Macha's Journey

The new victims arrived covered in blood and many of them died while being rushed back to the base. She had to help search through the bodies to find out which were still alive and which did not make it. The medics would then start the triage process and help the soldiers who were critically injured first.

As the day continued, Macha realized the cold truth was that cla.s.s difference made up a huge part of if they would survive or not. The rich and n.o.bles were always stabilized before being brought back, but the poor or slaves had very little medical aid. Sometimes they did not even receive enough a.s.sistance to stop their wounds from bleeding.

Despite wanting to do more, Macha was a.s.signed to only take care of the few members from Ma.r.s.eille that came in. It infuriated her watching people bleed out after being sorted. Every time she moved to help, the Kochi medics ordered that she be taken back to the Ma.r.s.eille ward.

Macha complained to Tai Shan about the injustice of the medical treatment.

He leaned forward and accepted a small piece of meat that she held up for him to eat. "I understand your frustrations. That"s the same reason why I"m still like this. I don"t want those who need the help to be ignored." Although he said this, he did let them heal his eye. He was the Captain and could not afford to have permanent damage to his vision.

The frustration of the situation made her want to cry, and he picked up on her feeling of helplessness. He reached over and patted the top of her head. "You"re doing the best you can. Everyone here appreciates your help, trust me."

By the third day, the stench of death began to drift into the Ma.r.s.eille ward. Only a few of their soldiers had died in the past few days. None of them came from her guild, but she still grieved to see some of them pa.s.s away. The smell that wafted in from the Kochi ward did not help with morale and she tried her best to keep everyone"s spirits high.

One young soldier that was sent from the slave guild had gone crazy from the fight. He survived the trip back but lost his legs. A trap with decaying poison went off and the thin needles erupted around him. In order to save his life, the battle medic had to cut his legs off. The pain and sights of the war caused him to have a stroke and since then, he raved like a lunatic.

People claimed he was called Ravil, but he refused to reveal his name. Macha was scared of him because he continually watched her as she moved around the room. Whenever she had to help clean him and feed him, he would lay stiffly, not bending his limbs at all while staring at her the whole time.

During lunch on the third day, she handed Ravil a bread roll. Instead of grabbing the food, he gripped her wrist and squeezed it hard. Screaming at the top of his lungs he yelled, "I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE! YOU DEMON Sp.a.w.n!" Then he pulled her in to choke her neck.

Macha"s eyes grew wide from his sudden attack. Her left hand held his wrist away from her neck, but he still would not release her right arm. The pressure from his hold made her feel as if her bones would snap. Through gritted teeth, she growled, "Let me go." He was a patient, and she did not want to hurt him, but if he continued, she would have to.

By this time, Tai Shan"s limbs were only fractured. He dashed out of his room to see what the commotion was about. Many of the other patients called out for help and he found Ravil trying to choke Macha. She barely kept his hand from clutching her throat and was struggling to get free.

He lept over a few cots and tore Ravil"s hands away from her. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" he cried out.

Ravil pointed at Macha, who stood behind Tai Shan. He screamed at the top of his lungs as he rocked back and forth, "The voices told me! She"s a demon sp.a.w.n! I know it! Darkness surrounds her. LOOK!" His eyes were wide, showing the whites of his eyes. "Kill her, kill her, kill her," he chanted in a raspy voice.

The commotion caused the Kochi medics to come in and put the man to sleep. While he was unconscious the other patients in the room begged to be moved. They did not want to be in the same room as him anymore. Ravil seemed to be getting worse and his sudden violence scared them.

Tai Shan led Macha back to his room. He sat down on his bed and asked, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" His stormy grey eyes were dark with worry. Over the past few days, he had grown to care about her and he fretted that she had been hurt. He gently lifted her hand up for him to inspect. Her delicate wrist had a deep red bruise forming on it and he worried there could be further damage.

Macha shook her head, "I"m fine. I don"t know why he"s getting worse. The other patients are justified with their worries. Ravil has been speaking to himself more and more lately." If she had to sleep in the same room as a violent hallucinator, she would be scared too. She sympathized with the other patients and worried for their lives.

Seeing the distress on Macha"s face made Tai Shan frown. "Why didn"t you hit him when he attacked? Regardless, I"ll talk to the head of the ward. Maybe they can do something about it." He knew she was responsible for bathing and feeding Ravil. If he had a weapon, he could have easily killed her.

A sigh escaped from her lips. She shook her head, "He"s still injured. If I hit him, he could"ve been hurt more. I"m supposed to be aiding with people"s recovery, not abusing them." After what he went through she pitied the man and hoped he would recover.

She crossed her arms and looked at the closed door that led to the room with the others. Her lips moved to one side as she pondered if she should ask for help. After a while, Macha turned back to Tai Shan, "If you could suggest for him to be transferred, that would be nice. I realize I"m supposed to be helping everyone, but he does scare me." He held more influence than she did, so she knew her concerns would fall on deaf ears compared to his.

She also hoped a change of environment might improve Ravil"s sanity. So far his condition worsened here, so perhaps a different ward would facilitate his recovery.

Tai Shan thought about how the life of a slave was not worth much, especially if they did not have any legs and was mad. Although it was obvious what the department head would do, he did not care. The crazed man became too dangerous and was a liability now.

In the dead of the night, two medics took Ravil away while he slept. When one woman asked where he was going, they ignored her question.