"You headed out?"
Envy blinked in the sunlight as the Drachman Sergeant walked across the small clearing in front of the small house in woods. His rifle hung on a sling at his side, the rest of his small squad nowhere in sight.
It occurred to Envy that they had never seen these strange soldiers, -marines-, they corrected themselves, as if Sparks might hear their thoughts, without their being strapped into their armor and equipment, their weapons slung and within quick reach.
"Maybe. As lovely as this experience has been, I'd just love to be someplace where I won't be shot to pieces by a paranoid monkey with more firepower than brain cells."
"No one's gonna hurt you, kid." The Sergeant, Old Timer, as his nickname ran, held up a hand, "Yeah. Sorry. You're four hundred. But no one here is looking to fuck you around if they don't have too."
Live and let live was a nearly alien concept to someone who had spent three centuries helping to bring about the apocalypse, and Envy was finding suddenly not being at war with the rest of planet to be horridly discomforting.
"And as lovely as it would be to not be saddled with a mouthy shape-shifting lizard, if you wonder off, you're most likely gonna find someone with even fewer brain cells and even more firepower." The sergeant finished, stopping in front of Envy at the bottom of the steps that led to the cabins entrance, "Come on, walk with me." He gently commanded, pulling a black beret out of one of the pouches on his equipment vest and pulling it in place.
Envy sighed, but here, finally, someone was offering to give them a real rundown of what was going on. They started down the steps, pausing midway as they spotted a silver badge over red shield on the marine's beret; the ever-present sharks jaws.
"What is with you people and your sharks' jaw fetish, anyway?"
"Surprised you recognize them, landlubber."
"I've been to the ocean, moron. I know what sharks are."
"Well, I've had to explain to some of the other residents of this land locked shit hole enough times that I assumed you didn't."
Envy let out a disdainful chuckle as they walked down the steps to stand next to the Drachman, letting their face break out in a just inhuman enough smile as they got close; they knew the sergeant saw it, and typically for the northerners they had met, didn't seem to mind.
At this rate they were either going to have to shift into slavering giant scorpion to get someone to flinch or they were going to have breakdown.
"So, what's up with shark theme?"
"Megalodon." Old Timer prompted, but then looked surprised the homunculus didn't get it.
Envy cocked their head and raised an eyebrow,
"Our unit, Fifth Assault Battle Group, Azure Sea Naval Infantry, designated 'Megalodon'," Old Timer explained, "Megalodons were a prehistoric giant shark species. The biggest were supposedly the size of buildings."
"What, an ancient sea monster?"
"Sort of. Old legends on the Azure Sea talked about giant sharks that used to attack long ships on their way to raid the old Attamanzine Empire, so actual history mixed with those and boom, sea monster stories. There are five Marine Assault Units in the Azure Sea are of operations and we each have our 'monster'; the First is Tiamat, the Second is Leviathan, the Third is Siren, the Fourth, who are on the line in front of us now, are Kraken and the Fifth," Old Timer pointed to shark's jaw patch on his sleeve, "Are Megalodon."
"Fascinating." Envy scoffed; this was the first time they had heard the sergeant say more than a few sentences at once.
Old Timer huffed, "You asked."
"So why are you Drachman sea monsters burning Amestris to the ground?"
"We are not burning anything to the ground. This is a preemptive strike before you…I mean, they, get their State Alchemists built back up."
"Leaving aide why they ever disbanded them in the first place, why do you care? There have always been alchemists in Amestris. Why is it suddenly worth coming through the Briggs Gap to do something about it?"
Old Timers jaw tensed as he grit his teeth,
"Alchemy isn't the problem. We have alchemy, we just don't indulge in Amestris'…heresies."
Ah.
That was just such a fun word.
Envy couldn't recall which of the human's imaginary friends the Drachmans worshipped- they tended not to pay attention unless they needed to make the monkeys dance using their idiotic "religions" and "faith", like at Lior -but it seemed that righteous religious wrath might be why they northerners had sent their military across the border.
Or one reason at least; they didn't get this religious vibe from the other Drachmans, who behaved like slightly more sophisticated and yet at the same time cruder versions of many of the soldiers they had known, or their remarkably relaxed commander who didn't seem to care at all why he and his men were here other than it being a job to be done with as expediently as possible.
That lack of faith, so to speak, wasn't like any of the crusades they were familiar with, but it had been awhile.
Envy stated off down the gravel road that led away from the small house, her Drachman escort a half step behind, and they decided to spice up their walk a bit by tweaking his nose,
"Heresy, huh? Must be pretty bad to start blasting people apart, you think your god would approve?"
"No. I know they wouldn't." the sergeant sighed, "But there's no other way," he stated, voice full of conviction. Envy smirked, looking forward to tormenting the hypocrite They spun around and walked backwards, grinning widely.
"Oh? And what is it the big bad devils in Central have done, aside from reinstating their military alchemists?"
"Human transmutation. Mass, human transmutation."
Oh.
Envy stumbled and almost fell, tripping backwards over something in the road as the sergeant reached out a hand to grab them. he marine was yanked to the ground as he tied to grab the humunculus' arms and was quickly pulled straight down to the dirt by Envy's deceptive weight, ending up sprawled on the ground next to them.
"You just had to try and look like a smartass, huh?" Old Timer griped as he got to his knees.
Envy quickly pulled themself back to their feet, beating the marine off the ground. Without thinking, the changeling reached out a hand.
The sergeant grabbed it, using the butt of his rifle for added leverage to get up.
He didn't remark on it, which was just as good as Envy might have killed him then and there as they realized what had just happened.
"So, mass human transmutation, huh?" the homunculus prompted, intent on forgetting what had just happened.
"Yeah," the sergeant continued, dusting his unform off and readjusting his beret on his head, "That's what they started to use to make their chimeras. That was what they we doing at that facility we pulled you out of."
Envy shook their head; Alesky-Warboss to his marines, it seemed – had not bothered to explain that when he mentioned the Amestrian government was using chimeras as fighting forces.
That explained the steady drip of human souls that had been feeding their stone through the years. Rejects from the laboratory that they had put down and used to infuse whatever the thing was the Amestrian military had embedded in their chest to feed into the philosopher's stone that kept them alive.
Which meant that whatever state the Amestrian government was in, they were still dabbling in all sorts of dark corners of alchemy, if they were able to create something that collected souls and infused them into a stone…they hadn't thought of the implications to much between the suspended animation and their painful, chaotic escape followed by their "captivity" by the Drachman marines.
Envy idly rubbed the spot under their collar bone where the scientists had stuck them.
"Shoulder hurt?" Old Timer asked; in their musing Envy had forgotten he was there.
"Not as much as you will, if you mention what just happened," Envy covered, hastily.
Luckily the clumsy retort only got an eyeroll,
"So religious stipulations against human transmutation are a big thing in Drachma, huh?" Envy prompted, trying to change the subject back to the matter at hand.
Old Timers expression turned into a glare as he answered,
"You could say that." It was the marines turn to take the lead as he strode off down the path, leaving Envy to catch up, which they were curious enough to do instead of striking off on their own, "When they pull their little blood magic tricks like that, not only do they risk keeping a soul from the afterlife they are due, they profane Gods will by destroying their creations, not only the human, but especially the animals they fuse the humans with."
"Animals? Your religion gives a fuck about animals? Must be a lot of vegetarians in Drachma."
"Not as many as you might think." Old Timer answered smiling a bit, "In any case, what they are doing, and have been doing is an offense against God and the nature they built this world upon. But I'm not under the impression you're interested in hearing me preach, or that you particularly care."
Envy smiled, "True, but I am curious what does your God have to sat about homunculi, like me? Hmmm?" They were getting in the swing of things, now, "Sort of the top of the abomination list, I'd guess, just got thrown together and infused with sin one day." Envy coked their head and grimaced, "You think I even have a soul for…"
"Of course you have a soul, Envy." Old Timer interrupted, stopping the homunculus mid-rant, "Your Father made sure of that when he created you."
The Drachmans earnestness brought Envy up short,
"What? How would you dare to guess what…"
"It's not a guess. You and your siblings were created to hold the man's 'sin', yes?"
Envy nodded,
"To be able to sin, you must have freewill. When he gave those sins, those temptations, up, he gave up his free will, his soul, part of what made him." Old Timer explained, clearly warming to the topic, "And then gave it to you all, ergo each one of you is piece of his soul, and as his children, your own soul will have grown form it, just like any other child's."
Enby was confused, "Wait, what the fuck are you talking about?"
The marine shrugged,
"Religious crap. Just rest assured, you have soul, you are your own entity and all the choices you've made in life have been your own." It was the Drachmans turn to break out in a superior smirk, "And you will be judged for them."
Oh well that was a pleasant thought. Envy was thankful this marine's religion was as full of shit as any other,
"But you've got plenty of time, I understand. You do enough good and when the time comes the Scales will even out in your favor."
Envy got a bit of their confidence back,
"Just gotta make the right donations and swear fealty to the right clergy, huh? I've heard it all before."
"No, you just gotta not be an asshole, really." Old Timers tanned, weathered face broke into a wide grin, "Which means you might be kinda fucked, kid."
At some point in their walking discussion, the pair had reached the end of the narrow gravel road that led off into the forest clearing where the cabin was located, and out unto one of the main roadways that led through the forest.
And just in time to watch as a quartet of massive, green painted tracked vehicles ground slowly down the road; at first Envy though they were tanks, but their massive guns and boxy turrets where mounted further back on their armored bodies then the machine that had almost blown the changeling to bits a few days ago.
"Self-propelled guns," Old Timer explained, "Mobile artillery."
The marine and the homunculus stood together on the road as the mobile weapons disappeared around a bend.
"If you want to bug out," the sergeant advised, "Head West for the border and skirt it until you hit Creta. They're sitting this one out. Don't head South, whatever you do, the Blue Balls have dug in like hell towards Central."
"Because of their uniforms," Envy blurted,
"…pardon?"
"Blue Balls, Blue Bellies, Blueberries, Bluies. That's what you people call the Amestrians, because of their uniforms."
"Uh, yeah?"
"I just now got it."
The marine shook his head,
"You're not leaving, are you?"
"You wish. Not yet, at least."
"Good, you're just gonna get yourself killed. Let's head back and I'll pull up a nice and sanitized map on a GPS so you can get the lay of the land."
"GPS?"
The Drachman didn't elaborate.
"So... whoever is in charge in Central is using human based Chimeras, hm?" Envy started the conversation back as they and Old Timer turned to trek back through the woods, "Openly?"
"Not so much. These Amestrians breathe in deception and exhale conspiracy. As you would well know, I imagine."
Envy tried on their confused, innocent expression again. It didn't work.
"But there was a leak," Old Timer continued "Someone spilled to the Xingese embassy, and our state security intercepted a transmission from there back to Imperial City."
"And you Ice-Bloods sent in the tanks."
Old Timer snorted in amusement,
"By the Good God, I haven't heard that one in awhile.", Referring to Envy's slang for Drachmans. It had been popular enough around Briggs fortress at one point..
"I'm old fashioned." Envy explained, and the two fell into silence save for the crunch of the Drachmans boots on the gravel path.
Something occurred to Envy,
"Why? Why did they start cranking out Chimeras and re-introduce Alchemists into the military?"
Old Timer wasn't as quick to answer this time, and Envy quickly pressed, sensing the Drachmans discomfort,
"Hmmm? Something you don't want to say?"
"We've been in an arms race. Sending spies back and forth, that sort of thing."
Which was nothing new to Envy, even before whoever it was had tried to recruit them for the cause and use them against Drachma. However;
"What sort of arms race would scare them enough to go back to weaponized alchemy if they had agreed to back away from it?"
"Atomics."
"Atomics? What does that mean?"
"Bombs. Missiles."
"What sort of..."
"Doesn't matter. All you need to know is they're bombs. Powerful ones."
Envy frowns, besides their commander, the Drachmans have been it anything a bit over sharing. Why was this old sergeant suddenly being cagey.
"How powerful?"
"One per city."
The full meaning of that short sentence took a second to sink in, and when it did, Envy stopped walking,
"... how?"
"Not sure how they work, splitting atoms, mixing the explosion with hydrogen, radioactive blasts, but we have them and the Bluies don't." Old Timer explained, "So... that's why they did what they did. In all fairness to them," the old marine sniffed, "Although that still doesn't excuse them."
The government in central must have been terrified to have something like that in the arsenals of their old enemy. Terrified enough to do something dumb that would have provoked the Drachmans into invading- or, if those weapons were real, burning the whole country to ash. Speaking of;
"So why haven't you used them? Those atomics of yours?"
Old Timer shook his head.
" It's not just a matter of firing them off. They…" the marine trailed off, eyes downcast.
Envy laughed,
"Trust me, you little insects have never had problem killing each other. Are you Drachmans having moral quandaries, now, of all times? Adorable."
The marine lowered, but didn't respond. The rest of the walk back was in silence.
They were halfway back when what had looked like a clump of bushes by the path had suddenly stood up, making Envy double back in surprise just as the shambling object had resolved into the thin, perpetually absent sharpshooter, wearing some sort of garment that seemed to be made out of dark and light green strips of cloth woven into a loose net.
Holding his rifle with its accursed "thermal" scope to his chest, the sharpshooter had held Envy in a cold, dead eyed gaze that Pride would have given half of his stone for, before giving off a lazy salute to the sergeant and disappearing back into the heavy underbrush on the side of the road.
"I see you had a partner after all." Envy drily pointed out.
"Never go into the field without a battle buddy," the sergeant answered, innocently, "Fastest way to die is alone."
"Someone should have told your Commander that."
"Second fastest way is to have a point to prove."
"What point was that?" Envy asked; they didn't care all that much, but had an instinct to dig up dirt on anyone and everyone they could.
"That'd be between him and God. Though, I would thank you for not sending Warboss to discuss his psychological issues directly with the Almighty."
Envy shrugged,
"He had chocolate."
When they got back to the cabin, the sergeant had gathered a sleepy eyed and murderously tempered Sparks from the Drachmans campsite, wherever that was, and a heavy duty, metal cased object that looked like a sized-up version of her gaming laptop, and met Envy back at the Drachman squads' armored car, which was parked off to one side of the clearing and layered with large nets with woven scarps of green and brown cloth and piles of cut branches to disguise it from sight; not, Envy realized, from the ground but most likely the air.
They thought of the fast moving and heavily armed jets that prowled the skies above, doing their best to picture what sort of hell they could rain form the sky. The concept was almost totally alien to them, but they shivered despite that, imagining being hunted form the skies by a swarm of flying machines was…well, it was awful.
Sparks hadn't said a word as she pulled up a map on the glowing screen of the heavy laptop, simply clicking around on the screen and an punching buttons until all that was shown on the map she had pulled up was a gently blinking circle to mark what Envy presumed was their current position
Sparks had stared blankly at the screen for a moment, glowered over at the sergeant with dark circled eyes, before turning to Envy with a tired smile, and, still not saying a word, ran a warm hand over the homunculus' shoulder as she slipped by them and the sergeant, seeking sleep once again.
"When she actually wakes up and realizes you've buggered off she's gonna lose her mind." The sergeant commentated.
"Why? We've just met!"
"Yeah, but you like her video games. She hasn't had anyone to talk to about that type of shit since we left the West Coast."
Nonsense, Envy thought, replaying their conversations with the Drachman girl over the last two days; Sparks had carefully shown them the controls, smiling happily as they grasped the layout of the keyboard and mouse, and had spent hours regaling them with tricks and lore for the games the Drachman had installed on her laptop.
Envy had sat there the whole time, telling themselves they were stringing the girl along to gain another few moments with the blessed distraction that was the black and red gaming laptop and the wealth of escapism it held in its slim frame.
But looking back, these were the longest conversation they'd had about anything other than their work on the Plan, tormenting their enemies or, well, anything else, since before Lust had died.
It had felt…good. Just to have a normal, inconsequential conversation with someone who had enjoyed being around them, despite Envy being, well, Envy.
Those pleasant thoughts only drove their determination to leave any faster, however. They couldn't allow themselves to drop their guard, especially for some band of strangers they had just met. It was foolishness of the purest form to think anything else. It had only bene a few days, for fucks sake.
But just as the sergeant had begun to point his finger at the screen to begin his explanation of what was going on and where they were, the rumble of artillery fire from the South, that ever-present reminder f the distant war that was raging across Amestris grew, slowly at first until it suddenly reached a furious crescendo that echoed through the trees of the quiet forest, until the very air seemed to vibrate with it.
Old Timer stiffened and pressed his hand to the black earpiece that attached to the radio on his combat vest, his face growing even more grim than normal.
"Fucking Amestrians are breaking through," he barked. not to Envy, but to the world in general, as he keyed his microphone again, profanely calling his squad to the transport before turning to Envy, "You come too." He ordered.
Before Envy could protest, sound of battles grew even louder, and a certain dread fascination mad ethe shape shifter nod their head just once, in agreement.
The armored car came to a screeching halt in front of a collection of half-completed underground bunkers topped with dark green tents, with heavy cables trailing out of many oftgme to a forest of ariel antennas not to far away, a few Drachman soldiers moved quickly hee and theres, ducking down eartej stair cases and into the binker,s dark red lght breiflye spilling out unto the dark night a sthye lifted up tent flasp to dart inside.
"Warboss sounds tied up, I;m ducking into the CP to get Orders" Old Timer explained to gthe rest of his squad as he climbed thrigh the crmaped steel door fo the scout car and stood up. The other scouts quicly dismounted the vehicle, hecking their wwepaons as they moved off; Envy note dthat they suduily stayed close to a nearby shelter trench; the sudden coautn formthe teckless Dracman infnaty made the humonclus tense, and tye unsicnscouly moved behind Old Timer, not wanting to stay in the dark about what wha s going on.
From the South, the sounds of battle intensified, the sounds of the explsosions now so close together as to be indistinguishable.
Envy was neary on top of the grizzled veteran when he reached a heavily fortified wood and sandbag bunker; two dracmns sat in fox hlels on either side of the door, wth both steeping out to briefly shine a flashlight on Old Timers face- and Envy's.
"What the hell is that thing still doing here?" one of them demanded, "Why's it following you?"
Old Timer glanced back at Envy,
"Didn't realize he was there." He explained, "But you may as well let him follow me. We abe enoght proeblems wotnout hi sltting your throats and stealing your faces."
Old Timer walked inside, with t he homunculus on his heels, the guards ether ocnifsed or intitmaed enoihgh to not try nd stip the pair.
The sergeant flipped back the heavy blackout curtauin and pushed inside, barely bothering to hood it open for the trailing shapeshifter. Despite the petty disprespect, Envy could barely hold back a smirk; what fools would give someone like them access to their command center?
One more step on the raod to understanding this strange new wor-
Envy froze.
They had spent their lives under a militaries command center, they had followed armies on campaign, effortless gliding in and out of the ranks, watching, wating to push things Fathers way. They thought they knew what to expect on the beating heart of the Megaladon.
What they found instead was a quiet insanity.
The tight confine sof the bunker glowed with the blue lught from a handfuk of glowing monitors, a few larger things hapahazardly mounted ti the wall, but most sat on a pait of long, flat tables, surrounded by a swarm of Drachmans in sweat stained fatigues, men and women hunched over laptop screens not very different from the mahine they had cadged off Sparks back at the cabin.
Most of them
The calm after last night's storm was broken, with the sound of roaing engines coming form all directions, the distant sound of shouted orders in Drahman, and the air electric with an alost palpable sense of ecitment as Megalodon went back on the hunt, pointing its hungry jaws at a horizon still dotted with plumes of smoke.
Rancid walked with Envy, blessedly silent, but Envy was unsure what to say. They still had uestions to anser in plenty, they knew next to nothing of what was going on out there, beyond that the Drachmans were currently far out ahead on this war, but beyond Old Timers paltituues they still didn't undertsnat what was going on, or even the state of Amestris at large.
Other then it being partially on fire.
But they were running out of time, and the onky question they could think to ask to this young marine who they were never goung to see again was one that had occurred to them the moment they had awoken.
"Why did you let me out?" envy asked, looking over at Rancid.
Uncharectiresoyly, he stopped and looked around, as if unsure whaty to say.
"Man…I…I am NOT supposed to tell you."
"Why? What's so bad about why you six let me out?"
"Look, look it wasn't us six, it was just the Sarge."
"Old Timer? Follow orders to the letter Old Timer?"
"Yeah."
"Who was ordered to destroy everything in the lab nd come back up?"
Rancid sighed and nodded.
"Look…he saw you in that stasis thingie and…lost it. He hit a release valve and shot through the glass when the Blue Balls' scientists wouldn't show us how to open the tube." Rancid continued without being bidden to explain further, "I think… we all think…you reminded him of his son."
The jitterey trooper reached into his equieopnt vets and pulled out a stack of photographs wrapped in a plastic bag, opening it to rifle through the pictures before pulling one out; a snapshot of a the six man Ranger squad in front of their armored car, with the addition of a vivaciously attractive brunteete in a sundress leaning on Hatreds broad shoulders, and an awkward lookg, gnagly boy with long black hair wearing a short, hooded jacket with a tank top and tight, womens leggings. His sbtley made-up face beamed as he stood next to Old Timer, who smiled back just as happily.
"The…what? THAT is Old Timers son?" Envy demanded, snatching the picture from Rancids unresisting hands.
"Yeah, his name was Ilyas." Rancid almost whispered.
Envy froze, tehuir slit eyed gaze snappeding up to focus on Rancid,
"Was?"
Rancid nodded,
"Car wreck, two months before we deployed. A month after we took that picture." He answered, still unwontedly quiet.
"How?" Envy asked, a general demand.
"Not like, one-hundred percent about any of this and we weren't supposed to share anything personal with you. But I guess it doesn't really matter, now." The young marine sighed, "Like, last year sometime we got back from a training mission, yeah? It got cut due to a bad storm. Old Timer and his wife had split up awhile before, divorced."
Rancid started walking again, cradling his rifle close to his chest, and Envy kept pace at his side,
"Old Timer got home and walked in on Ilyas and his boyfriend, like, right in the middle of things." Rancid, foul mouthed, vile Rancid reddened with embarrassment and fell silent.
"What did Old Timer do?"
"Turned right back around, got in his car and drove off with Ilyas blowing him up…I mean calling his cell phone, the whole time."
Envy held off on asking what a cell phone was,
"But you know how religios he is. Chuch doesn't approve of that type of shit, yeah? Fuckers just need to get laid, I think." Rancid muttered, but got back on track "So he head starught to the Sky Pilot- the chaplain, the unit priest, yeah?"
Envy was silent as they and Rancid came to a stop well away from the mobilizing forces of Megalodon,
"And the chaiplan feeds him a load of shit about cutting ties with Ilyas, throwing him out, forcing him to take thearpy to fix his degeneracy…" Rancid trailed off, "Old Timer loves his son, man. But he didn't know what to do, so he goes to see Warboss at HQ, tells Dragon he's gotta talk to the old man. Like, I don't know what made him do that, Warboss is like, a million years younger than him and single."
Rancid shakes his head,
"But Warboss says," Rancid thougth for a moment, wild eyes darting around, " Sergeant Alkochik, If your son was scared, would you help him? Obviously yes. If you were scared, would he help you? Obvious yes, again. Warboss says, is Ilyas going to be your child, no matter what? Old Timer says yes. Are you always gonna be his father, and be there for him? Yes, again."
Rancid smiled,
"'And then Warboss says, well your son is scared shitless of losing his father right now, fuckwit, why the fuck are you here talking to me? Get your shit together, go see him, only come back if you get pissed off like an idiot so I can kick your ass. If you talk to that priest again before I ship him off I'll have you shot.'" Rancid finished, smiling, "Old timer told us what happened a week later. He told the other NCO's a week after that. He was never like, embarrassed. Ilyas was just who he was."
The marine sighed again, unlslinging the light back pack he'd bene carrying and handing it to Envy,
"So…yeah. COnguratulation on being the only person in world history to be saved by…" Rancid shook his head, "Nevermind. We got some stff together for you. Couple canteens, some food, I know you said you didn't have to eat,but we figured…anyway. Hatred tossed one of his ponchi liners in tehre and I got you a ground sheet and some paracord. There a compass in there, a flashlight, batteries…Sparks gave you her handheld, too. She must really, really, like you, man."
"Handheld?" Envy asked, styarteled out of tehuri silent reverie,
"Like a video game thing that you just hold in your hands, you'll see. I think her and Hatred tried to write up a list of li,e tehcnilglies and stiff you wouldn't understand, and they made you an instrucuton manual. It's pretyu hasty but it's the best we could do."
Rnacid passed the back pack over to Envy,
"We captured the pack off a Blue Berry, so it's not Drachman issue. It won't give you away, but be careful, you don't have ID's or nothin', and you can't always just kill your way out of trouble."
Rancid trailed off.
Envy looked behind themself at the long asphalt road that wound off into the distance.
"Just be careful Razor. Good luck, man."
Envy nodded once. And then they turned and walked away, their mind a chaotic mess louder than the sounds of the army massing behind them. They started walking, and when they looked back the road was empty.