| Subject: Rampage North- Ch. 2 |
Author:
Conder, NK
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Date Posted: 22:00:55 06/01/07 Fri
With the South Palisade flattened--- literally, all of the fort was now either at or below ground level after the trebuchet assault--- Keystone Fortress was the next target. Chief Commander Puroc stood in front of the wreckage, prodding a pile of smoking embers with his polished sword.
"Who fired heated munitions?" The ferret's facial expressions were completely concealed behind his full-face helmet, which matched his steel, diamond-encrusted platemail suit of armor. Puroc's black velvet cape fluttered as the wind began to pick up in the clearing. One of his officers, Captain Rigger, responded.
"It wasn't any of our troops, sir. I specifically told our archers not to fire anything flaming, in case any of them forgot we're in a forest here. They likely had a fire going inside," the stoat spoke in a shockingly educated tone. Anyone listening in on the conversation wouldn't have guessed the officers' species at all easily.
"A fire?" Puroc scooped some of the embers up with the tip of his blade and tossed them aside. "Definitely likely. I don't think they intentionally wanted to burn themselves with it, and it is a reasonably hot day today... Perhaps they were using it for some sort of indoor lighting? I don't know." The Chief Commander sheathed his sword. "It matters not. Gather the troops back at the trebuchet, which, by the way, we need to disassemble then. Afterwards, get a bivouac set up for the soldiers, and let them get some rest once it's finished. Captain Torque?"
"Yes, sir?" Another officer glanced up at Puroc. Like Rigger, the stoat was clad in a Captain's steel plate armor and the respective insignia carved in gold on his breastplate.
"Take your hundred and send them out on scouting parties, all of them. We're running low on supplies, mainly food. Keep them on alert for woodlander contact, we're in a relatively unsafe zone."
"Understood, sir, I'll go contact my troop overseers immediately." Torque turned and briskly left the wreckage, despite the weather amplifying the heat inside his armor and trying his stamina.
Puroc sighed, looked down at the pile of embers once more and strolled away from the remains of the South Palisade. While walking, a soldier he had managed to remember the name of, Private Statigo, sprinted out of the woods towards him. The young rat was obviously exhausted, his brigandine armor weighing him down enough to make long-distance running difficult, and he wiped the sweat off his brow while catching his breath, not even noticing Chief Commander Puroc.
"Private? Is there... Something I can help you with?"
Statigo looked up at where the voice came from, and finally acknowledged Puroc. He made a tired effort at saluting with his free paw, then spoke.
"Commander Puroc, sir, sorry! I didn't know..."
"No, it's fine, you deserve whatever pardon you need for running a whole great length and not trying to hide your weariness. It's what I expect, really. Now, why were you running?" Puroc did have a sincere intrerest in Statigo's situation. He made it his priority to express interest and care for those of all ranks in his army, and it didn't hurt that he was actually expressing good will.
Statigo seemed to have regained enough breath to talk. Which he did. "Commander, you won't believe... What I just saw in this... Forest." He seemed winded even some time after his arrival.
"What was it?"
"Other so-called 'vermin' are... Here with us, in this forest. Many of them. But they were real... Evil... Beasts. They had spears... Screaming at... Me... Scream...."
Statigo slumped over, unconscious. His paw fell away from his abdomen. The paw was drenched in bright crimson blood. Puroc involuntarily gasped in horror and shock at the gash in the armor. He looked around. Some of the officers were still around the wreckages.
"Soldiers! Get a medic over here, now! Go!"
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