Chapter 3
Signs of Division
Luuk fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as he lay down on his cot. He was reviewing duty assignments in his head when he lay down to relax. His mind was racing through the events of the afternoon earlier. He replayed the events in his dreams again and again and again.
The undead people slowly advancing down the street. Greg managing the attack. Luuk would approach Greg and the arrow would burst out of his chest. Then the dream would start again. It would always end with Greg's lifeless face. In the dream, Luuk got to study the scene though, what had taken only a moment while awake haunted Luuk for what seemed like an hour in his dreams. Greg's blond hair shone in the dream. His blue eyes were more clear. Luuk heard more clearly the commands being given as he approached Greg. Greg was ordering the men to take the last stragglers in the streets. Then he turned and the arrow was there stealing his life.
As the dream sequence repeated itself again and again Luuk begain to notice things that were odd. Greg died facing away from the battle. What was it that Greg was turning to look at? There was nothing in the dream, but there was something that Greg was trying to see when the men on the roof tops started to fire down into the cramped street.
As the night went on the dream started to change. Subtly at first, then more broad changes. As the scene repeated again it was a sword through Greg, then a knife stuck out of his chest in the middle of a blossom of blood coloring his shirt. Then Greg changed. He became Freeman then Williams. Others. Sometimes it was a magic wielding blaster on the roof blasting Greg and the others in the street.
The scene started to replay itself again. But it was not Greg that was giving the orders. The long brown hair was familiar to Luuk, but as it is often in dreams the identity of the soldier giving orders was unknown. Luuk approached as before and as Luuk got to the soldier and saw who it was he awoke in his tent. His sheets were soaked through with sweat. The final image from his dream was disturbing. Luuk clearly saw as the arrow head burst through the soldiers chest, it was Luuk's own face, his own dead eyes that he saw just before he awoke.
Luuk got out of bead and lit a candle. He washed and dressed. He sat at his field desk and wrote out a report of all the things he had witnessed. We made three copies, sealing each. He started thinking about how to separate his men when they broke camp in the morning.
As he started to compile the duty rosters, the sun started to color the horizon. He took his papers and walked over to the mess and sat with his breakfast making notes and assigning and re-assigning men. He decided he would take sixty men under his own command and make a broad circuit of the town. Another sixty men he would place under Freeman and have him move off to the north and make his way back to base by following the Grey River valley. Finally the remaining seventy men, including all the magic wielders and the wounded would take the most direct route back.
Once he was finished his breakfast he signaled a bannerman to meet with him. He handed the rosters to the bannerman and told him to distribute them to the officers. As the bannerman left Luuk started to walk back to his tent. Williams and Freeman caught up with him before he reached his tent. They gave a terse report on the readiness of the camp and gave an update on casualties; two more lost last night. Wounded form the battle that had not made it through the night.
Luuk told Freeman of his plan to have him lead sixty men back to camp via the Grey River. Freeman looked like a man slapped but accepted the assignment. It was not going to be easy for Freeman, his men would have to make a hard march to the north and the valley they would follow was deep and rocky. Some of the best places to ambush someone was along the Grey river Valley. It would also take Freeman to within a hundred paces of the border of the corruption. But it was also a fairly direct route from where they were back to home base. The only more direct route would be the one taken by the third group lead by Beckmin.
“What do you expect to find sir” asked Williams, “Do you think all these people have turned into monsters?”
Luuk thought about it, then answered. “I really don't know but it would explain a lot. I think a new force is arising in the corrupted lands, I think something is reaching out and trying to take us and turn us against each other. The worst thing that we can do is start killing each other, making ourselves weaker as a force comes out of the corruption.”
“In another hour I am going to take a force and circle around the town to the south and strike off to the east for almost a full day. I am going to take a good ling look at the border. Make sure you get your own force out of here within the hour as well. Williams,” Luuk handed him one of the sealed reports, ” give this to Beckmin and tell him to have his group ready to go by noon.”
He handed the other sealed report Freeman. “I'll see you in two weeks back at the base. Don't take any unnecessary chances. We know that there is a serious problem up here. It is more important that we get these reports back than do anything heroic.”
“May the gods speed your journey. Dismissed.”
Williams and Freeman both saluted and left to complete Luuk's orders. He quickly went to his tent. The Junior officer had already started to pack the tent but Luuk ducked in and wrote a quick message to his commandant. The message was a simple report on the field promotion of Freeman to his second in command. He then wrote a note to Greg's family and packaging both notes into a pouch he added Greg's personal belongings and attached a seal to the pouch. He checked his weapons and made sure he had all his equipment before he allowed his tent to be loaded into the wagons. With his tent and field office going with Beckmin's unit he would be living out of his pack until he returned to home base.
He had one of the bannermen assemble the men he had selected to go with him. He stood among them and told them his plan. He wanted to take a good look at what was happening at the border to the corrupted land. They would take final look the country side near the town and then move directly to the border. They would observe the border for a few days, Then bolt for home.
After the events of the day before there were going to be some additional rules. No one was to be alone, ever. Everyone would have a partner and they would always be with that partner. And whenever possible keep in bigger groups or keep in site of other groups.
Anyone caught alone was to be restrained until they returned home.
Once he was finished talking to the men, he turned, put on his pack and walked into town. He walked past the site of the battle the day before. Walked through the ashes of the fires used to burn the bodies. And into the forest. Sixty of his best men followed him. They followed the trail the undead had left through the forrest heading for the corrupted lands.
Luuk fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as he lay down on his cot. He was reviewing duty assignments in his head when he lay down to relax. His mind was racing through the events of the afternoon earlier. He replayed the events in his dreams again and again and again.
The undead people slowly advancing down the street. Greg managing the attack. Luuk would approach Greg and the arrow would burst out of his chest. Then the dream would start again. It would always end with Greg's lifeless face. In the dream, Luuk got to study the scene though, what had taken only a moment while awake haunted Luuk for what seemed like an hour in his dreams. Greg's blond hair shone in the dream. His blue eyes were more clear. Luuk heard more clearly the commands being given as he approached Greg. Greg was ordering the men to take the last stragglers in the streets. Then he turned and the arrow was there stealing his life.
As the dream sequence repeated itself again and again Luuk begain to notice things that were odd. Greg died facing away from the battle. What was it that Greg was turning to look at? There was nothing in the dream, but there was something that Greg was trying to see when the men on the roof tops started to fire down into the cramped street.
As the night went on the dream started to change. Subtly at first, then more broad changes. As the scene repeated again it was a sword through Greg, then a knife stuck out of his chest in the middle of a blossom of blood coloring his shirt. Then Greg changed. He became Freeman then Williams. Others. Sometimes it was a magic wielding blaster on the roof blasting Greg and the others in the street.
The scene started to replay itself again. But it was not Greg that was giving the orders. The long brown hair was familiar to Luuk, but as it is often in dreams the identity of the soldier giving orders was unknown. Luuk approached as before and as Luuk got to the soldier and saw who it was he awoke in his tent. His sheets were soaked through with sweat. The final image from his dream was disturbing. Luuk clearly saw as the arrow head burst through the soldiers chest, it was Luuk's own face, his own dead eyes that he saw just before he awoke.
Luuk got out of bead and lit a candle. He washed and dressed. He sat at his field desk and wrote out a report of all the things he had witnessed. We made three copies, sealing each. He started thinking about how to separate his men when they broke camp in the morning.
As he started to compile the duty rosters, the sun started to color the horizon. He took his papers and walked over to the mess and sat with his breakfast making notes and assigning and re-assigning men. He decided he would take sixty men under his own command and make a broad circuit of the town. Another sixty men he would place under Freeman and have him move off to the north and make his way back to base by following the Grey River valley. Finally the remaining seventy men, including all the magic wielders and the wounded would take the most direct route back.
Once he was finished his breakfast he signaled a bannerman to meet with him. He handed the rosters to the bannerman and told him to distribute them to the officers. As the bannerman left Luuk started to walk back to his tent. Williams and Freeman caught up with him before he reached his tent. They gave a terse report on the readiness of the camp and gave an update on casualties; two more lost last night. Wounded form the battle that had not made it through the night.
Luuk told Freeman of his plan to have him lead sixty men back to camp via the Grey River. Freeman looked like a man slapped but accepted the assignment. It was not going to be easy for Freeman, his men would have to make a hard march to the north and the valley they would follow was deep and rocky. Some of the best places to ambush someone was along the Grey river Valley. It would also take Freeman to within a hundred paces of the border of the corruption. But it was also a fairly direct route from where they were back to home base. The only more direct route would be the one taken by the third group lead by Beckmin.
“What do you expect to find sir” asked Williams, “Do you think all these people have turned into monsters?”
Luuk thought about it, then answered. “I really don't know but it would explain a lot. I think a new force is arising in the corrupted lands, I think something is reaching out and trying to take us and turn us against each other. The worst thing that we can do is start killing each other, making ourselves weaker as a force comes out of the corruption.”
“In another hour I am going to take a force and circle around the town to the south and strike off to the east for almost a full day. I am going to take a good ling look at the border. Make sure you get your own force out of here within the hour as well. Williams,” Luuk handed him one of the sealed reports, ” give this to Beckmin and tell him to have his group ready to go by noon.”
He handed the other sealed report Freeman. “I'll see you in two weeks back at the base. Don't take any unnecessary chances. We know that there is a serious problem up here. It is more important that we get these reports back than do anything heroic.”
“May the gods speed your journey. Dismissed.”
Williams and Freeman both saluted and left to complete Luuk's orders. He quickly went to his tent. The Junior officer had already started to pack the tent but Luuk ducked in and wrote a quick message to his commandant. The message was a simple report on the field promotion of Freeman to his second in command. He then wrote a note to Greg's family and packaging both notes into a pouch he added Greg's personal belongings and attached a seal to the pouch. He checked his weapons and made sure he had all his equipment before he allowed his tent to be loaded into the wagons. With his tent and field office going with Beckmin's unit he would be living out of his pack until he returned to home base.
He had one of the bannermen assemble the men he had selected to go with him. He stood among them and told them his plan. He wanted to take a good look at what was happening at the border to the corrupted land. They would take final look the country side near the town and then move directly to the border. They would observe the border for a few days, Then bolt for home.
After the events of the day before there were going to be some additional rules. No one was to be alone, ever. Everyone would have a partner and they would always be with that partner. And whenever possible keep in bigger groups or keep in site of other groups.
Anyone caught alone was to be restrained until they returned home.
Once he was finished talking to the men, he turned, put on his pack and walked into town. He walked past the site of the battle the day before. Walked through the ashes of the fires used to burn the bodies. And into the forest. Sixty of his best men followed him. They followed the trail the undead had left through the forrest heading for the corrupted lands.
posted by shaneknysh at 13:25
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