383 Downfall (1/2)
First Imperial Army, Order of Shadows Camp
Muffled screams came from inside the tent in the middle of the camp. The guards ignored the screams as much as they could while the others kept as far away from the tent. Thos wearing his signature featureless helm strolled paused just before the tent's entrance as another cry rang out.
He ducked his head into the tent and found the Joker with beads of sweat rolling down his half naked body. The Joker held a whip in his hand as he brought it down on to the naked cowering beast slave's back, making the girl scream in pain.
”Lord General Kotor has yet to send any new orders to us,” Thos said. ”It is highly strange, for the General is not someone who neglects to inform us of the situation.”
The Joker took a pause and threw the blood soaked whip to the side. He picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off his face and body before he turned to Thos. ”No word from the General?”
”No, even our men have yet to return,” Thos replied.
”Stange indeed,” The Joker sat down and took a swill off the flagon of wine on the table. ”Our scouts?”
”Nothing from them,” Thos replied again. ”Other than the new force of rebel soldiers that came to reinforce the city the other day, there is no new movement from the rebels.”
Hearing the news, the Joker's eyes darkened. ”Damn those, reinforcements! If not for them, we will be dining and sleeping inside the city by now!”
”These new troops seemed to be those... barbarian soldiers we heard so much of,” Thos said. ”They are rumored to be fierce and highly trained.”
”If they come to reinforce the city,” Thos's helm tilt to one side. ”We might find it harder to breach their defenses.”
”Hmph!” The Joker spat on the side. ”They are just wild people and peasant scum! How can they compared to us Knights?”
”You seemed to have forgotten about their thunder weapons,” Thos gave a remainder. ”Those barbarian troops seemed to carry a more powerful version of the thunder weapons.”
The Joker's expression changed and he stood up suddenly and paced angrily around the table before he stopped next to the whimpering beast slave and kicked her. ”Shut your crying!”
The beast girl covered her mouth with her hands and stifled her tears of pain while the Joker turned to Thos and said, ”Double the guards, and have our scouts report in every half turn of the glass tonight.”
”Tell the men we will move out in first and make a new camp,” The Joker ordered. ”Send more men to General Kotor and find out what is happening on his side.”
”Yes, my Lord,” Thos gave a bow and retreated out of the tent.
The Joker sat down again and his mood sour. ”Once the General joins us, I shall paint the walls red with their blood!”
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Lance Corporal Wolf of the Hundred and First Arcane Tactics and Intervention, Team Claymore One turned as still as stone as he hugged the shadow of the tree he was next to when a trio of patrolling Imperials came within a hand's reach to his position.
He immediately held his breath and prayed to the Gods for the Imperials to not spot him. He slowly released his held breath once the three Imperial soldiers past by his position without any clue of his presence.
Wolf waited for the glow of the torches to disappear in the darkness before he crawled his way across the bush trail used by the Imperial sentries. ”Four to Three, hold position!”
Wolf immediately froze as he followed the command.
”Four to Three, there is a pair of sentries to your left, ten meters away.” His radio whispered in his ear piece.
Wolf slowly moved his head and tried to spot the sentries in the dark but he couldn't see anything with his night vision goggles. ”Move ten steps to your right.”
He followed the orders and carefully stepped ten steps to his right and paused, waiting for the next order. ”Move forward and keep the tree to your left. It should cover you from the sentries.”
”Should?” Wolf whispered back his reply.
”Yes, should...” Came back the reply. ”Now move!”
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Wolf sighed as he mumbled to himself, ”You're not the one whose ass is hanging out here...”
He crept forward to the tree before him and making sure use the trunk of the tree to block his view from the sentries, he peered out of the edge of the foliage and broke out into a grin. ”Three, to One.”
”One. Send.”
”Three, I got eyeball on enemy campsite,” Wolf reported back his sighting and he slipped off his night vision and used a pair of binoculars to view the campsite hidden in the forest. ”Counting at least twenty tents, over.”
Wolf continued to sweep his binos across the campsite. Hidden among the trees and under a thick canopy, he caught glimpses of tents lit by torches and shadows of men. ”Three to One, estimate, a thousand or two of Imperials.”
”One, roger, standby.”
Wolf crouched lower and made himself comfortable as he waited for the next orders. Not long later, his radio crackled. ”Three, this is One, over.”
”Three, send.”
”One, HQ wants you to tag the camp with a beacon. How copy?”