We set up camp beside an enormously wide river, one that the knights called Miss Sippi. Its banks were muddy and steep, ancient trees lined the shores, a mix of sturdy oaks and graceful willows. Their branches swayed gently in the evening breeze, and I could see tangles of their roots bobbing along the current of the river’s edge.

It seemed like something out of the Church’s Dreaming—that place we all go to after dutiful service to the Gods and our Betters. Despite the dangers that came with being outside, I had to admit that I liked it. I felt…alive.

The campsite was excellent as well. A gentle hill whose top point was mostly bereft of trees, just a circle of tall green grass. The knights used the mech to trample it down, and when we got out, I saw that it offered a panoramic view of the surrounding area. I figured it was as much for the view as for security as we’d be able to see people or monsters sneaking up on us.

“A perfect place for the first night,” Sir Alain said, clambering down from his own mech. The others grunted their agreement, already unloading the necessary goods for the night. “Elli, Alaric, do you see that out there?” he asked, pointing a finger farther up the Miss Sippi.

We followed his finger, spotting the distant ruins of an ancient bridge, rotted and broken by time. It crossed halfway into the river before simply ending somewhere in the middle.

“I bet you haven’t seen anything like that before,” he said, smirking. “It’s a wild ride out here. Structures like that are often host to mutants, monsters, and straight-out dangerous creatures of the wild. But full of good salvage, too. If it wasn’t so obvious, I would half-say we should head over there and check it out at first light. What would you two say if we decided to take a small detour?”

Elli frowned.

“You mean, go outside the licensed jurisdiction of the mission?”

Alain nodded, his sandy blond hair turning strawberry in the setting red-orange rays of the sun.

“He’s testing you,” CD suggested. “The Torans had similar scenarios. He wants to know, obliquely, if apes are prepared to steal and sneak some side salvage.”

I raised an eyebrow, quite impressed. I’d been thinking the same thing.

“If we happened to go into a structure such as that bridge over there, for tactical purposes, anything we found wouldn’t be legally covered by the documents of the quest. But I can’t say that it would benefit any of us if those things were all off-limits. Surely we could take some items if they benefit the mission.”

Alain beamed.

“Yes, exactly! I’m glad we’re all on the same page. Alright, enough sight-seeing. Let’s get to it. These auxiliaries get cranky if you make them do everything on their own.”

We chuckled and moved to join the rest of the party, Sir Alain and the auxiliaries working alongside Elli and me to set up the tents. They were all high-quality new tech, which surprised me. I’d expected the knights would have some older tech to sleep in; some fantastical otherworldly luxuries to guide them to sleep between battles.

But the tents were good despite their modern origin. They were made of cured animal hides, sewn together expertly, and looped through with strong hemp ropes that were tied to metal spikes driven into the ground. Elli seemed to struggle a little at first, but I found them both easy to assemble and quite noticeably comfortable as well. It wasn’t much different from the occasional work I did on salvage in my shop.

“Efficiency in simplicity,” CD mused. “Even your primitive tribal constructs have their moments of ingenuity. Though my people would have simply stayed in their mechs. Their minds were not as fragile as yours all seem to be.”

Sir Alain directed the setup, choosing the tent placement with an air for a possible defense strategy.

“Pass me that spike, would you?” Sir Guillaume de Montfort asked, his green eyes glinting with amusement as he gestured to Elli.

Elli handed it over, pulling it from the spike sling she kept looped over her shoulder. “Here you go. Need someone to hammer it in for you?”

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Guillaume chuckled, his ogre-like body well dwarfing hers with its core surgeries and enhancements.

“I think I’ll manage. But if I need help opening a jar, I swear I won’t stay mum.”

I worked beside Sir Eadric of Wessex, hammering spikes while jabbering away like my normal self.

“I kinda thought Elli and I might be the ones doing all the handy work. Or just me, at least. You know, being a serf and all that,” I remarked, hammering a spike into the ground.

Eadric nodded, his deep brown eyes focused on the task.

“Would be with most of the others. They don’t do mercenary work, though. Stick it clean and clear with the Duke’s service. What we’re doing here, though allowed by the Duke’s blind eye, it ain’t exactly to the Chivalrous Code. Us here, we don’t really care about top or bottom.” His voice dropped a notch. “In fact, some of us don’t care for that system at all.”

I took in the information, flashing him a smile.

“Fascinating. Hierarchical dissent within a supposedly rigid simian societal structure. Quite Toran in its hypocrisy,” CD mused.

The only bad thing about the TUNI was, or rather, the main two things were how we weren’t able to respond without people thinking us mad, and DK being able to harass us.

Once the tents were set, Sir Alain called us together to dig a pit and gather loose timber for the fire, and once the camp fire was lit, he pulled loose special packages bound in deerskin.

As the others moved large stones to set around the fire, he cut the packages open, first revealing a wide variety of pork and beef sausages, then a variety of soft cheeses, before revealing fresh bread and a crock of butter as well.

“Fesstum Prima!” he announced, and the others repeated his words joyously. Elli and I shared a glance, hers joyful and anticipatory.

With the stones set, Alain pulled out a series of metal skewers and incited each of us to stab sausages onto them and roast them over the fire. As they sizzled, he pulled out a large wineskin, a watered-down strawberry wine, and took a long draught before passing it around the circle.

We laughed and feasted, sharing stories and words, and having a merry time. The soft cheeses were placed on their own stone, open to all, and as I feasted on my piece I noticed that it melted slightly in the warmth of the fire, making it taste wonderful.

Once the bread was sliced and buttered, I partook in that as well.

“A good first night, everyone,” Sir Alain announced, holding up a wine skin. “To a successful journey and good company.”

Elli took the skin, taking a draught of it and grinning. “To adventure and survive the Chic-A-Go.”

The skin passed around and we all echoed her toast. The wine, though weak, was refreshing, and the food was some of the best I'd had in a long time.

After the circuit was completed, Alain held the mostly emptied skin aloft. “Hour’s up, boys. Time for the watch. Who’s got the first shift?”

As night fell, a rotating patrol was set up. Each of us was assigned a two-hour guard shift, partnered with another member of the party. At first, those of us not on guard duty took turns telling stories around the fire. But soon we were all in our tents, sleeping.

I was roused deep in the night, taking guard shift with Sir Eadric. The night was full of crickets and the lapping currents of the Miss Sippi River, the occasional owl hooting overhead as we made our rounds around the hill, staring out into the darkness.

In the far distance, we saw ecto-green on the horizon, and the faint echoing growls and tears of animalistic combat, but nothing close enough to be worried about.

“Quite the view, isn't it?” Sir Eadric said.

I nodded, staring.

“Yeah, it really is. What am I looking at?”

“Rad-mutes. The sort of critters that got baked too long by the most powerful weapons of the ancients and survived. Only, they came out differently. The Church says they were possessed by demonic spirits of the Reckoning, and that the animal spirits that preceded them are now corrupt and hungry for human flesh. But most rad-mutes, when they see you, run.”

“Yeah? They don’t attack us?”

Eadric grumbled.

“Don’t be putting words in my mouth that I didn’t say. The ones that do attack make you work for the kill. Just saying that a lot of them don’t stay put.”

I smirked.

“That just sounds like you’re saying some of them are stupid, and some of them are smart.”

Eadric grinned back.

“Might be. I know there hasn’t been a mute who attacked me and lived to tell the tale. Anyways, since there are mutes out there, let me tell you some do’s and don’ts. Don’t eat their meat. They’re poisonous. Don’t chase down their packs either. Most of the runners only go so far util they turn on you.”

I nodded, taking mental notes.

“Got it. Any other tips?”

“Yeah, a few. Always watch your back. They’re sneaky bastards and love to ambush. If you see a pack, don’t engage unless you have to. We’re better off avoiding them if possible. And one last thing, always make sure your weapons are in good condition. You don’t want to be caught with a dull blade when a rad-mute comes at you.”

I nodded again, appreciating the advice.

“Thanks, Sir Eadric. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He clapped me on the shoulder.

“Good man. Now, let’s do another walk around and then get back to the camp. Should be about time to finish our rounds.”

“I have my own tip, though, given the distance between us, it is up to a minute old,” CD informed me. “By scanning the area in which this conflict is occurring, I have determined that this battle has ended and that the victors are coming your way.”

I froze, looking back to the horizon. The glow was moving quickly, making a beeline in our direction.

“Uh, Sir Eadric, I think we might have to wake everybody up.”

He turned and stared for several seconds.

“Blunt swords be damned. Let’s shake ‘em awake. It’s time to earn our breakfast.”