2412, Diori 20, Reshpe

"So we only need to distract the soldiers while the earth sprites patch up the wall?" June crossed his arms as he leveled his gaze at Geradine, the only ice sprite general who went to Penleth with them. The other generals were out in Yin Alora to get the non-warrior ice sprites used to the world aboveground.

An unamused expression colored Geradine's pale face. "Essentially," she said as she scribbled more letters into today's inventory logs. Why was she the one doing that and not the fairies at the stocks? Oh, right. Since the day they realized there might be a spy among their ranks, they have been cautious. Too cautious, even.

Like right now. Instead of sending a cavalry of war-beaten soldiers, Geradine was choosing to send two stealth individuals to try to spook the enemy out of the fortress. What kind of luck did June have to be picked now, out of all chances to be?

Canelis stood beside him, silent and forever observing. Her eyes leaped from the sacks of cloth, ores, and spare weapons to the rolled sheets of parchments by Geradine's wooden desk before finally settling on the frail, metal lamp flickering to the general's right and casting a faint, orange glow into the sheafs of inventory logs. A soldier, through and through.

June, meanwhile, found his boots interesting. Huh, should he have worn a pair with worn soles so he could throw it out as soon as he could?

"When will the assignment take place?" Canelis's stern voice bled into June's ears. He raised his head to find the pixie still staring at the ice sprite general without wavering. "I need to prepare."

Geradine blew a breath and tucked her hair behind a pointy ear. "Half an hour," she said. "You have until then."

Canelis nodded and strode out of the tent, throwing the tent flap wide as she went. The tent flap floated back into its rested state and silence reigned inside.

"Well?" Geradine set her quill down and rested her chin over twined hands.

"Do you really need me there?" June swallowed against the lump building at the base of his throat. "Don't you know that I'm, ah...incapable?"

The ice sprite's eyes glinted. "How do you survive in a battlefield all this time?"

His soles scratched against the compact earth as he shifted his weight. "I defend," he said through his tight chest. "I don't...I don't want to hurt anyone unless I have to."

"You will have to during this assignment," Geradine jerked her chin towards the tent's exit. "As much as I like to give you a pass, I'm afraid you're one of the best shots we have in successfully retaking the outer quadrant. Do you get me?"

June didn't answer. His fists clenched at his sides.

"Do you get me?" Geradine's tone was sterner now.

He forced his tongue to work. "Yes, General."

Geradine bobbed her head and went back to the inventory logs. They're done here. June turned without bowing in respect and was out of the tent in a brisk set of steps. Outside, the night sky loomed over him like an impending sign of his doom. Already, his gut had started clenching and his breaths came out shaky.

He couldn't do this. Not anymore.

Several soldiers in light armor and casual clothes passed him by in idle banter which faded in blurred spurts in June's ears. His legs carried him to where he was instructed to meet Canelis before they embark out of the gate and into the outer quadrant. At his core, even if he denies it, he's still a pawn made only to follow instructions and fulfill missions.

Xanthy's frame sped through his periphery. Judging from how her brows were set together and her face scrunched up into a frown, she was looking for something to eat. They locked eyes for a second and she waved at him. She made no move to approach so June just smiled back. He wanted so bad to just reach out to her and help her find butterbread or something just as mundane. He was about to when a hand clamped on his shoulder.

"You're the last one," Canelis hissed in his ear. June flinched. With the pixie being a head taller than him, it didn't sound so comforting.

June ran a hand through his hair now back to being white. "Yeah," he breathed. "I'm coming."

He followed Canelis through the haze of paulsare, soldiers, and healers in heading towards a small assortment of earth sprites dressed in rocky armor assembled to where the gate to the inner quadrant stood. Dreak, the pixie manning it gave them a brief nod before opening the doors with his handprint.

Canelis's mouth was set in a thin line. "Get in and get out once we do what we must."

"I know what the mission is, genius," June rolled his eyes.

She clicked her tongue and gripped the sword slung against her waist. It's none other than the Lifecatcher but the pixie donned it like it's a telmaus prop or something. June thumbed the High Queen's bane now sheathed by his belt as he strode towards the widening opening in front of him. His knees shook so bad he needed to ground his teeth and steel his nerves to stay upright.

What was he afraid of? He had been assassinating people since he was twelve. There's nothing to be scared about.

Except for the fact he had sworn off murder for eternity.

Nice going, Geradine.

The gate slammed shut behind him in a final and resounding thump. June exhaled, closing his eyes. Just...defend. Don't attack. He could do this. Only until the earth sprites seal the wall. He opened his eyes to find Canelis already gone. What in Umazure—

Geradine wasn't kidding when she said Canelis was one of the best shots in carrying this mission out in stealth. Looks like June had met his match.

He picked his way past fallen barracks and scorched grass. His boots crunched against rocky debris, the faint smell of odeon powder tickling his nose and bringing up unwanted memories in his head. He cursed as he pressed his face over the crook of his arm. Keep moving. Find where the enemy camped and get it done with. Where was Canelis, even?

June ducked behind a forsaken stack of sacks as voices and boots scratching the soil rang in the distance. Twenty paces away. He edged towards the bend, keeping his eyes peeled for whoever was coming his way.

As if on cue, a pair of black-clad soldiers stepped into view. Each one was notches taller than June but it's nothing like he never handled before. His fingers pried the dagger by his belt. Just a quick slash by the neck. They wouldn't see him coming.

More footsteps. The voices got louder. They were talking about the latest drama in Lanteglos, for Rudik's sake. June gritted his teeth and waited, gauging the distance between the sacks and the enemy. Four steps at maximum. Totally doable.

His grip tightened as he listened. One step. Two. Three. He broke into a run, the blade of the dagger glinting against the moonslight. He struck.

And hit flesh.

The black-clad soldier crumpled, unconscious. June's chest heaved as he scrambled backwards at what he's done. At least he remembered to twist the blade at the last moment. Only the pommel hit the poor man.

Sounds of scuffling to his right. He turned just in time to see Canelis drive the butt of her sheathed sword in the same spot which June hit on his target. They got the same result.

"Not keen on murder tonight?" June grinned despite his roiling stomach and the pounding nausea in his temples.

Canelis glared at him. "Not with the Lifecatcher, no," she stuck the sheathed sword back through the band by her waist. "I can't kill with it unless I want to have a roommate in my head."

What did that even mean? The pixie didn't feel the need to add more and instead began striding north. "Come on," she said. "The main encampment is in the bend."

Has she gone out to scout already? She really knew what she was doing. "And the earth sprites?"

"Almost there," was the pixie's only answer.

Together, they spent the next moments stalking towards the enemy encampment. To do what, June wasn't exactly sure. They were just here as a distraction and not the main course of the night. Planless missions like this usually were the ones that went wrong the most.

They reached the corner where the inner quadrant's wall jutted into a corner. True enough, the faint beam of orange light flickered against the uprooted grass and dark earth. Shadows danced along with their owners. Slurring laughter rang through the night. The other two they knocked out probably came from here too.

June pursed his lips and angled his blade against the moonslight. His own face was distorted in the blade's paneled edge but he saw all he needed to see—the eyes of the boy he once was. The eyes of a killer.

"Get ready," Canelis lowered herself into a stance. "On my signal, we charge."

He didn't say anything more. There was no need to.

"Go."

June's legs pumped forward, launching him past the corner and into a melee of shocked soldiers. Canelis went to work immediately, swiping her leg under unsuspecting guards and using her synnavaim to temporarily blind peeled eyes. Well, here goes nothing.

He rammed the butt of his dagger against more necks he ever had to in his lifetime. An arm swung towards his face and he ducked before twisting to grip the soldier's extended arm. He drove his palm into his shoulder joint, wincing at the crunch that came and the scream that bled out after.

That's when a shadow fell over him. His eyes widened just in time for an arm to burst from his periphery and slam into the soldier's exposed stomach. The world blurred as Canelis swung him around and pushed him away as she dealt with his attacker. "Focus, you hag!" the pixie screamed as she used her sword to choke the soldier. "Don't let them alert anyone!"

June was moving then. He chased soldier after soldier down, keeping their black-clad backs in his periphery and trying to decipher where they would plan to go next so he could intercept them. Two more soldiers joined their unconscious comrades on the ground by the time he reached the other bend. How many had been here? Damn him for not thinking of counting.

A strangled scream tore through his attention. He whirled to find Canelis being surrounded by at least seven people. From the distance separating them, he saw how hard the pixie was gripping her sword, no doubt itching to draw it.

The soldiers closed in on her. All at once. There's no way she'd be able to deal with them all. June broke into a run, his footsteps long and fast. Canelis ducked, rolled, and swung but it's too much. Seven was a lot, even for him.

Something flashed. No. Not on his watch.

June lashed forward as he reached the hazy circle and swung his hand down. Blood rained on him as his dagger went through a throat. He...drove it harder than he intended. He stumbled off the corpse. Warm and sticky liquid dripped from his hair and webbed in his cheeks. What had he done...?

"Get up!" Canelis was screaming but her cries joined the chorus of memories and replaying voices in his head. June panted, his chest tightening. Not...no way...

Canelis skittered back and stopped beside him. She clicked her sword free. June's eyes widened. She couldn't be thinking of hurting someone with that sword, right? "Get up," the pixie wiped the blood dripping from the side of her mouth. "Come on. We're almost done. We'll let the others handle the prisoners."

"What prisoners, girl?" a soldier slurred and lunged. Canelis drew her sword and swung.

June cursed and parried the pixie's sword who's sure to pierce the soldier through. He twisted and slammed his foot against the enemy's stomach. "Keep that away," he said through his teeth. "I'll handle it."

Canelis nodded at him with a grim expression. Together, they tore through the remaining soldiers with Canelis landing the initial blow and June dealing the final one. Crozal's absence was replaced by the blood now coating the ground in a fine layer. Canelis kept disabling. June kept stabbing.

To Pidmena's realm with it all.

A wailing flare lit the sky green. The earth sprites did it. June pushed the last corpse away from him before it dissolved into a thousand shards.

"We're done here," Canelis stuck her sword back into her band and turned to him. "Are you alright?"

June stared down at his hands once again covered in a thick, dark liquid. He's...

Canelis pursed her lips and offered him her arm. "Come on," she said, her tone surprisingly gentle. "Let's go back."

With shaking fingers, June reached out and gripped the pixie's white sleeve. She didn't seem to care that he got red splotches of blood in it. "Yeah," he exhaled. "Yeah."

Xanthy's going to hate him for this but he must face her. One way or another. He walked, with weak knees and a gut in knots, back home.