Captain Leihold strode through tall grass that reached up to his waist. The grass was irritating, both mentally and physically for the captain. With him were six soldiers who followed closely behind, keeping within the trail he created. They were clad in the dark grey heavy armor and similar colored cloaks, but only Liehold’s armor was stained with blood. Marching in the tall grass was bothersome and annoying, just like the entire wilderness was. It was also raining, hard. At first it was inconceivable to him that people could actually live in this land, but he and his forces had captured enough natives to convince him otherwise.

“How many troops have been left to guard the caravan?” he asked sub-commander Jawa close to him.

“Sir, not many. I did not have enough to create an effective perimeter; I had to ration them out to guard the supply wagons. Even then my forces were stretched thinly. General-Commander Soul did not leave us enough forces to effectively guard the caravan. How could he leave the caravan so undefended? If the scouting force was a distraction and another force appeared, the whole caravan would have been destroyed. It could still be the case yet!””

“I’m sure the general-commander had good reasons to believe that would not be the case.” The captain replied gruffly, “I trust his decision, now we simply must do with what orders we have. Again, I ask, how many troops have been left with the caravan?”

“Yes sir,” The woman replied quickly, “the caravan has been left with two armored battalions, the 167th and the 2056th, as well as a single light legion and a single mounted Battalion. I estimate the number to be at three thousand soldiers, plus an extra two thousand wagon personal. The wagon personnel had been gathered with the supply wagons for their own safety.

“You said you left the holding wagons unguarded?”

“Yes sir, we did not have enough troops, so I prioritized the supply carts.” The sub-commander added uncomfortably, “I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t have enough men. Besides, the prisoners should be relatively safe due to the spells cast on them.”

“No one is blaming you for the actions you took, Sub-Commander. And speaking of the spell casters, you did not mention them among your troops. Where are they and what are they doing? The general-commander left them with the caravan, did he not?”

The sub-commander gritted her teeth, “He did indeed leave them here sir, but they were not inclined to stay. They left soon after Commander Soul did. I do not know what they are doing presently.”

Captain Liehold halted suddenly and turned towards the sub-commander, “You let the spell casters leave, unguarded and unsupervised?” he growled, “You left them alone?”

The sub-commander flinched, but held her ground. “There was nothing I could do about that either, sir. They would not listen to my orders. You know how they are! They view us all as inferior beings, and it is only with great reluctance that they even obey General-Commander Soul. There was no way they were going to listen to me. They left at the first chance they had for some unknown purpose and sneered at me when I confronted them. I did not have the manpower to detain them and even if I did, the men are all scared of them. They would not have been able to hold them effectively.”

Captain Liehold turned and swore loudly. He started toward the caravan again, at double the pace than before. Unfortunately, the sub-commander was right. The spell casters always felt superior to the humans they worked with and they never hid their contempt for them. It was only due to the general-commander’s influence that the caravan operated smoothly, but once he was out of the picture, the whole group collapsed. Captain Leihold spoke again to the sub-commander, “Once we get back, I want a team created and sent out to find the spell casters. Take whatever forces you believe are necessary, I want to know where they are and what they have been spending their time doing!”

“Yes sir,” came the reply. The sub-commander signaled the soldiers behind them and two of them broke off to the left. The spell casters have always been trouble for the caravan. They were arrogant, conceited, and spoiled brats who disrupted the unity of the whole company. If not for the necessity of their magic, Captain Liehold would have court-martialed and executed the whole lot of them a long time ago.

The rain was falling down harder and Captain Liehold once again felt disgusted at the abnormalities the wilderness revealed. What kind of place rains unexpectedly and grows wild the way it does here? The more time he spent here, the more he hated the wilderness.

“Captain, if I may ask, how is the battle going?” one of the soldiers behind him asked. It was probably a simple unseated soldier. He must have really wanted to know if he asked a captain so boldly.

The captain couldn’t blame him. He pointed to his own head and asked, “What do you think?” Captain Liehold’s head was covered in a bandage, but one side was soaked red from blood, it was clear he had suffered a severe blow. “If I hadn’t been wearing my helmet, my brains would have been scattered across the grass in this forsaken wilderness.” He felt the uneasiness of the soldiers around him and decided to stop playing with them. “It wasn’t a battle, not really. There was only one ending for the fight from the start. The enemy forces we saw were just part of a scouting legion. They posed no threat to us physically. Still, we could not let them report back to their main force; otherwise within days a whole barbarian company would have had us surrounded. I was with of the 1098th mounted battalion and our orders were to arrest and delay the fleeing forces until our main army could catch up to the group. That was the only real fighting, 200 horsemen against an entire scouting legion. We completed our orders; we delayed them until General-Commander Soul arrived. But we lost half of the 1098th mounted battalion in the process. I tell you the truth; I did not think I would survive. But praise be to Kami-sama, I yet breath. May I see The Endless City again before I die.”

The soldiers behind responded automatically, “Praise be to Kami, the Eternal. He will find victory before the end.” The captain nodded in agreement to himself. Kami would find victory before the end. Whether or not he lived to see it was a different matter though. He could only hope he would.

After pushing through the last line of the grassy plain, the group finally made it to the caravan. A squad of soldiers was nearby and they were talking excitedly using loud gestures and it was clear they were arguing about something. The two soldiers who were sent from the group earlier had returned, and they spoke to the captain quietly. The sub-commander strode ahead and approached the group, “Lieutenant, report.”

The group stiffened to attention. “Sub-Commander Jawa.” They said. But none of them said anything more.

“I said report!” Jawa repeated angrily, “What is going on! Why are you three standing here like lost buffoons and not at your posts?”

“Sir,” one of them replied unsteadily, “I do not know how this could have happened, I don’t understand. It’s true that we didn’t leave a guard with them, but for such a thing to happen; we never suspected it could be—”.

“Stop babbling and tell me what happened! Are you soldiers or not! Where is Lieutenant Fallow? I left him in charge.”

“Sir, he is with the Mounted Legion. He is tracking the –”.

“What in the blazes is going on here!” the captain shouted, coming up and he interrupting the soldier. “I just got word that the Mounted Legion is not here. Where in Kami’s golden plains is it? The spell casters are in some unknown location and now the whole mounted battalion is missing. Somebody had better explain this to me and quickly!”

The sub-commander responded, “Sir, Lieutenant Fallow disobeyed my orders and took the Mounted Legion for some unknown purpose.”

“It’s not unknown,” put in the lieutenant defensively, “and Lieutenant Fallow is operating with clear purpose. How dare you assume that-”

“Enough,” bellowed Captain Liehold, “I don’t care about your petty rivalries. I’ve got an entire Caravan to secure and a third of my force is missing.” He grabbed the lieutenant and brought him closer. “Now, tell me exactly where my mounted legion went and why they left,” he growled.

The lieutenant swallowed, “yes, sir.” The captain let go of him, and he straightened his uniform quickly. “Sir, Lieutenant Fallow took the Mounted Legion east about two hours ago. He was tracking down the trail of the prisoners and he needed the speed of the mounted battalion.”

“What prisoners are you talking about!” the captain spat out.

“Sir, the ones in the wagons.”

“What!” the sub-commander exclaimed, “That’s impossible! The spells put up should-.”

The captain held up his hand in interruption. “The prisoners escaped? How is that possible, how did this happen?”

“I do not know sir. The spells holding the prisoners were taken off them. That is all we know.”

“How many of them escaped?”

“All of them sir.”

“All of them!” he shouted. He paused and closed his eyes to regain his composure. Life just got more difficult for him. “Does anybody know anything about the spell casters?”

“No sir. They are missing as well.”

“I refuse to believe the two are unrelated” the captain spat. He turned quickly to Sub-Commander Jawa, “Get ready five horses; I do not care if you have to take them off the wagons! I will be taking the lieutenant and three other men and will be following Lieutenant Fallow. We will be leaving as soon as possible. Hopefully, Lieutenant Fallow has had some success and the prisoners and the spell casters are found. In the meantime, I leave you in charge, Sub-Commander Jawa.”

Jawa sprung to attention, “Yes, Sir.”

A soldier said, “But sir, your wounds. You should not be riding anytime soon-.”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE WOUNDS!” the captain exploded, “I WANT THE SPELL CASTERS, THE PRISONERS, AND THE MOUNTED LEGION BACK HERE WHERE THEY BELONG! GET THE HORSES READY AND QUIT WASTING MY TIME!”

The men saluted and then left quickly to their appointed tasks.

Captain Liehold left as well, stripping off his heavy armor and muttering, “Kami, can this day get any worse? We only had four more days until we reached the city. Perhaps that was why our guard was down.” He let anger course through him, “No matter, I will not let the spell casters get away with this. They will be punished for all the trouble they caused this time. General-Commander Soul will see to that. They will learn not to disobey us.”

He made it to his wagon tent and changed out of his wet clothing. It was still raining and he knew that his new clothing would become just as wet soon after he started riding, but it felt good to change into something dry and warm for a change. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to ride fast in the heavy armor and clothing he had on presently. His head hurt; it felt like someone was beating a heavy drum on the side of his head with every heartbeat. “Kami, give me strength.” He said.

It wasn’t just due to his undying allegiance to his god that made Captain Liehold work so hard at his job and sacrifice so much. Although, it was true that his entire being belonged to Kami, there was something more to efforts for perfection and order. That something was General-Commander Soul. Kami may have the Captain's Soul, but the general-commander had his heart. Was there ever a man who could do the things he did, win battles against unbelievable odds, inspire men and beasts to potentials unimaginable, and secure Kami’s favor against the countless and powerful demi-gods that formed the aristocracy in the The Endless City? And also, there was the Battle of Crushing Snake where General-Commander Soul gloriously defeated the overwhelming forces of the enemy. All other attempts had proved in vain against the blockade of the enemy, but for the first time in 500 years, General-Commander Soul was able to break through and create an opening. It was through that success that adventures such as this caravan were now doable. The general-commander was more than a man, he was a legend. It was the captain’s greatest joy and honor to be placed under him five years ago, and he believed that when the war was finally won, it would be through the Will of Kami and the direction of General-Commander Soul. Captain Liehold would rather die than underperform his duties in front of his General-Commander.

The captain had finished gearing up for his ride when a soldier appeared in front of his wagon. “Report.” He stated while jumping down and landing in a puddle. It splashed the soldier, but he was either well trained or else apathetic about getting more wet because he didn’t flinch.

He saluted and said, “Sir, we have a messenger from Lieutenant Fallow. He says that the lieutenant succeeded in locating the escaped prisoners. However, the power of the spell casters is needed in order to return them to the holding cells. He has secured the prisoners and also has search parties out looking for the spell casters.”

“Well, one of my problems is solved. Inform the messenger that he will be guiding me to Lieutenant Fallow. He should be given a fresh horse as well. Are the other horses prepared yet?”

“Yes, sir, I will take you to them right away.”

The rain had gotten harder again, and the captain was already soaked when he reached the horses. The ground all around the caravan had turned into mud, at some places making it a foot deep. It made it difficult move and the captain was losing patience. He reached the meeting point and found the five horses and the men prepared. Sub-Commander Jawa was there as well and they were talking amongst themselves.

“I hate this place,” the sub-commander was saying. “The wilderness is no place for any civilized people. There is no light, there is no food, the plant life is out of control, and the weather is unpredictable. It has been raining nonstop for over twelve hours! How can anybody live in this kind of environment?”

“I don’t know about that, but I do know that this mud is no joke!” another spoke. “We have a hard enough time moving around in it ourselves. How is the caravan supposed to get moving again! And if it does, it’ll be twice as slow. Who knows how long it could rain here? I have heard it said that it can rain for weeks without end here.”

“I have even heard it said that the very land here fights against people!” the second man said. “Do you remember the incident four months ago, when the entire ground shook? Several of the wagons were damaged from it, and we thought it was an enemy attack. We never figured out what that was, I think it was. The land itself shaking. Even the plants and trees seem to always be against us!”

“If You’ve heard one story about the wilderness, you’ve heard them all,” the lieutenant said with authority. “Each one more outrageous than the last. But at least we know the truth about one thing: this is a dark and evil place, and the sooner we get out of here the better. What else could we expect from this godless land? This was supposed to be a four month assignment, but we have already been out here for six months. Who knows how much longer we will be out here? I have a home in the city and my wife is waiting. How much longer do we have to stay here?”

“We will stay here for as long as necessary to complete Kami’s will,” stated the captain mercilessly. The captain arrived in the group, startling the soldiers and they stood at attention immediately. But then his tone softened, “But I understand your feelings; I too have a family back home. Be at ease. Our destination for the return to the city is only a few days away. General-Commander Soul will have everything wrapped up and we will be on our way by the morning. In the meantime, we have work to complete.”

“Yes, sir!” the group responded with noticeable heart. They would be home within the week! The thought of The Endless City filled them with energy and conviction.

“Gear up!” the captain said, and he swung onto his horse with grace. The whole group did the same and Sub-Commander Jawa approached the captain.

“Sub-Commander, I leave you in charge. Expect us to return within three hours, but don’t be surprised if it is longer. Who knows how long it will take to locate the spell casters in this weather? In the meantime, prepare for the arrival of General-Commander Soul. The enemy forces should have been vanquished by now. He will be returning within the next four to five hours. If all goes well, we will have the prisoners and spell casters here before then. If not, tell him exactly what happened. He will know what to do.” The sub-commander saluted, and the captain turned toward his mounted men. “Alright, lead me.”

With a “Hiya!” the group started forward and soon left the light radius around the caravan and they disappeared into the rain and night.

*************************************************************************************

Lieutenant Fallow was a dejected man, and his horse, Carla, was dejected also. Neither of them appreciated the long, wet, cold, and muddy goose chase that they had been led on. It was rainy and dark, and he sat still at the moment on his horse. The sweat he had created during the ride was doing its job too well, and now he shivered in the dim mist and fog. During his haste upon leaving camp with the mounted battalion, the troops had neglected to bring enough lanterns. The lanterns available had to be spread thinly across the perimeter, and some had to be given to the scouting parties still searching for the incorrigible spell casters. This left little light for basic operations and created a gloomy atmosphere.

Despite the muck and weeds that created frustrating barriers, the mounted battalion had found the escaped prisoners easily enough. The path the prisoners had created could only have been missed if his entire battalion was blindfolded. At first the lieutenant could not understand how the prisoners could have escaped, and in the panic and haste of their departure he did not have time to dwell on the thought. But upon actually seeing them, he understood immediately what had happened. This wasn’t a jailbreak, it was a forced march.

The lieutenant immediately recognized the work of magic on the prisoners. They all stood absolutely and unnaturally still and silent. For some unknown and inconceivable reason, the spell casters decided to break the spells holding the cages and then spun their magic to make them walk three leagues east of the caravan. In this god forsaken territory. He knew the spell casters were up to no good when they rebuffed his orders and disappeared, but he never imagined they would do something like this.

A horseman rode up to him noisily in the gloom and halted in front of him. The man looked tired. “Report,” Lieutenant Fallow said, straightening up and trying to look somewhat dignified.

“Sir, squads 5 and 6 have completed their search and they conclude that these are all the prisoners within three miles. Would you like them to expand their range of search?”

The lieutenant shook his head and said, “Don’t bother; all the prisoners are probably right here. And if they aren’t, it is unlikely we would be able to find them in this rain and dark. Have them secure the southern perimeter as best as they can instead. What of the other squads?”

“Sir, I am afraid that none of them have located anything useful. There is no sign of the spell casters.”

“Kami, give me strength!” he gritten softly. The prisoners were still encased in some form of magic and without the spell casters they could not even attempt a relocation of them. And looking at the prisoners, it didn’t seem that they would even be able to survive the trip. “Where in Kami’s name, are they?” he hissed.

“Should I keep them on the search, sir?” the soldier asked.

“Yes, by all means! We must find them. Most likely the searchers won’t see anything, though. We are not prepared or equipped for something like this. Those blasted spell casters! The general-commander won’t tolerate this! Tell them to keep searching!”

“Yes, sir!” the man said and he took off again, leaving the lieutenant alone. Besides being tired, the man was young and inexperienced too. fallow knew he shouldn’t have been so harsh with him. All the men here were tired and young as well and he knew shouldn’t expect so much from them. The spell casters were like annoying spirits; they came and went as they pleased with little regard for human affairs. They would not be found easily, even if the light of Kami was here and he had a dozen mounted battalions on the search.

Lieutenant Fallow was just taking out his anxiousness and uneasiness on them. Having a sudden fight take the caravan was enough to make all the soldiers uncomfortable, but then losing all the prisoners as well had a way of upsetting a man. But what he felt at the moment was more than that. This new feeling came from the pit of his soul and it gave him the feeling of sickness and chills. It put him on edge. At first, he couldn’t understand where this feeling was coming from, but soon enough he looked closely at the prisoners. It was from their dead eyes that the terrible feeling came. They were still and silent as stone, standing there like statues with eyes that reflected in the fell light. The other soldiers were not affected as much, but to the lieutenant, it was something out of a half-remembered nightmare.

Perhaps it was because Lieutenant Fallow was once in the same exact position as these men. Unlike most of the soldiers in the caravan, he was not native born in The Endless City. In a different lifetime he barely recalled, he too, was from the wilderness. He had been captured and de-willed, exactly in the same manner as these men were. Then he was taken to The Endless City and was given a new purpose and life. A life of serving Kami-sama and the glorious city of gold.

These men will have the same thing happen to them, if they ever make it back. And they too will feel alive and free under the benevolent will of Kami-sama. And they will not give another thought to the life they once had in the wilderness. But now, under the multitude of unseeing eyes of the will-less in front of him, Lieutenant Fallow felt a terrible sickness, like a taunt and twisted rope, squeezing his insides. How he wished they would look away or, at least, that he could look away.

He shook his head and tried to ignore the feeling inside of him. Life was good under the mercy of Kami-sama. And when Kami won the war he would be able to get away from the madness in the wilderness and return to his home. He had enough worries at the moment to be lingering on those feelings anyway. His forces were stretched too thin and the caravan was left with minimal protection. if there was another barbarian force nearby, everything would come apart. Not even the much-vaunted spell casters would be able to do much against a company of the enemy. That much had been proven repeatedly in the previous battles.

Another messenger appeared, “Sir, Captain Liehold has arrived on the scene. An escort is bringing him here presently.”

“Good.” He said without sounding like it was. “Does he bring any good news with him?”

“He didn’t say,” the man said flatly.

“It’s doubtful he would.” The lieutenant looked at the man. He looked terrible. “Alright, return to your post, son” he said. The man departed without a word. By the Pillar in the Sanctuary, what was the wilderness turning his soldiers into? They hardly resembled the proud and energetic soldiers who departed from The Endless City with enthusiasm six months ago. Every single one of them deserved at least a month of rest when they got back. He knew that was unlikely to happen, though. His horse snorted loudly, “Easy girl. I’m sure you will get some rest as well. Everything will end well. You will see.” He patted and stroked his horse and looked again at the prisoners. He felt terribly uneasy again, “Everything will end well,” he repeated, trying to convince himself. It was all silent, except for the soft patter of wind and rain.