The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 769: Looking For Healers

Cassian accepted the standard from me with a gentleness I never knew a knight suit could possess.

"Thank you, my lord. I will return this to the quartermaster right away. He will rejoice in its perfect condition even more than I do."

I gave a nod. "Then I'll leave you to it, Cassian. Please pass my regards to Theolan. His help at the battle's start allowed me to seize the ramp."

Shock flashed across Cassian’s face, soon turning to sorrow. "My lord, Theolan perished a few hours back fighting a Drakoshi mech on the north flank. Your words would honor him deeply, and his tale will be etched on his grave back home with the greatest accolades."

A wave of melancholy hit me upon hearing that. I'd battled alongside that knight guarding my rear for some time. Drawing a deep breath, I responded. "I thank him and your order for the immense sacrifice today, Cassian. We could not have claimed this fort without you. A thousand victories to you, my friend."

"A thousand victories, my lord!" Cassian saluted by slamming the standard into the blood-soaked earth below. I resumed my walk afterward.

The scene repeated endlessly: respect from the survivors. Wounded receiving care, corpses stacked high. The toll around this fort defied calculation...

During my solitary march, I halted abruptly upon spotting a woman among the wounded. Nothing remarkable about her—ordinary features, ginger hair, freckles—but those eyes. One bloodied red. I knew it from the battle's outset... ’Damn, it seems like ages ago...’

I drew near the woman, who struggled to adopt a proper posture as I approached. "At ease, soldier," I ordered, and she winced while slumping back.

Kneeling by her side, I examined her injuries before addressing the medic. "What's the extent of her wounds?"

The medic cleared his throat after staring at me briefly. "*Ahem* Broken arm, perforated right eardrum, concussion. Fractured ulna and radius in her left arm. Nearly every bone in her right hand shattered. Two abdominal wounds from low-caliber rounds—fortunate—and cracked ribs from a Drakoshi's direct punch to her chest."

As the medic recited her injuries, I gazed at the woman and removed my helmet, revealing my complete astonishment. "You breached the walls among the first and endured all that? I'm utterly amazed, miss."

Through a pained grimace, the woman smiled back. "I survive only because of you, sir. You saved me, and thanks to you, I helped kill over two hundred Drakoshi before that huge brute smashed my breastplate."

I let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Heh, you're a true warrior, no doubt. What's your name, by the—"

"—Shit, her wound's reopened!" The medic interrupted suddenly, dropping beside her. He bellowed next.

"Where's that cauterizer I requested ten minutes ago?!?" He shouted desperately at a nearby medic while grabbing gauze in haste."

"Doctor, maybe I can assist?" I offered, and without waiting for an answer, I snapped my fingers, igniting a tiny flame on my index finger.

The doctor disregarded the Psionics entirely and gestured. "Right there. It'll hurt like hell, but she'll pull through."

I glanced at the patient for approval; she nodded, though her gaze fixed on my finger.

Pressing down firmly to hold her steady—knowing not all react like Lena—I cauterized the wound. She parted her lips to scream, but the agony reduced it to a faint squeak.

After finishing, I rose; she teetered on unconsciousness. The medic inspected closely and nodded. "Thanks, Sentinel. Now, forgive my bluntness, but thousands more like her await my care."

I clapped the man's shoulder, startling him badly. "Of course, doctor. Work your wonders."

Donning my helmet again, I departed to resume my inspections.

...

The woman, fading into oblivion, gazed at the Sentinel with a smile.

’Smells like... cupcakes.’ Her final thought before blacking out, smile intact.

...

For about an hour, I patrolled the fort. Fit soldiers manned the surviving walls, while tanks and Castellans secured the south and west as primary defenses against any counterstrike.

Though I suspected none would come today.

One concern gnawed at me: since Cassian, I'd encountered none of my allies except Gabrielle and Nerissa.

"Come, let’s return to Skaja." I declared in a firm voice. Gabrielle and Nerissa exchanged quiet glances with each other before trailing after me.

...

While ascending the ramps now cleared of corpses—despite the stagnant blood pool at the bottom that we had splashed through earlier—I spotted a familiar face and shouted to her. "Francesca!"

Francesca, having just utilized her unique Hydrokinetic ability to aid a wounded soldier, turned toward me. She appeared exhausted. No wounds on her, yet dark circles hung heavy under her eyes, layered even deeper. Her face looked hollowed out too.

As I drew near, I caught her muttering under her breath. "Great, now I’m seeing things."

I halted in front of her and rested my hand on her shoulder. "Well, if I’m just a hallucination, you’ve crafted an impressive one. I recall an entire lifetime, so well done."

The woman stared at my hand on her shoulder for a full ten seconds before realization hit. "Oh shit! Apollo, thank the stars you’re safe. Rumors from Phalanx say you’ve battled without pause and led the breach over the walls. That was more than thirteen hours back. I confess, I feared you were... Hold on. How come your armor lacks even a drop of blood?"

"Burned it off." I replied curtly, and again she paused ten seconds before responding.

"Oh, right... Yeah, that tracks, I guess..." Then she blinked, her eyes widening gradually as if in shock.

She started to sway, so I pressed harder on her shoulder to steady her. "Francesca? You alright?"

She nodded while rubbing her eyes with thumb and forefinger.

"Mmhhh. Operating on Psionic scraps. Constantly meditating to draw it in and spend it right away. Haven’t paused since linking up with the knights last night. And after that Greg guy died, demand for me spiked even higher."

I sympathized deeply. Running on fumes is brutal. That’s why I leaned on my physical strength in the battle rather than draining my Psionics nonstop. My drugs masked bodily exhaustion. But mental and Psionic drain? It floors you.

Her remaining upright showed incredible determination.

"Maybe you should rest, Francesca? Just an hour would help—"

She seized my hand and tears welled up. "I can’t quit! How could I? All day, friends have come back to me mangled, gotten fixed, then charged out again. I’ve never seen Tammy hurt so badly before, yet she kept returning for more. And you, Nerissa, everybody... I won’t halt because I’m weary. You haven’t either! I’m a healer—this is my role. I’ll aid like this. I can’t stop. I refuse to stop. Not till everyone else gets some rest."

I let out a sigh and removed my gauntlet. I’d packed a limited supply of my drugs, meant for weeks, but burned through nearly all in two days. My armor delivered the last three stims from their port to my palm, and I passed them to Francesca.

"I get it. Though I can’t aid your Psionics, take these. One hourly. It’ll ease your physical weariness."

Francesca snatched a vial and plunged the auto-injector into her thigh. The rush of adrenaline hit immediately, drawing a deep sigh from her.

"Ah~ Thanks, Apollo. You’re a good man; your partners are fortunate... Uh, no idea why that slipped out...

By the way, your snippy snake was hunting for you. I directed it up to Skaja. The rest should be there too. Now pardon me while I meditate—got the headspace for it safely again."