Assault on Vinisoya Manor

With rifle in hand, Kalin advanced. The lizardman did not let up for a second. As soon as he was close enough, the Rydian Captain kicked from his Kukchi and pounced feet first onto Sam's chest, causing her to wheeze. As he suspected, he only grazed her across her cheek. A terrible shot on his part, but he stood ready to finish off this invader.

Sam trembled under his boots, her breath so staggered she could barely breathe. No words could escape her mouth. The girl was at his complete mercy. This enemy. As far as she knew, this man was the invader, a twist of fate to drive home her despair.

The man chambered another round and aimed squarely at Sam's head, put his finger on the trigger, and stopped. Seconds passed, and the two of them were buffeted by the heavy rain. Sam couldn't tell if he was taking pity on her. His face was masked by his hood and scarf, so his intentions were unclear, but even then, if he fired, she'd never know it.

"You must be the intruder." He said. "It's better to take you alive, so hold still."

He reached for a pouch tied to his belt, searching for rope. His eyes turned away from Sam for a split second, assuming he had complete control. The second he did, the wounded girl, who had defeat written all over her, shifted and threw him off balance. Then, with a force only a Kainian could bring, Sam kicked him square in the balls.

What looked like a clean kill mere seconds ago reversed itself. Sam got on her feet and punched the reeling Pandemian as he doubled over. She yanked his rifle.

"Get away from me!" She yelled, and her boot met with his chest, but his grip was as ironclad as his weapon, and beneath his robes laid solid armor.

Kalin returned the favor as she was struck in the gut, and the soldier regained his footing. The surprise was over, and he swung back with his longer limbs. Some blows were blocked. Others landed in a place that hurt, and those strikes made the next attack more likely to hit too.Sam struggled to keep up. She had years of self-defense training memorized, but all of that training was failing. She was taking too much damage, being pushed across the farm from the relentless, practically attained beatdown until, suddenly, as she fell to one knee, she blinded him with a fist full of sand. The dry sand found its way into his eyelids while the wet top sand caked them shut, and she took the chance to break. She went left as he lunged forward. He felt his feet clack on the stoney ridge of the Oasis.

"Home." He rushed to the water based on pure memory and dunked his face in the clear pool. He was washed dry in seconds.

When he turned, Sam was pulling the distance. She was going for the cave stable. Perhaps she was going to try and escape on Kukchi. The man didn't rate her chance of escape high, but in this brief lull, he cracked a small smile. What a surprise from such a small package.

"Captain!" Wyzzel emerged from the house, face sweating and blue. The four comrades had all gone inside the main house to investigate. "Your kin, they-!"

In an instant, the world shifted. Any speck of benevolence Kalin had in him vanished in a roaring flame. He didn't hear another word from his subordinate, nor did he go see his family. For a solid three seconds, all of his fears had come true. His facade of the noble Captain of Rydia fell away, and the wild man returned, whose first natural instinct was to kill the girl as she ran away.

He lined a shot with his fingers, and with a flash of light, his body gave everything to an electrical bolt that blinded the world around him. His comrade fell back from the flash, the trees caught fire from the excess, and a long shard of lightning, filled with as much intent to kill as possible, arced toward Sam. When the flash subsided, Sam fell into the wet sand.And like that, his rage was quenched. It didn't subside, though, as it then turned to Wyzzel.

 "Show me."

When he saw what became of his house, he shuddered. The toxin affecting his family had drenched the place in fluid, uncontrollable and flowing over the floors and sheets. Kalin's son, barely conscious, struggled to pull himself back up. He could sense his father but was too tired, too sick. From the bedroom, his wife groaned for him. It was hard to tell, but they were happy to see him.

"Stay with me, boy." He kneeled, shaking his Vinisnu. "What happened? What was that creature?"

"Sam…" he coughed. "Where's Sam?"

One of his men stepped from the bedroom. "It looks like poison, sir. The girl may have tampered with the water."

"Use mine." Kalin tossed his canteen. "All of you! My family is dying!"

When vomiting at the level the Vinisoyas were, dehydration was a hazard that could kill them. Fresh water was needed, and with the Oasis compromised, they gave up their precious resources for them. It was the least they could do, and the infusion gave the two back some color.

"What do we do now, sir?" Wyzzel asked.

Kalin thought about it. The mission wasn't over yet. There was a man he needed to return to, but he couldn't abandon his kin so quickly. Not until he was sure.

The squad got the two into some fresh clothes and fresh sheets. Two men would take turns giving them water, cleaning up after them, and giving them as much food as possible. Luckily, the food was already prepped, although it looked sloppy and unrefined.

"Sir, this is Redstreak meat, right?" A soldier named Syss asked. "Would this be good for them?"

"Don't try it," Kalin replied. "It's a tough dish to cook. If you don't get the temperature right, you'll...it's food poisoning."

The other two barged into the house with additional patients.

"Captain, it's Mom!" Wyzzel had Auntie cradled in his arms. "She's been poisoned!"

"Food poisoning. Forget what I said earlier and fetch Oasis water. Bring everyone in!"

The squad of soldiers transformed into a team of crack doctors, and with a roaring fire around the common room and spare sheets, Vinisoya manor became the cleanest, warmest abode this side of Ryza. Mothers, grandmothers, wives, all resting in a feverish hell, but one they were sure to survive after a couple days of rest and a helpful purging.

After the initial scare had passed, everything went quiet. In his spare hours, Kalin reacquainted himself with his home, sitting in his old chair made of wood and Kukchi. It had been so long that he'd been home, months even. The man could barely call it his home anymore, which bothered him. This was too close, he thought. He almost let his family die while he tended to his country. What a cruel thing to do to a man who's worked so hard for all he's obtained. He might get sick himself for all his trouble. Thankfully, it was over for now. His role as father had been honored.

Kalin dozed off, and hours went by in an instant. When he awoke, his men were eating, and the house smelled like fresh seasoning. His body ached as if it needed more rest. It must've been the rain. It was unrelenting.

"Sir," Syss approached, drenched head to toe. "Where did you fell Devol's creature?"

"Should be toward the stable. Did you grab her?"

"I searched, but…she's not there."

"Perhaps the sand got her." Kalin stood and passed his men to see his family. As suspected, they were well-fed and watered and slept soundly without a peep. "Thank you for all of this…"

The squad turned to him, expecting him to continue, but their leader stewed in place, his fist clenching. He didn't seem awake at first, but every second brought the Captain back to his natural state.

"Everything alright, Captain?" Wyzzel asked.

"What do you mean you couldn't find her!?" 

Kalin burst from his home and sprinted at inhuman speeds toward the stable. His paranoia was confirmed as he entered. The squads Kukchi had taken refuge from the rain and were drinking from the internal river, all except one. Deep tracks were embedded into the caked sand, facing out into the desert, and each step was fresher and fresher.

He returned to the house mounted on his steed, yelling through the walls with unwavering ferocity.

"She's not dead! Wait here and guard the homestead! I'll finish this myself!"