Chapter 2 - March West

"You will be leaving at noon. A scout from the western front will be the one guiding you. Once there, you are to meet the battalion commander who will be assigning you to your fronts," the sergeant said as he dismissed us for the day and asked us to go and pack up our bags and say our goodbyes to our instructors.

I did as was requested of us. Not that there was much for me to pack. I did ask if we could take some rations with us in case something happened, and was allowed to do so. Aside from the few pairs of clothes that I had, I ended up packing a few pieces of beef jerky and 2 extra jerkins of water.

Along with the food rations that I took, I added a small shovel and rope to my bag in case of any emergencies. And of course, I took my axe and spear. Once I was done with all my packing, it was already around 10, and everyone had started to say their final goodbyes. We had no idea if we would even get to meet these people again after all.

"Jason, let's go talk to the sergeant… we should at least thank him for the extra training he gave us. Who knows, maybe it will help us survive a bit longer," I said as I kicked Jason on his heels.

"Fuck," he exclaimed as he punched me in the gut and left the tent. "I'll be going there ahead, you can follow me once you are done crying," the son of a bitch joked.

"Annoying bastard, wait for me."

***

Not much later, we arrived at the sergeant's tent. It was a very sparsely decorated room, with only a table, some equipment, and his vast array of medals that he had earned on the battlefield.

"Salute," we shouted as he stood at attention before the sergeant, to which he simply nodded and asked us to stand at ease.

"Thank you so much for all the support so far, sergeant. We will never forget the help you have given to us," Jason and I said in unison as we bowed lightly towards the bald old man, sitting comfortably on his chair.

He then got up, startling us, as he approached us to give us a light hug as he spoke, "I am proud of both of you. Don't let me hear the news of both of you dying out there, is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir," we responded curtly, trying to hold our tears in. Of course, we were scared. It was just that we tried not to let it show, but I guess this man, considering how many students he had seen die so far, knew the kind of sentiments we were feeling.

"Now get going. It is best that you acquaint yourself with the scout and get info on your route to the front line so you at least know which way you are going, though I am sure he will give you a briefing before you leave anyway," he said, turning us around using only his brute strength and pushing us out of his tent.

"Sir, yes, sir," we said as we jogged towards our tent, grabbed our bags, and headed towards the front gate where we were supposed to gather.

***

"HELLO EVERYONE!" the brown-haired man standing on the wooden box spoke out loud in a leather tunic and a tight-fitting pair of trousers and shoes, fitting the image I had of a scout.

"I am Captain Hugh Marshal, the leader of the 5th Ranger Corps of the western front. And as Sergeant Johnaes here has explained to you, I will be taking you with me as reinforcements against the invasion force. Each and every one of you should be proud of yourselves. To be able to enter the western front is a matter of great pride and requires great skill," he said, probably well aware that even we knew that all of what he said, though technically correct, was nothing but nonsense.

"I won't drag this out for too long, since we have to leave for the front lines soon. I hope to arrive there before nightfall. Now, if all of you have everything packed, we can depart soon, unless any of you have any questions?" he said, looking at us with an inquisitive gaze.

No hands were raised, likely as he had expected. While most of the people here were too excited or stupid, enticed by the prospect of glory, that they had no real questions to ask, the remaining were already so far into despair at the thought of having to fight demons that they had forgone the thought of asking questions.

Meanwhile, I was in the third camp... I honestly could not care less at this point. It's not like we won't find out this information in the future anyway. So, with that said, since we were all in positions to march anyway, all 40 squads one at a time started to follow behind the sergeant.

***

Fortunately, we started to march earlier than planned, by 11:30, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. We left the training camp, which was about 6 hours away from the western front by horse, which we were taking to get there as soon as possible. The Insula Forest, where the training camp was located, wasn't the safest of places to travel through during the night due to its close proximity to the demonic wastelands where the great invasion had started.

The tall redwood trees made the forest difficult to navigate through at night as they barely let any moonlight reach the ground. And if that wasn't enough, the mutated beasts that went wild at night were always a constant threat for those who traveled through here. It was still manageable during the day, but with new recruits, it was quite difficult to manage at night.

This is precisely why the general had thought of this place as the perfect training ground for new soldiers. Training with beasts helps them get desensitized to killing, and the sight of watching their fellow soldiers getting killed, both of which they will see no lack of once they get to the front lines. I can already see some of these kids having murky eyes, as if they have seen hell. I suppose they will be the first ones to go, ones who already hold no hope in life.

But that is for them to judge for themselves.

"Shit," I cursed as I noticed something moving towards us from the corner of my eyes. 

***

Sometimes, I can't tell what the fuck is going on inside the brain of the bastard who I call my best friend. Like, does he have multiple personalities or some shit? How can he act so nonchalant sometimes yet act equally stupid sometimes? I just don't get it.

"It's a wendigo. All troops, get into formation. We will encircle the creature and deal with it swiftly before it attracts more attention towards us," I heard the captain shout from the front. Though, being somewhere in the middle of the pack, I could not really see what he was talking about. However, before I got the chance to think about anything, Ithax started giving us directions to move according to the captain's orders.