The phantom and the gremlin

This is the dark ages. The Humans are locked in a seemingly unending conflict with the Phantoms (or vampires, ghouls, scum of the earth, whatever floats your boat) and the entire country is being steeped in the blood of the dead and the dying.

In this world of despair, however, strange things are occurring.

Three retired soldiers have reunited to root out corruption, evil, and that little wooden model of a goat my granddaughter gave me last week, I could have sworn it was here a second ago...

A rebel group is forming among the phantoms, led by the increasingly exasperated Phantom 58, hoping to overthrow their mysterious leader.

And one imprisoned Phantom has had this new guard for the early morning shift for three months, and is still nowhere near working out their species, gender, background, nationality, favourite food, whether they have a pet, or how to win an argument with them. He DOES know that their name is Toshiko, and they seem dead set on annoying him to death.

After all. People are still people. Even in the dark times.