Awakening Of The New Emperor

POV: Recruit 79

The tall grass was never-ending as we continued to push through. We moved at a snail's pace, unable to go any faster even if we wanted to.

Just as the night was forever young, a bright light lit up the distance.

As a group, we all simultaneously let out a sigh of relief as we began growing closer. It was a quaint village. While there wasn't much too it, it was something. People flocked the streets as they went about their day to day life, and I found a sense of clarity in that. Common folk unaware of the tragedies that could happen.

Sooner or later some militia will lay claim to this land, and this village may be in ruins by the end of the conflict. But it stood proud, now, at this moment.

'I was thinking about this too much...' I thought to myself.

In fact, we all began carrying ourselves just a little more, even to a light jog. I wasn't even aware that we were capable of doing such things, but the sight to rejoice seemed to bring us all a collective motivation.

Food.

I need food.

***

We had been wandering around the outskirts of the village for some time, looking for opportunities to get... well, anything.

Begging doesn't get you anywhere in this world, outside of maybe getting mugged.

We were all in no condition to fight even a street thug.

Many markets lined the outer streets, bustling even as people had came and went consistently. However... we all had no money. We couldn't just walk up and buy some, it wasn't that simple. Nobody's kind enough for a handout, either.

"H-How the hell are we supposed to get anything?" One of the women that was with us asked, shivering immensely.

Going from blistering heat to such cold temperatures that your teeth clank together, it was really a joy that nearly brought me to tears. However, that didn't last long.

Once we settled, we became just as cold as we were originally hot.

"I guess we'll have to steal some," I remark.

The other 3 nodded their heads in unison. We all didn't want to, but we had to. That is, if we wanted to see tomorrow of course.

"Well, let's go then. I don't wanna be caught around here when it gets even colder and some of the wild animals smell weak human," one of the other men spoke calm but quietly, afraid to alert any stragglers this far out of the village edge.

***

It had taken longer than I had hoped, but we devised a really good plan. Well, I forgot most of it. But.. that's besides the point! After all, I'm only distraction. Just get my job done and I'll be on my way, I hope.

I made my way up to one of the markets we spotted. The man with a dirty apron and a smug look had an assortment.

Bread, fruits, vegetables, amongst other things. A rare luxury nowadays.

"How you do," I ask joyfully, using the extra fabric that I was given to help cover up my infirmities, nulling any potential suspicion.

The man didn't answer, instead looking at me from head to toe. He seemed to not notice anything, which was good, however he still chose to look away in disappointment. 'A bit too stuck up for his own good,' I reminded myself, thinking about to the village just outside the base where I was stationed.

I walk upwards, pretending to look at this collection. I wasn't really, of course. After a bit, he seemed to take notice in my 'interest,' watching as I looked around.

Carefully, I grabbed one of the fruits.

"How much for this?" I asked.

"5 copper," he spat.

'Holy shit!' I thought to myself. If I was paying, that'd be highway robbery! If you find the right spot, you can get 2 fruits of any kind for only 1 copper...

It's definitely harder to get your hands on inventory around here, I suppose.

Glad I'm not buying from here though.

"Ah, sounds good," I reply, attempting to keep a friendly smile. I pretend to dig into my pocket, rustling around for a moment.

After taking a moment too long, I bolt into action. I snatch the fruit and began sprinting away as fast as I can, without even taking any second to waste. I had to get out as fast as possible. "Hey, come back here!" the man shouted, as he began to chase after me.

I kept running, clearly making note of my quickly depleting energy. I bolt down the village dark alleyways, attempting to draw as much distance as possible.

Eventually, I was led over to a gate.

I threw the fruit down on the floor over to him, and hopped over, sprinting down into the woods. I noticed that the man stopped at the gate. He picked up the fruit, scoffed, and turned around to head back. "All should've gone well then," I whispered underneath my breath.

Continuing down for just a bit, I made it to a little patch of dirt, noticing another one of the men standing by.

"They haven't returned yet?" I asked out of curiosity.

The man looked over, not having noticed my presence before. "Nah, but it is probably a bit of a load to carry all that back," he mentioned.

Almost on queue, a rustle on the bushes turned into distant silhouettes. The rustling grew closer and louder, until 2 more people emerged. One female, and other male, the remaining 2 people of our makeshift 'group.'

They carried a load of many items. Bread, fruit, vegetables, all from the mans cart.

"I see it went well," the man laying beside me spoke, overjoyed.

"Definitely a few hiccups and tripped stones," the lady explained. "However, we're here now. And no time to waste," as she licked her lips.

"Let's us feast in the name of the Emperor!"

She dove in, throwing all of the food onto a small mat we had placed down. We all dove in following her, grabbing food like we were wild animals.

We feasted like we've never had a taste of food in our lifetime.

One that may have lasted for over an hour, was going by in seconds. Fruits were getting peeled recklessly with overgrown nails, digging into the skin of it. Those who would let the scraps sitting around would have it taken if it was unattended for more than a millisecond.

Truly resorting to nothing but our survival instincts as we paddled around the mat, covered in dirt, still scrounging for whatever was left.

"I think that might've been the best meal I've had," one exclaimed.

"Definitely."