Book 2, Chapter 8 - Elite Task Force (1/2)
Chapter 8 - Elite Task Force
At the gate of Sandbar Outpost. A small temporary military outpost.
The fat guard captain was busily applying a poultice to one of his soldiers. The poor man’s nose had been broken from a punch so vicious it almost caved his face in. What made it bitterer was that they simply had to accept it. Luckily the punishment wasn’t serious, and with the help of Skycloud medicine his subordinate’s nose would be healed in a couple of days.
“Captain, when are we going to be finished out here,” the soldier grumbled. “It was so hard for us to get a chance to dispatch, but we haven’t gotten anything done except to piss off someone important. It’s only gonna get worse.”
Their captain was just as gloomy.
Every Skycloud regiment was eager to prove themselves, but they were still in peace time. How were they supposed to earn achievements where there were no enemies? The captain was a naturally slow-witted fellow who was also a step behind others, and compounded with his humble background there wasn’t much of a chance for him to get anywhere in life. It was an injustice to these poor guys that they were assigned to his leadership.
“It’s been a year since I’ve been back and I have no idea what Jade is up to. Back in the village, I was third place in the military draft competition, now here I am. I can’t even show my face back home if I could go back.”
“Will you shut your damn mouth? I was first in my whole town!”
“Ah! Easy Captain, not so hard!”
The captain huffed in irritation, glowering in displeasure. And could he be blamed? Most of his soldiers were villagers before they were soldiers, the pride of their small homesteads. None of them figured they would end up as scrubs after joining the illustrious Skycloud military. For him it’d been a full three years since he’d been home, and every time he wrote to his mother it was hard to find things to brag about. If his mom knew what her fine boy had really become he didn’t want to think of how disappointed she’d be.
He wasn’t going home, not without some honor to show for it. That was the truth of life as a soldier.
But when? When would he be able to lift his head in pride?
“C-c-c-captain!” A lanky soldier practically fell over himself as he raced toward him. He was simultaneously trying to stop his helmet from falling off his head and keep his panic under control. “The demonhunter from this morning is back!”
The captain went white as a sheet.
What was he doing back here? Was he not satisfied with the beating he’d already given them? Had he come back to teach them another lesson?!
His dull wits were still mulling over the dark possibilities when he saw the short masked tyrant saunter into view. His hoarse and unsettling voice went right to the point. “Fatty, I figured you’d be looking for a way to make up for your mistake, am I right? Here’s your chance. I’ve come across a group of rebels here in the Sandbar, and the stakes are high. It’ll be dangerous, are you up for the mission?”
“Wh-… what?” The fat man’s jowls jiggled. His soldiers were stunned – the blessing was as sudden as it was unexpected!
They’d been soldiers for years and they’d barely been able to go out on patrol much less act in an important mission with a demonhunter! Now suddenly they were being asked to clear out a nest of agitators. A pleasant surprise indeed!
This was more than an honor. This was a chance to make their mark! Years of meritless labor had led them to this opportunity.
Cloudhawk hadn’t expected such a positive response and was still uncertain about their attitude. So he added offhand, “This matter isn’t very important to me, but I need to keep my identity a secret. For my secret mission. What that means is if we succeed you’ll get all of the praise and reward. So, have you made up your mind?”
“Your devoted servant would walk through hell for you!”
The fat captain was full of admiration for the great demonhunter. Over the last ten years there hadn’t been any major conflicts for Skycloud City to get involved in, leaving nothing for him to do.
Just getting a posting here at the Sandbar had been a lot to ask. They’d been desperate to arrest people from the moment they got here – not just for the sake of it, but because a single spy would be a great accomplishment. But in the days since they’d arrived, no matter how hard they looked, they weren’t able to find a single one.
Then out of the blue this demonhunter appears. Not only does he forgive them their transgressions, but offers to lead them through a mission and let them have all the praise!
What was the definition of ‘open-minded’? This was ‘open-minded’! What did it mean to turn the other cheek and repay wickedness with kindness? This was the perfect example!
The guard captain couldn’t express the breadth of his excitement. “Your servants will listen to whatever instructions you give, we eagerly await your orders!”
The light in the fat man’s eyes stirred a cold disgust within Cloudhawk. Out in the wastelands he’d met men with zealotry like this. Clearly this fat soldier was just the same. But regardless, they were useful.
“We move out tonight. You lot start preparing.”
Cloudhawk delivered his assignment then left. The fatty had to have some skill if they let him be a captain, even if Cloudhawk could whoop his ass without the help of his relics. The dozen or so others weren’t necessarily pushovers either, and with them Cloudhawk had things more under control.
The guard captain showed Cloudhawk out, and when he was gone, spun around to address his men. “Brothers! Did you see that?! Our chance to do something noteworthy is finally here! The honorable demonhunter has given us this opportunity, and we’re going to get it done right! Let’s get ready!”
“Yes, sir!”
When Cloudhawk returned to the bar he breathed a long sigh of relief. He now had Barb the demonhunter, a fat guard captain and ten soldiers. Things were looking better.
In reality, Cloudhawk wasn’t keen on this sort of thing, but he had no choice if he wanted to win a good life for Asha. It was the only way to get what he wanted from Adder. Cloudhawk didn’t see himself as a particularly responsible guy, and he couldn’t really say why he was so dead-set on doing it. For some reason he saw Asha like a little sister, maybe it was guilt because of what happened to Coppertooth. He couldn’t say for sure.