Wars aren't what you expect. They aren't glorious, righteous or spirited.
They are ugly, uncoordinated messes, directed by officers who don't have any clue as to what they are fighting for. The nauseating smell of the dead is what one really feels. The rotting corpses. Empty shells. Fallen bunkers. Letters to dead men. As your comrades and enemies alike die down, they leave behind the stench of the dead, the stench of war.
I was a stationed soldier in the northern frontier. Nothing brought me joy in the desert wasteland that I was in. The fighting for country? It had you fighting for it when it wanted something, like the noble nation that it was, but when you wanted something, you would be an ungrateful bastard.
As I began my shift, I could feel the heat catch up to the camp. The northern side was fickle; weather changed rapidly with little warning. I could already see my men scrambling together a shelter for the commander. My colleagues were on high alert. I had tried not to get their spirits down. They had become weary and drank more frequently. The fighting was fairly simple, if not rough and ragged. I did believe that if I had two thousand competent men to follow my orders. I could have even secured this frontier, though there are always variables, I am to believe it as a reasonable estimation.
The youngest commander in the Godsend army, top of the class with honors Commander Noken, a holy knight was leading our army ...and yet our forces were barely surviving.
As to what we were fighting, I should start from the rumors that began three years back. Somewhere in the western front, a weird ship crashed into our country, initially there was widespread interest into what would come out of such a ship. However, the interest quickly turned into horror as beings taller and thinner than us with small dotty eyes and blood smeared faces emerged.
The Greskee had arrived. From then on, it was one massacre to another. They didn't distinguish. Be it men, women, children, elderly, livestock. They had an indifferent attitude towards them. If it moves, it must die.
"Status?" I muttered.
"Commander has prohibited communication to the camp until further notice."
"Status?" I repeated sternly.
"I told you, there is going to be no communication in the-"
"Status?" I repeated with a deadly serious expression.
He stood back a nit, His eyes quickly darted around both the sides, and he let out a sigh.
"She is safe, and your message has been given to the trunkmaster." He quickly glanced again. "You can meet her after tomorrow's expedition."
Finally, I thought to myself. After two months.
As soon as I had thought about it, I saw the commander and a couple of officers in bright white uniform enter the camp. The commander himself was well built and over 6 and a half feet, His face was stern and sullen, with many wrinkles he must have picked up due to many of his tactical meetings. I immediately took to my spot. The commander seemed quite nervous after his previous engagement. I started to quietly tiptoe towards the exit.
"Soldier Gyro!" his voice bellowed in the halls.
"YES, SIR!" I answered at the top of my voice. I didn't care for the fact that he remembered me or misremembered my name.
"When does your shift end?"
"AFTER THREE HOURS SIR!"
"Become the Camp Commander for tomorrow and then take your break."
"I DON'T THINK THAT'S POSSIBLE SIR!"
Every stationed soldier and officer looked at my direction.
"What is the meaning of this, soldier?"
"I AM REQUIRED IN OTHER PLACE SIR!"
The Commander sighed, I don't think anyone would have talked back to him in his reign. However I simply had my priorities straight.
"You will be punished Gyro, I sen-" before Noken could complete his sentence, Holy Bells began ringing signaling the arrival of someone from the Order.
The emotion on Noken's face turned from anger into disgust. Two men with state-of-the-art machinery came in and stationed themselves. Three men hurried and formed a guard line along the walls.
One woman slowly walked in, eyes covered in a thin veil, everything but her mouth hidden.
The Commander immediately bowed down, and I followed him in fashion and took a knee.
"My, oh my, commander, you can drop the formalities." She said her face turning into a grin shot from ear to ear in an incredibly eerie fashion. I caught a glimpse of her blue eyes. There was nothing to mistake about her.
The Priestess had arrived in the base. The commander got up and still kept his head down. "Let me show you your accommodation, Reverend."
After uttering those words, Noken quietly took off. Sensing my chance, I went on my way out, people in that far above in authority shouldn't be in my proximity, I remembered my father's words. Nothing good ever comes out of it. I ran to my quarters and counted my wage. It was two trunks full, 'The Trunkmaster will be satisfied.' I thought.
'Hopefully the medics can be of help', I thought. I changed from my military overalls to civilian masked boiler. I reached the camp end and whispered the password. The guards let me out. The grand walled gate bridge opened up thirty feet in the air and I made out.
Outside the Fortress, there was a very desolate city. Khon had always been a bit of both ends. On the one side, a trading hub for the countries outside, on the other a constant attractor of war and skirmishes. The city was filled with mistrust and fueled with hate. At least folks here avoided small talk. I walked down, there were low hanging ceilings and darker alleyways, as I reached the center. The gazes of locals were often lowered at the sight of others. Even though I was no longer in my Military overalls, they guessed from my direction of entry, that I may be affiliated with them at the least.
I didn't care for it and went in deeper, hidden passages and basements were common here. The dust cleared as I walked in. Another thing here that was worth noting as a border territory, the beautiful underbelly. There was probably nothing that couldn't be obtained here. On my way down, I crossed through a lot of sounds and smells that would probably be uncommon for people not in the war, but down here the smells of rotting flesh and screaming couldn't be farther than an exception. I had arrived in Musat.
Then after hours of travel, I finally arrived out of a clinic that smelled much cleaner than its neighbors, cracked wood doors, red painted ceiling that was now one with the stone behind it, dimly lit entrance. This is the Place.
The clinic was exactly like Trunkmaster had described. The first two rooms were there for verification and delivery of goods, Inside the view was much different though.
The third room was filled with screens and smells. There were a couple of people strapped to their beds. Unmoving with multiple lines of syringes entering their bodies, there were many old men and two old women in beds. A young girl with half of her body missing was set in an incubator while some special needs personnel were placed in some Zerxian Pods. Pods meant to freeze your entire body into cryogenesis. There were a couple of medics rushing around and someone called out to me.
"Ah Gyoro, we meet again." He was a short person with a simple plain face and long flowing golden hair. He wore glasses and had a vicious smile etched on his face.
"I believe you were able to pay the outstanding amount, it's unbeknownst to many let me inform. I assure you nobody has been able to survive for such incredible durations. She is extremely resilient."
"Will she be fine?"
"Straight to the point I see, she will regain her functions soon, though her condition's terminal, as you very well are aware. But of farther capability, we aren't certain."
"Where is she?"
"Right this way" He led me to a private ward. "Here you can meet her." After that he opened a blackwood door and there she was, in the midst of life and death.
"Enjoy your time, Mr. Gyoro." He closed the door behind him.
I slowly walked towards the bed. She had sullen up. Her once bright skin was now dull and darker. Her muscles, once strong and plump were dried and dead. Her smile, once radiant and blinding was now hidden beneath a mass of pain. I clenched her hand, and it opened up to mine. She spoke without opening her eyes:
"How long are you going to torment yourself, Korkinim."