aerasio

Random Writing 2

The patrol had been out three days now, and waiting was a tiresome thing. Already the men were restless, a small thing like that and my "elite guardsmen" where already trembling with unfounded fears of an impending invasion. Being a captain is no easy task let me tell you, and a captain I was. Captain of a bloody lot of reckless and foolhardy children, a lot so green that the scribes would make more experienced soldiers. That was the mess I was stuck with, captain of the greenest company in the legion, captain of the 26th company of the 8th Legion of the Amalosin Royal Army.

The war with Altaron had raged on for 4 years now, but our army seemed to have the upper hand. Still, with so much conqured land on our hands, even the greatest Army the world had yet seen was stretched to breaking point. Things were so bad that untried and untested companies like ours where entrusted with the great task of defending our border with Saladar.

The Saladari were by no means push-overs. Just one of their puny 12-man warbands would crush our 50 strong company into nothing in seconds. Fortunately for us, we weren't at war with them. We still had to patrol the borders however, for ours was not the greatest Army in the land for no reason, we left no ground unwatched, left no opening for our enemies and struck with utter precision and ruthlessness. But our last patrol had failed to return and it was getting difficult to control the yearning of our to pack up and run for Fort Zarion.
Border Company 25 of the 8th legion on the Eastern front my weekly report began, The patrol we sent out 3 days ago has failed to return.
The Saladari show no sign of any preparations for any attack, all is calm on the border. Our current supplies will las....
I put the well-worn quill on the log and looked to the sky, day was dawning on us and it would be a hard one. I called across our ramshackle camp to my brother, the only other real soldier in this god-forsaken wilderness for miles around. He was busy fletching arrows with those black-tipped grey feathers he liked so well. "What is it Geron" he asked," the lads getting on your nerves again?". "Aye that patrol is taking a long time to make a one day routine day run" I rested my hand on a knee and lit a pipe. "They probably got lost round the sand cliffs" he shrugged,"who knows and who cares, its not like anyone would care about this backwater." I opened my mouth to reply but was silenced by a familiar cry, one that I had heard before in my prime when I served in the 1st legion in the Saladari War. My brother cursed and jumped to his feet, I drew my long sword, its blade was etched with cuts and blackened with rust but it served its purpose well enough. I ran forward and joined the slaughter.....

So said Aerasio at 07:26