Challenge #04618-L234: Low Down by the River

Lord Brickhead was, INDEED, the job that needed to be done sooner than expected. Their decisions lead to a disaster. A disaster the Army of Mercy were more than capable of helping alleviate. Brickhead, pantaloons a'mess at seeing what they caused, turned over a new leaf. The place they ruled now offered freely as a home base for a segment of the Army. No lives were lost, the lord of the land learned a harsh, but fair, lesson, and the future was starting to look better for the people.

-- Anon Guest

The Army of Mercy had returned to Lord Brickhead's realm. Specifically, on the border between his realm and his unfriendly neighbour, Mralynchas. The dispute over who owned which side of the river that formed the border had blown up. And so had most of Lord Brickhead's army.

Pax organised the army's tents on both sides of the border, because they were an army that did not end lives. They were the army that saved lives. The wounded of each side were treated only on their side of the river, as negotiated by Pax. With the lord of Mralynchas, because Lord Brickhead had yet to be found.

Because some survivors were unrecognisable under the grime of the battlefield, there was a temporary treatment station literally above the river. There to wash and identify the wounded.

There, they finally found Lord Brickhead.

His armour dented and marred by so many strikes that it could not be removed by conventional means. They had to remove his helm by cutting small parts off it while mages gently levitated his form so the healers could do their careful work.

He had taken several blows to the head, and was lucky to still be alive.

The healers plied all kinds of magic on him to be sure he pulled through, but it was still a thin hope that he would. They got him stabilised after two days of solid work with sanguimancy, osteomancy, and the incredibly delicate neuromancy. There were cheers from the army as the stretcher-bearers finally took him to his side of the river.

Lord Brickhead was able to speak coherently a week later. It took him a further month to return to health enough to negotiate with Lord Mralynchas.

A negotiation that happened on the very same platform where they saved Lord Brickhead's life.

Pax leaned against the wall, arms folded, and glared at Lord Brickhead. "We are the army of peace and mercy. If you continue in peace and mercy, all will be well. If not, you run the risk of being a threat to peace and mercy. Removing you from the equation will make our work far easier. Be warned."

Brickhead, who had a month to hear what the army had to say, said, "I have been sufficiently educated, officer. I am well prepared to behave rationally."

"Thank the gods," said Mralynches. "Better late than never."

[Photo by Mateus Guimarães on Unsplash]

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