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"Sound off!" Dohla growled, the giant in front of her dropping to the ground, her ax buried in his neck.
Kima didn't reply. Before the giant in front of her had even toppled over, she had started down the road. Right before the bastard took her maul to the face and keeled over, he'd thrown a boulder roughly the size of a pony towards the back where Drake and Allura had been. She hadn't heard or seen any sign of her since.
"Still breathing!" Sirus wheezed from somewhere to Kima's left.
"Aye, I'm alive," Drake sighed, collapsing against a nearby boulder.
Then there was silence.
Immediately the post-battle calm evaporated; they were missing two.
Kima scanned the battlefield, looking for where she'd last seen Allura. It was an absolute mess. The giants had ambushed them in a narrow pass, throwing boulders from the plateau above before jumping down to finish the job with their clubs.
Cracked boulders, dead giants, and various debris littered the road, making it hard for Kima to see. But somewhere in the chaos, the bodies — no, she couldn't even think of them that way — her friends were hidden.
Ghenn had been right next to her when that first boulder struck them; she had no idea what had happened after. Ghenn had to fine. She knew they were fine. With all that armor they wore, a boulder would hardly be enough to take them down. It couldn't be. Allura was a different matter, however. A stiff breeze could knock her over; there was no telling what a boulder would do.
Panic seized her throat. She had to find her.
Kima stumbled forward, tripping over debris and her own legs.
For once, her own armor had turned against her. The stupid giant had gotten in a lucky hit with his club, smacking her in the side with enough force to crack her breastplate, sharp points of metal piercing through her gambeson and shirt, digging deeper with every step.
There was no time to take it off now: she had to find Allura.
There! A flash of blue on the otherwise gray rock.
If Allura was okay, she would never again make fun of her ridiculously colorful and expensive dresses. At least they made her easier to find.
She rushed forward, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side.
Allura was half-buried under a boulder. Her right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. Her usually flawless complexion was wet with blood and so swollen it was hard to recognize her. She wasn't moving.
Kima felt her heart stop. She could do nothing but stare, stare at the blood darkening an alarming portion of Allura's dress.
"Go get Ghenn! I got her!" Sirus said. All but collapsing at Allura's side, cradling the sides of her head and starting to sing a soft, sorrowful song under his breath.
Allura shuddered as the healing magic did its work.
She was alive. Thank Bahamut.
"Kima! Some help over here!" Dohla called.
She and Drake were kneeling over Ghenn's fallen form, barely ten feet away, yet Kima hadn't noticed them at all.
Kima tore her eyes away and took a deep breath; Allura was okay, she was gonna be fine, and stumbled her way over to Ghenn.
Drake and Dohla, each with one good arm, were trying to uncork a healing potion together.
"I got it," Kima said, the sound turning into a gasp as she kneeled down beside Ghenn, her destroyed armor digging itself even deeper into her flesh.
She put her hand over the large dent in Ghenn's armor, right where their symbol of Bahamut was supposed to be and called on their shared god.
She pumped enough healing into them to bring a horse back from the brink twice over, but Ghenn hardly looked any better when she was finished.
"Everyone okay?" they groaned, sitting up sluggishly, wiping some of the blood out of their eyes.
"Define okay ," Drake asked, falling back on his ass now everyone was at least breathing.
"Allura's bad," Kima said, looking over at where Sirus was still singing to her.
Ghenn struggled to their feet, breathing hard. They pulled their satchel from their back and tossed it to the ground. "Patch yourselves up, I'll go take a look at Allura."
Kima fought the impulse to follow. There was nothing she could do for Allura. She was had always been a terrible healer, and she would only get in Ghenn and Sirus's way. So, instead, she started the slow and painful process of getting out of her armor.
She could tell she had cracked nearly all the ribs on her left side; breathing was fucking agony, but she was more worried about the remnants of her armor piercing some vital organs, so getting it off would better be sooner rather than later.
"Lemme help," Dohla said after knocking back a healing potion. She was looking remarkably well now her broken arm had been healed, just some minor scrapes and bruises.
Together they managed to get the breastplate off.
"How bad is it?" Kima said through gritted teeth as Dohla unstuck her shirt from her side to get a look at the wound.
"Bandaging this isn't gonna do shit. Let me get Ghenn."
"That bad, huh?" Kima sighed.
"It's a fucking miracle you're still standing. Your side looks like minced meat."
"Would have preferred chicken..." Kima joked weakly, allowing Dohla to guide her to the ground.
Dohla just rolled her eyes and jogged over to Ghenn's side.
"I don't have a lot left," Ghenn muttered as they stumbled up to her. Their colorful mohawk was red with blood and plastered to the side of their neck, sweat beaded their forehead, either from pain or exhaustion.
"I'm fine. Is Allura okay?"
Ghenn gave her a meaningful look but didn't say anything further. Kima was glad for it; now was not the time for another well-meaning lecture.
"Punctured lung, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder and one hell of a concussion. Same as everyone else. The boulder just grazed her, she wouldn't have been so lucky otherwise."
Kima nodded, chewing on her lip as Ghenn's magic knitted her flesh back together and popped her ribs back in place.
"That's all I got," Ghenn sighed; during the course of the healing spell, the bags under their eyes had gone from purple to black. "Best I can do is bandage it up and heal the rest tomorrow. At least you won't bleed out during the night."
"What more could I want?" Kima grimaced as Ghenn applied some sort of herbal balm to the wound before wrapping it up in clean bandages.
"There, all better," Ghenn murmured, offering Kima their hand to pull her to her feet.
The six of them limped a hundred-or-so feet down the road to set up camp, leaving the giant corpses for future-them to deal with.
Setting up camp might have been a bit of an overstatement.
Most of them picked the most comfortable-looking spot of dirt to collapse and did so, not bothering to set up a tent or even grab a bedroll.
Dohla ripped some dead branches of a nearby tree and threw them in a pile for Drake to light up with his magic. Instant campfire.
Dry rations were passed around, and everyone settled in for the night.
Dohla and Drake, always the first to pass out once the danger was over, were asleep before the sun had even set.
Sirus plucked idly at his lute for a while before he too closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Ghenn had half carried, half dragged Allura around the clearing to set up her alarm, and then collapsed next to Sirus in front of the fire.
As an elf, they didn't usually need sleep, but Ghenn looked so exhausted Kima wondered if they might not benefit from a few hours of shuteye.
That left her and Allura...
Allura was sitting by the fire, staring into the flames, her mind somewhere else entirely.
Kima wondered what she was thinking; she often found herself wondering that.
Most people she knew said what they thought, she certainly did. And while Sirus was an excellent liar and incredibly skilled at talking around the point for hours, Allura was just quiet when she was too polite to say what was on her mind.
They had been traveling together for nearly a year now, and while Allura had opened up a lot in that time, she was still a mystery to Kima.
They were all friends, great friends even, but Allura had always been different. There was something more there. Had to be, if she was able to make Kima forget about helping her oldest friend.
There was just something about the way Allura smiled, the way her lips curled up to show off the chipped incisor - Kima's fault - and how those eyes of her were precisely the wrong shade of blue for everything else that was blue, making her wholly unique.
Whenever those eyes were focussed on her, whenever she held the full attention of Allura Vysoren, Kima always felt like she was standing on the surface of the sun: hot, sweaty, and completely overwhelmed.
Every once in a while, she thought she saw glimpses of that same look in Allura's eyes, but she was never sure. She had no idea what Allura could possibly see in her anyway.
Even at half her age, Allura knew more than she would ever know. Allura was tall and willowy, while Kima was short and stocky. Allura was beautiful, and well, even before all the scars, Kima had always been plain. Apart from traveling together, they had absolutely nothing in common.
Allura would make more sense with anyone else in the group. She and Drake were intellectual equals, sharing their love for magic and learning. Sirus was handsome and as skilled with magic as he was with words. Ghenn was kind and pretty in that way Kima had always associated with elves; ethereal and untouchable. Dohla was tall and brave and had muscles that even made Kima envious. Besides, Dohla was doing a hell of a lot more to protect Allura from harm than Kima ever did.
She and Dohla were the front line, hitting whatever needed hitting until it stopped hitting back, protecting the squishier people in the back.
Sirus danced between their enemies, taunting them and then jumping out of the way at the last second. Ghenn went where they were needed, skilled at melee, range, and healing.
Drake and Allura were dangerous at range, but in danger up close. Neither of them wore a shred of armor, and while Drake had his hammer, she had never seen Allura hold anything more dangerous than a butter knife.
It had been her job to protect Allura as Dohla and her spiritual warriors had engaged the biggest stone giant all alone.
Sirus and Ghenn had been combining their strength to take down the second, and she and the two wizards had been working together to take down the other one.
She should have seen the fourth one coming down the hill; she was the closest. Yet, she hadn't noticed him until the boulder had well and truly left his hand, and there was nothing she could but watch it sail through the air.
Allura had trusted her to keep her safe, and she had failed. Miserably.
Maybe Allura was thinking about leaving, finding another group of people who would actually protect her, people she could trust.
She pulled at a frayed bit of leather from her maul's handle.
Fat load of good the weapon would do her now. With the wound in her side, she could barely lift the thing, let alone swing it without hurting herself more than whatever she swung it at. On top of that, she felt naked without her armor.
Her breastplate lay in a pile of scraps next to her. If she was lucky, Allura would be able to repair it when she regained the use of her arm the next morning. Otherwise, she would have to do without until they hid the next town, adding to her uselessness.
"Water?"
Kima was startled out of her misery, looking up to find Allura standing next to her, holding out her waterskin.
She hadn't seen or heard Allura move; what a great guard she was.
"I heard you lost a lot of blood. You must be thirsty," Allura continued, pressing the waterskin into Kima's hands when she wouldn't take it.
"Thanks," Kima said, looking away as she took a sip.
As she tried to hand it back, Allura waved her hand, exhaustion clear on her face as she sagged down against the same rock Kima was leaning against.
They sat in silence for a while, Kima keeping a staunch eye out for anything that seemed more threatening than a marmot.
"You have to stop blaming yourself," Allura said suddenly.
Kima turned her head to find Allura staring at her. Had she been doing that the entire time?
"What do you mean?" Kima said, hoping her blush wasn't too obvious in the light of the campfire.
Allura motioned at her face. "This was not your fault."
Kima bit her tongue. "Yes, it was. I should have seen that motherfucker coming, I was closest."
"None of us saw him, Kima. Besides, what could you have done? Thrown yourself at both of them?"
"It's my job," Kima grumbled.
"It really isn't, Kiem," Allura sighed, the nickname darkening Kima's blush further. "You think it is, but it isn't. It's not your job to protect me. It's not your job to get hurt instead. You can't protect all of us at the same time; there's five of us and only one of you."
"I can handle it."
"No, you can't. No one can. It wouldn't be fair. We all fight, we all get hurt."
"You shouldn't get hurt!" Kima said, louder than intended. Thankfully, the others were too exhausted to wake.
Allura raised an eyebrow.
"You stay in the back and cast your spells, out of harm's way. You have my back, meaning I have to have your front. Anything that gets past me to you is my fault."
"That's not how it works, Kima. You're not my shield, you're my friend." She took Kima's hand with her own, squeezing it gently.
"I hate seeing you get hurt..." Kima muttered, unable to look Allura in the eye, instead, staring at their interlinked hands, the point of connection burning like a small sun. How could Allura not be angry at her?
It seemed Allura wasn't done yet. "I hate seeing you get hurt too. Especially when you do it to yourself." She nodded at the bandages clinging to Kima's side.
Kima let silence fall between them, not knowing what to say that wouldn't be a complete lie.
She went for a shrug instead. The movement instantly aggravated her wound, and it turned into more of a strangled yelp.
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.
"Right," Allura smiled, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the rock.
"Ghenn will heal it tomorrow," Kima grumbled. "It'll be fine."
"That it will be fine tomorrow does not take away that it hurts right now," Allura said, turning to face Kima. Her one open eye shining in the firelight. With the blood wiped off, Allura somehow looked even worse than before. The whole right sight of her face was swollen, the bruises such a deep purple they seemed almost black. Her skin had split in several places, adding to the horrific mess. The worst part was that the left side of Allura's face was as pristine as ever, the contrast making the damage look so much worse.
Kima looked away, chewing on the inside of her cheek. No matter what Allura said, she knew it was her fault.
"You should sleep," Kima said eventually, pulling her hand from Allura's. "I'll keep watch." And actually protect you this time , she added in her thoughts.
Allura sighed. "My head feels like it is going to explode, there is no way I am going to sleep tonight."
"I'm sorry."
"It was not your fault," Allura repeated, staring at Kima with such earnest intensity Kima had to look away lest she start crying.
"Okay," she said meekly.
"Besides, as you're so fond of saying, I am incredibly hardheaded. That boulder had no idea what it was in for."
Despite herself, Kima huffed a laugh. "I have never said that."
"Must have been hit harder than I thought then, to misremember every day of the last year," Allura hummed, scooting closer so she could bump her good shoulder against Kima's.
Kima felt her lips curl into her smile. Damn Allura and the instant positive effect she had on her mood. "Well, today, I am glad for your hardheadedness." A pause. "You really had me worried today, Allie," she added softly.
"It looks worse than it is," Allura replied, resting her cheek on Kima's shoulder. "Sweet of you to worry, though. But I am not the one who took a boulder to the chest or got speared by my own armor. I'll be fine, Kima."
"Remember what you said? That just because it will be fine tomorrow, doesn't mean it can't hurt today."
"Mm," Allura mused, eyes falling closed. "Don't use my words against me. It's rude."
"Alright," Kima sighed. Silence returned, but it was far less uncomfortable this time.
She reached for the waterskin again, her hand accidentally brushing Allura's.
Allura intertwined their fingers, giving a soft squeeze.
Kima didn't know if she did it to comfort her or be nice, or if it was something more. She didn't care either. She had nearly lost Allura today, and she might lose her tomorrow.
"I-" she started. If she paused now, she would never say it. And she had to say it. "I wasn't talking about the bruises. After the battle, when I saw you on the ground, with all the blood on your face... You weren't moving. I wasn't sure- I stopped breathing. My heart stopped beating. Ghenn was hurt on the ground next to me, and I didn't even notice. All I could see was you. It felt like someone had snuck up behind me and stabbed me in the heart. Thinking you were- you know- even for a second hurt more than anything else has ever hurt me."
"Oh," Allura said, the word barely more than an exhale.
Kima pulled her hand away, toying with the leather wrap of her maul. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way, I completely understand. I have a big mouth, and I talk too much, but I just wanted you to know."
"You do talk too much," Allura said.
Kima couldn't look at her, certain she had just ruined a year of friendship.
"There's something I want you to know, as well," Allura continued, putting a stop to Kima's nervous plucking by covering Kima's hand with her own again.
"There's this spell, Warding Bond, and it splits all damage equally over the caster and the target. And sometimes I feel like someone has cast that on us because whenever I see you get hurt, I feel it too."
"Oh."
Allura rested her head on Kima's shoulder, and all the pain in Kima's side faded to the background.
"I think that is just what love is, sharing the hurt," Allura said softly, squeezing Kima's hand.
"It doesn't have to be. We can share the good things too." She leaned over, ever so gently pressing her lips to Allura's cheek, right where the worst of the swelling was. Before Allura could flinch away, she sank the last dregs of her healing magic into her skin.
Allura gasped as the bruises faded from a deep purple to a sickly yellow, and the swelling over her eye receded enough for her to blink both of them open in surprise.
"I thought you were out of magic!"
"I was. I never use quite all of it. For emergencies."
"This was not an emergency," Allura said sternly. "Why did you not use it on yourself?"
Kima brushed her thumb over Allura's bruised cheekbone. "Because I can't stand to see you in pain."
Allura huffed a laugh, turning her head, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of Kima's thumb.
"You're going to see me in pain a lot. Are you going to be okay with that?"
"No," Kima said. "But maybe if I can kiss it better afterward, I will be able to deal with it."
"Only if you allow me to do the same."
"I think that's fair."
Allura smiled, shaking her arm out of its sling to cup Kima's face in her hands. "As I have no healing magic, all I can offer you is a kiss."
Kima blushed and leaned in closer. "That's plenty," she whispered as Allura closed the distance between them.