Realm of Monsters-Chapter 708: Delirium

Chapter 708: Delirium

The sound of boots slapping hard against stone was the first thing Gale registered. She felt numb, cold. Voices she could not quite make out came to her next. The voices were blurred but a few felt somewhat familiar. She could feel herself being jostled around as if she were a doll being carried by some uncaring toddler.

Then the pain arrived. It grew from her chest and gut, and reached inwards, the roots of the tree, if the tree was the incarnation of pain. A sudden shift and she was jostled in the wrong direction. The pain exploded, oil being poured into her cold stiff body.

Gale snapped open her eyes and gasped for breath that did not seem to come, save for the faintest of wisps. The familiar crimson face of Kegrog was right next to her, they were practically touching cheeks. It took her a moment to realize he was carrying her on his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. The castle halls blurred past as Kegrog ran.

Callum suddenly was running next to them, a smile of relief on his face. “She’s alive, guys! Holy shit, I am amazing.”

“Hey, asshole, I’m healing her too, you know,” Freya said.

“Yeah, but I stopped the bleeding,” Callum said.

“While I was fighting off those orcs,” Freya said. “Just don’t stop channeling, we can’t afford to stop even for a moment.”

Freya was right behind her, Gale could tell from the sound of her voice. But she was too weak to crane her neck and look.

“I know how healing works. I’m a white mage too,” Callum said.

“Can you both just stop talking and focus on casting your spells, please,” Kegrog said.

“What do you think we’re trying to do? Kill her?” Callum frowned.

“Cal, Freya, shut up. Kegrog, try not to move around so much,” Kithina said from somewhere nearby.

“Why don’t you try and carry a person while running simultaneously?” Kegrog rumbled, though he did slow down his pace just enough to stop jostling as much.

How had it come to this?

The last thing Gale remembered was talking with Tauri in her room while Stryg slept and then— The memories came flooding back in an instant.

“Euuuhh…” Gale tried to form a sentence but all that came out was a quiet wheeze.

“Don’t try to speak,” Callum said. “You have a punctured lung and a deep cut in your lower abdomen. I tried to stop the bleeding as best I could, but we had to run away from Corvus and his army of battle mages. I can’t do much healing like this but I’m trying.” His hands were pressed on her back and glowed with a soft white light as he ran.

“So am I,” Freya piped in.

Chromatic healing magic was never painless, but Gale had never felt so much physical pain at once. She felt as if someone had stuck a dagger in her stomach and was rummaging the blade around inside. Every breath came harder than the last. She was drowning in her own blood and bile.

The world began to darken and her eyes rolled up.

“Shit, not again!” Callum cursed.

~~~

The sound of an explosion woke Gale up. She opened her eyes blearily and tried to move to no avail. After a moment, she realized she was on the ground; her cheek resting on the stone-cold floor. Warm blood pooled around her mouth.

Callum was kneeling next to her, his hands on her side, and his scarlet eyes focused with consternation.

Gale looked up and saw Kithina standing between her and a long hallway. Soldiers were pouring in from the end of the hall and rushing at them. Kithina had her arms out, yellow mana pouring from her hands. A barrier of wind was blocking the soldiers from getting past.

One orc managed to break through and charged straight at Kithina. Freya appeared from the edge of Gale’s vision, her golden hammer, Oginum, in hand.

“Come on, you bastards!” Freya swung Oginum down. The hammer barely made contact with the orc's chestplate before another explosion rang out. A golden light erupted from the hammer and the chestplate caved in as it sent the orc flying back into his comrades, dead.

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“Freya, I need you!” Callum called out.

“I’m busy!” Freya yelled back.

“Her wounds have opened up again. I can’t stop it,” Callum said.

“Fuck. Kegrog, help Kitty,” Freya turned and ran over to Gale.

“I’m working on it.” Kegrog came into view, his bow in hand. He notched another arrow and let loose. The enchanted arrow flew true, aided by Brown’s magical might, and pierced through two soldiers.

“I can’t hold this for much longer,” Kithina muttered through clenched teeth.

“Try!” Freya shouted over the frustrated roars of the orcs.

A sudden bolt of lightning erupted from the other end of the hall. The soldiers tried to scramble back as Belle waded into the fight, Nora right behind her.

Sharp ringing in Gale’s ears blurred out their voices and she knew no more.

~~~

“You’ll be safe here,” said Gilgard.

Gale opened her eyes, but it was dark. A single torch in Veronica’s hand was the only light source in what seemed to be a windowless room. The architecture seemed different.

Had they escaped the castle?

Freya and Callum were both kneeling over her, though they were too focused to notice she was awake. Soft white light poured out from their hands, but the light seemed dim. They were running out of mana, a small part of Gale’s mind told her.

“I don’t mean to doubt you, but are you sure this place is safe?” Kegrog asked.

“The foundations of the castle are strong,” Gilgard said. “From what our architects could tell, the foundations were here long before the castle itself. It’s too dark to see it, but the stone here carries veins of the same material as that of the Twin Thrones. It’s not indestructible like the thrones, but even an archmage would have a tough time breaking through even a single wall.”

“There are plenty of small pocket rooms in the foundations like this one,” Beatrix added. “Even if my father figured out we escaped here, it would take him a long time to find us. I think.”

“You think…?” Kegrog said dryly.

“I’ll take those odds,” Belle said. She was lying slumped over in the corner. Her clothes were cut to ribbons and covered in blood. Even in the dark, Gale could make out several deep gashes. She must have suffered significant wounds if her body wasn’t healing.

Belle caught the worried look in her eye. The godling put on her bravest grin, though the cut on her cheek made it lopsided. “I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep…”

“Hey, hey, don’t fall asleep on me,” Kithina slapped Belle’s cheek with soft repeated claps. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Ow,” Belle grimaced.

“Pain is good. It keeps you alive,” Kithina said. “Besides, you wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t jumped in on all those soldiers.”

“Most of these wounds were from Corvus. He had a goddamn aegis like me. I could barely get a hit in,” Belle sighed in frustration. “That bastard is stronger than I thought.”

“Yeah, he is a fucking monster. I’m surprised we got out,” Nora agreed.

“He didn’t want to fight us,” Belle said.

“And he still kicked our asses. How lovely. I hope he chokes on a fish bone and dies. No offense, you two,” Nora said.

“None taken,” Gilgard said wryly.

“If only,” Beatrix mumbled. She was sitting next to Veronica and her brother. Her limbs were mangled but she seemed stable.

“I got him good though. Stabbed him right in the kneecap,” Belle said proudly.

“My father is a very powerful chromatic white. He’ll heal himself,” Beatrix said.

“Seriously? Fuck,” Belle cursed.

“Nora, are you alright?” Kegrog asked; she was nursing a bloodied spot on her side.

“It’s just a small cut, I’ll live. Our healers have worse patients,” Nora gave a smile and winced immediately in pain.

“How is Gale holding up?” Tauri asked.

Gale shifted slightly and looked over to see Tauri sitting right behind her, Stryg’s head in her lap. Relief filled her heart at the sight of two of them safe and sound.

“Awake, it seems,” Tauri smiled and brushed her hand across Gale’s hair. “That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, it’s good…” Freya mumbled.

Tauri narrowed her eyes, “Freya, what’s wrong?”

“Cal and I are running low on mana. We can’t keep this up for much longer,” Freya admitted.

“So just finish healing her before then, right?” Tauri asked with a trembling voice.

“We can’t stop the bleeding… And she’s lost a lot of blood. Honestly, I don’t know how she’s still alive,” Callum said quietly.

“A spark of Lunae glows within her,” Belle said. “I can feel it, even from here. It’s fighting to keep her alive, but it can only do so much. Gale has been blessed by Lunae, but she isn’t her Chosen. There is only so much a spark can do.”

“What are you saying?” Tauri swallowed hard. “She can’t die.”

Gale made a soft grunt and looked at Tauri with a gaze of acceptance. Whatever would happen next, she wanted Tauri to know that it was okay.

“Please, don’t go,” Tauri said with tears in her eyes.

Gale glanced at Stryg and smiled softly. At least she got to see him one last time. There was no replacing what she had lost; Clypeus was gone. But in many ways, Stryg had become a brother to her. She hadn’t been able to protect Cly, but at least she had protected Stryg.

“He’s right here,” Tauri grabbed Gale’s hand and placed it in Stryg’s. “He is waiting for you. The Sword and Shield of Veres, right? You two are supposed to be inseparable. You can’t leave him. You can’t leave us, not now, please…”

Stryg’s hand felt cold in Gale’s fingers. His hand was small. The claws on each finger were so sharp that they might cut if one wasn’t careful. Gale looked up at Tauri and smiled as best she could, then closed her eyes.

“Gale? Gale…? Gale, please, wake up!” Tauri cried out.

But the vampiress did not stir, her breath growing ever more shallow.

“Callum, wake her up!” Tauri yelled.

“We’re trying,” Callum said.

But try as they might, nothing seemed to change. Some looked at Tauri and Gale with pity. Others looked away. No one noticed the small blue hand that gripped Gale’s fingers ever so slightly.