Battle

She could feel her heart beating against her chest rapidly, pounding intensely as she mucked through the glowing waters. Her knees and boots damp with water as she ran up the wooden stairs that were connected to almost every platform of the village. She could hear the battle-cries of the men and women she was serving with as they rushed onto the dry ground as Sabrina did. There was already blood dripping into the waters beneath them through the floorboards, the stench of blood was awful and it sickened her. The thought of her brother enduring this saddened her. She was staring at Issac's back which only held the vigil of her home-city. A tower with clouds looming amidst its pinnacle.

However the sight of Issac being launched a few feet after blocking with his shield a strike from an ax brought her back into focus, she was now staring at a green scale dravian. He was two feet taller than her, had a couple arrows sticking out his back and glared at her with a fury she had never experienced before, a hatred that made her stomach curl but still she raised her blade to him. Sabrina stared back, without the fury her opponent had instead with a fierce determination ignoring the roar of battle around them, Issac approached behind her.

"Together." He said to which she nodded.

"You foolish humans attack my village..." The dravian growled at them.

Sabrina and Issac glanced down for a moment in shame before letting their sights land on him again.

"I'm sorry..." She said sincerely.

It only seemed to anger the dravian further.

Sabrina dashed forward jabbing her sword towards the dravian's chest, however she felt her arms launch upward as she used all her might not to lose grip of her weapon. Her honey eyes seeing his single ax had parried her strike in an instant, damn dravians were the opposite of the elves; strong in body weak in magic. He swung with his other ax at her, and with a clang it caught the charge of Issac who ran to her defense. Even with his feet planted firmly on the ground he was pushed onto her, however she span around him using the momentum to add power to her swing that was aimed at the legs.

The tip of the male's tail clashed with her swing, it had spikes forming as a hook at its end, and it caught her blade. There was a certain fear in Sabrina now, she knew the man still had a free hand and weapon and she glanced up seeing the ax rushing down at her head. She tilted her body, launching herself away she could feel the dravian's blade cut through locks of her hair. She slid on the wood-floors rolling back onto her feet in an instant, lunging forward again. In the few seconds she was away the dravian had focused on Issac who had sliced the tail during his attack against her.

The dravian was bashing against Issac's shield, he had dropped his weapon to reinforce his strength to his shield needing both arms to match the attacks without his arm breaking. Sabrina dashed towards the dravian that was now glancing over at her, she held her blade with a single hand as the other reached at the water beside her. "Ventus" She said in an exhausted breath, suddenly ripples appeared against the calm waters, followed by a force of wind that made the water rise at the dravian's face. In the instance his eyes closed in reaction, she stabbed her long blade through his thigh causing a loud roar of pain before he swung at her in panic.

She ducked beneath his ax, Issac smashed his shield against their foes knee causing his other leg to give. Sabrina rushed as she yanked her blade from the thigh, spinning and swinging it against the dravian's neck. It's muscles stopped her from cutting his head clean off but it didn't protect his arteries, and suddenly blood gushed out from the wound. The girl was panting heavily as she stared at the warrior's eyes, who were never taken off her, he couldn't speak but she knew he was cursing her existence.

"The chief's dead!" A dravian cried.

She shook as she stared at the blood on her blade before glancing over to the rest of the village, there were bodies lying everywhere, only a few males and females fought back against the soldiers. It seemed such a small place didn't have many warriors and so it appeared as a massacre, completely one sided. Issac, walked over to her side.

"Careful using magic." He stated.

"If I hadn't, he might have dodged or struck me." She replied sadly.

They moved behind a few troops who were charging further along the circular village. It seemed none of the other warriors were as skilled as the chief and so they fell a lot easier. The dravian village was too far from much of civilization. They were free from invasion of the champions of chaos or darkness, thus didn't have the experience most warriors did. The last invasion was ten years ago, and it had struck Kyros, Issac had fought in that conflict.

"I understand Sabrina, but its too unpredictable, we aren't elves." He glanced over towards the last armed dravian falling to a few more arrows from the men still over by the trees, he had the village surrounded in case of those who attempted to escape. They were ordered to eliminate everyone in the village; seizing a city didn't involve this much bloodshed mostly due to public perception but this village was far removed.

"Sir..." A soldier approached Issac and Sabrina.

"Speak" Issac said firmly as he turned his attention away from Sabrina.

"We cleared the village except for..." The man appeared nervous.

"Except for?" Issac raised a brow, a bit concerned now.

"We found children, two." He said sighing.

Sabrina now stood inside one of the huts staring past Issac who was in front of two little dravian children, they appeared no older than ten years old. Their horns barely sprouting from their heads; from what she understood is that they aged normally until twenty five human years. Then like elves they seemingly stop.

Her eyes were watering, she knew what Issac had to do. None of the other soldiers wanted to, the weaker of them went off to help bring the supplies into the village and begin setting up an encampment. While those of stronger wills stood besides Sabrina to see it through to the end and pay their respects.

Issac stared down at the two kids in amazement, he's never seen a dravian children in his entire life and now he was looking at two that held each other as they cried. A little girl and boy, they were cute with long dark green hair. He would have relished the sight of seeing children under different circumstances the little balls of innocence always made him smile, however now it brought nothing but pain.

He was ordered to clear the village, leave no survivors no matter what. Ishgard wasn't very connected, so small villages like these are known about by very few maybe even none. Horrors like the ones they committed can't be known for fear of one of the other noble races feeling the need to step in on the conquests. War is between nations, not its peoples, the common populace isn't to be massacred like this; the elves already supply the dravians with weapons. An elven lord feeling noble if they heard of the atrocities would be bad fortune for the city of Greyjoy. Issac couldn't allow the kids to live, they would speak of these events and his Lord would not forgive his insubordination.

"I pray to Belona, to watch these children as they travel to your side. The memory of dragons past, who fought with you against the Great Hordes of Chaos. Keep them safe, I beg you, for I cannot spare them in this life." Issac whispered, shaking in place as he stabbed the little girl in the chest.

"Arani!" He heard the young boy cry.

He stabbed the boy next, quick to the chest as he did his sister. Issac stared at the limp bodies, their green eyes seem to appear faded, their clothes staining with blood. He turned away from them, cursing himself as he walked past Sabrina and his other men.

"Burn them with the rest..." He said as strongly as he could.

Sabrina stood there with tears rushing down her face, staring at the dead children.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She said through her soft whimpers, the others lifted the body of the children with care and took them out of the hut. Heading towards the fire-pit at the center of the now bloodied village.

Sabrina remained staring at the floor where they had lied, she tried to find rage for Issac but she knew that none of them would have been free from the lord's judgement if they had let them live. If she was stronger, she might have attempted to save them. However that thought seemed like a foolish girl's dreams of something that now can never become a reality.

"I hope Logan never had to do such things..."