From a Different Angle

Slums

It was a rather odd feeling to have Grim suddenly lean against me and fall asleep, however I did not deny him the much needed rest he wanted. The poor boy probably felt safe around me after I gained his trust, allowing himself to relax and rest happily. The only downside to all of this would be that I did not want to wake him up meaning that I now had to carry the tiny little thing everywhere I went. It took me a second and some thinking but I gently moved him around and as he reached my back he clinged to me and hid behind the crook of my neck. For a lack of better words it was a rather cute act of his, it made me realize that even something that was so fragile could hold someone's heart in the palm of their hand by simply existing. Afterall it was something that anyone that has once fallen in love could understand. I carried him out of the little makeshift dinning area that the surviving memebers of the Amazonian army had created, and back out into the intersection with passing soldiers. They were armed with what I would call dollar value version of what the Amazonian women had in the castle. Instead of the what I assumed to be the traditional Amazonian color their hilts were purple and the glowing blades were white. Different sort of people meaning different colors for them I believe, along with that they did not have any armor on them. No sigils to represent them or any sort of armor to show a faction just some raggy clothes that they carried to drive the cold away. I knew that they were a seperate race basically but seeing this all in person made me realize just how deep down the roots of this war may go. Its no longer about freedom for the mans but it also may be for a change for their world to turn to. Whether it may be for the best or the worst, they choose to become part of the side they believe is the one that'll lead them to peace or the version of it that they once followed before the war.

I met up with Gabriel at the spot we agreed on, he was sitting down on an empty crate with a smile as he waved at me. Once he saw Grim clinging onto me while asleep he smiled with joy then went to poke his cheek but was stopped with a quick glare from me

"Don't. We need to find our beds and let him rest properly, this may be the first time he has been able to sleep this peacefully"

I said as he nodded back then began to look around at the symbols then waved at me to follow

"So how was it? You find out anything? Anyone told you anything about what we are up against?"

He asked to me as he put his hands behind his head and let out a soft sigh as he kept his eyes forward. Upon hearing his voice, I heard Grim softly whisper his name into my ear, as if he was still half awake.

"Yeah actually some pretty useful info, we can't use projectile based weapons in the battlefield due to honor and tradition so only hand to hand combat sort of thing. The other valuable piece of intel I got was that there is only one Amazonian we have to worry about but apparently she is also extremely dangerous, she has lost arms and legs during fights only to come out unharmed mere seconds later."

I responded to Gabriel with a worried tone towards the end, it was one thing to fight against a Will Power user it was another that their ability had to do with regenerative factors. If she has been obliterated and still came back, her power may be a bit stronger than the run of the mill mercenaries we have encountered up until now.

"She is definitely a will power user, we have to figure out her ability quick otherwise we will be at a disadvantage"

Gabriel said then took a deep breath, as much of an i***t as he may be he knows how to speak reason when needed. In a battle like that, the person who has more knowledge on the others ability has a higher chance of winning. However, pulling off the right attack at the right moment is truly the hardest of tasks within that situation.

"Anybody that nay may have seen her ability at work is either dead or still in some sort of shock state. Afteral they treat Amazonians because they can wield that power, to us it's a simple day to them is meeting God in person."

Gabriel nodded as we began to walk to what I believed to be the barracks of the camp. It was not a huge building with banners hanging off the side and soldiers patrolling it actually seemed like your resting place. I could feel it around me, as much as I wanted to believe it was simply my mind playing tricks on me I knew better. The soldier's morale was not just low, it was gone and whatever was left fading away. They were not only questioning their own way to victory but whether they should be fighting for this faction and not the other. They all still worked, and did their duties to their full potential with pride buried deep within every movement they made but somewhere within I could feel how they questioned their own actions. The barracks was quiet, mirroring the settling emotions of the soldiers.

"All these soldiers, no. All these warriors are at the brink of losing hope, we cannot afford to have our morale so low like this. We have to do something, anything to bring up their spirits to assure ourselves a victory"

I said in a low whisper so no one would hear, I did not wish to call attention to myself just yet.

"Tommorow. Hector mentioned there is a feast of sorts happening, everyone should be there and we should be able to do or say something to bring up their spirits. It may be a Hail Mary but if one of us speaks the right words then maybe we can win this thing"

Gabriel said with confidence in his eyes as he looked at me, almost screaming for me to do the talking. Which I was not too keen on the idea, I was never a public speaker but this is far different than before and if push comes to shove I may just have to be the one to take up that task.

"Maybe we can but if that's the case then we gotta wait until tommorow. Lets get a bed for Grim and ourselves. If not I don't mind wandering around for the night just stay with Grim for me"

I responded as we walked inside the place, some Warriors walking up and down the halls when suddenly one with a notepad of sorts approached us.

"You three must be the new batch we got. All the way down the hall, there are three beds for you all and a small locker for anything you have. We still have water, showers are in the door next to your beds. May the queen be with you"

He said quickly then walked off elsewhere he needed to be, regardless I took Grim to the bed and gently layed him down. He made a little face when he was taken off my back, pouting almost even with that muzzle on his face he managed to make small facial gestures that were too much to ignore.

"I'll go shower then you do the same, stay with Grim in the meanwhile. We all need some rest and to properly think of what we need to do, it's gonna be a tough week I can already tell"

Some time passed and we both showered as Grim remained fast asleep, a few times I grew worried that he would not wake up or that he was dead making me constantly check his pulse and breathing. I still could not understand how he was alive to be quite honest, his body seemed so fragile and often times his life force did not seem all that there. Out of curiosity I leaned towards his bed and gently began to pull up his shirt. I was met with regret, he was nothing but bones underneath his clothes, his skin filled with scars all around the tiny body he had. It was much more difficult to find a patch of skin that was clear of any harm than anything else at all. My stomach was sickened and my heart was struck with grief as I saw it all. i knew that it was bad but I never thought that it would be this bad for a boy like him to simply exist. I gently pulled the shirt down as my soul began to set out to take him away from those wretched woman.

As I layed back down in my bed I swore upon myself that I would save him, and keep him safe. That I would help him live a life that he deserves.