Once the fighting stopped and every undead was reduced to a mound of flesh, Perytos rushed down the castle's walls. He shouted over his shoulder as his legs carried him forward.

  “Mercel! Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

  So many people gave up their safety to protect them- To protect him. The least he could do was help.

  Perytos got to the gates in moments. The ornate wooden barriers were wide open, with a swath of people working hastily on the battlefield. Screams echoed throughout the entire city. Mothers mourned their children; wives looked frantically for their husbands. All the while, the authorities tried to keep a semblance of order. Spectators were held at a distance while members of medical personnel and volunteers were let through without a second glance.

  They need every pair of hands they can get.

  After a single answer that he was volunteering, the stationed guards let him trough. Their spears uncrossed and he finally saw the aftermath of the battle in its totality. From the safety of the walls, the danger seemed trivial, abstract. When he stood there, frozen in place as two healers tried to staunch a stump, he finally understood what his lot in life would be.

  Watching as dark blood gushed out of a young adventurer, Perytos realized that he would dedicate his life to make sure something like that didn’t happen ever again. His oath resonated slightly- Not demanding penitence, just giving acknowledgment.

  His oath resonance carried him easily. In seconds he grasped the only clean cloth and with swift moves tied a tourniquet on the pained adventurer. The two healers, probably apprentices judging from their age, gave him a grateful look.

  “Go on, it’ll hold for a few minutes, any more and he’ll lose the rest of the arm.” Perytos ushered quickly, already throwing himself at the chaos.

  He stanched wounds, held down thrashing patients and made sure people lived to experience any sort of care. It was grueling, hard work. Blood gushed on him, along with screams of pain and curses from the patients. His basic first aid knowledge could only do so much. He just bought them more time. For now that was enough.

  When most patients were accounted for, Perytos searched for any remaining survivors. He dug through rotting corpses, gagging and coughing from the smell. The sight was disgusting, viscera coated him. Organs that spilled out of monstrosities covered him head to toe. He managed to find a few people, though most were long dead when he got to them. Still, it counted for something.

  Heaving with the weight of his oath, he managed to drag the remaining survivors on his back. His muscles burned and tendons vibrated from tension. He held only powered by his determination- Formless strands of energy flowed from his mind into his heart, fueling his skill. It empowered his body in controlled waves, his intent holding the power together. No uncontrolled surges now, huh?

  Your skill(Oath resonance) has reached level 12-13

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  Flickers of exhilaration drilled themselves through his body as he worked. Maybe he was a bad person for this, but he knew the exhilaration wasn’t from suffering. It was from being useful.

  The conditions were tragic, but he loved testing himself, always have. Now when the weight on his back signaled saving lives instead of hauling lumber, it was like killing two birds with one stone.

  Perytos searched for two things in life right now: Power, and safety of the innocent. Everything different went to the wayside.

  Finishing his work for now, Perytos breathed hard. His legs resting on his knees, his back bent forward. God I am so hungry, I haven’t eaten in days. His energy expenditure stat made him need food less often, but he still felt his body calling out to him.

  Looking around, the field still looked terrible, but at least no one was actively dying. The less injured waited in line to be healed or used their skills to do so. Medics worked fast but with less urgency than before- No longer was there a price for applying caution instead of haste.

  Scavengers were already deployed, cutting up the monster bodies to prepare them for processing. Bones, organs and everything in between were put carefully in packs and catalogued. Doubtlessly the city would collect their tax, but otherwise people were free to harvest what they wanted.

  His instinct alerted him quietly, not the usual spike of fear, just slight apprehension. A hand went on his shoulder. Clawed. probably Kobold or Revari, maybe Homunculi. His second guess turned out correct.

  The tall beast man smiled widely, showcasing sharp, bone-white fangs. He was probably middle aged, depending on his tier. Perytos wasn’t an expert on the different races, he barely had a few representatives in his hometown. Also the man’s thick pitch-black fur made inspecting him difficult.

  “I just wanted to thank you for volunteering. People would have died if not for you. Please, accept this token of our appreciation.” The Revari’s voice was genuinely earnest. He handed him a small brown patch, tied together with a simple cord.

  “It isn’t much, but money is scarce in these times. We need every flicker we can get to save as many people as possible.” The man seemed ashamed for such an unfitting prize, even if in Perytos eyes it was more than he deserved.

  “Hey, don’t be ashamed. I didn’t do it for the money. I just wanted to help, anything else is just a nice bonus.” Perytos smiled gently. It was generally rare to see a member of the shadow race so dedicated to helping others. Usually, they were isolationist and arrogant. I guess there are outliers everywhere.

  The man beamed. He patted Perytos arm, careful not to nick him with his sharp claws. “Excellent, simply wonderful. If you ever want to become a healer, I will gladly give you a recommendation. Sadly, I must go now. The people need me.” With that he walked off, wishing Perytos farewell.

  His work done, all Perytos wanted to do was curl in a ball and sleep for weeks. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Many things needed arranging, including finding Mercel.

  “Come on, get up!” The boy groaned. Laughter of children sliding down Mercel’s fur stopped him for a moment. To see such a distinguished creature, one of the legendary Lykani, be reduced to a playground was unprecedented. Where was the usual haughtiness? Where were the scoffs and huffs?

  Perytos found Mercel swarmed by little children pulling on his ears and petting his silver fur. In all the chaos we’ll go unnoticed, but we need to do something about that fur. He took a breath to scold the wolf for being careless, but he stopped.

  Where were the children's parents? The realization froze the blood in his veins. The mothers were probably looking through the battlefield, searching for their husbands. Not knowing whether they were alive or not. It made him reevaluate Mercel entirely. He was not being careless and providing free entertainment- He distracted children in what probably was the worst day of their lives.

  “Fine, we’ll stay.” He finally breathed out, extremely tired. He sat down on the ground nearby, exhaustion battling with fascination as he watched Mercel gently play with the younglings. We can wait until someone picks the children up; we’re not in a hurry.