Ch7 - Echos of the Battlefield

Some battles are fought in a field, while blood soaks the ground. Other battles are fought within, tearing our own souls in two.

Purpura stood atop a large rock outcropping.
He looked out onto a large empty field.
It was the site of an ancient battle, with no victor.
Purpura felt all such battles had no victor, even if history books claimed otherwise.
He moved and gently slid down the rock.
He landed on the ground softly, before looking at his left wrist.
Purpura was wearing the arm guard, with the clock that Luz had fixed.
He pulled out the picture, and turned it over.
With a sigh, he pulled a small knob and turned it until the time on the clock matched the time indicated on the picture's back.
He pushed the knob back in, and moved behind the rock a bit, before pushing down the clock.
Purpura held his hand on the clock, as a bright flashed blinded him a moment.
He opened his eyes, and saw soldiers and tents all about.
Yet, everything was frozen in the instant.
Nothing moved, there wasn't even a breeze or noise.

He kept his hand, holding the clock down.

Before he moved behind a tent, and released the clock.

Time began to move.
Soldiers walked about, talked casually.
They looked a mess though, they had not recently arrived.
They had likely been here for months.
Given their condition, he could guess their supplies had began to run low.
There were creatures moving about, some for combat, some for travel.
Half the soldiers were demons of various kinds.
Purpura looked at the picture again, focusing on the uniform.
There was a symbol marker, likely for rank.
He moved a bit, and examined various soldiers uniforms.
Most had a different type of symbol.
His target was likely an officer, the male photographed had looked rather cocky.
Purpura looked about, before spotting a larger tent.
It was clean, and kept away from feeding stalls.
He watched soldiers move around, and quickly moved behind a small group.
He followed slightly, before jumping behind the ten.

Purpura gently climbed underneath the fabric.
He laid under the fabric, using it to hid him from view.

Purpura waited, to ensure no one came to investigate the movement.

He gently moved the fabric, and glanced up.

There was a group of five men sitting around a table.

Though not as skinny, it was clear even their supplies were beginning to run low.
They were talking, it was an ancient dialect that Purpura couldn't understand though.
He moved and placed the wrist guard to his ear.
As if a quiet speaker, it translated the words, though not with perfection.
He couldn't gauge the entire conversation, but one thing was clear.
They were trying to decide if the battle was a lost cause.
They mentioned supplies, two places he didn't know.
Suddenly one stood, Purpura recognized the man as his target.
The man was shouting, and the clock translated.
"We cannot give up this battle!
Even if we must fight to the last man!
I refuse to surrender."
Watching the other's faces, it was clear they didn't agree.
They were tired, hungry, and desired to save the last of the men they could.
Purpura knew that their system of leadership meant they had to agree 100% on any decisions that deviated from the original plan.
This man's refusal to back down meant they had to stay and fight.
Purpura imagined that was why he was here.
To let these people go home, by killing the only person who refused to accept it was a lost cause.
Being from the future, he already knew this battle was lost.
The kingdom they were from had stopped supplying the battle.
This was because the rival kingdom had split it's resources.
Attacking here, and at the capital.

Their kingdom couldn't supply a fight out on the field, and at their capital.
So, abandoned this encampment in hopes of their capital surviving.
Both battles would be lost on this kingdom's side.
And as both sides focused on the capital, these people would simply die their pointless battle.

But letting these people leave.
Both sides would benefit, and lose less soldiers.
The officers then began to leave.
Purpura watched the target move closer to him, opening a small chest.
He pulled a reserve of wine out, and poured himself a glass.
Wine was reserved for officers.
He watched the others leave, leaving this man alone.
Perfect.
Luz always set up the timing for these things perfectly.

Purpura gently moved, and came up behind the man.
Just as the man was about to turn about, Purpura grabbed him covering his mouth.
The man struggled, he was combat trained after all.
Purpura focused and suddenly the man stopped struggling.
He'd stopped the man's heart.
He had to hold the man a moment.
Wait for the brain to die, to ensure his heart wouldn't restart.
The things certain species could do were numerous and at times inconvenient.
Once the man was certainly dead, with no sign of fowl play, he let the man drop.
He pushed on the clock, blinded by the flash.

He stood in the middle of nothing again.
Where once an army raised their flag was now nothing.
A forgotten kingdom, and it's people.
No one mourned this battle.
No one honored these soldiers.
He walked to the middle of where the main fighting took place.
He wondered if there was truly any honor in war.
Though perhaps the same could be said of his profession...
Was there honor in killing people?
He felt like the silence was his answer.

He began to walk again, but paused and turned about.
Running from out of the tree line, was a person.
They were running straight towards him.
Suddenly he went wide eyed, as the person was wielding a large ax.
He squinted, before realizing who it was.
He sighed, and got into a prepared stance.
The runner suddenly sprinted at full speed towards him.
It was a woman, with purple hair.
Her clothes were torn, and dirty.
She had neko ears, and a long tail.
Upon inspection, she actually resembled Purpura rather closely.
She swung her ax at him, and he easily jumped back avoiding the slice.
She turned it, and swung down.
He jumped back again, as she buried her ax in the dirt.
She let out a curdling cry of anger and agony.
She released the ax, before clawing her own stomach to make it bleed.
She then threw the blood, turned spikes at Purpura.
Who quickly threw up a blood shield.
The two bloods hissed upon intersection.
He jumped right, away from her ax.
She charged him, slicing her stomach more with her other hand.
She threw more spikes, which he blocked.
Suddenly she jumped at him, claws first.
He ducked a bit, before suddenly grabbing her hands and lifting her up by her hands.

She laughed, a type of laugh only a crazy person could have.
She then kicked him in the gut, causing him to drop her.
She clawed at his face, by he blocked her attack, and pushed her away.
He stepped a bit, as she turned back to him before soaking her hands in her own blood.
"I missed you, Day-day!" she shouted, even though they were barely four feet from each other.
He growled, before she threw the blood at him again.
He brought up another shield, but missed some of the blood.
It sliced the outside of his leg.
It hissed and he groaned and dropped to his knee.
Blood demons were weak to another blood demon's blood.
It burned them like acid.

She laughed at his pain, and stuck her hands in her stomach again.
Purpura growled, before he glared at her

Suddenly, his eyes turned red.
He stood bring the blood that had soaked into the ground from centuries of battles above.
Even blood that had adsorbed into plants.
He ripped it from the earth, and formed a tidal wave of blood.
The girl looked at it a tad wide-eyed, before throwing more blood and shouting.
"That's right! Use your rage!" she laughed.
He suddenly threw the wave at her with a deep rage filled growl.
The wave easily blocking the blood she'd thrown.
And disappearing the crazed attacker as well.
The wave faded, blood soaking into the ground again.

And there she was... on the ground, unconscious.

Purpura's eyes faded back to purple, and he sighed.
He went over to her, turned her on her stomach.
He pulled her arms together and tied them.
He tied her feet as well, before also tying a bond around her head to prevent her from talking.
He then turned her on her back again.
He shook his head, in disapproval as her stomach bleed all over the place.
He brought blood from the ground over, and used it to cover the wound.
Least now he could carry her.

First he pulled a small flask out.
He sat on the ground, and poured it over the cut she'd caused on his leg.
It still burned, until he managed to rinse all her blood away.
Then he put the empty flask away, and got up.
He picked her up, and just as he got her on his shoulder she began to kick and toss about.
Attempting to shout, growl, or possibly bite thru the gag.
He sighed again as he walked.

He walked for a while, before reaching a town.
The entire time she struggled, and civilians watched him, unsure what to do.
Did they alert the guard? Report the man?
It was broad daylight, not often kidnappers just carried their victims around for all to see.

He got to the edge of the town, and followed the path.
Eventually he ended up at a large building.
He went up to the building, and knocked.
The door opened, a woman was standing in white scrubs.
"You found her!" the woman shouted before turning back inside.
"He found Rose!" she shouted, and suddenly people were running about.
Tons of nurses and doctors came over, as well as general help.
He sighed, and just walked in, and up the stairs.
She looked at the doctors and tried shouted and tried to bite at many.
The gag prevented enough, though she'd began to chew thru it in the journey.
He went to a room, and they opened the door.
He walked in, and set her on the floor.
She broke her hands' bonds, and instantly pulled her gag off before she grabbed at him.
He quickly pushed his hand against her chest.
She dropped to the ground, before giggling profusely.
"Day-day, can't kill me!
He wants to so much, but he can't!
Mommy wont let him!" she teased as she giggled.
The staff quickly restrained her with a straight jacket, and put a guard over her mouth.
So she could not bite anyone.
They chained the straight jacket to the back wall, with an industrial chain.
"Our apologies sir, we don't know how she escaped..."
Purpura shook his head, he really didn't care.
She escaped every couple months, no matter what.
This place did the best job keeping her from killing anyone while here.
Rose laughed, and pulled against her chain.
"Don't go, Day-day!
We should play!
Stay and play with me, Day-day!" she laughed, again a laugh only a crazy person could have.
He unconsciously rubbed his throat, before walking out of the room, the staff closing the door.
The nurse kept muttering apologies, and Purpura instead glanced the small room sign.
'Rose Trustless'

He sighed, it would be better if she was dead.
This institution cost money, and her actions caused their mother grief.
Only their mother could even actually visit her.
Anyone else risked being attacked in some manner.
Especially Purpura.
He walked away, leaving the nurse who was still muttering apologies.
He knew his presence brought out the worst in Rose.
She hunted him each time she escaped.
Ever since they were children, she'd tormented him.
He walked out of the building.

His thoughts were of her attacking him in his sleep.
Their mother had taken to chaining her to her bed... Not that it actually stopped her.
Purpura still couldn't sleep soundly.
He would be tormented by images of waking to see her standing over him, with a knife ready to plunge it into his heart...

Her crazy laugh would ring in his ears when he tried to sleep.

He'd been plagued by nightmares since he was six because of her.
He could always maintained his cool in combat, unless it involved her.
She brought out his rage, and a hatred he couldn't control.
She was right, he wanted very badly to kill her.