"So, let me get this straight… just for consistency's sake".
Runa grunted, annoyed beyond belief. This was the last place she had wanted to find herself in, with the very last people she ever wanted to interact with, no less.
Okay, maybe the medical tent was at the very least clean, tidy and well maintained, so she could definitely do worse in that regard.
As for the company… she could confidently say that she hit rock bottom, no questions asked. Stigandr was already an eyesore to her, old bastard pissed her off to no end with that attitude of his… but Corvo was truly the source of more than three quarters of her bad mood. Nevermind the arrow that had sunk in her thigh, the mere fact that she had to rely on HIM to get it out almost made her want to just keep it in and walk it off. As far as she was concerned, one of his many ointments could be poisoned, after all.
And now, he had the absolute balls to lecture her. HER!
"First, you got sent ALONE through the Myre to find a safe passage for the rest of the army. And at this point I genuinely have to ask, what in the name of Minerva is wrong with you Vikings sending people on suicide missions alone like that?! Last time you did that, this idiot here almost lost his shield arm!"
He pointed at the Warlord, who instantly went on the defensive.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad! You fixed it pretty well, so no harm done, right?!"
Neither Runa or Corvo even bothered answering Stigandr's idiotic question.
"But anyway, it worked out this time. The issue is what happened after…"
The healer glared at her, and she had no problem reciprocating the look.
"Why did you decide that storming a monastery filled to the brim with elite Samurai soldiers on your own was a logical course of action?! For fuck's sake Runa, I thought you were the smart one of the group! Are you insane?!"
"Ohi, what's that supposed to mean?!"
The Warlord went ignored once more.
Runa the Valkyrie huffed, pissed at the healer, but not finding any ground to refute his accusations. Her decision had been… not ideal, in hindsight. The fact that an arrow in the leg was the only consequence of that stunt could be chalked to an actual blessing from Odin himself.
Corvo sighed, likely understanding that anger wasn't going to cut it here.
"Stigandr, could you leave us alone, please? I need to speak with Runa face to face".
The Warlord's brows shot up in surprise.
"Are you sure lad? She looks angry enough to just pick up her spear and impale you on the spot, you know?"
Very true, with just a small correction. She wasn't angry, no no no… she was fucking livid!
"Maybe so. But she's also smart enough to realize that killing the guy who's supposed to heal her won't benefit her. I'll be fine, I promise".
That… was also true. Damn it, another chance squandered.
Stigandr shrugged, got back up on his feet and left, shooting her a meaningful look.
"Don't do anything stupid".
Runa groaned out this time in exasperation. Alright, she got it! No killing the healer, fine! Why was everyone coddling this guy so damn much?! First the Warlord, then Dagur would frequently invite him to eat with them, even Helvar had cast away all of his suspicions!
Speaking of the healer… he turned back in her direction and handed her a leather belt, before crouching down and taking hold of the arrow in her body.
"Bite down on that. This is gonna sting…"
And sting it did. Badly. But right after, he went to work, and the pain started to lessen.
Silence stretched for a couple of minutes that seemed to last an eternity to her. Then, he spoke.
"You have many things to say. You can talk now, nobody else is around to hear".
Her right eye twitched slightly, her remaining patience evaporating like water under the sun. She snapped, finally, after two months straight.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE?!"
If her screams bothered him, he didn't let it show, merely continuing to work in silence.
"Am I the only sane person left?! We allowed you, a Knight, access to our backline, the place where we are the most vulnerable, to deal with our injured! That has to be the worst idea I've ever heard! Why did Dagur allow this?! Why is Helvar not complaining as much as he should?! And why, in the name of Thor, is Stigandr so utterly fascinated with you?! Does no one realize that we have an enemy in our camp?! A member of the group that destroyed Svengård on top of that!"
She clammed up after that. She spoke too much.
"So… that's the root of the issue. Svengård wasn't just a normal village to you, was it?"
She wanted to stop. But at that point, the walls around her feelings had been broken… and there was no stopping them from flowing out.
"Svengård was my home. My birthplace, same with Stigandr. We came from the same place. There were no warriors there… only Gudmundr, who had retired from fighting years ago! So why… why did you raid it?!"
She was projecting her anger. In the back of her mind, she knew that Corvo likely had nothing to do with it, that he was probably just doing his job. She also knew that it was hypocritical of her to ask such a question…
But her grief blinded her.
The healer finished patching her up and went back on his feet, looking… distraught.
"From what I know, my warlord's objective was to destroy the food supplies right before winter. The famine would cause the various tribes to divide and kill each other over any scrap of food left. That would give the strong the chance to raise up above the weak, claiming their… 'place' at the head of the clans, so that war may continue indefinitely".
The sheer disdain in his voice snapped Runa out of her funk.
"You don't sound too happy about it".
"Because I'm not. I hate war… it brought everything away from me. My village, my friends, my mother… I swore, on her grave, that I would do anything in my power to lessen the blight of war, by doing the opposite of what my warlord wished of me. Instead of a soldier, I became a healer. Instead of destroying, I would mend. And instead of killing… I would save".
Runa stared at him, uncertain on what to think. It was a noble sentiment, on one hand. But on the other, his actions contradicted everything that he was saying.
"That's all well and good… but if that's the case, why are you going back to this… human monster?"
Corvo smiled, melancholy etched on his face.
"Because my master made me swear an oath. That I would follow Apollyon, queen of the Blackstone Legion, until death takes us apart. He would call it 'honor'... but lately, I've been having many doubts".
She was surprised. Her grief and pain momentarily put to the side.
"What changed?"
"I… met someone special. Someone who reminded us all in the Legion the true meaning of honor and justice. And even though it's been more than a year since I last saw her… I know that she's going to change the world, in one way or the other".
His smile was different than before. Runa wasn't sure if he noticed… but she doubted that he did. Whoever this mysterious woman is, she must be one of a kind, to elicit such a reaction from someone like him. She wondered if she should say something… but decided against it. He'll realize on his own, she was sure.
She sighed and stood up. The conversation and the onslaught of feelings that came out left her drained. Her gaze swept to Corvo, who in the meantime must have realized what happened and went back to neutral. His eyes though... in the two months he had been with them, those green orbs had never been more expressive than in that moment. She smiled thinly behind her mask.
Maybe… just maybe, she could tolerate this Knight's presence. This healer wasn't the worst, after all.
Speaking of worst, though.
"Helvar has been getting a touch too friendly in my opinion lately, like he's somewhat sure that I won't beat him senseless. Right before he started this, he was visiting this tent… you wouldn't happen to know anything about this, do you?"
Corvo paled suddenly, stuttering out excuses and justifications. And down he went to the bottom of her shit list once more.
She was surrounded by idiots. But at least she didn't feel like killing him anymore...
She could work with that.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome dudes and gentleladies to another episode of AHO, the show where Runa is maybe not a complete bitch after all!
Well, Corvo did say in the last chapter that one remark was gonna come back and bite him in the ass. I don't think anyone is surprised.
We are one chapter short from the end of the Vikings Campaign and I think the story is setting itself up pretty damn well, even if the good vibes from the last two chapters are mostly gone, sadly. Back to the drama we go.
Also, some of the more attentive of you might have noticed that I called Apollyon "queen". This will be explored later, after we finish the main campaign.
Next time on A Healer's Oath: Dagur the Raider!
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!