by T. Sae-Low
Nobody spoke much as the company continued their march. For three days, soldiers were alone with their thoughts. Only General Arges and Captain Titan seemed capable of carrying on as normal; discussing possible battle plans for Lake Raphia, and even managing to laugh occasionally, as one of them would tell a comical anecdote. They tried their best to maintain a sense of normalcy, but it wasn’t enough.
General Arges’ Third Unit was famous for its ferocity and skills in battle. They were not composed of intellectuals, alchemists, or academics. People with those skills were assigned to other legions. The Third Unit was composed of the fiercest soldiers in the kingdom. They were massively sized soldiers with twice the strength and toughness as well. Their mental fortitude was unquestioned on the battlefield. These soldiers had seen and done things that the average soldier would go insane from. Every soldier tallied the number of victories they’ve had in battle upon their backs. Scarring their skin, a notch for every battle won. Unit standouts like Captain Titan had backs that were completely filled; so they’d begun to tally victories upon their arms.
The unit’s sigil was the Kraken, the ferocious mythical beast of the sea that battered and swallowed its enemies, drowning them in the ocean, never to be heard from again. The unit made it its decree that no enemy would ever receive mercy. The battlefield was the ocean, and they the Kraken, ready to drown their enemies in a sea of their own blood. Unlike other units who carried a banner with their sigil crested upon it, the Third Unit carried no flag. Instead, their sigil was tattooed upon their necks, a Kraken reaching out with eight arms. They had one of the most controversial initiations of any unit as well. When a new recruit was assigned to them, they needed to prove their worth. General Arges rolled a die, and whatever number it landed on was the number of enemies the recruit needed to fight in the battle pit. Enemies could consist of soldiers, or savage beasts like bears, lions, or cerberus. For fifteen minutes, the recruit fought for survival, deflecting every blow and attack in a bloody dance of death. If the recruit survived, they were welcomed with open arms, and Arges gave the honor of notching their first battle tally upon their back. If they failed to survive the fifteen-minute onslaught, they were sent back to the infirmary, and then back to headquarters for reassignment. Many did not make it out of the infirmary at all. This was a group meant only for the strongest of warriors.
The past three days weighed heavily on Arges’ mind. His soldiers, the elite of the elite, had been corrupted with fear. Never in all of their battles had they ever acted like this. Their usual loud bantering, impromptu sparring sessions, or other competitive acts of fortitude were gone, and in their place was silence. Nobody spoke a single word. They simply marched forward, eyes constantly searching the forest for the next attack. Soldiers took quick glances at one another, never knowing if one of them was going to be transformed, like Izik. Cracks were appearing within his unit, and Arges knew he needed to get them out of the Dark Forest as soon as possible.
Aric watched Arges closely as they continued their slow march through the forest. He stole quick glances at the general, trying to measure the emotions he knew were raging inside of Arges. The Krakens were as close as family to the young general, perhaps even closer. The pain of losing a single one of his soldiers must’ve cut deep into Arges’ guilt, but to lose five must’ve been unbearable. Arges was trying his best to keep up his soldiers’ morale, encouraging them to resist the temptation of evil that lurked in this godforsaken place, but the only responses he received were fear and silence. Aric remembered the first day he had rode into the Krakens’ camp; Titan was battling in the pit while his comrades looked on excitedly. There was an energy, a warrior spirit that was palpable in the air, but now, that was no longer the case. Was this his fault? Was he to blame for fracturing the Krakens’ mental psyche?
To make matters worse, Izik’s attack replayed over and over again in Aric’s head. The image of Izik’s bloodstained hands reaching out for Aric’s throat would not dissipate. It remained vividly engrained in his thoughts, jolting him awake suddenly when he began to doze off, flashing like bolt of lightning when his mind wandered free. The unrelenting sense of fear ran through his body. As he looked around the Dark Forest, he fully realized just how powerful the Black was in this place. It had corrupted Captain Izik, a deeply faithful man, devoted to the Creator and His family. It had turned the indomitable Krakens into fearful shells of their former selves. Aric had disrespected the power of the Dark Forest, and his men had paid dearly for it.
Aric rode slowly beside Arges in silence. He thought about how Arges had so willingly sacrificed himself to save the Royal Guard. Not even one of his own men, yet Arges didn’t hesitate. Aric had asked Arges why he had done so. The Krakens are my own, he replied, but any soldier of Vicedonia is my family. Aric couldn’t make sense of the response. To Aric, any soldier’s duty in Vicedonia was to protect and fight for their kings, princes, and leaders. To lay down their lives if need be for them, not the other way around. Leaders were rare, while soldiers were plenty. Why Arges had been so willing to throw himself into harm’s way for a mere bodyguard made no sense. The more Aric tried to rationalize the behavior, the more his thoughts and emotions raged wild like Hephaestus’ forges.
They decided to double-time their march, and nobody voiced opposition to the plan. Soon, they came upon a large hill, making every step excruciatingly painful upon their tired legs as they ascended. With each step, their feet dug deep into the mud, slowing them down to a crawl. They used everything they could to haul themselves up the hill; swords, axes, and shields all became impromptu climbing tools. The horses did not have it any easier. They would find solid ground before their front legs suddenly slipped out, sinking deeper into the mud. It made the horses flail wildly, bucking the rider off, and leaving them to their own devices to make it up the looming incline.
Captain Titan could be heard in the middle of the company, barking orders and commanding them to climb faster. Arges and Aric were the first to reach the top of the hill. What they saw was as confusing as it was intimidating. They stood atop a vast chasm. So deep and bottomless it seemed. Aric kicked a rock to see how deep it truly was. The sound of the rock ricocheting off the side of the pit echoed loudly. As the rock sank deeper into the pit, it seemed to disappear entirely; no sound at all. There was no coming back from that, which made what they saw before them that much more intriguing.
Two paths splayed out. Stone bridges that crossed over the chasm. Too perfectly shaped and constructed to be naturally formed, which begged the more menacing question: Who built the bridges? The bridges spanned about five hundred feet across the pit. The path on the left snaked back and forth, leading downwards into the other side, into what appeared to be an opening to a cave. The path on the right ran identically to its counterpart, except it led upwards and ended atop a hill directly across from where they stood.
“Which way do we go, Arges?” asked Aric.
Arges thought for a moment, unsure of what he was staring at. “We need to scout the paths before we commit to one. We don’t know what lies ahead, and we cannot afford to split our company.”
The thought of having to wait for scouts to report back was an agonizing proposition, but one that everyone knew needed to be done. The next obvious question was on everyone’s lips, but nobody wanted to ask. So Arges went ahead and did.
“I need four scouts to recon the paths up ahead. Do I have any volunteers?”
Silence.
“I understand what you are feeling, my fellow Krakens. We have encountered an enemy here in the Dark Forest that we do not yet understand. That is why you are scared. We fear what we do not understand. But trust me, we will discover how this forest thinks and behaves, much like we do with all the other enemies who have fallen before us. The only difference now is that the battlefield is within our minds, and you fight not with your swords, but with your courage. Believe in yourself, stay mentally strong, and this forest will not overtake you.”
&nbs
p; Aric watched the army closely. For some, the speech had done nothing to strengthen their resolve. Their faces remained the same. Others, however, seemed to be shaking off the webs of trepidation, reminding themselves of who they were, and what they represented. The Kraken fears no man, nor beast, nor even demon. It resides in the deepest part of the ocean, at home with the darkness of the sea floor. How could they be afraid of a place that they should be calling home?
Four soldiers raised their arms into the air. “We volunteer, my General.”
A smile shone across Arges’ face. “Step forward.”
The four soldiers made their way to the cliff’s edge.
“Lucius, Titus. You two will scout the path to the left. Quintus, Thea. You two will take the one to the right. See what is up ahead, and report back shortly. Do not delve deeper than you need to go. We will wait here for you.”
“Krakens!” the four shouted loudly. They took their respective paths, cautiously making their way across. Aric watched them go. Brave soldiers indeed, but sometimes the bravest of us all do not recognize when death has already embraced us tightly.
Chapter 22