Child of War (Tales of Autcrem)

Chapter two, the new kid

                                                                                         Author notes

I decided to split chapter two into two and three for those who have read this it was over seven thousand words. I write long chapters and I realized that doesn't work well for wattpad. There still around three thousand words, sorry for that. But for whoever is confused why chapter three changed to four and theres a new chapter three thats why.

They woke up early by the loud banging of pots. They had a very sufficient alarm system in the military. One guy wakes up a bunch with pots; they do the same. It takes only ten minutes. Though if the first guy to wake up doesn't... well, it was a nightmare of double-timing it for hours.

Hensei rose tired and sleepy. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his back. For so young, he had a few too many scars. Two cutting cross his back, one up his stomach that reaches to his chest. He felt that one. It had almost killed him. An elf, his least favorite, had slashed his long saber straight up his stomach. It cut deep, and Hensei was only barely able to jump back to keep it from cutting deeper. The two on his back were a surprise attack from a berserker orc with wielding two axes. His right shoulder also held scarred skinned from a fireball. It reached across his shoulder like the fire that had tried to engulf it. He touched that one, too; it made him feel older than he was. That was his first scar, and it hurt from time to time. It came from a Sac'lo who was good with fire magic. Hensei had got in close, and the Sac'lo shot his fireball. Instead of trying to take less damage, Hensei tucked in his shoulder and took the fireball straight on. Then pushed through the pain and cut the fire user down. Such a young boy to already have battle scars. In one year, he had gathered those. Yet only more would appear as time went on.

"Shut up!" Baz shouted as he woke up to. The pots didn't stop banging. "It's Mull isn't," He muttered as he pulled a shirt over his own scarred body. He had been in their merry band of young men. Second longest. Hensei being the longest. Even Bat, who was older, had been the fourth person to join their group.

"Mull!" he shouted as he dragged on his boots and hopped out of the tent. The silver of light that shot through hurt their eyes. "I'm going to pound that already swollen face of yours if you don't stop!" Then Mull shouted something Hensei didn't understand, and there was some running as the noise faded. Baz was always angry when people woke him up from a nap, he looked at going to bed as a really long nap. Dale and Baz were the sleeping types on their squad though Dale would be lazy all day. You could get him up no problem because he was too lazy to do anything about it. Baz might kill you.

"Such annoying people," Gav said, still lying in his bedroll. He was the third and final person in their small tent. Only enough room for them their bundles of stuff and a chest for their gear and rack for weapons. So not too bad at all.

"Annoying people are part of life, Gav." Hensei smiled.
"If you just ignored people, they wouldn't be." He said, rising and dragging a shirt on. He had far more scars then any young child should. Burn marks and wounds. Yet the worst scars lay under his skin. Somewhere deep down in his very soul. If you stared into his eyes through all the pain, you could almost see it all.

"That would ruin the point of life."

"Hmph," Gav snorted.

Hensei shrugged and rose as well. They dragged on their boots and made their way out. Fresh air is what Hensei wanted to breathe in, but he just got grimy, smoky, and sweaty air with a hint of fresh trees. Better than the smelly and sweaty tent he was sleeping in. He had grown used to it a long time ago. Just like everything else on this battlefield.