EarthBorn: First Days
Fresh Meat

First Day 3rd quarter

Green plains, blue skies and warm sun greets the four as they take their first steps into their new world, breezes gently cool their skin, the grass soft like walking on clouds the creatures uninterested they pay no care to the outsiders followed swiftly by an all to familiar sight, the aftermath of battles clashing in the distance a large dark spot far across the rolling plain staining the face of natural beauty, bodies and spears litter and pultrude the ground a sight unmistakeable to any the winds bring the smell to them, they make for the scene to inspect the manic mess the closer they get the fouler the stench, small scavengers feast on the dead hissing in competition with each other, Rune signals everyone to spread out and do some scouting on the field and look for clues among the fallen, Wayke falls to one knee and takes a reading from the planet feeling for all those living, Maidon observing amongst the silent chaos before them heaps of men feeble and broken she swallows as not to cry, One legion touches bone matter rolling claret between his thumb and index, tools among the dead intrigue him they are primitive and hand made not suited to war...Rune taking in his surrounding he wanders the centre of the field spotting a glimmer in the corner of his eye among the mangled mess, he walks over taking a knee, he reaches out at the bloody mess and the glimmer into his hand resting it in his palm, he sees it’s a pendant charm, carved with a man holding an object above his head unleashing a vengeful storm ,taken by its familiarity he snaps it off and starts adding it to his chain taking the salons beliefs with him ....Wayke calls out...

“So much life... they are everywhere”...his surroundings escape him as he laughs in joy his senses take in everything, pulses of tingling a heavenly feeling...”the lands are full, I cannot pinpoint any singular entity my sense is numb here”...he mutters under his breathe ...Maidon is checking the extent of the field walking around the edge she touches none out of respect and disgust, she heads over to a drop off her eyes stumbling upon a sight down the cliff edge that freezes her movement and chills her breathe...

“COME...come and look at this”...Rune hastens over and joins her side, she turns into his arms unable to stomach the image she just witnessed, words cannot breach their lips...piles of bones completely striped of flesh, Asif unzipped and separated from their owners like a prized coat the bones split and sucked dry of dignity, no man should suffer such a fate as this, Maidon with great effort manages to stutter some words...“It’s one thing to be defeated but to be desecrated like this...it’s pure evil!”...Rune comforts her, he looks down at the heap yet more death to his tortured memory bank, he doesn’t want to believe but to succeed he must replace out , he shouts loud for One Legion the one who can confirm his fears....

“LEGION” ...they can hear him grinding towards their position , mechanical clanks rattle his heavy feet shakes the ground beneath their own...“ Analyse those remains, see what you can replace?”...he jumps the thirty feet down cracking a boulders crown into sharp fractures, bending he picks up a skull fragment crushing it in his hand the pulp passing into his palm, he turns looking up at the rock face and like a tiger climbing a tree propels up the cliff sending chunks crashing down as he makes the climb. Rune and Maidon are engulfed in a cloud of dust as he peaks and lands behind them standing ready with his arm out, Both turn to him impatiently waiting for the sample results, it seems to take forever...the display unit aboard his arm lights he’s succeeded, he has matched the sample to 98% they all stand in anticipation of the little cracked and rustic display... “MATCH”...The gravity of the result is colossal, the possibility’s now endless, there may be redemption for Rune and his knights if the indigenous are simple then there will be no need to cull, a true fresh start, but a question looms ever present, a complication that could still end the Knights hope, who felled these warriors and striped them of dignity they cannot tell why, to take this many armed Humans out means they are efficient and capable fighters with ideology , Wayke states an obvious but overlooked point ...” Where are the bodies of the other side, only one force lay here, it’s like they did it to each other”....Rune stands stout and resolute yet clearly upset he replaces hope and despair in one savage sight it overwhelms his emotions, he bellows one question...

“WE KEEP MOVING UNTIL WE FIND A LEAD!...LETS GO!”... Maidon turns and immediately leaves the sight where the desecrated lie forever trying desperately to forget...”Where will we go!?”...she asks teary but relieved they are not to blame for the massacre, Rune turns walking past his three companions with revenge written on his face...

“WE HEAD SOUTH”...