Moon and Yorick sat bouncing along a worn-out road with thirteen other soldiers on the way to the frontline. Some were new like them, and others were clearly experienced. One man had told him this was his ninth time returning to the front line after being injured, his name was True Luck. His parents had wanted to be optimistic. And he claimed that so far it had obviously worked. They were all grouped together in the back of a truck along with some crates of supplies.
It was customary that all future leaders of the Nurthians had to work their way up through the military ranks from the ground level up. The higher the rank they achieved the greater respect they got from the people during their years of rule. Emperor Valos, his father, had reached the title of General.
One of Moon’s main goals was to make Captain. This was the highest rank one could go while still staying on the field. On the field he felt he would be able to deliver much more damage than giving out orders to someone who viewed this as some kind of day job.
His hate had only grown for the Sorians in the last four years as he sat with his father in the war room council meetings hearing damage reports of the greedy people as they even attacked trading convoying stealing all their resources and fleeing away back into the forest before a counterattack could be launched.
He was quickly
realizing however how difficult it would begin his play for power as things
were now. To gain such a high rank was not a simple thing.
The biggest problem he faced however was that he and Yorick had been placed in a squadron that wouldn’t have a lot of contact with the enemy. There were too many rookies. They may have been riding out to the frontline, but they wouldn’t ever see any action. They would stop to unload the truck before ever getting close.
Several hours later the truck jolted to a halt the company climbed out of the vehicle to begin unloading supplies to a medical field unit. In the middle of their assignment screaming could be here over the ridge nearby. The experienced soldiers reacted immediately recognizing the sound for what it was. The Sorians had made a hole in the frontline and were pushing their way through causing chaos and taking the advantage to push the Nurthians back.
Immediately medics were collecting medicine and loading wounded into the back of their truck even as the driver made ready to leave. When the last doctor and last drop of medicine were on board the captain waved the driver on leaving themselves stranded.
“Come on soldiers! In a situation like this our orders are to retreat so let’s get marching!” But their marching soon became a run and then an all-out sprint and more and more Sorians raced over the ridge behind them seeking out any Nurthian they saw and cutting them down as they ran with their curved blades.
Soon they’re company was swallow up in the midst of the battle and Moon didn’t envy their captain’s job of trying to keep all the greenhorns alive. Yorick performed excellently thanks to his years of combat training again better opponents and Moon had no trouble holding his own he was ready for a fight.
As the battle grew, they were pushed into a nearby Nurthian city, which was quickly turned to ash and smoke, as explosions burned, and buildings collapsed. People were screaming for help and soldiers were yelling out orders. It seemed the Sorians that had attacked Moon’s unit had not meant to corner them in, but their plan had clearly backfired as they suffered many losses themselves from the volatile explosions as they shook the ground.
As the hours passed, their squadron became separated, and fatigue wore in Moon began to realize the full importance of the battle around them.
Nothing in class had prepared him or Yorick for what the real battle was like. They ran pass fallen warriors, some which they recognized among the sea of faces they had shared meals with. Others they knew they watched get shot down without mercy all while fearing for their own life, however short it was being the young age of fifteen still.
Moon had pleaded with his father to let him be placed in the same squadron with Yorick, believing the pair of them would be untouchable as a team and now he was praying they’d both make it out alive.
As they raced to their next temporary safety spot Moon felt sickened to see he was crouched by the lifeless body of True Luck. His end having finally come from a gun based on the distinct wound through his chest. For his sake Moon hope his end had come quickly and painlessly.
It was more than a little disheartening to see the man who had just hours before been through so much still chattering away cheerfully about what the future who hold suddenly lying there so still. Moon recalled him mentioning being up for a promotion to captain and how excited he was about it. He supposed he wouldn’t get to see what it was like now. He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t relieved when then were on the move again searching for new hiding place. Moon constantly checked to ensure Yorick was still safe by his side.
The cry of a young child rang through the air, grabbing the duo’s attention. Turning, they saw in the shadow of an unstable wall a small girl screaming as her leg was caught among some rubble. Before either of them could react a Sorian soldier ran to the child’s aid quickly lifting the girl free, as she was carrying her to safety another explosion struck quite close knocking the woman off her feet and shifting more rubble to trap her leg instead. Pushing the girl away she ordered her to run. Crying the little girl did as she was told and was swept up into the arms of a worried Nurthian mother as she fled to safety.
Yorick’s feet flew even as Moon yelled for him to wait. Moving to follow he found himself suddenly dragged backwards by his captain.
“That’s wall is going to come down any minute! Now I don’t need two more heroes today! The rest of our new recruits are dead! You hear me?”
Dropping down by the woman’s side Yorick saw that the woman was actually probably no older than him.
“Are you hurt?”
“My leg. It’s been speared by a rod of metal.” She ground out through the pain.
“Okay. I know they tell you not to remove things like this but considering where we are that’s exactly what I’m going to have to do.”
“Okay. Do it.”
“Sure. But first, come here often?”
“What?” She stared at him in bewilderment at the shock of being hit on in the middle of a battlefield in immediate peril of death. Yorick took the opportunity and in one swift motion pulled the rod straight out. Crying out from pain the girl clutched his arm, her eyes widening as she looked behind him.
“Look! The wall is coming down!” She shook his arm. Turning he saw that they only had seconds left. Furiously he began shoving the rest of the debris off to free her leg. By the time he did, it was too late, there was only one more thing he could do to try and save her. Pulling her close he braced his body over hers in the hope to absorb enough of the impact to save her life.
“Thank you.” She breathed in his ear as a sharp pain exploded across his whole body. After that he knew nothing and although he had taken a lot of the impact it’d hadn’t been enough. The girl whose name he never knew lay crushed beneath his body her vacant eyes staring up at the sky through the cracks in the rubble.
“No!” Moon screamed struggling fiercely to free himself from his captain’s grasp. Finally managing it he ignored the cries for him to stop and raced to the rubble. As he was about to start digging a bright green light washed over the world and Moon gasped as he in a single moment relived all of his happiest memories with Yorick. A feeling of regret and understanding emanated from the light. And then it was gone leaving twin giant willow trees covered in vivid green moss in place of their bodies.
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