Unit 15 - Second chapter: The Beginning
The night shatters by the beams of dawn as morning begins.
Light barely makes its way through the trees.
Ilsha walks out of her tent, and it seems she is the first to have woken up.
She spots Harran squatting between the entrance and Garet's tent and approaches him.
"Hey, are you alright? I can tell something is wrong."
Harran jumps as she speaks.
"AH! …oh Ilsha, it's just you, uhh yeah all is fine ye know?"
"Harran how much coffee did you drink?"
"Well, you know, only a little, five cans is all."
"Harran you know this is the sleep warder, right?"
"Sleep what?"
"All I need to say is that it's not good that you drank so much."
"Pfft"
He shrugs it off.
"Only a few cans of coffee what can it do?"
"Harran, I said you drank a sleep warder, you are effectively going to stay awake for at least a week."
"Ehh, I can work with that. I've already been awake for about six days before I was sent on this mission with you people."
"…you what?"
——————
Garet falls off his cot and hits the floor.
Breathing heavily he flips himself on his back and sits up.
With his hand on his chest.
"Scheise… bad dream, who would have guessed?"
He gets up from the cold hard floor.
As he goes to check on the heater, Korse barges into his room.
"Morning Garet, didn't expect you to be awake."
"Well, I am up, so what do you need?"
- He says while digging through the cold heater.
"I wanted to ask what your calling was. You're not from the army if I know."
"I was a tech for the irondust refinery."
"And why exactly did you sign up for this? Makes no sense to me."
"I had to get more money."
"For?"
"My wife."
"What's wrong with-"
"You can't ask any more questions CAN YOU!?"
"Alright, sorry to upset you but I would like to know more about you."
"If you wanted to get to know me, you would ask about my favorite song, color, or animal, but not this."
"Can I just… know what's with your wife? I'll leave you alone then."
"She's sick and I needed money for her medical."
"Doesn't the Empire pay for it?"
"She is not Enginian."
"Oh-"
"I uh, hope she gets well soon."
"I hope so too, I was told she received the payment as soon as I signed and hopefully she is getting good care."
"May the gods be with her."
With that, Korse leaves the tent and closes the door behind him.
Garet sits on the ground and leans against the table.
-
Outside he sees Ilsha dragging Harran by the collar, on the ground.
"Ilsha what are you-"
"He might have overdosed himself."
"Overdosed on what?"
"The sleep warder."
"Doesn't sound so bad."
Harran: "That's what I said."
Ilsha: "Well it might be bad."
Korse: "Then he is not going to sleep for a day or two what's the problem?"
Ilsha: "He said he drank like five cans"
Korse: "Okay that… might be bad."
Harran: "And I didn't sleep six days before this mission."
Korse: "Harran you fu-"
-
Zurn is outside the camp, looking at the weird tree.
He is not looking away from it.
Staring it down.
As if waiting for the tree to do something... maybe even blink.
Watching him almost feels like he was wishing for the tree to do something.
After a while, he gives up and wanders into the forest.
When he arrives, he starts looking for any branches he can find on the ground.
———
Meanwhile in the medical tent…
Ilsha forced Harran onto one of the cots and began his examination, including temperature, pupil dilation, and so on.
Harran: "So, your name doesn't sound very Enginian to me."
Ilsha: "My father was not an Enginian, maybe that is why."
"Oh… why do you have a non-Enginian name?"
"He insisted."
"Okay, I heard every medic has a sad backstory, is that true?"
"Do you usually dig into people's privacy like that?"
"Sorry ma'am"
"...is it tho?"
"Harran my task is to heal injuries rather than make them but there are a few knives in my arm's grabbing distance and you are in stabbing range."
"Fine then tell me later."
The checkup goes on.
-
Zurn returns with sticks and drops them right in the middle of the camp.
Korse: "Brute, can you put the sticks outside the camp instead of here?"
"No."
Zurn walks out of the camp.
"That's why Siberans shouldn't go on missions with us."
——————
Sometime later, Harran emerges from Ilsha's medical tent.
"I said I would be fine, I knew it, totally."
- he says while stretching
Then he goes to Garet's tent and knocks.
"Knock knock"
"Come in Harran."
"How did you know it was me?"
"Who else would say knock knock while knocking?"
"Good point I guess."
"And can I-"
"No, I am going out."
With that said, Garet walked out of his tent with a quite big backpack on his back.
"What's that?"
Harran said as Garet pushed him away.
"The task"
"What task?"
"Well, the task Korse gave us yesterday."
"Oh, that thing."
"You know how it works."
Garet stops and turns around to face Harran.
Even with the mask hiding his face, Harran could tell that Garet had been insulted.
"I am the goddamn tech of this group, of the FUCKING COURSE I know how the tech stuff works!"
"Aight man, my bad for asking."
"Why do you even have to accompany me in the first place?"
"I dunno, Captain said so."
- He shrugged
"Of course he did."
Garet said with a sigh.
Both of them walk out of the camp.
Heading north-east.
———
By now it is around noon.
Garet and Harran make it to the cliff edge.
Harran: "Damn I didn't know there's sea so close to our camp."
Garet: "I bet you did not."
Garet drops his backpack on the ground, the snow crunches under it.
From it, he pulls out a metal cube with a handle around a meter long.
"Oh, you're a wizard?"
"No, a tech."
"Ha- have you not seen this? You? A scout?"
"Nope."
"I am actually stunned by that."
-Stabs the handle into the ground
"How did you never see an area scanner before?"
"Oh, so that's a scanner? Well didn't see it 'cause I got it in my eye."
"Great, makes perfect sense."
"Well, what's the point of this thing?"
"It will send images of its surroundings straight to high command."
"Why this place tho?"
"I know how the thing works, that's where my knowledge ends. I do not care what its purpose is."
"Yeah… sounds good."
"Hey was that boulder over there yesterday?"
-He says pointing at a boulder a good distance away from both them and the camp.
North of the camp is the boulder.
Garet as he is messing with the scanner:
"It's a boulder, boulders don't move."
He then turns around to smack Harran but he freezes.
"Okay maybe they do, I don't remember this one being there."
"As long as it's not gone again we should be fine."
"Harran why do you have to say things like this?"
"I'm bored."
"I will shove this boredom up your-"
-
At that time, Korse and Ilsha are on the other side of the tree. Staring at the endless sea.
Ilsha sits at the very edge, Korse a little behind.
Ilsha: "Do you think there's land somewhere out there? A new world?"
"Negative."
"Just believe."
"Negative."
"You can not tell me that there is no land past the fog."
"I cannot tell you that but I can tell you that many who tried to go past it, never returned."
"Maybe they liked it more over there?"
"Negative. I believe they got eaten by the sea beasts."
"Uh, could you help me here Ilsha?"
Ilsha turns around to see Korse with a notebook and a pencil in his hands.
He seems to be trying to draw the tree now in front of them both.
"What is the problem?"
"I am bad at drawing."
She comes over, sits beside him, and takes his notebook.
"I… see, a child might draw this better."
"Thanks for the word of healing I guess."
"Sorry, did not mean to insult."
"It is what it is, I know it is bad."
"Tell me what I drew."
"Um… that black tree?" she said as she looked up at the said tree.
"Honestly, I did not know you could tell."
"It is… the only thing you could draw, I have to be honest about that."
Ilsha then takes Korse's pencil and flips to a blank page.
Korse watches over her shoulder drawing that same tree.
"Ah, so that's how you make the tree uh..."
"Spatial? Shaded?"
"I suppose, yes."
"You have to practice, also why do you want a drawing of the tree?"
"I felt like we should have something to show to high command when they ask us to show something. Though if they don't, better have it, a win-win situation for us."
"Okay then."
With those words, she slapped the notebook into his open hands and began to walk away, back to the camp.
Korse sits in the snow with the notebook as he watches Ilsha walk away.
—————————
The sun shines bright, and it is not so cold here now.
Everyone stands in the middle of the camp, facing Korse… except Zurn, who is nowhere to be seen.
Korse: "So, where is he?"
"It's been like ten minutes."
Garet: "Just get over with why you called this meeting, he is not really one of us in the end so who cares?"
-Harran is sitting in the snow while everyone stands on their two feet like a normal human.
Ilsha: "Yes I agree, we should begin."
Korse: "Well fine, this meeting-"
Harran: "To the point please."
Korse: "I wanted to say we all should-"
Harran: "Why were we sent here exactly?"
Korse: "I'll get to it but now-"
Harran: "But-"
Garet squats down and forcibly covers Harran's mouth with both his arms.
"Feel free to talk Captain."
"Thank you, Garet."
"As I wanted to say, is the scanner in place?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Do you have those next three?"
"Next three?"
"Yes?"
"No?"
"So you were given only one scanner?"
"Yes."
Ilsha: "If I may, this is starting to feel like we are under-supplied."
"Are we sure we unloaded the trucks fully?"
Garet: "Harran and that berserker were in charge of that, I don't know."
Korse: "So we are under-supplied, with a lack of information about what we are supposed to do and we have nothing for self-defense? Sounds absolutely steamer-mazing!"
The meeting goes on for several hours, mostly Korse complaining about how nothing goes by his plan-list like he was expecting... at all.
—————————————————
The air is getting colder as the world darkens.
Harran finds Zurn sitting in the snow... in his shorts and no top.
Legs crossed, sitting on his feet, hands on knees, closed eyes, and facing forward.
Harran sits in front of him and tries to mimic the same pose.
"Striatsa."
He growled like a wolf.
Harran: "What?"
Zurn: "Get lost I said."
Those were the words Harran needed to hear before bolting right into his tent. Like a coward.
-
Meanwhile inside Ilsha's tent are Ilsha and Garet.
Garet is lying on one of the cots on his stomach.
Ilsha stands beside him as she carefully removes his... onion amount of clothing layers.
Ilsha: "I overheard something, I hope your wife will be well."
"How long have you been together?"
She asked in a low, caring tone.
Garet: "Six Sols."
"Can I ask what is with her?"
"I would, rather not."
"Maybe I could tell you if she is fine or not already."
He sighs.
"She inhaled a bit of steeldust I shook off my jacket when I got home, she had trouble breathing ever since."
"From what I know that is not life-threatening, only it causes minor or major discomfort."
"Only freshly heated dust is dangerous from what I know, and I believe it had time to cool off before you reached your home."
"But... she is not Enginian? Will she still be alright?"
Ilsha takes off his last jacket and begins to massage his neck and shoulders.
"I am sure it is not dangerous for anyone unless she is a mousekin or ratkin."
"I am relieved... thank you I-ahhhhh."
"What? Does it hurt?"
- As she jumped away from Garet, arms raised, startled by the sound he made like a dying animal.
"N-no, that's the spot.
"Okay then, I'll continue."
"Hey I wanted to ask, how are you so good at this?"
"Where did you get experience? You look a bit young."
"Were you a masseur before joining the medical?"
"No."
"Then?"
"My father used to beat up my mother, and I had to tend to her injuries and then ease the pain.
"Oh, then I apologize for asking."
"You asked better than Harran, that is enough."
"And your name?"
"Father's choice."
"I see, foreigner?"
"Aridian."
"I thought they don't let those in the capital anymore."
"What I heard from my mother, they did not, and she is not a capitalera."
"My father kidnapped her on her way to the capital and she learned to love him, that is what she said but I know she was lying."
"No need to pour your heart out to me if you don't want to."
"You shared a bit of yourself with me, it is fair for me to do the same."
"mhm"
"Well, how come you look like pure enginiana?"
"I inherited no traits from my father, simple."
"Okay, last question…"
-
Korse is in the storage tent, sitting on a crate as he admires Ilsha's drawing of the tree.
When he is done he flips the notebook around, the first page from the back, it is a list of all supplies, all ordered in utter perfection… though maybe too complicated.
He slams it shut after a while as the sides clap together. He walks out and makes his way to the medical tent.
Without knocking he enters.
"Hey Ilsha are you free to c-"
He sees Garet lying on a cot.
"Is he alright?"
Garet: "Not as bad as I was before."
Ilsha: "Back and neck pain he said."
Korse: "Didn't know you do massages too, can I check sometime?"
Ilsha: "Sure maybe you can pay me with a cup of coffee at your home."
She said with a warm tone."
Suddenly Harran rushes inside nearly knocking Korse off his feet.
"People we might have a problem."
Korse: "What, what is it?"
Harran: "What's the chance of a boulder suddenly disappearing?"
Garet: "Ow just steam me."
With an exhausted sigh as he pushed his face into the cot.
Korse: "What boulder?"