Order and discipline are above all else desirables. And yet oftentimes the most Good things ever achieved were done so in spite of such practices, where mercy overrules order and sympathy overrules discipline. It is an innately human trait.
Perhaps at a time Hiroskae was not particularly well-versed in that truth. Or any truth for that matter—everything always seemed less important when he was focused on lighting his pipe. It was a hard, blocky little thing, already soot-colored to begin with; and never wished to be lit easily. So he stood there chipping away at it with his flint, regarding little else.
“Hiroskae, at attention!” Only the harsh voice of Kazu could snap him out of it. A samurai adorned in twice the armor and twice the swords of the others (although his hairline sorely lacked in comparison), he was a perfect hardass counterbalance to Hiro. Just not a perfect father.
“Hm.” Hiroskae replied, finally having his smoke and rather unwilling to be rid of it. There was cause to be stubborn. Their troop was advancing toward the field—that was all well and good—but under Einar’s orders they were to rendezvous first with a garrison of Utgar’s soldiers. It was an exchange between firepower and favors, tactics and cover all lost on Hiroskae’s perspective. It wasn’t lost on Kazu though.
“You are not granted ease, Hiro.” His superior swiped the pipe clean out of Hiro’s mouth, his speed shocking for his age, “We must show respect to Utgar’s troops. All of us.”
Hiro couldn’t help but speak his mind, “I’ve no respect for the dishonorable, sir.”
It was almost a taunt on Utgar’s part that the garrison he had sent was headed by a man called Garamahi. Hiroskae knew him well on Earth: a Ronin traitor whose only knowledge of honor was in how to best break it. And he didn’t settle for just honor: he broke family and friend alike. Favor or no, tactics or no, it was a disgrace that any of them should have to parley with such a man. Every samurai in the troop knew it—Kazu ought to most of all—even if none of them would outright say it.
A look of both understanding and scorn flashed in Kazu’s eyes. He handed the pipe back and stared Hiro dead-on, “A Ronin does not have the leave of his master. You should not stoop to the same level in pettiness. What you respect is irrelevant. We speak on Einar’s behalf just the same as Garamahi will speak on Utgar’s behalf. These are matters far greater, so do not disrupt them with childish behavior. Discipline above all.”
The pipe was returned willingly and still lit. Hiroskae was quiet for a moment and then hurriedly snuffed it out. He bowed low and said nothing more.
The group advanced through the ugly wilderness, their march orderly and flashy. It was perhaps fitting that this empty land already looked like a battleground since that is what it would soon become anyhow. Hiroskae didn’t know the name of the province, just that a higher-up he’d never met wanted it. And a Jandarian higher-up he’d never met intended to keep it.
Dead-ahead was Utgar’s troop: an ugly squat fortress of hulking steel bodies. Blinding red lights peered at the samurai, innumerable DeathWalkers stationed lookout on a deformed hill. Amongst the metal men there was a single human—unmistakably Garamahi. Two Kyrie were with him.
Kazu approached and bowed low, as did all the others behind him. He held forth a golden arrow with blue and violet feathers, and a jet-black tip, “The Sign of Einar I give to you, as thanks for your aid. Please give it to your master.”
Garamahi did not reflect the samurais’ splendor, dressed in rags and reclining on the back of one of the hulking DeathWalkers. The only sign of former glory still with him was the sheathed blade he gripped in one dirty hand. He grinned slimily and, scratching his scruffy face casually, reached out and accepted the token. He carelessly tossed it over his shoulder to one of the Kyrie, who turned and flew off with it. Hiroskae’s low bow hid his scowl.
“Thankee, Kazu.” Garamahi said, “Utgar has no token to give other than his firepower. The DeathWalkers will cover your advance and hold the perimeter.”
“And what of your sword?”
Another smile, the Ronin tapping the undrawn blade against the metal beneath him, “I was instructed to observe from a safe distance, in case things go disastrously. A wise precaution, I think. Don’t you agree? Anyway, the Soulborgs will take it from here.”
Kazu bowed again, “Our deepest gratitude.”
Garamahi only spat, slouching back against one of the machines. Hiroskae rose to his feet, giving the Ronin a steely gaze, but it was only returned with a careless glance. As if everything that had transpired on Earth was just a inconsequential dream.
“Anything to add, bro?” The Ronin requested.
Hiroskae frowned, “Nothing.”
Even that was too much for Kazu, swinging his arm and snapping loudly, “Hiroskae! Come!”
Garamahi persisted, “Nothing to declare? Notta thing at all for your ol’ pal, Hiro?”
“I don’t discuss pleasantries with evil.” The samurai muttered.
“‘Evil’?” The Ronin clapped, “What is Evil? Do you wanna know what life without honor feels like? It feels
Good! I can live! I can be me! I’m part of your family now more than I ever was before, because I don’t hafta hide behind a stiff spine!”
Kazu walked over and yanked Hiro back into line, striking the back of his head as he went, “Silence, fool! Keep marching…!”
Garamahi laughed, “Relax, pops! I’m not so petty as to let our alliance fall apart just for some good old fashioned out-of-line talk! Give me some credit!”
At his signal several of the DeathWalkers rose to their feet and slowly trudged over to the samurai, their weapons gleaming in the morning light and their eyes lifelessly gazing down at the puny humans before them. Silently they joined the troop, marching onward.
“Best of luck! We’ll be watching you from the perimeter!” Garamahi exclaimed, more foreboding than comforting. Hiroskae grimaced and did not look back. It wasn’t his job to look back.
---
The plan was to have all of Einar’s units advance across the rugged terrain and secure the far border. Utgar’s DeathWalkers would provide support from the flank and air, although some also accompanied Hiro’s unit. A perimeter was set up around the edge of the battlefield, the machines ordered to shoot anything that moved: fleeing enemy or deserter alike. They were an appreciated send considering Jandar’s recent summons of gun-toting machines of his own. Only Kazu had been in a battle with guns on Earth, and he insisted it’d be a hellhole.
Hiroskae scanned the horizon, noting the ugly landscape. Too craggy. Internally he questioned why they needed this province at all, but Kazu was right—it wasn’t his place to question the big picture.
“NO SIGNS OF LIFE DETECTED.” A Zettian lifelessly reported. The way it swiveled back and forth as it scanned the horizon wasn’t terribly comforting as an ally. These were machines no different than ballistas; make no mistake. Their enemies could very well be no different. Hiro mentally shrugged. This was how warfare was now, he supposed, a lifeless affair.
Not entirely trusting of the Zettians’ eyes, the samurai peered out across the landscape. A few miles out he could see the tiny boxes of what looked like Kyrie dwellings.
“Are those houses?” He asked aloud.
One of the bigger DeathWalkers dispelled his doubts, its voice monotone yet booming, “UNINHABITED. MOVEMENT AHEAD.”
Hiro frowned but nodded, ducking back down and remaining quiet. Battle hadn’t broken out yet, but it would, and no one wanted their unit to be the first attacked. So they were laying low, slowly advancing across the field of battle. There were enemies out there somewhere. It was merely a matter of who found who first. The samurai and DeathWalkers plodded onward.
It was quiet.
About two hours in and Hiroskae was beginning to get impatient. The Jandarian outpost at the far border was within eyesight now, a distant line of flags miles away. They were getting too close without conflict. By now a DeathWalker vessel had taken to the skies and was flying behind the troop, scanning the craggy earth for hiding defenders.
Silently the samurai continued moving across the terrain, still waiting for the chance to draw swords. Kazu led, peering over ledges and carefully moving forward while laying low. It was a look contradictory to his flashy battle attire. Hiroskae watched him go, remaining on the front-right flank of the group.
A flash of green caught his eye, the samurai turning and spotting an elf crouching down in one of the adjacent trenches. He was an archer, a ranger by the looks of it, holding a bow down to the ground. The arrow he had nocked glowed faintly, a ring of runes flowing around it.
The elf was looking the other way, perhaps at some unseen target. Hiroskae stopped, not saying a word. The enemy was unaware, but also alone. Where were the others? That was a calculated risk.
Without a sound the samurai slowly drew his sword and crept closer, as near as he dared without parting with his own cover. This was his chance to make up for his acting out-of-line with Garamahi earlier. A chance to prove his qualities.
The elf crept along the ground, silently raising and aiming his bow at whatever his invisible prey was. Hiro didn’t give him the chance, springing from cover and dashing across the barren wasteland toward his target “Charge!!”
Many of the other samurai saw his target and followed, drawn blades gleaming in the air. The elf saw them and darted back down below cover, scrambling for safety. Hiroskae never saw him again.
From across the horizon a bright blue beam of light flashed. It struck one of the samurai and killed him instantly, the light piercing straight through him. A dozen more came flying through the air, anyone not behind cover easy prey for the long-ranged weaponry. Hiro panicked and threw himself to the ground, looking for nearby targets to engage but finding none.
“
Omicron!!” Kazu shouted. In a brilliant flash of silver he drew his blade and charged, but only so far as to make it to cover in the uneven terrain. His remaining men were right behind him, but already the shots from afar returned in great numbers. Many fell quickly.
“Hiroskae you fool!” Kazu crawled over and grabbed him, yanking him to his feet as soon as they were behind more reasonable cover, “You do not have my leave yet! Advance down the—”
As he spoke another shot shrieked through the air, more blue lasers coming from the left flank. It struck the samurai squarely in his head, killing him instantly. He fell.
“Master!” Hiroskae screamed. He stooped down and then stood, drawing his sword halfway and looking around for the source of the gunfire, trying to do everything at once but only partially in his shock.
One of the Zettian soldiers stomped over to him, firing with one arm at some unseen enemy far away. Its other hand lunged out and seized the panicking samurai, “VIPERS AND ELVES ARE IN THE TRENCHES. GET DOWN AND KEEP YOUR HEAD LOW.”
It threw Hiroskae down behind one of the crags, continuing to exchange fire with whatever had killed Kazu. Hiroskae only watched, suddenly feeling completely out of his league. Only the machines were actually fighting—everyone between either hiding or dying. His sword felt like a simple toy in comparison to the warfare at work here, and it did little to bolster his panic.
He clambered across the ground, jumping at every explosion or gunshot near or distant. He didn’t see the rest of his troop or any other sign of Einar’s soldiers in sight. Or any enemies for that matter. He just kept moving until the sounds of battle were more distant, his shock finally beginning to fade. Leaning against hard black earth jutting from the ground, he breathed heavily and stared skyward.
It felt like a short while, but the sky dimmed quickly as time passed. With one shaky hand the samurai retrieved his pipe and tried to light it up. It didn’t catch.
Consequence slowly came back to him. What was he doing here? The battle was that way. He was anything but a deserter. Although technically he was right now. His own foolishness and Kazu’s last words rippled in his thoughts.
No leave. Abandoning the battlefield out of fear. He was no different than Garamahi right now.
“Damn…” Hiroskae shifted his position, getting onto his knees. He drew his shortsword and laid it down before him. It was quiet, just him and the sword. Distant explosions sounded off somewhere far away, the sounds of battle and flying machines only a soft echo. He couldn’t do it. Hiroskae picked up the sword and sheathed it, putting away his unlit pipe as well, “…Damn!”
He rose to his feet, unsure of where to go from here. He couldn’t do it. So be it. The least he could do was to get out of this place. It’d been a short while, and the sounds of battle had died off a bit, so he felt safe enough to sneak away. There was a house not far, and he retreated there. Not safe, but safer.
What exactly his plan was he didn’t know, but he could work it out later. Apparently his weak will gave him plenty of time at least.
The house was a simple one-story shack made from faded wood, bent with age and looking fit to fall at the first serious gust of wind. There was nothing inside save for empty furniture and scattered silverware. It was cold.
There were lots of windows and open spaces, making the place poor cover. That was to be expected for a Kyrie dwelling, but even they must’ve had backup plans. Hiroskae looked around for someplace to hide, spotting a closed trapdoor beneath a table. Now that was better. He stooped down and opened the hatch.
Instantly a flash of green greeted him, lashing out of the dark and knocking the samurai down. Frenzied teeth and claws assailed his arms and torso, fast as lightning and with no regard for self-preservation. One of Ullar’s vile snakes.
Grunting was the best he could do to placate the pain. Powering through it, Hiroskae wrangled the viper right back, finally seizing its slick body in his hands and casting it from him. He raised his sword but the snake only lashed out again, wrapping its tail around his wrist and holding it off. Turning around, the viper redoubled its attack. Its bared teeth went straight for the samurai’s throat, but his free hand grasped its neck and held it back. Again the two collapsed and resumed wrestling.
It was a contest of limbs: to see which could match which in the effort to get sword or tooth to the enemy’s vitals. But Hiroskae was disadvantaged without a coiling tail. It lashed and constricted him as they fought, even knocking the sword from his hand. He fell to the ground, ditching the weapon and pressing his hands against the snake’s. It was all he could do to keep its maw away from his neck. The tail took this in stride, lashing out and wrapping tightly around his neck.
Hiro gagged, reeling back. He slammed his head against the floor, trying to crush the tail under his skull. But it was a rope of lithe muscle, not easily dissuaded with pain. The snake squeezed tighter, inspired to press its advantage at his desperation.
He was losing his grip. Darkness was closing in. His empty hands waved in the air, searching for a target that wasn’t there. What an end, but one befitting a man now without honor. That was a lone consolation, at least.
---
“Ugh…” Hiroskae slowly came to, the rattle of distant gunfire his waking call. Still fighting out there. The battle wasn’t supposed to go this long.
He tried to move, but there was still a firm grip around him. Jade rope: the viper still constricting him. Its body wound around his arms and torso, the two just sitting on the floor back-to-back.
Hiro squirmed a few more times before giving up, finding his predicament increasingly absurd, “…What is this?”
Quietly the voice behind him slithered out, “It’s none of your business, sss!”
Not being dead made him strangely apathetic. He had surrendered to heaven and was now instead here. Hiro stared blankly forward, “…Okay.”
“Sss!”
The pair remained still, the viper refusing to release him. So the two just sat there in the empty house, accompanied only by the sound of battle in the distance. It was the only sound.
“…”
“…”
Hiroskae rolled his tongue around his teeth. Impatience slowly gnawed at him. Impatience that was strangely calming. The battle was far off now, he had been killed by a snake, and now he had time to think.
“…Do you mind if I smoke?”
The viper craned its neck. Hiro couldn’t see it, but he could feel it, “Smoke, sss? It’s not a trick, is it, sss?”
Hiro continued staring blankly forward, “It’s not a trick.”
“Sss! I don’t trust you. Where is your pipe, sss?”
“There’s a pouch by my sheath. It’s with my tobacco.”
Muttering a disgruntled (sss!) to itself, the viper begrudgingly ran the tip of its tail along his armor. It clumsily felt around his belt and pried his pipe out. Hiroskae awkwardly opened his mouth and tried to bite the pipe as the tail held it to him like a hand feeling around in the dark. It was no less awkward as the tail prodded him with a match trying to strike it.
“Ar you sur I shudn’t do it?”
“Sss! Quiet!”
“…” Hiro stared blankly forward.
“…Okay, fine. But only for a bit!” The snake’s grip lessened.
Hiroskae swiped the match at struck it against the pipe. It didn’t catch, so he kept at it. And at it. As usual; stupid thing…
“Hurry it up, sss!”
“I’m trying!” Hiro struck harder.
Finally the pipe lit, the samurai sighing deeply and relaxing.
“Sss! Happy now?”
“Mmn.” The comforting habit soothed the samurai’s nerves. Hiro let it burn out, the quiet returning now that the problem had been resolved. He didn’t care too much for quiet though, glancing over his shoulder, “So what are you doing here?”
“Not its business.”
“‘It’ has a name. Its name is Hiroskae.”
The snake hissed, “What difference does it make? Still not your business.”
“Whatever you say, viper.”
Another agitated flick of its tongue, “Sss! Yuut is what I’m called, human!”
“It’s Hiro, viper.”
“Sss! It’s Yuut, Hiro!”
Hiroskae smirked, “Pleased to meet you, Yuut. Y’know, I’ve never seen a viper all on its own before.”
“Not alone. I got separated, sss!”
“So did I.” Hiro nodded westward, “Battle’s that way. Maybe we can split and just pretend like we never saw each other, yeah?”
Yuut’s grip tightened, “Don’t think so. New mission too important, sss! You have to be my prisoner now!”
“What new mission?”
The question didn’t relieve any pressure, “Sss!”
Hiro sighed, “Listen, Yuut. I think we’re both considered deserters at this point. I don’t have any honor left, and if I did it’d probably be axed as soon as I returned to my commanders. So I don’t have any reason left to fight you. Is it the same with you?”
He was prying, but he wasn’t necessarily lying. The viper was hardly a combatant to him at this point, and he was technically a Ronin now. The least he could do was get out of here alive. Maybe then he could actually survive long enough to find a way to regain his honor. Provided that was an option. The sword might be the only real answer… but no; there had to be another way. That wasn’t just running from his problems, right?
Finally Yuut replied, “Sss! Mustn’t tell a soul, you! Won’t live to tell a soul if you do! I’ve got my eye on you, Hiroskae. Up!”
The snake’s tail lashed his heels, prompting Hiro to shakily get to his feet. He wobbled a bit, primarily just trying to keep his pipe between his teeth. It was difficult walking with a viper around you, but he awkwardly obeyed Yuut’s commands, and the not-so-subtle pulling of the snake’s body in certain directions. Over to the trap door the pair shakily went.
“Down here!” Yuut hissed.
“You don’t say?” Hiro gracelessly moved down step by sharp step.
“Sss! Mind your tongue! Ow!” It was jostling work as it quickly grew dark down in the cellar. Hiro stumbled around, wanting to feel for a wall but unable to do so. The faint glow of his pipe offered no direction, illuminating only itself in the weak embers.
Finally another glow responded, the dying light of a lantern offering some guidance around the corner. There was a desk covered in papers, the light sitting on the corner within its rusty home. A few feathers were the only hint of a previous owner, and a barely audible muffled cry hinted at a remaining one.
“The hell is that noise?” Hiro inquired, looking down at the green belt around him.
“Open the big drawer.” Yuut replied.
Stumbling over, the samurai obeyed with what little reach of his hand he had. The drawer creaked open, containing nothing save for a tiny bundled blanket with a newborn infant inside. Premature feathers surrounded it: a Kyrie to be sure.
“Sss!” Yuut said, “See? I found it when I got here. But no parents to be found; shot dead most probably by your allies. So I hid it.”
“You did this?” Hiro snapped, “You don’t put babies in desks, you numskull!”
“Why not, sss?”
“Never you mind. Let me go!”
Yuut refused to relent his grip, “I can’t do that! You might break the Egg, sss!”
“It’s not an egg, you dunce, it’s a baby. And I don’t think you’re
qualified to take care of it! So let me go!”
“Sss!”
Hiro groaned, “So you’re going to keep me prisoner
and take care of this baby all by yourself? In the middle of a warzone. For how long?”
“…………………………” Yuut said nothing for quite some time, “…Fine!”
The viper slithered off of him, uncoiling as if he were stretching for being stuck in one place for so long. Hiro clutched his ribs and exhaled, reaching over and snatching the infant out of the desk. She (he assumed so anyway) began crying loudly, more noise than the stuffy air could allow. Stuffy, yeah that was probably it. Hiro frowned more and snuffed out his pipe.
“Sss! See, you’re no better off!” Yuut accused.
“Just needs some fresh air, I bet.” Hiroskae refuted, turning and heading back skyward. Yuut muttered something in viperish and followed him, slithering past on the steps up and coiling around the samurai’s sword in distrust.
The air was still crisp with battle far off, but it was certainly preferable to the musty cellar below. Hiroskae favored it over hiding underground, as did the baby in his hands. He figured a Kyrie would. Hmm, preferable to hiding… perhaps he was onto something. Hiro turned and faced Yuut.
“So what’s the plan?” He asked, “Wait around for the battle to finish?”
“If it finishes, sss.” Yuut’s thin eyes darted around, “But that’s going to take a while, yes?”
“I imagine.” Hiro sat down next to him, “I also imagine this place isn’t going to stay terribly safe. DeathWalkers are likely going to level every structure in sight from the skies.”
“Sss! Perhaps. But the Snipers, sss, they’re under orders to shoot anything that moves at the perimeter.”
Hiro raised an eyebrow, “You’re one of them, aren’t you? They wouldn’t shoot you.”
“Sss! Maybeee… but… maybe not. They will think I am a deserter. Sss! Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Well, don’t think it’ll be any different on the Einar-Utgar side. Those machines would butcher us from a mile off if we tried to escape.”
Yuut coiled in place, circling the sword as if he were pacing, “Sss… Maybe we could escape between them. Better that than be bombed from above, yes.”
“Just not that much better.”
The viper slithered over, taking the sword and slinging it across his back, “Would that be east then, yes?”
Hiroskae glanced in that direction. It wasn’t terribly favorable terrain, just like everything before it, but compared to the alternative there wasn’t much better, “I suppose so.”
“We’d better go then. Sooner I get out of here the sooner I can get back to camp and get back in, sss.”
“Yeah, I’ll probably do the same.” Hiroskae lied.
Yuut ducked down low and slithered to the door, “I will scout ahead. You take Egg, and don’t try anything you’ll regret…”
Hiroskae began to remind him about the many distinctions between egg and infant but stopped himself, frankly out of ideas as to what to name the baby while she was theirs. Egg it was, he supposed. Rooting around, the samurai found a few more blankets and fastened them around his armor, tucking the Kyrie into the makeshift strap and holding her with one hand. Then he followed Yuut outside, back into the fray.
The viper was moving around the ground, Hiro’s sword clanking against the earth repeatedly as he went. Hiroskae watched him go, gradually summoning the courage to follow. Out they went.
It was quiet work, the landscape having returned to its tense self. There was a battle going on in this province to be sure, but it was back in a lull waiting for the first chance to ignite again. The only visible fighters were the DeathWalker airships flying around in the far-off distance, countless lights on their underbellies searching for prey.
Hiroskae lay as low as he could, quietly following Yuut as the pair headed eastward. How far the border was he couldn’t say. He only hoped there’d be some escape from this battle there. Perhaps locals who could take Egg, or maybe even offer him some shelter. It didn’t seem like much of a long-term solution.
Hours rolled on by. It grew dark.
“I think we should stop.” Hiroskae muttered, “I can’t see a thing.”
“Sss.” Yuut turned and coiled up, “Fine. But keep in mind I’m waiting on you.”
“I think Egg needs some sleep.” The samurai excused, slumping against jutting earth and eyeing the baby. She was squirming silently, useless wings fluttering. He awkwardly cradled her, by no means experienced with this sort of thing.
He could hear Yuut’s tongue hissing, “I’m surprised, sss. Surprised one of you evil things would care enough to save a child.”
“‘Evil’? I’m not evil.”
“Sss! You’re on the evil side.”
“I am not.” Hiroskae muttered, “Besides, it’s an honorable thing to do.”
It was very dark by now. He could only hear Yuut’s voice, “Sss! So, you do this for some code?”
Yes, well, no. Perhaps it was the case. Did he think doing this would change anything that had happened? There really was only one answer to dishonor, and it wasn’t a quick patch of goodness like a bandage to a simple flesh wound. But it was nonetheless the right thing to do.
“Code or no, it’s what I am doing.” He explained, half to the viper and half to himself, “It’s the right thing to do, and that’s all that matters.”
“You make little sense, Hiroskae. Sss.”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Hiro closed his eyes. It’s not like he could see anything anyway, “Evil side or not, honor or not, it’s the right thing to do. It’s a human trait, being a little nonsensically good sometimes.”
“Sss! No. It is a snake trait as well!”
“Fine. Whatever you say. It’s a human and snake thing.”
Yuut hissed in approval and slithered around, sneaking off to do some more scouting. The sound of Hiro’s sword tapping the ground repeatedly faded as the snake went. Apparently vipers didn’t need much sleep. Hiro gambled on relying on him a little longer, breathing deeply and trying to get just a bit of shuteye while he could, only half-sleeping in case he was needed.
---
A loud noise nearby rattled the samurai back to consciousness. Gunshot, close. He instinctively drew his sword but it wasn’t there, a dream of things being back to normal making the waking world seem strange by comparison. Current circumstances flooded back to him. It was still very dark.
Egg had been sleeping too, but the noise had woken her as well and now she clung to his armor and began crying loudly. Hiroskae traded the sword-in-hand mentality for keeping-her-safe and held her tight, crouching low to the ground and duck-walking toward the danger. He had to find Yuut.
Two more gunshots in the dark. There was a sound of slithering and the smell of blood and Yuut was back. He darted up to Hiro and pressed tight against the wall of the trench they had sheltered in, “Sss! Metal man!”
“What is it?” Hiro felt around for him and touched scales wet with blood, but Yuut slapped his hand away.
“DeathWalker. We’ve been found!”
A thin beam of red light waved around in the air above them, the laser sight of one of the Zettians a giveaway to Hiro. More gunshots kicked dirt up above them, Yuut turning and darting off again. Hiroskae reached for his sword but missed, “Hey wait!”
More fire peppered his position, the samurai muttering curses as the sound of iron feet marching over grew louder. What was Yuut’s problem, leaving him alone and unarmed like that?
Egg continued crying loudly. That was it. The viper was going to give the machine the choice of two targets. Then Hiro could bolt. Sure enough, loud hissing followed his thought process, the sound of the Zettian swiveling to face another direction following right after. More gunshots, but aimed elsewhere now.
Hiroskae clutched Egg and prepared to run for it. But something stopped him. Yuut was already wounded, and hardly qualified to take on such a long-ranged and precise enemy. It was a death wish. The samurai on the other hand was an ally.
Now Hiro was throttled with hesitation. Damn that viper! He sucked in his breath, hoping it could contain his courage, and climbed over the trench. In the dark he could make out the red lights of a single Zettian, already turning to face him.
Hiroskae held out his arms, hoping the machine’s recognition visors worked in the dark, “Stop! Don’t shoot! I’m a friend!”
The machine gazed at him, its Gatling gun arm still spinning but not firing. Then it spoke, “FOREIGN OBJECT DETECTED.”
Hiroskae glanced down at the Kyrie baby slung to his chest, his blood running cold at the realization, “Ah, hell…”
“Sss!” From the darkness sprang Yuut, rushing forward in a mad frenzy and tackling the Soulborg. He bit and clawed, further bloodying himself in the process but nonetheless refusing to relent. The machine fired its weapon, bullets flying skyward.
Not hesitating for a second regardless of allegiance, Hiro raced over and drew his sword from Yuut’s back. He brought it down into the Zettian’s face, sparks flying into the air and the machine immediately powering down. The gunshots stopped.
“Ugh…” Hiroskae breathed a sigh of relief, slumping down again and holding Egg tight.
Yuut slithered over, wincing each time his wounded side touched the ground. Hiro begrudgingly handed the sword back over, but the viper brushed his hand away, “Sss. No need.”
“Praise be.” Hiroskae was glad to be armed again, putting the weapon away, “Thanks.”
“No, sss. Thank you.” Yuut coiled up, seemingly satisfied to take the rest of the night off.
“Do you need a bandage or something?”
“No. I’ll make it to the border before that happens.”
The samurai raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
“Before I die, sss.”
Okay, the samurai raised both eyebrows, “What are you talking about. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Yuut didn’t seem too bothered, “There are a lot more Venocs than bandages to go around. There will always be more vipers.”
“Give me a break. What kind of outlook is that?” Hiroskae obstinately tore at his clothes, admittedly taking a few tries before pulling out a serviceable stripe. He felt around in the dark and seized Yuut, yanking at him, “C’mon!”
“Sss! I’ll bite you!”
“Don’t be such a baby! I’m just sharing some of my human culture with you!”
“Sss!” Perhaps too weak or tired to fight it, Yuut relented. The two hid back in the ditch, first getting Egg to sleep again now that it was quiet. The viper begrudgingly lay across Hiroskae, the samurai striking up his pipe again for light before bandaging his friend’s wound. The bullet had gone clean through, making it a slightly easier job. So he figured anyway—viper anatomy was rather lost on him.
“So you genuinely don’t bother with anyone who’s hurt, do you?” The samurai pried as he worked, pipe in teeth giving his words a stuffed accent, “And you say you’re the good side?”
“Sss, no point, is there?” Yuut replied, “When you compare your numbers to your resources, you’d reach the same conclusion. Unless you humans don’t have that problem.”
Samurai didn’t most of the time, but Hiroskae couldn’t feign ignorance even if the issue never affected him personally, “Understandably, I suppose…”
“Such measures are better saves for the higher-ups.” Yuut said, “The big vipers and the elves and the Kyrie are a better investment of such things, sss. We serve our purpose by dying in battle.”
Hiro smirked, breathing new light into his pipe, “Oh, that’s the ideal, Yuut. Dying honorably in battle… now there’s hardly a better way to go. But I think the idea there is to have a point.”
At the last word he tightened the bandage, Yuut yelping and scowling. Hiroskae smiled and continued, “See, we’re not exactly at
ideal status, you and I. And I don’t see any other vipers or elves or Kyrie about, so you’ll just have to hold onto that bandage until we find one, yes?”
“Sss! So be it.” Yuut was quick to slither off and coil up tight, “And your ideal, human?”
Hiroskae looked down at Egg, “That’d be to actually live long enough to help get Egg out of this warzone.”
“And after that?”
“I don’t know. Find some other way to continue regaining honor.”
Yuut’s eyes gleamed in the dark, “I thought dying in battle was the honorable way.”
“Usually…” Hiro said, “Eventually…”
Technically if he wanted his honor back he should take his sword and stick it in his gut. The true answer was always readily available. But Hiroskae hadn’t done it before and he wasn’t doing it now, despite its obviousness. He frowned, trying to conjure up other solutions in his head and coming up short.
Egg would do for now. He was doing the right thing. That made him completely different from Garamahi. But that also meant he was doing this for himself, not for her. Hiroskae shelved the thought for now and tried to regain lost hours of sleep, hoping the problem would somehow resolve itself in the postponed future.
---
The third alarm since the battle began went off, the sounds of distant conflict rousing Hiroskae. He was the first up, the sun only just beginning to rise. Checking his surroundings for nearby trouble, the samurai spotted numerous lasers in the eastern distance. The Soulborgs were clashing.
“Psst! Yuut!” Hiro crouched back down and woke the snake, “We’d better get moving. The machines are fighting. Our eastern exit might be closed off soon.”
“Sss!” Yuut slowly uncoiled, the viper checking the horizon for himself before replying, “We’d better get moving.”
“That’s what I just said. Let’s go.”
The fighting was too distant to be terribly noisy, Egg still sleeping when Hiro picked her up. He moved slowly to try and not wake her, muttering as he went. Yuut scouted on ahead.
“Sss! We’d better be ready to trade places on demand.” The viper noted, “If it’s one of mine, you’d best lay low and vise versa. Sss.”
“Aye. Hope it’s neither.”
The pair stuck close to the ground, spending clusters of minutes hiding in one spot whenever a nearby Sniper shot went off or a DeathWalker ship flew overhead. Things became increasingly contested as they moved, the battle having unfortunately shifted in the same direction they had decided to escape in. Nothing could be done about it at this point.
Hiro kept an eye out for non-mechanical soldiers but saw none. Their support had taken over the fighting by now, and there wasn’t an organic fighter to be found on either side. It didn’t feel like a battle anymore, lacking in spirit save for those hiding in unseen places, no longer participating.
It was a hellish day, not helped by being boring with all the slow sneaking and waiting for things to pass. The pair kept to the best routes they could manage to avoid the heaviest conflict, trying to get to the border, and to the spot in the border that would be the least contested. The only thing keeping them moving was a desire to survive, and see Egg survive. She didn’t deserve this. Without a word needing to be said between them the two bore her to the exit.
Expectedly Egg began crying with increasing frequency as they moved onward, luckily masked with the roar of battle but nonetheless unable to be satisfied. Hiro muttered curses, wishing he had the means to help.
“How do you make that stop, sss?” Yuut inquired sharply.
“Do you have food?”
“Sss. No.”
“Well there you go.”
Clock’s ticking. Hiro figured as they slowly crawled from thin ditch to ditch,
We don’t have the resources to feed her. Move faster.
The province border was a series of small hills dividing the region. There were numerous outposts on both ends, but they didn’t dare station too close to each other. And with conflict so close they were likely eyeing the battle rather than monitoring the humble exit. That was the theory anyway.
“There.” Hiroskae breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it, “Do you think there’s civilization not far past there?”
“Sss. I hope so.” Yuut’s narrow eyes looked around, “Sss. We’re too close to the DeathWalker side. We should have gone further north.”
“Makes no difference at this point.” The samurai argued, “We’re sitting ducks making it for those hills either way. I just hope that the perimeter is more concerned with shooting Soulborgs than deserters.”
Yuut hissed, “We’re not deserters. We’re heroes. Sss.”
Hiroskae smirked and patted the viper’s shoulder, “Glad to be one. Alright, try not to die.”
“Sss! If anyone dies it’s going to be me on the DeathWalker side, sss!”
“Do it for the kid.”
As if on cue, a gunshot fired off, kicking up dirt only a few feet off from the two.
“Sss!” Yuut muttered, “For the kid, yes.”
Hiro made the first go, putting some distance between him and the shot before darting from his cover and running for the hill. Another gunshot was quick to follow him, plowing into the earth between his feet. Damn! Hiroskae looked southward, spotting the shapes of DeathWalkers perching on the nearby hills. The red lights on their iron bodies shone brightly in the evening sky, looking right at him.
Orders to shoot anything that moved. Damn!
“SSS!” Yuut hissed loudly, the viper having not followed the samurai out. The snake turned and slithered south toward the machines as fast as his belly and claws could carry him. As intended, the soulborgs faced the new target and began firing.
Dammit, Yuut. So be it. For the kid. Hiroskae turned and made for the DeathWalkers, screaming loudly as he ran toward the border, “Vipers! Watch out! Vipers!”
As he neared, he could see Garamahi with the Soulborgs. It was strangely calming to see another human amidst all the lifeless machines, even if it was him. The Ronin dropped his sleazy smile at the shouting and turned to the trenches, “How’d they get so close? Fire! Keep firing!”
Gunshot after gunshot followed Yuut’s speedy racing, the DeathWalkers paying Hiro no heed as he raced over. Without a word Garamahi helped him scramble over the hill and get behind the two hulking Soulborgs firing upon the viper.
“MAINTAINING SUPPRESIVE FIRE.” The machine lifelessly reported, “HIT.”
Finally one of the shots struck Yuut, stalling his rapid advance. The snake hissed and flopped over, the DeathWalkers continuing to shoot until the viper stopped moving. Yuut lay there limply, the bandage around him soaked in blood. Hiroskae winced. But there was no time to waste. The samurai held Egg tight and turned to leave.
The DeathWalker ceased fire, “NO FURTHER TARGETS DETECTED.”
“Keep looking!” Garamahi ordered, facing Hiroskae, “I’m surprised you’re in one piece, brother. What are you doing all the way out here? Where’s Pops?”
“He didn’t make it. I have to go.”
The Ronin raised an eyebrow, “Wha? What about the battle?”
“I’m injured.”
“Oh. Okay. There’s a camp about fifteen minutes from here. It’s that way.”
He pointed southeast, returning his attention to the battlefield westward. Hiro clutched Egg tight, trying his best to muffle her mewling, and made his way down the hill.
“STOP.” The second DeathWalker ordered, “FOREIGN OBJECT DETECTED.”
Hiroskae paused, biting his lip.
“TURN AROUND.”
The samurai could practically feel the gun barrel pressing into his back, slowly facing the machine. Garamahi looked back and raised an eyebrow, “What’s this?”
“Exactly what it looks like.” Hiro replied, “I found her on the way here.”
“FOREIGN OBJECT.”
“May I take her to base?”
“NOTHING GETS THROUGH. UTGAR’S ORDERS.”
Hiroskae frowned, “This is Einar’s battle.”
“NOTHING GETS THROUGH. UTGAR’S ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE.”
Garamahi shrugged, “Just leave it, Hiro.”
“I can’t. It’s not right.”
“It’s not honorable to just leave the battlefield either.”
Hiroskae met his gaze, “I didn’t say honorable. I said it’s not right.”
The Ronin just stared at him, looking confused and perhaps even contemplative. It was an exchanged look not experienced since childhood, before all the animosity. Hiroskae still didn’t fully understand him, but he didn’t hate him. Not anymore. All of that almost seemed irrelevant now, compared to what was at stake.
The DeathWalker stepped forward, “NO FOREIGN LIFE FORMS PERMITTED. SURRENDER THE OBJECT. YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO COMPLY. FOUR. THREE.”
Hiroskae breathed deeply. It was always going to come down to this. There was and always had been only one way to regain his honor. Even if there wasn’t. It was the right thing to do.
In a split second his sword was drawn. In the next the blade was in the first DeathWalker. Garamahi drew his katana and the second Soulborg swiveled around.
Hiroskae took their advance in stride, pulling the blankets wrapped around his torso and throwing the bundle at Garamahi. The Ronin didn’t expect it, falling back as they struck him softly in the chest. Hiro lunged for the second DeathWalker, his blade glowing in the setting sunlight.
The machine was too far. It faced him before he reached it and fired three consecutive shots. The bullets punctured Hiro’s armor and he stumbled back, five more shots knocking him to the ground.
It was over before Garamahi had his chance to strike, the Ronin sitting up and watching the Soulborg continue shooting his brother until he stopped moving. The machine slowly reloaded lifelessly and faced its damaged counterpart, “THIS UNIT IS DAMAGED. NOTIFY A REPAIR UNIT IMMEDIATELY.”
“Hiro… what the hell…” Garamahi said.
“NOTIFY A REPAIR UNIT IMMEDIATELY.”
The Ronin got to his feet, finding that there were more than blankets lobbed at him. That baby was in there. Garamahi glanced down at her confused, then to Hiro and then to the DeathWalker in quiet contemplation.
“NO SIGNS OF FOREIGN OBJECT. SUBMIT A FRIENDLY FIRE NOTICE IMMEDIATELY.”
But the Ronin was already gone, leaving the border and heading further eastward. Just not to the camp. There was something he had to do first.
---
Order and discipline are above all else desirables. And yet oftentimes the most Good things ever achieved were done so in spite of such practices, where mercy overrules order and sympathy overrules discipline. It is an innately human trait. Well, perhaps not exclusively human. It is a snake thing as well.
February 1st, 2018, 09:42 PM
Sss!
TAF was the Storyteller... 
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