Prologue, Re:Fate

“That’s the second time this month.”

Lieutenant Erert Briggs glanced at the crossbow bolt buried inches away from his foot. A little more to the left and he would have a nasty case of a fracture. Scowling, he kicked at the crossbow bolt.

“My word, cap’n! Those pansies got you? Fuc—wait, I’m coming.”

Erert yelped in surprise as a muddy blob clambered into his trench. An eye-watering stench hit him seconds later.

“Bloody hell, corporal! You scared me more than the bolt itself!” Erert snapped crossly, recoiling from the barely humanoid figure of mud. He looked him up and down in mild amazement. “The fuck happened to you?”

“Aye cap’n, makeshift stables haven’t been set up yet, so they dumped the horse dung outside. Didn’t watch my way and fell into a big one. You okay, cap’n?”

“Don’t—don’t touch me, damnit.” Erert swatted away a grimy hand. “I’m as fit as a horse. Nasty bugger missed me by a hair.”

“Those pansies be shooting at us more nowadays, or is it just me?” Corporal Georguy scratched his head. “They been tossing rocks and testing their trebuchets. I’ll say they up to no good, man.”

“Yeah. I keep reporting it to the brass, but they always laugh it off. I got a bad feeling, Georguy. It’s my gut,” Erert frowned. A dull *thump* sounded out in the distance as another catapult shell hit the ground.

“Still, they’ll be mad to hit us, even if they mean business. What they thinking?” Georguy looked out, gazing over the fortifications and into enemy camp. “Rynona ain’t some small country.”

“I don’t know man, I don’t know.”

Erert and Georguy stood in silence for a while, watching the proud flags of Engad flap in the wind.

“I’ll be heading back first, cap’n. Need to get this muck off me,” Georguy turned to Erert, “which reminds me, I got a brilliant idea. I’ll round up some of the boys later to throw some dung at them camps. You don’t worry cap’n, we’ll get ‘em for you.”

Erert laughed and waved him off. He blinked as a splatter of rain hit his face.

It was raining. Glancing up at the darkening sky, he sighed as he settled stiffly into his position. It would be a cold day.