina said was true, Dustan might still succumb to his wounds. Moss looked up at her sadly, no doubt suffering the same pain and anguish Dustan was thanks to the empathic link demons and summoners have with each other. Ignoring regular politeness Rico affectionately rubbed the demon's head, trying to settle it's nerves. Moss visibly relaxed and began to nuzzle her hand affectionately as Rico plucked a few leaves from a low hanging branch to feed him.

The tense trek lasted for another 15 minutes before they reached the outpost. Rushing past the shocked guards, Jorrsk roughly hoisted Dustan over his shoulders and went to run for help. But a group of figures, impossible to make out in the darkness of the night, stood in their way. Rico advanced cautiously and beside her Lin tensed. As she approached a man took Dustan from Jorrsk's arms and rushed him in the direction of the infirmary and another stepped forward into the moonlight. 

It was Jeronimus. Contempt smirk on his face, he rose a hand and all the soldiers behind him unslung their rifles. 

"Soldiers" Jeronimus began "You are all guilty of abandoning your post during wartime. I consider this a treasonous offence. Punishable by immediate execution" 

Jorrsk swore loudly. Lin took a step back. Rico froze. This couldn't be happening.

"Take aim" Jeronimus ordered.

The soldiers behind him raised their rifles. 

Thank you for reading. Please check out Taran Matharu's WattPad page. Also, please leave a vote if you enjoyed the story.