Chapter 12
Signs of Corruption
Luuk started the night with the same nightmares he has been having for the last two nights. Seeing the battle in the town over and over and over again. Luuk was starting to tire of these same scenes over and over. He didn't even fell upset by the images anymore. He started to view the images as an opportunity to review the events and see where errors had been made.
He started to look for errors in the formations, in the timing of the attack. Once he went through the scene one more time and was happy that all the right choices had been made the dreams changed.
They were darker, more surreal. Luuk started to dream of people. At first Luuk dreamed of the people he knew when he was a boy then people he had served with at different times of his life.
Soon he started to dream of people he had killed. Luuk started to feel like something was going through his memories and reviewing his life. Judging him.
Again the dreams changed. Luuk saw a long line of people in the distance marching towards him. Luuk started to move to meet the line. As he got closer he started to recognize what the line was. It was a long line of people that Luuk had killed. It started with a man he never knew that he had killed in a bar fight when he was just a raw recruit. The line ended with Greg.
Luuk walked up and down the line. When he stopped in front of someone he would see the scene play out when he killed that particular person. He stopped in front of a small man, he had a powerful build but was quite small of stature. Luuk honestly couldn't remember killing him. The scene started. Luuk was just a bannerman, bening led through a sweep of a village during a war long ago. Luuk and his comrades were entering a hut when Luuk saw something behind a door. One of the men pinned the door so that whoever was behind it could not move. Luuk slammed his short spear through the door pinning the man behind it. That was this man. Not a soldier, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Luuk moved on. If he watched a scene long enough he would not only see the death scene of the person but something of the person's past. The mans family. That man at his job before Luuk had ended his life. Luuk was bothered by this but before he turned from the line of people he realized that there was no way he could have known these things. This was just a nightmare. He could not have know that this man was innocent, that man was guilty, that other was a new father. Luuk was trained to kill, to lead men to kill.
Luuk's job did not include compassion.
If he was not the best at his job, someone would kill him.
It was a long line. Luuk walked along it. Occasionally stopping to watch a scene. He got the feeling again that someone was watching him. He would turn suddenly expecting to catch someone looking at him from a distance. It was almost like he was being graded, his life being weighed.
Luuk saw some of the men and was saddened. Men he had commanded who had died following his orders. They were in the line as well. At the end of the line was Greg. Luuk started to watch the scene and realized it was not the scene he was used to from the last two nights' nightmares.
Greg was standing in the street, ordering the final attack and Luuk approached. Greg turned and pointed a Luuk. Luuk brought up a short sword slashing at Greg. Greg stabbed down at Luuk, cutting a deep gouge into Luuk's Left arm. Luuk drove his sword through Greg's chest. Blood flowed freely from the wound and Luuk withdrew the weapon and pushed Greg to the street.
Luuk awoke. He was drenched in sweat. He got up walked around the camp. Spoke to a few of the men still up. The guards mostly. The camp was quiet in the middle of the night. Luuk was a little surprised how early it was. It seemed the dreams had taken much longer than the few hours that he had been asleep. He stopped by one guard station and shared a hot drink with the the men. They were in good spirits for a group that had lost men and was so close to the corrupted lands. Men who had seen what they had seen.
Luuk returned to his spot and tried to get some real sleep.
Immediately the dreams started again.
Luuk was walking through the camp again. This time he was alone, the camp was empty. As he walked along he noticed things that he had not noticed when he had walked through the camp awake. This dream camp seemed to have a more disorganized feel. The bedding from the missing soldiers just anywhere on the ground.
After a few minutes Luuk realized he was carrying that dead cat again. He turned to return to his bedding in the dream camp and the line of people he had killed was there. The line of people were following him.
He went back down the line. As he traveled down the line the ghosts from his past would stare at Luuk. They would wait until Luuk past and then turn and walk into the forest. As he approached the end of the line he noticed there were new additions to the line. Greg was again near the end of the line. Greg did not turn and walk into the woods though. He fell into line behind Luuk.
It was at this point Luuk realized he no longer felt like he was being judged. The presence was still there but it felt more supportive, like a parent guiding a child through a difficult task.
Beyond Greg in the line of dead people were The people from the town. The undead they had battled and the men he had lead. As he walked down that line most of the men turned and walked into the woods. But more and more got into line behind Greg. Luuk started to notice that the soldiers were more likely to to walk into the forest while the towns folk joined Greg in line.
Luuk looked back and saw he had about twenty people behind him in line.
Luuk stared hard at Greg. Trying to read the reason for this dream. What was his mind trying to teach him?
He returned to the line. He was nearing the end when he saw Adams and Quinn. Now Luuk was sure he had not caused their deaths. He approached them and looked for the scene of their deaths. But they just smiled and got in line with Greg.
Beyond them in the long line of dead men was people he had not expected to see. Beckmin. Beckmin laughed out loud, the first person to make a sound in the entire dream. The silence which had seemed normal before was an ominous quiet now. Beckmin walked into the woods, still laughing.
Luuk started to wonder if he had passed the test these dreams were putting Luuk through. The people still in the line were the men in his current command. Starting with Williams and Fedor. As a unit they got in line behind Greg.
Luuk shivered.
When Luuk awoke it was nearly morning. He checked his would and found it was clear of infection. He got up and looked around, and was suddenly very afraid. The line of people from his dream. The line of people who had got in line behind Greg we in the camp and staring at him.
Greg was there too. He was obviously dead, not only was the puncture wound through his chest there but a massive burn ran down the right side of his body. Luuk drew his sword but the men just stared at him. Luuk looked about the camp. He felt something he suddenly realized that he was still leading another army. his army. His dead army.
Luuk started the night with the same nightmares he has been having for the last two nights. Seeing the battle in the town over and over and over again. Luuk was starting to tire of these same scenes over and over. He didn't even fell upset by the images anymore. He started to view the images as an opportunity to review the events and see where errors had been made.
He started to look for errors in the formations, in the timing of the attack. Once he went through the scene one more time and was happy that all the right choices had been made the dreams changed.
They were darker, more surreal. Luuk started to dream of people. At first Luuk dreamed of the people he knew when he was a boy then people he had served with at different times of his life.
Soon he started to dream of people he had killed. Luuk started to feel like something was going through his memories and reviewing his life. Judging him.
Again the dreams changed. Luuk saw a long line of people in the distance marching towards him. Luuk started to move to meet the line. As he got closer he started to recognize what the line was. It was a long line of people that Luuk had killed. It started with a man he never knew that he had killed in a bar fight when he was just a raw recruit. The line ended with Greg.
Luuk walked up and down the line. When he stopped in front of someone he would see the scene play out when he killed that particular person. He stopped in front of a small man, he had a powerful build but was quite small of stature. Luuk honestly couldn't remember killing him. The scene started. Luuk was just a bannerman, bening led through a sweep of a village during a war long ago. Luuk and his comrades were entering a hut when Luuk saw something behind a door. One of the men pinned the door so that whoever was behind it could not move. Luuk slammed his short spear through the door pinning the man behind it. That was this man. Not a soldier, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Luuk moved on. If he watched a scene long enough he would not only see the death scene of the person but something of the person's past. The mans family. That man at his job before Luuk had ended his life. Luuk was bothered by this but before he turned from the line of people he realized that there was no way he could have known these things. This was just a nightmare. He could not have know that this man was innocent, that man was guilty, that other was a new father. Luuk was trained to kill, to lead men to kill.
Luuk's job did not include compassion.
If he was not the best at his job, someone would kill him.
It was a long line. Luuk walked along it. Occasionally stopping to watch a scene. He got the feeling again that someone was watching him. He would turn suddenly expecting to catch someone looking at him from a distance. It was almost like he was being graded, his life being weighed.
Luuk saw some of the men and was saddened. Men he had commanded who had died following his orders. They were in the line as well. At the end of the line was Greg. Luuk started to watch the scene and realized it was not the scene he was used to from the last two nights' nightmares.
Greg was standing in the street, ordering the final attack and Luuk approached. Greg turned and pointed a Luuk. Luuk brought up a short sword slashing at Greg. Greg stabbed down at Luuk, cutting a deep gouge into Luuk's Left arm. Luuk drove his sword through Greg's chest. Blood flowed freely from the wound and Luuk withdrew the weapon and pushed Greg to the street.
Luuk awoke. He was drenched in sweat. He got up walked around the camp. Spoke to a few of the men still up. The guards mostly. The camp was quiet in the middle of the night. Luuk was a little surprised how early it was. It seemed the dreams had taken much longer than the few hours that he had been asleep. He stopped by one guard station and shared a hot drink with the the men. They were in good spirits for a group that had lost men and was so close to the corrupted lands. Men who had seen what they had seen.
Luuk returned to his spot and tried to get some real sleep.
Immediately the dreams started again.
Luuk was walking through the camp again. This time he was alone, the camp was empty. As he walked along he noticed things that he had not noticed when he had walked through the camp awake. This dream camp seemed to have a more disorganized feel. The bedding from the missing soldiers just anywhere on the ground.
After a few minutes Luuk realized he was carrying that dead cat again. He turned to return to his bedding in the dream camp and the line of people he had killed was there. The line of people were following him.
He went back down the line. As he traveled down the line the ghosts from his past would stare at Luuk. They would wait until Luuk past and then turn and walk into the forest. As he approached the end of the line he noticed there were new additions to the line. Greg was again near the end of the line. Greg did not turn and walk into the woods though. He fell into line behind Luuk.
It was at this point Luuk realized he no longer felt like he was being judged. The presence was still there but it felt more supportive, like a parent guiding a child through a difficult task.
Beyond Greg in the line of dead people were The people from the town. The undead they had battled and the men he had lead. As he walked down that line most of the men turned and walked into the woods. But more and more got into line behind Greg. Luuk started to notice that the soldiers were more likely to to walk into the forest while the towns folk joined Greg in line.
Luuk looked back and saw he had about twenty people behind him in line.
Luuk stared hard at Greg. Trying to read the reason for this dream. What was his mind trying to teach him?
He returned to the line. He was nearing the end when he saw Adams and Quinn. Now Luuk was sure he had not caused their deaths. He approached them and looked for the scene of their deaths. But they just smiled and got in line with Greg.
Beyond them in the long line of dead men was people he had not expected to see. Beckmin. Beckmin laughed out loud, the first person to make a sound in the entire dream. The silence which had seemed normal before was an ominous quiet now. Beckmin walked into the woods, still laughing.
Luuk started to wonder if he had passed the test these dreams were putting Luuk through. The people still in the line were the men in his current command. Starting with Williams and Fedor. As a unit they got in line behind Greg.
Luuk shivered.
When Luuk awoke it was nearly morning. He checked his would and found it was clear of infection. He got up and looked around, and was suddenly very afraid. The line of people from his dream. The line of people who had got in line behind Greg we in the camp and staring at him.
Greg was there too. He was obviously dead, not only was the puncture wound through his chest there but a massive burn ran down the right side of his body. Luuk drew his sword but the men just stared at him. Luuk looked about the camp. He felt something he suddenly realized that he was still leading another army. his army. His dead army.
posted by shaneknysh at 21:18
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