"We will take it back to the camp and have it-" "No! This is the taint of Hell, it must be cleansed!" "All the better, then! We can study it and learn the inner workings of Hell!" The priest and wizard continued arguing back and forth.
"That's enough!" Sacorax shouted, lifting his blade. "You end this pathetic argument now or I slice your precious bunny into shreds." He was serious, holding his blade dangerously close to the bunny. "Then we'll eat it," Sacorax added, smiling devilishly.
You end this pathetic argument now or I slice your precious bunny into shreds.Then we'll eat it "Please continue arguing if you will" Chalybs said with a smile. "That way you can send your ration away, mage. And you can burn yours, priest."
"It's from hell. It's gruesome. It's probably salty. I wouldn't eat that if it meant my life. Just look at it. It still has pieces of the captain on it. Let the mages take it and lets go." He said, frustrated with an argument about what they should do with the remains of a demonic bunny. Even on his head it sounded absurd .
"If your convinced that it would taste so bad we could always make a splendid coat from it. and burn or study the rest."
"The specimen must remain intact! Think of what we could learn from this beast!" The wizard tried futilely to convince the others not to eat it. "Fine, have your lunch, but I won't save you once you start turning into demons!" The priest said, heading back down the road.
"If you want to study it, then carry it," Sacorax told the wizard, then he turned to the one burying the fallen. "Hey, are you done yet? We're leaving now. Hope you don't get eaten by another rabbit slacker..." Sacorax motioned for the group to move out and began walking, leaving behind anyone who wanted to stay behind and help either of the wizards. The job was done and that's all that mattered.
The wizard nodded and began the task of preserving the beast with magic. The priest, defeated, said, "If your going to send that thing to be studied, than I demand that I personally come with the envoy, to ensure that it does not spread its taint." "Envoy?" The wizard asked. "Who said I was shipping it to them?" The priest and wizard continued talking, even as the rest of the group began going back to the barracks. "Y-yes sir" The blue-robed wizard said, following the others back to the barracks.
Van stood, dusted himself off, and fell in line with the rest of the crew. A fine bunch we have here, he thought to himself. If they spend this much time squabbling over a dead bunny, I can only imagine what sort of mayhem will ensue when they're faced with a real problem. He glanced back at the mage and priest, still fussing over the remains, and noticed the unmarked graves on the side of the road. Hmmm... and what's to be done about our lack of a captain, he thought. He could tell Sacorax hated every last one of them and would probably let men die for his own amusement if he were the sole leader. Hopefully there was someone at camp who could take the captain's position and keep that beastly man in check. The military life just wasn't working out. He was better off alone.
Their lieutenant was leaving and had just given permission for the wizards to have their way with the rabbit. "What a shame, a rabbit that size would have made a fine stew." Chalybs said with disappointment as he followed their lieutenant. It was then that he realized what he recognized about the mans gait. It had the same sway as his brother had. He quickly ran up to the Lieutenant and said, "I know what you are"
"What's that? Your captain who finds you to be an extremely annoying soldier?" Sacorax asked darkly. "Oh, did I say that out loud? Good thing i'm not sorry I said it." He didn't care to look back or slow down for the conversation. Humans did what they wanted, like chickens in the rain. They could run to the slaughter house, they could stand with their mouths open wide up to the sky or they could cluck like it wasn't raining. In the end they died like everything else.
"I know what you are," Chalybs said, coming up beside the lieutenant. "So do I," Van said. "He's an a**hole.... but he's still your commanding officer, so I advise you not to pursue whatever it is you're about to say." He kept a straight face and stared deep into Chalbys's eyes. "Besides... you're in no position to accuse anyone of anything. Stand down, soldier. I can't give you orders, but I can give you friendly advice," he said, gripping his sword.
What's that? Your captain who finds you to be an extremely annoying soldier? "Haha, that's true, but we all knew that. No, I'm talking about where that sense of humor comes from." Then in a whisper he said "And that tail that causes you to sway ever so slightly when you walk" This man was a scorpion-clansman. Just like his brother.
"So do I," Van said. "He's an a**hole.... but he's still your commanding officer, so I advise you not to pursue whatever it is you're about to say." He kept a straight face and stared deep into Chalbys's eyes. "Besides... you're in no position to accuse anyone of anything. Stand down, soldier. I can't give you orders, but I can give you friendly advice," he said, gripping his sword. "I agree. Our Captain may be a bit on the callous side, but he is still our Captain and we should give him the respect that title deserves. Of course, with that said, I think you all fought bravely and, were this my army, I would give you all more commendation for it than you have."
"Hehehe, sorry but I don't have a tail like our bunny friend back there," Sacorax said. The matter wasn't serious. If he really knew and confronted Sacorax he could prove nothing. But for him to notice such a minute detail in his walk, he had to have some kind of enhanced senses. It would be an interesting mystery to dissect as they walked back to camp.
Hehehe, sorry but I don't have a tail like our bunny friend back there you're in no position to accuse anyone of anything "haha. Of course you don't, you all must have misheard me, and i'm not accusing anyone of anything. I said that you hail from the land that borders the forest where I used to live, i could tell by your clothing." he said as he gave the scorpion a glare.
"Haha, that's true, but we all knew that. No, I'm talking about where that sense of humor comes from." Then in a whisper he said "And that tail that causes you to sway ever so slightly when you walk" He said it anyway. What an idiot, Van thought. Fortunately, no one -- not even Sacorax -- seemed to take Chalbys seriously. The accusation could've turned violent, but everyone was too mellow for that right now. Still, Chalybs went on. He was relentless in his pestering. "haha. Of course you don't, you all must have misheard me, and i'm not accusing anyone of anything. I said that you hail from the land that borders the forest where I used to live, i could tell by your clothing." he said as he gave the scorpion a glare. "Excuse me," Van said to Chalybs. "I noticed during the fight that you have a rather interesting fighting style. Where exactly did you learn to perform such magic? Who was your mentor?"
"I could just stab him with my tail," Sacorax thought to himself. "Ten... twenty second to kill them all. If they tried to run, maybe a minute." Sacorax shook off the idea. Instead, he simply shrugged to what the man was saying. "Think what you want."
I noticed during the fight that you have a rather interesting fighting style. Where exactly did you learn to perform such magic? Who was your mentor? "My mentor was a poor deformed midget of a man. he was smart and strong though. As for my fighting style and my magic; my parents were blacksmiths, i learned from them how to manipulate metal, and my fighting style is reminiscent of that of the elves, I picked up on a few of their tricks while traveling with my mentor." Chalybs had practiced this excuse many times, and it was mostly true too. His mom was a weapon smith and his mentor was a midget. "What about you though, I've never seen someone who used a glass sword before. Especially one that one can break in half and still use."
The sun was halfway to the center of the sky when the troop arrived back at the barracks. The news of Basch's death shocked the rest of the barracks, and the rest of the day, which was otherwise largely uneventful, was filled with sullen faces as the men mourned the loss of their favored captain. Soon after lunch, a messenger was sent out to tell the king of the event and to get a new captain. Afterward, those who had already done all their chores or simply decided to "do them tomorrow" were allowed to do whatever they wished. The men who had witnessed the event were soon assailed with an onslaught of questions from their fellow kin, all of whom seemed to want a blow-by-blow break down of the battle.
"My mentor was a poor deformed midget of a man. he was smart and strong though. As for my fighting style and my magic; my parents were blacksmiths, i learned from them how to manipulate metal, and my fighting style is reminiscent of that of the elves, I picked up on a few of their tricks while traveling with my mentor." "Fair enough," Van said. He was still suspicious that ths guy was an Elf in disguise, but it really didn't matter either way. Traitors came in all shapes, sizes, and races. Whether he was human or not didn't mean a thing. "What about you though, I've never seen someone who used a glass sword before. Especially one that one can break in half and still use." "No matter," Van said. "Unlike actual magic, it doesn't take years of training to wield a magic sword. Let's just assume I found it lying in a gutter one fine day."
