"Maurim!" Tormod screamed across the wet battlefield. The young sage blinked, hoping he was just imagining the lance that protruded from his friend's chest.
He wasn't.
Tormod ran to the Laguz, not caring about the arrows that were shot in his direction. Miraculously, none of them hit their target.
"Wait, Tormod!" He heard Ike yell from a few yards to his left. But he didn't care.
"Everyone!" Ike continued. "We have push through this rain and finish off the enemy!" He was worried about Tormod and Maurim, but he had bigger problems at the moment. Unfortunately, Ike hadn't seen the fatal accident, and didn't realise Maurim was dying.
When Tormod finally reached Maurim, the Beast Laguz was in his Tiger form, lying on his side, the Soldier that had wounded him dead a few feet away.
Good, Tormod thought as tears rushed to his eyes. At least he didn't die in vain…
"Maurim…" Tormod whimpered. The Tiger coughed blood before lifting his head painfully and looking up at him.
"Yes, little one...?"
"Please don't die!" Tormod hugged the Tiger tightly. "You're the closest thing I had to a father." He whispered.
"It's…" The Tiger started to say, but a coughing fit overcame him as more blood poured from the wound in his chest.
"No!" Tormod started crying. "I won't let you!" Suddenly, he remembered the staff he had learnt to use a few days ago and let go of the Tiger. "Wait, Maurim! I have… something that might… help…" Tormod started to hunt around his belt and cloak where it would be kept, but he couldn't find it anywhere. Tormod started sobbing as he realised an enemy thief must have stolen it during the commotion. Ike and the rest of the army had finished off the rest of the Daien troops, and had disappeared into the fort to check for more enemies.
A voice brought Tormod back to the more pressing matter. It was Maurim's last dying words. Tears streamed down Tormod's face as he listened.
"Tormod, do not... despair… Go with Ike and finish… this… hunt…" And with that, Maurim let out his last breath and closed his eyes.
"Maurim!" Tormod shook the Tiger. "Maurim, wake up!"
"Tormod!" Voices were calling out for him in the distance. Ike had evidently sent out a search party after they had taken too long to show up.
They found Tormod kneeling over a bloodied and still Maurim, shoulders shaking as sobs racked his body.
Rhys, who was part of the search party, was the first to react. "Tormod! We've been looking everywhere for you!" The bishop looked down at the still body of Maurim and knew that he was dead. "Oh, Tormod…" He knelt down in the mud next to the young sage and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Tormod, tell me exactly what happened."
After a lot of sobbing and crying, Tormod finally came to his senses and retold what had ensued.
