𝙳𝚊𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚣: 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝙴𝚒𝚗𝚜

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚, 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚

Ubour – Of Bulgarian origin. When the spirit of a person refuses to leave the body after death, that person awakens from that death after forty days have passed. The Ubour is not known to be picky in what it eats do to tales that speak of it being more interested in consuming the meat of living creatures than in feeding on blood.

Into the night, the hillside battlefield that was once boisterous with yells of fight, pain and death is silent. There is a quiet peace that flows through the camp, deeds done, battle won and tomorrow at dawn, it would be time to return home to Loviturä. Another icy rain storm is growing strength in the sky and plans to soon let loose on the earth.

Knocking at the wooden post of the Commander's tent, Koza awaits his permission. "Come." Entering into the tent, he finds Soldat lying atop the cot bed with hands over his stomach and eyes closed. The image that creeps its way into Koza's sight being that of Larkonov's head, resting upright on the desk.

"One would think that King Berin would believe you by now when you say you have killed the person he sent you to, and that you needn't bring him a head to prove it," Koza spouts, a lip over a tooth at the vile sight.

"Berin is a liar, he expects everyone else to be," Eber answers with eyes closed.

"That is very psychological." Koza sniffs.

A moment of silence passes, then Koza sniffs again. "What do you want?"

"You are a great commander. I would have no such certainty of victory under the leadership of another as I have under you. You are brilliant, you are strong and you are brave." Eber opens his eyes slightly at the cross points of the tent. "You are..."

"Koza, take care in your next choice of words because they had better have purpose," he says, not moving from his resting position.

"It is just that, because you are such a great leader, why must we resort to trickery?" he asks righteously.

"For the reason that it works."

"Yes, but Sir, to lure someone to their death when all the while you already know what you are going to do to them. Is it not..." Gradually, the young man's eyes move over Eber's sword leaning against the bed. The curves of cold steel, the sharp edges he knows rest inside its sheath, the lifelessness to the metal that takes life from others. He stares at the sword and sees his commander. "Wrong?"

"...You are a good man, Koza... I am not."

Softly, Koza replies, "Sometimes I wonder if you have ever had a heart, or if you have always been cold as your blade?" Eber's eyes drift to Koza. The young Captain smiles and nods. "Goodnight, Sir." He ducks his head and leaves the tent. Steadily, Eber's gaze lowers from the entrance to the sword by his side.

The second Koza steps outside, something catches his eye. A soldier is coming over a hill to the north through the dark and heavy woods. The soldier is wearing a tattered uniform of Der Vorfahr. He is an ally, but he is unrecognizable. His movements and posture seem to be with effort. First Lieutenant Thayer comes up to Koza's side, curious about the man as well. They look at one another and then Koza heads toward the man, thinking perhaps he is injured which would explain his slow, cumbersome walk.

When Koza reaches a shorter distance to the man, he calls out, "Soldier?" the man stops. There is no response. "Soldier!" The man's head quivers as if it strains to look up. In an instant, the man runs at Koza. His teeth are bared with a feral expression on his face. Koza draws his blade and with an easy strike, he drops the man to the ground. The man had put forth no defense, he simply charged without thought. Koza kneels down to have a better look at this creature. As Thayer watches this, Koza suddenly yells to him, "Get the Commander! Quick!"

Eber walks up to Koza who's still kneeling beside the man and stands looking down at them both. He quietly analyzes the being on the ground. He sees the man's face and eyes. The only question he asks is, "Where did it come from?"

Koza points to the northern treeline and Eber begins to walk toward it as Koza expresses his thoughts while still at the body. "It has teeth, strange teeth, sharp," he says nervously aware of what he is saying. "Its speed was not human, the way it moved, the way it looks is not human." Then, he notices the scar on the face, which strikes him cold. "Oh my God, it is Dieter!" he looks towards Eber, who is getting closer to the treeline. "Sir! Dieter died in battle, we buried him over a month ago!" he pauses, absorbing what he thinks this creature might be. "Sir, I think he is an untoter!"

Eber stops and pauses silently fifteen or more meters from the treeline, then turns back to the men in the camp, discussing all that has just happened with them. With force Eber barks, "Quiet!" the camp ceases its sounds immediately. Eber turns back to the forest devoting his attention to the smallest sound he might hear from it. Then as the hush of all noise settles in, there from deep into the woods close to the battlefield that laid undisturbed for days, comes a cry no man there had ever heard before. Powerful and sharp, not of human or animal. As the first cry dies down, the sound of countless others rise from the forest.

Eber turns hastily and heads back to the men in camp, knowing that the formation of a single unit will give the best chance. "Ready weapons!"

Eber draws his sword taking point. The diversity of his army's individual skills are expressed by Thayer's bow and arrow as well as his bizarrely thin blade retained for closer combat, and Ermanno's favored battle axe. Koza steps over to join his General, unsheathing his short blade perfect for swinging with ease in confined fighting conditions as glimpses of the creatures begin appearing through the trees.

They wear blood soaked, weapon torn uniforms of fellow soldiers and of the enemy. They are not moving as a unit or a pack, but are running with the seemingly single-minded drive of personal voraciousness. As they come from the forest, a rush of eminent doom can be felt, however, Eber's army is usually one of calmness and certain success as it is normally their own leader that inspires such feelings of fear and demise. In a state of waiting, Eber stands composedly, ready for the fight as an uneasy Koza turns back to the unholy horde and knows what is to come.

The attack begins, each man fighting his own war as the creatures spread through the camp. As there would be brief breaks from the fighting, Koza has the opportunity to gaze out at all that is happening. He sees Ermanno thriving against the beasts, in many ways actually enjoying the slashing and hacking, behavior not out of the ordinary for him. He looks to Thayer, his childhood friend who followed him to war years ago, not doing so well as the undead almost absurdly outnumber the living. When he glances at Eber, he sees the reputation of his Commander well at work, as he slashes at the creatures, cutting off their heads with single swipes.

As Eber swings his blade to the side after a strike, there is an unexpected approach of an untoter that carelessly thrusts itself onto Eber's sword, thereby killing itself. His blade becomes stuck in the lifeless beast. Unable to free his sword, he is now open to attack and a number of untoten take the chance given to them. Eber is thrown to the ground as the creatures overpower him. There is a moment of realization through the camp that Eber is being slain. Such a thing was never really thought possible. Happening so quickly, there is nothing that can be done say for halting momentarily in astonishment. Not able to see much more than his hand fall limp to his side, Koza and the rest of the soldiers know that with Eber Soldat's death, a fate of the same was now handed to them.