The Dark Lands' Link

A familiar voice made Reynold turn his head towards it. It was Julia Holi, the woman who had been nursing his injured state. She walked towards him and he stopped, hand still resting on his sword, "Where is the battle, Reynold? Why are you postured for one?" His hand moved off of the hilt of his sword and moved to his belt instead, "Better, but not there yet."

"Why must I lose my habits?"

"Have you read the letter?" She asked, dodging his question. Reynold drew the wrapped message and shook his head. She gestured for him to get onto it and he unrolled the message and began reading, slowly, "Reading isn't your main skill, is it?"

"No, I am a farmboy, no rich man or child," She looked at him confused, "I apologize, my first reflex is to bite."

"I can understand how you could make a dead man run from you."

"Yes, they did run from me," Reynold replied, "They ran like cowards in fear as I chased and cut them down," Julia nodded as the cold tone in Reynold's voice made her realize how intimidating he could be, as her mother had commented, "I failed to save the others."

"You can't feel guilty for that, you tried."

"I can't help but feel guilty that I survived and that they are in heaven now," Silence fell once more as Reynold walked slowly and Julia walked by him. It was strange to have a rest after the intensity of the frontlines, the comfort of not being attacked was nice but unsettling. The usual reflexes needed to be replaced with the relaxed ones or he would tire himself out completely and he would only make people worry about him and more.

The 1st shock would be done with its resting period in the near future as the Dawn Lady approached him and suggested he meet with Ilbert to discuss a new development in shock combat, more specifically a new type of armor and crossbow to benefit the fighting. Reynold agreed and did as he was told, his body being in the state that he could trust in order to set foot in battle once more.

He suited up in new armor that was being designed for the shock units of the Dawn Legion and the Dawn Lady was there in person to observe him use the armor. It was a strange set of armor with shin guards and gauntlets that could be mini shields and had flexible, reinforced leather elbows, knees and major joints that lended themselves to be ideal for the way shock troops needed to fight. Reynold stood in front of Ilbert and the Dawn Lady along with the blacksmith and his apprentice on top of the other observers that had come to see him test it. Ilbert watched as Reynold moved into the stone arena and the arms of the captured dead tried to lunge for him from behind the cage doors, "Are you sure this is safe, Dawn Lady?" He asked, "He has not completely recovered."

"But the best shock troop you have ever had, in your words, commander," The woman replied as Reynold flipped down his visor and his face was covered. With a simple gesture the cage door was lifted and a quintet of beasts came out to face the armored Reynold with a spear, sword and a crossbow. A bolt traveled swiftly through an undead head as the modified crossbow the weaponsmith had made was more powerful with the same type of bolt. He swung it down as a pair charged and was met with, on one side, a blade and, on the other, the flat side of the gauntlet that cracked its skull. A stomp finished the still frenzied beast as the other was culled with a blow to the head of the sharp blade.

"Most impressive," Reynold looked at the two beasts and decided he wanted to try something with how the dark land beasts seemed to operate. He lifted his visor and the beasts became more cautious in their approach, pacing around him as he held a spear and a sword to keep them at bay, "What is that?" He moved towards one of the dead and they moved to get out of his way while trying to get fleeting swipes on him.

"The dead fear him," Ilbert exclaimed before a spear sailed through the air and took the first beast off of its feet and to the ground as the spearhead went through and half of the wooden shaft did before it fell and its head cracked open completely. The last, unable to run, charged at the one eyed warrior before a strike of his sword and his arm caused the two halves to separate and be culled with a slice through the legs that splattered blood on the ground and a stomp that sent blood everywhere and some onto blind, exposed eye that was Reynold's right eye. His body began to feel weak as his vision went blurry and he staggered before catching himself on his spear, his right eye was burning, almost enough to make him want to claw out his own eye, "Reynold!" He rushed down from the wall of the arena towards the weakening man that moved from on his spear to one knee, "What's wrong?"

"My eye," He stood up and threw up from the pain before jerking up and turning to look at his commander and noticed him back up, nearly with fear in his eyes, "What's wrong, Ilbert?"

"Why is your eye normal?" Reynold blinked and vision had returned to him, except different. His left eye was normal but his right eye showed him something different, as if the mere presence of a human or beast was enough for him to see them, "Can you see?"

"I see, something weird," He looked at the Dawn Lady and she looked back confused, "I can see," Julia hurried to his side as the young man stood, still clutching his spear, "I can see evil, and good."

"What am I?"

"Good, but these things are red, glowing as if I could tell if they had some sort of evil energy," He looked at his hands, "I, I am confused," He grasped his forehead and felt weak once more as Ilbert and Julia caught him, "What's going on?"

The young man's body jerked, tossed and turned in his half asleep half awake state as Julia stood by his side and Ilbert and the Dawn Lady spoke in her planning room, "His state is worrying me, Ilbert, I have a bad feeling about what he brings."

"I can't see what you see, Dawn Lady, but you are the one with more experience than me."

"You think I have seen this before?" She scoffed and looked back at her daughter who seemed very worried about the unwell soldier, "But whatever he has done, his time here has cast a spell on Julia."

"I am not quite sure I know your relation, Dawn Lady, with Lady Holi."

"She is my daughter, and he is just a soldier," Ilbert nodded, "Alas, what happened?" Ilbert pointed at his right eye, "The blind one?" A nod was all she needed to look back at the convulsing man, "The dark land blood got in his eye and has caused something to trigger in his mind and body."

"You can tell this because?"

"Is it not obvious?" She gestured towards him as the convulsing stopped and his body went limp. Julia quickly tried to see if he was still alive before sighing and closing her eyes as his heart beat was slow, but still there, "What is happening?" The Dawn Lady moved close to him, "Julia?"

"I don't know," Ilbert leaned over him and got a headbutt from the sudden waking of the young man. The commander staggered back clutching his face as Reynold stared straight ahead.

"God damn!"

"The beasts will attack once more," He mumbled as his eyes were wide open and he rose from the bed. His right eye had changed and had gone black, completely black with only a golden pupil and a red circle around it. The Dawn Lady looked at him concerned with his intentions while Julia walked next to him to avoid him having a fall that could injure him. Reynold began looking at the rolled up maps and pulled out a map he had never seen but it seemed to be the right one.

"How do you know what map that is?"

"This is the northern front map, three rows of trenches dug in with 2nd, 3rd and 4th defense while they have 3rd and 4th cavalry in reserve," He read out as the Dawn Lady looked at the field commander and her expression asked her question.

"How do you know this?"

"I don't know," He pointed at the map, "There, the beasts are going to attack here and there, two pushes, like the one in the valley, they were testing something against an advancing front when we were in the valley but they haven't had any breakthroughs since, the Dark Lord is testing something against a still front," He was grabbed by the neck by the Dawn Lady, "What are you doing?"

"Why did you use that name? Who told you of that name!?" She shouted as Reynold looked back at her and could only feel her rage and frustration, she was confused and lost by his random burst of knowledge.

"The beast told me."

"The beast?" Ilbert separated the two of them and Reynold pointed at his eye, "What does it tell you?"

"They may not talk or communicate in a very simple way, but they have a sort of connected mind," He declared as Julia checked his neck, "Like bees in a hive."

"And this, Dark Lord, is he the queen?"

"Whoever it is, they are pulling all the strings with these beasts and my eye has just linked me to how they think and how they work."

"Do you think they can tell that you know this?" Ilbert asked as he looked at the map, "Dawn Lady, maybe we need to address this?"

"Ilbert, assemble your men, they are to head north in 2 days time."

"Will that make it?" Reynold nodded, "When are they attacking?"

"4 nights, if you leave in 2 nights, take 1 night to get there and then set up, you will be there in time."

"Scrap that," The Dawn Lady replied, "You leave tomorrow, get your men ready."

"Yes, Dawn Lady," He saluted and hurried out. Reynold went to head to the door before the arm of the well dressed, older woman grabbed his shirt and held him back.

"I am part of his men."

"You are not part of 1st shock, you are to remain here," She met his glare with a somewhat more intimidating glare, "I don't know if your new-found powers can be trusted," She snapped her fingers and a butler walked in, "Send a message to the northern commander, I want daily reports, including battle details."

"Yes, Dawn Lady," Reynold shrugged off her arm and sighed as the butler left.

"I will write to my parents."

"And I will check it," The Dawn Lady added. Reynold nodded and walked towards the door, "I wish I could understand your powers, if I did, I would know to trust you or not."

"Shall I stay with him, Mo- Dawn Lady?" Reynold looked back confused for a second before turning back to the door and continuing to walk.