Bodies rocked against the waves of the sea, soldiers sat haphazardly aboard the top deck of the ship, observing the tides sloshing the boat periodically in an almost comforting motion. Diego sipped at a homebrew soup he had made for himself to treat any potential sea sickness he would have, using a homebrew flask that is capable of keeping in heat for a long period.
Others were more familiar with the environment, like the noble, Aspasia, while their leader, Kae, was rendered motionless, the top half of their body left hanging loosely from the ship's fencing.
Kamila looked ill, but she was handling the sickness much better than their group's leader, sitting right beside Diego with a sigh. With a pale expression, she glanced over at the young man. "What are you drinking?"
"Soup."
"What type of soup?"
Diego reached out with the drink, expecting her to take it. "The base, not my hand."
Kamila raised a brow curiously, grabbing the drink from his hand, following his directions before taking a sip for herself. "What's in it?"
"A concoction I made before heading out. Made with a hefty amount of ginger."
"That's why you don't look sick?"
"No. I just like ginger soup." He took the flask back, wiping the rim of the drink before taking another sip.
"Uh... I... I... don't like those from Sitaar?"
Diego tilted his head to the side. "What?"
"W-Well... you seem apprehensive to be near me."
"Why would I...?" A look of realization dawned on Diego's face. He looked at her hesitantly. "It's a personal issue of mine. I don't hate you, nor do I hate those of your race in any way." He sighed. "I... I have an aversion to touch. I don't like it if anyone touches me, not just a specific type of person. It'd be hypocritical of me to hold prejudices, I think so..." Diego sighed again. "Sorry, it's hard to put into words."
"Aversion?"
"I just don't like physical touch. Simple as that. I don't dislike people, though, so don't get it twisted."
"Better than being hated at the very least, though... I hope I'm not prying, but... why?"
Diego thought on it for a good, long minute before shaking his head. "No.. sorry that's too personal for me."
"Alright..." Kamila nodded. "I'll let it go. I apologize."
"No need. I understand the curiosity."
"For me... in all honesty. I was a part of a nomadic Djinni caravan, but... my family also comprised nobles-- a fallen noble family. We lived well enough when we moved ot Haflastus. We had enough riches to perpetuate a more than privileged life for a good few years."
"Sounds nice."
"What about you?"
"Thief... lived in Osuna's slums for a while."
"A youngin who is experienced in the art of thievery, huh? How good is your sleight of hand?"
"Good enough not to have been caught since I was a child. I think the only time I got caught was when I entered my teenage years. Was in jail for like... a day before getting out, so it wasn't too big of a deal."
"Well... Diego, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Nice to meet you, officially, Diego."
"Pleasure."
A scream rang out from the masts. "We're approaching land!" The man proceeded to climb down from the ropes that connected to both sides of the ship. Soon, fate will be determining who gets to live or die today.
The recruits were left to unpack all of the tents and gear from the ships and onto the beach that had previously awaited them as the higher-up soldiers watched. Diego had to assist in setting up the tents with Nikolas as everyone else had previously scrambled to make it on their own, only making it worse the more they attempted to try at making what could've been their lodgings for the better half of a week depending on how unsuccessful or successful thsi mission appeared to become.
Diego purposely set up two separate sides of the tent for their crew with a hanging piece of cloth held up by two clips pinching the ceiling—one side for the men, and the other side for the women.
Kae cocked a brow as he observed what Diego was doing. "I... don't understand?"
Diego gave a pointed look to Kae. "About what?"
"What's the... cloth? What's it for?"
"The blanket?"
"Yeah, why is it in the middle of the tent?"
"Simple answer. I want us men and women to be comfortable. Gives privacy to us lot."
"We're soldiers?" He scratched his head. "I don't understand the purpose of such niceties in this environment."
"Just because we're in an exposed environment doesn't mean we should compromise on what makes us comfortable. It ain't hurtin' anyone anywho, so... who cares?"
Kae sighed. "Well, it's harmless." He crossed over to Diego. "But you need to show a bit more respect, okay? I'm your leader. Not some pansy shit stain from Haflastus's underbelly, okay?" He clicked his tongue. "Respect is important here, okay? You hear me, soldier?" Kae's gaze burned through Diego's dead gaze, keeping himself composed when all that speech had done was piss him off more.
"Yes, sir." Diego blew air out of his nose as he organized everyone's beds with Nikolas. His jaw tightened, watching Kae's back as he left the tent.
From behind the blanket, Nikolas lifted it from behind, looking curiously at their temperamental leader. "Well... I thought that it was a good idea, so..." He shrugged.
Diego sighed. "A bit of an ass, ain't he?" He left quickly after he said that, and Nikolas chuckled to himself.
Diego crossed to the shores of the beach they had camped themselves at, taking out a long, slender blade, a hole at the base that could fit a person's finger. He spun it in his hand and took a bit of rope, slicing at it with the thin blade before heading back, a bundle thrown over his shoulder.
Diego was deep in thought as he set the bundle of rope at the front of their tent, where a variety of boxes had been laid. Equipment. Arrows, bullets, and some knives to be thrown. Kamila came in from Diego's side. "Oomeal. How are you feeling?" She looked at the tent, the haphazard wall visible from the outside. "I like what you did with the place."
"Oomeal is a term that Nomads use for friends, no?"
Her brows raised. "Oh? You knew?"
"Some Nomads involved with Merchant Lords like getting their hands dirty in the criminal underworld. They use that term a lot to get in with customers they like."
"And some, like me. Just want to be friendly."
"Friendly," Diego repeated to himself. Before he could get another word in, she had parted ways to hang around Maria, keeping close to her. They became friends fast. Maria seemed more of an unsocial sort, but I guess Kamila's bright attitude struck a chord with her. Bright, not necessarily a socialite, yes. Being friendly could increase one's survivability in a place like this, so her thinking wasn't necessarily wrong. It was a good move. Diego was the opposite, keeping to himself, staying out of everyone's way to blend in. Secretly, he hoped that he could run away at the right moment, run away to a faraway country. Becoming a deserter was a crime, but making a new life didn't sound too bad.
Diego would prefer to get out of the military through a legitimate method, but if things got too bad or push came to shove, he would run. Survival above all else, that was what he was taught, and he was going to stick with that ideal.
Aspasia approached Kae, and Diego overheard them. She spoke first, "What are we waiting around for? We're finished with the tents at this rate, so why aren't we going out there?"
Kae sighed. "It's been..." He sighed, calculating how long they'd been waiting in his head. "Around 10, 20 minutes? It hasn't been that long."
She observed the Captains and gave a glance to their General, who all waited outside of their tents, still wearing their armor. "Seems more like we're waiting for something. They would've relaxed by now, no?"
Kae sucked on his cheek. "I guess, I'll check with one of the Captains."
Aspasia shrugged, heading back to the tent as Kae went in to check with their superiors. Aspasia entered the tent, Diego watching. He went back to what he was doing, tying together a thin rope at the end of a splintered harpoon. "What's the concern?" Diego pointed his question at the disgruntled woman shining her equipment in the tent.
Aspasia let out a succinct sigh. "What's it to you? Why are you speaking to me?"
"Just curious."
Aspasia audibly paused beneath the curtain before revealing herself, meeting Diego eye to eye. "I know... I look a bit paranoid, but the big guys up top typically don't go around prowling outside their tents if they aren't waiting for something important, or if they're about to head out. Since they've been out there for... I dunno... what did Kae say? 20 or so minutes at this rate? It's a message, that's my guess."
"You talk like you've been to war before."
"A hunch. Plus, my mentor, a knight. They were the same way. Whenever they were waiting for something-- clad in armor, ready for anything."
Diego observed the woman as she spoke before giving her an affirming nod, passing a glance to their superiors a well.
After some time had passed, the General of their encampment called all of the soldiers to line up in a more open area, a small wooden podium set up for the general to stand on. Once everyone and their separate platoons had been set up, they watched their commanding officer scan the crowd before raising their voice.
It pierced the ears of those in front of the crowd, their voice being exceptionally loud as they spoke. "We'll be marching to our enemy's fort! Get into formation!" The man hopped off from the podium, jumping straight onto their horse as one of the many Captains called out individual groups, or platoons, one by one.
Kae's platoon was the fifth group to be called, the third to last of the many subdivisions of this army. They walked side by side, passing by various dirt roads surrounded by thick forestry.
Diego sighed, looking to Aspasia. "They took their time, huh?"
"Well... shouldn't be too big of a deal. I took a listen to a briefing they had with our fearless leader. Seems that the guys at the fort are a bit of a joke, so at least we have some leeway to work with."
"Leeway?"
"Yeah, to remain confident."
"Doesn't sound all that confident, then."
"Only if I believe they're weak, which they will be."
Maria nervously chimed in. "D-They said it was a fort..."
Nikolas hummed to himself. "Yeah. Kinda intimidating, huh? Knowing groups like these though, it's probably some shitty base they made from the..." He looked at their surroundings. "Absurd amount of trees we got sitting around. Or they holed themselves in some abandoned castle. If we're lucky, it'll be an abandoned castle. At the very least, the goods may be good. Probably snatch a couple daggers or something."
A man after my own heart. Diego chuckled. "We could only pray. At the very least, I'd feel better killin' a guy afterward."
"Yeah..." Nikolas sighed.
Kamila smiled. "Casual are we?"
Nikolas shrugged. "My dad. We were hunters. Not a noble, but I was a part of a wealthy family. Small one, under one of the Merchant Lords. We were hunters, like I said. That's how we got our money. Hunting rare game." He hissed through his teeth as he recalled parts of his life. "Yeah... and now I'm here. Said I was good with a gun, and they gave me one. Generous, aren't they?"
Kae chuckled. "Telling each other our lives now?" He paused. "I'm not all too interesting, sadly." He turned to Aspasia. "What about you?"
"I'm alright."
Kae tensed for a moment before letting out a sigh, letting the issue go, and looking forward, the cohort falling silent.
They could spot it at a distance, a fortress of wood standing before them. Spikes raised into the air like antennas to heaven. The General broke off from the group, forcing them to line up, preparing to charge up to the main wall, crossbowmen lining prepared in their wake.
Diego licked his lips in anxiety, observing the rest of the party, just as nervous as he was. Maria seemed to have been taking the buildup to this battle the hardest, breaking out into a cold sweat.
One of the Captains stepped up, crossing to the General's horse, and they whispered to each other about something.
The Captain proceeded to run up to the wall. The men atop the wall reacted immediately, firing at the man who combusted into flames. Diego's eyes widened at the sight. They were touched by the System. A supernaturally gifted mortal who had directly touched the System of the World and had received a blessing from within. Those who had attained these abilities were referred to as the Elioud.
The man ran straight through the arrows, slamming straight into the wall, all of the fire on their body being concentrated into a singular point that melted inward and into a massive explosion on the wall. The gap was too small for a group, but it was an opening.
The Captain quickly ran back to the armor, passing by as they rushed straight into the line of fire, catching the deserters off guard. Kae and his group worked their way to the gap made in the wall as the wider army scaled up with various ladders, acting as a distraction for the more independent platoons.
The first group flooded into the wall, climbing up the ruined remains and clearing out anyone on top who attempted to push the forces back with shields and arrows. Right behind the leading group was Kae's platoon in particular.
Kamila and Aspasia held up their shields, catching any arrows that could rain down onto the group.
Diego let out a faint whistle as he prepared a sling from behind their defenses. A stone whistled through the air, hitting one of the men in the shoulder, causing them to recoil, using the wall for cover, barely peaking out from the wall afterward, only using the tip of their crossbow to give themselves a line of sight on whoever had hit them.
Diego quickly threw another stone into the sling, missing his second shot, and as it flew over one of the deserter's heads, a shot rang out amidst the crowd, coming straight from Nikolas, who began reloading their gun in a panic, missing.
Diego sighed, dishing out another hit from his sling, which was instantly blocked by an enemy pauldron who was presently distracted by the group set in front of Kae's cohort.
POP!
Another shot rang through the air, and this time it had met its mark, one of the men on the wall keeling over, flying over the wall, shoved aside by Aspasia's shield.
Diego watched as their "fearless" leader struggled helplessly to push against various traitors flooding the walls to reinforce their defenses. Aspasia noticed this, rushing forward with an axe, hitting one of her targets hard enough to dent the metal, cascading back into the fort.
Kae cursed aloud, pushing a deserter off him with his shield.
Diego put away his sling, quickly throwing out the harpoon that he had attached to his hip by a rope. The harpoon missed, but as it flew over the head of the soldier before him, it caused them to stumble into the wall, Kamila quickly rushing at the opportunity whilst their guard was down to clock them over the head with her mace.
Bits of blood splattered onto the sand-colored shavings of the wooden wall, the man limply falling onto the gaps, slipping down before their foot is caught within the gaps, causing them to hang loosely from the structure, dead.
Nikolas fastened a knife onto his rifle to have it act as a bayonet, charging into the fort himself after they had cleared out the remaining men who were protecting the wall.
Diego made his way up the wall, spotting the chaos below as soldiers had begun to flood the encampment. What startled him, though, were the sheer number of men on the enemy's side who were lying in wait behind this fort's walls.