Born a Monster-Chapter 486

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486 Night and Morning

β€œHm?” I mumbled. β€œIs it my guard shift again?” π‘“π“‡π‘’π‘’πš eπ˜£π“·π˜°Ρ΅e𝑙.com

β€œWhat? Hell no.” a female voice responded.

Well, there was only one reaction for that; I stretched out, fluffed my pillow, and started back to sleep.

β€œWake up!” she hissed. β€œWake up, or I’ll slit your throat.”

I grunted, and grumbled something. As if by magic, I found a blade pressed against my neck. It was cool to the touch, and sharp. With a final protest, I opened my eyes.

Yes, my human eyes. Which were buried in the pillow, and could see nothing.

I gradually became aware of the young woman sitting on my lower back. She smelled like a mixture of paprika and cinnamon.

β€œSholwyr?” I asked.

β€œNot so loud.” she whispered. β€œWhat are you even doing here?”

.....

β€œInfiltrating the army.” I said. β€œYou?”

β€œNever mind me.” then she took a deep breath and sighed. β€œInfiltrating the army. Are you trying to assassinate the Fire-Friend captain?”

β€œHm?” I rolled the words around, looking for whatever meaning would let me get back to bed quicker. β€œNo, no. I’m supposed to find a way to disrupt the supply caravan.”

β€œWhat the... What are you doing HERE?” Sholwyr asked.

β€œThe Conclave of Thorns is insane.” I said. β€œI’ve ended up here because they won’t leave me alone.”

β€œThat’s not even... shit!” she said, throwing herself to the left and down.

The tent flap opened. β€œKid.” Ragnal said. β€œShut the hell up and get some sleep. We work sixteen hours tomorrow.”

I did some quick math in my head. β€œNot fourteen?”

I couldn’t tell if he was shaking his head or using his beard to brush his hand. β€œKid... You are sleeping in a cot.”

β€œYes.” I said. β€œIt is much more comfortable than the ground, thank you.”

β€œBigni and I will be up before dawn. We’re going to wake you. If you don’t get. Some. Sleep. Then tomorrow will be very, very bad for you. You understand?”

β€œI understand.”

β€œGood, then stop talking to your imaginary friends. Good night.”

β€œGood night, Ragnal.” I said.

He let the tent flap fall closed. Before you think I was in some sort of officer’s or luxury tent, it was a fabric and leather box so small my cot stretched both walls, and Ragnal could easily slash open the back wall from the door, were he so inclined.

Sholwyr slowly, carefully, pulled her head over the edge of the cot. β€œThat. Was. Ragnal.” she said. β€œOne of the Dark Narwhals.”

β€œBlack Narwhal.” I whispered back to her.

β€œHow has he not sussed out who you are?” she asked.

I shrugged. β€œLack of focus?” I suggested.

β€œYou are an idiot. Do you know who that WAS?”

I smacked my lips together. β€œI gather not, by your reaction.”

β€œYou want to live one tent over from HIM? He’s the closest thing they have to Miletus. Maybe even better.”

I stretched out quietly.

β€œI’m serious.” she said. β€œHe survived being thrown into a river full of Makura.”

β€œI’ve survived...”

β€œIt’s not the same!” then, β€œIf you endanger my mission, I. Will. Kill. You.” she said.

I wrinkled my face, then yawned. β€œWhat IS your mission here, Sholwyr?”

β€œWhat? I can’t tell you THAT.”

β€œHow do I navigate around...”

β€œJust go to sleep.” she said. β€œAnd don’t freaking do anything that kills anyone above a third sergeant, if you can help it.”

What? What had become of my reputation NOW? I had one, only one, level in a Military class. How was I supposed to... You know what? Two people had told me to just go to sleep. With a final yawn, I did so.

Ragnal was true to his word, flipping the cot upside down on top of me. β€œI said. Get. Up. Exercise takes time.”

β€œHuh?” I said, or something similarly profound.

β€œUp.” he clapped his hands. β€œUp, up. As a group, we exercise together.”

β€œMeh.” I said, rolling the cot off me. Even as a yawn rolled forth from me, I sat up. β€œI suppose I can’t decline?”

β€œYou suppose correctly.” he said.

I emerged into the night sky, the cool night air. I squinted, turning in a circle. β€œThe sun isn’t even coloring the horizon.”

β€œWelcome to our world, young soldier.” Bigni said. β€œNow pay attention. We’re going through the stretches that loosen your muscles.”

β€œI’m going through stretches.” Ragnal said. β€œYou’re just flapping your gums.”

Bigni replied with a yawn that would have done a dog proud, exposing his sharp teeth to the chill of the night. But it might have been for show, because he walked me through ten minutes of stretches and light exercises.

THEN the real work started, forty four minutes of arduous repetition, possibly originally designed as a torture technique. Variants of it, Bigni told me, existed in all armies across the world.

β€œIt’s why soldiers... real soldiers... are worth two or more militiafolk.”

β€œLike the bulk of the army we have here.” Ragnal said.

Bigni continued as though Ragnal had remained silent. β€œSure, anyone can be trained to hold a weapon. But soldiers maintain their weapons, their fitness, their discipline. We can perform as a unit, not just a group of rabble. Our morale is better, our fighting is better, and we can do it longer.”

I was having enough problems getting air into my lungs; I didn’t dare to respond and risk the breathing that was going on.

β€œThere’s a leap of ability power at each level.” Ragnal said, β€œBut that’s not the only measure of strength.”

β€œJust so.” Bigni agreed. β€œBut... ten counts of butterfly sit-ups and then let’s go splash some water on our faces.”

I accepted the hand he offered, and was almost surprised that I could stand without swaying.

β€œHeh.” Ragnal said. β€œLook at the color of his face; he’s been away from proper exercise for too long.”

Ah, the water was glorious! Cold and wet and...

[Exposure to Yellow Fever. Resistance confirmed.]

β€œAnal assfarts!” I exclaimed. β€œI just got over that infection.”

Ragnal tasted the water, spat to his left.

Bigni sighed. β€œAgain?”

β€œNot as strong this time.” Ragnal replied, upending the barrel. β€œBut yeah. It’s still making the rounds.”

β€œHow,” Bigni asked, β€œdo you survive to adulthood in such pestilent lands?”

β€œThe same as everywhere, I guess.” I said. β€œMothers, herbs, magic in some cases, faith in others. And yet, I am told roughly one in ten doesn’t make it to adulthood. It amazes me that a full half died getting to adulthood during the Dragon Age.”

Ragnal squinted. β€œThat,” he said, β€œhas to be human propaganda. I mean, look around today and tell me that there’s any shortage of humans.”

Bigni nodded. β€œAnd that figure, the one in ten, that sounds low to me. It is unlikely that human mothers care more for their children than real people’s mothers do.”

I held up my hands. β€œI’ve done no study on either figure, myself. And I yield that the Graveyard of Hattan would be overflowing if those figures were accurate.”

But... could they have been accurate? That amount of death would explain how the place had become an undead nexus. But then, where were the other massive graveyards that had to exist? Ghouls couldn’t have eaten them all, could they?

Ragnal slapped me across the furred part of my head. β€œHey, pay attention, kid. We still need to find a clean source of water.”

It wasn’t hard; the next barrel was safe when we got to it, and I left it alone as we left.

After a quick washing and hydrating, it was time to return to camp, and don armor.

β€œI don’t have armor that wasn’t confiscated.” I said.

β€œIt’s your turn to do the supply run.” Ragnal said.

β€œNo, I even have that recorded in my System.” Bigni said. And then, β€œAh, Loki’s Balls on Fire. Okay, I guess it’s my turn.” He made a flicking motion and sighed.

β€œShouldn’t take long.” Ragnal said. β€œHe’s small.”

β€œYou know it doesn’t work like that.”

β€œIt had better not take long.” Ragnal snorted. β€œCaptain needs both of us if another citizen soldier gets uppity.” π—³π”―π™šeπ’˜eπš‹π˜―πš˜Ξ½π™šl.𝑐o𝙒

β€œCitizen soldier?” I asked.

β€œOur name for the land grubbers.” Bigni said. β€œThe colonist militia.”

.....

β€œOh.” I said. β€œBut why would they have any reason to complain? It seems to me that they were getting some good chunks of farmland back north in Whitehill.”

β€œLet me get my armor on, I’ll see what I can explain while we’re waiting on your new soldier’s kit.” Bigni said.

Ever notice how long twenty minutes is when you’re just dying to learn something?

For those of you fortunate enough not to know, a butterfly sit up brings the right elbow to the outside of the left kneecap, and then down, and up the other way, left to outside right. Two reps, or repetitions, made a single β€œcount”. At no point are your shoulder blades allowed to touch the ground, or your count starts all over again.

Because I wasn’t about to try spreading diseases without even a casting. It just doesn’t end well if you do that continuously. Or, since it involves heinous things happening to the one spreading disease and death, I suppose it does end well ... for everyone else.