Death of a Hero

[20:46] Angelo pulls the girl along -- Bai's body is given to one of the other magi to take care. "Make sure to prepare the burial. I'll take care of her injuries." And soon enough, the Order magi removes the mask. There seemed to be a tired expression on his face, the panting now heart without the porcelain in front of it.

However, he still drags Rikona as much as he can, before the forces of the Arcane converge around her, pushing her closer to the bed. The Cainite symbol necklace, overtaken with Celestial powers instead of its usual blood-soaked standard, ringed against his chest's armor.

And soon enough, the breeze envelops her, emitting a soothing chime onto her head as Angelo pulls a nearby chair. He was still slightly desperate -- The Mythril Kit was taken out from a nearby closet, pulled open to his side, but nevertheless, now was time for examination.

How deep.

How grievous.

How much work he had to do.
(Angelo Sanguinis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:51] The adrenaline that once pushed her forth now waned, as Rikona felt the full brunt of pain due to her injuries. She held firm regardless, gritting her teeth. Breaths were rapid, labored, and fatigue was clear upon her features.

The golden light that surrounded her form somewhat blanketed her pain, soothing her in general, but it wasn't enough to fully numb herself. She had spent a great deal of time with Angelo on their journey, but hadn't gotten to know the man proper. She had heard stories, tales, but nothing quite like actually fighting alongside him.

"I thank you for this."

Rikona spoke, her voice raspy and soft. She knew nothing of the object which she retrieved, but she had ideas, already hypothesizing how to use it to take down Malentinte, to start the cleansing process.

"I will pay you in full for your service afterwards."

With that, Rikona gritted her teeth once more, preparing for what she expected to be apainful operation.
(Rikona Heifang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:52] Wordlessly would Zeriel lean back against the walls there, eyelids half closed-- much like of a man on the brink of unconsciousness... yet, the exhaustion is emotional, if anything. His outfit remains tattered, and numerous, superficial wounds embrace all along the magus' form, ranging from mere scratches, to bloody marks of frostbites.

If Salthiel entered the room, the first thing he'd notice was perhaps the body across the other side of clinic... wrapped completely in a white cloth, from head to toe-- tight. Much like any other corpse prepared for burials and such... yet, even without any questions asked, there seemed to be only one person missing among the squad.

The ice magus remains quiet, idly shifting about as pale hues focus themselves onto the floor underneath. Silent, for now, and yet the sorrow is more than evident across those pale, tired features.
(Zeriel Heifang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:55] The whole effort was one that required stalwartness out of them all. To steel their selves, to steel their hearts.

And it seemed a few among them were found lacking.

Ban is bloody and battered in his corner, as well as worn out emotionally as he can physically be. After being put through so much grief, observing his wife endure the surgical procedure is yet just another last painful thrust that he forces himself to bear.

From afar he watches, silent, but empathetic- concerned, as light flickers of his fingers influence the blood stream of the woman's body, superficially clotting the location of her wound and turning the spot effectively numb. If Holy would not be enough, this would.

The others in the room are promptly disregarded. He seemed to display no care for them, as it was.
(Ban Heifang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[20:59] "I don't take payments, thank you. This service is done only for the well being of others. It's why I started doing it." He spoke out, briefly removing the gauntlets from his armor. Instead, he grabbed a pair of surgical gloves, before slowly putting them on his hands. Soon enough, as the forces of the Arcane had scouted her, it seemed that Angelo was...

Sharing not the same impact for everything. He was way more serious than anyone would ever have seen him, eyebrows furrowed slightly down in the end, before he moved in closer to Rikona.

A reassuring, covered hand patted at her chest, before he started assembling the kit on the side. Apparently, a constant redirector of the mana within her... To make sure it was properly spread, and at least, make sure that whatever wasn't mythril was properly restored.

Of course, Mythril was imperfect -- It required for him to puncture into her skin. The flesh wasn't entirely restored properly, and as such, he simply asked her a question, before preparing to turn the woman around so he could observe her from the back.

"Alright. Would you... Like to sleep for now? Things have been tough. It could be good." He spoke, before grabbing a single leaf of soothe reed, grinding it slowly between fingers. And then, putting it over her hand, enchanting it slowly with some of the soothing chime that always came with him.

Angelo was, after all, an amalgam of peace and quiet. Even in these moments of distress... He did not falter.

"Please, chew on that. You'll be asleep in a few minutes."
(Angelo Sanguinis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:00] The room seemed to blur as a mist invaded the area.

Though, Zeriel and Ban, who were outside the room, would hear light footsteps as the Anauel materialized.

Indiscernible features hid behind the veil of his mask, before glancing to the brothers.

However, his attention shifted towards the body wrapped in a white cloth. And if one would pay attention, Salthiel stood still - as if a statue; stunned.

Perhaps, if not addressed, a minute would have passed as he moved again.

He walked slowly before it, the body, before kneeling before it.

"No," muttered the Anauel, and to whom might see the side of his countenance would see tears falling off his chin.

A silent mourning.
(Salthiel Anauel)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:04] Rikona took the grinded leaf of soothe reed into her mouth, before chewing on it. In her final conscious moments, she saw the form of Salthiel enter the building.

Such solemnity and sorrow, silent despair shared between most present. Losing a family member was something which Rikona didn't imagine happening. All beings had an end, but she hadn't fully grasped the concept of losing one of her closest allies, even after losing her liege.

"Thank you again, Eaglehe-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the Heifang drifted off into a deep slumber. Ban's magic had numbed her of most of her pain for the time being, but the operation to come would best happen in quiet.
(Rikona Heifang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:05] Salthiel's presence is noted, though the ice magus didn't particularly move an inch, or lift his gaze upwards to meet his younger counterpart's. Instead, Zeriel would merely stand there, quiet, silent-- merely squeezing his eyes shut once the whisper left Salthiel's lips.

Yet, only silence follows, and he'd let the Anauel mourn for a couple more, longer moments-- or perhaps minutes.

"Protected us all-- to his very last breath."

Words are finally murmured outwards, and those eyes settle to a close, battered features exhausted all the same.

"Protected all of us. Hundreds of others-- soldiers, people from the doomed town..."

Much like how he lived-

"...he died a hero."
(Zeriel Heifang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:12] Angelo then proceeded to put her with her back turned up. A hand slowly moved, a scalpel from a nearby place slicing open the barely-restored flesh. It was a single, straight line, one that allowed for the thin mythril circuitry that was supposed to redistribute her mana to work fully.

It was a natural reaction to it, and a natural solution. Her magic would course through him, now given its initial kickstart by Angelo's own Celestial magic, faint yellow marks staining the Mythril. All of these would soon vanish, so she would be able to heal by herself.

The forces of the Arcane removed the need for forceps at least, allowing for him to slowly attach the Mythril circuitry on her insides... They trailed and moved along, following all the sliced pieces and, like if woven by the malleable metal, stitched together, allowing for her mana to be redirected.

From the spine, to the internal organs, holy energy washing her body through it due to the simple influence of the Order Magi. And soon enough, he had put in the entire solution...

All that was left now was to close the wound.

Surgical staples and a stapler were positioned slowly above her wounded flesh, before the most painful part was there. Luckily, not enough to startle her from the deep slumber the found herself in, but nevertheless...

It sounded painful, at each loud noise of the stapler allowing the mythril staples to dig into her soft flesh. Given their better regenerative properties, it was a better solution than stitches, most of the time, or at least Angelo thought.

Soon enough, she was left to her slumber, as the Order magi took his tools away.
(Angelo Sanguinis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[21:12] Truly, he was glad to see them all safely return. For once more, he could share their presence. Though one of them did not; now, but an empty husk. And thus, he suffered yet the most painful chapter of his life.

...he died a hero.

And with that, he took off his mask to offer Bai his final regards; his final respects.

He then shut off his eyes, body shaking as he lightly sobbed, gritting his teeth before embracing both his legs.

A side of Salthiel only his family could see.
(Salthiel Anauel)