Dawn came and went, and even morning broke, with the sun dangling somewhat high in the sky. Kaiser opened his eyes as the light started spilling into his shabby green tent. A moment later, water splashed across his face. He looked up to see a giant figure blocking the entrance of the tent.
“Wake up, and hurry,” a gruff voice said, who Kaiser immediately recognized as Wagner. The brash second-in-command general with a body closely resembling an overgrown brown bear. He even had a nasty scar to further solidify Kaiser’s belief that he was just a sentient animal. Even so, Kaiser respected him.
Kaiser snatched his small beige blanket away from himself, lifting his head so abruptly that he felt dizzy for a second. Ignoring the discomfort he quickly got up and rushed out of the tent, beginning to fold it. Angering Wagner for a second longer than he already had was a death wish.
His eyes were foggy as he was folding the tent, and he looked around the camp. All soldiers were getting ready to travel, and seeing as Kaiser’s tent was the only one that was unfolded gave him an extra push to do it faster.
Alice, a brown-haired and brown-eyed boy, was running around camp executing all orders his superior, Orion, was giving him.
Kaiser scowled as he saw Orion's face.
His eyes were a cider, and his skin was an amazing shade of brown. And his hair looked like it had been freshly washed, even though all that the legion was surrounded by was a dark swamp.
He was wearing the same clothes Kaiser was, but he looked flawlessly ironed. His rune was in the shape of the hunter Orion’s constellation and looked as if the gods themselves meticulously placed it.
Perfect.
In every way, shape, and form, Orion could easily be the symbol of perfection.
A perfect jubilee soldier.
Kaiser scowled and shook Orion’s image from his head, and continued working on the tent, picking up long pieces of metal and arranging them into a pile.
Orion wasn’t a general, not yet but it wouldn’t be soon before he became a full general in charge of a whole battalion. He dreaded that day yet to come because when that day eventually rolled around, Orion became Kaiser’s general. Kaiser knew his days would be hell.
He looked up from his work for a brief second to soak in his surroundings more thoroughly. He tried to look towards the mangrove trees, only to find a thick, gnarly haze surrounding them. And with thick mud that squelched every time someone walked, the swamp only seemed to compact a feel of unknowing and mystery. Heavy patches of fog were already settling around the trees, giving the swamp an eerie feeling. At night, the entire camp had heard animal howls echo, and the trees seemed to amplify the sound and overall dread.
An advantage was that the enemy couldn’t see them easily and a disadvantage because they couldn’t see their enemy.
A throbbing feeling came from his hands which he scratched he then picked up the folded tent. Walking to a deteriorating carriage, hefted the tent on top.
Kaiser looked around and saw only two other carriages in similar conditions. He looked down at his cream tunic and trousers.
When was the last time we had a change of clothes?
They must have been on this god-forsaken island for more than a week, slowly being hunted to the corners by Caprian soldiers. The saffron-shaped rune on his back, which he lovingly named Nox, tricked as he put on a jacket that didn’t make him any warmer nor gave him any sense of security a normal jacket should.
His hands brushed against where the pockets would have been. Instead of pockets, however, the jacket had holes.
“Kaiser! Can you come here? We need some help.” He turned toward the voice. A woman with pinkish hair, Lilia, was standing over what looked like a bear trap. Kaiser was a bit confused as to why she had called him, or how she knew his name mostly because he barely talked to other soldiers, but when he saw that she was standing next to another soldier, Norman, Lilia’s husband.
After Lilia found out that Kaiser didn’t have parents, she began referring to Kaiser as her son. It never really bugged Kaiser, in fact, he sort of liked the sense of having a mother even if it wasn’t real.
They both had a look of anxiousness. Out of concern, Kaiser did what she asked and trudged through the heavy mud.
“What happened?” He asked. They both looked down at a small cat with its left leg and tail trapped in the bear trap. The sight was a bit grotesque, with the creature being covered with dried-up blood. It looked as if it had struggled, but ultimately given up on escaping.
“How did a cat get here?” Kaiser asked as he began inspecting the bear trap. The lock was what he was trying to find, but the cat kept hissing and biting every time his hands got close.
The whole camp had been surrounded by bear traps to stop any dangerous animals from coming in, but all they managed to catch was a diseased-looking feline.
“We don’t know. Can you just help us?” Norman asked, his black eyes looked deep with worry. He fidgeted with his hands nervously.
“Why don’t you just go to Orion? I’m sure he has the key.”
“I know, but if we told him to help the cat, he’d free it and eat it for dinner.” Norman pointed out.
Kaiser laughed. “You’re right, I can try,” he said, “just hold it down until I manage to break the lock.”
The both of them nodded and Lilia held down its face and legs while Norman held down the body.
He bit down, the wave of nausea rolling over him. His jaw unhinged, and he led his index and thumbs into his mouth. Feeling around, his index finger came into contact with a sharp metal wedged in between one of his teeth. A moment later, his thumb contacted another metal. He fished the twin lock picks out.
Kaiser gagged as he pulled them out, and he wiped the remaining saliva off his lips with his unoccupied left hand. He brushed his index and thumb against his trousers. Once the lock picks and his fingers are dry. He immediately started searching for the lock.
With the cat restrained, it took only a few minutes to find the lock.
He started working on the lock, wedging the lock picks in between and figuring out how it worked.
A part of him wondered why and how the timid couple joined the war. He had asked them about it over a campfire once but the both of them brushed it aside, some time later, when Lilia had left, Norman had told Kaiser the truth. “I don’t want my child to be born in a world plagued with war and suffering.”
The lock gave a satisfying click, and Kaiser stopped thinking of the memory. The cat started hissing and screaming again. The claws must have been holding the blood from gushing out, but now the feet revealed a broken bone and several deep cuts.
Kaiser carefully placed the lock picks back in their places and placed his hand on Norman’s shoulder. “I know that you both are much older than me, so I don’t need to tell you that the cat won’t survive.”
“You’re wrong, she’ll live. We’ll make sure of it.”
He sighed under his breath, “Okay.” I wish I had your optimism, Norman. He thought as he walked over to Wagner, who was already lining up several soldiers, all awaiting orders. He walked over and took his place. Kaiser stiffened his body and stood at attention.
He rubbed his eyes, already tired of what the day ahead might bring.
>>>>>
The sun had just set, and soldiers gathered around their small campfire. They had managed to walk barely twenty-five miles in the entire day. Kaiser curled on the ground and rested his back on a tree. The sea was near, he could feel the sticky, muddy, atmosphere turning into a crisper sea breeze. We should have kept walking, Kaiser thought, At least then, if there was some type of rescue we would be able to see it.
But looking at their gloomy expressions, convinced Kaiser otherwise.
A short boy with cropped hair scurried around camp, executing every order he was assigned.
The boy was Nephyl, Kaiser’s tent partner. They weren’t exactly best mates, mainly because Nephyl would wake up early, and leave Kaiser utterly embarrassed when he woke up and realized he was the last one up.
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He really wished Nephyl would wake him up, but when Kaiser was talking to him, it was like talking to a tree. Except, the tree would actually respond to you if you beat it with enough force.
The wind blew, and somehow his tan face felt red. Kaiser felt a row of ants making their way through the terrain of his exposed feet.
The ants were red. Kaiser blew out a tired groan. Instead of moving, he sat there, letting the red ants crawl and bite all over his worn-out feet and even more worn-out sandals.
All these men and women were the same as him, drafted into a war they had no desire to win. He knew what each and every one of them was thinking, and in a way, Kaiser was thinking the same. Why bother fighting a war when we're bound to lose?
That's what was happening right now, two of the top generals in all of Amber, defeated, running away, and hoping for rescue.
A week or so ago, the legion had been dropped off at this island for a scouting mission. Little did they know that Caprians had been waiting to ambush them right as they landed. The enemy burned their ships and out of the three thousand soldiers who had come, fifty had survived and were being ferociously hunted.
In a sick way, Kaiser hoped he would die here, it would stop all the pain.
He shook his head, No!, What was he thinking? He couldn't give up now. He just needed a walk to clear his thoughts. A walk is all I need. He reassured himself.
As he walked further from the camp, a flicker of movement caught his attention.
His head spun right. He spotted three figures.
Glory, Orion, and Wagner. Orion had a serious look on his face and was talking to them about something,
Something important.
By all accounts, Kaiser was never one to pry on information, but their expressions said it all. He found himself drawn to the three, like moths to a flame. They fully averted his attention from the camp.
They moved.
So did he.
He felt tied to the trio, an invisible string tugged him to go further and listen to them. It was easy for his stubby legs to avoid debris because of the thick mud that swallowed his legs every time he took a step, making following them a lot easier as he didn't need to worry about making noise. They were talking fairly loudly, and Kaiser could make out some words.
Where was Orion taking the two generals? Why not talk in a separate tent?
He felt utterly blind in the dark. His powers only really shined in the day when there was plenty of light.
Eventually, Kaiser gave up trying to eavesdrop and focused on following undetected. He struggled to lift his feet in the mud but eventually learned that if he moved fast enough, the mud wouldn’t have time to allow Kaiser to sink.
He walked for almost fifteen minutes, tailing the trio. What was Orion thinking? What if the enemy attacked this very moment? They wouldn’t have anyone leading them. The legion was filled with injured soldiers who could barely walk, let alone another survive another ambush.
Orion halted, and instinctually, Kaiser did too. He disappeared behind something and it took Kaiser a moment to realize that it was a tent.
A blackish-blue tent was sitting where they had been standing. It looked nearly invisible under the moonless sky.
Kaiser watched as Orion disappeared into the tent, followed by Wagner and Glory.
He edged closer, more and more.
Carelessly.
He crouched behind a tree. He closed his eyes to see through the lamplight.
They were standing around a circular table with a map sprawled over the top. It looked like it was done in a hurry, but everything was perfect. The tent walls didn’t have a single thread of fabric out of place. Orion had placed the lantern dangling directly in the center of the tent, and with the limited vision Kaiser had, he could spot a soft carpet underneath.
“So why did you drag me out here, and did you get permission to use this tent?” a voice that Kaiser immediately recognized as Wagner said.
The light source was thankfully placed in the middle of the room, and Kaiser could see Wagner’s mouth moving. Orion seemingly ignored his question.
“As you know, the Caprians have captured the southwestern outpost.” Usually, using the Caprian name was considered taboo, but Orion used it even after he saw the two generals flinch. “Capria’s army is going to find our camp. Eventually.” Orion finished.
Glory shifted uncomfortably. The furry coat she always wore now seemed denser and more physically taxing. “You’re right. But we can’t do anything.” Orion’s eyes burned a vivid cider, something that when he didn’t get his way.
“Why not?” He asked, masterfully hiding his rage. The generals might not have noticed it, but Kaiser felt the hostility dripping from his words and forced himself to avert his gaze.
Now, looking at the map, loneliness crept in. He recognized Amber and its large, magnificent capital, signified by a castle icon.
He traced his eyes slightly southeast of the Capitol until he saw a small dotted village.
Kaiser’s hometown.
He looked back at an orange pawn; it was placed on top of the map to signify where they currently were.
“They sent me a letter from mainland Amber," Glory whispered, not in a secretive way, but in a sad, doubtful way. Almost as if she had trouble understanding it. “The ships will be coming more than three weeks from now.”
Wagner looked down at his iron, battle-ready boots. He looked like a depressed puppy. “The enemy will attack before then. We have word that they’re already starting to creep into the swamp.”
A smirk played on Orion’s face for a flicker of a moment that Kaiser thought he imagined. He looked up directly at the lantern.
The lantern bucked, and its candle gave out. Kaiser was immediately thrust into the dark forest ahead of him. He blinked several times, adjusting to the new moonlight.
What was that? Kaiser thought, There’s no way that Orion knew that I followed him, so why did he look directly at me?
He shook his head, staying here just to get caught was plain foolishness. He turned back and practically ran towards the camp again. If they wanted to talk alone, he would leave them to it. He heard a loud rustling from the trio, and sounds of struggling voices, but didn’t dare to stop and look back for fear they might catch him.
He was sure that Orion didn’t notice him.
How could he? The lantern going out was surely a mistake, a coincidence. His legs slowed,
Kaiser didn’t remember the trek back to camp to be so excruciatingly long. His mind must have been so engrossed with Glory, Wagner, and Orion that he didn’t take the time to memorize their path. His breath drew in short. Without light, he couldn’t make it back to camp. He couldn’t even find the campfire, not even the tiny embers of it.
Why would someone pour water over a fire?
His feet had trouble lifting, and a small clearing in the forest emerged. A wave of relief washed over him. As he walked into camp, something caught his attention and he crouched down to examine it. A bloodied face, wide, black eyes staring at him. They looked like an abyss. Kaiser brushed his fingers across the face. It was still a little warm. He closed the corpse’s eyes, unwilling to match a name to the body.
He looked around but wished he hadn't. The entire legion was dead. How could this happen? He thought, How were they all wiped out??
“What happened here..?” He looked back down at the corpse’s hand and saw that it was still clutching a small cat. “Norman?” His voice felt small. He saw Lilia next to him, she was still breathing.
“Lilia?!” Kaiser asked cupping her head in his hands. “What happened here?! Who did this?!”
Kaiser could see the light leaving her body as she talked, “R-run away, K-Kaiser.” She managed to say.
“No!” He yelled, tears streaming down his face, “I can’t leave you, don’t worry I’ll fix you!” Kaiser struggled to lift Lilia, but eventually hauled her over his shoulders. He managed a glance back at Norman. There’s nothing to do anymore. I can’t bring him back to life.
He tried to walk and was only able to a few steps, “Let me go, Kaiser,” Lilia said softly, “M-my fate has already been decided. Please, don’t suffer the same as me…”
Kaiser walked further away from the camp, passing by all the dead soldiers, some of them were still clutching their drinks. Not even having the time to fight back. He didn’t see Nephyl or Alice or anyone he recognized.
“It’s clear Caprian soldiers attacked, but where were they now?!” he asked.
Lilia coughed up blood, “P-put me down.”
Through teary eyes, Kaiser obeyed. “Don’t die on me, please,” he sobbed. Resting her head on his lap. Lilia looked at him, and she smiled. A moment of agony spread through her face as he closed her eyes. The up-and-down movement of her chest stopped and he uttered her last words, “S-stop Orion and survive. You were like a son to me, K-Kaiser.”
Just like that, Kaiser held her hand as it turned from warm, to cool, and eventually cold. A throbbing feeling accompanied her death Kaiser sat over her body for what seemed like hours.
His mind began thinking; Orion had led Glory and Wagner out of the camp, the only two generals and the only two real jubilee fighters.
“Orion.” He thought out loud, eyes widening, Kaiser knew exactly what plot he’d fallen under. He covered Lilia’s body with leaves, “I’ll come back and give you a proper burial.” He promised.
Kaiser then turned towards the camp and ran. He didn’t have to run far though, because only a few minutes later Orion emerged in front of him.
“I’d advise you to stay quiet.” He spoke. “Ori, don’t–” A sharp pain hit his left kidney. He doubled down and fell to his knees.
“You’re not a rabid animal, are you? I gave you an order, Kaiser,” Orion Noi said, slipping on dark-colored gloves. His cider eyes were the only thing peeking out of his black-hole facade.
Kaiser’s eyes widened further as he saw Orion’s boot connecting to his rib cage. His body flipped, and he landed on his back. Kaiser wheezed for his breath.
“I’ll kill you.” He growled, “For all the people you’ve killed Orion, I’ll kill you!” Kaiser yelled.
Orion let out a hearty laugh, “You?! Kill me?! Ha! What a joke!”. Orion ran his gloved finger through his hair, parted his lips, and a set of white, almost luminescent teeth flashed, he bent down to look at Kaiser in the eyes “Look at you Kaiser, in the hands of a monster, and you still have the time to think that you’ll survive?! Let alone kill me?” He put on a jet-black trench coat, which covered his army shirt and trousers.
Kaiser’s vision started going blurry as a scent of rain and dew entered his nostrils. “Nephyl, after he’s under, would you mind tying him up and tossing him into the ship?”
A silhouette appeared from the darkness. Kaiser could only see the head of it nod. A last burst of strength entered Kaiser’s body, perhaps because of his rune kicking in, and he managed to fight his way to Orion’s foot and grab a hold of it.
“I’ll get revenge. For Glory, for Wagner, for Norman, and Lilia.” Kaiser he promised, gritting his teeth. Orion snatched his foot away from Kaiser’s hand as if it was diseased. “You don’t know when to shut up, Sanjit.” His foot dived into Kaiser’s face.
The whole world went black