Both Ways (20181228)

CH17

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    "That could have gone better." Tavi observed as they walked through the woods. They had ran for at least half an hour, sneaking around patrols and villages. Salazar shrugged.
    "Well, we're all alive and uninjured, so I am not being too pessimistic." He said as he sat down against a tree. "We will rest for fifteen minutes, then head to the river. The boat will meet us there." The soldiers took resting guard positions in their small circle. Varg leaned against a tree, arms crossed, staring at Salazar. The hybrid noticed this, but said nothing. After a minute, Varg finally spoke.
    "Who are you?" He asked.
    "Captain Salazar, 382nd Special Forces Division, 101st Special Tactics Battalion, All Allied Forces." Salazar responded, his eyes shut as he lay against a tree.
    "You are not Canim." Varg accused.
    "That is right." Salazar confirmed.Varg growled lowly, he was not satisfied with that answer. "Have you got a problem with that?"
    "You wear Canim armor, but are not Canim?"
    "It is a deception for the Alerans." He explained. "You were rescued by your own, to them."
    "And what is the purpose of that?"
    "It makes your escape easier to explain after the war is over." Salazar explained. "Now stop talking, and get some rest." Varg complied reluctantly. They leaned against the base of trees for another ten minutes. It was almost time to go when they heard the call of a large bird screeching over the trees. It was a loud and shrill noise, piercing through the otherwise calm night. Many opened their eyes and looked to the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature. The night was dark, and the trees tall. It evaded their gaze. Then, it called again. Just as loud as the last. Salazar opened his eyes, and thought for a second. He drew his handgun, and called his soldiers to rise. "Okay, it's time for us to go." They rose and stretched for a moment, then returned to their captain. Tavi and Varg got up lazily, the short rest had taunted heir exhaustion with a short reprieve, then ripped it away. Once they assembled, they began moving at a moderate paced walk, headed South to the river. The bird called again, its screech unmistakable. Salazar picked up the pace.
    "Whatever that is, it is giving us away!" Auror yelled.
    "I know! I know!" Salazar called back. "Just keep moving!" They began to move at a light jog, the moderately dense forest preventing anything faster. The dense forest gave way to a sudden path, a trail the cut through the wood. As they crossed, a rhythmic thudding sound was heard. Horsemen were coming. The group dove forward into the woods, and another bird call was heard overhead. Salazar spun and looked into the sky, searching for the aviator who gave them away. He saw it, hovering over the trees from the side of the trail the just came. It was a large raptor, perhaps eight feet of wingspan, and glowed orange with flames that shot off its wings. He aimed his pistol, but the bird dove back into the trees. Salazar turned about, and continued running. "Tavi, why is there a bird engulfed in flames following us?" He asked.
    "It's a fury," Tavi gasped. He was a fit and young man, but apparently not as fit as these soldiers. Varg was breathing heavily too, which made him feel better about his own difficulty. "Must be used by patrols," He gasped again. "To hunt us!"
    "Dangerous?" Salazar questioned.
    "Very." Tavi wheezed.
    "Great." Salazar replied. They continued through the forest, on course for the river. They trees seemed to grow denser, which limited the distance from which they could be seen. It also meant that Salazar had no warning when they happened upon a clearing occupied by a foot patrol, dimly lit by the lanterns they carried. The Captain tried to hide himself before he was detected, but it was too late. The ten man Aleran patrol drew their swords and advanced to the fleeing soldiers. "Hide him!" Salazar commanded in Canish. At first, Tavi thought he meant Varg, but quickly found himself pushed behind a tree. It was he that was not supposed to 'be here.' Salazar drew his modified sword, but did not advance. Instead, he spoke to the patrol in purposefully sloppy speech. "Alerans, I am warrior Natuk. I do not wish to fight you. My purpose was to free our leader, whom you had wrongfully imprisoned and would have illegally executed." Salazar explained. "We have harmed no one, and wish to continue to do so. Allow us to leave here peacefully." He pleaded. His efforts slowed, but did not stop their advance. "Do not mistake my restraint for weakness, Alerans. Seven Canim could easily take twenty armored Alerans." He warned. "But I see that you are only ten strong, and are unprotected. Your swords are rusted and dull as well. Stand aside, and we will let you live, on my honor."
    "You beasts have no honor!" The lead patrolmen taunted. "Attack them!" And they charged the soldiers, who drew their swords in turn, forming a defensive arc around Varg. The Alerans clashed against the soldier's armor, but the AAF modifications held firm. They responded the attack with their stun swords, quickly knocking down eight of the Alerans. The last two had targeting Salazar, striking with seemingly practiced coordination. Salazar did he best to feign swordsmanship, felling one of the Alerans, but the last one, their apparent leader, had respectable skill. He landed hits that, with less solid armor, could be fatal. Salazar tried to strike the Aleran, but his slashes and parries were constantly deflected. He gave up on landing a hit outright, and instead struck his opponents sword, causing it to fly across the clearing. He instantly recovered and extended his sword, leading it right at the last Aleran's throat. His thrust stopped barely an inch short of its target. The patrolman froze. "So, Aleran." Salazar began. "What is your name?"
    "Agios Kavala." He spat.
    "I am wondering, Agios. Why do you think Canim have no honor?" Salazar asked. "Answer honestly, it will not change your outcome."
    "You would not have let us go alive." Agios accused. "It is too common of your kind to kill without regard."
    "I understand your perspective." Salazar agreed. "But I think the Canim, as any people, are capable of change. How about you, Agios? Do you think the Canim can change?"
    "No." Agios disagreed. "Beasts like you can never change." Salazar nodded slowly.
    "Well, I hope you are wrong, Agios Kavala. For all our sakes." He withdrew his sword, and sheathed it. He ordered Agios to sit down until they were out of sight, then count to a hundred. Salazar ordered Tavi, in Canish, to move around the clearing and avoid being seen. The soldiers began to continue their journey, leaving Agios to his fallen comrades. As soon as they were out of the clearing, Tavi rejoined the group. Varg said to Tavi.
    "He is, by far, the worst swordsman I have ever seen." Tavi chuckled at that remark, placing effort into not showing his teeth, a sign of aggression to Canim.
    "He typically fights with far different weapons." Tavi defended Salazar.  "Although, he did use a sword when he managed to beat Nasaug in a duel." Salazar winced at the remark. Even though Salazar could tell clearly as day, Tavi had no clue who Varg really was. The massive Cane halted immediately.
    "I thought you said Nasaug was alive." He growled, the anger of deception in his voice.
    "He is, Varg." Tavi replied.
    "But we are not having this conversation right now!" Salazar responded to both of them. "Rescue now, questions later." He reiterated. "Now let's go!" Another bird screech from the direction of the clearing gave Varg the motivation to continue. They returned to their jog to the river, now no more than a quarter mile away. "Boat, were getting close, are being pursued, it's gonna be a grab and go." He called over the radio.
    "Roger." It responded. "ROE?"
    "Nonlethal only, PID, flaming birds are hostile."
    "Copy all." The tree density began to thin again, becoming more sparse as the river neared. This allowed a faster pace, but also allowed them to be spotted from further away. Overhead, the bird called again. Salazar spun, and drew his pistol again, aiming at the sky for the bird. He found it, and fired a shot, but the bird hid itself in the trees as he did. Salazar turned toward the river, and continued the journey. They were so close to the river when they heard the rumbling of hooves again. The horsemen were coming for them. The soldiers laid down near the river, hoping to avoid being seen.
    "Boat, were here! Where are you?" Salazar demanded over the radio.
    "Thirty seconds out."
    "Pick up the pace! We've got trouble right on top of us!"
    "Rog, coming in hot, then." They waited in silence. Ten seconds later, the bird screeched again. The horsemen picked up their pace a little, but it was clear they hadn't been spotted. The bird flew about overhead, circling like a vulture in wait. Salazar rolled to his back, and contemplated a shot, but never finding one. It was too risky. Even if he managed to hit the agile animal, the was the very likely chance of alerting the the horsemen to their location. It was far safer to wait for the boat to arrive. A second later, the rumbing roar of the boat's engine could be heard from the south, coming up the river past the tower. The sound distracted the pursuers, drawing their attention away from the escapees. It was in sight a few short seconds later. One of the soldiers manning the controls, the other at some sort of emplaced weapon at the boat's bow. It skidded atop the water at speeds that Tavi would otherwise consider impossible for a craft, not considering the AAF's technology.
    It traveled past them a small amount, then turned inward and running along the shore. The horsemen began moving toward the boat, and Salazar ordered the soldiers to to do the same. Tavi was loaded first, then Varg. The soldiers began loading one by one, but as they did, the fiery bird dived on them. It landed on Auror with great force, knocking the wolf down and engulfing the air in flame as it attacked. He howled in agony at the burning heat, and struggled to free himself from the raptor's grasp. It stand atop him, wings flapping, trying to tear the wolf with its great flaming talons. All the while, the horsemen entered a gallop, racing toward the boats. The soldier on the boat's weapon opened fire, and hundreds of blue bolts began to fly from the emplacement instantly. Salazar ran and tackled the flaming bird into the river, forcing it off of his comrade. He wrestled with it in the shallow water, hoping the cold river would grant him some sort of edge over the fiery falcon. A soldier tired to get Auror to the boat, but found the metal Canim armor boiling hot. He dragged the screaming wolf into water and watched in horror as steam began to form as water lapped over the downed wolf's body. Salazar was forced to release the bird, its flames were too much for him to try to wrestle against. As it fly, he drew his handgun and sent blue arcs chasing after it, driving it away. He moved to help Auror out of the water, the burned wolf's screaming turned to whimpers of anguish.
    The gunner continued to fire continuously, knocking down rider and horse alike, and driving off their pursuers' charge. Auror was carefully loaded, and the rest got on the boat. As soon as they were aboard they took off, speeding away at incredible velocity. Seconds later, they were away from the shore. The soldiers immediately went to attending to Auror. The wolf was placed on a gurney, at the center of the passenger area. They began removing the Canim armor's leather straps, only to find some had been seared together, having to be cut off. The shifting of the armor drew cries, and pleas for restraint and desistance. As many of the pieces were removed, the extent of Auror's injuries became clear. Many sections of his body were missing fur, some missing skin, and there were multiple burns and lacerations long his arms. His chest piece was still attached, to tamper with it drew screams from the mutilated wolf. Salazar and his soldiers applied burn cream from first aid kits on the boat, but it was obvious Auror would need more extensive care than that. Once they had done all they could, Salazar sat back, holding his radio in both hands.
    "Indomnible Will, Rescue Wagon." He called.
    "Go."
    "Have emergency medical crews ready. One AAF casualty, numerous burns, lacerations."
    "Condition?"
    "Critical, responsive."
    "Severity of the burns?" Salazar hold the radio close, and spoke quietly so Auror couldn't hear.
    "Horrific." The radio was silent for a moment.
    "Copy, expedite departure."
    "Understood." Salazar returned his radio to its place inside the armor, and sat down next to Auror. He comforted the wolf as they skimmed downriver. It was only a few short minutes later when the AAF aircraft were spotted hovering overhead. The boat slowed, and the aircraft landed themselves in the calm river, facing opposite directions. A soldier caught a winch cable from the water as the boat  placed itself between the aircraft. They came to stop at the ramp of one of the large machines, and carefully unloaded Auror, and disembarked. The cable was tied to the boat, and the opposite aircraft began tugging the boat over into is cargo bay. Another minute later, they lifted off without another word.