Steel Ethereal

Ch. 17 Armored Prelude

            

            

Sweat soaked the brow of the man. He wiped it away but the sapping summer heat merely brought more perspiration to replace it. The rifle's discomfort on his shoulder brought him focus at least.

Through his scope, he surveyed. He ensured his fellow soldier's survival.

Three of them, all patrolling the surrounding area.

The only woman of the group kicks at something in the dirt. She called for the others.

They huddle around something of interest.

The heat was becoming unbearable.

The sniper wipes his brow for the fifteenth time in the last twenty minutes.

When he looks through the scope, they're jogging toward him. He snaps back. They aren't supposed to leave their position. Whatever it was had to have been important. Their faces plagued by concern.

He stands to meet the three.

"Body, several days old," one of the men say. "Could have been a raid. Bodies charred. Reeks like a mother."

"It happens," the sniper, their leader says, "Cool off. Smell means it was recent."

He takes a deep breath then addresses his comrades, "Stay close. Keep your eyes peeled. We're out in the open. Someone is nearby, we'll find who did this. Sorry guys, but it looks like we'll be away from home a little longer."

"Not too long, hopefully." The woman pipes up.

"Got somewhere to be?" The sniper asks.

"Yeah, home with my little girl." She says opposed, "I told her this was routine, not camping out on a witch hunt."

"C'mere, c'mere." He says motioning to the woman to come to his side.

He's pulled out a weathered map from a pack on his hip. "No, don't be fucking shy, come here."

A boulder sticks out of the ground. It was damp from a few hours ago. The humidity from the rain before led to the stifling heat that made it hard to breath. The sun shines brutally above

The third soldier drops his gun in an attempt to wring his cap of sweat.

"Hey, hey. Not your weapon. Break it down and clean it up." The leader said pointing with the map in his hand.

The soldier scoffs and rolls his eyes, but sits and begins disassembling his rifle.

The leader flattens the map on the boulder. Gratitude floods his body that it wasn't soaked in the rain. He silently thanked Bastion for assigning him a pack that can actually withstand rain. The map itself had seen better days however.

He pushed the tip of the knife against a certain point of the map. It could dull the blade, he knew, but he needed to make a point.

"We're here. We've been here all day." He motioned to the circle in red marker. Purple X's are decorated on the map. The leader points to the X's, "These are attacks on smaller villages. People killed off and sent to Bastion in droves."

"So we're here to stop whoever is killing out of the goodness of our hearts?" The woman soldier asks.

"You know why we're out here. Unless you want to half your rations until they figure out a housing situation for the refugees." The leader folds his map and replaces it in his pack.