[right][h2][color=#9C615D]𝚁𝚊𝚢 𝙷𝚘𝚙𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚜[/color] & [color=EB829A]𝚉𝚊𝚔 𝙱𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝[/color][/h2][/right][hr]

Between the smoke and the stench of death it was hard not to instinctively clamp a hand down over his nose, but the red haired WARDEN managed it. His senses were on alert, even the sense of smell. This was an unusual scenario - not a crashed ship, but a clearly [i]shot down[/i] one in the middle of nowhere. It wouldn't do to be unprepared for the unexpected. As the squad moved closer to the crash site and into the area of wayward Mist, this time Zak couldn't help a physical reaction that manifested as a bone deep shudder. The heavy Mist areas always felt oppressive and alien for him. He stuck close to the group as they traveled further in, passing the scattered remains of ship and men alike. Vangar men, as it turned out. Even more unusual. If it was a Vangar ship that was shot down at the border, how the hell did it make it this far out before going down?

It was a question that could be answered later once they found any survivors, if there were any to be found. Zak gave his quick affirmative after Galahad's instruction and looked over at their largest member.

[color=EB829A]"You mind, Ray?"[/color] Zak asked with a nod of his head in the direction Sam had spotted the parachutes going down in. The red head would probably be the worst member of their group to rely on for spotting the dangerous pockets of Mist, better for Ray to take point. 

[color=#9C615D]“One moment.”[/color] Ray focused, then tapped Zak on the shoulder. A light blue wave of energy shimmered over his coat, then faded. [color=#9C615D]“This should help. I can’t really protect you from the pockets, but if you feel the barrier giving out then you know you’ve stepped in one.”[/color] He proceeded to give a minor barrier to the rest of the team. It was kind of a weird feeling, but one they’d gotten used to.

[color=EB829A]“You’re the best, buddy.”[/color] The redhead’s words were genuine, but lacked a certain mirth given the situation they were in. With the minor barriers in place the duo split from the rest of the Barghest. 

The first person they came across was dead– impaled through the head by shrapnel. The two tried to avoid looking at the body’s mauled face. Ray knelt down next to it.

[color=#9C615D]“I wish I could give them a proper burial– even minor earth manipulation is dangerous here,”[/color] he murmured softly. There was something about the area that commanded silence.

[color=EB829A]“They’re Vangar.”[/color]

Zak’s voice was equally soft even if it carried a very different sentiment.[color=EB829A] “Besides, they’ll get buried once the wreck is stable and cleaned up.”[/color] He wandered just a little ways off where what looked like a partially buried arm caught his eye - but a hot draft swept over the area and blew the charred limb into pieces before carrying it off. He grimaced. [i]The ones that weren’t cremated anyway...[/i]

[color=#9C615D]“Vangar or not, these people… Hm.”[/color] Ray stopped. It wouldn’t do to continue down that line of thinking. Zak approached and nudged Ray with the side of his leg in a gesture the redhead hoped was encouraging. The two carried onward in their search. Again and again, they’d find charred and tattered corpses.

[color=EB829A]“This one’s dead too,”[/color] Zak called over once they reached the first of the most likely survivors. Of course ‘most likely’ wasn’t a guarantee. It looked like the man’s chute was shredded in the air, making for a deadly free fall into the scorched graveyard. 

[color=#9C615D]“I can’t believe this.”[/color] Ray crouched down next to another body. [color=#9C615D]“Is this what we’ll find on the front? Black ash and burnt flesh?”[/color] It was a tough pill to swallow. Sure, they’d been trained extensively, hardening their bodies and wills beyond ironclad strength, but such devastation… he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about what awaited his friends.

Clearly Ray was taking this hard. He was a kind soul, the kind that would grieve over a killer. For a long while Zak didn't say anything to the other man. He didn't really know what [i]to[/i] say. The sorrow that was plain on Ray's face was painful to see. Not only did it suck seeing his soft-hearted friend hurt, but it also had Zak, a young man long resigned to fighting and dying for his country, questioning his priorities a little bit. 

[color=EB829A]"..."[/color] He still didn't have a clue what Ray needed to hear right now, but he did need to hear [i]something[/i] before the guy broke his own heart over this. [color=EB829A]"Doesn't have to be. Not with you around. That's why you started specializing in the barriers, right? To protect our guys. I'm sure any company you get assigned to'll do just fine."[/color] He would have offered Ray a smile if it felt appropriate, but there were plenty of ghosts in the air that didn't have their own Ray with them that would have been sure to hold a grudge. Or maybe it was just the Mist. Either way.

[color=EB829A]"Come on, let's keep moving. I can smother the worst of the fire ahead, just hope none of the Mist Spots go off."[/color]

Ray put on a shaky smile. [color=#9C615D]“Yeah. Let’s go.”[/color] It was rare for the big man to act so unsure. He had to put on a strong image of security for his friends. He was the constant, the unmovable pillar of support in the Barghest squad. 

The duo continued their solemn search. Anytime it seemed Ray was slowing down, getting pulled into his own thoughts a little too much, Zak would give him a light push forward. With patient, practiced precision the towering flame walls shrunk under the WARDENs commands, giving them safer passage. The scene was much the same the closer they got to the vessels: the earth ripped up where the airship had scraped against it during the crash, the bodies of what would have been the passengers and crew haphazardly thrown about and burning up. Soon enough the flames gave way to a more open area where a man lay, attached to a parachute crumpled a few feets away from him. He looked to be in bad shape, but he also didn’t look like a kindling log - though if left to lie there that might quickly change. 

[color=EB829A]“Ray,”[/color] Zak breathed out the other man’s name harshly, directing the brunette’s attention ahead.

Ray rushed forward, uncaring of any danger in his path. He barely even thought about reinforcing his barrier; his only concern was the body in front of him. Zak’s muted warning to be careful fell on deaf ears. He quickly checked the man for vital signs.

[color=#9C615D]“He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive,”[/color] Ray murmured to himself as he set about inspecting the man’s wounds. He said the words quickly, almost like a rushed prayer. He would not let this man die. There was a first aid kit in his shoulder bag– he dug it out and set about cleaning the man’s wounds. After a far more cautious approach the other WARDEN knelt down beside the injured man. He was older, and -

[color=EB829A]“He’s been shot!”[/color] Zak exclaimed in surprise, though Ray was already treating him and was well aware. It was a cursory look at the wounds, but they were definitely not the kind of injury that would have resulted from impact. A warship’s guns would have torn the man in half, so it wasn’t just the Vangar vessel that was attacked. Someone on the inside? If the old man survived they’d have their answers, hopefully. Zak stood up and called back to where they’d left the rest of the Barghest squad. [color=EB829A]“One male, alive, badly wounded!”[/color]

The old man looked like he was barely holding on, his left leg looked burnt to all hell, and a trio of smoldering holes in his chest suggested he was shot by something closer to a lightning bolt than a bullet. His sternum raised slightly and elicited a rough wheeze as the Barghest boys pulled him out of his parachute harness. For a moment, as Ray tended to him, the eyes shot open- a glowing grey; the telltale insignia of a Vangar Royal Knight- that or overexposure to the Mist. The man jerked forward, his arm suddenly grabbing at Ray with a vice grip stronger than steel. 

[color=lightgray]“The Princess..!”[/color] He wheezed, his eyes darting back and forth for a moment, almost as if they were seeing through the boys, searching for something, before they rolled back in his skull. The grip released and the man collapsed in Ray’s grasp, his breathing weak and haggard. 

[color=lightgray]“I must... I must find…”[/color]

[color=#9C615D]“Hey, don’t exert yourself by speaking right now. Focus on breathing and relaxing.”[/color] Ray bit his lip, then took another risk. He placed his hands on the ground next to the old man and raised a barrier up, bearing the old man on it like a stretcher. It would be too much of a risk to move him– the best he could do was make a clean surface.

[color=#9C615D]“Zak. Can you make sure there’s not any immediate danger around us?”[/color] Ray asked. [color=#9C615D]“I need to focus on this man’s injuries.”[/color]

[color=EB829A]“Yeah.”[/color] Zak stood in one swift motion and gave Ray and his patient some space. When the ship went down it destroyed most of the stone formations - one thing to be grateful for as they didn’t need to worry about anything toppling down over them. Zak expelled a deep breath from his nose before extinguishing as much of the fire around the clearing as he could. They wouldn’t have to worry about the environment taking a turn now. As far as other threats…

The shorter man glanced back at Ray and his charge, eyes narrowed. The old man was technically an enemy, but it was a miracle he was even alive - besides, Ray could handle himself against one injured Vangar. [i]A princess, huh?[/i] Zak disappeared deeper into the inferno then, continuing the search for any other survivors while the other man got to work.

Ray first stripped off most of the man’s clothes using his combat knife. Underneath the Vangar uniform, the old man was surprisingly toned. That was good. The better the victim’s physical health, the more likely they were to recover.

[color=#9C615D]“What in the world…”[/color] As Ray looked closer at the man’s wounds, he realized that they weren’t from bullets. Rather, they appeared to be from energy attacks– either from lightning conjured from mist or mist blasts. That complicated things. He didn’t want to seal any wounds if there was any mist residue in them. Cleaning them with disinfectant and letting the body heal naturally with minimal magic would probably be the best option.

But, then again, the man could be in greater danger than it seemed. Magical wounds had a habit of being extremely unpredictable. Ray hesitated, then placed his hands gently on the man’s chest. The leg burns were too far gone– only a hospital could treat those– but the other wounds were doable. Three holes in the chest, with only one reaching deep enough to reach his lungs. He concentrated, drawing circles on the man’s chest with his fingers, pulling in the abundant power in the area and lightly coaxing the wounds to close. It was important to heal from the inside out; covering up internal ruptures with flesh was never a good idea. First, the internal tissues, then the membrane, some blood vessels, and finally the skin on the outside. It was agonizing, slow work, and he wasn’t even a professional. The man would need proper care later. What Ray was doing was only a temporary solution. He could hear his own breathing– a long, extended inhale followed by a slow exhale– the recommended way of relaxation for medics. It reminded him constantly of the fragility of life, how all it took was a lucky shot, an unfortunate turn, a...

[color=#9C615D]“Come on… come on…”[/color] He shook himself out of that dark line of thinking once again and focused on his work. As the skin covered up, Ray left a slightly darker patch of skin where the holes once were. It would hopefully help any doctors taking proper care of the man afterwards. Eventually, the man’s breathing evened out to a slow, steady pace.

[color=#9C615D]“Oh man. It’s over. He should be alright [i]for now.[/i] Did you find anyone else?”[/color] Ray all but collapsed onto his projected surgery table. He’d noticed Zak’s return shortly before. Unfortunately, the red head’s face was grim and dotted with sweat. The thin barrier he’d been gifted earlier was all but eroded.

[color=EB829A]“No,”[/color] he said, and didn’t feel the need to give a more detailed report than that. The duo had seen it all at this point anyway, all blackened bodies giving way to ash. [color=EB829A]“And the blaze farther ahead is way too intense for anyone to survive more than a few seconds. There’s probably a better chance for survivors back the other way.”[/color] He nodded his head down the path they’d initially come. [color=EB829A]“I cleared the path out a bit, should be easier to get back… if you think we can move him.”[/color] With another quick movement of his head Zak gestured to the man on the slab.

[color=#9C615D]“I should be able to. I’m not too worn out yet.”[/color] Ray stood and stretched. [color=#9C615D]“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to do something this complicated. I was worried about decay, but this guy’s hardier than his age lets on.”[/color] He put a hand onto the front of the barrier table and linked its movement to his own. [color=#9C615D]“Are we heading back?”[/color]

[color=EB829A]“Yeah, let’s get going.”[/color] Zak took point on their way back, and despite the careful trek with an injured party the boys made decent time back toward the rest of the squad. Though dismal, their search hadn’t been entirely unsuccessful - and surely the rest of the Barghest would want to know all about the beat up Vangar and his missing princess...