Rocky arrived at the battlefields of northeast military camp, having followed Thor and Sheridan the
whole way. The battlefields were teeming with personnel, from ranks of soldiers to spirit manipulators.
Many of the soldiers and spirit manipulators were gathered around a creature of immense size, pointing
and whispering.
"Back off and step aside...! What is going on here?!" Sheridan demanded loudly, seeing the commotion
and unhappy at the conduct.
Solders and spirit manipulators looked up to see that it was Sheridan who spoke. All of them stepped
aside and cleared the way for him, knowing his temper was infamous throughout the whole northeast
military camp. Sheridan was, after all, the administrator of beast farm. If they irritated him, then the
spirit-manipulated beasts, their closest friends, would get in trouble. It was in their best interests to
respect him and his authority.
Standing behind Sheridan, Rocky cast his eyes on the enormous figure in battlefield. He realized that it
was none other than Marin's war dragon named Verdanim. Verdanim was stretched out on its side. It
looked as though it was in serious pain. Its lower abdomen bulged out, distended like a ball, almost as
though it'd been pregnant for a few months. But its left rear limb which was badly deformed was bloody.
The limb was black and blue all over. While outwardly, the injury looked horrible, the internal injuries
were likely much worse than that.
"Sheridan..." Marin choked as she gently patted Verdanim's head from where she was squatted. She
was desperately trying to soothe her injured dragon. With tears in her eyes, she rose to her feet to
implore Sheridan. "Hurry, please, save Verdanim, I beg you!" she begged.
"Calm down, Marin; don't worry. I'll save it, I promise you," Sheridan replied calmly, patting her shoulder
and trying to reassure her. Verdanim had been his gift to Marin, and he had raised the dragon himself.
Hence, he understood her feelings about Verdanim in this situation, and sympathized with her.
For Marin, Verdanim was more than just a dragon; it was like a sibling to her. Her sadness and her joys
were things she would share with it. She adored this dragon and prized it above all else, and her heart
broke to see it so injured.
Rocky had never seen Marin look so weak and helpless before. Often, she behaved as though she
were a man: strong, impartial, and clear-sighted. She was a fine Commander that looked as steady as
any other. But now, it seemed as though a mere breeze could send Marin down.
For Marin's part, as soon as she'd seen Sheridan approaching, she felt some of her anxiousness drain
from her body. She was confident that he had every ability to cure her spirit-manipulated beast. But
then she felt a stare upon her and found Rocky there. She only looked sadly back at him before turning
her attention back to Sheridan. Her dragon mattered more than anything at this moment.
Sheridan began his examination of the dragon. But as he did, his frown deepened, as though he were
clearly having some difficulty. Judging by his expression, everyone feared that the injury on Verdanim
wasn't quite as simple as it appeared.
"Sheridan, how is Verdanim?" Marin asked anxiously. "Can you cure it...?" She was wringing her hands
in worry, seeing the look on his face.
Sheridan sighed as he looked back at Marin, and his hesitation worried her.
"Sheridan...?" After seeing Sheridan's expression, Marin's heart leapt to her throat, her stomach in
knots. She had a bad feeling about this.
"I'm afraid Verdanim has suffered a serious internal injury. Its meridians were ruptured, causing intra-
abdominal bleeding. A substantial amount of blood is accumulating in its belly, putting a strain on its
internal organs. And another thing, it has a fracture on its left leg bone. Even I can't understand how it
could've suffered such a serious injury. I am so sorry, Marin, but... I'm not sure I'll be able to save
Verdanim this time," Sheridan told her quietly, apologetically. He knew that this would be a serious blow
to Marin, but this was something too serious to sugarcoat and she had to know the truth.
Marin felt her world grow dark, sending her into a spiral of despair. Wracked with misery, she balled her
fists and buried her face into her hands. "This is all my fault, I knew it...it's all my fault! If I hadn't tried to
win...if I hadn't tried to win so hard, Verdanim wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to save me! I did this, this
is all my fault...!" She broke down.
Having never seen Marin so disconsolate before, the soldiers and spirit manipulators watched on in
sympathetic awe. They felt a deep sense of pity for her, and knew they too would mourn such a loss.
Verdanim was the only war dragon of the northeast military camp, and was their symbol.
"Sheridan, please...please, I beg you, please, can't you save Verdanim?!" Marin begged shrilly, heart in
her throat and desperate. She seemed to have lost control of herself as she grasped Sheridan's grey
hand. It was too difficult for her to accept that her beloved Verdanim was about to die. She could not
bear to lose her oldest and closest friend.
"It's...not as easy as that, Marin. From the looks of it, it's difficult to find a way to save Verdanim's life.
Even if I could somehow manage it, it would be crippled. It'd no longer be able to fight for you, and it'd
remain in a stable for the rest of its life." Sheridan sighed heavily. Though there was that slim chance
that he could save the war dragon, Verdanim would simply never be the same again, and would never
be able to go to war again. And as this was a war beast that was born to fight, its life would become
meaningless otherwise. It could become disconsolate and despondent, as to be confined to a stable
was a fate that some would say was worse than death.
"No! I don't care. It doesn't matter--you must cure Verdanim, you must! You must know what to do, a
treatment, a cure, something...!" Marin was firm and would not be moved. She couldn't give up.
Sheridan could only shake his head even as he heard Marin's voice grow more shrill and pleading. He
understood that this was going to break her heart, but there was really no use in trying to cure
Verdanim. This was simply how life went.
"Sheridan, please... I will do anything, anything you ask. Please cure Verdanim," Marin begged,
inconsolable as tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I would suggest that we don't make Verdanim suffer any further," Sheridan told her gently, trying to
come to terms with his own grief. He knew that even if he did cure Verdanim, the dragon could suffer
significant disabilities. Its movement would become slow and difficult due to the serious internal injuries
and its crippled left limb. It would be a lifetime of suffering until the dragon passed away. Instead of
putting it through so much pain, it might be better to let Verdanim rest, away from the misery.
Rocky, watching Marin grow more panicked, knew that she was giving in to her emotions and that her
demands wouldn't at all convince or aid Sheridan in determining what was best for Verdanim. He
immediately went to her and grasped her hand, willing her to turn her attentions to him instead. "Marin,
there's no use in blaming yourself. You have to face the truth!"
"You...?! How dare you...!" Marin, already heartbroken and in pain, felt rage bubble up to the surface at
Rocky's impudence, wondering how he felt he had the right to hold her hand right now. She forcibly
tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let go.
The soldiers and spirit manipulators around them, startled, began to grow uncomfortable. Rocky was
displaying a bold show of insubordination. His impertinence could cost him his life.
"Stay out of this, I know Sheridan has a way to cure Verdanim...! Just get out of my way and let me go!
You're really pissing me off!" Marin was livid, eyes blazing at Rocky.
"And what would Verdanim think if it saw you hysterical like this?! The dragon got hurt to save you, it
put itself through this for your sake; it didn't do this to watch you have a meltdown!" Rocky snarled back
angrily, jabbing a finger to Verdanim's direction, as the dragon continued to struggle.
Caught off guard, Marin turned her eyes back to her beloved dragon. Verdanim could only look back at
her pitifully, struggling to breathe with sad eyes. The only sound the dragon could make was a small,
pained neigh.
At such a heartbreaking sight, Marin's misery swelled up her throat and tears flowed free once again.
She hastily wiped them away, unable to bear the thought that people would think she was fragile.
But her actions did not go unnoticed by Rocky. He was shocked that Marin could cry like this, and his
heart softened. After a moment of careful deliberation, he finally spoke, "Maybe...Maybe I could find a
way to cure Verdanim."
"You...you can cure him?" Marin stared at him, astonished at such a declaration. If not even Sheridan
could find a way to cure Verdanim, how could Rocky possibly manage it? He had only been Sheridan's
apprentice for a few months. Could Rocky really do it?
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