The Mercenaries packed up and left quickly, leaving Enemy behind. I still lie buried in Enemy even as the Moon crests over me. Though it seems the Clouds had taken pity on me. With a pitter patter, it compassionately rinses me of the vile gunge. The scarlet blood had clotted and hardened on me, but it still gave an icky feeling, even if I couldn’t actually feel it…

But more importantly, it stuck to Ribbon, and marred the little one. Even in death, the Enemy still spreads forth its putrid taint.

I hope Ribbon doesn’t stain…

Though it seems the Rain had taken note of my grievances. It’s downpour fraying away the blotches and reviving Ribbon’s pretty mien.

The blood washes off into the muddy soil. There was once green grass that coated it, but it’s not here anymore.

The Enemy took it away.

Now the soil, still loamy, is laid bare and barren.

The wind whips and howls in a vehement grievance. I don’t know why it cries, but it does.

It whips and batters me, dislodging me from the foul cavity and with the wet ground beneath me as guidance, I slip back into my usual spot. As all should be.

Though it would seem that this witching hour had something else in stock other than the heavy storm.

Like the sapling of evergreens, something sprouts from the very ground.

Though it’s not a plant that I’ve ever seen before. Bone white, devoid of bark, it pushes itself out of the soil. It bears with it the mark of the Monarchy, the sword of the Soldiers and the gilded cuirass of the Captains.

It looks strange, but it’s definitely an Ally. I mean, maybe? I dunno. I’m a Brick.

The strange fellow looks around, blue flames overtake the position of his eyes, and there is no flesh to be held. Muck and grime sticks to their every surface but they continue to their longing retrospection.

“How could this be…” It says with a quivering voice, whispering just above the cry of the wind.

It’s tongue is native to me, with intricate slurs, leading phonetics and rhythmic undertones, just speaking had become an art form.

Drudging through the mud, the walking bones slog their way to me.

He picks me up, but unlike the Enemy, it’s a tender grasp. Soft and affectionate despite the rusted gauntlet it wears.

“You used to be the strongest wall on the whole peninsula,” The Captain cites.

Mmm, I remember being called the sturdiest separator back in my time as Wall. It’s nice to know that I was once ranked first at something.

“Look at what they’ve done to you, to us. Those barbarians ripped even the foundations away, leaving nothing upstanding,” Captain sighs, putting me back down in my spot, “Though, it seems you’re doing fine for yourself aren’t you, you dapper little brick? Even got yourself a fancy bow,” The barefaced skull somehow manages a smirk. Well, not exactly, but I know that Captain's smirking.

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Actually, wait. Are they still Captain? They’re just bones now.

“Say, have you seen where my fellows are at? Don’t tell me they haven’t woken up yet, the lazy bastards,”

‘No. I have not seen another Soldier, nor Captain,’ I reply to the Captain(?), but it jumps when I do so.

“Whomst dare?! Reveal thyself!” He booms, sword drawn and stance wide,”No, wait, this is Leymes… Soldier! This is Captain Harwitz of the eighth company of the sixth legion!”

Oh, I guess he is still Captain. That’s good, but they made a rather fallacious statement.

‘Wrong. I am not Soldier,’

“Not soldier, hmm? I guess that makes sense considering the rather dubious mind speak,” The Captain ponders.

“Magi? No, you can’t be. Then who are you?”

‘It is Brick, the very one you laid down,’

I can see the question marks pop out from the Captain as he looks askance back at me.

“Really now? Even if I was held at swordpoint with my balls castrated I could rack up a better lie…”

‘Captain, it is in full truth that I tell you this,’

They click their tongue, well, not tongue, but they click something, “You're full of shit, bricks cannot speak, nor communicate,”

Oh, that’s right.

Bricks do not talk do they? Hmm, that’s… correct, my affordance as a Brick does not stretch that far, and I have never once met a Brick that spoke to anyone.

In the same vein, I do not speak either, and thus I stop.

Minutes pass before the Captain speaks up once more, unable to bear the thrashing storm alone.

“Hey, you gonna keep talking, or what? Are you actually this Brick?” They pick me up again.

This time thoroughly expecting my every pore, every arris they can find.

“Are you pissed I said that you’re full of shit? C’mon man, I’m sorry,”

I’m not angered, but more so, I’ve been enlightened. Though it’s internal and you can’t hear it, I still thanketh thee, Captain.

“No please, don’t leave me, I'm soorrrrry! Bricks can talk, bricks can talk! You aren’t full of shit!” He falls to his knees with me still in his grasp as if he’s trying to avoid a breakup, “I was wronnngg!”

‘Hol’up, you lied to me?’ I say, slightly ticked off.

Captain lied? How can this be?! Nono, he said he was wrong. Meaning he was fed false intel. Probably the result of the machinations of Enemy! It was Enemy! Enemy I dare say! ENEMY!

“Holy cow, you are talking!” He inspects me once more, raising my bed up and even ogling Ribbon, “Yup, it's definitely coming from you,” They nod.

“Okay, sorry about that, didn’t know you could talk. But anyways, what’s your name?”

‘Brick,’ Instantly, recovering from my internal cursing, I state simply. I had already answered this question once before. And armed with the requisite knowledge, answering was as simple as wet mortar to me.

“No way, I couldn’t tell,”

It seemed that due to having his eyes rotted out, Captain struggled to see.

‘It is of great honour to enlighten one such as yourself Captain,’

Captain gave me a hard stare, likely to confirm that I was truly Brick and nothing else.

“Aren’t you a sassy brick? No anyways, have you seen my men?”

His men. In other words, Soldiers.

‘I have not,’

“Ah, I expected as much,” They sigh, “Though if I may, why do you have a ribbon on?”

Why do I have Ribbon, hmm?

I suppose the intrinsic idea of a Brick with a Ribbon is wholly strange no matter what dynamic it's placed under. Forsooth, even the context behind Ribbon’s induction was rather baffling.

Traveller spoke to a Brick before eventually tying a Ribbon onto them? That goes against the bounds of normalcy, but as the Masons said, fiction is often stranger than truth. I think that’s how it went… Not sure though.

But it sounds about right.

‘Traveller gave Ribbon to me,’

I give my response but Captain emphatically back off from me.

“Traveller, you say? What did they look like?”

A tough question, I do not know.

‘I only know they wore a black top hat with a pink band…’

It’s a vague description, but its vivid enough for Captain.

“Great Geezer of Grey!” He jumps up, “You can’t remember anything, just the top hat?”

I’m sure I clearly spoke, didn’t I?

‘Correct, I could not find any other identifying feature,’

For some reason, Captain starts yelling…

Perhaps Captain’s faculties are malfunctioning ever since dying? Let’s wait for your episode to die down then…

Captain.