Below, the Wolf Squad is ready. Captain Vargo Cortez leads the way. Julien ThorneGiada Ricci
A heavy wood-and-iron portcullis guards the entrance. The drawbridge slams over the trench carved into the living rock. With a dull thud, the gates close behind them. The Wolf Squad is out.
***
Hours of forced marching through a moor where the earth feels diseased, buried under a crust of ash and yellowish moss. As evening falls, the group camps against a dead, almost spectral forest.
The ground is infested with mushrooms. The scouts know they are poisonous, yet Giada Ricci
The campfire is small, shielded by stones to avoid drawing unwanted attention. The flames dance on the faces of the seven. Vargo Cortez
?You think this is a field trip?? Vargo’s voice rasps like sandpaper. He watches Giada and her mushroom, then shifts his gaze to Julien Thorne
Julien lifts his chin, ready to retort, but Don Thomas places a hand on his arm. A silent gesture. An invitation to calm.
?Explain to us, Vargo,? the priest intervenes with his usual courtesy. ?Instruct these young ones. Knowledge is our first defense.?
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Vargo spits on the ground and drives his knife into the wood of the log. ?Evil isn't an abstract concept, Don Thomas. It’s the Wasteland. Here, the world has gone mad. There are zones where the air burns your lungs before you even notice. Cities turned into swamps where the water is thick with oil and gas; they’ll show you your worst nightmares before they drown you.?
Mira Salvador
?The barrens get dangerous when they go silent,? Cortez continues. ?If the insects are dead and the birds are stone-still on the branches, pull out your Geiger counters and run. But the Silent Barrens are the least of my worries.?
Don Thomas narrows his eyes. ?What are you referring to??
?The Cursed Marshes. The old metropolises are sinking into mud and miasma. Walking there means risking a skyscraper collapsing on your head.? Cortez looks around. Everyone is listening. Even Dax SternKaelen Vance
?Three main dangers,? Cortez says. ?First: spectral illusions. If you hear music, voices, or see things that shouldn't be there near the ruins, get away. Some of my best men were enchanted. They wandered off following a mirage and died in a ditch. It’s a sentient trap.?
?A natural phenomenon, perhaps,? Don Thomas murmurs.
?The coincidences suggest otherwise,? Cortez retorts. ?And then there’s the madness. Stay too long among those ruins and you’ll lose your mind. You’ll start trying to kill your own comrades.?
?Diabolical possession?? Thomas shakes his head. ?The Church excludes it.?
?I’ve seen older, wiser clerics weep with terror, Don Thomas. Many veterans believe the Marshes are the domain of the Lord of the Old World.?
?Heresy,? the priest snaps. ?The world belongs to God.?
Vargo doesn't flinch. ?That’s because you’ve never stepped beyond the Castle walls. I’m teaching survival, not doctrine.?
Dax speaks up in a gravelly voice. ?So... is it true? Do demons hide in the darkness of the Marshes??
?I don't know what they are,? Cortez answers, ?but if you stay there on a moonless night, you won't come back. Those who lost their minds and survived speak of beings that snicker in the dark. Grotesque curses. If you don't have a light, they’ll lynch you. Shooting at shadows won't help. Your only hope is to outrun the dark.?
A chill settles over the camp. Cortez glares at the group. ?And we haven't even talked about the Glowing Forest. That vegetation is a single organism. The plants emit frequencies that fry our instruments. That’s where the 'monsters' get you. Creatures that violate every law of biology.?
?Aberrations,? Julien spits with contempt. ?Radiation mutations.?
?You’re young,? the Captain concludes as Julien lowers his gaze. ?You’ll learn that some things can't be explained by book theories. Now, sleep. We have a long march tomorrow.?
They retreat to their tents. Giada remains outside for a moment, her eyes lost in the night sky. She doesn't care for legends; she only wants to save her community, but she feels the tension between Cortez and Don Thomas like a weight on her chest. She knows the life of a scout isn't a heroic adventure. It’s a nightmare waiting to begin.