Born a Monster-Chapter 486
486 Night and Morning
โHm?โ I mumbled. โIs it my guard shift again?โ ๐๐๐๐๐ e๐ฃ๐ท๐ฐัตe๐.com
โWhat? Hell no.โ a female voice responded.
Well, there was only one reaction for that; I stretched out, fluffed my pillow, and started back to sleep.
โWake up!โ she hissed. โWake up, or Iโll slit your throat.โ
I grunted, and grumbled something. As if by magic, I found a blade pressed against my neck. It was cool to the touch, and sharp. With a final protest, I opened my eyes.
Yes, my human eyes. Which were buried in the pillow, and could see nothing.
I gradually became aware of the young woman sitting on my lower back. She smelled like a mixture of paprika and cinnamon.
โSholwyr?โ I asked.
โNot so loud.โ she whispered. โWhat are you even doing here?โ
.....
โInfiltrating the army.โ I said. โYou?โ
โNever mind me.โ then she took a deep breath and sighed. โInfiltrating the army. Are you trying to assassinate the Fire-Friend captain?โ
โHm?โ I rolled the words around, looking for whatever meaning would let me get back to bed quicker. โNo, no. Iโm supposed to find a way to disrupt the supply caravan.โ
โWhat the... What are you doing HERE?โ Sholwyr asked.
โThe Conclave of Thorns is insane.โ I said. โIโve ended up here because they wonโt leave me alone.โ
โThatโs not even... shit!โ she said, throwing herself to the left and down.
The tent flap opened. โKid.โ Ragnal said. โShut the hell up and get some sleep. We work sixteen hours tomorrow.โ
I did some quick math in my head. โNot fourteen?โ
I couldnโt tell if he was shaking his head or using his beard to brush his hand. โKid... You are sleeping in a cot.โ
โYes.โ I said. โIt is much more comfortable than the ground, thank you.โ
โBigni and I will be up before dawn. Weโre going to wake you. If you donโt get. Some. Sleep. Then tomorrow will be very, very bad for you. You understand?โ
โI understand.โ
โGood, then stop talking to your imaginary friends. Good night.โ
โGood night, Ragnal.โ I said.
He let the tent flap fall closed. Before you think I was in some sort of officerโs or luxury tent, it was a fabric and leather box so small my cot stretched both walls, and Ragnal could easily slash open the back wall from the door, were he so inclined.
Sholwyr slowly, carefully, pulled her head over the edge of the cot. โThat. Was. Ragnal.โ she said. โOne of the Dark Narwhals.โ
โBlack Narwhal.โ I whispered back to her.
โHow has he not sussed out who you are?โ she asked.
I shrugged. โLack of focus?โ I suggested.
โYou are an idiot. Do you know who that WAS?โ
I smacked my lips together. โI gather not, by your reaction.โ
โYou want to live one tent over from HIM? Heโs the closest thing they have to Miletus. Maybe even better.โ
I stretched out quietly.
โIโm serious.โ she said. โHe survived being thrown into a river full of Makura.โ
โIโve survived...โ
โItโs not the same!โ then, โIf you endanger my mission, I. Will. Kill. You.โ she said.
I wrinkled my face, then yawned. โWhat IS your mission here, Sholwyr?โ
โWhat? I canโt tell you THAT.โ
โHow do I navigate around...โ
โJust go to sleep.โ she said. โAnd donโt freaking do anything that kills anyone above a third sergeant, if you can help it.โ
What? What had become of my reputation NOW? I had one, only one, level in a Military class. How was I supposed to... You know what? Two people had told me to just go to sleep. With a final yawn, I did so.
Ragnal was true to his word, flipping the cot upside down on top of me. โI said. Get. Up. Exercise takes time.โ
โHuh?โ I said, or something similarly profound.
โUp.โ he clapped his hands. โUp, up. As a group, we exercise together.โ
โMeh.โ I said, rolling the cot off me. Even as a yawn rolled forth from me, I sat up. โI suppose I canโt decline?โ
โYou suppose correctly.โ he said.
I emerged into the night sky, the cool night air. I squinted, turning in a circle. โThe sun isnโt even coloring the horizon.โ
โWelcome to our world, young soldier.โ Bigni said. โNow pay attention. Weโre going through the stretches that loosen your muscles.โ
โIโm going through stretches.โ Ragnal said. โYouโre just flapping your gums.โ
Bigni replied with a yawn that would have done a dog proud, exposing his sharp teeth to the chill of the night. But it might have been for show, because he walked me through ten minutes of stretches and light exercises.
THEN the real work started, forty four minutes of arduous repetition, possibly originally designed as a torture technique. Variants of it, Bigni told me, existed in all armies across the world.
โItโs why soldiers... real soldiers... are worth two or more militiafolk.โ
โLike the bulk of the army we have here.โ Ragnal said.
Bigni continued as though Ragnal had remained silent. โSure, anyone can be trained to hold a weapon. But soldiers maintain their weapons, their fitness, their discipline. We can perform as a unit, not just a group of rabble. Our morale is better, our fighting is better, and we can do it longer.โ
I was having enough problems getting air into my lungs; I didnโt dare to respond and risk the breathing that was going on.
โThereโs a leap of ability power at each level.โ Ragnal said, โBut thatโs not the only measure of strength.โ
โJust so.โ Bigni agreed. โBut... ten counts of butterfly sit-ups and then letโs go splash some water on our faces.โ
I accepted the hand he offered, and was almost surprised that I could stand without swaying.
โHeh.โ Ragnal said. โLook at the color of his face; heโs been away from proper exercise for too long.โ
Ah, the water was glorious! Cold and wet and...
[Exposure to Yellow Fever. Resistance confirmed.]
โAnal assfarts!โ I exclaimed. โI just got over that infection.โ
Ragnal tasted the water, spat to his left.
Bigni sighed. โAgain?โ
โNot as strong this time.โ Ragnal replied, upending the barrel. โBut yeah. Itโs still making the rounds.โ
โHow,โ Bigni asked, โdo you survive to adulthood in such pestilent lands?โ
โThe same as everywhere, I guess.โ I said. โMothers, herbs, magic in some cases, faith in others. And yet, I am told roughly one in ten doesnโt make it to adulthood. It amazes me that a full half died getting to adulthood during the Dragon Age.โ
Ragnal squinted. โThat,โ he said, โhas to be human propaganda. I mean, look around today and tell me that thereโs any shortage of humans.โ
Bigni nodded. โAnd that figure, the one in ten, that sounds low to me. It is unlikely that human mothers care more for their children than real peopleโs mothers do.โ
I held up my hands. โIโve done no study on either figure, myself. And I yield that the Graveyard of Hattan would be overflowing if those figures were accurate.โ
But... could they have been accurate? That amount of death would explain how the place had become an undead nexus. But then, where were the other massive graveyards that had to exist? Ghouls couldnโt have eaten them all, could they?
Ragnal slapped me across the furred part of my head. โHey, pay attention, kid. We still need to find a clean source of water.โ
It wasnโt hard; the next barrel was safe when we got to it, and I left it alone as we left.
After a quick washing and hydrating, it was time to return to camp, and don armor.
โI donโt have armor that wasnโt confiscated.โ I said.
โItโs your turn to do the supply run.โ Ragnal said.
โNo, I even have that recorded in my System.โ Bigni said. And then, โAh, Lokiโs Balls on Fire. Okay, I guess itโs my turn.โ He made a flicking motion and sighed.
โShouldnโt take long.โ Ragnal said. โHeโs small.โ
โYou know it doesnโt work like that.โ
โIt had better not take long.โ Ragnal snorted. โCaptain needs both of us if another citizen soldier gets uppity.โ ๐ณ๐ฏ๐e๐e๐๐ฏ๐ฮฝ๐l.๐o๐ข
โCitizen soldier?โ I asked.
โOur name for the land grubbers.โ Bigni said. โThe colonist militia.โ
.....
โOh.โ I said. โBut why would they have any reason to complain? It seems to me that they were getting some good chunks of farmland back north in Whitehill.โ
โLet me get my armor on, Iโll see what I can explain while weโre waiting on your new soldierโs kit.โ Bigni said.
Ever notice how long twenty minutes is when youโre just dying to learn something?
For those of you fortunate enough not to know, a butterfly sit up brings the right elbow to the outside of the left kneecap, and then down, and up the other way, left to outside right. Two reps, or repetitions, made a single โcountโ. At no point are your shoulder blades allowed to touch the ground, or your count starts all over again.
Because I wasnโt about to try spreading diseases without even a casting. It just doesnโt end well if you do that continuously. Or, since it involves heinous things happening to the one spreading disease and death, I suppose it does end well ... for everyone else.