Blackheart

Birds of a Feather

In the midst of a ruined city, swirling in a sea of corruption and wrapped in a wall of fog, a Koutu kneeled over a fallen knight.

The avian was mostly brown, with a white head. He wore a long white tunic going down to his legs, with a red cape fastened over his shoulder. His longbow, which he had just used to save the knight beneath him, was slung over his shoulder, with a quiver full of arrows on his hip.

The knight before him was a sight to behold. His platemail shredded, arm ruined and bone tearing through flesh...the human wouldn't last long like this.

Another figure moved beside him, gently placing the kobold on the floor. The small warrior had throat and chest injuries, mainly slashes, but the other man had treated him. The creature had cloth wraps around his neck and chest, staunching the flow of blood. That was good. They could focus on the knight.

"Good lord."

The other man was a human, covered in a black leather suit. He had short, black hair, a facemask that covered his mouth, and a shortsword on his hip. He also had two crossbows on his belt, both very small, intended to be used in one hand.

"I know," the Koutu answered. The birdman went by Razorwing, a 'heroic' title he bestowed upon himself when he become an adventurer.

The man took a deep breath, pressing some rags against the knight's neck. "What do we do? Set the bone?"

Razorwing shook his head. "We're not physicians! A normal broken arm maybe, but with it sticking out like this? I fear we may do more harm than good!"

The masked man glanced over at the birdman. "He'll bleed out if we leave that tear open."

Razorwing, for all of his experience in deadly and dangerous situations, began to panic.

"I-I just...oh, goodness...what can be done? He must live!"

There was a moment of silence before the man spoke again.

"I know a place. There are doctors there."

Razorwing's eyes shot open. "What?!"

The man nodded. "Mhm. Down by the western gate. There's an underground hideout. A bunch of survivors are there...with those turtle fellows. They can save him."

The Koutu looked shocked. "Why didn't you tell me about this?!"

The man shrugged. "Never stuck around, myself. We're busy solving this problem, don't have much to do sitting around."

Razorwing sighed. "No matter! Give me a hand, and let's be off!"

After using a few medical supplies the man had brought with him, the pair treated the knight and kobold as best they could. The kobold was nowhere near as grievously injured, and with some clotting it looked like he would be stable.

The knight was another story. With the mauling the man had received from the demon, his condition was dire. Razorwing tied the man to his back and took to the sky in a bid to find the hideout before the unfortunate man bled to death.

As he soared above the buildings, eyes narrowed, he recalled his companion's advice. There was apparently a sewer system you needed to head through to reach the hideout, but with the ability to fly, he could land in the camp from the ventilation "chimney" raised high above the streets.

Meanwhile the other man was walking through the alleys of the city, carrying the kobold and the knight's damaged armor on his back. He would move towards the hideout before Razorwing finished his delivery and came back for the kobold.

Razorwing, feeling the man slung over his back, suddenly noticed what the human had mentioned. It looked like a smokestack sticking out of the ground. He quickly dove towards it, shuddering as he felt some of the knight's blood soak a few feathers on his back.