Now that the mother slime was dead, you’d think that her spawn would at least split up and flee from the area but that wasn’t what happened. The few remnants of the glob army still slithered after the humans, only to have some members of their measly troop get squished under Victoria Sieghart’s steel-capped boots. “How long did it take them to kill the big slime?” She muttered to her partner as they made quick disposal of the remaining monsters. Avian looked uncharacteristically grim when he said, “Around thirty Sol minutes, I guess?” The two of them shared a pained look before approaching the humans; it was almost as if the group had failed some criterion that the two soldiers had imposed upon meeting them, and because of that mistake their worth became even less than the meager amount it already was earlier. Truth is, the slimes were the so-called bottom rung of the monster ladder, and they were often the ones used to train rookie soldiers. An average member of the Solean cavalry could defeat five baby slimes in three Sol minutes by himself or herself, while a mother slime would take about seven to ten Sol minutes.

“Let’s go,” The fiery-haired woman sighed then turned her back to the humans, but her partner stayed to give them a hasty introduction. “I’m Avian Rider, that’s my wife Victoria Sieghart. We’re members of the Royal Dragoons, the elite force which is tasked with the security of the royal family. During times of war, the Royal Dragoons are also the ones supposed to spearhead our forces,” He paused and then smiled ruefully, his head tilted towards the retreating figure of the woman, “Which is why she’s upset. We both want to return to the aid of our comrades as soon as possible, so if all of you would please cooperate to make this excursion a pleasant and efficient experience for both of our parties.”

That being said, he noticed that a few members of the party were wounded and needed help returning to the castle.

Vincent had sprained his ankle, so he was to be assisted by Hakuren and Inadi all the way back.

[b]In Sol’s castle:[/b]
The humans were ushered in by their new guides; the wounded was taken to the infirmary, but the urgency of the situation urged the new guides to keep everyone present. They were presented before the heir apparent, since the king was away, and Victoria and Avian glanced at the prince Tobias in worry. They hoped he wouldn’t get too nervous.

“Your Highness, if you will, the time these people will use for repast… Can you excuse me and my wife so that we can assist with repairing the outer garrision?” Rider bowed down before sharing yet another worried look with his partner.

[b]Meanwhile in Sol:[/b]
[center][img=http://i.imgur.com/WlkFdCg.png][/center]
“Thank you, Serenade,” Songbird wiped some grime off his exposed elbow and watched as a nearby soldier drew his last breath. The item hunter’s face contorted into a grimace of ill-concealed anguish as yet another body was added to the already growing pile of corpses. He put his dirty towel down then pulled his sleeves up again, dimly remembering to tie his clothes tightly to prevent these from dipping down into the patient’s face, then gently ran his hand over the deceased soldier’s face to close his eyes. He stepped back as a pair of interns went in and wheeled the body out. “I can’t believe the dragons would do this.”

The medic camp suddenly seemed like a place of peace, isolated from the noises of war happening just outside the door. He also felt his frustration ebb away, only to be replaced by a bone-deep weariness, and Songbird sunk down on a chair, supporting his head with one arm. If he just knew more, he could’ve saved a lot of the soldiers.