Trial and Tribulation Copyright 1997 by Renee a. k. a. Alethea All "NiGHTS" characters and related indica mentioned herein are copyright and TM by one or more of the following: Sega Enterprises, and/or Sega of America. Used without permission Etienne and related characters and indica copyright Jeanette Merrell Used without permission Dunamis, Alethea, Frost, Aldwyn, Nettle, Tarragon, Salpinx, Rhian, and related characters and indica copyright 1997 Renee (if you don't know my address by now you have a problem:) This document may be freely distributed as long as it is not modified in any way. Trial and Tribulation (Part two) After a few minutes, Aldwyn arrived at a deep gully. The rebels' encampment had been made here because an attack on them would be very difficult to pull off without being noticed. Aldwyn spotted Nights and a few other troops sitting down and leaning against some rocks. All of them looked tired. Aldwyn walk over to Nights who looked up at him. " Where's Salpinx?" " We split up. He should be back soon." " You've had trouble?" " Yes sir, not a mission I would want to go on more than once." " What did you find?" Aldwyn paused before answering. " Reala's not coming. Clawz is instead." Nights gave him a surprised look. " Is he dying? I would think he would have been pawing at the ground to get here." " No sir, he's injured." Nights gave him an even more surprised look. " Well, this is going to be nice. No one is as thorough as Reala when it comes to fighting." Aldwyn looked up toward the top of the gully. " How long have you been fighting?" Nights sighed and several troops groaned. " We started before sunrise, and quit just a few minutes ago. Both sides were too exhausted to keep it up any longer." Nights paused and glanced up at the sun. " We'll probably have to start again in a few hours." *** Clawz smiled out at the field. It was one of his better chances to show off his talent. Gulpo glared at him. Clawz knew Gulpo didn't like to have someone come for the sole purpose of correcting his mistakes and Gulpo was going to be in worse humor the longer that Clawz stayed. That did not make Clawz happy in the least, and being a Major General while Gulpo was only a Brigadier General meant that he did not have to put up with it. That fact made Clawz smug to say the least. Here, at the moment, he was the highest-ranking official. His thoughts were disturbed by a 'maren dressed in white and black. She walked up to them, and Clawz looked down at her. He remembered this 'maren. " What is it?" " We need more physicians here, sir. There aren't enough to handle this kind of a battle." " I'll see what I can do." The 'maren sighed and left. Nettle kicked a small pile of dirt and headed back to the infirmary inside the encampment. This was just what she had expected. Someone would tell her that they would do something eventually, but somehow it almost always got put to the back of a very long list of things to do. Tarragon met her half way back. " Typical answer?" She gave him a frustrated, irked expression. " What did you expect? They're busy." " I'm ready to kick whoever decides how many physicians are going to be sent to battles." " We just got here! You've hardly had time to get frustrated!" " Have you looked at the line I have stretching across the camp? It's only going to get longer as the battle goes on." Tarragon shrugged. " The battle won't last much longer. At least I don't think it will." Nettle moved out of the way of several swiftly marching troops. A loud shout caught her attention and she watched several creatures fly straight for the battlefield. " Well it looks like they've started up again, Tarragon. Don't hold your breath." *** Salpinx hit the stone floor, landing on his side. The door slammed shut behind him, and he wheezed in pain. He glanced at the door, then sat up carefully. He could feel that at least one of his ribs was broken. Salpinx looked around the cell. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of stone, there was one bared window, and a door with a lock on the other side. Salpinx sighed very slightly and stood up. The last effects of the electricity that the 'maren fish had used on him still tingled and hurt. He flew to the window and looked out. The long desert extended out in dreary, colorless monotony, countered only by the wild colored clouds and plants that were a sharp contrast from the ground. *** The battle raged on and Nettle was constantly busy. She hardly had time to watch what was going on around her. Tarragon had to stay with her to help her this time; there were too many patients for her alone. Tarragon brought an injured Gao in next. Nettle hoped that this ordeal was going to be brought to an end as soon as possible. A few hours later it came to an abrupt end. Nettle heard a shout from a huge group of beings and rushed outside of the temporary infirmary. The Nightmaren troops flew back to the camp in delight. Everyone was talking at the same time, and Nettle had trouble figuring out what had happened. Tarragon walked stepped outside of the infirmary and looked in Nettle's direction. " Who won?" " We did apparently, they said the rebels left." Tarragon was a little surprised that Nettle was not more enthusiastic. " What are we supposed to do now? Pack up and go back?" " No, we have field duty." Tarragon gave her a quizzical look. " Basically, we get to go over the whole battlefield, and find anyone who has been injured and has not been brought back here, after we finish here of course." *** Clawz smiled happily to himself. This had been a wonderful success that might very well earn him a promotion, but the fact that the rebels had fled did puzzle him. It was unheard of and he had the slight impression that something was amiss. Gulpo appeared resentful, though not tremendously. After all, this might help his reputation. Clawz wondered how Reala would take this news. He knew Reala would be pleased, but it would make Reala's position slightly at risk. Clawz suddenly remembered that there had been a request for more physicians. " Oh well, this battle wasn't long enough to need them," he thought casually. Clawz glanced out at the sky. He was tired, and hoped that they could get back to Nightmare as soon as possible. *Several minutes later* Nettle flew slowly across the field. She looked behind boulders and near scraggly bushes. It was pleasingly comfortable, not nearly as cold as Nightmare. After a few hours of searching, she was ready to stop looking for any other troops, when something out of the corner of her eye, behind a pile of boulders caught her attention. Nettle turned her head and saw that it was 'maren. She flew over toward him. He was lying on his side facing away from her. She landed next to him and turned him over on his back. A pair of blue-purple eyes fluttered open and looked at her before closing again. Nettle looked down at his side. There was a large, deep, round puncture wound that was bleeding profusely. Something walked up to her from behind, and she turned around. Tarragon stood over her shoulder looking down at the 'maren. She looked down again at the 'maren. " What do you think made this kind of wound? It couldn't have been a sword. If it was, it should be a less round hole." " How about this?" Nettle watched as Tarragon walked over and pick up something long and thin. Nettle recognized it. " An arrow? I thought that archery wasn't used in battles." " Apparently it's becoming more popular." " We have to get him out of here. It hit him in the left side, closer to his heart than I'm comfortable with it being." Tarragon looked at the 'maren and froze. " Nettle, look at his vest." Tarragon's voice came out tense and ever so slightly worried. Nettle glanced down at the 'maren's vest. Suddenly Nettle's eyes widened. " Four stars, and a sun!" Nettle's voice was a whisper. She gave Tarragon a shocked expression. " There are only two beings that have four stars, and only one who has four and a sun, since the sun is the identifying metal of the Nightopian army." " Nights." Tarragon paced nervously. " We had better just leave him here. That would be the kindest thing to do. The other Nightopian troops will find him later; let them take care of him." Nettle gazed down at Nights. He was deathly pale and clammy and cold. " I don't think he'll live if we leave him here, not the way he's bleeding. It could be days before someone finds him." Tarragon glared at her. " Well what do you want to do, Nettle! Take him back to Nightmare! You know wizeman will have him executed, and what about us! If they find out we've tried to help him, they'll kill us both! Even if it's just a teeny, tiny bandage! Without orders or asking permission they kill us!" " Not so loud! The other troops will hear us. I won't leave him here. It's not right!" Nettle could hardly believe what she was saying. Her conscience was screaming at her. She knew what Nights was like; she remembered when he was the only high-ranking being that was merciful and kind. She had seen that he cared about those who were under him, and the thought of him bleeding to death enraged her. He had been willing to put his neck on the line for others, would no one help him when he needed it? A stream of terror raced through her; the sudden spirit that she felt and anger at such injustice was very likely to get her killed. Nettle looked straight at Tarragon. " I'm taking him back to Nightmare. If you want to report me go ahead." Tarragon groaned. " All right, I'll help you."