Shyvana lowered Jarvan down to the ground slowly. She had only just begun to turn around to return to the fight as she watched in horror as the dragon tossed Isaacs into the air. It was toying with him and it caught him by the leg, ripping the limb clean off from the knee down. A stream of blood hit the ground first as the old man followed with a dull thump and a splash into the puddle of water and blood, his shield bouncing away from him. The dragon raised its head up, trying to scarf the leg down as quickly as possible.
"Isaacs!" Shyvana screamed, watching as the man tried to push himself up with one arm, only to flop back down. "Oh gods..." Shyvana breathed, looking from where Jarvan was lying, bleeding profusely, and to where Isaacs was now lying face down in a pool of his own blood.
I can't save them both. Shyvana looked hurriedly from Jarvan's body to where Isaacs lay, his body now having fallen still.
"No, no, no, no." She shook her head. "This can't be happening..." She felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she tried to think of what to do. The dragon was busy trying to choke down Isaacs' leg, the blade Isaacs had lodged in its throat causing the beast some trouble.
"I hope you choke to death, you green fuck!" Isaacs hollered, his voice raspy and angry. A mixture of howls of pain and the mirthful laughter of a man staring at death echoed out as the Dragon continued to choke.
"Hold on, Isaacs!" Shyvana shouted as turned to Jarvan, who was still bleeding, the rain water causing a spider web of blood trials as it ran under Jarvan. Shyvana looked down at Jarvan and peeled his hand away where he had clasped it over his wounds. They were serious looking, the holes a dark and gruesome red-black in the dim light, only hampered by the rain. Shyvana couldn't tell how bad they were, she knew next to nothing about first aid, but she knew needed to stop the flow before Jarvan completely bled out. He had already lost a significant amount of blood, his face hauntingly pale.
"I'm sorry, love..." She said softly. "This is going to hurt..." She cupped her hands before her face, and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, a ball of flame swirling in her hands. The flame, not much bigger than her fist, popped and hissed angrily in the rain as she poured energy from her own body into the flame to keep it alive. The flame protested and steamed, but it stayed lit. Shyvana clenched her teeth and lowered the flame into the deepest of Jarvan's wounds. She pushed the flame into the wound, the smell of charred flesh filling her nostrils. She conjured more flames, repeating the process on the worst of Jarvan's wound, cauterizing them to stop the bleeding. Jarvan's face was twisted in agony and a silent scream of pain, unable to actually scream. His breathing was now ragged and weak as Shyvana pushed him into a sitting position despite his weak protests. She pushed the last of the flames in Jarvan's back, closing the exit wound that had cut all the way though him.
The sound of steel hitting stone drew Shyvana's attention away from Jarvan's pain as she lowered him back onto the ground. She looked up as the dragon cast the blade it held between its teeth away, Isaacs' sword clattering to the ground and skittering away.
"No... I need a bit more time..." Shyvana said quietly as she watched the dragon sniff at the dying Isaacs, turning towards her. The dragon met her gaze, its red eyes narrowing as it took a step towards her and roared.
"Watch out!"
The clatter of horse hooves from behind told Shyvana caused her to duck, laying her body over top of Jarvan's shielding him with as much of her own body as she could. A horse leaped right over her, landing in front of her.
"Eat this, bastard." Quinn shouted as she leaped off the horse, the maned beast rearing up on its hind legs in a angry bray. She did a back flip through the air, the dragon watching her, stunned as she arced through the air like a bird in flight, her cloak fluttering around her. In a single fluid motion, as she seemed to hang in the air, she drew her crossbow, brought it up and fired a trio of bolts directly at the dragon. The beast howled in rage as its left eye was pierced with three razor sharp crossbow bolts. "Valor, Now! Go for the eyes!" She shouted as she landed, looking up as Valor dived. She watched as Valor swooped down, amid the high winds and the storm, striking at the dragon's other eye as it tossed its head about through the air in pain. The dragon roared again, even louder, as the eagle gored its other red eye.
The bird screamed and darted away as the dragon blindly began spewing columns of flame into the air. The eagle jumped back in, grabbing a bolt and ripping it from the socket, the dragon redoubling it's screams of pain, the entire earth shaking under it's feet as it flailed.
"Get Jarvan out of here!" Forsythe shouted. He had wrapped a tourniquet around the stump of what was left of Isaac's left leg. Forsythe tossed the lieutenant's body over the horse and practically threw himself onto the saddle as he turned the horse. "I've got Isaacs!" He snapped the reins and whisked the lieutenant away, disappearing out of the town square almost as quickly as he had appeared.
"How is Jarvan?" Quinn shouted over the dragon's scream, dropping to Jarvan's side. The beast was busy with its own pain and it's feeble attempts to rip the bolts from its eye socket, wildly gnashing at the air and swiping at its head with spindly arms made for flight and swiping, not gripping small objects.
"I stopped the bleeding..." Shyvana said shaking her head. "I don't need any help!" Quinn grimaced as she looked at the crude first aid. It was true that she had stopped the bleeding, but the pain from the burns would had been immense. Hopefully Jarvan had been unconscious.
"You did nearly as much damage to him as the dragon!" Quinn snapped. She pulled clean gauze from her small bag, pressing the white material into Jarvan's wounds, the prince shifting in pain, gasping as the Quinn held the gauze in place. "I'm surprised he's not in shock. Here, lift him up!" Quinn said urgently, struggling to lift the prince.
"Don't touch him!" Shyvana shouted angrily, reaching out to knock the ranger's hands away. Quinn smacked the Dragoness's hands away, meeting her shocked expression with an angry glare.
"I don't know what the hell you think you're so special for but listen up, you half beast!" Quinn said angrily. "You may not like me, but frankly, I couldn't be bothered to give a flying fuck right now! The blind is only going to affect the dragon for so long so you need to help me stabilize Jarvan so we can get him out of here." Shyvana opened her mouth to protest, but Quinn's intensity caused her to falter. "Just shut up and help me! I wanna save him as much as you do."
"But..." Shyvana began to say, clearly surprised.
"We have no time for arguments!" Quinn said, forestalling Shyvana's further protests. Shyvana nodded weakly and raised Jarvan up off the ground. One of the spots that Shyvana had tried to cauterize had broken open and blood was pouring from the wound. "Do you have any health potions?" Quinn said as she worked, using a pair of shears to cut more gauze into squares.
"Potions?" Shyvana said, leaning over Jarvan as she lowered him back down, a worried look on her face as she watched the ranger work.
"Yes!" Quinn snapped, growling as she tried to stop the bleeding. "Oh no... he's hemorrhaging... I need a health potion!"
"I don't know." Shyvana said, shaking her head, distraught. "I don't know what those are!"
"Red liquid in a crystal vial..." Quinn grunted as she lifted Jarvan's arm up and out of the way. "Jarvan had them..." When Shyvana shook her head again, the Ranger growled. "They make you glow fucking green!" Quinn said, angrily, glaring at the dragoness.
Shyvana looked dumbfounded, but slowly nodded her head, scrambling to the little pouch on Jarvan's belt. Quinn snatched them out of her hands, one hand pressing a patch of gauze to Jarvan's torso as blood started to stain the white fabric. Quinn snapped the tip off and emptied the ruby liquid into Jarvan's mouth. She cast the container away and returned to working on Jarvan. Quinn had set about cutting away tattered sections of Jarvan's body suit. "Lift." Shyvana did as she was told, the ranger holding the gauze to Jarvan as Shyvana lifted him gingerly. Shyvana watched in awe as Quinn expertly wrapped a bandage around Jarvan's abdomen, tucking the end under one of the wrappings and tying it off.
"There..." Quinn said, breathlessly, her hands covered in blood. "He'll survive, but just barely..." She ran the back of her arm over her forehead, leaving a red streak over her brow. She shook her head as she turned away, pulling a hand full of crossbow bolts from her quiver and feeding them into the magazine on her crossbow. She pulled the charging handle, releasing the action, feeding a bolt into the chamber. "I'll cover you as best I can... just get him out of here." Quinn tired to put on a brave and determined expression, but Shyvana could read the fear in her eyes. Shyvana wanted to protest, but Quinn was already sprinting away. The dragon had ripped the bolts out of its eye and had cast them on the ground with a pained roar. It swung it's head from side to side as it tried to listen for anything it could over the din of the rain.
"Go now!" Quinn took a series of snap shots with her cross bow, the bolts simply bouncing off the Dragon's armored underbelly as she sprinted for cover in a burned out building. The dragon spewed a wave of flames in her direction, but Quinn had already ducked behind some cover, the flames causing a gout of steam to rise up.
Shyvana snapped her jaw shut, surprised by the ranger. She shook the stupor off though and wrapped Jarvan's arm over her shoulder and lifted him up awkwardly. She tried to lift him up, but his body was too heavy. She grunted with effort, but was unable to lift him. She lowered him back down, finally just resolving to drag him along the ground. Crimson blood marked where she had done what she could to stop the bleeding, and a trailed faded from where she had dragged him away.
"Jarvan, you better not die on me again, you idiot." She grunted as she pulled his body along, rain pouring down around her. Jarvan groaned softly as his head lolled from side to side, the dim grin glow of the health potion radiating around him like an aura, though much of it was concentrated around his stomach.
"Come on... stay with me..." Shyvana hissed as she dragged Jarvan around a pile of stone, her breathing ragged with tears and anger. The sound of the dragon roaring behind her caused Shyvana to glance worriedly over her shoulder. She didn't want to be worried about Quinn, but she had saved Jarvan when Shyvana hadn't done anything but make it worse. Shyvana brushed her water drenched hair from her face as she sat back on her haunches, catching her breath. "Almost there." She dragged Jarvan to where he was fully behind cover and the she lowered him slowly to the ground. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open as she laid him out flat.
"You two are lousy at first aid." Jarvan groaned with a hoarse voice.
"Bite me." Shyvana said, feeling the sting of tears welling in her eyes. Jarvan's eyes fluttered shut as she squeezed his hand.
"Maybe later..." Jarvan said with a weak grunt. Shyvana smiled and patted him on the cheek.
"Just shut up and stay here before your wounds open back up." Shyvana said. "Now that you and Isaacs are safe... I'm going to end this stupidity. I'll be back for you."
"I'll be waiting." Jarvan said, his head drooping to his the side. Shyvana wasn't sure if he was asleep or he had just passed out, but the uneasy rise and fall of his chest told her that he was at least breathing.
Shyvana turned the corner of the rubble and stood fast, watching as the dragon swung its head left and right, scanning for a sound of either Quinn or Valor, anything that it could attack. Shyvana looked for the ranger herself, but she couldn't find the ranger in the darkness. The dragon obviously heard something she hadn't, because it whipped about sucked in a deep breath, its chest glowing. The dragon spat a ball of fire just as Quinn leaped from the building, an explosion rocking a building and causing a flash of steam and fire. Quinn sprinted across the second story remains of the adjacent house, skirting the edge of the town square as best she could. Valor screeched and dived towards the dragon, trying to draw the dragon's aggression away from his master, but he had to veer off when the dragon turned towards him.
"Enough of this." Shyvana growled, exhaling slowly. "For what you did to Jarvan... you shall suffer my fury." Shyvana clamped her eyes shut and took a slow, deep breath.
Please work...
Shyvana shivered as all of the hair on her body stood on end. Her stomach turned over a she heard the rustling inside her head and felt the pain of horns sprouting from her skull. Scales erupted from under her skin, breaking through the surface; it felt as if the entire surface of the skin of her body was on fire. The flesh on her body stretched and tightened around the scales, holding them in place as her skin boiled. Inside her body, she felt her bones elongate and thicken, breaking apart and molding together into new shapes. Muscles seemed to fray apart and boil beneath her skin, packing down hard and tight next to her new bone structure. He skin had hardened to a bluish Leather with armored scales, replacing her soft flesh, tufts of bristly mane replacing her thick red hair that fell around her body. Her armor peeled away as her body exploded outwards as she started her gallop forwards, sprinting towards the Dragon as she grew in size. She launched herself into the air, spreading her wings, flames swirling and boiling around her.
"Oh, holy shi-!" Quinn had to dive aside as Shyvana, in her fully released dragon form, charged the battle hardened green dragon and plowed him straight into the building Quinn had just been occupying. As the smoke and steam settled, Shyvana let off a mighty roar. One eye rotated and spotted Quinn, who was scrambling to get off her back to her feet as she watched the dragon tower over her.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Shyvana roared, her voice a mix of deep rumble and strained anger. She had finally gotten Jarvan and Isaacs clear; Shyvana didn't want to step on the ranger and kill one of her own. Quinn nodded as she picked herself up out of the dirt, unable to say anything. The sound of rumbling stone and wooden planks crashed about as the dragon shook its head and pulled itself from the rubble. It swung its head from side to side, chuckling as Shyvana roared back at him. Shyvana roared again, her own voice now a massive rumble mixed with an ear-splitting screech. The other dragon shrunk back as it billowed its wings and started to suck in a deep breath to blast her with a ball of explosive fire.
"FEEL MY TALONS!" Shyvana roared as she launched herself forward again, directly at the Dragon's neck as its chest began to glow. Flames cloaked Shyvana's body, burning along the ground as she charged forth, her head skimming just above the ground. She leaped at the last second, spewing flames at the dragon. The flames blackened the dragon's armored scales as she collided with the beast like a freight train, clawing at its neck and clamping her mouth down around its throat like a steel vice.
The dragon howled in anguish as her strike crushed through its brittle scales, the heat of Shyvana's flame breath enough to shred his armor. Black blood spewed from his neck as she ripped great chunks of flesh from his neck, her claws cutting deep grooves in his armor and leathery skin. The dragon roared and smashed its head into Shyvana trying to break her hold on his neck. Shyvana felt the breath rush from her body with the first blow. The second sent her, the smaller dragon, reeling backwards, skidding along the ground, her claws struggling to gain purchase on the wet stone. Shyvana spread her wings and slowed her descent as she crashed into the remains of the clock tower. She shook it off through, flapping her wings as she kicked off, sending massive stone blocks crashing to the ground as she struck at the back of the dragon's neck. She scratched at his armor, ripping up a few of his armored plates. She gnashed at the creatures unarmored, bleeding flesh below as she struggled to hold onto him, her claws anchored under the armor plates attached to his body, her talon sunk into his flesh along his hind legs and tail. The dragon was trying to throw her off as she continually slashed and ripped at him, taking a chuck out of his shoulder before he finally managed to grab her in his jaw and throw her off with its sheer brute strength.
Quinn screamed as Shyvana arced through the air, the massive dragon flailing as she fell towards where Quinn had been hiding in a building, watching the fight between the dragons in awe and fear. Shyvana tried to twist about to slow her fall, but she wasn't going to be able to slow her descent without squashing Quinn. Shyvana felt the searing pain as she transformed back into her human form, the damage she had tanked while in her dragon form all hitting her all at once, the pain arcing through her like fire in her veins. Shyvana landed atop Quinn, sending both of them crashing down into the house, disappearing beneath the floorboards.
Quinn coughed the dust and ash out of her lungs as she tried to sit up in the darkness. She was ankle deep in water and surrounded by rubble and barrels, the scent of spices heavy in the air.
"A cellar?" Quinn groaned, holding her head, pushing a board from over top of her head. Her hand hit water and then struck stone as she struggled to push herself into the sitting position. She rubbed a lump on her forehead and then froze. Lain across her was the bare naked body of Shyvana, her mane of messy red hair spread out across much of her body. Quinn glanced around, looking for something she could pry herself free with, but when she tried to pull a board from the pile of rubble that had fallen down around her, the house groaned ominously, as if it would come down around her if she removed the board. She sighed and looked around, trying to peer through the darkness, her eyes finally starting to adjust to the darkness. Her crossbow sat in the water off to the side.
Quinn sucked in a breath and held it, the rumble of the dragon taking heavy steps outside causing her the quake in fear. She looked up and out of the cellar, the outline of the hole they had fallen through barely visible against the dark, night sky. Something loomed over the top of the hole, the wicked looking shape of the dragon's head silhouetted by the flames that still smoldered outside. Panic flooded through her veins and Quinn reached out for her crossbow. She was a few inches short though. Quinn stretched, trying to stretch her arm out. Her gloved fingers brushed the edge of the crossbow. She exhaled, trying to grab the bow between two of her fingertips, but she only managed to knock the weapon further away.
Shyvana groaned and she tried to move, rubble falling down around them as she did, splashing into standing water that had pooled in the cellar.
"Idiot!" Quinn hissed in a whisper. It was too late though, the dragon was bearing down upon them. Its nose hung in the air as Quinn struggled to shove Shyvana off of her legs, but the Dragoness was too heavy. The dragon rumbled as it stepped closer, its deep panting breaths making a whistling sound. The monster was moving much slower now, struggling as its head hung unsteadily in the air above the entrance to the cellar. The flickering flames only made the beast look even more horrifying. Chunks of meat and scales hung from its bones in places, black blood oozing down its body like slime. It was demonic looking, like something that had clawed its way out of hell.
"It... Ends... Here..." The dragon rumbled slowly. Deep whistling breaths carried the scent of the beasts oily blood down into the cellar, the scent of sulfur thick on its breath as it could no longer contain its fuel inside its chest. Rain still poured down, an eerie steam emanating from the dragon with every breath.
"Shyvana..." Quinn groaned, trying to shove the dragoness off her. "Come on Shy... this is really not the time." Shyvana groaned again, her body glistening with rain water and black blood coating her arms, mouth and chest. Rubble had covered the lower half of her body and the water that rippled out from the rocks was tinted red. Quinn felt the panic growing in her heart as she struggled, the demonic beast looming overhead.
"Die." The dragon rumbled, raising up its massive claw up to bring it down like a final, crushing hammer blow. Quinn clamped her eyes shut, curling up into a ball, waiting, screaming as the dragon's claw descended towards her.
A clap of thunder and a flash of brilliant golden light erupted around her, the sound of the house crashing down echoing around her, the rubble grinding and settling. Warmth seemed to envelope her. She opened her eyes to a soft golden glow as Jarvan kneeling over top of them.
"P-prince Jarvan?" Quinn stammered as she tried to sit up.
"How's Shyvana?" Jarvan snapped, a strained look on his face. Quinn looked up at him with an ashen smile as he spoke. Quinn glanced away. "How is she?" Urgency laced his voice. Quinn looked up at Jarvan for a brief second and then down at Shyvana. Her chest rose and fell slowly.
"She's fine." Quinn said. "I think she's just exhausted... she took quite a beating while she was ...in her other form."
Jarvan grunted, his knees threatening to buckle as the Dragon struck again, the entire shield sinking down deeper into the stone of the cellar. Quinn screamed as she hunched over, her arms wrapped around her head. She started sniffing as tears began to well in her eyes.
"We need to get out of here..." Jarvan said, his breathing now becoming ragged.
"R-right..." Quinn said, her voice wavering. She had tried to be brave, but this was too much. She had nearly died so many times in the past few minutes. The world around her rumbled and shook as the dragon struck a third time, the beast tossing its head back and roaring in anguish that it was being denied its prey again. Jarvan's breathing was deathly now; he barely able to stand on his own, much less maintain the golden shield he was holding up with what appeared to be nothing more than sheer will power.
"I..." Jarvan panted, his arms and legs now visibly shaking. His knee descended, splashing into the water, with every breath he sounded as if he was going to cough up a part of his lung, the pain and agony he felt clear upon his face. The gauze and bandages on his body were darkening, the white fabric slowly becoming dark with blood. "Can't... go... on..." His arms began to fall, and holes appeared in the golden bubble. Jarvan collapsed, falling to his knees, looking up at the sky with a defeated expression on his face as he fell backwards, a splash echoing through the cellar.
"Jarvan?" Quinn spoke his name, hoping that he would get back up. He shouldn't have been standing, he should have been in shock, blacked out or nearly dead, but even as he lay there on the ground, on the verge of death, he had come to save the woman he loved.
"You're so lucky, Shyvana..." Quinn said, a pang of grief sparking in her heart.
The dragon grunted, causing the tears that were welling in her eyes to streak down her cheeks. The beast clawed itself forward, raising its out and billowing it's chest. Flames cracked in the open chest wound, the sparkle of electricity threatening to ignite the fuel it held in the leaking pouch, the sack leaking a clear fuming liquid from its chest. Quinn stared with wide eyes as the dragon reared up, trying to puff out its chest but only sending more of the oil splashing down. Quinn whimpered as she stretched as far as she could as she brushed her fingers over the bow, unable to grab it. The dragon exhaled sharply, the electricity crackling louder now. Quinn looked up, aghast.
"You'll kill yourself just to get us..." Quinn's gaze fell as she tears streamed down her face, too tired to cry, her body in shock. "Caleb... save me..." She said in a small voice. Electricity cracked along the dragon's chest and Quinn clamped her eyes shut.
SHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK!
Quinn opened her eyes when the explosion of flames never came. She looked at her hands, wondering if she was in heaven for a brief moment, but when rain drops landed on her upturned palms, she realized that nothing had changed. She looked up and out of the remains of the collapsed house, the dragon still standing upright, though blood gushed from two stumps where its wings had been. It chest had been sliced open, the electricity having fallen silent.
The dragon slowly tumbled backwards, striking the ground with enough force to shake the world around Quinn. A man's silhouette was left standing, a massive sword clutched in both hands, held at a ready position of to one side of his body.
"...Caleb?" Quinn stammered, unable to believe her eyes. The male figure heard her, lowered its weapon and took a few deep breaths. The figure turned, taking a few steps towards the hole.
"Oh god …." Quinn breathed, slowly, her heart racing. "Caleb..."
"Who's Caleb?" Forsythe stepped into the light of the fire, a confused look on his face as he looked down into the crater of a cellar. His one eye blinked in the firelight, the gruesome scar that had claimed his other eye gleaming evilly in the dim, flickering light.
"I..." Quinn's heart fell, the adrenaline draining from her body as her heart fluttered then fell. "Oh... it's you..."
"Who else would it be?" Forsythe said, descending into the hole carefully, struggling with the rubble as he halfway slid into the hole.
"Uh..." Quinn felt foolish now, her cheeks blushed. "Nothing... no one... never mind." She shook her head as Forsythe splashed into the water next to her. He grabbed a board from the rubble, and then used it to lever Quinn free. He pulled her to her feet, her legs shake underneath her. She leaned against the rubble for a few seconds, letting her body catch up with her. "Thanks..." Quinn said quietly. Forsythe nodded silently, turning towards the others.
"It's fine." Forsythe said, turning his attention to Shyvana and Jarvan. "Just help me get them out of here."
Quinn nodded, her mind in a fog as she set to work helping Forsythe pull Jarvan from the rubble and then freeing Shyvana.
Sunlight was streaming over the edge of the distant mountain tops when Shyvana had woken, her entire body aching as she tried to sit up. She covered her eyes as she looked around the makeshift camp she was lain out in, struggling against the sunlight in her eyes and the protest of her body.
"Morning." Forsythe paused as he kneeled next to Shyvana.
"Morning..." Shyvana tried to mumble as she squinted and frowned as the light shone directly in through a crack into her eyes.
"Do me a favor and open your eyes..." Forsythe said haggardly, shifting so his body blocked the ray of light. Shyvana blinked a few times as Forsythe took her face gently in his hands and pulled one of Shyvana's lower eyelids down, using a match to provide light to look into her eyes. He gazed at her with his single eye, the small, bloodshot orb darting around as he looked closely at her own eyes for a few moments. He matched her gaze for a few seconds, looking into her eyes before he let her go, shaking the match out and casting it into the small fire that crackled at the center of the circle.
"What was that?" Shyvana said, blushing as she pulled the scratchy wool blanket around her neck.
"Just making sure you're not concussed." Forsythe said, grunting as he sat back against the wall. "How do you feel?" He exhaled, letting his head rest against the wooden wall he was now sitting against, looking down at Shyvana with his good eye.
"Like I just got stomped on by a dragon." She said as she sat up. Forsythe snorted and grinned, his good eye fluttering shut.
"Sounds about right." Forsythe said, pulling his cloak around his body.
"How are the others?" Shyvana said, looking at Jarvan and Isaacs. Both of them were covered in thick blankets, and Quinn was sat in between them, her back against the wall they had been set perpendicular to. Her eyes were closed and her head rose and fell gently with her chest as she snoozed, her arms wrapped around her knees as she hugged them to her chest. She rested her cheek on her knees, her dark hair tied back in a rough bun on the back of her head. Blood coated her arms nearly up to her elbows.
"They'll live." Forsythe said quietly, letting out a long breath. "Isaacs' leg is gone for good... though he can probably get a replacement or something when we return to Demacia. There are good surgeons there... and I remember rumors about developments for prosthetic devices in Piltover. He'll be fine."
"And Jarvan?" Shyvana said, holding her hands towards the fire to warm them.
"He's battered, bruised, and filled with holes, but he'll probably be back to normal in a few weeks." The knight shrugged and sighed. "He's physically and mental exhausted from his Golden Aegis though, so that might hamper his recovery. I had to use my entire supply of health potions of Isaacs, and Jarvan used up his during the fight, so he's going to have to recover the hard way." Shyvana finally let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"That's good..." Shyvana said, relieved. "Did Quinn get hurt?"
"Some bruises and a few cuts, but nothing much." Forsythe said shaking his head, opening his eye to look up at the ceiling. "She was up all night working on each of your wounds. She's just tired." Forsythe let a grin tug at the corner of his mouth as he gestured to both Jarvan and Isaacs. "I told her that I'd let her get some sleep and I'd watch over the three of you." Shyvana smiled.
"I didn't know she had any medical knowledge..." Shyvana said, tucking her legs underneath her, her legs protesting as she did. Bandages were wrapped up and down her legs from high on her thighs all the way down to her feet. Shyvana looked up from the bandaged to Quinn and then other to Forsythe. He had been following the Dragoness' gaze and nodded. Shyvana blinked a few times as she rested a hand on the bandages, simply staring into the fire. Forsythe grunted, looking up at the ceiling, the smoke drifting upwards and then following the contours of the ceiling till it found a burnt out hole where it continued it's climb upwards into the sky.
"She told me while she was working on Isaacs last night..." He paused, frowning, glancing down at the young ranger. "Her brother had died in her arms when they were both kids."
"That's horrible..." Shyvana said, placing a hand over her mouth. Forsythe grimaced, shaking his head.
"They both wanted to be proud Demacian Knights... serving and protecting people." Forsythe shook his head. "They were playing in the forest together when her brother, Caleb fell and busted his head on a rock." Forsythe screwed his face up. "It apparently screwed her up pretty bad, she still thinks she's responsible for that happening. She didn't know how to help him... and he died."
"I... I didn't know..." Shyvana looked at the young tracker, a sense of understanding and closeness that she hadn't felt before suddenly drawing her towards the tracker. Shyvana still felt responsible for her father's death... and here, this young girl who she hated and viewed as nothing more than an immature pest, was exactly the same as her. Shyvana shivered, regretting all of the cruel things she had said to the girl.
"None of us did." Forsythe said, shrugging. "Well she took it upon herself to try and rededicate herself to becoming a doctor... that way she could save and help people without putting those close to her in danger."
"That's a noble goal..." Shyvana mused, running her hand along her bandages.
"She seemed reluctant to even talk about it." Forsythe said, shrugging. "I think she's ashamed of it... A simple Demacian farm girl with delusions of being a knight and a doctor." He shook his head.
"Why was she working as a tracker on the outskirts of Demacia then?" Shyvana said, frowning. "Why wasn't she studying at a school or something like that?"
"What part of 'farm girl' don't you get?" Forsythe said resentfully. "She had no money, and her parents had no money, so she set out on her own to try and raise the money. She went to visit the site where her brother had died when she met Valor." The bird ruffled its feathers as it looked around the room from its perch next to Quinn. When he didn't hear his voice again, the bird shook its head and went back to sleep. "They became fast friends and then she started working as a ranger." Forsythe shrugged. "Now she wants to try and join the Demacian military."
"I hope she gets the chance." Shyvana said, watching the young woman sleep soundly.
"And here I thought you hated her guts." Forsythe said with a crooked smile.
"Not anymore... I think I understand her pain now." Shyvana sighed. "I wish I could do something like that... become a doctor and help people." She held her hands out and looked at them somberly. "All these hands know are pain and destruction though."
"That may be..." Forsythe said, shrugging. Shyvana looked up at him with a sour expression, but he grinning crookedly. "Prince Jarvan sees some good in you though, so I believe there is some good in you as well."
"Thanks..." Shyvana said, blushing and looking down at her lap. "What about you?" Shyvana said after a short while.
"Me?" Forsythe said, frowning, giving her a quizzical look. Shyvana nodded, remaining silent. He shrugged. "There isn't much to say... I was a street urchin, a petty criminal." He looked up at the ceiling again. "I got dragged into a gang at an early age because of my size. They were training me to be an enforcer when I was picked up at seventeen and sent to serve in a penal battalion. I served the 4 year sentence, then chose to stay with the military." He shrugged. "I had nothing to go back to, the army had become my home. Isaacs recruited me when they were forming the princes personal company; I had worked with him before and he gave me a chance. I've been with them ever since."
"I see..." Shyvana said, holding her legs.
"Yeah, not much too it..." He said, shrugging. "No grandiose machinations or anything... just a street punk." He started to get up. "Well I better go check the perimeter and the horses."
"I'll go." Shyvana said, rising slowly to her feet.
"You sure?" Forsythe said, raising an eyebrow/ Shyvana nodded.
"I need to stretch my legs anyways." She slid on the thin, spare pair of boots she had in her pack, the rest of the clothes having been produced from their as well. Shyvana could only hope it was Quinn that had dressed her and not Forsythe, but she wasn't afraid after the man's opening up to her.
"Mind the puddles, then." Forysthe said, pulling his cloak around him and turning to the side, closing his eye and resting his head against his arm. Shyvana pulled her cloak around her and slipped out of the building, through a door that was barely hanging by a single hinge. She had to shield her eyes again as she stepped into the light, looking around. The small, mostly intact little building had a corner burnt out of it, but it still stood of it's own strength. It over looked one of the fields that they had crossed coming into town, the horses grazing in the small paddock, each of them tied up on a long rope so it could graze without wandering too far from the house. Shyvana checked the horses, making sure all three were calm, and then she started wandering towards town.
The town looked completely different in the crisp morning light, only a few tendrils of smoke and steam rising from the desolate ruins. It was like walking through a graveyard, with destruction and rubble laying everywhere. She found herself in the center of town, looking upon the corpse of the dragon and the remains of the clock tower, the bronze inner workings of the clock gleaming in the morning light.
Shyvana started ascending the crumbling steps of the town hall, the ruins of the destroyed structure rising up in front of her relatively small form. She perched herself upon the shoulders of a crumbled stone wolf that sat at the base of the stairs, poised as the guardian of the village. Shyvana could only wonder what purpose the wolf served, because it was hardly serving its intended purpose as the remains of the town sat broken, crumbled and smoldering around her. She stared down at the still corpse of the dragon as blood slowly poured out of both of its maimed wings. The rain had only helped to drain the blood. She wore a blank stare as she watched the pool of blood swirl like oil on water. She sighed heavily, and diverted her eyes, an uneasiness in her heart.
She sighed heavily, wondering exactly what she was going to do with herself as let her head fall to hands, sobs wracking her shoulders.