"What!" Shakur couldn't help from outbursting.
Major Nelson stepped forward, “Watch your tongue Sergeant! Remember who you're talking to!”
He regained his composure, “You’re right Sir. My deepest apologies Sir.” he bowed his head.
Commander Margrat waved it off. “It’s alright soldier, happens to the best of us.”
He put his hand on the map, “But it’s as I said. It’s not that I don’t want to fulfill your request, it’s that I can’t. Many of the forces here are being sent all across the front. All of those positions desperately need the men. I have none to spare until the next wave of soldiers reach us, which won’t be for at least another few weeks. Unfortunately Major Ahmed and his men are on their own until they make it to another command post.”
No one spoke immediately, Commander Margrat was obviously troubled not being able to fulfill the Major’s request. Everyone at camp knew he cared deeply for his subordinates. Pressing the matter would solve nothing. There was nothing they could do. They’d essentially lost.
“Will that be all?” said Belthorn.
“Yes I believe so Sir.” said William, turning to make his leave. “I’ll be returning to Major Ahmed now.” he added.
Shakur remained in place, arms behind his back.
“What is it Sergeant?” asked Commander Margrat.
“Sir, requesting permission to be transferred into Major Ahmed’s command now that 3rd Delt Squad is no more.” He saluted.
A smile touched the corner of his lips.
“Granted.”
“Thank you Sir.” Shakur turned and followed William out the door.
He didn’t say anything until we reached the first room with our equipment.
“What made you decide to ask that?” He said.
Shakur shrugged his shoulders, “Not like I have anywhere else to go, and besides, someone has to be there to keep you all in line.”
They laughed. William followed behind Shakur as they made their way out of the tent, striding over to the guard they had spoken to earlier. Their horses were nowhere in sight after all.
“Where have our horse been taken?” I questioned.
“Had them brought to the stables, couldn’t very well have had them blocking the road now could I.” There was hostility present in his voice, no doubt his fellow guardsmen had given him an earful of mockings after they simply walked past him. That’s what anyone would’ve done after all. It’s also what Shakur was about to do.
“I see. You were very thoughtful to have had them cared for for us. You have my gratitude. Let’s head to the stables now William.” He said, walking away.
“Oh and one more thing.” He stopped, turning to see the guards face, “You were so polite earlier to let us pass even though you had orders not to, you have my gratitude for that as well.”
As Shakur expected, his face turned bright red with anger and embarrassment. He couldn’t resist letting a smile show, but he held his laughter in. If he hadn’t that might’ve sent the man over the edge. Guardsmen take themselves much more seriously than direct combat soldiers such as Shakur. It made messing with them all the easier.
“Now you’re just being a bully.” said William as he drew even with Shakur.
“So what if I am?”
The horses were in the stable as the guard said, after a few minutes they were saddled with a full bag of rations and water each, and they were ready to move out once more. This was the first chance Shakur had to properly study his horse. She was built powerfully with a shiny mane and silky chestnut hair, additionally there was a white patch of fur on her forehead in the shape of a diamond. A beautiful animal. He checked all the saddle straps, making sure they were to his liking, and climbed up into it.
“I think it’s time we were off.” He said.
“I agree.” William responded.
They clapped their heels against the horses' sides and set off out of camp, waving a farewell to the guards at the gate. Shakur started his horse up to a gallop down the hill, riding full speed away.
“Hey! Wait up!” William screamed from behind, not prepared for him to take off like that.
But Shakur had a mission in mind.
He kept his horse galloping longer than the normal amount for the soldiers' ride pattern. He had to be wary of doing that, even if only for a few minutes it would add up. The horses were still recovering from the fatigue of the ride back to the command post.
“Sorry girl. I’ll walk you for a bit now.” He said as he padded her neck.
William caught up to him a few moments after. His messenger horse wasn’t as fast as a standard battle horse like Shakur’s, but it was able to travel much longer at faster speeds. Messenger horses are bred to run for extended periods.
“A bit of warning next time would be nice.” He said.
“You caught up to me just fine.”
“Only after you’d stopped galloping. What if you’d been attacked by yourself?”
Shakur looked at him, “If I’d gotten attacked then it wouldn’t have mattered if you were with me or not because we’d both be dead.”
“Fair point.” He paused, “How long have you been in the war Sergeant?”
Shakur looked up to the heavens, “For the last time stop calling me that.”
William apologized again.
“To answer your question, I joined as soon as I turned fifteen. As an orphan I didn’t really have much other choice, or so I thought at the time, and enlisted as soon as I was legally able. The orphanage kicks us out at sixteen these days anyway.”
“Why so young?”
“The capital shifted even more funding to the war effort. Rumor had it that King Echlen wants to be the one who ‘Finally ends the Endless War’ for his legacy.”
They rode in silence for a time after that, switching back to following the soldiers’ ride pattern. There was no way of knowing how far Major Ahmed and his men had gone, but seeing as Shakur’s squad hadn't been too far from the outermost region of the Western Flank, the two riders should run into them within an hour of riding at the absolute most once they reach the spot Shakur had been ambushed.
Which they were passing now.
The vultures and other various land walking, or crawling, scavengers of the desert had wasted no time beginning to pick apart the site.
William yelled at the creatures in an attempt to make them run away but they paid him no attention. Food was much too scarce to let a little noise scare them off of it.
“It’s no use William, just leave them be.” Shakur said, looking straight ahead.
“But-” William began to protest.
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“Just leave it.” he said once more.
He urged his horse back up to a gallop, William waiting a few moments before he himself did as well.
Not even ten minutes later William noticed vultures flying in a circle up ahead directly in front of them along the route, clicking his heels in the horses side to speed up until he drew abreast with Shakur.
“That’s a bit odd isn’t it?” He said pointing at the vultures.
Shakur seemed to return back to reality upon hearing the man’s voice, he looked at where William was pointing and furrowed his brow.
“Very odd indeed, and probably not good.”
Shakur sped up his horse once more, moving one of his hands down to the hilt of his sword.
“Please don’t be what I think.” He thought to himself.
A short hill was blocking his view from whatever it was that the vultures were circling. With one more final push of his horse, he ascended the peak.
“Oh my God.” William said once he reached that point himself.
It was a massacre. Just like the one that happened to Shakur’s squad. Only this time it was an entire Company. Shakur tugged on his horse's reins and started down the hill.
“Come on William, we need to check for survivors.”
“R-right.” he followed.
The two men galloped down the hill towards the battle scene. A vulture more curious than the rest who had already descended down from the sky, now viciously flapped its wings to gain altitude once more as the hoof beats of the horses drew more near. Shakur called his horse to a stop and dismounted, drawing his sword as he hit the ground, before running through the casualties, both man and Beast-Warrior. Unlike with his own squad, Major Ahmed’s men managed to bring quite a few down with them. Caught off guard or not.
One such beast lay whimpering in pain atop a mountain of soldiers. Now too weakened to be of any threat, its final breath near.
As Shakur ran past it he quickly slashed at its throat without breaking stride, rendering it silent.
William veered off from Shakur to search more of the scene at a time, if the pack of Beast-Warriors that did this was still nearby it wouldn’t matter if they caught the two men separate or together. They scanned for signs of movement, keeping their ears open, in hopes of finding anyone still alive. Shaking any body they found that looked like there was even a slight chance they could be alive.
William was holding back tears and the urge to vomit, these were all men he’d been assigned with his entire time in service thus far. While many of them looked down on him as a coward, they all still shared a deep bond of hardship.
Just as he was about to call it quits and move back to Shakur, he saw an arm sticking up towards the sky on the far side of a fallen horse, waving back and forth slightly almost like it was blowing in the wind.
“Shakur! There’s a survivor!” he shouted as he ran in the direction of the hand.
Shakur snapped his head in the direction of William’s voice and took off in a sprint.
William leapt over the horse and dropped down to a knee next to the many that desperately signaled for help.
It was Major Ahmed. Alive, but just barely.
He had a substantial wound on his right side and blood seeping from a head wound that William had yet to locate.
“Sir, Sir it’s me William. Can you hear me?”
Ahmed looked in the direction of William’s voice but began coughing as soon as he made an attempt to speak.
“Save your strength Major.” said Shakur, having just arrived.
“Is that you William?” asked Major Ahmed.
“Yes Sir.” responded William.
He looked over at Shakur. “We have to get him to the medics immediately.”
Shakur nodded, “Help me move the horse off of him.
“Don’t waste your strength.” Said the Major softly, “I won’t last the ride back.”
“But Sir we have to try.” Shakur said, knowing he was right, “If we get moving now you’ll make it.”
Ahmed shook his head faintly. “You both know it the same as me.” he paused before continuing, “You have my apologies Sergeant. Not only did we fail to avenge your squad but I’ve forgotten your name as well.”
Shakur let a small smile creep into the corner of his lips, “That’s quite alright Sir, my name isn’t of much importance.”
“Don’t say such a thing Sergeant, the name of every soldier means a great deal.”
The major drew in a painful breath, “The Beast-Warriors.” he winced.
“What about them Sir?” asked Shakur inquisitively.
“There were many more than we originally thought,” he said. “There must have been at least double, if not triple.”
The two men’s hearts sank.
That was very bad news indeed. That many Beast-Warriors assembled together could wreak havoc on this entire region of the front.
The Major’s breathing was much softer now, his curtain was closing.
“There were two Psychics with them as well.”
“This day just keeps getting worse and worse.” Shakur thought.
“We need to warn the Command post so they can raise the alarm.” William said.
Shakur nodded.
“Did you see which direction they went in Major?” asked William.
“I believe… it was in the South East. More East than anything.”
Shakur and William locked eyes.
“The Command post is to the East.” said William.
“Our forces are much less dense to the South. They could be traveling just out of sight from route 6 to the south to launch an assault.” responded Shakur.
“We have to warn them immediately.”
Shakur nodded.
“Thank you Major, with any luck this will save many lives.”
As they were standing up Major Ahmed extended his arm towards William,”What is it Major?”
“Take my sword with you William… should you need it I hope that it will serve you well.”
William bowed, “I’m honored Sir.”
He bent down and picked the sword up from the ground, replacing the one in his scabbard with it.
“One…last thing before you two go.”
“Anything Sir” responded Shakur.
“The reinforcements,” he began, “Did they send any?”
Shakur hesitated, this conversation was wasting precious time, but it was to be the last one Major Ahmed ever had.
“I-I’m afraid not Sir. We’re the only ones they sent.”
The Major chuckled softly, “Some fine one’s indeed.”
That was the last breath to ever leave his lips. Shakur closed the man’s eyes as William’s filled with tears.
A storm of dust poured from underneath the hooves of their horses as they made way to the Command post riding at top speed, they couldn’t afford to waste time going anything less.
“I’m sorry girl, I need you to push through.” Shakur said to his horse.
The large battle axe he took from one of his fallen comrades lay across his lap. He had grabbed a longbow and quiver of arrows as well, not that he’d ever been much of an archer. William had done the same, opting for a spear instead of an axe. Major Ahmed’s sword on his hip. They each had an arrow wrapped in cloth and soaked in oil, ready to ignite and shoot into the sky when the command post came into view. They needed everyone’s attention.
“We should be getting close now.” yelled Shakur.
William nodded, “Is it just me or does there seem to be more smoke than normal?”
It was Shakur’s turn to nod, “I was thinking the same thing, I fear we might be too late.”
They urged their horses faster, by now they were both fatigued. The two of them had been rode much heavier than they should be, their breaths coming out ragged.
The command post was coming into view now. Fire burned throughout, one of the towers completely engulfed. A large hole had been made near the front gate. Bodies, both man and other, could be seen in and around the breach. The hillside leading up to the post was littered with still Beast-Warriors.
“Oh my God.” exasperated William.
The sound of fighting was audible now, along with bright flashes of magic. Frost could be seen along the top of portions of the fenceline and covering one of the guard towers to extinguish the fire that had been set to it.
“Belthorn.” thought Shakur.
He snapped his reins, urging his horse faster once more as they reached the hill that led up to the now war-torn post.